The OHIO HISTORICAL Quarterly
VOLUME 67 ~ NUMBER ~ JULY 1958
Nine Letters of Nathaniel Dike
On the Western Country, 1816
- 1818
Edited by DWIGHT L. SMITH*
IN JUNE OF 1816 a young prospective
lawyer set out from
Haverhill, Massachusetts, to seek his
fortune in the West. As was
not unusual then for one who traveled a
long distance, he wrote
home letters of considerable length to
describe his journey and the
new land to which he came. But in this
instance the traveler was
a keen observer who was interested in
reporting what he saw and
who was equipped to report it well.
The young prospective lawyer was
Nathaniel Dike, a graduate
of Yale College and a man about
twenty-six years of age when he
left home. He came well recommended,
carrying with him letters
to prominent persons in the West (at
least one of the letters was
written by Timothy Pickering, who had
been a member of both
Washington's and John Adams' cabinets).1
Dike's first destination
was Pittsburgh, but he soon went on to
Steubenville, Ohio, where
he eventually established himself.
In Steubenville he read law, was
admitted to the bar, practiced
for a short time, married the
granddaughter of a local doctor, and
then for many years engaged
successively and successfully in the
dry goods business, the wool trade, and
the wholesale grocery
business. At various times in his life
in Steubenville he was the
* Dwight L. Smith is associate professor
of history at Miami University.
1 Timothy Pickering to Rufus Putnam, May
29, 1816. Marietta College Manu-
scripts, Marietta College, Marietta,
Ohio.
190
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
president of the Steubenville town
council, a common pleas judge,
and a representative in the state
general assembly.2
Before leaving Massachusetts, Dike had
promised his brother
that he would "treasure up and
communicate" to him whatever
might aid him "in forming a
correct estimate of the Western
country." He kept his promise in a
series of letters that he wrote
along the way and for more than a year
and a half after his arrival.
Eight of the letters the brother
subsequently copied and bound for
a clergyman in Bath, Maine.3
These eight letters and another Dike
wrote to a "respected
friend" to whom he was indebted
for letters of recommendation
are reproduced here in full.4 They
give possibly as penetrating
pictures of many of the subjects that
he touched upon as any of the
more professional travelers of the
time--with whom, in the final
letter, Dike compares himself.
The first two letters were written to
his brother from Pittsburgh;
the remaining seven, from Steubenville,
Wheeling, and Zanesville,
as Dike traveled about the state of
Ohio. The first two are devoted
largely to his journey and to the city
of Pittsburgh; the remainder,
almost exclusively to Ohio--to the
nature of the country and the
conditions of life. Dike has a wide
range of interests. Primarily he
is interested in people and "the
state of society," as he calls it. But
he is also interested in the state of
religion and the state of the
economy and in the conditions of trade
and travel. He is interested
in constitutions and laws, in the sale
and lease of lands, and in land
speculation. And he is interested in
the face of the country--in the
character of its forests, its soil, and
its crops, and in its habitations,
its roads, and its towns. Finally, he
is interested in the new country's
prospects for the future and in its
advantages and disadvantages, as
he sees them.
2 See John A. Caldwell, History of
Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio (Wheel-
ing, 1880), 440; W. H. Hunter, "The
Pathfinders of Jefferson County," Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical
Quarterly, VI (1898), 222; and Joseph
L. Delafield,
"Notes on the Woods Family, of
Bedford, Pennsylvania," Pennsylvania Magazine of
History and Biography, XXXII (1908), 340.
3 An inscription on the inside flyleaf
reads, "These letters were from/Nathl Dike
Esq of Steuben/ville Ohio to his
brother/John Dike of Salem Mass/by him copied
& sent to/Rev J. W. Ellingwood
of/Bath Maine."
4 They are all in the library of the
Ohio Historical Society.
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 191
Though Dike is a keen observer, he is
also an ultra-conservative
New Englander of sensitivity and taste.
Much of what he sees, he
sees with New England eyes, and there
is an almost constant
comparison with New England--implicit
when not explicit--in
nearly all his comments; if
occasionally there is an air of supercili-
ousness in them, there is more of
homesickness. But Dike is never
too aloof or disdainful to react
strongly, and often in his distaste
he is most penetrating. On the whole,
however, he is concerned
with relating "plain matters of
fact and observation," as he puts it
in the letter to his "respected
friend," and with giving "a faithful
view of the Western country," as
he says it in the last letter to
his brother.
After the brother copied the eight
letters he eventually sent to
Bath, he did some slight editing to
improve them, as the manuscript
quite clearly shows. The eight letters
are reproduced as the brother
preferred them, and all nine have been
transcribed as near to the
original writing as possible.
Pittsburgh June 21, 1816
My Dear Brother,
I arrived here last evening; and as I
know your anxiety to hear of
my progress, I take the earliest
opportunity to write you. On my
journey I dated letters to you, at
Litchfield, Con. and at Johnson-
borough, N. Jersey. I shall merely
furnish you with the outlines of
my route so that you can trace it on
the map; and then relate those
occurrences of my journey which I think
may afford you amusement
or instruction.
I left Haverhill, Mass. on the 2nd of
the present month, in a
light one horse waggon, with another
gentleman who was going
to the Ohio to seek a settlement. We
passed through Worcester,
Springfield, in
Massachusetts;--Litchfield in Connecticut; crossed
the Hudson from Fishkill to Newberg in
New York,--through
Newton, or Sussex Courthouse N.
Jersey;--Easton, where we
crossed the Delaware on a most
beautiful bridge 510 ft long,
supported by 3 arches, completely
covered,--Bethlehem, where
192
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
there is a celebrated
"Establishment for Female Education",5 and
likewise a famous nunnery,--crossed the
Leheigh on a beautiful
chain bridge,--through Reading,--crossed the Skuylkill by a
ford,--thro' Harrisburgh, where we
cross'd the Susquehanna by a
ferry. This river is wide, shallow and
rapid. A good bridge is now
building over the Susquehanna at
Harrisburgh,--through Carlisle,
Strasburgh,6 Bedford, where
is a mineral spring much resorted to
by the gentry of
Pensylvania,--Greensburgh to Pittsburgh, in
Pensylvania.
Ever since I left home my mind has been
disturbed with the
reflection that I did not duly weigh
the subject of a removal
(perhaps for life) from the society of
my relations and friends, a
distance of 800 or a 1000 miles, to a
land of strangers. The act of
taking a final leave of my friends,
proved, at the crisis, to be a most
cruel and distressing one. For some
days after I left home, it was
with difficulty that I could refrain
from tears. But I consoled myself
with the anticipated enjoyment of a
country rendered happy, by the
fertility of its soil, the mildness
& salubrity of its climate, and the
unrivalled prosperity of its
inhabitants.
At Wilbraham in Massachusetts I passed
the spot where
happened the famous murder of Lyon by
Dailey & Halliger. A
stone is set up by the road-side to
mark the spot. Lyon was on
horseback going to visit a young lady
to whom he expected soon
to be married. He was young &
well-dressed; but had no money
of any consequence about him. He was
murdered about 2 o'clock
P.M. on the great & much travelled
road from Albany to Boston.
His murderers were Irishmen; one of
them, I believe, had been a
lawyer. They were overtaken at New York
in 2 days after the
affair, and were convicted principally
on the evidence of a boy
about 12 years old, who, as he was
strolling in the fields, saw them
leading Lyons' horse into the woods.
While at Simsbury, Con. I visited New
Gate Prison the state
prison of Con. an abode of guilt and
wretchedness which surpasses
the conception of those who have not
seen it. The prison yard
5 The Moravian Seminary and College for
Women. See Elma E. Gray and Leslie
R. Gray, Wilderness Christians: The Moravian Mission
to the Delaware Indians
(Ithaca, N.Y., 1956), 331.
