Growth of a Century : as illustrated in the history of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894, Part 10

Author: Haddock, John A. 1823-
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Sherman
Number of Pages: 1094

USA > New York > Jefferson County > Growth of a Century : as illustrated in the history of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894 > Part 10

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We close our notice of Mr. Hoard's connection with the portable engine business with mentioning these few points : his shop was the pioneer in the building of strictly "portable" engines, a business that has now become so extensive as to be conducted more or less in nearly every State, and at several different localities in some of the States. Mr. Hoard's works at one time employed 140 men, principally skilled mechanics, besides a corps of clerks and accountants. But the Civil War greatly reduced the number of orders-the south and the valley of the Mississippi having from the start been the best sections for sales. As the business promised to be much less remunera- tive so long as the war lasted, and perhaps for several years after its close, Mr. Hoard turned his attention to some other article which would give employment to his skilled mechanics and keep in operation his large works, which had now spread over several acres, full of the best machinery money could buy. As a temporary matter, and principally to aid a brother who had been unfortunate in busi- ness, he undertook a gun contract (in 1862) with the Government, agreeing to manufacture 50,000 Spring- field rifles at $20 each, making a total of $1,000,000. This contract was made under Secretary of War Cameron, when guns were greatly needed ; but its execution was under Secretary Stanton. The delays inevitable in getting such a contract under way threw his first delivery well along into 1864, when the Government had bought many guns abroad as well as greatly enlarged its own immense works at Springfield, Mass. Taking advantage of this condi- tion of affairs, Secretary Stanton sought, by one pre- text and another, to evade a fair fulfillment of the Government's part of the contract. He appointed unfriendly inspectors, who several times inspected each separate piece during the process of making, after which certain parts, as the barrels, locks, guards, etc., were "assembled," or put together, and again inspected. Acceptable parts were then put to- gether as completed guns, and again inspected. So critical and apparently unjust did the inspection appear to Mr. Hoard, that he quietly took to pieces of the model gun furnished him by the Government as a standard, and placed such of its parts as could not be detected with similar parts of his own make, which were submitted in the usual way for inspec- tion. with the result that about half of the parts sub- mitted of the model gun were returned "con- demned." These and other unfavorable acts, and the failure to obtain any satisfaction from Stanton, made the gun contract extremely disastrous finan- cially, and Mr. Hoard ceased to manufacture. He sold off his splendid machinery at any price obtain- able, but at such a loss as to use up nearly his entire fortune, which had been estimated at half a million

when he took the contract. The Turkish govern- ment bought most of the machinery, and it is still in use. Having discharged every financial claim upon him, and without a single law-suit, Mr. Hoard began to look around for some other business in which to repair his losses. But before following him to Missouri and Ceredo, we desire to speak more extendedly of his

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND HIS CONNECTION WITH POLITICS.

He was slightly over six feet in height ; his coun- tenance liad usually a thoughtful and, at times, a serious expression : his manners were courtly, his speech engaging, impressing the listener as though in the presence of an earnest man, too busy to trifle upon any subject. It was easy to see that he was a natural leader of men, and when the long- postponed but inevitable rupture took place in the old Democratic party over the question of admitting slavery into the territories, Mr. Hoard came quickly into prominence as the most popular and sagacious among the "Free Soilers" in Jefferson County. It was natural that the "Hunkers," who had long held continuous political sway from the times of Perley G. Keyes to Orville Hungerford (1815 to 1851), should resent any attempt to wrest this con- trol,from their hands. They held the offices and meant to keep them. They felt an especial bitter- ness towards Mr. Hoard, for they counted him as the one most to be dreaded among their opponents. His natural independence of character, and his habit of doing his own thinking, made him es- pecially unwilling to "take orders " from any one. At the time he was elected county clerk he was comparatively unknown personally to the masses of the people, but the foolish attacks upon him by the editor of the old-line Democratic newspaper had made his name familiar to all who could read, and thus the very means adopted to subdue his rising importance ouly contributed to further his political interests in the county at large. When he was later elected to Congress he was equally as prominent in that body as he had been in the State Assembly, and soon attracted the attention of such able men as the Blairs, father and son. He spent many Sun- days at the elder Blair's country seat, "Silver Springs," beyond the Soldiers' Honte, just north of the District of Columbia boundary line. This noble mansion was made memorable at a later day from being the dwelling occupied by Early and his staff when they made the raid in 1863 upon the suburbs of Washington. They were said to have imbibed so freely of Blair's fine liquors that they became un- able to carry out their proposed attack, giving time for the Sixthi Corps to come up the river and just "shoo" them off. While on a visit there young Blair remarked to Mr. Hoard that Secretary Chase .

THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

had asked him to look up a man for Treasurer of the United States-one who had experience as a banker, of unquestioned integrity and able to fur- nish the legal bond. "Do you know such a man ?" Mr. Blair asked. Mr. Hoard at once named Francis E. Spinner, whose term in Congress had just ex- pired. Both Blairs at once exclaimed, "The very man the Secretary wants." What followed we will leave Mr. Spinner himself to relate .*

Mr. Hoard gave President Lincoln's administra- tion his earnest support, and he retired from the position of Representative in Congress, March 4, 1861, with every honor that could befall a conscien- tious man, who had done his whole duty while in office.

HIS EFFORTS TO HELP YOUNG MEN.

Mr. Hoard was a very generous man, though his strict business education and attention to the minut- est details sometimes led the observer to regard him as exacting. A bit of personal experience will illus- trate his prompt and generous way of doing a kind- ness to any one he thoughi deserving. At the time of the great Watertown fire, May 13, 1849, the writer was proprietor of a newspaper office in successful operation, but that fire swept it away like chaff, he being able only to rescue his hand-press, which stood in such a position as to be readily tumbled out of a large window, and was afterwards repaired. The little safe, which contained the ready cash of the office, after the fire showed only a mass of molten silver and copper, the bills being wholly consumed. The office was insured for $1000, but there was a technical point in the transfer that, under a rigid legal ruling, might vitiate the policy. While half crazy at his loss the young editor went home, it

* PABLO BEACH, FLORIDA. Dec. 3, 1896.

MY DEAR SIR : Your very kind and to me interesting letter of the 28th ultimo, and the "Ceredo Advance containing the obituary of the good man, your father, have both been received.

It was very kind in you to send them to me. I was ever so anxious to know all the particulars, for there is not a man living whom I held in such high esteem as I held him: A good man has gone to his reward. Would that there were more like him. * * *

* *

Your good father has left you the large inheritance of a good name, for if ever there was a strictly honest man he was that man. For four years, while we were col- leagues in the 35th and 36th Congresses, he was my most intimate and trusted friend. On all matters of importance we thought and acted alike.

It was by his kind advice mainly, and by his good offices as well, that I became the Treasurer of the United States. Bail became necessary, and I objected to asking any one to become surety for me. That objection he re- moved by volunteering to become bound for me, and he went further-he procured others to join him. But for his action I would most probably have been in the army, and then what ?

That he is blessed there is no doubt, and that all whom he loved may be blessed is the hope and prayer of your friend,

F. E. SPINNER.

S. FLOYD HOARD, ESQ.,

Ceredo, West Va.

being Sunday. Mr. Hoard sought him out while tlie fire was yet smoking, and desired to know what he intended to do. Quite naturally he expressed a desire to get hold of a new plant, but had not the requisite money. " How much will you need ? " was asked. He thought $750 would buy enough type to make a start with. "Oh, that would not be enough. Better say $1000, and I will loan it to you. When will you be ready to start for new material ?" " Right off, if I had the money." Mr. Hoard routed up his banker, got the money, landed it to his young friend, not even taking a note or receipt, and that night he went east to buy material. That old and reliable company, the Ætna, of Hartford, Conn., would not contest the insurance policy over a mere quibble, and in about ten days paid the $1000, en- abling the young printer to repay his benefactor much sooner than either had expected. This is but one illustration, and there were many such, of the workings of Mr. Hoard's philanthropic heart. Many a poor woman in Jefferson county could tell of his timely aid to prevent a mortgage foreclosure, but one never learned of these transactions from him nor from any member of his family.

It is not a matter of surprise that such a man, so noble and so good, should have many friends, and inevitably, now and then, an envious enemy. When' he left Jefferson county his departure was greatly regretted. But he thought it best to spend a year in looking after his landed interests in the West and South before settling upon any plan for the future. Henever again returned to Jefferson county.

HIS LIFE AT CEREDO, WEST VA.

