JUDGE THOMAS BOLTON One of the outstanding figures in the early history of Cleveland was the late Judge Thomas Bolton, who was one of the leading lawyers and jurists, not only of this city, but of the state of Ohio. He was born in Scipio, Cayuga county, New York, November 29, 1809, a son of Thomas Bolton, an enterprising, prosperous agriculturist. The son attended the district schools of his native county and the high school on Temple Hill in Geneseo, New York, where he prepared for college. In 1829 he entered Harvard University, from which he was graduated in 1833, winning honors in mathematics. Among his classmates was the Hon. Moses Kelly, who afterward became his law partner, and the friendship formed during their student days continued unbroken until Mr. Kelly's death. Following his graduation Judge Bolton entered the Canandaigua (New York) office of John C. Spencer, under whom he read law for a year, and then left the east. In September, 1834, he arrived in Cleveland, which was then a village with a population of twenty-five hundred. It was not incorporated as a city until 1836, when, at a public meeting to determine on the corporate limits, Mr. Bolton was appointed a member of a committee to draft the charter, and urged that both sides of the river should be embraced within the boundary limits. Although he was overruled in this, the wisdom of his foresight and judgment was proved not many years afterward when that section was taken into the corporate limits of Cleveland. His active connection with municipal affairs was renewed as councilman in 1839 and as alderman in 1841. After locating here Mr. Bolton studied law for a year in - 101 - 102 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS the office of James L. Conger and in September, 1835, was admitted to the bar by the supreme court of Ohio. At that time he became Mr. Conger's law partner and a year later purchased his interest in the business, afterward sending for Moses Kelly, his old college friend, to join him. They then organized the firm of Bolton & Kelly and for many years this was regarded as one of the strongest legal combinations in Cleveland. In the fall of 1839 Judge Bolton was elected prosecuting attorney of the county, at which time the whig party was largely in the ascendancy, commanding a plurality of from fifteen hundred to two thousand. Although he was the demo-cratic candidate for the office, he was elected after a residence of but five years in the county. Two years later, on the expiration of his term, he was strongly solicited by both parties to accept the position for another term but declined because of the inadequacy of the salary. An incident occurred during his service as prosecuting attorney which had marked effect upon the politics of Cleveland and this part of the state. Until 1841 slave owners were in the habit of sending their agents to Cleveland and causing their runaway slaves to be arrested and taken before a magistrate, when a warrant would be obtained for the return of the slaves, who would thus be carried back to captivity. All this was common, creating little or no excitement, and in the practice of his profession Mr. Bolton was more frequently employed for this purpose than any other attorney in the city. In the spring of 1841, three negroes who were claimed as slaves had run away from New Orleans and were in Buffalo. The agent of their master applied to a law firm in Cleveland for assistance. At that time slaves arrested in Buffalo were in the habit of claiming a trial by jury, which was granted. To avoid a jury, some members of which might sympathize with the runaways, it was thought advisable to get the negroes into Ohio and accordingly one of the attorneys, the agent and a negro from Cleveland repaired to Buffalo. On their return the three ne- THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 103 groes came with them and it was said they had been kidnaped. On reaching this city the negroes were arrested under the law of congress as fugitives from service and lodged in the county jail. Information of this at length reached the few abolitionists then in Cleveland, among them the Hon. Edward Wade and Hon. John A. Foote, prominent lawyers of that day. They applied to the jailer for permission to consult with the negroes, but public opinion was so strong against the abolitionists that neither the jailor nor the sheriff would permit them to communicate with the prisoners. It came about through chance that a colored man asked Mr. Bolton if he would take up their defense. He readily assented, and being prosecuting attorney of the county and not an abolitionist—a fact which was well understood—the doors of the jail were readily opened to him and he immediately made preparation for a vigorous defense of the prisoners. A writ of habeas corpus was immediately applied for to Judge Barber, one of the associate judges at that time; the negroes were brought before him and the case continued for ninety days to allow the defense time for preparation. When it became known about town that Mr. Bolton had undertaken the defense of the negroes, great indignation was excited and many threatened to tear down his office and to use violence toward his person. This only aroused him to greater energy in behalf of the negroes. Meanwhile indictments had been procured in Buffalo against the alleged kidnapers and the excitement in the city greatly increased, so that on the day of the trial the courthouse was packed to the doors. After an investigation which lasted two days, the court discharged the defendants and they were acquitted. From the iniquitous proceedings in the case and the manner in which it was prosecuted and the excitement which it produced, the community was led to reflect upon the evils of the system and the oppression of the law, and from that day until the slave girl Lucy was sent back to Virginia in 1862 (to appease, it was said, the 104 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS wrath of the rebels), not a negro was sent back into slavery from Cleveland or Cuyahoga county. Mr. Bolton left the democratic party in 1848, or, as he claimed, it left him when it adopted its national platform of that year. He then joined the free soil party, was a delegate to the Buffalo convention and one of its secretaries. In February, 1856, he assisted in organizing the republican party at the Pittsburgh convention, and in the summer of the same year was a delegate from his congressional district to the Philadelphia convention, which nominated Fremont and Dayton. When Judge Bolton was admitted to the bar the court of common pleas, under the old constitution, consisted of four members, a presiding judge and three associates, elected by the legislature. A session of the supreme court was held by two of its members once a year in each county, and three sessions a year were held by the court of common pleas in Cayuga and adjoining counties. In 1851, by adoption of the new constitution, the judges were elected by the people for a term of five years. Hon. Samuel Starkweather was the first judge elected under the new system and in 1856 Thomas Bolton was chosen as his successor. In 1861 Judge Bolton was unanimously renominated and elected without opposition, and in 1866, on the expiration of his second term, he retired not only from the bench but from the bar. Of him it has been said : "He was a strong. man among eminently able fellow practitioners, and his promptness and punctuality in the courts were proverbial. If he granted indulgences, he never asked for any. He was less given to books than his partner, Moses Kelly, who was the student and chancery member of the firm, and in the ordinary departments of common law and in criminal practice, Judge Bolton was most at home. He prepared his cases with the most thorough premeditation of the line of his own evidence and of all the opposing evidence that could possibly anticipated. His arguments, while not studied as to finish, were strong, intensely practical and to the point. On THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 105 the bench he was hardy and vigorous in his perceptions and understandings, thoroughly versed and ready in the law of pleadings and evidence. His ten years' service as judge was honorable to himself and valuable to the public. In all the phases of his professional career and private life he was thoroughly