6 Now known as Upper Strasburg.
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 193
encloses 2 pits that were sunk before
the Revolution in pursuit of
copper ore,--a dwelling house for the
keeper, and the workshops
of the prisoners who are all employed
in making nails. Immediately
under the yard at the depth of 80 ft
below ground, is a cavern about
5 ft in height, 30 ft in breadth &
40 or 50 ft in length in which the
prisoners lodge. One of the pits is 90
ft deep, having a large spring
of water at the bottom from which they
draw for the use of the
prison. It is closed at the top &
made perfectly fast every night; for
it communicates with the cavern. Over
the other pit is built the
guard-house. Thro' the floor of the
guard room the prisoners
descend every evening at sunset to
their lodging; and come up again
to their work at sunrise. I was there
about mid-day. Being desirous
of seeing the cavern, the Sergeant of
the Guard engaged to be my
guide. He prepared himself by throwing
off every article of dress
that might encumber him, took a lighted
candle himself, and gave
me one. The trap-door over the mouth of
the pit was raised by 2
soldiers who appeared to exert nearly
all their strength. The
entrance is about 4 ft square, and so
perfectly dark that you could
not see a foot in, and exhaled a very
damp air. We descended in
the first place, one by one, 60 ft
perpendicularly on a ladder
suspended at the top by iron hooks. We
then made our way about
60 ft farther, through a very small
& winding passage, to the
cavern, the walls of which are solid
rock, and continually dripping
with moisture. There is not a single
ray of light except what you
carry with you. In the middle of the
cavern, 2 rooms are boarded
up apparently about 12 ft square in
which all the prisoners to the
number of 45 are confined every night.7
As we travelled from Easton, Pen. to
Carlisle I was surprised to
find the country so extensively settled
by Dutch. The inhabitants
almost universally speak the Dutch
language. I met several of them
who could not understand English. In
all the taverns and stores you
see a multitude of bibles, almanacks
& newspapers in the Dutch
language. The traveller from N.E. finds
himself as much at a loss
I presume as he would in Germany. They
cordially hate what they
call the Yankees, and the moment
they see one, they bristle up like
7 Established
in 1773, Newgate Prison continued in use as Connecticut's state
prison until 1827. See Norris Galpin Osborn, ed., History
of Connecticut in Mono-
graphic Form (New
York, 1925), V, 391-396, 417-420.
194
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
a cat when she sees a dog approaching
her. The soil for the most
part is very rich. Many of the Dutch
farmers have large & excellent
stone barns, and keep a large number of
capital horses. They are
said in general to possess great
wealth. But they are the most
ignorant, bigoted, surly, filthy beings
on earth. We rarely enjoyed
a peaceable nights lodging among them,
for the stench of brimstone
or the ravages of bed-bugs. They never
have more than one sheet
on a bed, and the pillow cases are
often of calico patch work. They
keep no spirituous liquors except
whisky, the most vile, offensive
stuff that ever was drunk. They are so
used to large drams them-
selves, that if you call for a glass,
they will be as likely to bring
you half a pint as any less quantity;
and for this foul & scurrilous
entertainment you have to pay a most
unconscionable bill. In the
Dutch settlements I saw more girls
& women than men, at work in
the fields. At one place I saw 2 girls
apparently about 18 or 20 years
of age loading a waggon while they were
knee deep in dung in the
barn-yard. At Kutztown I staid all
night. At the tavern there was a
Dutch dance. 8 or 10 couple had
assembled in the bar-room. The
music was the merest sawing. The girls
stood in a clump by
themselves, and the young men in
another clump by themselves.
A tune was struck--all jumped out into
the floor apparently with-
out any previous arrangement. The dance
was simple & silly. The
young men were smoking cigars as they
danced. At the close of each
dance, one of the young men call'd for
a glass of whisky-sling--
stood before his partner, bowed &
drank himself, then offered it
to her,--she drank to him--then went
& stood before some other
young man, bowed & drank, then
offered it to him, &c. My Dear
Brother you have no conception how
little these people are raised
above the brutes. Travelling among them
only filled me with dis-
gust, and made me sigh for the social
comforts of N.E. The roads
are miserable and almost impassable
with light carriages. The peo-
ple use no pleasure-carriages, and if
their own massive waggons
drawn by 6 horses, can get along at the
rate of 2 miles in an hour,
they are ready to cut the throat of any
traveller who complains of
the badness of their roads. Soon after
leaving Shippinsburgh we
met with the mountains called "The
3 Brothers". They are each
3 miles over. The next mountain is
Sideling Ridge. The next "The
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 195
Alleghany" which is said to be 12
or 15 miles over--then Laurel
Hill 8 or 9 miles over--then Chesnut
Ridge. The passage of these
mountains is dangerous &
difficult,& often occasions great delays.--
I will write you again before I leave
Pittsburgh.
Adieu---
Pittsburgh June 24th, 1816.
Dear Brother,
I mentioned in my last that pleasure
carriages are very little used
in the Western parts of Pensylvania.
The lightness of our waggon
often subjected it to the wit and
ridicule of the natives. When a
whole family is to go abroad, they form
quite a caravan; there must
be a horse for every person, and one or
two pack horses to carry the
baggage. As I was riding into
Pittsburgh, I saw a woman riding
on horseback, with an infant feeding at
her breast. The day was
extremely hot and in addition to her
other employments she held an
umbrella over her head. Nothing is more
common than to see
women travelling on horseback carrying
their infants with them.
Almost all the foreign goods that are
consumed in the Western
country are brought over the mountains
in "road-waggons" from
Phila. & Balte. These waggons carry
from 1 1/2 to 2 tons and are
drawn by 5 and 6 horses. There is a
vast number of these waggons
continually on the road, and they prove
a great annoyance to
travellers. The price of carriage from
Phila. to Pittsburgh fluctuates
from 6 to 9 Dols per C [100] lbs; and
the time taken up in the
performance of the trip is usually
about 18 days. A turnpike is
nearly completed from Phila. to
Pittsburgh about 300 ms [miles].
It is laid out the usual width of
public roads, I think 60 ft., and in
the middle is a kind of pavement
composed principally of sand
stone and limestone and on each side of
this a good track 8 ft wide.
The pavement is 20 ft wide and 1 ft
deep. The stone, at the bottom
is broken up so small that every piece
will pass in any direction
through a 5 inch ring, and at the top
so small that every piece will
pass thro' a 3 inch ring. A large
number of gentlemen in Philadel-
phia & Pittsburgh are about to form
themselves into a company
for the purpose of establishing a
complete line of waggons with
196
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
relays of horses, in the manner of mail
stages for the purpose of
transporting goods between those cities.
It is expected that they will
deliver goods at Pittsburgh in 7 or 8
days from Phila. at 3 or 4 dols
per 100 lbs.
As I was coming on I met several
families from New Jersey and
New York returning from the Western
Country. They were
fatigued, impoverished, and sick almost
to death, of the Ohio. They
were very anxious to get home, to tell
their friends the truth, and
to dispell the delusions which led them
to fancy the Western
World, an earthly paradise--Altho' I
could not but compassionate
their sufferings, I was amused at the good
earnest with which they
expressed themselves. They said they
would rather live on one meal
a day in their native state than on 3 in
Ohio.
Pittsburgh is situated at the confluence
of the Alleghany and
Monongahela rivers. It has great
advantages for internal trade.
It was incorporated a city in the spring
of this year, and contains
about 10,000 in[habitants]. Its
manufactories are numerous and
important. They employ 1400, or 1500
hands, and produce about
$2,000,000. Iron and Glass works are the
most important. All
machinery which requires a great moving
power is driven by Steam.
I confess that I have taken a great
dislike to this city. Fossil
coal is the principal fuel used.
Consequently there is a dense, black
cloud of smoke constantly resting over
the city, which has imparted
to every building a kind of dusky hue,
and to the whole place a
most lugubrious aspect--all the
inhabitants, even the ladies, have
smutty faces & hands, and one can
hardly avoid fancying himself
in the domains of the Cyclops. Rain
water caught from the roofs
is so black as to be unfit for use; and
in winter the snow in falling
becomes so impregnated with soot, that
it would be quite a back-
handed compliment, to tell a lady that
her neck was as white as
snow. It is impossible to keep a house
clean. You see traces of coal
dust in every part of it. The hills
which surround Pittsburgh appear
to be solid masses of coal. It is sold
& delivered at 8 cts. per
Bush[el]. The water of this place is
bad. It is peculiarly offensive
and injurious to strangers. Very many
families use river water alto-
gether. I have seen here several females
with swell'd throats, which
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 197
is a great deformity to their persons,
and is said to proceed from
the bad qualities of the water.
