SEPTEMBER 2005 Historical & Genealogy Newsletter for Washington County, Ohio Published by Debbie Noland Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net You may reprint any articles from this newsletter unless it specifically states otherwise. Any reprint must be used for non-commercial, educational or research purposes. Copying or reprinting any article that appears in this newsletter for the use of "profit" is strictly prohibited. Copyright © 2004-2005 THIS NEWSLETTER IS ARCHIVED IN "PLAIN TEXT" FORMAT. IN ORDER TO ACCESS ANY OF THE LINKS BELOW, YOU MUST COPY AND PASTE THEM INTO YOUR BROWSER. (Photo Sketch of Griffin Green) Does not appear in this archived editon. Subscribers only..- Before you begin reading this edition of the Newsletter, I am asking that everyone pray for the ones in Mississippi, and New Orleans who are affected by the hurricane. The devastation is beyond what anyone can imagine. My heart goes out to all the people there. To the ones who lives there, and to everyone helping in the rescue and recovery. There are several people who subscribe to this Newsletter who live in that area, some of whom, I'm sure the readers have corresponded with in the past. I hope and pray that they are okay, and will hear from them soon. Yesterday I received an email from Susie Dent. I am going to copy and paste part of her email here. I'm sure she won't mind, because many people know Susie through her emails that come across the Rootsweb Washington Co., Ohio Mailing List. Since Rootsweb only allows genealogy and history related subjects, I feel the need to let you all know through this Newsletter. " We are doing just fine. The southern part of the state suffered the brunt of the storm. We live about 300 to 350 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. We had lots of rain and winds about 50-60 mph. We have lots of leaves, twigs and small tree limbs in the yard. There are some big trees down in the neighborhood and a church lost its steeple nearby. We lost power Monday night about 10 p.m. and it came back on about 8 a.m. Tuesday. There are some refugees staying in the local coliseum-shelter and some have rented motel rooms and apartments in the area. A nurse told me this morning that some of the hospital patients are going to be brought from the affected areas to our local hospital. There was a run on the gas stations today and some are out of gas. Those that still are selling gas are limiting the amounts to 10 gallons per car. The price jumped from $2.45 per gallon to $2.99 per gallon overnight. We are told that the price of gas should be about $3.15 by this weekend. I bought a bunch of groceries today to get ahead of any price increases. We had filled up our van with gas on Sunday. Sugar may go up in price and it may be in short supply. Most of the sugar cane grows in Louisiana. I sure wish those natural disasters would give us all on Earth a break and not happen so frequently. I sure have prayed more lately. I wish more would do the same." If anyone who subscribes to this Newsletter that has been affected by this terrible disaster, and/or family members in the areas of the Gulf Coast. I would like you to email me at Diamonddeb@comcast.net Please know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers. ============================================================================ "Over The River" And Through The Woods......... Unknown Burial Places of Washington County Residents Written and submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net Can't seem to find a burial place of a long lost ancestor from Washington Co.? Chances are they could be buried in an adjoining county in Ohio or even in the counties of Wood, Pleasants, & Tyler in West Virginia. These counties boarder the Ohio River. Directly across the river is Washington Co., Ohio. If you know what township they were in before they died, try looking into all adjoing counties and don't forget to venture over into West Virginia. Many Washington County residents were actually buried over in West Virginia or what was once Virginia before 1863. For example..... Most people know where to look in the adjoing counties in Ohio. But if you believe that your ancestor died in Little Hocking, Belpre, Dunham, Warren, lower Newport or Marietta areas, try looking in the Wood Co., WV cemeteries. If they died in the upper Newport, Independence, Lawrence or Grandview areas, try looking for them in the Pleasants & Tyler County, WV cemeteries. Please keep in mind that the above is just an example of what townships boarder the Ohio River into West Virginia. Being from a certian township in Washington County, doesn't always mean they are buried in the counties directly across the river, but it is a good starting point into where to look if you hit the ultimate brick wall in Washington County or any county in Ohio. Before you give up hope in ever finding out where someone is buried, be sure to check these places out. If you can't find them there, try looking into the adjoining counties of where you are searching. The same goes for finding birth & marriage records. This is one fine example to the saying, "Over The River And Through The Woods" NOTE: To give you a head start of places to look for cemeteries in Wood County, of some early pioneer burial records that was read by John H. House. There are a few Washington Co. Ohio pioneers buried in these cemeteries. http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvwood/john.htm Also Interment.net has quite a few cemeteries listed in Wood Co. http://www.interment.net/us/wv/wood.htm ============================================================================ Tid Bits of Information About Early West Virginia Counties Written and submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net Some family historians are already aware of this info, but I thought I would pass this along to those of you who are just beginning their research of ancestors in Washington County, Ohio if they migrated from Virginia or West