upright. He was a large, full-faced man, with ample forehead, open countenance and frank demeanor. His nature corresponded to his appearance, and his genial disposition attracted as much admiration as his legal ability." Judge Bolton's first wife was Elizabeth L. Cone and after her death he married Emeline Russell. He attained the age of sixty-one years, passing away February 1, 1871. Judge Bolton left a widow and two sons, James H. and Charles C., half-brothers. The former, who was born of the first marriage, became clerk of the United States district court at Sioux City, Iowa. The latter, who was born of the second marriage, is represented elsewhere in this work. Judge Bolton made his home on old Pittsburgh street, later known as Broadway, in Cleveland, until in 1848, when he purchased property in the farming district in the eastern section of the district and upon which he erected a new home in which he lived until his death. This family homestead was located at the corner of Euclid and Giddings avenues (now East Seventy-first street) where it stood until 1914, when it was taken down and removed to Mentor, where it now stands. MATTHEW FREDERICK BRAMLEY Matthew Frederick Bramley is an outstanding figure in Cleveland's business circles as president and treasurer of the Cleveland Trinidad Paving Company, the largest paving corporation in the world, which he organized in 1894, and as president of the Bramley Storage Company, conducting the largest furniture storage plant in Ohio. He is also actively interested in reforestation, having eight thousand acres of land near Cleveland upon which he is building a series of lakes and is developing' forests and reservoirs. An earlier biographer said : "The life record of Matthew Frederick Bramley reads like a romance, but it is founded on facts, and is but the outcome of determined and persistent effort on the part of an honest, hard-working young American, who, in spite of numerous obstacles, steadily advanced until today he is one of the prominent citizens and substantial business men of Cleveland, with activities extending into numerous channels of industry, and covering years of political and civic service." Mr. Bramley was born on a farm at Independence, Cayuga county, Ohio, January 4, 1868, his parents being John P. and Mary Ann (Newton) Bramley, natives of Nottingham, England, who became pioneer settlers of Cuyahoga county and were married here. John P. Bramley was only twelve years of age when in 1847 he came to the United States with his father, Matthew Bramley, and located in Cuyahoga county. The latter purchased a tract of wild land which is still in possession of the family and devoted his attention to farming pursuits thereon. John P. Bramley likewise became interested in agriculture and also operated a sawmill at - 107 - 108 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS Brecksville, Cuyahoga county. Eventually he came to Cleveland, where he spent the remainder of his life, being an active member of the Cleveland police force for thirty years, and after his retirement from the force was on the police pension rolls for ten years. Matthew Frederick Bramley, or Fred, as he is known to his intimates, had the misfortune to lose his mother in 1870, when he was only two years old, and he and his two brothers were reared on the farm by their paternal grandparents. When his father remarried, the children were taken to Cleveland and were sent to school. When but a very small boy Fred Bramley began to make himself useful by carrying papers on a regular route, and some of the older people remember the bright, cheerful little fellow who was so faithful even then in discharging the obligations he had incurred. Home conditions not being congenial, Fred Bramley and his brothers ran away, but at different times, and he went to the farm of his uncle. There he mastered the work of farming so thoroughly that he subsequently leased his father's place, and, although still young in years, conducted it during the summer months, while in the winter seasons he cut and hauled cordwood to the market. However, he yearned for the advantages of the city, and when he was nineteen he left the farm and returned to Cleveland. The first winter he hauled ice from the ponds to the breweries, suffering from exposure which seriously impaired his health and brought on a long illness. When he had partially recovered he commenced driving a team for paving contractors, and in that connection gained a knowledge which was later to prove of great benefit to him. Subsequently he was teamster for the late Henry Everett, who was then erecting his fine residence at Case and Euclid avenues. Recognizing the faithfulness of the young man, Henry Claflin, president of the Claflin Paving Company, made him foreman of teams. From that employment he went on the old Case farm as foreman for J. F. Siegenthaler, who had leased this property at the intersection of Lorain and Linwood avenues. Mr. Bramley remained on this farm for several years, and during THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 109 that period married his employer's daughter, the young couple beginning their domestic life in a log house on the place. It was while on the farm that he and a number of representative citizens of the neighborhood organized a band of "White Caps" to drive from it some undesirables. Mr. Bramley was a lieutenant of this efficient little band, who borrowed guns from the Berea militia, and succeeded in carrying out their intention. Still struggling against the ill health which had resulted from his serious illness, Mr. Bramley left the farm and entered the old Produce Bank of Cleveland at a salary of seven dollars per week. On this meager amount he maintained his family, although they continued to live in the old log house on the farm, for which he paid a monthly rental of eight dollars. While serving in the bank he came into contact with two of its officials, who made Mr. Bramley the proposition that he solicit paving contracts for them, promising to furnish the necessary funds. Delighted at the prospect of going into something which would enable him to get a real start in the world, Mr. Bramley began soliciting and had but little difficulty in securing three paving contracts. It was then that the man rose to the opportunity, and, through almost superhuman effort, succeeded in completing these contracts, and doing so to the satisfaction of his customers and with a reasonable profit .to himself. Since that time he has steadily advanced, and he is still extensively interested in the paving business as president and treasurer of the Cleveland Trinidad Paving Company, which he organized in 1894 and which is today the largest paving company in the world, with branches at New York city, Syracuse, New York, Columbus, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan. In 1916 Mr. Bramley organized the Templar Motors Company, one of the important automobile industries of Cleveland, of which he was president and general manager, and this he developed into a very successful concern. During the World war the Templar plant supplied the United States gov- 110 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS ernment with large quantities of shells on contract. Then, however, the government prohibited the manufacture of "pleasure" cars, and at that time all passenger cars were called pleasure cars. This put the Templar Motors Company out of business. Mr. Bramley eventually converted his automobile manufacturing plant into a storage block and now con-ducts the largest furniture warehouse in the state as president of the Bramley Storage Company, operating a great fleet of trucks. He was also the promoter, organizer, president and principal owner of the Luna Park Amusement Company, one of the largest and most popular outdoor amusement parks at Cleveland or in the United States. As stated at the beginning of this article, Mr. Bramley is now actively interested in reforestation, building a series of lakes and developing forests and reservoirs on eight thousand acres of land which he owns in the vicinity of Cleveland. He also buys cattle, which he feeds on the land, raising baby beef. He is engaged principally in the raising of Hereford and black Angus cattle and is developing fifty farms in all, each being equipped separately. On the 23rd of July, 1891, Mr. Bramley