^
:::^^
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
LIBRARY
Oh'\o sT-ate -a-rclnaec^lo^v „\^
7
OHIO
Archceological and Historical
PUBLICATIONS.
Volume IIL
COLTJVIBUS:
Pdblishbd for the Society
Fred. J. Heer.
V. 3
C_Op, \
V
INDBX.
PAGE
Annual Meeting, Fifth, Proceedings of 236
Annual Meeting, Sixth, Proceedings of 261
Bradbury Horace R. Address of 26
Brush Dr. E. C, Address of 241
Burnham Major John and His Company 40
Campbell Governor James E., Address of 161
Centennial Anniversary, Proceedings of 1
Century and its Lessons, The 27
Davis Rev. J. M., Address of 164
Dawes E. C. , Address of 40
Divine Workmanship, Rejoicing in. Sermon 227
Educational Lessons of the Hour 168
Farrar \Vm. M. , Address of 276
Fort Ancient, Description of 313
French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis 45
Gladden Rev. Washington, Sermon of 178
Graham A. A. , Paper by 300
Jones J. v., Address of 175
Judiciary, Laws and Bar of Ohio 141
Lasher Rev. George W., Sermon of 227
Marshall R. D. , Address of 172
Methodist Success, Philosophy of, Sermon 196
Methodism in Gallipolis, History of 206
Migrations and their Lessons, Sermon 178
Military Posts, Forts and Battlefields in Ohio 300
Moncure Rev. John, Sermon of 221
Moore Rev. David H., Sermon of 196
Moorehead Warren K., Paper by 313
Moravian Ma.ssacre, The 276
Morrison Prof. N. J., Address of 27
Muskingum Valley, Pioneer Physicians of 241
Ohio Arch, and Hist Society Act of Incorporation. . . 319
Synopsis of By-Laws 320
Board of Trustees 320
Officers of 321
Honorary Members • 322
Corresponding Members 322
Life Members 322
Active Members 323
Annual Meetings 241-276
iv Index.
PAGE
Ohio, Description of, in 1788 82
Pioneer Physicians, Muskingum Valley 241
Presbyterians of Ohio, Sermon 211
Remember the Days of Old , Sermon 221
Relic Room, Gallipolis, Articles in 19
Reports Secretary 266
Treasurer 270
Trustees 269
Rio Grande College, History of 164
Ryan Daniel J., Address of 109
Secretary, Report of 266
Scioto Company and its Purchase 109
Scovil Rev. S. F., vSermon of 211
Thompson, Rev. H. A., Address of 168
Treasurer, Report of 270
Trustees, Report of 269
Trustees, Meeting of 236-269
Vance John L. , Address of 45
Watson David K. , Address of 141
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Barlow Joel Portrait Facing page 115
Cabins built 1791 by Maj. John Burnham page 42
Gallipolis, View of, 1890 Frontispiece
Gallipolis, Public Square, Centennial Day Facing page 17
Gallipolis, Public Square, 1790 Facing page 40
Gallipolis, Public Square, 1846 Facing page 40
Gallipolis, Plat of, 1791 page 61
Monument, Gnadenhutten Facing page 279
Portrait, Joel Barlow • Facing page 115
Portrait, Samuel F. Vinton Facing page 141
Rio Grande College Facing page 164
Vinton, Samuel F., Portrait Facing page 141
MAPS.
Fort Ancient page 312
Gallipolis, Map of, 1791 page 61
Military Posts, Forts and Battlefields in Ohio. -Facing page 306
Ohio Company's Proposed Purchase page 117
Ohio and Scioto Companies Purchases page 121
Scioto Company, (French map) • page 124
PREFACE.
THE present volume is the third issued by this Society. The
first and second were issued in pamphlet form, quarterly,
but many members expressing a preference for the publication
in bound (annual) form, this volume is so issued. Should this
form seem best, it will be continued.
Some delay has been experienced owing to serious illness
on the part of three of those whose papers are among the best
in the volume. This has necessarily delayed the publication
several months beyond the regular time of issue, a delay which
could not be avoided.
In addition to the anniversary exercises in connection with
the Centennial of the settlement of Gallipolis, the volume con-
tains the proceedings of the Society for two years, and several
papers prepared for the annual meetings of these years, as well
as the Act of Incorporation, a synopsis of the By-Laws, and a
complete list of the members from the organization of the
Society until the present time. The Society has been in exist-
ence five years, and few societies can show so good a growth
and better results. The volumes now i.ssued are sufficient evi-
dence of the work already done, and of that before us. The
next volume will contain a full history of the boundary ques-
tions between \'irginia and Ohio, together with a full discussion
of the claims of Virginia to the territory north of the Ohio
River. It is also intended to include in this volume a discus-
sion of the boundaries between Ohio and Indiana ind between
vi Preface.
Ohio and Michigan. This volume has been in contemplation
for some time, and it may be expected next.
The publications of this Society now consist of volumes
one, two and three, issued during the years 1886-1887, 1888-
1889 and 1890-1891. These volumes are not for sale, but are
sent free to members. Each volume may be obtained by the
payment of the annual membership fee — $5.00. Life member-
ship is $50.00, entitling to all publications, and such member-
ship are exempt from all dues.
The State is now indebted to the Ohio Archaeological and
Historical Society, for three valuable historical volumes, and if
the Society had done nothing else its existence is more than
justified.
A. A. Graham, Secretary,
Columbus, Ohio.
PREFATORY NOTE.
The first edition of this volume, published in 1891, having
been exhausted, in response to continued demands for copies of
the same, the Legislature of Ohio of '93-94 appropriated the
sum of five hundred dollars to be used by the Society in defray-
ing the expense of republication. The original edition was pub-
lished under the direction of Mr. A. A. Graham, at that time
Secretary of the Society, and is now reprinted as it first ap-
peared, without alteration.
Mr. Graham tendered his resignation as Secretary, to the
Trustees of the Society, in the fall of 1894, which was accepted
and the subscriber hereto was then elected to fill the vacancy.
It should be stated, also, that at the annual meeting of the
Socie ■■ held February, 1895, a new constitution was adopted by
which the annual membership fee was reduced from five to
three dollars, and the life membership fee from fifty to twenty-
five dollars.
The new constitution will appear in full in volume IV,
which will be published during the present year (1895).
E. O. Randall,
Secretary.
Columbus, Ohio, April, iSg^.
PROCKBDINQS
OK THE
CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
OK THK CITV OF
OALLIPOLIS, OHIO.
October t6, 17, t8 and 10. 1890.
PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS.
As early as April, 1890, the citizens of Gallipolis, through
their Board of Trade, took action to secure a proper celebration
of the approaching centennial of the city's settlement. On April
22, 1890, at a meeting of the Board of Trade, the following
named gentlemen were elected an Executive Committee of
arrangements :
John L. Vance, Chairman ; C. Fred Henking, W. B. Shober,
H. R. Bradbury, Joseph MuUineux, J. A. McClurg, Geo. House,
J. C. Hutsinpiller, C. W. Henking, Dr. J. Eakins, B. F. Bar-
low, P. A. Sanns, J. C. Priestley, B. T. Enos, E. L. Menager,
C. D. Kerr, J. M. Kerr, S. A. Dunbar, A. W. Kerns, W. Kling,
A. Ufermann, Charles Regnier.
The organization of the Committee was completed by the
selection of the following named gentlemen to the positions
stated :
Vice-Chairman — B. F. Barlow.
Secretary — H. R. Bradbury.
Treasurer — C. W. Henking.
Vol. Ill— 1
2 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
The meetings of the Committee were held at the Audi-
tor's office, the use of which was tendered by A. W. Kerns.
The Committee at its first meeting, tendered an invitation to
the General Assembly of Ohio to be present at the Centennial,
which invitation was presented to the House of Representatives
by Hon. J. Eakins, a member of the House from Gallia County.
The invitation was accepted by the General Assembly, and
arrangements made by the members of that body to attend.
On the evening of April 28th the Executive Committee met
and appointed a Sub-Committee to confer with the Ohio Archaeo-
logical and Historical Society in regard to the Centennial celebra-
tion : Hon. J. Eakins, Wm. B. Sliober, C. F. Henking, J. A.
McClurg, H. R. Bradbury, Jos. Mullineux, and John ly. Vance.
Messrs. B. F. Barlow, William Kling, A. W. Kerns, J. M.
Kerr and B. T. Enos were also appointed a committee to suggest
names and duties of sub-committees.
The first named committee went to Columbus, May 12th,
and the next day met the Executive Committee of the Archaeo-
logical and Historical Society, and after a conference, a com-
mittee consisting of H. R. Bradbury, Jon. L. Vance, C. F. Hen-
king, F. C. Sessions, and A. A. Graham was appointed to pre-
pare a programme for the Centennial. This committee met in
Gallipolis, Saturday, June 7th, and arranged a provisional pro-
gramme, and assigned to John L. Vance and A. A. Graham the
duty to arrange the details necessary to its completion, and
authorized them to make such alterations and additions as might
be necessary for the final programme.
Steps were now taken by the Society and the Gallipolis
committee to secure in permanent form the papers, addresses and
proceedings of the Centennial in volume third of the Historical
Society's publications. The Secretary of the Society was au-
thorized to prepare a circular setting forth the proposed contents
of the volume, and to secure a subscription thereto from the peo-
ple of Gallipolis. In pursuance of this action, the following
circular was prepared and submitted to a meeting of the Board
of Trade of Gallipolis the evening of Friday, June 20th, and a
subscription of 150 copies of the publication secured. The cir-
cular is as follows :
l^he Centenyiial Celebration at Gallipolis.
THE OHIO ARCH^OLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY. CIR-
CULAR OF INFORMATION NO. 2, 1890. THE
PUBLICATIONS FOR 1890.
The Centennial of the Settlement of Gallipolis, Ohio, will
occur October 19th, next. It will then be one hundred years
since the colony of French emigrants landed on the northern
bank of "La Belle River."
This settlement, the only one of its kind in Ohio, bears no
little impress on our history, and merits more than merely a Cen-
tennial celebration. Its history contains not only the location of
the colony, and the founding of a town, but also carries with it
many questions of national interest. Made about the opening
of the French Revolution, when the attention of all Europe was
drawn to the questions of civil and religious liberty; and when
the minds of men were easily turned to any solution of the prob-
lems then agitating mankind, there clusters about this settlement
many interesting and instructive questions in our early annals.
The scheme of locating a foreign colony upon land m. an Ameri-
can wilderness, obtained from the Government through organized
land companies was watched by many, not only in Europe, but
also in America. It was not merely local interest; the attention
of nations was drawn thither.
The history of this colony, the formation of the Ohio and
Scioto Land Companies, both more or less interested in its suc-
cess, and the relation each bore to the other, with a concise his-
tory of their tran.sactions so far as they relate to this colony, will
appear in this volume. Original maps, plats, drawings and docu-
ments will be used to illustrate the text. The " French Grant"
will be carefully and fully described, and such plats and maps, as
will elucidate the text, will be used.
The story of the French emigrants will be faithfully given,
and as far as possible a complete list of the" first .settlers will be
printed. Plats and plans, views and portraits, as far as can be
obtained, will be used to illustrate the work.
The volume will therefore not be merely an account of the
exerci.ses commemorative of the Centennial. It will be a historv
4 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. S
of the colony, and a careful digest of the questions pertinent
thereto.
The work when published will be somewhat similar to that
issued in 1888, i. e., "The Marietta Centennial of April 7th,"
save that this will be a bound volume, and will be the Society's
publication for 1890. Like all publications of the Society, the
volume is not for general circulation. Members of the Society
will be supplied, and additional copies will be printed only for
exchanges, societies, and for those who request them.
Several thousand copies of this circular were issued and sent
liberally to all parts of the country, and through the Board of
Trade at Gallipolis, were freely distributed there.
On August 19th, the Board of Trade appointed the follow-
ing committees on detail work :
ADVERTISING.
p. T. Wall, Chairman ; I. F. Chapman, Theo. N. Wilson,
Chas. D. Kerr, S. A. McClurg.
AMUSEMENTS.
Thos. R. Hayward, Chairman; J. Will Clendinen, N. R.
Canaday, P. T. Wall, A. L. Roadarmour, C. B. Hanson, Geo. D.
Mclntyre, C. H. Small, H. C. Johnston, Jas. W. Gardner.
ATHLETICS.
Arthur Williams, Chairman; Henry Neal, Fred Kling.
BADGES.
Ralph C. Jones, Chairman ; C. C. Olmstead, Frank Moore.
DECORATIONS.
O. M. Henking, Chairman; Chas. W. Uhrig, C. H. McCor-
mick. Dr. F. A. Cromley, Ed. W. Vanden, Ross Williams, A.
R. Weaver, Frank Ulsamer, W. B. Fuller, B. Frank Barlow, A.
A. Lyon, J. C. Staats, C. F. Hudlin, C. A. Smith, C. M. Adams,
Samuel T. Cook, S. D. Cowden, J. Will Clendinen, Chas.
The Centennial Celebration at Gallipolis. 5
Gentry, Jas. H. Sanns, S. A. Rathbuni, Charles Johnston,
Aaron Frank.
DRINKING WATKR.
C. W. Ernsting, Chairman; E. T. Moore, J. H. Frank,
Fred H. Kerr, E. Lincoln Neal, John Pepple, B. L. Gardner, A.
Moch, J. M. Smith, Frank Bell, Jos. Ziegler, G. W. Cox, Paul
Dober, Dr. J. R. Safford, Geo. W. Alexander, E. L. Menager,
J. C. Shepard, C. J. Schreck, J. S. Billups, Henry House, Chas.
F. Jenny, Alvin Brown.
ENTERTAINMENT.
John C. Hutsinpiller, Chairman; J. H. Schaaf, Charles
Stuart, S. F. Crane, C. H. D. Summer, Henry Gilman, W. G.
Fuller, A. J. Greene, Dr. John Sanns, Henry R. Bell, Henry
Beall.
FIREWORKS.
E. E. Gatewood, Chairman ; Thomas R.. Hayward, J. A.
Blazer, A. B. Williams, C. Fred Henking, Geo. N. Bolles, M.
S. Hern.
GROUNDS AND SUPPLIES.
Geo. House, Chairman; Jos. F. Martin, A. F. Lasley, John
Eupton, James H. McClurg, W. H. Billings, \V. R. White.
HORSES AND CARRIAGES.
W. C. Hayward, Chairman ; James G. Priestley, Frank
Hutsinpiller, Geo. Wetherholt, Charles C. Baker.
HOTELS, BOARDING HOUSES, ETC.
W. H. Hutchinson, Chairman; J. C. Morris, Creuzet
Vance, Frank Ulsamer, J. W. Gardner, J. L. Hayward, Chas.
Jenny, John C. Graham, Amos Troth, A. A. Lyon, Ed. Gills,
Chris. C. Mack.
INTELLIGENCE.
John C. Vanden, Chairman; A. F. Moore, Chas. Mack, C.
W. Bird, Frank J. Donnally.
Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol,, o
LIGHT.
Jas. A. McClurg, Chairman; C. W. Henking, C. D. Kerr,
B. T. Euos, F. W. Dages, S. Witham, Chas. StockhoflF.
MUSIC — INSTRUMENTAL.
James H. Sanns, Chairman ; Geo. D. McBride, L,. B. Shaw.
MUSIC — VOCAL.
Jas. M. Neal, Chairman; D. W. Jones, Gus Mack, Dr. Jas.
T. Hanson, J. E. Matthews, John R. McCormick, E. S. Ale-
shire, G. A. Roedell, F. O. Fowler, Wm. Mullinuex, T. P. Wil-
liams, F. M. Snead.
MILITARY DISPLAY.
C. H. McCormick, Chairman ; Silas Pritchett, E. S. Aleshire,
A. G. Beall, D. W. Jones, Geo. D. McBride, H. R. Bradbury,
Chas. Weihe.
PRESS.
William Nash, Chairman; D. W. Jones, John L. Vance, jr.,
H. LeClercq Ford, J. E. Robinson, J. D. Olmsted.
PROGRAMME.
F. C. Sessions, Chairman; A. A. Graham, John L. Vance,
H. R. Bradbury, Jehu Eakins.
RAILROAD AND RIVER TRANSPORTATION.
W. B. Shober, Chairman ; John R. McCormick, H. W. Ellis,
S. M. Cherrington, P. A. Sanns, John Nevius, Miles H. Brown,
W. A. Barrows, S. Silverman, F. J. Donnally, Geo. W. Bay.
RECEPTION.
John M. Alexander, Chairman; Geo. House, James Mul-
lineux, W. H. McCormick, C. D. Maxon, P. A. Sanns, W. C.
Hayward, James Harper, A. Ufermann, Dr. E. W. Parker, G.
B. lyittle. Dr. H. C. Brown, D. B. Hebard, Frank Cromley,
The Centennial Celebration at Gallipolis. 7
James Gate wood, Alexander Vance, Wm. C. Miller, M. C. Bar-
low, John L. Kuhn, R. D. Neal, D. S. Ford, H. N. Ford, C.
Doepping, H. H. McGonagle, Joseph Mullineux, S. R. Bush, C.
A. Clendinen, Charles Mack, Dr. P. Gardner, Albert Mossman,
Daniel Calohan, Eliza Smith. E. Betz, C. C. Welbert, C. D.
Bailey, John Dages, James Vanden.
SABBATH PROGRAMME.
Rev. P. A. Baker, Chairman; Rev. John Moncure, Rev. C.
A. McManis. Rev. R. H. Coulter, Rev. Father Oeink, W. L.
Robinson, H. N. Ford, A. J. Greene, W. G. Bradley, Jos. F.
Hund.
SANITARY.
William Kling, Chairman; A. Henking, J. C. Priestley, Dr.
James Johnson, C. A. Hill.
T. W. Karr, Chairman; D. B. Hebard, Dr. John Sanns, Dr.
E. G, Alcorn, A. L. Roadarmour.
STEAMBOAT EXCURSION.
S. A. Dunbar, Chairman; R. L. Hamilton, John W. Hol-
loway, Chas. Regnier, John Damron, M. V. Nelson.
TENTS AND AMPHITHEATRE.
A. W. Kerns, Chairman; Jas. Mullineux, Jr., S. F. Neal,
P. B, Pritchett.
TO FORM TOWNSHIP COMMITTEES.
I. F. Chapman, Chairman; W. T. Minturn, A. W. Kerns,
V. H. Switzer. W. R. White.
ladies' RECEPTION COMMITTEE.
The following ladies were appointed a Committee to prepare
a suitable reception for the Governors, their Staff officers. State
Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Voi,. 3
ofl&cers,
guests :
t^ Mrs.
'■"■'" Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
iriembers of the IvCgislature, aud other distinguished
C. Fred. Henking,
H. R. Bradbury,
B. F. Barlow,
W. G. Brading,
Josephine Cadot,
F. A. Cromley,
S. A. Dunbar,
B. T. Enos,
W. B. Fuller,
J. C. Hutsinpiller,
E. S. Aleshire,
O. M. Henking,
W. H. Hutchinson,
John T. Halliday,
James Johnson,
D. W. Jones,
C. D. Kerr,
Genevieve Maxon,
John Moncure,
J. C. Morris,
Geo. D. Mclntyre,
C. W. Ernsting,
A. W. Kerns,
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
J. E. Robinson,
W. B. Shober,
P. A. Sanns,
Sam'l Silverman,
J. H. Sanns,
J. C. Shephard,
J. M. Smith,
John L. Vance,
Mary A. Wood,
A. Uhrig,
H. N. Ford,
Mary Aleshire,
Hattie Beard,
Belle Coffman,
Blanche Cadot,
Callie Deletombe,
Mary Graham,
Kate McClurg,
Kate Mclntyre,
Ida Nevius,
Alice Pitrat,
Annie Uhrig,
Marie Drouillard,
Each committee arranged all details necessary aud by the
middle of October everything was in readiness.
The Committee on Tents arranged for a large tent for the
Auditorium with a seating capacity of 2,090. A stage was
built in it on the parquet order with a seating capacity of 400.
Near it were arranged a dozen tents for Committees' head-
quarters. The main tent was erected in the center of the Park
next the river, where the reunion tent was spread in 1888. This
gave a fine view up and down the river and was convenient to
every one. The main tent was well lighted and comfortably
seated.
Early in October, John L. Vance and A. A. Graham ar-
The Centennial Celebratio7i at Gallipolis. 9
ranged the following programme, which, in the main, was
carried out :
PROGRAMME
Centennial Anniversary
SETTLEMENT OF THE CITY
Gallipolis, Ohio,
FTench, October 19, 1790.
October 16, 17, 18 and 19,
1890.
The following account of the reason of the settlement of
this locality by the French emigrants was printed in the pro-
gramme :
" On October 19, 1790, a party of French emigrants landed
at the site of the present city of Gallipolis, Ohio. These emi-
grants were part of a number who had purchased land in the
Ohio country from the Society of the Scioto in Paris. This
Society had acquired the right of purchase in this part of
America from Joel Barlow, agent of the Scioto Associates in
America. They had contracted to buy from the United States a
large tract of land in the Northwest Territory. Through the
failure of the Society of the Scioto to meet its payments the
Scioto Associates were unable to fulfill their obligations and the
lands continued in pos.session of the American government. To
.satisfy the claims of the emigrants to whom the Society of the
10 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
Scioto had given deeds for lands in the 18 ranges of townships —
but which, upon the map furnished by Mr. Barlow, were located
at and adjacent to the site of Gallipolis — the Scioto Associates
contracted to buy from the Ohio Company the land represented
by its shares, which had been forfeited for non-payment — about
200,000 acres. This land they were permitted to locate in the
fourteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth ranges of townships, in-
cluding the site of Gallipolis. Owing to the failure of the prin-
cipal men among the Scioto Associates in the financial panic of
1792, they were unable to pay for this tract. This left the
French without titles to any of their purchases. The Ohio
Company was unable to complete the tract it had originally con-
tracted for, but, by its settlement with Congress in 1792, it
acquired the title to the land in the 14 and 15 ranges of town-
ships, including Gallipolis. In 1795, through the efforts of Jean
Gabriel Gewase, seconded by the leading men in the Ohio Com-
pany, a grant of 24,000 acres of land, in what is now Scioto
county, was made to the French emigrants. In the same
year the Ohio Company sold to them two fractional sections,
about 900 acres of land, including the town site of Gallipolis, at
$1.25 per acre. It also offered to each 'French settler at Galli-
polis,' one hundred acres of land from the donation tract granted
to it by Congress to be given to actual settlers.
FRIDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 17, IN THE AUDITORIUM.
MUSIC.
Address Hon. H. R. Bradbury, Mayor of Gallipolis
Address Prof. N. J. Morrison, of Marietta
On behalf of Ohio Historical Society — "A Century and Its Lessons."
FRIDAY, 2 p. M.— AUDITORIUM.
Address Hon. D. K. Watson
"The Early Bar of the Ohio Valley."
SHORT ADDRESSES.
MUSIC.
The Centetlniai Celebration al Gailipotis. 11
FRIDAY EVENING — 7:30 O'CLOCK.
MUSIC.
Address Hon. J.\mes E. Campbew,, Governor of Ohio
Address A. A. Graham, Secretary Ohio Historical Society
" French Exploration and Occupation in America."
( Illustrated by the Stereopticon.)
This address was, by request of the audience, repeated Sat-
urday evening. It was of stich a nature it could not be pre-
pared for publication.
S.\TURDAY, 10 A. M. — AUDITORIUM.
MUSIC.
Address Col. John L. Vance
"The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis."
Owing to Other duties this address could not be given, but it
is printed in this volume. Short addresses were made by Rev.
H. A. Thompson, Prof. J. M. Davis, Mr. R. D. Marshall, Mr.
R. D. Jones, Judge R. A. SaflFord, Gen. C. H. Grosvenor, and
others.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON — 2:00 O'CLOCK.
Excursion by Steamboats to points of interest on the Ohio and the
Kanawha.
SATURDAY EVENING — 7 : 30 O'CLOCK.
MUSIC.
Address Hon. Daniel J. Ryan
" The Scioto Company and the French Grant."
CENTENNIAL DAY.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1890.
10:00 A. M. — Services in all the Churches under charge of the City Pastors'
Association ; appropriate exercises.
In each church an historical sermon was given by the pas-
tor, or by some one selected by him. A synopsis of these
addresses appears in this volume.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON, 2:00 O'CLOCK — AUDITORIUM.
MUSIC BY AUDIENCE.
Historical Discourse Rev. Washington Gladden, D. D.
MUSIC.
SUNDAY EVENING — 7:30 O'CLOCK.
Closing services in the Churches.
12 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VOL. 3
The programme at first provided for opening exercises
Thursda)^ evening, the sixteenth ; but that day being very wet
and disagreeable, and owing to an extra session of the General
Assembly being called, but few persons could leave Columbus
with the members of the Archaeological and Historical Society.
The train bearing the party was late, and did not reach Gallipo-
lis till after nine o'clock in the evening. The opening exercises
were, therefore, deferred until Friday morning, and the pro-
gramme arranged accordingly. Members of the Assembly in-
vited to take part, were detained at Columbus, and their places
filled by others. The citizens of Gallip9lis had made ample
preparations, and when the guests arrived everything was in
readiness. The following from the Gallipolis Bulletin of Octo-
ber 21st, is a very good account of the celebration :
Friday morning opened clear and beautiful. The clouds
and rain had disappeared and the sun shone out, diffusing
warmth and beauty. By 10 a. m. the large tent was filled. The
meeting was called to order by Hon. H. R. Bradbury, City
Mayor, who in the opening address extended a hearty welcome
to all who came. At the close of his address and after music by
the band. Rev. N. J. Morrison was introduced, and for an hour
spoke on the topic assigned to Mr. Sessions. Mr. Sessions, the
President of the vSociety, to whom had been assigned this address,
was absent, in New York, on account of illness, and had secured
Dr. Morrison to fill his place. The address was scholarly,
eloquent, and filled with information. It was a timely and most
excellent resume of the century just closed.
Following Dr. Morrison, Rev. J. M. Davis, President of
Rio Grande College, gave a brief history of the educational
institutions in Gallia County, especially of the college at Rio
Grande.
Rev. H. A. Tliompson, one of the Trustees of the State
Historical Society, and for many years President of the Wester-
ville College, spoke on the value of education, especially that
given in the small colleges of the country, and in the academies.
The afternoon exercises were varied in character. Owing
to the late arrival of the Governor's train, no attempt was made
to gather the people until near 4 o'clock. Col. R. D. Marshall,
The Centennial Celebration at Gallipolis. 13
of Dayton, was introduced by Secretary Graham, and about half
an hour spoke on the general theme of the Centennials and the
value of their influences on American life.
Following this address came a civic parade, in which
Governors Campbell, of Ohio, and Fleming, of West Virginia,
and their staffs, took part; also many civic societies. At the
close of the parade the people gathered at the tent.
The audience was called to order b}^ Col. John L. Vance,
who introduced Hon. D. K. Watson, Attorney General of Ohio,
who delivered an address on the "Early Bar of the Ohio
Valley." At the conclusion of his address. Governor Fleming,
of West Virginia, was introduced and spoke on the relation of
Virginia to the Ohio Valley. Governor Campbell was then
introduced. As it was getting late the Governor spoke but
a few moments, deferring his speech until evening.
Assembling again in the evening. Governor Campbell
resumed his remarks. They were largely relative to the
value of proper centennial celebrations as educational in
character and as agencies in impressing on the minds of the
young the value of American institutions.
Mr. Graham was then introduced, and for an hour spoke on
the "Early Exploration and Occupation of the French in
America." The address was illustrated by a series of stere-
opticon views, showing the routes of the early explorers by
sea and by land, also the various posts, stations and forts built
in the Western valleys. Maps showing the possessions and
territory ctaimed by the English and French in North America,
especially in the Valleys of the St. Lawrence and Mississippi
Rivers and their tributaries, were shown, and at the close of the
address a series of pictures were shown illustrating life on the
Ohio a century ago. These included pictures of Marietta,
Belpre, Fort Harmar, the "floating mill" u.sed in grinding
grain, and views of Gallipolis as it appeared when the French
landed, October 19, 1790, and also views of the city as it appears
to-day. At its close, nur\erous requests were made for the
repetition of the address the next evening. After mu.sic by the
Parkins quartet the meeting adjourned to a reception in the
14 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Pub/ications. [Voi.. 3
Elks' Hall, tendered the Governors, their staffs, and the visitors
in the city.
Saturday morning the audience assembled at 10 o'clock and
were addressed by Mr. J. V. Jones, of Fostoria, a resident of
Gallipolis in 1832. His address related to the city as it was at
that time and the people residing here.
He was followed by Judge W. H. Safford, of Chillicothe, a
lineal descendant of Col. Robert Safford, one of the original
party who, under Maj. Burnham and employed by the Ohio
Company, cleared the ground and erected the cabins on the
Square for the occupation of the French settlers.
Following this address, the visitors and guests in the city
were taken on an excursion up the Ohio River on the steamer
Bostona a short distance above Point Pleasant. In the after-
noon a second excursion was taken on the same steamer, thereby
accommodating those who could not go in the forenoon.
At 2 o'clock the meeting was called to order by Mayor Brad-
bury, who introduced Gen. Charles H. Grosvenor, who spoke
on the Virginia claims to the Northwest Territory and on the
capture of the British posts by Gen. George Rogers Clark, in
1788. At his request, Mr. Graham explained in detail the part
taken by Gen. Clark and his men, and narrated the history of
Clark's expedition.
Following this, Judge Safford gave an account of the find-
ing of one of the lead plates buried at the mouth of the
Kanawha by direction of the French commandant in Canada,
as one of the means of establishing the claims of France to this
territory. He also gave an account of the capture of Richard
Garner and others for assisting runaway slaves in 1848. The
case was ably argued by Samuel H. Vinton on the part of Ohio.
The people gathered in great numbers in the evening to
witness a fine display of fireworks on the river's bank. After
that, the tent was quickly filled and Mr. Graham repeated that
portion of his illustrated address relating to the French settle-
nents, posts and exploration in the Northwest Territory.
After this, Hon. Daniel J. Ryan, Secretary of State, deliv-
red a timely address on the "Scioto Company and the French
Vrant," reviewing the entire history of the land transactions
The Centenyiial Celebration at Gallipolis. 15
relative to this settlement by the French. This done, the Par-
kins quartet, which had furnished the music of the evening,
sang a selection and the audience dispersed.
THE CENTENNIAL DAY.
Sunday was distinctively the Centennial Day, it being on
the nineteenth day of October, 1790, when the French emigrants
arrived on the site of where Gallipolis now stands. The city
was full of visitors, as during the other days of the celebration,
and there was a deep interest manifested to hear the subject of
the happenings of a hundred years considered from religious
standpoints, which is the most beautiful and significant of any.
Centennial services were conducted in most of the city
churches. The programmes which had been arranged for the
occasion by the Pastors' Union were of the most attractive char-
acter, and will be long remembered by the appreciative congre-
gations. A brief synopsis of these services is appended :
BAPTIST CHURCH.
The congregation was given a treat here which was much
appreciated. Rev. Mr. McMannis, the pastor, had secured the
services of Rev. Dr Lasher, editor of the Jouryial and Messen-
ger, the organ of the Baptist church in Ohio, and published in
Cincinnati. His sermon, like all the others, was oh the practical
lessons of the century, looking at the matter particularly in ref-
erence to the denomination to which he belonged.
METHODIST CHURCH.
An elaborate musical programme was most ably rendered,
the Parkins Brothers being among the singers. The bass solo
by Mr. Matthews was also one of the enjoyable characteristics
of the service. Rev. David Moore, D. D., editor of the Western
Christiati Advocate, preached the sermon. The historical feat-
ures were directed to the consideration of the history of Method-
ism, and the wonders which it has accomplished, as a medium
for making the country better.
16 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications.. [Voi,. 3
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The music was under the supervision of Professur J. M.
Neal. Rev. Sylvester Scovill, the President of Wooster College,
was the preacher, and the wisdom of selecting him was clearly
demonstrated by the excellent address of more than an hour to
which the large congregation listened. Presbyterianism in its
different stages in Ohio, during the century, -w^s the instructive
and useful topic of his discourse, and the feeling of gratitude
was no doubt paramount in the minds of his hearers, for the
blessings which it has given our country in the way of a
preached Gospel and a Godly example.
EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
In the services here the rector was assisted by Rev D. I.
Edwards, of the diocese of Newark, N. J. The music was of
an appropriate character, Mrs. Moncure presiding at the organ,
and a solo, by Miss Nora Kerr, gladdening the hearts of the
congregation. The sermon, by the rector, Rev. Moncure, was
like the others, on the teachings of the century. These were
briefly considered from a secular standpoint, and more elabor-
ately from that of the church, particularly the Protestant Epis
copal church, the organization, difficulties and success of which
were recounted, as they applied to the Nation, State and City,
and the mercies of God, as illustrated by His blessings upon its
endeavors gratefully mentioned.
ST. LOUIS CHURCH.
The day was appropriately observed by the Roman Catholic
churchmen. First mass was celebrated at 7:30 A. m. and High
mass at 10 A. m. Bishop Watterson, of the Diocese of Colum-
bus, was present at both services. In the afternoon he con-
firmed a large class. The Centennial services were held in the
evening, when the Bishop preached an interesting and instruc- ,
tive sermon on the events of the past century. The musical
part of the services was good.
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The Ceyitennial Celebration at Gallipolis. 17
OPERA HOUSE SERVICES.
In the afternoon service was held at Betz Opera House,
when the Rev. Washington Gladden, D. D., of Columbus, de-
livered the Centennial address. A large audience was in attend-
ance, and many members of the Legislature, with their ladies,
occupied seats upon the stage. The following is the orde'r of
service observed:
Music by the choir.
Prayer by President Davis, of Rio Grande College.
Music by Parkins' Quartet.
Sermon by Dr. Gladden.
Music by the choir.
Benediction by Rev. Dr. Moore.
Dr. Gladden's sermon was closely listened to, and will long
be remembered by those present. His text was: "By faith
Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out
not knowing whither he went." — Hebrews, xi.-8. The sermon
is given in full in this volume.
Sunday evening the visiting clergy, who filled the pulpits in
the morning, preached to appreciative congregations, and thus
closed the exercises commemorative of the settlement of this
city.
THE GRAND PARADE.
The delay in the arrival of trains, made a corresponding
delay in the formation and start of the parade.
It was fully three o'clock before the formation was com-
pleted by Chairman McCormick and Marshal W. P. Small. The
organization was as follows:
1. Gates Second Regiment Band, West Virginia N. G.
2. Governor Fleming and StaflF — General Oxley, Colonels
MacCorkle, Hagan, Bowyer, Gallaher and White.
3. Governor Campbell and StaflF — Generals Hawkins,
Vance, Groesbeck and Hart; Colonels Courtright, McKinney,
Denver, Wilkins, Dill, Hinmau. Spangler, Kiunane, Bresler,
Vol. Ill— 2
Id Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. ^
with Sergeant Fred Steube, carrying the banner, and Chairman
Hay ward in advance.
4. Porter Band.
5. Grand Army Posts and other veterans.
6. Company Ohio National Guard from Middleport.
7. Ben Hur Division, U. R. K. P., of Gallipolis.
8. Patriarchs Militant Band, of Columbus.
9. Grand Canton Ohio, No. 1, of Columbus.
10. Canton Fidelity, No. 1, of Huntington, W. Va.
11. Canton Sanns, of Gallipolis.
12. Cauda Hose Company, of Huntington,
13. Gallipolis Fire Department.
14. Citizens in carriages.
The parade formed on Third and Court streets, with right
resting on Second, and the line of march was up Second to Olive;
Olive to Third; Third to Grape; Grape to Second; Second to
State, where the parade was dismissed.
The pupils of the Union Schools were drawn up in line on
Third street, between State and lyocust, and reviewed the parade
amid, great enthusiasm. At Court, the Governors and their
Staffs left the procession and took up a position on Second, just
above Court, and the parade passed in review before them.
While this was being done the schools marched down Second.
They were headed by President Alcorn, Supt. Mohler and Prof.
Karr, and each school accompanied by its teacher. When Court
street was reached a halt was made and the pupils faced Second
street, and sang "America" with profound effect. At the con-
clusion of the song, three rousing cheers were given for Gov-
ernors Campbell and Fleming.
THE RECEPTION.
The Reception at the Elks' Hall on Friday evening was con-
tinued until a very late hour, and was a brilliant affair. Mrs.
Jas. E. Robinson, the Chairman, and the ladies of the Com-
mittee having the matter in charge, are to be congratulated upon
the great success that attended their efforts. The refreshments
were elegantly prepared and served with skill. The music was
The Centennial Celebration at Gallipolis.
19
furnished by the Logan Orchestra. Governor Campbell and
Stafif, Governor Fleming and Staff, Governor Marquis, Mr. C. C.
Waite, Colonel R. D, Marshall, General D. K. Watson, and
many others of our distingui.shed visitors were present, together
with the ladies accompanying them.
During the progress of the banquet, in answer to calls, short
responses were made by Governor Campbell, Governor Fleming,
Mr. Waite, Governor Marquis, Colonel R. D. Marshall, General
D. K, Watson, ana General Morton L. Hawkins.
A CENTENNIAL RELIC ROOM.
The Committee in charge of the display of relics, secured a
room in which were arranged all articles illustrating the life of
the century. The following shows the list of those who fur-
nished articles and the articles displayed, as given in the Bulletin :
S. C. Maguet, dish and plate used
for 60 years ; salt cellar used for 64
years; brass caudlestick brought
with the first French settlers.
Wni. Waddell, shoe hammer given
to grandfather in 1796 ; ginseng hoe
over 100 years old; leather wallet,
once the property of Nathan Wad-
dell; small spinning wheel 150 years
old.
Mrs. Lewis IMaguet, quilt made
during the Revolutionary War from
clothing worn at that time; chair,
70 years old, used by Major J. P. R.
Bureau, Dr. E. Naret and Hon. S. F.
Vinton; saddlebags, 70 years old,
used by Hon. S. F. Vinton.
Mrs. J. E. Robinson, tea-cups and
saucers, 85 years old; stew-pots 75
years old; picture of husband taken
when he was .3 years old, by Thomas
Wilkinson; picture of J. C. Robin-
son, Principal of Gallia Aoadem\- in
"43-4. taken 18^3; picture of INIrs.
Elizabeth Dickerson, the first col-
ored female child born in Gallipolis,
now 67 years old.
Mrs. Guthrie, brass badge of Tip-
pecanoe • towel, woven ami spun by
herself and 75 years old.
Mrs. Mary Coulson, tin plate .'50
years old, used by the sixth genera-
tion.
Mrs. Mary J. Hebard, old Cincin-
nati papers, of date of 1822-5.
Mrs. R. C. Smithers, shawl beloner-
ing to her mother, 70 years old, and
prayer-book printed in 1782.
Wm. Preston, trunk brought from
France, over 100 years old; tea-ket-
tle and pot, same.
Miss Titia Jones, Cadmus, book
printed in 1702.
Miss Maggie Northup, large col-
lection of books, among the first
printed.
.\. A. Wade, Gallipolis Journals
of the early part of the present cen-
tury.
Dr. J. R. Safford, beautiful crayon
20
Ohio Arch, and His. Society Ptiblications. [Vol. 3
picture of his grandfather, Col.
Robt. SafFord, who cut down the first
Iree on the preseut site of Gallipolis,
executed by Miss Lily Calohan from
an old daguerreotye ; the Colonel's
horse -pistol, candlestick, powder
horn, sword, sleeve-buttons worn by
him and 1.50 years old ; pair of can-
dle snuffers.
Gus Vollborn, tablecloth 267 years
old.
Hon. H. R. Howard, Pt. Pleasant,
2 bound books of newspapers (daily)
subscribed for by the Sebrill family
in 1800 and 1807.
A. C. SafTord, wolf trap presented
to Col. Robt. Safford by Daniel
Boone, his bosom friend; holster,
shaving- case, old papers, books, gun,
pistol, histories, bullet pouch, horn,
and silver watch owned by Col.
SafiFord.
Lydia Safford, tea-pot, water urn,
tallow pot, caudle moulds, caudle-
sticks, owned by Col. Robt. Safford.
M. L= Muzio, marble mortar, 100
years old ; Italian flag and coins ( y^
ceut U. S. 1826 and silx^er piece of
177.3, and French coin of 1810.)
Jas. Moats, spurs worn during the
Revolutionary War; block of wood
out of Libby Prison building.
Reuben Aleshire, jr., canteen
picked UD at battle of Point Pleas-
ant during the late war; R. Ale-
shire, sr.'s flatboat pilot license;
Luther Shepard's commission as
Major of battalion, signed by Jos.
McLain, Secretary of War.
Mrs. J. C. Cadot, vinegar bottle
over 100 years old, candlestick 9.5
years old.
C. M. Whitmer. collection of rare
Indian relics, 50 spears, pipe, medal,
and 10 old coins,
John Irion, Bible owned by the
celebrated Ann Bailey, and used 135
years.
Mrs. R. T. Carter, old Gallia Free
Press of 182.5.
Mrs. E. J. Miles, fruit dish 100
years old.
Lena Wood, Bible of 1828, excel-
lent state of preservation.
Frank Donnally, snuffbox, warm-
ing pan and fire tongs about 100
years old, brought from France by
Jos. W. Devacht's father ; saw, chest
oi silversmith's tools, etc., trunk of
French books, 11 account books,
among first kept in the city.
Capt. Polsley, pieces of wood
caught in the river after the Johns-
town flood.
Mrs. John Atkinson, Japanese
broom ; silver spoons 85 years old.
Mrs. M. Reynolds, sugar bowl
brought from France 200 years ago,
Mrs. A. W Buskirk, Portsmouth,
cane carried by Jos. Devacht, sr.,
100 years old; parasol carried by
Mrs. Devacht, sr., 100 j'ears old.
Jas. Beall, an interesting case of
Indian relics.
Mrs. O. M. Henking, cradle 80
years old.
Mrs. M. L. Shepard, piece of Icg-
wood used in old times ; picture of
Marie Louise LeClercq, the first
white child born in Gallipolis ;
candlesticks 100 years old.
W. C. Hayard, Bible over 100
years old; marriage certificate and
license of Henry Whitman and
Sophie Tilley, his mother's sister ; a
letter written to Elijah Hay ward, jr.,
by Solomon Hay ward, dated Alex-
andria, Va., Oct. 11, 1806, while on
his way here from Massachusetts.
Miss S. E. Rodgers, spoon 69
The Centennial Celebration at Gallipolis.
21
years old kettle 85 j-ears old ; hand-
kerchief 50 years old.
Mrs. John vS. Mills, reel '.19 years
old.
Miss Lily Calohan, pitcher, over
50 years old; waffle irons 60 years
old ; picture 77 years old.
Mrs. Tv. A. Hern, plate, book and
saucer 100 years old; sugar bowl
brought from Scotland, over 100
years old ; calico 53 years old.
Dr. John Sanns, song and music
written by Calvin vShephard in ISOO;
the contract for the building of the
first Methodist Church, with signers ;
the muster and pay roll of Brig. Gen.
Tupper; account book of 1805.
Lilian Stewart, vest, coverlet, veil,
box, and cuff buttons, bowl, steel-
yards of great age.
Ella B. Smeltzer, andirons 100
years old.
J. H. Hannan, Colonial and Bra-
zilian money.
C. H. McCormick, kettle made by
his grandfather in 1801 ; his hunt-
ing bag, flax hackle, rocking chair
90 years old ; bread oven, tea kettle
and iron kettle over 65 3'ears old.
Mrs. Frank Barlow, pitcher from
Switzerland, plate, linen sheets
made in 1804; flax hackle, waffle
irons, wood cards, skillet, andirons
and crane of centennial years.
H. W. McGath, cufl" buttons 250
years old; spectacles of 1800; clasp
and book of 100 years.
Mrs. Scheneberger, ink-stand over
100 years old; book over 200 years
old; nut cracker and cup from Paris
75 years old.
Miss Jennie Myers, a table of 100
years old made from one of tlu- first
trees cut on the square in Gallipo-
lis (poplar and maple) ; basket over
100 years old.
T. R. Hayward, spinning wheel 75
years old; sample of fancy work
over 100 years old.
Ernest Shober, papers over 100
years old.
W. T. Minturn, Third Year of
Commonwealth ; picture of Burke,
and one of Washington ; the Indian
Chief Cornstalk's pipe.
P. T. Wall, axe used by Col. Saf-
ford to cut down the first tree.
H. U. Maxon, dress skirt from
Scotland in 1870.
Mrs. A. H. Alexander, bread bag 75
years old, knit bag 75 years old.
Mrs. Cavin, picture and ink stand
from France.
Mrs. Chas. Hern, old picture.
Allen Reifsnyder, moccasins 100
}?ears old.
Miss M. J. Rodgers, book of 1678
and 1646.
Claude Parker, gun brought from
England in 1789.
Mrs. H. N. Ford, two pictures in
brass frames brought from France;
the Lord's prayer in French ; picture
of Mary Bobin Menager ; Sabots, be-
longing to A. LeClercq ; two cut
glass tumblers belonging to R. Le-
Clercq and to R. Doszedardski ; box
of chips with which the French set-
tlers played the game of Boston ; old
commissions in frames; old papers
of the Scioto Co.'s land deeds; Post-
master's commission ; certificate of
naturalization of Frances LeClercq ;
appointment of treasurer in Gallia
county in 1804; deed for land signed
by President James Monroe ; certi-
fi.-ate of first commission of Rosalie
LeClercq; needle book of Marie C.
22
Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
Marret ; scent bottle of same ; sugar
bowl decorated by one of the first
colonists in Gallipolis; candle snuf-
fers and tray; spelling book of 1817;
almanac of 1829; book of French
poems belonging to Dr. Doszedard-
ski.
Mrs. Julius Pitrat, picture of Peter
Menager, born Oct. 22d, 1793; first
Wheeler & Wilson sewing machine
brought to Gallipolis, bought by
Mr. Menager in 1845, a great curios-
ity, turns with a crank ; picture of
Christ, by Claude Miller in 1636.
Jas. W. Gardner, three pictures of
Public Square, Second and Front
streets, during the war; records; tax
duplicate of Gallia county in 1804 ;
original specifications of Gallia
county court house, Dec. 29, 1806,
Commissioners of county being
Orasha Strong, Chas. Buck, Chas.
Mills; assessors return of personal
property in Harrison township in
1820, Vernon Northup, lister; com-
missioners journal from July, 1804,
to July, 1807.
E. Deletombe, family relics
brought from France in 1820 ; pair
of silver candlesticks, brass candle-
sticks, cut glass tumbler, cut glass
vinaigrette, pair gold ear-rings, 100
years old; diamond ring in box of
straw ; Mosaic, dating back five
generations; meerschaum pipe 125
years old ; ivory dominoes over 100
3'ears old ; pen portrait of Voltaire ;
lady's portrait, painted on ivory;
amber beads; embroidered fichu;
white shawls; Tambour embroidery ;
Tambour working cotton and stil-
letto; silver bodkins and knitting
sheath ; sandal wo^d needle case set
with turquoise; ivory needle case;
fine clocked hose; mouseline-delaine
shawl in colors; velvet reticule;
beaded purse ; porcelain pen stand ;
cut glass ink bottle and blotting
sand ; E. Deletombe's miscellaneous
family relics — souvenirs of the Mexi-
can war of 1847 ; lady's fan-kid —
fancy painting steel sticks ; child's
toy cupboard made of glass ; pack of
Mexican playing cards ; cannon ball
from Mexican battlefield; pair of
painted china vases ; shell jewel box
from Cologne, Germany ; silk jewel
box with mirror from Germany; cut
glass vinaigrette over 50 years old;
lady's shell comb 65 years old ; toy
chair over 60 years old; paper
weights of agate from Turkey ; of
onyx from Mexico ; of marble from
the Hartz mountains; glass stylo-
graphic pen 50 years old; sea biscuit
brought to America in 1810 by Mrs.
Deletombe's father, G. Steinman ;
pack of playing cards made for use
during the rebellion with flags,
shields, etc., to replace the original
designs; California flowers pressed
in 1849 ; sandal wood from the Sand-
wich Islands ; horn of buffalo killed
on the Public Square ; tomahawk
found on Gallipolis Island in 1879;
amber beads used 60 years; silver
spoon used 85 years; incense 68 years
old ; lava and ornaments made of it,
from Mt. Vesuvius; spun glass from
Vienna, Austria; a leaf of the silver
fir from the Southern coast of Africa;
pieces of the flag staff erected after
the defeat of St. Clair at Ft. Re-
covery; amethyst from the Black
Hills ; button worn in the war of
1812; Harrison badge of 1840 ; fac
simile of a $ 1,000 bill, the first ever
owned by E. Deletombe, and exe-
cuted by the late Chas. Henking
with a pen; picture of the Star
The Cententiial Celebratio7i at Gallipolis.
23
House of Hiram Fisher on Public
Square built in 1844, and from which
Dr. Maxon fell and killed himself in
1851 ; bottle of vinegar, over 40
years old, made by Francois E. Dele-
tombe's father ; portrait of Dr. Sau-
grain, one of the first settlers ; of
Mrs. Elise Marie Kennesly, living
in St. Louis, 91 years old ; photo of
the old Deletombe house that stood
77 years at the corner of Fourth and
Court streets, and built in 1810;
picture on parchment presented with
a medal to August Loyn (uncle of
E. Deletombe) for his faithful serv-
ices in the Bureau of Correspond-
ence of the National Guard of Paris,
dated Jan. 4. 1817 ; deed of land in
the French Grant to one J. Pignolet,
one of the first settlers; marriage
certificate of Francois Deletombe
and Natalie Loyn, dated Oct. 19,
1808, parents of E. Deletombe;
baptismal certificates of Francois
Deletombe and other members of
his family, the earliest of which is
dated Jan. 2, 1804; carrier's address
of the Lancaster Gazette and En-
quirer, printed on white satin, and
dated 1838; apron and shoes 80
years old ; dress brought from Mex-
ico in 1847.
Mrs. Elise M. Kennesly, St. Louis,
a sketch in pamphlet form in 1827
of her father. Dr. Saugrain , a photo
of the monument of Dr. Saugrain's
great-grandfatder standing in the
cemetery of Pere-la-Chaise, Paris.
J. L. Hayward, Gen. E. W. Lup-
per's sash ; his own bady cap at 4
months; wedding coat of Leonard
Beck, 60 years old, made by the
father of J. L. Hayward ; gourd bot-
tle made in 1820.
Mrs. Priestly, dish 65 years old.
Mrs. Ella Gordon, a smoothing
iron 120 years old, and a tea pot 147
years old.
Mrs. H. N. Hayward, lace shawl
about 100 years old; winding-sheet,
brought from Scotland in 1802, it is
18 feet long and 6 feet wide ; a baby
dress in which herself and three
sisters were christened ; a beautiful
fan belonging to Miss Isabel Rodg-
ers, 70 years old ; a coverlet brought
from Scotland in 1802.
John Lupton, bottle of wine made
by Rosina LcClercq in 1830.
Mrs. Fannie Miles, platter and
tablecloth 50 years old, woven by
Mrs. Rodgers.
Malbry Hern, a Masonic apron
framed by Solomon Hayward over
70 years ago, and which is 125 years
old.
G. D. McBride, a French picture
with translation of great age, and
of Rio College.
Mrs. E. Westlake, plate 250 years
old.
Robt. Gates, picture of Gen. Geo.
House.
Mrs. H. H. Jones, wooden tray 120
years old, and glass dish 112 years
old.
Henry House, sword captured at
Kickapoo Bottom.
Henry Beall, a silver spoon used
in the Revolutionary War, and a
paper trunk of valuable papers, be-
longing to Col. Strickler.
Mrs. Sam Silverman, a Jewish
Bible picture of great age; knife
and fork 200 years old ; a Hebrew
Bible printed in 1840; cup made in
1713; sheet 300 years old.
Thos. Arrington, a cane G3 years
old, used by his father.
John Alexander, bottle of stream
24
Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VOL. 3
tin and lot of quartz from Black
Hills; saber captured by himself in
deadly conflict at Blacksburg, Va.,
and given to Capt. Alexander by
special order of Col. Turle)-.
Mrs. Judge Thomas, a platter 100
years old.
James Mullineaux, Sen., Bible
printed in 1772.
James H. Sauns, a bottle of water
taken from the center of the Park
in flood of 1884.
Mrs. G. S. Stevenson, a sugar
bowl 200 years old ; tin sugar bucket
over 100 years old.
Capt. W. V. Martin, a book that is
C«inteunial on border warfare.
Mrs, S. Rodgers, a silk bag 125
years old ; needle book 100 3'ears
old ; great-grandmother's belt worn
at her wedding in one of the Block
Houses at Harmar, and nearly 200
years old.
Mr. Ed Gills and Miss Clara Hea-
ton, old relics, consisting of key to
first Gallipolis Jail, belonging to
Claude Pritchett; pair scissors 111
years old, belonging to Mrs. Marie
McConnell ; petrified russet apple
125 years old, belonging to Miss
Heaton ; gold key with heart, be-
longing to Mrs. Adelaide Magnet,
one of the original settlers, who
died in 1889, eighteen days short of
100 years old, her picture, and many
other relics, belonging to the fam-
Mrs. S. F. Neal, copy of the Ulster
County (N. Y.) Gazette, containing
complete account of circumstances,
death and obituary address of Presi-
dent George Washington, dated Jan-
uary 4th, 1800; also a Postal Guide,
showing the number of Postoffices
in the U. S. in 1811, to be only 2400.
F. E. Duduit, Portsmouth, razors,
solid silver spoons, brought from
Paris by his father.
Marion Beall, Indian relics, fine
collection.
Picture of Mrs. Adelaide Magnet,
who came here when 5 years old,
and died just short of 100 years.
Miss Mary Johnson, skillet 100
years old.
A. E. Jones, plate, 95 years old.
Mrs. E. A. Stanley, teapot, glass
cane, box specimens, the teapot
made in England and 70 years old.
Mrs. Sallie Smith, kettle belong-
ing to Extra Billy Smith, of great
age.
A. J. Green, whip made of hoof
and horn of deer in 1848.
Jonas McCarty, flat iron used in
the Revolutionary War.
Alex Beatty, Portsmouth, candle-
stick brought to America in 1790.
Jos. Walter, cartridge box used in
battle of Waterloo ;. tomahawk 100
years old, and Indian relics.
David Irwin, newspaper of 1828.
E. M. Shepard, cane belonging to
Col. Robert Saflford ; scissors pre-
sented to Col. Safford by Col. Tup-
per in 1795 ; bellows from Quebec
by Col. Robert Safford.
Mrs. Hudson Maddy, cup and sau--
cer 100 years old.
Miss Blanche Cadot, marriage cer-
tificate of her great-grandmother;
lock that was on first fort in Galli-
polis.
Jas. Thomas, Charity, O., cash box
273 years old.
Ralph C. Jones, cane carried by
Col. Safford and made from first
tree cut on the site of Gallipolis.
H. U. Maxon, waiter of dishes 75
years old ; bag very old.
The Centennial Celebration at Gallipolis.
25
Mrs. Lalla Moncure, bottle of
water from River Jordan.
John Morrison, Indian relics and
used at Andersonville.
John Nealon, apron 100 years old.
Jas. L. Clark, sabre of the Revoln-
tionary war.
Jos. Walter, five-dollar bill of the
old Gallipolis bank.
Mrs. S. Brosius, samples embroid-
ery (2 pieces), painting in velvet,
very old, no date.
Bevery Grant, pewter spoons, and
novels of 1780.
C. H. D. Summers, male and
female buffalo horns, captured in
Montana by Harry and Fred Sum-
mers.
Mrs. C. Knapp, beads 100 years old.
Mrs. A. McCormick, bellows, sea-
weed, French letter, handkerchief,
picture. All these things belonged
to ihe Warth family and are very old.
Ellis Swisher, wolf-trap over 100
years old.
Mack Spraguc, sign, auction, 200
years old; mortar, made in England
in 1725; books, 1828.
Mrs. C. C. Row, Portsmouth, silver
snuff box made in France, and
brought fom there 100 years ago.
Mrs. F. M. Womeldorff, hackle
and flax made and brought from
Ireland over 8(5 years ago by her
grandmother.
Mrs. Isabel Rodgers, copper kettle
fO years old, and old papers.
Mrs. Alex Vance, pan and andirons
belonging to General E. W. Tupper,
and Bible 139 years old.
Mrs. Madeline Langley, John
Peter Roman Bureau's wedding tie
of white satin, cigar case, beads,
French picture (Virgin Mary),
handsome snuff box with the Con-
stitution of the United States on
lid, pearl needle case, shell box,
coin, spoon and various articles of
age belonging to Madeline Fran-
cis Charlotte Bureau ; watch-seal,
breastpin and cane belonging to
J. P. R. Bureau; needle case and ret-
icule belonging to Margaret Hughes
Bureau.
Mrs. Mary Johnson, skUlet 100
years old.
EllaOlmstead, steelyards 150 years
old, and clock made of different
materials.
J. L. W. Evans, tomahawk, about
200 years old.
Mrs. Emma Lang, German and
English Bible and table-cloth, all
100 years old.
Miss Eily Heisner, sand-box,
needle- book and turquoise necklace
used during the Revolutionary
War ; night-cap 58 years old, owned
by Mrs. Charles Creuzet.
J. M. Davis, Nehemiah and Par-
melia Atwood's pictures, the found-
ers and endowers of Rio Grande
College.
Flora Jackson, book of poetry of
1810: Wm. Diamond, author, beau-
tiful book.
Hattie Miles, Chinese idols from
Foo-Chin, China.
S. R. Davis, ancient coin found \y.
West Virginia.
26 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
OPENING ADDRESS BY HON. HORACE R. BRADBURY, MAYOR OF
GALLIPOLIS.
Felloiv- Citizens, Ladies and Gentlemen :
As the official head of this city, representing the people of
Gallipolis, in their behalf and in behalf of the Executive Com-
mittee, by whom this Centennial celebration has been projected
and managed thus far, and while welcoming other distinguished
guests, it becomes my pleasant duty to extend an especial wel-
come to the members of the Historical Society of this State.
Gentlemen and ladies of the State Historical Society, I
therefore extend to you the sincere and cordial greetings of the
citizens of Gallipolis, and I assure you that our people are united
in extending this welcome, and we, one and all, hope that your
stay among us may be pleasant and your labors profitable.
When, one hundred years ago, a handful of settlers, voyag-
ing down the beautiful river which flows at our feet, rounded-to
their primitive vessels and landed at this spot, no such welcome
as this was extended to them. The place whereon we stand was
a part of the wilderness extending northwardly to the great
lakes, and the only welcome they received was that extended by
the savage wild beasts and still more savage wild men who
roamed therein unchallenged.
These pioneers left civilization and its comforts and con-
veniences behind them; they found before them untamed natives,
requiring infinite and exhausting labor to subdue. What hopes
animated, what fears and doubts depressed them?
But it is no part of my duty to recount the trials of these
men — how they succeeded or where they failed — this is the duty
of other and abler minds. They will tell you how the wilderness
was subdued, how the forests gave way before the sturdy blows
of the pioneers, and how cities and towns arose and flourished,
and smiling farms made glad the waste places; how our beloved
State arose from humble beginnings, her destinies guided by the
worthy sons of noble sires, to shine the bright particular stars,
in the glorious galaxy of States evolved from the great North-
west Territory ; all this and much more will pertain to the duties
The Century and Its Lessons. 21
of the distinguished gentletneti whom we have assembled here
to greet.
This city of ours has in time sent forth her sons and daugh-
ters, who, with willing hands and strong hearts, have engaged in
founding other cities and States, thus following the noble ex-
ample set by their ancestors. Many of these sons and daughters
have returned in response to invitations cordially extended; and
I desire to say to them, as well as the strangers within our gates,
we extend a thousand hearty, cordial welcomes to you all.
This gavel, which I hold in my hand, and with which this
assembly was called to order, is of some historic interest; the
wood of which it is made is a portion of a log taken from one of
the first cabins built for the French emigrants at Gallipolis.
This wood is emblematical of the trials, suffering and hardships
endured b}^ our forefathers in making possible the great advance
in the arts and sciences made by their descendants, this advance
being fully represented by the beautiful silver binding of the
gavel and the inscription thereon.
Again, I bid \o\x all thrice welcome.
At the conclusion of this address, a selection of music was
given by the band, after which Mayor Bradbury introduced Dr.
N. J. Morrison, of Marietta College, who spoke on the topic "A
Century and its Les.sons.'"
THE CENTURY AXD ITS LESSONS.
Each century of human history is marked by a train of
peculiar events, characterized by its own peculiar spirit, gives
birth to its own family offspring of ideas, and bequeaths to after-
ages a heritage of peculiar and instructive lessons.
Thus the philosophic historian characterizes one centurj^ as
an age of intellectual and political decadence and another as an
age of intellectual and political renaisance; this century as a
period of Augustan brilliancy in Letters and that as a period of
Invention and Discovery.
And so we call the Eleventh Century of our era the " Age
of the Crusades," when a wave of religious and martial fanatic-
ism swept from West to East over all Europe and culminated in
28 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
overwhelming the Moslem power in the Land of the Cross, and
crowning Baldwin, Count of Flanders, as Christian King of Jeru-
salem, just as the Clock of Time was striking the morning hour
of the year 1100.
The Thirteenth Century is distinguished in European his-
tory from all precedent and subsequent ages, by the develop-
ment and perfection of that matchless form of Christian Archi-
tecture, known as the Gothic Cathedral. York Minster, West-
minster Abbey and Salisbury Cathedral in England; the Notre
Dame of Paris, and the Cathedral of Rheims in France, and the
Cathedrals of Strasbourg and Cologne in Germany, each a speci-
men of " poetry crystalized into stone," are illustrious examples
of the almost inspired skill of the church-builders of the Thir-
teenth Century.
The Sixteenth Century, introduced in 1492-98 by the Colum-
bian discovery of the New World, is marked throughout by the
influence of the most tremendous intellectual awakening and
intellectual commotion which the world has yet experienced.
This was the period of Copernicus, Tycho Brahe and Galileo in
Astronomy, and of the resulting revolution in men's ideas about
the system of the universe. Then also the Art of Painting
reached its perfection in the works of the three great masters,
Michael Angelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Ranzio. It was the
Elizabethan era of Literature and Philosophy in England. It
was also the era of Luther, Calvin, Knox and Loyola, and the
great religious revolutions and counter-revolutions, which these
hi.storic names signify.
This Nineteenth Century has its stream of characteristic
events, moved by its own forces, along its own channels, toward
its own predetermined end. We call this the " Age of the Peo-
ple,"— meaning that mankind have at last reached that stage in
their toilsome progress, when the bonds of hereditary authority
and prescriptive privilege are broken, and men are moving for-
ward into the full enjoyment of an equality in personal liberty,
equality in civil rights, and equality in opportunity.
Properly regarded, the present century begins with the last
ten years of the Eighteenth Century. In that decade, events of
such momentous importance took place in one quarter of the
The Century and Its Lesso7is. 29
world, as to give permanent impulse, character and direction to
the course of civilization since. It was then that Democracy
burst its Mediaeval fetters and marched forth from the prison-
house of ages, as a strong man armed, upon the stage of human
affairs to rule the world.
The French Revolution of 1789 set in motion political and
social forces which have dominated and given character to the
course of human events during the century since. It will aid us
in. estimating the influence of these forces and in rightly inter-
preting the " Lessons of the Century," if we briefly recapitulate
the causes of the Revolution. These are commonly ascribed by
historians to the tyranny and reckless extravagance of the reign-
ing Bourbon monarchy; the iniquitous privileges and corruption
of the nobility and clergy ; the unspeakable misery of the mass
of the people; and the revolutionary spirit of contemporary
French philosophy and literature.
The French king held in his own despotic power the pro-
perty, liberty and life of every subject, enacting the spirit of
that arrogant phrase of Louis XIV, "I am the State." He
imprisoned without trial and without preferring charges; gov-
erned without cabinet or legislature, — the royal edicts were
laws; imposed taxes according to the royal whim, or at the beck
of a corrupt courtier, that were spoliation and confiscation on the
property of the hapless people; — and the revenues thus obtained
were squandered in extravagances and debaucheries that would
shame a Turkish Sultan. One writer declares that "Louis XV
probably spent more money on his harem than on any depart-
ment of the French Government."
In 1790 the nobilit}^ of France comprised one quarter million
of souls in a population of 25,000,000 in the nation. They were
mainly the " Rubbish of Mediaeval Feudalism," living in idleness
and dissipation at the Court, and pensioners on the royal bounty.
Though numerically .scarcely one one-hundreth part of the
French people, they monopolized more than one-fifth of all the
land. They were the "absentee" landlords of the time, exact-
ing exorbitant rents from the poor tenants of their estates with
remorseless rigor. And yet, though thus supported from the
30 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Ptiblications. [Vol. 3
public revenue and holding vast territories of the richest land,
they were practically exempt from the burden of public taxation.
The French clergy constituted a decayed feudal hierarchy,
enormously wealthy; the higher stations, filled with scions from
the nobility, "Patrician Prelates," often of the most dissolute
morals, of whom the famous Talleyrand, at once secular Prince
and Primate of the Gallican Church, is an instructive exarnple;
the clergy holding title to one-third of all the lands of France,
and receiving stipends from the public exchequer, yet privileged
with exemption from the public burthens.
On the other hand, the "plain, common people," the mass
of the French nation, oppressed and despoiled through many
generations by King and Court and Clergy, were reduced to a
condition of suffering penury. As the great Fenelon wrote in
an appeal to the King, " France is simply a great hospital, full
of woe and empty of bread." They were helots, — without in-
fluence in the State, without power or hope of redress for their
wrongs, their only " Use to the State to pay feudal duties to the
lords, tithes to the priest and imposts to the king."
To these primary causes of the impending catastrophe of
the kingdom of Louis XVI, must be added the great influence
on the opinions of Frenchmen, during the last half of the
Eighteenth Century, of the philosophical writings of Voltaire,
Rousseau and the Encyclopaedists generally. Their philosophy
was sceptical, iconoclastic, subversive of the existing order.
They assailed with undiscriminating ardor the abuses which had
barnacled on existing institutions and the institutions them-
selves. Religion, the State, society itself, in their view, needed
not reformation merely but an overturning. To restore the lost
purity and happiness of mankind, society must return to the
state of nature. They entered upon a crusade for the recovery
of Human Rights.
By the winter of 1787, the financial disorders of the king-
dom reached a crisis, — there was a deficiency of 140,000,000
francs. The King called an assembly of the Notables, who had
not been previously summoned since the days of Henry of
Navarre, in the Sixteenth Century, But, unwilling to tax
themselves, or to surrender for the general good any of their
The Century and Its Lessotis. 31
immunities and prerogatives, they adjourned without accom-
plishing anything. As a last resort, Louis XVIth resolved to
convoke the States General, comprising representatives of the
three orders of the State, the Nobility, the Clergy and the Com-
mons. This body, representing the French Nation at large, had
not before been invited to take part iu the government for 175
years. During all this period the King and his Court had gov-
erned France alone.
The States General met at the Palace in Versailles, May
5th, 1789, and consisted of 1200 members, of whom a majority
were from the commons, the lesser half being divided about
equally between the nobility and the clergy. The King had
consented that the "Third Estate," as the comnions were called,
should outnumber the aristocratic deputies, presuming on the
continuance of the ancient usage of the States General, accord-
ing to which voting was by the orders. But the Third Estate,
perceiving that they would be outvoted and powerless, and feel-
ing that they were backed by the public sentiment of the nation,
demanded that individuals, and not orders, should be counted in
the deliberations and decisions of the States General.
For five weeks the contest went on between the orders in
the States General when finally the Third Estate declared them-
selves the National Assembly, and invited the two orders to join
them in their deliberations, giving them clearly to understand
tliat if they declined, the commons would proceed to transact
public business without them.
The King, in anger at this revolutionary proceeding,
promptly prorogued the Assembly and closed the doors of the
Palace against the deputies. Undismayed, the Commons met in
tennis court of the Palace, and there bound themselves by
a solemn oath never to separate until they had given a constitu-
tion to France. Shut out from the Palace the deputies found
places of meeting in the churches, where they were soon joined
by a great part of the clerical deputies, and a little later b>
many nobles. On the 17th day of June, 1789, the States Gen-
eral became in reality the National Assembly, its President, in
welcoming the adhesion of the other orders, exclaiming, "This
32 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Voi,. 3
day will be illustrious iu our annals ; it renders the family com-
plete."
Meanwhile events of startling moment are matunng. The
King masses troops around Versailles to overawe the National
Assembly. The rumor reaches Paris that he intends to disperse
the assembly by force of arms. The capital is in a ferment.
Leading men from the various wards of the city come together
and constitute themselves a Provisional Committee to protect the
city's interest and direct its government, — thereby creating the
germ, out of which speedily grew the 'Paris Commune of such
portentous power and tendency. The National Guard, so famous
in the after wars of the Republic and the Empire, is organized
and, with Lafayette at its head, placed under the direction of the
Commune. Rumor flies among the people that the guns of the
old Bastile, that grim mediaeval prison-house of tyranny, are
being trained on the city. "To the Bastile!" wildly shout the
excited multitude. And quickly a vast, armed, infuriated mob
have surrounded the fortress, battered in the doors, slain the
defenders, liberated the imprisoned, razed its towers and walls to
the ground. The fourteenth of July, 1789, has sounded. Paris
is in the hands of an armed mob.
When the report of this outbreak in the Capital reaches the
King, he cries out: "What, a rebellion?" "No, Sire," "but
revolution."
When the news of this great event reaches the National
Assembly a scene transpires, the like of which the world has
never witnessed in any deliberative bod5\ The privileged orders
realize that it is all over with their exclusive privileges. Rising in
the tribune, prominent members of the nobility declare theii
willingness to renounce all exemptions. A contagious enthusi-
asm of generosity seizes the members. Nobles and prelates
crowd to the tribune to emulate this patriotic example. Every-
body is eager to :>nake sacrifices for the common good. The
members embrace each other in transports of joy, and sing
the Te Deuni in celebration of the advent among men of peace,
equality and good-will.
The revolution moves on with quickening pace. The
Parisian mob, led by frenzied Amazons, stream out of the city to
The Century and Its Lessons. 33
Versailles, encamp about the Royal Palace for the night, and in
the morning assault and sack the Palace, and compel the King,
the Royal Family and the National Assembly to march back with
them to Paris. And thus is made "the joyous entry of October
6th, 1789," famous in the annals of the Revolution.
From this time the Paris Commune controls in public
affairs, holding the King hostage in the Tuilleries, and dictating
legislation to the National Assembly. The Assembly votes to
curtail the Royal prerogative, to confiscate the accumulated
wealth of the Church, to abolish the religious orders, and to give
universal suffrage to the people, meanwhile busying itself with
the task of framing a free Constitution for France.
Presently the Constitution, providing for the continuance of
the Monarchy, limited by a National Legislature, for an inde-
pendent judiciary, for local self-government throughout the
realm, for the election of all civil officers by the people, for the
abolition of rank and privilege and the installation of equality
among citizens, for a free press and absolute freedom of religion,
is offered to the Nation for solemn ratification. On the 14th day
of July, 1790, in the Champs de Mars, "in the presence of half
a million Frenchmen," the Abbe Talleyrand as representative of
the National Church; Lafayette as Commander of the National
Guard, the President of the National Assembly, and the King,
in succession take oath to maintain this Constitution ; the Queen
also holding up the infant Crown Prince before the eyes of the
people, and pledging his future fidelity to that instrument.
Such solemn approval of the new civil institutions of France
by the several national powers, seemed, at first, to mark the
inauguration of a millenial era of political freedom and brother-
hood; the spirit of the transcendant motto of the Revolution,
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," seemed about to be realized.
But the King, tiring of his confinement in the Tuilleries,
secretly leaves Paris and attempts to fly from France ; is caught
at the frontier, brought back, incarcerated, cited to trial as
a conspirator against the public safetj', condemned, beheaded.
The Republic is proclaimed; the massacres of the "Bloody
Reign of Terror" follow. The hapless Mary Antoinette is
brought to the guillotine, pathetically crying out to the tribunal
Vol. Ill— 3
34 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
which had condemned her: " I was a Queen, but you took away
my crown; a wife, and you killed my husband; a mother, and
you robbed me of my children ; my blood alone remains — take
it, but do not make me suffer long!"
The historical sequel is familiar — the Directory, the Consul-
ate the Empire, the prolonged struggle with embattled Europe,
until Waterloo, and then the restored Bourbons under Louis
XVIII.
I have tarried thus long in the presence of these great
events, because they have so largely dominated and shaped the
course of human affairs since. The motto of the Revolution,
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," embodies the political ideal of
humanity, and toward the attainment of that ideal have the
struggles of humanity since been directed. The political
progress of the century is but the progressive realization in
society of this ideal.
Thus the Revolution gave the coup dc grace to feudalism in
all its forms; ecclesiastical, vassal and lord, military service, land
tenure and prerogative by inheritance.
The "divine right of kings" received mortal hurt by the
same stroke that slew its twin offspring of the Middle Ages —
Feudalism. Monarchy has never recovered from the rude shock
given it by the fall of Louis XVI. Throughout Christendom —
save Russia — wherever sceptered monarchy still lags "super-
fluous" on the world's stage, kings have learned that they reign,
if at all, only as "citizen" kings deriving authority from the
consent of the governed. Since the days when the holy alliance
of Austria, Russia and Prussia was formed on the downfall of
Napoleon, to prop up the tottering thrones of Europe, half the
nations of the world have throv/n off the trammels of monarchy
and become republics ; and the other half only await favorable
opportunity to follow their example.
