(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY - 225 Times. It weighs over 52,000 pounds, without its accessories. In 1825, and in fact until a comparatively few years ago all type-setting was done by hand. Now it is indeed an obscure and backward paper which does not have one or more type-setting machines. In the old days, a strong youth furnished power for the printing press, turning out, possibly 300 to 500 in a laborious hour. Today presses in use by Akron's daily papers are operated by great engines or motors, and vastly larger papers than the early ones are turned out at the rate of 12,000 to 15,000 an hour. The telegraph, the telephone, the perfecting of mail delivery service, the evolution of the photographic and the photo-engraving process have made newspapers entirely different things, both to publishers and to readers, than they were in the early days. Akron, proper, had no newspaper before 1836. Its people received their news through the Western Intelligence, 1827; the Ohio Observer, 1832; published at Hudson and Cuyahoga Falls. In 1836, Akron was incorporated. Immediately thereafter Madison H. White, of Medina, came over and established the Akron, Post, the first issue appearing March 23. It was a five column weekly, and it died in November of the same year. Its equipment was purchased by Constant Bryan, then a young lawyer, and later a judge, who established the Akron Journal, December 1, 1836. The Journal gave up the ghost six months later. The Post and Journal had been Democratic. Now the Whigs had an inning, when Horace K. Smith and Gideon J. &noway brought forth the first issue of the American Balance, August 19, 1837; suspended August 9, 1838; age one year. Easily the liveliest and most commendable of the early Akron newspaper ventures was that of Samuel Alanson Lane, who established the American Buzzard, in 1837, his object being to reduce the lawless young town of Akron, filled with bad men, to a state of law and order. In its stated object and in financial matters the Buzzard was quite successful, and after an exceding brisk career as editor and manager for two years, Mr. Lane disposed of it to Hiram Bowen, who turned it into the Summit Beacon, in 1839. The Beacon has continued to this day, being issued as a daily under the name of the Beacon Journal. It represented the Whig Party, and had a hard time of it for several years. In 1844 Mr. Bowen sold the Beacon to Richards 8. Elkins, who was succeeded as editor by Laurin Dewey in 1845. They in turn sold it to John Teesdale, of Columbus, in 1848. Mr. Teesdale was still in command when the Republican party was formed in 1855, and the Beacon became its organ. He sold out to Beebe & Elkins in 1856, and was succeeded as editor by James, later Judge Carpenter; A. H. Lewis, of Ravenna, succeeded him, and in 1861 S. A. Lane, former proprietor of the Buzzard, became editor. Four years later Mr. Lane and Horace G. Canfield bought an interest, and in January, 1867, the business was taken entirely out of the hands of Beebe & Elkins, the publishers' names being changed to Lane, Canfield & Company. The new proprietors believed that Akron had grown to a point where it should have a daily paper; the necessary preparations were made and the first issue of the Akron Daily Beacon made its appearance December 6, 1869. Mr. Lane was editor-in-chief, and Thomas C. Reynolds, was assistant editor. Mr. Raynolds afterward piloted the Beacon's ship of destiny for Many years. The Beacon Publishing Company was formed in 1871, capital $25,000. Messrs. Lane and Denis A. Long retained an active interest; H. A. Canfield and A. L. Paine retired and Mr. Raynolds was made editor-in-chief. The paper grew, and the fact that its entire plant was destroyed by fire in 1872 checked its progress but little. In 1875 the property, rehabilitated, was purchased by Mr. Reynolds, with Frank J. Staral and John H. Auble. Later Mr. Raynolds secured control. In 1869, the Akron Daily Beacon, the first local daily, made its appearance. It grew, and in 1891 absorbed the Akron Daily Republican, which had, in the meantime sprung up to dispute its right to the whole of the local 226 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY daily field. This led to a complete reorganization. The Republican was a consolidation of two papers, the Daily Telegram and the Sunday Gazette, the latter founded by Paul E. Werner in 1878. When the Beacon took over the Republican, it reorganized as follows : George W. Crouse, president; K. B. Congle, vice-president, and T. C. Raynolds, business manager. The Beacon and Republican continued in that form until 1897, when it 'was again deemed expedient to reach out and absorb a competitor, this time the Daily Journal, founded by Charles H. Wright. When this change was made the name of the paper became the Beacon-Journal and as such it appears today. About that time R. T. Dobson, who, with his brother, had been conducting the Times, and had disposed of his interest there, came over and acquired in interest in the Beacon-Journal. This interest grew until it controlled the industry and it was much more prosperous under the Dobson direction than it had been in years before. A few years ago, Mr. Dobson, tiring of, the newspaper business, disposed of his interest to T. J. Kirkpatrick, of Springfield, Ohio, and the latter removed to Akron and took personal charge, with C. L. Knight as business manager. A year ago Major Kirkpatrick disposed of his holding and returned to Springfield where he has again engaged in the publishing business. Mr. Knight remains, as the manager and controller of a majority of the stock. William B. Baldwin, an Akron boy, and in newspaperdom a product of the local field, has been the editor of the Beacon-Journal for years, and continues in that position. The Beacon-Journal Company occupies its own block at the corner of Quarry and Main Streets, and has a modern and complete equipment. 'So much for the story of what has developed into the leading Republican newspaper of the County. The Beacon-Journal is a product of gradual growth, of development with the years, as the city and county have developed. The Akron Times, Summit County's leading Democratic paper, daily and weekly, has another story to tell—a story of magnificent success in shorter time—a narrative of it struggle, which though short and successful, has been sharp. The American Democrat, published at Akron for the first time on August 20, 1842, was the first newspaper of that faith to make its appearance in Summit County. Its publisher was the late Horace Canfield, pioneer printer, whose son, now honored and full of years, still plies the trade in the city of Akron. The life of the American Democrat was a little above six years. Then it daunted. Mr. Canfield immediately began the publication of another paper, with indifferent success. In 1849, in partnership with the late ex-governor Sidney Edgerton, Mr. Canfield as manager and Mr. Edgerton as editor, he began the publication of the Akron Free Democrat. That was in July. After the fall election that year, the name of the paper was changed to the Free Democratic Standard. The paper continued for years, its name being frequently changed, however, to correspond with editorial belief or their burning issues. Its names were, successively, the Democratic Standard, the Summit Democrat and the Summit Union. As the Summit Union the paper died in 1867. But Akron and Summit County were not to be left without a Democratic newspaper, and in the same year a new newspaper venture, at least more enduring than its predecessors, was launched and christened the Akron Times. The present Akron Times is its lineal descendant. As a weekly paper the Akron Weekly Times continued until 1892. During those years, though it was without competition in its own field, its fortunes were varied and it was at no time over-opulent, conforming in that respect to the well-known small newspaper rule. But it held on, and it grew despite the fact that it was the apostle of a minority in local political belief. Among its editors were E. B. Eshelman, known better as editor of the Wayne County Democrat, and Frank S Pixley, who has since become famous as a playwright. In 1892 fate decreed that the Times should AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 227 emerge from its weekly newspaper chrysalis and become a daily. It happened that in that year W. B. and R. T. Dobson—then aggressive Democrats—decided that Akron must have a Democratic daily paper. The Akron Daily Democrat was accordingly launched by them. This was early in the year. The daily quickly occupied