Cleveland State University EngagedScholarship@CSU Cleveland Memory Books 2015 Early History of Cleveland, Ohio Charles Whittlesey Follow this and additional works at: https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clevmembks Part of the United States History Commons How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! Recommended Citation Whittlesey, Charles, "Early History of Cleveland, Ohio" (2015). Cleveland Memory. 26. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clevmembks/26 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Books at EngagedScholarship@CSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Cleveland Memory by an authorized administrator of EngagedScholarship@CSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EARLY HISTORY OF CLEVELAND, OHIO. INCLUDING ORIGINAL PAPERS AND OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE ADJACENT COUNTRY. WITH BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE PIONEERS AND SURVEYORS. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BY COL. CHA'S WHITTLESEY. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLEVELAND, O. 1867 --------------------------------------------------------------------- COPY RIGHT SECURED ACCORDING TO LAW. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FAIRBANKS, BENEDICT & CO., PRINTERS, HERALD OFFICE CLEVELAND. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PREFACE. The materials for this work have been accumulating many years, but were far from complete, when Judge Barr turned over to me, his historical collections without reservation. He has been engaged with much assiduity more than a quarter of a century, in reclaiming the personal history of the pioneers; a labor which I trust their descendants will appreciate. The extent of the obligations I am under to him will appear frequently in this volume. I am also indebted to a number of other gentlemen, particularly to General L.V. Bierce and the Hon. F. Wadsworth, of Akron, to Messrs. H.A. Smith, Prof. J. P. Kirtland, Jacob Perkins, Samuel Williamson, and the late James S. Clarke, Mrs. Ashbel W. Walworth, and Mrs. Dr. Long, all of Cleveland. The heirs of General Moses Cleaveland, and John Milton Holley, of Connecticut; the surviving sons of Governor Huntington, of Painesville, and Judge Witherell, of Detroit, have done me essential service. Many documents relating to later periods, and to other parts of the Reserve have been procured; which will at some future period be required for historical purposes. I am more ambitious to preserve history, than to write it, and have therefore freely transcribed from papers, letters, verbal statements, and casual publications, relating to the early times. The originals are certainly more authentic, and more entertaining, than a reproduction would be, in the language of another. This plan necessarily involves some repetition, and defies strict chronological arrangement, but possesses more life, freshness and variety. My prospectus included only the "Early History of Cleveland," but with a mental reservation, had the subscription warranted me in the undertaking, to enlarge the work, and include what relates to the more recent progress of the city. This I have not been enabled to do. What concerns commercial matters, in later times; to railways, local iv PREFACE. improvements, institutions, general improvements, and general statistics, could not have been inserted, and do justice to those heroic pioneers, who laid the foundation of our prosperity. What refers to banks, churches, newspapers, trade, benevolent societies, manufactories, and the city authorities, is on record, and therefore not in danger of being lost. In 1810, the county was organized, since when all judicial matters are to be found in the recorded proceedings of the various courts. The "Village of Cleaveland," was incorporated in 1814, and its municipal record is in existence. A weekly newspaper called the Cleaveland Gazette and Commercial Advertiser, was issued in August, 1818. Since that time there are unbroken files, of weekly or daily papers for reference. But for the more remote periods, it has been more difficult to obtain reliable information. Works relating to the early French and English occupation on Lake Erie, and especially the southern shore, are rare, and in respect to this region, their contents are very meagre. The papers of the Connecticut Land Company and their surveyors, have been only partially transferred to Ohio. Perhaps many of them are no longer to be found in Connecticut, and such as exist are so much scattered as to be in practice inaccessible. The personal history of the first settlers and surveyors, has been partially procured. My principal object has been to secure from oblivion, what relates to