Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 28

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048

USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2 > Part 28

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).

and a line a little south of Fourth is almost en- tircly unimproved. The same is true of the sec- tion north of Symmes ( East Third), and cast of a line running north of Ludlow prolonged to the canal. The space between Elm, George and Western row is but slightly improved although west of Western row the improvements run as far north as Catherine and west to the section line (almost to Mound). The section north of 12th was almost bare of improvements. In the almanac for the following year ( 1840), called as was its predecessor "Picture of Cincinnati," is given a similar map. The changes are but few; the principal additions are the burying grounds, the Episcopal and Presbyterian lying above 12th and east of Elm and the Catholic, Methodist and Baptist on Catherine west of Ful- ton ( Mound). The Hospital on 12th and Phun, and Orphan Asylum on 12th and Elin are also shown. These two little books which are quite interesting are very rare.

The general appearance of the city and the character of the streets are discussed by an East- erner, W. G. Lyford, who visited this city a few years before. This city struck him as a pretty place althoughi its aspect had not much diver- sity. The public buildings carried in their ex- ternal appearance generally the object for which they were created although the public school

675

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

houses he thought might be mistaken for churches. The streets were paved but not lighted and "some of the dwellings upon them occupy- ing spacious lots surrounded by shrubbery and closed with iron railings, could be viewed with jealousy could they be seen by some of our At- lantic imitators of European extravagance." The writer was struck with the spacious brick houses elegantly finished outside and in, clean streets and swept sidewalks. Main street he found was to Cincinnati what Broadway was to New York. The warehouses were of vast capacity in depth and height, all of brick, many new, built in fashion of the most substantial manner. One, that of Messrs. Miller and Lee, was 150 feet deep by 75 feet wide. The enormous pork busi- ness of the place impressed him and he gives a graphic description of the process of slaying and preparing the hog in the packing houses. There were at that time slaughtered in Cincinnati and neighborhood, in the 20 houses engaged in pork packing, 125,000 hogs per year. This work was in charge of one man, John W. Coleman, who had gangs of operators at most of the slaughter houses. (Western Address Directory, p. 278- 280.)

An English traveler, Rev. J. I. Buckingham, visited the city in 1840 and of it he says :

"The private dwellings of Cincinnati are in general quite as large and commodious as those of the Atlantic cities, with these advantages, that more of them are built of stone, and much fewer of wood, than in the older settlements ; a greater number of them have pretty gardens, rich grass- plats, and ornamental shrubberies and flowers surrounding them, than in any of the Eastern cities ; and, though there is not the same osten- tatious display in the furniture of the private dwellings here, which is met with at New York especially, every comfort and convenience, mixed with a sufficient degree of elegance, is found in all the residences of the upper and middle classes ; and it may be doubted whether there is any city in the Union in which there is a more general diffusion of competency in means and comfort in enjoyments, than in Cincinnati. The stores also are large, well filled, and many of them as cle- gant in appearance and as well supplied with English and French articles as in the largest cities on the coast, though somewhat dearer, of course. The hotels are numerous and good, and boarding-houses at all prices abundant. The Broadway Hotel, at which we remained, appeared to us one of the cleanest and most comfortable we had seen west of the Alleghanies."

Another visitor (July, 1840) was Mrs. Eliza R. Steele of New York. In a letter written from Cincinnati at this time she says :

"As much as we had heard of Cincinnati, we were astounded at its beauty and extent, and at the solidity of its buildings. It well merits the name bestowed upon it here-Queen of the West. We have explored it thoroughly by rid- ing and walking, and pronounce it a wonderful city. * * ** We spent the morning slowly driving up and down each street, along the Miami Canal, and in the environs of the city in every direction, and were quite astonished-not be- cause we had never seen larger and finer cities, but that this should have arisen in what was so lately a wilderness. Its date, you know, is only thirty years back. The rows of stores and ware- houses ; the extensive and ornamented dwellings ; the thirty churches, many of them very hand- some, and other public buildings, excited our sur- prise. Main street is the principal business mart. While in the centre of this street, we mark it for a mile ascending the slope upon which the town is built, and in front it seems interminable ; for, the river being low, we do not observe we are looking across it to the street of the opposite city of Covington, until a steamboat passing, tells us where the city ends. Broadway is another main artery of this city-not, however, devoted to business, but bounded upon each side by rows of handsome dwellings. Third, Fourth, Seventh, Vine, and many other streets, show private houses not surpassed by any city we had visited. They are generally extensive and surrounded by gar- dens, and almost concealed from view of the passers by groves of shade-trees and ornamental shrubbery. An accidental opening among the trees shows you a glimpse of a piazza or pavilion, where among groves 'and gardens, the air may be enjoyed by the children or ladies of the fam- ily." (A Summer Journey in the West.)

