Ohio History Journal

JOSEPH HOUGH, AN EARLY MIAMI MERCHANT

By R. PIERCE BEAVER

There were many forces which bound the Miami country to

the South--the political dominance of men of southern birth,

family ties, ecclesiastical relations, the attitude towards the negro,

and above all commercial relations. The last influenced all the

other forces and brought with economic dependence on the South

a common way of thinking with it, especially in matters of

economics and politics. This relationship began with the first

years of development. After Anthony Wayne's victory and the

Treaty of Greenville, settlement was no longer forced to cling

to the bank of the Ohio River at Cincinnati, Columbia, and North

Bend, but speedily spread over the rich lands of the two Miamis.

A number of foodstuffs could be produced in abundance, but for

other things, especially manufactured articles, the region depended

on Philadelphia or other eastern markets. However, it was im-

practical to transport to the East the products given in exchange

for these imports, and the only market available was one to which

approach was furnished by a natural water route, New Orleans.

About ten years after the opening of the hinterland the Cincin-

nati wholesale trade began, and this, with the later rise of indus-

tries, made the section less dependent on the East, whereas the

volume of exports to the South steadily increased. With these

exports went a feeling of good-will towards, and common interest

with, those persons who received them. Nevertheless, for the first

score of years, until the industries developed sufficiently to meet

local needs, the manufactured articles came from the East, and

this dependence on East and South alike necessitated almost an-

nually a triangular journey for the merchant.

The early Miami merchant then played a much more im-

portant part in determining the interest and destinies of his region

than he could ever have imagined. He was usually, in those early

(37)

38 OHIO ARCHEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

38 OHIO ARCHEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

years, a young man of little capital, adventurous and energetic.

Very often he was a Pennsylvanian who, emigrating to the

western country, carried with him a supply of goods, and, chanc-

ing to dispose of it to his advantage, remained in the business.

The merchant bought his stock of goods in Philadelphia, labori-

ously transported it by wagon to Brownsville or Pittsburgh, where

he purchased a boat, and floated his cargo to Cincinnati. Then

again he had to procure wagons and haul his goods to some in-

terior village which he had chosen through the advice of friends

or which, as was often the case, was determined for him by

chance. Once located, the goods were offered for sale if a store

room could be secured, and immediately new difficulties arose.

There was little ready money in the country, and the merchant

was offered in exchange for his wares wheat, corn, whisky, and

pork. There was no local demand for these, and the only method

by which the merchant could dispose of them was to turn the

grain into flour or whisky, pack the pork, and ship these products

to New Orleans for sale in the South or for reshipment to the

Atlantic States or Europe. The small merchant usually accom-

panied his boats, and personally sold his cargo. Some men became

interested in speculations in the lower Mississippi region and

invested a part of the income from their expeditions. The trader

then had to return home by a dangerous and difficult overland

route or go by boat to Philadelphia and there purchase a new

supply of merchandise, for Philadelphia continued to be a fa-

vorite outfitting market even for many years after the wholesale

business in Cincinnati was well developed. The normal cycle

then was: from the Miami country to New Orleans, to Phila-

delphia, and then back to the Miami Valleys.

Joseph Hough, of Pennsylvania Quaker origin, was a typical

merchant of the early period, and engaged in the trade from 1806

to 1825. In 1852, the year before his death, at the request of his

friend James McBride, the historian of the Miami country, he

wrote a sketch of his life and adventures.¹This narrative well

1 A copy of this manuscript is in the possession of Joseph Hough's great

granddaughter, Mrs. Mary Millikin Beckett, of Hamilton, Ohio, who kindly pro-

vided a copy for the present study. After the narrative had been edited in the

present form, the writer discovered that certain portions of it had been previously

published in a sketch of Hough's life in a History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of

JOSEPH HOUGH 39

illustrates the activities of the Miami merchant and the complica-

tions of his business. While not having the value of a contem-

porary document, it has the value of reviewing the period as a

whole and of describing the main features of the subject. As

the sketch is a simple narrative and has no thesis to defend, it

is perhaps freer from error than the memoirs of some old men,

who remember the past in the light of after-events.

