A history of Scioto County, Ohio, together with a pioneer record, Part 18

Author: Evans, Nelson W. (Nelson Wiley), 1842-1913
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Portsmouth, O. N. W. Evans
Number of Pages: 1612

USA > Ohio > Scioto County > A history of Scioto County, Ohio, together with a pioneer record > Part 18

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In 1840, he was Captain of the crack militia company of Ports- mouth. He had it out on the Fourth of July and was Marshal of the procession.

In 1860, he took part in the Union Meeting, and was strong for the war. His wife reared James M. Ashley and was the founder of his fortunes. He was the father of fourteen children. His son, James was a naval cadet, and died in 1864. His son, William S. attain- ed prominence as a lawyer, and at the bar, and died comparatively young.

His daughter, Maria, married Col. S. E. Varner. Mr. Huston was a good citizen, public spirited, upright and the soul of honor.

His daughter. Miss Irene, who cared for him and made his last years comfortable and happy, still resides at the old homestead on the Chillicothe Pike, endeared to all her friends by her most generous hospitality. His wife died January 14th, 1873 and he survived until February 27th, 1893. In his years of activity, he was one of the most active men of Portsmouth. He never feared to make a busi- ness venture and his business career was crowned with success. Dur- ing the war he retired from all business and lived in dignified, honor- able retirement the remainder of his life.

Daniel McFarland

was born in Baltimore, Maryland, September 3rd, 1825. His father was Daniel McFarland and his mother Rachel Owen. They emi- grated to Columbus, Ohio, in 1832, where our subject was raised. The father was a shoemaker. Our subject had a brother, Albert. and a sister, Mary, who married Jonathan Siler. Albert learn- ed the trade of a printer, and went to Circleville and ran a newspaper there. Daniel served three years in Columbus learning the carpen- ter's trade, and worked for his board and clothes. A. C. Tyler was his employer. September 9th, 1853, John Hanna sold the Tribune to A. McFarland who continued to publish it up to April Ist, 1854,

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when he associated with him in business his brother, Daniel McFar- land. The Tribune was a Whig paper, and was issued over L. D. Bishop's store on Front street. He represented Scioto County in the Legislature from January 2nd, 1856, to April 17th, 1857. He was elected as a Know Nothing and the paper was a Know Nothing while that party lasted. In 1857, Dan McFarland went to Brown County, Kansas, then a territory, and was there until 1859. He pre- empted lands and built a Court House on a town site. He lost his time and money in trying to secure a county seat at Parsons. Hiawatha finally secured it. He was broken down by sickness and misfortune, and then returned to Ohio. When he came back he went to work for his brother as a printer. Just before the war broke out, Albert, his brother, secured an appointment to Washington as Secretary to Sher- man. In 1861, Daniel McFarland bought the entire paper from his brother, who, since the dissolution in 1857, had been sole editor and proprietor of the daily and weekly Tribune. At this time the daily was discontinued. In June, 1867, the office was sold to H. R. W. Smith and David Elick. Our subject was appointed Assessor of In- ternal Revenue and served all of President Lincoln's term for the 11th Congressional District. It was worth $2,000 per year and McFar- land had it for four years. After the death of President Lincoln Mr. McFarland refused to Johnsonize and was succeeded by a man who had no such scruples. November 20th, 1868, W. A. Hutchins, Thom- as Dugan and Dan McFarland were appointed a Committee to go to Columbus and lobby for a new penitentiary.

On July 10th, 1872, Dan McFarland was serenaded at his home on East Second street, and declared for Greeley and Gratz Brown. He told the crowd they had not mistaken the place; that he would vote for Greeley if they would vote for the Railroad question under the Boesel law. He was agent for the Portsmouth Dry Dock Company for twenty years. He had 500 acres of land in his charge to at- tend to and cultivate for twenty years. There was enough sold to satisfy the mortgage by the company; and 100 acres were left after closing the mortgage. Captain Riley was President of the Company and John O'Brien was secretary. Mr. McFarland took charge of the land in 1861. He was Canal Collector at Portsmouth, Ohio, for twenty-one years, commencing in 1861. He again represented Scio- to County in the Legislature from January 2nd, 1882, until April 19th, 1883. He was Chairman of the Committee of the Board of Public Works and did much to prevent the canals from being appro- priated by private corporations. He was married in Columbus, Ohio, in 1849, to Lydia McCulloch. He died June Ist, 1900. He has one son Charles, a prominent attorney at Los Angeles, California. Mr. McFarland was a philosopher. After he returned from the Legisla- ture in 1883, he lived a life of retirement. He was very fond of fish- ing, and would spend many days successively in fishing camps. No

DANIEL MCFARLAND.

