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104-453: The allegations surrounding Morgan's disappearance and presumed death sparked a public outcry and inspired Thurlow Weed and others to harness the discontent by founding the new Anti-Masonic Party in opposition to President Andrew Jackson 's Democrats . It ran a presidential candidate in 1832 but was nearly defunct by 1835. Morgan was born in Culpeper, Virginia , in 1774. His birth date

208-471: A Bible and promise not to reveal the passwords and grips of the degrees, several members of the Batavia lodge published an advertisement denouncing Morgan for breaking his word by authoring the book. An attempt was also made to set fire to Miller's newspaper office and print shop. On September 11, 1826, Morgan was arrested for supposed nonpayment of a loan and allegedly stealing a shirt and a tie; according to

312-504: A brewery . When his business was destroyed in a fire, Morgan was reduced to poverty. He returned with his family to the United States, settling first at Rochester, New York , and later in Batavia, where he again worked as a bricklayer and stonecutter. Nineteenth-century local histories described Morgan as a heavy drinker and a gambler, characterizations disputed by Morgan's friends and supporters. Morgan claimed to have been made

416-472: A strait , is approximately 58 kilometres (36 mi) long and includes Niagara Falls . Over the past 12,000 years, the falls have moved roughly 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) upstream from the Niagara Escarpment , creating a gorge below the falls. Today, the diversion of the river for electricity generation has significantly slowed the rate of erosion . The total elevation drop along the river

520-664: A Master Mason while he was living in Canada, and he appears to have briefly attended a lodge in Rochester. In 1825, Morgan received the Royal Arch degree at Le Roy 's Western Star Chapter Number 33, having declared under oath that he had previously received the six degrees that preceded it. It has never been established if he actually received these degrees and, if so, from which lodge. Morgan then attempted unsuccessfully to help establish or visit lodges and chapters in Batavia, but he

624-717: A book revealing the secrets of Masonic rituals and degree ceremonies. Weed recognized an opportunity to harness sentiment against the Masons and use it to oppose the policies of Democrat Andrew Jackson at the national level, and the Albany Regency of Martin Van Buren at the state level. He was an organizer of the Anti-Masonic Party , and used the pages of the Telegraph to keep Morgan's disappearance in

728-708: A foregone conclusion. But Seward's strong anti-slavery views and reputation as a Whig political boss offended many former Democrats in the still new Republican party. Abraham Lincoln 's managers exploited these vulnerabilities to obtain Lincoln's nomination. Though disappointed, Weed and Seward both supported Lincoln in the general election. Lincoln won the election handily, defeating John C. Breckinridge , John Bell , and Stephen A. Douglas . After Lincoln's inauguration, Seward became Secretary of State . Weed became an unofficial envoy and political advisor, with both Seward and Weed providing critical support to Lincoln and

832-525: A living by cutting wood for a potash maker, again with his son's aid. Thurlow Weed later worked at an Onondaga iron forge, where his task was to temper the sand used in casting and molding . During a period when the forge was not in operation, Weed obtained a position as a groomsman and gardener for the Onondaga County Clerk, which included his room and board , as well as the promise of additional schooling. For several months, Weed

936-468: A manuscript, which gave him a competitive advantage by enabling him to publish them more quickly than could rival editors. In 1818, a group of pro-DeWitt Clinton Democratic-Republican political figures purchased the Norwich newspaper and publishing business of John F. Hubbard . This group, which included James Birdsall and Obadiah German , then sold the works to Weed, who moved to Norwich to publish

1040-507: A message to Governor Horatio Seymour of New York, a " Peace Democrat ", promising to make way for Seymour's succession to the presidency if Seymour would persuade other Peace Democrats to support restoration of the Union. Weed delivered the message, but Seymour took the path of most other Peace Democrats, supporting the Union but remaining critical of what they viewed as the excesses of Lincoln's administration. In February 1863, Weed undertook

1144-549: A new identity and settled in Albany , Canada, or the Cayman Islands , where he was supposed to have been hanged as a pirate. New York governor DeWitt Clinton , also a Mason, offered a $ 1,000 reward (over $ 27,000 in 2023) for information about Morgan's whereabouts, but it was never claimed. The circumstances of Morgan's disappearance and the minimal punishment received by his kidnappers caused public outrage, and he became

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1248-511: A presumed family connection to Edward Thurlow , England's Lord Chancellor . As a boy, Weed dropped his first name; as an adult, he attempted to document the family connection during a visit to England, but was unsuccessful. Weed's father later moved the family to the village of Catskill where he operated a business hauling freight by wagon from the Hudson River docks. Joel Weed's business suffered reverses because of his ill health,

1352-549: A significant margin and represented Monroe County in 1825's 48th New York State Legislature . While serving in the Assembly, he befriended William H. Seward , whose legal and political careers were just beginning. In 1825, Weed bought the Rochester Telegraph . During 1827, he became involved in the controversy surrounding the disappearance of William Morgan , a former Mason who had threatened to publish

