John Malster

 Marietta Register, November 16, 1889

John Malster of Waterford died at the residence of Moses Malster in Waterford Township, Wednesday, and was buried at the Palmer cemetery yesterday, November 15.

He was the son of Christopher Malster who came to Palmer Township in 1795, tow years in advance of his wife who made the journey from Pennsylvania with a two year old child on horseback. 

John was born in Palmer, September 2, 1800, and was therefore past 89 years of age. His life has been spent in this county and through all his active years was one of hardship. As early as 1822 he made a trip south on a flat boat and had he been at the recent reunion would have outranked James Stowe and Christopher Greene in years and ante-dated them as flatboatmen.

He was a farmer and stock-raiser, though a man of a business turn of mind. He sold goods in Palmer for Col. Stone 55 years ago and afterwards clerked for Chapin and Fearing in Beverly.

In his diary he noted that he "had raised and bought wheat and made twenty-five barrels of flour which he sold to Col. Stone at $2.50 a barrel and trusted him six months without interest. I have bought and sold wheat for 28 cents a bushel and oats for 12-1/2 cents and hauled them to Harmar."

He never married. He was a genial and kind-hearted man. A supporter of his county paper and quite a reader. Since the announcement of the Tri-Weekly, his letter was received at this office asking for this edition. He was scrupulously honest and thoughtful in business matters and allowed no debts to stand against him. In his death a pioneer and old-time citizen is gone.

The Country

The Marietta Intelligencer, October 6, 1858

The township of Aurelius, to which we made our first visit last week, though considerably curtailed of its once fair proportions by having a large slice cut off to make up the new county of Noble, compares well in most respects with other townships in the county. It is quite hilly, but the soil is good and in ordinary seasons yields the farmer a fair remuneration for his labors. This year they have been more unfortunate than their neighbors in the western part of the county and along the river bottoms; their wheat was an entire failure. Hardly sufficient has been harvested for seed. Oats there are none and corn is only middling. Still the farmers are hard at work, nothing discouraged but earnestly engaged in preparations for the coming year. Most of the wheat is already sown and a good deal up.

Macksburgh, which is the only village in the township, is a small collection of houses, boasting two or three stores, a tannery, a flouring mill, a smithy or two, a good school house and neat little Methodist church. Something can be said of Macksburg which is not true of many villages in the county. No liquors are kept there for sale.

The hills in Aurelius are full of coal and a very good article can be delivered at 5 cts. a bushel.

We shall expect better things of our Aurelius friends at election this fall than the meagre majority of 8 or 10 votes which they gave last year. They rolled it up to thirty-five in 1856, and they can do it again. Will you not, Republicans of Aurelius, see that not a vote is lost. Let each man do his duty and we have nothing to fear. Sham Democracy will receive a defeat that will make it ashamed ever to show its head again.

Salem is even more hilly in some parts than Aurelius, and how they cultivate many of the hills is a mystery to us. But if they can only get the surface plowed and the grain sown, an abundant crop is almost guaranteed. Some of the farmers in this township had, even this year, a fair crop of wheat. It is a limestone soil, strong and productive.

The village of Salem is a very brisk little place; the streets often present a very city-like appearance when crowded, as they often are, with people. The Steam Flouring Mill of Stanley, Feldner & Co., has been greatly instrumental in giving an impetus to business. It was erected in November last, is built of wood, 30 by 40, three stories high, with an engine room 20 by 30. It contains two run of burrs, and is capable of grinding 30 barrels of flour per day. There is also a steam saw and lath mill owned by Mr. Alden. There are four stores in the place - E. Lindner's, F. Kueck's, Darrow & Davenport's, and Stanley & ____'s -  one hotel, two wagon shops, two blacksmith shops, and a tin shop.

A select school has recently been opened by Miss Wetherby of Lowell, under quite flattering prospects. She has already an attendance of 24 scholars. They have two churches, Methodist and Presbyterian, in each of which services are held every other Sabbath.

Mr. James Stanley is just preparing the foundations of a brick Hotel which will be an ornament to the place. The main building will be 20x83, three stories high, with a piazza 6 feet wide. This will be connected with another building already erected, thus making the entire frontage over 40 feet. In the rear is a kitchen 12x16. The style is to be Swiss. Charles DeLong is the architect and builder.

