200 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS CHARLES AUBERT. (RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) In the profession of the law them, are comparatively few who attain success, and in an analyzation of the conditions that exist it is found that this fact results largely from a lack of that analytical power which enables one to recognize the salient feature of a case and to give it its due prominence. while losing sight of no point that will assist in gaining the decision desired. Keen discrimination is one of the effective forces in the career of Charles Aubert, who in the practice of law has displayed a professional strength that has gained him prominence at the Columbus bar. Mr. Aubert is a. native of Franklin county. his birth having occurred in Hamilton township December 20, 1800. As the name indicates, he comes of French ancestry, being a grandson of Claudius Postian Aubert who. following important military service in Europe. came to the new world to enjoy here the liberty afforded by a republican form of government. He served as a drummer boy when Napoleon led his troops across the Niemen, in 1812, toward Moscow in a campaign that. although disastrous. was one of the most brilliant military undertakings known to history. He was also in Napoleon's army when the French troops, on the 18th of June, 1815, met the English and Prussians under Generals Wellington and Blucher on the plains of Waterloo. During the pioneer epoch of the history of Ohio Claudius P. Aubert arrived in this state accompanied by his family. He located upon a farm in Hamilton township. Franklin county. which remained his place of residence until his death. His son, Charles Aubert. Sr.. was about eight years of age when the family left France for the new world. From early life he was dependent upon his own resources and displayed his business ability and enterprise in the acquirement of a large and valuable farm property. together with real estate and financial invest- PAGE 201 - PICTURE OF CHARLES AUBERT PAGE 202 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 203 meats. He married Miss Elizabeth Reiselt, a native of Germany, whose father became a prominent farmer in Hamilton township. Claudius P. Aubert, a brother of Charles Aubert, of this review, was graduated in the Ohio Normal University in 1887 and has done excellent educational work in connection with the public-school system of the state of Washington. Reared on the homestead farm, Charles Aubert supplemented his early educational training by study in the Ohio Normal University, from which he was graduated in 1887. He then devoted several years to successful educational work, teaching in the public schools of this county until 1895 and for three years prior thereto also occupying the chair of Latin in the Ohio Medical University at Columbus. He began his law reading with Donaldson & Tussing, prominent attorneys of Columbus, as his preceptors, and when his thorough preparation enabled him to successfully pass the examination required for admission to the bar, he entered upon active practice and has been very successful since his name was placed upon the roll of practitioners in Columbus in 1895. While he was well grounded in the principles of common law when admitted to the bar, he has continued throughout the whole of his professional career a diligent student of those elementary principles that constitute the basis of all legal science and this knowledge has served him well in many a legal battle. He always prepares his cases with great care. If there is a close legal point involved in the issue it is his habit to thoroughly examine every authority within his reach bearing upon the question, and this makes him a dangerous adversary. With a thorough knowledge of the subject he discusses and the legal principles applicable thereto, his addresses before the court are models of clearness and logic. He is also the owner of a select and large law library, of which ho has every reason to be proud. It is there that he prepares his presentation of legal questions with every authority right at hand that he may look up any point of law or precedent which he believes will bear upon the case. Mr. Aubert is regarded as authority on real-estate and financial investments, his opinions being sought and relied on by the banker and the judge, the farmer and the lawyer, whose full confidence he enjoys, and well he may, for no client has ever been compelled by suit at law to bring back money on notes or to foreclose mortgages recommended as safe investment by Mr. Aubert during his practice of thirteen years. At various times wealthy clients have left large sums of money with him to invest or loan at his sole discretion. To this branch of the legal profession he has devoted much time during the last thirteen years and it is a remarkable and noteworthy fact that during all this period no client ever sued to obtain his money or foreclosed a mortgage on a loan made by Mr. Aubert, all receiving their capital with interest. It will thus be seen that he makes most careful investments and his clients have profited thereby. In 1897 Mr. Aubert was married to Miss Marie Renner, a daughter of the late John Stephen Renner, who at his death owned extensive landed interests in Franklin county. Mr. and Mrs. Aubert have no children of their own. In April, 1905, when Samuel J. Swartz, at one time mayor of Columbus, died and left several orphan children, the two younger being 204 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS Lillian and Audrey, then four and two years of age, Mr. and Mrs. Aubert took these two children into their home and have bestowed upon them every care and the affection of the most fond and loving parents. The children are as much attached to Mr. and Mrs. Aubert as children of their own could be and in return receive the loving attention which Mr. and Mrs. Aubert would have bestowed upon children of their own. The little girls were indeed fortunate in obtaining such a good home. and it is a source of much pleasure and satisfaction to the friends of their deceased parents. Mr. and Mrs. Aubert are very generous, large-hearted people and many tangible evidences are given of their helpfulness. They are well known in Columbus and this part of the state, where they have spent their entire lives, and their circle of friends is almost as extended as the circle of their acquaintances. Their own home is a hospitable one and is therefore most attractive to those who know them. Mr. Aubert is always interested in those projects which further progressive citizenship and promote municipal progress. His professional duties, however. are making increasing demands upon his time and attention and he now enjoys a high reputation which hay been won through earnest, honest labor. his standing, at the bar being a merited tribute to hiss ability. SAMUEL STRASSER RICKLY. The pages of fiction contain no more interesting or wonderful life history than that of Samuel Strasser Rickly, who for many years figured as one of the most prominent business men of Columbus. From a most humble position he worked his way steadily upward, commanding the respect, admiration and honor of men by reason of his inherent force of character. his acquired ability and his success, which was most honorably achieved. He left the impress of his individuality upon the intellectual and moral progress of the community, as well as its financial development, and his life record may well serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement to those to whom fate has denied early advantages, yet who have desire and ambition to pass beyond humble surroundings into the field of large undertakings. Mr. Rickly was born in Butzberg in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, January 2, 1819, a son of John and Anna (Strasser) Rickly. In the land of the Alps, however, the family name was spelled Rikli. Both his paternal and maternal grandfathers were extensively engaged in the grain trade, conducting business along that line during the French revolution. and John Rickly, although a saddler by trade, also followed the grain business. He likewise acted as postmaster of his parish and his son, Samuel S.. when but twelve years of age, began carrying the mail, being often exposed to great hardships because of the long distances which he had to traverse and the stormy weather. He likewise worked with his father at the saddler's trade from the age of twelve or thirteen years and his early youth was thus a period of earnest and unremitting toil. His educational advantages were very limited, being confined to the three CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 205 branches of reading. writing and arithmetic. He was also compelled to memorize the Heidelberg catechism and other church literature. When a youth of fifteen years Mr. Rickly accompanied his parents to the new world, the family home being established at Baltimore, Fairfield county, Ohio, but almost immediately after their arrival the entire family of sixteen became ill and within four weeks nine of their number died, including the five youngest children, the parents and the father's sister and mother. The survivors were : John, John Jacob, Samuel S., Rudolph and Mrs. Conrad Born, Sr. The family being thus broken up, the sons found homes with different families and Samuel Rickly was apprenticed to learn the carpenter's trade. He was not instructed to any great extent, however, in building lines but was compelled to do the hard work of the farm and worked at the carpenter's bench only when his labors were not needed in agricultural lines. Three years passed in this manner. It was known that the father had brought with him from the old country a considerable amount of money, consisting of five-franc pieces put up in rolls of twenty-five each. He never informed his children where he deposited the money. however. and when the surviving children reached their majority each was given a share of what the administrator claimed was their inheritance. For three years Samuel S. Rickly continued to work for the man to whom he was apprenticed but the inhuman treatment which he received led him not only to rebel in spirit but prompted him to leave his employer, and when eighteen years of age he tied his little belongings into a handkerchief and made his way to Newark, Ohio, where his two brothers were then living. He was employed there for a brief period and in 1836 came to Columbus as the only passenger on a canal boat which was carrying a cargo of high wines, while the crew consisted of the chief cook and the driver of the mule which belonged to the craft. Not long afterward Mr. Rickly returned to Lancaster, Fairfield county, Ohio, where he secured release from his enforced apprenticeship and through the succeeding year employed the knowledge he had gained of carpentering in gaining a livelihood. He also worked at cabinet making and was at all times watchful of opportunities that would enable him to make advancement in the business world and in 1838 secured employment in a dry goods store. This continuous contact with the public not only brought him commercial training but also gave him a better knowledge of English than he had previously secured and that he displayed good business ability is shown by the fact that he was left to close up the business when his employer removed his goods to an eastern state in the spring of 1839. Realizing how valuable a possession is education Mr. Rickly embraced the opportunity of spending a few weeks in the spring of 1839 as a student and in the autumn of that year he matriculated in Marshall College at Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, where he pursued a four years' course to his graduation with the class of 1843, on which occasion he delivered the first German oration that had been given in the institution up to that time. He spoke upon the scenery of Switzerland and among his auditors was James Buchanan, of Wheatland, Pennsylvania, afterward president of the United States, who was then in the zenith of his statesmanship and intellectual greatness and who complimented Mr. 206 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS Rickly highly upon his address. Later Mr. Rickly devoted a short time to the study of theology and engaged in teaching in private families in Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia. Failing health in the south caused his removal to Columbus in 1847 and after passing the required examination he established the German-English schools at the corner of Mound and Third streets. The schools found favor with the public, received hearty endorsement and a liberal patronage and Mr. Rickly's demonstration of his ability as an educator led to his selection as principal of the Columbus high school in the spring of 1848. In the spring of 1849 he established an academy at Tarlton, Pickaway county, Ohio, which in the following spring was adopted by the Reformed church as the nucleus of a church institution and named Heidelberg College. In the succeeding autumn it was removed to Tiffin, Ohio, and Mr. Rickly remained at its head until elected superintendent of the Tiffin union schools. He also held the chair of professor of theory and practice of teaching in Heidelberg College and he always maintained the deepest interest in that institution, making to it a liberal gift in money in later years and decorating its chapel, which was named in his honor "Rickly Chapel." The loss of a much loved daughter led Mr. Rickly to remove to Columbus in 1853 and here he continued his educational labors in the opening of a select school in the basement of the First Reformed church. In the following winter, without solicitation on his part, he was chosen journal clerk in the Ohio house of representatives. This led him from educational. lines and constituted the initial step of a most successful business career, for about the same time he became secretary of the Ohio Manufacturing Company,. which was then repairing Sullivant's mill and was erecting a large stone building to be used in the manufacture of hubs and bentwork. Mr. Rickly, as secretary of the company, became an active factor in the control of the business, devoting his time to constructive efforts and administrative direction.. The business of the company rapidly developed and became one of the important productive industries of this part of the state. Flour was manufactured in large quantities and sold in central and northern Ohio. while the manufacture of hub and bentwork met with equal success. Ever a man of resourceful ability and noting opportunities which others passed by heedlessly, Mr. Rickly became a factor in financial circles, joining his brother. John Jacob, in 1857, in organizing a banking business under the firm style of Rickly & Brother. This concern soon gained rank among the leading financial enterprises of the city and remained for many years one of the strongest banks of Columbus. In 1870 Samuel S. Rickly purchased his brother's interest and became sole proprietor, successfully conducting the business until the widespread financial panic in September. 1873, in which he became involved on account of the failure of Jay Cooke & Company. At that time he made an assignment for the benefit, of his creditors, knowing that he had abundant resources to meet all his liabilities if reasonable time was allowed him to convert his assets into money. .A goon as sufficient time had elapsed for advertising notice to creditors. he was released from the assignment and his assignee transferred the assets back to him. In course of time he paid all creditors in full and with an untarnished business record resumed his place in banking circles as organizer in 1875. of the Capital City Bank. which remains today CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 207 as one of the strong and reliable banking houses of central Ohio. Perhaps all days were not equally bright and indeed there were times in which storm clouds gathered, but his rich inheritance of energy and determination enabled him to turn defeats into victory and promised failures into brilliant successes. His strict integrity, business conservatism and judgment were always universally recognized and by reason thereof he enjoyed public confidence to an enviable degree and this naturally brought to him a liberal support in the conduct of his business interests. In 1879, while the state fair was being held, his bank was robbed of twenty thousand dollars in broad daylight and only one thousand dollars was ever recovered. Another tragic event, however, came unexpectedly into his life, July 13. 1880. On that day a man came into his counting room and sought to negotiate a loan. It was clear enough that he was suffering from some form of insanity and Mr. Rickly after listening to him kindly put his request aside and turned to the matters he had been looking over when the man entered. Without the slightest note of warning he drew a pistol and fired at the banker. The aim was at the temple, but the pistol ball was deflected' sufficiently to miss: a aim spot, but destroyed the sight of both eyes, and he was totally blind for the rest of his life. This did not prevent him, however, from continuing as an active factor in Columbus business circles. His judgment was sound, his memory remarkably retentive and his thorough understanding of every business interest with which he was connected enabled him to successfully control his varied interests even after he suffered blindness. All of his business enterprises were of a nature that have contributed in substantial measure to the upbuilding and welfare not only. of Columbus but in many instances the state as well. He was one of the first stockholders of the first street railway built in Columbus and aided in the organization of the East Park Place Street Railway, being chosen treasurer at that time and continuing in the office until the consolidation of that line with other street railways under the name of the Columbus Consolidated Street Railroad. He remained as one of the stockholders of the latter up to the time of his death and a stockholder and treasurer of the Glenwood & Greenlawn Street Railway Company from its organization until his demise. There is perhaps no single agency which does so much for the city's development as its street railway lines, which practically annihilate time and distance, bringing the business man into close contact with his commercial, industrial or professional interests and Mr. Rickly. realizing this fact. was closely associated with urban transportation here. He was also a stockholder and director in three of the turnpike companies of Franklin county and remained in active connection with two of these throughout the remainder of his life. He was also interested in realty companies and joined with a number of other prominent business men in 1870 in purchasing the old lunatic asylum grounds. which were subdivided into city lots, the district being called East Park Place. He was likewise a member of a syndicate which purchased a, large tract of land on the west side, converted it into eight hundred city lots and called it West Park Place, making it one of the valuable property districts of the city. 208 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS A prominent member of the board of trade, Mr. Rickly cooperated with that organization in its many substantial movements for the upbuilding and development of Columbus, advocating the improvement of the streets in the central and business portions and the lighting by electricity. As early as January 6, 1885, he introduced a resolution before the board of trade for the holding of a world's exposition commemorating the fourth centennial of America's discovery in the largest city of the world bearing the name of Columbus. This idea at length took tangible form in the great World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. It was also Mr. Rickly that introduced into the board of trade a resolution that a suitable lot should be purchased and on it should be erected a building which could be used by the board of trade and would also contain accommodations for large conventions and other gatherings and this was eventually done. For a number of years prior to the injury which he sustained in the bank he served as president of the board of trade. Not only in lines which proved beneficial to his own business interests as well as to the public was he active, for in many other ways as well he- promoted the city's advancement. He served as a member of the school board and as a member of the city board of equalization and was a trustee of the public library. and by appointment of the governor or the mayor he served a: a delegate to six national commercial conventions held respectively in Louisville. Baltimore. St. Louis. Indianapolis. Chicago and New Orleans. His breadth of view not, only saw possibilities for his own advancement but for the city's development as well. anal his lofty patriotism prompted him to utilize the latter as quickly and as effectively as he did the former. Mr. Rickly was married in 1845 and his .son. Ralph Reamer Rickly. has been his successor in business. He was born in Tarlton. Pickaway county. Ohio, on the 20th of January. 1851, but was reared in this city and after completing his course in the high school with the class of 1868 he entered Yale College, being now numbered among its alumni of 1872. Throughout his entire business career he has been connected with banking and is now at, the head of the Capital City Bank. He has also been closely associated with city realty interests and is also president of the Bank of Corning. at Corning. Perry county. Ohio. ROBERT NEIL. Standing at the vantage point of the present and looking back over the past history of Columbus. it is easy to determine who have been the founder, and promoters of her upbuilding and her greatness. There are certain names that stand out before all others from the fact that the men who bore them performed .services of signal benefit in the upbuilding and promotion of the city, their labors constituting a. force not only for that age but for all time. Among this number was Robert Neil who, as Columbus was just emerging from villagehood, established his home here and along practical lines laid the foundations upon which the later day progress and prosperity has been built. PAGE 209 - PICTURE OF ROBERT NEIL PAGE 210 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 211 While the Neil family is of Scotch origin, since the founding of the family in this country it.. members have been truly American in allegiance, support and interest, and through successive generations various representatives of the name have rendered able service to state and nation as statesmen, soldiers and good citizens during the past century. The ancestry is traced back to the clan MacNeil, famed in Scotch annals as far back as the fifteenth century not only in peace but also because of activity in war and border forays. Two of the more notable members of the clan in comparatively modern times were Hector MacNeil, of Glasgow, and Sir John MacNeil, G. C. B., D. C. L.. of Colonsa, Scotland, both of whom flourished in the eighteenth century the former a scholar and author the latter a noted chevalier and diplomat of his day, and both distinguished for their strong and aggressive views on public policies and public affairs and of stern religious convictions. The founder of the family in America was Allen Neil, or perhaps more in accordance with Scotch orthography, Allan Neil. He was born in Glasgow. Scotland. in 1765, being almost contemporaneous with Hector and Sir John MacNeil, members of other branches of the clan. His immediate progenitor was evidently of a, progressive character and as he reared his family he put aside the prefix "Mac," disposed with the heraldic devices, laid aside the hatchments of his clan and became a plain Scotchman, rearing his family accordingly. Perhaps some of the descendants of Allan Neil, the older man, may still be found in Glasgow but none can present better claim to the honors and heraldic device of the early ancestor than can the descend Ants of the younger Allen Neil. In the year 1786 the younger Allen Neil emigrated to America, putting aside all of the ancestral titles and insignia of the clan, and founded a new house of the blood in a new land with splendid natural resources and opportunities open before him. Landing on the western seacoast he made his way acres., the .Allegheny range into Clark county. Kentucky, and there near the village of Winchester, Allen and Nancy Neil lived on a farm and reared a large family. fitting them by precept and example for useful lives. It was there that Robert Neil, the second son of the family was born in 1796 and grew up strong and sturdy in body and mind. About 1815, after receiving news from his elder brother, William Neil, concerning the beautiful urban district of Ohio, he went with hire to the now thriving capital of Champaign county. where he secured a clerkship in the store of a Mr. Gwynne, a name long familiar and favorably known in Columbus. The death of his father necessitated the return of Robert Neil to Kentucky to take charge of the farm held in common by the surviving children of the family and for the benefit of their widowed mother. Robert Neil. however, had no purpose of remaining in Kentucky after his visit and pleasant experience in Ohio. He discharged his filial duty, purchased the interest of the other heirs in the ancestral farm and made the most ample and minute provisions for the care and comfort of his mother. The negro slaves went with the farm by law as well as custom and therefore became the property of Robert Neil. But inasmuch a he would not concede that any human being should own him, he refused to accept the ownership of the negroes further than to acquire the right 212 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS to manumit them, which he did. One of these former slaves, Ambrose, returned with Robert Neil to Ohio and was continuously in his employ during the remainder of his life, and when his death occurred his remains were buried on the family lot in Green Lawn cemetery, and when his wife later followed him she too was laid to rest beside her husband and a plain white shaft, suitably inscribed, was erected by Robert Neil as a, testimonial of his appreciation of their faithfulness and friendship. In 1825 Mr. Neil returned from Kentucky to Ohio and again made his way to Urbana, expecting to engage in business there, but Ohio was undergoing a progressive change and he readily perceived that it would be wisdom on his part to locate in Columbus, which he did, associating himself with his brother, William Neil, in the stage business which at that period was relatively as important as the railway passenger business has since become. He found the undertaking profitable and continued therein for some time. As the years passed he became connected with other business enterprises. His sagacity, diligence and progressive methods enabled him, during more than a half century of active life, to accumulate a large amount of property in Franklin and adjoining counties. Connected with the stage business in early years, he was later associated with railroad interests, acting for a long period as president of the Columbus & Xenia Railroad. He was likewise connected with the old City Bank, while his capital and valuable advice were important factors in the successful control of nearly all of the industrial enterprises of his time which built up the city. On the 10th of March, 1831, at the age of thirty-five year. Mr. Neil was united in marriage to Miss Mary Mitchell Hoge the cultured and accomplished daughter of Rev. James Hoge D. D., the most eminent Presbyterian divine west of the Alleghenies and the founder of the first Presbyterian church in Columbus, of which he remained the pastor for more than a, half century. Extended mention of him and his work is made in connection with the historical section of this volume. Mr. Neil purchased from Dr. Hoge in the northeastern part of the city a large tract of land, then known as the Lyne Starling farm, and included fine government reservations formerly designated as the Columbus garrison. Upon this farm Mr. and Mrs. Neil lived for many years and there reared their family numbering six sons and a daughter, namely: James H., Robert S., William A., Moses H.. John B., Charles H. and Ann Eliza, who became the wife of Judge F. C. Dickman of Cleveland, now deceased. Mr. Neil was one of the strong pillars of the Presbyterian church in Columbus and was one of the most valuable contributors to its literature and permanent records. He was a man of the highest and most rigid integrity. thus manifesting the characteristics of his Scotch ancestry, and although ever just was none the less generous and gave freely of his means where aid was needed in benevolent and charitable lines or in support of religious or municipal interests. He held many positions of honor, trust and responsibility but was in no sense a seeker for public office. Urged by his friends, however, he finally consented to become a candidate for the legislature and, being in due time elected, served through the term of 1837-8. His ideas concerning legisla- CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 213 tion were eminently practical, beneficial and progressive and his constituents endeavored to induce him to continue in the general assembly, but he resolutely declined to enter upon a political career. He passed from the scene of his active labors and honorable achievement on the 2d of March, 1883, at the patriarchal age of four score and seven, carrying with him the respect of all who knew him personally or by reputation. During the long years of big residence here he had seen the city develop from farming land and forest into a great center of trade and traffic, becoming a beautiful capital of a splendid state, of which he was one of the pioneer founders. BARTON GRIFFITH. Barton Griffith, whose name is on the roster of leading and successful attorneys of the Columbus bar, was born near Amanda, Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1862, a representative of one of the oldest families in that county, his grandfather having settled there when the white men had scarcely ventured into the regions within its borders. It was in the year 1800 when the great-grandfather of our subject arrived from Pennsylvania and took up his abode in Clear Creek township, Fairfield county. Ohio was yet under territorial government, its population being insufficient to secure its admission to the newly organized Union. His father, John L. Griffith, was also a native of the same locality and became a stock grower and dealer, well known as one of the heaviest stock dealers in Pickaway and Fairfield counties, his shipments exceeding those of any other individual in the business. He was an excellent judge of stock and was therefore enabled to make his purchases judiciously and to sell at good advantage. He was accidentally killed on one of his business trips near Steubenville, Ohio, 1872. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Samantha Custer, belonged to one branch of the Custer family that has furnished several prominent representatives to the nation. Her people came from Pennsylvania to Ohio and established their home amid pioneer surroundings in Bloom township, Fairfield county. It was in that county that Mrs. Griffith was born, and her death occurred in 1869. Barton Griffith was reared on the old homestead farm but after his father's death he was taken to a farm near Lancaster, Fairfield county, living with an uncle, with whom he remained until he reached the age of eighteen years. He was educated in the district schools, after which he engaged in teaching school for two years, or until twenty years of age. Desiring, however, to extend his own knowledge, he matriculated in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, where he pursued his studies for four years. With broad literary knowledge to serve as the foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of professional learning, he began preparation for the bar, reading law in the office of General J. S. Jones, at Delaware, Ohio. In 1887 he was admitted to the bar and the following year came to Columbus. He has been attorney for the Columbus Savings & Trust Company for nine- 214 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS teen years, and is also one of its directors. While he is engaged in general civil practice he makes a specialty of corporation law and has intimate knowledge of the laws which govern corporations and which have been developed as a result of the complexities that have arisen in connection with trade interests today. In the power to master voluminous evidence and to illuminate the immaterial matter of a legal proceeding, he displays great ability and in all of his legal work has shown clearness of thought and accurate knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence. In addition to his law practice he is also the examiner of titles, being considered an expert in that line. He ;s likewise a director of the Carding Coal Company, the National Fuel Company, the Pomeroy & Western Coal Company, and the Screen Weather Strip Company. These various business enterprises have profited by his sound judgment and he has in turn benefited by the success which has attended their conduct. On the 23d of February, 1892, Mr. Griffith was married to Miss Sophia M. Fox of Columbus, and their children are: Barton, Jr., born in 1894. now a pupil of the high school ; Ruth ; Paul, born in 1903; and Mary. Mr. Griffith gives inflexible support to the republican party and is interested in all those questions which are to a statesman and man of affairs of deep import. He belongs to the Franklin County Bar Association and Franklin County Law Library Association and in professional circles he enjoys warm regard for his fellow members of the bar recognize in him an able lawyer loyal always to a high standard of professional ethics. He is a member of the Ohio Club, the Delta Chi, a legal fraternity, and the Knights of Pythias in which he has served as trustee for fifteen years, and to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He also belongs to the Northminster Presbyterian church and for the past ten years has been one of its trustees and its treasurer. He is fond of horses and driving is to him his chief source of recreation and pleasure. He has moral courage fit for any emergency, is a stalwart supporter of his honest convictions, and on no occasion of importance is his position ever an equivocal one. He is public-spirited in a large degree and thoroughly interested in whatever tends to promote the moral, intellectual and material welfare of the capital city. MATHEW A. McGRATH. Mathew A. McGrath, conducting an extensive and growing brokerage business, with offices in the Columbus Savings & Trust building of this city, was born in London, Ohio, on the 20th of April, 1868. His father, Daniel McGrath, who is a native of Ireland, came to Ohio in 1858. He was variously employed for many years but is now living retired in the enjoyment of well earned ease. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Julia Meagher, was called to her final rest in 1906. Mathew A. McGrath obtained his education in the public schools of his native town and when fifteen years of age came to Columbus, entering a broker's CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 215 office in order that he might familiarize himself with that line of activity and also with telegraphy. In fact he had begun studying the latter when a lad of thirteen. In 1895 he went into business on his own account in Columbus but the following year removed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he remained for two years. In 1898 he entered the employ of Claude Meeker, with whom he remained for several years and in 1905 once more launched out in business life for himself as a broker. He has a handsome suite of rooms on the second floor of the Columbus Savings & Trust building and as a dealer in New York stocks and bonds has gained a distinctively representative and growing clientele. In 1907 Mr. McGrath was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Eva Harding, of this city, by whom he has one son, William Henry, born July 17, 1908. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Columbus and during the long period of his residence in this community the principles that have actuated his life have been such as to win for him the highest esteem and good will of his fellow townsmen. WALTER E. HYDE. The invariable law of destiny accords success to tireless and intelligently directed energy a statement that finds verification in the record of Walter E. Hyde, now president and manager of the Buttles Avenue Lumber Company. He was born in Galena, Delaware county, Ohio September 2, 1868. The family is of English origin, being directly descended from Lord Clarendon and John Hyde, chancellor of exchequer of England. His father, Solon Hyde, was a native of this state and conducted a grocery store. At the time of the Civil war, however, he put aside all personal considerations and joined the army in defense of the Union, enlisting in 1861 in the Seventeenth Ohio Regiment.. He did service as hospital steward and after being captured at Chickamauga was placed in the Confederate prison at Pemberton and later for a time was in Danville and at Andersonville. the period of his incarceration covering eighteen months. He married Czarina Huntington Hyde, a direct descendant of the same family as her husband. She was born in Jordanville, New York, a daughter of Urban Hyde, who was a dry-goods merchant of that place. During his early boyhood Walter E. Hyde lived with his parents in Cameron, Missouri, where his father was engaged in the lumber business and there attended the public schools, while the removal of the family to Columbus enabled him to continue his education in the Columbus high school. When his course was finished he began clerking in a grocery store and was thus employed for about eight years, after which he entered into active connections with the lumber trade, serving as yard foreman for a lumber firm for eight years. He was also traveling salesman for a lumber company and has now been connected with the Buttles Avenue Lumber Company for four years, acting as president and manager thereof since its incorporation in 1905. The business has enjoyed a substantial and healthy growth from the beginning, and a liberal patronage is now accorded the company. 216 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS On the 25th of September, 1890, Mr. Hyde was united in marriage to Miss Maud May Cook, who was born in Galena, in which village her father, E. W. C. Cook, was a carriage painter. By this union there was one son, Harold, who died in his tenth year. Mr. Hyde is a member of York Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and Columbus Council No. 1, United Commercial Travelers of America, nor is he unmindful of the higher, holier duties of life. He belongs to the Indianola Methodist church, in which he is now serving as steward and secretary of the board. In all life's relations he has been straightforward and honorable, justly valuing his own self-respect and the good will of his fellowmen as infinitely more preferable than wealth, fame or position. SHERMAN LEACH, M. D. Dr. Sherman Leach. member of the surgical staff of the Protestant hospital, surgeon of Mercy Hospital and to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, enjoys as well an extensive private practice, giving his attention entirely at the present time to surgical work. It is impossible to consider one's education complete in this calling for each year chronicles extensive additions to medical literature and the successful physician must ever remain a student of his profession. Recognizing this fact Dr. Leach has read broadly and has assimilated those sterling principles of medical and surgical practice which have constituted the most helpful elements in the work of those who become active in the practice of medicine and surgery. He has been a resident of Columbus since 1896, previous to which time he had passed his days in his native city of Mount Sterling, Madison county, Ohio. He was born May 30, 1864, a representative of a prominent and highly respected family of that locality. His father, William T. Leach, was born in the state of Vermont and in his youthful days came to Ohio whence he afterward removed to Illinois where he lived for many years. He became an extensive contractor, largely devoting his life to that field of business. His death occurred in Columbus in 1906, when he had reached the age of seventy-six years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Anna Bostwick, was also a native of Vermont. In his boyhood Sherman Leach was a pupil in the public schools of Mount Sterling and afterward pursued the regular course in the Starling Medical College of Columbus, being graduated with the class of 1887. Opening an office in his native city he there remained in successful practice for about nine years but recognizing the state capital as a more inviting field he came to this city in 1896 and his success has attested the wisdom of his removal. During the past eight years he has given his attention almost exclusively to the practice of surgery and his eminent ability has gained him prominent recognition in the state. He displays great care and precision in surgical work and combines delicacy of touch with comprehensive scientific knowledge. Few men have lost a smaller percent of surgical patients and the cases which come to him are often of a most important and complex PAGE 217 - PICTURE OF DR. SHERMAN LEACH PAGE 218 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 219 character. Even before his removal to this city he was identified with the Ohio Medical College and the Protestant Hospital as lecturer and professor of surgery and he is still serving on the surgical staff of the hospital, is a. surgeon to Mercy Hospital and to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. In 1889 was celebrated the marriage of Dr. Leach and Miss M. Hornbeck who died in 1895, leaving a daughter, Jane M. Leach. Widely known in Masonic circles as a worthy exemplar of the craft, his membership is with Mount Sterling Lodge, A. F. & A. M.; Garfield Commandery, K. T., of Washington Courthouse, Ohio ; Columbus Consistory, S. P. R. S., and Aladdin Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. In professional relations he is a representative of the Columbus Academy of Medicine and of the State and American Medical Associations, while in all of these connections he is popular and prominent. He is withal an agreeable and entertaining man, keeping fully abreast with the times in literary as well as professional thought and action and always well informed on all questions of interest. GILBERT H. BARGAR. Gilbert H. Bargar, well known for many years as a successful attorney at law of the Ohio bar, was also accorded prominence in political circles and in his professional, political and private relations enjoyed the warm esteem of those who knew him. Born in Buffalo, New York, on the 25th of March, 1840. Gilbert H. Bargar was a son of Dr. Valentine Bargar, a. native of Darien, New York, who in 1841 removed to Coshocton county, Ohio, and there engaged in the practice of his profession until 1842. In that year he returned from St. Louis on the steamer West Wind, which was attempting to break the record between St. Louis and Cincinnati, and an explosion occurring near Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Bargar was among those who were drowned. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Alice Lee, was a representative of an old Connecticut family, founded in that state in 1641, and survived her husband but a few years. Being thus early left an orphan, Gilbert H. Bargar lived alternately with two uncles, one of whom was a physician and the other a lawyer. Before completing his public-school course, he left home and learned the printing trade, afterward being sent to the Bedford Academy, where he completed his general education, subsequently entering the law office of his uncle, Benjamin F. Lee, of Coshocton, Ohio. Later he was sent to the Cleveland Law School where he won the Bachelor of Laws degree on his graduation, June 28, 1861. He had just completed his law course when he assisted in recruiting Company G of the One Hundred and Twenty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was commissioned lieutenant, while later he was promoted to the captaincy of the company and served in the Sixth Corps of the Army of the Potomac until ill health forced him to resign in August, 1864. The previous year Captain Bargar had obtained leave of absence for a few weeks and returned to Ohio, where he was married to Miss Sophia J. Lakin, of Newcastle, Coshocton county. After being mustered out of the military serv- 220 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS ice he acted for two terms as clerk of the courts of Coshocton county and then entered the practice of law, continuing in the profession until his death. His ability as a lawyer carried him into important relations with the work of the courts. His devotion to his clients' interests was proverbial and he always gave to those he represented in a professional capacity the benefit of unwearied service and superior ability. In his earlier years he was somewhat active in political work and elected to represent Coshocton county in the Ohio legislature, having also been chairman of the democratic state executive committee for several years in the early '80s, managing the Cleveland and other campaigns in Ohio. In June, 1880, he was appointed United States agent for paying pensions in Ohio, serving for nearly five years in that office, during which time he disbursed over forty million dollars for the government, and while acting in that capacity he removed to Columbus about 1886 and afterward made this city his home. During his long career at the bar he was engaged in much important litigation and, when the federal plan for city administration was adopted, became the first director of law here, serving two terms in that capacity. Captain Bargar became widely known in the capital and was uniformly recognized as one of the best public speakers of his time. On the 7th of March, 1863, Captain Bargar was married to Miss Sophia J. Lakin and unto them were born seven children : Mrs. Frances A. Sells, who resides at No. 545 East Town street, Columbus; Byron L., a prominent member of the Columbus bar; Gilbert M., a. practicing physician of this city; William A., a, capitalist here; Francis A.. assistant librarian at the Carnegie Library; Fred C., acting treasurer of the Riley Shoe Company: and Lucia Lee, a student of art in the Ohio State University. The death of the husband and father occurred August 2, 1904, at his summer residence near Indian River, Michigan. He possessed a genial disposition and ready sympathy which created and maintained for him a wide circle of friends. He was well known in the Masonic fraternity, having held offices in the Scottish Rite, the Shrine and other Masonic bodies. He was always a wide student and great reader and frequently contributed to various publications. He always took an interest in the educational work in the profession and was for some time an instructor in jurisprudence in the Ohio University, and an occasional lecturer. The variety of his interests, his activity and loyalty in support of every cause he championed brought him a wide acquaintance, while the sterling qualities of his manhood gained him the unfaltering friendship of those with whom he was brought into contact. WILLIAM GREEN DESHLER. To have merited and enjoyed through life the respect and honor of one's fellowmen, to have attained to the venerable age of eighty-two years with name untarnished and record undimmed, is in itself the attainment of enviable success. Aside from this William Green Deshler has gained the substantial rewards of long and well directed activity in business and, at the CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 221 same time, his labors have constituted a far reaching element in the development of the financial interests, of Columbus. From the age of seventeen years, or since 1834, he has been a representative of banking in the capital city and there is today no banking enterprise of Columbus which has not been directly benefited by his aid, counsel or encouragement. His record has kept pace with the growth of the city in which he started on life's journey in the month of May, 1827, in the days of its villagehood. His parents were David W. and Betsey (Green) Deshler, the former the principal owner of the Clinton Bank, one of the earliest financial institutions in central Ohio. The son acquired his early education in the public and private schools of Columbus and then made an unostentatious entrance into the business world at the age of seventeen years as an employe of the Clinton Bank, and throughout the years which have since been added to the cycle of the centuries he has continued in active connection with the banking interests of the city, remaining in the original institution as the years have wrought its development in the process of modern business methods until today the Deshler National Bank is recognized as one of the strongest financial institutions of this part of the country. In the intervening years William Green Deshler thoroughly mastered the banking business and he was advanced from one position to another in recognition of the capability with which he accomplished the tasks assigned him. During his business career in the past forty years in the various transactions of his financial institutions and connections he has controlled the disbursements and interchange of hundreds of millions and all through this period his name has stood as a synonym for the highest principles which constitute the working basis of financial institutions, and his methods comprise a standard to which every banking enterprise must measure up if they would receive similar endorsement and support in Columbus. Nearly all the banks of the city which have been revived or organized since the great financial panic of 1857 have been directly or indirectly encouraged and assisted by Mr. Deshler and his financial connections, his labors being at all times actuated by the broad spirit of making for the wider expansion of the city's financial prestige by enabling others to grasp and hold the opportunity presented. His beneficences are many but his charities are always most unostentatiously given. In 1889 he gave one hundred thousand dollars in trust to the Columbus Female Benevolent Society for the establishment of the Betsey Green Deshler fund, this serving the dual purpose of honoring the memory of his mother and also aiding those whom an untoward fate had thrown upon the bounty of the world. A year later on the death of his daughter. Mrs. Judge C. O. Hunter, he created a similar trust to be known as the hate Deshler Hunter fund in the sum of thirty-three thousand dollars, giving a thousand dollars for each year of her life. When the only child of Mrs. Hunter passed away his interest in the weak and unfortunate children manifested itself in a memorial fund of seventeen thousand dollars to found a home for crippled children. Mr. Deshler very seldom, if ever, speaks of his beneficences and the stories of his private charities would never be learned if left to him to tell. It has been said that a kindly being flies on the wings of 222 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS love, carrying it message of hope and good cheer, and it is thus that Mr. Deshler's service to mankind has become known. His connection with business interests has been continuously that of a banker and the conduct of his business affairs constitute` an important chapter in the financial and commercial history of the city with whose interests he has been so closely associated for nearly seventy years. JOHN L. TRAUGER. There are many notable examples which stand in refutation of the statement that American business men are engrossed in money making to the exclusion of all other interests. for while John L. Trauger is a prosperous representative of industrial life in Columbus as president and manager of the J. L. Trauger Printing Company, he has never been neglectful of his duties of citizenship and to his fellowmen, his labors having proved effective forces in promoting the intellectual and moral development of the city. Born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. September 5, 1847, his birthplace was at Trauger Station, named in honor of his father, George Trauger, who was a miller and farmer and operated a large flour mill there. He died at the old home five years ago, when eighty-six years of age. The family was of German descent and was founded in America by the grandfather of George Trauger. who came from Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, prior to the Revolutionary war. Mrs. Anna Rumbaugh Trauger, mother of our subject, was also of German lineage and belonged to a family of farming people noted for longevity. John L. Trauger pursued his education in the country schools of Westmoreland county and in Sewickley Academy, a noted institution of that day, which was located on his father's farm. When sixteen years of age he began teaching in the country schools and followed the profession for four years. At the age of twenty he came to Columbus and in March. 1868, entered the freshman class of the Capital University, where he was graduated in 1871 with the Bachelor of Arts degree. He taught for one winter in the Pennsylvania public schools and the following summer in Sewickley Academy, after which he returned to Columbus and entered the theological seminary, from which he was graduated in 1874 on the completion of a. two years' course. He was then ordained to the Lutheran ministry and took up the active work of the church at Petersburg, Ohio, where he engaged in preaching until April, 1880. At that time he accepted the management of the Lutheran Book Concern, just established here and remained in that position for nineteen years or until he resigned to accept a position with the Westbote Publishing Company, of which he afterward became manager. He filled that position until the consolidation of the Westbote and the Express publishing companies in 1902, when he organized the J. L. Trauger Printing Company at 32 and 34 East Rich street. To the development of the business he has since given his entire attention and now conducts an extensive and profitable book and job printing establishment, and for eight years he has had the state commercial printing. He has also been connected CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 223 with various commercial enterprises and is now a director of the Franklin Loan & Savings Company. On the 20th of September, 1877, in Youngstown, Ohio, Mr. Trauger was married to Miss Mary E. Smith, a daughter of John W. and Catherine Smith of that place. They are now parents of three daughters : Clara S., the wife of Ned L. Youmans, of Stevenson. Washington: Bertha E., at home, and Anna L., the wife of Harry Brecht, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. All have been teachers. The family reside at No. 32 East Schiller street, where Mr. Trauger owns a fine home. He has always been a lover of music and was for seven years an active member in an orchestra and band when a young man. In the past he engaged to some extent in literary work, has done considerable German translating and has written several pamphlets on religious subjects. He has been a vestryman of the Grace Lutheran church almost continuously since its organization, has been an active worker in the church and has contributed generously to its support. Socially he is connected with the Olentangy Club and he was one of the original member: of the Columbus Board of Trade, taking an active and helpful interest in the many movements instituted by the board for the development of the industrial and commercial interests of the city. In politics he is a democrat and for many ears after moving to Columbus was active as a party worker here. He served v' chairman of the county executive committee for many years and was a delegate to many county, state and congressional conventions. In 1884 he was elected to the city council and by reelection was continued in the office for eight years, exercising his official prerogatives in support of many measures of reform and improvement. In 1894 he was elected city school examiner and has filled that position continuously since or for a period of fifteen years. Four years ago he was elected a member of the board of education from the first ward and in 1908 was elected president of the board, this office expiring in 1909. He has always taken great interest in industrial education and is very active in the work of establishing trade schools for boys. He might well be termed a practical idealist, for while he is ever striving toward ideal conditions. he uses the means at hand to accomplish them and his labors have been attended with effective and valuable results. ROBERT C. KYLE. Robert C. Kyle, well known in business circles of Columbus as a consulting engineer, in which connection he was senior partner in the firm of Kyle & Dugan, which partnership was dissolved in 1908, is extending his efforts to other fields of activity and is president of the National Real Estate Mortgage Company. A native of Pennsylvania, he was born in Mifflin county on the 9th of January, 1863, a son of Charles and Ann (Campbell) Kyle, who were likewise natives of the same county. The paternal grandfather, Samuel Kyle. represented Mifflin county in the state senate, and was one of the prominent, influential and honored residents of that community. The 224 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY. OF COLUMBUS maternal grandfather, Robert Campbell, followed the occupation of farming. He belonged to one of the pioneer families of Mifflin county, the old homestead there having been in possession of the family since 1732. Charles Kyle devoted his energies to general agricultural pursuits in support of his family, save for the period of the Civil war, when he fought for the Union cause. At the usual age Robert C. Kyle became a pupil of the public schools of Pennsylvania, attending both in Mifflin and Clinton counties, and when he ceased to be a student, he remained in the schoolroom as a teacher. being given charge of a school when but fifteen years of age. After devoting a year to that profession, he secured a clerkship in a store and later went upon the road as traveling salesman for the same house. Attracted by the opportunities of the middle west, he went to Iowa when twenty-one years of age. and there engaged as a salesman of live stock. Since 1885 be has been a resident of Columbus, and here became manager for the International Fence & Fire Proof Company. As opportunity has offered he has extended his efforts