USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume III > Part 67
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gan Southern Railway Company, but finally returned to agricultural pursuits and engaged in farming until March, 1908, at which time he retired from busi- ness and now makes his home with his son, Mrs. Field having died several years ago.
William G. Field attended the public schools of Cleveland until thirteen years old and at that early age became a clerk for Woods, Jenks & Company, remain- ing thus for eleven years. During this period the partnership, name of firm, and the management changed several times, but Mr. Field retained his position until he became engaged with Ralph Gray in the lumber business, with whom he was identified for three years. On the expiration of that period he became trav- eling representative for the Nicola Brothers Company of Pittsburg, Pennsyl- vania. After a year with them he went back to Ralph Gray and spent five more years with that gentleman. His next business associations were with the Nor- ris Lumber Company, first as salesman and then as cashier, while in January, 1909, the appreciation of his valuable services was demonstrated in his election as secretary and manager. Mr. Field has done much to advance the scope of his company and its interests are first with him.
On December 31, 1904, in Cleveland, Mr. Field was married to Miss Lillian Marie Schneeberger and they reside at 1488 Robinwood avenue. He is a mem- ber of several clubs, and is of Protestant faith. The environments of his boy- hood were favorable to the development of the business ability he had inherited from a long line of sturdy, hard-working ancestors, and his success may be largely traced to the fact that from childhood he has depended upon his own exertions for a livelihood.
JOHN MILLER WILCOX.
John Miller Wilcox was a son of Stephen Miller and Margaret (Coates) Wilcox. The Wilcox family came from England and was established in Westerly, Rhode Island, in 1630, at the time of the great Pilgrim immigration. The New England Genealogical Record and the General Directory of Rhode Island show that in 1680 the family was engaged in trade in Narragansett, and owned land in Kingston, Rhode Island. In 1816, Josiah Wilcox, a Revolutionary soldier, came with his three sons to the Western Reserve and settled in Brecks- ville. One son, Ambrose, married Ellinore Jenkins, and the fourth child, born to them in Brecksville in 1818, was Stephen Miller Wilcox, who married Margaret Coates in 1840. He was a man possessed of sterling worth and integrity of character, was early associated with the free-soil and later with the republican party, was an enthusiastic supporter of the anti-slavery movement, and his home was for many years one of the depots of the "underground railway." He was deeply interested in the political issues of his day. He was engaged in raising and dealing in cattle and in managing his farm, which only recently passed out of the family possession, having belonged to them nearly one hundred years.
Margaret Coates came with her parents from Geneseo, New York, to Royalton, · Ohio, when two years old. The advantages for an education in those days were limited but, being endowed with an exceedingly fine mind, she improved every . opportunity afforded for study. She taught school before her marriage, was fond of books, had a discriminating taste in reading, was ambitious for her children and inspired them with high ideals of life. She was a woman of strong character and her influence was always for the right. She was descended from English ancestry. Her grandfather, John Coates, was a well educated, fox hunting, horse-racing, well-to-do Yorkshire farmer with strong republican tend- encies, and his bitter denunciation of the desperate measures adopted by England toward the American colonies led to a certain social ostracism. It is said that : at a Yorkshire dinner he proposed a toast to Washington, and was so bitterly
J. M. WILCOX
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attacked in consequence that he declared he would not live in a land where he could not honor so good a man as Washington.
He came to America with his wife, Jane Middleton, and two sons, John and Charles, about 1802. He was a cultured, widely read gentleman and brought with him to the wilderness of Ohio a fine library. There are volumes of Shakes- peare still preserved that show evidence of his careful reading, and relics of silver plate and silk and linen garments cherished by the great-grandchildren, are proof of the ample means possessed by him. Environment and fashion changed, but he always wore the knee breeches and shoe buckles of the style of his young manhood. He was a man of very democratic tastes and entertained exceedingly liberal views on religious subjects.
The Coates family first settled in Geneseo, New York, buying three hundred and twenty acres of partially improved land with orchard and house. It was the first frame house west of Canandaigua, the lumber for it having been brought thirty miles over an Indian trail. In 1816 they moved to Ohio and bought thirty- four hundred acres of land in Royalton township.
