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Gc 977.1 W92r 1473595
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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01786 4031 E
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/representativeci00wrig
Representative Citizens €
OF OHIO
IMPERIUM
IMPERIO
IN
Memorial-Genealogical
BY G. Frederick Wright
PUBLISHED BY THE MEMORIAL PUBLISHING COMPANY INCORPORATED CLEVELAND, OHIO 1913
1473595
Foreword.
ACH one of us is "the heir of all the ages, in the foremost files of time." We build upon the solid foundations laid by the strenuous efforts of the fathers who have gone before us. Nothing is more fitting, and indeed more important, than that we should familiarize ourselves with their work and personality; for it is they who have lifted us up to the lofty positions from which we are working out our sepa- rate careers. "Lest we forget," it is important that we gather up the fleeting memories of the past and give them permanent record in well-chosen words of biography, and in such reproduction of the long lost faces as modern science makes possible.
G. FREDERICK WRIGHT.
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nece $ 15 00 10-29-68 And. 6941 P.O. 5984
Eno by E G i, Hans & Bir 1/2.
O. C. Parkin
Phio C. Barber
\INING a notable success for himself and at the same time proving a most important factor in the upbuilding and prosperity of the community which has been for so many years honored by his citizenship, Ohio C. Bar- ber holds worthy prestige among the leading business men of Summit County, and is distinctively one of the representative men of his State. Pre-eminently a man of affairs, he has long filled a conspicuous place in the public eve, and as a leader in many important enterprises he has contributed much to the welfare of his fellow men and attained distinction in a field of endeavor where sound erudition, mature judgment, and talents of a high or- der are required. Summit County has been the scene of the major part of his life's earnest efforts and extensive achievements, hav- ing for many years been the potent factor in the business enter- prises of extensive magnitude. and here he commands the esteem and confidence of all classes. Equally noted as a citizen whose use- ful career has conferred credit uron the community and whose marked abilities and sterling qualities have won for him much more than local renute, he holds distinctive precedence as one of the most successful and progressive men that have here inaugu- rated and carried to successful termination large and important undertakings. Strong mental endowment, invincible courage and a determined will, coupled with an honesty of purrose that hesi- tates at no obstacle, have so entered into his composition as to ren- der him a dominant factor in the business world and a leader of men. His strength has been as the number of his days. and not only has he accomplished much in the practical affairs of life, but his nature, strong and vigorous, has found denotement in kindly tolerance and human sympathy, generous deeds and worthy serv- ice. Measured by its accomplishment, its beneficence and its help- ful optimism, the life of Mr. Barber possesses wide and emphatic significance.
Ohio C. Barber, whose name requires no introduction to the citizens of the State of Ohio, was born on April 20, 1841, at what was then known as Middleburg, but which is now the sixth ward of the city of Akron, Ohio. His parents were George and Eliza (Smith) Barber, the former of English descent, whose ancestors came to this country in the sixteenth century, while the mother was of Holland Dutch ancestry. George Barber, who was born in 1804, and died in 1879, was the founder of the great match in- dustry which has made this community famous the world over, he
Phio C. Barber
having started the first factory for the making of matches, at Middleburg in 1847. To him and his wife were born nine children, of whom only two are now living, namely: Elinor is the widow of J. K. Robison, who was associated with the subject of this sketch in the match business from 1862 up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1909; Ohio C., of this sketch is the third in order of birth.
