Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume II, Part 23

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 916

USA > Ohio > Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume II > Part 23

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 first sale was accordingly held on the first Tuesday of March, 1856, and they have continued as regularly as the first Tuesday of the month came, from that day until the present, a period of over thirty years. But four sales have been missed -the July sale, 1863, when the " fall of Vicksburg" was celebrated ; the October sale, 1863, being election day, and a very exciting one, being in the celebrated Vallandigham campaign ; the July sale, 1865, being the Fourth of July, in cele- bration of the "downfall of the rebellion," and the September sale, 1868, on ac- count of the "cattle plague." The sales were begun without organization, and have continued to run without organization or officers ever since. They have been controlled by no ring, aud in no interests but the interests of buyers and purchasers alike.

T.FELLOWS M.FELLOWS

Drawn by Henry Howe in 1846.

VIEW IN LONDON. The Court-House is shown on the left, and the Academy on the right in the distance.

FFER HOUSE

ICHALL'S

O. C. ITule, Photo., London, 1887.

VIEW IN LONDON.

The Court-House is on the left, on the site of that above.

167

MADISON COUNTY.

The method of their operations is simple. On the day before the sale, and often on the day of the sale, various droves of cattle may be seen coming on the several roads to London. Those brought the day before are kept in lots and fed over night, ready for the sale the next day. About 10 o'clock of the day of sale from two to three thousand people have assembled on the streets to witness the sales, see each other and transact business, and do trading which has been put off until "Salesday." This crowd is unusually orderly, and is about the same every salesday, regardless of the weather or other events. The public square near the Court-house is the market place. A drove of cattle is driven into the square, and the auctioneer announces the number, age and weight of the cattle, and bidding begins and continnes until they are sold to the highest bidder at so much per head.

The cattle are then driven out, delivered to the buyer by the seller, and another drove is sold in the same way. Often three or four droves are being sold at the same time, and the hue and cry of the noisy auctioneers is strange and amusing to one unfamiliar with it.

The chief auctioneer is John C. Bridgman, a man with a strong frame, loud voice, a good judge of cattle and a keen trader, and who, because of his especial qualifications and large experience, is without doubt the best auctioneer of live- stock in the whole country. He has been constantly at the business for over a quarter of a century, and has sold under the hammer at public auction more cattle than any other man living or dead.

These sales have been remarkably successful, and have become au established and permanent institution peculiar to Madison county. Attempts have been made to imitate them in various parts of the State and the West, but without success, except in Paris, Ky., where there exists its only rival. The chief causes of their success are not attributable to any particular efforts of men, or a set of men, but to the fortunate situation and favorable conditions of Madison county for the estab- lishment and growth of this institution, so especially its own. Madison county lies in the centre of the great blue-grass region of Ohio. This favorite and celebrated territory includes about half of the counties adjoining, and on the dividing ridge between the Scioto and Little Miami rivers.

Its soil is particularly well adapted for the production of the rich and nutri- tions blue-grass so necessary in producing the very best quality of live-stock of all kinds. Its farms are mostly unusually large, affording an extensive range for herds of cattle. Most of our farmers keep a few cattle, and many of them keep very large herds. There are over two hundred farms in the county containing from four hundred to four thousand acres. There are two or three sections or neighborhoods in the county containing from twenty to thirty thousand acres in one body owned by ten or twelve men.

Cattle brought to this market can always find a buyer who is prepared to buy a herd and turn them at once to graze upon his pastures. In counties where the farms are small the farmer is not prepared to accommodate but a few cattle. This is one reason of success here. Cattle are regularly bronghit here from all parts of the State, and frequently from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and other States. They find ready purchasers at the highest market price. The cattle con- sist mostly of one, two and three-year-old steers, sometimes a few heifers, but never any fat or shipping cattle. These stock cattle are purchased by the large grazers, turned upon their pastures, fattened and shipped to New York, Boston and Liverpool. The cattle sold at these sales by no means represent the amount or number of cattle sold in the county. The fat cattle sold and shipped from here annually equal, if not exceed in value, those sold at the monthly sales.

The number of cattle sales and the amount of the annual sales have been grad- ually on the increase, uutil within the last few years, when the cattle trade has been dull throughout the country.

The following table shows the number of cattle sold each year, and the amount

MADISON COUNTY.

of sales each year, for the last thirty years, ending March, 1886. There are only nine sales in 1856 and six in 1886 reported and included in this table :

No. of stock

Amount of

Year.

sold.

sales.

