A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume III, Part 30

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: 1106

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M. W. LAWRENCE

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tivities were extended to other fields, for he was a director in many concerns of the city.

On the 4th of September, 1903, Mr. Lawrence wedded Miss Nelle Belle Jones, a daughter of Dr. G. J. Jones, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. They had three children, Mary Jeanette, Mortimer William and Gaius Jones.

The death of Mr. Lawrence occurred November II, 1909. He was a most popular young man, highly esteemed by all whom he met either in business or social circles. He belonged to the Union, Hermit, Cleveland Automobile and Cleveland Advertising Clubs, in the membership of which he found many con- genial friends. It was not only his splendid business ability, but also the kindly nature and innumerable little acts of kindness that so greatly endeared Mr. Law- rence to his associates. He always had a good word for everybody, and it was his custom when going to his office in his automobile to pick up laboring men and bring them down town to their work. The term "Morrie," by which he was uniformly known, was an expression of deep affection and friendly regard.

One who knew him well said: "I shall always remember him first as a dear friend, next as a true gentleman in the best sense of that good word and next as a very superior business man, level headed, sagacious, shrewd but always just and kindly. It will be impossible to fill the void left by his death in the hearts and lives of his many friends." Another wrote of him: "As a business man he possessed the rare quality of being an excellent executive as well as a balance wheel; he inspired activity but at the same time, by his genial presence and happy manner, kept everyone good natured. Those who were in contact with him every day for years loved him best, because the deeper one went into his personality the more he would find to admire and to love. Even those who might differ from him on a matter of policy never failed to accord him the acknowledgment of clear reason and consistency.

"It seems but a few days ago that he was among us, large of body, energetic of spirit, kindly and charitable of disposition, lofty of principle, broadly sen- sible in every way. He devoted all of his great energy and rare good judgment to whatever was at hand. From the time he arrived at the office he was all business, but such was the effect of his graceful manner that troublous places were smoothed out before him as when oil is poured upon a stormy sea. Quick to admit a fault, he was even more eager to right a wrong than he was to de- mand that similar action be accorded him by some one else. He believed in working in the open, and if he ever harbored hatred it was for dishonesty and underhanded methods. No one can ever say that this man was guilty of either of these faults.

"As an employer and manager of men and women he was deeply loved, for in working with them day after day and year after year his many excellent qualities were constantly being drawn out, and he was continually doing the many things that attract fellow beings one to another. It was a common say- ing among the employes of the Lawrence Publishing Company that one would be willing to give his right hand for 'Morrie' as he was familiarly known to all. And this was no idle boast, for all who had ever been brought into intimate con- tact with him were immediately so deeply impressed with his many good quali- ties that they would gladly go to almost any extreme for his sake. The same can be said of all of the host of friends that he made outside of business circles. He was indeed a rare combination of essentials.

"He had a remarkably wide circle of devoted and loyal personal friends. His magnetic nature drew people to him with a rare power and once attracted he held them by the same genial spirit that pervaded all that he did. During an acquaintance of many years, under all kinds of circumstances, we have never heard one person speak otherwise than well of him. Intensely human, his broad mind and charitable disposition placed him at one with his fellows in a way that was remarkable indeed. His liberality and kindness forbade him to seek preferment for himself, but he was ever on the lookout for a way to turn a

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favor to a friend. Is it any wonder, then, that today actually thousands mourn his taking? Such men are rare, and that is why they are so highly appreciated. "As a husband and a father, son and brother, he was loving and deeply loved. His home was his castle; and as soon as the business of the day was finished he always hurried home to greet his wife and little ones, and to be at ease among them and the many friends that were wont to visit that home. He was never too busy to stop and talk of homely things which he thought deserved his attention, and the benefit of his good judgment and advice was always given freely to any of his friends or relatives who might ask it. It is indeed hard to attribute to him any preponderating characteristics and it would be just as hard to imagine any situation in which he would not be able to take care of himself. He was an all-around man in every sense of that big word. In the business, social and family world he was universally loved and respected."

FRANK SEYMOUR BARNUM.

