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UC Magazine

Hollywood s tar gives up silver screen to teachc l a s s i c s

Evelyn Venablea l s o h a d s t a r

s t a t u s w i t h h e rs t u d e n t s

by Jo e Ell io t t

Stunning small-town

Midwestern girl, smart andpopular in school, joinsdrama club, grabs l eads inschool plays, tours withprofessional acting troupe,gets discovered by big-time Hollywood producer,b e c o m e s film star

appearing with suchcelebrities as Shirley

Temple, KatharineHepburn and W.C. Fields

P H O TO G A L L E Ry 11 OF 381 Lovely a n d e t h er e a l in looks , a i i f l o i i i l e

i i i iassbrni ra m nature- is hoyy I b e i n l e n i el Movie Dalabase d e s c r i b e s a u m r a

(htlD / /magazine uc edu/conlent>da[TVm3aazine/ imaaes/0912/yer iaBle/EV Eariv JPG>

Although it could h av e b ee n t he b as i s of a classic movie script, th e scenariodescribes the life of UC alumna Evelyn Venable, att . '33. At least , i t's half he r story.Long after sh e stepped away from cameras , the Hollywood starlet entered a newkind of performance space, on e in which sh e transformed herself into adistinguished teacher whose legacy still lives on today nearly two decades after herd e a t h

Born in Cincinnati in 1913, Evelyn wa s the only child of a tight-knit family that valuededucation above all else. Her father, Emerson, wa s an English instructor andclassics scholar. Her grandfather, William Henry Venable, was a t e ache r and anoted author of 20 books of poetry and history.

At various t imes , both m en ta ugh t atWalnut Hills High School in Cincinnati,th e same school where Evelyn ha d leadroles in several plays. After graduation,sh e attended Vassar College, then theUniversity of Cincinnati's College ofArtsan d Sciences before joining with th eWalter Hampden acting t roupe, atraveling thespian company. Hampden, afamous Broadway actor, cast he r innumerous first-rate Shakespeareanproductions.

Reportedly sh e wa s spotted by aParamount scout while playing Opheliain Hamlet and soon signed a fi lmcontract. Between 1933-43, she starredor appeared in numerous popularproductions, including David Harumwith Will Rogers, Mrs. Wiggs of th eCabbage Patch with W.C. Fields, T heLittle Colonel with Shirley Temple, AliceAdams with Katharine Hepburn an dFred MacMurray, 'Vagabond Lady withRobert Young, Lucky Cisco Kid withC e s a r R o m er o a n d P inocch io a s t h e

voice of the Blue Fairy. (She also may

e UCedij''conieni,'d3(n.'magszine'imagea/09l 2'venable/Evelyn

Venable in Black.jpg)

http://magazine.uc.edu/issues/0912A^enable.html

M o r e f ro m t h i s i ss u e

Sep tember 2012Never p i c tu red Iw o u l d

Fight for safer foodWalk out alive

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s t o r i e s

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P a s t I s s u e s

(hltp / /magazine uc.edu/issues nimi)

Browse our archive of UC Magazine pasti s s u e s

Like 0 T w M t :0- - ()

( ) (1

E d it o r s P i ck s

(http //magazine.uc eau/issues/i2lO/enfl-Qf-ihB-wond fitml)

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( h l l D i / Z m s Q a z i ne . u c . e d u / is s u e s / 1 2 1 0 /e n d - o M h e - v r o r1 d . h l m l )

UC professor on end-of-world talk.(hRp://magazlne.uc.edu/lssues/12lO/end-oMhe-vrorld.html)

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(hnp: / /maaazine.uc.edu/favori ies^web-

o n l v / i o n e s r e s l o n s h l m l )

Butch Jones leaves UC for Vols job.(hRp://magazlne.uc.edu/favorile /weD-

only/jones^resjgns.html)

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UC.ArtSciOHY H the McMickenPiitfe Agrad cap stickers came in early Get them iNOW at th e Bookstore or French Westfrontdesk pic.twitter.com/tUPbTXUs j2 boors ago reply retweet favorite

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Jaelynne R. Johnson for appearing on ESPNUnite tonight 9:30pm ESTto talk about the#HottestCoHegeinAmerica3 houn ago f^ly *r^tvreet *favorite

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Today ' s Headlines

N e w m e d i c a t i o n fo r d e p r e s s i o n

fMlp://heallhnews.uc.edu/nevYSf?/2161 in

UC researchers study new treatment tocombat depression.

(hitp://healifinews.uaedu/news'?/21611/)

1 0 0 0 0 0 d o n o r g o a l

r h l l p7 iwww uc edu /news /NR a5Px^ id=17041 i

President Santa On o announces goal of100,000 donors for ongoing campaign,(hp://www.ud.edu/newsfNR.aspx?id=l704i)

M o r e d e g r e e s m o r e e m p l o y m e n t

rh t ip / /www uc edu /news /NR a s p x 7 i d = 1 7 0 3 4 1

Th e more four-year degrees earned, thehigher the employment rate.{http://wvvw.uc.edo/new8/NR.aspx?id=1703A)

have been the model for the fairy.)

Interestingly, Evelyn's initial contractstipulated that sh e did not have to cuthe r long hair or pose for leg art . Whilesh e m ay h av e requested these clauses.It is a ls o c le ar t ha t P a ra m o u n t e x ec u ti v es

wanted to maintain h e r w h o le s o me ,

Midwestern image as a publicity tool.

He r fine features, swan-like form an d

beautiful speaking voice seemed justright for roles cal ling for a poet ic type ofactress. But in th e period of th e brassy,high-chassis platinum blondes like JeanHarlow an d M a e Wes t, s he w as also

going agains t the popular type.

The s tudio ' s cha llenge wa s to createroles that fit her image as a somewhatdemure ingenue , ye t allowed he r to growartistically. This wa s a lot to hope for Inan e r a w h en m o st a ct or s h ad to fit within

very limited molds defined by studios.

At the very start of he r career, Evelynf o un d a d i r ec to r w h o k ne w ho w to

showcase he r delicate beauty an d bringout t he best in he r as a p er fo rm er Mitchell Leisen, wh o would go on todirect some 50 films. He directed Evelynas th e female s ta r in he r first film, Cradle Song, then in her bigges t hit, Death Takes a Holiday, an unusual talein which Death, played by Fredric March,takes a brief holiday from his usualgrim tolls by temporarily assuming

h u m a n f o r m .

March received to p billing because hewa s already an established star.Nevertheless, th e production's h e ar t a nd

soul is Evelyn, wh o wa s praised forbeing luminous and radiant in he rperformance as Grazia. Leisen's realfocus wa s apparently on Evelyn, so thatw h at e ve r o dd m a gi c this film possessedemanated directly from her charac ter.His efforts paid off handsomely as themovie wa s a huge commercial hit.

Unfortunately, Death Takes a Holiday

represents the high watermark of EvelynVenable's movie career in many ways.Certainly, sh e would never again appearIn a film w h e re t he d i r ec to r u s e d h er s o

wisely or where sh e ha d th e opportunity

to f lower quite so fully as sh e did withthat production.

iiloy Temple r ;i The Lit lleColoiioT in 1935.

uc edu/contenL'dani/ma9a2ineiimages'0912'i/enable/Evelyn

Venabia Temple.]pg)

No t tha t sh e wouldn' t go on to other

very c u r r e n t n e w s (hltp //magazine uc edu/news.html)

years. Her last film, He Hired the Boss, /httD://www.uc.edu/iwas rel^cj SyBl^H^ iS http://magazine.uc.edu//amousaiumni.himi)ABOUTUS hltp://ma9azine.uc.edu/abouius.niml)

http://magazine.uc.eduyissues/0912A^enable.html

MULTIMEDI A (http://magazine.uc.edu/media.hlml)

Published by University Relattpns 3300 Two Edwards

Center PO B o x 2 1 0 1 41 Cmannat i , OH 45221-

0141 Contac i : U C M a g a z in e

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By this time, sh e ha d married two-timeOscar-winning cinematographer HalMohr a nd w a s starting to raise a family.Her daughter Rosalia Mohr Woodsonexplained that her mother left theindustry mostly because it wa s transitioning from period films, which

sh e adored wearing gorgeouscostumes, playing genteel and well-mannered charac te r s , t o m or e m o de rn

projects with more unpleasant , screwed-up characters,

Also, when my sis te r, Dolores , and Icame into th e picture, sh e chose to be

an a t -home, hands-on mother, saysWo o d s o n ,

By the 1950s, Evelyn had returned toa c a d e m i c s an d w a s en ro l l ed a t UCLA

majoring in Latin studies. Sh e completeda bachelor s degree in 1956 an d he rmaster s two years later. Immediately,the university hired her as a full-timelecturer in the c lassics department.

