He enlisted at the age of 21 and later moved here and established himself as a blacksmith. He was 83 when he died.

Simeon Prior was the first white settler in Northampton township. He left Massachusetts in June, went to Schenectady, New York, where he purchased a boat of three tons and started up the Mowhawk, then down Wood Creek to Oneida Lake, through the lake to the Oswego River, down that to Oswego, up Lake Ontario and the Niagara River, and finally arrives at Hudson.
The following was printed in a newspaper dated Friday, July #0, 1898
Prior Family Reunion...

Letter dated September 24, 1815

"When I came to this country I brought nine children with me. My wife and children had never had the measles. The tenth day on our journey my fourth daughter, Lydia, was taken sick. We was then on the water, as we came 500 miles by water. We was forty days on our journey, and before we got there my wife and children all had the measles and began to have the ague and fever and for three years there was not a well day in our family. Our next neighbors at that time was seven miles away, except Indians, and they was kind and friendly."

Northampton Township comprises twenty-five square miles of territory, and was included in an immense grant by King Charles II of England, in 1665, to the State of Connecticut., of which a large portion now comprises the State of OH. All that portion of the grant not included in Connecticut was, in 1786, released to the United states except a portion known as the "Connecticut Western Reserves." The land was laid out into townships five miles square.
Northampton is fifty miles west of Pennsylvania and ten miles north of the 41st parallel, so is located at Range 11, Town 3. That oprtion of Northampton lying east of the Cuyahoga River was held and occupied by the Indian tribes until the treaty of Fort McIntosh, in 1785, when it was ceded to the United States by both the Indians and the State of Connecticut. President Adams then conveyed it back to the state by patent for the use of grantees of that state. The State sold the 4 million acres land to the Connecticut Land Cmpany for $1,200,000, or about $.30 an acre.
Those wishing to purchase land would pay their money and take certif- icates, which were numbered and drawn by lottery, but the book of drafts in which the account of the drawings was kept, was not considered as legal evidence of title.
The township was first included within the limits of Washington Co., then Jefferson Co., Trumbull Co. (1800), Portage Co. (1808) and finally, Summit Co. (1840). The outline boundary of Northampton was completed by a surveying party of thirteen men sent out from Connecticut in 1797 and resurveyed into quarter-sections later. The party bought a 15- gallon keg of French Brandy at Buffalo, which may account for the irregular lines and erroneous metes and bounds in the survey. As the brandy was exhausted before the township was completed, part of the men went back for a fresh supply. The lots were numbered from north to south, beginning on the east side and were intended to contain 160 acres each, but because of the brandy or mismeasurement, they frequently overran from 5 to 40 acres, causing others fell short. The south tier of lots ended up being full length, but only a few rods in width.
The fierce and warlike tribe of Tawas controlled Northampton, except that part west of the river, which was occupied by the remnant of Mingoes, of whom the celebrated Logan had been chief, with their town near the west line of the township, and a fort and earthwork for defense just over in Bath. Within a radius of half a mile are numerous mounds as large as fifty or sixty feet in circumference, and from five to six feet high, overgrown with trees.
Another fortification opposite this, and on the east side of the river containing one-half an acre, has been obliterated by cultivation. Other evidence of fortifications and dwellings and well as burial grounds were in the area.
The celebrated Tawa chieftain called Stig-wan-ish by the Indians and Seneca by the whites, lived here in his wigwam until the whites built him a block-house on the river to protect him from his enemies. Indians remained here on friendly terms with the whites until 1812, when they joined the British at the beginning of the war.

