“I was born in the City of Baltimore on December 15, 1801. My father was a seafaring man, a jolly and skillful sailor. For some years he was connected with a West India line in an important capacity. On the breaking out of the War of 1812 he took to privateering and subsequently to coasting in the neighborhood of Savannah, and we never heard of him afterwards.

“When the War of 1812 commenced I was a boy of eleven years, and the fifes and drums, the marching and the shouting in the streets of Baltimore made me crazy for war. As a matter of fact, I became a "powder monkey" on the privateer schooner Amelia, under Captain Adams, and a right lively time I had, handing ammunition around to the gunners in time of action. Our schooner was a hard fighter and took several prizes. I was put on one of the prizes, an English brig loaded with codfish which we captured off Newfoundland, but in trying to get to New York our vessel became disabled and, putting her before the wind, we scudded to Cadiz, her original destination. Our prize master was a Page of Connecticut, and I have always thought that scudding to Cadiz was a rascally trick on his part. He did not profit by it much, as I subsequently saw him driving a hack in New Orleans.

“I remained on board the brig at Cadiz for a few days and then put myself in charge of the U. S. Consul at that port, who took some interest in me and got me aboard a hermaphrodite brig bound for New York. The vessel broke loose from her moorings one night during a storm and went to pieces. The Consul then shipped me for New York in a pilot boat schooner, which arrived in New York in 45 days.

“I was then 14 years old. After staying a while with my mother, who had moved to New York during my absence, I went to Norfolk, VA and shipped with a Captain Kidd on a brig bound to Dublin. Captain Kidd was an estimable gentleman, kind and considerate. He afterwards served on the Coast Survey. On the return passage from Dublin he spoke to me of the advantages of education and offered to take me home with him and give me some schooling. I accepted the proposition eagerly. Kidd was an old bachelor with two sisters with whom he lived, and while living with him at his place near Portsmouth, VA, I went to school for eight or nine months. At the expiration of that time Kidd engaged with the Coast Survey and, not being able to take me with him, procured me a berth on a merchant ship bound for London.

“I was retained in her service, but on reaching New Orleans I went into the Navy, as there was trouble then – 1817 – between the United States and Spain. I enlisted for one year. We went to Pensacola and supplied Jackson with provisions and ammunition. We had a small craft, commanded by Captain McKeever, who died not long ago in Baltimore having attained the rank of Admiral. Mr. Quinn, the second officer, came to Cincinnati subsequently, married old Mrs. Bambridge's daughter and is now living in Philadelphia.

“At Pensacola I was one of the boat's crew that took General Jackson to the vessel and to the shore again. He seemed to take a fancy to me and offered to get me a Midshipman's appointment, but I declined.

“While I was in the naval service I insisted on being Captain of the Mizzentop and Coxswain of the Captain's Gig, and I was duly Invested with those honors.

“I did not like the sea, and on our return to New Orleans, my term of service having expired, I determined to quit the sea. As I had not drunk any liquor while on board ship, my grog money amounted to a few dollars, and the first thing I did on receiving it was to go uptown and buy a brand new beaver hat, a regular old-fashioned "stove-pipe," When I went back to have a last chat with Mr. Quinn, I cut quite a figure. He advised me to leave the sea and get into some permanent employment on shore.

“There was a New Orleans ship chandler with him who, hearing of my intention to become a tradesman, offered me a place in his store at very fair wages. I accepted and was with him a year. I then got ruptured in lifting goods and, on the advice of the physician who attended me, went into the tailoring business. Following my trade, I found myself at Bayou Sara, a little place near New Orleans where I became acquainted with John Justice and another journeyman. They gave me such a glowing account of Cincinnati that I made up my mind to come here.

“I came to Cincinnati in 1824, went into partnership with John Justice, who died a short time ago, and set up a tailor shop in one of the rooms of old Ephraim Morgan’s printing house on Main Street north of Third. Then we moved to Front Street and thence back to Main Street between Columbia and Pearl Streets. This last store was owned by Colonel James Taylor at Newport Manufacturing Company, which manufactured bale rope and bagging. We lost about $400 a day for four months, when I retired with a very small capital indeed.

“I then commenced trading on the River with Robert Buchanan and others, and in 1844, having been pretty successful and gathered a small fund, I went into the furniture business with Joseph and have been engaged in it ever since.”