Zane's Tracts
Encyclopedia
Zane's Tracts were three parcels of land in the Northwest Territory
of the United States
, later Ohio
, that the federal government granted to Ebenezer Zane
late in the 18th century, as compensation for establishing a road with ferry service over several rivers.
. In 1770, Zane and two brothers settled along Wheeling Creek (West Virginia)Wheeling Creek along the Ohio River
in Virginia
, founding Wheeling, Virginia
, later West Virginia
. Zane and his brother Jonathan Zane gained considerable knowledge of the lands across the Ohio River, in what is now Ohio.
The late 1780s and early 1790s was a time of considerable bloodshed along the frontier during the Northwest Indian War
, which formally ended with the 1795 Treaty of Greenville
. With peace, settlement would accelerate. In March, 1796, Ebenezer Zane presented a petition to Congress to establish a road, (trace), between Wheeling and Limestone, Kentucky
, (today Maysville). As compensation, Zane asked for a grant of land at three river crossings, where he would establish ferry service. A committee recommended action, and vouched for Zane’s competence and character, and the general utility of the road.
, one on the Hockhocking river
, and one on the north bank of the Sciota river
, and in such situations as shall best promote the utility of a road to be opened by him on the most eligible route between Wheeling and Limestone…” ,provided that Zane pay for his own surveys, and return plats to the Treasury department with military land bounty warrants for the surveyed number of acres. He also was required to have a road opened by Jan 1, 1797, and have ferries established at the river crossings, with rates approved by judges of the Northwest Territory.
, where he laid out the town of Zanesville, Ohio
in 1799. The survey was directed by Rufus Putnam
in 1797. Zane gave this tract to his brother Jonathan, and son-in-law McIntire, with the deed finally signed in December 1800, for their services in laying out the road. They, in turn, leased it to William McCullough, (a relative), and Henry Crooks for five years, provided they operated the ferry. McCullough and Crooks became the first residents of Zanesville in fall 1797. The tract lies partially in what would be the United States Military District
, in township 1 range 7 (T1 R7), and T1 R8 and partially in the Congress Lands East of Scioto River
in T12 R13 and T16 R14. 39°56′26"N 82°00′51"W
was laid out in 1800, or 1799, at the site of the Hocking river ferry, by Ebenezer’s sons, John and Noah Zane. These two had power of attorney to sell lots for Ebenezer Zane, and he never visited Lancaster. The tract lies in T14 R18 and T14 R19 of the Congress Lands East of Scioto River
. 39°42′30"N 82°36′14"W
, and about a half mile north of the town. The survey lies in T8 R21 and T1 R22 of the Congress Lands East of Scioto River
39°20′53"N 82°58′14"W
. He grew up there, and, as an adult, acted as an intermediary between the United States and the Indians. By act of April 3, 1802, Congress granted Isaac Zane three sections of land for his services, two of those sections reserved for his heirs at the time of his death. On August 28, 1806, patents were issued for section 15, T5, R12 in the Between the Miami Rivers Survey
in fee, in Salem Township
Champaign County
, and in trust for the benefit of heirs at the time of his death for section 14, T5, R12 in the same township and section 2 T4 R12 in Concord Township
, Champaign county.
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, later 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...
, that the federal government granted to Ebenezer Zane
Ebenezer Zane
Ebenezer Zane was an American pioneer, road builder and land speculator. Born in what is now Moorefield, West Virginia , Zane established the settlement known as Fort Henry in Wheeling, Virginia on the Ohio River...
late in the 18th century, as compensation for establishing a road with ferry service over several rivers.
History
Ebenezer Zane was born in the east in 1747. He traveled west in 1767, taking the Cumberland Trail to Brownsville, PennsylvaniaBrownsville, Pennsylvania
Brownsville is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, officially founded in 1785 located 35 miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River...
. In 1770, Zane and two brothers settled along Wheeling Creek (West Virginia)Wheeling Creek along 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...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, founding Wheeling, Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, later West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. Zane and his brother Jonathan Zane gained considerable knowledge of the lands across the Ohio River, in what is now Ohio.
The late 1780s and early 1790s was a time of considerable bloodshed along the frontier during the Northwest Indian War
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...
, which formally ended with the 1795 Treaty of Greenville
Treaty of Greenville
The Treaty of Greenville was signed at Fort Greenville , on August 3, 1795, between a coalition of Native Americans & Frontiers men, known as the Western Confederacy, and the United States following the Native American loss at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. It put an end to the Northwest Indian War...
. With peace, settlement would accelerate. In March, 1796, Ebenezer Zane presented a petition to Congress to establish a road, (trace), between Wheeling and Limestone, Kentucky
Maysville, Kentucky
Maysville is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,993 at the 2000 census, making it the fiftieth largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, northeast of Lexington. It is the principal city of the Maysville...
, (today Maysville). As compensation, Zane asked for a grant of land at three river crossings, where he would establish ferry service. A committee recommended action, and vouched for Zane’s competence and character, and the general utility of the road.
Congressional Action
The congress approved the Act of May 17, 1796, which said “…there shall be granted to Ebenezer Zane three tracts of land, not exceeding one mile square each, one on the Muskingum RiverMuskingum 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...
