Posts Tagged ‘ohio river steamboats’
Monday, February 11th, 2013
I found a rare and fascinating book
“The Adventures of T. C. Collins ― Boatman
Twenty-four Years on the Western Waters
1849-1873″.
The book, edited by Herbert L Roush, Sr, was published in 1985. Like a limited edition print, I have signed copy number 10 of 750 copies. The book is the compilation of four journals written by TC Collins before his death in 1907. Those journals were given a place in the attic of the Collins family home for almost eighty years before the work was introduced to Rev Roush. The book is the transcription and editing of 2,800 pages of hand-written work.
The reason I find the book fascination is the career of TC Collins paralleled the time of my steamboat men from Georgetown, PA. He writes about the hardships of the life of a roustabout. From his writing, I learned details about flatboating, floods, ice jams, and steamer wrecks on the Ohio River. Born in Little Hocking, OH, TC Collins worked on the rivers that my ancestors worked. He named some of the boats that my ancestors owned. He did not name many of the captains of the boats, but he did identify people he worked with ― deckhands, pilots, and friends.
This TC Collins autobiography presents a first hand account of the expansion of the young American frontier. A wonderful read.
Copyright © 2013 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: georgetown, herbert l roush, ohio river steamboats, tc collins
Posted in River history, River Tales | No Comments »
Friday, December 21st, 2012
In May 1846, the US Army was completely unprepared for the logistics problems presented by the Mexican War. Difficult though the procurement of supplies was, the distribution of those supplies presented far more complex problems. Supply lines were longer than ever experienced in US military history. For the Army of the West, nearly 900 miles of Indian Territory separated the Ft Leavenworth depot from Santa Fe and 1,050 miles separated Santa Fe from San Diego. For the Army of the East, San Antonio was 600 miles from Chihuahua and 160 miles from Port Lavacca on the Gulf of Mexico.
Beginning in Nov 1846, the US army Quartermaster successfully used steamboats for transporting troops and supplies to Ft Leavenworth on the Missouri River and New Orleans. Some of the inland river steamboats also “sailed” the 600 miles from New Orleans over open seas so that they could operate on the Rio Grande during the war. (Sailing vessels also moved troops and supplies from New York and other Atlantic ports to the Gulf. At that time, the steam powered toy called a railroad appeared destined for nothing more than carrying goods to a steamboat port provided no benefit to the Army.)
According to the entry in Capt Way’s Directory, the str New England was the flagship of a fleet of steamboats departing Pittsburgh with soldiers bound for the Mexican War. In Mar 1847, the str New England was purchased by Capt George W Ebert who operated the sidewheeler between Pittsburgh and Wheeling till 1849. [1] I do not know whether Capt Ebert participated in the Mexican War effort (combat operations lasted a year and a half to the fall of 1847).
The following table lists the owners of the str New England according to the Certifiacte of Enrollment record dated 3 Mar 1847.
Str New England
| Owners and Partners |
Share |
Vol: |
6629 |
| Geo W Ebert |
|
Enroll No : |
26 |
| Jacob Poe |
|
Cert Date: |
3 Mar 1847 |
| Andrew Poe |
|
Cert Type:: |
Enrollment 180 |
| Thomas Poe |
|
Build Locn: |
Pittsburgh, PA |
| Wm J Kountz |
|
Build Date: |
1844 |
| David Wilkins |
|
Master |
GW Ebert |
Check the owners of the str New England in 1847. All these names spelled history. Geo W Ebert was my great great grandfather; Jacob, Andrew and Thomas Poe were brothers and my great great granduncles. During the Civil War, William J Kountz was the admiral in charge of river transportation. He declared that Gen US Grant was a “glorious drunk” who should be court marshaled. Grant arrested William J Kountz for insubordination.
[1] Frederick Way, Jr.,Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994, (Ohio University Press, Athens 1994), p 343.
Tags: capt george w ebert, jacob poe, Mexican War, ohio river steamboats, str new england, william j kountz
Posted in History of Georgetown PA, Missouri River Commerce, River Tales | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
I intend to refocus my attention on the core purpose of this website. It exists to make public the journal of Nancy Ann (Poe) Ebert. Her personal journal of the trip with her husband, Capt George W Ebert, on the upper Missouri River in 1869 was a bit of American History that I believe should be shared with river scholars. I also want to share the stories of the steamboat men from Georgetown, PA. The most remarkable and unique source information that I have been able to share has been the hand written book by Capt Benjamin Mackall Laughlin. That book identified 42 steamboats built between 1832-1838 in the Pittsburgh region that were not listed by Lytle and Holdcamper.