Ohio C. Barber was reared under the parental roof and at- tended the schools of the neighborhood until sixteen years of age, when he quit school and went into the match factory operated by his father, and thereafter he has been identified throughout the years with this great industry. Starting in a modest way and with a limited working capital, the match factory started by George Barber grew with the years, the increase in the demand for the output requiring continual enlargements of the factory, until at length the great Diamond Match Company was organized to take care of the business, which had grown to mammoth proportions. In this corporation Ohio C. Barber has been a conspicuous figure, having been one of the potential factors in its organization and subsequent success. During the first eight years of its existence he served as vice-president of the company, then for twenty years he was its president, and later served as chairman of the board of directors. So generally recognized is his intimate connection with the match industry and the effective results of his personal efforts in its upbuilding and present prosperity, that he is fre- quently called "The Match King." The great Diamond Match Company, besides its mammoth plant at Barberton, this county, has many other factories throughout the world in which it has an interest, directly or indirectly-in fact, the statement has been made that the sun never sets on the string of Diamond match fac- tories which practically encircle the globe. Their products are to be found in every nook and corner of the civilized world, including Asia, Africa and the islands of the sea, and, in a sense, they have contributed to the civilizing forces which have driven back the darkness of heathenism in pagan lands. The company has a cap- ital of eighteen millions of dollars and the combined freight ship- ments from the various factories amount to the enormous total of nearly two hundred thousand tons. During all the history of this company, Ohio C. Barber has been largely the directing force and to his sound judgment and persistent energy has been largely due the success which has characterized it.
Aside from the match industry, which alone has been enough to insure him a permanent place in the annals of his State, Mr.
Phio C. Barber
Barber has been conspicuously identified with other enterprises of magnitude and importance. In 1891 Mr. Barber founded what is now the prosperous manufacturing town of Barberton, but which a year prior to that time had no existence except in the mind of its founder. Now it is a splendid industrial city of twelve thou- sand population and over six thousand persons employed in the factories which are located there. In the match factory alone one thousand persons are employed, and no better evidence of the wonderful advance made during the past decade in the methods of manufacture could be cited than the statement that the output to-day is more than five times what it formerly was, proportionate to the number employed. Mr. Barber is interested financially in many of the factories at Barberton, though he does not now take a very active part in their management.
Mr. Barber has been closely affiliated with a number of the leading business men of the city of Akron for a good many years, and in banking circles he has been a prominent figure and influen- tial factor. He was president of the First National Bank of Akron for about twelve years, and then, when that institution was con- solidated with the Second National, under the name of the First Second National Bank of Akron, in 1911, he was elected president, and is still serving in that capacity.
It is said that every man has a hobby, and Mr. Barber is no exception to this statement. He has stepped from the office to the farm and is putting into his present occupation the same pains- taking attention and indefatigable energy that throughout his life has characterized him in all his undertakings. His main in- terest is now centered in his magnificent farm of three thousand acres, located just east of Barberton, and which he has brought up to a standard of excellence not approached by any farm in the State of Ohio, and excelled by none in the entire country. Be- cause of the costly and permanent character of the improvements which he has placed on it, the farm is familiarly known through- out this section as "The finest farm in America," a term which undoubtedly comes very near the truth. Mr. Barber has chris- tened it the "Anna Dean Farm," after his daughter and her hus- band, Dr. Arthur Dean Bevan. In giving an idea of the lavish way in which money has been spent in order to attain the desired results on this farm, nothing gives so adequate an illustration as figures. Mr. Barber has spent over two million dollars in the im- provement of this farm and if he carries to completion the plans now in his mind, he will spend three millions more. The improve- ments were begun in May, 1909, and for a long time the average
Chio C. Barber
