chapter 4._
OHIO: (Valley): A. D. 1774. Embraced in the Province of Quebec.
See CANADA: A. D. 1763-1774.
OHIO: (Valley): A. D. 1778-1779. Conquest of the Northwest from the British by the Virginia General Clark, and its annexation to the Kentucky District of Virginia.
See UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A. D. 1778-1779 CLARK'S CONQUEST.
OHIO: (Valley): A. D. 1781-1786. Conflicting territorial claims of Virginia, New York and Connecticut. Their cession to the United States, except the Western Reserve of Connecticut.
See UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A. D. 1781-1786.
OHIO: (Valley): A: D. 1784. Included in the proposed States of Metropotamia, Washington, Saratoga and Pelisipia.
See NORTHWEST TERRITORY: A. D. 1784.
OHIO: (Valley): A. D. 1786-1788. The Ohio Company of Revolutionary soldiers and their settlement at Marietta.
See NORTHWEST TERRITORY: A. D. 1786-1788.
OHIO: (Valley): A. D. 1786-1796. Western Reserve of Connecticut. Founding of Cleveland.
In September, 1786, Connecticut ceded to Congress the western territory which she claimed under her charter (see UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A. D. 1781-1786; and PENNSYLVANIA: A. D. 1753-1799), reserving, however, from the cession a tract "bounded north by the line of 42° 2', or, rather, the international line, east by the western boundary of Pennsylvania, south by the 41st parallel, and west by a line parallel with the eastern boundary and distant from it 120 miles—supposed, at the time, to be equal in extent to the Susquehanna tract given to Pennsylvania, 1782. … This territory Connecticut was said 'to reserve,' and it soon came to be called 'The Connecticut Western Reserve,' 'The Western Reserve,' etc. … On May 11, 1792, the General Assembly quit-claimed to the inhabitants of several Connecticut towns who had lost property in consequence of the incursions into the State made by the British troops in the Revolution, or their legal representatives when they were dead, and to their heirs and assigns, forever, 500,000 acres lying across the western end of the reserve, bounded north by the lake shore. … The total number of sufferers, as reported, was 1,870, and the aggregate losses, £161,548, 11s., 6½. The grant was of the soil only. These lands are known in Connecticut history as 'The Sufferers' Lands,' in Ohio history as 'The Fire Lands.' In 1796 the Sufferers were incorporated in Connecticut, and in 1803 in Ohio, under the title 'The Proprietors of the Half-million Acres of Land lying south of Lake Erie.' … In May, 1793, the Connecticut Assembly offered the remaining part of the Reserve for sale." In September, 1795, the whole tract was sold, without surveyor measurement, for $1,200,000, and the Connecticut School Fund, which amounts to something more than two millions of dollars, consists wholly of the proceeds of that sale, with capitalized interest. "The purchasers of the Reserve, most of them belonging to Connecticut, but some to Massachusetts and New York, were men desirous of trying their fortunes in Western lands. Oliver Phelps, perhaps the greatest land-speculator of the time, was at their head. September 5, 1795, they adopted articles of agreement and association, constituting themselves the Connecticut Land Company. The company was never incorporated, but was what is called to-day a 'syndicate.'" In the spring of 1796 the company sent out a party of surveyors, in charge of its agent, General Moses Cleaveland, who reached "the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, July 22d, from which day there have always been white men on the site of the city that takes its name from him." In 1830 the spelling of the name of the infant city was changed from Cleaveland to Cleveland by the printer of its first newspaper, who found that the superfluous "a" made a heading too long for his form, and therefore dropped it out.
_B. A. Hinsdale, The Old Northwest, chapter 19, with foot-notes._
ALSO IN: _C. Whittlesey, Early History of Cleveland, page 145, and after._
_H. Rice, Pioneers of the Western Reserve, chapters 6-7._
_R. King, Ohio, chapters 7-8._
OHIO: (Valley): A. D. 1787. The Ordinance for the government of the Northwest Territory. Perpetual exclusion of Slavery.
See NORTHWEST TERRITORY: A. D. 1787.
OHIO: (Valley): A. D. 1788. The founding of Cincinnati.
See CINCINNATI: A. D. 1788.
OHIO: (Valley): A. D. 1790-1795. Indian war. Disastrous expeditions of Harmar and St. Clair, and Wayne's decisive victory. The Greenville Treaty.
See NORTHWEST TERRITORY: A. D. 1790-1795.
OHIO: (Territory and State): A. D. 1800-1802. Organized as a separate Territory and admitted to the Union as a State.
See NORTHWEST TERRITORY: A. D. 1788-1802.
OHIO: A. D. 1812-1813. Harrison's campaign for the recovery of Detroit. Winchester's defeat. Perry's naval victory.
See UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A. D. 1812-1813.
OHIO: A. D. 1835. Settlement of Boundary dispute with Michigan.