the field formerly taken by the weekly, and the weekly Times surrendered, being taken over by the Brothers Dobson. For five years the new arrangement continued, W. B. Dobson having in the meantime become postmaster of the City of Akron, and the newspaper having been taken over by his brother, Russell T. Dobson. In 1898 the latter decided that he would dispose of the paper. In his employ at the time was an energetic youth who had graduated from the printers' case to the editorial rooms and had become first a reporter and later city editor of the paper. His name was Edward S. Harter. It was his ambition, of course, to own a newspaper, and when it was made known that the Daily Democrat and Weekly Times were for sale, he wanted to buy. With a partner then—Fred W. Gayer, of Akron—Mr. Harter made the purchase, paying what was under the circumstance a large price for the property. It is a matter of local history that the seller boasted, when he completed the sale, that he would "have it back in six 'months." This came to the ears of Harter, the new editor. It checked his enthusiasm to a marked degree, but it also spurred him on to prevent, if possible, any other outcome of his venture than complete success. Mr. Dobson has not got the property back in ten years—by default—and it is not likely that he ever will. Under the energetic direction of Mr. Harter and those associated with him then and since, the Times has grown. When purchased its press equipment was antiquated, type was set by hand, its office equipment was poor, its circulation small and its good will—an exceedingly important part, of a newspaper—was almost nil. Today the Times occupies its own building, a fine two-story brick structure at the corner of Mill Street and Broadway. Below are counting-room offices and pressroom, above reportorial and composing rooms. A battery of four Linotype machines prepares the type ; an elevator carries the pages to a pressroom equipped to the minute with the best and newest machinery; a two-color sixteen-page press has just peen installed, and today the Times has easily the most modern and complete newspaper plant in the county. Edward S. Harter, leaving the tripod for a business desk, is manager ; Judge C. R. Grant, a large stockholder in the enterprise, wields a pen that moulds opinions, and the Times today is in the very front rank among Summit County publications. This paper is produced by the Akron Democrat Company, of whom the following are officers: Judge C. R. Grant, president; J. V. Welsh, vice-president ; Edward S. Harter, secretary and manager, and M. N. Hoye, treasurer. For the large number of German speaking people within its borders Akron has a live German newspaper, the Germania, edited and largely owned by Louis Seybold. This paper has had a long and successful career, having been founded in 1868 by H. Gentz. Within a year after its birth, it passed into the hands of the late Prof. Karl F. Kolbe, who for more than half a century was prominently identified with all that was good in German literature in this community. Louis Seybold became editor in 1875. In 1887 the Germania Printing Company was incorporated, with Paul E. Werner, president; Louis Seybold, secretary, and Hans Otto Beck, business manager. Later Mr. Werner and Mr. Beck disposed of their connections, Mr. Beck returning to Germany and Mr. Werner going into other things But the Germania lives on, Editor Seybold at the helm and members of his family at his right hand—a power for good in that part of the community for which it is especially intended. Some twenty years ago the Freie Presse was started, but the Germania quickly absorbed it. In a work of the present scope it would be 228 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY impossible to name all the publications which have at various times catered to the local public for a time, then passed on. Deserving of special mention, however, at the present time is The People, published weekly under the direction of the Akron Central Labor Union. The People is by far the most pretentious labor publication ever attempted in the Akron field. It enjoys a wide patronage and circulates among the members of the various lo labor unions. The Akron Press, an edition of the Cle land Press, printed and prepared in Clevelan is also circulated considerably in Akron. is understood that its owners at the pres time contemplate the erection of a plant this city, and the publication of the Akron Press as a bona fide Akron paper. CHAPTER XV GREATNESS ACHIEVED BY SUMMIT COUNTY SONS JOHN BROWN. EDWARD ROWLAND SILL. There are two names in the history of Summit County up to the year 1907, which, in the years to come, will stand out far above all others. The name of one who lived among us will always be honored because of the memories associated with the anti-slavery struggle; the fame of the other is secure because of the perfection of his art. One wrought; the other wrote. Although they are the greatest by far of all Summit County's citizens, yet neither of them was a native of the county. They were both born in Connecticut, and the places of their birth were but forty miles apart. Nor, was the great work which each of them did, accomplished in Summit County. Nevertheless, as a large part of the lifetime of each was spent within her borders, the county claims them both as her own sons. She views with increasing pride the added fame which the years bring to the memory of John Brown of Osawatomie, and Edward Rowland Sill, one of the worthiest and truest of American poets. Torrington, in Western Connecticut, is set amid all the glories of the Housatonic Mountains. Nature presents few landscapes more charming than this idyllic region. Litchfield, which means so much to the residents of Summit County is only a few miles to the southwest. John Brown was born at Torrington on the 9th day of May in the year 1800. The town record supplies the date and states that he was the son of Owen and Ruth Brown. He was a direct descendant of Peter Brown, an English Puritan carpenter who was one of the Mayflower company. His ancestors, too, had been part. of that remarkable colony which 'founded Windsor, Connecticut. In his own words, he was born of "poor but respectable parents." His father was a tanner and shoemaker who was often hard put to in order to provide the bare necessaries of life for his family. His grandfather was Captain John Brown, of the Revolutionary Army. His mother was Ruth Mills and she, too, could boast of a father who had fought with great credit in the war of the Revolution. His mother was of Dutch descent, her first American ancestor being Peter Mills who emigrated from Holland about 1700. In 1805 Owen Brown moved with his wife and babies to Ohio. It was an emigration rather than a moving; for the way was long and toilsome and beset with many perils. They settled in Hudson, which at that time was only a clearing in an almost unbroken wilderness. In the story of his life John mentions that it was filled with Indians and wild beasts. During the first few years of his life in Hudson, he was accustomed to intimate association with the Indians; his early playmates were Indians and from them he learned much woodcraft and some of their language. He mentions with much feeling the loss of a yellow marble (the first he ever had), which had been given to him by an Indian boy. Soon after settling in Hudson, his father was made a trustee of Oberlin College. This speaks volumes for the standing of the family and the character of that worthy father. In spite of the scholastic connection of his father, however, the youthful John received very scanty schooling. Dressed in his rough buckskin clothes he preferred to tend the cattle and sheep, and roam on long trips in the forest. When only twelve years old he made a 232 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY trip of over a hundred miles driving alone a herd of cattle. He enjoyed immensely the hardest and roughest sports, and lost no opportunity to "wrestle, snow-ball, run, jump and knock off old seedy wool hats." Perhaps the battles in Kansas were being won on the field of those rough frontier sports in Ohio. His mother died when he was eight years old, and the poor little fellow mourned for her for years. His father soon married again, but his heart remained lonely for his mother. At ten years he commenced reading books. It is easy to determine how that rugged character was formed by considering the sources of its inspiration. From that time on, his favorite books were: first and always, The Holy Bible; then Baxter's Saints' Rest; The Pilgrim's