in 1795, the connecticut land company bought land in northeast ohio, then known as the connecticut western reserve. the parcel was divided into 129 townships, each measuring . hudson bought a plot of land in the reserve (township 4, range 10) in 1798 in partnership with a group including birdsey and nathaniel norton, who provided three-fourths of the money for the purchase. of the group, only hudson left for the land with a small group of settlers (including his son ira and employees jesse linsley and william mckinley), on april 22, 1799.