Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-17
BIRTHPLACE OF OHIO
Rutland, Mass, Where the Set
tiers Expedition Was Organized
MANASSEH CUTLER'S WORK
With Rufus Putnam Saved the North
west From Slavery.
URGED THE ORDINANCE OF 1887
Passage Largely Due to His Efforts.
Romantic Career of the Cele-
brated Mime. Jumel.
URGED THE ORDINANCE OF 1887
EY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
W
Special Correspondence OF The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.

habitants. and one of the loveiieSt spots on
earth was the birthplace of Ohio. and every
loyal citizen of that state would do himself
honor to make pilgrimage to a shrine
that has been erected here in the old home
OF Rufus Putnam, its godfather. Rutland
was settled in 1Tl3. 1t stands almost in
the exact geographical center of Massa-
chusetts. at an elevation of l 30 feet above
tidewater. the highest town in the state.
From the porches of some of the houses
one can see the country for seventy-hve and
eighty miles around fourteen towns are
visible and a glorious landscape The
scenery resembles that of the Midlands or
England-a succession of beautiful hills COW
cred with dense growth of timber inter
seCted by meadows and pastures and groups
of small lakes fed by cold roaring brooks,
which are filled with trout and black bass.
The lakes offer excellent fishing and the
woods abound in pheasants and other feath-
cred game. But more people come here Tor
health than for sport The altitude and the
pure air are a specific for lung and throat
diseases, and the state OF Massachusetts
has established a sanatorium for tuberculo-
sis lust outside the town which now takes
care of more than 300 patients. There are
several summer hotels. we'll patronized by
infrm and tired people. who find great
comfort and relief In the stimulating at
mosphere.
The meadows which surround the town
are exhaling delicious perfumes these days
the hay is being cut. and the nutritious
pastures are dotted with fat HolStein cattle
Comparatively little ground is cultivated
In this part of the state-only just enough
to supply oats, corn. potatoes and other
garden truck for the local market; but vast
quantities of milk and cream are shipped to
Boston. Worcester and other cities every
morning. and the butter of Rutland is IA
nous.
General Rufus Putnam.
President Garfeld's ancestral home was
near here and the ancestral seat of the
Taft family is only few miles to the east
ward. There seems to have been great
many famous men produced in this locality.
Rufus Putnam was the greatest. He was
born nearby. in the little village of Sutton.
in 1888 He educated himself beginning
with spelling book, and became an en-
gneer and millwright. He laid out the
fortihcations on Bunker Hill before the
battle. having learned how to do it in the
Engineer Corps of the British srmy in the
wars with France. He was a cousin of
Gen. Israel Putnam.
Rufus Putnam OBLIGATED at the birth of
Ohio in a farmhouse just outside of Rut-
land. after having negotiated for the pur-
chase of more than million dollars worth
of land down in the southeast corner OF
that state. He was superintendent of the
Ohio Company, and led the first expedi-
ton to Marietta in April. 1888 One hum
dred and ten years later the Sons of the
American Revolution raised $4,000 to buy
his old homestead and farm Of $50 acres
placed IL under the control of the Rutland
Historical Society for preservation as
museum. and erected a bronze tablet with
an Inscription written by Senator Hoar. as
follows
from 1881 to 1888,
dwet General Rufus Putnam.
Soldier of the old French War,
Engineer of the Works which compelled the
British Army to evscuate Boston,
aud of the Fortifcations Of West Point.
Founder and Father OF Ohio.
In this house he planned and matured the
scheme Of the ohio Company,
and from IL issued the call for the Convention
a. which led to its organization.
Company which settled Marietta
April :. 1Tss.
graf NorthIest Territory WAS dedicated to
the United States OF America Is not
great siave-holding empire
You will notice that Senator Hoar, in this
Inscription. gives Gen. Putnam credit for
securing the adoption of the ordinance of
1877, or. at least, the last sentence of the
inscription may be interpreted that way;
but that honor belongs to Manasseh Cutler
who the head of the company of which
Putnam was the active superintendent and
the actual leader 1t is undoubtedly true
however. that Gen. Putnam conferred with
Manasseh Cutler before the latter went to
New York to lobby through the ordinance,
and may have inspired him to do so.
The Versatile Manasseh Cutler
The real father of Ohio was Manasseh
uade OF Yale in the class of 1865. and a
genius of wonderful versatility. He began
his career by being a teacher at Dedham
Mass. where he married the daughter of
the pastor: he then went to Marthas
Vineyard. where he established himself
as merchant at Edgartown. While SELL
ing calico and Goldfish he studied law, was
admitted TO the bar and began to practice
at that place The leisure afforded him
by lack of clients tempted him to the
81 4tN. -
was ordained and installed pastor of the
Congregational Church OF what has since
become the town of Hamilton, Mass. He
was an engineer in the patriot army during
the revolution and afterward manufactured
powder. which was very much needed In
I'is ne became chaplain of Gen. Titcomb's
brigade and. at the close of the revolu-
ton. began the study of medicine and ul-
timately secured a wide reputation "a
safe and skillful practitioner In 17So he
opened a school which continued for more
than twenty five years to instruct would
be seamen in the art of navigation in as
tronomy and lunar observations and in
structed other students in botany. geology
and the other natural sciences.
He was the first American astronomer to
observe the transit of Venus: he was the
fist white man to reach the summit OF
Mt Washington. In 1900 he was chosen
"a member of the Massachusetts legislature:
in 1901 he was elected representative in
Congress as u radical federalst and, after
serving four years declined reelection on
account OF III health He also declined a
commission judge of the supreme court
of Ohio territory, and as surveyor general.
i do not know of any othe- man whose ex-
periences and public services are so varied
and useful.
But the greatest service he performed
to his country was to secure the passage
OF what is known In history as The Ordi-
nance of Eighty-Seven. which was intro
duCed in Congress by Nathan Dane a
member % Congress from Massachusetts
which guaranteed complete religious lib
erty. the public support of schools and the
prohibition of slavery for the northwest
The title of the bill was An Ordinance for
the Government of the Territory of the
United States Northwest of the River
Ohio" and its sixth section reads: There
shall be neither slavery nor Involuntary
servitude in the said territory.
The ordinance OF 1884. which was drawn
by Thomas Jefferson. chairman OF the
committee appointed by Congress to devise
plan for the organization and government
OF the territory. contains similar clause
! out II was defeated by a single vote The
draft OF the report of the committee in JEFF
! lerson own handwriting is still preserved
! in the library OF the State Department at
Washington, and 1T Is as completely JEFF
ferson's own work" says George Bancroft