BIOGRAPHICAL - 375 of Toledo. The mother died in 1871. They had two sons—John W. and William F., both of whom still live in Toledo. John W.,. the elder, is known as ''Silver Jack," who Mayor Brand Whitlock says is one of the best detectives in the United States. A sketch of him appears elsewhere in this work. William F. Carew attended school in his native city, after which he traveled extensively over the United States. In the early years of his life he operated a company of seven men, who traveled with pack horses through Texas. Arkansas and Louisiana, selling dry-goods, etc., frequently having to carry the packs on their shoulders, while they swam their horses across the streams. The summer months were generally spent in Kansas and Missouri. After following that line of business for about fifteen years, Mr. Carew engaged in the optical business in Toledo, being located at 417 Adams street, where he remained for about five years. In 1894, he embarked in the detective business, which he has followed since with marked success. The business of the modern detective agency is not well understood by the general. public. Mr. Carew's agency furnishes protection to large stores against petty thieves, shoplifting, etc., and his work in this line is not confined to Toledo. He has in his employ a number of keen, shrewd men and women, who are frequently called upon to serve in the mercantile establishments of other cities. Another important feature of his work is the collection of data and evidence for attorneys and corporations in damage cases. Fairs, carnival associations, etc., frequently call on him to furnish trained detectives to guard the people against pickpockets. confidence men and other questionable characters. Mr. Carew is independent in his political views, casting his vote for the best man, regardless of party affiliations. His religious belief is expressed by membership in the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, of Toledo. He is a member of the Toledo Chamber of Commerce, and belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. On June 6, 1883, Mr. Carew married Miss Louise M. Schultz, of Toledo, and they have three children—Claud, Frank J. and John W. Claud was born in Missouri, and the other two in Toledo. Mrs. Carew was born in Niagara county, New York, and was educated in Hillsdale county, Michigan. Mr. Carew resides at 2333 Broadway. Hudson Fitch, of Toledo, familiarly known as "Colonel" Fitch, traffic manager of the Toledo & Ohio Central and the Zanesville & Western railroads, was born at Olmsted Falls, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, Jan. 12, 1846. His parents, Smith W. and Maria S. (Fitch) Fitch, were first cousins and were descendants of some of the first families that settled in the Western Reserve. About 1830 four brothers named Fitch came from Connecticut and settled in that part of Ohio known as the Western Reserve, which was at that time a wilderness. Colonel Fitch can trace his ancestry back in an unbroken line to the year 1636. when some of the Fitch family came from England and settled in Connecticut. the last Royal governor of that colony having been a Fitch. Hudson Fitch was educated in the public schools of his native county. On Dec. 28, 1863, he enlisted as a private in the One Hundred and Twenty- 376 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY fifth Ohio infantry, and although less than eighteen years of age, was soon afterward made sergeant. His faithful performance of duty led to his promotion to the rank of first sergeant and finally to second lieutenant. He followed the fortunes of his regiment in the Atlanta campaign until captured at Atlanta. After a short time as a prisoner of war, at Andersonville and in other prisons, he was exchanged, rejoined his regiment and was mustered out at Camp Irwin, Texas, in September, 1865. That he was a good soldier is evidenced by his promotions, and he commemorates his military service by membership in Volunteer Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Toledo. Prior to the war, Mr. Fitch had begun his business career as a clerk and bookkeeper in a general store, and after being mustered out of the army he again engaged in that occupation. In 1875, he entered the general offices of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad at Cleveland as a clerk, and remained with that company until in October, 1880, when he became associated with the Toledo & Ohio Central. In January, 1881, when the headquarters of the Ohio Central were removed from Columbus to Toledo, he became a resident of the latter city. In railroad work, as in his military service. Colonel Fitch's conduct has been characterized by an intelligent and conscientious discharge of the duties assigned him, and his fidelity and energy have been rewarded by successive promotions to better positions and salaries, until he now holds the important office of traffic manager, as above stated. On all questions relating to national policies, he affiliates with the Republican party, but in local affairs he is broad-minded enough to rise above mere party considerations and vote for the man he deems best fitted for the office. This independence of thought and action marks the highest type of American citizenship, of which Colonel Fitch is a worthy example. He is a member of Rubicon Lodge, Free & Accepted Masons, and is a Thirty-second degree member of the Scottish Rite Consistory. He also belongs to the Business Men's Club and the Country Club. of Toledo. and in all the societies with which he is associated he is regarded as a useful member. It has been said that every man has a hobby, and Colonel Fitch's hobby is outdoor sports, particularly horseback riding. He keeps a fine saddle horse, and derives great pleasure from his rides about the city. His vacations are chiefly spent in the West, where he enjoys riding about with the cowboys, sleeping with them on the ground at night and otherwise roughing it, returning to his work with new vigor. Notwithstanding he has passed the age of three score years, he is still hale and hearty, nearly six feet tall, of splendid physique and commanding appearance, and there is no doubt that his well preserved manhood is due in a great measure to his outdoor exercise. On Nov. 11, 1868, Colonel Fitch led to the altar Miss Mary Odell, a native of Twinsburg, Summit county, Ohio, though the greater part of her early life was passed in the city of Cleveland, where she was educated, and where she and her husband were married. Colonel and Mrs. Fitch reside at the Monticello, one of the best family hotels in Toledo, located at the corner BIOGRAPHICAL - 377 of Michigan and Monroe streets, and both have a host of friends among the best people of the city. John Paul Jones, for many years closely identified with the civic and industrial life of Toledo, was born at Dungannon, Columbiana county, Ohio, June 23. 1839, and died at Toledo, April 24, 1909. He was the son of Thomas and Sarah Clark Jones, his father having been born in 1806, in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Ireland, and his mother was born, in 1821, in Coitsville, Mahoning county, Ohio, of Scotch-Irish extraction ; and he inherited his splendid physique and clean quick wit from distinguished ancestors. While still in his childhood, his parents removed to Youngstown. Ohio, where he acquired such an education as the common schools of that day afforded. To this he added by reading and self-culture, until few men could claim a wider fund of information on general subjects, or a more comprehensive knowledge of standard literature. One of his pleasant recollections was the acquaintance he formed with Charles Dickens, when the latter visited this country, and which was kept up by correspondence until the author's death. At the age of seventeen, Mr. Jones left Youngstown and went to Chicago, Ill., where he accepted a position in the office of the Galena & Chicago Union railroad. He advanced steadily from one position of trust to another until 1864, when he was sent to Toledo as local treasurer of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railway. An opportunity presented itself to enter the field of newspaper work, for which he was peculiarly well fitted, by reason of his clear judgment of men and affairs. In 1867. he bought a partnership, with Dr. D. R. Locke ("Nasby"), in the "Toledo Blade," and remained partner and business manager until 1874, and then its sole proprietor until 1876, when he was elected auditor of Lucas county : and he was re-elected in 1878. He was the editor of the "Toledo Bee" in 1884, and later the owner of the "Atlanta Journal," living in Atlanta several years, finally disposing of the "Journal" to Hoke Smith, in 1887, when he returned to Toledo. He was a Thirty-two degree Mason, and was a charter member of the Toledo branch of the Ancient & Accepted Order of Scottish Rites. He was secretary for five years of the Northwestern Ohio Masonic Relief Association. In 1908, the voters of Lucas county elected him a member of the lower house of the General Assembly of Ohio, in which he served during the extra sessions of 1909. He never sought public office ; in his case the office always sought the man. He was honored by being given a place on the Finance. Library and Temperance committees, where, by his general knowledge of State affairs, he at once took rank as an influential and useful member. In politics, John Paul Jones was a broad-minded Republican, and in his intercourse with his fellow-men he was ever the dignified, elegant, courteous gentleman of the old school. Mr. Jones' death came suddenly, Saturday, April 24, 1909, and was due to heart disease. His remains were interred in Woodlawn cemetery, April 27. Among the numerous expressions of sympathy to Mr. Jones' daughters was one from a business man of Youngstown, Ohio, in which the writer said : "You were 378 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY greatly blessed in having such a sweet mother and so strong a father. When I think of how nobly he stood up, erect and fearless, with never a murmur, against so many misfortunes and losses, I feel that to have enjoyed his friendship and regard was no slight honor. Riches to such a man meant little or nothing. They could have added nothing to