BOOK REVIEWS
Pioneering in Agriculture; One
Hundred Years of American
Farming and Farm Leadership. By Thomas Clark Atkeson
and Mary Meek Atkeson. (New York,
Orange Judd Pub-
lishing Co., Inc., 1937. 222p. $3.00.)
This is the autobiography of Thomas
Clark Atkeson, of whom
it was said that "no man in his
generation has done more for the
betterment of American
agriculture." Atkeson was born in a log
house on the banks of the Great Kanawha
River in Virginia (now
West Virginia) in 1852. His
English ancestors had wandered to
northern Ireland, thence to the
frontier of Pennsylvania, and
finally into the Kanawha Valley in
1827. Of considerable interest
are Atkeson's intimate descriptions of the early western
com-
munity in which he was reared, detailed
descriptions of his home,
its furnishings, his playmates, his
schools, the slaves, and how his
father and their neighbors farmed.
He recalls that the Civil War virtually
stopped the social life
of the community, although it saw the
contending armies only in-
frequently. During the war he attended
a private school for a
time where one of his companions was
William H. Harvey, later
author of Coin's Financial School. War
prices gave his father an
opportunity to clear the farm of debts.
On the other hand, the
lack of slave labor forced many to
curtail their farming opera-
tions considerably.
Youth, as Atkeson recalls it in the
latter years of his life,
was a happy and romantic period. He
reminisces upon his social
life with enthusiasm, and with
considerable interest to the reader.
Horseback riding was the rule among
young people of both sexes.
A popular pastime was for parties of
young folk to make the trip
by steamboat to Cincinnati.
Spelling-bees were one of the most
common diversions. Fishing parties,
picnics arranged by the
churches and later by the Grange, and
amateur theatricals and
(183)
184
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
debates in the winter occupied the spare
time of the youth. They
also participated in tournaments or
contests of horsemanship.
In 1871 Atkeson started to West Virginia
University at Mor-
gantown, in the hopes of learning more
about the business and
science of agriculture. He has written
an entertaining chapter on
college life. In 1872, because of
his sister's illness, he remained
out of school and established a monthly
magazine, the West Vir-
ginia Agriculturist. In order to get subscriptions he called the
farmers into meetings which he claims to
have been the first farm-
ers' institutes. In 1873 he entered the
University of Kentucky,
where, for the second time he discovered
that a land grant college
was not providing adequate instruction
in agriculture. He studied
law, but lack of interest in that
profession and poor health sent
him back to the farm.
There he soon began to develop a
profitable business. He
devoted his spare time to reading in the
field of agriculture and
allied fields with the idea of
developing "some measure of influ-
ence and leadership among men in the
world's affairs." At this
time he became a militant reformer in
politics, joined the Knights
of Labor and the Greenback Party.
However, about 1878 his
energies were directed into the
activities of the Grange movement,
and soon after 1880 he parted company
with the Greenback Party.
He was appointed associate editor of the
Farmers' Friend, a
Grange weekly published at
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. After
advancing through various offices in the
state Grange, Atkeson
was elected Master in 1896, holding that
position until 1922.
Under his leadership the membership
increased considerably in
West Virginia.
Atkeson collaborated with State Master
Knott in drawing up
the bill which created the West Virginia
Board of Agriculture.
Atkeson was then appointed to the first
Board and served as its
president for fourteen years. In his
official capacity he pressed
successfully for the establishment of an
agricultural course at the
state university. He was elected its
first Professor of Agriculture.
Meanwhile he traveled over the state
organizing and speaking at
farmers' institutes. For a year or two
he served as President of
BOOK REVIEWS 185
Barboursville College (now Morris Harvey
College), and was also
a member of the Board of Regents of West
Virginia University.
In the latter position he assisted in
the reorganization of the
school, and outlined the plans for the
development of an agricul-
tural college. He was elected its first
dean, serving for fourteen
years.
His devotion to the Grange led its
leaders to choose him to
serve as its Washington representative
from 1919 to 1927. In
1916 he wrote the Semi-Centennial
History of the Patrons of
Husbandry. Those seeking an insight into the real lobbying ac-
tivities of this great organization of
farmers will not find it in
the book under review. This is an
anecdotal volume which will
be of little importance in the history
of American agriculture.
On the other hand its anecdotal
character makes it light and en-
tertaining. This may or may not be its
recommendation.