Frank Seymour Barnum, who for fifteen years has been architect for the board of education of Cleveland, to which work he devotes the major part of his attention, his appointment to this position being at once proof of his superior ability and of the reputation he has gained in professional circles, was born No- vember 25, 1850, at Norwalk, Ohio, a son of David Munson and Virginia Clarke (Taylor) Barnum, the former a native of Fairfield county, Connecticut, and the latter of Onondaga county, New York. Both became residents of Norwalk, Ohio, in the early '40s and were there married. The father was a merchant and not only figured as one of the leading business men of the city but also served for two terms as recorder of Huron county.

Frank S. Barnum acquired his education in attendance at the public schools of Norwalk to the age of sixteen years, at which time he put aside his text-books and entered the employ of the Morris Run Coal Company, at Corning, New York, in January, 1866. His father's death, which occurred in 1863, determined the need of earning his own living and terminated his actual school education. He early displayed a taste for drawing, but practiced it little except for his own amusement and recreation until he was employed by the Morris Run Coal Com- pany. In May, 1867, he was transferred from Corning, New York, to the mines of the company at Morris Run, Pennsylvania, where for three years he worked under the company's engineer at field and office work, assisting in surveying and making maps and drawings of heavy constructions, such as trestles, chutes, bridges and railroad work. In the year 1870, which covered the latter part of his nineteenth and the early part of his twentieth year, he had charge of the com- pany's store at Coal Point, Seneca Lake. During these later years the profession of architecture had assumed definite shape as an object in his life and in June, 1871, he entered the office of Joseph Ireland, an architect of Cleveland, for study and instruction. The following four and a half years were there passed with the exception of a few months spent in the office of another local architect. Business depression existing at the beginning of the year 1876 made it impossible to secure employment as a draftsman and, as a last resort, he opened an office for the in- dividual practice as an architect. The strain of the first year was severe but the beginning of 1877 found him with commissions enough in hand to warrant him in taking a larger office. Sometime in 1878 he formed a partnership with Forrest A. Coburn, which lasted until his death in 1899, or for more than twenty years. This was a period of great activity and hard work but during that time the firm forged steadily ahead, gaining recognition as prominent representatives of the profession. For a time W. D. Benes and B. S. Hubbell were associated with them under the firm name of Coburn, Barnum, Benes & Hubbell, but this partnership was dissolved about a year prior to Mr. Coburn's death. Following his demise

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Mr. Barnum was joined in partnership by four members of his office force under the name of F. S. Barnum & Company. In April, 1895, Mr. Barnum was ap- pointed architect for the board of education and has since been connected with public building interests in Cleveland. His partnership relations were dissolved on the Ist of May, 1905, and since that time Mr. Barnum has done but little out- side of the public school work of the city, which for fifteen years past has been exclusively his. He has made the plans for a number of Cleveland's finest school buildings, embodying all the principles of improved modern architecture therein.

In politics, though never active, Mr. Barnum has always been a stanch repub- lican. He is an associate member of the American Institute of Architects and a charter member of the Cleveland chapter of that organization. He is likewise a member of the Cleveland Engineering Society and thus manifests deep interest in everything concerning his profession. He also belongs to the Chamber of Com- merce and the Tippecanoe and Rowfant Clubs. He holds membership in the Second Presbyterian church of Cleveland and by his influence as well as by his activities has been allied with those movements which tend to uplift humanity and further the interests of the community.

Mr. Barnum was married March II, 1873, to Miss Jeannette Judd May, a daughter of William J. May, of Cleveland, whose grandfather was one of the pioneer merchants of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Barnum are the parents of two living children. A daughter, born in 1875, is now the wife of A. Laurence Smith, a resident of Detroit, Michigan, while the son, William Hamilton Barnum, born in 1879, is at home. His friends enjoy association with him, for he is concerned in those things which are worth while both for the city and the individual, and in all phases of his life has been actuated by a progressive spirit that has kept him in step with those men who are marching with the vanguard of civilization. In his chosen field of labor he has held to high ideals, has sought the thorough mastery of scientific and artistic principles underlying his profession and in his practice has accomplished results which, indicated by the liberal patronage accorded him, have been satisfactory and pleasing to a large number of patrons.

