Part 13
The seat of government is to be at Detroit, or such other place or places as may be prescribed by law until the year 1847, when it is to be permanently fixed by the legislature.
OHIO
--Is bounded on the north by lake Erie, and the State of Michigan, east by Pennsylvania and the Ohio river, south by the Ohio river, which separates it from Virginia and Kentucky, and west by Indiana. The meanderings of the Ohio river extend along the line of this State 436 miles. It is about 222 miles in extent, both from north to south, and from east to west. After excluding a section of lake Erie, which projects into its northern borders, Ohio contains about 40,000 square miles, or 25,000,000 acres of land.
_Divisions._--Nature has divided this State into four departments,--according to its princ.i.p.al waters.
1. The Lake country, situated on lake Erie, and embracing all its northern part. Its streams all run into the lake, and reach the Atlantic ocean through the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
2. The Muskingum country, on the eastern side, and along the river of that name.
3. The Scioto country, in the middle,--and,
4. The Miami country, along the western side.
For civil purposes, the State is divided into _seventy-five_ counties, and these are again subdivided into townships. Their names, date of organization, number of square miles, number of organized townships, seats of justice, and bearing and distance from Columbus, are exhibited in the following
TABLE.
------------+----------+------+----------+-----------------+--------------
Bearing And
When
Square
No. of
Distance from COUNTIES.
organized.
Miles.
Townships.
SEATS OF JUSTICE.
Columbus.
------------+----------+------+----------+-----------------+-------------- Adams,
1797
550
10
West Union,
101 _s._ Allen,
1831
542
--
Lima,
110 _n. w._ Ashtabula,
1811
700
27
Jefferson,
200 _n. w._ Athens,
1805
740
19
Athens,
73 _s. e._ Belmont,
1801
536
16
St. Clairsville,
116 _e._ Brown,
1818
470
14
Georgetown,
104 _s._ Butler,
1803
480
13
Hamilton,
101 _s. w._ Carroll,
1833
[A]
[A]
Carrollton,
125 _e. n. e._ Champaign,
1805
417
12
Urbanna,
50 _w. n. w._ Clark,
1818
412
10
Springfield,
44 _w._ Clermont,
1800
515
12
Batavia,
96 _s. w._ Clinton,
1810
400
8
Wilmington,
60 _s. w._ Columbiana,
1803
[A]
[A]
New Lisbon,
150 _e. n. e._ Coshocton,
1811
562
21
Coshocton,
68 _n. e._ Crawford,
1826
594
12
Bucyrus,
60 _n._ Cuyahoga,
1810
475
19
Cleveland,
140 _n. n. e._ Dark,
1817
660
10
Greenville,
93 _w._ Delaware,
1808
610
23
Delaware,
24 _n._ Fairfield,
1800
540
14
Lancaster,
28 _s. e._ Fayette,
1810
415
7
Washington,
38 _s. w._ Franklin,
1803
520
18
COLUMBUS,
Gallia,
1803
500
15
Gallipolis,
102 _s. s. e._ Geauga,
1805
600
23
Chardon,
157 _n. e._ Greene,
1803
400
8
Xenia,
56 _w. s. w._ Guernsey,
1810
621
19
Cambridge,
76 _e._ Hamilton,
1790
400
14
Cincinnati,
110 _s. w._ Hanc.o.c.k,
1828
576
5
Findlay,
90 _n. n. w._ Hardin,
1833
570
--
Kenton,
70 _n. n. w._ Harrison,
1813
[A]--
13
Cadiz,
124 _e. n. e._ Henry,
--
744
2
Napoleon,
161 _n. w._ Highland,
1805
555
11
Hillsborough,
62 _s. s. w._ Hocking,
1818
432
9
Logan,
46 _s. s. e._ Holmes,
1825
422
14
Millersburg,
81 _n. e._ Huron,
1815
800
29
Norwalk,
106 _n._ Jackson,
1816
490
13
Jackson,
73 _s. s. e._ Jefferson,
1797
400
13
Steubenville,
147 _e. n. e._ Knox,
1808
618
24
Mount Vernon,
47 _n. n. e._ Lawrence,
1817
430
12
Burlington,
130 _s. s. e._ Licking,
1808
666
25
Newark,
33 _e. n. e._ Logan,
1818
425
9
Bellefontaine,
50 _n. w._ Lorain,
