Prominent Chillicothe resident George William Dun writes to his son, John, to pass along to him the tenants he followed to get through life. The letter is written in light pencil, but is readable. An 1861 stamped folded letter is a late method of mailing a letter as by that time, most letters were sent in an envelope. Full Chillicothe Ohio postmark with grill cancel on stamp. Stamp is very well centered for the issue. Note that tape was used to reinforce a tear on a flap. The tape carries over to the front of the cover and can be seen just to the left of the postmark. There is also the mark left by a small piece of tape to cover a fold hole on the inside. Both were unnecessary. The letter is extremely poignant and reads: “Having spare time in hand this rainy day I thought I would write you on the subject of the best way of getting through this world, a most important subject. In doing this I will give you the plan I followed which has been almost exactly the same as that followed by Mr. Ross and Brother John and our cousins Hutchinsons and others that have done well in the world such as the Riskes & both old and young Mr. Alstons, etc. etc. Well to begin I paid nearly all my attention at all times to my own business and that of my own family and brothers and sisters and avoided nearly altogether the business of others. I talked about politics and voted but I never went any farther. I went to church but kept aloof from any kind of management. I kept clear of being a member of any kind of Society but if I had I would have kept aloof of any kind of management. Mr. Rockhill once offered to get me to be one of the directors of the one of the principal banks in Philadelphia but I told him that I gave all my time to my own business. Mr. Ross used to say that he attended to his business more than any storekeeper in Chillicothe do theirs and the consequence was his came out much better than that of any of them. I did the same in Philadelphia and our business is indeed better than that of any other importing house in Philadelphia. Farming needs as much thought & attention as any other business. To be sure many farmers make some kind of living out of farming without much thought but such men never go ahead any but keep quite stationary. As it were just standing still. To sum up in a few words. Avoid being at anytime anything of a public man but in the place of this keep all the time a domestic man. Every place has many examples of men who have been ruined by becoming public men but none that have been so by remaining domestic men.” It is signed GWD (for George William Dun). He added in a postscript: “My father gave me the same advice that I am giving you and I followed it.”

Oak Hill (Chillicothe, Ohio) -- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oak Hill is a historic former farmhouse in the southern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located along Dun Road in Ross County, it is one of the finest examples of sandstone farmhouses in the vicinity of the city of Chillicothe.

The house was built by George William Dun, a native of Scotland who settled near Chillicothe in 1838. Almost immediately upon taking up residence at the site, he began the construction of his house, which was completed in 1840. A large two-story building constructed in the Federal style of architecture, it represents an American version of the British Adam style.

In 1973, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its well-preserved historic architecture. It received this recognition for multiple reasons: the massive hardwood trees on the grounds evoke a sense of antiquity; the exterior is better preserved than that of almost any other period sandstone house; and the interior retains much of its original condition, including much furniture once owned by George Dun's ancestors.