EDITORIALANA. |
|
A CHAPTER OF CORRECTIONS.
R. W. MCFARLAND. [History is never free from imperfections. Particularly is this true of the collected and collated records and data of pioneer periods--the beginnings of history. This is most natural as the memoranda are fur- nished by different authorities who discern the events recorded from various points of view or who are not accurate in their method of statement. The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society endeavors to gather and preserve all that is worthy of preservation con- cerning the early history of our state. It therefore gladly welcomes criticism upon and corrections of the material which it puts forth. It of course goes without saying that the Society is not to be held responsible for the authenticity or accuracy of articles contributed by various writers to the columns of the Society's publications. We there- fore readily publish "corrections" when they come from persons de- serving credence. One of the most learned and critical scholars of Ohio's early history is Professor R. W. McFarland, who was born near Urbana in 1825, and who still at the age of eighty-two, with eye un- dimmed and faculties unimpaired takes an enthusiastic and active interest in the events of "ye olden time." He knew and conversed with many of the prominent settlers of the Buckeye State. Probably no one living has so much knowledge "at first hand" of the startings of our state history. Professor McFarland's memory retains it strength and clear- ness unabated and what he says has the stamp of original authority. The editor of this Quarterly has often during the past years been in- debted to Mr. McFarland for much valuable assistance in the effort to obtain reliable data of pioneer times and also for much revision and correction of material published. The editorial desk retains safely pigeon-holed many letters from the professor touching upon articles ap- pearing in the Quarterly. We have culled from them some of the "items" we believe deserve not only the light of day but permanent place in the literature of the Society. The purpose of their appearance and their value speak for themselves. While much of the matter herewith published was intended only for the personal benefit of the Editor of the Quarterly, we gladly give the readers of the Quarterly and thereby all students of Ohio history, the benefit of the statements.-EDITOR.] (402) |
Editorialana. 403
Professor McFarland says:
NAME OF SANDUSKY TOWN.
The name "Sandusky"1 as
applied to the town, was not generally
known as the name for more than
twenty-five years after 1816. It was
called Portland. I lived in the western
part of Champaign county when
I was young; and as late as 1842 my
father sent a wagon-load of flour
to Portland. All the country round did
likewise, as being the best
market for flour--and everybody said
Portland. It was after 1842 that
the name of Sandusky became general
In the article on Daniel Boone2 the
author says: "It may here be
said that these same pickets had to be
broken down with a small cannon
before the town was finally taken and
destroyed by Clark." It seems
to me that there are three of four
errors along here. The Indians
did not enclose their villages with
pickets; Clark had no cannon; the
time was not 1782, but 1780. Clark did
not destroy the town, the In-
dians themselves set it on fire and it
was burnt down when Clark got
there. See Clark's own report for 1780.
He did not march through
or near to this old site in 1782. These
are minor points, but they dis-
figure "History."
ACREAGE OF OHIO COMPANY PURCHASE.
As to the mistakes of Schouler and King
in their histories. They
both say that the Ohio Company purchased
five million acres; and
Symmes two million. The Ohio Company
asked for only one and one-
half million and did not get so much, in
fact it was less than one million.
Five million acres would take all the
land south of Columbus and en-
closed by the Muskingum, Scioto and Ohio
rivers, about one-fifth of
the whole state. Symmes applied for one
million, and he secured less
than one-fourth of that figure. If you
take all the land between the
Miami rivers as far north as the old
Indian boundary lines, and as far
east as the Ludlow line, you will have
only about one and one-half
million acres. It is certain that
neither Schouler nor King ever made
any investigation at all of either
subject-one probably copied from
the other -and so "History is
writ." In volume I, Laws of the United
States, the facts are nearly all to be
found.
GRAVES OF GENERAL BUTLER.
Following out in part the clues I was
working on in my brief
articles on the old forts,3 I
find that General Butler, killed November
4, 1791, and for whom our county is
named, was buried in the following
See Article on "Sandusky
River," Vol. XIII, page 275, Publications
Ohio State Arcaeological and Historical
Society.
2Vol.
XIII, page 264.
3Forts Loraine and Pickawillany; Vol.
VIII, page 479.
404 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
winter; and then was again found and
buried two years later by Wayne's
forces; that not far from 1836 his body
was again independently found
and given a separate burial and the
grave was marked on maps; and
that again in 1875 the remains were
again found; and still later in
1891, they found the bones and dug them
up in still another place. All
this, I think I can prove by Ohio
historians; and I think it is a pity
such cheerful and gratifying news should
not be "put where it will
do most good" - say in our Quarterly.
And so feeling I will try to
bring together some of the proofs of
this assembly of burials, and
so make another manifestation of how
much Ohio writers of history
know. And if all points of Ohio History
turn out to be made of such
stuff, the sooner bonfires are made of
such works the better.
ORIGIN OF "0. K."
I read with great pleasure Gen. Keifer's
explanation of "0. K."4
My home was in Champaign county, and I
was at the great gathering
of the Whigs in 1840. The Jackson
Township man lived but a few
miles from my father's house; and my
recollection is that the spelling
"Oll Korrect" was meant to
catch the eye and make fun. I saw those
twelve long tables heaped up with
eatables, -one ox was roasted
whole--a very large animal. It was swung
on a heavy pole resting on
two stout forked posts planted in the
ground. Attendants stood by and
sliced off pieces for those who wished
"roast beef." I took a piece
to eat with the bread taken from the
table. I saw ex-Governor Metcalf
of Kentucky in his buckskin suit, pants
and hunting shirt. The hunting
shirt was a coat reaching almost or
quite to the knees, having a cape
around the shoulders. All around the
cape and lower end of the coat
was a fringe of deer leather, made by
taking a strip about 4 inches wide
and cutting cross-wise and then sewing
the strip to the cape and the
bottom. A band of the same was also put
on each arm just above the
wrists.
At that date a hunting shirt made of
blue linsey was very common
among the pioneer families. All the
Kentons wore them. There was
another use or explanation of O. K.
which General Keifer does not
notice. Van Buren lived at Kinderhook on
the Hudson river. The
Whig papers said "O. K." meant
"Off to Kinderhook" for Van Buren
after the election -and so it was. At
that time I was of the right age
to enjoy all political jokes, especially
if they "hit the other party."
