Join the Conversation

Join the Conversation.
I invite your comments, suggestions, and additional information about any topic mentioned.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Lafayette’s Perilous Journey to Marietta

The steamboat MECHANIC chugged along at full throttle up the Ohio River below Louisville on the evening of May 8, 1825. The weather was pleasant; it had been a beautiful day. On board was Revolutionary War hero, French nobleman (General) Marquis de Lafayette, who was on a tour of America. The governors of Tennessee and Illinois, distinguished guests, and a company of voluntary infantry were also on board. Guests socialized in the fading daylight. 

Portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette, ca. 1822, attributed to Ary Scheffer, courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the John Hay Whitney Collection.

Commemorative engraving of Lafayette’s arrival in New York, August 16, 1824, by Frances Scott King, Library of Congress loc.gov. CLICK TO ENLARGE


Total darkness enveloped the boat that night. Lafayette’s son George remarked to his father, "I am surprised that in a night so dark our captain does not make a stop or at least abate his speed." Yet the MECHANIC pressed on. 

The steamboat MECHANIC had a Marietta connection: It was built by John Mitchell on the Little Muskingum River, near Rose’s Mill. It was 96 feet long and 18 feet wide - small compared to later steamboats - but well equipped with “ample power.” There were several Marietta owners, including Wyllys Hall, who was captain on the voyage with Lafayette. The boat operated near Marietta, but was hired for a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. 

While there, the MECHANIC was selected to transport General Lafayette to a tour stop in Nashville and then in Louisville. It was quite an honor - and responsibility. Lafayette was greeted at Nashville with celebratory cannon fire, a military escort, and cheers from large crowds. Capt. Hall met with General Andrew Jackson who himself piloted the MECHANIC up the Cumberland River to his estate, The Hermitage, where he hosted a dinner for Lafayette. From Nashville, Lafayette and his retinue continued on the MECHANIC to Louisville. 

Around midnight on May 8, all was quiet. Passengers slept. Only the puffing of steam engine could be heard. Suddenly, the MECHANIC shook violently and lurched to a stop. Passengers were jolted awake in shock. The boat rocked violently in the current and began to list. A log had punctured the hull; remarkably it was forced upward into the main deck, rousting out a crew member who was sleeping below. Captain Hall peered below deck with a torch. Water flooded in. The boat was doomed. Captain Hall sprang into action, untying a rowboat from the MECHANIC’s stern. It would be the rescue vessel. He shouted repeatedly, “Bring Lafayette to (the rowboat)!” 

George Lafayette rushed to his father’s cabin. Lafayette, half dressed, calmly asked, “what’s up”? We have to evacuate - right now! General Lafayette, in no hurry, said he wanted to finish dressing. George shot back - paraphrasing here - Are you kidding?!! He and Lafayette’s secretary hurried the General down to the rowboat. Capt. Hall rowed Lafayette to shore. Hall and Governor Carroll of Tennessee rowed people to safety on the riverbank. Others swam or waded to shore. 

Lafayette became frantic when he realized his son George was not present. “George! George!,” he called out, pacing nervously along the shore. Minutes ticked by; more people were rescued. But George remained unaccounted for. At the partially sunken MECHANIC rescuers were shouting out his name. “Here I am,” George calmly replied from a perch on the boat’s stern. Soon he was safely on shore. He had stayed behind to help passengers, remaining until all were rescued. Passengers commended him for his courageous assistance. 

The displaced “refugees” built a fire, dried out clothing, and shared scant bits of food retrieved from the wreck. Daylight revealed a forlorn scene. Yet they were thankful to be alive. They picked up scattered belongings and visited the sunken boat to retrieve belongings. They even found humor at their disheveled appearance; many were only partially clothed or still in sleep wear.

The next morning the steamboat PARAGON passed by and rescued them. Passengers encouraged Capt. Hall to join them. He refused, greatly distressed by the accident, “My countrymen will never forgive me for exposing Lafayette to so much danger last night.” The passengers consoled him and even wrote out a testimonial citing his exemplary conduct in helping passengers and stating that the accident was unavoidable. It acknowledged Hall’s financial loss from the boat sinking and of $1300 in personal funds (more than $40,000 in today’s dollars). Lafayette added a personal addendum praising Capt. Hall’s conduct and “acknowledging my personal obligations to him." But Capt. Wyllys Hall and some crew stayed behind with the MECHANIC.

Lafayette proceeded up river to other tour stops. The original plan was for him to travel north through the interior of Ohio. But because of time limits he continued upriver. That was fortuitous for Marietta which had not expected to see him. His boat approached Marietta on the morning of May 23, 1825. A cannon fired to announce his arrival. Soon throngs of residents crowded the waterfront to greet him. Bells rang and children were let out of school.

Nahum Ward, a wealthy Marietta landowner, had visited Lafayette in Paris a few years earlier. He hosted Lafayette in his magnificent home located on Putnam Street. Long lines of people gathered there; Lafayette greeted each personally. A list of Revolutionary War officers who settled at Marietta was read to Lafayette.  He responded, “I know them all. I saw them at Brandywine, Yorktown and Rhode Island. They were the bravest of the brave." 
Photo of Nahum Ward mansion by Harry Fischer, courtesy Marietta College Special Collections, 
edited by author


Lafayette reluctantly returned to his boat after a short visit. Crowds followed. There was cannon fire and cheering as Lafayette’s boat left.

