100 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY one year, as a representative of the Fifth ward. and he also served as city treasurer one term, in 1903-4. In the fall of 1908 he received the nomination of his party for treasurer of Lucas county, and was successful by a good majority at the ensuing election, entering upon -the duties of the office in September, 1909. His interest in the industrial affairs of the city is further evidenced by the fact that he is the vice-president of the Industrial Savings & Building Company, of Toledo, a position he has held for the past twelve years. He is a member of the Masonic order, having taken all of the Scottish Rite degrees up to and including the Thirty-second, and his local membership in the Blue Lodge is with the oldest Masonic organization in the city, Toledo Lodge, No. 144. He has been treasurer of all the Scottish Rite lodges for ten years, and is also a trustee of the Masonic Building Company. He is a member of the Lincoln Republican Club and of the McKinley Club, and his religious faith is expressed by membership in the Collingwood Presbyterian Church. On Sept. 21, 1869, Mr. Barfield was married to Miss Charlotte Amanda Sherman, daughter of the late Samuel Sherman, who conducted a tin-shop in Toledo during the early days. To Mr. and Mrs. Barfield there have been born four children, whose names, in the order of their birth, are as follows : Lillian Mae, Gertrude M., Harry S. Sherman, and Carl Frederick. They were all born and educated in Toledo, Harry graduating in the Toledo High School in the class of 1905, and Carl in the class of 1909. The family home is pleasantly located at 1708 Jefferson avenue. Marshall Sheppey.—The firm of Berdan & Company, established in Toledo, in 1836, and in increasingly successful operation ever since, is now composed of three members—Sinclair Berdan, S. C. Walbridge and Marshall Sheppey—all representatives of the Berdan family. This great wholesale grocery house had its origin in the building that once stood at the head of Perry street, on St. Clair, and has passed through successive stages of development until it now occupies the mammoth Empire Building, which covers one entire square, rises to a height of four stories, and has a total floor space of 200,000 feet. Of this vast enterprise, with a list of ten thousand customers, in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, Marshall Sheppey is the excutive head, having occupied that position since 1897. He was a man of broad business experience before he became associated with the House of Berdan, and his business sagacity and judgment have been of the greatest value to the company. The great wholesale plant, with its perfect equipment and facilities for handling an enormous trade, was designed and built under the personal supervision of Mr. Sheppey, to whom are due some of its best and most characteristic features. Every detail of the arrangement of the vast shipping department was worked over and revised until it embodied the highest efficiency possible to attain. The packing of food materials takes place in well-ventilated, light, sunny rooms, with concrete and tile floors, tables of porcelain and glass, etc.: the processes are carried on by means of the most complete modern machinery. which eliminates contact of materials with the hands of the operatives the latter are required to observe strict sanitary BIOGRAPHICAL - 101 regulations, and every precaution possible is taken to guard the public health by offering to customers a pure and clean line of foodstuffs. Marshall Sheppey is a native of Ogdensburg, N. Y., son of Alonzo N. and Mary J. (Benedict) Sheppey. Mr. Sheppey received his early education in Wilmington, Del., and at the age of sixteen years left school and entered the employ of a mercantile house. He held a position in the Commercial National Bank, of Cleveland, six years, and was associated with the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co., of Ishpeming, Mich., one year, previous to his residence in Toledo. He is a member of the discount committee of the Board of Directors of the Northern National Bank of Toledo, and has been vice-president of the Sinking Fund Commission of the city. Prominent in carious public organizations, Mr. Sheppey particularly cherishes his veteran membership in the First Cleveland Troop ; he belongs to the Chamber of Commerce, the Toledo Club, the Middle Bass Club, the Country Club and the Toledo Yacht Club. In 1893 Mr. Sheppey was married to Miss Cousie B. Berdan, only daughter of the late John Berdan, of Toledo, a prominent and influential citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Sheppey have a beautiful residence at 641 West Woodruff avenue, furnished according to the dictates of cultured taste and refinement. Personally, Mr. Sheppey is dignified and affable, ever ready with the courteous greeting of a true gentleman, to a friend or stranger. He has displayed managerial abilities of a high order and has so conducted the affairs of which he has had charge as to merit the confidence and esteem of all interested ; his name is a synonym for business integrity. Bernard Franklin Brough, judge of the Court of Common Pleas and formerly judge of the Police Court, in Toledo, is one of Lucas county's prominent and influential citizens. He is a son of James V. Brough, late of Toledo, an honored veteran of the great Civil war, and for many years eminently identified with the commercial, religious and social life of the city. Bernard F. Brough is a native of the Hoosier State, his birth having occurred in Delphi, Carroll county, Indiana, Feb. 28, 1871. He was eleven years of age at they time of his family's removal from Indiana to Toledo and, in the spring of 1889, graduated at the Toledo High School. Having determined upon the legal profession as his life vocation, he matriculated in the department of law of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. and, in June, 1893, having completed the prescribed course, he was granted by the regents of that institution the degree of Bachelor of Laws. At college, he was active in forensic and social circles, and early manifested those traits of mind and character which have since characterized his career as a lawyer and judge. Immediately following graduation, he was admitted to the bar, in Ohio. and shortly afterward embarked in the practice of his profession, in Toledo. He was United States Commissioner from 1895 to 1905, and, from March to November, in the latter year, he was fourth assistant city solicitor and city prosecuting attorney of the Police Court. In November, 1905. Mr. Brough was appointed judge of the Police Court by Governor Herrick, to succeed Judge Lyman Wachenheimer, who resigned to seek election as county prose- 102 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY cutor. Mr. Brough continued as police judge until he resigned, Dec. 29, 1906, having been elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas in the general election .held in the preceding November, and he assumed ,the duties of that office Feb. 11, 1907, and has been the incumbent from that time to the present. His promotion won commendation from citizens in all walks of life, coming as a well deserved tribute to his capabilities as a lawyer and judge. Always interested in the public weal, he has aligned himself with the Republican party, in politics, and has contributed much to the marked success of that organization at the polls. The Judge is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks : Maumee Tent, No. 9, Knights of the Maccabees the Toledo Club, the Lincoln Republican Club, the Inverness Golf Club, the Toledo Chamber of Commerce, and the Toledo Young Men's Christian Association. Although not a communicant, his religious convictions find expression in attendance upon the services of the Collingwood Avenue Presbyterian Church, of which his honored parents were for many years active members. He is unmarried. John Carpenter Newton is one of the most popular men in the crty of Toledo, a fact that was fully demonstrated by his election to the office of sheriff of Lucas county, in the fall of 1908, by an unprecedented majority. He was born in Orilla, Canada, of English descent, June 10, 1876, and is the son of John V. Newton. who has also occupied the position which is now being so acceptably filled by his son, and he is given more extended mention on another page of this, volume. The maiden name of the mother was Sabra Ketchison, and she died in Toledo in 1900. The family removed to Toledo in 1877, when John C. was but one year old, and here he was reared and received his education. The father was elected sheriff and filled that position during the years 1900-01-02-03, and prior to his elevation to that office he served as county commissioner a term of three years, being a member of the board at the time of the building of the present Lucas county courthouse. The father now resides at the corner of Erie and Walnut streets. There are four children—two sons and two daughters—in the family, the eldest of whom. E. R. Newton, is a resident of Chicago. John C. is the second in the order of birth, and the daughters are Sabra, who is now the wife of A. L. Hofman, of Toledo, and Maud, who is the wife of Harry H. Hillman, and resides at Vincennes, Ind. John C. Newton. to whom -this review is more particularly dedicated, received his education in the public schools of Toledo, and after completing his studies entered the employ of the Toledo Display -Horse Company, remaining thus engaged for a period of two years. He then commenced the study of civil engineering under the preceptorship of the surveyor of Lucas county, and was thus engaged at the outbreak of the Spanish-American war. He belonged to the Toledo Cadets—one of the crack military organizations of the country—which he joined in 1893, and which became known as Company F of the Sixth Ohio infantry, in the United States service ; with it he left for Cuba in May, 1898. He was on detailed service the greater part of the time, and he filled the position of clerk in the adjutant-general's depart- BIOGRAPHICAL - 103 anent. At the close of hostilities he returned to Toledo, and upon the election of his father to the position of sheriff of Lucas county he was appointed to a deputyship and served in that capacity throughout the four years of his father's incumbency. In politics, Mr. Newton gives an unswerving allegiance to the men and measures of the Republican party, and in the fall of 1908 was nominated by that organization as its candidate for sheriff of Lucas county, being successful at the polls by a majority of 7,500, the largest ever given to a candidate for sheriff in Lucas county, and he entered upon the duties of the office Jan. 4, 1909. Fraternally, he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, his local membership being with the Cherry Pickers squad, and in the Masonic order he has taken all of the degrees up to and including the Thirty-second, and he is captain of the Shrine patrol. He is also a member of the Spanish War Veterans' Association, the Modern Woodmen, and is an active member of the Toledo Yacht Club and the Business Men's Club. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. On April 3, 1903, Mr. Newton was married to Miss Mae H. Lamson, daughter of Celia Lamson, of Toledo, and of this union there have been born two daughters, Sabra Ann and Nancy. Mrs. Newton was born and reared in Toledo, and she completed her education in the Asheville Female College. James Secor, deceased, was born in the town of Goshen, Orange county, New York, Dec. 11, 1834, and he died in Toledo, Ohio, Nov. 9, 1901. He was a son of Benjamin and Sarah (Ketcham) Secor, and was one of a family of twelve children, of whom there are now but two living—Mrs. Edward Bissell. of Toledo, and Mrs. Samuel Kinney, of Adrian. Mich. The first American ancestor of the Secor family emigrated from France at the time of the persecution of the Huguenots and settled in New Rochelle. N. Y.. and the Ketchams were an old New England family. Benjamin Secor, the father of James, was a farmer by occupation, and in 1844 moved from the State of New York to Lenawee county, Michigan, where he continued to follow agricultural pursuits. James Secor received a common school education, such as was afforded by the pioneer surroundings of his youth, and he remained with his father on the farm until he had reached the age of twenty years. Then, in 1854, he came to Toledo, where an elder brother, Joseph, was a member of the firm of Secor, Berdan & Company, jobbers of groceries, and with that firm James Secor accepted a clerkship. The house of Secor, Berdan & Company was established in 1836 by the late V. H. Ketcham. In 1854 Mr. Ketcham retired. Mr. Berdan purchasing his interest, and a new firm was formed under the name of Secor, Berdan & Company, George Secor, a former employe, being admitted as a partner. He retired in 1856, and Joseph K. Secor and Mr. Berdan continued the business under the old firm name. After accepting a clerkship with this firm, James Secor adapted himself to his work and showed good business instinct, which was soon appreciated, and in 1858 he was admitted to partnership in the firm and made general manager. At the same time, Maro Wheeler and John B. Ketcham, both of whom were former salesmen with the old 104 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY firm, were also admitted as partners. James Secor occupied the position of manager of the vast interests of the concern for a period of thirty years, retiring in 1888, and under his guidance the firm assumed a leading position in Ohio and the neighboring states, growing to be one of the largest institutions of its kind in the Middle West. Originally, the firm had dealt in dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, nails and glass, all in a jobbing way, designed to fill the orders of country stores, at the same time conducting a country shipping trade. In the winter of 1860, the dry goods line was dropped and the business was made an exclusive grocery house, largely increasing the business. Up to this time the sales of the house had scarcely exceeded $250,000, but in 1860 they showed an increase of 100 per cent. In January, 1865, John B. Ketcham retired from the firm and the same year John Berdan, at one time cashier in the First National Bank, was admitted to partnership. In this same year, Joseph K. Secor also retired, the firm name remaining unchanged, and with the development of the surrounding country the business showed a rapid increase. After retiring from the firm, in 1888, James Secor turned his attention to banking and assisted in the organization of the Union Savings Bank and the Union Safe Deposit and Trust Company, becoming president of both of these institutions. He was also one of the incorporators of the Merchants' & Clerks' Savings Bank, and was connected with that institution for several. years. He helped incorporate and was connected with the Woolson Spice Company, one of the largest manufacturing concerns of its kind in the country. and he was president of that company at the time of his death. He was one of the incorporators and a. director of the Maumee Rolling Mills Company, which was purchased by the Republic Iron & Steel Company. and he was also interested in a number of other of Toledo's leading industries. He was the first man to offer his signature to the charter of the Security Trust Company, and he was made chairman of its trust committee, requesting that his son, Jay K., be elected director in his stead. Besides being president of the Union Savings Bank, the Union Safe Deposit & Trust Company, and the Woolson Spice Company, Mr. Secor was vice-president and a director of the Northern National Bank. He also had a large number of private interests. Mr Secor never held public office, although he was offered nominations that would have been tantamount to election, but he always declined to be more than a silent worker in the ranks of the Republican party, of which he was a consistent supporter. Socially, he was a member of the Toledo Club, the Country Club, and the Middle Bass Club, and his religious faith was expressed by membership in the First Congregational Church, in which he was a member of the advisory board for a number of years. He was active in charities, but with the true charitable spirit actuating him he was careful to keep from public observation and comment his benefactions. In January, 1867, Mr. Secor was married to Miss Charlotte A. Steele, daughter of Hon. Dennison Steele, of Toledo, and to this union there were born four children, only one of whom is living, viz., Jay K. Secor, who is given a more extended mention on BIOGRAPHICAL - 105 another page. In concluding this brief memoir of a highly respected and useful citizen, it is fitting to say that there were few men more widely known or more highly esteemed in Northwestern Ohio than James Secor. He was a cool, conservative business man, one who earned his success by his own efforts, and his record in the community and his influence were such that he was asked to aid in the organization of nearly every important financial or business venture that was started in Toledo during the clays of his activity. He did much for the city in which he lived and invested his money in many ways to the furtherance of the material wealth and prosperity of the community. Death came to him without warning. With some friends, he had gone down to the marsh on a little shooting expedition, and at the time was apparently enjoying a fair measure of health, complaining only of a slight cold. He hunted until 4 o'clock in the afternoon and then returned to the Erie Club house. He was in the sitting room, chatting with members of the club, when it was observed that he was breathing heavily. At first it was thought he had fallen asleep, but it was soon discovered that he was ill. His son, Jay, was notified by telephone. and in company with Dr. O. C. Rees he hastened to his father's side. The physician found that Mr. Secor was suffering from a stroke of paralysis, and all efforts to revive him were futile. He was removed to his residence at midnight; and an hour later he passed away. without having regained consciousness. The sad news of his death came as a distinct shock to the business community, in which he had long wielded a tremendous influence ; to the church people of Toledo, who always found him a faithful ally, and to the charitable institutions, to which he was a liberal contributor. Commodore Henry Tracy, deceased, who passed from earth at his residence in the city of Toledo. Jan. 19, 1904, was well known in the business circles of the city. He was the eldest son of Doria Tracy, of Toledo, Ohio, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Years ago, Commodore Tracy was associated with his brother in the lumber business, conducting what was known as the Tracy Bros'. saw mill, located near the site of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton railway elevator. Later, he engaged for a time in the shoe business, and still later he had an establishment on Water street, where he dealt extensively in shippers' supplies. He was a man of honor and usefulness in the community, and his business success was attained through his own well directed efforts. Commodore Tracy was, at the time of his death, one of the oldest yachtsmen on the lake, having taken a great interest in that branch of sportsmanship from early manhood. He was one of the incorporators of the old Ohio Yacht Club, and when that organization was merged into the Toledo Yachting Association, he stayed with the association and afterward became very active in its management, serving as one of the directors for many years. During the year 1903, he served the Inter-Lake Yachting Association as its commodore, and his staunch yacht, Dolomite, was the flag-ship from which was dispensed hospitality, upon the occasion of the annual meet at Put-in-Bay, in the summer of that year. His 106 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Tracy, and a daughter, Mrs. V. W. Granger, Jr., are the only members surviving of his immediate family. Mrs. Tracy continues to reside in the pleasant residence at 913 Superior street. Hon. Dennison Steele, deceased, was born in Williamstown, Vt., Aug. 18, 1815, and died in Toledo, Ohio, on Thanksgiving Day, 1871. In 1833, he same with his father's family to Perrysburg, Wood county, Ohio, and afterward removed to Maumee City, Lucas county, where he held the office of deputy collector of customs. He was afterward elected county clerk, and upon the removal of the county seat