daily expense was over a thousand dollars. It certainly can be truthfully said that Mr. Barber has not in the slightest degree withheld his purse in his effort to create here an ideal farm and in this effort he has been successful to a degree that has excited fa- vorable comment from agricultural experts all over this country. The purpose in Mr. Barber's mind is really to make of the farm a great experiment station and educational institute and, even though of great material value to the owner, it possesses a far greater and more far-reaching value to the entire agricultural world, for he has experimented with and carried out ideas here which have materially benefited many lines of agricultural effort. Mr. Barber will soon erect a large dormitory and lecture hall, for the accommodation of those who may come here for the purpose of study and practical experimental work. The buildings, which are to be constructed of brick and reinforced concrete, will be artistic in their conception and design, and at a distance the group of structures will present a very striking and pleasing appearance. The grounds are beautifully laid out by an expert landscape gar- dener and the esthetic everywhere accompanies the practical. In this phase alone Mr. Barber endeavors to convey a lesson to those who may visit here, for in all that he had done he has had in mind the emphasizing of those features which should receive their proper share of attention by other farmers. The farm itself is conducted according to the most advanced scientific theories and the departments to which special attention is given include not only the raising of the ordinary grains, but horticulture, truck gardening, and dairying. Some idea may be gained of the exten- sive operations here conducted from the statement that there are now being raised here one hundred thousand ducks, thirty thou- sand chickens, twenty-five thousand squabs, and five hundred tur- keys, while among the animals there are one thousand Berkshire hogs raised annually, the largest herd of Guernsey cattle in the world and the largest record cows in the world in that family. There is also a herd of brown Swiss cattle, and Herefords, Jer- seys and Holsteins, and a herd of Suffolk Punch horses. These animals, as well as the fowls, are all of the purest strains and many of them are prize winners, or would be if they were put on compet- itive exhibition. Mr. Barber has erected one of the largest, and without doubt the finest, cattle barns in the world, it being seven hundred and forty-nine feet long and having accommodations for two hundred and forty cattle and forty calves. It is perfect in its arrangements for cleanliness and sanitation, some of the notewor- thy features being an electric fan between each stall, the cleaning
Chio C. Barber
of the stalls by the vacuum process, and drinking basins which automatically provide fresh water whenever the cow sticks in her nose. The hog pens, likewise of brick and cement, and other build- ings on the farm are all constructed with the same idea of perma- nency and utility and all are the result of much thought and ex- periment. There is now being constructed a large power house and in the various operations of construction much machinery was required to be bought, including a big steam shovel, so that the present equirment of this farm is probably unique in its com- pleteness. Mr. Barber's residence is worthy of special mention, being a beautiful and modernly appointed home, located in the midst of a splendid grove of native forest trees, with driveways ar- tistically laid out through the grounds, which are dotted here and there with rare plants and shrubbery in picturesque profusion, while in favorable spots about the grounds are found marble benches. The interior of the house is in full keeping with every- thing else about the farm as to its finishing and furnishing, and hours could be profitably spent here, especially in the magnificent library where are to be found many rare and valuable books and other interesting features. Mr. Barber is a wide though discrim- inating reader and has been careful and thoughtful in his selection of books.
It is Mr. Barber's laudable ambition to make of this place the finest farm in the world, in which effort he is rapidly nearing the realization of his ambition. He has carried into his farming oper- ations the same practical ideas of business which have gained for him such eminent success in other lines of effort and he so man- ages the marketing of his produce as to realize the best returns, never selling anything until there is a market demand for it; when there is no demand he cans the fruit and holds it, and for the latter purpose he will soon begin the erection of the finest canning estab- lishment in the country. Due attention is also given here to the cultivation of flowers, many rare and beautiful specimens of which are to be found here, and all of the very best varieties. It has been remarked that to go through this farm is like going through a big state fair or national exposition, for everything found here is of the very best, such as would be found in exhibitions. It is note- worthy that Mr. Barber is not specializing in any one line of agri- cultural effort, but is giving every phase of farm work its propor- tionate attention. In the broadest sense of the term, this farm is to be an educational institution, or a place for post-graduate work for graduates of agricultural colleges, any of whom are at liberty to come here and receive the advantages of a study of the methods
Phio C. Barber
followed here and the experiments being carried on. Mr. Barber is also devoting some attention to practical experiments in domestic science, for he is firmly convinced that many otherwise good meals are spoiled because of a lack of knowledge of the proper way to prepare the food. The most advanced theories of modern science as related to all these things are here either proved or disproved and some most notable results have been attained and recorded. Mr. Barber takes the keenest delight in looking after the details of these operations, for he realizes the opportunities that are open before him, and he is steadily and successfully working out along the line of well defined plans, which have been decided upon after careful and thoughtful consideration. Nothing is done haphazard here.