I
can call up the events of that day as
though it was but yesterday,
whereas it is almost sixty-four years.
Governor Metcalf was a con-
spicuous figure on the sand -but the
rustic pronunciation of his name
was "Mad-cap." I heard it over
and over again.
4 Origin
of "0. K." Vol. XIII, page 350.
Editorialana. 405
DUNMORE'S WAR.
Allow me to say that you have given the
best general account of
Lord Dunmore's War,5 that I
have seen; and you found it a task of
no small difficulty. I like your way,
too, when accounts differ, of giving
both sides. I was anxious that such an
account should not be subject
to adverse criticism by reason of a few
slips which come about so easily,
Personal inspection of historic places
also is always desirable--and
sometimes it is essential, if a true
account is to be made up.
THE CHILLICOTHES.
I have re-written the Chillicothe
statements,6 in my private letter
to you. I had said that Clark destroyed
the old Chillicothe on his way
to the Mad river towns; this was not
strictly the case, I give it in the
transcript. Clark destroyed all the corn
about the village; but the
Indians got ahead of him as to the town
itself-but only by a few
hours.
All the places I have mentioned, I have
visited over and over again,
- some of them perhaps fifty times.
1. Chillicothe- Howe's Ohio and other
histories speak of the town
of this name on the Great Miami river.
It was on the site of the present
city of Piqua.
2. Chillicothe--Three miles north of Xenia,--fifty
years ago it
was known as "Old Town." I
knew the place sixty years ago. This
old Indian town was destroyed by General
Geo. Rogers Clark in 1780
on his way to Piqua, the great town of
the Shawanees-on the north
bank of Mad river, six miles west of
Springfield.
3. Chillicothe-Usually spoken of as
"Old Chillicothe." This was
in Pickaway county, about four miles
down the Scioto from Circleville,
on the west side of the river. Any
history giving an account of "Lord
Dunmore's War" -1774- including the
battle of Point Pleasant--
and naming "Chillicothe"-
means this one. The present village of
Westfall is on or very near the site. It
was at the second "Chillicothe"
where Simon Kenton once ran the
"gauntlet."
4. Chillicothe -Now called
Hopetown--three miles north of Chil-
licothe City in Ross county. Where I
lived in the present City of
Chillicothe, fifty years ago, the
village was ordinarily called "Old Town"
-in reference to the old Indian village.
The present city of Chilli-
cothe does not occupy the site of an
Indian town.
5. Chillicothe-Frankfort, Ross
county-twelve miles northwest
of the city of Chillicothe-on one of the
old country roads leading from
Chillicothe to Greenfield, which is in
the northeast corner of Highland
county. When I lived in Greenfield, from 1848 to 1851, I passed
this
5 Vol. XI, page 167.
6The
Chillicothes, Vol. XI, page 230. See also Vol. XII, page 167.
406 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
Frankfort a number of times. People
called it "Old Town" because of
the old Indian village. It is a half a
mile or so north of the station
on the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern
Railroad, called Roxabell--
half way between Chillicothe and
Greenfield. In an excellent map
of Ohio which I bought in 1854, number 3
of this series is called "Old
Town."
All of these "Chillicothes"
were Shawanee towns, and I have seen
the statement that the record is of the
Shawanee dialect, meaning "Place
where the people live," or words to
that effect; but I don't know
whether it is the correct meaning. Of course, all persons somewhat
versed in the Indian usage, know that
Indian names are usually sig-
nificant, as Niagara- "The Thunder
of Waters."
OHIO'S PART IN THE REVOLUTION.
In your article on Ohio's Part in the
Revolution7 you make several
slips.
1. Point Pleasant is south of the Ohio
river, and of course is not
in Ohio.
2. You make Dunmore's camp below the
"present city of Chilli-
cothe,"--whereas it was about three
miles from the "old Chillicothe"
at Westfall.
3. Harmar's expedition was in 1790, not
in 1789.
4. Wayne's army was 3,000-it had been
proposed to have 5,000,
but fell short as above. In Wayne's
official report of the battle of the
Fallen Timber, Wayne says that less than
900 of his men were actually
engaged in the fight.
5. You seem to have mixed Clark's two
expeditions of 1780 and
1782. It was in 1780 that Clark
destroyed the corn about "old Chilli-
cothe," north of Xenia, the Indians
had burnt that town before the
Kentucky troops got there. The Piqua
then destroyed was six miles
west of Springfield. The battle was
severe. The site of the present
Piqua was occupied by the Shawanees of
the Mad river Piqua, after
the destruction of the latter. When you
say "Xenia," you are a little
"off your base." The first
expedition was the bloody one, that of 1782
was almost bloodless; this was against
the Piqua towns -particularly
Upper Piqua or Pickawillany, three miles
north of Piqua. Loramie's
store was burnt the same night. It was
fourteen miles farther north.
Hardly a man was lost - only two, so far
as I know - they had been
wounded while away from the main body. The Indians ran away
and I can find a record of only five
Indians slain, and they about
Laramie's store. Wherefore this
expedition of Clark in 1782, could
hardly "have broken the backbone of
the Revolution." The expedition
of 1780 was the big one--but that was
two years before, and of course
7Vol. XI, page 102.
Editorialana. 407
had no special influence in stopping the
war. Virginia claimed the
land by royal grant to latitude 41°,
which is the south border of Portage
county, part of Summit, Huron, Seneca
and Paulding counties. All
south of this line belonged to Virginia,
fully three-fourths of Ohio.
It seems to me that you will have to
review and straighten up the ac-
count of Clark's two campaigns.
TERM ABORIGINE.
The other little point which I had in
view is the criticism of Dr.
