400 - TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY Katherine Myer, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Myer, prominent residents of Toledo,, and they have become the parents of four children : Linus Hillebrand, the eldest in the family, was born in 1896 and is a graduate of St. John's College. He married Miss Marie Ohlman of Toledo, and is now connected with Hillebrand Brothers ; Mrs. Albert Rumpf acquired her education in the grammar and high schools of Toledo and since her marriage, which occurred in April, 1922, she' has continued to make her home in this city ; Omer Hillebrand was born in 1901 and his education was obtained in the parochial schools of Toledo and at St. John's College of Cincinnati ; Mildred Hillebrand was born in 1902 and is a graduate of the Notre Dame Academy of this city. The family are communicants of the Roman Catholic church and Mr. Hillebrand is a member of the Knights of Columbus, in which he has taken the third degree. He is also identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Kiwanis Club and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. His high standing in business circles is indicated in the fact that for two terms he was retained in the office of president of the Ohio Retail Furniture Dealers Association and for five terms he has served as president of the Toledo Association. Early in his career he realized that one must be willing to pay the price of success, which is gained only at the cost of earnest, self-denying effort, and he has steadily progressed until he now occupies a position of leadership in his chosen field of activity, while his labors have also contributed materially to the commercial development of the city. BENJAMIN ABBOTT STEVENS Throughout his career Benjamin Abbott Stevens so directed his efforts as to attain success in gratifying measure, yet the acquirement of wealth was never the sole end and aim of his life. On the contrary the subjective and objective forces in his career were well balanced and there was no man who more fully recognized the obligations and responsibilities that came with success than did he. As he prospered in his undertakings he was continually extending a helping hand to assist an individual, a benevolent organization or some philanthropy that he deemed particularly worthy of support. He was especially interested in the Humane Society and made it one of the large beneficiaries of his will. There is much of stimulating interest in his history to those who wish to be correctly informed concerning the qualities which are of real value in the world and which in every land and clime awaken confidence and respect. Benjamin A. Stevens was born in Tiffin, Ohio, July 13, 1835, his parents being Guy and Lucy (Abbott) Stevens. His grandfather in the maternal line was David Abbott, who came to Ohio in 1798, a few years after his graduation from Yale. He located in Erie county and in 1802 was a member of the convention that framed the state constitution. He was very prominent in public affairs for many years and repeatedly served as a member of the two houses of the state legislature. Guy Stevens, the father of B. A. Stevens, was a large vessel owner in the early days and thus in both lines B. A. Stevens represented old and prominent families of Ohio. His father was owner of a general store and engaged in the grain trade and was numbered among the early settlers of the Buckeye state. When Benjamin A. Stevens was five years of age the family removed to Milan, TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY - 403 Ohio, and there he completed his education in an academy. He was early employed ill a sash, blind and door factory and about 1868 or 1869 he came to Toledo. During the Civil war period he had enlisted for active service with the Union army but had lost his fingers, whereby he was incapacitated for field duty. He was therefore placed in the commissary department and rendered aid to the government in that connection: With his removal to Toledo, Mr. Stevens became identified with Hartwell Osborne and Henry Chase in the operation of a molding manufacturing plant, and five years later Mr. Stevens sold his interest to Mr. Swayne. Mr. Stevens then went on a vacation for a year and later he established the B. A. Stevens Company for the manufacture of refrigerators, billiard supplies and many other articles, having a large factory and warehouse. He was a man of great strength of purpose and energy and developed his business along most progressive lines. His output included billiard and store furniture and supplies and for a long time his was one of the largest enterprises in the country controlled by a single individual. He built up an excellent organization, carefully systematized the work in every department and by thorough and efficient management gained a most substantial measure of success. He was constantly making plans for the future and this characterized him even in his last illness. In addition to his manufacturing and commercial interests Mr. Stevens was long one of the directors of the Union Savings Bank and his name was ever an honored one on commercial paper. On the 31st of December, 1873, in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Stevens was united in marriage to Mrs. Emma F. (Gillingham) Squire, widow of William H. Squire. They had no children of their own but reared an adopted daughter, who is now Mrs. Ethel Strasburg of Cleveland. By her first marriage Mrs. Stevens had one son, George H. Squire, who later had his name changed to Stevens. He resides in Newark, New Jersey. The death of Mr. Stevens occurred May 4, 1905. He belonged to the Toledo Club and to the Middle Bass Club. Politically he was a republican. He never sought nor desired political preferment, however, but was an active worker in support of many organizations looking to the uplift and betterment of the individual. He was particularly interested in the Boys Home and did everything in his power to safeguard and direct the activities of boys that in their early life they might lay the foundation for a bright manhood. For a time he conducted a night school for boys, keeping this up until it was taken over by the board of education, which ultimately recognized the great worth of the institution. In many charitable movements he was a living, vital force. He served on the board of directors of the Boys Home and he was particularly helpful in his relation to the Humane Society. His broad charity and liberal support of any philanthropic plan was not only known to those with whom he was associated in the work but constituted an example which others followed. When he passed away the Union Savings Bank adopted