See MICHIGAN: A. D. 1836.
OHIO: A. D. 1863. John Morgan's Rebel Raid.
See UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A. D. 1863 (JULY: KENTUCKY).
----------OHIO: End--------
OHOD, Battle of.
See MAHOMETAN CONQUEST; A. D. 609-632.
OJIBWAS, OR CHIPPEWAS, The.
See AMERICAN ABORIGINES: OJIBWAS; also, ALGONQUIAN FAMILY.
OKLAHOMA, The opening of.
See UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A. D. 1889-1890.
OL., OR OLYMP.
See OLYMPIADS.
OLAF II., King of Denmark, A. D. 1086-1095.
Olaf III., King of Denmark, 1376-
{2398}
1387; and VII. of Norway, 1380-1387.
Olaf III. (Tryggveson), King of Norway, 995-1000.
Olaf IV. (called The Saint), King of Norway, 1000-1030.
Olaf V., King of Norway, 1069-1093.
Olaf VI., King of Norway, 1103-1116.
OLBIA.
See BORYSTHENES.
OLD CATHOLIC MOVEMENT, The.
See PAPACY: A. D. 1869-1870.
OLD COLONY, The.
See MASSACHUSETTS: A. D. 1623-1629.
OLD DOMINION, The.
See VIRGINIA: A. D. 1650-1660.
OLD IRONSIDES.
This name was popularly given to the "Constitution," the most famous of the American frigates in the War of 1812-14 with Great Britain.
See UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A. D. 1812-1813; and 1814.
OLD LEAGUE OF HIGH GERMANY, The.
See SWITZERLAND: A. D. 1332-1460.
OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN, The.
See ASSASSINS.
OLD POINT COMFORT: Origin of its Name.
See VIRGINIA: A. D. 1606-1607.
----------OLD SARUM: Start--------
OLD SARUM: Origin.
See SORBIODUNUM.
OLD SARUM: A Rotten Borough.
See ENGLAND: A. D. 1830.
----------OLD SARUM: End--------
OLD SOUTH CHURCH, The founding of the.
See BOSTON: A. D. 1657-1669.
OLD STYLE.
See CALENDAR, GREGORIAN.
OLDENBURG: The duchy annexed to France by Napoleon.
See FRANCE: A. D. 1810 (FEBRUARY-DECEMBER).
OLERON, The Laws of.
"The famous maritime laws of Oleron (which is an island adjacent to the coast of France) are usually ascribed to Richard I, though none of the many writers, who have had occasion to mention them, have been able to find any contemporary authority, or even any antient satisfactory warrant for affixing his name to them. They consist of forty-seven short regulations for average, salvage, wreck, &c. copied from the antient Rhodian maritime laws, or perhaps more immediately from those of Barcelona."
_D. Macpherson, Annals of Commerce, volume 1, page 358._
OLIGARCHY.
See ARISTOCRACY.
OLISIPO.
The ancient name of Lisbon.
See PORTUGAL: EARLY HISTORY.
OLIVA, Treaty of (1660).
See BRANDENBURG: A. D. 1640-1688; and SCANDINAVIAN STATES (SWEDEN): A. D. 1644-1697.
OLIVETANS, The.
"The Order of Olivetans, or Brethren of St. Mary of Mount Olivet, … was founded in 1313, by John Tolomei of Siena, a distinguished professor of philosophy in his native city, in gratitude for the miraculous restoration of his sight. In company with a few companions, he established himself in a solitary olive-orchard, near Siena, obtained the approbation of John XXII. for his congregation, and, at the command of the latter, adopted the Rule of St. Benedict."
_J. Alzog, Manual of Universal Church History, volume 3, page 149._
OLLAMHS.
The Bards (see FILI) of the ancient Irish.
OLMUTZ, Abortive siege of.
See GERMANY: A. D. 1758.
OLNEY, Treaty of.
A treaty between Edmund Ironsides and Canute, or Cnut, dividing the English kingdom between them, A. D. 1016. The conference was held on an island in the Severn, called Olney.
OLPÆ, Battle of.
A victory won, in the Peloponnesian War (B. C. 426-5) by the Acarnanians and Messenians, under the Athenian general Demosthenes, over the Peloponnesians and Ambraciotes, on the shore of the Ambracian gulf.
_E. Curtius, History of Greece, book 4, chapter 2._
OLUSTEE, Battle of.
See UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A. D. 1864 (JANUARY-FEBRUARY: FLORIDA).
OLYBRIUS, Roman Emperor (Western), A. D. 472.
OLYMPIA, Battle of (B. C. 365).
See GREECE: B. C. 371-362.
OLYMPIADS, The Era of the.
