USA > Ohio > Lorain County > A Standard History of Lorain County, Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of the. > Part 47
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Of his eight children only two are now living. A brief record of the family is as follows: Prudence, who died in Michigan, married Rev. Allen Gridley, and she left a daughter, Grace, who was graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and now lives in Boston as Mrs. Wim, and conducts a music studio in that city, being the mother of three children. Harrison Delos, the second child, was an implement salesman at Oberlin and died there in January, 1908, and by his mar- riage to Elizabeth Gleason, was the father of the following children : Dr. Walter A., now of Philadelphia, John of Oberlin, James, a manufacturer of concrete at Barry, Texas, Grace, wife of M. A. Houghton, Oberlin's postmaster, Harold, who died at the age of fourteen, and Dudley, who is a graduate of Oberlin College and lives in that town. Malcolm H., the third child, died September 29, 1915, having been a farmer in this county, and by his marriage to Mary Reamer had seven children : Mabel C., who died July 19, 1911, was a teacher in Elyria schools; Harrison B., married Edith B. Brenner, of Cleveland and they have one child, Brenner R., and reside in Oakland, California ; Ollie M., married T. C. Metzger of Lorain, Ohio, a clothing merchant; Robert L., a member of the firm of Wood Construction Company, Oberlin, Ohio, married Gertrude Stough ; Wesley R., died September 19, 1900, and two who died in infancy. The fourth in order of age is Marshall A. Della M. is living in Carlisle Township, the wife of Frank Prindle, and has three children, Hazel, Frances and Harold. Effie M., who died September 6, 1897, was a graduate of Ober- lin College. Roy, died when about fourteen years of age. Frank, who died January 3, 1900, married Jennie Talley and left one child, Goldie.
Marshall A. Wood spent his boyhood on the old homestead, and began life with a common school education. Farming has been his regular career, and he has prospered and has exemplified many of the excellent qualities for which the Wood family have always been noted.
On October 12, 1893, he married Correlia A. Reamer who was born and reared at Smithville in Wayne County, Ohio, a daughter of Jacob and Sophia (Fitger) Reamer. Her father was born at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, but when a small lad came to Ohio with his parents Daniel and Mary (Krill) Reamer. Jacob Reamer served as a soldier in the Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and about four weeks after he went to the front was killed in the battle of Chancellorsville and is buried on that battlefield. Mrs. Wood's mother was born in Wayne County, Ohio, near Wooster August 21, 1832, was reared there, and is still living at the age of eighty-three. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have one Vol. 11-20
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daughter, Helen C., who was born on the old farm June 1, 1896, and in 1910 at the age of fourteen entered Elyria High School after an exami- nation, and was graduated with the Class of 1914.
Mr. Wood inherited eighty-two acres of the old H. B. Wood farm, and subsequently bought twenty acres more from the estate. Since then he has made a great many improvements. He has placed a basement under the barn, and after tearing down the old residence he constructed the present modern home. In 1907 he put down a gas well 935 feet under the surface, and since then has had a good supply of gas to be used for heating and lighting. His house is one of the best equipped with modern conveniences and comforts in the rural district of Lorain County. He has a complete waterworks plant and has hot and cold water for all purposes. The house is a two story structure built on a basement 26x34 feet, the first story being of cement walls, and contain- ing eight rooms and bath. Mr. Wood has never participated in politics, though he was reared a democrat and cast his first presidential ballot for Cleveland in 1884.
JAMES C. SMITH. No small share of technical skill and ability to lead and direct the work of a large factory organization has been fur- nished to the Elyria industrial community by James C. Smith, who is factory manager of The Machine Parts Company and has been closely identified with this and some of the other large enterprises in Elyria for more than twenty years. Mr. Smith, who probably inherits his taste for things mechanical from his father, began his career as a machinist's apprentice and has filled a number of positions in a rising grade of responsibility in factories and industries both in Lorain County and elsewhere.
