In 1812, the Hon. Zalmon Wildman, of Danbury, Connecticut, having an undivided interest in section one of Canon township (now Richmond) to which had been annexed one thousand seven hundred and eighty-three acres of land off the east end of the fraction lying between town ix, range twenty-three (Perkins), and Sandusky bay, to give to that section an equal average value with all other sections of the "Fire-lands," located his whole interest in the annexed fraction, by proceedings in partition, amounting to one thousand two hundred and eighty acres.  This one thousand two hundred and eighty acres were known as "The City Tract".  The war of 1812 intervened.

PORTLAND.

     In 1816, Judge Wildman laid out a small village plat on the south shore of the bay, at about the center of the tract, and gave it the name of Portland.  He immediately put up a two-story frame building, which was finished early in 1817.  It afterwards was known as "the old whie store."  It stood on ground now covered by the east end of "Reber's block."  In the summer of 1817, William B. Smith built the first dwelling house on the ground, next west of teh hotel now known as "Scott's American."  In the fall of the same year, Cyrus W. Marsh put up a section of the rear part of what he afterwards named "The Steam Boat Hotel."  It afterwards received the name of "Porter's Varandah", then "Raymond's Hotel", then its present name, "Scott's American."  Mr. Marsh was the first tavern keeper in the place.  He came to Sandusky from Greenfield, Huron county, Ohio, in which he first settled.  He came there from Trumbull county, Ohio.  The first brick was built, also, by William B. Smith, in front of the frame he had before put up.  It still remains.  The first stone dwelling was built by the late Eleutheros Cooke in 1821-2, which is now occupied by Olds-Huntington, as a bookstore, on lot two, Columbus avenue.  This small village was called "Portland," but was, in fact, the beginning of Sandusky City.  The ground embraced by the village plat was widely known as "The Ogontz Place", in memory of an Indian Chief of the Ottawa tribe, who had dwelt on the place with his tribe, more or less, during the latter part of the last and fore part of the present century.  The southern shore of the bay and "Peninsula", on the opposite side, had been occupied at times by several tribes, but mostly frequented by the Wyandots and Ottowas.
     During the fore part of the eighteenth century the French traders were with the tribes, but about the middle of that century, they were succeeded by english traders.  In 1810-12, an America trader by the name of John Garrison became the trader there.  But none of these traders are entitled to the name of "pioneer white settlers" of the place.  They were only "Squatters" for trade purposes.
     The late Judge Isaac Mills, of New Haven, Connecticut, setting up a claim to an interest in the "City tract", a compromise followed by which he acquired an interest of an undivided fourth part.

SANDUSKY CITY.

     In 1818, these joint proprietors laid out a much larger plat, and gave it the name of Sandusky City.  It was bounded; north, by the bay; east, by Meigs; wet, by Shelby; and south, by Monroe streets.  To this, many additions have been made from time to time, designated by as many fancy names, much as "Western Liberties," "Southwark,", etc.  The city having broken over all these additions, the bounds of the city, in 1872, were extended to the original limits of the fraction, between the north line of Perkins township and Sandusky Bay, five miles in length and about  two miles in width, containing about four thousand acres.  The whole area is generally level and unbroken.  The part covered by the original plat of Sandusky City was mostly prairie, with clusters, or small islands, of small second growth of timber of various kinds, but mainly of oak and hickory and hazel bushes.  There is a very gradual ascent from the bay shore to the central park, to an elevation of thirty or forty feet.  Here it is nearly an exact level, but soon begins a very slight descent to the east and south.  The whole fraction constituted the township of Portland for many years before it was all included in the city.  The west part of the fraction was heavily timbered; the east portion was mostly prairie, with occasional islands of timber, mostly of small growth.

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    *By F. D. Parish

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THE SOIL

     The soil is a rich black loam.   A small part, mostly

PIONEER SETTLERS.

