Driving with the Garfield Family Surviving Member of the Harrison and James A
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• • Thomas Ewing (1789 -1871) was the last Driving with the Garfield Family surviving member of the Harrison and James A. Garfield was a busy man for most From the Diary of James A. Garfield Tyler cabinets before of his adulthood, but he enjoyed slowing his his death on October Tuesday, June 19, 1877 pace a bit and enjoying time with his family Worked at odds and ends of farm 26, 1871. Future and friends. In 1877, after settling in their new affairs, and correspondence, until 5 p.m. President Hayes was one of the pallbearers farm in Mentor, some of the family members when I took Crete, Mother and Mollie with at Ewing’s funeral. went for a drive in the Garfield’s wagon to see the light wagon and gray horses, and started (loc.gov) friends and family in Solon, Hiram, and Burton. for Burton via Chardon, en route to Hiram. It Garfield wrote about the four day journey in his was the first time I ever started off on a long drive with my family and my own double Thomas Ewing: diary. Thankfully, he wrote the times that he The First Secretary of the Interior left different places and when he arrived. Today team. Reached Burton at 8 p.m. and spent the night at W. J. Ford’s. The Department of the Interior was we can map that trip he took and compare it to created during the last day of the 30th Wednesday, June 20, 1877 how we fast we can travel now. Congress in 1849. The new Department Historic maps from 1874 and the 1890s can At eight and a half a.m. started for Hiram, taking Sammy Ford with us. Arrived (first called the “Home Department”) was give us an idea of where Garfield’s friends put in charge of the nation’s internal might have lived in 1877. The family stayed at Hiram a little after ten. Stopped at Father Rudolph’s and at eleven met with the Board affairs. Prior to this, internal affairs were with W. J. Ford, and his farm was possibly on of Trustees and held a long session. … spent usually handled by the Foreign Affairs, the western side of Burton Township. ‘Father the night at Rudolph’s. Treasury, and War Departments. Now, Rudolph’s’ farm was right on Rt. 305 Thursday, June 21, 1877 any offices dealing with domestic affairs (Wakefield Rd.), around the corner from Hiram were reassigned to the new Department. College. Mr. Carlton’s home was in Mantua, on … Visited old friends for an hour, and at 5 ½ started with Mother, Crete, and President Zachary Taylor appointed Frost Rd. north of Rt. 82 (Twinsburg Warren Mollie for Solon. In Aurora, were caught in a Thomas Ewing (1789-1871) of Ohio, Rd.). In 1874, Garfield’s sisters Mary and Hitty heavy shower, and stopped at Mr. Carlton’s previously a U.S. Senator and a Secretary lived around the corner from each other in near the Aurora and Mantua line. Reached of the Treasury under Presidents William Solon. Mary’s farm was on Solon Rd., right at Sister Mary's a’ half-past eight p.m. where Henry Harrison and John Tyler. Ewing the north-eastern corner of the city today, and we spent the night. was born in Virginia and his family Hitty’s farm was on Rt. 91 (SOM Center Rd.) Friday, June 22, 1877 moved to Ohio in 1792. Ewing attended near Sherbrook Park Dr. today. The family took Visited Sister Hitty, returned to Ohio University and was among the first Rt. 306 (Chillicothe Rd.) back home. Larabees … and at 10 a.m. left for Mentor students to earn a college degree in the with Mother, Crete, Mollie and Sister Mary. Northwest Territory (graduating in 1815). Mentor Farm We went via Chagrin Falls, Russell, Chester, With the new Department consisting and Kirtland. … Arrived at home half-past one p.m. and found my desk overloaded with of Bureaus from other departments, they work, and much to be done about the farm. needed office space. (The Treasury and War Departments had plans for the Garfield’s trip, from Mentor to Solon, took newly vacated offices.) Ewing planned to three days and around ten hours (of travel have their offices in the new Patent W. J. Ford time). From Solon to Mentor, the trip back Office building, but it was still under took around three hours. If we took a similar construction at the time. As the Patent Sister Mary route today, Mentor to Solon would take about an hour and a half. From Solon to Mentor it Office building progressed, his Bureaus would be about 40 minutes driving time (not moved in. taking the highways). Thomas Ewing, in his new position of Sister Father Mr. Carlton Rudolph The