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one ever enjoyed the ease and retirement of old age more than Mr. McFarland. He took all things easy and never permitted anything to worry him. He was just and punctual in all his dealings. As a citizen, he was always in favor of public improvements. He did more to secure the Scioto Valley Railroad than any citizen of Portsmouth. He was active in securing the car shops of that railroad at Ports- mouth. He gave a large and liberal subscription to the Portsmouth Hotel Company which built the Washington Hotel and directed its payment in his last illness, when he knew it would never do him any good, and he would not live to see its completion. He was as public spirited and liberal a citizen as ever lived in the city of Portsmouth. He was a good public speaker and in a political campaign could not be excelled. While he was in politics, he seemed to enjoy its ex- citement, turmoil and clash. While engaged in the political field, among the people, he was known as "Black Dan," on account of his very dark complexion. The name was given to him by one in one of his audiences at Scioto Furnace, in an exciting political campaign. The name stuck to him and was adopted generally. As a promoter of public enterprises or a politician, he could always reach the hearts of the people and without any apparent effort.

Mr. McFarland suffered much in his last illness but as he had always done his best, he met the last enemy without any regrets or repinings. He knew his time had come and submitted to the inevi- table like the philosopher he was.

James Boone Ray, Sr., M. D.,

was born June 12th, 1815, in Washington County, Pennsylvania. His father was James Ray and his mother's maiden name was Phebe Johnson. They were both born in Washington County, Pennsylva- nia. His father, James Ray, was a miller and distiller. Our subject had two brothers and seven sisters. His middle name, Boone is for the redoubtable Daniel. When he was seven years of age, his par- ents came to Ohio and located near Salem, in Jefferson County. He received his education in the common schools there and then follow- ed the occupation of a country school teacher. He began the study of medicine in that county under Doctor Matthew Crawford. He came first to Jackson, but remained there but two weeks. He visited Portsmouth in 1843, and stopped at the McCoy tavern. He met Doc- tor Vogelsong and declined a partnership. In 1844, he located at Harrisonville and that winter attended lectures at Starling Medical College, in Columbus, Ohio. He practised medicine in Harrisonville for a few years and then retired. He represented Scioto County in the Legislature from January 4th, 1858, to April 6th, 1859. April 30th, 1844, he was married to Hannah Dunlavy, daughter of Andrew Dun- lavy in Steubenville, Ohio. They had six children. Doctor James B. Ray, jr., at Harrisonville was the eldest. They lost three in child- hood. Their son William, lived to be a young man and died while a

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law student in Cncinnati, Ohio. Their youngest daughter, Jennie is the wife of J. H. Wyatt of Bell Center, Logan County, Ohio. Doc- tor Ray is a believer in the Christian religion, but is not a member of any church. He is a Democrat and always has been. He cast his first vote for Martin Van Buren, in 1836, and from that time to the present, has voted for every Democratic candidate for President. He died May 26th, 1901.

John Wesley Collings.

His father, Elijalı Collings, was born March 5th, 1786, in Mary- land. His father, James Collings came from Maryland in 1794 and located in Adams County, first in the stockade in Manchester, and in about 1796, on a tract of 400 acres of land just south of West Un- ion, where he died in 1802, at the age of 48 years. He served three years in the Revolutionary War from 1777 to 1780. Elijah Collings, his father, died March 16th, 1865. Our subject was born in Monroe Township in Adams County, April 6th, 1824. He was reared on his father's farm and knew all about poverty and hard work. He was at one time, in his youth, a deck hand, on steamboats; and he never got entirely away from the profanity and uncouth manners he learn- ed in that occupation. He had only a common school education and his want of a better one was a draw back to him all his life. He studied law in Adams County, Ohio, under the late Edward P. Evans, from 1851 to 1853. when he was admitted to the bar and came to Portsmouth, Ohio, to practice.

He was reared a Democrat and that was the political faith he fell back on, when he grew tired of others. He was a Democrat, a Whig, a Know Nothing, a Republican, and at last a Democrat. In 1857, he was the candidate for Probate Judge as an American, though the Republicans and Americans ran a fusion ticket.

