Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume II, Part 84

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

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The original proprietor of Alexandria was Col. Thomas Parker, who served in the Rev- olutionary war and located the land at the mouth of the Scioto. In 1799 his brother Alexander Parker laid off the town; Elias Langham was the surveyor. This was the first town in the county and until Portsmouth was laid out bid fair to become the principal town of the county.

Portsmouth was laid out in 1803, by Henry Massie, and named for Portsmouth, Va., the former home of Mr. Massie. Owing to its higher elevation and freedom from floods, it soon outstripped Alexandria, was made the connty seat and its rival city was subsequently abandoned.

The first permanent settler on the site of Portsmouth was Emanuel Traxler, in the year 1796. He built on the extreme west of the high ground, near what is now Scioto street. Vincent Brodbeck occupied the place in

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1880. The first child born in Portsmouth was the daughter of Uriah Barber, named Polly, and born in 1804.

A frame court house was erected and com- pleted in 1817 on land donated by Henry

Massie. It was on Market street, between Front and Second streets. December 29, 1814, the town of Portsmouth was incor- porated.

Portsmouth in 1846 .- Portsmouth, the county-seat, is situated on the Ohio river just above the mouth of the Scioto, at the termination of the Ohio canal, ninety miles south of Columbus, and 110 above Cincinnati by the river. It is a town of considerable business, and does a heavy trade with the iron works; three steamboats are continually plying between here and the iron region in the upper part of this and in Lawrence county, and two run regularly between here and Cincinnati. In the town is a well-conducted free school, which has nine teachers and 320 pupils. It is supported mainly by property bequeathed for this purpose, yielding about $2,000 per annum. Portsmouth contains 1 Presbyterian, 1 Epis- copal, I Methodist and 1 Catholic church, 2 printing-offices, 1 rolling, 1 merchant and 1 oil mill, 1 carding machine, 1 forge, 2 foundries, 17 mercantile stores, and a population estimated at 2,500. A company of Eastern capitalists are construct- ing in the old channel of the Scioto, opposite Portsmouth, a commodious basin, with dry docks attached for the building and repairing of steamboats. It is said that a mile and a half below the old mouth of the Scioto, about the year 1740, stood a French fort or trading-station .- Old Edition.

PORTSMOUTH, connty-seat of Scioto, is ninety-five miles south of Columbus, on the Ohio river, just above the mouth of the Scioto river. It is 115 miles above Cincinnati by river. The town is entered by the O. & N. W. and S. V. Rail- roads, and is within easy access of the C. & O. or N. N. & M. V. Railroad.

County officers, 1888 : Auditor, Filmore Musser ; Clerk, John H. Simmons; Commissioners, John Kaps, Milton W. Brown, Frank Rickey ; Coroner, Charles C. Fulton ; Infirmary Directors, Ross Courtney, Charles Hacquard, Samuel J. Williams ; Probate Judge, James M. Dawson; Prosecuting Attorney, Theodore K. Funk ; Recorder, Benjamin F. Harwood ; Sheriff, Thomas T. Yeager; Sur- veyor, Joseph W. Smith ; Treasurer, Mark B. Wells. City officers, 1888 : John A. Turley, Mayor ; John W. Lewis, Marsha1; Volney R. Row, Solicitor ; R. A. Bryan, Civil Engineer ; William Bennett, Commissioner ; Henry Potter, Wharf- master ; Chas. Kinney, Treasurer ; J. W. Overturf, Collector ; S. G. McColloch, Clerk. Newspapers : Blade, Republican, J. E. Valjean, editor and publisher ; Correspondent, German Independent, Carl Huber, editor and publisher ; Leader, Labor, J. B. Carter, editor ; Times, Democratic, James W. Newman, editor and - publisher ; Tribune, Republican, J. F. Strayer, editor; Press, Republican, Enter- prise Publishing Company, publishers, N. W. Evans, president. Churches : 2 Protestant Episcopal, 1 German Evangelical, 3 Presbyterian, 4 Methodist Episco- pal, 1 United Brethren, 1 Church of Christ, 2 Catholic, 1 Jewish, 1 African Methodist Episcopal. Banks : Citizens' Savings, D. N. Murray, president, J. W. Overturf, cashier ; Farmers' National, George Davis, president, John M. Wall, cashier ; First National, Robert Baker, president, A. T. Johnson, cashier ; Ports- mouth National, John G. Peebles, president, W. C. Silcox, cashier.