Current UCLA c lass ics professor Rober tGurva says t h at s ch oo l r e co r ds showEvelyn began teaching at UCLAwhilestill working on her ow n graduatedegree. Her teaching load alone wa s

enormous, including courses in Latinp r os e a n d composition. Taking on such atask wa s extraordinary for someonewh o ha d not ye t received he r ow ndegree, he says,

During her teaching career, sh e usuallyaveraged only about three to four hoursof sleep, s e v en d a y s a week, Rosaliarecalls. S he spent t he r es t of th e timepreparing for he r classes, preparing andgrading tests. Sh e wa s a perfectionist,

Moreover, it wa s as ifall those years ofhard work as an actress had ac tua l lybeen in preparation for the one s t agew h e r e s h e w a s m e a n t to s h in e m o s t

brilliantly, th e classroom. And shine sh edid.

Not only did th e charismatic Evelyn havea passion for an d expert knowledge ofancient languages, the former starletknew ho w to present itin w ay s t ha t h erstudents found exhilarating an d

challenging.

P a t Wickham, a fo rmer s tudent wh o took

Greek with Mrs. Mohr, s ay s s h e w a s o neo f h e r b e st t ea c he rs a t U C L A . B e c a u s e

of her background in acting, sh e wa swonderful in reciting Greek aloud.

VT

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D E AT H T A K E SX , A h ol id a y; ,-

iliOay, s ta inng Venable and

jiiilesty of Jerry Mui bach

dam mag Bzine/imagesr0912 v9nable/DealbTakesHolldlay.jpg)

http://magazine.uc.edu/issues/0912/Venable.html

BEARCAT ~T S

In 1SS6. UC g r a d Albert Hague

composed th e How th e Grinch Sto leC h r i s t m a s s c o r e fo r Dr . S e u s s . w h o

instantly fell in love with You re aM e an O n e. Mr. Grinch an d gave hi mth e job.

c H a v e A n o th e r

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Evelyn's recital of Dido's speeches(attributed to an ancient Carthagequeen) wa s th e best I'd ever heard. Iremember sh e a l wa y s h a d a wonderfulsmile on he r face. Sh e wa s so charmingand friendly and helpful to all he rstudents, sh e says.

In addition to teaching, sh e producedand direc ted a play each spring. Thesewere amazing, Wickham adds, allpresented in the Latin or Greek withoriginal music and costumes. After Ifinished at UCLA, I brought my highschool classes to these plays.

On e of th e most moving testaments ofEvelyn's impact as a teacher comes fromformer s tuden t Bruce Thorn ton ,

distinguished c lass ics professor at

California State University. Tounderstand t he i m pa c t sh e ha d on me ,know tha t I c a m e to UCLA from a rural

c at tl e r an c h, t h e f irst in my family toattend university. Th e world of learning,books, culture an d Hollywood stars, ofcourse, w as as distant a n d s t ra n ge asM a r s

What Impressed me first about Mrs.M o h r w a s th e w o m a n herself : S h e w a s

formal, bu t with humor an d grace. Sh espoke beautifully, bu t with warmth, witan d a genuine interest in what you weresaying.

Of course, sh e wa s gorgeous, e ve n a t

60. Sh e always dressed as on e wouldthink a ret i red movie s t a r would h e r

hair a nd m ak eu p perfect, her c lo thes

elegant.

The fact tha t someone so striking an dsmart took interes t in a count ry k id likem e wa s critical. Her grac ious empathyovercame my defensive suspicion thatthis strange new world wa s full of smartas s city-boys who thought they werebetter than I, he continues.

S he s a w p a st ai l of t h at a nd cultivatedmy abilities. Sh e showed me that nothingelse mattered except talent, that mybackground wa s no Impediment to myaspirations to be as cultured and learnedas those with greater advantages, thatth e only true elite comprised those whodeveloped their abilities ye t remainedhumane an d who, like her, didn t take

themselves too seriously.

Evelyn Venable Mohr, who died in 1993at ag e 80. wa s a star in two realms th e movies an d th e c lass room. H er 2 0-

plus years as a UCLA instructor of

tc1for David Hanim with Venable and Will Rogers,

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Hollywood actress/alumna goes from screen to classroom, University of Cincinnati

languages turned ou t to be a stellarengagement in which sh e changedc o u n t l e s s l ives .

Pass ion went into he r work, saysConrad Barrett, on e of her colleagues In th e classroom, sh e used h e r d r a m at i cskills to help inspire an d clarify things.

S he bel ieved tha t the development ofth e mind wa s a great thing an d urgeds t u d e n t s to work h a r d t o w a rd t h is n o b l e

e n d H e r s t u d e n ts w e r e m ov ed t o d o

bet te r than they might have done for aless Inspired an d effective teacher.

Perhaps Professor Thornton sums Itupbest, S he s ho we d m e that learning,

beauty, elegance an d humanity could

coexist In th e same person.

More photo gallery imagesClick an y photo to enlarge images an d toenter photo gallery.

Author Jo e Elliott Is a classic m ov ie f an w ho spent a

g r e a t d e a l o f time researching Evelyn Venable. Evelyn sdaughter Rosalia helped with th e article, a longerversion of which originally appeared in Classic Imagesmagazine. I'd love to he a r from anyone w ho m i gh t w is hto as k a question about EV o r h a s something he/shewould l ike to share., Elliott says. You ca n contact himhere (elliottwnc^aol.com tm i to elliott,vnc aol comi .

Elliott dedicates the art icle in memory of Evelyn sdaughter Dolores Mohr Lofgren who diedlas t year.

At light: Evelyn Venable holds daughter Dolores as a baby.

ine.uc.edu/conieni/darn/magazine/image8/09i2/venaBle/l936

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W a s C o l u m b i a P i c t u r e s 9 3 6

Torch Lady an illustration ofV e n a b l e ?

Evelyn Venable believed sh e wa s th em o d e l fo r t h e 1 9 3 6- 7 6 v e rs io n o f th e

famous Columbia Pictures logo, th eTorch Lady, according to he r daughterRosalia Mohr Wo od s on . T h e i m ag e ofth e tall, s lender woman holding aloft aburning torch Is on e of the most familiarIn a t of film.

But Evelyn had never given th e studiopermission to us e he r Image, Rosaliaadds. My mother said that sh e neverwa s asked, nor gave, permission toColumbia. O f c o u r se , in that e ra , t he

studios did pretty much what theyw a n t e d

In recent years we have attempted toge t info f rom the s tudio, but all we gotw a s no c o m m e n t o r w e don t know. A s

far a s I'm c o n ce r n ed , t h a t s her.

(hup .imagaziiiB ucsdu

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Hollywood actress/alumna goes from screen to classroom, University of Cincinnati

R e a d a shor t UC M a g a z i n e article on

E v el y n Ve n a b le .

i h n p / f m a a a z i n e u c e d u / f a m o u sa l u m n i / m o vi e s J Ve n a bl e h l m h

Loony card I VeriHti le wiih Kcni Tayloi ir

her first film. Cradle Song, in 1933

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Ve n a b l e dd / f co r. n .

Takes a Holiday in 1934

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spooky lifllofale involving family ;oweis

an d a soundproof inysienous vauff

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Induc ted mto l l ie S i * Nat ions Al l i ance .

Venable was renamed Princess Laughing

Eyes From Ihe left are chiefs Two Eagles(Siou*), White E ag le R ed Star

(Chnrokees) and Running Deer (Iroguois)

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~,ikes a Holiday

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she wa s ftie inspitafloti for the art . loo

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t h e P a r a m ou n t s tudiocafe i n c l ud e d ( I r pm

the tell) Helen Mack, ida Liipmo, Joe

Morrison an d Evelyn Venable

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Hollywood actress/alumna goes from screen to classroom, University of Cincinnati

'My moiher fa r :or c oiries and

wa s always wcll-dtessed.* says daughlcf

R o s al i a M o n r w o o d s o n

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Hollywood actress/alumna goes from screen to classroom University of Cincinnati

Aulhor EiiioU calls inis photo uptown girl

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Waynesville, Ohio ~ Connections wi th th e PastSamuel Heighway from Shropshire, England founded Waynesville, Ohio in 1797. His set t lement wa s honed ou t of

the woods and clung tenaciously to th e side of a steep hill overlooking th e flood plain of th e meandering LittleMiamiRiver. It was a tiny hamlet of a few log cabins and a tavei n e nc ir cl ed by a dense and undistur bed

wilderness. However, Waynesville s growth, and the se t tl ement of th e surrounding area, would be phenomenal

during Its first decade du e to th e influx of pioneers.

