Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 5

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

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along the center of High street to a point on said street bearing north sixteen degrees cast from the center of the cupola of D. Kilgour's dwelling house near the reservoir, thence by said line sixteen degrees cast to the northern boun- dary line of the city." The Second Ward was west of Main street from Third to Sixth streets and the Third east of Main street south of the First. The Fourth Ward was west of Main street and south of Third street. The Fifthi Ward was north of Sixth street and west of Main street.

This directory contains the names of streets and alleys as named by the City Council in 1820. Those streets whose names have been changed are as follows: Broad (now occupied by the Grand Central Depot) ; Catherine (now Court west of Central avenue) ; Center (now Longworth from Vine to Elm) ; Cherry (now Commerce from Race to Elm) ; Fulton (now Mound north of Eighth) ; Green ( Pearl between Race and Elm) ; Grove (now North) ; Harri- son (recently changed to Pioneer ) ; High (now East Third street, east of Butler) ; Kemble (Ninth from Central avenue to Mound) ; Lon- don (now Eighth west of Central avenue) ; Lower Market ( now Pearl from Main to Broad- way) ; Northern row (now Seventh, then the north corporation line) ; Symmes (now East Third from Lawrence to Butler) ; Upper Mar- ket (now Fountain and Government squares) ; Wayne (now Ninth from Elm to Broadway) ; West Market (now McFarland from Elm to Plum) ; and Western row (now Central avenue).

In addition to the usual list of names, there are lists of public buildings and public officials and a statistical account of the city. The presi- dent judge of the Court of Common Pleas was George P. Torrence and associate judges, Pat- rick Smith, Enos Woodruff and Peter Bell. Dan- iel Gano was clerk, David Wade, prosecuting attorney, John C. Avery, sheriff, John S. Wal- lace, auditor, Richard Fosdick, treasurer and col- lector, Griffin Yeatman, recorder and notary pub- lic, Samuel Hunt, master in chancery, Alexander Botkin and Charles Mills, deputy sheriffs (the latter officiating as jailer ), Charles Satterly, com- missioner of insolvents, Jonathan Pancoast, as- sessor and Ely Elder, surveyor. The magistrates of the township were James Foster, Elisha Hotchkiss and Richard Mulford. An interest- ing list of names is that of the trustees and vis- itors of common schools,-O. M. Spencer, N. Guilford, J. Buckley, D. Root and Calvin Fletcher. The city officers included of course

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Isaac G. Burnet, mayor. The aldermen were William Greene, Samuel F. Hunt and Morgan Neville while the marshal was William Doughty. Dan Stone was president of the City Council. John T. Jones was city clerk and Richard L. Coleman, treasurer.

The officers of the United States residing in Cincinnati were: Hon. John McLean (spelled McClean) United States judge; Maj. David Gwynne, paymaster of the United States Army who was also a member of the Council from the First Ward; Col. Joseph P. Taylor, com- missary; Capt. Nathan Clark, captain of the United States Army; Gen. William Lytle, sur- veyor general; Peyton S. Symmes, register of the Land Office; and Moses Dawson, receiver of public moneys.

The population of the city was estimated as 24,148 showing an increase of 100 percent in five years. This brings forth a comment that "many a wiscacre in political economy has displayed his tact at guessing by iterating and reiterating from year to year that the city was growing too fast and must soon retrograde." Of the white inhabitants, 11,855 were males and 10,035 fe- males; the remaining 2,258 were blacks and mu- lattoes.

The taxable property of the city for the year 1828 was valued at $3,697.733, on which there were assessed for State purposes three mills, county purposes, three mills, corporation pur- poses, two mills, township purposes, one mill, and school purposes, one-half mill. There was also a road tax of a dollar per poll, which was sup- posed to produce about $4,000. In addition to the grand levy, the revenues of the city accrued from licenses to taverns, coffee and porter houses, $5,241.42; wharfages, $4,611.25; rents of mar- ket stalls, $2,393; plays, shows and exhibi- tions, $619; fines, $551.46; which with miscel- laneous items $349.91 produced a sum of $25,- 720.70. In addition to this there was a bal- ance from the former assessment, special paving assessment, cash received from owners of prop- erty on the New Market space and arrears of taxes aggregating to $20,398.91 which with the amount of sundry loans ($30,000) produced a total of $76,112.68. From this there were de- ducted the treasurer's commissions which left the available means for the year $74,840.95. The debts of the city at that time aggregated $55,- 062.86. There had been expended by the cor- poration during the year for public improvements $46,156, of which over $22,000 was expended for street paving. The ordinary expenses of the

city including salaries of all kinds and interest account were $19,273.17, which together with the amount expended for public improvements made the expenditures $65,429.21.

