Early disputes among the colonies were many and very lengthy. Finally, in 1775 the Continental Congress intervened in the dispute between Connecticut and Pennsylvania involving overlapping territorial claims. In 1782 a federal court, convened in Trenton, made a ruling on the claims against Connecticut. As a result of this decision, Connecticut asserted its claim to the lands west of Pennsylvania between 41° and 42°2' to the Mississippi River. This territory became known as the Western Reserve and included what is now Ellsworth Township.

On September 2, 1795, fifty-three men adopted 14 Articles of Association and Agreement to form the Connecticut Land Company and purchased the Western Reserve. This company sent a surveying party under the direction of Moses Cleveland to survey and settle the Western Reserve. They set out to survey the land in blocks of 5 square miles. In their haste, they did not take precautions with the discrepancies of their compasses and therefore there are variations in acreage for each township surveyed by the Connecticut Land Company. Thus, Ellsworth Township ended up having 16,168 acres, which is slightly more than the specified 5 square miles. However, out of this surveying process, Ellsworth was born. Township No.1 Range 4.