his dignity of character. That he had them not, detracted in no manner from his real ability, for he was one of nature's noblemen, a born gentleman." To this tribute, Kate Brownlee Sherwood adds : "For such an estimate, pleasant as it is, coming from his early home and from a lifelong friend, one does not have to turn from Toledo, where the greater part of his active and long life was spent. It was expressed at the last election, when, in the face of political rancor, and the betrayal of those who should have been first in defense, the stanch and true citizens of Toledo, representing every profession and vocation, rallied around him and sent him, by a handsome majority, to the Ohio legislature. It was a tribute to an honest and upright man and a new assertion of the maxim of Holy Writ : 'A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor than silver and gold.' Paul Jones came of a long line of sterling ancestry, who placed character above gain and who lived the life of plain living and high thinking, of which we hear so much and know so little. He was an optimist in the best sense, and complaining or repining over material losses were not in his category. He was a kind and lovable man, and there was no room in his heart for envy or revenge. He knew that those who injured him injured themselves most, and infinite pity took the place of reproach. * * * Nearly all of the men in active business or professional life, who welcomed Paul Jones to Toledo. have passed on : but in the newer generation he found appreciation and admiration, such as is accorded only to the man with clean hands and a pure heart, who never lifted up his soul unto vanity, or swore deceitfully. In the hearts of one and all he will be remembered as `One who never turned his back. but marched breast forward, Never doubted clouds would break, Never feared though right were worsted wrong would triumph, Held we fall to. rise, are baffled to fight better, sleep to wake.' " Another beautiful expression was that of J. Kent Hamilton. published in the "Toledo Times" of April 27, 1909. under the headline "Speaks as Friend." Mr. Hamilton said : "The press has told the story of John Paul Jones' life as the public saw it. I may be permitted to speak as a friend who knew him intimately for many years. He was a bright and interesting talker and always had in the social hour a fund of timely anecdote, of reminiscence and of experience. To all he was genial. pleasant and courteous, yet he seemed to hold his old acquaintances and friends with a closer grip. and for them a passing word was not enough to satisfy him. In his company. time to them always passed on lighter wing. While he loved the conversation of kindred souls and was always BIOGRAPHICAL - 379 full of kindly thoughts, it was in acts rather than words that he delighted to give evidence of friendship. For one he liked, no sacrifice of time mattered and no effort was too great. His warm and generous heart showed itself in kind deeds. It was impossible to be thrown much with him and not become his friend. He has lived in Toledo many years. He has been engaged in many avocations and affairs. He has participated as a man may and should in many contests, yet I never heard of his saying an unkind word of any one. Nor do I believe that at the end of his career he has left behind a single bitter memory, or that there can be uttered of him other than words of kindness and regret. It may be said of him, 'None knew him but to love him.' So keen was his interest in affairs, so active his body and so bright his mind, that none of us ever associated the idea of death with John Paul Jones. The suddenness of the call has been a shock to the entire community. But it is doubtful if he would have had it otherwise could he have chosen how the summons should come. He had a brave and cheerful spirit. He met life always with courage, and I doubt not bravely met the sudden call from life. In his. death the community has, lost a useful citizen, the State an honored legislator, and his acquaintances a friend whose memory they will always love and cherish. The world is better that John Paul Jones has lived in it. The testimony of his life has all been for better things. He was a good man ; he loved his fellow man ; he was a good citizen, a good friend and neighbor, a loving and devoted husband and father. His death is universally regretted by all who knew him even slightly." On Oct. 3, 1863. at Rock Island, Ill., he was united in marriage with Miss Rosa Bell, a charming and refined woman. Her death occurred, Saturday. June 27, 1908. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Jones lived for a time at the old Oliver House, then the leading hotel of Toledo, where Mrs. Jones made many warm friends by her genial and kindly disposition,-which diffused sunshine wherever she went. A majority of these early Toledo friends preceded her into the Great Beyond, and the remaining few learned of her death with sincere and heartfelt sorrow, knowing that they had lost a friend that could not be replaced. Always considerate of others, even during the period of ill health prior to her death, her first thought we: for the comfort. and well being of the ones she loved. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are survived by two daughters—Mrs. William J. Hitchcock, of Youngstown, Ohio, and Miss Franc B. Jones, of Toledo. George Lester McKesson, director of the Toledo public schools, was born at Collins. Huron county. Ohio, July 9, 1876, the only son of Lester V. and Harriet (Fisher) McKesson. The father was born at Enterprise, Erie county, Ohio. and the mother at Sandusky, where the parents were married. Lester V. McKesson served during the war in the Eighth Ohio infantry, enlisting as a private and being mustered out as a lieutenant. and being one of the gallant sons of Ohio who were awarded medals for their heroic services. After the war, he established a saw mill and bending works at Collins, Ohio, where he continued until 1890, when he removed to 380 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY Clarksville, Tenn., and established a similar plant there, also manufacturing spokes for vehicles. In the spring of 1898, the family removed to Toledo, where . the father engaged in the real estate and investment business, being at the present time the senior member of the firm of McKesson & Cone, with offices at 210-214 Gardner Building. Mr. and Mrs. McKesson live at 2419 Robinwood avenue, and his father is still living at Collins. Ohio, aged eighty-nine years. Notwithstanding his advanced age, he is still vigorous and recently made a visit to his son in Toledo. Lester V. and Harriet McKesson have three children. George L. is the subject of this sketch ; Jennie E. is principal of the Junction public school in Toledo ; and another daughter is now the wife of Dr. John W. Brandau, a prominent physician of Clarksville, Tenn. All three were born at Collins, Ohio. where they received their early schooling, after which Jennie E. graduated at Baldwin University, at Berea, Ohio, with the class of 1888, and Mrs. Brandau finished her education at Miss Law's training school in Toledo. George L. McKesson was fourteen years of age when his parents removed to Clarksville, Tenn., where he attended the Southwestern Presbyterian University for a time, but did not graduate. He then completed the course in the Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., in ten weeks, receiving his diploma in 1897. He was then for two years associated with his father's business at Clarksville. and when the family removed to Toledo he accepted a position as bill clerk with the Woolson Spice Company, but after a short time went to Cleveland, where he was for two years with the well-known wholesale hardware house of The George Worthington Company. At the end of that time he returned to Toledo to become a traveling salesman for the Woolson Spice Company, but the scarcity of railroad facilities in the territory to which he was assigned made the work too arduous, and he resigned his position. He then traveled for the Akron Belting Company for about three years. covering six of the Central States, and was then for a few months with the Ohio Savings Bank & Trust Company. of Toledo. as trust officer. The United Supply Company was then organized. and Mr. McKesson was made assistant secretary and treasurer, which position he continued to hold until Jan. 1, 1905, when he was appointed to his present position of business director of the Toledo public schools. Concerning his work in this place. one of the Toledo papers says : "When he took hold of the school affairs there was a woeful lack of system in the matter of making repairs on the various buildings, in the purchase of supplies and in the inspection of work done by contractors, but the very first year Mr. McKesson brought order out of chaos, and today there is as much system observed in all this work as there is in the management of any big factory or mercantile establishment in the city. Director McKesson was well fitted for this position by a long and varied training in commercial lines." An editorial in the "Blade" of Feb. 5. 1907, speaks as follows : "Director McKesson of the public schools is said to combine the qualities of a financier with the knowledge of a builder, a mason and a plumber. Therefore, he is economical in expenditures and ex- BIOGRAPHICAL - 381 acting in his demands on those who undertake to do business with the Board of Education. Efforts to slight work have been met with sturdy rebuffs until contractors have learned that they will save themselves a heap of trouble by closely following specifications. The members of the board who have been cognizant of Mr. McKesson's activities declare that he is saving the city many times his salary and that is certainly complimentary to him." Mr. McKesson's activities declare that he is saving the city many times member of Zenobia Temple. Ancient Arabic Order. Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and he affiliates with the Republican Party, particularly on national issues. He belongs to the Toledo Business Men's Club and attends the Collingwood Avenue Presbyterian Church, of which his wife is a member. On Jan. 27, 1904, Mr. McKesson married Miss Fannie L., daughter of George J. Kapp, the well-known and popular jeweler of Toledo, where Mrs. McKesson was born and educated. Mr. and Mrs. McKesson reside at 412 Prescott street. Michael C. Sullivan, superintendent of the M. A. Hanna & Co. Ironville Dock & Coal Company interests at Toledo, was born in County Cork. Ireland, July 10, 1860, a son of Cornelius and Bridget (Foley) Sullivan, also natives of Ireland. Cornelius Sullivan was born in County Cork, May 10, 1799, and died in Toledo, Sept. 22, 1900. in the one hundred and second year of his age. For fifty years he followed the sea, the greater part of the time as a branch pilot on the Irish and English coasts. The duties of a coast pilot are full of peril and adventure, and none but men of the hardiest constitution and most unswerving character engage in it. In the prime of manhood. Cornelius Sullivan was a powerful man physically, and he retained all his mental faculties to the last, having never been ill in his life until about three weeks before his death, which was due more to old age than to disease. He was twice married : first to Bridget Foley, by whom he had fourteen children, four of whom are still living. viz., Michael C., Mrs. J. O'Neill, Timo- thy. and Mrs. William Couldwell, all of Toledo. After the death of his first wife. the father married Miss Ellen McCarthy, who died in Ireland. about 1874. Of this second marriage were born seven children, two of whom survive—Robert and Mrs. Nora Kopp —both living in Toledo, and it was at the home of the latter that Cornelius Sullivan died. He was a descendant of the O'Sullivan family, one of the old Ongue stock of Ireland. On July 17, 1875, he landed at Castle Garden, N. Y., being at that time seventy-six years of age. accompanied by the subject of this sketch and his daughter, now Mrs. Couldwell. He came directly to Toledo, where he lived with his children. retired from the active duties of life until the end came. During the twenty-five years he lived after coming to Toledo he made many warm friends. Possessed of the proverbial wit of the Irish people. he was an entertaining companion, and his experience as a coast pilot furnished a theme for many interesting stories with which he used to regale his friends. Quick at repartee, he was always ready for an argument, and after becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States he allied himself with the Demo- 382 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY cratic party, never failing to vote on election day, and his ticket was usually "straight." Some thirty years before becoming a citizen of this country he visited New York as pilot of an old-fashioned sailing vessel, but it was not until after the death of his second wife that he conceived the idea of leaving the Emerald Isle, where so many years of his life had been passed. Michael C. Sullivan received his education in the schools of County Cork, and came to this country with his father in 1875, as already stated. For five years he was employed as a clerk in different departments of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad, and was then for about nine years a contractor for the Clover Leaf line of steamboats. He then became superintendent of the Ironville Dock & Coal Company, of Toledo, and, Jan. 1, 1910, when that concern was consolidated with the M. A. Hanna & Co. interests of Cleveland, he was made superintendent of both these companies, with offices at the Ironville dock. No man connected with the shipping interests about the mouth of the Maumee river is better or more favorably known than Mr. Sullivan. Always at his post of duty, the interests confided to his care receive prompt and watchful attention, and he has the entire confidence of his superiors, as well as of the. general public. In politics Mr. Sullivan is an unswerving Democrat. He served for six years in the Toledo city council from the Third ward, being elected for an unexpired term and afterward reelected twice for full terms. As a member of the council he was as zealous in the discharge of his duties as he has been in his private business, and the interests of the ward were carefully guarded while he represented it in the council. He is a member of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, one of the leading Catholic churches of Toledo, and he belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in which he is deservedly popular because of his many sterling qualities and general good fellowship. On June 28, 1880. Mr. Sullivan and Miss Alice Farrell were united in marriage. She is a daughter of Bernard Farrell, an old and well-known citizen of Toledo, where Mrs. Sullivan was born, and she was educated in the Ursuline Convent. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan have three chlidren—Arthur F.. Etta C. and Mabel F.. The son is a graduate of Sandwich College, of Windsor, Canada. and is now assistant solicitor at Toledo for the Clover Leaf railway. Both daughters were educated at St. Mary's College, Monroe. Mich.. and are accomplished young ladies. The family resides at 2442 Cherry street. James Dale Chamberlin, deceased, was one of the pioneer residents of Toledo. and during a life that extended nearly to the century mark he faithfully performed the duties that fell to him. A man of more than ordinary mental capacity, he discovered and gave to the world an idea that has developed a leading industry and proved a boon to mankind in the way of preserving fruits and vege tables. He was the originator of the idea of preserving fruit by hermetic sealing, and was the first to introduce evaporated fruit, both of which industries now occupy a large place in America. Mr. Chamberlin was a native of the Keystone State, having been born in Union county, Pennsylvania, April 12, 1814, at a time when BIOGRAPHICAL - 383 our country was engaged in the second war with Great Britain, and to prove his patriotic ancestry it is only necessary to state that his father was with the American troops throughout that strife, and his grandfather served in a similar capacity throughout the Revolutionary war, in which the American colonies achieved their independence. Born to a life of labor upon a Pennsylvania homestead, J. D. Chamberlin received his early training in tilling the soil, and the meager education which he received was limited to the advantages afforded in those early pioneer days. He devoted his time to the basic art of agriculture during the greater part of his early life, and at the age of thirty-eight began his experiments in the matter of preserving fruit. His own story of the origin and development of his idea is decidedly interesting and as given by him in later years is substantially as follows : Early in 1832, he read an extended account of the work of archaeologists in the ruins of Pompeii, and noted that among the "excavations were found earthen vessels hermetically sealed and containing figs. Although this fruit must have been prepared in this manner over 1,800 years before they were found in the ruins of the city, the account stated that they were as fresh and palatable as though the process had been completed but yesterday. After due deliberation Mr. Chamberlin decided to make some experiments, and in the enterprise he was assisted by a sister-in-law, Miss Mary Barber, and later by Mrs. Mary Hayes, of Mifflinburg, Pa. At that time Mr. Chamberlin lived at Buffalo X-Roads, Pa., and procuring some cans of a tinner the first lot put up was of peaches, three-quart cans being used. No sugar was required but the fruit was subjected to intense heat and then quickly sealed in the cans. In all about twenty cans were preserved in this manner. He next experimented with tomatoes, using the same size of cans, and when they were opened the result was entirely satisfactory. The following year he greatly increased his efforts, and the first can sold was by his son Robert (now deceased) to Prof. Malcolm of the University of Lewisburg (now Bucknell University), the price received being fifty cents. In 1854 business called him to Philadelphia, and he took several .boxes with him, each containing a dozen cans. With these he canvassed the markets, groceries, restaurants and hotels, without making a sale, as no one would risk giving the fruit a trial and seemingly regarded him as a humbug. Finally the hotel at which he stopped. after sampling the contents, accepted a dozen cans as part payment of his hotel bill. On his return home he visited Pottsville, where he made an arrangement with a man named Rosengarden, who successfully handled his fruit, and later. Danville, Pa., became his principal market. During the winter of 1856 a box containing a dozen cans was overlooked and remained until spring in a frame warehouse in Pottsville, without detriment. and thus Mr. Chamberlin learned that fruit in air-tight vessels is not injured by freezing. In the spring of 1859 he arrived in Toledo, bringing with him several boxes of the canned fruit. and these were the first that were ever offered for sale in the city. In the autumn of the same year, assisted by his son Robert and his daughters—Mary and Elizabeth- 384 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY and also a nephew, R. S. Chamberlin, he put up several hundred cans of tomatoes at his residence at No. 1363 Miami street, this being the first fruit put up in air-tight vessels west of the Allegheny Mountains. During the ensuing winter and spring his brother, S. D. Chamberlin, canvassed the principal cities of Southern Michigan and also visited Windsor, Canada, offering the fruit for sale, but he met with very poor success, and early in the '60s, for want of encouragement Mr. Chamberlin abandoned the canning business and turned his entire attention to market gardening. In November, 1860, he moved to his late residence on the East Side, in the city of Toledo, and there he spent the remainder of his life. At that time there were but few houses in that portion of the city, and the place he chose for a home is located at a bend in the river. high on the bank, where a magnificent view of the Maumee above could be seen, especially beautiful at that time by reason of the great number of sailing craft that went up to Perrysburg and Maumee City. There he continued as a successful gardener until forced by infirmities of age to give up active