USA > Ohio > The Biographical encyclopedia of Ohio of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1 > Part 70
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ISE, REV. ISAAC M., Jewish Rabbi, and Editor of the American Israelite and Die Deborah, was born, April 3d, 1819, in Bohemia. Ile was edu- cated primarily in Prague, and finally in Vienna, graduating from the university in the latter city in . 1843. Ile was immediately thereafter appointed Rabbi of a congregation at Radnitz in Bohemia, and con- tinued there until 1846, when he resigned his pastoral charge and sailed for the United States. On his arrival in New York, he accepted a call to minister to a Ilebrew congrega- tion in Albany, where he sojourned until 1854, when he removed to Cincinnati to become Rabbi of the Temple Con- gregation in that city. In 1855 he established the Ameri- can Israelite, and in the following year Die Deborah ; both of these publications have been issued uninterruptedly since, and he still continnes his position as chief editor of both. In addition to his pastoral and editorial labors, he has written many well-known and important works, including the " History of Israel," 1854; " Prayer Books of American Israelites," 1857; " Ilymns, Psalms and Prayers," 1868; " Origin of Christianity," 1868; " Judaism, its Doctrines and Duties," 1872 ; " The Martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth," 1874; and " The Cosmic God," 1875; the latter a funda- mental, philosophic work. He has never aspired to any political or partisan office, and declined the nomination on the Democratic ticket, in 1863, to the State Senate. Ile was elected a School Trustee, and served in that capacity for six years, and was a Trustee of Farmers' College for three years. Ile has labored long and persistently for the reform move- ment among the American Hebrews, and was President of the first Jewish conference which ever assembled in the United States ; this body met at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1875. In 1873 he was elected Rabbi of a large and influential con- gregation in New York city, with a salary of $Sooo per year, many honorary degrees by various institutions, but has never accepted the same. In July, 1875, he was elected a member of the Board of School Examiners for the city of Cincinnati ; and on August 29th of the same year was chosen President of the IIebrew Union College of that city, in which institu- tion he fills the chair of Professor of History and Philoso- phy. Ile was married, May 26th, 1844, to Therese Block, of Grafenreid, Bohemia, who died in 1874. As a public orator, among the American Hebrews especially, he was very successful, so that he was called, to deliver the public orations on laying corner stones, and dedicating synagogues
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including New York city, the New England States, as well | quently consulted in behalf of the city, and his opinions as the West and South. He is considered one of the most scientific Talmudists, and a most liberal expounder thereof.
ACKUS, IION. FRANKLIN T., Lawyer and Statesman, was born, May 6th, 1813, in Lee, Berkshire county, Massachusetts. When he was very young, his father, Thomas Backus, removed to Lansing, New York, and there died, leaving a widow and large family with but limited means of support. From this cause he was obliged to spend his early days upon a farm, and to the hardy exercise then taken was due the strong constitution which enabled him to endure the severe mental toil of an extensive legal practice. By hard study he prepared himself for college in an unusu- ally short time, and on examination was admitted to the junior class of Yale College in 1834, and graduated with high honors in 1836, holding the position of one of the best mathematicians of his class. As soon as he had graduated, he was tendered the position of assistant professor. Imme- diately on leaving college he removed to Cleveland, Ohio, commencing life there by opening a classical school, in which he was very successful. He then read law with Messrs. Bolton & Kelly. He was admitted to practise at the Cuyahoga bar in August, 1839, at the term of the Su- preme Court then in session, and at once took a high posi- tion in the profession. In 1841 he was nominated by the Whig party to the office of Prosecuting Attorney of the county. Ile was elected and re-elected for the second term of two years. In 1846 he was elected to the lower House of the General Assembly, and served one term and refusing a second. In 1848 he was elected to the State Senate, and became one of the most prominent members of that body. Subsequently he was nominated by the Whig party for Supreme Judge of Ohio, and later by the Republican party. The ticket on which he run was defeated both times, but he stood very high on it. In 1800 01 Governor Dennison appointed him one of the peace commissioners to compro- mise the differences between the North and the South. In this good cause he labored earnestly yet without success. After the war had really begun he gave every assistance in his power to the Umted States. In 1840 he associated himself in the practice of law with J. P. Bishop, the pait- nership continuing for fifteen years, when Mr. Bishop became one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas. He then entered into partnership with Judge R. P. Ranney, and later with Mr. E. J. Estep. After his retirement from the State Senate, he devoted himself almost exclusively to his profession. At an early period in the history of Cleveland railroads, he became interested in them, and was retained as attorney and counsel for the principal companies, holding that position until his death. His knowledge of the law relating to corporations was unsurpassed. He was fre-
were always final authority: No client ever lost by his inattention to the merits of the cause, or by his inability to present all its good points to a jury, or his neglect to hunt ont for the judge all the authorities that sustained the case. Ilis integrity no man questioned. Ile discouraged litiga- tion when a fair settlement could be made, but no man prosecuted more vigorously what he considered right. In the spring of 1870 he broke down suddenly from overwork, and died May 14th, 1870. In January, 1842, he was mar- ried to Lucy Mygatt, daughter of George Mygatt, then of Painesville, Ohio, and subsequently of Cleveland.