into other fields of activity and is president of the National Real Estate Mortgage Company. His attention, however, is given chiefly to civil engineering a a member of the firm of Kyle & Dugan, and the largest piece of work which they have executed was the erection of the building of the Gwinn Milling Company. They have recently erected the Wheeler building and other important contracts have been awarded them. In April, 1889, Mr. Kyle was married to Miss Lizzie C. Campbell. who was born in Madison, Wisconsin, where her father, Samuel Campbell located at an early day. He was also a pioneer settler of western Iowa, and in support of his family followed the occupation of farming. Mr. and Mrs. Kyle have become the parents of three children. Margaret H., Kennith and Donald. Mr. Kyle belongs to the Masonic fraternity, to the Ohio Club, and to the Northwestern Presbyterian church-associations which indicate much of the character of his interests, his recreation and his principles. He has been an aggressive business man, alert and enterprising, carefully utilizing every opportunity that has come to him, and as the years have gone by. he has made a 'creditable record in business circles, not only by reason of what he has accomplished, but also through the straightforward methods he hay ever followed. WILLIAM O. TAYLOR. William O. Taylor, working in a. flouring mill at eleven years of age, is now vice president and general manager of the. Casparis Stone Company, his notable fidelity and energy having carried him frona a humble and inconsequential position in the business world to one of large responsibility and broad connections. His life record is that of a self-made man and contains lessons that might be profitably followed by those who seek success and prominence along the legitimate lines of trade and commerce. His birth occurred in Monroe county, Ohio. near Woodsfield, July 29, 1861. His father, G. M. Taylor. was a native of Virginia and a miller by PAGE 225 - PICTURE OF W. O. TAYLOR PAGE 226 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 227 trade. He married Melinda Pilcher, also a native of the Old Dominion, who died in 1867 while the father survived until 1876. Left an orphan at the age of fifteen years William O. Taylor was then thrown upon his own resources. He was only six years of age at the time of his mother's death, at which period the family were living in Cairo, Illinois, and there he attended school. also spending one year as a pupil in the schools of Greenfield, Ohio. After his father's death he sought and obtained employment in a flour mill, where he was employed between the ages of eleven and fifteen year:. He was very young to bear the burdens and responsibilities of life but it is often proven that it is under the pressure of adversity and the stimulus of opposistion that the best and strongest in men is brought out and developed. Mr. Taylor early learned the lessons of life and became a self-reliant and capable young man. At the age of fifteen years he went to Cincinnati and was later employed by the Hocking Valley Railroad Company in the construction department as a laborer. His worth and fidelity won him successive promotions until he became foreman. In 1880 he became foreman of the construction gang of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad Company and the following year was made superintendent of construction, having supervision of the contractors for this work when not yet twenty years of age. In 1882 he became assistant superintendent of bridges of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad Company and the following year went south, having charge of construction work on the New Orleans & North Eastern Railroad until 1884. His ability secured him various position of control and importance and gradually he was advancing in the industrial world, his labors bringing to him increased success. Returning to Ohio he entered the employ of the Smith Bridge Company, being foreman of construction with headquarters at Toledo. He was next engaged as bridge builder with the Kentucky Central and then went to Norwalk, Ohio, where he constructed several bridges and also built the complete waterworks system at. Milan, Erie county, Ohio. He also spent one year in South Carolina in construction work. Establishing his home in Columbus in 1,"8 he here turned his attention to the stone business as junior partner of the firm of Phelps & Taylor, owners of stone quarries, until 1889. Several changes in partnership occurred ere business was reorganized under the name of the Columbus Stone Company. After selling out his interests with this company he became connected with the Casparis Stone Company as vice president and general manager. They are owners of excellent quarries in several sand tone which they ship extensively. The business is now a very large concern of the city and its success is attributable in considerable measure to the unflagging efforts and business discernment of Mr. Taylor. His rich inheritance of energy and pluck, has enabled him to turn defects into victory and promised failures into brilliant successes. He has been able to see silvery linings between the clouds and to overcome obstacles which to others might have been insurmountable. Isis investments are now extensive and in addition to his connection with the Casparis Stone Company he is the president 228 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS of the Columbus Macadam Company, the Casparis Marble Company and several other important concerns. In 1885 Mr. Taylor was married to Miss Mary L. Foster, of Norwalk. Ohio, and they have an only daughter, Mabel. Mr. Taylor is a member of the Ohio Club and the Columbus Country Club. He belongs also to the Buckeye Club of New York. In Masonry he has attained the thirty-second degree and is also a member of Aladdin Temple of the Mystic Shrine. while his membership relations extend to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Perseverance and hard work have constituted the foundation of his success and he enjoys the well earned distinction of being what the public calls a self-made man. He wears his hovers with becoming modesty but those who know aught of his career entertain for him both admiration and respect. He is thoroughly alive not only to any business situation but to conditions affecting the public welfare and his influence is felt as a strong steady-moving force in the social, moral and industrial movements of the community. WILLIAM PARKER LITTLE. William Parker Little, cashier of the Hayden-Clinton National Bank. has in his business career made that progress which results from the utilization of opportunity and the employment of continually expanding powers. He was born in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, .June 5, 1850, a son of Robert and Cynthia Dow (Scarritt) Little, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of New England. His great-grandfather, Robert Parker. was a soldier of the Revolutionary war and achieved prominence in that epoch of our country's history. Thus it is that William Parker Little has been admitted to membership in the Sons of American Revolution. His grandfather, P. W. Little, was a successful physician in his native town of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and Robert P. Little followed in his professional foot steps becoming an able member of the medical fraternity in the Keystone state. His ability gained him prosperity and prominence and he continued in active practice in Pennsylvania until 1852, when he came to Columbus. Ill health, however, prevented him from again taking up the arduous duties of hiss profession and he therefore established a drug store, which he conducted until his death in 1855. William Parker Little was brought to Columbus when only two years of age, but his father died in 1855 and he and his mother afterward returned east, making his home in New Jersey until in 1862, when he again became a resident. of Columbus. He attended the city schools until he completed the high-school course, after which he entered Heidelberg College at Tiffin, Ohio. He made his initial step into the business world as messenger in the Bartlitt & Smith Bank and has since been continually connected with the banking business and few are considered better authority on banking questions. He stands as one of the most prominent representatives of financial interests in Columbus, his position due to his close application, his unfaltering enter- CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 229 prise and his wise use of his native powers and talents. After a short time with the Bartlitt & Smith Bank he became bookkeeper for the banking firm of Hayden, Hutcheson & Company and has remained with that institution through all of its changes down to the present time. Since 1892 he has been the cashier of the Hayden-Clinton National Bank and his labors have contributed in substantial measure to the success of the institution. To the solution of intricate business problems he brings keen discrimination and an analytical ability that permits him to understand the various elements that enter into their composition. He therefore rejects the non-essential and retains the essential, so shaping the varied interests as to bring them into a unified whole. On the 22d of October, 1889, Mr. Little was married to Fanny Platt Bates, a daughter of Judge James L. Bates, a well known and prominent representative of the legal fraternity of Columbus. This marriage has been blessed with five children: Helen Kelley, Evelyn Dow, Robert Parker, Mary Bates and Alene Seymour. While his business duties have made a large claim upon his time and attention Mr. Little has always found opportunity to support progressive public measures tending to advance the interests of the city. His religious faith is indicated by his attendance at the Presbyterian church and something of the nature of his recreation is shown in his membership in the Ohio and Columbus Gun Clubs. His business career has been characteristic of the innate powers which are his and the directing of his efforts along the lines where mature judgment has led the way. THOMAS J. ABERNETHY. Columbus with her pulsing industrial activities and complex business interests is continually drawing to her from other sections of the state men of worth whose force in particular lines is manifest in the impetus which her various professional and commercial concerns receive therefrom. Coming from one of the neighboring county seats, Thomas J. Abernethy, now recognized as a strong member of the Franklin county bar, represents one of the old well known families of Pickaway county which has furnished both the bar and the bench of the capital city with worthy incumbents. His birth occurred March 277, 1866, his parents being Robert and Hester J. (Bolin) Abernethy. The father, a man of liberal education, took great interest in public affairs, and in the religious development of his locality, as well as in agriculture which he made his life work. He was a native of Virginia and a son of James M. Abernethy, one of the early pioneers of Pickaway county, and was recognized as a man of much force of character and occupied a position of leadership in public affairs. No man of his day took greater interest in the work of general improvement or produced more practical results in that connection. Local advancement and national progress were causes dear to his heart and he was interested as well in the social 230 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS conditions which work for the betterment of mankind. Broad in his religious views, his house was always open to minister; of the gospel without regard to creed or denomination. Travelers of his day through the new country never failed to call on him and consult him as to good points of location, and his advice was freely given for the joint benefit of hint who sought it and for the interests of the community at large in it upbuilding. From such a parent stock came Thomas J. Abernethy, who largely follows the same lines and never looks at life from a narrow standpoint but has directed his efforts in every relation to the general welfare as well as individual needs. In the common schools he prepared himself for the profession of teaching and used that calling wherewith to secure the means that would enable him to pursue a, higher educational course. When this was made possible he attended the National Normal University at Lebanon, and also studied for a time in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware. e then resumed teaching and also took up the study of law under the direction of the law firm of Page, Abernethy & Folsom at Circleville, Ohio, there continuing his reading until he was regularly admitted to the bar in 1890, since which time he has continually and successfully engaged in practice. For some years Mr. Abernethy followed his profession in Pickaway county and then in January, 1900, concluding to enter a broader field. came to Columbus where he has built up a good practice. The fact that there could be no permanent success in life without the cardinal virtues of honesty, sobriety and fair dealing was inculcated in his mind in his boyhood and he has been able to again and again demonstrate the correctness of these principles. Having in early manhood the ambition to become a lawyer, when once admitted to the bar his ambition was to make steady advance ill the profession and, at all times actuated by high ideals, he has proved himself an able and conscientious minister in the temple of justice. Always careful to conform his efforts to a high standard of professional ethics. He never sought to lead the court astray in a matter of fact or law and yet gives to his client the benefit of great talent, unwearied industry and wide learning. His reading has been by no means confined to professional lines for he has sought out the best general literature of all ages and shows a most discriminating taste in the selection of his library. Mr. Abernethy has been married twice. On the 25th of September. 1889, at her home near Mount Sterling, Ohio, he wedded Miss Blanche Mitchell, a daughter of one of the leading farmers of that community. Unto them were born two children, Hester Henrietta and Elizabeth Beatrice. The wife and mother died February 9, 1895, and on the 11th of June, 1902. Mr. Abernethy wedded Miss Nellie V. Cain, of Lancaster, Ohio. He and his family enjoy wide and pleasant acquaintance. not only in the capital city but in other cities and centers of business and society. Mr. Abernethy is a democrat in principle but without political aspirations, and against his will was nominated for common pleas judge in 1899. Something of his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him by the general public is indicated by the fact that he succeeded in reducing the republican majority of the district from forty-five hundred to five hundred. He hat always adhered CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 231 to the religious teachings of the Methodist church in which he was reared, and regards his fellowmen in a spirit of charity and good will while allowing for himself no swerving from the rules which govern strict integrity, honorable manhood and high professional service. JOHN T. GAMBLE. John T. Gamble, junior partner of the real-estate firm of Knauss & Gamble, was born June 24, 1861, in Watkins, Union county, Ohio. His father, Benjamin Gamble, also a native of this state, was a merchant who conducted a general store up to the time of the Civil war, when he enlisted in the Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, becoming a corporal of Company E. He lost his life in the siege of Vicksburg while working in the trenches. The Gamble family has always been well to do, owning large farms in Union county, where they had lived from pioneer times, taking an active and helpful part in the early development and progress of that section of the state. The mother of John T. Gamble bore the maiden name of Matilda Ann Shout and was born in Ostrander, Delaware county, Ohio. Her father, Elijah Shout, was a farmer and a pioneer. In colonial days the ancestors lived in the east and participated as soldiers of the American army in the war for independence. John T. Gamble was a. district-school student at Watkins until eight years of age, when, at the death of his mother, his father having previously passed away, he was placed by his guardian, Judge P. B. Cole, in the Ohio Soldier's Orphan Home at Xenia. where he remained until the age of sixteen years. Ambitious for further educational advantages than he had already received, he entered the Marysville high school, where he remained until eighteen years of age, when he became an employe of a railroad company as telegraph operator at Loveland, Ohio, and was employed there and at Cincinnati until 1880, when he became imbued with the desire to see something of the west and made his way to the Pacific coast, at different times working in Missouri, Kansas and Texas as special relief man and train dispatcher. Subsequently he became train dispatcher as Las Vegas, New Mexico, for the Santa Fe Railroad Company. After some months spent in the west, he became convinced that he preferred Ohio as a place of residence, and in 1883 returned, settling in Toledo, where he remained for eleven years in the employ of the Wheeling & Lake Erie and the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad Companies, acting for the latter company as general agent in the passenger department. In this capacity he was transferred to Columbus in 1894, and his connection with railroad interests continued until 1899, when he withdrew to engage in business on his own account as a partner in the real-estate firm of Knauss & Gamble. They have prospered and the firm is today one of the most prominent in real-estate circles in Columbus, handling large property and at all times keeping thoroughly informed concerning the real estate that is on the market and the possibilities of diminution or advance in 232 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS price, so that they are able to wisely advise their clients and make judicious purchases and sales for those who give them their patronage. On the 3d of November, 1897, Mr. Gamble was married to Miss Lizzie May Knauss, a daughter of Colonel William H. Knauss. She died in Columbus May 5, 1908. Mr. and Mrs. Gamble became parents of four children, two of whom, Helen Louise and Margaret Alberta, died in infancy; Katherine E., born March 6, 1904, and Victor K., born October 16. 1907. are two bright and promising children. Mr. Gamble is a member of the Masonic fraternity and has attained the Knight Templar degree of the York Rite and also the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He belongs to the subordinate lodge and the uniformed rank of the Knights of Pythias, is a past chancellor of Charles Sumner Lodge, No. 137, K. P., and was inspector general of Ohio for eight years with the rank of colonel. He was a member of the Fourteenth Regiment of Infantry of the Ohio National Guard and now holds an honorable discharge. He is a member of the Columbus Board of Trade and the Columbus Real Estate Board and is interested in the movements for the business development and progress of the city. He belongs to the Buckeye Fishing Club-an association which indicates much of the nature of his recreation. His political allegiance has been given to the republican party and, while he neither seeks nor desires office, he is never remiss in the duties of citizenship. He stands as a progressive man, strong in his honor and his good name, strong in his ability to plan and perform. His record is notable from the fact that he was left an orphan at an early age and without home influence or training he has come to be recognized as a man of prominence in the capital city, honored for what he has accomplished and the methods he has pursued. PROFESSOR WILLIAM C. MILLS. Professor William C. Mills, whose work as an archaeologist and author upon scientific subjects has gained him recognition and honor among the learned men of the country, is now acting as curator of the Archaeological Museum of the Ohio State University, and curator and Librarian of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society Museum. The state owes much to him for many details of information pertaining to the archaeological phenomena and for the arrangement of her archaeological exhibits, consisting as they do in many instances of specimens of the handiwork of prehistoric men of greater antiquity and rarity than any other museum. Professor Mills is now in the prime of life and his ability, energy and enthusiasm along this particularly interesting line promise results of inestimable scientific value. A native of Pyrmont, Montgomery county, Ohio, Professor Mills is a son of Joshua and Mary (Mundhenk) Mills, both of whom were born in Dayton, Ohio. The father, who for some years has lived a retired life, devoted his energies through a long period to the occupation of farming, the only interruption to his active service in the fields being at the time of the PAGE 233 - PICTURE OF WILLIAM C. MILLS PAGE 234 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 235 Civil war, when, in response to the country's call for aid, he enlisted in the Seventy-first Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. he retired at the age of fifty-five years and although now eighty years of age looks to be no more than sixty, while his wife is equally well preserved. They were the parents of a son and two daughters ; Professor William C. Mills ; Clara, the wife of John C. Loy of Dayton ; and Mamie, who owns and manages a large millinery establishment in Dayton. Spending his boyhood days under the parental roof, Professor Mills attended the public schools of the neighborhood and afterward engaged in teaching in the common schools for four years. Desirous of further educational advantages, he entered the Ohio State University in 1881, becoming one of the first students of that institution. At the close of his ,junior year he entered the Cincinnati School of Pharmacy, from which he was graduated in due course of time. Once more he became a student. in the Ohio State University in 1897 and was graduated the following year with the degree of Bachelor of Science, while two years later the university conferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of Science. His entire life has been devoted to scientific investigation, research and labor, in which connection he has shown himself the peer of many of the master minds in this field of thought. He was appointed curator of the Archaeological Museum of the Ohio State University and has since continued in this position. Through extensive writing and on the lecture platform he has been a. potent factor in the dissemination of knowledge in this field of science, both his spoken and written utterances attracting wide attention among those who stand high in this work and speak authoritatively upon the subject. In 1898 he was elected curator and librarian of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and about the same time he began lecturing on anthropology. He was also chosen librarian of the Ohio Academy of Science and was elected to the presidency of the Wheaton Ornithological Society, named in honor of Dr. Wheaton. He is likewise a. fellow of the American Ornithologists Union, was in 190 7 elected a fellow of the American Ethnological Society, is a charter member of the American Association of Museums, and in 190.1 was elected a fellow of the American Society for the Advancement of Science. He was likewise associate editor of the Ohio Naturalist and is the author of innumerable articles and pamphlets concerning exploration work in the field,, of archaeology. His writings include a several volume work entitled "Certain Mounds and Village Sites in Ohio," `'Ohio Archaeological Exhibits at the Jamestown Exposition," and many other papers bearing upon the same phase of this attractive study. He was superintendent of the. Ohio archaeological exhibits at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901, was honorary superintendent of archaeology at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and superintendent of archaeological exhibits at the Tercentenary Exposition at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1906-07. Professor Mills was married, October 7. 1885, to Miss Olive Buxton, a daughter of N. W. Buxton, of Coshocton, Ohio. and unto them has been born a daughter, Helen Marie. The parents hold members hip in the United 236 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS Brethren church and Professor Mills is a member of the Masonic fraternity. Contrary to the generally accepted opinion concerning the scholar and the scientist, Professor Mills is fond of athletics, in which he has always taken an active part, was the last graduate manager of the Ohio State University Athletic Association, acted as its president for six years and is now its treasurer. He is fully alive to the interests of the day and to the vital questions of the times, regarding always the value of his work among the records of the prehistoric past in its association with the living present. ABRAHAM WILLIAM HERSHEY. While the business career of Abraham William Hershey has been notably successful, there are other phases in his life record worthy of emphasis. He has never been neglectful of his obligations from the time when at nine years of age he started out for himself in the business world, giving from his meager earnings for the support of the family and afterward materially assisting in a financial way his old employer, and giving every evidence of the helpful spirit which has been one of his strong characteristics. While he has carefully systematized his business and demands faithful service of those in his employ, he is particularly just in all his relations with his employes, while his patrons recognize the fact that the old maxim "honesty is the best policy" constitutes a guiding rule in the control of the establishment. Mr. Hershey was born at Medway, Clark county, Ohio, January 10, 1870. His father, Abraham Hershey, was a native of Germany and in the '50s became a resident of Springfield, Ohio, where he conducted business as a contractor and builder. He was awarded some of the largest contracts of that city for the erection of the immense manufacturing plants there and became very successful and well known. He married Katharine Winterhalter, also a native of Germany. His death occurred in 1900, while his wife passed away in 1902. Abraham William Hershey pursued his education through the primary and grammar grades of the public schools in Medway and afterward attended the high school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1888. From the age of nine years he had been dependent upon his own resources and provided for his own education. Following his graduation he accepted a clerkship in a general country store on a small scale, there remaining for five years, during which time he was gradually advancing until he was given full charge of the business. The spirit of self-help is the source of all genuine worth in an individual and it was early manifested in the career of Mr. Hershey who soon learned to make the best possible use of his opportunities and as he was struggling upward himself he did not hesitate to extend a helping hand to others on the journey of life. In addition to aiding his family he also assisted a former employer in a time of difficulty, and throughout his entire career has used many opportunities to encourage or aid those who have been forced to depend entirely upon their CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 237 own labors for advancement. On leaving his native city he went to Richmond, Indiana, where he entered the employ of Adam H. Bartel & Company, manufacturers and jobbers, as stock clerk. He was rapidly promoted and at the age of twenty years became a traveling salesman. His connection with that house covered twelve years, from 1890 until 1902, and his close application and unremitting energy made him their most successful salesman. All through his life Mr. Hershey was ambitious to engage in business on his own account, and the year 1902 saw the fulfillment of this desire. Coming to Columbus, he organized the Capital Manufacturing Company with Mr. Donavin as president and himself as vice president and general manager. The company was thus officered until 1904, when the business was reorganized under the name of the Hershey-Rice Manufacturing Company with Mr. Hershey as president and general manager. Today this is one of . the most important commercial concerns of Columbus, engaged extensively in the handling of workingmen's clothing, manufactured at their own factories elsewhere in the state. The business had its beginning in a small storeroom at No. 640 North High street, where it was conducted under the name of the Capital Manufacturing Company, only ten machines being used and but few people employed. The training of Mr. Hershey, however, had been very thorough and he managed and attended to every detail of the business so that it proved a success from its inception, and after a year and a half it was necessary to seek more commodious quarters. Large bonuses were offered and many inducements presented by other Ohio towns that wished to add the Hershey manufactory to their industrial interests. At length it was determined to establish the manufacturing end of the business in Blanchester, while the selling and distributing department