JOHN BERNARD McGEE, M. D.

Dr. John Bernard McGee, professor of therapeutics in the medical depart- ment of the Ohio Wesleyan University since 1896, is widely known for his sci- entific attainments, both within and without the strict path of his profession. His research and investigation have been along constantly broadening lines and have been important factors in the success which he is now enjoying. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, July 3, 1853, his parents being Peter and Mary A. (Donnelly) McCree, also natives of the Old Bay state. Both parents died when their son was a lad of six years. The excellent public school system of his native city afforded him his educational privileges. He attended the grammar and Boston Latin schools, whose extremely thorough training has qualified many a man for arduous and difficult service in later years. In the fall of 1871 he came to Cleveland and for five years was engaged in business as a pharmacist, having spent some time in the same line before his removal to this city. This awakened his interest in the practice of medicine and, matriculating in the Western Re- serve University, he completed a course in the medical department and was grad- uated in 1878 with the M. D. degree, winning class honors. For thirty-one years he has now followed his profession in Cleveland, where he has also won distinc- tion as a medical educator and editor. He has been professor of therapeutics in the medical department of the Ohio Wesleyan University from 1896 and as an in- structor imparts readily and clearly to others the knowledge that he has attained. He has also been secretary of the faculty since 1900. In 1907 he was elected to the presidency of the Cleveland Academy of Medicine and he belongs to various

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other professional and scientific societies, including the Ohio State Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Anthropological Association and the Cleveland Medical Library Association. He has been associate editor of the Cleve- land Medical Journal for several years and his writings have been of wide inter- est to the readers of that paper. In 1899 he pursued post-graduate work in Europe but this by no means covers the extent of his study and investigation since he left college. He has been a continuous reader and his research has largely covered the field of scientific production in mdical litrature.

In October, 1884, Dr. McGee was married in Cleveland to Miss Levina Rod- gers, who died in May, 1885. On the 17th of September, 1892, he wedded Eliza- beth Dieter, of Cleveland, and they have two children, Elsie and Hilda, aged re- spectively fourteen and nine years. They reside at No. 8117 Woodland avenue.

JOSEPH M. GASSER.

The name of Gasser is a familiar one to Cleveland's residents, for it has long figured in connection with the florist's trade of the city and Joseph M. Gasser was recognized as a prominent business man here, honored and respected by all for what he accomplished. The success that came to him was the direct reward of his own labors and, profiting by experience and opportunity, he at length reached a creditable financial position ..

He was born in Switzerland in 1843 and when eleven years of age came to the United States with his parents. The father was a carpenter and in the early '50s brought his family to the United States. Owing to the limited finan- cial resources of his parents, Joseph M. Gasser began earning his own living when very young. At the age of twelve years he worked in a pail factory on the flats and was thus employed until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when he offered his services to the government, becoming a member of Company B, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until 1864. During that period he participated in the battles of Antietam, Cedar Mountain, Lookout Mountain, Crossroads and Gettysburg and was honorably discharged in 1864, after three years spent at the front.

Mr. Gasser was not only a self-made but largely a self-educated man for the necessity of early providing for his own support gave him little opportunity to attend school. For about two years, however, he was a pupil in the Humiston Institute, a boarding school on the heights, and met the expenses of the course himself. He worked and studied until twelve o'clock at night, ambitious to secure an education, the value of which he thoroughly recognized. In his youthful days he was also employed as chore boy at the Weaver Wholesale Liquor House. He also worked for the firm of Pope & Hains on Ontario street and afterward spent seven or eight years in the postoffice. Eventually he turned his attention to the raising of flowers and became a well known florist and prominent business man of Cleveland. When he retired he had an attractive little fortune and a name of which any man might well be proud. For years he conducted several retail stores, also a nursery on Lake avenue and one on Rocky river. His sales were extensive and brought him a substantial annual income so that his success classed him with the representative business men of the city.

