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 25
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Regarding those qualities and capacities in Father Koudelka which education draws forth and directs, and which religion refines and ennobles, his portrait on the adjoining page is more eloquent than words can be in impressing the beholder with their nature and importance. There can be read strength of character, coupled with mildness of manner ; great intellect and knowledge in a setting of simplicity and modesty ; and the moral sentiments so elevated and quickened as to be in close touch with the spiritual. Nothing can be happier than the contrast exhibited in such instances, and few present a more striking example of this than the reverend gentleman here mentioned.
MR. HENRY KRAMER
255
IN NORTHERN OHIO.
MR. HENRY KRAMER.
When the present metropolis of Ohio had less than ten thousand inhabitants and not a tithe of the business it has today, and when, from a Catholic point of view, it had just been given a resident pastor, ceasing thereby to be a mere missionary station, the subject of this mention settled there and cast in his lot with the community. This was in the year 1836, and he remained con- stant from that day till his death June 11, 1889, a period of fifty- three years.
What Mr. Henry Kramer's cyes beheld in his day in Cleve- land, especially the almost miraculous growth of the Catholic Church, must have been little less than a revelation to him. He was permitted to aid in perfecting the organization of the first congregation, and in building the first church. "Old St. Mary's on the Flats." In 1847, he saw the organization of the diocese, and was among those who welcomed its first bishop. He helped to build the Cathedral, and later several of the principal churches and institutions in that city. He saw and knew also the second bishop of Cleveland, likewise Archbishop Purcell of Cincinnati, and witnessed the passing of all of them, which facts point to him as having held a place among the pioneer Catholics of the "Forest City" and of the diocese.
Mr. Henry Kramer was born at Ankum, Hanover, Germany, February 17, 1816. He emigrated to the United States, in 1836, and located in Cleveland when he was in his twentieth year. The maiden name of his wife was Miss Mary Agnes Haukaup. They were married in the first Catholic church in Cleveland in 1810. She passed away April 8, 1887. Hers was a beautiful Christian life. Charity and motherly kindness were prominent among her virtues and traits. She was notably industrious and domestic. Mr. and Mrs. Kramer reared a family of nine, adopted three, and educated several others.
He was a tailor by trade, and shortly after his arrival in Cleve- land he established himself in business. He soon attained a posi- tion of affluence and influence owing to his strict honesty and attention to his affairs. A few years later when his place of busi- ness was destroyed by fire he quickly secured another location and also established a Catholic book store. Having closed out his
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tailoring enterprise, about 1873, he considerably enlarged his book business and transferred it to new quarters.
In days of prosperity or adversity he was always the same, exhibiting under all circumstances a spirit of sedateness and resig- nation which harmonized well with his desire to always do that which he believed just and right. He was one of the most promi- nent members of St. Peter's parish, and for many years was a member of its councilmanic board and also its treasurer. At the same time he was connected with the various Catholic societies.
In the discharge of his religious duties he was most conscien - tious, and in the latter years of his life was a weekly communicant. In his business dealings he was the soul of honor. His word was his bond. His was a reliable character, and his record was well in keeping.
MR. JOIN KRUPP.
The city of Sandusky and Eric county, Ohio, are noted as pronounced Catholic localities, and among the pioneers of the faith there, no one is more readily recognized than Mr. John Krupp, vice-president of the Citizens Banking and Trust Com- pany. With his parents and the other members of the family as emigrants from Germany, he landed, in 1833, at the little harbor. at Venice, a few miles west of Sandusky, in Frie county, Ohio. He is the sixth oldest of ten bright children born to Charles and Catherine Krupp, in Rhenish Bavaria, his natal day having been January 28, 1822.
During nearly sixty-eight years, 1833-1900, the subject of this biography has continued to reside and do business in north-central Ohio. He did farm work in Erie and adjoining counties during his young manhood. At Tiffin, in Seneca county, in 1849. he learned the trade of a cabinet maker. Although temporarily absent during his early years, his home has been in the city of Sandusky since 1845. He is among the first and best citizens of that city, and has aided in building each of the three Catholic churches there.