to Toledo, he became a. resident of this city and remained here until his death. In 1859, he was elected a representative to the legislature, representing the counties of Lucas and Fulton, and in 1865 he was appointed postmaster of Toledo, holding the office until the fall of 1866. He was for several years interested in sailing vessels and was associated with his son-in-law, the late George Woodbury, under the firm name of George Woodbury & Company, produce, commission and shipping merchants. When quite a young man, he acted as assistant auditor of Wood county, and he also acted as assistant postmaster at _Maumee. During the exciting and eventful sessions of 1860 and 1861, he was an active and useful member of the state legislature. His appointment as postmaster at Toledo was made by Mr. Lincoln in the early part of 1865. and he was removed from his position by Andrew Johnson. He was for several years a member of the Board of Education of Toledo, and -was considered among the most prominent-of the active business men of the city. Both as a public officer and as a man of affairs he was a diligent and indefatigable worker, and his exertions were generally rewarded with success. In politics, he was a zealous Democrat until the organization of the Republican party, and then, being opposed to the aggressions of the pro-slavery people upon the free interests of the country, he refused to follow his party in its temporizing course with what he considered a great evil. Thereupon, he became a Republican, and his power as a worker was felt in all the councils of his party in this- section. In political campaigns few men devoted more days of energetic labor to the cause to which. he was attached than he. In the General Assembly of 1860-61, he was a member of the house Committee on Public Works, and he resisted the various projects for the sale and lease of the canals and other public works of the state with great energy and industry, advocating a more liberal policy toward the public works than the state was then disposed to pursue. He was not a public speaker, and seldom was his voice heard in the house, but in the committee room and in private conversation with his fellow members, he wielded an extensive influence in favor of measures which he wished to promote, and he never failed to secure for his own city and district the local legislation desired by them. At the outbreak of the Civil war, he was found among the most ardent supporters of the Federal cause, and he was always an advocate and supporter of the most thorough measures to suppress the Southern uprising and remove slavery BIOGRAPHICAL - 107 and its concomitant evils from the land. Like all positive and active men, Mr. Steele awakened opposition and encountered enmity, but he met all such with an undaunted courage. To his friends and co-workers he was deeply attached and ever faithful, while his opponents had little reason to expect favor from him. Death came to Mr. Steele very suddenly and wholly unexpected. He had participated in a Thanksgiving dinner at the residence of his son-in-law, James Secor, and he seemed to enjoy the gathering and the meal with his usual good cheer. In the evening, in com- pany with Mrs. Steele, he left for his home on Superior street; and had arrived near the gate in front of his residence, when, without manifesting any change of feeling, he fell upon the walk and expired within a few moments. Heart disease is supposed to have been the cause of his demise. Mrs. Steele, who survived her husband nearly thirty years, was born at Tarrytown-on-the-Hudson. Aug. 13, 1419. She died in Toledo, April 18, 1901. In 1831, when but thirteen years of age, she removed with her father's family to Fort Wayne, Ind., which at that time was an Indian trading post. and the journey thither occupied three weeks of time. That portion of the trip between Maumee City and Fort Wayne was made on the river. and in what was then called "pirogues," two being fastened together to accommodate the large family, which camped upon the banks of the Maumee river nine nights. After remaining at Fort Wayne five years. and enduring privations such as only the early pioneers suffered, the family removed to Maumee City. Mrs. Steele was a descendant of the L'Escuier family, now called Requa, which left France in 1682 and settled in New Rochelle, Westchester county, New York. On Nov. 4, 1838, she was married in Maumee City to Dennison Steele, whose family had removed from Vermont in 1833. Mr. and Mrs. Steele removed to Toledo in 1844, and there they lived out the remainder of their lives, Mrs. Steele being in her eighty-second year at the time of her death. There were five daughters and one son born of this happy union, but of these only three are living: Mrs. James Secor, Mrs. William A. Brigham, and Mrs. De Etta Steele, all of Toledo. The deceased children are Dennison Steele, Mrs. George Woodbury. and Mrs. S. L. Fraser. Mrs. Steele was a member of the First Congregational Church of Toledo,. and was also a member of the Toledo Industrial School Board of Managers, being always a friend of the poor and needy. William Spooner Walbridge, one of the prominent business men in the city of Toledo, was born in the city of Boston, Mass., the son of Levi and Isabella Clarissa (Lovering) Walbridge, Sept. 19. 1854. The Walbridge family traces its ancestry back to a Henry Walbridge, who, history states, located in Norwich, Conn., as early as 1681. They were his direct descendants who early migrated to Vermont and became pioneers in that State. William Spooner Walbridge's paternal grandparents were Amos and Lavinia (Gillette) Vv albridge. and his paternal great-grandparents were Henry and Martha (Read) Walbridge. Henry Walbridge was in the Continental army during the War of the Revolution, 108 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY serving as a sergeant in one of the companies organized to free the American colonies from British domination. Subsequently, he won renown and a captaincy in the force which drove back the Indian marauders who burned Royalton, Vt. Captain Walbridge was born in Stafford; Conn., Nov. 10, 1738; and passed away in. Randolph, Vt., in 1818, at the advanced age of eighty years. Another of Mr. -Walbridge's ancestors took part in the same struggle. He was John Gillette, his great-grandfather on his paternal grandmother's side. John Gillette's wife was Jemima (Smalley) Gillette. Some of the few records preserved mention John Gillette as having been on the pay-roll of Serg. Nathaniel Thorp's company in the regiment of Col. Joel Marsh ; and history also shows that he was connected with the company of Capt. Joshua Hazen, in Col. John Woods' regiment, and subsequently in Col. John Safford's regiment. Mr. Walbridge's maternal grandfather, Maj. John Lovering, won distinction as a leader in one of the battalions that assisted in the repulse of the British, in the War of 1812 ; and, in turn, his father, Lieut. John Lovering, a native of Hampton, N. H., receives mention in Dow's History of Hampton as a member of the American army opposing Burgoyne's army, which met defeat in its effort to divide the Continental force in the War for American independence. The Lovering family was one of the original settlers of Hampton, N. H. Levi Walbridge was born in Randolph, Vt., and his wife in Hampton, N. H. Both are now deceased, and their remains rest side-by-side in the cemetery at Boston. The father, Levi Walbridge, was a furniture dealer in Boston all his life, part of the time under the firm name of Brooks & Walbridge Bros., succeeded by Sawyer, Walbridge & Briggs, of which W. S. Walbridge was a member ; and later in the partnership of Walbridge & Briggs. He was a member of the order of Free & Accepted Masons, having attained to the Thirty-second degree, and at the time of his demise was associated with St. Paul's Blue Lodge, of South Boston, and the Massachusetts Consistory. Five children were born to the parents, of whom but two survive—Mrs. Osmon C. Webster, of Winchester, Mass., a suburb of Boston ; and the subject of this review. William Spooner Walbridge received his scholastic training in the public schools of his native city, and, before he had attained his majority, accepted a position in the furniture business in which his father was interested as a partner. He became thoroughly familiar with every detail of the business, so that, after the father's demise, he took the parent's place as a member of the firm. For ten years he continued in this business, and then, in 1898, he severed his connection with the firm to move west, to Toledo, and identify himself as treasurer of the Toledo Glass Company. This last named concern was the tree from which all the other branches of the extensive glass industry have sprung. Success attended his every move with the Toledo Glass Company and soon enabled him to invest his money and give a portion of his time to other enterprises, in the organization of which he has been a leading figure. At the present time, besides serving as treasurer. of the Toledo Glass Company, he holds the same office BIOGRAPHICAL - 109 with the Owens Bottle Machine Company, the Owens European Bottle Machine Company, the Northwestern Ohio Bottle Company, and the Kent Machine Company. Among his other business interests are directorships in the Northern National Bank and the Citizens' Safe Deposit & Trust Company. Fraternally and socially, Mr. Walbridge is identified with the Toledo Club, in which he was formerly president, and also holds the same office in the Anthony Wayne Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. While a resident of Boston, he became a member of William Parkman Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons, of which he is now a past master, and also took the Thirty-second degree in the order in the Massachusetts Consistory, of Boston. At present, however, he is not actively affiliated with any branch of Masonic work. The Toledo Country Club is another one of the social organizations with which he is allied. On Oct. 25, 1882, occurred Mr. Walbridge's marriage, in Newton, Mass., to Miss Alice Langdon Libbey, a daughter of William Langdon and Julia (Miller) Libbey, and a sister of Edward D., who has given such an impetus to the various glass industries of Toledo, as well as to artistic work, by his contributions to