Born at New Hartford, Oneida County, New York, November 16, 1861, James C. Smith is a son of Edward B. and Helen (Cunningham) Smith. His father, Edward B. Smith, was born in England, a son of Jonathan Smith, who spent all his life in that country. Helen Cun- ningham was born at New Hartford, New York, and her father, James Cunningham, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and being a radical and expressing his views too freely, was thrown into prison, but by the aid of influential friends was released and came to Canada, and lived for many years in the United States. Edward B. Smith as a tool maker was in the employ of the Remington Arms Company at Ilion, New York, during the Civil war. When peace brought about a slackening of that industry, he moved to Meadville, Pennsylvania, was employed for a time by the Atlantic & Great Western, now the Erie Railroad, and in 1867 moved to Cleveland, Ohio. About twelve years later he took up his residence at Elyria, but after a year and a half returned to Cleveland, where he died in 1884. His wife passed away in 1880.
On reaching the second year of the high school at Cleveland, James C. Smith left school to gain a vocational training as apprentice to the machinist's trade. He was with the White Sewing Machine Company in Cleveland for a time, and during the year and a half his parents lived in Elyria he was employed by the firm of Topliff & Ely. He after- wards worked for I. N. Topliff and for a time was in the employ of the Cleveland Telegraph Supply Company, which later became the Brush Electric Company, and also with the Chapin Nut Bolt Company.
On returning to Elyria Mr. Smith was for a time with Mead & Wal- lace, manufacturers of carriage hardware, and later with James Hollis, who conducted a machine shop on the site now occupied by The Machine Parts Company. For 31/2 years he had charge of the iron valve department in the brass works at Lorain, and then returned to
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the machine works formerly conducted by Mr. Hollis, but at that time under the proprietorship of H. K. Day. The forming of his next con- nection in industrial affairs is one of interest and importance to his per- sonal career. He returned to the employ of the Topliff & Ely Com- pany, which at that time was making some of the first of the famous Garford bicycle saddles. On December 1, 1892, Mr. Smith was made superintendent of the manufacture of these saddles for The Garford Company, and continued in charge of this department of a large and growing industry until May, 1905. He resigned to take the manage- ment of the Rochester Valve Company, which in about a year later was reorganized as The Machine Parts Company, an Ohio corporation, in which Mr. Smith became vice president. When he left the Garford Company's plant as superintendent the esteem in which he was held by his many employes was well shown when the men as a token of their regard presented him with a handsome gold watch and chain and a Masonic charm. Mr. Smith is now a director and factory manager of The Machine Parts Company and is also a director in The Worthington Company.
He is a director in the Masonic Temple Company, and for many years has been closely identified with Masonic affairs. He is affiliated with King Solomon Lodge No. 56, Free and Accepted Masons; with Marshall Chapter No. 47, Royal Arch Masons, in which he is past high priest; with Elyria Council No. 86, Royal and Select Masters, in which he is past thrice illustrious master; and with Elyria Commandery No. 60, Knights Templar, of which he is past commander. He is also a member of the United Commercial Travelers and the Elyria Chamber of Commerce. As a local citizen he has not neglected his duties, and for about five years up to January, 1908, was a member of the board of public service and its president during the last year.
Mr. Smith married Miss Elizabeth Howells, who was born in Bal- timore, Maryland, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Howells, who as children were brought from Wales, their native country, to the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have three children : Brenton Arthur, who graduated from the Elyria High School in 1911, is a draftsman by trade, and is now connected with The Willys-Overland Co., Elyria, Ohio; Helen Elizabeth, who graduated from the Elyria High School in the class of 1913 and is now a stenographer; and Theodore Howells, who is still a student in the high school. ,All three children were born at Elyria.
CALVIN JACKSON. When a man has lived a life of usefulness and honor in one community for many years, his fellow citizens recognize in him a man deserving of respect and his name and some narrative of his activities have.an appropriate place in the local annals of his town- ship and county. Such has been the role of Calvin Jackson of Eaton Township, who now past seventy years of age is retired and enjoying the comforts and pleasures of a fine rural home on Center Road half a mile west of Eaton Center.
