A Centennial biographical history of the city of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, Part 63

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1156

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Mr. Williams married Miss Elizabeth Thomas, a daughter of Wesley Thomas, of Springfield, Ohio, a prominent citizen of that place, who died there many years ago, and they have two sons,-Morris Holliday and Lang- don Thomas. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are members of the Eastwood Con- gregational church and Mr. Williams is a generous supporter of its interests. He is a man of much public spirit, who has shown in many ways that his interest in the welfare and prosperity of his fellow citizens is deep and abiding. His influence has always been exerted in behalf of movements for the advance- ment of public interests which have appealed to him as promising good results and being worthy of his advocacy and support.

EDMUND EARL SHEDD.

The history of a state as well as that of a nation is chiefly the chronicle of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon society. The world judges the character of a community by that of its rep- resentative citizens, and yields its tributes of admiration and respect for the genius, learning or virtues of those whose works and actions constitute the record of a state's prosperity and pride ; and it is their character, as exempli- fied in probity and benevolence, kindly virtues and integrity in the affairs of life, which ever afford worthy examples for emulation and valuable lessons of incentive.

To a student of biography there is nothing more interesting than to

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examine the life history of a self-made man and to detect the elements of character which have enabled him to pass on the highway of life many of the companions of his youth who at the outset of their careers were more advantageously equipped or endowed. The subject of this review has through his own exertions attained an honorable position and marked prestige among the representative men of the west, and with signal consistency it may be said that he is the architect of his own fortunes and one whose success amply justifies the application of the somewhat hackneyed but most expressive title, "a self-made man."

Edmund Earl Shedd, Sr., was born upon a farm in the town of Bethel, Vermont, July 16, 1828, and is a son of Abijah and Sophia ( Blood) Shedd, both of whom were natives of Hollis, New Hampshire. The Shedds are of English lineage and the family was founded in America by Daniel Shed, who came from England to the new world about the year 1645, taking up his residence in Braintree, Massachusetts. Oliver Shed, the great-grand- father of our subject, was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war. Abijah Shedd, the grandfather, was a native of Massachusetts and married Joanna Farley in 1792. Her father was Ebenezer Farley, a soldier who belonged to the minute men and took part in the battle of Lexington, one of the opening engagements of the war which brought independence to the nation.

In the county of his nativity, Edmund E. Shedd pursued his education, his elementary course being obtained in a common school. In 1846 he removed westward, locating in Columbus, Ohio, where he was soon employed in the capacity of clerk in the wholesale grocery store owned by J. W. B. Brooks. His time was thus spent until 1855, when, with capital he had acquired through his own industry and economy, he began business on his own account, forming a partnership with Isaac Eberly, under the firm name of Eberly & Shedd. On the present site of the Great Southern Hotel they opened a wholesale grocery. which was successfully conducted until 1870, at which time the stock was divided and the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent. Mr. Shedd continued in the jobbing grocery business in a building on High street, in what is now the Odd Fellows block, remaining there until 1893, when he built his present substantial business block at Nos. 225 and 227 North Front street. This structure is sixty-two and a half by one hundred and eighty-seven feet and four stories in height with base- ment, especially adapted to the requirements of the jobbing grocery busi- ness. The entire building is used in the business, which was carried on under the name of E. E. Shedd & Sons, the senior partner having admitted his sons to an interest in the enterprise. This business was incorporated in 1901 and is now known as the E. E. Shedd Mercantile Company. They carry a large and varied stock and have upon the road a number of traveling salesmen who carry their goods into all sections of Ohio. Their trade has constantly increased in volume and importance until it has now assumed exten- sive proportions, and the E. E. Shedd Mercantile Company is widely known

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and enjoys an unassailable reputation on account of the quality of its goods and the reliability of its business methods.