Progress; Josephus' Works, Plutarch's Lives; The Life of Oliver Cromwell; Rollin's Ancient History; Napoleon and His Marshals; and Henry on Meekness. At the age of sixteen he joined the Congregational Church at Hudson, and remained a steadfast and bible-reading Christian all the days of his life. After he became a national character, the extent of his Bible knowledge was much marvelled at. About this time he determined to study for the ministry and entered the Hallock School, Plainfield, Massachusetts, and also Morris Academy in Connecticut. Inflammation of the eyes compelled him to quit study, and he returned to his business of tanning hides in Hudson. He was made foreman in his father's tannery and also mastered the art of surveying. Subsequent surveys showed that his early surveys were made with great accuracy. On June 21, 1820, he was married in Hudson to Dianthe Lusk, of that village. He describes her as "a remarkably plain, but neat, industrious and economical girl, of excellent character, earnest piety and good, practical common-sense." He confesses that she "maintained a most powerful and good influence over him" so long as she lived. By her, he had seven children, the first three of whom were born in Hudson, Ohio ; the others in Richmond, Pennsylvania. These children were John Brown, Jr.; Jason Brown, now living in Akron ; Owen Brown; Frederick Brown ; Ruth Brown, who afterward married Henry Thompson; Frederick Brown, murdered in the Kansas trouble by Rev. Martin White; and an infant son who died three days after birth. Jason Brown was born in Hudson, January 19, 1823. He was the most prominent of the "Sons of Hudson" who returned for the "Old Home Festival" in the autumn of 1907, having walked all the way from Akron to Hudson to attend it. In 1826, John Brown moved to Richmond, Crowford County, Pennsylvania, where he carried on the business of tanner until 1835. His wife died here in August, 1832, and he soon remarried. His second wife was Mary A. Day, who bore him thirteen children as follows: Sarah Brown, born May 11, 1834, at Richmond, Pennsylvania; Watson Brown, October 7, 1834, at Franklin Mills, Ohio, (now Kent, Ohio) ; Salmon Brown, October 2, 1836, Hudson, Ohio ; Charles Brown, November 3, 1837, Hudson, Ohio; Oliver Brown, March 9, 1839, Franklin Mills, Ohio ; Peter Brown, December 7, 1840, Hudson, Ohio ; Austin Brown, September 14, 1842, Richfield, Summit County, Ohio ; Anne Brown, December 23, 1843, Richfield, Ohio ; Amelia Brown, June 22, 1845, Akron, Ohio ; Sarah Brown (2d) September 11, 1846, Akron ; Ellen Brown, May 20, 1848, Springfield, Massachusetts; infant son, April 26, 1852, Akron, died May 17, 1852, and Ellen Brown (2d), September 25, 1854, Akron. In 1835 he moved back to Ohio; this time settling at Franklin Mills (now Kent) in Portage County. He was unfortunate in the real estate business here, and in 1840 he returned to Hudson and formed a partnership with Heman Oviatt, of Richfield, to engage in the wool business. In 1842 he moved across the Cuyahoga Valley to Richfield, where he lived two years. While living in Richfield four of his children died. In 1844 he moved with his family to Akron and formed a partnership with Col. Simon Perkins, of Akron, to engage in the wool business. The firm name was Perkins & Brown and they sold large quantities of wool on commission. John AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 233 Brown was an expert judge of wool; in fact, he had few equals. His reputation as a wool expert extended over the whole eastern part of the country. A Massachusetts friend relates this anecdote of him: "Give him two samples of wool, one grown in Ohio and the other in Vermont, and he would distinguish each of them in the dark. One evening, in England, one of the party wishing to play a trick on the Yankee farmer, handed him a sample and asked him what he would do with such wool as that. His eyes and fingers were then so good that he had only to touch it to know that it had not the minute hooks by which the fibers of wool are attached to each other. 'Gentlemen,' said he, 'if you have any machinery that will work up dog's hair, I would advise you to put this into it.' -The jocose Briton had sheared a poodle and brought the hair in his pocket, but the laugh went against him, and Captain Brown, in spite of some peculiarities of dress and manner, soon won the respect of all whom he met." Perkins & Brown was not a success. The Mitre was due solely to John Brown's lack of business instinct. He was not intended by Nature for a business career. He lacked all the fundamental requisites. He was by nature a dreamer, a seer, a poet, if you will. The impulses or intuitions he had at sixteen were correct; he would have made a splendid preacher. Colonel Perkins said of him "He had little judgment, always followed his own will, and lost much money." During his residence of two years in Akron, he lived in the frame house on the top of Perkins Hill, now occupied by Hon. Charles E. Perkins, and which for several years was used as a club-house by The Portage Golf Club. In the spring of 1846 he went to Springfield, Massachusetts as the agent for certain large wool growers in Ohio and Pennsylvania. In 1848 he went to England with 200,000 pounds of wool, which he was compelled to sell at about half its value. His record as a wool factor is a series of failures. He was now reduced to poverty again. In 1849 he fell in with Gerritt Smith's quixotic plan to found a colony of negro settlers in the wild lands of the Adirondack wilderness, and moved his family there in that year, settling in North Elba, Essex County, New York. Mr. Smith gave John Brown the land and the latter started to clear it and endeavored to show the negro how to cultivate and plant their farms in the colony. North Elba was the home of his family until the time of his death. It was a wild, cold and bleak place, and they suffered many privations while living there. From that time on John Brown's business was to fight slavery. He had been an abolitionist since the war of 1812. His witnessing the ill-treatment of a little slave boy, about his own age, to whom he was much attached, brought home to him the evils of human slavery and led him to declare eternal war with slavery. "This brought John to reflect on the wretched, hopeless condition of fatherless and motherless slave children, for such children have neither fathers nor mothers to protect and provide for them. He would sometimes raise the question ; 'Is God their Father?' "—Autobiographical letter to Harry Stearns. Verily, God was their Father and was even then "trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored." In 1837, while the whole family were assembled for prayer, John Brown made them all take a solemn oath to work with him for the freeing of the slaves, and then, kneeling, they invoked the blessing of God on their compact In Ohio and also in Massachusetts, he was active in assisting runaway slaves to escape. In 1854 his sons began to emigrate to Kansas, intending to settle there and grow to wealth with the country. In two years five of them, John, Jr., Jason, Owen, Frederick and Salmon, had located in the new territory. They built their rude huts not far from the Missouri line, and, as it later turned- out, right in the center of the struggle between the Free State and Pro-Slavery forces. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 had prohibited slavery in the new territory; the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 repealed that prohibition and allowed the settlers in the new territory 234 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY to decide the question for themselves. Then the Kansas war was on. The Brown brothers found themselves drawn into it. Perhaps they remembered their oaths of 1837. At any rate, they wrote to their father to send them arms, and finally asked him to come and help them. The father did both. September, 1855, found John Brown in Kansas fighting his first big battles for the freedom of the slaves. In March, 1856, the time for the election whether the state should be "free" or "slave," Kansas was invaded by 5,000 Missourians, who took possession of the polls and controlled the election. From that time the war was on in good earnest. Its record is a part of our national history, and this is not the proper place to review the stirring incidents of those times. John Brown was now a national figure. He was the leader of the Free State forces. June 2, 1856, he won the "battle" of Black Jack. In August he was in command of the "Kansas Cavalry." On August 30, 1856, he won the fight called the "battle of Osawatomie." It was from this battle that he got that nickname which has always clung to him. On September 15, 1856, he was in command of the defenders of the town of Lawrence and successfully resisted the attack of the "Missouri Ruffians." These fights are called "battles"; in reality, they were skirmishes in a guerrilla warfare. It was as a guerrilla leader that John Brown won his successes. By his activity he made it impossible to hold slaves in Kansas and thus the state was saved to the cause of Freedom. In October, 1856, he started, with his sons, for the East, begging assistance for the Kansas cause as he journeyed. On the 18th of February, 1857, he addressed the Massachusetts legislature in a notable speech. He spent the winter with his family at North Elba, New York, and, in making speeches, collecting money for the cause and, buying arms. He 'already had Harper's Ferry in his mind. Autumn of 1857 found him in Iowa raising his forces and drilling them for the invasion of Virginia. Most of 1858 was spent in Kansas at the request of Abolition friends in the East, who were furnishing funds for the cause. All the preparations for and the attack on Harper's Ferry are a matter of national and not local- history. Suffice it to say that on July 3, 1859, he hired a farm near Harper's Ferry, called the Kennedy Place, and assumed the name of Isaac Smith and began to ship in the arms he had collected. He succeeded in concealing his little band about this farm until he was ready to strike. Early on the morning of October 16, 1859, the blow fell. With his little band of twenty-two followers he seized the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry. On October 17 he was attacked by United States forces, most of his followers were killed and he, himself, was wounded and made prisoner. He was put on trial October 26, charged with treason, conspiracy and murder, was found guilty on November 2 and executed by hanging on the gallows on December 2, 1859. His body was delivered to his wife at Harper's Ferry and by her -taken to North Elba, where he was buried. Wendell Phillips preached the funeral sermon. All the North looked upon John Brown as a martyr. As Christ had died to make men holy, this man had died to make them free. The Summit County boy had awakened the conscience of the Nation. It is difficult to realize that the bright-eyed little fellow, playing with his Indian mates and tending his father's sheep up at Hudson, had become the central figure of our national life for the few years preceding the fall of Sumter. He did more; he had compelled the attention of the whole world. Victor Hugo published a sketch of him in Paris in 1861, which contained Hugo's own drawing of John Brown on the gallows, and which he marked Pro Christo sicut Christus—he died for Christ in Christ's own manner. Biographies of him were published in England, Germany and other European countries. Emerson, Thoreau, Wendell Phillips, Thomas Wentworth Higginson and other philosophers, poets and statesmen were proud to acknowledge their friendship with the latest martyr to the cause of Eternal Freedom. On the day of his execution Akron made AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 237 public display of her mourning. Business was entirely suspended, flags were at half-mast, bells were tolled, and in the evening memorial services were held, at which prominent citizens made addresses. He was Summit County's first, but not her last, martyr to the cause of Human Freedom ; he was only the leader of a mighty company of noble men who made willing sacrifices of their lives for the cause of their Country and Humanity. Victor Hugo was right. EDWARD ROWLAND SILL. Year by year the fame of this true poet is growing. It will be only a little while in the future until he is given the rank he deserves—among the foremost of America's poets. In many of his poems he attained the highest level of American art. In many respects his career offers a striking parallel to that of John Brown. He was born in the village of Windsor, Connecticut, April 29, 1841. This village was not far from John Brown's birthplace, and had been founded by a colony of Puritans, of whom John Brown's ancestors had been an influential part. He was not born to the poverty that was John Brown's lot. His family were well-to-do, and he received a splendid education at Yale College, from which he was graduated with the class of 1861. On the 9th of December of that year he sailed for California and landed in San Francisco March 25, 1862. The long sea voyage restored his health, which was impaired upon his graduation. His first position was that of clerk in the postoffice at Sacramento. He kept the position only a short time, going to Folsom, California, to accept a place as clerk in a bank. In July, 1862, he had determined fully to study law and enter upon that profession. He was then much disturbed as to the end toward which his life's activities should be directed. He writes "as Kingsley puts it, we are set down before that greatest world-problem--`Given Self, to find God.' " In 1864 he determined to enter the ministry, and by February, 1865, he was deep in his theological reading. During these early days in California he wrote much—both prose and poetry. Early in 1867 he returned to the East and entered the Divinity School of Harvard University, where he studied for a few months. Why he quit the divinity school and relinquished the hope of the ministry he tells in a little autobiographical letter written March 29, 1883, as follows: "At last I went to a Theological Seminary (in Cambridge, because there you did not have to subscribe to a creed, definitely, on the start), and thought I would try the preliminary steps, anyway, toward the ministry. But here I finally found I did not believe in the things to be preached, as churches went, as historical facts. So I desperately tried teaching." In June, 1867, he returned to Cuyahoga Falls, fully determined not to return to his theological studies. He says in a letter: "There could be no pulpit for me. * * * It is no sentimentalism with me—it is simply a solemn conviction that a man must speak the truth as fast and as far as he knows it—truth. to him. * * * Emerson could not preach, and now I understand why." He then determined upon school teaching as his life work—a singularly happy choice. "School teaching always has stood first," he wrote, significantly, at this time. He began by teaching the district school at Wadsworth, Ohio. In September, 1869, he assumed the position of principal of the High School at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, to which he had been appointed during that summer. His predecessor in that position was Vergil P. Kline, well known later to the people of Northern Ohio. The memories of his happy days in California were drawing him thither. He secured a position in the High School at Oakland, California, in 1871. In 1867, he was married to his cousin, Elizabeth Newberry Sill, of Cuyahoga Falls, daughter of Hon. Elisha Noyes Sill and Elizabeth (Newberry) Sill. No children were born to them. In 1871 he resigned his position as principal of the Cuyahoga Falls High School and, with his wife, moved to California to accept the new teaching position in Oakland. In 1874 he was offered and accepted the chair of English. Literature in the University of 238 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY California, where he taught successfully until 1882. His health, which had never been very rugged, failed him entirely in this year. In 1883, he returned to Cuyahoga Falls, where he died February 27, 1887. His life work was teaching, but he will be known in the years to come because of his verse. Most of it ranks very high. The critics have compared him with Emerson, Arnold and Tennyson. His, first volume of poems was published in 1868, and was entitled "The Hermitage and Other Poems." In 1883 his second volume, "The Venus of Milo and Other Poems," was privately printed at Berkeley, California. In 1887 Houghton, Mifflin & Company issued "Poems of Edward Rowland Sill"; in 1889 "The Hermitage and Later Poems," and in 1900, "Hermione and Other Poems." In 1900 these publishers also issued the "Prose of Edward Rowland Sill" and a splendid edition de luxe of his complete poems. CHAPTER XVI MILITARY HISTORY Revolutionary War—War of 1812—Mexican War—War of the Rebellion—Militia Or- ganizations—Spanish-American War. Few, if any, communities have been more patriotic than Akron, and indeed all of Summit County. Her sons have gone forth willingly and gladly to fight their country's battles, on many