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The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 377 Today's Topics: #1 HENRY LYONS - HAMILTON COUNTY [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE] #2 HAMILTON COUNTY - PART 9 [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE] ------------------------------ X-Message: #1 Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 00:33:13, -0500 From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER) Subject: HENRY LYONS - HAMILTON COUNTY HISTORY OF KENTUCKY The American Historical Society, 1922 Volume V - Page 146-147 HENRY LYONS. This publication consistently enters a tribute to the memory of Henry Lyons, whose nobility of character, whose prominence and influence as a business man, whose exalted stewardship, shown in generosity and helpfulness in all of the relations of life, marked him as one of the foremost and most loved, and honored citizens of Danville, judicial center of Boyle County, where, virtually his entire adult life, was passed, and where his death occurred on the 9th of December, 1912. Even the briefest review of his career must bear its lesson of incentive and inspiration, for he was a good man who thought good things and did good things -one ever mindful of responsibilities which personal success involves. Henry Lyons was born in the City of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the year 1849, and was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Lyons, both of whom passed the closing years of their lives at Danville, Kentucky, where their sons Henry and Samuel had cared for them with earnest filial devotion in the gracious evening of their lives. The remains of the parents and both of the sons rest in the Jewish Cemetery at Cincinnati, Ohio. The sons were closely associated in business for many years and both were numbered among the most honored and influential citizens of Danville, to whose civic and material advancement and prosperity they had contributed in generous measure. In his youth Henry Lyons profited fully by the somewhat limited educations advantages that were afforded him, and he early gained full fellowship with honest toil and endeavor. In 1866 he came to Danville, Kentucky, and as a youth of seventeen years he formed a partnership with Samuel Straus, his cousin, and opened a clothing store. Within a short time thereafter he assumed full ownership of the business, which he continued individually and with marked success until 1887, when he was succeeded by his brother Samuel, who had long been associated, with him in the enterprise. He then went to California for a period of rest and recuperation, as his health had become much impaired, and upon his return to Danville, about four months later, in April, 1887, his physical powers were up to good standard, and he was ready to enter once more the field of vigorous business. He resumed his alliance with his brother, and they soon enlarged the scope of their business by opening a second store. They conducted these two mercantile establishments with characteristic ability and attending success until 1895, when they sold their clothing store to J.L. Frohman & Company, the members of which firm came to Danville from the City of Chicago, Illinois. The mercantile business had been conducted by the brothers under the firm name of Henry & Samuel Lyons. On the 10th of June 1895, a partnership was formed by Henry and Samuel Lyons and John M. Nichols and they established the Danville Steam Laundry, with Modern equipment and service. They developed this enterprise into one of the most important and successful of the kind in the state. On the 4th of October, 1902 the large and prosperous business was incorporated under the title of the Danville Steam Laundry, and since June 19, 1909 the present corporate title has obtained -the Danville Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company. Samuel Lyons became president of the company, Henry Lyons, the secretary and treasurer, and John M. Nichols the general manager. Henry Lyons, as before noted, died on the 9th of December, 1912, and his namesake, Henry Lyons Nichols, succeeded him as secretary and treasurer of the company. The personnel of the executive corps of this corporation thereafter continued unchanged until the sudden death of Samuel Lyons, the honored president on the 25th of July, 1920, and with the necessary reorganization then entailed the present officers were chosen as here noted: John M. Nichols, president; W. Barrett Nichols, vice-president and assistant secretary; R. Bush Nichols, manager; and Henry Lyons Nichols, secretary and treasurer. Henry Lyons became one of the substantial capitalist and loyal and influential citizens of this section of Kentucky, and both he and his brother, Samuel were foremost in the field of worthy charity and philanthropy, as well as in that of civic liberality and progressiveness. Of their varied activities and benefactions more specific mention will be found, in the memoir to Samuel Lyons, which immediately follows this review. The brothers played a large part in the business and social life of Danville and honored the state of their adoption by their generous, kindly and noble lives. ------------------------------ X-Message: #2 Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 00:33:01, -0500 From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER) Subject: HAMILTON COUNTY - PART 9 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF OHIO By Henry