Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 1, Part 75

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1020

USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 1 > Part 75

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).

"The climate is healthy, if we may judge from the appearance of the inhabitants. At this season (July) the mornings and evenings are delight- ful; mid-day hot, but not too hot to do any out- door work. The winters are short and pleasant.

"The manners of inost of the inhabitants are social and refined, without jealousy of foreigners (which is sometimes the case with the ignorant or interested, in the Eastern and Middle States) ; they are pleased to see a respectable European settle amongst them. Many cultivate the fine arts, painting, engraving and music. With few exceptions, we found the English language spoken with purity. * *

"The city, in all probability, will soon be the largest in the West; it is rapidly improving in size; sixty new brick and frame houses have been occupied since last fall; and at least as many more are now building besides several manufacturing shops and factories. There is more taste displayed in building and laying out grounds and gardens than I have yet observed west of the Alleghany Mountains.

"The price of town lots is high, and houses in the principal streets difficult to obtain on hire. The lots in Main, first and second streets sell for two hundred dollars a foot, measuring on the front line; those possessing less local ad- vantage seil from fifty to ten dollars ; out-lots, and land very near the town, sells for five hun- dred dollars per acre. Taxes are very moderate. * *

* The price of labour is one dollar per day. Mechanics earn two dollars. Boarding is from two to three, and five dollars per week. Five dollars per week is the price of the best hotel in the city ; we paid three dollars per week, had a room to ourselves and our living was ex- cellent ; at breakfast, plenty of beef steak, bacon, eggs, white bread, johnny cakes (of Indian meal), butter, tea and coffee. Dimmier, two or three dishes of fowls, roast meat, kidney beans, peas, new potatoes, preserves, cherry pie, &c .;

supper nearly the same as breakfast. Living is very cheap here; and it is casily to be accounted for in the cheapness and fertility of the sur- rounding country, the scarcity of tax-gatherers, and the distance of a market for the supplies. You can have very decent board, washing, and lodging, by the year for one hundred and fifty dollars.

* * The land round Cincinnati is good. Price, a mile or two from the city, fifty, eighty, and one hundred dollars per acre, according to quality and other advantages. This same land, a few years ago, was bought for two and five dollars per acre. Farms with improvements ten miles from the town, sell for thirty and forty dollars per acre."

Mr. Palmer found in the stores in Front, Water and Main streets, an excellent supply of goods from the East and West Indies, Europe, and of the produce of their immediate neighbor- hood. Trading boats regularly proceeded to New Orleans, St. Louis, Pittsburg and various other places, while steamboats from New Orleans and Pittsburg called, delivered and received goods and passengers. Numbers of arks with emi- grants and their families, bound to various parts of the Western country, were generally near the landing. He counted at the landing, seven Ken- tucky boats with coal, iron and dry goods from Pittsburg; four barges or kcel-boats one two masted and at least 150 tons, which were trading and carrying freight up and down the rivers; four large flats or scows with stone and salt from the "Kenhawa" works ; six arks, laden with emigrants and their furniture, who were stop- ping to purchase provisions. He was much im- pressed with the celebration of the Fourth of July, which was ushered in by bands of music parading the streets and the firing of cannon. At eleven, "three companies of volunteers (con- sisting of a rifle corps, and two companies of infantry, one a fine company just raised, called the Cincinnati Guards) assembled near the land- ing, and accompanied by many citizens, two and two, marched in procession to the Presbyterian Church." Here were prayers, singing and an oration, followed by a dinner at the principal tav- ern. Although some of the laborers and me- chanics were "great amateurs of whiskey" he saw but one man intoxicated during his stay and that was on the Fourth "which for an Amer- ican, amounts almost to an excuse." (Journal of Travels in the United States, etc., in the Year 1817, Chapter V.)

434

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

REMINISCENCES OF "OLD MAN."