"The Era of the Olympiads, so called from its having originated from the Olympic games, which occurred every fifth year at Olympia, a city in Elis, is the most ancient and celebrated method of computing time. It was first instituted in the 776th year before the birth of our Saviour, and consisted of a revolution of four years. The first year of Jesus Christ is usually considered to correspond with the first year of the 195th olympiad; but as the years of the olympiads commenced at the full moon next after the summer solstice, i. e., about the first of July, … it must be understood that it corresponds only with the six last months of the 195th olympiad. … Each year of an olympiad was luni–solar, and contained 12 or 13 months, the names of which varied in the different states of Greece. The months consisted of 30 and 29 days alternately; and the short year consequently contained 354 days, while the intercalary year had 384. The computation by olympiads … ceased after the 364th olympiad, in the year of Christ 440."
_Sir H. Nicolas, Chronology of History, pages 1-2._
OLYMPIC GAMES.
"The character of a national institution, which the Amphictyonic council affected, but never really acquired, more truly belonged to the public festivals, which, though celebrated within certain districts, were not peculiar to any tribe, but were open and common to all who could prove their Hellenic blood. The most important of these festivals was that which was solemnized every fifth year on the banks of the Alpheus, in the territory of Elis; it lasted four days, and, from Olympia, the scene of its celebration, derived the name of the Olympic contest, or games, and the period itself which intervened between its returns was called an olympiad. The origin of this institution is involved in some obscurity, partly by the lapse of time, and partly by the ambition of the Eleans to exaggerate its antiquity and sanctity. … Though, however, the legends fabricated or adopted by the Eleans to magnify the antiquity and glory of the games deserve little attention, there can be no doubt that, from very early times, Olympia had been a site hallowed by religion; and it is highly probable that festivals of a nature similar to that which afterwards became permanent had been occasionally celebrated in the sanctuary of Jupiter. … Olympia, not so much a town as a precinct occupied by a great number of sacred and public buildings, originally lay in the territory of Pisa, which, for two centuries after the beginning of the olympiads, was never completely subject to Elis, and occasionally appeared as her rival, and excluded her from all share in the presidency of the games. {2399} … It is probable that the northern Greeks were not at first either consulted or expected to take any share in the festival; and that, though never expressly confined to certain tribes, in the manner of an Amphictyonic congress, it gradually enlarged the sphere of its fame and attraction till it came to embrace the whole nation. The sacred truce was proclaimed by officers sent round by the Eleans: it put a stop to warfare, from the time of the proclamation, for a period sufficient to enable strangers to return home in safety. During this period the territory of Elis itself was of course regarded as inviolable, and no armed force could traverse it without incurring the penalty of sacrilege. … It [the festival] was very early frequented by spectators, not only from all parts of Greece itself, but from the Greek colonies in Europe, Africa, and Asia; and this assemblage was not brought together by the mere fortuitous impulse of private interest or curiosity, but was in part composed of deputations which were sent by most cities as to a religious solemnity, and were considered as guests of the Olympian god. The immediate object of the meeting was the exhibition of various trials of strength and skill, which, from time to time, were multiplied so as to include almost every mode of displaying bodily activity. They included races on foot and with horses and chariots; contests in leaping, throwing, wrestling, and boxing; and some in which several of the exercises were combined; but no combats with any kind of weapon. The equestrian contests, particularly that of the four-horsed chariots, were, by their nature, confined to the wealthy; and princes and nobles vied with each other in such demonstrations of their opulence. But the greater part were open to the poorest Greek, and were not on that account the lower in public estimation. … In the games described by Homer valuable prizes were proposed, and this practice was once universal; but, after the seventh olympiad, a simple garland, of leaves of the wild olive, was substituted at Olympia, as the only meed of victory. The main spring of emulation was undoubtedly the celebrity of the festival and the presence of so vast a multitude of spectators, who were soon to spread the fame of the successful athletes to the extremity of the Grecian world. … The Altis, as the ground consecrated to the games was called at Olympia, was adorned with numberless statues of the victors, erected, with the permission of the Eleans, by themselves or their families, or at the expense of their fellow citizens. It was also usual to celebrate the joyful event, both at Olympia and at the victor's home, by a triumphal procession, in which his praises were sung, and were commonly associated with the glory of his ancestors and his country. The most eminent poets willingly lent their aid on such occasions, especially to the rich and great. And thus it happened that sports, not essentially different from those of our village greens, gave birth to masterpieces of sculpture, and called forth the sublimest strains of the lyric muse. … Viewed merely as a spectacle designed for public amusement, and indicating the taste of the people, the Olympic games might justly claim to be ranked far above all similar exhibitions of other nations. It could only be for the sake of a contrast, by which their general purity, innocence, and humanity would be placed in the strongest light, that they could be compared with the bloody sports of a Roman or a Spanish amphitheatre, and the tournaments of our chivalrous ancestors, examined by their side, would appear little better than barbarous shows."
_C. Thirlwall, History of Greece,