In 1854, Abigail Dunning of Hartford, Connecticut, sold Rattlesnake Island to Horace Kelley of Cleveland, Ohio. Soon thereafter, post offices were established on South Bass Island (1860), North Bass Island (1864), and Middle Bass Island (1864). Rattlesnake Island was largely uninhabited at the time and on June 22, 1861 Rattlesnake Island became a part of Put-In-Bay Township. For the subsequent two decades, the only known residents of Rattlesnake Island, were the David Hammond family (who moved here from Vermilion, Ohio), including several of David’s children who were born on the island.