Ohio History Journal

A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF OHIO.

 

Few American States possess a more national history,

or one embodying a greater variety of interests, than

Ohio. The centennial celebrations that have lately been

held within her borders commemorative of the beginning

Of the Northwest Territory, were more than local in char-

acter. They embodied ideas that have a marked bearing

on our National history. The settlement at " Marietta on

the Muskingum," on that April morning, one hundred

years ago, was the first one made in our country controll-

ed by the National Government, on soil devoted to free-

dom The founding of this kind of government, the

promulgation of its laws, the establishment of its insti-

tutions, mark an era in our country's history. The

materials should not be forgotten, nor left to decay, that

have arisen from this foundation. They should be

gathered and preserved by the "art preservative," not

only that they may be saved to the future, but that

they may be easily and readily accessible. They thus

become a public benefit, and are of practical use to

those who must preserve and enlarge the structure begun

in 1788.

The State and National archives are filled with valua-

ble documents that should be rescued from decay, and

loss by fire, or by one of the many accidents to which

they are constantly subject. It is the duty of the State

to do this. Private enterprise cannot carry out such a

project. Besides, they are State property, and should be

cared for by their owner. Ohio, the first born State of the

"territory forever set apart to freedom," should be the

one to set the example to those that with her now com-

prise this territory. She has greater wealth, resources,

history and records. These are not only her own, but

those records of her early history, especially that of the

territorial period, are rightfully part of the other States'

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424  Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.

history, and should be made easily accessible to their

citizens.

That Ohio has not done so is partly explained in the

fact that other matters have engrossed her attention.

Newer States, like Wisconsin, have profited by our errors

of omission, and by judicious aid to her State Historical

Society, has rescued from oblivion her documentary

history. It is not yet too late for Ohio to act. The valu-

able letters, papers, orders, memoranda, etc., relating to

all phases of our early history lie scattered in the various

departments, slowly but surely fading away. In this,

our Centennial year, let an effort be made to begin this

work, a work that once begun will not be allowed to

linger.

The "Old Dominion," to which Ohio owes much, has

set a worthy example in this regard. Massachusetts,

New York, and other States are pursuing it. As early as

1875 it was begun in Virginia, and that year Volume I,

of the "Calendar of Virginia State Papers," appeared.

They were edited by Dr. William P. Palmer, a man well

fitted for the work. In his preface to Volume I, are

admirable suggestions regarding the preservation of pub-

lic documents. I have found nothing that so aptly sets

forth the points in favor of this work. I have elsewhere

noticed fully this set of Volumes, as well as those of the

Virginia Historical Society. I have done this purposely,

that the reader may see the character of Virginia's work,

and the value of the papers thus rescued from loss.

At subsequent periods in the pages of the QUARTERLY,

I shall notice the work of other States in this matter,

and may quote largely from the compiler's statements

concerning it. In the introduction to Volume I, Dr.

Palmer says:

" It is not only the part of wisdom, but a sacred duty

that a people should give careful attention to the preser-

vation of their records. The value of original documents

is chiefly to be estimated by the facts they disclose, because

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A Documentary History of Ohio.      425

it is from these alone that authentic history can be written.

To the antiquarian they may afford the profoundest enjoy-

ment in the gratification of a taste, more captivating per-

haps than useful; but the annalist, whose functions are

purely practical, cannot possibly perform his duties with-

out their assistance. The uncertainties of tradition are

substituted for the truth of history, in proportion to the

absence of such sources of information. Hence the need

of well attested records during successive epochs of the

world's history has been seriously felt. It has bequeathed

to each succeeding age a legacy of useless regrets, and

transmitted from one generation to another, grounds of

doubt upon almost every branch of human knowledge.

The annals of historical literature and the arena of politi-

cal discussion, abound with illustrations of this fact, and

the avidity with which investigators now seize upon every

fragment of recorded lore, whether engraven upon a pre-

historic stone, or written upon a more modern material,

gives confirmation to what has just been said.  It is,

therefore, unnecessary to dwell upon a truth so patent, but

which, on this account, has been none the less prolific of

contention in the world of letters.

" However, it may appear that the evil has found pallia-

tion in having developed some of the highest powers of

the human mind, and in having contributed a vast and

valuable historical literature in the efforts made to

reconcile conflicting statements, or solve questions of

serious import, it is equally true that in the meantime

strongholds of error have been erected, and retreats

provided for those who, in every age, are found anxious to

escape the verdicts of impartial truth.

*  * *   *  "In these latter days, however, and by the

well directed efforts of those who believe that all obscura-

tion of truth is productive of evil, movements have been

set on foot looking to reforms, by which the sources of

modern history at least may be in a measure purified, and

their preservation, in the future, rendered more certain.

The results of investigations made by modern writers of

history, have had much to do in originating and giving

direction to these efforts."

"The British government has provided a safe place

wherein are contained all the public acts of this nation,

from the doomsday of William the Conqueror to the coro-

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426  Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.

nation of Queen Victoria.  *  * Whatever * *    this

Kingdom has for eight centuries done, or proposed to do

by the complicated functions of its government and

administration, restless as the sea, and multitudinous as

the sands upon its shore, is here committed to safe, silent

and impartial witnesses."

These records " stored up in iron gratings on shelves of

slate, classified and arranged, and preserved from innumer-

able perils of fire, water, and official neglect, are never

disturbed, except when removed from their shelves to

gratify the curiosity of the antiquarian or assist the re-

searches of the historian."

"Turning from England to France, where it is said a

richer mine of historic lore is to be found than exists,

perhaps, in any other country of Europe, we find another

example     *      worthy of imitation;  * *  * the

illustrious Guizot succeeded in accumulating and causing

to be printed, under the sanction of the government,

sources of French history from the earliest times, that

otherwise might have disappeared during the paroxysms

of political chaos to which his countrymen seem periodi-

cally liable. * * The last and best history of France,

must therefore remain a fit memorial of one who devoted

a long life to the glory of a people, who never ceased to

recognize his merits under every change of time and

fortune.