T U E S D A Y A U G U S T 3 0 2 0 0 5

William Henry Venable

William Henry Venable, the son of Will iam and Hannah (Baird)Venable, was boni three miles southwest of Waynesville, Ohio Warren

Co.) on April 29,1836. Friend William Venable was a Quaker and anabolitionist, a siineyor, a t eacher and a farmer. Th e couple with their

fo ur c hi ld ren m ov ed to Venable Station , a short distance fi om

Ridge\ille, Ohio when William Henry was six years old. Living nearSpringboro, he had access to the Springboro lending library. Brilliant

an d erudite, he quickly ou t grew local schools an d libraries and desired ahigher education. To earn money for his education he began teaching inNovember of 1854 in a one-room schoolhouse at Sugar Grove near

Waynesville. He was paid 60 a day. He received private instructionfrom Dr . Alfred Holbrook who was the principal of th e National

Normal School located in Lebanon, Ohio. W . H . Venable also

a t t ended th e Norma l S c h oo l as a s tu d en t a n d l at er w as a t eache r in th e

same institution intermittently from 1855-1861). He was versatile andeclectic in his interests. As a teenager he began writing for local

newspapers and became an authority the literary history of the

http://waynesgenhis.blogspot.eom/2005/08/william-henry-venable.html

A b o u t M e

N a m e :

Karen Campbell

L o c a t i o n :

Waynesville, Ohio, United

S t a t e s

i am th e genealogy librarian a t Th e

Mary L. Cook Public Library in

Waynesville, Ohio. I am interested

in all aspects of our local history

bu t my special interest is in mid-

western Quaker history an d

genealogy. I h av e a u th o re d a n d

compiled some books: Quaker

Education an d Miami Valley

Institute; A Hicksite Quaker

College, Murder in Waynesville: Th eAnderson Tragedy. Obituaries and

D e a t h Not ices f o u n d in th e Miami-

Visitor Weekly Newspaper of

Waynesville. etc. , an d Friendly

R e s e a r c h : An I n t r o d u c t i o n to

Quaker Genealogical Research, etc.

I feel that th e history an d legacy of

Th e Society of Friends in this area

of Ohio is interesting, significantand edifying. Th e history of

Waynesville, Ohio is a microcosm of

American history. Waynesville wasa town made up of a diverse group

of pioneers an d it s development

paralleled th e diversity, th estruggles an d th e growth o f t he

U n i t e d S t a t e s I a m a lso i n t e r e s t e d

in th e history and cultu re of other

local towns, villages and hamlets in

th e area, for example,

Harveysburg, Ohio. ND as you can

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Waynesville, Ohio ~ Connections with the Past: William Henry Venable Page 2 of 6

Miami Valley. He married M a ry A n n Vater, th e daughter of Thomasan d Elinor P a lm e r Va te r of London, on December 30th, 1861 in

Indianapolis, Indiana. They ha d eight children:

R u s s e l l V e m o n V e n a b l e

V i c to r V e n a b l e

Mar y Venabl e Will iam Mayo Venable Bryant Venable E m e r s o n Ve n a b l e

U n a V e n a b l e

William H. Venable received an honoraiy degree of Master of Artsfrom De Pauw University in 1864 and an honoraiy degree of Doctor ofLaws from Ohio University in 1886. He was the principal of theJennings Academy at Vernon, Indiana fo r about a year. He a lso wasone of the ed ito rs of th e Indiana School Journal. Fo r a quarter of a

centuiy he taught at the Chickering Institute in Cincinnati. He becameth e principal an d proprietor of this school in 1881. He was a p op ul arguest speaker at Miami Valley College and other local colleges.Beginning in 1886 he spen t th ree years writing an d lecturing in cit ies

and towns in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and West Virginia.He was famous for hi s humorous l ec tu re , Thomas Tadmore , abou t th e

pathos of boy life. During the last decade of the 19th centuiy he activelypromoted a liberal reform of education as the chairman of theDepartment of English at both Hughesand WalnutHills High Schools inCincinnati . He authored 22 textboolts of poetty, f ic tion, phi losophy,essays, as well as annotations of English l iterature. He wrote A School

History of the UnitedStates, which became a standard textbook in Ohioand two volumes of poetry: June on the Miami and Melodies of theHeart . The poem he is most known for is The Teacher s Dream .

From 1875 on th e Venable family l ived at Diana Place a suburban

homestead east of Cincinnati proper in the hills overlooking the OhioRiver. William Henry Venable died in 1920 and is buried inCincinnati. See, Historical Collections of Ohio in Tiuo Volumes: AnEncyclopedia of the State, VolumeII, by Henry Howe Noivvalk Ohio:The Laning Printing Co, Public Printers, 1896) pp. 772-775-

Other books wTitten by W. H. Venable are: Amateur Actor, A

Collection (ed.) in 1874, Dramatic Scenes from the Best Author.s in1874, TheSchool Stage in 1873, Footprints of the Pioneers in the OhioValley in 1888, Down South Before the War in 1889, Beginnings ofLiterary Culture in the Ohio Valley in 1891, John Hancock, Educatorin 1892, Tales from Ohio History , in 1896, Selections from Burns,Byron an d Wordsworth in 1898, The Last Flight in 1894, Life an dPoems of General W. H. Lytle in 1894, Let Him First be a Man in1894, A Dream of Empire, or the House of Blennerhasset in 1901, Tom Tad, a Novel in 1902, The Literature of Ohio Centennial Sketchin 1903 and Saga of the Oak, an d Other Poems in 1903-

http://waynesgeiihis.blogspot.eom/2005/08/william-henry-venable.html

also tell f rom my blog,

Conversations with my Cats , I lovec a t s

View my complete profile

P r e vi o us P o s ts

Temperance in Waynesville

Coates Kinney

Another Murder in Waynesville? -Captain William R...

J. Drew Sweet (1839-1893) -P u b l i s h e r o f t h e Miami . . .

Triple Murder in Waynesvil le -Wil l ie A n d e r s o n

Suicide in Waynesville - Richard

P. Wil l iamson

Judge John W. Keys

General Timeline of Waynesville,Ohio History Lat...

T h e Li t t le M i am i R i ve r t h a t

separates Waynesville...

Waynesville Depot in Corwin,O h i o

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Waynesville Ohio ~ Connections withthe Past: William Henry Venable Page 3 o f 6

William Venable, the father of William Henry Venable, was theson of William and Rachel Crossham Venable, according to theNational Cyclopedia of American Biography, p. 364, and he was asurveyor, then a teacher an d then a farmer. He was a descendant ofAbraham Venable, an Englishman of Norman lineage, who emigratedfrom Cheshire, England to Virginia, in 1680 (Biographies of NotableAmericans, 1904). William was bom February 18,1798 in New Jereeyan d settled fii st in Chester Township, Clinton Co., Ohio an d then movedto Ridgeville, Ohio, Warren Co when his son William Henry was sixyears old (1842). He died Februaiy 1,1871 in Warren Co., Ohio. He wasmarried to Hannah Baird, the daughter of Bedent and SarahB r i t t o n Baird , in October of 1826. Wil l iam an d H a n n a h Ve n a b l e

had five chi ldren:

John Quincy Venable Sarah Newell Venable (1833)

William Henry Venable (April 29th, 1836)

Cynthia J a n e Venable (1839) (1843)-

William Henry Venable refers to his fether in the short stoiy, Goingdown to Cincinnati:A Boy s Journey Half a Century Ago :

Theshriek of the locomotivewas unheard in the woods when myfather surveyeduncleared acres near the Little Miami, an d aided by neighbors with handspike an d

ax, raised a rus ti c house an d home, a mansion of logs chiefly ash an d sassafras, or

sassafax , as the w o rd w a s p ro n ou nc ed by th e f a rm e rs . F u rt h er on in the story

when they have arrived in Cincinnati he says, My father, always deeply interested

in public institutions an d in architecture, guided me to the principal hotels, the

amrthouse, an d the churches, no t omi tt ing the Synagogue . He took particular

pleasure in pointing ou t St. Xavier s College an d St. Peter s Cathedral, and, though

no t a Catho lic went with me to see Bishop Purcell. No r di d he d ep ri ve me of

pleasures less serious. At nightfal l he conducted me, in the glare of street-lamps, to

auction-rooms, to gratify my curiosi ty wi th s ights an d sounds the like of which the

farm never sa w or heard. But the opportunity, which, in common with thousands of

country boys, I c ou ld l ea s t t hi nk of f or e go i ng , l ua s that of visiting Monsieur J.

Dorfeu Hte s Western Museum, of which I had heard many a wonderful tale. On the

second evening of their stay in Cincinnati, my fa ther, dear comrade, took me to the

theater, the Old National on Sycamore Stree t. We sa t in the front ro w of the

balcony. There wa s a double bill, the opening drama being J oh n H ow a rd Payne s

tragedy, Brutus; or the Fall ofTarquin (The Hesperian Tree: A Souvenir of the

Ohio Valley edited by J oh n J am e s Piat t [North Bend, Ohio: John Scott and Co.,

1900), pp. 127-139).

William H. Venable is also famous for a poem entitled, WilliamBaird of Ridgeville . William V. Baird was his uncle, the youngestbrother o f hi s mothe r a n n a h a i r d Ve n a b l e . W i ll ia m V e n ab l e

Baird was a carpenter by trade but was also self-taught and was aremarkably emdite man. He was a great readerand loved great literatureand poetry. He also was a noted botan is t an d pharmacist. In 1862 hevolunteered to fight in the Civil Wa r joining the 79th O.V. I. He attainedth e rank of Sergeant Major dur ing the Civil War. He served as a nuise

http://waynesgenhis.blogspot.coin/2005/08/william-henry-venable.html 3/20/2009

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Waynesville, Ohio ~ Connectionswith the Past: WilliamHenryVenable

during the war and was noted as a marvelous nurse in civilian life afterthe war, too {The Centennial Atlas of Warren County, Ohio, 1903[Lebanon, Ohio: the Centennial Atlas Association, Publishers, 1903), p. 2

A cousin of William Henry Venab le , Wi ll i am Wall ace Ba ird , theson of his uncle Bedent Baird, Jr., was employed at Miami ValleyCollegeand was in charge of the mechanical department from 1872-1874{1882 History of Warren County, Ohio [Chicago: W. H. Beers Co.,1882], pp. 890-891).