The steamboat MECHANIC? Like an aquatic phoenix of legend, it rose from the depths, was repaired and returned to service, a witness to Marietta’s growing reputation for boatbuilding. It continued running for a few more years.*

*Stories about MECHANIC’s final disposition vary. Two of the other owners of the boat reportedly operated it on the Mississippi River. One source says it was lost in a flood while in dry dock; another says it sank near St. Louis in 1827. Another curious version is suggested by a Mississippi River landmark called “Mechanic’s Rock,” near Montrose, Iowa. It was so named because a boat named MECHANIC is said to have struck it and sank. Was that boat “our” MECHANIC or a different one with the same name? Sometimes history does not give us clear answers.

 

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Manasseh Cutler, Mac and Cheese Bad Boy

Manasseh Cutler was served macaroni and cheese at a state dinner hosted by President Thomas Jefferson in 1802. He did not like it and said so publicly. Cutler was a scientist, pastor, and architect of the new territory that enabled the settlement of Marietta and statehood for Ohio. He is considered a co-founder of Ohio University, chartered in 1804. The iconic oldest University building on campus is named Cutler Hall. 

Campus Martius historian Bill Reynolds alerted me to a curious protest about the mac and cheese thing. A presumably humorous petition (excerpt below) was launched by a student at OU, citing Cutler’s dislike of mac and cheese as an underreported blot on his record and issuing a call to action:

 

….Macaroni and cheese has grown to become integral to the 21st century college diet,…. and it (is therefore) wholly unacceptable for one of macaroni and cheese’s first and strongest detractors to represent one of our country’s finest institutions of higher learning. We call upon Ohio University to remove mentions of (Manasseh) Cutler in their advertisements, and to consider renaming Cutler Hall on College Green to a more appropriate name, such as “Mac-and-Cheese Hall...”

                  




Let’s examine the charge against Manasseh Cutler. First, macaroni was then used as a general term for pasta. So it’s a stretch to declare beyond a reasonable doubt that Cutler would have disliked today’s mac and cheese. He did record his dislike of a macaroni dish served by President Thomas Jefferson. His journal on February 6, 1802 states, “Dined at the President's – ... Dinner not as elegant as when we dined before. (It included)….. a pie called macaroni, which appeared to be a rich crust filled with….onions (which) tasted very strong, and not agreeable.” Another diner explained to Cutler that it was an Italian dish, and that the “onions” were really pasta noodles.

 

Despite its ancient origins, pasta was not well known in early America. Jefferson became a fan while he was ambassador to France in the 1780’s. He even procured a pasta making machine from Italy and made a detailed drawing of it. His serving of pasta to guests while President helped popularize it.



Thomas Jefferson’s pasta machine drawing and detailed instructions on it's operation
CLICK TO ENLARGE

 

Second, the student petition accused Manasseh Cutler of being “utterly uncultured” for snubbing macaroni. Hyperbole? Probably. In reality, Cutler was utterly cultured, one could say, and one of the most educated, articulate, and well-connected men of his time. Cutler graduated from Yale, taught school, practiced law, was ordained a minister, studied medicine, and conducted scientific research. Uncultured? Absolutely not.

 

Manasseh Cutler represented the Ohio Company of Associates who petitioned Congress in July, 1787, for the land purchase that led to Marietta’s settlement. One historian wrote, “Never was there a more ingenious, systematic and successful piece of lobbying than that of the Reverend Manasseh Cutler.” His influence can be seen in Ordinance of 1787 provisions which prohibited slavery, encouraged education, and granted freedom of religion. "Make the land worth having," Cutler told Congress. "Unless you do, we do not want it." 

 

Through his and others’ efforts, a new territory with truly American governance was created. The result was land for veterans, new settlers, five future states, and commitment to education – Ohio U. was the first university. 


The Ohio University petition is amusing, and allows us to recall Manasseh Cutler’s many accomplishments. The name “Cutler Hall” is truly well deserved.

 

Thursday, September 14, 2023

Oldest Oil Well in America?

Oldest oil well in the America? Texas, Oil City PA, Saudi Arabia (I know, it’s not in America)? But we think of places like these for oil firsts. Oil has been around for thousands of years, but only in the last 160 years have we been seeking it out through drilling. 

One of those oldest wells is within 25 miles of Marietta. The first Thorla McKee well in Noble County, Ohio, (Washington County at the time) was drilled in 1814 - for salt. Locals call it “America’s first oil well.” This well produced salt water and oil. A second well which survives today was drilled in 1816. 

1816 well with oil showing inside original 
sycamore log casing. Photo by author. 

Drake’s 1859 well in Pennsylvania was the first well drilled solely for oil. The Thorla McKee wells both produced oil, more than 50 years earlier, though it was incidental to salt recovery. People at the time were unaware of the value of oil and gas.

The drillers were entrepreneurs Silas Thorla and Robert McKee. Salt was a critical resource because of its use in daily living for food preservation and flavoring. Workers tended large kettles of boiling salt water 24 hours a day to produce salt crystals. The effort was worth it; salt from the east coast was expensive. 

 

The wells were drilled using the spring pole method, a crude technique consisting of a drilling tool attached to the end of a 30-foot-long hickory sapling. Workers jumped up and down on a rope attached to the sapling - imagine a drill bit attached to a pogo stick. It was slow and almost comical to think of now, but effective. 


Sketch of a spring pole drilling rig viewed at ethw.org 

 

The 1816 well yielded the sought-after salt water. But slimy oil was present, too. No problem. Decades earlier, Seneca Indians had observed that “oil and water don’t mix” and soaked up the floating oil using blankets. Oil from the Thorla McKee well was later sold as “Seneca Oil,” a supposed cure-all for rheumatism, coughing, and “all other ailments of humanity.” A Woodsfield, Ohio resident wrote that the well produced five barrels a week and the oil was “as fine as any oil from…a sperm whale.”

