USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The Cincinnati miscellany, or, Antiquities of the West, and pioneer history and general and local statistics. Volume II > Part 15
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'I must have another cast of your hand, Cop- ley," he said, 'an accident befell my second wife, this lady is my third, and she is come to have her likeness included in the family picture.'
'The painter complied-the likeness was in- troduced-and the husband looked with a glance of satisfaction on his three spouses. Not so the lady ; she remonstrated, never was such a thing heard of-out her predecessors must go.
The artist painted them out accordingly, and had to bring an action at law to obtain payment
A Legend of North Bend.
In the month of August, 1791, a man nained Fuller, with his son William, a lad of 16 years of age, or théreabouts, was in the employ of John Matson Sen , and in that capacity, the Ful- lers accompanied Matson, a brother of his, and a neighbor, George Cullum to the Big Miami. to build a fish dam in its waters, at a place a- bout two miles from North Bend. Old Fuller sent his son towards night to take the cows home. but the boy did not reach home, and for several days, the neighborhood turned out to hunt him up, suspecting that he had been taken by Indians. No trace of him was however ob- tained, nor any thing heard of him for nearly four years, when Wayne's treaty afforded an op- portunity for those who had relatives captured by the Indians to ascertain their fate. Old Ful- ler. under the hope of learning something res- pecting his son, accompanied a party to Fort Greenville, and spent a week making inquiry among the Indians present, but to no purpose. One day being in conversation with Christopher Miller, one of Wayne's spies, and who had been taken captive himself in early years, and brought up among the Indians, he was describing his gon's personal appearance, as being heavy built, cross eyed, and a little lame, when Miller ex- claimed, "I can tell you where he is." He then went on to say, that he had himself made him a prisoner, that he knew where he was, and if he would come back in three weeks, he would produce him there. Fuller returned according- ly, and obtained his son, who accompanied him home. The statement of Miller was, that he was out on a scont on the Miami with two In- dians, and the youth being intent on hunting the cows, had got quite near before he observed Miller. When he saw him,he attempted to run, fearing that Miller might be an Indian. Miller called out "don't run ." The boy spoke up and said, "who are you ?"" "My name is Miller." Young Fuller supposed it to be a Thomas Mil- ler at North Bend, and stood still waiting the other's approach. As it was now dusk, it was not until Miller had got nearly up to him, that the boy perceived his mistake, and endeavored to make his escape. Being somewhat lame, he was however soon overtaken and captured .--- Miller then gave a whistle on his powder char- ger, when two Indians appeared. They hur- ried the boy across the Miami, the waters of which were quite low at the time. After travel- ing some distance, they encamped for the rest of the night. In the morning, the Indians dis- covering that Fuller was lame, and defective in his eyes, were for tomahawking him, alleging they could never make a good Indian of him,
but Miller objected, saying he was his captive. He was taken to one of the Indian towns, where he remained until the treaty of 1795. He had been a bad boy hitherto, and his residence a- mong the savages, made no improvement in him. He did no good after getting home, and associ- ating with a gang of horse thieves, lost his life not long after in a marauding expedition, made by the party into Kentucky.
Progress of Cincinnati.
In speaking of the growth of Cincinnati, pre- sent and probable, I take care so to present the subject as to invite a scrutiny into my state- ments. I do not wish to sustain these merely by what reputation for judgment or veracity I may possess.
When persons abroad allege that Cincinnati claims to have built 12,000 houses within the last twelve years, as a correspondent of the Louisville Courier asserts, I deny their right to hold the city or any respectable part of it, re- sponsible for guesses, or for any thing but state- ments of alleged fact, vouched by men of fair standing. I do not assume to know more of Cincinnati, than any one may, who will make it a business to watch and record its progress.
I have registered the actual increase of build. ings during the last twelve years, by which I re- fer to dwelling houses, business offices, and store houses and work shops alone, as follows:
1833 321
1839
394
1834
300
1840
406
1835
340
1841
806
1836
365
1842
852
1837
305
1843
1003
1838
334
1844
1228
In 1840, 35 millions brick were made, as per the census returns of that year. In 1845 this quantity was increased to 80 millions. The man- ufacture of 1845, will shew no decrease. If this seem incredible to any of my readers, let me call their attention to the following list of pub- lic buildings now in course of erection or finish- ing off, which have all been commenced since January 1st, 1845, with the quantity of bricks they will consume.