Also refer to: The Ancestors an d Descendants o f William HenryVenable, by Henrietta Brady Brown (Cincinnati, 1954). 8vo, vi +198pages oftext and an eight-page index. Digital Edition January 2003,http://ww.digital-editions.com/VENABLE.htm.

Related families include BAIRD, BRADY BULLA,CRALL,LIDDLE,LONGLEY, MACDONALD, MCCOY, PALMER, SUTTON,

TUCKERMAN, VATER, AND WEIFFENBACH.

Alsosee, William VenableLefta Legacy of Writings, Teachings byDallas Bogan,

http://www.rootsweb.com/~oh\varren/Bogan/bogan255.htm

posted by Karen Campbel l @ 8/30/2005 02:32:00 PM 8 c o m m e n t s

8 C o m m e n t s :

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Page 4 of 6

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i JOHN VENABI.Kj; Noa th oiir eyts he faded alowly. :i Growing flay hy day inore frail, :i Bearing- svvcelly all his sufferiiigaI Withoul murimii , moan or wail.

After several years of failingj health, eight week.s of long drearyIdays and night.s between life and;Ideath, ju.st as a new day was he-1Iginning, February 13, iy21 the jjtired heart of tJohn Venable ceased j1to beat an d his aiurit r etjii rned to Ii the One Who g av e i t. ij Born at Red Lion June 13th,11855, the son of Joseph and Eliza-

beth Venable , be ba d reached th eage of 73 year.s and 8 months at ;th e t i m e o f hi s de a th .

Ma y 7, 1892, he wa.s married to IDelia Atkin.son an d they have livedmost happily together, sharing i

Ieach other .s joys and sorrow.s fo r ;jalmost JO yeans. [I Uncle John was a great lover ofI nature and wa s alway.s happyI when he was hunting or fishing injthe nearby streams.

li e was pofj-sessed of a cordial ^ and generous nature an d their i

home wa.s noted for the freiiuenthappy gathering together of relat ives a n d f ri en ds .

A w ar m he ar ted and obliging.neighbor, boiiest in his dealingswith his fellowmosi, willing to a.s-

sist other.s in time of need, Uncle :Joh n will be missed in th e c o m m uni ty iti which h e l iv ed .

B e still sa d hear t an d cease re- ;pining,

B e h i n d t h e c louds th e su n is s t i l l

.shining,Th y fa te i.s th e common fa te of al lI n t o e a c h l i fe s o m e r a i n m u s t fa l l

Some days must In*

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25 4

wishedto have them buriedbesideherself,to keep the familytoeetheras

had .accompaniedfather to Warren County^th 4 k 1 JO ) - We found the graveyard overgrownth weedsand branches, andma state of utter neglect. The log housechurchhadbMnburnedto theground,and the carvingon the gravestoneswas almostobliterated.I askedfatherif he did notwish togetoutof thesurrey and visit the graves,but he declined. Theyare nof there,was

if ^ all hamlet,whereweoundthedecentcotta^ in whichmygrandfatherhadspentthe lastyearsof his l ife, andm ^hich he died. Father did get out and walkpletely around the house,pausing near a window and removinghis hat insilenttokenof reverence. As wedroveback toLebanon, past thecemetery, he asked meto stop. He stood fora moment,uncovered,gazing HB5 D ecetbeill;^^^^^

Colonel Venable, ina letter to HenriettaBradyBrown datedMarch20.1955,wrote that the account ofhis brother Bryant was correctas to approxi-mate time, probably between 1900 and 1904, but that the uncle who came

rhtrll? Q arrangements,wask K i Venable Sutton, and not Jamesundy, husband ofNewellVenableLundy. It was his recollectionthat his

cSdnnatf ^ Cemetery,

reinterment ofWilliam and Hannah Baird Venable. FlorenceCoombsSutton of SouthFasadena,C^alifornia,wrotethat her husband sgrandparentswere buriedinCalifornia, but did not recall the placeor date. The State Office of VitalVp^nlkl? has no record. Both Bryant and Russellenableapeedthat the bodiesof theirgrandparentswere reinterred, butit .was in California. Whether or not theodiesof their children,John QuincyVenableand CynthiaJane Venablewere also removed and reinterred cannot be determined. Harriet VenableBradyvaguelyremembered hergrandparents:

I seemto remember goingoncewithour parentsto Carlisle,a wonderfullong trip. If,t was at the time of Grandfather Venable s death,I wasnot three years old,but I faintly rememberGrandmother Venable. Perhapsit was later, beforeshewentto Minnesota,all veryvague. Ernienf h?= k-uk the little townlastsummer[1939],and foundthe homef his childhood as he remembered it. Bryant, Gertrude, Mifflin and Ionce drove to Rid^ville and calledat the homesteadof Dr. Keever

fither ^ whereather,in hischildhood, hadlainon his stomachbeforethe log fireto readnovels of Dickens as they came out in serial form.

tkA^? ^^ ^ ^ apparently quite prosperous, kepthe place unchanged as a summer home,and was there at the time. The

oirna^^h^ri^ hand-madefurniture,very valuable,and theld P^Pet-backedDickens volumeswere still there: we hinted all we7 mo Venable, November

\Vy25 5

C )

In 1948, Ernes t Venable Sut ton, grandson of Wil liam and Hannah BairdVenable, published A Life JVorth Living, an autobiographical account of hislong and adventurous life. He described briefly his early boyhood days inCarlisle, Ohio:

A great many people were gues ts in our house, possibly because it waslarge and t he re were always good things to eat. . . . They came to visitmother s father, then living with us. They were mostly l it erary and advanced thinkers. . . . Among them were Bryant, Bronson Alcot t, HenryW. L on gf el lo w, and many oth ers. . . . One t ime Horace Greeley andLongfel low came and stayed to supper and overnight . . . . Both motherand father l iked Longfel low, who I presume was al l r ight , but mothermade us listen to Hiawatha and Evangeline before bedtime, at theexpense of the regular fairy stories, sowe didn t care much for him. We

d id like Greeley, because he had given us a bag of cand y hearts withmottos printed on them in red, whileLongfellow hadn t given us anything.Bes ides the gif t o f candy, we l iked Greeley because he was such a funny-looking man. He had whiskers back under his chin like grandfather s andwore thick spectacles. He had on a s ho rt coat, and his p an ts b utt on edup on the s ides , just like the ones I wore. A L if e Worth Living, pp. 7 , 8 .

Wil l iam Ve na b le a n d H a n n a h B a ir d Ven ab le h ad five ch i ld ren .

John Quincy VenableJohn Q ui nc y Venable, first child and first son of William and HannahBaird Venable, was born in Wayne Township, near Waynesvi lle, Ohio, onMarch 29, 1829. He died d ur in g an epidemic, probably of cholera, onAugust 24, 1848, and was bur ied in the Clear Creek Cemetery near Ridge-ville, Ohio.

Venable LundyS a r a h Newel i VenableSept . 14, 1833 ~ Feb. (3, 1912

I . Henry Irving LundyOct. 7, 1865 Feb. 1885

I I. Horace Charles LundyJan. 7. 1868 Feb. 15, 1883

I II . Wal ter James LundyJune 29, 1872

S ar ah N ew el l Venable, second child and first d au gh te r of William andHannah Baird Venable, was born September 14, 1833, in Wayne Townshipnear Wajmesvil le , Ohio. She married on October 27, 1864, in Cincinnat i,Ohio, to James L un dy, born J an ua ry 12, 1836 , in C li nt on Cou nty, Ohio.In 1868, James Lundy purchased forty-one acres in Clear Creek Townshipfrom William and Hannah Baird Venable, his wife s parents. It is thought,but not established, that the L un dy s and t he ir ch ildre n, all of w ho m wereborn in Ohio, accompanied the family of Ha nna h A n n Venable Sutton, sisterof Sarah Newell Venable Lundy, when in 1872 the Sut tons went o Minnesota. They did go to Iowa, and eventua lly to San Gabriel , thence to Alham-bra , Cal ifornia .

m. 1864James LundyJ an . 12, 1836 May 28, 1909

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WILLIAM HENRY VENABLE

Noted Poet, Novelist Historian andEducator Succumbs to Il lness

William Henry Veiiable, widelyknown historian, poet, novelist andeducator, died after a long illnessTuesday morning at his home, 3649Vineyard place,Mt. Tusculum. Hewas 85 years old. He had carriedon his literary work until it was.interrupted by his illness.. Dr. Venable was born April 29,1836, a log house built by his fatheron a farm near Waynesville, Warren County, Ohio. In his youth,he began the historical investigat ions which later established hisreputation as an authority in allthat pertains to the literary hnnalsof the.Ohio Valley.

