Ohio History Journal

The OHIO HISTORICAL Quarterly

 

VOLUME 65 ?? NUMBER 2 ?? APRIL 1956

 

 

 

From England to Ohio, 1830-1832:

The Journal of Thomas K. Wharton--II

Edited by JAMES H. RODABAUGH

 

 

 

This is the second and final installment of the Wharton journal,

the first having appeared in the January issue, pages 1-27, along

with a brief sketch of Wharton.

Wharton, as a boy of sixteen, sailed with his mother, brothers,

and sisters from Hull, May 3, 1830, to join his father, who had

acquired a farm near Piqua, Ohio. He kept a journal of the trip

to Ohio and continued it during his residence of nearly two years

in the state, including in it numerous drawings of scenes and struc-

tures that caught his interest. The original journal was transcribed

by Wharton in 1854 and supplemented by some reminiscences. It

is the copy of 1854 which is here published.

The first installment recorded the trip from Hull to New York,

up the Hudson River to Albany, across the Erie Canal to Buffalo,

and across Lake Erie to Sandusky, where the Wharton family landed

on July 11. The present installment is the record of Wharton's

journey from Sandusky to Piqua, his year and a half residence in

Piqua and shorter residence in Dayton, Springfield, Columbus and

Zanesville, and his trip in May 1832 to New York, where he was

to begin the study of architecture. Though the manuscript volume

of 1854 continues with more than two years of Wharton's life in

and around New York, the publication of the journal is concluded

at this point.

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112    THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

July 11, 1830

Our Father had been there [Sandusky] a fortnight already in

daily expectation of our arrival. He had brought a carriage and pair

of horses to convey us home, and determined to start the following

morning, leaving our heavy trunks and cases to be forwarded by

one of the Teams constantly setting out for Dayton and other parts

of the interior.

Portland [Sandusky] is the smallest incorporated city I know of--

about 800 inhabitants. It stands on a natural open plain on which

12 years ago not a house was to be seen. It now contains many good

buildings, frame houses, stores, Taverns &c, and appears to be

growing in importance as a shipping point.¹⁷ It must be healthy

but excessively cold from its exposure to the Lake, across which the

northern blasts sweep with unmitigated severity and chill down the

air, often in the very height of summer. We had an instance of this

on the very evening of our arrival tho' we probably felt it the more

keenly from its contrast to the intense heats on the New York Canal.

At the Inn we met with Judge Mills¹⁸ of Utica, N. Y., a fine,

intelligent old gentleman and the purchaser of extensive tracts of

land at Sandusky.

July 12

Monday morning that commenced our land journey was ushered

in by clouds and light showers, but our arrangements having been

made, my Father and I took our seats in front, and Mamma, brothers

and sisters packed themselves inside and at 11 we set out fully re-

solved to overcome all the obstacles of roads but recently cut thro'

a deep, rich, vegetable mould, and rendered to the last degree bad

by the late wet weather. The carriage was open at the sides, but

supplied with curtains which could be buttoned down close when it

rained. We were soon merged in the depths of the forest, pursuing

a track which for some miles was a mere bye road, but tho' bad

 

17 There were eight or nine wharves, a ship yard, and "an extensive ropewalk,"

and Sandusky was then "a great point of landing and embarcation [sic], for travellers

between the Mississippi country and the state of New York." John Kilbourn, The

Ohio Gazetteer; or Topographical Dictionary (10th ed., Columbus, 1831), 260.

18 Undoubtedly Isaac Mills of New Haven, Connecticut, one of the proprietors of

Sandusky.

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THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON          113

 

enough, appeared preferable to the main road which the rains had

made almost impassable. At 3 P. M. quite faint and weary from our

miserable jolting, we espied thro' the trees a cleared spot and a log

cottage by the road side. Here we cheerfully alighted for rest and

refreshment. The owner had not long been settled on the place,

which he himself had cleared, so that our entertainment was of a

very plain and homely description, but we enjoyed their bread &

butter and excellent Maple molasses with the keenest relish. After

an hour's rest we resumed our seats and drove on.

We soon struck at right angles into the State Road running direct

to Lower Sandusky. It is pretty broad and hedged in by impenetrable

forests of lofty oaks and other trees. Innumerable wild roses

clustered at their roots, and the hanging flower cups of the Tiger

lily peeped thro' the rank growth of underwood.

The day was now declining, and we had to hasten our speed as

we had no wish to be overtaken by darkness on so dangerous a

road. Happily we had excellent horses so that in spite of the con-

tinual cord-du-roi or log-bridges, muddy holes, stumps and gullies

we kept up a brisk pace until the shadows of twilight closed in and

a line of thick mist announced our approach to the Sandusky River,

on which the town of Lower Sandusky19 stands. We crossed the

stream over a long wooden bridge and in a few moments alighted

at the Inn where we had to spend the night. It was a comfortless,

uncleanly place, and the accommodations decidedly the worst we

met with on our Journey. In addition to other annoyances the

chambers were infested with bugs, and poor Mamma's face and

hands were dreadfully bitten. This was the only house, however,

where we discovered any traces of them, and as to the mosquitoes

of which we had heard such alarming accounts, we found few or

none of them.

July 13

After an early breakfast we started under better auspices. The

air [was] mild and the sky gradually cleared up as we drove along

the high and woody banks of the Sandusky River to Fort Ball, where

we had a very good dinner at the Inn and stayed an hour or two.

 

19 Now Fremont.

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114     THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

There is little of interest between Lower Sandusky and Fort Ball,

but the roads were much better than the day before.

Fort Ball²⁰ is an insignificant place, but we have occasion to re-

member it as the inflammation on our Mother's face and arm had

increased to such a degree that we had to call in the "Doctor" who

made an immediate application of ether &c. and advised bleeding

at the very stopping place if there should be no improvement,

but fortunately the swelling began to subside soon after leaving

Fort Ball and in a few days disappeared entirely.

Late in the afternoon we arrived at our lodging place for the

night--the "flourishing town" of McCutcheonville, with its half

dozen families. A well informed middle aged Scotchman had opened

the land, and given his name to the place.21 The frame house and

outbuildings which form his homestead are of his own erection, and

together with the log cabins of the other settlers form the whole

of this infant town, the imposing addition of "ville" to the name

being entirely prospective. At all events we found every thing

very clean and comfortable, and the fatigue of a day's drive

over the "cordurois" materially dulled our sensitiveness to slight

inconveniences.

Up to this time the forests presented little variety beyond the log

cabins and clearings of the settlers--occasionally good frame houses.

The fields were well fenced and bearing heavy crops of Indian corn,

wheat & rye, but the gaunt, naked skeletons of girdled trees, often

scathed with fire and standing in vast numbers among the growing

grain gave an air of bleakness and desolation to the farm lands.

July 14

Leaving McCutcheonville and the little town of Tymochtee (a

few miles further), we entered upon a most delightful tract of

country--he Reserve of the Wyundot Indians.²² The roads even

and good--he morning charming in the extreme--a vast natural

²⁰ Now Tiffin.

21 Joseph McCutcheon, born in Kentucky in 1798, had McCutcheonville laid out in

1829 and built his first building there the same year. Warner, Beers & Co., pub.,

History of Seneca County, Ohio (Chicago, 1886), 672.

22 By a treaty in 1817 the Wyandot Indians surrendered all claims to lands in Ohio,

and were granted a twelve-mile square area surrounding Upper Sandusky, and a

cranberry swamp one mile square on Broken Sword Creek, about ten miles to the east.

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THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON               115

 

Park stretched away on every side of us as far as the eye could reach

--flowery prairies, clumps and islets of noble trees, and belts of

majestic forest. Groups of cattle belonging to the Indians were

roaming at large, beautiful birds flitted about and myriads of bril-

liant insects, and as we entered the reserve a fine old stag leaped

from the thicket and bounded over the open plain.

The profusion of flowers and flowering shrubs decorated the

foreground with the most glowing colours, and many of them, to

an Englishman, received a new charm from the fact that he may

have seen the very same species in cultivation in European gardens.

The Syngenesiae were numerous and beautiful, the Star of Beth-

lehem, golden Coreopsis, yellow C[h]rysanthemums, Lobelia car-

dinalis and L. caerulea, the Tiger lily, the Mocassin [sic] flower both

pink and yellow, the bright Solidago and the downy Spiraea, wild

vines, roses and creeping plants innumerable. Then in the moist

parts the sky blue fleur-de-lis, the large pink Hibiscus and the heavy

tufts of the Buffalo grass, with multitudes of species entirely new

to us, but all beautiful exceedingly. Their wonderful savannas are

amongst the chiefest beauties of the Western wilds, and strike the

eye with equal astonishment and delight after a tedious journey

thro' the heart of the forest.

After travelling some miles thro' this fine and interesting section,

fenced enclosures indicated our approach to the town of Upper

Sandusky. At this place we sought a short release from the noontide

heat, and refreshment for ourselves and horses, at a pleasant public

house with a pretty garden, and excellent spring issuing from the

side of the hill on which it stands. The occupants are connected

with the Wyundots, which tribe, by long intercourse with the whites

are far advanced in civilization. Many of them speak good English,

and are considerable proprietors of cattle, grain &c. All the Indians

we saw on this "Reserve" were well-dressed and mounted, and ap-

peared grave and sedate in their manners. They have a resident

missionary²³ amongst them, whose labours are said to be quite

encouraging.

 

23 Thomas Thompson was the Methodist missionary to the Wyandots, 1828-34. A

Mr. Boydson was also there as a missionary in 1830. Emil Schlup, "The Wyandot

Mission," Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly, XV (1906), 180.

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116    THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

I observed here an excellent crop of wheat ready for the sickle

which is a far earlier harvest than we can boast of in England. I

saw the filbert,²⁴ too, in large numbers and covered with nuts. I

have found it exceedingly abundant in the dry parts of Crawford

and Logan counties, but on no other part of our route.

