USA > Ohio > History of Ohio; the rise and progress of an American state, Volume Four > Part 6
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
The greatest factor in the development of the iron industry of Ohio, and one which had an incalculable effect upon the wealth and growth of the State, occurred in August, 1846. This was the introduction of raw
80
THE RISE AND PROGRESS
coal as a furnace fuel in lieu of charcoal. The iron industry of Ohio began with the construction of the first blast furnace in Mahoning county, a few miles southeast of Youngstown, in 1806. Iron was first made there in 1808. It was of course a charcoal fur- nace and was capable of producing but two tons per day. This was the beginning of the immense iron interests of Ohio. From 1808 up to 1840, there were nineteen charcoal blast furnaces built in Ohio. Most of them were in the northern part of the State. Brush Creek Furnace, constructed in Adams county, in 1816, was the second furnace in the State, and the first built in Southern Ohio, but the discovery of the rich mineral deposits of the Hanging Rock region, located in Vinton, Jackson, Gallia, Lawrence and Scioto counties, gave a stimulus to iron factories which established it as a secure and profitable industry. The first furnace constructed in this region was Union Furnace in Lawrence county, in 1826. The growth in this section of the State can be appreciated when we find that the counties of Hocking, Vinton and Mahon- ing, which had no furnaces in 1840, in 1850 had four- teen.
In Northern Ohio before many years it began to be apparent that the destruction of timber for the pur- pose of obtaining charcoal would practically render iron smelting a thing of the past. There was a conse- quent embarrassment in the business that became serious. Ohio iron masters looked with considerable anxiety to a series of experiments that were being car- ried on during the summer of 1845 at Clay Furnace in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. They were successful,
81
OF AN AMERICAN STATE
and to this furnace can be given the credit of being the first in the United States to use raw coal for fuel. The event was heralded with joy by the furnace men in Ohio; and in August, 1846, Mahoning Furnace, at Lowellville, in Mahoning county, was the first furnace in Ohio that carried to practical success the new system. It gave a fresh impetus to iron manufacture and allayed painful doubts concerning its reliability.
The progress of the manufacture of iron between 1840 and 1850 can in a large degree be ascribed to the improvement in its method of production. The amount and progress of this important industry, as shown by the censuses, is as follows:
Furnaces Tons of Employes Value Pig-Iron
In 1840
19 25,959 1,257 $ 648,975
In 1850. 35
52,658
2,415
1,255,850
The rapid increase of iron manufacturing in Ohio at this period was largely aided by the fact that a greater part of the iron region was also a coal area. While the coal was to be found in thirty-three counties, only sixteen counties, adjacent to the Ohio River or on railroads connecting with markets, mined coal as an article of commerce. In these counties the production and value were as follows:
Bushels
In 1840.
297,350
Value $ 89,205
In 1850
550,350
132,293
The third staple mineral product that added to the wealth of Ohio was salt. It was produced early as an important factor of commerce and domestic life in Muskingum, Columbiana, Jackson and Gallia coun-
82
THE RISE AND PROGRESS
ties, and afterwards the counties of Meigs and Athens became great producers. The chief supply of salt for the pioneers of 1800 in Southern Ohio was the "Scioto Salt Works," in what is now Jackson county. To this point hundreds of settlers regularly repaired to secure a supply of the necessary article. It sold at the "Works" for two and three dollars a bushel, and after a journey of a hundred miles the purchaser sold it to his neighbors for seven dollars a bushel. By 1840, owing to the failure of the supply in other coun- ties, Athens, Morgan and Meigs furnished the major portion of the salt made in Ohio. Pomeroy, in the last named county, was the location of a large production. The salt industry continued to grow until it rose from 297,350 bushels in 1840 to 550,350 bushels in 1850; and the value in that period increased from $89,205 to $132,293. As one of the essentials of domestic life it had an unfailing market, and by 1850 it was estab- lished as one of the most important industries of the State.
