Donation Tract
Encyclopedia
The Donation Tract was a land tract in southern Ohio
that was established by the Congress late in the 18th century to buffer Ohio Company
lands against Indians
. Congress gave 100 acre (0.404686 km²) lots to men who settled on the land. This marked the first time that federal land was given without charge to specified settlers, predating the more famous Homestead Act
of 1862 by seventy years.
, also known as the Ohio Company, was a land company that was formed on March 3, 1786, by General Rufus Putnam
, Benjamin Tupper
, Samuel Holden Parsons
and Manasseh Cutler
, who had met in Boston, Massachusetts to discuss the settlement of the territory around the Ohio River
. They convinced Congress to sell the company a tract at the confluence of the Muskingum River
and the Ohio River
. Settlement began at the newly formed town of Marietta, Ohio
in April 1788. Indians objected to this incursion on their homeland, leading to the War of 1790
. Most of the troops in Fort Harmar
, near Marietta, were transferred to Fort Washington
to protect Cincinnati
, so settlers ended up having to defend themselves at the expense of the Ohio Company. Wyandots killed settlers in the Big Bottom massacre
of Jan. 2, 1791, in present day Morgan County
.
, Fearing
, Salem
, Muskingum
, Palmer
, Waterford
, and Watertown Township
in Washington County
, and Windsor Township
in Morgan County
. The land was divided into “allotments”, and each allotment was further divided into 100 acre (0.404686 km²) lots. These lots did not follow the usual surveying plan of survey township
s and one square mile sections
. That part of the tract that was not conveyed by the Company to settlers within five years was to be returned to the federal government. However, nothing was done about the unsold lots until an act in 1818, when Congress required their return so they could be sold by the Marietta Land Office. After settlement of the Donation Tract, the Ohio Company did not suffer another raid as large as the Big Bottom Massacre.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
that was established by the Congress late in the 18th century to buffer Ohio Company
Ohio Company of Associates
The Ohio Company of Associates, also known as the Ohio Company, was a land company which is today credited with becoming the first non-American Indian group to settle in the present-day state of Ohio...
lands against Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. Congress gave 100 acre (0.404686 km²) lots to men who settled on the land. This marked the first time that federal land was given without charge to specified settlers, predating the more famous Homestead Act
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
of 1862 by seventy years.
Background
The Ohio Company of AssociatesOhio Company of Associates
The Ohio Company of Associates, also known as the Ohio Company, was a land company which is today credited with becoming the first non-American Indian group to settle in the present-day state of Ohio...
, also known as the Ohio Company, was a land company that was formed on March 3, 1786, by General Rufus Putnam
Rufus Putnam
Rufus Putnam was a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War, and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
, Benjamin Tupper
Benjamin Tupper
Benjamin Tupper was a soldier in the French and Indian War, and an officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, achieving the rank of brevet brigadier general. Subsequently, he served as a Massachusetts legislator, and he assisted Gen. William Shepard in stopping Shays'...
, Samuel Holden Parsons
Samuel Holden Parsons
Samuel Holden Parsons was an American lawyer, jurist, and military leader.Parsons was born in Lyme, Connecticut, the son of Jonathan Parsons and Phoebe Parsons...
and Manasseh Cutler
Manasseh Cutler
Manasseh Cutler was an American clergyman involved in the American Revolutionary War. Cutler was also a member of the United States House of Representatives and a founder of Ohio University....
, who had met in Boston, Massachusetts to discuss the settlement of the territory around the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. They convinced Congress to sell the company a tract at the confluence of the Muskingum River
Muskingum River
The Muskingum River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 111 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio...
and the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. Settlement began at the newly formed town of Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
in April 1788. Indians objected to this incursion on their homeland, leading to the War of 1790
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War , also known as Little Turtle's War and by various other names, was a war fought between the United States and a confederation of numerous American Indian tribes for control of the Northwest Territory...
. Most of the troops in Fort Harmar
Fort Harmar
Fort Harmar was an early United States frontier military fort, built in pentagonal shape during 1785 at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers, on the west side of the mouth of the Muskingum River. It was built under the orders of Josiah Harmar and took his name...
, near Marietta, were transferred to Fort Washington
Fort Washington, Cincinnati, Ohio
Fort Washington was a fort in the early history of Cincinnati, Ohio. The location is marked by a plaque at the Guilford School building, at 421 E 4th St, Cincinnati, which now occupies the site...
to protect Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, so settlers ended up having to defend themselves at the expense of the Ohio Company. Wyandots killed settlers in the Big Bottom massacre
Big Bottom Massacre
The Big Bottom massacre occurred on January 2, 1791, near present-day Stockport now in Morgan County, Ohio, United States. Delaware and Wyandot Indians surprised a new settlement at the edge of the flood plain, or "bottom" land of the Muskingum River; they stormed the blockhouse and killed eleven...
of Jan. 2, 1791, in present day Morgan County
Morgan County, Ohio
**----...
.
Congress Makes a Donation
The Ohio Company petitioned Congress in March, 1792 to donate some land along the north boundary of their lands to form a buffer against the Indians. With the Act of April 21, 1792, Congress donated 100000 acres (404.7 km²) to the officers of the Company. The land was to be conveyed in lots of 100 acre (0.404686 km²), free of expense, to each male of at least 18 years of age who settled on the land. The Donation Tract is in parts of modern day AdamsAdams Township, Washington County, Ohio
Adams Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,830 people in the township, 1,202 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
, Fearing
Fearing Township, Washington County, Ohio
Fearing Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 910 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Salem Township - north...
, Salem
Salem Township, Washington County, Ohio
Salem Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,130 people in the township, 1,021 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
, Muskingum
Muskingum Township, Washington County, Ohio
Muskingum Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,627 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
, Palmer
Palmer Township, Washington County, Ohio
Palmer Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 625 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
, Waterford
Waterford Township, Washington County, Ohio
Waterford Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,708 people in the township, 2,426 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
, and Watertown Township
Watertown Township, Washington County, Ohio
Watertown Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,563 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
in Washington County
Washington County, Ohio
Washington County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,778. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Washington County is included in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio...
, and Windsor Township
Windsor Township, Morgan County, Ohio
Windsor Township is one of the fourteen townships of Morgan County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,951 people in the township, 1,411 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
in Morgan County
Morgan County, Ohio
**----...
. The land was divided into “allotments”, and each allotment was further divided into 100 acre (0.404686 km²) lots. These lots did not follow the usual surveying plan of survey township
Survey township
Survey township, sometimes called Congressional township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, refers to a square unit of land, that is nominally six miles on a side...
s and one square mile sections
Section (United States land surveying)
In U.S. land surveying under the Public Land Survey System , a section is an area nominally one square mile, containing , with 36 sections making up one survey township on a rectangular grid....
. That part of the tract that was not conveyed by the Company to settlers within five years was to be returned to the federal government. However, nothing was done about the unsold lots until an act in 1818, when Congress required their return so they could be sold by the Marietta Land Office. After settlement of the Donation Tract, the Ohio Company did not suffer another raid as large as the Big Bottom Massacre.