JAMES H. RODABAUGH.
Oliver Pollock; the Life and Times of
a Patriot. By James Alton
James. (New York, D. Appleton-Century
Co., 1937. 376p.
$4.00.)
This interesting biography by the author
of the definitive life
of George Rogers Clark is more or less
supplementary to the latter
volume, both books presenting new
materials on the influence of
the West in the Revolution. The life of
Oliver Pollock is the
story of a wealthy American merchant who
used his fortune and
his credit to finance the war for
independence.
Born in northern Ireland, Pollock came
to Philadelphia in
1760
when he was twenty-three years of age. His
family soon
migrated to Carlisle, Pennsylvania,
"the capital of the Scotch-
Irish settlements." Pollock,
however, returned to Philadelphia
where he secured a vessel and crew and
embarked on trade be-
tween American ports and Havana. The
Cuban city became his
headquarters, and as his fortune rose he
became well acquainted
with the Spanish authorities who were
shortly thereafter sent to
govern Louisiana. Pollock followed the
Spanish to New Orleans,
186
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
arriving at an opportune time to
provision the troops there. In
return for this service he was granted
the privilege of freedom of
trade in Louisiana.
In the spring and fall of each year
Pollock and other New
Orleans merchants outfitted 400 or 500
traders who ascended the
Mississippi to the Illinois villages for
furs, skins, tobacco, and
other products. Pollock made a fortune
in the period when
England and Spain were competing for
control of the trade in the
Mississippi Valley. While extending his
trade relations, he also
profited from land speculation, the
transportation of settlers and
providing them with necessary equipment.
He owned and operated
a large plantation at Baton Rouge, and
bought lands at Manchac
and up the river as far as Natchez. Near
Baton Rouge he pur-
chased 1,500 acres for Thomas Willing
and Robert Morris, of
Philadelphia. This and similar
commissions brought him into
contact with those who became leaders in
the American Govern-
ment during the Revolutionary period. He
also served as agent
for the firm of Baynton, Wharton, and
Morgan, an English com-
pany organized to trade with the
Indians. His most important
sources of profit were Negroes and flour
and his other carrying
trade. By 1776 he was the leading trader
in New Orleans.
Pollock supported the American cause
from the outbreak of
the Revolution. He played a very
important part in bringing
American and Spanish authorities
together in an effort to promote
trade between the two countries. In 1777
Don Bernardo de
Galvez, a personal friend of Pollock,
became Governor of
Louisiana. Thereafter Spanish assistance
through Pollock was of
the greatest significance to the
American cause. Not only was the
port of New Orleans opened to American
trade, but in addition
Galvez sent war supplies, provisions,
and money to the Americans,
particularly on the upper Mississippi
and the Virginia and Penn-
sylvania frontiers. The Spanish also
extended credit to Pollock to
assist him to finance demands made upon
him in support of the
Revolution.
The victory of Clark in the Northwest
may be said to have
been dependent largely on Pollock's
fortune. He was commis-
BOOK REVIEWS 187
sioned by Virginia and the Commercial
Committee of Congress to
aid Clark. Pollock furnished ammunition,
horses, and money to
cover other expenses, i. e., for
food, boats, and clothing. He went
steadily in debt in order to meet the
demands made on him, and
in 1779 had to inform Clark that his
(Pollock's) credit was ex-
hausted. Still demands were made upon
him, and he found means
of financing Clark's campaigns against
the Indians of the North-
west. By the close of the year 1781
advances by Pollock to Clark
and his officers amounted to $139,739. Six months later
he was
in debt at New Orleans for an additional
sum of $92,199. When
he appealed to Congress and Virginia for
relief in 1781-82, they
lacked money to assist him. He further
increased his debt by
taking in a lot of virtually worthless
Continental currency at New
Orleans in order to maintain the credit
of the United States. He
also participated in a raid on British
settlers in the Mississippi
Valley, and fitted out a war sloop, the Morris,
for a contemplated
attack on Pensacola.
Over and over Pollock pled with Congress
and Virginia to
send an expedition against British
possessions on the Mississippi
and along the Gulf of Mexico. He knew,
and so advised American
authorities, that Spain would demand as
a prize the whole Mis-
sissippi Valley. Because his advice was
not heeded years of diplo-
matic controversy between Spain and the
United States followed
the war.
