USA > Ohio > Jefferson County > Steubenville > Century History of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, 20th > Part 45
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83
Where elnsters tempt, and fruitful vines entwine.
In 1798 Mr. Wells began the erection of a large manor house in the beautiful grove then bounded by Sonth and Third street, the Ohio River and Wells's Run, which was finished in 1800. To this place he removed in the latter year, and for over a quarter of a century kept open house to all his friends, entertaining with a generons hospi- tality borne of ample means and liberal disposition. Many of the leading men of the country were entertained there, among them Henry Clay, and as a divergence I find in Warden's life of Chase, now rare and out of print, an extract from a letter written by the late Chief Justice C'hase, describing a trip from Cincinnati east- ward about 1821, wherein he says:
"Journeying eastward we reached Steu- benville, and stopped at the hospitable man- sion of Mr. Wells, the father-in-law of my consin, Philander, whose wife I now first met. Mr. Wells was a manufacturer, but had lost by it. He still retained. however. his beautiful place on the banks of the Ohio, and there with his sons, my schoolmates, and in his pleasant family, I passed some manufacturing centre of the country, early
But our host had something else to do besides entertaining. His large tracts of land would soon become a burden unless utilized in some way. Portions were put on the market, and in 1804, he laid ont the town of Canton, in Stark County. He also laid ont a town for the county seat of Wayne County, but this did not materi- alize as Wooster was chosen as the county's Capital. When the first court met here on November 1, 1797, Mr. Wells was appointed clerk, which office he held until succeeded by John Ward in 1800. Ile was also a dele- gate to the convention which framed the constitution upon which Ohio was admitted into the Union, and exercised a decided in- finence in that body. Mr. Wells moved either by the immediate wants of the com- munity or by a prophetic spirit of the time when this Ohio Valley would become the
Digncooby Google
331
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
turned his thoughts in that direction. The Frank C. the younger, lives in Detroit, history of his manufacturing enterprises Mich. from the starting of his grist-mill in 1802 It is somewhat remarkable that situated as it was, remote from the centres of popu- given elsewhere. About this time Mr. lation, the residents of Jefferson County, especially in and about Steubenville should have from the very beginning not only dis- played their enterprise in developing the manufacturing resources of the county, as we have seen, but were contributors to the law, literature and fine arts to a degree almost without parallel in a pioneer com- munity. Much of this was no doubt dne to the influence of "The Grove" manor which was a centre of enlture and refinement, but more to the character of the people gen- erally who made up the infant commimity. We do not read of any special compacts but the immigrants as a rule were God-fear- ing people, the best and not the worst re- presentatives of the communities from which they came. While Virginia and Maryland furnished the predominating ele- ment it was leavened by infusions from other sections, and Scotch-Irish, Church- men, Friends and the different Protestant denominations all had their influence in moulding the character of the community. Between 1812 and 1820 several families moved to Steubenville who afterwards con- tributed not only to the artistic and liter- ary side of this western society, but whose immediate and subsequent descendants gained a national reputation. The first of these was Rev. Archibald Hawkins, who came to Steubenville from Baltimore in 1811 and built a house on South Third Street, lately occupied by his granddaugh- ter, Miss Rebecca Hawkins. He was a local Methodist preacher, and is said to have been a specially intimate friend of Rev. Father Morse, of St. Paul's, who came a few years later. At that time he had a son Ezekiel, three years old, who early gave indications of precocity as an artist. He learned the trade of house and sign paint- ing. but also took up landscape painting and portraiture, in both of which he did ex- cellent work. The scenery around Stenben- to the financial trouble in 1830, has been Wells's old home in " The Grove" was pur- chased by Gen. Samuel Stokely, and he went to live with his daughter, the wife of Rev. Intrepid Morse, on South High street. In the meantime his son, Alexander, who had purchased the farm at the head of South street, gave it to his father during his lifetime. The property then included what was later the Mears estate. There was built the present Wells residence, which was completed and occupied in 1832. From that time until his death, which oc- curred on August 14, 1846, Mr. Wells passed a peaceful life, looking after his