Description: This image of Harman Blennerhassett (1765-1831) is photographic reproduction of an engraving by Alexander Hay Ritchie (1822-1895). The head-and-shoulders portrait depicts Blennerhassett as young man with wavy hair, large eyes, and a rather prominent nose. Just below the bottom of the oval image is the caption “Engd by A.H. Ritchie” and located further down is a reproduction of Blennerhassett’s signature. Ritchie’s engraving closely resembles a digital image that is in the collection of the New York Public Library (ID 113981). A typeset caption on that image reads: “Harman Blennerhassett, from a miniature taken in London in 1796.” If that information is correct, then the miniature was created when Blennerhassett was about 31 years old. Blennerhassett and his wife, Margaret, achieved notoriety for their association with Aaron Burr, former vice president of the United States, and for their involvement in the Burr Conspiracy. The Blennerhassetts’ surviving legacy and a symbol of their legendary hospitality is the mansion they built on Blennerhassett Island, located in the middle of the Ohio River near what is now Parkersburg, West Virginia Blennerhassett, a wealthy Irish aristocrat, and his niece, Margaret Agnew (ca. 1778-1842) created a scandal when they married. The exact date of their wedding is not known, but Margaret was likely in her late teens at the time of the nuptials. Margaret was the daughter of Robert Agnew, lieutenant governor of the Isle of Man. She was an intelligent, well-educated young woman with linguistic and literary talent. The closely related couple flouted legal, religious, and social conventions by marrying. The couple left England for the United States during the late 1790s and eventually moved to Marietta, Ohio. In 1797 they purchased 174 acres of land on an island in the Ohio River. The land formerly belonged to George Washington. During their first years on the island, the Blennerhassetts lived in a blockhouse until a permanent home was ready. In 1800 they moved into their new home, a mansion, where the couple lived the life of the wealthy. The Blennerhasetts were famous for their hospitality, and many travelers down the Ohio River stopped at the couple’s home. Their most famous guest was Burr, whom they met in 1805 when he visited the island. In 1805 and 1806, the Blennerhassetts assisted Burr in his scheme to break away the western part of the United States and form a new country that he would lead. The federal government heard rumors of the uprising and sent a detachment of Virginia militia to seize the Blennerhassetts' island. Harman Blennerhassett was in hiding; his wife was away in Marietta. When she returned, she discovered that the militiamen had ransacked the home, and she fled with her children. Her husband was arrested a few weeks later, but he quickly gained his release. The Blennerhassetts briefly returned to their mansion, but now destitute, they sought their fortunes in Mississippi, where Harman raised cotton to support the family. An embargo during the War of 1812 brought more financial hardship. In 1819 the family moved to Canada, where Harman tried unsuccessfully to establish a law firm. Margaret and their surviving children remained in Canada when Harman moved to Ireland in 1821 to pursue an old legal claim. He settled on the Isle of Guernsey. His family left the United States in 1825 to live with Harman on the Isle of Guernsey, where he died in 1831. Alexander Hay Ritchie (1822-1895) was an artist and engraver who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and studied under Scottish artist Sir William Allan. Ritchie moved to New York in 1841 and established a studio there. He specialized in mezzotints, engravings, and etchings. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05839
Subjects: Blennerhassett, Harman, 1765-1831; Blennerhassett, Margaret, ca. 1778-1842; Burr Conspiracy, 1805-1807; Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836; Blennerhassett Island (W. Va.); Ohio River Valley--History; Ritchie, Alexander Hay, 1822-1895; Ohio History--Presidents and Politics
 

Description: This photographic reproduction of an engraving depicts the Blennerhassett Mansion, home of lawyer, planter, and politician Harman Blennerhassett (1765-1831). The artist who created the original pencil sketch in 1804 was an unknown Frenchman. The mansion achieved notoriety for being the headquarters of the so-called Burr Conspiracy, an attempt by Aaron Burr, former vice president of the United States, to aid the establish of a second empire in the Southwest. As depicted here, the mansion was a two-story structure with a curved, one-story wing extending from both sides. The property is lined with mature trees and fencing. A group of farm animals (cattle) are grazing opposite the walkway that runs parallel to the house. Barely visible in the lower right corner of the illustration is the name of one of New York’s largest engraving firms, Lossing and Barritt. In 1797, Blennerhassett, a wealthy Irish-born aristocrat, moved with his wife to Marietta, Ohio, where they purchased 174 acres of land on an island in the Ohio River. The land formerly belonged to George Washington. The island is located near Belpre, Ohio, and Parkersburg, West Virginia. The Blennerhassetts intended to make the island their home. During their first