Ohio History Journal

NOTES, REVIEWS AND COMMENTS

 

BY THE EDITOR

 

A NEW BOOK BY LANDON C. BELL

That scholarly and indefatigable research worker

Landon C. Bell, life member of our Society, has pub-

lished an attractive and substantial volume of 503 pages

entitled Sunlight on the Southside; Lists of Titles, 1748-

1783, Lunenburg County, Virginia. The carefully pre-

pared index to this work covers 82 pages. The book will

be reviewed in our next issue.

 

 

COATES KINNEY

An Interpretation of the Life and Poetry of Coates

Kinney, by Debora May MacNeilan has been published,

since our last issue, by the Ohio State Archaeological and

Historical Society. This bids fair to be the most popular

of the publications issued in recent years. The news-

paper reviews have been numerous and uniformly ap-

preciative. A number of these will be reproduced in the

next issue of the Quarterly.

 

PARTY POLITICS IN OHIO, 1840-1850

This monograph in the final definitive form, by Dr.

Edgar Allen Holt, has been published by the Society in

an attractive volume of 449 pages. In binding, paper

and format it is an improvement on our previous publi-

cations. It is Volume I of our new series entitled Ohio

Historical Collections. The following introductory note

to the series is self explanatory:

Vol. XL--36.        (561)

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562       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

 

Introductory Note

For some months there has been in contemplation by inter-

ested parties a series of publications entitled Ohio Historical Col-

lections. It was first thought that the monographs of this series,

should be limited to political history. Upon mature deliberation,

however, it was decided to adopt a title more comprehensive in

scope.

Volumes 1 and 2 of the series are political history and Vol-

ume 3 will be political and biographical. The first two originally

appeared in the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.

With slight modifications and corrections they are now presented

in separate form. A number of the succeeding monographs will

appear only in this series.

These contributions, almost without exception, will be the

work of graduate students and professors in the departments of

American history in universities and colleges of Ohio and other

states. In manuscript form they will have the benefit of criticism

and suggestion of specialists in these educational institutions, be-

fore they are printed in the series.

A Committee on Cooperation appointed pursuant to the ac-

tion of the Ohio History Conference held in Columbus, Febru-

ary 7, 1930, met on November 1, 1930, in the Museum and Li-

brary Building at Columbus, and approved a plan presented by

the Secretary of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical

Society for the immediate publication of the "first volume of a

regular series of historical collections relating to the history of

Ohio."

An editorial committee, at the suggestion of the Secretary,

was appointed, consisting of the Secretary, Mr. C. B. Galbreath,

Dr. Carl Wittke and Dr. William T. Utter. The plan proposed

was approved and this study marks Volume I of the series. It is

hoped that others will follow in regular order.

 

 

WHO KILLED TECUMSEH?

On this moot question, Mr. William M. Pettit com-

ments as follows:

Since 1813 the controversy has raged over the question of

"who killed Tecumseh?" Numerous writers of history, and sol-

diers who were in the battle of the Thames, have asserted that it

was Cave Johnson, while a contingent equally as large have as-

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Reviews, Notes and Comments            563

serted that it was his nephew, Richard M. Johnson, who later be-

came vice president of the United States.

It seems that no record exists, emanating from Richard M.

Johnson, in which he personally either asserts or denies the

credit, but there does exist a positive statement from Cave John-

son that he did not kill Tecumseh. In the Draper Mss. under

File No. 9J168, Cave Johnson makes this statement:

"Strange as it may seem, I never fired a gun at an Indian,

nor ever saw an Indian as an enemy to be shot at."

Cave Johnson was born in Virginia in 1760, emigrated to

Kentucky in 1779, and was living in 1848. His brother, Robert

Johnson, also emigrated to Kentucky in 1779 and in 1782 was a

captain under George Rogers Clark in his expedition from Ken-

tucky up the Great Miami Valley, when Upper Piqua was cap-

tured and destroyed. Cave Johnson was a subaltern under Cap-

tain Robert. In the 1786 Logan expedition Cave Johnson was

captain of a company under Colonel Robert Patterson, a record

existing of his company pay roll. In Cave Johnson's correspond-

ence with Dr. Draper, covering fourteen pages, he makes no

reference to service in the War of 1812.

 

 

 

CHARLES WILLING BYRD

Charles Willing Byrd was born at Westover, Charles

City County, Virginia, July 26, 1770. He died in High-

land County, Ohio, August 11, 1828. He was Secretary

and Acting Governor of the Northwest Territory fol-

lowing the removal of General Arthur St. Clair; mem-

ber of the Convention which framed the first constitu-

tion for Ohio in 1802, and United States Judge for the

district of Ohio from March 3, 1803 until the day of his

death. He was a brother-in-law of Nathaniel Massie;

the two married sisters. He bought Buckeye Station

from Massie, June 8, 1807, and held it until August 15,

1817. Mrs. Byrd died February 12, 1815, and was

buried at Buckeye Station. Judge Byrd moved to West

Union, Ohio, and married Hannah Miles March 8, 1818.

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564     Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications Of his first marriage, four children were born and two of the second marriage. He had faith in the curative qualities of the waters of Sinking Springs and pur- chased the land including these. In the graveyard at Sinking Springs are buried the following members of the Byrd family: Samuel Byrd died April 4, 1869 at the age of 45 year, 10 months and 18 days. He was a son of C. W. and Hannah Byrd. Frances Byrd, the wife of Samuel Byrd, died May 30, 1851, age 26 years, 1 month and 7 days. Charles Willing Byrd, son of Samuel Byrd, died May 19, 1849, age 1 year, 1 month and 13 days. Here Judge Charles Willing Byrd was buried. The legend on the tombstone reads: Charles Willing Byrd, died August 25, 1828, age 58 years, 1 month, and 8 days.

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