Ohio History Journal
Reviews, Notes and Comments 321
setts. He has a national and
international reputation
for his contributions to botany and
horticulture. From
1888 to 1897 he was editor of Garden
and Forest. He
has contributed extensively to
publications of the Smith-
sonian Institution and is author of
numerous mono-
graphs.
Winthrop Sargent VII is complimented on
page 91
of the volume as follows:
Winthrop Sargent, of the seventh
generation, the eleventh
of that name, will always be remembered
with gratitude by the
descendants of Epes Sargent, for it is
largely to his imagination,
industry and generosity that they are
indebted for this genealogy
and for the preservation as a family
memorial of the house built
in Gloucester by another Winthrop Sargent for his
daughter
Judith. Mr. Sargent has printed for
private circulation an
account of Paul Dudley Sargent and of
the "Early New England
Sargents." Mr. and Mrs. Sargent
live at Haverford, Pennsyl-
vania, and in summer at Bass Rocks,
Gloucester.
We are under special obligations to Mr.
Sargent for
copies of the publications referred to
as well as for the
special interest that he has manifested
in our work by
becoming a life member of the Ohio
State Archaeolog-
ical and Historical Society.
SIDELIGHTS ON THE LAST DAYS OF GENERAL
U. S. GRANT
There has recently been added to the
library of the
Society a very interesting volume
entitled Life of Al-
phonso Taft,
by Lewis Alexander Leonard. In one of
the chapters near the conclusion of the
work there is an
account of the relation of Judge Taft
to General Grant
and his consideration for the
distinguished warrior in
his last illness at Mount McGregor. Mr.
Charles P.
Taft, son of Judge Taft, "in
obedience to the wishes of
Vol. XXXIII--21.
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322 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications his father as well as in accordance with his own de- sires" sent the well known newspaper man, Mr. Frank Gessner to see General Grant when he was confined to Mount McGregor near Saratoga Springs in his last ill- ness and to inquire whether Judge Taft could be of any service. At this time visitors were rarely permitted to see the distinguished patient. When Mr. Gessner made it known, however, that he came with a message from Judge Taft and his son he was at once admitted to the presence of Mrs. Grant. From her he learned that everything possible had already been done to make the General comfortable and facilitate his work in conclud- ing his Memoirs. A little later Mr. Gessner interviewed General Grant, who at once inquired about Judge Taft and "Charlie." He then had a number of questions to ask about his old home town in Clermont County, Ohio. General Grant could not speak but used a pen and paper to carry on his part of the interview. Here is a fac-simile of a portion of what he said: |
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Reviews, Notes and Comments 323
The question, "Are any of the
Griffiths there yet?"
Mr. Gessner answered in the
affirmative. The General
then humorously observes, "The
town of Batavia must
now be very much dried up with all the
facilities the
people have to get away. I used to take
much delight
in visiting there and through
Clermont." And then he
added, with a touch of pathos,
"But I have made my
last visit."
In this connection the author makes
some statements
that will be news to many readers of
the QUARTERLY
in regard to the kinship and social
relations of the fam-
ilies of General Grant and Jefferson
Davis. Here are
two paragraphs:
Some eight years later, Mrs. U. S. Grant
and Mrs. Jeffer-
son Davis were living at the old New
York Hotel. They were
close friends and had apartments on the
same floor. A caller
on Mrs. Davis being told of Mrs. Grant's
residence in the house,
related the incident of Mr. Gessner's
visit to General Grant at
Mt. McGregor. Mrs. Davis insisted on her
friend seeing the
visitor and soon Mrs. Grant appeared.
The widow of the grand
old warrior and statesman recounted with
interest and pathos
incidents of the last days at Mt.
McGregor, and said the General
was much pleased with the visit from Mr.
Taft's emissary. He
was always very fond of Judge Taft and
all the family.
* * *
It is a fact not generally known that
General Grant and
Jefferson Davis were cousins, the
relationship coming through
the Simpson family, to which their
mothers belonged.
CELEBRATION OF CENTENARY OF LAFAYETTE'S
VISIT TO AMERICA
The McGuffey Society of Columbus, Ohio,
which
has taken the initiative in a number of
worthy literary
and historic enterprises, at its annual
banquet on the eve-
ning of March 25 adopted a resolution
inviting atten-