He was three years old when his parents, James W. and Samantha (Cheney) Jackson came to Lorain County. He was born in Cattaraugus County, New York, January 20, 1845. On coming to Lorain County his father bought a small farm three miles north of Elyria, paying $12.50 an acre, and spent the rest of his days there. He was a republican, and was a very active worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In fact, he was a local preacher, and filled the pulpit when the regular minister was absent. In the family were seven children, one of whom died in childhood. Of the others Calvin was the oldest. Mary Jane still lives on the old homestead; Melissa is the wife of Samuel Cox, by whom she
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has two children, and they live in Eaton Township; Andrew J. is else- where referred to in this publication; Arthur also lives in Union Town- ship; Frank is a bachelor and occupies the old homestead with his sister. The father of these children died in 1899 and the mother on November 19, 1905, and both are buried in the Sheffield Cemetery.
Calvin Jackson while growing up on the farm in Lorain County acquired a common school education, and at the early age of sixteen began working by the month at wages of $8. He soon afterwards went to Cleveland and enlisted for service in the Union army, but before he was mustered in his father interposed and took him home. Later he became a member of the Home Guard and received considerable mili- tary training. Then in May, 1864, he regularly enlisted in Company K of the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was mustered into service at Columbus, and after spending a few days at Camp Chase was sent with his command to Opequan Creek in West Virginia and was first under fire at Martinsburg in that state. He also was in the fight at Harpers Ferry. After serving out his regular enlistment of four months he returned to Lorain County and soon had a place as a farm laborer at wages of $22 a month.
Thus it was by hard work that he laid the foundation for his pros- perity. On September 17, 1868, Mr. Jackson married Miss Louisa Reis- inger, whose home was at Liverpool, Medina County. Her parents Jacob and Elizabeth (Kellar) Reisinger were both natives of Germany, where they grew up, and the mother was the first to come to America, and they were married in Liverpool. They settled there where Mrs. Jackson's father followed his trade as shoemaker, which he had learned according to the thorough methods of a German cobbler. As was the practice in those times, he went from home to home making up shoes for the family at each place. Later he bought a farm near Liverpool on the county line.
After his marriage Mr. Jackson for several years rented land and by much self denial and by the loyal cooperation of his wife saved suffi- cient to buy his present home. Here he has effected many improvements and is now in a position to take his remaining years somewhat at leisure.
To Mr. and Mrs. Jackson were born seven children, all but one of them still living. Perry married Elizabeth Stang and has two children, Lucile and Clifford. Lillia is the wife of Asa Hance and lives in Eaton. Charles married Nettie Keasey and they have four children, Herman, Chester, Ruth and Samuel. Arthur married Bernice Strickland and has three children, Claude, Leo and Garnet. Roy married Verne Strickland and has one child Marian. Pearl is clerk in a store at Alliance, Ohio.
In politics Mr. Jackson is a republican and cast his first presidential ballot for Grant. He and his wife are members of the Disciples Church at Eaton and they are also members of the Grange.
FRANK E. SCHWARTZ. Among Carlisle Township's men of enter- prise and progressive spirit special mention should be made of Frank E. Schwartz, who is one of the members of the Board of the Lorain Agri- cultural Society and in the course of his active career has done a great deal of constructive work both on his own land and toward raising the general standards of agriculture, stock raising and rural life in his part of the county.
ITis fine homestead of 125 acres, where he does extensive farming and dairying and also breeds high grade Poland China hogs and Oxford Down sheep, is located about 41/2 miles south and 11/2 miles east of Elyria on the LaGrange Road, and he is served by rural route No. 1 out from LaGrange.
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Charles W. Smith
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A native of Lorain County, he was born in Russia Township July 24, 1856, a son of David and Christine (Baker) Schwartz. His father, who is still living at the venerable age of eighty-three, at the home of a daughter in Elyria, was born in Germany. His father died in the old country and when David was about sixteen years of age the widowed mother, with other children, set out for the land of liberty and soon afterward arrived in Lorain County and established themselves in Rus- sia Township. David Schwartz was married in that township and by much self denial, hard work and good judgment accumulated a fine farm and made ample provisions for his own declining years and did well by his children.
It was on the home farm in Russia Township that Frank E. Schwartz spent his youth, and his education came from the local schools. However, he left school at the age of fourteen, and has been hard at work ever since. He helped manage the home farm until he was about twenty-four, and on April 28, 1880, was married in Carlisle Township to Miss Lucy Shauver. Mrs. Schwartz was born in Amherst Township, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Repp) Shauver.
