Summary Information
Repository Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
Creator Cist, Jacob, 1782-1825
Title Jacob Cist correspondence and documents
Call number Coll.152
Date [inclusive] 1794-1829
Extent 1.5 cubic feet
Language English
Abstract Jacob Cist (1782-1825) was an American naturalist, artist, inventor,
businessman, author, treasurer and United States Postmaster. He was also
one of the most important pioneers in the marketing of anthracite coal and
a leading authority on its economic potential. This collection includes
personal and business letters, documents, agreements, memorabilia,
clippings and records of Cist's service as United States Postmaster of
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. His accounts as treasurer of the Wilkes-Barre
Bridge Co. are included, as are records of his activities as a co-founder
and officer of the Luzerne County Agricultural Society and his service as a
Commissioner from his county to the Pennsylvania Commission for
Internal Improvement. His tax accounts as County Treasurer, with
supplementary letters give details of the procedures in vogue during that
era. The collection also includes some typescript and some facsimile
copies.
Jacob Cist correspondence and documents
- Page 3 -
Cite as:
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Coll.152, Jacob Cist correspondence and
documents, 1794-1829, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia.
Biography/History
Jacob Cist was born on March 13, 1783 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He obtained his education at the
Nazareth Boys’ School of the Moravian Church from 1794 to 1797. He lived in Philadelphia until 1808
when he was appointed United States Postmaster, serving that position until his death in 1925. Cist’s
interests and skills were diverse and he worked as a merchant in Wilkes-Barre, as the treasurer of Luzerne
County in 1816, as a business partner with his father-in-law Judge Matthias Hollenback (a merchant and
landlord in northeastern Pennsylvania), and a co-founder of the first company for mining and marketing
anthracite coal with Jacob Weiss. He was described as a “young, ambitious, and clever entrepreneur who
… devote[d] his energies to the fostering of the Pennsylvania anthracite trade in order to supply the city
of Philadelphia with fuel at a handsome profit,” (Binder), particularly during fuel shortages during the
War of 1812. Because coal was not used in homes and businesses, at the time, he worked hard to
convince people that Lehigh coal was easy to burn and a viable fuel source. He consistently wrote about
the value of using coal as a fuel source, sent samples to American and European cities, created pamphlets,
gathered endorsements from successful users of the fuel, and performed demonstrations.
In addition to his professional work, Cist was also deeply involved in many other aspects of his world. As
a naturalist, he stressed field observations and biology of insects, illustrating the stages seen, while
studying their classification. He studied under French artist, M. A. Benade, and became a skilled artist,
sketching waterfalls and plants and insects of Wyoming Valley. Further using his artistic skills, he
designed bank notes for the Susquehanna Bank of Wilkes-Barre. He was also an inventor and patented a
mill for grinding pigment from coal in 1803. Finally, he was a co-founder of the Luzerne County
Agricultural Society.
Cist died on December 30, 1823
Bibliography:
Binder, Frederick M. “Review: Philadelphia’s First Fuel Crisis: Jacab Cist and the Developing Market
for Pennsylvania Anthracite by H. Benjamin Powell” Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography,
Volume 103, No. 3 (Jul. 1979), pp. 402-404.
Scope and Contents
This collection includes personal and business letters, documents, agreements, memorabilia, clippings and
Jacob Cist
Friday, August 15, 2014
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Charles Cist, editor from Cincinnati
Charles Cist (editor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Cist (born in Philadelphia, 24 April 1792; died in Cincinnati, Ohio, 5 September 1868)[1] was a United States editor.
During the winter of 1827/8 he moved to Cincinnati, where he opened and superintended the first Sunday school in Cincinnati, and continued it until it grew beyond his control, when it was divided among the churches. Cist also worked for the success of free schools.
In 1843 Cist established The Western Weekly Advertiser, a family journal devoted to the early history of the First Nations of the west, and to statistics relating to Cincinnati and the state of Ohio. A few years later the name became Cist's Weekly Advertiser, and it continued until 1853. He prepared and published Cincinnati in 1841 (drawing largely on an 1815 work by Daniel Drake), Sketches and Statistics of Cincinnati in 1851, Sketches and Statistics of Cincinnati in 1859, and The Cincinnati Miscellany, the last composed largely of incidents in the early settlements, with many of his own writings (2 vols., 1845 and 1846).[1]
Contents
[hide]Biography[edit]
He was the son of printer Charles Cist. He was educated in Philadelphia, and during the War of 1812 was engaged in garrison duty in the eastern forts. After the war, he settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a few years later moved to Harmony, Pennsylvania, where he opened a store, and was for a time postmaster.During the winter of 1827/8 he moved to Cincinnati, where he opened and superintended the first Sunday school in Cincinnati, and continued it until it grew beyond his control, when it was divided among the churches. Cist also worked for the success of free schools.
In 1843 Cist established The Western Weekly Advertiser, a family journal devoted to the early history of the First Nations of the west, and to statistics relating to Cincinnati and the state of Ohio. A few years later the name became Cist's Weekly Advertiser, and it continued until 1853. He prepared and published Cincinnati in 1841 (drawing largely on an 1815 work by Daniel Drake), Sketches and Statistics of Cincinnati in 1851, Sketches and Statistics of Cincinnati in 1859, and The Cincinnati Miscellany, the last composed largely of incidents in the early settlements, with many of his own writings (2 vols., 1845 and 1846).[1]
Family[edit]
He married Janet White in 1817. They had 13 children.[1] Their son Henry M. Cist was noted for his history of the Army of the Cumberland. Another son, Lewis Jacob Cist (born in Harmony, Pennsylvania, 20 November 1818; died in Cincinnati, Ohio, 30 March 1885), worked in banking, and was noted for his verses and his large collection of autographs and old portraits. His collection was sold in New York City in 1886 and 1887.Notes[edit]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Reginald C. McGrane (1930). "Cist, Charles (Apr. 24, 1792-Sept. 5, 1868)". Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
References[edit]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John, eds. (1900). "Cist, Charles". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Poetry Book by Lewis J. Cist
Trifles in Verse: A Collection of Fugitive Poems
Cist contributed poetry to the Western Monthly Review and The Hesperian before he went into banking in 1850. Thomson 226; Ex-Libris.
Price: $200.00
- See more at: http://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/pages/books/50092/lewis-j-cist/trifles-in-verse-a-collection-of-fugitive-poems#sthash.XFJfUWmT.dpufI was at my family's house in Lexington, KY talking with a cousin of mine. He showed me the old Cist family photo album. At the back of the book was this gentleman playing a guitar, smiling and singing. He was an middle-aged African- American. Could this be the same gentleman that Lewis J. Cist was writing about in his Collection of Fugitive Poems. Did the unnamed African- American in the photo really wrote the book and let Cist put his name on it? I believe there is a story here. I am going to keep you posted. I have placed on the scanning agenda to download the Cist family photo album.
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Grave site for Henry M. Cist
Gen Henry Martyn Cist
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Notes on Henry M. Cist
Henry Martyn Cist (February 20, 1839 – December 16, 1902) was an American soldier, lawyer, and author who became a brevet brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is most noted for his classic and oft-referenced 1882 book The Army of the Cumberland. In addition, Cist led pioneering efforts to preserve and interpret the sites of the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga.
Early life and career
Henry Cist was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the younger of two sons of Philadelphia-born author Charles Cist and his wife Janet. His paternal grandfather, also named Charles Cist, was an immigrant from St. Petersburg, Russia, and a printer and publisher in Philadelphia.[1]
Cist graduated from Farmers College in 1858, and then studied law. He passed his bar exam and became a practicing attorney.[2]
Civil War service
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Cist enlisted as a private in the three-month 6th Ohio Infantry. When his term of enlistment expired, he was promoted to second lieutenant in the 52nd Ohio Infantry. He later served as post adjutant of Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio, after the prisoners of war captured at Fort Donelson were transported there following Ulysses S. Grant's victory in February 1862.[3]
In April 1862, Cist joined the 74th Ohio Infantry as a first lieutenant and became its regimental adjutant, serving under Colonel Granville Moody. He later served as the assistant adjutant general with the rank of captain on the staff of Major General William S. Rosecrans in the Army of the Cumberland. Later he was on the staff of Major General George H. Thomas.[4]
In the omnibus promotions issued by the War Department following the end of the Civil War, Cist received three brevet promotions dating from March 13, 1865, to the ranks of major, colonel, and brigadier general of U. S. Volunteers. At Gen. Thomas's request, he remained in the service after the close of hostilities to give the necessary orders and to arrange the details providing for the mustering out and disbanding of over 100,000 troops.[5]
Postbellum career
After mustering out of the army in January 1866, Cist returned to Cincinnati, and established a successful legal practice in that city. He briefly entered politics and lost a hotly contested election for mayor of College Hill, Ohio, that required court action to declare a winner.