Boye's flouring mill on Duck Creek, a mile or two from the village, enjoys an excellent reputation for its flour. As we passed we found him engaged in putting in a new dam. 

We congratulate the Salem people in having at last got rid of their worthless postmaster. They have been imposed upon long enough. Under a new administration we trust their interests will be better attended to.

The village of Bonn, a couple of miles south of Salem, does not present an appearance of great thrift, though we observed some recent improvements in the way of building and painting.

There are several things we should like to speak of suggested by our trip, were not our columns so crowded with other matters.

Joseph F. Barnett

The Marietta Register, January 11, 1894

Joseph F. Barnett of Barlow, Ohio, was born in old Virginia in February, 1828, consequently he is almost sixty-six years old. He remained there until the year 1845, when he emigrated to Ohio.

He says: "In that State I followed working on a farm for a livelihood. The year previous to our departure we raised two hundred and fifty bushels of wheat, which we had to haul in wagons to market a distance of forty miles. We could not sell our wheat until we had shown a certificate or order from a white man to another white man that knew the wheat was raised by us. That was done to prevent slaves from stealing wheat from their masters and selling it to free persons. 

"When we decided to leave the State, the first thing to be done was to obtain free papers. When that was done we thought, as a matter of course, everything was all right. Our company consisted of nine persons. We were frequently stopped on our way to show our free papers. 

"We reached Parkersburg on the morning of the 27th of October, 1845. Before crossing the river to Ohio we again had to show our free papers and have our wagons searched. When we crossed the river it was almost dark and the whole crowd had but 75 cents, therefore, we were compelled to stop traveling.

"We stopped at Daniel Goss', now T. B. Hibbard's home. We then and there put up our tent of canvas. While there many persons came through curiosity to see us. We had been there but a few days when each of us was called upon to give a bond of $1000, that we would not become a township or county charge, and if we failed to comply, we would have to return to Virginia.

"We expected we would have to return. I went to Daniel Goss and told him of our predicament. He was a good old Christian and belonged to the M. E. church, to which I also belonged. Brother Goss was a good abolitionist. He said to me, 'Get in my buggy and go with me to Belpre,' which I did. Col. Jack Stone, Capt. Putnam, Francis Stone, and Mr. Browning signed our bonds. 

"We then rented a farm of Mr. Beck and went to work. We lived on Beck's farm two years and then moved close to where I now live. My father, brother and myself purchased 100 acres of land - 33-1/3 acres each - and I did not have a cent to pay thereon. I gained the confidence of good men, of whom Charles and Mark Green were my closest friends, they having helped me with a note of $500." 

Mr. Barnett, by being industrious, economical, and prompt, has accumulated quite a fortune. He is the owner of 700 acres of land where he lives in East Barlow. The improvements on his farm are good. He occupies one of the finest residences in Barlow and his barns and outbuildings are numerous. There are four dwellings on his premises. His farm is well stocked with horses and cattle, sheep and hogs. He has for many years made a specialty of the sheep business. I think I can safely say that no man, colored or white, in Barlow Township, has made and saved as much as Mr. Barnett. Still he has met with many misfortunes, and at this time he suffers intensely with a chronic ailment. He has been married three times. His last wife is still living. His first wife was a daughter of the late Ambrose Asbury, the father of five ministers of the gospel. They are all fluent speakers. I have been informed that Mr. Barnett is out of debt.

In conclusion, I will relate an incident I am reminded of by Mr. Barnett's bond business, and his mentioning the name of Sheriff Mark Green. Once upon a time a large family consisting of twelve persons, who were exceedingly poor, had been time and again ordered to leave the townships in which they lived, or give bond that they would not become a township charge. Finally they moved to Marietta, which was at the time Mr. Green was Sheriff of this county, and the painful duty of ordering them to leave or give bond devolved upon him. The Sheriff had learned what a time they had had moving from place to place, and no doubt he had compassion on them, as he was a very kind and humane man. He addressed the head of this ungodly family as follows: "Old man, I have come to order you off of the face of God's green earth."