February 6, 1849. Mr. John Krupp was married at Thompson. Seneca county, Ohio, to Miss Catherine. the only child born to John and Catherine Simon, in what was known as New Prussia, in Germany, near Lorraine. She was in her twenty-second year at
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MR. AND MRS. JOHN KRUPP.
257
IN NORTHERN OHIO.
the time, having been born in 1827, her girlhood giving promise of what has since been realized in her faithful wifehood and motherhood. They have celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Krupp have been born nine children, five of whom have passed away. The names of the departed ones were Mary; Louisa, who was Mrs. Goebel of San- dusky; two sons, each of whom was named John; and Jacob. Those living are: Catherine, who is Mrs. Herbert Herb, of Erie county ; Josephine, who is Mrs. Paul Miller, of Sandusky ; Charles J., who continues the undertaking business established by his father, in 1870, and Jacob S.
Mr. Krupp served one term as a member of the Sandusky city council. He declined to serve longer, although urged to accept the nomination. While an active and influential member of the Democratic party, he never became a politician, or an office seeker. During all his life since he became a young man he has done choir work as a tenor singer. He is always present, even now in his old age, to sing at requiem Masses for his friends and neighbors.
Personally and in character Mr. Krupp is an agreeable and forceful man. His business ideas have always been good. In early life he was frugal but not stingy. He has contributed liberally to the Church and in aid of education. In works of charity he has been prominent, and to further benevolent and association work he has given his share of both time and money. He is well pre- served, and is active, intelligent and practical. Few men in his section deserve greater respect and honor than does he, both as a Catholic and as a citizen.
Mr. and Mrs. Krupp are constantly together, keeping fresh and beautiful the affection, the loving companionship formed long years ago. This love in another form extends to their children, and in still another to their friends and neighbors and to the whole human family. Both the direct and reflex effects of this ennobling sentiment make them express in homely phrase what the poet thus happily sings :
"No greater gift lies even in God's control Than the large love that fills the human soul. If taking that, He left thee all the rest, Would not vain anguish wring thy pining breast? If, taking all, that dear love yet remains. Hath it not balm for all thy bitter pains?"
VOL. II
258
A HISTORY OF CATHOLICITY
MR. ALBINUS LANGENBACH.
Among the comparatively carly Catholic pioneers of Canton, Ohio, was the late Mr. Albinus Langenbach. He was a native of Germany, emigrated when a young man, and located in Canton about 1850. In 1852, the late Father Hoffer, of Louisville, joined him in matrimony to Miss Genevieve Greviwey, who, like himself, was a native of Germany. Mr. Langenbach died November 6, 1877, when he was fifty-eight years old, and Mrs. Langenbach also passed away (since this work was ready for the press) Novem- ber 11, 1901.
Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Langenbach, the oldest of whom, Henrietta, passed to her reward March 26, 1895. The others in the order of birth are: Edward A., William S., Albin X., Raymond T., Olivia, who is Mrs. Chas. Loesch of Canton, Minnie Pauline, and Anna Lucile.
The elder Langenbach began his career as a laborer in Can- ton. Being industrious and of frugal habits he saved his earnings until, in obedience to his natural bent, he engaged in mercantile pursuits, in which he attained some success. He was a plain, unassuming man, and as a member of St. Peter's congregation exhibited perhaps the average zeal in religious matters. Mrs. Langenbach was a most lovable and exemplary lady. She was devoted to works of religion and charity, and up until her last ill- ness she allowed no opportunity to pass wherein she might satisfy her devotion or perform some practical good work. Her later years were most marked in these respects, for the affluence of her oldest son, Mr. Edward A. Langenbach, enabled her to do in charity and in aid of the church much which she was unable to do in former years, but for the doing of which she always had both the natural inclination and the will.
Mr. Edward A. Langenbach, the oldest of the children, was born at Canton, February 5, 1864. He was educated in the local schools, and finished with considerable eclat his commercial train- ing at Canisius College, Buffalo, New York. Returning to his native city, he resolutely began his business career which each day increased in success and grew brighter in promise. Accordingly at this writing he is one of the most prominent directors of indus-
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MR. AND MRS. ALBINUS LANGENBACH.