Leaving Upper Sandusky we drove across the remainder of the

Reserve and thro' partially cleared forest lands to our resting place

for the night--two log buildings near the Sciota [sic] River [see

insert]. One of these we occupied as a private apartment furnished

with good soft beds and a neat sofa, and tho' contracted in dimen-

sions, was from its exceeding tidyness far pleasanter than its rough

exterior led one to expect. The other building was the family house,

and more spacious, with a rude piazza in front of the bar-room, and

accommodations within for the stage passengers who had arrived

awhile before us. Here a capital supper was spread for us to which

we did full justice as we had taken but a mere luncheon at Upper

Sandusky, and the latter part of the day's journey since leaving the

Reserve had been very fatiguing from the badness of the road.

This was our first night in a log-cabin, and we found it very com-

fortable. It was of a better class, too, than is generally met with in

the solitudes of the Backwoods--not so much, however, in its con-

struction as in the scrupulius [sic] neatness & good order of every

thing in and around it.

July 15

Fine & sunny. After an early breakfast we took leave of the

Sciota cottages, and continued our drive thro' the tedious wilderness.

A flock of wild "Turkies" crossed the road, the first we had seen.

They are very abundant in the western parts of the state and fre-

quently attain the size of 18 to 25 Pounds. They are killed during

the winter with ball from the American rifle, and with wild deer,

are the principal game of the backwoods sportsmen. The latter are

often killed within a few miles of the settlements. Quails, Grouse,

Wild ducks, woodcock, snipes and squirrels black & grey, are very

plentiful and furnish good sport.

We dined at a solitary spot named "Big Springs"²⁵ and early in

 

24 Probably the hazelnut.

25 The present Big Springs in Rush Creek Township, Logan County.

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THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON    117

the afternoon emerged from the wearisome forest into an open

country in which stands the town of Bellefontaine. The land around

is undulating, part in culture and pasture, part clothed with filberts,

locusts and other trees and shrubs of low growth, the whole enclosed

by dense woods which invariably make part of a Western prospect.

In a wet bottom near the town I found an exquisitely beautiful

species of meadow-sweet, of a fine rose colour, and emitting an odor

like the hawthorn. The water here is remarkably pure and excellent

--indeed I may remark that in every part of our journey both in

Ohio and New York we found abundant springs of the finest water,

so essential in this warm climate.

July 16

We started earlier than usual, intending to reach Piqua (40

miles) before night. It was a beautiful Western summer day, clear

and serene, and the country more pleasing than any we had passed

thro' except the Reserve of the Wyundots, the road to Urbanna [sic]

(18 miles) quite smooth and good.

Descending a steep hill we came to the little town of West Liberty

situated in a fine agricultural valley, watered by the Machachack

Creek which wanders thro' it in clear streamlets.

At 11 we reached the flourishing town of Urbanna, the capital

of Champaign County, by far the prettiest place we had yet seen in

the West, and the land around fertile and under fair culture. The

town contains about 130 houses chiefly frame, and 644 inhabitants.

The high road from Bellefontaine to Springfield forms its principal

street with lesser ones intersecting it at right angles. They are shaded

with the pleasant green of the Accacia [sic]. In the centre of the

town stands the County Court house, and, near by, the Inn at which

we breakfasted--a good sized, airy brick house, but lately finished,

and pretty well furnished.²⁶ The people of the house were obliging

and attentive, and gave us good substantial fare which we all en-

joyed except Mamma who was so unwell from fatigue that she was

 

26 Apparently the Hamilton House, built by John Hamilton in 1830. Joshua Antrim,

The History of Champaign and Logan Counties (Bellefontaine, Ohio, 1872), 421-424;

Evan P. Middleton, History of Champaign County, Ohio (Indianapolis, 1917), I, 980.

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118   THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

obliged to try a little rest in bed before proceeding further. When

she felt better we again set out and drove onward towards Piqua

(22 miles) over a rough road, abounding in corduroi bridges,

and other obstructions, and altogether different from that we had

just left.

Our course was now due West and plunged us deeper and deeper

into the shadowy forest. By and by we crossed a swamp about a

quarter of a mile broad, and extending on either side as far as the

eye could reach in one unbroken waste of Flags, of vivid green,

and bordered by the mighty woods.

Few objects occurred this afternoon to compensate for the rude

concussions and joltings which we had to endure. Between 4 and 5

we came to a log house about 15 miles from Piqua. Here we re-

mained about an hour and as the afternoon was hot, we had the

supper table spread for us in the open air, under some shade trees.

In the flower garden I saw the little green humming birds with

their crimson throats, darting and glancing about, and then vibrating

their glossy wings and burying their tiny heads in the cups of the

Holly hock and flowering Balsam.

After tea we started for the last time. Our way on either side was

hemmed in by stupendous masses of trees, which grew darker and

darker in the advancing twilight, the fire flies one by one lit up the

solemn gloom, and the stars shone bright above us. The air breathed

fresh and softly, quite dissipating the languor produced by the

noon-day heat.

At length the woods opened before us, and lights in the house

windows now and then glimmering thro' the trees showed that we

were near the end of our journey. Then we came to the brow of an

eminence, with the winding stream of the Miami at its feet and the

town of Piqua faintly visible on the opposite bank. We crossed

the River at a ford a little above the Bridge, which is at present out

of repair, and in a few moments alighted at the residence of an

English gentleman, (Mr. Greenham)27 with whom my Father was

 

27 Undoubtedly Nicholas Greenham, who opened a general store in Piqua in 1812

and within a few years became a prosperous and leading businessman in the com-

munity. W. H. Beers and Co., pub., The History of Miami County, Ohio (Chicago,

1880), 451.

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THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON                     119

 

intimate. This family received us with the greatest pleasure, and

kindly obliged us to remain all night, as our own house was about

a mile south of the town. After a hospitable supper we retired

to rest and at 10 the next morning July 17th we arrived at our

home [see insert] and by the blessing of God in far better health

and spirits than we could have hoped for after so long and fatiguing

a pilgrimage.

 

 

Our first summer at Piqua28 was very trying to us all from the

extreme heat, and the many domestic privations we had to encounter

in so new a country. Yet we all enjoyed excellent health except our

mother whose delicate frame sufferred [sic] severely from the change

of climate, but we all did our best to relieve her from care, and to

buoy up her spirits. I used to ride out with her in the cool summer

evenings, and read to her thro' the long sultry noons. Then the

natural productions of the country afforded me an unfailing resource

and I spent much time with my pencil. The forest scenery was noble

beyond description. We had excellent horses and I was daily almost

in the saddle, and sometimes roaming thro' the woods with my gun

for hours together, and as game was abundant not without success.

We had a large and pleasant circle of friends, both in and around

the town, whose society we valued highly, especially that of Col.

John Johnston29 and his numerous family. They had a fine estate

a couple of miles to the north of Piqua, and I often rode over and

paid them a visit. Our orchards were extensive and stocked with

the most delicious apples and peaches and our garden supplied us

with vegetables and flowers in profusion. The farm was fertile and

under good cultivation but I do not think my Father made it

 

28 Piqua in 1830 was a village of less than five hundred inhabitants, seven stores,

a printing office, three taverns, and a land office for the sale of public lands. Kilbourn,

Ohio Gazetteer (10th ed.), 241.

29 John Johnston was one of Ohio's important figures for several decades in the

first half of the nineteenth century. He was born in Ireland in 1775, came to America

in 1786, and served in supply trains for Wayne's army in 1793-94. He was appointed

Indian agent at Fort Wayne in 1802, but moved to Piqua in 1811, where he was also

Indian agent until 1829. His large brick house, built in 1814 near the sites of

Pickawillany and Fort Piqua, is still standing.

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120     THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

profitable.30 Tho' extravagantly fond of country life his talents were

decidedly mercantile, and all his manhood in England had been

spent in active business as a ship owner and general merchant, so

that his want of success in agriculture, and the recollection of his

reverses in Europe seemed to prey upon his spirits, and corrode

his naturally affectionate disposition. Yet in spite of all our trials,

there are many pleasant memories connected with Piqua and the

idyllian scenes of the Miami. When winter came, however, we

sufferred the most. It was one of intense severity, and we had never

known what acute cold was before--and that, too, after an almost

tropical summer. Such extremes are unknown in the sea-girt Isle.

But that, too, passed away, and the river burst its icy chains. Yet the

mild weather came very tardily and the early part of April 1831 was

deformed with dripping, joyless skies.

April 17, 1831

Piqua, Miami Co., Ohio

A change has come at last, with sunny skies, and spring opening

upon us in good earnest. The noble sugar maples on the slope op-

posite our windows are mottled over with innumerable pendant

flowers and the dark green of the "Buckeye" appears in tufts far

within the alcoves of the forest. The wild cherry is opening its

leaves, and the soil beneath is plentifully sprinkled over with early

flowers, white, pink and blue Hepaticas, a beautiful little yellow lily,

and the white cups of the "Indian Paint." Our wheat fields are one

sheet of compact, glossy green, and the oats are already peeping out

of the ground. The orchards, too, are leafing fast.

We walked to St. James church31 in the morning. It stands in

the north part of the town 1 1/2 mile from our house--a good brick

building, perfectly plain, not even a cupola, but comfortable & well

pewed within. As there is no minister yet, Col. Johnston reads the

 

30 The Wharton farm, purchased in June 1829 for $2,000, consisted of 182 acres

just south of present Piqua and about four or five blocks west of U. S. Route 25.

It had belonged to Matthew Caldwell, who laid out Piqua in 1807. Father Wharton

sold the farm in 1831 for $3,500. The editor is indebted to Leonard Hill of Piqua for

this information.

31 St. James' Episcopal Parish, Piqua, was organized in 1820. The congregation built

a small brick church in 1825. Beers, History of Miami County, 444.

