Sometimes it is interesting to see just how much the world has changed over the years but then some things really don’t change all that much. A window into the world that was Columbus 175 years ago is offered by the Jan. 11, 1840, issue of the Columbus Democrat newspaper.
In January 1840, the national news was consumed with talk of the upcoming presidential election. Presidential politics was hot with the Columbus Democrat endorsing Martin Van Buren. Others in Columbus were supporting William H. Harrison. The Democrat editorialized that “the only indisputable recommendation that Gen. Harrison has to the Presidency is that his father was a signer of the Declaration of independence!” A local citizen took issue with the newspaper’s endorsement. He suggested the engraving of an American flag which the Democrat always ran on page two should be printed up side down if the paper continued its support of Van Buren.
In other national news, Texas had passed a new constitution and among its “sensible provisions” was one that in “all criminal prosecution for libel, the truth shall be admitted in evidence.” It was also reported that trouble was brewing between the U.S. and England. There was a “probability yet of a rupture between our Government and England respecting the Canada troubles and the north eastern boundary.”
Though today we are swamped with calendars for the new year, such was not the case in 1840 and the newspaper published a calendar for the new year of 1840.
In state news, the legislature had been in session for six days but no word had been received that they had done anything. The Macon Intelligence newspaper was for sale. It was a “very neatly printed paper and has been well and ably conducted.” The Columbus office of Andrew Kincannon, Commissioner for claims arising from Indian Reservations under the Choctaw Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, was about to close and all business would be transferred to the Department of Indian Affairs in Washington.
The last two pages of the four page paper contained the local news. A brief statement was evidence of just how important the Tombigbee River and the steamboats that traveled it were to Columbus before the construction of railroads and all weather roads. “Our river is still very low and there is little prospect of its rising within a short time. Business in town is of course very dull.”
A number of professional ads were in the paper. It was announced that as of Jan. 1, 1840, “William L Harris, George R. Clay and James T. Harrison have associated themselves together in the practice of the law.” Also “Ruben Davis, Stephen Cocke and John Goodwin have associated themselves in the practice of Law.” Davis’s office was in Athens (Monroe County), Cocke in Columbus and Goodwin in Aberdeen. Another ad stated Dr. E.F. Bouchelle opened his practice of medicine at his late father’s residence which was located between Col. Nimrod Davis’ and Lindsey’s Ferry.
Buried within the usual legal notices such as are still common today was a very different notice which posted a reward. David Cook of Folsom in Oktibbeha County, offered a $20 reward for the return of “a Negro woman by the name of Rose, twenty four or five years old” who had run away.
Other advertisements and notices gave a view of local commerce. A.R. Wolfington advertised that he had for sale “all kinds of CARRIAGES consisting in part of Coaches, Charities, Barouehees and Buggy.” Greene Hill of Columbus had a large number of Chinese Mayberry trees for sale, as did J.M. Weisinger of Hamburg, Perry County, Alabama, Joseph C Colt of Columbus and several other dealers.
James Smith of Columbus offered for sale a brick making machine that with the aid of four men and two horses could produce 60 to 80 brick per minute. A.L. Campbell advertised that he had for sale 23 barrels of a sweet Ohio flour, ten sacks of Rio Coffee, a large quantity of Tennessee Bacon and 15 barrels of white lard. William Davis was a cabinet-maker selling furniture two doors down from Belkin and Conner’s Tavern. He announced that he had just purchased “a Hearse” and would “attend to all orders ”
In the 1830s and ’40s banks often issued their own notes or bills of credit which were used like money. The redemption of a bank note for gold or silver was referred to as a specie payment. However, these private bank notes were no better than the bank that printed them. The lack of faith in these notes appears in the Democrat when “The Bank of the Tombigby Railroad Co. Announced that due to northern banks suspending specie payments they would also suspend specie payments.” It was an indication that the U.S. economy was experiencing problems.
Though there have been major changes in the last 175 years, a lot is still the same.
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
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