islature:" and that the power, for which he contended, was a constructive one, not authorised by the Ordinance. "Thus the dispute remained undertermined till the adoption of our state, Constitution, which put to sleep, forever, the Governor's negative, upon the acts of the Legislature." Washington county was organized on the 27th day of July 1788-Hamilton county on the 2d day of January 1790-Adams county on the 10th day of July 1797-Jefferson county on the 29th day of July 1797-Ross county on the 20th day of August 1798-Trumbull county on the 10th day July 1800-Clermont on the 6th December 1800—Fairfield, 9th December 1800-and Belmont, 7th September 1801, The nine foregoing are all the counties, which were. organized by the Governor, under the territorial government. The four last named counties, to wit, Trumbull, Clermont, Fairfield, and Belmont, were organized after, the dispute had originated between the Governor and the territorial Legislature; and the other five previously thereto. All the other counties have been established under state authority, since 1802: as will be seen, by reference to the table of counties, pages 15 and 16 of this. work. On the 30th April 1802, Congress passed an act, authorizing the call of a Convention, to form a state Constitution, for that part of the then Northwestern territory, lying between lake Erie and the Ohio river; and east of a meridian, drawn due north from the mouth of the Great Miami river, and extending eastwardly to Pennsylvania On the 1st of November following, the Convention, pursuant thereto, met at Chillicothe; formed our present state Constitution, and adjourned on Monday the 29th idem. TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES, TOWNS, RIVERS, &c. IN OHIO, ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED. ADA Abbott's, the name of a post office in Salem township, Muskingum county, 68 miles east from Columbus. Aberdeen, a small post town in Brown county, situated on the north bank of the Ohio river, opposite Maysville, in Kentucky, nine miles southeasterly from Ripley, 17 southwest from West Union, and 113 southerly from Columbus. Achorstown, a post village in Middleton township Columbiana county, 160 miles northeast from Columbus. Adams, a southern county, bordering on the Ohio river. It has Highland and Pike counties on the north, Scioto county east, the Ohio river dividing it from Kentucky on the south, and Brown county on the west. It is about 25 miles in extent, both from north to south, and from east to west: and contains nearly or quite 550 square miles, or 352,000 acres. The land is generally uneven and hilly, and embraces a variety of soils, from the best to the poorest: a great proportion, especially the eastern half, is of the latter kind. The interior of the hills along Brush creek, are however, fertile in iron ore.Along this creek are in successful operation, three furnaces, one of which goes by steam power; besides a forge for bar iron, now erecting. Brush creek is the principal water, excepting the Ohio river, which washes the whole southern borders of the county. It is divid G ed into the ten following townships:-Franklin, Meigs, Jefferson and Green, on the east side of Brush creek and Tiffin, Monroe, Sprigg, Liberty, Wayne and Scott, on the west. West Union, situated in Tiffin township, is the county seat; besides which, are the villages of Jacksonville, Manchester and Winchester, situated in various parts of the county. For a particular description of which, see the several articles respectively, under their proper heads, in subsequent pages of this book. The following is a tabular view of the several post offices in the county: Post offices. | Towns'ps. | Dist. from Post Masters. The first settlement of this county was made at a station where the present town of Manchester is situated, on the north side of the Ohio river, by General Nathaniel Massie and others, in the year 1791. General Massie laid out the town plat; and gave "each of the first settlers an in, and an outlot in the town, and 100 acres of land in the neighborhood. The first settlers were principally from Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky; and many of them were, originally, from Ireland." "The county was organized, on the 10th day of July, 1797, by Winthrop Sargeant, secretary of the territory, then acting governor, in the absence of governor St. Clair, the then governor of the Northwestern Territory. The first court was held in Manchester, in September, 1797. Adamsville, on the Ohio, four miles above the mouth of Brush creek, (formerly called 18 mile creek,) was, in the same year, established the seat of justice, by Mr. Sargeant. But, in the year 1799, governor St. Clair moved the seat of justice to Washington, at the mouth of Brush creek-and the first court there, was held in March of that year." After considerable bickering, seat of justice, for the county of Adams, under the territorial government; and it remained at the mouth of Brush creek, until the year 1804, when it was removed to West Union, the present seat of justice." "There are, in Adams county, twenty three water mills; several of them fine merchant mills, and one steam mill-six carding machines, one of which is propelled by steam-two fulling mills, one by steam and the other by water power-eighteen stores-fourteen taverns-eight ferries, (six of them across the Ohio and two across Brush creek)-three furnaces on the waters of Brush creek, to wit: the Brush creek furnace, owned by Messrs. Thomas James, Wm. Key Bond and John Woodbridge-the Marble furnace owned by Messrs. Duncan M'Arthur and Thomas James--and the steam furnace owned by Mr. Bonner. A company are now (May, 1930,) engaged in building a forge on Brush creek, about six miles from West Union, which will shortly go into operation." Adams, a township of Washington county; so called after John Adams, the second president of the United States; and containing 488 inhabitants, in 1820. Adams, an eastern township of Dark county. Adams, a post township of Seneca county. It was established during the administration, and in honor of John Quincy Adams; distance 100 miles north from Columbus. Adams, also a township of Guernsey county, established nearly at the same time with the above, in Sene ca county. Adams, the northwestermost township of Champaign county. Addison, a township of Gallia county, containing 628 inhabitants, in 1820. Adelphi, a post town, situated in Colerain township, in the northeast corner of Ross county, on the north fork of Salt creek. It contains about twenty dwelling houses, and two mercantile stores. Its distance is 16 miles northeast from Chillicothe, 20 southerly from from Columbus Akron, a post town laid out on the Ohio canal, in Por tage county, in September, 1825. It is flourishing, and bids fair to become a place of considerable business Distance, 16 miles southwest from Ravenna, 32 south by east from Cleaveland, 31 northeast from Wooster and 120 northeast from Columbus. Alexander, a post township of Athens county, situated immediately south from Athens, and 75 miles southeast from Columbus. It and Athens, compose the two six mile square townships, granted for the Ohio university. The quality of the land is tolerably good. Alexandersville, a post town situated on the east bank of the Great Miami river, in Miami township, seven miles southerly from Dayton, in Montgomery county, and 75 miles southwest from Columbus. The Miami canal runs through it. Alexandria, a small town in Washington township, Scioto county; situated on low ground, immediately below the junction of the Scioto with the Ohio river; the former of which separates this town from Portsmouth. It is 45 miles south from Chillicothe, and 90 in the same direction from Columbus. Allen, a county bounded north by Putnam, east by Hardin, south by Shelby, and west by Mercer and Van Wert counties. It is 24 by 23 miles in extent, containing 554 square miles, and 348,160 acres of land. Its principal waters are Hog creek, and the other head waters of Auglaize river. The Scioto river also rises in this county. The old Indian town of Wapakonetta is situated in this county. It is not yet organized, but is attached to Mercer county, for judicial purposes. Allen, a township of Union county, set off in 1827. Alum creek, a considerable westerly branch of Big Walnut, and indeed is of nearly equal magnitude. It rises in the northeastern part of Delaware county, and after running in a southwardly direction 35 miles, into the southeastern quarter of Franklin county, joins Big |