Mr. Gasser was united in marriage in 1867 to Miss Katherine Fox, and at his death, which occurred on the 12th of March, 1908, he left a wife and daugh- ter, Mrs. J. C. Pettee. His political support was given to the republican party and he was a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Clifton Club and the Chamber of Commerce. His business record was entirely commendable and

J. M. GASSER

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free from fault or intention of wrongdoing. In fact, he was recognized as a most honorable and honest business man, worthy the trust of all with whom he came in contact, and this brought him to a very desirable place among the men of affluence in Cleveland.

JOHN A. THOMPSON.

John A. Thompson, attorney at law, was born in Middlefield, Ohio, Febru- ary 25, 1867. In his boyhood he attended the district schools and was tutored by his mother in the classics. He also spent one term in the preparatory de- partment of Hiram College and afterward entered law school at Chardon, Ohio, from which he was graduated in 1884. For a year he engaged in teaching, in charge of the Middlefield public schools, and in the following year he entered the freshman class of the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, from which he was graduated in 1889, the Bachelor of Arts degree then being conferred upon him.

Returning to Chardon after his graduation, Mr. Thompson read law in the office and under the direction of the Hon. I. M. Hathaway. After his admission to the bar he went west to attend the Millington murder trial, in which he was associated with Senator Thomas Patterson and Governor Charles Thomas, form- ing the partnership of Patterson & Thomas. On his return to Ohio he began the practice of law in the office of Colonel John Winship of Cleveland, with whom he remained for a period of six months. He afterward formed a partnership with Senator W. T. Clark, which association was maintained until he became a partner of the present circuit court judges, F. A. Henry and Louis Winch, under the firm name of Winch, Henry and Thompson. That firm existed for a year, when Mr. Henry withdrew and the partnership then continued as Winch & Thompson until the election of the former to the circuit bench. For a brief period Mr. Thompson was associated with George R. McKay, who then re- tired from the practice of law. Since that time Mr. Thompson has been en- gaged in general practice alone and is recognized as one of the able repre- sentatives of the Cleveland bar, a safe counselor and a strong advocate. In his practice he is absolutely fair, never indulging in artifice or concealment and so high is the respect for his legal ability and integrity that his assertions in the court are seldom questioned seriously.

In his college days Mr. Thompson took great interest in athletics and was captain and pitcher on the university baseball team. He belongs to no secret order save the college fraternity, known as the Phi Delta Theta. He is, how- ever, a valued member of the University Club, of the Nisi Prius Club and the Chamber of Commerce. In politics he has always been a republican but has never held public office nor aspired to one, although he has devoted a great deal of time in various campaigns to the discussion of the issues proposed by the party. He does not belong to any religious sect but if he has any sectarian bias it is toward the churches of his forefathers, the Methodist, Presbyterian and Episcopal.

Pleasantly situated in his home life, Mr. Thompson was married July 6, 1896, to Miss Lou Belle Cory, a daughter of the Rev. J. B. Cory, who had been his classmate in the Ohio Wesleyan University. They now have one child, Deborah Thompson.

It is interesting to note that every line, both direct and collateral, of the ancestry of the subject of this sketch begins its existence on this continent in the early part of the eighteenth century, and all are found in Ohio at a period antedating the admission of this state to the Union. (For fuller details of this ancestry reference is made to 'Annemoser's Magic, White's History of Sorcery,

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the Edinburgh Quarterly for 1858, Burke's Romance of the Aristocracy, the History of Western Methodism, Roosevelt's Winning of the West, Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio, the History of Western Pennsylvania, the Pro- ceedings of the Scotch-Irish Congress, Military Records of the Pennsylvania Continental Line, the Military Records of the War of 1812, the Pioneer His- tory of Geauga County, the Pioneer History of Lake and Geauga Counties, the History of Wayne County and the published genealogies of the Thompson, Poe, Wells, Tracy and McIlvane families.)