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THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON             121

 

service and a selected sermon every Sunday morning. This morning

he chose one from the Revd. S. Knight's32 volumes which my mother

brought with her from England and loaned him. The subject was

"The laborers in the vineyard Matt 20."

April 20

At sunrise not a cloud and scarce an audible sound but the cooing

Turtle dove, and the distant murmur of a Mill dam on the Miami.

During a walk I noticed the wild Plum in flower and in a garden at

Piqua, the Crown Imperial, Hyacinths, and Daffodils--the garden

cherry, gooseberries and currants also blooming.

The transparent green of the sugar camps is extremely refreshing

after so many weary months of nakedness. The branches are full of

beautiful birds--the blue bird, the mocking bird, the American

Robin and Virginian nightingale. The latter delights to display its

glittering plumage in the sunshine from the topmost twigs of the

orchard, uttering all the while its bold and joyous song, while the

American Partridge perches on the top rail of the fence, and fills

the morning air with its soft & pleasing call "Bob White, Bob

White." The note of the Turtle [dove] is exceedingly plaintive,

and as the spring advances the characteristic concerts of the "Frogs"

from innumerable Ponds and watercourses, fill the solitary woods

with strange and at times even thrilling vocalism. And the graceful

squirrels, black and grey, are leaping about among the trees in

every direction.

April 26

Received a most welcome packet from England dated Feb. 26.

April 27

The apple orchard is in full leaf and one of the trees covered with

a waste of blossoms, many beautiful insects are springing into life,

and the Lizard glances about on the sunny banks. The sugar tree

retains its tasselled vest, but the wild cherry and Buckeye are still

the only forest trees in full leaf.

32 Samuel Knight (1759-1827), vicar of Halifax, who published popular devotional

manuals.

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122    THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

April 30

In the garden we have the double flowering almond in full blow,

and in the forest, the Elm, Tulip, Beach [sic] and Hornbeam are

opening their leaf buds. The Maple is shedding its flowers and the

leaves are taking their place.

May 1

Sunday. We went to the Presbyterian church today and heard Mr.

Coe33 in behalf of the Female Bible Society established some years

ago at Piqua. He preached extempore from 1 Cor. 1 c. 21 v. found-

ing his argument on the superiority of the wisdom derived from the

simple teaching of the Bible, to that which flows from the pro-

foundest speculations of mere human philosophy. The service con-

sisted of prayer, singing and reading the chapter which contained

the text. A collection was taken up after the sermon, followed by a

hymn. According to Presbyterian usage the congregation stood at

prayer and sat during the singing, and the sexes were separated by

the aisle as is usual amongst dissenters in this country.

May 2

Our forests which not long ago bristled with leafless branches,

are now adorned with a variety of verdure, and diversified with

sunlit masses, and broad, mysterious, leafy shadows. The Buckeye

which is a species of Horse Chestnut is covered with its spikes of

flowers, and the Judas tree is incrusted with myriads of papiliona-

ceous blossoms of the finest rose colour. The orchard is as fragrant

as a bed of Hyacinths. I find the nests of the Robin and blue Jay

in its shady coverts, the latter composed of thorns and the eggs

similar to those of the English Magpie. The splendid Scarlet

Tanager has made its appearance. I saw four at one time on a

single sugar tree. It is the most beautiful bird of these forests. The

Baltimore Oriole, too, with its glowing orange plumage and lively

song, and the crimson crests of innumerable Woodpeckers, light up

the green drapery of the trees with almost tropical brilliancy.

 

33 The Rev. James Coe, the first minister of the Old School Presbyterians in Piqua.

Beers, History of Miami County, 444.

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THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON               123

 

May 4

Rime frost in the night, followed by a beautiful day. Recd. a

parcel of 30 Newspapers from Hull Engd.

May 5

Sent off a parcel for England, per J. D. Jones, Cincinnati, Masters

& Markoe, New York, and Capt. Dickinson, of Packet Brig Freak,

running between N York & Hull.

May 7

I noticed at Col. Johnston's a fine Lilac in full flower, the Judas

tree extremely abundant & ornamental on the river bank. The

Colonel's corn is nearly all planted, wheat and clover are growing

fast. The warm rain of yesterday had a fine effect on vegetation.

May 8

Sunday. Fine & clear, very windy. The Revd. Ethan Allen of

Dayton³⁴ preached from 1 Cor. 15 c. 25, "For he must reign till he

hath put all enemies under his feet."

May 10

The Dogwood "Cornus Florida" now enlivens the forest with

its white starry flowers, and the later trees, Oak, Ash, Sycamore and

Locust will soon be in full leaf. I noticed today among the Peach

trees the bright yellow bird "Fringilla tristis" for the first time this

year. It is pleasant to mark each token of advancing summer, es-

pecially as our nights are still frosty, and the season is said to be

the most backward that has been experienced for years. Yet the

days are delightful beyond measure, with an atmosphere of intense

purity, and a breeze like that of midsummer on the British sea coast.

Corn planting is going on every where. This is the most tedious,

but most important crop raised in the northern and middle States.

It is invaluable to the farmer as food for his stock, besides supplying

a nutritious and palatable addition to his table. After the usual

 

34 The Rev. Ethan Allen established Christ Episcopal Church in Dayton in May

1831, and was minister of the parish until 1843. A. W. Drury, History of the City

of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio (Chicago and Dayton, 1909), I, 303-304.

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124    THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

preparation with the plough and harrow, the ground is furrowed

out both ways about a yard apart, and at each intersection 4 or 5

grains of corn are dropped in and then hilled up with the hoe. When

the plants are a few inches high, the plough is passed between the

rows to clear the weeds, which is repeated at intervals, and the hoe

used freely until the crop is several feet in height, as its success de-

pends chiefly upon the extermination of the rank wild growth.

May 11

Sent off (per Phillips and Perrine, Dayton) to England my

Journal of our Voyage and Journey with description of the State

illustrated by drawings in India Ink. I think it will not be without

interest to our friends, as much inquiry has been directed towards

the West in our native country.

May 12

Fine spring showers brighten the colours of the tender leafing.

The fruit in the orchard is set beyond any danger from frost. A

beautiful tree about 30 feet high with glossy leaves and flowers

like the Laurustinus is very ornamental in the most shady depths of

the forest. I do not know its name.35 I measured a Black Walnut at

a yard above the ground, found it to be 17 1/3' in circumference--

a Cherry log 12 feet round near the root, and at 12 feet high

8.10 round.

May 18

The rains of the last few days have enriched the whole country

with verdure; every thing indicates exuberant fertility. Fall wheat

is upwards of two feet high and oats about a foot, the rich, tender

grass in the orchard at least 2 feet. We finished corn planting

yesterday.

Early in the afternoon I rode to Piqua to get some things at the

stores. The clouds gathered in the meantime, and while standing

under the doorway at the druggist's I noticed a vast blackened arch

to the southward rising swiftly from the horizon and blazing at

intervals with vivid lightening [sic]. I immediately led my horse

to a friend's stable close by, and had not been five minutes under

 

35 Probably the black haw.

• 14
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON            125

 

cover when the storm burst upon us. The hail came rattling down

upon the roof like volleys of grape shot, and with the wind, thunder

and rain, the roar was perfectly deafening, but it was short lived,

and in twenty minutes I was in the saddle again and got home with

nothing more than a slight sprinkling. The hail lay upon the road

in drifts, and the ground was strewed with green leaves and small

branches. Some of our window glass, too, was broken, and the

garden was left in a pitiable plight. But the sun broke thro' again

brighter than ever, and a few days will restore all again to order &

beauty. The Miami is much swollen and the streamlets which trickle

into it, are transformed into dashing wintry torrents.

May 22

Sunday. Beautiful sunny weather has returned again. At church

Col. Johnston read one of Knight's sermons on the 3 verse of the

epistle of St. Jude.

May 24

Heavy showers with bursts of vivid sunlight darting over the

forests, broad gleams which strangely contrasted with the dark

turbid clouds behind, the whole effect heightened by a superb rain-

bow at sunset.

May 25

The cold & wet oblige us to replant our corn. The moles, too, on

neighbouring farms have committed serious ravages. Farming here

as elsewhere has many obstacles to encounter. In the forest the

gigantic Sycamore "Planera [Platanus] occidentalis" is but just

leafing, and some varieties of Oak, but the beautiful hawthorns be-

neath are in full bloom and forcibly remind us of the hedge rows in

England. The roses around Col. Johnston's residence make a fine

show and the "Snow ball" is covered with flowers that in size and

abundance I have never seen equalled.

May 28

Received a letter from Hull dated March 28th.

May 29

Sunday. No services at the Episcopal Church today, Col. Johnston

• 15
 

126     THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

having gone to Cincinnati for his son in law and daughter, Mr. &

Mrs. John D. Jones.

May 31

The weather seems settled at last, and dazzling summer is close

at hand, all glare and glitter, but relieved by cool refreshing breezes,

dewy nights, and mornings of the most transparent purity.

 

 

The summer of 1831 soon passed away. My Father completed the

sale of his Farm in the autumn and early in the winter we bid

farewell to Piqua and set out, all of us, in quest of a new home.

Our first move was to Dayton, where we spent the severer months

of the winter at Browning's excellent Hotel.36 Here the time passed

pleasantly enough as we soon made many desirable acquaintances

and even then Dayton was beginning to take rank as a place of

superior social and commercial advantages. I refer back with especial

pleasure to the family of Mr. Phillips (firm of Phillips and

Perrine)37 and to the Revd. Ethan Allen, the episcopal clergyman.

There was no Episcopal Church then in Dayton so he preached in

the Court House [see insert]. We spent the month of February 1832

at Springfield, where we took up our quarters at Werden's Hotel.38

We had no sooner arrived there than we were called upon by Mr.

