William Smalley

William Smalley (1759/1760 {1762[?]–1838) was an Ohio pioneer, who settled in the area of what is now Cowan Lake State Park in 1797. He and his brother were the first white settlers in the area and cleared many acres of land for a farm and built a double log cabin on the site – years later to build the first brick home in the county on the same land. They built a sawmill, a grist mill and a small distillery. They also formed Union Baptist Church that would meet in the mill. Smalley and his church were strict abolitionists and the church would divide over the issue. Smalley's wife Prudence Hoel is buried near the home site in an unmarked grave as is one of his daughters.

While held prisoner, Smalley witnessed the death of his father and other settlers at the hands of the Lenape. He was taken to an Indian village on the Maumee River. He lived with the Lenape in for five years and became accustomed to the ways of the Lenape, learning both their language and how to survive in the forests of Ohio. He later served an envoy for the Lenape with French and English fur traders. Following a successful negotiations with a group of traders, Smalley was released from the custody of the Lenape in about 1781.