Manufactures and Employees .- G. D. Waite, furniture, 34 hands ; Henry Pres- rott, wheelbarrows, 14 ; Cuppett & Webb, sawed lumber, 10; Reitz & Co., sawed und cut stone, 15; Portsmouth Brewery, 8; Burgess Steel and Iron Works, 180; York Manufacturing Co., road scrapers, 8; Portsmouth Foundry and Machine Shops, boilers, engines, etc., 50; John Dice, carriages and buggies, 10; Ports- mouth Steam Bakery, 3; Padan Brothers & Co., ladies' and children's shoes, 187; Nichols Furniture Co., 85; Portsmouth Veneer Mills, 10; Drew, Selby & Co., ladies' and children's shoes, 223; Enoch J. Salt & Co., blankets, flannels, etc., 49 ; Lehman Rhodes & Co., doors, sash, etc., 13; Wm. H. Kehrer, seamless hosiery, 11 ; Excelsior Shoe Co., 13; Portsmouth Fire-Brick Co., 87; Johnson Hub and Spoke Works, 64; Ohio Stove Co., 70; Portsmouth Wagon Stock Co., 49; H.

Drawn by Henry Howe in 1846,

PORTSMOUTH.

TIAIL

sciote

THE LANDING AT PORTSMOUTH.

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Leet & Co., flooring, siding, etc., 10; T. M. Patterson, book-binding, etc., 20; Portsmouth Steam Laundry, laundrying, 10; C. C. Bode & Son, cut and sawed stone, 6 ; S. V. R. R. Shops, railroad repairs, 85 ; O. & N. W. R. R. Shops, rail- road repairs, 25 .- State Report, 1888.

Population, 1880, 11,321. School census, 1888, 4,161. E. S. Cox, school superintendent. Capital invested in industrial establishments, $1,020,800. Value of annual product, $2,046,700 .- Ohio Labor Statistics, 1887.

Census, 1890, 12,394.

The beautiful plain at the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio, at Portsmouth, forms the site of a singular and interesting series of ancient works. They are in three divisions or groups, extending along the Ohio river for eight miles, and are connected by parallel lines of embankments, two of which divisions are on the Kentucky side. These are described in the great work of Squier and Davis, pub- lished by the Smithsonian Institution. The following items upon the quarries of this region are from Dr. Orton's "Geological Report :"

The PORTSMOUTH QUARRIES have been worked since the first settlement of the Ohio valley. All the ravines that reach the Ohio valley below Portsmouth for twenty miles disclose a large amount of excellent building-stone. At the quarry of Messrs. Reitz & Co. the stone occurs in layers from six to twenty-four inches in thickness. For flagging the stone is nnequalled in the Ohio valley, as it wears evenly, always gives foothold, and is in every way satisfactory. It is well adapted to sawing, and is used quite extensively for general building pur- poses.

The quarry of Mr. J. M. Inskeep is located about twelve miles below Ports- mouth, on the Ohio river, at a horizon about sixty feet above the Buena Vista stone proper. For the last three or four years this quarry has supplied material most extensively for the Columbus market, and a number of fine stone fronts have been constructed from it. The stone varies considerably in quality and needs to be carefully inspected.

The southwestern portion of Scioto county and the southeastern corner of Adams county, two adjoining districts, were once the most important localities in Ohio for the production of building-stone. In the earlier days of the State an engineer of reputation, employed upon the construction of canals, became conver- sant with the then known building-stones of the State, and recognizing the great valne and accessibility of the ledge, commonly known as the Buena Vista Free- stone Ledge, bought a large territory here, and began the development of the quarries in a large way. Other horizons of good rock were found at various levels, but this one bed, by its color and quality, supplied the Cincinnati market almost exclusively. Its reputation spread throughout the whole Ohio valley and beyond. Large quarries were opened on both sides of the river, government pat- ronage was secured, and the material for the construction of custom-honses and other public buildings was ordered from the Buena Vista quarries. So great was the demand for this stone that material of poor quality as well as good was hur- ried into the market. The green stone while full of quarry water was laid in massive walls, and the bad behavior of this material soon excluded the stone almost entirely from the market. It is, however, as good now as when it earned its high reputation, but needs careful and conscientious selection and suitable sea- soning.

THE FRENCH GRANT.

The " French Grant," a tract of 24,000 acres, is situated in the southeastern part of this county. " It was granted by Congress in March, 1795, to a number of French families who lost their lands at Gallipolis by invalid titles. It ex- tended from a point on the Ohio river one and a half miles above, but opposite the mouth of Little Sandy creek in Kentucky, and extending eight miles in a direct line down the river, and from the two extremities of that line, reaching

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back at right angles sufficiently far to include the quantity of land required, which somewhat exceeded four and a half miles." Twelve hundred acres additional were, in 1798, granted, adjoining it towards its lower end. Of this tract 4,000 acres directly opposite Little Sandy creek were granted to Mons. J. G. Gervais, who laid out a town upon it which he called Burrsburg, which never had but a few inhabitants. Thirty years since there were but eight or ten families residing on the French Grant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FRENCH SETTLERS.

Among the few Frenchmen that settled on the Grant were A. C. Vincent, Claudius Cadot, Petre Chabot, Francois Valodin, Jean Bertrand, Guillaume Duduit, Petre Ruishond, Mons. Ginat, Doctor Dufligny. The suffer- ings and hardships of these Frenchmen, so poorly adapted for pioneer life, were very great. (See Gallia County.) They were a worthy, simple-hearted people, and those who remained on the Grant eventually became thrifty and useful citizens.

It was in the spring of 1797 that the fam- ilies of Duduit, Bertram, Gervais, Lacroix and Duticl located on their lots in the Grant. They were followed by others, but, as pre- viously stated, only a comparatively small number removed from Gallipolis to Scioto county. In the very valuable series of bio- graphical sketches of Scioto county pioneers, by Mr. Samuel Keyes, are many interesting items illustrative of the characteristics and life of these Frenchmen. We give the fol- lowing :

Liberal Dealing Profitable .- M. Dutiel, in selling grain, used a half-bushel measure a little larger than the law required. Some of his neighbors called his attention to the fact that he was giving more grain than was neces- sary, when he replied, "Well, I know it; but I would rather give too much than too little." This becoming known, Dutiel always sold out his surplus grain before his neigh- bors could sell a bushel.

Easily Scared. - Mons. Duduit, unlike most of his fellow-countrymen, took naturally to the woods, and soon became an expert hunter and woodsman. Before his removal to the Grant, he had been employed by Col. Sproat to scour the woods between Marietta and the Scioto, in company with Major Robt. Safford. It was their duty to notify the set- tlements of the approach of hostile Indians. On one occasion Duduit was out hunting with several of his countrymen, when he fired at and killed a deer ; whereupon his compan- ions, supposing they had been fired upon by Indians, fled to the settlement, and reported that the Indians had killed Duduit and were coming to raid the village. Duduit hung up his deer and hastened back to the village, which he found in an uproar and the settlers panic-stricken ; but he soon quieted their fears, and induced some of them to assist him in bringing in the deer he had killed.

The Laziest Man in the World .- Petre Ruishond was called the "laziest man in the world." How he ever came to have energy enough to cross the ocean and work his way

out to Ohio was a mystery to all who knew him. He spent a large portion of his time gazing at the stars and predicting future events, particularly changes in the weather. On one occasion a general meeting of the neighborhood was called for a certain date, to put up a bridge. "Big Pete," as he was called, predicted rain on that date. Sure enough, it did rain. No almanac-maker could have found occupation on the French Grant after that.

Ruishond was large, awkward and raw- boned. He never married, although often in love. He would go to see the fair object of his affections, but was too bashful to speak his love. He would sit and look at her all day without courage to say a word. He cleared only enough of his 217 acres of land to raise a few vegetables, just sufficient to support life. For weeks he would live on beans, which he boiled in large quantities to save building a fire too often. Occasionally he would trap a few turkeys, and then revel for a brief time in a change of diet. Finally his cabin burned down. He was too lazy to rebuild, but made a contract with one of his neighbors to keep him for the balance of his life in exchange for his 217 acres of land. He died about 1823.

A French Pettifogger .- Mons. Ginat had a medium education, and was quite useful to the French in the Grant, through his tact as a pettifogger. His mind seems to have been well adapted to this business, for he is said to have had a particular liking for disputation. He would always waive previous impressions and take the opposition on any question, simply for the sake of showing his talent and confusing his opponent. The French often had misunderstandings with the Yankees, and, as most of them spoke poor English, it was difficult for them always to obtain jus- tice. M. Ginat had given much attention to law and spoke English fluently ; he was there- fore well prepared to advocate the causes of the French. He must have been expert in this craft, for men much dreaded him as an opponent.

