in an 800-acre (3.2 km²) tract at the junction of the Ohio and Licking rivers, the future site of Cincinnati, which he called Losantiville, a name formed by Filson from the Latin "os" (mouth), the Greek "anti" (opposite), and the French "ville" (city), from its position opposite the mouth of the Licking River. Filson's survey and plan of the town survives in the layout of modern downtown Cincinnati. In 1790, General Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory, changed the name of Losantiville to Cincinnati in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of Revolutionary War officers founded by George Washington. Disappearance While on a surveying expedition near the Great Miami River, he disappeared, October 1, 1788, when the party was attacked by hostile Shawnees, and his body was never found. After his disappearance his partners, Denman and Patterson, transferred his interest in the site of Cincinnati to Israel Ludlow, and his heirs never reaped any benefit from the subsequent increase in the value of the land. He never married and left no direct descendants. Legacy The Filson Historical Society of Louisville, Kentucky is named for him. See also Reuben T. Durrett Notes References Further reading The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke (1784) External links 1747 births 1788 deaths American pioneers Writers from Cincinnati History of Kentucky American explorers People from Chester County, Pennsylvania West Nottingham Academy alumni People from Lexington, Kentucky