Ohio History Journal

SIMON KENTON -- THOMAS W. CRIDLAND

PIONEERS*

 

 

BY WALTER D. MCKINNEY

 

Today it is my great privilege to place in the custody

of this Society the framed portrait of a man. This, I

might do in short form which would be forgotten at

the conclusion of the ceremony, but the subject of the

portrait and the portrait itself -- and the maker of the

frame and the frame itself -- are deserving of greater

consideration by the society and myself.

The subject of the portrait is Simon Kenton of Vir-

ginia, Kentucky and Ohio. In "A Sketch of the Life

of General Simon Kenton of Kentucky," by John Mc-

Donald, can be found, probably, the most complete out-

line of this man's life and I have drawn on it for a short

outline.

"For the benefit and gratification of those who may

come after us, it is right to preserve, for future inspec-

tion, records of men, who have been instrumental in

preparing the way for settling the western country. To

dispossess the barbarous occupants of the West, re-

quired men of resolute minds, whose bodily composi-

tion contained more than the usual quantity of lime and

iron to enable them to endure the fatigue and hard-

ships they had to encounter."

 

* An address delivered before the annual meeting of the Ohio State

Archaeological and Historical Society October 2, 1924.

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Simon Kenton -- Thomas W. Cridland, Pioneers  119

With these words, in 1838, did John McDonald be-

gin a sketch of the life of General Simon Kenton and

they are most fitting today in connection with the por-

trait of this man.

For record, I have made some brief extracts from

this sketch.

General Simon Kenton was born in the month of

March, A. D. 1775, in the county of Fauquier, state of

Virginia. His father was a native of Ireland; his

mother, whose maiden name was Miller, was of Scotch

descent, her ancestors being among the first immigrants

to Virginia.

As a boy, he worked on a farm raising corn and to-

bacco, and as common schools were almost unknown

in the southern states and as the Kenton family was

poor, Simon grew to manhood without learning his A

B C's.

When about sixteen years of age he had an alterca-

tion with a neighbor and thinking that he had killed him,

Kenton changed his name to Simon Butler and disap-

peared into the woods and mountains.

A number of years later, Kenton found that his

neighbor and friend had recovered from his injuries --

but the life of Kenton had been changed from that of

a farmer to a hunter, trapper, woodsman and pioneer

and as such he explored and became acquainted with

the Ohio River and its tributaries. He became a friend

and companion of Daniel Boone and was a trusted

guide, scout and spy for Lord Dunmore, Governor of

Virginia, and Generals Lewis and Clark in their ex-

ploration of Ohio. For over thirty years, his life was

one of hardship, peril and torture. In his endeavor to

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120      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

explore the country -- to lead troops through the wil-

derness and conduct the settlers from the eastern states

to their new homes on the Muskingum, Scioto, Hock-

ing, Little Miami, Mad and Big Miami Rivers, he prob-

ably passed through more hairbreadth escapes, tortures

and anguish than any man of his time.

After the termination of the Indian wars, the emi-

gration to Kentucky pushed forward in a constant

stream; land became valuable -- and as there was great

irregularity and lack of precision in the first entries and

surveys, the late locaters made their entries and sur-

veys very special. Although Kenton was then thought

to be one of the richest in Kentucky in land, yet one of

his land claims after another failed until he was com-

pletely bewildered in a labyrinth of litigation.

As Kenton was unlettered and consequently unac-

quainted with legal procedure, every advantage was

taken of his ignorance and in a few years, he was

stripped of his earnings and sent in the evening of his

life penniless and dejected to spend the few remaining

years of his life in poverty and want.

In the year 1802 he settled in Urbana, Champaign

County, Ohio, and while there was elected a brigadier-

general of militia.

In 1813, he enlisted as a private and became a priv-

ileged member of Governor Shelby's family and ac-

companied General Harrison to Maiden in Upper

Canada.

About 1820 he moved to the head of Mad River in

Logan County near what is now Zanesfield.

About 1824 he was granted a pension of twenty dol-

lars a month.

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Simon Kenton -- Thomas W. Cridland, Pioneers  121

General Kenton was of fair complexion and the

frosts of more than eighty winters had fallen on his

head without entirely whitening his locks. He was six

feet one inch in height; stood and walked very erectly

and in the prime of life weighed about one hundred and

ninety pounds.

He had a soft, tremulous voice, very pleasing to the

hearer. He had laughing grey eyes and was a pleasant,

good-humored and obliging companion.

In his dealings he was perfectly honest, and his con-

fidence in man and his credulity were such that he

trusted anyone who professed friendship.

General Kenton died in April, 1836, and is buried in

Urbana, Ohio.