the following memorial resolutions : "The Supreme Giver of life has removed from his sphere of activity and usefulness Benjamin Abbott Stevens, a man of integrity and charitable instincts, a useful and progressive citizen, who has been associated with the Union Savings Bank as a director for the past ten years. In his death the bank has lost a valuable officer, a true friend and congenial companion, but we realize that the greater loss is to his family. Be it resolved that as a mark of respect and esteem and in memory of his long association as a brother officer of the bank, this memorial be spread upon our records and a copy of same be sent to the family." Mr. Stevens' good work did not end with his death, for according to the 404 - TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY provisions of his will he made generous bequests to various charitable institutions, amounting to about seventy-five thousand dollars, one-fourth of which was left to the Toledo Humane Society, of which he had long been a valued director, one-fourth to the Toledo Boys Home, one-fifth to the Toledo Hospital, one-fifth to the Old Ladies Home of Toledo and one-tenth to the Little Sisters of the Poor, with the stipulation that the interest of these sums only was to be used for the institutions, the principal to be wisely invested. His helpfulness thus continues and, moreover, the memory of Benjamin A. Stevens is enshrined in the hearts of all who knew him and continues as a blessed benediction to those with whom he was associated. His ideals of life found their root in the Christian faith and he ever endeavored to follow the teachings of Him who went about doing good. WILLIAM HENRY TUCKER Few men in the history of Toledo have served their city for so many consecutive years as William Henry Tucker, who filled the position of postmaster most acceptably through a period of sixteen years by appointment of President McKinley, in recognition of his services to the party, the appointment coming to him on the 11th of January, 1899. Mr. Tucker was a representative of one of the old families of northern. Ohio and was born in Laporte, Lorain county, October 6, 1849, his parents being Dr. John A. and Elizabeth (Brush) Tucker. In both the paternal and maternal lines the ancestry can be traced back to colonial times and the names of many members of .the Brush family are found on the rolls of the Revolutionary soldiers, also in connection with the early Indian and colonial wars and the War of 1812. The paternal grandfather of William Henry Tucker came to the new state of Ohio on the tide of emigration to the Western Reserve in 1817, while Mr. Tucker's grandfather in the maternal line removed his family to Lorain county, Ohio, in 1832. In the public schools of Lorain and Huron counties William Henry Tucker pursued his education, attending school at Laporte and also at Plymouth, Huron county, to which place his parents had removed. His father was a prominent physician, engaged in active practice in Plymouth for many years, and there the son spent a goodly portion of his youth, taking up the profession of teaching after completing his own public school course. He devoted two years to that work and then resumed his studies, matriculating in the normal school at Milan, while later he attended both Yale and Cornell universities. He afterward took a full four years' course at the Baldwin University at Berea, Ohio, and in the year 1874 he came to Toledo, where he entered upon the study of law in the office of Haynes & Potter, well known attorneys, who directed his reading until his admission to the Ohio bar in 1876. Soon afterward he entered upon the active practice of his profession and formed a partnership with J. T. Greer, under the firm style of Greer & Tucker, in which connection he built up a very extensive practice. After an association of ten years this firm was dissolved and Mr. Tucker continued to practice alone, making a specialty of real estate and probate business. He continued in active practice until he assumed the duties of postmaster in January, 1899. During all of his residence in Toledo he took an active interest in those movements looking to the advancement, growth and improvement of the city. He became one of the best known republican leaders in northwestern Ohio and rendered valuable service TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY - 407 to his party. During several different campaigns he was chairman of various committees, principally the congressional and county, also the common pleas, judicial, executive and city committees. He represented his county and district in state and national conventions and in many ways contributed to the successes won by the party. He served as a member of the school board from 1894 until 1898 and the cause of education ever found in him a stalwart champion. The Toledo post office in its present highly organized and efficient form is largely a monument to the efforts of Mr. Tucker. It was during his administration that the post office building was erected, while many important reforms, changes and improvements were made in the postal system. He proved himself equal to the task of administering the affairs of the post office in all of its phases and details and his record was highly satisfactory to the general public. After retiring from the post office on the 15th of May, 1915, Mr. Tucker again established. himself in law practice at No. 310 Main street in Toledo, where he had offices at the time of his death, which occurred at Kissimmee, Florida, January 12, 1921. It was on the 10th of April, 1884, that Mr. Tucker was married to Miss Harriet Van Gorder of Toledo, Ohio, daughter of George W. Van Gorder, and they became the parents of six children, as follows : Helen, who completed her education at Oberlin, is now the wife of Morrison R. Van Cleve, professor of natural history in the Toledo schools, and their three children are, Harriet, Florence and Ruth; Clara May, who also attended Oberlin College, married. William E. Wright, associate manager of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company and a member of the board of education in Toledo. During the World war he was in charge of Y. M. C. A. work in France and was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government. To him and his wife were born two children, Jane May and William Tucker Wright ; Dr. John Poag Tucker, the third of the family, graduated from Oberlin College and the Western Reserve Medical College at Cleveland, and is a representative of the medical profession in that city and a member of the Cleveland Clinic. He married Grace Lloyd of Cleveland ; George Ewing Tucker was graduated from Oberlin