In 1859, he was elected Representative from Scioto County, as the Republican candidate. He had 1,858 votes to 1,349 for Stephen Smith. He went over to Bell and Everett in 1860. While in the Legislature, Governor Chase was elected to the United States Sen- ate ; and his constituents expected Collings to vote for him: but he voted for Thomas Corwin, as did Col. Moore, who was then in the Senate from Scioto County. This was the mistake of his life. In 1862, he appeared in the celebrated Cat Case, an account of which is herein given elsewhere. In 1863, in April, he was elected City So- licitor as a Democrat, defeating Henry A. Towne, who ran as the Union and Republican candidate. The vote stood Collings 583. Towne 433. The salary during his one term was $50.00 per year. In the fall of that year, he supported Vallandigham for Governor and made speeches for him, though in 1859, he had addressed Republi- can meetings throughout the County and declared his undying hostil- ity to the Democracy. He had an iron constitution and was a man

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of fine presence. He always wore a black suit, with a dress coat and a silk hat; and presented a fine appearance in public. He was much given to the use of expletives, and was often abrupt and un- couth in his manners. He was not a brilliant lawyer. Judge Mar- tin Crain was fond of telling anecdotes illustrative of his peculiarities of speech. No doubt Crain invented many details of the anecdotes, but they fitted Collings, and were just what Collings would likely have said. Crain was the wit and humorist of the bar. He exercised his humor on all the members of the bar, but Collings was his best subject. The following is told by Crain when Collings was on the Probate Court bench and had jurisdiction of minor criminal offenses. A party named Currie was tried for stealing chickens and was found guilty by the Jury. The moment the verdict was announced, Colling's said, "Stand up, chicken thief, and receive your sentence. You have been charged with the meanest offense known to the law, that of stealing your neighbor's chickens, when he was asleep in the. peace of God, and entitled to the full protection of the law, in his innocent slumbers ; yet you violated the sanctity of his chicken coop, and ap- propriated his feathered chattels to your own use. This deserves the severest condemnation. You have been tried by a jury of your peers and found guilty. On inquiry by the Court, you have offered noth- ing in palliation. It is the sentence of this Court that you be taken hence to the County Jail, and there be confined for a period of thirty days, ten of which shall be in the dungeon. While in the dungeon, you shall be fed on bread and water. You shall pay a fine of $5.00 and costs ; and may God have mercy on your soul, this Court won't. If you are ever brought before this Court again and found guilty of the same offense, it will hang you, G-d d-m you." Here is an- other. A party had been charged with an assault on Blash Lodwick. The assault consisted in trying to cut him with a knife, in the abdo- men. Collings was assisting to prosecute and in arguing to the jury. said. "The defendant's conduct has been most reprehensible He was trying to carve Blash Lodwick's belly, and only failed because he was prevented ; but the evidence shows he intended to do it. Such an offense deserves the highest sentence of the law, and ought to re- ceive it. If his conduct receives the slightest approval, this town will be full of guts from end to end; and the Court should express its disapproval in the strongest terms the law will permit."

Judge Collings was never married. He said he knew that each lawyer had the right to starve one woman to death, but he did not pro- pose to exercise his privilege.

About four years prior to his death, he was in the habit of sleep- ing in his office in the Massie Block. The windows reached to the floor from the ceiling and he had them open. He was a sleep walker and one summer night, in his sleep, he walked out of a window and fell to the pavement, sixteen feet below. His jaw, his hip and legs

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were fractured and he was otherwise fearfully injured. Owing to his wonderful constitution, he recovered. But the after result was con- sumption, of which he died. When he saw death inevitable, he retired to Adams County, and there died July 16th, 1872, at the age of 48. Had he properly taken care of himself, he would have lived to be 90 years old and upwards. He was interred in the Fenton Cemetery in Monroe Township, among his own people. In his will of record in Scioto County, he made a bequest to a sister and it reads about like this, "To my sister, , married to an infernal scoundrel by the name of , I give and bequeath, etc.," Collings knew well enough that this record would be perpetual, but he was willing it should be so. One day when visiting another sister, she was showing him her baby and said, "John don't you think this is the finest baby you ever saw?" Collings replied, "Oh Chrissy, don't bother me about babies, they all look alike to me."