Cincinnati College, 1,000,000
Masonic Hall,
660,000
Roman Catholic Church, 600,000
Odd Fellows' Hall,
400,000
Central Presbyterian Church ,
395,000
Third do do
395,000
Seventh St. do do
400,000
Tabernacle do
400,000
Seven smaller Churches.
1,750,000
6,000,000
-
Of private buildings, Niles' Foundry alone,
10
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will require 500,000, the block of stores at Io- king's corner, not short of 1,000,000, & the block at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, at least 500,000 more. The great aggregate of brick used is made up of 1500 buildings, which will complete the erection of 1845, and are not here- în refered to.
First Church in Cincinnati -- No. 2.
The first religious Society formed in Cincin- nati, I have said, was of the Presbyterian order. This was organized into a congregation by Rev. David Rice, of Kentucky, who visited the place for that purpose in 1790. The inlots constitu- ting the south half of the block bounded by Fourth, Fifth, Main and Walnut streets had been dedicated to the use of this society, which being at that day too feeble, even with such aid as ; they could obtain in the town to build a church edifice, the only use made of the premi- ses was as a grave yard, where repose to this period some of our oldest citizens. Meetings for worship were held at a Horse Mill on Vine street, below where Third street, has since been opened, being then the foot of the hill, and al. so, occasionally, at private houses. John Smith of Columbia, then a Baptist preacher, better known since as one of the early Senators from Ohio in the U. S. Senate, and implicated in Aaron Burr's memorable project, occasionally preached to this society .
In 1791, Rev. Peter Kemper, who deceased but a few years since, was invited to take charge of this church, and was escorted from Kentucky where he resided by a number of the citizens to Cincinnati. In 1792, as already stated, the first church edifice was built. This was a plain frame about 30 by 40, roofed and weather boarded with clapboards, but neither lathed, plastered, nor ceiled. The floor was of boat plank laid loosely upon sleepers. The seats were formed by rolling in the necessary number of logs which were placed at suitable distances, and covered with boards, whipsawed for the purpose, at prop- er spaces for seats. There was a breast work of unplaned cherry boaris which served for a pulpit, behind which the clergyman stood on a plank supported by blocks.
The congregation were required to attend with rifles, under penalty of a fine of 75 cts., which was actually inflicted upon John S. Wal- lace, formerly auditor of this county, who had left his rifle at home through forgetfulness .- Others also, doubtless, incurred fines on this ac- count.
As a specimen of the manner in which the clergymen of that day were sustained, I annex an original receipt which I have before me.
Millen, Egg., the sum of three dollars, it being for Mr. Kemper's Salary for the year, 94 as an unsubscriber.
Received By me
CORNELIUS VAN NUYS.":
The building referred to to above was finish- ed in the year 1799, 80 as to be rendered com- fortable, and stood :ill about 1814, when being found too small for the congregation worshiping there, it was sold, and now occupies a part of Judge Burke's lot on Vine street, being the old- est edifice. public or private, a part of Mr. D. E. Wade's house, on Congress street excepted remaining at this time.
In 1797 Rev. Peter Wilson, also from Ken- tucky, succeeded Mr. Kemper as pastor to the congregation, and occupied that relation until July 30th, 1799, when he deceased. He preach- . ed dressed in Kentucky jeans, and a much coar- ser article than bore that name at a later date. Elijah Davis was the first appointed Sexton or "Saxon," as he is called in the church minutes, to be paid at the rate of fifteen dollars per year, the salary to be raised by contributions of the Congregation. At a later date Rev. M. G. Wallace, now of Terre Haute, Indiana, was Pastor of the church, and Rev's. J. P. Camp- bell and John Davies were stated supplies. This state of things lasted until May 27th, 1808, when Rev. Joshua L. Wilson having accepted the charge of that church, entered on his pastor- al duties.
Columbus.