At Pittsburgh, emigrants from East to
West, who choose that
mode of conveyance, take water; and
merchants embark their goods
which are in the course of
transportation from the eastern cities
to the countries bordering on the
Western waters. The boats
principally in use on this river for
burden are "Keel-boats" and
"Flats"; or, as these last are
sometimes called, "Kentucky-boats."
The keels used, are often 80 or 100 ft
long, and carry 40 or 50
tons burthen. The largest draw from 2
1/2 to 3 ft of water; and are,
at a common stage of the water, 15 or 20
days in descending to the
mouth of the Ohio. They require to be
manned with one oarsman
to every 3000 lbs of burthen. The price
of freight in these, from
Pittsburgh to the Falls [at Louisville]
(about 700 ms by water)
is 75 ct C, back again $1.50, C. There
is generally a wind blowing
up river which aids their return. The
"Kentucky boats" are used
only for descending the river.
They are employed in conveying the
produce of the country to N. Orleans.
River merchants also use
them, who are employed in retailing
merchandise from their boats.
I have seen these store-boats stockd.
with $8 or 10,000 worth of
merchandise. This business was once
profitable; it is now very dull.
Moving families also which are
descending the river, provide them-
selves with boats of this description.
It is a flat, bottomed boat,
generally of oak plank, and usually
about 40 ft. long & 12 ft broad.
They may be much smaller according to
circumstances. A pretty
good family boat may be got for about 40
dols. These boats look
like good, large, well covered
hog-sties. These, when arrived at the
place of destination, can be sold only
at their value for lumber.--
I see moving families every day on the
river. Many a family stows
all, bag & baggage, horse &
foot in the same boat. It is afflicting to
see their plight.--The river is, at most
seasons, difficult of naviga-
tion for about 45 ms. below Pittsburgh.
The obstructions in this
distance, are rocks and ripples. Several
boats within my own obser-
vation have sunk, and ruined their
cargoes. The breadth of the river
is usually from 400 to 600 yards; but at
its confluence with the
Missisippi & 100 miles above, it is
1000 yards.--The velocity of
198 THE OHIO HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
the Ohio is from 60 to 100 ms. in 24
hours. At the lowest stage of
the water, it moves about 2 ms. an
hour, in a flood 5. Fish are
scarce in this river. The principal are
cat-fish weighing from 3 to
100 lbs, pike from 4 to 15 lbs,
sturgeon, perch &c.
The expense of living in Pittsburgh is
nearly as great as it is in
Philadelphia. The price of rents &
provisions is exorbitant. At the
public houses you have to pay $7 &
8 pr. week for board.--I shall
leave here in a few days to go into the
state of Ohio. It will
probably be several months before you
hear from me again--8
Adieu---
Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio,
July 15.9
Respected Friend,
As I know that needless ceremony is an
offence to you, I will pass
over those compliments and apologies
that my feelings might
dictate, and proceed directly to plain
matters of fact and observation.
I arrived at Pittsburg the 20th day
from Haverhill--staid there 3
days, and arrived at this place the 3d
day from Pitt. I will barely
distinguish such points in my rout, as
will enable you to trace the
general course of it. Worcester,
Springfield, (Mass) Leitchfield,
(Con) crossed the Hudson, from Fishkill
to Newbergh.--Sussex
Courthouse, (N Jersey), crossed the
Delaware at Easton, (Pen)
Bethlehem, Harrisburgh, Carlisle,
Shippinsburgh, Bedford, Queens-
burg [Greensburg], Pittsburgh.--by the
river 70 miles to Steuben-
ville.--As to the portion of N J
through which I rode, the land, the
buildings, the inhabitants, all wore
the appearance of poverty and
wretchedness. The country bordering the
road from Easton, (Pen)
to Carlisle is the most fertile I ever
saw. The timber in this tract is
principally oak and hickory of great
size. I saw no pine. Wherever
8 The next letter to his brother was
written ten months later on April 14, 1817.
9 This is the only letter not addressed
to his brother. The date "1815" appears in
the upper right-hand corner of the
manuscript letter over the date line, but it is an
error, either on Dike's part or on the
part of someone who added it later, and has
been omitted, as the letter
unquestionably was written in 1816. The "Respected
Friend" to whom the letter is addressed
may have been the Rev. J. W. Ellingwood of
Bath, Maine, for whom the other letters
were copied, since all of the letters were
acquired from the same source by the Ohio Historical
Society.
There is much additional, as well as
overlapping, matter in this letter.
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 199
the eye ranged, it met extensive fields
of rich clover and grain. The
fences are all of wood, there being no
stone on the cultivated land.
The barns & houses are mostly built
of unhewn sandstone, brought
from ledges often at a great distance.
The barns are frequently 3
stories in height, with foundations 30
ft by 70 or 80. Very many
of the dwelling houses are small and
mean, and all of them built
without taste. I saw in this tract not
one good fruit orchard. The
inhabs. are all Dutch. Their
Newspapers, Almanacks, bibles, and
the manuscript of advertisements that I
saw in the public houses
were all in the Dutch language. The
taverners could speak bad
English, but many of the inhabs. could
not speak it at all. I actually
seemed to be among foreigners in a
foreign country. I assure you that
nothing can exceed the ignorance,
impudence, stupidity, filthiness,
and illnature of these people. Surely
these are fit materials to render
this section of the country, as it is
in fact, the hot-bed of Democracy.
--Soon after leaving Carlisle, we met
those huge ridges of moun-
tains, which together, constitute what
is called the "Back-bone of
America;" and divide the waters
which fall into the Atlantic from
those which fall into the Missisippi.
The principal of these ridges
are, the 3 Brothers, Sideling Ridge,
Alleghany, Laurel Hill, and
Chesnut Ridge. The Brothers are each 3
miles over--the Alleghany
12; or according to some 15. They are
all thinly inhabited. From
Carlisle you ride through quite a
mountainous country all the way
to Pitt. This place, the largest in the
western country, was incor-
porated a city, May 8, 1816. It is
supposed to contain 10,000 in.
It is situated on a plain perhaps 3 ms.
by 1 or 1 1/2, surrounded on
every side by steep hills, which seem
to be composed almost entirely
of fossil coal. Coal delivered is worth
5 or 6 cts per Bushel. A vast
variety of manufactures are carried on
here. The most remarkable
are perhaps, the Iron, and Glass works.
Machinery of every sort,
that requires any considerable power to
move it, is driven by the
force of steam. Grist mills as well as
others are wrought by steam.
And so it is throughout the Western
country. Coal is the only fuel
us'd, which emits, during combustion, a
very dense, black smoke.
It sometimes fills the atmosphere over
the city, and has so soil'd
every house and building of whatever
description, as to give them
a very dim and funereal aspect. There
is not one handsome house
200
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
in Pitt. I delivered Mr Ross10 the
letter from Col. P. and another
that you procur'd for me from Col. T.
soon after my arrival. I saw
him at his house twice and received
very polite attentions from him.
He went with me to the Glass works,
where is made every
description of vessels of Flint Glass.
There was a great assortment
of ware in the storeroom. Here were
some decanters and other
articles that I cannot give names to,
more superbly ornamented than
any thing of the kind I ever before
saw. In Pittsburgh there seems
to be a great gathering together of the
scum of humanity from
every part of creation. Assaults and
batteries occur every day
between the first citizens. Every day
as I passed through the streets
I witness'd innumerable affrays among
boys and the lower classes
of people, often was alarmed at the
rout and riot which rung from
the windows, and at the madness &
fury which distorted the persons
of the kitchen crew as they poured out
of the doors armed with
shovels and brooms. During my stay
there, there happen'd 3
personal fisticuff combats, which
attracted some notice. 3 of the
combatants, were a Mr Poe, cashier, Mr Shaler,
a lawyer of con-
siderable note, & Mr Lewis an
eminent physician. I attended the
Court of Quarter Sessions which was
then sitting there. The trials
were all for assaults and batteries.