Out of his early researches grewa series of notable historic works . Venable s School His tory of theUnited States, published in 1872,for more than a generation was thes ta nd ar d t ex tb oo k of Ohio an dmany other states.

Not only as poet and historian,b t aseducator, essayist novel-1is t Dr . Venable contributed to th eliterature an d traditions of the OhioValley, His A Dream of Empirejor, .The House of Blennerhassett,published in 1892, wasnot only oneof the best sellers of the period, butwaspronuncedby BeniaminParkeras the one great novel of the Burr-

,Blennerhassett e p i o d e andon e of th e strongest most gracehilly constructed and captivating ofmodern historical romances.

Dr. Venable was graduated fromSouth-Western State Norrnal Schoolin I860. In 1864 he received froniDe Pauw University, the degree of

IDoetor of Laws, and, in 1886, froniOhio University, the degree ofDoctor of Laws. In June, ^ 1917,the University of Cincinnati conferred upon him the highest honorwithin its gift, the honorary degree

o f D o ct or o f Let te rs .Upon the publication of a volume

ofDr. Venable s verses J^mes V^it-ccmb Riley wrote to him; Thesweetes t warbler of th e whole enduring flock Tours is the everclear, true, pure, blithe and ripplingcarol of the Bird ofSpringwho singsbecause God makes him sing.

Th e death of Dr. Venable marks

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interrupted by his illness.Dr. Venable was born April 29,

1836 a log house built by his fatheron a farm near Waynesville, Warren County, Ohio. In his youth,he began the historical investigat io ns whi ch la ter established hi sreputation as an authority in allthat pertains to the literary annalsof the.Ohio Valley.

Out of his early researches grew1a series of notable h is to ri c w or ks . Venable s School History of the

United States, published in 1872for more than a generation was thes t a n d a r d t ex tbook o f Ohio an dmany other states.

Not only as poet and historian,b t as educator, essa.yist and novelis t Dr. Venable c on tr ib ut ed t o t heli terature and tradit ions of th e OhioValley, His A Dream of Empire;or, The House of Blennerhassett,published in 1892,was not only oneof tile best sellers of the period, butwas.pronunced by Benjamin Parkeras t he one great novel of the Burr-Blennerhassett e p i s o de and

one of the strongest, most gracefully constructed and captivating ofmodern historical romances.

Dr. Venable was graduated fromSbuth-Western Sta t e Normal Schoolin 1860. In 1864 he received fromDe Pauw University, the degree ofDoctor of Laws, and, in 1886, fromOhio Uniyersity, the degree ofDpctor of Laws. In June, 1917,the Universi ty of Cincinnati conferred upon him the highest honorwithin its gift, the honorary degreeo f Doctor o f L e t te r s .

Upon the publication of a volume

of Dr. Venable s versesJames Whit-comb Riley wrote to him: T hes w ee t es t w a r bl e r o f th e whole enduring flock 1 Yours is the everclear, true, pure, blithe and ripplingc^ol ofthe Bird ofSpring who singsbecause God makes him sing. ;

The d ea th o f Dr. Venable marksthe passing of the last member ofthat distinguished circle of American poets represented in Ohio byAlice and Phoebe Cary, William D.Gallagher, General William HaynesLyt le , Coa ts Kinney, John JamesPiatt Sarah M. B. Piat t an d William D e a n Howells . :

I Dr. Venable is survived by his{widow Mary Vater Venable and[by seven children: William MayojVenable, Pittsburg; Bryant Venable and Emerson Venable, Cincin-jnati; Colonel Russell V. Venable,)U. S. A.; Mary Venable and Mrs. |

jM. B. Brady, Cincinnati, and Mrs. rjL. B,-Tuckerman, Washington, D.j1C. , 1

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Warren County Ohio ObituariesWarren County Genealogical Society

filatcl) 23, 1871.VniLii^mABLB. I

ly yz^osuxiL |* 9117 ep re tben for hln who, hftflDy vo a

The hooiMlef maa a ppoio(ad ymcti et IUfe i bie(D(iall lifa e Utoondoae, | Setrvoclr to bi s ftsal ba a pateod;Wbile th lofl oBesofT Of ti e eir taee. vc

I iucm liba rwib^t buee, wben tbe brifbte un I t M l . |B aT a .

Willuim waa b

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W I L L I M H E N R Y V E N L E

w LL MHENRY\ ENABLEsonof Williannah (Ilaird) X enahle, was born April 21 ,in a log house built by his father on a farm not

from Waynesville, Warren G.>unty, Ohio. His ance.stry, onpaternal side, was English, remotely Xomian, while, on themother s side, it was Scotch-English, with- a qualifying strainof Dutch. In the boy s sixth year, his parents with their fourchildren John, Xewell, Henry, and Cynthia removed to ahomestead located near the present Venable Station. within ashort distance of Ridgeville, a hamlet on tiie Cincinnati andDayton turnpike, about seven miles north of Lebanon, Ohio.

Stimulated by a home environment of books and culture,Henry early outgrew the limits of learning in the Ridgecountry school, where, however, besides studying the branches

commonly taught at the time in rural districts, he gained, undercompetent guidance, a familiar objective knowledge of physics,botany, and zoology. His reading, even in boyhood, when heassisted on hi s f ath er s f ar m in th e summer season an dto t he d is tr ic t school in thie winter, was diverse in characterunusual in amount, ranging, in a desultory fashion, from theBible and such formidable tomes as Roiliii s Ancient History.Plutarch s Lives, Volney s Ruins, the Works of Josephus, andDick s Christ ian Philosopher, to Robinson Cru.soe, the ArabianNights, Gulliver s Travels, Don Quixote, and the popular novelsof Scott, Bulwer, Dickens, and Cooper. Equally discursive, atthis formative period, were his readings in verse, which intro

duced him to the works of a number of British poets, includBurns, Thomson, Pope, Pollok, Young, Cowper, Byrt)n. Milton,and Shakespeare. Of the American poets, I^rjant and Longfellow were hi s favorites. From Thomson s T he Seasohe derived his first inspiration to write in metrical form.

2 02

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I V I L U A M H E N R Y V E N A B L E

Eager in the pursuit of higher education, young Venableeft his rural home to seek th e advantages of collegiate trainng. Under special private instruction, from Dr. Alf red Hol-

brook, Dr. William Downs Henkle, and others, as well as in

he Sou th -Wes te rn Norma l School, at Lebanon, Ohio, withwhich institution he was connected for several years, first as astudent and afterwards as a teacher,) he rapidly acquired anacademic knr)w o(lge of science, language, literature, and history,soon win ning distinction by his versatile scholarship. Whileyd in his teens he was a frequent contributor to local newspapers,and he began those original h is torica l inves tiga tions which havesince established his re putat ion as an authority in all that perains to the lite rary annals of the Ohio Valley.

In 1864 he received from De Pauw University the honorary degree of Master of Arts, and in 1886, f ro m O hi o University, the degree of Doctor of Laws.

Dr. Venable h s spent his ent ire life, excepting for a singleyear, in Ohio, where, with tongue and pen, he has devoted himself to the higher interests of his time, working especially topromote the cause of liberal education and literary culture. Inaddition to his manifold labors as author an d lecturer, he ha.sbeen Mentified with several public and private schools and withmany teachers institutes and associations, . \fter his experiencen t he L eb an on Normal School, where he studied an d taught,intermit tent ly, from 1855 to 1861, he was called to the principal-ship of Jennings .\cademy, Vernon, Indiana, which he conductedfor about a year. During his residence in the Hoosier Stateho took an active i)art in educational affairs, and was one of the

editors of the Indiana School Journal. He w as m ar ri ed , on)ecember 30, 1861. in In( i anapolis, to Miss Mary A nn Vater,the youngest daughter of Thomas and Eleanor (Palmer) Vater,both of whom were of English parentage an d nativity, beingbtirn and educa ted in London, whence in 1832, prompted by aromantic spir it of adventure , they came to America to seek theirfortunes in the Great West. In Sep tember. 1862, throughh e in11uence of Dr . John H an co ck , M r. Ven ab le w as induced to

3

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J

WILLIAM U EN RV T EN AB LE

.pes, and ^ens and ravines, and woods that you have justme through. This is tlie poet s home; and a delightful homeis, full of love and poetry and children. Venable is, in they, a man of business in the daytime, but a dreamer here onc hills at night. An evening with him there in his cozy library,erlooking the brown ravine, is a rest and refreshment noton to be forg otten.

