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Marriage Notes for Johann Jakob Wintermantel and Cathrina MULLER-3321
Arlene Reimer says marriage was 1 Jun 1795
Franklin H. Derrick
1824 – 1905
Clarence Hollow, New York – Brodhead, WisconsinNovember 22, 2009
Dear children,
Tonight I'm going to tell you the story of your great great great great grandfather, Franklin H. Derrick. I don't know what the H. stood for. He was Mary L. Derrick's father. She's the one you're never never to forget (!) Like his father before him Franklin H. was an industrious, bright, highly respected member of his community. We'll get to that part in a minute.
Franklin was the fourth child of Rodolphus Derrick and Lorinda Sheldon. They were both from families whose roots went back to the very early days of the colonies. On Lorinda's side we can trace the roots back from the colonies to English royalty and William the Conqueror himself. When Franklin H. (and I'm referring to him as Franklin H. because he had a very successful son whose name was Franklin R. and I don't want you to get mixed up.) when Franklin H. was 16 he moved with his family from New York, where he was born, to the fertile prairie land of south central Wisconsin, west of what is now Janesville. That was in 1840. Franklin H. and his family helped to build the little town of Clarence, named after the town they came from in New York.
There are several accounts of life in the early days of settlement of Clarence, Wisconsin, near the Sugar River, named for the white sand that could be seen through the water and looked like sugar. This first group of stories I want you to hear were written down by Bell TenEyck Fleming whose grandfather had come as a settler and bought land from Franklin H's father.
“ Before there was a bridge, Grandfather TenEyck built a canoe out of logs in which he brought people across the river that had no other way. Later, a bridge was built, but every winter it would wash out. Derrick (This refers to Franklin R.) says that once when it had gone out they built a raft of logs and had a couple of pulleys in which ropes were run. They would take hold of the rope and pull the raft to their side, then all would get on, the smallest children were made to sit down and the older ones would manage the raft. It would float down with the current as far as it could go, and then they would pull on another rope to bring them to the other side. He says many a morning they went to school that way and as he thinks of it now, he wonders how it happened none of them drowned..”
How would you like to ride a raft like that when you go to school? Here's another story from Bell.
"Grandmother Ten Eyck was an invalid in the latter part of her life. She never tired of relating incidents of the early settlements. Especially of Peter Emel, the Frenchman, and his Indian wife, who often called. They would follow Mrs. Ten Eyck to the chamber, cellar, or garden, when she would supply them with meat or other eatables. She told of the herds of deer that bounded through the brush and thicket that then surrounded the place, and of the wild turkey that came and gobbled near the door, feeding from the corn they found. Kate Taylor said she could remember seeing 30 deer at one time.
“The log house that grandfather built had no doors or windows -only places cut for them and blankets were hung up at the door. (There was no saw mill.) All slept in the loft, or up stairs reached by a ladder, and after all were up, the ladder was drawn up so the wolves could not reach them. Kate (daughter of Jacob TenEyck) said she could see wolves everywhere, their eyes shining in the dark ... Kate was the first white child born in Clarence ...”
Franklin H's father built a sturdier house that you can read about in Rodolphus's story, but I thought you'd like to hear what the neighborhood was like.
Most of the native Americans had been run out of this part of Wisconsin in the Blackhawk War only eight years before Franklin H. arrived with his family, but there were still a few left. The following 2 stories are about those few. The first is also from Bell TenEyck Fleming
"In the spring the Indians camped along the Sugar River. They came to fish and hunt. The men and women walked, their tents and other things were fastened to long poles. One end was held up by the pony and the other dragged on the ground. One winter there was a sickness among them and nothing to eat. Someone came and told Grandfather Ten Eyck and he sent word back for them to bring their ponies and he would help them. They came and he loaded their ponies with meat, vegetables, bread and straw. The children that died, they hung up in the trees down near the bridge where the park is now. They were left there through the winter and the next spring they came for them, but they never came again to camp."
Can you imagine going out to feed the chickens in the morning and seeing dead children up in the trees? Why do you think they did this? I think it was because the ground was so hard frozen they couldn't bury them and they didn't want the wolfs and coyotes to eat them.
And this story is from Helen Beckwith.
“This tree is a burr oak standing south of HWY 81 on land once owned by Charles A. Warner...His son well remembers the Indian chief who twice a year with some members of his tribe camped on the bank of the Sugar River where it flowed through Warner land... When [the son] was a little boy, about 1867, he can remember the Indian chief standing at the door of his father's blacksmith shop, where he had come to get a gun and some other things repaired, and saying, 'You no cut that tree!' and pointing to the burr oak, which still stands alone. The Indian then explained to Mr. Warner that the tree marked for the Indians the point which was one half way between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes.
The Indians walking single file, one foot directly in front of the other, had worn the trail down through the sod. The tree was then about the size of a stove pipe. The bark was hacked in many places by Indian tomahawks. One year during an unusual drought nearly all the leaves died. At another time the tree was found one morning stripped of all its leaves by grasshoppers. Mr. Warner promised it should stand and it has. The Indian trail wound from the northeast to the southwest. Mr. Warner, coming home one day, announced that the Indians were quite accurate, as the middle point had been located at Magnolia."
In 1846 when Franklin H. was 22. he married the girl next door, Harriet Boslow. Harriet had come to Wisconsin with her family from Canada in 1845. One of her grandfathers was a famous Canadian circuit rider, the other was a Loyalist soldier that went to Canada at the end of the Revolutionary War. Their first child, Theodore James, was born in 1848, the same year Harriet's father died. Franklin H. and Harriet then lived in the Boslow home with Harriet's mother, called Aunt Polly. Franklin R. was born two years later in May of 1850. Then Franklin H did something very interesting. He took off for the Gold Rush!
You've probably heard of the Gold Rush that began after gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in California in 1848. Over 300,000 people from all over the world rushed to California to strike it rich mining and panning for gold. Your gggggrandfather, Franklin R. Derrick was one of them. Just like his father before him Franklin left a wife and 2 babies. And just like her mother-in-law Lorinda, Harriet probably wasn't too happy about it. Fortunately for Harriet she was surrounded by a strong
community of friends and family to help her through the two years that her husband was gone. Franklin H.'s father had only taken off for one year. Fanklin H. took two years. It took him five months to travel overland to California. He returned home in 1852, first traveling south to Nicaragua, then sailing to New Orleans, taking a steamer up river to Cincinnati, then on to Wisconsin, perhaps by stagecoach. I don't know how much gold he found. Most of the 300,000 did not strike it rich. However, when his father died in 1860, Franklin H. was able to buy the 400 acre homestead.Franklin H's brother-in-law, Thomas Condon Boslow, also went to the Gold Rush. It's very likely they went together. After the gold rush, Franklin H. settled down and became a pillar of the community. He and his growing family lived in the original log homstead that Rodolphus Derrick had built. Franklin H. and Harriet had five more babies; Mary in 1853, Levi in 1855, Harriet in1858, Flora in 1859, and Paul in 1862. Flora only lived to the age of two. At some point Franklin H. built a large home on the hill north of the original log home which he sold. His wife Harriet died in 1871 at the age of just 49. A year later Franklin H. married Mary Ann Williams Northrup.
In 1887 after his daughter Mary and her husband, John Balis, had both died, Franklin H. and his wife took ten year old Flora to raise. Flora became your grandfather's (Paul Stevens') grandmother. Flora lived with them until she married Ed Stevens in 1899. At different times in his life Franklin H. had his mother and his mother-in-law living with him. There were few nursing homes. When parents got too old to fend for themselves, they went to live with their children. Or often, as in Franklin H's case, the father would die first and a child would get to live in the family home if they agreed to care for the aging mother. And if a child's parents died, other relatives would agree to raise them. Franklin H. got it from all sides. His father-in-law died and he inherited the care of his mother-in-law for 20 years. His daughter died and he inherited the care of his granddaughter for 12 years. His father died and he inherited the care of his mother for 13 years. Franklin H. Derrick was a good family man!
During his lifetime Franklin H. was also a prosperous farmer, businessman, and civic leader. He was the county Sheriff at one time and served as chairman of the town board a number of times. When he retired from farming in 1883 he helped to establish the first cheese factory in Brodhead, becoming its treasurer.
Franklin H. died the 7th of September 1905, in Brodhead, Wisconsin having lived a very full and satisfying life.
Now I'm going to tell you a little bit about his children.
Theodore James, the 1st child of Franklin H. and Harriet Boslow Derrick, served in the 18th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War. He farmed with his father until he and his wife left to homestead in McCracken, Kansas. From there he moved on to Jolly, Texas. Theodore and his wife, Ellen Jones Purdy, had a daughter, Jessie May, who died suddenly at the age of 10. Mary Derrick Balis wrote about her in the poem, “To the Memory of Little Susie, May, and Ina.” Tid, as he was called, and Ellen never had another child of their own, however, after the deaths of Mary and John Balis, they took their six-year-old niece, Mabel. Tid lived to be 80 years old.
Franklin R, the 2nd child of Franklin H. and Harriet Boslow Derrick, grew up to become a lawyer and a dentist. He was very well liked and highly respected in the town of Brodhead where he resided his entire adult life. He was tall and rugged looking that made him the perfect candidate to impersonate Abraham Lincoln and Uncle Sam which he did regularly. He married Arabella Nancy Moore, called Belle. They had one child, Sue, who was the third of three little Derrick girls to die in 1884, celebrated in Mary's poem. Frank and Belle never had another child either. They did help with Mary's six orphans, and tried to take Mabel, but it didn't work out and she went to live with Uncle Tid. Shortly before his death in 1928 Frank was asked to write a piece for the Brodhead Independent Register about the building of the Sugar River covered bridge. I'm copying the full article here.
“F.R.DERRICK TELLS OF BUILDING COVERED BRIDGE Your request that I furnish you a short history of the locally famous "Covered Bridge" that spans Sugar River at a point on State Highway No. 61, three miles southwest of this city, was a very happy guess. As a fifteen-year old boy, I assisted in building it. My father had the contract to supply and drive the heavy piling at each bank upon which the super-structure rests. My immediate business was to keep Old Maje (Old Maje was an old farm horse) going 'round and 'round on the capstan that raised the hammer on the pile driver. "Old Maje" and I completed our part of the job first, as we necessarily had to do. It was in the early fall of 1864 that the bridge was started.
“It was built by a contractor from Racine by the name of Hulburt and was the only bridge built of that exact model. Originally it spanned the full width of the river; about one hundred and fifty feet and had a sixteen foot driveway. It was raised on the ice and the fact that it was an exceptionally fine season for late fall work was a helpful factor. As it was, the early spring weather with its resultant high water forced the contractor to rush the cutting away of the under pinning before he was quite ready to do so. No serious results followed, however.
“Soon the anxious watchfulness of the township supervisors discovered that the tremendously heavy super-structure was slowly settling. The crown of eight inches had settled down to about five as I remember it. They called the contractor up from Racine and although he had been paid in full and the work accepted, he strengthened the work by spiking heavy arches on the inside of each side of the frame. They were made by beveling the ends of two by twelve planks in such a way that it keyed one against the other. Two thicknesses of material were spiked in this way, requiring thousands of feet of lumber. This seemed to be all that was needed for some time. Later, however, it was very evident that it was still settling and the township supervisors still further strengthened it by putting in suspending rods on each side of two inch material, running from the top of each end bent slantwise down through the whole timber works, out to about one quarter of the length of the bridge. The rods were then run along the bottom of the frame-work until they met in the center and were screwed up perfectly tight; thus forming two great iron slings within which the bridge rested.
“It was left in this way for several years, but the crown of eight inches almost entirely went out, leaving the floor of the bridge about level. It was at this time that the town decided to do what should have been done in the first place, put a heavy abutment in the middle of the river. This was done many years ago, as were the old piling supports at each end changed for modern concrete ones. It looked to me like a reflection on the work and the engineering that "Old Maje" and I did back there in the sixties but it made a real bridge of it.
“Within a few years after it was built it was enclosed and roofed. It was never painted. It stands there today, a monument of that past that tried the souls and muscles of those old pioneers. Modernism has found the old bridge too narrow and demands that it be torn down and replaced by a wider more elaborate and expensive one. There is a demand for more room on the road today than was needed when that old bridge was built. It is looked upon as a grievance today to be obliged to wait an opportunity to dodge by or over or under another auto.