Year.

No. of stock sold.

sales.

1856.

993

$ 31,762.50

1873

5,886

$292,640.22

1857.

4,704

105,753.68

1874.

5,016

215,895.54

1858

3,109

61,335.44

1875.

5,997

266,482.52

1859.

3,684

94,648.96

1876.

3,121

128,861.22

1860.

3,644

92,549.54

1877

6,350

279,690.13

1861.

2,591

47,292.81

1878.

6,282

239,664.33

1862.

3,429

58,886.57

1879.

7,344

243,563.56

1863.

2,943

51,013.51

1880.

6,391

247,657.37

1864.

1,720

53,146.77

1881 .

6,812

315,707.26

1865.

2,052

81,446.41

1882.

7,259

341,582.96

1866.

2,793

147,439.48

1883.

5,354

279,123.99

1867.

3,586

175,080.34

1884.

4,299

208,010.77

1869.

5,930

328,994.15

1886.

2,400

111,374.54

1870.

5,480

300,962.94

1871.

5,734

189,255.60

1872.

11,145

425,506.90

The following table shows the number of different kinds of stock sold during the thirty years, and the average price per head :

Number.

Kind of stock.

Average price per head.

240

Four-year-olds

$ 64.53

29,460

. Three-year-olds

49.04

57,441

. Two-year-olds

39.20

32,414.

One-year-olds

25.33

1,428.

.Two-year heifers

27.38

1,893

One-year heifers

21.12

2,404

Calves

14.92

1,734

Dry and fat cows

32.93

1,087

Milch cows ..

36.69

103

Bulls.

47.21

1,248

Yokes of oxen

134.54

130,452.

Total cattle.

7,717

.Sheep

3.12

417.

Mules

87.51

6,830

Horses

118.73

145,416

During the early years of sales almost all kinds of live-stock were sold, but now there are chiefly only cattle and horses. Mules were sold at almost every sale until after the war, since which but few are ever offered in the market. Sheep were also sold until 1868, since which time none have been offered.

During the first ten years of the sales but few horses are reported as sold, but since the war the sale of horses has been largely on the increase, and prices are better. This is undoubtedly owing to the fact that a demand for larger draft horses for use in the East has made their production more general. Several car- loads of horses are sold and shipped from here each sale-day.

John M. Roberts has reported these sales for the Democrat for many years, and it is from his reports that the report herein given is compiled. In years to come these reports will be valnable in enabling a correct history of this institution to be written.

There is no indication that the sales will cease, nor is there any good reason why they should. They have accomplished well the purpose intended, and have reflected great credit upon Madison county, and all feel a just pride in them.

On my original tour there was then living on the Big Darby, in Canaan town- ship, JONATHAN ALDER, who, when a boy in the Revolutionary war, was taken captive by the Indians and lived with them many years. He had dictated to his son Henry the history of his captivity. It comprised about one hundred MSS. pages, and I copied from it all that was of value.

Jonathan Alder died three years later. He looked like an Indian, and though

30 years.

. 145,416

$5,813,902.25

1868

5,514

229,467.00

1885.

3,644

178,094.14

169

MADISON COUNTY.

not rich he lived in comfort and was much respected. His name appears among the first juries of Madison county, and his neighbors said he was a very kindly man, "honest as the sun."

We are indebted to Dr. J. N. Beach, of West Jefferson, who saw him when he was a child of five years, for the following facts, after which comes out original account :

Jonathan Alder is buried at Foster Chapel cemetery, Jefferson township, Madison county, four miles north of the village of West Jefferson. His grave is marked by a plain slab, four and a half by two fect in size, on which is the inscription as given below.

His cabin stands one mile north of the cemetery, opposite the residence of his grandson, Seth Alder, in the southwest angle formed by the crossing of the east pike by the Lucas pike. An addition, larger than the original cabin, has been built on the east side. This cabin was first built abont two hundred yards east of its present location, or a little east of the present family residence. It was removed to its present location by a son of Mr. Alder and the addition made for residence purposes. I think there is no doubt but that the west half of the present structure located in the angle of the roads is the original Alder cabin, and presents much the same appearance as when it stood farther east when first bnilt.

During his residence with the Indians, he spent one winter in a cabin on the east bank of Darby creek, just opposite where he is bnried, on the farm now owned by Knowlton Bailey. While here he became disabled in some way in one of his feet, entirely incapacitating him from hunting, the only means he had for subsistence, and in consequence was reduced to almost a starving condition. Fortunately, however, two Indian boys happened to stumble upon his camp just at a time when the question of food was becoming a serious one, and more fortu- nately the cry of a deer being torn by the wolves was just then heard. The boys sprang out to take a hand in the struggle, but Mr. Alder said, " Boys, wait until the deer quits crying and then we will be sure of some venison." The deer became quiet, when the boys went out and, driving off the wolves, soon returned with the carcase.

JONATHAN ALDER.

BORN

Sept. 17, 1773,

Taken by the INDIANS, 1781 ;

Returned to his Mother in 1805.

DIED

Jan. 30, 1849,

AGED

About 76 years.

INSCRIPTION ON THE GRAVE OF JONATHAN ALDER.

CAPTIVITY AND LIFE OF JONATHAN ALDER AMONG THE INDIANS.

Jonathan Alder was born in New Jersey, about eight miles from Philadelphia, Septem- ber 17, 1773. When at about the age of seven years his parents removed to Wythe county, Va., and his father soon after died.

In the succeeding March (1782), while out with his brother David, hunting for a mare and her colt, he was taken prisoner by a small party of Indians. His brother, on the first alarm, ran, and was pursued by some of the party. "At length," says Alder, "I saw them returning, leading my brother, while one was holding the handle of a spear, that he had thrown at him and run into his body. As they approached, one of them stepped up and grasped him around the body, while another pulled out the spear. I observed some flesh on the end of it, which looked white, which I supposed came from his entrails. I moved to him and inquired if he was hurt, and he replied that he was. These were the last words that passed between us. At that moment he turned pale and began to sink, and I was hurried on, and shortly after saw one of the barbarous wretches coming up with the scalp of my brother in his hand, shaking off the blood,"

170

MADISON COUNTY.

The Indians also having taken a prisoner, a Mrs. Martin. a neighbor to the Alders, with her young child, aged about four or five years, retreated towards their towns. Their route lay through the woods to the Big Sandy, down that stream to the Ohio, which they crossed, and from thence went overland to the Scioto, near Chillicothe, and so on to a Mingo village on Mad river.

Finding the child of Mrs. Martin burden- some, they soon killed and scalped it. The last member of her family was now destroyed, and she screamed in agony of grief. Upon this one of the Indians caught her by her hair, and drawing the edge of his knife across her forehead, cried, "sculp! sculp!" with the hope of stilling her cries. But, indiffer- ent to life, she continued her screams, when they procured some switches and whipped her until she was silent. The next day, young Alder having not risen, through fatigue, from eating, at the moment the word was given, saw, as his face was to the north, the shadow of a man's arm with an uplifted tomahawk. He turned, and there stood an Indian, ready for the fatal blow. Upon this he let down his arm and commenced feeling of his head. He afterwards told Alder it had been his intention to have killed him; but, as he turned he looked so smiling and pleasant that he could not strike, and on feeling of his head and noticing that his hair was very black, the thought struck him, that if he could only get him to his tribe he would make a good Indian ; but that all that saved his life was the color of his hair.

After they crossed the Ohio they killed a bear, and remained four days to dry the meat for packing, and to fry out the oil, which last they put in the intestines, having first turned and cleaned them.

The village to which Alder was taken be- longed to the Mingo tribe, and was on the north side of Mad river, which we should judge was somewhere within or near the limits of what is now Logan county. As he entered he was obliged to run the gauntlet, formed by young children armed with switches. He passed through this ordeal with little or no injury, and was adopted into an Indian family. His Indian mother thor- oughly washed him with soap and warm water with herbs in it, previous to dressing him in the Indian costume, consisting of a calico shirt, breech-clout, leggings and mocca- sons. The family having thus converted him into an Indian, were much pleased with their new member. But Jonathan was at first very homesick, thinking of his mother and brothers. Everything was strange about him ; he was unable to speak a word of their language ; their food disagreed with him; and, childlike, he used to go out daily for more than a month, and sit under a large walnut tree near the village, and cry for hours at a time over his deplorable situation. His Indian father was a chief of the Mingo tribe, named Succohanos ; his Indian mother was named Whinecheoh, and their daughters respectively answered to the good old Eng-

