OHJ Archive

PROSPECTUS FOR A HISTORY OF THE STATE OF

OHIO

CARL WITTKE, Editor-in-Chief; EDITORIAL COMMITTEE:

HARLOW LINDLEY, Chairman; CARL WITTKE;

WILLIAM T. UTTER.

An Announcement

Ohio has been strangely backward in the preservation of her

historical material and in the writing of her history. With the

exception of Roseboom and Weisenburger's History of Ohio,

published in 1934, there is not a single history of the state which

meets the standards of scientific and critical historical scholarship,

covers the whole period of Ohio history to the present time, and

properly subordinates local pride to impartial scientific judgment.

Even this excellent volume has the limitations to be expected of a

one-volume treatment, designed essentially to meet the needs of

college students who use it as a textbook.

The present enterprise, long discussed, and at last likely to

come to fruition, is an attempt to do for Ohio history what has

been done so well for other states, notably New York and Illinois.

It is a plan to produce a six-volume history of the state that

shall be so carefully conceived and so thoroughly performed

that it will not be necessary, for many decades, to do the job again,

Each volume has been assigned to a scholar of reputation and

achievement, who is an expert in his field. Several of the volumes

probably will be done cooperatively, so as to enlist the contributions

of specialists in certain phases of the work. Each volume will be

based upon a thorough exploration and examination of all the

major sources, such as manuscript collections, government

archives, and newspaper files to be found not only in depositories

within the borders of the state, but also in such well-known cen-

ters for Ohio materials as Madison, Wisconsin, Ann Arbor, Mich-

igan, Washington, Philadelphia, and elsewhere.

Attention will be given to the more or less familiar aspects

of Ohio's political history, but, in addition, the economic, social,

cultural and intellectual progress of the state will be stressed as

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250 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

well. The life of the people in all of its ramifications, their art,

religion, journalism, the theater, amusements, etc., is the theme of

the "new history" of our day, and it is in accordance with these

standards that this enterprise is to be carried through. While

every effort will be made to make the volumes attractive and

readable, the major emphasis will be given to producing an au-

thoritative, accurate, and complete account of Ohio's development.

Finally, Ohio history cannot be written in isolation from

national history. Ohio has affected national affairs at many critical

junctures in the Nation's life, and Ohio's history has been in turn

deeply affected by the broad currents of national and international

affairs that have swept across the Middle West. A history of

Ohio, if properly written, must be properly related at all points

to the history of the American people as a whole.

Needless to add, an undertaking conceived in these broad

terms, to be carried out in accordance with the most exacting

demands of modern historical scholarship, and to be based upon

exhaustive research in sources to be found in many depositories,

will require several years to complete. The first volume may

be expected early in 1939, and other volumes will appear in

fairly rapid order thereafter. To those who may be disappointed

because the project cannot be completed earlier, one can only

say that the undertaking is unique; it constitutes genuine pioneer-

ing; and the job must be done with the greatest care.

* * * * *

Recognizing the need for a comprehensive and authoritative

"History of Ohio," the secretary of the Ohio State Archaeological

and Historical Society recommended to the Board of Trustees

that the Society sponsor the preparation and publication of a

"History of Ohio" in connection with Ohio's observance of the

150th anniversary of the organization of the Northwest Territory

and the establishment of civil government within its limits under

the Ordinance of 1787. The trustees authorized the secretary

to proceed in making plans for such a project. Later a committee

consisting of the secretary of the Society as chairman, Professor

Carl Wittke, then head of the Department of History in the

Ohio State University, and Professor William T. Utter, professor

of history in Denison University, was appointed by the president

PROSPECTUS FOR A HISTORY OF OHIO 251

of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society to make

definitive plans for such a project and to draft a bill to be pre-

sented to the General Assembly of Ohio.

This bill, embodying the suggestions made by the Society's

committee, was drafted by Mr. George B. Marshall of the Legis-

lative Reference Bureau and was introduced in the Ohio General

Assembly as Senate Bill No. 150, by Senator George M. Morris,

and with slight amendments was passed April 29, 1937, and ap-

proved by Governor Martin L. Davey, May 11, 1937. The

Editorial Committee then called together a group of Ohio his-

torians, who, having already carried on research in various phases

of Ohio's history, were thus familiar with available materials, and

organized a staff with one historian responsible for each of the

periods to be covered in the six-volume work.