It was in this decade that the first through railroad from Lake Erie to Cincinnati was put in operation. The first railway incorporated in Ohio-the Mad River and Lake Erie-was constructed from Sandusky to Dayton by way of Springfield. Work was begun in 1835, and a portion of the road was in operation in 1839. The road was completed and operated in 1844. When the Little Miami Railway was built from Cincin- nati to Springfield in 1846, both of these lines formed the first through railway from the Ohio River to Lake Erie, two hundred and eleven miles. This was the era when railroad building commenced in Ohio. In 1841
83
OF AN AMERICAN STATE
there were but thirty-six miles of railroad in the State, and until 1847 there was no extension by additional mileage. From this year however, the increase was steady, so that in 1850 there were two hundred and ninety-nine miles of railway in Ohio.
When General Wayne made the Greenville Treaty, August 3, 1795, the United States, in order to acquire the Indian cessions to about three-fourths of this State and a portion of Indiana, agreed to pay at once to the various interested tribes twenty thousand dollars in goods and nine thousand, five hundred dollars annually for five years. Large reservation tracts were also laid off for the various tribes on the Sandusky and Auglaize rivers and at Wapakoneta. Gradually, the Indians exchanged these reservations for territory in the West. The last of the Indian tribes to relinquish title to Ohio soil and to depart from its territory was the Wyandot. This tribe, by virtue of a treaty concluded at the foot of the Maumee Rapids, September 29, 1817, had been granted a reservation at Upper Sandusky. This was ceded to the United States, March 17, 1842. Colonel John Johnston was the Commissioner on behalf of the Government. The consideration of this cession was a reservation west of the Mississippi River. Thus was extinguished the last Indian title to Ohio, and to the credit of the Government it must be recorded that not a single square foot of land in this State was acquired from the Indians that was not fairly purchased by treaty and paid for.
The removal of the Wyandots was a most pathetic and dramatic incident. For centuries their ancestors had occupied Ohio, and now they were to be sundered
84
THE RISE AND PROGRESS
from all the traditions of their race. In the trans- action the Government treated them not only justly, but liberally. By the treaty terms it was stipulated that the chiefs should remove the tribe at an expense to the United States of not more than $10,000, one-half payable when the migration commenced and one-half when the destination was reached. It was also pro- vided that for their land ceded, a tract of land west of the Mississippi was to be transferred to them, containing 148,000 acres; they were further allowed a permanent fund of five hundred dollars annually for educational purposes and an appropriation of twenty- three thousand dollars to pay the debts of the tribe. They were also paid in full the value of their improvement on the reservations ceded and were to be provided in their new home with two blacksmiths and a blacksmith's shop with the necessary steel, iron and tools, and also with an agent and an interpreter. This treaty was afterwards modified so that instead of the lands promised them, the Wyandots received by purchase from the Delawares 24,960 acres, and in place of the remainder of the 148,000 acres they were paid by the Government three hundred and eighty thousand dollars in three annual payments.
Colonel Johnston, who for many years had charge of the Indians in Ohio and who negotiated this treaty, has left us an interesting account of the transaction and the events leading up to it. "About 1800," says he, "this tribe contained two thousand, two hun- dred souls; and in March, 1842, when as Commis- sioner of the United States I concluded with them a treaty of cession and emigration, they had become
1
JOHN JOHNSTON
Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland, March 25, 1775; came with his parents to Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, 1786; served with General Anthony Wayne in his campaign against the northwestern Indians in Ohio, 1792-93; clerk in the war department and agent for Indian Affairs thirty-one years; Canal Commissioner of Ohio eleven years; Paymaster and Quartermaster through- out the War of 1812; Commissioner to treat with the Ohio Indians for their removal, 1841-42; president of the His- torical and Philosophical Society of Ohio; author of "Ac- count of the Indian Tribes of Ohio" and a foremost author- ity on the Indians; resided many years in Piqua; died in Washington, D. C., February 18, 1861, and buried with civil and military honors in Piqua.