occasions not waiting to be called upon. Akron's volunteers were numerous and acquitted themselves manfully in 1898, and during the stirring years from 1861 to 1865 the city and the county furnished their full quota of defenders of the Union. Akron sent forth her brave and strong to the Mexican struggle of 1846, within her gates are buried men who fought in 1812, and in her soil rest even a few of those heroes who fought in 1776, and the years following, to give the nation birth. There is no chapter of local military history that were best skimmed lightly over. Glory, unselfishness and patriotism are written large on every page that tells the story of her soldiery. REVOLUTIONARY WAR. A few of the names of the veterans of the Revolution, who became settlers of the county and were buried in it, are preserved to us. Among them were Captain Nathaniel Better, buried in the family, lot at Bettes' Corners; Daniel Galpin and Elijah Bryan. WAR OF 1812. Of soldiers of 1812 buried in the city the following may be mentioned: John C. Hart, Henry Spafford, James Vial', Sr., George Dunkle, John C. De La Matyr, Asa Field, Timothy Clark, Gideon Hewett, William Hardesty, James Mills, Andrew May and William Roland. MEXICAN WAR. Akron citizens who served in the Mexican war were : Jereboam B. Creighton, Adams Hart, George Dresher, Ezra Tryon, Oliver P. Barney, Joseph Gonder, Thomas Thompson, Cornelius Way and Valmore Morris. From the time Akron was a small village her citizens were appreciative of military glory. They did their full share of the service required of the citizen-soldiers under the early militia laws. Among the early militia organizations to win renown were the "Summit Guards," commanded by the late General Philo Chamberlain. From that time down to the present Akron has seldom been without a military company. Now her organizations are companies B and F of the Eighth Regiment, Ohio National Guard, commanded respectively by Captains William F. Yontz and William E. Walkup. CIVIL WAR. It was in connection with the Civil War, however, that Akron achieved the larger measure of her military glory. Immediately folowing President Lincoln's first call for troops, in 1861, two companies of volunteers were 240 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY mustered, and, their services being accepted, were sent into the service as companies G and K, Nineteenth Regiment, 0. V. I. Company G was commanded by Captain Lewis P. Buckley, First Lieutenant Andrew J. Fulkerson and Second Lieutenant Gilbert S. Carpenter. The officers of Company K were Captain Andrew J. Konkle, First Lieutenant Paul J. Kirby and Second Lieutenant James Nelson. A third company, formed shortly after, in response to the same call, was not required to help make up the 75,000 volunteers called for and was accordingly disbanded. When Companies G and K joined their regiment at Columbus, May 16, there was an election of officers, Captain Buckley being promoted to the rank of major at that time. Assigned to the command of General Rosecrans, the Nineteenth was in the battle of Rich Mountain, July 7, being especially mentioned for its good conduct and bravery. Having enlisted for only ninety days, the Nineteenth Ohio was mustered out in July, 1861, but was immediately reorganized, many of the Akron men remaining. Its excellent conduct so long as it remained in service is a matter of national history. Major Buckley, at the expiration of the three months' service of the original Nineteenth, was made colonel of the Twenty-ninth Regiment, 0. V. I., serving with credit until physical disability forced him to leave the service in 1863. He died in Akron in 1868. Buckley Post, G. A. R., Akron's present organization of Civil War veterans, was named for him. Of the Twenty-ninth Regiment, 0. V. I., three companies, D, G and H, were composed largely of Summit County men. In 1862 the regiment, after some delays, got into active service under General Shields, and remained in the service until the close of the war. The Twenty-ninth was in the following battles, as well as many others, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and with Sherman on his march "from Atlanta to the Sea," remaining in service continuously for over four years. Akron, Middlebury and Portage contributed largely to the Twenty-ninth. One company of the Sixty-fourth, 0. V. I., Senator John Sherman's regiment, contained many Summit County men. This was Company G. The Sixty-fourth saw much fighting; among the battles in which it took part were the following: Shiloh, Stone River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Siege of Atlanta, Franklin and Nashville. The 238 survivors were mustered out at Victoria, Texas, December 3, 1865. Those who remember Akron's part in the struggle of the North and the South, thrill at the name of the Sixth Ohio Battery, a section of which was made up of Akron and Summit County men. The Akron section was formed November 21, with Captain Cullen Bradley, an army officer of experience, in command, the other two commissioned officers being 0. H. P. Ayres and A. P. Baldwin. The Sixth Ohio Battery saw much hard service, some special incidents in its career being its almost continuous fighting for 120 days in the siege of Atlanta, and its mention by General Howard for its accurate firing before Kenesaw. The battery was mustered out at Huntsville, Alabama, September 1, 1865. In the gallant One Hundred and Fourth, 0. V. I., Akron had nearly all of Company H, and was represented in several other companies. The regiment was formed in August, 1862: Captain Walter B. Scott commanded Company H. His immediate subordinates were First Lieutenant Hobart Ford and Second Lieutenant Samuel F. Shaw. The One Hundred and Fourth was under fire within a month, its first assignment being to head off General Kirby Smith's advance on Cincinnati. The first clash came near Covington, Kentucky, September 10, 1862, the Confederates being repulsed. Shortly after this the regiment went on guard duty at Frankfort, Kentucky. In February, 1863, it was relieved, and in September of the same year became a part of General Burnside's command. It took the Confederate arms and stores at the surrender at Cumberland Gap ; it took an active part in the Atlanta campaign in 1864; had almost daily exchanges of the "courtesies of war" with Hood's men, near Nashville, and AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 241 captured eleven battle flags at the battle of Frankfort. It was a part of the Army of the Potomac and was detailed to receive the surrender of Johnston. Six hundred and forty survivors were mustered out at Camp Taylor, Cleveland, June 27, 1865. The One Hundred and Fifteenth Regiment., 0. V. I., like the One Hundred and Fourth, was formed at Massillon, in August, 1862, and went into the United States service in September. Companies C, G and I contained many Summit County men. It was assigned to various responsible duties, guarding prisoners, doing provost work, and in all things acquitting itself well until October, 1863, when on orders it joined General Rosecrans at Chattanooga. Here part of the regiment was put into guerrilla warfare, and the remainder assigned to guard duty along the line of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad. In December, 1864, while engaged in guarding this railroad, being stationed in block houses, Companies C, F and G were captured by the enemy. Among the prisoners were two-thirds of the Summit County 'men in the regiment. Many of these Summit County prisoners, upon being exchanged for Confederates, near the close of the war, were unwilling participants in, and some of them victims, of the famous Sultana disaster. They were confined during their captivity at Andersonville and at Meridian, Mississippi. April 25, 1865, the exchange took place at Vicksburg, and the Summit County men, with some 2,000 others, were packed aboard the river steamer Sultana for transportation to Cincinnati on their way home. Shortly after leaving Memphis, past midnight of April 27, as the homeward-bound soldiers either slept upon the decks or lay awake thinking of their loved ones, and anticipating joyful reunions, one of the Sultana's boilers exploded, wrecking her and seting her afire, so that she burned to the water's edge. Half of her passengers were lost, either killed by the explosion, or drowned when they were hurled into the water. Thirty of the victims were Summit County men, though no Akronians are known to have lost their lives. The One Hundred and Fifteenth was assigned to active and dangerous work at Murfreesboro, where it also performed garrison and