(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 275 a resident of Summit County, where the remainder of his life was spent. He was appointed by Governor Bartley, associate judge of the Court of Common Pleas, for Summit County, and filled this position until ill health forced him to resign, in 1849; his death took place less than two years later, January 2, 1851. His wife was a daughter of Judge George Tod, of Youngstown, Ohio. Judge Upson and his wife have four children, namely: William Ford, a practicing attorney in New York city, with residence in Glen Ridge, New Jersey ; Henry Swift, a resident of Cleveland, engaged in the practice of medicine; Anna Perkins, wife of Colonel G. J. Fieberger, U. S. Engineer Corps, now professor of engineering at the U. S. Military Academy, West Point, New York; and Julia Ford. Judge Upson resides with his family on East Market Street. SENEY A. DECKER, attorney-at-law, at Barberton, is a leading member of the Summit County bar and has been established in this city since May, 1903, having convenient offices in the Barberton Savings Bank building. He was born in Seneca County, Ohio, March 11, 1875, and is a son of Samuel and Lovina (Noel) Decker. Mr. Decker was reared on his father,s farm and attended the country schools. He was 'an ambitious boy and made the most of his opportunities and secured a certificate permitting him to teach, before he had completed his own education. For five years he taught country schools and then attended Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, Ohio, for two years, following this by the study of law in the office of Platt & Black, leading attorneys at Tiffin. After two years of study there he attended the Ohio Normal University, at Ada, for eight months, and on December 6, 1902, he was admitted to the bar. His close devotion to study had somewhat impaired his health. and he returned to the home farm, where he remained until the following March, when he located for practice at Attica. From there, six weeks later, he came to Barberton, where he found he was not deceived in believing that a field of business was awaiting him. On February 19, 1905, Mr. Decker was married to Minnie Leininger, who is a daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Leininger, of Flat Rock, Seneca County, Ohio. Mr. Decker is fraternally connected with the Elks and the Eagles. His professional ability has brought him many business friends while the agreeable personality of himself and wife has led to their welcome admission into the most select social circles of Barberton. CHARLES C. BENNER, attorney, of Akron, Ohio, was born in Manchester, Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio, March 27, 1870, son of Simon and Caroline (Slaybaugh) Benner. His parents, both of whom are now deceased, were natives of Franklin Township, this county. Simon Benner was a farmer and dealt in stock. Born January 17, 1846, he died August 22, 1884. His wife was born July 21, 1844, and died January 7, 1890. They had nine children, as follows: Elda F., wife of Frank Warner, of Barberton; Clinton A., attorney at Cleveland ; Melvin L., who owns and conducts a ranch at Sidney, Montana; Charles C., subject of this sketch; Otto M., who died in 1877, aged five years ; Irvin R., a dentist of Barberton ; Gertrude M. single, a resident of Akron ; Wallace J., a M., of Cleveland, Ohio; and Howard C., auditor for the 'Etna Insurance Company, who resides in Cleveland. The parents were members of the M. E. Church. Simon Benner was a Democrat, and though not in any sense a politician, he held the office of justice of the peace in Norton Township. Charles C. Benner was reared on the farm, and acquired his literary education in the district and High Schools of Copley and Norton Townships. He attended the law school of the Northern Ohio University, at Ada, Ohio, and finishing his law course in the office of Baird and Voris, of Akron, Ohio, was admitted to the bar June 8, 1893, at Columbus. He immediately opened an office at No. 12 East Market Street, where he has since remained, having met with a most gratifying 276 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY degree of success. He was police prosecutor from 1897 to 1901. On September 29, 1897, Mr. Benner was married to Gertrude F. Foster, a native of Akron, and a daughter of Martin B. and Sarah (Clark) Foster. In politics Mr. Benner is an Independent Democrat. Fraternally he belongs to the Elks, being Past Exalted Ruler, a charter member of the local lodge, and a life member of the Grand Lodge of the United States. He is also a charter member of Akron Lodge 603, K. of P., a member of Adoniram Lodge 517, F. & A. M.; Washington Chapter, R. A. M., No. 25 ; Akron Council, R. & S. M., No. 80 ; Akron Commandery, K. T., No. 25, and Lake Erie Consistory, Ancient Accepted & Scottish Rite of Free Masonry, of Cleveland. He was captain of Company B, Eighth Regiment, Ohio National Guard, for four years, 1894-1897. He is a member of the Portage Country Club and a trustee of the City Hospital of Akron. HON. WILLIAM BARNABAS DOYLE, until recently a prominent member of the Summit County bar, formerly mayor of Akron, and editor of the present volume, was born in the city of Akron, in the old Doyle homestead, at (old) No. 150 South High Street, April 19, 1868. His parents were William B. and Mary Maud (Lantz) Doyle, and he is a lineal descendant of Felix Doyle, who came to America from the North of Ireland very early in the eighteenth century, and made a home for himself in the wilderness, where a son, whom he named Barnabas, was born. This Barnabas became the father of ten children, among whom were Barnabas Doyle, Jr., and Thomas John Sylvester Doyle. Thomas J. S. Doyle, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, married Anne Taylor, who was born at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, February 12, 1797, and who died in Akron December 12, 1882. Their children were : William Barnabas (1), Thomas John, and Mary A., the last mentioned of whom became the wife of Hon. James Ferguson, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. William Barnabas Doyle (1) was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in a valley of the Blue Mountains called Path Valley March 5, 1825. When thirteen years old, was apprenticed for three years to learn the trade of cabinet-maker, which he mastered. At the age of seventeen, filled with a spirit adventure, he turned his steps toward the West; in 1842 arriving in Akron practically penniless, and having walked the entire distance on foot. He soon found employment at his trade, however, and in time became a master cabinet-maker. After several years he gave up that business, and became a member of the firm of Doyle & Chamberlain, dealers in cattle and meat. Later he engaged in agriculture on a large farm which he had purchased in Coventry Township. In August, 1865, with John H. Dix and Daniel Farnum, he purchased the lumber and manufacturing business of S. G. Wilson and originated the firm of W. B. Doyle & Co. Of this business, he subsequently became the sole owner and conducted it alone until his death, which took place in Akron, August 6, 1890, when he was sixty-five years old. He was a stanch supporter of the Republican party, but neither held nor sought office. In 1863 he was captain of the Coventry Company of National Militia, organized under the act of April 14, that year, but the company was not called upon to go to the front. Mr. Doyle was married October 30, 1855, to Miss Harriet Sage, of Monroe County, New York, who died November 6, 1862, leaving one child, Dayton A. Doyle. On June 9, 1867, Mr. Doyle married Mary Maud Lantz of Akron, who died February 11, 1874, leaving three children— William B. Doyle (2), Della May Doyle Wilcox, and Dean Lantz Doyle. In 1877 Mr. Doyle married again, and of that union there was one daughter, Anna. William Barnabas Doyle (2), son of William B. and Mary Maud (Lantz)Doyle, whose nativity has been already given, was educated in the Akron public schools from 1874 to 1883 ; in the Western Reserve Academy from 1883 to 1886, where he graduated after com- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 277 pleting the classical course; he received his higher educational training at Amherst College from 1886 to 1890, and was graduated as a member of the class of 1890. In January, 1891, he was elected a director and treasurer of the Akron Electrical Manufacturing Company, but resigned to enter Harvard Law School in October, 1892. He spent three years at Harvard and graduated in June, 1895, receiving the degree of LL. B. from Harvard University. In 1895 he was again elected a director and treasurer of the electrical company, positions which he continued to hold until recently. In October, 1895, Mr. Doyle was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio, at Columbus, and immediately commenced the active practice of his profession in his native city. He served as mayor of the city of Akron for the years 1901-1903, having been elected on the Republican ticket April 1, 1901. He was invited by the League of American Municipalities to read a paper on "The Municipal Situation in Ohio" at its annual meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in August, 1902. This paper was afterwards printed by several legal journals. In June, 1903, he was granted the degree of Master of Arts by Amherst College, for researches in Municipal Government. Upon quitting the office of mayor he resumed the successful practice of law in Akron until February, 1907, when the trustees of the Carnegie Technical Schools of the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburg invited him to take the chair of Contract Law in their school of Applied Science. As he felt himself especially fitted for work of that nature, he accepted the invitation and will hereafter reside in Pittsburg. Mr. Doyle was married on September 14, 1899, to Frances Louise Wilcox, of Akron. They have five children : Mary, Enid, Kathleen, Wilhelmine and William B. Doyle, Jr. The last named was born November 15, 1907. Mr. Doyle is a member of the Beta Theta Pi college fraternity, and was for two years chief of the New England district. In July, 1906, he was elected president of the national convention of the fraternity, held at Denver, Colorado. He is connected by membership with the Congregational Church, the Sons of the American Revolution and various Masonic bodies. FRANK G. MARSH, a leading member of the Akron bar, with offices in the Dobson Block, belongs to one of the old pioneer families of this section, and was born March 18, 1869, in Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio. He is a son of Hiram F. Marsh and a grandson of George Marsh, who came to