was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude Siegenthaler, of Cleveland, and they have a son and a daughter : John Harold; and Margaret Elizabeth, at home. The son served overseas in France at the time of the World war as sergeant of Company F, Twenty-third Engineers, Second Battalion. He married Miss Hazel McBeth and is associated with his father in business. The home of Mr. and Mrs. M. F. Bramley is at 11420 Harbor View drive. Aside from his varied and extensive business activities, Mr. Bramley has figured prominently in civic and political affairs for a number of years. In 1898 he was elected on the republican ticket to the lower house of the state assembly, and in 1900 was elected to the same body to succeed himself. While thus serving he was the author of a number of very important bills and supported many more of an admirable char- THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 111 acter which are now on the statute books. He served as a member of the Cleveland city hall commission from 1898 to 1908, and as a member of the Cuyahoga county building commission from 1905 to 1908. He is a former vice president of the Cleveland Chamber of Industry; is a member of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce and the Cleveland Safety Council, of which he was president for two years. Mr. Bramley has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Masonry and is also affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias. His name is likewise on the membership rolls of the Cleveland Athletic Club, the Cleveland Yacht Club and the Westwood Country Club. Mr. Brainley is a representative of our best type of American manhood and chivalry. By perseverance, deter-, mination and honorable effort he has overthrown the obobstacles which barred his path to success and reached the goal of prosperity, while his genuine worth, broad mind and public spirit have made him a director of public thought and action. PERCY W. BROWN Percy W. Brown, who came to Cleveland from the east, is resident partner of the firm of Hornblower & Weeks and a force for progress in this city, where he has made his headquarters since 1924. Born in the town of Concord, Massachusetts, January 21, 1887, he is a son of Charles Edward and Florence (Whiting) Brown, the former also a native of that town, while the latter was born in Augusta, Maine. The forbears of Percy W. Brown were men of valor and patriotism and seven served in the Revolutionary war. In a direct ;line he traces his ancestry to William Browne, who cast his lot with the colonial settlers of New England in 1636, and is also a descendant of Richard Warren, who came to this country as a passenger on the Mayflower in 1620. Entering the field of finance, Charles E. Brown became treasurer of a savings bank and died in April, 1932. The widow is still living. In the acquirement of an education Percy W. Brown attended Milton Academy, Milton, Massachusetts, and his advanced studied were pursued in Harvard University, which awarded his the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1908. As a messenger he entered the employ of Hornblower & Weeks in Boston and diligently applied himself to the task of learning the business. Steadily he advanced through the various departments and in 1916 became chief statistician, thus serving for six years, or until January 1, 1923, when he was made a partner in the firm. He opened their Cleveland office March 1, 1924, and also has supervision of the Detroit and Pittsburgh offices. Mr. Brown has brought about a marked increase in the volume of business in the districts under his direction, - 113 - 114 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS manifesting executive force and an aptitude for successful management. His name appears on the directorates of several large business concerns, including the Costilla Estate Development Company, the Bucyrus-Erie Company, the Hercules Motors Corporation, the Midland Steel Products Company, the Mullins Manufacturing Corporation and the Transue & Williams Steel Forging Corporation, which have also profited by his sagacity and foresight. In Concord, Massachusetts, March 31, 1910, Mr. Brown married Corinne Banks Davis, whose death occurred October 25, 1925. For his second wife he chose Helen Campbell Hurd, whom he married in Newburyport, Massachusetts, July 5, 1930, and they reside on Chestnut Hill drive in Cleveland during the winter, spending the summer months on Mr. Brown's farm in the Berkshires. They have a son, Roger Hamilton Brown, born September 7, 1931. Mr. Brown belongs to the Country, Mayfield, Mid-Day, Union, Athletic, Rowfant and University Clubs of Cleveland, the Harvard Clubs of New York and Boston, the Exchange Club of Boston and the Social Circle in Concord. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and a past president and active member of the Concord Antiquarian Society. Appreciative of the best in literature, Mr. Brown spends many of his leisure hours in his library and has a valuable collection of first editions of Concord authors. Stable in purpose, he has never deviated from the course which he entered upon at the outset of his business career and his well developed powers have constituted a vital element in the growth and success of the large organization which he represents. STILES CURTISS SMITH The name of Stiles Curtiss Smith was long prominently and honorably known in mercantile, financial and charitable undertakings of the Forest city. In all his life he seldom failed to attain the result desired, his well directed energy and keen business discernment carrying him into important relations with the business concerns of Cleveland. He represented one of the early families of New England, his birth having occurred in South Britain, Connecticut, March 20, 1831. The educational advantages enjoyed by Stiles C. Smith were those afforded by a private academy of South Britain, and in 1857, when a young man of twenty-six years, he sought a home in Cleveland, recognizing the business opportunities of this growing city of the middle west. He became the junior partner of the wholesale tea, coffee and spice house which was conducted under the firm name of Smith & Curtiss for a number of years, after which the name was changed to S. C. Smith & Company. Of that corporation he was the executive head, so continuing until his death. From the beginning the enterprise prospered, its trade steadily increasing, for the firm ever maintained a high standard in the character of its service, in its personnel and in the quality of goods handled. As Mr. Smith won prosperity in this line he also extended his efforts into other fields, becoming a factor in financial, industrial and manufacturing, as well as mercantile circles. He was a director of the First National Bank of Cleveland for thirty-five years and his service on the board of the Cleveland Malleable Iron Company, now the National Malleable & Steel Castings Company, covered a period of forty years. He was - 115 - 116 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS likewise called to the directorate of the Eberhard Manufacturing Company and the Cleveland & Southwestern Traction Company. In all things he displayed an aptitude for successful management and his record was one of the valuable assets in the business history of his adopted city. His life was one of intense and well directed activity, his usefulness not ceasing with his advanced years, for even up to the time of his death, which occurred when he was seventy-six years of age, he was still associated with a number of charitable and financial undertakings which profited by his sound judgment and cooperation. The mercantile house which he established ever sustained an unassailable reputation for commercial integrity and largely set the standard for relations of that character. It was in Cleveland, in 1855, that Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Gleeson, who was born in Bedford, Ohio, April 22, 1831, a daughter of Moses Gleeson, one of the early settlers of this part of Cuyahoga county. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were the parents of five children, but George S., the eldest, and Caroline M., the second in order of birth, have passed away. The others are : Anna K., who is the widow of Henry S. Abbott, in former years a prominent business man of Columbus, Ohio, and now makes her home in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland; Lewis, a resident of this city; and Flora, the widow of Frank R. Gilchrist, of Cleveland, whose sketch is published elsewhere in this work. The mother of these children still resided in Cleveland until her death in October, 1916. The death of the husband and father occurred at his residence on Euclid avenue, December 8, 1907, after he had passed the seventy-sixth milestone on life's journey. There are few men who have realized more fully the responsibilities of wealth. As he prospered in his undertakings, Mr. Smith gave generously to many measures for the public good, while his philanthropy was one of the strong elements in his life. He became a trustee of the Associated Charities, the Children's Fresh Air Camp, the Jones Home, .the Huron Street Hospital and the Western Seamen's THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 117 Friend Society. His private benefactions were almost numberless. To any tale of sorrow or distress he responded with immediate assistance and sympathy, so that his memory is enshrined in the hearts of many who were benefited by his kindly and generous aid. He was a member of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce and a potent force for progress in his city. He belonged to the Masonic fraternity and was one of the organizers of the New England Society, which he served in the capacities of vice president and treasurer. He was an adherent of the republican party and while never an office seeker, he did not regard politics as something outside the pale of the life of the business man but rather as an issue in which every individual should be keenly interested and he therefore kept well informed on the questions and issues of the day. Mr. Smith was everywhere regarded as one of the substantial, public-spirited men of the city and he achieved the measure of success which is the outcome of a life of conscientious effort. He was a prominent member of Plymouth Congregational Church, and inspired by the teachings of Him who came to minister and not to be ministered unto, he gave of his time and talents for the benefit of his own household, his fellowmen and the community at large. JAMES MITCHELL A prominent and successful representative of Cleveland's industrial interests is James Mitchell, president of the Buckeye Incubator Company and vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Co-Operative Stove Company, with which he has been continuously identified for nearly a third of a century, working his way upward from the position of office boy. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, June 15, 1883, his parents being James A. and Katherine (Swanson) Mitchell, of English and Scotch descent, respectively, and both now deceased. The father, a native of Chicago, was engaged in the candy business. James Mitchell was but seven years old when his mother died and was reared by his grandparents. He acquired his education in the grammar schools of Cleveland and at the age of seventeen, in 1900, entered the employ of the Cleveland Co-Operative Stove Company as office boy at a wage of five dollars per week. He was later made timekeeper and won steady promotion as he demonstrated his capability and trustworthiness in the discharge of the duties assigned him, serving successively as assistant superintendent, superintendent, assistant plant manager and plant manager. Chosen for official position, he is now vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Co-Operative Stove Company and also president of the Buckeye Incubator Company, the interests of which the former corporation purchased in July, 1930. His efforts have contributed in substantial measure to the success of the great industrial enterprise which he represents and his reputation in business circles of his adopted city is - 119 - 120 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS an enviable one. The history of the Cleveland Co-Operative Stove Company appears in another part of this publication. In 1915 Mr. Mitchell married Miss Martha Calhoun, who was born, reared and educated in Akron, Ohio. Both he and his wife enjoy motoring, but it is said that Mr. Mitchell has no hobby unless it is his work. DAVID AULD David Auld, who won wide recognition as "the Thomas Edison of the slate industry," established The Auld & Conger Company of Cleveland in association with James W. Conger in 1870 and continued active in the manufacture of "slates of quality" throughout the remainder of his business career. He retired about 1923 and was called to his final rest on the 14th of December, 1927, when eighty-three years of age. An honored veteran of the Civil war, he gained more than local renown for his vivid and interesting sketches of the conflict and its heroes. David Auld was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, on March 12, 1844, his parents being John and Mary McNay (Bradford) Auld, natives of Greene county, Pennsylvania. John Auld died in 1876. The Auld family is of Scotch ancestry and has been represented in the United States for several generations. On the maternal side David Auld came of English lineage. His mother was a direct de-scendant of William Bradford, American colonial governor, and the second daughter born to Eli and Mary (McNay) Bradford, whose family numbered five sons and three daugh-ters. Eli Bradford left Adams county, Pennsylvania, for Armstrong county, that state, settling at Kittanning, and subsequently removed to Waynesburg, Greene county, Pennsylvania. His daughter, Mrs. Mary Auld, passed away in Butler county, Ohio, in 1850, leaving a daughter and four sons, Archibald, David, Demas and Levi. The last named died from injuries received as a soldier of the One Hundred and Seventy-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Civil war. - 123 - 124 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS Archibald, David and Demas Auld enlisted in Company G, Twentieth Ohio Infantry, at Mount Gilead, Ohio, May 7, 1861, and served in West Virginia under Generals McClellan and Rosecrans. David and Demas Auld, being too small for the ranks, became drummer and fifer, respectively. They were mustered out at Columbus, Ohio, August 27, 1861, and on the 14th of September following enlisted for three years in Company B, Forty-third Ohio Infantry, being mustered out July 13, 1865, following the cessation of hostilities between the north and the south. Their older brother, Archibald Auld, was killed in action at Corinth, Mississippi, October 4, 1862. Demas Auld was at the head of Auld's Inc., jewelry manufacturers of Columbus, Ohio, until his death. After his return to civil life David Auld resided at Columbus, Ohio, until 1870, when, in company with his cousin James W. Conger, he went to Steubenville, this state, where the two men formed a partnership for the conduct of a general building and slate roofing business. Three years later, in 1873, they came to Cleveland and here established themselves in the wholesale roofing slate business, while in 1885 they also began the quarrying of slate. Mr. Auld became known as "the Thomas Edison of the slate industry" and many an improved method of production, handling and applying the slate is due to his inventive genius. The interesting story of The Auld & Conger Company follows this memorial. Aside from his important work as head of this extensive and successful enterprise, Mr. Auld was a director of the National Screw and Tack Company, now the National Screw and Manufacturing Company, and a stockholder in the Cuyahoga Roofing Company. He had an artistic temperament and products of his pen and pencil were accepted by Harper publications when he was only fifteen. On the 4th of February, 1880, Mr. Auld was united in marriage to Miss Nellie J. Sayle, who was born in Cleveland, April 5, 1857, her parents being Thomas and Jane (Clark) Sayle, natives of the Isle of Man, who were brought THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 125 to the United States when six and three years of age, respectively. As a young man Thomas Sayle, though not a Shaker himself, conducted a flour mill which was erected in the Shaker settlement in 1843, and around this site has been built the modern residential village of Shaker Heights in Cuyahoga county, Ohio. Later he settled at what is now the corner of 100th street and Cedar