Slocum on the use of the term
"Indian." As to "Aborigine" in the
singular number,8 it is
sufficient to say in general, scholarly men have
considered the word illegitimate,
although the plural has long been
in use. Stormouth, Worcester, and
Webster, all refuse the word a
place in their respective dictionaries;
but the Century and the Standard
admit it. Away back in 1840 a
"corner-grocery" politician in Westville,
near Urbana, a man who could reasonably
well entertain a political
meeting of his own party, wishing to
refer to the Indians, and not
being a scholarly man, rather
unlettered, indeed, but willing to use
high sounding terms, called them
"The Abo-rogines"-the "g" having
the same sound as in give; and the
"i" long, as in hives. It served
his purpose, and he was not troubled
with "linguistics." Dr. Slocum's
criticism as to the term
"Indian" is wholly wrong, and I am sorry that
a member of our Society makes such a
blunder. The islands south of
the United States have borne the name of
the "West Indies" ever since
they had a name. The inhabitants were
propery called Indians--even
if the discoverers had not struck the
India of Asia, as he at first sup-
posed he had. The same is used by Irvin,
Cooper, Bancroft, Motley,
Prescott, and all other writers of
American affairs.
PICKAWILLANY AND LORAMIE.
I wish to congratulate you on your trip
to Pickawillany and Loramie.
Of course at the old fort Loramie, you
saw the stone which is claimed
as having been under the Loramie store;
you probably saw what was
claimed to be the grave of Gen. Butler.
This latter point was fully
discussed in my article on "Forts
Pickawillany and Loramie." And yet
every writer whose works I quoted or
referred to, except Howe, had
put the two at the same place--some at
Pickawillany and some at
Loramie. I asked this question
-"What are such histories worth?"
About 200 yards south of the old Johnson
homestead, is old Fort
Piqua built by Wayne in 1794. I hope
that you visited it. When I
was at Loramie in 1899, the west end of
the Greenville treaty line was
shown by a peach fence extending over 50
or 60 rods east of the creek
back towards the houses in the villages.
The end of the fence was about
8 Vol. XIV, page 354.
408 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
one-fourth of a mile north from
the fork of the creek, which in the
treaty is named, and from which fork,
the line to Fort Recovery begins.
But the west tributary (Mile Creek) had
cut across the corner, and
enters Loramie's creek a good many rods
south of the old mouth.
The line on the east side was measured
from the Tuscarawas river
westward--and although the course was a
little changed miles east
of Loramie, and still it came out
one-fourth mile too far north. I
am glad that you took that trip. I wish
I could have been with you.
I made two trips.
EARLY CINCINNATI.
There are two or three little slips made
by writers for our Journal,
to which I call attention, that they may
be too small to require cor-
rection. They are all in the article on
"Early Cincinnati;"9 and the
president of an historical society ought
to speak and walk carefully--
following where possible, the old Davy
Crockett rule. "Be sure you
are right, then go ahead."
But to "my mutton." On the
first page of
the article, near the bottom, it is
said, in speaking of the Northwest
Territory, "Virginia, in 1781, gave
up to Federal control any rights
she had in this territory." The
cession was in 1784 not 1781, and Vir-
ginia especially reserved all the
territory between the Scioto and the
Little Miami. On the next page near the
top, it is said that the Fed-
eral government by treaty in
"1786" etc. The Federal
government
made no treaty in 1786, it was in 1789,
in January, at Fort Harmar.
Again, beginning at the bottom of page
453, and extending to the middle
of page 454, the paragraph shows a want
of exact knowledge of the
question under discussion. At the bottom
of page 453, the part of the
clause within the quotation marks, is
not the exact language of the
act of Congress. The act is not before
me as I write, but I give the
substance--"east from the south
extremity of Lake Michigan, until
it meets the line between the United
States and Canada, in Lake Erie,
thence with that line," etc. The
trouble was that line from the south
end of Lake Michigan would not touch
Lake Erie at all. The writer
of "Early Cincinnati" says:
"During the controversy as to where
the * * * line should be drawn, ** * *a hunter
* * *
brought it to the attention of the
convention," etc. The convention was
in November, 1802, and this subject was
not before the body. Further,
he says, "A compromise was
made," etc.--there was no such thing as
a compromise. The United States Congress
about 1836 corrected the
mistake first made as to the north line;
and made it run from the
south end of Lake Michigan to the north
cape at the bay at Toledo -
south point of the cape. Again,
"But the line remained in doubt"-
there is no doubt about it. While I was
at the State University, I
wrote for the Surveyor of Williams
county, at his request, the descrip-
tion of that line along the north border
of the county, for twenty miles
9Early Cincinnati, Vol. XIV, page 448.
Editorialana. 409
or so, giving the distance from the
section corners, and the witness trees,
where this north line of the state
crossed the lines running north and
south between the section. The whole
line is on record in the Land
Office. Again he says, speaking of this
hunter's report to the con-
vention, "Thereupon the settlers of
Toledo became disturbed for fear
that they should be left out of the new
state about to be carved out
of the Northwest Territory." There was no Toledo then, nor for
many years afterwards.
Read the middle paragraph on page 457.
The four counties spoken
of crossed most of the Northwest
Territory. The east boundary of that
Knox county was the line from Fort
Recovery to the Ohio river oppo-
site the mouth of the Kentucky river.
St. Clair county crossed most
of Illinois, if memory serves me right.
Page 462, bottom, he says the railroad
was finished to Springfield in
1846, it was in 1848. Myself and ten or
twelve other young men went
from our homes six or eight miles
northwest of Urbana to see the first
train reach Springfield. Thousands were
there. We rode eighteen miles
for the sight and eighteen back.
OHIO CANALS.
There is only one more point for this
letter; and this is a statement
in the little work on the Ohio canals.10
Men seem to be absolutely ob-
livious to dates, or else they put down
whatever year is first thought of.
The young man who compiled that work did
not make this error-
they quote Hadley on Railroad
Transportation. See Ohio Canals, page
43. It says, "Part of Cincinnati,
Sandusky and Cleveland Railroad
had been built about 1837 and by 1846
there was railroad communica-
tion from the Lake to the River."
Now let me give you an item or two from
my recollection. In the
Spring of 1849, I was in Cincinnati,
superintending the printing of my
edition of Virgil. Cholera came on; by
the last of May or the first
of June, the death rate ran up to
fifteen or twenty a day. Many
people fled from the city-"me
too." When we reached
Springfield,
about dusk, fourteen old-fashioned
stages were there to carry the
passengers forward. I was the twelfth
man to get on the last stage,
and had to hold on carefully, or be
spilled along the road. I stopped
at Urbana. My recollection is that on the
north the railroad came to
Bellefontaine, "twenty miles
away." Springfield is fourteen miles south
of Urbana.