farming and copperas interests, and per- forming his duties as senior warden of St. Paul's church. His remains were interred in what is known as the "old graveyard" on lower Fourth street, and afterwards re- moved to the family lot in Union cemetery, where they now repose. Mr. Wells was married twice. His first wife was Miss Rebecca Reastean, of Baltimore. She had two children who died in child- hood. Hle afterwards married Miss Sarah Griffith, of Wellsburg, who died in Jan- nary, 1830. She was the mother of six sons and five daughters. Katherine War- field, married to Dr. John MeDowell; Re- becca R., married to Rev. Philander Chase and afterwards to Rev. Intrepid Morse, James Ross, who married Miss Wilson, Alexander, Bezaleel and Mary, unmarried ; Samuel Owings, who married Miss Holmes; Hezekiah G., who married Miss Strong, and became a member of the United States court of claims; Francis Asbury, who mar- ried Miss J. C. Boggs: Anne Clark, married to Rev. F. B. Kellogg, and Sarah Griffith, married to Rev. Dudley Chase. All have passed away, the last survivor being Fran- eis A. Wells, of this city. His two daugh- ters still reside at the old home place. John B., his eldest son, died in Florida in 1906,
Digiized by Google
33
HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY
ville furnished plenty of subjects and in- of Heury Clay which aided Hart to model spiration, as it did afterwards to Cole. He also decorated window shades, and made his art useful in various ways. The fam. ily moved to Wheeling in 1829, after which he gave most of his time to portraiture, having a camera which would throw upon the canvas a likeness of the "sitter," which the artist could make permanent with his pencil. Here he became acquainted with an artist named Lamden, from whom he re- ceived valuable instructions.
Shortly after, about 1840, by correspon- dence with Prof. Morse, the artist-electri- cia, and inventor of the electric telegraph, with whom he was intimately acquainted, he learned of the famous Daguerre, the in- ventor of the daguerre process of picture making. Mr. Hawkins became deeply in- terested in the new process, and either pro- cured a camera from Mr. Morse or made a daguerreotype camera of the one he al- ready possessed. He was the first person to take these pictures west of the Allegheny Mountains. They were taken in the open air, the "subject" sitting for fifteen minutes with his face to the sun, and of course with his eyes closed. Although the pictures were taken under such disagree- able conditions they were considered won- derful by the pioneers.
Shortly after Mr. Hawkins engaged in daguerreotyping he procured from France an improved camera with which he could represent the open eyes of the subject. To have a likeness taken indoors impressed the people with the wonderful invention more deeply than did the ernde process when it was introduced. In 1843 Mr. Hawkins re- moved to Cincinnati, where with improved apparatus he continued to take daguerreo- types, and made a great deal of money, but like all men of genins he did not save his means, using them to improve his facilities and to satisfy his ambition. His gallery was the resort of all the prominent artists of Cincinnati. He took pictures of Henry Clay and other leading men. He was the first person to make daguerreotypes in the Queen City. In 1847 he made the picture
his famous statue of the father of the tariff system known as "protection." Clay's likeness was taken in tonr different posi- tions, the pictures being the largest size that theu could be made-eight and one- half inches in length. The Clay statue was made for the ladies of Virginia, who pre- sented it to the city of Richmond. Mr. Clay traveled about so constantly that with- ont the pictures taken of him by Mr. Hawk- ins it would have been almost impossible for the artist to make the model.
During this time Mr. Hawkins with oth- ers experimented with photography, he he- ing the first to make pictures of this char- acter in the west. The first negatives were paper, but proved very unsuccessful, it he- ing impossible to get the proper impres- sion on them. The subject was required to sit two or three minutes, and photographs of children could not be taken at all. Ex- periments resulted in producing glass neg- atives, but the albumen used was too slow and lacking in density, and it was impos- sible to procure good prints even after a negative was made. While others had abandoned experiments along this line, Mr. Hawkins, with Mr. Whipple, of Boston. and Mr. Cowden, of Wheeling, continned to work at the problem, feeling that time would solve it. Mr. Hawkins corresponded with these gentlemen, and the three gave to each other the points gained as the ex- periments progressed. Mr. Hawkins was determined to invent or discover some snb- stance of sufficient density to make good photographs. He knew that such an end was possible and he spent all the money made out of daguerreotyping in experi- ments made to perfect the photographic process.