By the close of 1782 Pollock was financially
ruined. Indeed
he had to rely upon friends for the
support of his family. It is
estimated that he advanced a total of
$300,000, more than any
other person, during the Revolution.
Congress and Virginia de-
layed for several years in meeting their
obligations to him, and in
Congress he was even accused of padding
his claims, a stigma
which was officially removed only after
twenty years. After the
war he was appointed commercial agent
for the United States at
Havana. But Spain, now ready to dispute
American possession
of the Mississippi Valley, arrested
Pollock, confiscated all his
property in Havana, and closed the port
of New Orleans to
American ships. By 1792 most of his
claims against Congress and
188
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Virginia had been paid, and he in turn
made good the claims
against him. His last years were spent
as virtually a pensioner
upon his family. In 1823 he died, as
James says, "a patriot whose
eagerness to serve and willingness to
suffer and sacrifice for his
country have not been surpassed in our
history."
This volume is a valuable contribution
to American history.
James not only relates the details of
the life of his subject, but
with facility places Pollock in his
various settings, painting par-
ticularly interesting pictures of the
life at New Orleans and in the
Illinois villages. This biography is
well supported by two ap-
pendices, notes, a classified
bibliography, and an ample index.
JAMES H. RODABAUGH.
Advancing the Ohio Frontier: A Saga
of the Old Northwest. By
Frazer Ells Wilson. (Blanchester, Ohio,
Brown Publishing
Co., 1937. 124p. Illus., maps.)
This little volume, written by the
author of The Peace of Mad
Anthony Wayne, is an addition to the now increasing group of
studies occasioned by the celebration of
the sesquicentennial of
the founding of the Northwest Territory.
The body of the book
is divided under the following headings:
(1) "Frontier Ohio";
(2) "Defeat
on the Upper Wabash"; (3) "Victory at the Maumee
Rapids"; and (4) "Smoking the
Calumet." Beginning with an
account of the Indian tribes and Indian
life in the Ohio country
before the coming of the white man, the
author unfolds the story
of the early European explorations and
settlements, the half cen-
tury of conflict waged by France and
England for possession of
the vast domain west of the Alleghenies,
the Indian policy of the
English following the Treaty of Paris
(1763), the conspiracy of
Pontiac, the brutality practiced by both
Indians and frontiersmen
in border warfare, the struggle for
American Independence, the
exploits of George Rogers Clark in the
Northwest and the Ameri-
can Indian policy during and after the
American Revolution. The
initial chapter also contains a section
devoted to the provisions of
the treaties of Ft. Stanwix (1784), Ft.
McIntosh (1785), and Ft.
BOOK REVIEWS 189
Finney (1786). Then follows an account
of the establishment of
orderly government in the Northwest
Territory, the rule or mis-
rule of Governor Arthur St. Clair, the
growing restlessness of the
Indians occasioned by the steady
intrusion of the Americans upon
their once spacious hunting grounds, the
construction of forts in
preparation for the inevitable conflicts
with the natives, the Indian
campaign of Josiah Harmar and the
disastrous defeat of St. Clair
on the Upper Wabash. Extensive treatment
is given to the activi-
ties of "Mad" Anthony Wayne
who, succeeding St. Clair in April,
1792, reorganized the army, built
additional fortifications, and
moved north to defeat the Indians in the
Battle of Fallen Timbers
(near the present site of Toledo),
forcing the natives to accept a
treaty opening practically all of Ohio
to settlement by the whites.
The final chapter burdened with
excessive quotations reiterates the
provisions of the Treaty of Greenville.
The author has added an
Epilogue, in which he condemns the
policy of the Americans "in
their ruthless conquest of the native
tribes" and makes a plea for
fair dealing with those who are left.
The reader may not always endorse the
author's interpreta-
tions, personal opinions, and other
extraneous discussions. For
example, some may take issue with the
author's unqualified state-
ment (p. 27), that the Ordinance of 1787
was "one of the wisest
and farthest reaching charters ever
given to any people." While
the Ordinance contained many wise
provisions, its features dealing
with the two stages of government prior
to statehood were com-
parable in many respects to the system
of government of a British
Royal Province, an autocratic system
against which the people of
the Northwest Territory, imbued with the
spirit of frontier de-
mocracy, constantly complained. Nor will
others fully subscribe
to the author's interpretation of the
purposes of the Quebec Act
(p. 17-18).
