History of Delaware, (Delaware County) Ohio United States of America

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Biographies:

Frederick Merrick, educator, was born in Wilbraham, Mass., Jan. 29, 1810; son of Noah and Statira (Hays) Merrick; grandson of Deacon Chileab B. and Lucina (Smith) Merrick, and a descendant of Thomas and Elizabeth (Tilley) Merrick, 1630. Frederick Merrick was brought up on his father's farm, attended Wesleyan academy, Wilbraham, Mass., and matriculated at Wesleyan university, Middletown, Conn., in the class of 1834, but left just before graduation. He was married, in 1836, to Fidelia S. Griswold, of Suffield, Conn.; was principal of the Conference seminary at Amenia, N.Y., 1836-38, and professor of natural science in Ohio university, 1838-42. He joined the Ohio conference in 1841, was stationed at Marietta, Ohio, 1842-43, and was financial agent of Ohio Wesleyan university, 1843-45, having been one of the first advocates of a Methodist Episcopal college in Ohio, and an organizer of the university opened in 1844. He was professor of natural sciences there, 1845-51; professor of moral philosophy, 1851-60; and president of the university, 1860-73, when he resigned owing to failing health and was made professor emeritus. He was auditor of Ohio Wesleyan university, 1845-85, a trustee, 1877-94, and a lecturer on natural and revealed religion in the university, 1878-94. His influence and effort secured Thompson Chapel, a library building valued at $15,000, a library book fund of $10,000, the Prescott cabinet, valued at $10,000, and a large tract of land near the campus. He was a member of Committee of Revision of Hymn Book in 1848, a delegate to the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1860, 1864 and 1876, and a trustee of the Ohio State Industrial school for girls, 1869-78. He received the degrees: A.M. from Wesleyan university, 1637, and M.D. from Starling Medical college, 1850, and declined that of D.D. offered by Wesleyan university, :1860, and that of LL.D., by De Pauw, 1864. He contributed to the Ladies' Repository; edited: Sermons on Miscellaneous Subjects by the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church and Senior Preachers of the Ohio and North Ohio Conference (1847), and is the author of Formalism (1865); Religion and the State (1875), and reports of the Reform School for Girls (1869-78). He died at Delaware, Ohio, March 5, 1894.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

James Hulme Canfield, educator, was born at Delaware, Ohio, March 18, 1847; son of Eli Hawky and Martha (Hulme) Canfield. He was educated at the Brooklyn collegiate and polytechnic institute, Brooklyn, N. Y., and at Williams college, Mass., where he was graduated in 1868. He was employed in railroad construction in Iowa and Minnesota from 1868 to 1871; was admitted to the bar of Michigan in 1872; and practised law at St. Joseph, Mich., from 1872 to 1877, during three years of which time he served (gratuitously) as superintendent of public instruction. In 1877 he was made professor of history and English literature at the State university of Kansas; later he held the chair of history and political science, and then that of American history and civics until 1891, when he became chancellor of the University of Nebraska. He was president of the Kansas state teachers' association, and of the same association in Nebraska; for four years acted as secretary of the National educational association, and for one year as its president; was a member of the American economic association, and of the American historical association. He received the degree LL. D. from Williams, 1893; was president of the Ohio State university, 1895-99, and librarian of Columbia university from 1899. He published The College Student and His Problems (1902).

