|
Biographies
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio
and Representative Citizens
Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co.
Chicago, Ill -
1908
< BACK TO
1908 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
>
< CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIST
OF BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES >
|
|
THE BAUM FAMILY.
The immigrant ancestor of this family was
George Baum, Sr.,
who was born in Germany, Nov. 17, 1754, and who, when seventeen
years of age, sailed for
America
with a brother.
The latter died on ship-board and was buried at sea.
The ship must have met with tempestuous weather, or
have been a very slow sailor, as it is recorded that the
voyage lasted six months.
He landed at Philadelphia
in the year 1772, when public affairs were in more or less of
a ferment owing to the troubles with
England
which were in a few years to bring on the Revolutionary war.
In accordance with a not unfrequent custom in those
days, his services had been sold to a man for three years to
pay his passage.
In 1783 he was married to
Mary Higgin, a
native of Pennsylvania.
In 1801 he moved to Ohio,
settling in Columbiana County, where he purchased 160 acres of land of the
government, at $1.25 per acre, which land is now the site of
the city of Salem.
The nearest grist-mill was then at Marietta, about sixty-five
miles away, the route being through the woods, and it used to
take him from three to four days to make the trip, leading his
horse, which carried the grist.
On each occasion he was obliged to camp at least two
nights in the woods.
THOMAS BAUM, son of
George and Mary Baum
(and maternal grandfather of
William J. Powell,
of Northfield Township, Summit County,
Ohio), was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania,
June 20, 1798. In
1801 he accompanied his parents to Salem, Columbiana Co.,
Ohio.
Here he subsequently married
Mary Perkey.
In 1821 he became a resident of Northfield Township,
Summit County, where he purchased a farm for
three dollars per acre.
This farm was located about eighteen miles from
Cleveland, and is now known as the
G. T. Bishop farm.
Here his death occurred, Dec. 24, 1862.
His wife had preceded him to the grave, dying on her
fifty-eighth birthday, June 28, 1855.
They reared a family of six children
John, Sarah, Mary, Martha, Elizabeth, and
James M. The record of
these children is, in brief, as follows:
John enlisted in
the 111th Regiment Ohio, Volunteer Infantry, in Williams County,
Ohio, and served nearly three years.
He died in that county Nov. 16, 1865.
Sarah became
the wife of William
Powell, of Northfield Township,
where she now resides.
Mary married
a Mr. White, of Jennings Co., Indiana.
Martha, who
is the widow of Mr.
Horner, resides in
Akron, Ohio.
Elizabeth
is the wife of
David Silver, of Jennings
County, Indiana.
JAMES M. BAUM, the remaining member of the
above-mentioned family, was born on Christmas Day, 1833.
He was educated in the district schools, and assisted
his father in clearing and developing his land.
In 1872 he located in Section 33, Ross Township, Wood
Co., Ohio,
where he is now engaged in general farming and gardening,
having a well improved farm of some forty acres.
He also devotes a part of his attention to fruit
raising. Being
located but a short distance from Toledo, he finds a ready
market for his produce, and has been quite successful.
He is numbered among the prosperous and representative
citizens of his locality.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 1067
|
|
|
O. W. BAUM, of the firm of
McIntosh & Baum,
leaders in the insurance line at Akron, dealing extensively
also in loans, investments and real estate, occupies a
prominent position in the business circles of this city and is
identified with numerous important concerns.
He was born at New Berlin, Stark Co., Ohio, in 1862, and has been a resident of Akron for fifteen years.
Mr. Baum completed
his education in the High School at Canal Fulton, and then
taught school for about three years in Stark County.
He then became connected with the retail department of
the George Washington
Company, of
Cleveland, Ohio, with which he remained associated for
three years. For
the following three years
Mr. Baum was
interested in a hardware business at Greenstown, Ohio, and
later became traveling salesman for the Standard Hardware
Company, of Akron, representing it for four or five years.
He then turned his attention to fire insurance, and
with a Mr. Graham,
bought out the insurance business of
App & Carr, later
purchasing Mr. Grahams
interest. In 1900
he was elected secretary of the Summit County Building &
Savings Company, which, in 1903, was consolidated with the
German-American Building & Loan Association, assuming the name
of the latter, of which
Mr. Baum has been secretary ever since.
In 1905 Mr.
McIntosh purchased an interest in the business and the
firm of McIntosh and Baum was established.
This firm does an immense business and stands
deservedly high among similar concerns in
Summit
County.