the Toledo Museum of Art. Mrs. Walbridge was born in Chelsea, Mass., and received her preparatory education in the schools of Boston, completing her course by work in the Lasell Seminary, at Newton, Mass. She is a direct descendant of John Libbey, who settled in Saco, Me., as early as 1634. Mrs. Walbridge is a member of the Toledo Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and is actively interested in charrtable and philanthropic work. Two children have come to bless the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Walbridge. Marie, the elder, was born in Newton, Mass., and was graduated at Vassar College, after completing a preparatory course in the East. Edward Langdon, the younger, was born in Winchester, Mass., and was educated in Eastern institutions. He is now connected with his father in the glass industry. Both children make their home with their parents, at 2004 Parkwood avenue. Mr. Walbridge's offices are located in rooms 1401-1419 Nicholas Building. General J. Kent Hamilton is one of the honored residents of the city of Toledo, where he has lived continuously since the close of the Civil war, in which great struggle he performed the part of a loyal citizen of the Republic. General Hamilton was born at Milan, Erie county, Ohio, May 17, 1839, and is the son of Thomas and Sarah 0. Hamilton. His father was a well known and prominent merchant in Northern Ohio for a great many years, and was largely interested in the mercantile and shipping interests of Milan and Toledo. He was also an active and prominent Whig, in the days of that political organization, and for some time represented the Erie and Huron district in the State senate. J. Kent Hamilton received his collegiate training at Kenyon College, in which institution he graduated with the class of 1839, and he then followed the occupation of teaching for some time. Deciding upon the law as his life's profession, he first entered the office of Hon. R. C. Hurd. at Mt. Vernon, as a student, and later read under the pre- 110 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY ceptorship of Hon. S. F. Taylor, at Milan, and with William Baker, of Toledo. In 1862, after a rigid examination, he was admitted to practice in the courts of Ohio. Soon afterward, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio infantry, with which regiment he served until the close of the war, being- promoted to regimental adjutant and afterward to captain in the Army of the Cumberland, and, at Chickamauga, he served as assistant adjutant-general and chief-of-staff of the brigade commanded by Gen. John G. Mitchell. He was specially complimented in the reports of General Mitchell, General Whitaker, and General Granger, for his gallantry. This brigade was one of the two which, under the immediate command of General Steedman, saved the Army of the Cumberland, under General Thomas, from annihilation at Chickamauga, on the afternoon of Sept. 20, 1863. General Hamilton was also in the battle of Missionary Ridge, participated in the Knoxville campaign, and was in the battles of Resaca, Rome, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, and the engagements in the vicinity of and at Atlanta. With Gen. W. T. Sherman, he marched to the sea, and afterward served with his command in the campaign through the Carolinas, to Goldsboro and Richmond. He was in the last battles of the Army of the Cumberland, at Averysboro and Bentonville, and participated in the Grand Review at Washington, at the close of the war. Upon his discharge from the service, General Hamilton returned to Toledo, where he has resided ever since, and his worth as a citizen has been recognized by repeated election to official positions. He has served as prosecuting attorney of the police court, prosecuting attorney for Lucas county four years, city solicitor of Toledo four years, and as a member of the Board of Sinking Fund Trustees twelve years. He has also been twice elected to the chief magistracy of the city and for two terms filled the position of mayor in a highly acceptable manner. He was for four years Judge Advocate General on the staff of Governor Bushnell. He was for seven years member of the Board of Education and for several years the president of the Board. In the present campaign (1910) he is the Republican candidate for member of Congress from the Toledo district. He keeps alive the memory of war-time days by association with his comrades in the Grand Army of the Republic, and the esteem in which he is held is evidenced by his election as senior vice-commander of the organization, a position which he now holds. General Hamilton resides at 2317 Scottwood avenue, and as a member of the law firm of Hamilton & Kirby, has offices at Room 921, in the Ohio Building. Irving E. Macomber, president of the Macomber Brothers Company, owner and manager of the Auburndale Brick Works, secretary of the Toledo Real Estate Board, and president of the Board of Education, was born in Toledo, Oct 8, 1872, and is the son of Albert E. and Sara S. Macomber, old residents of the city. His father established and for many years operated the real-estate and brick business now owned and controlled by him. Mr. Macomber attended the public schools in Toledo, graduating in the BIOGRAPHICAL - 111 high school in 1890, in both classical and manual training courses. He then entered Cornell University and graduated at the Sibley College of Engineering, in 1894, with the degree of M. E. Mr. Macomber was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity and the Quill and Dagger Society, and managed the "Sibley Journal of Engineering" for two years. After graduation he entered the employ of the Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Company, at Pittsburg, and remained with it two years. He then returned to Toledo and became associated with his father in the real-estate and brick business, under the firm name of A. E. Macomber & Company. His younger brother. Franklin S. Macomber, entered the firm shortly afterward, and, in 1900, the two brothers assumed the active management of the business. In 1902, A. E. Macomber retired entirely from the firm, which was continued by his sons, who afterward changed the name to Macomber Brothers. The unexpected death of Franklin S. Macomber, in 1908, at a time when his career, in both business and public life, gave most remarkable promise of great achievement, left to his older surviving brother the entire- burden of a business, greatly increased in volume, and many plans for civic improvements in the course of development. The business of the firm was then transferred to the Macomber Brothers Company, incorporated in 1909, which is now controlled and managed by Irving E. Macomber. The brothers displayed great energy and perseverance, marked executive ability and keen foresight in the improvement of vacant property in the better parts of the city; and in the radical development of a residence district in the down-town section. A tract of waste land in the central portion of Toledo, between Woodruff avenue and Empire street and Twelfth and Fourteenth streets, used as a dumping ground for city refuse, long menaced and offended the citizens of Toledo. The brothers having acquired this land, devoted their time and energy to reclaiming it. The ground was filled, a complete drainage system constructed, alleys and streets were paved, broad sidewalks built, trees, shrubs, vines and grass planted, and substantial residences and large and handsome apartment houses erected. From being a menace to the public welfare, the section was converted into one of the most desirable residence districts of the city. At the same time the brothers were making extensive improvements in their other properties with great success, and three of the most complete and handsome apartment houses erected by them have particularly added to the general value of the localities in which they were built. The business of the Auburndale Brick Works also has been greatly extended and improved during the past decade. .Equipped with the most modern appliances, and organized in accordance with the most efficient methods, this plant has now an annual output of 4,000,000 brick, gas burned, and of a texture making possible their use in the best constructions. Mr. Macomber has further found time to identify himself with many public enterprises. With his brother, he took great interest in the Newsboys' Association of Toledo, and, in 1907, equipped and opened a public playground for the children at Woodruff avenue 112 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY and North Twelfth street. In 1907, he was elected one of the members-at-large of the Board of Education, and, in 1910, was elected president of the board. Mr. Macomber's work on the Board of Education has completely changed many antiquated and obsolete methods of school administration. Determined to see established in Toledo a public school system abreast; in scope and efficiency, with the best in the land, and fortunately associated with colleagues on the board equally interested and devoted as himself, he has given an immense amount of time, hard work and energy to this cause. The most important result accomplished was the establishment of district high schools in various quarters of the city, erected and maintained under a policy in harmony with the advanced thought in public education. Through direct and simple methods, beautiful buildings were designed, embodying not only the best educational experience of the time, but making possible an efficiency in arrangement and economy of construction in entire harmony with architectural effect. The policy adopted by Mr. Macomber and his associates provided for the erection of four district high schools. Bonds to the amount of $500,000 were authorized at the general election, Nov. 3, 1908, for the purpose of erecting two cosmopolitan high schools, one on the west side and one on the east side of the river. Sites at the corner of Machen and Collingwood, and at East Broadway, Kelsey and Mott avenues, were purchased for two schools, to be known as the Jessup W. Scott High School and the Morrison R. Waite High School, respectively. Plans and specifications for these notable public improvements were prepared by the Department of Architecture, established by the board, which will hereafter have charge of all