Jeremiah Warder39 and other citizens of the place who showed us

great politeness during our stay amongst them. In the "Warder"

36 Probably the National Hotel on Third Street, which was kept by Edmund

Browning from 1830 to 1836. W. H. Beers and Co., pub., History of Montgomery

County, Ohio (Chicago, 1882), 585.

37 Horatio G. Phillips and James Perrine were the foremost merchants of Dayton

for many years after the War of 1812. Phillips came to Dayton from New Jersey in

1806, and Perrine arrived from New Jersey in 1812. Perrine clerked for Phillips

before being admitted to partnership. Perrine also became a banker and an insurance

man. John F. Edgar, Pioneer Life in Dayton and Vicinity, 1796-1840 (Dayton, 1896),

117-118, 153.

38 The Werden House was built by William Werden in 1829 on the northwest

corner of Main and Spring streets, Springfield. The large tavern was a stop on the

Cincinnati-Columbus stage line, and was known for its fine accommodations. W. H.

Beers & Co., pub., History of Clark County, Ohio (Chicago, 1881), 456-457.

39 Jeremiah Warder, a well-to-do Quaker, moved to Springfield from Philadelphia

about 1829 or 1830. He ran a thriving milling business and operated other industries

and became the wealthiest man in the community. In 1832 he organized the Springfield

Lyceum, from which the first library developed. Workers of the Writers' Program,

W.P.A., Springfield and Clark County, Ohio (Springfield, 1941), 29; Beers, History

of Clark County, 556.

• 16
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON           127

 

family, which was large, we enjoyed a most delightful intercourse,

as they were persons of high cultivation and refinement, elegant

tastes and leisure & means to indulge them. We have seen much of

them, too, in subsequent years, and always with renewed pleasure.

The winter still continued quite rigorous; indeed the whole

season had been one of great severity as will appear from the fact

that Fahrenheit's Thermometer fell below zero no less than seven

times, viz. on the following dates--

December 10, 1831 at sunrise

"                          12           "           " do

"                          18           "           " do

January           25, 1832 " sunset

"                26        "                     " sunrise

"                  27        "        " do

February 24           "    " do

I will insert opposite the daily record of temperature and meteor-

ology for the month we passed in Springfield.

Sunrise Noon Sunset

Feb  1 1832             28      47           40        Cloudy-rain

2                 50      54           57        Thaw-clear

3                 56      52           51        rain

4                  35      35           32 1/2 rain, hail-

5                 26      28           26        clear-cloudy

6                  26      34           37        rain-

7                  38      40           36        cloudy-rain-

8                  35 48 43                drizzle-

9                  58      62           40        rain, thunder and lightening

10                  29      36           30        cloudy with frost-

11                  39 46 47                clear-rain, thunder & lightening

12                  35      35           32        rain

13                  18      27           25        cloudy

14                  24      35           32        cloudy-hail-rain-

15                  32      32           31        sleet-

16                  20      25           22        cloudy-

17                  27      34 1/2 33            clear-cloudy-

• 17
 

128   THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

18                  50      55           50        cloudy-fair

19                  55      46           36        dull rain-

20                  22      24           20        dull-snow-

21                  10      20           20        very clear-

22                  26      36           34        Centennial Birthday of Washington

23                  15      19           10        snow, clear-

24 below zero 1O     18           15        clear-

25                  19      30           30        small powdery snow

26                  20      39           27        clear-

27                  16      26           31        cloudy-snow-

28                  34      40           36        dull-

29                  31      41           35        clear-

A pleasant place was Springfield, and pleasant looking as you

approached it, especially from the north East, where a succession of

high, open knolls spread away for a mile or two until lost in the

forest. This was a favorite stroll of mine and I give opposite a

sketch of it [see insert] copied from one I made carefully at the

time. There was a singular spot, too, in another direction which my

brothers and I used often to visit. It was a splendid ice-grotto formed

among the limestone rocks South of the town. The intense cold had

chained up the waters at mill creek Falls while the stream still

flowing free above dripped over the projecting ledges and congealed

as it fell, composing a brilliant fretwork of columns and pendent

stalactites, which sparkled like crystals in the sunshine and were

marked out clearly against the shadowy niches of the rock behind.

Of this, too, I give a sketch further on [see insert].

Springfield is the county seat of Clark Co. about 23 miles from

Dayton and 46 from Columbus, the Capital of the State. It lies on

the line of the great National Road thro' the State to Indianapolis.

Those icy pendents displayed a singular combination of the

colossal and minute, some of the clusters long and massive reaching

down nearly to the water in the hollow basin beneath, while others

dwindled down to mere needles, filling up the interstices with in-

crustations of wonderful delicacy, and borrowing the most beautiful

hues from the reflection of neighbouring objects and the radiance of

the sky above. The whole group reminded me forcibly of the

• 18
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON               129

 

elaborate pinnacles and shaft-work of the monument to Archbishop

Bowett in York Cathedral,⁴⁰ reversed, however, and done in shining

crystals.

The beautiful theory which traces the origin of Gothic details

to suggestions supplied by the wild forest, would find no mean

accession in this charming play of nature, which as plainly furnishes

the type of clustered pinnacles and elaborate fret work, as the

frisure [?] of clustered columns, filiated tracery, and the interlaced

mouldings of the vaulted ceiling. Tho' I doubt if there ever existed

as perfect a specimen as the present one in those countries where

Gothic Architecture first established itself. The spars and stalactites

of their caverns, however, exhibited similar formations.

The view of Mill Creek Falls opposite [see insert] gives a more

complete idea of the process of congelation which resulted in the

elegant ice-grotto of the preceding view. It was taken while the

waters were still flowing unobstructed, forming a picturesque cas-

cade and already trickling over the rocky ledge to the left, where the

icy shafts soon clustered after the flow was checked by the frost.

To the right appears the hollow recess in the limestone, with its

rude natural seat from which I sketched the former view. The Court

house and some of the town buildings just show above the Fall,

and at its summit the dam and water-gates which swell the stream

above into quite an available power for the Factories which even

at that early period had begun to add to the importance of the town.

The stream below soon mingles with Buck Creek and flows thro' a

deep valley overhung with the same massive limestone cliffs, and

at the time I speak of buried in the shadows of the wildest, densest

forest growth. Foot paths wound thro' it, sometimes by the brawling

stream, sometimes between the moss grown craggs, but every where

retired and romantic, and quite shut in from the busy world so

near it.

The "Mound" [see insert] crowns the hill just above the Hotel,

and we used to pass it in going to Mr. Warder's whose place appears

to the right. It has all the regularity and smoothness of an artificial

Tumulus but I do not at this distance of time recollect whether there

 

40 Henry Bowet (d. 1423), archbishop of York, 1407-23. The cathedral is known

as York Minster.

• 19
 

130   THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

were any traditional memories connected with it, or whether any

attempt had been made to account for its existance [sic]. But I well

remember the fine view of the river valley and distant forests from

its summit; it was the highest point in the neighbourhood, and en-

tirely unimpeded by trees which is a rare advantage in this leafy

country. Often have I climbed a lofty eminence hoping to enjoy a

world-wide prospect, but arrived at the top, found myself still beset

by the interminable tangled woods, and unable to see any further

than in the lowlands at its base; but here the knolls had been suffi-

ciently denuded, indeed too much so for local effect, but formed a

pleasing variety where there was almost nothing but woods.

The forest like the ocean is grand and impressive, but becomes

wearisome when unbroken by the vestiges of humanity.

The "Court-house" [see insert], as usual, the most prominent

building in the place was a very good example of the Western halls

of justice, simple and unambitious in design, but well built of good

brick, and rejoicing in a neat, well proportioned spire, which added

a pleasant feature to the distant views of the town. A little to the

left in the view appears the bell turret of the Factory near Mill

Creek Falls, and beyond are the dense woods of the valley thro'

which the stream runs after leaving the "Fairy Grotto" of my pre-

vious sketch. The high grounds to the right, all covered with the

native forest, overhang the rapid watercourses which irrigate the

neighbourhood and finally mingle with the deeper and more noted

current of the Mad River.

When I made the original sketch of the annexed drawing, groups

of trees, grassy enclosures, gardens, and clusters of houses seemed

to share the town limits in nearly equal proportions, and it would,

doubtless, be interesting and curious to compare the sketch with the

compact and closely built town of the present day, containing ac-

cording to the Census returns of 1850 an aggregate population of

5,108 inhabitants.

Though the severity of the weather was great during our stay at

Springfield, yet we had become so hardy, and inured to cold by our

"life in the woods," that it offered no impediment to our rambles

and researches in the neighbourhood, and I made my drawings from

nature with as much care as in the mildest days of springtide. In-

• 20
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON               131

 

deed my original sketches of that time, and many of which I still

preserve, are more complete in detail and more minutely accurate,

than the bolder and more freely touched productions of later years.

My father, too, gave me every encouragement, possessing himself

fine judgment, and very fine execution, and our friends being persons

of education and taste took quite an interest in them which was a

strong incentive to efforts in that direction. Nothing produces

languor and torpidity in the "beautiful arts" more surely than want

of appreciation and sympathy. I have at times lived in communities

so little alive to impressions of this nature that I have gradually

fallen into a low estimate of them myself, and after awhile come

to regard those acts which dignify and embellish human existance

[sic] as little better than polished indolence, but the love of

"beautiful nature" is too strong in me for such morbid views to

retain their influence long.

The "Limestone-rocks" bordering the creek were the subject of

the last sketch I made at Springfield [see insert]. Even in winter it

was an attractive seclusion. The stream coursed boldly thro' the

dell, and when the sunshine fell upon it there were many little

sheltered nooks where, for the time, you forgot the inclemency of

the season. But what a charming retreat in summer time. The mossy

bank enriched with a thousand flowers, the green leaves overhead

forming an ample screenwork, and in the limestone range a series

of grots and niches which "poetry" herself might select for her

frequent resting place. The overhanging mass in the picture seemed

detached from the main rock and the fissure between gradually filled

up with an accretion of vegetable mould, at length forming a firm

pathway to the thick forest above, while another path wound along

its base near the margin of the stream.