Virginia. Wood County, Virginia (now WV) wasn't formed until 1798. Before that, it was part of Harrison County, Virginia. West Virginia didn't become a state until June 20, 1863. Check out this 1792 map of Virginia. Parts of which later became West Virginia. Take note how big Harrison, Ohio, and Kanawha Counties were back then. http://www.rootsweb.com/~vagenweb/1792map.gif Check out the WV Archives and History. Tells about when each county was formed. Also LINKS that will take you to the county. http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvcounties.html Early landowners in Harrison County (1796-1806) as recorded in the land tax books of the county and copied by the WPA in the 1930s. Harrison County then included all or some of what is now Harrison, Lewis, Upshur, Taylor, Marion, Braxton, Gilmer, Doddridge, Ritchie, and Calhoun counties. Also gives other info relating to Harrison and Lewis Counties. http://www.hackerscreek.com/genilink.htm ============================================================================ Ancestor Tells of The Journey in 1772 Extraced and Submitted by Ernie Thode ernie@wcplib.lib.oh.us Marietta Times, 28 May 1910, p. 6, cols. 4 & 5 DESCENDANT OF EARLIEST SETTLER MAY COME HERE DELAWARE MAN SAYS ANCESTOR CAME TO MARIETTA IN 1772 HEARS OF HOMECOMING AND PLANS TO MAKE CITY A VISIT If his present plans are carried out, one of the notable settlers at the big Home Coming and College Jubilee will be W. H. H. Hardin, of Delaware, Ohio, a descendant of one of the first settlers of Marietta. Mr. Hardin's people were, according to the family traditions, among those who first landed in this city andhis coming back to the scenes where his people helped in the beginning of Marietta will be of interest, both to himself and to the people of the city. Mr. Hardin's plans are made known in a letter to this office and with it he enclosed a copy of the invitations to the annual Hardin family reunion which was held last August at Glenware[last part hard to read] Park near Delaware. An effort will be made to induce Mr. Hardin to carry out his plans and come to this city. His letter is as follows: Editor, Dear Sir, I have noticed in the papers that there is to be a celebration in Marietta the first week of the month of June and (as I understand) it is in honor of the first white settlers. As the traditional story is handed down to usw, (The Hardins of today) we can boast of that honor, as our history dates back to 1772 when our people left Summerset County, Pa., and came down the OHio river on a raft with their household effects, women and children. Strong men managed the rafts, and the older men and larger boys came overland in wagons bringing what they needed in the way of tools and implements such as they had in those days, together with their domestic animals. But before their separation they gathered together in humble devotion to their Almighty God and Creator, asking for his guidance and protection in this adventure. This old stock of Hardins was a very devotional band of Christian workers and were at peace with the red men of the forest and were not injured or molested when the people were out to flight at Neighborsville, now called Newcomerstown. At the time of the above mentioend meeting they also devised plans for the future to be acted upon in trying to get together again. This one plan was to the effect that on a certain Thursday in the near future at a certain hour in the afternoon one of the men was to blow the old "conch" shell and if the persons in the raft heard the blowing of the old conch shell they were to answer by shooting the old gun called "Germany." Tradition as handed down to us the present generation says that this all transpired, and two years ago the writer of this article had the pleasure of seeing and blowing that same old conch shell at one annual Hardin reunion. My people here are urging me to attend your celebration and if I do come I expect to bring that same old shell with me. Enclosed is one of our cards of last year so that you will see that I am no fraud. Respectfully, W. H. H. HARDIN 123 1/2 West Williams Street Delaware, Ohio P.S. The old colonists names as far as I am able to give them are as follows: T. E. Hardin, Friends, Patten, Noggle, Spangler, and Cole. ============================================================================ Nehemiah Davis Biography Son of Elisha and Nancy (Allison) Davis Extraced and Submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net History of Marion County, Ohio and Representive Citizens, 1907 NEHEMIAH DAVIS, (Grand Township) a substantial farmer of Grand Township, was born in Washington County, Ohio, August 14, 1816. He is a son of Elisha and Nancy (Ellison) Davis. His mother died in 1818, and his father married Susan Mason, and in 1828 removed to Marion County, settling in Grand Township, where he entered 160 acres of land, which has since been included in Marseilles Township, Wyandot County. He resided on the land he took up from the Government till 1840; then removed near Five Points, Montgomery Township, and purchased 160 acres of land, on which he died April 22, 1841. His widow, after his death, returned to Washington County, Ohio. Our subject is the second son of five children. He came to the county with his father when twelve years old, and has since resided within its limits. He remained with his father till he died, when he became the owner of 120 acres of the homestead. In 1842, he settled on their farm, and the following year moved to the land his father had entered, and in 1844 he bought 210 acres of his present farm, on which be has since resided. To this original purchase he has made additions till he now owns 899 acres located in Grand and Salt Rock Townships. October 26, 1842, he was married to Miss Mary A., daughter of Hugh V. and Sarah (Yazel) Smith. Mrs. Davis was born in Clark County, Ohio, October 5, 1820. To them were born three children. William E. married Princess Everett; Hugh V. married Julia Clements; and