USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Catholicity in northern Ohio and in the diocese of Cleveland from 1749 to December 31, 1900, Volume II, pt1 > Part 15
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26
The calling which he has followed for the past seventeen years embraces insurance, real estate, notarial and probate business, and the management and settlement of estates. Previous to the estab- lishment of his present business he devoted four years to railroad work, and eight to commercial pursuits. The F. V. Faulhaber Company, of which he is president, and which is incorporated un- der the laws of Ohio, is a prominent institution in Cleveland. The volume of its business is large, and its standing is the best. The Catholic people, and also the priests, highly prize its business man- agement and have unbounded confidence in its reliability solely through the personality of its president. The Greenwich Insurance Company, of New York City, also prizes Mr. Faulhaber highly, for it is to him all its agents in the city of Cleveland and Cuya- hoga county make their reports.
Mr. F. V. Faulhaber is a native of Piqua, Ohio. He was born July 11, 1856. His parents were Frank J. and Maria (Kuhn) Faulhaber, natives of Baden. His father died in 1880, and his mother resides in Cleveland. They removed to that city in 186.1. Young Faulhaber received his elementary training in St. Mary's
MR. FRANK V. FAULHABER
147
IN NORTHERN OHIO.
parochial school, following which he was classically educated in St. Charles' College, at Carthagena, Ohio. He graduated after a four years' course. He has since exhibited his talents and acquire- ments to good advantage. Inheriting marked qualities, his edu- cation and training have fitted him for much usefulness, not alone in business, but also in a moral and intellectual way among his fellow citizens. He has contributed not a little to the good work of dissipating the false notion that Catholics, as a body, are unedu- cated and have "no mind of their own." The average Protestant gentleman, after a conversation with Mr. Faulhaber, bears away with him the contrary impression, and is convinced of the fact that priests are not the only members of the Catholic Church who know and are able to expound Christian doctrine. He is given the proof that laymen, too, know the catechism, and while all may not be able to explain it, as Mr. Faulhaber is, they know its prac- tical lessons which, to say the least, are the basis of Christian theology. These are some of the uses to which Mr. F. V. Faul- haber incidentally devotes his intellectual and Christian training and ability, and it must be admitted that they have borne good fruits.
In 1879 he was married to Mary Gottwald, who passed away in 1881. In 1883 he married Elizabeth Buhl, also a Cleveland lady. They have four children whose names are Carl, Catharine, Agnes, and Ernest. These are afforded rare educational advan- tages and the elevating influences of a model Catholic home. Amid books, music, and a moral atmosphere nothing is denied them that makes for the goal which religion holds up to vicw. Blessed with a father whose educational and sterling qualities are the highest, and with a mother whose Christian piety and domes- tic traits set them a shining example, nothing is left for them but to act well their part and thus win the crown which is the wages of right living.
Not alone natural affection but also a high sense of obliga- tion and duty make the care of their children the chief object, after their own salvation, for which Mr. and Mrs. F. V. Faulhaber live and labor.
148
A HISTORY OF CATHOLICITY
MR. GEORGE FELTZ.
If success in life, in its business, its domestic, as well as its public features, is regarded as the measure of the energy, ability, and social qualities in the individual, and if excellence of character is foreshadowed by such, then it can be clearly and logically affirmed of the present auditor of Allen county, Ohio, that he is a gentleman of good parts, strongly marked traits, and distinctive natural and spiritual endowments. His record shows that from early youth he possessed both the will, the judgment, and the ability to put his talents to practical and commendable uses.
As student, teacher, choir master, organist, financier, public official, and head of an estimable Catholic family, he has given the tangible evidence of the truth of Robert Burns' saying that,
"The rank is but the guinea stamp The man's the gowd for a' that."
Mr. George Feltz, of Lima, Ohio, was born in Seneca county. in the same State, March 18. 1843. His father's Christian name was Florentz, and the maiden name of his mother was Miss Mar- garet Loeffler. The former was born at Strasburg, Germany, in 1803, and died in Mercer county, Ohio, in 1SS8, when he was eighty-five years and four months old. The latter also died there when she was in her seventy-seventh year. Intellectual pursuits and music had a fascination for George Feltz even when a boy. He studied hard amid difficulties, and finally when he had grown to be a young man he attained to one of his ambitions, that of being a teacher. He taught for seven years at Fryburg, in Auglaize county, and at Sidney, in Shelby county.
