CHAPTER XVI 
AUDUBON’S MILL, AND FINAL REVERSES IN BUSINESS 
Dr. Rankin’s “Meadow Brook Farm’—Birth of John Woodhouse Audu- 
bon—The Audubon-Bakewell partnership—Meeting with Nolte—Failure 
of the commission business—Visit to Rozier—Storekeeping at Hender- 
son—Purchases of land—Habits of frontier tradesmen—Steamboats on 
the Ohio—Popular pastimes—Audubon-Bakewell-Pears partnership— 
Their famous steam mill—Mechanical and financial troubles—Business 
reorganization—Bankruptcy general—Failure of the mill—Personal en- 
counter—Audubon goes to jail for debt. 
The seven years which followed the outbreak of war 
with England in 1812 were the most disastrous in the 
naturalist’s career. In many respects they were critical 
for the entire country, since hundreds who were not 
affected directly by the war were ruined by the finan- 
cial troubles which followed in its wake. To Audubon 
reverses came at this time in rapid succession. Bereft 
of one and then another of his children,’ with his family 
in straitened circumstances in France, and reduced to 
bankruptcy himself, he finally resolved to throw up 
trade, for which he was never fitted, and to make his 
avocation the real business of life. We shall see how, 
by the unstinted use of such talents as he possessed, 
through unremitting effort, and with the aid of his ener- 
getic and capable wife, he was able, at the age of forty- 
five, to turn failure into success. 
After his return to Henderson in the spring of 1811, 
Audubon began to look for another opening in trade, 
1 While living at Henderson the Audubons lost their two daughters, 
Rosa and Lucy, both of whom died when very young. 
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