OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Recollections of Henry Howe, Historian *********************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 June 11, 1999 *********************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio The Kelley Family Collections Newspaper article, Plains Dealer compiled by S.J. Kelley-- 1925 And Then They Went West by Darlene E. Kelley 1998 *********************************************************************** Personal Recollections of Henry Howe, Historian----By S.J. Kelley Henry Howe, the early historian of Ohio, was born on Oct. 12, 1816. Open Henry Howe's history of Ohio and see the scenesand places he sketched nearly a century ago. Take for instance, " The Block House near North Bend." There it is, squared logs, narrow port holes, its upper half projecting so that the besieged settlers could shoot downward at the attacking Indians. Beyond the block house is the sweep of the Ohio River with its far shore and unpopulated view. There is the " Vineyard of Nicholas Longworth." "Wellsville on the Ohio," " Birthplace of Tecumseh," "Public Buildings in Willoughby." Located where the high school is now. One picture drawen by Henry Howe is the " Public Square, New Lisbon," sketched before its shade trees were grown. Before you is the open space and the old court house with its spire-like cupola; a few stores; the hotel with its chimneys smoking darkly and people walking sedately along the street about their busy life nearly 100 years ago. Superior Street--- But the picture of " Superior Street, Cleveland," drawn by Henry Howe in 1846. There is the wide thoroughfare of the city as it was then. Here comes the stagecoach! The broad road is of dirt, ruts and wagon ways showing in it, reaching clear to the bank of the Cuyahoga Valley. At the end of the street the view is stopped by a big old-time building, gable roofed, "Hilliard & Hayes, Dry Goods and Groceries." To the left is the American House. There is the Weddell House on its famed corner, cupola on top reaching up pretty high, its flag staff and streaming baner proclaiming its name, and the pillared balcony that Lincoln later spoke from. Down the street on either side are quaint business blocks of uncertain heights, some still looking like houses. Way down at the left, just on the brow of the hill, at the southeast corner of Vineyard Street ( W. 9th ) you can see the Plain Dealer Building. On the north side of the street near the end is a half residece, half store. Maybe it is the home of Nathan Perry who built the first brick store and house in 1809. Over the sidewalks at the right can be seen wooden awnings before the stores. People are rushing along before the Exchange; ladies wearing carefully folded shawls, narrow waists, wide skirts; business men with plug hats, tailed coats, wide trousers, as if in a movie that had stopped a century ago. Old Days-- Rigs in the street. Here comes a Victoria, great high wheels behind a praning team, bringing it right up to the center of the picture. The coachman, buckle on his hat, looped whip held out at an angle. On the back seat are two ladies, bonnets tied with ribbon under the chin, hands folded, sitting up primly, aristocracy of that day. Newsboys are in the picture [probably selling the Plain Dealer]. They are cutely drawen to illustrate the metropolitan character of the city. I knew Henry Howe. I saw him often on his last trips through the State. White beard and white wavy hair, with grey eyes that looked out from under bushy eyebrows, ready for the heartiest laughter. That was in 1888, when he was writing his second Howe,s " Historical Collections of Ohio." It was more than 40 years after its first publication when from the lips of pioneers still living, he gathered the facts of their lives on the fontier, their often thrilling experiences with the red men. Henry Howe came here to write his history of the State in 1846. He was 30 years old and traveled over Ohio on a white horse called ' Pomp ' which he had bought from a country physician. He visited all counties and sketched towns, cities, hamlets, county seats, old mills. log cabin homes, 'scenes of industries', winding rivers and inland lakes. He interviewed noted people, gathered historical matter, collected statistics of churches, business, population, stores, agriculture, education and almost any kind of statistics. Henry Howe was born in New Haven. His father was a propriator of a book store and publishing house from which the first editions on Webster's Dictionary were issued. As a boy, he carried a copy, for correction and approval. His father was called " General " Howe because the Brittish fleet had anchored off the town in 1812, and he had caused the fire bells of New Haven to be rung. To his father's book store in the evenings came an engraver, Josiah W. Barber, who had sketched historical spots in Connecticut and had published a history of the State. Barber realized a profit on his book and he started to write a history of New York. Henry Howe applied for the work of sketching and collecting historical matter for the new book. He was engaged and visited every county in the State collecting history and making sketches. Proudly one cold February morning in 1841, he rode up the full length of Broadway on horseback. He wore red leggings, but he had done his work well and was on his way home to New Haven with the last of his sketches and material. The book was a sucess and in 1842, Barber and Howe published a history of New Jersey. In 1843, Howe wrote his "Historical Collections of Virginia." He gathered the material for a history of South Carolina. Then he came west where his Ohio book proved very salable and he brought his family to Cincinnati, established a publishing house and lived there for 30 years. Here he wrote "Adventures and Achievements of Americans," " Historical Collections of the Great West," " The Loyal West in Times of the Rebellion" and other popular books. Then Howe published a historical work, " Our Whole Country." It was as big as a dictionary. The Civil War broke out and its value as a history was ruined. He came to Cleveland in 1878 and resided here for sometime, living on Euclid Avenue, near Giddings (E.71st). Mr Howe and his family, eventually went back to New Haven to live. In 1886. he returned to Cleveland and started to re-write his historical collections of Ohio. He was 70 and it took several years to accomplish the work and get the volumes published. I assisted him while he was gathering material for the last edition. After many copies were sold, the book was purchased by the State and the history placed in every public school. While preparing to attend the Columbian Exposition of 1893 at Chicago, Henry Howe suddenly died of a stroke of Paralysis at Columbus. Saturday evening, October 14, 1892. A great historian is sorely missed by all. ***********************************************