A series of articles written in the Cincinnati Times in the year 1867 by a writer who con- cealed his identity under the pseudonym "Old Man" describes Main street in the early days. He calls attention to the fact that in its original state the front of the city was a bluff with a pre- cipitous bank some twenty feet high in which were two indentations or coves, the one near Sycamore and the other at the foot of Main. The ground at the head of the latter was several feet higher than at present and it was cut down when the grade of Main street was established. On either side of the cove were small fields. of table land and at the left stood the original jail and Town House. At the head of the cove, the ground descended into quite a ravine until it came to a point where Pearl street is now located when it gradually ascended to Third street. Here was another high bluff bank and on top of this a small Indian work. The ground from this point back for some distance was moder- ately level. During the first years there were but a few log houses on Main. At the corner of Front and Main was the two-story frame house of John Ludlow, so frequently referred to, where Mathew Winton, the grandfather of Squire Se- dam, the second, kept tavern. Just above him John Bartle had an inn and where the Resor warehouse stood for so many years was the first billiard room in the settlement. It was not until 1804 however that there were many houses on Main street. One of the first was that of James Ferguson, who kept a general country store where were sold dry goods, groceries and liquors. Ferguson lived until the age of 86, dying in the year 1853. He left an estate, valued at over a million dollars, gained in business in this city.

Another merchant not far away was an Irish- man named O'Farrell who was supposed to have been a quartermaster in the proposed Burr ex- pedition. He was killed in the War of 1812.

Hugh Moore opened his wholesale and retail store on Main opposite the New Market ( Fifth street) in November of this year. The reason for Moore going up the hill was the removal of the Court House to the public square on Main between Fourth and Fifth. This merchant lived in Cincinnati for over 50 years, dying at the age of 90 at his residence on Broadway above Fourth.

The first brick house was that of Elmore Will- iams on the corner of Fifth and Main. The building was known by the name of the "Brick

House" and Joseph Delaplaine offered as a spe- cial inducement to buyers that they would "have a chance to be shown through the grand brick house built regardless of cost by our well known citizen Elmore Williams." As a special induce- ment, the best of liquors were always kept on hand and "persons who buy in considerable quantities will be generously treated." In the same building was the firm of Smith & Brown, young merchants from Baltimore.

Menessier's boarding house on the slope of the hill near Pearl and Main has been frequently mentioned. Here on a summer's day in 1803 or 1804 came a tall and venerable looking man clad in most fantastic array with very long white hair. This striking personage introduced him- self as Professor Yernest, a Swede by birth, and his business was indicated by the following ad- vertisement :

"The Elixir of Longevity"

"Dr. Yernest, a native of Sweden, the inventor of the above Elixir, and by whom the secret has long remained in his family, lived 254 years, his grandfather 130 years, his mother 107, his father 130, and his grandmother 175 years.

"Dr. Yernest, the eldest in descent of the mail line of this venerable family, now in his 185th year, lives at Mr. Menessier, and has the Elixir of Longevity with him; a fifty-cent bottle of the same being sufficient quantity to insure the con- tinuation of life of the most sickly, for at least a century."

The Professor for a time did a prosperous business but one day the distinguished French advocate and tavern-keeper and the patriarchal Swede became involved in a discussion on Eu- ropean politics. Angry words soon gave way to blows and in the excitement of the conflict the wonderful white hair of the learned antediluvian came off, bringing to view a mass of bright red curls, as red says the "Old Man," as the top- knot of a woodpecker. As a result a vision of youth took the place of the semblance of hoary old age and a man of 35 stood in the shoes of the fossil of 185. The "Elixir" was not able to save him and that night riding on a rail accom- panied by a dozen or more of his former friends who had indulged in sufficient quantities of an- other sort of elixir, he was escorted from town to the tune of the "Rogue's March."

Another well known business house was that of Long & Chase at the corner of Columbia (Second) and Main streets opposite the Column-

435

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

bian Inn. Their principal business was indicated by a sign "Klock and Wach Maken." They also were tinners and coppersmiths. The Co- Imbian Inn was then kept by Mrs. Willis.

On the east side of Main below Pearl was the "Indian Camp" of Leonard Sayre, so called be- cause of the large trade carried on by Sayre with the Indians. Sayre was said to have been able to trust any Indian- that came in and get his money without fail.

In 1807 O. Ormsby established a store at the "Yellow House" on Front and Main where he sold "exclusively for cash" and on "credit of three, six, nine, and twelve months."

In the "Briek House," whose stores com- mnanded the highest rent in the city, Abraham Chase kept a country store in 1807.

A curious character was John Wall, the sad- dler, whose business was indicated by a huge military saddle hung up in front of a one-story, gable-end log house on Main near Columbia. Wall's special fad was navigation and the seas and he read and talked about ships and salt water until his name was forgotten in the sobri- quet of "Old Ocean."

