USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The Cincinnati miscellany, or, Antiquities of the West, and pioneer history and general and local statistics, Volume I > Part 52
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On the 27th inst. by Rev. J. W. Hopkins, HENRY W. WAYMAN Of Covington, Ky , 10 ELIZABETH ROGERS, Of this city.
On Sunday, April Suth, al 9 o'clock, MARIA CLARK,
On the 25th inst. Mrs. LOUISA M. ERNST, in The 331d year of her age.
On the 28th inst, HENRIETTA, only daughter of Chas W. and Lydia A. Bunker, aged 18 months and 8 days.
New Hampshire,
Granite boys.
Massachusetts,
Bay Staters.
Vermont,
Green Mount'n boys.
Rhode Island,
Gun Flints.
Connecticut,
Wooden Nutmegs.
New York,
Knickerbockers.
New Jersey,
Clam-catchers.
Pennsylvania,
Leatherheads.
Delaware,
Muskrats.
Maryland,
Craw-thumpers,
Virginia,
Beagica.
N. Carolina.
Tar-boilers .
S. Carolina,
Weasels ..
Georgia,
Buzzards.
Louisiana,
Cre-owls.
Alabama,
Lizards.
Kentucky,
Corn-crackers.
Tennessee,
Cotton-inanies.
Ohio,
Buckeyes,
Indiana,
Hoosiers.
Illinois,
Suckers.
Missouri,
Pewks.
Mississippi,
Tadpoles .*
Arkansas,
Gophers.
Michigan,
Wolverines.
Florida,
Fly up the Creeks.
Wisconsin,
Badgers.
Iowa,
Hawkeyes.
N W. Territory,
Prairie Dogs.
Oregon,
Hard Cases.
Cents or Coppers are generally known in the West as, "Cincinnati Bullion."
*This name is especially appropriate, as a- mong a certain class in the eastern cities, an abbreviation ofit, id est, the word Tad, is appli- ed to one who don't nor won't pay.
A Legal Examination.
We know not how many neophites have been examined and admitted to the bar during the present week, in the Supreme Court. A friend spoke the other day of the number of twenty- five or thirty, but he has become tired and quit connting since. The idea must prevail, we fan- cy, that the practice of law is immensely prof- itable, or immensely honorable; and which of these notions is the greater mistake, the depo- nent saith net.
The quizzing of applicants by the committee of examination, we understand, has been such as thoroughly to test their capacity and qualifi- cations. One case, however, we have heard of, in which the questioning was altogether brief and unique,-whether because there was no time for further inquiry, or because of the confidence DEATHS. felt that the applicant would answer all the questions that might be asked as well as he| daughter of Thos. 11. Minor, aged 2 years, 1 mo. answered those which were, we shall not at- tempt to say. The course of examination was thus, -the parties sitting upon a rail in the shade of the Court House :
The inhabitants of
Maine, are called
Foxes.
Red Hermitage JQ .
CINCINNATI MISCELLANY.
CINCINNATI, MAY, 1845.
CORRESPONDENCE.
Another Bear Adventure.
MR. CIST :
As you appear somewhat inclined to amuse your readers occasionally with a panther or bear story, I take the liberty to send you one as related by one of our company at one of our "bivouacs," on our route to Santa Fee, after our sentinels had been placed on the first watch.