College and is engaged in the real estate business, with office at 310 Main street in Toledo. He married Alta Kelley Rousch ; William Henry, Jr., who was graduated from Toledo University, is an attorney and director and secretary of the Ohio Savings Association, vice president of the Toledo Title Company and also a councilman from the nineteenth ward. He married Ella Chamberlin and has one son, William Henry (III) ; and Robert Brush Tucker attended Ohio State University and is now a student at the Western Reserve Medical College at Cleveland. During the World war Dr. John P. Tucker attended the training school at Chattanooga and served as first lieutenant in the Medical Corps at Camp Mills, having charge of the Base Hospital there. George enlisted in the navy from New York and was on the Covington when it was torpedoed.. He made twelve trips across the ocean and later served for eleven months at Brest, where he was in service escorting incoming ocean liners. William H. Tucker, Jr., enlisted for service and was sent to the government nitrate plant, where he did important work. Robert was in the army training school for six months and was transferred to Toledo, where he was stationed when the armistice was signed, so that the four sons of the family did their full duty in relation to the great war waged for world democracy. Mr. Tucker was prominent in fraternal circles. In Masonry he attained the Knights Templar degree, affiliating with Eu-Tah Commandery, and he was also 408 - TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY a member of the Knights of Pythias. He likewise held membership in the Toledo Maennerchor and in the Teutonia Maennerchor. He was president of the East Side Improvement Association, president and founder of the East Side Commercial Club and secretary of the Ohio Savings Association. He supported all plans and measures for the upbuilding of the east side of the city. He was likewise the president of the William McKinley Club, was president of the Toledo Settlement Association, president of the Toledo Philharmonic Association, president of the board of trustees of the Euclid Avenue Methodist Episcopal church, a member of the board of trustees of Baldwin-Wallace College at Berea, Ohio, and also president of the Peoples State Savings Bank. Mr. Tucker was one of the prime factors in the successful litigation that resulted in the establishing of Toledo University and in the' subsequent affairs of this institution he took a leading part, serving as president of the board of trustees for several years. In these connections are shown the great breadth and value of his interests and that his splendid executive and administrative ability was constantly sought to aid matters of public concern and of vital importance to the community. DELL A. HELPMAN As president of the National Union Assurance Society Dell A. Helpman is well known to the citizens of Toledo, where the headquarters of the association are located, and he has also gained national prominence, as the organization of which he is the head draws its members from all sections of the United States. Mr. Helpman was born in Liberty Center, Ohio, March 3, 1868, and his parents, Perry E. and Julia A. (Parrish) Helpman, are also natives of the Buckeye state. The father is now residing at Defiance, Ohio. He was for many years a well known stationary engineer, actively identified with that profession. Mr. and Mrs. Helpman became the parents of two children : William, who is living in Defiance; and Dell A. Dell A. Helpman acquired his education in the grammar schools and the high school at Defiance, Ohio, and his first experience in the business world was obtained in the plant of the Turnbull Wagon Company. He remained in the employ of that firm for twelve years and during that period worked his way steadily upward from a position of minor importance to that of superintendent of machinery. After severing his relations with the company he joined the National Union Assurance Society as representative of the field department and his excellent work in that connection led to his promotion to the position of superintendent of the field service. Later he was made vice president of the society and in 1906 he was honored with the presidency, in which capacity he has since served. The fact that he has been chosen to fill this responsible office is proof of the confidence reposed in his ability—a trust that has been amply justified, for his natural qualifications and broad experience enable him to discharge the duties which devolve upon him in a most capable and efficient manner. Mr. Helpman was one of the members of the building committee which had charge of the erection of the national home of the organization. At Defiance, Ohio, on the 5th of July, 1894, Mr. Helpman was united in marriage to Miss Ettie Meek, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Meek. Mr. and Mrs. Helpman are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and his political TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY - 409 allegiance is given to the republican party. He is a member of the Toledo. Club and the Rotary Club and in Masonry. he has attained high standing, belonging to the commandery, while in the consistory he has taken the thirty-second degree. He has never been content with mediocrity and has ever worked toward the attainment of high ideals. His advancement has been won through industry and ability and under his able leadership the interests of the organization which he represents have been greatly furthered and its influence and activities have been strengthened and broadened. GEORGE WILLIAM INGERSOLL George William Ingersoll, conducting business at Toledo under the name of the Ingersoll Foundry Company, was born in this city on the 8th of April, 1877, and is a son of Daniel and Georgianna (Beard) Ingersoll. The father engaged in the furniture and upholstering business. The son was educated in the public schools and early became a newsboy, thus starting out as has many a man who in later life has achieved substantial success. At all points in his career he has been actuated by a laudable ambition that has urged him steadily forward and caused him to make the wisest possible use of his time and opportunities. When his textbooks were put aside he learned the moulder's trade in a foundry and this constituted the practice ground in which he qualified for later business activity. In 1896 he secured a position in a railroad freight office and thus worked until 1898, when in response to the military call of his country he enlisted for service in the Spanish-American war, becoming a private in company H of the Sixteenth Infantry under Captain Howard, while