In 1869 Cist was elected corresponding secretary of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, to which office he was re-elected every year for some years afterward. He edited all but volumes ii and iii of Reports of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland (Cincinnati, 17 vols., 1868–85).[5] In 1882, he wrote The Army of the Cumberland (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons), which was considered one of the best first-person accounts of that army. He wrote one of the earliest biographies of Union leader "Pap" Thomas, The Life of Gen. George H. Thomas. He also wrote several magazine articles related to Cincinnati during wartime. Among his article titles were “Cincinnati with the War Fever” and “The Romance of Shiloh.”[5]
Cist turned his interest in history to working to have battlefield sites preserved. He served as director of the Chickamauga Memorial Association in 1889, helping gain Congressional authorization in 1890 for the first military park, the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.[6] In 1892 Cist served as president of the Ohio Society, Sons of the American Revolution. It is a heritage organization devoted to celebrating the history of the US and especially the meaning of the American Revolution.[7]
After contracting pneumonia while touring Italy, Cist died at the age of 63. He died at Rome, Italy.[8] His body was returned to Ohio and buried in Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery.[9]
Early life and career
Henry Cist was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the younger of two sons of Philadelphia-born author Charles Cist and his wife Janet. His paternal grandfather, also named Charles Cist, was an immigrant from St. Petersburg, Russia, and a printer and publisher in Philadelphia.[1]
Cist graduated from Farmers College in 1858, and then studied law. He passed his bar exam and became a practicing attorney.[2]
Civil War service
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Cist enlisted as a private in the three-month 6th Ohio Infantry. When his term of enlistment expired, he was promoted to second lieutenant in the 52nd Ohio Infantry. He later served as post adjutant of Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio, after the prisoners of war captured at Fort Donelson were transported there following Ulysses S. Grant's victory in February 1862.[3]
In April 1862, Cist joined the 74th Ohio Infantry as a first lieutenant and became its regimental adjutant, serving under Colonel Granville Moody. He later served as the assistant adjutant general with the rank of captain on the staff of Major General William S. Rosecrans in the Army of the Cumberland. Later he was on the staff of Major General George H. Thomas.[4]
In the omnibus promotions issued by the War Department following the end of the Civil War, Cist received three brevet promotions dating from March 13, 1865, to the ranks of major, colonel, and brigadier general of U. S. Volunteers. At Gen. Thomas's request, he remained in the service after the close of hostilities to give the necessary orders and to arrange the details providing for the mustering out and disbanding of over 100,000 troops.[5]
Postbellum career
After mustering out of the army in January 1866, Cist returned to Cincinnati, and established a successful legal practice in that city. He briefly entered politics and lost a hotly contested election for mayor of College Hill, Ohio, that required court action to declare a winner.
In 1869 Cist was elected corresponding secretary of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, to which office he was re-elected every year for some years afterward. He edited all but volumes ii and iii of Reports of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland (Cincinnati, 17 vols., 1868–85).[5] In 1882, he wrote The Army of the Cumberland (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons), which was considered one of the best first-person accounts of that army. He wrote one of the earliest biographies of Union leader "Pap" Thomas, The Life of Gen. George H. Thomas. He also wrote several magazine articles related to Cincinnati during wartime. Among his article titles were “Cincinnati with the War Fever” and “The Romance of Shiloh.”[5]
Cist turned his interest in history to working to have battlefield sites preserved. He served as director of the Chickamauga Memorial Association in 1889, helping gain Congressional authorization in 1890 for the first military park, the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.[6] In 1892 Cist served as president of the Ohio Society, Sons of the American Revolution. It is a heritage organization devoted to celebrating the history of the US and especially the meaning of the American Revolution.[7]
After contracting pneumonia while touring Italy, Cist died at the age of 63. He died at Rome, Italy.[8] His body was returned to Ohio and buried in Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery.[9]
General Cist, like Generals J. D. Cox, Lytle, Mitchel and Force, mingled scholarship with their military experience, indeed they were scholars before they were soldiers. In this work we have a skilled and thorough history of the Army of the Cumberland from its formation to the end of the battles at Chattanooga, in November, 1863.
—Daniel J. Ryan, 1911[8]
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