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The Lake Erie Ledger
A Publication of the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Ohio
July 2008 Organized January 8, 1895 Volume 21, Number 2
Within these pages President’s Message Grave marking ceremony in West Virginia Ohio’s first West Point graduates Penn State Erie honors Perry’s victory 20th anniversary is coming up in October Captain Seely’s missing roster is listed
Ohio Society to host 3rd research day The Society of the War of 1812 in the State of
Ohio will host its summer meeting and its 3rd an-
nual day of research on 12 July 2008 at the Ohio
Genealogical Society Library in Mansfield, Ohio.
This day-long event is open to all members and
non-members alike and it is designed to provide an
opportunity to assist others in the research of their
War of 1812 veterans.
The officers of this Society wish to extend an
invitation to all who are interesting in researching
their ancestors from this war and we encourage our
members to invite their friends.
This is a golden opportunity to have potential
new members attend where they can receive help
with their applications and their lineage.
The library is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The
meeting will begin at noon and it is asked that
those attending the meeting please be at the library
by 11 a.m. so that orders can be taken for box
lunches. These lunches will be served during the
meeting. Attendees may also bring their own
lunches.
This is also a good opportunity to do some per-
sonal research on one of your stubborn lines. Mem-
bers of the National Society United States Daugh-
ters of 1812 have been invited to attend.
Directions
Take I-71 to Mansfield to Exit 169 Take State Route 13 north towards Mansfield Exit on East Cook Road and turn left At the first light, turn right onto South Main Street Travel a short distance on South Main Street Once off State Route 13 the OGS has signs clearly marking the route to the library.
Page 2 The Lake Erie Ledger July 2008
The Lake Erie Ledger can be e-mailed to any compatriot in a PDF format instead of having the newsletter mailed as it has been in the past. If you wish to receive this newsletter by e-mail, please contact the editor and the news-letter will be e-mailed to you in the future.
The Lake Erie Ledger
Published three times a year by the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Ohio Eric E. Johnson, Editor 377 Nantucket Drive Avon Lake, OH 44012-2803 (440) 933-5434 [email protected] Index available upon request
Ohio Society of the War of 1812 Officers
President — Eric E. Johnson Editor, The Lake Erie Ledger 377 Nantucket Drive Avon Lake, OH 44012-2803 (440) 933-5434 [email protected] Vice President — Rev. C. George Fry Chaplain 158 West Union Street Circleville, OH 43113-1965 (740) 474-8445 Secretary — Open Treasurer — E. Paul Morehouse, Jr. 27 Casterton Avenue Akron, OH 44303-1001 (330) 434-3281 [email protected] Vice President General for Ohio Surgeon General — Dr. Robert E. Bartholomew P.O. Box 702 Sandusky, OH 44870-5910 (419) 626-9861 [email protected] Graves Registration — Robert E. Grim 5367 State Road 72 South Sabina, OH 45169-9425 (937) 584-4622 [email protected] Immediate Past President — Rev. C. George Fry 158 West Union Street Circleville, OH 43113-1965 (740) 474-8445 Marshal — Open
Meeting Dates for 2008
July 12 — OGS Library, Mansfield, OH
October 18 — Red Brick Tavern, Lafayette, OH
Dates and locations are subject to change
Info Tech Chairman — H. Scott Baker II 353 Hilltop Drive Upper Sandusky, Ohio 43351-9241 (419) 294-5649 [email protected] Judge Advocate — William E. Huber II P.O. Box 298 St. Mary’s, OH 45885-0298 [email protected] Historian — John H. Smith 705 Bentwood Drive Lima, OH 45805-3001 [email protected] Chaplain — Rev. C. George Fry 158 West Union Street Circleville, OH 43113-1965 (740) 474-8445
The Awards Committee
The Awards Committee is accepting nominations for
the Distinguished Service Awards and the Meritorious
Service Awards for outstanding members.
Nominations can be given to Compatriots Brad
Tilton, Bob Grim or Eric Johnson. See the article in the
April 2006 issue for details.