Howe, LL.D., 1898 HAMILTON COUNTY - PART 9 The charitable institutions of the city are highly respectable. The Cincinnati orphan asylum is in a building which cost $18,000. Attached is a library and well-organized school, with a provision even for infants; and it is surrounded by ample grounds. It has trained up over 300 children for usefulness. The Catholics have one male and female orphan asylum. The commercial hospital and lunatic asylum of Ohio was incorporated in 1821. The edifice, in the northwest part of the city, will accommodate 250 persons; 1,100 have been admitted within a year. A part of the building is used for a poor-house; and there are separate apartments for the insane. The city is supplied by water raised from the Ohio river, by a steam-engine, of forty horse-power, and forced into two reservoirs, on a hill, 700 feet distant, from whence it is carried in pipes to the intersection of Broadway and Third streets, and thence distributed through the principal streets in pipes. These works are now owned by the city. Cincinnati is an extensive manufacturing place. Its natural destitution of water-power is extensively compensated at present by steam-engines, and by the surplus water of the Miami canal, which affords 3000 cubic feet per minute. But the Cincinnati and White Water canal, which extends twenty-five miles and connects with the White Water canal of Indiana, half a mile south of Harrison, on the State line, will furnish a great increase of water-power, equal to ninety runs of millstones. The manufactures of the city, already large, may be expected to greatly increase. By a late enumeration, it appears that the manufactures of Cincinnati of all kinds employ 10,647 persons, a capital of $14,541,842, and produce articles of over seventeen millions of dollars value. The trade of Cincinnati embraces the country from the Ohio to the lakes, north and south; and from the Scioto to the Wabash, east and west. The Ohio river line, in Kentucky, for fifty miles down, and as far up as the Virginia line, make their purchases here. Its manufactures are sent into the upper and lower Mississippi country. There are six incorporated banks, with aggregate capital of $5,800,000, beside two unincorporated banks. Cincinnati is the greatest pork market in the world. Not far from three millions of dollars worth of pork are annually exported. Cincinnati enjoys great facilities for communication with the surrounding country. The total length of canals, railroads and turnpikes which centre here, completed and constructing, is 1,125 miles. Those who have made it a matter of investigation predict, that Cincinnati will eventually be a city of a very great population. A writer, J.w. Scott, editor of the Toledo Blade, in Cist's "Cincinnati in 1841," in a long article on this subject, commences with the startling announcement: "Not having before my eyes the fear of men, 'who-in the language of Governor Morris - with too much pride to study and too much wit to think, undervalue what they do not understand, and condemn what they do not comprehend,' I venture the prediction, that within one hundred years from this time, Cincinnati will be the greatest city in the world." We have not space here to recapitulate the arguments on which this prediction is based. The prediction itself we place on record for future reference. -Old Edition. EARLY INCIDENTS The few following pages are devoted to incidents which transpired within the city and county up to the time of issue of the edition of 1847. They were derived mainly from newspapers and other publications. ADVENTURE OF JACOB WETZEL, THE INDIAN HUNTER. -The road along, the Ohio river, leading to Storrs and Delhi, some four hundred yard below the junction of Front and Fifth streets, crosses what, in early days, was the outlet of a water-course, and notwithstanding the changes made by the lapse of years, and the building improvements adjacent, the spot still possesses many features of its original surface, although now divested of its forest character. At the period of this adventure - October 7, 1790 - besides the dense forest of maple and beech, its heavy undergrowth of space-wood and grapevine made it an admirable lurking place for the savage beasts, and more savage still, the red men of the woods. Wetzel had been out on his accustomed pursuit - hunting - and was returning to town at that time, a few cabins and huts collected in the space fronting the river, and extending from Main street to Broadway. He had been very successful, and was returning to procure a horse to bear a load too heavy for his own shoulders, and, at the spot alluded to, had sat down on a decaying tree-trunk to rest himself and wipe the sweat from his brow, which his forcing his way through, the brush had started, cool as was the weather, when he heard the rustling of leaves and branches, which betokened that an animal or an enemy was approaching. Silencing the growl of his dog, who sat at his feet, and appreciated equally conscious of danger, he sprang behind a tree and discovered the appeared form of an Indian, half hidden by the body of a large oak, who had his rifle in his hands, ready for any emergency that might require the use of it - as he, too, appeared to be on his guard, having heard the low growling of the dog. At this instant, the dog also spied the Indian and barked aloud, which told the Indiana of the proximity of his enemy. To raise his rifle was but the work of a moment, and the distinct cracks of two weapons were heard