The Staff

CARL FREDERICK WITTKE:--(See

last Who's Who in America.)

Taught at Ohio State University,

University of Iowa, University of

Chicago, and University of West

Virginia. Now professor of history

and dean of the college, at Oberlin

College. Lectured at a number of

German universities. Honorary

member Deutsche A k a d e m i e

(Munich). Fellow Royal His-

torical Society. Former member

Social Science Research Council;

Board of Editors Mississippi

Valley Historical Review and Ca-

nadian Historical Review. Member Council of American His-

torical Association; Chairman American Historical Association

Committee on Northwest Territory Celebration. Books:--A

History of English Parliamentary Privilege; A History of

Canada; Tambo and Bones--A History of the American Minstrel

Stage; George Washington und Seine Zeit; and German-Ameri-

cans and the World War.

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252 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

BEVERLEY WAUGH BOND, JR.:--

(See last Who's Who in America.)

Graduate of Randolph-Macon Col-

lege and Johns Hopkins University.

Taught at University of Mississippi;

Southwestern Presbyterian Univer-

sity; Purdue University; summer

sessions at University of Wiscon-

sin, Johns Hopkins University,

Duke University, University of

Michigan. Now professor of his-

tory at University of Cincinnati.

Fellow of Royal Historical Society;

member of American Historical

Association; Mississippi Valley

Historical Association (president 1931-32); Historical and

Philosophical Society of Ohio. Author of :--State Government in

Maryland, 1777-1781; The Monroe Mission to France; The

Quit-rent System in the American Colonies; The Correspondence

of John Cleves Symmes; The Civilization of the Old Northwest.

WILLIAM T. UTTER :--Graduate

work University of Chicago, re-

ceiving degrees of M. A. and

Ph. D., his doctoral dissertation

being, "Ohio Politics and Poli-

ticians, 1803-1816." Instructor in

history, Ohio State University,

1924-1927; taught at the University

of Chattanooga, and Eureka Col-

lege; since 1929, professor and

chairman of the Department of

History and Government at Den-

ison University, Granville, Ohio.

Author of three essays in early

Ohio history: "Judicial Review

in Early Ohio"; "St. Tammany in Ohio; A Study in

Frontier Politics"; and "Ohio and the English Common Law"--

published in the Mississippi Valley Historical Review. An essay

on the late Vernon Louis Parrington appeared in Marcus W. Jer-

PROSPECTUS FOR A HISTORY OF OHIO 253

PROSPECTUS FOR A HISTORY OF OHIO 253

negan Essays in American Historiography (Chicago, 1937). Con

tributor to The Dictionary of American Biography.

FRANCIS PHELPS WEISENBURGER:

--A.B., 1922, University of Mich-

igan; M.A., Michigan, 1923; Ph.D.,

Michigan, 1929. Instructor in his-

tory Defiance College, summers

1922-1924; assistant in history

University of Michigan, 1923-

1924; Ohio State University since

1924; now associate professor of

history, Ohio State University.

Member American Historical As-

sociation; Mississippi Valley His-

torical Association; American As-

sociation University Professors;

Ohio State Archaeological and His-

torical Society. Author of:--A History of Ohio (1934) with E.

H. Rosenboom; "A Life of Charles Hammond" (1934); "A Life

of John McLean" (1937). Contributor to:--Mississippi Valley

Historical Review; Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly;

Dictionary of American Biography; Social Science Abstracts, and

the forthcoming Dictionary of American History.

EUGENE HOLLOWAY ROSEBOOM:

--Attended Ohio State University,

191O-1916, receiving degrees of

B.A. and M.A.; admitted to Phi

Beta Kappa, 1914; graduate assist-

ant, 1914-1915; University scholar.

1916-1917; teacher of history, Mt.

Vernon (Ohio) High School, 1916-

1918; instructor in American his-

tory, Ohio State University, 1919-

1921; Graduate scholar, Harvard

University, 1921-1922; graduate as-

sistant in history, 1922-1923;

Ph.D., Harvard, 1932. Doctoral

dissertation, "Ohio in the 1850's"

(unpublished). Instructor in history, Ohio State University,

1923-1929; assistant professor 1929-1938; now associate profes-

254 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

254 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

sor. Author of:--"Ohio in the Election of 1824" (Master's

thesis); A History of Ohio (with F. P. Weisenburger). Con-

tributor to:--Dictionary of American Biography; the forthcoming

Dictionary of American History; and Mississippi Valley Histori-

cal Review (book reviews). Member American Historical Asso-

ciation, Mississippi Valley Historical Association, Agricultural

History Society, Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society.

PHILIP D. JORDAN:--Assistant pro-

fessor of history, Miami Univer-

sity. Held scholarships and assist-

antships at Northwestern Univer-

sity, where he was graduated in

1927, receiving the M.A. degree in

1928. Ph.D., State University of

Iowa. Taught in several colleges and

author of:--"The Letters of Eliab

Parker Mackintire," and mono-

graphs. Contributor to:--The Mis-

sissippi Valley Historical Review;

Iowa Journal of History and Poli-

tics; Journal of the Illinois State

Historical Society; Journal of Adult

Education; Ohio Schools; American Literature; The Ohio Arch-

aeological and Historical Quarterly; Bulletin of the New York

Public Library; The Palimpsest; Annals of Iowa; The Quill, etc.

HARLOW LINDLEY: -- (See last

Who's Who in America.) Taught at

Earlham College, Indiana State Uni-

versity, Leland Stanford Jr. Uni-

versity, and Ohio State University.

Former librarian of Earlham Col-

lege; director, Department of His-

tory and Archives, Indiana State

Library; secretary and director, In-

diana Historical Commission; libra-

rian, Hayes Memorial, Fremont,

Ohio. Now secretary, editor and

librarian of the Ohio State Archaeo-

logical and Historical Society. For-

mer fellow in history, University of

PROSPECTUS FOR A HISTORY OF OHIO 255

Chicago. Former president of the Ohio Valley Historical Asso-

ciation and the Mississippi Valley Historical Association. Author

of a number of historical books, monographs and book reviews.

Contributor to:--various historical periodicals; Dictionary of

American Biography, and the Dictionary of American History.

Member of the American Historical Association, the Mississippi

Valley Historical Association, the American Library Association,

the Society of American Archivists, the Ohio State Archaeo-

logical and Historical Society, the Ohio Revolutionary Memorial

Commission, and the Ohio Advisory Commission of the North-

west Territory Celebration.

Table of Contents

VOLUME I

THE FOUNDATIONS OF OHIO

By BEVERLEY W. BOND, JR., Ph.D.

Chapter

I. The Physiography of Ohio.

(This chapter will be pre-

pared by Wilber Stout, D.

Sc., state geologist and lec-

turer-geologist, Ohio State

University.)

II. Animal and Plant Life in

Ohio (By Edward S.

Thomas, LL.B., curator

of natural history, Ohio

State Museum.)

III. The Mound Builders. (This

chapter will be prepared by

Henry C. Shetrone, M.A.,

director, Ohio State Mu-

seum.)

IV. The Coming of the French.

V. The English Advance.

VI. The French versus the Eng-

lish.

VII. The English Triumph.

VIII. The British in Control.

IX. Ohio in the Revolution.

X. Ohio under the Confederation.

XI. Early Settlements (with spe-

cial accent upon origin and

types of settlers).

XII. The Northwest Territory.

XIII. The Indian Wars.

XIV. Settlement in the Interior.

XV. The State of Ohio Emerges.

XVI. Ohio in 1803, Summary.

256 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

VOLUME II

THE FRONTIER STATE, 1803-1825

By WILLIAM T. UTTER, Ph.D.

Introduction.

Chapter

I. The Land and the People.

II. The Acquisition of Land.

III. The Economics of Pioneering.

IV. Travel and Transportation.

V. Government and Politics

(1803-1812).

VI. The Background of the War

of 1812.

VII. The War of 1812.

VIII. The Great Migration.

IX. Education and Religion.

X. Cultural Growth.

XI. Social Life: Diversions.

XII. Economic Survey of Ohio

(1820).

XIII. Ohio Politics (1812-1825).

VOLUME III

THE ERA OF INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS, 1825-1851

By FRANCIS P. WEISENBURGER, Ph.D.

Chapter

I. The State and Its People

(1825-1851).

II. The Economic Basis.

III. Cultural Institutions.

IV. The Rise of Jacksonian De-

mocracy.

V. The Jacksonians at the Helm

in Ohio.