To begin my renewed concentration on steamboats, a page named Str Yorktown b1853 has been loaded. It was the second boat named Yorktown owned and operated by the Poe family. To differentiate the two vessels, I added the build date specified on the initial Certificate of Enrollment in the title of the page. Capt Way’s Packet Directory number was considered, as another distinguishing feature, but I preferred the build date because the Poes ran boats with duplicate names before 1848, the year Way’s Packet Directory began its list.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: Benjamin M Laughlin, capt fred way, capt george w ebert, georgetown, ohio river steamboats, The Lytle-Holdcamper List
Posted in History of Georgetown PA, Missouri River Commerce, River history, River Tales, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Sunday, August 5th, 2012
Detailed information provided on the Certificates of Enrollment changed trough the years. The following certificates for the str Financier specify the essential changes in the life of the packet. The first certificate dated 21 May 1845 indicated that the str Financier was built for and or by Capt Adam Poe of Georgetown, PA. The next certificate dated 20 May 1846 indicated that the rights to operate the vessel had been renewed. The third certificate dated 04 Jun 1846 indicated a change of owners.
Str Financier
| Owners and Partners |
Share |
Vol: |
6628 |
| Adam Poe |
|
Enroll No : |
11 |
| Jacob Poe |
|
Cert Date: |
21 May 1845 |
| Thomas W Poe |
|
Cert Type:: |
|
| George Calhoon |
|
Build Locn: |
|
| Andrew Poe |
|
Build Date: |
|
| George Poe |
|
Master |
Adam Poe |
| Washington Ebert |
|
|
|
Str Financier
| Owners and Partners |
Share |
Vol: |
6629 |
| Adam Poe |
|
Enroll No : |
68 |
| Jacob Poe |
|
Cert Date: |
20 May 1846 |
| Thomas W Poe |
|
Cert Type:: |
Admeasurement |
| George Calhoon |
|
Build Locn: |
Pittsburgh, PA |
| Andrew Poe |
|
Build Date: |
1845 |
| George Poe |
|
Master |
Adam Poe |
| Washington Ebert |
|
|
|
Str Financier
| Owners and Partners |
Share |
Vol: |
6629 |
| William J Kountz |
|
Enroll No : |
69 |
| Geo Black |
|
Cert Date: |
04 Jun 1846 |
| Robert S Hays |
|
Cert Type:: |
Admeasurement |
| Clark and Thaw |
|
Build Locn: |
Pittsburgh, PA |
| |
|
Build Date: |
1845 |
| |
|
Master |
William J Kountz |
| |
|
|
|
Note the new owners of the str Financier. William J Kountz was a steamboat man from Pittsburgh who was later charged with providing river transportation for troops and supplies during the Civil War. His clashes with Gen US Grant were famous. He wrote to Gen Halleck who was the commander of the western theater headquartered in St Louis that Gen Grant was a “glorious drunk” who should be court marshaled. Admiral Kountz was reported to be a teetotaler.
Thaw was William Thaw who had interests in the western PA canal transportation and was one of several who established the first Pittsburgh and Cincinnati Packet Line in 1842. Later he was associated with the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad (PRRs) which was a significant player in the the Molly Maguires sensational trials. Twenty Mollies were prosecuted, and hanged, by the president of PRR and chief prosecutor on the testimony of one Pinkerton agent. The president of the PRR and acting prosecutor was Franklin B Gowen who stood to gain financially from the destruction of the striking coal miner union.
So much fun!
On 12 Oct 1850, the boilers of the str Financier exploded near Alton, IL causing the death of the captain’s son and second engineer. Others were scalded. [1]
References.
[1] Frederick Way, Jr.,Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994, (Ohio University Press, Athens 1994), p. 165.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
.
Tags: adam poe, georgetown, mississippi wreck, national archives, ohio river steamboats
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, June 4th, 2012
If you have never visited the National Archives, do not use your cell phone. Trust me! The hours on Thursday extend till 7:00 PM. which is perfect for me. I have time to review four Certificate of Enrollment books each visit. On my drive south last Thu, I missed the serious morning rush hour traffic in DC; reviewed four volumes of Enrollment data, and missed the evening rush hour. Dinner at Jaleo’s completes my day.