school constructions. Mr. Macomber is a thorough believer in cosmopolitan high schools. offering academic, manual and commercial training, with equal emphasis on each and not belonging exclusively or especially to either class. And with the idea that such cosmopolitan schools tend toward democracy in education, his efforts have been directed toward the establishment of such model schools as rapidly as possible. The success of this work is now well recognized. The development Of the district high school idea has been only a small part of the work accomplished under the administration of Mr. Macomber and his colleagues on the board. The disastrous school fire at Collinwood, Ohio, being the cause of an exhaustive examination and inspection of the public schools, Mr. Macomber took the burden of this labor and spent many months in working out the remodeling and betterments for the buildings. Taking advantage of an aroused public sentiment to secure an appropriation of $350,000, old and dangerous systems of sanitation and ventilation were abandoned, new and modern equipment installed, and the buildings for the first time in many years were put in a condition worthy of public approval. The effectiveness of this work was emphasized by the action of the State Inspector of Factories and Workshops. in adopting the reconstruction methods of the Toledo schools as a standard for the State. Mr. Macomber was instrumental in the establishment of BIOGRAPHICAL - 113 a teacher's pension fund, to secure which fruitless efforts had been made for many years. He also undertook and secured the installation of a system of accounting for the public schools, which immediately affected a saving of many thousand dollars annually. This system was pronounced by the president of the National Association of Accountants to be so excellent in its scope and direct in its method as to meet the exacting requirements of a standard for uniform school accounting. Mr. Macomber is a member of the Country Club, Business Men's Club, Chamber of Commerce. Toledo Yacht Club, and is an enthusiastic worker in the various improvement associations and civic organizations. Mr. Macomber was married Sept. 15, 1904, to Miss Marie Becker, daughter of Gerhard Becker, owner of the great Becker tanneries of Milwaukee. Mrs. Macomber is a native of Dubuque, Iowa, and was educated in Chicago and Hanover, Germany. Mr, and Mrs. Macomber reside at the Lincoln Apartments. Charles Kent was long numbered among the representative citizens and successful attorneys of the city of Toledo, where the major portion of his active career was passed, and both as a man of sterling worth and as a member of one of the honored professions, it is fitting that a tribute to his memory be perpetuated in this volume. Mr. Kent was born in Suffield, Portage county, Ohio, April 21, 1821, and his death occurred at his home in the city of Toledo. July 9, 1888. He was a son of Martin Kent, Jr., and his wife, Sophronia (Adams) Kent, who were both natives of New Hampshire, although the father's family came from Connecticut and the mother's from Massachusetts. In 1806, the families of both of these parents moved to Ohio, then a wild forest with but few inhabitants, and they were among the very earliest settlers in the Buckeye commonwealth, their names meriting a place of honor on the roster of the sterling pioneers of the State. Before the birth of the subject of this memoir his parents had located in Portage county and established their pioneer home. The son was reared under the influences and environments of that era and his early educational advantages were such as could be obtained in the log school houses of that day. His early experiences were not different from those of other boys of those pioneer days, and he attended the district school until his tenth year, when he was sent to a boarding school at Tallmadge, Ohio, which at that time was a noted institution. His father dying when Charles was thirteen years of age, the boy was sent by his grandfather to such neighboring schools as there were, and thus was fitted for college. In 1837, when sixteen years of age, he matriculated at Western Reserve College, where he graduated in 1840, thus completing a four years' course in three, and with the additional honor of attaining the highest scholarship of any student in the college up to that time. One of his classmates, who entered the college at the same time, was Omar D. Conger, afterward United States senator from Michigan, although the latter did not graduate until 1841. He and Mr. Kent were subsequently admitted to the bar at the same time and place. Shortly after his graduation, Mr. Kent began the study of law in- 114 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY the offices of Goddard & Converse, at Zanesville, Ohio, and he was admitted to the bar in September, 1843, at Ravenna. Soon thereafter he commenced the practice of his profession at Bellevue, Huron county, where he remained until April, 1853, and then removed to Toledo, which place continued to be the scene of his activities for the remainder of his life. He soon became-recognized by the bar as a man of great legal ability and versatility of powers, and by all with whom he came in contact as a man endowed with intellectual capabilities rarely excelled. Able to grasp and comprehend the complicated questions of law and argue his points with such clearness and force as to divest them of all ambiguity, his arguments were made upon the broad foundation of principle rather than upon precedent. He was recognized as having but few equals at the bar in Northwestern Ohio, and when death closed his active and honorable career, Judge James M. Ritchie paid him the following tribute, which would readily be concurred in by all of his associates in the profession : "He was one of the ablest lawyers at the bar. He was a strong logician and his battle ground was principle. He cared nothing for precedents. He was not what might be called a case lawyer. He cared nothing for decisions unless they were right according to his ideas. He was a very remarkable man. He never acquired the position which his merits and legal abilities entitled him to." During his long residence in Toledo, he led a very active professional career, having a wide reputation and a large practice. In 1878, at the time of the organization of the Lucas County Bar Association, he became its first president and served in that capacity two years, at the end of which period he declined to serve longer, in order that the honor might be bestowed upon an older lawyer, John R. Osborn. Mr. Kent was a man of inviolable integrity and ordered his life upon a high plane of usefulness and honor, so that to him was ever given the high regard of all who knew him. He showed a commendable interest in all that made for the progress and general welfare of the community, and in his political views was a stalwart supporter of the principles of first the Whig and later the Republican party. In the early years of the Civil war he was appointed provost marshal of the Tenth district of Ohio, and he performed the duties of that office with characteristic zeal and integrity, leaving an official record that will bear the closest scrutiny. In 1867-68 he served as city solicitor of Toledo, filling the position with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned. On June 24. 1846, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Kent to Miss Mary S. Towne, daughter of Rev. Josiah and Charlotte (Penfield) Towne. of Hanover, N. H. She survived her husband nearly sixteen years and died at her home in Toledo, Feb. 25, 1904, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. Of their union were born eight children, all of whom are deceased with the exception of a daughter, Miss Eliza Kent, who resides in the old homestead at 2701 Collingwood avenue, Toledo. Of the other children who reached the age of maturity. and whose promising careers were terminated by untimely deaths, Arthur C., the eldest son, was well known in the real-estate BIOGRAPHICAL - 115 circles of Toledo ; Henry T. had gained considerable prominence as a civil engineer in connection wrth the Oregon extension of the Union Pacific railroad, and Charles E. followed in the footsteps of his father and gave much promise of a successful career as a lawyer. Arthur, Charles E., and a sister Edith died within the two years, 1898 and 1899. Elmer H. Close, president and treasurer of the E. H. Close Realty Company, of Toledo, was born at Bellevue, Huron countY, Ohio, Dec. 9, 1875, a son of Joseph W. and Gertrude (Hannum) Close, the former a native of Harrisburg, Pa., and the latter of Bellevue, Ohio, where both are now living. Joseph M. Close was for many years a successful grain dealer, but is now living retired, enjoying the fruits of his labor in former years. Elmer H. is the eldest in a family of three children. Charles D. is now deceased, and a sister is Mrs. A. P. Harsch, of Toledo. All three were born and educated in Bellevue, graduating at the high school of that city. The subject of this sketch then attended the University of Michigan, but did not complete the course. Mrs. Harsch graduated at that institution and also at Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass., near the city of Boston. Elmer H. Close began his business career as an insurance man, at Duluth, Minn. In 1897 he came to Toledo and became a partner of George Pomeroy, with whom he remained associated for twelve years, holding the position of secretary and treasurer. On Jan. 1, 1909, he organized the E. H. Close Realty Company, of which he is president and treasurer, as above mentioned ; G. W. Close is vice-president ; and A. P. Harsch is secretary. Mr. Close was also connected with the Clinton-Close Company, in which he held the office of vice-president. This company. now out of business, was organized, about 1903, for the purpose of handling ladies' ready made clothing, Mr. Close being one of the originators. The headquarters of this concern were located at the corner of Summit and Adams streets, and their store there was recognized as one of the leading retail establishmenst of Toledo. Mr. Close has been so long identified with the real estate interests of the city, that he is regarded as an authority on the subject of property values in Toledo. He is a Republican in his political affiliations and is active in the club life of the city, being a member of the Country Club, the Business Men's Club, the Toledo, and the Toledo Yacht clubs. In October, 1898. Mr. Close and Miss Nell Kempf were united in marriage, at Ann Arbor, Mich., and they have two children—Susanne Gertrude and. Joseph K.