Christmas is Coldest on Record

Marietta Daily Times, December 26, 1924

Temperature lower here than on holiday in 35 years.

Six above zero in Marietta.

Chilling winds that came blustering out of the North brought the answer to many little prayers that it might be a white Christmas. They also Santa Claused this section of the Ohio Valley with the coldest weather of the season and the coldest Christmas Day since away back when winters were cold and skating was a popular pastime during that season.

With low temperatures of 6 degrees above zero for Wednesday night and 7 for Christmas night, previous records for the low this season were shattered and December 25, 1924, went down in the records of the U.S. Weather Bureau office in Parkersburg as the coldest Christmas since the records have been kept there, a period of 35 years.

The Parkersburg weather-man, H. C. Howe, reported a low of 4 above zero for Wednesday night. On Christmas night his instrument recorded 7, the same as the reading of Professor Thomas Dwight Biscoe of Front Street, who recorded 6 on Wednesday night. The two coldest Christmas days in the 35 years the records of the bureau show were in 1891 and 1896, when the mercury went down to 10 above.

Thermometers in various parts of the city varied greatly and some real low temperatures were reported by some observing citizens. One man reported his thermometer to be at zero on both Thursday and Friday mornings, and the instrument at Gray Brothers grocery registered 3 above at 7:15 o'clock.

Christmas Day the sun came out warm and the temperature rose to 29. But in the shade it was much colder, and according to one weather observer at 5:15 in the afternoon it was only 13 above.

Not a few Marietta families celebrated Christmas by thawing out water pipes, while in many homes the big dinner was held up while the biscuits refused to do much better than "sun bake" in the ovens, a little shy of gas because so much of it was used in other parts of the house.

 

Salvation Army Party Enjoyed

Marietta Daily Times, December 26, 1924

Santa Claus left nothing undone to make happy the hundreds of boys and girls of the city who were guests of the Salvation Army at the Auditorium theatre on Thursday evening. The main auditorium was packed with children who were given toys and a treat and enjoyed a Christmas program of songs, recitations, dialogues, and tableaux.

Elmer Hess presided over the program that was given from the stage. The Salvation Army band of 16 pieces gave a musical program and three numbers were played by the Army Bugle Band and Drum Corps. The approach of Santa Claus was heralded through the receipt of three telegrams during the progress of the entertainment and when he did come, at the close of the program, merriment was unrestrained. 

About 360 boys and girls were presented with various toys, including dolls, doll buggies, knives, guns, mouth harps, games, etc., and each child received a package of candy. The gifts were distributed from the huge tree that was on the stage.

Over 300 baskets were distributed by the Salvation Army officials on Wednesday afternoon. The baskets contained 16 articles each, everything to make a sumptuous Christmas dinner.

 

Christmas Gifts - 1856

Marietta Intelligencer, December 20, 1856

 Christmas and New Years

We have a large assortment of Fancy Candies and Candy Toys, Foreign Fruits and Nuts, Fresh Fruits, Jellies, Jams, Preserves, Pickles in Glass Jars, Fresh Tomatoes, Work Boxes, Dressing Cases, Spool Stands, Toy Wagons and Cradles, &c., and a great many other things suitable for Christmas and New Years presents.

 J. B. Hovey & Co.

New Addition to Marietta

Marietta Daily Journal, March 5, 1917

Marietta will have another residence subdivision in the near future, according to information that was given out today. The new addition will be located on the Strecker farm, just off the end of Third Street, and will be built by the Strecker estate, B. F., C. F. Strecker and others. It is planned to start work on the new addition just as soon as the weather permits and when completed, the place will be one of the finest sites for homes in the Pioneer City.

The Strecker farm consists of a large tract of land just off the north end of Third Street and it joins the Rathbone Addition. It is planned to build the new addition on the right hand side of Third Street on the high ground. A part of the new subdivision will be within the city limits.

The Strecker Brothers plan to start the grading work on the addition in the near future and when the work is completed, several modern homes will be erected. E. T. Jenney, of the firm of Jenney and Jenney, of Cleveland, will supervise the work on the new addition. Mr. Jenney is a landscape gardener of much repute and only recently had charge of the work of improving the fine estate of D. A. Bartlett. He should be able to put the new residence site into the finest kind of shape.

Definite plans as to the number of homes and their style have not yet been decided upon, but a number of the most modern residences will be built. The construction of this new residence site will aid greatly in relieving Marietta of her present shortage of homes which has been caused by an increase in the industrial wealth of the city, hence an increase in the number of laborers.

Perry Fined

Marietta Daily Leader, December 28, 1897

D. H. Perry, the man who was arrested for hugging two young ladies on the railroad bridge, was arraigned before Mayor Meisenhelder Monday and pleaded guilty to the charge of drunkenness and disorderly conduct. He was fined $15 and costs, amounting in all to $20.25.

Watertown Burial Ground

The Marietta Times, November 4, 1869

Two miles and a half to the north west of Watertown village, in the township of Watertown, is one of the oldest burial places in Ohio. It is on the road from Watertown to Waterford. This graveyard is not properly taken care of. The fence is down, and several of the tombstones are broken, most likely by stray cattle. It is said that one of the pioneers was buried here as early as 1795, but no stone or other memorial attests the fact. The earliest inscription, so far as we could ascertain, is this:

"In memory of Giles Ford, who died, Sept. the 5th, 1797, in the 25th year of his age.

"How loved, how valued once, avails thee not,

To whom related, or by whom begot;

A heap of dust alone remains of thee;

'Tis all thou art, and all the proud shall be."

He perished early in the pioneer struggles of this western country. Near his grave is another, inscribed:

"In memory of Catharine Ford, wife of Capt. William Ford, who died Sept. 21, 1802, in the 54th year of her age."

Next, side by side, are the graves of the early settlers who bore that family name:

"Elizabeth Ford, wife of Capt. William Ford, died, August 16, 1819, aged 64."

"William Ford, Senr., died, October 9, 1823, aged 78 years."

"William Ford, Jr., died Sept. 15, 1823, in the 52d year of his age."

