Brannon, who stole the great coat, handkerchief and shirt; and that James B. Finley, afterward Chaplain in the State Penitentiary, should see the sentence faithfully carried out. Brannon chose the latter sentence, and the ceremony was faithfully performed by his wife in the presence of every cabin, under Mr. Finley's care, after which the couple made off. This was rather rude, but effective jurisprudence.

"Dr. Edward Tiffin and Mr. Thomas Worthington, of Berkley County, Va., were brothers-in-law, and being moved by abolition principles, liberated their slaves, intending to remove into the Territory. For this purpose, Mr. Worthington visited Chillicothe in the autumn of 1797, and purchased several in and out lots of the town. On one of the former, he erected a two-story frame house, the first of the kind in the village. On his return, having purchased a part of a farm, on which his family long afterward resided, and another at the north fork of Paint Creek, he contracted with Mr. Joseph Yates, a millwright, and Mr. George Haines, a blacksmith, to come out with him the following winter or spring, and erect for him a grist and saw mill on his north-fork tract. The summer, fall and following winter of that year were marked by a rush of emigration, which spead over the high bank prairie, Pea-pea, Westfall and a few miles up Paint and Deer Creeks.

"Nearly all the first settlers were either regular members, or had been raised in the Presbyterian Church. Toward the fall of 1797, the leaven of piety retained by a portion of the first settlers began to diffuse itself through the mass, and a large log meeting-house was erected near the old graveyard, and Rev. William Speer, from Pennsylvania, took charge. The sleepers at first served as seats for hearers, and a split-log table was used as a pulpit. Mr. Speer was a gentlemanly, moral man, tall and cadaverous in person, and wore the cocked hat of the Revolutionary era.

"Thomas Jones arrived in February, 1798, bringing with him the first load of bar-iron in the Scioto Valley, and about the same time Maj. Elias Langham, an officer of the Revolution, arrived. Dr. Tiffin, and his brother, Joseph, arrived the same month from Virginia and opened a store not far from the log meeting-house. A store had been opened previously by John McDougal. The 17th of April, the families of Col. Worthington and Dr. Tiffin arrived, at which time the first marriage in the Scioto Valley was celebrated. The parties were George Kilgore and Elizabeth Cochran. The

ponies of the attendants were hitched to the trees along the streets, which were not then cleared out, nearly the whole town being a wilderness. Joseph Yates, George Haines, and two or three others, arrived with the families of Tiffin and Worthington. On their arrival there were but four shingled roofs in town, on one of which the shingles were fastened with pegs. Col. Worthington's house was the only one having glass windows. The sash of the hotel windows was filled with greased paper.

"Col. Worthington was appointed by Gen. Rufus Putnam, Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory, surveyor of a large district of Congress. lands, on the east side of the Scioto, and Maj. Langham and a Mr. Matthews, were appointed to survey the residue of the lands which afterward composed the Chillicothe land district.

"The same season, settlements were made about the Walnut Plains by Samuel McCulloh and others; Springer, Osbourn, Dyer, and Thomas and Elijah Chenowith, on Darly Creek; Lamberts and others on Sippo; on Foster's Bottom, the Fosters. Samuel Davis and others, while the following families settled in and about Chillicothe: John Crouse, William Keys, William Lamb, John Carlisle, John McLanberg, William Chandless, the Stoctons, Greggs, Bates and some others.

“Dr. Tiffin and his wife were the first Methodists in the Scioto Valley. He was a local preacher. In the fall, Worthington's grist and saw mills on the north fork of Paint Creek were finished, the first mills worthy the name in the valley.

"Chillicothe was the point from which the settlements diverged. In May, 1799, a post office was established here, and Joseph Tiffin made Postmaster. Mr. Tiffin and Thomas Gregg opened taverns; the first, under the sign of Gen. Anthony Wayne, was at the corner of Water and Walnut streets; and the last, under the sign of the 'Green Tree,' was on the corner of Paint and Water streets. In 1801, Nathaniel Willis moved in and established the Scioto Gazette, probably, the second paper in the Territory.'