M Y C AT BI RDA Capriccio

Nightingale I never heard,Nor the skylark, poet s bird;But there is an tetiier-wingerSo .surpasses every singer,(Though unknown to lyric fame,

That at morning, or at nooning,\ \ hen I hear his pipe a-tuning,Down I ding Keats, Slielley, Wordsworth.What are all their songs of birds worth?All their soaring-Souls outpouring?When my Mimus C arolinensis,(That 's his Latin name.)When my warhler wild contmencesSong s hilarious riuipsodv,Just to picase himself and me

I ' r i i no ( an t an te

Scherzo Andante

Piano, jjianissimoPresto, pro.stissimoHark a re the re fiino birds or ninety and n ine?.\ud ntnv a miraculous gurgling gushesLike nectar from Hebe s Olympian bottle.The laughter of tune from a rapturous throttleSuch melcdy inus be a hermi t- thrush s IBut that other caroler, nearer,

20 A

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'Manvncwrapcrs in recording thedeath of William Henry Venablehave paid tender tributes to^,hismemory. He vas* native of>Nar-.ren Coimiy and has long.i^Ji tnmost ,distinguished m^ of, Icttergbom in our county. The story olhis boyhood aiid youth, _hia strug-glcs to obtttiBan educawn beforethere was a free public high schoolin his native county and his early

:success in his career as a teacher and'writer should be an inspiration tothe youth, of tmlay who have farsuperior educational opportunities.Boyhoodin*Waneit County sc

He was born in a small log househis father had erected near,theLittle Mmmi about three mdcsi;;,southwest of Waynesvillc..father.. William Venable, was aj^^^Ouakcr and an abolitionist and wassuccessively a. surveyor aand a fartner. is mother^, Hannah Bairdis dcscrilied as 'ofSojtch Qdescent, a practical.;cncrgctic lady ^,nd handsome. He -was' bornApril 29, 1836,and.in the tncmora- blccampaign of1840his father took jhim to a Whig mass meeting at ^Lebanon which Gen. Harrison at- ^tendered andthelittle boy was pre- ^scnted to the .Wliig rthdidaie^fyr .jpresident who patted him on the ^head and gave nim a medal .with a ,portrait of, Harriion ;on one side |krul a log cabin'on the other. i

When he was quite young hisfather removed tc; a farmmot Tarfrom-Ridgcvilic. The boy grew:irpina region ofhalf-clearedfarms and.in it period only one-remove fromthat of the pioneers.' At his homewas the old-time ash-hop^r withits straw and leiic'icd. a9he?,_tne

was scrdofW sufferedto g^'oiir ahtfwhen this happened t.he lioy woukIbe sent to ft nclghl.or's to . 'borrowfire .ind bring b.ick live Cfials or aburning brand.. .When he was ninevears old he saw for the first timeat Corwirv n locomotive drawing atrain of cars. , .

The boy lirst went to school in arude log schuol-houseand afterwardin a new one of lirick at Kulgevilie,erected about m h: He seems >have been fortuhatc in having goodteachers and he always jiail picas-ant rccollecticmsof all fit rhcin. In)iis home reatling he wa:i first, at-tr.TCtril by liouks of travel ami adv e n t u r e

Teacher and Normal SchoolStudentWhen seventeen he was a fragile

Ifu.kingyoutli, but bchoiurenough toriita'in'a teacher's certificate. Helicg.in his career as an ccjucator iriwliich he was licc-tne eminent in amiserable, little old school-ht>uso atSugar Grove, nc-T vVaynesville, inNovcmlier, 1854. his- Cfmipensation.sixtycentsa day. Me taught schoolin order to continue his educationami when Alfred Holbrmik openedhis normal school at Ubanon, November 24^ 1855, .among rhe ninetypupils there were only two whocould properly be called .normal

students and were preparingfur theteacber's profession. I hcsc wereWm. H. Venable and .Marion Cros-ly, both from the vicinity of Kidge-

Young Vcnablc's ability was.-soonrecr>gnizecl.For severalyears healternatedschoolteaching^ndstudy.It the Normal Schfx-l. Hegniduar-cd in 18f/). and always remembered .Alfred Holbrook as a teacher [.He continued t.oteachin ihenorrnalschool for two years after graduat ,ing and in 1861 he married MaryAnn Vatcr, of Ino.anapoK whowas also a graduate of Prof. Hoi- .brook's school. .

Cincinnati,Educatibnist j

In 1862 he becameprofessor ofscience in Chickcnng's Institutewhere he contumc'H twenty-four years, for the lastprincipal and propnetpr. .He then

as professorof Knglishliteraturelin Hughes High Schfxil forsix yearsland later In tlte Walnut Hdls HighSchool. He taught corttinuously

Cincinnati the SpcictyEducation of which hew as the fira

' president. In 1882he formed amiwndbctcd the nPopular Science andwhichHe-was the first iJsi

lecture bcfort.ieicbeHVaw^*^e c t u r e befo re t e a c n c nin Ohib-*,ftd;otheT;tta^:-;.J:^r|^

He ^'t>ccime^oa writer than ;fl8;':a:',first appcn: Iftve been.,P^5 Iled Uberty Undlintbe^^um^Vwitbrof^iynew^^The lines weir,firstpencilinafieldinwhicMhe^-^

. p oe t w as

Before'hi r death^ hwpcarcdonthetitlepageofmoregt^was a 8chpol historyStates''pubriabbd in;ntiiihcedby .TheHanonthe-bgl^its class.; His first volumtfwgjw^was' entitled ;jane ..on and'other toobms ..was al'W1872. Other.voldme^ttf.h^jV^J^are Melodieslbf-The J j s t FlighriVof the. Oak;^,1903;,which hc,,bc'crne,first

TheTeacher's DrariV^wW;fi^lar with teachers

r was prajs^ by. LonglclEOWft t o ^ b'and GaHidd

: VenablcV-WM-iroftenv.caned:^^^. teacher-tfcict, but, rhe

bcr of hjs:^brks^are.m.prose/-^^: Ibng tbokli'deeplnterestm p ^) times. and'cosTomr,nnd-wheaO^Icelebratcd'ih.1888the.rMDtenmd^^^^

her first,Kttlcihent

t ,Hie larfeeit,-most amoinwfnw^jierba'ps most:Jdblished:by-^the Rotertcompany .m:.1891, i. ;Beginnings

lev;of thtf^dbib wrthmuchVahi^Piri'rdrmatibiftr^b^hfiefound. r\

. His hist^ri^I t.Empire*was^oncof kStSof the day. One of his Ust.book^-vjA Buckeye, Bbyhood ,Vgi^retirecS.bf-h^County, farm jn;the |f4p

, He- delivered ..addrcssw'centcnnials^bfJeffrson.Steubenviirein 1897,ofUbOTon,^

191)2, and of the State of CTio.Wv1W3. His':'Ohio Literary Men

.Women is thc.mqst valuablepa]^^-in the Ohio:. Centcnntalv volume.^

While not many narnes n,nX|?Sstate canbecome. immortaI^^|may well l>c ieve.that at.our stMe

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^ Trillenna Far quar and sonm'famous: Rose Cottage mib etw ee n Ridgeville an d Wa ynes-ville. Here lived and playedg r e w t o u s ef u l m a n h oo d - Wil li aHenry. Venable, poet and a pfor years .in ,the .public schof Cincinnati.'. I t was of thisfarm, he wrote: , \ ' I inherited the obligation

^ ithe .innumerable chores,' weedgarden, hunt-eggs,'brin^dn

wo od, harry watet to the 'hqnth e field, drop corn,'sheaves, stow away hay imow, d ri ve t he cows in fromture, gear u p ' horses, assihitch them to s le d, w ag o n orworking m yse lf u pw ard tr a n k o f h a l f - h a n d . T h e r e a f t e rsharing in th e se t and r

I Indiana had its James Whit- adults, hoeing my ocr.mb Riley, whose pen made the bothers two or.

S Ind ZuUnT - nd the fiddler of an obscure ^ (dischamlet live rn unforgettable verse,Warren co had its William Henry breaking up a piece of\ enable, whose fame as a poet ^be feeling of cothough perhap.s purey local has ^g fertile black soil wasm his lines all the heart throbs ^he share and rolled evenly awathat dis tingu ish Riley's poems, to- from the smooth moldboard. Together with sunshine and shadow somely swinging the old-fashnf a boyhood spent at little Ridge-1 cradle midst barley, oats orvilip. down along the Dayton and: binding the .sheaves and ridil.ehaiion pike. horses that, tramped nut the gra

The Roamer has visited Rose on the threshing floor.jCottage between Ridgeville and'I Waynesville, embalmed in A

B u c ke y e B o yh o od . He has stoodin th e lovely old parlor of th eK ee ve r h om e where Dan Karr i - 'son Used to Play, rested in th e

' shade of th e old schoolhouse in[ the edge of Riley's Wood and

r fveled in the decayi ng lovelinessof H i n c h m a n ' s Mill,

R O S K C O T TA G E

Tw a s h e r e t h a t I -waste*Youth ' s f lower a nd ta s te dL ov e's f irs t honey-dew;A b oy he re I s lumbered ,B y C ar e u ne nc um be re d,Long, b a lm y n ig h ts t hr ou gh .With r is in g e m ot io nAkin to devo t ionT he s ce ne 1 behold ;Wiih f on d r en o ll cc i io n a 1Of l e n de r a f fe c ti o ns IToo sweet to be told. '

THK TUNES n.AK HARRiSON USED ITO P L A Y

, Da n Harrison I see him thereBeside t he r oa ri ng hear th ,

' Fidd' inj sw-y eij mcndan? 'e.are,. Hi s genial face aglow with mirth;, And when he laid hi s bo w aside,

Well d on e ,-well d on e we c her lU y cried; ..Well done, well done, ' Indeed- were tiiey, 1The tunes Ba n Harrison used to play. . : '

I do not know what tunes he pja-yed, 'I can not name one-melody;

1 Hi s i n s t r u m e n t w as n ev er m a d e iBy old Cremona o 'er t he se a; ;

.Yet fro m its c ho rd s h is r a p t u re d s k i llDrew m ag ic s tr ai ns m y sould to . fill )Some so mournful , some sd gay,Th-h' tunes 'Ban Harrison used to p al y.