"Nancy Ford, wife of Judah Ford, died, March 6, 1809, in the 20th year of her age."

Capt. William Ford must have been nearly or quite fifty years old when he came to the West. He was thirty when the war of the Revolution began. William Ford, Jr., was born in 1770, and was grown up to manhood at the time of the settlement of Waterford. Father and son died within four weeks of each other in that fatal year, 1823. The period from 1821 to 1823 seems to have been remarkable for the mortal sickness, as the dates on the gravestones show.

"In memory of John Waterman, a native of Connecticut and one of the early settlers of Ohio, who departed this life, Sept. 1, 1834, in the 67th year of his age."

The grave of John Waterman is on the northeast side of the burying ground. Below are the graves of his children: Oliver (by his first wife, Margaret) died October 16, 1823, aged 1 year, 10 months; an infant daughter (by his second wife, Rachael) born 1826; one grave with rough and unmarked head an foot stones, that of a child probably; and, "Toulmin (son of John and Margaret Waterman) who died August 5, 1822, aged 3 years, 11 months."

The graves of John Waterman's first wife and second wife are at the end of this row: "Margaret, wife of John Waterman and relict of Stephen Potts, died August 28, 1823, aged 49 years." "Rachael, wife of John Waterman, died Nov. 9, 1833, aged 47 years."

Flavius Waterman was, we conjecture, the head of the first family of the name in the new settlement. There is now no stone over his grave, though one was set up long ago. He perished soon after coming to the West and was buried here, it is thought, as early as 1796 or 1797.

"Lydia Collins, wife of Charles Collins, and formerly wife of Flavius Waterman, died October 3, 1813, aged 70 years."

"Polly, wife of Ferrand Waterman, died July 18, 1852, in the 78th year of her age."

Born in 1774, Mrs. Polly Waterman must have lived through wondrous changes in her protracted life. She felt sorrow, too, for near her grave is that of a daughter, Polly, who died forty-three years before the mother, aged one year and three months.

The tombstone over the remains of David B. Waterman is one "with uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked:

"In Memory of David B. Waterman.

Died Aug the 21 1819

In the 45 year of his Age.

Behold my friends as you pass

By as you are now so once

was I as I am now you must be

Prepare for death and follow me."

Not far from David B. Waterman's grave rest the remains of Joseph Arnold who died on the 21st of August, 1868, at the remarkable age of 89. His wife (the daughter of Captain Reuben Stearns of R.I.) died twenty years before her husband, April 7, 1848, aged 66 years.

We had made other notes of the graves in this old burial ground, but we cannot now lay our hands on them. Of the individuals who rest here, or their families, the writer knows very little, but he supposes that they were of the bold, hardy, adventurous stock which furnishes the pioneers of every settlement.

Historical Sketch of Amos Porter

Marietta Daily Times, June 8, 1909

Subscriptions are now being received for the fund to be used in the erection at Lower Salem of a memorial to Amos Porter, which will be dedicated on July 15 of this year under the auspices of the Washington County Pioneer Association. As it is the desire that many people contribute to this fund, the subscriptions are in the sum of ten cents each.

Subscription books have been placed at various places throughout the county and people desiring to contribute to the fund will have no difficulty in finding them. Among those in Marietta is one at the office of The Times company, where subscriptions are being received. You can leave your dime there and receive a receipt for it, if convenient for you.

Amos Porter was the youngest and last survivor of the forty-eight pioneers who landed at Marietta on April 7, 1788. He was born at Chelsea, Massachusetts, February 20, 1769, and died at Lower Salem, Ohio, November 28, 1861. About two years after the famous landing, he returned to Massachusetts, making the entire journey on foot.

Mr. Porter's first wife was Sabra Toleman, who was the mother of all his children. His second wife was Mrs. Sally Perkins Sutton. His children were Amos, born January 18, 1796; William, November 4, 1797; Samuel, February 24, 1799; Thomas, November 7, 1800; Rufus, April 23, 1802, Hiram, April 4, 1804; Lydia, May 28, 1806; Jerusha, May 25, 1808; Almer, May 10, 1810.

Amos died in early manhood, unmarried. Rufus and Hiram died in childhood. William married three times, his first wife being Mary Sutton, his second Polly Stanley, and his third Mrs. Betsy Fowler Toleman. He had ten children. He and six of his children moved to southern Illinois, where he died. 

Samuel wedded Mary Palmer. He had three children and died at Salem, Ohio. Thomas first married Rhoda Sutton and later Polly Stille, having six children. At the time of the compilation of this history, 1881, all of them were dead with exception of Mrs. Joseph Cox of Lowell and Thomas Porter was then living at Belpre. He was a man of remarkable physical strength and activity and was a noted conductor of the underground railroad in years gone by.

Lydia married S. N. Meriam of Lowell, where they in 1881 resided, a well-preserved couple. Jerusha wedded a Mr. Davis and had three children, and in 1881 was supposed to be still living in the West. Almer, the youngest member of the family, lived on the homestead, where he died some time near 1890. He had six children: Eliza Porter Twiggs, Sally Porter Hall (dead), Meriden Porter Moore, Daniel Porter, Charles Porter and Hosea Porter.

 

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

Sale of the Soap Factory

The Marietta Times, September 9, 1869

Desirable City Property at Auction.

Will be sold to the highest bidder, without reserve, on Saturday, September 11, 1869, at 11 o'clock A.M. on the premises:

Five City Lots,

Numbered 30, 37, 38, 45, and 47, situated in Marietta, west of Montgomery Street and fronting on Fourth and Fifth Streets, together with the buildings and appurtenances thereto attached.

On said lots are one frame dwelling, 1-1/2 story high, in good repair; one frame Soap Factory, 40 by 50 feet, 3-1/2 stories high; one stable, besides three other small buildings.

Also, at the same time and place, one good steam boiler, 20 feet long and 42 inches in diameter, cast iron heads; one cast iron (100 gallon) kettle; one wrought iron (800 gallon) kettle; 8-1/2 barrels of rosin; several large and small tanks suitable for oil; 3,000 lbs. of family Soap, 7 soap frames, 100 soap racks, and a large lot of second hand lumber.