Mr. Dickens who visited the city a couple of years later was also impressed with its beauty at this time (1842) :

"Cincinnati is a beautiful city ; cheerful, thriv- ing, and animated. I have not often seen a place that commends itself so favorably and pleasantly to a stranger at the first glance as this does, with its clean houses of red and white, its well- paved roads and footways of bright tilc. Nor does it become less prepossessing on a closer acquaintance. The streets are broad and airy, the shops extremely good, the private residences remarkable for their elegance and neatness. There is something of invention and fancy in

676

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

the varying styles of these latter erections, which, after the dull company of the steamboat, is per- fectly delightful, as conveying an assurance that there are such qualities still in existence. The disposition to ornament these pretty villas and render them attractive leads to the culture of trees and flowers, and the laying-out of well kept gardens, the sight of which, to those who walk along the streets, is inexpressibly refreshing and agreeable. I was quite charmed with the appear- ance of the town and its adjoining suburb Mount Auburn, from which the city, lying in an amphi- theatre of hills, formis a picture of remarkable beauty and is seen to great advantage."

SHAFFER'S DIRECTORY.

The city's growing importance is evidenced by the appearance of the first directory of any real pretensions from a modern point of view. This is generally known as "Shaffer's Advertis- ing Directory for 1839-40" and included not only Cincinnati but Covington, Newport and Fulton and comprised names of householders, heads of families and those engaged in business together with the State or country of their birth. There is also a directory of the colored population. It - was compiled by David Henry Shaffer and was printed by J. B. & R. P. Donough of No. 160 Mam street. From this volume and from that of Mr. Cist which appeared the following year can be obtained a fairly comprehensive impression of the city at that time. It is a book of over 500 pages and contains in addition to the ordinary list of names a brief history of the city and de- scriptions of its principal institutions and busi- ness. Not the least interesting feature of the book are the two views of Cincinnati included in it. In the body of the book is a lithographic re- production said to have been taken from a picture in possession of the compiler of the directory representing Cincinnati in 1800 as drawn by Capt. E. Cutler. This picture has already been referred to. The frontispiece is a large folding lithio- graphic view of Cincinnati in 1840. The view is taken from the river and shows but little more than the Public Landing. In the foreground on the river are a number of steamboats and in the back are encircling hills upon which there appear to be but one or two buildings. The Cin- cinnati Hotel at Front and Broadway, the Ex- change Hotel on Front between Sycamore and Main and Franks' Musem on Front between Sycamore and Broadway are the most conspicu- ous buildings in the foreground. In the back- ground are numerous church spires, the most

prominent of which are those of Christ Church on the north side of Fourth between Sycamore and Broadway and the First Presbyterian Church, the two-horned church on the west side of Main above Fourth, and Wesley Chapel. The picture is very interesting but grossly inadequate.

In the directory appear many familiar names. Under the head of education are described the College of Teachers, Woodward College and High School, the Catholic Seminary and College, Lane Seminary, the public schools and the Medi- cal College of Ohio. The benevolent organiza- tions included the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges, the Young Men's Bible Society of whichi Salmon P. Chase was president, the American Sunday School Union, St. Peter's Orphan Asy- lum, St. Aloysius' Orphan House on Sixth be- tween John and Western row, Cincinnati Orphan Asylum on Elm street, Cincinnati Franklin Typo- graphical Society, Hibernian Benevolent Society, Commercial Hospital and Lunatic Society, Boat- men's Bethel, the House of Employment for Fe- male Poor, the Home Missionary Society, For- eign Missionary Society, Western Education So- ciety, Charitable Intelligence Office and the Ap- prentices' Library.

Under the caption "Scientific" are given the Western Academy of Natural Sciences which held its weekly meetings at the engine house on Fourth between Sycamore and Broadway and Franks' Museum and Gallery of Paintings SO soon to be destroyed by fire.