John W. Tuttle

Henderson Trust Sale

American Friend & Marietta Gazette, November 7, 1827

Under the authority of a deed of trust made to the subscribers by Alexander Henderson of Wood County and his wife for the benefit of Richard H. Henderson & others, dated the 11th of December 1825 and recorded in the Clerk's office of said County court of Wood, Deed Book No. 6, page 651, will be offered for sale for cash before the front door of the court house in Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia, on the 26th day of January, 1828, the tract of land in said deed described.

This is one of the finest farms in all Western Virginia, & take it altogether, none is known more attractive. It is situated in the county of Wood, immediately on the Ohio, and consists of upwards of 400 acres of rich bottom, beside the hill land adjoining. The bottom is all cleared and in cultivation, and yields the most abundant crops, it is about half a mile wide and never overflows.

The improvements are excellent, a large, new and commodious dwelling, a spacious barn, still-house, &c. &c. extensive orchards of choice fruits, and first rate meadows.

The estate is about 12 miles above Marietta and 24 above Parkersburg. A good market for its small productions is afforded by the boats which continually ply before it, and one of the routes examined for the projected Baltimore Railroad strikes the Ohio at this estate. The islands in front of the tract, as described in the deed, will be sold with it. A farmer, grazier, or active man of business would find this place every way worth his enquiry; and for picturesque beauty of situation and prospect, it is almost unrivaled. The undersigned convey the title vested in them, which is believed to be sound.

Erasmus G. Hamilton

James McIlhany

Letter from Mrs. Gage

Marietta Intelligencer, April 6, 1853

The Ohio Cultivator for April 1 contains a letter from Mrs. Gage, from which we make the subjoined extracts:

I last week visited the home of my childhood in Washington county, the oldest county in the State. Perhaps I am partial, but I fancy there are farmers there as "well to do" in the world as you will often find - not millionaires, but men and women who have learned the grand secret of being comfortable about as thoroughly as any other people I know of. I visited the townships of Marietta, Newport, Belpre and Union (the latter place of my nativity). They are wide awake on the great themes of the day, such as Devons, Ayrshires, Durhams, Merinos, Saxonys and Cotswold - Shanghaes, Polands and Durkings.

The women do not seem to be much in favor of women's rights theoretically, but they are getting monstrously out of their "spheres," for they talk about all these great progressions and improvements as knowingly as the men, and some even dare to take railroad stock, bank stock, and have their say about plank roads, with the rest of them - wonder what it will all come to.  *  *   

As I rode from farm to farm in the old familiar places of my childhood, I could not help thinking that they needed some contrivance to prevent the necessity of getting out of their carriages so often to open gates. A few years ago the roads all lay along the river banks. Now, as economy in distances seems to require, they are in many of the old neighborhoods thrown through the farms, which makes long lanes and diverse gates necessary. On one occasion I remember our lady driver alighted and opened fifteen. This, in a muddy or dusty time, would be no enviable job, and we would advise your lady readers in the country to examine "Enoch Woolman's Patent Gate," which can be opened and shut while in the carriage. You will recollect we looked at it together while at Cleveland last fall. There was a drawing of it in the Cultivator not long since (vol. 8, page 277).  * *

While visiting the family of G. W. Barker, one of the little boys brought in a basket of the largest hen's eggs I ever saw. I enquired by what breed they were produced. Mrs. Barker replied that none of the brag breeds had done the wonder - that she had been in the practice of selecting the largest and finest eggs for setting for a number of years, and in this way had much improved her stock of fowls - a large assortment being a mixture of the old varieties. Those who cannot afford pay the high prices for eggs and fowls of the large kinds, would do well to improve their poultry by this simple but certain method.  * *

 

The Colored Settlements in Washington County

The Register-Leader, October 7, 1913

To the Editor of the Register-Leader:

Dear Sir - Being called to Cutler last year to deliver the Memorial Day address, I was deeply interested to find certain racial conditions whose like I had never seen before. Side by side with an excellent class of white citizens there were an almost equal number of self-respecting, well-dressed, intelligent colored citizens who seemed to be received on terms of social equality by the white people, at least as far as they would have been received had they possessed the same personal qualities without their dark complexion. 