Terms easy, which will be made known at time of sale.

Daniel Murdock.

Charles Jones, Auctioneer.

 

Halloweeners Make Merry

The Marietta Daily Times, November 1, 1944

Several hundred adults and children in masquerade costumes participated in the Halloween parade Tuesday evening and succeeded in making an evening of merriment and fun for thousands of Mariettans on the sidelines and at the municipal stadium. Prizes were awarded in the various classifications, and altogether 18 envelopes containing war savings stamps were given the winners after the committee of judges completed what was a difficult task.

The annual community Halloween celebration was a successful one sponsored for the 20th year by Marietta Lions Club as one of its civic projects. Cooperation was given by citizens generally, and the celebration was concluded with a theatre party at the Hippodrome. Marietta High School Band, directed by G. Gordon Ritter; Salem-Liberty School Band; and the Norwood Drum Corps, all in full regalia, had places in the parade which was headed by Highway Patrol motorcycle escort and the emblematic Lion's Cage.

Dr. W. L. Sackett, assisted by other members of the Lions Club, distributed the prizes from a truck platform at the stadium, where all prize winners were presented. Eighty-five year old Charles A. Cook of 314 Front Street, who came here recently from Tacoma, Washington, to find persons who might remember his family, was awarded first prize in the men's fancy dress costume. He wore his "Abraham Lincoln" outfit in which he has been characterized in parades in other cities.

Other prize winners in classifications were Georgianna Johnson of 348 Pike Street, Vivian Kilzer of 321 Harmar Street, Mrs. Arthur Schwartz of 131 Euclid Avenue, Betty House of 735 Sixth Street, John Wilford of Marietta, Gary Bishman of 417 Fort Street, Teddy Barnes of 812 Phillips Street, Ronnie Hackathorn of 316 Harmar Street, Billy Lee Miller of 729 Fourth Street, Judith Ann Dearth of Walnut Hills, Patricia Miller of Marietta R. 4, Lee Hadley of 500 Fifth Street, Melvin Douthitt of Gilman Avenue, Mrs. Robert Barnhart of Ninth Street, Mrs. Rector Carpenter of Walnut Drive, Joe A. Matthews and Kay Ellen Matthews of 108 Harmar Street.

Costume judges were Charles J. Otto, Clayton D. Porter, Mrs. Augusta K. Bedilion, all of Marietta, and Mrs. Faye R. Abicht, teacher in Salem-Liberty High School at Lower Salem.

 

Prosecuting Attorney's Annual Report

The Marietta Times, September 16, 1869

The following is the annual report of Walter Brabham, Esq., Prosecuting Attorney, to the Commissioners of Washington County for the year next preceding the first Monday of September, 1869 showing the number of criminal prosecutions pursued to final conviction and sentence under his official care during the year, together with the names of the parties to each and the amount of fines assessed by the Court in each case; also, the number of forfeited recognizances and the amount collected in each case:

-Edward Blum, for grand larceny, sentenced to penitentiary for one year.
-Ingraham Pitts, petit larceny, fined $10 and costs.
-William Robinson, burglary and larceny, sentenced to penitentiary for two years.
-William G. Weiss, selling liquor, fined $10 and costs.
-Samuel and John McMahon, petit larceny, fined $10 and costs.
-Joline Adams, assault and battery, fined $5 and costs.
-William Henning, selling liquor, fined $10 and costs.
-William Warden, selling liquor, fined $10 and costs.
-Philip Hinkel, selling liquor, fined $10 and costs.
John N. Nye, selling liquor, fined $10 and costs.
-Conrad Miller, selling liquor, fined $10 and costs.
-Henry Stephens, assault and battery, fined $20 and costs.
-George Harris, petit larceny, fined $25 and costs.
-George Boyd, bigamy sentenced to the penitentiary for 4 years.
-Andrew Pinkerton, assault and threatening, fined $5 and costs.
-James C. Powell, assault and battery, fined $5 and costs.
-Richard Elliott, assault and battery, fined $20 and costs.
-Amos Moss, assault and battery, fined $5 and costs.
-Henry Lenox, bigamy sentenced to the penitentiary for four years.

There were no recognizances forfeited during the year and no collections on forfeited recognizances made. There are, however, two cases where the judgments on forfeited recognizances have been obtained for the sum of $300 in each case, both of which have been taken to the District Court by defendants, on error to the Common Pleas, and both of which will, in all probability be decided in favor of the State and collected.

 

Brewer's Art Studio

The Marietta Times, October 21, 1869:

From the Scioto Gazette, Chillicothe. "Our artist friend, Mr. John S. Brewer, the gentleman who has for some time past occupied apartments in the Allen block, as a studio, has brought his stay among us to a termination, and has shaken from his feet the dust of the 'Ancient Metropolis' and gone to that still more ancient burgh, Marietta, for a brief sojourn. Mr. Brewer is a gentleman of polished manners and refined cultivated tastes, an artist of skill and with an intimate knowledge of the manners and customs of the world at large, having spent several years of travel upon the European continent, visiting all places of note and seeking every opportunity of perfecting himself in his profession by a study of the works of the 'old masters,' as they are found in the collections and picture galleries of the old world. We shall miss his genial face and cordial greeting, and can only regret that circumstances have necessitated his removal from among us. We commend him to the acquaintance and friendship of the citizens of Marietta as a gentleman whose acquaintance will be found a pleasant and agreeable one."

Mr. Brewer has taken rooms over the drugstore of Pearce & Triem on "the Island," Front Street. He comes with the best of recommendations, and we take pleasure in presenting him to this community.  

 The Marietta Times, October 28, 1869:

We paid a visit yesterday to the studio of Mr. Brewer, which is directly over the Drug Store of Pearce & Triem. We were greatly interested in the portraits. Those of Judge Safford and Dr. Waddle of Chillicothe, whom we personally know, are admirable as likenesses. Always fond of seeing portraits of remarkable men, our attention was drawn to that of the late Sol. Smith of St. Louis, the author, actor, humorist, and what is strange in such a combination, the steady, straight-forward business man. His countenance proclaims what he was.

