Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 122

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others
Publication date: 1905
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1149

USA > Ohio > Butler County > Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio > Part 122

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

was a man of pure life and character. Mr. Millikin was an ardent supporter of the Union during the Civil war, and sent two stalwart sons to the front in its preserva- tion. But he favored peaceful arbitration of national difficulties, and recognized the "power of right" only as a last resort. All of his public utterances breathed an ardent desire for the suppression of the rebellion and preservation of the national union at any cost. Mr. Millikin was the president of the Hamilton Gas Company and also of the Lindenwald Electric Transit Company. He was chosen the first president of the latter corporation and remained in that po- sition until the day of his death. The sub- ject of this sketch, who was the originator and promoter of the Transit Company, was chosen secretary and manager of the same and therein was closely associated with his father in this beneficent enterprise for many years. Assuredly no other public de- velopment would or could have done as much to further the growth and prosperity of Hamilton as the introduction of gas lights and electric railways. The corpora- tion invested three hundred and thirty thou- sand dollars in the electric street car enter- prise, and thus encouraged a phenomenal growth and expansion of the city in all di- rections traversed by this line. But the en- terprise was in advance of the require- ments and the lines were operated at an average annual loss of seventy-five hundred dollars for nine years. During this period the president died, and while the manage- ment of Secretary and Manager Ira S. Mil- likin was careful and conservative, the pat- ronage was not sufficient to meet the ex- pense. Then the panic of the early nineties came upon the country, and the mills and

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factories were shut down, and the patron- age of the working people was entirely shut off. In this dilemma Mr. Millikin found it necessary to do something and the most just and proper course for him under the distressing circumstances which confronted him was to make an assignment for the benefit of the creditors. The affairs of the corporation were amicably settled by F. W. Whitaker as assignee, and Mr. Millikin turned his attention to the real-estate busi- · ness. He has recovered his losses, and is again on terra firma in the financial world. As promoters of these two beneficent en- terprises, without which the city could scarcely exist today, Thomas and Ira S. Millikin proved themselves men of public spirit and advanced ideas. Thomas Mil- likin was the attorney for the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad from 1852 until the day of his death. He was also the attorney for the Big Four Railroad for many years. In 1874 he was tendered an appointment as one of the supreme judges of Ohio, an honor which he declined. There are many of Thomas Millikin's pub- lic addresses now in print, but probably the master-piece of his lifetime is the address delivered on the hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Inde- pendence, on July 4. 1876. His address on the occasion of laying the corner-stone of the new court house in Hamilton is an- other of his master-pieces. It is tem- pered throughout with a spirit of love and justice between man and man, the senti- ments of which could not have been uttered by any one save a pre-eminently good man. Thomas Millikin achieved his most brilliant success and highest honors as a lawyer. His name is held in great reverence by the

profession, and he is universally spoken of as the "Nestor of the Butler county bar." For more than a quarter of a century there was scarcely an important case brought to trial in Butler county that Mr. Millikin did not appear on one side or the other. He also carried many complicated cases through the higher courts of the state and nation, where his ability and sterling integ- rity were always recognized. He was a lover of history and delighted to dwell on reminiscences of the past, especially during the period of the seventy years of local his- tory with which he was so familiar. He was exceptionally well informed on the his- tory of Butler county, and took special pleasure in discussing the events of early days. His death occurred in Hamilton where his long and useful life was spent, on the 10th of November, 1899.

Thomas Millikin was married . at Co- lumbus, Ohio, November 4, 1841, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary, daughter of the late William B. Van Hook, who served in the Ohio legislature. A peculiar coin- cidence in connection with this marriage is the fact that the ceremony was performed in the Ohio penitentiary. William B. Van Hook was warden of the penitentiary, hence the celebration of his daughter's wedding occurred "under the parental roof." But the ceremony was said in the East parlor and was far removed from the environ- ments of prison life or anything akin to it. There were many distinguished guests present, including the state officers, and Governor Bebb acted as "best man." Mrs. Millikin was born in 1824 and proved a most exemplary wife and mother. Their union was a very happy one, and after trav- eling side by side for fifty-two years, it was

