The Donation tract - donated to the Ohio Company by a US Congressional Act on April 21, 1792 - was a 21 mile long by 8 mile wide strip of land intended to be a buffer against 1st American natives opposed to people settling in their territory. The Ohio Company surveyed the land and broke it up into one thousand lots. Each lot was 100 acres and, in 1793, the lots were given to those willing to settle, plant crops, build a residence, and provide a weapon for protection of the settlements.  This was a forerunner of the Homestead Act of 1862.  

Not all lands were occupied by their ownesr. If the first claimants failed to meet the conditions, they were to forfeit the land. In 1818, Congress acted to reclaim all land where owners had not met the requirements.

Read more about the Donation Lands at Ohio History Central

The lists of the 1,000 lots and their first owners in the Donation Tract, are based on early tax records of Washington County, Ohio.

Map Donation Lands




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Marietta College Legacy Library : Special Collections

Detailed orginal records:
Descriptions of land granted to settlers in the various allotments of the Ohio Company Donation Tract