Zane's Trace, Northwest Territory One Place Study
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Location: Northwest Territory, United States
Surnames/tags: One_Place_Studies Northwest_Territory United_States
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Zane's Trace, Northwest Territory One Place Study
The blazing of the trail from Wheeling, Virginia (later West Virginia) to Limestone (later Marysville), Kentucky, led by Colonel Ebenezer Zane in 1797.
Name
Geography
- Continent: North America
- Country: United States of America
- Territory: Northwest Territory
- GPS Coordinates: 39.47131761202444, -82.9301343861753
- Elevation: 221.0 m or 725.1 feet
History
A brief history from the 1796 Act of Congress through approval of payment. This will include excerpts from a number of the plentiful sources found on-line with url links.
"Ebenezer Zane was a Virginian who established Fort Henry on the Ohio River in 1769, the site of what was to become the city of Wheeling, Virginia, now West Virginia. Zane and his brothers defended Fort Henry during the Revolutionary War, and he was given the commission of Colonel by the Virginia Militia for the duration of the war. After the creation of the Northwest Territory in 1787, Zane ended up with control of both sides of the most advantageous ferry crossing site on the Ohio River for emigrants moving into the new Northwest Territory. Most locals still referred to the area as “the Ohio Country,” which became the focus of the first western land speculations in America. Initially, the Ohio Country was promoted by private land developers with large tracts of land along the Ohio River. After some ten years experimenting with a new land surveying system, the federal government got into the land sales business in a big way. The first federal tracts of land opened for public land sales and settlement in 1796. As a result of his strategic location near the first public land sales, and with a monopoly on ferry crossings, Ebenezer Zane would soon become a wealthy man.
Colonel Ebenezer Zane was known for another accomplishment as well. He was in charge of the construction of the first wagon road into the Ohio Country, which became known as Zane’s Trace. In 1796, Zane made a deal with the U.S. Federal Government to construct a road, beginning at his ferry landing across from Wheeling, and heading west into the public land areas of what was to become the state of Ohio. Zane said he would build the road from Wheeling, Virginia to Limestone (now Maysville, KY), in exchange for land grants where the new road intersected the Muskingum, Hocking, and Scioto rivers."
This article was written by Bill Dollarhide.
https://www.genealogyblog.com/?p=18354
"Ebenezer Zane, of Danish descent, was born in Virginia's Potomac River Valley on October 7, 1747. In 1796 Ebenezer, his wife, the former Elizabeth McCulloch, and his siblings: Silas, Jonathan, Andrew, Isaac, and Elizabeth, settled at present Wheeling, West Virginia, and built Fort Fincastle. Ebenezer later renamed kit Fort Henry (renamed in 1771 to honor Virginia's governor, Patrick Henry).
In 1777 and in 1782 Fort Henry withstood major attacks by both the British and their Indian allies. One of those battles is where Samuel McCulloch and his horse survived a leap off a cliff to evade the Indians (Even the Indians cheered his daring leap). One of those battles is also where Elizabeth Zane made her daring run from the fort to a nearby blockhouse to fetch more powder and lead. Other residents of this community were: Lydia Boggs, Hamilton Kerr (or Carr), the McCulloch brothers, Abraham, George, Samuel, and John; and the Wetzel brothers: Martin, Jacob and Lewis.
The Zanes were all very knowledgeable in wood-lore and in Indian cultures. Isaac Zane was captured and then adopted by the Wyandot tribe. He later married Myeerah, daughter of Wyandot Chief Tarhe (the Crain). Isaac later assisted the American government with peace negotiations and was awarded some land near present-day Zanesfield in Logan County.
Ebenezer's great-grandson was the famous western writer, Zane Grey (nee Pearl Zane Gray). His first three novels, "Betty Zane," "Spirit of the Border," and "The Last Trail," were fictionalized accounts of the Zane family at Fort Henry during the American Revolution.
Colonel Zane, who finished a route from Pittsburgh to Wheeling, proposed a route that would start across the Ohio River from Wheeling and would travel to Limestone (now Maysville), Kentucky. Not only would this route be used for the new homesteaders, it could also be used as a mail route."
By Gordon Mitchell
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~harringtonfamilies/history/ZaneTrc.htm
"In 1796, Ebenezer Zane petitioned Congress for permission to build a road through the region, with the stipulation that the American government would grant him land where the road crossed the Muskingum, Hockhocking, and Scioto Rivers. The government agreed to his terms and required the road to be open by January 1, 1797. It was widely believed that a road would encourage increased trade and settlement in Ohio.
Zane's Trace was more a trail than a road. Zane used existing American Indian trails wherever possible and cut down trees to create a primitive path. Tomepomehala, a member of the Shawnee tribe, guided Zane and helped him plot the road."
https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Zane%27s_Trace
"In 1796, Ebenezer Zane petitioned Congress for permission to build a trail through the Ohio Territory that would be suitable for a horse and rider. In exchange for doing this the federal government would grant him land where the road crossed the Muskingum, Hockhocking (today is the Hocking River), and Scioto Rivers and pay for his surveying costs. The government agreed to the terms and required the trail to be open by January 1, 1797.