VI. Ohio during the Second Jack-

son Administration.

VII. The Rise of the Whig Party

in Ohio.

VIII. Ohio during the Van Buren

Administration.

IX. The Rise of the Anti-slavery

Movement in Ohio.

X. The Sectional Controversy

and the Mexican War.

XI. The Rise of the Free Soil

Party and the Election of

1848.

XII. State Politics during the

1840's.

XIII. A New Constitution.

PROSPECTUS FOR A HISTORY OF OHIO 257

PROSPECTUS FOR A HISTORY OF OHIO 257

VOLUME IV

CIVIL WAR ERA, 1851-1873

By EUGENE H. ROSEBOOM, Ph.D.

Chapter

I. The Political Revolution

(1850-1854).

II. The Republican Party

Emerges.

III. Slavery and the Sectional Is-

sue (1858-1861).

IV. The Civil War Years: First

Phase.

V. The Civil War Years: Second

Phase.

VI. Post-bellum Politics.

VII. Liberal Stirrings.

VIII. A Changing Society (1850-70).

IX. The Revolution in Transpor-

tation.

X. The Rise of Industrialism.

XI. Banking and Finance.

XII. The Agricultural Revolution.

XIII. The Democratization of Edu-

cation.

XIV. Journalism and Journalists.

XV. Culture in a Changing So-

ciety.

XVI. The New Ohio.

VOLUME V

OHIO: 1873-1900

By PHILIP D. JORDAN, Ph.D.

Chapter

I. Political Trends (1873-

1879).

II. Politics in the 'Eighties.

III. Era of the City Boss.

IV. Agricultural Progress.

V. Labor and Big Business.

VI. Transportation and Commu-

nication.

VII. Rise of the Great Cities.

VIII. The Progressive Movement.

IX. The Gay 'Nineties.

X. The Revival of Learning.

XI. Literature and the Arts.

XII. Growth of Science and Inven-

tion.

XIII. Summary.

258 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

VOLUME VI

OHIO IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Edited by HARLOW LINDLEY, Litt.D.

(Tentative Outline)

Chapter

I. The Growth of Education.

II. Journalism and Literature.

III. Art and Music.

IV. Scientific Development.

V. Manufacturing, Trade and

Transportation.

VI. Agricultural Changes.

VII. The Government--Constitu-

tional Revision.--Growth of

Administrative Service.--

Judiciary.--Parties & Poli-

tics.

VIII. Taxation and Finance.

IX. Labor Problems and Progress.

X. Conservation.

XI. The Church in the Twentieth

Century.

XII. Ohio in the World War.

XIII. Depression Activities.

XIV. The Sesqui-centennial Cele-

bration and Its Signifi-

cance.

Bibliography.

General Index.

This volume will be presented in monograph form, each chapter being

prepared by a specialist in that field. Among the contributors will be

Professor John L. Clifton, Department of Education, Ohio State University;

Professor James E. Pollard, Department of Journalism, Ohio State Uni-

versity; Professor Harlan H. Hatcher, Department of English, Ohio State

University; Mr. J. Otis Garber, deputy administrator, W. P. A. in Ohio;

Professor Francis R. Aumann, Department of Political Science, Ohio State

University; Professor Henry C. Hubbart, Department of History, Ohio

Wesleyan University; Professor Benjamin H. Pershing, Department of

History, Wittenberg College; Mrs. Raymond C. Osburn, Columbus; Mrs.

J. E. Clark, Columbus.

Method of Distribution

The Act of the General Assembly of Ohio authorizing the

publication of this history provides that one set shall be furnished

free of charge to each certified public library and to each duly

recognized college, university and high school in the state of Ohio.

The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society may also

arrange for the exchange of said "History of Ohio" for publica-

tion of similar supported societies, associations or organizations in

other states and countries. The remaining sets may be sold to

the public at proportional cost of publication as determined by

the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society.

PROSPECTUS FOR A HISTORY OF OHIO 259

The volumes will be in uniform library buckram binding,

pages 6 1/4 inches by 9 inches. Maps, illustrations and bibli-

ographies will accompany each volume and the work will be com-

pletely indexed. Each volume will contain 350 to 450 pages. Sets

will be available for purchase at an estimated price of $25.00

complete. Orders should be placed with the Secretary of the

Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, Ohio State

Museum, Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio History Journal