Ohio History Journal

edited by

ETHEL CONRAD

 

Touring Ohio in 1811: The Journal

of Charity Rotch

 

Charity Rodman Rotch, the author of this journal, was born in

Newport, Rhode Island, on October 31, 1766.1 Her father was lost at

sea when she was less than a month old, leaving his widow with seven

children to bring up. Charity is said to have received her education

entirely from her older brother.

At the age of twenty-three Charity Rodman married Thomas Rotch,

the youngest son of a Nantucket family prominent in the whaling and

shipping industry. The young couple lived in Nantucket for a year.

Then they moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where Thomas

joined his brother William in running a branch of the family business.

In 1800 the Rotches made yet another move, this time to Hartford,

Connecticut. Both devout Quakers, they felt a concern to help spread

the Quaker faith in that area. In Hartford, Thomas Rotch invested in

several business enterprises, including a store, a linseed oil mill, and a

rolling and slitting mill. In 1808 he became interested in raising Merino

sheep, newly introduced to this country from Spain and famous for

their fine wool. By 1811 Rotch had built up a large flock of Merinos. He

also owned a thriving woolen mill, which handled every phase of the

manufacture from carding wool to the production of fine broadcloth

and cassimere.

Charity's health had been frail for some years, but during the winter

of 1808-1809 she was seriously ill with a malady diagnosed as "spotted

fever," probably a severe form of typhus. Recurring attacks so

weakened her that her doctor finally recommended a move to a milder

climate.

Choice of a location was difficult for the Rotches. They could not go

south because Charity refused to live in a slave state. Moreover, they

 

 

 

Ethel Conrad is the retired director of the Massillon Public Library.

 

1. Biographical information in this introduction is derived from the Rotch-Wales

Papers, Massillon Public Library, Massillon, Ohio, hereafter cited as RPMPL.

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136                                           OHIO HISTORY

 

required a location which would offer water power for a woolen mill

and sufficient land to pasture Rotch's four hundred sheep. Ohio

sounded promising to them, however. Its climate, particularly in the

southern part of the state, was milder than that of New England, it had

thousands of acres of land for sale through the federal land offices, and

as a free state it was attracting many Quakers from the South.

On January 18, 1811, the Rotches left Hartford to make an explor-

atory trip to Ohio. Accompanying them was Richard Imlay, a young

Quaker from the Hartford area, who was also interested in moving to

Ohio. After a stop in Trenton to buy a new carriage for the journey, and

another stop in Philadelphia to see relatives, they began their trek west

on January 29. Charity kept a journal of their travels from the time they

left Philadelphia until they reached Lampeter, Pennsylvania, on their

return trip nearly four months later.

Although the Rotches did not find a suitable site in the areas they

visited, they decided upon Ohio as their future home. They wound up

their affairs in Hartford, and started west again in the fall of 1811,

taking with them two wagons filled with their household goods. One of

their employees, Arvine Wales, was charged with the responsibility of

getting the flock of four hundred Merinos safely to Ohio. He and five

other men brought them on foot, taking two months but losing only ten

sheep on the way.

Upon arriving in Ohio, Rotch began to look for suitable land.

Bezaleel Wells of Steubenville owned 480 acres in Stark County which

he was willing to sell reasonably; so after inspecting the parcel, Rotch

bought it. He also bought 1,956 acres of adjoining land from the

Steubenville Land Office.

In the spring of 1812, Rotch laid out the village of Kendal, now a part

of Massillon. Many friends from Nantucket and Hartford came to settle

there, and within a few years Kendal became a flourishing little village

with fifty houses, a pottery, woolen mill, sawmill, and grist mill.

On a hill overlooking the village, the Rotches built a large frame

house, which they named Spring Hill. After Thomas Rotch's death in

1823 and Charity's a year later, their friend and former employee,

Arvine Wales, bought Spring Hill. Members of the Wales family lived

there until 1973, when it was taken over by the Massillon Museum

Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the

property. The house is now on the National Register of Historic Places,

and is open to the public during the summer months.

In the 1930s Mrs. Horatio Wales, the last private owner of the

property, discovered a large collection of Thomas Rotch's letters and

papers stored in an outbuilding known as the "wool house." These she

later presented to the Massillon Public Library, where they are now

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Touring Ohio in 1811                                     137

preserved. But she overlooked the small notebook containing Charity Rotch's journal, and it lay undiscovered until 1983 when it was found by a group of volunteers who were inventorying the contents of the wool house. The journal is now preserved at Spring Hill Historic Home, whose trustees have graciously granted permission for its publication. Although mildew and mice have damaged the journal's pages, most of them are still legible. In her journal, Charity Rotch was writing for herself and not for publication; therefore her comments are briefer and less explanatory than those of other travel diarists of the period. Nevertheless, her journal is of interest because it is one of the few accounts of early Ohio travel written from a woman's point of view.   The Journal   Left Philadelphia the 29th of the 1st m° 1811 _                                         that day 32 miles to Downingstown on the Lancaster Turnpike;2 &                           lodg'd at Hunt Downings.3 From thence proceeded on our way to Lancaster 30 miles     2. The Lancaster Turnpike was part of the Pennsylvania State Road, which had been built 1785-1787 on the route of Forbes Road. The section between Philadelphia and Lancaster was the first paved road in the United States. Archer Butler Hulbert, Historic Highways of America (Cleveland, 1902 -1095), V, 190, 195. 3. Hunt Downing (1757-1834) was a Quaker and the grandson of Thomas Downing, the founder of Downington. He kept the Downing Hotel until 1816. J. Smith Futhey and

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138                                                      OHIO HISTORY

 

further, reach'd on the evening         the whole of the way exhibiting

an _________tho' the Country was cloak'd in its winter habiliments,

considerable snow fell in the course of the forenoon, but the pathway

was soon cleard of it by the passing of waggons; upwards of two

hundred _______  we have seen in the course of these two days; not

being able to lodge at the Inn recommended, by our frds Warner

& Johnsons we put up at one Wilsons,⁴ very indifferent, from thence

10 miles to Columbia; &      as the Ice renderd crossing the

Susquhannah impracticable, we staid at widow Jeffrys,⁵ untill near 12

the next day, which          a quiet comfortable resting place, from ₁st

₂nd month pass'd the ferry, there was considerable ice floating,

& it made the Labour hard for the boatman, in abt an hour we were

Safe landed rode 10 miles over a very rough stone road to York, &

lodg'd comfortably    at Spanglers⁶ These two large Inland towns,

depend chiefly upon manufactoring various things; & Lancaster being

the seat of government:⁷ the Courts are Sitting          which at least,

makes it appear         but the low dutch Log houses           in almost

all parts of both those        does not add greatly to their beauty, but

them a dull aspect ₂nd of the month, & ₇th of the week, found the

road better than we expected & proceeded to Hunterstown 24 miles,

lodg'd at Russells Inn;⁸ we have pass'd thro several settlements or

neighbourhoods of frds but not on the day of their meetings, & Shall

probably be prevented getting to any, Some time longer, which is

different from our expectations, calculating to be able to attend mtg at

least once a week; ₃rd of the month Rode 19 miles, & cross'd the South

 

 

Gilbert Cope, History of Chester County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, 1881), I 419; II,

525.

4. This was probably the Indian King Tavern, which was kept by Robert Wilson in

1799. Franklin Ellis and Samuel Evans, History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

(Philadelphia, 1883), 399.

5. Columbia grew up because of the ferry started there in 1730 by John Wright.

Joseph Jeffries kept a hotel near the ferry in the 1790s. He later built the Sorrel Horse

Hotel, which remained in the family until 1835. From this point the Rotches took the

so-called Chambersburg Pike, a branch of the main road which took a more southerly

route to Chambersburg. Ibid., 539; Thaddeus Mason Harris, Journal of a Tour into the

Territory Northwest of the Alleghany Mountains, in Reuben Gold Thwaites, Early

Western Travels (Cleveland, 1904), III, 369, ed. note.

6. Colonel Samuel Spangler opened a tavern called the Sign of the Black Horse on

West Market Street in 1808. John Gibson, History of York County, Pennsylvania

(Chicago, 1886), 549.

7. Lancaster served as the state capital from 1799 to 1812. Fortescue Cuming said it

was the largest inland town in the United States. Fortescue Cuming, Sketches of a Tour

to the Western Country, Thwaites, IV, 31-32.

8. Joshua Russell kept a tavern about four miles north of Gettysburg near South

Mountain. W. C. Carter, History of York and Lancaster Counties, Pennsylvania (York,

1834), 207.

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Touring Ohio in 1811                                                  139

 

mountain, found it as good as we had reason to expect, & endeavour'd

to get safely & slowly along-lodg'd comfortably 9 miles from Cham-

bersburg a handsome flourishing town Snyders, a log house, & on the

₄th got 20 miles on our way to Louden, to the foot of the North

mountain the reflection of the Sun, this morning upon Several

was beautiful indeed, I cou'd have wishd many of my frds cou'd have

enjoy'd the Scenery  ________ lodg'd at Whitesides Inn,⁹ I omitted

mentioning the Civilities received from Judge Riddle10 of Chambers

Town, who we met with at York, & several times fell in with on our

way, he call'd at the Inn this day, & handsomely invited us to his

house, & gave an invitation from his wife to lodge with them on our

return-the weather being too fine to omit travelling, we were under a

necessity of declining the first proposal, & the Second must be left, for

a future decision. ₅th rode 19 miles pass'd Macollins  ___________  call'd at

Drydens Inn, which appeard like an excellent one, there are several

good houses, & the situation          the mountains appeared pleasant,

we had another           elegant view of the mountains, I thot it worth

riding a great distance for; Lodg'd at Reamers at the foot of Sideling

Hill, ₆th we have now cross'd South Mountain, North Mountain, Scrub

Ridge, Sideling Hill, Rays hill, & Tursers Mountain,11 most of them,

tho   _________     good by the inhabitants, Seem'd bad enough, but _____        was

a little part of them Smooth & pleasant. Forded the beautiful Juniatta,

& rode on its banks in the afternoon, reached Mount Dallas, & lodged

Hearthys Inn¹²-pass'd thro Waynesville, called Bloody Run:¹³ in

consequence of some lives being lost, or taken by Indians, pleasantly

situated between the mountains Log houses, we were this day prevent-

ed from a view of the mountains by the surrounding clouds, & mist,

 

9. Peter Whiteside kept an inn at Mercersburg in 1792. He is listed as a resident of

Metal Township, Franklin County, in 1810. History of Franklin County, Pennsylvania

(Chicago, 1887), 863; Census Bureau of the United States, return for Metal Township,

Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in 1810, 891.

10. James Riddle was born in Adams County, Pennsylvania, graduated from Prince-

ton University, and was admitted to the bar in 1784. He served as presiding judge of the

Chambersburg Judicial district from 1794 to 1804. Later he was in private practice. He

died about 1837. History of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, 406.