In 1866, Ohio C. Barber was united in marriage with Laura L. Brown, a native of Summit County, Ohio, and the only daughter of Daniel and Minerva (Mather) Brown. To Mr. and Mrs. Bar- ber were born two children, namely: Anna Laura, who is the wife of Dr. A. D. Bevan, of Chicago, Charles Herschell, who died at the age of eighteen months. The mother of these children died in 1894.
Fraternally, Mr. Barber is a member of the Free and Ac- cepted Masons, in which he has attained to the thirty-second de- , gree of the Scottish Rite. Socially, he is a member of the Union League Club, the Manhattan Club, and the Railroad Club, of New York City, the Chicago Club and the Press Club of Chicago, as well as a number of local social organizations, in all of which he is a popular member.
Success is methodical and consecutive and though the rise of Mr. Barber may in some respects seem to have been spectacular, it will be found that his success has been attained by the same nor- mal methods and means-determined application of mental and physical resources along a rightly defined line. He has been es- sentially a man among men, having ever moved as one who com- manded respect by innate force as well as by superior ability. As a citizen he has easily ranked with the most influential of his com- peers in affairs looking towards the betterment of his home com- munity, for every movement or measure for the welfare of the people generally has received his warm endorsement and hearty support. He is in the fullest sense of the term a virile, progres- sive American citizen, thoroughly in harmony with the spirit of the advanced age in which he lives and he retains to a marked de- gree the confidence and good will of all who know him.
Eng "Ei Williams 2. Bro MY
乳
Day by Et. Wiliams & Bre NY
mrs Asa. J. Bushnell
Asa Smith Bushnell
HE comment has often truthfully been made that de- served appreciation of really great men is too fre- quently withheld until death awakens society, or a State, to a sense of its loss. This is less true of Asa Smith Bushnell than of most distinguished personages. There was never a period in his notable career when his mental equipment was not recognized by friend and foe alike as of a superior order. None ever failed to credit him with high moral purpose, true nobility of character, sterling sense of justice, able and comprehensive statesmanship, and firm adherence to the loft- iest of political, social, and business ideals. This unanimous con- cession to his worth and greatness wholly disarmed the temporary determination due to partisan exigency, and entirely shamed those few of his pretended political friends who could not debauch his integrity nor swerve his independence. Nor did he disappoint any intelligent opinion of his exceptional qualities of head and heart by retirement from public life, but, on the contrary, contin- ued to add to acquired esteem by a constant display of ability and usefulness. At his death his place was as easily that of the first citizen of his State as when he enjoyed the distinction due to the chief executive. This universal estimate of his exalted character became more pronounced after his sudden departure. The restraints of politics were removed. Sentiment assumed free and open ex- pression. He was deliberately reweighed in all his attributes of character, in all his accomplishments, in all his relations to public and civic affairs, and what had been the common verdict was only rendered the more emphatic. Honors, no matter how profuse, were all too insufficient for the distinguished dead. Mourning, however sincere and general, was but a feeble expression of the deep-seated sense of the bereavement. It was Asa Smith Bush- nell who had been gathered to his fathers. Through critical, yet most kind analysis, through sympathetic eulogium, and through touching dirge, was assigned his deservedly exalted niche in the hall of fame, there to stand as an encouragement to noble endeavor and as an inspiration to aspiring youths.
Asa Smith Bushnell, two times governor of the State of Ohio, was of the eighth generation of his family in the United States. The Bushnell name has ever been an honorable one, the members
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Asa Smith Bushnell
of the family having been upright men and women, much devoted to morality, religion, and education; lovers of liberty, loyal to their country, ever ready to sacrifice personal ease and comforts for principle and the good of their fellow men, and ever taking an intelligent interest in the welfare of their respective communi- ties. The identity of Governor Bushnell's real ancestor among the first comers to this country is not absolutely certain. One writer takes the following position: William Bushnell, son of John, with five or six brothers, was an early emigrant from Eng- land. Remaining but a short time in Massachusetts, he, with his brothers Francis and Richard, directed their course to Guilford, Connecticut, attracted thither probably by their acquaintance with and relation to some of the settlers in that neighborhood, one of whom was Francis Bushnell, "Ye Elder," who might have been their uncle. These brothers occupied prominent places in their respective communities. William was appointed lieutenant of the train band, was elected deputy to the general assembly, and held other offices of trust. He died in 1664. Among his descendants who have attained distinction may be named the late Dr. Horace Bushnell, of Hartford. Francis, the second of the brothers, was the second deacon of the church and a man of promi- nence. He built the first gristmill in the town, receiving a valuable perquisite of land on the condition that he would run the mill for the accommodation of the inhabitants. He died in 1681. Rich- ard, the third son, was the direct ancestor of Governor Bushnell.
