Ironton Register July 4, 1895 – Death – Captain William T. Scoville died at Jeffersonville, Indiana, last Monday. He was formerly a resident of Burlington, Ohio, and Ironton, Ohio. In the former place, he spent his boyhood days.
In Ironton, Ohio, he was engaged in business between 1856 and 7. He was one of the parties who built the old machine shop, on Fourth, near the gas works. He was associated with the Kounses in the southern steamboat trade and made considerable money. He was a pleasant and honorable gentleman. Many of the older citizens remember him kindly.
Montgomery Advertiser 27 Oct. 1874
Captain W. T. Scovell’s Death In Jeffersonville of The Red River Veteran.
Sketch of an Old-Time Steam boatman Whom Stonewall Jackson Honored and Relied Upon as a Soldier.
Jeffersonville, Ind., July 1. – Captain William T. Scovell, of New Orleans, aged sixty-nine years, died here today at 1:15 o’clock.
One week ago Captain Scovell arrived here to superintend the erection of a steamer for the Red River Packet Company, in which he is a large stockholder and was kept constantly busy until taken ill Friday evening.
That day he complained of feeling bad, and being advised to retire to his room did so. A physician was summoned, who immediately pronounced his condition as very serious.
Every possible effort by the ablest physicians in the city to help him was fruitless, and he gradually grew worse. Realizing that the end was near, the physicians recommended that his wife be sent for. This was done, and his son, Captain Frank Scovell, arrived yesterday. Realizing that the end was near, he gave instructions in regard to his property, etc.
At 11 o’clock today a sudden change for the worse was noticed, and a physician was hastily sent for, but on his arrival, he saw that nothing could be done. Death came at 1:15 o’clock this afternoon.
Captain Scovell’s wife will arrive at 12 o’clock tonight and the remains will be taken to New Orleans for interment. The Red River Line yesterday received a telegram from Captain Ed. Howard, of Jeffersonville, Ind., that Captain W. Scovell, of this city, had died in Jeffersonville at 1 o’clock yesterday afternoon, as an attack of heart trouble by which he was prostrated last Saturday.
Captain Scovell was apparently in perfect health when he left here a week ago last Sunday evening, with his son, Frank Scovell, to arrange with Captain Howard for the building of two boats for the Red River trade, one of which was to be of about 1200 bales capacity and the other about 2000 bales. He contracted with Captain Howard for the smaller of the two boats last Tuesday.
The first intimation of his illness was received here in the form of a telegram from Captain Howard to Captain Drown, which said that while figuring on the work for the larger boat Captain Scovell was attacked by his old-time enemy, heart trouble. That was Sunday morning.
A second telegram, received at 8 o’clock Sunday night, said that Captain Scovell was improving, but at 1 o’clock today a third message announced that Captain Scovell had taken a turn for the worse and that his condition was critical. Three hours later came word that the veteran steamboat man had died at 1 o’clock yesterday afternoon.
Captain Scovell was married in 1851 or 52 to Miss Mary Dillon, whose sister married Captain John Kouns, Captain Scovell’s life-long partner. A brother of Mmes. Scovell and Kouns married Captain Kouns’ sister and live on the farm in Lawrence County, Ohio, on which Captain Scovell was reared, and which Captain Scovell’s father bought from Captain Kouns’ uncle.
Captain Scovell leaves his widow and one son, Captain Frank Scovell, a steamboat man, and two brothers, Capt. Noah Scovell and Matt. L. Scovell, both of whom are old Red River boatmen.
Captain Noah Scovell is spending the summer at Hot Springs, and Captain Matt Scovell is at present in command of the new steamer Imperial, which was built by Ed Howard under the supervision of the deceased, and which, while plying in Red River, has broken all records as a Red River carrier.
On one trip she brought out 3610 bales of cotton. On another trip, she brought to this city cotton, cotton-seed meal, and oil cake the equal of 4440 bales of 500 pounds each. This trip was the last that Captain Scovell, then in command of the Imperial, made on a steamboat as its captain.
Mrs. Scovell left for Jeffersonville as soon as she heard of Captain Scovell’s illness. She left here by the night train Sunday over the Louisville and Nashville road and was expected to reach Jeffersonville at 2 o’clock this morning. The lives of Captain Scovell and Captain John Kouns, who mourns his loss here, have been strangely close throughout nearly seventy years.
Captain Scovell was born in Burlington, Ohio, in November 1825, but when he was eight years old his father bought from Captain Kouns’ uncle the farm one mile from the farm of Captain Kouns’ father, in Lawrence County, Ohio, and Willie Scovell and John Kouns grew up together in a friendship destined to last throughout their lives.
They went to school together, and even had the same objects of youthful adoration without a breach of their friendship, finally growing into useful manhood as business partners to marry sisters. It was in 1846, when the deceased was twenty-one years old, that Captain Kouns’ father decided to bring a boatload of farm products to this city.
Farmer Kouns made the trip on a small steamer, bringing his two sons, George L. Kouns and John Kouns, and young Scovell with him. Almost as soon as the three young men got here they decided to go into the steamboat business for themselves.
They bought the little steamboat Laura and put her into the Bayou Bartholomew trade, the next spring doing business under the firm name of G. L. Kouns & Bro., and running all the Eras in the Red River trade before the war.
Captain Scovell’s war record was splendid. He was a favorite with Stonewall Jackson and Lee knew his value to the Stonewall Brigade. Captain Scovell and Captain George Kouns went from here to Virginia together in 1861 as members of one of Louisiana’s most noted commands, Zulowski’s battalion.
He was shortly transferred to the immortal Jackson’s brigade and placed by Jackson in command of the pontoon department. Subsequently, Gen. Taylor asked for his transfer to service in Louisiana, claiming that as he was a citizen of this State the exigencies of war here entitled this section of the South to his services. Jackson flatly refused to consent to Captain Scovell’s removal of his troops, and Gen. Taylor appealed the matter to President Davis.
President in turn referred the matter to Gen. Lee, who agreed with Jackson, that Captain Scovell was too valuable a man in Virginia to permit his transfer to Louisiana. After Jackson’s death, Captain Scovell was transferred to Fifteenth Louisiana, in Early’s command, and during the raid into Maryland was one of the officers in charge of the burning of Chancellorsville in retaliation for Sherman’s action in the South.
After the war the firm of George L. Kouns & Bro. Was dissolved and Captain Scovell and Captain John Kouns leased the Canal Street ferry in 1866 for a term of ten years. Then they bought the Tidal Wave, which they subsequently sold.
Then the Red River Line was formed with Captain Kouns and Scovell among the stockholders, and the deceased bought the Belle Roland. Since the formation of the Red River Line, he has been one of its leading members. He was also a large owner in and vice-president of the Good Intent Dry Dock and a member of the Continental Guards.
It is not positively known here whether the body will be brought here for interment or buried in the old Scovell place in Lawrence County, Ohio, which is now owned by Mr. Dillon, the brother-in-law of Messrs. Kouns and Scovell and the husband of Captain Kouns’ sister.**
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