The nineteenth century is an era of revolution. Not a
country of Europe or America has, since the day of Waterloo,
remained unshaken. Scarcely had the holy alliance replaced the
expelled Bourbons on their forfeited thrones, when the people
of Italy, of Spain and Spanish America rose in revolt. In 1830
another revolutionary wave swept over Europe, lifting the
The Century and Its Lessons. 35
'■'citizen" king to the throne of F'rance and inaugurating a neW
kingdom in Belgium of the most liberal tendencies. In 1848
again all Europe trembled in the throes of civil convulsions.
The boundaries of States were changed, kindred peoples arbi-
trarily separated coalesced, and political institutions were genef^
ally liberalized. Hungary sought national autonomy, and gained
political equipoise with her rival and late eneni}' in the dual
Empire of Austria-Hungary.
Many of the uprisings of the people during this period have
indeed aborted and been suppressed in blood; and yet, plainly
the aggregate result of all these revolutions and revolts of
nearly a century is the vindication of human rights and the ad-
vancement of human freedom.
The hundred years that expire to-day have been a century
of emancipation. At its dawning, the echo of the Marseillaise,
sung by the conquering legions of Republican France, heard
across the seas, rou.sed the black slaves in the French West
Indies to strike for freedom. The eloquent pleadings of Gran-
ville Sharp, Wilberforce and Brougham in Parliament, finally im-
pelled the British government, in 1833, to break the shackles of
every slave on British soil, decreeing England's eternal reproba-
tion of the ' ' wild and guilty phantasy that man can hold prop-
erty in man." In 1861 Alexander of Russia put his seal to a
state paper of transcendent human importance, by which 46,-
000,000 Russian serfs, slaves of the soil, have attained to free-
dom. By the fortunate issue of our own terrible civil war, in-
voked by human selfishness to perpetuate American slavery,
4,000,000 human chattels on our soil have been transformed into
free men, endowed with full citizenship. And lately, by the
great act of the enlightened ruler of Brazil, African slavery
in that country has ceased to exist, and vanished, finally, from
the soil of the American continent.
The present century has been made illustrious by the re-
naissance and rehabilitation of ancient nationalities. In the
third decade, the public life and literature of England and
America thrilled with the heroic story of the Greeks striking for
freedom from Turkish despotism, and for the restoration of the
commonwealth of Pericles and Epaminondas. Italy, since the
$6 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
days of Charlemagne, the victim of internal dissensions and the
sport of Transalpine greed, combining her previously dissevered
members into one body, has again become a nation, under one
political constitution, from the Alps to Sicily — independent,
free, progressive. And the historic people of the German
States, boasting one language and one noble literature, but
for centuries broken into an unstable chaos of political frag-
ments, feeble, discordant, often belligerent, and always the easy
prey of harpy nations around, led by the "Man of Blood and
Iron," have recently coalesced in the gigantic Military Empire
of revived and united Germany.
No feature of the Nineteenth Century is more striking than
the development of Parliamentary government. When the Great
Revolution opened Parliamentary rule existed only among Eng-
lish-speaking peoples in Great Britain and America. The irre-
sponsible despots of France had not consulted the people in
legislation for two hundred years. But now, at a century from
the storming of the Bastile, Russia, alone, of all Christian pow-
ers, is ruled without the intervention of a legislature chosen by
the people and for the people.
And as the people have thus, by their representatives, ac-
quired authority and the functions of government, in like pro-
portion has legislation been ameliorated and fitted to conserve
the rights and the interests of the people. Formerly laws were
promulgated by the classes for themselves ; now the masses con-
trol in statute-making, or are coming to control. In America
and in Western Europe men are now substantially equal before
the law. A century ag^ the judges of England concurred in
this dictum of one of them — " There is no regenerating a felon
in this life; and for his sake, as well as for the sake of society, I
think it better to hang!" They did "hang" for nearly every
offense known to English law. Contrast the spirit of this hor-
rible maxim of jurists theii with the humane spirit of the laws
and the humane practice of the Courts of England and America
to-day.
The present is par excellence the age of discovery in science
and of invention in the useful arts. The eloquent panegyric of
Macaulay on Science, as applied to the arts in promoting human
The Century and Its Lessons. 37
ivelfare, is justified, and more than justified by the facts about
us: "Science has lengthened Hfe; it has mitigated pain; it has
extinguished diseases; it has increased the fertilit}^ of the soil;
it has given new securities to the mariner; it has furnished new
arms to the warrior; it has spanned great rivers and estuaries
with bridges of form unknown to our fathers; it has guided the
thunderbolt innocuously from heaven to earth ; it has lighted up
the night with the splendor of the day; it has extended the range
of the human vision ; it has multiplied the power of the human
muscles; it has annihilated distance; it has facilitated intercourse,
correspondence, all friendl)^ offices, all dispatch of business; it
has enabled man to descend to the depths of the sea, to soar into
the air, to penetrate securely into the noxious recesses of the
earth, to traverse the land in cars which whirl along without
horses, to cross the ocean in ships which run ten knots an hour
against the wind." And all these achievements of science, and
others since Macaulay still more wonderful, have accrued to the
benefit and glory of inankind since the Great Revolution
Consider a few familiar contrasts between then and now:
There were then no locomotives, no railroads, no steam ships, no
telegraphs, telephones, or phonographs ; no power printing press,
no stereotype, no electrotype; no hard rubber with its ten thou-
sand admirable utilities; no known utility of the then tameless
power of frictional electricity, which now swiftly draws our car-
riages by day, and lights up with the splendor of the sun our
streets and houses by night; no photography; no spectroscope
to analyze the beams of the sun and the far off twinkle of the
fiyid stars, and no microscope to reveal to human ken the infini-
tude of organized beings which float unseen by us in the air we
breathe and swim in the water that we drink; no agricultural
machines for the farm. It took Washington eight days to journey
from Mt= Vernon to New York to be inaugurated First President.
Our present Chief Magistrate makes the same journey to cele-
brate the Centennial of Washington's inauguration in less than
eight hours. The French immigrants, whom we honor to-day,
were longer in making their toilsome journey' from Alexandria
to this place, than Miss Bisland lately required to travel round
the globe.
38 Ohio Arch and His. Society Publications. [Vol. %
I should seem waiitiug iu due honor for the profession to
whose service I have given my life, if, in this hasty resume of
some of "the lessons of the century," I should accord no place
to the progress of education.
In the year 1809, when, by the Peace of Tilsit between Na-
poleon and Alexander with his allies, Prussia was left dismem-
bered, stripped of half her territory, her military power broken,
her exchequer bankrupt, her people beggared by devastating war
and disheartened, two of her statesmen, William Von Humboldt
and Baron Stein, set themselves to the great task of national re-
generation and recovery ; and they began their work of rebuild-
ing Prussia at the point where skillful architects of States must
always base the foundations of their edifices — z;z the education
of the people. They founded the University of Berlin, at the
moment of the lowest ebb in the life of the nation, which has
now grown into the dignity of the most powerful University
known to history. They reorganized the whole system of public
instruction and provided that every Prussian child not only might
but actually should attain to a fair education. And to their plan
instituted in the crisis of Prussia, publicists tell us Prussia owes
her remarkable advance among modern nations, her invincible
military prowess, her primacy in founding and directing the
destiny of the German Empire.
The liberalizing of the political institutions of Western
Europe has been accompanied with widespread revival in public
education. Provision for the education of all the children of
the State is now an accepted maxim of government in all en-
lightened nations. And in America how the galaxy of colleges,
starting with Harvard, has spread as a zone of living light
across the broad firmament of the continent. And how the in-
stitution of the common schools, offspring of Puritan parentage,
at first slowly following the New England emigrant in his march
to the Pacific, has lately, by the overthrow of its deadly enemy,
slavery, hastened southward and captured the country. And
to-day every State, from ocean to ocean, and from the lakes to
the gulf, wills that every child within its bounds shall enjoy the
blessings of education.
And with this progress of the nations during the last hun-
The Century ajid Its Lessons. 39
dred years in respect to larger freedom, better legislation, more
general and improved education, in discovery in science, in in-
vention, in the arts, what advancement in national and indi-
vidual wealth! The Golden Era has dawned, if by that is
meant an age of accumulated and accumulating wealth. How
the comforts and elegancies of life have multiplied, and how
widely are they distributed. Men generally live far more ration-
ally, as if endowed with a more than animal nature, than ever
before. This is a grand age — a privilege to live in and be a
part of it. We may not produce statues that can rival the
work of Phidias ; we may have no painter that can limn like
Raphael ; the age builds no gothic cathedrals to vie with Milan
and Cologne. We do better than all this — we dedicate our
highest powers to the production of agencies by which the
higher well-being of the average man may be promoted. Our
works of art are the cotton gin, the locomotive, the power press,
bridges for commerce across the straits of the seas, tunnels
under the Alps, canals to connect oceans, great laboratories and
museums of science, and school houses for the people.
The motto which inspired whatever good inhered in the
Revolution, and which has so far moulded human thought and
action since, " Liberty, Equality and Fraternity," approaches its
full realization in human society. The average man has all the
freedom he needs. On the whole the equality of men is pretty
fairly attained, certainly before the law, and largely in respect to
opportunity. Much progress also is making in the attainment
of the spirit of fraternity among men. To the full realization
of the spirit of brotherhood, and so of applied Christianity in
the world, is the summons for to-day — is the task of the coming
age.
40 Ohio Arch. a?td His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
MAJOR JOHN BURNHAM AND HIS COMPANY.
Mr, Barlow had written Colonel Duer early in December,
1789, that huts must be built on land opposite the mouth of the
Great Kanawha to accommodate at least one hundred persons.
The cost of these huts was to be paid by the agent of the immi-
grants upon their arrival. In March, 1790, General Rufus Put-
nam, as agent for the Trustees for the Scioto Associates, em-
ployed John Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts, to enlist in New
England a company of fifty young men who were expert wood-
men and who would submit to military discipline. They were
to be employed for six months and were to build the huts on the
site selected for the city of Gallipolis, to assist in clearing the
lands adjacent, to act as hunters when required and to keep such
guard as might be necessary. There was peace along the border,
but it was an " Indian peace," and the frontier was infested by
marauders, white, red and black. No better leader for such a
party than John Burnham could have been found. He had
served as an officer of the line through the war of the Revolu-
tion and was present at every important battle from Bunker Hill
to Yorktown. The company he commanded in the eighth Mas-
sachusetts regimiment was, in 1782, complimented in general
orders by General Washington himself for its ' ' soldier-like and
military appearance." He quickly enlisted the company and on
the twenty-ninth of May, 1790, reported to Gen. Putnam at
Wellsburg, on the Ohio river with thirty-six men. Of the fifty
whose services had been engaged ten had not yot joined and four
had deserted. The following is the roll, omitting the names of
the deserters:
. ^£^-~. ,. ^ ._
^---..i.i'"",; iff- " '"^ . '. ^•
Cabins Built by Maj. John Burnham, on Site of Public
Square, 1790.
Public Square of Gallipolis in 1846.
Major John Durnham and His Company.
41
" Subsistence Roll for a Company of Men Engaged in the Servicb
OF THE Scioto Company to Make a New Settlement on the
Banks of Ohio From the Time They Left Their Sev-
eral Homes 'Till Thky Arrived at Yoithiogy.
Men's Names.
Places of
Residence.
4^ S «
>< o
Casualities.
William Potter
Isaac Choale
Nathan Page
Jacob Proctor
Elijah Bodell
Ichabud Olivant
Abraham Dodge
Aaron Brown
Thomas Silk
John Andrews
Roger Sergeant
John Moors
John Hart
Phineas Richardson..
Reuben Rice
Ebenezer Randol
Zacheus Goldsmith.. .
Isaac Dempsie
Samuel Thomas. . . .
Jonathan Sheldon.. .
Michael Carroll
Gideon Batchelor. . .
Nathaniel Brown
Benjamin Potter
Robert Safford
Samuel Lewis
William Dunlap
James Dorsey
Frederick Palmer. . .
Ithamer Shaw
Daniel Maynard
Joseph Smith
David Butler
William Bridge
John Miles
Asaph Pimuy
Aaron Pimuy
Asa Bullaid
Jonathan Pimuy. . . .
Melancton Foster. . . .
Thaddeus Humphrey.
Josephus Lee
Silas Fowler
Gamaliel Ingraham..
Luther Freman
Joseph Thompson . . .
Ipswich
Leicester
Danvers
Danvers
Mathuen
Ipswich
Ipswich.
Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich. ......
Cape Ann
Wenham
Leicester
Keen
Putna
Audover
Danvers
Danvers
Danvers
Danvers
Danvers
Ipswich
Ipswich
Woodstock, Vt. .
Newburgh
Newburgh
Danvers
West Springfield.
West Springfield.
New Marlboro.
West Springfield.
Suffield
Rutland
Rutland
Simsbury
Simsbury
West Springfield
Simesbury
Simesbury
Simesbury
Southwick
Southwick
Southwick
Colchester
Colchester
Cts.
26
26
$8 06
8 06
8 06
8 06
8 06
8 84
8 84
8 84
8 84
8 84
8 84
8 84
8 06
10 14
6 76
6 76
7 54
7 54
7 64
8 06
8 06
8 06
8 06
8 06
5 20
5 20
6 24
6 76
6 76
6 76
6 76
6 76
6 76
7 54
7 54
7 80
7 80
8 06
8 80
8 80
8 80
1 56
1 56
1 56
1 68
1 70
Detained
bysickn'ss
on road.
Not joined.
Not joined.
Not joined.
Not joined.
Not joined.
Not joined.
Not joined.
Not joined.
Not joined.
Not joined.
42 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
"Wells Burg, May 29, 1790.
' • I hereby certifie that the within Subsistance roll is just and
tiue and that the moneys paid to Deserters, sick, left sick on the
way or not joined I will endevor to recover, and if recovered or
any part thereof I will repay the same to Rufus Putnam or his
ordor.
John Burnham.'"
CABINS BUILT BY MAJ. JOHN BURNHAM ON THE PUBLIC SQUARE, GAL-
LIPOLIS, IN THE SUMMER OF 1790.
From Wellsburg the party proceeded by water to Marietta,
where General Putnam gave to Major Burnham the following
letter of instructions :
"Marietta, June 4th, 1790.
"Dear Sir:
' ' You will please to proceed with the people engaged in the
service of the trustees of the Scioto proprietors, in consequence
of my letters to you of the day of March last, to a place
on the Ohio [river] next Chickamaga creek, which will be.
marked out and shown to you by Col. [R. J.] Meigs, [Sr..l
where you will begin your operations and prosecute the business
Major John Burnham and His Compa^iy. 43
in the best manner you can for the interest of your employers
and safety to yourself and people. The object is to erect four
block [houses] and a number of low huts, agreeably to the plan
which you will have with you, and clear the lands. Your own
knowledge of hut building, the block house of round logs which
you have will have an opportunity to observe at Belleprie,
together with the plan so clearly explained, renders it unneces-
sary to be very particular; howev^er, you will remember that I
don't expect you will lay any floors except for your own con-
venience, nor put in any sleeper or Joyce for the lower floors;
plank for the doors must be split and hewed and the doors hung
with wooden hinges; as I don't expect yo\x will obtain any stone
for the backs of your ciiimneys, they must be made of clay first,
moulded into tile and dried in manner you will be shown an
example at Belleprie.
When Col. Meigs has assigned the spot and set the stakes
for the center of the four block houses, you will first clear a spot
(which will be pointed out) and throw up a work, which must
be as near the place marked on the plan as you can»find a con-
venient or the best landing, where you will erect a temporary or
stone house and a cover to keep you men dry till the block
houses are completed, which should be your next object and
after that proceed to building huts. In clearing the lands, what-
ever timber is useful for your building, should be cut and select-
ed for the purpose as you go along and the rest cleared and
burned entirely off. Your clearing must be in one continued
body and extended up and down the river equally from your
work as well as from the river. Supply yourself and party with
whatever you find necessary and reasonable and take care that
the provisions are used with economy. I wish you to inform
yourself with respect to a supply of beef at Kanawha and let me
know by Col. Meigs what may be depended on that I may, if
necessary, .send 3'ou beef from some other quarter.
You will pay no wages to the carpenters. Smith Brown and
son, nor to John Gardiner, as the carpenters will be paid by
myself or Col. Meigs and I am bound for Gardiner for more
than three months full pay. The pay of your men must com-
mence on their arrival at Youghioganee, deducting four days icr
44 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
their passage to Muskingum. If anything more should occur
which it may be necessary to communicate to you, I will
endeavor to inform you by letter.
Wishing you a prosperous voyage and successful campaign,
I am, with the most perfect sentiment of esteem.
Your humble servant,
RuFus Putnam."
The party reached its destination on the 8th of June. In
November, at the expiration of the six months' term for which
the men were engaged, most of them re-entered the service of
the Scioto Associates, under Captain Isaac Guion, who had suc-
ceeded General Putnam in charge of their affairs in the West.
Two, Isaac Choate and Asa Bullard, joined the party that estab-
lished the settlement at Big Bottom. In the attack by the In-
dians upon that post, on the second of January 1791, Choate
was captured and Bullard escaped. Major Burnham returned to
his home in New England, after a long delay in securing a set-
tlement of his accounts. The total cost to the Scioto Associates
of Burnham's party during his command of it was $3,243.02.
K. C. Dawes.
The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis. 45
THE FRENCH SETTLEMENT AND SETTLERS OF GALLIPOLIS.
Preceding addresses and other papers have given the story
of the Scioto Compan}-, under whose auspices the French set-
tlers came to America. I shall not attempt to repeat any part
of this history, but begin my narrative with the sailing of the
first party of emigrants to their new homes in the unknown
West, which had been described to them in such glowing terms
by those who had induced them to come. In February, 1790,
six hundred emigrants set sail from Havre de Grace. Five
ships had been chartered to take them to Alexandria, Va., prob-
ably the nearest port to their new homes. Their experiences
then were inauspicious as an omen in regard to the future. In
these days of rapid transit, when a voyage across the ocean rep-
resents a not unpleasant journey of a few days' duration, we
cannot imagine what it must have been when, on account of
stormy seas and contrary winds, the traveler was compelled to
spend weeks, and even months, on the great deep. Yet such
experiences as the latter were common once, and they were felt
by the Franch emigrants. A desolate feeling must have been
theirs then. Behind them was stormy France, its peace that
was, having been swept from it, with little hope of its return in
the near future ; about them the stormy waves of old ocean
threatening to engulf them, and thus violently end their new-
born hopes. Before them — what? A fair land they believed,
but an uncertainty ; they had only man's representation upon
which to base their hopes, and man is more than liable to mis-
represent facts when he has a purpose to gain thereby. The
future only could reveal that which they so ardently desired to
know, and they awaited its developments, which, with their
characteristic, sunny disposition, we believe they did as content-
edly as was possible with men. At length, after a voyage of
about three months' duration, they arrived at the town of Alex-
andria, about seventy-five miles up the river Potomac, Here
they encountered circumstances which both cheered and de-
pressed them. They were gladdened by a cordial reception on
the part of the people to whom a Frenchman was a welcome
visitor in view of the recent benefits conferred upon the country
46 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol,. B
by the assistance of the French Government in the war with
the British. The emigrant, no doubt, felt as if his fond hopes
were about to be realized, as, with his land titles in his pocket,
he landed on these hospitable shores. But he was destined to be
bitterly disappointed, for it was not long before he knew that
difficulties had arisen, which threatened the complete frustration
of his plans. The Scioto Company, from which he had made
his purchase, had forfeited its title to the lands, having failed to
make the payments according to contract with the government,
and consequently their dealings with it were null and void.
Furthermore, the lands which they thought they had purchased,
had been purchased from the government by another corporation,
known as the Ohio Company, and contrary to representation,
their prospective homes were far away in the Western land, in a
wilderness infested by hostile bands of Indians. A pitiable con-
dition, truly, and one which called forth the sympathy of their
new-made friends. They were literally strangers in a strange
land, and their own country, for which they would naturally
yearn under such circumstances, unsafe as a retreat from the
dangers which there presented themselves.
Their sad condition soon became noised abroad, and reached
the ears of those in authority, and ere long a movement was
inaugurated, in which President Washington was interested, to
compel the Scioto Company to reimburse them the money of
which they had been defrauded. As might have been expected,
these negotiations occupied much time, and sorely tried the
patience of the forlorn emigrants, insomuch that some gave ■■'>
in despair, and sought other homes, some going to NewYjik
and Philadelphia, some settling in Alexandria, and a few return-
ing to France. At length an agreement was entered into with
Colonel Duer, the Company's agent at New York, whereby, as
far as the means under his control would permit, the; -migrants
should be transported to the West, and establishea on the Ohio
River at a point opposite the mouth of the Big Kanawha, where
they expected their town to be located, erect suitable block
houses tor defence against the attacks of Indians, and survey
and lay out a town to be divided among them in proportion to
cash paid in Paris by each individual on tl^^ir lands. A written
The French Selllemciit and Settlers of Gallipolis. 47
agreement to this effect was made, and with such a compromise,
which was more perhaps than they had dared to hope for, the
emigrants abandoned all claims upon the lands for which they
held deeds. The second stage journey was now about to begin.
Wagons and supplies were obtained, and the travelers departed.
This journey was far more perilous, no doubt, than the long and
stormy passage across the Atlantic. The dangers by the way-
side consisted of attacks from the Indians, sickness and fatigue.
In addition to these, progress was slow in consequence of the
almost inipassal)lc condition of the roads, and the insufficiency
of the supplies provided for their maintenance. Their route was
through the Valley of Virginia, near the town of Winchester;
thence in a north-westerly direction via Brownsville, Pennsyl-
vania, and to the Ohio- The traveler of the present day, when
he speeds through this section of the country, and views it from
.he window of his Pullman car, can form but little idea of the
trials and privations of that long journey. Think of a number
people, including women and little children, finding a way over
those high mountains, and across swollen streams, meagerly
supplied with food, and harassed at all times by fear of the ever-
vigilant savage, and you may fancy the experience of these emi-
grants. The Sciotc Company had contracted with General
Rufus Putnam to erect buildings and furnish the settlers with
provisions for a year^ and he sent Major Burnham down from
Fort Harmar on the Muskingum River with forty men for that
purpose. The first town, under the name of Fair Haven, had
been laid out by the Company opposite the mouth of the Kana-
wha, war intended as the point for the location of the French
settlers, but as the ground was considered low there, and
liable to overflow. Major Burnham and his party wisely pro-
ceeded to a point four miles below, where the high banks could
well withstand the rising waters, as has been since proved to the
satisfaction of the residents. The locating party arrived here
June 8th, 1790, and immediately began the work of preparation
for the settlers, who would make a home here in the wilderness.
This was no doubt a most arduous undertaking, but determined
energy made itself felt, and soon there were evidences that order
would emerge from chaos. Trees, brush, and other debris made
48 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
way for the houses, which formed the new town. On what ia
now the Public Square were erected eighty log cabins, twenty
in a row. At each of the corners were block-houses two stories
in height. In front of the cabins, close by the river bank, was
a small log breast-work. Above the cabins, on the square, were
two other parallel rows of cabins, which, with a high stockade
Icnce, and block-hou.ses at each of the upper corners, formed a
sufficient fortification in times of danger. These upper cabins
were a story and a half in height, built of hewn logs, and
furnished in better style than those below, being intended for
the wealthier class, and those appointed to manage and superin-
tend the interests of the colony. Such was the home which the
emigrant found for his reception, when, weary and travel-worn,
he at length reached his final destination. He had journeyed
far by sea and land, and dreamed bright dreams, and was it all
for this? A few log cabins with a background of forest, in
which was the home of the vSworn enemy of the white race.
France is a country no larger in extent than one of the
average-sized states of the Union, and at this time its popula-
tion was about twenty-five millions. Think of five hundred
people from this thickly populated place, and composed entirely
of those ignorant of what would be required of them in a new
land — physicians, lawyers, jewelers and other artisans, a few
mechanics, servants to the exiled nobility, and many with no
trade or profession — suddenly placed in a wilderness of this
kind, and infested by wild beasts and murderous bands of
Indians. They were as inexperienced in pioneer life as children.
The hardy natures of such rugged characters as Daniel Boone,
or any one of those who preceded the march of progress, could
readily combat the difficulties which were likely to present them-
selves. They knew what to expect in frontier life, and it was
even with a sense of enjoyment perhaps, that they engaged in
the work of preparing the way for the settler. Our French
emigrants, however, could not view the prospects without
consternation and conjecture as to the many difficulties which
would arise in their work of making the best of a bad bargain.
The solution of the problem was with them, and as subsequent
events proved, many of them rose bravely to the occasion.
The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis. 49
There are some people whose strength and grandeur of character
would never be known save by means of severe tests. Heart
trials most frequently prove to be blessings in disguise, on
account of the way in which they represent the true worth of a
man's character. The pure metal cannot be obtained save
through the medium of the smelting furnace. Thus it was with
the French settlers at Gallipolis, for they not only determined to
remain, but made a success of what appeared a hopeless cause.
At an early meeting of the settlers, the town was named Galli-
polis (City of the Gauls — French). The work of making their
new home attractive was long and arduous, this latter being the
natural result of the inexperience of the settlers. Everything
that they did had to be learned, and with as many hard knocks
as a school-boy experiences with his Latin verbs, but indomitable
perseverance gave its usual testimony, in that the lesson was
learned. Quoting the words of one who has written on this sub-
ject: "A description of early attempts to adapt themselves
to circumstances, would be amusing, but doubtless was no joke
to them."
A number were seriously wounded, and some lost their lives
in learning to fell trees. Having no knowledge of the use of
the axe, some two or three would tackle a monster of the
forest, girdling the tree, and giving the death blow at the heart;
as can readily be seen, the tree would oftentimes slip from the
stump upon the workmen, or more frequently they (or the
admiring group who w'ere watching the process) not being able
to tell the direction in which the tree would fall, would be
crushed to the ground under the heavy branches. A sho*-t
experience of this kind sharpened their wits, and by placing
•Strong men at the ends of the two ropes, the other end being
fastened to the tree, they found that they could guide it in its
fall, and this operation thereafter became less dangerous.
It will be seen from such incidents as this that, although tht-
.settlers were enterprising, courageous, and willing to work, ar.d
mainly very intelligent, as a class, they were obliged to suffer by
practical experience before they were able to adapt themselveis
to the new mode of living, or make much substantial progress- ia
rendering their situation comfortable, as we must all suflfer, when
Vol. Ill— 4
50 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VoL. 3
we are learning a new principle in life. We must always learn
effectually, by means of experience, but experience is quite
frequently a stern and merciless teacher.
An account of this settlement, by an eye witness, will
not, we believe, be uninteresting here. The letter of Mon-
sieur Mentelle to the American Pioneer, a magazine published
in Cincinnati, in the April number, 184-3, among other matters
contains the following : "I did not arrive till nearly all the
colonists were there. I descended the river in 1791, in flat
boats loaded with troops, commanded by General St. Clair,
destined for an expedition against the Indians. Some of my
countrymen joined that expedition, among others was Count
Malartie, a captain of the French Guard of I^ouis XVI." Con-
cerning the settlement at Gallipolis, he .said among other things:
"Notwithstanding the great difficulties, the difference of tem-
pers, education and professions, the inhabitants lived in har-
mony. The Americans and hunters employed by the Company,
performed the first labors of clearing the township which was
divided into lots. Although the French were willing to work,
yet the clearing of the American wilderness and its heavy tim-
ber was far more than they could perform. To migrate from
the eastern States to the ' far west' is painful enough now-a-days,
but how much more so must it be for a citizen of a large Eu-
ropean town ! Even the farmer of the old countries would find
it very hard, if not impossible, to clear land in the wilderness."
The hunters, who supplied the colonists with fresh meat, " were
paid by the colonists, to prepare their garden ground, which was
to receive seeds brought from France; few of the colonists
knew how to make a garden, but they were guided by books on
that subject, likewise brought from France. The colony began
to improve in its appearance and comfort. The fresh provisions
were supplied by the Company's hunters, the others came from
't?he magazines." These represented some of the bright features
of the early life of the colonists, and all seemed working well,
and no doubt lively hopes were excited in their breasts that the
difficulties of their hitherto trying position were lessening, but
again they were called upon to face disappointment. At this
ti'me it became apparent that the Scioto Company could not
The French Siif/ciunif and Settlers of (iailipolis. 51
obtain for them any fnrther remuneration for the impositions
that had been practiced upon them. The Companj- had fulfilled
nearly all their engagements for the first six months, after which
they ceased their supply of provisions to the colonists, and it
was given as a reason, that one or two of their agents who had
received the funds in France for the purchased land, had run off
with the money to England, and the Company were defrauded
of the whole, without having purchased or gained title to any
of the tract which they had sold to the deceived colonists.
An unusually severe winter had set in, and the rigor of
climate was added to other trials and difficulties. The Ohio had
frozen over, so that flat boats could not come down with flour
from above ; the hunters no longer had meat to sell. The peo-
ple were destitute of almost everything except a scanty supply
of vegetables, and almost a famine was produced in the settle-
ment. The money and clothes they had brought with them
were nearly gone ; they knew not to whom to go to get their
lands (for they did not even own their homes), and their con-
dition became such as to excite despair. Looking back upon
them through the lapse of years, our minds are filled with sym-
pathetic thoughts, and the fact that these difficulties were suc-
cessfully combated kindles within us a feeling of admiration and
pride. The Pilgrim Fathers, who landed "on wild New Eng-
gland's shore," and whose hardihood and determination have
sounded their praises down the ages, deserve little less laudation
in the pages of history than the settlers of our town, who have
left, as a rich heritage, to those who have lived after them, the
testimony of the unconquerable nature of brave perseverance.
Following this condition of affairs, the fear of the Indians dis-
turbed their peace of mind. "When," says Mentelle (speaking
of some months previous of the expeditions of Generals St.
Clair and Wayne), "many of the troops stopped at Gallipolis,
the Indians who, no doubt, came there in the night, at last saw
the regulars going morning and evening round the town in order
to ascertain if there were any Indian traces, attacked them, kill-
ing and wounding several — a soldier, besides other wounds, was
tomahawked, but recovered. A French colonist, who had tried
to raise cane some distance from town, seeing an Indian rising
52 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
from behind some brushwood against a tree, shot him in the
shoulder. The Indian, hearing an American patrol, must
have thought that the Frenchman made a part of it, and
sometime afterward a Frenchman was killed, and a man
and woman made prisoners as they were going to collect
ashes to make soap, at some distance from town. Aftei
this, although the Indians committed depredations on the
Americans on both sides of the river, the French had suf-
fered only by the loss of some cattle carried away, until
the murder of the man referred to. As the severe winter ad-
vanced, "the dangers from the Indians augmented every day.
Kanawha had been visited by one of these sad events, that few
of the present generation can realize, otherwise than by compar-
ing it to a romantic tale with ghosts. A Captain Vonbever had
gone to make sugar at a little distance from and opposite to
Kanawha. He had his negro man with him, intending to make
sugar and raise corn, but staid to make sugar only. The camp
was fronting the river and in sight of Kanawha. They had not
been there long when the negro saw an Indian running after
him. He warned his master, who was not far from the house,
and they both entered it at the same time and secured the door.
The Indian, thinking they had no arms, and whose intention it
was to carry ofif the negro, turned back as soon as he saw them
in the house, and was shot by the negro with a gun that was
loaded with buck-shot. The alarm spread to Kanawha; the in-
habitants came in their canoes, thinking that there might be
more Indians, but on their landing they saw only the body of a
single one, which, after having stripped of what he had, they
threw into the river ; the corpse floated down and was carried by
the stream on the shore of Gallipolis the next day, as if to con-
firm the rumor which they had heard that morning, and as a
warning to themselves. Captain Vonbever had let his beard
grow, and had sworn to leave it so until he should have taken a
complete revenge of the Indians, who had killed one of his
children.
The expedition against the Indians by General St. Clair
having met with signal defeat, the Indians were encouraged to
greater depredations in the Western land, but fortunately for our
The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis. 53
colonists they were directed principally against Americans. The
hostile tribes imagined that the French settlers were from
Canada, and with the French at that place they were on terms
of friendship. Immediately after St. Clair's defeat, Colonel
Sproat, of Marietta, appointed four spies for Gallipolis, one of
whom was Monsieur Mentelle from whom we quoted a moment
ago. These were released after the treaty of Greenville in 1795.
Honorable Rufus Putnam, at Marietta, was the acknowledged
head of all the settlements in Washington county, which then
embraced a territory now covered by nearly forty counties, and
to him an application was made and steps were taken to organize
a defensive force. By his orders, Colonel Ebenezer Sproat ap-
pointed Captain Dr. Francis Hebecourt, a man of distinguished
qualifications, to take command. A Frenchman named Maiden
was appointed Lieutenant, and C. R. Menager, Ensign. A com-
pany of ninet}' colonists oflfered their services, who w^ere divided
into squads of ten, and on each succeeding day one squad, or
patrol company, was to start out in the morning to act in con-
junction with the scouts or spies, whose duty it was to return
every night and report the presence or absence of Indians. In
this way a defense was kept up until General Wayne defeated
the Indians at the battle of " Fallen Timbers," on the Maumee
Rapids, five miles above Perrysburg, Ohio, August 20th, 1794,
and made the treaty of peace at Greenville in 1795 with all the
Western tribes. After peace w^as declared, a free intercourse
took place between them and the colonists from Massachusetts
and other New F)ngland states at Marietta and Belpre, and with
settlements at Point Pleasant and Charleston, Virginia. Thus,
in an alternate atmosphere of hopes and fears, the colonists
passed the first years of their lives in the New World. They
were, perhaps, becoming accustomed to the changed conditions
of their existence. Even in the far away western wilderness,
they were recognizing home ties, and pleasant associations were
being formed which endeared this wild country to them. France,
with its attractions, had passed out of their lives; such repre-
sented but features of the past, and would be to them but fond
recollections of what had been. There was one great difficulty
■vvhich had to be surmounted, however, before they could resp-
54 Ohio .bell, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
luteiy face life iu this country. The titles to their homes had
never been perfected ; indeed, there was every reason to suppose
that they were living on land which belonged to other people.
Although it had been sold to them by the Scioto Company,
which had transported them thither, the fact remained that the
Ohio Company still held the titles to it, inasmuch as that corpora-
tion had bought and paid for it, and there had been no just or
legal transfer of it to other parties, it was but rational that the
owners should be demanding their rights This dilemma which
they had known that they must face, when it reached its climax,
brought with it its disheartening influences; indeed, so great
must have been the discouragements that the disruption of al'
the new ties must have been threatened. A letter from Mr.
B. J. D. Le Ture, a Gallipolis merchant, who had removed to
Cincinnati for business purposes, and which is now in the
possession of Maj. E. C. Dawes, of Cincinnati, throws some
light on the situation at this time. It is written under date of
July 6th, 1792, and is addressed to Mr. John Matthews at
Gallipolis. Mr. L,e Ture says: "The situation of the colony
alarms me much. I cannot think so many people will be sacri-
ficed to a few speculators. Should anything turn up that would
oblige me to go to the settlement, I believe it will be in my
power to advise them on the methods they are to take in order
to have justice done them." Some of the colonists became dis-
heartened and went off and settled elsewhere with the means
that remained to them, and resumed their trades in more popu-
lous parts of the country. Others led a half savage life, com-
mon among pioneers, as hunters for skins; and affairs, for a
time, wore a gloomy aspect. The more determined ones, how-
ever, who appear to have represented the rank and file of the
colony resolved upon a course of action, which, if successful,
would give them homes which they so ardently craved. Six
years had now passed since they had sailed from Havre de
Grace, and an enumeration showed that but three hundred of
them were left. These, in general assembly, resolved to make a
memorial of their grievances and send it to Congress. The
memorial claimed no right from that body, but was a detail of
Lheir wrongs and sufferings, together with an appeal to the
The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis. 55
generosity of the governinent, and tliey did not appeal in vain.
Monsieur Jean (r. Gervais started with the petition, and at
Philadelphia met with a lawyer, M. Duponceau, through whose
aid he obtained from Congress a grant of twenty-four thousand
acres of land, known as the " French Grant," and located oppo-
site the Little Sandy, for the people who still remained in Galli-
polis. The act annexed the condition of settling on the lands
for three years before the deed of gift would be given. M.
Gervais received four thousand acres of this land for his serv-
ices in the matter, according to previous agreement. Each in-
habitant had thus a tract of two hundred and seventeen and a
half acres of land; but before the surveys and other arrange-
ments could be made, some time was necessary during which
those who had reclaimed the wilderness and improved Gallipolis,
being reluctant to lose all their labor, and finding that a com-
pany, owning the lands at Marietta, had met to divide lands,
which they had purchased in a common stock, the colonists sent
a deputation with a proposal to sell to them the tract where
Gallipolis is situated, and to be paid in proportion to what was
improved, which was accepted. When at last the distribution
of the French grant was achieved, some sold their share, others
went to settle on it, while many sent tenants, and either re-
mained at Gallipolis or went elsewhere. Colonel Robert SaflFord,
so familiarly known as one of the number of Major Burnham s
band, w'ho felled the first tree on the site of wdiat was afterward
Gallipolis, was present at the drawing of these lots, and has
thus related the circumstances: "General Putnam appointed
Mr. Martin to survey the grant, and after this was done and the
lots numbered, Messrs. Maumey, Putnam and Talmadge ap-
pointed a day when all who were to get land were to meet in the
public square. The day came and all assembled. The names
of tho.se having an interest were written upon square pieces of
paper, and as many like pieces were numbered. The papers
were placed in two small boxes, two clerks were appointed and
two disinterested men were selected, to each of whom one of
the boxes was given. When all was ready, the boxes were
shaken and then opened. Colonel Safford was selected to draw
out the papers which were numbered. As he drew out one and
56 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications:. [Vol. 8
announced the number the clerk took it down, then from the
other box a name was drawn which, being announced, was
taken down as the owner of the number just drawn. They pro-
ceeded thus until the whole number were distributed."
After a long time, as it appeared to the settler, some of the
hopes which had encouraged him, were realized, in that the
French grant had been obtained and Gallipolis had become the
property of its citizens. True, there were not many left, com-
paratively speaking, to enjoy the homes which had been won in
so laborious and perilous a manner, but there was deep satisfac-
tion, no doubt, in realizing, that although the fierce battle had
been fought, the victory was won.
Now, having described the inauguration and accomplish-
ment of this enterprise of establishing a colony and build-
ing a town on the banks of the Ohio, we will turn our
attention, for a brief period, to the topography of Galli-
polis, in the first stages of its growth. We have before us
a map of the town and surrounding country as they were in
earlier days. It represents the plan of the lots drawn by the
inhabitants of Gallipolis January 20, 1791, and the outlines of
the city are very accurate, and easily recognized by those
acquainted with it now. A more interesting document than this,
and which we have been fortunate enough to secure, is a list of
the town lots of Gallipolis with their original disposition. The
original of this was probably made in Paris, when the anti-
cipative colonist was about to depart to his new home, or it may
have been made after the first stages of his long and weary
journey had been completed, when, after having been tortured
by apprehension, the order had come for him to move on to
possess the land, just before he left Alexandria, Virginia. We
append this list, thinking it peculiarly interesting in this connec-
tion.
A numeral list of the town lots of Gallipolis, with their
original disposition:
The French Settlement and Settlers of GalUpolis.
57
Claude Morrell 1
Jean B. Laurent 2
Charles Vaux Maret .'?
Maguet, son .... 4
Colinet 5
Etienne Chandivert G
Mad. Clavet 7
Jean B. Cherrin 8
Pierre A. L,. Huillier 9
Francis Picard 10
Minguey, father 11
Pierre Louis LeClerc 12
Claude Bana 18
Claude J. Naudet 14
Marchand 15
Winant Devacht 10
Jean M. Hammer 17
Jean Buzenet .. 18
Nicholas Vissinier 19
Said 20
Grouet 21
Humbert Pamar 22
Guillaume Duduit 23
Jean G. Vallot 24
Louis Victor Vonschritz 25
Michaud 26
Jean B. Ancil 27
Michel Cranzat 28
Pierre Chandivert 29
Nicholas Thevenin 30
D'Hebecourt 1 31
Retained 30th Dec I 32
[ 33
". " J ^^
Saugrain 35
36
Pierre Magnier 37
D'Hebecourt 38
Jos. Dazet 39
Frederick Bergeret 40
Jacques Petit Jean 41
Jean G. Petit 42
Francis Darveux 43
Alexander Roussell 44
Jean B. Quetee 45
Jean B. Parmentier 46
Francis Valten 47
Laurent Bergnen 48
Jean B. Duchallard 49
Nicholas Petit 50
Antoine Porquier 51
Pvtienne Willermy 52
Francis Quartel 53
Benjamin Armand 54
Jean M. Guillot 55
Charles Soudry 56
Catherine Avelin 57
Matthieu Berthelot 58
Peter Lecke 59
Jacques Reuouard 60
Antoine Vibert 61
Jean B. Ginat 62
vSigisbert Chevraux 63
Pierre Lafellard 64
Gervais 65
Lemoyne, younger 66
Jean C. Belliere 67
Droz 68
Joseph Dupont 69
Jean Louis Vonschritz 70
Francis Dutiel 71
Alexander Frere 72
Claude DuBois 73
Jean B. Ferard 74
Jean P. Laperouse 75
Nicholas Hedouin 76
Michel Mazure 77
Pierre M. Richards 78
Colat 79
Petit 80
Coupin 81
82
Laforge retained | 83
j 84
Jean Louis Imbert 85
Jean Courtier 86
Pierre Matry 87
Joseph Goiyon 88
Alex. Chevalier 89
Claude Dupligny 90
58
Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VOL. 3
Jean Louis Colat 91
Minguey, son 92
Louis DelaBouye 93
Cesar Maufelit 94
Pierre Chabot 95
Taillem 96
Pierre L. Guibert 97
Pierre A. Laforge 98
Claude Berthelot 99
Antoine Due 100
Jean F. Grand Jean 101
Michel Chanterelle 102
Jean Pellisou 103
Jean B. Anthiaume 104
Lemonye, elder 105
Louis Roublot 106
Antoine Saugrain 107
Thoncy Dehafosse 108
Marin Dupont 109
Petit Jean 110
Antoine Prieur Ill
Augustin LeClerc 112
Leclerc and | 113
Genet j 114
Petit Jean 115
Gervais 116
Sigismund D'llmee 117
Jean L. Violette 118
Madam LaCaisse 119
D. Petit 120
Jean Pierre Ginet 121
Louis P. LeClerc 122
Francis L'Anguette 123
Pierre Serre 124
Louis A. Viuient 125
Jean Autran 126
Pierre Duteil 127
Maximin Lefort 128
Minguet DeViguement 129
Francois Bourgougnat 130
Louis Berthe 131
Louis Maldant 132
Antrox Noel 133
Nicholas Quelet 134
Valton 135
Philip Aug. Pithon 136
John Rowe 137
Menuessier 138
DeHibecour 139
do 140
Firmin Bremiere 141
Brice DuCloz 142
Valton 143
Claude Coupin 144
Pierre Magnet 145
Jean Desnoyers 146
Pierre Bidon 147
Claude Cadot 148
Pierre Thomas 149
Malcher 150
Reniy Cuif 151
Claude Menager 152
De Hibecour 153
do 154
do 155
do 156
Menager 157
Bastede 158
LeClar 159
Etienne Allrien 160
Jacques Auger 161
Pierre Ferard 162
Marie Dallier 163
Michel Chillard 164
Menager 165
do 166
Doctor Petit 167
Berthelot Senior 168
Gervais 169
DeLaBaume 170
do 171
Louis Vialett 172
Francois P. Malcher 173
Francois Durand 174
I. Guion Caille 175
Antoine Jacquemin 176
Francois Patin 177
Joseph Damervalle '. ... 178
Antoine Charpentier. . . 179
Jean Louis Devanne 180
The Frouh Srtilcment and Settlers of Gallipolis. 59
Jean Rouilly 181 Jean A. Foulon 193
Julien Pradel 182 Hullier 194
Simen Battcielle 183 do 195
Jean Aug. Pingard 184 DeHebecourt 196
Mouvel 185 Rouby 197
GeorgeChalot 186 Emille Lefeve 198
Jean Regnier 187 Nicholas Kingston 199
Antoine Rouby 188 Pierre F. Perot 200
Cesar Baredot 189 Francois Valot 235
Jacquemin . . 190 Francois Carteron 236
Eloy Frere 191 Prioux Aiglemont. 234
Abel Sarazin 192
Whether this plan was followed, we are unable to say, but
are inclined to the opinion that it was not, in view of the com-
plications arising from subsequent events. We have access also
to the account of the price and distribution of the lots of Galli-
polis, which were written about five years after the settlers
landed here. This also we think is right to give in full: "Gal-
lipolis, this the 14th day of December, 1795. P. Bureau and J.
M. Berthelot have published and given notice, that Monday next
they will render account to the French inhabitants of their mis-
sion as agents to treat with the Ohio Company. To-day, Mon-
day, the assembled inhabitants, after having agreed to purchase
the laud of the Ohio Company, have proceeded to choose by
secret ballot, commissioners to examine the rights of pre-emp-
tion of the inhabitants to the city lots, and of four acres of cul-
tivated land, and also to fix the price of city lots and of the four
acres according to what they were worth before they were occu-
pied. Whereupon the inhabitants have unanimously named for
commissioners: Marin Duport, Mathieu Berthelot, Jean Par-
mentier, Christopher Etienne, Francis DeVacht, Jean Baptiste,
Le Tailleur, Jean Pierre, Roman Bureau. To-day, Monday, 6
o'clock p. M. The commissioners have unanimously appointed
Marin Duport moderator, and Christopher Etienne secretary, of
the committee. It has also been resolved that Anselm Tupper,
surveyor, be chosen for any operations of surveying that may
be found necessary. Resolved, That Mr. Tupper, accompanied
by Mr. Bureau, shall go to examine the line which separates the
lands proposed to be bought from the reserved lands, and from
60 Ohio Arch, and Ifis. Society Publications. [Vol 3
those belonging to the Ohio Company, in order to proceed im-
mediately to such operations as they shall judge to be proper.
[These reserved lands were those set apart for educational and
religious purposes, being sections 16 and 29.] It has been re-
solved that the public be warned by notices to repair to the
house of Messrs. Saugrain and Bureau, in order to make known
their rights and claims to the property of Gallipolis. Signed Le
Tailleur, Parmentier, M. Berthelot, J. G. DeVacht, M. Duport,
P. Bureau
December 16. The committee, after having been occupied
the entire day in receiving the claims of proprietors, have re-
solved to give new notice to those who have not yet presented
their claims to come to-morrow, in order to finish the work.
December 16. Resolved, That this plan shall hereafter be
placed before the eyes of the people as the only one which ap-
pears proper, in order to conciliate the different interests of the
proprietors considering the position of the different pieces of
land, in order that those persons who have few lots, and of
which the situation is not advantageous, be not overcharged.
The banks of the river and the commons not having been
surveyed, and never having been regarded as property, we have
thought it right that they be placed at a price proportioned to
their importance by reason of their position. Lots on the bank
of the river and of the square (Public Square), being a source
of wealth by reason of their position, we have thought that they
should be placed at a price higher than the others. The lots on
the banks of the river more remote have been placed at a price
lower than the preceding, but higher than those which are re-
mote from the river. The lands which remain to be divided,
being for the greater part mountainous or hilly, have been, in
consequence, placed at a low price. Then follows the designa-
tion of the lots, and prices attached, after which the following
resolutions:
Resolved, Vox the public good, and for the interests of the
inhabitants, the streets and Public Square shall remain free,
without being closed on the bank of the river by any building,
or being sold.
CongrenKtservatl
(fil)
62 (iliio Axil, and I /is. Soc/r/y Publicatioyis. [Vol. 3
Resolved, That the public be notified to meet to-morrow to
receive the report of the work of the committee.
Resolved, That the banks of the river shall remain open,
facing each street, that lines shall be drawn in the direction of
the streets, without trespassing thereon.
Plans accepted, Etienne, sec.
December 17, Resolved, That the secretary be ordered by the
committee to go the house of DHebercourt, to request him to
declare if it is his intention to join himself with us for the ac-
quisition of our property, as his partner Dr. Petit has done ; and
to say to him that the execution of the plan adopted by the in-
habitants requires a positive answer. Etienne, sec. Mr.
DHebercourt has replied that he is disposed to agree to the ac-
quisition of the lands of Gallipolis, paying for his property seven
shillings, six -pence per acre, and that he will not conform to the
plan adopted until he has taken such steps as he believes his
interests require. Etienne, sec.
Resolved, That Messrs. Berthelot and Duport, whom we
have appointed collectors, go to the houses of the inhabitants to
receive the sums set down on the list made between us, accord-
ing to the plan agreed on bv the inhabitants, December 17th,
1795.
Resolved, That Mr. Duport is by us appointed cashier, and
in this capacity the money remain in his hands until the time of
payment for the lands.
December 19, 1795. According to the resolutions of the
committee on the 16th of this month, agreed to by the assembled
inhabitants, reserved lots near the square, divided into eighteen
equal portions, have been drawn by lot, in the presence of the
assembled inhabitants, and fell to Messrs. Vandenbemben,
Chandiver father, Chandiver son, Vonschriltz, Gervais, Ferrare,
jr., Ea Cour, Davoux, Villerain, Muqui, Quarleron, Michau,
Brunier, Bureau, Eafillard, child of Vonschriltz, sr., Francis
Valodin, and Pierre Richou.
Dec. 22d. By virtue of the resolution of the committee of
the 18th, Messrs. Marin, Duport and Mathieu Berthelot have en-
gaged in receiving the sums to be given by each proprietor,
which sums have amounted to ^194 5s. 6d. in money, and orders
to Mr. Sproat for the appointment of spies, of which sum the
money amounted to /"91 3s. 2d. Bills on different persons,
The /•^rriic/i ScHlnnrut and Scff/crs of Callipolis. ()8
/■203. Orders of spies on current appointment, /"^f)'}. which
sums form a total of /1042 2s. Hd.
Resolved, That Messrs. Mathieu, Berthelot, Roman Bu-
reau, and Marin Duport, De Vacht, and Jean Le Tail-
leur, go to Marietta in the name of the committee of the
inhabitants of GallipoHs, to conclude with the Ohio Com
pany tlie acquisition of the two squares (of land) indicated in
the plan which has been given us by the agents of the Ohio
Company. Etienne. Sec.
Parmentier.
Of the manner of life of the early settlers in Gallipolis, our
sources of information are meagre, but sufficient to give us a
tolerably accurate idea of the state of affairs. The French, like
other nations of Southern Europe, po.ssess a cheerful disposi-
tion, but being also excitable, this is characterized very often by
extreme degrees of elation or depression. They have winning
manners and are warmly hospitable, and are remarkable for their
thrift and ingenuity. That these traits were marked among the
early settlers we think is proved by what ha.s already been
said, as well as what we have learned from the early historian.
Quite a flood of light is thrown upon this branch of our
subject by the account given by John Heckewelder of his visit
to Gallipolis, in company with General Putnam, when making a
journey from the upper waters of the Ohio to the Wabash
River in the interest of the government in Indian afifairs, in the
year 1792. He says: "We rode to the French .settlement of
Gallipolis, situated on the north bank of the Ohio, between
three .iud four miles from the Kanawha. Here we spent the
whole of the following day in visiting the skilled workmen and
the gardens laid out in European style. The most interesting
shops of the workmen were those of goldsmiths and watch-
makers. They showed us work on watches, compasses and sun-
dials finer than any I had ever beheld. Next in interest were
the sculptors and stonecutters. These latter had two finished
mantels, most artistically carved. General Putnam at once pur-
chased one of them for twelve guineas, the other was intended
for a rich Dutch gentleman who has built a two-story house
here, fifty feet long. The upper part of a mantel was lying
there, ordered by a Spanish gentleman in New Orleans, which,
64 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
because of the fine workmanship upon it, was to cost twenty or
twenty-two guineas. The worker in glass seemed to be a born
artist. He made us a thermometer, a barometer, a glass tobacco
pipe, a small bottle (which would contain about a thimble full),
and a most diminutive stopper, and a number of works of art
besides. He also manufactured precious medicine, nitric acid,
etc. As we were on a journey, and were in daily need of light
and fire, he presented us with a glass full of dry stuff, whi'^h
burns as soon as a match is applied. This stuff, he told us, was
manufactured from bones. Concerning the fine gardens, I must
add the following: that in them were to be found the most beau-
tiful flowers, artichokes, and almond trees, and besides many
vineyards and some rice fields. At a distance of about one hun-
dred steps from the Ohio, there is a round hill, which probably
dates its origin from the former inhabitants of this land, as also
the remarkable fortifications and buildings to be found in this
country. The hill, about thirty feet high, has been improved as
a beautiful pleasure garden, with a pretty summer house on top.
The town of Gallipolis consists of one hundred and fifty dwell-
ings. The inhabitants number between three and four hun-
dred. A detachment of from fifty to sixty men of the regular
army is stationed here for protection. Besides a few Virginia
spies or scouts are kept and paid by the government. The
militia are also willing to serve for remuneration. The Chicke-
mage Creek flows back of the town, and below it empties into
the Ohio. Fine boats are also manufactured in this town; our
vessel is one of them. At noon we dined with the most promi-
nent French gentleman of the place, at the home of the judge
and doctor, Mr. Petit."
On his return from Vincennes, on the Wabash, Mr. Hecke-
welder speaks of again stopping at Gallipolis, and alludes feel-
ingly to the troubles through which the people were passing,
owing to the complications in the matter of their land titles, a
very clear but concise account of which he gives, together with
the whole transaction wich the agents of the Scioto Company.
From this it will be seen that our settlers were not people who
would remain inactive or slothful even when surrounded by
many and great difficulties, but worked faithfully to make their
The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis. 65
new homes attractive, and their works have, through the years
which have since elapsed, borne testimony to their earnestness
of purpose.
A much fuller account of life among our settlers is given in
a work entitled "Recollections of Persons and Places in the
West," by H. M. Brackenridge. Mr. Brackenridge was born
at the village of Fort Pitt, on the site of .what is now the
city of Pittsburg. At a very early age he was sent by
his father to the village of St. Genevieve in Louisiana for
the purpose of making him acquainted with the French lan-
guage. This distance of fifteen hundred miles, which lay be-
tween him and his home, was traveled by means of a fiat boat.
After spending several years at the village of St. Genevieve, and
acquiring the language, he departed in company with a gentle-
man sent for him to return to Fort Pitt. On account of the in-
clemency of the weather to which he was exposed, owing to the
scanty accommodations aiforded by the flat boat, as well perhaps
as climatic causes, he was taken quite sick with fever and ague
shortly after the arrival at Louisville, where, it seems that a stop
of some days was made. After the journey had been further
prosecuted, he grew no better, and on the arrival at Gallipolis
he was taken to a house in the village and left there. The
exact date of this is not given, but from the dates previously
mentioned it appears to have been some time previous to 1795.
The account of his sojourn here can best be given in his own
words :
" Behold me once more in port, and domiciliated at the
hou.se or inn of Monsieur, or rather Doctor, Saugrain, a cheer-
ful, sprightly little Frenchman, four feet six, English measure,
and a chemist, natural philosopher, and physician, both in the
English and French signification of the word. I was delighted
with my present liberation from the irksome thralldom of the
canoe, and with the possession of the free use of my limbs.
After wrapping my blanket round me, which was my only bed-
ding, I threw myself into a corner for a couple of hours, during
the continuance of the fever and ague, and then rose up re
freshed, with the lightness of spirits which I possessed in an
unusual degree. I ran out of the house and along the bank,
Vol. Ill— 5
66 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publicatiotis. [Vol. 5
where I met a boy about my own size. I laid hold of him in
mirth, but he, mistaking my vivacity, gave me a sound beating.
The next day the doctor tried his skill upon me, or rather upon
my ague, and pretty much on the plan of another celebrated
physician, whether on the principle of the solviente universal, I
do not so well know, but certain it is, he repeated the very
words recorded by Gil Bias: ' Bebe agtia, hijo mio, bcbe agua in
abunda}icia' — drink water, my son, drink plenty of water. But
the ague was not to be shaken off so easily ; it still continued to
visit me daily, as usual, all that winter and part of the next
spring. I was but poorly clad, and was without hat or shoes,
but gradually became accustomed to do without them; like the
Indian, I might in time have become all face. My guardian left
no money, perhaps he had none to leave ; Mr. Saugrain had none
to spare; besides as this was the period when the French Revo-
lution was at its height, sans culottism was popular with those
who favored the breaking up of social economy. Dr. Saugrain
however, and many others in Gallipolis were not of that party,
they were royalists, who bitterly lamented the condition of their
native country. Gallipolis, with the exception of a few strag-
gling log houses, of which that of Dr. S. was one, consisted of
two long rows of barracks built of logs, and partitioned oflF into
rooms of sixteen or twenty feet wide, with what is called a cabin
roof and wooden chimneys. At one end there was a larger
room than the rest, which served as a council chamber and ball
room. This singular village was settled by people from Paris
and Lyons, chiefly artisans and artists, peculiarly unfitted to sit
down in the wilderness and clear away forests. Their former
employments had only been calculated to administer to the
luxury of high polished and wealthy societies. There were
carvers and guilders to the King, coach -makers, frizeurs and
peruke -makers, and a variety of othcs, who might have found
employment in our larger towns, but who were entirely out of
their place in the wilds of Ohio. Their means b}^ this time had
been exhausted, and they were beginning to suffer from the
want of the comforts and even the necessaries of life. The
country back from the river was still a wilderness, and the Galli-
politans did not pretend to cultivate anything mor? than gmali
The Frt'iich Seitlement and Settlers of Ciallipolis. 67
garden spots, depending for their supply of provisions on the
boats, which now began to descend the river; but they had to
pay in cash, and that was become scarce. They still assembled
at the ball room twice a week; it was evident, however, that
they felt disappointment, and were no longer happy. The pre-
dilections of the best of them being on the side of the Bourbons,
the horrors of the Revolution, even in their remote position,
mingled with their private misfortunes, which had, at this time,
nearly reached their acme, in consequence of the discovery that
they had no title to their lands, having been cruelly de-
ceived by those from whom they had purchased. It is
well known that Congress generously made them a grant
of twenty thousand acres, from which, however, but few of
them derived any advantage. As the Ohio was now more fre-
quented, the house was occasionally resorted to, and especially
by persons looking out for land to purchase. The doctor had a
small apartment, which contained his chemical apparatus, and I
used to sit by him, as often as I could, watching the curious
operatiohs of his blow-pipe and crucible. I loved the cheerful
little man, and he became very fond of me in turn. "Many of
my countrymen used to come and stare at his doings, which
they were half inclined to think had too near a resemblance to
the black art. The doctor's little phosphoric matches ignited
spontaneously when the glass tube was broken, and from which
he derived some emolument, was thought by some to be rather
beyond mere human power. His barometers, and thermome-
ters, with the scale neatly painted with the pen, and the frames
richly carved, were objects of wonder, and some of them are
probably still extant in the West. But what astonished some of
our visitors was a large peach in a glass bottle, the neck of
which could only admit a common cork. This was accomplished
by tying the bottle to the limb of the tree, with the peach when
young inserted into it. His swans, which swam round basins
of water, amused me more than any of the wonders exhibited
by the wonderful man. The doctor was a great favorite with
the Americans, as well for his vivacity and sweetness of temper
which nothing could sour, as on account of a circumstance
which gave him high claims to the esteem of the backwoods-
6S Ohio Arch, and His. Society Ptiblications. [Vol.. 3
men. He had shown himself, notwithstanding his small stature
and great good nature, a very hero in combat with the Indians.
He had descended the Ohio, in company with two French phil-
osophers, who were believers in the primitive innocence of and
goodness of the children of the forest. They could not be per-
suaded that any danger was to be apprehended from the Indians;
as they had no intention to injure that people, they supposed,
of course, that no harm could be meditated on their part. Dr.
Saugrain was not altogether so well convinced of their good in-
tentions, and accordingly kept his pistols loaded. Near the
mouth of Big Sandy, a canoe with a party of warriors ap-
proached the boat ; the philosophers invited them on board by
signs, when they came rather too willingly. The first thing
they did on entering the boat was to salute the two philosophers
with the tomahawk ; and they would have treated the doctor in
the same way, but that he used his pistols with good effect ;
killed two of the savages and then leaped into the water, diving
like a dipper at the flash of the guns of the others, and suc-
ceeded in swimming to the shore, with several severe wounds,
whose scars were conspicuous.
" The doctor was married to an amiable young woman, but
not possessing as much vivacity as himself. As Madame Sau-
grain had no maid to assist in household work, her brother, a
boy of my age, and myself, were her principal helps in the
kitchen. I used to go in the morning about two miles for a
little milk, sometimes on the frozen ground, barefoot. I tried a
pair of sabots, or wooden shoes, but was unable to make any
use of them, although they had been made by the carver to the
king."
Speaking of his other occupations, Mr. Brackenridge says :
"In the spring and summer a good deal of my time was passed
in the garden weeding the beds. It was while thus engaged
that he formed an association which is interesting, as it bears
somewhat on the future history of Gallipolis. He formed the
acquaintance," he says, "of a young lady of eighteen or twenty,
on the other side of the palings," who was often occupied as he
was. "Our friendship," says he, "which was purely Platonic,
The French Stttlctncnt and Settlers of Gallipolis. 6£l
commenced with the storN- of Bhie Beard, recounted by her, aud
with the novelty and pathos of which I was much interested.
" Connected with this j'oung lady there is an incident which
I feel pleasure in relating. One day while standing alone on the
bank of the river, I saw a man who had gone in to bathe and had
got beyond his depth without being able to swim. He began to
struggle for life, and in a few seconds would have sunk to rise
no more. I shot down the bank like an arrow, leaped into a
canoe, w^hich, fortunately, happened to be close by, pushed the
end of it to him, and as he rose, perhaps for the last time, he
seized it with a deadly, convulsive grasp, and held so firmly that
the skin afterward came off the parts of his arms which pressed
against the wood. I screamed for help; several persons came
and took him out perfectly insensible. He afterward mar-
ried the young lady, and they raised a numerous and re-
spectable family. One of his daughters married a young law-
yer, who now represents that district in Congress. Thus at
eight years of age I earned the civic crown by saving the life of a
human being. I say this incident is interesting, and you will
agree with me when I tell you the young lawyer referred to was
Hon. Samuel F. Vinton, whom we recognize as one of the
prominent figures, both in our State and Nation.
" Continuing his narrative in reference to the life in Galli-
polis at that time, Mr. Brackenridge says that toward the latter
part of the summer, the inhabitants suffered severely from sick-
ness and want of provisions. The situation was truly wretched.
The swamps in the rear, now exposed by the clearing between it
and the river, became the cause of a frightful epidemic from
which few escaped, and many became its victims. He, himself,
had recovered from the ague, and was among the few exempted
from the disease; but the family with whom he lived, as well as
the re.st, suffered much from absolute hunger. To show the
extremity of the distress, he says that on one occasion, the
brother of Madame Saugrain and himself pushed a light canoe
to an island above the town where they pulled some corn and
took it to a flouring mill, and excepting some of the raw grains,
they had had nothing to eat since the day before, until they
carried home the niela and made some bread, but had neither
70 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
milk nor meat. "I have learned," said he, "to be thankful
when I had a sufficiency of wholesome food, however plain, and
was blessed with health; and I could put up with humble fare
without a murmur, although accustomed to luxuries, when
I have seen those, who had never experienced absolute starva-
tion, turn up their noses at that which was very little worse
than the best they have ever known, such are the uses of
adversity?"
It has not been our privilege to learn the internal state
of affairs in the colony during the years which immediately
succeeded this interesting narrative, but from what can be
learned through old inhabitants, some of whom were acquainted
with the early colonists, and most of whom have gone to their
reward, we feel assured that the thrift and enterprise of these
early days was but an index of what was to come after. After
the colonists had been safely established in their new homes, and
knew that in the future they would be free from the harassing
influence of litigation in consequence of defective land titles,
and had learned some of the secrets of border life, insomuch
that the prospective attacks from the Indians lost much of their
terror, being better acquainted as they were with the modes of
defence, their minds being less harassed, they were the better
able to enter heartily in the work which was before them, of
making the wilderness blossom as the rose.
We are persuaded that thase years, which represented the
lull after the storm, were years of peace and contentment, and
consequently could, in after years, be regarded by those who
passed through them with pleasant remembrance. We are often
told that the good works which live after the performers have
gone, are the most powerful witnesses as to their faithfulness,
inasmuch as they not only benefit their day and generation, but
bespeak the earnestness of purpose, as well the kindly di.spo-
position of the performers.
There are not many institutions among us which were
identified with the far off time indicated by our subject, but
there are those which indirectly sprung from the efforts of that
time and in which the characters and desires of the citizens are
so clearly portrayed, that we are forced to acknowledge that they
The French Settlement and Settlers of Callipolis. 71
being dead yet speak. The influence of the French settlers has
been felt through the many intervening years, and though our
town has changed its population to a great degree, and American
blood is flowing in the veins of many of our people, we cannot
but think that the happy disposition of La Belle France is ever
cropping out, and the pleasure-loving hearts of long ago are
calling to us across the ages, and that the name Gallipolis is still
appropriate when applied to our town, for in love, sympathy,
and gratitude, as well as by the nearer ties of blood, we are the
inhabitants of the city of the French.
Among the institutions which bring us into a close relation-
ship with the earlier years of our town's history, there is
one which we feel illustrates, to a certain degree, what has
been said in regard to the works of its early inhabitants,
A time honored and much appreciated institution we con-
sider in the Gallia Academ}-. True it is, that this was not
founded until about twenty years after the settlers arrived
here, but the names of those who inaugurated it as an
Educational medium are to be found among those v/ho braved
the difficulties identified with the settlement. This is among
the oldest institutions of learning in the State, and at it
"not only nearly all of the older residents of Gallipolis
and Gallia county received their education, but many who
afterward became men of great prominence, throughout the
country, here took the first step in learning which led them on
to fame."
A short account of its organization may not be inappro-
priate in this connection. A meeting was held February 8,
1810, for the purpose of taking into consideration the ex-
pediency of erecting in Gallipolis, an institution to be appro-
priated to the instruction of the youth, and such other purposes
as may be deemed of public utility. Robert Safibrt was chosen
chairman and Nathaniel Gates secretary. A series of resolu-
tions, embodying these principles, was passed at this meeting,
and a subscription started which was circulated with satisfactory
results. Among the subscribers are to be noted the names of
some of the oldest and mo.st honored citizens, many of whom
ar? to be seen among the lot holders of Gallipolis of colonial
72 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VOL. 3
days. In due time, a lot was purchased, and a commodious
building erected thereon, and the work of refining the mind, by
means of education, received an impetus which showed that the
builders of the Gallia Academy had done wisely and well.
From its portals have passed many who, as we say, have won
foj themselves fame in after years ; men whom the country de-
lighted to honor, as well as those, who, in the more quiet walks
of life, have met the requirements of good and upright citizen-
ship, and who were representatives of that class which compose
the rank and file of those who labored for the sure and steady
advancement of our country, and which has made it the grand-
est the sun shines upon. This venerable institution, could it
speak, could bear greater testimony to the admirable traits of
our forefathers than any ever yet recorded by the pen of the
historian.
As we pause in the spirit of meditation over the shifting
scenes which rise before us in a consideration of the early ages
of the French colony here, as well as the intervening years
which separate us from that distant date, we can find food for
much instructive thought, and we draw our lessons principally
from those who witnessed the early dawn of civilization in this
then far away Western wilderness.
The first trait of character which claims our admiration
was the earnestness of purpose which marked the lives of the
pioneers. 'Tis true, as we have shown, everything seemed
bright and promising when, in accordance with the representa-
tions of the land agents, they resolved to cast their lots in the
new and attractive land across the seas, but when subsequent
events changed the rosy dreams to a dark reality, and they
realized that they must face life in its most responsible and for-
bidding aspects, it required the strongest natures to remain un-
moved. No wonder it is that our record tells us that some of
them were not equal to the emergency, and went to seek satis-
faction in life in more congenial atmospheres, some finding it in
the populous sections of our own country; and some, acknowl-
edging themselves completely defeated, returned to. France.
With the principal part of them, however, it was otherwise
They had not left home and old associations, and come to this
The French Setllcrs and Settlement of Gallipolis. 73
distant land to fail. Although they had been grievously disap-
pointed, they would aGcomplish that which they came to per-
form, a home where they would be unmolested by political
storms or persecution. The mountains were high, the valleys
deep, and the distance great which separated them from the
homes of their adoption, but nothing was impossible in the face
of that earnestness, which marked their progress. This disposi-
tion is the material of which heroes are made. The biographies
of the gdod, the true, and the powerful tell us of exactly the
same spirit as this, and which was the medium by which success
crowned their efforts, and the World greatly was blessed.
Every inventor has to face the difficulties arising from an
incredulous world. Every discoverer has to encounter opposi-
tion which would make those who are less determined quail and
desist. Every person who embarks upon an undertaking which
has as its object the upbuilding of truth has to run the gauntlet,
So to speak, of the furious opposition such as the powers of
darkness only can command. Yet all of these workers, as their
titles indicate, have been successful, nothing has baffled them,
because they made up their minds to succeed, and succeed they
did, not merely to their own satisfaction but to that of their fel-
low beings, who have been benefited by their efforts.
It was no idle sentiment which prompted them to action,
but an inborn determination founded upon a deep -set principle
that " whatever is worth doing is worth doing well." Whenever
such a spirit animates man, we know that there is no such word
as failure in his vocabulary. This feature in man's character
has made him the truly wonderful being that he has proved him-
self, and were it omitted, the histor}^ of the human race, instead
of being as it is now, one of the most absorbingly interesting
subjects which could claim the attention of the thinking mind,
would not be worth the reading, and man who was made as the
Bible tells us, but little lower than the angels, and crowned with
glory and " honor," would long since have fallen from his high
estate, and his life be as devoid of interest as that of the
beasts tliat peri.sh. This is but reasonable, for it indicates that
when man '\& in earnest in what he does, his heart is given to his
work. Hovr marked is this, we say, among the great ones of
74 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
our world. Think of such a man as Napoleon Bonaparte, when
he was entering upon a great campaign, which would involve
the destinies of Europe. Could the thoughtful one have been
able to read his mind at such a momentous time, what mighty
plans and calculations would be these; what wonderful lines of
battle, what anticipative thoughts when through the mists of the
future he could see success and glory; or take one nearer home,
General Washington, so appropriately known as the Father of
his Country. Think what daring plans he must have formulated,
by which he expected to be borne to success. He, who, with a
small army of half- fed and half-clothed men, dared to stand up
before the mightiest nation of the world and defy it. We might,
if we were privileged to read his thoughts, see some such words
as these: " My country must and shall be free, and my hand
shall be the instrument to give her great assistance." The
horrors of cold winter and starvation were not sufficient to cause
him to desist in what many of his contemporaries, no doubt,
considered a mad venture, for he made up his mind to succeed,
and saw no such probability as defeat in his pathway.
We might take examples from other departments of work,
and read the thoughts of a great writer, who, by his pen, has
resolved to make the world better, and as his after- works testify
they bear the stamp of earnestness, yes and such earnestness as
will unquestionably bear the stamp of Divine approval. The
great feature of this earnestness, is the utter absence from the
mind of anything which savors of failure. That is not antici-
pated as a possible contingency, and it rarely comes. Do you
think that any of those just mentioned anticipated failure when
they gave their hearts to the work? Not only are we convinced
to the contrary, but it is our firm conviction that if such had
been the case the downfalls of mo.st of them would now be
among the many wrecks which strew the sands of time. Look-
ing, therefore, at our French colonists in this light, we see them
in their true grandeur of character as we perhaps have never
viewed them before. Instead of the weary and disheartened
band, worn out with the cares and discouragements of the hour,
and ready to faint by the way -side, we see the fire of determina-
tion kindled by deep -set earnestness flash from their eyes. The
The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis. 75
little rows of rough cabins in the forest, the back-ground of
seemingly impenetrable wilds, and before them the winding
river, which, to many, would seem to be murmuring the fare-
wells to departed hopes, but represent to them the life which is
before them, and the grand medium through which they shall
attain success, so that at the conclusion of their mortal exist-
ence, it shall be said of them what we emphatically say to-day:
"They lived not in vain."
The early history of our country is ever presenting scenes
such as these, and how often are we constrained to go back
through the past years and sympathize with our forefathers, and
consider that our lines have, as compared with theirs, " fallen
in pleasant places ; " but yet there are other thoughts in this con-
nection that should fill the mind. In consideration of the work
which was given these and its mighty significance, as it bore
upon the events of the future, and the earnestness of purpose
with which it was prosecuted, and its great aim accomplished,
were not their blessings which arise from the fact that they were
the promotors of such a mighty work, as great, yes far greater
than those benefits which accrue to many now-a-days? It were
a privilege, indeed, to live as they lived, and to be moved as they
to do with all their might that which their hands found to do, in
laying the foundation for future success in a great land.