 

The oil and natural gas from the salt wells created problems. Oil often overflowed and floated on Duck Creek; sometimes a foot thick. Oil sites were often identified by swimmers who became coated with oil. Occasionally the oil ignited. A curious boy tried to ignite oil on the creek. He succeeded. A witness observed a fireball which reached 200 feet in the air and burnt tree branches “as smooth as if the blaze of a furnace had struck them.” 

 

Natural gas was a hazard, too. At the Thorla well, accumulating gas would “blow off” about once a week, blasting a geyser of salt water fifty feet in the air. Robert Caldwell was working night shift near another salt well using an open flame for light, unaware of the risk.  Suddenly there was a blinding flash as the gas ignited. Robert McKee told the story: “Mr. Caldwell said he saw a ball of fire rise upward while the timbers cracked and the irons rattled and his hair stood on end.” The explosion was heard miles away. “Robert Caldwell was not hurt, but a worse scared man was never seen on Duck Creek.” Marietta historian Samuel Hildreth wrote that the same (or similar) event spread burning oil along the stream for half a mile, creating the “novel…spectacle of a river actually on fire.” 

 

The 1816 well can be viewed at Thorla McKee Park near Caldwell, Ohio. It still emits small amounts of hydrocarbons, a living witness to the area’s pioneering role in the oil and gas industry. 

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Rufus Putnam Ingenuity Ousts British from Boston

Rufus Putnam is considered the founder of Marietta, Ohio. He had a distinguished Revolutionary War record. His specialty was fortifications. In early March, 1776, George Washington was planning a campaign to force the British army out of Boston. Rather than a risky frontal assault, he and his staff decided upon secretly fortifying Dorchester Heights with heavy artillery. Control of those hills with would give Americans effective command of the city. Rufus Putnam was a key player in this early Revolutionary War action.

The armaments1 brought from Fort Ticonderoga were ready. Bombardments at other locations were planned to distract the British. Nearly 5,000 recently recruited and enthusiastic patriots were eager for action. There was only one problem: the cold. The ground was too frozen to build trenches, earthen walls, and timber structures needed to defend the positions once occupied.

One night Putnam, then serving as an engineer building fortifications, was invited to dine at headquarters. George Washington asked him to stay afterward. He spoke passionately about the importance of fortifying Dorchester Heights. He was anxious to start the campaign but frustrated that frozen ground was holding things up. Rufus recalled, “the General (Washington) directed me to consider the subject and if I could think of any way in which it could be done, to make report to him immediately”

Rufus Putnam was the right person for this situation. He had mastered several trades by the time he was twenty years old. He was curious and relentless in solving problems. He started back to his own quarters, his mind racing. A cold wind whipped around him, an annoying reminder of the urgent situation. He passed the quarters of General Heath. Putnam recalls vividly that “(divine) providence” prompted him to stop and visit Heath. He had no reason to do so. Heath welcomed him. Putnam noticed a large book on military fortifications sitting on a table. He coaxed a reluctant Heath into lending it to him.

The next day he perused the book. His eyes fell upon an illustration of a chandelier. It was not the light fixture of today. “What is that?, he wondered, “….it is something I never heard of before.” The next page explained how it was used. That would work!  It was a low tech solution: tightly wrapped bundles of sticks (fascines) were placed in wooden frames (chandeliers). No digging required. It would stop small arms fire and grape shot. They could be quickly assembled, transported, and mounted on the hill. He consulted with his staff, then reported to Washington who approved it. Immediately they started building the structures.

At 7:00 pm on March 4, 1776, 4,000 Continental Army troops stealthily hauled armaments, the frames, and bundled sticks up the hill in hundreds of horse and oxen carts. Thunderous cannon fire from other locations distracted the British - and terrified Boston residents. A full moon helped the patriots;  a light fog hindered British visibility. Bales of hay piled along the route stifled noise.  By 4 a.m., the operation was complete.

Image of American forces on Dorchester Heights, standing behind Putnam’s chandelier frames 
and bundled sticks

At daylight, British sentries were shocked to see the plainly visible artillery placements. British General Howe reportedly said: “The rebels have done more in one night than my whole army would have done in a month.” Days later, the British evacuated Boston and never returned. It was a major victory for the patriots, enabled by the quick thinking Rufus Putnam. Washington had tried to recruit him as Chief Engineer, though Putnam declined, believing he lacked the qualifications for the job. A decade later, Rufus Putnam started planning a new settlement in the Ohio Valley at Marietta.

Ironic fortune of war: Fort Ticonderoga, where the Dorchester Heights armaments came from, was retaken a year later with an identical strategy and outcome: The British forces hauled cannons up a nearby mountain and aimed them at the fort. Like the British at Dorchester, the Americans realized their plight and abandoned the fort. 


Henry Knox conceived and executed an expedition to recover armaments captured from the British from Fort Ticonderoga, then bring them to Boston to fortify the Dorchester Heights. He reached the fort on December 5, 1775 and departed with 8 brass mortars, 6 iron mortars, one howitzer, 13 brass cannon, 30 iron cannon, a barrel of flints, and 2,300 pounds of lead. Transporting this huge assemblage required 42 sleds, 80 teams of oxen. They had to navigate rivers, wait for ample snow and ice coverage, and drag them over the hill country of western Massachusetts. But they persevered. One historian called it the greatest logistical feat of the entire war.