—both born in Toledo. Mrs. Close is a daughter of Hon. Reuben Kempf, president of the Farmers' & Mechanics' Bank, of Ann Arbor. She is a member of the Trinity Episcopal Church, of Toledo. Edward L. Kimes is one of the most popular men in the official circles of Lucas county, a fact that has been attested on numerous occasions, but on none was the evidence of the high regard in which he is held more pronounced than in the campaigns which resulted in his election to the position of county clerk, which office he is now acceptably filling. Mr. Kimes was born in Stark county, 116 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY Ohio, March 21, 1850, his father being of German and his mother of Irish descent. His father died when he was but four years old, and early in life he was thrown largely upon his own resources, so far as paternal guidance and influence is concerned. He came to Toledo in 1887, and for a number of years was employed on the Ann Arbor railroad. His first official employment was as a member of the Toledo police force, and for several years he served in that department, first as patrolman, then as detective, and last as sergeant of police, but it mattered not in what capacity he was serving, he was always found at his post of duty and was always kind in his treatment of those who came under his care. In 1898, he was appointed superintendent of Forest Cemetery. a position which he acceptably filled until February, 1906. In the campaign of the preceding year he received the nomination of the Republican party for the position of county clerk, and although a good share of the party ticket in the county tasted of defeat at the ensuing election, Mr. Kimes came through with colors flying and with a comfortable majority in his favor. He was re-elected in 1908, by the largest vote in the history of Lucas county. He still is the incumbent of the office, and in this, as well as in the other capacities in which he has served the public, he demonstrates his fitness for the place. Fraternally he is a member of Rubicon Lodge, No. 37, Free & Accepted Masons ; Maumee chapter and council ; Lucas Lodge, No. 148, Knights of Pythias ; Heath Lodge, No. 122, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; Lodge No. 196, Fraternity of Eagles ; and the Lincoln Republican Club. On June 10, 1876. Mr. Kimes was married to Miss Ellen Krause, of Seneca county, Ohio, and he shortly afterward moved to Gratiot county, Michigan. where he made his home until he came to Toledo. in 1887, as before stated. Of this union there are the following children : Maude E.; Cora, the wife of C. J. Pattee, of Toledo ; William J. and Lloyd W. The family resides at 2023 Summit street. Charles E. Myers, county recorder of Lucas county and formerly clerk of city courts, in Toledo, is a native of the great Empire State, having first beheld the light of day in Port Jervis, Orange county, New York, Aug. 15, 1870. He acquired his education in the public schools of his native town and the high school at Frankfort, Herkimer county, New York. He came to Toledo. in October, 1888, and entered the employ of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Company, serving that company eight years as agent, at Air-Line Junction. In 1902, he was appointed chief clerk in the office of the clerk of city courts, and in the ensuing year was made clerk, by the judges of the court. He was reappointed at the expiration of his first term and, on the first Monday of September, 1909, having been duly elected by the voters of Lucas county, assumed the duties of the office of county recorder. Mr. Myers organized the first lodge of the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks, in Toledo, of which he was president for two terms, and has represented the local organization at all the national conventions of the order. He was general president of the National Railway Clerks, two terms, and is now first vice-president of the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks. Aside BIOGRAPHICAL - 117 from being an honored member of the Lincoln Club, he is affiliated with Sanford L. Collins Lodge, No. 396, Free & Accepted Masons ; Lucas Lodge, No. 148, Knights of Pythias ; Lodge No 7, Brotherhood of Railway Clerks ; Welcome Lodge, No. 394, Pathfinders ; Royal Camp, No. 3435, Modern Woodmen of America, and Maumee Tent, No. 9, Knights of the Maccabees. He cast his first vote for the Republican ticket, in the fall of 1891, when William McKinley was first elected to the governorship of Ohio, and ever since then he has been loyal in his support of the men and principles of the "Grand Old Party," contributing much to its signal success in this portion of the commonwealth, and having served his ward, the old fifteenth, three terms as ward committeeman. Both by nature and training, Mr. Myers is admirably equipped for public office, and in the various capacities in which his exceptionally industrious life has placed him, he has brought to the discharge of his duties executive ability and a high order of sterling integrity. His career has been active and entirely honorable at all times, and his social and busines affiliations have not been apart from the masses who elected him to his present responsible office. While he is a friend of the toiler and very much devoted to the cause of labor, honest industrial interests have no truer friend or more effective champion. Toledo has no more loyal or public-spirited citizen and none gives more willingly and cheerfully of their time and means to her worthy interests ; and he possesses a deep and abiding faith in the promises and prospects of a greater and grander city. Dr. George R. Love is the efficient superintendent of the Toledo Hospital for the Insane, which is considered the model institution of its kind in the world, and to his administrative ablity and especial adaptability is due in large measure its present high standing. Dr. Love was born in Plainfield, Ohio, Jan. 21, 1869, and is the son of Joseph and Margaret (Rusk) Love. the former of whom was born in the city of Philadelphia and the latter at Dresden, Ohio. Although born and reared in the Quaker City, the father became a farmer by occupation, and in early manhood removed to Ohio, where he met and married his wife, in Jacobsport, now called Plainfield. The wife died in 1898. and of the eight children horn to their union seven are living. The father is now a resident of Coshocton, Ohio, where for a number of years he has filled the position of librarian of the public library. In the Civil war he served as a musician and also in the commissary department. Dr. George R. Love, to whom this review is more particularly dedicated, received his preliminary education in the public schools of Coshocton county, and then completed a course in the Ohio State University. Deciding upon the practice of medicine as his life's profession, he then matriculated at the Starling Medical College, of Columbus, and graduated in that institution with the class of 1897. Soon after his graduation, he received the appointment as house surgeon at the Miami Valley Hospital, in which capacity he served one year, and he then came to Toledo and officiated as house surgeon in the Toledo Hospital for several months. In October, 1898, he was appointed to a position on the medical 118 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY staff of that institution by the then superintendent. Dr. H. H. Tobey, and he served as assistant to that official for a period of six years. At the end of that time he opened an office for the private practice of his profession in the city of Toledo, and was thus successfully engaged for about eighteen months. On Feb. 19, 1906, a vacancy having occurred in the office of superintendent of the Toledo State Hospital for the Insane, he was selected for the position and has since served in that capacity to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. He is a member of the Academy of Medicine of Toledo, and has a life membership in the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society. His religious faith is expressed by membership in the Presbyterian church. On Oct. 11, 1904, Dr. Love was married to Miss Helen Josephine Deering. who was born in Saco, Maine, and received her education in La Salle Seminary in Massachusetts. To this union there has been born a son, George Deering Love, who was born in Toledo. April 26, 1907. Albion E. Lang, president of the Toledo Railways & Light Co., was born Sept. 12. 1849, at Huntington, Lorain county, Ohio. He attended school at Wellington, Ohio, until he was twelve years of age, at which time the death of his father caused the removal of the family to Oberlin, where Albion studied telegraphy. in 1863, he was employed as night telegraph operator for the C. S. & C. R. R. at Clyde, Ohio, and he remained with this company as operator, until 1868, when he was appointed assistant superintendent of the telegraph department of the road, stationed at Sandusky. In the spring of 1869, Mr. Lang came to Toledo as an employe of the Western Union Telegraph Co., and with this company he remained until 1874; during the greater part of this time he was assigned to the duty of taking night press reports and devoted much of his leisure time to the study of various branches, which he thought would be of practical value to him in his career. He resigned his position with the Western Union Telegraph Company, in the autumn of 1874, and, in partnership with Mr. Price and Mr. McIntosh, attorney-at-law, purchased a set of abstract books and opened an abstract office. Mr. Price and Mr. McIntosh are since deceased, and it was only a short time until the firm became Lenderson, Lang & Co. Mr. Lang pursued the study of law, in addition to his business duties, and was admitted to the bar, in 1878. He purchased an interest in the Monroe & Dorr Street railway, in 1881, became its president, and, during his official connection with the railway, was influential in effecting the consolidation of the several street railway lines of the city, in January, 1885. Mr. Lang became vice-president and general manager of the Consolidated Street Railways of Toledo, in September. 