USA > Ohio > Muskingum County > Zanesville > Past and present of the city of Zanesville and Muskingham County, Ohio > Part 35
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He was married to Ann Thompson and desired the wedding to be "jes' lik' w'ite fo'ks." and it was celebrated at McIntire's house. with Sam- uel Thompson, T. P., as the high priest ; when the legal formalities had been complied with, the 'squire demanded his fee and Mess insisted that "de cer'mony be don' jes' lik' w'ite fo'ks," and added that it was usual for the 'squire to kiss the bride, and that when this had been done the dollar would be paid, according to agree- ment : Mess retained his dollar, but received a certificate, reading :
"I do certify that Mess Johnson, a black man, and Ann Thompson, a black woman, was mar- ried before me the eighth of November, 1808.
"SAMUEL THOMPSON, J. P."
It was suspected that McIntire was particeps criminis with Mess in defrauding the official of his fee for the ceremony unless he accompanied the service with the customary osculatory rite. The wedding was celebrated by a feast, such as only "Auntie McIntire" could spread, and after the supper, Mess' fiddle was produced and danc- ing was continued until long after midnight.
In 1827-8 a great religious revival occurred and Mess was converted and joined the church ; he became so enthusiastic and considered him-
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self so sanctified he could fly, but lacked the members to perform the feat; to test his ability he cut the flaps from an old saddle and sewed straps upon them, through which to run the arms. Mounted upon a high stump, he leaped upward, flapped his wings and came to the ground with the suddenness and emphasis com- monly expressed by the word, "thud," and was picked up unconscious ; he never tried to fly again, but remained an ordinary mortal but con- sistent Christian until his death, during 1840.
ROBERT MITCHELL
was third physician to locate at Zanesville, and came from Pennsylvania in a one-horse sleigh, accompanied by his bride; he arrived January I, 1807, young, healthy, energetic and ambitious, but lacking in wealth, and rented an upstairs room at the lower end of Main street, from Dan- iel Convers. He had confidence in himself and soon after purchased a lot at southeast corner of Fifth street and Locust alley, upon the south- ern half of which he erected, in 1807, a two- story, hewed-log, weatherboarded house, which is still occupied as a residence.
When the British and Indians besieged Fort Meigs he went to its relief, as surgeon of a reg- iment of volunteers, and upon their arrival at Mount Vernon were met by General Harrison, who commended them for their patriotism and bravery, but informed them it was useless to proceed further, as the government had no arms for them, and they could not successfully over- come the enemy with fists ; inspection of the reg- iment developed only fifty muskets. Dr. Mitch- ell's personal experience at Mount Vernon did not increase his military renown, and served to embarrass him among his friends; while feed- ing his horse some corn, a vagrant hog saun- tered along and manifested a desire to partici- pate in the meal ; the doctor drew his sword and struck the animal with the flat side and broke the weapon, much to his mortification.
He was an active democratic politician and intense partisan ; loved public office and its dis- tinction ; was member of the town council, county collector, clerk to the commissioners, Represen- tative in the General Assembly, associate judge and Representative in Congress, and in 1820 was commissioned brigadier general of the militia.
He was an upright, valuable citizen, success- ful in his profession, and notwithstanding his in- tense party spirit, was trusted and respected. He died November 13, 1848, in his seventieth year.
BLACK NANCE
is frequently mentioned by the early settlers of Zanesville, and appears to have been one of those
unfortunate creatures found in all communities, but who become notorious in small ones.
Captain James Taylor purchased a farm on the west side of the river, from a land agent at Philadelphia, and, in 1804, came to Zanesville to occupy his property ; while boarding with McIn- tire he met a young lady visitor, from Wheeling, to whom he became engaged, and they were married at her home in Wheeling in 1806. Some friends presented her with a black servant girl, called "Nancy Murphy," and who came to be called "Nancy Taylor" when she entered the Taylor family.
