Ossian M. Ross (August 16, 1790 - January 20, 1837) was a pioneer farmer, stock-raiser, and merchant in
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, who served as a
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
and subsequently founded the Illinois towns of
Lewistown and
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. , and who also played a prominent role in establishing
Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
and
Mason
Mason may refer to:
Occupations
* Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces
* Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...
counties in that state.
Early life in New York State
![Mrs Mary Ross](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Mrs_Mary_Ross.jpg)
Ossian Ross was born in
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later orga ...
, on August 16, 1790, the son of Joseph Ross and Abigail Lee.
Winans Family Genealogy
', by Alice Winans Egy Woolley, available from the LDS church's Family History Library
The Family History Library (FHL) is a genealogical research facility in downtown Salt Lake City. The library is open to the public free of charge and is operated by FamilySearch, the genealogical arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
(microfiche #6088122), is a source of Ross' parents' and children's names. He was married to Mary (Polly) Winans on July 7, 1811, in
Seneca County, New York
Seneca County is located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,814. The county seat is Waterloo. It became a one county in 1822, which currently remains in effect and uses one locations as county seats a ...
.
While living in New York, he engaged in agricultural pursuits. Ossian and Mary Ross had three children during this period:
Lewis Winans (1812–1895), Harriet M. (1816–1890), and Harvey Lee (1817–1907).
Military service
Ross served as a major under
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Jacob Brown
Jacob Jennings Brown (May 9, 1775 – February 24, 1828) was known for his victories as an American army officer in the War of 1812, where he reached the rank of general. His successes on the northern border during that war made him a national ...
in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
.
Following the war, he was given a half-section (320
acres
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ya ...
) of land in the
Illinois Military Tract, a region that was allocated by the
United States Government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
as bounty lands to compensate volunteer soldiers for services rendered during the war.
Ross later served in
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Constant's Company,
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Neale's Detachment, of the Illinois Mounted Riflemen in the
Winnebago Indian Disturbances of 1827.
Life as an Illinois pioneer
Ossian Ross moved to Illinois in 1821, shortly after the territory became a state, in order to claim his allotment in the Military Tract. It was Ross’ apparent intention to establish a town in that region, because he brought with him a blacksmith, a carpenter, and other workmen.
Ossian Ross, his family, and his companions settled in an area that is now known as Lewistown, Illinois, a town which he founded and named after his oldest son, Lewis.
Ossian Ross donated a quarter-section of his land to the town for the establishment of a public square, courthouse, jail, church, and
Masonic temple
A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting.
Development and history
In ...
. Ross himself was a
Freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
: a member of the Frontier Lodge and active in the Grand Lodge of Illinois. Ossian and Mary Ross had three additional children in Illinois: Lucinda Caroline (1821–1900), who married
William Kellogg);
Leonard Fulton (1822–1901); and Pike Clinton (1825–1890).
Ross played a major role in the establishment and governance of Fulton County, which originally extended as far north as
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, and had Lewistown as its county seat.
The first election in Fulton County was held on April 14, 1823, in the log cabin home of Ossian Ross.
Although he did not win a position in that election (he ran for sheriff but lost narrowly to William Eads), Ross later became the county’s first
postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
, the first
justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
, the second
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
, and the third
treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
.
Ossian's brother John N. Ross was the county's first
surveyor
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
, and his brother Thomas Lee Ross was the first
assessor
An assessor may be:
* ''Assessor'' (fish), a genus of fishes
* Assessor (law), the assistant to a judge or magistrate
* Assessor (Oxford), a senior officer of the University of Oxford
* Assessor (property), an expert who calculates the value of pr ...
and county treasurer.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
received his appointment as postmaster of
New Salem, Illinois, through Ossian Ross' recommendation, and Ossian's son Harvey Lee assisted Lincoln in sorting and delivering the mail.
During the great debate over the slavery question in Illinois in 1824, Ossian Ross, together with Methodist minister
Peter Cartwright, successfully championed the anti-slavery cause in Fulton county.
![Fulton County courthouse in 1823](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Fulton_County_courthouse_in_1823.jpg)
As justice of the peace, Ross authored a legal document that has been cited as a prime example of pioneer ingenuity and practicality. Prior to receiving his commission as justice of the peace, Ross was asked to marry a pioneer couple. In response, he wrote the following document: "To All the World Greetings - Know ye, that John Smith and Poly Myers is hereby entitled to go together and do as old folks does anywhere inside of Copperas precinct, and when my commission comes I am to marry em good and proper, and date em back to kiver accidents. O. M. R. Justice Peace."
In 1827, Ossian Ross, John Holcomb, and Sheldon Lockwood were appointed by the county commissioners’ court of Fulton County to map out the best route from the mouth of the
Spoon River
The Spoon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Illinois River in west-central Illinois in the United States. The river drains largely ...