As soon as Congress authorized the construction of the road, Ebenezer Zane and his brother Jonathan, along with John McIntire (Ebenezer's brother-in-law) began clearing the land. They often followed existing Indian trails or paths that had also been used by former military expeditions."
http://touringohio.com/history/zane-trace.html
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| Zane's Trace Map |
"After serving in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, Col. Zane traveled to Washington, D.C., in early 1796. He petitioned Congress for money to finance the construction of a road to encourage settlement in the Northwest Territory and speed up travel times to Kentucky. Zane would profit by construction of the road, both because he owned most of the land at its starting point of Wheeling, and also because he intended to buy tracts of land along the route (see below). Nonetheless, it was in the national interest for such a road to be built. Congress approved a contract financing the project in May 1796.
Col. Zane was assisted in overseeing the construction by his brother Jonathan Zane and his son-in-law John McIntire, as well as by a Native American guide Tomepomehala."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane%27s_Trace
"With the help of his brother, Jonathan, whose knowledge of the country was immense due to years of service and exploration in the area, his son-in-law John McIntire, John Green, William McCulloch, Ebenezer Ryan, Joseph Worley, Levi Williams, and an Indian guide, Tomepomehala, the overwhelming task of building the road began. There were undoubtedly others in the corps, forgotten or unmentioned by history. Blazing trees to mark the route and clearing underbrush where it was necessary consumed more than the next year. The "Trace" would not be completed until mid- late 1797, well after the Jan 1797 deadline set by Congress."
https://oldnorthwestgenealogy.com/exploring-zanes-trace
Members of the Expedition
All of the participants may not be known, but there follows brief biographies and WikiTree links to the profiles of those who are known to have helped Ebenezer Zane on this project. These names qualify as FAN's (Friends, Associates and Neighbors). Sketches copied here are relevant to their service on the expedition, while the links provided will direct inquiries to their personal and family information. Please add similar sketch and link for any and all other members of this expedition if you know of any.
Colonel Ebenezer Zane (1747-1811) (1747-1811)
"Ebenezer Zane was born in the Potomac Valley, October 7th, 1747. He had four brothers and one sister. 1 The assertion that Ebenezer Zane together with two brothers, was a captive of the Wyandottes for thirteen years has not sufficient evidence behind it to give it credence. His wife was Elizabeth McCulloch. She was a sister of the McCulloch brothers who were no less renowned as frontiersmen than the Zane family. It is said that she was in every way an estimable helpmeet to her husband.
No better man than Ebenezer Zane could have been found to cut a road through Ohio. His influence in the new settlement, his wealth and his general knowledge of the country made him the logical man to assume the responsibility. His brother Jonathan was his right hand man in everything he did, and this was a great aid to him in all of his undertakings.
ZANE'S TRACE. By CLEMENT L. MARTZOLFF. Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. https://resources.ohiohistory.org/ohj/search/display.php?page=3&ipp=20&searchterm=hildreth&vol=13&pages=297-331
Jonathan Zane (1749-abt.1823) (1749-1823) Brother of Ebenezer Zane.
"The experience of Jonathan Zane stood him well in hand, in the laying out of the road. The route determined upon was the result of his advice. However Jonathan Zane was not the originator of the route, in its entirety, for the Indian had gone over practically the same ground, that the Trace afterward covered. The work of blazing trees and cutting out small undergrowth and removing fallen timber began in the summer of 1796.
The patent transferring the three mile tracts to Ebenezer Zane was not made by President John Adams until February 14th, 1800. But the survey of the Muskingum tract was made by the order of Rufus Putnam in October, 1797. Col. Zane gave this tract to his brother Jonathan and his son-in-law McIntire for their services in opening 1 the "Trace." The deed transferring the same was signed by Ebenezer Zane and Elizabeth Zane, his wife, on the 19th of December, 1800, for the consideration of one hundred dollars. Jonathan Zane and McIntire in turn, leased it to William McCullough2 and Henry Crooks for five years on condition that they move their families and provide a ferry. In the fall of 1797 they arrived and thus became the first settlers at Zanesville. Zanesville was formally laid out by Jonathan Zane and John McIntire, April 28th, 1802."
ZANE'S TRACE. By CLEMENT L. MARTZOLFF. Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. https://resources.ohiohistory.org/ohj/search/display.php?page=3&ipp=20&searchterm=hildreth&vol=13&pages=297-331
John McIntire (1759-1815) (1759-1815) Son-in-law of Ebenezer Zane.
"If Col. Zane could not have accomplished the work he did without the help of his brother Jonathan, it is equally certain that he would have done much less had he not been assisted by his son-in-law John McIntire, who now appears as a factor in the achievements of Ebenezer Zane.
