Ohio History Journal

Editorialana.                       403

Professor McFarland says:

NAME OF SANDUSKY TOWN.

The name "Sandusky"¹ as applied to the town, was not generally

known as the name for more than twenty-five years after 1816. It was

called Portland. I lived in the western part of Champaign county when

I was young; and as late as 1842 my father sent a wagon-load of flour

to Portland. All the country round did likewise, as being the best

market for flour--and everybody said Portland. It was after 1842 that

the name of Sandusky became general

In the article on Daniel Boone² the author says: "It may here be

said that these same pickets had to be broken down with a small cannon

before the town was finally taken and destroyed by Clark." It seems

to me that there are three of four errors along here. The Indians

did not enclose their villages with pickets; Clark had no cannon; the

time was not 1782, but 1780. Clark did not destroy the town, the In-

dians themselves set it on fire and it was burnt down when Clark got

there. See Clark's own report for 1780. He did not march through

or near to this old site in 1782. These are minor points, but they dis-

figure "History."

ACREAGE OF OHIO COMPANY PURCHASE.

As to the mistakes of Schouler and King in their histories. They

both say that the Ohio Company purchased five million acres; and

Symmes two million. The Ohio Company asked for only one and one-

half million and did not get so much, in fact it was less than one million.

Five million acres would take all the land south of Columbus and en-

closed by the Muskingum, Scioto and Ohio rivers, about one-fifth of

the whole state. Symmes applied for one million, and he secured less

than one-fourth of that figure. If you take all the land between the

Miami rivers as far north as the old Indian boundary lines, and as far

east as the Ludlow line, you will have only about one and one-half

million acres. It is certain that neither Schouler nor King ever made

any investigation at all of either subject-one probably copied from

the other -and so "History is writ." In volume I, Laws of the United

States, the facts are nearly all to be found.

GRAVES OF GENERAL BUTLER.

Following out in part the clues I was working on in my brief

articles on the old forts,³ I find that General Butler, killed November

4, 1791, and for whom our county is named, was buried in the following

See Article on "Sandusky River," Vol. XIII, page 275, Publications

Ohio State Arcaeological and Historical Society.

2Vol. XIII, page 264.

3Forts Loraine and Pickawillany; Vol. VIII, page 479.

404         Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

winter; and then was again found and buried two years later by Wayne's

forces; that not far from 1836 his body was again independently found

and given a separate burial and the grave was marked on maps; and

that again in 1875 the remains were again found; and still later in

1891, they found the bones and dug them up in still another place. All

this, I think I can prove by Ohio historians; and I think it is a pity

such cheerful and gratifying news should not be "put where it will

do most good" - say in our Quarterly. And so feeling I will try to

bring together some of the proofs of this assembly of burials, and

so make another manifestation of how much Ohio writers of history

know. And if all points of Ohio History turn out to be made of such

stuff, the sooner bonfires are made of such works the better.

ORIGIN OF "0. K."

I read with great pleasure Gen. Keifer's explanation of "0. K."4

My home was in Champaign county, and I was at the great gathering

of the Whigs in 1840. The Jackson Township man lived but a few

miles from my father's house; and my recollection is that the spelling

"Oll Korrect" was meant to catch the eye and make fun. I saw those

twelve long tables heaped up with eatables, -one ox was roasted

whole--a very large animal. It was swung on a heavy pole resting on

two stout forked posts planted in the ground. Attendants stood by and

sliced off pieces for those who wished "roast beef."  I took a piece

to eat with the bread taken from the table. I saw ex-Governor Metcalf

of Kentucky in his buckskin suit, pants and hunting shirt. The hunting

shirt was a coat reaching almost or quite to the knees, having a cape

around the shoulders. All around the cape and lower end of the coat

was a fringe of deer leather, made by taking a strip about 4 inches wide

and cutting cross-wise and then sewing the strip to the cape and the

bottom. A band of the same was also put on each arm just above the

wrists.

