 During early 1788 , at about 54 years of age , William Stacy joined with other Revolutionary War officers as a pioneer to the Ohio Country , and was involved in establishing Marietta , Ohio at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers as the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory . Colonel Stacy joined this venture as a shareholder in the Ohio Company of Associates , which was formed and led by Gen. Rufus Putnam and Gen. Benjamin Tupper . General Lafayette visited Marietta years later and described these pioneers and former officers : " They were the bravest of brave . Better men never lived . " George Washington commented " I know many of the settlers personally , and there never were men better calculated to promote the welfare of such a community . " Marietta is located in the county of Ohio bearing Washington 's name . 