Page 3 The Lake Erie Ledger July 2008
President’s Message Eric E. Johnson
Wow, I’m the president! Who would have guessed
that in a short four years, nine months and twelve days I
would rise from a nobody to the president of the Soci-
ety of the War of 1812 in the State of Ohio?
Nothing is wrong with this picture! The Society is
alive and well with plenty of members, the re-organized
Society will be 20 years old in October, and the Society
shows a very strong presence on the national level with
our key compatriots holding important national posi-
tions.
It simply appears that I can not say ‘no’ to anything
involving the War of 1812, a love that I have had since
boyhood.
I have two goals during my three-year term: to pre-
pare my successor who will be the president during the
bicentennial of the War of 1812 and to increase compa-
triot attendance at our quarterly meetings.
I have met very few of our membership over the past
five years. Many of our compatriots live out-of-state
and cannot attend our meetings. We have a hard-core
group of about ten members who show up at the meet-
ings and who do the lion’s share of the work that is
tasked by our organization. We usually see most of the
new members being voted into our Society and it is
usually the last that we see of them (although many
maintain their membership). Membership attendance at
our quarterly meetings is essential to the health and well
being of our Society.
With this in mind, very few of our compatriots know
who I am. Luckily, I have only one wife, one daughter
and one job, so I can devote a lot of time to both the
national and the state organizations.
On the national level, I will be finishing my fourth
year as the Vice President General for Publications and
as the editor of The 1812 War Cry. I will probably be
on the ballot again at the Triennial in September and be
elected for another three-year term. I was an interim VP
for my first year.
I have volunteered to put together the bicentennial
supplement (book) for the 200th anniversary of the War
of 1812. The last General Society supplement was pub-
lished in 1999. I am also the co-editor for the Journal of
the War of 1812, based out of Baltimore, Maryland.
On the state level, I have finished a three-year term
as vice president before being sworn in as the president
and I am on both the bicentennial and the awards com-
mittees, plus I am the editor of the Lake Erie Ledger.
I am also a member of the Swedish Colonial Soci-
ety, the General Society of Colonial Wars, the Order of
the Indian Wars of the United States, the National Soci-
ety of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Mili-
tary Order of the World Wars, and the Ohio Genealogi-
cal Society, of which, I am a member of First Families
of Ohio, Settlers and Builders of Ohio, and Civil War
Families of Ohio. In April I was elected as a trustee of
the Ohio Genealogical Society.
On the home front, I was the treasurer of my com-
munity’s band parent’s organization and I am now serv-
ing a second term as the 3rd vice president in charge of
the Patron’s Drive. I am also the adult equipment man-
ager for the half-time shows and I chaperone most foot-
ball games and other band activities.
In my spare time I like to do research, both family
and War of 1812, and to read, mostly about the War of
1812. I also do a lot of reading on the Napoleonic Wars
because this ties in directly with my research on the
War of 1812.
Currently, I am recovering from prostate cancer and
this has slowed me down a bit. I do expect a full recov-
ery by year’s end.
If every compatriot within driving distance of our
meetings could attend at least one meeting a year, it
would make a big difference in our state society. Come
and meet the other compatriots, enjoy a meal together,
and participate in the meeting.
The July meeting at the Ohio Genealogical Society’s
library in Mansfield is a ‘golden’ opportunity to do
family research and to attend a meeting. There will be
compatriots at the library who can help you with your
research.
Plans for the October meeting in Lafayette, Ohio,
have not been finalized but it would be a good time to
come since it is our 20th anniversary meeting.
I want to congratulate the compatriots who were
elected to a chapter position during the April meeting.
Your past performance and dedication to the Society is
greatly appreciated!
On April 23rd I presented the Society of the War of
1812 ROTC Ribbon to Cadet Robert V. Dlwgosh dur-
ing the Kent State Army ROTC Awards Ceremony. If
you haven’t been a presenter at an ROTC awards cere-
mony, you are missing a good meal and a great evening
with the cadets.