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terminated on the 13th of January, 1894, viously mentioned. However, he did not when Mrs. Millikin was called to her final retire from the real-estate business, though that became subordinate to other interests for the time. For some time past and at the present he has given and is giving his exclusive attention to the real-estate busi- ness, and is considered a safe counsellor and judicious and careful investor. Mr. Millikin has been an extensive traveler and a careful observer. He is well posted on all features of his business career and has made a success of his efforts. earthly rest. She died at her daughter's residence in Peoria, Illinois. Seven chil- dren were born to bless this union, namely : William B., Robert B., Sarah G., Murray G., Mary M., Ira S., and Julia M. Wil- liam, Murray and Mary are deceased. Three are residents of their native city and Julia (Mrs. Harrison) is in Chicago. Wil- liam and Robert were soldiers during the Civil war.

Ira S. Millikin was born in Hamilton on the 2d of February, 1852. He was edu- cated in the public schools of his native city and at the Western Military Academy of Dayton, Ohio, which institution has since been discontinued. Leaving the academy after three years devoted to study there, he spent the succeeding three years in travel, principally in the western states and ter- ritories. Returning to his home, he joined with his father and brother, Robert B., in the manufacture of plows and farm imple- ments. He was associated with Hon. James E. Campbell in the insurance busi- ness for twelve years, and during the con- struction of the Hamilton water-works plant, and for two years subsequently, he was secretary of the company, resigning that position in July, 1886. He then took another trip, partly for recreation, through the western states, particularly on the Pa- cific coast, and becoming interested in the future prospects of Los Angeles, California, made some investments there. Returning home, he continued to deal extensively in real estate at home and abroad for several years or until the organization of the Elec- tric Transit Company, in 1889, of which he was made secretary and manager, as pre-

Mr. Millikin was married, in 1882, to Miss Lucy A. Bakewell, of Louisville, Ken- tucky. She is descended from one of the prominent southern families, her father, William G. Bakewell, being a well-known capitalist and railroad owner in the south. He was tendered a commissary generalship under the Confederate government during the Civil war, but declined the honor be- cause of his strong Union sentiments. He was tolerated in the South, however, because of his usefulness as a railroad promoter. His wife, who was Maria Dillingham, was also a representative of a very prominent southern family, being a descendant of the noted naturalist, John James Audubon. Mrs. Millikin was born in Shelbyville, Ken- tucky, and died in Hamilton, April 1, 1886. Her two children both died in infancy. On the 29th of November, 1889, Mr. Millikin was united in marriage with Miss Zenaide C. Schenck, who is descended from pioneer ancestors in Butler county. Her paternal grandfather, Aaron L. Schenck, was sheriff of Butler county from 1849 to 1851. Her maternal grandfather, Charles K. Smith, was a prominent attorney of Butler county and filled numerous county offices during his life, among them being those of probate

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judge and county treasurer. He was the last secretary of the territory of Minnesota. He was cashier of the old Hamilton Bank. He was prominent in Masonic circles, and organized the first lodge of that order in the territory of Minnesota, of which he was the first worshipful master. He died in Hamilton, Ohio, on September 28, 1866. Mr. and Mrs. Millikin have an interesting

family of two children, Florence and Julia. Mr. Millikin, like his illustrious an- cestors, adheres to the doctrines of the Democratic party. He has never been an office seeker in any sense, and is content with assisting his friends and, incidentally, in furthering the interests of the party. He has never united with any church or secret society.

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· CHAPTER VII

NECROLOGICAL.

CAPT. JOHN CLEVES SYMMES

was born in Sussex county, New Jersey, November 5, 1779, and received a good ele- mentary education. He was an assiduous reader and carefully studied mathematics and kindred sciences. In 1802 he entered the army as ensign and in 1804 was promot- ed to a second lieutenancy, in 1807 to a first lieutenancy and in 1812 to captain, in which capacity he continued to serve until the abandonment of the army in 1816. While at Fort Adams, below Natchez, on the Miss- issippi, he fought a duel with Lieutenant Marshall and was wounded in the wrist, the use of which he never fully recovered. At the battle of Lundy's Lane, in 1814, he re- ceived honorable mention by the general commanding, because of his excellent con- duct. Upon his retirement from the army he located in St. Louis, where he engaged in furnishing supplies for troops on the upper Mississippi and trading with the Fox Indi- ans. In 1819 he located at Newport, Ken- tucky. In 1825 he was granted permission to accompany the Russian polar expedition, but financial embarrassment hindered him from accepting the offer. While residing at St. Louis he promulgated his eccentric