Sources:

“March 4, 1776, Fortification of Dorchester Heights,” massmoments.org

Baker, David B., “Rufus Putnam the Early Years,” Early Marietta local history blog

Brooks, Noah, Henry Knox, Soldier of the Revolution

Buell, Rowena, Memoirs of Rufus Putnam
Fortification of Dorchester Heights, Wikipedia

“Fort Ticonderoga (1775),” battlefields.org
French, Allen, The Siege of Boston 

Frothingham, Richard, History of the Siege of Boston etc.

Shallot, Todd, Structures in the Stream, Water, Science, and the Rise of the U. S. Army

The Writings of George Washington, Vol 3, 1775-76





Thursday, July 20, 2023

John Miller and George Morgan White Eyes: Two men without a country

John Miller was bound and left in camp by a Delaware Indian war party. The Delaware, with George Morgan White Eyes (“George”), were headed for Waterford to attack settlers at Fort Frye in March of 1791. John knew he had to escape and warn his friends at Waterford. He had lived with them in the summer of 1790, using his hunting skills to supply wild game for the fledgling settlement. 

Miller was a “Stockbridge Indian” from Massachusetts who had come to Marietta in 1788 with General James Mitchell Varnum. He had lived most of his life among white people and was less attached to his native heritage. John and George were friends at Princeton University in the 1780’s. A chance meeting between the two in 1790 at Fort Harmar rekindled their friendship. George hired John as a guide and hunter. But after several months with him and his Delaware tribe at Sandusky, John longed to rejoin his friends at Waterford.

The war party headed to southeast Ohio from Sandusky. John Miller tagged along so he could return to the area, knowing he’d have to find a way out. They camped near present day Duncan Falls on the Muskingum River. It became clear they planned to attack soon. John had to think fast: how could he stay behind without raising suspicion? He deliberately cut his foot while chopping wood, pretending it was accidental. They left him in camp but tied him up, uncertain of his intentions. 

Fort Frye, located just below present day Beverly, Ohio, was named for Lt. Joseph Frye who designed the structure which was erected after the massacre at Big Bottom in January, 1791. It was triangular, not a typical design for frontier blockhouse forts. Image from Samuel Hildreth’s Pioneer History.


John watched and listened after the Delaware war party left camp on that cold March morning. A few birds chirped in the mist; deer wandered through the camp. Otherwise it was still. Were they gone? Yes. He struggled to free himself. His mind was racing. How could he get to Waterford before the war party attacked? He watched the Muskingum River flow by, swollen by heavy rains. That was it! He would have to take his chances floating down the dangerously swift water.  By late afternoon he was free. He scrambled to retrieve logs and grapevine to build a raft. At dusk he set off, his foot throbbing. Darkness enveloped him; now he was at the mercy of the river. 

George Morgan White Eyes was the son of Delaware chief White Eyes. Early in the Revolutionary War, White Eyes had led efforts by the Delaware to build better relations with the Americans. George Morgan, Indian agent and advocate, helped arrange a treaty between the Delaware and Americans. The Delaware offered the Americans access across tribal lands and its “best and most expert warriors” in support of U.S. troops. The US pledged basic necessities (food and supplies), protection for non combatant Delaware people, and a territorial guarantee with potential future statehood. 

It was fleeting vision of an idealistic future: Indians and whites living in peace with each other. But it wasn’t to be. The Delaware honored its promises; the United States did not. And Chief White Eyes was murdered in late 1778 while guiding U.S. Troops, severely straining the relationship. George was 8 years old at the time, facing an uncertain future. 

At daybreak, John Miller was chilled through from a night on the water. He panicked as he spotted a camp fire. It was the war party. He jerked as rifle fire echoed in the hills. Fortunately, they were hunting and not firing at him. He clung prostrate to the raft, heart pounding, but skimmed past without being seen. 

He landed just above Fort Frye and cautiously approached the fort. He was dressed like an Indian but spoke good English and named people in the fort who knew him. They let him in - at gun point. Some didn’t believe his warning and thought he was a spy for the Indians. Fortunately the commander, Captain William Gray, did believe him. John gave him full details of the Indians’ plan. The settlers at Fort Frye went on full alert, working feverishly to secure the fort. Indians did finally attack after a few days and were repulsed. Miller’s warning saved many lives. 

John Miller was now in a difficult spot - like a man without a country. The Delaware Indians would torture and kill him if caught. And some of the white settlers distrusted him. He was dismayed by his predicament - and afraid. How could he be distrusted by the Indians and whites when he had friends in both groups? Yet so it was. John Miller fled to Marietta and returned to New England. His experiment at living in the Ohio Country was over.

George White Eyes’ life was also in cultural limbo. He and two other chiefs’ sons had been sent to Princeton, New Jersey in 1779 to be educated as a conciliatory gesture by Americans for his father White Eyes’ murder. The boys lived there under the guidance of George Morgan, George Morgan White Eyes namesake.

George Morgan’s Prospect Farm, ca 1797 where George Morgan White Eyes was housed. It was adjacent to College of New Jersey, as Princeton University was known at the time. From slavery.Princeton.edu.

George was overwhelmed at being thrust into an entirely new culture. He missed his father. Gone were the familiar people, landscape, and Delaware Indian customs. Yet he excelled in his classes at a private school, and then at The College of New Jersey. By his senior year, though, he had become disillusioned. And his mentor George Morgan was moving west to Missouri. He recommended to Congress that young George’s education be continued at Yale but received no response.  In August 1789, George Morgan White Eyes wrote to George Washington, “I am very sorry that the Education you have given & views you must have had when you took me into your Possession, & the Friendship which my father had for the United States (which I suppose is the chief Cause) are not sufficient Inducements, to your further providing for me.” With ambivalent feelings, George returned in 1789 to his native Delaware Indians in Ohio.