William Burke still appears as postmaster and Elam P. Langdon as assistant postmaster and it appears that the Post Office had been moved to West Third street between Main and Walnut streets where it occupied a room in the Masonic Building. The receipts of the postage for the year were $12,151, showing an increase of al- most $4,000 over those of the year 1826. The only banking institution was the United States Branch Bank on Main street between Third and Fourth streets with its capital stock of $1,- 200,000. James Reynolds still continued as presi- dent and Peter Benson as cashier and among its board of directors were Bellamy Storer, M. P. Cassilly, William Neff, John II. Groesbeck, Will- iam Phillips, Henry Emerson, J. W. Mason, C. W. Gazzam, Joseph Gest, William Greene, Lui- man Watson and Benjamin Urner.

Announcement is made that a charter had been obtained during the last session of the Legisla- ture for another banking institution but that the stock was not entirely subscribed for. This undoubtedly refers to the Commercial Bank which shortly afterwards began business at No. 45 Main street with Robert Buchanan as presi- dent. Besides branch offices of two Hartford insurance companies, there were three local in- stitutions, including the Ohio Insurance Com- pany organized in 1826, with its office on Front street between Main and Walnut; the Cincin- nati Equitable Insurance Company, organized in 1827 with its office at the corner of Main street and Ilopple alley ; and the newly established Cin- cinnati Insurance Company with its office at No. 22 Main street. Of these T. S. Goodman, Stephen Burrows and William Neff were the respective presidents and Morgan Neville, John Jolley and William Oliver, the respective secre- taries. W. Greene was counsellor for the Ohio Insurance Company and S. R. Miller, solicitor for the Cincinnati Insurance Company. Eze- kiel Hall was the treasurer of the Cincinnati Equitable Insurance Company. Of the foreign companies, the Actna and Protection companies, William Goodman and E. Robins were the re- spective agents.

The fire department showed an increased in- terest in this important matter. We are told that "a dependence upon such casual and pro- miscuons crowds as usually rally at the alarm of fire has always been precarious. Although

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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

the citizens may assemble with alacrity and act with vigor at every call of distress, it is still important that a tumultuous crowd, impelled by sympathy without union of design or combina- tion of effort should not be as efficient as regular- ly organized companies in which every man knows his place and performs his duty." As a result of this self evident truth there had been organized nine companies under the control of the City Council with Z. Byington as chief en- gineer and Moses Coffin as assistant. These in- cluded a fire warden company with 20 members, four fire engine companies, one hook and ladder company and a hose company with 35 members each and a protection society for the protection of exposed property during an alarm of fire composed principally of substantial respectable householders (a reflection on the others) and a fire bucket company of 20 members. The "sub- stantial" members of the Protection Society num- bered 50 and had for their president Joseph Gest and among the officers were William Mills, David Churchill and Stephen Burrows. Seven substantial brick cisterns had been erected, each with a capacity of containing upwards of 5,000 gallons of water.

Another item of information is to the effect that- during the years from 1811 to 1820 out of the whole number of 314 steamboats built on the Western waters, 81 had been built at Cincinnati of which 50 were still running or unfinished. During the four months of March to June the number of steamboat arrivals was 497, carrying 8,318 cabin passengers and 14,160 deck passen- gers. It is pleasing to note the "gratifying fact that the Pork and Bacon and Beef of Ohio have undergone a very considerable improvement since the introduction and liberal use of the Rock salt. There is now no substantial reason why these staple articles should not be as well cured in Cincinnati, as in any part of the world: or why the Hlams of Ohio should not be in as high repute, as those of Boston or Westphalia, saving the very savoury difference between an exotic, and a domestic production."

"The completion of the Miami Canal in the pre- vious November is noted. The first boat passed from Cincinnati to Dayton in the month of March 1820. Its length is given as 67 miles, 75 chains and 96 links, including the Hamilton cut and the Miami and Mad river feeders, in which were 22 locks overcoming 188 feet of lockage. The cost of the canal was $746,852.75, an average cost per mile of about $11,000. The canal at that time terminated on Main street on the upper

plane of the city and it was expected to continue to the Ohio River by means of a series of de- scending locks. The descent to be overcome was 50 feet to high water mark and 108 feet to low water mark. During the months of April. May and June, the tolls received were $3,515.01 and the freight transported was 6,101 tons. The number of passengers carried during the same time was 2,302.