Not far from him is a portrait of McKean Buchanan, the actor - a character in his way, but overrated on the stage. The picture of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Vincennes is well finished. Conspicuous is the portrait from life, as are all the rest, of a British sea captain, a genuine salt, with a face as red as Bardolph's and an expression of satisfaction which nothing but beef and brandy could afford him.

In contrast, we have the picture of a French physician, a second Dr. Caius, with the true Gallican grimace and shoulders that almost shrug while you are looking at his likeness. At fifty, his complexion is that of a dull parchment, and he has as many small wrinkles as most men who have gone beyond their rime, the result of unrestrained indulgence in coffee and tobacco. There is a lecture in every line of his face, and as the writer is fond of smoking, he felt an admonition to break his pipe. But who reforms at forty?

There are other portraits in the room - of artists, of businessmen, and also of commonplace creatures who have no more character than a cow pumpkin.

Mr. Brewer has established himself among us, and we hope he will be encouraged as his genius merits. His work must plead for him, however, and so we ask all who feel interested in art to visit his studio. It is worthwhile.

The Marietta Times, November 25, 1869:

Calling at Mr. Brewer's studio over the Island Drug Store one day this week, we noticed the excellent portraits of Colonel John Mills, William F. Curtis and R. M. Stimson, which have just come form his pencil. They are admirable as likenesses, for not only is the countenance accurately mapped out in each picture, but the expression is life-like and natural. It is not often that portraits as good as these are met with, and there are none better. We advise all who are interested in works of art to call at Mr. Brewer's room and look at them. 

The Marietta Times, December 9, 1869:

Our people should see the portraits of Colonel Mills and William F. Curtis at Mr. Brewer's studio over Pearce & Triem's Drug Store. As likenesses, they cannot be bettered. Besides, the artist has shown consummate skill in every detail of the work before him.

We cannot but express the hope that Mr. Brewer will be appreciated and patronized, as he should be, in a community like this. It is seldom that one so thoroughly master of his profession is at the service of those who wish to procure excellent portraits of themselves or of their friends. 

It is folly or nonsense to engage pictures - as some do - by having a photograph taken here, while the work of the painter is done elsewhere. The proverb, Descriptions decide nothing, is absolutely true in respect of persons. To make a good likeness, the artist must see the subject of his pencil, even though casually and but once. Otherwise, the portrait will be weak and unsatisfactory.

The Marietta Times, December 30, 1869:

 Mr. Brewer is now at work on portraits of President Andrews; W. H. Oldham, Esq.; William Warden, of the National House; and Dr. Stout. The pictures, as yet, are unfinished, but sufficient progress has been made to show that they will be good likenesses. 

It is worth the time and trouble to pay a visit to Mr. Brewer's studio over Pearce & Triem's Drug Store, on the Island. We have, heretofore, spoken in decided terms of his merits as an artist, and we could now but repeat what we said then. We do not believe that better work than his can be procured in the large cities, and we are certain that in Cincinnati, pictures greatly inferior to those which he produces, command twice the price he asks for a portrait.

The Marietta Times, January 27, 1870:

Mr. Brewer has finished a crayon portrait of W. H. Oldham which is worth seeing. It is not only a good likeness in that the features of his face are all there, but the vigor and force of expression which he has managed to throw into it make it one of the best pictures we ever saw.

A portrait of Mr. Warden of the National House, done in oil colors, will be recognized at once by anyone that has ever seen him. There are besides, admirable likenesses of other Marietta men - Col. Mills, W. F. Curtis, President Andrews, R. M. Stimson, and N. Fawcett.

Mr. Brewer will stay but a little while longer, and those who wish to have first-rate portraits should now avail themselves of this, the best opportunity they will ever have. No better pictures can be produced anywhere. To satisfy yourself of this, call at his studio, over Pearce & Triem's Drug Store.

*  *  *
Note - John S. Brewer, or John James Scriven Brewer, was born in Canada in 1824, the son of Richard and Ann Scriven Brewer. He died February 22, 1881, in St. Louis, Missouri.

They Were Married Very Quietly

The [Marietta] Daily Register, October 6, 1894

Mr. B. G. Dawes and Miss Bertie Burr Join Their Lives

From Lincoln State Journal

Miss Bertie O. Burr, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carlos C. Burr, and Mr. Beman G. Dawes, were united in marriage at the First Presbyterian church last night at 7 o'clock, by Rev. E. H. Curtis.

The ushers, Messrs. F. S. Burr; W. E. Eells of Marietta, Ohio; R. M. Joyce; S. E. Low; D. G. Wing and Lew Marshall, were kept busily engaged in seating the friends of the contracting parties.

Promptly at 7 o'clock, Mrs. P. V. M. Raymond struck the first notes of the Lohengrin wedding march and Miss Burr and Mr. Dawes entered through the western door. The bride was clad in handsome brocaded crepe, trimmed in ribbons and lace with a bridal veil hanging in graceful folds down her back. The groom looked his best and there were many complimentary exclamations on their appearance. The ceremony was brief, the ring service being used. Mr. C. C. Burr, the bride's father, gave her away.

At the close of the service, Mr. and Mrs. Dawes left the church by the eastern entrance, moving up the aisle to the sweet strains of Mendelssohn's march. They went directly to the home of the bride's parents, where a reception, which was attended by relatives and the most intimate friends, was tendered them.

The guests at the reception were given an opportunity to inspect one of the most elegant lists of presents ever received by a young couple. It was known that Mr. and Mrs. Dawes intended going to housekeeping immediately upon their return from a bridal trip, and it was natural therefore that all the presents were useful as well as beautiful. There was a large room devoted to the display of presents and in this could be found almost everything needed in making a home lovely, from a handsome filigree sugar spoon to a set of furniture. There were sets of china, choice bits of bric-a-brack, pictures denoting the taste of the donors and bank checks which will prove useful in the furnishing of a home.

Mr. and Mrs. Dawes were accompanied to the train at 9:30 by a large party of friends. They expect to be absent about two weeks, visiting the parents of the groom in Marietta, Ohio, where a reception will be tendered them. They will go from there to Washington and New York, returning to Lincoln about the 20th.