A short time before his marriage and in preparation for that event, Mr. Schwartz purchased twenty-eight acres of land in Carlisle Township. The only improvements were a log house and a log barn. He and his young wife made the best of difficulties, and by heroic economy and effort soon had their affairs moving in the direction of prosperity. While there Mr. Schwartz built a new house and barn and gave a great deal of value to the land above what it represented when he first took possession.
From that home in 1895 he moved to his present place. and here again he has carried on extensive remodeling and improvement. In the summer of 1908 he put down a gas well 700 feet, and that furnishes a supply of gas sufficient for home consumption. For the past twenty years Mr. Schwartz has been breeding thoroughbred hogs, and he is a master of that branch of farm husbandry. About seven years ago he took up sheep husbandry, and has found considerable profit in that. Mr. Schwartz has won his full share of prizes upon his thoroughbreds when exhibited at county fairs.
Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz have one daughter, Lilah May, who was born in Carlisle Township, and has finished her education in the common schools. While Mr. Schwartz was reared a democrat and cast his first presidential ballot for a democratic candidate, he has since joined the republican ranks and is a firm believer in the basic principles of that party. For three years he served as township trustee and has also been a director of his local schools. Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias at LaGrange and of the Modern Woodmen of America at Elyria. It was in 1913 that he was chosen to an official place on the board of the Lorain County Agricultural Society and was re- elected for another term. He is one of the progressive men who have kept the affairs of the society moving to higher and better attainments. Recently the board constructed some new buildings and now has one of the best grand stands for a county to be found anywhere in Ohio.
CHARLES WILLIAM SMITH. Among the veteran retired merchants of Lorain County perhaps none is better known through long association with one line of business than Charles W. Smith, who for fully half a century had been in the jewelry and watch making trade and business at Elyria. For the greater part of this time his store was not only repre- sented as an important landmark in the shopping district, but was re- garded as the largest and most important establishment of its kind in that city. Throughout all his career Mr. Smith has manifested a high degree
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of public spirit toward all enterprises and movements for the improve- ment of the city as a business center and as a social community.
A resident of America since he was twelve years of age, Charles Wil- liam Smith was born February 6, 1842, in Tuebingen, in the Kingdom of Wuertemberg, Germany, a son of Christian Gottlieb and Agnes (Waiblinger) Schmid, as his father wrote his name. Both parents died in Elyria. The father came to America in 1853 with two other members of his family, and the mother followed with the other children in 1854. Charles W. Smith made the voyage with his mother in 1854. He had already had some benefit of instruction in the schools of Germany, and after coming to Elyria spent three months as a pupil in the old stone schoolhouse on East Avenue, and another three months at an old school- house now torn down which stood on Middle avenue.
In 1862, at the age of twenty, Mr. Smith took up the trade of watch- maker and jeweler and engaged in that business in the store on Broad Street at the corner of Mill Street, a corner now occupied by Robinson and Hancock, clothiers. In 1865 he moved to the Beebe House, and occupied the corner store on Broad Street now occupied by the Lorain County Banking Company, in the Andwur Hotel. In 1874, having pros- pered as a merchant, Mr. Smith built and moved into his own store, the Smith Block, at 541 Broad Street. His business prosperity is repre- sented by some important building and real estate interests. Besides the Smith Block at 541 Broad Street, he is also owner of the Smith Block at 538-542 Broadway in the City of Lorain, and he owns a substantial residence at 651 Broad Street in Elyria. Mr. Smith has been a witness to most of Elyria's development since it was a very small town. The family on coming to America spent about a year and a half in Cleveland, and arrived in Elyria about 1855. It was then a small town, and the locality on Broad Street where Mr. Smith now has his home was at that time mainly a cow pasture, though now located nearly in the center of the business district. With a few more years of rapid development such as Elyria has had during the past decade his home will necessarily have to be moved or torn down to make way for the advance of business development in that section of the city.