For his early life, the journey to Hamilton, and his begin-

ning in business, the letter to McBride is adequate.²

I was born near Brownesville in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, on the

26 of February, 1783, and resided there with my parents until I was five

years old, at which time my parents removed to Washington County, in said

state. My parents continued to reside in Washington County until I was

about fifteen years old, at which time my father died. My father had been,

for several years, in easy circumstances, but like thousands of others, was

not content to "let well enough alone," and about two years before his

death, engaged in the mercantile business. He knew nothing of the busi-

ness, and the consequences were, as might have been expected, that he

sustained considerable losses. After his decease, it was soon ascertained

that it would take nearly all his estate to pay his debts, and the result

proved to be, that there were left, after all his debts were paid, but a few

hundred dollars. I rejoiced that there was even that amount left, which

would assist in the support of my aged Mother and my three sisters, all

of whom were younger than myself. My mother only survived my father

about eighteen months, and the small pittance which had been left of my

father's estate had proved sufficient, to give her the comfort of life as long

as she lived. It was a consolation to me to know that such was the fact.

Shortly after the death of my father, I knew that I had nothing to

rely upon for a living, but my own unaided exertions. I determined at

once, in no manner to be a charge upon my aged mother, and shortly bound

myself as an apprentice to Israel Gregg of Brownesville to learn the trade

of a clock and watch maker. I engaged to serve him until I was twenty-

one years old. When I had served out my alloted time, I found myself

twenty-one years old--a free man, and out of debt. Not-withstanding I was

without a dollar, I did not despair for a moment. I felt as independent

as I have at any period since. I asked neither advice nor aid from anyone.

Knowing well that I had no time to idle, before the expiration of my ap-

prenticeship, I had engaged to work at my trade with another clock and

watch maker in Brownesville. On the first morning after my time was

out I commenced journey-work and continued to work at my trade for

about two years. During that whole time I lost (Sundays excepted) only

two days. In these two years I earned and saved over and above my ex-

penses about one thousand dollars and was debtor to no man.

Butler County, Ohio (Cincinnati, 1882), 166-8. However, the source of these quotations

was not given, and the material was not well arranged. Nevertheless, the writer

abandoned the thought of publishing the narrative, since some paragraphs of it were

already in print. But, coming upon it after some years, and reading it again, it

seemed that the narrative was worthy of publication in a form more complete, more

carefully prepared, and more easily available than that of the county history.

2 See also the biographical sketch in the History of Butler County, loc. cit.

40 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Previously to this my brother Thomas had been selling goods on com-