Now he too was like a man without a country, restless, uncertain of his place. White culture was unsettling to him, and after a ten year absence, reentry into his former Delaware culture would be a challenge. He had missed years of indoctrination and training - in fighting, scouting, and survival skills. And would he be accepted by Indians who barely knew him or his father?

George apparently fit in with his tribe. He took a wife, described as very young with long dark hair. Sadly, his life devolved into random aimless wandering, with her and some of his Delaware companions. One historical note says that George inherited some assets from his father White Eyes but “….squandered his (inheritance) in debauchery.” Another historian described their daily routine as “hunting by day and drinking by night.” We get a glimpse into his life through two fascinating encounters with George White Eyes by prominent Ohioans. 

Thomas Ewing, later a Lancaster attorney and U. S. Senator, had a chance meeting with him in 1796. Ewing was 6 years old, fishing on the Muskingum River with his father and older brother. Suddenly an Indian with a rifle appeared on a large rock and motioned them to shore. They complied, fearful on the Indian’s intentions. Fortunately, he only need help dragging a deer he had shot to the river.  They loaded it into the canoe and proceeded with some trepidation to the Indians’ camp. One of the group was George White Eyes. 

There was a feast of venison and ceremonial pipe smoking. Ewing’s father remembered that George had several of his school books in camp, including a “well thumbed” book of Eschylus Greek tragedies which he “took pride in exhibiting.” Ewing remembered the wife as “beautiful - dressed in a black silk robe…ornamented with silver brooches.” The next morning young Thomas recalled having fun playing with other Indian boys and learning how to more expertly gig fish.

Ephraim Cutler, prominent early settler and civic leader, was active in a work party that recovered salt from deposits near present day Chandlersville in southern Muskingum County. Salt was a valuable and scarce resource at the time. Groups from different settlements worked on a schedule. Indians often visited the site. 

One night in 1796 there was a memorable episode involving George Morgan White Eyes. He, his wife, and a Stockbridge Indian named Old Tom were drinking. George and Old Tom started arguing; Tom struck George with the blunt end of a tomahawk and fled. His wife came running into the salt camp and begged for help. Cutler and others found George unconscious and barely breathing. They brought him to the salt works. Soon a large number of Indians gathered. Several squaws went to work. They built a fire, heated a large flat rock, poured water over the rock, and directed the steam vapor around George’s face and head. This went on for several hours. The next day he was awake, alert though probably hung over, and left with the hunting party.

Two years later George Morgan White Eyes was dead. He drunkenly threatened a young man who fatally shot him. George had never found peace, trapped in a no man’s land between his native heritage, white culture, and alcoholism. We have no record about John Miller’s life after he left Ohio. As an Indian living in white man’s society, he too was out of place in the Ohio Country. Such were the conflicts that many Native Americans experienced in the early years.

Monday, April 17, 2023

Abner’s Rant

The handwriting was elegant, as though written by a calligrapher. But the inscription dated January 1, 1812 was mottled, making much of it illegible. It came from a family bible1 belonging to early Marietta businessman Abner Lord. I stared at the image. What was the message and who wrote it?

As I deciphered the words, strong emotions from over 200 years ago emerged from the page. Here is an excerpt (spelling and grammar as in the original document):

Ths Jefferson…as President of the United States - proud union to a great nation of wealthy and honest inhabitants (and brought the treasury of the states into a state of bankruptcy) and myself trusting in the confidence of the nation and have become poor and declined from affluence to a state of depression - have to labour hard in order to get support for nature and all creation by that cursed policy of our government. Tho. Jefferson & Js. Madison have no doubt betrayed & sold the United States to the French Emperor Bonaparte, for their laws and policy have now almost completed the ruin & destruction of the American nation. It is impossible to lay too much against the conduct and policy of those men.
January 1, 1812

N.B. It is my request that my family should at all times and on all suitable occasions bear testimony that this cruel policy of a Jefferson, and a Madison has been our destruction as to our interest & living.
January 1, 1812                                 Abner Lord


Image of Abner Lord family bible inscription, courtesy of Bill Reynolds


Abner Lord was angry. His successful boatbuilding business in Marietta had been ruined by the Embargo Act of 1807. Lord and others were building ocean going vessels in a small town hundreds of miles from the ocean. How could that be? Simple: build the boats, float them down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and out to the world. 

Under the Embargo Act, American ships could no longer sail into European ports. Lord’s and several other boatbuilding businesses shut down. It was a major financial setback for the local economy - and for Col. Lord.

Charles Sullivan painting depicting sailing ships in the Ohio River, viewed in New York Times article, image credited to Ohio History Connection


Abner Lord was ambitious, adventurous, and entrepreneurial - big words often associated with our pioneer settlers. He loved being part of the action, wherever that was. He moved his family in the early 1790s from Connecticut to what is now Vienna/Parkersburg WV, looking for opportunity.

But how could he make money, let alone support his family, in this still primitive settlement? Abner was shrewd; he mingled with others who had influence. With his brother-in-law Spencer he bought and sold large tracts of land in the “backlands” of Wood County. The town of Vienna was created in 1795 on 100 acres owned by the two of them. 

Records show that Abner Lord was appointed as a justice of the peace (“JP”) in Wood County. The JP’s as a group decided judicial matters in the County, so he was part of the leadership structure. However, politics were rough. Abner was kicked off the panel, then reinstated. He lobbied to have the county court located in Vienna but lost out to a Parkersburg faction. Time to move on, he figured, to another community of New Englanders: Marietta. 