At that date a hunting shirt made of blue linsey was very common

among the pioneer families. All the Kentons wore them. There was

another use or explanation of O. K. which General Keifer does not

notice. Van Buren lived at Kinderhook on the Hudson river. The

Whig papers said "O. K." meant "Off to Kinderhook" for Van Buren

after the election -and so it was. At that time I was of the right age

to enjoy all political jokes, especially if they "hit the other party."  I

can call up the events of that day as though it was but yesterday,

whereas it is almost sixty-four years. Governor Metcalf was a con-

spicuous figure on the sand -but the rustic pronunciation of his name

was "Mad-cap." I heard it over and over again.

4 Origin of "0. K." Vol. XIII, page 350.

Editorialana.                       405

DUNMORE'S WAR.

Allow me to say that you have given the best general account of

Lord Dunmore's War,⁵ that I have seen; and you found it a task of

no small difficulty. I like your way, too, when accounts differ, of giving

both sides. I was anxious that such an account should not be subject

to adverse criticism by reason of a few slips which come about so easily,

Personal inspection of historic places also is always desirable--and

sometimes it is essential, if a true account is to be made up.

THE CHILLICOTHES.

I have re-written the Chillicothe statements,⁶ in my private letter

to you. I had said that Clark destroyed the old Chillicothe on his way

to the Mad river towns; this was not strictly the case, I give it in the

transcript. Clark destroyed all the corn about the village; but the

Indians got ahead of him as to the town itself-but only by a few

hours.

All the places I have mentioned, I have visited over and over again,

- some of them perhaps fifty times.

1. Chillicothe- Howe's Ohio and other histories speak of the town

of this name on the Great Miami river. It was on the site of the present

city of Piqua.

2. Chillicothe--Three miles north of Xenia,--fifty years ago it

was known as "Old Town." I knew the place sixty years ago. This

old Indian town was destroyed by General Geo. Rogers Clark in 1780

on his way to Piqua, the great town of the Shawanees-on the north

bank of Mad river, six miles west of Springfield.

3. Chillicothe-Usually spoken of as "Old Chillicothe."  This was

in Pickaway county, about four miles down the Scioto from Circleville,

on the west side of the river. Any history giving an account of "Lord

Dunmore's War" -1774- including the battle of Point Pleasant--

and naming "Chillicothe"- means this one. The present village of

Westfall is on or very near the site. It was at the second "Chillicothe"

where Simon Kenton once ran the "gauntlet."

4. Chillicothe -Now called Hopetown--three miles north of Chil-

licothe City in Ross county. Where I lived in the present City of

Chillicothe, fifty years ago, the village was ordinarily called "Old Town"

-in reference to the old Indian village. The present city of Chilli-

cothe does not occupy the site of an Indian town.

5. Chillicothe-Frankfort, Ross county-twelve miles northwest

of the city of Chillicothe-on one of the old country roads leading from

Chillicothe to Greenfield, which is in the northeast corner of Highland

county. When I lived in Greenfield, from 1848 to 1851, I passed this

5 Vol. XI, page 167.

6The Chillicothes, Vol. XI, page 230. See also Vol. XII, page 167.

406         Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

Frankfort a number of times. People called it "Old Town" because of

the old Indian village. It is a half a mile or so north of the station

on the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern Railroad, called Roxabell--

half way between Chillicothe and Greenfield.  In an excellent map

of Ohio which I bought in 1854, number 3 of this series is called "Old

Town."

All of these "Chillicothes" were Shawanee towns, and I have seen

the statement that the record is of the Shawanee dialect, meaning "Place

where the people live," or words to that effect; but I don't know

whether it is the correct meaning.  Of course, all persons somewhat

versed in the Indian usage, know that Indian names are usually sig-

nificant, as Niagara- "The Thunder of Waters."

OHIO'S PART IN THE REVOLUTION.

In your article on Ohio's Part in the Revolution7 you make several

slips.

1. Point Pleasant is south of the Ohio river, and of course is not

in Ohio.

2. You make Dunmore's camp below the "present city of Chilli-

cothe,"--whereas it was about three miles from the "old Chillicothe"

at Westfall.