Mr. Baum is
also secretary of the Summit Real Estate Company, and is a
stockholder and director in the Dollar Savings Bank Company.
In 1887, Mr. Baum is married to Jennie
C. Spangler, of Manchester, Summit County,
Ohio.
Their only child,
Lucile, is now deceased.
Mr. Baum is
identified with a number of fraternal organizations.
He is a member of Nemo Lodge, of Odd Fellows; Akron
Tent, No. 126, Maccabees, and of the Uniform Rank of that
order; the Protected Home Circle; the Independent Order of
Heptasophs; and the Junior Order of American United Mechanics.
He takes a deep interest in and is a member of the
Young Mens Christian Association.
He belongs to Grace Reformed Church.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 501
|
| |
J. MARTIN BECK, president a
director of the Home Building and Loan Company of Akron
Building and Loan Company of Akron, and one of the founders
and vice-president and treasurer of the Akron Varnish
Company, is identified with numerous other successful
enterprises of this section, and is a very important factor
in the city's commercial life. He was born Oct. 14,
1843, at Selb, Bavaria, Germany, and came to America in
1862. He is a son of Adam and Christina (Hoefer)
Beck, the former of whom died in 1890.
Mr. Beck was trained to business in a
wholesale grocery and drug house, in his native land, and
after an apprenticeship of four years, satisfactorily passed
a difficult examination. As his half-brother, John
Wolf, was a partner in the firm of M. W. Henry
and Company at Akron, Mr. Beck came to this city and
entered the employ of that firm, with which he remained for
six years, and then was with the house of E. I. Baldwin,
of Cleveland, for one year. In the spring of 1869 he
visited Europe, returning to Akron in the fall, much
improved in health. Soon after he entered into
partnership with John Wolf and H. J. Church,
under the firm name of Wolf, Church and Beck.
In 1878 Mr. Beck sold his interest in the firm and
formed a partnership with E. G. Kubler, in the
Establishment of the Akron Varnish Works, a concern which is
the oldest of its kind in Summit County and one of the
largest in the country. The business of the Akron
Varnish Company is the making of varnishes and japans, and
its plants are located in 254 South Main and Canal Streets,
Akron. The industry is a leading one in this city and
products of this concern have a world-wide sale. The
officers of the company are: E. G. Kubler,
president ; J. M. Beck, vice-president and treasurer;
E. M. Beck, secretary; F. M. Whitner, assistant
treasurer; and F. A. Fauver, superintendent.
Mr. Beck was married Jan. 12, 1871, to Kate
J. Buchtel, who is a daughter of William Buchtel,
of Akron. They have four children, namely: William
B., Edward M., who is secretary of the Akron
Varnish Company, Martha Louise, and Carl F.
Fraternally Mr. Beck is an Odd Fellow and an Elk.
The family residence is at No. 640 West Market Street.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 407 |
| |
A. W. BENNAGE, a leading
business citizen of Akron, and a member of the firm of
George A. Botzum Company, dealers in dry goods and
ready-to-wear garments, has been a resident of this city for
a quarter of a century and belongs to an old pioneer family
of the county. He was born in Bath Township, Summit
County, Ohio, in 1861, and is a son of John and Mary (Whitted)
Bennage.
The late John Bennage was a son of Jacob
Bennage, who settled near Mogadore, about 1828.
During the early business life of John Bennage, he
was engaged in the manufacturing of stoneware, but after
settling in Bath Township, he engaged in farming. He
had ten children, and eight of these still survive.
A. W. Bennage was reared and educated in Bath
Township and remained on the home farm until he was twenty
years of age, when he went into the lumber business, and
bought and cut timber through Ohio and Michigan, and
manufactured lumber for twenty-three years. He was in
partnership with W. F. Averill, under the firm name
of Bennage & Averill for seventeen years.
In 1904 Mr. Bennage became associated with George
A. Botzum, in the establishing of the firm of the
George A. Botzum Company, which occupies a prominent
place in the commercial activities of Akron.
In 1880 Mr. Bennage was married to Sarah
Averill, who was born in Copley Township, Summit County,
Ohio, and is a daughter of William Averill.