Sarah E., now Mrs. Taylor Everett. Mr. Davis is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics is a Republican. He has always pursued the avocation of farming and stock-raising, and his broad and well-stocked farms attest to his success. ============================================================================ Sarah (Davis) Sprague Biography Daughter of Elisha and Nancy (Allison) Davis Extraced and Submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net History of Marion County, Ohio and Representive Citizens, 1907 SARAH SPRAGUE (Montgomery Township) was born in Washington County, Ohio, August 7, 1807, and was the daughter of Elisha and Nancy (Allison) Davis. She was married, December 28, 1826, to William Sprague. From this marriage there were eleven children, four living, as follows: Elisha D., born November 11, 1827; Sarah E., June 22, 1838; William H.. October 21, 1840, and Emily O., October 5, 1845. The deceased are Ann E., born December 9, 1830; Viletta, born August 30, 1833; Arinda, August 11, 1835; Louisa A., April 3, 1843; Olive P., April 5, 1848; Wilber N., December 15, 1850. All of the foregoing children died when from two to seven years of age and Satira was born May 11, 1829. and died November 11, 1860, William Sprague, the father of these children, was born May 2, 1805, and died September 16, 1850, leaving Mrs. Sprague with six children to care for. Those that grow to be men and women are highly respected citizens. For the last thirty years Mrs. Sprague has depended upon her own management of business affairs, which has been successful. Some time since, she sold her farm of 320 acres near Scott Town, and now resides in a pleasant residence on Main Street, La Rue, with her daughter Emily. She is a member of the Free-Will Baptist Church. The parents of Mrs. Sprague were of English and Irish ancestry, and natives of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania respectively, and came to Ohio with their parents at a very early period. Her father came to Marion County in 1823, remaining about two years, and subsequently settled permanently in Montgomery Township, where he died aged sixty-seven years. His wife had then been dead twenty-nine years. ============================================================================ Edgar B. Kinkead Biography Son of Isaac Benton and Hannah (Thornburg) Kinkead Extraced and Submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net Centiennial History of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio By: William Alexander Taylor , 1909 Pgs. 794-796 EDGAR B. KINKEAD Ohio has ever been distinguished by reason of the eminence of her bench and bar and among the prominent lawyers of the capital city are numbered Edgar P. Kinkead whose contributions to legal literature as well as his practice as counselor and advocate have gained him preeminence as a representative of the legal profession. While lie has a broad knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence, he possesses too a keenly analytical mind that has ever enabled him to discriminate between the essential and the non-essential and to place in due relative proportion all of the points bearing upon his cases. Mr. Kinkead was born near Beverly. Washington county, Ohio, March 14, 1863. He is descended in the paternal line from Scotch-Irish ancestry, the founder of the family in America, being David Kinkead, his great-grandfather, who came from Dungarvan. Ireland, immediately after the Revolutionary war. He enlisted on board a man-of-war during the period of hostilities, expecting in that way to reach the new world but, being disappointed in this, sailed from Belfast to the United States on the first ship that left port after the conclusion of peace, landing at Philadelphia in 1783. His parents were Isaac Benton and Hannah (Thornburg) Kinkead, and the father, in active business life, devoted his attention to the lumber trade. That Edgar B. Kinkead was endowed by nature with keen intellectual force is indicated by the fact that when but a boy of twelve years he conducted a school amid the forests of Washington county, to which locality his father's lumber business had called him. Edgar B. Kinkead held a little school, his pupils being the children of the neighborhood whose advantages had been inferior to his own. Later he resumed his education as a student in Marietta College and later he spent a, few months in taking subscriptions for a book, but his desire was to become a member of the bar and to this end he began to study law in September, 1881, spending a year's time in an office. For six years he filled the position of deputy clerk in the office of the probate judge of Washington county and in 1887 he was appointed a deputy in the office of the clerk of the supreme court of Ohio. Not long afterward he entered upon five years' service as assistant state law librarian, and while thus engaged the devoted the hours usually designated as "leisure" to the study of law and prepared and published his first contribution to legal literature. This volume, entitled "Self Preparation for Final Examination," was issued in 1893. The previous year he had assisted in the preparation of a work called "Booth on Street Railways," and he is also the author of "Kinkead's Code Pleading," which is in two volumes and was first published in 1894, the second edition being issued in 1898. In 1897 he brought out "Kinkead's Instructions and Entries" and in 1900, "Kinkead's Practice" and "Kinkead's Comtions, which have been received by the bench and the bar as volumes that treat authoritatively upon the subjects discussed therein. In 1890 Mr. Kinkead served for a time as editor of the Ohio Law Journal and in 1895 he became a member of the faculty of the law department of the Ohio State University, being regarded as one of the able law educators of the state, addressing his classes with clearness and perspicuity upon the subjects that come in his department. Almost from the beginning of his identification with the