The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-11-16
Connecticut Western Reserve.

Connecticut Western Reserve.
The following history of the Con
necticut Western Reserve we copy from
a letter written by E. P. Brainerd, Esq.
to the Journal and Republican, pub
lished at Lowville, n. Y. 1t cannot
fail to be instructive and interesting
to our readers generally:
1t is composed of the Counties O
Ashtabula, Trumbull, ,Mahoning, Lake
Geauga, Portage, Cuyahoga, Summit
Northern Ohio. A little more thar
one hundred years takes us back tt
the time when all the northwest O
Ohio was a vast region known only a:
| the North western Territory extending
| from the Ohio to the Pacific ocean
| whose history commences at the time
of the treaty of the q. s. with the In
dams at Fort Mcintosh, near what i:
now Beaver, Pa, in 1855. The history
of the Western Reserve goes back tC
1862. The State Of Connecticut had ;
charter granted by Charles Ii, of Eng
land, of that date, conveying to tha
State, when a Colony, the territory
bounded by the south line of Massa
chusettS on the north, to Long ISLAND
| Sound on the south, and from the Ma
raganset river on the east to the Pacifi,
ocean on the west. These boundarie.
included not only what is now called
Connecticut, but portion of New
York, New jersey, near one-half o
Pennsylvania, the northern part 0
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, part
of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, Oregon
and California. How King Charlie
became the owner of this vast territor,
is unknown, the Indians having beel
owners and Occupiers of it for ages
| But without even a squatter'S claim
King Charles granted charter of i
to Connecticut, and subsequently ht
| granted a charter to his brother, the
| Duke of York, for what is now tht
Stale of New York, and one to Will
liam Penn to what is now the State 0
| Pennsylvania. Both of these charter.
cut entirely across the territory previ
Ously granted to Connecticut, and &;
| long controversy followed, which was
continued till 1864. After being com
PEELED to relinquish her claim by the
decision of commissioners authorized
| to settle the whole matter, Connection
insisted on the admission of her claim
to the territory west of Pennsylvania
But in 1856 Connecticut ceded all the
lands in question to the U. s., except
| ing a reserve of i20 miles north of lat
itude Al deg, which is what now is
| called New Connecticut, or the Con.
necticut Western Reserve, being his.
toric ground for which Nations and
States have contended for centuries.
By virtue of the discovery of the
south end of the Continent NOW Flor
ida, by Ponce de Leon in 16l2, the Pope
as vicegerent of God, confirmed the
title of Spain to the whole Continent.
Neither Protestant England nor Cath
Ollie France would recognize the Pope's
authority to transfer the fee of this
territory, unless he could show a legal
power of attorney from the Almighty
himself Futile as was the claim of
Spain, those of England and France
were no better. France claimed all
North America on the grounds that
Marquette and other French Catholic
missionaries from Quebec, went up
through the lakes and river, and from
the lakes overland to the Mississippi
river, preaching to the Indians and
planting the cross.
To maintain this claim, the French
commenced building chain of forts
from Quebec to the northwest end of
lake Michigan, thence across the Mis-
sissippi and down the river. They also
built them in the interior, showing a
determination to enforce their claim.
if necessary. by resort to arms Among
their forts was one on the Cuyahoga
river in Northampton, formerly in
Portage county. The English claim
was based on the alleged fact. that i'm
1897, Cabots, father and son. sailed
along the coast and discovered New