After a winter spent in Missouri he went to Ceredo, West Va., in 1868, at that time a small town of about 125 people, on the south shore of the Ohio River, where Eli Thayer had planted (in 1857-58) a small colony of New Englanders in carry- ing out his colonization scheme, which had a con- spicuous place in the political history of the country just before the Civil War. Thayer and his associ- ates had borrowed a considerable amount from Mr. Hoard, and mortgaged their town site and adjoin- ing lands for security. The war practically obliter- ated it as a colonization scheme. It was looked upon as a " Yankee town," and was frequently raided. The government organized and for a while kept a regiment these to protect it, and some traces of their earthworks can still be found. The New England people returned east, with but few excep- tions. Almost the entire male population remaining joined one of the two armies in the war, and fre- quently since, one could hear during the "Sunday- afternoon reminiscences of the war" interesting inci- dents of skirmishes and battles, when the parties would discover and laugh over the fact that they had been shooting at each other, and how one or

THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

the other command had to "hustle " out of this or that place. Thayer and his associates having aball- doned the effort to build a town, thus left Mr. Hoard to realize whatever he could out of his securities.

After investigating the location, and the mineral and timber resources naturally tributary to the Ohio River in that section, he decided to remain and bend his efforts to building up the town and his depleted fortunes. At that time the town was mainly dependent upon the timber business of get- ting out logs in the mountains, floating them down the Twelve-Pole River to Ceredo, where it was rafted and sold to dealers for consumption in the cities along the Ohio River. His first effort was to induce Pennsylvania parties to locate a saw and planing mill at this point. This proved successful, and has steadily increased its business, giving em- ployment to some 150 hands and requiring 2000 to 3000 logs a month. Other industries followed. When he went to Ceredo the nearest railroad in the State was nearly 200 miles distant, and he prophe- sied that within a few years citizens then living in Ceredo would see fifty trains a day passing between the hills on the Ohio side of the river, and those on the West Virginia side about a mile back from the river. Though he lived to see only one road com- pleted (the Chesapeake and Ohio), with some fifteen to twenty trains a day, at the present time (1894) there are over fifty daily trains on three railroads, all on the south side of the river, and all located on his property within the corporate limits of Ceredo, which has increased its business and population until it has between 1200 and 1500 citizens.

Mr. Hoard made two efforts, in connection with parties in West Virginia and outside of the State, to

build a 50-mile railroad from the river at Ceredo back to the coal deposits, some 25 miles distant, and extending to the Virginia State line. Several thous- and dollars were expended, and a few miles of grad- ing done, but both efforts were unfortunate in being so timed as to encounter financial panics-the first in 1873, and the second in 1882-83. A leading idea in these efforts was that it would be an inducement for some railroad from the south seeking the Ohio river to join it, and thus be advantageous to Ceredo. This route is now occupied by a trunk-line road, and the Ohio river crossed by a bridge costing over $750,000.

At Ceredo Mr. Hoard was less active in business than at Watertown, but he was inevitably thrown more or less among the leading men of that part of West Virginia and of southern Ohio and eastern Ken- tucky. He was recognized there as a man of ad- vanced ideas and of large experience, and no one was more generally respected by all conditions of the inhabitants. No purchaser of land has ever been dispossessed, and the same friendly interest and leniency shown that was manifested by Mr. James D. LeRay in dealing with his debtors in the early days in Jefferson county. His long and useful life closed on the 20th of November, 1886, in his 82d year.

Viewed in all its lights, and especially in the later years of his life, when he had shown his ability to surmount business reverses without being soured or discouraged, Mr. Hoard's personal history has proved the most instructive and interesting of any man's who has ever lived in Jefferson county. To the young men the example of such a life is like a "liberal education." J. A. H.

GENERAL N. MARTIN CURTIS, THE HERO OF FORT FISHER.