them. Since they are no longer with us, to speak of themselves; what they accomplished, and what they suffered, was to be sought for in traditions, private letters, and transient publications. In carrying out this design, it was necessary to insert much that occurred outside of the city limits, in other parts of the Reserve. The history of the city and country, previous to the war of 1812 is so intimately connected, that is should be written as one. C.W CLEVELAND, January, 1867 CONTENTS. PRE-ADAMITE HISTORY. -- Geological Foundation -- Quaternary, or Drift, Page 9. Buried Trees, Branches and Leaves -- Lost Rocks, 10. Chemical Composition -- Fresh Water Shells, 11. Hard Pan -- Thickness -- Encroachment of the Lake, 12. Ancient Water Levels -- Ancient Shore -- Quicksands, 13. Illustrations, Map and Profile -- Explanatory Notes, 14-15. Land Slips -- Stratification of the Drift, 16. Rate of Encroachment, from 1796 to 1812, 17. Remains of the Elephant -- Valley of the Cuyahoga, 18. Buried Timber -- Fossils of the Drift -- The Horse, Beaver, &c. 19. Alpine and Greenland Glaciers, 20-21. Ice Action on Lake Michigan and Lake Erie, 22. Ice Action at Tallmadge, Euclid, Austintown -- Dayton, 23. Ice Action, Fac Simile, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 24. Ice Action, Lake Superior -- Cause of Glacier Motion, 25. PRE-HISTORIC INHABITANTS. -- Ancient Earth Works and Fortifications, 29-30. Ancient Copper Tools in the Ohio Mounds, 31. Ancient Copper Mines, Implements and Weapons, 32-34. Forts, Medina County, Ohio, at Weymouth and Granger, 40-41. Ancient Fort near Painesville, 42. Fortified Hill near Conneaut -- Plan, 43. Resemblance to the Moque Towns in New Mexico, 45. WHITE MEN NOT RECOGNIZED IN HISTORY. -- Ancient Ax Marks, Canfield, Newburg, Willoughby, Berlin, 47-51. RACE OF RED MEN. -- Algonquins, and Iroquois as fist seen by the French 53-55. The Eries and Adantes, 56. The French on Lake Erie, 57-58. Destruction of the Eries, Narrative of Black Snake, 59. They Challenge the Iroquois -- The Iroquois Champions, 60-61. The Contest -- Iroquois Victorious, 62-63. Revenge of the Eries, and their betrayal, 64-65. They are met by the Iroquois and defeated, 66- 67. Total route and destruction of the Eries, 68-69. Sketch of Black Snake -- English pledges to the Indians, 70-71 CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF EVENTS, -- From 1535 to 1786, 73-76. EARLY MAPS OF THE LAKE COUNTRY. -- Champlain's Maps, 1634 -- Copy of a Portion, 77-80. Lewis Evans Map, 1755 -- Copy of a Portion, 81-84. Location of the Indian Tribes -- Huske's and Hutchins' Maps, 85-87 EXPEDITIONS OF ROGERS, WILKENS AND BRADSTREET. -- Major Rogers, 1760 -- Meeting with Pontiac, 89-91. Geographical Uncertainties -- Confusion as to Rivers -- Historical Error as to the Place of Meeting -- Rogers' Journal -- Parkman -- Sir Wm. Johnson, 91-94. French Fort at Sandusky - - Major Wilkins, 1763, 95. DISASTERS OF WILKINS AND BRADSTREET, BY DR. J. P KIRTLAND. -- Location of the Shipwreck -- Wilkins Expedition, 97-99. He reaches lake Erie -- Major Moncrieffe -- Historical Notices -- Point aux Pins, 100-101. Relics of a Wreck at Rocky River -- Manner of its Occurence -- Remains of an old camp at Rocky River, 102-104. Bradstreets Expedition and Shipwreck, 1764 -- Parkmans Account, 105-106. Their Return -- Censure of Bradstreet -- Sir Wm. Johnson -- How the Boats were Lost -- McMahons Beach, 107-109. Remains of Accoutrements and Boats, Gun Flints -- Major Israel Putnam -- Their track Homeward -- Bradstreet's Death, 110-113. Relics at McMahons Run and Rocky River described -- Bayonets, Knives, Bullets, Cannon Balls, Muskets, Tomahawks, Coin. Surgical Knife, Spoons, and Skeletons, 114-120. Burial of their dead, Tumulus Containing their Bones -- An Indian among them Conflicting views as to the locality of Wilkins Disaster -- Point aux Pins on the North Shore -- Major Moncrieffe's Statement -- Quotations from the New Port Mercury, 1763, 125-126. Lieutenant Gorrell's Journal, 1763 -- The Rocky River Relics, probably Bradstreets. vi CONTENTS. FIRST WHITES IN CUYAHOGA COUNTY. -- James Smith, Mary Campbell, Joseph Du Shattars Trading House in Brooklyn -- Baptiste Fleming, Joseph Burrall, 131-132, MORAVIANS IN CUYAHOGA COUNTY, 1786-7. -- They leave Detroit in 1786 -- Arrive at Huron -- Reach the Cuyahoga -- Schooners Beaver and Mackinaw -- Seat themselves at Tinkers Creek, or Pilgerruh -- Zeisberger and Heckewelder, 135-137. The Delawares persecute them -- They abandon Pilgerruh, 138-139. The Massacre on the Muskingum, 1782 -- The Journey to Petquotting -- Driven from thence to Canada, 140-141. Their return to the Muskingum, 1798 -- Missionaries in Ohio, 1761 to 1803, 142-144. ORIGIN OF TITLE. -- Early Claims of European Nations -- Title by Possession