H I N C H M A N ' S M I L LLonely b y Miami ' s s t reamGrey in t wi li gh t' s f ad in g b ea in , - .S p ec t ra l , d e so l at e an d bUU. I 'S mi tt en b y th e s torm of years,A h h o w c h a n g e d to ro e a p p e a r s

- Hinchman's l on g d es er te d. mill.- ;

T H E S CH OO LH OU SE O P. R I L E Y ' S W O O D

You oldsters who, like ' th eRoamer, are greying at th etemples, if Venable's v ers es o f ol df a m i l i a r scenes a w a k e n echoes i nth e heart , j u s t lend an ear to hi ssaga of tiie school in the edge ofRiley's wood:

Long a denizen of Cincinnati, Ioften - recall t he sp or ts of Ridgeville school playground, an dwonder if th e same games ar ep la ye d a nd th e same jargon usedin more on th e saw-mill, high

a nt e o ve r, shinny on your ownside, poison, wood-dog, oldwitch and three dukes a-roving.Wonder, i f in knuckling down at

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BY TEACHER-POETHAS JUST FINISHED A NOVEL DEALING WITH THE AARON

BURR CONSPIRACY.

Heights , a v it h or a iu l ecluculor, ha s

prnctio lre overethe o

l ica t ions of grip a nd m al ari a,which compel led h im six m on th sa go t o s ec ur e a y e a r s l ea ve o f abs e n c e f r o m I l ia d u t i e s a s t e a c h e r o f

l i terature in th e Walnut Hills HighSchool. He ha s j u s t completed tw o

Iworhs of fiction. Blenuerhassett,a his tor ica l novel t e ll in g o f t h e co nspiracy of A ar on B u r r to disruptth e Natixkfe se t up an e m p ir e i nth e S o u t h w e s t , is iu th e h a n d s ofth e publ isher, r he other is T omTad, n s t o r y of th e humor an dp a th o s o f bo y l i f e , w i t h re f lec t ionson exis t ing educat ional In .Ui tu t ionsexpressed b y o ne w ho se life w o r kha s been a l o ng t h o s e l i ne s . Ve na b l eis 64, an d h as be en leaching an dw r i t i n g s ince he wa s 17.

Hi s poem, T he Teacher sDream, publ ished in-1881, wa s ,ividely re ad i n educat ional circles,a nd w on fo r h im t he t it le o f T h e

1 f Teacher Poet. An autograph let- h;T-r. r-TT TTT-.-KT.-r.-rT-. te r f rom th e p o e t Longfe l low, wWILLIAM H. VENABLE. praising the pomn. hangi in a c(

William Henry Venable, LL. D., f rame on th e w al ls o f th e Venable aiof 36G4 Vi ne y ar d P l ac e , Tusculum home. F

W I L L I A M H . V E N A B L E .

WILLIAM H EN RY V EN ABLE,It

W ho Delivered th e Alumnal Orat ion a t U ni ve rs it y H alFr iday Night.

Horn near Riilgevill- , April 26, 1866. Taiiglit )iis first scliool(Trove ai age of17 for .sixty cents per day.

Hcijiiae second pupil at I.ebanon Normal, IS.uo.For rweiity-four years was professor of science in CliickeriiJg s

a t (. iniriniiHti

Latei* became special in.strnctor in liistovy at Norwood schoolFor tlie pa.st few yeai-s Prof. Venable hasnot engaged in acti

siona) life, devoting a ].iortion of histimeto literary labors. Hethor ofan excellent sclujol history,aiiistorical novel, A Dream ofand several vohime.s of itoein.s, araong which are Jnne onthe M Melodies of rlie Hearr Hi.s best known poemsare I./et e Shake.

Tunes Man Harrison I sed to Play ami A Teacher s Dream.mentioned wa.s written at the close of a hard day s work winle M

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nKirr r<

T C I ^ C I I V N A T I E N Q T J J H E H

i a i t Ohio CollectionOf BooksAnd Papers On tli CenturyLiterary History Volpmes

Concern W. H. Venalile Antlior Teacher.A collection of books an d papers,

important in th e study of th e literary history of Ohio dur ing th esecond hal f of t he 19th c e nt u ry, h a sbeen given tothe University of Cinc in na ti L ib ra ry, Dr . Edward A,H enry, U ni ve rs ity L ib ra ri an , reported last night.

Th e gift collection c on ce rn s t hela te William Henry Venable, Ohioa u th o r a n d t eacher, a n d w a s givento t he u ni ve rs it y b y h is s on , E m e r -

: son, and granddaugh ter, Miss Ev elyn Venable , both of Hollywood,C a l i f o r n i a .

T hr ee g ro up s of material ar e inth e collection, th e most importantbeing a typewritten volume entitled Wil l iam Henry Venable:Biographical, Dr, Henry explained.

, T h is c on ta in s a s k e t c h o f t h e career of Wil l iam H en ry Venable byE m e r s o n Venable , l et te rs w r it te nto th e e l d er Ve na b le b y f rie nd s a ndadmirers, 20 pages of autobiographical note and other documents of|importance in studying the life of.t h i s a u t h o r a n d t e a c h e r.

Th e f i rs t group also conta in s fouradditional books, in clu din g th e19 5editionof The oems ofWilliam Henry Venable, edited byE m e r s o n Ve n a b l e .

ent i t led Le tera f rom the Correspondence of Wil liam Henry Venable an d Addison Peale Russell,1875-1907.

Will iam Henry Venable wa s th ef i rs t m an to t h ink of th e OhioValley in terms of literary culture, Dr . Henry commented. Bornin Ohio in 1836, of pioneering p arents,-he p assed h is en tire life inth e s ta te except for one year a sprincipal of Jennings Academy inVe r n o n , I n d .

H e Is b e s t k n o w n f o r h is l a r g evalum e e nt i t led B eginn in gs ofLiterary Culture in th e Ohio Va lley, t ho ug h t hi s wa s only one ofmany books from his pen. Hise ar li er t ea ch in g w a s i n t he sciences,b u t m o s t of h is l if e h e t augh t E n glish, lecturing a t teachers institu tes an d e n c ou r ag i ng o t he r wr i te r s .

Will iam H enry Venable w a sa w a r d e d an hono ra ry Doctor ofLiterature degree by th e Universityo f Cincinnat i in 1917. H e l ived in

f Cinc innat i s s u b u r b a n Tu s c u l u m1 Heights until h is d ea th in 1920.

Hi s son, E me rs on , o ne o f eig ht^ children, wa s graduated f rom th e University s Col lege of Liberal Arts i n 1898 a n d c o nt in u ed h i s f a t h e r s act iv i t ies a s a t e a c h e r o f E n g l i s h a t Waln u t Hills H i g h School.- E m e r s o n s only daughter, Evelyn , w as an act ress on t he s ta ge and in Hollywood. Emerson, n ow r et ir ed ,

an d hi s daughter ar e l iving inHollywood, w he re t he y edited th epapers of William Henry Venable.

C oate s Ki nn ey, about whom Wi lliam Henry d id s om e w ri ti ng , grewup In Warren County, Ohio, studiedlaw, served in th e U ni on A rm y an dw a s e l e ct e d t o t h e Ohio S e n a t e . B u th e is b e s t k n o w n a s n e w s p a p e reditor and poet^ according to Dr.H e n r y .

A d d i s o n P e al e R us se ll w a s d escr ibed b y D r, H e n r y a s a n e w sp ap er ma n a nd state official with a

s t ro n g l it e ra r y bent. Th e Universityo f C in ci nn at i L i b ra ry i nc lu de s t woo f h is books , o n e of w h i c h is abiography of Thomas Corwin, unde rw h o m both K in ne y a nd Russel ls tu d ie d l aw .

Th e Venable gif t supplementsc ol le ct io n o f m o r e t h a n a d o z e nb o o k s a l r e a d y o w n e d b y t he c am p usl ibrary an d wri t ten or edi ted b yWil l iam H e n r y Venable ,

WILLIAM HENRY VENABLE.

Th e second group is m ade up ofa typewritten volume en ti tled Coates Kinney: Biographical,written in par t of William HenryVenable, an d in part , autobiographical: an d of two volumes of Kin-ney s poetry, one w it h the author sow n manuscript corrections. Ki nney was a close friend of Venable.