later he was with the Sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. When his term of military service was over he again returned to railroad work, securing employment in a railroad office in Cleveland. In' February, 1900, he joined the United States navy, with which he remained for four years, becoming acting chief petty officer. On the expiration of that period Mr. Ingersoll returned to Toledo and thereafter vas associated with the American Foundry Company as an employe until 1910, when he purchased the business, which he now conducts under the name of the [ngersoll Foundry Company. He has a well equipped plant, supplied with modern machinery, and is doing most effective work, so that his business is steadily growing and his enterprise has become a profitable investment. Aside from business connections Mr. Ingersoll is well known as a representative member of the Kiwanis Club and he also belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and to the Transportation Club. CHARLES ALFRED WATTS Charles Alfred Watts, a Toledo contractor who has done important work, having been accorded some of the most extensive contracts in this section of the country, was born in Haskins, Ohio, August 8, 1878, and is a son of John George and Ellen (Hoagland) Watts. The father, who for many year engaged, in the contracting business, is now deceased. The son obtained a public school education 410 - TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY in his native city and when his textbooks were put aside received comprehensive training along the line of his chosen trade under the direction of his father, with whom he was associated in important building operations for a number of years. In this way he gained an intimate knowledge of every phase of the business and of the scientific principles which underlie his work and eventually he started out independently. From the beginning success has attended his labors and something of what he has achieved is indicated in the fact that he was awarded the contract for the erection of the Ford Glass Company houses at Rossford, Ohio, the Rossford clubhouse and bank building at Rossford, the high school building at Haskins, Ohio, the Ford silica plant near Monroe, Michigan, and various other important structures, including a number of schools and churches. On the 1st of October, 1920, the business was incorporated under the name of the Watts & Suhrbier Company, contractors of Toledo, with Mr. Watts as president and treasurer. He is thus the directing executive head of the business and his own broad experience in all of the practical phases of the work now enables him wisely, carefully and successfully to direct the efforts of the many employes who serve him. He has likewise become a director of the Farmers Savings Bank at Haskins, Ohio. On the 31st of August, 1899, Mr. Watts was married to Miss Kittie E. De Muth of Waterville, Ohio, and they have two children, Marguerite E. and Milton L. Mr. Watts has for a number of years been a representative of Masonry and a faithful follower of the teachings and purposes of the craft. He has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in the consistory and is also a member of the Mystic Shrine. He likewise belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and his association with the Maumee River Yacht Club indicates much concerning the nature of his recreation. ANTON BUESCHEN Well known in Toledo is Anton Bueschen, who is now living a retired life because of the success which he has achieved through his efforts in former years. For a considerable period he conducted an extensive wholesale and retail coal and coke business, and at different periods has been active in connection with building operations in Toledo, having erected a number of fine residences and apartments here. He has also been largely interested in dairy farming and all through the period in which he has carefully, wisely and profitably managed his private business affairs he has also extended a helping hand to many who have needed assistance and he is noted for his liberality and generosity. Mr. Bueschen was born in Germany, January 4, 1854, and is a son of Anton and Marie Bueschen. The first seventeen years of his life were spent in his native country and then in 1871 he came to America, settling in Toledo, where he entered the employ of Charles Mallard. He later was for eight years a coachman in the employ of L. S. Baumgardner, the Birckhead family and other prominent Toledo families. While thus employed he carefully saved his money until he felt that his experience and his capital justified him in engaging in the draying business. He afterward turned his attention to the sale of shavings, kindling and gas house coke and eventually he established a coal business and purchased railroad property which has since greatly enhanced in value. In fact, it is many times its former price and became an important asset in his financial resources. Continuing in the coal trade, he developed his business into TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY - 413 one of the large enterprises of this character in Toledo, of which he was sole owner until he recently was succeeded by his son, Frederick A. Bueschen. In the meantime he erected several fine apartment houses, including the Bueschen and Mary apartments on Floyd street, the latter apartment building -being erected on the site of a large unsightly frame livery barn which Mr. Bueschen purchased and tore down. He has also erected several of the attractive residences of the city. He has long been interested in agricultural pursuits and in England would be classed as a "gentleman farmer." He is the owner of a large dairy farm in Iosco county, Michigan, comprising nine hundred and twenty acres. It is a model of its kind by reason of its splendid buildings and equipments and its fine herd of Holstein dairy cows. He derives great enjoyment from managing and directing this business and is numbered among the foremost agriculturists of that section of Michigan. On the 10th of April, 1881, Mr. Bueschen was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Meyer of Stony Ridge, Ohio. They have become parents of four children : William M., born in Toledo and educated here in the public schools, is married and resides in this city, and they have one child, Helen ; John L. Bueschen, the second of the family, was born, educated and married in Toledo and has two children, Dale and Bernardine ; Fred is likewise married and resides in 'Toledo and his family numbers two sons, Robert and John ; Mrs. Mary Hias, the youngest of the family, is also a resident of Toledo and has one child, Frederick Hias. As the years have