A Peculiar Method of Cleaning Wheat .- "Petre Chabot had a peculiar method of separating wheat from the chaff not practised much, because few could do it. He had what was called a fan. It was made of light boards, with a hoop around three sides about six inches wide. The front was left open, with handles at the sides. He would put in about a peck of wheat and chaff altogether, and would then take it up by the handles in

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front of him, and throw it up in such a man- ner that the wheat would fall back in the fan and at the same time blow the chaff out. By throwing it up in this way a few minutes the chaff would all be blown out and the wheat remain in the fan. I have seen ne- groes in Old Virginia clean hominy in a tray in that way that had been pounded with a hominy block. On account of Mons. Chabot's ability to clean wheat, he was employed by all his neighbors for the purpose of threshing and cleaning wheat."

A Penurious Doctor .- Doctor Dufligny left the reputation of extreme penuriousness. While keeping bachelor's hall, two French- men, Vincent and Maguet, called on the doc- tor just before dinner-time. "Well, Doc- tor," they said, "we are very hungry and tired, and will have to trouble you for a little dinner." Doctor, looking up sadly, sighing and rubbing his eyes, said, "Friends, I am very sorry it is so, but I have been very poorly for some days ; have no appetite and have not cooked anything, nor have I pre- pared anything to cook." The two, making themselves very free, opened the cupboard and continued, "Well, Doctor, as you are sick, we can cook a little for ourselves." Doctor-" I don't like to put you to so much trouble ; besides I have nothing fit for you." The two exclaimed, "Oh ! no trouble ! why here are eggs, meat, flour, etc. Oh! we can get a good dinner of this." One made a fire, the other made up some bread, and broke in plenty of eggs. At this the doctor exclaimed, "Oh ! gentlemen, you can't eat that." The reply was, "Never mind, Doc- tor ; don't worry yourself." They prepared a good dinner, put it on the table, and were about to partake, when the doctor remarked, "Well, gentlemen, your victuals smell so well, my appetite seems to come to me. I think a little of your dinner cannot hurt me and may help me." Whereupon he drew up his chair, and eat a very hearty dinner with his importunate guests.

A Suicide .- M. Antoinme, a jeweler, who had brought his stock in trade to Gallipolis, finding there was no demand for his goods in the backwoods of Ohio, concluded to take them down the river to New Orleans. It was in the autumn of 1791 that he procured a large pirogue and had it manned by two hired men. Besides a vast amount of watches and jewelry, he took with him a supply of firearms for defensive purposes. The party fared well until within a short distance of the mouth of the Big Sandy, when a party of Indians appeared on the river bank.

Antoinme seized a musket and prepared to fire on the Indians, when his cowardly hire- lings became panic-stricken and threatened him with instant death if he dared fire at them and thus provoke their anger. An- toinme in despair over the prospect of losing all his possessions, placed the musket to his head and blew out his brains. At the report of the gun the Indians turned to flee, but the hired men called them back, saying the man had only shot himself. The Indians boarded

the pirogue, threw Antoinme's body over- board after rifling it, and took possession of such ammunition, provisions, arms. clothing and jewelry as suited their fancy. Much jewelry, tools, watches, etc., of which they could see no value, were thrown overboard and it is said that for many years afterwards watch crystals, etc., were found near this place. The Indians gave the cowardly hire- lings two blankets and a loaf of bread each and sent them to the fort at Cincinnati.

A Scholarly Pioneer .- Antoine Claude Vincent settled on the grant as a farmer. He had been educated in France for a Roman Catholic priest, but his liberal opinions pre- vented his ordination, and he became a silver- smith, and came to Gallipolis in the service of M. Antoinme, whose tragic death we have related.

Vincent settled in Gallipolis, afterward taught school in Marietta. It was while teaching school at the latter place and board- ing at a hotel, that Louis Philippe with two relatives, traveling incognito visited the same hotel. There were many French then in Marietta and being favorably disposed to the Royalists', Louis Philippe made himself known to them. The Duke of Orleans (Louis Philippe) and his relatives were on their way to New Orleans, and sought some one to accompany them. Louis himself was very dejected and gloomy and sat with his "chapeau" far over his eyes, his face down- cast and supported by his hands. He rarely spoke, but his relatives had the free use of their tongues. They were much pleased with Mons. Vincent and greatly desired him to share their fortune and accompany them to the city of New Orleans; and as the two relatives seemed about to fail in their object, the future sovereign of France broke his gloomy silence and with honest tears stream- ing from his eyes said, "Yes, come along with us, Vincent, come; we are now wretched outcasts, alone, friendless, homeless, money- less, wandering through this wilderness in- fested with wild beasts and worse savages, far from our dear native land. We need you now, and yet can repay you nothing, but the time will come when we can and will; law and order will soon be restored; we will wait. that occasion and then peaceably return and be restored.to our possessions and rights. Then we cau and will repay you; we will have offices to fill and titles to confer. They will be yours, only come with us now in our distress." Louis and his companions, how ever, could not prevail on M. Vincent to ao company them.