employment. In addition to preserving fruit, Mr. Chamberlin founded a unique industry in 1877 by preserving rhubarb or pie plant. The industry was continued by himself and his son. Frank Chamberlin, who still operates the same, and thousands of barrels of rhubarb have thus been preserved for use in various ways. Had the process of thus preserving fruit in hermetically sealed vessels been patented, the inventor would doubtless have become one of the fabulously rich men of America. as from the idea has grown one of the great industries of the country, but he failed to take advantage of the patent laws and the process became common property. Nevertheless the credit is due to the intellect of the man who first thought out and demonstrated the idea, and he deserves a place among the benefactors of the human race. Enfeebled for a number of years by advancing age, Mr. Chamberlin became disabled on Dec. 15, 1909, when he fell and broke his right leg at the hip, and this injury hastened his death, for the shock was too much for one of his years to withstand. He died at his residence on the East Side, in the city of Toledo, Jan. 4, 1910. In his early manhood Mr. Chamberlin was married to Miss Elizabeth Barber, who died July 4, 1898, and of her children three survive : Frank Chamberlin, Mrs. Warren Whitmore and Mrs. Elijah Whitmore, all residents of Toledo. Frank Chamberlin, the only surviving son, was born in Toledo, April 25, 1862, and received his education in the schools of the city. Until the time of his father's death he was associated with him in the gardening and fruit preserving business and is now carrying on the enterprise alone. In politics he gives allegiance to the men and measures of the Republican party and in 1900 was appointed gas trustee in the city, which position he held until 1902. He was then elected president of the Lucas County Infirmary Board, and still officiates in that capacity. On June 20, 1890, he was married to Miss Jennie Reed, of Crestline, Ohio, and of this union there is one son, Dale Chamberlin, born in Toledo, July 23, 1893. Mr. Cham- BIOGRAPHICAL - 383 berlin's home is pleasantly located at 1363 Miami street, in the city of Toledo. George H. Allen, interior decorator and prominent business man of Toledo, was born in Manchester, Mich., Oct. 31, 1855, the son of Gilbert O. and Lucinda A. (Owen) Allen. The father was born in Morristown, N. J. The Ahens were a prominent family in Colonial and Revolutionary times, one of its early members being Gilbert Allen, a soldier in the Continental army and one of the influential workers in the organization of the first church at Morristown, N. J., which today has one of the largest congregations in the East. The father, Gilbert 0. Allen, enlisted with two of his brothers in Company B of the Twentieth Michigan infantry when the War of Secession first threatened to overwhelm the nation, and served three years, passing through many of ,the most severe struggles of that great internecine conflict. The mother also had three brothers who gave their services to the Union cause. The father was engaged in agricultural pursuits while a resident of Michigan, but some twenty years before his death, which occurred July 26, 1908, he removed to Toledo and lived retired. The mother survived him but a few months, her demise occurring June 11 of the following year. During his active life the father was an active member of Ford Post of the Grand Army of the Republic at East Toledo, where he made his residence. Four children were born to the parents—two sons and two daughters. James B. Allen, the eldest, is now residing in Big Springs, Ohio ; George H. is the subject of this sketch ; Mrs. Frank Banks lives in Belding, Mich.; and Mrs. Oscar Green,' the youngest, is a resident of East Toledo. The education of George H. Allen was limited to the courses afforded by the common schools of his native village. When he became a youth he made application for appointment to a cadetship in the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. After successfully passing the scholastic examination submitted for entrance, he failed in the physical test because of an arm which had been broken when he was a youngster, and which had never been properly set, so that the fracture incapacitated him permanently. This same arm subsequently caused him to be rejected when he attempted to enlist in the volunteer army being organized to fight against Spain, in 1898. Having inherited a fighting and patriotic spirit, both rejections were naturally a great disappointment to him. In 1873, Mr. Allen, still a youth, came to Toledo. His first employment was with the firm of Hall & Brown, decorators and sign painters, with whom he remained for a period of two and a half years. Before severing his connection with the concern he was for some months in charge of their sign department, thus rounding out an apprenticeship which covered all the various phases of the business. Before he had passed his twenty-first birthday he engaged in business for himself, with a partner, under the firm name of Allen & Parkhurst. For twenty-nine years this partnership remained the same, and since Mr. Parkhurst's retirement Mr. Allen has conducted the business under his own name. During the first ten and a half years of business the company occupied 386 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY a shop at 715 Madison avenue, but more latterly the concern has been housed in the building which Mr. Allen now owns, located at 915 Madison avenue, and which he remodeled in the latter part of 1909. His was the first concern to open a place of business this side of Superior street. and it has been eminently successful. His stock of goods is the best to be had, and his patrons include the most fastidious of Toledo's people. Fraternally, Mr. Allen stands high in Masonic circles, and has attained to the Thirty-second degree in the order. He is Past Master of Toledo Lodge, Past Thrice Illustrious Commander of the Council and second lieutenant of the Toledo Consistory. He is also affiliated with the Tyle Club and the Toledo Business Men's Club, and in his political views he a stanch and loyal member of the Republican party, although he has never aspired to public office of any nature. On Aug. 21, 1877, Mr. Allen was united in marriage to Miss Ella Russell, daughter of the late John B. Russell. of Toledo, and granddaughter of Oliver Stevens, a prominent pioneer of Lucas county. Two children have been the issue of this marriage. Mrs. Julius Weist, the eldest, lives in West Grove Place. Toledo ; and Russell G. makes his home with his parents at 2233 Ashland avenue. Warren Whitmore, a well-known fruit grower and gardener of Lucas county, was born July 21. 1842. in that part of Oregon township that now lies within the city limits of Toledo. and he is a son of Luther and Martha M. (Trask) Whitmore, who were among the pioneers of the Maumee valley. Luther Whitmore was born at Millbury, Mass., May 16. 1810. and at the age of fifteen years came to Wood county, Ohio, settling first at Waterville, but later removing to Perrysburg. In 1834. he purchased a farm of 123 acres in Wood county, but by the change in county lines two years later, twenty-three acres of this farm was thrown in Lucas county. and it was on this part of his farm that he continued to live until. his death, which occurred on July 12, 1897, aged eighty-seven years. His marriage to Martha M. Trask was solemnized in 1837. Luther Whitmore was a man of ambition and fine business ability, and from the time he became a resident of what is known as the East Side he took a deep interest in the growth and development of that section. In the early days he built a large dock on the river and engaged in the lumber business. His neighbors soon learned the merits of his judgment and sagacity and frequently asked his advice in their affairs. In fact he enjoyed the confidence and utmost respect of all who knew him. He was a member of the Memorial Baptist Church and during his life was one of its active supporters. His remains are buried in Willow cemetery. His wife. Martha M. Trask, was born in New York, April 25, 1822, and came to Toledo in 1834, when there were three log dwellings in the city. For over half a century she faithfully discharged the duties of a wife and mother, and as a member of the Memorial Baptist Church she went about doing good, ministering in a quiet and unostentatious way to the sick and afflicted, the poor and needy of the neighborhood. For fourteen years prior to her death she was practically an invalid, but she bore her sufferings with Christian fortitude and BIOGRAPHICAL - 387 passed away Sept. 8, 1888, confident of a life beyond the tomb. Six children were born to Luther and Martha M. Whitmore, viz., Elijah, Warren, Lydia, Fidelia, Mary and Chester P. Elijah was a lieutenant in Company B, Sixty-seventh Ohio infantry during the Civil war and was wounded in the action at Fort Wagner, near Charleston, S. C., in July, 1863. He is now deceased, but his widow and two sons—Herbert and James—reside in Toledo, and a daughter, Bessie, resides near Denver. Colo., engaged in teaching. Warren is the subject of this sketch. Lydia. the third child of the family, is deceased. Fidelia is the widow of Robert Chamberlin. Mary is now Mrs. Henry L. Wood, of Rochester, Mich., and Chester P. is the youngest of the children. Warren Whitmore was educated in the public schools of his native county, and served for four months and nine days as sergeant in the One Hundred and Thirtieth Ohio infantry, in the summer and fall of 1864. He has been a farmer and gardener all his life, and now occupies the old farm formerly owned by his father. Of the twenty-five acres owned by him, seven acres are in the city limits, and he resides on this part of his land, his residence being No. 2335 Miami street. Formerly. he was interested in raising berries and asparagus, but in more recent years he has turned his attention to peach culture. He now has 2,000 peach trees and devotes his time to the care of his orchard and the cultivation of asparagus. In his political views, Mr. Whitmore is a firm adherent to the principles and policies of the Republican party. having cast his first vote for president for Abraham Lincoln, in 1864. On March 6. 