One was that of an Irishman for
biting off two joints of another Irishmans
finger. I saw the stump
of the finger which in fact was so
bitten that amputation was
necessary. The counsel for one of the
parties was Shaler mentioned
above. His eyes were severely bruised
and his face much scratched.
The Jury were principally Irish, and
the witnesses were Irish. It was
with the greatest difficulty that I
could understand any thing that
was said. Parties, witnesses, court and
jury all seemed to be in a
great rage. You would have laughed
heartily had you seen the up-
roar--The Judge began his charge to the
jury thus: "Gentlemen, this
is a common case of assault and
battery." In Pitt. houserent, every
article of provisions and clothing is,
to say the least, as high as in
Boston. Potatoes have been actually
sold this summer for 2 dols
per Bush. The principal landing is on
the shore of the Monongahela
at the S.W. part of the town. This
shore, for a considerable distance
10 Probably James Ross, for many years a
United States Senator from Pennsylvania.
Dike later married a niece of Mrs. Ross. Delafield,
"Notes on the Woods Family,"
338-340; Caldwell, History of Belmont
and Jefferson Counties, 440.
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 201
is lined with boats of all sizes and
descriptions. Moving families
generally descend the river in what are
called Flats. They resemble
precisely a large, coarse, covered,
hogsty afloat: and are for the
most part, not a whit cleaner, or
better. The accomodations for
sailing down the river are at present
very miserable. 2 steam boats
are building at Pitt. But no one leaves
[on?] them at stated periods.
I came from Pitt. to this place in a
Keel, (as it is called.) It drew
3 ft water, was 95 ft long, and had 37
tons loading, bound to
Nashville Tennessee. It had 6 hands, 4
rowers, 1 at helm to guide
the boat, and one at the bow to look
out for shoals and ripples.
The navigation for loaded boats from P.
to the great falls at Louis-
ville is dangerous. We ran aground once
delay'd 40 minutes,--put
to shore every night. We lived all the
time upon smoked middlings
of pork, hard bread, and river water.
That is bad enough; but the
well water of this country is worse.
That of Pitt was so offensive
that I could not drink it. It is said
to produce goitres. Of this dis-
order I saw some instances among the
inhabitants. The banks of
the Ohio, as far as I saw them
presented nothing beautiful: But as
my limits will not admit of
particularity, I must resort to general
topics.
I am inclined to think that the soil of
this country is superior to
that of Mass; but it is miserably
cultivated. It is partly owing to
this last fact that provisions are so
high in every part of this
country: but it is principally owing to
the great influx of immigrants.
This climate is very like that of N. E.
There is very little or no
difference. To say the best of it, it
is quite as unfavorable to life
and health and you hear the people here
complaining of the climate
just as the N. E. people complain of
theirs.--All imported articles
are brought across the mountains from
Philadelphia to Baltimore.
Most of them are 50 & 100 pr ct
higher than in N. E. Goods to
the amount of several millions of
dollars are annually brought to
Pitt. partly to be consumed there, but
mainly to be distributed thro'
the country upon the Ohio. Hundreds of
waggons are employ'd in
the transportation of these goods. They
are about 12 ft long, 5 high:
both ends being higher than the middle,
I speak of the floor. They
carry about 35,00 [3,500] lbs apiece.
Freight from P to P is now
about 6 dols. During the war it was 9.
Waggons bound to Phil. are
202
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
empty. All bound to Pitt. are loaded.
The balance of trade is wholly
against this country. No bills on Phil.
or Balt. can be purchased;
and in either of those places the paper
of this country is 15 or 20
pr ct below par. Great exertions are
making to improve the naviga-
tion of the Missisippi so as to lead
the importation that way. The
Philadelphians are making correspondent
efforts to retain the West-
ern trade. A turnpike of pounded stone
is nearly completed from
P to P a distance of 320 ms. and it is
contemplated to establish a
line of waggons so as to deliver goods
at Pitt. in 8 days from Phil.
The constitution of this state is
pretty good. Some of its features
however would appear to an junto-man,
either ludicrous or
frightful.11 Sheriffs are chosen
by the people in town meeting: &
hold their office 2 years! Justices of
the peace are chosen in the
same way and are commission'd for 3
years! Their jurisdiction in
civil causes is restricted to the
township in which they live. Except-
ing cases of Slander, assault and
battery & where title to real estate
is in question, they can render
judgment for 70 dols; and where
the parties agree can enter judgment
for $200. No person can be
arrested, except for felony, on the 4th
of July. Towns are not
obliged to support schools--of course
none are to be found except
such as are raised and supported by
casual subscription. Religious
institutions are also on a precarious
footing. Steubenville is the 2nd
or 3rd town in the state But it has not
one minister permanently
settled. There are 3 religious
Societies, Methodist, Presbyterian,
Swedenborgian. The latter have no
meeting-house--the former have
each a brick one, about 40 ft by 30,
one story in height, rudely
built. No bell--no Cupola--poor
singing--poor preaching for the
most part. There are now about 3000
inhabitants in this place. The
first settlements were begun about 18
years ago. There were then
but two proprietors to the whole, town
plat, James Ross of Pitt. &
Bazaleel Wells. They still hold large
landed possessions. There is
here a large woollen manufactory which
furnishes the very best
superfine clothes. All its machinery is
driven by steam, even the
shears that shear the cloth. The
establishment is said to have cost
11 A "junto-man" in
northeastern Massachusetts would have been a man of
highly conservative inclinations. A more
extended commentary on the Ohio constitu-
tion is in the letter of September 6,
1817, below.
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 203
70,000 dols. I think the cloth
manufactur'd here is higher than
imported cloth of the same quality in
Boston. Here is also a large
paper mill and flour mill wrought by
steam--a brewery lately
established and a foundary for casting
hollow iron ware, which is
not yet in operation. The court of
common pleas has been sitting
2 or 3 weeks in town since I have been
here. It is composed of a
president who is a lawyer and who goes
the circuit & 3 associates
who are farmers & with the
president make the court for this
country. It has civil, criminal,
probate and chancery jurisdiction.
There are 4 lawyers in this country.
Attorneys here settle only in
the shire towns & they generally go
the circuit. The practise in these
Courts is widely different from that of
the courts in Mass. and more
like that of the English courts.
The society in this country is
immensely inferior to what it is in
Mass. The greatest people are in many
instances, people of very
humble birth & who have had no
education. Much the most
respectable part of this town is
federal. It is thought that with much
exertion federalism might outvote
democracy. Some of the best laws
in the Statuary [sic] code of
this state were drafted by federalists.
I expect to be admitted to the Courts
in August or October. If in
Aug. I shall be obliged to travel 50
ms. to meet the Supreme Court,
before whom examination must be had.
The probability is that I
shall settle somewhere in this part of
the state. I think my prospect
is much better here than it was in
Mass.
*Uncle Stephens had better stay at
home; for in the first place
it is doubtful whether he could get
over the mountains and in the
next place his federalism is too taught12
for this climate. With the
highest respect & esteem, Your most
obedient servant
N Dike.
P.S. A considerable proportion of
their banks here have no
charter. Much land yet remains unsold in Ohio; but the field
for
land speculation is in the Miami
Country, Indiana and Illinois terri-
tories. The government lands are
divided in sections of 1 mile
[square] these are subdivided into 1/2
s & 1/4 s. The best lands are
usually exposed at public sale--if they
go over 2 dols. an acre they
12 In
the sense of firmly fixed or settled.
204
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
are sold and all that go over that
price. The remainder may be
bought at 2 dols. an acre 1/4,
down--the remainder in 3 equal yearly
payments.l3
N.D.