Simeon Prior, his wife and ten children, were the first white people to settle here. They were from Westfield River, near Northampton, Massachusetts, and landed at Cleveland, from an open boat in July, 1802, the year OH became a state. Cleveland was a hamlet of log cabins. The family traveled on to Hudson, which had been settled two years before and remained there while Simeon went on to find his home site, six miles away, where he built a cabin on Lot 25. The family moved in in August. Simeon purchased 400 acres, and as there were no roads nor conveniences, they were compelled to be self-reliant and resourceful. Meal made from corn was pounded fine on a stump, mixed with water, salted and baked into bread on a split shingle before an open fire. Their clothing was made from flax grown on the farm and spun into cloth. The men hunted game to supply meat. Winter wear was buckskin moccasins, pants and jackets until later years when it was possible to protect sheep from the wolves and woolen clothing could be make.
As more people moved into the area, a two-story hewed-log house was built to use as an accomodation for travelers and a black-smith shop was built and furnished with the tools and stock Simeon had brought with him.

Northampton Twp., Summit Co., OH, was part of the Western Reserve. The State of Connecticut claimed, under an old grant of Charles of England, a large part of the territory now embraced within the limits of OH. In September, 1786, she relinquished to the United States all of her claim, except that portion included between the Western boundary of Pennsylvania and a line one hundred and twenty miles west of that boundary, and the 41st degree N. latitude on the South and the parallel of 42 degree 2' on the North. This tract was divided into townships of five miles square.
By the treaty of Fort McIntosh, in 1785, all of the territory East of the Cuyahoga River, was ceded by the Indians to the United States. By the treaty of Fort Industry, in 1805, the territory West of the Cuyahoga was also ceded. In May, 1801, Connecticut gave up her claim over the territory and sold it to the Connecticut Land Company. The price was $1,200,000 for 4,000,000 acres. Since some land was less valuable that other plots, equalizing townships were cut into strips and added to make up for unusable land. Northampton was such a township and therefore not owned by a single individual.
The original owners seldom took the trouble to look up their land or pay the taxes leading to tax sales. Another circumstance that retarded the growth of the township was the fact that it was very broken and apparently thin clay soil. Also, some of the most warlike tribes of Indians on the Reserve lived within the bounds of Northampton Between them and the whites a spirit of hostility existed that needed little to show itself. This continued down to the war of 1812, when the township was for the first time free from Indian alarms.
The Revolutionary and Indian Wars had propogated a spirit of hostility between the whites and Indians that seemed to know no bounds The Cuyahoga River, Portage Path and Tuscarawas branch of the Muskigum
were originally the boundary between the Six Nations and the Western
Indians. The Onondagas, Oneidas, Mohawks, and others resided East of
the Cuyahoga until the difficulty in 1806. There was an Indian Trail that ran from Fort McIntosh, at the mouth of the Big Beaver, west through Portage Co., crossing the river in Franklin at the Standing Rock, then west to Northampton in Summit Co. where there was an Indian settlement, then on to Sandusky and Detroit. This trail became the hunting ground for Capt. Samuel Brady and his Indian hunters.
In the War of 1812, these Indians joined the British. Only five returned to the area and four of them were killed by Brady and company. These Indians were mound builders and within a radius of half a mile there are numerous mounds as large as fifty or sixty feet in circumference and five to ten feet high. There is also evidence of a large burial ground in the area.

In June, 1802, Simeon Prior, of Norwich, Hampshire Co., Mass.,
exchanged his farm there for 400 acres of land in what was then a wildner- ness known only as the Connecticut Western Reserve. He was born in Norwich, New London Co., Connecticut, in 1753, and while still a young man, moved to Norwich, where he married Katherine Wight. They lived in that town until their children numbered eleven, when, thinking they would require more room, they concluded to emigrate to the far west. He left Massa- chusetts in June, went to Schenectady, New York, where he purchased a boat of three tons burden and started up the Mohawk, then down Wood Creek to Oneida Lake, through the lake the Oswego River, down that to Oswego, up Lake Ontario and Niagra River, and finally reached Hudson, in Summit Co., where Deacon Hudson, two years before began a settlement. Here he remained until he hunted up his land, built a log house, and in August 1820, moved the first white family into Northampton. The spot was planted with fruit trees brought from Massachusetts. 1802 is the year OH was
admitted to the Union. Cleveland was then a hamlet of log cabins.