In 1800, the seat of government of the Northwest Territory was removed, by law of Congress, from Cincinnati to Chillicothe. The sessions of the Territorial Assembly for that and the next year were held in a small two-story, hewed-log house, erected in 1798, by Bazil Abrams. A wing was added to the main part, of two stories in

*Recollections of Hon. Thomas Scott, of Chillicothe-Howe's Annals of Ohio.

height. In the lower room of this wing, Col. Thomas Gibson, Auditor of the Territory, kept his office, and in the upper room a small family lived. In the upper room of the main building a billiard table was kept. It was also made a resort of gamblers and disreputable characters. The lower room was used by the Legislature, and as a court room, a church or a school. In the war of 1812, the building was a rendezvous and barracks for soldiers, and, in 1840, was pulled down.

The old State House was commenced in 1800, and finished the next year for the accommodation of the Legislature and the courts. It is said to be the first public stone edifice erected in the Territory. Maj. William Rutledge, a Revolutionary soldier, did the mason work, and William Guthrie, the carpenter. In 1801, the Territorial Legislature held their first session in it. In it was also held the Constitutional Convention of Ohio, which began its sessions the first Monday in November, 1802. In April, 1803, the first State Legislature met in the house, and continued their sessions here until 1810. The sessions of 1810-11, and 181112, were held in Zanesville, and from there removed back to Chillicothe and held in the old State House till 1816, when Columbus became the permanent capital of the State.

Making Chillicothe the State capital did much to enhance its growth. It was incorporated in 1802, and a town council elected. In 1807, the town had fourteen stores, six hotels, two newspapers, two churches-both brick buildings-and over two hundred dwellings. The removal of the capital to Columbus checked its growth a little, still, being in an excellent country, rapidly filling with settlers, the town has always remained a prominent trading center.

During the war of 1812, Chillicothe was made a rendezvous for United States soldiers, and a prison established, in which many British prisoners were confined. At one time, a conspiracy for escape was discovered just in time to prevent it. The plan was for the prisoners to disarm the guard, proceed to jail, release the officers, burn the town, and escape to Canada. The plot was fortunately disclosed by two senior British officers, upon which, as a measure of security, the officers and chief conspirators were sent to the penitentiary at Frankfort, Kentucky.

Two or three miles northwest of Chillicothe, on a beautiful elevation, commanding an extensive view of the valley of the Scioto, Thomas Worth

ington,* one of the most prominent and influential men of his day, afterward Governor of the State, in 1806, erected a large stone mansion, the wonder of the valley in its time. It was the most elegant mansion in the West, crowds coming to see it when it was completed. Gov. Worthington named the place Adena, "Paradise "- -a name not then considered hyperbolical. The large panes of glass, and the novelty of papered walls especially attracted attention. Its architect was the elder Latrobe, of Washington City, from which place most of the workmen came. The glass was made in Pittsburgh, and the fireplace fronts in Philadelphia, the latter costing seven dollars per hundred pounds for transportation. The mansion, built as it was, cost nearly double the expense of such structures now. Adena was the home of the Governor till his death, in 1827.

Near Adena, in a beautiful situation, is Fruit Hill, the seat of Gen. Duncan McArthur,† and later of ex-Gov. William Allen. Like Adena, Fruit Hill is one of the noted places in the Scioto Valley. Many of Ohio's best men dwelt in the valley; men who have been an honor and ornament to the State and nation.

Another settlement, begun soon after the treaty of peace in 1795, was that made on the Licking River, about four miles below the present city of Newark, in Licking County. In the fall of 1796, John Ratcliff and Elias Hughes, while prospecting on this stream, found some old Indian cornfields, and determined to locate. They were from Western Virginia, and were true pioneers, living mainly by hunting, leaving the cultivation of their small cornfields to their wives, much after the style of

*Gov. Worthington was born in Jefferson County, Va., about the year 1769. He settled in Ohio in 1798. He was a firm believer in liberty and came to the Territory after liberating his slaves. He was one of the most efficient men of his day; was a member of the Constitutional Convention, and was sent on an important mission to Congress relative to the admission of Ohio to the Union. He was afterward a Senator to Congress, and then Governor. On the expiration of his gubernatorial term, he was appointed a member of the Board of Public Works, in which capacity he did much to advance the canals and ra lroads, and other public improvements. He remained in this office till his death.