Another trait of character which was the natural out-
come of that just considered, and which shone brightly
among our colonists, was bravery. As we have remarked
they had much to tax their patience, and many things from
which human nature would shrink in fear and trembling, but
if fear entered their hearts it was promptly banished. The
blood which flowed in their veins was near akin to that which
flowed in the veins of those heroes, whose warlike valor, soon
after our town was settled, filled the minds of the all-great peo-
ple with wonder and admiration. These people showed by their
lives that there was a strong bond of union between them and
such men as the great Napoleon, the hero of France, and of
those fearless and determined men who followed him through
the smoke and carnage of his many battles to victory and re-
nown. We know how invaluable this virtue of bravery is as an
76 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
element of character. Faint hearts and wavering actions are
not such as characterize true men, and only the true man is the
successful man. We have not with the meagre resources at our
command, been able to recount many of their deeds which bear
upon this point, but, from those recited and personal a.ssociations
with their descendants, we feel at liberty to pay them this trib-
ute, and after the lapse of a hundred years, such convictions of
their true worth, in this respect, come to us as to make their
memory grateful to us, who are reaping the fruits of what they
planted.
There is one trait of character, however, which we feel con-
strained to emphasize, and which was peculiarly apparent among
them. This bears a close relationship, in its turn, to those just
considered. It was the love of country that actuated them,
whether that country was in the sunny fields and populous cities
of beautiful France, or among the wilds of Ohio. Wherever
their home was, there was also their heart. This love of coun-
try, too, is a virtue indispensable with true people. There is no
more unfavorable sign in an individual or community of people
than that of a rebellious spirit toward their government, unless,
of course, such is thoroughly corrupt, and deserves the censure
they are so willing to bestow. When in our reading we see his-
tories of those, who cheerfully left all the dearest objects of life,
to take up arms in defense of the land they love, our hearts are
filled in a manner inexpressible by the grandeur of character
manifested. In the fierce battle which was waged in the siege
of Quebec, the world witnessed a double tragedy, and yet scenes
of grandeur in the deaths of the two leaders of the opposing
forces. General Wolfe, the English general, being mortally
wounded, as his eyes were about to close upon this world for-
ever, being told that victory had perched upon his country's
banner, said: "I die happy." The Marquis. De Montcalm,
who commanded the French defensive force, and who was also
wounded unto death, expressed himself as glad to die in that he
would not be obliged to see Quebec surrendered. Those were
brave expressions, and the men who uttered them were great
men; gallant sons of worthy lands, for a land must be worthy
which has such representatives. The love of country is a fixed
The French Settlers and Settlement of Gallipolis. 77
principle in the minds of those who love great things, and to the
true man his country can make no unreasonable request when
she calls upon him to defend her from her enemies, and make
her name to be glorious in this great world.
There is an old and familiar Latin maxim, which stirs within
us those feelings which are of an ennobling character ; it is duke
et decorum est pro patria mori — it is sweet and honorable to die
for one's country. There is also a great principle embodied in
another somewhat similar to it, and which is: 'tis sweet and
honorable to live for one's country. To die for a principle, indi-
cates that having been brought to a stop, as it were, in the dis-
charge of our duties for it, on account of the difficulties which
would impede our progress in our careers of duty, we give our
lives to the cause of surmounting those difficulties. It is there-
fore the bright ending of a conscientious course ; an ending pro-
duced because it is beyond our power to do more. To live for
one's native land, or the land of one's adoption, however, indi-
cates a determination to use every opportunity for its advance-
ment ; to face the future with that bravery characteristic of a
noble nature, and acknowledge no difficulty of sufficient moment
to baffle you in what you know to be right.
In the case of dying for one's country, the work is finished,
and, like the bright sunset, the grand life closes in this world.
When we live for our country, the work is about us, the oppor-
tunities thicken around us ; our hands are the instruments that
can do it, and the responsibilities of our position are great.
One point in this connection needs to be emphasized, that
unless we live for our country, the chances are not very favor-
able for our dying for it. There are, perhaps, instances in which
men died for the love of country without having given theii
lives to the same cause, but such instances are extremely rare.
Now, we love the memory of our early settlers, because they
both lived and died for this, the home of their adoption. We
would dwell particularly on the former of these, as we believe
you will think it meet and proper in view of the life of privation
which marked the first years of the history of Gallipolis, and to
which we have called your attention.
' Tis not natural to suppo.se that when they came from their
78 Ohio Arch, atid His. Society Publications. [Vol. B
far-away habitations, and met with the discouraging reception in
America, that they should love the latter place; and the idea that
it was to furnish them their future homes, must at first have been
even repugnant to them, but after having cast their lots here,
and witnessed the returns of their self-denying labors, they began
to love this rough land, and as the years passed away, and home
ties were formed, that love increased and strengthened, until they
became thoroughly domiciled, and then the hearts, which had
once yearned for the beauties and attractions of La Belle France,
awakened, as it were, to the consciousness that their France was
with them.
It is home where the heart is, and their hearts were not
across the seas, but here on the banks of the beautiful river.
They lived, I say, for this home; all of their refined tastes were
called into requisition to make it beautiful. A reference to this
fact, we have already seen in the interesting narrative of Mr.
Heckewelder. In after years, however, we have cause to know
that what he saw in those pioneer days was but an indication of
what would be. The expression, " the wilderness blossoms like
the rose," which we have used, was most appropriate, concerning
the results of their labors, for the wild blufi" on the river side be-
came in due time the site of a fair town, inhabited by useful and'
contented people.
The town was honored by visits of two distinguished visitors
in its early days. In 1824, General Lafayette, who had assisted
our land so materially in former years, made Gallipolis a visit,
and we cannot but believe that when he left, he was convinced
that his countrymen had proved true to their nature in upholding
the interest of their homes and governments wherever they
might be. Louis Philippe, (then the exiled Duke of Orleans),
stopped here once on his way to New Orleans, and his homeless
feeling and longing after the joys of native land must have been
intensified when he witnessed the thrifty contentment of these,
his brothers, in the home of their choice.
Thus they lived, and thus they died, and when we consider
that death was the culmination of lives given to their country,
we feel additional gratitude for their memory, and should be in-
spired to renewed endeavors in furthering the interests of our
The French Settlers and Settlement of Gallipolis. 7J^
town and county. We would do honor to their memory, we
would in sacred thought, traverse the years which separate us
from them, and we would thank them for this example which
they have bequeathed to us and the many others who have and
will come after them, being filled with the conviction that the
love of home and country, such as was exemplified in them is one
of the great secrets of a successful community.
Another instructive point presents itself for consideration as
a closing thought, in connection with the work which they did,
and should commend itself to us, as do all of the others hitherto
mentioned: The thorough character of the undertaking upon
which they engaged and which they perfected. There is only
one way in which a thing can be done right, and that is by
beginning at the very root of the matter. We must find a good
foundation upon which to build, and then make our edifice of
the strong and abiding materials. The Bible tells of two men
who built houses, one with a good foundation and one with an
indifierent one. '' The rain descended and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and beat upon the former and it fell not, for it
was founded upon a rock," while the same forces acting upon
the latter caused its ruin. "It fell, and great was the fall
thereof." The same principle applies in every undertaking,
whether it is great or seemingly insignificant, and we feel certain,
from what history tells of the past, and what we see about us,
that our settlers were moved by it in the performance of their
duties here. The rea.sons why we feel certain of this are to be
seen in the development of our town during the years which
made up the century, and the result of the works of the hundred
years. The improvements at first were not rapid, as might natur-
ally be supposed in view of the difficulties of the settler, but the
flying years brought wonderful changes.
Let us hear what Mr. Brackenridge has to say in regard to
the town as he saw it in after 3'ears: "As we passed Point Pleas-
ant, and the little island below it, Gallipolis, which I looked for
with anxious feelings, hove in sight. I thought of the French
inhabitants — I thought of my friend Saugrain, and I recalled in
the liveliest colors the incidents of that portion 01 my life which
was passed here. A year is a long period of time ; every day is
80 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VOL. 3
crowded with new and striking events. I hastened to the spot
where I expected to find the abode (of Dr. Saugrain), the little
log house, tavern, laboratory and garden of the Doctor — but
they had vanished like the palace of Aladdin. I took a hasty
glance at the new town as I returned to the boat. I saw brick
houses, painted frames, fanciful enclosures, ornamental trees!
Even the pond, which had carried away a third of the French
population by its malaria, had disappeared, and a pretty green
had usurped its place, with a neat brick Court House in the
midst of it."
Looking at the place to-day, we see a substantial and pros-
perous town. True, there are many in our great State which
are much larger, and regarded by outsiders as far more im-
portant; but the basis upon which we stand as a town, is a firm
and solid one, which showed that its beginning was marked by
faithful efforts. We would remark, however, and we do so with
sadness of heart, that the French population of Gallipolis de-
creased with rapidity during the years which marked its early
history, and it was American hands which prosecuted the work
here for many years, and made our town more successful, as was
evidenced by its different stages of prosperous development.
Mr. Brackenridge, in his description of the second visit to Galli-
polis, expresses great disappointment that the French were
nearly all gone. We cannot forget, however, that it was the
French hands that laid the foundation, and the French mind
which planned the building in its earliest stages, so that to the
French rather than to the American is due the prosperity of
after years.
Memories of the past are freighted with their lessons, and
filled with joys and .sorrows. It is pleasant to recall the events
which have passed away, on account of the many pleasant char-
acters with which they bring us into clo.se association. The very
difficulties which were encountered by the pioneers have a
charm for us, as we view them by the light of a hundred years.
When soldiers have passed through the wars successfully, or
sailors have endured the perils of the sea, it is a peculiar joy to
them to sit by some bright fireside and go over their perilous
adventures wath one another, and the greater the dangers that
The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis. 81
once were, and the more trying the sufferings, the greater pleas-
ure they appear to derive from their naratives. Thus when our
town looks back over her history and beholds what she was, and
what she might have been but for the brave and determined
efforts of her faithful inhabitants, there is a peculiar charm at-
tached even to her hardships, inasmuch as she knows that they
were successfully faced. Thankful are we for the works done
for us by those of the century gone, and we can utter no more
fervent wish than that our memory may be as sacred to those
who shall stand upon this ground, when the morning of another
hundred years shall dawn upon Gallipolis.
John ly. Vance.
Vol. Ill ,;
82 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Piiblicatiom. [Vol,. 3
CONTEMPORARY DESCRIPTION OF OHIO IN 1788.
In 1888, Mr. John H. James, of Urbana, Ohio, whose col-
lection of historical works is hardly excelled, published a trans-
lation of a French pamphlet used by Mr. Barlow and his asso-
ciates in Paris, when engaged in the sale of lands in the Ohio coun-
try. "The pamphlet," says Mr. James, in his introduction,
"was published in French and English; the French copy being
a translation of the English copy, first published in Salem,
Massachusetts, in 1787. The French edition was published in
Paris in 1789, the year of the breaking out of the French Revo-
lution. It was one of the means employed by Joel Barlow and
the agents of the Scioto Company to promote the emigration
from France, which resulted in the settlement of the French at
Gallipolis in 1790."
"The French copy from which I make the translation,"
continued Mr. James, "is dingy with age, and formerly be-
longed to one of the early settlers at Gallipolis, whose name,
with the date, 1805, is inscribed on the cover."
The title page of the pamphlet is as follows:
"A Description of the Soil, Productions, etc., of that Por-
tion of the United States Situated between Pennsyhania and
the Rivers Ohio and Scioto and Lake Erie."
Mr. James, in his introduction, says of the authorship of
the pamphlet, that "it was published anonymously, but was
written by Mr. Manasseh Cutler," and "that while its tints are
sufficiently couleur de rose, and some of its statements * * *
appear extravagant in the light of our present knowledge, yet it
must be remembered that one hundred years ago Ohio was a
comparatively unknown region, concerning which all intending
settlers were enthusiastic; and a comparison with other con-
temporary authorities shows that it represents very fairly the
state of information existing concerning the Western country."
The extravagant statements in the pamphlet, it will be
noticed, are acceded to by Mr. Thomas Hutchins, the geographer
of the United States, and by others who had visited the country.
Description of the Soil , etc. 83
The following is Mr. James' translation of the French
edition of the pamphlet, with foot notes added by him:
MR. J.\MES" TK.\NSLATION f)F THK FRENCH EDITION OF OHIO.
The great river Ohio is formed by the confluence of the
Monongahela and the Allegheny in Pennsylvania. It flows
from about 290 miles west of the city of Philadelphia, and
about 20 miles west of the western boundry of Pennsylvania.
In following the ordinary route the 290 miles are increased to
320, and the windings of the Ohio increase the 20 miles to
about 42.
These two sources of the Ohio are both great navigable
rivers; the first flows from the southeast, and there is, between
it and the navigable waters of the Potomac, in Virginia, a por-
tage of only about 30 miles ;^ the latter opens a passage to the
northeast, and rises not far from the source of the Susquehanna.
The State of Pennsylvania has already adopted the plan of
opening a navigation from the Allegheny River to Philadelphia
by way of the Susquehanna and the Delaware. In following
this route there will be only a transit by land, or portage of 24
miles. '^
At the junction of these two rivers, or at the source of the
Ohio, we find Fort Pitt, which gives its name to the city of
Pittsburgh, a flourishing settlement in the • vicinity of the
fortress. From this city the Ohio pursues its w^ay to the south-
west for 1188 miles (including the windings of the river) and
empties into the Mississippi, after traversing for this prodigious
distance a most fertile and agreeable country, and having in-
creased its w^aters by those of several other navigable rivers:
the Muskingum, the Hockhocking, the Scioto, the Miami, and
the Wabash from the northwest; the Kanawha, the Kentucky, the
Bufl^aloe,*'' the Shawnee,^ and the Cherokee^ from the southwest;
all these rivers, navigable for a distance of from 100 to 900
miles, fall into the Ohio, and it is this river that furnishes a
great part of those united waters which flow into the ocean
through the bed of the Mississippi.
The Ohio, from Pennsylvania to the Mississippi, sep^-
84 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
rates the State of Virginia from other domains of the
United States, or in other words from the territory not
comprised within the Hmits of any particular State. This
territory extends westward to the Mississippi, and north
to the frontiers of the United States. Commencing at the
meridian which forms the western boundary of Pennsylvania
they have laid off a space sufficient for seven ranges® of munici-
palities (townships). As a north and south line extends along
the Ohio in a very oblique direction, the western boundary of
the seventh range strikes the Ohio nine miles above the
Muskingum, which is the first large river which empties into the
Ohio. Their junction is 172 miles below Fort Pitt, following the
winding of Ohio, but in a straight line little more than 90 miles.
The Muskingum is a river which flows slowly, and has
banks high enough to prevent all inundation. It is 250 yards
wide at the place where it enters the Ohio, and is navigable for
large vessels and bateaux as far as Tree Legs, and for small boats
to the lake at its source. From thence by means of a transit by
land of about one mile,^ communication is opened with Lake
Erie by means of the Cuyahoga, which is a river of great value,
navigable through its whole length, without any cataracts to
obstruct its course. The passage from Lake Erie to the Hudson,
through the State of New York, is well known. The longest
transit by land on this route is that which is caused by the falls
of Niagara, which interrupts the communication between Lakes
Erie and Ontario. After that, one passes by the River Oswego,
Oneida, Lake, Woods Creek (the bay of the woods), and by
means of a short portage, enters the Mohawk; another portage
occasioned by the cataract near the confluence of the Mohawk,
and the Hudson brings the voyager to Albany.
The Hockhocking is somewhat like the Muskingum, but not
SO' large. It is navigable for large vessels for about seventy
miles, and much further for small ones. On the banks of this
much frequented river are inexhaustible quarries of building
stone, great beds of iron ore, and some rich mines of lead. We
find also, very frequently in the neighborhood of this river, coal
mines and salt springs, which abound in this Western country.
The salt which is obtained from these sprmgs furnishes a never-
Description of the Soil, etc. 8-5
failing abundance of this article of prime necessity.^ Beds of
clay, both white and blue, of an excellent quality, are met with
also throughout this region. This clay is adapted for the manu-
facture of glass, of pottery, and all kinds of brick. Armenian"
clay, and several other useful deposits, have also been discovered
along the different branches of this river.
The Scioto is a river longer than either of those of which we
have thus far spoken, and furnishes a navigation much more con-
siderable. For an extent of two hundred miles large vessels can
navigate it. Then there is a passage to be made by land of
four miles only to the Sandusky, a river also navigable, which
enters into Lake Erie.^*^ It is by the Sandusky and Scioto that
they pass generally in going from Canada to the Mississippi. This
route is one of the most considerable and most frequented found
in any country. B}^ it are united some of the most extensive
territories, and when we consider the rapidity with which
settlements are made in the Western part of Canada, upon Lake
Erie, and in Kentucky, we may predict that there will be an
immense commerce between these people.'^ It is certain that the
lands which border upon, and which lie near these rivers, will be
of the greatest value from their situation alone, and quite apart
from their natural fertility. There can be no doubt that the
flour, wheat, hemp, etc., exported from the extensive regions
surrounding Lakes Huron and Ontario would have an easier
transit by means of Lake Erie and the neighboring rivers than
by any other route. The merchant who shall in future inhabit
the banks of the Ohio will be able to pay more for these com-
modities than the merchant of Quebec, by reason of these
advantages, because they can be transported from the former
of these countries to Florida and the West India Islands with
much less expense and risk, and at a much lower rate of insur-
ance than from the latter. In fact, the transportation of these
productions of the soil, the expenses upon the Ohio included,
would not amount to a fourth part of what it would cost from
Quebec, and it will be still cheaper than it is by way of Lake
Oneida.
The Scioto has a gentle current, which is interrupted by no
cataracts. Sometimes in tiie spring it overflows its banks, which
86 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol,. 3
are covered b}' vast fields of rice, which nature here produces
spontaneously.^^ For the rest, we find in abundance in the
country which borders upon this river, salt springs, coal mines,
deposits of white and blue clay and of free stone.
The general expressions of admiration which are com-
monly made use of in speaking of the natural fertility of
the countries watered by these western rivers of' the United
States render difficult the description one would wish to make,
unless one takes particular pains to mark on the map the places
which merit especial attention, or unless he gives an exact
description of the territory in general without regard to the risk
he runs of being charged with exaggeration. But upon this
point we are able to say that we have with us the unanimous
opinion of geographers, of surveyors and of all those travelers
who have collected precise information concerning the character-
istics of the country, and who have observed with the most scru-
pulous exactitude all the remarkable objects which nature there
displays. They all agree that no part of the territory belonging
to the United States combines in itself so many advantages,
whether of salubrity, fertility or variety of productions, as that
which extends from the Muskingum to the Scioto and the Great
Miami. ^^
" Colonel Gordon speaking of his travels through a country
much more extensive in which this is included and of which it
is indubitably the most beautiful part, makes the following obser-
vations: " The country along the Ohio is extremely agreeable,
filled with great plains of the richest soil and exceedingly salubri-
ous. One remark of this kind suffices for all that region bounded
by the western slope of the Allegheny Mountains and extending
to the southwest a distance of five hundred miles down the Ohio,
thence to the north as far as the source of the rivers that empty
into the Ohio, and thence eastward along the hills which sepa-
rate the lakes from the river Ohio as far as French creek. I
can, from the perfect knowledge which I have of it, affirm that
the country which I have just described is the most salubrious,
a. An English Engineer during the war of 1755-6.S.
Description of the Soil, etc. 87
the most agreeable, the most advantageous, the most fertile land
which is known to any people of Europe, whatsoever."
The lands which are watered by the different rivers empty-
ing into the Ohio, of which we have just spoken, are, since the
time of Col. Gordon, better known, and can be described with
more precision and in a manner which ought to inspire confi-
dence.
They are remarkable for their variety of soil from which
results everything which can contribute to the advantages due to
their local position and which promise the success and the riches
which ought to burst forth among every agricultural and manu-
facturing people.
The great level plains which one meets with here and which
form natural prairies, have a circumference of from twenty to
fifty miles, they are found interspersed almost everywhere along
the rivers. These plains have a soil as rich as can be imagined
and which with very little labor can be devoted to any species of
cultivation which one wishes to give it. They say that in many
of these prairies one can cultivate an acre of laud per day and
prepare it for the plough. There is no undergrowth on them and
the trees which grow very high and become very large'' only
need to be deprived of their bark in order to become fit for use.
The kinds of timber fit for the purposes of the joiner which
grow most abundantly in this country and the most useful of
trees which are found here are the sugar-maple, the sycamore,
black and white mulberry, and black and white walnut, the
chestnut, oaks of every kind, the cherry tree, beech tree, the
elm, the cucumber tree, ironwood, the ash tree, the aspen, the
sassafras, the wild apple tree, and a great number of other trees
of which it is impossible to express the names in French.
General Parsons has measured a black walnut near the Mus-
kingum, of which the circumference, five feet above the ground,
was twenty-two feet. A sycamore measured in the same way
had a circumference of forty-four feet. One finds on the heights
white and black oaks as well as the chestnut, and nearly all the
trees we have just named, which grow there, very large and to a
a. Large and high trees are an indication of rich soil.
88 Ohio Arch. a7id His. Society Publications. [Voiv. S
proportionate height. One finds both on the hills and on the
plains a great qnantity of grapes growing wild, and of which the
inhabitants make a red wine, which suffices for their own con-
sumption. They have tried the experiment of pressing these
grapes at the settlement of * Saint Vincent,^* and the result is a
wine w^hich, by keeping a little while, becomes preferable to the
many wines of Europe. Cotton of an excellent quality is also a
product of the country.
The sugar-maple is of great value to a region situated as
this is in the interior of the country. It furnishes enough sugar
for the use of a large number of people, and for this purpose a
small number of trees are usually kept by each family. A
maple tree will produce about ten pounds of sugar per year, and
it is produced with little difficulty. The sap of the tree flows in
the months of February and March ; it becomes crystalized after
being boiled, and the sugar is equal in flavor and whiteness to
the best Muscavado.
All parts of this country are abundantly supplied with ex-
cellent springs, and one finds everywhere both small and large
creeks, on which mills may be established.^'"' These brooks, u.se-
ful for so many purposes, have the appearance of being disposed
by the hand of art in such a manner as to contribute toward pro-
curing every advantage which can make life desirable.
There is a very little bad land in this territory, and no
marsh. There are plenty of hills; their position is agreeable,
and they are not high enough to interfere with their cultivation.
Their soil is deep, rich, covered with trees of good growth, and
adapted to the cultivation of wheat, rye, indigo, tobacco, etc.
The communication between this territory and the ocean is
principally by the four following routes:
First: The route by the Scioto and Muskingum to L,ake
Erie, and thence by the River Hudson we have already de-
scribed.
Second: The passage by the Ohio and Monougahela to the
transit by land already mentioned, which leads to navigable
b. A French settlement made some fifty years ago on the Wabash
rivw. to the westward of the Scioto.
Description of the Soil, etc. 89
waters of the Potomac. This laml transit is aljout thirty miles,
but it will very probably be diminished in a little while, by
means of the plan which is actually in contemplation for opening
a comnuinication between these rivers.
Third : The Great Kanawha, which empties into the Ohio
toward the confines of Virginia, between the Hocking and
Scioto, affords a very ready navigation toward the Southeast,
and requires but a short portage to reach the navigable waters
of the James River in Virginia. This communication, useful to
the settlements between the Muskingum and Scioto, will very
probably be the most frequented for the exports of the manu-
factures of the country,'® and still more for the importation of
foreign goods, because they can be carried more cheaply from
the Chesapeake to the Ohio, than they now are from Philadel-
phia to Carlisle and the other counties situated in the lower parts
of Pennsylvania.
Fourth: But above all, it is upon the Ohio and Mississippi
that there can be transported a great number of things necessary
for the markets of Plorida and the West Indies, such as wheat,
flour, beef, bacon, timber for joinery and ship-building, etc, that
they will be more frequented than any river upon the earth.
The distance from the Scioto to the Mi.ssissippi is eight hundred
miles, thence to the ocean nine hundred; all this journe}- can be
easily made in fifteen days, and the voyage in reascending these
rivers is not so difficult as one would suppo.se. Experience has
demonstrated that one can make great use of sails on the Ohio.*^
Here again is a fortunate circumstance: it is that the Ohio
Company'' is on the point of establishing its settlements, and it
is making them in a manner alike, systematic and judicious. Its
operations will serve as a useful model for all the settlements
which will be found in the future in the I'nited States. Add to
this that this new colony is established so near the western
boundary of Pennsylvania as to appear to be only a continuation
of the older settlements, by reason of which there will no longer
be reason to fear that these unsettled regions may be occupied
a. At this moment the establishments of this company are com-
menced and are very flourishing.
90 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publicatioyis. [Voi.. 3
by the savages, as has too frequently happened in situations very
far removed from the seat of government. ^^
The intention of Congress, and that of the inhabitants, is
that these settlements shall be made in a regular manner ; that
they shall follow the course of the Ohio, and that they shall
commence by occupying the northern part of the country tow^ard
Lake Erie.^^ And it is hoped that not many years will probably
elapse until the whole country above the Miami will be raised in
value to such a point that the advantages which travelers have
celebrated will be seen in their true light, and it will be admitted
that they spoke nothing but the truth when they called this
country the garden of the universe, the center of wealth, a place
destined to be the heart of a great Empire.
The following reflections will not escape either the philoso-
pher or the statesman, who shall see this delightful part of the
United States settled upon a wise system and in a well ordered
manuLr :
1. The labor of the agriculturists will here be rewarded by
productions as useful as, and more varied than in any part of
America ; the advantages which are generally found divided in
any other cKmate are here united; and all the advantages which
other parts of the United States present, are here combined in
the highest perfection. In all parts the soil is deep, rich, pro-
ducing in abundance wheat, rye, corn, buckwheat, barley, oats,
flax, hemp, tobacco, indigo, the tree that furnishes the food for
the silk worm, the grape-vine, cotton. The tobacco is of a
quality much superior to that of Virginia, and the crops of wheat
are much more abundant here than in any other part of America.
The ordinary crop of corn is from sixty to eighty English
bushels per acre. '^ The bottom lands are especially adapted to
the procl-iction of all the commodities we have just enumerated.
There where the vast plains, which are met with in this terri-
torv, are intersected with little brooks, the land is suitable for
a. General Tarsons, one of the Commissioners for negotiating the
Treaty of IToG wi.h the Indians, reports that Mr. Dawson, who has lived in
this country ten years, has raised from eighty to one hundred bushels per
acre. Last year he cultivated seven acres, on which his crop was six hun-
dred bushels.
Description of the Soil, etc. 91
the culture of rice, and it grows here abundantly. Hops also
are produced spontaneously in this territory, and there are also
the same peaches, plums, pears, melons, and in general all the
fruits which are produced in the temperate zone.
There is no country more abounding in game than this.
The stag, fallow deer, elk, buffalo and bears fill the woods and
are nourished on these great and beautiful plains, which are en-
countered in all parts of these countries, an unanswerable proof
of the fertility of the soil; wild turkeys, geese, ducks, swans,
teal, pheasants, partridges, and so forth, are here found in
greater abundance than our domestic fowls in all the older settle-
ments of America. The rivers are well stocked with fish of
different kinds, and several of these fish are of an exquisite
quality. In general they are large, the cat-fish {poisson-chat)
has an excellent flavor and weighs from twenty to eighty pounds.
One will find here provisions for several years, and the
borders of each one of these rivers wall serve for a long time in
place of a market. When inhabitants shall come here from all
parts of the world nature will have provided for them, at least
for one year, all they need, without the necessity of making any
purchases.
2. There is no place more suitable from its situation and
productions for the establishment of manufactures than this.
The necessaries of life are abundant and cheap. The raw
material for all things necessary for clothing and personal adorn-
ment are here found in quantities. Silk, flax and cotton bring a
good price here ; but these articles, being manufactured and be-
ing adapted for the different purposes of use and luxury, would
still be cheap here by reason of the small amount of freight
necessary to pay for their transportation. The United States,''™
and perhaps other countries besides, will be replaced, or super-
seded in the market, by the competition of the inhabitants of
the interior parts of America.
The construction of vessels will te one of the most consider-
able branches of business on the Ohio River and its tributaries.''^
In the lowest stage of water in the Ohio we find a depth of four
fathoms from the mouth of the Muskingum to its junction with
the Mississippi. In only one part is it very rapid, and there the
92
Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
navigaiion is interrupted for about one mile. Elsewhere through-
out its whole extent the fall is not more than fifteen feet, and
the bed of the river, which has a breadth of two hundred and
fifty rods, has never less than five feet of water. In winter it
increases to thirty feet. The river can be ascended not only by
means of oars, but they readily surmont the current by means
of sails only. Geographers and others who have seen the
locality are of the opinion that if a canaF^ were dug at a little
less than half a mile south of the river, at a point where a low
prairie is found, the current could be avoided and navigation
thus be without interruption the whole year round.
Hemp, iron and ship timber are abundant and of good
quality here. During the highest stage of water, which is from
February to April, and frequently in October and November,
vessels can easily pass the rapids with their cargoes to the sea
even in the present condition of the river.
An English engineer, who has made a thorough examina-
tion of the western country, has communicated the following
observations to Lord Hillsborough in 1770. This nobleman
was the Secretary of State for the Department of America at
the time when we were colonists of Great Britain, and when our
country was regarded solely, as it could be made available for a
market for English fabrics :^^
' ' No part of North America has less need of encourage-
ment in order to furnish rigging for ships, and the raw material
destined to Europe, and to furnish t» the West India Islands
building material, provisions, etc., than the Ohio country, and
that for the following reasons:
"1. The country is excellent, climate temperate; grapes
grow without cultivation ; silk worms and mulberry trees abound
everywhere; hemp, hops and rice'-^ grow wild in the valleys and
low lands; lead and iron abound in the hills; salt springs are
innumerable; and there is no country better adapted to the cul-
ture of tobacco, flax and cotton than that of the Ohio.
"2. The country is well watered by several navigable
rivers, which communicate with each other, and by means of
which, with a very short transport by land, the productions of
the Valley of the Ohio cari even at this moment^^ be conveyed at
Description of the Soil, etc. 93
a much lower price to the seaport of Alexandria^ on the River
Potomac, where General Braddock landed his troops, than mer-
chandise can be carried from Northampton to London.
"3. The Ohio river is navigable at all seasons of the year
for large boats, ^ and during the months of February, March and
April it is possible to construct large vessels upon it and send
them to the ocean loaded with hemp, iron, flax, silk, tobacco,
cotton, potash, etc.
"4. Flour, wheat, beef, planks for ship-building and other
things not less useful can descend the Ohio to Western Florida
and go thence to the West India Islands more cheaply and in bet-
ter condition than the same merchandise can be sent from New
York or Philadelphia to the same islands.
"5. Hemp, tobacco, iron and similar bulky articles, can
descend the Ohio to the ocean at least 50 per cent, cheaper than
the same articles have ever been transported by land in Pennsyl-
vania over a distance no greater than sixty miles, although the
expense of carriage there is less than in any part of North
America.
"6. The freight for transporting goods manufactured in
Europe from the sea-board to the Ohio, will not be so consider-
able as it now is, and always will be, to a great part of the coun-
ties of Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland. When the farm-
ers or merchants who dwell upon the Ohio set about providing
for transportation they will build vessels of all kinds suited for
commerce with the West India Islands and Europe, or, as they
will have black walnut, cherry, oak, etc., sawed ready for for-
eign commerce, they will make of them rafts in the same man-
ner as is practiced by those who live about the headwaters of
the Delaware in Pennsylvania, on which they will put their
hemp, their iron, their tobacco, etc., and with which they will
go to New Orleans.
"The following observations should not be omitted: They
manufacture a great quantity of flour in the region situated in
the west of Peimsylvania, and they send it by land to Philadel-
phia, which costs a great deal, and thence they send it by sea to
South Carolina and Eastern and Western Florida, where they
grow little or no grain. One may say that nature herself has
94 Ohio Arch, and His. Sociefy Publications. [Vol.. 8
designed the Ohio to be the river by which the two Floridas may
be suppHed with flour, and that not only for the consumption of
these two provinces, but still more for a considerable commerce
which they carry on in that article with Jamaica and the Spanish
settlements of Mexico. Quantities of mill-stones may be pro-
cured from the hills which border the Ohio, and the country
everywhere abounds with water-courses suited to the construc-
tion of mills of every kind. The passage from Philadelphia to
Pensacola is rarely made in less than a month, and they ordi-
narily pay fifty shillings a ton freight (a ton consists of sixteen
barrels) for transportation that far. Boats carrying from 500 to
1000 barrels of flour go in nearly the same time from Pittsburgh
to Pensacola as from Philadelphia to Pensacola, and at half the
expense. Merchants on the Ohio can furnish flour on better
terms than Philadelphia, and without running the risk of dam-
age by sea or the delays of transportation on that element; and
besides, without paying insurance, advantages which can not be
enjoyed in the case of goods shipped from Philadelphia to Pen-
sacola. And let no one imagine that this is a supposition
merely; it is the constant experience. About the year 1746
there was a scarcity in New Orleans, and the French settle-
ments on the banks of the Illinois, feeble in number as
they were, sent thither in one winter alone 800,000 weight
of flour. "2^ So that, in place of furnishing other nations with,
raw materials, some company of manufacturers might be intro-
duced and established in the countries, so attractive their situation,
under the direction of men thoroughly competent to the task.
Such an establishment would produce a considerable augmenta-
tion of population and wealth to these new settlements and would
set a useful example to other parts of the United States.
3. The measures which have been taken by the act of
Congress, providing for the disposition of the lands west of the
Ohio as far down as the Scioto for the establishment and main-
tenance of schools, and of a University^^ shed an especial lustre
on these settlements and inspire the hope that by the particular
attention which has been given to education, the fields of science
will be extended, and that the means of acquiring useful knowl-
edge will be placed on a more respectful footing in this country
Description of the Soil, etc. . 95
than in any other part of the world. Without speaking of the
advantages of discovering in this new country species hitherto
unknown in natural history, botany and medical science, it can-
not be questioned that in no other part of the habitable globe
can there be found a spot where, in order to begin well, there
will not be found much evil to extirpate, bad customs to combat,
and ancient systems to reform. Here there is no rubbish to clear
away before laying foundations. The first commencement of
this settlement will be undertaken by persons inspired with the
noblest settlements, versed in the most necessary branches of
knowledge, acquainted with the world and with affairs, ^^ as well
as with every branch of science. If they shall be so fortunate
as to have at first the means of founding on an advantageous
plan these schools and this University, and of sustaining them
in such a manner that the professors may be able to commence
without delay the different labors to which they may be called,
they will, in the infancy of the colony, have secured to them-
selves advantages which will be found nowhere else.
4. In the ordinance of Congress for the government of the
territory northwest of the Ohio it is provided that when the
territory shall have acquired a certain amount of population it
may be divided into several States. The most eastern of these^^
(this is already provided for) is bounded by the Great M'.ami on
the west, and by Pennsylvania on the east. The center of this
State will be between the Scioto and the Hockhocking. The
seat of government of one of these States will very probably be
at the mouth of one of these two rivers. And if we may be
permitted to forecast the future, we may imagine that when the
United States of America, composed of an intelligent and re-
nowned people, shall have greatly extended the boundaries of
their dominions the general government will establish itself
upon the banks of the Ohio. This country is at the centre of
the whole Nation, it is a place the most convenient for all, the
most agreeable and probably the most healthy.
It is undoubtedly of the greatest importance that the Con-
gress shall soon fix the place of its residence; nevertheless, in
the present state of the country it is possible, some may think it
not expedient to fix it immovably. Take the chain of the
96 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
Allegheny Mountains from north to south, it is probable that
twenty years will not elapse before there will be more of the in-
habitants of the United States living on the banks of the West-
ern than on the Eastern rivers. The Western people ought
now to understand that the government is disposed to favor
them as much as their brethren who inhabit the Eastern part
of the country. It is even necessary that they should have this
feeling in order that they may not cherish dreams of inde-
pendence, that they may not seek for other alliances, and that
they may not take steps with especial view to their own welfare. ^^
As it is indisputable that it ought to be the principal object of
'the Legislature, and the one dearest to its heart to unite as great
a number of people as pos.sible, and render them happy under
one government, every step which Congress may take toward
this new constitution will have this object in view; and, we will
hope, will promote the success of the plan, and cause it to be
regarded as inviolably established. There is no doubt, what-
ever, that sooner or later the government will either reserve to
itself or purchase a suitable site on which to build the city of the
confederation l^ which will be at the center of the whole coun-
try; and that it will make known its intentions in this regard as
soon as circumstances, such as an equal population in the new
State, etc., will permit.
Such a determination, taken in advance, will give the older
States the power of carrying it into execution without causing
any disturbance or dissatisfaction to any person, whilst it would
inspire the new States with the hope of some day seeing the
plan realized.
Extracts from letters of an American farmer, by M. Sfohn
de Crevecoeur , Fre7ich Consul to America. Second edition, Vol.
J, page 394.
The Ohio is the grand artery of that portion of America
which lies beyond the mountains; it is the center in which meet
all the waters which flow on one side from the Allegheny Moun-
tains, and which descend on the other from the high lands in the
vicinity of Eakes Erie and Michigan. It has been calculated
that the region watered by all these streams, and comprised be-
Description of the Soil, etc. 97
tween Pittsburg and the Mississippi, contains a territory of at
least 260 miles square, or 166,980,000* acres. It is, without
doubt, the most fertile country, with the most varied soil, the
best watered, and that which offers to agriculture and commerce
the most abundant and ready resources of all those which Eu-
ropeans have ever discovered and peopled.
It was on the tenth of April, at eight o'clock in the morn-
ing, that we abandoned ourselves to the current of the Ohio.
* * * * This pleasant and tranquil navigation appeared to
me like a delightful dream; each moment presented to me new
perspectives, which were incessantly varied by the appearance
of islands, points and bends of the river, constantly changing
with the singular variety of shore, more or less wooded, from
which the eye would, from time to time, wander to survey the
great natural prairies which intersect them; constantl}' embel-
lished by promontories of different heights, which seemed to
disappear for a moment, and then gradually develop to the eye
of the navigator bays and coves, of greater or less extent,
formed by the creeks (little navigable rivers) and the brooks
which fall into the Ohio. What majesty in the mouths of the
great rivers before which we passed. Their waters seemed as
vast and as deep as those of the river on which we were
voyaging.
Never before had I felt so disposed to meditation and revery;
involuntarily my imagination darted into the future, the remote-
ness of w^hich gave me no trouble, because it appeared to be
near. I saw in fancy these beautiful shores ornamented with
handsome houses, covered with crops, the fields well cultivated;
on the declivities of the hills exposed to the north I saw orchards
planted, on the others vineyards, plantations of mulberries,
acacias, etc. I saw also on the low lauds the cotton plant and
the sugar-maple, the sap of which has become an article of com-
merce. I grant indeed that all the shores did not appear to me
equally adapted to cultivation, but the different masses of trees
with which the}^ will necessarily remain covered will add still
more to the beauty and the variety of the landscape of the
' Evidently an erroneous calculation.
Vol. Ill— 7
98 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VoL. 3
future. What an immense chain of plantations! What a great
career of activity, of industry, of culture and commerce is
offered to the Americans. I consider therefore the settlement
of the country watered by this great river as one of the greatest
enterprises ever presented to man. It will be the more glorious
because it will be legally acquired with the consent of the an-
cient proprietors and without the shedding of a drop of blood.''*
It is destined to become the foundation of the power, wealth and
future glory of the United States.
Toward noon of the third day we cast anchor at the mouth
of the Muskingum, in two fathoms and a half of water. To
give you a faint idea of what I may call the anatomy of the
Ohio, I wish to tell you about this river to make you understand
the utility of all its branches. ^'^
It empties into the Ohio 172 miles from Pittsburg and has a
width of 120 toises,^^ it is deep and navigable for large boats for
147 miles into the interior. Its freshets are moderate and it
never overflows its banks, which are elevated, without being
steep. One of its branches approaches at the same time the
principal of the sources of the Scioto, called the Seccaium and
the Sandusky River. This last falls, you are aware, into the
great bay of the same name at the farther end of I,ake Erie. It
is near one of the principal branches of the Muskingum that the
great Indian village of Tuscarawas is built, whence a portage of
two miles only leads to the Cuyahoga River, deep and but
slightly rapid, the mouth of which on L,ake Erie forms an ex-
cellent harbor for vessels of 200 tons. This place seems de-
signed for the site of a city, and several persons of my acquaint-
ance have already thought so.^^ All the voyagers and hunters
have spoken with admiration of the fertility of the hills and
valleys watered by the Muskingum, ^^ as well as the excellent
springs, the salt wells, the mines of coal, particularly that of
Lamenchicola, of the free-stone, fullers-earth, etc., which they
find everywhere.
The next morning at day break we weighed anchor, and
after three days of quiet and pleasant navigation we came to
anchor opposite the Scioto, 218 miles from the Muskingum and
390 miles from Pittsburgh, for the purpose of receiving on board
Description of the Soil, etc. 99
Gen. Butler, who came to conclude some negotiations with the
Shawnees. It is from him that I had the following details con-
cerning this fine river, upon the banks of which he resided dur-
ing the last five years of the war : The Scioto is almost as wide
as the Ohio ; its current is navigable for boats of medium size as
far as the village of Seccaium, 111 miles from its mouth; it is at
this village that the great portage to the Sandusky begins, which
is but four miles. Judge of the importance of this communica-
tion, always much frequented by whites and Indians; the latter
who have horses and wagons, transport merchandise at so much
per hundred. This river waters a most extensive and fertile
country, but rather flat. These vast plains, so well known as
the Scioto bottoms, commence a few miles above the river Hus-
kinkus and continue almost to Seccaium. They are watered by
the fine creeks, Alaman,^" Deer, Kispoks, etc., and by a great
number of considerable brooks. Several of these plains are
from twenty -five to thirty miles in circumference, and as if Na-
ture had wished to render them still more useful to men, she has
sprinkled them with hills and isolated mounds, on which she
had planted the most beautiful trees. These plains are never
overflowed, and their fertility is wonderful. If r. poor man, who
had nothing but his hands, should ask me, " Where shall I go
to establish myself in order to live with the most ease, without
the help of horses or oxen?" I would say to him, "Go to the
banks of one of the creeks in the Scioto bottoms ; all that you
will have to do will be first to obtain permission from the In-
dians from the neighboring village (this permission is no longer
necessary since the treaty with them) ; .second, scratch the sur-
face of the earth and deposit there your wheat, your corn, your
potatoes, your beans, your cabbage, your tobacco, etc., and
leave the rest to nature. In the meantime amuse yourself with
fishing and the chase."
Every spring a prodigious number of storks come to visit
these plains ; they are at least six feet high, and more than seven
feet from tip to tip of wings. I have never seen them come to
feed that they were not surrounded by sentinels, who watch
around them to announce the approach of enemies. Sometimes
before their departure they assemble in great flocks, and the day
100 Ohio Arch, and If is. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
being fixed, all rise, turning slowly, and preserving always the
same order, they describe long spirals until they are out of sight.
Finally, on the tenth day after our departure from Pitts-
burgh, we cast anchor in front of Louisville, having made 750
miles in 22^ hours of navigation.
CERTIFICATE.
Having read, attentively, the pamphlet in which is given a
description of the Western Territory of the Untied States, I, the
undersigned, certify that the facts therein contained concerning
the fertility of the soil, abundant productions and other advan-
tages for the husbandman, are true and reliable, and that they
correspond perfectly with the observations I have made during
ten years which I have spent in that country.
[signed] Thomas Hutchins,
Geographer of U. S.
NOTES.
Note L— All the produce of the settlements about Fort Pitt can be
brought to Alexandria, by the Youghiogany, in three hundred and four
miles, whereof only thirty -one are land transportation ; and by the Monon-
gahela and Cheat Rivers in three hundred and sixty miles, twenty of
which only are land carriage.— C^w. Washington to Gov. Harrison, Oct.
ID, 1784.
Note 2. — Pennsylvania — although the Susquehanna is an unfriendly
water, much impeded, it is said, with rocks and rapids, and nowhere com-
municating with those which lead to her capital, — has it in contemplation
to open a communication between Toby's Creek, which empties into the
Allegheny River 95 miles above Fort Pitt, and the west branch of the
Susquehanna, and to cut a canal between the waters of the latter and the
Schuylkill, the expense of which is easier to be conceived than estimated
or described by me. A people, however, who are possessed of the spirit of
commerce, who see and who will perceive its advantages, may achieve
almost anything. In the meantime, and the uncertainty of these under-
takings, they are smoothing the road and paving the ways for the trade of
the western world. — Gen. Washington to Gov. Harrison, Oct. 10, 1784.
Note 3.— The Buffalo — Apparently the Green River.
Description of the Soil, etc. 101
Note 4. — The Shawnee — The Cumberland River was so called until it
was given its present name by Dr. Walker, in 1747, in honor of the Duke
of Cumberland.
NoTK '). The Cherokee — The Tennessee was formerl)' so-called.
Note (>. — Seven Ranges.
Note 7. — This old Indian portage, between the head waters of the
Muskingum and those of the Cuyahoga, is within the present limits of
Portage countj', from which the county derives its name.
Note 8. — Salt Springs — "We have found several salt-licks within our
surveys, and we are assured there is a salt spring about forty miles up the
Muskingum, from which a quantity of salt for the supply of the country
may be made. Some gentlemen at Fort Harmar doubt this information,
and think a supply may be made at a spring on the branch of the Scioto."
— Pioneer History.
So great was the scarcity and value of salt during the first ten years of
the settlement — not less than six or eight dollars a bushel — that the Ohio
Company, in their final division of their lands, passed the following
resolution :
" Whereas, It is believed that the great ' salt springs ' of the Scioto
lie within the present purchase of the Ohio Company ; therefore,
" Resolved, That the division of land to the proprietors is made upon
the express condition and reserve that every salt spring now known, or
that shall hereafter be found, within the lands that shall fall to the lot of
any proprietor, be and are hereby reserved to the use of the company, with
such quantity of land about them as the agents and proprietors shall think
proper to assume for general purposes, not exceeding three thousand
acres ; the person on whose land they are found, to receive other lands of
equal value." It so happened that the Scioto springs were situated a few
miles west of the purchase and on the lands belonging to the United
States. When Ohio became a State, these noted springs, with those on Salt'
Creek, in Muskingum county and at Delaware, were reserved by Congress
for the use of the State, with large tracts of land adjoining to furnish fuel
for ooiling the salt water. For many years the.se springs were leased to
individuals, and became a source of revenue to Ohio.
Note 9. — Armenian Clay — A sort of Ochre.
Note 10. — The routes of navigation and portage referred to in the
text, between the lakes and the Ohio River, by way of the Sandusky and
Scioto, and of the Cuyahoga and Muskingum Rivers, and also that from
Presqu' Isle (Erie, Pennsylvania,) by way of I'rench Creek to the Ohio,
seemed to have been discovered and used b\- the French at a subsequent
period.
General Washington, in a letter written Octol)er 10, 1784, to Benjamin
Harrison, then Governor of Virginia (Writings of Washington, Vol. IX,
p. 58), in which he discusses at length the best mode of communication
102 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
between the tide water region of Virginia and the Northwestern territory,
by means of the Potomac and James Rivers, says: "It has long been my
decided opinion that the shortest, easiest and least expensive communica-
tion w'ith the invaluable and extensive country back of us would be by one
or both of the rivers of this State, which have their sources in the
Apalachian Mountians. Nor am I singular in this opinion. Evans, in his
map and analysis of the Middle Colonies, which, considering the early
period at which they were given to the public, are done with amazing
exactness, and Hutchins-- since, in his Typographical Description of the
Western Country, a good part of which is from actual surveys, are decidedly
of the same sentiments."
" The navigation of the Ohio," he continues, " being well known, they
will have less to do in the examination of it ; but, nevertheless, let the
courses and distances be taken to the mouth of the Muskingum, and up
that river (notwithstanding it is in the ceded lands) to the carrying place
to the Cuyahoga; down the Cuyahoga to Lake Erie, and thence to Detroit.
Let them do the same with Big Beaver Creek, although part of it is in the
State of Pennsylvania; and also with the Scioto. In a word, let the waters
east and west of the Ohio, which invite our notice bj' their proximity, and
by the ease with which land transportation may be had between them and
the lakes on one side, and the Rivers Potomac and James on the other, be
explored, accurately delineated, and a correct and connected map of the
whole be presented to the public."
He estimated that if the improvements here indicated should be con-
structed, the distance from Detroit, " by which all the trade of the North-
western part of the United Territory must pass" to the tide -waters of Vir-
ginia, could be made 17() miles less than to those of the Hudson at Albany.
" Upon the whole, the object in my estimation is of vast commercial and
political importance." * * " I consider Ruuisefs discovery for work-
ing boats against the stream by mechanical powers principally as not
only a very fortunate invention for these States in general, but as one
of those circumstances which have combined to render the present time
favorable above all others for fixing, if zve are disposed to avail our-
selves of them, a large portion of the trade of the Western country in
the bosom of his State irrevocably.''' (Gov. Harrison replied to this letter
that he had submitted it to the Assembly, which would probably take
favorable action. The James River Improvement enterprise, in which, if I
mistake not, Washington was a large stockholder, was doubtless the
result.)
It must be remembered that ideas to what constitutes a navigable
stream have greatly changed in the course of a century. When transpor-
tation and travel were carried on upon our western waters by means of
flat-boats, broad -horns, keel - boats, and even bark canoes, which drew
*The Geographer of the United States.
Descripfion of the Soil, etc. 103
only a few inches of water, and pushed their way up the riverp and their
tributary creeks and bayous, and " wherever the ground was a little moist,"
many a stream figured as a navigable river which in these days of steam-
boats would hardl}' be regarded as a reliable mill stream.
Note 11.— General Washington, in speaking of this country in 1784,
says that it will, so soon as matters are settled with the Indians, and the
terms by which Congress means to dispose of the land found to be favor-
able are announced, be settled faster than any other ever was, or anyone
would imagine." — Writings, IX, p. 62.
Note 12.— a plant called wild rice, on which numerous wild fowl feed,
is found in the marshes bordering Lake Erie. A similar growth on the low
bottoms of the rivers may have been mistaken by the early explorers for
the rice of commerce.
Note 13.^ "By the advice of Thomas Hutchins, Esq., Geographer of
the United States, this tract (the Ohio Company's purchase) was located on
the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers, he considered it the best part of the
whole western country, and he had visited it ftrom Pennsylvania to
Illinois."
Note 14. — St. Vincents, or Post St. Vincents, or Post Vincennes, as it
is variously called, on the site of Vincennes, Ind., was one of the early
French settlements in the Valley of the Mississippi.
Note 15.— "The other mill I saw in the year 1797 on the Scioto River.
It was built on two large dug-outs or canoes, with a wheel placed between
them. This mill, after being moved up or down as the settlers at different
stations needed its assistance in grinding corn, was tied to a tree in a rapid
current, which, running against the wheel between the canoes, turned the
stones above under a kind of umbrella made of bark. At a distance it had
the appearance of a crane flying up the river. It made a sound, for want
of grease, like the creaking of a wooden cari."^yl merican Pioneer, Vol.
/. P- 59-
Note 16. — " For my own part, I think it highly probable that upon
the strictest scrutiny, if the falls of the Great Kanawha can be made navi-
gable, or a short portage be had there, it will be found of equal importance
and convenience to improve the navigation of both the James and the Po-
tomac. The latter, I am fully persuaded, affords the nearest communica-
tion with the lakes; but the James River may be more convenient for all
the settlers below the mouth of the Great Kanawha, and for some distance
/virhaps above and west of it."— Washington to General Harrison, October
10, 1784.
Note 17. — The reader of to-day who is whirled over the distance sep-
arating Cincinnati and Pittsburgh between breakfast and supper, will be
interested in the following advertisement of a line of packet boats running
up and down the Ohio between those places one hundred years ago, mak-
ing the round trip in four weeks, and which were doubtless regarded as
104 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
attaining the very acme of speed and safety in traveling. The advertise-
ment is taken from the " Centinel of the North Western Territory," pub-
lished at Cincinnati in 1798, five years after the first settlement of Ohio,
and the first paper established north of the river:
OHIO
PACKET BOATS.
Two boats for the present will set out from Cincinnati for Pittsburgh
and return to Cincinnati in the following manner, viz. :
First boat will leave Cincinnati this morning at 8 o'clock, and return
to Cincinnati so as to be ready to sail again in four weeks from this date.
Second boat will leave Cincinnati on Saturday, the 30th inst., and re-
turn to Cincinnati in four weeks, as above.
And so regularly, each boat performing the voyage to and from Cin-
cinnati to Pittsburgh once in every four weeks.
Two boats, in addition to the above, will shortly be completed and reg-
ulated in such a manner that one boat of the four will set out weekly from
Cincinnati to Pittsburgh and return in like manner.
The proprietors of these boats having maturely considered the many
inconveniences and dangers incident to the common method hitherto
adopted of navigating the Ohio, and being influenced by a love of philan-
thropy and desire of being serviceable to the public, has taken great pains
to render the accommodations on board the boats as agreeable and con-
venient as they could possibly be made.
No danger need be apprehended from the enemy, as every person on
board will be under cover, made proof against rifle or musquet balls, and
convenient port-holes for firing out of Each of the boats are armed with
six pieces, carrying a pound ball; also a number of good muskets and
amply supplied with plenty of ammunition, strongly manned with choice
hands, and the masters of approved knowledge.
A separate cabin from that designed for the men is partitioned off in
each boat for accommodating ladies on their passage. *
Passengers will be supplied with provisions and liquors of all kinds,
of the first quality, at the most reasonable rates possible. * * ■•'■
Note IS. — One of the controlling considerations in the selection of a
site for the settlement by the Ohio Company at the mouth of the Muskin-
gum was that it might be under the protection of Fort Harmar.
Note 19. — The plan originally proposed by Congress for the survey
and sale of the first seven ranges west of Pennsylvania contemplated that
the ranges should extend northward to Lake Erie, but the subsequent
arrangements with the State of Connecticut recognized her claim to the
soil (but not the jurisdiction which was reserved to the United States) all
in that portion of Ohio north of the 41st parallel of latitude, and east of a
north and south line drawn at a distance of 120 miles west of the Pennsyl-
vania line, and forming what is known as the Connecticut Western
Reserve.
Note 20. —The expression " United States " seems to be used as refer-
ring to the older settled states of the Atlantic sea-board.
Dcscriplion of the Soil, etc. 105
Note 21. — Ships on the Ohio — lu 1799, Louis Anastasius Tarascon, a
French merchant of Philadelphia, sent two of his clerks, Charles Brugiere
and James Berthond, to examine the course of the Ohio and Mississippi
Rivers from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, and ascertain the practicability of
sending ships ready rigged to the West Indies and Europe. They reported
favorably, ami I\Ir. Tarascon, associating them and his brother with him as
partners, immediately established in Pittsburgh a large wholesale and
retail store and warehouse, a ship yard, a rigging and sail loft, an anchor-
smith's shop, a block manufactory, and, in short, evcr3thing necessary to
complete vessels for sea. The first year, 1801, they built the schooner
Amit}% of 120 tons, and the ship Pittsburgh, of 250, and sent the former,
loaded with flour, to St. Thomas, and the other, also with flour, to Phila-
delphia, from whence they sent them to Bordeaux, and brought back wine,
brandy and other French goods, part of which they sent to Pittsburgh in
wagons, at a carriage of from six to eight cents per pound. In lS02the)'
built the brig Nauino, of 2r)0 tons; in ISO.S, the ship Louisiana, of .300 tons,
and in ISOl, the ship Western Trader, of 400 tons." — AiHcrican Pioneer^
Vol. /., p. ^oj.
"As soon as ship-building commenced at Marietta, in 1800, the farmers
along the borders of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers turned their atten-
tion to the cultivation of hemp in addition to their other crops. In a few
years sufficient was raised not only to furnish cordage to the ships of the
West, but large quantities were worked up in the various rope walks and
sent as freight in the vessels to the Atlantic cities.
"By the year ISOo no less than two ships, seven brigs and three schoon-
ers had been built and rigged by the citizens of Marietta. Captain Jona-
than Devoll ranked amongst the earliest of Ohio shipwrights. After the
Indian war he settled on a farm five miles above Marietta, on the fertile
bottoms of the Muskingum. Here he built a 'floating mill' for making
flour, and in 1801 a ship of 230 tons, called the Muskingum, and the brig
Eliza Greene, of 150 tons." — Ibid, Vol. /, p. go.
Note 22. — A plan since carried out by the construction of the Louis-
ville and Portland canal.
Note 23. — Since preparing the translation of the report to Lord Hills-
borough, I have met with the original document in English. It will be
found in Volume II, page fi, of the " Olden Times," a periodical published
at Pittsburgh in 18-1() and 1817.
This report to Lord Hillsborough ai)pears to have been made when he
was considering the petitions of Thomas Walpole and others to the king
for the privilege of iuaking a purchase of land and founding a colony on
the south side of the Ohio River, which petition had been referred to the
Board of Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, of which he was presi-
dent, for report. See a very interesting article by Professor Hinsdale on
the western land policy of the British Government, in the Ohio Archaeo-
logical and Historical Quarterly for December, 1887.
106 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
Note 24. — The Knglish version has "rye" where the French has
" riz " — rice.
Note 25. — In the KnglisJi original are here inserted the words "in
the year 1772."
Note 26.— "The new settlement at the mouth of the Muskingum
attracted the attention of the House of Burgesses in Virginia, and an ap-
propriation of money was made to survey a route for a road from Alexan-
dria on the Potomac to the Ohio River opposite Marietta. The commis-
sioners found a very feasible course, and the estimated distance only three
hundred miles. A roa<l was cut out, and for many j-ears before the build-
ing of the National Turnpike from the Cumberland to the (^hio, merchan-
dise was brought in wagons to the stores in Marietta from the Port of
A.cxauuria." — Pioneer History, p. 245.
XoTE £7. " T'.ie English version here says, "like the west country
l>;;rges, rowed by only four or five men."
Note 28. — The settlements in Illinois were the earliest made by the
I'rench in the Mississippi Valley; that at Kaskaskia dating back to the
seventeenth century.
Vivier, writing from Illinois, in 1750, says: "We have here whites,
negroes and Indians, to say nothing of cross-breeds. There are five French
villages, and three villages of the natives, within a space of twenty-one
leagues, situated between the Mississippi and another river called the Kar-
kadiad (Kaskaskia). In the five French villages are perhaps eleven hun-
dred whites, three hundred blacks, and some sixty red slaves, or savages.
The three Illinois towns do not contain more than eight hundred souls all
told. Most of the French till the soil; they raise wheat, cattle, pigs and
horses, and live like princes. Three times as much is produced as can
be consumed, and great quantities of grain and flour are sent to New
Orleans."
Twenty years later one man is said to have furnished the king's stores
from his crop 80,000 pounds of flour.
Note 29. — At the time of the sale by Congress of public lands to the
Ohio Company, two townships of laud (each six miles square) were re-
served for the b.ncfit of a university, and section number 16 (being a lot
a mile square and containing 640 acres) in each township sold, was at the
same time reserved for the support of the schools in said townships.
Another section (number 29), was in the same manner reserved for the
support of religion.
Note 30. — "The colony at Marietta, like those of some of the ancient
Greeks, enrolled many men of highly cultivated minds and exalted intel-
lects; several of them claimed the halls of old Cambridge as their alma
mater. The army of the Revolution furnished a number of officers who
had distinguished themselves for their good conduct, as well as for their
bravery." — American Pioneer, Vol. I, p. 8^.
Description of the Soil, etc. 107
Note 31.— Ohio.
Note 32. — The appreheusious here expressed were not wholly ground-
less. The ties of Union among the states were probably at their weakest
in 1787. The articles of confederation which, under the stress of a com-
mon danger had carried the State through the war, had since its close
proved wholly insufficient to reconcile their conflicting interests and serve
the purpose of a Federal Government.
Note 33.— This was written in 1787. At that time the Continental
Congress was sitting in New York, and a convention which framed the
Constitution of the United States was in session in Philadelphia. As the
result of the convention's labors was not published until the autumn of
1787, it is probable that the clause of the Constitution giving Congress
exclusive jurisdiction over such districts not exceeding ten miles square,
as may by cession of particular States and the acceptance of Congress be-
come the seat of Government of the United States, was not known to the
writer of the pamphlet. At all events the site of the future Capital was
wholly undetermined.
Note 34. — The Ordinance of 1787 provided that, " the utmost good
.aith shall always be observed toward the Indians ; their lands and property
shall never be taken from them without their consent, and in their prop-
erty, rights and liberty they never shall be invaded or disturbed, unless in
just and lawful wars authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice
and humanity shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being
done to them and for preserving peace and friendship with them."
Note 35. The valley of the Muskingum and of its chief tributary,
the Tuscarawas, (both of which at that day were known as the Mus-
kingum,) was not only the scene of the Christian Mission in Ohio— that
of the Moravian Brethren. Fifteen years before the settlement of Marietta
these Christians had penetrated the wilderness as far as the Tuscarawas,
and within the next few years had established upon its banks several
villages of Indian converts — Schcenbrun, Gnadenhutten and Salem.
Schoenbrun had two streets, laid out in the form of a T. On the trans-
verse strefc'i, about the middle of it and opposite the main street, which
ran from east to west, and was both long and broad, stood the church.
* s » «• ^j. (^jjg northwest corner of the main street was the school
house. The bottom, from the foot of the bluff to the river, was converted
into cornfields. The town contained more than sixty houses of squared
timber, besides huts and lodges. — Life of Zeisberger — page jSo.
Note 36.— Toise — An old French measure equal to about six feet, in
use, so far as I know, only in Detroit. Long since superseded in France, I
found it a few years ago surviving in that ancient and conservative city, in
daily business transactions.
Note 37.— The site of the present city of Cleveland. " From an early
day the leading Virginia statesmen regarded the mouth of the Cuyahoga
108 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Pziblicatio7is . [Vol,. 3
as an important commercial position. George Washington in his journey
to the French forts, Venango and Le Boeuf, in 1753, obtained information
which led him to consider it as the point of divergence of the future com-
merce of the lakes meeting the ocean ; Virginia being then regarded as
the State through which this trade must pass to the Atlantic. Mr. Jeffer-
son, in his "Notes" upon that State, points out the channel through which
it will move to the ocean. He considers the Cuyahoga and Mahoning as
navigable, and separated only by a short portage to be overcome by a canal.
Once in the Ohio, produce, in his opinion, might ascend its branches and
descend the Potomac to the sea." — Charles Whittlesey in American
Pioneer, Vol. 2, p. 24.
Note 38.— The Following Description of the Muskingum Valley
IN ITS Primeval Condition is from the Life of Zeisberger.
He (Zeisberger) was now in the valley which was to be the scene of
his greatest works and severest trials. Blooming like the rose, with its
farms, its rich meadows and gorgeous orchards, it was in his day, although
a wilderness, no less a land of plenty, and abounded in everything that
makes the hunting grounds of the Indians attractive. It extended a dis-
tance of nearly eighty miles, enclosed on both sides by hills, at the foot
of which lay wide plains, terminating abruptly in bluffs, or sloping gently
to the lower bottoms through which the river flowed. These plains, that
now form the fruitful fields of the " second bottoms," as they are called,
were then wooded with the oak and hickory, the ash, the chestnut, and the
maple, which interlocked their branches, but stood comparatively free
from the undergrowth of other forests. The river bottoms were far
wilder. Here grew walnut trees and gigantic sycamores, whose colossal
trunks even now astonish the traveler; bushy cedars, luxuriant horse-
chestnut and honey -locusts, cased in their armor of thorns. Between
these, clustered laurel bushes, with their rich tribute of flowers, or were
coiled the thick mazes of the vine, from which more fragrant tendrils
twined themselves into the nearest boughs, while here and there a lofty
spruce tree lifted its evergreen crown high above the groves. These forests
were generous to their children. They gave them the elm bark to make
canoes, the rind of the birch for medicine, and every variety of game for
food. The soil was even more liberal. It produced strawberries, black-
berries, raspberries, gooseberries, black currants and cranberries ; nour-
ished the plum, the cherry, the mulberry, the papaw and the crabtree, and
yielded wild potatoes, parsnips and beans. Nor was the river chary of its
gifts, but teemed with fish of unusual size and excellent flavor.
Note 39.-Alaman — Paint Creek.
[The pamphlet from which the foregoing description and
notes is taken is now out of print and quite rare. A few copies
may yet be had of A. H. Smythe, the publisher, Columbus, O. ]
The Scioto Company and its Purchase. 109
THE SCIOTO COMPANY AND ITS PURCHASE.
The history of the founding of Gallipolis, now turning in
its career into its second century, is one of the most interesting
and at the same time one of the saddest studies in American
annals. It is the story of a disappointing and impracticable
scheme; and were it not for the fact that the blood of its found-
ers, mingling with the American stock of their day and genera-
tion, has given strength, versatility and industry to the people
of Southern Ohio, the influence of the early settlers of Galli-
polis would be scarcely noticeable in the history of the State.
Understand me, that I do not underrate the probity or the gen-
ius of your fathers, but their influence by reason of the histori-
cal failure of the settlement, has been in the lines of private and
domestic life, rather than in shaping public affairs or influencing
the destiny of the State. A careful study of the elements
which made up the emigration from France one hundred years
ago and which resulted in the settlement whose centennial we
now celebrate, will x'eadily develop the fact that it was an en-
tirely different stock from that which landed at Marietta or
which settled in the Western Reserve or which located in Cin-
cinnati and its surrounding settlements. The hardihood of the
pioneers who came into the territory of the Northwest from
New England, Pennsylvania and Virginia, was a capital stock in
all their enterprises which the more delicate and impractical
French never possessed. The men and women who came from
Paris and Lyons in 1790, under the flattering represent-'.tions
presented to them by the leaders of American emigration in
France, were of good families, well educated and brilliant, and
adapted by their previous occupations, methods of living and
ilieir surroundings to any other life then possible in the world,
rather than that of pioneers on the banks of the Ohio. But I
do not propose at this time to go into auy discussion in relation
to the social conditions of the French settlers of Gallipolis until
we arrive at a better understanding of how and under what circum-
stances the emigration was accomplished, and to what end I de-
sire to set forth, as clearly and as extensivel)- as is necessary in
no Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. S
an historical address of this nature, the different events leading
up to the foundation of Gallipolis. Under what circumstances
and by what authority were these people brought from a foreign
land, and, under a system of emigration entirely foreign to
American ways at that time, made one of the foundation stones
in the structure of the great commonwealth of Ohio? In the
settlement of the territory of the Northwest, this instance of
(xallipolis is the only one where the pioneers were brought from
an alien clime. How this was done, why, and the results of
this interesting historical event in our State are worthy indeed
of remembrance, and deserve the careful investigation of the
student of history; and if to-day I go into historical details I
justify it on the ground that we are here for truth and facts
rather than rhetoric or eloquence. The evolution of- the settle-
ment of the great territory of the Northwest, and the opening
out to emigration of the great broad acres of the Ohio Valley,
were not only required to attain development of the country for
the future, but it was absolutely necessary for the maintenance
of the government at that time. For a better understanding of
the Centennial which we to-day celebrate, let me review as con-
ci.sely as I can the methods^ [see Appendix No. 1] and the re-
sults of the distribution of the public lands here one hundred
years ago.
The close of the War of the Revolution left an army of
men, the defenders of the country, impoverished. They had
given their best blood to establish a nation in which they could
live as freemen, but that country could not repay them for their
services. Its wealth lay not in gold or silver or precious stones,
but in an unknown quantity — its western lands.
The formation of the Confederacy of the States was the first
step toward a government, but that confederation, built almost
entirely on tlie doctrine of state sovereignty, did not, and could
not, long survive. It could enlist an army, but it could not pay
it save by consent of the States. No national coin was then
issued and a national treasury was then practically unknown.
The soldiers, looking in vain to a helpless government, re-
membered the promises made them by the "Resolves of Con-
gress," which had, in the beginning of the struggle, in August
The Scioto Company and Its Purchase. Ill
and September, 1776, promised to each soldier a bounty in
lands, an acre of which it did not then actually pgssess.
With the close of conflict came the settlement of these
questions. Conservative opinions prevailed and by the cessions
of the various States holding claims to the territory northwest
of the Ohio river, beginning with New York in 1781, Congress
became peacefully and quietly possessed of a vast domain of
land, more than enough to supply all claims.
The derivation of a national revenue from the sales of pub-
lic lands had long been a favorite idea with Congress. In fact, the
idea prevailed long before an American government was antici-
pated. As early as February 2d, 1774, the Governor of the
New York colony was instructed by Earl Dartmouth regarding
"land sales" in the colony. Other colonial records show similar
action regarding the disposition of the lands for the benefit of
those holding title under kingly grants and charters, or for the
benefit of the Crown. July 31st, 1782, the Congress of the
Confederation took steps for the survey and disposition of the
vacant lands, the "back country," for the "common benefit"
and for support to the "public credit." A committee, repre-
senting every State, to whom the whole affair was referred, made
report September 5th of the same year, "that it is their opinion
that the western lands, if ceded to the United States, might
contribute toward a fund for paying the debts of the States."
On motion of Mr. Witherspoon the proposition was amended to
read, "it would be an important fund for the discharge of the
National debt."
Two years after, on April 5th, 1784, another grand com-
mittee reported that "Congress still considers vacant territory as
a capital resource."
The subject came up in one form or another until settled by
the cession by the States of all claims to the "back lands" — the
western country. Immediately following the cessions made by
Virginia, March 1st. 1784, and not awaiting final action by all
the States claiming possessions in the territory (the cessions were
New York, March 1st, 1781 ; Virginia, March 1st, 1734 ; Massa-
chusetts, April 18th. 1785; Connecticut, September 14th. 1786),
Congress on May 29th, 1785, passed an act providing for the
112 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Piiblications. [Vol,. 3
survey and sale of the lands therein. Its main provisions wfre
that a surveyor should be appointed from each State by Congress,
or a committee of the States, who shall serve under the Geo-
grapher of the United States. Under his direction these sur-
veyors were to proceed to the territory and divide the same into
townships of six miles square by meridian and parallel line.s
running due north and south. The first lines were to be estab-
lished by the geographer to begin at a point on the north bank
of the Ohio river ' ' which shall be found to be due north from
the western boundary of Pennsylvania, and from thence west-
ward across the territory; and also a line to run north and south
from the same point;" the geographer to designate the "town-
ships or fractional parts of townships by numbers progressing
from south to north, always beginning each range with number
one; the ranges to be numbered from east to west, the first range
extending from the Ohio river to Lake Erie to be numbered
one."
The townships were to be divided into lots one mile square,
six hundred and forty acres, each in the same direction as the
the external lines and numbered from one to thirty-six, beginning
at the south-east corner of the section, running northwardly;
each succeeding range of lots to begin with the number next to
that with which the preceding one concluded. As soon as seven
ranges should be surveyed, plats were to be sent to the Board of
Treasury, and so on with each seven ranges of townships
throughout the territory. The Secretary of War was author-
ized to take by lot one-seventh part of the surveyed ranges for
the Continental army until all bounties could be satisfied. The
remainder was to be drawn for by the thirteen States according
to the quotas in the last preceding requisition on all States. The
Board of the Treasury was then to transmit to the commissioners
of the loan in the States plats of the quota of each State, which
States could then proceed to sell the allotments. It was also
ordered in the act that the sale should be in the following
manner: "The township or fractional part of a township. No. 1,
in the first range .shall be sold entire; and No. 2, in the same
range, shall be sold by lots, and thus, in alternate order, through
the whole of the first range. Township No. 1 in the second
The Scioto Company and Its Purchase. 113
range shall be sold by lots; and No. 2 in the same range, entire;
and so, in alternate order through the entire range," fach
succeeding range alternating in townships and ranges as in the
first two ranges.
There was also reserved to the government lots 9, 11, 26 and
29. and for the use of schools lot No. 10. In addition to these
reservations others for various bounties, refugees etc., were also
set aside by this same act of Congress for various objects speci-
fied in the act.
The method of surveys of public lands into well de-
fined districts or townships on the meridian and parallel lines
is worthy of note here. It is the New England idea as against
the Southern or Virginia plan of "indiscriminate locations."
Under this plan a small quit-rent, as it were, of two cents per
acre was demanded of the crown or the proprietor, and anyone
could lay out and survey a tract, suiting himself as to location
and boundary, simply taking care not to overlap other claims
made in like manner. As care was not always exercised in this
particular, conflicting claims constantly arose, the disputes often
extending to .several generations. The Virginia Military District
in Ohio is a good example of "indiscriminate locations," and it
is worthy of remark that more litigation over land titles and
boundaries has arisen in that section of Ohio than in all the
remainder of the State.
The township system originated undoubtedly in New Eng-
land. As early as June 17, 1732, the General Court of Massa-
chusetts granted six miles square for a toivnship to be laid out in
a regular form by a surveyor and chaiuman under oath.
When the first "ordinance for disposing of the western
lands" was reported, it required the townships to be ten miles
square, each mile to be 6086 feet in length, thus dividing the
township into one hundred lots of 850 acres each. This ordi-
nance was not agreed to, and the next report, made April 26,
1785, proposed townships seven miles square, with sections of
640 acres each, forty-nine in a township. In this ordinance, one
section, 16, was set aside for school purposes, and one, 29, for
the support of religion. This latter provision was stricken out
by seventeen votes against, to six for, the measure; the vote
Vol. Ill— 8
114 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publicatioyis . [Vol. 3
being by states. The question was argued further in Congress
until May 20th, when the ordinance previously outlined was
agreed upon and adopted. Under this act titles could be ob-
tained only by entry in a government office of a tract surveyed
and entered for sale. This method is substantially the New
England idea, and for a system of distribution and ownership of
lands, has no equal. It is now the system of the National Gov-
ernment in all public land surveys.
