Alexander Sutherland (1767-1845) and his wife Sarah (1768-1836), who came from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, were the first settlers in Newton Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, acquiring 205 acres along Duck Creek southward from this site. After the Duck Creek settlement was established, Alexander became an influential figure in the area as Trumbull County's second Recorder and first elected Surveyor, and he also served as an early Mason with Old Erie Lodge, a Warren schoolteacher, postmaster at Newton, Newton Township Trustee and Clerk, and Justice of the Peace. With Ezekiel Hover, he marked the first path from the Duck Creek settlement to Youngstown to reach the nearest mill. Early pioneers came to Newton Township a year before Ohio became a state, drawn by abundant water, the waterpower of the east and west branches of the Mahoning River, natural falls, and two creeks. The land between the streams offered rich bottom soil for farming, and stands of white oak were later exported for lumber and shipbuilding. Duck Creek had also been a route used by Native Americans traveling to salt springs to the northeast, and those springs also gave settlers a way to preserve food. The Duck Creek settlers were followed by others at the River (Pricetown) and Kale Creek, and then at the Falls (Newton Falls) in 1806-1807.