There is some carlessness in spelling or
in proofreading,
e. g., "Algonkin" for Algonquian when reference is
made to the
Indian family (p. 3), "Sault St.
Mary" for Sault Ste. Marie,
"Ouiatenon" for Ouiatanon,
"Presque Isle" for Presque'isle or
Presqu'ile (p. 9),
"Michilimackinac" for Michillimackinac (p.
190
OHIO ARCHEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
12), "Ha-re-en-you" for
Ha-ro-en-you, "J. William Jun" for
I. Williams Junr, "Laye-tah"
for Staye-tah, "Pee-ke-lund," for
Pee-kee-lund,
"Kik-tha-we-mund" for Kik-tha-we-nund, "Wa-
bat-thee" for Wa-bat-thoe (p. 110),
"Key-se-wa-se-kah" for Kay-
se-wa-e-se-kah (p. 111),
"Geo. Cemter" for Geo. Demler, "Grant
Lasselle" for Ant. [oine] Lasselle,
"R. E. Chambre" for R. La-
chambre, (p. 114). A comparison of the
author's list of officers
killed or wounded in the Battle on the
Upper Wabash (p. 57) with
the official list appearing in American
State Papers, Indian Affairs,
1, 138, reveals the fact that over ten
percent of the names have
either been corrected or inaccurately
transcribed. Then, too, it
might be pointed out here that Ft.
Duquesne was constructed be-
fore and not after the Battle of Great
Meadows (p. 13), that Old-
ham, of the Kentucky Militia, was a
Lieutenant-Colonel not a
Colonel (p. 57), and that F. Pepin not
"L. Copen" signed the
Treaty of Greenville (p. 114). Thus one
might go on.
A check upon the author's quotations
reveals that a close ad-
herence to the original source has not
been followed. Words and
phrases are omitted without indication,
changes are made in
punctuation and capitalization, accents
are omitted, and in a few
instances the tense of the original has
been changed. For pur-
poses of comparison the first three
lines of the Treaty of Green-
ville are here reproduced. Wilson's
account reads: "to put an
end to a destructive war, to settle all
controversies, and to restore
harmony and friendly intercourse between
the United States and
Indian tribes." (p. 106). The
treaty actually reads: "to put an
end to a destructive War to settle all
controversies and to restore
harmony & a friendly intercourse
between the said United States
and Indian Tribes." In his
description of a typical Indian council
(p. 97-98) Wilson quotes from Francis
Parkman, The Conspiracy
of Pontiac and the Indian War after
the Conquest of Canada:
"The orator seldom spoke without
careful premeditation of what
he was about to say; and his memory was
refreshed by belts of
wampum which he delivered after every
clause in his harangue, as
a pledge of the sincerity and truth of
his words. These belts were
carefully preserved by the hearers, as a
substitute for written rec-
BOOK REVIEWS 191
ords; a use for which they were the
better adapted, as they were in
hieroglyphics expressing the meaning
they were designed to pre-
serve." The account in Parkman
reads: "The orator seldom speaks
without careful premeditation of what he
is about to say; and his
memory is refreshed by the belts of
wampum, which he delivers
after every clause in his harangue, as a
pledge of the sincerity and
truth of his words. These belts are
carefully preserved by the
hearers, as a substitute for written
records; a use for which they
are the better adapted, as they are
often worked with hieroglyphics
expressing the meaning they are designed
to preserve." (Francis
Parkman, The Conspiracy of Pontiac. Frontenac
ed. Boston,
1910. II, note 242.)
While it is evident that the author has
consulted some of the
better-known printed sources and to some
extent manuscript ma-
terials, one misses footnote citations
to the sources, a classified
bibliography, and an index. Despite the
errors in spelling and an
occasional lapse in historical accuracy,
one feels that the general
reader will obtain a great deal of
knowledge from Advancing the
Ohio Frontier. The value of the work is enhanced by nine excel-
lent maps and twenty illustrations.
J. O. M.
The Territory South of the River
Ohio, 1790-1796. Edited and
compiled by Clarence Edwin Carter. The
Territorial Papers
of the United States, IV. (Washington, D. C., Government
Printing Office, 1936. 517p. $1.75.)