EEKISON, DAVID STEWART, Lawyer and Prosecuting Attorney for Henry county, Ohio, was born in Dundee, Scotland, November 14th, 1849. In May, 1855. he left his native country and settled in Napoleon, Ohio, where he has since resided, and where, also, he received his element- ary education in the public schools. After completing a course of legal studies, under the supervision of J. II. Tyler, then a resident practitioner of Napoleon, Ohio, he was ad- mitted to the bar in July, 1872. Ile commenced the active practice of his profession in the same year and place, and rapidly secured favorable notice as a rising and able prac- titioner. In October, 1874, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney for Henry county, Ohio, which position he still occupies. He has also held several local official positions of trust and honor, and in all of these deported himself with fidelity and ability. In 1867 he became attached to the 4th United States Artillery, and was engaged in this branch of the service for about three years. While no politician in the narrower sense, he takes an active interest in public affairs, finding in the creed of the Democratic party the expression of his views and sentiments.
NUR, JOHN CHARLES, Druggist and Book- seller, was born in Manchester, Summit county. Ohio, April 5th, 1841, and is the son of American parents of German extraction. In 1850 he moved with his parents to Seneca county, Ohio, and settled at a point located about six miles north from Fostoria, Ohio. In the years 1857-58 he attended Heidelberg College of Tiffin, Ohio. From 1858 until 1862 he was engaged in teaching school, but not finding that mode of life congenial to his tastes, he ultimately entered the drug store of Dubois & Co., of Tiffin, Ohio, in the capacity of clerk. In the spring of 1865 he removed to Napoleon, Ohio, and purchasing a small stock of drugs, entered into active life on his own account and resources in the ding and book business. During his residence in Napoleon, by strict attention to his business, and to a great
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extent by his sterling personal characteristics, he has suc- ceeded in obtaining the confidence of the general commu- uity ; has secured extensive and profitable trade relations. The Democratic party commands his sympathy and support, but he has never taken any active part in the partisan con- tests of the day, beyond that demanded of him as a loyal citizen. He was married, August 22d, 1864, to Prudence Ann Belden, who was at that time attending school in Oberlin, Ohio.
ILL, GENERAL JOSHUA W., was born at Chillicothe, Ohio, December 6th, 1831. Ilis father, a lawyer of distinction, was one of the earliest settlers of that place, and still resided there some years after the war. His mother died while he was very young, and he was reared and educated at home under the eye of his father. He had a taste for literature and science, which was fostered and developed. In 1850 he was appointed a cadet to West Point, graduating third in his class, in 1853, and being at once appointed Second Lieutenant of Ordnance at Water- vliet Arsenal. Ordered back to the Academy as Instructor, he remained there until next year, when he was sent to Oregon to superintend the construction of magazines and fortifications. During the Indian war in Oregon, he was Chief of Ordnance to General Harney, and performed his daties with energy and efficiency. But not liking the posi- tion, having had a misunderstanding with the commanding general, he applied for and obtained an exchange; and in the fall of 1859 he was again at Watervliet. Ordered from there to Fort Leavenworth, he remained at that point until the spring of 1860, when he resigned his commission to ac- cept the Professorship of Mathematics and Engineering in the Polytechnic College, at Brooklyn, New York. Here, in a position be filled with ability, the opening of the war found him. He was offered and urged to accept the Col- oneley of several New York regiments, but he chose to re- turn to his native State, where he entered the Adjutant- General's office, and assisted in organizing and equipping Ohio regiments until the summer of 1861, when he took command of the 33d Ohio Infantry, and accompanied MeClellan to the Kanawha Valley, in West Virginia. From this time until his death in the field, he was con- stantly in active service; under Nelson and Thomas in eastern Kentucky; Mitchel in Alabama; and Buell and Rosecrans in Tennessee and Kentucky. In every sphere of military duty he proved himself a skilful soldier and honorable gentleman. Although but a Colonel in rank at the outset, he commanded a brigade from the first, and it was not until the winter of 1861 that he was made a Briga- dier-General. This was for " gallant and meritorious con- duct in the field." On the organization of Buell's army at Bardstown, he was placed in command of a division in MeCook's corps, which he held until death relieved him.|
| Ile was killed at Murfreesboro', December 31st, 1862, while leading a brilliant charge against the enemy, under an order of General Sheridan. In appearance the General was of light build, with a mild and pleasing address. He was a man of scholarship and refinement, and of simplicity and kindness in manner. His life was pure and spotless, and he was loved by all who knew him, and especially was he idolized by his soldiers. The State of Ohio has been honored by men more known to fame, but she never sent forth a braver man to battle for his country. He was among the youngest generals in the service, and was cut off in the midst of his usefulness to the cause.
