John Campbell

History of Adams County by Stivers
JOHN CAMPBELL

The earliest ancestor we have any account of was Duncan Campbell of Argyleshire, Scotland. He married Mary McCoy in 1612 and moved to Londonderry in Ireland the same year. He had a son, John Campbell, who married in 1655, Grace Hay, daughter of Patrick Hay, Esq. of Londonderry.

They had three sons, one of whom was Robert, born 1665, and who, with his sons, John, Hugh, and Charles Campbell, emigrated to Virginia in 1696 and settled in that part of Orange County, afterward incorporated in Augusta.

The son, Charles Campbell, was born in 1704 and died in 1778. In 1739, he was married to Mary Trotter. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was the historian of Virginia.

His son, William, born in 1754, and died in 1822, was a soldier of the Revolution and, as such, had a distinguished record as a General at King’s Mountain and elsewhere. He married Elizabeth Willson of Rockbridge County, Virginia, a member of the distinguished Willson family. They had eleven children.

Their son, Charles, was born December 28, 1779, and died September 26, 1871. On September 30, 1803, he married Elizabeth Tweed in Adams County. He had five sons. The third was John Campbell of Ironton, born January 14, 1808, in Adams County, Ohio.

The Willson family intermarried with the Campbell family, who also has a distinguished record. Colonel John Willson, born in 1702, and died in 1773, settled near Fairfield, then Augusta County, Virginia, and was a Burgess of that county for twenty-seven years. He once held his court where Pittsburgh now stands. His wife, Martha, died in 1755, and both are buried in the Glebe burying ground in Augusta County, Virginia.

His brother, Thomas, had a daughter, Rebekah, born in 1728 and died in 1820, who married James Willson, born in 1715 and 1809. This James Willson, with his brother, Moses, was found as a very young boy in an open boat in the Atlantic Ocean.

Their mother and a maid accompanied them. The mother died at the moment of rescue and the maid a few moments after. The rescue ship’s captain brought the boys to this country, where they grew up, married, and spent their lives. On March 16, 1837, he was married at Pine Grove Furnace to Miss Elizabeth Caldwell Clarke, already mentioned, and they began housekeeping at Mt. Vernon Furnace.

. . . From his majority, he had been opposed to the institution of slavery and was an Abolitionist. His opinions on the subject of slavery were no doubt largely formed by his associations with Rev. John Rankins and men of his views. Still, as he grew older, his views against the institution intensified. His home was one of the stations on the Underground Railroad, and the poor, black fugitive was sure of a friendly meeting and all needed assistance.

Mr. Campbell acted with the Whig party, and after its death, with the Republican party. He was a delegate to the State Republican Convention in 1855. He never sought or held any public office until 1862, when, in recognition of his great and valuable services to the Republican party and to his country, President Lincoln appointed him the first Internal Revenue Collector for the Eleventh Collection District of Ohio, and he served in the office with great fidelity and honor until October 1, 1866, when Gen. B. F. Coates succeeded him.

In 1872, Mr. Campbell reached the height of his fortune. He was then worth over a million dollars. Up to that time, he had invested in and promoted almost every enterprise projected inside the circle of his acquaintance. He had not done this recklessly or extravagantly but from a natural disposition to promote prosperity.

In 1873, the Cooke panic overtook the country, and from that time until 1883, there was a steady contraction in every enterprise with which Mr. Campbell was connected.

BIOGRAPHICAL CYCLOPEDIA AND PORTRAIT GALLERY

John Campbell, iron master and capitalist of Ironton, Ohio, was born near what is now called Ripley, in Brown County, Ohio, on January 14th, 1808. His parentage is Scotch Irish, his ancestors having removed from Inveraray, Argyle shire, Scotland, into the province of Ulster, Ireland, near Londonderry.