The [Marietta] Daily Register, October 10, 1894:

In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Beman Gates Dawes

The beautiful home of General and Mrs. Rufus R. Dawes, Fourth Street, was the scene of a charming reception from 8 to 11 last evening, in honor of Mr. Beman Gates Dawes and his beautiful bride of Lincoln, Nebraska. The house was handsomely decorated with potted flowers. Everything was appropriately arranged in green and white, the bride's colors. The bride was clad in handsome brocaded crepe, trimmed in lace.

Nearly one hundred guests were present. After being received by Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Dawes, Mr. and Mrs. Rufus C. Dawes, and Mr. and Mrs. B. G. Dawes, the guests were invited to lunch by Mrs. William W. Mills in her pleasant way, where in the adjoining rooms tables were arranged and refreshments were served, white and green prevailing.

Mr. and Mrs. Dawes remain until the latter part of the week, when they leave for a short visit to eastern cities, returning the next week for a few days' visit here, then to their home at Lincoln, Nebraska.

The reception was one of the prettiest for many seasons. We congratulate Mr. Dawes on his good fortune and wish him and his bride many years of prosperity and happiness.

   

Pfaff's Bakery

The Marietta Daily Times, January 19, 1952

One of Marietta's Oldest Business Establishments Closes Its Doors

Roberta S. Burson

When Pfaff's Bakery, located at 112 Putnam Street, closes its doors and draws the blind tonight, it will mark the end of one of Marietta's oldest business establishments.

Started in April, 1871, by Jacob W. "Jake" Pfaff, whose career began when he landed on American soil after a 42-day sailboat journey from Germany, the bakery has been in continuous operation for the past 81 years by the Pfaff family.

After serving an apprenticeship at the J. & D. Mueller Bakery, young Jake branched out on his own as a baker. With only a minimum amount of cash, but with an abundance of nerve and faith in himself and in Marietta, he baked his first batches of bread in a single brick oven which he constructed with his own hands in the basement of the present establishment which was then considered "uptown."

Peddled Bread in Basket

A familiar figure in the olden days, he peddled his bread and other baking in a basket to customers scattered throughout Marietta. Later he acquired a horse-drawn van which he used for delivery purposes. Branching out in the meantime with the assistance of his wife, Katherine Braun Pfaff, he added a confectionery to his bakery establishment. Still later, and still growing in business, he opened a small restaurant which soon became famous for its oyster stew and other items.

"Oysters came in bulk then, and had to be shucked," young Jacob Pfaff, his grandson who has been continuing the business with his father, Edwin W. "Eppie" Pfaff, and his mother, explained this week. "Many times grandfather and grandmother made oyster stew for Marietta College boys after store hours."

These and other incidents related to the early days of the establishment, when home-made ice cream sold for five cents a dish and a full dinner could be bought for 35 cents, were recounted by young Pfaff, namesake of his grandfather.

Location Never Changed

Following the death of Grandfather Jake in 1913, his three sons, Edwin W., Walter, and Clarence Pfaff, who were born on the third floor of the present bakery, continued the business. 

Walter, who worked in the shop for the most part, died in 1914. Three years later Edwin, known to hundreds as "Eppie," bought out the interests of Clarence and Walter's wife. Dispensing with the wholesale business in 1917, Eppie and his wife, Anna Gerber Pfaff, concentrated on baked goods, ice cream, catering, and restaurant business. For the latter, the couple, like Eppie's father, began on a shoestring. Their kitchen "equipment" included one roaster, one coffee pot and a few dishes which Mrs. Pfaff brought from home. They served 19 customers on their first day of business. Their specialties, known far and wide, were scalloped oysters, baked ham, ice cream and chicken pie.

Until 1943 catering for numerous organizations was a specialty of the Pfaff Restaurant. During their years they served an average of 1,500 or 2,000 meals per week. Many of their meals went free of charge to a number of Marietta College boys who were given jobs as waiters to help themselves through college.

In June 1944, however, the Pfaff Restaurant ceased operations. With the return of Eppie's son Jacob in 1941 from four years service with the U.S. Army, baked goods became the main product of the establishment.

Long, Long Years

"It's been grit and grind and work," young Jake said, "but it's like Pop (Eppie) always said - if you have things good, people will come to you for them."

"What are your plans for the future?" He shook his head. "They're indefinite. Pop doesn't want to give up the business, but mother desires to." He looked around the bake shop back through to the huge ovens which have turned out thousands upon thousands of loaves of bread and other baked goods.

"Sometimes it gets me here," he said, placing his hand over his heart. "I guess once you like something it's hard to give it up. We will maintain the building, though, until Pop (who is 75 and is now hospitalized in Memorial Hospital) and mother decide what they want to do."

Mrs. Pfaff, pausing for a few words, smiled. "I'm happy to give it up," she said. "It will mean lots less work and worry, but of course I'll miss our many friends and customers."

Those many friends and customers will miss the Pfaff bakery, too, which through the years has held the interest of Marietta uppermost in mind. They will miss their regular orders of raisin and cinnamon bread on Mondays, rye and kimmel bread on Tuesdays, salt-rising bread on Wednesdays, pumpernickle bread on Thursdays, and hearth loaf on Saturdays, but as each one knows - all good things must sometime come to an end.

Thomas Porter

Marietta Register (Tri-Weekly), September 18, 1890

Shameful Treatment of an Old Man, a Pioneer of This County.

The Sunday Capital of Columbus has the following pitiable story about an old resident of Marietta:

On Tuesday there was released from the City Prison a patriarchal looking old gentleman, ninety years of age, named Thomas Porter [1800-1891, son of Amos Porter, one of Marietta's first 48 pioneers]. He had been locked up since the previous Friday night. The old man had committed no crime, but had simply been received for safe-keeping, and was taken away in charge of his granddaughter, Mrs. Congdon [Hettie Congdon Nussel, daughter of Buell Congdon] of Montgomery Street, who came to his rescue as soon as she learned of his imprisonment.