3. Harmar's expedition was in 1790, not in 1789.

4. Wayne's army was 3,000-it had been proposed to have 5,000,

but fell short as above. In Wayne's official report of the battle of the

Fallen Timber, Wayne says that less than 900 of his men were actually

engaged in the fight.

5. You seem to have mixed Clark's two expeditions of 1780 and

1782. It was in 1780 that Clark destroyed the corn about "old Chilli-

cothe," north of Xenia, the Indians had burnt that town before the

Kentucky troops got there. The Piqua then destroyed was six miles

west of Springfield. The battle was severe. The site of the present

Piqua was occupied by the Shawanees of the Mad river Piqua, after

the destruction of the latter. When you say "Xenia," you are a little

"off your base." The first expedition was the bloody one, that of 1782

was almost bloodless; this was against the Piqua towns -particularly

Upper Piqua or Pickawillany, three miles north of Piqua. Loramie's

store was burnt the same night. It was fourteen miles farther north.

Hardly a man was lost - only two, so far as I know - they had been

wounded while away from    the main body.   The Indians ran away

and I can find a record of only five Indians slain, and they about

Laramie's store. Wherefore this expedition of Clark in 1782, could

hardly "have broken the backbone of the Revolution." The expedition

of 1780 was the big one--but that was two years before, and of course

7Vol. XI, page 102.

Editorialana.                       407

had no special influence in stopping the war. Virginia claimed the

land by royal grant to latitude 41^°, which is the south border of Portage

county, part of Summit, Huron, Seneca and Paulding counties. All

south of this line belonged to Virginia, fully three-fourths of Ohio.

It seems to me that you will have to review and straighten up the ac-

count of Clark's two campaigns.

TERM ABORIGINE.

The other little point which I had in view is the criticism of Dr.

Slocum on the use of the term "Indian." As to "Aborigine" in the

singular number,⁸ it is sufficient to say in general, scholarly men have

considered the word illegitimate, although the plural has long been

in use. Stormouth, Worcester, and Webster, all refuse the word a

place in their respective dictionaries; but the Century and the Standard

admit it. Away back in 1840 a "corner-grocery" politician in Westville,

near Urbana, a man who could reasonably well entertain a political

meeting of his own party, wishing to refer to the Indians, and not

being a scholarly man, rather unlettered, indeed, but willing to use

high sounding terms, called them "The Abo-rogines"-the "g" having

the same sound as in give; and the "i" long, as in hives. It served

his purpose, and he was not troubled with "linguistics." Dr. Slocum's

criticism as to the term "Indian" is wholly wrong, and I am sorry that

a member of our Society makes such a blunder. The islands south of

the United States have borne the name of the "West Indies" ever since

they had a name. The inhabitants were propery called Indians--even

if the discoverers had not struck the India of Asia, as he at first sup-

posed he had. The same is used by Irvin, Cooper, Bancroft, Motley,

Prescott, and all other writers of American affairs.

PICKAWILLANY AND LORAMIE.

I wish to congratulate you on your trip to Pickawillany and Loramie.

Of course at the old fort Loramie, you saw the stone which is claimed

as having been under the Loramie store; you probably saw what was

claimed to be the grave of Gen. Butler. This latter point was fully

discussed in my article on "Forts Pickawillany and Loramie." And yet

every writer whose works I quoted or referred to, except Howe, had

put the two at the same place--some at Pickawillany and some at

Loramie. I asked this question -"What are such histories worth?"

About 200 yards south of the old Johnson homestead, is old Fort

Piqua built by Wayne in 1794. I hope that you visited it. When I

was at Loramie in 1899, the west end of the Greenville treaty line was

shown by a peach fence extending over 50 or 60 rods east of the creek

back towards the houses in the villages. The end of the fence was about

8 Vol. XIV, page 354.

408         Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

one-fourth of a mile north from the fork of the creek, which in the

treaty is named, and from which fork, the line to Fort Recovery begins.

But the west tributary (Mile Creek) had cut across the corner, and

enters Loramie's creek a good many rods south of the old mouth.

