USA > Ohio > The history of the state of Ohio; from the discovery of the great valley, to the present time > Part 58
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Promoted to the rank of captain, Harrison was entrusted with the command of Fort Washington. Here he married a daughter of John Cleaves Symmes, a wealthy frontiersman. In 1797, he, being then twenty-four years of age, was appointed Secretary of the Northwestern Territory and ex-officio Lieutenant Governor. Gen. St. Clair was then Governor of the Territory. In the Spring of 1800, this almost boundless territory was divided by Congress into two por-
*There appears to be some doubt as to whether or not General Harrison was ever ap- pointed Governor of the Northwestern Territory. In a paper prepared by A. H. Dunlevy, Esq., of Lebanon, Ohio, from the papers of his father, Judge Francis Dunlevy, and read be- fore the Ohio Historical Society, of Cincinnati, by Robert Clarke, Esq., June 24, 1869, giving the reasons for the removal of Gen. St. Clair by President Jefferson, it is asserted that Gen. Harrison was immediately appointed to the office of Governor upon the removal of Gen. St. Clair. Judge Dunlevy above referred to was one of three persons who were instrumental in securing the removal of Gov. St. Clair (see life of St. Clair) and his papers would naturally be considered good authority. If Harrison was appointed, it is quite evident that he never en- tered upon the duties of the office. It may have been that the time from his appointment until the organization of the state was so brief that it did not admit of his acceptance of the office. The records of the State of Ohio show that he never filled the position, save as ex- officio Lieutenant Governor when Secretary of the territory before its division.
JOHN SHERMAN U. S. Senator.
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tions ; the eastern portion, comprehending the present State of Ohio, was called the territory northwest of the Ohio. The western portion, including the States of Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, received the name of the Indiana Territory. William Henry Harrison was appointed by President John Adams Governor of the Indiana Territory. Soon after this, Upper Louisiana was added to his do- main. In point of territory, his realms were now almost as extensive as those of any other ruler upon the globe. There were then in the Indiana Territory but three white settlements.
Land was purchased of the Indians. Emigration poured in. A territorial legislature was organized. The governor, a man of intelligence, kind-hearted, and of dignified bearing, occupied the gubernatorial chair for twelve years with dignity which commanded universal respect. There perhaps never was a man of more scrupulous sense of honor in all his business transactions.
Many of the hunting grounds of the Indians were sold by individual chiefs, who had no legitimate title to the lands, and who were drugged with whisky to induce them to enter into disastrous treaties. Tecumseh, one of the most intelligent and noble of the Indian chiefs, endeavored to unite the tribes in an agreement that no more of their hunting grounds should be sold without the consent of all the tribes.
It was then supposed that Tecumseh was endeavoring to ally the tribes, with the intention of exterminating the whites. Governor Harrison's anxieties were aroused. Anxious to ascertain the facts, he invited Tecumseh, and his brother, the prophet, to an interview at Vincennes. The proud chief came, with a retinue of four hundred warriors, in their most gorgeous barbaric array. The chief solemnly declared that he had no idea of making war, but that he was determined to prevent, if possible, any further disposal of their hunting grounds.
This led to mutual recriminations. A bloody conflict was narrowly escaped, in which each party would have accused the other of treachery. The militia of Vincennes were under arms, and could easily have overpowered the Indian warriors. But the governor had promised the chief protection coming and going. Not long after this, the governor visited Tecumseh, at his village on Tippecanoe River. The chief reiterated his declaration that he had no inten- tion of making war ; but that if he could prevent it, no more of the Indian lands should be given up, without the consent of all the tribes.
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The months rolled on. Rumors of an Indian outbreak filled the air. Gov- ernor Harrison placed himself at the head of a thousand troops ; marched to the valley of the Tippecanoe. A fierce battle ensued. Each party accused the other of being the assailant. Tecumseh was absent in the South. His brother, Olliwacheca, called the Prophet, led the Indians. The Indians, having lost nearly two hundred of their warriors, fled. Governor Harrison burned their town, trampled down their crops, and destroyed everything which could aid them in any future hostilities.
