North and East of First Principal Meridian
Encyclopedia
North and East of the First Principal Meridian is a survey and land description in the northwest part of the American state called Ohio
.
to survey the northern and western border of Ohio
“as soon as the consent of the Indians can be obtained.“ In 1817, the northern portion of the Ohio-Indiana
border was surveyed and became known as the First Principal Meridian
for lands surveyed in the northwest part of Ohio. Most of the lands in Ohio north of the line determined by the Greenville Treaty in 1795 and west of the line determined by the Treaty of Fort Industry
in 1805 had been ceded by Indians
by 1818 and needed to be surveyed before they could be sold. Lands were surveyed into squares six mile (10 km) on a side called survey townships arranged in a checkerboard pattern, each subdivided into 36 one square mile sections, according to the methods of the Public Land Survey System
. The 41st parallel north
latitude became the base line. The townships were counted going north from the baseline in vertical rows called ranges. The ranges were counted from one in the west increasing to the east. The sections in each township were numbered in a boustrophedon
ical sequence according to the Act of May 18, 1796
The Congress Lands
lying east of the meridian, north of the base line, and south of the border with the Michigan Territory
at the time were surveyed in 1820-21.
, and two miles square
had previously been surveyed, and were not included in the survey. A number of tracts
that Indians had gained by treaty or Congressional action had also previously been indiscriminately surveyed. At the time Michigan
was admitted as a state, the northern boundary of Ohio was moved a few miles further north. These lands between the old and new boundary, called the Toledo Strip, retained their original Michigan Survey based on the Michigan Meridian
and baseline.
Land District, with a Land Office in that town for sale of lands in this survey within 48 miles (77.2 km) of the state of Indiana
. For lands in this survey more than 48 miles (77.2 km) from Indiana, a land office and land district were established at Delaware
. The Piqua office was moved to ”Wapaughkoneta“
, then, on March 3, 1835, to Lima
, and finally, on March 3, 1843, to a consolidated land district at Upper Sandusky
. Sales were also conducted from the nation’s capital at the General Land Office
. Local offices were eventually closed. The State of Ohio also eventually sold lands granted to them by the federal government, such as section 16 of each township
, and the Maumee Road Lands
.
, Defiance
, Williams
, Fulton
, Henry
, Putnam
, Hancock
, Wood
, Lucas
, Ottawa
, Sandusky
, Seneca
, and Erie
counties.
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...
.
Survey
In 1812, Congress authorized the Surveyor GeneralSurveyor General
The Surveyor General is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Originally this would often have been a military appointment, but is now more likely to be a civilian post....
to survey the northern and western border of Ohio
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...
“as soon as the consent of the Indians can be obtained.“ In 1817, the northern portion of the Ohio-Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
border was surveyed and became known as the First Principal Meridian
First Principal Meridian
The First Principal Meridian is a meridian that began at the junction of the Ohio River and Great Miami River. It extends north on the boundary line between the states of Ohio and Indiana, and roughly approximates to the meridian of longitude 84° 48' 50" west from Greenwich...
for lands surveyed in the northwest part of Ohio. Most of the lands in Ohio north of the line determined by the Greenville Treaty in 1795 and west of the line determined by the Treaty of Fort Industry
Treaty of Fort Industry
The Treaty of Fort Industry was a successor treaty to the Treaty of Greenville, which moved the eastern boundary of Indian lands in northern Ohio from the Tuscarawas River and Cuyahoga River westward to a line 120 miles west of the Pennsylvania boundary, which coincided with the western boundary of...
in 1805 had been ceded by Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
by 1818 and needed to be surveyed before they could be sold. Lands were surveyed into squares six mile (10 km) on a side called survey townships arranged in a checkerboard pattern, each subdivided into 36 one square mile sections, according to the methods of the Public Land Survey System
Public Land Survey System
The Public Land Survey System is a method used in the United States to survey and identify land parcels, particularly for titles and deeds of rural, wild or undeveloped land. Its basic units of area are the township and section. It is sometimes referred to as the rectangular survey system,...
. The 41st parallel north
41st parallel north
The 41st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 41 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
latitude became the base line. The townships were counted going north from the baseline in vertical rows called ranges. The ranges were counted from one in the west increasing to the east. The sections in each township were numbered in a boustrophedon
Boustrophedon
Boustrophedon , is a type of bi-directional text, mostly seen in ancient manuscripts and other inscriptions. Every other line of writing is flipped or reversed, with reversed letters. Rather than going left-to-right as in modern English, or right-to-left as in Arabic and Hebrew, alternate lines in...
ical sequence according to the Act of May 18, 1796
The Congress Lands
Congress Lands
The Congress Lands was a group of land tracts in Ohio that made land available for sale to members of the general public through land offices in various cities, and through the General Land Office...
lying east of the meridian, north of the base line, and south of the border with the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
at the time were surveyed in 1820-21.
