THE OHIO LAND COMPANY'S PURCHASE.
The Ohio Land Company originated with the disbanded
officers of the Revolutionary army, while a large portion of
the stockholders were citizens at large. This company was
organized in Boston early in the year 1787. The purchase
from Congress consisted of a million and a half acres of land
by negotiations made by Rev. Manassah Cutler, in 1787. The
State of Ohio was admitted into the Union in 1802, and com-
prised that portion of the Northwest Territory on its eastern
boundary, extending from the Ohio river on the south to the
shores of Lake Erie on the north, comprising seventeen million
five hundred thousand acres of very fine land. The lands of
the Ohio Company's purchase were located in the southern
part of the state bordering on the Ohio river.
These lands were surveyed by men appointed by the Pres-
ident, George Washington, of whom were General Tupper,
General Meigs, General Israel Putnam, Colonel Ebenezer
Sproat, John Matthews, and others. These surveyors divided
the lands into townships containing six square miles, and these
townships were sub-divided into ranges, and further surveyed
into sections of 640 acres. Townships, ranges, and sections
were numbered, as were 100-acre lots, which sold to pur-
chasers. In every township, three sections are reserved for
Congress, Ministerial and school purposes. The boundaries
of these lands were permanent, thus, when any county or
township or road refers to certain points-Township 2, Range
11, Section 6-it has reference to the surveys of the Ohio
Company's purchase.
Meigs County.
Meigs county was formed in June, 1819, and was composed
of territory set off from Gallia county, Athens county,
and Washington county, and contained the following townships:
From Gallia County.-Letart township, organized in 1803;
Salisbury township, organized in 1805; Rutland township,
