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Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. *********************************************************************** OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 294 Today's Topics: #1 Ohio Lands History [Part 2c] [Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman <73777.25] ------------------------------ X-Message: #1 Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 20:00:01 -0400 From: Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman Subject: Ohio Lands History [Part 2c] "Ohio Lands - A Short History" Part 2c Land Sales under the Confederation After four ranges of townships had been surveyed, the government began selling land in the "Seven Ranges." From September 21, to October 9, 1787, a public sale of these lands was held in NewYork City, with 108,431 acres being sold. However, because buyers were permitted to make partial first payments, but failed to pay the balance due, 35,457 acres were forfeited to the government. U.S. Patents were issued for 72,974 acres for which the buyers paid $87,325. No entire townships were sold. The next federal land sales, in 1796, showed a rather dismal market for Ohio land, mainly due to a minimum price of $2 per acre, with the minimum purchase being 640 acres. Sales were held in Pittsburgh, where 43,446 acres were sold, and in Philadelphia, where 5,120 acres were sold. The first United States Patent (deed) was issued March 4, 1788, to John Martin for 640 acres in Range 4, Township 7, Section 20. This is now located in Richland Township, Belmont County. Under the Confederation of States, (1781-1789), 1,487,986 acres of public lands had been sold, and donations (grants) of more than 206,240 acres were made. Also, the Continental Congress established reserves for education, religion, the Christian Indians in the Moravian Tract in Ohio, and three sections (1,920 acres) in each surveying township for future use. The Ohio Company Purchase.This was the first large land sale made directly by the Continental Congress. It is located in southeastern Ohio. Formed March 4, 1786, the Ohio Company of Associates primarily consisted of former Revolutionary War military officers and soldiers from Massachusetts and surrounding states. Its main purpose was to acquire land in the Western Territory for settlement purposes. Its first directors were General Rufus Putnam, Reverend Manasseh Cutler, Major Winthrop Sargent, Captain Thomas Cushing, and Colonel John Brooks. On October 27, 1787, Winthrop Sargent and Manasseh Cutler, contracted with the Board of Treasury to acquire 1,500,000 acres for which the company would pay $500,000 down in Continental Securities, with the remainder to be paid upon completion of the surveys. These securities were then worth about twelve and a half cents to the dollar. The contract reserved Section 16 for school purposes, as stated in the Land Ordinance of May 20, 1785; Section 29 for religious purposes; Sections 8, 11, 26 for disposition by Congress; and two complete surveying townships (46,080 acres), which were given perpetually for the purposes of a university. An allowance of one-third of a dollar per acre was made for bad land. Unable to raise the money for the second payment, due to expenses and the rise in the price of securities, the company settled for the 750,000 acres they had already paid for. This is called the Ohio Company first purchase. The U.S. Patent for the Ohio Company first purchase was issued May 10, 1792, by President George Washington. The first purchase contained 913,883 acres, including the reserved sections and townships. The Congressional Resolution of July 23, 1787, permitted military bounty land warrants to be used to acquire land. The Ohio Company used bounty land warrants totalling 142,900 acres to acquire its second purchase; a 214,285 acre tract. The U.S. Patent for this second purchase was also issued May 10, 1792. The Ohio Company divided the 964,285 acres it acquired into 822 shares of 1,173.37 acres each. On February 1, 1796, a deed of partition, or allotment, was made to 817 shareholders, the residue being held in trust for the company. All lands not previously conveyed or disposed of were sold in 1849. The allotment deeds show seven separate tracts, grouped in six divisions, were conveyed for each share as follows: Division Tract Acres First One eight acre lot 8.00 Second One three acre lot 3.00 Third One house lot of (about) .37 Fourth One one hundred and sixty acre lot 160.00 Fifth One one hundred acre lot 100.00 One six hundred and forty acre lot or section 640.00 Sixth One two hundred and sixty two acre lot or fraction 262.00 Total Not Applicable 1,173.37 Acres Rufus Putnam and Manasseh Cutler led the first surveyors and settlers to the Ohio Company Purchase. They landed on April 7, 1788 at what is now Marietta. This date is observed as the anniversary of the first permanent white settlement in Ohio. See part 2 concerning the Moravian Settlements. Privately surveyed under the direction of Rufus Putnam, the Range, Township and Section numbers follow the Land Ordinance of May 20, 1785. Exceptions occur when smaller tracts were needed to meet the allotment plan, therefore, some sections were subdivided differently. Records of the Ohio Company are at the Marietta College Library, Marietta, Ohio 45750. Copies of the plats, showing the allotments and original proprietors are also in the State of Ohio Archives. Donation Tract.The Donation Tract lands are found in Adams, Fearing, Salem, Muskingum, Palmer, Waterford, Watertown Townships in Washington County, and in Windsor Township, Morgan County. This 100,000 acre tract was first surveyed into 100 acre lots, and allotted by agents of the Ohio Company under an Act of Congress passed in April 21, 1792. This tract was established to act as a buffer between the settlers in the Ohio Company Purchase and the Indians. A 100-acre lot was given to any male, 18 years or older, on the condition they actually settle on the land at the time of the conveyance by deed. The U.S. Patent was issued May 10, 1792, to the Ohio Company, which issued the deeds to the actual settlers. In 1818, lands not conveyed in this tract reverted to the federal government and were sold at the Marietta Land Office. This gift of land to actual settlers is similar to the Homestead Act of 1862. - ----------------------------------- (c) 1994 by the Ohio Auditor of State All Rights Reserved. FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY. Researched and written by Thomas Aquinas Burke Internet Address F491.3 B86 1994 977.1 Eighth Edition - September 1996 "Ohio Lands - A Short History" ReTyped & Graphics Rescanned December 1997 by Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman Email at http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00015.html#0003643 This booklet is available on the Auditor of State home page under Publications at: http://www.auditor.ohio.gov/auditor/ - ----------------------------------- -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #294 *******************************************