Next year the Ohio Genealogical Society is celebrat-
ing its 50th anniversary and its annual conference will
be held during the first week of April at the Sawmill
Creek Resort near Huron, Ohio. The society will be op-
erating a table to hand out literature and to talk with
potential new members.
We can always use more warm bodies to sit behind
the table. If you are interested in participating in this
event, please contact me.
Until the next time...
Page 4 The Lake Erie Ledger July 2008
Georgia and Ohio Societies conduct a grave marking
ceremony for Private John Linscott in West Virginia
Compatriots John H. Cunningham of Bainbridge, Geor-gia, and Paul Morehouse of Akron, Ohio, with the stone of their ancestor, Private John Linscott
The State Societies of Georgia and Ohio hosted
a unique grave marking ceremony for an Ohio sol-
dier of the War of 1812 who was buried in Wild-
ing, West Virginia. Family members from as far
away as Bainbridge, Georgia, Mansfield, Ohio, and
Akron, Ohio, attended this ceremony on 31 May
2008 for Private John Linscott who served in Cap-
tain Luther Shepard’s Company, Ohio Militia.
Approximately 80 persons graced this event
with many of them bringing family albums, genea-
logical information and family Bibles. The eldest
of the family members present were the second
great grandchildren of the patriot.
The American Legion Post 107 of Ripley, West
Virginia, posted and retired the colors while mem-
bers of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6669 of Ra-
venswood, West Virginia, conducted the rifle sa-
lute and played Taps.
Compatriot John H. Cunningham, chaplain of
the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of
Georgia, did the Invocation at the start of the pro-
gram and he finished with the Benediction. Com-
patriot Paul Morehouse, treasurer of the Society of
the War of 1812 in the State of Ohio, talked on the
life of John Linscott and his service during the war.
He also introduced the descendents of the patriot
who had come to this event. Many of the descen-
dants had not seen each other in many years and
there were many new faces to introduce.
The president of the Ohio Society, Compatriot
Eric Johnson, did the keynote speech dedicating
the new government tombstone. He had also led
the assembled with the Pledge of Allegiance. Com-
patriot Dale Colburn of the Ohio Society also at-
tended this ceremony.
John Linscott was born in 1786 in Harpswell,
Massachusetts (now Maine), as the son of John
Linscott and Mary Hall. The family moved to Ohio
around 1805 and they settled in what is now Letart
Township, Meigs County. In this county, John
married Susannah Roush in January 1811.
Linscott served in the Ohio militia during the
War of 1812 in Captain Luther Shepard's Com-
pany, which was formed from militiamen from
what is now Gallia and Meigs Counties, Ohio. The
company served from 16 February to 16 June 1814
at Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio. The company
guarded the British naval prisoners of war who
where captured during the Battle of Lake Erie. The
POW camp in Chillicothe was called Camp Bull.
John was awarded two 80-acre tracts of land for
his service during the war. He selected land near
Pomeroy in Meigs County. In September 1865,
John died in Lebanon Township, Meigs County,
and he was buried in the Wilding Cemetery in
Wilding, West Virginia.
Two of John Linscott’s sons, Anthony Wayne
Linscott and Abraham Linscott, are buried near
their father. Both men served in the Civil War and
both have government tombstones.
— Eric Johnson
Page 5 The Lake Erie Ledger July 2008
Ohio’s first graduates of the U.S. Military Acad-
emy at West Point, New York, were in the Class of
1815 barely missing the War of 1812.
John R. Sloo, cadet number 129, started classes
at West Point on 25 June 1813 and he was commis-
sioned a third lieutenant of artillery on 2 March
1815 less than a month after the Treaty of Ghent
was ratified.
Sloo was born in Kentucky and received his ap-
pointment to West Point while living in Ohio. He
would serve at Fort Mifflin, outside of Philadel-
phia, Pennsylvania, from 1815 to 1818. He re-
signed from the army on 30 April 1818 after being
promoted to second lieutenant. After leaving the
military, Sloo moved to Shawneetown, Illinois,
where he was the register of the U.S. Land Office.