There seems to be an unaccountable degree of ignorance in the American public, as to the birth place as well as the final burial place of Christopher Columbus. It is well known he was born in the State of Genoa, and has usually been considered a native of the City itself. A dispute on this point has however long existed. All debate on the subject has been lately put to rest. M. Isuardi, a Piedmontese archæologist, has discovered among the archives of Genoa, authentic proof that the illustrious navigator was born at Cologuetto. a village in the republic of Genoa. It consists in a letter written by the government, dated 5th November, 1585, to their ambassador Doria, at Madrid, in which the fol- lowing passage occurs: "Christopher Colum- bus of Colognetto, an illustrious man. as you ought to know, being in Spain, has ordered by his will, that a horse shall be built at Genoa. which shall bear his name, and has instituted a fund for the preservation of this building etc. etc." A party of South Americans, on a tour upon the Continent, happening to be in Genoa when this fact was ascertained, made a pilgrim-
Received February the 14th, 1794, of Mc- age to the palace, entered the house in which
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he was born, with their heads uncovered, re- garding the birth place of the grand discoverer of the new world as one of the most interesting scites ou their route.
Columbus died at Valladolid, in Spain, in 15- 06, aged 70 years. In 1513 his remains were transported to Seville, whence they were remo- ved in 1536 to the city of St. Domingo, and in January 1776, two hundred and sixty years after, were taken with great pomp by a Spanish squad- ron to Havana and placed in the wall of the Ca- thedral there, on the west side of the great altar. A white marble tablet has since been set in the wall to designate the spot which contains these relics. On the tablet is a medallion likeness of Columbus in profile, and beneath, the following inscription.
O! restos e ymagen del grande Colon ! Mil siglos durad guardados en la Orna, Y en la remembranza de nuestra Nacion. Fecit Habana, 1832.
Which may be translated thus :
O rest the image of the great Columbus!
May it endure a thousand ages, guarded in this Urn,
And in the remembrance of our nation.
I have always wondered why Columbus should have been so extensively called in Spain and It- aly, Colon, his name being in Italian Columba, as in Latin, Columbus, or in English Dove .- Nor is Colon the equivalent name in the Spanish language. This discovery serves to explain the difficulty, Colon being doubtless a name which he derived from the city of his , nativity. Every one familiar with the literature of the 15th and 16th centuries is aware that it was a common appellative for a distinguished man to bear a name which he derived from the place of his birth or long residence. Colon would be the di. minutive of Colognetto;the g in Italian and Span- ish being thrown on to the third syllable.
A Chapter on Dunning.
In this bank note world of ours, where selling on credit, and collecting dobts form so large a share of the active business of life, a good sales- man, and a good collector, are two of the most valuable qualifications for employment.
Indeed, excellence in dunning, is a sure pass- port in the mercantile world, to patronage. I have not the design, however of lecturing on the subject, although it is worthy of a lecture, and content myself with a few anecdotes, which may interest some of my readers. They will furnish hints by which ingenious men may profit in studying the science .
Mr. G. of our city sold a pair of horses for 150 dollars to Col. -, and after applying again and again for the money to little purpose, sent!
his black fellow, Jim, with positive instructions not to let him see liis face again till he had got the money out of the Colonel. "Wait at his house till you get it, no odds how long he keeps you." Jim accordingly went on his mission, met the Colonel at the door, just about to leave. home, applied for the money, and was put off as usual, the debtor walking away as he made his excuse. After being absent two or three hours, the Colonel returned and found Jim sit- ting at the door, took dinner and supper, and kept all that day ensconced in the house to es- cape dunning as he should come out. Jim slept at the door, and was the first object the Colonel glanced at, as he threw open his casement in the morning. "What do you want?" he abruptly inquired. "Dat money, massa, -- Massa G. say mussent come home to I get it." The Colonel paused a moment; there was no dodging such pertinacity, and no telling. how long Jim's visit or rather visitation might last. So putting the. best face on the matter, "Come in Jim," said he "and get something to eat in the kitchen, and by that time I shall be ready for you." As soon as. Jim had dispatched his meal, he received the money and departed with rejoicing, still further heightened when Mr. G. gave him a five dollar. bill for his collecting commissions.