ONG, DAVID, Physician, was born at Ilebron, New York, on the 29th of September, 1787. He sprang from New England ancestry, both his father and his mother being natives of Massachu-
setts . Ile received his general education in Massachusetts, and when the time came to decide upon a profession, he chose that of his father, Dr. David Long, Sr. Having made his decision he commenced the study of medicine with his father, and having accomplished the preparatory course of reading, he went to New York to continue and perfect his studies. There he graduated and received his diploma, when he was twenty-two years of age. Immediately after his graduation, in 1809, he re- moved to the wilderness of Ohio, and established himself in what is now Cleveland. At that time the settlement con- sisted of only half a dozen honses, and these were nearly all shanties. Here he commenced practice as a physician and surgeon, and here he achieved a professional success rarely surpassed. Hle was composed of the material that genuine pioneers are made of. Ile had strong will, tireless energy, and indomitable perseverance, and it was fortunate that he was so endowed, for his practice was attended with very great fatigue and a degree of danger which the people of to-day cannot realize at all. ITis "ride " extended all over northern Ohio, and that region was then an almost unbroken wilderness, a ride through which was anything but a pleasure trip. His success was great from the first ; and as the population grew more and more dense, the demands on his time and his professional skill became con- tinuous ; and not only was his professional popularity very great, but the personal consideration in which he was held was exceedingly high. As the physician he won the con- fidence of the entire community, and as the man he received the respect and love of all with whom he came in contact. Politically he belonged to the Whig party, and acted with that organization on all the issues of the day in which he lived. But he was not a politician, and his political action consisted in the performance of the citizen's duty of voting. Ile never held political office, and never ocenpied publie position of any kind. Ile had devoted himself to his pro-
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fession, and his profession sufficed to occupy his time, his |tion, at the age of nineteen, he was retained as Assistant thoughts, and his energies. At an early day he invested largely in real estate, and now his three children are enjoy- ing the benefits of these wise and thoughtful investments. He died on the ist of September, 1851, at the age of sixty. four years, having lived to see the little settlement, in which he cast his lot, grow to be one of the largest cities in the State, and leaving behind him a whole community of mourners.
