The historical review of Logan County, Ohio, Part 50

Author: Kennedy, Robert Patterson, 1840-1918
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1586

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James Braden, of this review, grew to manhood upon his father's farm, being reared amid pioneer scenes. At that time Indians were still numerous in this locality. the woods abounded in deer and other wild game, brush covered the plat where the court house at Bellefontaine now stands, and the settlers were few and far be- tween. Our subject acquired his educa- tion in the log building with a huge fire- place and greased paper windows, one end being used as a cooper shop. He began life for himself by working on a farm at small wages, in this way making enough to purchase a team. He also split rails at fifty cents per day.

On the 3rd of December. 1843. Mr. Braden was married in Union township to Miss Edith Spry, who was born in Champaign county, Ohio, April 7. 1823. but was only a year old when brought to Logan county by her parents, Samuel and Margaret (McGill) Spry. She died in 1885, her loss being deeply mourned by many friends as well as her immediate family. She was a noble woman who, notwithstand- ing the privations and struggles of pioneer life, took an especial pride in her family 25

to give them advantages that would be helpful to them in life. She desired to see them well educated and occupying posi- tions of honor in the community. She in- stilled into the minds of her children les- sons of industry and integrity and she lived to see her sons and daughters be- come esteemed and leading men and women in the various communities in which they located. She was a consistent member of the church and her Christianity was exemplified in her daily life. Any one in sickness or in trouble never asked for her assistance in vain. She was quick to respond to the demands of those in need or distress, but her true character was best seen in her home where she was a most loving. devoted and unselfish wife and mother. She considered no personal sac- rifice on her part too great if it would en- hance the welfare of her husband and chil- dren. She was also a faithful and loyal friend and her life was indeed a benedic- tion to those who knew her. Of the nine children born unto Mr. and Mrs. Braden seven are still living, namely: Marietta. born October 1, 1844, is unmarried and living in Nebraska. Corwin F., born De- cember 30. 1846, married Alice Spraker and has two children. Charles and Guy. He is engaged in farming in Effingham county. Illinois, is a Republican in politics and a Knight Templar Mason. Robert and James are both represented elsewhere in this volume. Matrona, born March 20, 1856, is the wife of Joseph Hutchins, a resident of Kearney, Nebraska, and they have one child living. Abigail, born No- vember 28, 1858. is the wife of James H. Hartman. of Wilsey, Kansas, and she has four sons and one daughter besides a step-

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son. Laura, born August 12, 1862, is the Throughout his native county he is widely wife of James Baker, of Delavan, Kansas, and has three sons and one daughter.

In 1847 Mr. Braden made his first pur- chase of land. buying a forty acre tract from his father and erecting thereon a log cabin. He continued to make his home in Union township until 1867. when he pur- chased two hundred and sixty-four acres of land in Harrison township and took up his residence thereon. Later he purchased an eighty acre tract of timber land; still later bought forty acres more: and in 1882 purchased fifty-seven acres where he "now resides. This land is all under a high state of cultivation and well improved with good and substantial buildings. He and his sons are considered the best posted men on the raising of fine sheep in Logan county and are meeting with excellent success in that business. Recently they sold twenty head of lambs for three hun- dred dollars to be shipped to Wyoming. Mr. Braden deserves to be classed among the self-made men of the county. his prosperity having come to him through his own well directed efforts, sound judgment, good business ability and the assistance of his estimable wife, and he is now enjoy- ing a well earned rest.

and favorably known and well deserves lionorable mention in its history.

DONN PIAATT.

One of the most distinguished citizens that America produced in the nineteenth century was Donn Piatt. While not a statesman in the sense of being one of the office holders in the national capital, there was probably no single individual outside of office who exerted a more potent influ- ence in public affairs. He likewise wielded a wide influence in many other departments of life, and he was a man of marked literary attainments, who has left to the world gems of the highest literary merit. His name has long been a familiar one in almost every household of the country, because of the act- ive part which he took in molding public opinion and shaping the national policy, and in instituting methods of national progress which would command respect and would bear investigation. He was one of the most brilliant writers ever known to the new world, and it was through this means that he became such an important figure in public life. The name of Donn Piatt will ever be upon the roll of Ohio's most eminent and honored sons, and while his work in public affairs may in time be forgotten to a degree, his lines of life and love will never fail to awaken the deepest interest and heartfelt ap- preciation of his readers.