“It would be almost sacrilegious to think of dismantling the old bridge. It stands on Highway 61 about three miles southwest of Brodhead and is well worth quite a detour to pass through it and listen to the rumbling echoes of that long ago. It is at the extreme point of "Pine Bluff" along whose rugged base the beautiful Sugar River wends its way.
“The immediate surroundings are interesting. East of the bridge about a quarter of a mile, is the deserted site of what was once quite a village; with its store, tavern, blacksmith shops and last but not least - the old stone schoolhouse. The old schoolhouse has been replaced by a very modern one but the ghosts of the old "Clarence Schoolhouse" haunt the memories of the few who, as children, attended school there in those garnered golden years of which we have so many pleasant recollections.
“Sugar River itself is no less famous than the covered bridge that spans it. Back in the eighties, during the fresh-water pearl excitement, it was known as the most promising pearl fishing waters of the west. Hundreds of persons spent days, and some of them months, combing the bottom of the river with pearling rakes, ever hoping to secure the largest pearl that had ever been found. Some very beautiful and very valuable pearls were found.
" 'Pine Bluff' of which the extreme southern point is shown in the photo of the bridge, is also an historic landmark of the region. It derives its name from the score or so of large pine trees that cling to the almost bare sand rock that rises from the river at its base. This bluff was once the gathering place of the native Indians of the region. The writer well remembers the bands of Indians that every spring passed north along the river. They usually divided, part ascending the river by canoes, and part with ponies wending their way along the bank.
“It was usually a self-imposed 'half holiday' when the word was passed around that the Indians were going by. Poor, dirty remnant of a once mighty people; their star had truly set, and in a few years they ceased entirely to follow the old waterways and trails along the banks of the beautiful Sugar River.
“These are the garrulous jottings of one who as a boy crossed the river hundreds of times, both before and after the 'Covered Bridge' was built, a boy who swam and fished and skated on the river, a boy for whom the wintergreen beds of 'Pine Bluff' were familiar spots and Arbutus blossoms of early spring his personal spoils.
“You must pardon me for the length of the communication. It is not I who am guilty of the infliction - it is the reincarnation of that boy - barefooted, excepting 'stone bruises' - naked except for 'Hickory' shirt, 'Denim' overalls, 'Home made galluses' and an old 'chip hat.' Gun on shoulder or fishing rod in hand, he spent a joyous youth shooting wild pigeons on Pine Bluff, or catching monster black bass all through the 'open season' that ran without interference from August first to August first next. Should I ever see that boy, I will charge him with being a criminal deserving of severe punishment; but he has secured quite a start of me and I fear I shall never overtake him.”Mary Lorinda, the 3rd child of Franklin H. and Harriet Boslow Derrick, is our ancestor. She has her own story.
Levi F., the 4th child of Franklin H. and Harriet Boslow Derrick married Mary Simmons. They homesteaded in McCracken, Kansas with Levi's brother Theodore. Levi and Mary raised a family of two daughters, Harriet and Maud.
Harriet F., the 5th child of Franklin H. and Harriet Boslow Derrick, married Junius Lamson . Harriet and Junius and their family homesteaded in Harlan County, Nebraska about the same time as Mary and John Balis. Junius was the schoolmaster at the Balis children's sod school for awhile.
Flora L., the 6th child of Franklin H. and Harriet Boslow Derrick, died as a two-year-old.
Paul Erwin, the 7th child of Franklin H. and Harriet Boslow Derrick, became rich and famous in the advertising business, making Quaker Oats a household word. He and his wife, Adelaide Bowen, never had children. When they retired they came back to the land of their childhood and built a beautiful brick home in Brodhead which they called Panda Lodge.
So this is the story of your great great great great grandfather, Franklin H. Derrick He came to settle the Wisconsin prairie with his birth family when the last of the Native Americans were still here. He was part of the 1849 Gold Rush. He and his wife raised a large family and cared for numerous other family members for many years. He was a prosperous Wisconsin farmer, and contributed much to his community.
Here's how we are related to Franklin H. Derrick. Franklin H. had Mary L. Derrick. Mary L. had Flora Lulu Derrick. Flora had Harold Balis Stevens. Harold had Paul Robert Stevens. Paul had Dawne Irene Stevens. Dawne had ... Sarah, Hannah, Timmy, and Becky.
So Hooray for our ancestor, Franklin H. Derrick!
Love,
Granny
1880 census gives middle name Ann and lists birthplace as Pennsylvania.
November 17, 2004
Dear Children,Tonight I will tell you about a very important man in the history of our family. He was an explorer, a pioneer, a farmer, and a justice of the peace. He fought in a war. He was Mary Derrick's grandfather. (Remember Mary? She's the one that died in Nebraska leaving six orphan children.)
Rodolphus Donaldus Derrick
1793 – 1860
Claremont, New Hampshire – Spring Grove, WisconsinRodolphus D. Derrick was born August 8, 1793 in Claremont, Sullivan County, New Hampshire. He was the 4th child of Ephraim and Polly Gustin Derrick, joining sisters Polly and Betsy and brother Morris. The family also had two older girls, Anna and Clarissa, from Ephraim's first marriage to Anna Dodge. Sometime before the next child was born, Bybie Luke in August of 1795, his family moved to Bethel in Windsor County, Vermont. These two places are just across the Connecticut River from one another. That river is the state line between New Hampshire and Vermont. In Vermont three more children were born; Bybie Luke, Sophia who only lived 6 months, and Eben. Then the family moved again, this time to Herkimer County, New York, probably Ephraim wanted to be near his brother John. This was a bigger move. It was there that Rodolphus spent most of his boyhood years.
What do you think they called him? I'm getting a little tired of typing such a long name over and over. I'll bet he had a nickname. We don't know what it was but how about if we call him Rody? Rody turned 19 in the year of 1812. The United States fought the War of 1812 with England, but Canada and the Indians were also involved. In Europe Napoleon had come to power in France and was trying to conquer Europe. Some of the stresses that brought on the War of 1812 were reflections of those European conflicts. England had blockaded Europe because of Napoleon. The British were boarding American ships and shanghaiing sailors, accusing them of being British deserters. Meanwhile France had sold us the Louisiana Purchase and Indians were alarmed at the thought of ever more colonists invading ever more of their lands. In Washington a group of War hawks came to power and they lit the match. Some of the famous names from the War of 1812 were Tecumseh, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, Dolly Madison, and Rody Derrick. (That's an exaggeration. Rody's only famous in our family for being in the War of 1812.) Tecumseh was killed. The Indian uprising was put down. The English burned down the White House, but Dolly Madison saved Stuart's portrait of Washington. Napoleon was defeated. The treaty of Ghent was signed. That's the treaty signed by the U.S. and Britain that ended the War of 1812. Britain was now unchallenged on the sea and left America alone. The US tried and failed to conquer Canada. Canada was the real winner of the War of 1812. Ten American armies crossed into Canada and all were driven out. We don't really know what Rody's involvement was in the war, just that he was in it and lucky for us, he survived.
When a young man, Rodolphus D. Derrick moved to Erie County, New York, where he was married to Loranda (Lorinda) Sheldon in 1817 in the town of Clarence Hollow.
In 1820, Rody went adventuring out west on the frontier. He left his wife, Lorinda, with a 2 year old, Rodolphus Fredrick, and a newborn baby, Harriet. How did she manage while her husband was out wandering in the wilderness? I'll bet she wasn't too thrilled about the whole affair.
The History of Green County version of the trek says Rodolphus accompanied two brothers-in-law and their families who were on their way to Morgan County Illinois. The account that goes with Rody's journal in the Spencer and Goodpasture book says the trip was inspired by the trip of his sister Betsy and her husband Elisha Kellogg. Betsy , Elisha, and their five small children, and Elisha's brother, Seymour Kellogg, had gone to Illinois in 1818. So I think the Green County version may be wrong in saying who went with Rody on this grand trip. It appears from the journal that Rody spent the winter of 1820-21 with the Kelloggs. In the journal he starts out using the pronoun "I" (when he uses a pronoun at all). In later parts he uses "we" but its not at all clear who the "we" is. See how many of the places Rody talks about you can find on the map. Someday your mommy and I are going to retrace his trip. The following spring he returned to New York.
I'm including right here the entire text of the journal as it appears in the Spencer and Goodpasture book because it was too long to fit in my "Sources file." So here it is:
"AN EPIC JOURNEY IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY BY RODOLPHUS DERRICK - APRIL 30, 1820 TO MARCH 31,1821.
One of the most fascinating records left to posterity in the Derrick archives is a diary kept by Rodolphus Derrick during his travels down the Ohio River to the Illinois country in 1820 and 1821. Undoubtedly the trip was motivated by a similar journey made a couple of years earlier by Rodolphus' sister, Elizabeth Kellogg, and her husband, Capt. Elisha Kellogg. No doubt Rodolphus wished to see this new Illinois country for himself prior to undertaking any move from his old homestead at Clarence Hollow, New York. Rodolphus consumed an entire year in this expedition, while his wife Loranda remained at Clarence, perhaps to tend the store as well as care for two small children, Rodolphus Frederick and Harriet. The younger child actually was born only a few days after his father had left on his long journey to the West. (According to my(DZS) reading of the record, this statement is incorrect. Baby Harriet was born 4 Apr 1820 and her dad left 30 Apr 1820.)
April 30 - Left Clarence this morning and traveled east ten miles through Alden and Pembroke as far as King's Tavern, through the handsome and well-cultivated country. The land lies in handsome swells. From Kings, I traveled through Huntington, Sheldon, China, and Freedom, 42 miles. The face of the country through these towns is some different from Pembroke for the swells increase to hills and some of the first magnitude, but the country generally is very well farmed.
May 1 - Started from Freedom and traveled 4 miles through the woods by a line and then came into a road, which lead to Freeman's Tavern, on the Bigtree Pond, 7 miles. The most of this distance, mountains form its natural state, covered with lofty trees and a thick growth of underwood. From Freeman's, traveled 24 miles to Olean Point. There was not much to attract the attention of the traveler except the handsome grove of pine timber, which abounds in great plenty in this part of the country. The village of Olean is small at present, but owing to the great plenty of pine timber and the heavy tide of immigration to the southwest, it is a place of a good deal of business. Its situation is romantic beyond description. It is overhung on the south by a lofty mountain, at whose base flows the Allegheny.
May 2 - I remained at the point and viewed the busy mechanics making and launching their boats for the emigrants. These boats were made of the coarsest material and destined for a voyage of three thousand miles.
May 3 - Purchased a boat in order to pass down the river.
May 4 - Left Olean Point at 3 o'clock, passed down 9 miles and came to anchor under the base of a lofty mountain. The passage of the river through the mountains is truly romantic. It would be a fit subject for the pencil of the painter.
May 5 - Started from our anchorage and passed down the river 34 miles to Jameson village, belonging to the Allegheny Indians. We were in great danger today from the rocks, shoals, and drift as our boat frequently stuck fast on the rocks and bars.
May 6 - Started from our anchorage and passed down the river 49 miles to the town of Warren which is situated on the right bank of the Allegheny at the mouth of the Conewango Creek. This forms the outlet to Chautauqua Lake and might form a good link in the chain of internal navigation by connecting the waters of Lake Erie with those of the Allegheny.
May 7 - Started from Warren and passed down the river 12 miles to the place called White Oak Chutes, where we were in great danger of losing our boat by running on a rock. In getting the boat off, I received a severe wound on my leg. Here we hired a pilot and passed on 3 miles, where we stayed one day.
May 8 - At the house of George Leggins. Here we hired a pilot to go with us to Franklin. This day we passed through a place called Pithole Rapids. It is a dangerous pass and awfully sublime. The channel is full of rocks. At the bottom of the rapids, the river turns sharply to the right, through the lofty mounntains whose trembling tops threaten to bury its curling waters in oblivion. We sailed this 62 miles to the mouth of Oil Creek, which is strongly impregnated with a sort of bituminous oil.
May 10 - Sailed down the river 10 miles to the town of Franklin which is situated near the mouth of French Creek. This stream connects with Lake Erie by a portage of 15 miles from Waterford to Erie. Here we hired a pilot and passed down the river to Pittsburg, 140 miles in 4 days. In passing this distance, the traveler is struck with astonishment at the appearance of those lofty mountains which seem to reach the clouds and whose bare tops have defied the storms of ages. Other peaks seem to screen their heads by a thin growth of shrubs and plants. There are several handsome villages near the banks of the river.