Newton Martin Curtis was born in the town of DePeyster, St. Lawrence County, N. Y., May 21, 1835, from New England ancestry, tracing his gene- alogy to William Curtis, who landed in Boston from the ship "Mary Lion," October, 1632. The wife of William Curtis was Sarah Eliot, sister of John Eliot, the Indian apostle. The subject of this sketch was the son of a farmer, and received the usual advant- ages of the common schools. Later he was an at- tendant at the Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary, preparing for the junior year in college; but being prevented by ill health from entering college, after two years spent in recovering his health he began the study of law in the office of Brown & Spencer at Ogdensburg. But his health again failed, and he then returned to his home and engaged in farming until the surrender of Fort Sumter. The following day he began the organization of a company of volunteers which were recruited in his and adjoining towns ; he left with the company for Albany on the last day of April, having been elected captain. The organiza- tion papers had been prepared by the major-general commanding the militia division in that district, and were pronounced informal by the Adjutant-

THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

General of the State and an order was subsequently issued for the organization of the company at Albany on the 7th day of May. It was mustered into the 16th New York Infantry as Company G, and in June left for Washington. He was on duty with his regi- ment until the battle of West Point, Va., May 7th, 1862, where he was seriously wounded. He rejoined his company at Harrison's Landing, July 5th, and was soon afterwards attacked with typhoid fever and went into general hospital at Point Lookout. He returned to his company during the battle of Crampton's Pass, Md., September 14th; remained with it through Antietam, and a month later was promoted to the lieutenant colonelcy of the 142d regiment, which he joined in camp near Munson's Hill, Va., the last of October. On the 23d of January he was promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment, and in April his regiment was transferred to Suffolk, Va., and took part in the operations at that point, and in the movement up the Peninsula with the army of General Dix. On the 5th of July marched down the Peninsula from the point nearest Richmond occupied by the troops of that army. Was then sent to the Army of the Potomac, joining it near Berlin, Md., crossing into Virginia, and marching to War- renton. In August, 1863, the regiment with others was transferred to the Department of the South, and was on duty on Morris, Folly and Kiawah Islands, taking part in the operations conducted by the Federal troops in the vicinity of Charleston. In April, 1864, he was tranferred, with the 10th corps, to the Department of Virginia, at which time the 10th and 18th corps were organized into the Army of the James. He was in the movements conducted from Bermuda Hundred until the last of May, when he went with others of the Army of the James via White House to Cold Harbor. At this place lie was assigned to the command of the second brigade, second division, 10th army corps. Was soon after transferred to City Point, and took part in the ad- vance on Petersburg, on the 15th of June, under General Brooks, and established the line that was maintained during the remainder of the campaign against Petersburg. His brigade was stationed at the Hare House, and constructed the small earth- work afterward known as Fort Stedman, named after a gallant officer commanding a Connecticut regiment who was killed there soon after relieving Curtis' brigade. Curtis' brigade was among the troops of the Army of the James that joined with the Army of the Potomac in the engagement known as the Mine Explosion. July 30th, and in all the operations conducted by the troops of the Army of the James north of the James River. In December his brigade went in the expedition to Fort Fisher, where he landed with a portion of his command on Christmas, and remained upon the shore until the evening of the 27th of December, having failed to return from the front of Fort Fisher to the point of embarkation in violation of the orders of General Butler in time to be embarked that night. The dis- cussion growing out of his disobedience of orders, and his statement that Fort Fisher could have been captured had the attempt been made, led to his being sent for by General Grant, to whom he detailed his viws respecting the construction of the works and the strength of the garrison, which was further

specially inquired into by General Weitzel under orders of General Grant. These views, it is said, influenced General Grant to send the second expedi- tion under General Terry. Reference is made to this matter in General Grant's autobiography. Gen- eral Curtis' command led the assault on the 15th of January, 1865. He took an active part in capturing the traverses on the land face until sundown, when he was seriously wounded, losing his left eye. He rejoined the army at Richmond five days after its occupation in April, 1865, and was detailed as chief of staff to General Ord, commanding the Army of the James and the Department of Virginia and North Carolina, which position he occupied, under Generals Ord and Terry, until the 1st of July, when lie was assigned to the command of Southwestern Virginia, with headquarters at Lynchburg, where he remained on duty until January 15, 1866, when he was honor- ably mustered out of service. He was promoted to be brigadier general by brevet, October 28, 1864, for meritorious conduct ; brigadier general, January 15, 1865, for distinguished services at Fort Fisher, and later major-general by brevet for conspicuous gal- lantry in the capture of Fort Fisher.