1888. This corporation had, with one exception, absorbed all the street railways previous to this time. and it required a man of great executive ability to systematize the mammoth enterprise and plan the detailed arrangements of the street transit facilities, to meet the demands of a rapidly increasing business. His success in improving the service offered to the public by the street railways brought Mr. Lang into favorable notice. and in this capacity, as well as in others, he has shown himself to have BIOGRAPHICAL - 119 the welfare of the community entirely at heart. The rise and progress of Mr. Lang have been part and parcel of the rise and progress of Toledo ; his history is the history of the city street railways, factories and prosperity, for he has been closely identified with all of them. With limited opportunities and without assistance, he has demonstrated the possibilities of an American boy ; he has shown that energy, thrift, industry and principle can still open the portals of success and lead to eminence. From the successful management of a small street-car line, he became manager and director of a corporation, employing thousands of men and millions of dollars of capital. In addition to this, Mr. Lang is a large-hearted and public-spirited citizen, and combines in his personality the successful business man and the philanthropist. In 1895, the Toledo Traction Company was formed, and it acquired, during his presidency, all the street railway lines, together with all of the electric lighting business of the city. The traction company was absorbed by the Toledo Railways & Light Company, in 1901, and he was made president of the same, remaining at the head of this company until 1903. Mr. Lang gave the best and most fruitful years of his life to the service of the company and, in 1903, he felt that the affairs of the company had been brought into such order that he could safely leave his position of great trust and responsibility in the hands of one of the younger officers and retire from active service, retaining the post of chief adviser and counsellor to a new incumbent. The company could not, however, be persuaded to agree with Mr. Lang in this matter, and he was re-elected to the position of president, in August, 1908. He has proved himself to be indispensable, and remains in office to the present time, although he has insisted upon being relieved of all routine work that could be shifted to other shoulders. Mr. Lang is by nature essentially a business man, and a business man upon a grand scale ; some part of his success is clue, perhaps, to his early training, in the overcoming of obstacles, but obstacles are only a -blessing to such characters as have the fortitude to overcome them. He is undoubtedly the possessor of remarkable administrative ability, joined to a keen insight into human nature, and the power to make large plans, suited to larger needs than the average person can conceive the necessity for. The Newsboys' Association is a city philanthropic enterprise which engages the enthusiasm and interest of Mr. Lang ; he is director, trustee, and vice-president of this society, and was the donor of the lot, valued at $20,000, upon which the Newsboys' Building and Auditorium stands, and of $10,000 toward the erection of the edifice. As director of the Toledo branch of the Ohio Humane Society, Mr. Lang devotes a large amount of time and energy to the promotion of that good work, and is trustee of the $50,000 bequest of the late John T. Newton to the society. He was president of the American Street Railway Association in the years 1898 and 1899. Other organizations in which Mr. Lang is an influential member; are as follows : The Toledo Museum of 'Art, in which he is a director ; the Toledo Club, the Inverness Club, the Toledo Yacht .Club, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Masonic 120 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY Blue Lodge and Chapter. of Toledo. Mr. Lang married a daughter of Robert H. Folger, of Massillon, Ohio, Nov. 4, 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Lang have an apartment on Glenwood avenue and a summer home, with 160 acres of land, at Cornish Hills, N. H., where they spend the major portion of the warm weather. Dr. .George Anthony Collamore, deceased, ranked high in the medical profession at Toledo, and among the honored citizens of that municipality none was more highly esteemed than the subject of this memoir. Dr. Collamore was born in Pembroke, Plymouth county, Massachusetts. Nov. 9, 1833, and was the son of Dr. Anthony Collamore and Caroline (Hatch) Collamore, the father being a successful practicing physician of that place. Dr. George A. Collamore was a direct descendant of Edward Doty, who came over in the "Mayflower" in 1620, and of Anthony Annable, who came in the "Ann" in 1623. A maternal ancestor was John Humphrey, who married Lady Susan, the daughter of the Earl of Lincoln and sister of Lady Arbella. A great-grandfather, Capt. Pyam Cushing, was engaged in the fortification of Dorchester Heights, in 1776, which compelled the evacuation of Boston by the British troops, and another great-grandfather, Capt. Seth Hatch, ran the blockade and furnished supplies to Gen. James Wolfe at Quebec, in 1759. For the performance of this duty he was publicly thanked, and upon the death of General Wolfe in the battle which ensued he was given some of that great commander's tent furniture. He also served in the Revolutionary war, marching, April 20, 1775, in response to the alarm of the previous day, and he saw service again in Rhode Island, Dec. 19, 1776. The first American representative of the Collamore family was Peter Collamore—the name appears in the old records variously as Collymore, Collymer, Colomer, Colmore and Collmer—who received a grant of land at Scituate, Mass., in 1639, and was made a freeman in 1643. Having no children, he sent to England for his nephew. Anthony, to whom he bequeathed his estates by will dated 1684. Anthony Collamore was married in 1666 to Sarah. "twine daughter" of Isaac Chittenden ; he was prominent in the community, a captain of militia and master of a vessel. Of his twelve children, five survived infancy, one daughter, Elizabeth, marrying Timothy Symmes, of Scituate, and becoming the great-grandmother of Anna Symmes, wife of President William Henry Harrison. Peter Collamore, one of his sons, was married in 1671 to Abigail Davis, of Roxbury, Mass., and John, the sixth of their nine children, was married to Margaret Whiton, of Hingham, in 1732. They had five children, of whom the youngest was Enoch (born 1745, died 1824), a sergeant in Colonel Bailey's regiment, that "marched for the relief of Boston in the Lexington alarm" in April, 1775 ; elected one of the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety, and after the war representing the town of Scituate in the first state legislature. Enoch Collamore married Hannah, daughter of Capt. Pyam Cushing, whose wife was Hannah, sister of Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, who received the sword of Cornwallis at Yorktown and was afterward secretary of war. Dr. George A. Collamore, to whom this memoir is more particu- BIOGRAPHICAL - 121 larly dedicated, was educated at Hanover, Mass., and at Phillips Academy, at Andover, and he graduated with honors at Dartmouth College, in 1854. He then for a time turned his attention to teaching, being first employed at Colebrook, N. H., and later in Culpeper county, Virginia, where he taught during the years 1854-5. From 1855 to 1857, he was engaged as a private tutor in King William's county, Virginia, and in the last named year attended medical lectures at Hanover, N. H. He graduated at the Harvard Medical College in Boston, in 1859, and during the course of his studies in that institution had the extreme pleasure of having Oliver Wendell Holmes as an instructor. Dr. Collamore practiced medicine in West Bridgewater, Mass., from the time of his graduation to 1861, in which year he came to Toledo, and there he was engaged in the profession until his death, excepting only the time spent in the service of his country in the Civil war. He entered the army in August, 1862, enlisting as surgeon in the One Hundredth Ohio infantry. The regiment first moved to Cincinnati for the defense of that city and went into position on Covington Heights, a few rods in front and to the left of Fort Mitchel. It remained in Kentucky for nearly a year, going wherever the presence of the enemy rendered it necessary, and then was sent to East Tennessee, where it participated in the defense of Knoxville. While stationed at that place Dr. Collamore officiated as brigade surgeon, and in the spring of 1864 moved on the Atlanta campaign and was present at almost every battle from Rocky Face Ridge to Atlanta. After the evacuation of that place, with his regiment he joined in the pursuit of Hood and participated, in his capacity of surgeon, in the battles of Franklin and Nashville. He then moved to North Carolina, and thence returned to Toledo, where he was mustered out with his regiment, June 20, 1865. His recollections of these three years of desperate warfare were kept alive by membership in the Loyal Legion and Toledo Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of which local organization he served as commander. He was also a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity of Dartmouth College, and he served as State Inspector of Contagious Diseases in 1902. Professionally, he attained a very high rank and wrote quite extensively upon medical subjects, being for four years editor of the "State Medical Journal." He served as secretary of the Ohio State Medical Society in 1882 and again in 1895, and as president of the same organization in 1892. He served two terms as coroner of Lucas county—from 1872 to 1876—and as health officer of the city of Toledo in 1879, 1887, and 1891. Dr. Collamore was married three times : first, in 1865, to Miss Sarah J., daughter of Mitchel Hooper, of Bridgewater, Mass. After the death of his first wife, who passed away in 1873, he was married to Miss Sarah, daughter of Luther F. Gates, of Toledo. She died in 1886, and he was