C
John Johnston
THE RISE AND PROGRESS
from all the traditions of their race. In the trans- NOTanHOL WHOL
Relion the .G. doisM bastoil ,Isgonodt vtrind3 formasdevimkanPmonly justly, but Rysmod | bastiadmuOlot atnereq ein dtiwas a .csipulated
, oido mi ansibal motaowdtion ont tanises misqms and fff triDe ; expense to thof thegs bris themfisqob isw ont milblieb 66 cerione-half payalto Tonoiesimmod Isas 9 no-int arishA asibalone-half ofNO ont dtiw ts9ft of tonoizaimmo ; s181 to isW siff tualso pro- -21H odt to thebiagiq : SA-1481 Isvomor tions of ansibnInd west -Todtus teometot's bas "oidO fo 29dirT nsibal ont to Jisoo to them, conta Hibeib ; supit fi aissy vusm boblast ;ensibil adt to yti allowed a perdtiw beiwd basi. 1981 81 VisudeH .D .a phorguides Wally for .supil ni zionon vistilim. bas livio educational purposes and an appropriation of twenty- three thousand dollars to pay the debts of the tribe. They were also paid in full the value of their improvement on the reservations ceded and were to be provided in their new home with two blacksmiths and & buthowwith's shop with the necessary steel, iron And tools, 4wd ello with an agent and an interpreter. This treaty was afterwards modified so that instead of the lands promised them, the Wyandots received by puedale fme the Delawares 21,000 acres, and in place of the gruender of the 148,000 acres they were paid b; Lic ( onemnimmt three lumured and eighty thousand . dollar in ilne xenval payments.
Coumel Jeline, who for many years had charge of the Indate in Ohio and who negotiated this treaty, has left us an interesting account of the transaction and the events leading up to ht. "About 1800," says he, "this tribe contained two thousand, two hun- dred souls; and in March, 1842, when ax Commis- sioner of the United States I concluded with them a treaty of cession and emigration, they had become
C
Engraved E Chas. E. H.l. N.r.
John Johnston From as painting Charles Youk
85
OF AN AMERICAN STATE
reduced to less than eight hundred of all ages and both sexes. Before the Revolutionary War, a large portion of the Wyandots had embraced Christianity in the communion of the Roman Catholic Church. In the early part of my agency, Presbyterians had a mission among them at Lower Sandusky, under the care of the Rev. Joseph Badger. The War of 1812 broke up this benevolent enterprise. When peace was restored, the Methodists became the spiritual instructors of these Indians and continued in charge of them until their final removal westward of Missouri. The Mis- sion had once been in a very prosperous condition, but of late years had greatly declined, many of the Indians having gone back to habits of intemperance and heath- enism; a few continued steadfast to their Christian profession.
"Of this number was Grey Eyes, a regularly ordained minister of pure Wyandot blood, a holy, devoted and exemplary Christian. This man was resolutely op- posed to the emigration of his people, and was against me at every step of a long and protracted negotiation of twelve months' continuance. I finally overcame all objections; on the last vote more than two-thirds of the whole male population were found to be in favor of removal. The preacher had always asserted that under no circumstances would he ever go westward. His age was about forty-eight years; his character forbade any approaches for tampering with him; and although I felt very sensibly his influence, yet I never addressed myself to him personally on the subject of the treaty. But as soon as the whole Nation in open council had voted to leave their country and seek a
86
THE RISE AND PROGRESS
new home far in the West, I sent an invitation to the preacher to come and dine with me and spend an evening in consultation; he came accordingly." Grey Eyes finally accepted the inevitable and accompanied his people.
The preparations for departure commenced in the spring of 1843 and the actual removal began the fol- lowing July. Jacques, chief of the Wyandots, had made all the necessary arrangements. The final scenes at Upper Sandusky were full of affection and pathos. One of the Wyandot chieftains expressed in his own tongue in a pathetic poem the sentiment of his people. The translation of its last verse reads as follows :
"Adieu ye loved scenes, which bind me like chains; Where on my grey pony I pranced o'er the plains.
The deer and the turkey I tracked in the snow,
But now must I leave all. Alas, must I go?
Sandusky, Tymocthee, and all their broad streams-
I ne'er more shall see you, except in my dreams."
It is to the credit of these original occupants of Ohio that their farewell to their native land was attended by a solemn appreciation of the event. Frequent councils in the council-house and religious worship in the mission church were held for weeks before their departure. Their dead, that had been buried in other counties in Ohio, were all brought home and solemnly reinterred in the little mission cemetery. All un- marked graves were honored with stone or marble tablets.