Wheeling, Ohio. Co. Virginia
April 14, 1817
My Dear Brother,
A long time has elapsed since I wrote
you before; but you, have
not failed to be the subject of my most
grateful recollections, and
warmest affection. I have not been
unmindful of your request, that
I would treasure up and communicate
whatever might aid you in
forming a correct estimate of the
Western country. Since the date
of my last I have travelled in Ohio
through the counties of Colum-
biana, Jefferson, Stark, Wayne [,]
Tuscarawas, Coshocton, Harrison
and Belmont.14 The tract of
country including the counties I have
enumerated, is very broken and hilly.
The soil is various; some very
meagre & sterile, much that is
good, and a little that may be called
first rate. The earth seems to be
generally of a loose structure. There
are no extensive ledges of compact rock
like granite. I have seen
no primitive rocks in this country. The
stoney substances seem to
be principally limestone &
sand-stone. The timber is chiefly oak of
different kinds & the sugar tree.
There is some hickory, locust &
cherry--no pine, poplar or birch. Upon
the river, fruit & grain
flourish well, and excellent crops are
produced; but back from the
river & north of it, the crops are
not more certain or more abundant
than they are in N. E. An average crop
of wheat is from 15 to 20
bushels to the acre, and of Indian corn
from 20 to 30. The corn
resembles the Virginia white corn. Over
all the tract of country
I am speaking of, there are no handsome
houses, except in the
Towns.--And here I should inform you
that towns according to the
acceptation of that word in this part
of the country have very
13 The sale of public lands is discussed
in detail in the letter of June 11, 1817,
below.
14 As they existed, of course, in 1817. He may also have been in present
Carroll
and Holmes counties. See Randolph C.
Downes, "Evolution of Ohio County Boun-
daries," Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical Quarterly, XXXVI (1927), 340-477.
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 205
circumscribed territorial limits, and
are governed in the manner of
boroughs. What you call a town, is here
call'd a township.--I was
going to say that, a majority of the
houses in the country are built
of logs, and many of them are miserable
hovels. The roads are
almost impassable with light carriages.
Travelling, whether in pur-
suit of business or pleasure, is
performed on horseback.
In Stark, Co. I met with a plant called
Columbo.15 It has the same
appearance, and possesses the same
virtues with the root of that
name, imported from Colombo, in the
Island of Ceylon. It is a
biennial plant, and ought to be
gathered the 2nd year, in the Spring
or Summer. The root has a rough
surface, is yellow and of an
aromatic odour. The leaves of this
plant are long like tobacco
leaves, and the stalk when it has gone
to seed, is 6 or 7 ft high.--
This country abounds with a species of
wild plum. It is of a reddish
hue, about 1/2 an inch in diameter. The
skin is tough; but the plum
has an excellent flavour.
Through this whole tract you see but
very few Meeting houses,
or schoolhouses, and those for the most
part wretched log buildings.
There is not one meeting house that has
a steeple, or that is well
finished inside, unless I except the
meeting house at Mt. Pleasant,
which belongs to the society of
Friends. Ministers & Schoolmasters
have a most precarious support, as they
all depend upon a subscrip-
tion uncertain & fluctuating. So
that the schoolmasters are, in
general, very unfit for the business
they undertake, and the few
ministers that are not strolling, are
more known as butchers, shop-
keepers, &c than as ambassadors of
Christ. The state of society in
these respects is truly deplorable.
Religion and Learning, Churches
& Schools, are all left at loose
ends.
Intemperance is vastly more prevalent
here than in N. E. There
is very little imported liquor drunk,
because it costs an enormous
price, being waggoned 5 or 600 ms. from
the Seaboard. The
waggonage alone from Phila. is 60 or 70
cts on a gallon. But there
is a kind of stuff call'd whiskey
manufactured from Rye, Corn &c
which is very abundant and very cheap,
and the people swill it in
immense quantities. The most usual
quantity drunk at once is a gill,
15 The American
columbo (Frasera Carolinensis). The root has medicinal properties.
206 THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
or half a pint (a
tickler, as the Virginians call it). I have seen a man
drink off 1/2 a pint,
as I would drink so much water. It is a most
stinking &
offensive liquor; and if you ask for a draught of milk
at a public house, it
will probably be brought to you in a tin dish
that has held whiskey
time out of mind, which will so infest the
milk that you cannot
drink it. I have been served so many times.
And if you call for
dinner or supper, you must eat it in the bar room
(indeed many of the
taverns have but one apartment) where you
are incessantly
annoyed with the stench of whiskey and tobacco
spittle. And it is
treason to utter any complaint against their beloved
charmen. Whiskey lends its delightful influence in the
composition
of all the potable
liquors in use; which are as follows:
Cherry Bounce, - - made of
cherries &- - - - -
Whiskey
Cider Royal - - - " of Cider & -
- - - - Whiskey
Gin - - - - - -" of Spirits of Turpentine & Whiskey
Cordials, - - - - " spice herbs & - - - - - Whiskey
Julip - - - - - - " Tanzy--sugar & - - - - - Whiskey
Vinegar - - - - - - " honey, water & - - - - Whiskey
Jamaica Rum - - - " Brimstone & - - - - Whiskey
& Whiskey
proper - " - - - - - - - Whiskey
Whiskey is always
drunk raw. Boys 8 or 10 years old, will drink a
wine glass full of
it. The traveller is eternally shocked with the
sight of some drunken
man or woman, or some brutal fight. Most
of the rich slave
holders in the western part of Virginia seem to
find all their
pleasure in the drinking of whiskey--They do not
educate their
children; nor ornament their plantations; nor furnish
their houses
genteelly; nor cultivate their own minds. Their whole
enjoyment & pride
are founded upon an exemption from labor, and
a never failing
supply of whiskey. In the State of Ohio there are as
many intemperate
persons but they are obliged to be more indus-
trious. This almost
universal, proneness to intemperance, proceeds
partly from the
cheapness of whiskey, & partly from the low state
of society, which has
excluded all rational amusement.
Adieu---
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 207
Wheeling, Ohio, Co. Va. June 11th 1817
Dear Brother,
This place which, heretofore was
accounted of little note, has
risen fast in public estimation, since
it was ascertained that the
great U.S. road from Cumberland thro'
the Western country, would
strike the Ohio at this point. It will
be a capital road when finished
& free of toll, the distance from
Phila. and Balte. to Wheeling will
be much less than to Pittsburgh; and
the river, from Wheeling
down is easy of navigation at all
stages of the water. The country
about Wheeling on both sides of the
river is fertile and healthy.--
Excellent coal is found in great
abundance in the vicinity of this
place, and thro' that part of the
country of which I spoke in my
last. Almost every man's farm abounds
with it. It is sold and
delivered at about 6 & 7 ct. pr.
Bush.
The scheme upon which the U.S. dispose
of their vacant lands,
seems to me, not to be very generally
understood in N. E.16 It is
an admirable one, and evinces profound
wisdom & policy in its
projectors. The tract of land intended
for sale is first surveyed off
into Ranges, Townships, Sections &
Quarters. A Range comprises
many Townships, as may be most
convenient in the survey--A
Township is 6 ms. square, &
includes 32 [36] sections. A Section is
1 mile square including, of course, 640
acres. A Quarter contains
160 acres, which is the smallest
quantity sold. The ranges, town-
ships & Sections are all numbered.
The Quarters are designated
according to their relative position in
the section, as for instance,
they are named N.W. or N.E. or S.W. or
S.E. Permanent records
are made of these surveys; and if a
Quarter of land is to be con-
veyed, it is described, for instance,
as the N.E. quarter, of Section 2,
Township 6, Range 3. Then, for every 5
or 6000 square miles, there
is a land office established with 2
branches, called the register's
office, & the receiver's office. It
is the business of the receiver to
take all monies due for land, and give
receipts &c. It is the business
of the register to record all entries,
of land, receipts of the Receiver
16 For the federal laws regulating the survey and sale of
public lands in Ohio at
the time, see A Compilation of Laws,
Treaties, Resolutions, and Ordinances, of the
General and State Governments, Which
Relate to Lands in the State of Ohio (Colum-
bus, 1825), 35-65.