In 1867 he selected the promising city of Lima as his future home, where he embarked in the insurance business with the late Mr. John O'Connor. Becoming the organist of St. Rose's Catho- lic Church he continued as such for thirty years, and he yet remains active as director of the choir. He established, in 1878, the Lima Courier, a journal published in the German language, which he ably edited until 1892, a period of fourteen years. For nearly thirty years he was the secretary and financial manager of the Citizens' Building Association of Lima, and to an extent the
1
MR. GEORGE FELTZ
149
IN NORTHERN OHIO.
inspirer of other local building associations. He handled over seven millions of dollars during that time, and never lost one cent for the association or for the individual stockholders. When he resigned to assume the duties of his present position as county auditor, to which he was elected as a Democrat, in 1899, one of his sons was chosen to succeed him as secretary of the building association.
And thus a high regard for the Feltz family through their honored father, and for the several members thereof on account of the respective merits and ability of each, has been unfailingly and unstintingly exhibited by the citizens and business men of Lima.
In 1864 Mr. Feltz was married to Miss Elizabeth Holdgreve, of Delphos, Ohio, who, like himself, followed in her young womanhood the vocation of teacher. Her dowry to her husband were her intellect, and the Christian virtues adorning her life. To their union were born four sons who are now reputable business men in Lima. Leander A. is secretary of the Citizens' Building Association, having, as above said, succeeded to the position so long and ably filled by his father. Arthur C. is first bookkeeper in the Ohio National Bank of Lima, and Albin J. and Otmer J. are the proprietors of the prominent dry goods house of Feltz Brothers. All except Leander A. are happily married and have added to the joys of their honored parents by furnishing them with eight grandchildren.
The members of the Feltz family of Lima are prominent and consistent Catholics. They are devoted to religion and creditable to their co-religionists and friends. Their record has been taken into account in selecting them for this honorable mention in the History of the Diocese of Cleveland-a mention that is in itself a monument, and that may serve to light the way to honor and success for some youthful readers of the generations that are to come.
Life-record completed, and also living examples are among the best teachers. The one is permanent, having inscribed itself among the ineffaceable monuments; the other is making for com- pleteness and permanency as Time's wheel records its lessons.
150
A HISTORY OF CATHOLICITY
MR. WILLIAM P. FINNEGAN.
A demand for a second edition of this work has already been made; and since the Finnegan Publishing Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, is to handle it, a sketch of the head of that house would appear both proper and germane.
Independent of the excellent qualities for which Mr. Finnegan is personally noted, he has strong claims to recognition because of his calling and the potent influence for good which his house has on the moral and religious sentiments of the Catholic com- munities in Ohio and adjoining States. The Finnegan Publish- ing Company handle no yellow-covered literature. On the con- trary, approved Catholic works and those on patriotic, literary, and historical subjects comprise the great bulk of their trade. These works, in an intellectual and moral sense, may be said to be standard, and they have given to that establishment a reputation which lifts it above the status of the average book agency that handles anything that comes from the press.
In this light Mr. Finnegan's house is a spreader of knowledge and a teacher of truth in a wider sense than are many individuals whose station may be prominent locally, but whose influence is necessarily limited in most instances to the community in which they live. It reaches the home direct, places there permanently approved works, and these books continue their mission of teach- ing and elevating indefinitely. Each night is a day for them, and each Sunday is a working day in the fulfillment of their pur- pose. The power for good of the author is largely in the hands of the publisher and circulator, for without them he is merely a "Pent-up Utica."
Mr. William P. Finnegan was born on a farm in Nichol town- ship, Wellington county, Province of Ontario, Canada, February 24, 1874. He is the third youngest of a family of twelve. His father, Thomas Finnegan, was a native of the county of Mona- ghan, Ireland, and his mother, whose maiden name was Miss Catherine McArdle, was a native of Canada. Both passed to their reward in 1899, having celebrated the golden jubilee of their mar- ried life in June, 1898. Mr. Finnegan was eighty-six years old when he died. Having been reared in a Catholic community,
-
-
MR. WILLIAM P. FINNEGAN
151
IN NORTHERN OHIO.
young Finnegan enjoyed a parochial school training until his seventeenth year. He then set out in the world to see things for himself, and to make a living. He attended school in Boston, Massachusetts, traveled extensively through the United States, and finally settled in Cleveland, in 1899, where, with a two years' experience, he established himself in his present business. His success has been no more phenomenal than he has merited, for he is an industrious young man, is careful in the selection of his assistants, and always insists on doing business along such lines as to insure a welcome when he, or his representatives, calls again.
Mr. Finnegan looks the ecclesiastic, which he is not, and does not claim to be, while his appearance and manner breathe both talent and no little cultivation. He possesses much force of charac- ter, abounds in resources, and is a good judge of human nature. His earlier experience in the book business was an education in itself. He was forced to familiarize himself with that which he handled, and at the same time to study human character. He has, therefore, a knowledge of some books; and it can be safely presumed that he is quite familiar with the various phases which make up the panorama of every-day life. He can tell almost at a glance the man who reads, or who would read if he had a chance. To him the home of the cultivated and the intellectual is easily singled out, just as is the individual who, for the sake of knowledge, would go to some trouble to acquire it. He himself keenly appreciates education, and it does not take him long to know a scholar when he converses with him.
Having no slight acquaintance with both books and men, the subject of this mention might be said to be pretty well informed for a young man of twenty-eight. And having not only made a living since his seventeenth year, but also established a business. the evidence of his ability and character are strikingly to the fore. While he is absorbed in his line of work, yet his calling does not estrange him from either the knowledge or the practice of religion. His early training and the lessons taught him by his good mother would be his stay even if his intellect was unequal to drawing correct conclusions. But, having both faith and knowledge. he employs the latter in happy keeping with the former, and is thus a Catholic whose life, to say the least, is no discredit to the Church. It'might be put more positively by saying that he is not only a be-
152
A HISTORY OF CATHOLICITY
licving Catholic but one whose daily occupation to some extent advances the interests of religion.
Mr. Finnegan is of fine physical presence, remarkable self- control, more than average ability as a conversationalist, and the possessor of qualities which indicate character of a high order. The long list of his acquaintances might be said to be the roster of his friends. The experience which has been his has been his course in the humanities, and the man, as he is found today, is a graduate from the school of experience, and from that of books perused without a teacher. Self-made is, therefore, the phrase by which to qualify his sterling manhood, and "Excelsior" may in later years be fittingly applied to him.
THE REV. STEPHEN FURDEK.
If one of the aims of a bishop governing his diocese is to have his priests well in keeping with the present as well as the future requirements of their respective parishes, then the continuance of the Rev. Stephen Furdek in the pastoral charge of Our Lady of Lourdes' (Slovak) Congregation, Cleveland, Ohio, is an instance of the happy adaptation of recognized means to the above much desired end.
To those acquainted with the situation, viz: the needs of the parish, and this priest's capacity and ability to compass and meet them, both the truthfulness and meaning of this averment will be readily recognized, while to the general reader an additional light is thrown on the case by the statements that the said parish of Our Lady is one of the most important in northern Ohio, and that it has grown to its present development, both temporally, numeric- ally, and spiritually, while under the watchful eye and fostering care of Father Furdek.
The parents of this priest were Stephen and Mary (Stopek) Furdek. They were natives of Hungary, and there they passed to their reward, the former in 1900, and the latter in 1898. He was born to them in the town of Trstena, September 2, 1855. He was afforded rare opportunities in both his classical and ecclesiastical training which, with the exception of four months of the latter, he finished in his native country and in Prague, Bohemia. He emigrated to the United States, in 1882, spent four months in the
THE REV. STEPHEN FURDEK
153
IN NORTHERN OHIO.
Cleveland Diocesan Seminary, and was ordained priest by Bishop Gilmour, July 1, 1882.
His first labors as a priest were performed in the capacity of assistant at St. Wenceslas' Church in the city of Cleveland, Ohio, from July 1, 1882, to May, 1883. In the latter mentioned month and year he was appointed pastor of his present parish of Our Lady of Lourdes, also in Cleveland, where he built the frame (wooden) Church of Our Lady. The needs of a neighboring Cleveland parish (St. Procop's), constrained the Bishop to transfer him to that field. He fulfilled his mission there from July, 1883, to February 10, 1884, when he was reappointed to his former charge, where he yet con- tinues as pastor. From December, 1888, to August, 1890, he had charge also of St. Ladislas' Church as a mission. He began the erection of the present imposing Church of Our Lady in May, 1891, and although in an unfinished condition, it was first used by the congregation the succeeding Christmas Day.