passed success in large measure has crowned the efforts of Anton Bueschen and since his retirement he has utilized the fruits of his former toil to not a little degree in travel. He has made many extended trips, and while he believes in the axiom "See America First" and has visited many points of interest throughout this country, he has. also made an extended trip through Europe. He spends the winter months in Florida, Cuba or California, his wife and daughter accompanying him on one of his trips to California. Mr. Bueschen is an excellent sportsman, enjoying fishing and various outdoor sports, finding delight in tramping through the woods and following the streams at the proper season. He has long been recognized as a man of most generous spirit, giving liberally to charity and benevolent purposes, and one of his most practical forms of assistance to others is in the money loans he has made to small farmers in the vicinity of his large farm property in Michigan. He has long since turned his business enterprises in Toledo over to his sons, so that he now. practically lives retired, following where his fancy takes him and enjoying life to the full. His record should serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others, showing what can be accomplished through individual effort guided by intelligence and sound judgment. He worked persistently and energetically for many years to gain a start and then to further develop the business in which he finally engaged and in the course of years won a place among the foremost coal merchants of Toledo;. A. CLAUDE STEVENSON The Toledo bar lost a highly respected and capable representative when A. Claude Stevenson was called to his final rest in 1918. He was born at Gibsonburg, Ohio, on the 25th of March, 1874. His early education was gleaned from the public schools of Fremont and of Fostoria, Ohio, and following the completion of a high school course in the latter city he entered Oberlin College, receiving from that, 414 - TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY institution the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1898. In the meantime he had determined upon the practice of law as a life work. He was constantly reaching out along broadening lines of activity and usefulness and to this end he entered the law department of the Ohio State University in the fall of 1898. He creditably completed his law course with the class of 1900 and immediately thereafter was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio. On the 20th of April, 1915, Mr. Stevenson was married to Miss Edna Robinson of Toledo, daughter of Oscar C. and Millie E. (Brown) Robinson, and granddaughter of Stephen Grant Robinson of Wood county, Ohio, who was an own cousin of Ulysses S. Grant. Oscar C. Robinson is a prominent contractor. Mr. Stevenson's professional life was spent in Toledo and from the outset of his career he made steady progress at the bar, giving evidence of his comprehensive knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence and ability to apply these principles to the points in litigation. He was active in the affairs of the Toledo Commerce Club and the Barton Smith Lodge, No. 613, F. & A. M. He further advanced in the Masonic order and became a member of the Grotto. To the members of the bar who knew Mr. Stevenson intimately he displayed qualities of heart and mind with which his casual acquaintances were not familiar. Always honorable and straightforward in his professional and business dealings, he was deeply respected by those best qualified to appraise his value. On the 4th of February, 1918, his none too vigorous constitution succumbed to the ravages of pneumonia and the following resolution was passed by the bar association : "Be it resolved by the bar of Lucas county that in the death of A. C. Stevenson the bar of this county has lost one of its most respected members, his associates a most valued friend, and the community a patriotic and upright citizen." He had ever been most loyal to any public duty that devolved upon him and he served as an officer of the board of elections. His political endorsement was given to the republican party and he found interest in studying the science of government and in solving the intricate and involved political problems before the country. His religious faith was indicated by his membership in the First Congregational church and his life was guided by its principles, making him a man whom to know was to respect and honor. GEORGE JOHN SEISS George. John Seiss, founder, president and general manager of The Seiss Manufacturing Company, is one of Toledo's well known and successful manufacturers. Mr. Seiss was born in this city July 25, 1876, the eldest son of his parents, Jacob and Ernstina (Vogel) Seiss, both of whom were natives of Germany. The father was a soldier of the Civil war as a member of the Fourteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving under General Steedman, and was of middle age at the time of his death in 1887. The mother was but a child of three years when her parents brought her to America. She survived her husband a number of years and her death occurred in Toledo. George J. Seiss was born on Hamilton street, in which section of the city he was reared. In those days Swan creek was a beautiful, clear stream and afforded excellent close at hand fishing and swimming for the boys in that neighborhood. His father died when George Seiss was eleven years old, and being the eldest boy in the family, he thus early in life became a help to his widowed mother, partly TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY - 417 from necessity and partly from his energetic and industrious nature. While his school days were over when he reached his fourteenth year, he had been employed in various ways during vacation periods at such work as a boy of his age could perform. He carried milk before and after school hours, as was then the method of delivering that commodity to customers ; he worked for Hoffman, the candy maker, at three dollars per week, and being a robust, willing and dependable youngster not afraid of work, he readily found employment. From boyhood he was much interested in machinery and took great delight in watching its operation, which fact no doubt influenced him to take up the trade of a machinist and toolmaker. He was fourteen years old when he began that trade in the Lozier and Yost plant, where the old Cleveland bicycle was then being manufactured. Mr. Seiss continued there until the summer of 1893, when for a few months he was employed at his trade in Marshall, Michigan. Right here it might be stated that this was the only time in his life that he ever worked