Collings was an agnostic. He said he did not believe a man had any more of a soul than a horse or cow; and that when he died that was the end of him, and he died so professing. He disliked an elective judiciary ; and condemned it in the most severe terms. He said the elected judges were all politicians and he did not like to practise before them. Had he made a suitable marriage, and taken due care of his health, he might have lived to a great age; and his career might have been more successful. In politics he was a failure because he changed too often. To make a political success one must stick to one party. His father was a Democrat, but his uncle, the Hon. George Collings, was a Whig and Republican. He had a great admiration for his un- cle George, as the latter well deserved. Raised a Democrat, but ad- miring and believing in his uncle, he might well hesitate in opinion btween the two leading parties. There is no doubt that when Judge Collings identified himself with the Republicans, had he remained there, he might have had any political preferment he desired, but he was raised to pro-slavery views and, apparently, could not get away from them. Whatever he professed he was candid about, some- times brutally so. He died in poverty, and, after his injuries from his fall, life turned to bitterness for him.

The lesson of his life is: that a man had better marry at a suit- able age; and that he had best cast his fortunes with one political par- ty and remain with it.

Colonel Martin Crain.

At the outset we are called on again to determine whether the title of Colonel or Judge is the highest. It is our rule to give each subject the title of the highest office he attained, and as in the case of William Oldfield, we gave the military title the preference, we shall do so here. Our subject was born Sept. 22nd, 1822, in Alexandria, of an old family, noted for their integrity and steady habits, and for

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being the swarthiest family in Scioto County. Martin Crain was as dark as an Indian, with deep set black eyes, and very dark hair. He was a large man, broad shouldered, over average height, and with con- siderable embonpoint. As a boy, he was active and mischievous. He had only such education as the common schools afforded ; but became a teacher of common schools and taught several years. He made a number of trips down the Mississippi River. In 1848, he entered public life as a Constable of Wayne Township. One year of that office satisfied him. He was reared as a Whig, and as such, at thirty years of age, entered the office of Andrew Crichton, Recorder. as a clerk. He remained there until the next year, when he was a candidate for the same office on the Whig ticket. His opponent on the Democratic ticket was B. F. Cunningham. Crain received 1,275, votes to 1, 169, for Cunningham.

On May Ist, 1854, he married Ellen Gibbs, sister of Captain Frank C. Gibbs, and she died the following year. On January 8th, 1857, he married Miss Maria Hall, daughter of Octavo Hall, and by her eight children. In May, 1856, he was admitted to the bar and began practicing law in October, following.

In 1854, the Whig party dissolved, and Recorder Crain trimmed his sails for a Democratic breeze. In 1857, he ran on the Democratic ticket for Prosecuting Attorney and was elected. As the election returns for that year have been destroyed, the vote cannot be given. In 1859, he was a candidate for a second term and was elected. The vote stood Henry A. Towne, Republican, 1,423; Crain, 1,611, ma- jority, 188. In 1861, he felt the need of a change in his political as- sociates and went into the Republican camp. The Republicans nomi- nated him for representative and he was elected. The vote stood, Crain, 1,676, Uri Nurse, Democrat, 1,359, majority, 317. In 1862, Colonel Crain received the title of Colonel by reason of being made Commandant at Camp Morrow. He was a great advocate of the war. While a member of the Legislature, he spent much of his time writing to the newspapers for the instruction and amusement of his constituents. In 1863, his war fever had abated, and he was back in the bosom of Democracy. He went over the County and made speeches for the Democracy. In a speech made at Lucasville, in 1863, he said he had been deluded into joining the war party. But Colonel Crain made the great mistake of decrying a popular war. If a young man has political ambition, he must always join the war party. In 1867, the Democrats put him on their ticket for Common Pleas Judge. Hon. W. W. Johnson of Ironton had resigned because he was the only Judge in the State receiving $1,500, while all the others were receiving $2,500. He was a candidate for re-election for the fractional term, expected to be elected and ordinarily would have been. The Democrats put Crain on their ticket, not expecting him. or anyone on their ticket to be elected. He received 2,542 votes in

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the County and Johnson, 2,312. The Negro Amendment to the State Constitution defeated the Republicans and made the Democrats victorious. In December, 1870, John J. Glidden resigned as City Solicitor and a special election was held. There was no other candi- date but Crain and he was elected. He held the office until the April election following. He was a candidate for the full term, but was defeated by N. W. Evans. The vote stood Evans, 970, Crain, 806. This was the last time he was a candidate for a public office. Crain had a great penchant for partners in the practice of law. In 1860, he was a partner of John J. Glidden. The firm was Crain and Glidden. In 1866, it was Crain and Thompson, (Hon. A. C. Thompson, Fed- eral Judge.) In 1870, it was Crain and Pursell, (F. S. Pursell of Logan). In 1874, it was Crain and Fullerton, (H. H. Fullerton ). In 1879, it was Crain and Huston, (Samuel J. Huston). In 1870, it was Crain and Haney.