The line on the east side was measured from the Tuscarawas river

westward--and although the course was a little changed miles east

of Loramie, and still it came out one-fourth mile too far north. I

am glad that you took that trip. I wish I could have been with you.

I made two trips.

EARLY CINCINNATI.

There are two or three little slips made by writers for our Journal,

to which I call attention, that they may be too small to require cor-

rection. They are all in the article on "Early Cincinnati;"9 and the

president of an historical society ought to speak and walk carefully--

following where possible, the old Davy Crockett rule. "Be sure you

are right, then go ahead." But to "my mutton."  On the first page of

the article, near the bottom, it is said, in speaking of the Northwest

Territory, "Virginia, in 1781, gave up to Federal control any rights

she had in this territory." The cession was in 1784 not 1781, and Vir-

ginia especially reserved all the territory between the Scioto and the

Little Miami. On the next page near the top, it is said that the Fed-

eral government by treaty in "1786" etc.  The Federal government

made no treaty in 1786, it was in 1789, in January, at Fort Harmar.

Again, beginning at the bottom of page 453, and extending to the middle

of page 454, the paragraph shows a want of exact knowledge of the

question under discussion. At the bottom of page 453, the part of the

clause within the quotation marks, is not the exact language of the

act of Congress. The act is not before me as I write, but I give the

substance--"east from the south extremity of Lake Michigan, until

it meets the line between the United States and Canada, in Lake Erie,

thence with that line," etc. The trouble was that line from the south

end of Lake Michigan would not touch Lake Erie at all. The writer

of "Early Cincinnati" says: "During the controversy as to where

the * * * line     should  be   drawn, ** * *a      hunter * * *

brought it to the attention of the convention," etc. The convention was

in November, 1802, and this subject was not before the body. Further,

he says, "A compromise was made," etc.--there was no such thing as

a compromise. The United States Congress about 1836 corrected the

mistake first made as to the north line; and made it run from the

south end of Lake Michigan to the north cape at the bay at Toledo -

south point of the cape. Again, "But the line remained in doubt"-

there is no doubt about it. While I was at the State University, I

wrote for the Surveyor of Williams county, at his request, the descrip-

tion of that line along the north border of the county, for twenty miles

9Early Cincinnati, Vol. XIV, page 448.

Editorialana.                        409

or so, giving the distance from the section corners, and the witness trees,

where this north line of the state crossed the lines running north and

south between the section. The whole line is on record in the Land

Office. Again he says, speaking of this hunter's report to the con-

vention, "Thereupon the settlers of Toledo became disturbed for fear

that they should be left out of the new state about to be carved out

of the Northwest Territory."   There was no Toledo then, nor for

many years afterwards.

Read the middle paragraph on page 457. The four counties spoken

of crossed most of the Northwest Territory. The east boundary of that

Knox county was the line from Fort Recovery to the Ohio river oppo-

site the mouth of the Kentucky river. St. Clair county crossed most

of Illinois, if memory serves me right.

Page 462, bottom, he says the railroad was finished to Springfield in

1846, it was in 1848. Myself and ten or twelve other young men went

from our homes six or eight miles northwest of Urbana to see the first

train reach Springfield. Thousands were there. We rode eighteen miles

for the sight and eighteen back.

OHIO CANALS.

There is only one more point for this letter; and this is a statement

in the little work on the Ohio canals.¹⁰ Men seem to be absolutely ob-

livious to dates, or else they put down whatever year is first thought of.

The young man who compiled that work did not make this error-

they quote Hadley on Railroad Transportation. See Ohio Canals, page

43. It says, "Part of Cincinnati, Sandusky and Cleveland Railroad

had been built about 1837 and by 1846 there was railroad communica-

tion from the Lake to the River."

Now let me give you an item or two from my recollection. In the

Spring of 1849, I was in Cincinnati, superintending the printing of my

edition of Virgil. Cholera came on; by the last of May or the first

of June, the death rate ran up to fifteen or twenty a day. Many

people fled from the city-"me too."   When we reached Springfield,

about dusk, fourteen old-fashioned stages were there to carry the

passengers forward. I was the twelfth man to get on the last stage,

and had to hold on carefully, or be spilled along the road. I stopped

at Urbana. My recollection is that on the north the railroad came to

Bellefontaine, "twenty miles away." Springfield is fourteen miles south

of Urbana.