1824
580
19
Elyria,
130 _n. n. e._ Lucas,[B]
1835
--
Toledo,
150 _n. n. w._ Madison,
1810
480
10
London,
25 _w. s. w._ Marion,
1824
527
15
Marion,
45 _n._ Medina,
1818
475
14
Medina,
110 _n. n. e._ Meigs,
1819
400
12
Chester,
94 _s. s. e._ Mercer,
1824
576
4
St Mary's,
111 _n. w._ Miami,
1807
410
12
Troy,
68 _n. of w._ Monroe,
1815
563
18
Woodsfield,
120 _e. s. e._ Montgomery,
1803
480
12
Dayton,
68 _w._ Morgan,
1819
500
15
M'Connelsville,
75 _s. e._ Muskingum,
1804
665
23
Zanesville,
52 _e._ Paulding,[C]
--
432
3
170 _n. w._ Perry,
1818
402
12
Somerset,
46 _e. s. e._ Pickaway,
1810
470
14
Circleville,
26 _s._ Pike,
1815
421
9
Piketon,
64 _s._ Portage,
1807
750
30
Ravenna,
135 _n. e._ Preble,
1808
432
12
Eaton,
50 _w._ Putnam,[C]
--
576
2
148 _n. w._ Richland,
1813
900
25
Mansfield,
74 _n. n. e_ Ross,
1798
650
16
Chillicothe,
45 _s._ Sandusky,
1820
600
10
Lower Sandusky,
105 _n._ Scioto,
1803
700
14
Portsmouth,
90 _s._ Seneca,
1824
540
11
Tiffin,
87 _n._ Shelby,
1819
418
10
Sidney,
70 _n. w._ Stark,
1809
[A]
16
Canton,
116 _n. e._ Trumbull,
1800
875
34
Warren,
160 _n. e._ Tuscarawas,
1808
[A]
19
New Philadelphia,
100 _e. n. e._ Union,
1820
450
9
Marysville,
30 _n. w._ Vanwert,[C]
--
432
--
100 _n. w._ Warren,
1803
400
9
Lebanon,
80 _s. w._ Washington,
1788
713
19
Marietta,
106 _s. e._ Wayne,
1812
660
20
Wooster,
89 _n. e._ Williams,
1824
600
10
Defiance,
130 _n. w._ Wood,
1820
750
7
Perrysburg,
135 _n. w._
[A] Carroll county has been formed from Columbiana, Harrison, Stark and Tuscarawas since the edition of the Ohio Gazetteer of 1833 was published, from which the foregoing table has been constructed.
Hence the townships in each are not given.
[B] Lucas county has been recently formed from parts taken from Sandusky and Wood counties, and from the disputed country claimed by Michigan.
[C] Paulding, Putnam, and Vanwert counties had not been organized at the period of our information.
Much of the land in Vanwert is wet. The southern portion contains much swampy prairie.
There are nineteen congressional districts in Ohio, which elect as many members of Congress, and twelve circuits for Courts of Common Pleas.
_Face of the Country._--The interior and northern parts of the State bordering on lake Erie, are generally level, and, in some places, wet and marshy. The eastern and south-eastern parts bordering on the Ohio river, are hilly and broken, but not mountainous. In some counties the hills are abrupt and broken,--in others they form ridges, and are cultivated to their summits. Immediately on the banks of the Ohio and other large rivers are strips of rich alluvion soil.
The country along the Scioto and two Miamies, furnish more extensive bodies of rich, fertile land, than any other part of the State. The prairie land is found in small tracts near the head waters of the Muskingum and Scioto, and between the sources of the two Miami rivers, and especially in the north-western part of the State. Many of the prairies in Ohio are low and wet;--some are elevated and dry, and exhibit the features of those tracts called "barrens" in Illinois. There are extensive plains, some of which are wet, towards Sandusky.
_Soil and Productions._--The soil, in at least three fourths of the State, is fertile;--and some of it very rich. The _poorest_ portion of Ohio, is along the Ohio river, from 15 to 25 miles in width, and extending from the National road opposite Wheeling, to the mouth of the Scioto river. Many of the hills in this region are rocky.