Of the excellent band which furnished music for the occasion, the leader and ten of the fifteen players were negroes. An elderly colored gentleman was called upon for a brief address, which he made admirably. I found that he had been a teacher for more than a generation, now retired in good circumstances upon his farm. In conversation he was of quiet voice and thoughtful, interesting speech, and he evidently had the deep respect of all.  One or two colored people sang in the choir, and in a general conversation with a group of men at the railway station it was a negro who made off hand, the remark showing widest information. 

A tall, young colored man, Mr. Esau Harris, a highly respected teacher in that district, agreed, at my request, to furnish me some account of the origin of these interesting settlements of his people.  He has just done so, and I am sure many of your readers will be glad of this interesting and important piece of history.

Very truly yours,

Augustine S. Carman.

Cutler, O., Oct. 1, 1913.

S. Carman, Marietta, Ohio.

My Dear Sir - As you know, some time ago I promised you I would write you a short sketch concerning the history of the colored population in the west end of Washington county. I will begin by saying that the history of the different settlements is much the same. Some of the settlers were slaves that had been set free by their Virginia and West Virginia masters and emigrated to Ohio. Some were free colored persons who lived in the hills of West Virginia and came also to Ohio. It is a fact that the freeborn persons and those who had been slaves were somewhat antagonistic to each other at first. In all probability this was caused by the conditions that they had been subject to while still in West Virginia.

The free persons, by having their liberty and the freedom of their hills, had come to look down upon their less fortunate brethren who were slaves.  The free persons always pointed with pride to the fact that some of their ancestors had fought under General George Washington and that none of them or their ancestors were slaves. Now this may seem strange, nevertheless they spoke the truth, for although they were of mixed blood and undoubtedly were part negro, they were free and their slave ancestry was so far removed that the fact had been forgotten.

They had mixed with Indians and after the war of the Revolution, two or three British soldiers had settled and married among them, so as a natural consequence they had come to consider themselves as something distinct and apart from the slaves around them. And this is what caused the slow fusion of the two factions after emigrating to Ohio.

A case worthy of attention among the "Hill People" concerning the uncertainty of their ancestry was brought by one of them who presented himself at an election in West Virginia for the purpose of voting. He was refused and brought suit in court. He won his case, as the only ancestor of his whose blood could be proven was an Englishman by birth and a naturalized citizen of the United States. Always after this he voted and was "white." His brothers and sisters were "colored."  He also emigrated to Ohio and was known as colored, but a brother of his was pressed into a white regiment during the Civil War, regardless of his protests.

The colored population today that is here are descendants of former slaves and those "Hill People" that I have above mentioned. And the spirit of independence that you see manifested today is no more noticeable than that which marked the demeanor of the early pioneers. Indeed, I do not believe that the colored people here are as assertive as their ancestors were. I do not believe that they would now willingly violate a law, no difference how unjust, but all of those early settlers were active workers for the "Underground Railroad," and most of them would not have hesitated to sacrifice a slave hunter's life had they thought it necessary for their or a slave's safety.  As an example, two slave owners barely escaped being burned to death in a tobacco drying house two miles west of Cutler. While they were searching above, the entrance was fired below, and they only escaped by breaking through the roof. One of them was injured by a fall in reaching the ground. 

The colored people were aided and abetted in their violation of the fugitive slave law by most of their white neighbors. The most noted family of white people who were active in running slaves through to Canada were emigrants from Ireland. Their home was an underground railway station through which scores of slaves passed to liberty. They were the family of Smith and were the ancestors of several prominent persons of that name now living in Washington county. Another prominent underground worker was one William Heald, who was daring as well as active, he having on occasions taken slaves in broad daylight.

The early pioneers were by family names as follows:  Carr, Cook, Cousins, Dalton, Dickinson, Evans, Field, Kennedy, Sawyer, Simpson, Singer, Tate, Male, Norris, Tucker, Wilkinson, Still, Harris, Ramsey, Goins.  There are possibly other names that I cannot recall at the present time. The first settlement was to the south of what is now Cutler village. The families were Cook, Dalton, Kennedy, Tucker and others.