     The first settlers were William B. Smith, Moses Farwell, Cyrus W. Marsh.  These were certainly there as early as 1817.  During 1818, they were re-enforced by the following:  John Weeden, George and Wesley Anderson, Lyman Farwell, Samuel and Leicester Walker, Abner Lyman, Ebenezer Ransom, Hector Kilbourn, Captain Ezra Wells, Joshua Martin, _____ Haskins, Benjamin Grey, Isaac Darling, Nathan T. Jennings, William Townsend, William Hull, Daniel Newton, _____ Clemons and his sons, John, Andrew, Alexander and Elijah, and Benajah Wolcott.  Between 1818 and the spring of 1822, accessions were made as follows:  William Kelley, Wyat and Alfred Hartshorn, Darius C. Henderson, John Wheeler, James Galoway, Sylvanus A. Cone, William J. Bills, Frederick Devoe, John N. Sloane, John G. Grunlief, Galen Atkins, Davis and John K. Campbell, Sarah Henderson, Abner Root, Eleutheros Cooke, Milton Jennings, Thomas McGee, Amos McLouth and F. D. Parish, and probably a few others.
     The first merchant was Zalmon Wildman (by Moors Farwell), then followed William Townsend and Jennings & Darling.  McMurry and Wm. Kelly, druggists.  Tavern keepers: 1. Cyrus W. Marsh; 2. E. Wheeler and Galloway;  3. Mrs. Sarah Henderson and hers on-in-law, Colonel Abner Root.  John N. Sloane, jeweler.  Darius C. Henderson, John G. Grunlief and Colonel Thorp, bakers.  Samuel and Leicester Walker, and Abner Lyman, carpenters and joiners.  Wm. Kelly, stone mason.  S. H. Stearns, Samuel Pennewell, tanners and curriers.  Galen Atkins, shoemaker.  Milton Jennings and Alexander Clemons cabinet makers.  Sylvanus A. Cone, butcher.
     The first physician was George Anderson, who commenced practice in 1818.  He was from the State of New York, having been a pupil of Dr. White, of Cherry Valley.  He was the only physician in the place for many years.  He died of the cholera in 1834.
     Elentheros Cooke was the first lawyer in the place.  He had resided in Bloomingville three or four years, removed to Sandusky in the fall of 1821.  F. D. Parish followed in the spring of 1822.  The next accession occurred about 18258-6-Lucas S. Beecher and John F. Campbell; others appeared from time to time, too fast to admit of enumeration.

EDUCATION.

PUBLIC LIBRARY.

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library association.  This is now the only public library of the city, save those connected with the schools.

RELIGIOUS AND BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS.

TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES.

SECRET SOCIETIES.

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LOCAL TRADE.

MANUFACTURING.

BANKS.

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COMMERCE TRAVEL.

MERCHANDISE, ETC.

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GROWTH AND POPULATION.

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REASONS GIVEN.

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RAILROADS.

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

F. D. PARISH.

     F. D. PARISH (Francis Drake) was born in Naples (then Middletown), Ontario county, New York, Dec. 20, 1796; second son of Elisha and Lois Wilder Parish.
     During his early infancy his parents removed to a new farm in the central part of South Bristol, the town next north of Naples, in the same county.  Upon this farm he grew to manhood, assisting in its improvement and cultivation.
     In the spring of 1820, he emigrated to Columbus, Ohio, entered the law office of a near relative, in which he read law for two years.  In May, 1822, he was admitted to the bar, and in the same month he settled and opened a law office in Sandusky City, then in Huron, but now in Erie county.  They city was his post office address for over a half century; during the greater portion of that time he was engaged in the practice of his profession.  In 1852, however, he retired from the practice, mostly on account of a growing disease in the throat, though it did not prove to be as serious as was at first apprehended.  After that date he passed most of his time upon a farm near the city, and upon which he resided from 1866 to 1875.  In the fall of that year, having rented his farm, he removed to Oberlin, Lorain county, Ohio, where he still resides.
     though the throat complalint mentioned is not entirely healed, it was greatly relieved and benefited by his exercise in the open air; and doubtless he has prolonged his life for many years by leaving the profession, and by his outdoor exercise.  His health is otherwise good, and the vitality and vigor of body and mind are continued to him.