Among the forest trees are oak of various species, white and black walnut, hickory, maple of different kinds, beech, poplar, ash of several kinds, birch, buckeye, cherry, chestnut, locust, elm, hackberry, sycamore, linden, with numerous others. Amongst the under growth are spice-bush, dogwood, ironwood, pawpaw, hornbeam, black-haw, thorn, wild plum, grape vines, &c. The plains and wet prairies produce wild gra.s.s.
The agricultural productions are such as are common to the Eastern and Middle States. Indian corn, as in other Western States, is a staple grain, raised with much ease, and in great abundance. More than 100 bushels are produced from an acre, on the rich alluvial soils of the bottom lands, though from 40 to 50 bushels per acre ought to be considered an average crop. The State generally has a fine soil for wheat, and flour is produced for exportation in great quant.i.ties. Rye, oats, buckwheat, barley, potatoes, melons, pumpkins, and all manner of garden vegetables, are cultivated to great perfection. No markets in the United States are more profusely and cheaply supplied with meat and vegetables than those of Cincinnati and other large towns in Ohio. Hemp is produced to some extent, and the choicest kinds of tobacco is raised and cured in some of the counties east of the Muskingum river. Fruits of all kinds are raised in great plenty, especially apples, which grow to a large size, and are finely flavored. The vine and the mulberry have been introduced, and with enterprise and industry, wine and silk might easily be added to its exports.
_Animals._--Bears, wolves, and deer are still found in the forests and unsettled portions of the State. The domestic animals are similar to other States. Swine is one of the staple productions, and Cincinnati has been denominated the "pork market of the world." Other towns in the west, and in Ohio, are beginning to receive a share of this trade, especially along the lines of the Miami, and the Erie ca.n.a.ls. 150,000 hogs have been slaughtered and prepared for market in one season in Cincinnati. About 75,000 is the present estimated number, from newspaper authority. Immense droves of fat cattle are sent every autumn from the Scioto valley and other parts of the State. They are driven to all the markets of the east and south.
_Minerals._--The mineral deposits of Ohio, as yet discovered, consist princ.i.p.ally in iron, salt, and bituminous coal, and are found chiefly along the south-eastern portion of the State. Let a line be drawn from the south-eastern part of Ashtabula county, in a south-western direction, by Northampton in Portage county, Wooster, Mount Vernon, Granville, Circleville, to Hillsborough, and thence south to the Ohio river in Brown county, and it would leave most of the salt, iron and coal on the eastern and south-eastern side.
_Financial Statistics._--From the Auditor's Report to the Legislature now in session, (Jan. 1836,) the following items are extracted. The general revenue is obtained from moderate taxes on landed and personal property, and collected by the county treasurers,--from insurance, bank and bridge companies, from lawyers and physicians, &c.
Collected in 1835, by the several county treasurers, $150,080, (omitting fractions): paid by banks, bridges, and insurance companies, $26,060;--by lawyers, and physicians, $1,598;--other sources, $24,028,--making an aggregate of $201,766. The disburs.e.m.e.nts are,--amount of deficit for 1834, $16,622;--bills redeemed at the treasury for the year ending Nov. 1835, $182,005;--interest paid on school funds, $33,101, &c., amounting to $235,365--and showing a deficit in the revenue of $33,590.
Ca.n.a.l FUNDS.
These appear to be separate accounts from the general receipts and disburs.e.m.e.nts.
_Miami Ca.n.a.l._--The amount of money arising from the sales of Miami ca.n.a.l lands up to the 15th of Nov., 1835, is $310,178. This sum has been expended in the extension of the ca.n.a.l north of Dayton.
_Ohio Ca.n.a.l._--The amount of taxes collected for ca.n.a.l purposes for the year 1835, including tolls, sales of ca.n.a.l lands, school lands, balance remaining in the treasury of last year, &c., is $509,322. Only $38,242 of the general revenue were appropriated to ca.n.a.l purposes, of which $35,507 went to pay interest on the school funds borrowed by the State.
The foreign debt is $4,400,000;--the legal interest of which is $260,000 per annum. The domestic debt of the State, arising from investing the different school funds, is $579,287;--the interest of which amounts to $34,757,--making an aggregate annual interest paid by the State on loans, $294,757. The ca.n.a.l tolls for the year 1835, amount to $242,357, and the receipts from the sale of Ohio ca.n.a.l lands, $64,549,--making an aggregate income to the ca.n.a.l fund of $306,906 per annum;--a sum more than sufficient to pay the interest on all loans for ca.n.a.l purposes.
_Items of Expenditure._--Under this head the princ.i.p.al items of the expenditures of the State government are given.
Members, and officers of the General a.s.sembly, per annum, $43,987 Officers of government, 20,828 Keeper of the Penitentiary, 1,909 For new Penitentiary buildings, 46,050 State printing, 12,243 Paper and Stationary for use of the State, 4,478 Certificates for wolf scalps, 2,824 Adjutant, and Quarter Master Generals, and Brigade Inspectors, 2,276 Treasurer's mileage on settlement with the Auditor of State, 1,027 Deaf and Dumb Asylum, 5,700 Periodical works, &c. 400 Postage on doc.u.ments, 545 Reporter to Court in Bank, 300 Members and clerks of the Board of Equalization, and articles furnished, 1,960 Paymaster General,--Ohio Militia, 2,000
The extra session of the legislature on the boundary line, in June, 1835, was $6,823.
_Land Taxes._--The amount of lands taxed, and the revenue arising therefrom, at several different periods, are herewith given, to show the progressive advance of the farming and other interests of the State.
--------+------------+---------------- Years.
Acres.
Taxes paid.
--------+------------+---------------- 1809
9,924,033
$63,991.87 cts 1810
10,479,029
67,501.60 1811
12,134,777
170,546.74
From 1811 to 1816, the average increase of the taxes, paid by the several counties, was $59,351. From 1816 the State rose rapidly in the scale of prosperity and the value of property. In 1820, the number of acres returned as taxable, exceeded a fraction of 13 millions, while the aggregate of taxes, was $205,346.
The period of depression and embarra.s.sment that followed throughout the west, prevented property from advancing in Ohio. In 1826, '27, '28, '29, '30, a material change in the amount of property taxable took place, from a few hundred thousands, to more than fifty millions. The total value of taxable property of the State for 1835, (exclusive of three counties from which returns had not been received,) amounts to the sum of _ninety-four millions, four hundred and thirty-seven thousand, nine hundred and fifty-one dollars_.
_School Funds._--The amount of school funds loaned to the State, up to Nov. 15th, 1835, is--
Virginia Military land fund, $109,937 United States Military land fund, 90,126 Common School fund, 23,179 Athens University, 1,431 School section, No. 16, 453,000 Connecticut Western Reserve, 125,758 -------- Total, $803,432
The following tabular view of the acres of land, total amount of taxable property, and total amount of taxes paid for 1833, is taken from the Ohio Gazetteer. It should be noted that in all the Western States, lands purchased of the government of the United States, are exempted from taxation for _five_ years after sale. It is supposed that such lands are not included in the table. I have also placed the population of each county for 1830, from the census of that year;--reminding the reader that great changes have since been made.
-----------------+------------+-------------+--------------+---------------
Total Amount
Population
Acres of
of taxable
Total Amount Counties.
1830.
land.
property.
of Taxes paid.
-----------------+------------+-------------+--------------+--------------- Adams
12,231
234,822
$832,565
$6,995.41 Allen
578
14,159
51,214
725.28 Ashtabula
14,584
449,742
1,347,900
13,524.97 Athens
9,787
365,348
481,579
5,820.90 Belmont
28,627
301,511
1,591,716
11,590.33 Brown
17,867
267,130
1,358,944
8,179.35 Butler
27,142
257,989
2,514,007
20,111.55 Carroll
----
185,942
529,575
6,876.92 Champaign
12,131
233,493
908,571
5,956.66 Clark
13,114
247,083
1,114,995
7,744.89 Clermont
20,466
280,679
1,542,627
15,645.31 Clinton
11,436
239,404
785,770
6,482.14 Columbiana
35,592
317,796
1,491,099
14,217.28 Coshocton
11,161
246,123
850,708
9,307.28 Crawford
4,791
79,582
217,675
3,630.09 Cuyahoga
10,373
292,252
1,401,591
18,122.96 Dark
6,204
107,730
260,259
3,312.81 Delaware
11,504
338,856
831,093
8,516.66 Fairfield
24,786
308,163
1,992,697
13,716.97 Fayette
8,182
234,432
544,539
6,428.98 Franklin
14,741
325,155
1,663,315
13,247.34 Gallia
9,733
205,727
427,962
4,826.55 Geauga
15,813
381,380
1,427,869
15,832.65 Greene
14,801
251,512
1,441,907
12,082.36 Guernsey
18,036
275,652
908,109
9,855.72 Hamilton
52,317
239,122
7,726,091
97,530.42 Hanc.o.c.k
813
9,302
50,929
421.70 Harden
210
125,607
118,425
1,291.43 Harrison
20,916
22,412
1,025,210
12,400.97 Highland
16,345
317,079
1,065,863
8,755.29 Hocking
4,008
92,332
215,272
1,919.29 Holmes
9,135
182,439
556,060
6,364.03 Huron
13,346
504,689
1,512,655
15,490.88 Jackson
5,941
57,874
197,932
2,239.69 Jefferson
22,489
230,145
1,855,064
13,149.44 Knox
17,085
313,823
1,252,294
13,329.41 Lawrence
5,367
56,862
241,782
2,280.80 Licking
20,869
393,205
2,101,495
17,370.83 Logan
6,440
203,509
519,622
3,925.65 Lorain
5,696
360,863
889,552
10,539.09 Madison
6,190
256,421
600,578
4,643.91 Marion
6,551
168,164
390,602
5,599.78 Medina
7,560
296,257
931,599
10,198.31 Meigs
6,158
229,004
380,172
5,111.58 Mercer
1,110
12,688
54,118
714.30 Miami
12,807
240,093
1,000,748
6,423.09 Monroe
8,768
95,520
280,572
3,666.61 Montgomery
24,362
267,349
2,293,419
14,649.12 Morgan
11,800
169,135
452,991
4,945.02 Muskingum
29,334
366,609
2,362,616
18,567.75 Perry
13,970
175,123
729,241
6,116.55 Pickaway
16,001
300,969
1,798,665
10,924.76 Pike
6,024
129,153
521,109
4,114.37 Portage
18,826
472,156
2,019,029
17,787.06 Preble
16,291
246,678
1,086,322
7,441.82 Richland
24,008
433,620
1,354,169
15,069.92 Ross
24,068
328,765
2,897,605
17,474.81 Sandusky
2,851
95,822
275,992
3,354.64 Scioto
8,740
105,539
963,882
7,926.93 Seneca
6,159
108,758
302,089
3,916.51 Stark
26,588
374,101
1,854,967
16,361.36 Shelby
3,671
66,863
194,468
1,961.26 Trumbull
26,123
556,011
1,807,792
16,635.58 Tuscarawas
14,298
237,337
902,778
8,955.75 Union
3,192
259,101
380,535
5,193.68 Warren
21,468
243,517
2,143,065
16,247.33 Washington
11,731
282,498
681,301
7,463.12 Wayne
23,333
382,254
1,451,996
14,584.77 Williams and
} 1,089
17,797
90,066
1,351.02 others not incor.
}
Wood
1,102
17,981
127,862
1,572.22 -----------------+------------+-------------+--------------+--------------- Total
937,903
17,133,481
78,019,526
730,010.75
OHIO STATISTICS--1836.
From the Annual Report of the Auditor of State, it appears there were returned on the General List for Taxation, 17,819,631 acres of land, under the new valuation, made under the law of 1833-4.
Lands, including buildings, valued at $58,166,821 Town Lots, including houses, mills, etc. 15,762,594 269,291 Horses, valued at $40 each, 10,491,640 455,487 Cattle, valued at $8 each, 4,043,896 Merchants' capital, and money at interest, 7,262,927 2,603 Pleasure Carriages, valued at 199,518 ----------- Total amount of taxable property, $94,438,016
On the value of taxable property, the following taxes were levied:
State and Ca.n.a.l tax, $142,854.15 County and School tax, 396,505.80 Road tax, 66,482.16 Township tax, 102,991.65 Corporation, Jail, and Bridge tax, 51,276.89 Physicians' and Lawyers' tax, 3,144.19 School-House tax, 1,482.84 Delinquencies of former years, 13,044.37 ----------- Total taxes, $777,782.07
No returns were made from the counties of Crawford, Hanc.o.c.k, Jefferson and Williams.
