|
Chapter II.
ORGANIZATION OF COUNTY
Pg. 14
IN 1784, the state of Virginia
ceeded to the United States the great Northwest Territory, which
she claimed by her charter, and by the conquest of Gen.
George Rogers Clarke. This great territory embraced
the present states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan,
Wisconsin, and that portion of Minnesota lying between the upper
waters of the Mississippi and lake Superior. In 1875,
congress defined the methods by which the national government
would dispose of lands in its northwestern domain; and two years
later came the ordinance of 1787, authorizing the board of
treasury. In the same year the Ohio company was formed by
a syndicate of New Englanders, and in 1788, Marietta, at
the mouth of the Muskingum, was the first town founded within
the limits of Ohio. Washington was the first county formed
in the northwest territory. It included all the eastern
part of the state as far west as the Scioto river, with Marietta
as its seat of justice. Hamilton county was the next to be
organized, with Cincinnati as its county seat. It included
that region between the two Miamis, up as far from the Ohio as
an east and west line drawn through the Standing Stone fork of
the Big Miami. Wayne county was the fifth to be formed in
the northwest territorial region. Its boundaries are given
as follows: "Beginning at the mouth of the Cuyahoga river,
upon lake Erie, and with the said river to the portage between
it and the Tuscarawas branch of the Muskingum; then down the
said branch to the forks at the carrying place above Fort
Laurens, thence by a line west to the eastern boundary of
Hamilton county; thence by a line west and northerly to the
southern part of the portage between the Miamis of the Ohio and
the St. Mary's river; thence by a line also west and northerly,
to the portage between the Wabash and the Miamis of lake Erie,
where Fort Wayne now stands; thence by a line west and northerly
to the southern part of lake Michigan; thence along the western
shores of the same to the northwest part thereof; thence by a
due north line to the territorial boundary in lake Superior,
and, with the said boundary through lakes Huron, St. Clair and
Erie, to the mouth of the Cuyahoga river, the place of
beginning." This county was organized in 1796, under the
first form of our territorial government, and included within
its limits about twenty-six of the present counties of
northwestern Ohio, of which Paulding county is one. The
old town of Detroit was the seat of justice. The few
whites in this region were, like those of Detroit, Canadian
French, Indian traders, or renegade tories. For more than
a hundred years Detroit had been the center and headquarters of
all military and commercial affairs about the head of like Erie
and the foot of lake Huron. The Maumee river country was
merely an out-post or province of Detroit. Communication
with the civilized world was by way of Detroit and Canada.
A majority of the white in the lake region were French, of
Canadian origin, and sitll holding Canadian prejudices, and
retaining their Canadian connections in all matters of religion,
politics, friendship and commerce. Between the Detroit
settlements and the settlements on the Ohio river, there existed
no bond of sympathy; in fact, until 1796, they had always been
the bitterest enemies, and both retained much of the old
prejudices engendered by the French and revolutionary wars.
Between the Maumee and the Ohio lay an almost trackless
wilderness,, over the whole vast extent of which there stretched
a mighty and unbroken forest yet ignorant of the woodman's ax.
Ohio was the first state to be carved out of the great
northwest territory. It was admitted into the union in
1802. The northwestern part was the last to be organized
and settled. The Indians having ceded their lands to the
whites, the legislature of the state, by an act of Feb. 12,
1820, proceeded to divide the newly acquired territory into
counties. Of these counties Paulding county is one, and it
dates its creation to the year above mentioned. It was
named in honor of John Paulding, a native of Peekskill,
N. Y., and one of the captors of that brave and accomplished,
but unfortunate officer, Maj. Andre. Regarding this
capture and the execution of Andre, the writer remembers
portions of an old pioneer's song, which he heard when a youth
of eight or ten summers, as follows:
"Come all ye young Americans, and unto me give
ear,
While I rehearse a small ditty which will your spirits cheer,
Concerning a young gentleman whose age was twenty-two.
He fought for North America, his heart was just and true.
He with a scouting party went down to Tarrytown,
Where he met a British officer, a man of high renown,
Who says unto these gentlemen, 'you're of the British cheer,
I trust if you can tell me if there's any danger near.' Then up
stepped John Paulding, for that was our
hero's name,
'Sir, tell us where you're going, and also whence
you came;'
'I bear the British flag, sir, a pass to go this
way,
I'm on an expedition and have no time to stay.'
Then 'round him came this company, and bade
him to dismount.
'Sir, tell us where you're going and give us strict
account;
For we are now resolved that you shall ne'er pass by.'
Upon examination he was found to be a spy.
He begged for his liberty and plead for his
discharge,
And oftentimes he told them if they would set him at large,
'Here's all the gold and silver that I've laid up in
store,
And when I reach the city I'll send you ten times more.'
'We want not your gold and silver that you've
laid up in store,
And when you reach New york you need not send us more,
But you may take your sword in hand to gain your liberty,
And if you do conquer us, Oh then you shall be free.'
'The time it is improper our valor for to try,
For if we take our swords in hand, then one of us must die;
But should we ever meet on the bloody battle-field.
My sword should be dyed in red before I'd ever yield.
*
* *
* *
*
When he was executed he looked both meek
and mild,
He looked upon the spectators and pleasantly he smiled;
It moved each eye with pity, caused every heart to bleed;
And every one wished him released and Arnold in his stead.
Here's a bumper to John Paulding,
and his brave company,
Their names will be enrolled on the page of history;
Paulding, Williams, and Van Wert, could not be bought nor sold,
They scorned the British bribes of sliver and of gold." |
The base line from which the public
land surveys were made was established in May, 1819, by
Sylvanus Bourne. This live is the southern line of the
county and extends from the Indiana and Ohio state line eastward
through the counties of Putnam and Hancock, and forms the south
lie of Seneca county to Huron county, where it connects with
lands known as the Western Reserve. The township lines
were established, in 1820, by Alexander Holmes, Samuel Holmes
and others; and in 1821-22 the townships were divided into
sections by James W. Riley and his assistants. The
county of Williams was organized Feb. 2, 1824, and Paulding
county was attached to it for judicial purposes, until its own
organization in 1839. On the 4th of March, 1845, by an act
of the legislature, the county of Defiance was organized.
Is territory was composed of eight townships taken from Williams
county, three from Henry, and a half township from Paulding.
The formation of this new county reduced Paulding county to its
present limits, which, were it not for the half township taken
from its northeastern corner, would be a rectangle, extending
east and west, twenty-four miles in length, and eighteen miles
in width. It embraces within its territory ten full
townships, six miles square, and Emerald township, containing
thirty-two sections, and Auglaize township, containing
twenty-two - in all an area of 416 square miles. It is
bounded on the north by Defiance county on the east by Putnam
county, on the south by Van Wert county, and on the wet by Allen
county, Indiana. Its south line is the forty-first
parallel of north latitude, and the meridian of eight-four
degrees and thirty minutes, west longitude, crosses the county
near its eastern boundary. The numbering of townships
begins on the south and run north; the ranges on the west and
run east. Benton township is number 1, range 1; Harrison,
town 2, range 1; Carryall, town 3 range 1; Blue Creek, town 1,
range 2; Paulding, town 2, range 2; Crane, town 3 range 2; Latty,
town 1, range 3; Jackson, town 2, range 3; Emerald, town 3,
range 3; Washington, Town 1, range 4; Brown, town 2, range 4;
and Auglaize, town 3, range 4. |
