586 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY
The Secretary submitted the following
reports of
officers and committees:
The past year has been one of unusual
activity in every
department of the work of the Society.
Evidence of this fact
is detailed in the reports of the
officers and committees herewith
submitted. It is hoped that the members
of the Society will read,
at least once, each of these reports.
They exhibit generous and
devoted effort and substantial
achievement.
Soon after the last Annual Meeting, the
importance and mag-
nitude of the work of the Finance
Committee which had in prep-
aration the budget of the Society for
the forthcoming fiscal period
of eighteen months, became apparent.
When your present secretary began his
service with the
Society it was obvious that salaries
paid the Museum and Library
staff were inadequate, in some cases
ridiculously so. A compar-
ison of appropriations for the year 1919 with those for the com-
ing year, presents many striking
contrasts. The progress toward
a fair remuneration and "living
wage" has been slow. Some way
or other legislative committees in the
year 1919 were still clinging
to the idea that service in The Ohio
State Archaeological and His-
torical Society was worth only about
one-half as much as similar
service in other state work. The
precedent had been set and it
was difficult to overcome. The autumn of
1926 found
the com-
pensation of almost every member of the
staff below what was
currently paid elsewhere, not only on
the University grounds
but in other state departments.
The Finance Committee on October 20, 1926, in the prepara-
tion of the budget, determined to ask
again for better pay for
those in the employ of the Society. At a
meeting of the Board of
Trustees on November 1, 1926, the
recommendations of the
Finance Committee, with only slight
changes, were approved.
To the President of the Society went the
responsibility of pre-
senting to the legislative committees
the budget request for a new
wing to the Museum and Library Building.
Upon the shoul-
Minutes of Forty-second Annual
Meeting 587
ders of the Secretary fell, in large
measure, the task of piloting
through the remainder of the budget.
Fortunately, as in the past,
both the President and the Secretary had
back of them the
united support of the Board of Trustees
and the members of
the Society.
Less fortunate, however, was another
confronting condition.
The state treasury was reported short on
funds and sufficient
revenues were not in sight to meet the
necessary expenses of the
coming fiscal period. Announcement was
widely made through
the press that provision would not be
made for additional posi-
tions in any department and that there
would be no increase in
salaries. This made the outlook for the
budget of the Society
rather gloomy. It early became manifest
that nothing short of
an earnest and adequate presentation of
present and pressing
needs would secure the appropriations
imperatively demanded to
meet the increasing activities of the
Society. Such a presenta-
tion was attempted with substantial
results.
To make a long story short, when the
appropriation bill
finally passed, for the first time in
the history of the Society the
compensation of its salaried staff had
been placed on a basis ap-
proximating that of other departments of
the state service. The
precedent having now been set, it is not
probable that diffi-
culty will in the future be experienced
in maintaining a "living
wage" for the staff of the Society.
Further adjustments may be
necessary but they will not be numerous.
The Society will not
be compelled to appear biennially before
the Legislature in a
begging attitude for the means of
livelihood.
Not only was better pay provided for the
staff, but other
requests were given liberal
consideration by the committees of
both houses of the General Assembly and
approved by the
Governor.
The collection of the source materials
of their history has
for many years claimed the active
interest of many states. The
failure to gather and make accessible
for ready reference the
documents and manuscripts, collectively
denominated state ar-
chives, has long been a subject of
reproach to Ohio.
On April 6, 1926, the memorial wing of
the Museum and
588 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
Library Building of this Society was
dedicated with appropriate
and impressive ceremonies. The forenoon
session was devoted
to a conference on "Cultivating the
Field of Ohio History."
The valuable addresses delivered on this
subject may profitably
be considered for years to come in
shaping the policy of this
Society. In speaking of state archives,
Dr. Alexander C. Flick,
Director of Archives and History of the
State of New York,
said in part:
These records not only give the history
of the State and its political
subdivisions but are the foundations for
all land titles; for highways, rail-
roads, canals, public parks and
reservations; for vital statistics and mar-
riages; and for laws and court
decisions. The safeguarding of public records
and maps is indeed one of the
fundamental obligations of the state. Yet
our public records are notoriously
neglected, and Ohio is one of the worst
sinners. The local records have
disappeared in some instances. Those that
are left are too often given inadequate
fire protection; many are shamefully
neglected by local officials who have no
idea of their value; and they are
seldom catalogued and arranged for convenient
use. The state records are
given better attention but they are
incomplete; are scattered among the
various departments of the state
government; and are neglected, badly
arranged, and inadequately catalogued
for use.