Mr. C-, of our city was in the dry goods business in 1836-7, and with many a worthy man went to the wall during that period. Hav- ing no means to get again into business, his fi- nancial affairs went from bad to worse, and find- ing it hard to scratch up as much out of his old city debts as would pay his boarding bills, he borrowed a horse, and taking along his outstand- ing hoosier accounts, set out on a collecting tour. At Connersville he found one of his old debtors, almost as hard up as himself. "He had nothing, was sorry to say so, would do any thing in his power to assist his friend C -----. If he had had notice in time or if Mr. C -- could have called in the course of a week or two, he might have done something, he believed. "- "Well," said C-, "I have never been in your place before, i: seems a pleasant like neigh- borhood, suppose I board with you a week or two, and we will look round and see what can be done." No objection of course could be made to this under the circumstances of the case. C -- , who, as a son of the emerald isle, was fond of the ladies, had licked the blarney stone besides, fastened on the girls, the daughters of the host, and became as constant as their shad. ow, palavering them to death. In short, by the time the first weck was through, the young la- dies were thoroughly tired of their company, whose engrossing character kept every body
76
else at a distance, and they signified to the fa- ther that Mr. C- must either leave the house or they should. Finally, the hoosier had to turn out, and between borrowing and collecting, he made up the bill, C- generously forgiving the interest. C --- , in telling his own story, added, "If he had not paid me, I should have boarded it out, for it was no use for me to come back without the money. I don't know who would have boarded me here."
I heard Jonathan Young once complain to Esqr. Mahard, of a person who had been em- ployed to collect subscriptions to some benevo- lent object to which Young had subscribed ten dollars. "Would you believe it Squire, he call- ed on me every day last week, and some days twice or three times. Such dunning is outra- geous, don't you think so?" "Yes" said the Squire drily-" he must have had a particular spite at you, he only called once upon me.
During one period of my employment with Macalester & Co., the collecting fell into my hands. P -- , a debtoi, who kept a drug store on Main Street, was one of our dilatory cus- tomers. It was a constant trial of skill between us, he in getting into our debt, and I in getting him out of it. On one occasion I had made out and presented his bill. He glanced it over and said he would call and settle it. After the lapse of a week I presented it again. He then set the next Monday to pay it. On Monday he had not the money ; call on Thursday. On Thurs- day again delinquent, and so forth from the be- ginning of the week to the middle of it, and from that middle to the beginning of the next, and so on for six weeks. I grew very tired, but as l was determined neither to lose my temper, nor fail of my purpose, I changed my battery .--- If, when I passed by his store I found him alone, or occupied behind the counter, I kept on, but if, as was often the case, he was engaged talk- ing with his neighbors, I made it my practice to stand within sight, my file of bills displayed in my hands, and as if waiting upon others for my turn to be attended to. After tantalizing him thus for a few minutes, I would say, "Ah, I see you are busy, Mr. P-, I will call again," After doing this four or five times P -- called on my employers, and complained to Mr. Buch- anan that he could not stand such dunning as his man Cist's." "Ah !" said Mr. B. in his quiet way, "I hope he is not rude to you. "No," said P -- , "but he haunts me to death; heis there from Monday morning till Saturday night." "Well," said Mr. Buchanan, in a tone which mingled seriousness with pleasantry. "I would not be plagued that way by any body. I think you ought to pay him off, and send him about his business."
Another hard case I had in L -. His a- vowed principle, was to owe his creditor as long as he could, and as we were personal friends, acknowledged to me, that he considered the four thousand dollars, he kept open on his neighbor's books, just so much capital in his business .--- At one time he had owed a balance on our books for nearly a year, six to nine months of which, I had been dunning him for the amount, and fi- nally got him to set a day for payment. "Call." said he "next Monday, and I will pay up." As this was Tuesday. a week more was staved off. On Monday morning the first thing I did in the way of business was to call according to ap- pointment. "You are very punctual," said he, "I generally am in business matters," I replied. "In this case however, I had another reason for being so." "Ah" said he, "what was that."- "Why." said I "if a person were to set a day to pay me money, and I did not call; it would look as though I doubted whether he meant to give it me, which," added I, "on the footing of friendship, you and I are, would be absolutely an insult; don't you think so !" He opened his eyes and stared at me, to ascertain if I was quiz- zing him. But I was perfectly serious and doubt- less looked so. He paid the debt, and I have not a shadow of doubt, I should have had to call twenty times more for it; if I had not hit him so close .
Vine Street Hill.
