EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 529 



survey of the public lands in Ohio. In 1795 he located and purchased 

 1,100 acres of land on the Ohio River, where the city of Steubenville now 

 stands. In 1800 he removed with his family from Maryland to Steu- 

 benville, where he occupied himself in clearing his lands and preparing 

 his farm. Li 1814 he formed a partnership with three other gentlemen 

 and erected an extensive woolen manufactory in Steubenville. W. E. 

 Dickinson became a member of the firm in 1816. The enterprise proved 

 a great source of revenue to the breeders of sheep, by creating a 

 good market and a home manufacture of the wool grown in that part 

 of Ohio and in western Pensylvania and the adjoining counties of West 

 Virginia. The firm made a most excellent quality of broadcloth, which 

 was well known and highly appreciated in eastern cities. In 1814 or 

 1815 Mr. Wells purchased from William Jarvis a large number of sheep, 

 said to have been several hundred, and placed them on his farm near 

 Steubenville, where they were kept until 1 824, at which time the flock 

 numbered 3,500 head, said to have been pure Spanish Merinos. In 1824 

 a large tract of land was purchased in Stark County, about 5 miles west 

 of Canton, where a great part of the flock was summered, being driven 

 back to Steubenville to be wintered. This migratory system was quite 

 successful, the flock in its summer feeding ground and in its transit 

 being watched by shepherds who made their headquarters in a cart 

 drawn by oxen. Wolves were most to be feared. 



Occasional sales were made from this flock, and the wool was used 

 in the Steubenville factory. In 1825 Alexander Wells, son of Bezaleel 

 W'lls, received from W. J. Miller, of Philadelphia, 240 ewes, and in 

 182G bought of Mr. Miller 260 more ewes. These Miller sheep were 

 from the R. W. Meade importation of Infantados of 1810, and had been 

 raised by Mr. Miller for Mr. Meade. They had been crossed with the 

 Saxony sheep, of which Mr. Miller had made, with Col. Shephard, of 

 Massachusetts, the first importation into the country. These sheep 

 were kept separate un til 1829, % when they were commingled with the 

 flock of Bezaleel Wells established in 1814-'15. The best rams of the 

 Dickinson flock were used on that of Mr. Wells, and the best rams of 

 the Wells flocks were used by Mr. Dickinson. In 1829 the flock num- 

 bered about 3,000 head. It presented a grand appearance, and was 

 supposed to be unequaled in number, form, and weight of fleece. The 

 flock would clip about 5 pounds of washed wool per head. The flock 

 was sold in 1829 or 1830 at public sale, many of the purchasers being 

 from Pennsylvania and western Virginia, but the greater part from 

 Ohio. It is believed, however, that the choice sheep found their way 

 into Washington County, Pa., to enrich the flocks of Alexander Reed, 

 William Brownlee, John H. Ewing, C. H. Beall, and others. 



Most of the fine-wooled flocks in the eastern part of Ohio had a sim- 

 ilar origin. Previous to the introduction of the Spanish Merino by B. 

 Wells and W. R. Dickinson, the sheep were of the common variety, 

 coarse- wooled, leggy, with good constitution, and excellent nurses; 

 22990 34 * 



