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Biographies
Source:
Memorial Record of the County of Cuyahoga and
Cleveland, Ohio
ILLUSTRATED
Publ. Chicago:
The Lewis Publishing Company
1894
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BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES FOR CUYAHOGA COUNTY >
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MYRON ACKLEY, an
old settler of Middleburg township, was born in the township of
Livingston, Columbia County, New York, Oct. 6, 1822; and when he
was fourteen years of age his father, Thomas Ackley,
emigrated to Ohio, settling in Middleburg township, this county,
in 1838. He died June 29, 1845.
Mr. Myron Ackley, our subject, has been a
resident here ever since 1838, engaged in farming, and is
therefore one of the oldest settlers. He was married here
to Miss Betsey E. Fowles, who was born in this township,
and died here, November 9, 1870. By this marriage there
were three children, namely: Harriet E. who became the
wife of H. M. Root and died October 56, 1889;
Samuel J., who married Miss Ida R. Spofford and
resides in this township; and Ellen, who is the wife of
Franklin Beckwith.
Source: Memorial Record of the County of Cuyahoga and City of
Cleveland, Ohio - Publ. Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1894
- Page 366 |
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ARTHUR ADAMS. -Few
if any of Brecksville's old citizen are better known than the
gentleman whose name heads this sketch. His long residence
in the township, with his many dealings with the public has
given him a wide and favorable acquaintance. He was born
Apr. 18, 1831, in Richfield township, Summit county, Ohio, which
joins Brecksville township, this county.
His father, Augustus Adams, was born in
Litchfield county, Connecticut, where he received a meager
education and was partly reared on a farm. In his youth he
began to learn the blacksmith's trade, at Torrington,
Connecticut, and nearly completed his apprenticeship In
1814, he bought the remainder of his time as apprentice for $50,
giving his note, went to New Haven and worked a while in a
Government factory there, where they manufactured cannon
carriages; next he went to Goshen and "set up shop" awhile, and
then started for the "far distant West," arriving in Richfield
township, Summit county, Ohio to seek broader fields of
opportunity for his fortune. He traveled with a wagon and
one small horse, bringing his tools. His journey was a
tedious one, beset with many obstacles and disappointments,
which disciplined his wit and patience. Just before
reaching his destination he found it necessary to cut down trees
that stood defiantly in the way of his little horse and wagon.
Arriving at his destination in Ohio, he "set up shop" and
prospered in his work.
The next important event in his life was his choice of
a wife, namely, Miss Poly Farnham, a native of
Connecticut who had come to Richfield with her parents, John
and wife. Her father "took up" 1,200 acres in that
township. But Mrs. Adams died in 1846, being laid
at rest in Richfield township, after she had become the mother
of four children, namely: Mary, who married Dr. Monson
and died in Independence township, Cuyahoga county; Phoebe,
now Mrs. John Noble of Brecksville township, and
Arthur, the subject of this sketch; besides Eliza,
who died in infancy. After the death of his wife Mr.
Adams returned to Connecticut and married a widow, Mrs.
Anna Barber.
In 1833 Mr. Adams moved into Brecksville
township, purchasing over 325 acres of timber land, in its
primitive State, and located in the southern part of the
township. Naturally a a blacksmith-shop was among the
first improvements upon this property, and in a short time he
was known far and near as a good workman and of absolute
necessity to the wants of the growing pioneer community.
He had therefore a large and prosperous business. To
obtain the iron required in his work he made a trip to
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, which required many days to accomplish,
the iron being brought by canal. In later year he
abandoned his trade and gave his attention to faring, which he
followed during his active life. After he quite manual
labor of the work there. His death occurred in 1884, and
he now sleeps in Center cemetery. Politically he was a
Whig and Republican, being well informed and decided in his
views, and was a regular attendant at the elections. He
was bitterly opposed to the use of intoxicants, and never would
even allow any of them to be used at "bees," or industrial
gatherings. He was a zealous member of the Congregational
Church. At his trade he had few equals and no superiors;
was a highly respected citizen every way, and was a self-made
man in every sense of the word. After his death his widow
survived a number of years, and died at Urbana, Ohio, in 1889.