Their descendants of a hundred years later emigrated to America, settled in Augusta County, Virginia, and gave to the State of Virginia and, subsequently, to the State of Tennessee, men who attained civil and military distinction. The grandparents of our subject removed from Virginia to Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1790, and from thence in 1798, to that part of Ohio first called Adams County, subsequently divided into Brown and other counties, and settled at a place then called Staunton, but which is now Ripley, Ohio, where he was born, and where, in his early manhood, he engaged in business with an uncle, and from thence went to Hanging Rock.

Here, in 1833, he was employed in building the old Hanging Rock Iron Forge, long since demolished, and the same year, he, with Andrew Ellison, built Lawrence Furnace for J. Riggs & Co. and took stock in it. These were the first iron works in which he engaged. Still, it was a beginning that gave him experience so needful in the many similar enterprises he afterward originated and controlled.

In 1834, with Robert Hamilton, he built Mt. Vernon Furnace and moved from Hanging Rock to manage it. From this furnace grew up those large iron interests which for a period of thirty years afterward were known under the firm name of Campbell, Ellison, and Co. of Cincinnati. He made the change of placing the boilers and hot blast over the tunnel head, thus utilizing the waste gases – a proceeding now generally adopted by the charcoal furnaces of that locality and others elsewhere in the United States.

In 1837, through the guarantee against any loss by Mr. Campbell and three other iron masters, Vesuvius Furnace was induced to test the hot blast principle. This, the first hot blast ever erected in America was put up by William Firmstone. Though by those opposed to the principle, it was contended that the iron would be weakened and rendered unfit for casting purposes, the result proved satisfactory to all concerned in producing an increased quantity of iron of the desired quality for foundry use. The active interest taken by Mr. Campbell in the first geological survey of the State led him to an appreciation of the fact that this iron region was destined to become one of the most important in the country.

By personal inspection, he selected and secured by patent from the general government, or purchased at low figures, the vast tracts of mineral land in the several counties where his furnaces are now located. In 1844, with Mr. John Peters, he built Greenup Furnace, Kentucky, and in 1846, Olive Furnace, Ohio, which has since been added the Buckhorn Furnace. In 1847, he built the Gallia Furnace. In 1849, he became a prime mover and principal stockholder in the Ohio Iron and Coal Company (composed of twenty-four members, twenty of whom were iron masters) and was made its president. This company purchased four hundred acres of land three miles above Hanging Rock and laid out the town of Ironton.

Mr. Campbell gave the new town its name, the first of five towns afterward so called in the United States. The propriety of the name becomes more and more apparent as time passes. At the same time, the stockholders in the town site obtained a charter. They projected a railroad from the town back into the country some sixteen miles, which has since been known as the Iron Railroad and connects Ironton with many furnaces and other iron and coal interests.

This was the beginning of the flourishing city. Since Mr. Campbell was the principal in projecting these interests, he is entitled to the honor of being called the father of these enterprises and founder of Ironton. In 1849, he built Keystone Furnace. In 1850, he removed from Hanging Rock to Ironton and purchased LaGrange Furnace with the Ohio Iron and Coal Company.

The same year he built the stove foundry of Campbell, Ellison & Co., and, in 1851, was one of the founders of the Iron Bank of Ironton, now known as First National Bank. In 1852, besides taking large stock in the Ironton Rolling Mill, now known as the New York and Ohio Iron and Steel Works, he subscribed for one-half the stock for building the Olive Foundry and Machine Shop. He also purchased the celebrated Hecla cold-blast furnace. In 1853, he became one of the largest stockholders in the Kentucky Iron, Coal, and Manufacturing Company, which founded the town of Ashland, Kentucky.

With Mr. D. T. Woodrow, he built Howard Furnace. In 1854, with S. S. Stone of Troy, New York, and others of Ironton, he built a large establishment to manufacture the iron beam plow. The same year he built the Madison Furnace and also became one of the heaviest stockholders in the erection of the Star Nail Mill, one of the largest in the country, now known as the Belfont Iron Works. In 1855, with Hon. V. B. Horton, at Pomeroy, influenced the establishment of the first telegraphic communication between these cities and Cincinnati. In 1856, with Colonel William M. Bolles and others, he built Monroe Furnace, the largest charcoal furnace in the region.