Early Wood County WV courthouse circa 1802, from West Virginia State Archives, built in primitive setting in present day Parkersburg on property owned by John Stokely. Abner Lord had lobbied unsuccessfully to have the courthouse located on land he and Joseph Spencer owned in present day Vienna.


Abner moved to Marietta around 1800, though he had Marietta connections before that. He was owner of 1/2 share of the Ohio Company which entitled him to several plots of land. He was a charter member of the First Church of Marietta in 1796. He began a retail business at the foot of Front Street along the Ohio River. 

He observed that boat building was a growing industry. Several others were making good money at it. So, he opened his own shipyard, located along the Muskingum River about where the Armory is now. Several ocean going ships were built there for him. The business was profitable; he built a nice home on lower Butler Street just west of Front Street. Life was good - until the Embargo.

Financial pressures forced him to sell the home and business at a loss. His home was sold at a sheriff sale in 1810 to satisfy the mortgage on it. His anger, resentment, and embarrassment were apparent in his bible message. 

He moved to Columbus in 1811 to be nearer to his daughters. He died there in 1821. A person walking through a run down Columbus cemetery in 1872 saw this grave marker: 
Sacred to the Memory of
COL. ABNER LORD
Who Departed this Life May 2, 1821

Many settlers had a positive impact on their communities, even though things did not turn out as they planned. Abner Lord was one of those. 


1Thanks to Campus Martius Museum Historian Bill Reynolds for showing me this inscription.



Monday, January 23, 2023

A Few Things I Learned About Johnny Appleseed

The question caught me off guard. A lady passenger on the river cruise boat AMERICAN QUEEN asked me about Johnny Appleseed, the frontier-era itinerant apple tree planter. Had I researched him and his activity in Washington County, Ohio? No, I told her, believing that he spent no time here. She said emphatically that he and his family had close connections in the area. I pondered that response, standing in the early morning fog at Marietta’s Ohio River landing - on the exact spot, I later learned, where Chapman and his family landed more than 200 years ago. 

Most of us have heard of John Chapman, AKA Johnny Appleseed. He was a Massachusetts native who in the early 1800's wandered from Western Pennsylvania, to Ohio, and eventually to Indiana. He planted apple tree orchards on the leading edge of settlement in those respective areas until his death in 1845. 

Here are some of my research findings:

Don’t know much about Johnny.
The “Don’t Know Much about Hist-or-y” song lyrics float through my brain. Historical facts about John Chapman are sparse; legends and stories abound. Only a handful of documents exist - a census tract here and there, property records, and a few notes payable that he signed. Most of what we “know” comes from others who knew him or heard about him.

One of dozens of children’s books written about Johnny, many of which presented romanticized or mythical versions of him and what he did. Image from amazon.com.


Below are quotes from various authors on the search for the real Johnny:
  • William Kerrigan: “I sifted through mountains of oral traditions and tall tales about the legendary apple tree planter.  What proved to be more difficult to find were concrete traces of the real John Chapman preserved in the historical record.”
  • Karen Warwick: “Chapman’s legacy stretches far beyond his trees, to the seeds he planted in storytellers imaginations.”
  • Gary S. Williams quoting Louis Bromfield. “The truth is, of course, that Johnny Appleseed has attained that legendary status where the facts are no longer of importance.”
  • David McCullough: Much would be written and said about Johnny Appleseed, including much that has little or no bearing on the truth.
Traditions
I discovered that Johnny Appleseed authors often refer to “traditions” when studying John Chapman’s life. A tradition is a body of stories or common beliefs which may be widely circulated but often not verifiable. Example from author Kerrigan: “There was a (Pennsylvania) tradition that…John may have worked as a logger.” There are dozens of traditions from many different communities - including Marietta.

Pre-Ohio life of Johnny
Knowledge of John’s first twenty years is scant. Some broad outlines can be surmised by his father’s life. Nathaniel Chapman Sr. was a carpenter and farmer; the family was poor. John’s mother Elizabeth noted later in a letter to Nathaniel that they could not afford to buy a cow. Nathaniel was gone for several years serving in the Revolutionary War. His wife, John’s mother, Elizabeth died of tuberculosis in 1776. Nathaniel was discharged from the Continental Army in 1780 and married Lucy Cooley that same year. They lived in Longmeadow, MA. John was then six years old; it is likely that he lived in that household. One source says that John was apprenticed to an orchardist, Mr. Crawford, at age 13. If this is true, it gave him invaluable knowledge of fruit trees and orchard management. 

Moving West
He left Massachusetts in the mid 1790s and moved west. Local historians have good evidence that John Chapman established orchards near present-day Warren and Franklin PA. A Judge Lansing Wetmore gave a lecture in 1853 about an interesting character in early Warren PA history. His name was John Chapman. This “tall, stalwart, Yankee” ventured west across the Allegheny Mountains to Warren in 1796 or 97. Chapman started his trek westward in November. As he approached the summit of the range, it began to snow heavily. He was stuck for three days in a crude shelter. Several feet of snow piled up. He grimly assessed his dire situation. His provisions were running out, he had inadequate clothing for winter, and was walking barefoot. Should he press on or pull back. Either way, he was 100 miles from the nearest settlement. Apparently undaunted, he pressed on, fashioning crude snowshoes from beech saplings to navigate the deep snow. He arrived in Warren in early December and planted his first orchard on Brokenstraw Creek the next spring. Quite a story - likely told by John himself. How much was true? There would be many more stories from him.