of the business was continued in Columbus. For this purpose Mr. Hershey leased a large second floor room at No. 30 West Spring street, in the heart of the wholesale district. The business had now reached such a preponderance and such a volume that an additional working force and capital had to be added, and a reorganization of the company was effected, Mr. Hershey being joined by F. C. Rice. the business then being incorporated as the Hershey-Rice Manufacturing Company. The new quarters had been occupied but a brief period when it was found that they too were insufficient and an adjacent room was leased and later other additions were made from time to time. At the Blanchester factory work was carried on night and day to meet the demand of the trade under the personal direction of Mr. Rice. The following year the company took over the plant and business of the J. A. Sommers Manufacturing Company at Hamilton, Ohio, manufacturers of a line of goods similar to theirs. It was now evident that the Blanchester plant was entirely inadequate and the result was that a building was erected by the company occupying a city block. With the arrival of the force from the Hamilton plant came many women who were without a home and a large dormitory was speedily erected to care for them. The building has all the aspects of a modern hotel and gives to the working women the comforts and pleasures of the home life to which they had been 238 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS accustomed and which was essential to the best labor producing results. The plant at Blanchester is a model one, being built on the form of a hollow square, thus affording plenty of light and air while in every respect it is most sanitary. There is a floor space of over thirty thousand feet. It was found that the source of supply was again becoming inadequate even after the purchase of the Hamilton plant and its amalgamation with the Blanchester plant, so that another factory was located at Louisville, Kentucky, and one hundred machines therein installed, the output being all shipped to Columbus for distribution. In the spring of 1907 the company purchased the G. A. Welty Shirt Factories at Athens and Zanesville, Ohio, consolidating both plants at Athens where they are now operated as the Hershey-Rice Manufacturing Company. In the spring of 1909 the firm grasped the opportunity to develop what they believe will be an immense factory in the heart of Columbus, starting an additional factory on West Broad street, which will give employment to about two hundred girls who have chosen as their home the Good Shepherd's Convent and School. Few people realize what this grand institution is doing as a home for poor girls and girls who need a mother's care. As they are not associated with the outside world they have had no opportunity to earn a living, but by the establishment of this new factory they will be given light work which will enable them to support themselves and aid the institution which is saving so many girls from destruction. This will also add greatly to the large output of the already extensive business of the Hershey-Rice Manufacturing Company. There has probably never been a more rapid or more healthy growth recorded among Columbus industries than this company has shown in its brief career, covering as it does only a period of seven years. It was necessary to erect a new building for offices and as a distributing plant in Columbus, with the result that the structure at Nos. 47-49 East Chestnut street was erected. The building is four stories in height, fire proof in construction and built in the latest approved manner to conform to the needs of the company. The goods of the house are known throughout the entire country and in Cuba and Alaska as well, and the business is today one of the most important commercial concerns of central Ohio. It is most. thoroughly systematized so that there is no needless expenditure of time, labor or material and in all of its relations the house has maintained an unassailable reputation for commercial integrity. Mr. Hershey is a man of resourceful ability, a. fact which is not only indicated by his upbuilding of the extensive enterprise of the Hershey Rice Manufacturing Company, but also in the fact that he is connected with various other business concerns which have profited by the stimulation of his labor and sound judgment. He is now the vice president of the George B. Donavin Company, manufacturers of military supplies and vice president and director of the Quad Stove Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of army stoves and gas heaters. In 1896 Mr. Hershey was married to Miss Ella Ford, of Richmond, Indiana, and they have two daughters, Pauline Bernice and Lucile. In his political views Mr. Hershey is an earnest republican but not an active worker. CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 239 He belongs to the Ohio Club, to the United Commercial Travelers, the Traveler Protective Association and the Knights of Pythias. He is likewise a member of the Board of Trade and is interested in all that pertains to The welfare and progress of the capital city. cooperating in many improvements for its upbuilding. He is fond of outdoor sports, particularly horseback riding and hunting, and while his success now enables him to have leisure for the indulgence of his taste in those directions, in former years he had little opportunity for such pleasures for his business made continuous demands upon his time. Unfaltering industry and perseverance have constituted the key that has unlocked for him the portals of success. Energy and commercial industry have ever been well balanced factors in his life and they have won him respect and honor wherever he is known. JAMES H. SELLS. James H. Sells, a wholesale dealer in saddlery, has displayed in his business career the qualities which are indispensable elements of success and in the development of the extensive enterprise of which he is now the head, manifested keen discernment and the power of coordinating forces so that their combined strength reaches the objective point. In all of his work he is practical. realizing fully the. value of any situation and recognizing with accuracy that which is essential. The company of which he is today president controls one of the important productive industries of the city. employing one hundred operatives in it factory. Mr. Sells is a native son of the capital. his birth occurring April 6, 1854, and his parents were Francis Asbury and Mary (Walter) Sells, the former a, native of Columbus and the latter of the state of New York, the Sells family being an old one of Ohio. represented here since the latter part of the eighteenth century. William H. Sells, born in Pennsylvania, came to Franklinton in 1790 with his father Ludwig Sells and located at that place, later removing to Dublin. supposing that it would be the state capital. There he acquired lance tracts of government land and founded the town which was laid out by an Irish engineer and named Dublin for sweet memory's sake. William H. Sells, the grandfather of James H. Sells, of this review, devoted much of his life to farming and was also the owner of a pottery. oil Front street in Columbus, which he operated for a time. Afterward returning to Dublin he occupied a part of the old home farm, living in a log cabin which is still standing and which was built by his father. Ludwig Sells, in 1800. He vainly plead for the life of Leatherlips. the Indian chief, when he was about to be executed as detailed, in the historical section of this work, and offered the executioners his splendid three hundred dollar charger as a ransom for the chief's life. From the earliest period of the settlement of this section of the state by the white men the Sells family has figured prominently not only in connection with the material development through the conduct of business enterprises, but also in other connections as well. Benjamin Sells hav- 240 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS ing been one of the first marshals of Columbus. William H. Sells had several sons, including Elijah, who was appointed third auditor of the treasury by President Lincoln, who later appointed him territorial governor of Utah, and at seventy-five years of age he was elected secretary of state and acting governor, and after leaving office he engaged in business. The family, too, is descended from Revolutionary ancestry, for John Sells, a soldier of the Revolutionary war, was killed in the battle of Yorktown. Francis A. Sells, born in Columbus, made the city his home throughout his entire life and was one of its first wholesale grocers. In the public schools of Columbus James H. Sells pursued his education and early in his business career became connected with the hardware trade with Jonas McCune, and so continued for six years. In 1880 he with his father and brother, established a small wholesale saddlery business and as the years have advanced the business has grown to such proportions as to require one hundred employes in its conduct. It is today one of the lamest concerns of the kind in the state, now operated under the firm name of J. H. & F. A. Sells, the trade covering a wide territory and the policy of the house being such as to secure a continued and increasing patronage. On the 10th of September, 1885, Mr. Sells was married to Miss Cora Needles, of Groveport, and they have one son, Stanley, now a student of the Ohio State University. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. Sells has acted as a trustee for a quarter of a century. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained the thirty-second degree, and likewise holds membership relations with the Columbus Country Club, the Loyal Legion and the Sons of the American Revolution. For three years he has been a jury commissioner of the county, under appointment of the court of common pleas, and at all times he is interested in a progressive citizenship, feeling a hearty concern for the public welfare. While his chief life work has been that of a remarkably successful merchant, the range of his activities and the scope of his influences have reached far beyond this special field. He belongs to that class of men who wield a power which is all the more potent from the fact that it is moral rather than political and exercised for public weal rather than for personal ends. ALBERT D. HEFFNER. Capable of mature judgment concerning his own capacities and powers, Albert D. Heffner has always possessed sufficient courage to venture where favoring opportunity is presented and in business circles has come to be regarded as a dependable man in any relation and any emergency. He is now the vice president of the New First National Bank and, moreover, is one of the native sons of Columbus. His father, David F. Heffner. was a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, and as a young man came to this city in the early '30s to seek his fortune in the new country, which was just being opened up to the advances of civilization. He located at Canal Winchester and later removed to PAGE 241 - A. D. HEFFNER PAGE 242 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 243 Columbus, where he engaged in merchandising as proprietor of a store at the old warehouse on West Broad street. He was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, however, for he died in 1848 at the comparatively early age of thirty-six years. He was one of the principal merchants of the city in his day and aided in shaping the policy of Columbus during its early formative period. He married Ruhama Armstrong, who died in 1870 at the age of fifty years. She was a daughter of Robert Armstrong, who came to Ohio from Pennsylvania about 1790 and assisted in building the first house in Franklinton. He engaged extensively in the purchase of lands here and was a most important factor in advancing public progress. The Heffner family is of Pennsylvania Dutch lineage and was early founded in Virginia, whence representatives of the name came to Ohio. Albert D. Heffner was educated in the public schools of Columbus and in McCoy & Duff's Commercial College and the Capital University. At fifteen years of age he sought and obtained employment in a grocery store, while later he was office boy in the Journal office. His business activity was interrupted, however, by his military service, for in 1862 he responded to the country's call for aid and enlisted as a member of Company H, One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio Infantry. He did not pass physical examination at that time but in 1863 responded to the call of Governor Todd and served with the "Squirrel Hunters." After the close of the war his attention was given to business interests in the service of others until 1870, when he engaged in the real-estate business for himself and so continued for fifteen years. While in that business Mr. Heffner was elected township clerk of Montgomery township, which was annexed to the city about the close of his term. In the spring of 1881 he was elected councilman from the fifth ward and was reelected two years later. Again he was called to public office in 1884, when he was elected county treasurer, entering upon the duties of his position the following year and by reelection served for two terms. In 1889 he again opened a real-estate office at No. 5 South High street with the intention of engaging no more in active political service but his fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, solicited him to become a candidate for the legislature to fill out a vacancy in 1890. He was then elected and served until the close of the term, after which he refused a renomination. He continued in the real-estate business until 1897, when he became active in banking circles, having already been largely interested in banks for some time. While conducting a real-estate office he laid out a ten-acre tract of land on Broad street between Twenty-second and Champion and extending back to Fair avenue. This was state land which was taken from a defaulting treasurer. By act of the legislature he was authorized by the state and laid out and sold the tract in town lots. He has handled a great amount of city property, always kept well informed concerning values and was very successful in his realty operations. In 1897 he became vice president of the New First National Bank and has since devoted his undivided attention to its affairs. He is also interested in other enterprises but is not active in their control. Mr. Heffner resides at No. 1099 East Broad street, where he has made his home for many years. His chief source of recreation is horseback riding, in 244 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS which he indulges each morning before breakfast when the weather will permit. His religious belief is indicated in his attendance at the Broad Street. Presbyterian church and his political views are manifest in the stalwart support which he gives to the democracy. He has never been actuated by a spirit of vaulting ambition, yet has followed the lead of his opportunities, doing as best he could anything that came to hand and seizing legitimate advantages as they arose. He has never hesitated to take a forward step when the way was open. Fortunate in possessing ability and character that inspires confidence in others, the simple weight of his character and ability has carried him into important relations and now he is occupying the responsible position of vice president of the New First National Bank. COLONEL BYRON L. BARGAR. There are few men whose activity has brought them distinction in so many fields of labor as have the efforts of Colonel Bargar, who figures prominently in military, political, fraternal and legal circles. The weight, of his character and ability is such as to constitute an influencing factor in many fields and he has long been numbered among the honored residents of the capital. Born in Coshocton county, Ohio, on the 12th of January, 1S67, Colonel Bargar resided in his native city until he had completed his public school course at the age of seventeen years, then coming to Columbus which has been his home continuously since 1884. At that time he took up the responsibilities of life in aa business connection, being for a time employed as a clerk in the adjutant general's department, while later he occupied a clerical position in the state insurance department, subsequently he becoming a payroll clerk in the United States. pension office. In this way he saved a stun sufficient to enable him to complete his education and in 1890 he took up the study of law, pursuing a. course in the law department of Yale University, from which he was graduated in 1892. Thus well equipped for his chosen profession, he entered upon practical training in the work as a law clerk in the office of his father and was admitted to the bar in March, 1893. Three months afterward he also successfully passed the examinations for admission to practice in the United States circuit and district courts. He then joined his father, Gilbert H. Bargar, long a distinguished member of the Ohio bar, in organizing the law firm of Bargar & Bargar, which continued until the death of the senior partner in 1904. Throughout his connection with the Columbus bar Colonel Bargar has maintained a prominent position as an able and learned lawyer, whose ability has carried him into important professional relations. For fourteen years he was attorney for the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad but otherwise his practice has been general. He has a large and distinctively representative clientage and has been associated with much important litigation tried in the courts, wherein he has given proof of his comprehensive knowledge of the law and his powers of discrimination CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 245 in the correct designation of law principles and precedents applicable to his case. Prior to his marriage in 1896, Colonel Bargar traveled somewhat extensively, spending one summer in Europe, making visits also to Cuba, Central America, Mexico and the southwestern states and territories. He has always been an enthusiastic lover of a good saddle horse and on the trip to the southwest spent much of his time in the saddle while on camping trips in that section of the country. On the 6th of October, 1896, Colonel Bargar married Miss Florence Neil, a daughter of Colonel Henry M. Neil and a niece of Mrs. Governor Dennison. Her father was a son of William Neil, who came to Columbus in 1817 and built the historic Neil Hotel in 1840. Four children have been born unto Colonel and Mrs. Bargar: Julia Lakin, whose birth occurred December 12, 1897; Henry Neil, born December 30, 1899; Gilbert Hare, born February 4, 1901; and Mary Darrow, whose natal day was October 26, 1904. The family residence is at No. 78 Auburn avenue and is a favorite resort for the many friends of both parents and children. Colonel Bargar is widely known in fraternal, social, political and military circles, being a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Book & Gavel Society of Yale University, the Loyal Legion, the Military Service Institution, the United States Cavalry Association, the United States Infantry Association and the United Spanish War Veterans. Prominent in Masonry, he holds membership in Goodale Lodge, A. F. & A. M., Temple Chapter, R. A. M, Mount Vernon Commandery, K. T., and Aladdin Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the National Geographic Society but is not a club man, preferring to spend his leisure hours with his family. While not active in political circles as an aspirant for office, he takes a keen interest in the political situation of the country, is recognized as a stalwart advocate of the democracy and in 1908 was nominated for judge of the common pleas court, being also a member of all the leading democratic clubs of the city. In military circles, however, Colonel Bargar is perhaps even more widely known, having always taken an active interest in military affairs, and served as a marker in the old Seventeenth Regiment of the Ohio National Guard from 1881 until 1886, entering at the age of fourteen years. He also served as first lieutenant of Battery H, Ohio Light Artillery, and was second lieutenant in the Pugh Videttes when it was the crack National Guard company of the state. In April, 1898, Colonel Bargar raised a troop of volunteer cavalry, which was mustered in as Troop D, First Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, of which he served as captain throughout the Spanish war, and in 1902 he was unanimously elected lieutenant colonel of the Fourth Infantry of the Ohio National Guard, while in 1908 he was chosen colonel, accepting this duty at the written request of every field officer and company commander of the regiment. Colonel Bargar has also served on the staffs of Governor Herrick and Governor Patterson and was a member of the board which compiled the present regulations for the Ohio National Guard, and is the author of the only volume on the law and customs of riot duty, 246 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS this work being used throughout the army and National Guard. He has also written for various law encyclopedias and different periodicals and a perusal of his writings shows that he has thoroughly mastered the subject he handles. The thoughts he pens also indicate the trend of the analytical, logical mind of the lawyer, for while Colonel Bargar has gained distinction in other fields, he is preeminently an attorney and one whose power has gained him more than local prominence. CRAYTON W. BLACK. When ambition is satisfied and every ultimate aim accomplished, effort ceases and energy dwarfs into inactivity. It is the man who believes that there is something yet to accomplish and who desires to use his powers to the utmost that becomes a factor in the world's progress and at the same time promotes his own success. Throughout his entire life Crayton W. Black has sought for opportunities leading to advancement and through persistent and indefatigable energy has reached an enviable position in the business world, being now the president and general manager of the Seagrave Company, manufacturers of all kinds of fire apparatus. A native of Ohio, Mr. Black was born at Olive Furnace, Lawrence county. His father, Finley Black, was the youngest son in a large family whose parents, came from the north of Ireland and were gifted with mechanical proclivities. Most of them went to the western territories but Finley Black remained in Ohio and at the time of the Civil war served his country as a member of the Twenty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He wedded Eliza A. Kerr, who was one of a family of two sons and two daughters of Scotch-Irish parentage. The brothers, William Paul and John Glasgow Kerr, became prominent in manhood, the former being connected with the Granville Female College for many years. He was also a member of the constitutional convention and served as superintendent of the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Orphans Home at Xenia and did much to develop that institution into practical usefulness. John G. Kerr was graduated from Jefferson Medical College in the '40s and went at once as a medical missionary to Canton, China, where he attained world-wide prominence as a surgeon and died there a few years since. In 1864 Crayton W. Black went to Granville and made his home with Professor Kerr. He there attended the public schools and was also a student at Professor Clemens' Academy and in Dennison University, where he completed the work of the freshman year. On August 1, 1868, he accepted a position with Prichard Brothers, druggists, and also learned telegraphy, as a telegraph office was opened in that store when the first line was built between Columbus and Cleveland. The Morse register was then in general use but was soon displaced by sound writing. In June, 1873, the store of Prichard Brothers, an old established enterprise, was sold to Charles W. Bryant and C. W. Black, who started on their first business enterprise here and successfully conducted a drug store until 1880, when the Ohio Central CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 247 Railroad was opened and Mr. Black became their first agent and operator at Granville. When work was being done on the Atlantic & Lake Erie Railroad both Mr. Black and his former partner, Mr. Bryant, were connected with the engineering department and superintended the construction between the points where the line crossed the Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis west of Newark and the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railroad near Centerburg. In the fall of 1879, when the line was opened by the Columbus & Sunday Creek Valley Railroad between Columbus and Corning, Mr. Black was appointed agent at Basil and held that position until December, 1880, when the line was opened from Bushes, now Thurston, to Toledo, at which time he was transferred to Granville. Early in 1886 the village voted to issue bonds to the amount of fifteen thousand dollars to build waterworks and Mr. Black was elected to the first board of waterworks trustees, his associates consisting of Charles W. Bryant and professor John L. Gilpatrick. Later Mr. Black was reelected for a second term and in this connection did important service in promoting one of the leading municipal enterprises. In 1888 Mr. Black resigned his position with the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad Company to become paymaster and cashier for the Sunday Creek Coal Company at Corning. The officials of the company owned The Ohio Buggy Company in Columbus, which was established in 1888, and in 1889 Mr. Black was transferred to the latter as bookkeeper. Later he was elected its secretary and also acted as its treasurer until 1896. In that year about sixty-five percent of the buggy manufactories throughout the country went into the hands of receivers and Mr. Black was appointed receiver and closed up the business of The Ohio Buggy Company. From 1897 until December, 1900, he was auditor and cashier of the Black Diamond Coal & Coke Company, with offices in the Wyandotte building. In May, 1900, the Seagrave Company was incorporated as a. West Virginia company. On the 10th of December, 1900, Mr. Black was appointed office manager and in May, 1901, was elected treasurer, since which time he has practically been the manager of the business. In 1907 he was elected president and has since acted as the chief executive officer. The West Virginia charter was surrendered January 28, 1904, at which time the Ohio Charter was adopted and it was at that date that Mr. Black became one of the incorporators of the business. They manufacture apparatus for fire departments and during Mr. Black's service as general manager have brought out and introduced the first quick hoisting spring actuated aerial truck. In 1908 the company designed and built the first motor propelled aerial hook and ladder truck ever produced in the United States. They manufacture as well a complete line of fire extinguishers and chemical engines, their output including nearly everything in the way of fire apparatus. Their business has more than quadrupled since the beginning. Mr. Black is also interested in other enterprises, having made judicious investment in different business concerns. On the 7th of October, 1879, at Granville, Mr. Black was married to Miss Carrie F. Buxton, a daughter of Major Buxton, proprietor of the Bux- 248 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS ton House of that place. Mrs. Black died April 14, 1886, leaving two sons: Howard Judson, who is with the Union Carbide Works at Saulte Sainte Marie, Michigan ; and Benton Kerr, who is associated with his father in business. On the 6th of November, 1888, Mr. Black was again married, his second union being with Miss Dillie Carter, a daughter of Henry O. Carter, a prominent business man of Granville. Ohio. They have two daughters and one son : Anabel Carter, a student at the Ohio State University ; Bernice Eliza, a member of the junior class of the North high school; and Henry Crayton, eight years of age, attending the grammar school. They reside at No. 480 West Fourth avenue. Mr. Black is a trustee of Mercy Hospital and is interested in charitable work and in many movements beneficial to the city. When a young man he was active in democratic circles but has done little in political lines in later years. He belongs to the Ohio Club and to the various Masonic bodies, and his life exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft.. In his entire career there has been no esoteric phase. He has labored persistently for the success he has gained, realizing that energy directed by keen judgment constitutes a safe foundation upon which to build prosperity. He has never become absorbed in money-making, however, to the exclusion of other interests but has maintained a well rounded development and followed high principles that have made his an honorable manhood. REV. WILLIAM McDERMOTT. Rev. William McDermott, pastor of The Holy Name church in Columbus, was born at Kildare, Ireland, on the 3d day of February, 1859, his parents being James and Margaret McDermott. He was one of a family of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, all of the sons with the exception of our subject engaging in business pursuits. William McDermott was ten years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to the United States. the family home being established in Union