theory regarding the concentric spheres, po- lar voids and open poles, a full description of which is found elsewhere in this volume. In 1822 he petitioned congress setting forth his belief in the theory and asking congress to equip an expedition for a voyage of dis- covery. The petition was laid on the table, but in 1823 he renewed his petition, which met a similar fate. In 1824 he petitioned the general assembly of Ohio to pass a reso- lution recommending him to congress for an outfit for this purpose, which matter was also indefinitely postponed. Mr. Symmes entered into an agreement with a young law- ver, J. N. Reynolds, who was in harmony with his views, and in 1825 they set out on a lecturing tour through the United States. A few weeks later Captain Symmes was forced to return home because of ill health and in January, 1826, he again set out and, although meeting with many discourage- ments, he continued his course to Philadel- phia, New York, Boston, and even into Canada. His health becoming greatly im- paired, he retired for a time to his native place in New Jersey and in February, 1829, he returned to Cincinnati in a much en- feebled condition. He continued to decline until his death, May 29, 1829. On Christ-

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mas day, 1808, Mr. Symmes married Mrs. have nearly all dropped off, exposing the Anna Lockwood, who was at that time the logs which seem in pretty good keeping, though they were put up near seventy years ago. mother of five daughters and one son, though they were brought up and carefully educated by Captain Symmes and were all sincerely attached to him.

His son, the late Hon. Americus Sym- mes. gives some particulars which we ap- pend :

"He was the owner of section 31, town 2, range :3, between the Miami rivers, which adjoins the city of Hamilton, and his resi- dence was near the northwest corner of said section, and outside of the corporation line. It was part frame and part log. The log house was of hewn timber, principally of hickory, and about twenty feet front by eighteen feet deep, and one story and a half theory, with the meridian lines drawn on it, high. The frame part was but one story- had only two small rooms. A brick kitchen has been added to it since his death. The premises show to what great need of money he was reduced to make his family comfort- able, but want never put a stop to the prose- cution of his studies in philosophy, day or night, during the last ten years of his life. He has been known to be sitting at his desk writing when half a dozen children were playing in the same room, and if they did not touch him he would not know that they were near him. so completely was he wrapped up in his work.

"Before he entered the army, in 1802, at the age of twenty-two years, he had cleared off some forty acres of his land, and set out an orchard that he grew from the seed on his father's farm, that lay in the vi- cinity of Si Keck's fertilizing establishment, about nine miles below Cincinnati on the Ohio side. The logs of his residence had been weatherboarded, but now the boards

"It was in this log hut that the great originator of the Theory of Concentric Spheres and Polar Voids breathed his last, after ten long years of deep and constant study. He was buried in the old grave yard now known as the Ludlow Park, in Hamilton, with military honors by the Miami Guards then commanded by Major John M. Millikin. The military funeral drew an immense crowd, who had never be- fore witnessed such a spectacle. The monu- ment that was erected over his grave is sur- mounted by a hollow globe representing his all of which is of sandstone. A correct drawing of the monument can be found on page 77, of 'Ohio, its History and Antiqui- ties,' published in 1847, in Cincinnati, by Derby. Bradley & Co.

"The Symmes's were extensive land owners in Ohio in its earliest days, and the philosopher owned the section where he died and four thou- sand acres in Licking county, Ohio; but the sec- tion on which he died he prized very highly, and no price could have induced him to part from it, as it was a present to him from his uncle, Judge John Cleves Symmes, who had purchased from Congress one million acres of land in the Miami valley at sixty-six cents per acre, commencing at a base line drawn from the mouth of the little Miami river (five miles above Cincinnati) to the mouth of the big Miami twenty miles below Cin- cinnati, and then run north for quantity. He was the first man that ever sectionized land in the United States, and he set the price at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. The government adopted both plans and price for all public lands. This was accomplished through his son-in-law, General Harrison, when he was a member of con- gress, whom he gave four thousand acres of land at North Bend, where he is buried.