11. South Mountain lies between Gettysburg and Chambersburg. North Mountain is

east of McConnellsburg. Little Scrub Ridge is just west of McConnellsburg. Sideling Hill

and Rays Hill are just east of present-day Breezewood. Tursers Mountain probably

refers to Tusser's or Tussey's Mountain just east of Bedford.

12. Hartley's Tavern, a limestone building, was near present-day Everett. William

Hartley entertained George Washington there in 1794. It was run by William Graham

when Thaddeus M. Harris visited it in 1803 and called it the best accommodation

between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Harris, Thwaites, III, 324.

13. Waynesboro was the original name of the present town of Everett. There are

several explanations for the name "Bloody Run," but Cuming ascribes it to the massacre

of 250 militiamen by Indians shortly after Braddock's defeat. Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 60.

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140                                                        OHIO HISTORY

 

which produced some snow        in the afternoon, ₇th rode 6 miles &

breakfasted at Bedford Dillings¹⁴ from thence proceeded to the foot of

the Allegany mountain, & lodg'd at Burns, very indifferently, as was

our breakfast on the mountain, on the ₈th at Stocklers;¹⁵ for want of

reaching the distances, on acct of our horses: & the Roughness of the

road, we have lost the benefit of an excellent Inn at Storse town,

Grahams;¹⁶ if from Dillings, we cou'd have got to Grahams 28 miles,

we should have done much better-Lodg'd at Dennison¹⁷ no better

than the former Inns, rode 9 miles on          to breakfast: at Johnsons,

a Log house but more comfortably provided for than at the large brick

one we left-pass'd the Laurel hill 18 of Chesnut Ridge,          bad road

most of 20 miles, this days Journey,          Arrived in Youngstown; &

next the ₉th rode 23 miles the road being better. Lodg'd at Armours a

log house as comfortable as cou'd be expected: next night Stuarts,¹⁹ 22

miles, & on the 1₁th Reachd Pittsburgh. Within 12 miles of the town we

found the roads _         as any we pass'd, on acct of the miry places.

it a favour we got so well on our way while the frost continued,

it is worthy of remark, that we shou'd not in a Journey of 500 miles at

this Season, be one hour detain'd by the weather. Some Snow has

fallen several times, but so gently as not to impede travelling. ₁₂th

Spent at our lodgings Macullin²⁰ which we find nearly to answer

Cummings' description, & are satisfied with being here. wrote to New

 

14. Humphrey Dillon was an innkeeper in Bedford in 1810, and continued in business

until after 1830. History of Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania

(Chicago, 1884), 250-51.

15. Casper Statler's log inn on the summit of the Allegheny Ridge was a well-known

stopping place for travelers. F. A. Michaux stopped there in 1802, as did Joseph Gibbons

in 1804, and Morris Birkbeck in 1817. F. A. Michaux, Travels to the West of the

Alleghany Mountains, Thwaites, III, 147; Joseph E. Walker, ed., "The Travel Notes of

Joseph Gibbons, 1804," Ohio History, XCII (Annual, 1983), 141; Morris Birkbeck,

Notes on a Journey in America (London, 1818), 33.

16. Joseph Gibbons and his companions put up at Graham's Tavern in Stoystown in

1804. Walker, Ohio History, XCII, 141.

17. John Dennison was a tavern keeper and postmaster in Jenner Township, Somerset

County. He laid out the town of Jennerstown in 1822. History of Bedford, Somerset, and

Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania, 504, 508.

18. Laurel Hill is just west of Jennerstown.

19. Cuming locates Stewart's Inn eleven miles west ofGreensburg near the Allegheny-

Westmoreland County line. Robert Stewart, innkeeper, is on the tax list for Huntington

Township, Westmoreland County, in 1810. Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 75; William H.

Dumont, Tax Lists: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, 1786-1810. (Washington,

1968), 21.

20. The innkeeper is later referred to as McCullough, so this was probably the Golden

Cross Keys Inn, opened by William McCullough in 1807 on the corner of Fifth and Wood

Streets. Fortescue Cuming gave it high praise in his book. Louis V. Mulkearn and Edwin

V. Pugh, Traveller's Guide to Historic Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh, 1954), 41;

Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 77-78.

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Touring Ohio in 1811                                                   141

 

Bedford, & Sew'd & knit a little. ₁₃th began a letter to my dear E. & R.

Todd²¹ & attended to a little Sewing & knitting at our lodgings, the

weather being to cold to visit the Glass works, & Curiosities of the

place, my TR brought me a handsome smelling bottle, which he saw

made this forenoon ₁₄th went with my TR & RI22 to visit the glass

works²³ boats rivers &c = the glass was particularly          tifying, this

appears to be a busy town as many as 25 manfactorys, independant of

those trade common to our Country; ₁₅th spent at our lodgings, writing

&c occupied the day, 16, cross'd the Monongahaly; & rode 16 miles to

Canonsburgh. Lodg'd at Donnalsons, the severest headache I have had

since I left home prevented my partaking of a comfortable Supper

provided by a very kind Landlady, ₁₇^th not being near any meeting, we

Journeyd on abt 20 miles the road both yesterday & this, has required

patience & care, Stop'd in Washington a pleasant little town, contain-

ing more than three hundred houses, more than twice as large as

Cannonsburg; at Morris's²⁴ which look'd like a good Inn, but as it was

not much pass'd noon, we Journey on 13 miles further to the south fork

of Buffalos Creek.²⁵ Lodg'd at a Log house; David __        ghts; & went

to Alexandria to breakfast; as         an Inn, kept by Gooding,²⁶ as any

we have met with; from thence proceeded to Beales,²⁷ four miles from

 

21. Dr. Eli Todd was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1769 and graduated from

Yale College in 1787. He practiced medicine in Farmington, Connecticut, until about

1820, then moved to Hartford. In 1824 he established the Hartford Retreat for the Insane.

He died in 1833. He and his wife Rachel were close friends of the Rotches, and he was

also Charity's doctor. J. Hammond Trumbull, Memorial History of Hartford County,

Connecticut, 1633-1884 (Boston, 1886), I, 142; Eli Todd to Charity Rotch, April 20, 1808,

RPMPL.

22. Richard Imlay was a young Quaker, a member of the West Hartford Monthly

Meeting, who accompanied the Rotches on their journey because he too was interested

in settling in Ohio. He moved to the Rotches' settlement in Kendal, Ohio, in 1812, but

soon returned east and settled in Trenton, New Jersey. Richard Imlay to Thomas Rotch,

September 4, 1812, March 1, 1815, RPMPL.

23. There were several glassworks in the Pittsburgh area at that time, but from the

location mentioned, Charity is probably referring to Bakewell, Page & Bakewell, which

stood at Water and Grant Streets. It was established in 1808, and was known for its fine

flint glass. Mulkearn and Pugh, 30.

24. When Cuming visited Washington in 1807, he estimated it had about 175 houses.

The Globe Inn on Main Street, owned by David Morris from 1804 to 1834, was known

as one of the best hotels between Washington, D.C., and Wheeling. Cuming, Thwaites,

IV, 239; Boyd Crumrine, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia,

1882), 494.

25. Buffalo Creek was in Hopewell Township, Washington County. Joseph

McFarland, Twentieth Century History of Washington and Washington County, Penn-

sylvania (Chicago, 1910), 324.

26. West Alexander was laid out by Robert Humphreys in 1796, and named for his

wife, Martha Alexander. John Gooding kept a tavern there. Ibid., 505; Harris, Thwaites,

III, 48 ed. note.

27. Morris Birkbeck stopped at Ninian Beall's tavern in 1817. He called it "a small

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142                                                    OHIO HISTORY

 

the village of Wheeling where my feelings was deeply affected, at

finding there the detestable practice of keeping as many as 22 human

beings in slavery, this tho but a small number _         some in the

neighbourhood, sufficiently convinced me of the rectitude of my

conclusion: to give up my natural life sooner than subject myself: to

such scenes, _      ing my winters at the Southward; I left them;

deeply deploring the condition of both Slaves, & possessors almost

breakfastless = the road was hard froze; and very rough         half a

mile from the town, we ascended as bad a hill as any we have pass'd in

the Journey: & to increase our truble, poor Cato, in one of the deep

tracks, hurt one of his fore feet with the Cork on his hind one; & bled

so         as to awaken our concern: my TR took his hankerchief &

bound it up: I alighted: & had to encounter the ascent; which was as

great, or the greatest hardship I have known; it being quite cold: & as

we approachd the top increasingly so: had it not been for that; & the

little patience I felt, that any people shou'd suffer such a peice of road

to exist; I shou'd have longer indulged myself with the picturesque;

view it exhibited; with difficulty we descended, while Richard had got

the horse, to the first house, & by the kind assistance of the mistress

of it, had wash'd the wound & pourd warm tallow on it; we from thence

went to the Inn; & wrote a billet to M & P Graham²⁸ informing them of

our being there & wishing to see them, while our dinner was preparing

Michael soon came, & seemd overjoy'd to see us; dr Patience has been

some time confin'd, & we call'd, after dining to see her spent abt an

hour; & then the weather continuing _         we were apprehensive,

that we cou'd not cross the river if we omitted it untill morning, &

concluded to that afternoon: M. cross'd with us, & spent the night at

his Countrymans, Thompsons;²⁹ a well inform'd Irishman residing on

the banks of the beautiful Ohio; next morning the ₁₉th we parted with

Michael: in ten miles we reach'd St Clairsville,³⁰ a flourishing pretty

 

 

and simple establishment, which his civility renders truly comfortable." Birkbeck, 48.

28. Michael Graham was a native of Ireland who was converted to the Quaker faith

after coming to Massachusetts. He worked for a time in the Rotch ropewalk in New

Bedford, then later opened a store there. He and his family moved to Baltimore in 1801,

and to Wheeling in 1807. They were members of Concord Monthly Meeting. Daniel

Ricketson, History of New Bedford (New Bedford, Mass., 1858), 244-45; William Wade

Hinshaw, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy (Ann Arbor, 1938), IV, 147;

Michael Graham to Thomas Rotch, October 19, 1801, RPMPL.

29. In all probability, this was Thomas Thompson, who ran a tavern and ferry on the

north side of Fleming's Run in Bridgeport, Ohio. In 1828 he vouched for two natives of

Ireland who wished to become citizens. J. A. Caldwell, History ofBelmont and Jefferson

Counties, Ohio (Wheeling, 1880), 283; Irene M. Ochsenbein, Belmont County Before

1830 (author, 1977), 33-34.