2d Item. I was married on the 19th day
of March, 1851, at Green-
field, in the northeast corner of
Highland county. By 10 o'clock on
the morning of the 20th we reached
Xenia, coming in from the east
in carriages. By 11 A. M. we reached
Springfield by railroad and there
10 The Ohio Canals; Published by the
Archaeological and Historical
Society, 1906.
410 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
two or three of my brothers and other
friends met us, with carriages,
and took us to my father's house, which
was eighteen miles from
Springfield, and seven northwest of
Urbana. Urbana was fourteen miles
on the way, but there were no cars. Now
even if my memory were
at fault in these dates, there stands
1849 on the title page of my book,
and 1851 in the family Bible, so that
one may call this "documentary
proof." You can easily see that my
dates can hardly be disputed.
SERPENT MOUND.
I have read with great interest your
account of the Serpent Mound,"
with the discourse on Serpent Worship,
the world over. The snake
has always been brought in by some hook
or crook. Did ever you
see Stephen's account of his travels in
Central America and Yucatan?
He gives in one of his pictures, the
head and part of the body of a
huge serpent as a sort of handrail to
the long flight of steps up to an
old temple. In old Greece, the sign for
a doctor was a rod with a
serpent around it, or two serpents wound
around each other. You can
see the cut in my modern books. Then it
was said on one occasion,
"Be ye wise as serpents and
harmless as doves." The doctor
can
look wise, a serpent is his symbol. But
this is a big subject.
PICKAWILLANY AGAIN.
Before I wrote my article on
"Pickawillany" I spent two or three
days in the State Library at Columbus,
and used all of the general
or special histories of Ohio which spoke
of the place. One was the
account of Christopher Gist's visit. I
think also that the Journal of
Capt. Trent, also has something on the
subject. Knapp's History of
the Maumee Valley is greatly in error.
In Howe's History of Ohio,
under the head of "Shelby
County," you get a pretty full account,
and there is a reference to C. W.
Butterfield's account-but that
account I have not seen. Atwater, Taylor
and King's Histories of
Ohio, could soon be examined. Albach's
"Western Annals," is "no
good"- worse than nothing. It is
possible that "Burnett's Notes" may
have something valuable--Miami
University Library has no copy of
these "Notes."
The stockade at Pickawillany was built
late in 1750; Christopher
Gist was there in February, 1751. The fort
was destroyed in June, 1752,
by the French and Indians, because of
the English traders who had
built and occupied the "fort"-
most or all of the English traders were
from Philadelphia, they were weaning
some Indian tribes away from
the French. Some think this was really
the beginning of the "French
and Indian War," including
Braddock's defeat, the battle of Quebec, ending
11Serpent Mound; published by Ohio State
Archaeological and His-
torical Society, 1905.
Editorialana. 411
with the ousting of the French from
Canada, and the Northwestern
Territory, as shown by the treaty of
1763.
REV. J. B. FINLEY,
The article on Wyandot Missions, in
volume XV, interested me
greatly, especially the references to
Rev. J. B. Finley. We boys used to
call him "Old Jim Finley" and
he and father were intimate friends
for more than forty years. They both
came into the church at the
celebrated campmeeting an Cane Ridge,
Ky., in the early years of
the last century. In 1842 he was
"Presiding Elder" in the district where
my father lived near Urbana. One night
he (Finley) and the young
man who was preaching on that circuit
staid at my father's house
during a two days' meeting, father was
talking with the preachers,
and I had a good view of Mr. Finley's
face; and as I sat some dis-
tance away, I rested a piece of paper on
my slate and drew a picture
of Mr. Finley with the hair roached
back, as he always wore it. I was
then about sixteen or seventeen years
old and was teaching the coun-
try school. After awhile I slipped my
picture into the hand of the
young preacher. He looked at it, then
showed it to Mr. Finley. He
didn't more than half like it-but the
young man said, "Brother Fin-
ley, it is a good likeness of
you." At that time colleges in the
land
were not so numerous as they are now.
The next year when I made
up my mind to go to college, Mr. Finley
sent me to Augusta College,
Ky. At that time each presiding elder in
Ohio and Kentucky had the
privilege of sending one young man from
his district to Augusta Col-
lege, free of tuition, which was $32.00
a year. The college was sup-
ported by Ohio and Kentucky conferences.
It was in 1843 Mr. Finley
sent me to college--and as teachers'
salaries at that time were usually
$15.00 a month or less, the saving of
that money was very acceptable
to me. I knew Mr. Finley as well as I
knew anybody. He was a mus-
cular Christian, had been a young man
who would fight on the proper
provocation, and being a very powerful
man, he was accustomed to be
the victor. The year he sent me to college, he conducted a camp-
meeting about six miles from my father's
house. I was there. In those
days it was not an unusual thing for
rowdies to make disturbances on
the campground. But always some men were
selected as policemen to
enforce order. One day a rough customer
was brought in by this local
police to the preacher's
headquarters. He behaved very rudely-
even threatened to "lick" Mr.
Finley, who was giving him some strong
talk. Finley was in his shirt sleeves,
he unbuttoned the sleeve on his
right hand, pulled the sleeve up above
the elbow, shut his fist, and
turned his arm back and forth, as if
ready for a fight. He said, "Young
man, do you see this? God wouldn't let you whip me, and if He
would, I wouldn't -so
behave yourself or I'll drub you."
The young
man, on seeing that arm, and hearing the
threat became as "meek as
a lamb." I saw the whole fun.