He died in 1837.
Henry W. Griswold, cadet number 130, started
his military career at West Point on 28 July 1813
and he also was commissioned as a third lieutenant
of artillery on 2 March 1815.
Griswold was the first Ohio born graduate of
West Point and he made the military his career. He
served at Fort Niagara and Sackets Harbor, New
York; Fort Washington, Maryland; in New York
harbor; on commissary duty; as an assistant in-
structor at West Point; Fort Independence, Massa-
chusetts; Fort Monroe, Virginia; and Fort Mitchell,
Alabama. He died on 23 October 1834 at Castle
Pinckney, South Carolina. When he died he was a
captain in the 3rd Artillery Regiment.
Aaron G. Gano, cadet number 143, started
classes on 8 January 1814 later than the first two
cadets but he was commissioned as a third lieuten-
ant of artillery on 2 March 1815 along with Sloo
and Griswold.
Ohio born, Gano was the son of Major General
John S. Gano of the Ohio Militia. He served in a
garrison in New York harbor from 1815 to 1817.
He resigned from the army on 1 October 1817.
Gano became a merchant in Cincinnati, Ohio, be-
tween 1817 and 1840 and then at Hannibal, Mis-
souri, between 1840 and 1854. He died near Cin-
cinnati on 2 December 1854 at the age of 58.
James R. Stubbs, cadet number 158, started
classes with Gano on 8 January 1814 and he was
commissioned on 11 December 1815 as a brevet
second lieutenant in the light artillery.
Also Ohio born, Stubbs would serve in various
New England posts between 1815 and 1817 before
he resigned from the army on 15 November 1817.
He was reappointed as a captain on 30 November
1819 in the Quartermaster Corps and worked there
until the corps was disbanded on 1 June 1821.
Stubbs then worked as a clerk in the Post Office
Department in Washington, D.C., between 1823
and 1829. He died in 1832 while in Cincinnati.
The next Ohioan to graduate from West Point
was Thomas McArthur in the Class of 1820. He
was the son of Brigadier General Duncan
McArthur, U.S. Army, and later a governor of
Ohio. Thomas began classes at West Point on 5
April 1816 and he was commissioned on 1 July
1820. He was authorized a leave of absence upon
graduation and he resigned from the army on 24
October 1820 without having served. He would
become a merchant in Springfield, Ohio, and he
died on 21 February 1833 at the age of 31 while in
Chillicothe.
Compatriot Dale Colburn of Pomeroy, Ohio, pre-
sented the General Society of the War of 1812 ROTC
Ribbon to Cadet Stephen Allerding during the Army
ROTC Military Ball held at Ohio University in Athens
on 26 April 2008.
Ohio’s first graduates of West Point were cadets
during the War of 1812
Page 6 The Lake Erie Ledger July 2008
Walking the campus of Pennsylvania State Uni-
versity at Erie, Pennsylvania, can give you an eerie
feeling especially at night. All of the residence dor-
mitories are named after the prominent men and
their ships that participated in the Battle of Lake
Erie on 10 September 1813.
Of the 4,000 plus students enrolled in this uni-
versity, nearly 1,650 live in these dormitories,
which honor the memory of a famous naval battle
which was fought during the War of 1812.
Lawrence Hall is named after the United States
Brig Lawrence, which was launched on 25 June
1813 as the flagship of Master Commandant Oliver
Hazard Perry’s Lake Erie Squadron. Lieutenant
John Yarnall commanded this Ship.
The sister ship of the Lawrence was the U.S.
Brig Niagara which graces the name of the next
dormitory at Penn State Erie. This brig was
launched on 4 June 1813 and it was commanded by
Master Commandant Jesse D. Elliott. A replicate
of this ship sails the Great Lakes representing Erie
and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Both the
Lawrence and the Niagara were built in Erie.
Perry Hall is named after Master Commandant
Perry. After the battle he was promoted to captain.
