History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
ST. glair's defeat—POST-OFFICE—FIRE-ENGINE.
The Ohio Adven- The Oliio Company, formed for the purpose
turers. of bestowiiig lands upon soldiers of the
Revolution, was established in 1783, and
petitioned Congress for a grant between the Ohio River and
Lake Erie. Three years afterwards the company was reorganized
for the purchase and settlement of western lands
with a capital of one million dollars, divided into shares of
one thousand dollars each. The next year Rev. Manasseh
Cutler and Col. Winthrop Sargent purchased by special
contract with the government about 1,500,000 acres of
land in parcels. One of them was for the soldiers, and
the other for speculative purposes. This movement,
although not as successful as its promoters anticipated, yet
resulted in the establishment of settlements in the most
fertile portion of the Ohio valley. The original intention
of the company was to sell these lands exclusively to New
Englanders, and great efforts were made to dispose of them
to Massachusetts people, very many of whom were induced
to invest. From an advertisement in the Gazette, urging
the advantage of joining the association early, soon followed
by another calling a meeting of the '* Ohio Adventurers"
from this section at Asahel Pomeroy's tavern, it is
believed that some at least from this town determined to
try their luck in the new country. Two companies of
forty-eight men descended the Ohio, in April, 1788, and
began a settlement at Marietta, but there were no names
from Northampton among them. Reports of the healthful-
ness and mildness of the climate, the wonderful fertility of
the soil, and the cheapness of the farms, soon spread
throughout the country. Western emigration became the