The second war with England came. The Indians, maddened by what they declared was a totally unjustifiable attack upon them, eagerly enlisted under the British standard. We have had occasion, in the foregoing narrative, minutely to recount all these scenes. Hull surrendered Detroit. Harrison was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Northwestern army. Through mid-
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night marches, bloody conflicts ; through storms of sleet and snow, encoun- tering hunger and cold, sickness and toil, he marched to victory.
Urged by Governor Harrison, the government constructed a fleet on Lake Erie. Perry encountered the English ships and reported to the government, "We have met the enemy and they are ours." Harrison recaptured Detroit ; pursued the retreating British into Canada, and won the victory of the Thames. Peace ensued.
Governor Harrison's acquaintance with the Indian character rendered him eminently useful in treating with them. Though his energetic course, in arresting the fraudulent plans of unprincipled men, had raised up many enemies against him, the masses of the people appreciated his virtues. In 1816, he represented the District of Ohio in the National House of Representatives. In Congress he occupied a conspicuous position. His past achievements, his patriotic views and his powers of eloquence gave him much distinction. He condemned General Jackson's invasion of Florida. The general never for- gave him.
In 1819, Governor Harrison was elected to the Senate of Ohio, In 1824, as one of the Presidential electors, he gave the vote of the state for Henry Clay. The same year he was chosen to the Senate of the United States. In 1828, John Quincy Adams appointed him Minister Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Colombia. Andrew Jackson, upon his accession to the Presidency, peremp- torily recalled him. He repaired to his farm at North Bend. At one time he owned a distillery. He abandoned the business and condemned it as sinful. At the age of eighteen he inherited slaves. His own reflections led him to denounce the institution, and he became a strong abolitionist. Dueling was fashionable with southern gentlemen. He declared the practice to be a sin against God.
In 1836 he was brought forward as a candidate for the Presidency of the United States. He lost the election. The Hon. Martin Van Buren was chosen. Four years later he was renominated. His triumph was signal. He received two hundred and thirty-four electoral votes. Mr. Van Buren received sixty. His passage to the capital, through our cities and villages, presented a constant triumph. He was inaugurated on the 4th of March, 1840. On the 4th of April he died, of a violent pleurisy fever, after a sickness of but a few days. His death was universally regretted. Not a stain has sullied his character. Through all time the name of William Henry Harrison will be pronounced with love and reverence.
HON. EDWARD TIFFIN.
[See page 211.]
Somewhere about the year 1798, Edward Tiffin, a young man but twenty years of age, emigrated from Philadelphia to the boundless wilderness west of the Alleghanies, then known only as the Northwestern Territory, and inhabited mainly by savages. He was born in England, in comfortable if not in affluent circumstances. Having there obtained a good English education, he came to the new world to seek his fortune. He entered a medical school at Phila-
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delphia, and, graduating with honor, before he had attained his twenty-first year, turned his adventurous steps toward the setting sun.
Upon the banks of the Scioto there was a small hamlet of log houses beauti- fully situated, which was called Chillicothe. Edward Tiffin would have been an accession of value to any settlement in the West. Here he selected his residence. He was a man of well cultivated mind, gentlemanly manners, a friendly spirit, and his conduct was guided, not only by high morality, but by true Christian principle. He immediately identified himself with his new home and its enterprising people. He rapidly acquired reputation, not only for his skill as a physician, but also for his virtues as a man. Immediately he was introduced into political life in the legislature, and was chosen President of the Constitutional Convention in 1802.
His fame and popularity rapidly extended, and he was almost unanimously elected the first governor of the newly formed state. This important office he held for five consecutive years, with wise statesmanship, seeking in every way to develop the resources of the state. In the year 1809 he was chosen to the Senate of the United States. In this enlarged sphere of power he did very much to promote the interests of Ohio. Public lands were surveyed, new measures of transporting the mails organized, and the navigation of the Ohio River much improved.
His devotion to the public interests was so entire that he neglected his own private affairs. But for this he would unquestionably have accumulated a large property. Retiring from the Senate, he was in the year 1812 appointed by Presi- dent Madison Commissioner of the General Land Office. In 1814 he was appointed, by the same President, Surveyor General of the Northwest. These duties he discharged with such ability that he retained the office through the four administrations of Madison, Monroe, Adams and Jackson. He died at Chillicothe, still holding several important offices, on the 9th of August, 1829.