May 13 - We passed a distance of several miles where the banks of the river had slipped from their former position - often the breadth of several rods to the depth of 20 or 30 feet. It had taken houses, orchards and fences.
May 14 - Arrived at Pittsburg, which is delightfully situated on the plain or point of land formed by the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, the former running from the northeast and latter from the southeast. The traveler is struck with astonishment on entering the town, which is enveloped in thick clouds of smoke, which affect respiration. The appearance of the houses is dark and gloomy. The numerous industries send immense columns of smoke into the air. There are few elegant buildings in Pittsburg compared with the towns of the same size. The streets are narrow and unpleasant with the exception of Liberty and Penns streets. The point of the plain is the place where old Fort Pitt formerly stood. The new fort is situated about a mile above the point and commands a handsome view of the town and river. In this plain is to be seen almost all kinds of machinery propelled by the power of steam. They have fuel (coal) in the mountains which is inexhaustible. Here is to be seen two beautiful bridges, one across the Allegheny and the other across the Monongahela. On the south side of the latter river on the top of a very high hill are some very elegant buildings which show themselves to a great advantage. Pittsburg is the county town of Allegheny County in latitude 40 degrees, being about 5 degrees north of Philadelphia. Pittsburg contains about 2,000 buildings and carries on a great deal of business.
May 15 - We left Pittsburg this morning and sailed down the river 30 miles to the town of Beaver. The river here is about a half mile wide and is a very beautiful stream of water. It is very delightful to sail on its smooth and unbroken surface. The town of Beaver is situated three fourths of a mile below the mouth of the Big Beaver Creek and on the high stoney plain where the old Fort McIntosh formerly stood. About 150 feet above the level of the river, the plain is amazingly full of pebbles - stones whose surfaces have been rounded by the friction of the waters of the Ohio. Beaver was laid out on a large scale in 1797 and established the court of justice for Beaver County, Pennsylvania. It has a court house and jail, a market house, a post and printing office, and about 60 or 70 houses. There is a well of water in this place, upwards of 100 feet deep. The water is drawn up by a windlass. Beaver is surrounded by large and well-farmed plantations.
May 16 - Sailed down the river as far as Georgetown, a village of Beaver County, situated on the left bank of the river on a plain similar to that of Beaver town. A few yards from the opposite shore, a little above the town, a spring rises from the bed of the river, throwing out a bituminous oil similar to that called Seneca oil, supposed to come from a bed of mineral coal lying five miles beneath the river. Georgetown is the dividing line between Pennsylvania and Virginia. Pennsylvania is on the left and Ohio on the right. From this place, we passed down the river 31 miles to the town of Steubenville, which is handsomely situated on a first and second bottom of the river which is extensive and well farmed. This place contains about 700 houses, three churches, a courthouse, market, townhouse and a great number of manufactories. There are several valuable flour mills near this place which send large quantities of flour to New Orleans. The town has a printing and post office and bids fair to be a place of considerable importance. It is surrounded by a rich and fertile country. Pittsburg is 73 miles by water, in a southwest direction.
May 17 - Sailed down the river to the town of Wellsburg, a town of Brooke County, Virginia, which has a handsome situation on a high bank of the Ohio. It contains about 20 dwellings, a courthouse, a jail, a pillory, a post office, and several public inns and stores and three or four large warehouses, each four stories high. The country around this place, with the exception of a narrow bottom of the Ohio, is made up of the river and hills and therefore is very uneven. From this place, we sailed down the river 17 miles to Wheeling, which fronts the Ohio on a high gravelly bank and having immediately in back a hill, which is steep and lofty and so narrow at the top that in some places there is scarcely room for a wagon to pass along a precipice above the creek. This creek has a beautiful chain bridge extended across the stream to the height of 40 or 60 feet above the level of the water. Wheeling contains about 160 buildings, 12 stores, 2 potters of stone ware, a market house, a courthouse, and a jail. It is the seat of Justice for Ohio County, Virginia. This place carries on a considerable trade in hemp, cordage, and tobacco with New Orleans. We sailed from this place down the river 29 miles to Captain's Hand, which is a beautiful Island containing about 300 acres of excellent land and covered with a thick growth of timber and grapevines. This island is not settled owing to its being subject to inundation. This day we visited the place under the big grove, which is an astonishing mound of earth whose perpendicular height is 671 feet. The diameter of the top is 55 feet. Its sides are quite steep and overgrown on all sides with large trees, some of them three feet in diameter. The history of the antiquities which abound in this part of the country is most interesting when we view these lofty piles of earth created by the hand of man They are sacred to the memory of some potent chief. Where is the Nation that once peopled these western hills thousands of years ago and have left so many monuments of their former greatness? But such questions we will leave with learned antiquarians.
May 18 - Sailed down the river 51 miles to the Little Muskingum River which is 100 yards wide at its mouth and has a handsome bridge. This stream is navigable with small craft a considerable distance from its mouth. Sailed down 4 miles to the mouth of Big Muskingum River, which is a fine gentle river 250 yards wide at its mouth and navigable without any obstruction for 110 miles. Marietta is finely situated at the mouth of the river, having about 100 houses on the upper and 50 on the opposite side of the river. Ship building is carried on here with spirit and is a place of considerable business. It contains a courthouse, a market house, a post office and printing office. There are also two rope walks, an academy, two churches and a steam flour mill. Marietta is the seat of Justice for Muskingum County, Ohio. It lies at latitude 37 degrees, 34 1 minutes North and 82 degrees 9 1 minutes West longitude. It is 146 miles southwest from Pittsburg by land at the mouth of the Muskingum River. A ferry boat is rapidly carried across the stream by means of a rope extending from bank to bank and a windlass ingeniously works at each end. About a mile above Marietta are some curious remnants of ancient fortification and very extensive. The country about this place is very prosperous and amazingly fertile, especially near the borders of the river.
May 19 - Sailed down the river 16 miles to Bland, an exquisite island. This island was but lately celebrated for its elegant buildings and other improvements of taste. Its former owner, Mr. B., was enticed away by Iron Bull and shortly afterward its buildings were burned to the ground. Only the stacks of chimneys remain as sorrowfull monuments of their former greatness. From this place, we sailed down 5 miles to Little Hocking River, which is about 80 yards wide at its mouth. From this, we sailed down 5 miles to the Big Hocking River. This is a considerable river of about 200 yards wide at its mouth and navigable 70 miles to New Lamster. On this river are quarries of freestone and mines of iron ore. Lead is said to have been discovered. Salt springs and coal also abound from this. We sailed down 9 miles to Shads River, which is 150 yards wide at its mouth and navigable a considerable distance. Just above this river is a place called the "devil's hole". It is a remarkable cavern in the side of a high hill which extends a considerable ways into the hills and undoubtedly it contains many natural curiosities. Sailed down the river 30 miles to Standing Rock or Rock of Antiquity. This is seen standing in the water's edge on the right shore of the river. It is called Rock of Antiquity on account of its ancient engravings which show themselves on its smooth and almost perpendicular front. On it is represented the huge figure of a man smoking. He is sitting with his elbows on his knees, which seem to meet his breast. His shoulders and head are leaning forward and his pipe is in one hand. There are likewise a number of other engravings partly defaced by time and the friction of the water of the Ohio.
May 20 - Sailed down the river 34 miles to Point Pleasant, which is situated immediately below the great Kanawha River on an extensive bottom of the Ohio. It is the seat of Justice for Mason County, Virginia and contains 20 houses, a log courthouse and jail, a pillory and whipping post. The Kanawha river is 400 yards at its mouth and navigable about 250 miles. Upon this river are some very extensive salt works from which large quantities of salt are manufactured. From Point Pleasant, we sailed down the river 4 miles to Gallipolis, which is finely situated on a high sandy bank of the river on a fertile and extensive bottom commanding a handsome view. It is the seat of justice for Gallia County, Ohio, and contains about 100 houses. This town is settled mostly with French emigrants. From this place, we sailed down the river 20 miles to Little Guyant Creek which is navigable some distance.
May 21 - Sailed down 26 miles to Big Guyant River (Guyandotte?) which is 80 yards wide at its mouth and is a river of considerable importance. On a high bluff bank stands the village of Guyant. It is small and seems to be on the decline. We sailed down 14 miles to Great Sandy on the Tottery River (Big Sandy?) which is 350 yards wide at the mouth. This river is the dividing line between Virginia and Kentucky. It is navigable to the Qunsioto (?) Mountains, the lands along the river are rich and productive beyond description. From this place, we sailed down 23 miles to Sandy Creek, a considerable stream of Kentucky. .
May 22 - Sailed 16 miles to the Little Sister (Scioto?) River, which empties into the Ohio on the right, with a mouth 70 yards wide. Passed on 10 miles to Portsmouth, a village handsomely situated three quarters of a mile above the Big Sister (Scioto?) on a high bank and in a fine and extensive bottom of rich and fertile land. It is in Sister or Liota (Scioto?) County and contains about 70 houses, some neatly built of brick. The Scioto or Sister salt works are about 20 miles northeast of Portsmouth. The Scioto River is a considerable stream of the State of Ohio. It is 250 yards wide at its mouth and navigable almost to its source. On its banks are numerous villages and extensive and well cultivated country. Alexandria stands immediately below the mouth of the river and contains 20 or 30 houses and occupies a very handsome situation. This village has a favorable situation with the high and cone-shaped hills on the opposite side of the river faced with towering and perpendicular rocks whose summits have a thin growth of pine and hemlock. These combine with the beauty of the Ohio with its serpentine windings, all together a scene at once sublime and highly interesting.
May 23 - Sailed down the river 39 miles to the village of Manchester in Adams County, Ohio. It is pleasantly situated on the right bank of the river and contains about 30 houses. Some neatly built of brick and all fronting the river and therefore scattered.
May 24 - Sailed down 12 miles to Maysville, This is the oldest landing place on the Ohio in Kentucky. It is in Mason County and is situated on the south side of the Ohio. It stands upon a lofty and uneven bank, having the river hill close behind it. It contains 70 or 80 dwellings, a postoffice, several mercantile stores, and public inns. There is an extensive walk, several steam mills and other industries. This place carries on a considerable trade in hemp and cordage with New Orleans. Passed down from this place 21 miles to the village of Augusta, which is handsomely situated on the left bank of the Ohio, with a rich and extensive bottom and a fine view of the Ohio. It is the seat of justice for Bracken County, Kentucky, and contains about 50 houses, a courthouse, jail, and several stores and taverns. There is a handsome brick school house.
May 25 - Sailed down 43 miles to the Little Miami River. This is a considerable river, 60 yards wide and navigable with small craft. Up the mouth of this river is a sand bar that stretches out almost across the Ohio. In passing this bar, we were in great danger of being overturned by a heavy gust of wind. Up the river about a mile is the town of Columbia,- where the bottom is very extensive and amazingly fertile, but more or less subject to inundation. They are, however, finely farmed and produce all the necessities of life in abundance. Here is the finest orchards that I ever saw and the best fruit.
May 26 - Sailed down 8 miles to the Licking River which is a considerable river of Kentucky. It is navigable 70 miles with small craft. Newport stands just above the mouth of this river, having a fine view of the Ohio and Cincinnati. Opposite it is a thriving village with a number of handsome brick and other buildings, all fronting the Ohio. The U.S. Arsenal, a place of deposit for arms and other munitions of war, fronts the river and is a large and elegant building. Cincinnati is handsomely situated on the first, second, and third bottoms of the river opposite Newport. It is a flourishing town with rich land well settled country around it. It is the seat of justice for Hamilton County, Ohio, and contains about 2,000 buildings, with the most of them neatly built of brick. It has an elegant courthouse, a jail, 21 market houses, a land office, a post and printing office, 40 mercantile stores and various branches of mining are carried on with spirit. There is a considerable number of industries of different kinds carried on here. There is a steam flour mill, 7 stories high, propelled by the power of steam (70 horse power). Cincinnati lies in Latitude 32 degrees and 59 minutes North; Longitude 85 degrees and 44 minutes west. It is the principal town in what is called Symns Purchase. Cincinnati was laid out by Judge Symns in 1788. This same year, he brought out a number of settlers who established themselves in the vicinity of the new town. When we look back only the short period of 33 years, when the place was a howling wilderness and then view it in its present flourishing situation, we are struck with wonder and surprise at the accomplished growth of this country and the increasing industry of the hardy sons of the west. It has outstripped the growth of any town in the U.S. except Baltimore and bids far to be the rival of the west.
May 27 - Sailed down the river 27 miles to the mouth of Great Weane (Miami?) River. This is an important river of the state of Ohio. It is 450 yards wide and occupies with its tributary streams, a very rich and important part at Ohio. There are not many settlements near the mouth of this river in the southwestern extremity of the State. The river is the dividing line between Ohio and Indiana. The river runs a due north course to Lat. 41 degrees, 40 minutes which is the western boundary of Indiana. On this river are some of the finest settlements in the state. The land is fertile beyond description and affords some of the best mill seats in the country, which are occupied with excellent mills, sending large quantities of flour yearly to New Orleans.
Passed 3 miles to Lawrenceburg which is finely situated on an extensive rich bottom on the right bank of the river. It is the seat of Justice for Dearborn County, Indiana, and contains about 100 houses. This town is but ten years old and bids to be a place of considerable importance.
May 28 - Sailed down the river 30 miles to Big Bone Creek. Back about three miles from the mouth of the Creek is Big Bone Lake, where there has been found bones of a monstrous size. Not long since dug up 11 feet under the surface of a stiff blue clay, these appeared to be the bones of a different species of animal, but all remarkably large. Some were supposed to be those of a mammoth. Among these bones were found two horns, each weighing 150 pounds, 16 feet long, and 18 inches in circumference at the big end; grinders weighing from 3 to 10-1/2 pounds each; one tusk weighing one hundred pounds, 21 inches in circumference. The bones of one jaw nearly filled a barrel. This information I gained from a gentleman who assisted in digging them up and would attest to the truth of the above. He is a resident of Cincinnati. Sailed 37 miles to the town of Vera, on the right bank of the river. At this place are some vineyards owned by the Smiths from which they manufacture large quantities of wine. Passed on 4 miles where we left our boat and went back into the country 3 miles to the house of John Edson.
May 29 - Here I remained till the 20th of June. The country in these parts is made up of hills, but the soil is very rich and productive. It is covered in its natural state with a heavy forest of almost all kinds of timber, such as black and white walnut. There is also white and blue ash, black and honey locust nut, magnolia trees, four different kinds of poplar, besides numerous kinds of other timber.
June 24 - Visited the Smith's settlement, who appear to be very industrious. The plantation occupies about 3 miles of the bottom of the Ohio River and is well farmed. They have some very extensive crops and vineyards from which I think come as good wine as ever I tasted. They likewise have fruit of every description.
June 26 - This day I discovered a mound of earth of about 30 feet in diameter and 20 feet in height. It is situated on a very high hill one and a half miles from the river and facing the river. It was covered with trees of the first magnitude. We purchased a skiff and sailed down the river 6 miles to the Kentucky River. This is a large river, 300 yards wide and navigable 250 miles. At its mouth stands the village of Port William which commands a handsome view of the Ohio River and is situated on a rich, fertile, and extensive bottom. Passed down 13 miles to the town of Madison, which is situated on the right bank of the river. It was laid out in 1770 and has flourished very fast ever since. It contains 150 buildings.
June 30 - Sailed down the river 65 miles to Jeffersonville which is situated on the right bank of the river. The town was laid out in 1802. Since that time it has grown in proportion to the surrounding country. It is the seat of justice for Clark County and contains a land office for the disposal of U.S. land, and a post and printing office are established. Here, half a mile below this place, are the Great Falls of the Ohio which drop 221 feet in two miles. At the head of these falls, a rock extends, nearly closing the river in the form of a mill dam which deadens the water up the river for 20 miles. The channel of the river below this is full of islands. There are two pilots appointed by the State to run the boats down these falls. Louisville is situated at the head of the falls in the State of Kentucky and contains about 400 houses, 2 printing offices, 20 stores and several warehouses, and a post office. It is a port of entry and the seat of justice for Jefferson County, Kentucky. Also at Louisville is a banking company, a paper mill, an iron foundry for the casting of all kinds of iron ware, a glass factory, a saw mill, and a flour mill powered by steam. There is a cotton factory which also uses steam power.
This place trades largely in all kinds of country produce with New Orleans.. We passed down these falls on an Orleans boat in 7 minutes. It is truly astonishing and sublime to the passenger to pass these falls, to see the impetuous waters roll and tumble among the huge piles of rock and threaten to bury the boat in oblivion at every turn. At the bottom of the falls was one extensive whirlpool which threatened to bury the boat in its curling crevices.
Shippingport is situated immediately below the falls in Kentucky. It is a very good landing place for boats. It contained 60 or 70 houses, an extensive flour mill and other buildings. It likewise is a point of entry and at this time, there were 18 steam boats in the harbor waiting for the rich commodities of the country.
New Albany stands on the opposite shore of the river, one mile below the falls and contains about 100 buildings and is a place of considerable business. From this place, we sailed on down the river 13 miles to the Salt River. This is a river of considerable size and navigable 60 or 70 miles and 250 yards wide at its mouth. It is called Salt River on account of a Salt spring situated near its banks from which large quantities of salt are made.
July 1 - Sailed down the river 62 miles to Blue River which is 200 yards wide. This is a very long and crooked river of Indiana, navigable 250 miles. A little below the mouth of this river stands the village of Leavenworth. It is a new town and contains about 20 houses.
July 2 - Sailed down the river 36 miles to Hanging Rock. It is called by way of eminence, the Lady Washington. It shows a bare perpendicular front of solid rock about 100 feet in height, commencing at the water's edge. This rock would make a good site for a town, having a fine command of the river above and below for several miles. On the back side, it slopes off by a gradual descent into the surrounding country. Here, the river hills end and the flat country commences. There is a bluff now and then.
Sailed down the river 57 miles to Green River. This is a valuable stream of Kentucky. It has a gentle current, navigable 150 miles and after winding through a most fertile country for 200 miles, enters into the Ohio.
July 3 - Passed down 75 miles to Wabash River. This is a large and important river, navigable 450 miles. This river is the dividing line between Indiana and Illinois. Forty miles above the mouth of this river in Kentucky is the Great Bend in the Ohio River. It is 25 miles around and only 2 1/2 miles across (by land). At the northern extremity of this bend is the Yellow Banks which contain large beds of copper. Opposite this place, stands the town of Evansville. It is of but two years growth and contains about 60 houses. Big Rigum Creek puts into the river just below the town. About 60 miles above this place, we just discovered the canebrake which grows in great abundance.
July 4 - This day we traveled 28 miles to the town of Harmony. It is a west course. The land this distance is of an excellent quality. This day we discovered an ancient mound or Indian grave of about 15 feet in height and 30 in circumference. It is just as you reach the bottom lands of the Wabash, three miles from the river. Harmony is situated on the bank of the river 70 miles from its junction with the Ohio. It contains about 300 houses, a large church, and a town clock. It is settled with Germans, called Mennonites. Their domestic laws are similar to the Shakers. They are very industrious people and very soberly.
July 6 - Crossed the Wabash and traveled 6 miles to the Fox River. This distance is a rich bottom of land covered with river poplars and canebrakes, the latter from 5 to 25 feet in height and nettles from 3 to 6 feet high. From this, we passed on 17 miles to Lotternin (Carmi?), which is a thriving town of White County, Illinois. It is situated on the Little Wabash River, 40 miles from the mouth of the same and contains a courthouse, a jail, several stores and about 100 houses. Here, I stayed for some time and visited the country about this river, which in general is very good, but rather unhealthy.
July 25 - Started from Lormi (Carmi?) and traveled 22 miles this day. We passed over a dry and barren country with the exception of the Seven Miles Prairie, which is a beautiful tract of land.
July 26 - Wednesday. Traveled from this prairie and crossed Hogs Prairie which is 11 miles wide and 7 or 8 long. We traveled from this area, 8 miles to Maries Prairie which is 13 miles long. Saw but one house in the whole distance. This day we had to travel 9 miles without water, under the vertical rays of a burning sun. This day we traveled 21 miles.
July 27 - Thursday. Started from Maries Prairie and traveled 14 miles without food or drink. At the end of which I had an illness which delayed us the most of the day. We traveled on for 5 miles to Walnut Hill Prairie (near present-day Centralia) where we stayed the night.
July 28 - This day we passed over some very beautiful prairie and a part of Grand Prairie to the town of Carlyle which is 24 miles. It is situated on the head waters of of the Kaskaskia River. It is called Upper and Lower Carlyle. Upper Carlyle is about one mile from the river on a high and beautiful precipice which gives the beholder a beautiful and extensive view.
July 29 - We traveled over this prairie 4 miles where I remained confined with the ague and fever. The remainder of the day here, I purchased a horse and traveled 30 miles over a country mostly prairie.
July 30 - We crossed this day the Looking Glass Prairie which extends 250 miles in length.
July 31 - This day rode one mile to Edwardsville, shaken with the ague. This is the seat of justice for Madison County, Illinois and contains 90 or 100 houses. About this place is some of the best settlements in the State. In the afternoon, we started from Edwardsville and traveled 12 miles to Alton, which is a thriving village, containing 60 or 70 houses. From this, we passed 10 miles to Pidgeon Creek. We passed this day, a tract of land called the American Bottom, which lies on the east side of the Mississippi River and is in some places 50 miles in extent and fertile beyond description.
August I - Traveled 20 miles to Macoupin Creek, thence 6 miles to Apple Creek. Both are fine streams of water and are covered near their banks with considerable timber. They both empty into the Illinois River.
August 3 - Traveled 22 miles over a beautiful country to the Mubastue Creek. This country is the handsomest I ever beheld. As you travel over these prairies, you almost fancy yourself in the Elysian fields. Here, you come on a tract of land of several hundred miles in circumference, as handsome as the imagination can present. '
August 30 - Left this place of Shawneetown, which is 200 miles southeast. I arrived in 5 days. This place is 30 miles south of Carmi on the Ohio River and 10 miles below the mouth of the Wabash. It lies in Lat. 37 degrees, 66 minutes. This village formerly belonged to the Shawnee Nation of Indians. It now has about 50 indifferent cabins and roofed houses, with the exception of a few which are not shingled. It has a post office, several taverns, and some stores and shops.
Sept. 4 - From this, I sailed down 8 miles to the Sutin River (Saline) , which is an important river of the State of Illinois. Some twelve miles up this river from the Ohio, are some very extensive salt works belonging to the U.S. The price of salt at the works is 70 cents per bushel. They manufacture yearly about 200,000 bushels. In the vicinity of these works are to be found fragments of ancient pottery ware of an enormous size. Three miles below this river is a large butter rock. Here is run a formidable work of nature. A large perpendicular front is of rock jutting out from a lofty land, bounding the river for a mile above and below, having wellenvisioned forms in the scene. The buttery is about 22 feet high in a circular form, and one quarter of a mile in length. The beholder would suppose it was formed for the purpose of the boldest and strongest defense. Its upper edge slopes off gradually to the river's edge. The lower end is broken and huge rocks have left there former beds and taken a position in the river below (Tower Rock?).
Sailed down 10 miles to another rock or house of nature. Here, you are presented with a most stupendous vision. Solid works of nature for a half mile. Right before you reach this cave, you have a front view of a beautiful perpendicular smooth limestone wall, or solid mass of rock, 120 feet high. This wall has an opening a little above the high water mark and presents a mouth of about 40 feet in circumference. It narrows from the bottom to the top as it ascends, making an arch of about 20 feet and running back several hundred feet. (Cave in Rock State Park ?).
Sept. 5 - Passed from this place to the Cumberland River, 32 miles. This is a large river, 380 yards wide and navigable with vessels to Nashville and with boats 300 miles further. This river is partly of Kentucky and partly of Tennessee. It heads in the Cumberland Mountains and is an important river. At its mouth, is a small village, containing 30 or 40 houses, a warehouse, a postoffice, and several stores.
Passed on 73 miles to the north of the Tennessee River. This is a very long, crooked and important river of the state of Tennessee. It is navigable 900 miles from its mouth, which is 600 yards wide in Lat. 37 degrees, 11 minutes North. The lands along this river, as well as the Ohio, is fertile beyond description. The river bottoms in their natural state are covered with thick forest and canebrakes.
Sept. 6 - Passed on from this place to Fort Mason, 71 miles. This fort stands on a high, dry bank on the right side of the Ohio and commands a fine view of the river. This place, however, is not very eligible for a fort or settlement. As a station, it is not of much importance to the U.S. and the swamps and ponds of stagnant water make it unfit for a settlement.
The French had a fort here as early as 1755, and under the same name which it bears at present. It is Lat. 37 degrees, 12 minutes North. Passed on from this place to the mouth of the Ohio (38 miles) which is 8 or 10 yards(?) wide. There is no settlement near the mouth of this river, owing to its being subjected to inundation. From the mouth of this river, below to New Madrid, is 70 miles. It is situated on the right bank of the river and was laid out on a very large scale. From this to the Arkansas River, it is 325 miles. This river is navigable 3,000 miles and is 900 yards wide. From this to Natchez, it is 297 miles. From this to New Orleans, it is 354 miles.
Sept. 7-9 - Passed up the Mississippi River 171 miles to St. Louis, which is the capital of Missouri. Situated on the west bank of the Mississippi on a limestone bank and contains about 300 houses it bids fair to be a place of immense trade. From this to the mouth of the Missouri River is 15 miles. This is an important river which is 400 to 600 yards wide at its mouth.
Sept. 10 - Passed on 18 miles to the Illinois River. From the mouth of the Illinois to Pittsburg is a distance of 694 miles and from there to Olean Point is 300 miles. The total distance to Clarence, NY is 1,401 miles (from the Illinois River?). The Illinois River is 400 yards wide at its mouth and navigable without any obstruction for 400 miles. It has a great number of rivers and creeks as tributaries and some of them very large. The country of the Illinois is not excelled in beauty, richness of soil or pleasantness of situation by any country in the U.S. or perhaps in the world. It is truly delightful and picturesque. It yields great quantities of grapes of very good flavor. Coal mines and salt springs abound. On a branch of the Illinois River on Mum Hill has been discovered several beautiful lakes near the border of the river.
Sept. 15 - Passed up the Illinois River 100 miles to the mouth of Mulster Creek. Here, I remained till Feb. 17 (1821) and visited various parts of the country for several hundred miles in extent. The rivers and creeks were numerous which enter into the Illinois.
Feb. 17 - Started from William Kellogg's and traveled 30 miles to the house of William Ditrous on Spring Creek, over a most beautiful country of prairie lying in handsome rolling swells and lake waters.
Feb. 18 - Passed over a prairie 6 miles to Richland Creek, to the house of William Smith, where I remained 2 days. This creek is a fine stream of water and the timber along its borders is excellent.
Feb. 20 - Traveled 20 miles to the Sangamon River, which I had to ford in this cold season of the year. Passed on a mile where I put up for the night.
Feb. 21 - Traveled on 10 miles to Elkhart, which is situated in the center of a beautiful and extensive prairie. From thence, passed on 8 miles to the head of Lake Fork Creek This day I saw numerous amount of deer and an abundance of turkeys.
Feb. 22 - Traveled 40 miles over beautiful prairie to the north branch of the Sangamon River. Here, I nearly died. Spent most of the night in search of the trading house, but not finding it, I was obliged to suffer a cold stormy night in the lonely wilderness where nothing was heard but the doleful hooting of the night owl and the dismal howling of the ravenous wolf.
Feb. 23 - Traveled 2 miles and fell in company with the traders who directed me to the trading house.
Feb. 25 - Here, I remained 2 days. Traveled 25 miles to Nanut (Walnut?) Creek. The country in these parts is handsome beyond description. Here, I struck up a fire and rested through the night very comfortably.
Feb. 26 - Left my camp and traveled 35 miles over a very beautiful country and came into the timber on the streams which put into the Wabash River. Here, I fixed my camp for the night, but suffered from the cold northwest wind which blew hard.
Feb. 27 - Traveled 3 miles and came to the settlement on the north arm of the Grand Prairie. From thence, I traveled 18 mires to the Wabash River, which is about 400 yards wide. On the right bank, stands the town of Terre Haute, a thriving village containing about 100 houses. Three miles above the town stands Fort Harrison. The country about this river is mostly prairie and very handsome. This place is 450 miles by water above the mouth of the river.
Feb. 28 - Traveled 25 miles to Eel River, over a poor and desolate looking country. Stayed at the Thomases on Eel River.
March 1 - Traveled 26 miles this day. I crossed the north branch of White River, 73 miles above Vincennes. This is a beautiful stream of water, bordered with fine bottom lands which are covered in their natural state with lofty timber.
March 2 - Traveled 14 miles to Bloomington, a thriving town in Monroe County, about two years old. It contains about 150 houses. The country around this place is of very good quality, but very heavily timbered.
March 3 - I traveled 12 miles to Salt Creek where I put up for the night at Mr. Shields. Crossed the Creek and traveled 32 miles over some very good land and put up for the night at Mr. Woods house in Swimen.
March 4 - Traveled 2 miles and crossed Driftwood Fork of White River about 70 miles from the mouth of the river. Thence, passed on to Brownston, the seat of justice of Jefferson County. It contains 70 or 80 houses and is a thriving village. From this place, I traveled 10 miles up the river to Mr. Shress where I remained 2 days.
March 7 - Started from Mr. Shress and traveled 10 miles to Mutton Creek which I crossed with some difficulty and passed on 6 miles to Geneva and Sand Creek. This is a small town and of one year's growth, but contains 20 houses. I crossed this creek and traveled 7 miles up the land to Colombia, which is a small town containing 15 or 20 houses. Re-crossed the creek and put up for the night at the house of Frederick Curtis.
March 8 - Traveled 4 miles to Wissenater Creek. From there, 6 miles, where I put up for the night- at the house of Mr. Senily, in Reply. The land this day varies in soil and is uneven.
March 9 - Traveled 5 miles to the village of Napoleon, which contains 20 or 30 buildings. From there, I traveled 25 miles over a land which was not much settled.
March 10 - Traveled 3 miles to Brookville situated in the fork of the White Water River and is the seat of justice for Franklin County. It contains 300 houses, a courthouse, and a jail and bank. It also contains several stores, taverns, and grocery stores. This town is about 70 miles from the mouth of the river. From this town, I traveled 8 miles up the river to Fairfield, which contains 50 or 60 houses. The country about this place is very uneven, but the soil is generally good. From this place, I traveled 12 miles and stayed the night at Mr. Hammonds, who was formerly from Georgia.
March 11 - Traveled 2 miles from the dividing line between Indiana and Ohio. From thence, passed 3 miles to Esoford, which contains about 70 houses. Thence, 17 miles to the Big Miami River. The country this day is very good and well formed. Crossed the river 50 miles from its mouth and passed up three miles to Middletown, which is pleasantly situated on the east side of the river and contains about 350 buildings. Here, I stayed for the night at the sign of the Black Horse Inn.
March 12 - Traveled 6 miles to the town of Franklin which contains 300 houses and the seat of justice for Butler County. This is situated on the east bank of the Miami River. It is in the midst of a rich and flourishing country. There are a number of excellent flour mills along this river.
Passed on 18 miles to Dayton which is the seat of Justice for Montgomery County, situated on the east bank of the Miami River. It is just below the mouth of the Mud River and it contains about 400 houses, a courthouse, jail, a meeting house, and a considerable number of stores and other public buildings. There is a handsome toll bridge over the Miami at this place. From here, I traveled 12 miles to Fairfield which is situated two miles southwest of Mud Prairie and it contains about 150 houses, 3 stores, and 2 houses of public entertainment.
March 13 - Traveled 14 miles to Springfield, the seat or justice for Clark County and contains 350 houses of all description. From Dayton to this place, there is a considerable portion of the country which is prairie and some is excellent forming land. I discovered this day several mounds or Indian Graves of about 30 feet in height and 15 or 20 feet in diameter at the base. Some of them were covered with trees of the first magnitude. They were in the form of a cone. From Springfield, I traveled 12 miles and put up for the night at the house of Mr. Norton from New York.
March 14 - Traveled from this place to Darby Creek, 18 miles over a very poor tract of country. A considerable part of it is a wet clay prairie. Crossed Darby Creek and traveled 10 miles over poor land and put up at a private house.
March 15 - Traveled 3 miles to Franklin which is situated on the western bank of the Sister (Scioto?) River. It is the seat of justice for Franklin County and contains a courthouse, jail, and several stores. There are three public buildings and about 100 dwelling houses. Crossed over the Scioto on a toll bridge to Columbus, which is beautifully situated on the eastern bank. It is the seat of government for the State of Ohio. It contains a state house, a penitentiary, a considerable number of mercantile stores, inns, dress shops, warehouses and about 400 dwellings. From Columbus, I traveled 3 miles in an easterly direction to Alum Creek, thence a northerly direction up the creek 20 miles to the town of Zoar, where there are some excellent flour mills From this place, I traveled 2 miles to Berkshire. The country from Columbus to this place is very good and well farmed.
March 17 - Traveled 18 miles to Perrysville which is situated on Blackfork of Mohegan Creek and from thence, I traveled 9 miles to the house of Mr. Doyles where I put up for the night. I passed a piece of woods which was 7 miles in extent. The timber is mostly chestnut.
March 18 - Traveled 4 miles to the house of K. Sheldon. Here, I remained 4 days and viewed this part of the country which is very good, but some of it uneven. It produces fine corn and rye.
March 22 - Traveled 14 miles to Wooster, the seat of justice for Wayne County. This contains a courthouse and jail, several stores and taverns and about 70 dwelling houses. From this place, I traveled 12 miles andput up at a private house in the midst of 73 miles of woods.
March 23 - Traveled 17 miles to Medina on the new state road. Medina is the county seat for Medina County and contains a courthouse nearly finished and store and 10 or 12 dwellings. From thence, I traveled 20 miles over a poor tract of land.
March 24 - Traveled 12 miles to Cleveland, the seat of justice for Cuyahoga County. It contains about 100 dwellings.. a courthouse, a post and printing office, a rope walk, several warehouses, stores and inns. It is situated on the eastern bank of the river on a high bank and has a fine view of Lake Erie and the surrounding country. From this place, I traveled 20 miles to the Chagrin River. The village of Chagrin is situated on the southwest bank and contains two stores, one inn, 50 dwellings and a fine set of mills.
March 25 - Traveled 10 miles over a very good tract of land and very well farmed to Painsville which is situated on the southwest bank of the Grand River and contains about 130 buildings of all description. This place is 3 miles from the mouth of the river and has a handsome situation. This is the finest country for fruit on the border of the Lake. Crossed Grand River and traveled 20 miles and put up for the night. The snow fell this night to 6 inches deep.
March 26 - Traveled 10 miles, the worst traveling I ever saw. This place contains 40 or 50 dwellings and a house of public entertainment. There are several stores and an excellent set of mills. Traveled 19 miles and put up at the house of H. Sperry one mile east of the dividing line between Ohio and Pennsylvania.
March 27 - Traveled 31 miles to Erie over a very good and well settled country. This town is situated on the shore of Lake Erie and contains a courthouse, market house, a number of stores and inns and 300 dwelling houses. From Erie, I traveled 4 miles and put up for the night.
March 28 - Traveled 16 miles to Twenty-Mile Creek on which there is a fine set of mills From this, I traveled 4 miles to the state line of New York. From this, I traveled 8 miles, where I put up for the night at William's tavern.
March 29 - Traveled 9 miles to Fredonia, the county seat of Chautauqua County..
March 30 - Traveled to Buffalo, 45 miles.
March 31 - Traveled to Clarence, arriving home on March 31, 1821."
So what do you think about this adventure? Do you think it sounds fun? Exciting? Boring? I think it would be very fun to visit all the places he describes, first of all to see if we could find them and then to compare how they've changed, and to know that we were a part of it all through our great-great-great grandfather(2 more greats in your case). I wish he had told more about the people he met along the way and visited. The parts about getting very ill out in the middle of the Illinois prairie and about almost freezing to death don't sound fun, but he survived them. Why do you think he spent so much time describing all the rivers and streams he passes? I think it's because in 1820 there were no roads or highways into the wilderness. The waterways were the roads. Rivers and streams were the main way people got to places and moved their products to markets.
In 1832 Rody's father died in Clarence Hollow, New York. This may be one factor in Rody's move westward to Wisconsin. But another very important event occurred in1832 that was just as important. The Blackhawk War ended. You may be saying, "Oh,no,not another war!" but yes, and this one was important to our family in a different way. None of our ancestors were in it.
Blackhawk was a Sauk Indian Chief. So was Keokuk, but he was a chief of a different band of Sauk Indians. In 1830 Chief Keokuk sold 26,500,000 acres of Sauk land east of the Mississippi to the United States government for three cents an acre. Much of this land was in Illinois and Wisconsin and included the area that had been home to Chief Blackhawk and his band of Indians for 150 years. Blackhawk didn't agree to this sale. He just returned from a hunt one day and there were white settlers in his backyard building log cabins. At first when soldiers came Blackhawk took his people west across the Mississippi River. But then he came back and fought. And that was the Blackhawk War. Of course he lost. Hundreds of his people were killed, and Chief Blackhawk was put in the custody of Chief Keokuk, the man who had betrayed him. And all the lands east of the Mississippi River were cleared of "hostile" Indians. That's when settlers began to pour into Wisconsin. There were still Indians here as you'll hear about further along in this story, but they weren't fighting with the settlers.
Rodolphus Derrick laid claim to his Wisconsin land in Green County in 1836. According to his descendant Richard Nyman, the story goes something like this:
In 1836 Wisconsin was not yet a state. To buy land Rodolphus had to go all the way to the federal land office in Milwaukee. He found the land he wanted, Sections 3 and 4 in the towns of Spring Grove and Decatur, and he walked all the way to Milwaukee to buy them. For some reason the sections were oddly shaped and bigger than other sections so he ended up with about 2,000 acres. Over the years he sold off pieces to other settlers such as the TenEycks. During one transaction he accidentally sold off the wrong land and found himself with hilly terrain instead of the fertile prairie he had intended to keep.Here's an account from the "History of Green County" of Rody's coming to Wisconsin:
"In 1836, he came to Green County and purchased for himself and other parties, 1,200 acres of land in Sections 3 and 4 in the present towns of Spring Grove and Decatur. In the fall of 1838, he removed with his family to Wisconsin, stopping at White Oak Springs in what is now Lafayette County, where his two sons, Frederick and Alonzo, were at work in the lead mines. Here he remained until spring, keeping a boarding house during the winter. He then removed to Illinois, locating near Savannah. In 1840, he sent his son, Alonzo, with a hired man and team, to his land in Green County, who broke land preparatory to a crop the following year. In April, 1841, Rodolphus removed with his family to the town of Spring Grove, and there resided until his death."
When the Derricks moved here in 1841 they were a family of real pioneers. Besides Rody and Polly there were 8 children: Fred was 23, Harriet 21, Alonzo 19, Frank (that's our ancestor) was 17. Then came three girls - Statira was 15, Pauline 12, and Elvira 9, and a baby of six months, Helen Irine. Rody's mother, Elizabeth Gustin Derrick, may well have come with them since she is buried in Wisconsin. It's a good thing he had three strong young sons because pioneering was a lot of work in 1841. And you will read about all the work the girls had to help with in the story I am writing about his wife, Lorinda Sheldon Derrick. Here are excerpts of an account of life in the original cabin built by Rody and Loranda at Spring Grove, Green County, Wisconsin, described by a granddaughter, Ida L. Klumb of Olympia, Washington in 1927 (See Spencer and Goodpasture book, pp.477 - 483).
"The house was made of logs and partitioned off . . . into two rooms. The north end of the lower part was used for a kitchen-dining room and a sitting room. The south end was used for sleeping quarters and a play room for the children. There was only one door and two windows in each of these rooms. The bedsteads were wooden and home made, with high posts on each comer in which curtains were fastened to make them private. A hallway ran between these two rooms and one door on the east and one on the west. Steps behind the east door led to the upper story in which there were two rooms with partitions made of logs.
"As there was no sawmill in those times, the floors were made of puncheons which were logs split and smoothed on one side with an adze. The rough side was laid next to the ground. There was a large fireplace on the north side of the kitchen...All of the buildings on the homestead were constructed of logs and they consisted of corncrib, barns, chicken houses, hen coops, carpenter shop, sheds, and a smoke house. (Ida) remembers the smoke house very vividly as it used to be filled with meat every fall. The meat was smoked and cured for winter use. The carpenter shop was very much used by Rodolphus, who was a handy workman with carpenter tools.
"The only kind of chairs used in the Abby (they called their log cabin home 'the Abby') in the year 1840 and some years later, were splint bottom chairs. They were all homemade. One chair in particular, I remember. It was a big rocking chair with splint bottom and back. These splints came from the inside bark of elm trees, arched and cut into proper lengths, then woven back and forth until the bottom of the chair would be covered. Frames of the chair, back legs and rounds, were fashioned from small limbs of walnut trees which were very plentiful. The rocking chair mentioned above was very substantial and was used for many, years .
"Lamps were not known in the home. For lighting the old log cabin, pine nuts and tallow candles were used . . . .
"Besides the homemade splint bottom chairs, there were wooden cradles for the babies made of walnut wood. Bookcases and all cupboards used in the Abby were made of wood from the farm. One of the bookcases did service until 1873 and later . . . .
"The rail fences in these days were made of rails split from small logs. Gates for these fences were made of small poles and hung on wooden hinges to swing in or out. A box filled with stones was used as a weight attached to the gate with a rope in such a manner that when the gate was released for opening, this weight would pull it open.
"All of the doors in the Abby had homemade latches and the latch rested in a catch made of wood. A string ran through a hole in the door and served to raise the latch. A button was attached to each end of the string and when one wished to go either way, it was only necessary to pull on the string and the latch would fly up releasing it from its keeper and the door could be opened. It was a reminder of when Little Red Riding Hood visited her grandmother and the big wolf ate her up.
"Harvesting the grain was all done with hand sickles and cradles, which was a slow tedious process. Thrashing was accomplished by means of treadmills operated by horses walking on a revolving floor. A very primitive method from the present means of threshing. Ploughs to cultivate the fields were homemade and drawn by ox teams, which was very slow work . . . .
"Wild grapes, blackberries, crab apples, hawthorns, and black and while mulberry trees grew in the yard of the old home. There were many nut trees, such as hickory, walnut, butternut. and others. Silver maple trees grew on each side of the path that led to the west door of the house, making a beautiful picture in the spring of the year. A large pine tree stood in the southwest comer of the yard and Lombard poplars were scattered around, along with a few pepper trees. . . . An orchard had been set out early and many kinds of trees bore fruit used in the home.
"The well on the Derrick place was dug by hand and lined with stones gathered on the place. They were laid together with ashes from the wood burned in the fireplace and mixed with a certain amount of lime. The mortar hardened to hold the stones fast. There was no cement to be had in those early days."The well was 60 feet deep and to get the water to the top, a windlass was positioned over the top, to which was attached a rope and two long buckets. In this manner. when a full bucket was raised to the surface, the empty one was lowered down to be filled. The water was of a very fine quality. The well reminded one of the old song and poem, 'The Old Oaken Bucket- That Hung in the Well'.
"Grandfather helped to build the first bridge across the Sugar River.
"In the old log home were many varied experiences in the form of births, marriages, and deaths. Four of the children were married here: Harriet, Statira, Pauline, and Elvira. The latter was known in her later years as Aunt Vie by everyone who knew her."
A small village grew up next to Rody's property. The following excerpt is from notes copied by Ina Nyman from "History of Old Clarence" by Bell Ten Eyck Fleming.
"The old village plot was located on land in Section 2, which was first settled by Wm. Sherry in the spring of 1841. . . Clarence was known in those days as Tenneyville. It was later named Clarence in honor of Squire Derrick, the name of the town from which he came. (The village of Clarence bordered Rody's property.) . . . .Morris Derrick, brother of Squire Derrick, kept a small stock of groceries and liquors . . . .An old cemetery used in the days of Clarence is located on Section 2 opposite the Searles place. A private graveyard is located on the original purchase of R. H. Derrick. The old hotel and barn were destroyed by fire and the post office was discontinued in 1857 and who can tell what became of the many, many homes and business places. Everything is gone where was once this beautiful village of Clarence and now laid out in fields of farm land and farm homes."
Rody was a county commissioner in Green County in 1845, 1847, and 1853. He also held several town offices and was a Justice of the Peace. What is a justice of the peace? It is a person appointed by a court and given authority to handle some powers of a judge such as authorizing search warrants, marrying people, and witnessing documents. In frontier lands such as Wisconsin was in the early 1840's a justice of the peace could be the only representative of law for miles around. And there was no fancy courthouse. Rody's log house served as the court house.
Again from "History of Green County": "Rodolphus D. Derrick, familiarly known as "Squire Derrick", is well remembered by the early settlers for his many excellent qualities. He was a man of much general information, was justice of the peace for many years, and otherwise connected officially with the affairs of his town."
Rody never moved from his log house. After a long illness he died there on September 29, 1860.
Here's a little bit about Rody and Lorinda's children:
Rodolphus and Lorinda Sheldon Derrick's first child was Rodolphus Frederick Derrick. He was quite taken by the Indians he encountered when his family first came to Wisconsin. He went on a trip with one to the far west. He stayed a number of years, fell in love with a beautiful Indian maiden and married her. She died and he was heartbroken. While in the west he carved a cane which is now in the possession of Gene Balis. He moved back to Wisconsin and married Sarah Clark. They had one daughter, Hattie. Later he moved to California.
Rodolphus and Lorinda Sheldon Derricks second child was was Harriet. She married Hiram Maynard and they had two children. For a while Hiram ran a store with Harriet's brother, Rodolphus F.
Rodolphus and Lorinda Sheldon Derricks third child was Alonzo Sheldon Derrick. He married Hannah Springstead, a neighbor. He and Hannah had five children. Their son, Edwin Scott Derrick, was in the civil war. Alonzo was a miner.
Rodolphus and Lorinda Sheldon Derricks fourth child was Franklin H. Derrick. He is our ancestor and has his own story.
Rodolphus and Lorinda Sheldon Derricks fifth child was Statira S. Derrick. She only lived to be 26. She married John Dory and they had a son Scott, and then Statira died eight months later. Rdolphus and Lorinda helped to raise Scott. The census shows him living with them in 1860.
Rodolphus and Lorinda Sheldon Derricks sixth child was Paulina Derrick. Paulina married Thomas Condon Boslow, brother of Harriet Boslow who married Paulina's brother Franklin H. Derrick. A brother and sister married a brother and sister. They had four children.
Rodolphus and Lorinda Sheldon Derricks seventh child was Elvira Derrick. She married Levi Felton Derrick, a cousin, son of Bybie Luke Derrick. Her nickname was Auntie Vie. They had four children.
Rodolphus and Lorinda Sheldon Derricks eighth child was Helen Irine Derrick, She died at the age of five.
So this is the story of Rodolphus Derrick, our ancestor who fought in the war of 1812, who took off on a year long expedition exploring down the Ohio River all the way to the Mississippi, through Illinois, and back, who came to Wisconsin with his wife and 8 children as pioneers after the Blackhawk War, who functioned as a justice of the peace, who helped found a town on the prairie, and who was well respected by family and neighbors who called him "Squire." So hooray for Rodolphus Donaldus Derrick!
Here's how you are related to Rody Derrick:
Rodolphus Derrick married Lorinda Sheldon and had Franklin H. Derrick
Franklin H. Derrick married Harriet A. Boslow and had Mary Lorinda Derrick.
Mary Lorinda Derrick married John C. Balis and had Flora Lulu Balis.
Flora Lulu Balis married Edmund Stevens and had Harold Balis Stevens.
Harold Balis Stevens married Helen Frances White and had Paul Robert Stevens.
Paul Robert Stevens married Dianne Irene Zimmerman and had Dawne Irene Pamplin.
Dawne Irene Pamplin married Jason Andrew Pamplin and had Sarah Elizabeth, Hannah Irene, Timothy Paul, and Rebecca Anne Pamplin!
Love,
Granny
The Lorinda Sheldon Story
1797 - 1874
Clarence Hollow, New York – Monroe, Wisconsin
November 26, 2004Dear Children,
Tonight I will tell you about a very important woman in our family. She was a pioneer after the Revolutionary War, first in western New York and then in Wisconsin. She had eight children and also raised a grandson. She endured the grief of losing a daughter in early childhood and another daughter in early adulthood. She lived long enough to "retire" which, for Lorinda, meant being afforded the luxury of sitting by the window where the pink rosebush grew and knitting for hours on end.
Lorinda Derrick was born in Clarence Hollow, New York on February 14, 1797. William Sheldon and Diadama Saxton Sheldon had eleven children and Lorinda was the sixth - right in the middle! She was the first child of the family to be born in Clarence Hollow. Her name has been spelled Lurinda, Loranda, Lorenda, and Lorinda. I like Lorinda because that was the way they spelled her granddaughter Mary's middle name. I'm not totally sure about her birthplace as the Erie County genweb site says Asa Ransom, a distant cousin of the Derricks, was the first resident of Clarence in 1799. But in the next paragraph it says that someone named Hopkins settled there in 1797. But whether or not Lorinda was born there, that is where she spent her growing up years. And at that point in time Clarence was in the backwoods frontier of New York. There were many Indians in the neighborhood and lots of snow in the winter. In the middle of a large family on the frontier, Lorinda must have known hard work but also fun. If you read the book Caddie Woodlawn you will have some idea of what Lorinda's childhood was like. That book takes place 50 years later and in Wisconsin, not New York, but both little girls grew up on the frontier in olden days with Indians nearby.
In 1817 Lorinda married Rodolphus Derrick. They had two children, Rodolphus Frederick, whom they called Fred, and Harriet, when father Rodolphus took off on his year long journey down the Ohio River to Illinois. It would be interesting to know how Lorinda handled that absence. Perhaps she moved back with mom and dad and her younger brothers and sisters. After he returned Alonzo, Frank, Statira, Paulina, and Elvira were born. Then in 1836 Rodolphus took off out west again. We know this because that is when he bought land in Green County, Wisconsin. Two years later in 1838, the whole family came west. This is how The History of Green County tells it:
"In 1836, he came to Green County and purchased for himself and other parties, 1,200 acres of land in Sections 3 and 4 in the present towns of Spring Grove and Decatur. In the fall of 1838, he removed with his family to Wisconsin, stopping at White Oak Springs in what is now Lafayette County, where his two sons, Frederick and Alonzo, were at work in the lead mines. Here he remained until spring, keeping a boarding house during the winter. He then removed to Illinois, locating near Savannah. In 1840, he sent his son, Alonzo, with a hired man and team, to his land in Green County, who broke land preparatory to a crop the following year. In April, 1841, Rodolphus removed with his family to the town of Spring Grove, and there resided until his death."
Lorinda's last baby, Helen Irene, must have been born in Illinois, because she was born in October of 1840. That child died before her 5th birthday.
We know more about Lorinda's life after she came to Wisconsin when she was 43 years old. In 1927 her granddaughter, Ida L. Klumb, of Olympia, Washington, wrote an article about life in the original cabin built by Rodolphus and Lorinda (Sheldon) Derrick at Spring Grove, Green County, Wisconsin. The following excerpts are from that article.
" . . . . There was a large fireplace on the north side of the kitchen. Here, Loranda did all of the everyday cooking by hanging pots on a rod over the fire. Big tongs were set beside the chimney to be used when the fire needed replenishing. Pot hooks and cranes were tools used in handling the cooking utensils in these times. The baking was all done in a big brick oven built in the north comer of the kitchen. Loranda baked the most delicious salt-rising bread, pumpkin and mince pies, and baked beans at various times, usually twice per week.
"After 77 years of time has passed, one of the grandchildren (Ida Boslow Klumb) is giving this description. She was born in this same log house in the year 1850 in the northeast comer room on the upper floor. It was known as the 'Old Abby'. . . .(Ida was the daughter of Rody and Lorinda's daughter, Paulina.)
"The only kind of chairs used in the Abby in the year 1840 and some years later, were splint bottom chairs. They were all homemade. One chair in particular, I remember. It was a big rocking chair with splint bottom and back. These splints came from the inside bark of elm trees, arched and cut into proper lengths, then woven back and forth until the bottom of the chair would be covered. Frames of the chair, back legs and rounds, were fashioned from small limbs of walnut trees which were very plentiful. The rocking chair mentioned above was very substantial and was used for many, many years. It was still in the possession of Loranda Derrick at her death in 1873. The chair served many purposes, being used for a cradle for many of the grandchildren as well as a rest chair for the elderly. I well remember seeing Grandma sitting in it at the window that looked out on the yard. Beside the window was a rose bush and in June it was loaded with large pink roses. Grandma would sit by the window with her knitting work - a pretty sight, dressed in her white cap and neckerchief, a costume worn by all elderly women at that time.
"Lamps were not known in the home. For lighting the old log cabin, pine nuts and tallow candles were used. Grandma used to make up very large quantities, hundreds of dozens of them every fall. They were burned in candlesticks and had snuffers to snap the wicks. The brass candle sticks had to be cleaned and candles renewed every morning."Besides doing the work and cooking, Grandma made clothes for all the family by taking the wool from the sheep, cleaning and carding it, spinning it into yam and then weaving it into cloth. All this was done with homemade utensils such as the spinning wheel, reels, and looms. In 1860, the spinning wheel was still in the garret of the old home. After all this work to get the cloth, the clothing for every member of the family was made by hand sewing. Sewing machines had not been put into use at this time. Stockings were all hand knitted from yam which had been home spun. Even the shoes were all hand cobbled from home-tanned leather.
"All the joys and comforts of a home were of crude form compared with the present. For drinking purposes, gourds were mainly used. They were formed by cutting off one side, digging out the center, and then put them through a drying process. As a result, they became very hard, serviceable, and durable. They had a long neck used as a handle. A hole was made in the end through which a homespun string was run and the gourd was hung by the old stone well for a drinking cup. Many of these improvised dippers were kept about the house for various purposes.
"Besides the homemade splint bottom chairs, there were wooden cradles for the babies made of walnut wood. Bookcases and all cupboards used in the Abby were made of wood from the farm. One of the bookcases did service until 1873 and later.
"All soap used was home processed. First, they had to get the lye by making a sort of rack or bin to hold ashes and when this became full, water was poured on to the ashes until it was thoroughly saturated. After a short time, the water having penetrated all through the ashes, it would trickle out into a trough. This lye was used to cut the grease in making soap. The soap was made in big iron kettles placed over an outdoor fire. Large quantities were made and stored in a big log room used only for this purpose. . .
"Dishes in use in the household were crude and would tarnish very easily. They were kept in a dry condition by jabbing them down in the earth, which took off the tarnish and scoured them. Household and other luxuries were very few, but people were happy and contented fully as much as they are today with all the modern conveniences. Butter in these old days was made in wooden churns fashioned from staves cut from saplings on the home place.
"Scott Dory and Ida Boslow (two of Lorinda's grandchildren) used to play and run around the Abby kitchen while Pauline, Ida's mother, was scalding the churn. On one occasion, Scott accidentally ran under his mother's arm. The scalding water spilled on him, burning him severely. He carried the scar for life. . . .
"Wild plum trees bore an abundance of fruit from which Grandma made the most delicious sauce. . . .
"To keep fruit from freezing in the winter, a deep hole was dug in the ground and lined with straw. It was then filled with apples and straw and earth put on top. Then in the spring, what a treat it was to have apples brought out in fine condition to eat. To preserve potatoes, the same method was used. There was no such thing as a cold storage house. . . .
"Most of the water used in washing clothes was from a spring where the clothes were taken and the water heated. . . .
"After the death of Rodolphus, Loranda broke up housekeeping and went to live in another log house that had been built for her sister, Elvira Sheldon Hickman, who had gone to live in Urbana. Loranda lived there with her grandson, Scott Dory, whose mother Statira (Derrick) Dory, had died. Loranda kept Scott until he became a young man. After this, she went to live with Franklin Derrick who had built a large home on the hill north of the old log home. Loranda resided there until 1872, when Franklin moved to Monroe, Green County. This city was the county seat and Franklin had been elected Sheriff. Loranda (Sheldon) Derrick died on January 14, 1873 and was buried alongside other members of her family at the old homestead. The old log home was still standing in 1893 when Elvira and Pauline made their last visit to the home of their youth. "
From reading the above story you can imagine how much work in the home a mother was responsible for in those days. It's a good thing she had three strong young daughters to help her. Do you think you would like to go back in time to those days? When you weren't in school you would spend your time spinning and weaving, making candles and soap, cleaning lamps, and drawing water from a well. It would probably be fun, but only for the first five minutes. And besides all those tasks, Lorinda did all the cooking from scratch over a wood stove, and birthed and nursed and raised 8 children and then raised a grandson! I think there ought to be a statue of her someplace, don't you? She will probably never have a statue but at least we can remember her name and tell her story to the children who come after us.
Now here's how you're related to Lorinda Sheldon:
Rodolphus Derrick and Lorinda Sheldon Derrick had Franklin H. Derrick
Franklin H. and Harriet Boslow Derrick had Mary Lorinda Derrick (Never forget Mary Derrick!)
Mary Derrick Balis and John Balis had Flora Balis. Flora Balis Stevens and Edmund Stevens had Harold Stevens.
Harold and Helen White Stevens had Paul Stevens. Paul and Dianne Zimmerman Stevens had Dawne Stevens.
Dawne Stevens Pamplin and Jason Pamplin had . . .
Sarah, Hannah, Tim, and Becky!So Hooay for Lorinda Sheldon!
Love, Granny
From "The Wesleyan Repository and Literary Record", May 1861:
"John's name is on the muster roll of the 5th Lincoln Regiment, War of 1812."
Settled in Spring Grove Township, Green Co., WI in 1845.
Per Ten Eyck source:" They lived in Canada some 30 years and came to Wisconsin in 1844 settling on the farm 2 1/2 miles south of Brodhead, later known as the Boslow Place."From Wayne Olsen:
[olsen5.FTW]Listed in LDS Ancestral File: ID (1J42-DV)
First name may be John instead of Thomas. From "Genealogy and History of the Derthicks and Related Derricks", By Spencer and Goodpasture, Gateway Press, Inc. Baltimore, 1986.Buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Brodhead WI with Derrick family
From "History of Hardin Co, OH",p. 956:
Capt P.C. Boslow, retired, Patterson. Among the pioneers of Hardin County we find and record the name of Capt. Boslow, whose father John was a native of Virginia, but whose father, again in early life, settled in Canada, where John matured and married Mary Condon of New Brunswick. In 1832 he came to Ohio with his wife and 8 children, settling near Cleveland, but he died in 1848 in Green County, WI, and his widow died in Richmond, IN in 1881. Of their 9 children, Peter C. is the 4th, and was born near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1819, but from the age of 13 years has been a resident of Ohio, and since 1845 has lived in Hardin County. The following year, he and H. D. Harrison laid out Patterson, and in the same year he married Harriet Sherrer of Ross County. Soon afterward he opened a store, and for a number of years he was identified with all the leading interests in and about Patterson.
In letter from Michael Cunningham of Gilmer TX to Audrey Delaney dtd 1 Aug 1983:
In 1840 or 1841 May Condon & John Boslow leave Canada and move to Broadhead, Green County, WI. They moved near their cousins who moved there before.
"Following the death of her husband in 1848 Mrs. Boslow made her home with her daughter Mrs. F. H. Derrick for over 20 years and was affectionately known to relatives and friends as 'Aunt Polly' After the death of Mrs. Derrick she lived with her youngest son, G. R. Boslow, Richmond, Indiana for several years until her death in 1880. She is buried in Brodhead Cemetery by the side of her husband." Ten Eyck source.
She appears on the 1850 census at the F. H. Derrick home in Spring Grove, Green Co, WI.
From Ten Eyck source, chap. 5, p. 37 - "Mary Condon, a sister of Nathaniel B. Condon, was born near St. John's, New Brunswick in 1795. She married John Boslow about 1812. They lived in Canada some 30 years and came to Wisconsin in 1844 settling on the farm 1 1/2 miles south of Brodhead, later known as the Boslow Place."
From Audrey Condon Delaney letter dtd 23 Feb 1990:
Mary Condon, b. 1795, in Pr. William, N.B., dau of Thomas & Ruth Condon. I
have never found Ruth's maiden name but in light of the following I would
safely assume it was Lafferty!! Mary had a half brother John Fitz Stewart
b. c. 1787 then full brothers, Thomas Lafferty, b. 1789, Bryan Lafferty b.
1792, Mary 1795, Johnson Lafferty, b. 1799, & finally Nathaniel Bloodsworth
Condon b. 1803........ Notice how Mary named her children:
Magdalena or Lanie must be for John's mother or grandmother;
Ruth, for her own mother;
Peter C. for John's father;
Thomas Condon for her own father;
Mary for herself;
Johson for her brother & also her husband;
then Harriet, Guernsey, James, C.C., & Ida
...We can not prove Mary's middle name was Stewart, so please ignore that.