A Copperhead .- Some time after this Vin cent was living alone in a house in the wilder- ness. He had occasion to get up one night, when he felt something, which he thought . was a wire strike his foot repeatedly. He was soon convinced, however, that it was a snake and he started for the village to seek a physician. Before he could reach the village his feet were so swollen, that he was obliged to crawl the last quarter of a mile. The physician pronounced the bite that of a cop-

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perhead, and for three weeks Vincent lay at the point of death, during which time he suffered excruciating agony, in his paroxysms literally gnawing to pieces the blanket which was his eovering.

Lost in a Snow Storm .- On another oc- casion Vincent was overtaken in the night by a severe snow-stom, lost his way, was over- come by the cold and fell to the ground un- conscious. Recovering consciousness in a short time he discovered that the storm had passed over and near by stood a house. He endeavored to rise, but his feet were frozen and he found he could only move by dragging himself along, using his elbows. After much painful effort he reached the house, and his cries soon brought assistance. For six weeks it was a question if he would survive his ter-

rible experience, but, by the external use of lime water, his flesh was healed, although not without the loss of most of the first joints of his hands and feet.

Notwithstanding his sore experiences Mons. Vincent lived a long and useful life, during which he became wealthy, reared a large family and held the high respect of all who knew him. He was a man of liberal education, read Voltaire and Rousseau, and while in his Western home, was a student of history, philosophy, mathematics, ethics and music. He was a fine musician, being a great lover of the flute and violin, both of which he played well until he lost part of his fingers by freezing. He died August 22, 1846, in his 74th year.

HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE MISCELLANIES.

"The Pioneer Sketches," by Mr. JAMES KEYES, is a little work of peculiar value, because a labor solely of love and knowledge. It gives pictures of original characters, whom he knew, and things long since past of which he was for the time being a part. His father was of an old Massachusetts family, who married a lady of Virginia, in which State (Albemarle county) he was born in the first year of this century. In 1810, when he was a lad of nine years, the family came to Scioto county, and here he lived his life. He was educated at the Ohio Univer- sity, at one time taught school, made several trips on flatboats to New Orleans, and well knew Mike Fink, " the last of the boatmen," and his gang; was a great reader, very social, and knew more of the people of the county than any other man. He died June, 1883, at the advanced age of 81 years.

MAJOR ISAAC BONSER, in the spring of 1795, came on foot with his rifle and other equipment to the mouth of the Little Scioto, where he marked out land for settlement. He then started to return to Pennsylvania for the parties by whom he had been sent out when he fell in with a surveying party under Mr. Martin, who had just completed the survey of the French Grant. They were returning to Marietta in a canoe. Bonser found thom in rather a bad predicament. They had exhausted their stock of provisions, their powder had become damp and unservice- able, and they were in danger of suffering for want of something to eat. Mr. Bonser proposed to them that he was going up into Pennsylvania and had rather a heavy load to carry, if they would take his baggage in their canoe, he would travel on shore with nothing but his rifle to carry, would kill as much meat as they all could eat, and camp together every night. This proposition was received with much satisfaction. Bonser being relieved of his heavy load walked on the bank with great alacrity, and occasionally brought down a deer or a turkey, or perhaps a bear, buffalo or elk, which were plenty at that time ; they would take the game aboard the canoe and so traveling was made easy and expeditious for both parties. The first night after they had eaten their supper of fresh venison, Mr. Bonser asked them to let him see the condition of their powder. The powder was contained in a horn and too damp to ignite readily. He took a forked stick and stuck it into the ground a suitable distance from the fire, hung the powder horn up and took out the stopper so as to let the steam pass out, and let it remain in this position until morning. The heat from the fire dried out the powder so that it was fit for use if needed.

In this manner they meandered the river to Marietta, where they separated- Mr. Martin to report to Gen. Putnam, Surveyor General of the Northwest Terri- tory, and Mr. Bonser to cross the mountains of Pennsylvania and report to those who had sent him out.

Major Bonser returned to the mouth of the Scioto river the following year, and

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Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume II, Part 84

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