Finally, in the last hour, as the strange cavalcade was about to turn toward the setting sun, Grey Eyes,
87
OF AN AMERICAN STATE
for his people, bade an affectionate farewell to the large concourse of whites present. A local historian, from those who were present, has summarized and pre- served his words. "He exhorted them to be good Christians, and to meet him in Heaven. In a most sublime and pathetic manner he discoursed upon all the familiar objects of a home-no longer theirs. He bade adieu to the Sandusky, on whose waters they had paddled their light bark canoes and in whose pools they had fished, laved and sported. He saluted in his farewell the forest and the plains of Sandusky, where he and his ancestors had hunted, roved and dwelt for many generations. He bade farewell to their habitations, where they had dwelt for many years and where they still wished to dwell. With mournful strains and plaintive voice he bade farewell to the graves of his ancestors, which now they were about to leave forever, probably to be encroached upon ere the lapse of many years by the avaricious tillage of some irreverent white man. Here, as a savage, untutored Indian, it is probable Grey Eyes would have stopped, but as a Christian he closed his valedictory by alluding to an object yet dearer to him; it was the church where they had worshiped, the temple of God, constructed by the good white men for their use, and within whose walls they had so often bowed down in reverence under the ministrations of Finley and his co-laborers."
When the last farewell was said the wagon train, the Indian chiefs on horseback and hundreds following on foot, began their long march. At the end of the first day they camped at Grass Point in Hardin county; the second night found them at Bellefontaine; the
88
THE RISE AND PROGRESS
third at Urbana; the fourth at Springfield, and on the seventh day they reached the wharf at Cincinnati. Here they took boats, and by way of the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers they reached their new home. The leading chiefs in the transplanting of the Wyandot Tribe were Jacques, Bearskin, Blue Jacket, Big Tree, Black Sheep, Big River, Bull Head, Big Town, Curly Head, Caryhoe, Chop-The-Logs, Lump-On-The-Head, Peacock, Porcupine, Providence, Split-The-Log, Stand- In-The-Water, White Wing, Mud Eater, Walpole, Squire Grey Eyes and William Walker.
While the tribe was moving toward Cincinnati the head-chief, Jacques, with some of the leading men of the Wyandots, called on Governor Shannon at Colum- bus. Farewell addresses were delivered, but that of the Wyandot Chieftain is worthy of reproduction. As printed in the Ohio State Journal (Columbus) at the time, it was as follows:
"We have several objects in view in visiting you, the Governor of the State. First, it was due him, as the Chief Magistrate of this great State; and secondly, it was due to the people of Ohio, to whom, through their Governor, we speak and bid them an affectionate farewell. We came here also, to ask for the extension of executive clemency to an unfortunate brother of our Nation, and we thank you for granting our prayer in his behalf.
"We part with the people of Ohio with feelings the more kind, because there has not been any hostility between your people and ours ever since the Treaty of General Wayne at Greenville. Almost fifty years of profound peace between us have passed away, and have
89
OF AN AMERICAN STATE
endeared your people to ours; whatever may be our future state beyond the Mississippi-whither we are bound,-we shall always entertain none but feelings the most kind and grateful toward the people of Ohio. Before Wayne's treaty, there had been one long war between our fathers and your ancestors. At that treaty our people promised peace and they have kept that promise faithfully; we will forever keep that promise as long as the sun shines and the rivers run.
"When we arrive at the place of our destination, surrounded, as we shall be, by red men, less acquainted with them than we are with white men, we shall always take pleasure in telling the Indians of that western region how kind, how peaceful, how true, faithful and honest your people have been to our people. If at any future day any of our people should visit this State, we hope that your people will see that they do not suffer for food or any of the necessaries of life; that when thirsty you will give him drink; when hungry you will give him food; when naked you will give him clothes; or sick, when you will heal him. And we on our part promise the same kindnesses to any of your people should they visit us in our far western future home. Our original intention was to pass through Columbus as a Nation on our departing journey from Ohio to the West; but for the purpose of shortening our route on so long a journey, the principal part of our people have passed through Urbana. But although, for the reason stated, our people have passed through Ohio by the shortest route, yet they could not forego
90
THE RISE AND PROGRESS
the pleasure of sending you their chiefs and addressing you, and through you the people of Ohio, in the lan- guage of truth, friendship and sincerity."