In civil life he has been collector of customs at Ogdensburg, N. Y., special agent of the Treasury Department, member of the New York Legislature from 1884 to 1890, inclusive; member of the 52d Congress, and is now a member of the 53d Congress from the 22d District of New York. He has been interested in agricultural matters, and for several years was president of the St. Lawrence County Agricultural Society, for many years a member of the board of directors of the State Agricultural So- ciety, and in 1880 its president. Fron its organiza - tion for a period of ten years he was secretary or president of the board of control of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva. He was the author of the bill locating the St. Lawrence State Hospital, and of the bill changing the names of the various asylums for the insane to State Hos- pitals. He was the first to introduce what was known as the "State Care Act," to place the insane under the care of the State, and gave it his support during the three sessions it was before the Legislature. In his legislative work he has been actively engaged in legislation for the insane and criminal classes. Dur- ing each year of his membership in the Legislature he introduced bills for the abolition of the punish- ment of death, and in 1890 passed such a bill through the Assembly. On entering Congress lie introduced a bill abolishing the death penalty under the Federal laws, and has given such attention to the subject of crimes and punishments that his speeches and articles are quoted as authority upon the question.

But it is as a soldier that he meets with the most admiration and commendation. He stands 6 feet 3 inches in his stockings, has broad shoulders, a large head, and commands attention wherever seen. In manners most agreeable and courteous, he never loses a friend he has made. His illustrious career in the army, in which he received two very serious wounds, was not won by favoritism or good luck. He fought his way through all the grades from captain to major- general, leaving an army record for distinguished heroism and faithful service not surpassed by any of his contemporaries. He is known among soldiers as the " Hero of Fort Fisher." J. A. H.

HON. ROSWELL PETTIBONE FLOWER, Governor of the State of New York.

THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

GOVERNOR FLOWER.

HIS PRIVATE LIFE AND BUSINESS AND POLITICAL CAREER.

Roswell Pettibone Flower was born August 7, 1835, at Theresa, Jefferson County, N. Y. His father, Nathan Mon- roe Flower, whose ancestors came to Connecticut in 1696 and settled in New Hartford, was born at Oak Hill, Greene County, in this State. Nathan Flower learned the wool-carding and cloth- dressing trade in his father's mill at Oak Hill, and when he became of age estab- lished business for himself in Coopers- town, Otsego County. At Cherry Valley, in the same county, he married Mary Ann Boyle, and soon after moved to the northern wilderness and established a wool-carding and cloth-making business at Theresa. Nine children were born to him, seven sons and two daughters, of whom Roswell Pettibone Flower was the fourth son and the sixth child. Their father died when Roswell was only 8 years old. Their mother conducted the business for a couple of years, and young Roswell was put to work at picking wool eight hours off and eight hours on daily, during the summer season, for a couple . of months, and the rest of the time he was sent to school. The family had a farm of 30 acres near the village and another one of some 200 acres eight miles out. The children worked on these farms, chopping wood for the house in the village and raising hay and oats, wheat and potatoes. There was nothing on the farm that young Roswell could not do. Until he was 14 years of age he was occupied at school, and night and morning did what work he could to help support the family. His brothers being older than he, it was not Roswell's luck to have a new suit of clothes until he was able to earn the money himself. His mother would cut down the clothes of the older boys to fit him, and stories are told, even in these days, at Theresa, of the anguish of mind which young Flower suffered over this matter of hand-me- downs. His sister Caroline married Silas L. George, a merchant of Theresa, and Roswell was employed by him for $5 a month and board. In the winter he at- tended the Theresa High School and worked for his board until he was 16 years of age, when he was graduated. To get his spending money Roswell did odd jobs of sawing wood and carrying it upstairs for the lawyers of the vil- lage. Twenty-five cents was a good deal of money in those days, and rather than ask his mother for the money, he pre- ferred to saw half a cord of wood and carry it upstairs. Farm hands were scarce in haying time, and being a strong and active young man, he could com- mand good wages, and frequently left the little country store for two or three weeks to help out some farmer who was anxious to get his crops in. He also worked in a brick yard, driving a yoke of stags around the vat to tread out the clay, for which he received the munifi- cent sum of $1.50 a week.

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Growth of a Century : as illustrated in the history of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894, Part 10

Author: Haddock, John A. 1823- Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Sherman Number of Pages: 1094

Author: Haddock, John A. 1823-
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Sherman
Number of Pages: 1094