1456-540: A special mission for Lincoln when Lincoln asked him to secretly raise $ 15,000 (about $ 390,000 in 2020) for an unspecified purpose. Weed was in New York City when he received a telegram asking him to be in Washington the following morning. When they met the next day, Lincoln explained that there was urgent need for the money and that it could not be taken from any available government appropriations. Weed raised

1560-542: A symbol of the rights of free speech and free press. Protests against Freemasons took place in New York and the neighboring states; Masonic officials disavowed the actions of the kidnappers, but all Masons were under a cloud of suspicion. Thurlow Weed , a New York politician, gathered discontented opponents of President Andrew Jackson , a Mason, into the Anti-Masonic Party , which gained the support of such notable politicians as William H. Seward and Millard Fillmore . In

1664-573: A transportation network and system of safe houses for escaping slaves, Weed was among the prominent individuals to whom he turned for financing. In addition, Weed and his wife made their own home available to fleeing slaves as part of the Underground Railroad . Weed was generally seen as the " boss " of New York's Whig Party, using the same tactics as the Regency—patronage and political favors—to attract supporters and keep order in

1768-500: A woodcutter, maple syrup maker, and farm laborer with Thurlow's assistance. While living in Cincinnatus, Weed attended a local school for a brief period before the family moved again, this time to Onondaga . In both Cincinnatus and Onondaga, Weed worked to improve on his formal education by diligent self-study, sometimes walking several miles to visit neighbors who would allow him to borrow books. In Onondaga, Joel Weed earned

1872-582: A year of formal education in Catskill before beginning to work so he could help support his family. At age eight, he was hired to operate a blacksmith's bellows for six cents a day. He later worked as an errand boy at a Catskill tavern and hotel, then at a print shop, after which he spent much of his youth working as a cabin boy on boats that traveled the Hudson River . In 1808, Joel Weed's family moved to Cincinnatus, New York , where he worked as

1976-865: Is 99 metres (325 ft). The Niagara Gorge, downstream from the falls, includes the Niagara Whirlpool and additional rapids . Power plants on the river include the Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Generating Stations (built in 1922 and 1954) on the Canadian side, and the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant (built in 1961) on the American side, collectively generating 4.4 gigawatts of electricity. The International Control Dam , constructed in 1954, regulates river flow . Ships on

2080-513: Is sometimes given as August 7, but no definite source for this is cited. He worked as a bricklayer and stone cutter and later used his savings to open a store in Richmond . Morgan told friends and acquaintances that he had served with distinction as a captain during the War of 1812 , and his associates in upstate New York appear to have accepted this claim. Several men named William Morgan appear in

2184-631: The Agriculturist . Hubbard was later convinced to start a rival paper opposed to Clinton, the Norwich Journal . While living in Norwich, Weed also received a state appointment as commissioner to acknowledge the transfer of deeds and other sale documents, and the two to three dollars in fees he received each month enabled him to continue the Agriculturist during the earliest days of its existence. Weed recognized in 1820 that Norwich

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2288-525: The Batavia Cemetery , in Batavia, New York, where Timothy Monroe's body had been buried. The ceremony was witnessed by 1,000 people, including representatives from local Masonic lodges. The monument reads: Sacred to the memory of Wm. Morgan, a native of Virginia, a Capt. in the War of 1812, a respectable citizen of Batavia, and a martyr to the freedom of writing, printing and speaking the truth. He

2392-603: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . In June, 1881, a grave was discovered in a quarry two miles south of the Indian reservation in Pembroke, New York . In it were bones and a metal tobacco box. Other items found included a ring with the inscribed initials "W. M." The box contained a crumpled paper; its few legible words seemed to suggest that the remains might have been Morgan's. There were also critics who suggested that

2496-556: The Columbian Gazette , a newspaper published by Thomas Walker. When the militia again called for recruits to respond to the threat of an invasion from Canada, Weed obtained Walker's permission to go, and joined a company in the regiment commanded by Elijah H. Metcalf, which performed duty in and around Sackets Harbor. When the second alarm passed in October 1813, Weed returned to Utica. He soon left for Albany , where he

2600-679: The Great Lakes use the Welland Canal , part of the St. Lawrence Seaway , on the Canadian side of the river, to bypass Niagara Falls. The Niagara River features two large islands and several smaller ones. Grand Island and Navy Island , the two largest, are on the American and Canadian sides, respectively. Goat Island and the small Luna Island divide Niagara Falls into three sections: Horseshoe Falls , Bridal Veil Falls , and American Falls . Unity Island lies further upstream, adjacent to

2704-598: The Lynx became defunct. He then moved to Scipio , where he worked briefly on another newspaper, the Tocsin , before it too went out of business. Weed then returned to the forge in Onondaga, the owner of which had received a contract to produce round shot iron cannonballs for use by U.S. forces during the War of 1812 . After earning enough money to resume searching for work as a printer, Weed traveled to Utica , where he