According to the records of the Old Northwest Genealog- ical Society, the line of descent is as follows: Francis Bushnell, "Ye Elder," and his wife, Rebekah (Holmes) Bushnell, of Hors- ted in Surrey, sailed from London in 1639. During the voyage the passengers formulated the plantation covenant and Francis Bushnell was among the signers. The company reached New Haven in July, purchased land from the Indians, and established a plantation which remained independent until 1643, when it was admitted to the New Haven colony and named Guilford. Francis Bushnell died in 1646 and his will was the first probated in Guilford.
One of the sons of Francis Bushnell was (II) Richard, who removed from Guilford to Saybrook in 1647, after the burning of Saybrook fort, when his services as carpenter were in demand. On October 11, 1648, he married Mary, the daughter of Matthew and Elizabeth Marvin, of Hartford, who came from England in 1635. He died at Saybrook in 1658, leaving the widow and four small children. The two sons, Joseph and Richard, were removed to the Norwich settlement, where they are reckoned among the
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Asa Smith Bushnell
original or first class of planters. Richard was for a half century prominent in public life, having been town clerk for thirty years, a member of the general assembly for thirty-eight sessions, con- stable, schoolmaster, captain of the train band, town agent, jus- tice of the peace, and speaker of the House. The other brother, (III) Joseph, who was born in May, 1651, married, on November 28, 1673, Mary, daughter of Thomas Leffingwell, one of the pro- prietors and first settlers of Norwich. Joseph died on December 23, 1746, and his wife on March 31, 1745. Joseph Bushnell com- plained against himself to Richard Bushnell, justice of the peace, that he had killed a buck, contrary to law. He was sentenced to pay a fine of ten shillings, one-half to the county treasurer and one-half to the complainant. One is puzzled to know whether to admire Joseph more for his conscientiousness or his shrewd- ness, as by self-accusation in the abatement of the fine and the value of the buck, he must have made a little money.
(IV) Nathan Bushnell, the seventh child and fourth son of Joseph, was born at Norwich, February 22, 1686, and died Octo- ber 7, 1770. He married, first, December 2, 1713, Anne Cary, and second, December 12, 1715, Mehitable Allen. Of the eight children by the second marriage, (V) Joseph, born July 20, 1716, was the oldest. He was twice married, first to his cousin, Abigail Bushnell, and second, on August 25, 1745, to Elizabeth French. He died June 5, 1796, at Norwich.
His fourth son was (VI) Jason Bushnell, who was born at Norwich, Connecticut, September 12, 1763, and died near Cincin- nati, Ohio, in September, 1847. He was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War, having enlisted from the town of Norwich in Cap- tain Miel's company, of General Waterbury's brigade, which sub- sequently joined Washington and served until the close of the war. In 1785, he married Hannah Kirkland, and, after her death, Sarah Smith. In 1811, with his wife Sarah and four of their ten children, he removed to Rome, New York, where he farmed for many years. In 1845 he and his wife removed to Cincinnati Ohio, where his death occurred.
(VII) Daniel Bushnell, the fifth son of Jason, and father of Governor Bushnell, was born in Lisbon, Connecticut, on Febru- ary 17, 1800, and died in October, 1884, in Ohio. He was eleven years old when the family removed to Rome, New York, but the following year he walked the entire distance back to Connecticut, where he lived for some years with his sister while securing his education. Returning to Rome, engaged in teaching school, in which manner he was occupied for thirty years during the win- ters, caring for his farm during the summers. Among his pupils
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