Western lands being now open to entry and settlement, the
soldiers began again to press their claims on the attention of
Congress. A petition signed by two hundred and twenty-eight
officers in the Continental army was presented to that body.
This petition set forth :
"That, by an solution of the Honorable Congress passed
September 20th, 1776, and other subsequent resolves, the officers
and soldiers engaged for the war * * * * * are entitled
to receive certain grants of lands, according to their respective
grades, to be procured for them at the expense of the United
States.
' ' That your petitioners are informed that that tract of coun-
try bounded north on Lake Erie, east on Pennsylvania, south on
the river Ohio, west on a line beginning af that part of the Ohio
which lies twenty-four miles west of the liver Scioto, thence
running north on a meridian line till it intersects with the river
Miami (Maumee) which falls into Lake Erie, thence down the
middle of that river to the lake, is a tract of country not claimed
as the property of, or in the jurisdiction of, any particular state
in the Union.
"That this country is of sufficient extent, the land of such
quality and situation, as may induce Congress to assign and
mark it out as a tract of territory suitable to form a distinct gov-
ernment (or colony of the United States) in time to be admitted
one of the Confederated States of the Union."
Shortly after this, General Rufus Putnam, in a letter to
General Washington, dated June 16th, 1788, emphasizes the
claims of the soldiers and urges upon the Commander-in-Chief
the importance of their petition. The General forcibly points
out the wisdom of planting such a colony in the western coun-
The Siiolo Company and Its Purchase. 115
try. He adduces nuuiy weighty reasons for such a step, and
solicits the aid of his superior officers and companions in arms.
This aid is freely and earnestly given, "but at this time," writes
General Washington in reply, " little can be expected until the
conflicting claims of the states to the territory be quieted."
This was done through the cessions by the states already men-
tioned and by the land ordinance of May 20th, 1785; they were,
as fast as surve3ed, thrown open to settlement. The claim of
Connecticut comprised a large part of the tract of country in
the boundaries outlined in the officers' petition to Congress, and,
when the cession of that state was made, an extensive tract of
country known as the "Connecticut Western Reserve" was set
aside and the claims of the soldiers were satisfied elsewhere.
By the failure of Congress to satisfy the petition of the
soldiers the idea of settlement in a colony in the western
country was delayed, but not abandoned. A company, well
known in history as the "Ohio Company of Associates, was or-
ganized March 3rd, 17S<>, to buy of Congress land in the "Ohio
country," as it was commonly called. Payment was to be made
in Continental specie certificates, worth then less one-fifth their
face value. This company was organized by, and composed
mainly of, the officers who had before petitioned Congress for
lands to satisfy their claims. Gen. Rufus Putnam was the chief
promoter of the enterprise. Generals Samuel Parsons and Ben-
jamin Tupper, Rev. Manasseh Cutler, Winthrop Sargent, John
Mills and others, were among those who subscribed to the shares
of this company and became residents of the then western
country.
Gen. Parsons was sent to New York to secure from Con-
gress a tract of lands on the Ohio. He did not succeed, and Dr.
Cutler was appointed by the directors of the company to nego-
tiate for the propo.sed purchase. He reached New York early in
July, 1787, and at once began negotiations for a purchase. The
scheme was not entirely new and many members were opposed
to any such measure. The State that had sent them owned
large tracts of land which they were placing on the market, and
any plan of such magnitude as proposed by the Ohio Company
was, in the opinion of many delegates, detrimental to the pros-
116 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Pub/ications. [Vol. 3
pects of those vStates disposing of their lands. Still the scheme
presented a solution to the serious problem of raising money,
not only to redeem the country's promises to its defenders, but
also a revenue for future needs. This idea of a National
revenue from the sale of National lands had long engaged the
attention of Congress, and, when Dr. Cutler presented the plan
of the associates, though it met with some neglect and opposi-
tion, yet the time was opportune, and many friends came to its
support.
The intention of the Company was to purchase as much
land as one million dollars in continental certificates would buy.
Dr. Cutler on July 21st informed the members of the Congress
that if his offer was accepted he would extend the purchase to
the tenth township of the seventh range from the Ohio and to
the Scioto river inclusively, by which purchase some four mil-
lion dollars of the public debt could be extinguished. This, and
the prospect of a compact organized settlement, able to defend
itself and containing within itself the germs of a new State,
gave impetus to the plan.
The offer of Dr. Cutler had a marked effect on the tardy
members in Congress. Two days after, July 23d, a resolution
was adopted which authorized the Board of Treasury [see
Appendix No. 2] to contract with any person or persons for a
grant of a tract of land bounded east by the seven ranges ; south
by the Ohio ; and north by a line drawn from the northwest cor-
ner of the tenth township in the seventh range due west to the
Scioto river; the same tract which Dr. Cutler proposed to pur-
chase. In all, it contains about six million acres — more than
four times as much as the Ohio Company of Associates had pro-
posed to purchase.
Coupled with the Ohio Company's offer was the require-
ment that a law should be passed for the government of the
territory. Certain principles were presented which the associates
desired incorporated and without which they did not care to
purchase. The act, which was secured largely through the
efforts of Dr. Cutler, is known in history as the "Ordinance of
1787." It became the fundamental law of the territory. Its
cardinal principles were, 1st. — The exclusion of slavery froi»»
Map showinj^ the proposed purchase of INIanassah Cutler and Associ-
ces. The east J)nundary is the seven ranges, tlie south, t'ne Ohio River,
.he west, the Scioto ; the north, the north line of the tenth township fron|
the Ohio River in the seven ranges.
(U7)
118 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
the territory forever; 2nd. — Provision for universal education;
3rd. — Freedom in religious worship and opinion; 4th. — The
equal distribution of estates; and, 5th. — Protection in civil
liberty. These points were made in the form of a compact,
irrevocable save by consent of both Congress and the States
that might be formed in the territory. This phase of the
negotiation should be borne in mind; without the ordinance, the
associates would not have purchased the land; without the pur-
chase, the ordinance could not have been passed. With it,
settlers were assured of a stable government under which they
could live in security, and which, in it.self, would be an induce-
ment for others to come. Three days after the resolution author-
izing the sale of land in the Ohio country, the Ohio Company
of Associates addres.sed a letter to the Board of Treasury offer-
ing to buy the entire tract. [See Appendix No. 3.]
During Dr. Cutler's negotiations with the Continental Con-
gress, he made the acquaintance of Colonel William Duer, a
wealthy citizen of New York, (secretary of the Board of Treas-
ury), a man much interested in the proposed settlement.
While matters were in doubt and when the Doctor had
about concluded to abandon negotiations with Congress and buy
of some one of the States, several of which offered lands on
generous conditions, "Colonel Duer," Dr. Cutler writes in his
journal, "came to me with proposals from a number of the
principal characters in the city to extend our contract and take
in another company, but that it should be kept a profound
secret. He explained the plan they had concerted, and offered
me generous conditions if I would accomplish the business for
them. The plan struck me agreeably. Sargent insisted on my
undertaking it, and both urged me not to think of giving the
matter up so soon. I was convinced it was best for me to hold
up the idea of giving up a contract with Congress and making a
contract with some of the States, which I did in the strongest
terms, and represented to the committee and to Duer and Sar-
gent, the difficulties in the way and the improbability of closing
a bargain when we were so far apart ; and told them I conceived
it not worth while to say anything further on llie subject. This
appeared to have the effect I wished- The cominitiee were mor-
The Scioto Company and Its Purchase. 119
tified and did not seem to know what to say, but still urged an-
other attempt. I left them in this state, but afterward explained
my views to Duer and Sargent, who fully approved my plan.
Promised Duer to consider his proposals."
After noting incidents of an excursion in which many prom-
inent actors in these affairs took part, the Doctor narrates fur#ier
in his diary that " '■' '^' * I spent the evening closeted with
Colonel Duer, and agreed to purchase more land if terms can be
obtained for another company, which will probably forward the
negotiations."
Several members of Congress called on the Doctor early the
next day and expressed much anxiety about the contract, and
assured him that Congress was more favorably inclined. Dr.
Cutler was indifferent, and intimated he intended to abandon his
efforts and leave. "At length," he says, " I told them that if
Congress would accede to the terms I had proposed I would ex-
tend the purchase to the tenth township from the Ohio, and to
the Scioto inclusively, by which Congress could pay near four
millions of the national debt."
After further work on the part of Dr. Cutler and his
associates, Congress passed an ordinance acceptable to the
associates. The Doctor, under date of Friday, July 27th,
writes, " '-'^ ^ * At half past three I was informed that
Congress had passed an ordinance on the terms stated in our
letter (of Tuesday, the 24th) without the least variation, and
that the Board of Treasury was directed to close the contract.
* * ;i; By tiii.^ ordinance we obtained the grant of near five
million acres of land, amounting to three million and a half of
dollars, one million and a half of acres for the Ohio Company,
and the remainder for a private speculation, in which many of
the prominet characters in America are concerned ; without con-
necting this speculation, similar terms and advantages could not
have been obtained for the Ohio company."
By the terms of this purchase, the Ohio Company's boundary
was fixed by the seven ranges on the east, the Ohio river on the
south, the west line of the seventeenth range (when surveyed)
on the west, and on the north by a line drawn from that range
to the seventh range, so as to include the required number of
120 Ohio Arch, ajid His. Society Publicatio?is. Voi,. 3
acres, allowances being made for the reservations (the sixteenth
section in every township for schools, two townships for a Uni-
versity, salt springs, etc., and bad lands, estimated to be per-
haps one -third of the whole). Had this been actually carried
out, the north line of the Ohio Company's purchase would have
been from near the north boundary of the fourth township in
the seventh range westward to the Scioto river. Surrounding
this on the west and north was the "private speculation " referred
to in Dr. Cutler's journal. He states that some five million
acres were obtained. In fact it was nearer six million. The
"private speculation" lay between the north and west lines of
the Ohio Company's purchase, and the north line of the tenth
township of the seventh range, and the west line of the seven-
teenth range and the Scioto river, — in all about four million
five hundred thousand acres.
The same day that Dr. Cutler and Winthrop Sargent con-
tracted with the Board of Treasury for the Ohio Company's
lands, they conveyed to Col. Duer one -half interest in this pur-
chase, and also gave him full power to negotiate a loan or sale in
Kurope of the lands. Col. Duer advanced to the Ohio Company
1 143,000 in public securities to apply on its contracts in its first
payments to Congress. The payments on the associates' pur-
chase were to be half a million dollars when the contracts were
executed, the remainder one month after the exterior Hue of the
contracts had been surveyed by the Geographer or other proper
officer of the United States. The payments in the "private
speculation" — the remainder of the tract — were to be two-
thirds of a dollar per acre in public securities in four semi-annual
installments, the first falling due six months after the exterior
line of the tract had been surveyed bj^ the government.
Shortly after this transaction. Cutler and Sargent conveyed
a little over three-fourths of their interest in about equal propor-
tions to General Rufus Putnam, Benjamin Tupper, Samuel
H. Parsons, Colonel Richard Piatt, Royal Flint and Joel Barlow.
A company was at once formed for the disposal of these
lands. It was named the Scioto Company; the President was
Col. Duer; Richard Piatt was Treasurer. The contract of sale
between Cutler and Sargent for the Ohio Company and Col. Duer
TJie Scioto Company and Its Purchase.
121
for the Scioto Conipan)'- recites that " This day," October
29, 1787, "it is agreed between the said Manasseh Cutler and
Winthrop vSargent for themselves and others, their associates,
William Duer for himself and others, his associates, their heirs
Map Shovvinj< Ohio and Scioto Companies' Boundaries.
122 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Piiblications . [VoL. 3
and assigns, one equal moiety of the tract last described"
(i, e. that part bounded by the Scioto river on the west, the
north line of the tenth township in the seven ranges on the
north, and the Ohio Company's purchase and the Ohio river on
the south). Each party was equally interested in the disposal of
the lands, "either in Europe or America," and each was to share
equally in the profits or losses which ' ' may accrue in attempting
to negotiate the sale or rentage of the same and in paying the
purchase money due to the United States.
' ' And it is further agreed upon and understood by the parties,
that . . . the tract be divided into thirty (30) equal shares or parts,
of which thirteen (13) shares are the property of William Duer
in which he may admit such associates as he may judge proper,
and (13) shares in like manner the property of the said Manasseh
Cutler and Winthrop Sargent. That the other four shares may
be disposed of in Europe at the discretion of an agent to be sent
there for the purpose of negotiating a sale or loan as above
mentioned, and if not so disposed of, to be equally divided among
the parties to this writing."
The contract further authorizes Col Duer to negotiate a
loan upon or sell the lands in ' ' Holland or such other oarts of
Europe as may be found expedient, with power of appointing an
agent under him."
Looking about for the proper person to send abroad as their
agent, their choice fell upon Joel Barlow, a patriot and poet of
the Revolution. He had just published his famous poem, 'The
Vision of Columbus," and was in the height of his literary
career. His capacity and education furnisned sufficient passport
for his duties abroad. He had the confidence of his countrymen
at home, and his associates felt that he would be of great
advantage in representing their landed interests in France.
A modern historian has sneered at Barlow and his talents, and
has reflected upon the honesty of purpose of the originators of
the Scioto land purchase. The sneer and reflection are not
warranted by a close investigation of history. In May, 1788,
Barlow set out for France. He was a part owner by an assign-
ment from Colonel Duer of an interest in the Scioto contract,
and held at the same time the power of attorney from his
The Scioto Company and Its Purchase. 123
associates, to make the proper transfer of the title to purchasers.
He was not successful at first. France was agitated by political
dissensions, and it was nearly a year before the results of his
efforts began to assume shape. In the summer of 1789, through
the association and assistance of one William Playfair, an Eng-
lishman, he organized a society in Paris, known as the "Society
of the Scioto," to which Mr. Barlow, acting for his associates
and principals, sold three millions of acres of land lying west of
the well-knov.'u Seventeenth Range of townships. This transfer
of three millions of acres was made in November, 1789. It was
provided that the payments were to begin m November, 1790,
and to end April 30, 1794. The purchase price was $1.14 per
acre. Associating with this company, and one of its members,
was M. Jean Antoiue Chais De Soisson.
The Society of the Scioto immediately proceeded to business.
Mr. Barlow opened a laud office at Paris and offered for sale the
three million acres at a French crown per acre. The tract of
land offered by Barlow fronted on the Ohio river. Its western
boundary was the Scioto- its eastern, a line running North of
the outlet of the Kanawha On the plan of the tract a town was
laid out and called Gallipolis. nearly opposite the mouth of the
Kanawha. Maps of the surrounding country and ot the Ohio
were prepared and made ready for the inspection of the pur-
chasers. The maps representing the country North of the Ohio
river, the Ohio country, were highly colored and gave in outline
the boundary of the Ohio company as well as the boundaries of
the Scioto company and a plat of three million acres sold to
Playfair and his associates in the Society of the Scioto.
The principal members of the Society or Company of the
Scioto were M Gouy de Arsy, M. Barond, St. Didicr, Maheas,
Guibert, Conquelon, Playfair, Barlow and Soisson. To this
company Barlow contracted to transfer the rights of his princi-
pals to the entire Scioto tract save that part directly north of the
Ohio Company's purchase, save so much of this part of the tract
as might be necessary to complete the three million acres. The
company was to make the deeds. In making this contract Bar-
low exhibited his powers of attorney, etc., thus apprising his
associates in the Scioto Company fully of his authority. They
Copy of map* shown in France bi^* *^he agents of tte Scioto Company.
The original is in the French language, .fiandsomely iigraved and colored,
with the lands of the Scioto and Ohio Companies aad the sevett -i* ges
divided into townships six miles square.' 'he Scioto Company tract "vas
divided into one hundred and forty-two towi :hips and thirty-two fi actional
townships. The north line of the Ohio Con (.any's purchase is i-hown as
eight miles south of the Scioto purchase; thQ even ranges as fcrty-eight
miles north; the north line of the Scioto purci ose is sur';osed,f'J Ibf t^P
oorth houndary of the tenth township in the seye "anger
From Howe's History of OJiio.
(124)
The Scioto Company and Its Purchase. 125
could not claim ignorance of what authority they could hold
under Barlow. The lands were to be located in equal tracts
west of the seventeenth range, which was then supposed to be
beyond the western boundary of the Ohio Company's purchase,
hence no conflict of location could, it was presumed, occur. An
agreement was drawn and properly signed, thus setting before
all parties a full iinderstanding of the rights and authority of
each.
The Society appointed as attorneys to sell the lands, Pla}'-
fair, Barlow and Soisson, and delegated to them "powers to re-
sell all or part of 3,000,000 acres at the best price, terms or con-
ditions of receiving the price thereof, or to assign it all or in
part, and to discharge the Society with respect to the Suer Bar-
low, to give for this purpose every acquittance, consent, subro-
gation, and to disseize the Society of its rights of propert}' over
the objects of sale in favor of their purchasers, and generally to
do for the ease and accomplishment of the said sale." * H= *
Mr. Barlow agreed to put the Society in possession of
the land in tracts less than the value of $500,000 each, there-
by exceeding his authority from his principals in word, but
had the money or securities been paid to the Treasury of
the United States, nothing would have been amiss. As the
French Society- had examined fully Barlow's powers, and
knew his authority, they could not plead ignorance, and
acting with full knowledge, must be held accountable. Mr.
Barlow did not -send his principals a copy of the contract
he had made, as he should have done, but he wrote to
Colonel Duer, giving the fact of the sale, the price and
terms and times of payments. He al.so urged that the west
line of the .seventeenth range be ascertained, and that the
consent of the United States be obtained to the .sale of
the land in small tracts. Reference to the maps will show
that the idea held by Barlow and his as.sociates, was, that
the we.st line of the seventeenth range would be at the mouth
of the Kanawha, and on this supposition he made his sales, and
he and his associates laid out a town — Gallipolis — ignorant of
the fact that they were selling the lands of the Ohio Company,
as the surveys, when made, showed their error, the .seventeeth
\2(^ Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications, |VoL 3
rano^e being further west than their supposition placed It Sales
were rapidly made, some purchasers paying in full, some par
tially, securing the rest by mortgage. Some made contracts foi
lands, to be paid for at a future time„ The deeds were usually
signed by William Playfair and Jean Antoine Chais, "agents
and attorneys for the Society of the Scioto." To some, Barlow
added his approval One of ttiese deeds is yet preserved in Gal-
lipolis, and, as the last connecting link in the chain from the
government to the emigrant, is herewith given in full, the trans-
lation being made by Judge S, N. Owen, lately of the Ohio
Supreme Court.
This deed is from " WiUiam Playfair, engineer. Englishman,
and M. de Soissons^ an attorney. Member of Parliament," to one
of the purchasers of an hundred acre tract of the land of the
Scioto Company.
" Before the undersigned, the King's Counsellors, notaries
of the ' Chatelet de Paris, appeared M. William Playfair, engi-
neer, Englishman, * * * and M. Jean Antoise Chais de
Soissons, attorney. Member of Parliament, * * ^ both cov-
enanting by these presents by virtue of the authority of the
Society organized under the name of the Scioto Company,
according to a title deed executed before M, Rameau and his
colleague, Notaries of Paris, August 3, 1789, for the purchase
m ide and evidenced by that deed by the said Society, of three
millions of English acres of land situated in North America be-
tween the Ohio and Scioto Rivers and more particularly desig-
nated by their boundaries, indicated in blue colors, by an en-
graved plat of the said three million acre tract of land, and
which was annexed to a memorandum of their purchase, re-
ceived by M. Farmain. one of the undersigned Notaries, and his
colleague, November 3, 1789, containing the powers aforesaid;
wbo by virtue of the said powers have by these presents sold,
and promised to guaranty from every kind of eviction and
molestation, to M. Jean Baptiste Parmantier, citizen of Paris.
lesiding at number 359 St. Martin Street, Parish of St. Laurent,
purchaser, the entire depth and surface of one hundred contigu-
ous English acres of land, to be taken in a square form and by
straight lines from the above mentioned three million acres, in
the fourth municipality of the eighteenth rank of the said
municipalities or (at the choice of vSaid purchaser) in the fifth
rpunicipality of the same rank of the said municipalities; the
survey of which one hundred acre tract shall be made at the ex-
The Scioto Company and Its Purchase. 127
pense of the said Scioto Company, and along whichsoever shore
it shall please the said purchaser to select the said one hundred
acres, saving, however, such portions as may have been taken
by virtue of anterior sales by said Scioto Company, and also sav-
ing such portions as may be destined by the American Congress
for public buildings or public highways.
' ' Comprised in the present sale are the trees of every species
growing upon the tract of land by these presents sold.
" Wherefore the said Sirs Playfair and Chais hereby confer
upon the said purcha.ser, and subrogate to him, all the rights of
ownership, titles, claims, and rights of action of the said Soci-
ety in and to the tract of laud by these presents sold, yielding it
unto the profit of the said purchaser with all the rights therein
of said Society to the extent of the said quantity sold, and con-
senting that he place himself in full and peaceable possession
thereof when and as it shall seem to him good.
" The said purchaser and his successors to the ownership of
the land — the subject of this contract — shall enjoy the right to
transport each year to Europe or to the Islands of America, all
the big timber and the crops produced from the said land, pay-
ing only the freight and 'general average' according to the cus-
tom of, and as it shall be regulated by, the Captain ' bearer of
orders' — (/<? Capitaine porteiir d' orders) — of the Scioto Com-
pany. The price of this sale and grant of right is agreed and
fixted at sixty pence per acre, which makes for the whole num-
ber of acres hereby sold a sum total of six thousand pence, upcn
and in deduction of which sum the said purchaser has paid,
cash down, in legal tender, to M. Playfair, one of the said grant
ors, who acknowledges it, three thousand pence for which thii- 1.-
his receipt; and as to the residue of said purchase price, '->.e
said purchaser binds himself to pay it to the said Scioto Cum
pany in two years from this day without interest, in guaranty . i
which sum the land hereby sold shall remain, at the privilege it
said Company, expressly reserved, appropriated, obligated and
mortgaged, and without any appropriation derogatory thereto
the said purchaser hereby thereunto appropriates, obligates and
mortgages all his property present and future.
' ' And in order the better to facilitate and secure the pay-
ment of the said sum of three thousand pence, the said pur-
cha.ser has signed for the benefit of the said Scioto Company,
delivered the same to M. Playfair, who acknowledges the same,
his promissory note for said last named sum, payable also in two
years from this day, which promissor}^ note once discharged
shall con.sequently acquit and discharge what remains due upon
the present contract ; which said note shall be the only requisite
128 Ohio Arch. a7id His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
evidence of such payment by the said purchaser, who hereby
acknowledges that the said Playfair and Chaise have communi-
cated and remitted to him the substance of the deeds and powers
which vested in them the right to make the present sale, for the
execution of which the parties hereto have chosen their domicile
in the establishment wherein are the offices of the said vScioto
Company, Ninth Street of Petits- champs. No. 162, which place,
however, we have chosen for the purpose of promising, contract-
ing, obligating, relinquishing, etc.
Done and executed at Paris at the residence of M. W. Play-
fair, the 19th of January, 1790, P. M., and have signed this
memorandum of contract.
Farmain, one of the undersigned Notaries,
(Not Legible.) P'armain. [seal]"
[seal]
(Waxen Notarial Seal not Legible. )
These deeds were accepted without question by many. The
desire for a change, the unsettled condition of France, the
brilliant prospects held out to the emigrant, all combined to
make the sales, once begun, an easy matter, and with little
thought of the future, many prepared to go.
On the 8th of December, 1789, Mr. Barlow wrote Col. Duer
that " everything was progressing well." On the 29th, that he
expected to make the first payment, so that Col. Duer could pay
Congress $500,000 when the first payment came due, and also
that 500,000 acres would be concluded in January. The same
date he authorized a draft on himself of 200,000 livres, "to be
used in defraying the expenses of the fii'st settlers." January
25th, 1790, he authorized another draft of 100,000 livres. ' ' Don't
fail," he wrote, " to put the people in possession of their lands.
I pledge the faith of an honest man for the payment. If neces-
sary, draw on me for a second 100,000 livres, at sight." By the
middle of February, 1790, over 100,000 acres had been sold, and
several hundred emigrants had sailed. Their first landing place,
Alexandria, on the Potomac.
An examination of Barlow's letters discloses no reason for
the failure to make the payment promised December 31, 1789,
and the authority to draw for additional sums was evidence to
Col. Duer, that if Barlow had not the money he had the
securities.
The Scioto Company ajid Its Purchase. 12Sf
Mr. Barlow's letter to Col. Duer showed that he had ex-
ceeded his authority by permitting the Society to give deeds,
and that he erred in his calculations made from Thomas Hutchin's
map in locating the western boundary' of the seventeenth range
as intersecting the Ohio River, opposite the mouth of the Big
Kanawha. The survey, when made, located the line farther
west, and hence the lands sold by Barlow and his associates were
in the Ohio Company's purchase. This defect might have been
remedied had Barlow met the drafts he authorized, as the Ohio
Company was anxious not only to settle its own lands, but it
was interested in the success of the Society of the Scioto, and
was willing to do all it could to advance its interests. The con-
nection between the Ohio Company and Col. Duer's control of
the Scioto Compan}-; caused some criticisms; but the prompt
return of Dr. Cutler and his associates, and their concise state-
ments regarding all the transaction, gave general satisfaction.
To meet the unexpected condition of affairs. Col. Duer,
Royal Flint and Andrew Cragie united as "Trustees for the
Scioto Associates " It was still supposed that Barlow held
securities for all his sales, and as Dr< Cutler, neither for himself
or for any of the Ohio Associates, was able to advance any
money, they surrendered part of their interest, for which a
power of attorney was given Col. Duer ; the remainder to be
exempt from assessments and to be indemnified from loss.
The Secretarj^ of the United States Treasury had, in Jan-
aary, 1790, recommended to Congress a reduction in the price
per acre of public lands, payable in certificates of indebtedness
or in lawful money of a coin value. It became evident, how-
ever, that no action would be taken then. "On the 23d of
April, Gen. Rufus Putnam and Manasseb Cutler, as directors of
the Ohio Company and with its approval, made a contract of
sale to Duer, Flint and Cragie, trustees for the proprietors
of the Scioto lands, of the lands represented by the 148 for-
feited shares to the Ohio Company for the non-payment, and
located in a compact body, 106,544 acres fronting on the Ohio
River between a point opposite the mouth of the Big Kanawha
and the true line of the seventeenth range, the western boundary
of the Ohio Company's purchase. The Scioto Associates also
Vol. Ill— 9
130 Ohio Arch, mid His. Society Publications. [Voi^. 3
released to the Ohio Company the right of pre-emption or pur-
chase of that part of their lands lying immediately north of its
purchase. The contract was of great value to both companies.
It gave the Scioto Company control of every acre sold in France,
and enabled it to proceed upon a basis that, at that time, gave
assurance of solving the difficulties about its transactions.
Under instructions from Col. Duer, Gen. Putnam employed
Maj. John Burnham to enlist in New England a company of
men to build huts for the French emigrants, now ready to cross
the mountains. It is necessary to touch upon this part of the
history. It is fully told elsewhere, and gives in detail the work
of Maj. Burnham and his men. Neither is it neces.sary to re-
count here the history of these emigrants, nor to detail how
they found on reaching Alexandria that the deeds they held were
valueless, the country filled with Indians, and that there were
lands in plenty in Virginia. All these facts are told by Col.
Vance in his address and repetition is not necessary here. The
result of all this was that Col. Duer and his associates learned
through the misguided and wronged emigrants more fully of th
methods of the French Society in Paris and of their loos'"
methods of business. On the third of March, Mr. Barlow
wrote to Col. Duer that he had surrendered his contract with the
French Society, and was making the sales himself, though
under its name. M. Bourogue, Count De Barth's son, one of
the principal men in the colony of emigrants, and who had been
instrumental in securing a settlement with Col. Duer and asso-
ciates satisfactory to the emigrants, and who had learned, when
in New York, of the efforts to secure a reduction in the price of
public lands, sailed for France in July, and there made a con-
tract with Barlow, on behalf of himself, his father, M. Coquet,
Play fair and General Duvalette. This association was to assume
all obligations of the former French Company. It was to make
no payments until three months after the sale of each 300,000
acres; no limitations were to be made in location of lands. It
agreed to pay Barlow 50,000 livres for the American proprietors,
and authorized him to borrow on its credit 100,000 livres, also to
be advanced to the American proprietors. The whole trans-
action was a sharp move on the part of the new Company,
The Scioto Covipany and Its Purchase. 131
assuring itself a handsome profit, at the same time free from
any risk. Mr. Barlow again appears to have implicitly trusted
those with whom he dealt, despite .the fact he had not been able
to fulfill any of his promises to Col. Duer, made "upon the
promise of an honest man." Thus his final transaction only
complicated matters more, and emphasized the fact that as a
business man he was no success, and no match for the sharp and
unscrupulous Englishman and his French associates. Had he
followed his instructions, secured into his own hands the pro-
ceeds of all sales, and promptly remitted them to the Sciotr
associates in America, all would have been well, and this melan
choly chapter in Ohio's early annals would have never been
written.
As soon as Col. Duer learned of this new contract, he sent
^ol. Benjamin Walker to France with "full powers of attorney
to displace Barlow or to act as joint agent with him; directed
him to refuse ratification of this last contract; examine fully
into the accounts; obtain proceeds of sales; take entire charge
o . affairs if he deemed advisable, and endeavor to sell the con-
tract as originally designed. Col. Duer wrote to Barlow that he,
alone, was responsible to the French people to whom he had
given or permitted to be given deals for the lands, and to the
Scioto Associates, whose interests he had so shamefully mis-
managed; upbraiding him in the severest terms for the manner
in which he had conducted this business; for failure to give his
principals definite information ; and for permitting bills drawn
on him that he had authorized, to be dishonored. Col. Duer
was in a most embarrassing position by the non-payment of these,
drafts. He reminded Barlow of the pledges he had made ' on
the faith of an honest man' for their payment, and urged him to
make good the amount and save him (Duer) from ruin."*
When Colonel Walker reached France he found, as he sus
pected, that Playfair held the proceeds of all sales, and from him
nothing, save a long letter of explanation, could be obtained
Finding nothing could be gained by persuasion, he placed the
affairs of the Society in the hands of Colonel Rochefoutaine
* Ivife of Mauasseh Culler, page 51G.
1S2 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Picblications. [Vol 3
gave public notice that no sales from Playfair would be valid,
and returned to America in April, 1791.
In the meantime, in October, 1790, one hundred years ago
the first attachment of emigrants reached the new settlement
prepared for them on the banks of the Ohio, and began their
untried life on an American frontier. Colonel Duer, who now
had the contract to supply the troops in the territory, opened a
store in Gallipolis, placed Mr. John Matthews in charge, accept-
ing in payment for the necessities of life whatever the colonists
could give, even to deeds for their lots. By the next spring,
however, they began to cultivate crops, chiefly the grape, and
ere long Mr. Matthews was able to write Colonel Duer that a
brighter prospect appeared.
But in April a financial panic came in New York. Colonel
Duer failed, and was imprisoned for debt. Flint and Cragie also
failed, and the notes given for the 148 forfeited shares of the
Ohio Company were surrendered; the contract of sale conceded,
and with it the only title the French emigrant could have. Col.
Piatt, Treasurer of the Ohio Company, went down in the general
ruin, heavily indebted to the Company. On the 21st of April,
1792, Congress passed an act confirming the "Ohio Company's
title to 750,000 acres extending along the Ohio River from the
west line of the seventh range to the west boundary of the fif-
teenth, including therein the site of Gallipolis. An additional
grant of 214,285 acres was made to be paid for in bounty rights,
and 100,000 acres were granted on the north to be held in trust
to be deeded in tracts of 100 acres each to actual settlers. Both
these grants were to adjoin the original 750,000 acre tract. The
bill, as passed, made it impossible to give to the French settlers
tracts of land at or near Gallipolis.
The failure of Colonel Duer and his associates threw the
French settlers wholly upon their own resources. Mr. Peter S.
Duponceau, a lawyer and Frenchman of eminence residing in
Philadelphia, and who came to America in 1777, became inter-
ested in the fate of his countrymen, prepared a petition and pre-
sented it to Congress in 1794, asking the relief of the settlers.
Some attempts were made to settle the matter, but nothing was,
The Scioto Company and Its Purchase. 133
at that time, accomplished. In January, 1795, the donation
tract of the Ohio Company was thrown open to settlers, and the
French emigrants were invited to participate in its benefits. Not
many did so ; the majority who remained seeming to prefer to
cling to the original settlement at Gallipolis in the hope that
their titles would yet be perfected to them. Mr. Duponceau
again pressed his petition to the attention of Congress, and in
March, 1795, that body made a grant of 24,000 acres of land on
the bank of the Ohio River, not far from the outlet of the
Scioto, and each settler in Gallipolis, on November 1st, of that
year, and over eighteen years of age, was entitled to a share in
the distribution. Four thousand acres were given to M. Ger-
vais, who had been instrumental in securing the services of Mr.
Duponceau, and to whom much credit is due for the settlement
of the problem. The remainder, 20,000 acres, was divided by
General Rufus Putnam, appointed by the Secretary of the
Treasury for that purpose, among ninety-two persons, each re-
ceiving 217 2-5 acres, settlement to be made on the land within
five years. The tract was then and is still known as the " French
Grant."
The directors of the Ohio Company met in December, 1795,
to make a final disposition of their lands. The status of the
French settlers in and about Gallipolis, and their condition, was
fully and carefully considered. A committee of the Gallipolis
settlers appeared before the meeting with a request that the
French settlers be given the town site of Gallipolis. This the
Ohio Company felt it could not do, but signified that an applica-
tion to purchase at a nominal price would be acceptable, and
after full consideration, agreed to sell to these settlers the two
fractional sections on which Gallipolis was situated, containing
900 acres, with the improved land surrounding the town at the
price of government land — one dollar and twenty-five cents per
acre. This was donating all the improvements made bv Major
Burnham and his men, each received his land and a log cabin in
which to live. This was all they could do, and was, all in all,
a just solution of the long, difficult and unfortunate probfem.
The principal actors soon disappeared from view, lost in the ab-
134 Ohio Arch, atid His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
sorbing events connected with the early settlements, the Indian
wars, and the unsettled condition of the country at large.
Daniel J. Ryan.
Note. — I am indebted largely to Maj. E. C. Dawes, of Cin-
cinnati, who, in the life of Mannasseh Cutler, and in the Maga-
zine of American History, has given exhaustive studies of this
question. He generously placed his material at my disposal.
I have also examined many private works, letters, documents,
etc., and have aimed to give only a concise and simple narrative.
D. J. R.
Appendix No. /.— (Ordinance of May 20th, 1785, i. v.
L. U. S. p. 563.)
" The surveyors, as they are respectively qualified, shall pro-
ceed to divide the said territory into townships of six miles
square, by lines running due north and south, and others cross-
ing these at right angles, as near as may be, unless where the
boundaries of the late Indian purchases may render the same
impracticable, and then they shall depart from this rule no far-
ther than such particular circumstances may require. And each
surveyor shall be allowed and paid at the rate of two dollars for
every mile in length he shall run, including the wages of chain
carriers, markers, and every other expense attending the same.
" The first line running north and south as aforesaid, shall
begin on the river Ohio, at a point that shall be found to be due
north from the western termination of a line which has been run
as the southern boundary of the State of Pennsylvania, and the
fir.st line running east and west shall begin at the same point,
and shall extend throughout the whole territory : Provided, That
nothing herein shall be construed as fixing the western boundary
of the State of Pennsylvania. The Geographer shall designate
the townships or fractional parts of townships by numbers, pro-
gressively, from south to north ; always beginning each range
with No. 1 ; and the ranges shall be distinguished by their pro-
gressive numbers to the westward. The first range, extending
from the Ohio to the Lake Erie, being marked No. 1. The
geographer shall personally attend to the running of the first
The Scioto Company and Its Purchase. 135
east and west line ; and shall take the latitude of the extremes
of the first north and south line, and of the mouths of the prin-
cipal rivers.
" The lines shall be measured with a chain ; shall be plainly
marked by chops on the trees, and exactly described on a plat ;
whereon shall be noted by the surveyor, at their proper distances,
all mines, salt springs, salt licks, and mill seats that shall come
to his knowledge; and all water courses, mountains, and other
remarkable and permanent things, over or near which such lines
shall pass, and also the quality of the lands.
" The plats of the townships, respectively, shall be marked,
by subdivisions, into lots of one mile square, or 640 acres, in the
same direction as the external lines, and numbered from one to
thirty-six; always beginning the succeeding range of the lots
with the number next to that with which the preceding one con-
cluded. And where, from the causes before mentioned, only a
fractional part of a township shall be surveyed, the lots pro-
tracted thereon shall bear the same numbers as if the township
had been entire. And the surveyors, in running the external
lines of the townships, shall, at the internal of every mile, mark
corners for the lots which are adjacent, always designating the
same in a diflferent manner from those of the townships.
' ' The board of treasury shall transmit a copy of the original
plats, previously noting thereon the townships and fractional
parts of townships, which shall have fallen to the several States,
by the distribution aforesaid, to the commissioners of the loan
office of the several states, who, after giving notice of not less
than two nor more than six months, by causing advertisements
to be posted up at the court houses or other noted places in
every county, and to be inserted in one newspaper published in
the States of their residence, respectively, shall proceed to sell
the townships or fractional parts of townships at public vendue,
in the following manner, viz : The township or fractional part of
a township No. 1, in the first range, shall be sold entire; and
No. 2 in the same range, by lots; and thus in alternate order
through the whole of the first range. The township or fractional
part of a township No. 1, in the second range, shall be sold by
lots ; and No. 2 in the same range, entire ; and so, in alternate
136 Ohio Arch, aiid His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
order, through the whole of the second range ; and the third
range shall be sold in the same manner as the first, and the
fourth in the same manner as the second ; and thus, alternately^,
throughout all the ranges: Provided, That none of the lands
within the said territor}^ to be sold under the price of one dollar
per acre, to be paid in specie or loan office certificates, reduced
to specie value by the scale of depreciation, or certificates of
liquidated debts of the United States, including interest, besides
the expense of the survey and other charges thereon, which are
hereby rated at thirty -six dollars the township, in specie or cer-
tificates as aforesaid, and so, in the same proportion, for a frac-
tional part of a township or of a lot, to be paid at the time of
sales, on failure of which payment the said lands shall again be
offered for sale.
"There shall be reserved for the United States out of every
tQwnship, the four lots, being numbered 8, 11, 26, 29, and out
pf every fractional part of a township, so many lots of the same
numbers as shall be found thereon, for future sale. There shall
be reserved the lot No. 16, of every township, for the main-
tenance of public schools within the said township; also, one-
third part of all gold, silver, lead, and copper mines, to be sold,
or otherwise disposed of, as Congress shall hereafter direct."
Appendix No. 2. — (In Congress, July 2.3rd, 1787, i. v. L. U.
S. 573.)
The report of a committee, consisting of Mr. Carrington,
Mr. King, Mr. Dane, Mr. Madison, and Mr. Benson amended to
read as follows, viz:
' ' That the board of treasury be authorized and empowered
to contract with any person or persons for a grant of a tract of
land which shall be bounded by the Ohio, from the mouth of
Scioto to the intersection of the western boundary of the seventh
range of townships now surveying; thence, by the said boundary
to the northern boundary of the tenth township from the Ohio;
thence, by a due west Hue to Scioto; thence, by the Scioto to the
beginning, upon the following terms, viz: The tract to be sur-
The Scioto Company and Its Purchase. 13Y
veyed, and its contests ascertained, by the geographer or soiti^
Othet officer of the United States, who shall plainlj^ mark the
said east and west line, and shall render one complete plat to the
board of treasury, and another to the purchaser or purchasers.
The purchaser of purchasers, within seven years from the
completion of this work, to lay off the whole tract, at their own
expense, into townships and fractional parts of townships, and
to divide the same into lots, according to the land ordinance of
the 20th of May, 1785; complete returns whereof to be made to
the treasury board. The lot No. 16, in each township or frac-
tional part of a township, to be given perpetually for the pur-
poses contained in the said ordinance. The lot No, 29, in each
township or fractional part of a tow-nship, to be given perpetu-
ually for the purposes of religion. The lots Nos. 8, 11, and
26, in each township, or fractional part of a township, to be
reserved for the future disposition of Congress. Not more than
two complete townships to be given perpetually for the purposes
off a University, to be laid of by the purchaser or purchasers, as
near the center as may be, so that the same shall be of good land,
to be applied to the intended object by the legislature of the
State. The price to be not less than one dollar per acre for the
contents of the said tract, excepting the reservations and gifts
aforesaid, payable in specie, loan office certificates reduced to
specie value, or certificates of liquidated debts of the United
States, liable to a reduction by an allow^ance for bad land, and
all incidental charges and circumstances whatever: Provided,
That such allowance shall not exceed, in the whole, one-third of
a dollar per acre. And in making payment the principal only of
the said certificates shall be admitted, and the board of treasury,
for such interst as may be due on the certificate rendered
in payment as aforesaid, prior to January 1, 1786, shall issue
indents for interest to the possessors, which shall be receiv-
able in payment as other indents for interests of the existing
requisitions of Congress; and for such interest as may be due on
the said certificates between that period and the period of pay-
ment, the said board shall issue indents, the payment of which
to be provided for in future requisitions, or otherwise. Such of
the purchasers as may possess rights for bounties of land to the
138 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
late army, to be permitted to render the same in discharge of the
contract, acre for acre: Provided, That the aggregate of such
right shall not exceed one-seventh part of the land to be paid
for: And provided also. That there shall be no future claim
against the United States on account of the said rights. Not less
than 500,000 dollars of the purchase money to be paid down upon
closing of the contract, and the remainder upon the completion
of the work to be performed by the geographer or other officer
on the part of the United States. Good and sufficient security
to be given by the purchaser or purchasers for the completion of
the contract on his or their part. The grant to be made upon the
full payment of the consideration money, and a right of entry and
occupancy to be acquired immediately for so much of the tract
as shall be agreed upon between the treasury and the purchasers.
"Ordered, That the above be referred to the board of treas-
ury to take order."
Appendix No. j. — The following is the letter referred to,
of Cutler and Sargent, to the board of treasury, dated New
York, July 26, 1787 :
"We observe by the act of the 23d instant, that your honor-
able board is authorized to enter into a contract for the vSale of a
tract of land therein described, on certain conditions expressed
in the act. As we suppose this measure has been adopted in
consequence of proposals made by us in behalf of ourselves
and associates, to a committee of Congress, we beg leave to in-
form you that we are ready to enter into a contract for the pur-
chase of lands described in the act, provided you conceive your-
self authorized to admit of the following conditions, which, in
some degree, vary from the report of the committee, viz :
' ' The subordinate surveys shall be completed as mentioned
in the act, unless the frequency of Indian irruptions may render
the same impracticable without a heavy expense to the company.
"The mode of payment we propose is, half a million of
dollars when the contract is executed ; another half a million
when the tract, as described, is surveyed by the proper officer of
The Scioio Company and Its Purchase. 139
the United States, and the remainder in six equal payments,
computed from the date of the first payment.
"The lands assigned for the establishment of a University
to be nearly as possible in the center of the first million and a
half of acres we shall pay for ; for, to fix it in the center of the
proposed purchase, might too long defer the establishment.
"When the second payment is made, the purchasers shall
receive a deed for as great a quantity of land as a million dollars
will pay for, at the price agreed on ; after which we will agree
not to receive any further deeds for any of the lands purchased ,
only at such periods, and on such conditions, as may be agreed
on betwixt the board and the purchasers.
"As to the security, which the act says shall be good and
sufiicient, we are unable to determine what those terms may
mean, in the contemplation of Congress, or of your honorable
board; we shall, therefore, only observe that our private for-
tunes, and that of most of our associates, being embarked in the
support of the purchase, it is not possible for us to offer any
adequate security but that of the land itself, as is usual in great
land purchases.
"We will agree so to regulate the contract that we shall
never be entitled to a right of entry or occupancy, but on lands
actually paid for, nor receive any deeds till our payments amount
to a million of dollars, and then only in proportion to such pay-
ment. The advance we shall always be under, without any for-
mal deed, together with the improvements made on the lands,
will, we presume, be ample security, even if it was not the in-
terest as well as the disposition of the company to lay the foun-
dation of their establishment on a sacred regard to the rights of
property.
" If these terms are admitted, we shall be ready to conclude
the contract."
By a resolution of 27th of July, 1787, it was "Ordered that
the above letter from Manh. Cutler and Winthrop Sargent, to
the board of treasury, containing proposals for the purchase of
a tract of land described in the act of Congress of the 23d in-
stant, be referred to the board of treasury to take order: Pro-
vided, That after the date of the second payment therein pro-
140 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Piibticatio7is. [Vot. 3
posed to be made, the residue shall be paid in six equal and half
yearly installments, until the whole thereof shall be completed,
and that the purchasers stipulate to pay interest on the sums
due from the completion of the survey to be performed by the
geographer."
Samuel F. Vinton.
The Early Judiciary of Ohio. 141
THE KARLV JUDICIARY. KARI.V LAWS AND BAR
OF OHIO.
A proper study of the early judicial system and early laws
of our State carries us to a period when, as a part of the great
Northwest Territory-, we were under control of the Federal
Government.
On the 13th day of July, 1787, the Congress of the United
States passed the ordinance for ' ' The Government of the Terri-
tory of the United States, Northwest of the River Ohio."
Relative to the judiciary, the ordinance provided, " There shall
be appointed a Court to consist of three Judges, any two of
whom to form a Court, who shall have a common law jurisdic-
tion, and reside in the district, and have each therein a freehold
estate in five hundred acres of land, while in the exercise of
their offices, and their commissions shall continue in force dur-
ing good behavior. The Governor and Judges, or a majority of
them, shall adopt and publish in the district, such laws of the
original States, crimiual and civil, as may be necessary, and best
suited to the circumstances of the district, and report them to
Congress, from time to time, which laws shall be in force in the
district until the organization of the General Assembly therein
unless disapproved of by Congress; but afterward, the Legisla-
ture shall have authority to alter them as they shall see fit."
The ordinance conferred no authority on the Governor and
Judges to make laws, but only to adopt and publish such of
those in force in the original States, as might be necessary and
suitable to the circumstances of the district. Acting under the
provisions of the ordinance, Congress on the l(Jth day of Octo-
ber, 1787, just one hundred and three j-ears ago j'esterday, ap-
pointed Samuel H. Parsons, John Armstrong and James M.
Varnum, Judges for the new territory. Judge Parsons was a
native of Connecticut, and a graduate of Harvard University.
He was admitted to the bar in 1759, and afterward served many
years as a member of the Connecticut Legislature. His bi-
ography credits him with the distinction of having "originated
the plan of forming the first Congress," which was the forerun-
142 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VoT<. 8
ner of the Continer'jal Congress. He was a conspicuous figure
in the Revolutionary war, attaining the rank of Major-General.
He was also one of the military court which tried Major Andre
on the charge of being a spy. At the close of the war he re-
sumed the practice of his profession. In 1785 he was appointed
by Congress a Commissioner to treat with the Miami Indians,
and two years later, was appointed one of the Judges of the
new territory.
Judge Armstrong resigned after a few months' service on
ihe bench. He was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and at the
beginning of the Revolutionary war was a student at Princeton
College, which he left to join the American Army. It is
charged that while he was in the army he wrote the celebrated
Newburg letters for the purpose of increasing the discontent
already existing among the officers, and which had grown to
such proportions that it required the personal effi^rts of General
Washington to quell it. After resigning his judicial position,
he retired to his farm, and for many years devoted himself to
the pursuit of agriculture. He was subsequently United States
Senator and Minister to France, and the author of several
standard works.
Perhaps the most able and brilliant of the three Judges,
who first presided over the courts of the Northwest Territory,
was Judge Varnum. He was a native of Massachusetts and a
graduate of Brown University, and like his associates on the
bench, was a soldier of the Revolution. At the close of the
war he resumed the practice of his profession and became the
leading lawyer of his State. He was a member of the Conti-
nental Congress, and was recognized by that body as "a man of
uncommon talents and most brilliant eloquence." There is a
published oration which he delivered at Marietta on the 4th day
July, 1788, while a member of the Territorial Court, which
fully sustains his reputation as an orator, and shows him to have
been of scholarly and historical attainments. No fact concern-
ing the judicial history of the Northwest Territory is more
clearly established, than that the Judges who constituted its first
court, were men of classical education and recognized ability as
The Early Judiciary of Ohio. \^\
lawyers, and thoroughly equipped for the discharge ot their
judicial duties.
Upon the resignation of Judge Armstrong, Congress ap-
pointed John Cleves Symmes his successor. He was a native
of New York, served as a delegate in the Continental Congress,
and was a distinguished Judge in New Jersey at the time of his
appointment on the territorial bench. As the appointments
which had been made by Congress, under the Articles of Con-
federation, expired upon the election of a president, Washing-
ton, after his election to that position, reappointed those persons
who had previously been appointed by Congress. Consequentlj',
Judges Parsons and Symmes were reappointed Territorial
Judges. At the same time William Barton was appointed to
the position made vacant by the death of Judge Varnum. Judge
Barton declined the position, and George Turner was appointed
to take his place. Shortly thereafter, Judge Parsons died, and
Rufus Putnam, so well known in American history as General
Rufus Putnam, was appointed his successor. He held the posi-
tion for several years, and then resigned to accept the office of
Surveyor General. He n^as succeeded on the bench by Joseph
Gillman. In 1798, Judge Turner resigned and Return Jonathan
Meigs was appointed his successor. He w^as a native of Con-
necticut, and a graduate of Yale College. His career was the
most brilliant and eventful in the cluster of names which adorn
the history of the Northwest territory. He afterward became a
Supreme Judge of Ohio, Governor of the State, United States
Judge in Michigan, a General in the war of 1812, a United States
Senator ind a member of the Cabinet of Presidents Madison and
Monroe.
The Territorial Court, as organized under the provisions of
the ordinance of 1787, lasted till 1799. While some of the acts
adopted during this period were designed to meet the peculiar
demands of those early times, many of them embodied the prin-
ciples of a permanent and enduring judicial system.
The first law was pa.ssed by Governor St Clair and Judges
Parsons and Varnum, and was entitled, "A law for regulating
and establishing the militia in the Territory of the United
States, Northwest of the Riv?r Ohio, published at the City of
144 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol,. 3
Marietta ou the 25th day of July, in the Thirteenth year of the
Independence of the United States, and of our Lord, 1788, by
His Excellency, Arthur St. Clair, Esquire, Governor and Com-
mander-in-Chief, and by the Honorable Samuel Holden Parsons
and James Mitchel Varnum, Esquire, as Judges."
A difference of opinion arose between the Governor and
Judges concerning the extent of their powers in adopting laws,
the Governor maintaining that they could only adopt such laws
as were in force in some State; but the Judges out-voted the
Governor and the matter was subsequently referred to Congress,
which sustained the Governor's opinion. The second law which
was passed, provided for establishing county courts of Common
Pleas, and the power of single Judges to hear and determine
upon small debts and contracts, and for establishing the oihce of
Sheriff; and that there should be created in each county a Court
styled the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, which was to
be held four times a year in each county. The act also provided
that a number of suitable persons, not exceeding five nor less
than three, should be appointed in each county and commis-
sioned by the Governor under the seal of the territory, to hold
and keep a court of record, to be styled the County Court of
Common Pleas, and that said court should be held at two fixed
periods in each county in every year and at the same places
where the general courts of Quarter Sessions were held. This
law was promulgated on the 2ord of August, 1788, and the first
court in the Northwest territory was the Court of Common
Pleas, which commenced on the first Tuesday of September of
the same year. The following interesting account of the open-
ing of this court, purports to have been given by one who wit-
nessed the ceremony :
"On that memorable first Tuesday of September, the citi-
zens, Governor St. Clair and other Territorial Officers and Mili-
tary from Fort Harmar being assembled at the Point, a proces-
sion was formed, and, as became the occasion, with Colonel
Ebenezer Sproat, Sheriff, with drawn sword and wand of office
at the head, marched up a path which had been cut through the
forest, to the hall in the Northwest Block House of Campus
Martius, where the whole counter-marched, and the Judges,
The Early Judiciary of Ohio. ' 145
Putnam and Tapper, took their seats on the high bench.
Prayer was fittingly offered by our friend, the Reverend Manas-
seh Cutler, who was on a visit to the new colony, after which
the conunissions of the judges, clerk and sheriff were read, and
the opening proclaimed in deep tones by Colonel Sproat, in these
words: ' O, yes! a court is opened for the administration of
even-handed justice to the poor and the rich, to the guilty and
the innocent, without respect of persons; none to be punished
without trial by their peers, and then in pursuance of the laws
and evidence in the case.' This was the opening of the Court
of Common Pleas. The Indian Chiefs, who had been invited by
Governor St. Clair to attend the convention, were curious wit-
nesses of this impressive scene."
On the second Tuesday of the same month was held the
first session of the Court of Quarter Sessions, of which Hildreth
says: " Court was held in the Southeast Block House occupied
by Colonel E. Batelle. It was opened with the usual proclama-
tion of the sheriff, but not until the commission of the judges
had been read by the clerk. General Rufus Putnam and General
B. Tucker were appointed justices of the quorum, and Isaac
Pearce, Thomas Lord, R. G. Meigs, assistant justices. Meigs
was clerk. Paul Fearing was admitted as an attorney to plead
in all the courts in Washington county, being the first lawyer
ever admitted to practice in the Northwest Territory. He was
also appointed by the Court attorney for the United States in
Washington county. The Grand Jury consisted of the follow-
ing person : William Stacy, Nathaniel Cushing, Nathaniel Good-
ale, Charles Knowles, Aselm Tupper, Jonathan Stone, Oliver
Rice, Ezra Lunt, John Matthews, George Ingersol, Jonathan
Devol, Samuel Stebbins, Jethro Putnam and Jabez True. Wil-
liam Stacy was made foreman. The charge to the jury was
given "with much dignity and propriety by Judge Putnam."
At one o'clock the Grand Jury retired and the Court adjourned
for thirty minutes. At half past one the Court again opened,
when the jurors entered and presented a written address to the
Court, which, after being read, was ordered to be kept on file.
Judge Putnam made a reply to the address. There being no
Vol. Ill— lu
146 Ohio Arch, atid His. Society Publications. [Voi,. 3
suits before the Court, it was adjourned without day. This
closed the first Court of Quarter Sessions in the new territory."
One week after the publication of the law creating the Court
of Quarter Sessions, the act establishing a Probate Court was
promulgated. On the 6th of September, 1788, there was pub-
lished " a law respecting crimes and punishments." It defined
and provided the punishment for treason, murder, manslaughter,
arson, burglary with theft, burglary with personal violence,
burglary with homicide, robbery, riots and unlawful assemblies,
perjury, subornation of perjury, punishment for obstructing
authority, receiving stolen goods, larceny, forgery, usurpation,
assault and battery, and drunkenness, the penalty for the last
offense being a fine in the sum of five dimes for the first offense,
and for every succeeding offense the sura of one dollar, and " in
either case upon the offender's neglecting or refusing to pay the
fine, he was set in the stocks for the space of one hour."
The act also contained the following provisions concerning
the use of improper and profane language :
"Whereas, Idle, vain and obscene conversation, profane
cursing and swearing, and more especially the irreverently men-
tioning, calling upon or invoking the sacred and Supreme Being,
by any of the divine characters in which He hath graciously
consented to reveal His infinitely beneficent purposes to man-
kind, are repugnant to every moral sentiment, subversive of
every civil obligation, inconsistent with the ornaments of pol-
ished life, and abhorrent to the principles of the most benevolent
religion. It is expected, therefore, if crimes of this kind should
exist, they will find no encouragement, countenance or approba-
tion in this territory. It is strictly enjoined upon all officers and
ministers of justice, upon parents and other heads of families,
and upon others of every description, that they abstain from
practices so vile and irrational ; and that by example and pre-
cept, to the utmost of their power, they prevent the necessity
of adopting and publishing laws, with penalties, upon this head.
And it is hereby declared that government will consider as un-
worthy its confidence all those who may obstinately violate these
injunctions."
And the following relative to the religious observance of the
Sabbath :
"Whereas, Mankind in every stage of informed society,
have consecrated certain portions of time to the particular culti-
The Early Judiciary of Ohio. 147
vation of the social virtues, and the public adoration and wor-
ship of the common parent of the universe; and whereas, a
practice so rational in itself, and conformable to the divine pre-
cepts is greatly conducive to civilization and piety ; and whereas,
for the advancement of such important and interesting pur-
poses, most of the Christian world have set apart the first day
of the week as a day of rest from common labor and pursuits, it
is, therefore, enjoined that all servile labor, works of necessity
and charity only excepted, be wholly abstained from on that
day.
Among other important acts which were adopted was one
directing the building and establishing of a court house, county
jail, pillory, whipping-post and stocks in every county.
Another, subjecting real estate to execution for debt. In"
Chase's Statutes appears this foot note: "These laws from
Chapter 37 to Chapter 74, inclusive, have been commonly known
to the profession as the 'Maxwell Code.' They were adopted
and published in Cincinnati in 1795 by Governor St. Clair and
Judges Symmes and Turner."
Another was a law to prevent unnecessary delays in causes
after issue joined. Still another, limiting the time of com-
mencing civil actions and instituting criminal prosecutions, was
passed December 28, 1788. "This law," says Chase, "was dis-
approved by Congress, May 8, 1792." Another law on the same
subject was adopted in 1795, which was repealed by the terri-
torial legislature as unconstitutional. No law on this subject
was afterward enacted until 1808, when the state legislature
passed an act of limitation.
An act of special interest to the legal profession of the
present day regulated the fees of the officers of the court, in-
cluding attorneys. It allowed a judge in the general court, for
allowing a writ of error, sixty-two and one-half cents; for every
supersedeas, thirty-seven and one-half cents; the same for taking
bail; for taking an affidavit, twelve and one-half cents; admit-
ting a counselor-at-law, or attorney, one dollar and twenty-five
cents; licensing a counselor-at-law, or attorney, three dollars and
seventy-five cents.
The following were some of the fees allowed the Attorney-
General : Entering every ccssal processus or nolle prosequi for
148 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Piiblicatio7is. [Vol.. 3
each defendant, sixty-two and one-half cents; every indictment
per sheet, eighteen cents; fee on trial, three dollars; for trial of
every capital cause where life was concerned, eight dollars.
To attorneys in a general court, it allowed for a retainer fee,
three dollars and fifty cents, but where several suits were
brought upon one note or bond, no more than one retainer fee
was allowed; drawing warrant of attorney, twenty-eight cents;
drawing of processus and returns, twelve and one-half cents; for
argument on special motion, one dollar and twenty-five cents,
while to attorneys in the Court of Common Pleas, it allowed the
following: Drawing warrant of attorney, twelve and one- half
cents; every motion, twenty-five cents; drawing a declaration
and other pleadings, per sheet, containing seventy-two words,
twelve and one-half cents, and every copy thereof, six cents per
sheet.
This act distinguished between counselors-at-law and at-
torneys-at-law, and between the practitioner at the General
Court and the Common Pleas Court. By the year 1790, the
business of the courts had grown to such an extent that an act
was passed increasing the number of terms of the Common
Pleas Court in each year from two to four, and the number of
Common Pleas judges to not less than three or more than seven.
Other important acts were adopted, such as the act regulat-
ing marriage, a law for the partition of lands, a law respecting
divorce, a law authorizing the judges to subdivide the counties
into townships; and here we find for the first time in our judicial
history a recognition of those small political subdivisions.
The ordinance of 1787 provided, that as soon as it was
proven that -there were five thousand free male inhabitants of
lawful age in the district, they should be authorized to elect rep-
resentatives to the general assembly. How the proof was to
be made does not appear, but in 1798, Governor St. Clair issued
his proclamation that the territory contained the requisite num-
ber of free male inhabitants, and called upon the people to elect
representatives, the proportion of representatives being one to
every five hundred voters; but no one could be a representative
unless he had been a citizen of the United States for three years
and a resident of the district, or unless he had resided in the
The liarly Judiciary of Ohio. 149
district for three years, and in either case lie must own in fee
simple two hundred acres of land within his distiict.
The general assembly consisted of the Governor, a legisla-
tive council, and a House of Representatives. The council con-
sisted of five members, who held their office for five years, unless
sooner removed. They were selected in the following manner :
The representatives who were elected by the people met at the
time and place designated by the Governor, and nominated ten
persons, each of whom were required to be a resident of the
district and pcssess a freehold estate in five hundred acres of
land, and the names of these ten persons were sent by the repre-
sentatives to Congress, and Congress selected five out of the ten
and appointed them to serve as members of the council. The
members of the council and house of representatives met at Cin-
cinnati on the 16th of September, 1799, and organized the first
general assembly of the Northwest territory, at which time the
authority of the Governor and judges to adopt and promulgate
laws ceased, and the territory was thereafter governed by laws
passed by the territorial general assembly. Edwin Tiffin was
elected Speaker of the House of Representatives and Henry
Vanderberg was elected President of the Council.
In commenting upon the character, ability and general
worth of the men who constituted this general assembly, Judge
Burnett, in his notes on the Northwest Territory, says: "In
choosing members to the first territorial legislature, the people
in almost every instance selected the strongest and best men in
their respective counties. Party influence was scarcely felt, and
it may be said with confidence, that no legislature has been
chosen under the State government which contained a larger
proportion of aged intelligent men, than were found in that
body. Many of them, it is true, were acquainted with the forms
and practical duties of legislation, but they were strong-minded,
sensible men, acquainted with the condition and want of the
country, and could form correct opinions of the operation of any
measure proposed for their consideration.
One of the most important duties which devolved upon the
assembly was to elect a representative of the territory to the
National Congress. William Henrv Harri.son and Arthur vSt.
150 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Piiblications. [Vol. 3
Clair, junior, were the candidates. The former received twelve
votes, while the latter received ten. Mr. Harrison was accord-
ingly declared elected.
The first act passed at this session of the general assembly,
was one approving and declaring to be in force, certain acts
which had previously been adopted by the Judges and the Gov-
ernor.
The second act passed — which was on the 29th of October,
1799 — was one regulating the admission and practice of attor-
neys and counselors-at-law, the first section of which provided
for the applicant obtaining a license to practice, from the Gov-
ernor of the territory, which admitted him to practice as an
attorney-at-law according to the laws and customs of said terri-
tory, during his good behavior, and authorized him to receive
such fees as might be established; and required all judges, jus-
tices, and others concerned to respect him accordingly; but he
could not receive such license from the Governor until he had
obtained a certificate signed by two or more of the judges of the
general court, setting forth that he had been regularly examined;
but before he could be examined, he was required to produce a
certificate that he had regularly and attentively studied law
under the direction of a practicing attorney, residing within the
territory for the period of four years. This act, like the one
adopted by the Governor and Judges, retained the distinction
between counselor and attorney-at-law, and their admission to
practice at the general term and Court of Common Pleas. It
gave the judges of the General court, and of the several Com-
mon Pleas courts, power to punish in a summary way, according
to the rules of law and the usages of the courts, any and every
attorney or counselor-at-law who should be guilty of any con-
tempt in the execution of his office, and every attorney or coun-
selor-at-law who received money for the use of his client and re-
fused to pay the same when demanded, could be proceeded
against in a summary way, on motion.
On November 3, 1800, the second session of the first gen-
eral a.ssembly met at Chillicothe and adjourned on the 9th of De-
cember following.
The second general assembly held its first session at Chilli-
The Early Judiciary of Ohio. 151
cothe, commencing on the 23rd of November, 1801, and ending
on the 23rd of January, 1802. Edward Tiffin was again elected
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Robert Oliver
was elected President of the Council. Notwithstanding the
assembly adjourned to meet in November following, a second
session was never held, for the reason that soon after the
adjournment of the first session, a census was taken of the
population of the Eastern Division of the territory, and it was
found that it exceeded forty-five thousand persons. Thereupon,
an appeal was made to Congress, that the inhabitants of the
Eastern Division be authorized to call a convention and form a
constitution with the view of establishing a State government.
Congress passed an act authorizing the convention to be held
and as the result, a constitution was adopted and a State formed,
and admitted into the Federal Union.
The convention which framed the first Constitution of our
State met at Chillicothe on the first Monday of November, 1802.
It was expeditious in its work, for on the 29th of the same
laontli it adjourned, having adopted a Constitution without sub-
mitting it to the people for ratification. Concerning the judiciary
it contained the following clause: "The judicial power of the
State, both as to matters of law and equity, shall be vested in a
Supreme Court, Court of Common Pleas for each count}', in
Justices of the Peace, and in such other courts as the Legislature
may, from time to time, establish.
It further provided, that the Supreme Court should consist
of three judges, auy two of whom should be a quorum ; that
they should be appointed by a joint ballot of both Houses of the
General Assembly, and should hold their office for the term of
seven years, if so long they behaved well.
The first General Assembly of the State of Ohio convened
at Chillicothe on Tuesday, March 1st, 1808. On the loth of
April following, it passed a general act providing for the organi-
zation of "Judicial Courts," and abolished all courts which had
been established during the existence of the Territorial Govern-
ment. During the session, the convention elected the following
State officers: William Creighton, jr., Secretary of State;
Thomas Gibson, Auditor; William .Mcl''i:land, Treasurer, while
152 ' Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
Return Jonathan Meigs, jr., Samuel Huntington and William
Sprigg were elected Judges of the Supreme Court, and Francis
Dunlavey, Wyllys Sillman and Calvin Pease, Judges of the Dis-
trict Courts.
The second General Assembly met on December 5th, 1803.
On February LS, 1804, it amended the act of the first General
Assembly providing for the organization of the courts. On the
same day it passed an act ' ' regulating the duties of Justices of
the Peace and Constables, in criminal and civil cases," making
their jurisdiction co-extensive with their counties in criminal
matters, and with their townships in civil causes, which is still
the provision of our statutes. It also prescribed the forms which
should be used by the Justices in their practice, and with little,
if any change, they are still used.
- The third General Assembly began its session on December
3, 1804. The first act which it passed related to crimes and pun-
ishments. On the 12th of February, 1805, a general act was
passed defining the duties of Justices of the Peace and Con-
stables, and repealing all former laws in force on that subject.
Among other things, this act provided that Justices should have
jurisdiction in civil cases to the amount of fifty dollars without
the right of jury trial. Subsequently, Judges Huntington
and Todd of the Supreme Court, and Pease of the Common
Pleas Court, who afterward was on the Supreme Bench, held
this provision of the law to be in conflict with that section of the
Federal Constitution, which provides that " in suits at common
law when the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars,
the right of trial by jury shall be preserved." The court also
held "the act to be in conflict with that clause of the Statis Con-
stitution providing that "the right of trial by jury shall be in-
violate." Out of this decision arose a most interesting and ex-
citing proceeding. The indignation of the public toward the
Judges who rendered the decision, was violent and almost unre-
strained. It was asserted that the judicial branch of the gov-
ernment was invading the domain of the legislature, and assum-
ing legislative powers, and such conduct was not to be tolerated
even from the Supreme Court. In consequence of the bitter
feeling among the members of the General Assembly, that body
The Early Judiciary of Ohio. l53
undertook to ini peach the Judges who had rendered the decision.
The records of the proceedings show that on December 24, 1808,
the following message was sent from the House of Repre-
sentatives ;
"The House of Representatives having instructed the man-
agers appointed to conduct the impeachment against Calvin
Pease, Esquire, President of the Third Circuit of the Court of
Common Pleas of this State, to proceed to the bar of the Senate
with the articles of impeachment against the said Calvin Pease,
Esquire, and there demanded that the said Calvin Pease, Es-
quire, be put to answer the said articles of impeachment ex-
hibited against him." Committees were then appointed to pre-
pare and report the method of proceeding in the conduct of
the trial. On December 27, the Managers on the part of the
House, took seats assigned them within the bar, and the
Sergeant-at-Arms made proclamation of the trial in the follow-
ing words: "O, yes! O, yes! O, yes! all persons are commanded
to keep silence under pain of imprisonment, while the grand
inquest of the State is exhibiting to the Senate of Ohio, articles
of impeachment against Calvin Pease, President of the Courts
of Common Pleas of the Third Circuit." The articles were then
read. In the course of the trial, the Sergeant-at-Arms was
directed by the Speaker to call Calvin Pease, Esquire, three
several times in the following manner, to appear and answer:
"Hear ye, Hear ye. Hear ye, Calvin Pease, President of the
Court of Common Pleas of the Third Circuit, come forward and
answer the articles of impeachment exhibited against you by the
House of Representatives." Articles were drawn up against
each of the Judges. The one against Pease contained three
distinct charges, while that against Todd contained but one.
Judge Harrington in the meantime had been elected Governor,
and for that reason the charges against him were not pressed.
The accused were each furnished copies of the charges and then
filed their answers. Several days were spent in the trial. In the
Senate Journal of 1808-9 appears this short, but interesting
record: "High Court of Impeachment, Monday, February 6th.
The State of Ohio vs. Calvin Pease." The court was opened
by proclamation. Ordered, that the Clerk notify the House
ir)4 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Piiblicatiovs . [VOL. 3
of Rcprcseiitalives that the Senate is in their public chamber
and ready to proceed farther with the trial of impeachment of
Calvin Pease, President of the Courts of Coaimon Pleas of the
Third Circuit of this State. The Managers accompanied by the
House of Representatives, attended. The respondent with his
counsel also attended on the first article of impeachment.
The clerk took the opinion of the members of the court,
respectively, in the form following: Mr. , how say you,
is the respondent, Calvin Pease, guilty or not guilty, of the
high crime or misdemeanor as charged in the first article of
impeachment?" The respondent was unanimously acquitted on
the first charge. The Clerk then took the opinion in the same
way of each member on the second article of impeachment.
Fifteen members voted " guilty " and uine "not guilty ". Where-
upon, the Speaker declared that "Calvin Pease, President of the
Courts of Common Picas of the Third Circuit of this State, is
acquitted of all the charges contained in the articles of impeach-
ment exhibited against him by the Ilouse of Representatives,"
and the court adjourned without day. The proceedings against
Judge Tod were then commenced and lasted several days, the
vote standing as it did in the case of Judge Pease.
The business of the courts kept pace with the rapid com-
mercial developments of the new State and the increase in its
population. The mcml^crs of the Supreme Court were required
to travel the circuit, and as there were no carriages or railroads,
they were compelled to ro on horseback, and in the absence of
the modern turn-pike or even the old corduroy road, the journey
was undesirable and frequently hazardous.
For many years the annual salaiy of a Supreme Judge was
only €vA.\\ hr.ndred dollars, but neither the corduroy roads nor
the sni;.ll salary were permitted to stifle the social side of the
court, and there is abundant evidence that the good nature of
the dignified jud;jcs sometimes manifested itself in ways that
were calculated to develop social amenities at the expense of ju-
dicial gravity. I am indebted to Senator Sherman for the follow-
ing incident, who recently related it to me and authorized its use
in this connection. Judge Hitchcock had often said that circum-
stantial evidence was stronger than direct evidence, for the rea-
Thr liaily Jiiuinary of ()/iii>. li")")
son that " witnesses will lie and yon can not pi event it, bnt cii
cumstantial evidence never lies." It was one of the Judge's
peculiarities that he was greatly averse to card playing. Once
when the Judges were holding court in Columbus, they all occu-
pied one room at the hotel. One evening after Judge Hitchcock
had retired, several members of the bar called, and "old sledge"
and " whiskey poker" were indulged in until a late hour. When
the callers had departed, one of the judges opened Judge Hitch-
cock's valise, and taking out a soiled garmen.t wrapped it around
a well-worn pack of cards, and then replaced it in the valise.
The next day the judges went to their homes, when Mrs. Hitch-
cock (as the Judge afterward told the other members of the
court) opened his valise for the purpose of getting his wash, and
was horrified at discovering the pack. She was convinced that
the Judge had learned to "play," and in great distress went to
him and said: " Peter, Peter, what have you been doing? It is
too bad, and I never would have thought it of j'ou ; see what I
have found in your shirt!" At the same time exhibiting the
cards. Judge Hitchcock told it to the other judges as a joke,
when one of them remarked that it might have been a joke, but
the circumstantial evidence seemed complete. The judge saw
the point and thereafter had less to say about the weight of such
testimony.
In the preface to Wright's Reports is the following state-
ment made by that excellent judge, relative to the labors of the
Supreme Court at that time: "The Supreme Court of Ohio is
now composed of four judges, the largest number the Constitu-
tion permits. The Constitution requires a court to be holden
once a year in each county, and makes any two of the judges a
quorum. A legislative act imposes upon the judges the duty of
holding every year a court in banc at the seat of government.
* * =^- The principal result of this organization of the court
is, that the Supreme Court is generally iicld in the several coun-
ties by two judges only. The judges relieve one another to suit
their own C(Mivenience, so dividing their labor that each may per-
form one-half of the circuit duty. The duties imposed on this
Court are so great as to make this relief necessary, for it would
be difficult to find men of sufficient physical ability to partici-
156 0/iio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
pate in all of them. These judges now hold court hi seventy-
two counties each year, requiring 2250 miles travel. The num-
ber of cases on their trial dockets in 1834 was 1459. The judges
are occupied in banc from three to four weeks annually. If that
time and Sundays are deducted from the year and the usual
allowance is made for travel, the Court, to clear its docket,
would be under the necessity of deciding on an average, about
seven cases a day for each reinaining day of the year."