wagon could go about 10-15 mph, Secretary of the Interior, gained the Mary around the same speed as an average bike. (cont’d page 2, See Ewing) (Ewing, cont’d from page 1) Did Garfield Say That? nickname “Butcher Ewing” from “Man cannot live by bread alone; he newspapers for his replacement of many must have peanut butter.” officeholders in the Bureaus. The Home Sometimes attributed to James A. Department created new patronage jobs; Garfield, this quote sounds funny, but which Ewing was now filling with his does not make a lot of sense. The first choice of employees. part of the phrase comes from the Bible, Ewing’s time as Secretary of the a book that we know Garfield and his Interior lasted less than two years having family read. The second half of the been cut short by the untimely death of phrase refers to ‘peanut butter’ and we President Taylor. President Millard have to look at the history of that phrase Fillmore appointed a new cabinet, and to see if Garfield would have said it. Ewing resigned on July 22, 1850. Ewing While a form of peanut butter has went on to serve in the U.S. Senate, and existed from the time of the Aztecs, was selected as one of the Ohio peanut butter as we know it today was delegates for a peace conference held in The Solar System as known in 1827 can be not popularized until after James A. Washington to help prevent the found inside the Literary and Scientific Class Garfield’s death. The word ‘peanut’ can Book in Zeb Rudolph’s Room at oncoming Civil War. Ewing was be documented starting in 1807, but the James A. Garfield NHS. appointed as Secretary of War by term and current definition of ‘peanut President Johnson, but the Senate did not Vesta, Juno, Pallas & Ceres butter’ did not appear in written English approve the nomination as they were until 1892. still upset at Johnson’s firing of Edwin Astronomers have been studying and searching the skies since antiquity, James A. Garfield lived from 1831 to Stanton (which later led to Johnson’s 1881. Marcellus G. Edson patented an impeachment trial). Ewing returned to wanting to define and discover what is outside of our planet. In 1772 a theory early form of peanut butter (called Ohio and his law practice. He died on peanut paste) in 1884, and he milled October 26, 1871. was published proposing that logically, there should be another planet between roasted peanuts to create a paste. John H. Mars and Jupiter (referred to as the Titus Kellogg began making ground peanuts -Bode Law or Bode’s Law). They began with the consistency of butter in 1898, searching the night sky for evidence of using a boiling process. A peanut butter this ‘missing planet’ and instead of making machine was developed in St. finding one missing planet, astronomers Louis in 1903 by Dr. Ambrose Straub. found multiple ‘planets’ that were Peanut butter was then introduced to the smaller than conventional planets, and in general public at the St. Louis World’s a space where there should have only Fair in 1904. George Washington Carver been one planet. popularized peanuts and peanut products James R. Garfield served as Secretary of the Ceres, the first to be discovered, was across America in the early 1910s, but Interior under President Theodore found in 1801. In 1802, Pallas was he did not invent peanut butter. Roosevelt from 1903-1907. (loc.gov) discovered, following a similar path as So, did Garfield say that? Probably not. The earliest written reference for Happy Birthday Hal and Jim! Ceres. William Herschel argued that that exact phrase dates back to a St. The Garfield’s eldest boys, Harry Augustus these smaller bodies were not planets, and James Rudolph both have their birthdays but asteroids. Other astronomers Louis supermarket in the 1960s. in October! Here are fun facts about them: considered them planets (or pieces that Harry (“Hal”) was born on October 11, broke off from a larger, destroyed 1863 while his father was serving in the planet), adding them to the Solar Union Army. In one letter soon after the System. Juno was then discovered in little boy (the Garfield’s first boy) was born, 1804, and Vesta in 1807. Now, only Garfield refers to him as “Chickamauga;” referencing the battle that Garfield fought in Ceres is considered a dwarf planet. a few weeks before. Harry did not have a A fun fact: The planet Uranus was proper name until he was almost two months discovered by William Herschel in 1781, old. after it was assumed to be a star for James (“Jim”) was born on October 17, many years before. The first new planet 1865.