FITCH, ZALMON (1785-28 Apr. 1860), a leader in Cleveland and Warren financial circles, was born in Norwalk, Conn., to Haynes and Ann (Cook) Fitch. Little is known about his education or early life. In 1810, he established a general store in Canfield, Ohio, the second one in the WESTERN RESERVE. He moved to Warren in 1813 and became a leading businessman.
Category: Exploration and Early Settlement
"FOREST CITY" Cleveland's long-time nickname, has murky origins. An obituary of TIMOTHY SMEAD claims that "while in an editorial capacity Mr. Smead gave to Cleveland the name of Forest City" (PLAIN DEALER, 4 Jan. 1890). Credit for inspiring the name, however, is generally given to WM.
HILLHOUSE, JAMES H. (20 October 1754-29 December 1832) a lesser-known but important figure in the early days of the WESTERN RESERVE, did much to stabilize the finances of both settlers and the Connecticut School Fund. Born in Montville, in the
HILLIARD, RICHARD (3 July 1800-21 Dec. 1856), entrepreneur and president of the village of Cleveland, was born in Chatham, N.Y. Son of David Hilliard, he attended local schools for a few terms, but at 14, after his father's death, he left to take an apprenticeship in Albany, N.Y. He left the apprenticeship and became a clerk and teacher.
HODGE, JOSEPH, also known as Black Joe, was a hunter and trapper hired in June 1796 by the surveying party of MOSES CLEAVELAND to guide the group from Buffalo across the Pennsylvania border into the Western Reserve.
HOLLEY, JOHN MlLTON (17 Sept 1777- ) was a member of General MOSES CLEAVELAND's party sent out by the CONNECTICUT LAND COMPANY in 1796 to survey the lands of the WESTERN RESERVE and kept a journal of the undertaking.
HUNTINGTON, SAMUEL, JR. (4 Oct. 1765-7 June 1817), politician and Ohio's third governor, was born in Norwich, Conn., the son of Hannah (Devotion) and the Rev. Joseph Huntington. He was informally adopted by his uncle, Samuel Huntington, subsequently president of the Continental Congress and governor of Connecticut.
JOHNSON, LEVI (25 Apr. 1786-19 Dec. 1871), who arrived in Cleveland in 1809 from Herkimer County, N.Y., built ships and constructed homes for the early settlers. He built Cuyahoga County's first courthouse and jail on the northwest corner of PUBLIC SQUARE (1812), an inn (Johnson House) in 1852, and Cleveland's first lighthouse (1830).
JOHNSON, SIR WILLIAM (1715-11 July 1774), superintendent of Indian Affairs in North America, landed with his party on a beach "near to Cayahoga" on 26 Sept. 1761, thus becoming one of Cleveland's earliest prominent visitors. After the conclusion of the French & Indian Wars, rumors and intelligence of an impending Indian attack on Ft. Detroit prompted its commander, Capt. Donald Campbell, to seek aid.
KELLEY, DANIEL (27 Nov. 1755-7 Aug. 1831), who with his family of 6 sons were early settlers of Cleveland, was born in Norwich, Conn., to Daniel and Abigail Reynolds Kelley. He moved to Middletown, Conn.
KELLEY, DATUS (24 April 1788-24 Jan. 1866) and his family were the first permanent settlers in the part of Rockport Township that became ROCKY RIVER. The first of the early settler Kelley family to move to the Western Reserve, Datus, together with his brother, IRAD, purchased and developed Cunningham (Kelleys) Island.
KINGSBURY, JAMES (29 Dec. 1767-12 Dec. 1847), son of Absalom and Rebecca (Rust) Kingsbury was, at the age of 29, the first white settler in the WESTERN RESERVE.
LORD, RICHARD (13 Aug. 1780-24 Jan. 1857), prominent early citizen and mayor of OHIO CITY, was, with JOSIAH BARBER, one of the earliest property owners on record. Born in Connecticut, Lord was the son of Samuel Phillips and Rachel White Lord.
The MASSASAGOES were native American Indians living in a village near the mouth of Conneaut Creek in the late 18th century. The surveying party led by MOSES CLEAVELAND encountered the Massasagoes in July 1796, and the tribe's chief, Paqua, summoned Cleaveland to a meeting regarding the white men's claim to the surrounding land.
MENOMPSY (NOBSY) (d. 1802 or 1803), a Chippewa or Ottawa medicine man, was the victim of the first murder in Cleveland. Menompsy was treating the wife of Big Son, who was the brother of the Seneca chief STIGWANISH, or "Chief Seneca." Despite all his efforts, Big Son's wife died. Big Son, believing that Menompsy was responsible for his wife's death, sought retribution.
MERCHANT, AHAZ (21 Mar. 1794-28 Mar. 1862), surveyor, builder, and civil engineer, was born in western Connecticut, son of Silas and Huldah (Platt) Merchant. He was raised near Morristown, N.J., and taught himself surveying. After moving to Cleveland in 1818, Merchant acquired military experience in the state militia, attaining the rank of general.
MONTRESOR, JOHN (22 Apr. 1736-26 June 1799), an engineer in the British Army in North America between 1754-78 and a member of Bradstreet's Expedition into the Lake Erie region, conducted the first preliminary survey of the CUYAHOGA RIVER.
OGONTZ (OGANTZ) was the leader of a band of Ottawa Indians encamped near the mouth of the CUYAHOGA RIVER during the first few years of Cleveland's settlement. The Ottawas usually spent the winter months on the west side of the river, migrating in the spring to the Sandusky area.
The OTTAWA were Algonkian-speaking hunters, gatherers, and fishers, with limited maize agriculture, when first encountered in 1634 as the Chevaux Relevez on Manitoulin Island in northern Lake Huron. Famed as middlemen in the French fur trade, they fled west when the New York Iroquois expelled the Huron Confederacy from Ontario.
PAINE, SETH (died 1815) was a land surveyor who surveyed what is now BRECKSVILLE and the first permanent white settler in the Township.
PEASE, SETH (9 Jan. 1764-12 Sept. 1819), early surveyor in the WESTERN RESERVE, was born in Suffield, Conn. to Joseph and Mindwell Pease.
PILGERRUH (or Pilgrim's Rest) was the first organized settlement in the Cleveland area. Located in the Cuyahoga Valley, Pilgerruh was established in Aug. 1786 by Moravian missionaries and their Indian converts. They were led by Rev. John Heckewelder and Rev. David Zeisberger, who had been involved in the settlements of Schoenbrunn (the first organized settlement in Ohio) and Gnadenhutten (both 1772) in the Tuscarawas Valley.
PREHISTORIC INHABITANTS. Following the melting of the last glacial advances, ca. 15,000 years ago, northeast Ohio was an area of slow, gravel-choked rivers, high bogs, and ice-ponded lakes. Vegetation was a mixture of near-Arctic tundra, roamed by herd of caribou, as well as mastodon, giant beaver, moose, lynx, and wolves. There is no convincing evidence of the presence of Paleo-Indians in Ohio at this early date.
RED JACKET'S SPEECH took place in Buffalo, NY, on 23 June 1796 during a 3-day council with MOSES CLEAVELAND to negotiate a formal settlement of Indian claims to the WESTERN RESERVE. In a treaty signed at Ft. Stanwix in 1784, the Six Nations (Iroquois) had yielded to the U.S.
The ROGERS EXPEDITION, led by Maj. Robt. Rogers, crossed the south shore of Lake Erie in Nov. 1760 by boat and on foot, with the objective of taking command of Ft. Detroit following the French & Indian War. Existing journals indicate that the Cleveland area furnished at least 1 landing site.