1872, Mr. Whitmore married Miss Elizabeth Dale Chamberlin, daughter of the late James D. Chamberlin. one of the early settlers of Toledo, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Whitmore was born in the State of Pennsylvania, but came with her parents to Toledo when she was a small child. and was educated in the Toledo schools. Her first home in the city was near the site of the old Oliver House, one of the early hotels. r Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore have three children—H. Howard, J. Dale and Elsie M.—all born in Toledo. H. Howard was born April 1, 1876. and is now associated with his father on the farm. On Feb. 17, 1898, he married Miss Gertrude Lafayette, of Toledo, and they have four children—Florence Elizabeth, Samuel Dale, Hazel Charlotte, and Harry Warren. J. Dale, the second son, was born on Dec.. 4, 1880, graduated in the Toledo High School with the class of 1900, then entered the University of Michigan, where he graduated with the class of 1905 as a mechanical engineer, and is now employed in that capacity with the Sun Oil Company, of Toledo. He was married Dee. 14, 1909, to Anna M. Burgie, daughter of August and Hattie Burgie. of Toledo. Elsie M. was born May 7. 1885, and graduated in the Toledo High School with the class of 1903. She is now the wife of J. Walter Jackson, head time-keeper in the Pennsylvania car shops in Toledo, to whom she was married Nov. 29, 1906. George A. Chase is a well-known lawyer of Toledo, a native of the city, and a resident within its boundaries the major portion of his life. His father, Dr. James L. Chase, was a Toledo pioneer 388 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY physician, and died at his home in that city, Dec. 24, 1889, eighty-seven years of age. Mrs. Chase died in 1904, having attained the great age of ninety-two years with but little diminution of her physical or mental activities. George A. Chase was born June 17, 1843, the day of the dedication of the Bunker Hill monument. He received a high school education in Toledo and in May, 1862, enlisted as a private in Company A, Eighty-fourth Ohio infantry. He served in Western Virginia under Gen. B. F. Kelley, in the Civil war. After an honorable discharge from the United States service at the end of the term of his enlistment, Mr. Chase became a student at Duff's College, at Pittsburg, Pa., where he graduated. He studied law at Detroit, Mich., and was there admitted to the bar, in 1872. For seventeen years he was engaged in active and successful practice of his profession in Detroit, and, in 1889 owing to business matters of his own in Toledo, he returned to his native city and opened an office for the practice of law. Since 1904. Mr. Chase has practiced little, although he still has an office. His leisure is felt by Mr. Chase to have been fairly earned, and since that time he has not desired to be burdened with any avoidable business cares. Historical research is an object to which he devotes much time and enthusiasm, and he takes particular interest in the collection and compilation of data concerning the early life and history of Toledo and Lucas county. On this subject he is an authority, and he has written in a very interesting manner a number of short sketches of pioneer men and events in this locality. As published from time to time, these short articles have been collected by Mr. Chase into a scrap-book, which contains the material for a valuable and authoritative work of reference. One of these articles was prepared and read before the Maumee Valley Pioneer and Historical Association, of which Mr. Chase is a trustee, at the annual meeting, Feb. 22, 1910, and others have been delivered upon similar occasions. Mr. Chase is prominently identified with the Ohio State and Lucas County Bar associations, and the Toledo Post, Grand Army of the Republic. In addition to his professional labors. Mr. Chase has dealt extensively in real estate in Toledo. and he is now the owner of considerable city property. On March 21. 1878, Mr. Chase was united in marriage, in Toledo. to Miss Grace Osbon, daughter of the late William H. Osbon, of Toledo. Two children have been born of this marriage—James L. and Elizabeth H.—both of whom were born in Detroit. and are now grown to manhood and womanhood and are well educated. James L. is now engaged in successful business in Toledo. The family resides in a fine modern home on Lincoln avenue. Mr. Chase is affiliated with the Republican party in politics, and he has been very active in several campaigns in support of his political beliefs. He is a convincing public speaker, in legal matters a learned, wise and prudent counsellor, and in all matters of business, .as between man and man, acts strictly on honest business principles. Nye Simpson Bingham, president of the Bingham Koal Kartage Company, of Toledo, was born at Rutland. Meigs county, Ohio, July 15, 1857. and is the oldest surviving son of Alvin M. C. BIOGRAPHICAL - 389 and Mandana (Simpson) Bingham. His ancestors on both sides were soldiers in the Continental army in the Revolutionary war. Alvin Bingham. his great-great-grandfather, was a corporal, and his discharge, dated April 1, 1777, and the money he received as final payment for his military services, are now in the possession of the subject of this sketch. On the maternal side the great-greatgrandfather, Josiah Simpson, and the great-grandfather, Nathan Simpson, both served with the American forces and aided in establishing the independence of the United States. Alvin M. C. Bingham was born at Rutland, Meigs county, Ohio, Nov. 7, 1826, and in early life learned and followed the trade of millwright. He built the salt works on the Ohio river when salt was discovered. there. During the Civil war he was engaged in buying hay, grain and other supplies for the government, and in feeding and recuperating worn-out army horses until they were again fit for service. Sometimes he would have under his charge from 800 to 1,000 of these horses, which he would place out to pasture on farms away from the roads traveled by the troops, keeping them there until they were in condition for army duty. He furnished two substitutes to the army, one of whom was killed in battle and the other returned home. After the war Mr. Bingham continued in the business of buying, pressing and shipping hay, bacon, etc.; until he retired from active pursuits. and he is now living with his sons in Toledo at the age of eighty-three years. His wife died in Toledo in 1896. Nye S. Bingham's life has been somewhat eventful. As a boy, while not bad at heart, he was so full of vitality and mischief that for misconduct he was expelled from school at Middleport, Ohio. before he had completed his education. He then started out for himself, working on railroads, steamboats, etc., and was for some time employed in herding cattle and sheep in Kansas. In 1881 he stopped at Toledo, while on his way to Kansas City, Mo., and happening to notice a placard offering $2.50 a day for carpenters, he applied for and obtained a position in this line of work. A few months later he went out on a vessel on the Great Lakes, but the following spring returned to Toledo. For the next nine years he was a sailor on the Great Lakes, being successively promoted to the positions of lookout, wheelman and mate. In 1891 he decided to embark in the retail coal business, so he purchased a horse from the Traction Company, a wagon from the Milburn Wagon Works, and used the railroad company's scales for weighing his coal. This was the modest beginning of the present Bingham Koal & Kartage Company. Mr. Bingham hauled the first load of material from Toledo to the oil. fields. when oil was discovered in this section of the State. As his business grew he induced his brother, Clarence E. Bingham, to become associated with him, and, since March, 1893. they have both been engaged in building up the business. On July 28, 1905. the company was incorporated, with Nye S. Bingham as president. Clarence E. Bingham as vice-president, and E. E. Richards as secretary.. The company is equipped for handling heavy machinery, boilers, safes, etc.. and does a wholesale and retail business as coal dealers, as well as handling hardware, paints, oils. 390 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY glass, etc. It has access to a railroad side-track and has ample facilities for storage. In addition to this it operates a large livery business. Prior to the incorporation the firm name was Bingham Bros. Several of the leading manufacturing and mercantile concerns of the city rely entirely on the Bingham company for moving their goods and supplies. The office, storage and sales rooms of the company are at 3011 Front street, where Mr. Bingham owns 500 feet front, upon which he has erected his fine residence, barns, etc. Politically he is a firm supporter of the principles and policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor, and for over five years he has represented the Thirteenth ward in the city council. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Ironville Tent, No. 364, Knights of the Maccabees of the World. the National Union, the East Toledo Improvement Association, and he is a Royal Ara Mason. On May 5, 1885, he married Miss Anna Marie Griss, daughter of Enos Griss, an old resident of Perrysburg, Ohio, where Mrs. Bingham was born and educated. Mr. and Mrs. Bingham have a daughter—Hyena Harriet Simpson Bingham—named after her two paternal grandmothers. She was born in Toledo, is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and of the class of 1911 in the Ursuline Convent of Toledo. She and her mother are members of St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church and her father is a Protestant. Clarence Eugene Bingham. the only surviving bother of Nye S. Bingham and vice-president of the Bingham Koal & Kartage Company. was born at Rutland. Meigs county, Ohio, Jan. 13, 1859, and was educated at Middleport in the same county. Shortly after leaving school- he went to Missouri. arriving in that State the day after the famous Blue Cut. robbery. He remained in Missouri for about sixteen years, engaged in railroading and agricultural pursuits. and while there he was married at Pleasant Hills, Cass county, Nov. 18, 1883, to Miss Sallie E., daughter of the late Judge Luke Williams. who died in the spring of 1896. Judge Williams was reputed to be the second best mathematician ever turned out by Yale University. Martin Rice standing first. He served in the Civil war, and as judge officiated at the trial of the James boys and the Younger brothers, the famous train and bank robbers. Mrs. Bingham died in Missouri. Jan. 5, 1885, and is buried there. She left one daughter, now Mrs. Bert Welsh. of Toledo, the mother of one daughter, Alma Elizabeth, born Aug. 2, 1909. She and her husband live at 234 Clarence avenue, in a house that belongs to her father, who has never married since the death of his wife, in 1885. Clarence E. Bingham is a Republican, is now on the board of election commissioners, and for the last four years has been a notary public. His fraternal relations are with the Modern Woodmen, and he belongs to the East Side Improvement Association. Judge John Berdan, who officiated as the first executive officer of the city of Toledo. merits recognition in this work as a fine example of the sturdy pioneers who so well laid the foundation for the present metropolis of the Maumee valley. Corning here in the early days of the infant settlement, his superior ability was at BIOGRAPHICAL - 391 once recognized. and although. his career was cut short by an early death he left the impress of a noble character upon the community and won the love and respect of his fellow citizens: Judge Berdan was born in New York City, Dec. 16. 1798, and in early life removed to Brunswick. Medina county, Ohio. where he engaged in business as a merchant, was elected justice of the peace and became otherwise prominent in business as well as in social and religious circles. The country thereabouts was at that time pretty much of a wilderness and the village of Brunswick was little more than a hamlet, with small prospects of future greatness. Hence, the traffic of the store made very moderate return in profits, and in September. 1835. M r. Berdan removed his family to Toledo, arriving at the time of the most intense excitement occasioned by the boundary dispute and the so-called "Toledo war.” He soon engaged in the forwarding and commission business, with B. H. Peckham (the firm name being Peckham & Company ), and the warehouse was situated at the foot of Lagrange street. This firm did most of the business of the kind in Toledo, the steamboats generally stopping at its clock. Upon the organization of a city government for Toledo, in 1837. Mr. Berdan was chosen as its first mayor, serving as such for a term of two years and discharging the duties that devolved upon him with signal faithfulness and ability. In 1839. he was elected by the State legislature associate judge for Lucas county, the duties of which office he discharged with prudence and fidelity until his death. Oct. 11, 1841. But it was not only in the .public walks of life that his worth was best exhibited. As a citizen he was public-spirited. as a neighbor he was beloved. as a Christian he was consistent, and he embodied virtue in his character and morality in his conduct. To the benevolent enterprises of the young city his hand was as open as the clay, and as a friend of the poor he was ever ready to soothe their afflictions and help them. No name was borne in the memory of the early settlers of Toledo with more respect than that of John Berdan, who throughout his residence here, as throughout his life, manifested conscientious regard for the rights of his fellowmen. while, in all ways open to him, contributing to their well-being. Kind, courteous and obliging, his frankness inspired confidence and his integrity won respect. His motives were incorruptible and the purity of his intention's were unquestioned. Peter Frederick Berdan, deceased. has left a name to posterity that is synonymous with integrity in commercial pursuits, loyalty in all affairs of a civic nature, and the highest expression of devotion when speaking of the domestic circle. It is singularly fitting that in a volume devoted to the representative men, past and present, of Lucas county, a memoir should be included of him who for so long was identified with- the affairs of her chief municipality. Mr. Berdan was born in Brunswick, Medina county, Ohio, Oct. 23, 1824, and was one of two sons born of the marital union of John and Pamela .(Freese) Berdan. The father is spoken of more at length on another page of this volume, where is also given a record of his short but successful and useful career, and it may 392 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY here be mentioned that the mother, after the death of her husband and throughout a period of fifty years of widowhood, made her home the greater part of the time in the family circle of the subject of this memoir. Peter F. Berdan's educational privileges, aside from the careful attention of his parents, were meager. At Brunswick, the place of his birth, he attended for a short time a school taught by a female teacher, who accompanied the family to Toledo. He had no male school teacher save while for one year at Gambier Seminary, which term closed when he was twelve years of age. He was but eleven years old when the family removed to Toledo, and two years later he entered upon his business career as a clerk in the store of Titus & Company, at a salary of seventy-five dollars per year, without board. He remained with this company and with Gid W. Weed, successor to that firm, until 1845, when he engaged in the same capacity with the firm of Ketcham & Secor (V. H. Ketcham and Joseph K. Secor), remaining there for three years. In 1848, in company with Salmon H. Keeler, he organized the firm of Berdan & Keeler, dealers in general merchandise, the partners contributing to the capital stock of the firm the sums of $156 and $132, respectively, their savings from clerkships. They were associated in successful trade for six years and until the early part of 1854, when Mr. Berdan purchased the late V. H. Ketcham's interest in the wholesale house of V. H. Ketcham & Company, and with the remaining partner, Joseph Secor, established the house of Secor & Berdan, which still continues, a monument to the energy and enterprise of its founder, under the name of Berdan & Company. Mr. Berdan retired from active business in January, 1877, although up to the time of his death, which occurred Nov. 13, 1887, he was largely interested in various business enterprises. He was for many years a stockholder and long a director in the Second National Bank ; was a stockholder and for seven or eight years a director in the Toledo Gas Light and Coke Company ; was a heavy stockholder and for an equal period a director in the Wabash Elevator Company ; and he was among those who organized and put in operation the Maumee Rolling Mill, in which company he was from the first and until his death a director. But in no sphere of action did Mr. Berdan more fully manifest his appreciation of the claims of his fellow-citizens upon his attention and aid, than in his long and prominent connection with the fire department of Toledo. Entering such volunteer service of the city as soon as old enough to warrant that relation, he maintained the same, with special success won by personal sacrifice known to few of the present generation. "Old No. 1 Engine Company," of which for years he was foreman, was largely indebted to his untiring devotion for the high position to which it attained and which it held so long as the system of which it was a prominent part, was in existence. Mr. Berdan was actively identified with the prosperity of the First Congregational Church, of Toledo, and with it his father and family and his flown family were connected throughout a period of over fifty years. He was long connected with the Middle Bass (Put-in-Bay) Association, at which BIOGRAPHICAL - 393 place for many seasons previous to his death, with his family, he spent much of his time, and was greatly benefited thereby. On Oct. 21, 1852, Mr. Berdan was married to Miss Maria Waite, only daughter of Judge H. M. Waite, of Connecticut, and sister of the late Chief Justice M. R. Waite and Richard Waite, of Toledo. Mrs. Berdan died in Toledo, Sept. 3, 1864, at the age of thirty-three years, and she left five daughters. of whom the following specific mention may be appropriately made : Mary B. is the wife of Walter Shepard, of Buffalo, N. Y. ; Ida M. is the wife of E. C. Bodman, of New York City ; Alice A.. now deceased, became the wife of Arthur E. Baker, of Toledo ; Julia is the wife of Oliver Rodgers, of Cambridge, Wash. ; and Miss Pamela resides at 2041 Scottwood avenue, in the city of Toledo. On June 21. 1866. Mr. Berdan was again married, in the city of New York, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Ketcham, and of this union were born three children : Anna Secor, the wife of Charles Gardner, mentioned more at length on another page of this volume ; Frederick, deceased ; and John Milton, who is a graduate of Yale in the class of 1896, and at present is Professor of Rhetoric in the same institution. Mrs. Mary E. (Ketcham) Berdan was born in Mamaroneck. Westchester county, New York, and died in Toledo. Sept. 26, 1907. She was well known in Toledo and was always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need, dispensing charity in a quiet and unassuming way. She attended the First • Congregational Church, although a member of the Society of Friends, and she was for many years president of the Toledo Industrial School. In concluding this brief memoir, it may be said of the subject, Mr. Berdan, that in all the relations of life. as husband. father, and friend, he was most highly esteemed, those who knew him best admiring most those sterling qualities of heart and mind that stamped him as an exemplary man. In social life he was kind and considerate, and in business circles his very name was a tower of strength. for probity, integrity and justness were the leading characteristics of his busy business life. Robert McCaskey, deceased, for many years one of the prominent and influential business men of Toledo. was born in Delta, Fulton county, Ohio. in December, 1837. His father, Matthew McCaskey, was the third man to settle with his family in Fulton county. and was a leading figure in the settlement of