She was of a low grade of intellect, fond of liquor, and when under its influence all the dia- bolical instincts of a fiend were aroused; she was strong and healthy, a splendid worker, and for many years lived on the Taylor farm, but seemed to be instigated to deeds of cruelty and viciousness. Upon one occasion, becoming in- censed at Mrs. Taylor, and during the Captain's absence, she tied a trace chain to each ankle, placed a string of bells around her neck, and with a tin horn in her mouth, started down the stairs rattling the chains, shaking the bells and blowing the horn ; the unearthly noise alarmed Mrs. Taylor, living as she was at a remote dis- tance from the settlement, and upon his re- turn the Captain thrashed her severely with a wagon whip. At another time, when angry at Mrs. Taylor, she gathered a lot of chickens around her by scattering food and then mowed their legs off with a scythe, while they were feed- ing, and for this she was again severely flogged. As was usual in those days, the Captain had a smoke-house filled with meats curing, and Nance set it afire and it was entirely destroved, which so enraged him that he swore he would kill her. and shot and wounded her in the ankle: the night was cold and she lay until morning in a hay stack, and her feet were so badly frozen some toes were amputated. Driven from the farm she crossed to the town and did chores for food, lodging and whiskey, and made sport for the boys who teased her to hear her rage and profanity.
JEFFREY PRICE.
Born in Ireland, Mr. Price engaged in mer- chandising at Philadelphia, where his wife died ; he then sold his business, and with an infant daughter, came to Zanesville in the fall of 1802. and opened the third store in the settlement, at the southeast corner of First street and Fout- tain alley, and boarded with Jolm Melutire. In 1805 he built a row of frames in Main street. between Court alley and Fifth street, one of which he occupied as a store in partnership with William Smith in the sale of dry goods, hard-
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ware, paints, and liquors. He became postmaster and for many years was one of the leading and most enterprising business men of the town. When the information was received that peace had been concluded with Great Britain, Mr. Price rushed out of his store without coat or hat, and, swinging the letter above his head, cried to the people in the street : "Pace! pace! pace! in the name of God, gintlemin, there's pace!" The news was rapidly disseminated and all labor sus- pended and the day devoted to rejoicing.
He married Miss Mary Van Horne, April 28, 1813, and about 1816 sold his mercantile inter- ests and engaged in farming, having purchased what is now known as Blandy's hill, upon which he erected the residence later occupied as the George A. Jones home, and where he built a mausoleum. In the fall of 1823 a scourge of typhoid fever swept the town, as many as four, and sometimes eight, funerals occurring in one day, and nearly every family in the town fur- nished a victim to the disease; September 2, his wife died, and on the IIth he succumbed to the disease, being then in his fifty-fifth year ; he was buried in the mausoleum, but later a lot was secured at Woodlawn and the remains interred there and the vault torn down.
RUFUS PUTNAM
is one of the most illustrious names in the his- tory of Ohio, and although he was not a perma- nent resident of Muskingum county, his large interests in Putnam, which was named in his honor, his solicitude for the well-being of the people of that village and frequent appearance among them, made him a pioneer of the county and city.
He was a cousin to Israel Putnam and was born at Sutton, Massachusetts, April 9, 1838. O. S .; at fifteen he was apprenticed to a mill- wright and at nineteen enlisted as a private sol- dier in the French and Indian war, served three years, participated in several actions, and was mustered out as ensign, a promotion earned by distinguished service. He resumed his trade and studied mathematics, and when the Revolu- tion occurred, was among the first to enter the army. First he was colonel of a regiment of Massachusetts line, but Congress appointed him military engineer, and the success of the first great military operation of the war was due to his engineering skill, which made the evacuation of Boston a necessity to the British; he also fortified West Point, served through the war with honor, and January 8, 1873, was commis- sioned brigadier general ; at Washington's re- quest he designed the peace establishment of the army and a plan for a chain of military forts on the frontier.
After peace he returned to Rutland, Massa- chusetts, and engaged in farming, and in 1875 was appointed a surveyor of western lands from Massachusetts, but home engagements prevented him from going in person and he sent Benjamin Tupper, whose report to Putnam caused him to call the meeting at the Bunch of Grapes tavern, at Boston, March 1, 1786, which developed into the Ohio Company. The highest order of dip- lomacy was exercised in securing the adoption of the ordinance of 1787, and the terms of the ordinance, as adopted, are substantially the pro- visions he and Cutler agreed upon June 25, 1787, at Boston.