Exclusions
Two military reserves ceded by the Treaty of Greenville of twelve miles squareTwelve Mile Square Reservation
The Twelve Mile Square Reservation, also called the Twelve Mile Square Reserve, was a tract of land in Ohio ceded by Indians to the United States of America in the Treaty of Greenville in 1795...
, and two miles square
Two Mile Square Reservation
The Two Mile Square Reservation, also called the Two Mile Square Reserve, was a tract of land in Ohio ceded by Indians to the United States of America in the Treaty of Greenville in 1795...
had previously been surveyed, and were not included in the survey. A number of tracts
Indian Land Grants
Indian Land Grants were land tracts granted to various Indians by Treaty or by United States Congressional action in the Nineteenth century in northwestern Ohio.-Grants near St. Mary's River:-Jean Baptiste Richardville:...
that Indians had gained by treaty or Congressional action had also previously been indiscriminately surveyed. At the time Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
was admitted as a state, the northern boundary of Ohio was moved a few miles further north. These lands between the old and new boundary, called the Toledo Strip, retained their original Michigan Survey based on the Michigan Meridian
Michigan Meridian
The Michigan Meridian is the meridian used as a reference in the Michigan Survey, the survey of the U.S. state of Michigan in the early 19th century. It is located at 84 degrees, 22 minutes and 24 seconds west longitude at its northern terminus at Sault Ste...
and baseline.
Land Sales
The Act of March 3, 1819 established the PiquaPiqua, Ohio
Piqua is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,738 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.Piqua was one of the cities that experienced severe flooding during the Great Dayton Flood of 1913....
Land District, with a Land Office in that town for sale of lands in this survey within 48 miles (77.2 km) of the state of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. For lands in this survey more than 48 miles (77.2 km) from Indiana, a land office and land district were established at Delaware
Delaware, Ohio
The City of Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County in the United States state of Ohio. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area...
. The Piqua office was moved to ”Wapaughkoneta“
Wapakoneta, Ohio
Wapakoneta is a city in and the county seat of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States with a population of 9,474 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan S A, which is included in the Lima-Van Wert-Wapakoneta, Ohio CSA...
, then, on March 3, 1835, to Lima
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
, and finally, on March 3, 1843, to a consolidated land district at Upper Sandusky
Upper Sandusky, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,533 people, 2,744 households, and 1,682 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.2 people per square mile . There were 2,910 housing units at an average density of 555.1 per square mile...
. Sales were also conducted from the nation’s capital at the General Land Office
General Land Office
The General Land Office was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department of the Treasury...
. Local offices were eventually closed. The State of Ohio also eventually sold lands granted to them by the federal government, such as section 16 of each township
School Lands
The School Lands are part of the Ohio Lands, comprising land grants in Ohio from the United States federal government for public schools. Support for public education in the United States predates the constitution; two years before the adoption of the United States Constitution of 1787, the...
, and the Maumee Road Lands
Maumee Road Lands
Maumee Road Lands were a group of land tracts granted by the United States Congress to the state of Ohio in 1823 along the path of a proposed road in the northwest corner of the state.-History:...
.
Modern Time
The survey tract includes all, or parts of PauldingPaulding County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,293 people, 7,773 households, and 5,689 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile . There were 8,478 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
, Defiance
Defiance County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 39,500 people, 15,138 households, and 11,020 families residing in the county. The population density was 96 people per square mile . There were 16,040 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile...
, Williams
Williams County, Ohio
Williams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 37,642. Its county seat is Bryan and is named for David Williams, one of the captors of John André in the American Revolutionary War.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, Fulton
Fulton County, Ohio
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 42,698. Its county seat is Wauseon. Fulton County is named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat....
, Henry
Henry County, Ohio
Henry County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,215. Its county seat is Napoleon and is named for Patrick Henry, the Virginian famous for his "give me liberty or give me death" speech....
, Putnam
Putnam County, Ohio
Putnam County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,499. The name is in honor of Israel Putnam, who was a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War. Its county seat is...
, Hancock
Hancock County, Ohio
Hancock County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,782. Its county seat is Findlay and was named for John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence...
, Wood
Wood County, Ohio
Wood County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 125,488. Its county seat is Bowling Green. The county was named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the engineer for General William Henry Harrison's army, who built Fort Meigs in the War of 1812...
, Lucas
Lucas County, Ohio
----...
, Ottawa
Ottawa County, Ohio
Ottawa County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,428. Its county seat is Port Clinton and is named either for the Ottawa Indians who lived there, or for an Indian word meaning "trader"....
, Sandusky
Sandusky County, Ohio
Sandusky County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,944. Its county seat is Fremont and it is named for a native word meaning "water" ....
, Seneca
Seneca County, Ohio
Seneca County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,745. Its county seat is Tiffin and it is named for the Seneca Indians.The Tiffin Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Seneca County....
, and Erie
Erie County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 79,551 people, 31,727 households, and 21,764 families residing in the county. The population density was 312 people per square mile . There were 35,909 housing units at an average density of 141 per square mile...
counties.