As our building operations in Cincinnati, and its northern liberties have enlarged last year and the present to an extent of 1500 houses, it may be of some interest to examine their fea- tures. I take building materials for my present subject. Eighty millions of bricks were laid within those bounds in 1844. An equal if not larger quantity will be laid the current year .- Within a trifle these are all made in Cincinnati, principally within the 8th Ward. As our cellars are walled with stone,a vast amount of that arti- cle, is of course requisite for foundations of va- rious sorts. There is no accurate means of reaching the quantity annually hauled into our city for that purpose, but it may be estimated as correctly as suffices for all practical purposes, at 150,000 perches. The number of perches hauled per day for the season compared with the actual cellar measurements establish this con- clusion. As to lime, it requires 120,000 bushels for laying the brick alone, referred to above .- Probably an equal quantity of stone is required for paving and macadamizing the streets in the same bounds.
A visit I made a few days since to the hill at the head of Vine street, has enabled me to wit- ness the operations by which our city is built up
77
and beautified. Through Mulberry street which connects Main street with Vine, along the edge of our northern hills, part of it having been cut down seventy feet for the purpose of obtaining a proper bed for it, stone has been, and still is quarried extensively, and the surplus earth cut down and carted aeross towards Vine street, so as to fill up the chasm between that street as it ascends the hill, and the heights to the east .-- Grading and paving to the value of sixteen thou- sand dollars have been made in this region al- ready, a large proportion of which has been ex- pended upon Mulberry street. On the scite of these improvements an extensive lime kiln has been erected, which holds fifteen hundred bush- els, and is capable of supplying three hundred bushels lime every twenty four hours. The kiln is filling and emptying all the time, cooling neither by day nor night. This is but one among the many kilns outside of the city which fur. nish us with building lime. The building stone furnished us is all taken from the hills to our north, from quarries belonging to Messrs. Torrence, Graham, Reeder, Slack and Price.
The effect of the cutting down and filling up to which I have referred, is to prepare for the connection of Cincinnati with the hill region to the north, which at no distant day must take place. Twenty years hence, additions for miles to the north will be made to Cincinnati, as a means of providing for the enlargement of the city, in the only direction in which there is room for it to extend. Spacious streets and rows of dwellings will then occupy hills and hollows. which as they now stand, seem to bid defiance to the ingenuity and resources of man in pro- viding the means, of bringing them to a suita- ble level and practical grade for ascent.
Documents of last War. HEADQUARTERS. O. M. Lower Sandusky, Nov . 6th, 1813.
SIR :
I received yours of the 4thi inst .; the in- formation given as to the want of forage at this place is correct; my horses and those of my staff, and horse teams here, have had no forage for a long time, and in consequence have had to discharge or send back teams much wanted at portage, as I am erecting a fort there, and store and block house on the other river. Capt. Reed promised sending some grain on here but could not procure the transportation until I sent three boats round to Huron river, and I expect one will be here in five or six days. My hor- sos have failed much, and I fear will die. Flour will soon be very scarce here, and · beef also-a boat load is now preparing for Bass Island, and
they only have it as they can catch it, at portage. Troops passing and re-passing so frequently makes the issues very uncertain.
I have ordered a small guard to Fort Ball, and the property must and shall be protected. I shall have the balance of the British prisoners sent on from Seneca to-morrow, 76 men, women and children, under a militia escort. I am pleased with your regular exertions in your. department as far as came within my notice. I thank you for the information as to the men and officers at McArthur, and will certainly call them to ac- count for their conduct. I am glad you are sending on some artificers, provided they have tools. I wish you to inform Capt. Catterlin, as I have not time to write him, that he must be ready to send on a detachment of a subaltern and about twenty men &c., as he will receive orders to receive the detachment from here with the prisoners to go to Franklinton, and mention this to you that they may be ready and not de- tain the prisoners at Sandusky, as it is an ob- ject to take them to provision, instead of trans- porting it to them.
I am sir, yours with esteem,
JOHN S. GANO.
B. HUGHES, A. D. Q. M. G.
HEADQUARTERS, O. M. L. Sandusky, Nov. 18th, 1813. CAPT. B. HUGHES, Upper Sandusky :
Capt. Carlinton has in charge three Brit- ish officers, prisoners of war, and who are on their parole. You will afford them all the accom- modation in your power, and facilitate their march to Chillicothe as much as possible.
By command of Maj. Gen. Gano.
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