This and the Washington Furnace are now under the firm name of Union Iron Company, of which Mr. Campbell is president. In 1857, his rolling mill interests extended to Zanesville, Ohio, where he was one of the incorporators of the Ohio Iron Company. He operated the Oak Ridge Furnace on this date, but for a short time only.

The high prices obtained during the war relieved the stress at this time upon the iron market. His loyalty to the government, although constantly devoted to business, has distinguished him as a very public-spirited citizen. Of the fourteen furnaces in which he has been engaged, he retains a controlling interest in eight and has lately been interested in the erection of the Ironton Furnace. This makes the eleventh furnace that he has assisted in building. With a large frame and strong constitution, he now possesses and enjoys a healthy and active old age.

During his long industrial career, he has experienced common successes. He reverses attendant upon all business life, but his indomitable energy and unyielding pluck have been most remarkably displayed in the latter. He possesses, to a very high degree, the happy faculty of taking all things in a pacific manner.

Regarding everything from a philosophical standpoint, he is seldom materially disturbed by an approaching business crash, as he realizes the fact that the highest wave must ultimately fall to the level. Although his parents were wealthy at their decease, they were of little assistance to him, and his life exhibits what can be accomplished by industry and integrity, combined with good judgment. He has done more toward developing the resources of the Hanging Rock iron region and controls more real estate and iron interests in it than any other of its present iron masters.

STATEMENT BY JOHN CAMPBELL AND HIS WIFE, AND OF OTHERS, MADE IN THE YEAR 1875 AND UP TO 1890.

This original scrapbook of Charles Campbell, son of John, was given to the Lawrence County Museum on December 22, 1995, by Don and Johanna (Cooke) Hoak and Tom Cooke.  Tom and Johanna Cooke’s father, Ernest C. Cooke, received this book from the Leete estate. The scrapbook is in the Lawrence County Museum archives. This article was found in the scrapbook and typed by Sharon Kouns.

Andrew Ellison, the first cousin of the mother of Mrs. John Campbell, lived at Hanging Rock about 1832; he came there from Pine Grove Furnace, built in 1829, by Andrew Ellison, who had capital, and Robert Hamilton, who had some capital.

Mr. Ellison’s children were; Mrs. Henry Hanna of Cincinnati, O., Andrew Ellison of Louisville, Ky., Archibald Ellison of New Orleans, John Ellison, and Norcissy Ellison, both of Walnut Hills, Cincinnati.  Andrew Ellison died about 1836, and at his own request, he was buried above ground in a coffin covered by an iron casket, and a vault was built of wood.[1]  Robert Hamilton from Pennsylvania clerked at a furnace in Adams county, Ohio; he assisted in the building of Mount Vernon Furnace.

Mr. Hamilton opened the coal mines at New Castle and built the Hanging Rock Railroad running to the mine.  He lived at Pine Grove for twenty-four years, moved to Hanging Rock in 1853, and died there.  Ellison was the wealthiest iron master in the early days.  Mr. Hamilton married Nancy Ellison, an aunt of Mrs. John Campbell, which was the beginning of his success and fortune.  John Campbell, young Andrew Ellison, Hamilton, and others had built Mount Vernon, the firm known as Campbell, Ellison & Co.

Wm. Ellison, an uncle of Mrs. John Campbell, managed at Mt. Vernon after its erection in 1833 to 1835, and John Campbell from 1835 to 1846 to the end of the year, then moved to Hanging Rock and in 1850 to Ironton, having married in 1837, March 16.  In 1833, the Hanging Rock Forge commenced in March, and this was the beginning of the Hanging Rock Rolling Mill.  Stockholders in “The Forge” were the same in the building of Lawrence Furnace, called “Crane’s Nest,”  entitled “J. Riggs & Co.,” to-wit:  James Rodgers, Robert Hamilton, Andrew Ellison, Rev. I. Dyer Burgess, Jos. Riggs. (these men subscribed even amounts).