The literary organizations included the Young Men's Mercantile Library Association which had been organized some five years be- fore and the Chamber of Commerce, or- ganized October 22, 1839. Its president at that time was Griffin Taylor. Reference is also made to the Cincinnati and White Water Canal, the office of the surveyor general of public lands which was located at that time in the Lytle man- sion on Lawrence between Symines and Fourth streets and was in charge of Ezekiel S. Haines, surveyor general, who had succeeded Robert T. Lytle in 1838. Two institutions, the Cincinnati Rolling Mill on the river east of Deer creek and the Washington Brewery situated on the river near the water works, are also mentioned. In a note we are told that the ale of Schultz & Com- pany who owned the brewery was considered by judges to be equal to the imported article. Men- tion is made of navigation on the Licking River which the State of Kentucky was designing to improve by a system of locks and dans. Another interesting piece of information is the statement

677

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

that during the preceding season 200,000 hogs averaging 175 pounds each had been slaughtered. The amount of money involved in this industry during that year was estimated as $100,000. A list of the periodicals published at that time in- cludes the Gasette (daily, tri-weekly and weekly) and the Republican (daily and weekly) both of the Whig persuasion; and the Journal and Ad- vertiser (daily and weekly) of Democratie poli- tics. The daily and weekly Chronicle is denom- inated as literary while the News and Morning Star, both dailies, were devoted to "gen- eral intelligence." There was also the Catholic Telegraph, the Western Christian Advocate, and the Philanthropist (the abolition organ) among the weeklies. The monthlies included the West- ern Temperance Journal, the Hesperian and the Rose of the Valley, each literary, and the Family Magasine devoted to general miseellamy. The German papers were the daily Volksblatt, the Catholic weekly, Friend of Truth, and the Christ- ian Apologist.

In all the old directories, one of the most inter- esting features is that of the advertisements and Shaffer's Directory is not an exception; in fact it is particularly called an "advertising directory." From these pages we learn that Truman & Smith who were located upstairs on Main sreet be- tween Fourth and Fifth had published 500,000 school books of the "Eclectic" series. . Ephraim Morgan & Company at the old stand of Morgan & Sanxay on the west side of Main between Third and Fourth were publishing Bibles, the works of Josephus, and particularly a series of readers which had been adopted in the common schools of the city. Another publisher was George Conelin at No. 55 Main street, whose list of books for sale ineluded Judge Hall's books and the lives of Boone and Black Hawk. At the sign of Franklin Head, No. 10 Lower Market street, Ely & Strong published school books and almanacs, the latter quite an important feature of the publishing business of those days. Well known names were those of the Cincinnati Type Foundry (N. Guilford, agent) ; J. G. Joseph, op- tician ; F. Lawson & Brothers, No. 150 Main street, dealers in copper, tin and the like ; Strader & Gorman, steamboat agents; Tosso & Doulas, musical instrument makers ; G. W. & D. F. Good- hue, coal dealers at Plum and Water streets; John Britting, piano manufacturer on North Canal street two doors cast of Vine; George C. Miller, coach maker, and U. P. James, publisher. It was evidently not considered unprofessional to advertise in those days for in the advertising

pages we find notices of John Frazer whose resi- dence was one mile northeast of town on the Lebanon turnpike; Vaughan & Craneh, McLean & Rankin, O. M. Spencer, Thomas J. Strait, S. P. Chase, Storer & Fox, Chase & Ball and Brown & McLean of the legal fraternity ; the last named firm refers to Judge Mclean and Judge Burnet among others. Of the medical and dental pro- fession there are several advertisements. Dr. Charles Barnes advertises that he keeps constant- ly on hand his brother's remedies for the diseases common to the valley of the Mississippi and names a number of remedies. Dr. Augustin Ros- tang advertises himself as a surgeon dentist and manufacturer of mineral teeth. Other physicians are N. Allen, Dr. William Mulford and Dr. Nor- man. The latter, a dentist, offers to insert "Stockton's Porcelain Teeth" and to fill teeth with gold or "Munroe's Composition," "with no pain to the patient and saving the most sensitive tooth." Dr. William C. Lawrence refers to the mayor, Judge Storer, J. J. Faran and a number of doctors including Drs. Bonner, Woodward, Dodge, Judkins, Gross and Mason. Another

dentist was Dr. N. Rogers, who offers to continue his superior operations on the teeth and invites examinations of his specimens of teeth which in point of beauty, durability and usefulness he be- lieves inferior to none in the United States. Drs. Mussey and Worcester advertised that their office at No. II West Fourth street was open by day and night. Well known drug stores were those of W. S. and A. S. Merrell at the southeast corner of Western row and Sixth street; George S. Light on Sycamore between Front and Colum- bia ; Caleb S. Burdsal at the northeast corner of Main and Fifth (sign of Dr. Rush) ; L. Rehfuss & Kolb at the northwest corner of Ninth and Main, Charles G. Shane & Company at the north- west corner of Fifth and Race and Thomas S. Butler, the last named a wholesale druggist.