412 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
A year or so afterwards he held a
"Quarterly Meeting" in West-
ville, a village about four miles west
of Urbana. In the village was
a young man subject to
"fits"-once in three or four months-seldom
oftener, and they would come on without
premonitory symptoms. As
Mr. Finley was preaching the 11 o'clock
sermon, a "fit" came on the
young man-he fell to the floor. His
friends understanding the case
ran up at once to carry him out-but of
course the speaker quit preach-
ing, and he thought the men were merely
crowding around the man
too close-and not knowing anything of
the case, he cried out in a loud
voice, "Stand back, brethren, stand
back and give the man fresh air-
if he is a sinner he may die and go to
hell and be damned,- stand
back." The friends carried the man
out, and the preacher resumed
his discourse. Finley was staying at my
brother's house. Sometime
in the afternoon he received a note from
some of the young man's
friends, saying that they intended to
"ride him on a rail" for what
he said about the sick man. Finley had
intended to preach at night at
Urbana, but he said to my brother,
"Brother Mac. if I go to Urbana,
those fellows will say they ran me out
of town. I'll send some one
in my place"-and he did. The next
morning right after breakfast,
he took off his coat, and walked up and
down the whole length of the
street for at least three or four hours.
He came into my brother's shop
and said, "Brother Mac, tell those
fellows for me that I say they are
a set of cowards, they threatened
to ride me on a rail, and here I have
been waiting all morning for them, and
they don't come. Tell them
I say they are cowards." They had
signed their names to the paper;
one of them was a justice of the peace,
long known to me.
Finley and my father were life-long
friends--both uniting with the
church at the celebrated "Cane
Ridge" campmeeting in Bourbon county,
Ky., in the early years of the last
century. They differed less than a
year in their ages- "Cane
Ridge" was a sort of permanent link, binding
them
together--my father was an old-fashioned Methodist exhorter,
having his license renewed forty times,
-several by Finley as Pre-
siding Elder. So you see I was, in a
certain sense, "native and to the
manner born." Finley died in 1857.
About two years after the events
which I give, he was made Chaplain to
the Ohio Penitentiary, and re-
mained there two or three years more. He
wrote a book called "Prison
Life," also an
"Autobiography," and other books. The two I name are
doubtless in the State Library. Finley
suited the rough age in which he
lived; absolutely without guile, and
perfectly honest and outspoken.
Nobody could possibly misunderstand him;
and he would defend himself
and his side to the last extremity. I
think he was a noble man. Once
he had been invited to an old Kentucky
"hoe-down" or a country dance.
In the meantime he had "experienced
religion" (using the phraseology
of the time), and when he went to the
dance, he caused it to be turned
into a prayer meeting. You will find the
account in some of his writings.
Editorialana. 413
GOVERNOR ROBERT LUCAS.
"The life of Robert Lucas presents
an outline of intense convictions
and strong assertive action. Set in a
background of pioneer conditions,
it partook distinctly of the
characteristic vigor and ruggedness of that
great westward movement. Robert Lucas
was one who made up his
mind definitely and positively; and when
once convinced of the right-
eousness of a course of action, no power
could divert him from it. * * *
But the aggressive strength of character
of an executive like Robert
Lucas was greatly needed both in the
formative period of the State of
Ohio and in the period of the
organization of the Territory of Iowa."
Those are initial words to the author's
preface to a Life of Robert
Lucas by John C. Parish of the State
University of Iowa. The volume
belongs to the Iowa Biographical Series,
edited by Benjamin F. Sham-
baugh, Secretary of the State Historical
Society of Iowa, which Society
is responsible for the publication in
question. Mr. Parish has done
his work in an accurate, scholarly and
entertaining way. He has dili-
gently "dug out" the facts and
material for his book from the original
sources and has carefully verified his
important statements. The story
told is deeply interesting to both Ohio
and Iowa readers for the theatre
of the incessant activities of Lucas
embraced both states.
Robert Lucas was a fine type of the
personages of his time, who
"did things." He was eminent
in the class of men who by ability and
energy founded states and steered the
march of frontier civilization.
Robert came from Virginia stock, which
contributed so forcefully to
the early building of Ohio. He was born
at Shepherdstown, Jefferson
county, Virginia, April 1, 1781; in 1800
he moved with his parents to the
banks of the Scioto, whither his elder
brothers have proceeded him.
He was energetic and enterprising as is
evidenced by the fact that in
1803 he was surveyor of Scioto county
and ran the line between that
and Adams county.
He seems to have been strongly imbued
with the military spirit,
and in the year just named he was
commissioned by Governor Tiffin
to recruit twenty volunteers for the army,
then projected with the idea
that the United States would have
difficulty with Spain growing out
of the entanglement of the proposed sale
by Napoleon of the Louisiana
Territory to the United States. In 1805
he was made justice of the
peace for Scioto county; in 1808 he was
elected to the legislature from
his county and displayed at once great
aptness in public affairs in which
he later became so conspicuous. Perhaps
the most interesting chapter
to Ohio readers is the one on the War of
1812, in which Robert Lucas
played an effective and unique part.
When Governor Meigs was called
upon to raise the quota of volunteers
apportioned to Ohio, Lucas was
Brigadier General of the Second Brigade
of the Second Division of the
Ohio Militia. For some time he had been
desirous of entering the United
414 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
States army; mainly through the efforts
of General McArthur, he had
received a commission of captain in the
Nineteenth United States In-
fantry; this office he had accepted only
a few days before receiving the
brigadier orders, but as yet had not
received assignment as United States
army officer; he assumed the duties of
the office of Brigadier General
of the Militia; at the same time in order
to encourage enlistment of
volunteers, he volunteered as a private
in his brother's company; he was,
therefore, at one and the same time,
captain of the United States army,
brigadier general in the Ohio Militia
and private in a volunteer company;
in addition he was constantly performing
the independent duties of scout,
guide, express messenger and staff
officer. At the opening of this
campaign he began an interesting daily
journal which he carried with
him throughout the Hull campaign, and
which throws most interesting
side-lights upon the events as they
transpired. On the 23d of May
(1812) General William Hull arrived at
Dayton, where the army was
rendezvoused, and it was then and there
that the famous campaign of
Hull began, which ended so ignominiously
three months later; the
march to Detroit is minutely related in
Lucas' journal; Lucas was in
the lead performing the various duties
of scout, guide and picket. Then
followed Hull's stupid movements across
the Detroit River in the
vicinity of Malden. Lucas was one of the
officers in the party under
Major Van Home, who was directed by Hull
to return back across
the Detroit River and proceed down to
the River Raisin to meet and
escort back to Detroit, Captain Brush,
who had arrived at the Raisin River
with reenforcements and provisions for
Hull's army. The well-known
result of that rescuing expedition was
the disastrous defeat at Browns-
town, where the American militia were
ambuscaded and surprised by
the force consisting mostly of Indians
under the command of the wily
Tecumseh. The American soldiers were
panic stricken and fled pre-
cipitously with a loss of a hundred
including killed, wounded and missing.