On this theme Wallace H. Cathcart,
Director of the Western
Reserve Historical Society, said on the
same occasion:
I have been anxious to see some action
by the Legislature for the
preservation of the real history of
Ohio, as contained in the state archives.
I think it would make anyone here sick
to go into the basement of the
State House, as I have many times, and
see the records and files of this
state, manuscripts of the period of the
Civil War, scattered over the floor,
where any one going into the room would
walk on them. Go into the
Governor's office and try to find papers
of the previous governors that have
been in office. If the State Historical
Society could in some way get hold
of those records and safeguard them, I
think it would be one of the greatest
advance steps they could take.
The General Assembly, at its regular
session this year, passed
what is known as the Romans Law,
introduced by Mrs. Viola D.
Romans, a representative from Franklin
County. It is the first
measure enacted in Ohio looking toward
the custody, preservation
and care of the state archives. It is
brief, comprehensive,
explicit and so evidently fair that it
passed without opposition.
The text in full is as follows:
Any department, commission, board,
officer or other administrative
agency of the state government, having
charge of documents, books, manu-
scripts, records or papers, may arrange
with the Ohio State Archaeological
Minutes of Forty-second Annual
Meeting 589
and Historical Society for the transfer
of such documents, books, manu-
scripts, records or papers, in whole or
in part, to the custody of said so-
ciety on such terms and conditions as
may be agreed upon by such depart-
ment, commission, board, officer or
other administrative agency of the
state and the board of trustees of the
Ohio State Archaeological and His-
torical Society; and such transfer shall
be made on approval of such agrce-
ment by the governor. (Ohio Laws, Vol. 112, p.
108.)
This act forms Sections 154-159 of the
General Code of Ohio.
It is not mandatory. When any department
or other adminis-
trative agency of the State wishes to
transfer documents or
archives to the custody of the Ohio
State Archaeological and
Historical Society and the latter is
willing to receive them, the
transfer may be made with the approval
of the Governor. This
prepares the way for the acquisition by
the Society of valuable
sources of Ohio history now inaccessible
and in many instances
not even known to exist.
But all the favorable action of the
General Assembly would
have been largely in vain, so far as the
immediate future is con-
cerned, had not provision been made for
additional room in the
Museum and Library Building. The prompt
addition of a new
wing was necessarily preparatory, not
only for the reception of
the state archives but for the growth of
the library from other
sources. The basement room assigned to
newspapers, for more
than six months past, has been full to
overflowing. With the
acquisition of other important files in
immediate prospect, more
space is needed, even if nothing is
secured from any state de-
partment. It was, therefore, most
fortunate that appropriation
was made for a new wing to the building
of the Society. This
not only meets an imperative need, but
we might almost say,
tides over a crisis in the history of
the Society.
Gratifying progress has been made in
additions to the li-
brary.
Especially is this true of the newspaper department.
Eighteen months ago the collection of
Ohio papers, here accessible
for research purposes, was a very modest
one. Today this col-
lection is by far the largest and most
representative in the city
of Columbus. In this brief period more
Ohio papers have been
added to the library of the Society than
have been added and
preserved in the State Library in the
last one hundred years.
590 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
In a short time, with continued
encouragement and effort this
can be made the largest collection of
its kind in the world.
The acquisition of the Winthrop Sargent
papers, fully noted
at the last Annual Meeting, has been
increased through the kindly
interest of Winthrop Sargent VII, by the
contribution of a num-
ber of manuscript letters and documents,
all relating to the early
history of this country, and most of
them to the Northwest Ter-
ritory. The Winthrop Sargent collection,
in the possession of
the Society, is now one of the most
notable owned by the State.
It is planned to have, at a not distant
date, photostat copies made
of each of these manuscripts for use by
students. The originals
can then be placed in the vault for safe
keeping.