City, Connecticut. He attended school in that city until seventeen years of age and then entered St. Charles College at Baltimore, Maryland. It was while a student in that institution that he determined to fit himself for the priesthood and, with the assistance of his parents, was at length able to see the realization of his hopes. After five years devoted to a classical course at St. Charles College he was graduated with high honors and subsequently entered the theological and philosophical department of Niagara University in New York. Here he again made a splendid record, the institution conferring upon him one of its highest honors by appointing him editor in chief of the Niagara Index. On the 4th of June, 1887, having completed ten years' study and preparation for his holy calling, he was ordained for the diocese of Columbus by Bishop Ryan, of Buffalo, and at once came to this city as assistant pastor of St. Joseph's cathedral. Here his zealous and consecrated life, as well as his PAGE 249 - PICTURE OF REV. WILLIAM MCDERMOTT PAGE 250 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 251 wonderful eloquence, soon attracted wide attention and he was selected by Bishop Watterson as orator of the day for the great gathering which convened at the Cathedral during the G. A. R. encampment of 1888. In August, 1889, he was appointed to take temporary charge of St. Luke's congregation at Danville, Knox county, Ohio. Though one of the oldest in the state, the parish was in a badly run-down condition, being burdened with debt and having held no services for several months prior to the arrival of the Rev. McDermott. Nothing daunted, however, the latter immediately set to work with characteristic energy and his zeal proved so contagious that he soon had the enthusiastic support of his congregation. The debt was entirely paid and more than five thousand dollars' worth of improvements were added to the parish property. In March, 1895, the Rev. McDermott saw the result of five years' earnest labor destroyed by fire. He made an eloquent appeal for the restitution of the lost buildings and this was immediately responded to so generously and freely that plans were at once begun for the erection of the present splendid church edifice at Danville, while in two years' time the magnificent house of worship and residence, costing more than forty thousand dollars, were entirely paid for. During his pastorate the congregation was doubled in size and the various societies of the church steadily grew and prospered. Such remarkable success naturally drew attention to the pastor and in May, 1905, Rev. McDermott was selected by Bishop Hartley to found the Holy Name parish in North Columbus. In the comparatively brief period of his connection with this church he has erected a fine group of buildings, including a residence for the Sisters, church, school and pastor's residence. Moreover, the membership of the church has been increased from seventy-two to more than one hundred and fifty families and the school attendance has likewise doubled. The Newman Club, which was organized for the benefit of Catholic students at the Ohio State University, is also one of the pastor's most creditable activities and has its headquarters at the Holy Name school building. His labors have been an important and effective element in the upbuilding of Catholicism in this state and his earnest, consecrated life has won him the respect and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact. SAMUEL J. FLICKINGER. As secretary to Gov. Andrew L. Harris, Samuel J. Flickinger demonstrated the fact that the real newspaper man is always at home in any position that requires energy, industry, tact, wide general information and common sense whether in a public, semi-public or private sphere of activity. He has long been known as a prominent representative of journalism in Ohio and his comprehensive understanding of the political situation, his broad acquaintance with the leading men of the state, and his personal qualities of readiness and adaptability were the features that made him well worthy the position to which Gov. Harris called him. 252 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS Born on the farm in Butler county, Ohio, in 1848, he is a son of Rev. D. K. and Mary (Lintner) Flickinger. His mother died when the son was but four years of age and a. little later the father, entering the ministry, went as a missionary to Africa, subsequently returning to take up ministerial work in this country, and is now a retired bishop of the United Brethren church, at the age of eighty-five, being active and in full touch with the world and, moreover, an author of wide repute. Samuel J. Flickinger was reared to well grown youth on the farm of his grandfather in Butler county, there remaining until his father became secretary of the United Brethren Missionary Society and located at Dayton, Ohio. After a short residence in that city Mr. Flickinger entered college and subsequently engaged in teaching school for two years in Butler county and one year at Richwood, Union county. He entered the profession of journalism in 1876 under the friendly eye and wise direction of Major William D. Bickham of the Dayton Journal and was connected with that paper until 1878, in which year he secured an interest in the Ohio State Journal, then owned by the firm of Comly, Francisco & Company. Here he passed through all grades in the editorial department from reporter to editor in chief, learning valuable lessons from each new experience until his position in the journalistic world was assured, since in him were recognized those qualities which make for progress and success in the newspaper field. He also did valuable work for other newspapers, for a short time acting as the Columbus correspondent for the Cincinnati Commercial and for four years for the Cincinnati Enquirer. In 1884, when the late General Benjamin R. Cowen retired front the editorship of the State Journal, Mr. Flickinger succeeded him and continued in the position for nine years. Under his control the paper was placed among the leading metropolitan journals of the country and Mr. Flickinger took rank with the. men who stood in judgment upon all work done in the newspaper office, while his own writings attracted wide spread attention by his clear cut and masterly handling of every subject he discussed. Associated with Mr. Flickinger on the State Journal were the late Colonel James Taylor, a plan of great ability and corresponding brilliancy, and the late Sylvanus E. Johnson, of the Washington Bureau of the Cincinnati Enquirer, a man of great and versatile power. Taylor was an old school Whig, while Johnson had been the newspaper protege of Gov. Samuel Medary. Three more competent men were probably never associated together on a single newspaper. Colonel Taylor died in the '90s from the result of injuries and disease contracted in the Civil war. When Mr. Johnson passed away in 1908, Mr. Flickinger said: "My life has been a fairly happy and contented one but the brightest days of all were when Colonel Taylor and Mr. Johnson and I were working together. There was never a `bad' day among them all." Under their guidance the State Journal developed from a provincial paper into a great metropolitan journal with Sunday. weekly and daily editions, the labors of these men receiving also the hearty cooperation of Colonel J. D. Ellison, president of the company. Following his retirement from the State Journal, from 1893 until 1904, Mr. Flickinger was with The Associated Press, the first year in New York CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 253 and Chicago offices, and the remainder of the time with headquarters in Cincinnati, his district embracing not only Ohio but also southern Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia. When he entered into connection with The Associated Press he was in the prime of life, with seventeen years of newspaper experience to his credit, competent to take up the work at any point so that his worth and ability were soon recognized. He did his work fairly toward all parties and toward all interests, and closely followed the motto, which he has advocated as his guide in all newspaper relations, "Nothing is news that is not true and serves mankind for some useful purpose, either as a precept, example or deduction." The manner in which he handled the assassination of Gov. Goebel of Kentucky was a fair example of impartial news gathering, as well as his reports of party conventions, state and national. For two years prior to his return to Columbus, where he had spent a quarter of a century, he was editor of the Dayton Journal in connection with which paper he had spent his first two years in newspaper work. During his latter association therewith a complete reorganization of the paper was effected and it entered upon a new era of progress and growth in consequence. Active physically and mentally, Samuel J. Flickinger accomplishes what he undertakes and with high purposes and undaunted energy passes on to his goal. He possesses great tact which is but another word for kindness and understanding and is thus enabled to meet all classes, placing them at their ease. He has continually progressed in lines of wide general information and the worth of his personal qualities is attested by the warm and extended friendship accorded him. DAVID S. CREAMER. The political history of Ohio would be incomplete without mention of David S. Creamer, for some years recognized as one of the leaders of democracy in this state-a man whom to know is to respect and honor, whose entire record has been free from any of the underhand methods which have too often clouded the history of political leaders. His life has always been as an open book and is one which in its varied connections reflects credit and honor upon his native state. More than a century ago another David Creamer came into possession of an extensive tract of laud which has since remained within the family. In 1806 this tract was purchased from the government by a man named James McConnell, who in turn sold the patent to David Creamer. This land lies in Mead township, Belmont county. Mr. Creamer cleared away the forest and tilled the soil. Through inheritance it has passed down from father to son and is now owned by David J. Creamer, father of the subject of this review. It is occupied by his other son Z. M. Creamer, who lives upon it and gives his attention to its further development and improvement. It has long been one of the fine farms of the county, showing the spirit of thrift and -enterprise which has ever been a dominant characteristic of the representatives of the name. 254 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS It was upon this farm that David S. Creamer was born September 3, 1858, and there the days of his boyhood were passed, his training being that of the fields, as he trudged barefooted behind the plow, drawn by a team of oxen. When the work of the farm was largely over for the year, he had the opportunity of attending the district schools and therein mastered the common branches of English learning. He displayed aptitude in his studies and the same thoroughness which has characterized him in all his later work. The lessons of his youth, upon the farm and in the schoolroom, made him diligent, persistent and energetic and an inquiring mind found outlet through his interest in politics and the political situation of the country. He became a close student of the issues before the people and was active in local political circles before he had attained his majority. Soon after he reached the age of twenty-one he was elected a democratic central committeeman from his district and a little later was chosen township clerk. In 1892 he decided to become a candidate for county recorder. His friends spoke discouragingly of this, saying, "Belmont is a strong republican county. What hope can there be for you and especially in a presidential year? Keep out of the fight until some other time." Mr. Creamer, however, knew every man in Belmont county and felt that he could count upon their friendship and comradeship and believed that he might count upon their political support as well. He received the democratic nomination, the successful support of the people at the polls and in the ensuing term labored so indefatigably and earnestly for the interests of the people at large that his service received a most hearty endorsement. On his retirement from the office Mr. Creamer continued his residence at St. Clairsville, the county seat of Belmont county, and opened a real-estate and insurance office, soon building up a good business in those lines, for he brought to the work the same determined spirit and indefatigable energy which had previously been manifest in his political service. From boyhood, however, he had been interested in newspaper publication and while living upon the farm would frequently accompany his father to town and, as the latter was busy with his errands, the boy would slip away in order to watch the men set type or see the press throw off the copies of the local paper. His interest in the work of the newspaper office had never abated through all the ensuing years and in 1901 therefore he availed himself of the opportunity to purchase a half interest in the St. Clairsville Gazette, the oldest democratic newspaper in eastern Ohio. For some time he was then connected with journalism but was again called to public office. For two terms he represented his ward in the city council and labored untiringly for public improvement and municipal progress. Higher political honors came to him in his appointment, entirely without solicitation, to the office of state fire marshal May 29, 1906. On the 1st of June he assumed the duties of the office and at once undertook the task of specializing the work and made a record which is unexcelled for creditable performance of duty and careful expenditure. In previous years through the work of this office there had been something like thirty or thirty-five convictions per annum. Mr. Creamer left the office with the unequaled record of seventy-two convictions in 1907 and during the five months of 1908 CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 255 which he served, secured thirty-three convictions, so that when he retired there were still thirty-five cases pending and unsettled. Not only did he carefully look after this department of work but on the 15th of January, 1908, he turned back into the state treasury over eleven thousand dollars of unused money-money appropriated for the maintenance of the department and yet, which by careful management, he had saved and placed to the credit of his office. Before his incumbency the difficulty had always been to keep expenditures within the amount allowed. Thus he reversed the usual system in the office. In 1908 Mr. Creamer received the democratic nomination for state treasurer and was elected, being the first democrat chosen for the office in thirty years. He was a most untiring worker in support of the democracy, serving as chairman and a member of the controlling committee in Belmont county many times. In 1905 he was a member of the democratic state central Committee and that year, the sixteenth congressional district over which he had supervision, gave Governor Pattison a majority of seven hundred and thirty-two, when the previous year the republicans had carried the district by nine thousand. He has attended state, county and congressional conventions many times and served on important committees, so that he has been a potential factor in democratic politics of the state for many years and always a factor for good. On the 16th of October, 1890, Mr. Creamer was married to Miss Gertrude R. Fowler, of Belmont county, and they have two children : Lorena Verdell, sixteen years of age, who possesses rare musical talent; and David Harold, nine years of age. Such in brief is the life record of Mr. Creamer, who in every relation has measured up to the full standard of manhood. He has not only carefully and successfully controlled his business interests but has never been oblivious to the duties of public life and citizenship. On the contrary, he has stood fearlessly in support of whatever he believes to be right. With a wide acquaintance among the prominent men of the state, he enjoys to the fullest degree their regard, and in Belmont county and Columbus, where he is best known has the warm friendship of those with whom he has been brought into close relations. HENRY S. BALLARD. Henry S. Ballard, who is making steady progress in a profession where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit, being already well known as one of the promising and capable members of the Columbus bar, was born in the town of Coal Grove, Lawrence county, Ohio, November 15, 1880. His parents were John and Jennie (Sparling) Ballard, who were also natives of Lawrence county and of Scotch-Irish descent. the family having been established in Virginia at an early day and from that state a removal was made to Ohio early in the nineteenth century. John Ballard is a direct 256 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS descendant of the famous Captain Bland Ballard. a partner and associate of Daniel Boone, the celebrated Indian fighter and explorer of early pioneer times. In the public schools of Coal Grove Henry S. Ballard pursued his education and displayed such aptitude and proficiency in his studies that at the age of fifteen he had qualified for teaching and entered upon the active work of the profession. which he continued for seven years. He proved a capital educator, imparting clearly and readily to others the knowledge he had acquired and during the last three years devoted to that calling he gave his leisure time to the study of law under the direction of the firm of Corn & Thompson, at Ironton, Ohio. In 1903. feeling the necessity of a wider range of training for the profession, he came to Columbus and entered the Ohio State University for a special course of work, and was admitted to practice after passing a highly creditable examination before the committee of the supreme court in 1903. On becoming a member of the Ohio bar Mr. Ballard associated himself with William D. Corn with whom he was connected for a year, or until his partner became professor of law at the Ohio 'Northern University at Ada, this state. Mr. Ballard then became associated with DeWitt C. Badger. a former congressman and mayor, and Demas Barnes Ulrey a connection which maintained until May 1, 1907, since which time Mr. Ballard has practiced alone with a large and distinctively representative clientage that has associated him with important litigation in the various courts. He is an earnest worker, never neglecting to thoroughly inform himself concerning his ease before he enters the court. his mind being analytical and inductive and his reasoning bearing the elements of sound logic. Mr. Ballard resides with his mother at 648 Franklin avenue, in an attractive hone between Washington and Parsons avenue. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias Society, the Columbus Oratorio Society, and treasurer of the Lawrence County Association of Columbus and is recognized as a prominent and forceful worker in republican ranks, contributing to his party's success as a member of the Republican Glee and the Buckeye Republican clubs. EDSON OLDS RAGER. Edson Olds Rager is a successful and well known agriculturist of Madison township, residing on a valuable and highly improved farm of more than one hundred acres, which has now been in possession of the family for a period of ninety-two years. His parents were John and Nancy Chanler (Rower) Rager, the former born in Pennsylvania in 1814. When but two years of age John Rager was brought by his parents to Madison township, Franklin county, Ohio, living with them until he grew to maturity, and when his father and mother grew old he made a home for them, thus repaying them for the care and assistance which they had given him in his younger years. He passed away PAGE 257 - PICTURES OF MR AND MRS E. O. RAGER PAGE 258 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 259 in 1885, leaving two children to mourn his loss, namely : Alice Elizabeth ; and Edson Olds, of this review. The latter lived with his parents on the old homestead farm until their demise and cared for them in their declining years. He still owns and resides upon the farm which was purchased by the grandfather on his arrival in this country ninety-two years ago. The property comprises more than one hundred acres and in its neat and thrifty appearance indicates the supervision of a practical and progressive owner. The attention of the passer-by is arrested by the highly improved and attractive appearance of the place, which seems to embody all the beauties of rural life in their most enticing form. It is one of the model farming properties of Madison township and Mr. Rager is widely recognized as a substantial agriculturist and enterprising citizens of his native county. In 1886 occurred the marriage of Mr. Rager and Miss Ella Kramer. They now have seven children, as follows: Ethel May, Elijah Edson, Mamie Alice, Charles Kramer, Bryan Whittier, Dean Lester and Susie Leota. Politically Mr. Rager is a democrat, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the United Brethren church. He is also identified with the Grange, and enjoys the warm regard and esteem of an extensive circle of friends throughout the county in which he has spent his entire life. FRED MATHES HAMMOND. There is no manifestation of marked spontaneity in the business world but rather the slow accretion of gradual development resulting from persistent and diligent effort day by day. Thereby is built a substantial structure able to endure financial storms and gain strength by its very resistance. Such has been the record of Fred Mathes Hammond of the well known real estate firm of Hammond, Hammond & Baker of Columbus. Their business is now of an extensive and important character, a large amount of property being handled annually by this firm, their efforts constituting also an element in the business development and material growth of the city. Mr. Hammond of this review is a native of Smithfield, Jefferson county, Ohio, born February 14, 1818. His father, William Hammond. also a native of that locality, devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and met success in his undertaking, becoming one of the leading farmers of the community. He is still living at the age of fifty-three years. The paternal grandfather, Nathan Hammond, was likewise born in Jefferson county, Ohio, and was unusually prosperous in his agricultural pursuits. His birth occurred in 1812 and his life history covered the succeeding seventy-eight years. Though he started in business with a limited capital, he carefully controlled his interests, made judicious investments and died a wealthy man. He was a Quaker in religious faith and his life was in harmony with the kindly spirit and unfaltering integrity characteristic of people of that sect. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Mary Ong and was a native of Jefferson 260 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS county, Ohio. She, too, belonged to a prominent and highly respected family of that locality and her death occurred in 1881. Fred M, Hammond has a twin brother, Frank Nathan Hammond, and in all of their interests and experiences, save that of marriage and home life, they have been inseparable in the fullest sense of the term, Everything that they have undertaken has been done together and at times, even since attaining man's estate, they have lived in the same house. Theirs is a striking likeness in every particular, in mental characteristics, in features, size, business methods, tastes and interests. Their personal appearance is so similar that few people can distinguish one from the other and their close identification in all things constitutes perhaps the strongest cause of their success and enterprise, Frank N, Hammond was married October 28, 1901, to Miss Verna Fowler, of Columbus, and they have two children, Charles Nathan and Helen Frances. Fred M, Hammond was reared to farm life, early becoming familiar with the work of the fields from the time of early spring planting until crops were harvested in the late autumn, He attended the district schools and subsequently entered the Smithfield high school, where he remained as a student between the ages of thirteen and seventeen years, He pursued a business course in Iron City College at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and afterward, in connection with his brother. Frank M, Hammond, engaged in the produce business for three years, This constituted an important epoch in their lives. They started with very meager capital but soon obtained valuable business experience and a little money, In 1898 they disposed of their business there and came to Columbus, entering the law department of the Ohio State University, pursuing the regular course until admitted to the bar in 1901, They then opened an office in this city, During their college course they had made all of their own expenses, having the agency for the Columbus Building & Loan Association, In this connection they established branch offices in various towns throughout the state and not only founded the business at Dillonvale and Portland, Jefferson county, but also erected there about sixty houses and handled two different coal properties, After completing their work there the Hammond brothers established a real-estate agency in Columbus in April, 1903, under the firm style of Hammond & Hammond, They have since handled large amounts of property, conducting throughout the first two years a regular commission business, In 1905 with other parties they purchased the Indianola Forest addition, They have since purchased and disposed of four other additions including the East Indianola, the Fourteenth, the Indianola University addition and the old Neil homestead. Thus they have contributed in substantial measure to the growth and progress of the city, using their influence to advance its interests along lines of modern city building and improvement. Their legal knowledge has proven of marked benefit to them in business and the firm is today one of the most prosperous, prominent and progressive in the field of real-estate operations in the 'Capital, On the 1st of December, 1908, they admitted a new member, John L, Baker, so that the style of the firm is now Hammond. Hammond & Baker, In November the Hammonds succeeded in organizing the Columbus Isle of Pines Company and purchased a five thousand acre tract of land in the Isle of Pines, just CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 261 south of Cuba, This tract was known as the "balance of the San Pedro tract," situated in the southwestern part of the island, between the Las Tunas tract and the San Pedro river, near the Siguanea bay. This they have named the Ohio tract and are now colonizing, having laid out a town site, built a hotel, subdivided the other land into twenty and forty acre lots and are building roads. They are the sole agents and sole promoters of this and are working this tract out after the same plan they have employed heretofore, their purpose being to make it the leading place on the island the home of the most prominent people that shall settle on the Isle of Pines. They are planning improvements never before dreamed of by other companies on the island, where they are both living at the present time with their families, It seems hardly necessary to add that they have revolutionized the manner of handling and developing property on the island and have done more in that direction in the few months of their occupancy than any other man or company in the whole nine years that Americans have been on the island. On the 5th of January, 1905, Mr, Hammond was married to Miss Clara Jessie Rood of Pasadena, California, and they have one daughter, Mary Imogene, Mr, Hammond belongs to Junia Lodge, I. O. O. F,, and to the Central Presbyterian church.. He is fond of horse-back riding and is interested in much that pertains to individual and community progress. His own record is a most creditable one, In no instance has he ever misrepresented a piece of property and his promptness, honesty and hard work have constituted the foundation upon which he has built his success, The elemental strength of character, which he displayed in providing for his own education, gave promise of what he has since accomplished and the position to which ha has now attained seems to point to still greater achievement in the future. CHARLES E. CARTER, Charles E. Carter, a prominent attorney, now acting as third assistant city solicitor, belongs to that excellent coterie of men who on the strength of their own resources have worked their way in the world, obtaining their professional education at night, He was born in De Kalb county, Illinois, September 27, 1863, and is a son of James and Katie S. (Densmore) Carter, his father having been a native of Massachusetts, where his birth occurred December 25, 1832, and his mother of New York state, where she was born May 14, 1836, The couple were united in marriage in 1862 and departed this life in 1902 and 1908 respectively. The elder Mr. Carter crossed the plains to California with the 49ers in search of gold and there remained for a few years, He then settled in Illinois where he engaged in general agriculture, making a specialty of buying and shipping horses for a number of years but at the time of his death was engaged in general agricultural pursuits, He was well known, not only throughout the state of Illinois, but also throughout many eastern states, as a horse dealer, his long experience in that line of trade having made him a recognized authority. 