guard duty for a time; it continued in the same kind of duty until mustered out at Cleveland at the close of the war. As provost marshal at Cincinnati, Captain Edward Buckingham, of Company I (an Akron man), was practically in command of the city during the Vallandingham affair. Lieutenant George S. Waterman, of Cincinnati, was shot and fatally wounded at Cincinnati by "Copperheads," as one of the incidents of that affair. John Morgan and Kirby Smith, rebel raiders, caused Ohio much uneasiness in 1862. Cincinnati was threatened; all available troops were stationed near the border, but even then the presence of more defenders seemed advisable. So Governor Tod issued a call for volunteers to defend the borders of the state, his message, dated at Columbus, September 10, 1862, calling for the transportation .of "all armed men that can be raised, immediately to Cincinnati," being responded to with commendable promptness by citizens in all walks of life. Akron and the vicinity sent two hundred. Many of them were "fearfully and wonderfully" armed and accoutered, but all had the fighting spirit.. Some placed their faith in, the old-fashioned rifles, with which they had picked squirrels out of Summit County trees in Summit County gullies, and the presence of this variety of arms caused the volunteer defenders of Cincinnati to be called "The Squirrel Hunters." When they arrived at Cincinnati, however, the enemy had retreated and the "Squirrel Hunters" returned to their homes, not having fired a shot. Daniel W. Storer was captain of the company from Akron and vicinity. The Second Ohio Cavalry was recruited entirely in the Western Reserve, and three companies were largely made up of Akron men. Then as now, more sentiment attached to the cavalry branch of the service than to either artillery or infantry, and the career of the Second was watched closely from old Summit. The regiment began its existence late in 1861, Colonel Charles Doubleday being in 242 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY command. Among Akron men prominent in its affairs were George A. Purington, captain of Company A (promoted to be a colonel and afterwards entering the regular army), and Dudley Seward, who rose to be colonel of the Second before the war was over. The regiment joined General Porter in Missouri early in 1862, engaging in skirmish work against the guerrilla Quantrell soon after. It assisted in the capture of Fort Gibson and after about a year of active, wearing work on the border, returned east and was reorganized and re-equipped at Columbus. In 1863 it was in the pursuit and capture of Morgan, the rebel raider. In the same year it joined Rosecrans, engaging in numerous hot fights, seeing the hardest kind of service and gaining death and glory quite impartially. Half the command re-enlisted January 1, 1864, and fought, first under Burnside, and then with Sheridan, behaving brilliantly throughout, and taking part under this dashing commander in the last raid of the war, which resulted in the capture of Early's army. The Second was mustered out at Camp Chase September 11, 1865. It had marched 27,000 miles and took part in ninety-seven fights of various magnitudes. In the First Ohio Light Artillery, formed in 1861, were two batteries composed largely of Akron and Summit County men, A, Captain Charles Cotter, of Middlebury, commanding, and D, Captain Andrew J. Konkle, of Cuyahoga Falls. The First immediately got into the fighting, first with McCook, then with Buell in Kentucky, again with McCook in 1863, doing fine work at Chickamauga, and, after re-enlisting as veterans, taking part in the entire Atlanta campaign. After making a record that' was full of fight, it ended its service in Texas, when the war ended, and was mustered out at Cleveland, having traveled 6,000 miles and fought the enemy thirty-nine times. Akron was represented honorably in the Fifty-eighth Regiment, 0. V. I., a German regiment, organized by Colonel Valentine Bausenwein in 1861, which remained in the service till the close of the war, taking part in some of the greatest battles fought in the four years. The One Hundred and Seventh 0. V. I., also a German regiment, was organized in 1862. It contained Akron men, among them being Captain George Billow, the well-known local undertaker. The local men were in Company I. The One Hundred and Seventh fought under General Franz Sigel, and lost 42 per cent of its men in the Gettysburg campaign. It was mustered out at Charleston, South Carolina, July 10, 1865. Among other fights in which it took part may be mentioned Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Hagerstown, Sumterville and Swift Creek. A handful of Akron men were members of the Thirty-seventh Regiment, 0. V. I., the third German regiment organized in Ohio. In the Ninth Ohio Battery the following Akron men played their parts in the war: Robert Cahill, Adam France, Charles Gifford, Martin Heiser, F. A. Patton, Frederick Potter, Caleb Williams, Thomas Williams and C 0. Rockwell. The Sixty-seventh 0. V. I. was the vehicle that started the late General A. C. Voris on his way toward the military eminence which he attained during the war. He and two other Akron men, C. W. Bucher and C. A. Lantz, were, however, the only local representatives in than famous command. When the war broke out, Hon. A. C. Voris was a representative in Ohio's General Assembly. He enlisted as a private in the Twenty-ninth Regiment, 0. V. I. Soon after he received a second lieutenant's commission and left the Twenty-ninth to help form the Sixty-seventh, being elected lieutenant-colonel when the regiment was organized. In 1862 he became colonel and entered upon a series of events which stamped him as a man of dashing courage, and paved the way to the promotions which he earned so hardly and deserved so richly. He was made a major-general in 1865, after a life of real leadership, plenty of fighting and wounds and great glory. General Voris was one of Akron's most distinguished soldiers in the Civil War. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 243 The One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Regiment, 0. N. G., composed of "100 day men," contained a host of Summit County men. its service consisted of guarding the capitol at Washington in 1864, and, although it took part in no battles, several of the looal men died of disease. The One Hundred and Sixty-fourth was mustered out at Cleveland, August 27, 1864. Akron was represented by a half-dozen soldiers, including Captain Josiah J. Wright, in the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Regiment, 0. V. I., organized August 10, 1863, and mustered out in March, 1864. Several Summit County men were also in the One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Regiment, 0. V. I., Ohio's last complete regimental contribution to the Civil War. The service of Ulysses L. Marvin was unique, as he was probably Akron's only officer of colored troops between 1861 and 1865. He enlisted in 1862 as a private in the One Hundred and Fifteenth 0. V. I., was commissioned a lieutenant in the Fifth U. S. Colored Infantry in 1863, took part in the Peninsula campaign, was promoted to captain during the siege of Richmond, was at the final surrender of the Confederate army at Releigh, N. C., was brevetted major at the close of the war and made judge advocate on the staff of General Paine. Another Akron soldier who won promotion was George T. Perkins. He was a volunteer in 1861, joining the Nineteenth Regiment, 0. V. I., as a second lieutenant. In August, 1862, he enlisted for three years as a major of the One Hundred and Fifth. This regiment has a glorious history. Major Perkins was made a lieutenant-colonel in 1863 and colonel in 1864. He served until the end of the war. Among other regiments besides those which have been mentioned, in which Akron's soldiers fought during the Civil War, were the following: Forty-second 0. V. I., Eighty-fourth 0. V. I., One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth 0. V. I., One Hundred and Eighty-eighth 0. V. I., One Hundred and Seventy-seventh 0. V. I., Seventy-sixth 0. V. I., Sev enty-fifth 0. V. I., Twenty-fourth 0. V. I. Sixteenth 0. V. I., Twenty-fifth 0. V. I., One Hundred and Twenty-fifth 0. V. I., and many others. Thus far the reader has followed in brief fashion the fortunes of those who went to the front, those who smelled the powder, faced the bullets, endured the discomforts and the dangers of camp, march and battle. All through the Civil War, however, Akron and Summit County had a full share of heroes and heroines who worked, not on the firing