The old man, in spite of his years, except for a deficit in hearing and sight, appears to be in possession of his faculties. The story he and his granddaughter told a Capital representative was truly heartrending and furnishes an example of cruelty almost past belief.

Mr. Porter stated that he had been living in Columbus for some five years past, having come here with his daughter [May D. Smith, also called Mary] and her husband, Mr. John Smith [John Ezra Smith], who is a carpenter and has charge of a gang of men at the Panhandle shops. His daughter and her husband had previously lived with him [1870 and 1880 census in Belpre, Washington County, Ohio], in fact they had always been together since her marriage, some sixteen years before [Wood County, WV, 12 Oct 1873] . 

The old gentleman was worth some property at the time, the proceeds of which afterwards going to the son-in-law and his family, it being the tacit understanding that they were to care for him the rest of his days, in return for which they were to receive all he had. Mr. Porter says he had never been an idle man and up until a short time ago contributed his full share and even more to their joint support and never refusing them money out of his past savings when they needed it.

Some time ago he states they bought a lot in partnership at 393 Denmead Avenue, he paying $320 and Smith $180. The latter he claimed had the deed made out in his own name. Finally the old gentleman becoming too feeble to work except to tend his garden, in which he took great pride, and Smith having possession of all his money, as he and the granddaughter state, they began to grow tired of him and to mistreat him in many ways, feeding him refuse crusts and giving him to understand that he was a burden upon them. The old man said, "I have sometimes been compelled to satisfy my hunger by taking broken victuals from the slop fed to the cow and have taken the bones fed to the dog and cut the meat off of them."

The climax was reached some ten days ago when Smith's son [Don Carlos Smith] took the garden hose and began to despoil some of his grandfather's vegetables. The latter protested and young Smith turned the hose upon the old man. A bitter altercation ensued between the two when the boy's father interfered in his son's behalf. A scuffle ensued in which all three took part, and Mr. Porter says that in the melee he was thrown against a fence and his arm badly hurt. That member, as show to the reporter, was a mass of scabs on one side from the wrist to the elbow.

The old gentleman was thereupon refused admission to the house, and he spent a number of nights in the cow shed, sleeping on some old chests and subsisting as best he might. Friday night Smith had him taken to the station house for safekeeping, stating to the officer that he was out of his mind and was liable to wander away. He remained there without knowing the cause of his arrest, helpless and without any knowledge as to when he would be relieved until his granddaughter accidentally heard of it by the merest accident.

That lady was very much incensed at the treatment given her aged relative. She said they were trying to get the old man in the poor house, but that he should not go as she would care for him. He has a married daughter in Marietta who is well-to-do. She was as yet ignorant of the affair, but would make a home for him when she learned of the situation.

Mr. Porter is a man of excellent character, a member of the Methodist church of many years standing and enjoys the distinction of being the oldest temperance man in the country, having helped to organize a total abstinence society in Washington County, this state, which anti-dated the famous Washingtonian movement into which it was finally merged. The question of priority was disputed by a Massachusetts society, but was finally settled in favor of the Ohio organization. All the members are dead except Mr. Porter.

Suit is to be brought against Smith for assault and battery, also for the recovery of the old gentleman's interest in the Denmead Avenue property. 

This is the story as related by the old gentleman and his granddaughter.

A reporter called at the Smith residence to ascertain what the man upon whom this cruelty was charged had to say in his defense. Mr. Smith was not at his home, but his wife, upon being interviewed, denied that there had been any assault upon Porter. On the contrary, she stated they had always treated him kindly and had cared for him without compensation for a number of years. She said that he lost about all the little property he possessed in the Ohio River flood of 1884, while they were living in Marietta, having but $300 left. She furthermore said that she was not his daughter, but his granddaughter. She said the old man was childish and would not remain with them, often wandering away, and that he was locked up for safe-keeping upon advice of the mayor and police. He was welcome to a home with them, she stated, whenever he would return. It was learned that the daughter referred to, Mrs. Cox [Harriet Porter Cox, wife of Joseph], is in the city and will probably take the old gentleman home to live with her.

*  *  *  *  *

 See also:

http://historicalmarietta.blogspot.com/2007/03/thomas-porter.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17612630


 

 

 

 

Farmerettes Real Thing - Go to Work at 5:30 in Morning and Earn 85 Cents Per Day

Marietta Daily Times, August 13, 1918

"Farmerettes are a reality and not an experiment," H. G. Chamberlain of Muskingum Road told Mrs. George H. Matson Tuesday morning as she and her two daughters left for their home at Columbus. Mrs. Matson is the chaperone of the Dorothy Dawes farmerettes unit of Columbus, which has been working this summer on various farms up the Muskingum.

Here is Mrs. Matson's story:  "My two daughters, Ethel and Louise, were not even allowed to touch the lawn mower to cut the grass on our small lawn in Columbus, but when the farmerette question was raised, since it was a patriotic move, all were in favor of it.

"Miss Dawes and her family are friends of ours and we came to Marietta and to the truck farms. There were about 12 of the girls all together. They began working on June 24."

Mrs. Matson went on to explain that the girls each received 85 cents per day which went toward paying railroad fares. An additional small amount was received for lunches and board.

"The girls were in the field at 5:30 in the morning" said Mrs. Matson, "and quit work at 2:30 in the afternoon. Twenty minutes was allowed for lunch. At 8:30 all lights were ordered out and suitors were required to leave for their houses."

"I picked 4,000 pounds of tomatoes each day I worked in the patch," said Miss Louise Matson, pretty and sun-burned. "And one day," she added, "I helped pitch straw."

"And we worked in the morning dew until our overalls were soaked with water and people said we would have colds," said Miss Ethel. "But we just kept on," she continued, "and paid no attention, but just worked."

The girls who have been working at the truck farms are nearly all students of the Ohio State University. Some were from the Smith College, Lake Erie College, Bangs Whiton School, and National Park Seminary.

There are still two girls employed on the farms, one from this city and one from Indiana. The latter is working until she has gotten together enough money to return to her home. She is also a student of the Ohio State University.