John Coates, father of Margaret, was educated at Oxford and, except as a matter of personal gratification and pleasure, the advantage was not great in the new country, where brawn counted for more than brain. He was a pros- perous farmer and stock raiser, and his door was always open to the stranger in need.
John Miller Wilcox, son of Stephen Miller and Margaret (Coates) Wilcox. was born at Royalton, Ohio, November 9, 1842. He was educated at the school in Brecksville and at the academy in Richfield. After leaving school he was for ten years principally engaged in teaching. In 1871, in partnership with P. B. Gardner, he bought and edited the Berea Advertiser. This partnership lasted for two years, when he moved to Cleveland and acted as deputy under Sheriff P. B. Smith. From 1874 to 1876 he was chief clerk of the probate court, under Judge Tilden. In the fall of 1876 he was elected to the office of sheriff and re- elected in 1878, serving until January 1, 1881. He was elected sheriff at the age of thirty-three years, being the youngest man ever chosen to the office. Public interests were always near his heart and whether in office or out of it he was a fearless champion of any project or measure which he deemed of benefit to Cleveland. He worked hard in a fight against the gas company to lower the price of gas in this city and after winning in the contest was called upon to arrange the settlement with the company. This resulted in a certain per cent of the income of the gas company being set aside as a fund to improve the city hall and at one time this fund amounted to more than six hundred thousand dollars. In 1886 he returned to newspaper work, becoming editorial writer for the Cleveland Press. The Chicago Times-Herald said of him: "He was as manly and straight- forward in his editorial utterances as in his private conversation, and conducted. the Press from a position of slight importance to a place of influence." The Cleveland Plain Dealer, commenting editorially, said: "John M. Wilcox was a man of strong character. Although he acquitted himself with honor in all the positions which he held, it was as editor that his services were preeminent. His pen was a power. He was a man of intense convictions and had the courage to maintain them." Mr. Wilcox continued as editor of the Press until 1893, when illness compelled him to retire from active service.
On June 9, 1864, Mr. Wilcox was married to Julia V. Snow, daughter of Palmer and Harriet (Rogers) Snow, of Parma. Mr. Snow taught school in his younger days, later was a prosperous farmer, and held at the same time for many years the offices of justice of the peace and township clerk, his name being placed on both democratic and republican tickets. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox were born five children, namely: Winona, who is the wife of S. C. Payne; Kath- erine; Augusta ; John Miller, Jr .; and Mary, who gave her hand in marriage to C. W. McClain.
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The death of Mr. Wilcox occurred at Rose Island, Alexandria Bay, New York, August 18, 1895, but "the beauty of his better self lives on." He was of the highest type of the devoted husband and father and above all else his interest centered in his home. Dr. W. A. Knowlton said of him: "Active, self-reliant, with quick intelligence, a ready grasp of varied knowledge and a style of ex- pression peculiarly his own, those who came in contact with him at once felt the activity and force of his strenuous nature. His very presence was a stimulus and even in the early days it was a dull mind that did not respond to the touch of his thought, to the play of his fancy. It was his nature and I think his purpose to invite others to mental activity and higher aims. He might have dif- fered with others regarding policies or the conduct of public affairs. Whatever mistakes he might have made, if mistakes there were, he was a man with clearly defined convictions, with honest purposes and as fearless as he was earnest." He was essentially humanitarian and believed in the innate goodness of mankind. The uplift of the race and the various ways by which it might be accomplished occupied his profoundest thoughts. His mind dwelt naturally on a high plane and considered his work in a large way. He was possessed of a fine prophetic vision that enabled him to foresee results that others failed to comprehend. He refused to be discouraged by disheartening details, and through the many obstacles met in his fight for better civic government as editor of the Press, he always maintained his faith in the final triumph of right. His taste in literature was catholic, and the authors he read were many and diverse. Philosophers ancient and modern were familiar to him, and he was fond of history and biography. Among the authors he most admired may be mentioned Spencer, Darwin, Huxley, Haeckel, Macaulay, Motley and Prescott. He read thoroughly all the great English poets, and in conversation made frequent use of quotations from their works.
Expressions of the deepest regret were heard on every hand when it was known that Mr. Wilcox had passed from this life and his death was noted by the press throughout the country. The Cleveland Leader said of him: "Mr. Wilcox was a man who endeared himself to his intimates to a great degree. He had a low voice and a calm manner. He was one of those who dined often with the Crank Club, among the members of which organization he numbered his warmest friends. He was a disciple of Richard Cobden and was one of the first, if not the first, to advocate founding a free trade club in this city."
Beautiful tributes were paid him by many distinguished men who were proud to call him friend. At the funeral service it was said: "The public labors and trusts that were given to him to bear, and they were neither few nor trifling, are over now. He met and discharged them every one with a zeal and faithfulness which leaves no need, no room today, for explanation or apology. His honesty was innate and needed not the spur of bond or statute to insure the most scrupu- lous and exacting compliance with his every duty. His sense of the way and manner in which a public labor or a public duty should be discharged would be a model for the maker of the strictest law of equity. No scheme or act of public wrong ever found in him a shield or defender, and every movement to correct or to destroy or to defeat an existing or threatened menace to the general good, found him its friend and his gifted speech and pen its ally.
"He lived in all the past and in his books with all the good, and the literature of the wisest and best was his constant delight and enjoyment. He read for both enjoyment and instruction and meditation made him wise."
"With chivalrous nobility," said Judge White of Mr. Wilcox, "he ever championed the cause of the poor and of the unfortunate and the oppressed For the struggling submerged undercurrent of society he was ready to bestow his best service. His life was a success. Out of the struggle with small oppor- tunities and difficult beginnings, he came finally into a field of broad and active influence and usefulness. He was in touch and accord with all good institutions and measures in the march of human progress."
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"It is my most valued memory that he held me as a friend," said William E. Lewis. "Manly as he was, his heart beat as gently as a woman's for humanity. I knew him for twenty years as a public man, as a private citizen and as a leader in his profession, and I never heard him utter a thought that was a discredit or express a view that was not an honor to his intelligence and his soul." The lines engraved on the tomb of Professor Huxley might fittingly be inscribed on that of John M. Wilcox :
"And if there be no meeting past the grave,
If all is darkness, silence-yet 'tis rest;
Be not afraid, ye waiting hearts that weep,
For God still giveth his beloved sleep,
And if an endless sleep he wills, so best."
HENRY C. CROWELL.
Henry C. Crowell, a respected and prosperous resident of Cleveland, is well known in business circles as the president and treasurer of the northern Ohio branch of the Viavi Company. His birth occurred in Cleveland on the 17th of June, 1875, his parents being John and Elizabeth M. (Bresie) Crowell. The former was born at Warren, Ohio, in December, 1840, while the latter is a na- tive of New York, her birth having occurred in that state in 1846. The paternal grandfather of our subject was General John Crowell, the eminent Ohio jurist, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Cleveland, becoming a resident thereof in 1852. In 1846 and in 1848 he was elected to represent Trumbull county dis- trict in congress, defeating Judge Rufus P. Ranney at both elections. At the time of his death one of the Cleveland newspapers said: "In 1846 John Crowell was unanimously nominated for congress as the whig candidate from Trumbull county and was elected by a large majority, his opponents being Rufus P. Ran- ney and Judge John C. Hutchins. In 1848 he was again elected over Judge Ranney. In congress Mr. Crowell was a member of the committee on claims and Indian affairs. He was a powerful speaker and made several speeches against slavery while he was in the house. He was also a stanch abolitionist when to be such was regarded as almost a crime. In 1852 Mr. Crowell removed to Cleveland and resumed the practice of law. In 1862 he was elected president of the Ohio State and Union Law College. He was also for some time chief editor of the Western Law Monthly, published in Cleveland, and he received the degree of LL. D. from the law college and the honorary degree of M. D. from the Homeopathic College, before which he delivered several courses of lec- tures. He served in the state militia for nearly twenty years and was elected major general. Mr. Crowell was always an earnest advocate of the common schools and looked upon Christianity as the true basis of civilization. He was not only a learned and accomplished lawyer but also ranked high as a classical scholar. He filled numerous positions of honor and trust, to which he was chosen, with marked ability and unwavering fidelity. His success in life was due to the high and noble qualities of his mind, to his untiring industry and sound judgment."
John Crowell, the father of Henry C. Crowell, was an honored veteran of the Civil war, having left Kenyon College to enlist for service in the Union army with the Forty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He acted as assistant adjutant general with the rank of captain on the staff of General W. B. Hazen. He was afterward a prominent member of the military order of the Loyal Legion. His profession was that of the law and he enjoyed an extensive and lucrative clien- tage as a patent attorney. For several years he was a partner of General M. D. Leggett and continued in active practice up to the time of his demise in
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1885. He was deeply interested in Glenville and its welfare, putting forth earnest and effective effort for its upbuilding and improvement. For many years he served as mayor of Glenville and his labors were most effective in the work of advancing interest along lines which were not only of present benefit but told largely upon the welfare of the future.
Henry C. Crowell obtained his early education in the public schools and af- terward entered the Western Reserve University, completing the law course in that institution in 1897. The same year he was admitted to the bar and for a few years practiced his profession with gratifying success, while for a little over a year he was identified with the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Rail- way Company. Subsequently he entered upon his present duties as the presi- dent and treasurer of the Viavi Company and in this connection has supervision over twenty-two counties in northeastern Ohio. The main office and laboratory of the concern are located at San Francisco, California. Mr. Crowell is a man of excellent business ability and keen discrimination-qualities which he daily manifests in his capable discharge of the duties devolving upon him in his offi- cial connection.
In 1901 Mr. Crowell was united in marriage to Miss Fannie A. Benham, of Cleveland, by whom he has two daughters, Elizabeth and Virginia. He belongs to the Young Men's Christian Association of this city and is also a member of the Cleveland Athletic Club. He has a wide and favorable acquaintance in the city where most of his life has been spent, for his strongly marked character- istics are such as commend him to the trust and friendship of his fellowmen.
BENSON McILRATH.
In the interesting and picturesque period of Cleveland's early development there stood on the Euclid Road a place of entertainment for the travelers of the day known as the McIlrath tavern, of which Abner McIlrath was the proprietor, and covering the site of Euclid Beach was a farm which was the property of Thomas McIlrath and upon it the subject of this review spent his boyhood and youth. The McIlraths were one of the earliest families settling in Cuyahoga county, coming from Connecticut in the year 1803. Through the decades which have since been added to the cycle of the centuries representatives of the name have taken an active and helpful part in the substantial development and prog- ress of this portion of the state. There are now over five hundred members of the family and all are noted for their large frames. On the first Friday of August each year for twenty-four years the family has held a reunion, at which gather many members of the clan, the occasion being made a most enjoyable one.
The parents of Benson McIlrath were Hugh and Marcia (Allen) McIlrath, who in 1878 established their home at Collinwood. They moved to Ohio from Erie, Pennsylvania, where the birth of Benson McIlrath occurred April 26, 1876. He was, therefore, but two years of age when the family came to Ohio and when a lad of about six summers he was sent to the public schools. He supplemented his high school course by a law school course in Baldwin University and a com- mercial course in Caton Business College, becoming thus well qualified for the onerous and responsible duties of life. His father is still living and is yet an active and energetic man, being the oldest engineer in the employ of the Lake Shore Railroad. The son started in business for himself as a real estate broker and has since continued in this field of activity, having a large clientage whom he represents in the placing of investments and the sale of property. He keeps thoroughly informed concerning the real-estate market and with keen discrimi- nation recognizes the possible rise or diminution in prices, so that the investments which he makes are wisely placed. He is seldom, if ever, at fault in matters of
BENSON MCILRATH
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business judgment and in connection with his other interests he has also an in- surance business.
Mr. McIlrath was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Barnett, a daughter of F. E. Barnett, of Collinwood. His fraternal relations are with the Knights of Pythias, his political allegiance is given to the republican party, his religious faith is indicated in his membership with the Church of Christ and his social na- ture finds expression in his connection with the Squirrel Hunters Club. He is loyal to his party, is an exemplary representative of his lodge, a genial and popu- lar member of his club and a loyal supporter of his church.
CHARLES H. HENRY.
Charles H. Henry, who occupies a pleasant home at 13627 Euclid avenue, Cleveland, has for a number of years been actively engaged in advancing the real-estate interests of the city. He was born at Jacks Run, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, February 18, 1859. His father, Thomas Henry, was a native of New Jersey and his birth occurred near the historic city of Trenton. He was a springmaker and later during the excitement attendant upon the discovery of oil, became an operator of oil wells. About 1864 he came to Cleveland, where he engaged in the grocery business, but later moved to Lakewood, opening the Hopkins allotment of home sites there. The remaining years of his life were devoted to real-estate interests and he passed away in 1885. He married Miss Matilda Hopkins, an only daughter of Charles Hopkins, who came to the United States when Mrs. Henry was about four years of age. She was a descendant of an old English family and lived to an advanced age, her death occurring De- cember 2, 1907.
Charles H. Henry attended the public schools of Cleveland and later a busi- ness college. Then he went to work upon his father's farm, remaining there even after the death of the latter, until 1891, when he decided to enter the real-estate business. To this he has since devoted his energies with a success that is well deserved. He has a keen understanding of land values, is able to exercise a discriminating judgment in regard to increase and depreciation, while his tactfulness in dealing with others has gained him a generous support among his fellow citizens.
On the 26th of July, 1893, Mr. Henry was united in marriage to Miss Mary Doan, a daughter of Norton Doan and a member of a family which has played no inconspicuous part in the life of Cleveland. Mr. and Mrs. Henry are the parents of two children : Dorothy, who at the age of fifteen is a pupil in the sec- ond year of the high school; and Norton, who is seven years of age and is at- tending school.
Mr. Henry is a man of great sagacity and, looking to advancement through . upright acts and principles of honor, has found that his life has not been without its deserved reward, and he has the high regard of his associates in his private and business life.
NORTON DOAN.
With the death of Norton Doan, which occurred in 1903, Cleveland lost one of her native sons who had witnessed the city's growth from villagehood to a metropolitan center and had participated in and augmented the development which has transformed the character of the country. Himself occupying, dur- ing the years of his activity, a foremost position in the city, he was the son of a man who was equally conspicuous in the public life of this section of the state.
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Timothy Doan, the father of our subject, was born in Chatham, Connecti- cut, April 7, 1787. During the war of 1812 he was a teamster, and when he came to the neighborhood of Cleveland became a farmer. He settled in what was then known as Euclid but is included within the boundaries of East Cleve- land. `A successful man, he was also a factor in the public life about him. Polit- ically he was a strong adherent of the democratic party, by whom he was sent to the legislature in 1832 and 1833. He was twice married and his first wife was a member of the Episcopal church.
Norton Doan was born November 6, 1831. He was reared upon the home- stead in East Cleveland and when he started out in life for himself engaged in agricultural pursuits. In the course of years he became prominent and influen- tial in local affairs. He served as clerk of his village for a number of years, was an active member of the board of education, and was identified with every movement calculated to promote the welfare of his fellowmen. His judgment was highly regarded on many matters, and it was no infrequent thing for neigh- bors and friends to come to him for advice upon many different matters.
Mr. Doan was married, March 15, 1855, to Miss Lucy Ann Sawtell, who was born July 25, 1832, and died on the 9th of March, 1863. She had become the mother of four children. Emily Samantha, born September 25, 1856, was mar- ried, November 9, 1880, to Frederick King, who was born February 28, 1852. They have three sons: Herbert D., born March 12, 1882; Paul F., March 21, 1885; and Kenneth R., October 21, 1893. Mary Eliza, whose birth occurred September 28, 1858, became the wife of Charles H. Henry, as stated in the sketch preceding. Walter Sawtell, born August 29, 1860, was married on the IIth of October, 1893, to Miss Ella Prentiss, who was born in 1862, a daughter of Zacharias Prentiss. They have a daughter Doris, who was born February 14, 1895. Lucy Ann, born February 6, 1863, was married, November 24, 1886, to William H. Sheppard, whose birth occurred November 9, 1858. They have three children : Nellie, born May 15, 1889; Amy, May 2, 1897; and Clark Wil- liam, May 27, 1898.
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