He cast his first presidential vote for Henry Clay, the Whig candidate, in 1844: supported Jolin C. Fremont in 1856; and has since been an ardent Republican. During the Civil war he served as a trus- tee of Union township. In 1857 he was made a Mason in West Liberty Lodge. but now holds membership in Bellefon- Donn Piatt was born in Cincinnati June 2. 1819. a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Barnett ) Piatt. The father was born De- cember 26. 1779. and was a son of Jacob taine Lodge. No. 209. F. & A. M., and has also taken the degrees of the chapter and council at Bellefontaine. Religiously he is connected with the Lutheran church. Piatt, whose birth occurred on the 16th of

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May, 1747. The last named wedded Han- nalı McCollough, who was born November 6, 1760, but further back than this can the ancestry of the family be traced. John Piatt, a French Huguenot, fled from France at the great religious persecution there. fol- lowing the revocation of the edict of Nantes. Seeking a home in the new world that he might enjoy religious liberty and freedom to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience, he spent his remaining days in this country, dying in July. 1760. His wife, Frances Wykoff. nee Van Vliet. died December 26, 1776.

Donn Piatt obtained his early education in Urbana, Ohio, and afterward was a stu- dent in the Athenaeum, now St. Xavier Col- lege, in Cincinnati. He took up the study of law under the direction of his father, and for a time was a pupil of Tom Corwin. In 1851 he was appointed judge of the com- mon pleas of Hamilton county. He had won marked distinction as a member of the bar, and while he entered upon practice at a bar numbering eminent 'men of broad repu- tation, he soon displayed marked talent in coping with the intricate problems of juris- prudence. At the end of his services upon the bench he was made secretary of the le- gation at Paris, serving under Hon. John Y. Mason, of Virginia, during the admin- istrations of Presidents Pierce and Buchan- an. When the minister was attacked with apoplexy, from which he died in October. 1859, Colonel Piatt served as charge d' af- faires for nearly a year. Although a Dem- ocrat, his belief in the supremacy of the na- tional government and his position toward the attitude of the south, led him to engage actively in the presidential canvass in be- half of Abraham Lincoln upon his return to the United States. In company with

General Robert Schenck he delivered can- paign addresses throughout southern Illi- nois, and the value of his services was pub- licly announced by the president-elect.

After the inauguration of the Civil war Donn Piatt enlisted as a private at the first call for volunteers in April, 1861, and was elected Captain of Company C. Thirteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On the 28th of June of the same year he was appointed chief of staff to General Robert C. Schenck, in which position he served for three years with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and in June, 1864, he resigned because of the fail- ing health of his wife. He took part in the first battle of Bull Run, and in the engage- ment of Cross Keys, and he was a distin- guislied officer, unfaltering in support of the Union cause. General Boynton, one of his warmest friends, in writing of his war service, said :

"During one absence of the latter from Baltimore. Colonel Pjatt issued an order for enlisting slaves into the Union army. This bold step, wholly unauthorized, but to Colonel Piatt plainly logical. really led to the speedy abolition of slavery in Maryland. He was constantly in trouble with superior headquarters and the war department for cutting red tape, and doing things which he thought practical to help the war along. His whole service in the field was able, in- tensely earnest and hotly patriotic."

Colonel Piatt represented Logan county in the state legislature in 1866. His writ- ing as correspondent at Washington, D. C., for the Cincinnati Commercial won him na- tional fame. He served as correspondent from 1867 until 1871, and distinguished himself as a writer of great brilliancy. Again we quote from General Boynton: "Often somewhat indifferent to the facts, but never