outside of Toledo. Mr. Seiss remained in the employ of others until 1903 and during that time he was for several years filling an important position with the De Vilbiss Manufacturing Company. It was in' 1903 that he started in business for himself, beginning the manufacture of various specialties and novelties. As time passed on he concentrated his efforts and attention more and more largely upon automobile specialties. In 1908 the business was incorporated under the laws of Ohio as The Seiss Manufacturing. Company, consisting of George J. Seiss and his four brothers—Fred H., Leonard A., Ernest E. and August J., all of whom have since been in the business with the exception of Fred H., whose death occurred November 6, 1918, during the influenza epidemic. George J. Seiss has been the active and executive head of the business ever since it was started and at this time the other officials of the company are : Leonard A. Seiss, vice president ; and August J. Seiss, secretary and treasurer. The growth and development of The Seiss Manufacturing Company has been remarkable and not only reflects great credit upon its management but attests the superior quality of its products, which consist of horns for bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, trucks, motor boats, juvenile vehicles, railway speed cars and gasoline locomotives ; oil and electric lamps for bicycles and the improved Seiss rooter. These articles are sold all over the world and the superb plant on. Alexis street in which they are manufactured is one of the best kept and most desirably located of Toledo's industrial institutions. As the active, head of the company George J. Seiss has held to a definite ideal. He has worked toward a fixed goal of accomplishment. All during the growth of the company he has not lessened his interest in the most minute detail, dealing with the relation between the company and the public.. Any improvement or new model which he has thought would be a further service of The Seiss Manufacturing Company to the public he had added. That the public has appreciated the policy of the company as fathered by Mr. Seiss is evidenced by the success of the firm today. On the 4th of March, 1908, Mr. Seiss was married to Miss Emma Adams. of Toledo, a daughter of Theodore and Mary Adams. Two daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Seiss : Ruth, whose death occurred October 1, 1916, when she was three years old ; and Jeanneatte, born June 6, 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Seiss are members of the Lutheran church and fraternally he is well known, having attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Masonry, while with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine he has crossed the sands of the desert. Mr. Seiss is a member of the Commerce Club and is now serving on the manufacturers' and wholesalers' division of that organization. Mr. Seiss has been successful and en- 418 - TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY tirely from his own efforts. He has always been a hard worker, conscientious and painstaking—characteristics that marked his discharge of duties when a boy and have suffered no diminution in the man. His activities have exerted a most helpful influence in Toledo's industrial prosperity. Mr. Seiss resides at No. 1064 Lincoln avenue. HORATIO C. SCANNELL Horatio C. Scannell, who has attained a high measure of efficiency in electrical engineering and is now president of the Scannell Electrical Construction Company, was born in Toledo, February 5, 1885, and is a son of Patrick and Margaret (Whelan) Scannell, the former devoting his life to the printing business. Advancing step by step along educational lines, Horatio C. Scannell completed the work of the grades and of the high school at Toledo and then, putting aside his textbooks, attempted the mastery of the more difficult lessons to be learned in the school of experience. He turned to the electrical business, thoroughly acquainting himself with the trade and constantly broadening his knowledge through his work and study. In 1916 he organized the Scannell Electrical Construction Company, of which he is the president, and from the beginning his patronage has steadily increased in volume and importance. He has executed many important contracts, doing work for .the government at Camp Perry, also at the Gar f ord motor truck plant at Lima, Ohio, at the Bunting brass plant, at the plant of the Haughton Elevator Company and also of the Toledo Steel Products Company. His broad experience has brought him to a high degree of skill and efficiency in his chosen line and the work to which he has been called has many times been of a most important character. He now has high standing among the electrical workers of Ohio and his broad experience and wide knowledge enable him to speak with authority upon many problems related to electrical engineering. On the 22d of April, 1908, Mr. Scannell was united in marriage to Miss Lula Flury of Toledo and they have become parents of two sons, Russell Philip and Robert Francis. Mr. Scannell belongs to the Kiwanis Club and the Chamber of Commerce, also to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and to the Knights of Pythias. His activities and interests outside of business indicate his desire for the public good and his cooperation can at all times be counted upon to further those well organized projects which areupbuildingto the benefit and upbuiling of the city and state. ROBERT F. NACHTRIEB Men of efficiency and high character are the type of workers the business, industrial and professional worlds of today are eagerly seeking and each individual ascends the ladder of fortune to that height which his own ability and energy enable him to reach. Robert F. Nachthe National treasurer of the National Malleable Castings Company of Toledo, is the possessor of those qualities through which success comes as a natural sequence, and although still a young man he ciccupies a position of large responsibility, the duties of which he is capably discharging. He TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY - 419 was born in Wauseon, Ohio, February 26, 1889, and his parents were Christian J. and Mary Josephine ( Jenney) Nachtrieb, the former a native of Wurtemburg, Germany, and the latter of Port Clinton, Ohio. When but two years of age the father was brought to the United States by his parents, who settled in Ohio, and after reaching mature years he engaged in the drug business at Wauseon, where he successfully conducted his interests until 1901, when he came to Toledo, and is now living retired in this city. The mother's demise occurred in 1920, when she had reached