avenue in Cleveland, where he became the proprietor of a grocery store, continuing in business as a grocery merchant until the time of his retirement. With the passing years, as prosperity attended his undertakings, he acquired many valuable property holdings. To David and Nellie J. (Sayle) Auld was born a daughter, Louise, who became the wife of Charles Lowry and passed away leaving three children, as follows : Charlotte Lowry, who is the wife of T. R. Goodridge and the mother of one child, Nancy Auld Goodridge; Virginia Lowry, who married Gordon Arey, of Chicago, and has a daughter, Joan Louise Arey; and David Auld Lowry, who married Cordelia Dominick and is a resident of New York. David Auld gave his political allegiance to the republican party, which was the support of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war, and he maintained pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic. His religious faith was indicated by his membership in the Euclid Avenue Methodist Church. He belonged to the Cleveland Athletic Club, the Gun Club and the Izaak Walton League, finding pleasurable recreation in hunting and fishing. For many years he spent the winter seasons in Florida, and he was considered one of the most skilful tarpon fishermen by the Izaak Walton Club of Useppa Island, where he usually spent the month of April. He won numerous medals, cups and a diamond pin by his skill. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Nellie J. Auld, who makes her home at 2891 Drummond road, Shaker Heights. THE AULD & CONGER COMPANY The Auld & Conger Company, manufacturers of roofing slate and roofers' supplies, maintains its general office in Cleveland, Ohio, and operates quarries at Poultney, Vermont, and Bangor, Pennsylvania. We quote from an attractive booklet issued by the company in 1922 : "The use of slate for roofing purposes, dates back centuries before the time Christopher Columbus discovered America. In Europe, long before the days when America was making history, slate roofs were the last word in roofing material. Always economical and beautiful, the commoner vied with the nobility when it came to roofing protection. Up through all the years, up to the present day, the genius of man has never been able to develop a permanent substitute for slate. Substitutes come—and go, in their futile attempt to stand up under Mother Nature's harsh buffeting of wind, hail, rain, hot suns and snow. Good slates alone stand supreme, undaunted and untouched by the elements of time. Look today at Saxon Chapel, Bradford-on-Avon, England. Built in the eight century, its slated roof is still compact, beautiful, durable, and protecting as on the day it was laid. There's Whitehazelpool Parish of St. Mary near Liverpool, England, five hundred-odd years old, with its original slate roof, still protecting the cherished, hallowed contents. In all parts of Europe you find today rich evidence of the long life of slate. Slate laid on stately old castles, old cathedrals and on the most humble abodes, hundreds and hundreds of years old, still covering and still protecting; and slate will proudly execute its portion of duty on these old structures until the foun- - 127 - 128 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS dations crumble and the fabrics fall from sheer exhaustion of age. "In this country we read that the slate industry dates from about the year 1835, at West Bangor, Pennsylvania. Marvin, in his history of Lancaster, Massachusetts, however, says that slate was quarried in that town in the years 1750- 1753, and that the slate were used in Boston, Massachusetts. Soon after the Revolutionary war, the old Hancock House on Beacon street, also the old State House in Boston were covered with slate from Lancaster, Massachusetts. "Since 1870 we have applied throughout the United States practically all of the many grades of slate produced in this country and our knowledge of their different qualities was gained only by long experience—watching the slate after exposure on the roofs; which is, after all, about the only way 'one learns of the many different materials as produced in the states of Vermont, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, which states produce practically all that are used. . . . "Probably the most widely known and most popular grade of slate in the United States is Sea Green, produced by us at Poultney in western Vermont state, just a few miles northeast of Albany, New York. This slate is of a light green color, when first quarried, but upon exposure, some beds of it fade slightly; the material absolutely is unaffected, how-ever, and it is strong and positively everlasting. For houses, barns, mills, factories, warehouses—in fact, where durability is first considered, this slate makes a fine roof, and hundreds of thousands of squares have been used throughout this country, and we have never seen nor heard of a roof of Sea Green slate that ever failed,— ( rotted or fell off). Throughout this country, and particularly in Cleveland, we have roofed thousands of homes and factories with Sea Green slate, including the plants of the National Malleable Castings Company and the Eberhard Manufacturing Company at Cleveland. The roofs are in the same condition today as they were THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 129 when first put on, nearly fifty years ago. This speaks surely for quality: . . . "The old European custom of covering buildings, was with slate of different thicknesses, varying lengths, random widths. Crude quarrying facilities there, enforced the use of slate of a rough texture and uneven assortment of sizes, and the method of laying was so ingeniously developed that eventually graduated roofs became distinct features of their buildings, many examples of which stand today as masterpieces. Prominent architects in this country have reverted to this old graduated method of laying slate roofs, finding in them an individuality impossible of expression with the checkerboard precision of the more conventional arrangement of laying slate. The results obtained have justified this departure, as is evidenced by the increasing popularity of 'Old English' slate roofs. . . . "The Mammoth Veins of slate in our quarries at Poultney, Vermont, are about three hundred feet wide and three hundred and fifty feet deep. The Sea Green veins in our quarries come in first, and under these lie the Purple veins and still below these, we find the Weathering Green beds. So we have to go through these veins or beds, layer by layer to the bottom beds, and only solid rock of perfect split is used. The rock is quarried largely by the use of drills operated by compressed air. When the large slabs of rock are made free in the pit they are hoisted by electrically-operated cables carrying a load from three thousand to five thousand pounds. The block-cutters then reduce the large slabs to smaller ones for the splitters. All roofing slate made is then split with mallet and chisel, the splitters becoming so skilled in their work that they do not require any gauge to procure any thickness out of any blocks they are working on . . . All of our Vermont 'slates of quality'—Mammoth Vein Poultney Sea Green, Purple, Mottled Purple and Green, Weathering Green and Unfading Green—are furnished in varying lengths, graduated thicknesses and random widths. 130 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS "Roofs with gables and ridges are so conspicuous that the roofing used is very much in evidence, particularly when it has the dignified appearance of slate. Flat roofs are hidden from sight. For this reason the impression sometimes prevails that slate is not adapted for flat roofs. Flat slate roofs have stood the test of time and upheld the record for durability, economy and all around satisfaction that has made slate the ideal roofing. "Our Genuine Bangor Black Slates are quarried at Bangor, Pa., in two grades, No. 1 Clear and No. 1 Ribbon, and have for a great many years been considered the standard roofing product. . . . We manufacture too at Bangor, Pa., blackboards, structural slate, sinks, laundry tubs, wainscoting, steps, risers, platforms, urinals, shower stalls, billiard tops, morgue slabs, grave vaults, etc. • • • "It is because of the absolute and invariable perfection of each single slate in it that a roof of our 'slates of quality' remains always a permanent whole, that it requires but a minimum amount of care and upkeep expense irrespective of climate, weather conditions or architectural design. It is the minute and rigid inspection of each separate piece of our manufacturing 'slates of quality' that is the guarantee of its everlasting satisfaction. . . . We received the highest award—medal and diploma—for our Bangor Union Black and Mammoth Vein Poultney Sea Green Slates and Purple Slates at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893." COLONEL NEWELL CASTLE BOLTON Among the efficient officers of the Ohio National Guard is numbered Colonel Newell Castle Bolton, who served in the World war with the rank of first lieutenant and has had broad experience in military affairs. He has also registered achievement in the field of business and is a well known capitalist of Cleveland, his native city. Born March 22, 1888, he is a son of Charles Chester and Julia (Castle) Bolton and a brother of Chester C., Irving C., and Julian C. Bolton, all of Cleveland, who are also represented in this work. Newell Castle Bolton was a pupil in the Giddings public school and in 1899 enrolled in the University School, which he attended for seven years. In 1906 he entered Milton Academy at Milton, Massachusetts, where he spent two years, and in 1908 became a student at Harvard University, which awarded him the A. B. degree in 1912. Entering the employ of the Bourne-Fuller Company of Cleveland, he thus made his initial contact with the steel industry and his twin brother, Irving C., accepted a position with the Upson Nut Company. Shortly afterward the two concerns were combined and the large institution thus formed retained the services of Newell C. and Irving C. Bolton. In 1913 they had become members of Troop A of the Ohio National Guard, with which they spent six months on the Mexican border in 1916, and in 1917, when America entered the World war, they were mustered into the federal service. Both were assigned to the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Regiment of United States Field Artillery, Irving C. becoming a captain of Battery A, while Newell C. was com- - 131 - 132 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS missioned a first lieutenant. The latter was made an aide-de-camp to Brigadier General W. R. Smith, Sixty-second Field Artillery Brigade, and was with Major General John Biddle in a similar capacity. In March, 1918, he was ordered overseas, going first to London, England, and later was attached to the One Hundred and Thirty-eight Regiment of Field Artillery in France. He returned to the United States in December, 1918, and January 10, 1919, received an honorable discharge. Both brothers were engaged in active duty until the close of the war but did not serve together. Afterward Irving C. Bolton became connected with the Warner & Swasey Company and is now its treasurer. When mustered out of the federal service Newell C. Bol-ton returned to the Bourne-Fuller Company, continuing with that corporation until 1929, when he resigned, and afterward was with his father until the latter's death in July, 1930, since which time he has attended to his affairs. He is a director of the Cleveland Trust Company, also a director of the Cuyahoga Factory Development Company, and a trustee of the Society for Savings. He has business sagacity and foresight, which are manifest in the successful management of his important interests. His offices are located on the fifteenth floor of the Hann a building in Cleveland but he resides at Mentor, Ohio, in a modern home which he recently erected. Military affairs have also claimed a large share of the time and energy of Newell C. Bolton, whose name has long been prominently connected with the activities of the Ohio National Guard. He was a first lieutenant of Troop A in 1921 and 1922 ; captain of Troop A. One Hundred and Seventh Cavalry, during 1923 and 1924 ; major from 1924 until 1927, when he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and is now colonel, in command of the One Hundred and Seventh Regiment of Cavalry. He is treasurer of Cuyahoga Council of the American Legion ; a past treasurer of the Harvard Club of Cleveland; a member of the Chagrin Valley Hunt, Winous Point Shooting, Castalia Sporting, THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 133 Kirtland, Tavern and Union Clubs, all of Cleveland; and a member of the Delphic Club of Cambridge, Massachusetts. As indicated by his club connections, Colonel Bolton is a lover of outdoor life, particularly enjoying horseback riding and golf. He has also found time for effective civic and philanthropic work and formerly was a trustee of the public library, while he is now serving as president of the board of the Cleveland Protestant Orphan Asylum, and a member of the executive committee of the Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross, and Cleveland Council Boy Scouts of America. WALLACE HUGH CATHCART, L. H. D. Wallace Hugh Cathcart is vice president and director, and a trustee of The Western Reserve Historical Society, which has materially benefited by his many years of service in its behalf. He has achieved success as a bookseller and publisher and is a man of scholarly attainments. Born in Elyria, Ohio, April 2, 1865, he is a son of Salmon Hart and Sarah (Chamberlain) Cathcart and of Scotch lineage. His first American ancestor was Robert Cathcart, who settled at Martha's Vineyard in the middle of the seventeenth century. In this country Robert Cathcart married Phoebe Coleman, a granddaughter of Peter Folger, of Nantucket, and a cousin of Benjamin Franklin. Wallace H. Cathcart acquired his high school education in Elyria, graduating with the class of 1883. Two years before he had been employed in a book and stationery house during vacation periods and after his graduation gave all of his time to that line of business until 1886. In preparation for educational work, he enrolled as a student in Denison University, which he attended for four years, receiving the Bachelor of Science degree from that institution in 1890, and from 1887 to 1889 was employed as librarian at the University. While at Denison University, he mastered the natural sciences, which he intended to teach, and was one of the founders of the Denison Scientific Association. He was persuaded by an old booktrade acquaintance to come to Cleveland to help out during the Fall rush season at the Taylor-Austin Company, and later was made secretary of the firm, remaining with them seven years. In 1897 he became financially interested in The Burrows Brothers Corn- - 135 - 136 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS pany and soon afterward was elected its secretary. Upon the withdrawal of H. B. Burrows, Mr. Cathcart was made vice president and general manager, and for some years continued as an executive of the company, doing much to further its success. While engaged in the book business he became one of the founders of the American Booksellers and Publishers Association and received the highest honors of that Association. He also served for some time as vice president of the Retail Merchants Board of The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce. From Denison University he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in 1926, and has been one of its trustees. He is a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. Mr. Cathcart was married August 8, 1893, to Miss Florence Holmes, of Cleveland, who passed away August 11, 1912. For his second wife he chose Ellen Douglas Hamilton, of Richmond, Virginia, to whom he was married February 12, 1918. He has two daughters by his first wife, Genevieve Holmes, now Mrs. Gerald B. Athey, and Evelyn Mae, now Mrs. Ira J. Witmer. In politics, Mr. Cathcart is a republican and in religious belief he is a Baptist, with membership in the Church of the Master. For six years he was president of the Baptist City Mission Society of Cleveland and is also a past president of the Board of Trustees of the Hungarian Baptist Seminary of Cleveland. Appreciative of the social amenities of life, he belongs to the Mid-Day Club, the Rowfant Club, the Rotary Club and the Shaker Heights Country Club. He compiled a bibliography of Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1905 by the Rowfant Club of this city, and is a member of the Bibliographical Society of London