When the Ohio Company was formed he was appointed superintendent of all the business of the organization, and he commanded the first body of settlers who landed at Marietta, April 7. 1788 ; in 1789 he was appointed a judge of the supreme court of the territory, and May 5, 1792, was commissioned brigadier general in the United States army to serve against the Indians, but resigned in the following year on account of failing health. In 1796 he was appointed sur- veyor general of the United States, and held the office until removed by Jefferson, in 1803.
He was a member of the convention that framed the first constitution of the State of Ohio, as a delegate from Washington county, and served as commissioner to treat with the Indians on the Wabash. He died at Marietta, May I, 1824, aged eighty-six years, and has been de- scribed as a man after Washington's pattern and after Washington's own heart; his strong com- mon sense, sterling integrity and high concep- tion of honor were reinforced by a modest de- meanor and benevolent disposition ; he was not accounted brilliant, but solid, penetrating and comprehensive in his mental operations, and his tall commanding figure secured the respect and attention which his qualities deserved.
REV. FRANKLIN RICHARDS, D. D.
was born at New Middletown, Ohio, April 21, 1840, the son of one of the defenders of Balti- more, at seventeen years of age, and who died of Asiatic cholera, when Franklin was nine years of age ; he went to Pittsburg to learn the trade of printer at seventeen, and a year later was able to enter an academy to obtain the education he so much desired ; he was a student at Gettys- burg college when the war broke out, and when Pennsylvania was invaded, in 1863, volunteered, with other students, was mustered into service, and was with the regiment which first encoun- tered the advancing and victorious Confederates, under Early. After the retirement of the enemy he resumed his studies, and in 1864 entered the service of the United States Christian Commis-
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sion and was sent to Nashville, Tennessee, where the first diet kitchens were opened, and remained at the front from March to May, when he re- turned to college to pass the final examination, and was again sent to the front at Petersburg.
He received the degree of A. B., and in 1867 that of A. M., and in the latter year graduated from the theological seminary of the Evangeli- cal Lutheran church, and in June was ordained at Lebanon, Pennsylvania. In the meantime, he had been placed in charge of the English paper, conducted by the general council, which posi- tion he resigned to devote himself to the min- istry, and was called to the first English Luth- eran church, in Chicago, which had no congre- gation or church, but by 1871 a building was erected and destroyed in the great fire in October of that year ; he and his parishioners lost all per- sonal property, but by appeals to the church at large, contributions aggregating $10,000.00 were made and a frame building was bought and moved to a lot which had been purchased. He resigned September 1, 1873, and became editor of the Lutheran and Messenger, at Philadelphia, and in November, 1876, became pastor of St. John's church at Zanesville, where he became active in all matters tending to the public good and his death, September 11, 1904, was sincerely mourned by all, as he was universally esteemed as a man who was conscientiously good.
A. C. ROSS.
A list of the distinguished dead of Muskin- gum county would be incomplete without the name of Alexander Coffman Ross, a man of the most versatile attainments and as popular as he was gifted. Born at Zanesville, May 31, 1812, he lived and worked in his native city with the affection of every acquaintance and died honored and regretted. With natural scientific and me- chanical tastes, his greatest pleasure was in studying scientific books and testing their state- ments by experiments, and at seventeen years vas apprenticed to a watchmaker, and after two years' labor went to New York to acquire the best tuition in his chosen handicraft ; his oppor- tunities for study were thus largely increased and embraced, and when his course was com- pleted he returned to Zanesville and began his business career with Mr. Charles Hill, and was soon recognized as a master in his trade, as was also his carly tutor and business associate.
When a mere boy he was a party to the dis- tinction of producing the first percussion caps manufactured in the United States. About 1826 a gentleman came direct from England to the Muskingum valley and engaged in farming, and brought with him some percussion caps, and the recipe for the explosive composition with which they were charged. He gave some caps
and the recipe to Captain Elijah Ross, father of "Coff," and the latter and Theodore began the manufacture; the copper was secured in thin sheets from Captain Dulty, but being too thick, and having no rolls, was hammered to the de- sired thinness ; the dies, punches and other tools were made by themselves, but they were obliged to send to Europe for one of the chemicals. The caps made by the Ross boys exploded with the noise of a pistol and constituted their only ob- jectionable feature, and were sold at one cent each, but were forced from the market by the importation of foreign makes.