bar he has enjoyed a large clientage and his work in the courts has been of a most important character. He was associated as special counsel for the state in the celebrated Standard Oil litigation and other cases of national importance, in which he-attracted widespread attention by his learning and masterly manipulation of the cause and facts. His oratory, clothed in the sound logic of truth, carries conviction to the minds of judge and jury. While prompted by a laudable ambition to attain success that is characteristic of every great lawyer and while his devotion to his clients' interests is proverbial, he never forgets that he owes a still higher allegiance to the majesty of the law. He is an able, efficient and conscientious minister in the temple of justice, having always conformed his practice to a high standard of professional ethics, making it always his purpose to aid the court in the administration of justice. Mr. Kinkead was married January 20, 1883, to Miss Nellie M. Snyder, a native of Canada, and they have one daughter, Mabel, born October 16, 1883. Mr. Kinkead is recognized as a valued member of various organizations. He belongs to the Delta Upsilon, a college fraternity. and to the Phi Delta. Phi. a law fraternity. n 1888 lie joined the Knights of Pythias Lodge of Columbus, has filled all of its chairs. and in 1895 he was appointed by the grand chancellor of the domain of Ohio as a member of the grand tribunal of Ohio for a term of four years. while in May, 1899. he was reappointed for another terns of five years. He holds membership with the Universalist church but his religion is too broad for creed or dogma. as he believes in living the Christ life, in doing all the good one can and in living as newly right as possible His political allegiance is given to the Republican party and his support of its principles is unfaltering for he believes that they contain the best elements of good government. In his boyhood he cherished the ambition of having a large library and fine horses and in the course of years he has come to have both of these ambitions realized. Much more has come to him. for in life he learned to seek only that which is worth while, never choosing the second best, and all times uses his native talents and forces so that he seems to realize at any one point of his career the possibilities for successful accomplishment at that point. ============================================================================ Brooks Ford Beebe Biography Son of William Beebe, Jr. Extraced and Submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio, 1894 Page 680 BROOKS FORD BEEBE, physician, office and residence No. 70 East Fourth street, was born June 25, 1850, in Washington county, Ohio. His father, William Beebe, M. D., was the only son of William Beebe, M. D., who was one of the first physicians of Ohio and a surgeon in the Mexican war. William Beebe the younger was born in Belpre, Washington Co., Ohio, in 1822, received his medical education in Cincinnati and New York, was surgeon in the Union army during the Rebellion, and was engaged in the general practice of his profession in Washington county, Ohio, for about forty years. He died in 1887, while on a visit to Minnesota. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Rathbone, was a daughter of Doming Rathbone, a native of New England, and Catherine (Putnam) Rathbone, a native of Ohio. of New England ancestry, and was born in Belpre, Ohio, in 1827. She died in 1885, shortly after the family removed from Ohio to the beautiful county of Cherokee in southeast Kansas. She was the mother of six children, of whore the following are living: Warren Loring Beebe, M. D., residing at St. Cloud. Minn.; William Putnam Beebe, M. D., who lives in Columbus,, Kans.; Elizabeth Beebe, who is a resident of St. Cloud, Minn., and Brooks F. Beebe, M. D., Cincinnati. The latter commenced his education in the common schools, was prepared for college in private schools and a member of the class that graduated from the Marietta (Ohio) College in 1873. When eighteen years of age he passed the teachers examination, received a certificate of the highest grade and taught school for a few years while fitting himself for college. After one successful year at college he decided to go into mercantile business, which he did for a period of three years, but finding the work not congenial he commenced the study of medicine, the profession of his father, grandfather and brothers, and graduated from the Medical College of Ohio, in Cincinnati, March 10, 1880. The following year be was resident physician at the Good Samaritan Hospital, a position obtained by competitive examination. For the succeeding eight years he was A. A. Surgeon in the U. S. M. Hospital Service, and stationed at Cincinnati, in the meantime attending to a growing private practice and his duties at the Medical College of Ohio, with which he had been connected since his graduation. At present he is clinician to the medical clinic and instructor in physical diagnosis. He is a member of the Academy of Medicine and the Ohio State Medical Society. ============================================================================ Biography of John R. Spencer, M.D. Son of Albaness and Perlinia (Dye) Spencer Extraced and Submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio, 1894 Pg. 686 JOHN R. SPENCER, M. D., Cincinnati, was born August 27, 1854, in Washington county, Ohio, son of Albaness and Perlinia (Dye) Spencer. His grandfather, Samuel P. Spencer, was a southern planter in his early manhood, and later became a contractor; his paternal grandmother's name was Catherine Proffett. His father was born May 3, 1822, in Lee county, Va., and his aged mother January 1, 1829, in Washington county, Ohio. When Albaness Spencer was a mere boy his parents moved to Louisville, Ky., where he attended school and assisted his father, who was a government contractor there. When eighteen years of age his parents moved to Cairo, Ill., where his