and the Ex-Libris Society of London. His official connection with The Western Reserve Historical Society dates from 1894, when he became its secretary, in which capacity he acted for three years. From 1907 to 1913 THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 137 he occupied the office of president, afterward becoming vice president and director, and a trustee of the Society, and for more than four and a half decades has worked untiringly and effectively to further its interests. He is a life member of The American Antiquarian Society of Worcester, Massachusetts, The Firelands Historical Society and the Nantucket Historical Society. He also belongs to The American Historical Association, The American Geographical Society, the American Philatelic Society, the American Numismatic Society, the American Association of Museums, and the American Library Association. DEFORREST LEE SELOVER Among the substantial business men who have made their private enterprises of material benefit to Cleveland as well as a source of individual prosperity DeForrest Lee Selover, a large operator in real estate, is one of the most prominent. He was born in Galesburg, Illinois, August 23, 1873, a son of Theodore A. and Mary (Lee) Selover, who were members of an old family of Cleveland, and at the time of his birth his mother was visiting relatives in Galesburg. DeForrest L. Selover obtained his higher education in Yale University and on starting out in life for himself entered the real estate field, in which he has found an excellent medium for the expression of his capacities and powers. He is secretary and treasurer of the Perry-Payne Company, which owns the real estate formerly owned by Oliver Perry and Senator H. B. Payne, pioneers of Cleveland. Prior to this Mr. Selover had been a member of the firm of T. A. Selover and Son, a business that was founded by his father, who was one of the pioneer realtors of Cleveland and who died in 1899 aged fifty-four years. In Cleveland, on October 9, 1899, D. L. Selover was united in marriage with Miss Salome Britton, by whom there are two sons, Theodore Britton and Joseph Britton. Mr. Selover is a member of the Union Club, the Mayfield Club and the Tavern Club. The family residence is at 10217 Lake Shore boulevard, Bratenahl, and his offices are in the Hanna build-ing, Cleveland. - 139 - WILLIAM GREY ROSE The life of William G. Rose, chief executive of the city of Cleveland, Ohio, during a critical period in the history of this city, was spent in Cleveland from his thirty-sixth year until his death at the age of seventy. His business affairs were in so satisfactory a condition at the age of forty-five that he was practically independent, a condition which gave Cleveland his valuable services as mayor during that stormy period in the industrial world which culminated in the great railroad strikes during the summer of 1877. That Cleveland did not suffer from mob violence as Pittsburgh suffered was due to the precautions taken by Mayor Rose and the preparation he had made, without show or parade, to cope successfully with any disturbance the strikers might cause. The police, artillery, militia, and a strong force of war veterans were massed and held in such a manner that an overwhelming force could have been thrown upon the streets at the first alarm. Newspapers and authorities were very discreet, and the great majority of the people did not know until long afterward of the forces that slept on their arms night after night at the armories and police stations. Fortunate, indeed, was Cleveland that a man sat in the mayor's chair who held the confidence of all classes and had the will and the courage to see that the right thing and the safe thing was done. It was during the same year that the great coopers' strike occurred in Cleveland and Mayor Rose as safely brought the city through another crisis by using practically the same methods, no lives being lost nor any property destroyed. That was but one incident in the life of a man whose personality dominated the spirit and enterprises of that period, a man - 141 - 142 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS of such singular power of leadership and qualities of statesmanship that still interest and instruct, though he has long since been numbered with those who have "gone to that bourne from which no traveler ever returns." Mr. Rose was a son of James and Martha (McKinley) Rose, his father of English, his mother of Scotch-Irish descent. The founder of the family in Pennsylvania was Andrew Rose, born in England, who came in pre-Revolutionary times, located in Bucks county, at Doylestown, and is said to have cast cannon for the Colonial Army. James Rose, a descendant of Andrew Rose, married Martha McKinley, daughter of David McKinley, a soldier of the Revolution, and great-grandfather of William McKinley, one of the martyred presidents of the United States. James Rose and four of his brothers served in the War of 1812, and ten of his grandsons were Union soldiers of the Civil war. William G. Rose was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, September 23, 1829, the youngest of eleven children, all of whom grew to maturity. He began his education in the country schools, and when sixteen left home. For three years he attended Beaver Academy, Beaver, Pennsylvania, where for a time he was a teacher of Latin and mathematics. He began the study of law in 1853 under the direction of William Stewart of Mercer, Pennsylvania, and on April 7, 1855, was admitted to the bar of that state. He practiced in Mercer with success for ten years and during that period he was for a time editor and owner of the "Independent Democrat;" a member of the Pennsylvania legislature, serving two terms; a delegate to the national republican convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for president; and served with a Pennsylvania regiment for three months during the Civil war. In 1865 he came to Cleveland, Ohio, and here engaged in real estate development with such success that in 1874 he retired from business. He was one of the first to open subdivisions east and south of the city. For two years in the early '70s he operated an oil refinery in Cleveland. THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 143 The early political allegiance of Mr. Rose was democratic, but the slavery issue was causing men to readjust their political opinions, and the new whig party, with its opposition to human slavery, quickly won the allegiance of this young man and he early cast his lot with that party. In Mercer, Pennsylvania, he was twice a candidate for congress, the second time unanimously, but at that time (1864) other counties claimed a prior right to the nominee. In Cleveland he steadily resisted all proposals to make him a candidate for office until 1877, when he accepted the republican nomination for mayor and was elected. About that time he went to Europe and studied quite thoroughly the government of the different cities in addition to sightseeing. With tact, courage and good judgment he put into effect a program of retrenchment and economy, and without lessening the efficiency of vital municipal departments, checked the extravagance of the past and lightened the taxpayers' burdens. But some other points of his administration stand clearly out and mark him a man of vision and clear mind far in advance of his time. In his address to the council in April, 1879, at the conclusion of his term of office, he clearly foreshadowed the modern juvenile court and the probation system when he asserted that a community had not done its duty to erring boys and girls confined in state institutions when "we have seen them fed, clothed and protected from the storm" but said that "duty demands that we do what we can to help them lead good and useful lives." He denounced bringing boys and girls of the House of Refuge in contact with criminals from other state institutions, and advocated that they be "given a suburban home, removed from the contaminating influence of criminals and from the din and smoke of the city." The handling of the great railway strike of 1877 by Mr. Rose, which paralyzed the railroads, has been reviewed. Although Cleveland was the headquarters of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, Mayor Rose was master of the situation at all times and the law-breakers who allied 144 