2808-471: The Republican . Upon arriving in Rochester, he obtained employment with Everard Peck, the editor of the Telegraph , the city's pro-DeWitt Clinton newspaper, who decided to publish a long-delayed book as a way to provide Weed with temporary employment. Immediately impressed with Weed's talents, Peck hired him to run the day-to-day operations of the Telegraph . In addition to managing the paper during

2912-760: The Seven Years' War (known as the French and Indian War in the United States) and the American Revolutionary War . The Battle of Queenston Heights took place near the river in the War of 1812 . The river was an important route to liberation before the American Civil War , as many African-Americans escaping slavery on the Underground Railroad crossed it to find freedom in Canada. The Freedom Crossing Monument stands on

3016-558: The Telegraph . In 1829, he was again elected to the Assembly from Monroe County, this time as an Anti-Mason. He served a one-year term in 1830, which included the sessions of the 53rd New York State Legislature . He also started the Albany Evening Journal . The Evening Journal became the largest Anti-Masonic newspaper; Weed was editor, chief reporter, proofreader, and political expert. In 1832 , Weed supported Adams's ally Henry Clay , who ran for president as

3120-609: The Union during the American Civil War . In 1861, Weed traveled to Paris with Winfield Scott , where they aided American consul John Bigelow in defusing the Trent Affair , a diplomatic incident with Britain. Later that year, Weed visited Europe with Archbishop John Hughes , and they worked to influence government and public opinion in England and France in favor of the Union. In December 1862, Lincoln asked Weed to convey

3224-626: The War of 1812 before winning election to the New York State Assembly . He met Seward in the assembly, and they formed a close political alliance that lasted for several decades. Weed and Seward became leaders of the New York Anti-Masonic Party , and Weed established the Albany Evening Journal as the party's main newspaper. Weed supported the American System of Henry Clay and helped establish

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3328-607: The Welland River to connect to the Niagara River south of the falls, enabling water traffic to safely re-enter the river and continue to Lake Erie. The Niagara River and Falls have been known outside of North America since the late 17th century, when Father Louis Hennepin , a French explorer, first witnessed them. He wrote about his travels in A New Discovery of a Vast Country in America (1698). The Niagara River

3432-614: The Whig Party in the 1830s. He helped Seward win election as Governor of New York and supported the successful presidential candidacies of Harrison and Taylor. Weed led New York's Whigs for much of the 1830s and 1840s but abandoned the party following the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act . He helped organize the Republican Party and supported Frémont's nomination at the 1856 Republican National Convention . He led

3536-469: The 1828 campaign, other Jackson rivals, including John Quincy Adams , joined in denouncing the Masons. In 1832 , the Anti-Masonic Party fielded William Wirt as its presidential candidate and Amos Ellmaker as his running mate, and they received Vermont 's seven electoral votes. By 1835, the party had become moribund everywhere but Pennsylvania , as other issues, such as slavery , became

3640-487: The Cooperstown rooming house where Weed had been staying, had arranged for his bail and legal representation. The trial was postponed several times because of events surrounding the war, and took place in early 1815. District attorney Charles P. Kirkland decided to try Weed first, separately from the other defendants. Three of the girls who had been in the wagon denied seeing Weed after the church service. The fourth

3744-626: The Midwest, they became Mormons . By 1837, some historians believe that Lucinda Pendleton Morgan Harris had become one of the plural wives of Joseph Smith , founder of the Latter Day Saint movement . She continued to live with George Harris. After Smith was murdered in 1844, she was " sealed " to him for eternity in a rite of the church. By 1850, the Harrises had separated. When George Harris died in 1860, he had been excommunicated from

3848-651: The Mormons after ceasing to practice with them. That year, Lucinda Morgan Harris was reported to have joined the Catholic Sisters of Charity in Memphis, Tennessee , where she worked at the Leah Asylum. She had been widowed three times. In 1841, the Mormons announced their vicarious baptism of William Morgan after his death, as one of the first under their new rite to posthumously offer people entrance into

3952-700: The Niagara River include: The Niagara River is listed as a Great Lakes Areas of Concern in The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada. The Niagara River has a long history of both road and rail bridges spanning the river, both upstream and downstream of the Falls. This history includes numerous bridges that have fallen victim to the harsh conditions of the Niagara Gorge , such as landslides and icepacks. The following parks are located along

4056-606: The Niagara River: A Niagara River Greenway Plan is in progress in the United States. Download coordinates as: Several islands are located on the upper river upriver from the falls: United States Coast Guard Fort Niagara Station was once a United States Army post. There are no Canadian Coast Guard posts along the river. Fort Mississauga , Fort George and Fort Erie are former British and Canadian military forts (last used 1953, 1965 and 1923 respectively) and are now parks. Navy Island Royal Naval Shipyard

4160-597: The Senate in 1854, and the Republican presidential nomination of John C. Frémont in 1856. Frémont narrowly lost the 1856 election to Democrat James Buchanan . Buchanan's failed administration and the fracturing of the Democrats over the slavery issue made likely a Republican victory in 1860 . Weed worked for Seward's nomination at the 1860 Republican National Convention , which appeared to most observers to be