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to the absurdities of the pretensions to dom failed him. Within three months of greatness on the part of many congressmen. the time he began here as a correspondent the house of representatives was known the country over as the 'Cave of Winds,' and the senate as the 'Fog Bank'-as he had christened these halls. Through long years he has made journalism attractive." In fact, he kept most of the leaders in con- stant hot water. inaugurating what has proven the now almost invariable custom of 'writing down' everything congress does. His criticisms were frequently just: it is the rare exception now that the complaints Colonel Piatt's last journalistic work to the Cleveland Plaindealer on the issues and candidates of the campaign. He did a great work for the Democracy and his terse sentences were widely quoted. In a life record of him published after his death it is said: of the would-be cynics are worthy of cre- dence. Colonel Piatt subsequently founded and edited the Washington Capital for ten years, making it so odious to many govern- ment officials that at their instance, during the presidential controversy of 1876. he was indicted - but, as he naively said, 'though trying very hard never got into jail.' On the contrary, he sold the Capital at a very handsome figure, and returned to the peace and quiet of Mac-a-cheek, where he engaged in literary work and farming.

"When he came to Washington to write of public affairs he was not only fully equip- ped, but nationally known, and all that he wrote attracted attention. He had no pa- tience with shams and official pretensions. He put razor edges on his denunciations. They cut to the marrow. The shades are full of public men bearing the scars of his pen. He did brave and valuable work for the common people. He peeled the veneering from shoddy society, and cansed it to be seen at its real worth. He was not one to quail, or in any de- gree hold his hands, or slacken his blows in dealing with dignitaries. It would not be correct, nor is it necessary to his fame to say that he was always right. . But he was always in earnest. and always believed him- self right. He used words as ammunition. He gave them a high initial velocity as they were struck off from his pen, and when he intended them to cut and to wound they sel-

"It is not generally known that it was Donn Piatt who supplied the word 'crank' in its present peculiar and popular use. He was writing in his paper. the Washington Capital, which under his editorship was the most fearless, vigorous, aggressive and il- lustrious journal in the land, of a well known journalist. now long since dead. whom he characterized as an appendage to a coffee mill that ceaselessly ground out hobbies. The term used in this connection was at once made public property, but it was not until applied to the slayer of Garfield that it found its way to every- body's tongue. 'Twisting the British lion's tail' is a pet phrase derived from the same source. Senator Zach Chadler in a speech in the senate chamber had taken occasion to arraign the British government in unusually severe terms. prompted pre- sumably by the presence in the gallery of the British minister. When the next is- sue of the Capital appeared it contained a parodied version of the speech headed with the phrase mentioned that set the en- tire country into a roar that was echoed from across the ocean. 'The cave of the winds,' as applied to the national house of

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representatives, and the 'fog bank' for the name. John Hare. When only sixteen years senate, are other well known offsprings of his pen, and 'Wanamakered,' a term of more recent invention expressive of the discharge of government employes on po- litical grounds, is still another."

One of the most notable of Colonel Piatt's letter productions was his enter- taining volume. "Memories of the Men Who Saved the Union," whom he desig- nates as Lincoln. Stanton. Chase, Seward and General George H. Thomas, is sharp- ly critical, but its strong passages and just appreciation of the great deeds of great men more than atone for this fault, if it be one. The Westminister Review de- scribes it as "The record of great geniuses, told by a genius."

The home life of Donn Piatt was ideal. He first married Louise Kirby, who was born in Cincinnati, November 25. 1826, and they were married on the 16th of August, 1847. They had but one child. Mac-a-cheek, who died at the age of two years and Mrs. Piatt passed away October 2, 1864. On the 12th of July. 1866. he wedded her sister. Miss Ella Kirby, who was born in Cincinnati, March 17. 1838, and completed her education by two years' study in Paris, France. She now survives him and is living in West Liberty. He died November 12. 1891. These ladies were the daughters of Timothy and Amelia (Metcalf) Kirby. Their mother was twice married. being the widow of John Hare when she became the wife of Timothy Kirby February 11. 1826. She was a daughter of Jolin Metcalf of Vir- ginia and was born in 1803. The family removed to Clermont county, Ohio; in her early girlhood. By her first husband she had one son to whom was given his father's