lish names of Mary, Hannah and Sally. Suc- cohanos and Whinecheo were old people, and had lost a son, in whose place they had adopted Jonathan. They took pity on the little fellow, and did their best to comfort him, telling him that he would one day be restored to his mother and brothers. He says of them, "They could not have used their own son better, for which they shall always be held in most grateful remembrance by me." His Indian sister, Sally, however, treated him "like a slave," and when out of humor, applied to him, in the Indian tongue, the unladylike epithet of " onorary [mean], lousy prisoner !" Jonathan for a time lived with Mary, who had become the wife of the chief, Col. Lewis (see Logan County). "In the fall of the year," says he, "the Indians would generally collect at our camp, evenings, to talk over their hunting expeditions. I would sit up to listen to their stories, and frequently fell asleep just where I was sitting. After they left, Mary would fix my bed, and, with Col. Lewis, would carefully take me up and carry me to it. On these occasions they would often say-supposing me to be asleep -'Poor fellow ! we have sat up too long for him, and he has fallen asleep on the cold ground ; ' and then how softly would they lay me down and cover me up ! Oh ! never have I, nor can I, express the affection I had for these two persons."

Jonathan, with other boys, went into Mad river to bathe, and on one occasion came near drowning. He was taken out senseless, and some time elapsed ere he recovered. He says, "I remember, after I got over my strangle, I became very sleepy, and I thought I could draw my breath as well as ever. Being overcome with drowsiness, I laid down to: sleep, which was the last I remember. The act of drowning is nothing, but the coming to life is distressing. The boys, after they had brought me to, gave me a silver buckle as an inducement not to tell the old folks of the occurrence, for fear they would not let me come with them again ; and so the affair was kept secret."

When Alder had learned to speak the In- dian language he became more contented. He says : "I would have lived very happy, if I could have had health ; but for three or four years I was subject to very severe at- tacks of fever and ague. Their diet went very hard with me for a long time. Their chief living was meat and hominy ; but we rarely had bread, and very little salt, which was extremely scarce and dear, as well as milk and butter. Honey and sugar were plentiful, and used a great deal in their cook- ing, as well as on their food."

When he was old enough he was given an old English musket, and told that he must go out and learn to hunt. So he used to follow along the water-courses, where mud turtles were plenty, and commenced his first essay upon them. He generally aimed under them, as they lay basking on the rocks ; and when he struck the stones, they flew some- times several feet in the air, which afforded

TŘE

O. O. Hale, Photo., London, 1887.

CABIN OF JONATHAN ALDER.

Alder was taken captive in youth by the Indians and lived with them many years.

172

MADISON COUNTY.

great sport for the youthful marksman. Oc- casionally he killed a wild turkey, or a rac- coon ; and when he returned to the village

with his game generally received high praise for his skill-the Indians telling him he would make " a great hunter one of these days.'

We cannot, within our assigned limits, give all of the incidents and anecdotes related by Alder, or anything like a connected history of his life among the In- dians. In the June after he was taken occurred Crawford's defeat. He describes the anxiety of the squaws while the men were gone to the battle, and their joy on their returning with scalps and other trophies of the victory. He defends Simon Girty from the charge of being the instigator of the burning of Crawford, and states that he could not have saved his life because he had no influence in the Delaware tribe, whose prisoner Crawford was. Alder was dwelling at the Mack- achack towns (see Logan County) when they were destroyed by Logan in 1786 ; was in the attack on Fort Recovery in 1794 (see Mercer County), and went on an expedition into " Kaintucky to steal horses" from the settlers.

Alder remained with the Indians until after Wayne's treaty, in 1795. He was urged by them to be present on the occasion, to obtain a reservation of land, which was to be given to each of the prisoners ; but, igno- rant of its importance, he neglected going, and lost the land. Peace having been re- stored, Alder says, "I could now lie down without fear, and rise up and shake hands with both the Indian and the white man."

The summer after the treaty, while living on Big Darby, Lucas Sullivant (see p. 610) made his appearance in that region, surveying land, and soon became on terms of intimacy with Alder, who related to him a history of his life, and generously gave him the piece of land on which he dwelt ; but there being some little difficulty about the title, Alder did not contest, and so lost it.