4264-520: The Treasury Salmon P. Chase 's choice for a new assistant secretary in charge of the New York sub-treasury, which led to Chase's resignation. Lincoln then ensured he would have Weed's support in the 1864 election by dismissing Hiram Barney , a Radical Republican , as Collector of the Port of New York , and replacing him with Simeon Draper , a Weed ally. After Lincoln's death and the end of

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4368-661: The United States, the Whig Party had splintered over the Kansas–Nebraska Act , with southern Whigs leaving the party to join the Democrats, and northern Whigs including Seward, forming the Republican Party as an anti-slavery party and the main opposition to the Democrats. Weed joined the Republicans, and the Evening Journal became a leading Republican newspaper. Weed supported Seward's re-election to

4472-510: The Virginia militia rolls for this period, but none held the rank of captain, and whether Morgan actually served in the war has not been determined with certainty. In October 1819, when he was in his mid-40s, Morgan married 19-year-old Lucinda Pendleton in Richmond , Virginia. They had two children: Lucinda Wesley Morgan and Thomas Jefferson Morgan. Two years after his marriage, Morgan moved his family to York, Upper Canada , where he operated

4576-494: The alleged discovery of the bones and other artifacts was intentionally timed to coincide with the effort to construct a memorial to Morgan and might have been an effort to generate publicity for the monument, which was in fact dedicated in 1882. On September 13, 1882, the National Christian Association , a group opposed to secret societies , commissioned and erected a statue in memoriam to Morgan in

4680-495: The bank of the river in Lewiston to commemorate the courage of the escaping slaves and the local volunteers who helped them secretly cross the river. In the 1880s, the Niagara River became the first waterway in the world harnessed for large-scale generation of hydroelectricity . On the Canadian side of the river the provincial agency Niagara Parks Commission maintains all of the shoreline property, including Fort Erie, except

4784-584: The best alternative to Jackson and Van Buren, and enabling Weed to assume a leadership role in a larger and more orthodox political organization. His Evening Journal became the main Whig newspaper, and by the 1840s it had the largest circulation of any political newspaper in the United States. Weed and other Whigs worked to blame Van Buren and the Democratic Party for the Panic of 1837 . In 1838, he

4888-411: The body was buried as his. However, the wife of a missing Canadian named Timothy Monroe (or Munro) positively identified the clothing on the body as that which had been worn by her husband at the time he had disappeared. One group of Freemasons denied that Morgan was killed, alleging that they had paid him $ 500 to leave the country. Morgan was reportedly seen later, including in other countries, but none of

4992-536: The campaign that support for the unpopular Compromise of 1850 meant the Whig Party was on the verge of disintegrating and destined to lose, so he ensured he would not be blamed by taking an extended trip to Europe, visiting England , France , and Germany among other places. He remained abroad for over a year—well after the November 1852 election, which was won by Democrat Franklin Pierce . When Weed returned to

5096-415: The candidate of the National Republican Party . He was a strong advocate of Clay's "American System" for economic development, including a national bank, "internal improvements" such as roads and railroads, and a protective tariff. By 1834, the Adams-Clay organization that had been the National Republicans was forming into the Whig Party . Most Anti-Masons joined the Whigs, regarding the new party as

5200-587: The case. The judge told Jordan he would dismiss the case unless Weed preferred that the jury decide. Wanting his innocence on the record, Weed opted for a jury verdict, and the jurors immediately acquitted him, not even rising from their seats to leave the courtroom for deliberations. The charges against the other defendants were soon dismissed. Weed included the details of his arrest and trial in his autobiography because his political opponents had previously attempted to use it against him. (Weed and Ostrander married in 1818.) After Weed's trial, he again enlisted in

5304-403: The cash, but Lincoln never explained why he needed it or how it was used. Weed was critical of Lincoln's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation , regarding it as too radical and controversial and unsuccessfully arguing for a system of gradual emancipation. In early 1863, he retired as editor of the Evening Journal because he disagreed with the Radical Republican view on prosecuting

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5408-460: The city of Buffalo . The Niagara River and its tributaries, Tonawanda Creek and the Welland River , formed part of the final section of the Erie Canal and Welland Canal. After leaving Lockport , the Erie Canal heads southwest into Tonawanda Creek . Upon entering the Niagara River, watercraft proceed south to the final lock , where a short canal section allows boats to bypass turbulent shoal water and enter Lake Erie. The Welland Canals used

5512-422: The controversy until after the upcoming election, a remark Weed denied making. Though the party's 1828 candidate for governor of New York , Solomon Southwick , was defeated, Weed and other organizers succeeded in making it the main opposition to the Democratic Party, and experienced electoral success in several northern states, including Vermont and Pennsylvania. In 1828, Masons succeeded in forcing Weed out of