In 1852 Edmund E. Shedd was united in marriage to Aurelia Edna Thompson, of London, Madison county, Ohio, a daughter of James Mac- millan Thompson. The following named children have been born of their union : Virginia S. is the wife of Colonel Orlando J. Hodge, of Cleveland, Ohio; Franklin James, who is a member of the firm of Shedd & Frisbie, dealers in mortgages and loans in Columbus. He married Anne, the daugh- ter of Charles H. Frisbie, of Columbus, Ohio; Flora is deceased; Edmund E., Jr., married Miss Ella Lansing, of Chillicothe, Ohio; Frederick married Agnes, the daughter of Joseph A. Jeffrey, of Columbus, Ohio; Harry is deceased; and Carlos Butler completes the family. Earl, Frederick and Carlos are in business with their father. The father belongs to the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and his sons, Franklin and Frederick, are thirty-second-degree Masons. They have been provided with excellent edu- cational privileges, thus fitting them for life's practical and responsible duties, for Mr. Shedd believes that money spent in gaining knowledge is well spent. In politics he is a stalwart Republican and earnestly advocates the principles of the party, yet has never been an office-seeker.

If one will seek in his career the causes that have led to his success they will be found along the lines of well tried and old-time maxims. Hon- esty and fair-dealing, promptness, truthfulness, fidelity,-all these are strictly enforced and adhered to. Faithfulness on the part of employes is promoted by the knowledge that good services means advancement as opportunity opens, and is further enhanced by the interest taken by the employer in the personal welfare of the deserving. In manner Mr. Shedd is courteous and cordial and the circle of his friends in Columbus, where he has so long made his home, is almost co-extensive with the circle of his acquaintances.

NEWTON H. MAUK.

Newton H. Mauk, who is serving as conductor on the Panhandle Rail- road and is a resident of Columbus, was born January 11, 1848, on a farm in Fairfield county, Ohio. His father, Michael Mauk, was an agriculturist and engaged in the tilling of the soil throughout the greater part of his active business career. He and his wife were natives of Virginia, born in Winchester, Frederick county. They removed from the Old Dominion to a farm near Zanesville, Ohio, and they spent their last days in Columbia City, Indiana. However, in 1860, they removed from their farm in Fairfield county to Kirkersville Station on the Panhandle and Ohio Central Railroads, where the father filled the position of station agent for seven years. He died in Columbia City, Indiana, in 1883, and his wife survived him about three years, passing away in the same place. Eliza, one of the daughters of the family, married Aaron Kagey and resides at Ottawa, Illinois; Amanda is the wife of Elijah Warner, and they are also residents of Illinois; Mar-

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garet is the wife of Jacob Bryant, who makes his home in California; Sidney married Henry Yontz and their home is in Columbia City, Indiana; Lucy married a Mr. Decona, a banker of Harrisonville, Missouri, but she is now deceased; William, the eldest brother, resides on a farm at Wester- ville; Marshall died in Lancaster, Ohio, in 1882; Jacob was a soldier in the Civil war, serving under command of Colonel Lage, and after being captured was taken to the prison at Andersonville, Georgia ; Francis M. is a passenger conductor on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad and resides at Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Mr. Mauk, of this review, spent his early boyhood days on the home farm and was a lad of twelve years when his parents removed to Kirkers- ville. The public schools afforded him his educational privileges. On the 24th of November, 1881, in Dennison, Ohio, he was married to Julia A. Taylor. On the 26th of November, 1887, he entered the railway service as a brakeman on a freight train on the Panhandle line, but previous to that time, 1869, he had been in the employ of that company. After a year spent in the capacity of brakeman he was promoted to a conductor on a freight. He afterward left that road and spent five years in the railway service in the west. He then returned and accepted his old position with the Pan- handle Company and is now serving in that capacity. He has resided in Columbus since the 16th of August, 1891, and has a pleasant home at No. 157 North Twenty-second street. He became a member of Hollingsworth Division, No. 100, of the Order of Railway Conductors of Columbus in 1886, and for fifteen years has been a member of the Excelsior Lodge, No. 145, Odd Fellows. His wife holds membership in the Eastwood Congre- gational church, and Mr. Mauk exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Republican party.

LUTHER PIERCE STEPHENS.