The family had to be self reliant. Meal was made from corn pounded fine on a stump and made into bread by mixing with water, salt and baking on a split
shingle before the open fire. Their meat was deer, bear and turkeys killed in the woods. Clothing was from flax grown on the farm. Linen and tow-cloth were the domestic staple products, but for winter wear buckskin moccasins, pants and jackets were used until later years when sheep could be protected from the wolves and woolen cloth was manufactured by the family. After seettlement had become more general a large two-story hewed-log house was built, which was used for a hotel for the accommodation of travelers. A blcksmith-shop was also built and turnished with tools and stock brought with the household goods.
Simeon Prior lived on his farm until his death, 29 June 1837.

The following are excerpts of writings of Mr. Prior:

A petition for Simeon Prior, a native of Norwich, New London
Co. and state of Connecticut, who joined the army as armorer under Col. John Dergey on his way from Boston to New York in 1776, with the promise of a suit of chothes and $12.00 per month. "I joined the armies at Kings Yard, so called, on the west side of the city, worked there fifteen weeks, then joined the regiment on Ponter's Hook. After the city was taken by the British we removed to Fort Lee, where we remained until the British crossed over into the Jerseys above Fort Lee. Early in the morning was called to turn out, all that was able to bear arms without packs. I left a small chest with my small armorers tools, some books, clothes, and $40.00 in money, the "Hoal" amount was about $60.00. There was orders afterwards that our loss would be made good. My case was considered and held that I had no right to carry my tools into the army, and might have kept my money in my pocket. So they allowed me $10.00.. My coat and vest were thin slazy cloth with linen shirt. From the time we left Fort Lee until the 22nd of January, 1777, when I got home all of which time I had no change of clothes. The third day after my discharge I was taken sick. I lay ten days. When able to travel again, I found my discharge was gone and I 300 miles from home in the midst of their lines. Some friends and Tories, in a distressed "situatiion" almost naked and almost without money. Since that Time I have tried to serve God and my country. I have gone forwaard to the North part of the statae of OH, nearly 700 miles from the place of my nativity where I now live in 1826. The pension act included me if proof could be found, since that I have taken all the pains necessary. The last that I could remember, I find has been dead twenty years. Now, sirs, shall I suffer because God has kept me alive and cut short the days of all that knew me at the time I was in the Army? No, God Forbid."
"I, Simeon Prior, was born in Connecticut, Co. of New London, and town of Norwich, son of Joshua Prior, the sixth son and ninth child from my mother. At about 15 went to live with Nathan Cobb to learn the blacksmith trade where I learned to work on guns. In 1776, after the army went to New York, Col. John Durgey, of Norwich, being formerly acquainted with me, come to me and wanted me to enlist as armorer in his regiment promising me $12.00 per month and rations, accordingly.
I enlisted for nine months or thereabouts. It was after the army had moved from Boston to New York. I went to New York with the Colonel and was put into Capt. Gideon Waterman's company then lying on the east side of the city. Forty days after, I had orders to go to the west side of the city where it was then called Kings Yard, and work under Capt. John Nutter as armorer. The regiment soon after moved over to Ponter's Hook, a little after the first ship went up the North River. I was ordered to join the regiment and work by myself, where I remained until the British took the city of New York. After that went to Fort Lee where we stayed until the enemy landed a part of their army about five miles above the fort. Then we was called on to go and stop them, orders were not to carry our packs, accordingly we left them, but when we came in sight of them we had orders to retreat before them and leave all our clothes behind. The time I have forgotten, but from that time until the 21st of January 1777, I never had a change of clothes. Cold, Nakedness and hunger was with me until I was discharged 300 miles from home. The third day on my way home I was taken sick with pleurisy, at that time I lost my discharge. I lay sick ten days which made me twnety-one days getting home, where I got some clean clothes. As to the brigade co., Durgey belonged to I never knew. When General Washington and General Mercer went to Trentown and took the Hussars, 25 December, "76, I was in the second Platoon in the front of our brigade. The Colonel was sick at that time, the major and oldest captain was in front."