of age she was left a widow; and when a young man her son died in California about 1850. Timothy Kirby, the father of Mrs. Piatt, was born at Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut, November 16, 1797, a son of Zebulin and Louisa (Gib- son) Kirby, who were married May 3, 1795. Timothy Kirby became their second son. He removed with his parents to Stockbridge, Massachusetts. in 1803. and there he entered a woolen factory and learned the trade of manufacturing broad- clothi. He was afterward a student in Lenox Academy and when but seventeen years of age he removed to Ohio, going down the Allegheny river upon a raft, his destination being Cincinnati. He engaged in teaching school at Eaton soon after his arrival and subsequently he became a stu- dent in the Cincinnati College. When his college work was completed he entered the office of General William Lytle in Cin- cinnati, then the military .land surveyor having jurisdiction over the district of Ohio. Mr. Kirby remained with him for seven years. About 1825 he took up the study of law under the direction of Joseph S. Bonham and was admitted to the bar of the supreme court in the May term of 1827. He never made great advancement. however, as a lawyer, and soon returned to the land business. In 1828 he received from the Philadelphia board of directors of the bank of the United States an ap- pointment as land agent at Cincinnati, subordinate to.George W. Jones. In 1836 he was appointed agent and continued to act in that capacity through all the changes made in the control of the Bank of the United States until the business was closed out and the proceeds remitted. During

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this long period a large amount of busi- ness was done in the land-office. In all transfers Mr. Kirby devised simple logical means of describing lands. making his de- scription new, original and free from com- plications. This improvement saved in- was the publication of a series of letters finite trouble and loss of time and had a good effect upon the land records. of Cin- cinnati. His care in perfecting titles in- spired confidence among those connected with him in the business and these cir- cumstances combined with the bank busi- ness which he also carried on enabled him to steadily amass a fortune. He died June 10, 1876, in Cincinnati, Ohio, leaving an estate valued at between two and three millions of dollars.

It was on the 11th of February, 1826, in Clermont county, Ohio, that Timothy Kirby was married to Amelia Metcalf Hare, who was born in 1804. a daughter of John Metcalf of Virginia and the widow of John Hare. She died January 2, 1867. Mr. Kirby was one of the most distinguished financiers of Ohio at an early day and his life and efforts proved an integral fac- tor in the development of this state.

In 1880 Colonel Piatt retired from pub- lic life in Washington to his home in Lo- gan county in order that he might devote more time to his wife in the hope of re- storing her health. His beautiful home lay in the charming little valley of the Mac-a-cheek, through which flows the brook which gives the place its name. It was at this brook that Colonel Piatt wrote.

"I heard the bob white whistle in the dewy breath of morn;

The bloom was on the elder and the tassel on the corn.

I stood with beating heart by the bab- bling Mac-a-chee,

To see my love come down the glen to keep her tryst with me."

Speaking of his home life at the time of his death one of his historians said :

"It was at the edge of this valley and on a wooded hillside facing the sun that Donn Piatt built of stone and oak an ele- gant mansion, known through all the coun- try as 'The Castle'-built it, like his fame, to last through centuries. Well might it have been called the Castle Content. As seen from this great stone mansion the valley of the Mac-a-check presents as fair a vision as ever delighted the eye of man. Of it Tom Corwin summed up a descrip- tion in the few words: 'A man can better live and die here than any place I have ever seen.' The picturesque architecture is in delightful harmony with the grand scenery about it, and the rare picture brings to mind the historic castles along the Rhine. after one of which it is said to have been modeled. The luxury and love with which he surrounded himself amid this calm and content made of Mac-o-chee a paradise. Little wonder that he should write :

'My days among these wilds are spent In restful calm repose ; No carking cares or discontent Disturb life's fiting close. Beyond these wooded hills I hear The world's unceasing roar, As breaks upon some inland ear The tumult of a shore.'

"Here this remarkable man lived after his retirement from a career that made

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his name widely known and deeply loved. Here he tenderly nursed his invalid wife and contented himself in being a mere looker on upon the great events of the outer world in which he had formerly taken so prominent a part. He devoted himself to thought and drew graver les- sons of life from nature. The sweet son- nets, novels, short stories as well as the political and historical sketches he wrote here in his old age are among the best of his life.