 

Reminiscences of Slavery

The Marietta Register, March 29, 1894

A writer has said that "Volumes filled with hair-breadth escapes, thrilling adventures and heroic deeds might be written concerning runaway slaves. Humanity and letters have both suffered loss for lack of a pen adequately to record the feats of noble daring achieved by the African in pursuit of freedom. All things considered, there is nothing in our revolutionary annals that surpasses such heroism. Our fathers sought liberty in company. They fought an enemy three thousand miles distant. The solitary fugitive sought freedom with an empire for his foe and himself in its midst. The very attempt has in it all the elements of the great and sublime.

I am indebted to Mr. Kean of Macksburg for the particulars of the following narrative. I shall mention no names, as the parties, or some of them, are still alive and it was known to but few until after the war.

A man whom I shall call Mr. B. lived four miles south of Stafford. While at work upon his farm, he saw a colored man running toward him, but who did not see Mr. B. until he had come within a few steps of him. The colored man was carrying a fine gun. He told Mr. B. that he was a runaway slave, that he had crossed the Ohio River near Newport the night before, that he had traveled without a guide and without food or rest, and that he was pursued by men who had been pressed into service and that his owner, or the man who had purchased him from his master, was urging on the pursuers.

He told B. that the rifle he carried was the property of his former master, that when he learned that he had been sold to a trader, he took the rifle and succeeded in making his escape. He was discovered crossing the river in a skiff that he found tied to the willows. Since he landed upon the Ohio side he had been so closely pressed that he could not stop for a moment. He offered B. his gun if he would direct him as to the best route to take to elude his pursuers. B. directed him in the direction of Summerfield and advised him to follow through large tracts of woodland and avoid certain houses, the homes of men who were not friendly to his race.

The slave took to the woods and was scarcely out of sight before two of B.'s neighbors came on the hunt, telling B. that the man who captured the runaway was to get ten dollars reward. B. was ready to join in the pursuit. He suggested that they each take a different direction, reserving for himself the one taken by the slave. He knew if the slave followed the woods as directed, he could cut him off at a certain point, which he could reach by traveling over much smoother ground. 

When B. reached the place he waited but a few minutes and the slave came to him, as he was hid behind a tree. The gun was pointed at him and he commanded him to follow or be shot. The slave told him to shoot if he wished, as he could not take him alive. Before B. was aware of it, his prize had bounded away and was lost to sight.

The fugitive losing sight of B., changed his course and hid in a brush fence. He remained there until dark. After lying upon the cold ground, he became so stiff that he could not walk He worked his way to a house in which he saw a light. Nothing was left him now but power to plead for help. This power he used so effectually that he secured the sympathy of the man who was known as a most ultra pro-slavery man. The part of the story which affected him most was that of the treachery of B. He told the slave that he should have his help. He assisted him to his barn, covered him over well with hay and told him to remain there until his return. 

This man had promised the use of his horse to a neighbor to go to Barnesville. He was to start before daylight and was to return the next day with a friend. Our man lost no time in seeing his friend and telling him of the meanness of B. and proposed to him that if they saw the slave they would assist him to escape. Having secured this promise, he told the story of the slave and arranged plans for his neighbor to start at midnight and take the slave as far as he could toward Guinea.

Years after, those men would tell to their most intimate friends that at midnight one of them was seated upon a very restless horse while the other was down upon his knees rubbing the stiff limbs of a slave until he could stand alone and have use of himself to enable him to ride the horse, saddled ready for his use.  While the horse's hoofs were clattering away, the gate posts, trees and other objects seemed to be whispering "negro thief, woolly-head," such words as those men used when referring to Cleveland, Steele, Hughes, Markey, and others.

The next day the hunt was renewed, but no trace of the runaway could be found.  B. said the ground must have swallowed him. The roads leading from certain houses were watched for several days and nights. The woods and barns were searched. No one but a well known pro-slavery man had been away from the neighborhood. He would not even allow a colored man to be in his company, so he was not suspected. B. could not understand how two men that had not even seen the slave had found out how he came in possession of the gun.

Mr. Tuttle wishes to know the name of my father. His name was Joseph H. Markey. He was a minister of the M. E. church, which he left and joined the Wesleyan Church after its organization. Many fugitives found shelter in our house. The tales of suffering told by those oppressed people deepened the impressions made upon my mind by reading "Uncle Tom's Cabin" which was published in The National Era.

The friends of slavery asserted that the condition of the colored race was better in slavery than it would be if they were emancipated. I have often heard my father referred to in a way that caused me much trouble. I was often told that while he was preaching, he was violating the laws of the land by breaking the Fugitive Slave Law.

Since I have heard some of the messages sent to him by those fugitives after reaching a land of freedom, and learning the prosperity of many of them, I was then able to understand the words, "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was a hungered, and ye gave me meat. I was thirsty and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger and ye took me in." As Christ promised this blessing to all those "who have done it to one of the least of these His brethren," I know he has been rewarded for all his labors in behalf of the despised race.

M. A. W.
[Mary A. Wolfe?]

 

Look Out for Rogues

Marietta Intelligencer, September 5, 1839

Our town is infested with a gang of thieves who go about seeking what they may lay their hands on and put their feet in.

On Thursday night last, the cellar of Slocomb & Buck's Boot & Shoe Store was broken open and two pair, with six left foot boots were taken. The rascals were probably frightened and decamped before they could select mates for the odd boots. The property was found the next day under a bridge between Messrs. Hall's and Brophy's.

Numerous articles of clothing &c. have been taken from dwelling houses in different parts of the town.

 

City Party Enjoyed By Thousands

Marietta Daily Times, August 21, 1924

A crowd estimated at from 8,000 to 10,000 people thronged lower Front Street on Wednesday evening for the big community celebration which re-dedicated the re-surfaced and widened thoroughfare. The celebration was a huge success and showed a fine community spirit.

People came from all parts of the county and joined in the fun and frolic of the evening that commenced early and continued until after midnight. Owing to the crowds jamming about the orchestras, which were stationed at the head and in the middle of that portion of the street roped off for the jollification, dancing did not commence until late in the evening.