mission, for several years, and at this period he had just closed up that

business, and had realized about two thousand dollars. He proposed to

me a partnership in the mercantile business--combining out capitals--to

which I agreed, and we there-upon determined to remove to Lebanon in

Warren County, in this state (Ohio). Our object in removing west was

to better our pecuniary circumstances, the same reason that has influenced

others and which continues to be the motive power that is propelling the

mighty masses of people westward to fill up the vast, fertile domain that

yet invites and is able to receive and sustain almost innumerable millions

of freemen. In our removal from Brownesville and Settlement in Hamil-

ton, there were but few incidents, that were not common to those who, like

ourselves, were seeking new homes in the West. My brother and myself

left Brownesville about the first of June, 1806, for Cincinnati, in a small

flat-boat. We had with us a small stock of merchandise, purchased in

Philadelphia with which we designed to commence business, hoping to re-

plentish the same from time to time, as required, and we expected to con-

tinue in business as partners an indefinite period of time. The Mononge-

hala and Ohio rivers were both very low. As neither of us had the least

knowledge of the channels of the rivers we frequently grounded on the

bars, and were consequently compelled to be in the water to pry off our

boat, almost every day. Our trip was, therefore, a very tedious one and

we did not land at Cincinnati until the last of June. Cincinnati contained

then, about one thousand inhabitants. It is now the Queen City and can

boast of a population, approaching, one hundred fifty thousand! We soon

busied ourselves in preparing to reach our proposed location. We procured

wagons to carry our goods to Lebanon, and shortly after they were on

their way, my brother and self started out on foot, to overtake them, it

being out of the question to hire horses to ride, as there were no livery

stables. We travelled out on the old Lebanon road, expecting to over-take

our wagons where Reading now stands. Night over-taking us, we took the

road leading to Jacob White's mill, on Mill Creek, nine miles from Cin-

cinnati. We were not apprized of our mistake until we reached the house

of Jacob White, some time after dark. We introduced ourselves to him,

and after some conversation he fully understood our difficulty. He treated

us with all the hospitality and kindness we could have desired. After find-

ing out our views and purposes he told us that he was certain we could

not procure a house in Lebanon in which to open our goods, and advised

us to go to Hamilton, as John 'Wingate (since, Gen. Wingate) had just

quit business, and that he had no doubt but we could rent his house. We

determined to follow his advice, and left his house early next morning to

over-take our goods, before the wagons would start. When, however, we

arrived at the place where the wagons had remained over night, they had

gone. I hired a horse and over-took them in time to turn them towards

Hamilton on the old Deerfield road. At that time there was no road even

surveyed between Lebanon and Hamilton. I returned to my brother and

we both made our way to Hamilton, where we arrived on the first day of

July, 1806.

We rented Mr. Wingate's store room and opened our goods for sale,

and continued our sales until the death of my brother. He was attacked

with bilious fever on the 4th day of September and died on the 17th day

of the same month, being a resident of the county of only a few days over

two and a half months. Four days after his decease, I was taken down

with the same disease and my life was, for some days, despaired of, but

JOSEPH HOUGH 41

JOSEPH HOUGH 41

after a lingering illness of near five weeks, I became able to transact busi-

ness. I became Administrator of my brother's estate--settled it up--and

settled up the business of the firm of "Thomas & Jos. Hough." I gave to

my younger sisters my share of my brother's estate and the fees allowed

for settling the same.

From this time until the autumn of 1825, with the exception

of a little more than three years, Hough, sometimes alone and

again with a partner, carried on a general mercantile business in

Hamilton. There was much competition, for there were more

merchants than the community needed, and, though failures were

common, there were always others to take over the ruined stores.

In 1830 when the population of the twin towns, Hamilton and

Rossville, amounted to only 1708, there were twenty-three mer-

cantile establishments with a few more specialized retail stores in

addition.³ In 1810 the population of Hamilton was 242 and in

1820, 660. However, the products of the back country to some

distance north and east, and to a great distance west--far in the

direction of Indianapolis--were hauled into the village and sold

or traded for supplies. Once or twice a year it was necessary

for the merchant to obtain new stock. Hough described the

situation as follows:

The difficulties connected with the merchantile [sic] business of the

early periods to which I have referred [sic], cannot be realized by the mer-

chants of this day. We had to travel on horse-back from Hamilton to

Philadelphia, a distance of six hundred miles, to purchase our goods. We

were exposed to all kinds of weather and were compelled to pass over the

worse possible roads. When our goods were purchased, we had to engage

wagons to haul them to Pittsburgh, a distance--by the then roads--of three

hundred miles.

At that early day the road from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh was

exceedingly bad. It was only graded and turnpiked from Philadelphia to

Lancaster. The residue of the road in many places was very steep and

exceedingly rough. From thirty to thirty-five hundred pounds were con-

sidered a good load for a good five-horse team. There was only a weekly

line of stages from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and the time occupied in

going from one place to another was six days.

... The transportation of goods over the mountains occupied from

twenty to twenty-five days, and cost from six to ten dollars per hundred.

Our goods being landed at Pittsburgh, we usually bought flat-boats or keel-

boats and hired hands to take our goods to Cincinnati and we then were

able to have them hauled to Hamilton at from fifty to seventy-five cents

per hundred! We were generally engaged three months in going East--

in purchasing a stock of goods, and getting them safely delivered at Hamil-

3 James McBride, Notes on Hamilton, 1831 (Hamilton, 1898), 42-43.

42 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

ton. Those three months were months of toil and privation and of ex-

posure of every kind.