years on the island, the Blennerhassetts lived in a blockhouse. In 1800, they moved into a mansion, where the couple lived the life of the wealthy. The Blennerhasetts were well known for their hospitality, and many travelers down the Ohio River stopped at the couple’s home. Their most famous guest was Burr. In 1805 and 1806, the Blennerhassetts assisted Burr in his scheme to break away the western part of the United States to form a new country that he would lead. The federal government heard rumors of the uprising and sent a detachment of Virginia militia to seize the Blennerhassetts' island. Harman Blennerhassett was in hiding; his wife was away in Marietta. When she returned, she discovered that the militiamen had ransacked the home, and she fled with her three children. Her husband was arrested a few weeks later, but he quickly gained his release. The Blennerhassetts briefly returned to their mansion, but now destitute, they sought their fortunes in Mississippi. Their former island home, now under new ownership, burned in 1811. During the 1980s the mansion was reconstructed on its original foundations. The island is now a West Virginia state park. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05828
Subjects: Blennerhassett Island (W. Va.); Blennerhassett, Harman, 1765-1831; Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836; Burr Conspiracy, 1805-1807; Ohio History--Settlement and Early Statehood
Places: Blennerhassett Island (West Virginia)
 

Description: This portrait of Madame Margaret Agnew Blennerhassett (ca. 1778-1842) is a photographic reproduction of the original, a painted miniature. According to Ray Swick and Christina Little, authors of “Blennerhassett Island,” the original miniature was painted in Montreal, Canada, between 1819 and 1824. It is believed that her husband commissioned the miniature as a replacement for a portrait of his wife that was stolen from his saddlebag in 1807. The oval portrait portrays a woman with a slender face and neck, wavy hair piled high, and penetrating eyes that look directly at the observer. Margaret Agnew was the daughter of Robert Agnew, lieutenant governor of the Isle of Man. She was an intelligent, well-educated young woman with linguistic and literary talent. Sometime between the ages of 17 and 20, she flouted legal, religious, and social convention by marrying her maternal uncle, Harman Blassenhassett (1765-1831), a wealthy Irish aristocrat. The couple left England for the United States during the late 1790s and eventually moved to Marietta, Ohio. In 1797 they purchased 174 acres of land on an island in the Ohio River. The land formerly belonged to George Washington. During their first years on the island, the Blennerhassetts lived in a blockhouse until a permanent home was ready. In 1800 they moved into their new residence, a mansion where the couple lived the life of the wealthy. The Blennerhasetts were famous for their hospitality, and many travelers down the Ohio River stopped at the couple’s home. Their most famous guest was Burr, whom they met in 1805 when he visited the island. In 1805 and 1806, the Blennerhassetts assisted Burr in his scheme to break away the western part of the United States and form a new country that he would lead. The federal government heard rumors of the uprising and sent a detachment of Virginia militia to seize the Blennerhassetts' island. Harman Blennerhassett was in hiding; his wife was away in Marietta. When she returned, she discovered that the militiamen had ransacked the home, and she fled with her children. Her husband was arrested a few weeks later, but he quickly gained his release. The Blennerhassetts briefly returned to their mansion, but now destitute, they sought their fortunes in Mississippi, where Harman raised cotton to support the family. An embargo during the War of 1812 brought more financial hardship. In 1819 the family moved to Canada, where Harman tried unsuccessfully to establish a law firm. Margaret and their surviving children remained in Canada when Harman moved to Ireland in 1821 to pursue an old legal claim. He settled on the Isle of Guernsey While still in Canada, Margaret published two books: "The Deserted Isle" (1822) and "The Widow of the Rock and Other Poems" (1824). Margaret and the children left the United States in 1825 to live with Harman on the Isle of Guernsey. After his death in 1831, she remained there until 1842, when she and her son Harman Jr. sailed to New York City. Margaret petitioned Congress for restitution for the destruction of the Blennerhassett Island property. A Senate committee voted in favor of her appeal, but its decision came too late for Margaret. She died in June 1842 in a New York City poor house and was buried in New York by the Sisters of Charity. In late the 1990s the remains of Margaret and her son Harman Jr. were moved to Blennerhassett Island and buried near the mansion, which had been reconstructed on its original foundation during the 1980s and early 1990s. The island is now a West Virginia historical state park. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05838
Subjects: Blennerhassett, Margaret, ca. 1778-1842; Blennerhassett, Harman, 1765-1831; Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836; Burr Conspiracy, 1805-1807; Blennerhassett Island (W. Va.); Ohio History--Settlement and Early Statehood;