father soon afterward died of a malignant fever, leaving him the only support f his widowed mother and two sisters. Sometime after his father's death he moved the family to Marietta, Ohio, near which place he engaged in farming, in which business he has since continued, now owning and operating a fine farm in Washington county, Ohio. He was married November 14, 1848, to Miss Perlinia Dye, and they reared a family of six children, of whom two are doctors and four are teachers. The mother died December 9, 1889. Our subject was educated in the public schools of Marietta, and at Marietta College. He taught school for six years previous to commencing the study of medicine with Dr. J. H. McElhinney, of Hills, Washington Co., Ohio, and also while prosecuting his studies. He then entered the Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati, whence be was graduated June 7, 1881. He first opened an office at Stanleyville, Ohio, in the fall of 1881, and practiced there for six years, when he moved to Cincinnati, and entered upon the general practice of his profession. He is a member of the Ohio State Eclectic Medical Association; the Cincinnati Eclectic Medical Society, and is on the medical staff of the new Eclectic Hospital of Cincinnati. He is an Odd Fellow and a Knight of Pythias. Dr. Spencer was married March 27, 1883, to Eliza R,, daughter of Peter and Rhoda (Whitney) Becker. Mr. Becker was a German by birth, and came to this country when nineteen years of age; his wife descended from a Yankee family by the name f Whitney, which came from Maine in the early history of Ohio; they were also of German descent. Dr. and Mrs. Spencer have one daughter, May B., born August 7, 1886. In religion they are Protestants, and politically he is a Republican. ============================================================================ The Dawes Aboretum Written and Submitted by Henry Burke burkeh@charter.net The Dawes Arboretum by Henry Robert Burke Tuesday, October 5, 2004 Part 1 Arboretum means a place where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes. As the fall foliage season approaches in southeastern Ohio, perhaps it is a good time to merge the history of the American settlement of southeastern Ohio history with its natural history. For those who have not visited the Dawes Arboretum, I highly recommend you take make the short trip. The Dawes Arboretum is located some 20 miles west of Zanesville, Ohio on Ohio Route 13, three miles north of I-70 (Exit 132) or five miles south of Newark. This has to be the most beautiful and educational nature sites in Ohio. Beman Gates Dawes, and his wife Bertie, founded The Dawes Arboretum in 1929 to demonstrate the value of trees and shrubs. Today, The Dawes Arboretum encompasses nearly 1,650 acres of plant collections and natural areas that offer unique educational experiences in any season. Beman Gates Dawes, founder of The Dawes Arboretum, was born in Marietta, Ohio, on January 14, 1870. Early in his life, Beman became interested in engineering and surveying. At the age of 18, Beman engineered the construction of a railroad tunnel near Marietta for the M. C. & C. Railroad. Between 1889 and 1890, he helped with his ailing father's railroad lumber business. In 1890, he was in Mexico as a construction engineer for a railroad company. In 1891, Beman moved back to Marietta, where he continued his engineering career and became involved in the real estate business. Beman Dawes then moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where his brother, Charles Gates, was a successful attorney. Beman bought part interest in the Lincoln Coal Company. On January 30, 1893, he took over the ownership of the entire company. While in Lincoln, Beman met Bertie O. Burr and fell in love. The Dawes family history is filled with notable individuals. Beman Gates Dawes was a descendant of William Dawes, who came to the New World in 1635 from England. The family had already been in the colonies five generations when Beman Dawes' great-great-grandfather, William Dawes (1745-1799), rode into American history with Paul Revere and Dr. Samuel Prescott on the night of April 18, 1775 to warn of the coming of the redcoats. During the same period, another great-great-grandfather of Beman Dawes, the Reverend Dr. Manasseh Cutler (1742-1823), was studying flora and investigating the medicinal applications of herbs and other plants. Manasseh Cutler graduated from Yale in 1765 where he studied Linnaeus' botanical teachings. He then wrote: An Account of Some of the Vegetable Productions Naturally Growing in this Part of America, Botanically Arranged. This was published in 1785 by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Boston. Later, Manasseh Cutler discussed the study of plants with Benjamin Franklin and visited William Bartram's botanical garden with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. A member of U.S. Congress from 1801 to 1805, earlier Cutler had helped draft the Ordinance of 1787, the legislation that established a system of government and education, along with prohibiting slavery, in the Northwest Territory. He was also the agent for the Ohio Company that sold land to early settlers. Manasseh Cutler is also one the founders of Ohio University in Athens. Manasseh Cutler's son, Judge Ephraim Cutler (1767-1853) of Constitution, Washington County, Ohio continued the political heritage of his father by introducing the Bill of Rights in Ohio's Constitution in 1802. He is also credited with initiating the activity that became known as the Underground Railroad. The Dawes Arboretum by Henry Robert Burke Part II Beman Dawes' great-grandfather William Mears Dawes (1771-1855),son of William Dawes who rode into American history with Paul Revere and Dr. Samuel Prescott to warn of the British invasion, settled in Malta, Morgan County in 1817-1818. In 1834, William Mears Dawes and wife, Abigail Holden Dawes, moved to Alexandria in Licking County, leaving fourth son, Henry, with the family business in