When Daguerre's process of fixing the image of an object upon a metal plate was published, Ross read the description with interest, and in November, 1839, constructed a rude camera by framing one cigar box to fit neatly into another, and with a paper tube and the object lens from a spy-glass, his camera was complete. His skill as a silversmith served him well in the prepara- tion of his plate and ground glass, and his know- ledge of chemistry enabled him to supply sub- stitutes for the designated solutions the local "apothecary shops" could not furnish. His place of business was upon the site of the Union Na- tional bank, and his first picture was of the Ath- eneum building, which stood at the east wing of the court house, and was immediately opposite his store ; the exposure lasted twenty minutes, in a bright sunlight, and he succeeded in produc- ing the first daguerreotype made west of the city of New York, although no evidence has ever been produced that one was made in the United States prior to November, 1839; his subsequent experiments solved many of the difficulties he and other amateur, as well as professional, oper- ators experienced in the new art.
When the Morse system of telegraphy was announced, Ross made experimental tests and rude instruments, and became so familiar and expert with the process that when a telegraph line was built to Zanesville he became the first operator, without having before seen a line in operation. In later years, when the telephone and phonograph were invented, he had practi- cal devices of both in operation before either were introduced to the city.
He was extremely fond of music and pictorial art and was an accomplished musician and painter. His musical ear was so active and ac- curate that the young men of the city depended upon his visits to the circus to acquire the melo- dies of the latest songs sung by the clown, who, in those days, introduced the popular airs as they are now done by traveling thespians, and "Coff's" ear never failed to accurately retain the air and his voice to reproduce it.
Mr. Ross' scientific bent attracted him to il- lumination by gas, and he was one of the first
I3
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board of directors of the Zanesville Gas Light Company, and from January 31, 1860, until his death its president.
His greatest fame rests upon the composition of the famous campaign song of "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too," which set the country ablaze with political enthusiasm during the exciting campaign of 1840. After the great whig con- vention at Columbus, in February, a "Tippeca- noe club" was formed at Zanesville, and a Glee club furnished music at the opening and closing of its meetings. Several songs had been com- posed, but each lacked that sentiment which was in recent years alliterally designated as vim, vigor and victory : "Tom" Launder suggested to Ross that the tune of "Little Pigs" supplied a lively air, and the following Sunday the desired political song was the dominant thought in Ross' mind as he sat in his place as a member of a church choir, and before the service was con- cluded he had the song blocked out. Soon after a meeting of huge dimensions was held in the Senate chamber, and Ross furnished the Glee club with copies of the chorus, and when the first speech was concluded he introduced "Tip- pecanoe and Tyler, Too," which was greeted with yells, cheers and all the noise of a political meet- ing; it was carried to the streets, whistled in shops and stores, and sung in homes, and became immensely popular-with the whigs. In Sep- tember, Mr. Ross went to New York for goods and as several noted speakers were to address a meeting, while awaiting the speakers, campaign songs were sung, but the repertoire was limited and soon exhausted, and an invitation was ex- tended to anyone who could sing to come for- ward. Ross announced he could sing a song if he could get to the platform, and was lifted over the heads of the crowd to that elevation. Cries came from various parts of the house, "Who are you? What's your name? Where did you come from?" to which Ross, with the smile so characteristic of the man, replied, "I'm a 'Buck- eye,' from the 'Buckeye' state," and the chair- man called for three cheers for the "Buckeye" state, the home of their nominee. Ross requested the audience to be quiet until he had sung a few verses. but when the crowd had learned the chorus, his injunctions were disregarded, and the song passed beyond his control. Although the words were doggerel and poetry lacking in rhythm, the song was catchy and did much to secure the electoral vote for Tippecanoe and Tyler, too.
Mr. Ross died February 26, 1883, after a brief illness, and although the honors of a semi-public funeral were desired by the friends and associates of the numerous societies and organizations with which he had been affiliated, his preference for a quiet and unpretentious funeral was observed and the honored remains were laid
"With patriarchs of the infant world-with kings, The powerful of the earth-the wise, the good, Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past."