As the spring approached our parents became more and more

anxious to make a final selection of a resting place, but desired first

to visit certain important points in the state, of which Columbus,

the capital, came next in order. We removed there towards the end

of February and took apartments at Robinson's Hotel.41

 

41 J. Robinson & Son ran the Franklin House on the corner of High and Town

streets. William T. Martin, History of Franklin County (Columbus, 1858), 311.

• 21
 

132     THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

March 1, 1832

Columbus--Franklin County, Ohio

The balmy air invited my brother Henry and myself to a stroll

along the banks of the Sciota [sic] below the town. The tall woods,

which have so long sighed to the winter's blast, and listened to the

gurgling of freshets, were today filled with melody from in-

numerable blue birds and other harbingers of spring, and the beau-

tiful stream was dimpled by the sudden rise of wild ducks, pursued

by straggling parties of riflemen on the shore. We returned by the

Canal tow-path where the warm sun had loosened the frost from

the embankment and made the walking very toilsome. In the evening

we were visited by a Mr. & Mrs. Gurney lately from Bristol,

England. We accompanied them to the Revd. Mr. Preston's⁴² weekly

religious meeting, and heard a plain, sensible discourse by the Revd.

Mr. Sparrow of Kenyon College,⁴³ from 2 Tim. 1 c 7. Some 50 or

60 persons present, and every appearance of devout feeling and

earnestness in following the service.

March 2

Very mild and pleasant. Made an outline of the Lock thro' which

the Lateral Canal is supplied from the Sciota River. Received a

letter from Mr. J. Warder, Springfield.

The Ohio and Erie Canal was considered a gigantic undertaking

in those days when railroads were yet in their infancy. It connected

the Lake at Cleaveland [sic] with the Ohio river at Portsmouth, and

traversed the rich fertile regions of the interior of Ohio lying be-

tween the Sciota and Muskingum Rivers for a distance of -----

miles. The Lateral Branch at Columbus was 11 miles in length and

served the double purpose of connection and "feeder" from the

 

42 William Preston was the first regular pastor of the Trinity Protestant Episcopal

Church, Columbus, 1829-41. For two years, 1829-31, he also served St. John's

Episcopal Church in Worthington. After an absence of nine years he returned to

Trinity, 1850-54. Martin, History of Franklin County, 379-380.

43 William Sparrow (1801-74), educated at Trinity College, Dublin, taught at

Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, from its beginning in the 1820's until 1841, acting

as president, 1832-34, and serving as vice president, 1834-41. In 1841 he accepted

the chair of theology at the Theological Seminary of Virginia at Alexandria. Cornelius

Walker, The Life and Correspondence of Rev. William Sparrow (Philadelphia, 1876).

• 22
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON                     133

 

Sciota to the main canal.⁴⁴ The opposite sketch [see insert] shows

the supply Lock at the Sciota river. The abutments were of sub-

stantial masonry, the upper one 17 feet high, the lower 12 feet, and

the average depth of the Canal 4 feet. A strong dam was thrown

across the broad stream of the Sciota at this point to secure a con-

stant head of water, and furnished power for the saw mill seen in

the sketch and other works. During a freshet which occurred while

we were in Columbus the water broke over this dam in foamy sheets

not unlike the surf of the ocean beach--at least, so we thought, for

we were glad to mark anything in these Western wilds that re-

minded us of our beloved haunts by the sea side.

The population of Columbus in 1850 has become 17,882.

March 3

Henry and I spent the morning in walking along the eastern

bank of the Canal, and tracing the indications of early spring, with

a sky over our head of intense purity and sunshine of most genial

warmth. In the afternoon I went alone to a pretty spot where the

Whetstone [now the Olentangy] mingles with the Sciota. At the

bend of the latter river I sat down on a smooth fence rail and made

a drawing of the city and the bridge over the Sciota (which I still

preserve in my Portfolio).⁴⁵

It is time to give some little description of the place. Columbus,

the county town of Franklin, and seat of government to the State

stands on the Eastern bank of the Scioto, a high gravelly formation

rising abruptly to the height of more than 30 feet. The River at this

point makes a fine curve, and embraces an extensive area of rich

level bottom land, which is overlooked by the town and limited at

the distance of a mile and a half from it by a range of eminences

44 Work on the lateral canal, which connected with the Ohio and Erie Canal at

Lockbourne, began April 27, 1827. The first canal boat reached Columbus, September

23, 1831. Jacob H. Studer, Columbus, Ohio: Its History, Resources, and Progress

(Columbus, 1873), 32-33.

45 A small reproduction of this drawing was printed on the cover of Museum

Echoes, a monthly publication of the Ohio Historical Society, in August 1953. It

is one of a series of about a dozen drawings made during his stay in Ohio which

Wharton intended for printing and sale, but apparently the project never succeeded.

The originals are in the New York Public Library. Six of them, not including the

sketch of Columbus, were reproduced in A History of Ohio by Eugene H. Roseboom

and Francis P. Weisenburger, published by the Society in 1953.

• 23
 

134    THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

covered with dense forest, and forming a background to the village

of Franklinton, which was originally until the year 1824 the chief

town in the county.⁴⁶ The shell of the old court house [in

Franklinton], with its grey weather-beaten cupola, still remains and

gives the little place an air of consequence when seen from the high

and distant streets of Columbus. Noble trees line the margin of the

river, and are scattered in groups over the area of bottom land, the

rich soil of which is under the plough and regularly fenced up to

the base of the hills on the West. To the North, East, and South a

strip of fenced and cultivated land borders on the Capital and then

comes the mighty forest in one grand sweep surrounding the whole.

The great National Road passes thro' the north end of the town

[Columbus], and over the Scioto by a substantial bridge of oak

built 6 years ago. The approach from the West by this road, not-

withstanding the commanding site, is far from pleasing, as the best

line of houses present their rear to the river, and the buildings on

the immediate brow of the hill are mean and irregular, but when

you reach the northern extremity of High Street, which is the prin-

cipal one, you are struck with the very flourishing appearance of the

place and can scarcely believe that but a few years ago it formed

part of the neighbouring woods. It was originally laid out in the

year 1812, and the settlement soon after commenced, so that we

must not yet look for much elegance. This will follow with an in-

crease of wealth and taste. In the meantime an air of neatness, and

substantial comfort forms an ample present compensation.

High Street is 100 feet wide, running North and South and in-

tersected at right angles by the several cross streets. The side walks

are broad, paved with brick, and present quite a busy scene, and the

middle of the street is kept in a state of constant and lively ani-

mation by an endless train of carts and waggons, horses and horse-

men, long-springed, four-horse stages rattling thro' at intervals, and

a great variety of travelling and pleasure taking vehicles. Casting

the eye along the line of buildings to the right, a large Hotel and 2

 

46 Franklinton was founded in 1797 by Lucas Sullivant. It was the county seat

of Franklin County from 1803 until 1824, when Columbus gained that position.

Franklinton contained a population of 332 in 1830. Kilbourn, Ohio Gazetteer (11th

ed., Columbus, 1833), 151-159, 207-208.

• 24
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON             135

 

Blocks of handsome well built stores (of three stories) form the

principal features. The intermediate houses, too, are good and all

of brick, many of them with arcades of wood in front shading the

sidewalk. They comprise two public houses, two bookstores, two or

three medical stores and no less than eighteen well stocked mer-

cantile establishments, besides several others of less pretension,

dwellings of artisans &c--altogether quite an imposing display for

the heart of the Western forest. On the left, near the intersection of

the Street with the National Road, stands the [federal] Court

House, of brick and two stories, presenting a narrow front to the

street with a plain recess containing the entrance door. It is finished

with a clumsy wooden dome, whitened over as usual and the whole

design so tasteless that it detracts much from the beauty of the street.

Attached to it is a range of [state] Public Offices, of brick, two

stories, 150 feet by 25, and then comes the State House, a quad-

rangular building, also of brick and two stories, with plain openings,

hung with venetians, plain string course, and white wooden steeple

rising from the middle of the roof and terminating in a short spire,

in all 106 feet from the ground. The building is 75 by 50 and tho'

simple the parts are well distributed and produce a pleasing effect.

On a square stone Tablet above the western entrance are the

following lines--

"Equality of rights is Nature's plan

"And following Nature is the march of man.

"Based on its rock of right your empire lies

"On walls of wisdom let the fabric rise.

"Preserve your principles, their force unfold,

"Let nations prove them and let kings behold.

"Equality, your first firm-grounded stand,

"Then Free Election, then your FEDERAL BAND.

"This holy triad should forever shine,

"The great compendium of all rights divine,

"Creed of all schools whence youths by millions draw

"Their themes of right, their decalogues of law,

"Till man shall wonder (in these codes inured)

"How wars were made, how tyrants were endured.

• 25
 

136    THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

On the South side the following--

"Here social man a second birth shall find,

"And a new range of reason lift his mind,

"Feed his strong intellect with purer light,

"A noble sense of duty and of right,

"A sense of liberty whose holy fire,

"His "life", his "Freedom" and his "Laws" inspire.

"Soul searching "Freedom" here assume thy stand

"And radiate hence to every distant land.

"Point out and prove how all the scenes of strife,

"The shock of States, empassioned broils of life,

"Spring from unequal sway, and how they fly

"Before the splendour of thy peaceful eye.

"Unfold at last the genuine social plan,

"The mind's full scope, the dignity of man,

"Bold nature bursting thro' her long disguise

"And nations daring to be just and wise.^"47

These erections are some feet back from the street line, railed in

front, and occupy part of a plot of 10 acres called the Public Square.

