Manchester in Adams County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Israel Donalson
Member of the First Constitutional Convention of Ohio
⎯⎯⎯
Manchester Founders Cemetery
1791-1888
Israel Donalson, member of the First Constitutional Convention of Ohio. In May 1800, Congress passed an act building the Northwest Territory, with the western division becoming Indiana Territory and the eastern called the Territory of the United States Northwest of the Ohio River. Two years later, thirty five delegates from the nine counties of the latter division convened in Chillicothe to draw up the constitution for the new state of Ohio, which became a state in 1803. Israel Donalson was the last survivor of the convention dying in 1860 at the age of 93. This frontiersman served Manchester as a surveyor, schoolteacher, postmaster, and judge in the first court. In 1791, one month after his arrival here at Massies Station, Donalson was captured by Native Americans. His memoir is a colorful account of his capture and escape. Donalson served as an Elder for the first Presbyterian church in Adams County, which stood on these grounds.
Manchester Founders Cemetery, 17911888. Adams County, the third oldest in Ohio, was formed on July 10, 1791, and named for incumbent U.S. President John Adams. That same year Nathaniel Massie founded Manchester, built as a stockaded village and sometimes referred to as Massies Station. Nathaniel attracted early settlers by giving them property in town and a few acres nearby and so the town grew. At the time this wilderness area attracted only those who possessed a variety of skills, stamina, and frontier knowledge. There were no roads, and the only way in and out was by way of the Ohio River. The Manchester Founders Cemetery, founded in 1791, contains the gravesites of 300 people, including many of the original families such as the Ellisons, Wades, Andersons, Edingtons, Trenerys, Cooleys, and Donalsons.
Erected 2002 by the Ohio Bicentennial Commission, the Longaberger Company, Village of Manchester, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 13-1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #02 John Adams, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1800.
Location. 38° 41.296′ N, 83° 36.268′ W. Marker is in Manchester, Ohio, in Adams County. It is on 2nd Street (U.S. 52) west of Jack Roush Way, on the right when traveling west. It is in front of the Manchester Presbyterian Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 409 E 2nd St, Manchester OH 45144, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Ohio Hill Country. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Ohio River Valley, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: World War I Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Manchester Veterans Memorial Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); World War II Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); In Memory of Our Three Soldiers (approx. 0.2 miles away); Welcome To Historic Manchester Ohio (approx. Ό mile away); Manchester (approx. Ό mile away); Alfred Holbrook College (approx. Ό mile away); Manchester, Ohio (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manchester.
Also see . . . . “Donalson took up teaching in Manchester, and also some surveying, which he had studied in the East, and continued for much of his life. He was in Mad Anthony Wayne's Campaign in 1794 in the Northwest Indian War. He married Miss Annie Pennyweight on November 15, 1798, and traveled to Kentucky for that purpose, as there was no authority to do it in that part of the territory at that time.” (Submitted on July 11, 2019.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,307 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 11, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 6, 7, 8. submitted on March 17, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.