For the past six years the library of
the Society has been
dependent for its cash gifts upon a
member of our Board of
Trustees, Hon. Claude Meeker. He
commenced by the purchase
of the large library of Ohioana,
collected by the late Daniel J.
Ryan, and presented the same to the
Society. Since then, when
cash was needed to make some valuable
additions to the library
and money from our regular
appropriations was not available,
Mr. Meeker has come forward and
generously furnished funds.
Within the past year there was offered
to the Society an im-
portant collection of papers left by
Samuel Medary, Territorial
Governor of Minnesota and Kansas, and
for many years editor
of The Ohio Statesman and The
Crisis, published in Columbus.
These were offered for sale and Mr.
Meeker generously furnished
the funds for the purchase. The Society
has been fortunate in
cash gifts for other departments of its
work, but thus far Mr.
Meeker almost alone has given money for
the upbuilding of the
library. For this reason his interest is
the more highly appre-
ciated and stimulates the hope that in
time other donors will come
to our aid.
While money donations to the library are
thus limited to a
single donor, very valuable gifts of
books, papers and pictures
have been made in recent years: the
library of the Old Northwest
Genealogical and Historical Society,
through the generosity of
Messrs. George F. Spahr and Theodore E.
Glenn and the in-
terest of General Edward Orton, Jr. and
Walter D. McKinney;
Minutes of Forty-second Annual
Meeting 591
the Gard Library presented by D. H.
Gard, the last surviving
charter member of the Society, and a
number of other gifts
of lesser note but of distinctive
importance.
Within the past year, Mrs. Oscar Lear
has transferred to
the Society the library of her late
husband, for many years a
life member.
Miss Marietta Comly, of Washington, D.
C., a life member
of the Society, presented a collection
of books including rare
items on Indian Basketry.
Miss May Siebert and Mrs. Orlando Miller
presented a
collection of war books from the library
of their father, the late
Mr. John Siebert, and also a beautiful
banner of his regiment.
Miss Elizabeth Sullivant and Miss Jane
B. Sullivant, grand-
daughters of Lucas Sullivant, the
founder of Franklinton, now
a part of Columbus, made a notable gift
to the Society including
a copy of the "Genealogy and Family
Memorial," by their father,
Joseph Sullivant; the very rare map of
the Northwest Territory,
by Samuel Lewis, published in 1796; and
a large detailed wall map
of Ohio, published in 1815, by B. Hough,
A. Bourne and J.
Melish. The Society is most fortunate in
securing these two
maps for which it had long searched in
vain.
Within the year the unpublished
manuscripts and a number
of books left by Col. W. L. Curry, a
veteran of the Civil War
with an enviable military record and
long a life member of the
Society, came into the possession of the
library. Col. Curry had
been engaged for a number of years in
preparation for publish-
ing a "History of Ohio in the Civil
War." He died before his
manuscript was published. It is our
purpose to arrange this manu-
script systematically with a view to
preservation in such form that
it may be available for future
publication by the Society or other
interested parties. For years Col. Curry
had been recognized
by his veteran comrades of the Grand
Army of the Republic as
the best informed survivor of the Civil
War on all questions re-
lating to Ohio's participation in that
conflict.
A few days ago, Mrs. Daniel J. Ryan
presented a collection
of photographs left by her husband, a
number of which had been
used in the Randall and Ryan
"History of Ohio." With these
592 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
were included some valuable manuscript
letters from eminent
public men. Mrs. Ryan has loaned to the
Society an oil painting
of her husband, the late Daniel J. Ryan,
a life member and long
an officer and devoted worker in the
upbuilding of this Society.
It is now on exhibition in the office of
the Secretary. Grateful
acknowledgment has been made for these
gifts and the loan of
the portrait.
The fine, large portrait of Abraham
Lincoln, over the en-
trance to the library, was presented by
Miss Maude Collins.
A number of important committee meetings
have been held
since the last Annual Meeting. Following
precedent a few only
of these are here noted.
On September 21, 1926, a meeting
of the Library Committee
was held. At this meeting the need of
additional room and the
creation of an "Archives
Department" was considered. Professor
W. H. Siebert moved "that the
President appoint a committee of
three members whose duty it shall be to
visit Governor Donahey
and solicit his interest and cooperation
in ways and means for
the preservation and systematic
arrangement of the archives of
the state government." The motion
was unanimously adopted and
the chairman appointed the committee.