line, but right here at home. The departure of so many men from this city and surrounding territory left hundreds of families to be provided for. And the boys at the front must have comforts and necessities, and money and 'hospital supplies. Patriotic citizens, unable to enlist themselves, gave fortune after fortune to the cause. In the later days of the war there were the drafts to encourage. And all through the great struggle Akron women prayed and worked, and their toil and their unceasing interest gave many a dying soldier a moment of comfort and made many a forced march endurable. The women of Akron did their full share toward the preservation of the Union. MILITIA ORGANIZATIONS. After the Civil War there was a natural return to the pursuits of peace. Akron's cemeteries contained numerous green, yet grim, reminders of the thing that had been. There were aching hearts in numberless homes, yet time applied its healing lotion, and the deeper wounds in human hearts were eventually healed, so far as such wounds may be. For a full generation there was peace. The militia man was the only reminder of war to be met with frequently in the flesh. Under the militia law passed by the legislature in 1870, interest in citizen soldiery, 'which had lagged considerably after the war, was revived. In 1875 the "Porter Zouaves" were organized, under command of Henry Porter, a veteran soldier. Shortly afterward the organization changed its name to "Bierce 244 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY Cadets," in honor of the late General Lucius V. Bierce, who had backed the organization financially. M. W. Santry was the first cap-thin under the reorganization. In the same year the "Akron City Guards" were organized, many of the members being veterans. D. W. Thomas was the first captain and the official membership was thirty-seven. A new election was held January 3, 1876, D. W. Thomas being re-elected. These two organizations saw some strike and riot service within a reasonably short time. Both companies were included in the Ninth Regiment, when organized in 1877, and the first regimental encampment was held in Akron •in October, 1877. Captain Thomas of the City Guards was the regiment's first colonel. In 1878 the Ninth was merged into the Eighth Regiment, and the City Guards, which had become Company A of the Ninth, now became Company B of the Eighth. Company B continues till this day. Colonel Thomas took command of the regiment by reason of his rank, being succeeded by Colonel A. L. Conger, and then by George R. Gyger, of Alliance, in 1891. The- regiment was frequently called upon for strike duty, riot duty and annual encampments, until 1898, when a war cloud again appeared above the horizon and the stirring scenes of 1861 were, in a measure, repeated. Akron was also represented in the artillery branch of the Ohio militia for many years. The Sixth Battery, 0. N. G., was formed in 1877. Joseph C. Ewart was the first captain. The organization thrived from the beginning. In 1886 a regiment of Ohio artillery was formed, and the Sixth Battery became Battery F, First Regiment, 0. N. G., retaining that designation until the outbreak of the Spanish-American war. This organization was called upon for important services and invariably acquitted itself in soldierly fashion. Unique in Akron's citizen army was "Company Buchtel," composed of veterans of the German army, who organized in Akron in 1883, with a membership of twenty-five. Its first captain was Paul E. Werner. The company retained its identity for a number of years. It was named after the late John R. Buchtel, who assisted the organization financially at the beginning. SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. War with Spain was declared April 21, 1898. There was little fighting; peace returned after a few months, so far as the Cuban campaign was concerned, yet it was a deadly campaign. When President McKinley called for volunteers, Akron boys responded as promptly and as patriotically as many of their fathers had done in 1861. The two local military organizations, Company B of the Eighth Infantry, 0. N. G., Captain H. 0. Feederle, commanding, and Battery F, First Regiment Light Artillery, 0. N. G., volunteered as one man. The infantrymen were accepted. The artillerymen were not taken on the first call. There was a special reason for the acceptance of the one organization over the other. The home of President McKinley was in Canton, and that city was represented by three companies, F, L and. I, in the Eighth Regiment, It was a matter of considerable gratification to the President that the boys from his home and regiment of which they were members (including Akron and Company B) should be among the first to respond to his call for troops. He demonstrated his appreciation of that promptness by accepting the proffered services immediately. Moreover, the Eighth was at that time considered one of the most compact and best drilled bodies of citizen troops in Ohio. The regiment, consisting of twelve companies, was mobilized at Akron, April 26, 1898, and then embarked for Columbus, where it was drilled thoroughly and on May 13th was mustered into the volunteer service of the United States as Company B, Eighth 0. V. I. Colonel C. V. Hard, of Wooster, was in command of the regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Dick, of Akron, since commander-inchief of the Ohio guard, being second to Colonel Hard under that organization. Company AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 245 B was a part of the Third Battalion, commanded by Major C. C. Weybrecht, of Alliance. On May 16th the Eighth proceeded to Camp Alger, near Falls Church, Virginia, and was assigned to the Second Brigade, First Division, Second Army Corps, under Brigadier-General George A. Garretson, of Cleveland. Here, under the sun of Virginia, the regiment was prepared for service in the tropics, attracting much attention from visitors from Washington by reason of its designation as "The President's Own," and the fact that two nephews of President McKinley were enlisted in Canton companies. On July 4 the Eighth was ordered to Cuba to re-enforce General Shafter before Santiago. A quick run was made from Camp Alger to New York and on the evening of July 6 the regiment, on board of the auxiliary cruiser St. Paul (Capt. Sigsbee), steamed out of New York harbor, bound for Cuba. Five days later they arrived off Santiago, and were landed in small boats at Siboney. One battalion was landed that night and the remainder the next day. One hundred rounds of ammunition and three days' rations were issued, and the march inland began. On July 13 the Third Battalion, including Company B, was detached from the remainder of the regiment for special guard duty and did not rejoin the main body until the time came for departure for the United States. The surrender of Santiago came almost simultaneously with this detail, and the long wait and the battle with sickness began, ending in the embarkation of the regiment at Santiago, August 18. The Eighth was taken to Montauk Point, Long Island, whence, after a rest, the health of the men being extremely bad, the various companies returned home September 6. After sixty days' furlough, the Eighth was mustered out at Wooster, Ohio, November 10. The regiment lost seventy-two men by death between the muster in and the muster out, yet did not fire a single shot. Company B's death roll during that time numbered eight. Shortly after the muster out, the company was reorganized as a militia company, and continues as such today. Its present officers are: Captain, William E. Walkup ; first lieutenant, Royal A. Walkup ; second lieutenant, Austin B. Hanscom. The Eighth Regiment Band, composed mostly of Akron musicians, accompanied the Eighth Regiment on the expedition to Cuba, Though Battery F's offer of its services came just too late to be available under President McKinley's first call for volunteers, that organization was later mustered into the service of the United States and did its part faithfully and well in the War with Spain. The Tenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry was formed of the militia organization remaining after Ohio's quota of the first call troops had been filled. It contained naval militia, light artillery, engineers and infantry, all organized as infantry for the purposes of the campaign. The regiment was formed in response to President McKinley's second call for volunteers, Battery F repeating its offer and cheerfully giving up its heavy guns and shouldering Springfield rifles in compliance with the conditions governing