208
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
&c. The first sales of a newly
surveyed tract are at auction, and are
open usually 3 or 4 weeks. At these
sales, on account of the compe-
tition of speculators, much land is
sold as high as $30, $40, $50 &
$60 pr. acre. one fourth of the
purchase money must be paid down,
1/4 in 2 years--the ballance in 2 equal
yearly instalments. But the
land will not be forfeited till the
expiration of the 5th year. The
amount of forfeitures within this state
is, every year, not far from
$25,000. If payts. are not made when
due, 6 pr. ct. interest is
charged,--if any thing is paid in
advance, the purchaser is entitled
to a discount of 8 pr. ct. After the
auction sales any of the land that
remains may be entered at 2 dols. pr.
acre, with the same payments
& condition before mentioned. The
16th Section in every township
is reserved, and appropriated to the
support of schools. And all Salt
Springs & mines are reserved to the
U.S. Congress lands are not
taxable for any purpose till the
expiration of 5 years from the date
of entry. And 3 pr. ct. on all the
sales is appropriated to the con-
struction of public roads over the
lands sold. When the payts. are
all completed, the purchaser receives
an indubitable title from the
U.S. This security of title gives to
Congress lands a decided prefer-
ence over all other wild lands. The
public land within the state of
Ohio that has been surveyed, and, to
which the Indian title has been
extinguished, is nearly all disposed
of. Emigration is now directed
mainly to Indiana, Illinois, and
Missouri.
The terms on which land-holders will
lease their land are gener-
ally as follows. As to wild land, the
lessee has 8 dolls. pr. acre, and
the first-crop for clearing--afterwards
2/3 of the crops every year.
He builds a cabin at his own expense,
but other buildings will be
paid for by the lessor. The time of the
lease may be 5 or 6 years.--
Improved lands may be leased on
condition of the lessee rendering
to the lessor 1/3 of the produce--
The people of the Western Country
manufacture all the Salt
they consume. Salt wells & springs
are very numerous. They are
discovered at first by cattle licking
the surface of the ground. In
pursuit of these springs the earth is
perforated sometimes 400 &
500 ft. often thro' solid rock. The
boring is effected with a species
of drill. After having penetrated a
considerable depth, the drill used
is as much as 2 men could lift. The
drill is then worked by means
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 209
of a long span supported by an upright
post, an apparatus, similar
to that used in many parts of Mass. to
draw water from a well. The
diameter of the bore is from 1 to 2
inches, according to the nature
of the ground. The bore is generally
lined with some metallic tube,
commonly tin. 200 Gals. of water will
yield, on an average, about
1 Bush of salt. Most of the salt that I
have seen was clean and good.
It is sold at $2.50 cts pr. Bush.
allowing, 50 lbs to a Bush. It is
always weighed. You will perceive
therefore that the people of this
country cannot afford to salt down
provisions for exportation
Very little sugar is imported into the
State of Ohio. The inhabi-
tants manufacture enough for their own
consumption. The Sugar
tree abounds. The middle & latter
part of February is the time for
tapping. The sugar water continues to
run about 6 weeks. A good
sized tree will yield 4 lbs in a
season. The Sugar tree appears to be
as long-lived as the oak. The water of
an old tree is more plentiful
& more rich than that of a young
tree. In the sugar making season
and just at the close of it, sugar can
be bought for 12 & 15 cts
pr. lb. But in the summer and fall it
rises to 25 cts pr. lb.
N. Orleans sugar is 31 cts. pr. lb.
Loaf sugar 50 cts.
Adieu.---
Wheeling--Sept. 6th, 1817--
My Dear Brother,
Believing that a concise view of the
Constitution and Laws of
Ohio, at least of their most remarkable
features, would be accepta-
ble, I will employ this letter in attempting
to furnish you with such
a view.17
Every white male citizen, that is over
21 years of age and who
shall have resided in the state one
year, next preceding the election,
& who has paid, or is charged with
a state or county tax is entitled
to vote.
The whole number of representatives
shall never be less than 36,
nor exceed 72. They are chosen
annually.
The senators shall be chosen
biennially, and their number shall
never be less than 1/3, nor more than
1/2 of the number of repre-
17 The Ohio constitution of 1802 may be
found in Isaac F. Patterson, The Consti-
tutions of Ohio (Cleveland,
1912), 73-97.
210
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
sentatives. The Governor's term of
office is 2 years, but he is not
eligible more than 6 years in any term
of 8 years. He is commander
in chief of the army and navy of the
state. He may, on extraordinary
occasions, convene the assembly by
proclamation, and in case of
disagreement between the 2 houses, he
has power to adjourn them
to such time as he thinks proper,
provided it be not beyond the
annual meeting of the Legislature. But
he has no other veto upon
their proceedings. His signature is not
necessary to an act of the
assembly in order to its becoming a
law. His salary is $1000.
The salaries of the Supreme Judges of
the State are also $1000
each.
The Courts of Common Pleas have probate
& testamentary juris-
diction. Justices of the peace are
elected once in 3 years by the
people. In civil cases their
jurisdiction is confined to the township
in which they live. They take
cognizance in all civil cases where the
amount demanded does not exceed $70,
excepting actions of tres-
pass with force & arms, malicious
prosecutions, replevin, slander,
and where the title to land comes in
question. They may take the
voluntary confession of a judgement to
the amount of $200. On all
judgements of Justices of the Peace,
stay of execution may be had
(provided security be given) as
follows: on any sum including
costs, exceeding 2 dollars & less
than $5, a stay of 2 months. For
any sum exceeding 5$ & not over
$12, 4 months. For any sum over
$12 & not more than $25 stay 6
months. Over $25 & not exceeding
$50 stay 9 months; over $50 & not
exceeding $70 stay 12
months--18
Sheriffs & coroners are chosen by
the people every 2 years; but
the sheriff is not eligible more than 4
years in any term of 6 years.
In all cases except treason, felony, or
breach of the peace, electors
shall be privileged from arrest during
their attendance at elections,
and in going to and returning from the
same. In all cases except
those before mentioned, all the
citizens shall be exempted from
arrest on the 4th of July. Those are
"happy days in which un-
hallowed hands are forbidden to
contaminate the shoulders of the
unfortunate."
18 An Act Defining the Duties of Justices of the Peace and Constables, in
Criminal
and Civil Cases, February 11, 1814. Laws
of Ohio, Ordered by the Legislature to Be
Reprinted (1816), 89,98-99,111.
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 211
There shall be neither slavery nor
involuntary servitude in the
state, otherwise than for the
punishment of crimes whereof the
party shall have been duly convicted.
For the purpose of taxation all lands
are divided into 3 classes,
named 1st rate, 2nd rate, & 3rd
rate lands. Those lands which
belong to the 1st class are taxed,
(whether improved or not)
$3.75cts for each 100 acres; on each
hundred acres of 2nd rate $3;
on each 100 acres of 3rd rate $2.19
Every free white male citizen must
perform 2 days work on the
road, every year; or pay $2.20
Mortgaged lands, cannot, on failure of
the mortgagor to perform
the condition of the mortgage, be taken
possession of by the mort-
gagee; and can only be sold by virtue
of an execution, on a judge-
ment in favour of the mortgagee. Before
the sale, the land must
be apprised by 5 disinterested &
judicious freeholders, and cannot
be sold for less than 2/3rds of the
appraisal; and, so it is with all
lands taken on execution.21
I believe I have now traced out to you
the most striking features of our
constitutional & statutory laws--
They are materially different in many
respects from those of Massa-
chusetts--In some more democratic; in
others less so.22
Adieu--
Zanesville, O. Decr. 4th, 1817--
I have lately travelled thro' the
counties of Ross, Franklin, Fair-
field, Pickaway, Muskingum, Guernsey
[,] Washington, Athens &c.23
In that rout I have seen more good land
than I ever saw before.
Chillicothe is the seat of Justice for
Ross. It is situated on the Right
bank of the Scioto, contains about 3000
in, and is a very beautiful
town. The adjacent country is level and
remarkably fertile.--Circle-
19 An Act Levying a Tax on Land,
February 26, 1816. Laws of Ohio, XIV (1816),
355-356.
20 Act
for Opening and Regulating Roads and High-ways, February 16, 1816. Ibid.,
233-235.
