Charles C. Camp authored Bellevue's first directory in the early summer of 1873. The 72-page book contains names and addresses of all the town's inhabitants. All of the local businesses are represented with their advertisements. One of the features of the book is that it contains the important events in the first 58 years of local history. The significance of Camp's history was that it became the accepted version. It has appeared in the Gazette nearly once every decade since. One of the most interesting histories was published during Bellevue s centennial celebration in 1915.

The Hon. C.H. Gallup delivered a historical address to the students at Bellevue High School one afternoon. In the evening, Gallup repeated the program to the general public. The school (the former junior high) auditorium was filled to capacity for both sessions. The Gazette published Gallup's historical address in its entirety the following day. The program is repeated here for all future historians:

Bellevue's History

The Pilgrims were English "Separatists" who sailed from Delf shaven (in the Netherlands) in the Mayflower and founded Plymouth Colony, New England, Nov. 11, 1620. In 1630 they were followed by others of like faith and hopes, among whom was John Winthrop, bearing a royal commission as Governor of Massachusetts Colony. April 23, 1662, John Winthrop and eighteen associates received from Charles II of England the munificent grant of "All that part of our dominions in New England in America - - - from Narragansett Bay in the East to the South Sea on the West, with the islands thereto adjoining." The same year "The Solemn League and Covenant" for religious reforms and liberties in England, Scotland and Ireland were renounced and by order of King Charles declared illegal.

In 1685 Louis XlV of France revoked the "Edict of Nantes" the charter of Huguenot liberties. Those reactionary measures placed the brightest intellects of Europe at the mercy of bigotry and intolerance and drove the independent, brainy men of many faiths and nationalities to this new world to find and establish civil and religious liberty. The descendants of the composite race thus begotten, formed the finest body of creative statesmen since the days of "Moses the Lawgiver" and gave this country the proud title of "The Beacon Light of Liberty."

In 1779, George III, in an effort to check and destroy this new spirit of liberty which was challenging the "Divine Rights of Kings to Rule" sent Governor Tryon and Benedict Arnold with an army into Connecticut that destroyed Greenwich, Fairfield, Danbury, Ridgefield, Norwalk, New Haven, East Haven, New London and Groton by fire.

September 13, 1786, Connecticut ceded to the United States for the benefit of herself and the twelve other states, all of the King Charles grant lying West of a line parallel to, and one hundred and twenty miles west from the west line of Pennsylvania (West boundaries of Huron and Erie Counties). The one hundred and twenty mile strip was reserved from that concession of Connecticut and has ever since been known as "The Western Reserve."

In 1792, the state of Connecticut, to reimburse those of her citizens who suffered loss by the Tryon-Benedict raid,dedicated five hundred thousand acres of land lying next to the west line of "The Western Reserve" (Huron and Erie Counties, or Huron County as first organized). This grant to the fire sufferers is known as "the Firelands."

Disputes arose between the grantors and the United States relating to the ownership of the land. May 30, 1800, the United States ceded the land titles to the fire sufferers and the representatives of the ‘‘Reserve" transferred the political jurisdiction to the general government. The Indian title was extinguished by treaty July 4, 1805, on payment of $18,916.67.

Previous to the organization of Huron County it formed part of the county of Trumbull and by the commissioners of that county had been divided into three townships named Vermilion, Huron and Wheatsborough.

I have access to no record showing the territory embraced in each of those organizations but the tax duplicate of the county for 1815 shows the personal property tax as follows:

Huron County was established by the legislature of Ohio, Feb. 7, 1809, but not organized until Jan. 31, 1815.