Horton Howard letter to Thomas Rotch, Steubenville, 11th mo 15th 1811

Horton Howard describes the Steubenville area and its potential for farming and sheep husbandry. He writes that grazing land is plentiful but one must be prepared to invest capital for major improvements. The Steubenville area in 1811 was well timbered with white and black oak, hickory and walnut, but stagnant waters and various fevers were also common. He hoped to convince Thomas Rotch to settle in the Steubenville area, pointing out that the mild southern Ohio climate would insure that sheep survived through the winters. In 1800, Horton Howard arrived in southern Ohio from North Carolina to investigate the possibility of relocation to a slave-free state. By1801, eight hundred Quaker families had relocated to Ohio country.Howard lived most of his life in Short Creek and St Clairsville, a village that was laid out in 1801 in Belmont County near the Ohio River. (7.75" x 12.25")(19.69cm x 31.15cm