Summit County among its earliest settlers. Mr. Marsh was educated, in the schools of Franklin Township and at a superior select school at Manchester, where he spent four years. He began to teach when only sixteen years of age; and continued in that occupation for four school years in his native county. In 1891 he went to Detroit, where he took a course in stenography and typewriting at the Pernin Institute, and after his return he worked during that fall for the Republican Central Committee, teaching school ,during the following winter. On March 10, 1892, he accepted a position with the Aultman-Miller Company, and remained with that firm for eleven years, terminating the connection in 1903. In 1896 he registered with the law firm of Andress & Whittemore and was supplied with law text books. These he studied during all the hours he could call his own, for the next three years, and his diligence and perseverance were rewarded when he successfully passed the examination necessary before the Supreme Court, at Columbus, in October, 1899. He was still retained by the Aultman-Miller Company as special correspondent and assistant counsel for the company up to May, 1903, when he went to the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, entering the sales department, where he remained one year. On May 15, 1904, Mr. Marsh severed his, connection with that firm and in the following month began the practice of law, in which he has been engaged since, meeting with the success which his years of preparation entitle him to. His personal popularity was proved in the following September, when 278 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY he was brought forward as a candidate for a place on the Board of Education. Although he was one of fifteen contestants, he was selected as having the third largest number of votes and was subsequently elected for a term of four years. He has always been interested in politics and was a candidate for mayor before the Republican convention in 1907, but while he had a large following, was not nominated. At a meeting held September 16, 1907, by the City Council of Akron Mr. Marsh received the appointment of justice of the peace, to ,fill the unexpired term of George A. Patterson, resigned. On Tuesday, November 5, of the same year, he was elected one of the four justices of the peace in and for the township of Akron for a term of four years beginning with January 1, 1908. Fraternally Mr. Marsh belongs to the Odd Fellows and to the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a member of the Reformed Church. W. A. SPENCER, attorney, a member of the well-known law firm of Esgate, Spencer and Snyder, at Akron, was born in London; England in 1870, and was seven years of age when his parents came to America and located at Akron. In 1888 Mr. Spencer was graduated from the Akron High School and spent the following year on a fruit farm in Tennessee, earning the money with which to give him two years training at Buchtel College. He then entered upon the study of law in the office of Sawders and Rogers, at Akron, where he remained until the spring of 1898, when he enlisted in Company B, Eighth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for service in the Spanish-American War. His regiment was sent to Cuba, and with his comrades he participated in the Santiago campaign, and remained in the service for eight months. He was mustered out at Wooster, Ohio, and returned to Akron, where he was admitted to the bar one year later. He began practice alone, but later became a member of the present firm of Esgate, Spencer and Snyder, which succeeded Esgate, Spencer and Loomis, on the death of Mr. Loomis. Mr. Spencer is a director in the German American Building and Loan Association. He has ever taken an active part in politics and is chairman of the Democratic executive committees of city and county. Under Mayor Kemple he served two years as police prosecutor. In 1900 Mr. Spencer was married to Gertrude Huse, of Akron, and they have one child, Margaret. Fraternally Mr. Spencer is identified with the Masons and the Pathfind ers, and he belongs also to the Spanish-American War Veteran Association. He is a self-made man to a large extent, and owes little to favoring circumstances attending his boyhood or youth. JOHN C. FRANK, of the law firm of Tibbals and Frank, Akron, has been a resident of this city for the past twenty-seven years, and has been one of the enterprising citizens whose energies have contributed to its remarkable development during that period. He was born at Uniontown, Stark County, Ohio, in 1864, and when sixteen years of age came to Akron, completing his literary education in the Akron High School. He prepared for his chosen profession in the law department of the University of Michigan, where he was graduated in 1885. He immediately entered the law office of the late General Voris, where he remained until June, 1886, at which time he became associated professionally with Judge Tibbals. He subsequently practiced alone for two years and then formed his present partnership with Judge Tibbals. The firm of Tibbals and Frank is now the oldest law firm in Akron, and has been concerned in a large share of the most important litigation that has come before the courts of the city and county during the period of its existence. Probably no law firm in Summit County stands higher in public esteem, or more justly deserves the high reputation which it enjoys. Mr. Frank was married in 1888 to Celia E. Esselburn, of Akron, and he and his wife have two sons, Charles W. and Paul A., both of whom are receiving superior educational AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 279 training, calculated to fit them for the best American citizenship. Politically Mr. Frank is a Republican, and takes an active interest in public affairs. He is a member of the Court House Building Committee, an important dice at this time. With his family he belongs to Grace Reformed Church. COL. GEORGE MITCHELL WRIGHT, only son of Clement Wright and Lucy Ayer Whitney, his wife, was born August 8, 1847, in Talmadge Township, Summit County, Ohio, on the farm, one mile south from Talmadge Center, on which his great-grandfather, Captain John Wright, and his grandfather, Alpha Wright, settled in 1809, and where his father, Clement Wright, was born. Of this branch of the Wright family four generations havo lived on this farm and, including Colonel Wright,s children, five generations have lived in Talmadge. The home of Colonel Wright, however, was on the farm only during his infancy, his father having moved from tho lanai to Talmadge Center and there engaged in the mercantile business when Colonel Wright was less than two years old. The father and mother of Colonel Wright were both from well-known New England families of high standing, which had been transplanted from England to America prior to 1640. His father was a direct descendant 'of the eleventh generation, in the male line, from John Wright, Esq., of Kelvedon Manor, Kelvedon Hatch, County Essex, England, who acquired Kelvedon Manor by purchase in 1538, the emigrant ancestor to this country being Thomas Wright, who settled at Wethersfield, Connecticut, before 640, probably in 1639. The mother of Colonel Wright was from one of the most ancient and honorable families of Herefordshire, England, the ear, hest ancestor in England, in the direct male line, having been one of the invaders who came with William I. in 1066. Of this branch of the Whitney family, the emigrant ancestor to America was John Whitney, who, with his wife Elinor and five children, came from England in 1635 and settled at Watertown, Massachusetts. Colonel Wright's mother was of the seventh generation from this emigrant ancestor to America; and before such emigrant ancestor this branch of the family is traced in England for eighteen generations in the direct nude line. Although for many generations after the Norman Conquest this family was one of the most distinguished in Herefordshire, it began gradually to die out in England about the time the American branch was transplanted and established in this country. Colonel Wright was educated in the public schools, Tallmadge Academy and Western Reserve College, but left college early in the course. After studying law at Akron, Ohio, with his uncle lion. Sidney Edgerton and lion. Jacob A. Kohler (who were then in partnership) he was admitted to the bar in Ohio, Juno 16, 1873, and began practice at Akron as a partner of Hon Henry McKinney, who had then recently moved from Akron to Cleveland, Ohio, and desired a partner for his Summit County business. The law partnership of "McKinney St Wright" existed for several years, and Colonel Wright afterwards continued in the active and successful practice of the law until 1882. But his interest in scientific researches in the domain of geology was so great that for several years he devoted much time and attention to scientific studies. Finally, in 1882, having received an appointment as Assistant Geologist in the United States Geological Survey (without the aid of any political influence whatever, hut on the recommendations and indorsements of scientific experts only), he left the practice of the law and during the next four years devoted himself wholly to geological field-work and investigations for the government. Assigned at first to the staff of the Division of the Great Basin, his field-work was in Nevada, California and Utah. Subsequently transferred to the staff, of the Division having charge of the geological survey of the Yellowstone National Park, that interesting region was his special field of work for three years, with field-work also in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. While his work and investigations were in structural and dynamical geology in general, his spe- 280 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY cialty was the study of volcanic and crystalline rocks and the problems of volcanic action and phenomena (which throw so much light on mineral deposits), and he also did sonic special work in glacial geology. During the winters he was stationed in Salt Lake City, Utah, New York City, N. Y., and Washington, D. C., engaged in scientific study and research, working out the problems presented by field observations and collections, and writing reports. Having had the valuable experience and education of these four years of scientific study and field investigation under the most favorable circumstances and in some of the most instructive and interesting regions known, lie resigned in 1886, although requested and desired to continue in this scientific work for the government, and resumed the practice of the law at Akron, Ohio, where he continued in active practice