Malta. Henry married Sarah Cutler, daughter of Judge Ephraim Cutler, in 1829. After serving in the Ohio legislature in the middle 1800s, Henry moved to Wisconsin, where he also served in the state legislature before his death in 1867. William Mears Dawes, was a major benefactor of Oberlin College and a noted abolitionist in the antislavery movement. Grandson James W. Dawes was later governor of Nebraska. The father of The Arboretum's founder was Rufus R. Dawes (1838-1899), son of Henry and Sarah Cutler Dawes. Rufus was born in Malta, Ohio on July 4, 1838. Rufus served gallantly as commander of the 6 Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, dubbed the "Bloody 6th", during the Civil War. His unit suffered the highest causalities per capita of any regiment in the Civil War. At the close of the Civil War, Rufus R. Dawes was promoted to Brigadier General. and later served a term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rufus R. Dawes spent his adult life in Marietta, Ohio. He married Mary Beman Gates (1842-1921) on January 18, 1864, and together they raised six children. Of these six, the four brothers, Charles Gates, Rufus Cutler, Henry May, and Beman Gates became nationally and internationally known. Charles G. Dawes (1865-1951), the oldest son of Rufus and Mary Gates Dawes, was born in Marietta on August 27, 1865; his mother's twenty-third birthday. After being a Brigadier General during W.W.I, Charles Gates Dawes became the first Director of the U.S. Budget during the Harding Administration. In 1925, he received a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in chairing the Finance Committee of Experts that drafted the Dawes Plan in 1923-24, enabling German reparations payments to the Allied Nations. From 1925 to 1929, Charles G. Dawes served as Vice President of the United States under Calvin Coolidge. He ended his illustrious political career as Ambassador to Great Britain from 1929-32. Rufus Cutler Dawes (1867-1940), second son of Rufus and Mary Gates Dawes, was President of the Chicago World's Fair in 1933 and 1934. A lawyer by profession, Rufus received "Chicago's Most Distinguished Citizen Award" in 1934. He was the president of several utility companies and of Dawes Brothers, Incorporated. The youngest Dawes brother, Henry May (1877-1952), became the president of several banks. He was appointed Comptroller of the Currency by Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. He also served as President of The Pure Oil Company from 1924 to 1947. His most lasting contribution to Pure Oil was the use of the "English cottage" design for all of the gasoline stations. Bertie Burr was a daughter of Mary and Carlos Calvin Burr. Her father was a prominent attorney who served as the mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska between 1885 and 1887. On July 23, 1891, prior to meeting Beman, Miss Burr gained fame by saving two women from drowning. In honor of her heroic act, she was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal on June 14, 1892. Bertie was a self-taught naturalist with many interests and talents, including gardening, fishing, collecting butterflies and seashells, and, photography. Beman and Bertie were married in 1894. About a year later, the newlyweds' first child was born. In 1896, Beman & Bertie Dawes moved to Newark, Ohio and took up residence at 107 E. Church St. They moved to another house on Granville Street in Newark sometime prior to October 25, 1898. After living in Newark for a short time, The Dawes family moved back to Marietta (about 1900) and purchased their own home. Between 1897 and 1906, Beman and Bertie brought four other children into the world. Over time, they bought four additional houses; one in Columbus, Ohio; one in Canada; one in Florida; and, of course, the one at Daweswood. Mr. Dawes continued to expand his engineering career and, with the help of his brothers, he bought several utility companies. By January 19, 1897, Beman was President & Treasurer of The Newark Gas Light & Coke Company. By 1902, Beman and his brothers controlled eight companies and were considering purchasing 12 others and amalgamating them under their control. In 1900, while living in Marietta, Beman founded the Ohio River Bridge and Ferry Comp any. On September 1, 1903 this company opened a bridge that it had constructed between Marietta, Ohio and Williamstown, West Virginia. Shortly after the bridge was completed, Beman was elected to Congress. A Republican, he represented the 15th Congressional district of Ohio for two terms (1905-1909). This district included the Marietta area. After his Congressional years, Beman returned to a more active management of his gas companies. Sometime between 1913 and 1915, he moved his family from Marietta to Columbus. In 1913, Mr. Dawes and partner Fletcher Heath invested in the Columbus Gas & Fuel Company. Beman was president and Heath was secretary-treasurer. In 1914, Dawes and Heath founded the Columbus Production Company. A few days later, this organization changed its name to The Ohio Cities Gas Company.76 The discovery of oil in 1914, at Cabin Creek, West Virginia and the additional purchase of a number of oil and gas companies and refineries guaranteed the success of The Ohio Cities Gas Company. In 1920, The Ohio Cities Gas Company changed its name to The Pure Oil Company. By 1924, when Beman resigned as president of The Pure Oil Company to become Chairman of the Board, assets of the company totaled 221 million dollars. Beman continued as chairman of Pure Oil until 1947. He remained a member of the board and executive committee until his death in 1953. The Pure Oil Company merged with the Union Oil Company of California (Union 76 or UNOCAL) about a dozen years after Beman Dawes' death. Bertie Dawes died in 1958. By setting up an endowment fund and a private foundation, Beman and Bertie Dawes insured The Arboretum a long life. In addition to Beman and Bertie, the original trustees included the five Dawes children; Beman