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MR. EDWARD A. LANGENBACH
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IN NORTHERN OHIO.
tries in Canton. He is secretary and manager of the Berger Manufacturing Company, of Canton. He was one of the founders of the enterprise. It gives employment to 360 hands. Of the Stark Rolling Mill Company, of Canton, he is vice-president and manager. This concern employs 280 hands. The Carnahan Tin Plate & Sheet Company, of Canton, which employs 640 men, has Mr. Langenbach for its manager. He is also the general manager of the Carnahan Stamping & Enameling Company of the same city, which employs 450 hands. Of the Canton Crucible Steel Company, employing 60 hands, he is vice-president. Besides these vast interests, he is also interested in mines in Colorado, Joplin, Missouri, Washington Territory, and Kentucky.
Mr. Langenbach has prodigious capacity for work, is bound- less in ambition, and is most remarkable as a man of great execu- tiveness. He has accomplished much in the business world, and while doing so, he has lost none of his appreciation for the finer things of life, such as friendship. the ties of the home, generosity in giving and benevolence and large-heartedness in wishing well to and helping his fellow men.
If material rather than spiritual things absorb and enchain his attention; if the pride of life sway him ; if commercialism has in part made him its votary, there is yet enough of head and heart remaining to his credit to indicate that it is the laurel wreath of success rather than the sordidness of great wealth that nerves him to action. He would be very rich for the pleasure he finds in acquiring and succeeding, but he would not be rich in the sense of hoarding, or that others might be poor or in distress. The moralist might say that his talents could be better employed, while the man of the world would be emphatic in saying something to the con- trary. In the meantime, pending the settlement of the question, it can be said of Mr. Edward A. Langenbach that he has never denied to religion and charity a hearty and generous support. The pride of life and the glamour of temporal success have not been able to weaken his faith, or to harden his heart against appeals made in the name of religion and charity. He may strive for the laurel wreath worn by the "Captains of Industry," but his heart will not be wedded to the prize. His large possessions can never make him sordid, but his worldly ambition will always keep him busy.
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MR. AND MRS. THOMAS LAVAN.
The late Mr. Thomas Lavan, a representative Catholic of Cleveland, Ohio, was a native of the town of Castlebar, county of Mayo, Ireland. He was a college bred man, and graduated early in life from Tuam college, in the county of Galway.
Arriving in Cleveland, in 1860, he connected himself with the mercantile community. He was confidential man for years with the hardware jobbing house of Tennis & Dangler, was secretary of the old Hibernian Insurance Company, and was a practicing attorney for about fifteen years before his death. He passed away, in 1884, when he was fifty-five years of age, leaving a very creditable name and record.
He was a man of remarkable force of character, a public speaker of considerable ability, and his spirit was a directing power among men of his race in his day in Cleveland. He was alert and mentally capable. Before others had time to think out the full meaning of certain questions or issues, he had such matters thoroughly digested, and was defending or opposing them, and shaping public opinion along his own line of thought and conviction. He possessed the elements of leadership, and was a leader in very fact. His heart was in what he advocated, and the sincerity of his character was never questioned. He was a true, representative Irishman, a good citizen, and an excellent father. As a Catholic he made few pretensions. He was ever loyal to the Church, and was constant and faithful in the practice of his religion.
When a young man Mr. Thomas Lavan was married to Miss Bridget Mullarky, a young lady born and educated in his native county. She survives him and is a well preserved, old style, Irish mother, whose life is devoted to her children and grandchildren, and to the strict observance of her religious duties.
A family of seven was born to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lavan, six daughters and one son. Delia died in 1871, and Anna, who was Mrs. Thomas H. Gartland, of Cleveland, passed to her reward in June, 1899. The others are: Mary, who follows the calling of a bookkeeper and cashier; Nellie, who is an accountant ; Belle is, of choice a home body and, with her mother, takes charge of the domestic affairs; and Emma is a teacher in the public schools.
MR. AND MRS. THOMAS LAVAN.
261
IN NORTHERN OHIO.
Their only son is Mr. Patrick Henry Lavan, who, ever since a youth, has been prominently identified with the business com- munity of Cleveland. He is secretary and treasurer of the Inter- state Foundry Company of that city, an industry which is prominent among the great enterprises of northern Ohio. He is a capable man who has cultivated both his inherited intelligence and many of the excellent qualities which marked the personality of his father. He is somewhat distant and determined, is of a retiring disposition, is kind to those he likes, and quite obliging. He is credited with having as many admiring friends as most other men of his station in Cleveland, and also with keenly. appreciating their friendship.
