Box 1, Folder 1: Autobiographies

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In August 1826 I left the Welland Canal to go to Ohio where my father had secured a place for me as Rodman on the Miami Canal. Went in a packet boat from Lockport to Buffalo and thence on the Steamer Enterprise to Sandusky, landing at Cleveland and other places. My father a few years before made a similar voyage in the steam boat 'Walk in the Water' which had so little strength of engine that oxen were employed to pull the boat up the rapids from Black Rock to Buffalo. From Sandusky the only conveyance was by stage via Columbus to Middletown where I commenced work under Byron Kilbourn, Assistant Engineer. Continued on the Miami Canal only until December of the same year, when I went to Louisville, Ky. to secure a better position on the canal then being constructed around the 'Falls' at that place. My engagement here continued from February 1827 to October 14th 1829; having previously attended the school of Mr. Mann Butler on Jefferson Street. Mr. Butler afterwords wrote a History of Kentucky.

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At Louisville I saw General Andrew Jackson on his way to Washington when first elected President of the United States.

Here I saw also Capt Basil Hall R.N. making a tour of the United States; he showed me his astronomical & other instruments & told me where & at what price they could be obtained in London!

At Louisville I commenced a collection of native plants, which was continued afterwords in Ohio and Wisconsin. This collection has grown to the number of 8000 species, including many from Europe and other countries received in exchange. The shells I collected were sent by Mr. [J?]. H. Taylor to Isaac Lea of Philadelphia who described the new species giving credit to Mr. Taylor.

My first attempt at a scientific paper- (see next page)

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My first attempt at a scientific paper was made at Louisville & published in Sillimans's American Journal of Science & Art in 1828 (vol 14 p. 65), being a Notice of the Louisville & Shippingsport Canal, and of the Geology of the Vicinity. This was before the Silurian & Devonian rocks were named; the occurence of petroleum or rock oil in cavities in the limestone was there first published. Prof. Silliman commended this effort highly & tried to encourage my habit of observations. In the catalogue of the Wisconsin Historical Library Vol. 1 p 588, Mr. [Durrie?] has enumerated twenty or more papers on various subjects prepared by me; but there are many more. These papers were founded upon original observations made by me at various times snatched from business duties - and without fee or hope of reward. The satisfaction of being able to learn some new thing is a sufficient return for the extra effort. Knowledge is power - says the proverb. It is at any rate a pleasure.

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4th Question: Educated in the common school such as were then established of Wayne County, at Rochester & Lockport, N.Y. and at Louisville Ky. Whatever knowledge or mental outline I have acquired beyond this, has been picked up from time to time without the benefit of college instruction. Under these circumstances I was quite surprised in 1860 to find in the post office a parchment from Amherst College conferring upon me the honorary title of L.L.D.

7th Question: My studies have been various, including not only such as pertains to my profession as an engineer, but also geology, mineralogy, botany, meteorology, antiquities etc. From Louisville, upon the completion of the canal I went to Portsmouth Ohio and answered the duties of an Assistant Engineer (from March 1830 to March 15th 1833), on the Ohio Canal which there terminates on the Ohio River. I here witnessed the great flood of 1832 when Portsmouth was nearly all submerged. Francis Cleveland was the Resident Engineer under whom I Served & Micajah T. Williams of Cincinnati was the Acting Canal Commissioner under whose supervision the canal was constructed.

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14th Question: I was appointed Secretary of the Board of Canal Commissioners on the 8th of April 1833 and assumed the duties of the office at Columbus on the 4th of May following. The cholera appeared here in July of the same year. Here I performed certain duties in the office of the State Treasurer & was intrusted with the care of very large sums of money. In 1835-6 I aided in securing the passage of a law authorising a geological survey of Ohio, was appointed one of the commissioners to report upon the best method of accomplishing it*; and in May I made a number of observations with the view; but my removal from the state prevents all further connection with that survey.

*See Newberry's Report on the Geol. of Ohio 1873 p. 1.