Box 1, Folder 1: Autobiographies

4

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 and told me where and at what price they could be obtained in London! At Louisville I commenced a collection of native plants, which was continued afterwards in Ohio and Wisconsin. This collection has grown to the number of 8,000 species including many from Europe and other countries received in exchange. The shells I collected were sent by Mr. T. H. Taylor to Isaac Sea of Philadelphia who described the new species giving credit to Mr. Taylor. My first attempt at a scientific paper was made at Louisville and published in Silliman's American Journal of Science and Art in 1828 (vol. 14 p. 65) being a Notice of the Louisville and Shippingport Canal and the Geology of the Vicinity. This was before the Silurian & Devonian rocks were named; the occurrence of petroleum or rock oil in cavities in the Limestone was there first published.

5

Prof. Silliman commended this effort highly and tried to encourage my habit of observation. In the catalogue of the Wisconsin Historical Library (Vol 11 p 588) Mr. Durrie has enumerated twenty or more papers on various subjects prepared by me but ther 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 something new is sufficient return for the extra effort. Knowledge is power - says the proverb- it is at any rate a pleasure.

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

6

Question #7: My studies have been various including not only such as pertain to my profession as an engineer but also geology, mineralogy, botany, meteorology, antiquities &c. From Louisville, upon the completeion of the canal I went to Portsmouth, Ohio and assumed the duties of an Assistant Engineer (from March 1830 to March 15, 1833) on the Ohio Canal which there terminates on the Ohio River. I have witnessed the great flood 1832 when Portsmouth wsa 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.

Question #14: 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 her in July of the same year. Here I performed certain duties in the office of the state treasurer and was intrusted with large sums of money. In 1835-1836 I aided in securing the passage of a law authorizing a geological survey of Ohio was appointed one of the...

7

...commissioners to report upon the best method of accomplishing it* and in May I made a number of observations with this view; but my removal from the state soon afterwards prevented all further connection with that survey.

Question #8: On the 1st day of July 1836 I came to Milwaukee with a view of making that place my permanent home and have resided here ever since that time. Wisconsin was then a portion of the Territory of Michigan the organic law of the Territory of Wisconsin did not take effect until the 4th of that month.

Question #9: Besides the duties of my profession as an Engineer, I have since my residence here, as a matter of business and as affording means of support for myself and family had charge of large amounts of real estate.

Question 10: There has been no leading incident in my business career and my progress in a business way has ben steady and uniform avoiding poverty on the one hand and the burden of superabundant wealth on the other. This has enabled me to devote portions of my time and attention to other matters of interest and importance.

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

8

Question #11: I was born among the society of 'Friends' and have seen no good reason for changing my views from youth up.

Question # 12: Past and present political views identical; always on the side of the most advanced party - culminating on what is now now known as the Republican.

Question #13: Have had no military record during the war I performed for the general government the duties of an Assistant Assessor of Internal Revenue. Since my first arrival in Wisconsin I have endeavored to study and by various publications make known the physical features, topograpy, geology, natural history, meteorology, antiquities &c. of the state.

Question #16: My travels have not been of much importance; confined to my own country and Canada; northwest to the Red River of the Northeastward as far as Salem Mass. and Montreal in Canada; Southward to Augustine Fla and Westward to San Francisco California.

Question #17: I was married October 24 1838 at Marshall Michigan to Ann M. Allcott, who died at Milwaukee February 25 1863; since which time I have remained unmarried.