the age of sixty-three years. In their family were three children : Robert F. ; Clarence R., a resident of Dallas, Texas ; and Mrs. Ray Archbold of Decatur, Indiana. Robert F. Nachtrieb began his education in the grammar schools of Wauseon, Ohio, which he attended to the age of twelve years, and in 1906 he was graduated from the Central high school of Toledo. He then entered the employ of the National Malleable Castings Company, starting in a humble capacity and winning advancement to more important positions as he had opportunity to demonstrate his trustworthiness and capability, until he was at length made local treasurer of the company, which office he has since filled. He subordinates all other interests to the demands of the business, to which he gives his best efforts, and his cooperation is regarded as a valuable asset in furthering the success of the concern, which ranks with the large manufacturing industries of the city. Mr. Nachtrieb enlisted for service in the World war, joining the Eighty-third Division, and was commissioned battalion sergeant major. He was later transferred to the Three Hundred and Thirtieth Regular Infantry and for eight months was on duty overseas, receiving his discharge at Camp Sherman, Ohio. He then returned to his former position in the Cleveland office of the National Malleable Castings Company, but at the end of a month returned to Toledo as local treasurer. He is a member of the Congregational church and gives his political allegiance to the republican party. He is identified with the Chamber of Commerce, loyally supporting all those measures and projects which are formulated for the development and upbuilding of the city, and is also a member of the Lions Club and the Sons of the American Revolution. Fidelity to duty is one of his outstanding characteristics and he is recognized as a young man of resolute purpose and marked strength of character, whose success represents the fit utilization of his innate powers and talents. ROBERT CENTENNIAL CORNELIUS Robert Centennial Cornelius, president and general manager of the United States Mop Company, was born in Helena, Ohio, February 1, 1876, his parents being George Peter and Jane Elizabeth (Skinner) Cornelius. The father was a carriage builder and throughout much of his life Robert C. Cornelius has been identified with business of that character and more latterly the automobile trade. He was educated in the public schools and in the early years of his business experience was associated with his father, gaining wide knowledge of the carriage industry. He then went on the road as a traveling salesman for a vehicle manufacturer and afterward became a distributor of automobiles in connection with the Cornelius Auto Sales Company of Toledo. In this business he continued from 1910 until 1918 and in the latter year he purchased the United States Mop Company, incor- 420 - TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY porated for eighty thousand dollars. He has since been president and general manager of this concern, which occupies two floors of a building fifty by one hundred and fifty feet, having fifteen thousand square feet of floor space. There are now fifty employes and the business is one of substantial character, growing steadily under the capable management and control of Mr. Cornelius, whose labors are directly successful in the development of the trade. On the 6th of December, 1893, Mr. Cornelius was united in marriage to Miss Wealthy L. Wright of Liberty Center, Ohio, and they have become parents of one daughter, Clarice Jewel, born in July, 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius are members of the Christian Science church, in which he is serving as an usher. In Masonry he has made far advance, attaining the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in the consistory, and he is also a member of the Mystic Shrine. He likewise belongs to the Knights of Pythias and to the Chamber of Commerce and he is zealous and loyal in his support of all the organizations with which he is identified. His life has been characterized by a steady advancement, leading to success in business and establishing him as a substantial citizen of Toledo who is a stanch advocate of all those forces which make for civic virtue and for civic pride. His home is at No. 2612 Scottwood avenue. CHARLES W. RYAN Charles W. Ryan, possessing those substantial qualities which rear the superstructure of success upon the sure foundations of thoroughness, integrity and progressiveness, was well known as the president of the Arbuckle-Ryan Company and passed away in Toledo on the 13th of February, 1912. He was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, October 7, 1847, his parents being John W. and Eliza (Dodge) Ryan. He was indebted to the public school system for the early educational advantages which he enjoyed and later he continued his studies in the Erie Academy. He resided at Erie to the age of twenty-four years and then came to Toledo, where he entered the business circles of the city by at once forming a partnership with John M. Arbuckle, under the name of Arbuckle & Ryan, for the conduct of a hardware trade. Later J. William Ryan became a partner and the firm name became Arbuckle, Ryan & Company. During these years the business was attended with increasing success and finally the firm extended the scope of its activities to include heavy hardware and machinery, since which time the house has dealt exclusively along those lines. The business was wisely and carefully managed by the directing partners and year by year increased in volume and importance. In 1896, following the death of Mr. Arbuckle, the company was reorganized and incorporated as the Arbuckle-Ryan Company, with Mr. Ryan as the president and treasurer, and he was active head of the concern to the time of his own demise, having long occupied an enviable and honorable position in the commercial circles of the city. In the year 1884 Mr. Ryan was united in marriage to Miss Emma L. Ford, later,sed away three years latei-, leaving a son, J. Harold, who is now president and treasurer of the Arbuckle-Ryan Company. In 1902 Mr. Ryan wedded Mrs. Laura F. Niles, a sister of his first wife. Their two daughters are : Marjorie Niles, who is the wife of Starr Gardiner Cooper, a member of the faculty of Peddie Institute at Hightstown, New Jersey ; and Elizabeth, now attending Smith College. TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY - 423 The parents of Mrs. Ryan, Deming E. and Maria (Treat) Ford, are mentioned elsewhere in this publication. Charles W. Ryan was one of the factors who contributed to the commercial development of Toledo and he was always