A well known building is the Bank Exchange Hotel opposite the Lafayette and Franklin banks on Third street, where George Selves of pleasant memory offers to accommodate boarders man or horse by day, week, month or year. This well known hostelry was one of the most popular places in the city and his advertisement is cer- tainly very appetizing. In addition to his regu- lar supply in season of quails, woodcocks, wikdl ducks and other game as well as delicious fresh oysters from Baltimore, salmon and fresh fish from the rivers and lakes, he offers salt water fish from Boston and New York markets. His liquors are the choicest, his wines the purest that

678

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

money ,can purchase and the invitation to gen- tlemen who might by business or other causes be prevented from taking their meal at their regular cating place was accepted by a large number of the prominent citizens.

Another peculiar advertisement was that of John Bates, Cincinnati Exchange Bank, which catered particularly to industrious mechanics whose business was on too small a scale to enable them to have an account with any of the banking houses in the city. The bank received notes of all solvent banks in the Union at par and paid five per cent per annum on deposits.

An interesting illustration in the book is that of the Ohio Life Insurance & Trust Company at the southwest corner of Third and Main streets, an interesting temple-like structure fronting on Main street with four lonic columns. On the opposite side of the street is shown one of the rows of horse posts which seem to have been quite frequent in those days. Another illustra- tion is an engraving of a store of Platt Evens, mercer and draper at that time at No. 140 West Main street. Of this a traveler writing in 1837 says : "As in every other city there is a point more attracting than another-in this it is Mr. Platt Evens' lot to be distinguished-and the front of his store, with his large plates of French glass, through which may be viewed every ar- ticle, almost, of Fancy, continues to attract crowds of men, women and boys from morning till night-when, the day is pleasant, much to the annoyance of foot passengers." (W. G. Ly- ford in Western Address Directory, p. 279.)

CINCINNATI IN 1841.

In 1841 appeared the first of the invaluable books, so often referred to, contributed by Charles Cist to the history of the city. "Cincin- nati in 1841 : Its Early Annals and Future Pros- pects" gives a very complete conspectus of the city as it appeared at that time. It contains chapters on topography, history, the boundaries and divisions, climate, population with their oc- cupations, the government, commerce and busi- ness relations, meteorology, geology, magnetism, means of transportation, publications, religious, charitable and benevolent institutions, as well as those of a scientific and educational character, fine arts, fire department, water works and in fact on the whole subject matter of the city. It also contains a number of extracts from early news- papers and a long letter from Judge Symmes referring to the history of the settlement and a series of census sketches giving general informa-

tion ascertained by the writer while taking the census.

The population given in great detail is dis- cussed elsewhere. The occupations, trades and pursuits were divided into four classes. The first included the professions together with lit- erature, science and fine arts in which were 434 persons engaged. In commerce and navigation there were 2,226 while in manufactures and me- chanic arts, 10,866; in the fourth class under the head of miscellaneous were included agents, barkeepers, barbers, boarding and eating house keepers, carters, cooks, draymen, gardeners, stage drivers-1,025 persons.

The capital invested in commercial houses in foreign trade and commission business was $5,200,000; that in retail dry goods, hardware, groceries and other stores, $12,877,000; and in the lumber business, $133,000. The Chamber of Commerce had been organized October 22, 1839, and niet monthly at the Young Men's Mer- cantile Library 100ins. Lewis Whiteman was president, Henry Rockey, secretary and B. W. Hewson, treasurer.

There were five incorporated and two unincor- porated banks. Micajah T. Williams was still the president of the Ohio Life Insurance & Trust Company, which had been incorporated in 1834. The Franklin Bank incorporated the same year had for its president John H. Groesbeck; the president of the Lafayette Bank was Josiah Law- rence and of the Commercial Bank, James S. Armstrong. The first of these banks had a capi- tal of two million and the others of a million cach. G. R. Gilmore was president of the Bank of Cincinnati, N. W. Thomas of the Miami Ex- porting Company and E. D. John of the Me- chanics' & Traders' Bank. A. Barnes was cash- ier of John Bates' Exchange Bank while Tim- othy Kirby was the agent of the United States Bank.

Seven insurance companies are enumerated. Jolin P. Foote was president, William Good- man, treasurer and E. Robins, secretary of the General Board of Underwriters. The companies listed were the Cincinnati Insurance Company, John Young, president ; the Firemen's Insurance Company, George W. Neff, president ; Washing- ton Insurance Company, William Goodman, pres- ident ; Fire Department's Insurance Company. David T. Disney, president ; Canal Insurance Company, R. Buchanan, president ; Mannfac- turers' Insurance Company, James McCandless, president ; and Equitable Insurance Company, George C. Miller, president. Of these seven

679

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

companics, five had offices on Front strect, one of lower 'Main and one on Third street. Sev- eral had branches on the canal.