Near the South East corner is the very neat Presbyterian Church,

80 x 50, of dark red brick, arched openings, deep moulding &

cornice with white balustrade all round, square tower surmounted

by an octagonal turret with arched openings and glittering tin dome.

It is quite a pleasing building and the chief architectural embellish-

ment of the place, but will soon be surpassed by the Episcopal

Church, already commenced at no great distance--foundations 75

by 50. The design is Tuscan, and was furnished by Mr. Martin E.

Thompson of New York, a gentleman who has made offers to me,

thro' our friend Mr. Earl, which my Father is now considering.

Beyond the State buildings High Street is continued in a range of

irregular buildings, brick and frame, great and small until the eye

finally rests on the blue woods in the distance. The general ap-

pearance of this infant Capital indicates greater age than it pos-

sesses, but you are soon reminded of its newness by the fresh look

 

47 Both quotations are from Joel Barlow. Wharton apparently did not copy the

tablets exactly. See Martin, History of Franklin County, 335-336.

• 26
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON     137

of the bricks and mortar, and scattered groups of horses, sheep and

cattle from the woods clinking their copper bells thro' the streets

and gazing with evident astonishment at the progress of art in the

wilderness.48

March 4

Sunday. We attended the Episcopal service both morning and

afternoon. Mr. Preston is a plain, good man, with an amiable coun-

tenance, some deficiency in voice and manner, but amply redeemed

by the purity of his doctrine.

A sublime thunderstorm formed a solemn and magnificent close

to the Sabbath. It was of short duration, but the heavens were in a

constant blaze and the rain fell in torrents.

March 8

My Father purchased a fine Bay, saddle and bridle for $80 and

proceeded on a reconnoitering expedition to Cleaveland [sic] on the

Lake.

March 14

Only the other day we were throwing open doors and windows

to admit the air, and this morning the sky is clear and frosty and

the ground covered with snow.

March 17

Snow again in the night, with a piercing wind today and cold

enough to freeze water in the bedrooms.

March 18

Sunday. Just before service in the afternoon my father got back

after a severe and fatiguing journey, cold and tempest, swollen

streams, and muddy forest roads. His report is unfavorable, the

Town insalubrious, price of land exorbitant, business overdone, and

 

48 The site of Columbus was selected for the state capital and laid out in 1812.

By the time the Whartons arrived in 1832 its population numbered nearly 4,000.

Columbus was then a bustling town, with eight hotels or taverns, two large carriage

and post coach factories, three tin and copper factories, an iron foundry, four book

stores, twenty-two mercantile stores, three apothecary shops, several retail groceries

and three wholesale groceries, eight or nine "regular physicians" and an equal number

of "botanical practitioners, or steam doctors," ten attorneys, and five clergymen.

Kilbourn, Ohio Gazetteer (11th ed.), 151-159.

• 27
 

138   THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

next to impossible to procure a house or servants ("helps" as they

are called here), so that we are again as much at a loss as ever.

Some thought has been expended on York, Upper Canada, but

nothing definite.

March 20

Our excellent friend Mr. Warder arrived today from Springfield.

He is on his way to Philadelphia on horseback, but as he does not

proceed till tomorrow he will spend the rest of the day wholly with

us. Our evening circle was enlivened by the addition of Mr. & Mrs.

Gurney, Mr. Findlay from Zanesville and young Howells. We find

ourselves here in the midst of quite a party of English people, some

in town and some at Worthington, 9 miles off, and all, like our-

selves, in search of a desirable locality to settle in.

Mr. and Mrs. Gurney and their children, Dr. and Mrs. Ward of

London, and young Howells (a high spirited handsome youth of

17) are here, and at Worthington we find the Revd. Mr. Rodgers

formerly Curate at Hessle near Hull, whom I have heard more than

once at St. John's Church before I left England, his wife, who is a

sister of Master Howells, Mrs. Leonard, her two daughters and little

son, whom we knew in Hull. Mr. Howells and the rest of his family,

and a Mrs. James and family, all belong to the same party, and all

desirous of settling in the same neighbourhood, except, perhaps,

Dr. Ward, who is somewhat of a free thinker in principle, while

the rest are all pious, Christianlike people. He is, moreover, much

reduced in his circumstances.

Messrs. Howells and Rodgers left here a short time ago for

Zanesville on a visit of inspection. My Father's report of Cleaveland

proved a great disappointment. Mr. Warder's arrival has suggested

the plan that my Father and Mr. Gurney should accompany him as

far as Zanesville where they will meet Mr. Rodgers and Mr.

Howells, and examine the advantages held out by that place. We

find the intercourse of our English friends exceedingly pleasant and

have had several obliging calls from residents in Columbus.

March 25

My Father and Mr. Gurney arrived, and great was our satis-

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THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON            139

 

faction to discover that they had fully accomplished their object.

Each had taken a house, and my Father had further made purchase

of a large warehouse for a wholesale business, standing on the

Muskingum and capable of storing 6000 Barrels. He gives $1700

for it, so that we hope a resting place has at length been found.

March 26

Received a letter from Mr. Deardorff Post master of Waynesboro'

Pa. inclosing check on Bank of Chambersburg for $130 deposited

by J. Stoner as forfeit for breach of contract for the Piqua property.

Snow again today. The Ohio Canal is today opened for boats from

Cleaveland to Chillicothe. The Columbus feeder, however, is still

closed. My Father will have to visit Piqua to wind up his affairs

there, and on his return we start for the Muskingum valley.

March 29

Mr. Gurney and I started together on foot, soon after breakfast,

to visit the families at Worthington. The roads were quite dry and

smooth and the day delightful, and we got over the nine miles in

two hours and a half. We first called at Mr. Howells', with whose

family and Mrs. James I was pleased. A letter had been received

from Mr. Howells at Zanesville, speaking highly of the place and

the Scenery around it, that he intended visiting Steubenville &

Wheeling, and if neither pleased him better, that he should decide

upon Zanesville for his own family and Mrs. James. After a lunch

and promising to return to dinner, we went on to the house occupied

by the families of Mr. Rodgers and Mrs. Leonard. Turning a corner

I instantly recognized Mrs. L at an open window, and had a de-

lightful meeting with a lady I had seen so often in my native town.

The two Miss Leonards and the little boy differ only in height from

the elegant little creatures who used to pace up and down the sunny

flags of the white block opposite Albion Street where my Father

lived last in Hull. Mrs. Leonard had heard of some changes in our

Hull circle which had not yet reached us, among the rest the

deaths of Mrs. Dykes, the wife of our Pastor, and Mrs. King, the

wife of the Revd. John King of Christ Church.

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140   THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

As she was very anxious to see my mother Mr. G. and I went the

entire round of the village to get a carriage of some sort for her

but in vain, so that altho' in ill health she decided upon walking

back with us, spend tomorrow with Mamma, and return on Saturday

with Edward Howells and myself. We set out at 4 1/2 and got to

Columbus soon after sunset. Mrs. L's conversation was so interesting

that the distance seemed nothing to me but she herself suffered

much from fatigue. She made very light of it, however, when com-

pared with the pleasure of seeing my mother.

March 30

Very beautiful weather. Hull and its delightful family circles,

England and America were the topics of the day, but the con-

versation became general in the evening on the appearance of the

Revd. & Mrs. Preston, Mr. and Mrs. Gurney, Dr. and Mrs. Ward

and Mrs. Bailhache who spent a few social hours with us.

March 31

After breakfast my Father ordered a gig and drove Mrs. Leonard

back to Worthington, so that I missed the expected pleasure of

accompanying her. She would, however, have been quite unequal

to the walk.

The cholera I see by the English papers is in London--already 30

cases with the alarming proportion of 16 deaths.

April 2

Very lovely weather, with symptoms of rain in the afternoon.

Recd. a letter from Mr. Earl, containing a very kind renewal of Mr.

Thompson's offers. This subject, however, will not be determined

until we arrive in Zanesville.

The waggon containing our Trunks, and large packages left here

after breakfast this morning. Our family and Mr. Gurney's will start

tomorrow. We have tried in vain to get a "nine-stage," but my

Father has engaged a carriage that carries seven for tomorrow

morning at 8 A. M. for $25. He will ride the bay horse, and Henry

and myself walk as the only alternative. It rained freely in the night.

• 30
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON    141

 

April 3

Mild and rather cloudy. Immediately after breakfast Henry and I

set off by the Hebron road but a single mile of it convinced us that

it was impracticable so we reluctantly returned to the starting point

just as the carriage was ready to set out. It left at 9, and we were to

follow in a public conveyance in the evening. At 10 my Father was

in the saddle, and at 11 the day having brightened up, Henry and I

reconsidered our plan, and again set out on foot by the Newark

road--the one taken by the rest. The first 10 miles to Black Lick

was very laborious, laying for the most part thro' a heavily timbered

morass, saturated by the rains, and the log bridging so much decayed

and broken that we were covered with mud, so that when we came

to Big Walnut Creek (6 miles) over which there is no bridge, it

was needless to take off shoes and stockings but we marched boldly

thro' with the stream up to our knees. The friction of walking and

a warm sun soon dried us and having made a hearty lunch at a log

house a little further on we proceeded briskly, the ground improving

and drying rapidly. Reaching the South Fork of Licking River, 18

miles from Columbus, we suddenly came in full view of the carriage

standing by a roadside Tavern, and my Father just in the act of

closing the door for a fresh start. I called but they were beyond the

range of my voice, and as I was obliged to follow up the bank for

a little distance to cross by a fallen tree, I soon lost sight of them

again. The Tavern keeper told us they had taken a rest of an hour

and a half and spoke of continuing on to Newark, 15 miles, before

putting up for the night, so that we gave up all hopes of seeing

them again this day. We sat down to some good plain fare, and then

hastened on to Granville (9 miles) where we proposed to pass the

night, and rise in time the next morning to catch our party before

they should leave the breakfast table.

