OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
REVIEWS, NOTES AND COMMENTS
BY THE EDITOR
Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail. By Ezra Mee-
ker, in collaboration with Howard R.
Driggs, Profes-
sor of Education in English, University
of Utah.
(Yonkers-on-Hudson, New York; World
Book Co.
1925. Pp. X, 225.)
This is one of the books of the Pioneer
Life Series,
published by the World Book Company,
Yonkers-on-
Hudson, New York. It is extensively and
appropriately
illustrated by half-tones and drawings
by F. N. Wilson.
It is a graphic account by Ezra Meeker,
now in the
ninety-seventh year of his busy and
eventful life. It
details the important experiences which
have fallen to
his lot from boyhood days in Ohio to
his flight in an
airplane from Vancouver, Washington, to
Washington,
D.C.
This book is extensively quoted in the
opening con-
tribution to this month's QUARTERLY. It is
copyrighted
and the quotations are made by consent
of the publish-
ers. They give simply a taste of the
good things in this
volume. It should be in every public
and private li-
brary. It will be read with interest by
boys and girls
from ten years old to the century
mile-stone, which the
author is now nearing.
(147)
148
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
Mr. Meeker is the author of a number of
books.
The list, according to information at
hand, is as follows:
Washington Territory West of the
Cascade Mountains,
1870; Hop Growing in the United States,
1883; Pio-
neer Reminiscences of Puget Sound,
1905; The Tragedy
of Leschi, 1906; The Oregon Trail,
1907; Uncle Ezra's
Pioneer Stories for Children, 1916;
Eighty-five Years
of a Busy Life, 1916; Seventy Years of
Progress in
Washington, 1921; Ox-Team Days on the
Oregon Trail,
1925; Kate Mulhall; a Romance of the
Oregon Trail,
1926.
Ezra Meeker was born in Ohio; is proud
of his
native state, and is the most noted
pioneer living in the
United States today.
CONFERENCE OF HISTORICAL AGENCIES IN
THE
UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY
MINUTES OF A MEETING AT ROCHESTER, NEW
YORK,
ON DECEMBER 29, 1926
The meeting was attended by Messrs.
Shambaugh
and Mahan of the State Historical
Society of Iowa;
Schafer of the State Historical Society
of Wisconsin;
Pease of the Illinois Historical
Survey; Coleman on be-
half of the Indiana State Library; Buck
and Blegen of
the Minnesota Historical Society; and
Mereness, the
archivist of the Conference.
It was agreed that a calendar of
manuscript maps
relating to the Northwest in map
collections in the
Washington archives, exclusive of the
Library of Con-
gress, should be undertaken as a part
of the regular
calendaring work.
Reviews, Notes and Comments. 149
The calendaring of Letters Received in
the War De-
partment files was approved.
Dr. Mereness was given an extension of
leave to
September 30, with the understanding
that he would
continue to exercise general
supervision over the work
and that it would be carried forward by
Mr. Smith.
SOLON J. BUCK,
Secretary.
COLONEL HARRY PARKER WARD
Colonel Harry Parker Ward, a life
member of the
Ohio State Archaeological and
Historical Society, died
at his home in Hamilton, Ohio, October
3, 1926. He
had been ill for some time but seemed
slowly on his way
to complete recovery when a sudden,
unexpected relapse
occurred, which in a few hours resulted
in his passing
away. The funeral services were held at
St John's
Episcopal Church in Worthington,
October 5.
Colonel Ward was born in Zanesville,
Ohio, Sep-
tember 29, 1865, and came to Columbus,
Ohio, in 1881,
where, together with his older brother,
he engaged in
business. In 1890 he married Caroline
Pocock, and
four years later he and his family
moved to Worthing-
ton, where he made his home for
twenty-three years.
He received the degree of master of
arts from Mar-
ietta College. He was past president of
the Sons of
the American Revolution and also served
as president
of the Columbus Humane Society. He was
a member
of the Kit Kat Club for several years,
and was active
in local Masonic affairs.
When still young he enlisted in the
17th Infantry,
Ohio National Guard, and was assigned
to the com-
150
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
pany of that regiment which was located
at Zanesville.
He served that organization through all
the non-com-
missioned grades and in the war with
Spain held a
captain's commission. In 1906 he was
commissioned
major and was on active duty until the
United States
entered the World War. Early in 1917 he
was de-
tailed as military instructor at Ohio
Wesleyan Univer-
sity and Kenyon College, his time being
divided between
these institutions. In 1918 he was
relieved from duty
as instructor and was assigned to the
staff of General
Shanks, who commanded the port of
embarkation at
Hoboken. In August, 1918, he was
honored with ap-
pointment to a mission as special
courier from the war
department at Washington to General
Pershing at his
headquarters at Chaumont, France. Later
he returned
to staff work at Hoboken and then was
made adjutant
of the division at Camp Sevier,
Greensboro, North Car-
olina.