acceptance. The organization retained its letter, becoming Company F. Mobilization was at Camp Bushnell, Columbus, June 25th, the company being mustered into the United States service July 7th, with the following officers: Captain, Herman Werner; first lieutenant, John M. Straub; second lieutenant, J. P. Caldwell (afterwards transferred to signal service) ; second lieutenant, Ora F. Wise. Uniforms were issued to the regiment on July 13th. On August 18th the regiment was ordered to Camp Meade, Middletown, Pennsylvania, where it became a part of the Second Brigade, Third Division, Second Army Corps, under command of General Graham. Here the Tenth remained until November 12th, when it was ordered to Augusta, Georgia. At this place "Camp Young" had been established, this name being afterward changed to "Camp MacKenzie." The Tenth remained at Camp MacKenzie until March 23rd, when it was mustered out. 246 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY The members of Company F returned to Akron and about two weeks later as a company became a part of the Eighth Regiment, 0. N. G., of which regiment Company F still forms a part, its present commanding officer being Captain William F. Yontz. Six members of the company died of disease during the service in 1898. Akron sent her full share of soldiers to the Philippines, both in 1898 and later; many are still in that service; others have returned home and taken up the pursuits of peace. CHAPTER XVII FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS As the reader runs through the long list of secret societies, and other bodies of men and women united for a common cause, which have existed and prospered in Summit County, almost from its. very earliest time, he cannot fail to be impressed with the truth that the spirit of brotherhood has, indeed, been very strong in this community. Today, there are many lodges whose membership rises as high as 400 and 500. Two fraternities with national plans, The Pathfinders and The Chevaliers, had their origin here. There is not a single fraternity of any prominence whatsoever that is not represented in Summit County. In addition, there are innumerable non-secret organizations for every con-. ceivable purpose. The last: ten years have been remarkable for the growth of the club idea among the women of the county. The woolen's clubs of Akron are an important factor in the daily life of that city. Nearly every church has its men's club or its boys' brigade and other associations of its members. Many workingmen are members of trades unions The farmers have organized granges, horticultural societies and neighborhood clubs. The Summit County citizen who has not "joined" something is, indeed, a rarity. MASONS. The first lodge of any secret society to be formed within the county was Akron Lodge, No. 83, of the Free and Accepted Masons. Its charter was granted October 21, 1841. Its first master of the lodge was Hon. R. P. Spaulding. He was succeeded in 1842 by Gen. L. V. Bierce who held the office until 1850. Dr. S. W. Bartges then assumed the chair for four years. Other distinguished masters of this lodge were C. A. Collins, Dr. Thomas McEbright, Hon. S. C. Williamson, R. P. Marvin, B. F. Battles and A. P. Baldwin. it has had two past grand masters in L. V. Bierce and Frank S. Harmon. It now numbers 433 members and is officered (1907) as follows: 'Orlando W. Groff, master; John Crisp, senior warden ; James R. Cameron, junior warden ; A. CC. Rohrbacher, treasurer; A. E. Roach, secretary; M. E. Fassnacht, senior deacon; William A. Sackett, junior deacon ; Harry F. Runyeon, tyler ; Ernest C. Housel, chaplain: W. E. Wangle, marshal; C. Weaver and W. Boesche, stewards; H. T. Budd, J. M. Weidner and R. A. Walkup, prudential committee; and George N. Hawkins, assistant secretary. Washington Chapter, No. 25, Royal Arch Masons, was "established October 25th, 1841. In 1907 its membership was 454. Its present officers are: D. W. Holloway, high priest; H. T. Budd, king; W. B. Baldwin, scribe; 0. W. Groff, captain ; W. A. Sackett, principal sojourner; 0. A. Nelson, treasurer; W. E. Waugh, secretary ; C. A. Dixon, R. A. captain; F. A. Clapsadel, G. M., 3d Vail ; E. C. Housel, G. M. 2nd Vail; R: R. Peebles, G. M. 1st Vail; H. F. Runyeon, guard; Ira A. Priest, chaplain; Geo. W. Shick, M. of C. & D. of M.; Judson Thomas, Geo. W. Shick, and Joseph Kolb, prudential committee; and R. A. Walkup and Charles Meier, stewards. The next: Masonic body to be established was Akron Commandery, No. 25, 'Knights Templar. The commandery officers for 1907 are: C. S. Eddy, eminent commander; C. C. Benner, general; H. J. Blackburn, captain; F. W. Shirer, senior warden ; A. A. 248 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY Kohler, junior 'warden ; R. F. Palmer, prelate ; John Motz, treasurer; Bela B. Clark, recorder ; W. H. Douglas, standard bearer ; Robert Wilson, sword bearer ; C. W. Wickline, warder; H. F. Runyeon, sentinel; Geo. W. Shick, M. of C. ; E. E. Morse, H. T. Budd, and H. M. Hagelbarger, guards ; W. F. Laubach, G. H. Dunn, and A. W. Hawkins, prudential committee; 0. W. Groff, electrician; and Frank Farst, organist. The next Masonic body to be established was Adoniram Lodge, No. 517, F. & A. M., the charter for which was granted October 16th, 1878. Its officers in 1907 are: H. J. Blackburn, master;' Lee R. Knight, senior warden.; J. S. Lowman, junior warden ; Geo. W. Shick, treasurer; Norman G. Nelson, secretary; H. H. Garman, senior deacon ; C. A. Dixon, junior deacon ; A. T. Kingsbury, chaplain ; H. R. Tucker, tyler; E. E. Morse and C. S. Hiddleson, stewards; W. B. Baldwin, marshal; and F. M. Cooke, J. A. Palmer and D. W. Holloway, prudential committee. In the list of past masters of this lodge appears the name of Henry Perkins, who held the master's chair for four years. Akron Council, No. 80, R. & S. M., was organized September 28, 1897. At the present time it has 175 members. Its officers are C. W. Wickline, T. I. M.; O. W. Groff, D. I. M.; H. T. Budd, P. C. W.; Geo. L. Curtice, treasurer; W. E. Waugh, recorder; W. A. 'Sackett, captain ; E. E. Morse, conductor; C. A. Dixon, steward; H. F. Runyeon, sentinel; Judson Thomas and R. B. Wilson, auditing committee; Geo. W. Billow, chaplain ; Geo. W. Shick, marshal; and W. F. Farst, musical director. The Akron Masonic Relief Association was incorporated February 16th, 1883. Its object is to provide a fund for funeral and other immediate expenses in the event of the death of one of its members. All master masons in good standing under sixty years of age are eligible to 'membership. George Billow is president; John Crisp, vice-president ; Geo. W. Shick, treasurer; W. E. Waugh, secretary ; and 0. W. Groff, C. C. Benner, Judson Thomas, D. W. Holloway, C. W. Wickline all of Akron ; A. A. Cahoon, of Wadsworth; C. E. Buss, of Hudson ; T. J. Davies, of Barberton ; Fred Bolich, of 'Cuyahoga Falls; and A. B. Young of Kent; are the board of Directors. The Akron Masonic Temple Company was incorporated May 9, 1896. Its officers are Geo. Billow, president ; P. W. Leavitt, vice-president; W. A. McClellan, treasurer; A. E. Roach, secretary ; and R. M. Pillmore, P. W. Leavitt, Geo. W. Shick, W. A. McClellan, John Crisp, John Motz and George Billow, directors. The Masonic Club, of Akron, Ohio, was incorporated November 27, 1899. Its object is to promote and cultivate social and fraternal relations among its members and also to provide amusement for the members' wives and daughters. It maintains very well appointed club rooms, on the second floor of the Masonic Temple. Its officers for 1907 are: F. M. Cooke, president ; C. W. Wickline, vice-president; Bela B. Clark, secretary ; John Crisp, treasurer ; and H. T. Budd, J. W. Kelley, and D. W. Holloway, directors. It has 309 members at present. Many Akron Masons are also members of the Society of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons and of Al Koran Temple, nobles of the Mystic Shrine, which is located in Cleveland, Ohio. I. 0. 0. F. The Odd Fellows were not far behind the Masons in establishing their first lodge in Summit County. On September 16, 1845, Edward Rawson and eight others acting as charter members instituted Summit Lodge No. 50 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. This lodge has had an unbroken record of prosperity since that early day. Its officers in 1907 are: Noble grand, R. A. Porter; vice-grand, Charles P. Gregory ; recording secretary, William F. Chandler; financial secretary, Frank T. Hoffman ; treasurer, Perry A. Krisher ; trustees, W. H. McBarnes, A. C. Bachtel and H. W. Haupt; relief committee, Henry Bollinger.