The priest in the man and also the manner and clement disposition of the man himself are quite discernible. It would appear to be an adopted aphorism with him that "We never regret the kind words we have spoken nor the retorts we have left unsaid." This means that there is philosophy in his gentleness and kindness; that he is equal to saying No without offending ; that he corrects and reproves without leaving a sting, and that in his capacity of spiritual guide he has the happy faculty of being able to win and hold the respect and love of his people.
With the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes' it is in part just as it was with many Fathers of the. Church who, beneath a lamb-like gentleness and an exceeding approachableness, concealed the qualities of the lion-hearted and the giant-minded, ready for effec- tive use when occasion called. His gentleness does not mean weakness, neither does his simplicity of manner mean lack of intellectual parts. Hle is both learned and brilliant, and is credited by those who know him well with being an eloquent speaker in his native tongue. To this tongue he has added a knowledge of three other languages. Magyar, German, and English. This list does not include the Latin, which is almost native to the Hungarian, and in which he excels.
Rev. Stephen Furdek is a man of fine literary attainments, and is a believer in the broadest dissemination of knowledge, both
154
A HISTORY OF CATHOLICITY
secular and religious. To this end he finds time in the midst of his onerous parochial duties to ably edit the "Jednote," a Catholic journal of wide circulation among his co-nationalists and co- religionists. Both his tastes and his priestly obligations incline him to labor for the enlightenment of the intellects of his people while he ministers to them spiritually. Nothing displeases him more than to have it said, with some showing of truth, that Catholics are lacking in education. He, therefore, labors unceasingly that his people may have not only religious but also secular knowledge. Especially is he devoted to the work of educating the children, for he sees the great need of knowledge to maintain them in the faith and in their proper station in life.
MR. THOMAS GALLAGHER.
The late Mr. Thomas Gallagher, of Cleveland, Ohio, who was the second Catholic undertaker to establish himself in that city, was born, at Newport, county of Mayo, Ireland, December 27, 1827. When nineteen years old, 1847, he, with the other members of the family, emigrated to the United States and located in what is now the metropolis of Ohio.
There were five brothers and one sister in the family. The sister, Margaret by name, left Ireland as early as 1836, and was among the first Catholics who chose Cleveland as their home. She later became Mrs. Ferguson. The five Gallagher brothers were named: Patrick, Edward, Denis, Thomas, and Joseph F. Denis is the only surviving member; he lives in Cleveland. Joseph F. became a priest of the diocese. He passed away January 30, 1886, after devoting more than twenty-five years of his life to religion. Thomas is the subject of this mention.
For a short time after his arrival in his adopted city he fol- lowed the calling of loading and unloading vessels at the port of Cleveland. Later he connected himself with the Michigan Central Railroad or transportation company, and did a hauling business. At one time in his career he was a fellow laborer with Mr. John D. Rockefeller the multi-millionaire. In 1866 he engaged in the undertaking business, which he followed for over twenty-one years, or until his death in 1887. It is yet continued by his family.
MR. AND MRS. THOMAS GALLAGHER.
155
1
IN NORTHERN OHIO.
Mr. Thomas Gallagher was married, February 2, 1857, in St. John's Cathedral, Cleveland, by Bishop Rappe. to Miss Catherine Reeves, a young lady born and educated in the city of Limerick, Ireland. She yet lives in Cleveland and is now in her sixty-fourth year. She is a woman of considerable force of character, whose practical ideas are as pronounced as are her qualities as a wife and mother. She has been a true helpmate, and she continues her deep interest in her family. Two of her children died in infancy, and the remaining five are: Margaret, who is Mrs. James J. Malone, of Toledo; Joseph F., Mary E., Catherine, who was Mrs. P. H. Lavan, Anna J., and Genevieve E. The family yet owns the old home on Lake street purchased in 1847.
Mr. Gallagher in his day in Cleveland was a representative Catholic. He made no parade of his religion, but was an enemy to every approach to wrong-doing. Impulsive and old-style in his way, he was instant in decision, and fixed in his purposes. No power could sway him to go counter to his convictions. Hence, in politics he was a leading Democrat but not a politician or office-seeker. He would vote for a suitable man, regardless of party, or for a personal enemy, for the sake of his party, but he could never brook corruption, faithlessness, or disloyalty on the. part of either individuals or political parties.
