Commercial Record published in the Pittsburgh Daily Post 18May 1847.
A commercial record of the steamboat arrivals and departures was published every afternoon by the Pittsburgh Board of Trade in the Pittsburgh Daily Post. The data entered included the steamer name, the master, the port to or from, and the river condition.
On 18 May 1847, 11 boats arrived. From Wheeling, VA, Capt George W Ebert docked the str New England at the Port of Pittsburgh.
That same day, 13 boats departed. Capt Poe was the master of the str Hudson bound for Wheeling. Whether the Poe at the wheel was Adam or Jacob is unknown at this time.
Another Georgetowner, Capt Dawson departed the Port of Pittsburgh for Steubenville on the str Wilmington. There were three Dawsons working on the river before 1850 as captains and pilots: Benoni, George, and Robert D. The commander of the str Wilmington is a mystery.
Observations of other daily reports from the Port of Pittsburgh show similar participation of Georgetown men. Such statistics are unlikely to occur by chance indicating that Georgetown played a significant role in early Ohio River transportation.
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