the county. Robert McCaskey's scholastic education was exceedingly limited, as the schools of the day were inadequate and afforded instruction in but few branches, but the knowledge he acquired in the schools of experience and hardship marked him as a leader in all walks of life. His business career in Toledo began in 1877, although he did not move his family there until 1885. He dealt in real estate, and his office became known throughout the State as the most progressive and enterprising of its kind. Prior to 1891, Mr. McCaskey conducted his business under his own name, but, in the above mentioned year. his son. Fred. having completed his collegiate course, was taken into partnership and the firm became known as Robert McCaskey & Son. In addition to his large realty interests, Mr. McCaskey was one of the largest oil operators in the State of 394 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY Ohio. It was through his industry and enterprise that many of the manufacturing institutions which now contribute largely to Toledo's wealth and activity were induced to locate in the city. His activities were not confined to his own business endeavors alone, as he was a member of the board of directors and an appraiser in the Co-operative Building Loan Company, a stockholder in the Norwood Land Company and a member of the Fitch syndicate, besides being interested in several local building and loan companies. He held the titles, also, to considerable tracts of land in Southern Michigan and Indiana. In 1864, Mr. McCaskey was united in marriage to Miss Esther Murphy, of Napoleon, Ohio, where the ceremony was performed. Two children were the issue of this union. The elder. Fred. E. McCaskey, of whom a memoir appears elsewhere in this volume, was drowned at Walbridge Park. Sept. 28, 1904 and the younger is Mrs. T. B. Allen. of 3152 Collingwood avenue. Toledo. Mr. McCaskey's death was sudden and came as a great shock to all who had known him in business and social life. On April 29. 1898, he drove to the west side of the city to attend to some business affairs. While traveling along Main street, a runaway horse attached to a grocery delivery wagon came tearing down the street. Just before the animal came opposite to Mr. McCaskey. it swerved just enough to allow the rig to collide with his buggy. and he was thrown out, his head striking the hard stone pavement. Startled spectators rushed to his side. but he was unconscious. Park's ambulance was hurriedly summoned. and he was conveyed to his office in the Gardner building and thence to his home at 3152 Collingwood avenue. Medical aid was immediately summoned and. under the influence of stimulants, he regained consciousness for a time. Soon afterward, however, he again sank into a stupor which constantly grew heavier until death relieved his suffering, three days after the accident, May 2, 1898. Mrs. McCaskey never wholly recovered from the shock of her husband's demise, and six months later, Nov. 1, 1898, she too passed away. Upright and honorable in all his dealings, sane, conservative and confident, Mr. McCaskey won many close friends. Aside from his business and his family he had few outside associations, although for a time he was allied with the Napoleon, Ohio, Blue lodge of the Masonic order. In his passing, Toledo lost one of its foremost citizens, and one to whom was largely due a great measure of its success in commercial lines. Charles Gardner is deserving of mention in this volume, which is devoted to the careers of representative men of Lucas county, not only because of the fact that he is a representative of a pioneer family, but for the additional reason that by his own ability and intelligent efforts he has won a place in the esteem of his associates which entitles him to the distinction. Mr. Gardner is a native son of Toledo, having been born within its corporate limits. June 23. 1863, and the Gardner Building, the first' fire-proof building in Toledo. which was designed and built by him, marks the site of the old family residence and his birthplace. The parents were Darwin Earl and Sarah A. (Williams) Gardner, but as they are given ex- BIOGRAPHICAL - 395 tended mention on another page of this volume, further facts concerning them in this connection would be an unnecessary repetition. Suffice to say that among Toledo's old families there is none that stands higher in the esteem of the community. Or the members of which have more faithfully performed their duty as good citizens than have those bearing the name of Gardner. The family has resided in the State of Ohio for well nigh a century, as the grandparents migrated to the Buckeye commonwealth soon after the close of the war of 1812, and here their descendants have since resided. The subject of this review received his preliminary education in the schools of Toledo and then spent several years abroad, also residing for some time in the State of California. He took up the study of architecture. In business affairs he is interested in Toledo real-estate to considerable extent, and he is rated among his fellows as a substantial and perfectly reliable citizen. On April 5, 1894, Mr. Gardner was married to Miss Anna Secor Berdan, daughter of the late Peter Berdan and granddaughter of Toledo's first mayor—John Berdan—both of whom are represented in this volume by appropriate biographical reviews. Of the marital union of Mr. and Mrs. Gardner there have been born three children : Darwin Earl. Edith B.. and Charles Sidney. Mr. Gardner's office is in the Gardner Building, and his residence is pleasantly located at 411 Winthrop street. Frank E. Morton, dealer in wall paper and interior decorations. 919 Madison. avenue. Toledo. was born in the city of Brooklyn. N. Y., March 16, 1859. and is the eldest of four children—two sons and two daughters—born to Matthew H. and Mercy (Skinner) Morton. All the children were born in the city of .Brooklyn. One (laughter. Mamie. died about 1892. aged twenty-five years. The surviving children are Frank E.. Mrs. E. G. Herrick, and H. Lincoln, all living in Toledo. Matthew H. Morton was born April 17, 1834, at Leeds, Yorkshire. England, where his father. George Henry Morton. had a large wall paper factory. and was one of a family of eight children. About 1849, George Henry Morton and two of his sons came to the United States. and two more sons. one of whom was Matthew H.. came over about 1853. The four sons who came to this country were Samuel H.. George, William. and Matthew H. They were first in business in New York City, residing in Brooklyn, but after a time Samuel H. went to Cincinnati. George to Chicago. William to Oswego, N. Y.. and Matthew H. to Toledo. Three of the brothers were in the wall-paper business, and William accumulated a considerable fortune in that line of activity, finally retiring with a competency. All are now deceased. Hon. Levi P. Morton. who was elected vice-president of the United States in 1888, is of the same stock. Matthew H. Morton was a man of genial disposition, with a smile and a kind word for all, and his life was spent in doing good deeds. He was one of the charter members of the Baptist church, and, after coming to Toledo, he allied himself with the Ashland avenue church of that denomination, in which he was an earnest worker when his. health would permit. Upon coming to this country he engaged in the wall-paper business, which he 396 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY continued to follow for several years. His marriage to Mercy Skinner was solemnized in Brooklyn, where she was born on July 4, 1834. After living for a while in Eastern cities, they removed, to Cincinnati, and, in 1879, came to Toledo, where Matthew H. Morton died May 2, 1905, and his wife. April 15, 1907. Frank E. Morton was educated in Cincinnati and came with his parents to Toledo when he was about twenty years of age. He immediately entered the employ of the Brown, Eager & Hull Company, wall-paper dealers and decorators, then located on Summit street, and he remained with that concern for thirty years, being a stockholder and director of the company when it was burned out. Jan. 19, 1909. During this time he gave his special attention to interior decoration, which was the principal branch of business of the company. Since the fire above mentioned, the Brown, Eager & Hull. Company has opened a new place of business on Huron street. but Mr. Morton is no longer associated with it. On April 1, 1909, he opened his place of business at 919 Madison avenue, where he has perhaps the largest and best selected retail stock of wall paper, etc.. ever brought to the city of Toledo. His thirty years' experience as a decorator assures his customers that they will receive the .best possible service, and the personality of the proprietor is such as to command a liberal patronage among the best people of the city. Mr. Morton is also interested in other lines of business. He was one of the original stockholders of the Dollar Sayings Bank, and when it was consolidated with, or rather merged into, the Ohio Savings Bank, in January, 1910, he became a stockholder in the new institution. He is somewhat active in real-estate operations, building houses and selling or renting them, and in this line he has been reasonably successful, owing to his good judgment in selecting locations for his buildings. He also has lumber interests in some of the Southern States and has some money invested in copper mines in the Lake Superior region. In his political views he is a Republican. but is not particularly active in campaigns as a party worker. He belongs to the Royal Arcanum, as did his father before him, being a charter member of the Toledo Council, and he is likewise a charter member of the Toledo National Union. On Sept. 20. 1883, Mr. Morton married Miss May Herrick, daughter of Gardner Herrick, of Albion, Mich., where she was born and educated, attending Albion College. This union has been blessed by two sons and a daughter—Earl Herrick, Donald Ellsworth and Louise--all born in Toledo. Earl Herrick, the eldest son, attended the University of Michigan, Donald Ellsworth attended the school at Asheville. N. C., and the daughter is a pupil in the Toledo public schools. Mr. Morton and his family reside in a cosy home at 2042 Fulton street. Willard A. Sherer, located at 310 Valentine Building, Toledo, was born on a farm near Gallion, Crawford county, Ohio. Nov. 9. 