30. St. Clairsville was established in 1803 and had about eighty houses when Cuming

visited it in 1807. The Rotches were now following Zane's Trace, which ran from

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Touring Ohio in 1811                                            143

 

where several friends live, found the road so good, it induced us

to go on 8 miles further to Milners Inn³1 which I can say very little in

favour of, save the kindness of his wife = he was a rough Virginian,

came into this country seven years ago with 500 dollars; has since been

offerd 3000 for a part of his land 200 acres; & has settled several sons,

on adjacent farms = on the ₂₀th rode 3 miles to Morristown, a pleasant

little village, containing a few log houses; & reachd Frankford 22 miles:

lodg'd at Moors Inn.³² The Landlady, kindly furnish'd us, with a bed in

her parlour, with a good fire; which is a great accomodation in a log

house; ₂₁st we rode 5 miles to breakfast, to Beamors:³³ in Washington,

another pleasant village containing one or two framed houses: the want

of        a sufficiency of Streams in this part of the land, obliges the

people to continue in their log houses; we are     pleased with this

part of the Country, find the roads good & cou'd easily travel 40 miles,

if our horses were not      & lame, that we are obliged to go on very

Slowly; but I shou'd have mention, the table spread for us, in the

wilderness this morning consisting of, venison Sausage Shad ham

Chicken eggs: biscuit waffles bread, apple puff _  -a larger

variety than usual, tho' we seldom have less than three kinds of meat,

we regret, that the season of wild Turkeys is past, they having been a

few weeks ago very plenty; rode 10 miles after breakfast, mostly thro'

woods, Cambridge; Stewarts Inn;³⁴ whose accomodations are superior

to any we have seen; which with the engaging manners of his wife, will

secure them much custom in this truly pleasing country; the road

hitherto has been hilly; but not more, than one or two, I think in this

distance, much worse, than some in our neighbourhood at Hartford;

₂₂nd yesterday we struck a Stump & Sprung the fore axele tree of our

Carriage, had that       repair with a rope: after which ascending, a

short steep hill, very Icy: Prince Slip'd & fell entirely on his side, lay

entirely still, untill Cato was taken off        loosen'd from  the

Carriage, after which, he arose entirely unhurt = I went into a little

cottage, while my TR, & RI were preparing to go forward         the

 

Wheeling to Maysville, Kentucky. Laid out in 1796 and improved in 1805, it was

considered the best road in the state. Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 232; Hulbert, XI, 156-59.

31. Edward Milner had a hotel three miles east of Morristown. Caldwell, 369.

32. Andrew Moore kept a tavern in Frankfort. William G. Wolfe, Stories of Guernsey

County (Cambridge, Ohio, 1943), 1064.

33. Washington (now Old Washington) was laid out about 1805 by General Simon

Beymer. He opened the Black Bear Tavern there in 1806. Cuming reported that in 1807

there were twelve houses in the town, of which four were taverns, and two of them were

owned by the Beymer family. Wolfe, 1056; Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 231.

34. The Bridge House, kept by Thomas Stewart, stood at the north entrance to the

toll bridge across Wills Creek near Cambridge. A large, L-shaped building, it was

well-known as a stopping place for travelers. Wolfe, 546.

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144                                                        OHIO HISTORY

 

woman, had come from the Jerseys, last Spring bury'd her husband,

abt the time call'd Christmas & was anxious to get to some frds that

came out with her; but I thot regretted very little the Loss of her

companion = the above, are the most serious events that have

happend to us, in this long Journey, in which we have been greatly

favoured. found very poor accomodations at Browns,³⁵                 from

Zanesville: where it is expected the permanent seat of government will

be, the Legislator sat there 9 weeks this last season, it contains abt

houses, & I think I was inform'd that 5 yrs since the ₄th chimney

was built in it: it is situated rather low, it being first day & all of us

fatigued no mtg near we spent the day & part of the next, in the

afternoon proceeded 7 miles & lodgd at Scofields: & 26th we rode 27

miles to Lancaster. Stop'd on the way at Dittoes,³⁶ a tolerably

comfortable Inn. lodg'd at Sturgeons³⁷ the land lord & several of the

inhabitants of this pleasant little town, press'd our tarrying         on

acct of their wish to find a Settlement for a woolen Manfactory; & they

nobly offerd to make up 500 acres for the Benevolent Institution³⁸ if my

TR wou'd consent to come into the neighbourhood; we thot best to

leave them & reach'd Shartlers Inn on the ₂₇th a very comfortable Log

house, & kind people perhaps 12 miles from Lancaster, in the morning

rode   two   miles   to  Tarlton, &     stopt at Lybrands       Inn³⁹  on

of getting a pr of horses, the mud now being too deep for ours,

to convey us comfortably, they being too much worn in a Journey of

700 miles; one Drury furnishd us with a pair, & rode ours, we came on

to Macutchins⁴⁰ 9 miles; fared poorly, at least a poor house but kind

 

 

35. Cuming visited Brown's Tavern, which he described as "romantically situated in

a deep and narrow valley." The town of Zanesville was still very small when he visited

it in 1807, but a footnote to his account written by Zadok Cramer in 1810 said that

furnaces and forges were being built. The pottery industry started about 1808. Zanesville

served as the state capital from 1810 to 1812. Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 225-26; Henry

Howe, Historical Collections of Ohio (Columbus, 1890), II, 603.

36. This was probably Jacob Dittoe, who laid out the village of Hanover on Zane's

Trace in Reading Township, Fairfield (now Perry) County in 1804. A. A. Graham,

History of Fairfield and Perry Counties, Ohio (Chicago, 1883), 283.

37. Thomas Sturgeon came to Lancaster about 1800 and kept a tavern in a brick house

near the center of town until 1824. C. M. L. Wiseman, Pioneer Period and Pioneer

People of Fairfield County, Ohio (Columbus, 1901), 70-71.

38. "The Benevolent Institution" probably refers to a long-cherished dream of

Charity Rotch's to found a school to educate orphaned and poor children for a useful

trade. It finally came into being after her death through a bequest in her will. The Charity

School of Kendal was founded in 1829 and operated until 1910. William Henry Perrin,

History of Stark County, Ohio (Chicago, 1881), 385-86; Ruth Kane, Wheat, Glass, Stone

and Steel (Massillon, Ohio, 1976), 19-21.

39. Tarlton, a village about twenty miles southeast of Lancaster, had only one house

and the inn when Cuming visited it in 1807, but he called Lybrant's "one of the best and

most reasonable inns I had met with on my tour." Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 221.

40. James McCutchen had a tavern in Kingston. Cuming visited both it and Rickey's

• 10
 

Touring Ohio in 1811                                               145

 

landlady & found there was a better Inn abt 3 miles farther on, one

Rickey. 1st of the ₃rd m^° rode 10 miles to the Sciota River: cross'd it in

a flat, it is generaly forded when Low; & arrived at the much famed

town of Chilicothe;⁴1 which does not appear as interresting as some of

those we left behind: particularly St. Clairsville & Lancaster; ₂nd spent

at our Lodgings at __     llys Inn; no way extraordary; as to accomo-

dations. ₃rd being disappointed in not getting horses that wou'd go in a

waggon I cou'd not go to a Small mtg 6 miles from this, at Dry Run, my

TR procured a Saddle horse & left me for that purpose. Spent the day

at the Inn, writing &c ₄th spent at our lodgings attending to some little

matters, in the morning had an operation perform'd on my right eye Lid

by Dr. Scott;⁴² a tumor that had been gathering from the time I left

home; which tho tedious was not as painful as might have been

expected from its appearance. ₅th Benjamin Huffs wife calld to see us

in the morning, he is Nephew to TH deceased of Philadelphia, & kindly

invited us to visit her which we consented to. Went in the afternoon;

She Seems very frdly disposed & regrets not being placed near a mtg

= ₆th we were kindly invited by a sister of our landlady to tea with her

by the name of Lamb; but a a Snow falling & the Streets being wet, we

did not get there, consequently staid at our Lodgings, in the forenoon

was invited by John Carlisle,⁴³ to take a ride in his carriage to see the

& ₇th received an invitation to take tea at his house & meet his

Mother in Law, Lamb there, She is a m         ly skilfull woman, & as

interresting as any I have seen in this Country; rec'd a letter from A

Skinner⁴⁴ yesterday giving pretty comfortable accts from home we

were as Genteelly enttertaind, as we woud be in the City of Newyork;

he has been one of the first settlers of the town; came in to the country

 

 

 

tavern. History of Ross and Highland Counties, Ohio (Cleveland, 1880), 243; Cuming,

Thwaites,IV, 220.

41. Chillicothe was laid out in 1796 and was the state capital from 1803 to 1810. In

1807 Cuming found it to be a town with two hundred houses and a number of mercantile

and public buildings. He thought it one of the most beautiful towns he had seen in the

West. Howe, III, 164, 168; Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 216-17.

42. Dr. Joseph Scott was born in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, about 1779, and

educated in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He practiced medicine in Chillicothe from about

1802 to 1811, then went to Kentucky, returning to Chillicothe from 1822 to 1827. He died

in Lexington, Kentucky, about 1848. History ofRoss and Highland Counties, Ohio, 215.

43. John Carlisle settled in Chillicothe in 1798 and became a prominent merchant

there. He died in 1847. Ibid., 213.

44. Alexander Skinner worked in Rotch's woolen mill in Hartford, and was in charge

of it during the Rotches' absence. He moved to Ohio in 1812, and was a partner in

Rotch's woolen mill in Kendal for several years before moving to Loudonville, where he

died in 1820. Perrin, 694; Alexander Skinner to Thomas Rotch, December 19, 1811,

RPMPL.

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146                                                       OHIO HISTORY

 

with         dollars; & is now worth many thousands             indepen-

dant Situation, we were much __        ed with our visit, the table was

furnish'd  _     ly with presents, from    Boston Mackrel &      Smoked

Salmon; thus they seem'd desirous of making us partakers of their good

things but a glass of better Current wine made from their own garden,

1 third Juice I never drank = ₈th tarried at home quite unwell tho' we

had Several invitations from Generals Findly, Macarter &c⁴⁵ and ₉th

proceeded on our way 16 miles, lodg'd at Davis's,⁴⁶ came from

Connecticut when he was young, & has here a _              Settlement is

related to Beach of Hartford; came over some very fine land, the Sise

of the trees, beauty of them     &c attracting much admiration; ₁₀th

proceeded 10 miles thro very good land, & lodg'd at Smiths;⁴⁷ his wife

is a member of our Society; fared very indifferently, but they were

likely to move soon to the Miama country & I hope the Inn will be

better supplied; ₁₁th call'd on our way at Harrison Ratcliffs;⁴⁸ himself

& valuable wife went to Nathaniel Popes with us; the latter had kindly

invited us to go there, when we were at Chilicothe: we tarried with him

that night; the next day ₁₂th we rode 7 miles to Vanmeters⁴⁹ there my

TR got a horse & boy to go on 7 miles with us to Armstrongs,50 the road

laying thro' a Swamp & very muddy, we had a good supper, & pleasant

Land lady; who is likely soon to leave, that place for Cincinaty; where

her frds reside = in the morning my husband purchased a small horse,

of the Land Lord, to ride on himself, & relieve the waggon horses; &

 

 

45. General Samuel Finley was an officer in the Revolutionary War. General Duncan

McArthur helped to lay out Chillicothe, then acquired land and settled there. His home,

Fruit Hill, was a showplace. He was a major general in the state militia, and became a

brigadier general in the War of 1812. History of Ross and Highland Counties, Ohio, 174;

Howe, III,178-79.