The third group in th e Venableg if t is another typewritten volume

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^AHcestry.com- BiographiesofNotable Americans, 1904 Page 1of2

Ancesfrvcom Welcome,KarenJLogOut1Upgrade| v ctjM. JL, *' 'nietarsesteQlIe6fi{miiffaiiiUyitbfotjr Results

Biograph ies o f Notab le Amer icans . 1 9 0 4 Aboutthis databaseViewing record 1 of 1 match for: j ^ Entries on 30,000significantAftwrican

u I n n u s n 17th century to the close of the 19th centuWilliam H. Venable In Ohio j^o^e information beiow

G l o b a l S e a r c h R e s u l t s

The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary o f Notable Americans: Volume XV

Verot,. Jean Marcelius Pierre Auguste UVENABLE, William Henry, autho r, was horn in Warren county, Ohio, April 29 , 1836; so n of William(Baird) Venable; grandson of William and Rachel (Crossham) Venable, and of Bedent and Sarah (Brlttow) dand a descendant of Abraham Venable, an Englishman of Norman lineage, who emigrated from Cheshi>te /Lto Virginia, in 1680. He was graduated from the normal school, Lebanon, Ohio, in 1860, and was mlrrteJi.1861, in Indianapolis, Ind., to Mary, daughter of Thomas and Elinor (Palmer) Vater of London. He tauglsf \Lebanon normal school; was principal of Jennings academy, Vernon, Ind.; professor of natural science;Chlckerlng Classical an d Scientific institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1862-81; Its principal an d proprietor, 188 iprofessor of English literatureat Hughes high school, 1889-95,and at Walnut Hills high school, Cincinr ^1901, thereafter devoting himselfwholly to literature. He organized and was first president of the CIncSociety of Political Education; founded the Afternoon School of Popular Science and History; was presitCincinnati Teachers club and of the Western Association of Writers; became a m e mb er o f the Cinclnnadub, and of the Historical and Philosophical society of Ohio. The honorarydegree of A.M. was conferre

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i^dicestry com-BiographiesofNotableAmericans1904 Page2of2

a short family history and a record of the Important accomplishments of the Individual.

S o u r c e I n f o r m a t i o n :

Ancestry.com. Biographiesof Notable Americans 1904 [database online]. Orem UT: MyFamlly.com IiOriginal data: Johnson Rosslter ed. Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionaryof Notable AmericansX. Boston, MA: The Biographical Society, 1904.

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MARY L C OO K P UB LI C LIBRARYO L D STAGE H D .

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EISTOllY o r CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.5 0 9

tljp present time his name is responsibly connectedwith many of the leading enterprises of the Queen City. He is president of the Standard Oil Company, of Ken-lucky. the Ohio Coal Mining Company, and the Commercial Clu^f Cincinnati-BfiUickliolderand directoi in the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicagp^^^St Louis Railroad Company, and the Cibcinnati, NewOrleans Texas PaciaTRailroadComnanva director of the Third National Bank and the Equitable Hl^irance Company and atrustee of the Cincinnati College o.f Music and of the (Mdren's Home. For manyyears he was director of the Y. M. G..A., in the deyefoijment of which institutionhetook HU active interest. Mr. McDonald is emphltically one of the citizens of Cin-cinuati whom its people delight to honor As a^nch supporter of local interests anda tirm believer m the future of the Queenly. Although a Republican in politicsand an ardent adherent of the princi^s of Uat party, he has never held publicofiice,preferring to devote his entimAttention to business, industrial and charitableaffairs.

In SG he marriedLaurx^ughterof ThomasPaTfn^r,andtheyare theparentsrr _ n.* j i . f

j. a i i u m c y r i n p r n t s

of one child, Laura, the \yiie of Edmund K. Stallo, a prominent member ofthe Cin-.......I. u.,. Mr. and-^Irs. McDonald are members of the Presbyterian Church, iniunati bar. ^whichhe is an elderandmember ofthe boardof trustees Mrs.McDonaldis presrdent of the Cincinnati Presbyterian Hospital and of the Women s Medical Collegeand an actn e supporter of the Home for Aged Men and Women, and various othercharit^i^.palvay, their home at Clifton, is one of tlie finest private residences in Ohio.iLLiAMHenry Venable. This eminent educator and writer was born in a log

S f V Waynesville. Warren Co., Ohio, April 29, 1836. His fatherWilimm\enable wasa man of delicate tastes and marked powers of knowledgethe -sametraits which, m the more strongly gifted son, Lavecombined to form one ofthe finestfaculties for mteilectual culture that this country can show. These giftswereearly apparent in Venable s mind, and rapidly developed among the charms of1 rural life, and the associations of a fine though humble home. By the time he waswvetiteeohe had so far advanced in general book-knowledge as to apply for a certificate to teach school, which was readily granted by the examiners of Warrenmity, one of the board, Josiah Hurty, praising Venable s acquirements in thesewords, upon the margin of the certificate: Mr. Variable is a

scholarthan manyolder persona; I wishthat all teachers wereas welltaughtIn November,1854,he beganteaching schoolat Sugar Grove,near Waynesville,

^ c twentieth birthday he was awarded a lifeV Normal School Association, and having bythe

Ko- iHm f to carry the burdens of a pedagogue through life betookPomii.r -1 Normal School, where be taught until some time in 1859,

T m e a n w h i l e with Dr. W. D. Henkle. Nor was the youngUiiruof r f I confinedto booksalone, for during one of those years be saw some-Ku.ivitK,fi taking a pedestrian excur.-^iontbrongb several sonlhern States, andtbf nkico of slavery. _In 1860 he resigned his position at Lebanon for* P^ ocipal of the Jennings Academy at Vernou, Ind., wherehe taught for^ Suii.. H 1 ^ootioued whether the rising young scholar was drawn across

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5 1 0 H IS TO EY O F CI NCIN NATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

occupied bimself in lecturing tbrougbout the country, in writing for various magazines and periodicals, and in preparing a number of books for publ icat ion. Some ofhis best and most valued works appeared during this term of authorship. In April1889, he was called to become a professor of Literature in the Cincinnati HighSchool, which distinguished posit ion be s ti ll holds.

Dr . Yenable s merits an d labors have won him many titles and honors. Besidesth e degrees of Master of Arts an d Doctor of Laws, conferred upon hi m by De Pauwan d Ohio IJniversities, he h as h el d or holds memberships in several of th e most notedlearned societies of th e country. One of these is t he d igni ty of honorary member ofth e Historical and Phi losophical Society of Ohio, a distinction which only five pe rsons besides himself have enjoyed, among them ex-Presidents Harrison and Hayes,an d Francis Parkman. In 1891 he was offered th e presidency of th e Association ofWestern Writers, in which Gen. Lew Wallace and James Whitcomb Bile} held highplaces, bu t he found it inconvenient to accept. At th e Bepublican State conventionin 1880 he was supported by th e best e lement of Ohio, as candidate for th e office ofS t a t e S c h o o l C o m m i ss io n e r

A mere list of th e works which have built up Prof. VenabJe s fame would fill theremaining space of this article. Several of these were written at the request of theforemost business men of Cincinnati, and have been of special service to bi.s city an dState. His Beginnings of Litera ry Culture in th e Ohio Valley will always posse ss as m uc h va lue a n d in te res t to wes te rn readers as J o h n s o n s L i v e s of th e Poe tsto students of English literature. As an educational writer and lec turer, heis esteemed not only throughout every western State, but among the haughtiest cities

and colleges in New England and New York. But it is not strange that he is sowidely felt as an educational force; his theories ar e never out of proportion to hispractice. No man knows better than Venable how to utilize the ideal while idealizing the practical. His History of the United States has a wide circulation; hislatest e.ssay Le t Him first be a Man, is one of the most highly commended booksfrom the American press. As a poet bis reputation extends beyond bis owncountry. U lglish readers know his name, and some of his poems have been translated and reprinted in Germany and Austria. Knortz s German History of American Literature, printed in Berlin in 1891 gives several pages to his writings. Muchof his extensive reputation as a poet, be owes to his beautiful early production, TheTeacher s Dream. Hi s June on t he Miami , and Melodies of t he Hear t, reveal some of the most ideal visions of the poetic temperament. Longfellow, Holmesand Stedman, Presidents Grant, Garfield and Hayes, and other authors and states

men of renown have testified their appreciation of Venable s poetry as freely astheuntechnical critics of th e general public.Prof. Venable resides in an elegant and commodious bouse on Mt. Tusculum

built and furnished Avith the px ofits of bis literary labors. He has a charming family of four sons and three daughters. Though generally losing himself in entrancedcompanionship with his books and pictures when at home he is always ready withcheerful and inspiriting courtesy to receive the friends and callers Avho seek his counsel his aid or the delight of his conversation. Cincinnati has no citizen in whomshe feels more honored than William H. Venable.[From the pen of JohnB . J e w e t t

John B. Jewett is the eldest son of Col. E. F. Jewett, well-known to the peopleof Hamilton county from hispast service inthe offices of county engineer and countysurveyor. The subject of this sketch was born at Newtown June 24 1805. Fromhis mother Avho possessed considerabletalent and acquired some note as a Avnterhe inherited a strong love for literature. He received bis educational training in t epublic schools of Newtown and at Chickering Institute Cincinnati. While at thl h l h d li h d d f d

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