until the breaking out of the war with Spain in April, 1898. Colonel Wright has always taken great interest in military affairs, and prior to the War with Spain he had been an officer of the Ohio National Guard, having held a commission for more than five years in the First Regiment of Light Artillery—then one of the finest military organizations in the United States. At the beginning of the war he was commissioned in the military service of the United States, May 13, 1898 (having been enrolled April 26, 1898), as second lieutenant and battalion adjutant in the Eighth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry; was detailed as acting ordnance officer of the regiment, May 14, 1898, and accompanied the regiment from Camp Bushnell, Columbus, Ohio, to Camp Alger, Virginia; was appointed aide-de-camp and brigade ordnance officer on the staff of Brigadier General George A. Garretson, June 13, 1898, and served as such until after the close of the war; left Camp Alger, Virginia, July 5th, with brigade headquarters and two regiments, and proceeded by rail to Charleston, South Carolina—the third regiment of the brigade being transported by rail to New York, there to embark for Cuba; sailed July 8th from Charleston, S. C., for Cuba, on the U. S. S. "Yale," carrying Major Genera son A. Miles, commanding the U. 8.1 and staff, and arrived off Santiago 11 July 11th, while the fleet was bombarding city, six days before the surrender; and part in the demonstrations against the ish works at the entrance to Santiago 11 before the surrender of Santiago, being duty with the troops under command of Ge ends Henry and Garretson, held in readiness for three days under orders to be landed at given signal, under protections of the fire the fleet, west of Sacopa Battery—the first plan being to try to connect with the right of Gen. oral Shafter,s line, which plan was changed one involving an attempt to carry Sacopa by assault. After the surrender of Santiago the troops held on shipboard, being no longer needed at Santiago, were available for the expedition to Porto Rico, the final plans for which were arranged in a conference between General Miles and Admiral Sampson on board the flag-ship "New York," lying off Aguadores, July 16th. Colonel (then lieutenant) Wright was so fortunate as to be one of the staff officers present at this conference. Lieutenant Wright continued on. board the "Yale," which the next day (July 17th) steamed eastward for Guantanamo Bay, still carrying General Miles and staff and also General Garretson and staff. The troops for the first expedition to Porto Rico having been concentrated at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the transport squadron, with its naval convoy, sailed for Porto Rico, July 21st, carrying an effective force of only about 3,300 troops to invade the island of Porto Rico, where the enemy then had 8,233 Spanish regulars and 9,107 armed volunteers—more than 17,000 troops in all. But General Miles having outwitted the Spanish commanders by causing the course of the fleet to he changed at the last moment, a landing was effected at Guanica on the southwestern coast of Porto Rico, July 25th, without loss of life. Lieutenant Wright was with the first troops landed here, and was present when General Miles formal. ly planted the flag and took possession of the island for the United States; and he also took AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 283 part in the decisive action the next day (July 26th), under General Garretson, in front of Yauco, Porto Rico, which gave the American troops possession of the important town of Yauco and the railroad leading thence to Ponce, and resulted in the surrender of Ponce, then the largest town on the island, without resistance. In the commanding general,s official report of this action the name of Lieutenant Wright appears in a list of the names of eight officers "especially commended for gallantry and coolness under fire." Lieutenant Wright accompanied the troops under Generals Henry and Garretson on the march from Guanica, via Yauco, to Ponce; and, in General Miles, subsequent concerted movement of the four columns of troops from the southern coast northward, Lieutenant Wright accompanied the left-center column, under Generals Henry and Garretson, in its march from Ponce over the mountain trail, via Adjuntas and Utuado, toward Arecibo--- which column penetrated farther north than any other American troops before the peace protocol put an end to hostilities. Colonel (then Lieutenant) Wright was recommended for brevets as First Lieutenant and Captain (recommendation indorsed and approved by General Miles) for meritorious services during the Porto Rican campaign, and for great personal bravery in action with Spanish troops near Yauco, Porto Rico, July 26, 1898; and after the close of the war he was honorably discharged from the service of the United States, November 21, 1898. In 1899 he resumed the practice of the law and is still engaged in active practice at Akron, Ohio. In the Ohio National Guard Colonel Wright has held the following commissions and positions: second lieutenant, First Regiment, Light Artillery ; second lieutenant and battalion adjutant, Eighth Regiment, Infantry; captain and regimental adjutant, Eighth Regiment, Infantry; acting adjutant general, Second Brigade; lieutenant-colonel and assistant adjutant general, adjutant general of the division; lieutenant-colonel and chief of staff of division ; and colonel and chief of staff of division. He is now (November, 1907) chief of staff of division, with the rank of colonel ; and he has served as such chief of staff, or as adjutant general and chief of staff ever since January 29, 1900—for very nearly eight years. Colonel Wright is a member of the Philosophical Society of Washington, D. C., and is at present the president of the Akron Bar Association. He is also a member of the Alpha Delta Phi college fraternity, and a member of numerous military and patriotic orders and societies, in several of which he has held some of the higher offices. Colonel Wright was married October 18, 1876, at Akron, Ohio, to Lucy Josephine Hale, of Akron, a daughter of James Mathson Hale and Sarah Alien, his wife. Their children, all born at Tallmadge, Ohio; are: (1) Clement Hale Wright, born July 4, 1882, who graduated at the United States Military Academy, June 15, 1904, and is now a second lieutenant in the Second United States Infantry, on duty with his regiment in the Philippine Islands; (2) Allen Whitney Wright, born July 17, 1889; and (3) George Maltby Wright, born June 24, 1892. Lieutenant Clement Hale Wright was married at Hartwell (a suburb of Cincinnati), Ohio, January 1, 1906, to Laura Mitchell, a daughter of Rev. Frank Gridley Mitchell, D. D., and Mary Electa Davis, his wife. WADE G. SHORT, LL. B., principal of the Hall Business University at Youngstown, Ohio, the Lorain Business College, at Lorain, and the Hammel Business College, at Akron, is engaged in the practice of law, with offices in the Dobson Building, at Akron. Professor Short was born in Geauga County, Ohio, in 1880, where he secured his preliminary educational training. When but fifteen years of age Mr. Short went to Cleveland, where he made a thorough study of commercial work, and graduated from a commercial college in that city, and later from the law department of Baldwin. University. He was admitted to the bar in 284 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY 1902. For some six years before coming to Akron, Mr. Short had been closely connected with business college work, having purchased the Hammel Business College from its founder, who had established it in 1881. In June, 1904, he bought the Hall Business University, which had been established at Youngstown, in 1892, and in 1903 he established the Lorain Business College, at Lorain. The officers of these several commercial schools are as follows: Of the Hammel Business College, W. G. Short, LL. B., is president, and J. W. Short is business manager. Of the Hall Business University, C. C. Short is manager, J. W. Short, treasurer, and W. G. Short, LL. B., principal. The same personnel makes up the official force of the Lorain Business College, W. G. Short, LL. B., being president, J. W. Short, vice-president, and P. S. Short, manager. All these gentlemen are thoroughly competent in the work of commercial instruction and their institutions take high rank in the business world. Few men of his years have accomplished so much along a given line in so short a time as has Mr. Short, and he is justly numbered with the progressive and enterprising young men of this city. In addition to his law practice and commercial college interests, Mr. Short handles a large amount of real estate. RAY F. HAMLIN, a young but able member of the Akron bar, now serving his second term as city clerk, in spite of his youth has been nominated by the Republican party for the important office of city treasurer. Mr. Hamlin was born at Akron, April 24, 1881, and is a son of Byron S. Hamlin, a native of Summit County and for forty years a resident of Akron. He was reared in his native city, where he attended the public schools, and then took a two-years, course in the law department of Columbia University at Washington, D. C., and was graduated from Baldwin University at Cleveland in 1903. Upon his return to Akron he took the bar examination and in the same year was admitted to practice. He was at once appointed city clerk and thus, from the beginning of his career, has been recognized as a political factor. On May 28, 1907, Mr. Hamlin was married to Mabel J. Gordon, who is a daughter of Fred F. Gordon, of Akron. He is a member of Woodland Methodist Episcopal Church. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows. He and wife are participants in the pleasant social life of the city, and both are valued for their personal attributes. ORLANDO WILCOX, one of the leading members of the Summit County bar, and senior member of the law firm of Wilcox, Parsons, Burch and Adams, at Akron, was born in Medina County, Ohio, in December, 1851, and is a son of Dr. Orlando Wilcox, once a man of great prominence in this section. Dr. Orlando Wilcox settled at Cuyahoga Falls. in 1828, and in the following year, in association with Henry Wetmore, organized the first temperance society in the state of Ohio. He remained one of the leading citizens of Cuyahoga Falls until 1831, when he moved to Medina County, where he practiced for many years, but prior to his death, in 1886, he returned to the Falls. It is interesting to recall historic events and compare them with those of modern times. The temperance organization mentioned above, was the cause of the first strike in the industrial world of Summit County. At that time Mr. Wetmore was the owner of the paper mills at Cuyahoga Falls and it had been his custom to each Saturday set out a barrel of whiskey for his employes to help themselves. After the organization of the temperance society, he cut off this luxury, with the result that the men went out on a strike, and a number of them were never again employed in the mills. Mr. Wilcox has in his possession, with other interesting papers, a number of the original contracts made between Joshua Stow and William Wetmore, father of Henry Wetmore, for the organization of Stow Town. ship, some of these bearing the date of 1804. Orlando Wilcox was reared in Medina County and attended the country schools prior AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 286 to entering Baldwin University. lie subsequently read law in the office of A. J. Marvin, of Cleveland, being admitted to the bar in the spring of 1884. Locating at Cuyahoga Falls, be entered upon the practice of his profession and continued it there until 1898, when he went to Indian Territory, being assigned to duty as special United States district attorney. During the time lie remained in Indian Territory, which .covered a period of two years, he tried sixty-four murder cases, and convicted the first man that was ever hung in the Territory by order of the Federal courts. For various reasons Mr. Wilcox resigned this position and returned to Ohio, in 1900 establishing his law office at Akron, and becoming associated with C. T. Grant in tho firm of Wilcox and Grant, which continued until the spring of 1904. In a new association Mr. Wilcox became senior member of the law firm of Wilcox, Parsons and Burch, Mr. Adams later being admitted as tho junior member of the firm. Mr. Wilcox has successfully handled a large number of important cases before the Ohio courts, and has an enviable record in the different branches of his profession. Mr. Wilcox still retains his home at Cuyahoga Falls and is interested in several financial enterprises in that city. He is a director in the Cuyahoga Falls Savings Bank and in the Falls Savings and Loan Association. He is also president of the Mercantile Credit Company, of Cincinnati. Formerly he took an active interest in politics and his party chose him as its candidate for prosecuting attorney; and in 1896' for probate judge. He came within seventy-seven votes of the nomination for the latter office. For fifteen years he was city solicitor for Cuyahoga Falls, but the demands of his profession have given him very little time to push his claims for political preferment, had he possessed the ambition to do so. In 1874 Mr. Wilcox was married to Zelia M. Severance, of Medina County, and they have two daughters, Lottie and Mabel. Lottie is the wife of Charles C. McCuskey, residing at Cuyahoga Falls. Mabel is a student at Buchtel College, where she has made a remarkable record, taking the highest honors of her class, both. in 1906 and 1907; she anticipates graduating in the class of 1908. The family belong to the Disciples Church at Cuyahoga Falls, which Mr. Wilcox has served as a member of the board of trustees; he is now superintendent of the Sunday school. Fraternally he is connected with the Elks and the Knights of Pythias. The family is one of social prominence at Cuyahoga Falls. H. E ANDRESS, a member of the law firm of Allen, Waters, Young & ndress, with offices in the Hamilton Building, Akron, has been a resident of this city since 1893. Ho was born in Ashland County, Ohio, and is a son of the late Samuel D Andress, formerly an agriculturist in Ashland County. Mr. Andress spent his boyhood and obtained his early education in the schools of his native county, and later entered Vermillion Institute, where he was graduated in 1892. He then read law for two years with W. E. Slabaugh and in 1894 entered the Cincinnati Law School, from which he was graduated in 1895. During the period in which he was securing his own academic and collegiate training, he taught school, his time in this profession aggregating about five years. For six months after locating at Akron, Mr. Andress continued to practice alone, and then entered into partnership with F. E. Whittemore, under the firm name of Andress & Whittemore. This business association continued until 1902, when Mr. Andress became a member of the firm of Allen, Cobbs & Andress, which later became Allen, Cobbs, Waters & Andress, changing to Allen, Waters & Andress, on the death of Mr. Cobbs in 1905. The present style was assumed November 1, 1906 when W. E. Young became a member of the firm. This combination of legal talent is regarded by the bench and bar of the county as one of the strongest in this section; their work covers all branches of law and jurisprudence and they have successfully handled many cases of grave 'importance. In 1898 Mr. Andress was married. to Addie 286 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY L. Montenyohl, who was formerly, a popular teacher in the Akron public schools, and is a daughter of George Montenyohl. They have one child, Virginia. Mr. Andress is a prominent Democrat and has served as chairman of the Democratic County Committee, and as a member of the Democratic State Central Committee. For four years he served as clerk of the Summit County board of elections, and is a member of -the board of Sinking Fund trustees of the city of Akron. He is interested in a number of the city,s prosperous business enterprises, but the larger part of his time is given to his law practice. He is one of the directors of the National City Bank and a stockholder in other financial institutions. Since early life, Mr. Andress has been united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he served on the board of trustees of the First M. E. Church at Akron for some time. PHILIP B. TREASH, attorney, was bore: at Uniontown, Stark County, August 10, 1875, and a few years later came with his parents to Akron, where he has since resided. His preliminary education was received in the public schools and he graduated from the High School in 1895. During his High School course Mr. Treash decided to study law, but desiring to first acquire a broad academic education he studied two terms at Buchtel College, then entered Oberlin College, from which institution he graduated in 1900 with the degree of Ph. B. Immediately after graduation from Oberlin he took up the study of law, only interrupting that study long enough to earn funds with which to continue. In 1901-1902 he 'was assistant principal of the Cuyahoga Falls High School. Subsequently entering the law department of Ohio State University, he was graduated in June, 1903, and being admitted to the bar, he chose Akron as his field of work, and became associated with the law firm of Young & Wanamaker until Mr. Wanamaker was elected to the Common Pleas Bench. After the dissolution of this firm he remained with Mr. Young until November, 1906, since which time he has practiced alone. Mr. Treash is actively connected with the business development of the city, and is also' a leading Republican, at present being chairman of the City Republican Committee. In 1905 Mr. Treash was married to Ida M. Roberts, of Akron. He is a member of the West Congregational Church and is serving as its treasurer. He belongs to Akron Tent, K. 0. T. M., the Protected Home Circle, the Young Men’s Christian Association, and several other organizations. F. E. WHITTEMORE, of the well-known law firm of Grant and Whittemore, at Akron, was born at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in 1870. When he was seven years of age his parents located in Akron, where he was reared graduating from the Akron High School in 1887. He then entered Denison University, where he was graduated in 1892, with the degree of Ph. B. He studied law in the office of Marvin, Saddler and Atterholt, of Akron, and was admitted to the bar in 1894. He was with Judge Stuart, in the probate office for one year, which gave him excellent special training, and he then began the practice of his profession alone, one year later entering into partnership with H. E. Andress, under the firm name of Andress and Whittemore. This partnership continued until 1903, and about nine months later the firm of Grant and, Whittemore was organized. It is considered one of the strong legal combinations of the city and handles a large amount of important litigation. Besides attending to his law practice, Mr. Whittemore has duties as a director of the Akron Grocery Company and the Colonial Tire and Rubber Company. For a number of years he served as clerk of the Board of Elections. In 1897 Mr. Whittemore was married to Anna G. Clark, who is a daughter of the late George B. Clark, and they have two children —Marian Esther. and Robert C. The family belong to the First Baptist Church, which Mr. Whittemore is serving as a member of the official board. Fraternally he is a Thirty-second Degree AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 287 Mason, and belongs to the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council and Commandery at Akron, and to Lake Erie Consistory at Cleveland. N. M. GREENBERGER, attorney, and Republican candidate for city solicitor of Akron, is one of the prominent younger members of the bar, and a very popular citizen. Mr. Greenberger has practically spent his whole life in this city, securing his literary education in its excellent schools, and selecting it as the field of his professional work. As soon as he had completed his education, Mr. Greenberger entered the law office of Edwin F. Voris, where he finished his law studies. He was admitted to the bar, by the Supreme Court of Ohio, in June, 1902. He has been notably successful, halting climbed from the bottom of the ladder to his present position entirely through his own efforts. His fellow citizens who honor him as one fitted for high responsibilities, recall when he blacked shoes and sold newspapers rather than be dependent. Later, while traveling for the Brooks Oil Company, of Cleveland, he spent his nights in his hotel, poring over his law books. Energetic and ambitious he has always taken an active interest in polities and has recently been nominated for city solicitor on the Republican ticket, over four competitors, all of them strong men. His friends are confident that he has a bright future before him, both in his profession and in public life. He is a member of Court Pride, of the Independent Order of Foresters, and of Akron Camp, Modern Woodmen of America, also of this city. He is located in the Central Office Building, Akron. CHARLES H. STAHL, attorney-at-law, at Akron, with offices at No. 518 Hamilton Building, is a prominent citizen and has large financial interests in Summit and other