A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume II, Part 94

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1150

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The children of Mr. and Mrs. Robinson are two in number. Allen J., a graduate of the Case School of Applied Science, is now connected with The W. Bingham Company. He married Lilly Krider of Cleveland. Claire W., the younger son, is a graduate of the Central high school and is engaged in farming and stockraising near Garrettsville. He wedded Louise Zettler, of Cleveland. Mr. and Mrs. James A. Robinson reside at No. 30 Woodworth Road, East Cleve- land, during the fall and winter months, while the summer seasons are passed at their country place on the lake shore in Bratenahl.

Mr. Robinson finds his chief recreation in horseback riding and motoring. He has figured in the military circles of the city, having served for thirteen years in Troop A, Ohio National Guard, the last three years as a sergeant; and he is now a member of the Veterans Association of Troop A. He was for several years identified with the Century Club and is interested in the various measures which promote the social upbuilding of the community and contribute to its sub- stantial support. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, a director of the Credit Men's Association and treasurer of the board of trustees of the Wom- en's Christian Temperance Union. He is likewise treasurer of the Presbyterial mission fund. His political allegiance is given to the republican party, to which he gives support, although he never seeks nor desires office for himself.

As the years have passed, Mr. Robinson has achieved a measure of success, which is the reward of determined and unfaltering purpose. He has manifested marked ability in coordinating forces that have brought about concerted and effective effort and has thus contributed to the success of the extensive enterprise with whose financial interests he is so closely associated. Moreover, his breadth of view has not only enabled him to see the possibilities for his own advance- ment in the business world but also for the city's development in lines of munic- ipal progress, and his patriotism has prompted him to utilize the latter as quickly and as effectively as the former.

JUDGE WALTER CAIN ONG.

Judge Walter Cain Ong, considered one of the ablest trial lawyers of Ohio, was born in Smithfield township, Jefferson county, this state, November 24, 1848. The family is of English lineage, and was founded in America by Francis Ong, who came from Lavenham, in the county of Suffolk, which was the ancestral home of the family. In December, 1630, as a passenger on the

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ship Lyon, he sailed from Bristol, England, and landed at Boston in February, 1631. Tracing the line of descent down, we find that Jacob Ong lived at Groton, Massachusetts in 1695. His son, another Jacob Ong, lived in New Jersey in 1702. He was the father of Jeremiah Ong, of Burlington county, New Jersey, who was killed by Indians. The great-great-grandfather of Judge Ong was the Rev. Jacob Ong, a minister of the Society of Friends or Quakers. He was born January 24, 1760, and in Revolutionary war times carried mail between Philadelphia and Pittsburg, then Fort Pitt. His interest was aroused and he enlisted and served in the American army until the close of the war. This was contrary to the belief of the Friends, whose religion was opposed to warfare, and so when hostilities had ceased he returned to the church and re- nounced all the government owed him, for it was against his conscience and his faith to participate in military service. In after years, he having refused back pay and a pension, his son desired that the father should receive this compensation and was about to make application to the government for it. To secure this the son must obtain possession of the discharge papers and on asking his father for these received the reply, "Jacob, that money was earned at war, which was wrong. I have disposed of those papers that they may never do thee or any of my descendants harm." It was supposed that he had burned them, as they could never be found. He could not be swerved from this course which he believed to be right and never throughout his life would he deviate from a principle or action which his judgment and conscience sanc- tioned. His death occurred when he had reached the advanced age of ninety- seven years. Later generations of the family, however, have not held so ten- aciously to the teachings of the church in regard to war but on the contrary have displayed the most marked patriotism and loyalty in days of strife. Find- ley Ong, a brother of Judge Ong, born January 2, 1839, enlisted in 1863 as a member of Company H, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, and was shot and killed in the second charge on Petersburg on the morning of May 6, 1864. There were also nine other relatives-cousins and uncles-in the Civil war and out of the ten, six were killed.

The grandfather, Findley Ong, born in Martinsburg, Virginia, February 19, 1787, became one of the pioneer residents of Ohio, settling in Jefferson county in the opening years of the nineteenth century. He died in Smithfield township at the age of eighty-seven years. Moses Harlan Ong, father of Judge Ong, was born in Smithfield township, Jefferson county, Ohio, December 15, 1810. He became a farmer and stock-raiser and was one of the most prominent and suc- cessful representatives of agricultural life in the county. He wedded Mary Cain, a Quaker preacher, who was born in Warrenton township, Jefferson county, Ohio, and died in December, 1878, at the age of sixty-five years. She was a daughter of Walter and Mary Cain, farming people of Jefferson county. Unto Moses H. and Mary (Cain) Ong were born thirteen children, all of whom reached adult age and all married but two. Eight of the number are still living.

Judge Ong pursued his education in the district schools of Smithfield town- ship; in the high school at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, from which he was graduated; in Richmond College at Richmond, where he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1870; and in the law department of the Michigan State Uni- versity, where he won the Bachelor of Law degree upon his graduation in 1873. He was admitted to the bar before the supreme court of Ohio on the 5th of April, 1874, and has since been an active representative of the profession in this state. In the fall of 1875 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Jefferson county and by reelection served for four years. He continued in the practice of law at Steubenville, Ohio, until June, 1882, when he removed to Cleveland and then practiced alone until 1886. He not only demonstrated his ability to cope with intricate legal problems but also showed that he was master of the political questions of the day, and his fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth

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and ability, elected him as a member of the city council, where he served for two years. In 1893 he was elected to the common pleas bench of Cuyahoga county and served until February 9, 1899. He has since engaged in the general prac- tice of law and before his. elevation to the bench was senior partner of the firm of Ong & Hamilton, his associate being Walter J. Hamilton. Since his retirement from the bench, however, he has practiced alone and is regarded as one of the strongest trial lawyers in the state. He prepares his cases with great thoroughness, precision and skill and presents his cause in clear, forcible man- ner, his deductions following in logical sequence. His knowledge of the law is comprehensive and exact and his application correct. The records bear testi- monty to his ability in the number of verdicts favorable to his clients and it is well known that he leaves no point untouched if it will bear weight upon his cause.

On the 8th of April, 1875, Judge Ong was married to Miss Anna M. Mans- field, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Pumphery) Mansfield, of Wayne township, Jefferson county, Ohio. Four children were born unto them. Edna O., the eldest, became the wife of Charles C. Broadwater, a mining engineer of Oakland, California. Eugene W., born in Steubenville, Ohio, August 12, 1877, is an attorney of Boston. He is a graduate of the University School at Cleve- land of 1896 and a Yale graduate of 1900, at which time he won the Bachelor of Arts degree. He was afterward graduated from the Harvard Law School with the Bachelor of Law degree in 1903 and in August of that year was ad- mitted to the bar, since which time he has practiced in Boston, where he has attained prominence. He married Bessie Woodbury Preston, a daughter of Andrew W. Preston, a distinguished citizen of Boston. Horace Pumphery, the second son, born May 13, 1881, died on the 24th of November of the same year. Eileen Marie, born July 25, 1886, died October 2, 1887.

Judge Ong is connected with various fraternal and social organizations. He : belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of Honor, the Halcyon Club, the Woodland Golf Club and the Cleveland Gun Club. He is also a member of the County Bar Association. While the practice of law has been his chief life work, his acquaintances find him a most entertaining and agreeable gentleman : and those who come within the closer circle of his friendship entertain for him the warmest regard. He has made a lasting impression upon the bar of the state as one of the ablest trial lawyers not only of Cleveland but of Ohio as - well, his earnest effort, close application and the exercise of his native talents ! having won him notable prestige.

GEORGE B. McMILLAN.

George B. McMillan, who is one of the best known contractors and builders of Cleveland and whose name is known far and wide on account of the character of his work, is one of the public-spirited men of this city in whom reliance can always be placed. He was born in Lakeside, Ontario, Canada, March 16, 1867, a son of John A. and Jane (Cathcart) McMillan. The father came of an old Scotch family that settled in Canada about 1760 in the vicinity of Toronto. He was born in 1820 and passed away in 1893. He was an officer in the Canadian militia, and our subject is proud of his father's association in this respect.

George B. McMillan was educated in the common schools at Lakeside, Can- ada, but when only fifteen he left school in order to learn the carpenter's trade at St. Mary's Canada. In 1887, he moved to Toronto and engaged in contract- ing, becoming so successful that in 1893 he located in Cleveland where there was a wider scope for his operations. Among other buildings which he has con- structed may be mentioned the Baker Electric Motor building, the Cleveland Twist Drill plant, the Chisholm Moore Manufacturing Company plant, all of

GEORGE B. McMILLAN

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Cleveland; and the Orr Felt and Blanket Company plant of Piqua, Ohio; the National Wire Company plant of New Haven, Connecticut, as well as others of equal importanct.

In 1897 occurred the marriage of Mr. McMillan and Miss Sarah L. Hull, a daughter of Seth Hull, of Greenville, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. McMillan have four children : Mary, John, Helen and Louisa, the last two being twins. While Mr. McMillan is active in all public affairs, he has never taken an interest in politics. He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and Builders Exchange and served as president of the latter during 1908 and 1909, while his social connections are with the Athletic Club. He is a thirty-second degree Mason of the Scottish Rite and is a member of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, St. Augustine Lodge, and the Knights of Pythias, Star Lodge. Being extremely fond of hunting and fishing, Mr. McMillan is in the habit of spending a portion of every winter in Florida, attracted there by the superior fishing. His career offers an instance of what one man can accomplish provided he is willing to work hard and steadily along a given line. Beginning at the bottom, he has worked upward until he is one of the best known men in his business in this part of the country, and it is im- possible for him to carry out all the contracts proffered him.

GEORGE GAVAZZI SOWDEN.

George Gavazzi Sowden, of the firm of George G. Sowden & Company, stock and bonds, possesses the alertness and ready resource so necessary in one who deals in stocks and bonds or other commercial paper liable to fluctuation, so that the investor must anticipate a rise or fall in the market and make his purchases and sales at the opportune time. Mr. Sowden has become well known as a representative of financial interests and is now operating quite ex- tensively in mining properties.

Born at Port Hope, Canada, on the 16th of May, 1855, he was educated in private and public schools of that city and in October, 1872, crossed the border into the United States and established his home in Cleveland. Here he became associated with J. W. Carson & Company, clothiers, and pursued his law studies under the direction of Jay P. Dawley. He had been educated in classics in a private school and his broad literary learning served as an excellent foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of professional knowledge.

In .1881 Mr. Sowden was admitted to the bar and at once entered upon active practice, having a large commercial law and collection business. He continued as an active attorney before the Cleveland bar for twenty years and was alone during the greater part of that time, although he was associated at one time with Charles E. Ferrell in the collection business as the Ferrell-Sowden Company, and later with George R. Miller, Jr., as Sowden & Miller, for three years. Since 1901 he has been engaged largely in the operation of gold and silver mines in the west and deals some in stocks and bonds. He became senior partner in the firm of Sowden, Cody & Company and did a good brokerage business, publish- ing daily quotations. Later he became interested in cobalt mining in Canada. Formerly when in the collection business as the Ferrell-Sowden Company he published a small sheet showing judgments, etc., which was known as the Daily Trade Record and was afterward consolidated with the Court Record and is now the Commercial Bulletin, afterwards a publication of considerable import- ance in business circles, showing court calendars, judgments, transfers. He now operates quite extensively in mining on his own account holding valuable properties in the west and in Canada, and his sound judgment and keen discrim- ination are evidenced in the success attending his efforts.

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On the 12th of May, 1880, Mr. Sowden was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Houtz, a daughter of Dr. Henry and Betsy Ann (Kenegy) Houtz. Their children were five in number: Marion Kenegy; Henry Newton, deceased; Irene ; Ralph H .; and Richard Musgrave.

Mr. Sowden is a member of the Euclid and 'Athletic Clubs and is well known socially in the city, while his business prominence is widely recog -. nized. He made his start in Cleveland in a humble capacity but through orderly progression has become well known as a leading representative of financial in- terests here.

AMIEL WILLIAM EMERICH.

Amiel William Emerich, who has been manufacturing domestic wines in Col- linwood for the last twenty years and has been a prime factor in promoting the progress of that municipality, was born in Newark, New Jersey, December 18, 1861, a son of John B. and Fredrica (Schuster) Emerich. His father came to this country from Germany about 1858 and was married in Newark. He estab- lished a factory for the manufacture of horse collars at Elizabeth, New Jersey, and filled many important government contracts during the Civil war. In 1864 he came to Cleveland and died here in August, 1890. His wife passed away Au- gust 11, 1903.

Amiel William Emerich was about three years of age when the family settled in Cleveland, where he attended the public schools, but at the age of seventeen years he began his business career. First he went west to engage in the cattle business but after a short time he gave it up, finding employment on the construc- tion of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway. The road was a remarkable feat of engineering at that time, some of the track costing a million dollars for each mile laid. Later he returned to his father's home in Collinwood, which at that time was known as Frogsville, and there he engaged in the growing of grapes, later taking up the manufacture of wine. Ever since 1894, when the wine busi- ness was given a new start, Mr. Emerich has been especially successful. At first he manufactured by hand, then by horse power, next by steam and finally by electricity. During the great harvest, which lasts about sixty days, he oper- ates his presses day and night, making grape brandy and all kinds of domestic wines. He has his own distillery now but before he installed it it was no infre- quent thing for him to throw away one thousand dollars worth of material that was of no use to him in the manufacture of wines, but this he now utilizes. He has evinced that strong business sagacity on which is dependent a marked degree of success, and has been able to derive a large profit from this flourishing busi- ness.

In Collinwood, April 18, 1887, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Emerich and Miss Ida Day, a native of Collinwood and a daughter of Joseph A. and Eliza- beth (Watterman) Day. Her great-grandfather, Benjamin Day, came to this section of Ohio in June, 1811, purchasing three hundred acres from the Connec- ticut Land Company. The taxes on this property the first year amounted to one dollar and twenty cents, but today it has advanced until it is worth thousands of dollars. Mr. Day sold part of his land to the New York Central Railroad for a right of way. On the 10th of September, 1813, he, William Hale and T. B. Crosby, hearing the heavy firing upon the lake, went out in an effort to see Per- ry's ships as it was the day of the great fight. J. A. Day, the father of Mrs. Emerich, is a Civil war veteran, having been a member of Company B, First Ohio Artillery. Mr. and Mrs. Emerich have four children: A. Wilkes, who is in business with his father; Harold, who is studying law; and Helen and Marion, who are in school.

Mr. Emerich has always been closely identified with public life and active in promoting municipal progress. He has served as assessor of Collinwood for

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A. W. EMERICH

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three terms and was a member of the council for two terms, from 1903 to 1906, the body during that time being conspicuous in the annals of Collinwood for the progressive measures they advocated. It was during that time that the trunk sewers were laid, the water plant was enlarged, the light plant built and the first street paved. During his administration Mr. Emerich was a member of the high- ways and sewers committee and also of the public building and street railway commission, being a strong advocate of advancement. He has ever been a most ardent republican as he places the utmost confidence in the principles promul- gated by that party. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias, being a member of the Uniform Rank and Lakeside Lodge, No. 367. He also belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, while his religious faith is mani- fested in his membership in the Disciple church, which was one of the first estab- lished in the Western Reserve. Both in his business and his private affairs he has ordered his life in accordance with sound and upright principles which, while they look toward individual success, have also gained for him the esteem of his fellowmen for his aims have not been selfish. He contributes liberally to charitable enterprises, is a lover of dogs and horses, and is fond of hunting and fishing.

FREDERICK AUGUSTINE STERLING.

Frederick Augustine Sterling, president of the Sterling & Welch Company, is one of Cleveland's oldest living merchants and the contemporary of the cote- rie of men who had most to do with the founding of the city's commercial greatness. He was born at Salisbury, Connecticut, a son of Frederick and Caroline M. (Dutcher) Sterling. The Sterling family came to this country from England in the seventeenth century and settled at Lyme, Connecticut. The grandfather of Frederick A. Sterling of this review removed to Salisbury, Con- necticut, after graduating from Yale College and became one of the most dis- tinguished lawyers of his day. He also occupied the office of probate judge, was a member of congress and served as major general in the war of 1812. His wife was a daughter of the Hon. John Canfield, likewise a member of congress, who died in 1785. The father, Frederick Sterling, had an iron furnace at Salis- bury, Connecticut, previous to his removal to Geneva, New York, whence he made his way to Cleveland, where he turned his attention to the business of handling hard wood and furnishing ties and like material to the Big Four Railroad Com- pany.

In the public and private schools of Geneva, New York, Frederick A. Ster- ling pursued his education and entered business life as a clerk in a general store at that place. He became a resident of Cleveland at the age of eighteen and took a position with Wick & Beckwith. Soon afterward, Mr. Wick retiring, the firm became T. S. Beckwith & Company, and Mr. Sterling became a partner at the age of twenty-one. He has been active in the carpet and curtain industry since the year 1854 with the exception of a short period spent in the lumber business at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 1864 the firm name was changed to Beck- with & Sterling and in 1874 they removed from Superior street to Euclid ave- nue, occupying that great store for thirty-five years. Upon the death of Mr. Beckwith in 1876 the firm style was changed to Sterling & Company, Mr. Welch at that time coming into the firm, after which the name of Sterling, Welch & Company was assumed. Subsequently the business was incorporated under the title of The Sterling & Welch Company. The corporation erected the new building which they now occupy and it can be safely said that it is undoubtedly the finest, most commodious and handsomest store building in the world, it be- ing unsurpassed by any in Chicago, New York or the metropolitan centers of Europe. It is strictly modern in every sense, with magnificent interior furnish-

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ings and every facility to promote the beauty and substantiality of the struc- ture. The wholesale business of the house extends to the Pacific coast. Since Mr. Sterling became connected therewith his energies have constituted a potent force in the expansion of the trade by reason of his well formulated plans, his keen discrimination and the sound judgment that has enabled him to coordinate forces and utilize every legitimate opportunity. His name is equally honored in connection with the banking circles of the city and he is now a director of the Citizens Saving & Trust Company, the Union National Bank, of the Kelley Island Line & Transportation Company and is also president of the Sterling & Welch Company. He is likewise interested in orange groves in California, is a director of the Columbia Gas & Electric Company and vice president of the Cleveland Burial Case Company.

Mr. Sterling was united in marriage to Miss Emma Betts, of Meadville, Pennsylvania, whose father was one of the early settlers of the western portion of the Keystone state. They have one son, Willis Betts Sterling, who is a grad- uate of Yale College and the Columbia Law School. He was afterward in the office of his uncle, Joseph H. Choate, and is now with H. F. Wattson & Com- pany of Erie, Pennsylvania. Mr. Sterling has three brothers and one sister. Two living in Redlands, California, Dr. Theodore Sterling, in Gambier, Ohio, former president of Kenyon College, and Mrs. Joseph H. Choate, of New York.

Mr. Sterling is a member of the Union Club, the Country Club and presi- dent of the board of trustees of the Second Presbyterian church. His interests and activities have been many and his pride in his adopted city has been no less great than in the magnificent business of which he has been the builder. His charities have been along broad and practical lines and at all times he has been quick to extend a helping hand where assistance has been needed, either by the individual or for community interests. Honored and respected by all, there is no man who occupies a more enviable position in commercial and financial circles of Cleveland than does Frederick A. Sterling.

F. S. HARMON.

F. S. Harmon, a stockholder of The Weideman Company and manager of one of its departments, was born in Aurora, Ohio, in 1858. His great-grand- father, Ebenezer Harmon, was an officer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary war. His son, Sheldon Harmon, married Malvina Avery, who came to the Western Reserve on horseback from Buffalo, New York, before Ohio was admitted as a state, and settled in Aurora. She made the trip with her father, Reuben Avery, who was born in March, 1772, and died in June, 1873, at the remarkable age of one hundred and one years. Edward C., the father of F. S. Harmon, is still living at Warren, Ohio, and celebrated the eightieth anni- versary of his birth on the 23d of August, 1909.

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A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume II, Part 94

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1150

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1150