This volume is the fourth in a series of
the monumental pub-
lications, The Territorial Papers of
the United States, compiled
and edited by Dr. Clarence Edwin Carter,
formerly professor in
history, Miami University. The papers
concern the country be-
tween Kentucky and the present states of
Alabama and Missis-
sippi which was organized on May 26,
1790, and was known as the
Territory South of the River Ohio. These
papers, drawn prin-
cipally from the archives of the
Department of State and War,
the files of the United States Senate,
and the Manuscript Division
192
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
of the Library of Congress, but often
supplemented with originals
from collections located in more distant
repositories, are arranged
chronologically without regard to their
character. Although a
portion of the papers in this volume
have been previously printed
in the American State Papers, the
fact that such publication oc-
curred over a century ago renders them
somewhat inaccessible to
the public. Furthermore the textual
incompetence of some of the
early editors made it advisable to
reprint relevant papers.
In regard to contents the papers fall
into two categories, civil
administration and Indian affairs. The
number of items concern-
ing civil administration is small. This
is explained by the fact
that "local government had already
been established under North
Carolina jurisdiction," and that
William Blount, appointed Gov-
ernor on June 8, 1790, substituted his
authority for that of North
Carolina with little or no friction.
Evidence seems to indicate that
the relations between the Governor and
his superiors were, and
continued to be, cordial. Then, too, the
papers dealing with public
lands are few in number, as North
Carolina's cession of western
lands (Dec. 22, 1789)
contained conditions virtually excluding the
United States from participating in the
sale or disposal of her
public lands.
Although the papers relative to Indian
affairs were largely
excluded from the volumes treating of
the Northwest Territory,
the greater portion of the volume under
consideration concerns the
negotiations with the southern
tribes. Blount, like Governor
Arthur St. Clair, of the Northwest
Territory, had to deal con-
stantly with an Indian menace, although
no Indian engagement in
the southwest had the far-reaching
influence of Wayne's victory at
Fallen Timbers. The papers in this class
include, among others,
correspondence passing between the
Secretary of War and the
Governor. The last forty-two pages of
the volume contain the
"Journal of the Proceedings"
of Governor Blount reproduced in
full from the official text located in
the Department of State.
The cross references, the brief
identification of obscure names
appearing in the volume, and an
extensive index covering thirty-six
pages, facilitate the use of the work.
At the end of the volume
BOOK REVIEWS 193
the editor has added a list of official
letters which are referred to
in the text, but which he was unable to
locate.
Both Carter and those associated with
him are to be compli-
mented on the accuracy and high standard
of editorial work main-
tained in this and in the volumes
previously published.
J. O. M.
Black Forest. By Meade Minnigerode. (New York, Farrar &
Rinehart, 1937. 360p. $2.50.)
Incidents in the history of the Old Northwest
furnish a rich
tapestry against which the author has
set his engrossing fiction.
The delicately told love story of Angus
Drumlin and Solange
Monvel, ending with her death at the
hands of a band of ruffians
through the influence of the sinister
Jean Pic, is the theme of the
first part of this tale of blood and
confusion. Revenge provides
the motive for the tragedies befalling
the parties involved.
The story is divided into three parts:
"The Road, 1754-1764,"
"The River, 1764-1779," "The
Forest, 1779-1788." The first con-
cerns the building of Forbes' Road; the
second, the American ad-
vance down the Ohio River, culminating
with the taking of Vin-
cennes; the third, the beginnings of
civilization in the region north
and west of the Ohio River, notably the
passage of the Ordinance
of 1787, the Ohio Company's purchase,
and the settlement of
Marietta.
The narrative is vividly and
realistically told, creating for the
modern reader a much clearer picture of
the period than most
books of cold facts do. As a
contribution to literary art it has its
weaknesses, principally noticed in the
use of coincidence which
plays too great a role.
The volume is a product of the interest
in the celebration of
the 150th anniversary of the
establishment of the Northwest Ter-
ritory, its composition having been
sponsored and inspired by the
Northwest Territory Celebration
Commission.
C. L. W.
194 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
The Hidden Lincoln from the Letters
and Papers of William H.
Herndon. By Emanuel Hertz. (New York, The Viking
Press, 1938. 461p.
Illus. $5.00.)
Two new and unusual books about Abraham
Lincoln ap-
peared during the past year. The first
was by Otto Eisenschiml
and was entitled Why Was Lincoln
Murdered? The other is en-
titled The Hidden Lincoln from the
Letters and Papers of William
H. Herndon and is dedicated by the author to Herndon's memory.
After an introductory chapter concerning
the original Hern-
don letters the remainder of the book is
made up largely of letters
from and to Herndon together with
statements collected by him
and notes by him. Out of the materials
which he collected for a
biography which was largely molded by
Jesse A. Weik for publi-
cation, a large part of them were locked
up and have not been
available for further use. Later they
were secured by the Hunt
ington Library in California, and Mr.