To relieve the pressure upon the courts it became necessary
to increase the number of Supreme Judges and to create new
Courts of Common Pleas. There were thirty Judges of the
Supreme Court under the old Constitution, which covered a
period of forty-nine years. The decisions of the Court were not
published by legislative authority and in permanent form until
1823, when the first volume of the Ohio Reports was issued.
The earlier judges who graced our Supreme bench were
Huntington, Meigs, Sprigg, Todd, Symmes, Scott, Morris,
Irwin, Brown and Pease, two of whom, Huntington and Meigs,
were afterward Governor of the State. Following these were
McLean, afterward a Cabinet officer and a Justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States; then Couch, and Burnett,
who was afterward a United States Senator; and Hitchcock, who
occupied the position for twenty-eight years — longer than any
man before or since his time. Then came Sherman, the father
of the General and Senator, who died while on the bench, at the
early age of forty-one. Then Gustavus Swan, the uncle of Jos-
eph R. Swan, who was on the same bench under the new Con-
stitution ; then Hayward, Goodenow, Brush, Wood and Wright.
They were followed by Collet, Lane, Grimke, Birchard, Read,
Avery, Spalding, Caldwell and Ranney. These were all able
judges, but some of them were especially eminent, and their
opinions made the Court distinguished throughout the entire
country. But the reputation of the bar was equal to that of the
bench, and many of the greatest lawyers of our State practiced
under the old Constitution. Among the earlier names which be-
came illustrious was that of William Creighton, of Chillicothe.
He was educated at Dickinson College, where he was a fellow-
student of the great Tanney, afterward Chief Justice of the
The Early Judiciary of Ohio. 157
United States. He was especially distinguished as a jury law-
yer. He serv^ed many years in Congress, and was an intimate
friend of Daniel Webster. I have heard it said that if Mr. Web-
ster had reached the Presidency, Mr. Creighton would have been
a member of his Cabinet.
Another great member of the Chillicothe bar was Benjamin
F, Leonard. He was a man of profound learning in the law and
all kindred subjects. Then came a cluster of names which will
forever remain unsurpassed for their learning, eloquence and
wit, every element, in fact, which enters into consideration in
the make-up of a great lawyer. Among them was Samuel F.
Vinton. Like others who helped to make our State illustrious,
he was born in New England. He graduated at Williams Col-
lege and settled in Gallipolis in 1816. He was elected a Repre-
sentative in Congress in 1823 and served for fourteen years. He
was again elected in 1843 and served eight j^ears, in all a period
of twenty-two years. His greatest legal effort was his argument
in the case of the commonwealth against Garner and others, be-
fore the Supreme Court of Virginia, in 1845. Peter M. Garner,
Mordecai Thomas and Graydon J. Loraine were citizens of the
State of Ohio, while John H. Harwood resided in Wood county,
Virginia, and was the owner of slaves. On the 9th of July,
1845, some slaves, intending to escape from Harwood, crossed
over the Ohio River in a canoe to the Ohio shore, where said
Garner, Thomas and Loraine met them and were in the act of
assisting them from the canoe and up the river bank, when they
were all arrested, taken to Virginia, imprisoned, and subse-
quently indicted. As the arrest was made on the Ohio side
of the river, the only question in the case was, what was the
extent of Virginia's jurisdiction over the rivers. The case
attracted national attention. Mr. Vinton, in his argument,
claimed that the jurisdiction of Virginia did not extend on the
north side of the river beyond low water mark. He asserted
that Virginia never had an ownership in the Northwest Terri-
tory, first, becau.se the charter which King James granted in
1609, and which was claimed as the source of Virginia's title,
did not include land which lay beyond the Ohio, or west of the
Allegheny Mountains; and, second, if the grant was originally
158 Ohio Arch, and /lis. Socir/y Publications. [Vol. 3
broad enough to embrace the land lying within the Northwest
Territory, the charter which the King granted to Virginia had
been revoked by the Court of King's Bench in 1824. " when a
judgment was rendered against the corporation, canceling the
patent and ordering the franchises of the charter resumed by
the crown."
The argument of Mr. Vinton in this case will always be
classed among the greatest arguments of the greatest American
lawyers. As an historical production it was overwhelming, and
absolutely unanswerable. It was delivered to twelve judges,
and by a majority of one, the decision was in his favor. Simeon
Nash of Gallipolis was also a distinguished lawyer and judge,
but his reputation chiefly rests upon being the author of Nash's
Pleadings. William Allen of Chillicothe was another man who
won his way to distinction at the bar. He afterward was United
States Senator and Governor of Ohio.
Greatest, perhaps, of all, were Ewing, Stanbury and Corwin.
Whether their fame rests wholly upon their distinction at the bar
or not, it is certain they fill the largest horizon and occupy the
greatest places in history of any lawyers which our State has
produced. Each rose ^rom humble birth to a place in the Na-
tion's cabinet ; and great as they all were, each was without a
peer in his especial field.
Ewing's intellect was strong and rugged. He would have
been a great natural lawyer had he never seen a law book, a
great logician had he never seen a work on logic. Nature made
him to be an expounder of the law. If his arguments were
somewhat devoid of ornament, it was because they needed no
ornament ; they were too great to be ornate.
Mr. Stanbury was a broader scholar than Mr. Ewing. Mr.~
Ewing was master of the rough logic of nature, while Mr. Stan-
bury was always equipped in the armor of the books. He was
a thorough student of the law, and always knew the decisions
of the courts. Strong as he was in this particular, another ele-
ment of his strength was his unrivaled eloquence and the purity
of his diction.
Mr. Corwin was not the equal of either Mr. Ewing or Mr.
Stanbury as a lawyer in the strict sense of that word. Neither
The F.arlv Judiciarv of Ohio. 159
were cith(jr of them his equal in his special adaptation. It is
questionable if he ever had a superior as an advocate before a
jury. The burning eloquence and impassioned oratory with
which he swayed a popular audience — at one time making his
hearers weep, in the next convulsing them with laughter, and
then in an instant filling them with awe at the grandeur and
sublimity of his rhetoric — was always at his command in the
trial of a jury cause.
Among the many members of the legal profession who came
in an early day to our young State and made it their future home
and afterward became famous lawyers, Salmon P. Chase was the
most conspicuous. His edition of the Revised Statutes of Ohio
was an invaluable compilation, and could ngt have been prepared
by any but the most careful and thorough lawyer. It contains a
preliminary history of Ohio which is the best ever written. The
career of this great man fully sustained the promise of his early
life. He was a member of President Lincoln's Cabinet, and for
many years was a conspicuous figure in the Republic, and died
as the Chief Justice of its Supreme Court, the peer of his illus-
trious predecessors.
It would be interesting to mention the great judges who
have adorned our Supreme Bench under the present Constitu-
tion, among w'hom Ranney and Thurman would be entitled to
special notice ; and also interesting to dwell at length on the
many lawyers who have risen to eminence and fame since the
adoption of that instrument; among whom are Stanton, Waite,
Swayne, Matthews, Groesbeck, Perr}^ Hoadly, Pugh, Hunter,
Taft, Harrison, Boynton, Shellebarger, HutChins, West, Ambler
and others; but my theme relates to our ^ar/;' judiciary and early
bar, and precludes me from coming beyond the adoption of the
present Constitution. Much as Ohio has to be proud of, and
great as her position is in the National Union, nothing has con-
tributed more to her greatness and the permanency of her insti-
tutions, than her early judiciary and early bar.
David K. Watson.
160 Ohio Arch, ayid His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
Following Mr. Watson's address, .several short speeches
were made, after which Mr. Graham repeated somewhat briefly
his illustrated address on the "French Discoveries and Claims in
America." This done, a reception was held, and the exercises
for the day closed. The next day, the Sabbath, the Centennial
day, was properl}' and fittingly observed in all the churches. In
the afternoon, in the opera house, Rev. Washington Gladden
preached the anniversary sermon. This sermon, as well as ab-
stracts of those preached in the pulpits of the city churches,
conclude this part of the volume.
Remarks of Gov. James E. Campbell. 161
REMARKS OF GOVERNOR JAMEvS E. CAMPBELL.
It was a long-deferred pleasure one year ago, on the 19th of
October, to make my first visit here. I learned after arriving
that it was an auspicious day, being the ninety-ninth anniversary
of the landing upon the banks of yonder river of the little band
of French settlers who founded this handsome and flourishing
city. During an address to the people, who gathered on that
occasion to hear the political discussion of the then existing
campaign, I said, in a half -jocular way, that I would return in a
year as Governor of the State to celebrate the city's centennial.
In response to that promise, and your subsequent courteous in-
vitation, my military staff and myself have come to participate
in these interesting ceremonies. We are here rsther to be seen
than heard.
The programme announces that I am to deliver an address,
but the unexpected and overwhelming labors of the last fort-
night have absorbed my time to the exclusion of anything but
official work, and I am, therefore, obliged to confess that I have
no address — that the little I am to say must be without prepara.
tion. I am simply a gleaner in the field that has been harvested!
so well by those who have preceded me.
The French settlers who came here a century ago were, as
we all know, not the first French settlers in the Ohio valley, foi-
the lilies of France had floated to the breeze, both on the Ohio
and the Mississippi, a hundred years before. They were found
north of the great lakes, and around the southern bayous.
Parkham has happily described it by saying that " French Amer-
ica had two heads; one among the snows of Canada, the other
among the cane-brakes of Louisiana!" Northern Ohio was
occupied by French fur traders as early as 1680. They were
scattered along the lake from the Maumee to the Cuyahoga.
Forty years before the settlement of Gallipolis the English
settlers were warned out of Ohio by the French commander,
and formal possession taken in the name of Louis Fifteenth by
burying leaden plates along the Ohio river, engraved with ap-
propriate inscriptions. The bloody and picturesque drama of
Vol. Ill— 11
162 O/iio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
frontier settlement was participated in by French officers of vari-
ous dates.
But the French who came here a century ago, did not come
under the auspices of the French Government. They expatrat-
ed themselves, and left their allegiance and friends behind them.
They came not for conquest, nor for glory, but were in a sense
refugees from the bloody wars then raging in their own country.
They sought quiet homes, peaceful pleasures, and frugal but
contented lives. They and their careers have been accurately
and graphically depicted by your fellow townsman who ad-
dressed himself to that part of the subject yesterday. He has
told in elaborate detail of the fraudulent titles and false pictures
of pioneer life that brought them here; of their departure full
of the enthusiasm that characterizes the mercurial and versatile
Gaul; their shipwreck at sea; their landing at Alexandria, then
one of the most important points of the infant republic; of
their troubles after landing; their correspondence with Washing-
ton about the titles to their lands; of their western trip, and
their landing here in the beautiful autumn season; of their in-
aptitude, by reason of their former habits and customs, for the
hardships and struggles of their new home. All this has been
recited, and to repeat it now would be but a work of supereroga-
tion.
The histor}' of Gallipolis and the surrounding country from
that day to this has doubtless been well told here under the title
of "A Century and its Lesson," by a distinguished citizen of
the oldest city in Ohio. The history of your people for the cen-
tury is the history of all the people of Ohio. In the beginning
there were the dangers from savages; from fever and ague, and
the climatic diseases of a new country. They lived in the same
log huts, with the same puncheon floors; were clothed in the
same deer-skin garments; used the same hewn furniture; ate the
same hoe-cake, fish and game; indulged in the same shooting
matches, bear-hunts and militia musters, as all the other pioneers
in the other counties of the State. The men were of sturdy
stock, and the women were fit mothers for the generations that
were to follow.
As they lived here upon the banks of the river they saw
Remarks of Goverjior James E. Carnpbcll. 163
many changes. They saw the first steamboat, the "Orleans,"
pass down in 1811. Some thought it was a comet, and some
that the British had come; and to all it was a wonder, a marvel.
In 1812 (a year later), they went with McArthur's regiment to
fight the British. From that day to this the citizens of Galli-
polis have done their part as Americans and Buckeyes, adding to
the glory and greatness of their State and country in peace and
in war. Some of them went to Mexico and helped to bring the
"Lone Star" and the "Golden Gate" into the sisterhood of the
republic. "Hundreds of them, during the last war, did their full
share in restoring their country to its integrity, and were a
glorious part of the three hundred and twenty thousand names
which Ohio wrote upon the muster roll of the Union. Your
people have taken their part in the field of statesmanship and
letters. They have been guided by lofty patriotism and high in-
telligence; and as they gather here to-day by the thousands,
with all the evidences of culture and wealth — the product of
American school houses and churches — they fitly represent the
free institutions which have arisen from the hopes, ambitions,
and successes of the pioneers who gathered here one hundred
years ago.
164 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
RIO GRANDE COLLEGE— REV. J. M. DAVIS,
PRESIDENT.
When asked but a few hours ago to take part in the exercises
of this forenoon, I gladly consented; for, in my opinion, no inter-
est that has been developed in Gallia county in the first century
of its settlement is more worthy of being brought to remem-
brance and notice than its educational interests, and my connec-
tion for a number of years with Rio Grande college enables me
to set forth briefly its history and present condition. Other
gentlemen, who have given much time and research to the task,
have given an account of the public and other schools of this
city and of the county in general. I will confine my remarks to
the institution just named.
Shortly after the war of 1812, Nehemiah Atwood, a native
of Shenandoah county, Virginia, a man who had done honorable
service as an ofiicer in the American army, settled in this county.
In 1819 he was married to Permelia Ridge way, daughter of David
Ridgeway, who had come to Gallia county from South Carolina
in 1803. Mr. Atwood and his wife settled upon a farm near
where the present village of Rio Grande stands, and the remain-
der of their long and active lives was spent in the same neighbor-
hood. Without children, with good health, industry, economy,
and more than ordinary business qualifications, they accumulated
in about thirty years an estate of one hundred thousand dollars.
About 1850 a new personal force began to make itself felt
in the vicinity of their home, and we are called to notice a man
who afterward became one of the most useful and honored
citizens that this county has ever had. Rev. I. Z. Haning,
a native of Athens county, and a student of the Ohio University,
came as an evangelist into Huntington and Raccoon townships,
and under his divinely blessed labors a profound and extended
religious reformation took place, the good results of which are
yet visible in many forms.
Mr. and Mrs. Atwood listened to his teaching, were con-
verted to Chri.st, and from that day forth lived a new life. They
became studious and constant workers in their church and
M
Rio Grande College. 165
Sundaj'-school. They contributed largely to the building of
a meeting house near their home, and gave two thousand dollars
as an endowment fund to aid in the support of regular preaching
at this church for all time. They gave financial assistance
to the organized charities of the church to which they belonged,
and to a school at Albany, Ohio, called after that the Atwood
Institute.
As a result of their growing conceptions of Christian benevo-
lence, and influenced by the advice of Mr. Haning, they finally
decided to give their estate for the founding and endowment of
a college in the place where they had spent the most of their
lives and accumulated their fortune. Mr. Atwood died in 1869,
before any stsps had been taken toward carrying out this plan.
At the invitation of his widow, Mr. Haning soon afterward
removed to Rio Grande, and action was taken toward the erection
and opening of the college. The college building costing, $17,000,
and the boarding hall, costing $13,000, were erected, and the
college opened in September, 1876.
A few weeks before its opening, the founder executed her
will, bequeathing her entire estate for its endowment. This
estate, which came into the possession of the college trustees
upon her death in 1885, now amounts to about $66,000.
The college has been in continued and successful operation
since its opening; and at the present, with its fine buildings and
grounds, its income equal to the economical but vigorous man-
ner in which it is carried on, its established character for thorough
work .and for the inculcation of those principles which are the
prime essentials in all the true manhood and womanhood, and
with a warm place in a large and growing portion of our people, is
one of the things that, as citizens of Gallia county, we can look
upon with the deepest gratification as we recount the progress
of a century and take account of the things that make the com-
ing years bright and hopeful.
It is our privilege to rejoice in the fact that our city and
county are sharing richly in all the elements of welfare to be
found in a highly developed social condition. We have left the
pioneer days behind us.
The clearing of the forest, the opening of roads, the bridg-
!<»'> (V//(7 Arch, ai/d I lis. Society Publications. [VoL. 3
ing of streams, the building of comfortable places for residence^
business, instruction, and worship have been accomplished.
Already, we are not only in the possession of schools and
churches, but have entered upon the day of orphanages, hos-
pitals and asylums.
All that a complex Christian societ}- can do for the pleasure
and improvement of adults, for the culture of the young, for the
relief of the suffering and for the care of the unfortunate, has
its foundation already laid in this county. In matters pertaining
to higher education, we have not been entirely outside the great
movements of thought and beneficence that have done so much
for the advancement of learning in our qountry in the last thirty
years.
What great and happy things of this kind we can recount.
The wi.se and munificent benefactions of George Peabody have
shed a lustre on his name that is only surpassed by the richness
of the benefits they have produced. The John F. Slater fund,
in the management and disbursement of which one of the best
citizens of our State, ex-president Hayes, is doing himself addi-
tional honor and his fellow-citizens additional service, is one of
the greatest and best gifts of this kind. A citizen of New York,
in the building of Cornell University, has reared a noble monu-
ment to his name.
The Johns Hopkins University, at Baltimore, has leaped into
vigorous being and is doing a great work toward that which its
own president has pointed out as the true office of all higher in-
stitutions, the work of "bestowing upon society continual acces-
sions of highly -trained and liberally -educated young people,
capable of contributing to human welfare not only in the tradi-
tional professions but in all the complex affairs of modern life
which require the application of intellectual force to difficult and
often unexpected problems."
On our Pacific coast a United vStates Senator now has it in
mind and hand to establish, upon a financial basis of twenty
million dollars, an institution in which any person maj' pursue
any line of profitable study possible to the human mind.
Tothe.se larger and more noticeable gifts are to be. added
the numerous smaller but not less praiseworthy and useful gifts
Rio Grande College. 167
all over the country that of late years have enlarged the resources
of existing institutions and founded a multitude of new ones,
thus bringing the facilities for learning to almost every door in
the land.
I repeat, it is something that may well move our gratitude
tc.-day, that among all its other elements of progress and pros-
perity, Gallia county has also had a share in those gifts and
works that look toward the highest intellectual and moral possi-
bilities of its sons and daughters. We may well rejoice that
among our many worthy citizens in the past there have been
some who labored and planned for these things ; that out of the
abundant wealth created by honorable toil from the material re-
sources of this county, every acre of which except the little spot
where these meetings are held was an undeveloped wilderness a
century ago, one goodly portion of one hundred thousand dollars
has been sacredly ?et apart for the work of higher Christian edu-
cation. Looking at this fact, taking into consideration the his-
tory and work of the other schools of the county, to be pre-
sented to you by others, and firmly believing that these institu-
tions will be fostered and enlarged b}' the wisdom and benevolence
of our citizens in all coming days, the only feelings possible to
my mind as I join with you in this centennial celebration are
gratitude for the past and high hopes and purposes for the future.
168 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
"THE EDUCATIONAL LESSONS OF THIS HOUR."
REV. H. A. THOMPSON.
I appreciate the high honor done me by your Chairman in
the invitation which he has extended me to speak for a few
moments. I must tell you in advance that I am not on the pro-
gram for the day ; that I have no speech prepared for your lis-
tening ears. I am here as a member of the Ohio Historical
Society, whose members are the guests of your committee. I
am here for the first time in your beautiful little city to rejoice
with you in the good fortune which has come to it, and to you,
in being able this day to celebrate its one hundreth anniversary.
Such occasions are fraught with interest and profit to us all. In
the olden time the Jews were annually required to go to Jerusa-
lem, the capital city, to keep the feast of the passover. As the
children of the household saw the preparation made for this re-
markable feast they would naturally inquire what it all meant. '
The sacred historian instructed the master of the household how
to answer: "When thy son asketh thee in time to come saying
what mean the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments
which the Lord, our God, hath commanded you, then shalt thou
say unto thy son, we were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and
the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and the
Lord showed signs and wonders great and sore upon Egypt,
upon Pharaoh and upon all his house before our eyes; and he
brought us from thence that he might bring us in to give us the
land which he swear unto our fathers ; and the Lord commanded
us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord, our God, for our
good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is this day.
And it shall be righteousness unto us if we observe to do all
this commandment before the Lord, our God, as he hath com-
manded us."— Deut. VI., 20.
So as your children sit with you to-day on these seats, lis-
tening to the addresses made and witnessing the parades and
displays, they shall want to know what it all means; and then
you can interest them in the history of the nation as they have
never been interested before. It will be your work to recount
The Educational Lessons of this Hotir. 169
to them the deeds of your ancestors, the suflFerings endured, the
privations undergone, to help build up this glorious republic,
where every man can work out his own destiny untrammeled by
the customs and traditions of the old world; a land in which
above all other lands we recognize the truth uttered by Scot-
land's humble, though illustrious singer:
" What though on haiiiely faer we dine,
Wear hoddin, gray and a' that;
Gye fools their silks and knaves their wine
A man's a man for a' that."
And not only will the young people thus be taught to love
their country, and to make themselves more worthy of the her-
itage which it is theirs to enjoy, but those of us who are older
and w^ho can better appreciate our advantages, may well in this
sacred spot, made sacred not only by the presence of those who
came here one hundred years ago, but later still by those noble
patriots who fought to save this nation from dismemberment,
consecrate ourselves anew to our country's good, and to be citi-
zens worthy of such illustrious ancestors.
I have listened, as you no doubt have also, with intense
pleasure to the distinguished gentleman who has discoursed to
us so eloquently of the " Lessons of the Century," as well as to
the gentleman who followed him in his interesting sketch of the
college you have planted in your midst. I think it is Cotton
Mather, the New England historian, who says that one of the
first things our Puritan fathers thought of after their settlement
in the American wilderness was the founding of a college, that
their children might not grow up in ignorance, nor their churches
be without pastors, and that the cause of religion and education
might be advanced among them. Your ancestors looked to your
welfare in planting a college in your county and you will prove
j'ourselves degenerate sons of worthy sires if you do not rally
about it and make it a place whither your sons and daughters
may go to receive that training which shall fit them for the
duties and responsibilities of this life and the enjoyments of the
life to come. By the help which you can give it, it will revolu-
170 OJiio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
tionize your county and give you a citizenship excelled by none
in the land.
As I listened to the lessons of the century I tried to look
forward to see what they taught us as to the destiny of our own
fair land. Surely the reign of bloodshed and of cruel war in
which the nations of the olden time indulged must now be over.
The sword must no longer be the arbitrament of nations, since
the "Prince of Peace" has come proclaiming peace on earth
and good will to all men. We have outgrown our infancy and
are now marching forward to a grander and richer civilization.
We have made such a conquest of matter as men never saw be-
fore; the forces of nature have been harnessed as in no other
age to do our bidding. The masses have broken through the
debris that has kept them down ; they have burst asunder the
trammels that bound them and the reign of the common people
has commenced. Never have the pcssibilities of manhood been
greater and never has there been such a field for the manifesta-
tion of man's noblest powers as in this land whose citizenship
we honor to-day. Never before has it meant so much to live.
The very air is thick with questions that teem with interest, and
that demand a solution at our hands. While men never lived
with greater possibilities they never rested under greater re-
sponsibilities. We cannot rest satisfied with the fact that we are
growing in wealth; that our forests have been subdued, our
lands tilled and our population enlarged. To whom much is
given of these shall much be required. The problems of civil
government have not all been solved. We are to show the
nations of the earth such an example of enlightened citizenship
as they have not 3^et seen. We are to be a beacon light to those
that sit in darkness showing them the way out of their disabili-
ties into the coming light. We are to show them that a govern-
ment of the people, for the people, and by the people is to be
the most permanent as it is the freest form of civil government.
Let us see to it that we make of this people a nation whose God
is the Lord. Not only our own destiny but the destiny of other
peoples is in our hands. Let us see to it that we are worthy of
the high trust which God and our fathers have committed to us.
When our descendants shall come one hundred years hence to
The Educational Lessons of this Hour. 171
celebrate this anniversary may they find a great nation without
a peer; whose rulers rule in righteousness, a terror to evil doers
and a praise to them that do well; a people true to their highest
convictions of duty and yielding rightful homage to Him who is
the King of kings and the source of all human government.
172 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Picblications . [Vol. 3
REMARKS OF R. D. MARSHALL, ESQ.
Your presiding officer has called on me, owing to some de-
lay in the arrival of trains, which has delayed the forming and
moving of the procession, to address you for a few minutes, and
has charged me with being a speaker of some note, and as he
has placed me on trial before you on that charge, I feel pretty
certain that when you have heard me, you will promptly acquit
me of the charge, as it was not my expectation to address the
people here, for I came to see and hear, and not to talk.
This is my first visit to your city, and those of you who
know the place so well, with its beautiful surroundings, no
doubt think that my traveling in this respect has been sadly
neglected.
One hundred years ago! What a change! When the 600
pioneers, or thereabouts, landed here one hundred years ago, if
this city as it is now could have then met their gaze as they
floated down the Ohio river, how different would have been their
feelings from what they were under the circumstamces at that
time? In place of the log cabins, uninhabited, that then met
their gaze on their first visit to this place, I, on my first visit,
look upon a beautiful city of more than 12,000 inhabitants.
We are now, I am told, holding this meeting on the grounds
where stood the log cabins that met the gaze of your ancestors
when they arrived here, but instead of log cabins, you now have
this beautiful park; the Ohio river sweeps on the south side
of it just as it did one hundred years ago, but, on the bosom of
that river now float the magnificent steamers that we see at your
wharfs, instead of an occasional flat-boat; and in place of the
thick forest that then covered these grounds, you now have this
fine park, your level streets, miles in length, built up on either
side with fine business blocks, or beautiful residences. What a
change! But all this had a beginning, and that beginning jv^as
one hundred years ago to-day, and under circumstances that
would have appalled a less heroic people.
Among the pioneers that landed here, most, if not all of
them, knew but little about such hardships, as were to stare
Remarks of R. D. Marshall, Esq. 173
them in the face, and had but little idea how to contend with, or
overcome the same. Again, they had been deceived as well as
defrauded. But, among these, your pioneers, there were heroes
and heroines, there were brave men and brave women, and they
have left their footprints here which we are looking at now, ad-
miring and honoring, for
" Lives of great men all remind us,
We can make our lives sublime.
And, departing, leave behind us.
Footprints on the sands of time."
You men will pardon me, if I should give even more credit
to the women than to the men, for whilst under trying circum-
stances men are frequently so courageous as to make them great,
women under similar circumstances become not only great, but
almost reach sublimity with their greatness.
Said a great thinker, "The greatest and grandest words
known to anyone, are mother, home, and heaven." This is a
sentiment that I fully endorse, and may farther add, the one you
all have, or have had, and it would be better that a mill stone
were tied to your neck, and that you were planted in the bottom
of the Ohio river, than that you should at aay time, by any act
or word, bring shame or dishonor upon that name. The second,
every one should strive to have and secure, if he can honorably
do so. And the third, we are assured by Him, who makes no
promise that He can not and will not fulfill, that we can finally
reach if we are worthy of it.
Your respected townsman, Colonel Vance, has requested me
to speak of the Miami Valley, and its early history. Such a task
ought not to be attempted without a preparation commensurate
with the subject. And again it seems to me that there is but
one person that I know of in Ohio, who can do the Miami Val-
ley and its early pioneers justice, and that person is Judge Joseph
Cox, of Cincinnati; he knows its history, and knows it as fully
and correctly as if he had grown up with its every movement
since its first discovery by the white man, and its history,
growth and progress should be written by him, and not by a
novice like myself. It is true that there are some things that I
174 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
know about that great valley. A wag once said of it : "It is
God's country, for if it were otherwise, he never would have
made it so rich, so beautiful and so productive."
Will it be considered too facetious for me at this time to say
that this valley produces larger corn, and a greater abundance
thereof, than did Egypt at the time Joseph garnered it there in
anticipation of the many years of famine ; and in its early his-
tory it had its pioneers, its heroes and, heroines, and yet at this
day it is not without its noted men. As you are aware, the Gov-
ernor of this great State of Ohio, who is with us to-day, was
born and reared in this valley, and his ancestors lived there long
prior to his birth. And the lyieutenant Governor, who is also
with us, comes from lyOgan County; the head -waters of the
river from which the valley takes its name, are located in this
county. To this county my maternal ancestors moved at an
early date, and endured the trials and hardships of pioneer life.
In this county my grandmother, vi^ith gun in hand, took com-
mand of the fort and stockade built near the Miami river, about
eight miles west of Bellefontaine, and in w^hich fort were placed
the pioneer women and children of that day, whilst her husband,
with other men along that vallev, rushed to the front, after
Hull's surrender ; and it is said of her, being surrounded by In-
dians as they were, that her courage, coolness and heroism under
these trying circumstances were so noted, that she was afterward
spoken of as "Heroic Betsy." But it is not my purpose to
speak of anything that would come so near personal, and I only
refer to this as one of the matters that is spoken of by one of
the pioneer writers of Ohio.
But I notice that the Governor of Ohio, with his staff, and
the Governor of West Virginia, with his staff, are already
mounted, and the band begins to play, and the procession is be-
ginning to move, and you, like myself, will want to witness the
grand display of the moving thousands in this procession.
Rciuarks of J. W Jones. 175
REMARKS OF J. V. JONES, ESQ.
Ladies and GKX'rij:,AiEx : — It would hardly be proper for
me to say " lellow-citizeiis," for the reason of having been absent
from your county for nearly fifty-eight years. During that time
many changes have been wrought in the city of Gallipolis and
Gallia county. Eighty-one years ago a young married couple
might have been seen slowly wending their way on horseback
down the slopes of the Blue Ridge and foot-hills of the Allegheny-
Mountains of Virginia toward the beautiful Ohio River as it swept
majestically past the town of GalHpolis, or the "City of the
French." These young people brought all their worldly goods
with them on hor.seback and settled north of this city, some-
where near what is now known as "'Kerr Station," on the river
division of the Columbus, Hocking Valley and Toledo Railroad.
The names of these young adventurers were James Jones and
Priscilla Jones, nee Blagg. After remaining in old Gallia county
for about twenty-three years they, with a family of nine children,
of whom your speaker was one, removed northward to the great
valley lying between the Sandusky and Maumee Rivers, and
bounded on the north by the beautiful Lake Erie. This great
forest valley was the hunting grounds of Indian tribes, known
as the " Senecas" and " Wyandotts." Our evening serenades in
the grand old forests were not the handsomely-uniformed bands
of music you have here on this Centennial occasion, but were
the whooping of the bunting bands of Indians, the hooting of
the night owl and the howling of the wolves. There we lived in
the rude log cabin, and lived on corn bread and the wild game of
the grand old forests. It was there that we received a common
school education in round log school houses, daubed with mud
and with greased paper for window lights and rude benches made
from split logs. But your speaker, one of the descendants of
that family, has lived to see the wilderness and the solitary
places be made glatl and the desert places to rejoice and blossom
as the rose.
The Indians have gone to their happy hunting grounds, the
bear and the wild-cat have fled from advancing civilization, the
176 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
forests have given way to countless thousands of beautiful and
productive farms, the log cabins have disappeared and their
places filled with beautiful farm houses. And in place of the
log school houses and churches we now have beautiful wood,
brick and stone structures with their spires pointing heaven-
ward. Then the Sandusky and Maumee rivers and the beautiful
Lake Erie were dotted only by the Indian's canoe and the
trader's small craft. Now they carry the commerce of the great
Northwest, assisted by the railroads, to the markets of the East —
the cities of New York, Baltimore, Boston, and from there to the
markets of the old world. In the great valley of the Northwest
we slumbered for more than fifty years over mines of wealth in
what was once known as the great "Black Swamp." Natural
gas and pools of oil lay buried beneath us in vast quantities,
which have lately been developed into sources of luxury and
great wealth. Natural gas is now used as fuel in thousands and
millions of homes and manufactories, bringing wealth and pros-
perity to many persons who were formerly in poverty and mod-
erate circumstances.
And now, my friends, after an absence of nearly fifty-eight
years, I have returned to join with you in celebrating the one
hundredth anniversary of the first settlement of the city of
Gallipolis in 1790. My return, after an absence of so many
years, is almost like coming back from the grave. In that period
time has wrought wonderful changes, and I see but one old land-
mark in this large audience that I recognize, and that one is the
venerable old pioneer and patriot, William Waddell, who in the
early days of his manhood was a dear friend of my departed
father, and who will soon join him in a more beautiful land than
this in the country far away.
In returning to the grand old county of Gallia and the his-
toric city of Gallipolis to participate in this grand and beautiful
display and celebration, I feel like one treading the streets of an
historic city, as a stranger in a strange land. Yet I am mindful
of the fact that behind me rolls the majestic Ohio River, its
waters bathing the shores of Ohio and West Virginia; before me
are the grand old hills of Gallia, my native heath; under this
pavillion is assembled youth, beauty and old age, while I am like
Remarks of J. V. Jones. 177
one who stands alone in some banquet hall deserted, and, like
the soldier on the hill, I turn to take a last fond look at the
scenes of my childhood, the beautiful Ohio River, the grand old
hills, the valley and the country church, and the remains of the
old cottage by the brook.
Joy and sadness are strangely mingled on this occasion.
Here I recall the sweet reminiscences of the child-life, which
illumined the past, and touched the hours with golden light.
Memory lingers upon the solemn bridge beyond which in my
childhood I played, and in which I still see little faces flushed
with laughter and childish sports ; their little voices prattling in
melodious heavenly music. I thank you, my friends, for invit-
ing me to address you on this occasion, and for your attentive
listening. I will remember it as one of the pleasant scenes of
my life, and in memory of which I will often think of the good
people of this city and surrounding country and the beautiful
hills of Gallia, the place of my childhood.
Thanking you again, my friends, for this compliment and
your close attention, I bid yoii good-bye.
Vol. Ill-
178 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vor,. 3
MIGRATIONS AND THEIR LESSONS.
SERMON PREACHED IN THE OPERA HOUSE, SUNDAY, BY WASHINGTON
GLADDEN, OF COLUMBUS.
By faitli, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place
which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing
whither he went. — Heb. ix, 8.
This is the first notice in ancient records of that great
movement westward which occupies so many chapters of the
history of the human race. From that nnknoww country named
Ur of the Chaldees, Terah, the father of Abraham, had already
journeyed westward, bringing his household to Haran ; here
they tarried for a little, and here it was that Abraham heard the
divine call and went forth to the land of Canaan. A mighty
river, the Euphrates, rolled between him and his destination;
two days' journey brought him to its banks. Nothing daunted,
he made his way across, perhaps at that point where the great
river is still forded ; and when he had gained the other shore he
had won his cognomen of "Hebrew" — the man who had
crossed. Weary days of desert journeying were yet before him,
but the divine voice was still calling him, and he pushed steadily
forward, halting for a little in the bright valley of Damascus,
but resting not till his tent was pitched at Bethel, and he looked
abroad from the hill tops upon the fertile plains and smiling val-
leys of the land that was to be his inheritance, and where that
great nation which should spring from his loins was to have its
seat.
Abraham's migration was undertaken for a differeril reason
and with a higher purpose than that of many of his contempor-
aries and successors ; nevertheless he was moved with the cur-
rent. Where that Semitic race to which he belonged had its
origin ma}^ not be clearly known. We find it first in the lower
valleys of the Euphrates and the Tigris, whence, moving north-
westward and southwestward, it populated Babylonia, Syria,
Phoenicia and the rest of Canaan. Even the ancient Egyptians
were not an autochthonic race. Their features, their languages
link them with Asia rather than with Africa. Thev. too. were a
A/iorations and Their Lessons. 179
people T;\'ho had come in the early dawn of prehistoric times
from the East.
Those successive migrations of our own Aryan tribes from
their nest in Asia' westward over Europe I need only stop to
mention. From the remotest antiquity we see these people
moving in vast mas.ses toward the setting sun, one column fol-
lowing another at intervals of time which no monuments or
memorials seem to mark; the Hellenic and the Latin groups
flooding the Mediterranean peninsulas, and pausing before the
mighty barrier of the Alps; the Kelts, the Teutons, the Slavs,
moving northwestward in their order, expelling the Aborigines,
and, in time, subjugating one another. It would seem that the
configuration of the northern temperate zone of the Eastern
Continent was favorable to such movements ; for the vast cen-
tral plains of Eastern Asia are prolonged westward through
Russia, Northern Germany and Holland; and a man can walk,
says one authority, from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, across
Asia and Europe, without encountering any elevation of more
than a few hundred feet, or any stream which it is difficult to
ford. But when these Aryan peoples had poured their floods
for uncounted centuries over Europe, which was their Promised
Land; when they had overspread its plains and possessed tliem-
selves of its substance, they found themselves standing on the
shores of a trackless ocean, whose billows, breaking at their feet
in endless mockery, flung back to the rushing tide of humanity
their challenge : " Thus far shalt thou come and no farther, and
here shall ihy proud waves be stayed."
For mau}^ centuries this watery barrier restrained them.
From the Cantabrian mountain tops, from the low-lying shores
of Brittany, from the rocky coast of Cornwall, or the green hills
of Ireland, they looked away to the westward wondering and
longing. What lands might lie beneath that misty liorizou?
Was it true, indeed, that
"Sweet fields heynr.d this fweilip^; flood
[Stood] drest in living green ?"
Who should dare to sail forth unto that No Man s Land and
rsvish it? sL-crut I'lum the unchartered ocean.'' It was well that
180 Ofdo Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
they waited. Art had time to germinate and fructify, civihzation
had room to expand and ripen; in all these European lands,
races were in training for the task of subduing another continent.
In the fullness of time, the word that Abraham heard was
spoken again, and the brave Genoese sailor turned the prows of
his little ships toward the setting sun, and sailed away, not
knowing whither he went, but greatly hoping to find beyond the
sea a land which he should receive for an inheritance. How
steadily, during the four centuries that have elapsed since Colum-
bus landed on our western coast, the tide of migration has
flowed hitherward, I need not spend any time in showing. There
may be, at this time, one hundred of millions of people upon
this Western Continent, in North and South America; of these,
probably not more than ten millions are natives of the soil ; ninety
millions are the dsscendants of men who came across the sea.
Of these ninety millions, eight or nine millions are the ofispring
of those who came, much against their will, in the holds of
slave ships, victims of the cruelty and cupidity of the stronger
race; and there are a few hundred thousand Semites, the
descendants of Abraham whose Promised lyand, far away in the
heart of the other continent, was the first stage of this secular
progress; but the great mass of these inhabitants of the New
World belong to that Aryan race, whose teeming millions have
been hurrying westward ever since the dawn of time. From
the mountain slopes and broad plateaus of Central Asia — from
the cradle of the human race — these eager, adventurous throngs
have come. Past the snowy heights of the Himalayas, over the
ridge of the Ural Mountains, across the steppes of Tartary, and
along the shores of the Caspian and the Black Seas, they have
thronged into Germany and France and Spain and England and
Scandinavia; here, dividing into tribes, each with a tongue of
its own (though all these tongues are kindred), here tilling fields,
sinking mines, building cities, and hence, on the wings of the
wind and the vapor, flying over the sea to this Western Conti-
nent, to rear on this fresh soil, as we hope and trust, a nobkr
fabric of social order than any they have left behind.
And here, too, the power that brought them still compels
them. The Pilgrims were scarcely landed on the New England
Migrations and Their Lessons. 181
coast when they began to push their way out westward into the
interior. Within twenty years after the Mayflower anchored in
Plymouth harbor, there were several prosperous settlements on
the Connecticut river, a hundred miles inland, though the
savages resisted the advance at every step, and every town was
stockaded for defense against the midnight foe. And ever since
that day the tide of emigration has been flowing steadily west-
ward— westward — over the Appalachian range, down the valley
of tire Ohio, along the borders of the Great Lakes, across the
teeming prairies, over the Rockies and the Sierras to the western
shore. That mighty movement of the people westward, west-
ward, which began long before Abraham took up his journey
from Haran toward Canaan, has been going on ever since; all
the greatest nations of the earth have taken- part in it; in the
path of this movement have arisen all the splendid monuments
of civilization; our own highways are trembling yet with the
tread of its triumphant host.
Is not this phenomenon worth looking at, soberly, for a little
while this afternoon ? May we not safely infer that a process of
this nature, stretching through untold centuries, covering two
continents, spanning one stormy ocean, enlisting more or less
directly all the great nations of modern history, is a process with
which Providence has something to do ? One need not be a very
strong Calvinist to believe that such vast on - goings as these are
provided for in the plans of an omni.scient Ruler.
What are the causes of this great movement of the peoples?
They are many and various. The forces which impel families
and tribes to go forth from their country and their kindred unto
lands more or less dimly shown them in prophetic vision are of
many kinds, and operate in diverse ways. Not seldom the great
law of population operates to produce these movements of the
people. Population, according to the Malthusian statement,
always tends to iiicrea.se more rapidly than subsistence ; hunger
drives forth hordes of men to .seek a livelihood in fresh fields and
pa.stures new. This law operates even where the population is
spar.se and the resources of nature not at all developed. The
southward movements of the Gothic tribes upon the cultivated
lands of Southern Europe may have been due in part to this
182 Ohio Arch and His. Society Publications. [Vol,. 3
cause. The lands tliey left behind were hy no means exhausted
by cultivation, but they depended mainly on pasturage, and
therefore needed far more land than modern agricultural people.
Many of the movements of the Aborigines upon our own soil
may have been produced by this cause. When the game had
disappeared from its territory the tribe must move on to unoccu-
pied lands. Indeed, the less civilized the people, the greater the
need of frequent migration. Two or three acres will support a
skillful farmer or gardener; the primeval hunter and fisherman
cannot live on less than two or three thousand acres. And we
may well suppose that the population on the central steppes of
Asia, growing faster than their subsistence grew, were thrust out
of their nests, in larger and smaller numbers, and started on their
westward journeyings. The pressure of population upon sub-
sistence being relieved by each exodus, the tribes left behind
multiplied faster than ever, and soon a new swarm was ready to
go forth from the hive.
In our own time, great movements of population have been
due to the failure of the means of subsistence. The Irish famin'^
of 1846-7 started a tidal wave of emigration to this country, ana
the current thus set in motion has been kept flowing by other
causes. And while the great emigrations of modern years toward
this hemisphere have not generally been due to famine or starva-
tion in the old countries, they have resulted in considerable part
from the over-crowdings of those countries, and from the expec-
tation, on the part of the emigrants, of finding larger wages,
ampler opportunities and better prospects for themselves and
their children in this land than in the homeland.
Other causes have constantly been operating. Wars of con-
quest and ambition, and the burdens caused by war, drive many
of the sons of peace forth from their homes to seek residence in
more pacific countries. The militarism of Germany explains
the presence on our soil of hundreds of thousands of the German
people. Political oppression, the domination of privileged classes^
tlie tyranny of priests and hierarchs hasten the departure from
lands that they love of those to whom liberty is dear. The Pil-
grims of Plymouth, the Roman Catholics of Baltimore were fugi-
tives from ecclesiastical persecutions. Sometmies these -ciiii-
Migrations a)id Their Lessons. 183
grants have beta social or political idealists with plans for the
reorganization of society to which their native land was not hos-
pitable; and they have sought upon virgin soil a free area for the
development of their ideas. Cabet and his Icarians, Owen and
his New Harmonists, were the leaders of colonies in the interest
of new social schemes.
To all these forces of propulsion by which men have been
driven from their ancestral seats must be added those forces of
attraction by which they have been drawn toward the new coun-
tries. Discoveries of mines of the precious metals, of soils of
phenomenal fertilit}-, of climates .serene and delectable, have been
reported to them, and they have been tempted b}' the prospects
of unwonted gains and enjoyments to separate themselves from
kindred and companions to set up their habitations in distant
lands.
Nor will the external motives— whether of propulsion or of
attraction — account for all these movements. There are powers
within their own breasts that start men upon these journeys.
A native restlessness, a love of novelty, a passion for adventure,
account for many of them. There are men who never could
be quiet long in Paradise; it would take a battalion of angels
with flaming swords to keep them within its bright enclosures.
There are men to whom the order and restraint of civilized
society are irksome ; they would rather rove through forests
than travel in highways ; thej^ prefer the freedom of the woods
which is the barrenest and poorest sort of freedom, to the free-
dom of the city, which, when its laws are most firmly enforced,
is the completest and most perfect liberty. Such unbridled
spirits are always found in the frontier lines of emigration.
Thus we see how many and varied are the ascertained
forces by which these great tides of population are controlled,
but I think we must add to these another and far more subtle
force — that divine impulse by which all the greater movements
of history must be explained. For while it is true that hunger
and fear, and the love of life, and the love of libert)-, and the
love of change, and the impatience of restraint and the greed
of gold, and the ambition to found new empires, and a thousand
other motives h.ave acted upon the minds of men urging them
184 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [VOL. B
into these curreuts of emigration, yet all over these conflicting
motives, harmonizing them all and bringing order out of them,
is the plan of the all-wise Ruler of the world, who makes the
wrath and the folly and the greed of man to praise him, and
restrains the remainder thereof.
The greatest fact in all these world movements is that they
are fulfilling a design that is more comprehensive and farther-
reaching than wisdom of man couM conceive. Those Aryan
peoples, when they started on their journeys from Eastern
Asia, had no more conception of the splendid European and
American civilizations which they were going forth to build,
than the iron ore in the mountain has of the mighty genie
of fire and steam, fashioned from its substance, which will soon
be ploughing the Atlantic main ; au}'^ more than the spring at the
farthest sources of the Amazon has of the majestic river into
which its tiny fount will grow. This movement westward, ever
westward, was all unconscious. They had some small and dim
purpose of their own, but the great purpose of God they knew
nothing about. There was an instinct, partly human, that
impelled them; but of the divine leadings they were wholly
oblivious. They went forth, not knowing very well whither
they went, not knowing at all why they went. It would have
been very difficult for any careful student of human welfare,
contemplating the whole problem with such light as he could
get, to justify their going. In these later years the case is
greatly altered ; a large share of the immigrants who cross from
the old world to the new speedily better their condition ; but in
the earlier years this was not the rule. Most of those who then
went forth in search of new homes received, during their life-
time, no adequate reward for their risks and their labors. If you
had measured what they lost and what they suffered against
what they gained and what they enjoyed, the balance, so far as
worldly comfort is concerned, would have been on the wrong-
side. They sought, no doubt, to escape from penury and dis-
comfort, and restraint ; but they encountered hardships, labors,
miseries, worse than those from which they fled. Half of the
Pilgrims who landed on Plymouth Rock in December were in
their graves before the violets ever bloomed again upon that
Migration;; and Their Lessons. 185
sterile coast. The case with the majority of our early emigrants
and pioneers was not much better. Of one hundred and five
colonists in Virginia in June, 1G07, sixty-seven had died before
the next year was ten days old. The winter of 1()09 began with
four hundred and ninety persons in that colony and ended with
sixty. Surely this was not a profitable speculation, from the
point of view of individual interest. If it is the highest wisdom
of a man to look out for his own individual interest, these men
were not wise. If they acted upon a calculation of personal
gains and losses, it was a bad calculation. Europe and America
would have been peopled and developed by the Aryan races far
less slowly than they were, if these movements of population
had been guided by prudential and economical considerations.
No! these movements of population were very largely in-
stinctive rather than rational; spontaneous rather than delib-
erate; prophetic more than economic. Sometimes, no doubt,
the chances were calculated and miscalculated owing to defective
knowledge of the facts. The reports which reached the old
countries were not always accurate. Travelers were sometimes
enthusiastic ; land speculators were sometimes unscrupulous ;
men were beguiled into enterprises which they would never have
undertaken if they had knowni what perils and what toils were
before them. But most often they were only too eager to believe
the glowing tales that were told them ; they were more than half
to blame for the deceit which was practiced on them ; they took
but little pains to find out the facts before they set out. The
movement was not rational. It was instinctive. It was the
fruit of that world-compelling plan by which nations and tribes
and peoples are driven forward in the ways of destiny.
Do we mean, then, to say that Providence decreed all the
sufferings and losses and discomforts of these westward-moving
hosts? That Providence impelled them to enter paths that led
to hardship and famine and disaster? No, I do not dogmatize
about the designs of Providence; how much suffering He has
decreed I will not undertake to say; but it is evident that He
has appointed for men a destiny from which suffering is never
absent, and that the paths which conduct to His most glorious
gifts are paths which lead through toil and trial. The Captain
186 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
of our salvation was made perfect through suffering, and where
<-he Captain leads His followers must go. And I think that we
can discover, as we study these world-movements, some of those
deep things of God concerning whose meaning it is not wise to
be too confident, but whose manifestations, so far as they come
within the range of our own understanding, are full of stimu-
lating suggestion.
It is evident, to begin with, that these migrations of the
nations furnish a field for the culture of all the more robust vir-
tues. I do not mean to assert that pioneers and emigrants, as a
class, are in these days, or ever were, in all respects exemplary.
They are often persons of coarse fiber and reckless temper; they
are for a time, in the earlier period, beyond the restraint of laws
and social conventions; sometimes they become lawless and
vicious in the extreme. Nevertheless it is certain that many of
those groups who came to America in the last two centuries
brought their moral standards and their social conscience with
them, and established upon these shores a purer type of society
than they had left behind. But all these, whether they be stiff
Puritans or free-living Cavaliers, have need of cultivating and
manifesting the great virtues of courage, of endurance, of self-
sacrifice; to face danger calmly, to bear hardships quietly, to
meet death serenely — these are indispensable qualities in the
pioneer. No such opportunities of heroism come to us. There
are chances enough even for us to be heroic, but they are not
like these. These hand-to-hand encounters with savages and
wild beasts; these fights with frost and flood and pale-faced
famine; these measurings and weighings of the hoarded ears of
maize to make them last till harvest; these lonely marches and
bivouacs in the primeval forest; these persistent struggles with
the fierce wilderness to subjugate its soil — all these are the very
alphabet of heroism for future generations.
Close akin to the pioneer's courage is his faith in the future.
It takes a high order of faith to discern the beauty and bounty of
the ages to come and to be willing to live for them and die with-
out seeing them. I do not mean to assert that all these pio-
neers have possessed this heroic faith, but that it has lived in the
breasts of many of them their own words bear witness. In the
Migrations and Their Lessons. 187
ancient records of the Plymouth Pilgrims we read that one rea-
son, and not the least reason, of their removal to America was
' ' a great hope and inward zeal they had of laying some good
foundation, or at least to make some way thereunto, for the
propagating and advancement of the Gospel of the Kingdom of
Christ in those remote parts of the world, yea, although they
should be but as stepping stones unto others for the performance
of so great a work." Very few, indeed, of the great army of
pioneers have had any reasonable expectation of enjoying in
their own lifetime the fruits of their own labors. Abraham went
out from Harau to Canaan in hope that the land would some day
belong to his descendants ; yet, as Stephen in his speech before the
Sanhedrim so strongly said, "God gave him none inheritance in it;
no, not so much as to set his foot on, and He promised to give it
to him in possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he
had no child; but God spake on this wi.se, that his seed should
sojourn in a strange land, and that they should bring them unto
bondage and entreat them evil four hundred years; but the na-
tion to which they shall be in bondage will I judge, saith God;
after that shall they come forth and serve me in this place."
After the call to Abraham, in Haran, and the migration of Abra-
ham to Canaan, there were to be hundreds of weary years —
years of nomadic life in Palestine, years of famine, of bondage,
of wandering in the wilderness — before his descendants should
gain full possession of the promised land ; but there was the
promise, and Abraham believed the promise and imparted his
own great faith to his children and his children's children, and
this faith never failed them ; it upheld them under all the hard-
ships of the Egyptian slavery, and it brought them back, cen-
turies later, to the land which had been promised to their father,
Abraham. This is, no doubt, the most striking instance in his-
tory of the faith of a pioneer and of its influence upon the life
of generations following; but something not unlike it is wit-
nessed in the conduct of many of those who have laid the foun-
dations of great States in toil and tears, hoping that those who
should come after them would reap the fruit of their sowing,
and through their sacrifices enter into security and peace.
And this brings us to one more great motive which the
188 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
migration of nations emphasizes and reveals — ^the motive which
springs from the solidarity of races ; which leads a man to feel
that he is a partner, not only with his coevals, but with his fore-
bears and his posterity ; that much of the best part of his gains
and his joys comes from the labors of those who have gone be-
fore him, and much of his most fruitful work must be done for
the benefit of those who shall come after him.
It is when man rises to this height of vision, and sees the
generations all linked together for weal or woe, helpers of one
another's welfare, sharers of one another's misfortune, that he
becomes worthy of that word which defines him as a being of
large discourse, looking before and after. All the greater
motives of our work spring from the realization of these sublime
facts; from our sense of gratitude to those who have gone before
us, and our sense of obligation to those who are coming after us.
These are the truths which are brought home with power to our
minds as we look back upon the lives of our forerunners, and
which, beyond a doubt, were present in the minds of many of
them as they laid the foundations whereon to-day we build.
Such, then, are some of the gains that spring from these
great migrations ; they furnish a field for the development of the
robust virtues, they provide a discipline for faith, they strengthen
the bond that binds together the generation.
The connection of these thoughts with this occasion is not,
I trust, obscure. I have not thought it any part of my duty at
this time to undertake the recital of the annals of the colony
that landed on this spot one hundred years ago. That task has
been entrusted to other and more capable hands. It seemed
more fitting that I should rather attempt to connect the found-
ing of this colony with the great historic movement of which it
was a part, that we might discern something of the sweep and
significance of that movement. With how many of these great
purposes of Providence which we have been studying these
colonists consciously connected themselves I do not know ;
certain it is that they had a great opportunity of illustrating
upon this .soil the robust virtues ; and I doubt not their faith and
courage are living here in the lines of their descendants. It was
a stormy time in history when they took their departure from
Mi(^yations and Their Lessons. 189
their native land. On July 14, 1789, the Bastile had fallen, the
first resounding success of the French revolution, the signal of
the destruction of feudal France, and of the coming of a new
regime.
This was more than a political upheaval ; it was a social and
economic crisis. France had been cursed and impoverished for
centuries by the most burdensome tyranny; the people were
loaded with debt ; agriculture was crushed, trade was crippled,
all industries were paralyzed. The people were striking about
them madly and blindly, caring little who was smitten or what
went down before their wrath, resolute onl)^ to make an end of
the existing order. The Bastile was the object of their fury,
but dramatic as its downfall was, it brought no relief from the
present misery. Still the dead hand lay on all the industries of
the nation ; still work was scarce and bread was dear though
harvests were abundant, and famine in the midst of plenty
stared the multitude in the face.
"Fair prophesies are spoken," writes Carlyle, "but they
are not fulfilled. There have been Notables, Assemblages,
turnings-out and comings-in. Intriguing and maneuvering, Par-
limentary eloquence and arguing, Greek meeting Greek, in high
places, has long gone on, yet still bread comes not. The har-
vest is reaped and garnered, yet still we have no bread. Urged
by despair and by hope, what can Drudger)^ do but rise as pre-
dicted, and produce the General Overturn. Fancy, then, some
Five full-grown millions of such gaunt figures with their hag-
gard faces, in woollen jupes, with copper-studded, leather girths,
and high sabots, starting out to ask, after long unreviewed cen-
turies, virtually this question: How have ye treated us? How
have ye taught us, fed us, and led us, while we toiled for you?
The answer can be read in flames over the nightly summer sky.
This is the feeding and leading we have had of you; Emptiness
of pocket, of .stomach, of head and of heart. Behold there is
not/ling in us; nothing but what Nature gives her wild children
of the desert; Ferocity and Appetite; Strength grounded on
Hunger, Did ye mark among your rights of men that man was
not to die of starvation while there was bread reaped by him?
U is among the Mights of man,"
190 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. S
All over the land, castles are flaming, bands of smugglers
wander unrestrained; "the barriers of towns are burnt, toll
gatherers, tax gatherers, official persons put to flight." And
from all over France hordes of these half- civilized, half -starved,
half- infuriated people are pouring into Paris. Such is the situa-
tion during the Summer and early Autumn of 1789. The
foundations of the great deep of Feudalism are broken up; the
Deluge is at hand. As for the king there is no help for him; he
is too weak a man to deal with such an insurrection. He dallies
with the revolution, tries to ride upon the crest of its advancing
wave, but it skills not ; his queen and his court are sullen and
revengeful; there is a banquet at Versailles one night, while
thousands in the great city are starving; and the king's officers
trample under their feet the national cockade, while the queen
looks on applauding, and the people see that the court despises
them and plots to treat their newly gained liberties as it has
treated their emblem. And now the strangest, the most hysteri-
cal of all historic episodes takes place: ten thousand women lead
a howling mob to Versailles, a dozen miles away, followed by
the national guard, with Lafayette at its head, and they capture
the king and queen and bring them to Paris, making them pris-
oners in fact, in their own royal palace of the Tuilleries, and
stamping out the counter revolution with two hundred thousand
hob-nailed shoes. It was an anxious day for Paris; who could
tell what might be coming next? Obviously the reign of the
mob was well begun ; those who had everything to lose might as
well convert it into portable securities and silently steal away.
It was on the G'lIi of October that the king was escorted to Paris
by the shrieking Amazons; before this month had ended tens of
thousands of Frenchmen had bidden good-bye to France. This
was the time of what is known as the second migration — "most
extensive," says Carlyle, "among commons, deputies, noblesse,
clergy, so that to Switzerland alone there go sixty thousand.
One emigration follows another, grounded on reasonable fear,
unreasonable hope, largely, also, on childish pet. The high-
flyers have gone first, now the lower flyers, and even the lowei
will go, down to the crawlers."
What has all this to do with our colonists of Gallipolis? I
Mii^rations and Their Lessons. 191
hardly know how much it has to do with them ; but putting this
and that together, it might signify something. For it was right
in the midst of all this panic and terror that there appeared
upon the scene the agents of the Scioto Company, the Yankee,
Joel Barlow, and the Englishman, William Playfair — with their
maps and their prospectuses, and their glowing promises, telling
of a country where the climate was semi-tropical, where the
rivers abound with enormous fish, and the forests with venison;
where the trees exuded sweetmeats, and candles grew on trees;
where there were no taxes to pay and no conscriptions to dread.
Is it any wonder that^uch o. manifesto strongly appealed to the
excited and apprehensive Parisians? Less than a month after
Louis was brought to Paris, and while the alarmed citizens were
flying from France by thousands. Barlow formed his company
of the Scioto, and the emigrants came flocking to his headquar-
ters; five thousand of them were ready to set forth in the early
spring in quest of their Utopia.
It is a pitiful and painful story; I will not dwell upon it.
We can see how several of the motives which we have traced in
our study may have operated to set in motion this migration;
how pinching want, and political oppression, and the horrors of
civil war and social strife made these Frenchmen willing to leave
their native land: and we can see, also, how grievously they were
deceived by the representations made to them, and how great was
their need of courage and faith and patience, and all the heroic
qualities of the pioneer, when they lauded on the bluff" and took
possession of the log huts that awaited their occupation.
I will not undertake to tell how bravely they met the perils
that surrounded them, nor with how much steadfastness and
fortitude they wrought out their difficult problem. I know that
our hearts go out to them to-day in compassion for their suffer-
ings, and in gratitude for their toils and self-denials; for it is to
them, and to all the noble army of pioneers in whose rank they
marched, and in whose battle with the wilderness they fought
and fell, that we owe the fertile fields, the beautiful homes, the
teeming cities, the wealth and the culture and the power of our
great commonwealth, of our Native Land.
And now, fellow citizens, there remains but one question
192 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
more: What admonition, what incitement comes to us from
this glance across the centuries? We have seen this mighty
march of the peaceful armies of industry around the world,
from east to west; we have counted, as they could not, the cost
of their enterprises; we have learned how much we owe to
them. Can they teach us any thing that we need to know? Do
they summon us to any work which we are prone to neglect?
We honor and applaud their heroism ; have we any call to
imitate it? For the physical courage which they displayed there
is not much demand in these piping times of peace ; but of the
courage which fears not to confront the enemies of the State,
and the destroyers of our youth, this generation still has need.
It is not with wolves and painted savages that we are called to
fight ; but with foes far more dangerous : with robbers of rev-
enues ; with pilferers of public funds ; with men who make a
trade of politics and are ready always to subordinate the public
welfare to their own amb:tion ; with banditti whose dens are in
the lobbies, and sometimes in the offices of court houses and
city halls, and capitols ; yea, with all the purveyors of vice and
crime, with hyenas in human form who get their living by help-
ing their fellow-men on the road to ruin, and whose property in-
creases just in proportion as their neighbors are impoverished
and degraded. To confront such foes takes a different kind of
courage from that which the pioneers exhibited; a courage less
dramatic, less spectacular, less impressive to crude minds ; but no
less genuine, or less noble. And there is always room for self-
sacrifice in our encounters with these foes. It generally costs
something, in this world, to secure good government; it costs
something to establish it; it costs something to maintain it.
Hardships, losses, privations untold were endured by those who
laid the foundations of the State, and the State will not be kept
'.'rom overthrow unless we are ready to suffer some hardships
and losses in its defense. To challenge and resist the enemies
of the State — to keep its councils pure and its honor stainless —
will require of you and me some sacrifices. We must be will-
ing to face opposition, contempt, contumeh^; to be called all
manner of hard names ; to be stigmatized as cranks, feather-
heads, doctrinaries, dudes; nay, we must even be willing to lose
Migrations and Their Lessons. 193
customers, to see our income reduced, and our prospect of pro-
motion cut off; to suffer the loss of many things rather than be
false to our convictions of duty. Unless this spirit abides in us,
we are unworthy of the liberties which were purchased for us at
so great a cost, and we shall not long retain them.
The faith of the pioneers must also animate our souls.
Unless we believe as they did, that there are better days to
come, our heartless labor will be utterly in vain. If they did
not despair of the future nation, when they held the forlorn
hope here in the wilderness; when half and more than half
their number perished in a single winter ; when trackless forests
encircled them, and stubborn soils defied them, and bloody foes
lurked everywhere in ambush for them, surely we should not
despair of the Republic now, when so many fields have been
won, and the forces of intelligence and virtue are so many and
so mighty.
"Amid the storms they saug.
And the stars heard, and the sea.
And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang
With the anthems of the free."
Unless we, their children, in the midst of the foes that be-
league us, can lift up our voices in the same triumphant strain,
we are recreant to the charge they have given us to keep.
Above all, there is need that we should grasp with new con-
viction the great truth of the solidarity of the generations ; that
while we confess our obligations to those who lived before us,
we should feel, as we never yet have felt, our duty to those who
will live after us. This is the one clear and strong impression
which such an occasion as this should stamp upon our thought.
To see to it that the treasures of just law and large liberty which
we have inherited shall receive no detriment at our hands, but
shall be handed on unimpaired, unpolluted, undiminished to our
children, this is our supreme obligation. With a great sum have
we obtained this freedom ; but the price was not paid by us ; we
are the beneficiaries of past generations. We have no right to
waste our patrimony. What cost our fathers such an outlay of
pain and privation we ought to cherish with reverent devotion.
Vol. Ill— 13
194 Ohio Arch, and Mis. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
It is worth all it cost, all and infinitely more, and it must be
transmitted without loss to our successors.
Every thoughtful man admits that the people of one gener-
ation have no right to exhaust the soil from which their suste-
nance is derived, passing it on to their posterity poorer than it
was when they received it. Such wasteful or careless use of
natural resources is criminal. The land, the forests, the mines,
the fish of the streams, all the bounty of nature, are here not
ior us alone, but for our children and our children's children for
ages to come. In all our use of these things we must keep them
in mind. Their numbers will increase ; the productive energies
of the earth must not be reduced, but reinforced and reinvigor-
ated for their benefit. It is a stupid crime, it is treason against
humanity to impoverish by our greed the soil on which millions
must dwell after we are gone.
If such is our responsibility for the careful and productive
use of natural resources, what shall we say respecting those
higher and more precious portions of our inheritance — the mun-
iments of law, the safeguards of liberty, the wholesome cus-
toms, the sound sentiments, the reverence for God, the respect
for man, the true equality, the genuine fraternity — without
which government is anarchy and society is pandemonium?
Must not these be preserved in their integrity, and transmitted
to those who come after us? These are the talents which the
Lord of the earth entrusts to the people of each generation, and
which they are to deliver up to their successors multiplied and
improved by God's own law of increase. The world that we re-
sign to those who come after us must be a better world than that
which we received from our fathers — a more productive world,
a healthier, happier, safer, purer, freer, nobler world ; if we fail
in this, our material gains will only hasten our national decay ;
the mighty forces of nature that we have harnessed will bu\
drag us to destruction ; the swift flying steeds of fire and light-
ning coursing over our land and churning our seas to foam will
speed us to our doom.
Fellow countrymen, fellow Christians, those great currents
of migration from east to west, whose course across the conti-
nent we have followed, are stayed upon our western shore and
Migrations and Their Lcsso7is. 195
can no farther go. For numberless centuries they have been
flowing westward ; and the slow tides of time have brought
them to the final barrier. At the Golden Gate, on the snowy
summits of the Cascade Mountains, the pilgrims stand and gaze
afar to that Asian continent from which in the dim twilight of
history their father set forth — to countries crowded with a de-
cadent civilization. The circuit of the earth is completed;
migration has come to its term ; here, upon these plains, the
problems of history are to be solved; here, if anywhere, is to
rise that city of God, the New Jerusalem, whose glories are to
fill the earth. O, let us not forget what foundations w-e are lay-
ing, what empires are to stand upon them ; and in the fear of
God and the love of man let us build here a city in whose light
the nations of the earth shall walk ; whereinto kings may bring
their glory and honor ; into which there shall enter nothing
that worketh abomination or maketh a lie.
l96 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
The following is an abstract of the discourse deliv^ered to
the Methodists of Gallipolis by the Rev. David H. Moore, D. D.,
of Cincinnati, Editor of the Western Christian Advocate:
THEME — PHILOSOPHY OF METHODIST SUCCESS; WITH SPECIAL
REFERENCE TO THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God hath led
thee. — Dent. viii. 2.
It is worthy of note that the successful peopling of North
America was providentially delayed until the Pilgrim Fathers
were ready to plant Christianity in the colonies settling the new
world. But the Pilgrim Fathers were only one remove from
bitter persecutions, and schooled in enforced obedience naturally
became themselves dogmatic and arbitrary. A freer polity and a
more genial faith were needed for the expanding populations of
the colonies ; one whose reactions upon the various forms
of Puritanism should be liberalizing and quickening. This new
religious factor — coeval with the political birth of the United
States and ordained to far reaching influence upon its develop-
ment and destiny — was that form of belief and life known as
Methodism. It was unique in its absolu e separation from the
arm of flesh, its constant dependence upon the Holy Spirit, arid
its single aim of spreading Scriptural holiness throughout the
lands. It was little thoughtful of numbers, no stickler for form;
it feared God, honored the King, and believed in the equal par-
ticipation of all men in the benefits of the atonement through
Christ. It was conceived in Epworth rector3^ born in Oxford
University, and reached the strength and beauty of maturity in
free America.
We who sometimes despair of the cause of God amid the
Sabbath -breaking, drunkenness, sensuality, worldliness and in-
fidelity of the day, need only look at the origin of Methodism
to be assured that our fears are idle. The reign of George II
seems to have had swept down into it from the corrupt court of
Charles the accumulated frivolity, coarseness, libertinism, and
unbelief of all the past. True, some lights were unquenched,
but they were rush -lights disputing with midnight gloom. Over-
whelming wickedness rolled over the land.
Pliilosophy of Methodist Success. 197
Says Tyermaii : "Never has a century risen on Christian
England so void of soul and faith as that which opened with
Queen Anne, and which reached its misty noon beneath the
second George — a dewless night, succeeded by a sunless dawn.
There was no freshness in the past and no promise in the future.
The Puritans were buried and the Methodists were not born.
The philosopher of the age was Bolingbroke ; the moralist was
Addison ; the minstrel was Pope ; and the preacher was Atter-
bury. The world had the idle, discontented look of the morn-
ing after some mad holiday, and, like rocket - sticks and the
singed paper from last night's squibs, the spent jokes of Charles
and Rochester lay all about, and people yawned to look at them.
The reign of buffoonery was past, but the reign of faith and
earnestness had not commenced."
In 17'3G, every sixth house in London was a licensed grog-
shop; and sign -boards adverti.sed to make a man drunk and
furnish him straw to lie on to sleep off his drunken stupor — for
a penny. High and low were corrupt. Dissenters lamented the
worldliness of their ministers, and of the candidates for orders
in the established church, Bishop Burnet — 1713 said: "The
much greater part are ignorant to a degree not to be apprehended
by those who are not obliged to know it."
Toplady declares that ' ' a converted minister was as great a
wonder as a comet." Even in the University, such was the
prevalence of aggres.sive infidelity that the Vice Chancellor was
constrained to issue an edict pointing out this deplorable condi-
tion, and directing the tutors to use diligence in counteracting it.
But the Dean of Christ College, where We.sley was preparing for
his mission, was so maddened by infidelity that he forbade the
posting of the edict in his hall.
Exi.stiug forces were inadequate. The crisis was extreme.
It was indeed man's extremity become God's opportunity ; and
He led Charles and John Wesley, Robert Kirkham and Wm.
Morgan, to form the "Holy Club" and lay the foundation of
world-wide Methodism.
The persecution they suffered, the self-denial they prac-
ticed, the emergencies they met, the experiences they gained,
were providential preparations for the perils in the wilderness of
198 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. B
the New World. Mind you, Wesley and his co- laborers were
not adventurers, seeking cheap notoriety in this enterprise be-
cause excluded by their inferior genius from the more attractive
fields open to talent and learning. Lord Macaulay thus estimates
Wesley's ability : " He was a man whose eloquence and logical
acuteness might have rendered him eminent in literature ; whose
genius for government was not inferior to that of Richelieu ; and
who devoted all his powers in defiance of obloquy and derision,
to what he sincerely considered the highest good of his species."
Yet their name was cast out as evil. All manner of con-
tempt was heaped upon them. Fogg's Journal, one of the most
literary and respectable papers, held them up to scorn. ' ' Among
their own party," says the writer, "they pass for religious per-
sons and men of extraordinary parts ; but they have the misfor-
tune to be taken by all who have ever been in their company for
madmen and fools." They were forbidden the churches and
prosecuted for preaching in the open air. They were dragged
before magistrates, hooted by mobs, pelted with filth and bruised
with stones, tumbled into lime-pits and then into water. But in
the midst of this burning furnace of trial, the Spirit taught
Wesley to sing:
" Ye mountains and vales, in praises abound ;
Ye hills and ye dales, continue the sound ;
Break forth into singing, ye trees of the wood.
For Jesus is bringing lost sinners to God!"
Every moment was precious, for some perishing soul might
be saved. So he calculated for every minute. Lying awake in
the middle of the night, he set his alarm for seven, but his wake-
fulness continued; then for six, with the same result; then for
five, and no change ; then for four, and there was no more wake-
fulness; and thereafter he arose at that early hour.
So of money. God needed it for His poor and for His work.
And so Wesley practiced and preached that it was the duty of
each one to give away every year all he had after providing for
his own necessities. Thus when he received ^30 a year, he
lived on ^28 and gave away 40 shillings; when he received ^60,
he lived on ^28 and gave away /32; /90, still ^28 sufficient for
Philosophy of Methodist Success. 199
his living, and he gave away /"(i2 ; when he received /"120, ht
still lived on /'28 and gave away all the rest.
Consider the character of his preaching. Like the great
French evangelist he knew but three things — a ruined world, a
mighty Savior, brought together by an earnest ministry. Every
sermon brings out — man's damning guilt, his almighty Savior,
and a witnessed salvation.
And with this thrilling Gospel he went where sinners most
abounded. A prelate of the Established Church sneeringly
called the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster
"Archbishop of the slums." "Exactly," was the noble reply,
"that is just what I am. I am an archbishop of the slums;
that is my business; that is what I desire to be. My ministry is
among the hordes and the garrets and the slums; yours, I admit,
is something very different."
Such was Wesley's spirit. This high-bred gentleman, this
profound scholar, this man "whose eloquence and logical acute-
ness might have rendered him eminent in literature; whose
genius for government was not inferior to that of Richelieu ; "
whose earlier devotion to the establishment was such that he
would have thought the saving of a soul " a sin almost if it had
not been done in a church" — turned from all his past and from
all his churchly future, with quenchless zeal for souls, counting
all things loss that stood between him and their salvation through
his instrumentality.
" His frame of adamant and soul of fire " were taxed to the
utmost. Says a biographer: "He exposed himself with the
utmost indifference to every change of season and inclemency of
weather; snow and hail, storm and tempest, had no effect on his
iron body. He frequently lay down on the ground and slept all
night with his hair frozen to the earth ; he would swim over
rivers with his clothes on and travel till they were dry, and all
this without any apparent injury to his health."
Even a Catholic historian is constrained to say of him and
his co-laborers: "They taught moral doctrines which we all
accept in common, but they did not teach them after the old and
barren way of the plodding, mechanical instructor. They thun-
dered them into the opening ears of thousands who had never
200 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol.. 3
been roused to moral seutiment before. The}^ inspired the souls
of poor and common-place creatures with all the zealot's fire and
all the martyr's endurance. They brought tears to penitent eyes
which had never been moistened before by any but the selfish
sense of personal pain or grief. They pierced through the dull,
vulgar, contaminated hideousness of low and vicious life, and
sent streaming in upon it the light of a higher world and a
better law."
