Major Lorenzo Carter was the first permanent

settler A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Born in 1767, Carter spent his early years in

Warren, Connecticut Warren is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,351 at the 2020 census. The town was named for Revolutionary War General Joseph Warren. On July 1, 2006, businessman Joseph Cicio placed most of Warren's co ...

, where he visited the local

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

frequently and developed an appreciation of books. When his father, Lieut. Elazer Carter enlisted in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

when Lorenzo was 11 years old, he came home from his temporarily disbanded unit and died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

. About seven years later when his

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...

ed mother remarried and moved to

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, the 18-year-old Lorenzo struck out on his own. Within four years, Lorenzo Carter bought his own land, cleared it, farmed it and married Rebecca Fuller. Lorenzo Carter is described as a swarthy, muscular man whose "gaze and speech were as direct as his actions".Ellis, 1979, p. 42 Carter was a natural leader whose "interests transcended

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

or making a living." In 1797 he left with his brother-in-law for the New Connecticut settlement of Cleaveland (now

) via

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Lorenzo Carter bought Lot 199, nearly of land for $47.50. Carter made friends with the local Native Americans and it was his friendship with Chief Seneca (also known as ''Stigwanish'') that kept the Cleaveland colony alive through years of

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

s and poor

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponic ...

Legacy

After building a

frame house Framing, in construction, is the fitting together of pieces to give a structure support and shape. Framing materials are usually wood, engineered wood, or structural steel. The alternative to framed construction is generally called ''mass wal ...

and preparing to move in Lorenzo Carter's new home was burned down by children playing with wood shavings and only in 1803 was a two-room

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers. Eur ...

home finished for the family. In 1802 he also built the Carter Tavern which became a somewhat informal

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

, and religious

meeting house A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a * church, which is a body of people who believe in Chr ...

. In 1804 the state of

promoted Carter to Major and he was given the responsibility of the Cleaveland

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

. In 1808 he built a trading vessel 30 ton

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

called the ''Zephyr'' that traded

fur Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...

s for goods like

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

. Carter was also an active member of the first library association in Cleveland which was formed in 1811 but quickly dissolved under the pressures of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Lorenzo's father, Lt. Elazer Carter handed down to him and the generations that followed the flag he carried during The Revolutionary War. The flag passed to Lorenzo's grand daughter, Selena Silsby Brockway who in turn passed it to her grand daughter Alice Henderson. The flag eventually ended up being passed to her grandson John (Jack) Penty Jr. The flag is one of the original flags made when there were still 13 British colonies. The Revolutionaries determined the stars and stripes would signify the Republic they were fighting to form. It is made of homespun linen and handstitched. The red stripes were dyed with cranberries and the blue with elderberries. Thirteen stars are scattered across a light blue background. This flag is about 8' by 10'. This flag was made during the Revolution before this country was even formed. The word "LIBERTY" is sewn onto the flag and it now resides in The Western Reserve Historical Society.

Law

The common saying that "Major Carter was all the law Cleveland had." is seen in two documented incidents. After hearing from his wife that a local Native American teen named John Omic had chased her around her home with a

knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

after she told him to stop taking

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

s from her garden, Carter visited the Omic home on the west bank of the

Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River ( , or ) is a river located in Northeast Ohio that bisects the City of Cleveland and feeds into Lake Erie. As Cleveland emerged as a major manufacturing center, the river became heavily affected by industrial pollution, so mu ...

. He told John Omic's father that if John ever crossed the river again "I’ll hang him up to the first tree in five minutes."Johnson, 1879, p. 232 In another exhibition of

frontier justice Frontier justice is extrajudicial punishment that is motivated by the nonexistence of Law and order (politics), law and order or dissatisfaction with justice. The phrase can also be used to describe a prejudiced judge. Lynching, vigilantism and gun ...

, Lorenzo Carter prevented two Kentuckians from returning an African named Ben to

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. In the spring of 1806 Ben survived a

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

that killed everyone else on board just after setting sail from the nearby community of Rocky River. Starving, frostbitten and suffering from

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

Ben was taken to Carter's tavern where the ravages of

frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the han ...

took some of his toes. Under Lorenzo Carter's care, Ben was allowed to recover and regained his strength. In October two Kentuckians arrived in Cleaveland claiming to own Ben. Carter responded them saying "I don’t like

Niggers In the English language, the word ''nigger'' is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Starting in the late 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been progressively replaced by the euphemism , notably in ca ...

, but I don’t believe in slavery, and Ben shan’t be taken away unless he chooses to go." Carter allowed a

parley A parley (from french: link=no, parler – "to speak") refers to a discussion or conference, especially one designed to end an argument or hostilities between two groups of people. The term can be used in both past and present tense; in prese ...

between the Kentuckians and Ben over a stream and it ended peaceably. However, in a move that no

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

has been able to explain, Ben was taken out of Cleaveland by the Kentuckians the next day. In what has been termed a

rescue Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation. Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ho ...

, two men who worked for Carter stopped them at gun point and told Ben to make a break for the woods. Ben jumped off the horse and ran into the woods while the two men covered him and then followed him. The Kentuckians never returned and Ben settled in the Brecksville/

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

area of Ohio until he left for Canada.

Death

Major Lorenzo Carter died at his

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...

in February 1814 after an arduous battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. The cancer first manifested itself on his face and after consulting

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

s in the East, he withdrew to an upper room where he refused all visitors. He even refused the ministrations of his wife who would sit on the stairs outside of his door and pray, while he loudly agonized from the pain. (Wickham, 1914) He was 47 when he died. Lorenzo Carter is buried at the

Erie Street Cemetery Erie Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It is the city's oldest existing cemetery. History The cemetery was established in 1826 at what was then the edge of the city, taking its name from East 9th Street's origin ...

Descendants of Lorenzo Carter

*Edwin and Virginia Carter (Cleveland,Ohio) *Meril Gene Carter Austin,Texas (1912-2001) *Miles Gene Carter Cleveland, Ohio (1933-2019) *John Miles Carter Cleveland, Ohio *Michelle Langevin Carter Austin,Texas (Birth 1972) *Jeremy Carter Kaplan St. Charles, IL (Birth 2010) *Meryl Rose Kaplan St. Charles, IL (Birth 2010) *Jayne Sullivan NY, NY (Birth 1951) *Helen Maeder Sullivan Bronx, NY. (Birth 1917) *Gertrude Able Maeder Cleveland, OH (Birth 1894)

References

*1. Wickham, Getrude Van Rensselaer. (1914) ''The Pioneer Families of Cleveland 1796 -1840'' Retrieved on April 17, 2010, from the Rankin family history project website * 2. Ellis, William Donohue. (1976). ''Early Settlers of Cleveland.''Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland State University. * 3. Lawerence, Ann & Schattinger, Joan. (1979) ''Cleveland's Flats the Incredible City under the Hill'' Cleveland, Ohio: History Associates * 4. ''Carter, Lorenzo.'' from The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History's website * 5. Johnson, Crisfield (1879) ''History of Cuyahoga County, Ohio'' Cleveland, Ohio: D.W. Ensign & Co.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Lorenzo History of Cleveland People from Cleveland People from Warren, Connecticut Burials at Erie Street Cemetery