One of the best known newspaper and business men of Columbus, Ohio, is Luther Pierce Stephens, originator of the Columbus, New Albany & Johnstown Railway now in course of construction, and when completed will be an important achievement of its kind. Mr. Stephens is a Virginian by birth and is forty-seven years old. He is a son of Calvin M. B. Stephens, of Stephens City, Frederick county, Virginia, who died there in 1862 and whose ancestors, some of whom fought for American independence in the Revolutionary war, were early settlers in the Old Dominion. Mr. Stephens' mother was Rebecca Jane Pelter, daughter of the Rev. George Pelter, of the Methodist Episcopal church, who came of an old Winchester, Virginia, family and was long prominent there in religious work.

A good portion of Mr. Stephens' boyhood was spent amid exciting scenes and incidents of the Civil war. He was for a time a student at Stonewall Academy. In 1868 he came to Columbus, where as a compositor and other-

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wise he acquired a practical knowledge of printing and developed into a gen- eral newspaper writer and correspondent.

Mr. Stephens married Miss Mary J. Rowland, of Columbus, a daugh- ter of the late Thomas Rowland, an early resident of the city who was long known as a contractor. They have one daughter, Bertha, who is now a student in the Central high school.

Mr. Stephens was a large stockholder in the Columbus Press-Post and was its manager from 1895 to 1899, and is now the political editor of the Columbus Dispatch and Columbus correspondent of the New York Tribune and Cleveland Plain-Dealer. He was for seven years a correspondent of the Cleveland Leader. As a newspaper man he has taken an active interest in politics and has written numerous political articles which have attracted attention.

The idea of the Columbus, New Albany & Johnstown Electric Railway originated with Mr. Stephens and he has been a prominent factor in the enterprise thus far, having been instrumental in procuring its charter, and is one of its directors and its general manager. He is a past master of Columbus Lodge, No. 30, F. & A. M., and is an Odd Fellow of official promi- nence and a popular member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a director of the Columbus Savings and Trust Company and the Amer- ican . Savings Bank Company.

STILLMAN W. ROBINSON, C. E., D. Sc.

Everywhere in our land are found men who have worked their own way from humble beginnings to leadership in the commerce, the great pro- ductive industries, the management of financial affairs and in controlling of the veins and arteries of the traffic and exchanges of the country, and who are found among the most distinguished representatives of the professions. It is one of the glories of our American nation that this is so. It should be the strongest incentive and encouragement to the youth of the country that it is so.

Prominent among the self-made men of Ohio is the subject of this sketch, -a man honored, respected and esteemed wherever known, and most of all. where best known. He stands to-day among the leading representatives of the department of teaching, having to do with the great scientific principles underlying mechanical engineering, and his advanced thought and investiga- tions have led to many inventions which have made the world of labor richer and its activity more efficient. As an inventor and engineering expert he has a reputation which extends throughout the country, and at the present writing he is occupying the position of professor emeritus in mechanical engineering in the Ohio State University.

Professor Robinson was born on a farm in Reading, Vermont, in 1838, and from the earliest age when a child begins to notice construction he was interested in mechanical appliances, thus giving evidence of the natural trend

S. W. ROBINSON.

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of his mind. When two and a half years of age he watched with surprise and spell-bound interest the operation of the spinning wheel as it was put in motion to spin the annual "frocking" from which to cut the garments yearly needed by the inmates of this Vermont farm. All the machinery- the loom, reel, etc .- used to produce the web, riveted the attention of the child. Soon he began the work of construction, making little waterwheels which were put in motion in the water guzzles. The frequent stern order, "Go to the field and pick up stones," struck the young boy with abhorrent grief. After he had attained the age of eight years he had not the privilege of attending the district schools except during the three months of winter when his labors were not needed in clearing and developing the fields. He had no time to devote to the mechanical pursuits which he so much enjoyed, except the few moments which he could gain by running ahead of the work- men going to dinner. Thus he managed to have a brief space for shop work, which was a source of far greater interest to him than the raising of crops. When fifteen years of age he made a violin which was prized far above most other musical instruments of the kind for energy and quality of tone. His sixteenth year was devoted to the operation of a sawmill, the erection of a furniture factory and gristmill. Although he worked hard, his labor was lightened by the delight which he took in it, as compared with his liking for the farm work.