almost at the same time. The Indian's fell from his hands, as the ball of the hunter's had penetrated and broken the elbow of his left arm, while the hunter escaped unhurt. Before the Indian could possibly reload his rifle in his wounded condition, Wetzel had rushed swiftly upon him with his knife, but not before the Indian had drawn his. The first thrust was parried off by the Indian with the greatest skill, and the shock was so great in the effort that the hunter's weapon was thrown some thirty feet from him. Nothing daunted, he threw himself upon the Indian with all his force and seized him around the body; at the same time encircling the right arm, in which the Indian still grasped his knife. The Indian, however, was a very muscular fellow, and the conflict now seemed doubtful indeed. The savage was striving with all his might to release his arm, in order to use his knife. In their struggle, their feet became interlocked, and they both fell to the ground, the Indian suppermost, which extricated the Indians arm from the iron grasp of the hunter. He was making his greatest endeavors to use his knife, but could not, from the position in which they were lying, as Wetzel soon forced him over on his right side, and, consequently, he could have no use of his arm. Just at this point of the deadly conflict, the Indian gave an appalling yell, and, with renewed strength, placed his enemy underneath him again, and with a most exulting cry of victory, as he sat upon his body, raised his arm for that fatal plunge. Wetzel saw death before his eyes, and gave himself up for lost, when, just at this most critical juncture, his faithful dog, who had not been an uninterested observer of the scene, sprang forward and seized the Indian with such force by the throat, as caused the weapon to fall harmless from his hand. Wetzel, seeing such a sudden change in his fate, made one last and desperate effort for his life, and threw the Indian from him. Before the prostrate savage had time to recover himself, the hunter had seized his knife, and with redoubled energy rushed upon him, and with his foot firmly planted on the Indian's breast, plunged the weapon up to the hilt in his heart. The savage gave one convulsive shudder, and was no more. As soon as Wetzel had possessed himself of his rifle, together with the Indians weapons, he started immediately on his way. He had gone but a short distance when his ears were assailed by the startling whoop of a number of Indians. He ran eagerly for the river, and, fortunately, finding a canoe on the beach near the water, was soon out of reach, and made his way, without further danger, to the cove at the foot of Sycamore street. The Indians came up to the place of the recent rencounter, and discovered the body of a fallen comrade. They gave a most hideous yell, when, upon examination, they recognized in the dead Indian the features of one of their bravest chiefs. O.M. SPENCER TAKEN CAPTIVE. -In July, 1792, two men, together with Mrs. Coleman and Oliver M. Spencer, then a lad, were returning in a canoe from Cincinnati to Columbia; they were fired upon by two Indians, in ambush on the river bank; one of the men was killed, and the other, a Mr. Light, wounded. Mrs. Coleman jumped from the canoe into the river, and without making any exertions to swim, floated down nearly two miles. It is supposed she was borne up by her dress, which, according to the fashion of that time, consisted of a stuffed quilt and other buoyant robes. Spencer was taken and carried captive to the Maumee, where he remained about eight months and was ransomed. A narrative of his captivity, written by himself, has been published by the Methodists. [For some further details see Defiance County.] SCALPING OF COL. ROBERT ELLIOTT. -In 1794 Col. Robert Elliott, contractor for supplying the United States army, while travelling with his servant from Fort Washington to Fort Hamilton, was waylaid and killed by the Indians, at the big hill, south of where Thomas Fleming lived, and near the line of Hamilton and Butler counties. When shot, he fell from his horse. The servant made his escape by putting his horse at full speed, followed by that of Elliott's into Fort Hamilton. The savage who shot the colonel in haste to take his scalp, drew his knife, and seized him by the wig which he wore. To his astonishment, the scalp came off at the first touch, when he exclaimed, "dam lie!" In a few minutes, the surprise of the party was over, and they made themselves merry at the expense of their comrade. The next day, a party from the fort, under the guidance of the servant, visited the spot, placed the body in a coffin and proceeded on their way to Fort Washington. About a mile south of Springdale they were fired upon by Indians, and the servant, who was on the horse of his late master, was shot at the first fire. The party retreated, leaving the body of Elliott with the savages, who had broken open the coffin, when the former rallied, retook the body and carried it, with that of the servant, to Cincinnati, and buried them side by side in the Presbyterian cemetery, on Twelfth street. Several years after, a neat monument was erected, with the following inscription: In memory of ROBERT ELLIOTT SLAIN BY A PARTY OF INDIANS Near this point, While in the service of his country. Placed by his son, Com. J.D. ELLIOTT, U.S. nAVY 1835 ________ DAMON AND FIDELITY -continued in part 10 -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #377 *******************************************