Transportation in the Ohio Valley fly leaf.
My reading this week has been “A History of Transportation in the Ohio Valley” by Charles Henry Ambler published in 1931. The first edition history was lent to me by Michael Libenson who is the great great grandson of Capt Thomas Stevenson Calhoon. The many comments and corrections hand written in the margins of the book make this book special. Those comments were written by Harriet Darrington (Calhoon) Ewing (b ? d 1950), the daughter of Capt Thomas S Calhoon and great grandAunt of Michael Libenson. Her writing is the closest thing we have to a voice into these steamboat captains lives. Mrs WH Ewing dated her copy of the book Oct 26, 1931.
Transportation in the Ohio Valley p173.
Along with her notes, Harriet D Calhoon taped a response letter from CH Ambler to the front flyleaf. The response, on West Virginia University letterhead, was dated 13 Aug 1930. The content of the letter indicated that the exchange of information was too late to be included in the forthcoming book. Whether a meeting or additional correspondence between them ever took place is unclear. There is no record of such a meeting and no updated edition of the book.
Transportation in the Ohio Valley p293.
Harriet D Calhoon is well known to those with long memories. Often Capt Frederick Way used her comments in articles about Georgetown in the S&D Reflector. See Vol 2 No 4 Dec 1965 p10,12.
My final comment/concern is how many books similar to this history written by captains or pilots have I missed?
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