Biographies
Source:
Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio
Embracing the Counties of
Ashtabula, Trumbull and Mahoning
Containing Portraits of all the Presidents of the United States, with a
Biography of each,
together with Portraits and Biographies of Joshua R. Giddings, Benjamin
F. Wade,
and a large number of the Early Settlers and
Representative Families of to-day.
"Biography is the only true history." - Emerson
CHICAGO:
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY.
1893
Transcribed by Sharon Wick
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1893
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JAMES
NEILSON, formerly one of the most prominent
and progressive citizens of Youngstown, now deceased, was born in
Glasgow, Scotland, Dec. 1842. His mother died when he was an
infant, but the father survived her until 1887, when his death
occurred in his native city of Glasgow, he never having been in the
United States. Our subject received a common-school education
in his native country, emigrating to America when he attained his
majority, locating near Columbus, Ohio, where he worked upon his
uncle’s farm for one year, and then went to Canada, but after about
six months returned to Ohio, to accept the position of weigh-master,
at the old Powers coal mine. In 1866 the mines were leased by
the Andrews Bros, the following year the blast
furnaces at Haselton were in progress of erection, and the firm,
appreciating the ability of Mr. Neilson, placed him in
charge of their books, which position he retained for ten years,
when he was made the manager of the furnace in addition to his other
duties. In 1880, he became a member of the firm of Andrews
Bros. & Co., and in 1887, upon the incorporation of the
Andrews Brothers Company, he was elected vice-president
and general manager of their extensive iron plant and mines, which
position he continued to hold until his death. In 1889 he
organized the Youngstown Bridge Company, of which he was made
president; the Mahoning Ore Company, operating mines in Minnesota,
of which he was also made president; and be came a stockholder and
director of the Youngstown Car Manufacturing Company. He also
held stock in the Morris Hardware Company, the G. M.
McKelvey Company, the Dollar Savings and Trust Company, the Ohio
Steel Company, and the Commercial National Bank. When the
Mahoning Ore Company was organized in 1892, it was the desire of the
late H. O. Bonnell that its interest be placed in the hands
of Mr. Neilson, and it was while engaged in attending to the
business of this corporation that his death occurred. During
the fall and winter of 1892-’93 he made frequent trips to the ore
regions of the Northwest, where he was obliged to endure hardships
to which he was not accustomed, and his system became undermined, so
that when he was attacked by a severe case of grip he was unable to
rally, and his death occurred, May 24, 1893, of heart failure,
superinduced by the grip.
In 1866, Mr. Neilson was married to
Mrs. Eliza Gibson, who had two children by a former marriage,
Miss L. Lola Gibson, who resides with her mother, and Dr. R.
D. Gibson, a practicing physician of Youngstown. Mrs.
Neilson is a most estimable Christian lady, of refined
sensibilities, and her cheerful disposition cheered Mr. Neilson’s
home for over a quarter of a century before he was called away by
death.
Mr. Neilson joined the Presbyterian
Church at twenty-three years of age and continued firm in its
principles until the day of his death. A strong temperance
man, he advocated every measure tending toward the furtherance of
reform and progress. It was during a reception held at his
residence in honor of Mr. C. H. Yatman, the evangelist, that
the project of building a home for the Young Men’s Christian
Association was first broached, and since that time the beautiful
and substantial building in which their meetings are held has been
built. A prominent Mason, he was connected with Hillman Lodge,
No. 481, F. & A. M., of which he was Past Master; Youngstown
Chapter, No. 93; St. John’s Commandery, K. T., No. 20; Alcoran
Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of Cleveland, Ohio, and of the
Lake Erie Consistory of Scottish Rite Masons, and through his entire
life lived up to the teachings of his order.
A kind and affectionate husband, a good neighbor, a
thoughtful employer and a most exemplary Christian, Mr.
Neilson’s death was felt throughout the entire community and the
most gratifying notices relative to his many sterling qualities were
published in the various newspapers and trade journals of the
country. One of the prominent figures in local business
circles, his loss is felt through out the city, for few were the
enterprises in which he did not play an important part, either as
official or stockholder; and the success attained by him is the
result of his energy, combined with his great ability as a manager
and his excellent business qualifications. His every act was manly,
his friendships lasting, and all who knew him esteemed him for his
many virtues. No death in the entire city has ever called
forth such sincere expressions of sorrow, and all feel that the
community has lost one of its most prominent advocates in this
influential and tireless worker, whose success was looked upon as
the success of the city. Not content with furthering his
business interests, Mr. Neilson was an earnest church
member and gave largely of his abundance to those less fortunate.
It was his purpose to be personally acquainted with all the men
under him, and many of them can recall untold acts of kindness,
deeds of generosity and expressions of interest and sympathy, which
proved more valuable than material assistance. His employes
ever regarded him as their friend, and his death is mourned by none
more deeply than those who under his direction earned their daily
bread by the labor of their hands. He possessed rare good
judgment, was broad-minded and ever willing to utilize his talents
for the good of the church and the community at large. His
word was always regarded as good as his bond, and none there were
who doubted any assertion he might make. A Republican in
politics, he supported the measures of that party upon any and all
occasions, although he never sought office, preferring to give his
sole time and attention to the direction of his own affairs.
At the time of his death he was a member of the Board of Health,
having been elected to that office without any previous knowledge of
his having been a candidate. He was a rarely good man, an
enterprising and public-spirited citizen, and in his death the city
loses one of its best sons. He was companionable in the
extreme, possessing an even disposition and pleasant manners, and
won the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens. His well
rounded life, filled with deeds of charity and goodness, that were
almost without limitation, is an endearing heritage to all who knew
him.
Source: Biographical History of
Northeastern Ohio Embracing the Counties of Ashtabula, Trumbull and
Mahoning - Publ. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1893 - Page
650 |
|
JOHN B.
NESSLE Source: Biographical History of
Northeastern Ohio Embracing the Counties of Ashtabula, Trumbull and
Mahoning - Publ. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1893 - Page
519 |
|
NORTH
NEWTON, a prominent and prosperous farmer of
Boardman township, Mahoning county, Ohio, was born at the place
where he now lives in the year 1849, son of Sheldon and Rachel
(Hahn) Newton. His parents had five children, the others being
Warner, Olive, George and Sarah. Olive
and North are the only ones of this number who are now
living.
The Newtons are of English extraction, the first
members of the family having come from England to America in 1676
and located in the Housatonic valley, Connecticut. Sheldon
Newton was born in 1804, and died in 1888. His mother’s
maiden name was Olive Warner, she being a sister of
Colonel Seth Warner of Revolutionary fame. Rachel
Hahn was born in 1813, and her marriage to Mr. Newton
occurred in 1837. They were among the early pioneers of
Mahoning county, and he was prominently identified with local
affairs here. He owned 150 acres of land; was a director in
the Mahoning County Bank, and was vice-president of the First
National Bank at Youngstown; was a Justice of the Peace forty years
and also served as County Commissioner and Representative to the
State Assembly, being elected to these offices on the Republican
ticket. His wife was a member of the Episcopal Church.
Warner Newton, the oldest brother of our subject,
enlisted in the Union army in 1861, and went out as a member of
Company E, Second Ohio Cavalry. He was killed at Five Forks,
Virginia, in September, 1861. He was serving as Major at the
time of his death.
North Newton was married Sept. 27, 1871, to
Marinthe A. Kirk, daughter of William Kirk, of Boardman
township, Mahoning county. They have two children: Gertrude
R. and Sheldon W. Both have been educated at
Youngstown and Painesville, this State.
Mr. Newton erected his commodious and
attractive residence in 1891, and has one of the finest homes in the
township. He owns 150 acres of Mahoning county’s best soil,
and is engaged in general farming and stock raising. He is a
stockholder in the First National Bank of Youngstown, and is
interested in the Poland Milling Company at Poland. He takes
an active interest in political issues, affiliating with the
Republican party, and has served as Justice of the Peace six years.
He is a Freemason. Mrs. Newton is a member of
the Episcopal Church.
Source: Biographical History of
Northeastern Ohio Embracing the Counties of Ashtabula, Trumbull and
Mahoning - Publ. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1893 - Page
549 |

James H. Nutt |
JAMES H.
NUTT. - Among the prominent personages
identified with the great iron interests of Youngstown, is James
H. Nutt, who, although still in the prime of life, has already
attained the summit of worldly prosperity, being at present
secretary of the Mahoning & Shenango Valley Iron Manufacturing
Association. Mr. Nutt was born in Worcestershire,
England, Nov. 19, 1848, a son of Thomas and Ann (Poultney) Nutt,
both natives of England, where they died, the father at the age of
sixty-eight and the mother at the age of sixty-three, the former
being by occupation a tinman. Nine children were born to their
union, of whom but three grew to maturity, one brother, Thomas,
now residing in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ohio subject received his scholastic education in
england, and became an iron-worker before coming to the United
States in 1868. Upon his arrival in this country he located in
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, engaging at his trade, and in January,
1876, he removed to Youngstown, Ohio, to work in the rolling mills
as a heater with the Brown-Bonnell Company. This
occupation he followed for sixteen years, during which time he took
an active part in the iron movement which has played so prominent a
part in the upbuilding of the city. He was one of the
organizers of the American Amalgamated Association. In 1877 he
was elected vice-president of the Amalgamated Association of Iron
and Steel Workers of the United States for this district, serving
three separate terms. He was also elected one of the national
trustees, and has been re-elected each year until 1891, when he
resigned to accept a position under the city government; but June 1,
1892, he accepted a position with the Manufacturers of the Mahoning
Valley as manager of the labor department, which office he still
holds, and July 24, 1893, he was appointed its secretary.
In 1891 he was appointed City Commissioner for two
years, and prior to that was a member of the City Council for six
years, during two years of which time he served as its president.
During his term of service many important measures were passed and
franchises were granted; the street railway was extended, the
water-works improved and many other improvements were carried out,
the success of which largely depended upon his zeal and enterprise.
Prior to his election to the City Council, Mr. Nutt
took an active part in the affairs of the city, his position as one
of the chief officials of the Amalgamated Association bringing him
into close touch with the prominent iron men of the community.
While connected with this association he was several times elected a
representative to the conventions of the Confederation of Labor, and
served with credit to himself and his constituency. For years
he was a member of the conference committee, whose object was to
adjust the prices paid for labor. He has also represented the
iron-workers before the Ways and Means Committee of the national
legislature on the question of tariff for the Amalgamated
Association and the Manufacturers’ Association, having since 1878
been prominently identified with the different committees that were
permitted to appear before Congress in the interest of protective
tariff. A prominent Republican, he has been a delegate
to the county and State conventions, and for two years was chairman
of the Republican County Central Committee of Mahoning county, and
for the same length of time held a like position on the Republican
Central Committee of Youngstown.
Mr. Nutt was married Nov. 26, 1871, to
Miss Sarah Ward, a daughter of Henry and Susan Ward, of
Rome, New York. This union has been blessed with eight
children, namely: Flora, who died at the age of eighteen
months; Harry, a student in the junior year at the Ohio State
University, who is taking a course in mechanical engineering;
Helena, deceased at the age of seven years; Albert;
May; Edith; Ada, deceased at the age of five
years; and George. Mrs. Nutt is a devout
member of the St. John’s Episcopal Church, of which Mr.
Nutt is an attendant, and both are faithful workers in this
body. A live and active Mason, Mr. Nutt has passed through the blue
lodge, chapter and St. John’s Commandery, and is also connected with
the order of Elks. For many years Mr. Nutt has occupied positions of
public trust and responsibility, in all of which he has shown
himself thoroughly competent to execute every demand made of him. He
is a responsible, upright and reliable citizen, who has been
connected in a substantial and prominent way with the growth and
progress of the city. So prominent has he become that his name has
been mentioned several times for the State Legislature, and in 1888
he was spoken of for Postmaster, but his various duties have
prevented him from ac cepting any further responsibility, he having
already served, as before mentioned, as mem ber and president of the
City Council, member of the Board of City Commissioners, trustee of
the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, with
headquarters at Pittsburg, and secretary of the Mahoning & Shenango
Valley Iron Manufacturing Association. In 1891, when he left
the Brown Bonnell Company’s works to assume his duties
as a city official, he was presented by the operatives with an
elegant gold watch in appreciation of his faithful service among
them, and a handsome testimonial from the National Lodge of the
Amalgamated Association.
Possessing fine conversational powers, Mr.
Nutt is enabled to talk intelligently upon all the living topics
of the day, and his genial, pleasant manner and affable ways make
him a general favorite with all classes of men. Having worked
his way up from the bottom, he is enabled to appreciate the
difficulties under which working men labor, and his sympathy with
them has gained for him their confidence and esteem. His
thorough knowledge of all the details of his position have made him
a protectionist in the extreme, and his arguments in favor of a
protective tariff are convincing and indisputable.
Source: Biographical History of
Northeastern Ohio Embracing the Counties of Ashtabula, Trumbull and
Mahoning - Publ. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1893 - Page
525 |
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