Thus passed away forever the last vestige of the red man in Ohio. It was no easy task to satisfactorily secure the acquiescence of these tribes in surrendering their birthright and in migrating to a distant country. One man alone is responsible for the accomplishment. This was the Indian Commissioner, Colonel John John- ston, a man who possessed all the dignity, justice and courage to manage the Ohio Indian, which he did suc- cessfully on behalf of the Government for over thirty years. To him the State of Ohio is indebted for the early settlement of its Indian difficulties so that it became a safe home of the pioneer. His long life was full of usefulness to his country and to his State. He served with General Wayne in his campaigns against the Indians in 1792, and was paymaster in the War of 1812. For eleven years he was a Canal Commissioner of the State of Ohio.
He was a keen observer and ready with the pen; he has left with us literary remains that reflect the conditions and traditions of the Indian races. He con- tributed much to the current literature of his day. His "Account of the Indian Tribes of Ohio" in the American Antiquarian Society's Collections, his contributions in the Archeologia Americana, and in Cist's Miscellany contain valuable information and experiences relating to the pioneer period. Colonel Johnston was president of the Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio. He was born in Ballyshannon, Ireland, in 1775, and died at Washington, D. C., February 18, 1861. For fifty
91
OF AN AMERICAN STATE
years he was identified with Ohio, and during that period lived at or near Piqua, in Miami county.
A serious political complication occurred in the House of Representatives during the session of 1848-49. It created intense excitement throughout the State, and is illustrative of the close party contests in days gone by. The Legislature at the preceding session had passed an apportionment law which gave Hamilton county five representatives and divided the county into election districts. Eight wards of Cincinnati constituted the first election district, and the remainder of the county the second district. At the election in October, 1848, George E. Pugh and four others ran for representatives regardless of the division into election districts and received the highest number of votes in the entire county. Oliver M. Spencer and George W. Runyan, Whigs, had the highest number of votes in the first district. The canvassing board, consisting of Justices of the Peace, certified to the election of Spencer and Runyan; the Clerk of the Court of Com- mon Pleas gave the certificate of election to Pugh and Pierce. Both parties claimed their seats. The Democrats adhered to the proposition that the Legis- lature could not constitutionally divide a county into districts for the election of members of the General Assembly.
At the opening of the session both parties were in the House at an early hour. The Democrats came earlier than the Whigs, and Benjamin F. Leiter took possession of the Speaker's chair. The Democrats arrayed themselves on the right side of the hall and the Whigs on the left. The latter were presided over by
92
THE RISE AND PROGRESS
Anselm T. Holcomb of Gallia county. Thus the contestants sat for weeks. The Democrats remained in session day and night in order to retain possession of the Speaker's chair. The only sound heard all that time of a legislative import was the wearisome and monotonous roll call of the counties from day to day, each side hoping to secure a quorum. The Democrats had sworn in forty members, including Pugh and Pierce of Hamilton county; the Whigs also swore in thirty- two members, including Spencer and Runyan. Neither party had a quorum, for under the Constitution of 1802 two-thirds of all the members constituted a quo- rum.
There were eight Free Soil members of the House, and they submitted a proposition, December 22d, look- ing to a settlement. It was agreed that the members whose titles were not in dispute should organize the House, and then the question of who were entitled to seats should be settled. This was done, and on Jan- uary 3, 1849, the House organized by electing John G. Breslin, Speaker; on the 26th Pugh and Pierce were declared duly elected members.
At the following session a similar contest occurred in the Senate, and the same question, growing out of the division of Hamilton county, arose. The discussion and blockade of legislation lasted for seven weeks after December 3, 1849; the contested seat was given to the Democrats. Both of these contests were the occa- sion of much political bitterness, and very great earnest- ness and determination was displayed by both sides. Fortunately, the principle of submission to the forms
93
OF AN AMERICAN STATE
of law, which is the basis of all our institutions, carried the controversy to a peaceful, if not satisfactory, conclusion.
In this decade occurred several political events that marked the beginning of a new school of politics in Ohio. The opposition to slavery was fast displaying itself in the public sentiment of the State. It had already been manifested on the question of the annexa- tion of Texas and on the Mexican War, but now events were about to occur which would show how strong was the anti-slavery sentiment in Ohio. Salmon P. Chase appeared in the political arena about this time, and drew curses from his pro-slavery enemies and admiration from his friends by his persistent anti-slavery agitation. The ostracizing legislation against the negro in Ohio prior to 1848 seemed to be a reflection of the Kentucky and Virginia slaveholders' ideas communicated in the early history of the State.
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.