an indefatigable worker, his firm becoming one of the most important among the mercantile concerns of the city, its sales extending to all parts of the country. In politics Mr. Ryan was always a stanch republican and he ever maintained a seat in the First Congregational church, giving his aid and influence to all those forces which he deemed of benefit and value to the community and to the commonwealth. He was a member of the Board of Commerce and through cooperation therewith aided in upholding high civic as well as business standards in Toledo. He always adhered to advanced ideals of life for the individual and was a consistent supporter of those interests which add to the sweetness and joy of life. He was particularly a lover of home and was always' seen at his best at his own fireside. WALTER H. JEFFERY Walter H. Jeffery, president of the Eastern Torpedo of Ohio Company, is one of the well known men in the oil well supply trade of the country. For more than thirty-two years he has been closely connected with that line of commercial activity. Mr. Jeffery was born in this city, June 7, 1874, a son of Thomas and Annie S. (Bartley) Jeffery, both of whom were natives of England. Shortly after their marriage they came to the United States, settling in Toledo, where the father engaged in merchandising, and during his later years he devoted his attention to the wholesale cigar business. He was one of the well known business men of the city and his death occurred in 1905. Walter H. Jeffery acquired his education in the public schools of this city and when sixteen years of age he laid aside his textbooks to enter the business world, securing a position with the Buckeye Supply Company, which later was merged with the National Supply Company. He started in as clerk and during the twenty-eight years of his connection with the company was promoted from one position to another of greater importance as he demonstrated his capability, until he was at length made sales manager. Prompted by laudable ambition, he decided to embark in business independently and organized the United States Malleable Iron Company of Toledo, of which he is a director, and this has become one of the large manufacturing industries in the city, maintaining extensive plants in Toledo and at Wauseon, Ohio, and giving employment to over four hundred persons. In 1919 he formed the Eastern Torpedo of Ohio Company and has since been its president. They manufacture nitro-glycerin and conduct a well-shooting business in the oil fields of Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas. For the past three years Mr. Jeffery has devoted part of his time to the development of patented devices used in the oil industry and he recently organized the Deepwell Engineering Company to manufacture and distribute this equipment. He is secretary-treasurer of this company. He is the author of a volume entitled, "Deep Well Drilling," which is the outcome of years of wide research, intelligent observation and analytical study. It covers the subject in a most thorough and comprehensive manner and has not only enjoyed a wide sale, but has become an authority on its topics. Mr. Jeffery is also a director of the Norwalk Drilling Tool Company, the 424 - TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY Titan Oil & Gas Company, the Summit-Cherry Building Company and the firm of W. H. Jeffery & Company, brokers, while he likewise is president of the Toledo Standard Commutator Company. His rapidly expanding powers have brought him from a humble position to the field of large enterprises and constantly widening opportunities and his efforts are resultant forces in whatever he undertakes. On the 3d of November, 1897, Mr. Jeffery was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude Bateman, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson T. Bateman of this city, and they have become the parents of a daughter, Helen, who is a graduate of the Toledo public schools and also of the National Park Seminary at Washington, D. C. The family are members of the First Congregational church of Toledo and Mr. Jeffery is serving as one of its trustees. He is a member of the Toledo Commerce Club, the Toledo Club, the Rotary Club and the Inverness Club and in Masonry he has attained the thirty-second degree. The personality and career of Mr. Jeffery present a fascinating study to the analyst of character. He is a man of unusual mental versatility, resourcefulness and skill as an organizer, with a capacity for the solution of difficult problems. His varied interests cover a wide scope and he has made his life count, for his contribution to the world's work is of value and importance. Mr. Jeffery's residence is at No. 625 Stratford place. DEMING E. FORD Deming E. Ford was one of the pioneers of Lucas county and after a long and active life passed away here on the 21st of October, 1922, at the venerable age of ninety-two years. He was born in Canandaigua, New York, on the 19th of October, 1830, and was a son of Daniel Bradley and Elizabeth (Hoisington) Ford. In the paternal line he represented one of the old New .England families. His father's parents had been residents of New Hampshire for generations, while the Hoisingtons were early settlers of Vermont. After coming to Toledo with his parents in 1852, Deming E. Ford settled on a farm purchased by his father on the Bay Shore road—a property that is still in possession of the family. It is known as "The Willows" and is the summer home of the Ford and Ryan families. The tract when it came into possession of Daniel B. Ford was an unbroken forest and upon him and his family devolved the arduous task of clearing away the timber and converting the land into productive fields. Two years after their coming, or in 1854, cholera swept over this part of the country and both the father and mother of Deming E. Ford passed away. Thus Deming E. Ford in his early twenties was left to care for his younger brothers and sisters, who were : Joseph D., later prosecuting attorney of Lucas county and a leader of the Toledo bar ; Hyatt, who was a captain during the Civil war and was killed in the battle of Winchester, Ford Post, G. A. R., being named in his honor ; and Mary and Augusta, the first and second wives, respectively, of Captain Henry J. Crane, prominent in civic affairs in Toledo and for many years president of the board of education. Deming E. Ford was the last survivor of his father's family. On the 12th of November, 1857, Mr. Ford was united in marriage to Miss Maria Treat, who was born in Toledo in 1836, at which time the city had a population of but one hundred inhabitants. She is a descendant of an old Connecticut family, tracing