It was the first blood in the War of
1812. Upon the surrender of Hull,
Lucas evaded the disgrace of becoming a
prisoner by proceeding to
Cleveland. The war over, he resumed his
political career, being elected
to the Ohio Senate several successive
times. For a period he presided
as speaker over that body. In 1830 he
was named by the Democratic
party for the office of governor, but
was defeated by his opponent,
Duncan McArthur. He was again elected to
the legislature, and the
following year (1832) he was elected
governor over his old opponent,
McArthur, Allen G. Thurman being
selected as his private secretary.
This same year he had the distinguished
honor of presiding over the
first Democratic national convention,
held at Baltimore. He was re-
elected governor in 1834. As an
executive officer he displayed great
ability, firmness, and though a bitter
partisan, was a loyal patriot. It
was during his governorship that the
famous and somewhat burlesque
"Toledo War" occurred over the
Ohio-Michigan boundary dispute. In
Editorialana. 415
1838 President Van Buren appointed Mr.
Lucas governor of the Territory
of Iowa. In this position he exhibited
great capabilities in the organiza-
tion of the territory into the state.
The election of William H. Harri-
son as Whig President in 1840 caused Mr.
Lucas' removal from the office
of (Iowa) governor, when he returned to
Ohio and was nominated by the
people of his home district for
membership in United States Congress.
In the election he was
unsuccessful. He then sold his farm and
home
at Friendly Grove and returning to Iowa
made Iowa City his home.
He again took a prominent part in the
politics of the territory of his
adoption. He was elected a member of the
convention which was to
create a constitution for the
forthcoming state of Iowa; served at the
head of several important committees,
one of them being the Committee
on State Boundaries, which was to
consider the dispute over the line
separating Iowa from Missouri; Mr.
Lucas, therefore, appears to have
been peculiarly the hero of state
boundary disputes. About this time
he was charged with being a confirmed
office seeker for he looked "with
longing eyes to the governorship of the
state whose early destinies
he had watched and guarded as the
pioneer Territorial Governor. But
younger men were pushing to the front
and now his declining years
came upon him and the fate of a
superannuated statesman brought him
that fretful idleness that is so hard
for men of action to endure." In
1852 he deserted the party he had so
long and zealously served and
joined the Whig forces. Death ended his
career on December 8, 1853.
He died at his home, Plum Grove, and the
following day was buried in
the cemetery at Iowa City.
Such are the brief and concise facts of
his phenomenal life. That
such a career must have had for its
foundation and results a strong
character and unusual ability, goes
without saying. Mr. Parish, his
biographer, has followed his life in a
most faithful and in not ungraphic
portrayal. He has in a most successful degree pictured the back-
ground events in which Mr. Lucas was so
prominent a figure. Mr.
Parish has an easy flowing style and the
historic instinct to properly
emphasize the larger incidents, while
leaving nothing to be desired in
detail. The little volume is tastefully
produced as to typographical and
mechanical composition. It has the
double value of historic interest in
the development of two states, Ohio and
Iowa.
CENTRAL OHIO VALLEY HISTORY CONFERENCE.
Various historical and patriotic
societies located in the southern
part of Ohio have issued a call for a
conference of the different historical
societies of the Central Ohio Valley to
be held in Cincinnati on Novem-
ber 29 and 30 next. The committee
appointed for that purpose consists
of Charles T. Greve, Chairman, Isaac J.
Cox and Frank P. Goodwin,
Secretary. In the circular sent forth by
the committee, they state:
416 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
"The observance of national
holidays and of centennial celebrations
may be said to be a fixed American
habit, but as yet too little attention
has been paid to the details of local
history and its connection with sec-
tional and national development. In view
of this fact, various organi-
zations of the city of Cincinnati have
combined for the purpose of hold-
ing a history conference that should embrace
as its field a considerable
portion of the Ohio Valley.
"In furtherance of this plan some
twelve organizations of Cin-
cinnati, representing the Historical and
Philosophical Society of Ohio.
the Cincinnati Branch of the
Archaeological Institute of America, and
the various hereditary patriotic
societies, in connection with the teach-
ers of the city and vicinity, have
determined to hold a series of meet-
ings on Friday and Saturday, November 29
and 30, 1907. This move-
ment to represent all classes of workers
in the local historical field
has been endorsed by the authorities of
the University of Cincinnati,
and they have offered the use of the
University buildings for the holding
of such meetings as should seem
desirable. The above mentioned organi-
zations of the city are to act as hosts
on this occasion, and they invite
the attendance and hearty co-operation
of similar bodies in the central
portion of the Ohio Valley. The
undersigned committee desires to get
into communication, as quickly as
possible, with all such organizations
of this section, and will appreciate any
suggestions that will further this
purpose.
"One of the proposed meetings will
be devoted to the work of local
history societies, of which there are a
number of national reputation
within this district. We plan to give
these societies an opportunity to
explain their work, the value of their
collections, and to discuss possible
methods of co-operation in our
particular field. The meeting will also
be addressed by a speaker of national reputation, and
there will be an
exhibit of the valuable collections of
the Historical and Philosophical
Society of Ohio, under whose auspices
the meeting will be held.
"By means of this conference we
hope to accomplish definitely
the following object:
"(1) To arouse a greater interest
in the subject of local his-
tory throughout the whole Ohio Valley,
to stimulate the work of
gathering and preserving historical
records, and to secure more
efficient co-operation among the local
societies.
"(2) To bring in closer touch the
various classes of historical
workers, and to excite a permanent
interest in all phases of active
historical work.
"(3) To assist the history teacher
in the definite problems
connected with his work, and
particularly to bring to his service
the wealth of illustrative material
afforded by the details of our
local history. In this connection it may
seem advisable to extend
the field of work of the Cincinnati
History teachers Association so
as to include the Central Ohio Valley.
"(4) To bring the individual
teachers and workers into inti-
mate personal contact with certain
leaders in the historical field.