Gates Jr., Carlos Burr, Ephraim Cutler, Henry and Dorothy Dawes Young. Other founding trustees were Edwin C. Wright and Edward L. Taylor. Jr Beman Dawes served as Chairman of the Board. In the Deed of Trust, Beman and Bertie chose both of their successors to the Board, "first, the president or chief executive officer of the leading educational institution of the State of Ohio, as determined by said Trustees, and second, the president or chief executive officer of The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society". The Board of Trustees chose The Ohio State University as the leading educational institution in the state. The presidents of OSU and The Ohio Historical Society serve as exofficio trustees, as does the director of The Arboretum. At the first trustee meeting after Beman's death, Beman Gates Dawes, Jr. was elected Chairman of the Board.He was followed by two other sons of Beman and Bertie Dawes; Carlos Burr and Henry. Carlos Burr Dawes served as The Arboretum's only combination Chairman of the Board/Director of The Arboretum. Next came Dorothy Young Mann, daughter of Dorothy Dawes Young and Jo Dawes Higgins, daughter of Ephraim C. Dawes.The current Chairman of the Board is Mary Jane Dawes Bolon, daughter of Carlos Burr Dawes. Four of our current trustees are direct descendants of Beman and Bertie Dawes. Current trustees include Mary Jane Dawes Bolon, Dana Dawes Hibbard, Josephine H. Jacobsmeyer, Teresa A. Young, William T. McConnell, Robert N. Drake, Janet W. Halliday, Patrick R. Hart, Grant Douglass, Richard Sisson and Robert F. Hendricks. The Dawes Arboretum employs a staff of 36. Our director is Luke E. Messinger. In addition, nearly 300 dedicated volunteers assist The Arboretum in many areas. The Dawes Arboretum offers classes in Horticulture, Nature and History. ============================================================================ Did You Know????............. Submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net Did you know that Amos Porter was the last of the 48 orginial pioneers to die? He died in 1861 at the age of 92 years. He was 19 yrs. old when he arrived in Marietta, and was a resident of Washington County for about 73 yrs. ============================================================================ Websites Worth Checking Out Submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net SOLE FAMILY TRAVELS Henry Burke has some wonderful and very educational websites on the Underground Railroad in Washington County, Ohio. Another site that is a must see, is Henry Burke's page on the web site of "Sole Family Travels". This also has Photos, Maps, Markers, and educational information, not only in Washington County, but Wood County, WV. too. While you're there be sure to check out the rest of the website by clicking on SITE INDEX at the top of the page. http://www.soulfamilytravels.com/henry-burke.html You can search http://www.google.com/ for other sites and articles of Henry's. Type or copy & paste "Henry Burke" in the search engine. An article that was in the July 31, 2005 editon of the Charleston Gazette (West Virginia) Titled: "Underground Railroad First Network To Help Runaway Slaves Started Near Parkersburg, Historian says" Part of this article explains the depth of the Ohio River back in those days, as not as deep or wide as it is today. MUST READ!! Very informative and educational. http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=652&topicId=22196&docId=l:299775559&start=1 NOTE: Speaking about the depth of the Ohio River back in those days.....Take for example, Rick Ritchie and I share a Gr. Gr. Gr. Grandfather, whose name was Joseph Johnson. About the year of 1793 he drowned in the Ohio River by trying to save a friend. As they were trying to cross on horseback at either Fishing Creek or Big Run, 2 miles south of Marietta in Virginia (now WV). Joseph saw his friend had been dismounted and knowing he couldn't swim, went to his aid, but was caught by an uprooted tree in the current which dragged him under. His body being found later several miles below. (Francis Howe Johnson) Some pioneers have actually said that they could see and hear everything that took place on the Virginia shore while they were standing in Ohio. So, history tells us if you were to cross the river by horseback and could hear and see things that took place if they were standing on the shore line, then the water had to of been very shallow in some parts before the dams were built. WASHINGTON COUNTY CONNECTIONS (Ohio Public Library Information Network) http://www.oplin.org/page.php?Id=63-16-197&msg ============================================================================ Now Online............ Cedarville Cemetery Inscriptions As photographed and read by Debbie Noland Nitsche in 2004 and 2005 Includes notes from photos and excerts from other transcriptions found in the information center at the cemetery, and excerts of book written by Marietta Chapter DAR, 1923. Also an article written by Catherine Sams in Jan. 1986. (Copied with permission) All you have to do is click on the name to take you directly to the photo of their headstone. CLICK HERE Photos Of Headstones Submitted by Terry Ward Headstones of Lewis Tice, Hiram C. Stewart and John & Rebecca Ward - Bell Ridge Cem., Grandview Twp. http://hometown.aol.com/washcoheadstones/grandview.html Photos of People Circa 1926-27 Dean Jackson Johnson and his Grandmother, Alta Coyle Farnsworth http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/n/i/t/Debra-Nitsche/PHOTO/0094photo.html Submitted by Ron Russell Lucy THOMAS' House at Coal Run, Ohio (Vida, James, Lucy, Ed, & Lena THOMAS) Circa 1927 James Finley HANSON, Melzar, Lucy (Hanson), & Ed THOMAS (Taken before 1919) James and Ed THOMAS (As young boys) Submitted by Diane Vallon 2 Photos of Edward Wilson Currier (circa 1904 & 1916) Submitted by Kay Warden Harmar Grade School, 4th Grade Class 1949-50 3 Sisters - Ellen Matthews, Ida Hill and Jennie Remley Submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Fannie (Mankins) Johnson Cain Wearing Funny Hat, Circa 1904. Early Sketch of Griffin Green (From Hildreth's Book of Ohio Pioneers) http://hometown.aol.com/washcopeople2/index3.html Photos of Places Submitted by Debbie Noland Nitsche Marker - Belpre & The Ohio River (Sides 1 & 2) Marker - Devol's Floating Mill Marker - Bathsheba Rouse Marker - Howes Grove Park William Dana House and Marker Jonathan Stone House and Marker View of Blennerhasset Island from the Ohio Shore in Belpre http://hometown.aol.com/washcopics/index.html Whats New On The "LINKS" Web Site...... http://hometown.aol.com/washcohistory2/page8.html DEATHS John COFFMAN (1913) WILLS & ESTATES 1842 Will & Estate of Duty GREEN, Sr. CEMETERIES Cedarville Cemetery Inscriptions (With Photos) NEW- CHURCHES History of St. Paul's Evangelical Church St. Luke's Episcopal Church Records (See Page 3) Records include Burials (1833-1910); Marriages (1832-1925); 1850 Register of the Parocial School & St. John Female College; Confirmations (1820-1910) PHOTOS The HALL Family MAPS The Ohio Company's Purchase in SE Ohio The Ohio Company The Donation Tract Washington County Townships BIOGRAPHIES Francis Asbury MORRIS Lily Martin SPENCER Silas BENT Ablert A. OPITZ J. M. WILLIAMSON William BRINGHAM Thomas & George EWING William D. DANIELS Malcom BLUE Abraham WHIPPLE Jacob Luther MOORE Moses McFARLAND UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Abolitionists David PUTNAM Jr. Cajoe PHILLIPS of Blennerhasset Island Photo of headstone Charlotte SCOTT and the Lincoln Emancination Monument Soul Family Travels Area Locations Of The Underground Railroad Montages Of The Williamstown Cemetery Ceremony EARLY SETTLERS The BELPRE Settlement & Farmers' Castle (Some JAMES History) MILITARY The Battle Of Shiloh As Told By Colonel William Bion MASON (New Link) 5th WV Calvary (Some Soldiers from Wash. Co.) Revolution Vet First To Settle In New Matamoras (James RIGGS) By Diane McMahon Major Robert A. LANE (1913-1944) MISC. HISTORY Historical Remains in Marietta Oct. 1842 Letters in Marietta Post Office Inhabitants of Waterford - June 23, 1800 1839 Letter Written by Samuel and Harriet HARDEN To Joel & Sylvina DODGE in Warren Twp. COMING SOON! Page 9 ============================================================================ Update.....Corridor D Project in Parkersburg, WV. According to the August 23, 2005 edition of the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, the pier work has begun on the Blennerhasset Island for the Corridor D project that will carry motorists across the Ohio River. According to the Dept. of Transportation the bridge will be the longest one in West Virginia. Construction is expected to take about 3 years. Read about it here: http://newsandsentinel.com/news/story/0823202005_new03_pier082305.asp Photos of the Corridor D Project http://www.wvcorridord.com/0309update/proj_i77wv47open.htm http://www.wvcorridord.com/photos.html NOTE: While visiting Marietta and Belpre this summer, the kids and I went with our good friend Kathy Lott to tour Corridor D Project in and around Parkersburg. Talk about a change!!! At times we didn't even know where we were, even though we have traveled it 100's of times in the past. We noticed the most change around the 7th St. area in Parkersburg. Also where the traffic circle is, Corridor D. has a 'straight' path onto the Parkersburg/Belpre Toll Bridge. Western Sizzlin and Don Amileos businesses are no longer there because of it. On one part of the Corridor D Project as we were coming down the hill from the Lubeck and Washington Bottom areas into Parkersburg, I made the comment to Kathy, that it looked as if you were coming into the city of Pittsburgh, PA. because of the new interstate changes. I any of you who ever lived in the Belpre and Marietta area, and traveled over into Parkersburg, WV, they will not believe the changes if they were to see it today. After talking to several other long time Belpre residents, they agree that they also didn't know where they were at times, when traveling the new highway. But after getting used to Corridor D, it is nice change. So when you go back to Marietta and/or Belpre, be sure to check it out, and hopefully you won't get lost, like we did. ============================================================================ Humor Submitted by Devin Nitsche 10 yr. old son of Debbie Q: A man builds his house with all sides facing south. A bear comes by. What color is the bear? A: WHITE. At the North Pole, all directions are south. I got this joke from one of my books that I read all the time. When I told my mom the joke, she said that a house could not be built with "all" the sides facing south. Boy......was she wrong. Ha. Ha. ============================================================================ Do you have an article or biography that you would like to summit to the Newsletter? Would you like to see a certain topic featured? Any pre-published items submitted must be before 1923 because of copyright laws. Feel free to send your articles and/or requests and I will add them to the upcoming editions. All Newsletters are written and sent by email in "html" format. If you cannot view any of the bold print, photos or 'click' the Links that are in every newsletter, you are recieving it in the "plain text" format. In order to view this Newsletter in it's 'orginial' format, please adjust your settings. If you do not know how to do this. Email me, and I will be glad to take you through the steps of getting it done. All Newsletters are archived in the 'plain text' format. That means, once it is archived, there will be no photos, or bold print and you must copy and paste the 'Links' in your browser. Debbie (Noland) Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net Washington County, Ohio Historical & Genealogy "LINKS" http://hometown.aol.com/washcohistory/Intropage1.html History & Genealogy of Washington County, Ohio http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/n/i/t/Debra-Nitsche//