Among the recent manufactories mentioned were the Cincinnati Cotton Factory owned by Miller & Company at the corner of Seventh and Smith streets. This occupied a spacious three- story, brick building 95 by 33 feet and was capa- ble of running 2,000 spindles. The Covington Cotton Factory built by Macallester & Company of Cincinnati was also properly esteemed a Cin- cinnati concern. The Hamilton Foundry and Steam Engine Factory of Pierce, Harkness & Voorheis at Front and Lawrence streets, Good- loe & Borden's steam engine factory on Congress street near Broadway, West & Stone's steam en- gine factory on East Front street and Fox's steam flour mill on Deer Creek at the termination of Fifth street are also mentioned.

The history of the Cincinnati Water Works, at that time owned by the Cincinnati Water Company, which purchased it from Colonel Davies in 1826, is also given. Water was con- veyed to the reservoir in 12-inch iron pipes and from it to Broadway in eight-inch iron pipes from which it was distributed throughout the city in wooden pipes of which 50,000 feet had been laid. The company had encouraged a plumber, Mr. Walter, to establish himself for the purpose of introducing for more general use leaden pipes and good hydrants and the manufacture of pipes had been comnienced at the water works building.

The newly established Bazaar is described at length. Among the scientific and literary insti- tutions are mentioned the Medical College of Ohio, the Lane Seminary, the Mechanics' Insti- tute, the Circulating Library, the Athenaeum and Reading Room, the Cincinnati Reading Room of E. P. Langdon, the Apprentices' Library, the Sun Circulating Library, the Cincin- nati Circulating Library, the Western Museum, Letton's Museum and the Gallery of Paintings at Main and Upper Market streets.

The newspapers mentioned included the Cin- ciuuati Daily Gazette and the Commercial Daily Advertiser, of which tri-weekly editions were is- sued ; the National Republican, and the Ciucin- nati Advertiser, semi-weeklies and the following

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weeklies : Cincinnati Pandect, Cincinnati Chron- icle and Literary Gasette, Liberty Hall and Cin- cinnati Gasette, Western Tiller and Cincinnati Sentinel. There was also a semi-monthly, the Ladies' Museum and Repository of Belles Lettres and a monthly, the Western Monthly Review and a quarterly, the Western Journal of Medical and Physical Sciences.

The schools mentioned are the Cincinnati En- glish and Classical Academy of Charles B. Mc- Kee on Third street next to the Post Office, A. Kinmont's Academy, Sixth and Main, J. F. Fin- ley's Classical School, M. G. Williams' school on Third between Main and Sycamore, T. Ham- mond's school on Fifth between Sycamore and Broadway and Messrs. Talbert's school on Fifth between Vine and Race. For young ladies there- were the Cincinnati Female Academy of Dr. John Locke on Walnut between Third and Fourth, the Cincinnati Female Institution of A. and J. W. Picket in the Cincinnati College edi- fice and A. Truesdell's Female Academy on Walnut street, as well. as a respectable female school kept by Mrs. Wood on Pike between Symmes and Fifth streets. A monitorial school was kept by Mr. Dickinson in the Cincinnati College edifice. The directory states that there were 47 ordinary schools in the city, in which 983 boys and 725 girls were receiving the rudi- ments of education. This directory contains also the first mention of the common schools which had just been established by law. The officers elected for the first year were N. Guilford, D. Root, C. Fletcher, O. M. Spencer and J. Buckley and the examiners appointed were Timothy Flint, Henry Starr, Bellamy Storer, Jesse Kimball, Enos Woodruff and Lewis Howell.

Twenty-three churches are enumerated, of which four were Baptists, three Presbyterian, three Methodist Episcopal and two Episcopal in denomination. There were also Methodist Epis- copal African, Methodist Associate and Metho- dist Society (of which Rev. William Burke was pastor), Reformed Presbyterian, Lutheran Re- formed, Swedenborgian, Unitarian and Univer- salist churches, Friends' Meeting House, Roman Catholic Cathedral and Jewish Synagogue.

The buildings erected during the preceding .year (1828) were 496, of which 217 were of brick and 279 of frame. A great majority of both classes were two storied. The new public edifices mentioned are 12 in number. The Upper Market house on Fifth street had been extended westward, making it 525 feet long, the whole supported by brick pillars. The canal market

was nearly completed. It was 300 feet by 42 feet and was supported by brick pillars. The auditor's and recorder's office was a neat fireproof building standing on Court House square front- ing Main street and the clerk's office similar in construction was adjacent to it on the southeast corner of the Court House square. The Bethel Baptist Church, Ninth and Elm, Christ Church on Sixth between Walnut and Vine, the Metho- dist Associate Church also on Sixth between Walnut and Vine, the new Baptist Church on Sycamore between Fifth and Sixth, the Second Presbyterian -Church on Fourth between Vine and Race, the Reformed Presbyterian Church on George, the Third Presbyterian Church on Second and Vine and St. Paul's Church had all been recently completed or were in process of erection. Some 20 religious and benevolent so- cities with full lists of officers are given.