"(5) Should the success of this
meeting warrant it, and if it
should seem advisable to other
communities participating in this
conference, to adopt some general plan
for holding similar future
meetings, at such times and places as
may seem advisable.
"In view of our purpose we invite
the hearty co-operation of all
Editorialana. 417
who are interested in this work. The
undersigned committee will be
glad to receive suggestions concerning
speakers, lists of names and ad-
dresses of history workers, details
concerning local history organizations
and patriotic societies, and any other
sources of information that will
assist in rendering the conference a
success. Address communications
to Frank P. Goodwin, 3435 Observatory
Place, Cincinnati, Ohio."
HOW GOVERNOR MEIGS GOT HIS NAME.
Where did the parents of Return Jonathan
Meigs get the name?
This question has been asked innumerable
times by Ohioans, in looking
over the list of names of Ohio governors
in early days. Possibly there
is no accurate information on the
subject, but General Zeigler, visitors'
attendant at the state house, tells, a
story of the matter which he says
he secured from relatives of the dead
governor.
According to this story the elder
Jonathan Meigs, father of Return
Jonathan, was very much in love with a
charming girl down in Con-
necticut. He asked her hand in marriage
one evening. The lass looked
calmly into the big open fire place, and
measured in her mind the worth
of the young man. Jonathan Meigs is a
young lawyer, of good family,
as well off in this world's goods as any
of the other men of the com-
munity, but he lacks something. What was
it? Vinegar? That's it.
He lacked spirit. So, pressed for an
answer, she told Jonathan that she
would think of him as a very dear
brother. Flushing, Jonathan Meigs
arose, picked up his hat and cane and
started out without a word. Why
be in such a hurry?" the maiden
called. But the slam of the door was
the only answer. "Why, he has a
temper after all," she said aloud, and
rushed to the door just in time to see
the old gate slammed shut so
violently that the wooden hinges split
apart. "Return Jonathan Meigs,"
she cried. Jonathan returned, a wedding
followed and the first child
born was named Return Jonathan Meigs,
and later he became the
fourth governor of Ohio.
Meigs was one of the war governors of
the state, serving during
the war of 1812. He resigned his office
as governor to become postmaster
general of the United States. Othniel
Looker, of Hamilton county, com-
pleted his term.
CRAWFORD MASSACRE ANNIVERSARY.
On June 11th, the Pioneer Association of
Wyandot county held
its anniversary of the Crawford
massacre. Several hundred people
gathered in the picturesque grove, on
the banks of the historic Tymoch-
tee, but a few hundred feet from the
monument erected to the memory
of the martyr Colonel William Crawford,
who gave up his life in the
cause of the advancement of white
civilization on June 11, 1782. The
*Vol. XVI.-27.
418 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
exercises of the day were presided over
by Mr. Emil Schlup, retiring
president of the Pioneer Association.
The election of the officers for
the ensuing year resulted in the
selection of Mr. Amos Nye as president
and of the re-election of Mr. Mark Karr
as secretary. An interesting
program
of music and speeches was successfully carried out. Music
was furnished by the Adrian Cornet Band,
composed of E. K. Ewing,
Eugene Ewing, Fred Ewing, Thomas
Reardan, Fort Presler, Burt Al-
lion, Derf Ringheisen, Earl Snyder,
George Myers, Karl Truby, Ralph
Green and C. C. Haines; and the Carey
Male Quartette, composed of
Jesse Stombaugh, J. D. Ewing, R. D. Hilty
and W. L. Baker.
Interesting reminiscences of "ye
olden tymes" were given by Presi-
dent Nye, Mr. H. K. Inman, Postmaster
Hiram Miller of Wharton, Mr.
F. L. Feltus of McCutchenville, Captain
A. P. Cutting of Kenton, Rev.
T. J. Carey of Wharton and the venerable
Isaac Burke of Crawford,
whose memory went back to the days of
the "Indians, rattlesnakes and
blacksnakes of the Tymochtee"; in
his boyhood days Mr. Burke spoke
the Indian language and became
acquainted with many Indians, visited
and transacted business with them and
the following Indians were some
of his personal friends: Big Solomon,
Little Chief, Charles, Fider, George
Wright, Armstrong, Peacock, Mud-Eater,
Stuckey, Grey-Eyes, Between-
the-Logs, John Seneca, Warpole, Spybuck,
Guard, Mononcue, Bullhead,
Porcupine, Bigelow, Walker, James, and
Deer. Mr. Burke "was raised
on Tymochtee Creek and always loved to
live on its banks; in its earlier
days it was considered one of the best
streams in the state, but it is
different now, being damaged by oil and
salt water."
The speakers of the day were Hon. Grant
Mouser, member of
Congress from that district, and Mr.
Randall, the Secretary of the Ohio
State Archaeological and Historical
Society. Mr. Mouser made an elo-
quent address on the marvelous growth of
our country and its present
prosperity. The Secretary of this
Society dwelt upon the historic events
of Ohio, the various races contending
for supremacy in the Ohio Valley
and the bitter contest between the white
and the red people.
It was a day long to be remembered by
those who were fortunate
enough to be present.
WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
By the appointment of a financial
committee of three, the trustees of
Western Reserve Historical Society, in
their first meeting for two years,
took definite steps at their meeting in
May last, toward raising a per-
manent endowment fund of $150,000.
W. H. Cathcart is the newly elected
president of the society. When
it became known that L. E. Holden,
president of the society since 1902,
could not serve another term on account
of other pressing duties and
Mr. Cathcart was elected in his place,
the president-elect frankly told
Editorialana. 419
his trustees that he would not serve
unless they would pledge them-
selves to raise an endowment fund. They
decided to start at once.
The financial committee which will have
charge of raising the fund
consists of L. P. Baldwin, D. Z. Norton
and W. S. Hayden. Its power
to name other members is unlimited.
Until the endowment fund is
raised the museum will be supported as
for the past two years, in part
on its guarantee fund and in part from
the proceeds of a lecture course.
The report of W. H. Cathcart as
secretary of the trustees, opened
the meeting. In it he briefly reviewed
the work of the year giving great
praise to Librarian A. M. Dyer for his
able and energetic management.
He strongly urged the need of an
endowment fund.