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS themselves with the strike had no opportunity to burn, pillage or kill. There were other opportunities during his administration to prove his value and dignity, and he was a force and a power for good government. He was particularly happy in his address of welcome to the many organizations which met in Cleveland in state. or national assembly, and the following gem of thought is from his address to the state conclave of Knights Templars. "May the influence of the mystic tie which binds you together so obliterate sectional prejudices, so educate man into the belief and practice of universal brotherhood, that the time will come when all nationalities, now divided by imaginary lines will be cemented into one harmonious government." He was in sympathy with the suffrage movement, believed in the political equality of women, and was in accord with all movements for human betterment. After his retirement from office in 1879, Mr. Rose kept in close touch with municipal affairs, and in 1891 was again elected mayor of Cleveland. He brought to the office the fruits of his mature study of municipal problems and the results of his close observation of municipal politics and methods from other cities. Some of the outstanding acts of his second administration were the securing of a material reduction in the price of gas to the consumer; settling a street car strike ; reducing the city debt; providing for in-creasing sinking funds of the city, and the carrying forward of a general program of street paving and other practical improvements. Mr. Rose always refused to allow his name to be used for a state office with the single exception of that in 1883, when he yielded to the pressure brought to bear and accepted the unanimous nomination for lieutenant governor. In a year when the republican organization was heavily handicapped, the name of Mr. Rose on the ticket helped the head of the ticket, but all over the state, even in Cincinnati, the home of Mr. Foraker, the candidate for governor, Mr. Rose received the heaviest vote of any man on the republican ticket. THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 145 William G. Rose was married in Mercer, Pennsylvania, March 28, 1858, to Miss Martha Emily Parmelee, whose career is reviewed below. Four children were born of this union. Alice Evelyn, who graduated from Cornell University, later became the wife of Major Charles R. Miller, who is mentioned on another page of this work. Mrs. Miller is a member and a former historian of the Western Reserve Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and of Commodore Perry Chapter of the Daughters of the War of 1812, and now is a member of the state organization of the. latter; she is also a member of the Cornell Women's Club of Cleveland, the Early Settlers' Association and the Cleveland Centennial Commission. Mrs. Miller resides in her mother's old home on Cornell road, Cleveland. The second child is Hudson Parmelee Rose, who attended Cornell University four years and then returned to Cleveland and engaged in the real estate business until 1895, when he located in New York city, where he has since successfully followed that business. He married Mollie Merrill of Cleveland, formerly of Maine. Frederick Holland, who is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been in the banking and brokerage business in Cleveland and is still a resident of this city. He had two children : Burton Upson Rose, who died in 1928; and Helen, who married Charles Burkett, Jr., of New York, and became the mother of two children, Charles (III) of New York city and Diana of Rye, New York. William Kent, who is a graduate of Harvard University, was in the banking business in Cleveland but is now associated with his brother, Hudson P., in the real estate business in New York. William G. Rose died in Cleveland on September 15, 1899, full of honors, retaining the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens to the end of his useful life. MARTHA EMILY (PARMELEE) ROSE Martha Emily (Parmelee) Rose was born in Norton, Summit county, Ohio, March 5, 1834. The Encyclopedia of American Biography published in 1923 introduces a review of her career with the following words : "The years have dealt kindly with Mrs. Rose and amid cultured surroundings she is passing the evening of a valuable life. She has seen many of her dreams come true, and the things she has striven for are now realities. Her work for the betterment of the conditions for the working women of Cleveland, Ohio, goes back many years, and so far back does her work in the women's club movement date that it is recorded that she was a delegate to the first meeting of the Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs and framed the constitution of the Federation." She was a daughter of Theodore Hudson and Harriet (Holcomb) Parmelee, who at the time of the birth of their daughter were residing in Norton, Summit county, Ohio, but three years later moved to Tallmadge, ten miles away. In 1843 Mrs. Parmelee was left a widow, and in 1847 she moved to Oberlin, Ohio, with her children. Martha Emily Parmelee attended public school at Tallmadge, Ohio, until thirteen years of age, then, her mother moving to Oberlin, she later entered Oberlin College, whence she was graduated with the degree B. L., class of 1855. She had previously spent one year with her sister, Eliza, in Mercer, Pennsylvania, her sister being principal of a young ladies' seminary there. She returned to Oberlin, was graduated in 1855, and afterward taught music and algebra in - 147 - 148 - THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS Mercer Academy and a private school in Alton, Illinois. She was married on March 28, 1858, to William G. Rose, who is mentioned at length above. When Cleveland, Ohio, became the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rose, the latter interested herself in work for women, organized the Women's Employment Society, and the Health Protective Association, advocating children's playgrounds and sanitary measures for the protection of the public health. In November, 1895, Mr. and Mrs. Rose sailed on a foreign tour and during the next two months visited France, Italy and Egypt, returning to New York city, January 27, 1896. In 1900 Mrs. Rose again visited Europe, with a company of eighty-five, under the direction of the Literary Digest Company. She was accompanied by her grandson William Rose Miller and visited Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany and France. That same year Mrs. Rose was elected president of the National Health Protective Association, assembled in convention at Buffalo. In 1891 Mrs. Rose sent to New York and obtained a constitution, calling a meeting, which sixty-five women attended, at which Cleveland Sorosis was formed Mrs. Rose being elected its first president. Cleveland Sorosis sent thirty-one delegates to the 1894 meeting of the General Federation of Women's Clubs held in Philadelphia, and the Ohio delegates from Sorosis appointed a committee of five to draft a constitution for an Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs, of whom Mrs. Rose was one. The first meeting of the Ohio Federation was held in Dayton, Mrs. Rose opening the session with prayer. She was also an ardent temperance worker, and in addition to her interest in children's playgrounds and women's clubs championed many movements of a public character for the public good. She was a strong advocate of any cause which she espoused, and was always to be found with the workers for righteousness. Mrs. Rose began her literary work in 1876 with the preparation of the "Centennial Album," the occasion being the THIS CLEVELAND OF OURS - 149 centennial of the creation of the Western Reserve. The "Centennial Album" is a compilation or collection of photographs of people of historical significance and prominence in Cleveland as well as in the Western Reserve of Ohio. In 1900 Mrs. Rose wrote and published "Travels in Europe and Northern Africa ;" in 1906 she published "Character Building, or the Life of the College Bred Woman ;" this was followed in 1914 by "The Western Reserve—Some of Its People, Places and Women's Clubs." Another work published by Mrs. Rose is "An American Boy" or "Letters From a Boy to His Mother." Mrs. Rose died in Cleveland on May 5, 1923, aged eighty-nine years.