The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1902-05-08
SOME EARLY HISTORY
FIRST OFFICIAL SURVEY OF OHIO
AND INDIANA LANDS
Col. Jared Mansfield. One of the First
Teachers Appointed to the West
Point Military Academy, Fad Charge
the Work.

founding of the West Point Military
Academy some information OF inter
est was omitted, notably the history i,
of the first teachers of that famous |
institution. The following facts have
been supplied by Mr.. Solomon Mercer |
of Coshocton, Ohio:
The first teachers in the academy
were Col Jared Mansfield and Capt.
Barron Col. Mansfeld's father and
family came from Exeter, in England,
and were among the first settlers in
New Haven in 1889. Mr.. Mansfield
began his life as teacher in New
Haven, and afterward taught at the
Friends Academy in Philadel-
phia, going from there to
West Point, where he taught
in the Military Academy in 1902 and
1903, and again from 1914 to 1928, in
elusive In the meantime, however,
he-was nine years in the state of Ohio,
holding the position of surveyor gen
! eraI of the United States.
! While teaching in New Haven Mr.
| Mansfield published a book entitled
| Essays on Mathematics This book
| was brought to the notice of Mr..
| Jefferson, who fond of science
1 and scientific men The consequence
! was that Mr.. Mansfield became cap
tain of engineers, appointed by Mr.
| Jefferson, with a view to his becoming
one of the professors at the West
Point Military Academy, then estab-
| Capt. Barron, also of the engineers,
were ordered to West Point, and be
came the first teachers of the cadets
in 1902.
Mr.. Mansfield was there but short
time when he received appoint
ment to a new and more arduous field
in the west, where the demand for
surveyors was urgent He was made
surveyor-genera1 Of the United States.
The position was by no means
| hit oft aTrM Mr. ian iOI w n
was scholar and mathematician, and
fond of quiet and retired life, but he
was induced to go under conditions
which perhaps were never granted to
any other officer It was agreed that
while he was engaged in the public
service in the west his commission
in the engineer corps should go on,
and he be entitled to promotion, al
though he received but one salary,
that of surveyor general. In accord
ance with this agreement, he received
two promotions while in Ohio, and his
professOrShip at West Point was
awarded him on the recommendation
of President Manson in 1914, with the
rank and pay Of lieutenant colonel
At that time but part of the lands
in Ohio to which the Indian title had
been extin guished had been surveyed.
For this purpose Mr. Mansfield arriv-
ed at Marietta in the year 1903, estab
= | lished his office there until the month
|
: headquarters were moved to Cincin-
t natl
e In the rapid progress of migration
to the west, and the success of Gov
William Henry Harrison in treating
a for the purchase of land from the IN
dams by treaty,the public surveys also
= were soon necessary in western Ohio
and in the Indiana territory, which
was then RHbroken wilderness, al
! though the French had established the
post of Vincennes- There may hav'
! been a settlement at GAINESVILLE, OF
the Clark grant but except these Their
was not a white settlement in Indiana
1t became necessary to extend thu
surveyed lines through that state
then only part of the great north
west territory For this purpose Mr.
Mansfield, in the month of October
1905, undertook the first public sur
veying expedition in Indiana
Although the military sages in thei
centennial at West Point failed t.
mention the name of Jared MANSFIELD
as one of the first professors, he ha
left many monuments in the west Oh
record that can never be ob1iterat
ed forgotten If the reader will blu
go to a certain point near Paon, il
Orange county, Indiana, he will oh
serve the point from which Co
Mansfield operated in Indiana TIL
point referred to Is where the princi
pal meridian and base lines eros
each other at right angles; from thi
point all the public lands in the stat
of Indiana were surveyed Jare
Mansfield established both meridia
and base lines andestablished a monu
ment at their crossing every six mile
from that point, whether north. eas'
south or west
Colonel Mansfield made the frs
map of that part of Indiana whie
was duly recorded and the Ian
granted to the purchaser according t
the survey he made. This was tn
first opportunity he had to establis
a principal meridian and base line
and for this alone millions OF peopl
have good cause to remember Jare
Mansfield, one OF the first professor
at West Point in 1902
GOOD story Abernethy.