counties. He was born near Winesburg, Holmes County, Ohio, May 18, 1873, and is a son of Charles and Louise (Dodez) Stahl. The father of Mr. Stahl was born in Germany and was a pioneer of Holmes County, Ohio, where he became a man of substance and local prominence. He held county offices and was long numbered among the leading men cf his community. His wife, Louise, was of French extraction, but was born in Wayne County, Ohio. Charles H. Stahl was reared on his father's farm and attended the country schools, later entering the Ohio Northern University at Ada, where he was graduated with the degree of A. B. He then engaged in teaching and for two years was principal of the Winesburg public schools. In 1902 he was graduated with the degree of LL. B. from the law department of the Ohio State University, and in the same year received the A. M. degree from his alma mater. In that year he was also admitted to the bar, and in the following spring he located in Akron and entered upon the practice of his profession, in which he has since continued. Politically he is a Democrat and has taken an active part in public affairs. He has many financial interests, being a director in the South Akron Banking Company, in the Akron Realty Company, and in the Beach City Banking Company, of Beach City, Stark County, Ohio. September 26, 1906, Mr. Stahl was married to Cora B. Snyder, who is a daughter of C. J. Snyder, a prominent business man of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Stahl have one daughter, Margaret Louise, born August 8, 1907. Mr. Stahl is a Knight Templar Mason and belongs to Akron Commandery, No. 25, and to Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council, of this place. He is a member of the Lutheran Church. He has never given up his membership in the Delti CM college fraternity, having been one of the charter members of the organization, at the Ohio State University in 1902. ARTHUR JAMES ROWLEY, formerly city solicitor of Akron and a member of the law firm of Rogers, Rowley & Rockwell of this city, was born December 4, 1868, at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and is a son of William and Mary J. (Wills) Rowley. Mr. Rowley is of English ancestry and his grandfather, Enoch Rowley, was the first of 288 - HISTORY .OF SUMMIT COUNTY the family to settle in Akron, where he did in 1848. To the latter belongs the distinction of establishing the first pottery here. He brought a family of seven children from England, and four more were added after the family settled here. He died in this city, aged seventy-three years. William Rowley, father of Arthur J., was ten years old when his parents came to Ohio. He assisted his father in his work as a potter and succeeded him in the business. In 1886 he retired from active business and died in November, 1891, at the age of fifty-four years. His children were: Florence, who died in infancy ; Arthur J., Maude L., and Zelle I. Arthur James Rowley was graduated from the Akron High School in January, 1886, and from Buchtel College, in June, 1890. He then began the study of the law with Charles Cobbs, and the firm of Green, Grant & Sieber, and was admitted to the bar in March, 1892. In the following year Mr. Rowley was elected a member of the Akron Board of Education. In 1895 he was made city solicitor, two years later being re-elected and by a larger majority than any other candidate. Since the close of his second term of office he has applied himself entirely to his large and growing practice. In 1902 he became a member of the firm of Rogers, Rowley & Rockwell, whose offices are in the Central Savings & Trust Building. Fraternally Mr., Rowley is an Elk and retains membership in his college fraternity, the Delta Tau Delta. He belongs also to the Summit County Bar Association. He stands very high in public esteem, both as a citizen and professionally. On October 20, 1897, he was married to Amelia Grether and they have three children : Pauline Barbara, William Arthur and John Grether Rowley, all of whom reside at the family resident, 838 East Market Street. ALEXANDER H. COMMINS, an attorney, practicing at Akron, is interested in a number of Akron business enterprises. He was born at Akron in 1872, and is a son of the late Alexander H. Commins. After completing the common school course in his native city, Mr. Commins entered Kenyon Co where he was graduated in 1894, with th tree of A. B. Shortly afterward, he reading law with Charles Baird. In 18 was admitted to the bar, and since has associated with Mr. Baird in the practice his profession. He is a director in the tral Savings and Trust Company, at and is largely interested in real estate th Summit County, particularly in the vie of Akron and Barberton. In 1900 Mr. mins was married to Ethel .Sheldon, who a daughter of C. E. Sheldon, president of Whitman-Barnes Company. Mr. and Commins have two children, Ethel Lo and Henrietta. WATSON E. SLABAUGH, senior member of the law firm of Slabaugh & Seiberling, has been a resident of Akron since 1886. He was born in Portage County, Ohio, where he attended school until he entered Mount Union College. Mr. Slabaugh has been mainly the maker of his own fortunes. At the age of eighteen years he began to teach school, which profession he followed for four years. In the meantime he was preparing himself for a collegiate course in law, and in 1885 he graduated from the Cincinnati Law In the following year, he located at Akron and here he entered into practice with Edward P. Otis, under the firm name of Otis & Slabaugh. Later he became a member of the firm of Marvin, Atterholt & Slabaugh, which continued until 1892. From that date until 1898 Mr. Slabaugh practiced alone, and then entered into partnership with Mr. Seiberling, under the present firm style. This firm is regarded as one of Akron,s most reliab combinations of legal talent, and many important interests are placed in their hands. Mr. Slabaugh is a director in the Second National Bank and a stockholder in numerous other prosperous concerns. While not very active in politics, he has the welfare of the city at heart and has served on man boards which have civic progress as their object. He is a leading member of the High Street Christian Church. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 289 Mr. Slabaugh was married (first) in 1884, to Mary Bettes, who died in 1892, leaving one son, Edwin, who is a student in the public schools. She was a daughter of Dr. George W. Bettes, of Randolph, Portage County. Mr. Slabaugh was married (second) in 1895, to Jessie M. Gongwer, who is a daughter of Samuel Gongwer. Of this union there are two children, Harold and W. E., Jr. ELLSWORTH E. OTIS, attorney, junior member of the law firm of Otis and Otis, at Akron, with well appointed offices at Nos. 1516 Arcade Building, has been in active practice since 188i . He was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, and is a son of Resin P. and Catherine (Bair) Otis. Mr. Otis comes of Revolutionary stock, three members of the family, Robert, Stephen and Edward Otis having served in the Continental army, one of them losing his life in the cause. These patriots were great- and great-great-uncles of Edward P. and Ellsworth E. Otis, of Akron. Tho parents of Mr. Otis were both born in Ohio. The Otis family came to this state from New England, where it has been prominent from the days of the Revolution. The Bair family came from Pennsylvania and is of German extraction. Ellsworth E. Otis was liberally educated, attending both Wittenberg College and Wooster University prior to entering the law department of the University of Michigan, where he was graduated in 1887. His elder brother, Edward P. Otis, was already established in the practice of law at Akron and Mr. Otis immediately entered into partnership with him, under the firm name of Otis and Otis. This firm has continued up to the present time and has become well known all over Summit County. In a city where legal talent is especially conspicious, the firm has won many hard fought battles, and both members are numbered with the able men of the profession. On June 27, 1894, Ellsworth E. Otis was married to Mary Louise Guth, who is a daughter of Jacob R. Guth, an old resident of Akron. They enjoy a. beautiful home at No. 642 East Market Street. Politically Mr. Otis is identified with the Republican party, but only as a good citizen, anxious to promote the prosperity of his community and the country generally. He is connected fraternally with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, and is secretary of the local chapter of the Beta Theta Pi, his college fraternity. For many years he has been a member of the Lutheran Church. EDWARD P. OTIS, senior member of the prominent law firm of Otis and Otis, at Akron, with offices in the Arcade building, was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, and is a son of Resin P. and Catherine (Bair) Otis. He comes of Revolutionary stock, three members of the family, Robert, Stephen and Edward Otis, having served nobly with the Continental army, one of them losing his life in the cause of freedom. These militant patriots were great- and great-great-uncles of Edward P. and Ellsworth E. Otis, of Akron. The name of Otis has always been identified with military valor, statesmanship and professional prominence. The family settled early in Ohio and in this state both the parents of the subject of this sketch were born. Edward P. Otis prepared for Oberlin College in the local schools, and after attending the college for a while, taught school prior to entering Wittenberg College, in 1877, where he remained until graduation in 1882. He immediately began the study of law in the office of Nealy and Patrick, at New Philadelphia, and during 1884-5 he attended the Cincinnati Law School, in June of the latter year being admitted to the bar. Mr. Otis located at Akron in August, 1885, and was associated in a law practice for two years with W. E. Slabaugh. He then formed a partnership with his younger brother, Ellsworth E. Otis, the firm of Otis and Otis coming into existence in 1887. During its continuance of two decades it has made its ability felt at the bar of Summit County, and has been engaged in much of the most important litigation of this section. On September 21, 1887, Mr. Otis was married to Jessie L. Wolfe, who is a daughter of 290 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY Henry H. Wolfe, of Springfield, Ohio. He has one daughter, Catherine Louise. The beautiful family home at No. 65 Adolph Avenue is often the scene of many pleasant social functions, Mrs. Otis being a gifted musician and a patroness of the leading musical events of the city. Both Mr. and Mrs. Otis are members of the Lutheran Church. Politically