Mr. Arthur Adams, whose name introduces this
sketch, attended Twinsburg (Ohio) Academy two years, when
Professor Samuel Bissell was at its head. Naturally a
mechanic, he exhibited a great degree of aptitude at the trade
of carpentry, and by practice developed a thorough knowledge of
the trade. After his marriage he located on the farm which
he now occupies and owns, and followed agricultural pursuits, in
addition to some carpentry work. He has erected many
buildings in his neighborhood, and some even beyond the limits
of his community; but in 1870 he abandoned this trade and has
since given his attention more exclusively to farming. His
farm comprises 108 acres, and lies two and a half miles south of
Brecksville Center. For himself he erected one of the
largest barns in the township. He is a good and successful
farmer. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and in
religion both himself and wife are members of the Congregational
Church.
Jan. 1, 1863, he married Miss Diana E. Green,
who was born Jan. 24, 1843, in Illinois, a daughter of Harvey
and Catharine (Parker) Green, who came to Independence
township when their daughter was a child. Mr. and Mrs.
Adams' children are: Harvey A., of Atlanta,
Georgia; Arthur G., at home; Grace, of Painesville
(Ohio) Seminary; Earl F., a school-teacher; and Ruba
J., at home.
Source: Memorial Record of the County of Cuyahoga and City of
Cleveland, Ohio - Publ. Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1894
- Page 311 |
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SEYMOUR F. ADAMS,
attorney at law, Cleveland, was born July 3, 1837, at Vernon,
Oneida county, N. Y., a son of Silas and Alvira Adams, of
Oneida Castle, N. Y., His father was born also at Vernon, July
4, 1809, and he has been a horticulturist and farmer of some
note. In 1858 he located at Oneida, N. Y., where he still
resides, t the age of eighty-four years.
Mr. Adams was educated At Hamilton college,
Clinton county, New York, where he graduated in 1858, with the
degrees of A. B. and A. M. He then as an instructor took
charge of the classical department of Oneida Seminary, where he
remained one year, and was then elected by the trustees of the
Vernon Academy as its principal, in which capacity he served one
year. The profession of law appeared early to invite
Mr. Adams into its realm, and in 1860 he began its study at
the University of Albany, New York, and graduated there with the
degree of LL. B., in May, 1861, was admitted to the bar in the
same year, and commenced practice in Lewis county, that State.
The breaking out of the war changed the operations of
Mr. Adams. In July, 1862, he enlisted in the Fifth
New York Heavy Artillery as Second Lieutenant. Feb. 11,
1863, he was promoted First Lieutenant, and early in 1865 as
Captain. Having been a law graduate and a lawyer by
profession he was called upon to perform the duties of Judge
Advocate in the division of which his regiment was a part, being
detailed by the commanding officer of his division, and upon
this detailed duty her served nearly half of the first year of
his army life. In 1863 with his regiment he went to
Harper's Ferry, where he was detailed as Ordnance Officer, in
which capacity he served several months. Later he was
detailed as Aid-de-camp on the staff of General Max Weber,
commanding officer of the division, who afterward was relieved
by General John D. Stevenson, and he appointed Captain
Adams his Adjutant General and Chief of Staff, and as such
he served until mustered out of the service in July of 1865.
He was a participant in many important battles and campaigns, as
the battles of the Shenandoah Valley, under General Sigel
and Sheridan, etc.
At the close of the war Mr. Adams returned to
New York and there resumed the practice of his profession.
In 1865 he was elected the District Attorney of Lewis county,
but before the expiration of his term of office he resigned,
having received a letter from Judge Bishop of this
city, inviting him to come to Cleveland and become his partner
in the practice of law. The invitation was accepted and at
once Mr. Adams came to Cleveland. He and Judge
Bishop were associated together in the profession from 1867
till 1881, in which latter year the death of Judge Bishop
occurred. In 1877 Judge Bishop's son became
associated with this firm, and after the death of his father,
young Bishop remaining in the firm, the style of the same
was changed to Adams & Bishop, rather than Bishop & Adams, and
at present the law firm of Adams & Bishop has an
extensive general practice.
In 1871 Mr. Adams married Miss Eliza, the
daughter of Sylvester Spooner, of Vermont Mr. and Mrs.
Adams have two children. The older is a daughter,
Sarah, who is now in Smith College as a student. The
younger, Walter S., is attending the Cleveland high
school.
Source: Memorial Record of the County of Cuyahoga and City of
Cleveland, Ohio - Publ. Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1894
- Page 332 |
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ANDREW J. AIKEN,
chief engineer of the Fairmount water works, Cleveland, Ohio,
was born in Brooklyn, Cuyahoga county, this State, Jan. 29,
1834, son of William and Betsey (Clark) Aiken, both
natives of Connecticut.
Mr. Aiken was educated in his native
town, and early in life chose for his occupation the business of
engineer. He ran the engines in the gristmills of Poe,
Kelley and Selden & Sargeant previous to 1862,
and that year went on the steaming, S. C. Ives. He
was employed on the lakes from 1862 until 1872. In 1872 he
resigned his position on the Magnet and located in Cleveland.
For ten years he was first assistant at division pumping
station, and for eight years he has occupied his present
position. During all this lime he has never had a serious
accident. On one occasion he risked his own life to save
that of another man, and from the effects of injury received
thereby was laid up for sixteen days. From the time he
started out to make his own way in the world he has never been
out of employment, and during his life in Cleveland and
elsewhere he has ingratiated himself with his co-workers, his
employers, and, indeed, all with whom he has come in contact.
Mr. Aiken was married September 25, 1864,
to Miss Catharine Welsh, adopted daughter
of Benjamin S. Welsh, of Cleveland. They have a
family of seven children, namely: William was engineer on
the John Harper, a lake steamer; Louis, machinist; Bettie
Louisa, wife of a Mr. Small, has one child,
Catherine; Ruth; Harry Lorenzo; Andrew J., Jr.; and
Esther.
Of the adopted parents of Mrs. Aiken we
make record as follows: Benjamin S. Welsh was one of the
early pioneers of northern Ohio. He served in the war of
1812, and afterward for some time in the regular army, being
stationed at Mackinaw Island, then a trading post. After his
discharge, 1817, he settled in Cleveland, where he was well
known as a pioneer tavern keeper for many years. He
remained in this city up to the time of his death, which
occurred in 1876, at the age of eighty-seven years. His
wife, Sophronia Welsh, died in 1872, at the age of
seventy-six. Both were members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and were people of sterling qualities. Mrs.
Welsh was noted far and near as an excellent nurse and good
cook. Indeed, few of the pioneers of this city had a
warmer place in the hearts of the people here than did this
worthy couple. They had a family of four children besides
the adopted daughter alluded to, namely: Oscar, who
died in 1892, aged seventy years; James, who died in
1883; Lorelle, widow of James B. Wilber, is
a resident of Chicago; and Roselia, wife of Henry
Hows, of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Politically, Mr. Aiken is a Republican,
as are his sons and as also was his father. He is a member
of the Marine Engineers. Mrs. Aikeu is a
member of Beckwith Church.
Source: Memorial Record of the County of Cuyahoga and City of
Cleveland, Ohio - Publ. Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1894
- Page 463 |
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WILLIAM J. AKERS,
one of the proprietors of the Forest City Hotel, Cleveland, was
born in Lancashire, England, Aug. 2, 1845, and was an infant
when his parents emigrated to America, settling in Cleveland,
Nov. 1, same year. His father, John Akers, was a
civil engineer by profession, which he followed for years.
After arriving in this city he turned his attention to building,
and left many monuments of his labors throughout Ohio, in the
form of the best buildings of the time, the old jail in
Cleveland being one. As he was a man of independent means,
he was prepared to take and fulfill large contracts. In
1857, however, he suffered financial ruin, consequent upon the
general panic of that year, and soon afterward, in the same
year, he died, leaving a wife (nee Catherine O'Learie)
and four children, the latter being: William J., whose
name introduces this sketch; John M., proprietor of the
Russell House at Alliance and also of the dining hall at
the Cleveland depot; Martha A.; and Mrs. H. A. Bushea.
Their mother died in Cleveland, in 1813.
Mr. William J. Akers was a lad
of twelve years when his father died, and, being compelled to
industrious at some employment for the support of his mother and
the rest of the family, he had little time for schooling or
recreation. However, he received considerable aid in his
studies at intervals from his mother, a lady of education and
general culture. Among his early cares was the building of
the fires at the school building he attended, for which he
received $8 a month. He also secured an old horse and
wagon and hauled chips to town for sale, thus earning a little
sum worth mentioning. Later he obtained a place behind the
lunch counter at the depot restaurant, where he was soon
promoted clerk, and ere long possessed an interest in the
business, and continued to prosper until he became sole
proprietor. From the very beginning he was determined to
build a fortune, and therefore bent all his energies in that
direction. As hotel work seemed best adapted to his
tastes, he applied himself to that, and he has owned and managed
various hotels and eating houses, as the Cleveland Depot eating
house. Kassell House at Alliance, the Continental and Gibson
Hotels at Crestline, Ohio, and the dining cars over the Bee Line
system. In some of the above he was associated with his
brother.
In 1889 he formed a partnership with S. T. Paine,
formerly for years clerk of the Forest City Hotel. They
leased this house, which they have ever since conducted;
remodeled it, and are now running the institution according to
all the demands of the times, which they know well how to do.
It will be interesting to notice in brief review the
past history of this site. First, as early as 1817 the ground
was sold for fifty cents: in 1893 an offer of $750,000 was
refused for it! The first hotel on this site was the
Cleveland Hotel, built in 1825; in 1849 the name was changed to
Dunham House, and in
1858 to Russell's Forest City House; in 1868 the name Russell
was dropped, and ever since then no change has been made.
During the summer of 1893 Messrs. Akers and
Paine conducted the Eureka .Springs Hotel, one of the
favorite resorts of the Keystone State.
In benevolent work Mr. Akers has been one
of the first enthusiastic and conspicuous in Cleveland. When the
Chicago fire sufferers were in their greatest need of help, he
was secretary of the relief committee and a member of the
executive committee for the Michigan fire sufferers the same
season; was chairman of the Ohio river flood relief committee;
member of the relief committee for the sufferers of the
Johnstown flood; chairman of the relief committee for the
sufferers from the Oil City flood and fire. This list is a
record of labor, and many sleepless nights has Mr.
Akers had during the past ten years in connection with the
Bethel Associated Charities, being a member of the executive
committee and of the Board of Managers of Bethel Union.
Two of the most satisfactory undertakings with which
Mr. Akers has been connected were the erection of the
Masonic Temple at Cleveland and the Masonic Home in Springfield,
this State, of both of which he is a trustee. He is a
thirty-third-degree Mason: has been Commander-in-Chief of
Scottish Masonry for northern Ohio. He has served in all
the offices of the Grand Lodge of Masons excepting that of
Master of the Grand Lodge.—which, indeed, by the way, was
tendered him. Initiated into Masonry in 1868, he received
the thirty-third degree in 1886, in which year lie was also
appointed representative to the Grand Lodge of Kentucky.
More locally, he has for three years been president of the
Cleveland Masonic Club; is an honorary life member of the
Cleveland Grays, and he has been president of the Cleveland
Hotel-Keepers' Association ever since its organization. In 1891
he was elected vice-president of the National Hotel Keepers'
Association. Politically he is a prominent Republican.
For four years he was a member of the Board of Education, for
six years a member of the Library Board, and two years a member
of the Board of Control of the House of Correction; and he is
stockholder in a number of business concerns in this city.
In 1893 he was unanimously nominated (by acclamation)
at the Republican Convention as their candidate for Mayor of
Cleveland, but was defeated in the election by a small number of
votes.
Source: Memorial Record of the County of Cuyahoga and City of
Cleveland, Ohio - Publ. Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1894
- Page 472 |
James Albert Anderson
pg. 555 |
|
George W. Arbuckle
pg. 311 |
GEORGE W. ARBUCKLE
Source: Memorial Record of the County of Cuyahoga and City of
Cleveland, Ohio - Publ. Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1894
- Page 311
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DR. ELROY M. AVERY,
State Senator for the Twenty-fifth Ohio District, an able
educator, a popular author, and an ideal American citizen, is a
descendant of that old Norman family of Averys who found
their who found their way into England with William the
Conqueror in the year 1066.
Christopher Avery, born in England about
1590, came to Massachusetts in the transport Arbella, with
Governor Winthrop, and landed at Salem in June, 1630.
He was a selectman of Gloucester, Massachusetts, for eight
years. Later, he lived in Boston, and in New London,
Connecticut, and was made a freeman of that colony in 1669,
dying ten years later. His descendants are found in every
State of the Union.
Contemporary with Christopher Avery were
John Avery, who died in Boston in 1654; Thomas
Avery of Salt a blacksmith. who came over in the vessel
John and Mary in 1633; and Dr. William Avery,
of Dedham, who came to America in 1654 and died in Boston in
1687 (the houses of Dr. William Avery and
of Christopher Avery were united, probably for the first
time in America, by the marriage of Catherine Hitchcock
Tilden and Dr. Elroy M. Avery, the subject of this memoir);
Dr. "William Avery, Dr. Jonathan Avery, Dorothy (Avery)
Angier, Dorothy (Angier) Hitchcock, Gad Ilitclicock, M. D.,
Catherine (Hitchcock) Tilden, Junius Tilden, Catherine H.
Tilden, Elroy M. Avery, Caspar II. Avery, Amos W. Avery,
Abraham Avery, William Avery, John
Avery, James Avery and Christopher Avery.
Christopher's only child was
James, founder of the Groton Averys. When ten years old,
he came with his father to Massachusetts. Joanna
Greenslade of Boston became his wife. He moved to
Gloucester, and six years later, 1650, moved to New London,
where his friend, the younger Winthrop, had made a
settlement five years before. James Avery was a large landowner
in and near New London, and in 1656 built the "Hive of the
Averys" at Poquonuock Plain, and lived there till his death.
The building is still in good repair and owned and occupied, as
it always has been, by an Avery.
James Avery became a
famous Indian fighter, a very active business man, and an
influential citizen. He seems to have been invariably
designated to treat with the neighboring Indians, and to settle
the controversies between them and the whites. He was
townsman twenty years, was twelve times elected to the
Connecticut General Court, was a Peace Commissioner, Assistant
Judge of the County Court, and a prominent member of the church.
After the death of his first wife he married Mrs.
Abigail Holmes, in 1698. He died April 18, 1700.
John Avery, James's
third son, married Abigail, daughter of Samuel
Cheesbrough, in 1675. The records show him to have had
strong military inclinations. In 1700 he became one of the
original proprietors of New Lebanon, Connecticut.
William Avery, John's third son, married Anna
Richardson in 1715. His second wife was Sarah
Walker.
Lieutenant Abraham
Avery, the ninth son of William Avery, served
as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. Later, he became a
privateer and was captured by the enemy. After suffering
on a prison ship, he was landed at Elizabethtown, New Jersey,
and begged his way back to Connecticut. He married
Mercy Packer of Groton, six children being born of
the union. He moved to New York about 1794, and about 1800
settled at Preston, Chenango county. He died at Earlville,
Madison county. New York, in 1843.
Amos Walker Avery, Abraham's
third son, was born at Colerain, Massachusetts, in 1789 In 1808
he married Nancy McCutcheon, settled in Monroe county.
New York, and later moved to La Salle, Michigan, where he died
in 1863.
Casper Hugh Avery, the oldest
child of Amos W., was born at Preston, New York, July 25,
1809. He settled at Erie, Monroe county, Michigan, in 1833
and married Dorothy Putnam, September 26, 1843.
She died March 17, 1868, and he followed March 5, 1873.
Elroy McKendree Avery, the oldest child of
Caspar H., was born at Erie, Monroe county, Michigan, July
14, 1844, soon after which his father moved from his farm to the
county seat. Dr. Avery's business education
began when he became carrier for the two newspapers published in
Monroe, at a weekly compensation of thirty cents from each. To
this pittance he soon added small sums earned as bill-poster and
distributor. He was by nature a student, and soon became
able to teach, his first school being in Frenchtown township,
Monroe county, when he was only sixteen years of age. He
"boarded around" and enjoyed all the luxuries and comforts
implied by that term.
The "Smith Guards" was the first company raised in
Monroe county for service in the Civil war, and one of the
teachers and many of the larger boys of the union school joined
it, young Avery among the number. This company became
Company A, Fourth Michigan Infantry. Oil account of his
youth he was denied muster-in, and the regiment went to
Washington without him. But he could not content himself at
home; accompanying a later regiment to Washington, he joined his
classmates, July 14, 1861, just as they were preparing to
advance toward Bull Kun. Taking the gun and uniform of a
sick comrade he crept in under the canvas, so to speak, and
became Federal soldier. The first week of his seventeenth
year closed with the battle of Bull Run. This experience
brushed away some of the novelty of soldiering, and when the
First Michigan returned to their State after a three months'
service the schoolboy soldier accompanied them, at the earnest
solicitation of his mother. lie subsequently enlisted in the
Fifteenth and Seventeenth Michigan Regiments, but each time his
loving mother prevented his being mustered in. In 1863 the
young military enthusiast was mustered in as a private in
Company E, Eleventh Michigan Cavalry. He remained with his
regiment through all its campaigning under Burbridge, Stonenian
and other leaders, and was promoted from the ranks to
Sergeant-Major on the field of the hand-to-hand contest at
Saltville, Virginia. He was a war correspondent for the Detroit
Daily Tribune, the beginning of a journalistic career which was
continued for many years after the war with both pleasure and
profit. At the end of the war (August, 1865), he was
mustered out of service at Pulaski, Tennessee.
Promptly turning his attention again to the attainment
of a better education, he attended the Monroe (Michigan) high
school in order to prepare for the University of Michigan, where
he matriculated in September, 1867. His sophomore and
junior years found him with scant means for finishing his
studies, and to replenish his depleted purse he accepted the
principalship of the Battle Creek (Michigan) high school, at an
annual salary of $1,000. After a satisfactory service of
four months he resigned this position, accepted another on the
editorial staff of the Detroit Tribune, caught
up with his class at Ann Arbor, carried his college and
journalistic work, and was graduated in June, 1871.
Before graduation Mr. Avery was offered and accepted
the superintendency of the Charlotte (Michigan) public schools,
but at his own request he was released from his engagement to
accept a like position in the East Cleveland (Ohio) schools,
offered him in July, 1871. In August, 1871, he resigned
his editorial work and began anew his pedagogical career.
In the following year the village of East Cleveland was annexed
to the city of Cleveland, but for a time the school supervision
was not much affected thereby. When the growth of the East high
school demanded all of his time as principal he was released
from his responsibility as supervisor. In 1878 the East
high school and the Central high school were consolidated, and
Mr. Avery was transferred to the principalship of
the Cleveland Normal School, then the apex of the public-school
system of the city. The next year he retired from pedagogical
duties and assumed a work more lucrative but not more congenial.
As an educator Dr. Avery has no superior
in this or any other State. His knowledge is broad and
general; his mind and habits are disciplined; systematic method
is visible in everything he does. He has the rare and happy
faculty of being able to impart instruction in a clear and
pleasing manner, creating among his pupils much enthusiasm and a
desire for original investigation. In consequence he was
popular and successful in the schoolroom. If he has
anything to say through the press or from the platform the
public 'is at once impressed with the fact that he has mastered
both his subject and its proper presentation.
For two seasons after leaving the schoolroom Dr.
Avery was in the lecture field with an illustrated
experimental lecture for non-scientific people on electric
light. He carried nearly two tons of apparatus with him
and succeeded in making a scientific lecture pay. In May, 1881,
he began the organization of Brush electric-light and power
companies in the larger cities of the country.
While he was a teacher some of his spare hours had been
employed in text-book authorship. His Elementary Physics
was published in 1876, and was immediately adopted for use in
the Cleveland high schools. In 1878 his Elements of
Natural Philosophy appeared, and met with a success so marked
that its publishers called for "more copy," they have since
published his Elements of Chemistry, Complete Chemistry, First
Principles of Natural Philosophy, Modern Electricity and
Magnetism, Teachers' Handbook and Physical Technics. His
text-books are largely used by the better class of high schools
in the United States and in Canada. Other books written by
him, and issued by other publishers, have also had wide
circulation. His published addresses have been much commended
for their force and finish. For the last eight or nine
years he has had in hand an extensive historical work which he
hopes to finish by the end of the century.
In politics Dr. Avery has made himself
felt as a representative of the people. In the spring of 1891,
without his consent and even against his will, he was made a
candidate for Councilman from the Sixth District, comprising the
Twentieth, Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third wards.
At the election (April 7, 1891), his majority was 1,027, larger
than that given in any other district in the city. This
council had to deal with the organization of the new city
government under the " Federal plan," and the ordinances for the
creation of the departments of Public Works, Law, Accounts,
Fire, Police and Charities and Correction, bear his name. He
took the leading part in the investigation, and the passage of
the ordinance which reduced the price of gas from a dollar to
eighty eighty cents per thousand cubic feet, and secured the
payment into the city treasury of five per cent, of the gross
receipts of the gas companies. He was chairman of
committees for the investigation of the street railroads of the
city, and of the city infirmary. His antismoke ordinance,
declaring the emission of dense smoke to be a nuisance and
affixing a penalty therefor, is another evidence of his wisdom
and public spirit. His pet project was the founding of a
city farm school for evil disposed, incorrigible or vicious
youth, abandoned children, or those ill-treated by intemperate
or brutal parents. This measure stirred a responsive chord
in the hearts of a vast majority of the thinking and reputable
men and women of the city, and was passed by the Council by a
vote of sixteen to two, but was killed by the mayor's veto.
Had this bill become a law many youthful offenders would have
been saved from contact with hardened criminals; they would have
been taught trades and given the fundamentals of a common
education, and finally returned for good citizenship, and
wholly free from any criminal record. But the end
is not yet.
At the end of the year Dr. Avery felt
that he could not afford to give the time necessary for the
proper performance of the duties attached to public service, and
positively declined a re-election.
In the summer of 1893 he was forced by leading citizens
into a contest for the Republican nomination for a State
Senatorship, and under the popular vote plan won a magnificent
victory. He spoke every night during the ensuing campaign and
helped materially to win the magnificent victory for the
Republican ticket in November, his plurality being only fifteen
short of nine thousand. He led led the entire legislative
ticket.
Dr. Avery was the founder of the Logan
Club, the oldest permanent Republican club in the city, and
still serves as its president. He is general secretary and
treasurer of the Ohio Protective Tariff League, and has been for
many years a member of the Republican county central committee.
He was the second president of the Ohio Conference of Charities
and Correction. He is a member of the American Historical
Society; a life member of the Ohio Archaeological and Historical
Society; of the Western Reserve Historical Society and of the
American Economic Association; a Fellow of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science; a charter member of
the Forest City Post, G. A. R.; and president of the Western
Reserve Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. He is a
Knight Templar, and received the thirty-second degree, Scottish
Rite Masonry, in February, 1878.
July 2, 1870, Mr. Avery married
Catherine Hitchcock Tilden, who had succeeded him in
the principalship of the Battle Creek high school. She was
his most able assistant during his pedagogical career in
Cleveland. Generous in sympathy, capable of advising with
wisdom, she has been in every way an ideal companion.
Thus Dr. Avery's life has been and is full of
activity, abounding in practical application, always progressive
and unusually successful.
Source: Memorial Record of the County of Cuyahoga and City of
Cleveland, Ohio - Publ. Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1894
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