2d Item. I was married on the 19th day of March, 1851, at Green-

field, in the northeast corner of Highland county. By 10 o'clock on

the morning of the 20th we reached Xenia, coming in from the east

in carriages. By 11 A. M. we reached Springfield by railroad and there

10 The Ohio Canals; Published by the Archaeological and Historical

Society, 1906.

410         Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

two or three of my brothers and other friends met us, with carriages,

and took us to my father's house, which was eighteen miles from

Springfield, and seven northwest of Urbana. Urbana was fourteen miles

on the way, but there were no cars. Now even if my memory were

at fault in these dates, there stands 1849 on the title page of my book,

and 1851 in the family Bible, so that one may call this "documentary

proof." You can easily see that my dates can hardly be disputed.

SERPENT MOUND.

I have read with great interest your account of the Serpent Mound,"

with the discourse on Serpent Worship, the world over. The snake

has always been brought in by some hook or crook.     Did ever you

see Stephen's account of his travels in Central America and Yucatan?

He gives in one of his pictures, the head and part of the body of a

huge serpent as a sort of handrail to the long flight of steps up to an

old temple. In old Greece, the sign for a doctor was a rod with a

serpent around it, or two serpents wound around each other. You can

see the cut in my modern books. Then it was said on one occasion,

"Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves."    The doctor can

look wise, a serpent is his symbol. But this is a big subject.

PICKAWILLANY AGAIN.

Before I wrote my article on "Pickawillany" I spent two or three

days in the State Library at Columbus, and used all of the general

or special histories of Ohio which spoke of the place. One was the

account of Christopher Gist's visit. I think also that the Journal of

Capt. Trent, also has something on the subject. Knapp's History of

the Maumee Valley is greatly in error. In Howe's History of Ohio,

under the head of "Shelby County," you get a pretty full account,

and there is a reference to C. W. Butterfield's account-but that

account I have not seen. Atwater, Taylor and King's Histories of

Ohio, could soon be examined. Albach's "Western Annals," is "no

good"- worse than nothing. It is possible that "Burnett's Notes" may

have something valuable--Miami University Library has no copy of

these "Notes."

The stockade at Pickawillany was built late in 1750; Christopher

Gist was there in February, 1751. The fort was destroyed in June, 1752,

by the French and Indians, because of the English traders who had

built and occupied the "fort"- most or all of the English traders were

from Philadelphia, they were weaning some Indian tribes away from

the French. Some think this was really the beginning of the "French

and Indian War," including Braddock's defeat, the battle of Quebec, ending

11Serpent Mound; published by Ohio State Archaeological and His-

torical Society, 1905.

Editorialana.                        411

with the ousting of the French from Canada, and the Northwestern

Territory, as shown by the treaty of 1763.