Andrew B. Ellison and John Campbell were then sent to build Lawrence Furnace; Mr. Campbell had the privilege of taking stock but declined; he loaned J. Riggs & Co. $1500 to build the furnace.  Andrew Ellison was the manager at the furnace, and John Campbell was a clerk aged 25 years.  Mr. Ellison left Mr. Campbell to superintend the work, and Ellison remained away until homes were built.

John Campbell assisted in building “The Forge” at Hanging Rock from March to August 1833. He went to the site of Lawrence furnace and assisted in its erection as Superintendent under Andrew Ellison from August 1833 to January 1, 1835, then visited his home in Brown county, Ohio two months till March 1835, then returned to Hanging Rock and clerked at the Landing until June 1835, then managed at Mt. Vernon Furnace till July 1846, then moved to Hanging Rock and in September 1850 moved to Ironton.

William Ellison managed at Mt. Vernon from the latter part of 1834 till June 1835, then moved to Hanging Rock until 1838, then moved to Manchester, Ohio, and lived there till his death in 1865.  Mr. Campbell owned and lived in the Andrew Ellison home at Hanging Rock, bought from his widow.  During the early times, James Rodgers lived at Hanging Rock.  In 1852 or 3, Robert Hamilton bought the large house just above Hanging Rock from his son-in-law, Samuel B. Hempstead.  James Rodgers died in 1858.

In June 1848, Davidson’s farm (on which Ironton is now located) was sold.  John Campbell had designed buying it as he supposed that a town would sometime be laid out at that location, even if his own plans to do so should fail.  But in June, he had to attend the Buffalo convention as the district delegate.

He thought the farm would sell for half price, and the convention was important.  While gone, Wm. D. Kelly purchased the farm.  When Mr. Campbell returned, he negotiated with Robert Hamilton to extend the Hanging Rock Rail Road to Chillicothe.  Mr. Campbell was elected President of the Hanging Rock & Chillicothe Rail Road and Mr. Dempsey Secretary.  But their proposition did not suit Mr. Hamilton, and they refused his proposition.

Mr. Campbell then quietly urged old Mr. Dempsey and Mr. Willard et al. the purchased land at Storms Creek above Hanging Rock and above Storms Creek for the location of a town and terminal of another railroad.  And here is an interesting episode.  On the evening of October 31, 1848, Mr. Jas. O. Willard and Mr. John Peters met on the road as they passed Hanging Rock and their respective furnaces.

They stopped and talked about the scheme’s failure to build at Hanging Rock and of the project, as talked of by John Campbell, to build a railroad above Hanging Rock and locate a town.  These two gentlemen turned their horse’s heads to the “Rock” and, riding all night, waked Mr. Campbell up just before daylight.  His astonishment at the sudden awakening was great, but he was delighted to find they favored the new town.

The next day, November 1, 1848, an article was drawn up in which they agreed to stand by Mr. Campbell in his land purchases for the town.  At that time, Dr. Caleb Briggs had his office beside Mr. Campbell and signed the agreement.  James W. Means, a brother-in-law of Mr. Campbell, also signed, making five signers.[2]  Mr. Campbell, the same day bought two farms from William D. Kelly and authorized him to purchase other farms.

This was done quietly.  Mr. Kelly reported daily as he passed Hanging Rock from his home below on the river, people wondered where he procured the money for such large purchases.   See page 124 of this (scrap) book, and see the printed memorial to the Legislature of the Ohio Iron & Coal Co., dated six years later, in April 1854, signed by the stockholders.

Dr. Caleb Briggs prepared it, Secretary, who, on page 4, states three objectives in view. First, a railroad. Second, a location of a manufacturing town. Third, using stone coal instead of charcoal in making pig iron, and adding in parenthesis “(which for a long time had been entertained by Mr. John Campbell and your memorialist, and before they were personally known to each other).”