Ohio Hall is named after the one-gun schooner
which was built in Cleveland, Ohio. This ship was
commanded by Sailing Master Daniel Dobbins.
Porcupine Hall was named after the one-gun
schooner of the same name. It was commanded by
Sailing Master George Senat. Tiffany Hall was
named for Cyrus Tiffany, an African-American
who served on board the Niagara during the battle.
Tigress Hall was name after the one-gun schoo-
ner Tigress. This schooner was originally named
the Amelia. The Tigress was commanded by Lieu-
tenant Augustus H.M. Conklin.
Turner Hall was named after Lieutenant Daniel
Turner, who commanded the U.S. Brig Caledonia.
Caledonia Hall was named after the third brig in
the squadron.
Packett Hall was named after Lieutenant John
Packett who commanded the clipper-built schooner
Ariel. Ariel Hall was named after the four-gun
schooner that was commanded by Packett.
Champlin Hall was named after Sailing Master
Stephen Champlin, who commanded the schooner
Penn State Erie honors the memory of the Battle of Lake Erie
Scorpion. Scorpion Hall was named after this
schooner.
Elliot Hall was named after Master Comman-
dant Jesse D. Elliot, the ranking officer below
Perry. He commanded the Niagara during the bat-
tle.
Yarnall Hall was named for Lieutenant John J.
Yarnall, the first lieutenant aboard the Lawrence.
Somers Hall was named after the two-gun schoo-
ner of the same name.
Senat Hall is named for Acting Sailing Master
George Senat, who commanded the one gun schoo-
ner Porcupine. Almy Hall was named after Thomas
C. Almy, who was the Sailing Master of the schoo-
ner Somers.
On the grounds of the Dayton National Cemetery
in Dayton, Ohio, is a monument stone honoring the
33 veterans of the War of 1812 who are buried in
this cemetery.
The plaque on the monument states:
Memorial to the thirty-three soldiers of the War of 1812 buried in this cemetery honoring Josephine C. Diefenbach, state president 1935-1937. Erected by the Ohio Society United States Daughters of 1812 on the anniversary of Perry’s Victory, Sep-tember 10, 1936.
33 War of 1812 veterans are
buried in the Dayton National
Cemetery
Page 7 The Lake Erie Ledger July 2008
Very few records exist giving information on
the birth of the Society of the War of 1812 in the
State of Ohio. The Society was organized on 8
January 1895 and admitted to the General Society
on 19 June 1895. The original officers were: Or-
lando W. Aldrich, President; General Roeliff
Brinkerhoff, Vice-President; General George
Bohan Wright, Vice-President; Robert Mason
Davidson, Vice-President; Bernard Van Horne
Schultz, Secretary; Walter Nicholas Paine Darrow,
Registrar; Daniel Hosmer Gard, Treasurer; Thomas
Herbert Norton, Historian; Harry Parker Ward, Ex-
ecutive Committee; and Hubert Herrick Ward, Ex-
ecutive Committee.
There were only 43 members in the original
Ohio Society. Some of the men, along with their
General Society numbers, were: Orlando Wesley
Aldrich (497), Roeliff Brinkerhoff (499), George
Bohan Wright (443), Robert Mason Davidson
(496), Bernard Van Horne Schultz (494), Walter
Nicholas Paine Darrow (502), Daniel Hosmer Gard
(457), Thomas Herbert Norton (504), Harry Parker
Ward (498), Hubert Herrick Ward (458 /500) and
George Mitchell Wright (506).
Serving from 1894-1896 in the General Society
were Orlando Aldrich, Vice President General;
Bernard Van Horne Schultz, Assistant Treasurer
General; and Harry P. Ward, Executive Commit-
tee. Serving from 1906-1908 in the General Soci-
ety were George Mitchell Wright, Vice President
General and Daniel Hosmer Gard as Executive
Committee.
The Ohio Society became dormant in 1915. At
least one unsuccessful attempt was made to reacti-
vate the Society in the ensuing 75 years. Finally,
Keith Drew Ashley of Pomeroy, Ohio, reactivated
the Society with an organizational meeting at Co-
lumbus on 8 October 1988 with 11 members.
