| CLIMBING THE BROWN
FAMILY TREE
by: Brenda Brown Lasko Chapter 5 Moving to the Ohio Territory Just across the river from Wheeling laid the Ohio territory, yet unopened for settlement. Many settlers had been sneaking across the river for years and to clear land in anticipation of the announcement of the opening of the territory. As early as the 1760's attempts were made to establish permanent settlements on the west bank. The territory west of the Ohio River had been promised to the Indians and they loudly objected to the invasion of the whites into their land. Soldiers were periodically sent to chase the squatters back across the river. A few log houses were periodically burned by the militia as an attempt to keep the whites away and pacify the natives but it did little to stem the flow of the pale skinned race from the East. The Indians had been promised the land but that promise was about to be broken as so many others would be throughout the history of the settlement of the United States. Very soon land offices in Marietta and Steubenville would open and the rush for claiming tracts of the Ohio Territory would begin. When the territory opened, many of the early squatters were shocked to discover they had no claim to the land they had cleared and farmed. Large parcels of land were already owned by men who had filed legal claims before ever crossing the Ohio River. Seldom were "squatter's rights" recognized by the courts and the hopes and dreams of many were dashed when they saw the fruit of their hard work had been picked by someone else. They had little choice but to move on and try to stake a claim to another plot of ground. It might be of interest to learn how land was claimed when a territory opened. Some land was granted to soldiers as compensation for serving in various conflicts, such as the Revolution and Indian Wars. The rest of the land was issued in 160 acre sections for the price of $1.50 an acre. Payment could be paid in one lump sum or an annual fee of 10 cents an acre until the balance was paid off. This meant the land owner had to come up with $16.00 a year for his 160 acre claim. The payment had to be made in "specie money," which meant coin or silver. In those days it was not an easy task for a man to come up with that much money and many of them were not able to keep their claims because they defaulted on payments. It was common practice for several family members to work together to keep one claim. When they paid off their debt, they purchased another nearby tract of land. In time, some families acquired large parcels of property by doing this. YORK TOWNSHIP AND THE CAPTINA VALLEY Reports of Indian massacres were common in the early history of Belmont County and spread quickly throughout the white settlements along the river. Settlers lived in fear of attacks from the Indians who were not yet ready to relinquish their rights to land where they had lived for generations. Near most of the larger settlements forts had been built for protection against hostile attacks. At the first sign of trouble everyone was supposed to get to the fort and barricade themselves until the danger was over. The history of the Ohio Valley records many of the battles in Martins Ferry, Wheeling and Fort Dille. In 1794 a famous battle occurred at the mouth of Captina Creek in York Township, Ohio. Several whites were killed by the Indians, among them were Captain Enochs and a number of his men. White men had been coming to Captina creek as early as 1764 to trade with the Indians. Several miles up Captina Creek the Indians had a large village called Grape Vine located near a place we call Pea Vine today. By the time the whites made permanent settlements in to the territory, Grape Vine was probably no more than a hunting camp. The Indians had hunted deer in Captina Valley for generations but the advancement of the white man forced them to move their families to safer places deeper into the Ohio Territory. In my lifetime there was still visible evidence of Grape Vine Village. The ground, packed hard from years of heavy use, remained almost free of undergrowth for decades. Arrowheads and other Indian artifacts were easily found. Reports made by early visitors to the Captina Valley described the valley as "heavily covered with forests, hilly but had rich loose soil that was productive to crops." It was this rich land our ancestors longed for and eventually staked claim to it. Even before the territory opened, young George Lemley was already living a few miles up Captina Creek. There is an old history book that recounts a report made by soldiers checking on his cabin in the late 1790's. It states they found it empty but a fire was burning in the hearth so he was assumed to be well. George appears to be one of the first official land owners, settling on Section 14 in York Township in 1801. His claim was recorded at the Marietta Land Office. George was probably widowed by the time he filled his claim and his young children were living in Pennsylvania with family members. York, one of the original civil townships, was established on November 25, 1801. The years between 1801 and 1805 saw the arrival of many of our ancestors. In 1803 Ohio became a state. Abel Brown and John Brown recorded their land claims in 1805, and in 1805, a William Brown recorded his land also. I believe him to be the brother of Abel mentioned earlier in this story. We know Abel was living in York Township before the 1805 land record because his son, Isaac, was born there and his birth registered in York Township in 1801. Abel and John held Township offices in 1808: Abel served as a Trustee and John as a Fence Viewer. At this time in history Abel was 40 years old and Thomas Jefferson was ready to begin his second term as President. Index 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Epilogue
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