Hertz, a Lincoln collector
and biographer has spent years in the
research, discovery and ar-
rangement of these papers. While the
book is heavy and poorly
edited with too few explanatory notes,
yet it is a real contribution
to history and arouses the interest of
the reader anew in Lincoln,
the man. In it the world has been given
much material that has
never before been published.
H. L.
History of the Ordinance of 1787 and
the Old Northwest Terri-
tory (a Supplemental Text for School
Use). Prepared for
the Northwest Territory Celebration
Commission under the
Direction of a Committee Representing
the States of the
Northwest Territory: Harlow Lindley,
Chairman, Norris F.
Schneider and Milo M. Quaife. (Marietta,
Ohio, 1937. 95p.
Illus., maps.)
This book was prepared primarily for use
in the schools in
connection with the essay contest
provided by the Northwest Ter-
ritory Celebration Commission. The
emphasis is placed upon the
BOOK REVIEWS 195
history of the Old Northwest. Most of
the illustrations were de-
signed by students in the schools of
the states evolved from the
original territory. The book has been
widely distributed among
the schools of the region, and copies
may be purchased direct from
the Northwest Territory Celebration
Commission, Marietta, Ohio,
at ten cents per copy.
Twenty-fifth Anniversary Studies. Edited by D. S. Davidson.
Philadelphia Anthropological Society Publications,
I. (Phil-
adelphia, University of Pennsylvania
Press, 1937. 235p.
$2.50.)
This volume consists of a collection of
eighteen papers cover-
ing a wide range of anthropological
subjects, The field of archae-
ology is represented by articles
dealing with Mayan art and
architecture, the Folsom culture, the
use of mollusks in prehistoric
chronology, prehistoric sites of
Durango, Mexico, and primitive
ceramics. Ethnological papers embrace
the topics of Australian
and Tasmanian cultures, the Eyak
Indians of Alaska, marriage
customs of several primitive groups,
the concept of law in an
African tribe, adoption among the
American Indians, and dreams
and visions of the Fijians. Articles on
folk-lore deal with an
analysis of Tar-baby stories and
medical practices among the
Catawba Indians.
The studies are well written,
documented, and some are illus-
trated. There is no index. The volume
is a distinct contribution
in its field and should prove to be of
considerable interest to all
students concerned with the development
of human culture.
R. E. M.
BOOK REVIEWS
Pioneering in Agriculture; One
Hundred Years of American
Farming and Farm Leadership. By Thomas Clark Atkeson
and Mary Meek Atkeson. (New York,
Orange Judd Pub-
lishing Co., Inc., 1937. 222p. $3.00.)
This is the autobiography of Thomas
Clark Atkeson, of whom
it was said that "no man in his
generation has done more for the
betterment of American
agriculture." Atkeson was born in a log
house on the banks of the Great Kanawha
River in Virginia (now
West Virginia) in 1852. His
English ancestors had wandered to
northern Ireland, thence to the
frontier of Pennsylvania, and
finally into the Kanawha Valley in
1827. Of considerable interest
are Atkeson's intimate descriptions of the early western
com-
munity in which he was reared, detailed
descriptions of his home,
its furnishings, his playmates, his
schools, the slaves, and how his
father and their neighbors farmed.
He recalls that the Civil War virtually
stopped the social life
of the community, although it saw the
contending armies only in-
frequently. During the war he attended
a private school for a
time where one of his companions was
William H. Harvey, later
author of Coin's Financial School. War
prices gave his father an
opportunity to clear the farm of debts.
On the other hand, the
lack of slave labor forced many to
curtail their farming opera-
tions considerably.
Youth, as Atkeson recalls it in the
latter years of his life,
was a happy and romantic period. He
reminisces upon his social
life with enthusiasm, and with
considerable interest to the reader.
Horseback riding was the rule among
young people of both sexes.
A popular pastime was for parties of
young folk to make the trip
by steamboat to Cincinnati.
Spelling-bees were one of the most
common diversions. Fishing parties,
picnics arranged by the
churches and later by the Grange, and
amateur theatricals and
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