46. This may have been Jacob Davis, who came to Buckskin Township, Ross County,

about 1800 and accumulated seven hundred acres of land. History of Ross and Highland

Counties, Ohio, 333-34.

47. Isaac Smith had a tavern in Greenfield (Highland County) which was two stories

high and built of hewn logs. Ibid., 419.

48. Harrison Ratcliffe came to Highland County about 1805. He built one of the first

houses in Leesburg and was an early postmaster there. Nathaniel Pope came from

Virginia about 1802 and settled near Leesburg. He erected one of the first brick houses

in the area. Both men were Quakers, and members of Fairfield Monthly Meeting. Ibid.,

359, 396-97, 399, 409, 412; Hinshaw, V, 272-73.

49. Morgan Van Meter came to Clinton County about 1800 and settled near Snow Hill

in Greene Township, where he built a double log cabin and started a tavern. It was the

first in the county, and was listed in early road guides. Albert J. Brown, History of

Clinton County, Ohio (Indianapolis, 1915), 82; History of Clinton County, Ohio (Chicago,

1882), 706.

50. Armstrong started a tavern in 1805 or 1806 in Washington Township, Clinton

County, at the site of the present village of Cuba. Brown, 88; History of Clinton County,

Ohio, 804.

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Touring Ohio in 1811                                                  147

 

we reachd Lebanon 22 miles, & lodg'd at Furgasons,⁵¹ we have pass'd

over a large tract of excellent Land since leaving Chilicothe; ₁₄th

yesterday spent in & abt Lebanon our kind Land lady accompanied us

in the afternoon 4 miles to the Shakers Settlement,⁵² & a Lawyer who

boards with her, by the name of Freeman;⁵³ we had heard on our way

that they (the Shakers) were likely to sell their improvements, & go to

the Wabash country & we knew not but it might be a good purchase

but, found quite to the Contrary, & tho' pleased with the Country

round: yet I saw nothing to induce my tarriance = they have cleard

considerable Land, & built some large framed houses; we were invited

by Dr Canby⁵⁴ to take tea at his house & on our return, we went

thither, Just across the street from our Lodgings; & spent an agreeable

evening with his pretty little wife, who resembles the daughter of Ruth

Fisher extremely, they are __      , & she being confined with a young

child seldom gets to mtg. 6 miles distant; She came in this morning &

spent abt an hour, my TR & RI left me to ride with her husband abt 6

miles to view the country, we are very agreeably situated in this family,

& I think I cou'd be content to stay sometime, this is a very pleasant

little village, I think as much so as any we have yet seen, & the land of

Superior quality around it ₁₅th accepted an invitation from my Land

Lady to visit a family; from the Jerseys abt 3 yrs since by the name of

Van horn,⁵⁵ whose history is too interresting to be pass'd by silently

this family composed of seven daughters & one Son, with their father

& mother left home, the father in a low state of health yet so as to have

hope of performing the Journey probably reaping advantage from it,

 

 

 

51. William Ferguson was listed as postmaster of Lebanon in 1805, and as running a

grocery store in 1810. He married Catharine Rue in 1806. History of Warren County,

Ohio (Chicago, n.d.), 452, 466; Warren County, Ohio, Marriage Records, 1803-1854

(Indianapolis, 1977), 23.

52. The Shaker community of Union Village four miles west of Lebanon was

established in 1806. The rumor that the Shakers were moving to Indiana probably arose

because they had established a community in Busro, Indiana, in 1810, and also because

they had recently been harrassed by a mob from Lebanon. Actually, the community

remained in existence until 1912. Edward Deming Andres, The People Called Shakers

(New York 1953), 91, 290-91.

53. Thomas Freeman was born in Pennsylvania, and came to Lebanon from Cincin-

nati about 1809. He practiced law on the Miami Circuit. He was thrown from a horse and

killed in 1818. History of Warren County, Ohio, 297.

54. Dr. Joseph Canby, a Quaker, came to Wayne Township, Warren County, in 1807.

He later practiced medicine in Lebanon for twenty years. From 1811 to 1824 he was a

Censor to examine applicants for medical licensing. Ibid., 301, 304, 568.

55. The Rev. William Van Home, a Baptist clergyman, died in Pittsburgh in 1807 on

the way to Ohio. The rest of the family settled on a farm one mile east of Lebanon. The

son, Thomas Van Home, fought in the War of 1812, and later served in the Ohio

Legislature. He died in 1859. Ibid., 392.

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148                                                OHIO HISTORY

 

but the fatigue proved too much for him, & he died in Pittsburg, they

then proceeded, on their Solitary way, & appear to be persons of

respectability & well educated: I was pleased with my visit, & treated

with attention; the youngest daughter particularly claiming my regard:

from the softness, & apparent Sweetness of her disposition, she

reminded me of my dear Candice they are comfortably accomodated in

a log house built by their Son, who occupies half of it; & is making

great improvement, in gardening &c & soon intends building a brick

house, in the garden,     fine bed of monthly Strawberries & some

of the other kind, 5 different kinds of Raspberries, asparagus fit to cut

this Season; Shrubbery & many valuable roots = return'd, & found my

TR & RI, safe at our lodgings well pleas'd with their excursion, having

had time to view one of the ancient forts⁵⁶ for which this land is so

remarkable, an acct of which deserves a place in this book = ₁₆th

having for more than a week, had a sensation at times abt my right hand

& arm, that reminded me of a paralytic affection: I mentioned it to the

wife of John Evans,⁵⁷ who came into town with her husband &

daughter, she confirmd my Suspicion, & advised immediate attention,

& as it appeard to increase pretty rapidly almost to the disuse of the

part I consulted Dr Canby: who tho' young seems like a Judicious man:

& he immediately advised bleeding in the afternoon it was done, & I

had to return to bed after recovering a little from a faint turn; but

believe it was a right Step; tho prevented from getting to meeting by it

on the ₁₇th, which I much regretted; the Sensation not wholly abating

& feeling considerably weakend in the morning    aining prevented

my husband also from attending mtg being 6 miles distant = the acct

my TR gave of his excursion is in part as follows, 7 miles from this

place, ascended from the little Miama river on the Virginia Military

Lands, abt half a mile, by the only passage into an admirable fort, the

circumference of which, is three miles, & contains near 600 acres; it

appears to be the only situation within a great distance, that wou'd

admit, of so formidable a plan of defence, the walls are abt 20 feet high

& the base 30 wide, & on the side next the river, & that up river, in

some places, where the first fall of the natural bank favourd, it is from

 

 

56. This was Fort Ancient, which lies seven miles southeast of Lebanon. Rotch was

so interested in the Indian mounds that he paid a man to dig into one of the mounds at

Fort Ancient and report his findings to Dr. Canby. The report, if one was made, has not

survived. Gerard Fowke, Archaeological History of Ohio (Columbus, 1902), 239-42;

Thomas Rotch, partial draft of letter, March 14-17, [1811], RPMPL.

57. John Evans was the youngest son of Joseph Evans (note 59). John was born in

Bush River, South Carolina, in 1787, and came to Ohio with his parents. Eileen Davis

and Judith Ireton, Quaker Records of the Miami Valley of Ohio (Owensboro, Ky., 1980),

61.

• 14
 

Touring Ohio in 1811                                            149

 

_  0 to 70 feet, inaccessible except by the gateway as is many other

parts of it down the river, & on the South east side, but upon the east,

which is _     n the river, there is an extensive plain, & the gateways

nearer together, some of the avenues appeard to be Sluce ways for

water, against which an elevated point, either natural or artificial, from

which the Sluces, might be coverd for greater security; it is said there

are one hundred gateways the walls were once much higher, or have,

remarkably preserved their Shape, & in many places wou'd be very

difficult to ascend; upon them are many trees 4 feet thro' while there

are little ridges & hollows, that appear to be made by the falling over

of trees of        former growth; Such as we have frequently seen

passing thro the woods, resembling graves without the least trace of

wood abt them, without the fort, perhaps one hundred yards from the

Ramparts are two mounds, with large trees growing upon them, abt

Seven miles down the River on the side opposite this fortification, there

is another containing abt 100 acres, one part of which is within 40 yrds

from the river, where there is the appearance of brick work, reduced by

great heat to Cinder, as tho' there might have been a furnace.⁵⁸ 18th

accompanied by our Landlady & her mother we went to Joseph

Evans's,⁵⁹ dined & returnd Just before dark; Johns family has lately

removed         these parts; has three grown daughters, the youngest

Sarah I once had the offer of, she seem'd like a promising young

woman; Joseph closely recommended, my leaving tea & Coffee, &

trying a mild diet for several months, which I feel inclined, to adopt, &

hope for resolution to do it = ₁₉th last night I was disturb'd in Sleep by

dreaming that my dr little TR & old frd EA⁶⁰ had just deceased, & I was

anxious for them to be buried in one Coffin; it also seem'd as if there

was a third Corpse; & my dr Mother also present; but have not a clear

recollection of the matter left Lebanon abt 11 oclock, & pass'd over a

beautiful country considerably improved for abt 5 miles; then the road

was poor, & the Country in places not quite so good: untill we reach'd

 

 

 

58. There was an unfinished earthwork at Foster's Crossing on the west side of the

Little Miami. It had loose stones covered with masses of clay burnt to hardness. Fowke,

256-57; History of Warren County, Ohio, 402.

59. Joseph Evans, the father of John Evans, was a member of the Waynesville

Friends Meeting and Miami Monthly Meeting. He was born in Bush River, South

Carolina, in 1749, and died in Warren County, Ohio, in 1828. Davis and Ireton, 61;

History of Warren County, Ohio, 568.

60. "Little TR" was the Rotches' only child, Thomas Jr., who had died in 1791 at the

age of four months. "EA" was probably Elizabeth Allen, an old friend of Charity's

mother. Charity had cared for her after Mrs. Rodman's death. Notation on Thomas and

Charity Rotch's marriage certificate, RPMPL; Last will and testament of Mary Rodman,

February 10, 1798, RPMPL.