1869, and is a son of John C. and Kathyrine (Helfrich) Sherer, the father of Scotch and the mother of German descent. John C. Sherer was a farmer and died in 1878, in Crawford county. His widow is now living in Gallion, Ohio. Of their children, four grew to maturity and three are now living: viz., Willard A., Mae S. and John BIOGRAPHICAL - 397 A. Mae S. went west about 1886, studied medicine in Kansas, married a Mr. Harris, and is now a widow, practicing medicine in St. Louis, Mo. John A. has purchased the interests of the other heirs in the old homestead near Gallion, where he is now engaged in farming. Before engaging in this occupation he was a teacher in the public schools, having been principal of the East End schools in Gallion for seven years. He has written a number of articles for the Gallion "Daily Enquirer," and he is also a poet of recognized ability. Some of his poems are "Autumn," "A Summer Day," "Archibald's Story," and a "Fragment to Moonlight." He attended college at Springfield, Ohio, but did not graduate. He is secretary of the Crawford County Historical Society, is president of the Crawford County Mutual Fire Insurance Company, is an active member of the Grange, and belongs to the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Gallion. He holds a life certificate as a teacher, and since the purchase of the old homestead is the owner of 123 acres of fine farming land. He married Miss Viola Kiess of near Bucyrus, Ohio. Harry W., a twin brother of the subject of this sketch, was associated with him in the loan and insurance business in Toledo at the time of his death, Feb. 16. 1907. the firm being known as Sherer Bros. He left a widow, Mrs. Hattie E. Sherer, and a son and daughter, who now reside on Rosewood avenue. Toledo. Harry W. Sherer was past chancellor of Harrison Lodge. No. 185, Knights of Pythias. and belonged to the National Union. Willard A. Sherer was educated at the Northwestern Normal School, which he attended for two years, but before entering that institution he taught for six years in the schools of his native county. After attending the normal school he taught for two years at North Robinson, Crawford county, and at the end of that time came to Toledo. That was in 1896. Mr. Sherer holds membership in the Masonic Lodge at Gallion, having joined the fraternity there before he came to Toledo. He is also a Knight Templar Mason and a member of Zenobia Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Toledo. He belongs to Harrison Lodge. No. 185, Knights of Pythias, and has been treasurer of a local organization of the National Union since it was organized in 1898. His further fraternal relations are with the Foresters and the American Insurance Union, On June 3, 1908, Mr. Sherer married Miss Eleanor Berry, a resident of Toledo, though she was born in St. Joseph, Mo. Her father, George C. Berry, came to Toledo. about 1892, and is now connected with the R. G. Dun Mercantile Agency. Mr. Sherer resides at 134 Roseline Place. Henry Thayer Niles, scholar. lawyer and educator, for years a well known and universally respected citizen of Toledo, was born at West Fairlee. Vt.. in the year 1829, and died at Toledo, Jan. 13, 1901. aged seventy-two years. His original American ancestor landed at Block Island, Conn.. in 1610, and representatives of the family bore an active part in the war for American Independence. All of his ancestors were college graduates, mostly of Princeton and Harvard. one being of the first graduating class of the latter institution of learning. His grandfather, Nathaniel Niles, was born 398 - MEMOIRS OF LUCAS COUNTY at South Kingston, R. I., in 1741. graduated at Princeton in 1766, and became a minister of note, publishing several books and sermons, and was the author of anode to the war, which was set to music and was to some extent the war song of the Revolution. For twenty-seven years he was a trustee of Dartmouth College, and while serving in this capacity prepared the celebrated Dartmouth College case in which Daniel Webster won renown. Although never admitted to the bar. he was elected to a place on the supreme bench of Vermont and filled the office with general satisfaction. Henry Thayer Niles graduated at Dartmouth College, then traveled abroad for about two Years,. at the end of which time he accepted the chair of Greek and Latin languages in a college at Urbana, Ohio, where he remained for some time, and where he entered upon the practice of law. Subsequently, he removed to Toledo, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring at his home, 2712 Collingwood avenue. His remains were taken to 'Urbana and interred in the family lot in the cemetery. there. Mr. Niles was an unswerving Democrat in his political opinions and was always ready and willing to make any reasonable sacrifice to advance the principles of his party. He was, however, tolerant of the views of others, and in his efforts to promote the interests of Democracy he appealed to men's reason, rather than to their party feelings and prejudices. While always taking a deep interest in all questions of public policy, he was never an office-seeker, his labors in behalf of his party being for the purpose of securing what he considered good government for the whole people. Notwithstanding he was widely known for his sterling citizenship and scholarly attainments, he did not have a large circle of intimate friends, because of his retiring disposition and studious habits. However, the few who were admitted to the inner circle of his friendship appreciated him for his purity of life and character. His greatest friends were his books and he spent most of his time in the large and finely selected private library which added charm to his home. Nor were these books collected merely for show, as is too often the case, for he was practically master of their contents. He enjoyed to the utmost the great poets, was familiar with all the ancient and modern writers, and he enjoyed nothing more than an evening with Homer, Horace, Shakespeare. or Burns. He enjoyed writing poetry, and left some poems of more than ordinary merit. He translated the Agricola of Lacitus in fewer English words than the original Latin, and this capacity for condensation made his English prose succinct, powerful and trenchant. His home life was all that could be expected of such a man. His domestic relations were ever congenial, and -by his sympathetic nature he won and held the confidence of his children, making their joys and sorrows his own. He is survived by a widow and three children—two daughters and one son. Chauncey Peck, founder and senior member of the firm of C. Peck & Son, contractors of cut stone, stone sidewalks, and vitrified blocks for sidewalks and driveways, with office and yards at 3050 Monroe street, Toledo, was born at Brownhelm, Lorain county, BIOGRAPHICAL - 399 Ohio, July 26, 1848, the youngest child of Chauncey .and Abbie ( Lewis) Peck, the former a native of the State of New York and the latter of Massachusetts. The parents were married at Brownhelm and both died there, the father when the subject of this sketch was but five weeks old, and the mother in 1885. His grandfather, Elisha Peck, came to Lorain- county, about 1812, and there followed the vocation of a farmer during the rest of his life. Chauncey Peck was educated at Oberlin College, after. which he attended Caulkins & Griffin's Commercial School, at Oberlin. Upon completing his education, he formed a partnership with his two brothers, Xenophon and Julius, and engaged in the stone quarrying business in Lorain county, the firm being known as Peck Bros. Their quarry was located upon a piece of land that was willed to them by their grandfather, above mentioned. It was a good sandstone deposit and the firm (lid a profitable business. Xenophon Peck, the eldest of the three brothers, was at one time sheriff of Lorain county, and his brother, Chauncey, was a deputy in his office. Xenophon died, in 1906, and Julius is now living upon the old homestead at Brown-helm. he and Chauncey being the only surviving, members of the family. In 1887, after the stone quarry at Brownhelm had been sold. Mr. Peck came to Toledo and engaged in the stone business, along the lines above indicated, and by his thorough knowledge of the business and close attention to his trade, he has built up a large patronage. In his political affiliations Mr. Peck is an unswerving Republican, though he can hardly be called an active party worker. The only public positions he has ever held were those of deputy sheriff under his brother and clerk of Brownhelm township, when he resided there. He is a member of Toledo Lodge, Free & Accepted Masons, and is first vice-president of the Toledo Builders' Exchange. On Sept. 20; 1872, Mr. Peck and Miss Sarah E. Deyo were united in marriage, at Brownhelm, where her parents, George Devo and wife, were among the old settlers. Mrs. Peck was born in Delaware county, Ohio, and was educated at Bellevue, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Peck have three children. Edwin D., the junior member of the firm of C. Peck & Son, has been associated with his father in business since 1894 ; a daughter. the second of the family, is now Mrs. Harry Layman of Cincinnati ; and Grace L. resides with her parents at No. 2 Virginia Terrace, as does also the son. In business circles the firm of C. Peck & Son is recognized as one of the substantial concerns of Toledo. Their motto is the best of-workmanship and prompt attention to orders, and by these methods they have built up a trade second to none in their line in the city. Alonzo Chesbrough, for many years identified with the lumber business of the country. particularly of Northwestern Ohio and the State of Michigan, was a native of the Green Mountain State, having been born in Dorset, Vt.. in 1817. and he died in the city of Toledo, Jan. 30, 1887. When he was about twenty years of age he left his home among the Green Mountains and started out into the world to seek his fortune, his only capital being his ability to work and a determination to succeed. Upon arriving at Lockport, N. Y., he sought employment with Cameron & Moody, manufacturers of