Tho' refreshed by our meal we began to feel very weary, and

toiled on with but little alacrity thro' the lone forests, whose deep

and languid silence was broken only by the drowsy cow-bell and the

wild twang of the marsh frog. Happily the roads had become quite

dry, and at about 4 miles from Granville we emerged from the

woods which filed off to the right and left and opened to us a

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142    THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

country so hilly and fertile, and well improved, and so different

from the dreary solitudes behind us, that the very sight seemed to

pour new vigor into our aching limbs.

The yellow twilight was fading and the stars already in heaven

when we descended the picturesque valley of Raccoon Fork and as

we crossed the bridge the tolling of the evening bell fell gently upon

our ear, and in rich harmony with the shadowy glades around us.

Passing under the brow of a grassy cone we came at once into

the main street of Granville and made inquiry for Cook's Tavern49

which had been recommended to us by our Columbus host in the

morning. A light at the further end of the town was pointed out

to us and on approaching it what was our delight and astonishment

to see thro' the window our whole party seated round a blazing

fire, and little dreaming of our being at hand. Equally great was

their surprise at our abrupt appearance amongst them, and loud

and rapid were the narratives of the day's adventures, and as its

fatigues had fallen alike upon all, interlined with allusions to the

supper bell--which the arrival of so large a number of guests had

delayed beyond the usual hour--at length the signal came, and never

was a meal, excellent in itself, enjoyed with keener relish. We re-

tired very soon after and forgot our weariness in the profoundest

slumber.

April 4

Sharp frost in the night, followed by a lovely day. Before break-

fast I ascended the high freestone ridge to the north of the town,

and enjoyed a noble view of the surrounding country, all hill

and valley, and abounding in evidences of fertility and successful

cultivation.

Breakfast over, my Father and Charles set off on foot for Newark,

6 miles. The coach was in motion soon after and I followed on

horseback, and rode in company with the coach (which I speedily

joined) as far as Newark, where I dismounted and left the horse

at the Hotel for my Father. The country was prettily diversified and

the roads smooth and dry. Newark is the county town of Licking

 

49 Benjamin Cook kept a tavern on the southwest corner of Broad and Pearl streets,

Granville, from about 1813 to 1831, when he died. Henry Bushnell, History of

Granville, Licking County, Ohio (Columbus, 1889), 86, 104, 140.

• 32
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON            143

 

and as the Ohio and Erie Canal passes thro' it is the shipping point

of a fine and extensive agricultural district.

From this place Henry, Charles and I proceeded on foot. Charles

not content with our pace ran on before, and we found at the very

next fork of the road, from a laborer, that he had taken the shorter

but worse track. We stopped at a frame house and got some good

bread and milk and continued on thro' the woods until at 6 miles

from Newark we struck at right angles into the finished part of the

great National road 21 miles West of Zanesville. It is a noble work,

running nearly East and West, very straight and exhibiting in profile

a wavy line of long and gentle elevations and depressions greatly

reducing the steepness of the natural face of the country, which

now becomes quite hilly and very different from the level forest

swamps and wet prairies bordering on the Sciota and Miami. The

road is covered with hard limestone and a kind of blue slate laid

on firm and even. In the first 13 miles I counted no less than 13

one arched freestone bridges, massy and substantial, carrying the

road over the runs and streamlets which wind thro' every valley.

For the remaining 8 miles to Zanesville they occur frequently, some

even 160 feet in length and very lofty. The scenery is monotonous--

high woody hills, curve after curve, scattered clearings, and glimpses

of far distant forests--and the long straight line of road always

before you.

We dined at a roadside Tavern 18 miles from Zanesville, and

then went on 10 miles further to Mt. Sterling which we reached by

sunset, ordered supper and remained all night. We were very much

fagged out so we took the precaution to have a pail of hot water

in our bed room and soaked our feet for some minutes before

going to bed. This took out all stiffness and we were on the road

again at sunrise the next morning as strong and well as ever.

April 5

The air pure and frosty, and in high spirits as we approached

our journey's end, we walked with alacrity and soon reached the

high ridge which overhangs the town of Zanesville at the distance

of about a mile and a half. The curling smoke of the town filled the

valley and threw a soft veil over the surrounding hills. The Mus-

• 33
 

144    THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

kingum wound thro' it like a broad silver band glittering in the

morning sunshine. At its junction with the Licking we crossed a

long covered wooden bridge, thro' whose frame work we glanced

with delight at the sparkling eddies of the river, and at 9 A. M. we

were fairly in Main Street where at Orndorff's Hotel50 we found

Mr. Gurney & family and proceeded at once, under his guidance,

to join the rest of our own family. We found Mamma and our

brothers and sisters intent on surveying our new home and the

waggon at the gate delivering the packages. We at once threw in our

assistance and after unloading and dismissing the waggon we in-

dulged our curiosity at leisure in a thorough exploration. The party

had reached Zanesville late last evening, and Charles no less than

two hours before them.

I give opposite one of the Freestone bridges of the National road

taken from the original sketch which I made on the spot [see insert].

April 6

The house stands on a grassy slope looking down the valley,

which with the bending river, the hills which enclose it, and the

opposite town of Putnam, forms a sweet little scene from the front

windows. Behind is a square garden of an acre and a half with

several fruit trees. The house needs some repairs, but is convenient,

beautifully situated, and very near the Warehouse.⁵1 The rent is

but $130 per annum--indeed living is cheap enough here. Flour

only $4 per bar., fine Beef 5 x per lb., and other things in pro-

portion. We are full of business in fitting up our new abode.

The views from the neighbouring hills may vie with some of the

sweetest in Yorkshire, and not unlike in character, while dense

volumes of smoke pouring from 2 glass houses, numerous factories,

and the town generally, add to the resemblance, for bituminous

 

50 Col. Henry Orndorff opened a hotel, the National House, on the northeast

corner of Main and Fifth streets, Zanesville, about 1830. The three-story building

in which the National House was located stood until 1925. Norris F. Schneider,

Y-Bridge City: The Story of Zanesville and Muskingum County, Ohio (Cleveland

and New York, 1950), 103-104.

51 The Wharton warehouse was a large brick building on the river, formerly known

as Northrup's Warehouse. It was advertised for sale in the Ohio Republican (Zanes-

ville), March 24, 1832.

• 34
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON                      145

 

coal is used here as in England. The ridges are full of it--indeed

it is delivered in Zanesville at the low price of 5 cents per bushel.

Mr. Howells has returned from Steubenville and is looking for a

house here.52

April 8

Sunday. Our Episcopal Church is a neat square little building with

Gothic windows, handsome pulpit and fine toned organ, played

quite respectably. Mr. Robinson delivered his farewell sermons

today.53 He is a pleasing preacher, but it would appear that he had

not succeeded in winning the confidence and affections of his people.

April 11

Very fine and warm--every moment occupied in laying out the

garden &c. Vegetation is pushing forth, and the fine green turf

already clothes the hillsides. Mr. Fulton54 called today, and my

Father completed the purchase of the warehouse and paid the $1700.

Unpacked three large cases and found every thing in the same

order as when nailed up at Piqua, after the frightful jolting of

161 miles thro' the woods, while Mr. Gurney from Columbus only

has sustained considerable loss by breakage.

April 14

We are enjoying almost summer weather, and every thing looks

beautiful under so fine a sky. Gardening brings out a free per-

spiration. A Plum tree in our front plot is whitened over with

bloom, and in the garden the Peach, cherries, pears and apples make

a fine display. The weeping willow and Lilac are leafing fast, and

some varieties of Lepidopterae are waking into life, among which

the P. Antiope stands foremost.

 

52 Possibly H. C. Howells, who moved to Putnam, on the west side of the

Muskingum, opposite Zanesville, and operated a tannery at Woodlawn Avenue and

Harrison Street. Thomas W. Lewis, Zanesville and Muskingum County, Ohio

(Chicago, 1927), I, 249.

53 The Rev. John P. Robinson was rector of the Zanesville Episcopal Church,

Zanesville, from September 1831 to April 1832. Goodspeed Pub. Co., Biographial

and Historical Memoirs of Muskingum County, Ohio (Chicago, 1892), 279-280.

54 Robert Fulton was a prominent businessman in Zanesville for many years, and

in 1832, along with other activities, he was dealing in real estate. Ohio Republican,

March 24, December 22, 1832; J. Hope Sutor, Past and Present of the City of

Zanesville and Muskingum County, Ohio (Chicago, 1905), 116.

• 35
 

146    THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

April 17

The eighteenth anniversary of my birth day. In the afternoon I

crossed the Putnam bridge and strolled over the heights on that

side of the river. The town lies below and the river winding round

it in a graceful curve losing itself amid cultivated slopes and woody

ridges in the distance. The little Dresden steamboat was just sound-

ing too at the wharf above the falls, and gave an air of business

importance to the stream. In the woods to the South I found the

Judas tree and several forest plants in flower. During the walk a

slight scald on my foot became so inflamed by friction as to threaten

a troublesome sore.

It had almost been determined that I should remain at Zanesville,

but we find that altho' eventually there must be a large business

done here yet the time that would be required to establish it would

be almost lost to me. So my father proposed today that I should

leave next Monday with a Mr. Turner for Philadelphia where thro'

the introduction of Mr. Warder, now there, I may perhaps obtain an

eligible mercantile situation, if not, to go on to New York and avail

myself of Mr. Thompson's kind offers which I cannot but highly

esteem as he leaves me at liberty to accept any other engagement

that may appear more desirable. The advantages of the plan seem

so great that it fills us with hope, and we trust that it will be ordered

by unerring wisdom for our real benefit.

April 18

My Father wrote to Mr. Warder today acquainting him with our

intentions.