The entire sketch of Kenton's life by McDonald is

covered in seventy pages and should be read by stu-

dents of early Ohio history and lovers of adventure.

 

 

THE PORTRAIT

The portrait, like the man, has a history covering

more years than Kenton's life.

From the lips of my grandfather, Thomas Walker

Cridland, told me in fragments, and in answer to my

boyish questions, and in later years in more complete

form, verified in important parts by my mother now

living, and by my uncle, Thomas H. Cridland, and from

an autographed statement of my grandfather himself

in the possession of the family, I gather the following:

About a year before Kenton's death, when he was a

very old man, he was in Louisville attending a court

reading regarding some land claims of his own and

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122      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

the heirs of his friend, Daniel Boone. This was about

1835.

At this time James Morgan, then the best artist in

Kentucky, was associated with Thomas W. Cridland

in Lexington and he (Morgan) was commissioned by

the state of Kentucky to go to Louisville and paint a

portrait of Kenton for which he was to receive six hun-

dred dollars, and my grandfather, Thomas W. Crid-

land, was to make a suitable frame for which he was

to receive two hundred dollars.

In 1820 Chester Harding had painted a portrait of

Daniel Boone for the state of Kentucky, and it logically

followed that they should want a portrait of his younger

companion and Kentucky pioneer.

After the portrait and frame were completed the

state failed to appropriate the necessary money. Mor-

gan was associated with Cridland for several years,

when, desiring to return East and being in debt to

Cridland he turned over the portrait of Kenton in set-

tlement before leaving Lexington. For many years

Cridland attempted to have Kentucky take the picture

and frame, without success. When in 1852 he left Lex-

ington for Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, for reasons

given later, and for the same reasons, he forfeited his

contract with Kentucky and the picture remained in his

gallery in Dayton until 1890. The picture was then

taken to the home of his eldest son, my uncle, Thomas

H. Cridland, in Dayton, and remained there until Au-

gust 31, 1924, (the day before his death), when I

brought the portrait to Columbus in our automobile.

The portrait has therefore been in the Cridland family

for eighty-nine years.

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Simon Kenton -- Thomas W. Cridland, Pioneers  123

An engraving of the portrait was made for the Na-

tional Portrait Gallery of Eminent Men. A copy was

in the Merchants' Library in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Five generations of the Cridland family have looked

on this portrait and for many years the face of old

"Uncle" Simon hung on the wall in my room, the first

to greet me in the morning and the last to bid me good-

night. He comforted and guarded me as a boy and

young man until I left my grandfather's home.

Simon Kenton, however, is something more to me

than a portrait. He was the pioneer guide and per-

sonal friend of my father's people.

Among those who came with him to Ohio were Rob-

ert McKinney and his family and George Fithian and

his family -- both soldiers of the Revolutionary War.

They stopped in Springfield for a while where Joseph,

the son of Robert McKinney, married Eliza, the daugh-

ter of George Fithian and where my grandfather was

born in 1802.

From Springfield, Simon Kenton, George Fithian and

Joseph Vance (father of the Governor) went to Urbana

and became the first settlers.

With this knowledge, these memories and associa-

tions, I may be pardoned for holding a regard for this

portrait and frame far above any historic or intrinsic

value it may hold for others.

 

THE FRAME

Prior to the development of the art of photography

the demand for picture frames was confined to those

used for landscape, portrait paintings and looking-

glasses. Frames were therefore in keeping with the

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124      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

value of the paintings and looking-glasses and were al-

most as original as the paintings themselves; they were

also made to suit the taste and wealth of the patrons.

In those days, every family of prominence or wealth

had portraits of their members painted in oil by artists

of merit. These portraits were enclosed in handsome

frames of original and elaborate design, requiring great

skill and artistic conception in the making.

Frame-making was therefore not only a trade but an

art and was usually combined with the silvering of

looking-glasses.

Frames were made from carefully selected and well-

dried lumber, a large frame being ordinarily made

from lumber in suitable lengths and 2 by 4 inches or

larger dimensions. This was made into molding by

hand, from which a plain frame was made; on this

frame as a ground-work was laid the ornamentation

which was usually made with glue putty; this putty was

made of whiting with a small portion of oil and hot glue

which worked up into a dough-like substance. This was

forced into molds by means of a rolling pin made of

heavy, hard, smooth wood (lignum-vitae) which pressed

the putty into molds; then, while the putty was still

warm, it was glued to the frame. This building-up proc-

ess was continued through many, many operations.