The Finance Committee held a meeting on
October 20 and
21,
1926, to consider and formulate a budget
for the ensuing
fiscal period of eighteen months.
On November 1, the Board of Trustees met
for the trans-
action of business, including the
consideration of the report of
the Finance Committee on the budget
requests to be presented at
the coming session of the General
Assembly. The report of the
Finance Committee, with slight changes,
was approved with sus-
taining statements.
On April 14, 1927, the Board of
Trustees met to authorize
the President, Secretary and Treasurer
of the Society to sign the
contract and documents necessary to the
construction and erection
of a suitable memorial at the site of
the Battle of Fallen Timbers,
"said memorial to be designed,
constructed and erected by Bruce
Wilder Saville, sculptor, in conformity
with models and speci-
fications furnished and approved by this
board."
Minutes of
Forty-second Annual Meeting 593
On May 31, 1927, the Board of
Trustees met at the call of
the President. The
Treasurer made a comprehensive report of
appropriations granted
at the recent session of the General As-
sembly. Following
this, the President outlined a program for
the remainder of the
year, assigning to each committee a definite
statement of the work
to be done. The chairmen of the various
committees thereupon
submitted reports in accordance with the
suggestions of the
President, which were in every instance unani-
mously approved.
Full reports of this
important meeting and others herein
noted are found in the
Minute Book of the Society.
Among the new
activities authorized by the General Assem-
bly are the operation
of photostat equipment and the indexing
of the publications of
the Society. A photographer and an in-
dexer have been
employed and the results of their labors will
be available for the
next Annual Report.
Mr. Harold G. Simpson,
who has recently made an inventory
of the newspapers in
the Ohio State Library, makes to me the
following comparative
report.
Newspapers in the Ohio
State Archaeological and Historical
Society Library:
Bound volumes
..................... 3701
Unbound volumes
................... 4404
Total
........................... 8105
Newspapers in the Ohio
State Library:
Bound volumes
..................... 5714
Unbound volumes
................... 639
Total ........................... 6353
This shows that there
are 1752 more volumes, bound and
unbound, in the
library of the Society than in the State Library.
Within the past year
there have been numbered and recorded
on cards, 2865 books,
partly duplicates and partly volumes not
appropriate for use in
the library of an historical society.
There have also been
accessioned since November 15, 1926,
1286 books and bound pamphlets.
Vol. XXXVI--38.
594 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications
The most important problem now claiming
the immediate at-
tention of the Secretary of the Society
is the upbuilding of the
Library. A large extension of its
newspaper collection, in the very
near future, is in prospect. The present
opportunity may not
continue indefinitely. The library is
accumulating, gradually, a
creditable collection of county
histories of Ohio. This can be
supplemented at any time. After a
thorough canvass of the Ohio
newspaper field, an intensive campaign
for the collection of every-
thing relating to local source materials
may be inaugurated.
Regardless of temporary delays,
misunderstandings, and other
trivial hindrances, it is the purpose of
the Secretary to push the
work of establishing here a reference
library creditable to the
State of Ohio and worthy of its
incomparable history.
In conclusion I wish to thank the Board
of Trustees and the
officers of the Society for continued
support and cooperation,
and the members of the library staff for
faithful service and
loyal assistance in carrying forward the
work which devolves
upon the Secretary as Librarian. Without
presumption, I am sure
that I may also express the gratitude of
our entire membership for
the kindly consideration of state
officials and the generous financial
aid of the General Assembly of Ohio,
which has made 1927 a
bright year in the history of this
Society.
C. B. GALBREATH,
Secretary.
REPORT OF DIRECTOR
I take great pleasure in submitting my
sixth annual report
as Director of the Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical
Society Museum. This Museum was
established by the Society
by inserting as one of the articles of
incorporation that the So-
ciety should establish and maintain a
Museum of prehistoric
relics and natural or other curiosities
or specimens of art or
nature promotive of the objects of the
Association.
Your Director has passed through a year
of untold anxiety
on account of a severe illness which was
a handicap in every
respect. At no time during the year has
the Museum received
the attention that it should have from
the Director, but the staff