Английская Википедия:Alexander McGuffey
Alexander McGuffey, also known as Sandy (November 22, 1767–March 1, 1855), was a Scottish American scout on the Ohio frontier during the Northwest Indian War. He was the father of William Holmes and Alexander Hamilton McGuffey, who edited the McGuffey Readers. Their mother Anna Holmes McGuffey provided their earliest education and ensured that they received a good formal education outside of their home.
Early years
Alexander McGuffey was born on November 22, 1767, in Wigtownshire in the southwestern corner of Scotland.Шаблон:Sfn His parents were Ann McKittrick and William McGuffey. Nicknamed "Scotch Billy", his father was a farmer and a clobber,Шаблон:Sfn which could mean that he painted pottery to look like oriental ceramics[1] or that he repaired shoes with glue.[2] When McGuffey was five or six years old, his family immigrated to Colonial America. They landed in Philadelphia in August 1774 and then established a farm in York County, Pennsylvania.Шаблон:Sfn
On May 27, 1779, McGuffey joined the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). More than half of the soldiers were believed to have been Scottish-Irish men, who had a "deep seeded hatred of the British".Шаблон:Sfn
During William's absence, the family continued to farm the land and they opened and operated a tavern.Шаблон:Sfn George Washington and his officers visited the tavern several times during the war.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn[3] McGuffey was used to seeing soldiers and he learned about the war by listening to conversations amongst the tavern's patrons. At the end of the war, William McGuffey returned to run the farm. He also managed the tavern and he began cobbling shoes.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
In 1789, the McGuffey family set off on the Cumberland Road, likely in Conestoga wagons, for western Pennsylvania, which had just been opened for settlement. Williams's 18 year-old daughter Elizabeth died and was buried along the trail. McGuffey and his 21 year-old sister Catherine completed the journey with their parents to Washington County, Pennsylvania. The family ran a farm in Finley Township near Claysville.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Land was cheap there and Scottish-Irish settlers were finding success as farmers and makers of iron and whiskey.Шаблон:Sfn Buffalo, deer, otter, beaver, small game, and turkeys were ample sources of food and animal furs.Шаблон:Sfn The McGuffeys identified themselves as Covenanters who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland. They were against drinking, slavery, and dancing. They were also against governmental and church regulations.Шаблон:Sfn
Scout
Native American tribes of the Northwestern Confederacy—including Ojibwas, Odawas, Potawatomis, Miamis, Delawares, Shawnees, and Senecas (originally of New York and Ontario)—raided settlements in Western Pennsylvania and throughout the Northwest Territory. Boats transporting freight from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati along the Ohio River were subject to attack.Шаблон:Sfn
In 1790, McGuffey and his best friend Duncan McArthur volunteered to be scouts at Fort Pitt, an American Army stronghold.Шаблон:Sfn Samuel Brady trained and tested their ability to hunt, shoot, run, and swim. They were also tested on their ability to spy on tribesmen and how they would manage confrontations with Native Americans. Both Duncan and McGuffey were accepted and sent out on military expeditions. They were outfitted in a homespun suit, buckskin leggings, and a jerkin, and they were given a tomahawk and a dirk. The tomahawk was used to cut trees to create a shelter and to cut their way through the forestsШаблон:Sfn of Ohio and Pennsylvania.[4] McGuffey first served out of a small fort near Wheeling, West Virginia, and operated in the Ohio River Valley.Шаблон:Sfn
In the early 1790s, the young men served under General Anthony Wayne and Arthur St. Clair, with the objective to push Native Americans out of the Ohio Territory.Шаблон:Sfn[4] Being a scout was dangerous, they could be killed or scalped. McGuffy had a number of close calls, once a shot just missed him and penetrated the tree that he was standing behind. Another time, a shot hit his powder horn, but missed him. Other close calls were when he was spotted by a number of Native Americans and he ran away, until they covered a great distance and his pursuers finally gave up.Шаблон:Sfn McGuffey served until 1796.Шаблон:Sfn
McArthur served during the War of 1812 and attained the rank of general. He was elected governor of Ohio and established the "Fruit Hill" estate near Chillicothe, Ohio.Шаблон:Sfn
Life
Washington County, Pennsylvania