"About a mile to the southwest of the residence and hidden from it by woods and hills is the pioneer burying ground of the Piatts. It is situated on a hillside beside an old log church. now in decay, that was erected when a few pews would seat the entire settlement. On the brow of the hill facing the sunset is the massive tomb in which rest the remains of two genera- tions of the family. On the top of the tomb directly over the entrance is a monu- ment and medallion of Louise, the wife of Donn Piatt's youth, and on the reverse side of the marble block is chiseled an epitaph that is considered one of the most touching ever composed. It was written by the bereaved husband and is as fol- lows :

'To thy dear memory, darling, and my own

I build in grief this monumental stone ;

All that it tells of life in death is thine,

All that it means of death in life is mine ;

For that which makes thy purer spirit blest

In anguish deep hath brought my soul un- rest ;

You, dying, live to find a life divine,

I, living, die till death had made me thine.'

"Almost diagonally across the narrow valley from the residence of Donn Piatt is that. equally elegant, of General A. Sanders Piatt. soldier. statesman and writer. little less illustrious than was his eminent brother. Although General Piatt's name appears in history chiefly be- cause of his distinguished service in the late war. yet he has given to the world through his pen not a few poems of which the tenderness of feeling and delicacy of expression have won for him a fame al- most equal to that attained through his sword. He has reached the allotted three- score and ten. but bears his years easily. and the whitening of his hairs serves through contrast to bring into notice the ruddiness of his cheeks and brightness of his eyes.

"The affection always existing between these two brothers was so tender and loyal that it rendered their intercourse lumi- nous. Each sought the other's counsel in all grave matters and while their opinions often widely differed and this divergence frequently brought these two forceful men into most spirited controversy, they never failed in the end to come to an . agreement and part with their mutual re- spect increased and their love all the more strengthened. This fervent attachment grew with their years from earliest boy- hood, and in all their long lives not a single cloud ever cast a shadow between them.

"In his private home life Colonel Piatt displayed a phase of his character as truly remarkable as that in which he appeared before the public. His tender devotion to his invalid wife was the pivot on which his many sided character revolved. Hers was the only hand that could guide him, her

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will the only one he recognized as superior journalist. In each and every line of work to his own. He not only granted her every want but sought constantly to an- ticipate them. Her rule was one of love, and his submission was his sweetest joy. For her sake he gave up his sway at Wash- ington, renounced all upon which his genius and ambition seemed to be cen- tered and shut himself up in the little Mac-a-cheek valley away from man that he might devote his whole attention, aided by pure air and clear sunshine, to nursing her back to health. And he did it gladly. As he saw the bloom come back to her cheeks and strength return to her palsied limbs he was content with his reward.

"In doing this he was far from regard- ing himself as a martyr. He knew that nothing he could do for her could be as much as she deserved. He realized the treasure he had in her possession and simply sought to be worthy of it. For a more refined and nobler woman never blessed the life of any man.

"Not only to her, but to all about him. he was uniformly kind and considerate. Not an animal was there upon his farm but loved him, and not one servant in his house or fields but gladly would have died for him. With all worthy his esteem he was invariably jovial, generous, impulsive. loyal and earnest. For his enemies. of whom more can be said for their quantity than quality, he entertained in private only the sincerest contempt and seldom spoke of them except in jest.

"As he appeared before the public the most remarkable thing about this most re- markable man was his versatility. He was equally successful as poet. politician, his- torian, dramatist. critic, wit, lawyer, judge. diplomat, theologian, soldier. orator,

mentioned he has made a distinct and separate reputation that is national. In all combined he has won fame that extends wherever the English and French lan- guages are understood. No two men look at him alike. One is captivated by his wit, another impressed by his profound thought, another charmed by his exquis- ite literary style and another shocked by his keen, remorseless sarcasm. In each heart that knew him he leaves a monu- ment of different design. Millions ad- mired him, thousands loved him, hundreds hated him, all respected him. In more ways than one his, though not the great- est, was certainly the most remarkable character of the century.

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The historical review of Logan County, Ohio, Part 50

Author: Kennedy, Robert Patterson, 1840-1918 Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1586

Author: Kennedy, Robert Patterson, 1840-1918
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1586