262 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS After acquiring his preliminary education in the public schools of his native county, Charles E. Carter was matriculated as a student in the Ohio State University, which institution he left in 1889 and was then employed in the wholesale grocery business, at the same time continuing his studies at night. He remained in that business for about one year and then became associated with the Capital Coffee & Spice Mill, upon leaving which, after one year's service, he worked in the factory and mines of the Mining Machine Company, for one year. He next entered the law office of H. M. Butler, with whom he pursued the study of law until 1892, when he was admitted to the bar and has since engaged in legal practice, being for several years in partnership with D. B. Ulrey. Mr, Carter is one of the most successful attorneys in this city and too much cannot be said in his praise, considering the fact that every inch of the ground along the way to his present position of prominence was hard fought, and won by his perseverance and patience, together with his stern resolve to become a legal practitioner. All the while he was employed by the several business firms with which he was affiliated his purpose was to become a member of the bar, and to this end he bent every energy. Realizing that it was beyond him to take advantage of a course of study in the schools, he knew that the only way by which he could succeed in accomplishing his purpose was to study, and instead of idly spending his evenings he devoted his time to his books and is now not only enjoying the fruits of his many nights of application, but is also a powerful evidence of what one can do if he only sets his mind upon a fixed purpose and determines to accomplish it. Mr. Carter was united in marriage to Miss Nora Robbins on the 29th of June, 1904. In politics he gives his support to the republican party and is affiliated with the Free Masons and also the Buckeye Club. He is well known throughout the city and since entering the practice of law his prestige has been greatly enhanced and he is now counted among the city's most prominent attorneys and worthy citizens, DEMAS B. ULREY, Demas B. Ulrey, a member of the Columbus bar, whose ability and success entitle him to mention with the more prominent among the younger members of the profession in Franklin county, was born in Morrow county, Ohio, June 11, 1870, and is a son of David and Melinda (Bennett) Ulrey. His father, who was a farmer, numbered among the prominent and public spirited citizens of Morrow county, became the owner of landed interests in Tennessee and for some years resided in Cleveland, that state, his death occurring in the year 1907 while his wife still survives. Demas B. Ulrey pursued his early education in the public schools of his native county and was for a time a student in the high school at Marengo, continuing his studies in the schools of Cleveland, Tennessee, after the removal of his parents to the south, while his literary education was completed in CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 263 Lebanon University. Determining upon the practice of law as a life work, he entered the Cincinnati Law School in 1893 and was graduated with the Bachelor of Law degree. Admitted to practice in the same year, he was for a time associated with William M. Thompson, but for the past seven years has been a partner of the Hon, D, C, Badger, under the firm style of Badger and Ulrey. They have a large and growing practice and much litigation of importance comes to them. With the thoroughness that characterizes him in every relation, Mr. Ulrey gives much time and thought to the preparation of his cases and enters court ready for defense as well as attack. His utterances are logical, his points always strongly presented and he is seldom, if ever, at error in the application of a legal principle. These qualities have made him a strong and forceful member of the Columbus bar. On the 28th of March, 1893, Mr, Ulrey was married to Miss Alice Rogers, one of the widely known and popular young ladies of Cleveland, Tennessee, whose acquaintance he formed during the residence of the Ulrey family in the south, and unto this marriage have been born two daughters, Esther and Camee. Mrs, Ulrey is quite prominent in social circles, is connected with many of the leading ladies' clubs of the city and was elected president of the Robert E. Lee Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy, Mr. Ulrey belongs to Joseph Dowdall Lodge, No. 144, K. P. and is connected with other social, political and business organizations. He served as a member of the civil service commission under Mayor John N. Hinkle, and at all times has been a stalwart advocate of the principles, political and otherwise, in which he believes, He is particularly active in support of various measures for the city's development and progress and in his chosen life work he holds to a high professional standard. MARION CLARK CRANE. Marion Clark Crane has for twelve years been identified with commercial interests in Columbus, conducting a wholesale tobacco and confectionery business under the name of E. J. Crane's & Son, He was born September 10, 1852, in Salem township, Muskingum county, Ohio, a son of Evan J. and Casandra (Geyer) Crane, both of whom represented pioneer families of that county, The mother was born in Muskingum county, a daughter of Henry Geyer, who there followed the occupation of farming from pioneer times. Evan J, Crane was a merchant and was engaged in business from 1852 until his death in 1893. In his family were five children : Marion C., Rosetta C., George W., Flora M. and Della V., all born in Muskingum county, Marion C. Crane supplemented his early education, acquired in the district schools by study in Iberia College in Iberia, Ohio, and when his literary course was completed he prepared for a commercial career as a student in Eastman's Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York, Thus qualified for the onerous duties of business life, he turned his attention to general merchandising in a country store at Martel, Marion county, Ohio, 264 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS where he conducted business until 1896, when he removed to Columbus. At that time he engaged in the wholesale cigar, tobacco and confectionery business, which he is still carrying on. He has built up a large trade in this connection, making extensive shipments to various parts of the country and his reliability in commercial circles stands as an unquestioned fact in his career. Aside from his mercantile interests, of which he is sole proprietor, he is a director of the Security Savings Bank and also a director of the Monarch Manufacturing Company. Mr. Crane is well known in fraternal circles, being a Knight Templar Mason and also a member of the Knights of Pythias, He has a wide and favorable acquaintance, his fellow citizens esteeming him as a progressive and reliable business man and one who at the same time is loyal to the best interests and progress of the community, MAURICE P. HUNT, M, D. Maurice P. Hunt, concentrating his energies upon the onerous duty which devolve upon him in a professional capacity, has gained more than local distinction as a practitioner of medicine and surgery, while his ability is attested by the liberal practice accorded him, He was born in Delaware county, Ohio, February 28, 1853, and is a son of John B. Hunt, who was born in Morgan county, Ohio. The family was founded in this state at an early period in its development by representatives of the name who came from Pennsylvania, where early ancestors of Dr. Hunt had located on coming to the new world from England, The father, John B. Hunt, was also a well known physician, who was graduated from the Cleveland Medical School about the year 1860, and after several years devoted to professional work in Newark and Wellington removed, in 1868, to Columbus, where he continued in active practice for three years, Failing health then caused his retirement from the profession, and establishing his home upon a farm he lived amid rural surroundings until March 20, 1901, when he passed away at the age of seventy-seven years, He had been greatly benefitted by his removal to the country, and thus lived to a ripe old age. He had for several years survived his wife, who passed away in 1894, She bore the maiden name of Angeline Patterson, and was a native of Delaware county, Ohio. While spending his youthful days under the paternal roof, Dr. Maurice P. Hunt acquired his education in the schools of Delaware county, Columbus, and Indianapolis, Indiana. Interested from early youth in the science and practice of medicine and surgery, he resolved to follow in his father's professional footsteps, and entered upon his professional training in 1875, being graduated from the Cleveland Homeopathic College with the class of 1879. Thus well equipped for his chosen vocation, he commenced practice in Selma, Park county, and in 1883 removed to Delaware, Ohio, where he practiced for ten years. On the expiration of that period he went to Ann Harbor, Michigan. and accepted the professorship of diseases of women and PAGE 265 - PICTURE OF DR. M. P. HUNT PAGE 266 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 267 obstetrics in the Homeopathic College, of the University of Michigan. He also held the professorship of the same branches in the Cleveland Medical College during a part of the year 1892, making trips between Delaware and Cleveland for the purpose of delivering his lectures before the classes in that institution. Following his removal to Columbus he has here enjoyed marked .distinction by reason of his success in surgery, giving his attention exclusively to this branch of professional service for a number of years. His labors have largely set the standard for surgical work in Columbus, and from his professional brethren he has received cordial evidences of respect and appreciation. His researches have been broad, his study most thorough. Wise in the laws of general science, he is recognized as a master of the construction and functions of the component parts of the human body, of the changes induced by the onslaughts of disease, of the defects cast upon them as a legacy by progenitors, and of the vital capacity remaining in them throughout all the vicissitudes of existence. Added to this knowledge he has that remarkable mechanical skill that is an essential element in the success of the surgeon, and moreover his work is permeated at all times by a ready and broad sympathy. Since 1896 he has been at the head of the Sixth Avenue Private Hospital, which he established in that year, and his work in this connection has been extended, varied and important. Dr, Hunt has perhaps the most valuable medical library of any private practitioner of the city, and has been a frequent contributor on surgical subjects to the medical publications of the country. He is, moreover, a member of the board of directors and of the executive committee of the new Grant Hospital is a member of the American Institute of Homeopathy, and a member and ex-president of the Ohio State Homeopathic Society. In 1881 occurred the marriage of Dr. Hunt and Miss Luella J. Kitchen, a native of Clark county, They occupy an enviable position in social circles and are members of the Broad Street Presbyterian church. Dr. Hunt is interested in all that pertains to the welfare and upbuilding of the city, and as a member of the Board of Trade champions various measures for the expansion of the city in lines of trade and commerce. Prominent in Masonry, he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. All interests, however, are secondary with him to his professional service and his unfaltering devotion to his daily duties, and his constant reading and investigations have enabled him to fully meet the highest standard of requirement in the field of his chosen vocation. EDWARD JAMES WILSON, M.D. Dr, Edward James Wilson, standing for all that is highest, best and most progressive in the profession which he has chosen as a life work, has thus inscribed his name high on the roll of eminent physicians and surgeons. He was born August 9, 1855, in Licking county, Ohio, and in the paternal line is of English lineage. His father, Philip Wilson, was a native of Eng- 268 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS land and came to America in 1833. In 1833 he located at Newark, New Jersey, where he engaged in business until his removal to Ohio a short time prior to the Civil war, when he took up his residence in Licking county making it his home until his death, which occurred in 1884 when he was seventy-two years of age. He married Jane Duncan, of Scottish birth and parentage, a representative of the old Duncan clan of the highlands, The marriage was celebrated in England and for many year they traveled life's journey together, being separated by the death of the husband in 1884, Mrs. Wilson survived until 1889 and passed away at the age of seventy years. Dr, Wilson spent his boyhood days in his native county and after mastering the elementary branches of learning taught in the common schools, attended Dennison University at Granville, He devoted four year of his early manhood to the profession of teaching and then took up the study of medicine at Mount Vernon, Ohio, under the direction of Dr, F, C, Larimore in 1875. His collegiate work was done in the Long Island College Hospital at Brooklyn, New York, from which he was graduated with the M. D, degree in 1879. He then entered the hospital as house surgeon until 1881 and thus added to his theoretical training the broad and varied practical experience of hospital work, Returning to Mount Vernon, he was for more than a year associated in practice with Dr, John W, Russell, after which he came to Columbus and entered the state hospital as assistant physician, A year later he resigned to enter private practice and has since devoted his energies to the profession of medicine, He was elected to the faculty of Starling Medical College in 1892 as professor of obstetrics and served until 1900, when he retired. In 1902 he was made a member of the state medical board, which position he still fills and he is medical director of the Midland Mutual Life Insurance Company, He has been an occasional contributor to the current literature of the profession and is a member of various medical organizations which were formed for the promulgation of knowledge among the profession through the interchange of thought and experience, While his professional duties have made constant and strenuous demands upon his time and energies, Dr, Wilson has nevertheless found opportunity for important and effective public service, About 1882 he was elected a member of, the board of education at Mount Vernon, Ohio, and so continued until he resigned preparatory to removing to Columbus, He was for six years a member of the board of education of this city and during the last year 1892 was president of the board, In politics he is a republican where national issues are involved but local elections find him casting an independent ballot, prompted by his public spirited citizenship and his desire for clean politics, He takes keen interest in municipal affairs, opposes everything that partakes of the nature of maladministration and is equally stalwart in his support of those measures which constitute matters of civic virtue and civic pride, On the 22d of June, 1882, at Mount Vernon. Ohio, Dr, Wilson was married to Miss Sarah J. Tudor,. a daughter of John Tudor, Esq,, of that city. She is very active in the work of St, Paul's Episcopal church and also widely and prominently known in social circles. There are three sons CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 269 of this marriage: Tudor, who is engaged in business in Columbus; Philip Duncan, now a student in Harvard ; and Edward Harlan. The family residence is at No. 594 East Town street, Dr. Wilson having purchased the old Fay property some years ago, He is optimistic, looking always for the beat and brightest and these qualities of his nature are valuable elements in his professional service, He is one of the leading physicians of the city but in all nonprofessional relations is found to be singularly modest and to those who are admitted to share the intimacy of his friendship he often exhibits qualities which others scarcely suspect, He is faithful in his friendships, fixed in an honest hatred of all shams and pretenders and exhibits in every judgment of his mind a strong common sense that illumines every dark corner into which he looks, DEL EUGENE JULIAN. Del Eugene Julian, the president of The Julian-Sargent Company, general insurance agents, was born in Stoutsville, Fairfield county, Ohio, in July, 1858, His great-great-grandfather was a native of France, and the founder of the family in the new world. His great-grandfather, Captain John Julian, was a veteran of the Mexican war and a native of Maryland, His brother, George W. Julian, was also a veteran of the Mexican war, was United States senator, and later ambassador to Mexico, The grandfather of our subject was born in Maryland, where the family was founded in pioneer times. and from his native state removed to Fairfield county, Ohio, becoming one of the early settlers of that locality who aided in reclaiming the wild region for the purposes of civilization, There he reared his family, including W. R, Julian, whose birth occurred in Fairfield county and who on attaining his majority married Miss Esther Courtright, likewise a native of that county and a daughter of Alexander Courtright. of a prominent and well known family there, Del Eugene Julian acquired his education in the common schools of Pickaway county, Ohio, and the high school of South Bloomfield, where he pursued his ,studies to the age of seventeen years, Soon afterward he came to Columbus and entered the employ of Freeman, Staley & Morris, as a clerk in their dry-goods house, where he continued for two years, He was then with his father in the mercantile business at South Bloomfield until 1880, when he turned his attention to the insurance business at Asheville, Pickaway county, Ohio, becoming a local agent. For five years he remained there and during that time enjoyed a constantly growing clientage, In 1885 he went to Washington Court House. Ohio, as district agent for the Franklin Insurance Company. which he thus represented until the latter part of 1886, In November of that year he came to Columbus as state agent for the Franklin Insurance Company, of that city. which he thus represented until 1890. when the company retired from business, Mr, Julian then became state agent for the Liberty Fire Insurance Company of New York, 270 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS so continuing until the retirement of that company in November, 1891. From that date until November, 1902, or for a period of eleven years, he had the general agency for four states for the Union Fire Insurance Company of Philadelphia. In April, 1901, he organized the firm of Julian. Sargent & Company, and began business as a partnership. Incorporation papers were taken out in 1903 under the name of The Julian-Sargent Company, general insurance. The business of this company developed so rapidly that in 1902 Mr. Julian was forced to resign as general agent for the Union Fire Insurance Company and attend to the business of The Julian-Sargent Company. While their growth has been rapid it has also been along substantial lines, theirs being classed among the largest, best known and most important agencies. Other enterprises have felt the stimulus of the active cooperation and keen business sagacity of Mr. Julian, who is now a director of the North Side Savings Bank and has been chairman of its finance committee since its organization. He has been a director and member of important committees of the Park Savings Company for a number of years and was formerly one of the directors and organizers of the Northern Savings Bank. He is likewise a member of the firm of Parker, Julian and Yantis, real-estate owners and dealers, in which connection a profitable business is being conducted. In 1881 Mr. Julian was married to Miss Ida Hines, of Pickaway county, Ohio, and their children are : Loye, now Mrs. O. N. Bostwick, of Mt. Sterling, Ohio; Earl R., assistant cashier of the North Side Savings Bank; and Cecil H., now attending the North Side high school. Mr. Julian is fond of fishing, which is his principal source of recreation. When we investigate his life record and examine into the secret of his success, it will be found that his advancement is due almost entirely to hard work and the intelligent direction of his energies. He early came to understand that the source of power lies within one's self and that opportunity is open to all who will but recognize and utilize it. Making good use of the chances that have come to him he has gradually worked his way upward until his name is now an honored one on commercial paper, and his place in the business world is one of importance. JOHN G. DREHER. Columbus owes much to John G. Dreher for his practical and resultant labors for the improvement of the city parks. Born in Baden, Germany, March 12, 1853, he was brought to this city in 1854 by hi; father, Godfried Dreher, who, on establishing his home in Columbus. engaged in the cooperage business, in which he continued until 1875, manufacturing large barrels and vats for the breweries and other business houses of the city. The later years of his life were spent. in honorable retirement from labor and he passed away June 5, 1905, at the age of eighty-three years. His wife. who bore the maiden PAGE 271 - PICTURE OF JOHN G. DREHER PAGE 272 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 273 name of Maria Magdalene Hauck, was also a native of Germany and died September 9, 1907, when eighty-five years of age. John G. Dreher was reared under the parental roof and pursued his education in the public schools of Columbus, after which he became connected with the business of cultivating flowers and plants. He learned his trade with the Columbus Nursery Company, becoming well known as an expert and successful florist. After he had demonstrated his ability in this line he was given charge of the conservatory and gardens at the insane asylum, thus serving under Mr. Bishop, Mr. Hoadly and others. He was afterward employed for years by different florists of the city, being stationed at the north end of the old Central Market, where he sold the products of various greenhouses for different florists. In 189'6 he was appointed superintendent of the city parks, serving under Mayor Allen and Mayor Black for four years or until 1902, and later under Mayors Hinkle, Jeffrey and Badger until March, 1908. While he had charge of the parks cement walks and other improvements were made at Schiller park, also the entrance to Livingston park, and in many ways the grounds were improved and beautified. At Schiller park he built a fine greenhouse for raising plants for the parks and for all grounds around the city hall, the waterworks and other public places. He has a keen interest in his work because of his love for it and for his profession and the beauties which nature presents in flowers, trees and shrubs. On the 8th of November, 1877, in Columbus, Mr. Dreher was united in marriage to Miss Arvilla Macklin. of Fairfield county, and they have three sons, all residents of Columbus : Arthur C., married Lulu Knowles and is a toolmaker by occupation ; Harry F., a machinist married Henrietta Aller and has one child, Raymond H.; Philip S.. a plumber, married Elizabeth Theobald and has three children : Harry J., Floyd and Harriett S. Mr. Dreher gives his political allegiance to the democracy, being a charter member of the old South Side Democratic Club and was its president for two years. He has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking, but in 1908 was nominated for infirmary director. He has, however, been active in support of the principles in which he believes and is also a progressive citizen, doing what he can for public improvement and for the advancement of the city's interest. EDWIN R. SHARP. Edwin R. Sharp has gained distinctive recognition as one of the leading bankers and business men of Columbus, having shown marked capacity for the successful conduct of affairs of great breadth. His activity and correct judgment concerning industrial and financial questions has led to his classification with the city's captains of industry. As president of the ,State Saving: Bank & Trust Company and as an officer in other financial institutions and business enterprises he is daily brought into contact with the prominent men of the city, who acknowledge him the peer of the ablest. 274 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS Mr. Sharp is a native of Franklin county, his birth having occurred in Groveport on the 24th of October, 1855. His father, Abram Sharp, was also born in Franklin county, his natal year being 1819. The paternal grandfather, John Sharp, came from Barks county, Pennsylvania, and settled in Franklin county soon after the opening of the nineteenth centum the year of his arrival being 1809. Central Ohio was then largely an unbroken wilderness and John Sharp, who was a civil engineer, became employed in his professional capacity as one of those who made the surveys for the National Road, one of the first great public improvements of the country. He was a notable man in his day and took a most active and effective part in the early development and progress of this portion of the state. The work b gun by the grandfather and carried on by the father, both of whom paved away in Franklin county, is now being continued by Edwin R. sharp, although different environment calls forth different qualities in the solution of business problems which have been evolved in the progress of civilization and advancement. After acquiring his education in the public schools of Columbus, Edwin R. Sharp entered upon his business career as a messenger boy in the Commercial Bank and by successive promotions passed through the various positions to that of teller. He remained in that institution until 1892, when he resigned for the purpose of organizing the State Savings Bank 'k Trust Company. His previous experience had given him broad knowledge of the banking business, while his economy, careful expenditure and safe investment had brought him a substantial capital. Of the new institution he became cashier and thus served until 1902, when following the death of W. A. Hardesty, who had been president of the bank since its organization, Mr. Sharp was elected to the presidency and has since continued as the chief executive officer with a deciding voice in all matters of vital moment to the institution. The house conducts a general banking and trust business. is capitalized for two hundred thousand dollars and has a surplus of one hundred thousand dollars. From the beginning it has proved one of the prosperous moneyed institutions of the city and has rapidly advanced to a prominent place in financial circles, for they who are at its head are men of broad and liberal experience in banking business, while the safe, conservative policy which they inaugurated and have always maintained commends them to the confidence and support of the general public. To establish and successfully control such an institution would be regarded as a creditable life work by many but this has not been the limit of Mr. Sharp's activities, other enterprises having been stimulated by his cooperation and sound judgment. For one year he was president of the State Bank Association and is an officer and director of the Columbus Machine Company and of the Scioto Traction Company. In 1881 Mr. Sharp was united in marriage to Miss Flora. Field. of Columbus, and they have two children. Edwin R. and Esther D. The family attend the Broad Street Presbyterian church, with which Mr. Sharp holds membership. For many years following it organization he served as its treasurer and as a member of it board of trustees:, thus continuing until CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 275 1904. He has been treasurer of the Board of Trade since 1896 and has been an investor in various local enterprises with a view to placing them upon a sound financial basis. He is interested in all that pertains to the city's welfare, rejoicing in its progress along social and civic, intellectual and moral lines. He is now serving on the board of trustees and is also vice president and treasurer of the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts. He likewise belongs to the Ohio Club, to the Arlington Club and the Columbus Country Club and his cooperation is eagerly sought in all social, civic and business affairs in which he becomes interested. Advancement might well be termed the watchword of his life. It has been manifest in his business, his social and public relations. He has wrought well for his day and for succeeding generations and seems to have accomplished at any one point in his career the possibilities for successful accomplishment at this point. WARREN G. BANCROFT. The name of Bancroft has figured in the commercial circles of Columbus since 1849 and has ever been synonymous with progression, enterprise and laudable determination. Warren G. Bancroft, as president and general manager of the Bancroft Brothers Jewelry Company, is classed with the leading merchants of this city and in his career, crowned with honor and success, he has displayed many sterling qualities which may well serve as a source of inspiration to those who desire honorable prosperity. His path has never been strewn with the wreck of other men's fortunes and at the same time he has held to high standards in mercantile life and achieved excellent results. A resident of the capital city from his birth to the present time, he represents one of the old families of the state, known in Ohio for more than a century. It was in the year 1805 that his great-grandfather removed from Massachusetts to Ohio, settling at Granville. His ancestors had lived in New England for several generations and had previously been connected with the pioneer experiences and early development of that section of the country. In the beginning of the nineteenth century Ethan Bancroft was a factor in the early development of Ohio, particularly Licking county, where he reared his family. His grandson. Alva. H. Bancroft, was born in the village of Granville, April 13, 1833, and at the age of sixteen years came to Columbus, at which time he secured employment in the store of Peter Bain, one of the early merchants of the city. When his labors and economy had brought him sufficient capital he embarked in business on his own account, meeting with success in his undertakings and enlarging his facilities from time to time until he became one of the prominent and prosperous business men of this city. He married Fanny M. Smith, of New Albany, Franklin county, Ohio, where her father, James Smith. had settled in pioneer times. The death of Mrs. Bancroft occurred December 12, 1867, while Mr. Bancroft, surviving her for almost forty years. passed away in March. 