Previous to 1847 he and Mr. Whipple simultaneously discovered that collodion was the chemical to use. In experiment- ing with collodion on the glass plates they discovered that by placing the negative against a dark surface it made a good pie- ture. This was the discovery of the am- brotype, which picture was considered by
Dignicony Google
333
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
many as the very neme of camera-portraits, and it eventually displaced the daguerreo- type. Mr. Hawkins, however, wanted pho- tographs and continued his experiments with collodion until he finally produced good negatives. Mr. Hawkins used this process previous to F. S. Archer, of Eng- Jand, who is credited with its discovery in 1847. Before this photographs, as we mi- derstand them, were an impossibility. Eze- kiel Hawkins died in 1862. He was a great sufferer from rheumatism, but pursued his work amid all discouragements, and had he lived a few years longer might have reaped the pecuniary rewards to which he was fairly entitled. His brother, William, father of Robert C. Hawkins, was also an artist of more than ordinary ability, espe- cially as a portrait painter and a musician. Among others he painted a portrait of Mrs. D. L. Collier in 1835, also one of Mrs. Thomas Hoge, aunt of T. P. Spencer, Esq., which is owned by eastern relatives. He also made a feature of decorative work, especially on panels of stage coaches and organs. He built two pipe organs, the first in the county, without ever having seen an instrument of this kind, making every part of the instrument himself. They were ex- cellent in tone, and the mechanism was all that was needed. In fact he was a mechan- ical genius in every respect. His son, Rob- ert C. Hawkins, inherited the taste of his father and uncle, both as to painting and music. He invented the first "dip bath" ever used, which was blown in Beatty's old glass works. Previons to this time what is known as the silver bath, into which nega- tives were dipped, was poured into a dish, in which the negatives were placed with the fingers. This was a very ernde proc- ess, many negatives being ruined by lines across them if the whole plate did not come in contact with the silver instantaneously. Mr. Hawkins' dip bath was the forerunner of the present porcelain bath. In the mu- sical line he made a specialty of the pipe or- gan, the only instrument in Steubenville at that time being the two small ones con- strneted by his father, and the ten-register
single manual instrument in old St. Paul's elmreh. He played there frequently for services and when in the early sixties the third public pipe organ was introduced into the Second Presbyterian church he was given charge of the music and acted as organist and choir director for many years. He was also director of the Steubenville Philharmonie Society, an organization which contributed greatly to the advance- ment of musical culture in this city. He was also a painter of no mean ability, and as a critic he ranked among the first. The two organs constructed by his father he kept in the old homestead on South Third street until his death, when they were brok- en up and the material sold.
Among those coming to Steubenville about 1819 were the Coles, having with them their son Thomas. born at Bolton- le-Moore, Lancashire, England, February 1, 1801. The family occupied the Floto block, since remodeled on the west side of Fourth street just above Market adjoin- ing the house on the corner of Market ( now Commercial National Bank), where Alex- ander and Joseph Beatty were born. They had a piano, the only one in all the region. The danghters, Annie and Sarah, who taught a school in Steubenville, would play on the instrument, and it was such a won- derful thing to hear a piano that each even- ing the listening crowd outside would fill the street from curb to curb and as far up and down the street as the sweet strains could be heard.
The elder Cole was a wall-paper maker, having followed this business in England. On the site of the Hartje paper mill stood the Cole wall-paper factory, wherein was displayed wonderful genins in the mann- facture of beautiful wall hangings. The father designed the blocks from which the paper was printed, and it was from him that his son inherited his genius. Thomas, who was abont nineteen years of age at that time, was a valuable assistant to his father, for even then he was a colorist as well as a fine dranghtsman. His first work was on the old-fashioned but beautiful
Dignibony Google
334
HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY
decorated window shades, the painting be- lacking being patrons and for them he ing on specially prepared muslin. He made many sketches of the scenery of this region, and it is said that portions of the landscape of his "Voyage of Life" were taken from sketches made by him on the Ohio River, the scenery being that from Brown's Island to Mingo.
Cole was a sedate young man, enring nothing for the sports of his day, and was never known to be in any of the "serapes" Jaid to the door of his contemporaries. He was a member of the Thespian Society, which gave dramatic entertainments in Bigelow's brick stable at the rear of the present site of the United States hotel. Connected with this stable was Samuel Tarr's pottery. Captain Devenny was associated with the society as a super- numerary. The last members of this so- ciety living were E. G. MeFeely and J. D. Slack. Cole painted the scenery for the stage and became an adept at this art. .