In the early settlement of St. Louis, a widow lady by the name of Atkinson, with her dauglı- ter, an only child, aged about sixteen, resided somewhere near where the St. Louis water works now stand. On one occasion, some little while after having retired for the night, she be- Yours &c. came startled by an unusual noise among the G. REDDING. domestic animals. She jumped out of bed, took down her rifle, examined the priming, and cau- Early History of Hamilton County. MR. CIST. tiously opening the door stepped out, and took a survey around the house and negro hut, but could discover nothing. She then returned in- to the house and set her rifle down. Her daugh- ter by this time had got up and struck a light, as- suring her mother, (for as old Tim Watkins the narrator said, "the gals did'nt call their Mothers Main those days,") there was some strange ani- mal aboutthe 'diggins' for she heard it "fussing" around whilst her mother was out. They sat thus in conversation sometime, when the moth- er determined to go down to the negro hut, and wake up her negro man Dan. She started, arous- ed him and told him to come with her to the house, take the rifle, run round the place, brush up a little, and see if there was any thing about." They started for tho house, and when about half way from Dan's hut, Mrs. Atkinson was to be drawn due east to the Little Miami, and - seized in the fraternal "hug" of a huge "bar." down said Little Miami river to the place of be- ginning."
lock was heard, the sharp crack of the rifle tol- lowed, and the "Bar" doubled up and rolled over in his last dying struggle. Mrs. A's. daugh- ter, a girl of sixteen summers, with the courage and heart of a pioneer's daughter, had shot the bear and saved her mother's life. These, sir, are the kind of girls and women who accompany our frontier settlers, and are always ready to look danger in the face, and who are prepared to give a good account of it when it does come, whether in the form of a bear or an Indian. I have another of old Tim Watkins' tales about some Indians and a female heroine, which at some leisure moment I may possibly give you ; if this meets your approbation.
DEAR SIR : Your chapters on the early history of Cincinnati have ended-may I rather say res ted-with the landing of the first settlers, and the establishment of the town. When you re- sume the story, you may have occasion to note the organization of the county-towards which I give you these notes.
On the 2d Jan. 1790, Gen. St. Clair arrived at- Fort Washington in the purchase of Judge Symmes, and on the 4th established the county of Hamilton with the following limits: "Begin- ning on the bank of the Ohio river, at the con- fluence of the Little Miami river, and down the said Ohio river to the mouth of the Big Miami, and up said Miami to the Standing Stone forks or branch of said river; and thence with a line
The negro immediately commenced operations on Bruin's head and sides, which somewhat as- On the same day, commissions for the county courts of common pleas, and general quarter sessions of the peace, for said county, were gran- ted by the Governor. And Wm. Goforth, Wm. Wells, and Wm. McMillan were appointed Judges of the court of common pleas, and jus- tices of the court of general quarter sessions of the peace. They were also appointed and com- missioned as justices of the peace, and quorum in said court. Jacob Topping, Benjamin Stites and J. Stites Gano, were also appointed justices of the peace of the county. J. Brown Gent. was ap- pointed and commissioned as Sheriff during the Governor's pleasure. Israel Ludlow Esq., pro- thonotary to the court of common pleas, and the peace of the connty. tonished his bearship, for the fists and heels of Dan used by a kind of perpetual motion rapidity, was no light affair. So fully satisfied of this fact was Bruin, that he ungallantly dropped the la- ly whom he had but just began to squeeze so af- fectionately and turned upon Dan, who kept up a running "skrimage" until he reached his own hut, where he very unceremoniously "slam'd" the door in Bruin's face, who thereupon turned round to bestow proper attention to Mrs. Atkin- son, who by this time had nearly reached the house. Bruin hurried on with the intention no doubt of renewing his interesting "hug," for just as Mrs. A. opened the door the bear stretch- ed forth his "arm," and seizing a part of the la- clerk of the court of general] quarter sessions of dy's dress, drew her towards him, when alas, for Bruin, at this critical moment tho click of a gun
The Governor also made the following milita-
242
ry appointments, viz : Israel Ludlow, James Flinn, John Stites Gano and Gershem Gard, cap- tains-Francis Kennedy, John Ferris, Luke Fos- ter, and Brice Virgin, lieutenants-Scott Tra- verse, Ephraim Kibby, Elijah Stites, and John Dunlap, ensigns-all in the first regiment of militia of the county of Hamilton.
The civil and military powers were thus er- ganized, and the government brought to act for the protection of the people.