The capital invested in manufactures is given (from the census) as $14,541,842. The number of hands employed was 10,647 and the annual value of the product was $17,432,670.

The so-called works of interior communication inciuded canals, railroads and turnpikes. The Miami Canal which had been finished in 1828 to Dayton had since been extended to Piqua and was in progress to Defiance where it was to join the Wabash Canal, making a continuous route from Cincinnati to Lake Erie. The White Water Canal, which was nearly finished and about 25 miles in length, connected Cincinnati with the White Water Canal of Indiana at Harrison on the State line. A number of locks were being constructed to open up the Licking River to navi- gation. The Little Miami Railroad was another important means of interior communication.

Under turnpikes or MacAdam roads, five are mentioned : The Cincinnati and Hamilton turn- pike, the Harrison turnpike, the Lebanon and Springfield turnpike, the Cincinnati and Wooster turnpike and (across the river) the Covington, Georgetown and Lexington turnpike. A number of subsidiary turnpikes are also given which con- nect with the principal turnpikecs at points a little distance from the city. In all, 1,125 miles of canal, railroad and turnpikes concentrating in Cincinnati had either been completed or were in process of completion.

Twenty-nine periodicals are given by Mr. Cist as published in Cincinnati at this time. The un- pretentious character of these papers is shown by the circulation. Of the six daily newspapers printed in the English language, the Times, of which Edwin R. Campbell was editor and Calvin W. Starbuck printer and publisher, 'had tlie largest circulation, 1,500 copies. The Public Ledger, edited by C. H. Layton and published by Layton & Shannon, printed 1,400 copies a day. The Cincinnati Daily Gasette and Liberty Hall, edited by John C. Wright and owned and printed by L'Hommedieu & Company, printed 900 copies daily, 400 tri-weekly and 2,800 weckly. The Cincinnati Republican, edited by Charles S. Todd and published by E. Graham and J. B. Rus- sell, issued 700 daily, 300 tri-weekly and 800 weekly copies. The Advertiser and Journal, of which Moses Dawson was editor and Dawson & Fisher proprietors, printed 400 daily, 150 tri- weekly and 1,650 weekly issues. The Cincinnati Chronicle, Edward D. Mansfield's paper, owned

and printed by A. Pugh, printed the modest num- ber of 400 daily and 900 weekly copies. These papers we are told were devoted to politics and the supply of the current news. The Gazette, Chronicle and Republican were Whig and the Advertiser, Democratic; the Times and the Ledger professed to be neutral in politics and were "published on the cash system, being what are commonly called penny papers." The circulation of the six German papers was equally restricted in number. The Volksblatt, of which the distin- guished Stephen Molitor was editor and pro- prietor, published 312 daily and 1,400 weekly copies. This was the only daily and was Demo- cratic in politics. The other Democratic German paper, the Unabhaengige. Presse, edited and owned by B. Boffinger, was a tri-weekly with a circulation of 250. The Whig paper which had been established in 1837 by Christian Burkhalter as the Westlicher Merkur had been changed during the year 1841 to Der Deutsche Im Westen and was published by Burkhalter & Hoffe ( Hef- ley) cach week with a circulation of 500. A Roman Catholic paper was the Wahrheit's Freund, published by the St. Aloysius Society and edited by Rev. J. M. Henni. Its circulation was 1,050 a weck. A Methodist weekly with a circulation of 1,000 was the Christliche Apolo- gete, edited by Rev. William Nast and published by Revs. J. F. Wright and Leroy Swormstedt. Molitor was the publisher and Edward Muhl the editor of the Licht Freund which was pub- lished as a semi-monthly with a circulation of 500, and supported Universalist principles. Wright and Swormstedt were also the publishers for Revs. Charles Elliott and L. L. Hamline of what was called an Episcopal Methodist paper well known to the present day as the Western Christian Advocate, with a weekly circulation of 14,000. The same publishers and editors were responsible for the monthly literary journal, pub- lishing 7,000 copies, known as the Ladies' Re- pository and Gatherings of the West. Another journal of interest was the abolitionist weekly with a circulation of 3,000,-the Philanthropist. edited by G. Bailey, Jr., and printed by Samnel Alley. Rev. Edward Purcell at that time edited the Catholic Telegraph with a weekly circulation of 1, 100, while another well known citizen, Rev. J. A. Gurley, was the editor and owner of the Universalist monthly with a circulation of 2,300. -Star in the West. Other weeklies were the Cincinnati Observer, Western Episcopal Ob- server, Western Temperance Jourual and Young Ladies' Museum, while among the magazines

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. 2, Part 28

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1048

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048