Mr. Bennage is one of Akron's representative
citizens and has been identified with many of the movements
which have encouraged her growth and increased her prestige.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 822 |
| |
CHARLES C. BENNER,
attorney, of Akron, Ohio, was born in Manchester, Franklin
Township, Summit County, Ohio, Mar. 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 Jan. 17, 1846, he died Aug. 22, 1884. His wife
was born July 21, 1844 and died Jan. 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;
Irwin R. a dentist of Barberton; Gertrude M.,
single, a resident of Akron; Wallace J., a physician
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 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 the 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.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 275 |
| |
JOSEPH S. BENNER, a well
known capitalist and business man of Akron, who is
identified with a number of the city's most substantial
financial institutions, was born at Akron, Jan. 3, 1872.
He is a son of John W. Benner, who came here in 1868,
and who still continues in business in this city.
Graduated from the public schools of Akron at the age
of sixteen years, the subject of this sketch found his first
regular employment in the office of J. E. Seiberling
& Company, where he remained until 1890. He then
became bookkeeper and assistant casher for the newly
organized People's Savings Bank Company, which position he
held until 1897. Then with J. R. Nutt and
Will Christy, he organized the Central Savings
Bank Company, taking the position of cashier in this
concern, which he held until 1904, when the Central Savings
Bank Company, mainly through Mr. Benner's efforts,
effected a consolidation with the Akron Trust Company, after
having first taken over the guardian Savings Bank. The
result of this merger was the Central Savings and Trust
Company of which institution Mr. Benner has been
secretary ever since. Other successful business
concerns with which Mr. Benner is identified
are: The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company; The Akron
People's Telephone Company, of which he is secretary; the
Akron Coal Company, of which he is treasurer; the Globe Sign
and Poster Company, of which also he is treasurer; and the
Hower Building Company, of which he is secretary.
He is also a director in the Permanent Savings and Loan
Company, and the Bannock Coal Company, and is treasurer of
the Young Men's Christian Association. His large
business interests are held with a firm hand, and his
affairs are directed with the sound judgment and wise
conservatism which ensure success.
Mr. Benner was married in 1894 to Nillie E.
Stuver, a daughter of Jonas F. Stuver, of Akron.
Of this union there is one child, Mary Joyce. Mr.
Benner takes considerable interest in civic matters and
is a member of the Portage County Club. With his wife
he belongs to the Lutheran Church.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 406 |
| |
GEORGE V. BILLOW, *
president of the Akron Paving and Plastering Company of
Akron, was born in 1854 at Kendallville, Indiana, but he was
reared and educated in Williams County, Ohio.
In young manhood, Mr. Billow learned the
plastering trade and after removing to Mansfield, Ohio, he
was engaged in contracting in plastering, for twenty years,
and then he came to Akron, where he did the plaster work on
the Post Office, and also work of this kind on many
buildings in Cleveland. He did the plaster work on the
Hamilton Building and at this time, in 1900, he moved his
family to Akron, where he took contracts for plastering the
First National Bank, the Library Building, the new Summit
County Court House and other large buildings.
In 1901, Mr. Billow, in partnership with
George W. Carmichael and George J. Shaffer, organized
the Akron Paving and Plastering Company, locating at No. 262
South Broadway, and this enterprise is already numbered with
the important industries of the city.
In 1875, Mr. Billow was married to Alice Bell,
of Mansfield, Ohio, who died in 1883, leaving three
children, namely: Paul, who is a student in the
medical department of the University of Wisconsin, at
Madison; George B., residing at Evansville, Indiana;
and Grace, who married C. K. Reamer, residing
at Akron. Mr. Billow was married (second) July
22, 1885 to Mary McGray, of Holmes County, Ohio, and
they have the following children. Herbert, Alice,
Fern, May M., John, Kathryn and Dollie M. Mr.
Billow and family are connected with the Methodist
Episcopal Church.
Source: Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 1114 |
| |
WILLIAM H. BLILER, who
operates a fine farm of eighty-one acres in Franklin
Township, is one of the prominent citizens of this section,
and a representative of an old pioneer family. He was
born in Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio, April 3,
1849, and is a son of Joel and Mary (Hower) Bliler.
DANIEL BLILER, the
grandfather of William H., came by wagon from
Pennsylvania to Ohio and settled on the farm which is now
the property of the Stumps, clearing the land and
building two log houses. His life was spent in hard
and useful work, and his death occurred at the age of
seventy-seven years. Mr. Bliler had been twice
married, Joel being one of the children of the second
union.
Joel Bliler grew up in the woods of Summit
County, and spent his younger days on the home farm.