While in Steubenville Cole created quite a sensation by appearing on the street on a velocipede-an old fashioned bicycle- propelled by the feet striking the ground. Whenever he rode ou this vehicle he would have a large troop of boys at his heels. When he moved away he presented his wheel to Joseph Beatty. Mr. Cole left Steubenville in 1825 for Zanesville and from there went to Philadeplhia, and New York where he made a reputation as a scenic painter. Some of his patrons sent him to Italy, and on his return to New York he soon acquired a national reputation as a landscape painter, being in fact the ori- ginator of the American school of land- scape painting, and drawing his first in- spiration from the Ohio hills. He died at Catskill, N. Y., on February 11, 1848, and his funeral oration was delivered by Will- iam Cullen Bryant, who tells how he hap- pened to leave Steubenville. "A portrait painter named Stion coming along fas. vinated Cole, and he at once with such rude colors as he could command, began to paint and was soon able to establish him- self as a portrait painter." the only thing
started on a tramp. This was the same Stien who painted the Wells portraits no- ticed above. Bryant says the pictures he painted in New York attracted the atten- tion and praise of Durand, Dunlap and Trumbull and from that time, "he had a fixed reputation, and was numbered among the men of whom our country has reason to be prond." He went to Europe in 1831, and on his return to America his friends said of him that he had lost his American spirit which gave his pictures their character before leaving for Italy; but he soon re- covered his old-time enthusiasm and re- gained the good opinion of the erities. His grentest picture was the one, or rather the series of five pictures painted for Luman Reed, of New York, called the "Course of Empire," in which are presented, to nse Cole's own words, "an illustration of the history of the human race, as well as the epitome of man, showing the natural changes of landscape and those caused by man in his progress from barbarism to eiv- ilization, to luxury, to the vicious state, or the state of destruction, and to the state of ruin or desolation." Many of his works were of this character, and included "The Departure" and "The Return." "The Dream of Arcadia." "The Voyage of Life," "The Cross in the Wilderness;" other works are "Home in the Woods," "The Hunter's Return, " "The Mountain Ford," and " The Cross and the World."
His biographer says of him: "In all his relations of life his amiability and gener- osity were engagingly displayed, and to those who could sympathize with his en- tlmsiastie and impressive nature, he espe- cially endeared himself. His life was one of singular purity, and in the latter part of it he manifested a sincere and unostenta- tions piety." Cole was also a poet and in his papers were found many beantiful de- scriptions of his paintings in verse of con- siderable merit, but none of his literary work was ever published. He left a son, Reo Thomas Cole, now rector of Trinity church. Sangerties, N. Y.
Dig od by Google
BEZALEEL WELLS (Founder of Steubenville)
MRS. BEZALEEL WELLS
HON. JAMES ROSS (Half Owner of Site of Steubenville)
HON. E. M. STANTON (From Original Photograph by Filson)
Digitized by Google
337
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
At the time the Coles moved to Steuben- ville, William Watkins came with his fam- ily from either England or Wales. He was employed as a sorter in Wells & Dick- enson's woolen factory. One of his sons, .Joseph, moved to Coshocton, where he died; another son removed to the wilds of Illinois, where he married an Indian squaw. He returned to Steubenville, sometime af- ter, bringing with him an Indian boy. Mr. Watkins built the house afterwards oc- pied by James Thomas and Samuel Wilson on Fourth street below North. He after- wards built the mansion on North Seventh street now occupied by George W. MeCook, but became embarrassed and was unable to finish it. While there he planted mulberry trees and reared a large number of silk- worms, from which he reeled the silk for Joli W. Gill, of Mount Pleasant, whose factory is described elsewhere. He after- wards removed to Coshocton and died there. He had a son William who dis- played great skill in sketching, and while in Steubenville was a pupil of Thomas Cole. He carried on furniture decoration and while quite young painted a portrait of Am- brose Shaw when the latter was about fonr years of age. This portrait belongs to the family of Henry K. List, of Wheeling, and is an excellent full length figure. Young Watkins left Steubenville for New York, where he painted beautiful portraits on ivory. Afterwards he went to Europe to complete his studies, where he was received with great favor, especially in England, Queen Victoria sitting to him for a por- trait.