Last Thu (31 May 2012), I requested the first five volumes of the Certificate of Enrollment from the port of Pittsburgh (Volumes 6624-6628) covering the years 5 Jan 1831 through 16 Mar 1846. Volume 6624 (26 Oct 1839 to 30 Jun 1841) could not be located. Whether the volume had been misplaced, lent, or was truly missing was unclear to me. I will ask for the volume on my next visit to determine whether it is permanently unavailable. Other volumes of those early years are missing pages and damaged to the degree that groups of pages are unreadable.
The good news is that I discovered three new steamboats that Georgetown men had an interest in. I did not see entries for keel boats or other types of vessels in this group of books.
On my next visit I will examine the volumes for the period 16 Mar 1846 to 24 Dec 1949. Anyway, I will review all the port of Pittsburgh volumes over time, 4 volumes per visit, till all 45 are reviewed.
Copyright 2012 © Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: capt george w ebert, ohio river steamboats, richard calhoon, The National Archives
Posted in River history, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Str Kenton Receipt during Civil War (Ohio State University)
The str Kenton and its crew were chartered for service by the Quartermaster from 27 Dec 1861 to 5 Jan 1862 and from 6 Jan for an unknown duration of time[1]. The str
Kenton receipts for three round trips between Pittsburgh and Louisville and Pittsburgh and Cincinnati were in the papers of Capt William B Anderson (civilian riverboat captain and pilot) in the Ohio State University Rare Books Collection. Trip number 13 was dated 24 Apr 1862; trip number 10 was undated but signed by Standish Peppard (owner and first clerk of the str Kenton), and the third receipt was neither dated nor signed. Capt Anderson was quite probably one of the pilots of the str Kenton on these trips. In letters to his wife dated after 24 Apr 1862 Capt Anderson wrote of the str Kenton in the past tense which suggests he had moved to another packet. In the letters, he also expressed his concern about being drafted while between government contracts and paying a $1,000 fine about avoiding the draft. He also wrote about two captains, Capt Adams and the captain of the Florence Miller, arrested for cowardice by General Wright. The Florence Miller was a tinclad packet. The conflict between military and commercial control of the vessels was real.
References.
[1] Charles Dana Gibson and E Kay Gibson,
Dictionary of Transports and Combatant Vessels Steam and Sail Employed by the Uniion Army 1861 – 1868, (Ensign Press, Cambridge, MA 1995), p 189.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: capt george w ebert, CivWar150, georgetown, ohio river steamboats, standish perppard, str kenton, tinclad
Posted in Civil War Steamers, History of Georgetown PA, River history, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
The vessel documentation from the Customhouse in Pittsburgh, PA is maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration – Record Group 41. The books containing the Certificate of Enrollment documentation are much like the large deed references found in your local county courthouses. The books are fragile. The documentation is handwritten.
Certificate of Enrollment for the str Golden State (National Archives Vol 6634 cert no 129)
This image taken with my Droid Pro gives a good feel for the condition of the artifacts from our history.
On the left of the page under the sailing ship is the enrollment number (129), the type of record (Permanent), Where Surrendered (Pittsburgh), Date of Surrender (1 day of September 1852), and Cause of Surrender (the expiration of license and change of ownership). Under the Enrollment title, the primary owner of the vessel is listed (Joseph M Calhoon) who has sworn an oath after which the partners are listed. The vessel is named with its port of call (Golden State of Pittsburgh). The place of build (McKeesport, PA) was listed as it appeared on another Certificate of Enrollment or a Certificate of Admeasurement. The vessel dimensions were noted and her measurement in tons. The vessel is described as a (steam boat) has (transom stern) and (cabin deck). Finally the same named person (Joseph M Calhoon) who has agreed with the written information and the site and date of this testimony were listed. On some pages the name of the scribe is listed on the left column under the Cause of Surrender.
The following table lists the key information gleaned from the actual page of the vessel documentation.