The Commercial Hospital and Lunatic Asylum of Ohio contained at the time 55 paupers and 13 lunatics and had received during the past year 268 persons, of whom 35 died and were interred at the expense of the institution. The First District Medical Society of Ohio had Dr. Drake as president. Other institutions were the Western Eye and Ear Infirmary, the Cincinnati Eye Infirmary and the Cincinnati Infirmary, the last of which was a private institution of Dr. L. M. Johnson.

Six Masonic lodges are enumerated, of which the only new ones were the Cincinnati Council of Royal and Select Masters No. I and the Van Rensselaer Chapter.

The number of deaths for the year ending July 1, 1829, is given as 647, an average of one to 37 1/3 of the whole population.

Not the least interesting feature of this as of many of the old directories are the advertise- ments.

The Cincinnati Book Store of Messrs. Morgan and Sanxy at No. 133 Main street offers a nun1- her of books for sale by the dozen, gross or single. Among the books specially mentioned are Web- ster's, Picket's and Ruter's "Spelling Books," Picket's "Juvenile Mentor," Murray's "Gram- mar," "English Reader" and "Introduction," Ruter's "Arithmetic," Kirkam's "Grammar," Watts', Miller's and Goddard's "Hymms," "Tes- taments," "Primers," "Almanacs" and the "Mis- sonri and Juvenile Harmonies" as published by the house.

Another bookseller was E. H. Flint of No. 160 Main street, nearly opposite the First Presby- terian Church. He was agent for a number of

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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

Eastern journals and published the Western Monthly Review, "on the first day of every month at 3 dollars in advance, or 4 dollars at the end of the year each number containing fifty-six octavo pages."

The Cincinnati Infirmary of Dr. L. M. John- son seemed to make a specialty of galvanism as a remedy and was equipped with the "Medical Galvanic Battery where patients can receive this gentle and agreeable stimulus at all times." It was also provided with "a powerful Electro- Galvanic resuscitating Battery which will be free for the Humane Society and the Faculty for restoring suspended animation." Dr. John- son also had discovered that medicines applied externally were "much more beneficial and more likely to subdue certain forms of disease than those administered internally which most gen- erally irritate and do much mischief to the stom- ach and bowels before any specific action can be produced, and the manner of applying those medicines externally in the form of gas is cer- tainly a discovery the most valuable in medi- cine." His institution therefore was provided with suitable apparatus for applying to the whole body fumigation of sulphur, chlorine, iodine, muriatic acid, alcohol and balsamic medicines which the patient could avail himself of without inconvenience in either a sitting or reclining or horizontal posture.

Another remarkable improvement is that of Simon Willard, whose newly made washing ma- chine .effected "the washing entirely by com- pression of the soaped clothes immersed by small parcels in about three gallons of hot water, forced in small currents between thin wash reeds evenly through all parts of the clothes, which alternately revolve and change their position at every compressive effort of the washer; thereby completely cleansing them in a few seconds with perfect tenderness and safety, somewhat similar in principle to that of ladies washing ribbons or other delicate articles, by squeezing them be- tween the fingers and palm of the hand." The machine was so "simple in operation that almost all persons can readily become expert wash hands, thereby obviating in the many cases of sickness or inability of wives and daughters, the necessity of hiring strangers to half wash .and waste soap and clothes. By one or two persons the wash- ing part of four or five dozen pieces can be dispensed with by this machine in a few minutes yet by slow operation the performance is suf- ficiently easy for a child fourteen years old to excel the mother drudging at the rubbing mode of washing." This machine dispensed with the

"two or three wash tubs, washboards, wash bar- rels, maul, beetle and bench ordinarily used." Mr. Willard inveighs heavily against prejudice against new inventions and against the lack of consideration by legislatures and parliaments of the waste involved in old methods.

Fancy stores seem important for both Jolin Martin of No. 30 Main street and T. Winter of No. 193 Main street have long advertise- ments offering among other things, "Ladies' Curls, Ladies' Braides, Ladies' and Gentlemen's Wigs, Otto of Roses, Milk of Roses, Kalydor for the Complexion, Macassar Oil" and in fact a half dozen varieties of oils, three times as many fancy soaps, scented waters, hair powders, rouge, lip salves and toilet articles of all kinds.