After this was done, it was permitted to dry very hard;

it was then gone over very carefully with small tools

and sand paper; it then received a coat of hard-drying

water-paint or water sizing; it was then smoothed up

again and a coat of sizing varnish applied, after which

the frame was gilded. Certain portions of the frame

were polished by means of a small crooked piece of

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Simon Kenton -- Thomas W. Cridland, Pioneers  125

flint--highly polished, called a burnisher. After the

gilding, the frame was ordinarily complete.

A word as to the ornaments. Every bit of ornamen-

tation on a frame, first had to be designed; it was then

carved from wood or modelled in wax or clay; this was

covered with a very thin coating of wax; a mold of

plaster of Paris was made and permitted to harden;

this was then treated with a very thin coating of wax

and a master pattern made from plaster of Paris. From

this a mold of brimstone was made. Brimstone made a

hard, smooth mold into which the putty was pressed as

described; there were innumerable designs for the vari-

ous parts of frames, corner-pieces, side-pieces, bands

and ribbons, so that in the course of time a frame-

maker would have accumulated hundreds of various

molds and designs for large and small frames -- simple

and elaborate designs, etc., so that a patron desiring a

frame for a painting, portrait, landscape or looking-

glass would indicate about the price he wished to pay

for it and the frame-maker would build him a frame

accordingly.

Aside from the time required to thoroughly cure and

dry the wood, it would require about two months' time

to build a high-class frame. It has been shown that in

order to be a first-class frame-maker one should be a de-

signer, an artist, a wood-carver, sculptor, cabinet-maker,

gilder, painter and an all-around mechanic and be

obliged to be possessed of wood-working, metal-work-

ing and other tools of every kind and description.

Such a man was Thomas Walker Cridland -- the

maker of the frame around the portrait of Simon Ken-

ton.

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126      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

 

THOMAS WALKER CRIDLAND

Thomas Walker Cridland was born in Leicestershire,

England, October 1st, 1811.

"His father, grandfather and uncles were associated

in the making of knitted garments by machinery--

principally stockings.

His grandfather had invented machinery for that

purpose and they were developing a large and flourish-

ing business; one of the uncles had been sent to Amer-

ica to create a market for the goods of the factory.

The success of the knitting machines so alarmed the

hand-knitters that, fearful of their future, they burned

the factory and completely destroyed the plant; and

thus the family was forced at once from prosperity to

bankruptcy and, disheartened, packed up their belong-

ings and came to America in the year 1820.

Thomas Walker Cridland was apprenticed to a

frame-maker, gilder and looking-glass maker and re-

mained under apprenticeship until he was twenty-one

years of age, when, having thoroughly learned his

business, he sought a field for himself; he first went to

Charleston, S. Carolina, but soon returned to Phila-

delphia and then followed the immigration to Ken-

tucky which had been steadily flowing since the days of

Daniel Boone. Having married, he packed up his few

belongings and with his wife and babe set out in one

of the caravans over what is now the National High-

way to the Ohio River. From there he embarked with

others on a flat-boat or barge and, with everything he

had in this world, floated down the river to Louisville,

Kentucky, arriving there some time in 1833, and from

there went to Lexington. It was while there he be-

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Simon Kenton -- Thomas W. Cridland, Pioneers  127

came associated with James Morgan, the artist, who

painted the portrait of Simon Kenton. Morgan, as

stated, was to receive $600 for the portrait and Crid-

land $200 for the frame. In Lexington, Kentucky,

Cridland set up in business as a maker and seller of pic-

ture frames and looking-glasses, and as a cabinet-maker.

He also painted landscapes and scenes of outdoor life,

and designed and made outdoor terra-cotta ornaments

and statues. (All of the terra-cotta ornaments, heads,

busts and figures which for many, many years adorned

the estate of Henry Clay at Ashland, Kentucky, were

made by Thomas W. Cridland.)

In the early 40's Cridland acquired a knowledge of

making daguerreotypes, the art having been brought to

this country by Samuel F. B. Morse (inventor of the

telegraph) and developed by John W. Draper; Cridland

learning the art from Morse himself whom  he had

known as an artist in Philadelphia. (It should be re-

membered that while Daguerre had discovered how to

reproduce an image on a piece of burnished silver, he

could only reproduce still life, it taking more than an

hour to reproduce a picture by what was known as the

iodide process.)

Professors Morse and Draper, who at that time were

professors of chemistry in New York University, ex-

perimented with the discoveries of Daguerre and found

that by using a bromide process a picture could be made

in about three minutes. Professor Draper made the

first photograph or reproduction of a person, his daugh-

ter being the subject.

Cridland, having learned the art at first hand, was

the first man in Kentucky to make a daguerreotype and

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128      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

as far as he was ever able to learn, was the first man

west of the Alleghany Mountains to make such a pic-

ture, purchasing his supplies from Morse. The ambro-

type, ferro-type and photograph followed.