Wesley had but one aim — to save men — and counted every
man called of God to do what he could to this end. Hence,
pressed by the teeming work and sadly needing workmen, he
called into service lay preachers, applying only the simple test
of " gifts, grace and usefulness." Thus he advanced with every
arm of the gospel service against the foe ; and his line of battle
resting its right on the schools and its left on " the slums," with
Christ in the center, leaped forward unto victory.
Beloved, little need were there to rehearse things you know
so well, if history were all we sought. It is not history, but the
philosophy of history we seek — the philosophy of our wonder-
ful Methodist history. I seek to show you in these things why
Methodism has triumphed so gloriously. Sprung from Wesley's
loins it could not be otherwise. He projected himself upon
America. His ministers here caught his courage, zeal, euerey,
self-denial. He multiplied himself by every preacher who bore
the double standard of Christ and Methodism over the moun-
tains, through the savannahs and into the forests of North
America.
So, I repeat, Wesley was God's providence for America.
For consider — here were wildernesses, infested by savages, and
thinly settled by desperate men ; here was a new world, with
men's thoughts absorbed in its conquest; here were colonies,
drunk with the first long draught of civil liberty, the plains yet
.soaking with the blood of the Revolution. Here were no funds
to be drawn upon for church extension or domestic missions ; no
meeting houses; no salaries; nothing in sight but trials, losses,
dangers, suffering, death. Only men of the most heroic mould
could be equal to tasks like these. Such men were the product
Philosophy of Methodist Success. 201
of the great Wesleyaii movement, this the second Reformation
that sprang from Luther's first. Time will not allow us many
examples to show that the Wesley spirit is the secret of our suc-
cess. One suffices : Asbury was the American Wesley, and his
signature attested the appointment of the noble men who first
broke the solitude of the Northwestern Territory with the songs
and words of life.
Asbury ! name heroic and inspiring,
" He would not flatter Neptune for his trident.
Or Jove for liis jiower to thunder."
Facing maddened mobs, traveling trackle.ss forests, braving
hostile .savages, enduring want and weariness and poverty ex-
treme, he reflected at once the strength and gentleness of Christ,
His salary was $30 a year! Yet he murmured not. "What
matters it where I go or what comes upon me if God is with
me," he writes in his Journal, " or where I live or where I die,
if holy and ready."
Again he writes: "My present mode of conduct is as fol-
ows: to read about one hundred pages a day ; usually to pray
in public five times a day ; to preach in the open air every other
day, and to lecture in prayer meeting every evening. And if it
were in my power, I would do a thousand times as much for
such a gracious and blessed Master. But in the midst of all my
little employments, I feel myself as nothing and Christ to me is
all in all."
This was our Francis Asbury, who spent forty-five years
in the American ministry, traveled 270,000 miles — 6,000 a year;
preached 16,500 sermons, at least one a daj'-; presided at not
le.ss than 224 annual conferences and ordained more than 4,000
preachers.
Bascom, and Finley, and Cartwright, and Young, and Mor-
ris, followed by Trimble, and Moody, and Ferree, and Dillon,
and Brown, and they by tho.se now in our midst ; these consti-
tute our unbroken apostolic succession. Gallipolis traces its
202 Ohio Arch, ayid His. Society Pub/ icat ions. [Vol. 3
Jescent from pastor Baker back through this magnificent ances-
try to Asbury and Wesley.*
So does every other church in Methodism. And only the
reflection which these centennial occasions promote is needed to
make us give thanks that the lines have fallen to us in such
pleasant places and that ours is so goodly a heritage.
You ask me to glance at the development of our church in
the Northwest Territory, and a glance is all my time will admit.
More than fifty volumes, chiefly biographical, have been
written upon it. The same adventurous spirit that led our
fathers into Kentucky and into the Ohio wilderness, led them
also into Indiana and Illinois, into Michigan and Wisconsin; and
substantially the same hardships and dangers were encountered
and the same prejudices met and overcome. Each conference
has its heroes; and no legacy is so precious as the memory of its
pioneers. Such hero worship is inspiring and ennobling.
Says Carlyle: "We cannot look, however imperfectly, upon
a great man without gaining something by him. He is the living
light-fountain, which it is good and pleasant to be near; the light
which enlightens, which has enlighted, the darkness of the
world; and this not as a kindled lamp only, but rather as a
natural luminary shining by the gift of Heaven, a flowing light-
fountain, as I say, of native original insight, of manhood and
heroic nobleness, in whose radiance all souls feel that it is well
with them."
An unpublished Mss. by Prof. S. W. Williams, book editor
of the Western Methodist Book Concern, and probably unsur-
passed in Methodist antiquities, gives valuable facts concerning
"the introduction of Methodism into Southwestern Ohio.'"
[Copious extracts were read, which are necessarily omitted here.]
Up to the organization of the Northwestern Territory in 1787,
the only white residents on this side of the Ohio were a few
transient traders, perhaps a half-dozen Moravian missionaries,
and a score or two of straggHng squatters.
When this was opened to settlement the emigrants began to
■•'The history of Gallipolis M. E. Church, prepared by Rev, P. A.
Baker, is appended, as an essential part of this Centennial Record. —
D. H. M.
Philosophy of Methodist Success. 203
push in, braving the hostility of the cruel and treacherous red
men. In 1788-89 they settled at Marietta, at the mouth of the
Little Miami, and where Cincinnati now stands, and when
Wayne's victorious campaign in 1794 brought peace the settlers
crowded into the interior and founded Hamilton, Franklin, Day-
ton and Chillicothe. Before 1800 there was a chain of settle-
ments in Southern Ohio up the Miami valleys as far north as
Dayton and Xenia and up the Scioto to Franklinton.
As nearly as I can determine, the first Methodist preacher
who visited this section of Ohio was Wm. Burke, a remarkable
man of the Asbury-Wesley stamp. He was appointed by Bishop
Asbury, October 2, 1803, to cross the Ohio and form a new dis-
trict in the wilderness. He says: "I entered upon my work
about the last of October, 1803. * * The Miami circuit in-
cluded all the settlements between the Miamis and as far north,
including the settlements of Mad river, as high up as the neigh-
borhood where Urbana now stands, and east of the Little Miami
as high up as the settlements on Bullskin, and all the settlements
on the East Fork of the Little Miami and a few settlements in
Campbell county, Ky." This was a six weeks' circuit. " The
most easterly appointment was at Brother Boggs's, on the Little
Miami, a. few miles from the Yellow Springs. From that point
we generally started at daylight for the settlements on the Scioto,
having between 40 and 50 miles, without a house, to the first
inhabitants at old Chillicothe.
"Scioto circuit included all that tract of country inhabited
on Paint creek out to New Market, Brush creek. Eagle creek,
and Ohio Brush creek, and up the Ohio to the mouth of the
Scioto, and then up the Scioto to the Pickaway Plains, including
Chillicothe and the settlements on White's creek, a four weeks'
circuit.
" From thence one day's ride to the settlements in the Hock-
ing Valley, which was called Hocking circuit, which laid princi-
pally on that river and its tributaries, and a few settlements on
Walnut creek. From Lancaster we generally took two days and
a half to reach the bounds of West Wheeling circuit, near where
St. Clairsville is now located. This was a four weeks' circuit,
including the settlements on the Ohio river and extending back
204 Ohio Arch, and tJis. Society Puhticatioyis. [Vol. ^I
to the frontier settlements on the West Wheeling and Short
creeks, etc.
"From this point we returned by the same route to New
Lancaster, and then down the Hocking to Sunday creek and
Monday creek, and then over to Marietta circuit.
"This circuit was up and down the Ohio from Marietta, as
low down as the settlements were formed, and up the Muskingum
as far as Clover Bottom and Wolf Creek, and so down to the
neighborhood of Marietta, and over to Virginia on the waters of
Little Kanawha. This was called the Muskingum and Little
Kanawha circuits. It was but a three weeks' circuit and had
one preacher.
"From the neighborhood of Marietta we started down the
Ohio, by way of Graham's Station, to the mouth of the Great
Kanawha and down to Green Bottom — Brother Spurdock's —
which was the first appointment on Guyandotte circuit.
" This circuit contained all the territory south and west of
the Great Kanawha, and down to the mouth of Big Sandy and
the settlements back from the Ohio river. This field required
about eleven weeks and many privations. The Methodists were
in those days, like angels' visits, few and far between, and we
were half our time obliged to put up at taverns and places of
entertainment, subject to the disorder and abuse of the un-
principled and half-civilized inmates, sufi'ering with hunger and
cold, and sleeping in open cabins on the floor sometimes without
bed or covering, and but little prospect of any support from the
people among whom we labored, and none from any other
source; for there was no provision in those days for mission-
aries. But, notwithstanding all the privations and sufferings
that we endured, we had the consolation that our labor was not
in vain in the Lord. We were gratified in having souls for our
hire, and rejoiced to see the wilderness blossom as the rose.
New societies sprang up, circuits were enlarged, immigration in-
creased, the forest was subdued, and comforts multiplied."
— Finley's Sketches of Western Methodism.
In 1798, John Kobler was the only Methodist preacher in
the Northwest Territory and the total membership numbered
ninety-nine. Now there are in
Philosophy of Methodist Success. 205
Cou- S. S. Church
ferences Preachers Members Scholars Property.
Ohio 5 1,063 231,492 214,889 f.S,8tir,,481
Indiana 4 659 148,904 124,725 4,014,318
Illinois 4 991 146,344 143,868 8,010,891
Michigan 2 67(1 79,553 94,418 3,756,245
Wisconsin 2 337 32,599 28,849 1,794,829
N. W. Territory .. . 17 3,120 638,892 606,749 $26,441,764
In 1790, John Dickins, on $000 borrowed capital, was be-
ginning the Methodist Book Concern, the secret of our marvel-
ous doctrinal unity; a concern that in its New York and Cincin-
nati branches represents a 7ict capital above all liabilities of $2,-
957,331.47; has published 3000 various books and 1300 different
tracts and Sunday-school requisites; and has a j^early circulation
of 3, 133, GGG periodicals. The Cincinnati house, the Western
Methodist Book Concern, beginning in 1820, in a room 15x20,
corner Fifth and Kim, has now a net capital of 1 1,020,515.52,
spacious buildings in Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. lyouis, with
every appliance for a great publishing house. lu the Northwest
Territory it publishes four great newspapers, the Western Chris-
tian Advocate, the Christian Apologist, the Northwestern Chris-
tian Advocate, and the Central Chris tia7i Advocate. "From the
three centers, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis (the two last as
depositories), trains loaded with solid Methodist literature are
sent forth every week into every part of the West and North-
west."
The Ohio Wesleyan University, the DePauw University,
the Northwestern University, the Garrett Biblical Institute, and
a score of other institutions in the same boundaries illustrate
Methodism's devotion to higher learning.
What it is in the Northwest Territory it is throughout the
United States and Canada.
And no marvel ; for its inception in England and its expan-
sion in newest America has proven its adaptation alike to the
ripest and to the crudest civilization; that is to say, to all con-
ditions and to all times. Other denominations have caught its
spirit and adopted its methods. Hoary creeds have been modi-
fied so as to conform more nearly to its standards; and the pul-
pits of Christendom have kindled with its evangelical fervor.
206 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Piiblications. [VOL. 8
But still its mission is to the regions beyond ; its position in the
advancing columns is on the front line. Its business is to find
and drive the enemy, leaving to the slower-moving forces the
work of fortifying and garrisoning the conquered provinces.
Its muster roll begins with those of Caesar's household and ends
not until it includes the faithful Onesimus. Quenchless zeal for
souls is and must forever be its characteristic; a simple and full
salvation its message; and its reward not human applause, but
the well-done of its L-ord.
METHODISM IN GAI.IvIPOLIS.
The Rev. Henry Baker preached the first Methodist sermon
in Gallipolis sometime during the year 1817, at the residence of
Ahaz S. Morehouse, a log house located at the mouth of Mill
creek. The Methodist itinerant was not then received with as
cordial a welcome as others have been since. "The rowdies
were so troublesome," the minister stated, "that Mr. More-
house could not have services there any longer, and unless some-
one else would open a house he would not come again." Calvin
Shepard, who may justly be entitled the "father of Gallipolis
Methodism," was present, though not then a member, and
cheerfully offered his house as a place of worship, and from that
time they continued to hold regular services. Shortly afterward,
Brother Shepard, while on a visit to some friends near Cincin-
nati, sought and found the Savior. A class was then formed
consisting of the following persons: Calvin Shepard, Mahala
Shepard, his wife, John Knapp and wife, Christopher Randall
and wife, Stephen Sisson, Mary Varian and her two daughters,
Abigail and Matilda. The society was soon strengthened by the
addition of James Hanson, Sarah Dranillard and David Smithers,
and many others. In 1820, under the labors of John P. and
William Kent, there was a very successful revival in which
about thirty more were added to the society. About this time,
says the Rev. T. J. N. Simmons, in Calvin Shepard's obituary,
written October 10th, 1856, "They met with much opposition,
Philosophy of Methodist Success. 207
and from a source that would dispose us now to throw over it
the mantle of charity. Having been denied the court house and
school house for public worship, they continued to meet in
father Shepard's house and barn until able to erect a church for
themselves." Says a later writer in speaking of these persecu-
tions: "The perpetrators were not all rowdies; Satan himself
seemed to control public sentiment from those high in religious,
as well as in civil authority, down to the lowest in society
against the despised Methodists. It was considered fatal to
every good person to become a Methodist, and these opinions
were enforced by stones and eggs and filth. Vehicles were
thrown over the river bank, harness and saddles were cut and
smeared, and persons passing to and from the meetings were
subjected to every annoyance." The circuit, of w^hich this was
but one appointment, extended from Letart Falls, thirty-six
miles above us, to Wheelersburg, eighty miles below, embracing
large territory on both sides of the river. The first Methodist
church was built in Gallipolis in 1821, and stood where the par-
sonage now stands. The deed for the lot dates from May 7th.
1793, from George Washington (by Thos. Jefferson), to Rufus
Putnam, Rev. Manasseh Cutler, Robt. Oliver and Griffin Green,
for Ohio company. Rufus Putnam and others to Return
Jonathan Meigs, in trust for French inhabitants. December 26,
1796, Fearing and Meigs to Lewis LeClercq. July 30, 1811,
Lewis LeClercq and wife to Anthony Magnet. June 2, 1821,
Anthony Magnet and wife to trustees of M. E. church, viz.:
Calvin Shepard, Daniel Combs, Christopher Randall, Moses
Brown and John Knapp, for which was paid the sum of $150 in
specie."
This church built in 1821, was 44x50 feet — one story brick,
and ceiling twelve feet high. This served as a place of worship
until 1849, when a new church was built at a cost of about
$1,675.00. This building was of brick, 40x60 feet, two stories
high; basement nine feet high; upper story sixteen feet, vesti-
bule 8 feet wide; four class rooms twelve feet square; lecture
room 23x40 feet. The pastor was Rev. W. T. Hand. The
society worshiped and prospered here for twenty-six years, when
it became necessary to "tear down and build greater." Accord-
208 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
ingly in the year 1875, under the pastorate of the Rev. C. D.
Battelle, the present beautiful and commodious building was
erected, at a cost of $20,000. This church is 70x86 feet, with a
lecture room 45x50 feet. There are six class rooms and a vesti-
bule below. The upper room is equal to about seventy feet
square, a comfortable seating capacity for 700, with a gallery
seating 150. The building committee was D. Y. Smithers, John
T. Holliday and J. W. Gardener; architect, T. S. Ford. The
church was dedicated June 25, 1876, by Bishop R. S. Foster.
The vine that was planted here, though under much perse-
cution, early in the century, has been a very prosperous one.
The secret of its prosperity here, as it is of Methodism every-
where, is in her revivals, and as long as she clings to her revival
methods, no weapon that is formed against her will prosper.
The first record, made by the first legally constituted Board
of Trustoes, contains a list of all the members and adherents of
the Methodist church, January 18, 1821. The list contains fifty-
one names. There are now on the church record 612 names of
members in good standing. The Sunday-school enrolls over 400
scholars and has a library containing 600 volumes.
*The following is a list of the ministers that have served
the charge from 1817 to 1890.
LETART FALLS CIRCUIT.
1817— William Cunningham. (To January, 1818.)
1818 — Abner Bowman.
1819— Henry Baker and John P. Kent.
1820 — William Kent and James Gilruth.
1821 — Ebenezer Webster.
1822 — Edward Taylor.
1823— James Gilruth.
1824— John P. Kent.
1825 - 26 — Francis Wilson .
1827 — Henry and Stephen Rathburn.
*Iii 1885, a mission chapel, known as '' Domyon Chapel,'' was built in
the upper end of the city, with a seating capacity for two hundred. Sunday-
school, class and prayer-meetings are held there weekly.
Philosophy of Methodist Success. 209
1828— Jacob Delay.
(Gallipolis circuit was then formed.)
1S2'J — Jacob Delay and Ivbenezer Webster.
1880 — John Ulen and Jame.s Callahan.
1831— William Herr.
18o2 — Jame.s Arm.strong.
1832 — David Whitcomb. (From February to June.)
18:J:J — Elijah Field and Adam Miller, Benj. Ellis and Abra
ham Miller.
1834— Charles R. Baldwin.
18-3r> — Jas. Parcells an Benj. D. Jefferson.
18o(j — Wm. P. Stridden and Jacob Martin.
iSoT — Jacob Delay and Elijah Pilcher.
(In March, 1837, Gallipolis city became a station.)
1837 — Elijah Pilcher.
1838-39— W. P. Strickland.
1840— A. M. Alexander.
1841-42— E. V. Bing.
1843-44— E. M. Baring.
1844— A. I. Lida.
184G— C. C. Ly brand.
1847-48 — W. T. Hand.
1849-50 — Samuel Baleman.
1851-52 — Andrew Correll.
1858-54 — E. V. Biug.
1855-56— T. J. N. Simmons.
1857-58— H. Z. Adams.
1859-60— E. P. Hall.
1861-62— J. T. Miller.
1863-64-65 — Joseph F. Williams, under whose pastorate
the present parsonage was built, valued at $2,500.
1866-67 — Levi Cunningham.
1868— Wm. Glenn.
1869-70— F. S. Davis.
1871-72-73— J. E. Moore.
1874-75— C. D. Battelle.
1876— E. H. Heglar.
1877-78— J. W. Dillon.
Vol. Ill— u
210 Ohio Arch. %7id His, Society Publications. [Vol. 3
1879— T. M. Leslie.
1880-81-82— C. F. Creighton.
1883-84-85— W. H. Lewis.
1886-87— Benj. A. Stubbins.
1888— M. V. B. Evans.
1889-90— P. A. Baker.
NAMES OF PRESIDING ELDERS FROM 1816 TO 1890:
1816 to 1822— Jacob Young.
1822 to 1824— John Witterman.
1824 to 1829 — Zachariah Connell.
1829 to 1838— Isaac C. Hunter.
1833 to 1835 — Robt. O. Spencer.
1835 to 1837— John Ferree.
1837 to 1841— Samuel Hamilton.
1841 to 1842— Isaac C. Hunter. (Died June 18, 1842.)
1842 to 1845— John Ferree. (Died 1845.)
1845 to 1846— J. M. Jamison.
1846 to 1850— John Stewart.
1850 to 1853 — Robt. O. Spencer.
1853 to 1854— Andrew Correll.
1854 to 1856— N. Westerman.
1856 to 1860— John Stewart.
1860 to 1864— A. M. Alexander.
1864 to 1868— H. Z. Adams.
1868 to 1871— J. T. Miller.
1871 to 1875— John Dillon.
1875 to 1877— John W. Dillon.
1877 to 1881 — T. H. Monroe.
1881 to 1885 — Z. W. Fagan.
1885 to 1889 -J. C. Arbuckle.
1889 — M. V. B. Evans.
I have been greatly aided in preparing the above by a his-
torical memoir of the society, prepared by the Rev C. F.
Creighton, J. G. Domron, J. W. Gardener and M. Malahan.
Gallipolis, O., Dec. 4, 1890. P. A. Baker.
The Presbyterians of Ohio. 211
ABSTRACT OF THE SERMON ON "THE PRESBY-
TERIANS OF OHIO."
BY REV. SYLVESTER V. SCOVEL. PRESIDENT OF WOOSTER UNrVERSITY,
WOOSTER, OHIO, PREACHED IN THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The Christian is a cosmopolitan. Every land is his father-
land since God is his father. So every Christian is brother to all
other Christians. Yet we may have a just concern which shall
be special for our countr}' and our church.
We have a century of Presbyterian experience behind us,
and each one of the. Centennial occasions which have been oc-
curring since 1776 (and all have been useful in many ways), in-
vites us to consider the facts and lessons of that experience.
The Centennial record of any religious body cannot be repre-
sented by processions and pageantry however elaborate. Not to
the eye but to the heart must we appeal. We go deeper even
than the references to ancient places of worship or their for-
gotten customs. We must find the teacher and the truth, the
communicant and his conduct, the home life and the school of
the Sabbath and of the week day. We must linger beside the
couch of the sick aud beside the open tomb and the shadowed
homes. We must go out from these centers to the sure but often
silent influences which have told upon manners, and standard of
conduct and social life, and upon law and order, and even upon
legislation and administration. We must trace footfalls that are
not heard primarily on the hurried streets, and search out the
hidden causes in thought and feeling of much that we admire
externally.
The motives for Centennial reviev^' are potent and dignified.
The present reaps the fruit of the past, and is the product of
the past to be understood fully only in its procuring causes. The
noble men of other days were the friends of many, the kindred
of some. The heritage of Christian life and character which
any long record brings to view is the Church's true glory, the
proof of the presence and power of Christ, her divine head, and
of the spirit her divine heart. Moreover, the complex elements
of our life of to - day need to look steadily at the simpler life of
212 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
the past, the condition of its heroic virtues. In such records we
honor God by noting what he has wrought.
And while we concentrate for a Httle our attention upon our
predecessors in this commonwealth, we must remember what
and who preceded them. Away in the dim distance and across
the seas we discover names whose influence lived in our pioneers
and still survives. These may be names not often mentioned,
but they came bringing the principles we revere into the life of
their own age, disturbing the apparently external uniformity
of the Papacy.
Then well known conflicts show us the head of the emerg-
ing column, compacted and partly created by these conflicts
themselves. At and in and after the Reformation we hear
stronger voices and see more guiding rods in the hands of leaders.
Presently the column crosses to our own shores and buries itself
in the din and battle of our own Revolution, and then is seen
later in the nearer coasts of our neighboring States, and finally
reaches our own streams and forests.
We cannot possibl}^ isolate any band of Presbyterians. Our
church in our locality is surrounded by concentric circles and
becomes our church in our commonwealth, in our country, in
the world, and in the church universal and militant, which is it-
self encircled again by the white -robed throngs of the church
invisible and triumphant. It is a blessed thing that we cannot
localize too much. The vista and outlook must be kept clear.
This is what intensifies and expands at the same time. It en-
larges both i7ite7it and content, contrary to the rules of formal
logic. The genesis of each Christian goes back to the forces
which build and sustain the universal church. All the way
down the chain is vital in its continuity. If we put a finger
upon any one link of the chain for some special purpose, we are
never to detach it. Looking upon our church in our common-
wealth we stand half way between our universal and our local
attachments. Such distinction for thought or study will not put
us out of touch with any others who love our common Master,
but the contrary. Other churches and other countries shall be-
come dearer to us by the privileges of our own.
If we ask for the influences which prepared the Presby-
The Presbyterians of Ohio. 213
terians who came to Ohio, we must turn our faces to the past.
We must hover ov^er the advancing cohimn and mark its consti-
tution and character. It is a long column and a noble one. Its
ranks are starred with heroes. Truth floats from all its banners.
Its inscriptions are condensed principles of almost Omnipotent
force. Its uniform is often dyed like His from Bozrah, for with
Him and for Him they suffered. It is grand review even for a
glance of the eye. Mark the Bible, held up aloft as Beza's
statue bears it up over the borders of the lovely Lake Neuchatel.
See the broken fetters lifted ready to strike tyrants ! See the
compact organization which proves that an integument is neces-
sary to a vigorous body, from the enclosure of a blood -corpuscle
to the retaining walls of a vast civilization ! See the .step they
keep in the witness against a false individualism, and even
against an independent and disintegrating ecclesiasticism ! See
the rugged faces and the fair ones — Coligny side by side awhile
with Margaret d'Angouleme. Break up the picture, study any
of its divisions, and each will be found to have contributed
something of permanent value to the whole Presbyterian tone
and temper, and something important to our common Christianity
and our advancing civilization. As we pass from Continental to
Scotch Presbyterianism the truth becomes clearer, the tread
firmer, and the struggles terminate more decisively in victory.
As we pass over into the New World little seems to remain but
the legitimate .sequences of ( 1 ) dissolution of the bond between
Church and State ; (2) the office of securing American liberties;
(3) the consolidation and organization of the scattered churches,
and (4) the great revivals. These came in their turn, and the
church of our fathers was fully ready for the newer and yet
larger work on our frontiers and beyond, until the advancing in-
fluence reached the western limit of this great land. And there
it was ready again to make a league with the modern giant,
steam, and pass onward with the Gospel into the far East just in
time to reach its hitherto immobile masses as they began to be
Stirred with the breath of a new life.
[After this introduction the speaker traced some of the lines
b\- which Presbyterians came into Ohio j
Like other immigrants thej' came rather drawn than either
214 Ohio Arch, ayid His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
drifting or driven. The Ohio Land Company, formed by King
in 1750-51, proved attractive. The codfish brought many a
Puritan to our shores, and good soil brought many a Presbyterian
to Ohio. The movement into Ohio was part of the greater
Western movement. Some went farther North and some away
to the South. The centre of population began soon to go West,
and certainly it grew up with the country. Great trade - winds
blew over the lands with steadiness, and any vessel could go by
them from a shallop to a frigate. So Presbyterians came into
Ohio. Nor had they far to be blown. The drift into western
Pennsylvania had been equally mercenary, but equally moral in
its outcome. Those who came were just in time to settle the
question as to France and Roman Catholicism, or England and
Protestanism. The drift into Virginia thought about tobacco
lands probably ; but its constituents were just in time to help
.settle the question of State and Church, and that of freedom to
preach the gospel and build churches unmolested. It was now
time that the Pilgrims should move on into our borders, in order
to help in settling the northwest for liberty, and to carry out the
true spirit of the Declaration, that "morality, religion and
knowledge being necessary to good government, schools and the
means for education shall forever be encouraged." Here, too,
they came just in time.
The immigration had a moral end as well as a material im-
pulse ; and it surely had a magnificent opportunity. The ques-
tion whence they came who entered Ohio as Presbyterians a num-
ber of years ago, must bring our glass down to the distant hori-
zon half around the circle of the compass. Waldensian bravery.
Huguenot skill, Holland simplicity and heroic patience, Scotch
valor and stubborness, all mingled with German fervor and con-
viction. Some of these stumbling one over the other in Penn-
sylvania, reached Ohio ; but most of all there and here the mark
of the Scotch- Irish immigrant is most plainly discerned. Some
of their best and noblest leaders set sail in 1636 to form a colony
in New England. Driven back by the sea, they returned and
fought in Scotland. Two -thirds of a century later, after 1720,
the emigrants left in swarms, penetrating New England, New
York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Carolinas. Lord Montjoy
The Presbyterians of Ohio. 215
said : " America was lost by Irish emigration." Wliat mark they
left on the Revolutionary time, I need not indicate; nor that
they came from John Calvin, so cordially hated by the Romanists,
or from John Knox, the rush of whose impetuous speech for the
crow^n- rights of Jesus brought tears and trembling to the schem-
ing Queen. Rugged was he as his own mountain, but fair as
the shining of an eternal, because supernal, light upon the sum-
mit of his fame. There were great men all along the line:
Makemie in Maryland, Davies in Virginia, McMillen and his
coadjutors in Western Pennsylvania, Rice in Kentucky, and
hundreds of others.
Presbyterians came from New England, and our heritage in
Puritan blood must not be forgotten. They came from Eastern
Pennsylvania, they came from Kentucky. Kentucky's churches
are daughters of \'irginia ; but Virginia had been largely peopled
by Scotch-Irish. "In obscurity and neglect Presbyterianism, in
spite of Virginia laws, planted itself unmolested west of the
Blue Ridge. Frederick county was leavened, Augusta county
was nearly filled ; McDowells, Alexanders, Eyles, Stuarts, and
even the Campbells kept coming, and Moore came and Brown,
r.nd the list closes with the Makemie as it began." (Gillett, Vol.
I.) As late as 1794 the Synod of Virginia included the Presby-
teries of Red Stone and Ohio ; and as early as 1791, the General
Assembly approved and commended the plans of the Synod of
Virginia "for the multitudes who are ready to perish on the
frontiers."
Currents drew into Ohio from all around the horizon. Mary-
land had been singularly prepared to feed Ohio. But most
came, of course, from Western Pennsylvania. In 1831 the
Synod of Pittsburgh calls for appreciation of the task "now
opening in the great Western Valley." Pittsburg is pronounced
"the commercial center of more than eight thousand miles of
steamboat navigation." God in His providence, says the Synod.,
"seems almost to have annihilated distance. The member of
this Synod is still living who first sounded the silver trumpet of
the gospel and broke the first loaf of the Bread of Life ( with a
handful convened in a log barn) west of the Ohio. Population
has more than doubled every ten years ; at this rate there will be
216 OJiio Arch, mid His. Sodcfv Publications. [Voi.. 3
a population west of the Alleghany Mountains in twenty-five
years of twenty millions. Can we close our eyes? Brethren,
keep the sacred fire ever burning upon our altars, and send
down this immense valley one thousand torch-bearers''
But I cannot stay for further particulars. Though many of
the world's people misunderstood, or doubted, or denied, the
work went steadily forward. The most intimate sympathy has
always existed between the Presbyterianism of Ohio and that of
Western Peinisylvania. The larger religious movements made
visible in the Pittsburgh conventions of 1842 and 1857, were
shared alike. And many of the baptisms and gracious revivals
were alike pervasive. The movement was of the kind to pro-
duce this. It was not en masse nor by colonies ; it was by fami-
lies and by ministers. It was by transfusion rather than deport-
ation and immigration.
Enough has been said to show what mingling of currents
from the far Northeast, the Rast and vSouth, came in upon Ohio,
Conflicts of jurisdiction were brought to a close. Those whc
were entering saw eye to eye, and flowed together. Everything
seemed favorable to the inclusion of the best possible elements
in the stimulative immigration.
Moreover, it was a singularly important time — a blossoming
for which there were long preparations. Yet we must remember
the discouragements and difficulties through which they must
yet pass ; the stubborn character of the many foes they met and
the exacting conditions under which they labored. The work
was only begun, though well begun. We may turn from any
study of its details to ask for the main influences by which these
who came from so many of the four winds of heaven had been
trained for all they were to do and suffer.
I. The first influence was, definiteness of conviction. This
appeared in their estimate of the Bible as the only rule of faith
and practice, in accurate expressions of their faith by fornmlse,
and in their developed and systematic schemes of church order.
In all these things, they were staunch and firm. They, like
Francis Makemie, when arraigned by the High Church govern-
ment in New York in 1707, were able to .say : " As to our doc-
trines, we have our Confession of Faith, which is known to the
The Presbyterians of Ohio. ' 217
Cliristian world." No one can over-estimate the values of the
positiveness of Presbyterianisni in shaping the religious life of
our State. " Presbyterianisni did not come into the New World
passive and plastic, to be determined in its character and history
by force of circumstances or by the accident of its environment,
but came with positive opinion, deep and strong convictions of
truth and duty, with clear conceptions of its mission to mold
and determine the character of the New World. An acorn
planted at the foot of the Alleghanies, is not in doubt as to the
form it is to assume. In Druidical groves and in American for-
ests, oaks grow according to inner life. The seed of Presbyter-
ianisni here was the same as in Geneva and Edinburg. Indefi-
niteness is reduced to a minimum in Presbyteriauism. The in-
definite man is evasive and deliquescing and evaporative. The
definite man will be a rallying point in the community. Such
was the first influence, and this became characteristic. Presby-
terians came to be known in Ohio as being able to say not only,
"I know zvhom I have believed," but also to add, " I know ivhat
I believe, and can give a Scriptural reason why."
II. The second characteristic discloses independence of
man and love of liberty. This especially fitted Ohio Presby-
terians to live under and carry out the spirit of the great Ordi-
nance of 1787. Nothing could be finer than the exact adjust-
ment of that ordinance, which recognized nothing but free men,
and the inner spirit of Presbyteriauism as it had come to be de-
veloped by the Assembly, 1788-9.
Presbyterian love of liberty is founded on an appreciation
of man as man. Upon that recognition of the soul in man
which makes a "Common." a great middle class, self-respecting
and attracting the respect of others. Presbyterian love of
liberty grows out of the Kingship, the Priesthood, and the
Prophetic commission of all believers.
III. But an equally strong influence was exerted upon the
Presbyterians who settled Ohio, and through them, in the con-
servative direction. They always believed in good and strong
government, and were ready to say with Washington, "In-
fluence, sir, is not government." They strongly held govern-
ment to be from God, and therefore held the Government to
2i8 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
God. Conscience was for them the source of power in securing
obedience to law. Law and order and the limitations of liberty
were their household words. They were inclined to this direc-
tion both by doctrine and order. Publicists, like Gladstone, dis-
cerned this trait. Our faith has some very persevering saints.
it can stand by the difficult and the old, and even the in-
explicable (when that is divine), with only a patient smile for all
gain-sayers ; and after awhile the gain-saying ceases, and the
admiration of what the world calls ''Staying qualities'' begins.
This conservatism it was which fitted them for the following
change of correspondence with the father of his country. "We
shall consider ourselves doing an acceptable service to God in
our profession, when we contribute to render men sober, honest,
and industrious citizens and the obedient subjects of a lawful
government." To which, George Washington replied that,
"The general prevalence of philanthrophy, honesty, industry
and economy, seems in the ordinary course of human affairs
particularly necessary for advancing and confirming the happi-
ness of our country." Calvinism's sense of accountability is a
friend to st.ong government. Presbyterianism gives a rational
conservatism. It is not fatalistic. Presbyterians went about
arranging for government as naturally as they began felling trees
and planting crops. They had no hesitation and no squeamish-
ness, either in theory or practice. They had little use either for
vigilance committees or white caps.
' The speaker then simply enumerated other characteristics
of which time forbade the discussion :
IV. The Intellectual.
V. The Ethical.
VI. The Evangelical.
VII. The Catholic.
VIII. The Disciplinary.
Some of the closing words were as follows:
Here, then, we rest the case. The decision and convincing
and definite element fulfilled the first condition and adaption to
the work before them.
The Presbyterians of Ohio. 219
The liberating element brought freedom for movement,
with all the sacred passion of patriotism and all its honorable
record, growing more distinguished as the years go on.
The conservative element established as other work pro-
gressed.
The intellectual element quickened all the faculties of all
with whom they came in contact, and by press and school and
fireside and pulpit they kindled such general ardor for mental
power and furniture as has made Ohio a new mother of Presi-
dents.
The ethical element aided to break the dominion of border
savagism, and cleft the way for sound morals in law and prac-
tice, in society and business.
The evangelical and spiritual element kept descending tne
dews of the Holy Spirit's presence, and kept ever visible the
radiant face of the Savior of men, and kept ever open the shin-
ing way to the celestial city — how many thousands have already
trod it?
The Catholic element came on, in its own time, like the
color on perfect and mellow fruit.
And ever and always to awaken and help us stands the dis-
ciplinary element in this great preparation.
What a series of marvelous combinations might be here en-
larged upon. Stability and freedom; adaptation to common
people, yet demanding the highest intelligence; doctrinal strict-
ness, and yet liberality in the matter of non-official membership
and in co-operation with other churches ; devotional fervor, yet
joined with marked ethical force; independence of the state,
yet demand for state allegiance to God, intense conservatism and
rapid progress.
But I forbear. I will not even attempt to voice the appeal
which so noble an ancestry awakens ; nor will I ask whether we
who have known and enjoyed will prove as heroic in transmit-
ting the sacred content of our blessings to those who come after
us. It is certainly our duty to maintain, to restrain, to educate,
to evangelize. When the churches had " resi'' at the beginning,
then they were "edified." Then also thev walked "in the fear
220 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VOL. 3
of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and were
multiplied."
What better can we do with our exemptions and advantages
than to imitate them by growth in grace, and unsparing efforts
to multiply the number of the saved? What deep gratitude
should characterize the tone and temper of the Presbyterian
hosts at every review of the century. In His name who gave
us such a cloud of witnesses, we set up our banners. Let confi-
dence, born of our past, and willingness, born of our gratitude,
and hope, born of the promises, and energy, born of love and
loyalty, be enough to compact us and drive us forward, as the
sandblast drives its granite atoms into the hard, crystal surface.
Sermon by Rev. John Monciirc. 221
SERMON BY REV. JOHN MONCURE, RECTOR OF ST.
PETER'S CHURCH.
Text — " Remember the days of old, consider the years of many
generations."— Deuteronomy 32, 7.
A hundred years in the history of a place affords a fruitful
subject for study. When we gaze through the vistas of past
events, and consider the whys and the wherefores, and when we
thus are brought into realization of the fact that the things
which once appeared to men as 'through a glass, darkly," by
the light of a century, are brought "face to face" with us, we
are more than impressed, particularly if our meditations are of
that devotional nature which enables us to glean the "truth, as
it is in Jesus," from the passing years Matters once considered
comparatively unimportant, when viewed in their places as links
in the great chain of events, which unites our time with past
ages, are not only important as eras in history, but as stages of
development of the plan which our Father devised for our good
and His glory.
To-day we stand at the finishing point of a century in the
history of Gallipolis. The words of Moses to the children of
Israel, when the work of journeying from Egypt to Canaan was
nearing completion, and a new life was opening before them,
will form the basis of our thoughts in this sermon. He enjoined
them to "remember the days of old," and to "consider the
years of many generations," in order that they might be con-
vinced of God's wisdom and mercy. We view the history of
His dealings with our forefathers, and with us, in the same
spirit. The happenings of a hundred years, considered from a
national and local standpoint, have been impressed upon your
minds by the exercises of the past few days, and we need not
dwell upon them here. * * * The subject which we would
emphasize in connection with the history of our nation, state
and city, is that which is so dear to every true heart, the Church
of God. When we .say that its growth has been great, we ex-
press God's favor and loving kindness in no slight degree. The
church was the comforting medium in America one hundred
222 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Voiv. 3
years ago, as it has been in all others of the world's ages, and as
it will be until " time shall be no more." The good and the true
became better and stronger at the foot of the Cross, and the
"weary and heavy laden" there found rest with Him who died
for them, as they do now. One point not to be lost sight of in
this connection is that the cause of true religion has kept pace
with the march of progress; indeed, men cannot but realize that
it has been the cause of all enlightenment of the ages. While
our country has extended her field of active operations, she has
also assisted in the extension of the Church of the Living God,
for which fact, 'tis needless to say, that the good and true are
devoutly thankful. Our interest is centered upon the progress
of that branch of the church to which we belong, the Protestant
Episcopal Church. The history of this body in the United
States during the hundred years has been a history of triumph.
Our separation from the mother church of England, and the
establishment as a separate, organization in this land dates back
to but a very few years previous to the founding of this town.
In the ' ' Handbook of the General Convention of the United
States," by Bishop Perry, of Iowa, appears these words concern-
ing the first meeting for organization of the church in America,
which occurred May 11, 1784: "A single sheet of foolscap,
faded and yellow with age, contains the records of the prelimi-
nary gathering of clergy and laity, out of which grew the inde-
pendent organization of the American Church." The work be-
fore the then very small body of workers was no easy one, for
in addition to the efforts necessary to push forward the organiza-
tion, there was a deep-set prejudice in the minds of the people
against the English Church, growing out of the animosities inci-
dent to the revolution, and which it was necessary to overcome.
God was with the noble band, however, and as His cause could
not fail, our numbers gathered in strength.
He indeed raised up His power and came among us, and
with great might succored us, and the efforts of the faithful for
His glory were fruitful. Our grand and comforting Book of
Common Prayer, modified from the English book by our
" fathers in God," and which was put into the hands of the
people, has been an inestimable comfort in matters of worship.
Serynon by Rev. John Afo7icure. 223
and has rendered valuable assistance in our devotions, thus add-
ing one to the many proofs that God's word, in whatever form it
may be presented, is not bound. As a result of the work of a
hundred years, our church presents a record of which we are not
only proud and grateful, but which will serve to inspire us to
even mightier efforts under the leadership of God. The
days of old, and the years of past generations are thus the
mediums of assurance of God's favor and protection, and
hence of strengthening the faith of the workers in the gospel
field. Our influence as a church is making itself lelt all over
this mighty country, and beyond the seas men " take knowledge
of us, that we have been with Jesus." As the preached gospel
carries its comfort to the weak and needy, we thank God that
our church is among the foremost of its workers, and of the
thousands who yearly seek refuge from the storms of life in the
ark of safety, our numbers are great, and our prayers fervent,
that it may please God to defend these. His children, with His
Heavenly grace, that they may be His forever, and daily increase
in His Holy Spirit more and more, until they come to His ever-
lasting kingdom.
We refrain from detailed statistics in regard to our growth,
but will say that only a few thousand communicants of a hun-
dred years ago have grown into nearly half a million, and prob-
ably a hundred clergy to nearly four thousand, and from no one
in the Episcopate, to sixty-six Bishops, actively at work in a cor-
responding number of dioceses and missionarj^ jurisdictions. In
the State of Ohio, the progress of the church has been very
gratifying. The Diocese of Ohio was not organized until some
time in 1819, when that great and good man, Rev. Philander
Chase, was consecrated its first Bishop.
As the population of the State increased and cities and
towns multiplied, the church became stronger, being presided
over b)^ the holy man just named, and his successors, Rt. Rev.
Charles P. Mcllvaine, D. D.; Rt. Rev. Gregory T. Bedell, D. D.,
and Rt. Rev. Wm. Leonard, D. D., the present incumbent. In
187o, the diocese having grown to great strength, a division be-
came necessary, and the Diocese of Southern Ohio was organ-
ized, with Rt. Rev. Thomas A. Jaggar, D. D., as its Bishop. In
224 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
this part of the field our lot is cast, and, under God's blessing,
we have received strength and consolation. Our Bishop having
been incapacitated from work by very bad health, in October,
1888, an Assistant Bishop was elected in the person of Rev.
Boyd Vincent, who.se efficient work among us is greatly redound-
ing to God's glory. Lastly, but particularly, we turn our eyes
to the church in Gallipolis. Our meditations, while savoring of
humility here, are not unmingled with a sense of gratitude.
Work in the intere.st of the Episcopal Church was begun in our
town in the year 1840, when occasional services were held by
Rev. James B. Goodwin, a clergyman engaged in mission work
in the Diocese of Virginia. There being no church building,
these were held in the court house. The parish organization
was completed in December, 1841, when a vestry, composed of
leading citizens, was chosen. The first minister engaged was
Mr. Goodwin, and his work among the people is even now grate-
fully remembered. January 13, 1843, a committee appointed by
the vestry to secure a lot for a church building, obtained one on
lower Second street, on which a church was begun but never
completed, owing to a defective title to the property. Business
complications having arisen in consequence of this, a compro-
mise was effected and the building surrendered. In May, 1858,
the vestry purchased of the board of education the lot on which
the church now stands, and subsequently the present building
was erected and opened for divine service the first time on the
19th of December, 1858, the Rev. G. B. Sturgess being rector at
the time. On the 12th of April, 1859, the church was conse-
crated with the name of St. Peter's, Rt. Rev. Charles P. Mcll-
vaine, D. D., officiating. During the years which have inter-
vened since that time, the parish has been served by eleven rec-
tors, whose efforts for the glory of God and the salvation of
souls we feel have not been in vain. There have been periods
of clouds as well as of sunshine ; at times the condition of affairs
was very promising, and again, there have been discouragements
which required the strongest faith to face bravely. Looking
over our records, however, we find sufficient testimony as to the
fidelity of the workers in St. Peter's Parish, to encourage us,
and cause us to devoutly thank God. The names of some of
Sermon by Rev. Joh?i Mo?tcure. 225
the most honored citizens of our town appear on our commun-
ion list, and the numbers who have confessed God by baptism
and confirmation assures us that the love of souls has not been
lacking among the churchmen of Gallipolis. Many of them
have gone to their reward, and hence the memory of what has
been done among us is doubly sacred, in that we have our rep-
resentatives in that land where all is righteous.
To recall by name the ministers who have served our people
here would be but to emphasize what has beeai said in regard to
the work. This building should be held in sacred memory by
our people. At this chancel rail have your children been given
to God in baptism. Here the vows of God have been taken by
which many of j'ou have enlisted in the armies of righteousness.
TTp these aisles have swept the bridal trains, and from this sacred
place have fair and loving brides and happy bridegrooms gone
forth to fight together life's great battle. Before this chancel
have reposed for the last time the forms of those we loved, who
have answered the summons of death's angel, and from that
door been called home to their last resting places. Hallowed,
indeed, is the place, being the " House of God; " to many it has
been the "gate of Heaven." The effect of these meditations
should be of a strengthening character. We should, by the
light of past blessings see the glories of future success. Re-
membering the days of old, and considering the years of past
generations, we gladly believe that St. Peter's Parish is recorded
in the Everlasting Book as one of the mediums by which men
have learned the truth which has made them free. May this
parish continue its work of usefulness even unto the far distant
future, and by it may every year bring into the fold of safety
many such as shall be saved. God is true to His people, and is
a " rewarder of those who diligently seek Him," and the bless-
ings of the life which is gone are indications of that which is to
come to " the faithful in Christ Jesus," for He " will never leave
us nor forsake us."
"The flood of years," which has borne our city so far upon
the stream of time, is bearing us onward. As we assemble here
to- day to consider the lives of those of the past, whose places we
now fill, others will, ere long, have our lives to think of, when
Vol. Ill— 15
226 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
we shall have gone hence to join the unnumbered hosts "of that
other living, called run with patience life's race, or will we be as
warnings of the dead." Will our example be such as to inspire
them to the consequences of unfaithful lives? These are
thoughts which suggest themselves in connection with what has
been said, and their ^ronsideration rests with each individual, for
"all must stand before the judgment seat of Christ."
Rejoicing in Divine Workmanship. 227
REJOICING IN DIVINE WORKMANSHIP.
Abstract of a sermon preached by the Rev. George W.
Lasher, D. D., editor of \.h& Journal and Messenger, CmcmndXi,
Ohio, in the First Baptist Church. Text: Psahn CXLIX, 2.
"Let Israel rejoice in Him that made him; let the children of
Zion be joyful in their King."
There are two ways of writing history ; the one to refer
every event to some over-ruling power superior to man and to
human agency ; the other to find the spring of every event in
some other antecedent event. Israel was taught to understand
that, whatever the instrumentalities used, it is God who works
in and through and by means of the instrument, so that, in the
last analysis, it is Jehovah who casts down or raises up, creates
or destroys. This was the idea in the mind of the author of the
psalm and of the text. And the principle which underlies the
history of the ancient Israel also underlies the history of the
modern "Israel," the people of God, to-day.
In attempting to direct the thought of the Baptists of Galli-
polis, on this centenary occasion, this principle must not be for-
gotten nor overlooked. We must take into account the divine
guidance, the evidence of a divine purpose, the development
from small beginnings, the evolutions and the retrogressions, the
renewed impulses and the recurring relapses which have charac-
terized the history of the Baptists; we should mark well, and
with peculiar joy, the onward march, the increasing influence
and the present dominance of the great principles which give
occasion to cite the language of the psalmist.
Let us try to answer three questions;
1. Who are the Baptists?
2. Whence are the Baptists?
3. Whose workmanship are the Baptists?
1. Who are the Baptists? W& diusw^r, They are a peculiar
people. They stand before the world as exponcTits and advocates
of truths and principles which it is liable to forget; which, in-
deed, have been overlooked again and again, and which would
now be lost .sight of but for those who are called by our name.
228 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. Voi,. 3
Baptists stand for what is known as "a converted (regen-
erated) church 7nembership.'' With all their faults and with all
their failures to conform their practice to their theory, Baptists
have never forgotten the fundamental principle of their historic
faith, viz.: that the visible Church of Christ should be made up
of those, and those only, who give evidence of having been born
of God, whose hope of eternal life rests upon the atonement of
Christ, in which the professor of religion has come to have a
personal interest. We do not deny that some of our neighbors
seem to themselves to be doing the same things. But the differ-
ence between them and us is in this — that they sprinkle water,
in the name of the Trinity, upon the faces of their children, and
call them members of the church, "members of the body of
Christ;" or they tell us that, having been born of parents who
are church members, the infants are church members, and are,
therefore, entitled to receive recognition as such ; or, they tell
us that baptism is intended and appointed of God to be the
means or instrument for the .perfecting of the work of the word
in the heart, so that, while repentance and faith may be present,
it is needful that baptism be received, in order that sin may be
remitted. It is readily seen, therefore, that Baptists are a
peculiar people. They stand for the great principle which they
find inwrought in the word of God, and which was the founda-
tion of the Apostolic church. For its vindication they point to
the New Testament and to the history of the Apostolic age.
2. Baptists stand for an entire separation betweeji Church
and State. Jealous as they are for the gospel; anxious as they
are that all the nations may come to a knowledge of the truth;
untiring as they are in efforts to carry the gospel to the ends of
the earth: pioneers in modern missions, they yet ask nothing of
the State. They delight in quoting that saying of the Master,
" Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God
the things that are God's." They are not willing that those who
have no interest in the God of the Bible, who profess no allegi-
ance to the Christ of Calvary, shall be taxed to maintain the in-
stitutions of Christianity. They do not believe that Christianity
can be best and permanently promoted by legal enactments, nor
that human governments have anything to do with the religious
Rejoicing in Divine Workmanship. 229
life of the people. They ask simply that they be free to exer-
cise their own faith, and to practice according to their own con-
victions; that they have opportunity to make known their views
and exemplify their practice before the world, with none to in-
terfere, either to aid or hinder. Baptists are not politicians.
They say to legislators, "Gentlemen, hands off. Let religion
alone. We ask nothing of you, except that you unbind and
loose." The first amendment to the constitution of the United
States was secured by Baptists — that section which says: "Con-
gress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Baptists have labored,
and others have entered into their labors, not knowing whence
came the blessings in which thej' often rejoice.
8. Baptists stand for a faithful obedience to the commands
of the Lord fesjis Christ. They do not profess to be above
criticism. They are too painfully aware that they do not, in all
things, come up to the divine requirements. They often quote
to themselves that caution of their Lord against straining out
the gnat and swallowing the camel. But they do not wilfully
minimize, nor obscure, nor change a commandment of their
Master. They understand that the Lord Jesus gave a command-
ment to "disciple" the nations and to baptize the believing — the
discipled — and no others, in the name of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost. They dare not alter the terms of that
commandment. They believe that baptism is given to be an
emblematic testimony to faith in the Christ, because of His death
as an atonement for sin and His resurrection to a new and glori-
fied life. They believe that, in order to show forth these great
ideas and to perpetuate them before the world, it is requisite that
the believer be buried with Christ, "in the likeness of his death,"
and be raised again "in the likeness of his resurrection." They
therefore repudiate all else that is called by the name of baptism,
and practice only that which they have received from the Lord
by example and precept.
For these reasons Baptists do not shrink from the penalty
of being called "a peculiar people."
2. Whence are the Baptists? Their own answer is, Of
Christ and his Apostles.
*2S0 Ohio Arch. a)id His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
1. They refuse to regard as authoritative anything that
originated this side of the New Testament. It matters little to
them what "the Fathers" of the second century taught, or what
the Church of that century practiced. Those things may be of
historical importance and interest ; but whatever the Church
of the second century taught, as distinguished from the teach-
ings of the Church of the first century, that is to be distrusted
and rejected. They find that views cherished by them were
held by individuals and small communities, during all the ages
by John Wycklif, John Huss, and others; but they care little for
these, except so far as they bore witness to the truth.
2. They find that, at the time of the great religious awaken-
ing in Europe, in the sixteenth century, not only Martin lyUther,
Staupitz, Cajetan, Bullinger, Melancthon and their associates
were thinking and reading the word of God, but that others, a
mighty host, were thinking and searching the scriptures,
" whether those things were so." They find that among these
were such men as Simon Stumpf, Conrad Grebel, Felix Mantz,
Balthazar Hubmeier, George Blaurock, and a host of others,
men of learning, priests of the Church of Rome, who had come
to doubt the correctness of her teaching and practice ; earnest
students of the Bible, both in the Hebrew and the Greek; and
that these men, with their associates, became convinced of the
error of infant baptism, requiring of each member of their order
a personal profession of faith in the lyord Jesus Christ, and bap-
tism on the ground of such profession. They find that these
men refused to have their children sprinkled, and for this reason
many of them suifered death by fire and water, or by the sword.
These were the Swiss "Anabaptists," from whom we date the
rise of the Baptists of England and America.
As to the sword, these men said: "It is not to be used to
defend either the gospel or those who receive it." As to baptism,
they said: "From the scriptures we learn that baptism signifies
that by faith in the blood of Christ our sins have been washed
away and we have died to sin and walk in newness of life."
Concerning infant baptism, they said: "We balieve the Scrip-
tures teach that all children who have not arrived at the knowl-
edge of good and evil are saved by the sufferings of Christ."
Rejoicing in Divine Workmanship. 231
The doctrines of these men passed down the Rhine to Hol-
land, and thence across the Channel to England, where, in the
next century (the seventeenth), they were cherished by such
men as William Kiffin, Benjamin Keach, John Bunj-an, and
others. The Westminster Assembly met in 1642, and it was not
till 1647 that the Confession was adopted and published ; but in
1643, "seven congregations" of Baptists in the city of London,
agreed upon a Confession which challenges admiration to-day,
and which there has been but little occasion to alter.
In 1631 (twelve years before the formulation of the Con-
fession above named) Roger Williams, a graduate of Pembroke
College, Oxford, and a minister of the Church of England,
arrived in Massachusetts. He was an inquirer after truth, little
regardful what others might think or do. He became pastor of
a Congregational Church in Salem, Massachusetts, but soon be-
gan to put forth ideas for which the colonists around him were
not prepared. In 1635, he was banished -from the colony, and
in January, 1636, he landed at Wheet Cheer rock, in Rhode
Island. In March, 1639, he was baptized by Ezekiel Holliman,
and having in turn baptized Holliman and ten others, formed a
Church which is held to still exist and to be the oldest Baptist
Church on the American Continent — the first Baptist Church of
Providence, Rhode Island. In 1638 (three years after the
arrival of Williams and one year before his baptism), Hanserd
Knollys, likewise a minister of the Church of England, who had
become dissatisfied with the practices of that Church, arrived in
Massachusetts, having come to escape the persecution to which
he was subjected in his own country. He became pastor of a
Congregational, or Puritan Church, in Dover, New Hampshire,
and in the course of three years, had made such progress in the
direction of the truth that, with a portion of his congregation,
he became a Baptist. Soon after, he was recalled to England by
his enfeebled father and there became one of the leading Baptists
of his age; but the portion of his Dover Church which accepted
his teachings removed, first to Long Island, New York, and
and thence to New Jersey, where they formed the Baptist
Church Piscataway, which still exists. About the same time
other men of similar views arrived in the country from England,
232 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publicatio?is. [Vol. 3
and settled, some in Rhode Island, others in Pennsylvania, and
others in Delaware. They all came to hold the same views of
Bible doctrine and to practice according to the same rule.
3. Whose workmanship are the Baptists? They are frank
to say that they did not make themselves. They have, at all
times, regarded the Omnipotent God as both the author and the
finisher of their faith. No people has more frequently or more
sincerely quoted that scripture, "Not by might nor by power,
but by my Spirit, saith the Lord." They have not been a
worldly-wise people. They have never depended upon kings
and governors for the advancement of their principles. For,
though they have been among the most loyal and patriotic of
citizens, their rulers have regarded their lives as of but little
account, and have been willing to see them exterminated. Such
were the pains and penalties imposed upon them during the first
two hundred years of their history that their growth in num-
bers was very slow, and they came to almost regard it a crime
(as the State regarded it, and as it is now regarded in Russia)
for one to proselyte, or put forth efforts to win others to a
knowledge of the truth. In Switzerland, Zwingle (who looked
with favor upon the views of Grebel and Blaurock, until he saw
that they involved the principles of a pure church) became their
most bitter enemy. Hubmeier was burned; Mantz was drowned;
Blaurock was whipped and banished; Hetzer was beheaded;
Grebel, Hottinger and innumerable others were imprisoned,
while the rest of them fled the country. In England, the Dutch
"and Flemish "anabaptists" were the peculiar horror of Henry
VIII, when he was wresting his subjects out of the hands of the
Pope. When the wilderness of the New World began to attract
attention as an asylum for the oppressed — especially for those
whose religious convictions rendered them obnoxious to home
laws — it was found that not only Puritans of the Cotton Mather
stripe, but those of more radical convictions, were ready tc
brave the sea and the land of the savage that they might enjoy
what they could not have in their native land.
And here again the growth of the Baptists was slow, at
first, and their churches were sporadic. But when the revolu-
tion of 1776 had been accomplished, and the first amendment of
Rejoicing in Divine Workmanship, 233
the Constitution had been adopted (in 1789), immediately they
began to increase in numbers and to put on the strength of their
Maker, God. At the time of the adoption of the amendment to
the Constitution (that which placed them upon an equality with
any other religious denominations) the Baptists of the United
States numbered less than (3.5,000, or about one to every 5G of
the population. In 1812, less than twenty years after, they
were as one to thirty-eight; in 1832, as one to thirty-three; in
1852, as one to thirty; in 1872, as one to twenty-five, and in
1889, as one to twenty-one. And all this has been achieved
without a hierarchy, without a bishropic, with no great court to
which difficulties can be referred, and notwithstanding it is re-
quired of every person proposing to unite with the Baptist
Church that he give to the brotherhood "a reason for the hope
that is within him," and that he receive the unpopular rite, a
baptism beneath the surface of the water in the name of th€
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These things are marvel-
ous in our eyes. For the growth of the past century we can
give no adequate reason, except that God is in it.
PROGKBDINGS, REPORTS, ETC.
OK THK
FIFTH AND SIXTH
Annual Meetings
OF THB SOCIETY
ACCOMPANYING RARKRS.
(235)
MINUTBS
Fifth Annual Meeting of the Society,
COIvUlVIBUS, IVIARCH 6 AND 7, 1890.
The Society convened in the hall of the House of Repre-
sentatives at 7:30 p. m., and was called to order by the Presi-
dent, F. C. Sessions, Esq. The usual annual address of the
President was omitted, as the reports of the committees and of-
ficers would cover all essential points. Dr. Edmund Cone
Brush, of Zanesville, was introduced and read an address upon
" The Pioneer Physicians of the Muskingum Valley." The ad-
dress is printed elsewhere in this volume.
At the conclusion of the address the President introduced
Prof. George Frederick Wright, of Oberlin College, who gave
an interesting and instructive address on "The Ice Age in North
America," illustrated by stereopticon views. It was hence of a
nature precluding its publication. At its conclusion the thanks
of the society were voted both Dr. Brush and Prof. Wright,
after which a recess was taken until 2 p. m., the next day.
Friday, March 7th. The Society met in the committee
rooms of the Senate. The Secretary presented a summary of
the year's work, and outlined the policy of the society for the
coming year. The annual reports of the Secretary and Treas-
urer were presented and referred to the Executive Committee.
The consolidation of the society and State Library were dis-
cussed. The unwillingness of many members of the General
(237)
238 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. S
Assembly to such a plan was presented, and it was decided to
postpone the matter. A plan to raise a publication fund was
brought forward by the Secretary. The plan was to permit all
active members to pay at one time such a sum of money neces-
sary in addition to what each had paid as an active member, to
make the amount $50. The plan was favorably received, and
was referred to the Executive Committee with power to act.
The minutes of the previous annual meeting having been
printed as approved by the Executive Committee, were approved
by the Society.
The president appointed a committee to nominate five trus-
tees for the term of three years. The secretary made a state-
ment of the valuable collections and publications in charge of the
society, and the necessity for better arrangements for their care
and preservation, and that under existing conditions the society
was obliged to refuse to accept valuable specimens that had been
offered to them. The passage of some measures by the legisla-
ture would provide such means and place these collections under
the charge of the State.
Professor G. F. Wright made a few pointed remarks on the
necessity of some steps being taken- for the preservation of the
ancient earth works in Ohio, and offered the following resolution,
which was adopted :
Resolved, That the members of the Archaeological and His-
torical society are heartily in favor of the objects aimed at in
Senator Oren's Senate joint resolution looking to the preserva-
tion of Fort Ancient, and that we do all in our power to aid said
committee and the legislature in devising some plan whereby this
great prehistoric work ma}^ be preserved.
The proposed purchase by the State of 1200 copies of Mr.
Henry Howe's work on Ohio was discussed, and the following
resolution was adopted :
Resolved, That this society heartily approves of the pur-
chase by the State of Ohio of 1200 copies of Mr. Henry Howe's
Historical Collections of Ohio as not only valuable for the pur-
pose of securing exchanges for the State library, but as a means
of extending the circulation of the work and as an act of needed
justice to Mr. Howe to help him to complete publication.
Mhiulcs of Fifth Annual Afccting. 289
That we also recommend a liberal subscription to the Histori-
cal Collections by the members of this society' and all other citi-
zens of Ohio to create and sustain an intelligent sentiment of
State pride iu the present and coming generations.
The committee to nominate five trustees reported the fol-
lowing names: Dr. N. 8. Townshend, Columbus; Rev. \Vm.
E. Moore, Columbus; 'E. C. Dawes, Cincinnati; Israel H.
Harris, Waynesville ; Prof. G. F. Wright, Oberlin. The report
was approved and the foregoing named gentlemen elected.
The society then adjourned.
F. C. vSessions, President.
A. A. Graham, Secretary.
MEETING OF THE TRUSTEES.
Friday, March 7, 1890, the trustees met in the senate com-
mittee room and elected the following officers : President, F. C.
Sessions; Secretary, A. A. Graham; Treasurer, S. S. Rickly.
The following members were elected to serve as Executive
Committee: F. C. Sessions, S. S. Rickly, H. A. Thompson,
Daniel J. Ryan. Rev. W. E. Moore. Dr. X. S. Townshend. Prof.
S. C. Derby.
The Executive Committee was authorized to appoint such
standing committees as might be found necessary, and also to
examine and approve the reports of the officers, and to publish
the same in the society's publication. The committee was fur-
ther authorized to transact such business as might be necessary.
The Board of Trustees then adjourned.
F. C. Sessions, President.
A. A. Graham, Secretary.
240 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Voi,. 3
THE SOCIETY'S ANNUAL DINNER.
At this meeting the holding of a dinner in connection with
the annual meeting was inaugurated. The practice has long
been successfully maintained in older societies and it was deter-
mined to try the feature in Ohio. The dinner was a most en-
joyable event, and it was decided to continue this feature. The
dinner was held at the American House, and at the conclusion
the following toasts were offered and responded to: " The Ohio
Man in History," Governor James E. Campbell; " Ohio's Sons
and Daughters of the American Revolution," Col. W. A. Tay-
lor; "The Yankee and the Buckeye," Judge M. D. Follett ;
"The Western Reserve and New England," Hon. O. J. Hodge;
"The Maumee Valley," Hon. Chas. P. Griffin; "The Old
Schoolmaster," Dr. John Hancock; "The American College in
American History," Dr. W. H. Scott; "Ohio's First Governor
— Edward Tiffin," Hon. Dan'l J. Ryan; "Our Forefathers,"*
Hon. M. T. Corcoran; "Our Foremothers," Mrs. Delia A.
Williams.
At the conclusion of the addresses the Society adjourned.
Senator Corcoran being called away this toast was omitted.
Minutes of Fifth Afinual Meeting. 241
THE PIONEER PHYSICIANS OF THE MUSKINGUM
VALLEY.
BY EDMUND CONK BRUSH, A. M., M. D.
A Paper Read at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Society, in the Hall of
the House of Representatives, at Columbus, March 6, 189U.
Generation after generation of pioneers have gradually car-
ried the star of empire westward, until it would seem as if the
work of the pioneer was nearly done. As these hardy and
adventtirous men and women have gradually opened up the new
world to civilization, they have been closely followed or accom
panied by members of the medical profession. These physicians
have shared the hardships and privations of the early .settlers,
joined them in their joys and sorrows, helped them to build
their rude homes and to defend them against the natives of the
forest. To the loyal Buckeye, and especially to the descendants
of the Ohio pioneers, Marietta is a hallowed spot. Branching
out froih Marietta, the pioneers followed the two great water
courses uniting there, and dotted their banks with settlements.
In these early .settlements the members of the medical profes-
sion took a modest but important part. Forty years ago the
late Dr. Samuel Hildreth, of Marietta, wrote a series of bio-
graphical sketches of the early physicians of that place. These
sketches have a short preface, in which occurs the following:
"As a class, no order of men have done more to promote
the good of mankind and develop the resources and natural his-
tory of our country than the physicians, and wherever the well-
educated in that profession are found, they are uniformly seen
on the side of order, morality, science and religion."
What is here given in regard to the Marietta physicians is
obtained almost entirely from Dr. Hildreth's .sketches and from
his " Pioneer History."
Doctor Thotnas Farley, the son of a revolutionary officer,
emigrated to Marietta in 1788 from Ipswich, Massachusetts. He
went with the little colony in the spring (April 20) of 1789 to
make the settlement some twenty miles up the river, where Bev-
Vol. HI— IG
242 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
erly and Watcrford now stand. In 1790 he was back in Mari-
etta, helping Doctor True attend smallpox cases. Six died of
the disease "who took it by infection," and out of over one
hundred inoculated by the doctors, two died. In 1791 he was
back at Waterford and one of the inmates of Fort Frye. Col.
Joseph L,. Bai'ker, one of the earl)^ settlers, said of him: " He
was a modest, amiable young man, always ready to obey the
calls of humanity, and had the good will and confidence of all
who knew him." Dr. Hildreth says: "The country being
new, and but a few people in the settlements, he became dis-
couraged, and returned to his former home in the autumn of
1790." This date must be a mistake or a misprint, as Dr. Hil-
dreth in his history, and Horace Nye in his " Reminiscences,"
both speak of Dr. Farley as being in Fort Frye, and Fort
Frye was built in 1791. He probably went back in that .year.
During his short stay he nobly fought one of the most loathsome
of diseases, and shared the hardships of an Indian war. The
date of his birth and death is not known.
Dr. Solomon Drown was a native of Rhode Island and came
out to Marietta in the summer of 1788 as one of the proprietors
and agents of the Ohio Land Company. It does not appear that
he intended to settle in the place as a physician, although he
attended General Varnum as consulting physician in the sickness
(consumption) of which he died in January, 1789. Dr. Drown
was educated at Brown University, Rhode Island, and was a
man "of literature and classic elegance as a writer." The
directors of the Ohio Company selected him to pronounce the
eulogy at the funeral of General Varnum. He also delivered
the first anniversary {April 7, 1789) address commemorative of
the landing of the pioneers. At the breaking out of the Indian
war. Dr. Drown returned to Rhode Island, and was appointed
professor of botany and natural history in Brown University.
Dr. Jabez True, the first physician to make the territory his
life-long home, was born in Hampstead, New Hampshire, in
1760. His father was a minister, and in the French war served
as chaplain of a colonial regiment. He was the father of ten
children, and in addition to his pastoral duties prepared young
men for college. Among his students was his son Jabez. The
Minutes of Fifth Annual Meeting. 248
latter received his medical education under the preceptorship of
Dr. Flagg, of Hanipstead, and having completed his course in
medicine before the end of the revolutionary war, at once en-
tered the service of his country as surgeon on a privateer. The
ship was wrecked on' the coast of Holland and the crew was
taken in and kindly cared for by the Hollanders. Dr. True re-
mained in Holland until the close of the war, when he returned
and settled in Gilmantown, New Hampshire. Staying in that
place but a few years, he came to the then far western country,
and early in the summer of 1788 landed at Marietta. The set-
tlement was only a few months old, very small, and the country
was one vast forest. Dr. True seems to have been of the same
sturdy stuff as those who came before him. He built himself a
log cabin to be used as an office and settled himself to business.
When the Indian war broke out in 1791, Dr. True was ap-
pointed surgeon's mate to the troops employed by the Ohio Com-
pany's directors, with a salary of 1 22.00 per month. Dr. Hil-
dreth says: " This salary was a welcome and timely aid during
the years of privation which attended the war, and sorely tried
the resources of the most able among the inhabitants." This
appointment was held until the close of the war. " During the
most gloomy and disheartening periods schools were kept up by
the inhabitants." Dr. True taught school a part of the time in
a large lower room of one of the block houses in the garrison at
" the point."
In 1790 smallpox broke out in the settlement at Marietta.
In 1793 this same disease invaded the Farmers' Castle at Belpre,
twelve miles below Marietta, on the Ohio. "A meeting of the
inhabitants was at once called, and it was voted (as there was no
chance of escaping it, cooped up as they were in the narrow
walls of a garrison), to send to Marietta for Dr. True to come
down and inoculate them in their own dwellings. The doctor ac-
cepted the invitation, and Farmers' Castle became one great hos-
pital, containing beneath each roof more or less persons sick with
this loathsome di.sease. The treatment of Dr. True was very suc-
cessful and, out of nearly a hundred cases, not one died. There
being no roads or bridges at this time, Dr. True's visits to the
different settlements were made in a canoe. In making trips
244 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
down the Ohio, by keeping in the middle of the stream there
was comparative safety, but when returning it was necessary to
keep near the shore and take the chances of a bullet from an In-
dian rifle. Dr. True made several narrow escapes, but a kind
providence seemed to have protected him and saved him to ad-
minister to the relief of his fellow men. After the war was
over Dr. True took a step up in the world, and built himself a
frame house and office, and began clearing and cultivating a
small farm on the Ohio, a short distance above Marietta. In
1796 he united with the Congregational Church and for many
years was a deacon. In 1806 he married Mrs. Sarah Mills,
widow of Captain Charles Mills. " She was a cheerful, humble
and sincere Christian, with a lively, benevolent temperament,
ever ready to aid the doctor in his works of charity. They had
no children, but the children of Mrs. True were treated with all
the love and tenderness he could have bestowed upon his own."
By this time the settlers had increased in numbers and
spread out over the country. Dr. True, being the leading phy-
sician, his visits extended twenty or thirty miles through the
forest. He followed the Indian trails marked by "blazes"
on the trees, and swam his horse across the streams.
One of Dr. True's strongest characteristics was charity ; and
these long, lonesome rides were made to the poor with the same
willingness as to those who were able to pay. He gave freely
of what he had, often depriving himself. During the last year
of his life he was county treasurer. This office gave him addi-
tional means with which to help on charitable and religious
work. His house was the stopping place for Congregational and
Presbyterian ministers who visited the town. Samuel J. Mills,
the projector of foreign missions, spent two weeks with Dr.
True during the year 1812, and instituted the Washington
County Bible Society, which is still in existence. Dr. True was
tall and spare, with simple, but not ungraceful manners. His
eyes were gray and small, one being destroyed by a disease of
the optic nerve; with full, projecting brows; nose large and ac-
quiline; forehead rather low, but face mild and expressive of
benevolence. He was a man of whom no enemy could say ftard
things, and whom everybody loved and respected. He died in
Minutes of Fifth Annual Meeting. 245
1823, of the prevailing epidemic fever, aged sixty-three years.
" His memory is still cherished by the descendants of the early
pioneers for his universal charity, simplicity of manners and sin-
cere piety." The man's name seems to have been emblematic
of the man, and his life seems to have been one of steadfast
duty to those around him and to his God. Although occupying
an humble position in the settlement of the great Northwest ter-
ritory, Dr. True filled that position to the best of his physical
and mental strength. He fell with his face to the foe, and while
trying to alleviate the sufferings of others. What man can do
more?
The late Dr. S. P. Hildreth, began the practice of medicine
in Hempstead, New Hampshire, and boarded in the family of
John True, a brother of the doctor. Through Mr. True, Dr.
Hildreth learned that there was a good opening for a young phy-
sician in Marietta and came to that place in 1806. Drs. True
and Hart were the only physicians in practice when Dr. Hildreth
irrived. Thus it was that the man who has done more than any
)ther to make us acquainted with pioneer history came to Ohio.
Drs. Farley, Drown and True all came to Marietta during
the summer of 1788. It is not known which one arrived first.
Dr. Nathan Mcintosh was born in Needham, Massachusetts,
in 1768. He was educated at Cambridge and came to Marietta
in 1789. His journey west was prolonged bj- an attack of small-
pox that laid him up at Meadville, Pennsylvania. In 1791, Dr.
Mcintosh was appointed surgeon's mate to Fort Frye at Water-
ford. At first he was employed by the Ohio Company and after-
ward by the government. He remained at Fort Frye about two
years, and during this time — May 23, 1792 — he was married to
Rhoda, the daughter of Deacon Enoch Shepherd, of Marietta.