Mr. Campbell told his family that he did not know if others had thought of it.  On page 105 of this (scrap) book, Jas. (or Jos.) W. Dempsey writes Mr. Campbell that he “forestalled” him in the proposal of carrying out these plans.  It may have been thought of by several persons independently, but Dr. Brigg’s printed statement in 1854 precludes the thought that Mr. Campbell obtained the idea from him.

Mr. Campbell held the principal stock in the “Star Nail Mill” building in about 1854.  The old Rolling Mill was built in 1852-3 by a party of Welshmen from Pittsburg. They failed and were bought out by John Campbell and John Peters.  Mr. Campbell bought into the Zanesville Rolling Mill in 1856-7 and became a director.

Page 108-B.

Mr. John Campbell several times stated that in naming Ironton, he had wished to include the word “iron.” The addition of “ton” seemed to be the best way, a “ton” of “iron,” an iron ton: and no doubt Mr. George T. Walton has given the correct details of the final conclusion in his letter of February 25th, 1901, to the Ironton Register.

Mr. Campbell stated that while clerking for J. Riggs & Co. and “The Forge” was building, he concluded that the company did not care for his services because they did not express themselves on the subject.  So he quietly had his trunk taken down the river for the steamboat to leave.  As it was disappearing over the bank, Andrew Ellison espied it and called him back.  The explanations resulted in his remaining in this iron district.  Andrew B. Ellison and Robt. Hamilton was also with John Campbell as builders of Mt. Vernon Furnace in 1833.

Mr. Campbell was employed by  J. Riggs & Co. at The Forge and Lawrence Furnace for one year and ten months, and his salary made part of the loan he made that company, for his expenses were but little in the woods.  He had a little less than $1,000 when he first came to Hanging Rock.  His subscription to build Mt. Vernon was by borrowing, which had to be repaid in 1835 and later.  For this purpose, he arranged to procure funds from his father and his Aunt Fidella Hopkins of Ripley, Ohio., upon his home visit in July 1835.

As Mt. Vernon was very profitable, he was enabled to subscribe largely to the building of Greenup (Hunnewell) in 1844, Olive Furnace in 1846, and Gallia Furnace in 1847; and these furnaces kept him in funds for building Keystone in 1849, Howard in 1853, Washington 1853, Monroe 1856, and other enterprises.

It didn’t take very much money to erect the very early furnaces.  The Hot Blast had not been invented.  A small engine furnished the blast at the base of the stack – enough air to make one ton of iron daily.  The pioneer ironmen let the gas from the furnace escape into the open air and patiently fired the boiler with stone coal.

One ton of iron required a little over two tons of the rich red ore on the outcrop and about 250 bushels of charcoal.  Two ore carts with oxen would haul the fuel, ore, and a little limestone.  The charcoal was made next (to) the furnace in clearing the ground to build upon and for farming.  After 1840, furnaces expanded, and more money was spent on lands and buildings. [3] (The End)

[1] See the account of Ellison’s grave in Howe’s History of Ohio.  This Andrew Ellison was a first cousin of Mary B. Ellison, the mother of Mrs. John Campbell.  Andrew Ellison’s father, Andrew, was captured by the Indians. See also Howe’s History of Ohio.  The ancestor of all the Ellisons was John Ellison, born in 1730 at Six-Mile Cross, County Tyrone, Ireland. He emigrated in 1785 and, with General Nathaniel Massie, founded Manchester, Ohio, the fourth settlement in the State of Ohio in 1790.

In April 1907, Mr. John Means of Ashland, Ky., wrote us that Andrew Ellison, for whom John Campbell superintended the building of Lawrence Furnace, or “Crane’s Nest Furnace, in 1833, was his mother’s uncle who was buried above ground at the Ellison homestead at Hanging Rock; the deed for same from his widow to John Campbell reserves 20 feet square for a burial ground for said Andrew Ellison’s body (see page 143 of this (scrap) book for original deed.

[2] See page 107 of this (scrap) book.

[3] The foregoing remarks on furnace conditions that existed 75 years ago, when Hecla, Vesuvius, Lawrence, and Mt. Vernon Furnaces were built.