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Biographies
Source:
Early History of Cleveland
by Col. Chas. Whittlesey -
Publ. Cleveland, O.
1867
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SETH PEASE
The personal history of Mr. Pease,
the most prominent of the surveyors, of the Land Company is but
imperfectly transmitted to us. According to Mr. Atwater,
he "was above medium height, slender and fair, with black,
penetrating eyes. In his movements he was very active, and
persevering in his designs, with a reflecting and thoughtful air.
He was a very thorough mathematician."
FROM A LETTER OF RALPH GRANGER
Fairport, Lake Co., O., Sept. 27,
1843.
"Seth Pease was my uncle. He was very
precise in his business. Besides the minutes necessarily
returned to the Company, he kept a full private journal.
This I have seen, containing records of personal adventures with
colored landscapes, one of which is the first residence of the
surveyors at Conneaught. He
also brought to Connecticut, from Ohio, specimens of minerals,
which I have seen, among them some beautiful alabaster from
Sandusky. He died at Philadelphia. His wife died at
Connecticut. The only children now living are Mrs. Noah
A. Fletcher, of Washington City, and Alfred Pease, his
youngest son, at Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio. This
journal may have been lost or mislaid."
His journals, of which a portion for the years 1795 to 1799,
inclusive, are before me, show excellent penmanship, and precise
business habits. In 1795 he surveyed for the State of
Massachusetts, in the province of Maine. After the close of
the surveys east of the Cuyahoga, in 1797, Mr. Pease,
engaged with Porter, Atwater, and others of his
enterprising old friends of the woods, in the allotment of the
"Holland Purchase," in western New Your. This service
occupied two years, '98 and '99. The elections of the year
1800, resulted in the success of the "Republican," or Jefferson
party, over that of the Federalists. Under
Jefferson's administration, Gideon Granger, became Post
Master General, and Mr. Pease, who was a brother-in-law,
was made Assistant Post Master General. Judge Calvin
Pease, of Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio, was his brother.
In 1806, when the Indian title to that part of the Reserve west of
the Cuyahoga, was extinguished, Seth Pease, was directed by
the Government, to extend the southern boundary along the 41st
parallel, west of the river, which he did. There is still
hope of recovering more of the memoranda, to which the Hon.
Ralph Granger refers. His skill as a draftsman and
sketcher, and his facility in description will give them interest.
Source: Early History of Cleveland
by Col. Chas. Whittlesey -
Publ. Cleveland, O. 1867 - Page 329 |
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AUGUSTUS PORTER
Although Augustus Porter survived all the other
surveyors, and lived on the shore of lake Erie; his personal
history is here imperfectly known. He appears to have
attached much value, to the water power at Niagara Falls, and at
the head of Niagara river, where the navigable waters of the lake
terminate. After spending about ten years in the woods as a
surveyor and explorer, principally in the western part of New
York, he established himself for life on the Niagara river. One
reason why we are not better informed in regard to him, is given
in the following extract from his letter to Judge Barr,
dated at Niagara Falls, Jan. 10th, 1843.
"Had I all my original papers connected with the
subject above named, such as my journal, original field notes of
the survey taken on the ground, calculations on contents,
geographical remarks, of persons employed, &c., & c., I should be
able to give you such information, and it would give me much
pleasure to do so. But unfortunately all these documents
were lost in my dwelling house at this place, destroyed in 1813 by
British troops,"
This letter is quite lengthy, going over in much
detail, the operations of 1796 in the field, which he conducted.
I have made less use of it than other writers upon the pioneer
times, because, being entirely a production of the memory, after
the lapse of forty-seven years, it is occasionally contradicted by
written evidence of the same date. Of what relates to
himself he should be at best authority. He says:
"That in the early part of the year 1789, being the
next year after Messrs. Gorham & Phelps had made their
great purchase of the State of Massachusetts of about six millions
of acres of land, lying in the western part of the State of New
York, then known as the Genesee country, I being in the twentieth
year of my age, went into the country a surveyor, and continued i
the business until the winter of 1796, most of the time in the
employ of Oliver Phelps. During the time from 1789 to
1796, my business led me to become particularly acquainted with
most of that section of country, the navigable streams and small
lakes, and the south shores of lake Ontario, and lake Erie as far
west as Presque Isle, (now Erie) in Pennsylvania, and I had had
considerable experience in the navigation of those streams and the
shores of lakes Ontario and Erie, in small boats."