, one on the Hockhocking river
Hocking River
The Hocking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region...
, and one on the north bank of the Sciota river
Scioto River
The Scioto River is a river in central and southern Ohio more than 231 miles in length. It rises in Auglaize County in west central Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets the Ohio River at Portsmouth...
, and in such situations as shall best promote the utility of a road to be opened by him on the most eligible route between Wheeling and Limestone…” ,provided that Zane pay for his own surveys, and return plats to the Treasury department with military land bounty warrants for the surveyed number of acres. He also was required to have a road opened by Jan 1, 1797, and have ferries established at the river crossings, with rates approved by judges of the Northwest Territory.
Trace Established
The work of building the trace began in summer 1796, with Jonathan Zane, John McIntire (Ebenezer Zane’s son-in-law) and a number of others doing the work. They followed Indian trails where possible, and previously established trails west of the Scioto river. They did not finish until some months after the January 1, 1797 agreement, in the summer of 1797, but president Adams issued patents for the three tracts along the rivers anyway in 1800. The surveys for the tracts Zane acquired were completed as indiscriminate surveys before the surrounding lands were surveyed, and so do not correspond to sections or township lines in the later surveys.Surveys
| Muskingum River | Hocking River | Scioto River |
|---|---|---|
Survey on Muskingum
The tract Zane chose for a ferry on the Muskingum River was at the confluence with the Licking riverLicking River (Ohio)
The Licking River is a tributary of the Muskingum River, about 40 mi long, in central Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.-Course:...
, where he laid out the town of Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
in 1799. The survey was directed by 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...
in 1797. Zane gave this tract to his brother Jonathan, and son-in-law McIntire, with the deed finally signed in December 1800, for their services in laying out the road. They, in turn, leased it to William McCullough, (a relative), and Henry Crooks for five years, provided they operated the ferry. McCullough and Crooks became the first residents of Zanesville in fall 1797. The tract lies partially in what would be the United States Military District
United States Military District
The United States Military District was a land tract in central Ohio that was established by the Congress to compensate veterans of the American Revolutionary War for their service...
, in township 1 range 7 (T1 R7), and T1 R8 and partially in the Congress Lands East of Scioto River
Congress Lands East of Scioto River
The Congress Lands East of Scioto River was a land tract in southern Ohio that was established by the Congress late in the 18th century. It is located south of the United States Military District and Refugee Tract, west of the Old Seven Ranges, east of the Virginia Military District and north of...
in T12 R13 and T16 R14. 39°56′26"N 82°00′51"W
Survey on Hocking
The town of Lancaster, OhioLancaster, Ohio
Lancaster is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,780. It is located near the Hocking River, approximately southeast of Columbus, Ohio. It is the county seat of Fairfield County...
was laid out in 1800, or 1799, at the site of the Hocking river ferry, by Ebenezer’s sons, John and Noah Zane. These two had power of attorney to sell lots for Ebenezer Zane, and he never visited Lancaster. The tract lies in T14 R18 and T14 R19 of the Congress Lands East of Scioto River
Congress Lands East of Scioto River
The Congress Lands East of Scioto River was a land tract in southern Ohio that was established by the Congress late in the 18th century. It is located south of the United States Military District and Refugee Tract, west of the Old Seven Ranges, east of the Virginia Military District and north of...
. 39°42′30"N 82°36′14"W
Survey on Scioto
Ebenezer Zane chose a site across from Chillicothe, OhioChillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...
, and about a half mile north of the town. The survey lies in T8 R21 and T1 R22 of the Congress Lands East of Scioto River
Congress Lands East of Scioto River
The Congress Lands East of Scioto River was a land tract in southern Ohio that was established by the Congress late in the 18th century. It is located south of the United States Military District and Refugee Tract, west of the Old Seven Ranges, east of the Virginia Military District and north of...
39°20′53"N 82°58′14"W
Isaac Zane Tracts
Ebenezer Zane had a youngest brother named Isaac Zane. He was taken captive by Indians at age nine, and taken to DetroitDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. He grew up there, and, as an adult, acted as an intermediary between the United States and the Indians. By act of April 3, 1802, Congress granted Isaac Zane three sections of land for his services, two of those sections reserved for his heirs at the time of his death. On August 28, 1806, patents were issued for section 15, T5, R12 in the Between the Miami Rivers Survey
Symmes Purchase
The Symmes Purchase, also known as the Miami Purchase, was an area of land in Southwestern Ohio in what is now Hamilton, Butler, and Warren Counties. It was purchased by Judge John Cleves Symmes of New Jersey from the Continental Congress...
in fee, in Salem Township
Salem Township, Champaign County, Ohio
Salem Township is one of the twelve townships of Champaign County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,307 people in the township, 2,296 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
Champaign County
Champaign County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,890 people, 14,952 households, and 10,870 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 people per square mile . There were 15,890 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
, and in trust for the benefit of heirs at the time of his death for section 14, T5, R12 in the same township and section 2 T4 R12 in Concord Township
Concord Township, Champaign County, Ohio
Concord Township is one of the twelve townships of Champaign County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,408 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Harrison Township - north...
, Champaign county.