Hugh Gideon Glenn was born on January 7, 1788, in Berkeley County, Virginia. He the son of Hugh Glenn, a native of Scotland. His early life is somewhat shrouded in mystery.
Like most adventurous Virginians who pressed forward to the constantly advancing frontier, he sojourned in Kentucky, where he was commissioned major of the 19th Regiment of Kentucky Militia from Madison County.
One entry gives the date as 1803, but other entries in the same record indicate that Glenn's appointment was in 1809, or later. Ultimately, he settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, which became his legal abode, and where, according to a history of Hamilton County, he was captain of a company recruited at the outbreak of the War of 1812.
From 1814 to 1817, Glenn and his partner, Jacob Fowler, furnished supplies to the northwestern army. On January 20, 1817, he entered into another contract with the federal government, to furnish provisions at various military posts, and rations to such Indians as visited these posts. These transactions amounted to nearly $200, 000 and included supplies furnished forts Harrison, Belle Fontaine, Osage, Clark, Crawford, Edwards, Armstrong, and Belle Point (later Fort Smith).
It appears that he personally conducted the provisions to their destination, as Maj. Long reported having met him on the Upper Mississippi in July 1817, when Glenn was taking supplies to the garrison at Prairie du Chien.
Glenn entertained Long’s party at Cincinnati in May 1818, and Nuttall the following November. He was introduced to Nuttall as “lately sutler to the garrison of Arkansas. ” Long’s party again met Glenn in September 1820 at his trading house near the mouth of the Verdigris River.
Here, on September 21, 1821, he joined Jacob Fowler in a trading expedition to Santa Fe.
Glenn was given command of the party composed of twenty men. In the following January, he took four of the party and proceeded in advance to Santa Fe, the others lingering at the base of the mountains on Arkansas, under command of Fowler.
Being well received by the Mexicans and getting permission from them to hunt and trade, he sent word for Fowler to bring on the rest of the party. Concluding their enterprise, the party started back to the United States on June 1, 1822.
He died at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was buried in the old Preteman Cemetery.
The Glenn- Fowler expedition was the first to go to Santa Fe by way of the Verdigris and was the first successful expedition from the United States to the Mexican provinces. Glenn arrived in St. Louis about July 17, where he sold the furs obtained on the journey to the American Fur Company for $3, 705. 61.
Glenn himself was said to be a gentleman in manner and in fact.
On March 17, 1816, Glenn was married in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, to Mary Gibson, by whom he had one child, Hugh Gibson Glenn.