In July, 1793, the people of Clarksburg, Virginia, were in need
of a physician and sent to Marietta for Dr. Mcintosh. The re-
quest was accompanied by a compan}^ of soldiers to escort the
doctor to that place. Mrs. Mcintosh, with a baby six weeks
old and a sister, went with the doctor. There were no roads or
public houses on the way, so that when night came they camped
out. In order to keep the baby from crying and thus attract the
Indians, it was dosed with paregoric and a handkerchief used to
246 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
suppress its cries. This baby grew to be Colonel Enoch Shep-
herd Mcintosh, one of the most respected and best known citi-
zens of the Muskingum valley. He died not long since in his
ninety-sixth year. Think of the bravery of that j^oung mother
and her sister! Imagine if you can a journey on horseback
eighty miles through the forests, in constant danger from In-
dians! Imagine camping out at night with the sky for a cover-
ing and a six-weeks-old baby to care for! No truer, nobler, or
more heroic women ever lived than those who helped to settle
the great Northwest territory. Their many good qualities are
reflected in the younger generations of Buckeye women.
Dr. Mcintosh came back to Marietta in two years and re-
mained there until he died, September 5, 1823. He was among
the victims of the fever epidemic of that year. When first mar-
ried the doctor and his wife were members of the Presbyterian
church. Afterward he joined the " IVlethodist Society;" finally,
he came to believe in the universal salvation and held that belief
until the end. He lectured and wrote a great deal on religious
subjects, and published a book on "Scripture Correspondencies."
He was violently opposed to secret societies and slavery. Dr.
Mcintosh was socially inclined and fond of society. His rich
and fashionable dress and gentlemanly manners greatly promoted
his favor with the community. He excelled in surgery and
made quite a reputation in that line. During the latter years of
his life Dr. Mcintosh devoted himself to brick -making and con-
tracting. One of the doctor's last acts was to ride to Macksburg
to be at the death -bed of his oldest daughter. Three weeks
more and the doctor, too, had gone to his reward.
Dr. William Pitt Putnam, a grand-son of General Israel
Putnam, was born in Brooklyne, Connecticut, December 11,
1770, and came to Marietta in 1792. He spent part of his time
with a brother in Belpre, and in 1794 went back to his eastern
home. In 1795 he married Bertha Glyssan and came back to
the new territory during that year. In 1799 he purchased a tract
of land eight miles above Marietta, on the Ohio river, and turned
his attention to clearing and cultivating it. In 1800 he died of
bilious fever,
Minutes of Fifth Annual Meeting. 247
"In person, Dr. Putnam was tall and commanding, with a
cheerful, lively countenance and genteel address."
Dr, Josiali Hart was born in Berlin, Connecticut, about
1738, and graduated at Yale in 1702. He had entertained the
idea of studying for the ministry, but gave it up and studied
medicine under Dr. Potter, of Wallingford, Connecticut. "In
1705 lie married Miss Abigail Sherman, of Stonington, and com-
menced the practice of medicine in Wethersfield." He served
as a regimental surgeon during the revolution. In 1778, his first
wife having died, he married Mrs. Abigail Harris. This made
his second Abigail. The doctor "represented his town in the
egislature, and often filled the more important town ofhces, as
well as that of deacon in the church." In 1796 his second wife
died and he came to Marietta. Here he married Anna Moulton.
He was one of the first deacons of the Congregational church at
Marietta. "In 1811, having become too aged to practice, he
moved to a farm ten miles from Marietta. He died in August,
1812, of spotted fever, aged seventy- four years. His wife died
a few hours after, and they were both buried the same day. In
person, Dr. Hart was below the medium size, but well formed ;
countenance mild, pleasing and intelligent. In manners very
gentlemanly, and kind, exhibiting a true Christian spirit in his
intercourse with his fellow men."
Dr. William B. Leonard was born in London in the year
1737. "When in the prime of life he served as a surgeon in the
British navy. About the year 1794, having lost his wife, he de-
cided on removing to the United States to be concerned in a
woolen factory. For this purpose he secretly packed up the
machiner}^ and put it on board the vessel in which he had en-
gaged his passage. Before he sailed it was discovered by the
officers of the customs, and being a contraband article prohibited
by the laws of England to be transported out of the realm, he
was arrested and confined for some time in prison. Being finally
discharged he came to America about the year 1797."
The following year he was practicing his profession in New-
buryport, Messachusetts, where he again married, but his wife
dying .soon after, he moved to Marietta in 1801, and boarded in
the family of Mr. William Moulton. Here he again renewed
248 Ohio Arch, avd His. Society Pubiicatio?is. [Voi.. 3
the practice of medicine, and in 1802 married Lydia Moulton,
the maiden daughter of his landlord and sister to the wife of Dr.
Hart. He appears to have been a .skilled surgeon, but was
rough and coarse in his manners and language, retaining the
habits acquired in his naval .service. He retained and kept up
the fashion of the showy dress, such as prevailed in the days of
Queen Elizabeth, which in the backwoods of Ohio excited the
curiosity of a people accustomed to the most simple attire. His
favorite costume was a blue broadcloth coat, trimmed in gold
lace, and enormous gilt buttons, a waistcoat of crimson velvet,
with large pocket flaps, and small clothes of the same material, a
pair of silk or worsted stockings drawn over his slender legs,
with large silver buckles at the knees and in his shoes. On his
head he wore a full flowing periwig (of which he had six or eight
varieties), crowned with a three-cornered or cocked beaver hat.
Over the whole, when he appeared on the street, unless the
weather was very hot, he wore a large scarlet colored cloak.
This dress, with his gold -headed cane, always called forth the
admiration and wonder of the boys, who followed close in his
train, and were often threatened with his displeasure in not very
civil language. When traveling on horseback to visit his pa-
tients, he road a coal black steed with long flowing mane and
tail, the saddle and trappings of which were as antiquated and
showy as his own dress." He died of consumption in 1806, aged
sixty -nine years.
On a copper plate prepared before his death, he had the fol-
lowing engraved :
" Friend : for Jesus' sake forbear
To touch the dust enclosed here;
Blest is the man that spares this urn.
And he's a knave that moves my bones."
Which epitaph will be recognized as the one Shakespeare wrote
for his own tomb, but slightly changed by Dr. Leonard.
Dr. John Baptiste Regnier was born in Paris in the year
1769. He received a good education, but studied chiefly archi-
tecture and drawing. He also attended a course of lectures on
scientific subjects, including medicine. His father was a loyahst,
Mhiufes of Fifth Annual Meeting. 249
and when his sons were called upon to enroll themselves in the
ranks of the reformers, he collected all the money he could and
sent them out of the country. The doctor was in his twentieth
year, and with his brother, Modeste, aged fourteen years, joined
a company of emigrants and embarked for the United States.
In May, 1790, the.se brothers landed at Alexandria, and finally
reached Marietta in October following, with a number of their
companions. In a few days they all started down the Ohio river
to settle on a tract of laud purchased before leaving France.
Landing at what they supposed to be their purchase, they at once
erected houses. The next summer they spent in clearing land,
only to find their title was not good and they were in a wilder-
ness without a home. About this time the Indian war broke
out, and the emigrants abandoned their homes and moved to
other towns. Little Modeste had imbibed such a, dread of the
Indians, that he did not cease to importune his older brother,
whom he looked upon as a father, until he decided on leaving
the place and going to New York. Toward the last of February,
1792, they embarked in a large perogue, with a small party who
had joined them, and proceeded up stream for Pittsburg. Near
the head of Buffingtou's island, in passing around a fallen tree
top, their vessel upset. They lost all their provisions and cloth-
ing, while they barely escaped with their lives to the shore.
Among the other effects of the unfortunate Regnier then lost in
the Ohio, was a curiously wrought octagonal cylinder of black
marble, made with mathematical accuracy, eight or ten inches
long and one in diameter. Several years after this curious stone
was found on the head of a sand bar some distance below, and
presented to an eastern museum as a relic of that singular but
unknown race who built the mounds and earth -works in the val-
ley of the Ohio. The spot where they were wrecked was many
miles from any settlement, and the rest of their journey was
made on foot. They suffered much for food and were made sick
by eating the seeds of decayed pawpaws. They finally reached
Pittsburg, and after resting a few days proceeded on to New York.
Not finding employment here, the young Regniers went to New-
foundland, where there was a French settlement. In 1794 they
returned to New York. For three years, in a land of strangers,
250 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
with an imperfect knowledge of their language, destitute of all
things but his head and his hands wherewith to procure a sup-
port for himself and brother, he was many times tempted to give
up in despair and cease any further struggle for existence. But
his buoyant French heart enabled him to resist such thoughts
and kept him afloat in the wide sea of life.
After returning to New York he seems to have prospered
and in 1796 he married Miss Content Chamberlain, the daughter
of a tavern keeper in Unadilla, New York. Regnier had met
her on his journeys. In 1800, unfortunate investments made
him again a bankrupt and left him as destitute as when upset in
the Ohio, eight years before. He now had a wife and two chil-
dren to provide for and must make one more effort for a living.
A lingering desire to see once more the beautiful shores of the
Ohio, on which he had labored and suffered so much, still con-
tinued to haunt his imagination ; and most especially his brothei
Modeste, now arriving at manhood, never ceased to importune
him to return. Finally, determining to perfect himself to the
healing art, he left his family with his wife's people and went to
Washington, Pennsylvania, to be under Dr. L,amoine. After a
year's study he went back for his family, and they started for
the Ohio. In November, 1803, they landed at Marietta. A
Frenchman living there offered the doctor 100 acres of land
situated on Duck creek, nine miles from town. This the doctor
bought on credit. By the aid of neighbors, the' Regniers soon
had a log cabin built and were settled on their farm. It was
soon spread through the country that the new settler was ' ' a
French doctor," and as there was no one of his calling within a
circuit of twenty or thirty miles, except in Marietta, he was
soon employed by the sick in every direction. For several
months he visited his patients, who were within six or eight
miles distance, on foot. He did this until able to purchase a
horse. There was a good deal of sickness during the early
years of the settlement on the creek, and also many cases of
surgery, such as fractured limbs and wounds from axes. These
he dressed in the neatest and most rapid manner. One singular
case is worth reporting here. A man was thought to be mortal-
ly wounded by being injured from a fallen tree, which caught
Minutes of Fifth Animal Meetiiig. 251
him under its extreme branches, bruising the flesh all over his
body as if whipped with a thousand rods. So many blows para-
lyzed the heart and rendered him as cold as if dead. The doc-
tor immediately ordered a large sheep to be killed and the skin
stripped hastily ofi^, wrapping the naked body of the man in the
hot, moist covering of the animal. The effect was like a charm
on the patient, removing all the bruises and the soreness in a
few hours. In 1807, his brother Francis came out to Ohio and
proposed to enter into partnership with him in a store at Mari-
etta, Ohio. In order to afford educational advantages to his
children, he decided to accept the proposition, and in February,
1808, left the farm. Before moving he went to Wheeling to
select goods for the store. While away, Modeste was taken
with fever and died a few days after the doctor returned. The
shock of his death quite overwhelmed the doctor, especially as
he thought that had he been home he could have saved him.
No telegraph or fast trains in those days to bring him home in a
few days. His brother Francis becoming dissatisfied moved
away, taking the store with him. Soon after this the doctor pur-
chased a drug store. Success now attended all his endeavors, and
his wealth increased in full ratio with his family, which consist-
ed of six sons and one daughter. About 1814 he enlarged his
town possession by buying a square, which he improved by
planting fruit trees and laying out a large flower garden orna-
mented with arbors and walks. It was a model for others and
ultimately implanted a permanent taste for this refining art
among the citizens of Marietta. He was an original member of
the first incorporated medical society of Ohio in 1812. In 1818
he was elected county commissioner and assisted in drafting the
model for the court house now remodeled. In May, 1819, he
sold his property in town to Dr. Cotton and purchased three
hundred and twenty acres of land on Duck creek, twenty-two
miles from Marietta. Here he removed with his family having
in view the establishing of his sons as farmers.
Dr. Regnier died in 1821, aged 52 years. His death was a
severe loss to the community. Two of his sons became physi-
cians.
Dr. Increase Mathews was born in New Braintree, Massa-
252 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
chusetts, December 22, 1772. He was the son of General Rufus
Putnam's older sister, Hulda, and Daniel Mathews. John
Mathews, who came out to Ohio with the original forty-eight,
was a brother. In 1798, Dr. Mathews came to Marietta on a
prospecting tour, and to visit relatives. His diary of this jour-
ney is in the possession of his descendants, and is a very inter-
esting document. Under date of August 13, 1798, 1 p. m., is
found the following note: " Went with Mr. Edward Tupper to
call on Mr. Blennerhasset and his lady, by whom we were
politely received. Met Miss Sallie Loudon there on a visit. She
is on the whole an amiable girl, and possessed of many of those
qualities which make a good companion; kind, obliging, ever in
good spirits and free from affectation." The young doctor seems
to have been impressed, and human nature seems to have been
the same then as now. Under date of August 31, 1798, is the
following: "Attended a ball at Colonel Putnam's in Belpre.
We had a large collection of ladies, some from Marietta and the
Island, who made a brilliant appearance. Spent the evening
very agreeably." The ladies from the Island were, no doubt,
Mrs. Blennerhasset and her guest. Miss Loudon. After a pleas-
ant visit. Dr. Mathews went back east and married (April 25,
1799) Abigail Willis, of Oakham, Massachusetts. In the fall of
1800, with his wife and baby, he again came to Marietta, arriv-
ing there October 4. The winter was spent in Marietta, and the
other half of the house in which they lived, was occupied by the
father of the late Governor Brough. In the spring of 1801 the
Mathews family moved to Zanesville, Ohio. This same year
General Rufus Putnam, his nephew, Dr. Mathews and Levi
Whipple purchased the land now composing the Seventh and
Ninth wards in that city, and laid it out into a town, which they
called Springfield, afterward Putnam. Dr. Mathews, after about
one year's stay in Zanesville, moved across the river to the newly
laid out town, and lived there the remainder of his life. He
was the first physician to permanently settle on the Muskingum
river above Marietta. In 1802 (June 14) the doctor's wife died,
and in 1803 (March 23) he married for his second wife Betsy,
daughter of Captain John Leavems. Thej^ were married in
Marietta at Major Lincoln's, who had married Bet.sy's sister.
Minutes of Fifth Antiual Meeting. 253
Fannie. Possessing large landed interests, and having a taste
for agriculture, Dr. Mathews retired from practice as other phy-
sians settled around him. He was a man of many accomplish-
ments, with more than the usual amount of energy and push so
characteristic of the pioneers. He established the first drug
store and was one of the five original members of the first
church organized in Muskingum county. Dr. Mathews sent to
Spain for the first full-blooded Merino sheep brought to Ohio.
These sheep were delivered in Washington, D. C, and hauled in
a wagon through to Putnam, Ohio, by a man sent to Washing-
ton for that purpose.
In 1801, when Dr. Mathews went to Marietta to buy the
land above mentioned, he had part of the way as his companion,
John Mclntire. These young men rode together, camped to-
gether the night out on the road, but neither mentioned his bus-
iness. When they arrived at Marietta, Dr. Mathews turned up
Washington street to go to his uncle (General Putnam's) office,
whilst John Mclntire went on to the tavern. The next day the
two men found themselves bidding against each other on the
same tract of land. John Mclntire already owned a large tract
where Zanesville proper now stands, but Dr. Mathews bid in the
tract in question at four dollars and five cents an acre. Many
years after it became blended with Mclntire's tract in the Cit)^
of Natural Advantages. The doctor enjoyed telling his grand-
children that the earliest distinct recollection of his childhood
was the ringing of the bells to celebrate the declaration of inde-
pendence. He was a cultivated gentleman of the old school
and a man whose energy and character were felt in his day, and
are still exemplified in his descendants. He was an accom-
plished performer on the violincello, an entertaining and in-
structive conversationalist. His life was characterized by its
simplicity and purity. He died June 6, 1856, full of years and
with the high esteem of all his fellow townsmen, in the eighty-
fourth year of his age, and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery,
which was part of his original purchase from the government in
1801.
In 1706, Dr. Jenner's great discovery of vaccination was an-
nounced to the medical world. When smallpox broke out in
2o4 Ohio y\) ( /i. and His. Society Publications. [Voi^. 3
Putnam iu the fall of 1809. Dr. Mathews procured vaccine virus
and vaccinated himself and family. People in general had no
confidence in it and would not consent to it. In order to prove
its efficacy Dr. Mathews took his two little daughters, Abigail
and Sarah, aged six and seven years, who had been vaccinated,
into a house and up to the bedside of a patient very ill with vir-
ulent smallpox. The children did not take the disease and the
doctor triumphantly proclaimed the protecting powers of vacci-
nation. The rest of the villagers were inoculated, but Dr.
Mathews' family was the only one that depended upon vaccina-
tion. So far as can be learned the doctor's family was among
the first, if not the first in Ohio, to be vaccinated.
Dr. Jesse Chandler was the second physician to settle in
Putnam. He was born in Vermont in 1764, and studied medi-
cine in his native state. After practicing a few years he came
with his family to Ohio and located in the village of Putnam,
across the river from Zanesville, and now, as has been stated, a
part of that city. At that time there was but little difference in
the population of the two rival villages, both being quite small.
But in the year 1814 Zanesville was made the permanent county
seat with a fair prospect of being made the state capital, and
took the lead. In order to look after his land. Doctor Mathews
gladly relinquished his practice upon the arrival of Dr. Chand-
ler. No other physician settled in Putnam while Dr. Chandler
lived. His practice, like Dr. Mathews', extended over all the
western part of the county and into the adjoining counties.
Traveling was, of course, done on horseback, and in the earlier
years without roads. Trails, or bridle-paths, led from house to
house, or from neighborhood to neighborhood. Dr. Chandler
spent a large part of his time in the saddle, but possessing an
unusually robust constitution, he was always ready to respond
to calls. The fees in those days were very much out of propor-
tion to the time and labor expended. There being no pharma-
cists, every physician furnished his own medicines. The doc-
tor's books were a curiosity. He would often ride a dpzen miles,
furnish the medicine needed, and charge one dollar. Visits in
the village were fifty cents. When many of his people came to
settle, the credit side would read, by so much corn, or oats, or
MinulfS of J'"iftJi Annual Meeting. 255
potatoes, or cash, as the case might be, and by discount for the
balance. Frequently the " by discount" was the larger part of
the credit. Dr. Chandler did not become wealthy.
In the fall of 1809 a bad case of smallpox developed in the
town. As might be expected there was a scare. Vaccination
was not yet relied upon, and the doctor had not seen it suffi-
ciently tried to be entirely satisfied with its protecting qualities.
Some of the older people had been inoculated with smallpox,
but the children, and many of the adults, had no protection.
So all were made ready by the perscribed dieting, and a general
inoculation took place. The inoculated cases all got along nice-
ly, no deaths and no disfigurements. There were in the town a
dozen or more transient persons, mostly young men, without
friends. The doctor turned his house into a hospital, took these
young men in, "without money or price," and carried them
safely through. In the winter of 1813-14 an heretofore un-
known epidemic broke out in Putnam, which for the want of a
better name, w-as called "the cold plague." The attack came
on with a congestive chill, unconsciousness soon followed, and
death resulted in two or three days. Some recovered, but
among the victims was Dr. Jesse Chandler. A true, self-sacrific-
ing physician and man, he was ready for the summons and faced
death as he had disease, without a tremor. His age was fifty
years.
Dr. Daniel Bliss, son of Deacon Isaac Bliss, was born in
Warren, Mass., April 10, 1701. He was educated in medicine
in Springfield, Mass., and June 6, 1789, married Prudence, a sis-
ter of Dr. Jesse Chandler. They came out to Ohio in 1804 w4th
(or about the same time as) Doctor Chandler. Doctor Bliss
settled in Waterford (on the side of the river where Beverly
now stands) but continued sickness led him to seek another loca-
tion, and he removed to Chandler's salt works (now Chaudlers-
ville) a place twelve miles east of Zanesville, Settling on a
farm the doctor intended retiring from practice, but there being
no other physician in that section, the inhabitants kept him
busy. For over twenty years he was the first and only physician
in the settlement and h!s practice extended into what are now
Guernsey, Noble and Morgan counties. The doctor kept his
256 Ohio Arch. a?id His. Society Publications. [Vol. ^
farm well stocked with good horses. He always rode horseback,
and traveled fast. It was a good horse and rider that could
keep up with him on his rounds. As a physician, Doctor Bliss
was successful and popular. He was a man of strong opinions,
and fearless in expressing them. He dared to do right, and take
Uie consequences. In religious belief he was a Congregational-
ist. Doctor Bliss died March 17, 1842, age eighty-one years.
At a ripe age he surrendered to a great reaper, and with a heavy
credit on the Lamb's book of life he went to his reward.
Doctor Robert Mitchell was born in Westmoreland county,
Pennsylvania, in 1778. He studied medicine there, and in 1808
married Catharine McCuUoch. For a wedding trip the young
couple came to Zanesville, Ohio, on horseback. When they
settled in that place there were but twelve shingle roofed houses
in it. The Indians were still there, but friendly, and would
come to the doctor's house to see the white papooses. Dr.
Mitchell served in the war 1812, and was afterward a general in
the Ohio militia. In 1833 he was elected to Congress, but in
1835 was defeated for re-election by his Whig opponent. It is
said that the rejoicing of the Whigs over their success, caused
more drunkenness in Zanesville .than ever was known there iu
one night. Doctor Mitchell died November 13, 1848.
Doctor Ziba Adams was, so far as can be learned, the first
physician to settle in what is now Morgan county. Doctor
Daniel Rusk, of Malta, made an earnest effort to find something
of this physician. Just when Doctor Adams arrived, and just
when he left, could not be ascertained. That he first settled
some four miles above Malta, on the river, and afterward in
Malta, is known. Taking the dates of other events as a cri-
terion, the probabilities are that Doctor Adams came to the
Muskingum Valley about 1815 or 181 G and left three or four
years after. What little is known of him is to his credit ; and he,
no doubt, was of the same character as his colleagues in the
i-alley.
Dr. Samuel Augustus Barker was probably the second phy-
sician to settle in Morgan county, and was certainly the first one
to make it his permanent home. He settled in McConnelsville
in 1818, one year after the place was laid out. Dr. Barker was
Minutes of Fifth Annual Meeting. 257
born in Dutchess, County, N. Y. He received a thorough edu-
cation, and graduated in medicine in time to serve in the war of
1812. Coming west soon after the w?r, the doctor first stopped
at Williamsport, W. Va., a town across the Ohio from Marietta,
where he taught school until he removed to McConnelsville. In
the latter place he also taught school until his professional duties
demanded all of his attention. In 1822 he was married to Eliza
B. Shugert. Dr. Barker was the first county auditor and the
first clerk of the court of Morgan county. He was the first
postmaster in McConnelsville. He was sheriff four years and
represented his county in the legislature for two terms. He ran
for congress in 1848, but was defeated by his Whig opponent.
Dr. Barker was an honest, upright gentlemen, and filled many
positions of trust without a blemish on his character. His many
social qualities made him universally popular. He died Mav 12,
1852.
Dr. Samuel Martin was born in Trowbridge, England, in
1796, and died in Zanesville, Ohio, May 25, 1873. When a
young man, Dr. Martin attended school at Bath, and, living
twenty miles from that place, he walked home every Saturday
night. Sunday nights he would walk back in order to be on
hand for school on Monday. He was apprenticed to a physician
for .a term of seven years, and received his medical education in
London. He was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons,
and an accomplished Latin, Greek and French scholar. In 1819
Dr. Martin came to McConnelsville, Ohio, and went into part-
nership with Dr. Barker. This partnership was soon dissolved
by Dr. Martin moving into Bloom township. (He was the first
physician in it.) He married Sarah Montgomery, a daughter of
one of the early settlers. Dr. Martin would not send his chil-
dren to school, but educated them himself, not only in the com-
mon school branches, but in Latin, Greek and French. He re-
tired from practice early in life, and moved to Zanesville in 1856.
He and many of his family were Deists. The doctor's belief
was characterized by its sincerity, and he had his feelings sorely
wounded once while serving on a jury. The judge took occasion
in delivering a charge to say "that a man who did not believe in
the Revelations was not fit to be a juror." Dr. Martin was a
Vol. Ill— 17
258 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
scholarly gentleman, a man of fine instincts and refined sensi-
bilities.
Dr. Martin, in his younger days, was quite a pedestrian.
Upon arriving in this country he landed at Philadelphia. From
there he walked across the State of Pennsylvania to Olean, in
western New York. Here he and his companion took a canoe
and journeyed down the Allegheny and Ohio rivers to Louis-
ville, Kentucky. Leaving the canoe here, Dr. Martin walked to
Nashville, Tennessee. From this place he tramped through
Kentucky to the Wabash river, opposite Shawneetown, Illinois;
then on to East St. Lo\iis, and from there through Illinois and
Indiana to Zanesville, Ohio. Hearing of the newly developed
salt industry down the Muskingum, Dr. Martin walked to Bloom
township, Morgan county, and stopped at "Squire" Montgom-
ery's, where he met his future wife. He soon moved into Mc-
Connelsville and began the practice of medicine.
That journey on foot covered many hundreds of miles and
part of it was made alone. Many nights were spent by the road
side, as in parts of the country gone over settlements in those
days were far between. Probably the first castor oil mill estab-
lished west of the Allegheny mountaiuswas built at Dresden by
Drs. Nathan Webb, senior and junior. They came to the shores
of the Waukatomiky in 1821 and cultivated the castor oil bean.
Their mill was located on the "Little Prairie." Two lodges of
Shawanese Indians were still there and interested spectators of
this symptom of civilization. The doctors were not learned in
their profession, but were the pioneer physicians of Dresden and
evidently had confidence in castor oil. From whence they came
or where they went I am not able to state.
It is impossible for us to fully appreciate the primitive man-
ner in which these men practiced medicine. They had to be, in
a degree, pharmacists and practical botanists. Roots and herbs
were an important part of their armamentarium. Infusions and
decoctions were the order of the day. The sugar-coated pill
was then unknown. In fact the life of the modern physician is
sugar-coated when compared with that of the pioneers. These
men were obliged to be fertile in resources, apt in expedients,
and ingenious in improvising. Compare, if you can, the log
Minutes of Fifth Annual Meeting. 259
cabin office of one hundred years ago with the physician's office
of to-day. Think of the progress made in medical science since
the days of these men. Chloroform, cocaine, the hypodermic
syringe, the fever thermometer, and hundreds of other things
were unknown to them. Notwithstanding all the new ideas and
inventions the rate of mortality, from the ordinary aches and ills
of life, was about the same then as now.
In looking over the lives of these men we find general char-
acteristics that are worthy of thought. They were interested
and active in educational and religious matters. They were
energetic and progressive beyond their times. They took an ac-
tive part in politics and questions of State. If they were alive
now they would probably let politics alone. Thev were brave
men, for on their lonely travels in the earlier years they had to
face the treachery of the Indian and the hunger of the wolves.
The more the lives of these men are held up to view, the more
sterling qualities we find to admire.
There were one or two more of the very early physicians
about Marietta, Waterford and Zanesville of whom the writer
could learn nothing, only that they had once lived in these
places. Their descendants either could iiot be found, or when
found could give no information.
MINUT^BS
Sixth Annual Meeting of the Society,
COLUMBUS, FEBRUARY i8 AND 19, 1891.
Thursday, February 19th the society came to order in the
State Library. There being present the following members:
Wm. E. Moore, of Columbus; A. A. Graham, of Columbus;
N. S. Townshend, of Columbus; H. A. Thompson, of Wester-
ville; J. A. Anderson, of Columbus; L. B. Wing, of Newark;
Geo. F. Bareis, of Canal Winchester ; A. R. Mclntire, of Mt.
Vernon; D. J. Ryan, of Portsmouth; J. J. Januey, of Colum-
bus; S. S. Rickly, of Columbus; Thos. E Van Home, of Co-
lumbus; J. A. Shawan, of Columbus; J. C. Reeve, of Dayton;
Cyrus Falconer, of Hamilton; B. D. Hills, of Columbus; Mrs.
N. E. Lovejoy, of Columbus; Edw. Orton, of Columbus; R.
Brinkerhofif, of Mansfield; John G. Doren, of Dayton; Thos. F,
Moses Urbana; Rev. J. A. Snodgrass, of Columbus; A. H.
Smythe, of Coumbus; Isaac Kagy, of Tiffin; Frank H. Leib,
of Millersport; W. H. Morton, of Cincinnati; John T. Gale, of
Columbus; Charles Parrett, of Columbus; Henry Howe, of Co-
lumbus; James Poindexter, of Columbus; Chas. P. Griffin, of
Toledo; R. W. McFarland, of Oxford; Ralph Reamer, of Co-
lumbus.
In the absence of the President of the Society, F. C. Ses-
sions, Rev. W^m. E. Moore, First Vice Presidsnt, presided. The
Secretary, A, A. Graham, presented and read his annual report,
which, upon motion, was accepted and ordered filed.
(261)
262 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
On motion of Mr. Doren, a committee was appointed to
nominate to the society the names of five members to serve as
trustees for three years. The chair appointed as such commit-
tee, Messrs. Doren, Anderson and Janney.
The report of the Treasurer, S. S. Rickly, was then read,
and on motion approved, and on his request a committee was ap-
pointed to examine the books at a time suitable to its con-
venience. The chair appointed Messrs. Hancock and Town-
shend as such committee.
The Secretary made report of the circular issued to the
members concerning proposed changes m the act of incorpora-
tion and by-laws regarding change of name, and increasing num-
ber of trustees. The circular had been sent to all of the mem-
bers. Out of 54 replies, 52 voted for both changes and two
against change of name. After discussion of the matter, in-
volving the legality of such change, it was decided to refer the
matter to the trustees with authority to take the ncessary steps
looking to a change of name.
The committee appointed to nominate five trustees for three
years reported the following names : F. C. Sessions, of Colum-
bus; Calvin S. Brice, of Lima; Robert W. Steele, of Dayton;
A. R. Mclntyre, of Mt. Vernon.
The report of the committee was accepted, and on motion
the rules were suspended and the Secretary was instructed to
cast the vote of the members in favor of the names proposed.
John S. Rhodes and George R. McDaniels, of Fort Recov-
ery, presented the matter of the anniversary of the Centennial
of Gen. St. Clair's defeat by the Indians in the site of that
town in November, 1791, and asked that some action be taken
by the society looking to the proper observance of this Centen-
nial. After discussion of the matter, it was on motion referred
to the Executive Committee with power to act.
A committee of the citizens of Newark came before the
society, asking its aid and co-operation to secure the purchase
and preservation of that part of the extensive system of earth-
works near the city, known as the "octagon and circle." The
design being that when purchased the State could use the land
for the erection thereon of such institution as might be best.
Minutes of the Sixth Annual Meeting. 263
After a full discussion, in which it was stated the society could
not be engaged to secure for any distinct institution, the follow-
ing resolution was, on motion of Mr. Wing, adopted:
Resolved, That the members of the Ohio State Archaeologi-
cal and Historical Societ>' are heartily in favor of the passage of
the bill introduced in the Senate by Senator Gaumer, for the
purchase by the State of the pre -historic earthworks at Newark,
and that the Executive Committee of this society be instructed
to use all proper effort to aid the passage of the bill.
This done, after discu.ssion of various mi.scellaneous matters,
dhe society on motion adjourned to meet the following evening at
the American Hotel, at 8 p. m., for the annual dinner.
Friday evening, 8 p. m., the society met in the parlors of
the American House, and after a short time spent in a social
way, met around the tables in the dining room. Rev. W. E.
Moore, the First Vice President presiding. After the dinner,
which was greatly enjoyed, the members were called to order by
the chairman. Dr. Moore, and the following toasts were pre-
sented: "The Miami Valley," Governor James E. Campbell;
"The Old School Mistress," Miss Margaret Sutherland; "Gen.
Arthur St. Clair and the Indian Campaign of 1791," Gen. E. B.
Finley ; "The Mauniee Valley in History," Hon. Chas. P. Griffin,
"The Old Moravian Missions in Ohio," Hon. Wm. Farrar,
"Ohio at the Columbian Exposition," Gen. R. Brinkerhoff.
In the absence of the Governor, to whom had been as-
signed the place as toastmaster, Mr. Claude Meeker, his private
secretary, w'as called to the chair, and in that capacity filled the
place most acceptably.
At the conclusion of the responses to the toasts, the follow-
ing resolution, offered by Dr. H. A. Thompson, was unanimously
adopted :
Whereas, Having listened with pleasure to the interesting
remarks of General Brinkerhoff as to the part Ohio should take
in the Columbian Exposition in 1893, and believing with him
the State we represent, occupying as she does so conspicuous a
position among the Mississippi Valley States, should be repre-
sented in a manner in keeping with her position and history ;
therefore, be it
264 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
Resolved, That we most heartily commend the effort being
made by Representative McMakin to secure from the General
Assembly such an appropriation as will enable the State to make
a creditable representation of her material and educational in-
terests in said exposition. In the event of an adequate appro-
priation for such purpose by the General Assembly, we believe
that no small place should be given to the work of the Ohio
Archaeological and Historical Society, and do hereby pledge our-
selves to make such an exhibit as shall do honor to the State.
The society, through Prof. John Hancock, expressed its
thanks to the proprietors of the hotel for the excellent manner
in which the dinner was served, and upon motion the sixth
annual meeting adjourned.
Wm. E. Moore,
A. A. Graham, First Vice President.
Secretary.
MEETING OF THE TRUSTEES, THURSDAY, FEBRU-
ARY 19, 1891, FIVE P. M.
The Trustees met in the State Library. Dr. Townshend in
the chair. The selecting of officers was considered. On motion
of Dr. H. A. Thompson, Mr. F. C. Sessions was elected
President.
On motion, Rev. W. E. Moore was elected First Vice Presi-
dent, and R. Brinkerhoff Second Vice President.
On motion, Mr. S. S. Rickly was elected Treasurer, and
A. A Graham elected Secretary.
The following were elected as an Executive Committee :
F. C. Sessions, Wm. E. Moore, S. S. Rickly, D. J. Ryan, John
Hancock, H. A. Thompson, N. S. Townshend. The committee
was authorized to fill vacancies and to appoint such standing
committees as should be deemed necessary. There being a
vacancy in the Board of Trustees, Mr. George F. Baries, of
Canal Winchester, was appointed to the place to serve three
years, from February 19, 1891.
The Executive Committee was instructed to meet the next
day, Friday, at 10:00 A. m., to consult further with the commit-
Minutes of the Sixth Annual Meeting. 265
tee from Fort Recovery, relating to the centennial exercises to
be held at that place in November, 1891.
The question of the contemplated change in the society's
name was then considered. The Secretary presented the circu-
lar which had been sent to the members, and after discussion, it
was, on motion of Mr. A. R. Mclntyre,
Resolved, That the Board of Trustees of this Society deem
it desirable that the articles of incorporation of this Society be
amended by striking out the first, or naming clau.se, and insert-
ing in lieu thereof tlic following : The name of this corporation
shall be "The Ohio Historical Society," and the proper steps be
at once taken to submit the question of making the amendm.ent
to a meeting of the members called for that purpo.se.
After which, upon motion, the Board of Trustees adjourned.
N. S. TOWNSHEND,
A. A. Graham, Chairman pro tetn.
Secretary.
Meeting of the Board of Trustees May 7th, 1891, in the
State Library. Present, Messrs. Sessions, Brinkerhoff, Rickly.
Thompson, Read, Griffin, Gilmore, Bareis, Mclntyre, Hancock,
and Lock wood.
Minutes of the last annual meeting of the Society and of
the Board of Trustees, February 19lh and 20th, were read and
approved. The memorial regarding the work of the Society in
the Ohio exhibit at the Columbian Exposition, was read, dis-
cussed and approved. The Secretary was instructed to arrange
for a conference with the Ohio Commi.ssioners, in session in the
office of the State Board of Agriculture, and it was resolved that
the sum of $2,500 be requested for this year's work.
On motion of Dr. Thompson, the Secretary was authorized
to draw an order upon the Treasurer for the expenses of the
Trustees in attendance at this meeting. A conference having
bee;?! .^franged, the Board met the Ohio Commissioners and
througlji ^Messrs. Brinkerhoff and Read, presented the memorial
(Qf the Triifcstees regarding the Department of Archaeology and
iHistorv in'l|.'e Ohio exhibit at the World's Fair.
266 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
After the conference, the Board renewed deliberations. On
motion, a committee consisting of Messrs. Brinkerhoff, Wright,
Baldwin, Read and the Secretary was appointed to appear before
the Ohio Commissioners at their meeting in Cleveland, June 4th,
the Committee to present a plan of the proposed department,
and to report the same to the Executive Committee. The Sec-
retary was instructed to send each member of the Board the
names of the Ohio Commissioners to the World's Fair.
The Board then adjourned to meet at Fort Ancient the next
day, Friday, May 8th.
Fort Ancient, Friday, 2 p. m. Present, Messrs. Brinker-
hoff, Read, Lockwood, Bareis, Williams, Gilmore, Harris, Mc-
Intyre and Thompson, and by invitation, Senator Jesse N. Oren.
Second Vice President Brinkerhoff in the chair. The minutes
of the previous day were read and approved. The "Care and
control of Fort Ancient" was considered. After discussion, the
the appointment by the Executive Committee of Messrs. Oren,
Harris and Williams, as a special committee in charge of Fort
Ancient, was confirmed; this committee to enter upon its duties
as soon as the transfer of the property is made. This committee
was authorized to appoint a custodian for the property, and to
establish such rules and regulations for its care and control as
may be necessary, the action of the committee in these matters
to be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval. After
an informal discussion of matters connected with the Fort, the
board adjourned.
R. Brinkerhoff, Chairman.
A. A. Graham, Secretary.
SECRETARY'S REPORT.
To the Ej^ecutive Committee :
The year closed has been marked by steady progress. Lit-
tle in detail need be said. The publication of the Quarterly to
the end of Volume II was completed. Owing to the expense of
fitting the Society's room with the necessary cases and furniture.
Secretary's Report. 2<5t
an expense of near $300, sufficient money did not remain to con-
tinue the Quarterly last year. Another item which entered into
this matter was the fact that the Society had been for some time
engaged in gathering the material on the question of the bound-
ary between Ohio and Virgin'" with a view to publication, in
connection with the reprint of the notable and strong argument
on that question by Mr. Samuel F. Vinton, before the Virginia
Supreme Court in the Garber Slave case, the intention being to
issue the argument and accompanying papers in a single jound
volume, as Volume III. An examination of the matter devel-
oped the fact that some time would be necessary to secure and
prepare, as it should be done, such an important matter, and the
publication was therefore deferred for the present. In the
meantime, the Centennial of the settlement of Gallipolis by the
French, October, 19, 1790, was brought before the Society, and
it was decided to assist in that event, as the Society had done at
Marietta in the centennial of April 7, 1888. The present volume
will be the result, and will speak for itself.
The Society not finding sufficient encouragement in the
effort to unite the Society and the State Library upon the plan
followed in Wisconsin, Kansas and several other states, turned
its attention elsewhere, upon the request and suggestion of sev-
eral members, a publication fund was started. Each active
member who desired to pay an amount of money in addition to
what each had paid as active members to equal a life member's
fee, |50, was given the opportunity. The treasurer's report
shows the present condition of the fund.
The necessary care of the rooms, the work of the Society
in its various branches, required all the secretary's time, which
could not be given gratuitously. No fixed amount until this
year was paid, only such as could be spared, and without which
I could not have continued, and no one capable of carrying it
forward could be found to do the work free.
During the last term of the General Assembly an appeal
was made to that body to aid the Society. This was cheerfully
done, the Society ' /cing required to place all its library collec-
tions in the State Library. A grant of $1 000 was made, and
^68 Ohio Arch, ayid His. Society Publications. [Vol. ^
the Society placed in the State Library some 900 bound vohimes
and pamphlets.
It is expected that this policy will be continued, and a closer
anion between the State Library and the Society be maintained.
A safe receptacle will be provided for the library accommoda-
tions of the Society, where they can be consulted by any who
may want them.
The coming World's Fair at Chicago will afford the Society
an opportunity to extend its usefulness, and its aid in making a
proper display of articles illustrating the history of the State.
The General Assembly has already taken steps to assure an ex-
hibit of Ohio's industries and Ohio's history, and the Society
should be not only recognized, but required to aid in the exhibit.
At the close of the exposition, the Society can assume full care
of such articles as may be secured from the exhibit there. By
such means, at the centennial expositions held in Ohio in 1888,
a large and valuable collection illustrating our archaeology and
history was secured. These collections can now be seen in the
rooms of the Society, which now contains some four thousand
articles of archaeology. A large number of maps, charts, carts,
photographs and other articles illustrating the archaeology and
history of Ohio. The room is now crowded, and the question
of larger and more convenient quarters confronts us.
The interest in the approaching centennials of many settle-
ments and many important events in our history is apparent.
All turn to this society to see that these are properly celebrated.
They tend to stimulate historical enquiry and interest, and their
proper observance is a part of our work and should receive the
attention each demands. The year closed emphasizes the fact
that the growth of the society, its usefulness, and its utility de-
pends on unremitting steady efforts. This we shall try to do as
long as strength and support continues.
A. A. Graham, Secretary.
Report of Tries tees. 269
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES TO THE GOVERNOR
FOR THE YEAR ENDING FEBRUARY 19, 1891.
To His Excellency, James E. Campbell,
Governor of Ohio :
The following report of this Society for the current year is
herewith presented :
The fiscal year of the Society ends February 19th, at which
time a full and detailed report of our proceedings, receipts, and
expenditures is annually made.
At the last sesion of the General Assembly an appropriation
of two thousand (|2,000) dollars was made to this Society "for
books, manuscripts, etc., to be placed in the State Library."
Under this authority the Society has catalogued to date, and
placed in the State Library, about four hundred (400) bound
volumes, about six hundred ((300) pamphlets, not including files
of magazines, many manuscripts, etc. This enumeration does
not include duplicates nor remaining parts of the Society's pub-
lication, which will be used for exchange purposes, and the
works so received be placed in the Library. It also has twenty-
nine framed charts, illustrating the archaeology of Ohio, costing
originally about ten dollars each, which Were donated to the
Society; and several paintings, drawings, and charts, which the
Library, owing to lack of wall -space, cannot receive, and wJiich
will therefore be left for the present in the Society's room. The
Society has increased its permanent fund to seven hundred ($700)
dollars, the intention being to secure eventually twenty -five
thou.sand (325,000) dollars, this fund to be known as the "Pub-
lication Fund," the income derived therefrom to be devoted to
publications. The experience of all historical societies shows a
very slow growth, and years must elapse before the fund will
reach the desired limit. In other States more than half a cen-
tury elapses before such a fund is secured. Several subscriptions
not yet due have been made, and as time progresses more will be
secured. The report of the Treasurer is as follows, and exhibits
in detail the financial transactions of the year :
270 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. S
RECEIPTS.
Balance on hand from 1889 $ 527 13
From active membership fees 470 00
Subscriptions to publication fund 580 00
From appropriations 2,000 00
From interest on permanent fund 27 33
$3,604 46
DISBURSEMENTS.
For postage $ 175 00
Railway fares of Secretary 22 00
Janitor and clerk hire 163 15
Office desk 25 00
Repairs in room 14 50
Sundry expenses, chiefly in connection with Gallipolis Centennial 162 34
Secretary's salary for February, March and April, 1890 300 00
Expenses, same period 22 1 1
Salary Secretary, May 1, 1890, to March 1, 1891 1,000 00
Job Printing 298 50
Balance printing of Volume II 96 29
Money expended for books 5 40
Transferred to publication fund 500 00
Total $2,815 67
Balance on hand 788 79
$3,604 46
From the balance on hand will be paid the printing o^ Vol-
ume III, now in press, about $400, a copy of which will be
placed on the desk of each member of the Senate and House,
and the necessary expenses, including the Secretary's salary,
until May 15th,
VAI,UE OF PUBI.ICATIONS AND STOCK ON HAND, FEBRUARY 19, 1891.
Plates of Volume I cost $ 182 10
Matrices of Volume II cost 73 22
Single copies of Quarterlies, value 72 00
Eight bound copies Volume II 40 00
Total value publications, etc., on hand $ 367 32
Report of Trustees. 271
The supply of volumes one and t'tvo, bound and unbound,
and of single numbers of the Quarterl}-, is constantly being de-
pleted by calls for them from all parts of the country. As soon
as the funds of the Society permit, these volumes will be re-
printed from the plates.
The permanent fund is now ^ 700, invested and drawing
annual interest.
The Society will now issue Volume III of its publications.
This will embody the Centennial exercises, addresses, etc., at
Gallipolis, October 16-19 last, and also several valuable papers
relating to the important historical questions.
Arrangements have been made to exchange the publications
of this Society with all other societies of a similar nature, not
only in Ohio and the United States, but also in many foreign
countries. The publications of all scientific, historical and
kindred societies are exceedingly valuable. They do not con-
tain, as a rule, reading that interests every citizen, but they do
contain monographs, carefully prepared, of great value to stu-
dents of history, government, science, political economy, and to
those whose vocations necessitate the use of such material.
The publications of such societies are not, as a rule, on sale,
hence no commercial value can be placed on them. They are,
like the issues of this Society, given to those who support the
organization, and to those who give in return the results of their
labors.
Under the appropriations given the Society, we are required
to place in the Library not only our present collection, but also
the accumulations received during the year, whether by gift, pur-
chase or exchange. It also places an injunction on the Society
to be diligent in acquiring documents, publications, etc., of a
governmental, scientific, historical and economic nature, and by
a system of exchange to secure as many as it can. This it has
labored faithfully to do. The issues of its first two volumes are
entirely exhausted, and as calls for them are constantly being
made, the Society will, as .soon as its funds permit, republi.sh
them. It will also, as has already been said, issue its third vol-
ume soon, and through it receive a large number of exchanges.
272 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
These, with all other accumulations, will be placed in the State
Library.
The Society desires to commend the efforts to secure and
build up pamphlet and manuscript departments in the State
Library. The move is most excellent. So careful a student of
history as ex-President Hayes, when Governor of Ohio, saw the
value of such departments, and did what he could to establish
and maintain them.
Such material is of inestimable value. Pamphlet publica-
tions are the cream of economical literature. The great libraries
of this country are exceedingly careful to secure such collec-
tions. A system of exchange can and should be systematically
arranged with all other libraries, and, through this Society, with
societies issuing such publications. The Legislator, the man of
business, and the student of government should have them at
ready command. We are well aware this entails additional labor
on the Librarian, who now, with a Library of some sixty thou-
sand (60,000) volumes, has the same assistance as the Librarian
of twenty-five years ago with less than half the number of
volumes and not one-fourth the applicants to examine them. If
this Society can be of any aid in this matter it will be glad to do
so. In view of the labor which these collections with its own
will impose, and the necessary work of caring for the sections
of pamphlets and manuscripts, the Society will assist, by its
Secretary, in such manner as the Library Commissioners and its
Trustees may decide. It is the earnest desire of the member-
ship, which comprises the intelligent citizens of the State, to co-
operate with the Library Commissioners to secure in our Capitol
a State Library of reference works such as Ohio should have
and such as the State can have if the proper efforts be encour-
aged.
In regard to future publications, the Society desires to call
your attention to unpublished manuscripts and documents in the
archives of the State House. Many are valuable and are giving
way to the "tooth of time," which will ere long destroy them.
We wish to collect them and publish such as are valuable. We
can do so should the small aid hitherto given be continued.
As far back as the year 1814, the Historical Society of New
Report of Trustees. 27S
York sent to the Legislature of that vState, through their dis-
tinguished Vice President, Dewitt Clinton, Esq., a memorial
drawn by his own hand, in behalf of the perishing records of
that Commonwealth. This document presented in strong terms
the urgency and importance of the measure suggested. It ap-
pealed to the patriotism of the people, whose State pride should
prompt them at once to rescue their history from threatened
oblivion. The eloquent author called upon the State to assist
the Society he represented, "in drawing from their dark abodes
documents that would illume the obscure, explain the doubtful,
and embalm the memories of the good and great." This effort
was not in vain — funds sufficient to carry out the purpose sug-
gested, were at once appropriated; competent persons were em-
ployed to translate the earlier records of the Colony w^iile under
the Dutch, and agents were sent abroad to collect in England,
Holland and France, original documents and copies of every-
thing relating to the history of the Empire State of America.
At a subsequent period, and after the materials had been
collected, a proper person was appointed "to compile the Docu-
mentary History of New York," which work is now to be found
in an imposing array of folio volumes upon the shelves of our
State Library, secured through this Society.
Other American Commonwealths, in the meantime, have
not been idle. The Historical Society of Massachusetts has
rescued from loss most of the records of that ancient colony and
influential State. They have been collected, printed and bound
in series, each one of which consists of numerous volumes.
The Historical Society and other agencies of that State were
stimulated to this action by occurrences, such as the burning of
the old State House at Boston ; the destruction of part of old
Cambridge College, and of certain private residences which in-
volved the loss of many valuable documents. Convinced by
such disasters that no depository at that time was free from dan-
ger, it was wisely determined to multiply copies of their records
through the printing press.
In the year 18-51, the Executive of Pennsylvania, by special
message to the Legislature of that State, set forth the great im-
portance of preserving the perishing records of the Common-
Vol. Ill— 18
274 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. %
wealth. A committee was at once appointed to consider the sub-
ject, and now the "Documentary History of Pennsylvania" ap-
pears in more than a dozen large volumes, beginning at the year
1664 and coming down to the latest dates.
Further south Maryland has accomplished much, and the
States of Georgia and Louisiana have not been idle. The records
of the latter have been preserved, in part, from the time when
the royal standard of Spain was first set up in the Floridas, until
the period of the American Revolution.
Even some of the newer States, Wisconsin and Michigan in
particular, have already taken steps to preserve their early
records. In Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Kansas, the State His-
torical Societies are entrusted with this work. The annual vol-
umes of these Societies, and their various publications, attest the
fidelity with which it is done.
Dr. Palmer, of the Virginia Historical Society, speaking ot
manuscripts, says :
' ' The real value of manuscripts is not always at once appre-
ciated. A paper cannot be without interest, for instance, should
it but preserve the peculiarities of style, the quaint phraseology
and antique orthography in use when it was written. In the
earliest papers before us these are prominent characteristics.
They appear as much in the private correspondence as in official
documents, in which latter, however, as may be expected, a
more stately, and often -times pompous, diction prevails.
"It should be remembered that the best educated of our
fore -fathers were compelled to employ the only vocabulary
known to them. They had inherited the style transmitted from
a more primitive age in letters, than that even in which they
lived, and which did not begin its approach to the smoother dic-
tion of the present day until about the beginning of the second
century after the founding of the colonies.
"Another merit of these documents consists in their perpet-
uating certain phrases and expressions, the only vehicles of a
class of ideas purely technical in their signification. In many of
the oldest may be recognized also much of the ruggedness of the
ancient Saxon tongue, as it appeared before the Norman dialect
had added its softer elements, whereby what may be termed the
Report of Tries tees. 275
stone -age of our language began to pass away. The papers of
this description are common until about the time of Spotswood
when their style begins sensibly to change. A little latter a
taste for the ornate becomes more apparent ; quaintness and sim-
plicity gives way to decoration, and as we pass on to times
nearer our own day, the measured sentences and rounded periods
of the more modern diction come into frequent use.
"Still another value attaches to these fading manuscripts
which may not, at first view, be recognized. In the letters and
other communications interchanged by people of every class of
society, one is impressed with the courteous regard for the
amenities of social life exhibited in them, although often couched
in awkward and commonplace language."
The foregoing presents cogent reasons why such materials
should be preserved, and should have attention from those who
possess the power to do for Ohio what has been done in New
York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, Wisconsin and in
other American states, not to speak of what has been done by
the National Government through such men as Peter Force, the
compiler of the "Annals of Congress," and by the publication
of such documents as the "American State Papers."
Ohio has many valuable official letters, orders, correspond-
ence, etc., etc., some of official nature, much unofficial, yet all
of such a nature not at the time it was issued best to print ; yet
of such a nature that it should now be preserved, and which
would go far toward correcting many matters of history.
A little encouragement granted to the Society will secure
the publication of all such a competent committee would deem
of value. We trust some attention will be given this matter,
and other volumes, like the "St. Clair Papers," be issued, e'er
the material for them is irretrievably lost.
We also wish to call attention to the coming World's Fair.
Ohio should not be behind. Already the Society possesses many
valuable articles, charts, maps, etc., of a historical nature that
should be there, and it will cheerfully do all it can for this work.
The appropriation for our general work could include this,
and thus no little expense be spared to the State. The appro-
priation for pubh ration purposes can also be included. This,
276 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
with its annual receipts from members' dues, interest, sale of
publications, etc., will keep it on a plane with the best societies
in the country and enable it to do its full share of usefulness.
The General Assembly has provided for the purchase and
preservation of that remarkable earth- work — Fort Ancient — in
the Little Miami valley. It is the largest and most extensive
prehistoric remains now in Ohio. The move was most com-
mendable, and will result in its preservation, whatever may be
the use of the grounds enclosed by the embankments. The
Society was invited by the Legislative Committee to visit the
place with them, and many members did so. The Society will
assume the care of the " Fort," and place it under such use as
the General Assembly may direct. We would also say that by
resolution of the members, such legislation is requested as will
represent the state on the Board of Trustees of the Society.
Francis C. Sessions, President.
S. S. RiCKLEY, Treasurer.
A. A. Graham, Secretary.
By order of the Board of Trustees.
THE MORAVIAN MASSACRE.
[A paper read at the vSixth Annual Meeting of the Society at Columbus,
by William M. Farrar.]
It is now more than a century since what is known to history
as "The Moravian Massatre," occurred at Gnadenhutten, on
the Tuscarawas branch of the Muskingum river; so long ago
that all those concerned in that affair have long since passed to
their graves and been forgotton. This sad affair was unique in
character, from any thing of the kind recorded in ancient
or modern history, and has been more persistently misrepre-
sented than any other event relating to the early history of the
countr}', many of those misrepresentations have passed into
history and been accepted as true.
It is the duty of this society to vindicate the truth of history
and place upon record any facts that time may have developed
NDiAN Monument, Gnadenhutten.
The Moravian Massacre. 277
tending to explain, or throw light upon, what has always been a
subject of much controversy.
This expedition which originated in the western townships
of Washington, County, Pennsylvania, during the fall and
winter of 1781, has been represented as a military one, author-
ized by the lawfully constituted military authority of that county,
commanded by a regularly commissioned militia officer, and called
out in the regular way. And yet no such order has ever been
found, nor is there any muster roll* in existence giving the list
of names of the officers and privates composing the expedition,
showing to what companies or battalion of the enrolled militia
of the country they belonged, nor has any claim for services
rendered, damages sustained, provisions furnished, arms pro-
vided, or property lost, ever been presented either against the
State or general government, b}^ any person claiming to have
been a member of the expedition. Neither is there any official
report of the expedition extant, made by either Col. Williamson
the officer in command, by James Marshel the lieutenant of the
county who was responsible for it, if any such expedition was
ordered out, or by Brigadier General Irvine the commandant at
Fort Pitt in whose department it occurred.
It is true that so accurate and careful a historian as Mr.
Butterfield has pronounced otherwise, but a review of the author-
ity upon which he relies does not seem to justify his conclusions,
based as they are upon a single statement made by Gen. Irvine
in a letter written from Fort Pitt, May 3, 1782, to President
Moore of the executive council of Pennsylvania.!
■ Brigadier Gen. Wm. Irvine was appointed to the command
of the Western Military Department, October llth, 1781. At
that day the Ohio river marked the dividing line between
barbarism and civilization, east of it, the hardy pioneers, after
making their way across the Alleghany mountains with Fort
Pitt as their objective point, had extended their settlements
north and south along the rich valleys of the rivers forming the
Ohio, and pushed them westward until the smoke of their cabins
* See Crumrine's History, Washinjjton Countv, Pennsylvania, pa>je 110.
tSee W. & I. cor. 2;]lt and 24 j.
278 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VOL,. 3
could be seen, and the sounds of their rifles and axes heard by
the red men who dwelt among the deep forests be.yond. To
guard this frontier line and protect the settlements against
Indian raids, was the work assigned to the commanding officer
of the Western Department, and for that purpose small garrisons
of regular troops were stationed at the several forts built along
this frontier line, and companies of militia drawn from the
counties of Westmoreland and Washington kept constantly rang-
ing along the border, to give timely notice of the approach of
hostile bands of savages.
To assist the commandant at Fort Pitt in this work, an
officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and known as the
County Lieutenant, was appointed by the Supreme Executive
Council of the State of Pennsylvania, for each of the several
counties embraced in the Department, whose duty it was to attend
to the enrollment and equipment of the militia of the county,
and provide for their subsistence when called into actual service ;
also to make return of the number and names of those subject
to military duty, together with the names and rank of the officers
commanding the different companies composing the several
Battalions to the commanding officer at Fort Pitt, upon whose
requisitions they were called into active service as necessity
required, whether by battalions, companies, or in smaller details,
the officer in each and every case being required to wait upon
the commandent at Fort Pitt for instructions as to the kind
of service required and his own duty in the premises.*
The orders of Congress and the Executive Council, which
were the law in the case, together with the explicit instructions
* See History Washington County, Pennsylvania, by Crumrine, page 136.
See Res. of Congress assigning General Irvine to command of Fort
Pitt and his instructions dated September 24, 1781.
See order Supreme Executive Council, Pennsylvania, October 11, 1781.
See Letters Marshel to Irvine, November 20, 26 and 28, 1781.
See Requisition of Irvine to Marshel, January 10, 1782.
See Letter of Irvine to Cook, January, 1782.
See instructions to Lieutenant Hay, November 28, 1781, and January,
1782.
See Instructions to Major Scott, April, 1782.
See Letter, Marshel to Irvine, Washington County, April 2, 1782,
The Moravia?i Massacre. 279
given to the general and snbordinate officers employed in this
frontier service, and the nniform manner of calling out the
militia, are so plain and so consistent with good military sense,
that it seems strange that any person could be misled as to the
true character of the Moravian Expedition, and yet Mr. Butter-
field has taken a single expression used by General Irvine in his
letter of May 3, 1782, to President Moore, of the Executive
Council, as "unequivocal" evidence that the militia who went
to the Muskingum were "ordered out''' by Colonel James Mar-
shel, the Lieutenant of Washington County, Pennsylvania.
The letter reads as follows:
Fort Pitt, May 3, 1782.
Sir: Immediately on receipt of your excellency's letter of
the 13th of April, I wrote to Colonel James Marshel, who or-
dered out the militia to go to Muskingum (to that branch known
as the Tuscarawas) for his and Colonel Williamson's report of
the matter, Colonel Williamson commanded the party. Inclosed
you have their letters to me on the subject, by way of report. I
have inquiries making in other quarters; when any well authen-
ticated accounts come to my knowledge, they shall be trans-
mitted. Wm. Irvine, B. Geti'I.
It is somewhat difficult to reconcile the statements con-
tained in the foregoing letter with the facts and circumstances
of the case, for, if true, Marshel, as County Lieutenant, had
been guilty of a palpable violation of law, in calling out the
militia of the county without authority, and sending them upon
an unauthorized expedition beyond the limits of the state, with-
out the proper instructions, where they had committed excesses
unheard of in civilized warfare, excesses that w^ere being very
generally condemned as a lasting reproach to the good name of
the state, and yet he was never court-martialed, investigated, or
even called upon by the Executive Council of the state from
whom he held his appointment for an explanation of his conduct.
That General Irvine wrote to Marshel and Williamson for
their reports of the matter, and transmitted the letters received
from them in reply to the President of the Council, "by way of
report'' as stated, is no doubt correct. But to assume that these
were the official reports of the transaction is not warranted.
£80 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
The President of the Council, in acknowledging their receipt,
speaks of them as not reports, but as "the representations made
by Colonel Williamson and Colonel Marshel."
It is greatly to be regretted that these letters cannot be
found, as they would no doubt settle the question whether Mar-
shel had anything to do with calling out the militia that went to
the Muskingum, and would show to what extent, if any, he was
responsible for the movement.
James Marshel survived the massacre forty-seven years, and
for almost twenty years thereafter was continuously in public
office; lyieutenant of Washington county in 1781-2-3; Register
in 1781 ; Recorder in 1791 ; Coroner from 1794 to 1799 ; and
Sheriff from 178G to 1787, when he was succeeded by Col.
Williamson, whose election was opposed because of his connec-
tion with the massacre, while no such objection was ever made
against Marshel, who was certainly more to blame for ordering
out the expedition, if he did so. But no such charge was made
during his lifetime, nor until more than fifty years after his
death, when the letter of May 3. 1782, was found among the
Pennsylvania Archives and given to the public by Mr. Butter-
field. (Wandlcor. p. 239).
About 1799, Col. Marshel removed to Wellsburgh, Virginia,
where he died in 1829. For many years he was the neighbor
and friend of Doddridge, the historian, and during the time his
history was being written and published (in 1824) they were
intimate personal friends, and it is at least reasonable to suppose
that if Marshel had ordered out the militia that went to the
Muskingum it would have been known to the historian and so
stated. Had it been a military expedition, acting in pursuance
of any competent authority, would Doddridge have stated (after
detailing the events that led to it, as he does on page 248) "ac-
cordingly between eighty and ninety men were hastily collected
together for the fatal enterprise?" That "each man furnished
The Aforavian Massacre. 281
himself with his own anus, aininunition and provisions." * * *
That "many of them had horses;" that "the murder of the
Moravians was intended;" that "no resistance from them was
anticipated" (page 2oo); that "in the latter end of the year
1781, the militia of the frontier came to a determination to break
up the Moravian villages on the Muskingum " (page 259) ; and
that "it (the massacre) was one of those convulsions of the
moral state of society, in which the voice of the justice and
humanity of a majority, is silenced by the clamor and violence
of a lawless minority." (Page 261.)
His son, John Marshel, who died in 186-, was for many years
a well known resident of Washington, Pennsylvania, cashier of
the old Franklin Bank, a man of much intelligence and integrity
of character, with whom the writer often conversed about the
Moravian Massacre, and he repeatedly said that his father always
spoke of it as the outgrowth of a mistaken belief that prevailed
at the time ; as a matter of course his father's connection with it
was not spoken of, because he was not implicated.
It may, and does seem strange, that an officer like Gen.
Irvine should write such a letter unless there was some founda-
tion for it, and yet to take the statement as correct, shows a dis-
regard of the instructions contained in his letter of January 10,
1782, so gross and inexcusable, that it would not have been
passed over with so much indifference. By that letter the Lieu-
tenants were notified of his intended absence, that Colonel Gib-
son would be left in command, that he would be the best judge
of the necessity for calling out the militia if one should arise,
and that they should ''on his requisition y order out such mem-
bers of the militia as he will call for.
These orders Colonel Gibson exercised during his absence,
by making a requisition upon the Lieutenant of Westmoreland
county for militia to protect the frontier, and to presume upon
no better authority than the statement contained in the letter of
May 3, 1782, that a much larger and more important expedition
to extend beyond the borders of the State, was ordered out by
the Lieutenant of Washington county, upon his own motion and
without even consulting Colonel Gib.son, would be very un-
reasonable, and yet. Colonel Gib.son's letter of May 9, 1782,
282 OJiio Arch, and His. Society Pjihlications. [Vol. 3
written to the Rev. Nathanial vSeidel at Bethlehem, Pennsyl-
vania, shows that he had no knowledge of such an expedition,
and that if he had, "he should have prevented it by informing
the poor sufferers of it."
Gen. Irvine left Fort Pitt on the 10th day of January, 1782,
on a visit to his family at Carlile, and did not return until the
25th day of March following, and it was during his absence on
the 8th day of March that the massacre occurred. Nineteen
days after his return, on the 12th day of April, he wrote his wife
a letter, showing that he then knew all that could be learned of
the massacre, as he details all the terrible features of the affair,
including the fact that "'Many cJiildrcn were killed in their
unetcked mothers' arms.'' And then adds, " Whether this ivas
right or wrong, I do not pretend to detertnine ." But the key to
such inexcusable indifference on the part of General Irvine is
found further along in the same letter, as follows: " Whatever
ynur private opinion of these niatters may be, I conjure you by all
fJie ties of affection, and as you value my reputatioji, that you zvill
keep your vii)id to yourself, and that you will not express any
sentiment for or against these deeds ; as it may be alleged the
sentiments you express may come from me or be mine. No man
knows whether I approve of killing the Moravians.'"
It is evident from this correspondence that General Irvine
was much alarmed about his own reputation ; that he withheld
from the council the information written to his wife on the 12th
of April ; that in his reply to Pres. Moore, of May 2d, he sought
to give the impression that he was in possession of no news
upon the subject, and on the 9th of May, after due consultation,
he joined with Pentecost in advising against an investigation.
The first news the people residing to the east of the Alle-
gheny mountains received of the massacre, was from a notice
published in the Pennsylvania Packet, of April 9th, 1782, one
month after it had occurred, and which came through Moravian
sources by way of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and read as follows:
" A very important advantage has lately been gained over
our savage enemies on the frontiers of this State, by a party of
back-country militia; we hope to give particulars in our next."
But before the next issue of the Packet came to hand, fuller
The Moravian Massacre. 283
information received through the same sources, showed a very
different state of afTairs; the killing was confirmed, but instead
of the victims being " savage enemies," they were found to have
been Christian Indians, reclaimed from savage life by the Mora-
vian missionaries, who ten years before had planted their mis-
sions in the deep wilderness, and succeeded in christianizing
several hundred of the rude and warring savage tribes, who had
become converts, abandoned savage life, and made considerable
progress in civilization. It was these converts who had been
killed, their villages destroyed, and the missions broken up, and
what was worse, even the women and children, the old and in-
firm, had been cruelly slaughtered in a manner that was shocking
to humanity, and a lasting disgrace to civilization. And as the
details of the massacre became more fully known east of the
mountains, a strong public sentiment developed in condemnation
of an outrage so manifestly in violation of the rules and usages
of civilized w^arfare. Whereupon, Dorsey Pentecost, a member
of the executive council from Washington county, left his post
of duty and hastened home, to'stay, if possible, the tide of popu-
lar indignation that seemed to be setting in so strong against his
constituents. He reached Pittsburg on the 2d of May. and on
the 8th wrote his chief as follow^s :
" Pittsburgh, May 8th, 1782.
" Dear Sir : — I arrived at home last Thursday without any
particular accident. Yesterday I came to this place; have had a
long conference with General Irvine and Colonel (xibson on the
subject of public matters, particularly respecting the late excur-
sion to Kushocton. * * That affair -i~ is a subject of great
speculation here — some condemning, others applauding the
measure ; but the accounts are .so various that it is not only
difficult, but almost, indeed, entirely impossible to a.scertain the
real truth. No person can give intelligence but tho.se that were
along ; and notwithstanding there .seems to have been some
difference amongst themselves about that l:)usiness, yet they will
say nothing; but this far I believe may be depended on, that
they killed rather deliberately the innocent with the guilty, and
it is likely the majority was the former. I have heard it insin-
uated that about thirty or forty only of the party gave their con-
sent or assisted in the catastrophe. It is .said here, and I believe
284 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
with truth, that sundry articles were found amongst the Indians
that were taken from the inhabitants of Washington county.
DoRSEY Pentecost.
Before this letter had been forwarded, and on the next day,
he wrote again as follows :
"Pittsburgh, May 9, 1782.
''Dear Sir: — Since writing the letter that accompanies
this, I have had another and more particular conversation with
General Irvine on the subject of the late excursion to Kushoc-
ton, and upon the whole, I find that it will be impossible to get
an impartial and fair account of that affair ; for although sundry
persons that were in the company may disapprove of the whole
or every part of the conduct (of those engaged in the killing),
yet from their connection they will not be willing, nor can they
be forced to give testimony, as it affects themselves. And the
people here are greatly divided in sentiment about it ; and on in-
vestigation may produce serious effects, and at least leave us as
ignorant as when we began, and instead of rendering a service
may produce a confusion and ill-will amongst the people. Yet
I think it necessary that the council should take some cognizance
or notice of the matter, and in such a time as may demonstrate
their disapprobation of such parts of their conduct as are cen-
surable; otherwise it may be alleged that the government,
tacitly at least, have encouraged the killing of women and chil-
dren; and in a proclamation of this kind, it might be well not
only to recommend but to forbid, that in future. excursions that
women and children and infirm persons should not be killed —
so contrary to the law of arms as well as Christianity. I hope a
mode of proceeding something like this would produce some
good effects, and perhaps soften the minds of the people, for it
is really no wonder that those who have lost all that is near and
dear to them go out with determined revenge and extirpation of
all Indians. Dorsey Pentecost."
By way of contrast to these apologetic letters of Mr. Pente-
cost, we have that of Col. Edward Cook, Lieutenant of West-
moreland county, who was called upon during General Irvine's
absence from his post of duty for a detail of men for frontier
service, by Colonel Gibson, and furnished the same, the officer
in command waiting upon Colonel Gibson for instructions. It
bears date September 2, 1782, and addressed to President Moore
of the Executive Council, as follows;
The Moravian Massacre. 285
" / am informed thai you have it Reported that the Massacre
of the Moravian Indians obtains the approbatio?i of Every man
on this side of the Mountains, which I assure your Excellency is
false ; that the better part of the commtaiity are of Opinion the
Perpetrators of that wicked Deed ought to be brought to Condein
Punishmejit : that without so?nethi7ig is Done by Government in
the Matter, it zvill disgrace the Amiuls of the United States, and
be an Everlasting Plea and cover for British cruelty T"^
These letters of Pentecost serve to show the difiference in
public sentiment that then prevailed east and west of the Alle-
gheny Mountains in regard to the massacre. Pentecost was a
politician, and therefore anxious to avoid a public investigation
of the matter, and Irvine, in great alarm for his own reputation,
readily joined him in advising against one.
Colonel David Williamson, who commanded the expedition,
has probably received a great deal more than his share of public
censure, because of the prominent part he acted in the affair.
Whether he held a commission at the time as a militia officer is
uncertian ; he certainly did soon after, and if so, that was about
all the military character the expedition had. The fact that
Williamson was chosen commander after thev had assembled
at Mingo, goes to show that he commanded by virtue of that
authority, whatever it was, rather than because of any he exer-
cised as a militia officer.
The expedition was neither infantry nor cavalry, mounted
nor dismounted, but a mixed crowd made up from that reckless
and irresponsible element usually found along the borders of civ-
ilization, boys from eighteen to twenty j^ears of age, who joined the
expedition from love of adventure, and partly of such well-known
characters as Captain Sam Brady, of West Liberty, Virginia,
* See Crutnrine's History Washington County, Pennsylvania, page 110.
286 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications . [Vol. 3
and at least one of the Wetzels from near Wheeling, who, from
their experience and well-known bravery as frontiersmen, are
said to have exercised verj^ great influence in deciding the fate
of the Indians.
It has always been a matter of some surprise that the
brothers, Andrew Poe and Adam Poe, were not members of the
expedition. They were well known as stout, hardy, fearless
backwoodsmen, experienced leaders in Indian warfare, and on
hand wherever courage and endurance were required. But for
some reason, now unknown, they were not along, and, so far as
known, do not appear to have been advised of the movement.
Their absence is all the more unaccountable as they had, in
the September previous, greatly distinguished themselves by a
vigorovis pursuit of a Bigfoot party, which was overtaken at the
Ohio River and dispatched, after a struggle that has made the
name of Poe famous in pioneer history.
The greater portion of the crowd were mounted, the others
on foot; each man provided his own horse, arms and provisions,
and it was noisy, turbulent and disorderly from the start, ^ and
the authority exercised by Williamson over it, about equivalent
to that usually conceded to the leader of an ordinary mob.
Who suggested that the question, whether the Indians
should be killed or taken prisoners to Fort Pitt be submitted to
a vote, is not known, but the fact that he did so only serves to
show the extent of Williamson's authority. It has never been
claimed, however, that he cast his own vote or participated in
the slaughter. He is represented by those who knew him per-
Note 1. — Statement of a member of the expedition.
The Moravian Massacre. 287
sonally as a man of naturally pleasant and agreeable disposition,
six feet in height, rather fleshy in his make-up, of florid com-
plexion, and of " too easy a compliance with public opinion," as
Doddridge says.
In the Sandusky expedition that followed closely upon the
Moravian massacre, Williamson was in command, and it was
largely to his unremitting activity, courage and judgment, that
any considerable number of the men were kept together after
the defeat and brought back in even tolerable order. He after-
ward filled a number of important and responsible offices in
Washington County, Pennsylvania, and in 1787 was elected
sheriff" of the county after a warm canvass, during which his
connection with the Moravian expedition was strongly urged
against him. He was born in Carlile, Pennsylvania, in 1752,
was thirty years of age in 1782, and died at Washington, Penn-
sylvania, in 1814, aged sixty-two years, and is buried in the old
graveyard on North Main street, but no stone or other monu-
ment marks his last resting place. He married Polly Urie, the
daughter of Thomas Urie, a well-known family of Washington
County, Pennsylvania, and left a family of four sons and four
daughters. Two of his daughters married into the well-known
McNulty family, of West Middletown, Pennsylvania, and Caleb
J. McNulty, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, who died on his way to
Mexico during the war with that country, was his grandson.
He was the one member of the expedition who, by reason of the
position he filled, could not hide from public censure, and hence
his undue share of it. During a large part of his lifetime he re-
sided on Buff"alo creek, near to the Virginia line, where he was
personally acquainted with the historian, Doddridge, whose
statements concerning his character and disposition may be
safely taken as correct.
John Carpenter has always been quoted as an authority
whose statements go to extenuate the massacre. The story is
that about the time of the Wallace tragedy, or very soon after-
ward, he was captured on the waters of Buff"alo creek by six In-
dians, two of whom spoke good Dutch, and called themselves
Moravians ; that he was carried a prisoner to the middle Mora-
288 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. %
vian town, where, among other things, he saw the bloody dress
of Mrs. Wallace.