5616-477: The day, Weed composed its editorial content at night, and soon established the Telegraph as an important pro-Clinton outlet in central and western New York. In 1843, Weed, his son James, and John D. Parsons co-founded Albany's Weed, Parsons & Company, which became a successful book publisher. In 1824 , Weed was a strong backer of the presidential bid of John Quincy Adams ; the Rochester Telegraph announced its support in early 1823, and carried his name on

5720-576: The effort to nominate Seward at the 1860 Republican National Convention , but the convention nominated Abraham Lincoln . After the Civil War , Weed and Seward allied with President Andrew Johnson and supported Johnson's approach to Reconstruction . Weed retired from public life in 1867 and died in 1882. Weed was born on November 15, 1797, in the hamlet of Acra , part of the town of Cairo in Greene County, New York . His father, Joel Weed (1773-1819) and mother Mary (Ellis) Weed (1771-1841) were Connecticut natives who moved to New York to farm, and Weed

5824-419: The first park commission. As movements for prison reform and reform of charitable services provided by government grew in the mid-19th Century, Weed was largely responsible for the appointment of a non-partisan Board of Charities and Correction for New York City. Weed also influenced efforts to reform the New York City Police Department, including creation of the Board of Police Commissioners . In 1852 ,

5928-420: The focus of national attention. In 1847, Adams published a widely distributed book titled Letters on the Masonic Institution that criticized the Masons' secret society. Members of Freemasonry criticized the Mormons for their adoption of Masonic rituals and regalia. In 1830, Morgan's widow, Lucinda Pendleton Morgan, married George W. Harris of Batavia, a silversmith who was 20 years older. After they moved to

6032-832: The growth of towns where Weed had lived as a young man. He also resumed work on an autobiography which he had begun in the 1840s, and which was published by his daughter Harriet in 1883. Weed's grandson Thurlow Weed Barnes also published a biography, 1884's Life of Thurlow Weed . Weed became ill in his final months and suffered from blindness and vertigo. He died in New York City on November 22, 1882. His funeral took place at Manhattan's First Presbyterian Church . Pallbearers included James Watson Webb , Hamilton Fish , Frederick W. Seward , John McKeon , and James Bowen . Attendees included James G. Blaine , William M. Evarts , Edwin D. Morgan , Edwards Pierrepont , Hamilton Fish II , Frederick A. Conkling , and many other current and former office holders and newspaper publishers. Weed

6136-444: The kidnapping and served sentences. Other Batavia Masons were tried and acquitted. Author Jasper Ridley suggests that Morgan was probably killed by local Masons, as all other scenarios are highly improbable. Historian H. Paul Jeffers also considers this the more credible explanation. C. T. Congdon, in Reminiscences of a Journalist , cites a third-hand account "that Morgan was murdered by certain very zealous Freemasons," and notes that

6240-574: The kidnapping of William Morgan and the start of the Anti-Masonry movement. In his novel The Craft: Freemasons, Secret Agents, and William Morgan (2010), the author Thomas Talbot presents a fictional version of the William Morgan kidnapping. He portrays him as a British spy, includes rogue British Masons, and has presidential agents thwart an assassination plot. He is also featured in Timothy Liu 's poem "Secret Combinations" from his 2005 book of poems, For Dust Thou Art . Thurlow Weed Edward Thurlow Weed (November 15, 1797 – November 22, 1882)

6344-409: The laws of the time he could be held in debtors' prison until restitution was made, which would have made it more difficult to publish his book. Morgan was jailed in Canandaigua , and when Miller learned of this, he went to the jail to pay the debt and secure Morgan's release. Morgan was released, but then re-arrested and charged with supposedly failing to pay a two dollar tavern bill. While the jailer

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6448-458: The leading Whig candidates for president were incumbent Millard Fillmore , Secretary of State Daniel Webster , and General Winfield Scott . Fillmore, a former Weed protégé, had succeeded to the presidency after the death of Zachary Taylor and rejected Weed's influence. As a result, Weed refused to support him for election to a full term and instead backed Scott. Seward, long a Fillmore rival, also decided to back Scott. Weed concluded during

6552-408: The main depot for arriving immigrants and the passage of laws to protect them as they entered the United States. His efforts in the mid-1850s led to the creation of the New York Harbor Commission, a state panel that sought to improve commerce by recommending enhancements to New York City's waterways. When construction of Central Park commenced in 1855, Weed played a major role in the selection of

6656-401: The masthead throughout 1823 and 1824. Appointed by Rochester's business leaders as their agent for obtaining a charter for a Rochester-based bank, Weed attended all three sessions of the legislature in 1824, and succeeded in obtaining approval for the Bank of Rochester. Nominated by Monroe County's Adams supporters, Weed was a candidate for the New York State Assembly . He won his race by

6760-447: The militia and was appointed quartermaster sergeant of the 40th Regiment of the New York State Militia under quartermaster officer George Petrie . Weed's regiment performed duty in Sackets Harbor, and twice successfully paraded to dissuade British commanders on Lake Ontario from landing troops. In January 1815, Weed's regiment was mustered out of the service and he returned to Utica. While residing in Cooperstown in July 1814, Weed