Just opposite the Court House on Main was an old weather-boarded, two-story log cabin where the lawyers congregated during term time and where many of the most distinguished citi- zens such as Henry Clay, Lewis Cass, Judge Burnet and Nicholas Longworth put up. This was called at that time Ewing's Tavern.

Directly across the street was the old Court House with the jail behind it, all surrounded by a railing fence with a large double gate dircetly in front to which led a broad path. A little be- low was the pioneer church in front of which were attractive yards filled with fine trees. This as well as the cemetery behind it was enclosed with a neat fence giving the square the aspect so familiar in all country towns. Here one morning in December, 1806, early risers were privileged to see four fine large bucks standing directly in front of the Court House as if de- manding justice in their elaim for the grazing grounds which had been wrenched from them. Unfortunately for them,' their claims were soon settled by the rifles of the pioneers. They were killed in the beech woods along Deer creek.

Next to Ewing's Tavern opposite the old Court House was the business place of Frederic Hailfligh & Son. The son Henry was supposed to be very much afraid of Indians and some of the younger men attempted to give him a sur-

prise. One night in 1806 he was aroused by a number of red painted savages and commanded to prepare for death. His appeals for mercy were not heeded and as a last favor he was al- lowed to stop in the front part of the store to say his last prayer. The pretended Indians crowded around him just in time to be greeted by a tre- mendous explosion followed by a great blaze of fire and dense smoke. Henry had been warned and had dropped powder around the floor and at a critical moment had touched it off. The In- dians disappeared and a number of the citizens suffered for some time from rather severe burns.

Another well known merchant named Alter arrived from Baltimore in May, 1806, and opened a store in a two-story frame near the top of the hill on the east side of Main street. He was re- nowned for his expensive advertising and his name deserves exeeration for he was the first Cineinnatian to exploit his wares on the fences. Contrary to the moral obliquity implied by this conduet, he was a most generous citizen and when the war with England came on he donated $100 to purchase blankets for the soldiers and one-fifth of all his profits for their families. Near him at the same time James Kirby established the first lumber yard on the east side of Main above Columbia.

Another method of advertising quite well known in the early days was adopted by Richard Gaines in 1811, who swung out from his store on the verge of the hill a great golden boot.

Some distance above Fifth was the first rope- walk, started by Peter Love early in the century. Love claimed to be the first person in the North- west Territory in this business.

At a little later period in October, 1811, S. G. Grenell & Company opened a tea store on Main street three doors above Front. Here in addi- tion to tea was retailed the usual stock of a coun- try store. Some of the prices are interesting. Imperial tea was $2.00 a pound; Young Hyson, $1.40, extra fine, $2.00; Souchong, $1.00; and Pekoe, $1.25.

Not far away was the first wagon shop of Poor & Kirsliner and near them a large general store of S. and J. Halley.

The founder of the brewery business was a well known Quaker named Davis Embree whose establishment was on the river at the foot of Race street and whose office was in the Colum- bian Inn. Here Embree dispensed liis beer by the drink to hiis customers free of charge, taking many a fippennybit from the income of Mrs. Wil-

436

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

lis the landlady of the tavern. Embree lived well down to the second half of the 19th century.

Yernest was not the only fraud of the early days as the following circular indicates :

"King, the Prophet ! "King, the Wise Man !

"King, who never Dies !

"King, King, King!

"Humble ones, my mission calls me among you. The Great Book, on being opened, an- nounces my coming. Your pains, sufferings and sorrows shall cease. Dr. King can look back through a vista of 3,000 years, and trace his de- scent from a continued line of great physicians. Wherever he has been, the blind have been re- stored to sight, the lame walked, the heart broken made happy. More than a million of people, afflicted with every ill that flesh is heir to, have applied to him for relief during the past ten years, and in every instance has a permanent cure been effected. Come, behold, see for yourselves, and watch the hand of Fate, as it points you out the course to follow.

"Dr. King cannot attend to any calls after sun- down, as he is then engaged until the morning dawn in consulting the stars and planets as to the proper treatment of his patients on the following day.

"TROPTHENIDEM KING."

"Room No. 6, Columbian Inn."