1907. 276 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS Born in Columbus on the 8th of August, 1856, Warren G. Bancroft pursued his education in the public schools and made his initial step in the business world as an employe of D. L. Auld, a well known and successful jeweler of this city. Under his direction Mr. Bancroft mastered the jewelry trade and after thorough preliminary training engaged in business on his own account in 1897 in association with his brother, A. H. Bancroft, Jr. Thus was formed the present well known Bancroft Brothers Jewelry Company and in the intervening years they have built up a magnificent trade, their store being one of the most attractive on High street, owing to its tasteful and artistic arrangement and the high class goods which are carried. The business methods of the house, too, commend it to the confidence and patronage of the public, for at no time have they swerved from the strictest commercial ethics but on the contrary have based their actions upon the rules which govern strict integrity, indefatigable enterprise and close application. The Bancroft establishment has in recent years largely established the standard for mercantile activity of similar character in Columbus. On January 3, 1884, Warren G. Bancroft was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Wagner, a daughter of C. A. Wagner, one of the pioneer residents of this city. They now have two children, Robert A. and Katherine W., while another son, Ethan L., died February 4, 1908, at the age of fifteen years. Mr. Bancroft has never been an active participant in political work nor sought to figure in public office, yet he has not been oblivious to the duties of citizenship nor failed to give generous support to many measures for the public good. In the legitimate channels of business he has sought his success, avoiding the extremes of poverty and of unnecessary wealth, desirous, however, of obtaining a competence amply sufficient to supply his family with the comforts of life and the opportunities for intellectual culture. JOHN T. CARDING. John T. Carding, president of the Carding Coal Company, was born in Staffordshire, England, February 20, 1876, and was brought to America by his father in 1880, when but four years of age. The family came at once to Ohio, settling in Perry county, where the father engaged in general merchandising, and also became connected with coal mining interests. In 1901 he organized the Carding Coal Company at Columbus, continuing at the head of this business until his death, which occurred in this city in 1904. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Ellen Cooper, was also a native of England. Reared under the parental roof, John T. Carding pursued his education in the public schools of Perry county, and when he put aside his textbooks became his father's assistant in the general mercantile store, thus receiving his early business training. Later when his father established the Carding Coal Company in Columbus, he became a factor therein and since CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 277 his father's death has succeeded to the presidency. His financial connections are important and extensive, and in business circles he is numbered as a prominent factor, not only by reason of the large interests which he controls, but also owing to the fact that his judgment is ever sound and reliable and his discernment keen and accurate. He is today president of the Union Coal Mining Company, the Dean Coal Company, and the John T. Carding Realty Company, in which connection he is closely associated with the development of the rich coal deposits of the state and is also the owner of much valuable property from which he derives a substantial annual income. On the 19th of November, 1907, Mr. Carding was married to Miss Florence DeWese, of Columbus, and they are prominent in the social circles of the city, the hospitality of many of the best homes being freely accorded them. Mr. Carding stands as a splendid example of the man whose force of character and undaunted enterprise have constituted the foundation upon which they have builded their success. Leaving school at the age of thirteen years, he has steadily worked his way upward, undeterred by the obstacles and difficulties which are always a feature of every business career. These have seemed to serve to him as a stimulus for renewed effort and he stands as a splendid example of the ideal progressive American business man who in legitimate lines of trade makes good use of his opportunities .until his attainments in the business world are such as win him the admiration and respect of colleagues and contemporaries. IRA JACOB MIZER, M.D. Dr. Ira Jacob Mizer, a representative of the medical fraternity of Columbus, is a native of Chili, Coshocton county, Ohio, his birth having there occurred in 1873. His great-grandfather, Jacob Mizer, removed to Coshocton county from Pennsylvania at a very early day in the history of that section. The father William M. followed the occupation of farming and afterward engaged in business in the city of Coshocton while subsequently he removed to Dennison and in 1881 came to Columbus, being employed in the Hocking Valley Railroad shops of this city for twenty years. He married Priscilla Lenhart, a native of Chili, Ohio. Dr. Mizer was educated in the public schools of his native town, in the Dennison high school and in the Ohio State University, spending, however, but one term in the last named institution. He then took up the study of medicine and was graduated from the Ohio Medical University in 1902 but in the meantime had had considerable experience in the business world. He first engaged as stenographer with the Peruna Company and for ten years was its secretary. Becoming interested in the science of medicine he made preparation for practice and following his graduation opened an office in the capital city on the corner of Frankfort and High streets. He afterward spent two years in other localities but returned here and is now an active 278 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS member of the medical fraternity of Columbus. He largely promoted his efficiency during one year and a half passed in New York, in pursuing a post-graduate course and in hospital work, where he came under the instruction of some of the most eminent surgeons of the eastern metropolis. For two years he was connected with the faculty of the Ohio State Medical Society but now gives his attention exclusively to his private practice which is constantly growing. Dr. Mizer is a thirty-second degree Mason and also belongs to the Elks lodge and the Knights of Pythias fraternity. He is the only physician holding membership with the United Commercial Travelers, belonging to Canton Council, No. 46. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party and he has always been very active in its support since attaining adult age. At this writing he is president of the South Side Democratic Club and puts forth every effort in his power to secure the success of his party and the adoption of its principles. He was married in Columbus to Miss Ila May Martin, of Winton county and they are well known in the social circles of the city, having many friends who esteem them for their many sterling traits of character. In a profession where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit Dr. Mizer has made steady progress, an ability which he has displayed, gaining him a constantly growing patronage. ALBERT BACHMAN. That Franklin county offers excellent opportunity to the agriculturist is indicated by the fact that so many of her native born sons remain within her borders, and this is true of Albert Bachman, who was born on a farm in Madison township, March 20, 1857, and has made farming his life occupation. He is a son of the late Jacob Bachman, who was born in Alstadt, near Zweibrucken, Bavaria, Germany, March 1, 1831. He was baptized and confirmed in the faith of the Mennonite church in 1849 and set sail for America on the 15th of June, 1851. Arriving in New York on the 1st of August, he immediately made his way on to Columbus, Ohio, arriving there on the 6th of that month. He was married April 1, 1855, to Miss Margaret Kolb and they had a family of eleven children, of whom ten still survive. With the exception of one year after arriving in America, he spent the remainder of his life in Franklin county and became a resident of Madison township in 1859 and here followed farming until his death, which occurred September 23, 1889, when he was fifty-eight years, six months and twentytwo days old. He became a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church soon after his arrival in this country and ever remained true to his professions. He always enjoyed the best of health, his last illness being of but few days duration. He expressed a willingness to die and at his request on Sunday morning, the day prior to his death, holy communion was administered to him, and his last hours were peacefully parsed, patiently awaiting his entrance into the home beyond. He is still survived by his widow and PAGE 279 - PICTURE OF MR. AND MRS. ALBERT BACHMAN PAGE 280 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 281 their ten children, namely : Caroline ; Albert, of this review ; Mrs. Mary Ballmer; Rev. C. W. Bachman; J. L., a practicing attorney of Columbus; J. F.; Mrs. Louisa Schacht; H. H., a resident of Wayne county, Ohio; Samuel, who makes his home in Fairfield county, this state; and Mrs. Emma Rush. Albert Bachman, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared as a farm lad, early becoming familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He has worked his way steadily upward, improving each opportunity as it presented, and today he owns and occupies a beautiful country home and has one hundred and twenty acres of land, situated in Madison township, one mile from Canal Winchester. Here he is engaged in general farming and his fields being under a high state of cultivation are very productive and yield abundant harvests each year. He also owns eighty acres of land in Fairfield county, this state, and from this he derives a good rental. His success may be attributed entirely to his own labors and well managed business affairs. Mr. Bachman was married September 3, 1882, to Miss Sophia Mondhank, who was born March 20, 1858, being born on the same day of the month as her husband. They have a son and daughter, Chester Vernon and Minnie Ethel. Both are graduates of the Canal Winchester high school, and the son is now preparing for the medical profession, having spent one year in Ohio Medical University of Columbus. The daughter is a talented musician and is also well educated, being at the present time a student in Westerville. Mr. Bachman is a democrat and has always been active in public affairs. He served as township trustee for seven and a half years and as a member of the school board for more than twelve years, while for fifteen years he was trustee of the cemetery. For eight years he was judge of the election board and for the past four years has been presiding judge. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Lutheran church. While acquiring success in life he has also gained and retained the respect and honor of his fellowmen by his public service and private life, and all who know him feel honored by his friendship. SIMEON NASH. The name Nash has long figured conspicuously in connection with the history of jurisprudence in Ohio, and Simeon Nash of this review is a representative of the present generation at the bar of Columbus. His grandfather, in whose honor he was named, was one of the distinguished lawyers and jurists of Ohio, widely known as the author of "Code Pleadings" and other legal works, while on the bench he gained distinction as one of the ablest and most impartial jurists whose records have graced the Ohio courts. His son. Simeon Nash, father of the subject of this review, was born in Gallipolis, Ohio, and came of the same ancestry as the late Governor Nash. He 282 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS married Minerva Tupper Nye, a native of Zanesville, Ohio, and a descendant of General Benjamin Tupper, one of the first settlers at Marietta, Ohio. It was in the Putnam Military Academy at Zanesville that Simeon Nash, now of Columbus, pursued his education until he completed the course by graduation with the class of 1895. He afterward entered the Ohio State University and was graduated in 1901, at which time the Bachelor of Arts degree was conferred upon him, while in 1904 he received the Bachelor of Law degree from his Alma hater. At his graduation he carried off the prize offered for the best thesis-a set of the American and English Cyclopedia offered by the Edward Thompson Publishing House. While he is one of the younger members of the bar, he has proven that he possesses qualities which will lead to success and his friends predict for him a bright future. He was for a time associated with the firm of Merrick & Williams and is now connected with the law firm of Williams, Williams & Taylor, successor of the former firm. Mr. Nash is widely known in military circles, as a member of Troop B of the Ohio National Guard and in 1908 spent two months in Brown county with a special detail of the guard to break up the outrages being perpetrated by the so-called "Night Riders," a band of lawless characters who pretended to be engaged in reforming alleged abuses in the tobacco trade but were probably more largely engaged in satiating a private and cowardly revenge. Mr. Nash belongs to both the Ohio and the Franklin County Bar Associations. In fraternal relations he is connected with the Columbus Lodge, A. F. & A. M. and something of the nature of his recreation is indicated in his membership in the Columbus Riding Club. He also belongs to the Second Presbyterian church, in which he is serving as deacon. J. A. McCLURE, M. D. Dr. J. A. McClure, a well known and successful practitioner of medicine in Columbus, was born at West Middletown, Pennsylvania, September 1, 1855, his parents being R. B. and Letitia (Templeton) McClure, also natives of that place. The father, who was a man of much inventive genius, made the first thresher and separator ever built and manufactured, and sold it for forty years, gradually improving it until it reached a high state of perfection. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, and his demise occurred in 1900 at the age of eighty-two years. He had long survived his wife, who was called to her final rest in 1873, when forty-six years of age. Dr. J. A. McClure acquired his preliminary education in the public schools of the Keystone state, afterward attended Pleasant Hill Academy and then taught school for several years. Determining upon the practice of medicine as a life work, he entered the medical department of Wooster University, from which he was graduated in 1881. Throughout the following twelve years he labored as a physician in Greene county, Ohio, enjoying an CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 283 extensive patronage in recognition of his skill and ability. He pursued a post-graduate course in Philadelphia in 1893 and in that year located in Columbus, having since been successfully engaged in the line of his chosen vocation. Through his connection with the Columbus Academy of Medicine. the State Medical Society and the American Medical Association he keeps, in close touch with the progress that is continually being Trade in the profession and is highly esteemed throughout this city as a worthy representative of his calling. In 1880 Dr. McClure was joined in wedlock to Miss Ina H. Donaldson, a native of Penn: Pennsylvania, by whom he has six children : Roy D., who is a graduate of Johns Hopkins Medical College; Robert; Carl; James A., Jr.; Mary E.; and Erdine. JOSEPH A. GODOWN. Joseph A. Godown, attorney at law of Columbus, was born on a farm in Franklin county, Ohio, June 24, 1872, his parents being James and Mary (Roberts) Godown who were natives of Ohio. The father, devoting his attention to general agricultural pursuits throughout his entire life, still resides on the home farm. It was there that Joseph A. Godown was reared and the country schools afforded him his educational advantages. In early manhood he engaged in teaching for three years, but regarded this as the initial step to other professional labor, and as a preparation for the practice of law he later matriculated in the Ohio State University, being graduated therefrom in 1899. Prior to this he took a course of preparatory law and journalism. Following his admission to the bar he has since engaged in practice in Columbus, and for three years was associated with the firm of Merrick & Thompkins. He has built up a lucrative law practice. Earnest effort, close application and the exercise of his native talents have won him prestige as a lawyer of Columbus and at the bar he is numbered among eminent and prominent men. In 1903 Mr. Godown was married to Miss Rachael Linton, of Columbus and they have one son, Joseph L. Mr. Godown is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in hearty sympathy with its beneficent principles and purposes. EUGENE A. REED, JR. Eugene A. Reed, Jr., division superintendent of the Central Union Telephone Company, early learned the valuable lesson of life that efficient service is a sure foundation upon which to build promotion and business advancement, and, throughout his entire career, by his faithfulness and capability, he has worked his way upward. A native of Boston, Massachu- 284 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS setts, he was born February 9, 1871, a son of Eugene A. and Anna. J. (Mathews) Reed, who were also natives of Massachusetts, the mother born in Boston, both of whom are still living, the father being a government employe having been in the service half a century. Eugene A. Reed, Jr. had the benefit of instruction in the public schools of his native city and the Boston Latin School, after which he entered Harvard University and was graduated within its classic walls, with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1892. He also spent one year as a student in Harvard Law School and then entered the service of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company at Boston, in March, 1894, being in charge of their long distance operating station in that city. He was promoted through successive positions as he demonstrated his ability to handle the work entrusted to him and in 1899 was transferred to the New York office of the company, where he remained until 1903. In that year he left the employ of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company and came to Columbus in the service of the Central Union Telephone Company as division superintendent, in which position he has since continued, being in general charge of the company's business in this division with the supervision over all lines in Ohio except Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Clarmont and Butler counties and a few counties on the eastern border of the state. His entire business experience has been in this department of activity, wherein his efficiency has constantly increased as his experience extended, his present position being one of large responsibility. On the 30th of November, 1897, Mr. Reed was married to Miss Addie M. Phillips, of Boston. He is a member of the Columbus and the Ohio Clubs and of the Harvard Club of Central Ohio. Friends find him a man of social, genial nature in whom learning and culture have vied in making an entertaining and interesting gentleman. SIDNEY ALLEN McMANIGAL. Sidney Allen McManigal is one of the best known representatives of the coal trade in central Ohio, being now president of the W. J. Hamilton Coal Company, president of the Twentieth Century Coal Company, the Menker Run Coal Company, the Ximena Home Building Company, vice president and director of the General Zinc & Lead Company of Joplin, Missouri, and secretary and treasurer of the Colima Export Timber Company. He may aptly be termed a man of purpose, and the capable control which he has shown in formulating plans and managing extensive interests has gained him classification with the captains of industry of central Ohio. His birth occurred in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, in August, 180-7. His father, Robert McManigal, a native of the same locality, devoted his attention to farming and was a prosperous and successful agriculturist in that section. He came of Scotch and Irish lineage, possessing many of the sterling characteristics of an ancestry of that strong combination. At one time he served CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 285 as sheriff of the county. His death occurred in May, 1857, when he was yet in middle life. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Bill, was a native of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and died in 1890, having survived him for about a third of a century. Sidney Allen McManigal was reared on a farm in Mfflin county, Pennsylvania, and attended the district schools of that locality to the age of fourteen years. He then left home and went to LaGrange, Tennessee, where he secured a clerkship in a general store, which was an adjunct of the LaGrange Iron Works. When, in the battle of life, the city boy crosses swords with the country lad, the odds are against him. The early rising, the daily tasks, the economical habits of the country boy all prepare him for the struggle that must precede ascendancy. Mr. McManigal was fortunate in that his early environment was that of the farm, inculcating habits and principles that have constituted the basis of his later success. That his employers found him both capable and reliable is indicated by the fact that he remained with the company for seven years, or until twenty-one years of age, during which time he was variously promoted, eventually becoming the secretary of the LaGrange Iron Company. On attaining his majority he turned his attention to the iron business, mining and shipping ore at Paynes Landing, Tennessee, on the Tennessee river, under the name of the S. A. McManigal & Company. The firm also dealt in dry goods, groceries and provisions, and continued in business there until 1882. In that year Mr. McManigal removed to Moxahala, Ohio, and became assistant manager of the Moxahala Iron Company, manufacturers of pig iron. He continued in that connection until March, 1883, when he entered the employ of the Columbus & Hocking Coal & Iron Company, a consolidation of all coal and iron interests of the Hocking valley, organized by General Samuel Thomas. Mr. McManigal became auditor in the headquarters at Columbus and there remained until 1903, or for a period of twenty years. During this time he was promoted through successive positions of trust and responsibility until he became vice president and treasurer of the company. Severing his connection therewith in 1903, he then organized the Maple Hill Coal Company, miners and shippers of coal, and has continued as president to this time, 1909. He also organized the Keokee Oil Company, operating near Lima. Ohio, and was president of that concern until he sold his interest. He likewise organized the Perry Home & Building Company for the purpose of building houses for miners in Perry county, Ohio, and became president and director of the company. In 1905 he reorganized the W. J. Hamilton Coal Company with headquarters at Columbus, a community of interests in connection with the Twentieth Century Coal Company and the Maple Hill Company, Mr. McManigal becoming president and director of the Hamilton Coal Company. Seeing opportunity for further extension of his interests in the development of the coal fields of Ohio, in 1907 he organized the Menker Run Coal Company, of which he is president and director. He likewise organized the Ximena Home Building Company, which operates in Columbus, building houses for rent or sale. Of this he is also director and chief executive, while he occupies the position of vice president and director 286 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS in the General Zinc & Lead Company of Joplin, Missouri, operating zinc and lead mines. He is likewise the secretary and treasurer of the Colima Export Timber Company, operating in the state of Michercan, Mexico, and furnishing timber for the export trade. Each step in his career has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities and he ha made continuous advance, utilizing the chances which have come to hint fur the extension of his business relations, until he now controls mammoth interests, bringing him a most satisfactory annual revenue. In January, 1890, Mr. McManigal was married to Miss Xinena Pratt, of Columbus, who died in July, 1906. They had one child, Allen P., born in September, 1896. He is a valued member of several leading social organizations, including the Columbus Club, the Arlington Country Club, the Ohio Club, the Columbus Country Club, and the Ohio Club of New York city. He has attained the thirty-second degree in Scottish Rite Masonry and is a member of Aladdin Temple of the Mystic Shrine. In politics he is a republican and he attends the Presbyterian church. A lover of fine horses, his success has enabled him to indulge his taste in this respect and he always has in his stable some splendid specimen of the noble steed. While no complete or adequate estimate can be put upon his life work, from the fact that it is continually broadening in its scope, there are certain deductions to be drawn from what he has accomplished and the methods he has followed. Undoubtedly one of the strong factors in his success lies in the fact that he hots continued largely in one line-the handling of coal and iron. Starting as auditor with the Hocking Coal & Iron Company, in less than twenty years he practically controlled this mammoth concern. He utilized every opportunity for purchasing stock therein and at all times studied the best methods for continuing the business and broadening and extending its trade relations. His life work is another illustration of the fact, that "The man who wins is the man who works." JAMES PERRY HAZELTON. While the field of business is limitless and its prizes are many, it is also a well known fact that they are to be won only through persistency of purpose and unfaltering diligence, and in the cultivation of these qualities Mr. Hazelton has gained a foremost place in business circles, his investments now yielding him gratifying profit, while he enjoys in full measure the admiration and respect of his colleagues and associates. He was born in what is now Coal township, Perry county, Ohio, May 7, 1860. The Hazelton family comes from the north of England and the south of Scotland and the name was originally spelled Hazeldean. Two brothers, John and Robert, came to this country in 1637, settling in Vermont, while later John went with the William Penn colony to Pennsylvania and became the founder of the branch of the family to which James P. Hazelton belongs. The great-grandfather of our subject received several grants of land from the PAGE 287 - PICTURE OF J. P. HAZELTON PAGE 288 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 289 United States and to manage and cultivate his property interests settled near Thornville in Perry county. Ohio. This was during the pioneer epoch in the history of the state and he became a famous hunter, having ample opportunity to indulge his skill with the rifle, for the forests sheltered many wild animals as well as much wild game. Henry Hazelton, the grandfather. was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1790. He participated in the war of 1812. remaining a member of the army from the beginning of hostilities until their cessation and at the close of the war he was elected a. captain. In the year 1817 he removed westward to Ohio, settling in Perry county, and was identified with its pioneer development and farming interests for many years. His death occurred in 1876. Harrison Hazelton, the father was born in Perry county, June 17, 1821, and was reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life to the occupation of farming, which he always followed as a source of livelihood. As the years passed his work in the fields brought to him substantial returns, for he annually gathered good harvests that found a ready sale on the market. He married Miss Lovina Marlow, who was born near Maxville, Perry county, in 1834. They long traveled life's ,journey together, but were separated by the death of the husband. who passed away on the 23d of November, 1899. Mrs. Hazelton is still living. Her people came from Londoun county, Virginia, to Perry county, Ohio, as pioneer residents there. Her father was Hensen Marlow and her brother, well known in the public life of the community, served for six years as county clerk. James P. Hazelton was reared to the occupation of farming, working in the fields until he reached the age of twenty. When the farm labors were largely suspended, owing to the approaching winter season, he became a pupil in the district schools and later attended the high school at New Straitsville. Ohio. For two years in early manhood he engaged in teaching school and was later a book agent or canvasser. Subsequently he was given a position as district agent for the purpose of establishing agencies for different book houses and he continued in that business until 1884. In January. 