The second settlement was west and southwest from Cutler, in fact making two settlements, although they were settled about the same time. Probably persons coming at the same time would settle at different points.

Now there was a reason for these colored persons settling here; the reason was this:  Douglas Putnam owned or controlled large tracts of land at this place and he was always a firm friend to the colored people.  He was willing to and did sell land to every colored man that applied to him. His terms were always liberal and he was just in all his dealings with them, and for two generations Douglas Putnam's name was a familiar one among the colored people of the west end of Washington county. 

The early colored pioneer were mostly farmers, although some were mechanics. The Simpson family were noted for their skill in wagon building. They were a family of carpenters, generally speaking, but building wagons was their specialty. The Carrs were also carpenters. Aside from a few blacksmiths and shoemakers, the balance of the men were farmers. If they did not own farms of their own, they either rented or worked for others (generally white people) as farm hands.

There were some champion workers among them whose ability to accomplish a large amount of work in one day has been recounted by the people up to the present day. A prominent name among them was Azariah Norman, who was noted for his great strength and his ability to cut as much wheat with a cradle in one day as two men could bind up. I was told personally by an old gentleman, James King by name, that he always bound as much wheat as any man could cut until he bound after Mr. Norman. Mr. King was the father of C. C. King, lately of this county, now of Oklahoma. In those days they put one dozen sheaves together for a shock. Mr. King said Norman could cut 160 shocks from sunrise to sunset. 

It seems that the farm hands of that day were quite willing to work a full day. Another man, Edmund Coursey, was a noted corn cutter. There was a settlement of Friends (Quakers) near, that always made it a point, if possible, to have "Ed" cut corn for them, and so great was his prowess in cutting and shocking that they were quite willing to pay him one-third more per day than anyone else, either colored or white.

Thus you see, even in this early day the white and colored people here were beginning to understand one another and to have a mutual understanding as to their relations toward each other.  When the whites hired colored men to work for them, they never objected to eating at the same table with them and worked side by side as if they had both belonged to the same race. By so doing the whites showed by their actions that they respected the colored people and in turn they were respected and loved by the colored people, and be it said to the everlasting credit of both, as two different races they have never had any trouble.  While both races have had trouble among themselves, the two races have always had peace between themselves.

While the Civil War was in progress the enlistment among the colored people was as large in proportion to numbers as among the whites. Some few colored men were enlisted in white regiments at the early stage of the war. The balance enlisted in colored regiments later in the struggle.  Edmund Coursey, whom I have before mentioned, died in the service; also Azariah Norman received wounds from which he never fully recovered, dying soon after his term of enlistment had expired after the close of the war. There were several who left for the front who never came back, among them being an uncle of mine. 

This, I believe, is as near the history of our people here as I can give. The older generations are all gone. The only one now left is Thomas Still, living near Vincent, Ohio. He is now eighty-seven years of age and a veteran of the Civil War. He could have furnished you with more of our history than I can, but I have been unable to see him in regards to it. I thank you for your kindly interest in my people very much and only wish that others of your race felt the same toward us, then I am sure we would be rid of the vexing Race Problem. Trusting this may prove satisfactory, I am as ever,

Yours truly,

Esau Harris.

Cutler, O.

 

Fair Premiums

American Friend, & Marietta Gazette, January 24, 1829

Having been requested at a recent meeting of the board of Directors to prepare the minutes of the annual meeting and Fair of the Agricultural Society of Washington County the following summary, abridged from the reports of the various Committees, is respectfully submitted.

John Brown.

The premiums on horses were awarded as follows:

For the best Stud horse, owned
by F. Devol, $5.00
2d, Jonathan Ross, 3.00
3d, Rufus Payne, 2.00

Best Brood mare, Joseph O'Neal, 3.00
2d, William McAtee, 2.00

Best two year old colt, William McAtee, 2.50

Best yearling colt, Moses McFarland, 2.00

Best sucking spring colt, Thomas Seeley, 1.50
2d, William McAtee, 1.00

Best Bull, Jonathan Hoff, 3.00

Best yearling bull, William R. Putnam, 2.00

Best bull calf, William R. Putnam, 1.50

Best milch cow, Joseph Barker, Jr., 3.00
2d, Luther G. Bingham, 2.00
3d, James Forguson, 1.00

