Otway Curry
Encyclopedia
Otway Curry was a journalist, poet and legislator in the U.S. State
of Ohio
.
, Highland County, Ohio
. At age 7, in 1811, his family moved to Pleasant Valley, Union County, Ohio
. During the War of 1812
, his education was interrupted when his father was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives
in the then capital of Chillicothe
, and his older brother joined the army, leaving Otway at home with his mother. In 1823 he moved to Lebanon, Ohio
to learn the carpenter trade, practiced that occupation and began publishing poetry, at times out of state, until 1829, when he began to farm in Union County.
In 1836 and 1837, Curry was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. In 1838 he was editor of the short-lived Columbus
monthly magazine Hesperian, and in 1839 began study of law at Marysville, Ohio
.
of Ohio. Campaign songs were a part of campaigning in those days. Two songs from the Harrison campaign of 1840 survived: The Rollicking Tippecanoe and Tyler Too, by Alexander Ross of Zanesville, and Curry's quieter The Buckeye Cabin Song, which some sources claim helped lead to Ohio's nickname as the Buckeye State:
that year. He returned to Marysville in 1845, and practiced as a lawyer. He was elected a delegate to Ohio's second Constitutional Convention in 1850, and moved to Chillicothe in 1853, where he purchased the Scioto Gazette, and edited it for a year, until failing health prompted a move back to Marysville, where he died in 1855.
While working as a carpenter, Curry met and married Mary Noteman. He was a Methodist by faith, and a bishop wrote of him "as a man without a spot in his character, of strong domestic nature, whose home to him was a paradise: - a man of fervent piety, and his poetry as the song of a religious soul : a faith that brings heaven nearer to earth and man into fellowship with the angels."
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Biography
Otway Curry was born in GreenfieldGreenfield, Ohio
Greenfield is a village in Highland, Fayette, and Ross counties in the U.S. state of Ohio, along Paint Creek. The population was 4,906 at the 2000 census...
, Highland County, Ohio
Highland County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 40,875 people, 15,587 households, and 11,394 families residing in the county. The population density was 74 people per square mile . There were 17,583 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
. At age 7, in 1811, his family moved to Pleasant Valley, Union County, Ohio
Union County, Ohio
Union County is a county located in the US state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,300. Increasingly becoming more of a suburban county, the population was estimated at 47,234 in 2007 by the U.S. Census Bureau...
. During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, his education was interrupted when his father was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
in the then capital of Chillicothe
Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...
, and his older brother joined the army, leaving Otway at home with his mother. In 1823 he moved to Lebanon, Ohio
Lebanon, Ohio
The population at the 2010 census was 20,033. As of the census of 2000, there were 16,962 people residing in the city. The population density was 1,440.6 people per square mile . There were 6,218 housing units at an average density of 528.1 per square mile...
to learn the carpenter trade, practiced that occupation and began publishing poetry, at times out of state, until 1829, when he began to farm in Union County.
In 1836 and 1837, Curry was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. In 1838 he was editor of the short-lived Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
monthly magazine Hesperian, and in 1839 began study of law at Marysville, Ohio
Marysville, Ohio
Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Ohio, United States. The population was 15,942 at the 2000 census, and the Census Bureau estimated that it had risen to 17,621 by 2006.Marysville's longtime slogan is "Where the Grass is Greener"...
.
Harrison Campaign
Curry was an eager supporter of the 1840 Whig candidate for President, William Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
of Ohio. Campaign songs were a part of campaigning in those days. Two songs from the Harrison campaign of 1840 survived: The Rollicking Tippecanoe and Tyler Too, by Alexander Ross of Zanesville, and Curry's quieter The Buckeye Cabin Song, which some sources claim helped lead to Ohio's nickname as the Buckeye State:
Later life
Curry was again elected to the Ohio Legislature in 1842. He also bought the Green County Torchlight in Xenia, OhioXenia, Ohio
Xenia is a city in and the county seat of Greene County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio 21 miles from Dayton and is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...
that year. He returned to Marysville in 1845, and practiced as a lawyer. He was elected a delegate to Ohio's second Constitutional Convention in 1850, and moved to Chillicothe in 1853, where he purchased the Scioto Gazette, and edited it for a year, until failing health prompted a move back to Marysville, where he died in 1855.
While working as a carpenter, Curry met and married Mary Noteman. He was a Methodist by faith, and a bishop wrote of him "as a man without a spot in his character, of strong domestic nature, whose home to him was a paradise: - a man of fervent piety, and his poetry as the song of a religious soul : a faith that brings heaven nearer to earth and man into fellowship with the angels."