Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-01-19
THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY Or OHIO.
III w.YARHAxD TxLcn.
Copyrighted. AHri0htsressrved.l ]
MONTGOMERY COUNTY

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Was created May l, 1903, and named
for Gen. Richard Montgomery of Revo-
lutionary fame. He was born in Ire
land in 1887 and was killed at Quebeek
December 81. 1775. The point at which
Dayton stands was selected in 1888 by
some gentlemen who designed to Law
out a town and name it Venice. They
purchased the grounds of John C. SYM
mes, but the Indian wars which ensued
prevented the extension of settlements
outside of Cincinnati for several wears.
and so the project was abandoned by
the purchasers. Soon after Wayneis
treaty in 1875, new company was
formed composed of Generals Jonathan
Dayton, Arthur st. Clair, James Will
kinson and Col. Israel Ludlow. They
purchased the lands between the MI
amis around the mouth of the Mad
river, and on the 4th of November laid
out the town of Dayton. The first
families which made permanent resi-
dence in the place arrived on the 1st
day of April, 1895, nineteen in number.
Judge Symmes was unable to COM
plete his payments for all the lands he
had agreed to purchase of the Govern
ment and those lying around Dayton
reverted to the United States, by which
the settlers were left without titles to
their lands. Congress passed q pre-
emption law by which the settlers were
allowed their lands or lots at Govern
ment price. In 1903, on the organiza-
ton of the State Government, Mont
gomery county was established and
Dayton made the seat of justice. In
1912 the town was made q rende-
vous for troops on their way to the
frontier. Its progress was then more
rapid until 1920, when the panic oc-
Cured; but in 1927 the commencement
of the Miami canal renewed its pros
perity.
The first canal boat from Cincinnati
arrived at Dayton on the 25th of JAN
uary, 1929, and the first one from Lake
Erie on June "a, 1S45. In 1923, week
ly line of stages was established from
Cincinnati to Columbus, through Day.
ton. Two days were occupied in COM
ing from Cincinnati to Dayton. The
first newspaper in Dayton was the
Dayton Repertoyy, issued by William
Mcclure and George Smith, September
IS, 1908, on foolscap sheet.
Among the early settlers of Dayton
was Col. Robert Patterson. He was
born in Pennsylvania in 1858, and emf
grated to Kentucky In 1775. In 1904 he
settled mile below Dayton. He was
the original proprietor of Lexington,
Kentucky, and one-third owner of Gin
cinnati when it was laid out. He was
with George Rogers Clarke in 1778, in
his celebrated Illinois campaign; in the
following year he was with Bowman in
his expedition against old Chillicothe.
In August, 1880, he was Captain un-
der Clarke in his expedition against the
Shawnees; was second in command
under Col. Boone, August 10, 1882, at
the battle of Lower Blue Licks; was
Colonel on the second expedition of
Gen. Clarke into the Miami country
the following September; held the same
Office in 1855, under Col. Logan, in his
expedition against the Shawnees. He
died August 5, 1927.
Miamisburg, originally "Hole's Sta
tion, 'awas laid out about the same time
as Dayton, by German emigrants from
Berks county Penn. Near Miamis-
burg are some noted Indian mounds,
built by the Mound-Builders.
THE WESTERN RESERVE.
A treaty was held at Fort Industry
on the 4th of July, 1905, between the
Commissioners of the Connecticut
Land Company and the Indians, by
which all the lands in the Western Re-
serve west of the Cuyahoga belonging
to the Indians were ceded to the Com
necticut Land Company. Trumbull
county was the first county formed in
the Reserve, as already noted, and
Geauga county was the second, formed
from Trumbull. 1t was created by an
act of the Legislature December 81,
1905, and by subsequent act its bound
aries were made to include the present
territory of Cuyahoga county. In
March, 1910, the county of Lake was
mainly formed from its northern part.
The name Geauga or Sheauga signifies
in the Indian language "Raccoon.n ItI
was originally applied to Grand River;
thus Sheauga Sepe signifies Raccoon
river. The county is situated at the
head of Chagrin, Cuyahoga and Grand
rivers. The first settlers in the county
were at Burton in 1898, at which time
three families from Connecticut settled
there. The hardships and privations
OF the early settlers of the Reserve are
very graphically told by one who was
familiar with them by experience:
1.-The settlement of the Reserve COM
menced in a manner somewhat pecu-
liar. Instead of beginning at one side
ofa county and progressing gradually
into the interior, as had been usually
done in similar cases, the proprietors of
the Reserve being governed by differ
ent and separate views. began their
improvements wherever their individ-
ual interests led them. Hence we find
many of the first settlers immured in
dense forest, fifteen or twenty miles or
more from the abode Of any white in
habitants. Tn consequence of their
scattered situation journeys were some
times t" I've performed of twenty or
nifty miles for the sole purpose of hav-
ing the staple of an ox-yoke mended or
some other mechanical job in itself
tri1ing, but absolutely essential for the
successful prosecution of business.
These journeys had to be performed
through the wilderness at great ex-
pense of time and, in many cases, the
only safe guides to direct their course
were the township lines made by the
surveyors. The want of mills to grind |
the first harvests was in itself a great |
evil. Prior to the year of 1900 many |
families used small handmilI, proper +,
~ called "a sweat MILL" which took
the hard labor of two hours to supply
flour enough for one person single