American History

Sunken Steamship Headed to Ohio in 1862 Discovered

Posted on November 2, 2015 by CharlieClaywell

In 1862 a propeller-driven steamship en route to Cincinnati sank in the Great Lakes killing all on board. The whereabouts of the ship remained a mystery until two New York shipwreck hunters recently located the ship about 7 miles off of the shore of Fair Haven, New York in Lake Ontario.

According to the Associated Press,

(Jim) Kennard and (Roger) Pawlowski, with underwriting support from National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio, were searching for wrecks along the lake’s southeastern shore in late August when their side-scan sonar revealed a debris field in several hundred feet of water about seven miles from shore.

It’s not the first historical find for the pair of men. Earlier this year, the AP ran a story about two canal boats the pair found. In 2014, the pair along with Roland Stevens discovered a rare dagger–board schooner, Three Brothers, also in Lake Ontario. According to Ship Wreck World, the Three Brothers is

… the first fully working dagger-board schooner ever found and is believed to be the oldest confirmed commercial schooner to have been discovered in the Great Lakes.

Pawlowski has been diving onto shipwrecks for 14 years and Kennard has been a shipwreck hunter since 1970 and has discovered more than 200 shipwrecks.

Categories: American History, Civil War History | Tags: shipwreck

Those “Damn Emails” Bring Political Life Full Circle For John Boehner

Posted on October 14, 2015 by CharlieClaywell

Like many people inside Ohio’s 8th Congressional District I was surprised when Congressman John Boehner willingly walked away from one of the most powerful — and prestigious — positions in the country. Inside the District, Boehner is unstoppable. Ohio’s 8th has been represented by a Republican since 1939 and with the gerrymandering of Ohio’s districts, the 8th could easily remain Republican for decades.

So why did Boehner walk away?

Religious Awakening Or Political Disgust?

Did the Pope’s visit spark some type of religious awakening in Boehner? The Pope was critical of many of the platforms and views of the GOP. However, In Boehner’s first TV interview after the Pope’s visit his resignation seems more about hardcore right members of his Party. Boehner, in a rare moment of righteous indignation, blasted Party members like perennial nemesis Ted Cruz, as false prophets. He also correctly pointed out, some factions of the GOP are making political promises to their voters, that are impossible to implement. Fortune magazine summed up Boehner’s thoughts this way:

The House Speaker says the right-wingers who forced his hand cynically inflate voters’ expectations of what Republicans can accomplish in a divided government.

But is it possible that Boehner’s exit is simply a case of “you reap what you sow?” His career in the House began with the House Banking Scandal and is ending with the Hillary Email Scandal and sandwiched in between those two events are years of partisanship.

In The Beginning

Despite Boehner’s indignation at Tea Party and Freedom Caucus members, as a member of the Gang of Seven Boehner cast the first seeds of the current era of partisan bickering by refusing to compromise in the non-scandalous House Banking Scandal. As a freshmen Congressman, Boehner and six other freshmen spearheaded the 1992 House Banking Scandal investigation. The incident, which was more an issue of poor protocol than scandal, was an effort to expose the commonly held practice of floating money (kiting) by taking advantage of the antiquated paper-based banking system used by Congress (which, in the computer age, was the real scandal).

Boehner and his cohorts let the public know that they, like the average American, were angry that members of Congress were not playing by the same rules as everyone else. The message resonated with Americans — after all, if the average Joe overdrafts his bank account he is forced to pay absurdly high ISFs. Even though both Parties had engaged in the check-kiting practice, the GOP was quick to politicize the situation. In fact, Republican whip Newt Gingrich (who, by his own admission, kited 20-30 checks) said,

“the scandal reveals ‘systemic, institutional corruption’ created by a Democratic Party that is a ‘reactionary liberal system made up of a coalition of bankrupt big-city machines, out-of-touch union bosses, trial lawyers, left-wing activists and professional politicians.'”

Playing The Political Game

When the story initially broke, it was as if these freshman Congressmen hit the ground running determined — on a holy mission — to rid the House of its impurity (think Jesus and the moneychangers). In reality, though, the Gang of Seven and Newt Gingrich held onto the information for months (Newt for years) while they strategized how to proceed.