6864-805: The militia, but when news of the passage of the Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812 made its way to central New York, Weed's militia company was disbanded. He then traveled to Albany , where he obtained employment running the printing presses for the Albany Register , which was published by Henry C. Southwick and edited by his brother Solomon Southwick . In 1816, Weed moved to the Albany Argus , published by Jesse Buel , whose lucrative appointment as state printer required him to publish state reports, legislative manuals, and legal notices. The additional responsibility Buel delegated to Weed enabled Weed to more than double his salary, and also kindled an interest in politics, since Weed had to set type for or proofread state documents. Weed began attending sessions of

6968-430: The news. Morgan was presumed to have been carried away by Masons and drowned in the Niagara River . When a body washed ashore in September 1827, many Upstate New York residents assumed it was Morgan's. Though it was positively identified as Canadian Timothy Munro (or Munroe) by his wife, many Anti-Masons persisted in believing it was Morgan's. Weed was alleged to have said the body was a "good enough Morgan" to stoke

7072-445: The ranks, efforts he was able to reinforce through the Evening Journal . Under Weed's leadership, the Whigs became the dominant force in state politics for several years, and Weed was arguably the most powerful politician in New York. As a practical politician, Weed was a pragmatist, rather than an idealist, always taking care to avoid controversial issues and positions that would decrease Whig support on election day. One exception

7176-440: The reports were confirmed. Eventually, Eli Bruce, the sheriff of Niagara County and a Mason, was removed from office and tried for his involvement in Morgan's disappearance; he served 28 months in prison after being convicted of conspiracy for his role in kidnapping Morgan and holding him against his will before his disappearance. Three other Masons, Loton Lawson, Nicholas Chesebro, and Edward Sawyer, were convicted of taking part in

7280-412: The resultant anti-Mason sentiment caused many elections to go to non-Masons for a number of years afterwards. Soon after Morgan disappeared, Miller published Morgan's book, which became a bestseller because of the notoriety of the events surrounding his disappearance. Miller did not say that Morgan had been murdered but that he had been "carried away". Unverified rumors speculated that Morgan had assumed

7384-447: The same level of influence that he had had in the past. Weed offered public support to the presidential administration of Ulysses S. Grant . He also engaged in a public feud with Mary Todd Lincoln , who criticized him for opposing efforts to provide her federal financial aid after Lincoln's assassination. During his later years, Weed wrote frequent letters to authors who sought information on New York's history, especially details on

7488-434: The sheepskins used in making ink balls . Weed soon began to take on additional responsibilities, including building and maintaining files of newspapers with which the Lynx exchanged stories, which enabled Fay to develop a network of affiliated newspapers. In 1812, Fay left the newspaper after a dispute with his creditors; Weed printed a handful of issues to publish advertisements that had already been paid for, after which

7592-488: The sickness of his horses, accidents, and occasional non-payment by his customers, so his family struggled financially. Joel Weed was eventually sentenced to debtors' prison , but friends and customers signed bonds on his behalf. These guarantees permitted him to take advantage of the freedom of the prison , which allowed debtors to travel within permitted limits to earn money to satisfy their obligations, and to spend Sundays with their families. Thurlow Weed received about

7696-608: The sites of Fort George (a National Historic Site maintained federally by Parks Canada ), as a public greenspace and environmental heritage. On the American side, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation maintains several state parks adjacent to Niagara Falls and the Niagara River. Today, the river is the namesake of Niagara Herald Extraordinary at the Canadian Heraldic Authority . Cities and towns along

7800-730: The state legislature, and was an early supporter of DeWitt Clinton . In early 1817, Weed took advantage of a lull in state printing to travel to New York City, where he obtained employment with the Winkle and Wiley book publishing firm. He then moved to a position with the Political Register , which was published by William Cobbett after Cobbett fled England to avoid prosecution for sedition. After leaving Cobbett, Weed worked for several other publishers in New York City, including Jonathan Seymour, James Harper , and William A. Mercien. During his hours away from work, Weed attended

7904-653: The theater frequently and continued to observe political meetings. In mid-1817, Israel W. Clark, a Cooperstown newspaper editor, purchased the Albany Register from Henry C. Southwick and offered Weed the job of press foreman, so Weed returned to Albany. In addition to running the presses, Weed began to try his hand at composing editorials on the political topics of the day; under Clark's tutelage, he worked to improve his grammar, spelling, and writing style. Over time, he became adept at composing editorials and articles as he set them in type, rather than first preparing

8008-491: The war and post-war Reconstruction , but as a loyal Republican did not want to make this disagreement public. Weed publicly announced his retirement from the printing and publishing business on January 27, 1863. In the ensuing days his "valedictory address" was printed in full in several newspapers. Federal patronage in New York caused Lincoln difficulty as Weed and his opponents vied for control of government appointments. In 1864, Lincoln appeased Weed by blocking Secretary of

