David Mead, born in Hudson, NY, on January 17, 1752, married Agnes Wilson in 1774, and after the Revolutionary War left Wyoming, PA, amid land disputes to seek opportunity in northwestern Pennsylvania after reading George Washington's journal. In the spring of 1788, he and his brother John led a group of nine men to the French Creek Valley, where they set up camp, built a log cabin, planted corn, and established the first settlement, known as Cussewago, later joined by their families. In 1789 more settlers arrived, including Mead's parents, and Mead built a sawmill and a gristmill, while Agnes gave birth to Sara, the first child of European descent born in what is now Crawford County. Conflict with some neighboring Native American Nations forced the settlers to flee in 1791, but they returned in 1792, built a stockade and blockhouse, and worked fields only in armed parties for safety; no settlers moved west of French Creek until 1795. Ruth Mead's death in 1794 was the first natural death in the settlement, and Agnes Mead died in childbirth in 1795. In 1797 Mead built the settlement's first frame house at the foot of what is now Randolph Street and married school teacher Jennet Finney, with whom he had six more children, making him the father of fifteen children overall. He served as a justice of the peace and later as an associate county judge after Crawford County was created from Allegheny County. During the War of 1812 he was appointed Major General and helped build a fleet of ships at Presque Isle that faced the British fleet and led to victory in the Battle of Lake Erie. On June 20, 1815, he took part at the log courthouse on Diamond Park in the founding of Allegheny College. David Mead died on August 23, 1816, at age 65.