If you were touring the Benjamin Harrison home and museum on July 25, 2015 and you took the 3:30 tour, I am so, so sorry.
I don’t know what came over me. The informative docent asked his well-placed questions of the group and I just wouldn’t shut up. I kept answering his questions. I talked over him. I had read one book on Benjamin Harrison and that made me the “expert” in the room. I acted like a seven-year old know-it-all, jumping up and down, raising my hand. That was on the first floor.
By the second floor, my ribs began to hurt from frequent “contact” with my wife’s elbow. It turns out that she wasn’t so enthused by Guy Know-It-All. When I could no longer find her or my daughter, realizing that they no longer wanted to be associated with me, my eyes were open to the dangers of reading Presidential biographies before taking Presidential home tours. I spent the rest of the tour doing a poor job of acting like I didn’t know the answers to the questions. I can still picture the sly sneer that I probably had on my face that says, “You know I know it. I know I know it. And we all know that the only one protecting the whole tour from my vanity is my lovely wife.”
She had finally silenced the beast.
Actually, it was somewhere along the tour that Benjamin Harrison’s book collection sidetracked me from myself. The Benjamin Harrison Association seems to have kept many of Harrison’s books in his library and in other bookcases throughout the home, which is simply wonderful. The books were behind glass, but you could get closer to them than at Washington’s Mount Vernon. The only drawback may have been the dim lighting.
So, what did President Harrison’s book collection look like? There was a dose of what you would expect. The Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant in 2 volumes and books on law and politics. But there were unexpected tomes as well. For example, next to his own work on one of the shelves (see photo) was The Life of Elias Boudinot.
Here is where the cylinders started clicking. Elias Boudinot was a Cherokee (and the first Native American newspaper publisher) living in the first half of the 19th century. Harrison’s grandfather, President William Henry Harrison had many years of experience in dealing with Native Americans. As a territorial governor, he had brokered many Indian treaties throughout the Illinois and Indiana territories and he was known for his victory over Cherokee warriors at the Battle of Tippecanoe. It would be natural for his grandson to take an interest in a Boudinot biography.
There also seemed to be a host of church records and other theological books. President Harrison was clearly involved in the church and its affairs. This was an item that I had forgotten from the biography. Harrison had chosen between law and a life in Christian work — an extremely common choice for educated youth in the 18th and 19th centuries. There were clear similarities in the two occupations. Public speaking, convincing rhetoric, love of research — these were traits shared by both lawyers and pastors. As an officer in the Civil War, Benjamin Harrison also used his position to act as a chaplain of sorts to the soldiers under his command. Descriptions of his service record show a man who was both a beloved leader and a public servant to his men — on top of being a brave and effective soldier.
There really wasn’t enough time to completely peruse the books, so I’m looking forward to returning another day.
The definitive biography of Benjamin Harrison is Harry Sievers’ 3-volumes, Hoosier Warrior, Hoosier Statesman and Hoosier President. For a shorter read, Charles Calhoun penned a nice overview, simply titled, Benjamin Harrison, for the American President’s Series.
If you visit the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis, you might consider supporting the museum with the purchase of any of the above in the gift shop. “Thank you,” to the volunteers and employees for their hard work and hospitality. We had a wonderful visit.
americanbibliography.com 