OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Old Rockport Township *********************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 June 11, 1999 *********************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio The Kelley Family Collections Newspaper article, Plains Dealer compiled by S.J. Kelley-- 1925 And Then They Went West by Darlene E. Kelley 1998 *********************************************************************** Vanished--- Old Rockport Township, with famous Rocky River winding snakelike from the south to Lake Erie, is one of the most historic spots of Cuyahoga County. Overlapped by Cleveland on its north eastern section along the lake from the city to the river gorge today is the city of Lakewood. Southern sections and western levels are occupied by municipalities and the ancient township has disappeared from modern maps. Home and stamping ground of Datus Kelley more than a century ago, its river bottoms and shale banks bordered by fertile forest lands were settled by Philo Taylor. the Habertsons, Van Scoters, Daniel Miner, George Peake and other pioneers. Notwithstanding it, thundering lake cliffs with their tragic history and "Dead Man's Island" at the river's mouth where Indians buried their dead, the locality for 30 years was planned for a great city and boon towns were platted and built. Slowly the township grew to one of productive farms, fruit lands, brick yards and hamlets. There are those of us who remember the long drive out sunburned Detroit Road in the 70's; the racing " Dummy,"; East Rockport, Rocky River and the Murch House near the long rattling wooden bridge. As you drove up the hill, you passed, Silverthorn's. On the right at the top was the toll gate; toward the north the spreading grove of Tisdale Point picnic ground with its wooden tables and the far reaching view of Lake Erie. Rockport Township is one of several, ranging southeast from the lake that has furnished proof of the existence of a sunken continent with lakes and river beds simular to those of today which preceded North America ages ago. With untiring effort Rocky River in remote times was more than 100 feet below its present bed. Through solid Rock, the much wider river course followed the same general northwest trend to a prehistoric lake. Rockport Township, closely connected with the history of Cleveland, was No. 7 in Range 14 of the Western Reserve. Its eastern border was 65 miles from Pennsylvania line and its southern edge 30 miles north of parallel 41 degrees, the south line of the Reserve. No township surveys were made west of the Cuyahoga until Abram Tappen and Aaron Sessions met in Cleveland Village on May 15, 1806, and a few days later crossed the river wih 12 employees to commence work. When the survey was completed that summer and the townships named, Rockport was bordered on the east by Brooklyn, on the west by Dover, on the south by Middleburg and on the north by the lake. It contained 21 full sections of one mile square each and four fractional sections reduced by the slanting shore of Lake Erie. Early Days-- An early days map made in 1812 shows that in 14 sections, J. Canfield owned about 6,000 acres. Philo Taylor, who came to Cleveland in 1806, agreed with Harmon Canfield and Elisha Whittlesey as owners and agents of the lands, to locate the township. On April 10, 1808, he landed with his family, from an open boat at the mouth of Rocky River. Selecting land on the East side opposite the site of the Patchen House, he built a cabin and began clearing. Taylor might be called the first township settler though he remained little more than a year. His son, Egbert, born in 1809, was the first white child of the locality. By the end of that year, Taylor, who held no deed to his tract and who made made improvements, was notified by the agents that the owners of that section had decided to lay out in one of their early boon towns. He would have to vacate. Indignant, Taylor sold his improvements to Danile Miner, who came in 1809, and move to Dover. There seems some doubt about the date of John Habertson's arrival. He settled, at least for year, on the east side of Rocky River near its mouth. Henry Alger, a pioneer who came to Rockport in 1812, says that Habertson was the first settler, and an old record credits him with arriving in 1807. With him was William McConley, who started farming on what afterward was called Van Scoter Bottom. Both were Irish refugees and both left about 1810. The question of the time of their coming will probably never be determined. Datus Kelley after one trip west to Cleveland in 1810, returned and late in 1811 built his log cabin on a tract one mile west of the river on the lake. With him came came his brother-in-law, Chester Dean. Dr. John Turner settled near the west bank and Jeremiah Van Scoter cleared land on the south banks of a river bend that year. John Pitts was a settler and Benjamin Robinson, Dyer Nichols, the Algers and John Kidney became pioneers of Rockport Township in 1812. ***********************************************