At the end of that year Professor Robinson entered upon a four years" apprenticeship to the machinist's trade, and that time was pleasantly and profitably passed. Instead of beginning work at his trade, however, he began. to supplement his meager education, acquired in early youth, by subsequent study, meeting the expenses of his school courses by occasional machine job work. In 1860 he defrayed his expenses from Vermont to Ann Arbor, Michigan, by working at stencil cutting in the towns along his route, and on reaching his destination had increased his capital to fifty dollars, with which to continue his education in the State University. He left the Green Mountain state with a capital of eight dollars and stencil tools, cutting sten- cils along the way and thus adding to his limited amount of money. In Ann Arbor, by making stethoscopes and by graduating thermometer scales, he managed to meet his board bills and other living expenses up to the time of his graduation in the university, in 1863, with the degree of civil engineer. He found that he had acted very wisely in pursuing his college course, which enabled him to secure good positions. On leaving the university he was made assistant engineer on the United States Lake Survey, acting in that capacity from 1863 until 1866. In the latter year he became a teacher in mechanical and civil engineering lines, being employed as instructor in en- gineering in the University of Michigan in 1866 and 1867, after which he was assistant in the same institution in mining engineering and geodesy from 1867 until 1870. His next position was that of professor of mechan- ical engineering and physics in the University of Illinois from 1870 until 1878, and in the last mentioned year he was dean of the college of engineer- 33

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ing in that institution. From 1878 until 1881 he was professor of mechanical engineering and physics in the Ohio State University; from 1881 until 1895 professor of mechanical engineering in the same institution, and then resigned in order to serve as inventor and consulting mechanical engineer for the Wire Grip and Mckay Shoe Machinery Companies. His first invention was a thermometer graduating machine, made while in college. Various other inventions have yielded about forty patents, notably several for shoe manufacturing machines. In 1896 the degree of doctor of science was con- ferred upon him by the Ohio State University, and in 1899 he was elected to his present position as professor emeritus in mechanical engineering.

In connection with his other work Professor Robinson was state inspec- tor of railroads and bridges from 1880 until 1884; was consulting engineer to the Santa Fe Railroad from 1887 until 1890, and consulting engineer of the Lick telescope and mountings in 1887. He is a member of the Amer- ican Society of Civil Engineers; American Society of Mechanical Engin- cers; Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers; a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Society for the Pro- motion of Engineering Education; and has been a frequent contributor to scientific literature, his writings being of great value. He is the author of the Principles of Mechanism, a college text-book; four of Van Nostrand's Science Series, namely : No. 8: Compound Steam Engines; Part II in Ana- lytical and Graphic Treatment, published in 1884; No. 24: Teeth of Gear Wheels, and Robinson's Templet Odontograph, issued in 1876; No. 29: Railroad Economics, published in 1882; No. 60: Strength of Wrought Iron Bridge Members; also numerous monographs, including: Measurement of Gas Wells; Railroad Laboratories; Car Brakes; Vibration of Bridges; Car Couplers; Flow of Water in Rivers; and numerous articles in connection with reports of railroad inspection to societies of membership.

Professor Robinson has been twice married. In 1863 he wedded Miss M. E. Holden, who died in 1885, and in 1888 he was united in marriage to Miss M. Haines. Their home is located at No. 1353 Highland street, Columbus. and the office of the United Shoe Machine Company, in which he is interested, is located at No. 205 Lincoln street, Boston, Massachusetts.

JOHN L. GORDON, M. D.