The Thompsons were of that body of Scotch Covenanters who went from the lowlands of Scotland to the north of Ireland on account of religious diffi- culties and who at the expiration of the land grants in the time of James I. re- moved in large numbers to America. John Thompson came in 1735 to the Cumberland valley, east of Harrisburg and removed thence to Thompsontown in Juniata county, Pennsylvania. He spelled his name, Thomson, as appears upon a stone house, built by him at Thompsontown. Tradition says that to- gether with pioneers of that period he had a strenuous life with the Indians on one side and the Quakers on the other. He worshipped at the Presbyterian church, married three times and had fourteen children. His first wife was Jane Greenleaf and the eldest son of that marriage was Isaac Thompson, who was born at Thompsontown in 1753 and died in Middlefield, Ohio, in 1823. He was captain in the Revolutionary war in the Pennsylvania Continental line of troops and was an attache to the staff of General Lee. He was wounded in the wrist by a Hessian bullet at the battle of Brandywine. He appears on the Revolutionary pension rolls and tradition has it that the first money seen in Geauga county was the pension money which he went to Warren, Ohio, to secure. During the progress of the Revolutionary war he lost all he had ac- cumulated and at its close set out to find a new home for himself and family. In the course of his wanderings he reached Pittsburg, started by boat down the Ohio, reached Charlestown, where he tried to live but found, as he remarked in his diary, "the state of society so barbarous" that he went north to the pres- ent site of Cleveland, in 1798. After abiding there a short time he announced to his family that it was not a "fit place for a white man to live, inasmuch as boats could not go around Niagara Falls and commerce could not pass over the Allegheny mountains." So he again started with his family on the trail to Pittsburg and reached, in 1799, what is now the township of Middlefield, in Geauge county. The Cuyahoga River at that point was swollen and he was com- pelled to wait until it subsided. At this juncture his son James decided that the family would go no farther and his will prevailed. Isaac Thompson was married to Jane Tracy and three children were born to them. He was the first justice of the peace in Middlefield township and was a Presbyterian in religious faith. History records of him that "he was an expert hunter, brave, hardy and inventive. His eldest son was James Thompson, who was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and who died October 15, 1877, at Middle- field, Ohio, in the home erected by his father. He was twice married and reared fifteen children. His first wife was Sarah Wells. James Thompson was for years justice of the peace in Middlefield township. He was a captain in the War of 1812, of the Fourth Company, First Battalion, First Regiment, Fourth Brigade, Fourth Division, Ohio Militia, which was ordered in the service of the United States for the protection of its frontiers on the 22d day of August, 1812, and served until the conclusion of the war. At Middlefield he built a hotel, which is now standing, a distillery, a flax mill and the first gristmill. History records of him that "he was a man of mark all his life and at his death he was honored and esteemed."

The eldest son of James Thompson was Isaac Newton Thompson, who was born in Middlefield in 1805 and who died there in 1880. He began his educa- tion with the end in view of becoming a Presbyterian minister. This desire, however, was for some reason thwarted and his life was spent in assisting his

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father in his various enterprises and taking his place as he grew old in years. The Presbyterian church in Middlefield, having been abandoned, was succeeded by the Methodist church, to which Isaac Thompson gave his religious ad- herence. He was a devoted church member and was said to have been powerful in prayer. He held the church together when there were only four members after the church division occurred, which resulted in the establishment of the Wesleyan Methodist church. He married Elizabeth Foote and three children were born of that marriage.

The eldest son of Isaac Newton Thompson was Henry Thompson, who was born in 1842 and is still living. He was educated at the old West Farmington Seminary. He engaged in teaching and read law but did not practice. He took up the work of his father in his various enterprises and was postmaster of Middlefield from the close of the Civil war to the election of Grover Cleveland to the presidency. He is now managing a general store in Middlefield, which his grandfather built and his father conducted previously. In politics he is a republican, as was his father and grandfather. He has always kept himself ex- tremely well informed upon national questions and his services have frequently been called into requisition as a debater and a speaker in national campaigns. He was married in 1864 to Jane Ingram Poe, who was likewise educated in West Farmington Seminary. This union resulted in the birth of four children, three of whom are living: John A., the eldest; Agnes M .; and James Harry Thompson.

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A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume III, Part 30

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: 1106

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: 1106