The board, as at present organized,
consists of A. T. Brewer, J. H.
Wade and C. A. Grasselli (until 1908),
Ralph King, Douglas Perkins
and D. Z. Norton (until 1909), A. L.
Withington, E. M. Avery and Am-
brose Swazey (until 1910), C. W.
Bingham, H. C. Ranney and James
Barnett (until 1911), and S. P. Baldwin,
Webb C. Hayes and L. E.
Holden (until 1912).
The new president has been connected
with the society for seven-
teen years and has been known as an active
worker in local historical
circles. The other officers elected were
vice presidents, J. D. Rockefeller,
Jacob Perkins, D. C. Baldwin and Col. 0.
J. Hodge; treasurer, E. V.
Hale; secretary, W. S. Hayden;
corresponding secretary, A. L. With-
ington; librarian, A. M. Dyer.
ATTACK ON FORT ST. CLAIR.
We are glad to be able to present to our
readers an extract of
interest pertaining to the battle of
Fort St. Clair, fought near Eaton,
Preble Co., in the days of white
settlement and Indian ravage. It has
been handed to us by a student who is
doing research work in early
Ohio history and is copied from a file,
now owned by the State Library,
of the Sentinel of the North-West
Territory, the first paper ever pub-
lished in any of the five states
comprising that area. Its opening num-
ber was issued from the corner of Front
and Sycamore streets, Cincin-
nati, on November 9, 1793, by Wm.
Maxwell, publisher. The entire file
was preserved by Peyton Symmes of the
famous Symmes family and was
presented to the State Library by Col.
John James of Urbana. It is the
only one in the world.
The paper from which this article was
taken has interesting notes
on the proceedings of the National
Convention of France and advertise-
ments for the opening of the first
packet line on the Ohio River.
The account reads:
CINCINNATI, November 9, 1793.
Many reports having been circulated with
respect to the attack
made by the savages, upon a convoy of
provisions, some little time ago,
420 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
between Fort St. Clair and Fort
Jefferson, the following is an authentic
account of that affair:
Lieut. Lowrie of the second and Ensign
Boyd, of the first and
second sub legions, with a command
consisting of about ninety, non-
commissioned officers and privates,
having under their convoy twenty
wagons, loaded with grain and
commissaries' stores, were attacked be-
tween daylight and sunrise, seven miles
advanced of Fort St. Clair, on
the morning of the 17th ult. (October,
1793, E. M.) These two gallant
young gentlemen, with thirteen
non-commissioned officers and privates,
bravely fell in action. It would appear
that after the fall of the officers,
the party did not make much resistance,
which was naturally to be
expected.
The Indians killed or carried off about
seventy horses, leaving
the wagons and store standing in the
road, and they were brought into
the camp six miles advanced of Fort
Jefferson, on the 20th ult., with
scarcely any loss or damage, except what
is before related.
SACREDNESS OF INDIAN GRAVES.
In reply to an inquiry made by Secretary
George Martin of the
Kansas State Historical society,
Attorney General Jackson handed down
an opinion to the effect that it is just
as much of a crime to open
Indian graves even in the interest of
archaeological research as it is to
open the graves of white people. He says
the law nowhere permits the
opening of graves for archaeological or
scientific research.
"I know of no reason," he says
in conclusion, "why Indian graves
should be despoiled any more than
another. The rights of the red man
should be respected as much as those of
whites or blacks. All the
natural instincts and feelings of
humanity cry out against the violation of
sepulture. Except in the interest of
justice or prompted by motives of
love and duty, the sanctity of each
deceased person's 'six feet of earth'
should not be disturbed."
LIFE MEMBERS.
Since the Annual Meeting of the Society
(March 22, 1907) the fol-
lowing have been elected Life Members of
the Society: Hon. Charles A.
Hanna, New York; Hon. Jacob G.
Schmidlapp, Cincinnati; Hon.
Florien Giauque, Cincinnati; Mr. George
M. Finckle, Columbus; Hon.
William H. Taft, Washington, D. C.; Dr.
George R. Love, Toledo;
Colonel John W. Harper, Cincinnati; Mr.
Frazer E. Wilson, Green-
ville; Prof. Frank P. Goodwin,
Cincinati; Rev. R. J. Richmond, Mc-
Connellsville; and Judge Rufus B. Smith,
Cincinnati; Hon. Drausin
Wulsin, Cincinnati.
EDITORIALANA. |
|
A CHAPTER OF CORRECTIONS.
R. W. MCFARLAND. [History is never free from imperfections. Particularly is this true of the collected and collated records and data of pioneer periods--the beginnings of history. This is most natural as the memoranda are fur- nished by different authorities who discern the events recorded from various points of view or who are not accurate in their method of statement. The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society endeavors to gather and preserve all that is worthy of preservation con- cerning the early history of our state. It therefore gladly welcomes criticism upon and corrections of the material which it puts forth. It of course goes without saying that the Society is not to be held responsible for the authenticity or accuracy of articles contributed by various writers to the columns of the Society's publications. We there- fore readily publish "corrections" when they come from persons de- serving credence. One of the most learned and critical scholars of Ohio's early history is Professor R. W. McFarland, who was born near Urbana in 1825, and who still at the age of eighty-two, with eye un- dimmed and faculties unimpaired takes an enthusiastic and active interest in the events of "ye olden time." He knew and conversed with many of the prominent settlers of the Buckeye State. Probably no one living has so much knowledge "at first hand" of the startings of our state history. Professor McFarland's memory retains it strength and clear- ness unabated and what he says has the stamp of original authority. The editor of this Quarterly has often during the past years been in- debted to Mr. McFarland for much valuable assistance in the effort to obtain reliable data of pioneer times and also for much revision and correction of material published. The editorial desk retains safely pigeon-holed many letters from the professor touching upon articles ap- pearing in the Quarterly. We have culled from them some of the "items" we believe deserve not only the light of day but permanent place in the literature of the Society. The purpose of their appearance and their value speak for themselves. While much of the matter herewith published was intended only for the personal benefit of the Editor of the Quarterly, we gladly give the readers of the Quarterly and thereby all students of Ohio history, the benefit of the statements.-EDITOR.] (402) |