Here he was married to Mary Hower, who was a daughter
of Jesse Hower, whose father, Adam Hower, had
come from New Berlin, Ohio, and entered a section north of
Clinton. He died at New Berlin, Ohio, at the age of
ninety-three years, having given one quarter of his section
of land to Jesse, the other three-quarters having
been sold. Here Jesse Hower erected a sawmill,
where was furnished most of the timber used in the locks of
the canal. Jesse Hower died on this property
three years after locating on it, and forty years prior to
the death of his father, his daughter Mary being then
a child of four years.
After their marriage, Joel and Mary (Hower) Bliler
lived at the home of his father in Franklin Township, near
Manchester, but subsequently removed to the property on
which William H. Bliler was born, the home of
Nathaniel Stump, where the Brewster coal bank is
now situated, renting this place for five years. At
the end of this time he purchased the present Bliler
farm from a Mr. Miller, of Canton, Ohio, and here
Joel Bliler died in October, 1880, aged fifty-eight
years. His widow, who still survives makes her home
with her son, William H. Bliler.
William H. Bliler received but a scanty
education in his boyhood, most of which was spent in hard
work on the home farm. He was also employed for six
months in laying the tracks of the branch of the C. A. & C.
Railroad, when he removed to Norton Township, and three
operated two farms on shares for six years. He then
returned to Franklin Township, where he conducted a farm
near his own on shares for six years, and also the Cox
farm for seven years. In 1896 he bought out most
of the heirs to his present property, on which he has since
continued. Mr. Bliler's success tells its own
lesson of the value of perseverance and industry. He
is a man who commands the respect of his neighbors, and has
a wide circle of personal friends. In the best sense
of the word, Mr. Bliler is a self-made man, having
fought his way, almost unaided, from the bottom of the
ladder.
In August, 1870, Mr. Bliler was married to
Amanda Wilson, who is a daughter of Isaac Wilson.
Of this union there have been born twelve children, namely:
Charles, who died in 1902; Elsie, who
married M. High and died in 1892; Ellie, who
married John Summerman; Della, became
the wife of George Keplinger; Milton,
who married Lucy McCarty; Edward, who lost his life
in the Spanish-American War; William, who married
Flora Steinbaugh; Newton, Gertrude,
Lloyd and Irene, the last mentioned of whom
died at the age of seven years; and Dora, who died
when one year old.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 990 |
| |
GEORGE BLISS
was a
native of Vermont. He was educated at Granville College
and came to Akron in 1832 and studied law with Hon. D. K.
Carter. He practiced law in Summit County and was
appointed in 1851 president Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
in this county, succeeding Benjamin F. Wade. He
held this position which he filled with distinguished ability,
until the taking effect of the new Constitution in 1852.
He was elected a member of Congress, from this district in
1854, and subsequently he removed to Wooster, in Wayne County,
where he practiced law in partnership with the Hon.
John McSwaney. It is safe to say that Judge
Bliss had few equals and no superiors as a lawyer. He
was learned in the law and his logic was most profound.
His command of language was such that his extempore arguments
to the court or jury would read like a page of Junius.
His eloquence was of the Websterian type, profound and
convincing, while in the art of examining and cross-examining
witnesses he has never been excelled. He married late in
life, and at his death a wife and five children survived him.
He was a most companionable man, very witty and interesting.
He never lost his temper, but exercised complete self control.
He took an active part in politics, and achieved a national
reputation as one of the leading statesmen of the country.
He was one of the leading counsel in the case of Ohio against
James Parks, which was the first and perhaps
the most important murder trial ever tried in Summit County.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 262 |
Carl Wilhelm Bonstedt |
CARL
WILHELM BONSTEDT,
son of Carl Frederic and
Augusta Wilhelmina (Peschau) Boustedt, was born at
Clausthal, on the Hartz, Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, Jan. 11,
1825; common school education; at 14 apprenticed to grocery
trade, serving four years; then superintendent of the large
cigar factory of Landsmith & Co., at Engter, near Osnabruck,
for several years, when he came to America, having charge of a
large tobacco business in Baltimore, Md., until 1855, when
he came to Akron, as clerk in the grocery store of
Ferdinand Schumacher, later being promoted to
book-keeper; in 1863 bought out Mr. S.,
continuing the business till 1875, when he sold out to his
book-keeper, Mr. John Terrass. After a
short engagement in the limestone business, near Sandusky,
again embarked in the grocery trade in Akron, with Mr.