On the 1st Dec., Scott Traverse, was appoin- ted lieutenant in place of Kennedy resigned, and Robert Benham an ensign, vice Traverse pro- moted, both in the company of Capt. Ludlow.
On the 24th May, 1791, William Burnet was appointed Register of deeds in said county.
On the 10th Dec., 1791, Oliver Spencer was appointed Lt. Colonel, Brice Virgin a captain, Daniel Griffin a lieutenant, and John Bowman an ensign.
On the 14th Dec., George McCullum was ap- pointed a justice of the peace.
On the 18th Feb. 1792, the Secretary of the Territory, then at Cincinnati, and in the absence -of Governor St. Clair, acting as Governor, issu- .ed the following proclamatien.
."To all persons to whom these presents shall come greeting :-
Whereas it has been represented to me that. it is necessary for the public interests, and the convenience of the inhabitants of the county of Hamilton, that a ferry should be established o- ver the river Ohio, nearly opposite the mouth of Licking in the commonwealth of Virginia, and Mr. Robert Benham having requested permis- sion to erect and keep said ferry :
Now, know ye, that having duly considered of the said representation and request, I have thought it proper to grant the same, and by these presents do empower the said Robert Benham of the county of Hamilton, to erect and keep a ferry over the Ohio river, from the landing place in the vicinity of his house lot, which is nearly opposite the mouth of Licking, to both points of the said rivulet upon the Virginia shore; and to ask, demand, recover and receive as a com- pensation
For every single person that he may
transport over the said ferry, 6 cents.
For a man and horse, 18
For a waggon and team, 100
For horned cattle per head, 18
For hogs, each,
6
=
until those rates shall be altered by law or fu- ture instructions from the Governor of this ter- ritory.
And he is hereby required to provide good and sufficient flats or boats for the purpose, and to give due attention to the same according to right and common usage, and to govern himself
in the premises by all such laws as hereafter may be adopted for the regulation of ferries, as soon as such laws shall be published in the Ter- ritory.
Given under my hand and seal at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton, this eighteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord, ene thou- sand seven hundred and ninety .two, and of the independence of the United States the sixteenth -- and to continue in force during the pleasure of the Governor of the Territory.
WINTHROP SARGENT.
Yours respectfully, J.
CINCINNATI, April 22, 1845.
Miner K. Kellogg.
It is some time since I have been able to fur- nish tidings of this artist's locale, and presuming the subject will interest not only his circle of ac- quaintances and friends here, but gratify num- bers who feel deeply for the welfare of those, who like Powers and Kellogg, are fine speci- mens of Cincinnati artists, as well for profession- al talent as in personal character, I make ex- tracts from his last letter, dated Constantinople, Feb. 27, 1845. It was received here after a cir- cuiteus passage via Smyrna, Malta and Marseil- les to the United States in less than fifty days from its date. I can recollect when fifty days' old news from London, were considered late ad- vices, even in Philadelphia.