(near Havana) to the lead mines near
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The ci ...
. Their report, published in the ''Illinois Intelligencer'', formed the basis for the Lewistown Trail, which ran from
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...
, to Galena, Illinois, via Lewistown and was one of the main routes to the Galena lead mines between 1827 and 1837. The influx of job seekers to the lead mines from
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
and southern Illinois along the Lewistown Trail and other routes is likely to be the major reason that Illinois was called the "Sucker State" throughout much of the 19th century (i.e., the lure of the mines "sucked" men into Illinois from neighboring states).
Ossian Ross moved to what is now Havana, Illinois, in 1829, where he laid out the town, ran the Havana Hotel (where Abraham Lincoln was a frequent guest), and operated Ross’ Ferry, which was located at the only place between the Illinois towns of
Beardstown and
Pekin where the
Illinois River
The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...
could be crossed. After Ross left Lewistown, his homestead there was purchased by Major
Newton Walker, a member of the
Illinois State Legislature
The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818 ...
and a close friend of Abraham Lincoln.
While living in Lewistown and Havana, Ossian Ross engaged in
land speculation
In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline in value.)
Many s ...
, purchasing
warranty deed
A warranty deed is a type of deed where the grantor (seller) guarantees that they hold clear title to a piece of real estate and has a right to sell it to the grantee (buyer), in contrast to a quitclaim deed, where the seller does not guarantee ...
s,
quitclaim deed
Generally, a quitclaim is a formal renunciation of a legal claim against some other person, or of a right to land. A person who quitclaims renounces or relinquishes a claim to some legal right, or transfers a legal interest in land. Originally a c ...
s, and
tax deeds, typically for good quality land.
Much of the land was then sold at roughly a 25 percent profit.
In addition to providing a source of income, some of the land speculation by local businessmen such as Ross also served as a valuable resource for local farmers. For example, Ross' frequent practice of buying land with quitclaim deeds and then selling the land back to the original owner at the auction price in essence provided a source of loans to farmers in the absence of banks, which did not exist in the region until the 1850s.
Death and legacy
Ossian Ross died in Havana on January 20, 1837, of unknown causes. He was interred in the
Oak Hill Cemetery in Lewistown in a large plot of land devoted to the Ross family. A collection of Ross family papers, including a business ledger maintained by Ossian Ross as well as correspondence and other documents of members of the Ross family, is housed in the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents the life of the 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War. Combining traditional scholarship with 21st-century showmanship techniques, the museum ...
in Springfield, Illinois. The final pages of Ossian Ross' business ledger consist of a list of items that were purchased from the personal property of his estate by his son Lewis, totaling $3,392.24.
Notable descendants
Ossian and Mary Ross established a family that became foremost in the history of the Illinois River Valley and beyond.
Among the prominent individuals of this family were their sons Lewis W. Ross, a
United States Congressman
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
; Leonard F. Ross, a lawyer and stock-raiser who served as a
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
; Harvey Lee Ross, who compiled and edited an influential history of early Illinois
and whose
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
; and Pike C. Ross, a pioneer doctor and pharmacist who was associated with the founding of the
Phi Alpha Literary Society
Phi Alpha () is a men's Literary Society founded in 1845 at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois. It conducts business meetings, literary productions, and other activities in Beecher Hall, the oldest college building in the state of Illi ...
.
John Wesley Ross
John Wesley Ross (June 23, 1841 – July 29, 1902) was an American attorney who served as postmaster of Washington, D.C., as president of the D.C. Public Schools Board of Trustees, and as a member and president of the D.C. Board of Commissioner ...
, son of Lewis W. Ross and a grandson of Ossian and Mary Ross, served as postmaster of
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and as president of the
District of Columbia Board of Commissioners, a position equivalent to mayor.
Robert B. Chiperfield
Robert Bruce Chiperfield (November 20, 1899 - April 9, 1971), son of United States Congressman Burnett Mitchell Chiperfield, was an Illinois lawyer and 12-term U.S. Representative from Illinois. He served as chairman of the House Committee on ...
, a great grandson of Ossian and Mary Ross, was a
United States representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from Illinois who served as chair of the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs o ...
.
Betty Ross Clarke
Betty Ross Clarke (born May Clarke,National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; ''Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central Division (Los Angeles), 1887-1940''; Mi ...
, a great granddaughter of Ossian and Mary Ross, was an American stage actress and film starlet. Jean Ross Howard Phelan, a second great granddaughter of Ossian and Mary Ross, was a founding member of the Whirly-Girls International Women Helicopter Pilots.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Ossian
1790 births
1837 deaths
People from Lewistown, Illinois
People from Dutchess County, New York
American military personnel of the War of 1812
Illinois politicians