Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/109

 HISTORY OF OHIO.

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��The only settlement uf any consequence made dur- ingthe Indian war, was that on the platof Hamilton, laid out by Israel Ludlow in December, 1794. Soon after, Darius C. Orcutt, John Green, William Mc- Clennan, John Sutherland, John Torrence, Benjamin F.Randolph, Benjamin Davis, Isaac Wiles, Andrew Christy and William Hubert, located here. The town was laid out under the name of Fairfield, but was known only a short time by that name. Until ISUl, all the lands on the west side of the G-reat Miami were owned by the General Government ; hence, until after that date, no improvements were made there. A single log cabin stood there until the sale of lands in April, 1801, when a company purchased the site of Rossville, and, in March, 1804, laid out that town, and, before a year had passed, the town and country about it was well settled.

The close of the war, in 1795, insured peace, and, from that date, Hamilton and that part of the Miami Valley grew remarkably fast. In 1803, Butler County was formed, and Hamilton made the county seat.

On the site of Hamilton, St. Clair built Fort Hamilton in 1791. For some time it was under the command of Maj. Rudolph, a cruel, arbitrary man, who was displaced by Gen. Wayne, and who, it is said, perished ignobly on the high seas, at the hands of some Algerine pirates, a fitting end to a man who caused, more than once, the death of men under his control for minor offenses.

On the return of peace, no part of Ohio grew more rapidly than the Miami A^alley, especially that part comprised in Butler County.

While the war with the Indians continued, but little extension of settlements was made in the State. It was too perilous, and the settlers pre- ferred the security of the block-house or to engage with the army. Still, however, a few bold spirits ventured away from the settled parts of the Terri- tory, and began life in the wilderness. In tracing the histories of these settlements, attention will be paid to the order in which they were made. They will be given somewhat in detail until the war of HI 2, after which time they become too numerous to follow.

The settlements made in Washington — Marietta and adjacent colonies — and Hamilton Counties have already been given. The settlement at Gal- lia is also noted, hence, the narration can be re- sumed where it ends prior to the Indian war of 1795. Before this war occurred, there were three small settlements made, however, in addition to

��those in Washington and Hamilton Counties. They were in what are now Adams, Belmont and Morgan Counties. They were block-house settle- ments, and were in a continual state of defense. The first of these, x\dams, was settled in the winter of 1790-91 by Gen. Nathaniel Massie. near where Manchester now is. Gen. Massie determined to settle here in the Virginia Military Tract — in the winter of 1790, and sent notice throughout Ken- tucky and other Western settlements that he would give to each of the first twenty-five families who would settle in the town he proposed laying out, one in-lot, one out-lot and one hundred acres of land. Such liberal terms were soon accepted, and in a short time thirty families were ready to go with him. After various consultations with his friends, the bottom on the Ohio River, opposite the lower of the Three Islands, was selected as the most eligible spot. Here Massie fixed his sta- tion, and laid oft' into lots a town, now called JNIanchester. The little confederacy, with Massie at the helm, went to work with spirit. Cabins were raised, and by the middle of March, 1791, the whole town was inclosed with strong pickets, with block-houses at each angle for de- fense.

This was the first settlement in the bounds of the Virginia District, and the fourth one in the State. Although in the midst of a savage foe, now inflamed with war, and in the midst of a cruel conflict, the settlement at Manchester suf- fered less than any of its cotemporaries. This was, no doubt, due to the watchful care of its in- habitants, who were inured to th^ rigors of a front- ier life, and who well knew the danger about them. " These were the Beasleys, Stouts, Washburns, Ledoms, Edgingtons, Denings, Ellisons, Utts, McKenzies, Wades, and others, who were fully equal to the Indians in all the savage arts and stratagems of border war."

As soon as they had completed preparations for defense, the whole population went to work and cleared the lowest of the Three Islands, and planted it in corn. The soil of the island was very rich, and produced abundantly. The woods supplied an abundance of game, while the river furnished a variety of excellent fish. The inhabitants thus found their simple wants fully su])plied. Their nearest neighbors in the new Territory were at Columbia, and at the French settlement at Gallip- olis ; but with these, owing to the state of the country and the Indian war, they could hold little, if any, intercourse.

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