Perry County's First Historian.
To Ephraim S. Colborn belongs the honor of being the first to gather material for a history of Perry county. Mr. Colborn was eminently qualified for that work. Born in 1828, many of the first settlers were yet living and he could get the early happenings of our county direct from the actors themselves. Engaged al- most continuously in newspaper work from 1851, he had ample opportunity for collecting necessary data. His History appeared in 1883 and was quite exten- sively sold. Unfortunately the author received but very small recompense for his work of a life time. In his early life Mr. Colborn was a teacher. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, but never practiced. In 1851 he began the publication in Somerset of the Perry County Democrat. He served on the Board of Education in both Somerset and New Lexington. In 1861 President Lincoln appointed him Postmaster of New Lexington. In 1866 he resigned that office be- cause he was not in accord with the policy of the ad- ministration of President Johnson. In 1873 upon the death of William A. Brown, Superintendent of the New Lexington Schools, Mr. Colborn went back into the ranks of teachers, for the unexpired term. In 1882 Mr. Colborn became local and general edi- tor of the New Lexington Tribune and for fourteen years he was not absent from his office a single day. Now that he is not in the active newspaper work, he yet devotes the most of his time to various lines of liter- ary productions. His articles have appeared in Boston Ideas, Harper's Bazar and other well-known publica- tions. An article of his that attracted some attention was the "Newspaper World." His writings also in-192
clude some poetical productions. Among these are "A legend of the Scioto," "The Universal Birthright," "The Vision of Sylvanus," and "A World Oratorio." Mr. Colborn has also a reputation as a public speaker. He delivered the eulogy on the death of Lin- coln in New Lexington. In 1876 he gave the Centen- nial Oration at "Somerset and in 1884 he pronounced the eulogy over the grave of Mr. MacGahan. Mr. Colborn interestingly tells of his experience in taking the Teachers' Examination in this county in the fall of 1849. There were three Examiners, T. J. McGinnis, Col. William Spencer and John McMahon, a merchant, who was an excellent mathematician. In taking the examination in those days, the appli- cant would go to one of the members of the Board, who would do all of the examining. If the examina- tion was successful, he would be handed a Certificate, which he would take to the other two examiners for their signatures. At this particular time, the applicant went to the law office of Col. Spencer in Somerset. But the Colonel was not in. He then went to the law office of Mr. McGinnis. That gentleman being at home the examination proceeded as follows: A piece of foolscap paper was handed to the ap- plicant. Then a quill pen that had seen considerable service in the law office was produced. It is said that the quill pen of Mr. McGinnis was a standing joke among the lawyers. The applicant was asked to show his ability as a penman. As soon as the examiner saw that the applicant could really write, he was satisfied on that line. Then they went to the Grammar depart-193
ment. Several questions were asked but in such a vague way as to show that the examiner had forgotten some of his grammar. The applicant offered a cor- rection and the examiner admitting it, concluded that his man was "up" on that branch. Then came the mathematics. This was a particularly searching test. The first and only problem to be solved was, "What is the cost of 18 3/4 yards calico at 18 3/4 cents per yard ?" In a few moments the answer was produced. The examiner evidently thought that he had discovered a mathematical prodigy. He certainly laid a sufficient amount of stress on this one subject, so that he con- sidered it unnecessary to ask any questions on Geog- raphy, but dismissed it with the question that is in itself an answer---"Of course you have studied Geography." This completed the examination. "I assure you, you pass," was the verdict. There- upon seizing a sheet of paper and the before mentioned quill, he wrote out a certificate for two years. The reply to the question, "What's the fee?" was, "We don't charge anything at all unless we're about out of tobacco." Looking into the drawer of his table, he continued, "We're about out. You can give me half a dollar." At that time the examiner who did the examining got the fee.194