His temperament was the nervous-sanguine, which accounted for his generous impulses, his great hopefulness, and his remark- able kindness of heart. Religion ennobled the many natural virtues which endeared him to his neighbors and to a large circle of friends and acquaintances. He is yet kindly remembered in Cleveland and, doubtless, his memory will be kept green for many years to come.
It is the purpose of this sketch, not only to take his excellent qualities into account, but also to perpetuate his memory, and to keep active as a moral force the example of his plain but consis- tent Christian life. Touching that life, it would not fully express it to say that he was the opponent of error and vice of all kinds; he was also a doer of those things that make for good morals and that foster religion and virtue. He did these things privately and unseen, in most instances, of his neighbors, for his nature was averse to any parade, even of good deeds.
156
A HISTORY OF CATHOLICITY
JOHN VINCENT GALLAGHER, M. D.
The medical profession in Cleveland, Ohio, has, among its younger members, no more promising, conscientious, or able prac- titioner than Dr. John V. Gallagher. He is a physician and surgeon by nature and education, and creditably reflects both the ethics and the dignity of his calling. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, July 19, 1865. His father was Neil Gallagher, who, in 1852, emigrated from the west of Ireland to the United States and located in Cleveland. He died in 1886. His mother's maiden name was Catherine Gallagher. She yet lives and is a representa- tive of an ancient Irish family.
Dr. Gallagher received his preparatory training in the Cathedral parochial schools, and also in the public schools, where he afterwards taught for one year. After a five years' course in the Niagara University, he graduated in the classics, in 188S, and received the gold medal for scholarship and excellence in class work. He next spent one year in the Wooster Medical College, after which he made a two years' course in the medical department of the Western Reserve University, graduating from that institu- tion, with high honors, March 4. 1891. This he followed later by taking a post-graduate course in New York medical colleges.
Immediately after being admitted to practice his profession he was appointed house physician in St. Alexis' Hospital, Cleve- land, which office he held for nearly two terms. He was next appointed on the regular staff of the hospital as visiting physician. Two years later he became visiting surgeon, a position which he yet holds, and is now the first president of the recently organized Alumni Association of the Resident Physicians of the hospital. In his practice during a period of over ten years, and as a member of the American Medical and the Cleveland Medical Associations, and also as a student of the late Dr. R. A. Vance, he has abundantly fulfilled the high expectations that have been enter- tained of him both by the profession and his friends. He has acquired a lucrative practice and enjoys an enviable reputation both as a professional man and as a citizen.
Dr. Gallagher was united in marriage, in 1893, to Miss Edith Cullen, of Wheeling, West Virginia. To their union have been
JOHN V. GALLAGHER, M. D.
157
IN NORTHERN OHIO.
born six children, four boys and two girls. Their names are : Vincent Alexis, Thorpe Augustin, Leonarda Agnes, Leo Arthur. George Vahey, and Edith Matilda Gallagher. Appreciating the worth of an education, he is most desirous that its benefits be fully extended to his children. To that end his home is a sort of graded school, accommodated to the capacities of the little ones. Of this school he is principal, while Mrs. Gallagher is the all-around teacher, who puts in the long hours and never forgets the great truth that secular education alone is not always a blessing ; hence her solicitude for their religious training also.
The accompanying portrait of Dr. Gallagher is eloquent as to the character of the man. He possesses a fine physique, while his countenance is indicative of many excellent qualities of both head and heart. If, as Fowler says, "Phrenology goes below actions to their main springs and discloses innate proclivities," then the cranial exhibition of Dr. Gallagher's faculties, as modified by his nervo-bilious temperament, means not a little in manifesting his character and powers. His finely shaped head prominently pre- sents his large individuality, cautiousness, and continuity, with causality and comparison by no means lacking. In the moral group will be found well developed his conscientiousness. venera- tion. and benevolence, all of which tells of a happily balanced nature and à character quite remarkable for nobility, generosity. and force. As a result of his education and experience he takes a broad view of things, is considerate, generous, and charitable; and notwithstanding its weakness, he has an abiding confidence in human nature.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.