In illustration of the truth of the above remark I must state that in

one of my trips from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, I was thirty-nine days on

a keel-boat with six men besides myself to man the boat. I believe the trip

was in the fall of 1816. The river was then as low as it has ever been

known, on many of the ripples in the deepest channel, if channel it could

be called, there was scarce one foot of water. My boat drew one foot

and a half after taking out all such articles as we could carry over the

ripple in a large canoe, which was the only kind of a lighter we could

procure. Consequently, we had to scrape out channels, at the low ripples,

of sufficient width and depth to float our boat. We usually found out

the deepest water on the ripple and then all hands would engage in making

the channel. When we passed such a ripple we reloaded our goods and

proceeded to the next, when the same labor had to be performed and the

same exposure endured. The extent of the labor which had to be per-

formed in order to pass our boat can be best understood when I state that

we were frequently detained three days at some of the worst ripples.

After the receipt of our goods at Hamilton our difficulties were by

no means all over-come. In order to sell them we were compelled not only

to do the ordinary duties of merchants and to incur its ordinary responsi-

bilities, and risks, but had to become the produce merchants of the country.

We were compelled to take the farmers produce and send or take it to

New Orleans, the only market we could reach. It was necessary for the

merchant to buy pork and pack it; to buy wheat, buy barrels and contract

for the manufacture of the wheat into flour, and then build flat-bottomed

boats and with great expense and risk of property, commit the whole to

the dangers of the navigation of the Miami, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers.

The dangers of the trip and the uncertainty as to financial

success of the enterprise caused some merchants to sell their

goods to others who were more willing to undertake the venture.

In the early winter of 1811 Hough, already experienced in such

enterprises, formed a partnership with McBride for the purpose

of "buying wheat and flour and shipping of flour to New Or-

leans." It proved to be a profitable undertaking. The state of

the crops, Indians, weather conditions, and many other things

played their part in the speculation. In the first year of the

venture it happened to be Indians and earthquakes. On April 1,

1812, while floating down the Mississippi with his cargo, McBride

wrote to his aunt, Miss Mary McRoberts:4

About the first of March last I received a letter from you, and omit-

ted answering it until now, which was not occasioned, or owing to negli-

gence, but because I thought the intelligence I would have to give would

occasion you some little uneasiness, as at that time I was engaged in making

4 James McBride, to Miss Mary McRoberts, April 1, 1812, printed under the

title "A Voyage down the Mississippi," in Historical and Philosophical Society of

Ohio Quarterly Publication (Cincinnati, 1906-), V (1920) no. 1, p. 27.

JOSEPH HOUGH 43

JOSEPH HOUGH 43

preparations to make a voyage to New Orleans and am now so far on my

way. Last winter I entered into a co-partnership with Joseph Hough, of

Hamilton, with the intention of carrying on the business of merchandizing;

we purchased a quantity of flour and whisky in the Miami Country and

located two flat boats on the Miami river which we have brought out of

that stream and are thus far on our voyage. When we go to New Orleans

we shall sell our cargo, go round by sea to Philadelphia and purchase goods

and return with them to Hamilton.

As you have no doubt heard very alarming accounts about the earth-

quakes and other dangers of descending the Mississippi river, I suppose

you would have looked upon me as going to certain destruction. Thank

kind providence, I think we have now passed those dangers, and if some

untoward accident does not overtake us we shall pass safely to New Or-

leans and if flour bears the price, which I understand it does, we shall make

something very handsome. Our cargoes consist of seven hundred barrels

of flour and some whisky and pork which we purchased in the Miami

country on very reasonable terms, as the reports prevailing of the dangers

to be encountered from Indians and Earthquakes had so much frightened

the people that none would venture to encounter them. These stories I

considered improbable, but have since found too much reality to exist in

them, particularly those relating to the earthquakes.

Hough made the journey to New Orleans, "before steam-

boat navigation could be relied upon to bring one to Louisville,

fourteen times." This means up to 1819, for in that year he

made his first steamboat voyage back up the river. Thirteen of

these voyages were made by flatboat and one by barge. After

1825 he journeyed to Vicksburg and back twenty-nine times,

dying on the last trip.