Best heifer calf, Luther G. Bingham, 1.00

Best yoke of two years old steers well broke, William P. Putnam, 2.00
2d best, Mr. Hoff, 1.00

Best beef animal (Reared by G. Dana, Esq.), C. C. Robinson, 2.00
2d best, Joseph Barker, Jr., 1.00

Best merino buck, Benjamin Dana, 3.00
2d, Lewis P. Putnam, 2.00
3d, Lewis P. Putnam, 1.00

Best pair of merino ewes, Lewis P. Putnam, 3.00
2d, Lewis P. Putnam, 2.00
3d, Benjamin Dana, 1.00

Best merino lambs five in number, Lewis P. Putnam, 2.00
2d, Luther G. Bingham, 1.00

Best Sow, Stephen Hildreth, 2.00

Best fat hog not over two years old, James Forguson, 3.00
2d, Ebenezer Gates, 2.00

Best piece of fulled cloth, 3 qr. wide not less than five yards, Mrs. Betsey Putnam, 2.00
2d, Miss Mary Lewis, 1.00

Best piece of red flannel, Miss Harriet Brown, 2.00
2d, Mrs. Betsey Putnam, 1.00

Best piece of white flannel, Miss Harriet Brown, 2.00
2d, Mrs. Betsey Putnam, 1.00

Best piece of linen, Mrs. Rachel Clark, 2.00
2d, Mrs. Eliza W. Lawton, 1.00

Best piece of table linen, Mrs. Sally Dana, 2.00
2d, Mrs. Sally Dana, 1.00

Best piece of diaper, Mrs. Lydia G. Palmer, 2.00
2d, Mrs. Rachel Clark, 1.00

Best piece of carpeting, Mrs. Susan B. Cotton, 3.00
2d, Mrs. Lucy M. Mayberry, 2.00
3d, Miss Mary Greene, 1.00

Best piece of stair carpeting, Miss Sarah Whitney, 1.00
2d, Miss Mary Greene, .50

Best hearth rug, Miss Mary Gates, 1.00

Best pair of blankets, Mrs. D. S. Mills, 1.00
2d, Mrs. D. S. Mills, .50

Best piece of plaid, Mrs. Emily Fairchilds, 1.00
2d, Miss Susan E. Manson, .50

Best pair of thread stockings, Mrs. Sarah Bingham, .50

Best pair of woolen stockings, Mrs. Sarah Bingham, .50

Best piece of cotton and wool for mens' wear, P. Morris, 2.00
2d, Mrs. Betsey D. Anderson, 1.00

Best bonnet in imitation of leghorn, Miss Sarah A. Lund, 3.00

Best straw bonnet, Miss Mary Harris, 2.00
2d, Miss Mary Hildreth, 1.00
3d, Miss Nancy A. Lund, .50

Best piece of soal leather, Ichabod Nye, 2.00
2d, John Crawford, 1.00

Best two sides of upper leather, John Crawford, 2.00
2d, Ichabod Nye, 1.00

Best half dozen calf skins, John Crawford, 1.00
2d, Otis Wheeler, .50

Best fur hat, James Dun, 1.00

Best wool hat, James Dun, .50

Best cheese, Nancy Fuller, 3.00
2d, Rotheus Hayward, 2.00
3d, Mrs. Smithson, 1.00

Best butter, Mrs. Smithson, 2.00
2d, J. Portor, 1.00
3d, Mrs. C. Greene, .50

Best maple sugar, first and second, Benjamin Dana, 3.00

Best pearl ash, Miss Otis, 1.00

Best wine made in 1827, J. C. Cole, 2.00

Best axe, Zadoc Cory, 1.00

Best dung fork, A. Warner, .50

Best pitch fork, A. Warner, .50

Greatest quantity of wheat, upland, William P. Putnam, 4.00
2d, Joseph O'Neal, 2.00

Greatest quantity of corn, bottom land 117 bushels per acre raised by Ira Hill of Newport, 4.00