The community mourned the loss of a great and a good man. Though not largely rich he had ample means, and refined taste embellished his beautiful home. His earnest piety was an important element in promoting the best interests of the town; and numerous guests, the most distinguished in the land, were lured to his hospitable board. A costly monument marks the spot where his body now rests.
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HON. THOMAS KIRKER. [See page 231.]
In the year 1807, there was, as we have mentioned, a hotly contested election for Governor of Ohio. Return Jonathan Meigs and Nathaniel Massie were rival candidates. Return Jonathan Meigs received the majority of votes. The General Assembly, however, declared him ineligible, pronouncing him to be a non-resident. Mr. Massie was also declared not elected, he not having received the necessary number of votes.
Hon. Thomas Kirker was then Acting Governor, by virtue of his office of Speaker of the State Senate, when Edward Tiffin resigned that office to take his seat in the United States Senate. He continued in office until another election in 1808, when Samuel Huntington received the suffrages of the people.
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But little information can now be obtained respecting Governor Kirker. Nothing of interest occurred during his brief administration, and we know not where he was born or where he died.
HON. SAMUEL HUNTINGTON
[See page 255.]
In the year 1765, Samuel Huntington was born at Norwich, Connecticut. This town, now one of the most beautiful in this or any other land, was then a small, struggling village, hewn out of the wilderness on the banks of the Thames. He was of Puritan stock. His were noble Christian parents. Could the whole story of his eventful life be told, it would occupy a volume, and would constitute one of the most interesting and exciting of narratives, full of the elements of what is usually called a sensational story.
Samuel was born of an illustrious family. He graduated at Yale College in 1785, an accomplished scholar, and an unusually courteous gentleman. Study- ing law, he commenced practice in his native town. In 1793 he married an accomplished lady of his own name. Even then the mighty West was drawing its emigrants, and large companies were being formed to speculate in the public. lands.
Samuel Huntington became interested in the " Western Reserve " lands. At the age of thirty-five, he started on an exploring tour to these regions. He set. out on horseback for the long, circuitous and weary journey, across mountains and ravines, and through prairies and forests. He first visited Southern Ohio, and reached Youngstown the latter part of July, 1800. Thence he visited Marietta, where he was cordially received by Governor St. Clair and other distinguished men who were prominent in the organization of that colony. The young lawyer was so much pleased with the country and the hospitality of the people that he- decided to emigrate with his family, and took immediate measures to be ad- mitted to the bar of Ohio.
In the Fall he returned to Norwich, via Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The following Spring he took his wife and children in what was then called an " Ohio wagon," canvas-covered, for their long and rough journey of many hundred miles. With their heavily laden wagon, drawn by two horses, they could sel- dom make more than thirty miles a day. The incidents he encountered upon this long journey, often through solitudes of indescribable gloom, must have been very eventful.
Mr. Huntington established his permanent residence at Cleveland, in the midst of its stumps and girdled forest. Many of the settlers had vacated the cabins which they had at first reared, and had erected new huts on the high land, back of the town, hoping to escape te si ckness which had sorely afflicted them on the lower grounds. It must have been for some time a sad life for a lady so accomplished and so unaccustomed to privation as was Mrs. Huntington. It was necessary for her husband often to be absent, leaving her alone with her children in their solitary hut.
Often Mrs. Huntington was compelled to bar the door of the block-house, which was called their wooden castle, to shut out drunken and riotous Indians
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who were striving to break in. Rapidly Mr. Huntington rose to distinction. General St. Clair appointed him lieutenant colonel in a regiment of Trumbull County militia. He was then elevated to the position of Presiding Judge in the Court of Quarter Sessions. In 1802 he became a member of the Constitu- tional Convention, and by that body was appointed State Senator for Trumbull County. For some time he was Speaker of the Senate, and was elected by the Legislature to a seat on the Supreme Court of Ohio.
