The Totten Family of Warren County, Ohio

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Families of the "The Ridge" Community of Warren County
The Totten Family

Totten - Beers 1882 History of Warren County devotes a long space to James S. Totten, who was born in 1821 at Deerfield, whose parents died when he was young, and even his grandfather, Gen. David Sutton, died when he was still a boy. It tells of James S. Totten's outstanding accomplishments in governmental and military positions. And when I was young the four Totten siblings (James S.'s grandchildren) Sarah, Queenie McCurdy, Jimmie and William, were well-known neighbors. In fact, during my high school years my mother was bedridden and Queenie came to live with us to help out, and we all adored her. Queenie had a son, Francis, who was my brother's age. They lived in the old historic Totten house, brick, and beautiful, almost Shaker-like in its simplicity.

But none of this prepared me for the fascinating story written by Hazel Brookes in 1944, in which she says "Warren County may be justly proud that from this locality went forth one of the finest circuses of its day -- the Great Eastern Circus and Hippodrome, which was owned and managed by Mr. James S. Totten." Her information was acquired through interviews with Queenie and Sarah and with Sol Stephan. Sol Stephan had cared for animals at the Totten circus and when it closed went with some of the animals to the newly-formed Cincinnati Zoo, where he stayed the rest of his life. He was 95 in 1944.

According to Mr. Stephan, Mr. Totten was the first man to transport his circus entirely by railroad and on one trip west they traveled through raging prairie fires on both sides of the tracks for over 60 miles. The first year they came into the Warren County Fairgrounds at Lebanon was in 1872. One time the show was in financial difficulty and the workers threatened to set fire to the Round House at the fairground because their pay was not forthcoming. There was an unruly elephant which no one else but Mr. Stephan could handle and he delivered the big lumbering beast to the Zoo, on foot, down through Mason and Sharonville, taking almost three days.
At one point the show was split and the Great Eastern played all over the United States except west of the Rockies. The Great Southern played the South and as far as California. There was very little paper money in The West so admissions came in gold coins. And since there were few banks, they often kept the gold coins in bags and slept on them on the floor of the train.

Eventually competition with Barnum, and other problems, caused the circus to close. James S. Totten died at the home on The Ridge in 1903. Mrs. Brooks said in her article that items from the circus were still in the house on The Ridge in 1944. I would love to know where all those things went when the last of the Totten siblings died and the house was torn down.

Maybe some of you know. If you do, or have suggestions, additions, etc., regarding the families on The Ridge, please let us have them, with your name, and where you can be reached.

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