In December 1797, McGuffey married Anna Holmes (born 1776), whose parents were Jane Roney Holmes and Henry Holmes of the "Rural Grove" farm in Washington County.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Efn The Holmes were among the wealthiest Scotch–Irish in the county. Jane was educated in the frontier school system.Шаблон:Sfn McGuffey and his wife built a log cabin on the Rural Grove farm and they lived there for five years.Шаблон:Sfn[5]Шаблон:Efn During that time, the couple had three children Jane (b. 1799), William Holmes (b. 1800), and Henry (b. 1802).Шаблон:Sfn
McGuffey was a farmer. He also built houses, roads, and bridges. He managed the repercussions of droughts, floods, pests, and wild animals on the frontier.Шаблон:Sfn
In 1789, Washington County had about 1,540 residents, 840 of whom were enslaved people.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Efn The county's Scot-Irish residents were either aristocratic Presbyterians or conservative Covenanters. They had different opinions about slavery, alcohol consumption, politics (Federalists vs. Jeffersonians), and morals. They took opposing sides during the Whiskey Rebellion (1791–1794).Шаблон:Sfn The McGuffeys were Covenanters.Шаблон:Sfn
Connecticut Western Reserve in Ohio
Background
The first European settlers began moving into the area in 1798. McGuffey began clearing the land and building a log cabin in 1800. The area had a great source of game, nuts, and berries. The land was flatter than western Pennsylvania, which made for easier cultivation of crops, like potatoes, squash, beans, corn, oats, and wheat.Шаблон:Sfn The community included Pennsylvania Germans anabaptists, who shared improved farming methods, and New Englanders of conservative Puritan stock, who shared how to tap trees for syrup and build gristmills. Quakers and Scotch–Irish also moved into the diverse community.Шаблон:Sfn The community of varying backgrounds, had a hatred of war, slavery, and drunkenness. They had shared values, such as providing children good educations. Шаблон:Sfn
Children in the community were taught to read, write and spell, and memorize verses using the Bible and other books. Some children were taught using The New England Primer and Webster's Blue Back Speller. Children's books and novels were used by some to teach reading and spelling, such as The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes, Mother Goose's Melody, The Pilgrim's Progress, Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels.Шаблон:Sfn
The McGuffeys
In 1802, the McGuffeys left Washington County with their three children and his parents, William and Ann McGuffey.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn[6] They bought a 160-acre farm in the village of Coitsville, Ohio, of the Connecticut Western Reserve, near and east of Youngstown.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Efn McGuffey sat on the local school board, was a "house appraiser", and was a "lister of property".Шаблон:Sfn Anna homeschooled their children.Шаблон:Sfn During the winter, William and Jane boarded and attended Rev. William Wick's school in Youngstown, about five miles from their house.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Efn They studied there until Wick's death in 1814.Шаблон:Sfn
William began teaching at the age of 14 and between teaching positions, he studied at Old Stone Academy in Darlington, Pennsylvania, where Rev. Thomas Hughes was the headmaster. William then helped his much younger brother Alexander attain an education.[4]Шаблон:Sfn They both contributed to the creation of the successful McGuffey Readers textbooks for elementary education.Шаблон:Sfn His wife Anna died while the family was still in Ohio.Шаблон:Sfn
Shenango River, Pennsylvania
McGuffey returned to western Pennsylvania and lived along the Shenango River some time before 1847. He married Mary Hemphill Dickey, "a very estimable lady." McGuffey's parents Ann McKittrick and William McGuffey moved in with the couple. His mother Ann lived to the age of 90 and William lived to be 94.Шаблон:Sfn
On September 22, 1847, Dr. Daniel Drake of Cincinnati visited the McGuffeys at their Shenango River homestead.Шаблон:Sfn His daughter Elizabeth M. Drake married McGuffey's son Alexander.[7] Drake, who was 62 years of age at the time, founded the first medical college west of the Alleghenies. Like the McGuffeys, Daniel Drake and his parents had experienced struggles on the frontier, and Dan was sent to Cincinnati in 1800 to receive an education. He became a physician and lived in comfort. His and McGuffey's grandchildren lived a life of luxury and attended private schools.Шаблон:Sfn
Death and legacy
McGuffey died on March 1, 1855, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.Шаблон:Sfn
In 1847, Drake visited McGuffey and they talked about his days as a scout. Afterwards, Drake wrote a short biography of McGuffey's life. He shared the biography and his thoughts about his life with their shared grandchildren: Шаблон:Quote
Notes
References
Sources
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ 4,0 4,1 4,2 Ошибка цитирования Неверный тег
<ref>; для сносокWatsonне указан текст - ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
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