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"The philosopher's old home has passed into other hands, for at his death it was found that after selling the widow's life estate in his lands, his executors could pay only eighty-two cents on the dollar.

"While in the army of 1812, as it is now called, he had occasion to fight a duel with a Captain Marshall, and before the duel took place he wrote to his brother Daniel, of Cincinnati, who was at that time speaker of the state senate, that if he fell in the fight his section of land should be di- vided between his two sisters and two brothers, saying which quarter of the section each should have. But he was only slightly wounded and his adversary desperately in the hip.

"At the close of the war, and the general dis- bandment of the troops, he took up the study of his favorite theory, and seemed to think of naught else for the remainder of his life. That theory had been lying dormant for nearly fifty years, but was brought to the front by the explorations of Dr. Kane and Captain Hall, and in recent years several efforts have been made to draw public at- tention to it and to show to the world that the theory is really true as far as explorations have extended northward since his death.

"The difference between the Symmes and Newtonian theories is this. Newton teaches that it is one vast solitude of ice clear up to the nine- tieth degree of north latitude, while the Symmes theory is that after the eighty-second degree is passed the weather becomes much milder, and that an open polar sea will be found at or about the eighty-third degree, and that if that sea is sailed over, a new continent will be found, rich in soil and productions, and that large forests and rivers will be discovered, equal to any now known."

WILLIAM BEBB

ent territory of Hamilton county. He re- turned to Pennsylvania, where he married a Miss Roberts, to whom he had been en- gaged in Wales, and, with his bride, riding in a suitable conveyance, again crossed the mountains, and settled on his land in what was then but a wilderness, it being the first land settled within the present boundaries of Morgan township. Edward Bebb was a man of sound judgment, and, in common with many of his countrymen, of a joyous and ever hopeful disposition. His wife was a lady of culture and refinement, and her home in the valley of the Miami, with no near neighbors, was a great change from her previous life. There were, of course, no schools near to send her children to, and this was a matter of grave concern to the parents, and the son William was, in con- sequence, taught to read at home. In those years the Western Spy, then published in Cincinnati and distributed by private post, was taken by his father, and William read with avidity the contents of it, especially the achievements of Napoleon Bonaparte. A strong desire to acquire a better education induced him to make extraordinary efforts, and in this matter he was much assisted by David Lloyd, a graduate of a college in Philadelphia, who resided in the Bebb neigh- borhood. Young Bebb began teaching school at Oury's school-house, in the village of New Haven, Hamilton county, and after- ward taught at North Bend, the residence of General William Henry Harrison. He re- mained in this latter place a year, during which time he married Miss Sarah Shuck, the daughter of a wealthy German resident of the village.

William Bebb, who was governor of Ohio during the Mexican war, was born on the Dry Fork of Whitewater, in Mor- gan township, Butler county, Ohio, Decem- ber 8. 1802. His father, Edward Bebb, emigrated from Wales, in 1795. traveled across the mountains to the Miami valley on foot, purchased an extensive tract of land in section twenty-seven, in Morgan town- Proving a success as a teacher of boys, ship, and which tract extended into the pres- he conceived the idea of extending his use-