the former is a Republican, but is too much engaged in his profession to be willing to accept political honors. Fraternally he is a Free Mason, and is also president of the local chapter of his college fraternity, the Beta Theta Pi. He has shown his interest in the growth and development of Akron, as becomes a public-spirited citizen, and has helped to promote her educational and religious interests, for a number of years having been a member of the board of directors of Wittenberg College. GEORGE W. ROGERS, attorney, and credit man with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, at Akron, was born at Akron, Ohio, in 1875. He is a son of John Rogers, and a grandson of James Rogers, both of whom survive, honored residents of this city. He was reared in his native city and after graduating from the Akron High School, entered Buchtel College, which he left in order to enter upon the study of law with the well-known law firm of Baird & Voris. One year later this firm was dissolved, after which Mr. Rogers remained for a time under Mr. Baird's instruction, later becoming a student with Oviatt, Allen & Cobbs. In March, 1899, he was admitted to the bar and engaged in the practice of his profession at Akron, thus continuing until April, 1902, when he accepted his present position. In 1895, Mr. Rogers joined Company B, Eighth Regiment, Ohio National Guards, and in 1898 when war was declared against Spain, went out as a member of that Company. He was mustered into the United States service at Columbus, May 13, 1898, and a few days later went to Washington, D. C., where the regiment remained in camp at Camp Alger until the fifth day of the following July. It was then transported to Cuba, where it was on duty for six weeks, and then returned America, landing at Montauk Point. Rogers was given a furlough of sixty which he spent at home, and was then m tered out, in November, 1898. During brief military experience he was corporal his company. On October 15, 1902, Mr. Rogers was m ried to Anna G. Bauer, a daughter of J Bauer, of Akron, and they have one son, H old G. Mr. Rogers is a member of the Royal Arcanum, and of the organization of Un Spanish War Veterans. LOUIS D. SEWARD, attorney, and al ing member of the Akron bar, was born Akron, Ohio, in 1852, and is a son of the 1 Colonel Dudley Seward, who was a disti guished officer in the Civil War. Colonel Dudley Seward came to Akron in 1840, where he entered into business and be• came a factor in politics. Prior to the Civil War he served as sheriff of Summit County. He was one of the first men to offer his life and services at the beginning of the war and was promoted for gallantry to be colonel of the Second Ohio Cavalry, serving all through as such. After the war he was a captain in the Eighth Regiment, United States Cavalry, and brevet major in the United States army, receiving his appointment in the United States army for gallant and meritorious service at Monticello, Kentucky. He did good service in the West during the Indian troubles. At the time of his death, in 1881, he was on the retired list of the army. Louis D. Seward was reared and educated in Akron, and read law in the offices of Edgerton & Kohler and of H. C. Sanford. In 1876 he was admitted to the bar, and has been in active practice ever since in his native city. He has been active in politics since early manhood, is at present serving in the City Council, and was mayor of Akron from 1886 to 1888, a period of great prosperity and advance. ment for this municipality. In 1890 Mr. Seward was married to Katherine Johnston, who is a daughter of W. G. Johnston, of Akron, a prominent citizen, who AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 293 has just completed a six-year term as a member of the State Board of Public Works. Mr. and Mrs. Seward have one daughter, Martha, who is attending school. Mr. Seward is a Knight Templar Mason, and is well known in the fraternity. He is one of the trustees of the East Akron cemetery, and he is a stockholder in various successful business enterprises of Akron. CHARLES S. COBBS, formerly a leading member of the Akron bar, and for twelve years a partner in the prominent law firm of Oviatt, Allen and Cobbs, of this city, was born July 7, 1853, near Alliance, Columbiana County, Ohio, and died at his home in Akron, January 27, 1903. He was a son of Walker and Hannah (Morris) Cobbs. On the maternal side, Mr. Cobbs came of distinguished ancestry. His forefathers included Robert Morris, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence; Jonathan Morris, who married Mary West, sister of the great painter, Benjamin West; and Jonathan, Benjamin, William, Joseph and Samuel Morris, all of whom served in the Revolutionary War. The Morris family professed the peaceful principles of the Quaker faith, but in time of public stress, they proved their loyalty even to the extent of taking up arms. Jonathan Morris was wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of Camden, August 6, 1780, and was kept a prisoner on Ediso Island, off the coast of South Carolina, during the remainder of the war. William Morris was taken prisoner on board an American privateer, and later was incarcerated in Dartmouth Prison, England. He made his situation known to his uncle, Benjamin West, who was then in London, who first interceded with the king, and later succeeded in bribing the guards, securing William’s release in this way. The latter escaped and returned to the United States. In the War of the Rebellion there were five members of this family in the Union army; one of them, J. Morris Johnston, fell at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Another, Benjamin F. Morris, was wounded and subsequently captured at Macon, Georgia. The Morris family has also been prominent in the paths of peace in various parts of the reunited country, and many of their blood have won laurels in professional careers. Charles S. Cobbs completed his education at Mt. Union College, where he was graduated in 1877. During the two succeeding years, while studying law, he engaged in teaching school, and for the larger part of this period, was superintendent of the Malvern Union schools. Immediately after his admission to the bar, in 1879, he located in Akron, where his legal ability quickly became recognized, and in the spring of 1881 he was elected city solicitor. In this office he served two full terms, declining a re-election, and henceforth devoting himself entirely to practice of his profession. On March 9,1891, he entered into partnership with the late Edward Oviatt and George G. Allen, under the firm style of Oviatt, Allen and Cobbs—a strong combination, which for years handled a large part of the important litigation in Summit County. In addition to his work as a member of this. firm, Mr. Cobbs was retained by various corporations and was local attorney for the Valley Railway Company. On November 2, 1881, Mr. Cobbs was married to Margaret S. McCall, who was born at Malvern, Ohio, and who is a daughter of Rev. Hosea McCall, a native of the state of Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs. Cobbs had four children, two of whom survive—Reginald McCall and Margaret. Mrs. Cobbs resides at No. 682 Buchtel Avenue, Akron. FRANCIS SEIBERLING, attorney-at-law, and a member of the law firm of Slabaugh & Seiberling, at Akron, with offices in the Everett Building, was born September 20, 1870, at Des Moines, Iowa, and is a son of Nathan Septimus and Joseva (Myers) Seiberling. Nathan Septimus Seiberling, father of Francis, was a son of Nathan Seiberling, who was one of the early pioneers of Summit County. Nathan S. Seiberling, at the age of eighteen years, enlisted for service in the Civil War, in March, 1865, for one year, and was a member of Company D, 198th Ohio Volunteer In- 294 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY fantry. He was honorably discharged, May 8, 1865, at the close of hostilities. He married Joseva Myers, who was a daughter of Alpheus Myers, one of the earliest settlers in Norton Township, Both the Seiberling and Myers families came to Summit County in the days when it was a wilderness and both assisted materially in the development of its resources and in bringing about civilizing influences. When but three years of age, Francis Seiberling suffered the loss of his father, who died in early manhood. His mother then returned to her old home in Norton Township, this county, where he was reared to the age of twelve years. He then went to Medina County and completed his course of study at the Wadsworth High School. He entered Wittenberg College, Springfield, Ohio, in the fall of 1888, where he remained two years, and then entered Wooster University, where he was graduated in 1892, with his degree of A. M. He immediately began the study of law in the office of Marvin, Saddler & Atterholt, and was admitted to the bar in October, 1894. He practiced his profession for about one year alone, and then entered into his present partnership, under the firm name of Slabaugh & Seiberling. Mr. Seiberling’s interest in politics is merely that which he has in common with every good citizen. On June 16, 1897, Mr. Seiberling was married to Josephine Laffer, who is a daughter of James M. Laffer, one of the pioneer druggists of Akron. He and his wife have two children, Eleanor and Josephine. Mr. Seiberling is a member of the Lutheran Church and belongs to its board of trustees. Fraternally he is a Mason. O. L. SADLER, an attorney at Akron, whose professional labors have called him to many sections of the country while still retaining his home in this city, was born September 11, 1854, at Rootstown, Portage County, Ohio. When Mr. Sadler was one year old his parents moved to Southern Michigan, where he was reared and primarily educated. In 1872 he was graduated at Mt. Union College, of which he was engaged in school teaching about four years. In 1877 he came to Akron with the intention of studying law, and being received into the office of J. M. Poulson, was admitted to the bar in 1878, and later to the Supreme Court of Ohio. For a number of years he was the attorney for Aultman, Miller & Company, and in their interests traveled all over the country. He has tried cases in all parts of the United States and necessarily has been long familiar with the laws of all sections. Probably in his particular line of practice, he has no equal in Summit County. Mr. Sadler has been active in county politics for a number of years and for one year was secretary of the Republican County Committee. He was appointed a member of the first Board of City Commissioners and of the. first Board of Review, on which latter board he served for five years. He is a man of public spirit and on many occasions