J. D. Murphy & Company announce the es- tablishment of a glass cutting manufactory where they manufacture and sell cut glass de- canters, tumblers, wines, jelly bowls, fruit dishes, salts, floating island basins, vases, cream pitchers and syllabubs.

Joseph D. Hatfield on Third between Walnut and Main kept a large assortment of "Ladies' Curls and Puffs" dressed in the neatest style and agreed to repair "Ladies' Curls" in the best man- ner and make them equal to new.

A familiar name is that of William S. Merrell at the Western Market Drug Store at the cor- ner of Sixth street and Western row who offered drugs, paints and dye stuffs of the best quality. This name still used in connection with the corporation which is the legitimate descendant of this drug store is certainly one of the oldest if not the oldest in continuous use in the business annals of the city.

DIRECTORIES OF 1831, 1834 AND 1836.

The' directories for the years 1831, 1834 and 1836 carry out in a general way the principles on which was based the Directory of 1829. That of 1831 was also published by Robinson and Fairbank (southeast corner Main and Fifth streets). The Directory of 1834 was published by E. Deming at No. 5. Johnston Row, which as to-day was the southwest corner of Fifth and Walnut and that of 1836 by J. H. Woodruff. The last one was printed by A. Pugh & Com- pany at No. 106 Main street. Naturally these. last directories repeat much of the information contained in the earlier volumes and therefore so exhaustive a consideration of them is not de- sirable.

All three directories venture at population sta- tistics. The first gives the population up to August 1, 1830, as 26,515 and in 1831 up to

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March 1,-28,014. Of these 1,194 were blacks and mulattoes and 1,937 resided in the so-called , "Liberties." In 1834 the directory gives the population as taken in December, 1833, but will not vouch for its accuracy and conjectures that the number given is below the actual population. It shows a decrease from the figures of 1831. The total is 27,645; the largest number are in the Fifth Ward, a little over 7,000; the Second Ward has a little over 6,000, the First about 5,000, the Third about 4,000 and the Fourth about 3,000. The Liberties contained about 2,000 inhabitants. There were 738 blacks, none strangely enough in the Third . Ward. In 1836 the directory gives the population as 29,000.

In 1831 three banks are mentioned : The United States Branch Bank, the Commercial Bank and the Savings Institution. In 1834 the last named institution had disappeared and there had been added the Lafayette Bank, the Franklin Company and the Ohio Life Insurance & Trust Company. In 1836 appeared in addition the Miami Exporting Company, the Exchange Bank & Savings Institution and the Cincinnati Sav- ings Institution. We are informed that in 1831 that money was in great demand and that the banks discounted notes at six per cent although the market price of money was much greater, usually. 10 percent on mortgage security and one to three percent a- month on personal se- curity.

The insurance companies with their lists of officers and other details are also exploited at length in all these directories.

A new entry in 1831 is that of the Woodward Free Grammar School whose building on Franklin between Sycamore and Broadway was in .process of erection. The building was to consist of a central building 70 feet square and three stories high with two wings, two stories high 60 by 40 feet cach, and'it was expected that they would be completed by the following fall so as to open the school. The school in fact opened on October 24, 1831. In 1834 the number of pupils in this institution whose name had been changed to Woodward High School was 120. In 1836 it was changed to Woodward College of Cincinnati and the advantages for boys designing to study for the bar, the med- ical profession or the "Sacred Desk" are set · forth in an extended notice. The Medical College . of Ohio, Lane Seminary, Mechanics' Institute are noticed at length. In 1831 appears the no- tice of the Miami University Medical Depart- ment, with Dr. Drake as dean and the Academy of Medicine which was to furnish a summer

course of lectures. All these directories contain long lists of private schools, many of which are commented on elsewhere, and discussions about the common schools which were in process of organization. In addition to the usual finan- cial, business and educational institutions there are of course the churches with their ministers, the religious and benevolent societies and also lists of the professional men of the city. Other institutions mentioned in the different directories are the Cincinnati Lyceum, the Western Aca- demic Institute and Board of Education, the Athenæum and Collegiate Institute established on Sycamore street by the Roman Catholic Church, the Inquisition, the Cincinnati Literary Society, the Teachers' Association, the Western Academy of Natural Science, the Hibernian Society, St. Peter's Benevolent Society, the Western Literary Institute and College of Professional Teachers, Western Education Society, Hamilton County Agricultural Society, the Scots' Society and quite a number of temperance, missionary, Masonic and Odd Fellows organizations.

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Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 5

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