Ohio Society will celebrate 20 years of service in October
At that meeting, three members attended to set
up plans. Keith Ashley became president, Michael
Trowbridge, secretary-treasurer; and Robert Grim,
vice-president. The rest of the officers and the con-
stitution and by-laws were finished at the 3 Decem-
ber 1988 meeting.
The first annual conference of the society was
held on 18 March 1989 at Canton, Ohio, in con-
junction with the Ohio Daughters of 1812.
The charter members of the second organization
of the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of
Ohio were: John Daniel Bromberg, William Hens-
haw Millen, Larry Keith Swogger, Michael Lynn
Trowbridge, Keith Drew Ashley, Ronald Joseph
Wetzel, Clifford Hugo Pohl, Junior, Paul Edmond
Martin, Martin Allen Whetstone, James Robert
Hopkins and Ralph Charles Reed.
If you own a copy of the Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812, please change the name of Susan McMahon to John McMahon in Captain Joshua T. Cot-ton’s Company. McMahon was killed by Indians in 1812.
B. F. LEROY U.S. SOLDIER WAR OF 1812
Captain Benjamin F. LeRoy’s tombstone at
the Dayton National Cemetery
See the April 2008 issue of the Lake Erie Ledger
for the article on Captain LeRoy.
Page 8 The Lake Erie Ledger July 2008
Captain John W. Seely’s Company, U.S. Voluntary Corps
12 June 1812
(Huron, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Ashtabula, Portage and Trumbull Counties)
Captain John W. Seely Ensign James Kerr 1st Sergeant Samuel Bill
3rd Sergeant Zadock Bowell 1
st Corporal John Cherry
Privates
Lane, Asa Lanterman, Peter Blackley, Miller
Strader, William Netterfield, Joseph Crawford, William
Chalpin, James Brewer, Robert Stanley, Nathaniel
Hayes, Alexander Kiddle, David Martin, William
Knafe, Conrad Anderson, James Strain, John
Dobbins, Matthew Buell, Ezra Wartrous, Solomon
Yatman, Peter Burnett, Urial Markee, Hugh
Rathburn, Amos Fitch, David Walker, Joseph
Crumrine, Michael Slavin, Barnabas Tid, Martin Junior
Fobes, Justin Meeker, William Mears, James
Scroggs, Aaron Markee, Andrew Junior Newman, Eathen
Fowler, Daniel
Reference: Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio, Historical and Archaeological Tracts, number
three, page 2, muster roll of Captain John W. Seely’s Company.
The missing roster series continues with Captain Seely’s Company
Captain John W. Seely’s Company of U.S. Vol-
unteers was one of four companies raised in the 4th
Division of the Ohio Militia for service with Briga-
dier General William Hull’s Northwestern Army
during the early months of the War of 1812.
The 4th Division was made up of the Western
Reserve plus the counties of Jefferson, Columbi-
ana, Stark and Wayne.
Instead of meeting the army at Urbana, Ohio,
the four companies traveled to Cleveland and by
boats made their way west to what is now Fremont,
Ohio. On the west bank of the Sandusky River the
companies built two blockhouses to store supplies
for Hull’s army.
After the fall of Detroit, the 4th Division would
occupy the site and add a wooden palisade around
the blockhouses. In the early spring of 1813, the
U.S. Army took over the facility and added another
blockhouse, enlarged the palisade and dug earth-
works around the fort, which they renamed “Fort
Stephenson.”
Captain Seely’s company remained at the block-
houses while two other companies traveled to
Frenchtown, in the Territory of Michigan. While in
Michigan the companies found out the Hull’s had
surrendered his army to the British and that the
four companies from the 4th division were apart of
the surrender agreement.
All four companies refused to surrender and
they returned home where they were disbanded.
Captain Seely’s company is one of the missing
companies whose muster roster does not appear in
the Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812.
A copy of the roster can be found at the Western
Reserve Historical Society Library in Cleveland,
Ohio.