(it was old Dr. Arnold Condon who dreamed that one up with no proof)... "From Wayne Olsen:
[olsen5.FTW]Following info from "Genealogy and History of the Derthicks and Related Derricks", By Spencer and Goodpasture. Gateway Press, Inc. Baltimore,1986:
Birth date and location. Mother of Harriet Boslow Derrick. Spent 30 yrs of married life in Canada and Ohio. Came to Brodhead in 1844. Husband died a few years later.
The Condon Lumber Co. was one of the oldest business establishments in Green Co. WI. Lumber for the first new buildings in Brodhead were hauled in from Milwaukee by ox teams. The Arnold Condon House at 902 1st Center Ave. was built about 1883 and is one of the historic landmarks of Brodhead. House was purchased by Alice Condon in 1915 from the original owner and remains in the Condon family (1984).
Cites following graves included in the Derrick family homestead burial ground:
Ransom Condon, 1841-1862 (civil war casualty?)
Bryan CondonFrom "The Condon Clan, Descendants of Thomas Condon, Ontario, and his son Nathaniel Bloodsworth Condon, WI and Allied Lines.: Edited by Mary Poast and Dr. Arnold Condon, published by Condon Family of Brodhead, WI, Aug 5,1983:
Mary's birth date listed as 1795 vice 1796.
Mary Stewart Condon was born in Prince William, New Brunswick, in 1795, the daughter of Thomas and Ruth. She was an older sister of Nathaniel and came with the family to Binbrook, Upper Canada (Ontario). When only 16, she married John Boslow and they lived near the historic town of Stoney Creek. At least 6 children were born to them (may be in error).
The family migrated to the frontier state of Ohio before 1838. In the spring of 1844 they moved again to Wisconsin and became some of the very earliest settlers in Spring Grove, Green County. Several of their grown children stayed in Ohio.
Mary's husband died in 1848, only 4 years after moving to Wisconsin. She then broke up housekeeping at 52 and moved to the next farm where she lived with her daughter, Harriet Derrick, for 20 years. Harriet died and she then moved to Richmond, Indiana, where she lived the last 12 years with her youngest son, G.R. Boslow.
Concerning Mary's children:
1. Mary married James Edward Newson, Jan 11, 1838, in Hardin County, Ohio. They had 6 daughters, one son, and numerous descendants. Michael Cunningham, Gilbert Texas, is the son of the son of the son of the daughter, of the daughter, of the daughter, Mary. In other words, Mary Condon Boslow is his fourth great grandmother. He is only 31, but wrote a book on: "Genealogy and U," also a genealogy column for 67 newspapers. He has a son age 6 and triplet daughters age 4 and works for a steel plant. In 1982 he wrote to the Brodhead Condons requesting information on Mary Condon Boslow. Later he furnished information on Mary Nelson and Peter Boslow.
2. Peter C. Boslow born in 1819, also stayed in Hardin County, Ohio. In 1846 he founded the town of Patterson. Much later in Nov 1861, he formed CO. C of the 82nd and Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was commissioned Captain and served 3 years.
3. Harriet married her neighbor, Frank Derrick, son of Adolphus who came to Spring Grove from Clarence, New York. The Derrick men were highly respected because of their Christian conduct and community leadership. Harriet and Frank had four sons and 3 daughters. Of these, Frank Jr., stayed in Brodhead and was a lawyer and much admired by everyone. He was a tall rugged man who made wonderful impersonations of Lincoln and Uncle Sam.
Harriet's son, Paul, was perhaps Brodhead's most illustrious citizen when he retired there. Paul Derrick had gone to Chicago to learn advertising and went into that business. He started the first nation-wide advertising campaigns, launching Quaker Oats into their success. Later, he was prominent in New York advertising and from there he went to London and had the first American advertising agency there. He was President of the London Chamber of Commerce and presented American society girls to the Queen's Court. After traveling the world, he chose to return to Brodhead where he built and lived in Panda Lodge, a beautiful Tudor style house.
4. Thomas Boslow was 22 when his father died. He probably stayed on the home farm because he was still in Spring Grove at age 37.
Ida married a son from the Klumb family who lived nearby. Ida and J.J. went to Nebraska with Clinton Condon, homesteaded in the same area and lived next to C.C. Boslow according to the map.
G.R. Boslow went to Richmond, Indiana. He was the youngest son according to his Mother's obituary and she died at his home, but was brought to Brodhead for burial.
Buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Brodhead WI with Derrick family. Tombstone reads born in 1795.
Listed in LDS IGI. Birth date listed as 1795.
1850 WI census listed as age 53 living with F.H. and Harriet Derrick,
This person is dead.
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From Wayne Olsen:
Ida married a son from the Klumb family who lived nearby. Ida and J.J. went to Nebraska with Clinton Condon, homesteaded in the same area and lived next to C.C. Boslow according to the map.
daughter of Henry and Naomi Jones.
She was previously married to a Purdy.
Raised Mable Derrick for a time after the death of her parents.
Franklin was a dentist in Brodhead, and also worked in Real Estate and Insurance. Per Ten Eyck Fam. Record Book:
In 1864 Franklin helped his father in the construction of the Clarence Covered Bridge that spanned the Sugar River for Hwy 61 SW of Brodhead. The following article from the Brodhead "Independent-Register" was originally published in 27 April 1928 at a time when there was pressure to tear down the bridge and replace it with one bigger and more modern. Though the bridge survived that onslaught, it was destroyed 4 years later in 1931 when a 30-ton trailer crashed through its floor. But its history survived in story and painting. In 1985 a replica was built and installed on the Sugar River Bike Trail.
This article was republished on 22 MAY 1985 by the same paper as the area prepared to celebrate the installation.F.R.DERRICK TELLS OF BUILDING COVERED BRIDGE Your request that I furnish you a short history of the locally famous "Covered Bridge" that spans Sugar River at a point on State Highway No. 61, three miles southwest of this city, was a very happy guess. As a fifteen-year old boy, I assisted in building it.My father had the contract to supply and drive the heavy piling at each bank upon which the super-structure rests. My immediate business was to keep Old Maje (Old Maje was an old farm horse) going 'round and 'round on the capstan that raised the hammer on the pile driver. "Old Maje" and I completed our part of the job first, as we necessarily had to do. It was in the early fall of 1864 that the bridge was started.
It was built by a contractor from Racine by the name of Hulburt and was the only bridge built of that exact model. Originally it spanned the full width of the river; about one hundred and fifty feet and had a sixteen foot driveway. It was raised on the ice and the fact that it was an exceptionally fine season for late fall work was a helpful factor. As it was, the early spring weather with its resultant high water forced the contractor to rush the cutting away of the under pinning before he was quite ready to do so. No serious results followed, however.
Soon the anxious watchfulness of the township supervisors discovered that the tremendously heavy super-structure was slowly settling. The crown of eight inches had settled down to about five as I remember it. They called the contractor up from Racine and although he had been paid in full and the work accepted, he strengthened the work by spiking heavy arches on the inside of each side of the frame. They were made by beveling the ends of two by twelve planks in such a way that it keyed one against the other. Two thicknesses of material were spiked in this way, requiring thousands of feet of lumber. This seemed to be all that was needed for some time. Later, however, it was very evident that it was still settling and the township supervisors still further strengthened it by putting in suspending rods on each side of two inch material, running from the top of each end bent slantwise down through the whole timber works, out to about one quarter of the length of the bridge. The rods were then run along the bottom of the frame-work until they met in the center and were screwed up perfectly tight; thus forming two great iron slings within which the bridge rested.
It was left in this way for several years, but the crown of eight inches almost entirely went out, leaving the floor of the bridge about level. It was at this time that the town decided to do what should have been done in the first place, put a heavy abutment in the middle of the river. This was done many years ago, as were the old piling supports at each end changed for modern concrete ones. It looked to me like a reflection on the work and the engineering that "Old Maje" and I did back there in the sixties but it made a real bridge of it.
Within a few years after it was built it was enclosed and roofed. It was never painted. It stands there today, a monument of that past that tried the souls and mucsles of those old pioneers. Modernism has found the old bridge too narrow and demands that it be torn down and replaced by a wider more elaborate and expensive one. There is a demand for more room on the road today than was needed when that old bridge was built. It is looked upon as a grievance today to be obliged to wait an opportunity to dodge by or over or under another auto.
It would be almost sacreligious to think of dismantling the old bridge. It stands on Highway 61 about three miles southwest of Brodhead and is well worth quite a detour to pass through it and listen to the rumbling echoes of that long ago. It is at the extreme point of "Pine Bluff" along whose rugged base the beautiful Sugar River wends its way.
The immediate surroundings are interesting. East of the bridge about a quarter of a mile, is the deserted site of what was once quite a village; with its store, tavern, blacksmith shops and last but not least - the old stone schoolhouse. The old schoolhouse has been replaced by a very modern one but the ghosts of the old "Clarence Schoolhouse" haunt the memories of the few who, as children, attended school there in those garnered golden years of which we have so many pleasant recollections.
Sugar River itself is no less famous than the covered bridge that spans it. Back in the eighties, during the fresh-water pearl excitement, it was known as the most promising pearl fishing waters of the west. Hundreds of persons spent days, and some of them months, combing the bottom of the river with pearling rakes, ever hoping to secure the largest pearl that had ever been found. Some very beautiful and very valuable pearls were found.
"Pine Bluff" of which the extreme southern point is shown in the photo of the bridge, is also an historic landmark of the region. It derives its name from the score or so of large pine trees that cling to the almost bare sand rock that rises from the river at its base. This bluff was once the gathering place of the native Indians of the region. The writer well remembers the bands of Indians that every spring passed north along the river. They usually divided, part ascending the river by canoes, and part with ponies wending their way along the bank.
It was usually a self-imposed "half holiday" when the word was passed around that the Indians were going by. Poor, dirty remnant of a once mighty people; their star had truly set, and in a few years they ceased entirely to follow the old waterways and trails along the banks of the beautiful Sugar River.
These are the garrulous jottings of one who as a boy crossed the river hundreds of times, both before and after the "Covered Bridge" was built, a boy who swam and fished and skated on the river, a boy for whom the wintergreen beds of "Pine Bluff" were familiar spots and Arbutus blossoms of early spring his personal spoils.
You must pardon me for the length of the communication. It is not I who am guilty of the infliction - it is the reincarnation of that boy - barefooted, excepting "stone bruises" - naked except for "Hickory" shirt, "Denim" overalls, "Home made galluses" and an old "chip hat." Gun on shoulder or fishing rod in hand, he spent a joyous youth shooting wild pigeons on Pine Bluff, or catching monster black bass all through the "open season" that ran without interference from August first to August first next. Should I ever see that boy, I will charge him with being a criminal deserving of severe punishment; but he has secured quite a start of me and I fear I shall never overtake him.See poem "The Old Covered Bridge" in notes for Lenors Balis Fleek
From The Condon Clan source:
"Frank Jr., stayed in Brodhead and was a lawyer and much admired by everyone. He was a tall rugged man who made wonderful impersonations of Lincoln and Uncle Sam."From Brodhead Independent Register, 26 Jul 1878
The following appears (copy in files of DZS)
"Our gentlemanly and efficient dentist, F.R. Derrick, has purchased Mr. John Parkins' residence and premises near the Presbyterian Church edifice. Mr. Derrick has a neat home, and will be welcomed as a neighbor in that part of town."
same paper 2 August 1878
"Extracting, 25 cents at F.R. Derrick dental office.
Full sets of teeth as low as eight dollars at F.R. Derricks' dental office
Down go the prices for all kinds of dental work at F.R. Derrick's dental office."
same paper 9 Aug 1878
"Gold fillings from 75 cents & up at F.R. Derrick dental office."
S="The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution",Volume 157, DAR ID Number: 156097, "Mrs. Trella (Lamson) Dick." Born in Orleans, Nebr. Wife of Robert T. Dick. Descendant of Sergt. Ephriam Derrick, as follows: 1. J. T. Lamson (1849-1909) m. 1879 Harriet Derrick (b. 1857). 2. Franklin H. Derrick (1824-1906) m. 1846 Mary Boslow (1822-71). 3. Rudolphus Derrick (1793-1860) m. 1817 Lorinda Sheldon (d. 1873). 4. Ephriam Derrick m. 2d 1786 Elizabeth Gustin (1760-1845). Ephriam Derrick (1756-1832) was placed on the pension roll, 1818, of Niagara Co., N. Y., for three years' actual service as sergeant, Connecticut Line. He was born in Eton, Vt.; died in Clarence Hollow, N. Y. Also No. 125974.
On the 1880 census Paul is listed as "Peter E."