6 ITCHIEL, GENERAL ORMSBY MCKNIGHT, was born near Morganfield, Union county, Ken- tucky, August 28th, 1810. Ilis parents came from Virginia, where they had owned considerable property. The father was a man of intellect, with a strong liking for mathematics, and an inclina- tion for the astronomical studies that were to make his son so famous. The mother was a cultivated, refined, and pious woman. Three years after the birth of Ormsby, the father died, and other deaths bereaved the household in rapid succession. The mother decided to leave a neighbor- hood that proved so unhealthy, and the family made their way to the Ohio river, crossing to the point where Cincin- mati now stands, thence to Miami, in Clermont county, and from there to Lebanon, in Warren county. Ormsby, too young to help in the support of the family, was allowed to devote himself to books, and proved, with his imperfect facilities, a very apt student. At nine years he was reading Virgil. At twelve he was progressing in Greek. Then he was placed in a country store, where he worked hard day and evening for twenty-five cents a day, for two years. Then the harshness of his employer's wife caused him to leave and to face the world without a cent. Meeting a countryman with a team he accosted him, and secured em- ployment as a teamster. But this life could not but he dis- tasteful to the student and future great scientist; and his mother, through her kinsman, Justice McLean, of the Supreme Court of the United States, secured for him an appointment to West Point, although he was then not quite fifteen. It was doubted whether he would pass the exami- nation. " I shall go through, sir," was the confident re- sponse of the lad. With a little knapsack on his back, he started for the academy. Partly on foot, sometimes on horseback, and by canal boat, he arrived there with a shilling in his pocket. Though the youngest hoy, he passed as creditably as most of the applicants. A daily routine of study was a novelty to him, and he had not acquired the self-control necessary to keep him at his best. But for this he would have graduated much higher. In his class an unknown name was first, R. E. Lee, second, Joseph E. Johnston, thirteenth, O. M. Mitchel, fifteenth, and B. W. Brice, fortieth. Jefferson Davis was also a cadet there at this time, and, it is said, liked the little fellow so well as to have often made him his companion. After his gradua-
Instructor in Mathematics. Ile displayed great ability in this position, and was well liked by all. Serving here a couple of years, he was sent on garrison duty to St. Augus- tine, Florida. Before this he had won the heart of a Mrs. Trask, the widow of a West Pointer, and a member of a prominent family in the county in which the academy was situated. Ilis marriage led him to dislike his profession, and he began to study law. Finally he resigned his com- mission, and began the practice of law in Cincinnati. His partner was Edw. rd D. Mansfield. They had a hard struggle, and barely made a living. " How much did you and Mitchel make practising law ?" the surviving partner was once asked. " I think about fifty dollars in all," was the reply. During this time he delivered his first lecture on astronomy, to an insignificant audience in point of num- bers. He also joined Dr. Lyman Beecher's church, and was prominent for his fervid zeal at prayer-meetings. In 1834 the partners were given professorships in the College of Cincinnati. Ifis chair was that of Mathematics, Natu- ral Philosophy, and Astronomy. flere began his fame as a teacher, and soon his influence was felt outside the college and church. Railroad enterprise was in its infancy, and his knowledge of civil engineering was turned to account. He encouraged the building of the proposed road up the valley of the Little Miami, and finally became its engineer at the youthful age of twenty-six. In conjunction with George Neff he secured a loan of $200,000 from the city of Cincinnati, to assist the work. In 1836-37 he was its chief engineer, and between this duty and the professorship he was kept busy. But another matter was also engaging his hroad intellect. Ile was an enthusiast in the science of astronomy, and deplored the lack of sufficient apparatus for making instructive observations. He conceived the project of erecting a complete observatory, and threw his very soul into making it a success. Ile delivered a series of lectures on astronomy, which drew the most cultivated and intelli- gent people of Cincinnati. The last lecture was repeated by request, and drew an audience of over two thousand persons. At its close he developed his plan of operations, that of forming a joint stock company, with shares at twenty. five dollars cach, work to commence when three hundred were sold. At last this number was subscribed for, and he went to Europe to examine instruments. After much un- successful search, he found at Munich a lens to suit him. It was not finished, but he contracted for it at ten thousand dollars, although but seven thousand had been subscribed. He was determined to have the observatory the finest in the United States, and he returned home to raise the money. He aroused local pride by his report, and raised the money. Nicholas Longworth gave the ground for its erection. John Quincy Adams laid the corner-stone. There was still much to do to complete the work, but the projector finally surmounted all difficulty, and the telescope was placed in position in March, 1845. He had promised to give his
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Fing aved by J.C Butti.c.
One Mitchel
MAJ. GEN. O. M MITCHEL
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services at the observatory for ten years, free of charge, de- pending upon his salary at college for support. But the college was burned down, and with it his means of liveli- hood. Ile at once entered the lecture-field, was pecuni- arily and otherwise more than simply successful, and re- turned to the observatory in accordance with his promise. Ilis inventive genins brought new mechanical aids to his favorite study. He still found other fields, which, if not so congenial, were very necessary as a means of support. IIc surveyed the route for the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, used his persuasive eloquence in securing the co-operation of State Legislatures, and thrice crossed the Atlantic to negotiate its bonds. More than to any other single indi- vidual was the success of this road due to him. He also for a time published the Sidereal Messenger, an astronomical journal, which lived for a year or two. His first book, the " Planetary and Stellar Worlds," was well received here and in Europe. His lectures on the "Astronomy of the Bible " were also published in book form, much to the gratification of those who heard them. In 1860 his " Popu- lar Astronomy " was published. During these active years he had not entirely forgotten his military training, for he was captain of a volunteer company for ten years. For two years he was Adjutant. General of the State of Ohio. Such had been his varions and useful career up to the beginning of the war, at which time, in answer to an appeal, he was furthering the efforts to have an observatory constructed at Albumy, New York. Science and every interest of his life were forgotten in patriotism. At the great Union meeting in New York, his speech was the most electrifying.