When the settlers first made their appear- ance on the Darby, Alder could scarcely speak a word of English. He was then abont 24 years of age, fifteen of which he had passed with the Indians. Two of the settlers kindly taught him to converse in English. He had taken up with a squaw for a wife some time previous, and now began to farm like the whites. He kept hogs, cows and horses ; sold milk and butter to the Indians, horses and pork to the whites, and accumulated property. He soon was able to hire white laborers, and being dissatisfied with his squaw -a cross, peevish woman-wished to put her aside, get a wife from among the settlers, and live like them. Thoughts, too, of his mother and brothers, began to obtrude, and the more he reflected, his desire strengthened to know if they were living, and to see them once more. He made inquiries for them, but was at a loss to know how to begin, being ignorant of the name of even the State in which they were. When talking one day with John Moore, a companion of his, the latter questioned him where he was from. Alder replied that he was taken prisoner somewhere near a place called Greenbriar, and that his people lived by a lead mine, to which he frequently used to go to see the hands dig ore. Moore then asked him if he could recollect the names of any of his neigh-

bors. After a little reflection he replied, " Yes ! a family of Gulions that lived close by ns." Upon this, Moore dropped his head, as if lost in thoughit, and muttered to himself, "Gulion ! Gulion !" and then raising up, replied, " My father and myself were out in that country, and we stopped at their house over one night, and if your people are living I can find them."

Mr. Moore after this went to Wythe county and inquired for the family of Alder ; but without success, as they had removed from their former residence. He put up advertise- ments in various places, stating the facts, and where Alder was to be found, and then re- turned. Alder now abandoned all hopes of finding his family, supposing them to be dead. Some time after he and Moore were at Franklinton, where he was informed that there was a letter for him in the postoffice. It was from his brother Paul, stating that one of the advertisements was put up within six miles of him, and that he got it the next day. It contained the joyful news that his mother and brothers were alive.

Alder, in making preparations to start for Virginia, agreed to separate from his Indian wife, divide the property equally, and take and leave her with her own people at San- dusky. But some difficulty occurred in sat- isfying her. He gave her all the cows, fourteen in number, worth $20 each, seven horses and much other property, reserving to himself only two horses and the swine. Besides these was a small box, about six inches long, four inches wide and four deep, filled with silver, amounting probably to about $200, which he intended to take, to make an equal division. But to this she objected, saying the box was hers before marriage, and she would not only have it, but all it contained. Alder says, " I saw I could not get it without making a fuss, and probably having a fight, and told her that if she would promise never to trouble nor come back to me, she might have it ; to which she agreed."

Moore accompanied him to his brother's house, as he was unaccustomed to travel among the whites. They arrived there on horseback at noon, the Sunday after New

173

MADISON COUNTY.

Year's. They walked up to the house and requested to have their horses fed, and pre- tending they were entire strangers, inquired who lived there. "I had concluded," said Alder, "not to make myself known for some time, and eyed my brother very close, but did not recollect his features. I had always thought I should have recognized my mother by a mole on her face. In the corner sat an old lady who I supposed was her, although I could not tell, for when I was taken by the Indians her head was as black as a crow, and now it was almost perfectly white. Two young women were present, who eyed me very close, and I heard one of them whisper to the other, ' He looks very much like Mark' (my brother). I saw they were about to dis- cover me, and accordingly turned my chair around to my brother, and said, 'You say your name is Alder ?' 'Yes,' he replied, my name is Paul Alder.' 'Well,' I rejoined, 'my name is Alder too.' Now it is hardly necessary to describe our feelings at that time ; but they were very different from those I had when I was taken prisoner, and saw the Indian coming with my brother's scalp in his hand, shaking off the blood.

"When I told my brother that my name was Alder, he rose to shake hands with me, so overjoyed that he could scarcely utter a word, and my old mother ran, threw her arms

around me, while tears rolled down her cheeks. The first words she spoke, after she grasped me in her arms, were, 'How you have grown !' and then she told me of a dream she had. Says she, 'I dreamed that you had come to see me, and that you was a little onorary [mean] looking fellow, and I would not own you for my son ; but now I find I was mistaken, that it is entirely the reverse, and I am proud to own you for my son.' I told her I could remind her of a few circumstances that she would recolleet, that took place before I was made captive. I then related various things, among which was that the negroes, on passing our house on Saturday evenings, to spend Sunday with their wives, would beg pumpkins of her, and get her to roast them for them against their return on Monday morning. She recollected these circumstances, and said she had now no doubt of my being her son. We passed the balance of the day in agreeable conversation, and I related to them the history of my cap- tivity, my fears and doubts, of my grief and misery the first year after I was taken. My brothers at this time were all married, and Mark and John had moved from there. They were sent for and came to see me ; but my half-brother John had moved so far that I never got to see him at all."

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.

Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume II, Part 23

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio Number of Pages: 916

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 916