On May 22nd, 1882, he fell dead of apoplexy at his own door. He was a free liver and died poor. He was a good mixer, and could be agreeable with the hoi polloi, to their entire satisfaction. He was a great reader of standard and classic romance, and remembered all he read. He was the greatest wit and humorist ever at the Ports- mouth bar. He could tell humorous anecdotes better than any of his cotemporaries. If it lacked details, when it reached him, he al-

ways furnished them. He had fancy names for all the members of the bar. The firm of Moore, Johnson and Newman, was "Quirk, Gam- mon and Snap". Harper and Searl were "Dodson and Fogg." Towne and Farnham, were "Sampson, Brass and Sally." Searl, was "Cockle Burr." N. W. Evans, was "My learned friend" and the "Chancellor." Duncan Livingstone, was "The Scotch Thistle," and the "Duke of Argyle." William H. Reed, was "Hiawatha" and "Mudgekewis."

Once he had a suit before Squire Samuel P. Nicholls and N. W. Evans, was on the other side. Mr. Evans quoted some Latin in his argument to the Justice and Crain complained that he had no show, because Evans and the Squire talked Latin to each other, and he did not understand it. Crain was a man of generous impulse and was popular, but he never understood what the term of political consis- tency meant. He had an inexhaustible fund of anecdotes, and never tired of telling them. He could always entertain and amuse a jury or an audience. It has been said of him ; that, when any county Dem- ocratic speaker was to make his first political speech, he was put in charge of Crain, and sent to Brush Creek Township. If the fledgling orator made any mistake, it would not lose any votes in that Town- ship; and, if he failed, Crain always made the closing speech, and when he was through the audience was in such a laughing mood, that it had forgotten the blunders of the fledgling. If any acquaintance of Crain had any peculiarities or eccentricity, Crain could illustrate them

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in the most humorous manner. The lawyers all liked him, and he was "good friends" with them all.

Elijah Barnes Glover

was born May TIth, 1811, in Portsmouth, the son of Elijah Glover and Catharine Jones, his wife. He had only such education as the common schools afforded. From the age of sixteen he was a great reader. At twenty-one he began life, as the editor of the Ports- mouth Courier, an organ of the Whig party. He conducted that jour- nal six years. For a few years subsequent he conducted the book bus- iness in Portsmouth, Ohio. In 1839, he published an Elementary Spelling-book. On January 17th, 1833, he married Sarah J. Offnere. daughter of George Offnere, and that was the best thing he ever did for himself in all his life, as he often admitted himself. In 1840, he was elected County Auditor on the Whig ticket and was re-elected twice and hield the office six years. During this time he read law with Samuel M. Tracy, and in 1847, he was admitted to the bar. In 1849, his practice was assessed at $800.00, in 1850 and 1851, at $1,000.00. In 1853, he was defeated for State Senator by Thomas McCauslen. The vote in the County stood, McCauslen, 1,622, Glover, 708. From 1864 to 1867, he represented Scioto County in the Leg- islature. While there he obtained the passage of the Acts for free turnpikes in Scioto County, and was chairman of the committee on Finance at one session.

On March 29th, 1867, he was appointed Register in Bankruptcy for the Eleventh Congressional District of Ohio, and served until January, 1870, when he resigned to take his seat in the Legislature. After returning from the Legislature, in 1871, he held no public office.

On March 6th, 1869, he was struck from behind while walking up Second street on his way home in the evening, at a point opposite John P. Terry's home, and was robbed. He never fully recovered from the injury, and the perpetrators were never discovered. If Mr. Glover had one hobby, it was temperance. He was a member of all the temperance societies which were organized, in his time, in Ports- mouth. For a time he published a temperance paper, called the "Life Boat." As a public speaker on temperance, he was always in demand and never excelled, and yet owing to a disease of the skin of his face, he would have been taken for the worst toper in the land. He was very fond of telling stories on himself, on account of this peculi- arity of his appearance; and some of them will appear under the title of "The Bar of the County." Writing biographical sketches is a serious matter and they cannot appear here.

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A history of Scioto County, Ohio, together with a pioneer record, Part 18

Author: Evans, Nelson W. (Nelson Wiley), 1842-1913 Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Portsmouth, O. N. W. Evans Number of Pages: 1612

Author: Evans, Nelson W. (Nelson Wiley), 1842-1913
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Portsmouth, O. N. W. Evans
Number of Pages: 1612