The School Band gave a fine program from 7 to 9 o'clock from a platform made of trucks placed in front of the Gruber store. The Night Owls orchestra took possession of the platform at 9 o'clock and for more than an hour played its jazziest music to get the program of the evening started, but nothing diffused the crowds until the lighting of the huge pile of store boxes on the top of the levee, when the crowds scattered and the dancing was commenced.

Sam Farmer's string orchestra played its old-fashioned dance music for waltzes, schottisches and quadrilles and had its dance patrons first at the upper end and later at the lower end of the block. With the Night Owls playing nothing but jazz, their music was the more largely patronized.

Corn meal was spread over the surface of the "dance floor" to make it easy for the dancers.

Seth Andrews Dead

The Daily Register [Marietta], October 3, 1894

Elder Seth Andrews died at his home in Bristol Township on the morning of September 30th. He was born near the same place, June 7th, 1818. Mr. Andrews lived twelve years near Salem, Indiana, and five in Marietta, Ohio; the rest of his long life was spent in this county.

Nearly sixty ago he taught his first district school and until the meridian of his life his winters were spent in this vocation. for the last thirty years he has been a faithful elder and minister in the Christian church, of which he has been a consistent member more than half a century.

Very many persons in this county will remember with gratitude his kindly words of christian instruction and encouragement, coming as they did from a hear whose delight was in the law of the Lord. His words carried conviction with them because they were illustrated by a daily walk which was a living epistle of unselfish devotion to principle. 

Last Monday his body was laid to rest in the cemetery near the graves of his brothers, his parents and his grandfather. Mr. Andrews was the father of Professor Martin R. Andrews of Marietta. He leaves six children - two sons and four daughters, and a widow. (McConnelsville Herald)

Murder

The Marietta Times, September 2, 1869:

Amos Keeter, an honest collector of this city, presented a bill to a man named Smith, who lives on the Stockade, at about nine o'clock the other evening. Smith became angry, swore a terrible oath, knocked the collector down and stamped him to death. Smith stated afterwards that he recognized the collector's bill, having been, as he expressed it, bored with it before. 

Owing to the inefficiency of our police force, or some other cause or causes, Smith escaped arrest and is still at large. The body of the collector did not even receive a decent burial at the hands of our authorities.

The Marietta Times, September 9, 1869:

A notice regarding the death of Amos Keeter appeared in our local columns last week and attracted the attention of a good many of our readers. Some of them, not having heard of the death of "a muskeeter," gravely inquired what Smith it was that killed the fellow? When the joke had been explained to them, they could laugh as heartily as anyone.

*  *  *
Note - Accounts of the death of Amos Keeter appeared in newspapers around the country for decades. One from a Chicago paper in September of 1869 read as follows: "Amos Keeter, a well known resident of this city and a fine singer, was instantly killed at the Tremont House last night by a stranger who became angry at his attentions. He leaves a large family."

 

Dewey Follett Revolts Against Black Clothes

The Marietta Times, February 8, 1931

The late Attorney A. Dewey Follett might have been known to many Mariettans as one of the city's "best dressed" men a half century ago, but he might also be accredited with setting the pace for what is termed "collegiate" or sports-wear ensembles, and of modern styles, according to William G. Sibley, old time Marietta College friend of the attorney who comments on what Dewey wore away back in the 1880s in the last century. Mr. Sibley remembers the toggery of his old Marietta College days and what other folks wore in those days. He wrote about it in his latest "Along the Highway" column in the Chicago Journal of Commerce recently.

This thing of having the courage to abandon "black" clothes that were worn almost universally by most all young men 50 years ago is attributed to Mr. Follett, and Mr. Sibley was not far behind in setting the pace for more colorful raiment - at least something not so either formally dressy or "age-y" as black for the steady raiment of a college boy. Here is Mr. Sibley's column:

Solemn Black

We remember one day when we were a boy in Marietta an amazing sight on the sidewalk It was Dewey Follett, a brilliant young fellow, who, after accumulating the first honors of his class in college, had gone to Cornell University for a course in law. There he had picked something up - nothing less than the courage to abandon black clothes.

Everybody wore black then, except in summer, when professional men shifted to linen suits, one to wear this week when the other was in the family washtub. The first suit that gave us joy was black, with a long-tailed coat of the style called Prince Albert. That was in our junior year in college - the first tailor-made garment we ever had after we were eight years old and first was suspenders. All the students wore black, and if their parents were prosperous, preferred long coats. Occasionally there were exceptions who wore blue.

Looked Like Snow Storm

Well, Dewey Follett came out in a sack suit that looked like a miniature snow storm, wool and almost white. He was the observed of all observers. That was the first revolt we saw against black clothes for men. It was a sack suit, and soon other daring exponents of style shed their dark, double-breasted coats, worn in winter and summer, for light colored materials. The next year we had a brown herring-bone coat and vest, and a pin-check plaid of medium gray trousers, and were inordinately proud of them. They would be called extremely modest now.

Occasionally an Englishman came to town in conspicuous plaids that looked like checkerboards and was a sensation almost as conspicuous as our professor of Greek was when he ventured forth in a tail gray stiff hat with a very narrow and curly brim.

When we escaped from college we took to grays that grew lighter and lighter, and for 40 years never wore anything else for everyday. Now we observe that the merchant tailors are still trying to get men to wear something besides black in the evening. They don't seem to make much headway. The Tuxedo coat has held them back. It is neat and comfortable. Many a man who would easily be weaned from swallow-tails clings to his black dinner coat.

But for formal occasions black is the almost universal custom. It used to be so in business hours, but now a metropolitan paper notes that bankers are shedding their frock coats and boards of directors are turning to colors and comfort. That is, they no longer "dress up" for business hours. The same is true of lawyers and doctors. Even clergymen show up in grays for street wear, along with professors and school teachers.

Man is more conservative than woman, who will wear anything or next to nothing if fashion so dictates. Nothing is too startling for them in colors or exposures. They have emancipated their legs from skirt bondage. What they will give up next for fashion's sake nobody knows. They have sufficiently demonstrated their willingness to be free of conventions - in dress at least.