" Coming nearer home," writes Dr. Palmer, "it is grat-

ifying to find that the sacred duty of preserving their

history has not been altogether disregarded by some of

the great American communities. As far back as the

year 1814, the Historical Society of New York sent to the

Legislature of that State, through their distinguished

Vice-President, Dewitt Clinton, Esq., a memorial drawn

by his own hand, in behalf of the perishing records of

that Commonwealth. This document presented in strong

terms the urgency and importance of the measure sug-

gested. It appealed to the patriotism of the people,whose

State pride should prompt them at once to rescue their

history from threatened oblivion. The eloquent author

called upon the State to assist the Society he represented

'in drawing from their dark abodes documents that would

illume the obscure, explain the doubtful, and embalm the

memories of the good and great.' This effort was not in

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A Documentary History of Ohio.       427

vain - funds sufficient to carry out the purpose suggested

were at once appropriated; competent persons were em-

ployed to translate the earlier records of the Colony while

under the Dutch, and agents were sent abroad to collect

in England, Holland, and France, original documents and

copies of everything relating to the history of the Empire

State of America.

"At a subsequent period, and after the materials had

been collected, a proper person was appointed 'to compile

the Documentary History of New York,' which work is

now to be found in an imposing array of folio volumes

upon the shelves of our State library.

"Other American Commonwealths, in the meantime,

have not been idle. The Historical Society of Massachu-

setts has rescued from loss most of the records of that

ancient Colony and influential State. They have been

collected, printed, and bound in series, each one of which

consists of numerous volumes. The Historical Society

and other agencies of that State were stimulated to this

action by occurrences such as the burning of the State

House at Boston; the destruction of part of old Cam-

bridge College, and of certain private residences which

involved the loss of many valuable documents. Con-

vinced by such disasters that no depository at that time

was free from danger, it was wisely determined to mul-

tiply copies of their records through the printing press.

"As late even as the year 1851, the Executive of Pennsyl-

vania by special message to the Legislature of that State,

set forth the great importance of preserving the perishing

records of the Commonwealth. A committee was at once

appointed to consider the subject * * * and now the

documentary history of Pennsylvania appears  *  * in

more than a dozen large volumes, beginning at the year

1664, and coming down to the latest dates. * * *

* Further south * * Maryland has accomplished

much, and the States of Georgia and Louisiana have not

been idle. The records of the latter have been preserved

in part, from the time when the royal standard of Spain

was first set up in the Floridas, * * until the period of

the American Revolution."

Even some of the newer states, Wisconsin and Michigan

in particular, have already taken steps to preserve their

early records. In Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kansas, the

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428  Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.

State Historical Societies are entrusted with this work.

The annual volumes of these Societies, and their various

publications attest the fidelity with which it is done.

Dr. Palmer, referring to the value of manuscripts, in the

same introduction says:

"The real value of manuscripts is not always at once

appreciated. The facts they record are, of course, of prime

importance, but there are other features which equally

recommend them to our notice. A paper cannot be with-

out interest, for instance, should it but preserve the pecu-

liarities of style, the quaint phraseology and antique

orthography in use when it was written. In the earliest

papers before us these are prominent characteristics.

They appear as much in the private correspondence as

in official documents, in which latter, however, as may

be expected, a more stately, and oftentimes pompous

diction prevails. To the modern reader these eccentric-

ities may appear violations of literary taste. But it should

be remembered that the best educated of our forefathers

were compelled to employ the only vocabulary known to

them. They had inherited the style transmitted from a

more primitive age in letters, than that even in which they

lived, and which did not begin its approach to the smoother

diction of the present day, until about the beginning of the

second century after the founding of the colonies.  The

manner in which they wrote, or otherwise gave expression

to their thoughts should, therefore, be received with due

allowance, not forgetting that to the literary critics of

their own time these quaint productions were as well en-

titled to consideration as are those of modern days to that

of their cotemporaries.

"Another merit of these documents consists in their

perpetuating certain phrases and expressions, the only

vehicles of a class of ideas purely technical in their sig-

nification.  The literature of the learned profession

abounds in these. Indeed, without them the phraseology

of the law would lose most of its strength, and the lan-

guage of codes fail to express its meaning. In many of

the oldest may be recognized also, much of the rugged-

ness of the ancient Saxon tongue, as it appeared before

the Norman dialect had added its softer elements, where-

by what may be termed the stone-age of our language

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A Documentary History of Ohio.     429

began to pass away. The papers of this description are

common until about the time of Spotswood, when their

style begins sensibly to change. A little later a taste for

the ornate becomes more apparent; quaintness and sim-

plicity give way to decoration, and as we pass on to times

nearer our own day, the measured sentences and rounded

periods of the more modern diction come into frequent

use.

" Still another value attaches to these fading manu-

scripts which may not at first view be recognized. In the

letters and other communications interchanged by people

of every class of society, one is impressed with the cour-

teous regard for the amenities of social life exhibited in

them, although often couched in awkward and common-

place language."

Dr. Palmer touches also many other points. The forego-

ing, however, presents cogent reasons why such materials

should be preserved, and should have attention from those

who possess the power to do for Ohio what has been

done in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,Virginia,

Wisconsin, and in other American States, not to speak of

what has been done by the National Government, through

such men as Peter Force, the compiler of the "Annals of

Congress," and by the publication of such documents as

the "American State Papers."

In this, the anniversary of our first centennial, let the

work begin, and let it not delay until we can place on our

shelves a complete "Documentary History of Ohio."

A. A. GRAHAM.

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