April 22

Easter Sunday. My scalded foot keeps me at home today. The

rest have gone to St. James, where in the absence of a minister,

Mr. Crosby,⁵⁵ an old and worthy citizen, reads the service, and a

sermon.

In what different situations and circumstances the dates of the

past week have found me for some years past. In 1828 I spent my

55 James Crosby began to manufacture scythes, axes, and other tools in Zanesville

in 1817, and for many years was one of Zanesville's most prominent businessmen and

civic leaders. Schneider, Y-Bridge City, 92.

• 36
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON            147

 

birthday in Baker, opposite Albion Street, Hull, just before leaving

it for Wyton, and I well remember the regret with which we left

that pleasant house and its well stocked garden; in 1829 at Wyton,

6 miles from Hull, and in immediate expectation of returning to

Hull again; in 1830 on a visit to our friends the "Wilsons" at

Belton, just on the eve of our departure from England; in 1831 at

Piqua, four thousand miles away from my birthplace, and anxiously

looking for another change from the Farm to some more congenial

home; and now in 1832 at Zanesville, where the family, I hope,

have at length found a resting place. But another change is in store

for me, in a journey across the mountains.

I shall not be able to set out before the end of the week owing

to the state of my foot.

April 30

My foot is now quite well but it has detained me longer than I

expected. This is the last day of the month and the last, too, that

I shall spend under my Father's roof for there is no knowing how

long a time. I now leave the best and truest companions of my life

and my dear, dear, mother, and for the first time. I know not what

may be in store for me, but, one thing is certain, if I hold fast my

integrity every thing will work for my good, and I earnestly pray

that I may be able thro' all circumstances "to hold fast the pro-

fession of my faith without wavering," looking to the same guiding

hand, which has thus far led me, for direction thro' the future that

lies before me, and especially that I may be kept in the path of

rectitude and true godliness which alone will cheer me thro' life,

and secure for me lasting happiness hereafter.

 

From the original manuscript, which at this distance of time no

body but myself could decypher, even should they ask such ill-paid

trouble, having been written with fady ink on such paper as the

Western towns then afforded--from the manuscript, then, it appears

that at this point I was guilty of the enormity of "several verses"

which my maturer judgment suggests had better be omitted or,

perhaps, the opposite sketch substituted for them [see insert]. Why

• 37
 

148     THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

it is I know not but the young mind when excited flies as naturally

to poetry as the over-burdened soul seeks refuge in tears, but I

cannot see any reason why the poetry any more than the tears should

be perpetual, unless, indeed, such poetry as Milton's, and such

sorrows as those of Werter [sic].

The Licking River is a branch of the Muskingum, more secluded

and sylvan. I took occasional rambles along its banks, and one day

with a friend Mr. W. Adams⁵⁶ of Zanesville who was quite an

artist himself, we followed the stream until we reached the Iron

works and dam,⁵⁷ of which I made the opposite sketch, and he one

also, which he afterwards finished up in oil.

 

 

The scenery from our windows seems more lovely than ever now

that I am about to leave it, and the pure elastic air of spring breathes

softly over it. The swollen river sweeps in a wide curve around the

orchards of Putnam and loses itself among woody hills. The nearer

ridges shew broad grassy escarpments of the richest emerald,

traversed by the shadows of floating clouds, and dotted with trees

already in full leafing. The unusual beauty of [the] whole picture

today is very tantalizing, but I have no choice now.

In the afternoon my Father and I went to the Stage office to secure

a place for Wheeling and found to our surprise that the time of

leaving had been changed from 8 A. M. to mid-night, so that I shall

not start until tomorrow night. Dr. Ward has arrived and is looking

about for a piece of land to settle his family upon. He is very

anxious to get them away from Columbus, which he finds very un-

healthy and aguish as the spring advances. It is completely hemmed

in by vast morasses, exhaling a constant and pernicious malaria

thro' the warmer months--very different from the pure atmosphere

of the hills around this place.

 

56 William A. Adams sketched with Thomas Cole when Cole was in Zanesville

in 1821. Adams later served on the commission for the new statehouse in Columbus,

1838-48, and superintended construction on that building for several years. Schneider,

Y-Bridge City, 94, 281; Ohio Historical Records Survey, Inventory of State Archives

of Ohio, Secretary of State (mimeographed, Columbus, 1940), 16, 17, 21.

57 Moses Dillon built the iron furnace and forge about four miles up the Licking

River in 1809. It furnished bar iron and castings to Ohio industries for many years.

Schneider, Y-Bridge City, 76.

• 38
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON             149

 

May 1

Another lovely day. The sun shines brightly upon a waste of

blossoms, and the delicate little?? yellow and blue birds flitting about

every where.

At 10 P. M. every thing was ready for departure. Mr. & Mrs.

Gurney had been to say good bye, and the sad moments were hasting

away, when Charles who had been on the look out came to say that

the Western Mail was on Main Street and would proceed in an

hour's time. My Father went immediately to secure me a place. In

the meantime I received a kind parting note from Mrs. Gurney.

My Father returned with the news that the Stage was full, and an

Extra expected every moment also full. On the way bill of the

latter were the names of our friends the "Hardcastles" of Dayton,

so he went back into town to see them, leaving me to enjoy the

pleasure of a reprieve. It was short lived, however, for my Father

came back in a great hurry to say that Mr. Hardcastle was going no

further, but would leave his wife and sister here to pursue their

journey to Baltimore and I could take his vacant place. So with a

full heart I bade a long farewell, and in a very short time was on

the road for the mountains. The midnight hours passed heavily, and

when dawn at length came, having had no sleep and my mind con-

fused and depressed, I gazed with careless vacancy upon the beau-

tiful scenery of Guernsey and Belmont counties and the sweet banks

of Indian Wheeling Creek. We whirled along rapidly and by noon

reached the Valley of the Ohio where we crossed over by ferry to

Wheeling, and I spent two hours in climbing the hills and strolling

among the romantic uplands of the neighbourhood.

May 2

Having taken my place to Chambersburg at 2 o'clock I was slowly

ascending Wheeling hill in a noble stage, but the roads soon became

stony and bad, and I was jolted dreadfully thro' an ever varying

succession of hills and valleys, precipices and forests, forming a

small corner of Virginia, and passed into the State of Pennsylvania

towards evening, after some delay occasioned by the breaking of a

 

?? Fringilla tristis and Motacilla sialis. (This is a footnote in the journal.--EDITOR.)

• 39
 

150    THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

spring which was remedied for the time by a stout fence rail from

the road side. At Washington we changed stages and in the course

of a sleepless night crossed the Monongahala [sic] (about 600 yards

broad) at Williamsport, and the Youghiogeny [sic] (about 300

yards) just as the day was breaking over the woods and the mist

floating away from the clear waters.

May 3

The 3rd and part of the 4th were spent in crossing the huge

summits of the Alleghanies. The last mountain of any extent was

overcome on the morning of the 4th and at noon we entered the

handsome town of Chambersburg containing a population of 3500.

Slept at the Hotel, and proceeded early the next morning thro' a

lovely country, the valley of the Susquehanna, and the town of

Harrisburg on its banks, to the City of Lancaster where I passed

the night.

May 6

The next morning's journey was thro' the best cultivated and most

luxuriant agricultural country I had yet seen in the United States.

The farms and farm-buildings were on a grand scale, and the fre-

quent use of the green hawthorn hedge gave a very English look

to the arable lands.

At 3 P. M. we reached Philadelphia, and I put up at the Western

Hotel. Being Sunday evening I attended St. Andrew's on eighth

Street, and heard the very eminent Dr. Bedell.⁵⁸ The Organ and

choir were enchanting. From church I went to Mr. Warder's, 119

Race Street. He had retired early but his brother kindly invited me

to breakfast with them in the morning.

May 7

Mr. Warder received me at breakfast with his accustomed warmth

and after a good deal of conversation, spent the rest of the fore-

noon in driving round the city with me, and visiting the far-famed

 

58 Gregory Townsend Bedell (1793-1834), founder and rector of St. Andrews

Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, attained a remarkable popularity among Christians

of all denominations. He was a noted speaker and the author of several sacred poems

and musical compositions and of a number of books on Christian living.

• 40
 

THE JOURNAL OF THOMAS K. WHARTON             151

 

Waterworks at Fairmount. The great Reservoir occupies the summit

of a rock 100 feet above the Schuylkill river--5 enormous, cylin-

drical water wheels set in motion 10 great Hydraulic Pumps which

suck up the water from the Forebay of the Schuylkill and force it

thro' oblique Tubes into the Reservoir above at the rate of 5000

gallons per minute. The machinery is very simple but the power

tremendous. A fine walk surrounds the reservoir, commanding the

city, the beautiful banks of the Schuylkill, and the Delaware, and

the buildings and contiguous grounds tasteful and ornamental.

Parting with Mr. Warder I left this elegant city at noon from the

Chestnut street wharf on the Steamer Burlington, and landed at

Bordentown about 4 P.M. The broad but common-place Delaware

possessed few features of much interest--shores flat and little to

break their tame uniformity. The Stages were in readiness and after

leaving the highly embellished grounds of Joseph Bonaparte we

proceeded at a tedious and uncomfortable pace along the sandy

roads of New Jersey. Supper and beds awaited us at New Brunswick,

at between 9 and 10 P.M., and at 6 the next morning I was on

board the Steamer Thistle for New York.

May 8

The day very fine and scarce a ripple on the sluggish Raritan,

which wound along between marshy banks until about noon when

the well remembered Bay opened upon us, and in an hour I again

found myself among my hospitable and kind-hearted friends on

Beekman Street.⁵⁹

59 Wharton had now completed a round trip from New York to Ohio and back.

When he had arrived in New York from Hull June 3, 1830, the family had taken

accommodations immediately at the rooming house of Thomas Slocum on Beekman

Street.

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