Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Howe, Henry

HOWE, Henry, historian, b. in New Haven, Conn., 11 Oct., 1816. He was the son of Hezekiah Howe, a publisher, in whose book-store he often listened to Noah Webster , Jeremiah Day, Roger Minot Sherman, David Dagett, Benjamin Silliman, and James Gates Percival. He adopted his father's profession, and when only twenty-three published his first book, “Eminent Mechanics” (New York, 1839), which was sold by subscription. The following year he canvassed the state of New York with John W. Barber (q.v.), collecting materials and making drawings for “Historical Collections of New York” (New York, 1841). The two afterward issued together”Historical Collections of New Jersey” (New York, 1841). On the publication of his book on Ohio, Mr. Howe removed to Cincinnati, where he devoted himself to compiling similar works. His most important publication was “Our Whole Country” (2 vols., Cincinnati, 1861), which was designed to give a compete survey of the United States at the time when it was written. In 1856 he had made arrangements with Mr. Barber to travel throughout the Union, take views and collect materials for the proposed work, and it was five years in preparation. The time of its publication was unfortunate, as the people then cared for nothing but war literature, and when the great struggle had ended the book was out of date. Since the autumn of 1885 Mr. Howe has been engaged in preparing a new edition of his work on the state of Ohio, which he expects to publish toward the close of 1887. His publications include, besides the already mentioned, “Historical Collections of Virginia” (Charleston, S.C., 1845); “Historical Collections of Ohio” (Cincinnati, 1847); “The Great West” (1851); “Travels and Adventures of Celebrated Travellers” (1853); “Life and Death on the Ocean” (1855); “Adventures and Achievements of Americans” (1858); “Times of the Rebellion in the West” (1867); and “Over the World” (Philadelphia, 1883). Mr. Howe has also issued a pamphlet-form “Outline History of New Haven” (1884), and “New Haven's Elms and Greens” (1885).