• 15
 

150                                                   OHIO HISTORY

 

Prices Inn, 15 miles, found rather indifferent entertainment, & miss'd

our kind frds the Fergusons particularly in point of lodging, the fields

have began to be green & those with grain are beautifully so: 20th after

a poor night we took our departure & came on to Mills's,⁶¹ who we

find, is a widow her husband died last ₆th ^m°. She is from Elizabeth-

town in the Jerseys, has been here 14 years, they have made great

improvements a fine brick house &c Staid long enough to get dinner &

then proceeded to Cincinnata, the road mostly dry & settled; took

lodgings at Griffin Yeatmans⁶² near the river; which affords from our

chamber a pleasing view Newport being situated on the opposite side

in Kentucky a small town, in which is the united states Naval

establishment;⁶³ 21st in the morning was call'd upon by Jessy Hunt⁶⁴ &

his wife; the former we were introduced to at Lebanon She invited me

to take tea the next day; which I gave some encouragement to do; if we

tarried in town; dined upon excellent fish; I believe perch taken out of

the River; I think equal to any I ever tasted. rode round the town in the

afternoon-visited the remains of an ancient fort; & mound within the

limits of the town; & stopt at an english gardeners who had been here

but two years. Seem'd like an honest industrious man, I thot him so

deserving encouragement, that I gave him most of the Turnip beet seed

I had left: which I doubt not will gain him a few pence; he had many

pretty little plants among which, were a beautiful monthly rose, one in

full bloom, with 3 large buds, which he had just sold for 9/; our land

lords sister Sally, accompanied us = ₂₂nd last night dream'd I was

awakend by a gentle touch from my dear E Todd, who it seem'd had

been to visit my dear Mother; I arose with alacrity to provide

something comfortable for him; & soon found, it was only a dream, but

the apprehension, that something serious, affects some of my beloved

frds, is the frequent companion of my mind, yet I know not that I cou'd

regret taking this Journey, if I shou'd not see some of them again; as I

feel incompetent to care; & cou'd not help them if they were distress'd;

 

 

61. Mary Halstead Mills was the widow of John R. Mills, who owned land in

Columbus Township, Hamilton County, as early as 1801. His will was probated on July

1, 1810. Henry Ford, History of Hamilton County, Ohio (Cleveland, 1881), 276; Marie

Dickore and Natalie Thornburgh, Hamilton County, Ohio, Marriage Records 1808-1820

and Wills (Abstracts) 1790-1810 (Cincinnati, 1959), 59.

62. Yeatman's Inn was the first erected in Cincinnati, and was located near

Yeatman's Cove at the foot of Sycamore Street. History of Cincinnati and Hamilton

County, Ohio (Cincinnati, 1894), 56.

63. Cuming said that in 1808 Newport had "a large brick arsenal and magazine, the

property of the general government." Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 256.

64. Jesse Hunt was listed on the Cincinnati tax records for 1810, and in the Cincinnati

census for 1817. Esther Weygand Powell, Early Ohio Tax Records (Akron, 1971), 155;

Marie Dickore, Census for Cincinnati, Ohio, 1817 (Cincinnati, 1960), 34.

• 16
 

Touring Ohio in 1811                                       151

 

this has been a rainy day & prevented our going anywhere, excused

myself from complying with the invitation: as I perceived there was a

party invited, & I did not feel able to go so unaccustom'd am I to things

of this nature, that it wou'd be a task & a burden; & I much regret that

this practice has found a way into those remote settlements, but the

people in most places dress as well, & are as fashionable, as in the

larger Cities, Lace &c worn by the females = one unfortunate man by

the name of Smith, here is likely to loose all his property, it is to be sold

for the benefit of his Creditors next ₂nd day 13 miles from here; he

seems like a worthy person & has excited my sympathy: had been

industrious building vessels &c but by the mismanagement of those in

whom he has confided, all must now go, I think he appears to bear it

with a degree of fortitude, has an amiable family, whom he wishes us

to see; this is a very beautiful town I feel much attach'd to it: a fine

Market, & everything to be attained, that is necessary; the river

furnishing this Market from remote parts, with many good things Cyder

& apples cheap, the latter now sold for half a dollar per bushel.-₂₃rd

confined & much distress'd with the head ach; in the evening was Just

able to go down stairs & see Jessy Hunts wife who came again to our

lodgings, she appears like an amiable woman: ₂₄th first day spent

mostly in my chamber, our Landlord at Lebanon Wm Ferguson call'd

in the afternoon to see us, & in the evening waited upon his wife to our

lodgings I omitted mentioning the tempest night before last very sharp

lightening, & a long continuance of it, & thunder, it disturbd us very

much; & also the families much more exposed to it-in the Arks⁶⁵ lying

directly opposite to this house on the river, which rose so fast, that

they were obliged to fasten their Stakes; to which the boats are lash'd;

on higher ground; 25 awoke last night, & looking out of the window,

found a Man employ'd in the same way; & the Arks, have nearly

approach'd the Street; before the house we are now in, abundance of

drift wood, has already pass'd by, I view it with regret, as it wou'd

supply this whole town & it seems there are poor people enough that

need it, but too negligent even to secure it, when it comes to them =

in the afternoon visited John Stall⁶⁶ & wife; at their daughter Sinclairs:

W^m & Catharine Ferguson went with us, we had a pleasant visit, in the

evening call'd upon Jessy Hunts wife; ₂₆th took an affectionate leave of

our Land lords family, his sister Sarah Winton keeps house for him, &

 

65. Thaddeus M. Harris described the Arks as "square, and flat-bottomed; about

forty feet by fifteen, with sides six feet deep; covered with a roof of thin boards, and

accommodated with a fire-place." Harris, Thwaites, III, 335.

66. John Stall and his wife came from Philadelphia in 1804. They were members of

Miami Monthly Meeting. Hinshaw, V. 124.

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152                                                 OHIO HISTORY

 

his eldest daughter __  ulia: an amiable girl, wept much at parting I

shall not easily forget the sensibility she discoverd: Catharine Ferguson

rode in the Carriage with me, we had a late but excellent dinner at the

widow Mills's; she gave me in charge a direction to call upon her

brother Dr Robert Halsted, who lives in the upper part or entrance of

Elizabeth Town, & her husbands brother, Thadeus Mills, abt the

middle of the place; her son W^m is with one of them; She wish'd me to

give them a little acct &c of her, with her love = She is finely settled

a good Brick house & large farm, 150 acres of Land Clear'd & in good

order; She keeps a house of entertainment; a distinction in this

Country, common when they do not sell liquor; we after dinner

proceeded to Prices Inn & lodg'd again, an english family, who have

experiencd a great change, in coming to this Country the woman

particularly, who told me, she was only accustom'd to standing behind

the Counter, before she left England = ₂₇th proceeded to Lebanon; the

road very wet & muddy; in consequence of the great rain Lodg'd one

more night comfortably at W^m Fergusons & on the ₂₈th took leave of

them, & rode 10 miles to Waynesville put up at David Pughs;⁶⁷ who

keeps a house of entertainment: are members of our Society was

disappointed in not getting to their m^° mtg which was yesterday, a

goodly old friend from Virginia; came into see us; Mordecai Warker,⁶⁸

he recollected Sister Lydia,⁶⁹ as has divers other frds; he gave me an

interresting acct of a discovery made in Kentucky, by persons digging

for a Salt Spring; they dug into a Cavern or Arch: Where on a Stone

Shelf lay a body, supposed to have been embalm'd, entire in form; but

wou'd not bear much handling, however, enough to be Secured by a

Physician in Lexington; Benjamin Hopkins⁷⁰ & wife also call'd to see

us, the latter told me she had a daughter named Lydia Rotch, by S

Coupon: they are from Haddonfield; ₂₉th came 18 miles to Daton, a

village considerably larger than Lebanon, & preferable in situation on

 

 

67. Waynesville, a Quaker center, was the site of the Miami Monthly Meeting. David

Pugh was a member of Waynesville Meeting and Miami Monthly Meeting. He came from

Canesville, South Carolina, in 1804. Hinshaw, V, 112; History of Warren County, Ohio,

568; James L. Burke and Donald E. Bensch, Mount Pleasant and the Early Quakers of

Ohio (Columbus, 1973), 7.

68. Mordecai Walker was a member of Waynesville Meeting and Miami Monthly

Meeting. He came from Hopewell, Virginia, in 1804. Hinshaw, V, 136.

69. Lydia Rotch Dean (1770-1822) was Thomas Rotch's sister. She was a Quaker

minister, and made at least one preaching journey. Joseph L. McDevitt Jr., The House

of Rotch (Ann Arbor, 1978), 551; D. Hamilton Hurd, History of Bristol County,

Massachusetts (Philadelphia, 1883), 92.

70. Benjamin Hopkins was a member of Waynesville Meeting. He and his family were

certified to Miami Monthly Meeting from Haddonfield, New Jersey, Monthly Meeting in

1805. Hinshaw, V, 76; History of Warren County, Ohio, 568.

• 18
 

Touring Ohio in 1811                                             153

 

acct of its being situated near the confluence of the Mad river with the

Miama: from which they are often supplied with most excellent fish: of

divers kinds; it is also very superior to Waynesville: but not quite so

healthy pass'd thro' much excellent land: indeed this neighbourhood is

Luxurantly rich; &   well rewards the Labourers toil; ₃₀th lodg'd

comfortably at Reeds Inn,71 a clean good house, the Land lord took

some trouble to set his net to procure fish for us, but the river was so

high he did not succeed; ₃₀th in the afternoon attempted to follow a

Country waggon which was going the road to John Simpsons:⁷² & did

untill we got to the Miama River, which was too high for our carriage

to cross, & we were obliged to return. ₃₁st attempted to get to a mtg 8

miles distant cross'd the ferry in a boat, which pass'd with the aid of a

rope; & rode a few miles got into a wrong road, found it very bad; a

severe tempest came up; & we were out in all of it: we rode on, untill

we found it past the eleventh hour, & then turn'd back, & with much

difficulty regain'd the ferry again; & were glad to find ourselves, safely

shelterd from the torrents of rain: & now must give up all hope of

seeing our worthy & dear old frd JS; ₁st of 4th m^°. I wrote to him in the

morning to inform him; how it was; & offer to take letters if he cou'd

send them to Chilicothe, after which took our departure from Daton:

W^m Burbager, from Philadelphia: who has settled in that place, came a

mile with us: & shewd us other marks of attention; we found the road

tolerable good considering the rain that had fallen To the Yellow

Springs⁷³ a situation much thought of by the inhabitants of this state for

its effiacacious waters & romantic Scenes: but the proprietors are too

negligent to erect comfortable accomodations for people, of conse-

quence it is lost very much, as to the Community, we past one night &

so much of the next day as to get only 4 miles, to a very inconvenient

place for lodging; only one room for the family & us; ₃rd went 5 miles

to Springfeild, the place we intended to lodge the night previous, where

at Foos's,⁷⁴ we shou'd have been much better off, & had a very

 

 

 

71. Colonel David Reid had a two-story frame house on Main Street in which he kept

"a house of private entertainment," which meant he did not have to have a tavern

license. History of Montgomery County, Ohio (Chicago, 1882), 562.

72. John Simpson and his wife were received in West Branch Monthly Meeting

(Miami County) from Falls Monthly Meeting, Pennsylvania, in 1810. Hinshaw, V. 764.

73. The waters of Yellow Springs were already considered to be beneficial to invalids.

As early as 1804 Lewis Davis kept a boarding house for their accommodation, but it was

simple and primitive. George F. Robinson, History of Greene County, Ohio (Chicago,

1902), 175.

74. Springfield was laid out in 1801, and Griffith Foos was one of the first settlers. He

built a double log cabin on Main Street West of Spring Street, opening it as a tavern in

June. 1801, and continuing in business until 1814. Howe, I, 396.