This prophet was so successful that at last he was so indiscreet as to issue a challenge to phy- sicians to meet him in a joint discussion. This was too much of an opportunity for Dr. Drake, then a young and combative practitioner. Hc accepted the challenge and as a result of an an- nouncement in the paper a large crowd was pres- ent to see the fun. In those days as at present the humbug had his followers and the result of the contest was by no means certain. King opened up with a speech in some absurd gibberish at the

end of which he was interrogated by Drake as to its meaning. King triumphantly announced that that was the language of the natives of Farther India. Thereupon Drake brought in an extraor- dinarily dressed personage whom he announced as Fredora a native of Farther India, who would act as interpreter. Fredora who had been dressed to represent an Icelander, Indian, Hotten- tot or any other outlandish personage began to grumble, growl and roar at the unfortunate King. It was a case of Indian against Indian, Greek against Greek, dog cat dog, and King was obliged to retire discomfited. He finally confessed that he had worked for years in a Philadelphia woolen mill but concluded that it was easier to live by his wits. He was allowed to leave town without ceremony. ( Reminiscences of "Old Man.")

In 1815 two young men started a book store under the name of Coleman & Phillips on Main street near Front, which under various names has survived to our own time. After many years business the senior member retired and Mr. Phil- lips continued, afterwards carrying on the book- binding business at the northwest corner of Fourth and Main. Here in the "thirties" he took in his employ a young man who afterwards be- came the mayor of the city, Charles F. Wilstach. Subsequently William H. Moore, David A. An- derson, and Samuel B. Keyes became associated with Wilstach, the survivor of William Phillips, under the firm name of Moore, Anderson, Wil- stach & Keyes at No. 153 Main and No. 28 West Fourth street. Later this firm became known as Moore, Wilstach, Keyes & Company of which William Overand was a member. This house was located at No. 25 West Fourth street just west of Main. Keyes afterwards retired and the firm became Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin. At a later time under the name of Wilstach, Bald- win & Company the house was located on the west side of Race street near Fourth.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE TOWN OF CINCINNATI (1802-1819)-II. CIVIL GOVERNMENT.

THE FIRST CHARTER -- THE PRESIDENTS OF THE COUNCIL - DAVID ZIEGLER AND HIS SUCCESSORS - THE CHARTER OF 1815 -- WILLIAM CORRY, THE FIRST AND ONLY MAYOR OF THE TOWN -THE MEETING PLACES OF THE COUNCIL-THE SELECT COUNCIL (1802 TO 1815)-THE TOWN COUN- CIL (1815 TO 1819)-SOME TOWNSHIP OFFICIAL ACTS-THE COURTS AND THE LAWYERS-THE POST OFFICE-THE WATER SUPPLY-FIRE AND POLICE PROTECTION.

THE FIRST CHARTER.

The act to incorporate the town of Cincin- nati was passed at the first session of the second General Assembly held at Chillicothe and ap- proved by Governor St. Clair on January I, 1802. It is Chapter 34 of the third volume of the laws as published at Chillicothe by N. Willis, printer to the Legislature.

It provides in section one "that such parts of the township of Cincinnati, in the county of Ham- ilton, as are contained in the following limits and boundaries, that is to say, beginning on the Ohio River, at the Southeast corner of the frac- tional section No. 12; thence running North to the Northeast corner of the said fractional sec- tion ; thence West with the township line to Mill creek ; thence down Mill creek, with the meanders thereof to its month; thence up the Ohio River, with the meanders thereof, to the place of be- ginning ; shall be, and the same are hereby erected into a town corporate, which shall henceforth be known and distinguished by the name of 'The Town of Cincinnati.'"

Section two provides that the officers are to be a "president, recorder, seven trustees, an assessor, a collector and a town marshal, who shall be appointed and sworn, * * * which presi-

dent, recorder, and trustees shall be one body corporate and politic with perpetual succession to be known and distinguished by the name of The president, recorder and trustees of the Town of Cincinnati.' "

Section three provides for the powers of said officers and for a scal.

Section four provides "that all the inhabitants of the said town, who are freeholders, or householders paying an annual rent of thirty-six dollars, shall and may assemble at such place within the said town, as the president, recorder and any four of the trus- tees shall appoint, on the first Monday of April, yearly and every year, and then and there, by a plurality of suffrages, to elect a president, re- corder and seven trustees, an assessor, a col- lector and a town marshal, to hold their respective offices during one year and from thence until their successor shall be elected and sworn." etc.