Mr. Smith has been affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 1870. He became one of the first members of St. Paul's Church at Elyria, joining in 1858. In 1864 at Cleveland he married Miss Anna Mary Laux, a daughter of Peter and Gertrude Laux of Ridgeville, Ohio. Mrs. Smith died January 2, 1899. The children are: William C., who married Elizabeth Beller, of Amherst, Ohio, has been in the shoe business at Elyria nearly a quarter of a century, his store being at 541 West Broad Street in the Smith Block. They are the parents of Arthur G., who is connected with the shoe firm of Wm. C. Smith & Son; Charles J., deceased, married Hattie Reublin, and left two children, Pierre R. and Geraldine; Henry F. married Dora Schubert, and has one child, Catherine; Julia M. married M. J. McGuire, and they have three children, Charles W., Helen and Mary ; Frank W. is still unmarried.
SOLOMON MENDELSON. There are few residents of Lorain County with so excellent a reputation in business affairs and with a better record of public spirited citizenship than Solomon Mendelson, who was born of Jewish parents in Russia and came to America in early boyhood. The instinct of the trader was almost as natural to him as in the typical Yankee, and it has found its chief exemplification in the direction of live- stock, for which he manifested a special fondness in early youth. For a number of years Mr. Mendelson has been one of the most extensive dealers in livestock of all kinds in the county, and is also manager of
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the Mendelson Reduction Company at Elyria, especially noted for the manufacture of a high grade fertilizer and animal tankage. His home and place of business are at 310 Furnace Street in Elyria.
He was eight years old when he came to America with his parents from Russia. His father had visited America some years previously and spent most of his active career in the scrap iron business. Solomon at- tended the public schools of Lorain County until about seventeen and he showed a marked proficiency in acquiring the English language, which he speaks very fluently. When he was not more than fourteen he began buying and selling whenever the opportunity offered, and most of these early deals were in livestock. He also worked for his father until the latter's death when Solomon was about twenty years of age. Solomon was the second of three children, his older sister Yetta is the wife of Moses Berinstein, and they reside in New York City. The brother Julius is also a resident of New York City and a manufacturer of ladies dress goods.
During the ten years following the death of his father, Solomon Mendelson carried on the old business, and at the same time continued his dealings in livestock, which acquired a somewhat extensive scope, so that he was finally justified in giving all his energies to that work. In 1909 he erected a substantial residence and also his three story sales stables in Elyria.
On August 14, 1892, he married Miss Lizzie Siegel, who was also born in Russia and came to America with her parents, locating in Cleve- land. The eight children of Mr. and Mrs. Mendelson were all born in Elyria. Mary is the wife of Harry Sobul of Elyria; Hattie is a graduate of the high school as is also Ray, the next younger; Emanuel graduated from high school and is now in the State University at Columbus; Eva is in the second year of high school, while Anna is a freshman; Nelson is in the third grade, and Hilda, the youngest of the family, is in the first grade of the public schools.
Mr. Mendelson as an American citizen has voted the republican ticket. He is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of the Maccabees, the Modern Woodmen of America and the United Commercial Travelers. He is president of the Jewish Congre- gation at Elyria, and is president of the Elyria Lodge of the Independ- ent B'rith of Abraham. He was also one of the founders of the Young Men's Christian Association at Elyria, and has been a trustee since its organization. When the Young Men's Christian Association Building was constructed he performed the excavation work for the foundation.
GEORGE H. Box. That it is possible for a progressive and industrious man to make a success of farming in these modern days is well illustrated in the case of George H. Box of Eaton Township. His fine farm of 240 acres in the southwest part of that township a mile north of Grafton, largely represents the fruits of his individual management. In his career he has brought to bear unusual good sense in regulating his affairs, and a persistent diligence which has had its proper reward. He has an ex- cellent farm, conducts a dairy, and is known as a breeder of high thoroughbred Holstein cattle.
He was born in a log house on the very farm where he now lives, April 16, 1862, a son of Charles H. and Maria (Grey) Box. Both parents were natives of Wilkshire, England, where they grew up and married. After four of their children were born the entire family set out for America, and lived a short time in Cleveland, where the father worked for a Mr. Scoville. Coming to Lorain County, with a brother-in-law he bought a small tract of timbered land, erected a log cabin and began
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