It became a game of political treachery — and invoked a ‘throw the bums out’ mentality among voters. And, just like Tea Party members of the current era — Gingrich and his Republican minions refused to compromise or work with members of the Democrat Party, because the GOP had calculated the risk — and knew as a Party they would win. By taking the no-compromise approach to the issue a handful of GOP Congressmen reversed the balance of power and, in effect, nullified the average American’s vote as everyday citizens came to sincerely believe the ordeal was, in fact, scandalous.

Inoculating the Herd

To convince the public of a story’s truth, information must be released carefully (but this approach can backfire as two Tea Partiers recently learned) and in a dose the herd can handle. Boehner and Gang, with the guiding hand of Gingrich, kept the ‘this isn’t fair’ message in the public arena — minimizing the protocol while inflating the number of bounced checks.

Had the GOP been able to break the story when they learned of the practice (because all the political ducks were in a row), they could have claimed Providence was on their side, but since the information was uncovered at a politically inopportune time, the GOP leadership patiently waited and released the story just in time to interfere with upcoming primaries. They rightly understood that since the Congressional Districts were redrawn (due to the Census) any incumbent tainted by the Scandal would face an uphill battle for re-election. More importantly to the GOP — they knew more Democrats than Republicans were implicated in the ordeal.

Only One Guilty of Check Kiting

With the advantage of history, it is apparent that very few Congressmen ousted by the ordeal actually bounced any checks (no one bounced a check) or committed any crime. Five members were convicted in the fallout: one for check-kiting and the other four on loosely connected crimes associated with the House Bank — like illegal campaign funding issues. One unintended (or possibly intended) by-product of the change in power was an extremely large class of Freshmen Congressmen in 1992 and 1994, which undermined the continuity of power inside the House.

Fast Forward: The Benghazi Committee

This political gameplay of ‘whatever-it-takes-to-win’ worked exceptionally well, giving the GOP control of the House for the first time in four decades. The approach was successful enough that it became a reusable template — as seen in the current email scandal surrounding Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (except this time it is desecrating dead Americans by using them for political gain). Just like ISFs, Americans understand email, Americans understand the need for email to be secure, but the finer issues of accepted email protocol is minimized — and even more tragic — what really happened in Benghazi is no longer the focus.

New reports suggest Boehner is the mastermind behind the “use Benghazi to bring Clinton down” approach of the committee. The investigation — which at this point has taken longer than the Watergate Investigation — was indirectly responsible for Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s failed run for Speaker of the House, because he said,

“Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s un-trustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened had we not fought and made that happen.”

In this environment, members have started to turn on each other. As the Freedom Caucus blocks, stalls or threatens to shut down the House to force a candidate they like to be chosen as Speaker, Republican whistleblower and member of the Benghazi committee affirms what has long been assumed — the committee is a thinly veiled effort to derail Hillary Clinton.

GOP — Afraid To Govern?

And the current inability of the House to elect a new Speaker suggests that the GOP — although highly skilled at saying No — is incapable of governing. Despite being given complete control of Congress last November, moving legislation forward (even their own agenda) has taken a backseat as bickering House members embark upon an epic, chaotic showdown between the moderate and extreme factions of the Party. It appears the ‘Southern Strategy’ implemented by president Richard Nixon is unraveling.

How the election for Speaker will pan out is anyone’s guess. Some say Boehner outplayed his opponents while Gingrich says his former protégé is an idealist who, by removing earmarks, lessened his leverage with House members. As the infighting continues, will we have another government shutdown? Will all this lengthen the era of gridlock? Who knows.

The real question many want answered is: When will politicians learn that to govern one must be willing to compromise?

Categories: 8th congressional district, American History, Ohio | Tags: Democrats, GOP, john boehner, political scandals, politics as usual, Speaker of the House

Jesse Claywell Serves In War With Future Presidents

Posted on October 4, 2015 by CharlieClaywell

Click on image to enlarge and read notes on Jesse’s War of 1812 service record.

One of the neatest aspects of tracing a family tree back into the 1800s or earlier, is the odds of being associated with a famous American increases. Shadrach Claywell’s oldest son, Jesse, is a classic example of this phenomenon because of his Black Hawk War service.