"In running up the first four meridians, Pease
had delivered his provisions to other surveyors, excepting a small
quantity sufficient to subsist on until I should meet them, which
was now all exhausted, and of course we had nothing but the flour
I had procured. I returned to the point where Mr. Pease
had run the line, and took the direction of the survey, and
continued the line to the lake. On the evening of the first
day, we very fortunately, discovered one of the finest bee trees I
ever saw. We encamped, cut down the tree, ate to our
satisfaction, each man filled his canteen, and the residue we put
in the bags of flour. Excepting for two or three days, while
our honey lasted we lived on bread alone. On our arrival at
the lake, we took the beach and went east to our camp at
Conneaut; and what was remarkable, on
our way there, we fell in with all three of the parties, who had
each finished their lines, and joined our party."
"All things being thus arranged, and about to muster
our men for a start, we found some disposition in camp to mutiny,
or, what would now be called a strike for higher wages. For
the purpose of settling this difficulty, Gen. Cleaveland
agreed that before the close of the season, and after some of the
township lines should have been run, a township should be selected
and set apart, to be surveyed into lots of one hundred and sixty
acres each, and each individual of the party who shyould choose,
might have the privilege of purchasing a lot on a long credit, and
at a stipulated price named, what that price was, I do not
recollect. This settled the matter, and all became
satisfied. The township during the season was set apart, and
called Euclid; and as I am informed, still retains that name."
"ON the north side of Sandusky bay, about opposite
where the City of Sandusky now stands, there was a Frenchman
residing with his family, and also several Indian families.
On our first arrival at the bay we went to this place, remained a
short time, then returned to the mouth of the bay, and resumed our
traverse. Before we had reached the upper end of the beach,
or sand bar, lying between the lake and bay, we fell in with a
party of Indians whose actions and looks we did not much like, yet
they offered us no injury, and we passed on and concluded our
traverse."
"Having returned from Sandusky bay to Cuyahoga, I
remained there some time, perhaps two or three weeks, and surveyed
the outlines of a piece of land designed for the town. Its
dimentions I do not recollect - probably equal to about a mile
square, bounding west on the river and north on the lake I made a
plat of this ground and laid it off into streets and lots.
Most or all the streets I surveyed myself, when I left it in
charge of Mr. Holley to complete the survey of the lots."
Mr Holley's minutes, as far as we have them,
make no reference to surveys by him on the city lots. On the
fly leaf of one of the field books, in Mr. Pease's hand
writing, are brief minutes of the lots, their position on the
streets, and their contents. AS yet these are the only
original notes discovered, and they may have been transcribed by
Pease, from the work of some of the other surveyors.
Mr. Porter mentions the loss of the boatman belonging to
his party, at Spraker's rift, on the Mohawk, killed by a
fall from the mast, while he was adjusting a sail. This
accident is not referred to in the journals of Pease or
Holley.
"Immediately after this I commenced the traverse of
the Cuyahoga river, with the intention of pursuing the whole line
of boundary, as described in Wayne's treaty with the
Indians, as far as the south line of the Reserve. This line
began at the mouth of the Cuyahoga, thence up the same to the
portage, thence across the portage to the Tuscarawas branch of the
Muskingum, thence down the same, &c. I according traversed
the Cuyahoga up, until it began to lead me off to the north;
having kept two or three men, looking out continually along the
west side of the river for the portage road, but without
discovering it. The leaves having fallen and obscured the
path it could not be found, and I returned to the mouth of the
river."
Mr. Porter lived to a very
advanced age, and died on the banks of the Niagara. He was a
prominent citizen on the frontier, as most of the old surveyors
were. The intelligence and energy, which are necessary to
make a good surveyor in the western wilds, furnish an excellent
foundation for an influential character. A large number of
the leading men in the new States, and in the Indian wars,
belonged to this profession, which then not only required
knowledge and sense, but a reasonable stock of warlike skill and
courage, to deal successfully with the aborigines. Gen.
Peter B. Porter was a brother of Augustus. I
regret not being able to do better justice, to the eventful life
of the man who determined upon the plan of this city, and who must
have surveyed some portions of it. Neither his name, or that
of any of the first surveyors, has been perpetuated, in any street
or place within our limits.
According to his contemporary, Atwater;
Porter "was full middling in height, stout built, with a full
face, and dark or rather brown complexion. In a woodsman's
dress, any one would see by his appearance that he was capable,
and determined to go through thick and thin, in whatever business
he was engaged. By the bursting of a gun, he had lost the
entire thumb of his left hand."
Mr. Porter received for his services as
principal surveyor, in 1796, five dollars per days, and Mr.
Pease for the same services, in 1797, three and one-half.
Source: Early History of Cleveland
by Col. Chas. Whittlesey -
Publ. Cleveland, O. 1867 - Page 333 |
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