then married to Mrs. Emma (Thorn) Gates, daughter of Dr. James F. Thorn, of New York City, and she survives him. Of his children, Ralph graduated in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, in 1897, and is a mechanical engineer with the firm of Field & Henchman, of Detroit ; Marian graduated in the Toledo high and normal 122 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY schools and is a teacher in the Jefferson school in Toledo ; Kenelm Winslow is a student in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and George Thorn is located at Walton, Wyo., engaged in the railroad business. Dr. George A. Collamore died April 8, 1903. Dr. Jennings spoke of him at his funeral as follows : "Dr. Collamore was not only great in his profession—he was great every way. He was a great reader, well versed in all scientific and literary pursuits." As a companion and friend he had few equals, and all admired him for his quaint wit and genial manners. Robert Bruce Wilson is a lawyer of high standing at the Toledo bar, having offices at 462-463 Spitzer Building, and he devotes his attention exclusively to patents and patent causes, trade marks and copyrights, being recognized as an authority upon matters pertaining to that branch of his profession. Mr. Wilson was born in Warren county, Ohio, Dec. 16, 1839, the son of Robert and Martha (Smith) Wilson, the former of whom was a native of Virginia and the latter of Ohio. They were among the early settlers of Warren county, Ohio, and there the father followed farming and became very prominent in that section of the state as a leading man of affairs. He served as treasurer of Warren county for a total of about fifteen years, and he also served several terms in the Ohio legislature. He was one of the best known and most highly respected men in Warren county. To him and his good wife there were born seven sons and one daughter, only three of whom are now living. Six of the sons served in the Union army, Judge William W. Wilson as major of the Seventy-ninth Ohio infantry, and James was a member of the Third Ohio infantry. Three of the sons became prominent as lawyers, the eldest being Judge Jeremiah M. Wilson, of Indiana, who was a leading member of the bar of that State, represented the Fourth district in Congress two terms, and later practiced his profession in Washington. D. C. He achieved a national reputation. The second son, Judge William Wilson, of Warren county, Ohio, was one o fthe prominent members of the bar in that section of the State. Robert Bruce Wilson, who was named in honor of the great Scottish patriot, received his literary education in the old Lebanon Academy, now called the National Normal School, in his native county, and in preparation for his life's work began the study of law. While thus engaged, the dark cloud of civil war darkened the land and the young law student closed his volume of Blackstone and offered his services to his country. He enlisted, in April, 1861, as a member of Company F, in the Twelfth Ohio infantry, and was made fourth sergeant upon the organization of the regiment. Faithfully performing the duties assigned him, he was successively promoted to first sergeant, then to second lieutenant. and later became adjutant of the One Hundred and Ninety-fourth Ohio infantry. He then served in the field as assistant acting adjutant-general of General McCook's brigade, and remained in the service from the beginning until the close of hostilities. After peace was again restored, he returned to his home in Ohio and resumed the study of law. and he successfully passed the required examination and was admitted to the bar in 1867. Shortly aft- BIOGRAPHICAL - 123 erward he accepted the position of deputy assessor of internal revenue, the duties of which he performed for two years, and he then established himself in the practice of his profession at Dayton. He remained in this place but one year, however, and then, Cincinnati offering greater opportunities, he removed to that city and practiced law there from 1871 until 1895. On account 'of the condition of his health he gave up general practice in that year, and removing to Toledo lived in practical retirement for some time. Idleness, however, is very irksome to one whose life has been strenuous, and Mr. Wilson decided to re-enter the practice as a patent attorney. In this department of the legal profession he has met with unqualified success, and he seems to be particularly adapted to this branch of the practice. In politics he gives an unswerving allegiance to the men and measures of the Republican party, fraternally he is an enthusiastic member of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Loyal Legion, and his religious faith is expressed by membership in the Collingwood Presbyterian Church. On Oct. 30, 1869, Mr. Wilson was married to Miss Isabella Gould, of Warren county, Ohio, daughter of John F. Gould, who was the owner of the. Franklin Furnace, one of the large iron furnaces on the Ohio river. To Mr. and Mrs. Wilson there were born three children—Grace Margaret, Sterling G. and Cedric Harold—the daughter and eldest son (now deceased) being graduates of Woodward High School, in Cincinnati, and the youngest son, of the Toledo High School. The family home is pleasantly located at 934 Grand avenue, in Toledo. Wilber A. and Charles W. Owen, Jr., are brothers, composing the well-known law firm of Owen & Owen, patent attorneys, of 922-926 Nicholas Building, Toledo, the sons of Charles W. and Belle (Allen) Owen. Both parents, now in their sixtieth years, are living at Quincy, Mich. Charles W. Owen, Sr., has been engaged in newspaper work for the past thirty years, having been employed on the Lansing "Republican" for several years. Later he was editor of the Coldwater (Mich.) "Courier,' and is now editor of the Quincy "Herald." Wilber A. Owen was born June 30. 1873, in Detroit, and Charles W., Jr., in Lansing. Mich.. June 29, 1877. Both sons finished the preparatory school work in the Michigan schools, and afterward accepted positions in Washington, D. C. While thus engaged, both attended the George Washington University, at Washington, D. C., Wilber A. obtaining the degree of Bachelor of Laws from that institution in 1896, and a year later, after a postgraduate course in the college, was granted the degree of Master of Laws. In both years he obtained the highest honors awarded the Members of his classes. Charles W. received the degree of Bachelor of Laws, in 1899, the degree of Master of Laws, in 1900, and during the following year took a special course in patent. trade-mark and copyright laws, and received the higher degree of Master of Patent Laws. When the brothers had completed their courses and received their degrees, they resigned from the government service and came to Toledo, Wilber A. in October, 1897, and Charles W. four years later. During the first few years of his practice, the elder brother conducted a law quiz class for the instruction of students of law 124 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY who were preparing to take the state bar examination. So successful was he in this work that one of his classes stood first in the examination, ranking higher than the graduates of the University of Michigan law department, the law school of the Ohio State University and the Cleveland Law School. Having systematized his method of instruction, he prepared and published it in book form. known as Owen's Law Quizzer. It is an octavo volume of about 700 pages ,covers some twenty different legal subjects, and the West Publishing Company has recently finished printing the third edition. The book has had a large sale, being used by students of law all over the United States as a text and reference work. The firm as organized conducts a very large business in patent, copyright and trade-mark matters, both in the Federal courts and the patent office, to which its entire attention is devoted. The brothers have gained a wide reputation in this branch of the law, and cases involving infringement and interference are brought to them from all over the State, and surrounding cities. Fraternally and socially Wilber A. is identified with the Masonic order, the Phi Kappa Phi fraternity, the Toledo Club, and the Inverness Golf Club and Charles \V. is a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, the Toledo Business Men's Club and the Toledo Yacht Club. In religious matters both are affiliated with the Collingwood Presbyterian Church. The older brother was united in marriage, in February, 1901, at Adrian, Mich., to Mrs. Ida Weden ; and Charles W. married Miss Anna V. Steinmetz, in Quincy, Mich., in April, 1904, and has two children, Virginia and Allen, aged five and two, respectively. Wilber A. Owen resides at 2471 Gleenwood avenue and Charles W. at 2556 Scottwood avenue. The offices of the firm are at Rooms 922-926 Nicholas Building, Toledo. Joseph J. Mooney, Ohio State agent for the Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company, and director of public safety in the city of Toledo, was born at St. Mary's, Ohio, April 9, 1868. His father. Michael Mooney, was born in County Leitrim, Ireland, April 14, 1839, and in 1847 started with his parents for America. On the long and tedious voyage of nine weeks and three days, on an old-fashioned sailing vessel, his mother died. Upon arriving in this country, the family first settled in Chautauqua county, New York, where Michael's father engaged in farming. In 1851. the family removed to Ohio and settled in Fairfield county, where they lived until 1855, when they removed to Allen county, near Lima, and, three years later, removed to St. Mary's, Auglaize county. Michael Mooney attended primary school for a short time in Ireland, having been eight years old when his father immigrated to America. He completed his education in the public schools of this country, lived with his father on the farm until he was twenty years old, then sold goods in the county for about four years, at the end of which time he became a traveling salesman for a wholesale house, in whose employ he remained for six years, in which time he gained the reputation of being one of the most successful salesmen on the road. In 1868 he began his career as an insurance man, taking the agency at that time for several leading fire insurance companies.