He left Florence in December, stopping in Na- ples eight days, coasted along the Calabrian shores, visiting Messina, Catania and Syracuse, and after remaining eight days at Malta, and calling at Syra on the passage to make repairs to the steamboat in which he travelled, made the continent once more at Smyrna, plying his pen- cil with great industry the whole voyage. He reached Constantinople on the 17th January, where he was received with great kindness, al- though in a land of strangers, and found his let- ters a passport to the best society there-I pre- sume he is speaking of the European residents. He adds,
"Last night I attended the meeting of a few friends at the house of Mr. Goodell, the Amer- ican Missionary here. Dr. Joseph Wolff was present and gave an account of his late journey into Persia, in search of Messrs. Stoddard and Connally-who had been murdered some time since. Mr. Wolff'is a singular creature, that's certain, and entertained us over two hours in the recital of his adventures. I cannot give you any more than a general idea of what he said- but he intends calling at my studio soon, when I shall have a talk with him myself, which I may tell you of some future time. He entered Bok- hara dressed in his canonicals, with his open bible in his right hand, followed by hundreds of
243
people, who took him for some wonderful Der- vish, or teacher of the Koran, proclaiming in a loud voice, that he had been sent by all Europe to enquire after the above persons, and if he could find them, to take them back home with him. After great difficulty he obtained an au- dience of the King, a savage pompous looking man, and after asking him the reason of the death of those Englishmen, was told that Stoddard did not bow when he come into his presence, and on attempting to force him to do so, he drew his sword. Wolff told him he was not that kind of a man, and would bow twenty times, and im- mediately suiting the action to the word, pros- trated himself, and would have kept good his promise, when the King burst into a fit of laughter, and put a stop to his obeisances. He soon became in danger of being put to death by the military chief of the King's Stores, and escaping from his garden by a water hole, besmeared his face with mud, and dof- fed his professional habiliments in order to escape detection and pursuit. Nakedness, as he expressed it "being about the best disguise he could assume." He fled into a small house where he remained secreted two days, when the wo- man of the house wished to entrap him into marriage, or as he thought, intended to betray him into violent hands -but he turned on the woman and gave her jesse, in other words gave her as a mittimus "Go to woman."
All his thoughts were directed to getting away faster than he came to the city; that he did get away, and with his head on his shoulders, I can truly affirm for I saw him last night. As this is the very latest tidings of the learned Rab- bi and enthusiast yon will receive in America, that is, since his return to Constantinople on his way to England, the above may amuse some who know him by report. You can stick it in the papers if you please."
Wolff is equally remarkable in getting in or out of a scrape. He has already passed safely through such imminent perils during his past life as would furnish a mussulman, with illus- trations of his great truth. "It is written in the book, you cannot take such a man's life."
Kellogg's letter is pierced with incisions and fumigated with various odors as a preventive to transmitting the plague. Among these, that of vinegar predominates. Happy America! which has never known by fatal experience, this dread- ful epidemic.
Patent Bedsteads.
makes every description of furniture. As bu- siness enlarges, it is found a more convenient as well as efficient and economical process to direct labor to a less variety of objects. A part of the craft devote themselves to plain work, a part to fancy articles. One establishment makes sofas alone, another confines itself to bedsteads. These again subdivide the business into fine or costly articles for home consumption, and low priced ones made by labor-saving machinery for foreign markets. In this way every year adds to the division of labor and the consequent in- crease of skill and the exercise of ingenuity which results from concentrating the inventive or corrective faculties of the mind on a single object.
Mr. HENRY BOYD, who manufactures exten- sively swelled rail bedsleads, for which he holds a patent, at the corner of Broadway and Eighth streets, began his operations in 1839. I was one of his first customers, and found those of his make so much better than what I already had, that I sent these last off to auction and replaced them with others from Boyd's factory.
Such was his success from his commence- ment, that many cabinet makers left off making bed steads, advising their customers frankly, to buy Boyd's; and others of a lower tone of mor- ality set about imitating them as nearly as they could, without rendering themselves amenable to the laws. These, like counterfeits of other kinds bore more or less resemblance to the ori- ginal ; but were of no actual value.
The peculiar merit and distinctive character of his article of Bedsteads are, that he dispenses with the moveable iron screw, whose power of holding the rails of the bed stead to the posts is always inadequate to the regular strain upon it, and thereby soon gives way, rendering the bed- stead shackling and affording inlets and conceal- ments to bed bugs. A further nuisance is, that in the taking bedsteads to pieces for cleansing, thus rendered necessary, the screws become bent or mislaid, or at any rate, lose their proper fit in change of places, and a series of incon- viences result, which always render the annual or semi-annual taking to pieces and putting up again of bedsteads, one of the house keepers "miseries of human life."
All this is avoided here by the adoption of a different principle of putting bedsteads to- gether, which fits them close and keeps them so, and renders it unnecessary even to take them apart. Ihave had these bed steads for six years, and they are as perfect as they were when bought.
In the first stages of manufacturing opera- tions all the articles in a particular line of busi- The materials of these bed steads are syca- more, maple, cherry, black-walnut and mahog- any ; and although ou city furnishes a home ness, however various in character and materi- als are usually made in the same establishment. A cabinet workshop, for instance originally | market extensively, numbers are bought here
244
and sent to the South. Boyd's average manu- facture for the last six years, is one thousand per annum. He has ten hands in his establishment.
Proprieties of Business Life.
Many of the evidences of the rapid growth of our city, and the increasing value of property, are of the most pleasant kind. Some few are oth- erwise. Such is the scarcity of store rooms and ware houses within the business region of Cin- cinnati. that instances are becoming frequent of persons about to open new establishments, ap- plying to landlords for stands already occupied, and tempting them with one or two hundred dollars extra rent. Where a building is vacant, it is undoubtedly open for any competition the owner may create, but when rented and found to be a good stand, the offer by a stranger of higher rent, only serves to advance the price to the existing occupant, who will always be in- duced to submit to an increase ofrent rather than subject himself to the inconveniences of moving, and creating a new business elsewhere. Some people have a very low standing of mor- ality on these subjects, who would scruple di- rectly to cheat another out of a cent. I regard, however, the decoying a servant girl away from her place, or the taking of a dwelling house or store from its tenant, by renting it without his knowledge as stealing, in the absolute sense of the term, and if I had the name of an individu- al who in a recent case, made an attempt in the line last referred to, I would place it on record in the Advertiser as a terror for evil doers.
Cincinnati Directory for 1845.
Two years have elapsed since I published the last general directory which has appeared. A business directory was got up for 1844, and an- other is getting up now, which are well enough in their proper sphere, but a register of names in which the whole population shall be fully and accurately recorded, is of vastly greater conse- quence. The business man or any other influ- ential member of the community, may be read- ily found on inquiry, but the great mass, who have no signs up, and are to be sought only at their dwellings, can only have their residence ascertained by a directory. I have, naturally enough, been applied to by numbers to know what is doing to get up such a directory for 18- 45, and will now say that if any competent per- son of the hundreds who are here seeking em- ployment, will undertake this business, I will give them all the aid in my power to carry it in- to effect. By competency, I mean a person who will give the necessary time and labor, as well as possess certain business aptitudes. A directory is not worth much unless it is both full and cxact.
I do not consider a man rendered unfit for the work by being a stranger to the place, if other- wise qualified ; and if such person will apply to me it will give me great pleasure to put him in the track of making a few hundred dollars in such employment.
Spirit of the Age.
This is the age of poetical excitement. Po- etry fills the camp, the grove, constitutes a large share of patent medicine notices, and as may be seen in the specimen below, begins to form di- rections to, as well as contents of, letters.
The following inscription was found on a let- ter which passed through New York city hav- ing been mailed at a town in New Jersey.
To the State of Ohio, Where the land is not barren, To Goshen Post Office,
In the county of Warren, In the township of Salem, Where hardy boys grow. And the little Miami Adjoining does flow :
So please, Mr. P. M., Send me along, In haste and great care, To Isaac Armstrong.
For Cist's Advertiser. Reminiscences of Olden Time in Vir- ginia and Ohio.
BY HORATIO G. JONES, JR.
Leverington, Pa.
Although a stranger in "the Queen City of the West," yet I feel a great interest in every thing relating to its early history or that of any of the towns of this young but thrifty State .- I regard the man who collects and preserves such information as one upon whom in future time, will redound much honor, because materi- als apparently worthless, are oftentimes the very means by which the historian is enabled to elucidate some early, disputed fact.
Through the kindness of Col. Augustus Stone, of Marietta, I have learned that Dr. S. P. Hildreth, is engaged in collecting materials towards writing a general history of the State of Ohio, and is much in need of information concerning the numerous small towns settled anterior to our independence as a nation .
Now I have in my possession, a Journal kept by a traveller who passed through the southern and south-eastern part of Ohio, in the year 1772! He made the tour from Fort Pitt in a ca- noe, and travelled pretty extensively among the Delaware and Sbawanese Indians, having as- cended the Little Kanawha, the Muskingum and other strcams. He was the grandfather of the writer of this article, and in after years was well known as an ardent friend to American
245
freedom-having served in the revolution as a chaplain, and also in the Indian wars under General Anthony Wayne, and in the late war on the Lakes. At present I shall make but a few short extracts; but should they meet with a favorable reception I will continue to lay be- fore the intelligent public the whole of the Journal.
Extract from a Journal made by the Rev. Da- vid Jones, of Freehold, N. J. in the years of 1772 and 1773.
"I left Fort Pitt on Tuesday June 9th 1772, in company with George Rogers Clark, a young gentleman from Virginia, who with several oth- ers inclined to make a tour in this new world. We travelled by water in a canoe, and as I la- bored none, I had an opportunity of making my remarks on the many creeks which empty into Ohio, as also the courses of the said river. Frem Fort Pitt it runs fer 16 miles near a north west course, then it turns near north about 14 miles, then it makes a great bend for above 20 miles, running a little south of west. Thence tor 20 miles south east to the place called the Minge Town,* where some of that nation re- side; but as they have a name of plundering canoes, we passed them quietly as possible, and were so happy as not to be discovered by any of them. From this town the river runs west of south for 30 miles to Grave Creek.
Here I met my interpreter, who came across the country from the waters of the Monongahela tand with him some Indians, with whom I con- versed. It was in the night when we came; instead of feathers, my bed was gravel stones, by the river side. From Fort Pitt to this place we were only in one place where white people live. Our lodging was on the banks of the river, which at first seemed not to suit me, but after- wards it became more natural.
Saturday, June 13. We concluded to move down to a creek, called by the Indians Caap- teenin. This comes from the west side of the Ohio, and is from Newcomerstown, which is the chief town of the Delaware Indians, about 75 E. S. E. We encamped on the east side of the Ohio opposite to the mouth of Caap- teenin. We went over and conversed with the Indians and in the evening some came over to us. Mr. Owens§ was well acquainted with them and let them know what sort of a man I was. They all seemed to show respect to me, cven
afterwards when some were drunk, they were not rude to me, but would take hold of my hand and say, "you be minsta." We remained here over the Sabbath and in the evening I in- structed what Indians came over. The man of most sense and consideration in this place is called Frank Stephens. I asked him before the others, if he believed that after death there was a state of eternal happiness or misery? He said this he believed and looked on God as the giver of all good things. Il he killed a deer, he thought God gave him that good luck. He paid great attention to what I said, while I spoke of God and of the Scriptures which he gave us. He said that he believed that Indians long ago, knew how to worship God, but as they had no writings, they had lost all knowledge of Him; yet sometimes some of them tried to worship Him, but did not know whether their services were pleasing to Him. I told him that good people among the white folks, used to pray to God before they went to sleep, and that I was going to pray and would pray for him, and though he could not know what I said, maybe God would give him good thoughts while I was speaking. With this we all arose up to pray, and the Indians arose likewise. I spoke with a solemn heart and voice to God. 1 was inform- ed that all the time, the Indians looked very se- riously at me. When I ended, Frank told my interpreter that my voice affected his heart, and he thought I spoke the way our Saviour did when he was en earth. "Tis likely this Indian had heard of our Saviour from the Moravians or their Indians. Here I expected an answer by my ambassador, whom I had sent to the chief town of the Delawares ; but a trader hav- ing brought rum, there was no prospect of do- ing any service at this time by any longer con- tinuanee, and my ambassador delaying his re- turn, we concluded to go down to the little Ka- nawha to view the land.
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