Upon the organization of the Territory of Michigan, he was offered the posi- tion of Judge of the District Court of that Territory, but he declined the office. Other important offices were pressed upon him, which he declined. The pros- pects of Cleveland, in its early settlement were not encouraging, as very serious sickness prevailed there. Mr. Huntington, then Judge of the Supreme Court, removed to Newburg, where he took great interest in erecting a grist mill, which was a very important affair for that young community.
Not long after this, in the year 1809, he purchased a finely located farm, on the eastern shore of Grand River, between Painesville and Lake Erie. Here he erected a mansion, commodious, and, for those days, quite imposing in its archi- tecture. The house still remains, attesting the good taste of the original pro- prietor. It stands in a position which commands a lovely view of the Grand River Valley, rich in fine scenery; of the distant summits of the mountains of Geauga County in the south ; and, far away in the north, of the expanded waters of that inland ocean, Lake Erie. Many shade trees which his own hands planted still ornament the grounds.
It is worthy of note, that while Judge Huntington was on the bench, a severe conflict arose between the legislative and judicial departments of the state. The Legislature passed a law conferring certain rights upon justices of the peace, which the judges of the Supreme Court declared to be unconstitutional. The lower house filed articles of impeachment against the judges. But in the mean- time the people of Ohio chose Judge Huntington governor of the state. He therefore resigned his judicial seat, and was not brought to trial. Not quite a two- thirds majority could be obtained against the other two judges, and they conse- quently escaped conviction.
After occupying the gubernatorial chair for one term, during which nothing of moment occurred, he retired to his pleasant home on Grand River. His prominence was such that he could not well keep out of public life. In 1812 he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, when the second war with Great Britain came upon us. England, in possession of the Canadas, endeavored to arm all the savage tribes, over which she could obtain control, to desolate our frontiers. Hull surrendered Detroit. Beneath the banners of England the howling savage marched with dripping tomahawk and scalping- knife. Cottages blazed in midnight conflagration. Women and children were butchered or carried into captivity worse than death. Universal consternation reigned throughout the whole extent of our northwestern border land.
Governor Huntington, with General Cass, visited Washington to represent to the National authorities the dreadful state of affairs in Northern Ohio. The Governor was appointed District Paymaster, with the rank of colonel, and returned to the samp of General Harrison, with a supply of funds, in the
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shape of government drafts, and with the promise of additional aid. He remained for many months with the army, co-operating in all the ways in his power to its efficiency, until peace was declared, when he returned again to the blessed employments of a tranquil home and a peaceful life. In the year 1817 he died, after a lingering sickness, leaving the reputation of unusually accom- plished scholarship, of great executive ability, and of integrity of the highest order.
HON. RETURN JONATHAN MEIGS.
[See page 273.]
Return Jonathan Meigs, who inherited the name of an illustrious father, was born in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1765. When twenty years of age he graduated at Yale College, with the highest honors of his class. Returning to his native town, on the banks of the Connecticut River, he studied law and entered upon its practice. When twenty-three years of age he married Miss Sophia Wright, and, with his young bride, set out for the boundless wilderness of the Northwestern Territory.
He had selected the infant settlement of Marrietta for his residence, and had purchased a large tract of land there. In the course of this history we have already had occasion to refer to many of the heroic enterprises in which he was called to act a part. When Mr. Meigs arrived at Marrietta, in the Autumn of the year 1788, the whole region was an almost unbroken wilderness. Still in the little cluster of log huts, which were gathered for protection around the Campus Martius, there were many families who, in intellectual culture, in social virtues and in refinement of manners would have been ornaments to any community.
Mr. Meigs commenced with great energy cultivating his spacious lands. Occasionally his professional services were required in settling the little difficul- ties which arose among the inhabitants scattered widely around. A man of true worth will soon become known and revered wherever he may be. Mr. Meigs rapidly gained the confidence of the community. Governor St. Clair became his warm friend.
England, after the war of the Revolution, continued, for a long time, very unfriendly to the United States. Her proud government could not forget the humiliation of defeat. In anticipation of another war, her officials in Canada, as we have mentioned, were assiduous in their endeavors to win the co-opera- tion of the savages, and to feed the flame of their hostility against the United States. This could easily be done, for even the most unintelligent Indian could not fail to perceive the rapid encroachments of civilization upon their ancient hunting grounds.