WYLLYS SILLIMAN
was born at Stratford, Connecticut, October 7, 1777, and before coming to Zanesville edited a Federalist newspaper in Western Virginia. He arrived at Marietta in 1800, and married a sister of Lewis Cass, January 14, 1802. Upon the organization of the Ohio judiciary system, in 1803, he was appointed one of the presiding common pleas judges and opened the first court as such in Muskingum county, in 1804, but re- signed the same year to become register of the land office, in Zanesville.
He was the first lawyer to locate in Zanesville, having his office in a log cabin at the lower end of Main street, and residence at southwest corner of Main and First streets. In 1807 he traded a tract of land on the Marietta road for the property north of St. Nicholas church, on Green- wood avenue, so long known as the Dr. Brown property, and now occupied by the Meyer flats, into which he moved his residence and office. In 18II he resigned as register, and later repre- sented Muskingum county in both houses of the General Assembly; was solicitor of the United States treasury, by appointment of President Jackson, and was one of the projectors and pro- prietors of Zanesville's first waterworks. In 1836 he moved to Cleveland, and later to Wooster and Cincinnati, but returned to Zanesville and died at the residence of his son-in-law, Charles C. Gilbert, November 13, 1842.
He was plain, unassuming, obliging, kind- hearted, jovial and honorable, indifferent about his personal appearance, and reputed as the most eloquent orator of the local bar in his generation.
ISAAC SPANGLER
was son of Christian Spangler, and came to Zanesville in 1803, when three years of age; he studied medicine with Dr. Robert Mitchell and became a leading physician of the town. He pos- sessed more than ordinary ability, exercised a judgment in diagnosis that approached intuition in accuracy, was eminently successful, and would have achieved renown beyond the borders of the state had he cared more for self than professional duty. Kind and sympathetic by nature, he ex- ercised those virtues especially among the poor and unfortunate, attended them gratuitously with the same care and consideration as was given the wealthy, and when he thought a delicacy was needed or would be enjoyed, supplied it himself. He was often seen carrying food to indigent patients, and when "Black Nance" was on her death bed he purchased a chicken and had it
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cooked and sent to the miserable outcast. He was fond of congenial company ; too generous to accumulate wealth, and neglected personal mat- ters ; he was very much endeared to the poor and his accidental death, on a New Year's morn- ing, was the occasion of widespread sorrow, es- pecially among his beneficiaries, and the popula- tion attended his obsequies en masse to honor the memory of one "who went about doing good."
In the morning of his death he had made a professional call and was within a few yards of his residence on South Sixth street ; some boys had loaded an old gun-barrel with powder and slugs, placed it on a fire plug, applied fire to the train of powder and ran, without observing whether any person was approaching ; the Doctor was in direct range and one ball pierced his heart and he fell upon the sidewalk, lifeless. The boys excused their act by alleging they did not think the slugs would carry so far.
ISAAC VAN HORNE
was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, Janu- uary 13, 1754, and was descended from an an- cient Holland family, which emigrated to Amer- ica when the Dutch possessed New York, some members of which later emigrated to Bucks county, Pennsylvania. In 1776 he joined the Revolutionary army and was taken prisoner at the capitulation of Fort Washington, November 16, 1776; was exchanged in May, 1777, and shortly after rejoined the army and was present at the siege of Yorktown, which resulted in the surrender of Cornwallis. After the war he re- sumed a farming life, served in minor local of- fices, represented his county in the Legislature, and his district in Congress, and in 1805 came to Zanesville as receiver of public monies at the land office, to which he had been appointed by President Jefferson.
In June, 1805, he purchased four lots at the northwest corner of Main and Second streets, and erected a two-story, hewed-log. wcather- boarded dwelling on Pine street, in Natchez ; the building was painted white and its elevation made it conspicuous from the Zanesville side, and it came to be locally known as the "White House." He also planted a large orchard of fruit trees and had the most extensive orchard in the sec- tion. In 1806 he erected a two-story, frame hotel at the northcast corner of Main and Fifth streets, which was removed in 1826 and replaced by a brick building, so long occupied as the Zane House, and also built a hotel at Fourth and Main.
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