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Rutherford Birchard Hayes, nineteenth President of the United States, was born in Delaware, Ohio, Oct. 4, 1822; son of Rutherford and Sophia (Birchard) Hayes. His father had died in July, 1822, and his mother was in moderate financial circumstances. The son received a common school training, studied the classics with Judge Finch of Delaware, attended an academy at Norwalk, Ohio, and in 1887 was sent to Connecticut to Isaac Webb's preparatory school at Middletown, where he was fitted for college. He was graduated at Kenyon college, 1842, valedictorian of his class, and received his A.M. degree in 1875. He was graduated at Harvard, LL.B. in 1845, and was admitted to the Ohio bar the same year. He practised at Lower Sandusky and in 1849 removed his law office to Cincinnati. He was city solicitor, 1858-61. On June 7, 1861, Governor Dennison commissioned him major of the 23d Ohio volunteers and in July he accompanied the regiment to the seat of war in West Virginia. He was judge advocate of the department of Ohio, September and October, 1861; was promoted lieutenant-colonel of the 23d Ohio, Oct. 24, 1861; and saw active service in the field, 1861-62. At the battle of South Mountain, Sept. 14, 1862, he led a charge, held his position although severely wounded and relinquished his command only when carried from the field. In this action his regiment lost nearly half its effective force. He was promoted colonel, Oct. 24, 1862, and on recovering from his wound took command of the regiment in the field. He commanded two regiments and a section of artillery in operations against Morgan at the time of his threatened raid in Ohio and prevented his escape across the river, which action compelled the surrender of the Confederate leader. He commanded a brigade in General Crook's division in the expedition to cut off communication between Richmond and the southwest in the spring of 1864; and distinguished himself at Cloyd's Mountain, Va., May 9, 1864, in storming a fortified Confederate position. He was conspicuous at the engagement at Berryville, Va., Sept. 3, 1864, and at Winchester, Sept. 19, 1864, he led an assault upon a battery across a morass fifty yards wide. His horse mired and he found himself alone in front of the battery, but waving his cap he signalled his men to follow, and with forty of the first to reach the battery he led in an assault resulting in a hand to hand encounter, which caused the Confederate gunners to desert their guns and flee for safety. He commanded the 2d division army of West Virginia, Gen. George Crook, at the battle of Fisher's Hill, and by a flank movement routed the enemy and captured their artillery. At Cedar Creek Oct. 19, 1864, his action on the battle field secured his commission of brigadier general at the request of General Crook who announced to him the promotion immediately after the battle. He was brevetted major-general of volunteers, March 13, 1865, "for gallant and distinguished services during the campaign of 1864 in West Virginia and particularly at the battles of Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, Va." He was elected in 1864 a representative in the 39th congress from the 2d district of Ohio, taking his seat Dec. 4, 1865, and served as chairman of the committee on the library. In this congress he favored the reconstruction measures of the Republican party; maintained the sacredness of the public debt and opposed repudiation in any form; commended President Johnson for refusing presents; opposed the increase of pay of representatives; and formed a constitutional amendment fixing representation upon voters rather than on population. He was re-elected to the 40th congress and supported the impeachment of President Johnson. He was elected governor of Ohio in 1867, his opponent in the state canvass being Allen G. Thurman. He was re-elected in 1869 against George H. Pendleton. His policy as governor was in favor of registration before elections, the representation of minorities in the election boards, the payment of the national debt in specie or its equivalent, a civil service reform, as enjoyed by officers in the army and navy, the appointment of judges for long terms with adequate salaries and in nationaI affairs the reduction of the national debt rather than the reduction of taxation, the abolition of the franking privilege and the passage of a civil service reform law. He declined in 1873 to oppose John Sherman in a contest for U.S. senator although assured of success by the help of promised Democratic votes, and in 1872 he declined a nomination as representative in the 43d congress but was nevertheless nominated. After making a vigorous canvass of the district he was defeated in the election by 1500 votes. President Grant named him as U.S. assistant treasurer at Cincinnati, which office he declined. He removed to Fremont, Ohio, in 1873 and announced his desire to retire from public life. In 1875 the Republican state convention in order to stay the effect of the Greenback success of the last gubernatorial election called on him as the ablest representative of sound money to take the nomination of the party for governor and much against his inclination