He stayed in the Warren and Franklin area for several years, tending his orchards. His half-brother Nathaniel Jr.  joined him in 1798. Author William Kerrigan discovered a note signed by a John Chapman for supplies including “brandy, whiskey, sugar, chocolate, tobacco, three pairs of ‘mockasins,’ gunpowder, and pork.” Assuming this was our John Chapman, it varies from later descriptions of a vegetarian who drank little and did not carry a firearm. 

“The areas where Johnny Appleseed traveled,” from americacomesalive.com, according to the author. This includes most of the area where he started orchards. It does not include southern Ohio and Marietta where his travel has been documented.


Washington County connections
John Chapman had probably heard of Marietta and the new Northwest Territory from his stepmother’s cousins, the Cooleys. The Ohio Country attracted many people like the Cooleys and Chapmans looking for a fresh start. The Cooleys had moved to the area in the 1790's on “Donation Land” - 100 acre lots made available for free by the Ohio Company of Associates. There were some conditions. These lands were on the fringe of settled areas. To be eligible, owners agreed to act as sentries and if necessary help defend against Indian attacks. They also had to build a dwelling, plant crops, and set out apple and peach trees on the land within five years. It was a win-win deal: incentive to attract new settlers; more protection and growing population for the new territory.

The future Johnny Appleseed (this moniker is not attached to him until decades later) visited Marietta in 1796, or 1797, or 1798 depending on the source. Author C. Burr Dawes cites 1796 based on notes from Carl Wier Ellenwood, who lectured about Johnny Appleseed based in part on knowledge passed down from Ellenwood’s relatives in Southeast Ohio. 

John’s father Nathaniel Sr., stepmother Lucy, and his ten half brothers and sisters moved to Washington County in 1805, leaving their native Massachusetts for a better life in Ohio. They settled on land near present day Dexter City, Ohio, then part of Washington County. There is no evidence that Nathaniel Sr. ever owned property there. He may have lived on unclaimed land or on property owned by the Cooley family . 

Though John Chapman never lived here, he passed through this area on the way to and from central Ohio where he conducted his orchard activities. Author Kerrigan says: “He visited his Marietta (area) family regularly and maintained close ties to some of them for the rest of his life.”  Much evidence of this comes from relatives:
  • Author Howard Means says that a tavern owner in Lowell kept a diary which noted that John passed through annually on trips to and from Pennsylvania.
  • Minnie E. Stalling of Dexter City, Ohio, quoted by C. Burr Dawes, said, “John made trips up and down Duck Creek Valley on his way from Marietta…” 
  • He visited his brother Nathaniel Jr., though his wife Ammorillah was not a fan and made John wash up in the creek before entering their house. 
  • John spent time with Davis Chapman (youngest son of Lucy and Nathaniel) and his wife in Lowell almost every year.
  • Two local historic sites, Henderson Hall, and Blennerhassett Island State Park both claim that John Chapman visited or planted at their sites.

W. M. Glines recollections
One account by W. M. Glines, a Marietta resident, in an 1870’s booklet titled Johnny Appleseed by One Who Knew Him, gives a first hand glimpse into Chapmans’ life in the Marietta area. Quotes are from his book. The narrative is fascinating, though not always accurate. Glines cited his sources: “Much that I have said about him I have gathered from his relatives who are a very respectable lot of people, and are perfectly reliable. Other incidents related are from published reports.” 

He states that John Chapman and the rest of the family arrived in Marietta from Massachusetts on April 7, 1798, having floated down from Pittsburgh in a large dugout canoe made from a poplar tree. That date, Glines points out correctly, was the tenth anniversary of Marietta’s founding. “It being the anniversary of the first landing of the Ohio Company (at Marietta)…., the citizens young and old, were engaged in a game of foot ball, an exercise they very much delighted in.” Glines does not describe this game, perhaps an early version of soccer. John himself may have visited in 1798, but the family did not arrive until 1805.

Glines mentions many of John Chapman’s traits and experiences. There was one that I had not heard from any other sources and am not able to verify its accuracy. He states that John at age 21 “received a kick from a horse that fractured his skull, which was trepaned* at the time. From that time forth he manifested that particular character attributed to him.” Glines implies that the injury changed his behavior to the eccentric, unkempt, hermit-like popular image we associate with Johnny Appleseed.

* Trepaned (or Trepanned) is an archaic phrase describing early medical procedures for cranial injuries which may have involved drilling a hole in the skull.

His first hand account of John Chapman’s final visit to see southeast Ohio relatives in 1842 is considered to be true. John stayed in his brother Nathaniel Jr.’s home. Their sister Sally who married John Whitney lived nearby. Lightning had broken apart a large tree on the Whitney property, blasting it into strangely uniform pieces. The Whitneys used those pieces to make fence rails. John Chapman was curious when he heard this story. He wanted to see this tree and the fence rails. Off they went.

Glines, who accompanied Nathaniel and Mr. Whitney, wanted to take his gun to hunt squirrel or rabbit along the way. John objected strongly, “…he read me a severe lecture upon the subject of taking life from any living creature” because of God’s sovereignty over life. They came to a creek; Glines, Whitney, and Nathaniel rock-hopped across it. John removed his shoes and waded through it, walking barefoot the rest of the way. 

He examined the fence rails, measured them, and viewed the nearby tree where the lightning generated rails came from. He then turned to Mr. Whitney and launched into “a sermon upon the wonderful Providence of God to man.” He stated that God had provided the fence rails by striking the tree at the spot where they were needed, thereby saving the family some hard work. Emphatically, he concluded, “…can’t you see it?” Whitney thought about it and wasn’t so sure. He recalled that John had once barely survived being trapped in a snow storm and asked him why God had allowed that to happen. John replied that he was foolish to put himself in such a dangerous situation, but God was merciful to provide enough snow to dig a shelter and avoid freezing.