John Krender, at 210 East Market Street, the
partnership continuing six years, on the withdrawal of
Mr. K., Mr. B. continuing on his own account, until
his death, Oct. 19, 1890, the business being still carried on
by his sons. Mr. Bonstedt was one of
the organizers and most active members of the Akron
Liedertafel; was first president of Retail Grocers'
Association, member of Akron Mercantile Association, Board of
Trade, and of City Council 1864-65. Mar. 15, 1857,
Mr. Bonstedt was married, in Akron, to
Miss Augusta F. Beyer, a native of Germany,
who bore him eight sons and one daughter Charles W.,
of Greentown; Adolph; Victor E.;
Ferdinand, of Lincoln, Neb.; Herman; William
H.; Frank; Louis, and Augusta F. Mrs.
Bonstedt still survives.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 183 |
|
|
DANIEL R.
BRAUCHER, the efficient superintendent of the
Children's Home, Akron, was born in Stark County, Ohio, Mar.
4, 1849, and is a son of Samuel and Mary (Lichtenwalter)
Braucher. The Braucher family is probably
of German extraction. The father of Superintendent
Braucher was born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, but
the maternal grandfather was a resident of Stark County.
Samuel Braucher was a substantial farmer and reared
his son to agricultural pursuits. He and his wife had
seven children.
Prior to 1881, Daniel R. Braucher resided in his
native county, where he was educated in the district
schools. He then moved to Portage County, where he
purchased a large farm. He continued operating that
property until 1892, when he became assistant superintendent
of the Portage County Infirmary, where he remained five
years and nine months. He then traveled two years in
the interest of the Trumbull County Mutual Insurance
Company. All that time he again accepted his old
position at the Portage County Infirmary. Subsequently
appointed to his present position, he assumed its duties
Jan. 1, 1904. The Children's Home is a pet charity of
Akron and its needs have been responded to by many of the
capitalists of this section. For this very reason it
was the part of wisdom to select as superintendent a man of
reliable character, broad mind and executive ability,
qualities which are possessed in high degree by Mr.
Braucher. With the cheerful and hearty assistance
of his admirable wife, who is the matron of the home, the
twelve employes of the institution are kept faithfully
performing their duties and the safety, well-being and
happiness of the sixty-nine dependent children are assured.
Mr. Braucher was married (first) to Louisa
Humbert, who died Mar. 13, 1893, leaving four children.
He married (second) Geneva Folk, who is first cousin
to Governor Folk, Missouri's distinguished chief
magistrate. There were no children by the second
marriage. Mr. Braucher and family belong to the
Reformed Church. His children, all of the first
marriage, survive. Mr. E. Bunts lost her
husband, who died Feb. 18, 1907. The other are:
Mrs. William Metzger, of Akron; Mrs. Arthur Gillett,
of South Omaha; Clark L., of Toledo, who is division
manager there of the U. S. Telephone Company; and Harry
H., who died, aged four years.
Politically, Mr. Braucher is a Democrat.
Fraternally, he is connected with the Knights of Pythias,
and Mrs. Braucher with the order of Maccabees.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 753 |
|
|
ANDREW T. BROOKS,
general merchant at Macedonia and manager of the Brooks
Creamery at this point, was born at Cleveland, Ohio,
July 2, 1859, and is a son of John H. and Catherine
(Plunkett) Brooks.
The father of Mr. Brooks was born in
Holland, in 1831, and was brought to America when he was
fourteen years of age. He learned the trade of
shoemaking at Cleveland, where he followed it for a number
of years, and in 1866 moved to Brecksville, where he was
engaged in business for himself until 1894, when he retired.
He served during the last three months of the Civil War.
He is a member of the lodge of Odd Fellows at Brecksville.
Andrew T. Brooks attended school at Brecksville
through boyhood up to the age of fifteen years. He
learned cheese-making and followed this industry until 1890,
during the last seven years being in partnership with J.
E. Wyatt, under the firm name of Wyatt &
Brooks. After selling his interests in the cheese
business to his partner, Mr. Brooks became associated
with Jesse J. Barnes, under the firm name of
Barnes & Brooks, and together they purchased the
general mercantile
business of T. T. Richie & Co., at Macedonia.
Mr. Brooks continued to increase his business
interests and in 1900, when the Macedonia Implement Company
was organized, he became its president, with J. L. Ranney
as manager. The company handles agricultural
implements and make a specialty of manufacturing a can
washer, for the use of dairymen. In 1896 the Brooks
Creamery Company was in incorporated, Mr. Brooks
being manager and main stockholder, and he is also president
of the Northern Ohio Dairy Company of Cleveland.
By marriage, Mr. Brooks is connected with
a well-known family of Macedonia, his wife being a daughter
of Abram C. Munn. They have two childrenNorma
L. and Neva L. Politically Mr. Brooks
is strongly Republican in his sentiments. He was
appointed postmaster by the late President
McKinley. He served as a justice of the peace for
six months, resigning the office, and is a member of the
Macedonia village council. His fraternal relations are
with Summit Lodge, No. 213, F. & A. M., of Twinsburg; the
Odd Fellows of Brecksville, and the Maccabees, of Macedonia.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 501 |
|
|
JAMES W. BROUN,
secretary of the I. S. Myers Company, at Akron,
leaders in the clothing line, is one of the city's active
business men and has been identified with this concern for
many years, both before and since its incorporation.
He was born at Morris Run, Pennsylvania, in 1871, and is a
son of the late William R. Brown.
James W. Brown was eight
years old when his father brought the family to Akron, and
he was reared and educated in this city, and as the whole of
his business life has been connected with her enterprises,
he may be regarded almost in the light of a native son.
After leaving school he was employed for a short time by the
Diamond Match Company, and following this for eight years
was with the New York Clothing House. Afterwards he
entered the employ of Myers. Ganyard &
Stump, which firm was succeeded by Ganyard &
Myers, and this, in turn, was succeeded by I. S.
Myers & Company. In 1899 he became a member of
the firm and when the business was incorporated, Feb. 17,
1904, he became secretary. The other officers are:
I. S. Myers, president and manager; T. J. Stebick,
vice-president; and M. F. Rhodes, treasurer.
In 1896 Mr. Brown was married to
Margaret A. Frangen, of Doylestown, Ohio, and they have
one child, Gertrude M. Mr. Brown is
identified with a number of the leading fraternities.
He is a Knight Templar Mason and also belongs to the
Maccabees and the A. I. U.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 757 |
|
|
JOSIAH BROWN,
funeral director and furniture dealer at Cuyahoga Falls, was
born in Summit County, Ohio, Apr. 28, 1838, and is a son of
Simon and Elizabeth (Pontius) Brown.
Jacob Brown was in Pennsylvania, but died in Stark
County, Ohio, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits.
He had a family of thirteen children and of these Simon
was the eldest. The latter was born in Pennsylvania
and came to Summit County about 1835. He died in 1895,
aged eighty-four years. After reaching Cuyahoga Falls
he learned the cabinet-making trade, with J. T. Holloway,
and then went into partnership with Addison McConkey
& Brown. About 1848 he purchased his partner's
interest and continued alone, also carrying on undertaking
and being the only undertaker in the place for many years.
He supported the candidates of the Republican party.
His wife, who was a daughter of Solomon Pointius, was
born at Uniontown, Stark County, Ohio, and died December,
1901, aged eighty-four years. The three children of
Simon Brown and his wife were: Josiah, subject of
this sketch; Mrs. Harriet Goble, residing at Cuyahoga
Falls; and Ezra, who is now deceased. The
family belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church.
After completing his education in the High School at
Cuyahoga Falls, Josiah Brown learned his father's
trade, and continued to be associated with him until 1873,
when he went to Akron, where he worked through the summer
and fall as a carpenter, and then entered the employ of
Turner, Vaughn & Taylor. For twenty years he
remained with that firm as a carpenter and then returned to
his father. After the latter's death, he managed the
business for his mother until her death, when he took entire
charge. It is one of the oldest business houses at the
Falls.
Mr. Brown is a veteran of the Civil War.
On Sept. 10, 1861, he enlisted in Battery D, First Ohio
Light Artillery, and re-enlisted in the same battery, in
January, 1864, and was commissioned second lieutenant at
that time. He took an active part in all the
engagements in which his battery was concerned and he was
honorably discharged in June, 1865. Mr. Brown
is a member of the Eddy Post, No. 27, Grand Army of the
Republic, at Cuyahoga Falls, and enjoys meeting with his old
comrades and living over again the dangers and triumphs of
army days.
Mr. Brown married Lucy E. Warner, a
daughter of John Warner, of Cuyahoga Falls, and they
have had three children, namely: Ida, deceased,
who married William Graham, of Akron; Charles
Arthur, residing at Toledo, a mechanical engineer in the
employ of the Toledo Railway and Light Company; and
Birdie B., who is the widow of John Wilson,
residing at New York City. Mr. Brown and family
attend the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is
affiliated with Howard Loge, No. 62, Odd Fellows.
Politically he is a Republican.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 737 |
|
|
JOHN BUCHTEL,
was one of the early residents of Summit County,
accompanying his parents to the neighborhood of Coventry as
early as 1830. He was born in Myers Township, Center
County, Pennsylvania, Nov. 6, 1797, and was a son of
Peter Buchtel.
His parents located first in Stark County, Ohio, later
in Green Township, and still later in Coventry Township,
Summit County, this being about 818. The country was
then a wild region, with only here and there a cabin erected
by some courageous settler near the banks of a stream.
Peter Buchtel was a pioneer
farm. He was married in Green township, January 18, 1821, to
Catherine Richards, and they had five
children, three daughters and two sons. The family was
partly reared in the log cabin in which .John
Buchtel and wife commenced housekeeping. After thirteen
years of residence in Green township. Mr.
Buchtel sold his farm there and bought another, in
Coventry Township, on which he resided for forty-one years.
In 1875, Mr. Buchtel gave up all active
pursuits and with his wife removed to a .small farm just
north of Akron, where Mrs. Buchtel died in
1882, aged seventy-eight years. Mr. Buchtel
then retired to the home of his son, Hon. William
Buchtel, where he died at the remarkable age of
ninety-seven years and two months. For more than a half
century he was a consistent member of the Evangelical
Church. From the period of the Civil War, he had been an
earnest supporter of the Republican party.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 996 |
|
|
HON. WILLIAM
BUCHTEL,
the founder and formerly
president of the Akron Savings Bank, and largely interested
in many of Akron's most important business enterprises, for
years has also been prominent in affairs of public import in
county and State. Mr. Buchtel was born in
Green township, Summit County, Ohio, December 23, 1822, and
is a son of John and Catherine (Richards) Buchtel,
and a grandson of that hardy old pioneer, Peter Buchtel.
Wiliam Buchtel obtained his
education in the district schools and has led a busy, useful
life since reaching the years of discretion. He was
twenty-two years of age when he purchased his father's farm
of 106 acres which he continued to operate for twelve years,
being mainly engaged in the cultivation of wheat. He then
became interested in milling, and after renting his farm
removed to Springfield Township, where he operated both
grist and saw mills. He was so engaged when troops
were called for to strengthen the defences around
Washington, and he quickly responded, enlisting in the 164th
Regiment Ohio National Guard, and remaining until honorably
discharged from the service, in 1866.
Upon his return to Summit County, Mr. Buchtel
became interested in the lumber business, first as a member
of the firm of Jackson, Buchtel and Company, which
later became William Buchtel and Sons. He
estimates that during his many years of activity in this
line, his firms had the handling of more than 20,000 acres
of Government and State pine lands. Mr.
Buchtel also turned his attention to banking
interests at Akron, organizing, in company with W. B.
Raymond, the Citizens' Savings Bank, of which E.
Steinbacher was president, William
Buchtel, vice-president, and W. B. Raymond,
cashier. This later became the Citizens' National Bank.
Mr. Buchtel then became vice-president of the
City National Bank of Akron, a position he resigned in 1888,
when he organized the Akron Savings Bank, of which he
remained the head for a number of years. He served also as
president of the Thomas Lumber and Building Company, and as
treasurer of the Akron Building and Loan Association.
Mr. Buchtel was interested for some years in building
operations. Many of the stately residences at Akron are
testimonials to his enterprise and ability, as also are some
of the city's finest business structures, among them the
Akron Savings Bank and the Buchtel Hotel, the latter
being still his property.
Mr. Buchtel was married March 7, 1842, to
Martha Henderson, of Springfield Township, Summit
County. She died December 17, 1884, having been the
mother of four children, namely : Catherine Jane,
James H. (deceased), John D. and William M.
Mr. Buchtel married for his second wife, December 3,
1885, Mrs. Nora Sackett Wilcox.
As a citizen, devoted to public duty, Mr.
Buchtel has always shown his interest in civic affairs,
and frequently even when the holding of office, interfered
considerably with his private business, he consented to
serve when convinced that it was for the public welfare.
Thus he served on the board of city commissioners, several
terms as its chairman; was a member of the Decennial Board
of Equalization in 1890, and held other important positions
in which he safe-guarded the interests of the public.
In November, 1901, he was elected a member of the
Seventy-fifth General Assembly and during his first term a
Columbus, served on the standing committees on Geology,
Mines and Mining, Municipal Affairs and Prisons and Prison
Reforms. In 1903 Mr. Buchtel was
returned to the Legislature and during his term in the
Seventy-sixth General Assembly, he served as chairman of the
committee on Prisons and Prison Reforms and was a member of
the standing committees on Banks and Banking, Villages and
Taxation.
Mr. Buchtel is a member of the Elks and
of the Hoo-hoos, a very extensive organization composed
wholly of men connected with the lumber industry. He belongs
to Buckley Post, Grand Army of the Republic. For two years
after his return from military service in the Civil War, he
remained connected with the same battalion of
National Guards.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 398 |
|
|
F. W. BUTLER,
manager of the stoneware department of the Robinson Clay
Product Company, and also president of the Akron Smoking
Pipe Company, is one of Akron's leading business men and has
been a resident of this city since boyhood. He was
born at Worcester, Massachusetts.
Mr. Butler came to Akron in 1866 and
completed his education in the High School of this city,
after which he entered the employ of the old mercantile firm
of Hall Brothers, with which he continued for
four years. Subsequently, Mr. Butler
became bookkeeper in the First National Bank, still later
teller, remaining with this financial institution for nine
years, during which time ho acquired an interest in the
E. H. Merrill Pottery Company, and this connection
became of sufficient importance to cause his resignation as
teller and to become secretary and manager of the latter
business. He continued to perform the duties of these
positions until the E. H. Merrill Pottery Company was
absorbed by the Robinson Merrill Pottery Company,
when he became manager of the stoneware department of the
new firm. Mr. Butler remained with the concern
after it became the Robinson Clay Product Company,
and since 1900, has been manager of the stoneware department
of this large industry. He is interested in other
Akron enterprises and commands the consideration of his
fellow-citizens as a man of ability and business honor.
In 1879, Mr. Butler was married to
Grace A. Merrill, who was a daughter of E. H. Merrill.
Mrs. Butler died in 1888, leaving three
children: H. Karl, Merrill W., and Fred W.
The two older sons of Mr. Butler are interested in
real estate in Cuba, owning a plantation in that island.
The youngest son is employed in the shipping department of
the Robinson Clay Product Company. Mr.
Butler is a member of the Portage Country club.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 1006 |
|
|
FRANK BUTLER,
who, in partnership with his brother, John Butler,
has been cultivating their excellent farm of 150 acres, in
Boston Township, since 1870, is one of the leading
agriculturists of this section, and is a son of Thomas
and Catherine (Brennan) Butler.
Thomas Butler was born in County Wexford, Ireland,
where he learned the trade of mason. After his
marriage, he came to America and with his wife eight months
later settled near Botzum, Northampton Township, Summit
County. He worked at first on the old Clinton Air Line
Railroad, but later purchased a farm of sixty acres in
Northampton Township. He was very capable and
industrious workman and built nearly all of the brick houses
in his neighborhood, plastered hundreds of structures and
built over 150 cellars in Peninsula alone. He married
Catherine Brennan and they had eight children,
namely: Frank, John, Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah,
Martha, Catherine and Christopher.
Frank Butler was educated in the common
schools of Boston Township, and in his youth did much work
in the woods at lumbering, this being a heavily timbered
region at that time. In the spring of 1864, he
enlisted in Company B, 188th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, and his services continued until the close of the
war. His brother John Butler served in Company
E, 124h Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and participated
in the battles of Chicamauga, Lookout Mountain and
Missionary Ridge. While on the march from Missionary
Ridge to Knoxville, he was taken prisoner by the
Confederates and was sent to Richmond, from whence he was
removed to the prison at Belle Island, where he was kept for
four months. It is stating the truth to say that while
there, John Butler was nearly starved to death.
He owes his life to a comrade, whose loyal friendship and
persistent entreaty secured recognition fro some Confederate
officers of Mr. Butler's pitiable condition.
Both Frank and John Butler were brave and
gallant soldiers, the cheerful, faithful, hard-fighting kind
of men that made the Northern forces invincible. Their
war records are such as any man might well be proud to
acknowledge.
In 1870, the Butler brothers purchased their
present farm, of which seventy-five acres are under
cultivation, being devoted to hay, wheat, corn and oats, in
addition to which is an apple orchard of 100 trees. In
1877, a fine residence was built by Frank Butler, a
substantial structure having ten rooms. Mr. Butler
is a Republican in politics.
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co. - Chicago,
Ill. - 1908 - Page 834 |
|