21 An Act Regulating Judgments and
Executions, January 31, 1816. Ibid., 175-176.
22 The Massachusetts constitution of
1780 is printed in Constitutional Laws;
Comprizing . . .the Constitutions of
the Several States Composing the Union (Wash-
ington, 1820), 51-76.
23 And probably also Hocking, Perry, and
Morgan as the boundaries now exist.
See Downes, "Evolution of Ohio
County Boundaries."
212
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
ville is the seat of Justice of
Pickaway. The courthouse is of an
octagonal form, & stands in the
centre of the town. The houses are
built round it in a circle, and the
whole is enclosed by 2 circular &
parallel walls of earth, supposed to be
ancient, Indian fortifica-
tions.--Three miles south of this place
commence the Pickaway
Plains celebrated for their beauty
& fertility. They lie in an oval
form, 7 miles long, & 3 broad. The
vegetable mould on them is
18 inches deep. Then comes a stratum of
clay 3 or 4 inches thick,
then gravel & stone. They are said
to produce, on an average,
between 30 & 40 bushels of wheat to
the acre. You may see 100
acres inclosed in one field. This
county has exported within the last
year 10,000, bbls of flour, besides a
great deal of beef & pork on
the hoof. From Circleville to Columbus
the land is level & rich.--
Columbus is the permanent Seat of Gov.
for the State. It contains
about 400 in. The scite of the town is
handsome. The public build-
ings are, the State-house of brick, 75
ft. by 50, 2 stories, with a
spire 106 ft high--A brick building for
the public offices 120 ft. by
25, 2 stories high, & the
penitentiary, a good sized brick building
enclosed by a stone wall about 12 ft
high. The outside of the state
house is very much disfigured by 3
inscriptions, 1 over each of the
3 great doors. The engraving is done in
black letters on white
marble. The punctuation is wretched,
and the word "impassioned"
is spelled with one s. Here follow
copies exact, letter and point,
from
the original.24
Equality of right 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 UNION25 BAND;
24 The first two quotations are from the epic poem of Joel Barlow The
Columbiad;
A Poem (Philadelphia, 1807). The first is from Book VIII,
lines 363-364, 395-406;
the second, from Book IV, lines 435-440,
489-498. If Dike's copying is exact, there
are only very slight differences, even
in punctuation, between the lines over the State-
house doors and the first printed
version of Barlow's poem. The word "impassioned"
is spelled correctly in the poem, though
contracted to "impassion'd."
25 "FEDERAL"
in Barlow's poem. It is said that the
architect of the building was
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 213
This holy triad should forever shine,
The great compendium of all right
divine,
Creed of all schools where youths by
millions draw
Their themes of right, their decalogue
of law;
'Till men shall wonder (in these codes
inured)
How wars were made, how tyrants were
endured.
Barlow
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 nobler sense of duty and of right.
The sense of liberty; whose holy fire
This life shall temper, 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, the impasioned
broils of life,
Sprung from unequal sway; and how they
fly
Before the splendour of the peaceful
eye,
Unfold at last the genuine social plan,
The mind's full scope the dignity of
man,
Bold nature bursting then her long disguise
And nations daring to be just and wise.
Barlow
General good the object of Legislation.
perfected by a knowledge of man's wants
and
Nature's abounding means applied.
by establishing principles opposed to Monopoly.
Ludlow.
Ludlow is the architect that built the
State house.26
The town of Worthington, about 8 ms.
North of Columbus, is a
such a strong Republican that he had the
word "FEDERAL" removed after it had been
faithfully transcribed on the stone, and
the word "UNION" substituted. Weather
eventually succeeded in washing away the filler that
was used, and the word "FEDERAL"
reappeared in later years. William T. Martin, History
of Franklin County (Columbus,
1858), 340.
26 William Ludlow. See Charles B.
Galbreath, History of Ohio (Chicago and New
York, 1925), II, 446.
214
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
remarkably beautiful place settled
chiefly by New-Englanders. It is
surrounded by a fine tract of country.
Adieu.
Zanesville Jan. 10th, 1818.
My Dear Brother,
Zanesville is the seat of Justice for
the county of Muskingum. It
is situated on the Left bank of the
Muskingum river about 70 ms.
above its mouth. It contains about
2,500 in--and is a very thriving
place.
There are 2 good bridges across the
river at this place. Iron and
stone coal are found in the
neighborhood, in exhaustless quantities.
In 1814 a company was incorporated
under the name of the Zanes-
ville Canal & Manufacturing Company
whose object it was to cut
a canal round the falls of the
Muskingum at this place, for the
improvement of the navigation, and to
enable the company to use
the waters of the river for turning
water-works for manufacturing
purposes. A dam has already been built
across the river, and the
canal is almost completed. It is about
120 or 30 poles long, 30 ft
wide at the bottom, 24 or 6 ft. deep, a
great part of it thro' solid
rock. From this canal, when completed,
water may be drawn for the
purpose of driving mill works to almost
any extent. The Muskin-
gum is navigable above Zanesville with
small batteaux to within
eight miles of the navigable waters of
the Cuyahoga river which
empties into lake Erie. Some trade is
already carried on in the
produce of the country, from this place
to New-Orleans. Salt made
at the Onondaga Salt-works in the state
of New-York, has been
brought to this place by the way of
lake Erie, and sold lower than
any other Salt then in market. On the
opposite side of the river
lies the town of Putnam, which is a
well-built, flourishing little
town. Many New-Englanders are settled
in and about Zanesville.
The great N. Y. canal, by which it is
contemplated to connect
lake Erie with Hudson river, when
completed will operate very
advantageously to Zanesville, and all
the settlements on the Mus-
kingum river.
There is a portage of only 8 ms between
the navigable waters
of the Tuscarawas the principle branch of the
Muskingum, and
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 215
the navigable waters of the Cuyahoga;
and it is said to be very
practicable to unite them by a canal.
Whenever the Great N. York
canal is finished, it will be the
channell through which the surplus
produce of the Northern half of this
State will find its way to
market, and through which the
inhabitants of the same section of
country will receive all the foreign
merchandise they consume--
It is for this reason that I should
consider the tract in the N. W.
part of this State lately purchased of
the Indians, to be the most
eligible part of the state for
emigrants to fix on as their place of
settlement. This tract embraces between
3 & 4 millions of acres27
--In the event of the canal being
finished, N. York would be
preferred to New Orleans for a market,
on every account. N. 0.
is unhealthy, the passage to it is
dangerous, the markets there are
fluctuating. And the country merchants
cannot find there such
extensive assortments of merchandise,
nor can he purchase on as
good terms, as he could in N. York.
The steam boats now on the Ohio and
Missisippi greatly facilitate
the trade on those rivers. There are
about 4000 tons of steam-boat
craft between Pittsburgh & N.
Orleans. 11 steamboats are already
floating on the above mentioned waters,
and 9 more building. The
Steam-boat Washington lately arrived at
Louisville in 24 days from
N. Orleans with 155 tons of
merchandise. The distance is about
1700 miles. A trip from Louisville to
N. Orleans, and back, may
be performed in 37 & 40 days. The
freight of the Washington
amounted to about 25,000 dollars.
Adieu--
Zanesville Feby. 1818
My Dear Brother
There is as much distress at present in
the Western country as
there ever was in any of the old
states. This distress has been
brought about in various ways.28 In
the first place the country has
27 This was the cession made by the
Wyandot, Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa
Indians through the treaty of September
29, 1817. It comprised approximately the
northwestern quarter of Ohio, as well as
additional land in Michigan and Indiana.
United States Statutes at Large, VII, 160-161.
28 The economic conditions Dike
describes helped to provoke the panic of 1819.
216
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
been flooded with paper money. There
has been a great multitude,
which no man can number, of Banks,
which have loaned their paper
to anybody that applied, in fact some
of them have urged indi-
viduals to accept loans. Beside this,
every county, town, Bridge, Co.
