[57] Fifteen Mile creek rises in Maryland and flows in a south-easterly direction, emptying into the Potomac river between Sideling Hill creek and Town creek, about 15 miles above Hancock, Md.
[58] "The Ohio Company" grew into existence out of efforts by Virginians, dated as early as 1746 or 1747, to secure a share in the lucrative Indian trade, and with the prospect of opening to settlement the lands on the upper waters of the Ohio. An early move in this direction had been made by Colonel Thomas Cresap, a man of courage, judgment and enterprise—qualities required for trading successfully with the Indians. He had erected his cabin at Oldtown, Md. About 1746 Lawrence and Augustine Washington, after making some cautious business ventures in the Indian trade, with others assisted to organize "this Ohio Company." Thomas Lee, whose second son, Richard Henry Lee, was to become so conspicuous a patriot of the Revolution, and John Hanbury, a wealthy London merchant, were original members of this company, into which still other men of substance and standing were admitted, and to which, in 1749, the British government gave a charter, as "The Ohio Company," with a grant of half a million acres of land, to be located between the Monongahela and Kanawha rivers, on the south side of the Ohio. With but twenty shares of stock at first issue, the company's prosperity seemed assured, and both Governor Dinwiddie and George Mason, at a later date purchased an interest in it. Among the early Washington manuscripts appears the above memorandum of a survey for this company. Although this entry is without date it must have been earlier, judging from its position in the note-book, than the charter. This document imposed, as conditions of the land grant, that the company should at once survey two hundred thousand acres, and within seven years secure the settlement of not less than one hundred families, erect forts, and maintain a garrison against the Indians,—conditions on the fulfilment of which they were to be for ten years exempt from the payment of quit-rents. Mr. Christopher Gist was employed as the company's agent, and on October 19, 1749, entered upon his duties of inspecting the country, contiguous to the Ohio river, reporting upon the character of the lands, making surveys, keeping a journal of his observations, drawing plans of the territory, etc. In 1750 the company built a small store-house at Will's creek and stocked it with goods from London to the value of £4,000. In 1752 Mr. Gist held a council with the Indians on the Ohio in behalf of the company, and secured their permission to lay out a town and erect a fort at McKee's Rocks at the mouth of Chartier's creek, upon the east side of the Ohio, a few miles below Pittsburg. Washington, in his diary, alludes to this, and says of the position: "I think it greatly inferior, either for defense or advantage, especially the latter: For a fort at the forks would be equally well situated on the Ohio, and have the entire command of the Monongahela." In 1751 the company began making a road to the mouth of the Monongahela, but for lack of adequate resources, made only slow progress. The company looked upon the lands around Will's creek as being within their grant. They also erected a store-house at the mouth of Redstone on the Monongahela and began some improvements at the forks of the Ohio, immediately after completing those at Will's creek. At the latter place they had the adjacent lands surveyed on both sides the stream, above and below the forks, and laid out a town to which they gave the name of Charlottesburg in honor of the Princess Charlotte, afterward wife of King George. The French and Indian war, with other stirring political events, compelled the company to be cautious and to contract its operations, but, its embarrassments increasing from the course pursued toward it by the English government, prompted by envious rival interests, the consent of its agent, George Mercer, Esq., was finally gained to merge the Ohio Company into a Grand Company, under what was known as the Walpole Grant or Company. Their proposal was as follows: "We, the Committee of the Purchasers of a Tract of Country for a new Province on the Ohio in America, do hereby admit the Ohio Company as a Co-Purchaser with us for two shares of the said Purchase,* in Consideration of the Engagement of their Agent, Col. Mercer, to withdraw the application of the said Company for a separate Grant within the Limits of the said Purchase.
Witness our Hands this 7th Day of May 1770
* The whole being divided into seventy-two equal Shares by the words "two shares" above is understood two Seventy-second parts of the Tract so as above Purchased.
THOMAS WALPOLE
S. POWNALL
B. FRANKLIN
SAMUEL WHARTON
THOMAS WALPOLE
S. POWNALL
B. FRANKLIN
SAMUEL WHARTON
See American Historical Review, vol. iii, p. 205.
This action, however, was not approved by the American members of the company, and the final collapse of the whole enterprise was one of the results of the Revolution.
I heartily congratulate you[59] on the happy News of my Brothers safe arrival in health in England and am joy'd to hear that his stay is likely to be so short I hope you'll make Use of your Natural Resolution and contendness as they are the only Remedys to spend the time with ease & pleasure to yourself I am deprived of the pleasure of waiting on you (as I expected) by Ague and Feaver which I have had to Extremety since I left which has occasioned my Return D