The home of the Lavans has always been noted for no small degree of intellectual culture, inspired and encouraged in the members of the family by the elder Lavan; while the moral and domestic virtues, of which Mrs. Lavan has always been a patron and devotee, have been given due attention. The mental, moral, and social having been cultivated, those qualities which develop and adorn character have left their imprint upon each of the children. The Catholic faith has been fostered by them, and filial duty has always been recognized and performed. As a result peace and contentment are their portion, together with no small measure of temporal prosperity.
For forty ycars, in Cleveland, the members of the Lavan family have exhibited their faithfulness to duty and fulfilled the obligations and amenities of life. They have been true and zeal- ous Catholics, good industrious citizens, and neighbors who always commanded the respect and confidence of friends and acquaintances. The children have been taught to be workers, to find contentment as well as remuneration in honest labor, and never to spurn employment which calls into activity both the mind and the hands. In the words of an observer and thinker it was taught to them that, "None but the fully occupied can appreciate the delight of suspended, or rather, of varied labor. It is toil that creates holidays; there is no royal road-yes, that is the royal road-to them. Life cannot be made up of recreations, these must be garden spots in the well farmed lands."
This sort of philosophy reduced to practice is, perhaps, the
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best way in which the members of the family of the late Thomas Lavan can obey the practical lessons which it was his custom to teach, that,
"Life is but a working day Whose tasks are set aright --- A time to work, a time to pray, And then a quiet night."
THE REV. GEORGE LEEMING.
The Rev. Father Lceming, pastor of the Sacred Heart Church. Youngstown, Ohio, is descended of an ancestry renowned among the leading families of England. Among the things that stand out bold and striking in the record of the Leemings of Lancaster is the stern fact that they never forsook the faith of the Catholic Church. George and Mary Leeming were his parents, Leeming being also the maiden name of his mother. He was born to them in the city of Liverpool, May 12, 1844. His early training attended to, he was sent to the Benedictine College at Ampleforth. near York, to make his classics. His more advanced studies were completed in the Louvain University, Belgium, and in the Seminary of Seez, Nor- mandy, near Paris, France. Subsequently, he took a post-graduate course in London under the tutelage of the Rev. Dr. Vaughan, the present Cardinal-Archbishop of Westminster.
In connection with the mention of the name of Cardinal Vaughan, the fact is recalled that when, in 1894, Father Leeming was about to celebrate his silver jubilee and so informed his friends, among many other congratulations he received the fol- lowing touching and beautiful letter from the distinguished Cardinal :
Archbishop's House, Westminster, London, S. W. March 23, 1894.
My Dear Father Leeming :- I had completely lost sight of you. Your letter has brought me joy. You are still laboring as a zealous priest. What more could I desire for you! I bless you with all my heart upon this your half jubilee of ordination.
I pray for all my former children as well as for those over whom I am actually in authority. Believe me your faithful and devoted servant,
HERBERT CARDINAL VAUGHAN. Archbishop of Westminster.
When Father Leeming was only a deacon he held the first
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THE REV. GEORGE LEEMING
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IN NORTHERN OHIO.
Procuratorship of the celebrated foreign missionary college of Mill Hill, London, an institution dear to the hearts of Cardinals Wise- man and Manning, and since their day to that also of His Eminence of Westminster. The affection and confidence then engendered has since continued, and the present Cardinal tenderly regards Father Leeming as the first priest to leave the college for foreign shores. As proof of the affection that still exists between them the Cardinal writes :
"I cannot but feel a great interest in you and an affection which our intercourse and your good qualities have given rise to. You were the first priest that has gone forth from our missionary college, and therefore most closely connected with it. Let me hear frequently from you. Anything which concerns your wel- fare and happiness will always be a pleasure to me to know of. And should there be anything which I can do for you I shall be glad to do it in memory of old days."