Glines recollections were decades old when he wrote them down. Other traditions about Johnny Appleseed were often from recollections far in the past. The illustrates one challenge for researchers: those memories that seem so vivid may become less reliable over time. And stories passed down often change in the telling and retelling. 

Story teller
Stories of John Chapman’s overcoming life threatening situations abound. He often told them to rapt children eager to hear a tall tale.  One of the oft repeated stories was set in Pennsylvania. He was traveling by canoe in late winter on a river choked with ice floes. He noticed that the ice was moving as fast as he could paddle, so he dragged his canoe on to one of the floes and floated paddle-free. He fell asleep and ended up 100 miles past his intended destination. That’s a tall tale, for sure. At a brisk current of 5 miles per hour, that would have required more than 20 hours of sleep. In another adventure, he claimed to have escaped hostile Indians by submerging himself in a marsh and breathing through a reed. In this story he again fell asleep and awoke hours later, still submerged. The Indians were gone.

Dedicated Missionary
He was a missionary of the New Church which followed the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, distributing literature bought with money from the sale of apple trees. He preached to anyone who would listen, regaling them with “Good news fresh from heaven.” One account says he founded a church. There are many stories about his care in not harming animals or any of God’s creatures in keeping with that faith. He put out a campfire when he noticed that mosquitoes were being burned by the fire. Once a rattlesnake bit him. He reflexively killed it but soon regretted his “ungodly” action. He eschewed planting trees with grafted sections because cutting harmed the trees.

Power of oratory
John could be surprisingly eloquent for someone with such an unkempt appearance. Rosella Rice, who knew Chapman: 
On the subject of apples he was very charmingly enthusiastic. One would be astonished at his beautiful description of excellent fruit. I saw him once at the table, when I was very small, telling about some apples that were new to us. His description was poetical, the language remarkably well-chosen; it could have been no finer had the whole of Webster's "Unabridged," with all its royal vocabulary, been fresh upon his ready tongue. I stood back of my mother's chair, amazed, delighted, bewildered, and vaguely realizing the wonderful powers of true oratory. I felt more than I understood.
His oratory could be just as impressive when he talked about his faith.

Orchards were a business, Chapman a business man
I always thought of Johnny Appleseed as a haphazard planter of apple trees for other people. Wrong: Orchards were a serious business for John Chapman. His work was systematic. He planted in areas of future settlement - before settlers arrived. He found good locations, planted seeds, built fencing (often using tree branches or existing briar patches) to protect the seedlings, periodically tended them, then sold the land or trees years later when settlers arrived. Some of his later orchards contained thousands of trees. Johnny Appleseed owned or leased several hundred acres of land during his life. Author Kerrigan:  “John Chapman did not die a wealthy man, but neither was he impoverished…..”

Imagined sketch of Johnny tending his trees from the 1871 article in Harpers New Monthly Magazine which first popularized John Chapman as Johnny Appleseed.


Apples were vital for early settlers
Foxweather.com article: “At the time, apples were more than just a sweet, healthy treat. Rather, they were a versatile fruit that helped people survive and their farms thrive.” Orchards were a community asset. Apples were used to make apple cider, apple butter, and vinegar. Dried apples were stored for eating during winter. They were also fed to pigs. Apples grown from seeds were not the sweet eating kind. According to Henry David Thoreau, an apple grown from seed tastes "sour enough to set a squirrel's teeth on edge and make a jay scream."

Johnny Appleseed Memorial in Noble County:
There is a monument to Johnny Appleseed near Dexter City, OH at 38345 Marietta Road (State Route 821) near the homestead where his family settled in 1805.  Parley Chapman, his half-brother and his family are buried nearby in a family cemetery on the hill above this monument. The memorial is made from small rocks donated from people all along the routes over which Johnny passed. It includes this message: “Without a hope of recompense, without a thought of pride, John Chapman planted apple trees and preached, and lived and died.”



Sources:
American Forests Magazine, author not disclosed, “From businessman to folk legend: Johnny Appleseed,” 9/26/2014
Dawes, C. Burr, “Johnny Appleseed in Marietta and Muskingum Valley,” Tallow Light, Vol 15. No. 1, 1984
Gabriel, Angeli, “How Johnny Appleseed helped establish the American frontier,” fox weather.com, 12/8/2021
Geiling, Natasha, “The Real Johnny Apppleseed Brought Apples - and Booze- to the American Frontier,” Smithsonian Magazine, 11/10/2014.
Glines, W. M., Johnny Appleseed by One Who Knew Him, The F. J. Heer Printing Co, 1922.
Howe, Henry, Historical Collection of Ohio, Vol II, C. J. Krehbiel & Co., 1904
Kelly, Kate, “Johnny Appleseed Debunked,” americacomesalive.com
Kerrigan, William, Johnny Appleseed and the American Orchard, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012.
Means, Howard, Johnny Appleseed The Man, The Myth, the American Story, Simon and Schuster, 2011
Smith, Brady, “The Real Johnny Appleseed,” heinzhistorycenter.org, 6/6/2017
Thompson, Jim, “Tribute to Johnny Appleseed The Tree Planter (Part I)”, Linworth Historical Newsletter, June, 2007, worthingtonmemory.org
Williams, Gary S. Gliding to a Better PlaceProfiles from Ohio’s Territorial Era, Buckeye Books, 2000