Description: Portrait of John Hay, from "The Complete Poetical Works of John Hay" (Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916). Hay's signature is located under the portrait. John Milton Hay was a prominent politician and author born in 1838. He was good friends with President Abraham Lincoln and was Lincoln's personal secretary. Lincoln also appointed Hay to the U.S. Embassy in France. He was later appointed Assistant Secretary of State by President Rutherford B. Hayes and Secretary of State by President William McKinley. Hay also published a number of books including co-authoring a biography of Lincoln and a volume of poetry and personal recollections. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03868
Subjects: Hay, John, 1838-1905; Ohio authors; Politicians; Cultural Ohio--Literary Ohio
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated 1941, this photograph shows three men using pitchforks to load hay onto a horse-drawn wagon, with a note on the reverse which reads "Pitching hay in Butler Co." Until the 1950s, hay was loaded onto wagons via pitchfork. Once cut, farmers put the hay into piles over two parallel poles that could be picked up by two men and carried to a haystack or scow. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B06F02_004_1
Subjects: Agriculture; Farming; Hay; Rural life; Dogs
Places: Butler County (Ohio)
 

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 is a picture of a negative. In the negative, it appears to show some people processing hay. There are two people on top of a large haystack with pitchforks, pitching hay. Several pieces of farm equipment can be seen as well. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F07_006_001
Subjects: Warren County (Ohio)--Pictorial works; Farm buildings; Lebanon (Warren County, Ohio : Civil jurisdiction)--Pictorial works; Farm equipment; Hay
Places: Warren County (Ohio); Lebanon (Ohio : Township)
 

Description: Picture of several people working in a hay field. Two women can be seen with pitchforks with three younger boys helping them. There are several piles of hay in the field. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F07_010_001
Subjects: Warren County (Ohio)--Pictorial works; Lebanon (Warren County, Ohio : Civil jurisdiction)--Pictorial works; Agricultural crops; Hay--Harvesting; Fashion
Places: Warren County (Ohio); Lebanon (Ohio : Township)
 

Description: Taken by photographer Homer Jensen in the 1930s or early 1940s, this photograph shows Ohio farmers baling hay using a tractor with a pulley attachment. Homer Jensen was a pioneer in aerial searches for oil and minerals hidden underground and beneath the seas. He first worked as a professional photographer in Cincinnati, Ohio, and founded the photographic department of the Procter & Gamble Company. He was the Co-Inventor of Magnetometer. He died in 1991. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B06F06_021_1
Subjects: Agriculture; Hay; Farms; Tractors; Barns; Rural life
Places: Ohio
 

Description: This photographic reproduction shows Zoar villagers loading a hay wagon, ca. 1890-1899. Led by Joseph Bimeler (sometimes spelled Bäumeler) in 1817, a group of Lutheran separatists left the area of Germany known as Wurttemberg and eventually established the small community of Zoar in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. The community of Zoar was not originally organized as a commune, but its residents had a difficult time surviving in 1818 and early 1819. As a result, on April 19, 1819, the group formed the Society of Separatists of Zoar. Each person donated his or her property to the community as a whole, and in exchange for their work, the society would provide for them. Additional modifications to the society's organization were made in 1824 and a constitution established in 1833. In the decades following the establishment of the Zoar commune, the Separatists experienced economic prosperity. The community was almost entirely self-sufficient and sold any surpluses to the outside world. In addition to agriculture, Zoar residents also worked in a number of industries, including flour mills, textiles, a tin shop, copper, wagon maker, two iron foundries, and several stores. The society also made money by contracting to build a seven-mile stretch of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The canal crossed over Zoar's property, and the society owned several canal boats. The canal traffic also brought other people into the community, who bought Zoar residents' goods. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the community was quite prosperous. After Bimeler's death in 1853, the unity of the village declined, and by 1898 the Zoarites disbanded the society. The remaining residents divided the property, and the community continued to prosper in Zoar. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00862
Subjects: Zoar (Tuscarawas County, Ohio); Society of Separatists of Zoar; Laborers; Hay; Agriculture
Places: Zoar (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated July 26, 1938, this photograph shows several farmhands threshing hay loaded onto three horse-drawn wagons, with two chickens in the foreground. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F08_010_001
Subjects: Farms; Agriculture; Barns; Rural life; Hay
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Dated ca. 1935-1940, this photograph shows haystacks in a field in the fall in New Philadelphia, Ohio, in Tuscarawas County. A note on the reverse of the photograph reads "Scene Buehlers Farm, Tusc Co Stonewcreek Road. Wesley Green, Photographer Nellie E. Kaltenbaugh, Writers Project, New Phila." This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B06F05_016_1
Subjects: Agriculture; Farming; Hay; Crops; Ohio Federal Writers' Project
Places: New Philadelphia (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photo of a farmer taking a drink of water. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F10_007_001
Subjects: Drinking water; Farmers; Hay
Places: Ohio