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154                                                     OHIO HISTORY

 

agreeable Landlady; it is a very pleasant town, & struck my attention

on enterring it, as good for Sheep &c = meeting with a person going on

directly to Urbanna, was induced to go 14 miles to see that place, it is

a County town, & very pleasantly situated but not so advantageously

situated on acct of navigable waters, as many other parts = lodg'd at

Niles Inn,⁷⁵ young beginners, &     indifferent accomodations, as to

lodging &c ₄th went on our way; 20 miles, & lodg'd at Guins;⁷⁶the road

tolerably good, thro considerable Pirara, ₅th pursued our course, &

found the road as we had been told it was extremely bad, the latter part

of the way, the first 8 miles thro meadow Land; the other part only a

common waggon road, & So often turning from one            to the other

much augmented the distance we however was favourd to get to

Franklington⁷⁷ abt 7^m & put up at Brodericks Inn, as comfortably

accomodated, as the house they live in, & the Situation of the town will

admit of, it appearing to possess fewer advantages, than some other

places in this favourd land: the proprietor of the town, not affording the

encouragement to Settlers, that most people do; but it being on the

Virginia Military land; & the title somewhat doubtful may be another

cause, met 4 Indians, the only ones we have seen in all our Journey,

two young looking women carrying their children & the men trudging

leisurely by their side; ₆th was detain'd from going to Worthinton by the

heighth of the rivers, but spent my day quite comfortably in this house

repairing cloathing; doing up Caps &c but not unattend with deep

regret, at the prospect of being obliged, to resign the object of my

present pursuit my only motive in coming to this place, was to see the

beloved relatives of my endeard RT,⁷⁸ & convey to her Sympathetic

bosom, as near as possible tidings of their situation; all which with the

Satisfaction of seeing dear Bulah & little Joan must be relinquish'd if I

 

 

75. This was probably Lawrence Niles, who was listed as a resident of Urbana in

1811. He occupied a hewed log house and was a hatter by trade. He lived in Urbana only

a few years before moving away. History of Champaign County, Ohio (Chicago, 1881),

326; Joshua Antrim, History of Champaign and Logan Counties, Ohio (Bellefontaine,

Ohio, 1872), 36.

76. Thomas Gwynne was granted a license in 1810 to keep a tavern at his house in

Deer Creek Township. He was the first licensed tavern-keeper in Madison County.

History of Madison County, Ohio (Chicago, 1883), 327.

77. Franklinton was laid out in 1797 on the west bank of the Scioto River. It was the

seat of Franklin County until 1824, but is now part of Columbus. Howe, I, 611.

78. Dr. James Harvey Hills was the brother of Rachel Todd (note 20). He was

educated at Yale University, and studied medicine with his brother-in-law, Dr. Eli Todd.

He moved to Worthington in 1808, his wife Bula and their children remaining in

Connecticut with the Todds, and following him later. He died in Delaware, Ohio, in 1830

at the age of forty-seven. History of Delaware County, Ohio (Chicago, 1880), 233; Rachel

Todd to Charity Rotch, April 13, 1808, RPMPL; Bula Hills to Charity Rotch, January 16,

1812, RPMPL.

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Touring Ohio in 1811                                       155

 

cannot get to Worthington; ₇th arose in the morning with a full

determination to surmount every obstacle in my way to Worthington,

accordingly a good Saddle horse was procured; we cross'd the ferry in

a boat, & rode abt 12 miles to that place; making it 3 further than to ford

the river; left our horses at the Inn & as I advanced towards the

habitation, I saw a young man, on whom I gazed steadfastly to see, if

I cou'd trace aught of my dr RT in his countenance; he had not

approach'd So near as to enable me to trace the outlines of his visage:

but my eyes was regaled, by his near resemblance of the friend I love:

& the mutual Salutation, was as if we had long been acquainted; the

sweet tenderness, that was evident throughout; his manly deportment;

such alternate struggles; between fortitude & affection, as acknowl-

edging me to be the frd. of his friends; presented such a scene, as will

not easily be forgotten he turn'd tho' much engaged on acct of a sick

child in the neighbourhood; & conducted me to his Bulah, who with

open arms rec'd me, & their hearts was as commodious, as their house

which tho equal to many in this country is not what we wish them to

have & we are gratified to find they are going to another place more

eligibly situated, than we think the one is, they now inhabit, which tho'

pleasantly situated, has not the advantages of many other towns; little

Joan with her wonted diffidence soon approach'd me, & Darwin also.

they both, save a little enlargement of Sise, seem to retain every

appearance even in their countenances as when they left Farmington =

our time was Limitted; we improved it, in reciprocal enquiries; & after

being Solaced with a frdly repast; we were obliged to bid them an

affectionate adeiu, & return'd comfortably to Franklington; ₈th left that

place, had to ford a deep River call'd for want of a better name Big

Belly:⁷⁹ pass'd on abt 18 miles, near to Walnut Creek which was thot,

too high for our Carriage to pass over, & we tarried at Cratons⁸⁰ the

poorest of all places, I believe we have been at, we gladly departed,

after to me, a most miserable night; & in abt 3 quarters of a mile found

a more comfortable assylum at Snyders81 & took breakfast, near the

place of fording when the river is high; we pass'd safely & had a

swampy road for several miles: after which it was better, & we reachd

Chilicothe Just at dark, cross'd the Sciota river in a commodious flat,

 

 

79. Big Belly is now called Big Walnut Creek, and Walnut Creek is now called Little

Walnut Creek.

80. Hugh Creighton had a tavern and store in South Bloomfield, Pickaway County.

Aaron Van Cleaf, History of Pickaway County, Ohio (Chicago, 1906), 132.

81. This was probably Isaac Snyder, who started a sawmill on Walnut Creek in

Harrison Township, Pickaway County, about 1804. He is on the 1810 tax list for

Pickaway County. History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio (Cleveland, 1880),

345; Powell, 299.

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156                                                     OHIO HISTORY

 

& met a welcome reception from our frds of the place; I must not here

omit remarking that on the ₈th inst; while waiting to cross the ferry I

took a short ramble in the woods, & amused myself with gathering

flowers; which upon examing I found contain'd 12 different kinds &

some of them the most delicate, & beautiful I have seen at this season,

the smell resembling the Hyacinth very much; & its beauty nearly

equal in this state of nature, what wou'd be done by cultivation is not

mine at present to know; these are not all the varieties, that inhabit the

woods at this time, & as the season advances, there is still greater

perfection; by the accts we have from the inhabitants, that time,

precious time, may be more usefully employ'd in this Land, than

Cultivating flowers, nature having been rich in blessings, ₁₀th went to

the Shops, procured bumbazet, for a gown & had a woman to make it,

mine being too much worn now, except for riding = had an invitation

from our frd Lamb to take tea with her, last night upon our arrival, had

the Satisfaction of receiving divers acceptable letters, which were a

real treasure; from every place, we were particularly desirous of

hearing of, & from = most of them contain the draught allotted mortals

& mingle the bitter with the Sweets; tho' I was highly gratified in

finding, our own dear connections & best loved frds. in tolerable

health-11 took our leave of Chilachothe & Lodg'd at Shartles 19

miles, saw three beautiful deer skipping across the road; ₁₂th got to

Lancaster lodg'd at Sturgeons, ₁₃th got to Dittos met with a bad place

in the road, & Cato, in his exertions to get thro, broke the Wifletree,

which we got repaird at Dittoes. ₁₄th reach'd Springfield a pleasant

little village opposite Zanesville; lodg'd at Burnams,⁸² a new England

family, & commodious house ₁₆th pass'd thro Zanesville spoke to dear

Nathan Findley⁸³ on our way & call'd upon B. Huffs wife; who had

removed there from Chilicothe; lodg'd at Stewards Cambridge 17th

rode 15 miles to Moors Inn Frankford; ₁₈th rode 19 miles to Morrison

Inn at Morris town;⁸⁴ our frds Joseph Stears⁸⁵ & Charles Dinzy, going

82. Springfield was located on the west bank of the Muskingum River opposite

Zanesville. Its name was changed to Putnam in 1814. Captain William Burnham built a

three-story brick and stone hotel on the corner of Muskingum and Putnam Avenues in

1808. It was the first brick hotel in eastern Ohio, and was called the best west of the

Alleghenies. Thomas W. Lewis, Zanesville and Muskingum County, Ohio (Chicago,

1927), I, 145-46; J. Hope Sutor, Past and Present of the City of Zanesville (Chicago,

1905), 83-84.

83. Nathan Findley was listed as a merchant in Zanesville in 1815, and later owned a

salt well. He served in the Ohio Legislature. History of Muskingum County, Ohio (no

place, 1882), 62, 90-91.

84. Duncan Morrison, for whom Morristown was named, was justice of the peace and

kept a tavern in a one-story log house. Fortescue Cuming stopped there for breakfast in

1807. Caldwell, 370; Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 232.

85. Joseph Steer and his family were received in Short Creek Monthly Meeting from

• 22
 

Touring Ohio in 1811                                                   157

 

on an appointment, to the Miama quarterly mtg: call'd there, &

entering into conversation with my TR on the subject of manufactorys,

concluded to stay that night, M Graham met us a few miles from Morris

town & on the ₁₉th accompanied us to John Witchels.⁸⁶ found dear

Mary, pleased to see us, her husband & son being gone to Philadelphia.

after dinner she took us to Eli Nichols,⁸⁷ to see his fine mill &c 4 miles

distant from her house; returnd & lodged with her & in the morning

rode 9 miles to George Kinzeys⁸⁸ found their son James, & his Mother

at home; whose kindness & hospitality, in her poor Cabin, will not be

forgotten then proceeded to Jonathan Taylors:⁸⁹ who is absent on a

religious visit to the North & eastward, & has had several ill turns in his

absence, of 7 months, we continued with his wife Ann, & daughter

Rebecca all night; went to mtg & return'd, dined, & proceeded to

Joseph Stears; the frds we saw at Morristown; the family very kindly

entertaind us dear Wm Hannen, dined with us yesterday, & desired his

love to Sister H, express'd much gratitude &         affection for her, I

omitted mentioning dear Patience Grahams meeting us, at Eli Nichols,

being on a visit in the neighbourhood; & has since been with us, much

to our satisfaction tho' considerably indisposed: with the fever & ague;

this is a hilly but healthy part of the State; furnish'd with Coal in plenty,

the small village, on Shortcreek is call'd mount pleasant: abt a mile

from the mtg house;⁹⁰ lodg'd at our kind frds house, & call'd next morn

to see his Son David & daughter Phebe,⁹¹ settled on one side, & dined

 

Hopewell, Virginia, Monthly Meeting in 1804. They lived in Jefferson County, but Steer

also owned land in Belmont County, and died there sometime between 1819 and 1824.

Hinshaw, IV, 160; Ochsenbein, 13, 185.

86. John and Mary Witchell were received in Concord Monthly Meeting from

Abingdon, Pennsylvania, Monthly Meeting in 1808. In 1809 they were granted a

certificate to Plainfield Monthly Meeting in Belmont County, and in 1815 to Richland

Monthly Meeting in Pennsylvania. Hinshaw, V, 165, 359.