Dr. John Lee Gordon is a retired physician and surgeon. He was for many years actively connected with the medical fraternity, but has now put aside professional cares. A native of Winchester, Virginia, he was born April 25, 1821, a son of John W. and Sarah (Bryarly) Gordon, both of whom were natives of the Old Dominion, in which state they were married. In 1826 with their four children they came to Ohio, locating at Chillicothe, where they remained for a year, afterward spending two years in Bellefon- taine, thence removing to Piqua, Ohio, where the father remained until he had attained his eightieth year, when he went to Missouri to make his home

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with a daughter, with whom he resided until his death, which occurred when he was eighty-six years of age. During the years of his active business life he engaged in merchandising, and at the time when William Henry Harrison was president of the United States he served as postmaster at Piqua. By his first wife he had six children, four of whom were born in Virginia, namely : Robert Bryarly, Matilda Ann, John L., Wakeman, James and an infant. For his second wife Mr. Gordon chose Miss Delia McKenny, of Maryland, and they became the parents of two children: Mary E. and Will- iam F., but the son died at the age of twenty-two years. Dr. Gordon's father was a cousin of General William Henry Harrison, the relationship being through the Ball family, of Virginia, and of the same family General Wash- ington was descended, on the maternal side. This gives the Gordon family. relationship with four presidents, Washington, Jefferson and the two Har- risons.

Dr. Gordon was five years old when his parents came to Ohio. He 1 received his preliminary education in the district school, where tuition was paid by each scholar, thus fitting himself for college and was graduated at the University of Maryland, at Baltimore. He began reading medicine under the direction of Dr. O'Ferrell, of Piqua, who was his perceptor for three years. He next went to Louisville, where he took a course of lectures and later proceeded to Baltimore, Maryland, where he entered the Medical Uni- versity, being a student in that institution for two years. On his gradua- tion he began practice in Saint Marys, Ohio, where he remained for four years, diligently applying himself to his profession, doing which called him over an area of the country twenty miles in extent. He made most of his visits on horseback. Locating in Piqua he there continued to practice for two years and then returned to Columbus, where he continued his practice two years. On the expiration of that period he took up his abode upon a farm near Orange Station, Delaware county, Ohio, and abandoning his pro- fession he devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits. In 1875 he pur- chased sixty-eight acres of land in Sharon township, Franklin county, one and a half miles south of Worthington, and to the original tract he added other land, which he has since given to his son, retaining possession of his first purchase. Some time since he retired from all business life and is now living quietly upon his farm enjoying a well-earned rest.

The Doctor was united in marriage, December 29, 1858, to Martha Henrietta Gooding, a daughter of George and Phoebe (Williams) Gooding, of Delaware county. Her parents settled in that county in 1818, making there a permanent home. The father was a native of North Dighton, Massa- chusetts, and his wife was also born in the same place. They had six chil- dren : George, who died in childhood; Mary L., George A., Mathew, Martha H. and Frank O. The father was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and the mother, who for some years was a Presbyterian, afterward became identified with the church to which her husband belonged. He died

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in 1855, at the age of sixty years, and she passed away in 1880, at the age of eighty-two years.

Unto the Doctor and his wife were born two children: Dr. J. L., of North Columbus, and a daughter, who died in infancy. Dr. Gordon has always voted the Republican ticket and is a stanch advocate of the principles of the party. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church and during their long connection therewith they have labored earnestly for its upbuilding and support. He was formerly an elder in the church at Worth- ington. Socially he was identified with the Masonic fraternity and Odd Fel- low's lodge, joining the order at Saint Marys, but owing to ill health he dimitted from both organizations.

STEPHEN GOETSCHIUS.

The oldest and best known of the old settlers of Franklin township, Franklin county, Ohio, is Stephen Goetschius, the subject of the present sketch. He was born in this township July 16, 1816, and was the eldest son of John M. and Nancy ( Waters) Goetschius, both of whom were natives of New York. They were not married until after John Goetschius had pur- chased his land in Franklin county and was ready to inaugurate his home. A family of five sons and two daughters were born to them: Stephen ; Edward, deceased: George, living in Iowa; John; Nicholas and Emily, deceased ; and Sarah.

Our subject remained through his boyhood and early youth with his father on the farm, there being plenty of occupation for many hands upon a farm of that kind, so lately rescued from the wilderness. After his marriage he settled down in a house of his own, built of logs, in the woods, and here he and his devoted and capable wife began their successful career as pio- neer residents of Franklin county. The property was entirely unimproved but industry and economy went hand in hand, and now this tract of eighty and one-half acres is one of the most productive in the county.

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A Centennial biographical history of the city of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, Part 63

Author: Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1901 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1156

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1156