+ Gen. McArthur was born in Dutchess County, N. Y., in 1772. When eight years of age, his father removed to Westeru Pennsyl vania. When eighteen years of age, he served in Harmar's campaign. In 1792, he was a very efficient soldier among the frontiersmen, and gained their approbation by his bravery. In 1793, he was connected with Gen. Massie, and afterward was engaged in land speculations and became very wealthy. He was made a mem ber of the Legislature, in 1805; in 1806, a Colonel, and in 1808, a Major General of the militia. In this capacity he was in Hull's surrender at Detroit. On his return he was elected to Congress, and in 1813 commissioned Brigadier General. He was one of the most efficient officers in the war of 1812, and held many important posts. After the war, he was again sent to the Legislature; in 1822 to Congress, and in 1830 elected Governor of the State. By an unfortunate accident in 1836, he was mainted for life, and gradually declined till death came a few years after.

their dusky neighbors. They were both inveterate Indian-haters, and never allowed an opportunity to pass without carrying out their hatred. For this, they were apprehended after the treaty; but, though it was clearly proven they had murdered some inoffensive Indians, the state of feeling was such that they were allowed to go unpunished.

A short time after their settlement, others joined them, and, in a few years, quite a colony had gathered on the banks of the Licking. In 1802, Newark was laid out, and, in three or four years, there were twenty or thirty families, several stores and one or two hotels.

The settlement of Granville Township, in this county, is rather an important epoch in the history of this part of the State. From a sketch published by Rev. Jacob Little in 1848, in Howe's Collections, the subjoined statements are taken: "In 1804, a company was formed at Granville, Mass., with the intention of making a settlement in Ohio. This, called the Scioto Company, was the third of that name which effected settlements in Ohio. The project met with great favor, and much enthusiasm was elicited, in illustration of which a song was composed and sung to the tune of Pleasant Ohio by the young people in the house and at labor in the field. We annex two stanzas, which are more curious than poetical:

"When rambling o'er these mountains
And rocks where ivies grow
Thick as the hairs upon your head,
'Mongst which you cannot go—

Great storms of snow, cold winds that blow,
We scarce can undergo—

Says I, my boys, we'll leave this place
For the pleasant Ohio.

"Our precious friends that stay behind,
We're sorry now to leave;

But if they'll stay and break their shins,
For them we'll never grieve.
Adieu, my friends!-Come on, my dears,
This journey we'll forego,
And settle Licking Creek,
In yonder Ohio.'"

"The Scioto Company consisted of one hundred and fourteen proprietors, who made a purchase of twenty-eight thousand acres. In the autumn of 1805, two hundred and thirty-four persons, mostly from East Granville, Mass., came on to the purchase. Although they had been forty-two days on the road, their first business, on their arrival, having organized a church before they left the East, was to hear a sermon. The first tree cut was that

by which public worship was held, which stood just in front of the Presbyterian church.

On the first Sabbath, November 16, although only about a dozen trees had been felled, they held divine service, both forenoon and afternoon, on that spot.

The novelty of worshiping in the woods, the forest extending hundreds of miles each way; the hardships of the journey, the winter setting in, the thoughts of home, with all the friends and privileges left behind, and the impression that such must be the accommodations of a new country, all rushed on their minds, and made this a day of varied interest. When they began to sing, the echo of their voices among the trees was so different from what it was in the beautiful meetinghouse they had left, that they could no longer restrain their tears. They wept when they remembered Zion. The voices of part of the choir were, for a season, suppressed with emotion. "An incident occurred, which many said Mrs. Sigourney should have put into verse. Deacon Theophilus Reese, a Welsh Baptist, had, two or three years before, built a cabin, a mile and a half north, and lived all this time without public worship. He had lost his cattle, and, hearing a lowing of the oxen belonging to the Company, set out toward them. As he ascended the hills overlooking the town plot, he heard the singing of the

choir. The reverberation of the sound from hilltops and trees, threw the good man into a serious dilemma. The music at first seemed to be behind, then in the tree-tops, or in the clouds. He stopped, till, by accurate listening, he caught the direction of the sound; went on and passing the brow of the hill, he saw the audience sitting on the level below. He went home and told his wife that 'the promise of God is a bond'; a Welsh proverb, signifying that we have security, equal to a bond, that religion will prevail everywhere. He said: 'These must be good people. I am not afraid to go among them.' Though he could not understand English, he constantly attended the reading meeting. Hearing the music on that occasion made such an impression on his mind that, when he became old and met the first settlers, he would always tell over this story. The first cabin built was that in which they worshiped succeeding Sabbaths, and, before the close of the winter, they had a schoolhouse and a school. That church, in forty years, received more than one thousand persons into its membership.