Shadrach landed in Kentucky in 1806 and, like many other soldiers, Shadrach came to claim the land given to him in exchange for his Revolutionary War service. Shadrach definitely seems to fit the frontiersman stereotype since he lived out the last part of his life on the edge of civilization.

It is a trait carried on by several children, including Jesse.

Physical Attributes and Marriages

Although photography was invented in 1839, it did not take off until the Civil War era, so most images in Jesse’s lifetime were commissioned paintings — which, of course, were limited to the wealthier elements of society. But in the case of Jesse, we do get a glimpse of what he looked like since his second wife, Percy (Reed) Claywell, was asked to described how Jesse looked when he enter the military during the War of 1812.

Percy describes Jesse as “farming, England, 6′ 3″, light hair, blue eyes, fair complexion.”

Heading Home, Then West

After his discharge from the War of 1812, Jesse moved back to Cumberland County living “near Bear Creek” for about two years, before moving west near present-day Springfield, Ill. While in Cumberland County, Jesse married Hannah Humprey, but little is known about her except that she died in Alabama. After her death, Jesse married Percy Reed, also of Cumberland County, on August 12, 1822 in Cumberland County.

Within seven years, Jesse moved to Illinois and stayed there until he died in 1852, about five miles from Springfield, at the age of 62 (Census documents put his age at 69). At the time of Jesse’s death, Percy, was 45.

When Jesse moved to Illinois it was the current frontier of the United States and Native Americans villages were interspersed among the white settlements.

Military Service

Jesse served in three wars during his life: The War of 1812, The 1827 Winnebago Indian War and the 1832 Black Hawk War. The years he served, though, are sketchy at times, because some of his records were lost. What is known is Jesse enlisted at Burkeville, Ky. during the War of 1812 at the age of 17/18 and he was discharged in New Orleans on September 12, 1813. During this enlistment period he joined as a private and was honorably discharged in New Orleans with the rank of corporal. He served in both the light artillery unit (under Lieutenant Samuel Price) and in the heavy artillery unit.

In the two Indians Wars he served between 30 and 90 days.

The term war seems a bit of a stretch for the first conflict, The Winnebago War, since it basically centered around the murder of two families of white settlers. After the first family was murdered six members of the Winnebago tribe were accused, but four were later released. When the U.S. Army decided to transport the remaining two men, rumor spread among the Winnebago tribe that the men were tortured and murdered. The Winnebago went on the offensive and killed another family of white settlers.

In the Black Hawk War, Jesse served as Captain (under Col. James Collins) while a much more well-known American — Abraham Lincoln — served as a private in another company. Other famous Americans to fight in this war were future president Zachary Taylor, future CSA president Jefferson Davis and renown minister Peter Cartwright. Jesse and those that served under him appear to be from present day Logan County — northeast of Springfield.

The Black Hawk War ended in a brutal massacre on the banks of the Mississippi after U.S. soldiers and militia rejected the white flag of surrender from the Native Americans. Soldiers proceeded to shoot the aged, women, children and starving warriors as the Indians attempted to swim or boat across the river. The U.S. also shot cannons from a river boat in the massacre. The Native Americans were reduced from about 1,000 strong to less than 150.

Land Purchases

In a 1878 document filed by Percy Reed to obtain 160 acres of land granted to Jesse a couple years before his death (for his Black Hawk War service), it appears Jesse had never taken possession of his land. In 1878 Percy also applied for a widow’s pension based on Jesse military service stating, among other things, that she was destitute, blind and had no one to care for her. She received the $8 monthly pension until she died in 1880.

During the pension application process, neighbors testified that Percy had lived in the Springfield area — some said 20 years, others said 40 — but based on land purchases 40 years is the most accurate. In 1829, Jesse purchased 160 acres (for $1.25 an acre) in Sangamon County, Ill. He purchased an additional 40 acres in 1833 and 53 more acres in 1836.

The Great Mystery: Warren Claywell

In an earlier post I wrote about Warren Claywell, lynched in 1856 for horse stealing, while his mother and brothers helplessly stood by and watched. Warren is Jesse’s third oldest son. The mob forced a confession out of Warren’s older brother, Frank (by hanging him until he talked), who admitted they had stolen five horses from Free-Soilers (anti-slavery individuals) and pressed into service 22 horses. This — and the fact when the family leaves the Kansas Territory they head to Missouri (a slave state) — suggests that the family supported slavery since “pressing” is the act of confiscating a horse for an army or militia. Some of the Claywells did support slavery — Warren’s uncle John was a slave holder in Cumberland County as was his great-uncle Peter, a Methodist minister, in North Carolina (and several generations before them owned slaves).