Section five provides that the president, re- corder and trustees shall be called "The Select Council of the Town of Cincinnati" and gives said Council the power to make and publish laws, appoint a treasurer, administer oaths, im- pose fines and makes it the Council's duty to adopt regulations for securing the town against injuries from fire, to keep the streets, lanes and

438

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

alleys open and in repair, to regulate markets and prevent animals from running at large, etc.

Section six provides that the frecholders and householders shall at their, annual meeting vote such sums of money as they think proper to be raised for the town for the ensuing year which shall be assessed by the assessor on such objects of taxation in the said town as shall be yearly subject to taxation for county purposes and on such other objects as the said meeting shall di- rect, provided that no poll-tax be imposed by the said corporation on persons not entitled to vote.

Section seven gives the Council power to fill vacancies, appoint subordinate officers, impose fines for refusal to accept office, and the like. The Council is given the exclusive right to license taverns, ale houses and public houses of enter- tainment.

Section eight provides that persons feeling ag- grieved by an officer or individual of the Council may appeal to the Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace.

Section nine gives the use of the county jail to the corporation provided "that no person shall be imprisoned under the authority of the said corporation unless for the non-payment of taxes, fines or penalties assessed or imposed, and all persons so imprisoned shall be under the charge of the sheriff of the county."

Section ten appoints David Ziegler, president ; Jacob Burnet, recorder ; William Ramsey, David E. Wade, Charles Avery, John Reily, William Stanley, Samuel Dick and William Ruffin, trus- tees ; Joseph Prince, assessor; Abraham Carey, collector and James Smith, town marshal, to hold their offices until the election provided for. The act was signed by Edward Tiffin, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Robert Oliver, President of the Legislative Council, and approved by Arthur St. Clair, Governor.

TILE PRESIDENTS OF THE COUNCIL.

The presidents from this time until 1815 when a change was made in the charter were as fol- lows :

David Ziegler 1802-03

Joseph Prince 1803-04

James Findlay 1805-06

John S. Gano, Martin Baum 1807

Daniel Symmes 1808-00

James Findlay 1810-II

Martin Baum 1812

William Stanley 1813

Samuel W. Davies 1814

In the issue of the Spy of Saturday, April 10, 1802, we learn about the election hield for cor-

poration officers on the preceding Monday. David Ziegler was elected president and Aaron Goforth, recorder in the place of Jacob Burnet who had been selected by the Legislature. There were also other changes. The trustees . elected by the people were Thomas McFarland, George Fithian, David Grummon, Samuel Stitt, Andrew Parks, Isaac Anderson and William McFarland. Joseph Prince was elected as assessor, Abraham Carey, collector, and William Ruffin, general marshal.

DAVID ZIEGLER AND HIS SUCCESSORS.

David Ziegler, the first president, a position corresponding in many parts to that of mayor, has been frequently referred to in the text. David Ziegler was born at Heidelberg, Germany, in 1748, and in his early life served under Fred- erick the Great. At a later time he served in the Russian Army during the reign of Catherine the Second in the campaign against the Turks. He came to America in 1775 and immediately entered the Revolutionary Army and was com- missioned 3rd lieutenant in Captain Ross' Com- pany in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. One of his first duties was to escort powder to Washing- ton's army at Cambridge. A little later he be- came ist lieutenant and adjutant. His regiment was the second in the State to enlist for the war against Great Britain. In 1776 he was made Ist lieutenant and afterwards captain of a com- pany of the First Pennsylvania Continental In- fantry and remained senior captain of this regi- ment until the end of the war. He served with distinction on Long Island, at Brandywine, Mon- mouth and Bergen Point. He was also inspector of the Pennsylvania brigade. He served in the Carolinas in 1783 and returned in the end to Philadelphia by water. When the war was over, he became a member of the Society of the Cin- cinnati. Ile accompanied General Harmar on his expedition to the West and was also for a time with General Lincoln. In 1791 he became a major. Throughout the Indian wars he saw much hard service and stood very high. His company was regarded as the best drilled one in the service. In the spring of 1789 he married Lucy Sheffield, the youngest daughter of Ben- jamin Sheffield of Marietta. 'Ensign Denny acted as the best man at this wedding. He afterwards was in charge of Fort Washington for a time but in 1792 resigned, settled in Cincinnati and he- gan the business of a storekeeper which he car- ricd on with great success. In 1804 he was the first, appointed by President Jefferson, marshal of

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 1, Part 75

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1020

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1020