"Elder Jones, in 1806, preached the first sermon in the log church. The Welsh Baptist

Church was organized in the cabin of David Thomas, September 4, 1808. April 21, 1827, the Granville members were organized into the Granville Church, and the corner-stone of their house of worship laid September 21, 1829. In the fall of 1810, the first Methodist sermon was preached here, and, soon after, a class organized. In 1824, a church was built. An Episcopal church was organized in May, 1827, and a church consecrated in 1838. In 1849, there were in this township 405 families, of whom 214 sustain family worship; 1431 persons over fourteen years of age, of whom over 800 belong to church. The town had 150 families, of whom 80 have family worship. In 1846, the township furnished 70 school teachers, of whom 62 prayed in school. In 1846, the township took 621 periodical papers, besides three small monthlies. The first temperance society west of the mountains was organized July 15, 1828, in this township; and, in 1831, the Congregational Church passed a bylaw to accept no member who trafficked in or used ardent spirits."

It is said, not a settlement in the entire West could present so moral and upright a view as that of Granville Township; and nowhere could so perfect and orderly a set of people be found. Surely, the fact is argument enough in favor of the religion of Jesus.

The narrative of Mr. Little also states that, when Granville was first settled, it was supposed that Worthington would be the capital of Ohio, between which and Zanesville, Granville would make a great half-way town. At this time, wild animals, snakes and Indians abounded, and many are the marvelous stories preserved regarding the destruction of the animals and reptiles-the Indians being bound by their treaty to remain peaceful. Space forbids their repetition here. Suffice it to say that, as the whites increased, the Indians, animals and snakes disappeared, until now one is as much a curiosity as the other.

The remaining settlement in the southwestern parts of Ohio, made immediately after the treaty-fall of 1795 or year of 1796-was in what is now Madison County, about a mile north of where the village of Amity now stands, on the banks of the Big Darby. This stream received its name from the Indians, from a Wyandot chief, named Darby, who for a long time resided upon it, near the Union County line. In the fall of 1795, Benjamin Springer came from Kentucky and selected some land on the banks of the Big Darby, cleared

the ground, built a cabin, and returned for his family. The next spring, he brought them out, and began his life here. The same summer he was joined by William Lapin, Joshua and James Ewing and one or two others.

When Springer came, he found a white man named Jonathan Alder, who for fifteen years had been a captive among the Indians, and who could not speak a word of English, living with an Indian woman on the banks of Big Darby. He had been exchanged at Wayne's treaty, and, neglecting to profit by the treaty, was still living in the Indian style. When the whites became numerous about him his desire to find his relatives, and adopt the ways of the whites, led him to discard his squawgiving her an unusual allowance-learn the English language, engage in agricultural pursuits, and become again civilized. Fortunately, he could remember enough of the names of some of his parents neighbors, so that the identity of his relatives and friends was easily established, and Alder became a most useful citizen.

He was very influential with

the Indians, and induced many of them to remain neutral during the war of 1812. It is stated that in 1800, Mr. Ewing brought four sheep into the community. They were strange animals to the Indians. One day when an Indian hunter and his dog were passing, the latter caught a sheep, and was shot by Mr. Ewing. The Indian would have shot Ewing in retaliation, had not Alder, who was fortunately present, with much difficulty prevailed upon him

to refrain.

While the southern and southwestern parts of the State were filling with settlers, assured of safety by Wayne's victories, the northern and eastern parts became likewise the theater of activities. Ever since the French had explored the southern shores of the lake, and English traders had earried goods thither, it was expected one day to be a valuable part of the West. It will be remembered that Connecticut had ceded a large tract of land to the General Government, and as soon as the cession was confirmed, and land titles became assured, settlers flocked thither. Even before that time, hardy adventurers had explored some of the country, and pronounced it a "goodly land," ready for the hand of enterprise.

The first settlement in the Western Reserve, and, indeed, in the northern part of the State, was made at the mouth of Conneaut Creek, in Ashtabula County, on the 4th of July, 1796. That

*

*Conneaut, in the Seneca language, signifies "many fish."