One newspaper, though, goes so far as to say the only reason Warren was lynched was because he stole five horses from the Free-Soilers. (If you have never read anything about the Kansas Territory and the bloody battles and massacres that transpired, War to the Knife: Bleeding Kansas, 1854-1861, is a great place to start).

But, contradicting the theory that Warren and his family supported slavery is a 1878 document in which Percy notes she had five sons in the Union Army — which, of course, suggests the family was anti-slavery. They were:

James L. Claywell, private, Missouri Volunteers
Francis M. Claywell, private, Illinois Volunteers
Benjamin F. Claywell, private, Illinois Volunteers
Joseph Simon Claywell, private, Illinois Volunteers
Thomas A. Claywell, private, Illinois Volunteers

So was the family pro-slave, anti-slave — or neither? Well, one other possibility is survival.

Horses were worth about four months wages and stolen ones sold on the black market for about half that much — so the family may have been simply trying to survive in a lawless territory. According to several sources, many of the settlers in the Kansas Territory were extremely poor. Since they are in Kansas and not Illinois, it’s possible the family lost their Sangamon County land and hoped for a new start by squatting on some land in the Kansas Territory. For me, these questions remain unanswered, but whatever the family’s political leanings were, they eventually move back to the Springfield area.

Date of Death And Birth

Although, I cannot find a gravestone or death announcement, most sources record Jesse’s death as March 27, 1852. In a 1850 document (Jesse’s first attempt to obtain the 160 acres Black Hawk War land), it states Jesse turned 60 on Nov. 18, 1849. This would make his birth year 1789 which basically coincides (off by a year or two) with his sworn statement that he enlisted in the military in 1808 at the age of 18 (Percy said Jesse was 17).

1850 Census

In the Census taken before Jesse’s death we can glean the ages of his children:
(Notations: Left to right the columns are: name, age, gender, occupation, property value, place of birth and X for illiterate)

Claywell, Jesse 67 M Farmer 800 VA X
Claywell, Pencey 44 F NC X
Claywell, James 21 M Farmer IL X
Claywell, Frances 17 F IL X
Claywell, Warren 15 M IL X
Claywell, Benj. 14 M IL X
Claywell, Simeon 9 M IL X
Claywell, Thos. 6 M IL

Connection to Me

Jesse Claywell is the son of Shadrach Claywell and the brother of Shadrach Claywell Jr. Shadrach Jr. is my great-great-great-great-grandfather. If you use the cousin calculator, that would make Jesse my 4th Great Grand Uncle.

Jesse’s Lineage	My Lineage
Shadrach Claywell	Shadrach Claywell
Jesse Claywell	Shadrach Claywell Jr.
	John Anderson Claywell
	Ed Claywell
	Joe Lee Claywell
	Charlie L. Claywell
	Billy D. Claywell
	Me

Sources & References

Black Hawk War: There is just no way to concisely explain the Black Hawk War because it involves treachery on both sides, but the conflict can be traced back to a contested 1804 treaty. To understand the Native American side, the Autobiography of Black Hawk is a great place to start (it’s free) and the American side is explained in several works including, The Black Hawk War of 1832 (Campaigns and Commanders Series).

Jesse’s Military Service: The pension application filed by Percy and the 160-acre land grant filed by Jesse contain about 30-40 pages of documentation that paint a fairly well-rounded look at Jesse’s military service. But, it also offers clues into his family members, marriages and gives insight into where he lived. Fold3 has copies of the records and many libraries offer free access to the content with a valid library card. There are also several rosters listed online and in county history books written in the late 1800s (about Sangamon County Illinois) that discuss the various regiments and companies utilized in the Black Hawk War. However, most of these written histories only contain a paragraph or two about Jesse.

Land Purchases: All of Jesse’s land purchases can be viewed online at Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database by searching for Claywell Jesse (no comma between names), Claywell J or Claywell.

This is the first in a series of posts about Shadrach Claywell’s children. Jesse is his oldest.