Str Golden State
| Owners/Partners |
Share |
Vol: |
6634 |
| Joseph MC Calhoon |
3/8 |
Enroll No : |
129 |
| Martin Lyon |
1/8 |
Cert Date: |
1 Sep 1852 |
| Thomas Oliver |
1/8 |
Cert Type:: |
Admeasurement |
| William Rea |
1/16 |
Build Locn: |
McKeesport, PA |
| George McBride |
1/16 |
Build Date: |
1852 |
| Hugh Martin |
1/16 |
|
|
| William Noble |
1/8 |
|
|
| David McNeal |
1/16 |
|
|
I have been reading every page of each volume because I have found Georgetown names listed as partners on boats not identified in my inherited materials. Not all the vessels registered are steamboats. I have also read about keel boats and canal barges.
As time permits, I intend to review all of the volumes from the port of Pittsburgh. Four down – forty-five to go.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: georgetown, ohio river steamboats
Posted in River history, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Friday, January 27th, 2012
I have loaded some photos of steamboat men from Georgetown, PA. My problem ― I am unable to identify them. To date, I have not been able to identify Capt Adam Poe, Capt Thomas W Poe, Capt George W Ebert, Capt Standish Peppard, Capt Jackman T Stockdale, and many other old family steamboat men ― Calhoons, Lyons, Kinseys, etc. Have a look.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: capt george w ebert, capt thomas s calhoon, capt thomas w poe, ohio river steamboats, steamboat captain photos
Posted in History of Georgetown PA, Steamer Captains, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, January 15th, 2012
I have scanned the book written by Capt Adam W Poe. The book, “A True History of the Three Brave Indian Spies, John Cherry, Andrew and Adam Poe“, includes a partial genealogy of the Poe family in America and a version of the famous frontier Indian battle between the Poe brothers, Andrew and Adam (the author’s grandfather), and the Wyandot Indian war party led by Big Foot son of Half King. The final segment is a memoir written in 1887 that includes stories of Capt Adam Poe’s river experiences. There is a kind of mythology that stories like this tend to drift toward. A wonderful read.
The book was made available by the University of Pittsburgh Libraries. I printed their eBook and scanned and loaded the pages.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: adam and andrew poe, adam poe, andrew and adam poe, Big Foot, georgetown, Half King, jacob poe, ohio river steamboats, Wyandot
Posted in Civil War Steamers, History of Georgetown PA, River history, River Tales, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Friday, December 16th, 2011
I happened upon a Ghost Box video on YouTube entitled A Midnight Visit to the Georgetown Cemetery. The video was uploaded on uploaded on 30 May 2010. The link follows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_wf3PMHmdk
The narrator of the video told a story about a witch that I had never heard. She also filmed Capt Thomas Poe’s marker. Whether filming that stone was planned or accidental or guided by forces outside the usual, it added the salt and pepper required to balance the fantasy and history of the hallowed place.
Capt Thomas Washington Poe was arguably the most ill-fated steamboat captain from Georgetown. If there is a “night shade” hovering over any stone, it would be the spirit of Capt Thomas Poe. Owned by Thomas W Poe and other partners from Georgetown, PA ,the str Georgetown was snagged on the Missouri on 12 Oct 1853, raised, and returned to service. On 11 May 1855 the str Georgetown was fatally snagged at Bellefontaine Bluffs on the Missouri in route to a military post. He was the principal owner of the str Clara Poe which was burned during the Civil War by rebel forces on 17 Apr 1865 at Eddyville on the Cumberland River; he also owned the str Amelia Poe which was a complete loss when snagged on the upper Missouri river on 24 May 1868 and salvaged by 1,500 riotous Indians; and he was the owner of the str Nick Wall which met a tragic end on the Mississippi River near Napoleon, AK on 18 Dec 1870. Here a grisly incident occurred that Mark Twain retold in “Life on the Mississippi”. Though injured himself by the falling roof, Capt Thomas W Poe attemped to save his wife trapped in a stateroom. He chopped a hole in the roof with an ax striking the unfortunate Martha Jane (Troxell) Poe in the head. Martha Jane Poe, fatally wounded, was returned to Georgetown for burial.
What could make a better Ghost Box story?
Copyright © 2011 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: amelia poe, capt thomas w poe, ghost, nick wall, ohio river steamboats, str clara poe
Posted in Civil War Steamers, History of Georgetown PA, River Tales, Steamer Captains, Uncategorized | No Comments »