Born of Scotch parentage in Alexandria, Virginia, 1759, John McIntire came to Wheeling in the capacity of a shoemaker. Possessed of a handsome figure and much native ability and address, he succeeded in winning the affections of Sarah Zane, the second daughter of the Wheeling proprietor. She was at this time but fifteen years of age and over twenty years younger than her gallant admirer. The old adage of "true love running not smooth," was verified in this case to an ultimate certainty. For Col. Zane and his wife opposed the match with great vehemence. But the result is the same old story. They were married in spite of parental objection. During the wedding festivities, the father-in-law absented himself, by taking a hunting trip. The mother-in-law used her slipper over the shoulders of her daughter to show her disapproval. It is said that sometime after the marriage Col. Zane in passing the cabin of McIntire saw his daughter chopping wood. He did not hesitate to remind her that if she had stayed at home she would not have had to do such manual labor. But everything was righted before long and McIntire became a favorite of Mr. Zane. Now that he had the contract to cut a road through the Ohio woods, it was but natural that he should leave the real work to this son-in-law and his brother Jonathan.
It is said that John McIntire met with quite a severe accident on the route between Zanesville and Limestone. While loading his gun the stock slipped off a root and the contents went through his right hand crippling it for life."
ZANE'S TRACE. By CLEMENT L. MARTZOLFF. Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. https://resources.ohiohistory.org/ohj/search/display.php?page=3&ipp=20&searchterm=hildreth&vol=13&pages=297-331
William McColloch (1780-1812) (1768-1812) Nephew-in-law of Ebenezer Zane (Husband of Nancy Zane, daughter of Isaac Zane, brother of Ebenezer). Merge of McCulloch-47 and McCulloch-991 completed.
"Of the daughters, Nancy, the oldest, had made a visit, about the date of 1796-7, to her grandfather, Tarhe, who was at the time living in the vicinity of Lancaster, Ohio, and while there had met her fate, a happy one, in the person of William McColloch, who was assisting her uncle, Ebenezer Zane, Sr., in cutting the early thoroughfare known as "Zane Trace." William and Nancy were married in 1797, and did not come to Zane's Town to live until 1803, when their son, Noah Zane McColloch, was five years old. (Little Noah was already distinguished as the first white child born in the village of Zanesville.) It may be told that the Zanes and McCollochs had long been neighbors and friends in the Culpeper vicinity in Virginia, and that the marriage of William and Nancy was the second tie of wedlock between different branches of the family. Solomon and Samuel McCulloch arrived to settle permanently in Zane's Town in the same year (1803), bringing their families."
Memoirs of the Miami Valley, Volume 1 - "The Day of the Settler"
http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/3509113.htm
Ebenezer Zane Ryan (1773-1828) (1773-1828) Nephew of Ebenezer Zane.
Joseph Worley (1769-1871) (1769-1871)
Col. Levi L Williams (abt.1777-abt.1840) (1777-1840)
Tomepomehala, Shawnee Indian guide.
John Green (1765-1831) (1765-1831)
"The party consisted of Jonathan Zane, John McIntire, John Green, William McCulloch, Ebenezer Ryan and several others whose names are not known. John Green had charge of the pack horses, that carried the tent and provisions. Being also a boot and shoemaker and not used to handling the ax, he was selected to kill game of which there was an abundance. He was also the cook and general service man of the party. At night a fire was built to keep away beasts of prey and two men were kept on watch for fear that a straggling party of Indians might attack them. But there was no need of this precaution for the spirit of the Ohio Indian had been broken by Mad Anthony two years before at Fallen Timbers and the chances for attack were remote."
ZANE'S TRACE. By CLEMENT L. MARTZOLFF. Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. https://resources.ohiohistory.org/ohj/search/display.php?page=3&ipp=20&searchterm=hildreth&vol=13&pages=297-331
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| Milestone of Zane's Trace, Route 22, Kinderhook, Pickaway County, Ohio. |
Zane's Tracts
Congress authorized payment for Ebenezer Zane's services as three tracts of land chosen by Zane. Thus Zane's Trace became the first federally funded road in Ohio.
"Zane's Tracts were three parcels of land in the Northwest Territory of the United States, later Ohio, that the federal government granted to Ebenezer Zane late in the 18th century, as compensation for establishing a road with ferry service over several rivers."
Zane's Tracts
Need more information and maps would be valuable.
Population
Notables
Sources
- article was written by Bill Dollarhide.
https://www.genealogyblog.com/?p=18354
- By Gordon Mitchell
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~harringtonfamilies/history/ZaneTrc.htm
- Ohio History Central
https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Zane%27s_Trace
- Old Northwest Genealogy
https://oldnorthwestgenealogy.com/exploring-zanes-trace
- Ohio History
- Memoirs of the Miami Valley, Volume 1 - "The Day of the Settler"
http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/3509113.htm
- ZANE'S TRACE. By CLEMENT L. MARTZOLFF. Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
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