87. Eli Nichols bought a mill property on Wheeling Creek in 1810. It included a grist

mill, sawmill, fulling mill, and storehouse. He lived in Belmont County and was a

member of Concord Monthly Meeting. Caldwell, 382; Hinshaw, V, 155.

88. George and Mary Kinsey were members of Short Creek Monthly Meeting and

lived in Jefferson County. George died in 1828 at the age of 76. His son James married

Ann Loyd in 1813, and in 1816 had an orchard and nursery in Mount Pleasant. Caldwell,

444; Hinshaw, IV, 233.

89. Jonathan Taylor moved from Concord, Belmont County, to Mount Pleasant

Township, Jefferson County, about 1804. He died in 1831, at the age of 68. He was a

member of Short Creek Monthly Meeting. Joseph Doyle. Twentieth Century History of

Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio (Chicago, 1910), 494; Hinshaw, IV, 287;

Ochsenbein, 10, 12.

90. The village of Mount Pleasant was laid out in 1803. The meeting house mentioned

was not the present Yearly Meeting House, which was built in 1814-1815, but a one-story

brick meeting house built in 1806-1807 to house the Short Creek Quarterly Meeting.

Burke and Bensch, 8, 12.

91. David Steer married Phoebe Millhouse in 1808. They were members of Short

• 23
 

158                                               OHIO HISTORY

 

with their daughter & Son in Law, Robert, & Sarah Richy⁹² who are

almost as near them on the other, the young man Son of Robert

Annsleys present wife: of Philadelphia both of whom, with the other

two, & dr Rachel, still at home, I felt much love for; we parted with

them after a comfortable repast; regretting we cou'd not be a little

longer there, & at their m^° mtg next day accompanied by M & P

Graham, we pass'd on       to the pleasant little town of Warren,⁹³

Situated on the banks of the Ohio: which I lately understand Signifies

beautiful: & it is rightly indeed named; So beautiful, that it is with real

regret, I must bid it an adeiu; was introduced at R Richys to Aquilla

Bolton,⁹⁴ a man of bright endowments & truly useful in those parts in

educating the Children, a large number of which, there are in the land

already; cross'd the river, & rode 9 miles on the Virginia Side; on its

delightful banks, borderd with flowers, & I doubt not many precious

plants, but on this occasion, as in my passing along, in most places, I

cou'd not have my curiosity indulged by stopping to view them; Spent

the next day with dear Patience, who kindly helped me, prepare a gown

to ride in, my old one, having become too poor; on the ₂₄th we left

them, & dr Aquilla Bolton, Michael kindly, coming a few miles with us;

we proceeded on our way to David __       ghts, & lodg'd pretty

comfortably. ₂₅th rose early came on to Washington: the beauties of

which we did not discover: in the passing thro it last winter: it being

pleasantly situated; abt 300 dwelling houses, a handsome Courthouse,

plain neat Church &c that we now have an opportunity to behold the

difference, the enlivening passage of Spring makes in this country-

after dining at Morris's on a good ps of roast Beef, we rode 7 miles to

Donnalsons, Canonstown, from thence on the ₂₆th pass'd on to Pitts

Burgh, abt half a mile from the town is a tremendous hill which we

chose to walk down; the height of the land; caused the town we were

approaching to look Low, but Shew'd it, more completely to my view

than I had before form'd an Idea of it-in the form of a theater; at the

Confluence of two beautiful rivers, which indeed I shall leave with

 

 

Creek Monthly Meeting, and later transferred to Concord Monthly Meeting. Hinshaw,

IV, 160, 281.

92. Sara Steer married Robert Richie in 1806. They were members of Short Creek

Monthly Meeting. Richie had a farm near Smithfield, Ohio, and wintered some of

Thomas Rotch's sheep in 1814-1815. Hinshaw, IV, 281; Robert Richie to Thomas Rotch,

June 13, 1815, RPMPL.

93. Fortescue Cuming places Warren just north of the Short Creek, about three and

a half miles below the ferry from Wellsburg. Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 111.

94. Aquilla M. Bolton was received in Concord Monthly Meeting from Philadelphia

Monthly Meeting in 1806. He later transferred to Short Creek Monthly Meeting. In 1811

he was disowned for marrying out of meeting. Hinshaw, IV, 140, 178.

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Touring Ohio in 1811                                               159

 

regret, the Monongahaly appearing as wide as the Ohio: but very

different in depth met a welcome reception from our kind host &

hostess Maccullough. Nancy their daughter had been sick in our

absence, & one of their borders rec'd a letter, from Arvine,⁹⁵ & one

from Wm Wharton⁹⁶ but none from my dr Rachel or our N Bedford frds

which I fondly hoped for; we do not observe such a variety, or quantity

of flowers, since leaving the lower part of the Ohio, but still the

Country is beautiful: several trees having their blossoms; quite expand-

ed: the Sassafax, box wood Red budds ₂₇th spent at Pittsburgh,

repacking Trunks &c; was so fatigued thereby as to convince me that

I had not made any great acquisition of strength ₂₈th took our departure

from Pittsburgh, cross'd the Allegany to fulfill an engagement made by

my TR when we were at that place in the winter, to visit a company of

Germans, who call themselves Harmonists;⁹⁷ 27 miles distance in a

Northern direction, found the road so poor as almost to produce regret

at the undertaking; but on our arrival, finding so much order, industry

& good management, in their way, we felt some what compensated

for the fatigue. ₂₉th spent in Looking round the village, & visiting

the manufactories-15 Lumes in the Cellar employ'd in Linnen, 4 in

Chamber 2 broad ones, for Woolen, three Jennys            Billy

&c the School room in the same building contain'd a large number of

children, learning dutch, said to be abt half their number the village

contains near 100 Cabins, ten Brick buildings one of which is their

Church; 2 villages abt 2 miles distant, said to contain abt 20 Cabins,

their vineyard, Barns, & almost evry thing out of their houses shew

them to be a laborious people; & that the plan they have adopted of

domestic economy, wou'd much enhance the wealth of any people,

 

 

 

95. Arvine Wales was born in New Stanford, Vermont, in 1785. He began working for

Thomas Rotch in 1809, and came with the Rotches to Ohio in 1811. After the deaths of

Thomas and Charity Rotch, he bought Spring Hill, their home in Kendal. He died there

in 1854. Obituary, Massillon News,January 5, 1854.

96. William Wharton (1790-1856) was a member of the distinguished Quaker family of

Philadelphia. He married Charity Rotch's niece, Deborah Fisher, in 1817. Anne B.

Wharton, Genealogy of the Wharton Family of Philadelphia, 1664 to 1880 (Philadelphia,

1880), 104-05; William Wharton to Charity Rotch, February 16, 1817, RPMPL.

97. Harmony, a communal settlement in Butler County, Pennsylvania, was estab-

lished in 1805 by a group of German Separatists under the leadership of George Rapp. In

1815 they moved to Indiana, calling their settlement New Harmony. In 1825 they sold the

buildings to Robert Owen, and returned to Pennsylvania, establishing the village of

Economy near present-day Ambridge. Charles Nordhoff gives a good account of their

early history. John Bradbury, who visited the Harmonists about the same time the

Rotches did, described their property and buildings in detail. Charles Nordhoff,

Communistic Societies of the United States (New York, 1875), 69-81; John Bradbury,

Travels in the Interior of America in the Years 1809, 1810, and 1811, Thwaites, V, 314-16.

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160                                            OHIO HISTORY

 

particularly those who are active & laborious, the women are not

wanting, in lending their aid, it is now abt 6 years, since the first tree

was cut down on the place, their plan is truly republican, all things in

common; the linnen is spun by each of the families, carried to the

weavers & then placed in the Store house, from whence that & all other

necessaries is drawn, as they are wanted; their dress & manner of

living, being in the Simplest sort, it is reasonable to believe they will

have very large resources in time, they have several mills: & are abt

establishing more    season, also one or two large brick buildings,

& their plan is when the public buildings are accomplish'd, such as

boarding house brewery &c to have the Cabins give way to good

houses, so that it will be difficult to conceive, what an alteration, in

almost every respect, save that of Cleanliness, time will make here; the

females, even to the smallest girls wear a quilted piece of Callico on the

crowning of the head, tied under the chin with a small string; on which

when they have any burden to carry; they place a round cushion, some

of them curiously pieced, with many colors Stuff'd with Straw, & on

that is the basket of potatoes, tub of water, or hay Sack Seated; many

of these have we seen this day, transported to their various abodes with

almost Gigantic Strides. Such universal good nature & quietude, I

believe is seldom, if ever found in other neighbourhoods of equal sise,

& Justly deserves the name of Harmony; the members are in number

near 800, the heads of the Society are the Minister George Rapp, & his

two Sons Frederick & John, the latter I think quite an interresting man

he introduced his little blooming daughter; & seems an affectionate

father, his wife was not at home when he invited me into his house; I

was so prepossess'd in his favour, I cou'd not help regretting, she had

not more of neatness in her composition; I gave him a few garden

Seeds, & prepared some tar & sugar for him, he having a complaint at

his breast for which I thot it wou'd be useful, he gave me a very

interresting acct of the cause of their leaving Germany: which firstly

arose from the intemperance of their minister; they being of the serious

sort; enterd in to an association, to form a Settlement; wherever they

cou'd procure a sufficient quantity of land; his father was commission'd,

to take a view in America, & send them his opinion; which accordingly,

resulted in their establishment here, he had previously became their

minister: & seems to be much respected by them. 30 after visiting their

vineyard Maze cottage &c we took our departure, they acknowledging

us as frds, & wou'd not be persuaded to receive recompense returnd to

Pittsburgh, & ₁st of the ₅th m° took our departure from thence, & rode

20 miles. Lodg'd at Stewards, ₂nd rode on 27 miles for want of a

suitable house on the road to stop at over Chesnut Ridge; lodg'd at

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Touring Ohio in 1811                                                161

 

Backhouses Inn on the Glade road;⁹⁸ 3rd pass'd over very stony road,

hard to endure, 21 miles; to Summerset a small village 15 years old,

containing abt 60 houses; County town &c: Lodg'd at Websters⁹⁹ said

to be the best house on the road = but I think there are as good =

drawing nearer the Allegany Mountains I find my lungs much more

affected than more remote from them; ₄th, rode 15 miles ascended the

Allegany Mountain; & lodg'd at the foot of it, at Im Hoofs inn;¹⁰⁰ the

rain on the ₅th preventd our leaving it: & we considerd it a favour, that

it was tolerably comfortable; this being the only day, we have been

detaind by the weather, in all our Journey; we think it not cause of

complaint, or murmuring: the mountains on this road are trifling,

compared to the other; & it requires only a little exertion in the State

to have them soon in excellent order, that there need not be scarce any

difficulty in passing along & it is much to be desired on acct of the large

numbers of families, that are daily removing; & the multiplicity of

waggoners, taking goods into the Country. I regret, that we have not

kept an acct of the number of the former, we have met, since our being

on our return, but it is not unfrequent to meet three, & six, in a

company; 6^th tarried at the Inn untill after dinner it raining again in the

morning; & then rode 12 miles to Flemings Inn101 & lodg'd; on the ₇th

rode 5 & stopt at Whitticars Inn to breakfast; much against my

inclination; Innhoofs Inn we consider the best we have come to; for a

considerable distance, it is to be lamented, that there is not greater

attention in the Country to Cleanliness, & the right education of their

children, for whom my heart, is often clad with mourning. ₈th detain'd

by rain at our very comfortable resting place; Dillons Inn at Bedford;

where soon after we came yesterday afternoon, came a young man,

native of Boston, with his wife, whom he married in England & two

 

 

 

98. The Glade Road was a southern branch of the Pennsylvania Road, leaving it at the

Youghigheny River and passing through Mount Pleasant and Somerset to Bedford.

