HOWARD, Dresden Winfield Huston

DRESDEN WINFIELD HUSTON HOWARD
Transcription of his hand written letter
On the evening of 11th of June 1821, the emigrants Thomas Howard, (grandfather of D.W. H. Howard) with his daughter Mrs. Sidney Nelson and the families of his sons Edward and Richard (the families of Alexander and Robert coming, later from White River Indiana) landed at Fort Meigs. The only children were D.W.H. Howard and Sidney Howard ages 5 and 14 years. They purchased land at the Grand Rapids of the Maumee (18 miles above the Fort) and moved into their cabins in the winter of 1822 and 23; this was the first settlement on the south side if the river above the old Indian Mission (8 miles below) and exactly opposite the Indian village of Tein-jo-a-no. The only white settlers and neighbor for miles was Peter Manor who lived on the Indian Reservation opposite. Edward Howard entered the lands at Aetna (now Winameg) in 1833 and built the old Etna Block house. Soon after there was established an Indian trading post in which Merrill Wilkinson and D.W.H. Howard were the traders of the establishment until Wilkinson died, when the goods and trade was sold to other parties. The Indians trade was soon after destroyed by the removal of the Indians by the U.S. Government to their lands west of the Mississippi, D.W.H. Howard aided in removing the Indians and followed there soon after and entered the fur trade with the people in the west. D.W.H. Howard moved to the farm at Etna (Aetna) where he still remained in 1882.
Mr. Oliver Verity use the above as you may deem, as the history since the above date is well known to yourself you can add what ever you wish. I would much rather you would put what I have written in your own language; and of course make all these biographies brief.
Very Truly,
Dresden W. H. Howard