Turnpike, Co., every manufacturing
company, library company and
almost every shopkeeper have issued
bills beyond their ability to
redeem. This the people encouraged,
because "it made money
plenty." Our whole circulating
medium is composed, at this very
moment, of rich trumpery. A piece of
gold or silver is a very rare
object--Some of this paper is worth
nothing at all, some 25, &
some 50 cts on a dollar. And the best
of it is at 10 pr. ct. discount
in the Eastern cities. Immense
quantities of merchandise have been
sold at enormous prices, while produce
was low. Indeed the expense
of transportation of goods to this
country, & the discount on its
paper are enough to ruin it. Now the
merchants are pressing the
banks to redeem their notes, and the
banks are pressing individuals
to pay up their loans. So that Lawyers
and Sheriffs are doing all
the business at present. The groans of
poverty are frequent &
audible, and still thickening--
The distance of this part of the
country from a market is very
much against it. The surplus produce is
usually sent to N. Orleans
almost 2000 ms. by a course of
navigation always somewhat
dangerous, in a climate often very
unhealthy also always acting
with an unfavourable influence on the
products of this country.
The principal articles taken down the
river from this state are Flour
and Whiskey. There is carried also some
butter & lard. The price
of wheat at this time is from 62 1/2
cts. to 75 pr. Bush. The nominal
price of flour 4.50 cts pr. BBl.
Whiskey about 37 & 40 cts pr. gal.
Butter for exportation is bought at
about 12 1/2 cts pr. lb. Salt is
so expensive an article as to forbid
the exportation of salted
provisions.
As the distance of this part of the
country from the Sea-board
diminishes the value of its products,
so it enhances the cost of all
foreign merchandise. Foreign
merchandise sells from 50 to 100
pr. ct. higher here than it does in
Boston. For instance French
brandy is $5 & Lisbon wine $4 pr.
gal. Coffee 45 cts, and young
hyson tea $2 pr. lb.--Still people will consume it; so
that the stores
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 217
have already drained the country of its
money, and brought it
immensely in debt. Much of the real
estate of the country is already
under execution, or tending inevitably
to that condition. At this
time real estate cannot be fairly
valued at more than 1/2 what it
would have sold for 4 years ago.
What then are the inducements to the
people of the Eastern
States to emigrate to this country?--I
can see but two--the cheap-
ness of land; and a climate perhaps
somewhat more favourable
to vegetation.--Against these
advantages must be offsett the follow-
ing considerations.--The land is at an
immense distance from a
market for its products. The climate,
although it may, perhaps,
have a more beneficial influence, than
that of the Eastern states,
on vegetation; yet it is not so
favourable to the human constitution.
Here what is called the summer
complaint carries off a multitude
of children every year, and
intermittent & bilious fevers hurry the
older inhabitants to the grave. Sallow
countenances and meagre
forms declare this portion of the
country to be much more unhealthy
than the Eastern States.--Roads here as
yet are very miserable.--
Schools & churches are extremely
scarce, and wretchedly sup-
ported.--There are very few respectable
physicians. The health &
lives of the in, are at the mercy of
ignorant and impudent quacks.--
For the literature and legislative
wisdom of the state, I give you
the following specimen in addition to
the inscriptions on the state
house. It is the address of a candidate
for a seat in the General
assembly, from Ross county, of w[hic]'h
Chillicothe is the seat of
justice. I have copied it truly from
the "Scioto Gazette & Fredonian
Chronicle", a paper printed at
Chillicothe.
"Communication."
"Electors of Ross, you are call'd
to decide
"A political question by you to be
tried.
"On the 8th of October some very
good men
"For to be elected will do what
they can.
"It's for the Assembly I intend to
plead
"And to you will submit it who is
to succeed.
"There's Perkins & Foster,
Manary & Vance;
"Swearingen & Barnes will be
in the dance
218
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
"And if I'm elected I also will
serve.
"From Republican principles ne'er
will I swerve
"On pleasant Twin Ridge is my
place of dwelling
"Where ash, beech & sugar I
have been felling.
"If I'm elected, indeed it will
please me,
"And if I'm rejected I'm sure i'll
be easy.
"Therefore my good people to you I
submit it,
"Who's to be your servants, or who
be acquitted.
Septr. 16, 1816-- Robert Huston.
As to the Society, Irish & Dutch
abound, and preserve their
peculiar brogues & habits. Some of
the emigrants from the old
states, are such as have failed in
business & have fled from their
creditors[;] many of them when sued
here, draw out their discharge
under the insolvent act of the state
they came from, by way of
defence; others have fled from the
dispensation of criminal justice;
some are ignorant but aspiring
demagogues who could see no
chance of getting into office at home;
others, rich & avaricious,
despising social enjoyments, have come
to speculate in lands; some
are poor, uneducated, honest people
that have emigrated in hopes
of acquiring by industry & economy
a comfortable estate for them-
selves and their children.--There are a
few intelligent & genteel
people that would grace any society.
The inhabitants for the most
part are strangers to each other, and
want of confidence, & jealousy
embitter all social intercourse. There
is about as much attachment
in N. E. between different families of
the same neighborhood, as
there is here between different members
of the same family. No
families consider their present
residence as their home; but all are
ready at any time to abandon their
present circumstances & con-
nexions whenever the whim takes them.
They are only birds of
passage.
Among all the emigrants from the Old
states, that are people
of information and good breeding, I
have not become acquainted
with a single individual, who did not,
when drawn into a free &
familiar discourse, acknowledge his
earnest desires for the enjoy-
ments he left behind him when he left
his native state. And why
it is that they ever suffer themselves
to urge their friends to emigrate
LETTERS OF NATHANIEL DIKE 219
I know not, unless it be that they who
are here, are ashamed or
unable to go back, and believe that if
they could prevail on their
friends to join them it would be
possible for all, when together,
to content themselves even here. And
further when a person has
bought considerable tracts of land, he
knows that the value of it
depends upon the settlement of the
country round; his anxiety
therefore to enhance the price of his
land, leads him often to make
false representations in favour of the
portion of the country where
his land lies.
My Dear Brother, in these letters I
have endeavoured to give
you a faithful view of the Western
country. I certainly can have
no motive to deceive you.
The books of travellers seem now to be
designed to hold out
inducements to emigration; or at least
to furnish people with such
data as will enable them to decide
whether they would do better to
change their quarters; instead of being
designed as formerly, to
gratify a laudable curiosity, & to
extend geographical & historical
intelligence. There seems to be a
proneness to seize on all the
favourable traits in the character of
these new countries, and to
keep back every thing that is
unfavourable. I believe it will be
found that, the multitude of those that
appear to be enamoured
of this country, and that have drawn
such alluring pictures of it,
are land speculators who are
proprietors of extensive tracts of the
paradise they describe.
But so it is that the spirit of
emigration pervades the world. It
has loosened the foundations of
society, severed the ties of kindred,
and set mankind afloat as it were, upon
a tumultuous sea, without
any settled destination.--Not long
since as I was riding on the
banks of the Ohio river, I met a party
of men, women, boys & girls
to the number of 10 or 12 all on foot.
2 of the men were bearing
along between them a kind of bier, on
which was supported an
old lady (mother of the men that
carried her) aged 107 years, &
entirely helpless. They were emigrating
from the Eastern parts of
Virginia to some part of this state.
I think I can never become so much
attached to any other part
of our country as to N. E. "not
from a blind & unswerving attach-
ment, simply because it is the place of
my birth. It is the scene of
220
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
my earliest joys and sorrows. Every
spot is consecrated by some
youthful sport, some tender friendship,
some endearing affection,
some reverential feeling. It is
associated with all my moral habits,
my principles, my virtues. The very sod
seems a part of myself,
for there are entombed the bodies of my
ancestors and departed
friends."
"Thou little spot! where first I
suck'd the light!
"Thou witness of my earliest smile
& tear!
"Lov'd haunt! tho' distant far,
how fair appear,
"Thy scenes in day-dreams floating
on my sight!
"Where'er I wander, my returning
mind
"Still feels itself to thee in
secret joined!
* * * * * * *
"Oh! be the boding true that fills
my breast!
"Oh! lay me in thy lap amid my
sires reclined.
Adieu---