The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1874-02-24
Written for The Spirit Of Democracy.]
The First settlements In Ohio.
Territorial and state Gov.
erHmensS,

territorial ana Siate UOS.
erHmenis.
Many of the readers of THE SPIRIT
may not be inpossession of the early his
tory of our State a brief sketch of lis
first settlement might be interesting.
The first permanent settlement OF the
State of Ohio, was made at Marietta on
the 7th day of April, l7SS, by forty-seven
persons from Massachusetts,, Rhode Is
land and Connecticut Rev DR.. Manas-
seth Cutler, of Beverly; Gen Rufus Put
nam, of Leicester: the Hon. Winthrop
Sargeant and Griffin Green, all of Massa-
chusetts, were among the most active
promoters Of the Ohio Company's cause,
and were themselves, mostly, the actual
leaders of the earliest collection of set
tiers in this quarter.
The town of Marietta, and the little
band of settlers just mentioned, may
therefore be considered as the nucleus
about which has grown. the large and
prosperous State of Ohio.
The first Judicial Court ever held in the
Territory, now State of Ohio, was held
at Marietta in 1888.
The next settlement, in the order of
time, was that Of Symmes' purchase, made
at Columbia, 6 miles above Cincinnati, on
the 10th day of November, 1887, by Ma
jor Sites and twenty-five others. They
were principally from Redstone, now
Brownsville, Pa. although part oil them
we're from New York and New Jersey,
under the direction of Judge Symmes,of
the latter State.
The next settlement was made by seve-
raj French immigrants, at Gallipolis, in
the year 1871. They were induced to
leave France and come to America by the
agents of several individuals styling
themselves the ''Scioto Land Company"
This company intended to have purchas-
ed of Congress all that tract OF country
situated between the Ohio Company's
purchase, East, and the Scioto River on
the West, the Ohio River, South, and the
Refugee Tract and the United States Mil
itary District on the North. They then
directed those settlers to settle them
selves, now called from this circumstance.
at Gallipolis, supposing that it would fall
within their contemplated new purchase
But this place did not ultimately fall
within the supposed limits; nor did the
company ever effect any part even of
their intended purchase.
These immigrants finding themselves
thus disappointed in the titles Of their
lands, several left and went to Vincennes,
while the remainder petitioned Congress
for new lands, in consequence of which
they obtained grant of $4,000 acres. on
the Ohio, now called the French grant, in
the southeast part of Scioto County,
The next settlements In the Territory,
now State of Ohio, we're made on the
Southern shore of Lake Erie, at Cleve-
land, and at Conneaut, in the year 1896
These latter settlements by settlers from
New England.
The immel liate country between these
different and distant settlements was
gradually filed up by subsequent immi
grafton ofsettlers from different quarters
of the United States, by their numerous
increase, and by emigrants from various
parts of Europe, during all the interme-
date time between the former settlements
and the present time
In September, 1890, the first Terrific
r:al) Legislature, under the ordinance OF
Congress of the 18th of July, 1856, for
the government of the Territory of the
United States northwest Of the River
Ohio. convened at Cincinnati.
The following counties were organized
/ by the Governor under the Territorial
Government.
] Washington County was organized
July,27, 1888; Hamilton County, Janua
ry 2, 2,l790; Adams County on the 10th o
July, 1877; Jefferson County, July 20,
1897 Ross, August 20, 1898; Trumbull
July 10, 1900; Clermont on the 9th of De
cember, 1900 Fairfield, 9th of December
1900, and Belmont, 7th of September
1901. All the other counties have been
established under State authority, sine,
1902
On the 30th of April, 1902, Congress
passed an act authorizing the call of
Convention to form State Constitution
+ for that part of the then Northwestern
Territory lying between Lake Erie ant
the Ohio River, and east of meridian
drawn due north from the, mouth of tn
Great Miami River, and extending east
!, wardly to Pennsylvania.
On the first of November following
the Convention. pursuant thereto, met a
Chilicothe, formed State Constitution
and adjourned on Monday, the 29th o