While in Lexington, he not only made the acquaint-

ance and had the friendship of Henry Clay, but also

of his nephew, Cassius M. Clay, who, from  being a

member of the slave-holding class, had espoused the

cause of the abolitionists and Cridland became one of

the active workers in the abolitionist cause. He aided

in the circulation of Cassius Clay's literature; was a

member of his organization and was also one of the

active leaders in the underground railway which began

at Lexington, Ky.

The house occupied by T. W. Cridland overlooked a

slave pen and market and from his window he could see

slaves sold like horses and cattle. He often heard the

distressing cries of husbands and wives who were be-

ing separated, children who were being taken from

their mothers. In fact, he would often see the break-

ing up of whole families which would naturally occur

upon the death of some slave-holder and the sale of the

property of which the slaves were a part. Many, many

were the adventures through which this man passed in

aiding these poor souls to obtain freedom through pur-

chase, escape or by other means.

Clay's activities for the abolition movement became

so offensive to the slave-holding class that he was

obliged to leave Lexington and print his paper in Cin-

cinnati and Cridland was obliged to leave, so that in

1852 we find him moving to Cincinnati and from there

to Dayton, Ohio.

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Simon Kenton -- Thomas W. Cridland, Pioneers  129

During the years before and after the abolition of

slavery Mr. Cridland has entertained in his home and

was associated with, such men and women of history

as Wendell Phillips, Wm. Lloyd Garrison, Harriet

Beecher Stowe, Mary A. Livermore, Susan B. An-

thony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others whose lives

were" devoted to the cause of freedom and equality.

With these connections and associations, it was but

natural, when Abraham Lincoln appeared in Dayton in

1859 and made a speech in front of the Court House,

across the street from Cridland's Photograph Gallery,

that Cridland should be an interested listener and spec-

tator and should seek an introduction to Lincoln, which

was given by Mr. Samual Craighead--a prominent

lawyer of Dayton at the time. Upon Mr. Cridland's in-

vitation, Mr. Lincoln accompanied him to his photo-

graph gallery, which, as stated before, was situated

across the street from the Court House. Here, several

photographs were made and at the same time a sketch

for a portrait was made by a young man by the name

of Charles Nickum who had his studio with Cridland.

A large number of photographs were made from the

negatives but they became widely scattered. Unfor-

tunately, the negatives were destroyed about the year

1864 by fire caused by the rays of a solar camera and

the few pictures finally disappeared through the years.

There is a photograph of Lincoln in my possession,

however, which I believe was reproduced from one of

the old Cridland photographs. If not so, it is identical

in every way with the one which I remember years ago.

Mr. Cridland retired from the photograph business

about 1890 and went to California where he died on

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130     Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

Thanksgiving Day, 1892. He had walked ten miles on

the day of his death -- to and from the foot-hills near

Los Angeles, had finished a landscape and brought it

home. He went to bed in apparently good health and

went to sleep never to awaken. His task was done.

Thus passed the life of a quiet, unassuming, kind,

gentle, patient man. He was a pioneer in bringing the

art and industry of civilization to the western frontier.

His humanitarianism and love for his fellow men in all

walks of life prompted him to transgress the law, taking

his life and liberty in his own hands to aid the least of

his fellow men, with no hope of reward, none of the

thrills of adventure and conquest.

He held communion and was in contact with the great

men and women of his time. Slavery having passed,

he espoused the cause of the rights of women and re-

ligious liberty. While a religious man in its true sense

he belonged to no church but his home was the common

meeting-place for all sects and creeds where honest

thoughts could be freely expressed. Much of his re-

ligious thought was inspired by William Ellery Chan-

ning.

None of the Cridland name are in Dayton; his old-

est living daughter, my mother, is living there, a son,

Edwin Cridland, and a daughter, Belle Wyman, with

children, are living in Los Angeles. Thomas H. Crid-

land, his eldest son, died at Dayton, September 1st,

1924, leaving a son, Harry, whose home is now in Pitts-

burgh, and who is prominently identified with the re-

ligious life of Pennsylvania.

And now in behalf of the children and grandchildren

of Thomas Walker Cridland, I place in the custody of

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Simon Kento -- Thomas W. Cridland, Pioneers  131 this society the portrait of Simon Kenton and the frame, to be held by it so long as these historic and valuable properties are so regarded. Simon Kenton and Thomas W. Cridland, Kentucky pioneers, are now at rest in the soil of Ohio, the state of their adoption, Kenton in the cemetery at Urbana and Cridland on a hillside of Woodland Cemetery over- looking Dayton. They have done their bit for mankind and I leave these simple memorials in your keeping that others may know something of them.

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