Thaddeus M. Harris said it was considered better than the main road in dry seasons, but

was almost impassable after heavy rains. Hulbert, V, 33; Harris, Thwaites, III, 327.

99. Somerset had been the county seat since 1795. When Cuming visited it in 1807, he

found it a town of about seventy houses and a courthouse. At John Webster's "excellent,

comfortable, and well-furnished inn," he found good fires and a good supper. Webster

continued in business until the 1830's. Cuming, Thwaites, IV, 68-69; History of Bedford,

Somerset, and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania, 448-49.

100. Henry Imhoof was listed as a resident of Alleghany Township, Somerset County,

in 1810, and as an innkeeper there in 1814. History of Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton

Counties, Pennsylvania, 584; Census Bureau of the United States, return for Alleghany

Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in 1810, 470.

101. John Fleming was listed as an innkeeper and resident of Alleghany Township,

Somerset County, in 1814. History of Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton Counties,

Pennsylvania, 448, 485.

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162                                              OHIO HISTORY

 

Children; going to Cincinnata, to look for a Settlement, they were both

interresting to us, by the name of Church, & tarrying here, on acct of

the lameness of their horses, as well as the rain we pass'd the day

pleasantly together, we highly approving of the choice they have made,

in regard to a settlement in the united states; & in particular, perfering

the state of Ohio-9th parted with them, & pursued our Journey only 14

miles, the road being bad, on acct of the rain that had fallen; & I feeling

unusually feeble, lodg'd at Dennisons:1⁰² by the side of the Juniatta; an

indifferent place; ₁₀th left it before breakfast, & pass'd over Rays hill:

& Sideling hill, to Reamers Inn, the road being very bad on acct of

stones; was trying; but we got safely over it; & had a tolerable

breakfast; which riding 9 miles prepared us somewhat for; after which

proceeded to Macollins town: 10 miles passd over Scrub ridge,

previous to which was a little good road; Prince in the course of one

hour, fell prostrate twice; my TR & RI had to disengage him from the

waggon, & he then arose without much apparent injury; the pictur-

esque views, that have been presented on the high ground; wou'd

require the most skilfull Artist: to set forth; & it was with reluctance we

passed away from them; during our enjoying the scene: repeatedly

came to my mind some lines I think of Cowpers describing the

Comforts of a rural life: "His are the mountains & the valleys his; &

the resplendant meadows, his to enjoy;" & thus enjoying in the

proportion he ought to: "Calls the delightful Scenery all his own;^"103

a priveledge, while blest with sight & placed in such a situation no man

can deprive him of; we lodg'd at Drydens; a very good Inn & now I

indulge a hope, we shall not be under the necessity of lodging in poor

places any more; left Connalstown on the 11^th before breakfast pass'd

the North mountain 7 miles over the road very rough: took some

refreshment at Whitesides; & then came on a few miles, to Reads Inn,

which look'd tolerably comfortable; 9 miles from Chamberstown; from

thence proceeded in the rain to the above place, on our approach it

look'd beautiful; & is indeed as pretty a town as any inland place we

have seen Lodg'd at Hetus pretty comfortably; & ₁₂th left it for

Shippensburg¹⁰⁴ rode thro' a beautiful vale highly Cultivated 11 miles;

the houses mostly from the road, but the Surrounding hills at a

 

 

 

102. This was probably the General Washington Tavern at Juniata Crossing, which

was kept by Hugh Dennison. Mulkearn and Pugh, 143.

103. These verses, slightly misquoted, are from The Task by William Cowper

(1731-1800), Book V, lines 741-43.

104. On their return trip, the Rotches were staying on the main Pennsylvania Road

instead of taking the more southerly Chambersburg Pike, as they had done coming west.

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Touring Ohio in 1811                                        163

 

distance, affording a pleasing Scene = Lodgd at Rippeys Inn;¹⁰⁵ &

there found an agreeable young woman, from England, who inform'd

us, her brother in law who was a weaver was desirous of getting a

Settlement next spring in the Ohio; & she was thinking of accompa-

nying them ₁₃th the rain detaind us at our comfortable Inn: at which we

were treated Courteously, & to which we cou'd have but one objection:

our land lord: having several black people in possession as Slaves; yet

they were so differently treated, from many that I believe, they were as

well off, as they wou'd be acting, for themselves, yet that consideration

did not eradicate the feeling that ever attends the reflection of the

wrongs of Africa, one AEnus Woodroof & his wife of Elizabeth town

N Jersey, on their way to Kentucky was also detaind there; on the ₁₄th

the rain abating; we all took our departure We was recommended by

our kind frds, to Fosters at Shippingsburg: which was tolerable tho

very different, from what we wish'd to find it & the one we left; I

omitted our calling at one Weaklys Inn;¹⁰⁶ & dining, which seem'd a

pretty good one; abt 10 miles from Carlysle: which is a very pretty

town, & larger than I expected, we on the ₁₅th proceeded on our way

to Harrisburgh dined at a Dutch house: too undesirable to be long at:

7 miles from the ferry the Land lady however seem'd kind, & promised

to Save me some of the Seed of a plant bearing beautiful flowers call'd

the fiery dragon, Several others she had in her pots in the window

monthly rose Stock Gill flower &c, got to the ferry early in the

afternoon, & was detain'd at it sometime this part of the Susquehan-

nah, affording new beauties; which we safely crossd: & found Harris-

burg finely situated on its banks, the most pleasing Settlement; or

town, to me since leaving Cincinnata: the advantages of the river being

great, things seem thriving; & very different from many Inland towns,

that we cannot on passing thro' find, whereon their dependance is

placed; Several handsome buildings, public & private form the Settle-

ment; Wm Kirk spent the evening mostly with us, & gave some

interresting accts of his engagement for several years, on behalf of the

Indians, as agent for the united states to instruct them in agriculture

&c; Lodg'd at Berry hills, that also an indifferent Inn; in the morning

₁₅th passd thro, the villages of Elizabeth town, & Middletown; dined at

the latter at Harris's, & proceeded to Guys Inn¹⁰⁷ 9 miles from

 

 

105. In 1802 Michaux stayed at the General Washington Inn in Shippensburg, which

was kept by Colonel Ripey. Michaux characterized the innkeeper as very obliging to all

travelers. Michaux, Thwaites, III, 140.

106. The Weakley family had a large holdings near Mt. Holly Springs in Dickinson

Township, Cumberland County. Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsyl-

vania (Chicago, 1905), 602.

107. Samuel Scott built the Chikis Hotel in Rapho Township, Lancaster County. It

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164                                                      OHIO HISTORY

 

Lancaster, they have lately commenced Inn keepers; & appear prom-

ising his wife at a distance reminded us of our dr RT, & I look'd at her

with no small degree of satisfaction; in the morning came two men,

from Newport on their way to the Western Country to look for a

settlement: for themselves & families: rode Leisurely to Lancaster: &

being fatigued & considerably indisposed my TR wou'd not proceed:

during the 18th & I passed the time in much debility; the cool mornings,

having had, a powerful effect upon my poor Lungs; Lodg'd Slaymak-

ers,¹⁰⁸ a very excellent house; & here, we found a young man by the

name of Joseph Guest,¹⁰⁹ who kindly furnish'd us with information

respecting meeting of frds in this neighbourhood, one of which is abt 6

miles: that we intend trying to get to, in the morning-15th attended the

meeting of Lampeter¹¹⁰ dined at W^m Brintons, 111 who with his wife was

absent his brothers widow & several other frds kindly, invited us after

mtg among whom, were Deborah Gibbons,¹¹² an elderly frd a widow,

& her amiable daughter, Rachel Daniels; for whom I felt a tender

affection, but our time wou'd not admit of it-Wm Gibbons¹¹³ dined

with us, & the father of the frd of the house: Grandfather to dear

Hannah Britnall who kindly cared for us, in her parents absence; we in

the afternoon proceeded a few miles & lodg'd at one Smiths; 14 miles

from Lancaster; generally known by Slaymakers Inn:¹¹⁴ one of that

name having lately kept it: a connection of the one at Lancaster, both

of which may be considerd good Inns; after mtg my aged frd D Gibbons

 

 

 

was later kept by John Guy. Washington was a guest there several times. Ellis and

Evans, 1025.

108. Henry Slaymaker kept the State Arms Tavern on East King Street in 1800.

Samuel Slaymaker was the landlord in 1815. Lafayette was entertained there in 1825.

Ibid., 399.

109. Joseph Guest was listed in the 1810 census of Pennsylvania as a resident of

Sadsbury Township, Lancaster County. Census Bureau of the United States, return for

Sadsbury Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1810, 445.

110. Lampeter Meeting was held in a brick meeting house built in 1790 on the site of

a log one dating from 1749. Ellis and Evans, 896.

111. William Brinton was listed in the 1810 census of Pennsylvania as a resident of

Lampeter Township, Lancaster County. The Brintons had been prominent Quakers in

southeastern Pennsylvania for over a hundred years. Census Bureau of the United

States, return for Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1810, 492.

112. Deborah Hoopes Gibbons came to Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, from

Chester County in 1756 upon her marriage to James Gibbons. Gibbons was an innkeeper

and surveyor. Ellis and Evans, 892.

113. William Gibbons was listed in the 1810 census of Pennsylvania as a resident of

Leacock Township, Lancaster County. Census Bureau of the United States, return for

Leacock Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1810, 536.

114. This may have been the inn erected in Salisbury about 1808 by Amos Slaymaker.

Ellis and Evans, 1047.

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Touring Ohio in 1811                                                165

 

informd me, of the decease of my much beloved frd, & Mother in the

truth, Rebecca Wright.115_Joseph Guest had told us of James Simpsons

decease, the latter a little before, the former soon after their yearly

mtg, which she attended, both sudden; but there is reason to believe;

all is well with them, & it may indeed be written on their behalf

Blessed is the Dead who die in the Lord -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

115. There were several Rebecca Wrights. One of that name was a "Public Friend"

or traveling Quaker preacher who visited the New England meetings in June, 1776, and

again in 1795. Lydia S. Hinchman, Early Settlers of Nantucket (Philadelphia, 1901), 323,

325; "Register of Public Men and Women Friends That Have Visited New England Since

the Year 1656," MS, RPMPL.

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