8112-588: The war, Weed and Seward allied with President Andrew Johnson against the Radical Republicans. Both endorsed Johnson's more conservative approach to Reconstruction and Seward continued as Secretary of State under Johnson. In 1867 Weed retired from public life and moved from Albany to New York City . He briefly owned and edited a newspaper, the Commercial Advertiser , and remained peripherally engaged in politics, but did not exert

8216-512: The west, and New York , United States , to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce Trigger suggests it is derived from a branch of the local Neutral Confederacy , referred to as the Niagagarega people on several late- 17th-century French maps. George R. Stewart posits that it comes from an Iroquois town named Ongniaahra , meaning "point of land cut in two." The river, occasionally described as

8320-410: The wife of William Barnes Sr. ; and Maria (1823-1896), who married Ogden M. Alden. Weed's grandson William Barnes Jr. owned and published the Albany Evening Journal . He was also a longtime leader of New York's Republican Party. Weed's granddaughter Catharine Weed Barnes was a well-known photographer. In addition to authoring Life of Thurlow Weed , grandson Thurlow Weed Barnes (1853-1918)

8424-447: The work. Miller is said to have received the entered apprentice degree (the first degree of Freemasonry), but had been stopped from advancement by the objection of Batavia lodge members. Morgan was promised one-fourth of the profits, and the financial backers of the venture—Miller, John Davids (Morgan's landlord), and Russel Dyer—entered into a $ 500,000 penal bond with Morgan to guarantee its publication. Since Masons place their hands on

8528-412: Was Catherine Ostrander, who testified that after leaving the church, she had walked through the village with Weed until they reached the road that led to her home, where she boarded the wagon, after which she had not seen Weed again that night. Jordan opted not to call any witnesses, while Kirkland apologized for not having investigated the story of the initial complainant more fully and offered to dismiss

8632-712: Was a Clinton supporter, they discharged him. He then accepted a job with Solomon Southwick as a subscription salesman for Southwick's publications, the Ploughboy and the Christian Visitant . Weed traveled throughout central and western New York on Southwick's behalf in the spring of 1821, but found few new readers willing to sign up to receive Southwick's papers. Discovering that the Federalist-leaning Manlius Times had gone out of business years previously and its printing press

8736-480: Was a printer, New York newspaper publisher, and Whig and Republican politician. He was the principal political advisor to prominent New York politician William H. Seward and was instrumental in the presidential nominations of William Henry Harrison (1840), Zachary Taylor (1848), and John C. Frémont (1856). Born in Cairo, New York , Weed apprenticed as a printer under William Williams and served with him in

8840-476: Was a publishing executive at Houghton, Mifflin & Co. He also pursued business interests in China as operator of the railroad between Hankou and ports in the province of Shandong . Niagara River The Niagara River ( / n aɪ ˈ æ ɡ ər ə , - ɡ r ə / ny- AGG -ər-ə, -⁠grə ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario , forming part of the border between Ontario , Canada , to

8944-563: Was abducted from near this spot in the year 1826, by Freemasons and murdered for revealing the secrets of their order. The court records of Genesee County and the files of the Batavia Advocate , kept in the Recorders office contain the history of the events that caused the erection of this monument. The pharmacist John Uri Lloyd based part of the background story of his popular scientific allegorical novel Etidorhpa (1895) on

9048-542: Was able to attend a private academy run by the Reverend Caleb Alexander. When the forge resumed operations, Weed returned to his position there. Weed learned in 1810 that Thomas Chittenden Fay intended to start a newspaper in Onondaga, the Lynx . Having decided on a career in printing and publishing, Weed and his father convinced Fay to take Weed on as a second apprentice. His first tasks included cutting wood and stoking fires, as well as preparing

9152-477: Was away, a group of men convinced his wife to release Morgan; they walked to a waiting carriage, which arrived two days later at Fort Niagara . Shortly afterwards, Morgan disappeared. There are conflicting accounts of what happened next. The generally accepted version of events is that Morgan was taken in a boat to the middle of the Niagara River and thrown overboard, where he presumably drowned, since he

9256-496: Was buried at Albany Rural Cemetery . On April 26, 1818, Weed married Catherine Ostrander (1798-1858) of Cooperstown. They had agreed to marry in 1814, but acceded to the wishes of her parents that they wait until they were older and Weed was more established in his profession. Their children included: James Birdsall (1820-1851), who worked with his father in the publishing business; Harriet Ann (1819-1893), who never married and acted as her father's secretary; Emily (1827-1889),

9360-470: Was denied participation by members who disapproved of his character and even questioned his claims to Masonic membership. Morgan finally announced that he was going to publish an exposé titled Illustrations of Masonry , critical of the Freemasons and revealing their secret degree ceremonies in detail. Morgan declared that a local newspaper publisher, David Cade Miller, had given him a sizable advance for