The river country was very sparsely settled in the earlier

years of Hough's travels. He described it as follows:

The first time I descended the Ohio and Mississippi rivers I left

Cincinnati in December, 1808, with five flat-boats, all loaded with produce.

At that time there were but few settlers on the Ohio River below the

present City of Louisville. The cabins on the river below Louisville were

few and far between. There were only two small villages between Louis-

ville and the mouth of the Ohio. One was Henderson, known then by the

name of Red Banks, and the other was Shawneetown. It was a village

of a few cabins and used as a landing place for the Salt works then carried

on on the Saline River back of Shawneetown. The banks of the Mississippi

from the mouth of the Ohio to Natchez was still more sparsely settled

than the country bordering on the Ohio. New Madrid, a very small village,

was the first settlement below the mouth of the Ohio. There were a few

cabins at the little Prairie--a cabin opposite to where Memphis now is, and

on the lower end of the bluff where Memphis now is there was a small

Stockade Fort called Fort Pickering, garrisoned by a company of Rangers.

Cabins were to be seen at the mouth of White River, at Point Chico and

at Walnut Hills, two miles above where the city of Vicksburg now is.

From the latter place to Natchez there were cabins to be found at the

distance of fifteen or twenty miles apart. The whole country, bordering

44 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

on the Mississippi River from the mouth of the Ohio to Natchez might be

regarded as an unbroken wilderness. The Indians seldom visited the banks

of the river except at a few points where the river approaches the high

banks.

In the narrative there are these paragraphs concerning the

coming of the steamboat:

I was at New Orleans in the Spring of 1816 when Capt. Henry

Shreve of Brownesville, Pennsylvania was at the wharf in that city with

the Steamboat Washington, a new boat of one hundred and fifty tons burden.

She was then preparing for her trip up to Louisville. The price asked for

a cabin passage was one hundred and fifty dollars and for freight--five

dollars per hundred pounds!! I regarded the price as most exhorbitant

and declined taking passage with him. I therefore bought a horse, and

travelled home by land. Capt. Shreve made his trip at that time in twenty-

five days and on his arrival at Louisville the citizens gave him a public

dinner for having made the trip in so short a time. In a few remarks he

made on the occasion he told them he believed the time would come when

the trip would be made fifteen days! He was regarded as being insane

on that subject. The prediction received no countinance as the point was

regarded as impossible.

My first trip on a steam-boat from New Orleans was made in the

Spring of 1819 with Capt. Israel Gregg, (the person to whom I bound

myself as an apprentice) on board the steam-boat Gen. Clark. We were

nineteen days in making the trip and perfectly satisfied with the result.

Those engaged in steam-boat navigation of the great rivers at the

present day know but little, if anything, of the difficulties that were en-

countered by Capt. Shreve and the other pioneers in Steam-boat Navigation.

Wood could not be obtained. No wood yards had been established. The

officers were often compelled to take the crews into the woods and cut

and haul a sufficient quantity to last the usual time of running. The wood

thus obtained was necessarily green and wholly unsuited for making steam.

The officers had everything to learn in relation to their business. Engineers

had no science and but little experience in operating an engine. Pilots were

generally flat-boat men who knew the channels of the river imperfectly

and nothing about the management of a steam-boat. In fact, Capt. Shreve

labored under so many difficulties that it is not to be wondered at that he

should have occupied twenty-five days in making the trip.

The merchant did not always journey from New Orleans

to Philadelphia, even in the early days of dependence on the

eastern market. Sometimes he returned home directly by the

difficult and dangerous route through the Indian country, im-

periling both life and profits. Concerning it the narrative dis-

closes the following information:

In returning home, we had either to travel through the Choctaw,

Chickasaw and Cherokee nations of Indians, or else go by sea either to

Philadelphia or Baltimore and from thence home by land....I traveled

home by land eight times. We were usually about thirty days in making

the trip. We were compelled to camp out without tents, regardless of rain