he made the canvass with Gov. William Allen, the incumbent, as his opponent. The canvass involved national questions and was made of national importance, each side being supported by the ablest speaker from other states. In addition to the greenback question, the division of the school fund between Roman Catholic and Protestant schools was made an issue and Ex-Governor Hayes advocated secular education. He carried the state by 5500 majority, and as an advocate of sound currency and opposed to an unlimited issue of paper money by the government he became a conspicuous figure in national politics. The Republican state convention of Ohio named him as the candidate of its choice for President before the Republican national convention and instructed its delegates to support him. When the Republican national convention met at Cincinnati, June 14, 1876, his name was presented as were the names of James G. Blaine, Oliver P. Morton, Benjamin H. Bristow, Roscoe Conkling, and John H. Hartranft. On the 1st ballot he had 61 votes and on the 7th ballot the opposition to Mr. Blaine gave him the nomination which by motion of William P. Frye of Maine was made unanimous. The Democratic party united upon Samuel J. Tilden of New York as its candidate and his reputation acquired by his reform measures while governor of the state and by his ability as a lawyer and statesman gave him the support of many dissatisfied Republicans. The result of the election of November, 1876, was a question of long and bitter contest. The electoral votes of Louisiana, South Carolina and Florida were in dispute and fraud was charged on both sides. The canvassing boards of the states in dispute were visited by statesmen from Washington representing both parties and all blinded in a measure by political prejudice. A double set of certificates of election were sent to Washington, one by the governors of the states, who were Republicans, and the other by the Democratic governors who claimed to have been elected, but kept out of office by the Federal government under the reconstruction act, and the presence of Federal soldiers. The two sets of certificates certified to two different sets of electors. To avoid a deadlock, should the election be referred to congress, five senators, five representatives and five judges of the U.S. supreme court, were provided by a special act of congress advocated by both parties, the decision of this commission to be final if not set aside by a concurrent vote of both houses of congress. The commission refused to go behind the certificates of the governors and decided in each contested case, by a vote of eight Republicans to seven Democrats in favor of the Republican electors. The returns showed the popular vote to have been 4,284,885 for the electors for Samuel Jones Tilden and 4,033,950 for the [p.161] election for Rutherford Birchard Hayes and the electoral vote as decided by the electoral commission, March 2, 1877, 185 for Hayes and Wheeler and 184 for Tilden and Hendricks. The house of representatives on March 3, 1877, voted declaring that Mr. Tilden had been elected President, but the senate did not concur. Rutherford B. Hayes was sworn into office as the nineteenth President of the United States, privately at 7 P.M., Saturday, March 3, 1877, and he was publicly inaugurated before the National capitol, Monday, March 5, 1877, it having been rumored that Mr. Tilden had taken the oath of office in New York city, on Saturday, March 3. President Hayes appointed as his cabinet, William M. Evarts of New York, secretary of state; John Sherman of Ohio, secretary of the treasury; George W. McCrary of Iowa, secretary of war; Carl Schurz of Missouri, secretary of the interior; Richard W. Thompson of Indiana, secretary of the navy; David McK.Key of Tennessee, postmaster-general, and Charles Devens of Massachusetts, attorney-general. He at once proceeded to satisfy the intelligent, substantial and influential citizens of the southern states by withdrawing the Federal troops from the states and leaving the local government to the voice of the people in the two disputed states then under a dual government. The troops were withdrawn from the state house at Columbia, S.C., April 10, 1877, and Wade Hampton, Democrat, was acknowledged to be the duly elected governor; and from the state house of Louisiana, April 20, 1877, and Francis T. Nichols, Democrat, was recognized as governor. This course while heartily approved by the Democrats was severely criticised by the Republicans, who thus lost the votes of the southern states. In the appointment to office, with the exception of his naming a few members of the Louisiana returning-board, his policy was to regard the views of the advocates of civil service and his appointments were generally very acceptable. Competitive examinations were instituted and applications were considered irrespective of partisan control. On May 5, 1877, he called an extra session of congress to meet Oct. 15, 1877, to make necessary appropriations for the support of the army. In July, 1877, he suppressed the railroad riots caused by the strike of 100,000 employees, on application for help from the governors of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Illinois, by