History
In 1792, the Connecticut legislature set aside 500,000 acres (2,000 km²) for the "Sufferers" at the western end of the Western Reserve, consisting of all of the present-day counties of Huron County and Erie County (except for a small piece in the west) as well as Danbury Township and part of Catawba Island Township in Ottawa County and Ruggles Township in Ashland County.
About 30 towns, cities and villages ended up being situated in the Firelands near the southern shore of Lake Erie.
However, very few of the original "Sufferers" ever settled in the Firelands, as the land was not given for settlement until many years after the war. Even then, the land was not readily hospitable due to Indian hostilities prior to and during the War of 1812 and the necessity of clearing dense forests from most of the land so that it could be used for farming purposes.
On April 15, 1803, the Sufferers, or their heirs, legal agents, and purchasers of their deeds, formed a corporation to manage the lands to which they were entitled in the newly formed state of Ohio. The land was divided into 30 five mile (8 km) square survey townships, which were further subdivided into 120 quarters, each containing 4,000 acres (16 km2). (Note: Although the standard for U.S. survey townships in the Northwest Territory was six miles (approx. 10 km) square at that time, the older standard for survey townships in the Western Reserve was employed.) A drawing was held to determine the land received by each individual. Many of the local communities and townships in the Firelands are named for locations in Connecticut.
In 1809, Huron County formed from the entire Firelands. For the next 30 years, all of the Firelands would lie within - and therefore co-exist with - Huron County.
Read more about this topic: Firelands
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