In 1919 he joined the Officers' Reserve
Corps with
the rank of Major. In 1922 he served
for a period on
the War Department General Staff. In
the same year
he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel
in the Officers'
Reserve Corps and in 1924 was
commissioned Colonel.
He was preparing for examination for
promotion to
the rank of Brigadier-General shortly
before his last
illness.
Colonel Ward is survived by his widow,
a daughter,
Mrs. S. U. Robinson of Worthington, a
sister, Annette,
of Alma, Michigan, and one brother,
Hubert.
Colonel Ward was well known and highly
respected
in Columbus where for many years he was
engaged in
the printing business.
Reviews, Notes and Comments. 151
JOHN DANA
On the morning of September 20, 1926,
John Dana,
a life member of the Ohio State
Archaeological and
Historical Society, died at his home in
Belpre, Ohio.
The news of his death brought sorrow to
friends in his
home town and in Parkersburg, where for
many years
he had business and social
affiliations. About a year
previous to his death he gave up his
business connec-
tions with the Dana Company, Wholesale
Grocers, due
to failing health. Of this firm he had
been President
since 1910. Recently he lived quietly,
enjoying his
books, friends and surroundings, in all
of which he
found a lively interest.
He was born in the old Dana homestead
near Belpre,
February 10, 1856; was the son of
George and Lucy
Brighton Dana; was descended on his
father's side from
the Revolutionary soldier, Captain
William Dana, who
fought at Lexington; who later left
Massachusetts as a
member of the Ohio Company and was one
of the found-
ers of the settlement in Marietta in
1788. William
Dana is said to have burned the first
brick made in the
Northwest Territory. "Like his
descendants, he loved
the beautiful and made his home a
habitation of beauty."
His wife was Mary Bancroft. His son
George Dana
was born on a farm near Belpre and was
educated in
Athens and Marietta Colleges. More than
a century
ago this family, it is claimed, set out
a grafted apple
orchard, the first in the Ohio Valley,
and through the
following years their descendants have
kept up their
interest in horticulture.
John Dana was educated in the schools
of Belpre
and Marietta College. He married
February 10, 1886,
152
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
Miss Anna E. Lockwood, daughter of
Jacob Lockwood,
of Belmont County, Ohio.
Mr. Dana helped with his father to
establish a large
cannery and a factory for making cans
at an early date;
until a year before his death he was at
the head of the
Dana Grocery Company, the oldest house
of its kind in
Parkersburg.
He did much to preserve the records of
his commu-
nity and family. While he never held a
political office
he always maintained an active interest
in public
affairs.
He was president of the Red Cross in
Belpre and
was very active during the World War.
He was mayor
of Belpre, president of its Board of
Education, and was
the moving spirit in the local
historical society. As
already stated he was a member of the
Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical Society.
Mr. Dana is survived by his widow, Mrs.
Anna
Lockwood Dana, and the following
children: Mrs.
Elliott Stone, Belpre; Lockwood N.
Dana, Parkersburg;
Roderick Nye Dana, Parkersburg; Mrs.
Harry P. Jones,
Parkersburg; and Edward Dana, Belpre,
now in Texas.
His sisters surviving are: Mrs. Sophie
D. Dale, Belpre;
Mrs. Frances Dana McKay, Belpre; Mrs.
G. P. Devol,
Beverly, Ohio; brothers: Edward B.
Dana, Muskegon,
Michigan; George B. Dana, Hillsdale,
Michigan; and
Laurence N. Dana, Cherryvale, Kansas.
The oldest son, George Richard Dana,
deceased, was
a graduate of Marietta College.
The foregoing is adapted from an
obituary sketch
published in the Parkersburg News of
September 21,
1926.
Reviews, Notes and Comments. 153
A PIONEER LETTER
The letter here presented was written
by Miss Rachel
R. Lockwood, great aunt of George R.
Lockwood, Edi-
tor of the National
Republic, published in Washington,
D. C. She emigrated from Sussex County,
Delaware,
to Preble County, Ohio. In 1845 she
moved with other
members of the family to Miami County,
Indiana, where
she became the wife of Jonathan
Potterfield. Dr.
Dingle, to whom the letter was
addressed, was a mem-
ber of the State Senate of Delaware.
The letter was
written "from New Paris, Ohio, on
the Cumberland
Road." The envelope indicates the
point from which
it was written and the cost of postage,
twenty-five cents.
The letter is a good description of
Pioneer Life in Ohio
and is worthy of reproduction here in
full.
FEBRUARY 24, 1834.
Respected Uncle:
I embrace the opportunity of writing to
let you know that I
am well, and also the rest of the
family, and I hope when
this intelligence shall reach you that
you will enjoy good health.
This is the first time that I have
availed myself of the privilege
of writing you, but the long silence
that has prevailed between
us I hope will be considered a
sufficient excuse. It is probable
that you wish to know where we are and
how we are doing. We
live in the same neighborhood in a house
of our own. The site
is a handsome one; it lies in sight of a
new town that is located
on the Cumberland Road within three
miles of Paris (New
Paris). Mother has bought two acres of
land for forty-five
dollars and the present prospect [is]
her situation in old age will
not be as uncomfortable as some
anticipated, for she now has
a home of her own that she can dispose
of at her own option
and no person, were they disposed to,
can turn her out of doors.
Mother is well satisfied now. I do wish
you could come and see
for yourself our circumstances and
things as they really are, for
unless you do it it is impossible to
believe the advantages which
this country does possess. The limit of
my paper is too con-
tracted and the power of my pen is too
weak to convey any
154 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
correct statement of it. I am prepared
to say at any rate that
our trip to the highly favored Ohio has done us no
harm. It is
surprising to see the improvement which
has taken place since
we arrived here. Certainly this is the
country for the poor. The
prices paid for work are good in
consequence of there existing
no slavery. Our people are held more
upon an equal footing with
each other. A person of moral habits and
respectable character
joined with industry and economy and
frugality is not considered
inferior to the most opulent, popular
citizens of Ohio. The pros-
pects of the farmer are still more
flattering owing to the egress
of western production by means of
canals, railroads and other
great works of internal
improvement. Notwithstanding Ohio
continued to be the abode of uncivilized
men and ferocious beasts
of the forests until a few years prior
to this present time, she
bids fair to become a rival to the
greatest commercial states of
the union. Not only of our commercial
advantages have our citi-
zens reason to boast; we possess
advantages in regard to gaining
knowledge and information which the
settlers of many older
states are destitute of. There is a
section of land in each town-
ship appropriated for the use of
schools. The prejudice enter-
tained by the people of many of the
early settled states induced
them to believe that the western
settlers were left in a state of
ignorance and are without any
intellectual improvement, but an
impartial observer will at once admit
the idea to be erroneous,
from great patronage of the press not
only of our district of
country but of the most interesting
journals throughout the union.
Our winter has been mild particularly
for the last month, we
have had no sugar weather of account and
if the weather remains
as warm a week or so longer the trees
will put forth leaves and
if this should occur then the water will
not make sugar in conse-
quence of the sap being up. It has been
healthy throughout the
winter, remarkably so at this time. All
vegetation indicates a
very early spring. In common the winter
does not break until
the first of March and some times the
middle.
I am very desirous of hearing from the
country in which you
live. I think the last letter we
received from you was in the
commencement of last year. I saw some
weeks ago in the Eaton
Register copied from the Georgetown
Luminary an account of
the severe storm of wind that visited
your part of the country.
According to that statement several
lives were lost and a great
quantity of property. We should be very
glad to know who the
individuals were that fell victims of
the violence of the storm.
The country and neighborhood has no
doubt greatly changed
since we left that place and would wear
less the aspect of home to
us than this our adopted country. How
very strange it is that
Reviews, Notes and Comments. 155 when a place becomes home it unfolds new beauty to us and we often indulge the ardent hope that our friends will one day dis- pense with their prejudices against this country and come to re- main for themselves. But I have been all too prolix. I must conclude by wishing you and yours much happiness in this life and an eternity of happiness in the world to come. Mother with the rest of the family joins in sending their best compliments of respect to you all. Please do answer this as soon as possible. Wishing ever to remain your Affectionate and Sincere Niece, RACHEL R. LOCKWOOD. |
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(156) |
OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
REVIEWS, NOTES AND COMMENTS
BY THE EDITOR
Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail. By Ezra Mee-
ker, in collaboration with Howard R.
Driggs, Profes-
sor of Education in English, University
of Utah.
(Yonkers-on-Hudson, New York; World
Book Co.
1925. Pp. X, 225.)
This is one of the books of the Pioneer
Life Series,
published by the World Book Company,
Yonkers-on-
Hudson, New York. It is extensively and
appropriately
illustrated by half-tones and drawings
by F. N. Wilson.
It is a graphic account by Ezra Meeker,
now in the
ninety-seventh year of his busy and
eventful life. It
details the important experiences which
have fallen to
his lot from boyhood days in Ohio to
his flight in an
airplane from Vancouver, Washington, to
Washington,
D.C.
This book is extensively quoted in the
opening con-
tribution to this month's QUARTERLY. It is
copyrighted
and the quotations are made by consent
of the publish-
ers. They give simply a taste of the
good things in this
volume. It should be in every public
and private li-
brary. It will be read with interest by
boys and girls
from ten years old to the century
mile-stone, which the
author is now nearing.
(147)