sending U.S. troops to the several points of disturbance, after issuing his proclamation ordering the rioters to disperse. In his message to congress, Dec. 3, 1877, he congratulated the country on the peaceable and prosperous condition of affairs in the Southern states; recommended the payment of government bonds in gold; favored the limited coinage of silver; insisted that the constitution imposed upon the executive the sole duty and responsibility of the selection of Federal officers and recommended that congress make a suitable appropriation for the use of the civil service commission; and recommended the passage of laws to protect the forests on lands of the United States. His recommendations were all disregarded by congress. He vetoed the "silver bill" passed by both houses, on the ground that the commercial value of the silver dollar was then eight or ten per cent less than its nominal value and that its use in the payment of debts already contracted would be an act of bad faith. The bill was passed over his veto by over a two-third majority. In his annual message of Dec. 1, 1879, he congratulated the country on the return to specie payment, the great revival in business, and the refunding of the public debt at a lower rate of interest. He urged upon congress the suspension of silver coinage fearing that the cheaper coin would eventually become the sole standard of value. He recommended the retirement of U.S. notes with the capacity of legal tender in private contracts, it being his "firm conviction that the issue of legal-tender paper money based wholly upon the authority and credit of the government except in extreme emergencies is without warrant in the constitution and a violation of sound financial principles" and again urged for an appropriation for the civil service commission, pointing out the advantages of the system. The changes in his cabinet were: in the war department by the resignation of Secretary McCrary in December, 1879, to accept an appointment as judge of the U.S. circuit court, and the appointment of Alexander Ramsey of Minnesota, as secretary of war to fill the vacancy; in the post-office department by the resignation of Postmaster-General Kay in May, 1880, to accept the office of U.S. judge for the eastern and middle districts of Tennessee, and the appointment in August, 1880, of Horace Maynard of Tennessee as postmaster-general in his stead; and in the navy department by the resignation of Secretary Thompson in 1881, to become chairman of the American committee of the Panama canal company, and the appointment of Nathan Goff, Jr., of West Virginia [p.162] as secretary of the navy in his place. In his last annual message Dec. 6, 1880, President Hayes again urged in favor of civil service reform, of competitive examinations for applicants for positions in the larger post offices, custom houses and in the executive departments, for a law against political assessments, and suggested that an act be passed "defining the relations of members of congress with regard to appointments to office by the President;" that the tenure of office bill be repealed, and that a provision be made to place General Grant on the retired list of the army, with rank and pay befitting his great services. On March 4, 1881, he assisted in the inauguration of James Abram Garfield as the twentieth President of the United States, and then retired with his family to Fremont, Ohio, and devoted much of his time to benevolent enterprises. He was president of the trustees of the John F. Slater education fund; president of the National prison reform association, and an active member of the National conference of corrections and charities, a trustee of the Western Reserve university; of the Ohio Wesleyan university; of Mt. Union college, and of various other institutions, educational and charitable. In army organizations he was senior vice-commander of the military order of the Loyal Legion, commander of the Ohio commandery of the same order, the first president of the Society of the army of West Virginia, and president of the 23d regiment Ohio volunteer association. He received the degree of LL.D. from Kenyon in 1868, from Harvard in 1877, from Yale in 1880, and from Johns Hopkins in 1881. He died in Fremont, Ohio, Jan. 13, 1893.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Casimir Clayton Griswold, painter, was born in Delaware, Ohio, in 1834; son of Ezra Griswold. He attended public school in Ohio, studied wood engraving in Cincinnati, and took painting lessons of his brother. In 1850 he removed to New York city, where he exhibited his first picture at the National academy of design in 1857. He was a charter member of the Artists' fund society, an associate academician in 1866, and an academician in 1867. In 1872 he removed to Rome, Italy, and returned to New York in 1886. His paintings, which consist chiefly of landscapes and coast scenes, include: December (1864); Winter Morning (1865); The Last of the Ice (1867); August Day, Newport (1868); Early Spring (1869); Purgatory Point, Newport (1870); Lago de Nemi (1874); Pointe Nolle Across the Tiber (1878); Monte Spinelli Unitria; and Mar Albano.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor