USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume III > Part 38
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L. H. KITTREDGE
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ing teller and worked his way upward to his present position as cashier of their branch at One Hundred and Fifth street and Superior avenue, northeast. He was one of the original members of the American Institute of Banking and is chairman of its educational committee.
On the 7th of June, 1905, Mr. Cozad was married to Miss Norma Ely, a daughter of Henry C. and Harriet (Van Epps) Gill. Her father, living in Madison at the age of seventy-two years, is still actively engaged in the harness business, having one of the most modern and complete shops in the state. His wife passed away in 1884, her remains being interred in the Madison cemetery. In the Gill family were the following named: Harriet, deceased; William, who is in Klondike; Addie, who is the wife of W. L. Cornelius, of Madison, Ohio; Georgia, who has passed away; Edith, the wife of W. A. Sunderland, also of Madison; Clayton V., of Sterling, Colorado; Mrs. Cozad; Warren A., who is living in Sioux City, Iowa; and Bessie, who is the wife of Leon Brotzman, of North Madison, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Cozad are members of the Central Congregational church of Madison. He gives his political allegiance to the repubilcan party and is a mem- ber of the Twenty-sixth Ward Republican Club. His pastimes are baseball and horseback riding, but with him business is always before pleasure, and in his leisure hours he finds his greatest enjoyment in his home. His entire record reflects credit upon an untarnished family name, and while yet a young man he has made for himself a notable place in the financial circles of this city.
JOHN F. HARPER.
John F. Harper, whose business activity and breadth of view concerning the financial questions has led to his classicfiation with Ohio's eminent finan- ciers, has since 1898 been continuously connected with the banking interests of Cleveland. In 1904, he was called to the vice presidency of the Union National Bank, in which connection he has since figured. Advancement might well be termed the watchword of his life, for since taking his initial step in business in 1884, he has made steady progress, the simple weight of his character and ability carrying him into important relations.
Mr. Harper was born in Orange township, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, October 10, 1858. The family is of Irish origin and was established in America by Hector Harper, father of John F. Harper, who was born in Ireland and came to the United States in 1836, settling in Cuyahoga county, where for many years he was well known as mason contractor. He died November 30, 1881. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret Titterington, is also of Irish birth.
John F. Harper pursued his education in the public schools and in Baldwin University at Berea, Ohio. He remained upon his father's farm until 1884, when thinking to find commercial pursuits more congenial, he turned his attention to the flour and grain business, in which he engaged for a short time. In 1885 he entered the banking business at Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in connection with the Cha- grin Falls Banking Company, of which he was made secretary and treasurer. In 1898 he came to Cleveland, seeking the broader business opportunities of the larger city, and here organized the Colonial National Bank, of which he was chosen vice president. He continued to serve as its executive officer until the Colonial was consolidated with the Union National Bank in 1904, when he was elected to the vice presidency of the latter. He has been called to the presidency of the Continental Sugar Company and has various other financial in- terests, his sound judgment proving a potent force in successful management.
On the 18th of October, 1888, Mr. Harper was united in marriage to Miss Jessie Benton, a daughter of Gamalion H. and Emily (Bentley) Kent, of Bainbridge, Ohio. Mrs. Harper was born July 31, 1866, and on the 29th
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of June, 1909, she passed away, leaving three children, Winnifred, Laurence and Gordon. The family residence is at Chagrin Falls, where Mr. Harper has a handsome country home.
Mr. Harper is connected with organized movements for the city's develop- ment and progress in many lines as a member of the Chamber of Commerce. He gives expression to his political views in his unfaltering endorsement of the republican party and his religious faith in his membership in the First Con- gregational church. He is also identified with the Union, Euclid and Middle Bass Clubs and a social, genial nature makes him popular in their membership. In all the multiplied activities of his fruitful life his energies, means and in- fluence have always been thrown upon the side of justice and of progress. With laudable ambition to secure better opportunities than the farm afforded, in early manhood, he started out and the steps in his orderly progression are easily dis- cernible. Not by devious paths has he reached his present position, but by close application and energy has he sought the success which has made him one of the leading financiers of the Forest city. Earning for himself an enviable repu- tation as a careful business man, his prompt and honorable methods have won him the deserved and unbounded confidence of his colleagues and associates.
AUGUST F. LEOPOLD.
August F. Leopold, president of the Henry Leopold Furniture Company, his previous experience and enterprising plans contributing much to the suc- cess of the undertaking, was born in this city in 1861 and is the eldest son of Henry Leopold, a pioneer furniture dealer of Cleveland, who was born in Germany and when seventeen years of age came to the United States. He made his way direct to Cleveland and having previously learned the cabinetmaker's trade in the fatherland, he here continued in the same line, remaining in the employ of others until 1859, when he established the present house, now oper- ating under the name of the Henry Leopold Furniture Company. As the years passed on he became recognized as one of the foremost merchants of the city. He wedded Mary Gaertner of Cleveland, and unto them were born five sons and a daughter. He died in 1898, at the age of sixty-three years, after being in active business on the same corner for forty years. His wife still survives him. After the death of their father the four sons, August F., Wil- liam G., Martin and John, incorporated the Henry Leopold Furniture Company, with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, and made additions to the building, giving them one of the most modern and up-to-date furniture houses in the state of Ohio. It is equipped with an electric power plant, furnishing light and power for elevator service. The present officers are: August F. Leo- pold, president ; Martin Leopold, vice president ; and William G. Leopold, sec- retary. The firm celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the business in April, 1909.
August F. Leopold supplemented his public-school education by a course in the Ohio Business College, from which he was graduated, after which, in order to broaden his ideas concerning the furniture trade, he went to Chicago, where he became identified with C. H. Hildreth, at that time owner of the most extensive furniture house in the city. He remained there for two years and in 1878 took charge of the furniture department of the extensive depart- ment store of Willoughby, Hill & Company. His time was thus occupied for two years, at the end of which time he returned to Cleveland to become actively interested in his father's business. The present company owes much of its success to his ideas and experience gathered from his Chicago business con- nections. He has ever been energetic and progressive, brooking no obstacles that can be overcome by determined and persistent purpose. Moreover, he has
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ever recognized the truth of the old adage that honesty is the best policy, and in all business relations the probity of his course has won him high regard and gained him a liberal patronage.
Mr. Leopold was married to Miss Anna Voskamp, a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and they have three children: Wilbur H., a graduate of the West high school and now associated with his father; George R., who is a junior in the West high school; and Marie, a student in Trinity school, a private institution.
Mr. Leopold belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Industry and is a director in the latter. He is also a director of the Lorain Street Savings Bank, and his insight into the intricacies of trade and his under- standing of public conditions well qualify him for activity in both fields-the activity which accomplishes results. He is, moreover, a member of the Lutheran church, and his influence is always on the side of progress and improvement, whether it be for the individual or for the community at large.
REV. IGNATIUS JOSEPH WONDERLY.
Rev. Ignatius Joseph Wonderly, the efficient pastor of St. Rose of Lima church, of Cleveland, Ohio, in which capacity he has rendered eminent ser- vices not only for the upbuilding of the spiritual and moral life of his congre- gation, but also that of the community in which he labors, was born in Ber- wick, Ohio, June 7, 1860, a son of Ignatius Wonderly, whose nativity occurred December 15, 1835, and who departed this life March 17, 1906. He was a farmer by occupation and one of the early settlers of Berwick. He was born on a farm and in the community in which he spent his life he became very prominent, having served in a number of local offices, among which were that of school director and road supervisor. The family is of Swiss origin, the grandfather of our subject, Anthony Wonderly, having been born in Switzer- land in 1800. He came to the United States in 1830, during which year he settled in Perry county, Ohio, later removing to Seneca county, where during pioneer days he helped to convert the woodlands into farming property and there he remained diligently pursuing agriculture until 1848, when, upon hear- ing of others making fortunes in the gold regions of California, he repaired to that state, where he remained but a brief period when he returned to his farm and settled down to a life of farming, death terminating his activities in the year 1872. Catherine Weber, mother of him whose name heads this review, is still living. She was born August 2, 1835, in Triebs, Germany, a daughter of Mathias Weber, whose birth occurred in Luxemberg, Germany, about the year 1810 and whose death also occurred in the fatherland in the year 1845. To them were born the following children: John A., who is engaged in the gro- cery business at Fostoria, Ohio; Theodore S., who is in partnership with John A .; Joseph B., an agriculturist of Berwick, Ohio; Rev. Ignatius Joseph; Sister Basillissa, born August 4, 1862, who departed this life November 22, 1889, in Cleveland ; one daughter who is married and resides in California ; and two who are also married and are residents of Ohio.
Rev. Ignatius Joseph Wonderly acquired his preliminary education in Ber- wick parochial and public schools, subsequently spending three years in a course of study at St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and two years and a half at St. Lawrence College, Calvary, Wisconsin, from which he was graduated in 1883. He completed his ministerial training at St. Mary's Seminary, Cleve- land, and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Gilmour on December 21, 1889. He said his first mass December 22d of that year at St. Nicholas church, Berwick, Ohio, later becoming pastor of St. Mary's church, Vermilion, Ohio. At the same time he took charge of the congregation at Mission Huron, per-
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forming his clerical duties there for three years, at the expiration of which period he established a parish at North Baltimore, Ohio, which became known as St. Augustine church and there he efficiently acted in a clerical capacity for a period of three years. In 1895 Rev. Wonderly became affiliated with the Cleveland Apostolate, which was devoted to establishing missions for the ac- commodation of non-Catholics, and he preached in public halls and wherever he could gain an audience, explaining the doctrines of the Catholic faith and answering questions pertaining to salvation. He remained in this work, in which he did a great amount of good, until June, 1899, when for a few months he took charge of the congregations at Shelby and Crestline, Ohio, subsequently on January 14, 1900, being appointed pastor of St. Rose of Lima church of this city. He was the founder of this parish, being the first to serve it in a cleri- cal capacity, its present prosperous condition being due solely to his efforts inas- much as he made the first move to establish the congregation and has since worked arduously for its betterment until at present it is one of the strongest parishes in the city. While still engaged in building up this parish, he assisted the Apostolic Fathers in mission work until the demand upon his own time and energies in his immediate church became so great that he was compelled to de- vote his undivided attention to his present church.
Rev. Wonderly is a man of great energy and at the same time is recognized for his wide learning and ability as a preacher and an orator, being a speaker of force whose arguments have done much to impress the grandeur and worth of Christian doctrine upon the minds of the people of this community. His Christian zeal is unparalleled and in his efforts to establish his present parish no man deserves greater credit inasmuch as he came to this vicinity and, as it were, started on undeveloped ground, upon which he has since built up a thriving parish, comprising two hundred families. He has been enabled to erect an excellent church edifice together with a fine parsonage and also a brick school building comprising four rooms and accommodating one hundred and ninety-five pupils, who are instructed by four efficient teachers. However in 1908 the parish suffered a division and a new one has taken a portion of his communicants. Before the division, at the Easter celebration the services were attended by between five and six hundred communicants. The church property comprised two hundred feet on Detroit street and four hundred and nine feet on West One Hundred and Sixteenth street, being on one of the most valuable corners in the city and the church structure, which is of Roman architecture, is very attractive and has a seating capacity of four hundred and sixty includ- ing the gallery. The parish is in excellent financial condition, is provided with every convenience for educational purposes and also with well organized bene- ficial societies. There is also an excellent school library and the prosperity now enjoyed by the congregation is due solely to the efforts of the Rev. Wonderly, who is beloved by all of the members of his congregation for his Christian zeal and enthusiasm and as well by the entire community for the part he has taken in enhancing its moral and spiritual welfare.
WILLIAM W. HODGES.
William W. Hodges, one of Cleveland's leading and prominent architects, has contributed in material measure to the adornment of the city by the erec- tion of some of its finest residences and public buildings. His birth occurred in Troy, Geauga county, Ohio, on the 30th of June, 1867, his parents being Henry L. and Lucy (Campbell) Hodges, both of whom were natives of Watertown, New York. The Hodges are of English origin, and the first representatives of the family in this country settled in Vermont about 1812, while later a removal was made to the Empire state. The maternal grandfather of our subject was
W. W. HODGES
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a veteran of the Mexican war. Henry L. Hodges, the father of William W. Hodges, enlisted for service in the Union army as a private of the Fourteenth New York Heavy Artillery, and, as his ability and bravery became recognized, he was gradually promoted until he held the rank of captain. In the year 1866 he took up his abode in the state of Ohio and successfully conducted business as a cigar manufacturer until 1873. He was a genial, quiet and unassuming gen- tleman, and the many excellent traits of his character won for him the regard and esteem of all with whom he came in contact. He passed away on the 26th of February, 1906, having for almost a quarter of a century survived his wife, who was called to her final rest in 1882.
William W. Hodges obtained his education in the grammar and high schools of Hart, Michigan, and after putting aside his text-books spent several years in traveling all over the United States, following various occupations. He came to Cleveland in 1888 and soon afterward took up the study of architecture with such zeal and earnestness that he became proficient in that line of activity in a comparatively short time and in June, 1894, embarked in business as an archi- tect in association with his brother, Fred F. The firm of Hodges & Hodges was dissolved in 1900, and since that time William W. Hodges has conducted his interests alone. Among the many handsome structures which stand as monu- ments to his architectural skill and ability are the East Cleveland Baptist church, St. Francis parochial school, the Holy Name school and theater, St. Augustin's school and auditorium, the Roman Catholic church at Medina, Ohio, the Roman Catholic church known as Our Lady of the Rosary in this city, the Belmore apartments on Euclid avenue, the Alphia apartments, a beautiful residence in colonial style for William Greif and one on Detroit avenue for George D. Koch.
On the 26th of June, 1895, Mr. Hodges was united in marriage to Miss Henrietta O'Mara, by whom he has two children: Lester H., born in 1896, and Edwin A., whose birth occurred in April, 1903.
Fraternally Mr. Hodges is identified with the Knights of Columbus, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Roman Catholic church. He also belongs to the Chamber of Commerce. Without special advantages at the outset of his career, he has gained a creditable position in his chosen field of endeavor and is, moreover, recognized as a valued resident of Cleveland.
FRANK E. BROWN.
Among the younger generation of business men of Cleveland, who have risen solely through their own efforts and have demonstrated their fitness and capability in positions of responsibility and importance, Frank E. Brown is well known. He is now private secretary to Daniel R. Hanna and L. C. Hanna. He was born in December, 1869, in this city, and is a son of Captain Frank H. Brown, who was a native of Ashtabula, Ohio, born in 1828. For many years the father sailed the Great Lakes as captain of a vessel and subsequently became the owner of several craft, but for more than ten years has been living retired. He was married in 1863 to Frances Seward, who was born in Cleve- land in 1838. Their son, Frank E. Brown, enjoyed the educational advantages afforded by the public schools of Cleveland and after completing his studies, he decided on a business rather than a professional career. He was just out of school and yet in his teens when he entered the employ of the firm with which he has ever since been connected. He first worked in a menial capacity but therein displayed a willingness and close application that readily marked him as a superior young man. As his worth became apparent he was ad- vanced from time to time to positions of greater responsibility. In whatever capacity he was found his duties received his close attention and best efforts, and he grew in experience and efficiency until finally his knowledge and ability
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merited him promotion to the responsible position he now fills. While he has hardly entered his period of acquisition, he is identified with a number of other commercial enterprises, including the Euclid Avenue Opera House Company, of which he is an officer and director.
On September 26, 1898, Frank E. Brown was united in marriage to Alice Cremer, a native of Chicago, Illinois, and to this union have been born: Cremer and Margaret, twins, born November 3, 1900; and Leonard, whose birth occurred October 10, 1907.
Mr. Brown's enterprise and industry make him an excellent type of the city's high class business men and, most loyal and capable in all the business relations which he has sustained and, moreover, a man whose daily conduct is in accord with a high standard of citizenship, he not only merits recognition in commercial circles, but is also deserving of respect as a worthy and honorable resident of Cleveland.
WALTER BALL LAFFER, M. D.
Dr. Walter Ball Laffer, professor of nervous and mental diseases at the Cleveland College of Physicians & Surgeons and a neurologist of marked abil- ity as manifest by his gratifying practice, was born in Lima, Ohio, October 14, 1871. His father, William L. Laffer, was a native of Sandyville, Ohio, and came to Cleveland in 1892, since which time he has been engaged in the brokerage business here. He is of English descent and wedded Lovenia Ball, of English and German lineage. Her father was Ephraim Ball, the inventor of the first two-wheel mowing machine and also of plows, reapers and other farm imple- ments, giving to the world many valuable devices.
Dr. Laffer spent his youthful days on a ranch in North Dakota and later entered upon preparation for the practice of medicine in the Western Reserve University, being graduated from the medical department with the M. D. de- gree in 1896. He afterward pursued a post-graduate course in that institution and put his theoretical knowledge to the practical test as house physician in Charity Hospital, while later he became house physician in the City Hospital, thus serving until 1898. He afterward entered the private practice of medicine but in 1903 went abroad for post-graduate work, pursuing his studies under eminent physicians of Berlin, Vienna, Paris and London. Since 1898 he has been engaged in private practice in Cleveland, giving special attention to general diagnosis and to nervous and mental diseases. He has most carefully prepared for this department of the medical science and has been called to the profes- sorships of nervous and mental diseases in the Cleveland College of Physicians & Surgeons and the medical department of the Ohio Wesleyan University. He is likewise visiting neurologist to the Cleveland City Hospital, St. Alexis Hos- pital, St. Clair Hospital and Mount Sinai. He is also neurologist to the dis- pensary of the Cleveland College of Physicians & Surgeons, the St. Clair and Hospital Dispensaries. He has been a frequent contributor to medical jour- nals and his articles, which indicate wide reading, have attracted considerable attention among the profession. He has written articles upon the subjects of : Acute Dilation of the Stomach and Arterio-Mesenteric Ileus, Recent Advances in Neurology, Blepharochalasis, the Diagnosis of Tumors of the Spinal Cord, Myatonia Congenita of Oppenheim and so forth.
On the 25th of November, 1903, Dr. Laffer was married in Jackson, Minne- sota, to Miss Mertice Gillespie, a graduate of Carleton College, who is a daugh- ter of William B. Gillespie, a leading hardware merchant of that city. They have a daughter, Alice G., born in 1905, and a son, William G., born in 1907. Dr. Laffer is a member of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce and the Muni- cipal Association, connections which indicate his interest in all that pertains to
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the city, its upbuilding and its progress. He is a member of the Phi Chi, a medi- cal fraternity, and he belongs to the Cleveland Academy of Medicine, the Ohio State Medical Society, the American Medical Association and the Cleveland Medical Library Association. He is patient under adversity, holds to advanced ideals in his work and adheres closely to the highest standards of professional ethics.
JOHN EDWARD MORLEY.
John Edward Morley, attorney at law and a member of the legal firm of Kline, Tolles & Morley, was born at Saginaw, Michigan, January 13, 1873. His parents, George W. and Letitia (Johnson) Morley, were both of New England descent and of old Western Reserve families. His grandfather, Albert Morley, was one of the old residents of Painesville, while his mother's family, the Johnsons, were early settlers of Geauga county.
Mr. Morley received his collegiate education at Yale, graduating from Yale College in 1894. He then entered the Harvard Law School and upon gradua- tion came at once to Cleveland and was admitted to practice at the Ohio bar in 1897. Upon coming to Cleveland he entered the office of Kline, Carr, Tolles & Goff and continued in association with that firm and later the firm of Kline, Tolles & Goff until, upon Mr. Goff's retirement, he became a partner in the present firm of Kline, Tolles & Morley.
In May, 1903, Mr. Morley married Miss Nadine Coffinberry, a daughter of Henry D. and Harriet (Morgan) Coffinberry, and two children have been born to them. Mr. Morley is a member of the Union, University and Rowfant Clubs. In politics he is a republican but has never held public office, having devoted himself entirely to the practice of his profession, which, with constantly in- creasing responsibilities, has demanded and received from him that assiduous effort and attention that has gained for him the high, standing he holds at the Cleveland bar and the reputation of a careful, close and able lawyer.
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