has proven his interest and useful. ness in civic affairs. In 1881 Mr. Sadler was married to Margaret Fox, who is a daughter of David Fox. They have three living children, namely: Frank Herbert, who has charge of the testing department of the Edison Storage Battery at West Orange, New Jersey ; Edith, who is chief clerk in the Summit County treasurer's office; and Jean Cairns, residing at home. In addition to his other business interests, Mr. Sadler is vice-president and a member of the board of directors of the Akron Building and Loan Association, and has been a charter member on its board of directors since its inception in 1888. He belongs to the Masonic Lodge and to the U. C. T. EMORY A. PRIOR, M. S., LL. B., a leading member of the bar at Cuyahoga Falls, was born in Northampton Township, Summit County, Ohio, June 27, 1855, and is a son of Henry W. and Emily (Bonesteel) Prior. The study of Mr. Prior's ancestral line leads us back to the early settlement of New England. The first of the name of whom he have record, was Benjamin Prior, whose birth is AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 295 recorded at Duxbury, Massachusetts. In 697 he married Bertha, daughter of John and Abigail (Wood) Pratt, of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Joshua Prior, son of Benjamin and Bertha Prior, was born in 1709 and died'in 1784. He married Mary, daughter of Eleazer and Lydia (Waterman) Barnham, January 31, 1735. Simeon Prior, youngest of the nine children of Joshua and Mary Prior, and great-grandfather of Emory A., was born May 6, 1754, at Norwich, Connecticut, and died June 29, 1837. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, enlisting in Connecticut, as armorer, under Colonel John Durgey, about 1776, joining the army at King,s Yard, New York City. His record shows that about 15 weeks later he joined a regiment on Painter,s Hook, and after the city was taken by the British, his regiment went to Fort Lee and later participated in the battle of Trenton. The family history asserts that on this occasion, Simeon Prior was a member of General Washington,s body-guard. He married Katherine Wright, and in 1802 brought his family to Northampton Township. He was the first regular farming settler here, the only other family being that of a Mr. King, who kept -a tavern at Old Portage, the commencement of Portage Path. Simeon Prior was a farmer, blacksmith and machinist, a combination of occupations well qualifying him to make an admirable pioneer settler. William Prior, son of Simeon, and grandfather of Emory A. Prior, was born at Norwich, Connecticut, April 6, 1783, and died June 7, 1872. He accompanied his father to Northampton in 1802, where he secured farming land. He participated in the War of 1812, being a member of Colonel Rial Mc-Arthur,s regiment. In politics he was a Jeffersonian Democrat. He was twice married ; first, to Sarah Wharton, who was a daughter of James Wharton, and who died in early married life ; and, second, to Polly Culver. Henry W. Prior, son of William and father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Northampton Township, Summit County, Ohio, January 25, 1813, and died in 1875. He was a man of exceptional mentality and made the best of the educational advantages afforded him and of his business opportunities. He acceptably filled all the local offices of any responsibility in Northampton Township, and, although not united with any religious body, was a liberal supporter of churches and all moral movements. In 1849 he went to California, by way of New York and the Isthmus of Panama, and remained there one year engaged in prospecting and mining. Having much natural mechanical skill, he combined farming with carpenter work, and with his father and a brother, he built a mill on the present site of the Puritan mill, in Northampton Township, which they operated together for many years. He remained actively interested in agricultural pur suits up to the close of his long and useful life. His wife, Emily, was a daughter of Jacob Bonesteel, also an old settler in this vicinity. She died in April, 1860, on the home farm in Northampton Township. There were two children born to Henry W. Prior and wife, of -whom Emory A. is the only survivor, the elder in order of birth having died in infancy. Emory A. Prior was afforded the best educational advantages to be obtained in his native locality, and he is inclined to think that in some ways the youth of his day, when they had the personal attention of their teachers, enjoyed better opportunities for individual advancement than is sometimes the lot of students under the present graded system. He attended the Cuyahoga High School, and came under the personal attention of Almeda Booth, who was a noted teacher and philanthropist at that time. In 1874 he was graduated at Buchtel College, completing the scientific course and securing his B. S. degree, and later, after completing a post graduate course, received the degree of M. S. In 1877, after a course in the Harvard Law School, Mr. Prior was graduated there and secured his LL. B. degree, shortly afterward coming to Cuyahoga Falls. He took the necessary examints in the Old District Court at. Cleveland, Ohio, 296 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY and was admitted to the bar in the following September. After this prolonged season of close study, Mr. Prior decided to settle on a farm in Northampton Township, and was engaged in farming and dairying thereon up to 1890. He then opened an office in Akron, where he practiced law until 1895, when he located permanently at Cuyahoga Falls, entering into a partnership with Charles H. Howland. This association lasted five years, during which time the firm had its share in the business of importance that came before the Summit County courts. In the fall of 1902 Mr. Prior became secretary of the Falls Savings and Loan Association. In August, 1904, the Cuyahoga Falls Savings. Bank was organized by the following capitalists who comprised its board of directors: Emory A. Prior, C. M. Walsh, L. W. Loomis, Henry Thomas, W. R. Lodge, Edwin Seedhouse and William A. Searle. This bank was organized to take up the business in this vicinity of the Akron Savings Bank, which had failed. Mr. Prior has been identified with this institution as secretary and as a director ever since, and since June, 1906, he has been .a member of its financial committee. He is concerned in other business enterprises and was one of the organizers of the Walsh Paper Company, of which he is a stockholder, and in which he has been secretary since its founding. On March 25, 1882, Mr. Prior was married to Abbie F. Allen, who is a daughter of Albert Allen, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and they have three children, namely: Henry William, Margaret H. and Ruth Wharton. The family belong to the Episcopal Church. In political sentiment, Mr. Prior is actively identified with the Republican party. He was elected village solicitor during his years of active practice and was re-elected, serving two terms. Otherwise, he has accepted no political office. He is a member of Star Lodge, No. 187, F. & A. M., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. ANDREW JACKSON KREIGHBAUM, a representative citizen of Springfield Town ship, is a member of the Summit County bar, and is successfully engaged in the practice of his profession. He was born in Summit County, Ohio, September 23, 1862, and is a son of Johnston B. and Martha (Martin) Kreighbaum. The maternal ancestors of Mr. Kreighbaum were people of importance, several generations back, in Pennsylvania. Thomas Martin, the great-grandfather, was born in Ireland and married Kate Kennedy, a native of England. The maiden name of the grandmother of Mr. Kreighbaum was Way, and she was tho first white child born in Suffield Township, Portage County. Andrew Martin, the grandfather, was born in Pennsylvania, and was nine years old when he accompanied his parents to Portage County. Andrew and Rebecca Martin had the following children : Rebecca, residing in Summit County, who is the widow of Johnston Roser; Martha, the mother of Mr. Kreighbaum; Elmira, residing in Stark County, who married John Grotz; Matilda, who married Benjamin W. Bixler, residing at Springfield Center; and David W., deceased, who is survived by his widow who formerly was Rebecca Henderson. The grandparents died on the farm on which they settled after marriage. Johnston B. Kreighbaum was born in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio, November 18, 1826, and was married January 29, 1851, to Martha Martin, who was born July 6, 1831. Of their eight children, there are three survivors—Andrew J., McClelland and Ida Ella. McClelland Kreighbaum was born September 23, 1864 and is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Summit County, owning a good farm. He married Minerva Pressler, who is a daughter of William and Lucinda Pressler, and they have three children. Ida Ella Kreighbaum married Charles McCalgan, of Stow Township, who died at Munroe Falls, leaving three children: Russell, Claude and Maud, the two latter being twins. Prior to entering the army for service in the Civil War, Johnston B. Kreighbaum was engaged in farming and in operating a hotel at Greensburg, Ohio. On May 2, 1864, he AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 297 was enrolled at Cleveland as a member of Company H, 164th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was honorably discharged August 27, 1864. Although his service covered but ninety days, the hardships encountered during this period were the cause of his death, he having ruptured a blood vessel. For the fidelity and efficiency of his service he received the thanks of the President of the United States and the Governor of Ohio. He belonged to that portion of the army that operated effectively against Richmond and Petersburg. Andrew Jackson Kreighbaum attended the local schools through boyhood and prepared for the profession he had chosen by taking a course in the Cincinnati Law School, where he spent the years of 1890 and 1891. After his admission to the bar he engaged in practice at Akron, retaining his residence in Springfield Township. He married Ella Phillips, a daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Christiana Phillips, the latter of whom is deceased. Mr. Phillips resides at Akron. Mr. and Mrs. Kreighbaum have four children, namely: McKee, aged fourteen years; Martha, aged ten years ; Maud, aged seven years; and Claud, aged three years. Mr. Kreighbaum is in a position to give his children many advantages, both educational and social. While Mr. Kreighbaum has been actively identified with the Democratic party since his maturity, he has never been