1885. he formed a partnership with Henry Spencer under the firm style of Spencer & Hazelton for the purpose of operating in the coal fields. having a mine between Shawnee and New Straitsville, known as the Spencer & Hazelton mine. They also conducted a general mercantile store in New Straitsville and the partnership was continued with mutual pleasure and profit for twenty-two and a half years. Mr. Hazelton then withdrew but the business is still continued by Mr. Spencer. In 1890 Mr. Hazelton began the manufacture of paving brick, conducting that business until 1895, when the company began an the manufacture of building brick. In the winter of 1898 he organized the Columbus Face Brick Company, manufacturing what is known as the "ironclay brick." Mr. Hazelton was vice president of the company and manager of the plant until 1900, when he severed his connections with the business, which however. is still conducted under the name of the Iron Clay Brick Company. For many years Mr. Hazelton has maintained an office in Columbus, although retaining his re residence in New Straitsville. In September. 1907. 290 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS however, he removed his family to the capital city. Since withdrawing from the field of brick manufacture he has given his time and attention to the development of his coal properties and leases and carries on extensive operations in this line. In 1905 he became vice president of the Dorr Run Coal Company, having properties located near Nelsonville, Ohio, covering an area of eight hundred and sixty-four acre:. This coal field is all leased on royalties. In 1907 Mr. Hazelton organized the Starr Coal & Land Company, owning fifteen hundred acres of coal land near Starr in Hocking county, Ohio. He is also vice president and general manager of the company. which leases its lands on royalty. In 1908 he organized the Reed Coal & Laud Company, having properties in the Pocahontas coal fields in McDowell county, West Virginia, along the Norfolk & Western Railroad. They have twelve hundred and seventy-one acres under contractor's lease yielding royalties and in this business Mr. Hazelton is also an active executive force. being vice president and general manager of the company. He is also interested in several other projects which are good dividend paying concerns but is perhaps most widely known in connection with his operations a a representative of the coal interests of the state. On the 17th of June, 1886, Mr. Hazelton was married to Miss Emma M. McKellar. of Wheeling, West Virginia. a daughter of George McKellar, a florist, who was born in Paisley, Scotland and carne to this country with his brothers in the early '40s. Prior to going to Wheeling, he lived for a time at Chillicothe, Ohio, and was engaged as a florist and gardener. The mother of Mrs. Hazelton was descended from the Churchills of New Hampshire. The children born to our subject and his wife are Cordelia L., Ernest E.. Julia, Mary, Thelma, Lucille. Helen and Kirk. Mr. Hazelton belongs to the various Masonic bodies. holding membership relations with the lodge at New Straitsville, the chapter at Nelsonville and with Mount Vernon Commandery. K. T.. at Columbus. His rise in the business world has been gradual and has been the logical sequence of well directed effort and fit utilization of opportunities. W. J. GREEN, M.D. The attractiveness of Ohio as a place of residence is perhaps best indicated in the fact that many of her citizens remain here from infancy to old age and enjoy the opportunities and advantages which she offers and at the same time contribute to her further upbuilding and development. To this class belongs Dr. W. J. Green, who was born near Hebron in Licking county, Ohio, December 28, 1851. His father. Jonathan S. Green. was a native of Knox county, Ohio, and the grandfather of Dr. Green in the paternal line belonged to the Hunt family. one of the prominent pioneer families of the state in whose honor Hunt Station was named. His father was a. veteran of the war of 1812. Coming to Ohio when it was a frontier district he became a well known follower of Nimrod, possessing great skill as a huntsman. He CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 291 had ample opportunity to indulge his love of that sport for the forests abounded in wild animals, deer and many kinds of wild game. He made friends with the Indians, always treated them justly and they entertained for him such trust and regard that when he was absent during the war of 1812 they did many acts of kindness for his wife, such as supplying her with game, etc. Jonathan S. Green was a soldier of the Civil war, serving for four years or until after the close of hostilities, as a member of Company K, Twenty-fourth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was mustered out as sergeant and returned home with a most creditable military record for he had bravely faced the enemy on many a hotly contested battle field. He married Eliza Peer, a native of Virginia and a representative of one of the old families of that state. She came to Ohio during her girlhood days with her father, Jacob, who followed farming near Hebron. Her death occurred in 1870 and Jonathan S. Green survived for about twelve years, passing away in 1882. Dr. Green was one of a. family of four sons and two daughters of whom four are yet living. He pursued his education in the public schools of Licking county and under private instruction. It was through self-denial. hard work and close application that he obtained his education for the death of hiss parents when he was comparatively young left him with many cares upon his .shoulders. Taking up the study of medicine in 1870 at Homer, Ohio. He afterward matriculated in the Columbus Medical College from which he was graduated in 1881. He then located for practice at Woodstock. Ohio, where he remained for ten years while later he spent a short time in Delaware. Ohio. but hearing and heeding the call of the city he came to Columbus in 1894 and has been in active practice here continuously since. he has served on the staff of Grant Hospital and has enjoyed a liberal private practice which has made his business a profitable one. In 1871 Dr. Green was married to Miss Lena Dailey, a native of Licking county, Ohio. and unto them were born five children, but Bernie and Lida M.. the two eldest are now deceased. The others are Nellie J.. Lennie D. and Ivan L. Dr. Green is a member of the 'Masonic lodge. chapter and council, while in professional lines he is connected with the Columbus Medical Society and the North Side Medical Society. He has become well known in Columbus and is gaining many friends here. GEORGE B. THOMPSON. The capital city numbers George B. Thompson among her prominent attorneys. a position to which he ha attained through his own well directed efforts. for wealth and influence avail little or naught in this profession. Success at law is dependent entirely upon the intellect as manifest in close and careful analysis. logical deductions and correct application of the legal principles. Mr. Thompson is one of Ohio's native sons. his birth having: 292 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS occurred in Scioto township, Pickaway county, January 3, 1862, his parents being Thomas and Frances E. (Pratt) Thompson, who were also natives of Scioto township. The father, who devoted his entire life to farming, lived and died in Pickaway county. His paternal grandfather was Thomas Thompson, a Scotch-Irishman who removed from western Pennsylvania to Ohio about the time the state was admitted to the Union, and cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers of Pickaway county who were reclaiming the wild, unimproved region for the purpose of cultivation. It was not long after this that Elias Pratt, the maternal grandfather of George B. Thompson, arrived from Virginia and thus on both the paternal and maternal sides the subject of this review is descended from old families closely associated with Ohio's history throughout the period of its statehood. Farm life early became familiar to George B. Thompson as he assisted in the work of the fields through the periods of vacation. During the school seasons he pursued his education and after leaving the district school became a pupil in the State Normal School at Terre Haute, Indiana, also spending one year in the Ohio State University. He was further identified with educational pursuits as a teacher, following the profession in the northern part of the county for several years. In 1896 Mr. Thompson was elected clerk of the court of Pickaway county and was reelected in the year 1899, serving altogether for seven years, holding over for one year as his successor, elected in 1902, did not qualify for the office. In the meantime he began reading law and was admitted to the bar in 1905, since which time he has practiced in Columbus. He also studied law at Ada (Ohio) Law School where he received the degree of Bachelor of Law. He has continued in active practice in the capital city for more than three years, being now a member of the firm of Thompson & Slabaugh. What he is doing in his profession shows that his preparation was thorough and that he never enters the courtroom without being well qualified for defense as well as attack. His practice is continually increasing in volume and importance as the public recognizes his ability to handle important litigation. Mr. Thompson is a valued member of various Masonic bodies being well known as a Knight Templar Mason. He is recognized as a genuine gentleman of unfailing courtesy, and prompted by a commendable ambition he is working his way steadily upward at the bar. JAMES H. BUTLER. Carlyle has said that "biography is the most profitable and the most interesting of all reading." One can scarcely consider the life record of a, successful man, whose advancement has been honorably achieved, without feeling inspired to emulate his example and follow the methods he has taken to win success. There is much of interest in the history of James H. Butler to him who desires to profit by the lessons of life and make the most of his opportunities. Mr. Butler is now associated with various busi- CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 293 ness concerns which are factors in the commercial development and consequent prosperity of Columbus, as well as elements in his individual success. He was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, October 1, 1854, where his father, Edward Butler, a native of Virginia, is living at the advanced age of eighty-four years. The Butler family, however, were among the pioneer residents of the Old Dominion state, and in his early manhood Edward Butler wedded Miss Lucy Fenton, a native of Virginia, where her people had located at an early date. Spending his youth as a member of his father's household, James H. Butler was sent as a pupil to the public schools of Wheeling, West Virginia, and therein mastered the different branches of learning as taught in consecutive grades. After leaving school he became manager of the Singer Sewing Machine Company in Zanesville, Ohio, where he remained for fifteen years in that position. He also represented the company in Columbus, coming to this city in 1888, at which time he took charge of its interests here. On severing his connection with that firm he became secretary and treasurer of the Security & Investment Company, conducting a brokerage business in security loans on real estate, stocks and bonds, and is also president of the Progress Publishing Company, and these two interests make heavy claims upon his time and energies, since his business in both lines is constantly growing and constitutes an important factor in commercial and financial circles of the city. In 1880 Mr. Butler was married to Miss Rettie E. Simons of Cambridge, Ohio, a daughter of John Simons, who was engaged in the foundry business at that place. Their children are Byrle B., now the wife of Karl G. Agler, and James Egar, who is pursuing a law course in the Ohio State University. Mr. Butler is well known in the Ohio and Columbus Country Clubs, in which he is numbered as a. valued member, and also belongs to the First Baptist church, in which he is serving as a trustee. The principles which have actuated him in all of his relations with his fellowmen are such as establish confidence and regard in every land and clime. He has based his business conduct upon the rules which govern strict and unswerving integrity. nor has he ever believed that success in business is the result of genius, but recognizes it for what it is, the result of experience and industry. FRED S. HATCH. Fred S. Hatch, who has made steady progress toward the front rank of the legal fraternity since his admission to the bar in 1880, has practiced continuously in Columbus since 1894. He was born at Lyndeboro, New Hampshire, March 5, 1859 a son of Charles G. and Elizabeth (Blanchard) Hatch. The father was a successful carriage manufacturer of the old Granite state, where he died in 1901. His widow still survives. Their ancestors were among those who fought for American liberty in the Revolutionary war. both families being represented at the battle of Bunker Hill, while 294 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS the paternal and maternal grandfather were participants as well in the battle of Lexington. The Hatch family was likewise represented in Braddock's Indian war. In the common schools of New Hampshire, Fred S. Hatch acquired his literary education and afterward read law in the office of Wadleigh Wallace of Milford, New Hampshire, one of the most successful law firms in the state. Under their direction he continued his studies from 1876 until 1880 and had the benefit of thorough and systematic training. The senior partner was United States senator and the junior partner is now chief justice of the supreme court of that state. Admitted to the bar in 1880, Mr. Hatch began practice in New Hampshire but subsequently removed to Kansas where he followed his profession until 1894. In that year he came to Columbus. where he has since resided, giving his attention to general law work. He has been very successful in this field of labor and is widely known for his fidelity to his clients. His preparation of cases, too, is very thorough and he presents his cause in forceful, logical manner. He belongs to the local bar association and has been acting police judge a number of times. Mr. Hatch is married and has three children, Stanley W., Margaret I. and Arline C., all at home with their parents at No. 1035 Highland street. In religious belief Mr. Hatch is a Unitarian, while in fraternal relations he is connected with the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Royal Arcanum and the Masons. Politically he is a stalwart republican and has always taken a deep and commendable interest in politics but has never sought nor desired office for himself. In his professional career he has been actuated by a laudable ambition and in all of his work has displayed the closest conformity to a high standard of professional ethics. GEORGE JANTON, JR. The name of Janton has figured prominently on the pages of business history in Columbus for many ears and has come to be recognized as a synonym for commercial probity, and successful undertaking. Many decades have passed since George Janton, Sr., arrived in Columbus and took advantage of the opportunities which led him to financial independence. Here he reared his family, his son, George Janton, Jr., being born in this city, while in its public schools he acquired his education. When but a boy he assisted his father in the soap factory and learned the business, becoming a partner with him and remaining as a factor in the management and control of the industry up to the time of his death. He was thorough and systematic in all he undertook and his work brought him a measure of success that was gratifying. Mr. Janton was married in Covington, Kentucky, to Mrs. Emma (Schaeufele) Shriner, the widow of Henry L. Shriner, who was a native son of Columbus and was engaged in the shoe business until his death, which PAGE 295 - PICTURE OF GEORGE LINTON, JR. PAGE 296 - BLANK CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 297 occurred in 1888. By that marriage there was one child a. daughter. Emma, who died three years ago. Mrs. Janton was a daughter of Charles and Minnie (Schille) Schaeufele, who came from Germany to the United States in early life. Her father was a mechanic and devoted his time and attention always to mechanical pursuits. Mrs. Janton still survives her husband and makes her home in Columbus, where she is widely known. occupying an enviable position in social circles. The death of Mr. Janton occurred December 4, 1897, in Denver. Colorado, whither he had gone for the benefit of his health. He had a. wide acquaintance in this city, having always resided here, and those who knew him spoke of him in terms of praise because they recognized in him those qualities of manhood which promote consideration for the rights of others. In all of his business career he was straightforward and energetic and showed marked forces of character at all times. The news of his death was received with a feeling of sincere sorrow by all with whom he came in contact. He had been a devoted son, a loving husband, faithful friend, and in citizenship his influence was always found on the side of reform and progress. WALTER H. MARTIN. Walter H. Martin, of the first of Mahony, Martin & Cooke, real estate and mortgage loans, was born in Columbus, February 13, 1864. His father. John H. Martin, was also a native of this city, a fact which indicates that the family was established here when Columbus was a village in the pioneer period of its existence. The grandfather, Thomas Martin, came from Pennsylvania in 1818. Reared in the place of his nativity, John H. Martin eventually engaged in the saddlery and hardware business and continued in that line for many years, or until his death in 1880. He married Amanda M. Moore. a native of Franklin county, where her parents settled in 180 coming to Ohio from Windsor, Connecticut. Her ancestors had become residents of the new world in 1620, at which time representatives of the family came from England and took up their abode in Windsor. At the usual age Walter H. Martin entered the public schools and mastering the branches taught in the successive grades was promoted until he became a high-school student and later attended the Ohio State University. He made his initial step in the business world in 1880. when he entered the Commercial Bank, better known as the Sessions Bank. It was incorporated into the Commercial National Bank in 1881. Entering the institution as a clerk, he remained there for eight years. during which time he served in various capacities, resigning in February. 1888. to engage in the real estate business with W. A. Mahony. He has now been in this business for twenty-one years and the firm remained Mahony and Martin until twelve years ago, when D. P. Cooke was admitted to a partnership tinder the .style of Mahony. Martin & Cooke. The firm ranks among the foremost in real estate circles in Columbus. its relations being of a most 298 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS extensive and important character. Mr. Martin, moreover, has been a director of the Commercial -National Bank since 1897 and is interested in various other enterprises. It is safe to say that none have wider or more accurate knowledge concerning real estate conditions in Columbus and in the conduct of his business affairs he has always been actuated by a desire to improve the city along lines of substantial growth and upbuilding. On the 30th of March, 1897, Mr. Martin was married in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Miss Alice M. Robbins, daughter of Daniel M. Robbins of that city. They reside at No. 69 Miami avenue, Mr. 'Martin having erected their residence in 1897. Socially he is connected with the Columbus, Arlington Country and Columbus Country Clubs. He is also a member of the Board of Trade and has been a co-operant factor in many of its movements for the benefit of the city. His principal recreation is golf. He has no strong political preference and in fact believes that an independent course is often profitable because of the machine made condition existing in politics at the present time. He has been treasurer and trustee ex officio of the First Congregational church for twenty-three years and his influence is always found on the side of right, justice, truth. reform and progress. His business career ha been characterized by steady progress which result, from well defined and carefully executed plans accompanied by the laudable ambition to gain honorable success. JOSEPH ATWOOD HARTLEY. Joseph Atwood Hartley is widely known in business circles as the vice president of The Dunn-Taft Company, retail dealers in dry good. He is also well known in musical circles and has extended acquaintance in other directions that indicate the attractive qualities of his manhood and his principles. He was born in New York city, May 5. 1862. The Hartleys are of English lineage. although the family was founded in America in colonial days and representatives of the name were participants in the Revolutionary war. Joseph W. Hartley was a native of Bellefontaine. Ohio, and became a prominent wholesale dry goods merchant, being connected with William G. Dunn, the founder of the Dunn-Taft Company at Bellefontaine, Ohio. Later in the '50.s he removed to New York city, where he engaged in the wholesale dry goods business as a, member of the firm of Wentz. Hartley & Company until 1872. This was a prosperous concern but, disposing of his interests in the east, Joseph W. Hartley removed to Lincoln. Nebraska, where he engaged in the banking business and continued his residence until his death in 1899. He wedded Mary Atwood, a native of Baltimore. Ohio. who died in 1905. The Atwoods are a prominent old American family, represented by several participants in the Revolutionary war. Joseph Atwood Hartley, son of Joseph W. and Mary Hartley. was a lad of about ten years at the time of the removal of his parents to Nebraska, where he pursued his education in the public schools. After leaving the CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS - 299 high school at Lincoln he entered the University of Nebraska, which he left in the sophomore year, being at that time sixteen years of age. He then came to Columbus and entered the employ of William G. Dunn & Company, retail dry-goods merchants, as a collector but. soon took the position of bookkeeper and credit man. When the firm of Dunn, Taft & Company was organized Mr. Hartley was admitted to a partnership and in 1908, when the business was incorporated, he was chosen vice president and so continues to the present time. He devotes his entire business energies to this concern and his labors are an element in its success. The firm is conducting an extensive retail dry goods business with large and ramifying trade relations reaching out to various sections of the country. Their sales are growing from the fact that they always satisfy their customers, advertise judiciously and are it all times honorable and reliable in their dealings. Mr. Hartley is a member of the Wesley Methodist church, is serving as its treasurer and one of its trustees, is an earnest worker in various departments of the church activity and is well known in connection with its musical service. Prominent in Masonry, he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He belongs to the Columbus Country Club and to the Ohio Club and in politics is a republican but takes no active part save to support his principles by his ballot at the polls. His chief source of recreation is automobiling. Throughout his entire life he has steadily gained over those things which bar the path to success and his development has been along honorable lines, for he has never been willing to gain prosperity by lowering the standard of his manhood in the employment of any underhand business methods. JONAS A. HEDGES. Jonas .A. Hedges. well known in business circles in Columbus, was born in Urbana, Ohio. March 12, 1851. His father, Hamilton Hedges. was a native of Champaign county, Ohio, and in the year 1906 came to Columbus, where he died at the age of eighty years. For twenty-one years he had held the office of township assessor and was prominent in the community where he resided. His wife was a native of Martinsburg. Virginia. Her father established his home in Champaign county, Ohio, in the early '40s and at the time of the Mexican war enlisted in defense of American interests. He was a man who stood high in public esteem, being widely and favorably known in Urbana and that section of the state. His death occurred near that city in 1872. In the public schools of Champaign county, Jonas A. Hedges pursued his early education and afterward attended the Urbana Academy and Colonel Bryant's Business College in Columbus. His first employment was that of a brakeman on the Eric Railroad and later he engaged in teaching in the schools of Champaign county. Subsequently he came to Columbus, where he entered the employ of the Mutual Life Insurance Company. but the wide- 300 - CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS spread financial panic of 1873 militated against the business and he resumed teaching in Champaign and adjacent counties. In 1878 he was appointed by the county commissioners to the position of deputy treasurer, owing to the fact of some obvious errors or irregularities in the office and there he assisted in straightening out the tangle. The following year he engaged with the street railway company of Columbus, having charge of a large gang of men and also keeping payroll. As bookkeeper he entered the employ of the Door, Sash & Lumber Company, while subsequently he was bookkeeper and credit man in the dry goods store of Weisman & Martens. Gradually he was making progress in business life and in 1884 he assisted in organizing the Columbus Bridge Company, with which he was associated for one veer. when he sold out and became connected with the Union Coal Company, his identification therewith covering three years. He afterward bought an interest in the Weisman store, which he retained for three or four years and then for twelve years acted as an independent auditor. While so engaged he attracted the friendly notice of Dr. S. B. Hartman and in 1899 became connected with the Peruna Drug Manufacturing Company as cashier, an office equivalent to that of treasurer in other establishments. He has since been one of the company's trustees and confidential officers. He has likewise been a factor in the establishment and successful control of other business concerns. He aided in organizing the Ohio State Savings & Loan Company, was its president for ten years and is still one of its directors. He is likewise the president of the Lawrence Printing Company. In 1878 Mr. Hedges was married to Miss Carrie Lofland, a daughter of Perley Lofland, the oldest living contractor in the city and a, most highly respected citizen. By this marriage there is one son, Perle Hamilton Hedges. Mr. Hedges has attained high rank in Masonry and is a member of the Mystic Shrine. He was a member of the school board of Columbus for two years and has always been interested in its educational progress. He has never sought political office but, like a good citizen, takes a keen interest in public affairs and, keeping well informed on the questions of the day, endorses such measures as he believes will prove beneficial factors in the work of general advancement. For twenty-one years he was connected with the election and registration board of the city. (RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE)