USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume II > Part 53
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His son, Hector Taylor, the father of Virgil Corydon Taylor, was born in New Hartford, Connecticut, in April, 1799, and came to Ohio in 1832, settling at Twinsburg, Summit county, Ohio, where he established a general mercantile business, which grew with the development of the town and soon became a prof- itable undertaking. This he conducted until his retirement from business in 1870, when he removed to Cleveland to live with his son, his death occurring in that city, in November, 1874. In early manhood he had wedded Polly Carter. a daughter of Noah Andrew and Lydia Carter, of Bristol, Connecticut.
Virgil Corydon Taylor was born in Twinsburg, Summit county, Ohio, August 4, 1838, and pursued his education in the schools there until he was afforded the opportunities for the attainment of a more advanced education in Geauga Seminary. Leaving school at an early age, he entered his father's store and received a general training in mercantile lines and gained a broad expe- rience, which was to prove of inestimable value to him in later life. To the thorough and systematic methods which he thus acquired, he attributes much of his business success and at the same time to his ever manifest and intelligent appreciation of opportunities. He remained with his father until 1856. When he came to Cleveland, entering the dry-goods business, in which he remained until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when he joined the Union army as a member of Company E, Eighty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which com- mand he was commissioned first lieutenant and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. After his army service he entered into the banking business with The Farmers Bank, acting as cashier for eight years, and in 1873 he turned his attention to the real-estate business, in which line he has continued to the pres- ent time, having had much to do with the uplifting of modern Cleveland and standing at all times for the progressive spirit which has wrought notable changes in the appearance of the city in recent years.
On the 23d of June, 1863, Virgil Corydon Taylor was joined in marriage with Miss Margaret Minerva Sacket, a daughter of Alexander and Harriet (Johnson) Sacket. Her grandfather, Levi Johnson, was one of Cleveland's earliest pioneers and was identified with many events and projects which marked the growth and development of the city. He was the builder of the first courthouse, of the first city and county jail and for a long period was con-
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nected with the improvement of the city as a contractor and builder. He died in 1871. Alexander Sacket, the father of Mrs. Virgil Corydon Taylor, was for many years one of Cleveland's best known merchants and the enterprise and probity of his business methods commended him to the confidence and respect of all.
Mrs. Taylor was born May 3, 1838, and died May 6, 1908, at the age of seventy years. She was prominently identified with the work of St. Paul's Episcopal church, of Cleveland and its charities, and her many good traits of heart and mind have caused her memory to be greatly cherished. She had four children, the eldest being Harriet, now the wife of Dr. Frank E. Bunts, the noted surgeon of Cleveland; Katherine, the wife of R. O. Carter; Alexander S., who is associated with his father in business; and Grace, the wife of John B. Cochran, a son of the former vice president of the Erie Railroad.
For forty-five years Virgil Corydon Taylor has resided at No. 6620 Euclid avenue and is one of the best known residents of that part of the city. He is very fond of fishing and hunting and spends his summers among the Thousand Islands of Canada. He is also quite fond of literature and is the owner of a fine library, in which he spends many hours. He has always taken an active interest in civic affairs and served for some years as a member of the old school board in East Cleveland, and also as a director of the Chamber of Commerce. He also holds membership in the Euclid and Union Clubs and the Loyal Legion.
Mr. Taylor is a republican in his political faith but is allied with that desir- able movement which is one of the hopeful signs of the times when men do not blindly follow party leaders but use individual judgment in the selection of can- didates for local office. He is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church and thus his associations have ever been of the character that has labored for the best interests of the community at large. For more than one half century he has figured in the business life of Cleveland and is one of the oldest and best known real-estate men here. He has associated with him his son Alexander S. Taylor.
WALTER C. HILL, M. D.
Dr. Walter C. Hill was born in Huron, Ohio, January 24, 1876, and repre- sents a family of English origin that was established in America in 1630. The great-grandfather of Dr. Hill came from Guilford, Connecticut, which was the ancestral home of the family during two centuries. He took up his abode at Berlin Heights, Ohio, where the family has since been represented. His son, Benjamin L. Hill, was a surgeon of Cincinnati, Ohio, and at one time in the '50s was associated with the Homeopathic Medical College of Cleveland. He was also prominent in political circles and served as United States consul at Nicaragua. His son, Cortland L. Hill, a native of this city, is now living re- tired at Berlin Heights. He married Gertrude Reynolds, a graduate of Lake Erie College at Painesville, Ohio, and in the alumni association of that insti- tution she has been very active. Her father came to Ohio from the state of New York about 1812 and settled in Erie county. He was connected with the Ohio State University.
Dr. Hill attended the common and high schools at Berlin Heights, being grad- tuated in 1894, after which he pursued a scientific course in the Ohio State Univer- sity, taking special work preparatory to the study of medicine. He is numbered among the alumni of that institution of 1898. After spending two years in Starling Medical College at Columbus he also spent two years as a student in the medical department of the Western Reserve University, receiving his pro- fessional degree in 1903. He then served as interne in Lakeside Hospital for a year and a half and was afterward assistant superintendent of the same for two years. Since that time he has been engaged in private practice, confining
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his attention exclusively to X-ray work, in which line he has become recognized as a leader in this city. Since 1905 he has been lecturer on X-ray work in the medical and dental department of the Western Reserve University. He makes occasional contributions to the current literature of the profession on various phases of X-ray work and he is the radiographer for Lakeside and St. Luke's Hospitals.
Dr. Hill is a member of the Cleveland Academy of Medicine, the Ohio State Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the American Rontgen Ray Society, the Cleveland Medical Library Association and is identified with several college fraternities. He belongs to the Phi Kappa Psi, the Nu Sigma Nu, and is a charter member of the Medical Honorary Society of the Alpha Omega Alpha. He likewise holds membership in the University Club of Cleve- land and he resides at Croxden. His ability is pronounced and along the line of his specialty he has gained renown, being largely considered authority upon that phase of medical practice which he has chosen as his life work.
N. S. POSSONS.
Through the development of his native powers N. S. Possons made himself a valuable factor in the world's work, achieving much more than local recognition in business, while he was also active in those other departments which go to make up the sum of early activities, including the social, religious, political and be- nevolent interests which are factors in the life of every well organized community. The birth of N. S. Possons occurred in Cohoes, New York, in 1844 and he comes of French and German lineage, his original American ancestors having come to the new world in the latter part of the seventeenth century. His grandfather, Wilhelmus Possons, was the first farmer in Schoharie county, New York, who utilized the system of renewing the soil by raising clover upon it, for the little nodules of that plant contain much nitrogen and thus furnish food for the crops. It is a practice now quite common among scientific agriculturists but Mr. Possons was a pioneer in the introduction of that method. He was always actuated by a spirit of progress and sought to improve upon every task which he undertook. He possessed considerable mechanical ingenuity and invented the first thresh- ing machine, doing all the mechanical work himself and the machine was signally successful. Having arrived at years of maturity, he wedded Eliza Borst, an earnest and devout Christian, who died in early womanhood. Their son, William Fiero Possons, was a native of Schoharie county, New York, and in early life was apprenticed to learn the dyer's and fuller's trade, which he followed up to the time of the advent of woolen factories. He was a graduate of the Albany Nor- mal School but much of his education was obtained after his marriage and by the assistance of his wife, a lady of superior scholarship. Greatly interested in educational work, he took up the profession, which he followed with marked success, employing advanced methods and imparting with notable clearness and readiness to others the knowledge that he had acquired. He was among the first to teach by the empirical system, recognizing the fact that the presentation of the object to the pupil could make more impression upon him than any recital of bare facts. He was a prominent and helpful member of the Baptist church, in which he held the office of deacon and he was also active in community interests, his fel- low townsmen calling him to several offices. He served as city clerk and also as school trustee for many years and was particularly active in his efforts to promote intellectual progress. He died in 1879 at the age of sixty-eight years, while his wife, who bore the maiden name of Maria A. Zimmer, passed away April 22, 1886, at the age of seventy-one years. She, too, was a devoted Christian, long holding membership in the Baptist church, while her zeal and interest in its work consti- tuted a forceful element in its upbuilding. She was a daughter of Jacob and
N. S. POSSONS
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Marie Zimmer, her father being a large landowner, whose estate comprised what was known as Zimmer Hill, in Schoharie county, New York. At the time of the Revolutionary war he espoused the cause of the colonists and fought for indepen- dence. He lived to enjoy for many years the fruits of liberty, reaching an ad- vanced age.
N. S. Possons, whose name introduces this record, acquired his education in his native city, supplementing his early studies by an academic course. His nat- ural aptitude for mechanics and his interest in mechanical lines led him to direct his efforts into other fields of activity and his studies were mostly in scientific branches bearing upon mechanics. In his youth he was regularly apprenticed to John Whitin & Son, builders of cotton mill machinery at Holyoke, Massachusetts, and completed a full term of nine hundred days, during which time he became an expert workman. On leaving that firm he entered the celebrated Remington Armory, at Ilion, Herkimer county, New York, as a die sinker and model maker, there remaining until May, 1864, during which time he obtained comprehensive knowledge in regard to the manufacture of fireams. His understanding thereof led to his selection for the position of inspector of smell arms under W. A. Thorn- ton of the ordinance department and was ordered to Colt's Armory in Hartford, Connecticut. Later he was connected with similar establishments in other cities throughout the country. In December, 1865, he accepted a position in the Cere- sian Cutlery Works at Syracuse, New York, and three years later removed to Auburn, New York, where he had the superintendency of the extensive works of Hayden & Litchworth, manufacturers of saddlery hardware.
In 1879 Mr. Possons accepted a proffered position with the Telegraph Supply Company of Cleveland and, coming to this city, was in charge of their business, which was subsequently conducted under the name of the Brush Electric Company. He acted in that capacity until October, 1890, when he resigned to accept the position of manager with the Belding Motor Company of Chicago. In 1891, how- ever, he returned to Cleveland and established business on his own account, or- ganizing the Universal Electric Company, of which he became president and gen- eral manager. This was immediately regarded as one of the important industrial concerns of the city, for under the capable guidance and business management of Mr. Possons it was at once established upon a paying basis and the scope of its operations were continually widened. The business became a leader in this line
not only in Cleveland but in this part of the country, for Mr. Possons' broad, prac- tical and scientific knowledge were supplemented by splendid powers of organiza- tion and executive ability. He had gained wide recognition both as a mechanical and electrical engineer and was continually thinking out along new lines, with the result that he invented and patented several unique machines for the facile and speedy execution of work in lines of both electrical and mechanical engineering. As he prospered in his undertakings Mr. Possons extended his efforts to other lines, becoming one of the organizers and the president of the Equity Savings & Trust Company Bank of Cleveland, with which he was actively connected until his death.
In 1872 occurred the marriage of Mr. Possons and Miss Martha Adla Connor, a daughter of Joseph and Matilda (Steele) Connor, residents of Auburn, New York. Her father was a soldier of the late war, joining the Union army as a pri- vate of the Seventy-fifth New York Volunteer Infantry, the regiment being at- tached to General Sheridan's forces. It was while at the front that he contracted disease which in later years terminated his life. His wife was a native of the north of Ireland, where her people were prominent in the affairs of the Irish government. She possessed many noble qualities and characteristics, which caused her death, which occurred in Cleveland in 1882, to be deeply regretted. Mr. and Mrs. Possons had no children of their own but reared three : Albert W. Connor, the youngest brother of Mrs. Possons and an expert machinist who learned his trade under Mr. Possons; and Maud Blanche and Hamilton Van Valkenburg, brother and sister, who were the children of the deceased sister of Mrs. Possons.
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To these children they gave every care and attention possible and the home life was ever a most happy one. Both Mr. and Mrs. Possons became members of the Presbyterian church of Cleveland, contributed generously to its support and were associated with its various activities. In that faith Mr. Possons passed away September 12, 1904. He was a most public-spirited citizen, his labors, influence and ideals making him a man of value in the public ilfe of his adopted city. He held membership with and cooperated in the work of the Chamber of Commerce, belonged also to the Civil Engineers Association and to the Colonial Club. In his political views he was a republican, who ever kept informed on the questions and issues of the day, regarding it the duty as well as the privilege of the American citizen to suport those principles which he deems most conducive to good govern- ment. He was a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he at- tained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and in the different branches of the order he filled various chairs. In business life he displayed originality, enterprise, perseverance and determination; in all his social relations manifested a most kindly spirit and yet his best traits of character were reserved for his own home and fireside. A contemporary biographer has spoken of him as a man of distinguished ability and attainments, one who has accomplished much in the line of his profession and who has thereby contributed to its advancement and incidentally wrought for the good of his fellowmen.
GEORGE A. TISDALE.
George A. Tisdale lives in the memory of many friends whom he left be- hind as a man of public spirit and of good business ability, thoroughly reliable and progressive at all times. He was born at Sacket Harbor at the foot of Lake Ontario in Jefferson county, New York, in 1821 and was the son of George L. Tisdale, who married Amelia Maria Graham, of Dutchess county, New York. The father died in 1838 while his son George was still in school in Cazenovia, New York. After an extended trip to the west George A. Tisdale came to Cleveland in April, 1852, and became secretary and treasurer of the Commercial Mutual Insurance Company, successfully carrying on business in that connection until 1871, when the great Chicago fire put the company out of existence. The Mercantile Insurance Company was then incorporated with substantially the same directorate and with Mr. Tisdale as secretary and manager. This position he held until a year or so before his death, when failing health made it necessary for him to retire from active life. For this reason the Mercantile Insurance Company decided to liquidate the business while Mr. Tisdale was still able to manage its affairs. Thus he had the satisfaction of seeing his life work brought to a successful close after nearly forty years of strict and unremitting attention to business. He may be called a pioneer in the insurance business of Cleveland. He was well known along the chain of lakes as a man who was thoroughly posted both in fire and marine lines. He was also considered an authority on insurance law. His attention was always devoted to insurance and in both lines of activity he manifested the keen discernment and close concentration which worked out to success.
Mr. Tisdale was one of the early members of the Board of Trade and was al- ways deeply interested in projects for the welfare and upbuilding of his city. In politics he was a stanch republican and although not a politican used his influence for the leading candidates of the party and for the foremost republican prin- ciples. He was an active and helpful member of St. Paul's Episcopal church, served as one of its vestrymen for many years and at the time of his death was senior warden of the church. His influence was always given on the side of right and justice. A man of good judgment, his advice was frequently solicited and in
G. A. TISDALE
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such cases freely given. He was a charitable man, ready to extend a helping hand to those in need when substantial assistance was worthily sought.
Mr. Tisdale married Miss Caroline M. Burt, of Sacket Harbor, New York, who, with two daughters, Mrs. James B. Savage and Caroline A., is still a resident of Cleveland. Mr. Tisdale lived for more than thirty years on Euclid avenue in what is now the business district of the city. He died at the age of seventy-two years. Thus a life of usefulness was closed, a life which contributed to the sum total of the world's improvement and progress.
EMIL F. SCHULTZ.
Emil F. Schultz, who holds the responsible position of resident manager of the Cleveland department of the Murphy Varnish Company, is a representative of that substantial class of business men who are continuously extending the ramifying interests of trade and upholding the commercial status of the city. He was born in the family residence at the corner of Ontario and Noble streets, January 5, 1858, and was one of six children, having an elder sister and four younger brothers. His parents, Ferdinand Ernst and Emilie Susanna (Von Braun) Schultz, who were natives of Germany, have now passed away. The former came to America when a young man and, settling in Cleveland, fol- lowed his trade of cabinetmaking at the corner of Ontario and Noble streets, while later he established a factory at the corner of Wood and St. Clair streets. He was the pioneer furniture manufacturer of Cleveland and his enterprise gave impetus to the business activity of this city.
In the Cleveland schools Emil F. Schultz obtained his fundamental training for life's duties and responsibilities and from private tutors received a good musical education. He was obliged, however, to put aside his text-books at the age of sixteen years, at which time, complying with his father's desire, he en- tered the furniture factory with the intention of learning the trade. He did not particularly like that kind of work, however, and after completing his three years' apprenticeship he left the factory and secured a clerical position in the office of E. P. Wright, superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph Com- pany. For two years he remained in that employ, during which time he mas- tered telegraphy by night study, so that he was thus able to accept a position as telegraph operator under E. S. Flint, general manager of the Big Four Rail- way Company, at that time known as the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railway. He was at that time twenty years of age. He acted as special operator at different stations along the road until, through the influence of Robert Blee, general superintendent of the Big Four, he obtained a position in the office of J. W. Schmitt, then chief of the Cleveland police force, who was seeking the service of a young man who could use the Morse system and at the same time master the police secret code. Mr. Schultz succeeded so well in that work that he was soon afterward promoted to the position of captain of telegraph. While thus engaged he utilized his leisure hours in becoming proficient in stenography. His health, however, gave way under the severe strain which he imposed upon himself, and he was sent on a leave of absence and half pay to California. When he returned a year and a half later tele- phones had been introduced and there was no further need of his services, and he again entered the employ of the Big Four Railroad Company but he was soon afterward called by V. H. Bell, superintendent of the Cleveland, Tuscar- awas Valley & Wheeling Railroad Company, to fill the position of clerk and assistant train dispatcher at Lorain, Ohio. Later, when the road changed hands, becoming the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling, and William Thornburgh was appointed superintendent, Mr. Schultz was the only one of the old em- ployes retained under the new management. He remained with them for about
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two years, after which he became private secretary to Mr. Hayden, of the Joel Hayden Brass Company, of Lorain, Ohio. When that firm went out of bus- iness he accepted a position with the Eberhard Manufacturing Company as private secretary to W. P. Champney, its secretary and treasurer. About a year and a half later he was offered and accepted the position of chief clerk and purchasing agent of the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling Company, with which he remained for several years. Upon leaving that employ he was made bookkeeper of the Society for Savings of Cleveland, and continued in that capacity until 1891, when he became a traveling salesman for the Murphy Varn- ish Company, with which he has since been connected. Proving his high worth in that capacity, he was soon made special salesman, in which position he re- mained until about three and a half years ago, when he was promoted to resi- dent manager of the Cleveland department and has since been in charge of their important interests in this city, with offices at No. 731-733 St. Clair ave- nue, Northwest. He is a man whose abilities are quickly recognized by those who have had occasion to depend upon him, and, proving his worth by faith- fulness and capability in each position, he is now reaping the rewards of his labor, both in substanital remuneration and the even more satisfying knowl- edge that he is held in high esteem by his business colleagues and associates. In 1904 Mr. Schultz was one of the incorporators and was elected the vice president and director of the Hayes Manufacturing Company of Detroit, Michigan, manufacturers of metal automobile parts. He was also chosen a director of a large and prosperous realty enterprise of that city.
On the 10th of December, 1885, Mr. Schultz was married to Miss Edith Bell Crisp, of Elyria, Ohio, a daughter of William Crisp, a carriage builder of that city, and to them have been born three sons: Malvern Emil, twenty-three years of age; Carlton Ferdinand, twenty-one years of age; and Stanley Crisp, a lad of thirteen. The eldest, having received his B. A. degree from Adelbert College, is now a student of the Western Reserve University Law School as a member of the class of 1910. The second son has been a student in the Uni- versity of Michigan for two years and is also studying law. The youngest is a pupil in St. Johns Military Academy at Delafield, Wisconsin. Mr. Schultz and his family have a pleasant home at No. 1890 East Seventy-ninth street, and its hospitality is enjoyed by a large circle of friends. Mr. Schultz finds pleasure in his membership with the Elyria Country Club and the Westwood Golf Club -associations which indicate something of the nature of his recreation. He also belongs to the Cleveland Credit Men's Association, the Cleveland Builders Exchange and the Tippecanoe Club. He is fond of all manly outdoor sports and his leisure hours are spent in motoring, while the more extended periods of vacation are given to camping and travel, accompanied by his family.
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