. . . I owe allegiance to the government of the United States. A poor boy, working my way with my own hands, at the age of twelve turned out to take care of myself as best I could, and beginning by earning but four dollars a month, I worked my way on until this glorious government gave me a chance at the Military Academy at West Point. .. . Then I swore allegiance to the government of the United States. I did not abjure the love of my native State, nor of my adopted State, but all over that rose triumphant and predominant my love for our common country. And now, to-day, that common country is assailed, and, alas ! alas! that I am compelled to say it, is assailed in some sense by my own countrymen. .... . They are countrymen no longer when war breaks out. The rebels and traitors in the South we must set aside ; they are not our friends. When they come to their senses we will receive them with open arms; but till that time, while they are trailing our banner in the dust, then we must smite. In God's name I will smite, and as long as I have strength I will do it. [ Enthu- siastic applause. ] Oh, listen to me ! listen to me! I know these men. I know their courage. I have been among them ; I have been reared with them. They are brave- do not pretend to think they are not. ..... I trust you are all ready ; I am ready. God help me to do my duty. I am ready to fight in the ranks or out of the ranks. Ilay- ing been educated in the Academy, having been in the army seven years, having served as commander of a volu- teer company for ten years, and as an Adjutant-General of my State, I feel that I am ready for something. I only ask to be permitted to act ; and in God's name give me some- thing to do.
This stirring address and appeal, so small a portion of which is given, melted men and women to tears. All thought the trouble would be of short duration, and the gallant speaker was not called into service until the follow- ing August, on the 8th day of which he was made a Briga- dier-General of Volunteers. He was placed in command of the Department of Ohio, with head-quarters at Cincinnati. lle at once put the city in a position of defence, and took charge of the raw troops centring there. He was espe- cially eager to go to the relief of the East Tennessee Union- ists, and received his orders to start. But the order was countermanded before he got ready. When Buell assumed command in Kentucky, he was relieved in Cincinnati, and given command of a division of the army then forming between Louisville and Bowling Green. Ile thoroughly drilled his troops, and then asked Buell to allow him to face the enemy. The zeal which he infused into his every movement aroused the jealousy of other division command- ers, and his activity was looked upon with disfavor. Placed in command of raw troops, he had raised their standard of drill and discipline above that of the others. His division was given the advance in the movement on Bowling Green, and by forced marching he reached the town as the last rebel was leaving. Quite a lot of commis- sary stores were captured, also a number of locomotives and one gun. The quickness of his movements caused the enemy to destroy stores of an estimated value of $500,000. The commanding general was lavish in his compliments, and the division general proudly addressed his troops in a grand outburst of patriotism. On the 22d of February, 1862, he set out for Nashville, and on the evening of the following day had taken possession of the city. Ilis success intensified the jealousy of some few officers, and he was subjected to annoyances of a petty nature. He was soon, however, to rise above it all. He was left to act somewhat independently with his command, with orders to gain a foothold on the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. It was then that he conceived the brilliant idea of making a dash into northern Alabama. Ilis advance was a succession of surprises to the rebels. This was the memorable railroad raid which has made his name so famous. The country applauded the dash of his movements. With a command of fifteen thousand, he had planted himself in the heart of rebeldom. He fought no great battles, but startled the foe into flight by the suddenness of his movements, coming upon them in menacing force when least expected. For his great success in this memorable campaign he was made a Major-General of Volunteers, but was soon after recalled to Washington, not being able to agree with Buell. Faith in him there was unshaken, except that the new General- in.Chief, Halleck, looked upon his mode of warfare with disfavor. Meantime his enemies had set afloat a swarm of slanders, and charges were forwarded to Washington, but they were never noticed. To his credit be it said, General Buell discountenanced all efforts to cast a stigma upon the
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