9464-626: Was employed at Webster & Skinner, book publishers and publishers of the Albany Gazette . When his work in Albany ended, Weed lived briefly in Herkimer , then moved to Cooperstown , where he continued to work as a printer. After several months in Cooperstown, he returned to Herkimer to take charge of his former employer's business while the owner traveled to Connecticut to attend a political convention. In October 1814, Weed again joined

9568-505: Was employed in the printing shop of Seward & Williams. In February 1813, Weed was working for and residing in the home of William Williams in Utica, New York . During the War of 1812 , he joined a volunteer militia company that Williams commanded as a captain , which responded to threat of a British invasion from Canada, and briefly served near Sackets Harbor . The alarm soon passed, and Weed returned to Utica, where he began work on

9672-588: Was idle, in June Weed purchased the equipment on credit and began publication of the Onondaga Republican . While living in Manlius, Weed established a close friendship with Addison Gardiner . Gardiner moved to Rochester after attaining admission to the bar in 1822, and suggested to Weed that his prospects might be better there than in Manlius. Weed decided to relocate again, and closed down

9776-553: Was narrowly defeated. Following the Mexican–American War , Zachary Taylor emerged as a likely Whig candidate for president, and Weed supported his successful effort. But Taylor, like Harrison, died in office. Weed played a leading role in the passage of New York's Consolidation Act, which created the New York Central Railroad , at the time the largest corporation in the United States. Weed's role

9880-470: Was never seen again in the community. In 1848, Henry L. Valance allegedly confessed on his deathbed to taking part in Morgan's murder, a purported event recounted in chapter two of Reverend C. G. Finney 's anti-Masonic book The Character, Claims, and Practical Workings of Freemasonry (1869). In October 1827, a badly decomposed body washed up on the shores of Lake Ontario . Many presumed it to be Morgan, and

9984-464: Was not able to support two newspapers, and that the anti-DeWitt Clinton faction of New York's Democratic-Republican Party was in the ascendancy, so he sold his publishing works that December and returned to Albany. Weed found employment at the Albany Argus working on documents produced as part of the state printing contract, but when the state printers, Leake & Cantine , discovered that Weed

10088-468: Was noteworthy in that he worked for approval of the Consolidation Act largely as a favor to his friend Erastus Corning , one of the financial backers of the project, though Corning was a Democrat and opposed to Weed politically. Weed used his political influence to effect improvements and reforms in New York City. In 1847, he was largely responsible for the designation of Castle Garden as

10192-506: Was one of William H. Seward's main supporters in Seward's successful campaign for governor, and was largely credited with Seward's victory. Weed was also a main supporter of William Henry Harrison 's successful presidential bid in 1840, in which Harrison defeated Van Buren to become the first Whig president. In the 1830s and 1840s, Weed became active in the abolitionist movement. When former slave Stephen Myers of Albany began creation of

10296-411: Was one of five men arrested the day after a Sunday evening Methodist religious service and accused of harassing several women who had departed the village by wagon after leaving the church. Newspaper publisher Israel W. Clark posted a bond to secure Weed's release, while attorney Ambrose L. Jordan volunteered to act as his counsel. Unbeknownst to Weed, Catherine Ostrander, the daughter of the owners of

10400-426: Was signed, involving a 6.5-kilometre-wide (4.0 mi) strip of land bordering the west bank of the Niagara River, connecting Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Several battles occurred along the Niagara River, which was historically defended by Fort George (Canadian side) and Fort Niagara (American side) at the mouth of the river and Fort Erie (Canadian side) at the head of the river. These forts were important during

10504-411: Was the eldest of five siblings, three brothers and two sisters. Neither of his sisters reached adulthood. His brother Orrin was apprenticed to a New York City shipbuilder, Henry Eckford , and died in 1823 during a yellow fever epidemic. His brother Osborn moved to Tennessee , where he was a successful merchant and hotelier before he died in 1851. Weed was christened Edward Thurlow Weed, named for

10608-479: Was the issue of slavery , a subject on which Weed made public statements in opposition while trying to avoid the most radical language of those seen as uncompromising abolitionists . Harrison died in April 1841, only a month after taking office, and was succeeded by John Tyler , a former Democrat, who disappointed Weed by abandoning Whig policies. Weed backed Clay in 1844 , but his frustration continued when Clay

10712-483: Was the site of the earliest recorded railway in America. It was an inclined wooden tramway built by John Montresor (1736–1799), a British military engineer, in 1764. Called "The Cradles" and "The Old Lewiston Incline", it featured loaded carts pulled up wooden rails by rope. It facilitated the movement of goods over the Niagara Escarpment in present-day Lewiston, New York . In 1781, the Niagara Purchase

10816-741: Was used by the French Navy in the 18th century as a naval base and by the Royal Navy from 1763 as a small shipyard, and abandoned around 1818 after the ratification of the Rush–Bagot Treaty in 1817. On the Canadian side the Niagara Parkway travels along the River from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. [REDACTED] NY 18F lines the river on the state side from Fort Niagara to Lewiston. [REDACTED] Niagara Scenic Parkway on

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