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fulness, and resolved to open an extensive and New Haven. In and about the boarding-school on part of his father's large locality, particularly on the Dry Fork creek, there were a great many large, full- foliaged and grand sycamore trees, and Mr. Bebb named the place Sycamore Grove. This name became celebrated in Cincinnati and throughout the country, and Bebb's school and Sycamore Grove became a dis- tinguished place. He carried on his school until the end of the year 1832, when, being filled with ambition to make a still greater mark before the public eye, he gave up his well-established school. place and farm, some two miles north of the Oury school-house. With the assistance of his father, and the encouragement of his neighbors, who had much confidence in him and his learning and ability, and with the good will and aid of some Cincinnati friends, he had a large and commodious two- story-and-a-half frame house and additions erected on the banks of the Dry Fork of Whitewater. The large building consisted of a middle two-and-a-half story house, and commodious wings on each side one and a In 1831 he rode to Columbus on horse- back, where the supreme court judges ex- amined him and passed him to practice law in the state. He then removed to Hamilton, Butler county, and opened a law office, being for a long time in partnership with John M. Millikin, where he continued quietly and in a successful practice fourteen years. He was a strong and effective jury lawyer. He never took a case in which he did not soon feel in warm sympathy, and his appeals to the jury were very touching. He could weep at any time. Apart from his merits as a jury advocate he was not strong, al- though safe. In his set addresses he had a redundancy of ornament, more so than in his extemporaneous speaking. He was a large, good-looking man, of pleasant and sympathetic address, and was of spare build. During his legal career he took an active in- terest in political affairs, and advocated dur- ing his first, called the hard-cider campaign, the claims of General Harrison, and no less distinguished himself during that "Tippe- canoe and Tyler, too" campaign, in which the persons indicated were successful, and the Whigs. 1840, for the first time succeeded in electing their candidates. Four years half story high, one of those, the northern wing, being devoted to himself and young family as a dwelling; the other, the southern wing, being the school-house, and dormitory for the boys above. The center building contained a large dining hall, entered from a beautiful covered portico, reached by a flight of steps extending the whole length of the building. and a large dormitory for the boys immediately above, and rooms and a large kitchen at the rear. The whole house was painted white, adorned with blue. Thus situated, Mr. Bebb began his board- ing-school about the year 1827 or 1828, and, being an energetic man, he began to pros- per, and his school was soon filled with pupils and boarders from the boys of Cin- cinnati and elsewhere. This was the first and pioneer boarding school in the vicinity of Cincinnati. It was distant just twenty- five miles from that city, and it was reached by tolerably good roads for those days, either by way of Millcreek and Colerain townships, through the town of Venice, on the Great Miami, or through Green and Miami and Crosby townships, through the villages of Chiviot. Miamitown

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afterward he was elected governor of the state, and the war with Mexico placed him, as governor of Ohio, in a very trying posi- tion. As a Whig, he did not personally favor that war, and this feeling was gener- ally entertained by the party, who made him their leader in the state; but he felt that the question was one not of party but of cordial support of the general government, and his earnest recognition of this fact eventually overcame the danger that fol- lowed President Polk's proclamation of war. His term of office ( 1846-1848) was distinguished by good money, free schools, great activity in the construction of railroads and turnpikes; the arts and industry gen- erally were well rewarded, and high pros- perity characterized the whole state. In 1847, Governor Bebb purchased five thou- sand of acres of land in Winnebago county, Illinois, of which the location was delight- ful and the soil rich. Five hundred acres were wooded, and constituted a national park, while the remainder was prairie of the best quality, with a stream of water fed by perpetual springs. No man of moderate ambition could desire the possession of a more magnificent position of the earth's sur- face. Three years after making this pur- chase he removed to it, taking with him fine horses and a number of the choicest breeds of cattle, and entered upon the culti- vation of this fine property. Five years afterward he visited Great Britain and the continent of Europe. In the birthplace of his father he found many desirous to immi- grate to America, and, encouraging the en- terprise, a company was formed, and a tract of one hundred thousand acres purchased for them in east Tennessee, where he agreed to preside over their arrangements and the

settlement of this land. In 1856, a party of the colonists arrived on the land, and Governor Bebb resided with them until the war of the Rebellion began, when he left the state with his family. The emigrants, discovered by the strong pro-slavery senti- ment. scattered and settled in various parts of the northern states. On the inauguration of President Lincoln, Governor Bebb was appointed examiner in the pension depart- ment, at Washington, and held this position until 1869, when he returned to his farm in Illinois, and the peaceful pursuit of agri- culture. His scale of farming was the culti- vation of two thousand acres in a season, while another thousand formed his cattle pasture. While in Washington he received the appointment of consul at Tangiers, Morocco, but declined. He took an active part in the election of General Grant, and the first sickness of any consequence he ever experienced was an attack of pneumonia following an exposed ride from Pecatonica, where he had addressed the electors, to his home. From this he never recovered, and, although he spent the following winter in Washington, occupied mainly as a listener to the debates in the senate, he felt his vital forces gradually declining. Returning home the next summer, and feeling that he was no longer able to superintend his farm operations, he purchased a residence at Rockford, and there resided until his death, which happened October 23, 1873. His widow, who survived him, died a few years ago, at Rockford, Illinois.

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Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 122

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1149

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others
Publication date: 1905
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1149