Notable people · Pioneer
John Cleves Symmes
New Jersey judge who bought the Miami Purchase and settled North Bend in 1788. His daughter Anna married William Henry Harrison, making him the father-in-law of a president.
At a glance
- Born
- 1742-07-21
- Died
- 1814-02-26
- Education
- Law (self-trained), New York and New Jersey
- Known as
- Pioneer
Life story
John Cleves Symmes was born in 1742 in Riverhead, New York, the son of a minister. He studied law, moved to Sussex County, New Jersey, and became a judge.
He chaired the county's committee of safety in 1774, served as a militia colonel, sat on the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1777, and was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1785-86.
In 1788 he settled at North Bend, Ohio, after contracting to buy land between the Great and Little Miami rivers. The grant was cut back: the patent signed by Washington on October 30, 1794 covered about 311,682 acres.
His daughter Anna married William Henry Harrison in 1795, making Symmes Harrison's father-in-law. He died at Cincinnati in 1814 and is buried at Congress Green Cemetery in North Bend. Symmes Township and the village of Cleves bear his name.
Timeline
- 1742-07-21: Born (Riverhead, NY) source
- 1774: Chairs the Sussex County committee of safety (Sussex County, NJ) source
- 1777: Joins New Jersey Supreme Court (New Jersey) source
- 1785: Delegate to Continental Congress (New York, NY) source
- 1788: Settles at North Bend (North Bend, OH) source
- 1794-10-30: Symmes Purchase patent signed (Philadelphia, PA) source
- 1795-11-25: Daughter Anna marries William Henry Harrison (North Bend, OH) source
- 1814-02-26: Dies (Cincinnati, OH) source
What John is known for
- Miami Purchase land grant
- Settled North Bend 1788
Honors and things named for them
- Symmes Township, Hamilton County, OH
- Cleves, OH
- Symmes Hall, Miami University
Family
- daughter: Anna Symmes Harrison
- son-in-law: William Henry Harrison
- father: Timothy Symmes
Places in Ohio to see
- Congress Green Cemetery (grave)
North Bend, Hamilton County ZIP 45052 (approximate) · North Bend · Hamilton County
Ohio places
Where John Cleves Symmes was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Lived: North Bend, Hamilton County (North Bend) ZIP 45052 · North Bend · Hamilton County
- Buried: North Bend, Hamilton County (Congress Green Cemetery) ZIP 45052 · North Bend · Hamilton County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: John Cleves Symmes born Riverhead NY 1742, died Feb 26 1814 Cincinnati, Congress Green Cemetery, Harrison in-law
- Wikipedia: William Henry Harrison marriage date