This was accepted as proof positive that the Moravians were
in the habit of raiding the settlements, or of harboring and
trading with those who did, and therefore should be exter-
minated.
The value of this evidence, however, depends upon the date
of Carpenter's capture. If it occurred prior to the Wallace
tragedy, the conclusion is inevitable that he did not see the
bloody clothing of Mrs. Wallace at the Moravian town, as stated.
John Carpenter was among the first, if not the very first,
white man to settle on the we.st side of the Ohio river. He lived
for some years on Buffalo creek, ten or twelve miles east of the
river, and in his hunting excursions often crossed to the west
side, where game was more plentiful, and believing, as many
settlers did, that the Indian titles would, ere long, be extin-
guished and the rich lands on that side of the river come into
possession of the government, and be opened to settlement, he
determined to secure a claim by making an improvement in ad-
vance, and therefore in the summer and fall of 1781, he pro-
ceeded to clear a piece of ground and build a cabin near the
mouth of Rush Run, the same that was afterward strengthened
and became Carpenter's Fort. It was this work he was engaged
upon in the month of September, 1781, when the second Indian
attack upon Fort Henry (at Wheeling) took place, and bareh
received warning of their approach in time to escape to the east
side of the river and remove his family to a place of safety.
After the raid was over and all again quiet, Carpenter re
turned and continued his work, which he finished late in the
fall, when he removed the game he had killed across the river,
where it was loaded upon horses and carried to his home on
Buffalo.
Having done this, he took a pair of horses and started to
Fort Pitt in order to secure a supply of salt, and while on his
way was captured, taken to the Moravian town, and started from
there in charge of two of his captors, from whom he escaped
and made his way back to Fort Pitt as has been related, but all
this took place two months or more prior to the 17th day of
The Moravian Massacre. 289
February, 1782, when the Wallace cabin was destroyed and his
wife and children carried into captivity.
In 1801, Edward Carpenter, the oldest son of this John
Carpenter, took a government contract to open a road from
Steuben ville to the Wills creek crossing on the Zane Trace, and
while so engaged entered a quarter of land in section 26 of
township 11 of the tnh range, where he continued to reside until
his death, January 12, 1828. And upon the same quarter section
of land his son, Edward, lived until March 22d, 1882, when he
died at the age of 80 years, and it is from him that the facts
stated concerning the capture of his grandfather were obtained.
He was a gentleman of much intelligence, served for many
years as a justice of the peace, took much pride in the history
of his ancestr}', and had learned many of the incidents relating
to his grandfather from the pioneer himself, and many more
from his own father, both of whom were very reliable men,
whose statements are much more likely to be correct than the
indefinite rumors published in the Pennsylvania Packet at that
time, based as they necessarily were upon the most meagre
information concerning a transaction that occurred several hun-
dred miles distant, the true character of which it was the interest
and purpose of those implicated to conceal.
Another misrepresentation that has passed into history
and been often repeated, even as late as 1882 in Crumrine's
history of Washington county, Pennsylvania,^ is, that the mas-
sacre was an after-thought, the result of frenzied feelings, pro-
voked by finding the dead bod}- of Mrs. Wallace impaled on the
wayside, directly leading from Mingo bottom to the villages on
the Muskingum, and also by finding in possession of the
Indians, property stolen from the plundered cabins of the set-
tlers, trinkets and clothing of murdered relatives, at the sight of
which they became exasperated and forgot themselves. In all
such statements, which have times without number been urged
in excuse of the massacre, there is no truth whatever.
The site of the Wallace cabin was a short distance north of
Note 1. See Crumrine's History, Washington county, Pennsylvania,
page 104. I
Vol. Ill— 19
290 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
what was long known in the early settlement of the country as
Briceland's cross-roads, and the Indians that committed the out-
rage reached it by crossing the Ohio river at the mouth of
Yellow creek and thence following the well known trail along
the dividing ridge between the waters of King's creek on
the south, and those of Travis creek on the north, until the
advanced settlements were reached, when having killed the
stock and plundered the cabin they set it on fire and retreated by
the same route, carrying with them as prisoners, Mrs. Wallace
and her three children, one being an infant. This soon became
too much of an incumbrance for the mother to carry and keep up
with the party as they feared pursuit and were anxious to reach
the river and cross to the west side, but when they attempted to
take it from her, or dispatch it in her arms, she resisted so vigor-
ously that the Indian having her in charge became enraged and
struck his tomahawk into her own skull. The bodies of mother
and child were then carefully hidden, that they might not aid the
pursuit, and remained concealed until found years afterward.
The Indian trail followed by this party, and within a few
rods of which the remains of Mrs. Wallace* were afterward
found, was as much as twenty-five or thirty miles further north
than the one followed by the Moravian expedition through
Mingo, hence the absurdity of finding the body of either mother
or child impaled by the wayside.
At the date of the massacre, Robert Wallace did not know
that his wife was dead, but supposed her to be a prisoner among
the Indians, nor did he learn otherwise until nearly three years
afterward, when an Indian trader who had been among the
Wyandots at Sandusky, learned that his younger son (Robert)
was still living, but that the elder one was dead, and that the
mother and youngest child had been killed before reaching the
Ohio River, as has been stated. In a letter written by the Lieu-
tenant of Washington county, Pennsylvania, addressed to Gen-
*NOTE — Her maiden name was Jane McKay, and Mr. Wallace always
insisted that she could easily have kept up with the party and carried her
babe, had it not been that an old pair of shoes she happened to have on
that day impeded her, as she was a strong, hearty woman. (Statement of
her surviving son, Robert.)
The Aforavian Massacre. 291
eral Irvine, and dated October 21st, 1782, it appears that at that
time, more than eight months after the capture, Wallace believed
his wife to be living, and was making efforts, through General
Washington, to find out where she was and effect her recovery.
He finally secured possession of the younger boy, and ascer-
tained about the locality where the mother and child had been
killed, when he made search and found the remains, which he
gathered up carefully, carried back to his home and buried in
the graveyard at Cross Creek, Pennsylvania.
In 1792 he married Mary Walker, by whom he had five
children, and died in 1808 at the age of seventy-three years.
He is buried in the old cross-roads burying ground at Florence,
Pennsylvania.
'cxjt^-C.
The son Robert, redeemed from the Wyandotts, lived to be
seventy-seven years of age, and died in 1855. He had a large
scar on his right ear, given him while a prisoner, made by a
squaw who became offended and swore she would kill him, bur.
was prevented by another Indian from doing so.
Whoever follows the affair carefully from beginning to
end, will.be convinced that the massacre was no accident or
after-thought, but the result of a fixed and predetermined pur-
pose, of which there is conclusive evidence, traditional, to be
sure, but of the most reliable character.
The Lyles removed from Northampton county, Pennsyl-
vania, to the headwaters of Cross Creek, in 1784, two years
after the Moravian mas.sacre took place. E)ast of the moun-
tains the affair was almost universally condemned as being an
inhuman outrage, and Robert Lyle so continued to speak of it
after his removal west, but was soon given to understand that
he must not so express himself, as public opinion would not
permit it.
In 1792, Robert Lyle and Joseph Vance, the proprietor of
Vance's Fort, who bad become brother church members and
292 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. Vol. 3
fast friends, were riding together in advance of the funeral pro-
cession of David Hays, when Lyle asked his friend if the de-
ceased had not been a member of the Moravian expedition, to
7i^ru^C^
which Vance replied, "No, he was not," and after a few min-
utes' silence said, "Did you ever know how that afifair hap-
pened?" and then went on to say that it originated in Vance's
Fort in the fall of 1781, at a time when some twenty-five or
thirty families were forting from the Indians. The opinion
had long prevailed among the frontier settlers that the half-
way houses, as they characterized the villages on the Mus-
kingum, were simply resting places for the Sandusky war-
riors on their plundering raids into the settlements, and that
the settlers would get no permanent relief until those villages
were broken up and destroyed. The military authorities at
Fort Pitt knew better, knew that the Moravian missions
were not only what they pretended to be, but that they
had frequently received information from them of Indian
expeditions into the settlements that enabled them to counter-
act and defeat them. But they dared not communicate the
same to the settlers, as it would have exposed the Missions to
sure destruction by the Sandusky warriors, as eventually hap-
pened. Driven from their homes and shut up within the fort,
the men became very impatient and frequently discussed the
situation with much earnestness. Prayer meetings were held
daily, and often in the Vance cabin, which stood outside of but
near to the stockade. After one of these meetings, Vance and
two of his neighbors remained after the others had returned into
the fort, and while talking over their troubles one of them said,
"There is no use in talking, this thing will never be better until
the half-way towns are destroyed." "Yes," replied another,
" and I will be one of a company to go and wipe them out," to
which the others assented, and that then and there the Moravian
Massacre originated. The proposition was thereupon stated to
The Moravian Massacre. 293
those iu the fort, who approved it and pledged their assistance
to carry it into execution, but what steps were taken to com-
municate with the other frontier settlements and secure their co-
operation is not known. The organization was, however, com-
plete, and the intention to move promptly on the half-way towns
about to be carried out, when the movement was frustrated for
the time being by two companies sent out by the commandant
of the Western Department, under Colonel Williamson, for the
purpose of taking the Indians at the Muskingum towns back
to Fort Pitt. The Pennsylvania Archives, page 753, contains
what is believed to be a complete roll of these companies, in-
cluding the names of two captains, two lieutenants, one ser-
geant and fifty-one privates, but it bears no date and only con-
tains the names of four persons known to have been present at
the massacre in March following. But Williamson found him-
.self anticipated by an expedition from Detroit that had already
removed the Missionaries and their converts to Sandusky, and
finding but half a dozen Indians there, who had either .strayed
into the place or found their way back after the removal, they
were taken back and delivered to the authorities at Fort Pitt,
who soon after released them, thereby giving great offense to
the settlers, who thought they should have been killed. The
authorities were denounced, Williamson severely censured, and
the frontier filled with exaggerated rumors of Indian depreda-
tions and plots that were really without foundation.
The expedition to the Muskingum was not abandoned, only
in abeyance, when the Wallace tragedy set the frontier in a blaze
of excitement, the word was passed around, and on Monday,
the 4th of March, men in couples, .squads and singly, on horse-
back and on foot, appeared suddenly on the east bank of the
river at Mingo, crossed over to the west side, where, when all
had assembled, they chose officers, and on the next morning di.s-
appeared, going west along the old Moravian trail up Cro.ss
Creek. Doddridge says,^ "They chose their own officers, fur-
nished their own means, and conducted the war in their own
way." On Wednesday evening they encamped within one mile
Note 1. — See Doddridge's Revised History, p. 256.
294 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
of the middle Moravian village, but carefuU}- concealed their ap-
proach until the next morning, when, having discovered that
some of the Indians were at work on the west side of the river,
they divided their force, part of which crossed the river, when
they approached the town from different directions. To show
the purpose with which they went there to be murder, and mur-
der only, the party that crossed to the west side killed and
scalped the first Indian they saw, while he was pleading with
them not to kill him, that he was the son of John Schebosh, a
well-known Christian convert. Others were shot and killed be-
fore the town was entered, proving that it was not the sight of
what was found in the town that induced the killing.
They deliberated all day of the 7th while waiting for the re-
turn of the parties sent out to bring in the Indians from Salem
and Schoenbrun, and it was during this delay that some of the
better element among them began to relent, to realize that they
had misjudged the Moravians, and that it would not do to kill
them.
Among others who had joined the expedition burning with
revenge, was a young preacher whose affianced bride had been
carried ofif a prisoner by Indians, but the prayers and songs of
the poor creatures softened his heart and turned aside his wrath,
until he not only voted to take them prisoners to Fort Pitt, but
remonstrated again.st the killing ; all in vain ; the demon had
been roused, and only blood could stay his hand. Whether
Colonel Williamson witnessed the slaughter or retired from the
scene with tho.se who voted against it, we are not told, but to
those who have visited the place and are familiar with the local-
ity, that excuse is valueless.
The river on the west side of the village runs deep in the
earth, and it was under the bank where the eighteen retired,
distant by measurement not more than seventy-five yards from
the church out of which the victims were dragged to the slaugh-
ter hou.ses. Standing there, they could not see, but could dis-
tinctly hear all that was going on above. And one of those who
stood there and lived to be the last survivor of the eighteen, has
told persons 3'et living, that while so waiting, a young Indian
escaped from his murderers, and all covered with blood, came
The Moravian Massacre. 295
running to the river, plunged in and swam to the other side and
was already clambering up the bank, when one of the party
raised his gun and shot him through the body.
Of the details of the massacre little is known. The sur-
vivor of the eighteen referred to, who died in 1839 at the age of
ninety-six years, said that after all was over, Robert Wallace
came to where several of the company, including himself, were
standing, and bursting into a flood of tears, said: "You know
I couldn't help it !" His clothing was soiled and bloody, and he
was laboring under great excitement and exhaustion.
Gathering together the plunder found at the village, and
fastening it upon the backs of their horses, they set fire to the
houses and set out upon their return. They must have traveled
nearly all night, for they reached Mingo late in the afternoon of
Saturday, where they halted only long enough to readjust the
packages of plunder to their horses, when they recrossed the
river and disappeared from the public notice almost as com-
pletely as if they had perished in crossing the stream.
Whether they had agreed among themselves to say nothing
is not known, but it is more than likely that on the way back
to the river they had begun to realize what they had done, that
they would be called to account for it by the military authorities
at Fort Pitt, and therefore the less said about it the better. And
no expedition of equal importance, militar^^ or civil, so suddenly
and so entirely disappeared from public notice. Even the fam-
ilies of many of the members being entirely ignorant of their
connection with the affair.
One example may be given ; a colored man ( the slave of
one of the parties) w^ho died in 1812, was wont to tell that upon
going to the stable one Monday morning, he discovered that the
horse his master usually rode when absent on hunting or scout-
ing expeditions, was missing from his accustomed place, but as
such things were not uncommon, nothing was thought of it, nor
did any member of the family speak of it. But on the next
Sunday morning, upon going to the same place, the horse was
found in his stall, bearing marks of hard usage, and his sides
and flanks streaked with blood; that nothing was seen of his
master until the following morning, when he shaved, washed
296 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VOL. 3
and dressed himself carefully and ate his 'breakfast, after which
all the family were called in to prayers, and that during the day
his master busied himself in stretching a couple of scalps'upon
a hoop, which was then hung up in the great wooden chimney
to dry.
Although born and raised in the community from which the
expedition was mostly raised, the writer, in a peried of forty
years, has onh^ been able to collect the names of about thirty
persons that he has reason to believe were members of the ex-
pedition, and as to only a few of those is there absolute
certainty.
A gentleman born in 1796 said that he was present at Bur-
gettstown, Pennsylvania, in August, 1812, upon the day when
volunteers were raised to march to Detroit to repel the British
and Indians reported to be marching upon the frontiers in con-
sequence of Hull's surrender of the post at Detroit. It was a
day of great excitement, and called together a large crowd of
people from the surrounding country. That among other sights
that drew the attention of a boy of sixteen years, he came
across a crowd being entertained by an old man much the worse
for liquor, who was singing maudlin songs, when some person
said, "Now, Uncle Sol, show us how they killed the Indians."
That at once the old fellow's whole manner changed from the
gay to the grave, and he began crying and cursing the cowards
who killed women and children. Presently he ran forward,
making motions as if throwing a rope over the heads of those in
front of him, and then running backwards as if dragging an
object after him, seized the large stick held in his hands, and be-
gan beating an imaginary object, all the time howling and curs-
ing like a demon, when somebody pulled him away, saying it
was a shame. That having but imperfectly comprehended what
he saw, my informant made inquiry, and learned that Uncle Sol
had been at the Moravian Massacre, and when in his cups, as he
had seen him, would show how the}^ killed the Indians, but
when sober could not be induced to open his mouth upon the
subject.
But little more remains to be said. None of the excuses
urged in extenuation of the affair are tenable. No murder was
The Moravian Massacre. 297
;ver so well kept. The early historians were meagre and in-
definite in their accounts of it, because there was nothing known
to tell, and it was only after half a century that a few details
leaked out and became known, as already stated.
The Sandusky expedition followed so soon after, with Col-
onel Williamson second in command, that many of the same
persons joined it and took part in the disastrous defeat at San-
dusky, resulting in the terrible death of the commanding officer,
who was burned at the stake in retaliation for the Moravian
Massacre, and in the shocking details of his sufferings and death
the Moravian affair was lost sight of and forgotten.
The men concerned in the afifair returned to their homes,
where many of them lived to a good old age and spent exem-
plary lives, a number having become ruling elders and leading
members in the churches at Cross Creek, Upper Bufi"alo, and
other places. And it is a curious fact that in the great religious
movement that swept over Western Penns3^1vania during the
latter part of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth
centuries, man}' of these same men were active and leading par-
ticipants ; and that the great religious movement had its origin
at Vance's Fort* and among the same men with whom the
Moravian Massacre originated. But time has drawn the veil of
oblivion over their names and nothing could now be gained by
removing it.
Ninety years after the occurrence of this sad event the
Moravian brethren met at Gnadenhutten, and with appropriate
ceremonies dedicated a monument to the memory of the poor
Indian converts who perished there with a heroism worthy of all
praise.
This monument stands upon the site of the old Mission
Church, and the shaft, which rises 25 feet above the base, was
unveiled by four Moravian Indians, one of whom was the great-
grandson of Joseph Schebosh, the first victim of the Massacre.
On its western face the shaft bears this inscription :
* See historical discourse of Rev. John Stockton, D. D., on fortieth
anniversary of his ministry at Cross Creek, Pa., page 7.
298 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [VoL. 3
HERE
TRIUMPHED IN DEATH,
NINETY
CHRISTIAN INDIANS,
MARCH 8. 1782.
In the address of Bishop DeSchweinitz, delivered on that
occasion, the names of the victims were given and are herein
copied that they may go upon record and never be forgotten.
NAMES OF THE VICTIMS OF THE MASSACRE.
Members of the Gnadenhutten Mission.
1. Joseph Schebosh, a half-breed, son of John Joseph
Schebosh or John Bull (which was his real name), a white man
and assistant Missionary.
2. Christiana, his wife, a Sopus Indian from New Eng-
land.
3. John Martin, a distinguished national assistant.
4 and 5. Luke, and his wife, Eucia.
6, 7 and 8. Philip and his wife, EovEL, and their little
daughter, Sarah.
9. Abraham, surnamed the Mohican.
10 and 11. Paul and Anthony, John Martin's sons.
12. Christiana, a widow, educated in the Moravian
schools at Bethlehem, a refined and cultured woman.
13 and 14. Mary, another widow, and her little daughter,
Hannah.
15, 16 and 17. Rebecca, Rachel and Maria Elizabeth,
a young daughter of Mark.
The Monxviau Massacre. 299
18 and 19. Gottlieb and Benjamin, two little sons of
Joanna.
20 and 21. Anthony and John Thomas, two other little
boys.
Members of the Salem Mission.
1. Isaac Glikkikan, one of the most illu.strious of Mora-
vian Indians, formerly a great warrior, and after his conversion
a faithful assistant of the Missionaries, baptized on Christmas
eve, 1779, by Zeisberger, at Friedenstadt.
2. Anna Benign a, his wife, who took the pony of one of
the Sandusky warriors and rode all night in order to notify the
garrison at Fort Mcintosh of the Indian movement upon Fort
Henry.
8 and 4. Jonah, another assistant, and his wife Amelia.
5 and G. Christian and his wife, Augustina.
7. Samuel More, a Jersey Indian.
8. ToBiA, a venerable sire.
9. Israel, a celebrated Delaware chief, known as Captain
Johnny.
10. Mark, surnamed the Delaware.
11 and 12. Adam, and his wife Cornelia.
13 and 14. Henry, and his wife, Joanna.
15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. Salome, Paul, Michael,
Peter, Gotleib, David.
21 and 22. Lewis, ahd his wife, Ruth.
23 and 24. John, and another John, a young man who
was shot after swimming the river.
25. Hannah, Joseph Peepis' wife.
26. Judith, an aged gray-haired widow, the first killed
among the women.
27. 28, 29, 30, 31, 82, 88. Catharine, Maria Susanna,
Juliana, Elizabeth, Martha, Anna Rosina, Salome, to-
gether with the following little boys and girls:
34, 85, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49,
50. Christian, Joseph, Mark, Jonathan. Christian, Gott
LiEB, Timothy, Jonah, Christiana, Leah, Benigna, Ger-
300 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol 3
TRUDE, Christina, Anna Christina, Anna, Salome, and
Anna Elizabeth.
Besides these there were five adults, one man, Schappihil-
LEN, the husband of Helen, together with four women and thir-
teen babes not yet baptized, and the following members of the
Mission at Schoenbriai, who happened to be at Gnadenhutteii
to-wit : Nicholas and his wife, Joanna Sabina, Abel, Hen
RY, Anna, and Bathsheba, the last two daughters of Joshua
the founder of Gnadenhutten ; in all, twenty-eight men, twent>
nine women, and thirty-three children. Two boys, Thomas anc
Jacob, escaped.
I cannot better close this paper than by quoting the words
of Charles McKnight, who, in his centennial work entitled,
''Our PVestern Border One Hiindred Years Ago,'' says:
"The whole massacre leaves a stain of deepest dye on the
page of American history. It was simply atrocious and execra-
ble— a blistering disgrace to all concerned, utterly without ex-
cuse, and incapable of defense. It damns the memory of each
participator to the last syllable of recorded time. All down the
ages the Massacre of the Innocents will be its only parallel."
Wm. M. Farrar.
THE MILITARY POSTS, FORTS AND BATTLEFIELDS
WITHIN THE STATE OF OHIO.
The centennial is approaching of the greatest battle fought
on the soil of Ohio, the battle between the Indians and the army
under General Arthur St. Clair, November 4, 179L It is well
to note in detail the important military posts in our State. An
examination of the map accompanying this article will show
that not many northwestern states have such a military record.
The accompanying sketches are compiled from so many
sources that it is impossible to give credit to all, and hence none
will be mentioned. The description of each is brief, and con-
fined to the important facts connected with each. On each of
these places pages could be written, but the object of this
article, however, is to place in compact form the salient points
Miiitary Posts in the State of Ohio. 301
only. The narrative will, as far as possible, follow the chron-
ological order.
Fort Miami, the oldest fortification in Ohio, was built by
an expedition sent by Frontenac, Governor of Canada, in 1680,
as a military trading post, about fifteen miles up the Maumee
from its mouth. It stood on the left bank of the river, in what
is now Maumee City. It was used but a short time, the trading
of the French being moved farther into the Indian country. In
1785 the abandoned fort was rebuilt and occupied by the British,
who remained in possession until the treaty of peace with the
Indians in 1795. They again occupied the fort during the war
of 1812. After its close, the post came into use as a trading
place, being such when the Maumee valley was settled by
Americans.
Fort Sandusky, a small stockade trading place of the
French, was built about 1750, on the left bank of the Sandusky
River, not far from the site of Sandusky City. It was a trading
post only, and was abandoned soon after the Peace of 1763.
Loramie's Fort, as it was called, was originally a trading
post, occupied by the English as early as 1750 or 1751 as a trad-
ing station. It was then known as Pickawillany. In 1752 the
place was attacked by an Indian and French force sent from
Canada, the station being considered an encroachment on French
territory. Not long after a Candian Frenchman named Loramie,
established a store and trading post here, and the place became
a hostile center against the American settlements. In 1782,
Gen. George Rogers Clarke and a body of Kentucky troops
invaded the Miami country and destroyed this post. In 1794,
Gen. Wayne built a fort here called " Fort Loramie." The fort
became a prominent point on the Greenville Treaty line, and
soon afterward was abandoned as a military post.
Fort Junandat. A trading station on the right bank of
the Sandusky river, was built about 1754 by French traders. It
was occupied but a short time, and with other French posts, was
abandoned soon after the close of the French and Indian war.
302 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
Fort Gower — named for Earl Gov/er — a small stockade,
was built b}' Lord Dunmore, at the mouth of the Hocking river
in 1774, when on his march against the Indians in the Northwest
Territor}^ From this place he marched his troops up the river
to an encampment — Camp Charlotte — in what is now called Ross
county, on the Scioto river, about seven miles south of the
present city of Circleville. Here a treaty of peace was con-
cluded with the Indians, and the army returned to Fort Gower,
and then to Virginia.
Fort Laurens — named in honor of the first President of
Congress, was erected in the fall of 1778, by a detachment of
one thousand men under command of General Mcintosh, com-
mander at Fort Pitt, to act as a check on the Indians who were
at that time hostile to the Americans, and who gave the western
settlements no little cause for alarm. After its completion a
garrison of one hundred and fifty men was placed therein, under
charge of Col. John Gibson. The Indians attacked the fort in
the winter following and gave the garrison much trouble, killing
some of the soldiers who ventured outside the walls of the
stockade. The Indian siege lasted until late in February, reduc-
ing the garrison to close straits. Couriers were sent to General
Mcintosh, who brought provisions and aid. The fort was
evacuated in August, 1779, being untenable at a such a distance
on the frontier.
The fort stood "a little below the mouth of Sandy Creek,"
on the west bank of the Tuscarawas river, half a mile south of
the present village Bolivar. The walls were octagonal in shape,
enclosing about an acre of ground. The palisades were split
tree trunks, inside of which were the soldiers' quarters. Col.
Charles Whittlesy visited the spot about the time the canal was
made and traced the old embankment now almost obliterated.
Fort FIarmar was built by Maj. John Doughty in the
autumn of 1785 at the mouth (right bank) of the Muskingum
river. The detachment of United States troops under command
of Maj. Doughty, were part of Josiah Harmar's regiment, and
hence the fort was named in his honor. The outlines of the
fort formed a regular pentagon, including about three quarters
Military Posts i)i the State of Ohio. 303
of an acre. Its walls were formed of large horizontal timbers,
the bastions being about fourteen feet high, set firmly in the
eartii. In the rear of the fort, Maj. Doughty laid out fine gar-
dens, in which were many peach trees, originating the familiar
"Doughty peach." The fort was occupied by a United States
garrison until September 17i'0, when they were ordered to Fort
Washington (Cincinnati). A company under Capt. Haskell con-
tinued to make the fort headquarters during the Indian war of
I79O-O0. From the date of the settlement at Marietta across the
Muskingum in the spring of 177H, the fort was constantly occu-
pied by settlers, then rapidly filling the country.
Fort Steuben was built in 1780, on the site of the present
city of Steubenville. It was built of block houses connected l)y
a row of palisades and was one of the early American out-posts
in the Northwest Territory. It was garrisoned by a detachment
of United States troops under command of Col. Beatty. The
post was abandoned soon after Wayne's victory in 1794.
Fort W.\shi.\gtox was built by Maj. John Doughty, who
was sent with a detachment of troops from Fort Harmar in Sep-
tember, 1781), to build a fort for the protection of the settlers in
the " Symmes Purchase," between the Miami rivers. It was
completed during the winter following, and under date of Jan-
uary 14, 1790, Gen. Josiah Harmar wrote that "It is built of
hewai timber, a perfect square, two stories high, with four block
houses at the angles. The plan is Maj. Doughty 's and on ac-
count of its superior excellence I have thought proper to honor
it with the name Fort Washington." This was an important
post during the Indian war of 1790-179.'), being headquarters for
all military operations.
Fort H.\milton, built in September, 1791, by Gen. Arthur
St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory and commander
of the troops rai.scd to pursue and punish the Indians who the
year before broke out in open hostility to the young American
-settlements. The army under St. Clair had rendezvoused at
Fort Washington, and after being divided into three military or-
ganizations had started northward into the Indian country.
Fort Hamilton, built principally as a depot for supplies, stood
304 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
on the east bank of the Great Miami river, on the site of the
present city of Hamilton, Ohio, at the east end of the bridge
connecting Hamilton and Rossville. The fort was a stockade,
somewhat triangular in shape, with four good bastions and plat-
forms for cannon. The officers' quarters were near the river.
Eastward stood the soldiers' barracks and southward was the
magazine. The next summer an addition to the north was
erected by General Williamson, commander of the army. The
fort was occupied until the close of hostilities and was almost
the equal of Fort Washington in importance.
Fort Jefferson. This post was erected in 1791 by Gen-
eral St. Clair, forty-four miles north of Fort Hamilton. It
stood in a rich tract of country about six miles south and a little
west of the present city of Greenville. It was used chiefly as a
depot of supplies, and hence was not a fortification nor a place
to harbor troops. No plan of this fort is known to exist, but
examinations have shown it was probably erected somewhat
square within, with projecting corners, these being protected by
block house defenses.
Fort St. Clair was built about a mile north of the site of
the present town of Eaton, in Preble county, in the winter of
1791-92, by a detachment of Gen. Wilkenson's troops under
command of Major John S. Gano. Gen. William Harrison,
then an ensign, commanded the guards each alternate night.
During its building no fires could be built, hence the soldiers
suffered greatly from the cold. The fort was a stockade, used
for storage and supply purposes. On the 6th of November,
1792, a severe battle was fought near the fort between a corps
of riflemen and a body of Indians under command of Little
Turtle, the latter attacking the former about runrise. After
severe fighting the Indians were defeated and driven away, hav-
ing suffered disastrously in the action.
Fort Greenville, on the site of Greenville, Ohio, was
built in December, 1793, by Gen. Anthony Wayne, while on his
march to the Indian country on the Maumee river. The fort
occupied a large part of the town site, and was an irregular
fortification. It was occupied as a storage place for supplies
Map, Showing Mii.itary Posts, Forts and Battlefields in Ohio.
Military Posts in the State of Ohio. 30.^>
until after the Indians were conquered in the summer of 1794,
when General Wayne and his army returned, increased its de-
fenses, and improved its quarters. Rows of log houses were
built for the soldiers, and comfortable quarters for the officers.
At this fort, in August, 1795, General Wayne concluded a treaty
of peace with the following tribes of Indians : Wyandots, Dela-
wares, Shawnees, Ottawas, Chippewa, Pattawatamies, Miamis,
Weas, Kickapoos, Piankeshaws and Kaskaskias. In all, about
thirteen hundred persons. The geographical limits of these tribes
included the country north of the Ohio river, westward to the
Mississippi. The ludiau boundary line established at this time
began at "the mouth of the Cuyahoga river, thence up the
same to the Portage between that and the Tuscarawas branch of
the Muskingum; thence down that branch to the crossing place
above Fort Lawrence; thence southwesterly to a fork of that
oranch of the Great Miami river running into the Ohio, at or
near which fort stood Loramie's store, and where commenced
the portage between the Miami and the Ohio and St. Mary's
river, which is a branch of the Miami (Maumee) which runs
into Lake Erie; thence northwest to Fort Recovery, which
stands on a branch of the Wabash; thence southwesterly in a
direct line to the Ohio so as to intersect that river opposite the
mouth of the Kentucke or Cuttawa river."
No plan of the fort other than that of the survey made by
James McBride of Hamilton, can be found. The embankments
could plainly be seen in many places as late as 1840. It was a
large irregular work, not only a fortification, but a depot of sup-
plies and a rendezvous for the army. After the Treaty of 1795
it was soon abandoned.
FoKT Recovery was erected in December, 1793, by a de-
tachment of troops from Gen. Wayne's army. The troops ar-
rived Christmas day, and built at once a stockade on the site of
the disastrous defeat of Gen. Arthur St. Clair by the Indians,
November 4th of 1791. No plan of this stockade has been pre-
served, and but little regarding its construction is known. It
stood on the left bank of the river (the Wabash) and was, no
doubt, somewhat octagonal in shape, the corners protected by
Vol. Ill— 20
306 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
block houses. The pahsades fonniug its walks were firml}' set
iu a small embankiueiit made by digging a trench about the cir-
cumference. On June 30, 1794, while the main army was still at
Fort Greenville, the detachment at Fort Recovery was subjected
to a shojt but severe siege by the Indians, whose actions showed
them to be under superior leadership, probably British. The
fort was used but little after 1794, being simply a "way station"
for supplies for the army.
Fort Recovery occupied the site of the greatest and most
disastrous defeat of Americans by the Indians in western history.
Gen. St. Clair, with his army, gathered hastily in Pennsylvania,
Maryland and Virginia, had left, after an imperfect organization.
Fort Washington in August, 1791 ; moved forward Ludlow's sta-
tion six miles distant, remaining there until September 17th.
From there the army moved farther up the Great Miami, erect-
ing first Fort Hamilton (already noticed), thence to Fort Jeffer-
son, which they left October 24th, and began their march farther
northward, expecting to find the Indians in the country about
the head waters of the Maumee. On the 3rd of November the
army reached the banks of a small river, supposed to be the St.
Mary's, but really the head waters of the Wabash river. That
afternoon the army camped in a commanding rise of ground, the
river in the front. The militia had gone about a mile farther,
crossing the river, and a low wooded meadow half a mile wide,
and camped in the forest on the high land beyond. It was the
intention of Gen. vSt. Clair to fortify this position and await the
arrival of the first regiment sent back at Fort Jefferson for pro-
visions. Weary with their march the soldiers lay down to rest.
About daylight the next morning, just after the parade, and as
the soldiers were preparing their breakfast, the militia were sud-
denly and vigorously attacked by an unseen foe, and becoming
frightened, ran back toward the camp of the regular troops.
The onslaught was checked by the first line of troops, but soon
a heavy and constant firing came from all quarters, and, concen-
trating upon the artillery stationed in the center, soon silenced it
by killing the gunners and wounding and killing the horses.
The artillery being useless, several vicious onslaughts were
made, and though repulsed again and again, the wary foe steadily
^^litary Posts in the State of Ohio. 807
gained ground. A retreat Avas necessary and was ordered. A
panic seized the soldiers and the retreat became a disorderly and
unmanageable rout. The soldiers and camp followers fled in
great confusion, despite all attempts of the officers, many of
whom were slain while in their efforts to restore order. The fire
of the savages had been fearfully destructive ; fully 600 persons
perished, and of those wounded none w-ere spared the horrible
tortures of Indian warfare. .The army fled precipitately to Fort
Jefferson, where, meeting the first regiment, they were stayed,
and where an account was taken of their awful losses. From
this place they retreated to Forts Hamilton and Washington,
and further attempts to conquer the Indians w^ere, for a time,
abandoned.
Fort Pioua was a small stockade built for storage pur-
poses by General Wayne's army in 1704. in what is now Miam'
count)-, about three miles north of Piqua. It was in the portage
between Fort Loramie and St. Mary's. The garrison was under
command of Captain J. X. \'ischer. After the treaty of peace
in 17i*"), the place was abandoned.
Fort St. Marys was built by a detachment of General
Wayne's army in 179-1: on the site of the town of St. Marys in
Mercer county. It stood on the west bank of the St. Mar^s
river. It was erected as a suppl)' depot, and was iinder com-
mand of Captain John Whistler, during what time the garrison
was kept within its palisades.
Fort Defianck was built ])y General Wayne's army in
August, 17!>4, when on their march against the Indians. It
stood in the angle formed by the junction of ttio Auglaize and
Maumee rivers. The fort was built in the form of a square, at
each corner of which were block houses projecting beyond the
sides of the fort, thus protecting the external sides. These
block houses were connected by a line of strong pickets. Out-
side of these, and also of the block houses, was a wall of earth
eight feet thick, a ditch fifteen feet wide and eight feet deep sur-
rounding the w'.iole except the side next the Auglaize river.
The stockade was well built, characteristic of the General's ac-
308 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
tions, affording the garrison which might occupy it a safe retreat.
It was little used after the treaty of peace in 1795.
Fort Deposit was built by General Wayne in August,
1794, as a depot for supplies. It stood on the left (north) bank
of the Maumee. No plan of the fort exists. It was simply a
palisaded stockade, built for storage and not for defensive pur-
poses. Leaving this place, General Wayne marched toward the
Indian encampment, about two miles south of the present town
of Maumee City, and about four miles from Fort Miami, erected
and occupied by British troops. The Indians were met and a
decisive battle fought, a complete victory being gained by the
Americans.
The Battle of Fallen Timbers. This famous battle
decided the fate of the Indians in the Northwest. Their power
was broken, and after the treaty at Fort Greenville the next
summer, their claims to Ohio's territory were practically ended.
The battle occurred August 20, 1794. That morning. General
Wayne having decided his plan of operations, moved from Fort
Deposit down the left bank of the Maumee toward the Indians,
who had refused all overtures of peace, and who were arranged
in camps on the river bluffs. The army had marched about five
miles when the advance guard was suddenly attacked by a
vigorous fire from an unseen foe, and was compelled to fall back.
The army was at once formed in two lines in a dense wood on
the borders of a swampy prairie, where a tornado had at some
preceding time blown down many trees. This fallen timber
gave the name to the battle-ground. This timber afforded good
shelter to the foe, who were aided by many Canadians, all under
superior discipline. General Wayne's troops fell upon them
with relentless fury, and in a short time put them to flight
toward the guns of Fort Miami, a few miles down the river, and
then garrisoned by a British force under command of Major
Campbell. Wayne's army pursued the Indians under the very
walls of the fort, despite the protests of the British commander
and the British trader, Colonel McKee, whose property was de-
stroyed. General Wayne maintaining the attitude that the fort
stood upon American soil. For three days and nights this war-
Military P-^ts in the State of Ohio. 809
fare was continued until the Indians were thoroughly subdued,
and promised, through their chiefs, to treat for peace the next
year at Fort Greenville. At this battle the celebrated chief,
Turkey Foot, was slain, whose rock, marked by prints resem-
bling turkeys' feet, perpetuates his memory and his death.
Fort Wayne. Though not in the confines of Ohio, it
should be mentioned here. At the junction of the St. Jospeph
and St. Marys rivers, the head of the Miami of the lakes —
the Maumee — it appears in French history, first as a trading
post and station. After the defeat of the battle of Fallen Tim-
bers, General Wayne's army went first to Fort Defiance, and
soon after, in September, to the head of the Maumee, and there
built a strong fortification, calling it Fort Wayne. It was com-
pleted by the 22d of October, and garrisoned with infantry and
artillery, under command of Colonel John Francis Hamtranck.
Soon after the treaty at Greenville, in 1795, the fort was practic-
ally abandoned, though the place was always well noticed as a
great outpost. In the war of 1812 the fort was built new, be-
came a conspicuous place, and withstood several sieges. It was
an excellent fortification, and after peace was declared in this
war. became a peaceful trading village, and is now a prosper-
ous city.
Fort Industry was built by a detachment of Wayne's
troops soon after his ^victory over the Indians. It stood on a
bluff on the left bank of the Maumee, a few miles above its
mouth, in what is now the city of Toledo. It seems to have
been used but a short time.
Fort Findlay, a small stockade about fifty yards square,
was built on the south side of Blanchard's Fork, in what is now
Hancock county, during the war of 1812. At each corner was
a block House, the soldiers' quarters and the palisades protect-
ing the other portions. It was, like many others of its nature,
erected as a supply depot, and was little used for defensive pur-
poses. It was abandoned at the close of the war.
Fort Amanda, a small stockade, was built during the war
of 1812, in what is now Allen county, on the west bank of the
310 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
Auglaize River, near the west line of the count}-, on the site of
an old Ottawa town. It was used but a short time as a supply-
depot and a halting place for the troops.
Fort McArthur was built during the war of 1812, on the
Scioto River, in what is now Hardin county. It was a stockade
enclosing about half an acre. A block house in the northwest
and southeast angles, a row of log cribs covered with "shed"
roofs sloping inward, and palisades completed its defenses. The
soldiers' huts were just inside the palisades. It was in a danger-
ous locality and more than once was attacked by Indians. The
garrison was commanded by Captain Robert McClelland. After
the war the post was abandoned.
Fort Ball was built during the war of 1812 by a detach-
ment of General Harrison's army, on the west bank of the San-
dusky River, in what is now' the city of Tiffin. It was a small
stockade, enclosing perhaps one-third of an acre, and was used
as a supply depot.
Fort Seneca was built during the war of 1812, by a de-
tachment of Gen. Harrison's army, as a depot for supplies. It
was a stockade, including several acres, and stood on the right
bank of the Sandusky, a few miles above Fort Stevenson. It
was used only during the war.
Fort Stevenson was built during the war of 1812 at the
head of navigation on the Sandusky river, on the site of the
present city of Fremont. The fort was a well built structure,
enclosing an acre of ground. Col. George Croghan, the com-
mander, with a small body of troops, on the 2d of August, 1813,
successfully defended the fort against a vigorous attack of the
British and Indians. Commanded by Gen, Proctor, the British
force consisted of some five hundred regulars and eight hundred
Indians, their gun boats from the river carrying five six- pound
guns, and their howitzer on shore, bombarded the fort all night
of the first. The next day the enemy massed his troops at one
angle of the fort and attempted to capture it by assault. The
one six -pound gun of the garrison, loaded with small missiles,
was discharged into their ranks when they neared tlie fort, with
Military Posts in the State of Ohio. 811
such fearful destruction, that with the effective fire of the
soldiers they were repulsed, and retreated. Soon after, fearing
an attack by General Harrison, whose troops had so valiantly
defended Fort Meigs but a few days before against the same foe,
they suddenly retreated, leaving the gallant Croghan and his
handful of nicn in victorious possession of the fftrt. After the
war the post was abandoned.
Fort Mkigs was built b\' Gen. William Henry Harrison, in
the winter of iSli^-lo, on the right bank of the Maumee, op-
posite the rapids. It was a large palisaded ground, occupying
about ten acres in all, protected by block hou.ses, soldiers' bar-
racks, and a strong line of palisades. Early in the summer of
1813 the fort was attacked by a large force of British and In-
dians under Gen. Proctor, who formed artillery encampments on
both sides of the river. Reinforcements came, and the British
were repulsed in July. It became an important frontier post,
and after peace came was abandoned.
Perrv's Victory. — This remarkable victory occurred on
the waters of Lake Erie, September 10, 1813. At ten o'clock on
that day Commodore Oliver H. Perrj-, in command of the United
States lake squadron, consisting of two ships, the Lawrence and
the Niagara, and four small vessels, formed in line and advanced
to attack the British squadron. The action was sharp and de-
cisive, and lasted only three hours, resulting in the capture of
the enemy. The losses of both combatants on the leading ships
were heavy. Commodore Perry's memorable dispatch reporting
the victory to General Harrison is well known in American
annals : "We have met the enemy and they are ours ; two ships,
two brigs, one schooner and one sloop."
A large painting in the rotunda of Ohio's capitol represents
the conflict at the time Commodore Perry is leaving the Law-
rence, almost disabled, for the Niagara.
■ A. A. Gk.miam.
312 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publicatioyis . Vot. 3
FORT ANCIENT.
The General Assembly at the last session passed an act to
purchase this remarkable earth-work on the bluflfs on the left
bank of the Little Miami river in Warren county. By some
oversight, the number of acres authorized to be purchased did
not include the entire fortification, and there still remains a por-
tion of the south or "old" fort and little of the north end un-
purchased. A bill was afterward introduced by Senator Jesse
N. Oren, through whom the first bill was introduced, to buy the
remainder ; but by an oversight it was omitted in report of the
House Committee, after having passed the Senate. The meas-
ure will be again introduced at the coming session, and it is con-
fidently believed the next General Assembly will complete the
work. The "care and control of Fort Ancient was," by an-
other act of the Assembly, ' ' vested in the Trustees of the Ohio
Archaeological and Historical Society." The trustees have
accepted the trust, and placed the Fort in charge of a commit-
tee, consisting of Jesse N. Oren of Wilmington, Israel Harris of
Waynesville, and Israel Williams of Plamilton, A competent
custodian has been placed in charge of the grounds, and will
proceed at once to put tiie same in proper keeping. In time, it
is hoped to have a fine park here, such as is now the "Serpent
Mound Park " in Adams county, enclosing the famous efiigy of
the serpent.
Mr. Warren K. Moorehead, of Xenia, has spent almost a
year measuring, surveying, and exploring Fort Ancient. He
has written a very creditable work of 130 pages on the subject,
and at my request has furnished the following brief description
of the fort. The following map used to illustrate this article is
a reduced copy of the large map in his work.
A. A. Graham.
9 J ^ ^ i
= 2
Military Posts in the State of Ohio. 313
FORT ANCIENT, AN OUTLINE DESCRIPTION.
The accompanying map from the survey made under my
direction by Messrs. Fowke and Cowen will acquaint the reader
with the hillsides and the embankments. The walls run in very
crooked lines, always following the brink of deep ravines,
twisting and turning in the directions which would afford best
protection. The following briefly narrated facts regarding the
embankments should be carefully noted.
The composition is tough, glacial clay. A stone wall is
frequently found within the earth embankment. The stones
average in size 14x20 to 9x14 inches and in places remain stand-
ing to a height of eight feet. The earth from the top of the
embankment washes down and covers them, hence the wall can-
not be witnessed save by excavation.
Height a?id breadth. The embankments average 13^ feet in
height. The average 43^ feet wide at base, 4 feet at summit.
Maximum height 33^ feet. Minimum, 4J feet.
Number of gateways 74.
Number of natural washes, occasionally mistaken for gate-
ways 9.
Average length of walls between gateways, 239^ feet.
Height above Atlantic Ocean level, 941 feet.
Divisions. The portion north of the Isthmus is called upon
the map New Fort. A better name is South Fort. The central
part, Middle Fort; the portion south of Great Gateway has been
called Old Fort. A better and not so confusing a name would
be South Fort.
Terraces, bastions, eii . There are artificial "roads" or
terraces extending around the hillsides on the river side of the
fortification. One or two short ones follow the foot of the wall
just east ot the Great Gateway for a few hundred yards. These
terraces are covered with stone graves. Many spurs or bastions
run out for varying distances from each gateway, and overlook
or command the ravine. This is particularly true of the great
314 Ohio Arch. a7id His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
hollow east of the structure, against which the builders seem to
have protected themselves with the greatest of care.
Washes and erosion. The fort walls do not easily erode,
being composed of very tough clay. They are covered with
shrubs and large trees, the roots of the latter, together with grass
and moss, forming a considerable protection against storms and
wearing paths such as the thousands of visitors to the enclosure
would undoubtedly make.
* ' Some ravines were probably small when the fortification
was built, and others were large and deep. The wall was carried
across the smaller ones, but stopped on the edge of the bank of
the larger ones. Many of these have since washed out, and the
washes in some of them are very old. A good idea of the age
of this fortification can be obtained by studying these washes.
Length of Embankment. Total length 18,712.2 feet or
3f miles.
Two races fought for position and supremacy at Fort
Ancient. The one had a skull of Brachycephalic type, the
cranium of the other was Solichocephalic. One buried in hol-
lowed vaults or stone graves, the other underneath small mounds
rudely thrown up upon the terraces. Both were savages, the
"stone-grave people," being but a degree removed from their
enemies in that they were able to construct the fortification.
The proofs of the two races are :
(a) Two types of crania.
(b) Two modes of burial.
(c) Two classes of implements and pottery.
(d) Two kinds of lodge or house circles.
That neither of these peoples were "civilized" is set forth
in the manner employed in the construction of the embankments;
in the cemeteries, in the village site debris. Dark patches of
earth of the size of peck measure, several of which still retain
the imprint, the laced work of a basket around them, have been
found in the walls. In the village sites twenty-seven birds,
animals, fish and reptiles in ashes and cooking places have been
found, together with a multitude of bone shell, stone and clay
Military Posts in the State oj Ohio. 315
objects used by the woman, the man and the child of the fort-
construction-period.
We have found a complete chain of testimony regarding the
purpose for which the fort was erected, we now know how it was
built, the characteristics of the builders and their enemies ; in
short, old Fort Ancient is no longer a mystery. In the near
future, the writer hopes to be able to give to the public a lengthy
and comprehensive account of the discoveries made this summer.
Warren K. Moorehead.
THE OHIO
Archcjeolodcal and Historical Society
Organizeu March 13, 1885.
Articles of Incorporation, Synopsis of By-Laws
and List of Members,
From Date of Organization untii^ February 19, 1891.
(317)
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION.
The undersigned, citizens of Ohio, having associated them-
selves together, and desiring to form a corporation, not for profit,
under the laws of said State of Ohio, do hereby subscribe and
acknowledge the following articles of incorporation:
1. The name of this Society shall be The Ohio State
Arch^ologicai, and Historical Society.
2. Said corporation shall be located and its principal busi-
ness transacted in the City of Columbus, County of Franklin,
and State of Ohio.
3. Said Society is formed for the purpose of promoting a
knowledge of Archaeology and History, especially in Ohio, by
establishing and maintaining a library of books, charts, manu-
scripts, maps, etc., properly pertaining thereto; a museum of
prehistoric relics and natural or other curiosities or specimens of
art or nature promotive of the objects of the association — said
library and museum to be open to the public on reasonable
terms — and by courses of lectures, and publication of books,
papers and documents, touching the subjects so specified, with
power to receive and hold gifts and devices of real and personal
estate for the benefit of such Societj^ and generall)^ to exercise
all the powers legally and properly pertaining thereto.
4. Said Society has no capital stock.
The articles of incorporation were signed by the following
charter members.
Allen G. Thurman, Columbus. Douglas Putnam, Marietta.
John W. Andrews, Columbus. Samuel S. Rickly, Columbus.
Hylas Sabine, Richwood. E. B. Fiuley, Bucyrus.
Charles J. Wetmore, Columbus. Wni. E. Moore, Columbus.
Wm. P. Cutler, Marietta. A. \V. Jones, Youngstown.
John J. Janney, Columbus. Israel W. Andrews,* Marietta.
John B. Peaslee, Cincinnati. N. S. Townshend, Columbus.
Now deceased. (•'^ISi
320 Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
D. H. Gard, Columbus. S. C. Derby, Columbus.
Charles W. Bryant,* Granville. A. A. Graham, Columbus.
E. M. P. Brister, Newark. Beman Gates, Marietta.
W. A. Schultz, Lancaster. Alexis Cope, Columbus.
Roeliff Brinkerhoff, Mansfield. T. Ewing Miller, Columbus.
H. T. Chittenden, Columbus. James S. Robinson, Kenton.
Henry B. Curtis,® Mt. Vernon. H. A. Thompson, Westerville.
•■■ Now deceased.
SYNOPSIS OF THE BY-LAWS.
The members are divided into four classes, /. e. : Active
Members, lyife Members, Corresponding Mem.bers and Honorary
Members.
Active members pay annually a fee of five dollars, or its
equivalent, in donations acceptable to the Society, and are
exempt from all dues.
The government of the Society is vested in a board of
twenty-one (21) trustees, divided into three cla.s.ses of seven
members each, each serving three years, one class being elected
annually. The Society elects five of each class annually; the
State, through the Governor, appoints two. Fifteen of the
trustees are therefore elective, six appointive. The trvistees
have entire control of the Society, of its property, and all its in-
terests, and appoint annually all standing committees, elect all
officers, etc.
The present Board of Trustees is composed of the following
persons :
BOARD OK TRU.STEES.
Elective for three years, terms expire in 1894:
F. C. Sessions, Columbus. Calvin S. Brice, Lima.
Geo. F. Bareis, Canal Winchester. Robert W. Steele, Dayton.
A. R. Mclntyre, Mt. Vernon.
Appointive:
Charles P. Griffin, Toledo. Andrew Robeson, Greenville.
Elective, for two years, terms expire in 1893 :
N. S. Townshend, Columbus. Wm. E. Moore, Columbus.
E. C. Dawes, Cincinnati. I. H. Harris, Waynesville.
Geo. F. Wright, Oberlin.
Synopsis of the By-Laws. 321
Appointive :
Israel Williams, Hamilton. E. B. Lockwood, Batavia.
Elective, for one year, term expires in 1892 :
C. C. Baldwin, Cleveland. D. J. Ryan, Portsmouth.
M. D. FoUett, Marietta. R. Brinkerhoff, Mansfield.
H. A. Thompson, Westerville.
Appointive :
N. C. Reed, Hudson. W. J. Gilmore, Columbus.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
F. C. Sessions, D. J. Ryan,
W. J. Gilmore, Wm. E. Moore.
N. S. Townshend, H. A. Thompson.
S. S. Rickly.
The officers of the Society are elected annually by the Trus-
tees. They are: President, F. C. Sessions; First Vice Presi-
dent, R. Brinkerhoff; Second Vice President. Wm. E. Moore;
Secretary, A. A. Graham; Treasurer, S. S. Rickly.
All correspondence and communications regarding the So-
ciety and its work should be addressed to the secretary,
A. A. Graham,
Columbus, Ohio.
By authority of the General Assembly the library of the
Society is made part of the State Library. A separate room is
set appart in the State House for the Museum.
Vol. Ill— 21'
LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY, FROM DATE
OF ORGANIZATION, MAY 15 1885, UNTIL
FEBRUARY 19. 1891.
HONORARY MEMBERS.
•Baird, Prof. S. F., Washington, D. C.
Bancroft, Hon. Hubert Howe, San
Francisco, Cala.
DeReune, Mrs. Mary, Augusta, Ga.
Force, M. F.. Sandusky.
Howe, Henry, Columbus.
Nicholson, Jno. P., Philadelphia, Pa.
Smucker, Isaac, Newark.
^Whittlesey, Col. Chas., Cleveland.
CORRESPONDING MEMBERS.
Darling, Chas. W., Oneida, N. Y.
Putnam, Prof. F. W., Cambridge,
Mass.
Ward, Mrs. Fanny B., Ravenna.
Thomas, Prof. Cyrus, Washington,
D. C.
Powell, J. W., Washington, D. C.
Brock, Dr. R. A., Richmond, Va.
Peet, Rev. Stephen D., Mendon, 111.
LIFE MEMBERS.
Anderson, James H., Columbus.
Andrews, John W., Columbus.
Arnett, Rev. B. W., Wilberforce.
Avery, Elroy M., Cleveland.
Baldwin, C. C. Cleveland.
Bareis, Geo. F. Canal Winchester.
Barney, E. J., Dayton.
Bartholomew, Prof. Geo. K., Cin-
cinnati.
Brice, Calvin S., Lima.
Brinkerhoif, Roeleff, Mansfield
Brown, Benj. S., Columbus.
Burgess, Solon, Cleveland. .
Clarke, Robert, Cincinnati.
Conger, A. L., Akron.
Curry, John, San Francisco, Cala.
Curtis, S. H., Cleveland,
Cutler, Rev. Carroll, Charlotte, N. C
Dana, George, Belpre.
Dawes, E. C, Cincinnati.
DePeyster, J. Watts, Tivoli, N. Y.
Falconer, Dr. Cyrus, Hamilton.
Fertis, Aaron A., Cincinnati.
Foster, Charles, Fostoria.
Gard, D. H., Columbus.
Gardner, Geo. W., Cleveland.
Garfield, Mrs. L. R., Mentor.
Gordon, W. J., Cleveland.
Graham, A. A., Columbus.
Handy, Truman. P., Cleveland.
• Deceased.
(322)
List of Members of the Society.
323
Hart, Dr. B. F.. Marietta.
Hart, Dr. Frank O., West Unity.
Harvey, Thomas W., Painesville.
Hay, John, Washington, D. C.
Hayes, Rutherford B., Fremont.
Jewett, H. J., Lansdown, Md.
•King, Rufus, Cincinnati.
*Lindenberg, Henry, Columbus.
McFarland, Robt. W., Oxford.
Mclntire, A. R., Mount Vernon.
Macferson, David, Allegheny City,
Pa.
Matthews, E. B., Cincinnati.
Miller, T. Ewing, Columbus.
Miles, W. Y.. Columbus.
Moore. C. H.. Clinton, 111.
Moore, Rev. Wm. E., Columbus.
Morrison, Rev. N. J., Marietta.
Moses, Thos. F., Urbana.
Neil, Robert E., Columbus.
•Noble, Henry C, Columbus.
Ohio University Library, Oxford.
Outhwaite, Jos. H., Columbus.
Parrott, Chas., Columbus.
Patton, A. G., Columbus.
Peters, O. G., Columbus.
Pocock, Dr. Eli D., Shreve.
Poole, Harwood R., New York.
Putnam, Douglas, Marietta.
Randall, O. E., Columbus-
Reeve, Dr. J. C, Dayton.
Rickly, S. S., Columbus.
Sessions, F. C, Columbus.
Shepard, Dr. W., Columbus.
Sherman, John, Mansfield.
Siebert, John, Columbus.
Sinks, George W., Columbus.
Smith Hiram R., Mansfield.
Smytlie, A. H., Columbus.
Southworth, G. C. F., Cleveland.
Sturges, Miss Susan M., Mansfield-
Swaj'ue, Wajer, New York.
Swayne, Noah H., Toledo.
Thresher, E. B., Dayton.
Thurman, Allen (i., Columbus.
Tiffin, Miss Diathea M., Chillicothe.
Vance, John L., Gallipolis.
Vincent, H. C, Marietta.
Vincent, O. B., Austin, Nev.
Ward, J. Q. A., New York.
Wetmore, P. M., Columbus.
White, Henry C, Cleveland.
Wing, L. B., Newark.
Wooster University Lib., Wooster-
Yorston, John C, Philadelphia.
ACTIVE MEMBERS.
Acheson, E. F., Washington, Pa.
Alderman, E. R., Marietta.
Andrews, Chas. H., Youngstown.
Andrews, Edw. L., Burton.
Andrews, Gwynne, Columbus.
•Andrews, Dr. Israel W., Marietta.
Andrews, Mrs. I. W., Marietta.
Andrews, Prof Martin R., Marietta
Andrews, W. C, New York City.
Armstrong, P. B., New York City.
.\u, John H., Ontario.
Axline, Gen. H. A., Columbus.
Deceased.
324
Ohio Arch, and His. Society Piiblications . Vol. 3
Babcock, Rev. Chas. E., Columbus.
Backus, A. L., Toledo.
Baldwin, Dr. J. F., Columbus.
Baldwin, Jos. W., Columbus.
Barger, B. F., Dayton.
Barr, Baldwin, Cincinnati.
Barnett, Gen. James, Cleveland.
Bates, J. M., Columbus.
Becher, C. R., Cincinnati.
Bedell, Rev. G. Thurston, Gambler.
Bennett, S. W., Bucyrus.
Beresford, Dr. A. E., Germano.
■Bliss, Mrs. Ezra P., Columbus.
Bohl, Henry, Marietta.
Bonham, L. N., Oxford.
Bosworth, C. H., Cincinnati.
■Bosworth, Sala, Cincinnati.
Bowers, W. H., Pomeroy.
Brazee, Jno. S., Lancaster.
Bretts, W. H., Cleveland.
Brickell, W. D., Columbus.
Briggs, J. C, Columbus.
Bright, Geo. W., Columbus.
Brister, E. M. P., Newark.
Bromwell, James C, Washington,
D. C.
Brooks, J. T., M., D., Salem.
Brown, Abram, Columbus.
Brown, LeRoy D., Los Angeles, Cal.
Brown, Thos. J., Waynesville.
Brov/n, W. E., Hamilton.
Brown, W. H., New York City.
Bruck, Philip H., Columbus.
Bruhl, Gustave, Cincinnati.
Brush, Dr. Edward C, Zanesville.
'^Bryant, Chas. W. Granville.
Buckingham, Jerome, Newark.
Buell, W. H., Marietta. .
Burr, Erasmus, D. D., Portsmouth.
Bushnell, Dr. Wm., Mansfield.
Butler, Cyrus, New York City.
Butler, Theo. H., Columbus.
'Byers, Rev. A. G., Columbus.
Cadwallader, C. D., Marietta.
Campbell, James E., Hamilton.
Candy, Robt, Columbus.
Caylor, E. H., Columbus.
Chamberlain, W. I., Ames, la.
Chamberlain, W. H., Cincinnati.
Chapin, John W., Columbus.
Chittenden, H. T., Columbus.
Church, S. H., Pittsburg.
Clark, C. F., M. D., Columbus.
Clogston, Wm., Springfield, Mass.
Cochran, T. J., Cincinnati.
College Library, Athens.
Collins, W. A., Toledo.
Cone, Rev. O., Akron.
Cooper, Dr. Albert, Columbus.
Cooper, Hon. W. C, Mt. Vernon.
(jope, Alexis, Columbus.
Cotton, Dr. D. B., Portsmouth.
Cotton, Dr. J. D., Marietta.
Cotton, Dr. J. T., Charleston, West
Virginia.
Cowen, B. J., Cincinnati.
■'Cowles, Edwin, Cleveland.
Crall, Leander H., New York City.
Curry, Col. W. L., Marysville.
■Curtis, Henry B., Mt. Vernon.
Curtis, W. F., Marietta.
Cutler, F. J., Marietta.
Cutler, Miss Julia P., Marietta.
Cutler, W. P., Marietta.
■■Dann, J. W., Columbus.
■ Daugherty, M. A. Columbus.
Davie, Oliver, Columbus.
Davis. Theo. F., Marietta.
Davis, Wm. Henry, Cincinnati.
Dawes, R. R., Marietta.
Day, Prof. L. W., Cleveland.
Dean, Prof. B. S. Hiram.
Delano, Columbus, Mt. Vernon.
Dennison, Mrs. Wm., Columbus.
Denver, J. W., Wilmington.
'Deceased.
List of Members of the Society.
325
Derby, Prof. S. C, Columbus.
Derthick, F. A., Mautua.
Deshler, W. G., Columbus.
•Devereaux, J. H., Cleveland.
Dexter, Julius, Ciucinnati.
Dodge, Wilson S., Cleveland.
Donaldson, Thos., Philadelphia, Pa.
Doren, Jno. G., Dayton.
Drinkle,- C, Lancaster.
Durrett, R. T., Louisville, Ky.
Duttou, A. S., Cheshire.
Eaton, Rev. John, Marietta.
Eels, Dan P., Cleveland.
Egle, Dr. Wm. H., Harrisburg, Pa.
Ellis, John W., New York City.
Ellis, S. H., Springboro.
Ely, Geo. H., Cleveland.
Ely, Herman, Elyria.
Enos, Miss Helen M., Millersburg.
Evans, Dr. E. S., Columbus.
Ewing, Hugh, Lancaster.
Fairbanks, C. W., Indianapolis, Ind.
»Farquhar, Dr. O. C, Zanesville.
Farrar, Wm., Cambridge.
Fearing, Henry, Harmar.
*Fieser, Frederick, Columbus.
Finch, Dr. D. C, Columbus.
Findley, Sam'l, Akron.
Finley, E. B., Bucyrus.
Firestone, C. D., Columbus.
Follett, Martin D., Marietta.
Foraker, J. B., Cincinnati.
Ford, Geo. H., Burton.
Foster, W. S., Urbana.
Fowke, Gerard, Columbus.
Frame, C, Duncan's Falls.
Freed, A., Lancaster.
Freeman, George D., Columbus.
Gano, John A., Cincinnati.
*Gard, Hiram, Vincent.
Garst, Prof. Henry, Westervilie.
Gates, Beman, Marietta.
Gates, N. B., Elyria.
Gayraan, B. F., Canal Winchester.
Gilmore, W. E)., Chillicothe.
Gilmore, W. J., Columbus.
Gladden, Rev. Washington, Colum-
bus.
Glassford, H. A., New York City.
Glazier, A. W. Belpre.
Godfrey, S. J., Celina.
Goodenough, W. S., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Green, Rev. F. M., Kent.
Gregg, H. H., New Lisbon.
Grover, Rev. J. L., Columbus.
Hall, Theo. Parsons, Detroit, Mich.
Hamilton, Dr. J. W., Columbus.
■Hancock, Prof. John, Columbus.
Harris, Israel H., Waynesfield.
«Harter, G. D., Canton.
Harter, M. D., Mansfield.
Hartzler, Prof. J. C, Newark.
Haskius, Chas. F., Columbus.
Hayden, Rev. H. C, Cleveland.
Hayden, W. B., Columbus.
Haydock, Mrs. T. T., Cincinnati.
Haynes, Henry W., Boston, Mass.
Hedges, Henry, Mansfield.
^Henderson, Dr. J. P., Newville.
Herrick, Dr. L. C, Columbus.
Hills, B. D., Columbus.
Hills, Rev. O. A., Wooster.
Hinman, E. L., Columbus.
Hinsdale, Prof B. A., Ann Arbor,
Mich.
Hirsch, Leo, Columbus.
Hite, J. C, Lancaster.
Hoadley, George, New York City.
Holcomb, A. T. Portsmouth.
Ilolden, L. E., Cleveland.
■Horton, Y. B., Pomeroy.
Hott, Harry H., Gallipolis.
Howe, Frank Henry, Columbus.
Hoyt, James M., Cleveland.
■ Deceased.
326
Ohio Arch, and His. Society Publications. [Vol. 3
Hughes, Phillip, Hamilton.
*Ide, Mrs. H. E., Columbus.
Irons, Rev. Jno. D., New Concord.
Janney, Jno. J., Columbus.
Jennings, W. H., Columbus.
Jewett, H. J., Lansdown, Md.
Johnson, S. L., Columbus.
Johnston, C. W., Elyria.
Jones, A. W., Youngstown.
Jones, E. A., Massillon.
Jones, J. v., Fostoria.
Kagy, Isaac, Tiffin.
Kelley, H. C, Marietta.
Kemmler, Wm. F., Columbus.
Kinney, Chas., Portsmouth.
Kirkley, C. A., M. D., Toledo.
Kirshner, L. M. D. D., Sulphur
Springs.
Knabenshue, O. D., Columbus.
Knickerbocker, Dr. B., Columbus.
Knight, Ceo. W., Columbus.
Lane, P. P., Norwood.
Lee, A. E., Columbus.
Leggett, M. D., Cleveland.
Levering, Allen, Mt. Gilead.
Lewis, T. H., St. Paul, Minn.
Librarian, Public Library, Boston,
Massachusetts.
Librarian, State Library, Boston,
Massachusetts.
Lieb, Frank, H., Millersport.
Linn, D. B., Zanesville, Ohio.
Little, Dr. James, Logan.
Lockwood, C. B., Cleveland.
Love, N. B. C, Upper' Sandusky.
Lovejoy, Mrs. N. E., Columbus.
Loving, Dr. Starling, Columbus.
Loy, Rev. M., Columbus.
Lukens, Prof. J. F., Lebanon.
Luse, L. H., M. D., West Mentor.
Lyman, R. H., Cincinnati.
McClymond, J. W. Massillon.
McCord, David A., Oxford.
McCormick, A. W., Cincinnati.
McCullough, H. J., Delaware.
McCurdy, Robt., Youngstown.
McFadden, H. H., Steubenville.
McFadden, Jno. F., Columbus.
McGettigan, John E., Indianapolis.
Mcintosh, Mrs. C. J., Beverly.
Mcintosh, Mrs. Eliza, Beverly.
*McIntosh, E. S. Beverly.
McKinley, James, Canton.
McKown, G. E., M. D., Mt. Vernon.
McLean, Rev. J. P., Hamilton.
McMahon, J. A., Dayton.
McMillan, R., Canfield.
McMillan, Emerson, Columbus.
McNeil, Jno. B., Lancaster.
McQuigg, Geo., Pomeroy.
MacCown, Townsend, New York.
City.
Macauley, Dan'l, Columbus.
Manley, Marcellus, Galion.
Markeson, C. E., Columbus.
Marks, E. N., Louisville, Ky.
Martin, Chas. D. Lancaster.
Mather, Sam'l, Cleveland.
Matthews, Alfred, Painesville.
■Mathews, Stanley, Washington,
D. C.
May, Manuel, Mansfield.
Meredith, Levi, Van Wert.
Metz, Dr. C. T., Madisonville.
Miesse, Dr. B. F., Chillicothe.
Miller, J. W., Cincinnati.
Miller, Charles. C, Columbus.
Millikin, Dr. Dan'l, Hamilton.
Millikin, Thos., Hamilton.
Mills, Jno., Maiietta.
Mills, Wm. M., Marietta.
Mills, W. C. Mt. Vernon.
Mikesell, Thos., Wauseon.
List of Members of the Society.
327
Moore, T. W., Harmar.
Moore, W., Portsmouth.
Moorehead, Warren K., Xenia.
Morey, Henry L., Hamilton.
Morgan, Geo. W., Mt. Vernon.
Morton, W. H., Columbus.
Munsell, Joel, Sons, Albany, N. Y.
Munson, Chas. E., Columbus.
Nash, Hon. Geo. K., Columbus.
Neil, Moses H., Columbus.
Newberry Library, The, Chicago,
111.
Nissley, J. R., Ada.
Noble, Warren P., Tiffin.
Norris, Chas. H., Marion.
Nye, A. T., Marietta.
•Olds, C. N., Columbus.
Orton, Prof. Edward, Columbus.
Packard, S. S., New York City.
Palmer, Corwiu P., Dresden.
Payne, H. B., Cleveland.
Peabody, Jas. R., Zanesville.
Peabody, S. P., Columbus.
•Pearson, H. W., Toledo.
Peaslee, Jno. B., Cincinnati.
Peet, Charles D., New York City.
Peters, Bernard, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Perkins, Douglas, Cleveland.
Perkins, Henry B., Warren.
Peters, Geo. M., Columbus.
Phillips, D. E., Columbus.
Phillips, R. E., Marietta.
Pillars, James, Lima.
Plimpton, H., Columbus.
Poe, E. W., Columbus.
Poland, William, Chillicothe.
Pratt, Aniasa, Columbus.
Priest, F. W., Bryan.
Prince, B. P., Springfield.
Read, M. C, Hudson.
*Reinhard, Jacob, Columbus.
Renick, Alex., Chillicothe.
*Renick, Harness, Circleville.
Rice, Harvey, Cleveland.
Robe, W. H., Cherry Fork.
*Robertson, Andrew J., Sidney.
Robinson, Dr. J. D., Wooster.
Robinson, Gen. Jas. L., Kenton.
Robinson, W. F., Harmar.
Ruggles, C. B., Cincinnati.
Rust, H. N., Columbus.
Ryan, Dan'l J., Columbus.
Sabine, Hylas, Richwood.
*Schenck, Robt. C, Washington,
D. C.
Schueller, Dr. J. B., Columbus.
Schultz, W. A., Lancaster.
Scott, Rev. W. H., Columbus.
Scovil, Rev. S. F., Wooster.
Sessions, Mrs. Mary, Columbus.
Shawan, J. A., Columbus.
Smalley, Allen, Upper Sandusky.
Smith, Amos, Chillicothe.
Smith, Rev. N. S., Columbus.
Smith, Wm. Henry, New York City-
Smith, W. R., M. D., Hillsboro.
Snyder, Jno. Jr., Springfield.
Snyder, P. M.. Marietta.
Spofford, Hon. A. R., Washingtoa
D. C.
Squires, Andrew, Cleveland.
State His. Societ)', Lincoln, Neb.
State Library Pennsylvania, Harris-
burg, Pa.
Steele, Robt. W., Dayton.
Stevenson, Job E., Cincinnati.
Stevenson, R. W., Wichita, Kans.
Stimson, R. M., Marietta.
Sturges, Willis M., Mansfield.
Sturgiss, John E., Mansfield.
Sullivan, J. J., Cleveland.
Sullivant, C. S., Columbus.
Super, Dr. Chas. W., Athens.
*Pcceased.
328
Ohio Arch, and His. Society Ptiblicatiotis. [Vol. 3
*Swearingen, Henry B., Circleville.
Taggart, J. B., Lewis Center.
Taggart, Rush, New York City.
*Tappan, Eli T., Gambier.
Thompson, Dr. H. A., Westerville.
Thompson, Dr. J. C, Rollersville.
Thompson, Peter G., Cincinnati.
Thompson, Ralph, Springfield.
Thresher, E. M., Dayton.
Thresher, J. B., Dayton.
Tod, Henry, Youngstown.
Todd, Dr. Jas. H., Wooster.
Townsend, Amos, Cleveland.
Townsend, Chas., Athens.
Townshend, Dr. N. S., Columbus.
Turner, S. R., Marietta.
Twiss, George E., Columbus.
Tyler, J. H., Napoleon.
Twitchell, Dr. H. E.
Vail, Harry H., Cincinnati.
Van Home, Rev. Thos. B., Colum-
bus.
Van Metre, S. R., Marietta.
Venable, W. H., Cincinnati.
Waddell, Dr. Wm., Chillicothe.
Waggoner, Dr. Joseph, Ravenna.
*Waite, M. R., Washington, D. C.
Waite, C. C, Columbus.
Wall, Edw., Columbus.
*Ward, Durbin, Cincinnati.
Warner, A. J., Marietta.
Warner, Dr. R. G., Columbus.
Washburn, Geo. G., Elyria.
Waters, Israel R. Marietta.
Watson, D. K., Columbus.
Welch, Agnew, Ada.
Welker, Martin, Wooster.
Wells, C. K., Marietta.
Wells, M. P., Marietta.
Welsh, J. M., Athens.
'Wetmore, C. J., Columbus.
Wheeler, F. A., Marietta.
Whelpley, W. W., Cincinnati.
« White, Dr. C. C, Columbus.
White, E. E., Cincinnati.
Whitely, Wm. N., Springfield.
Wick, Paul, Youngstown.
Wilcox, J. A., Columbus.
A^illard, Rev. Geo. W., Tiffin.
Williams, Hon. A. J., Cleveland.
Williams, T. C, Columbus.
Williams, W. W., Cleveland.
Williams, Israel, Hamilton.
Wilson, A. J., Cincinnati.
Wilttheiss, C. T., Piqua.
*Wing, Chas. B., New York City.
Wright, G. Frederick, Oberlin.
Wright, Jos. F., Cincinnati.
*Wright, Silas H., Lancaster.
Young, Jno. H., Urbana.