a seeker for political offices or honors, but has been a willing worker for his friends. He is a member of the order of Maccabees, belonging to Union Tent at Uniontown, Stark County. With his family he belongs to the Reformed Church of Springfield Township. CHARLES AMMERMAN, attorney-at-law, Barberton, where he has been established since 1893, is one of the leading citizens of this village. Mr. Ammerman was born near Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio, May 4, 1863, and is a son of Abraham and Sarah (Korns) Ammerman. He was reared on his father's farm in Holmes County, and obtained his primary education in the district schools. Later he attended the Millersburg High School and then began to teach. He remained six years in the local educational field, and then he taught three years at Benton, Ohio, during the interims completing his education at the Ohio Norma University, at Ada. He read law with Judge Maxwell and Hon. George W. Sharp, at Millersburg, and subsequently attended the law school at the Ohio State University at Columbus, being admitted to the Ohio bar, December 7, 1893. He immediately located at Barberton, where he has since engaged in practice. He was elected village solicitor for two terms" and was then appointed to the same office by the village council, and served on this occasion for a year and a half. He is recognized as an able lawyer and has been chosen on numerous occasions to manage important cases of litigation. On June 10, 1891, Mr. Ammerman was married (to Kate Thompson, and they have three children—Harold, Helen, and Charles, Jr. Mr. Ammerman,s fraternal connections include the Knights of Pythias, the Odd Fellows, the Elks, and the Independent Order of American Mechanics. STEPHEN C. MILLER, attorney-at-law, at Barberton, with offices in the American National Bank Building, on the corner of Fourth Street and Tuscarawas Avenue; enjoys a large and lucrative general practice, which extends all over Summit County. Mr. Miller was born at Hudson, New York, March 1, 1863, and is a son of Abraham and Ann H. (Miller) Miller. Abraham Miller, also a lawyer, practiced his profession for some years in New York, and died at Palmyra, in that state, in 1871, at the age of thirty-three. His wife Ann still survives. In 1876 the subject of this sketch came to Akron, Ohio, to make his home with his uncle, Dr. S. H. Coburn, with whom he remained until 1881, in the meantime attending the common and High Schools of this city. He commenced his law reading in the office of Edgerton & Kohler, at Akron, and completed 298 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY his legal studies in Florida, to which state he went in 1881. He was admitted to the Florida bar in 1890, and practiced at Tallahassee until 1895. He then returned to Akron, where he practiced law until 1901, and then located permanently at Barberton. Here he has taken part in a large portion of the important business before the various courts, and has demonstrated his ability on many occasions. Mr. Miller was married in Florida to Minnie Beazley, who was reared at Monticello, Jefferson County, Florida, and who is a daughter of Judge William Beazley, of that place. They have two children, Susie and Isbell, the latter being named for Charles Isbell, of Akron. HON. GEORGE W. SIEBER, formerly state senator, serving in the Seventy-fourth General Assembly of Ohio, is a leading member of the Akron bar and a partner ,in the prominent law firm of Grant, Sieber & Mather, which, in January, 1907, succeeded the firm of Grant & Sieber. Mr. Sieber was born February 22, 1858, in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Joseph and Sarah (Moyer) Sieber. The Sieber family is of German extraction. Both parents of Senator Sieber were born and reared in Pennsylvania. In 1868 they came to Summit County, where the father carried on a successful business for a number of years. He died in 1896. In 1876 George W. Sieber was graduated from the Akron High School. He then took a course in Buchtel College, afterwards entering the Cincinnati Law School, from which institution he was graduated in the class of June, 1882, carrying off first honors. In the same year he was admitted to the bar and began practice at Akron. On March 25, 1897, he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1891 Mr. Sieber entered into partnership with Hon. Edwin P. Green, formerly of the Common Pleas Court, and Hon. Charles R. Grant, formerly of the Probate Court, the new firm assuming the style of Green, Grant & Sieber. The death of Judge Green caused a reorganization of the firm as Grant & Sieber. Prominently identified with Republican politics, Senator Sieber has frequently been invited to accept public office. In 1886 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Summit County, and in his official capacity acquitted himself during his first term with such credit that he was re-elected and served in the office for six years, retiring in 1893. In 1899 he was elected senator from the Twenty-sixth District, and when he completed his term of service and returned to his private practice, it was with the consciousness of public duty well performed. On September 1, 1883, Senator Sieber was married to Elsie C. Motz, who is a daughter of George M. Motz, a prominent citizen of Middleburg, Pennsylvania. They have three children : Joseph B., Florence S. and Ruth. The family belong to the Lutheran Church. Mr. Sieber is a Thirty-second Degree Mason, and belongs also to the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Elks. H. F. CASTLE, member of the firm of Felmly & Castle, prominent attorneys at Akron, was born at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and is a son of E. H. Castle, who came to Summit County from New York, in 1860, and who has been engaged in farming near Munroe Falls ever since. H. F. Castle attended the district schools and spent four years in the Cuyahoga Falls schools, after which he studied law at home, and on June 1, 1903, was admitted to the bar. He immediately located for practice at Akron and continued alone until 1905, when the present firm was established Mr. Castle has won his way to the front rank of his profession by personal ability backed by hard work; and he has also become a factor in politics. He is a Republican and is a member of the Akron County Board of Elections, and is secretary of the Republican County Executive Committee. During the Spanish. American War he was a member of Company A, Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was mustered into service in May, 1898, but was never actively engaged, spending its whole term of enlistment in camp at AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 299 Tampa and Key West. The company was mustered out of the service at Columbus, in November, 1898. Mr. Castle is a member of the Spanish-American War Veteran Association, and belongs also to the Odd Fellows. Religiously, he is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. T. W. WAKEMAN, attorney, and claim agent for the Northern Ohio Traction and Light Company, at Akron, has been identified with the interests of this city since December, 1884. Mr. Wakeman was born at Kendallville, Noble County, Indiana in 1866. At the age of eighteen years he had already completed the common and High School courses at Kendallville, and when twenty-one had commenced the study of law, which he prosecuted in the office of R. W. Sadler, a prominent attorney in' Akron at that time. His admission to the bar took place in March, 1889, and he continued with Mr. Sadler until 1892, when he began individual practice, retaining the same office.' In 1902 he became claim agent for the Northern Ohio Traction and Light Company, the duties of which position have since absorbed a large part of his time and attention. He is interested also in some of Akron,s business enterprises and is a stockholder in the Highland Park Land Company. Formerly he was quite active in polities, but he now finds little time to give to anything outside his profession. Mr. Wakeman belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the Elks, the Elks Club and the Portage Country Club. WILLIAM E. SNYDER, attorney, formerly a member of the law firm of Esgate, Spencer & Snyder, of Akron, but now practicing alone, with offices in the Hamilton Building, was born in Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio, in 1871, and is a son of Michael and Nancy (Marsh) Snyder. The father of Mr. Snyder was born in Alsace-Lorraine, France, and after emigrating to America, he settled first in Springfield Township, Summit County, Ohio, for several years, and then removed to Franklin Township, where he lived until his death in 1893, having become one of the leading men of his community. He married Nancy Marsh, who was .a daughter of George A. Marsh, a pioneer settler in the region of Turkey Foot Lake, and a son of Adam George Marsh, who settled there in 1810. William E. Snyder was reared in Franklin Township, attending the local schools. He then took a special course at Valparaiso, Indiana, and subsequently spent one year at Mt. Union College. He began to teach school when but seventeen years of age and continued that occupation, with some intervals, for the next eight years. In 1895 he took up the study of law in the office of Otis & Otis, hay-Mg mastered the elementary principles of the science while teaching. He was admitted to the bar in October, 1898, and in the following yeas he located in Akron, and entered into associated practice with Mr. Kerstetter, under the firm name of Snyder & Kerstetter. The firm lasted for two years, after which Mr. Snyder practiced alone until 1904, when the present firm of Esgate, Spencer & Snyder was formed. Mr. Snyder is somewhat interested in politics, but to a larger degree in his pro- fession. in 1894 Mr. Snyder was married to Olive C. Kerstetter, and they have three children, namely : Margaret, Marion and Harold. Mr.. Snyder is a member of Grace Reformed Church. Fraternally, he is an Odd Fellow. HON. E. W. STUART, senior member. of the law firm of Stuart & Stuart, at Akron, and formerly probate judge of Summit County, is a prominent citizen who is identified with a number of the successful enterprises of this city. Judge Stuart was born May 9, 1840, at New Preston, Litchfield County, Connecticut. His parents settling in Erie County, Ohio, in 1842, his boyhood was spent on his father,s farm. At the age of eighteen he entered the Western Reserve College, having prepared at the Huron Institute at Milan, and was graduated in October, 1862. For a period of four months he served in the Civil War as a member of Company B, Eighty-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, being stationed at Camp Chase, Colum-