Greatest quantity of corn, upland, about one hundred bushels per acre, grown by E. Deming, Watertown, 4.00
2d, 67-3/4 bushels of small yellow corn, by James Lawton, Jr., Barlow, 2.00

Greatest quantity of flax, James Lawton, Jr., 3.00

Greatest quantity of white beans 18 bush per half acre, James Lawton, Jr., 2.00
2d, Charles Fuller, 1.00

Greatest number of wolves killed in the County, 15 young ones, James Handlin, 5.00
2d, Levi Allen and James Willis, 4 wolves each, each 3.00

Plough match - First premium awarded to John Henry for ploughing 1/4 of an acre in 30 minutes in the neatest manner, 4.00
2d, to Stephen Hildreth for ploughing 1/4 of an acre in 31 minutes, also well done, 2.00

Best coverlet, Miss Lucretia Allen, 1.00
2d, Mrs. Mary B. Fearing, .50

The following articles were examined and premiums awarded by the committee of the contingent funds.

Russian or naked barley 8 qrts in bags, .50

Time piece, D. B. Anderson, 1.00

Hearth rug ornamented, Mrs. Putnam, .25
2d, Mrs. Thacher, .25

Sample of willow basket ingeniously made, .25

1 Flowered Coverlet, .50

Kentucky jean and vesting, Mrs. Susan B. Cotton, 1.00
ditto, Miss Roana Fulcher, .75

1 Cotton bed quilt, Mary Cook, .50

1 Cotton counterpane, .75
ditto, Mrs. Sally Greene, .50

One pair of twilled rose blankets, Betsey Putnam, 1.00

1 Fancy handkerchief embroydered and one piece of wide inserting, Miss Eunice Allen, .25

One pair of knit over shoes or socks, Mary Cook, 12-1/2

One stock of cherry boards and one barrel of Apple brandy, Mr. Chambers, .50

One pair of yearling steers, John Hook, 1.00

One set of measures, Mr. Dutton, .50

Sweet apple molasses, Mrs. J. Smith, .50

One pair of socks, B. Dana, .25

Some interesting specimens of squashes, beets, carrots, parsnips and of the egg plant were also observed.

 

The fair was on the 16th and 17th of October; the weather pleasant.  The number of people present large.  The first day was spent in receiving and examining articles, entered for the Show.  The Society transacted its business on the second.  A procession was formed, which proceeded to the Congregational meeting house, where an appropriate address was delivered by Arius Nye, Esq. to a large and attentive audience.  After which, the procession returned to the Court house, where the above premiums were awarded.  An excellent dinner was then spread for those who wished to partake.  The exhibition of the articles, entered for the show, was going on most of the day. Those of domestic manufacture, were of superior workmanship.  The ladies did themselves much honor in the skill and industry, so observable in the truly pleasing variety, which they added to the show.  Some articles of female industry, which were through the hurry of business overlooked by the committee of the contingent funds, and for which no premiums were offered in the general list, past unobserved; among which were several pieces of ingeniously wrought lace.  It is to be regretted, that the number of animals, entered for the Show, was very small; neat stock in particular.

Our Fair

The Marietta TImes, September 20, 1888

We can not say that the Fair held in this city last week by the Washington County Agricultural Association, was a success.  The attendance was not large, neither was the display taken as a whole.  The floral hall presented rather a vacant appearance, and had it not been for the displays made by W. H. Styler, druggist, M. S. Luchs, liquor dealer and W. F. Wendelken, wholesale grocer, the Hall might as well have been closed.

The show of cattle and of stock under the circumstances, was very good.  The horse display with two or three exceptions was a failure.  We regret to make these statements, but the truth compels us to make them.

The receipts were not sufficient to bear expenses, but it is hoped that the $400 which the Society expects from the state, and an assessment of 50 per cent on the guarantee fund, will settle the bills contracted.

We do not place the blame for this failure on the management entirely, as the surfeit of the public entertainments to which our people have been treated has had much to do with it.  Yet we think with proper and energetic management and a liberal use of printers ink, judiciously used, and properly distributed among all the printing offices of the city, as it should be, would have made the Fair a success.

With the mistakes and failure of this year as a warning, we hope the management will guard against them next year.