Father Leeming was ordained by Cardinal Manning for the Australian mission, April 4, 1869, and for ten years thereafter he was parish priest of the Church of St. Joseph at Woolahra, in Sidney, New South Wales. He organized the parish and built the. church, pastoral residence and school. The arduous labors which he underwent in that hot climate so greatly impaired his health. that he was given permission to seek rest and recuperation in North America. His health improving, he delivered some lectures, and was invited to accept a parish in the Diocese of Cleveland, by the late Bishop Gilmour. Accordingly, October, 1883, he was made pastor of St. Aloysius' Church, Bowling Green, Wood county, Ohio, and later of St. Patrick's Church, Kent, Portage county. September, 18SS, he was appointed to organize the parish of the Sacred Heart, at Youngstown, where he yet continues, having accomplished much for the congregation. The parish being poor. Father Leeming has had to meet many of the expenses out of his own purse and from the income which he derives from lectur- ing, and which, at times, has been considerable.
In addition to his parochial work he has continued to lecture frequently in many parts of the United States and Canada on topics comprising religious, literary, and historical subjects. His reper- toire is extensive and appears to include the best themes. Among these might be mentioned his "Two Hours with Thackeray," "Two Hours with Charles Dickens," "Walter Scott," "Daniel O'Con-
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nell," "Robert Emmett," "Father Mathew," "Mary Queen of Scots," "Lord Byron," "The French Bastile," "The Duke of Wellington," "Joan of Arc," "Voices from Ireland," "Tom Moore," "Shakespeare, with dramatic recitals," "Saarsfield and the Irish Brigade," "The Tower of London," "Justice to Ireland," "Ingersoll Bubbles," etc., and also his latest effort, "Miracles, the Test of Truth." These lectures, and numerous others beautifully illustrated with dissolving views, he delivers with such mastery, fine finish and effect as to justly merit the unstinted commenda- tions of the press and of the intelligent lecture-going people of the country.
In Youngstown, where he has been pastor since 1888, and where he is familiarly known to all, his lectures have received both large patronage and the highest praise. To the proceeds of his Sunday-night lectures, delivered there in a series some few years ago, his parish of the Sacred Heart is indebted for its ability to meet not only current expenses but also much of the cost of additional ground and improvements. So greatly appreciated as a lecturer is Father Leeming in his own city, and so popular is he as an approachable, genial gentleman, that the mere announce- ment in the local press that he is to lecture fills the house to overflowing. The placard "standing room only" is generally looked for when he lectures, and not unfrequently hundreds can not be afforded even this accommodation and are obliged to reluctantly forego the pleasure of hearing this eloquent priest. A man who can claim public attention and give satisfaction to audiences composed of men who meet him every day is surely not dependent on novelty or sensationalism for his popularity and prestige. His hold on the public is his intellect, his great ability as an orator, and the way in which he handles his subject.
The scope of reading and the vast storehouse of information and philosophy represented in his lectures; together with his fine literary style and poetic thought, are an education in themselves. His matchless delivery is an inspiration, not merely in sweetness and discipline of voice, but especially in his carnest, impressive, dramatic and graceful oratory. In person he is tall and well proportioned, of benevolent countenance, and thoroughly self- possessed. His rare talents and scholarly attainments are becom- ing to his priestly calling.
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MR. DANIEL E. LESLIE
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IN NORTHERN OHIO.
MR. DANIEL E. LESLIE.
It is an evidence of character to bear acquaintance well. Tc grow up among one's friends and neighbors, from childhood to manhood and to middle life, and to continue to hold their esteem as the years go by, is as positive an assurance of merit and sterling worth as can be reasonably required in any community.
It stands pre-eminently to the credit of Mr. Daniel E. Leslie, of Cleveland, Ohio, that his career has been such as to merit and receive the endorsement of his fellow citizens, as well from the standpoints of industry and respectability as from those of business capacity and the strictest integrity. In his social intercourse also the same degree of approval has been accorded him, for he is esteemed for his agreeableness and sincerity of manner. He is a man of fine mental and physical fibre. His sense of honor and justice is high, while in all respects his sensitiveness is but the measure of his refinement of character. Generous, charitable, sympathetic, a good cause can always count on his support, and to an appeal in behalf of the needy or unfortunate he always responds. The numerous natural and supernatural virtues which are his con- strain those capable of estimating character to declare him a good friend, a good citizen, a good husband and father, and a true Christian gentleman.
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