BIOGRAPHIES

 Source:
Memoirs of Lucas County & City of Toledo
Harvey Scribner, Editor in Chief
Illustrated
Volumes I & II
Publ. Madison, Wisc. by Western Historical Association
1910
 

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	JOHN PERRIN was born in London England, within sound of Bow Bells, Apr. 10, 1850, son of John and Susanna (Plaskett) Perrin, the former being a stone contractor who died during his son's early boyhood.  Mrs. Perrin re-married, her second husband being George Coles, also a native of England and proprietor of a well-known public-house.  John Perrin, the subject of this sketch, was sent to school in England until he reached the age of fourteen years, when he succeeded in obtaining his parents' permission to come to the United States, and he took passage for New York, where he landed in 1864.  He obtained employment as cashier in the famous Sweeney's restaurant in New York, at that time a resort of the Fenians and the wealthy Irish families of New York.  There he became familiar  with the decimal system of United States money.  the next year he was employed by W. J. Finlay, the brewer, as bookkeeper, held this position three years, and a similar position with Emerson & Co. one year.  He then became interested in western mining prospects and tried his fortunes at Salt Lake City, where he was unsuccessful and lost all his savings within nine months after his arrival.  He then obtained a position as settling clerk for the Lake Shore railroad, and returned to his former position as bookkeeper for Emerson & Co., Mr. Perrin accepted a position as general bookkeeper in the First National Bank of Toledo, which he filled most efficiently for seven years.  Severe rheumatism obliged him to resign this position and, although the bank kept Mr. Perrin on the pay roll six months in the hope of his return to his desk, he was unable to undertake indoor work, and purchased a farm in Washington township, upon which he worked for the benefit of his health.  The out-of-door life restored Mr. Perrin to a considerable degree of health and he returned to Toledo as a public consulting accountant.  At this time he was appointed by the Democrats of Toledo to examine the books of the city as an expert accountant, the late Martin Freidburg being his colleague in this work, appointed by the Republicans.  In 1896, Mr. Perrin was appointed superintendent and clerk of the Woodlawn Cemetery Association, which office he now holds; he has introduced many improvements in the routine of the office and fills the position most acceptably.  Mr. Perrin rents his farm in Washington township, where he is the owner of forty acres, and also owns considerable real estate in Toledo.  He is a supporter of the Democratic national policies, but is not allied with the local Democratic organization.  He w^as a stanch supporter and warm personal friend of Frank Hurd.  During the life of Judge Potter, in the early days when Toledo boasted but one precinct, Mr. Perrin was clerk of the polls.  He is a member of the National Union, the National Association of Cemetery Superintendents, and the Ohio Association of Cemetery Superintendents; he has served one term as president of the last named organization.  Mr. Perrin is a devout member of Trinity Episcopal Church and a constant worshiper at its services.  In his boyhood he was a choir boy in Marchmont's Church in London, where Frederick Archer, afterward the world's greatest organist, led the choir.  Mr. Perrin was united in marriage, in 1872, to Miss Diana Davies, who was born and educated in Wales and was acquainted with her future husband before either of them came to the United States.  The marriage was celebrated in Salt Lake City during Mr. Perrin's residence there.  They are the parents of three children:  Phoebe E. is now Mrs. Ralph W. Schutt of Toledo; Mrs. Frank Gandall is the wife of the manager of the Craig Confectionery Company, of Indianapolis; and John George is manager, superintendent and chief engineer of the Lozier Automobile Company, of Plattsburg, N. Y.  The three children were born in Toledo and were graduated in the high school there.  Mr. and Mrs. Perrin reside in the charming home maintained by the Woodlawn Cemetery Association, at 1540 West Central avenue, connecting with the grounds, and Mr. Perrin occupies a well-appointed office at the entrance of the cemetery.  Woodlawn covers a large tract of beautifully situated park and grove and is one of the prettiest spots in the city.  Source: Memoirs of Lucas County & City of Toledo - Vol. II - Publ. 1910 - Page 334
	HENRY J. PHILIPPS, JR., a prosperous, progressive and influential business man of the city of Toledo, whose success in life is due to his own enterprise, intelligence and a determination to accomplish his purpose, regardless of the obstacles in his pathway, was born in Toledo, Oct. 17, 1859.  He is the son of Henry J., Sr., and Emma (Seeger) Philipps, the former of whom was born in Brunswick, Germany, May 3, 1828, and the latter in Baltimore, Md., about 1840.  The parents were married Oct. 7, 1858.  In the schools of his native land, Henry J. Philipps, Sr., obtained a good knowledge of the English and French language, as well as of his mother tongue.  In March, 1849, he embarked in the sailing vessel "Meta," and at the end of forty-two days arrived in New York City, from where he proceeded by rail to Buffalo, where he took a steamship bound for Toledo.  The first year after reaching this locality he engaged in farming, after which he became a clerk in a general store, and, in 1852, embarked in business on his own account, selling farm implements seeds, etc.  Three years later he entered into partnership with Albert Heufer, under the firm name of the Henry Philpps Company, and this connection was in existence for four years.  A hardware stock, including a wholesale and retail cutlery department, was added, in 1854, and, in 1859, Mr. Philipps bought out his partner's interest.  About 1870, he divided his business into special departments, having his hardware branch on Summit street, and the seed and implement store on St. Clair street.  The latter he sold out, in the spring of 1872, but continued his hardware business for three years.  In 1880, he re-embarked in the seed and implement business, and was very successful.  For some years he was a stockholder in the northern National Bank.  He was instrumental in having St. Clair street leveled, and was the first man to build a good business block and engage in business on that street, and it was owing to his erecting his building there that the Boody House, the opera house and the express building were erected.  From 1872 to 1875, he built a business block on Summit street, also a block on Superior street, and about twelve residences.  In conjunction with two other parties, he also built the Adams Street Railway and operated it about five years, when he disposed of it.  In 1863, he purchased twenty-five acres of land, which he later platted, and which is known as the Columbia Heights Addition to Toledo.  Here may be found many of the best residences and homes of her people.  At the time Mr. Philipps purchased this land, it was swampy and overgrown with timber and brush.  In order to make it habitable, he had made, at his own expense, a large ditch, which improved the land to such an extent that building was soon commenced.  In many other ways he did as much as, and probably more than, any of his associates toward the development and upbuilding of the city of Toledo.  He was ever recognized as a man of sound judgment, of Toledo. He was ever recognized as a man of sound judgment, integrity and thrift, and in politics he rendered allegiance to the Republican party, though he never aspired to office, the only public position he ever held being a member of the city council for two years.  He passed away Feb. 26, 1896, aged sixty-eight years, and his wife survives, living with her two unmarried daughters at the old homestead on Columbia street.  Of their union were born thirteen children, of whom nine are living, as follows: Henry J., Jr., is he whose name initiates this review; Paul A. is engaged in the drug business in Toledo, at the corner of Adams and St. Clair streets; William T. is engaged in the seed and implement business on Monroe street, in Toledo; Herman is associated with Henry J. in the seed and implement business; Charles J. S. is one of the proprietors of the Perennial Gardens, located at Miami, a suburb of Toledo; Albert J. is operating a florist's establishment in Washington, D. C.; Frederick G. is associated with Henry J. in the seed and implement business, and Louise E. and Caroline reside at home with their mother.  Henry J. Philipps, Jr., acquired his educational training in the public schools of Toledo.  He left the high school in his junior year and commenced his real work in life by entering the grain concern of Walker, Fiske & Company, on Water street in Toledo, as a clerk.  He was thus employed until 1877, when he. accepted a position as clerk in the general freight accounting office of the Wabash Railroad Company, in Toledo.  In 1879, the Wabash company transferred its offices to St. Louis, and Mr. Philipps spent two years there in the same capacity.  In 1881, he resigned his position and returned to Toledo, to enter his father's seed and implement business as a partner.  In 1888, a stock company was formed and each of the children received a share in the business, which arrangement exists at the present time, although for years Henry J. has been the chief factor in its management.  He is a man of broad and liberal views, uses much discrimination in the handling of the various details of his business affairs and is recognized as a public spirited citizen.  He is held in high esteem in the community in which he has resided during his lifetime, and he takes much interest in public affairs.  In his political affiliations, he has always supported the cause of the Republican party, but has not been active as a politician.  In matters pertaining to religion, he entertains liberal views, and although reared in the German Lutheran faith, he contributes to the support of all denominations.  He is a member of the wholesale manufacturers' board of the Chamber of Commerce, of Toledo.  Mr. Philipps was married, Oct. 19, 1898, to Miss Gertrude E. .Shepherd, daughter of George F. and Georgiana (Baker) Shepherd, of Toledo, and of this union there has been born two children - Henry Shepherd, born Aug. 22, 1899, and Hermione Elizabeth, born Jan. 17, 1901.  The family residence is at 2260 Fulton street, and Mr. Philipps' place of business is at 115-117 St. Clair street.**  Source: Memoirs of Lucas County & City of Toledo - Vol. II - Publ. 1910 - Page 674 ** Building no longer there
	GEORGE ELTWEED POMEROY, SR., was born in Northampton, Mass., Sept. 16, 1807, a scion of the family of Eltweed Pomeroy, who lived in the Seventeenth century, descendant of a long line of distinguished warriors and statesmen, of whom Sir Pomeroy of Normandy was the progenitor in England.  The name "Pomeroy" is a noted one and has long been known in England, particularly in the counties of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset.  To write a history of the family commensurate with its importance would be impossible in a short space, as its members were people of consequence in Devonshire from the time of the Norman Conquest.  The tradition has been handed from father to son that Eltweed Pomeroy, the first representative of the family in America, of whom the subject of this sketch is a lineal descendant in the seventh generation, was a direct descendant of Sir Ralph De Pomeroy, chief of staff to William the Conquerer.  In the division of lands in England among the followers of the Norman Duke, Sir Ralph received immense estates in Devonshire, which were held almost unimpaired through many generations.  The sons of the founder of the family in England were granted tracts of land in Cornwall and Dorset, and they maintained their position of importance through centuries of feudal strife.  The common interpretation of the name of "Pomeroy" - "royal apple," or "fruit of the king" - is an incorrect one.  The real derivation of the name is from the parish of St. Sauvenur de la Pommeraye, in the department of La Marche, Normandy.  Eltweed Pomeroy, the founder of the American branch of the family, was a skilled mechanic, having been trained in the manufacture of guns.  He sold his manufacturing plant in England and brought with him to the new world only his tools and his knowledge of the craft.  He settled in Dorchester, Mass., and was offered by the Massachusetts Bay Colony a grant of 1,000 acres of land if he would establish a plant for gun manufacture within the borders of the colony.  This proposition was accepted by Mr. Pomeroy, and a large and successful plant was established.  It is a curious fact that, among all the descendants of Eltweed Pomeroy, seven generations followed the craft in which their ancestor was so proficient.  An anvil used by Eltweed Pomeroy is now in the possession of Lemuel Pomeroy of Pittsfield, Mass., and it is the only one of the original tools known to be in existence.  Lemuel Pomeroy was a dealer in arms for thirty years, and a contractor for arms for the United States.  George E. Pomeroy, the subject of this sketch, was taken by his family to Auburn, N. Y., in his early childhood.  He received his education there, and in 1829, was employed in a drug store as a clerk.  In 1830, he went to Palmyra, N. Y., was engaged in business there for several years and, during his residence there, in 1833, married Miss Helen E. Robinson also of Puritan descent.  In 1835, Mr. and Mrs. Pomeroy came to the West, settling at Palmyra, Mich., where Mr. Pomeroy engaged in milling and was also proprietor of a hotel.  On account of Mr. Pomeroy's ill health, he was obliged to give up these ventures and the family returned to New York.  They settled in Albany and, during that period, Mr. Pomeroy inaugurated the express service, which he sold his brother, Thaddeus, in 1844.  The Western opportunities still attracted Mr. Pomeroy, and, in a short time, he returned to Michigan and lcoated at Clinton.  While a resident of Clinton he established the "Detroit Tribune."  In 1863, Mr. Pomeroy engaged in the real-estate business in Toledo and in that thriving city was very successful; his son George E. Pomeroy was later admitted in the business and the firm was called Geo. E. Pomeroy & Son, which association continued until the death of the former, Jan. 12, 1886.  A most interesting departure, and one of far reaching results, was the express line established by Mr. Pomeroy, in Albany, in 1841.  The route was from Albany to Buffalo, and, in June, 1841, Mr. Pomeroy left Albany, as the pioneer express messenger of what was known as "Pomeroy's Express."  The trips were first made weekly, by railway to Batavia, and state to Buffalo - the parcels being carried in a carpet bag and a small trunk.  The round trip consumed eighty-four hours.  Albany and Buffalo bankers had previously employed semi-monthly messengers and were loath to entrust their important interest to an untried agency, but their confidence, once gained, was fully justified, and the express became a permanent adjunct to business traffic and grew rapidly in popular favor.  The transmission of the mail between Albany and Buffalo at that time occupied thirty-six hours longer than the express service.  The route was soon extended to New York, and Thaddeus Pomeroy, a Mr. Wells, and Crawford Livingston entered the firm under the firm name of Pomeroy & Company.  Daily trips were inaugurated, in 1842, and during that year an important advance was made by the addition of mail transportation.  Mr. Pomeroy devised for the use of his patrons the first postage stamp used in the United States - a stamp of similar size and form to those afterward used by the United States postal service.  Two five-cent stamps were designed - one black and one blue - and a vermilion ten-cent stamp.  They were printed on bank-note paper, sized ready for use; the vignette was a handsome steel portrait of a woman, surrounded by the words.  "Pomeroy's Letter Express."  Above were the words, "Free Stamp," and below. "20 for $1.00."  The enterprise was favorably received and offered cheaper service than had hitherto been obtained from the United States government, but the first was soon seriously embarrassed by lawsuits commenced by the government for alleged violations of the postal laws.  Decisions favorably to the Pomeroy Company were rendered by the courts in all cases and, in July 1844, the following announcement appeared in the "Toledo Blad:" "New Post Office, Post Reduced.  Pomeroy's Daily Letter Express, having been extended to this place, is now prepared to carry letters at the following rates:  From Toledo to Detroit and all lake points.  Buffalo included, 6¼ cents; to Batavia, Albany, and New York, 12½ cents; to New England points and Philadelphia, 18¾ cents."  The new post office was located at the drug store of A. Ralston & Son, in the Mott Block, on Southard, Summit and Monroe Streets, and did a flourishing business, as the rates offered were below those of the United States postal service.  With the gradual reduction of government postal rates, and increased efficiency of service, the business diminished, but it was one of the most interesting business developments of the time.  Mr. Pomeroy was a man of remarkable imagination and versatility, quick to see and meet the popular need, and a great measure of his financial ability was transmitted by him to the next generation.  Mrs. George E. Pomeroy was the daughter of Dr. Caius C. Robinson and Chloe (Bradish) Robinson, of Palmyra, Wayne county, New York, and was married at the age of sixteen years.  Soon after her marriage, she accompanied Mr. Pomeroy to Michigan, and they became members of the New York colony which settled Palmyra, Lenawee county.  Mrs. Pomeroy was a resident of Albany while her husband was there engaged in organizing the express venture, which resulted in such a mammoth business.  In 1865, the Pomeroys settled permanently in Toledo, where they obtained immediate social recognition and were in the midst of delightful surroundings.  They celebrated their golden wedding, in 1883, and, after three years more of peaceful family life, the husband and father passed into the eternal rest, Jan. 12, 1886.  Mr. Pomeroy lived with her children until 1895, when she too passed away, May 25,  To all who knew Madame Pomeroy, the tidings of her death brought great personal sorrow.  The memory which she left behind is one of long years filled with labor for others.  With her husband's co-operation, she was instrumental in building churches in Palmyra and Clinton, Mich., and in Toledo.  Her charity was strong and self-contained, with a self-poise that was rarely shaken, yet instinct with tender helpfulness to all who appealed to her for sympathy or material assistance.  Mr. and Mrs. Pomeroy were the parents of five children:  Mrs. Joseph A. Ennis, of Hastings, Minn., is the oldest daughter, and the next younger daughter, Marie Louise, resides with her; George Eltweed Pomeroy is a prominent business man of Toledo, whose sketch also appears in this work; Martha died at the age of thirty years; and the youngest daughter resides in Portland, the wife of the Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Oregon.  Source: Memoirs of Lucas County & City of Toledo - Vol. II - Publ. 1910 - Page 51
	GEORGE ELTWEED POMEROY, JR., is the inheritor of a name brought into national prominence by his father, the pioneer founder of express companies in the United States, and is also the inheritor of the unusual brilliance and force of intellect which were at the root of his father's success.  Mr. Pomeroy is financially and actively interested in a large number of the wealthiest and most important business corporations in Toledo, and is president of the following:  The George E. Pomeroy Company; the Board of Sinking Fund Trustees; the First National Bank, Bellevue, Ohio, and the State Board of Commerce.  His father, George E. Pomeroy, Sr. and his mother, Ellen E. (Robinson) Pomeroy, were both lineal descendants of the earliest members of the Plymouth Rock Colony.  During their residence in Clinton, Lenawee county, Michigan, George Eltweed was born, Nov. 28, 1848.  His youth was spent on his father's 360-acre farm, in Michigan, and, in 1865, he accompanied his mother to Toledo, where his father had preceded them.  Mr. Pomeroys first business venture was entered into when he was twelve years of age, upon his father's farm.  Fifty of his father's sheep were leased by the boy, who paid one and one-half pounds of wool per head, and returned half the number of old sheep and half of the young ones the second year, as rent for the use of the flock.  Young Pomeroy purchased some additional sheep for his flock, and, at the end of the second year, was the owner of sixty-two young sheep; and at the end of the fourth year he had increased the number of his flock to 400.  All of the care of the animals was undertaken by their owner, who also attended public school in Buffalo, N. Y., and the following year came to Toledo, where he became a valuable assistant to his father.  He was active in systematizing his father's rapidly increasing real estate business, and upon his father's death was well fitted by training and experience to preserve and enlarge the latter's important financial interests.  Mr. Pomeroy has business acquaintances and associates in all the large cities of the world and is very widely and favorably known in New York City, where his business interests require him to pass a considerable portion of his time.  He is personally known to leading bankers in London, St. Petersburg, Vienna, the City of Mexico, and also Halifax, and in his connection with the First National Bank of Bellevue, Ohio, for the past twenty-five years as its president, ahs conclusively shown himself the possessor of truly remarkable financial wisdom and foresight.  This institution, organized by Mr. Pomeroy's father and John T. Worthington - Mr. Pomeroys father-in-law - had deposits of $30,000 when Mr. Pomeroy entered upon his duties as president, and it now has $600,000 of deposits and assets of $1,000,000.  Mr. Pomeroy is also a considerable stockholder in the Second National Bank of Toledo, and also in a number of the larger manufacturing concerns.  In political questions of national moment, Mr. Pomeroy sympathizes with the Republican party, but in local matters he holds independent views.  He served as president of the Board of Sinking Fund Trustees for four years and also as Tax Commissioner.  Although his private business responsibilities are very heavy, he is ready to give conscientious attention to public affairs, when his duty as a citizen so demands.  Mr. Pomeroy is greatly interested in the several patriotic societies of which he is a member.  He has served as governor of the Society of Colonial Wars of the State of Ohio; is a member of a similar society in New York; has been State president of the Sons of the Revolution in Ohio, and is also a member of Chapters of the Sons of the American Revolution in Massachusetts and Ohio, and Sons of the Revolution of New York City.  As described in the sketch of Mr. Pomeroy's father, the ancestors of the family played an important part in the Colonial life in New England.  Mr. Pomeroy is a member of the Toledo Club, the Castralia Trout Club, of Castralia, Ohio; the Chamber of Commerce and the Middle Bass Club; was president of the Ohio State Board of Commerce four years, and is now serving as chairman of the Executive Committee of that organization..  He has made a thorough study of systems of taxation, and rendered valuable service to the public as a member of the Tax Commission.  The First Westminster Presbyterian Church is another organization whose welfare is the object of much thought, financial assistance and active labor on the part of Mr. Pomeroy.  For fifteen years he has been president of the Board of Trustees, and was a generous contributor toward the erection of its present handsome house of worship.  On Aug. 22, 1883, Mr. Pomeroy was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Matilda Worthington, a native of Pennsylvania, daughter of John T. Worthington who came from Toledo, in 1876, and was for many years prominently identified with large business interests in Bellevue, Ohio.  Mrs. Pomeroy was educated at St. Mary's Hall, at Burlington, N. J., a college under the direction and authorship of the protestant Episcopal church.  She is a member of the Toledo Chapter of the Colonial Dames and also of the D. A. R.  The home of Mr. and Mrs. Pomeroy, at 806 Huron street, has a rare and peculiar charm, as it is a treasure house of old and most interesting books and paintings - some handed down for generations in the Pomeroy and Worthington families, and some collected by Mr. Pomeroy and his wife.  Mr. Pomeroy is an expert judge of books and Mrs. Pomeroy is the possessor of considerable artistic ability.  Source: Memoirs of Lucas County & City of Toledo - Vol. II - Publ. 1910 - Page 54 NOTE:  It appears 802 Huron Street has been changed to 802 North Huron Street.

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