Alfred Newson, was born in Steubenville. but spent the greater part of his life in Philadelphia. Of his parents nothing is known, except that his mother was unmar- ried. He was a deaf mute. He left Sten- benville at the time Cole and Watkins came. In his early days he made many interest- ing sketches on the board fences which showed the possibilities in the boy that were afterwards developed. His faculties of observation were very keen, and he would see the minntest detail of an object.
retaining the impression in his remarkable memory.
At Philadelphia he entered a large book publishing house, where he devoted his tal- ents to illustrating as well as making the engravings. He was known as one of the finest engravers in the country, and many of the books of his day gave evidence of his skill.
William R. Dickenson went to Phila- delphia some years after Newson had lo- cated there, and calling on the young man, had a long conversation with him in writ- ing. Mr. Dickenson expressed a doubt as to whether Newson knew him, wherenpon Newson drew a picture of Steubenville, a perfect plat of the ground as well as of the improvements, not forgetting to draw the defects in the buildings. The drawing was so well done and the proportions of the houses so nearly perfect they seemed to have been made to seale. Another gentle- man from Steubenville called to see New- son in Philadelphia years after. During the conversation Newson drew a picture of the gentleman's house so perfectly that it was immediately recognized.
Benjamin Shaw was another deaf inte in later years who achieved quite a repu- tation by his paintings of birds and other natural objects, although his infirmities were such that he did not leave his couch for years.
It was not alone in developing artists transplanted from other soils that this com- mimity became eminent. The native prod- net has done quite as well. Probably the earliest in this class was James Wilson Mc- Donald, son of Isaac MeDonald, who was sheriff from 1836 to 1839. Wilson, the name by which he was best known, devel- oped a taste for modeling, and made a bust of Henry Clay, which reposed for several years in the old conrt honse. He engaged in the sewing machine business in St. Louis for a short time, but returned to his art and made a fine best of Thomas Benton for one of the St. Louis parks, a life-like bust of O'Connor and other subjects. He re- moved to New York, and among the works
Dia zed by Google
338
HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY
completed while there was a notable statne to General Custer at West Point. He died a few years since.
Eliphalet F. Andrews, son of Alexander Andrews, gave evidence of artistic talent at an early age, and in 1859 went to Ger- many, where he studied under some of the best masters. On his return he secured the property on the northwest corner of Fourth and Slack streets, to which he added a large studio. In 1873 he again visited En- rope, this time remaining several years, dividing his time between Düsseldorf, Paris and other places. He had already achieved reputation as a portrait painter, and had several pictures accepted for the Centen- nial Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876. He subsequently painted portraits of a num- ber of citizens, including that of Robert Mears, now hanging in the council cham- ber. Cupt. Charles Doty, and others. In order to have a broader field he moved his studio to Washington City, where his work attracted general attention. For several years he was director of the Corcoran urt gallery, and his portraits of Jefferson, Mur- tha Washington and Madison which adorn the White House and Capitol are his chef's d'envre. His large portrait of President Garfield is one of his leading productions, of which he made a replica and presented it to the city of Steubenville, where it now hangs in the conneil chamber. Among his re- cent works are the full length portraits of the late Edwin M. Stanton, now in the Jeff- erson County court house, and a similar one of Hon. Benjamin Tappan in the same place, both presentation copies, testifying to the interest which Mr. Andrews still re- tains in the place of his nativity. He now resides on a beautiful comtry place near Alexandria, Va., where he still porsnes his calling for the love of it, his means for- tunately being such that he is not compelled to make it a matter of business.
The third and youngest of this trio of native Steubenville artists is Alexander Doyle, who was born in 1858, on High street below Market, opposite the residence .of his grandparents. Mr. and Mrs. Alex-
ander Doyle. His parents were George and Alice Butler Doyle. While he was quite young the family moved to Louis- ville, Ky., and thence to St. Louis. Mr. Doyle, Sr. was engaged in the marble mon- mment business and this possibly had some- thing to do with directing the taste of the hoy in the direction of sculpture. At any rate he began to interest himself in model- ing, and the subsequent sojourn of the fam- ily in Ituly for a number of years gave op- portunity unnsnally favorable for porsu- ing his studies. When they returned to America and settled in New York, Mr. Doyle had already developed marked tal- ent as a young sculptor, although he re- turned to Italy in the seventies, where he remained several years at the Ferara mar- ble quarries superintending his father's in- terests and pursuing his studies at the same time. When he returned home it was not long before he had ummerons commissions.
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.