REV. J. B. FINLEY,

The article on Wyandot Missions, in volume XV, interested me

greatly, especially the references to Rev. J. B. Finley. We boys used to

call him "Old Jim Finley" and he and father were intimate friends

for more than forty years. They both came into the church at the

celebrated campmeeting an Cane Ridge, Ky., in the early years of

the last century. In 1842 he was "Presiding Elder" in the district where

my father lived near Urbana. One night he (Finley) and the young

man who was preaching on that circuit staid at my father's house

during a two days' meeting, father was talking with the preachers,

and I had a good view of Mr. Finley's face; and as I sat some dis-

tance away, I rested a piece of paper on my slate and drew a picture

of Mr. Finley with the hair roached back, as he always wore it. I was

then about sixteen or seventeen years old and was teaching the coun-

try school. After awhile I slipped my picture into the hand of the

young preacher. He looked at it, then showed it to Mr. Finley. He

didn't more than half like it-but the young man said, "Brother Fin-

ley, it is a good likeness of you."  At that time colleges in the land

were not so numerous as they are now. The next year when I made

up my mind to go to college, Mr. Finley sent me to Augusta College,

Ky. At that time each presiding elder in Ohio and Kentucky had the

privilege of sending one young man from his district to Augusta Col-

lege, free of tuition, which was $32.00 a year. The college was sup-

ported by Ohio and Kentucky conferences. It was in 1843 Mr. Finley

sent me to college--and as teachers' salaries at that time were usually

$15.00 a month or less, the saving of that money was very acceptable

to me. I knew Mr. Finley as well as I knew anybody. He was a mus-

cular Christian, had been a young man who would fight on the proper

provocation, and being a very powerful man, he was accustomed to be

the victor.  The year he sent me to college, he conducted a camp-

meeting about six miles from my father's house. I was there. In those

days it was not an unusual thing for rowdies to make disturbances on

the campground. But always some men were selected as policemen to

enforce order. One day a rough customer was brought in by this local

police to the preacher's headquarters.  He behaved very rudely-

even threatened to "lick" Mr. Finley, who was giving him some strong

talk. Finley was in his shirt sleeves, he unbuttoned the sleeve on his

right hand, pulled the sleeve up above the elbow, shut his fist, and

turned his arm back and forth, as if ready for a fight. He said, "Young

man, do you see this?   God wouldn't let you whip me, and if He

would, I wouldn't -so behave yourself or I'll drub you."  The young

man, on seeing that arm, and hearing the threat became as "meek as

a lamb." I saw the whole fun.

412         Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

A year or so afterwards he held a "Quarterly Meeting" in West-

ville, a village about four miles west of Urbana. In the village was

a young man subject to "fits"-once in three or four months-seldom

oftener, and they would come on without premonitory symptoms. As

Mr. Finley was preaching the 11 o'clock sermon, a "fit" came on the

young man-he fell to the floor. His friends understanding the case

ran up at once to carry him out-but of course the speaker quit preach-

ing, and he thought the men were merely crowding around the man

too close-and not knowing anything of the case, he cried out in a loud

voice, "Stand back, brethren, stand back and give the man fresh air-

if he is a sinner he may die and go to hell and be damned,- stand

back." The friends carried the man out, and the preacher resumed

his discourse. Finley was staying at my brother's house. Sometime

in the afternoon he received a note from some of the young man's

friends, saying that they intended to "ride him on a rail" for what

he said about the sick man. Finley had intended to preach at night at

Urbana, but he said to my brother, "Brother Mac. if I go to Urbana,

those fellows will say they ran me out of town. I'll send some one

in my place"-and he did. The next morning right after breakfast,

he took off his coat, and walked up and down the whole length of the

street for at least three or four hours. He came into my brother's shop

and said, "Brother Mac, tell those fellows for me that I say they are

a set of cowards, they threatened to ride me on a rail, and here I have

been waiting all morning for them, and they don't come. Tell them

I say they are cowards." They had signed their names to the paper;

one of them was a justice of the peace, long known to me.

Finley and my father were life-long friends--both uniting with the

church at the celebrated "Cane Ridge" campmeeting in Bourbon county,

Ky., in the early years of the last century. They differed less than a

year in their ages- "Cane Ridge" was a sort of permanent link, binding

them  together--my father was an old-fashioned Methodist exhorter,

having his license renewed forty times, -several by Finley as Pre-

siding Elder. So you see I was, in a certain sense, "native and to the

manner born." Finley died in 1857. About two years after the events

which I give, he was made Chaplain to the Ohio Penitentiary, and re-

mained there two or three years more. He wrote a book called "Prison

Life," also an "Autobiography," and other books. The two I name are

doubtless in the State Library. Finley suited the rough age in which he

lived; absolutely without guile, and perfectly honest and outspoken.

Nobody could possibly misunderstand him; and he would defend himself

and his side to the last extremity. I think he was a noble man. Once

he had been invited to an old Kentucky "hoe-down" or a country dance.

In the meantime he had "experienced religion" (using the phraseology

of the time), and when he went to the dance, he caused it to be turned

into a prayer meeting. You will find the account in some of his writings.