In the year 1790, Governor St. Clair sent Mr. Meigs with dispatches to the British Commandant, at Detroit, remonstrating against the unfriendly measures which the authorities there were pursuing. The remonstrance was of no avail in arresting Indian depredations and incursions. Mr. Meigs, however, per- formed his mission to the entire acceptance of the government. A full record
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of his adventures with the Indians, his perils and his hair-breadth escapes would occupy more space than could here be allotted to it. Many of the events are recorded in previous pages.
In the Winter of 1802 he was elected, by the Legislature, a judge of the Supreme Court. The associate judges were Samuel Huntington and George Tod, whose son David was subsequently governor of the state. In the year 1804 the United States Government having purchased of France the vast Territory then called Louisiana, President Jefferson appointed Mr. Meigs to the command of the upper portion of that district, with the title of brevet colonel in the United States Army. Here, with the additional dignity of a judge of the Supreme Court of Louisiana, he remained but little more than a year, when, in consequence of a failure of health, he returned to Ohio.
Soon after this President Jefferson, in appreciation of his high abilities, appointed him United States Judge for the District of Michigan. He had but just entered upon the duties of this office when he was nominated for the gubernatorial chair of Ohio. He was elected by a majority of votes over the rival candidate, General Nathaniel Massie. But the State Senate declared his election void, as it was said he had forfeited his citizenship by his residence in Louisiana and Michigan. Very gracefully Judge Meigs bowed acceptance to the decision of the Senate. He was immediately elected Judge of the Supreme Court, and soon after was sent to the United States Senate to fill out the unex- pired term of the Hon. John Smith, who had resigned that post to avoid impeachment for alleged complication with the Aaron Burr conspiracy. At the same session of the Legislature Judge Meigs was chosen to a full term in the United States Senate from the 4th of March, 1809.
The next year he was chosen Governor of Ohio, after a very hotly contested election, by a majority of over two thousand. His reputation was greatly increased by the remarkable ability displayed in his inaugural address. Soon the cruel war with Great Britain and the savages broke out. Governor Meigs con- secrated all his sleepless energies to the defense of the frontiers, and thus saved many lives and much property. His tireless devotion to this work and the military ability he displayed gave him national renown.
President Madison called Governor Meigs into his Cabinet to fill the very important office of Postmaster General. Here he proved to be the right man in the right place. For nine years he discharged these arduous duties with admirable skill, winning the highest commendation both of the government and of the nation. Declining health rendered it necessary for him to retire. His declining years he spent, revered and beloved by all, in his quiet home at Marietta. He died on the 29th of March, 1825. In the graveyard at Marietta his body now reposes, awaiting the judgment trump at whose summons the dead shall rise. In all the relations of social life his conduct was worthy of imitation. And all who knew him testified to the remarkable fidelity with which he discharged all the duties as a patriot and a Christian.
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HON. OTHNIEL LOOKER.
[See page 291.]
Othniel Looker was born of humble parents in the State of New York on the 4thof October, 1757. With scarcely any advantages for education in early life, he enlisted as a private in the War of the Revolution, and immediately after peace, probably receiving land for his services, emigrated across the Alle- ghanies to the Northwestern Territory.
He built his cabin, with his own ax opened his clearing in the gigantic forests, and commenced his life labors as a hard-working farmer. Being a man of integrity, of sound judgment, and of constantly increasing intelligence, he gradually gained the respect and confidence of the community.
He was first sent to the Legislature. Availing himself of all the advantages ; of that practical school of political knowledge, he so rose in public esteem as to be sent to the Senate. The worthy character of the man is shown in the fact that he eventually became Speaker of the Senate.
While in that position, Mr. Meigs, who was then Governor, resigned his chair, to accept the office of Postmaster General under President Madison .. Thus Mr. Looker, by virtue of his office, was promoted to the dignity of the Chief Executive. He served but eight months, when he was succeeded by Thomas Worthington.
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