USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume III > Part 72
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E. G. HOLLMAN
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Mr. Hollman was married in September, 1885, to Miss Caughey, and four children have blessed their union. Fred, nineteen years of age, is bookkeeper with the Cleveland Machine Knife Company; Edward, fifteen years of age, and Frank, thirteen years of age, attend the Lakewood high school, and Helen, the youngest, is a student in the lower grades. The Hollman home is at 1571 Grace avenue.
Mr. Hollman boasts a twenty-seven years membership in the Royal Arcanum and is connected with the Cleveland Travelers Association. He supports the policies of the republican party and belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. Good sense, keen business instincts and absolute honesty are the possessions of the superintendent of the Cleveland Machine Knife Company and with them are to be found those qualities which create and foster friendship.
CORNELIUS SALTER SELOVER.
Cornelius Salter Selover, engaged in the produce and commission business in Cleveland, was born June 20, 1847, at Strongsville, Ohio. His father, Asher A. Selover, was born in New York state in 1796 and practiced law in New York city. In 1835 he married Mrs. Ruth Reynolds, a descendant of Captain Baker, who was with General Washington at Valley Forge. Soon after their mar- riage they removed to Cleveland, where Mr. Selover purchased the corner at Superior street and the public square and built there a hotel known as the Cleveland House, on the site of the present Forest City House. Eventually he sold that and purchased several acres on what is now Bolivar Road, but finally decided that more money was to be made in farming and invested in a large tract of land in Strongsville. His last days, however, were passed in Cleve- land but he died in New York in 1868, his remains being brought to Brighton for interment. His wife survived him for only four years. She was one of the old-time mothers who always had a home and room for less fortunate chil- dren though rearing a family of her own.
Our subject has four brothers and two sisters, namely: Major A. A. and James M. Selover, now deceased, who were stock brokers of New York, being connected in business with Rufus Hatch; William, who was first lieutenant of Company A, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Ohio Infantry during the Civil war and was killed in the battle of Chickamauga; Theodore A., a real-estate dealer, who died in Cleveland, and whose son De Forest L. is now the only one left to perpetuate the name of Selover, his home being in Cleveland with offices in the Garfield building; Jeanette P., the widow of Dr. Dickerson; and Mary E., who is the wife of Frank Baughman, of Mount Gilead, Ohio, and the mother of three children, Jeanette, Isaac and Harvey.
Cornelius Salter Selover supplemented his preliminary education by study in Oberlin College and in Baldwin University, at Berea, Ohio, but was never graduated as he was eager for work and a place in the business world. ' At the age of eighteen, after some experience in practical railroading, he went to work in the old Cleveland stockyards, then situated on Scranton avenue. He was a "joint" man, being employed by both the Lake Shore and Big Four Railroad Companies, being associated with his half-brother, Isaac Reynolds, who was general stock agent and general manager of the yards. Mr. Selover remained in the position of superintendent of the yards for more than seventeen years, but some years ago there occurred a land slide, at which time the yards were submerged so that the roads consolidated and new yards were built at Clark avenue. At that time Mr. Selover engaged in the produce and commission busi- ness to which he has since given his attention with good results, being recognized as one of the successful commission merchants of the city.
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In his youthful days he made several ineffectual attempts to enlist in the Union army but was rejected as too young for military service. He has always been a republican in politics, stalwart in support of the republican party, yet without ambition for office. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in tlie Episcopal church.
On the 26th of May, 1878, Mr. Selover was married in Cleveland to Miss Lola Hord, a daughter of the late Judge Hord, formerly of Virginia. They be- came parents of two daughters. Morna E., after graduating from the Central high school, was graduated from the Lake Erie College at Painesville, and on the 16th of June, 1903, wedded Harold H. Hart, who represents one of the large iron industries of the country at Chicago, in which place they reside. Hannah Hord, after her attendance at Central high school, also attended the Lake Erie College for several years. On the 20th of October, 1909, she became the wife of Pierre LaValle Miles, who is associated with the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company.
Mr. Selover cares nothing for society in the general acceptation of the term, but for friends has a lasting regard, especially for the old schoolmates of the Brighton school, who are drawn closer and closer together in the endearing ties of friendship as the years go by.
JAMES ADELBERT MATHEWS.
That the initiative spirit is strong within James Adelbert Mathews has been manifest on various occasions. His rise in the business world has been a sub- stantial one, for without special family or pecuniary advantages to aid him at the outset of his career, he has become a potent force in business circles, being probably most widely known as one of the organizers of the American Tin Plate Company and numerous allied iron and steel industries. He is now as- sistant treasurer of the Guardian Savings & Trust Company and is closely as- sociated with the financial interests of Cleveland. He was born in Bedford, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, February 17, 1850. His father, Thomas W. Mathews, was a native of Poland, Trumbull county, Ohio. For about fifty years Thomas W. Mathews was the village blacksmith at Bedford, Ohio, where his last days were passed. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Ira Wolfcale, was born in Austintown, Mahoning county, Ohio. The death of Mrs. Mathews oc- curred in October, 1899, when she was seventy-nine years of age.
James Adelbert Mathews pursued his education in the public schools of Bed- ford until he completed his high-school course with the class of 1867. While he stands today as one of the representatives of financial interests in Cleve- land, his start in life was a most humble one, for in the summer of 1866 he began work as a newsboy on the Alliance Accommodation, a train running between Cleveland and Alliance on the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad. He filled that position during the summer vacation and in 1867, after his school days were over, was offered the same position but, taking the advice of old railroad men, he declined the offer and in September, 1867, secured a position in a general store at Hudson, Ohio. There he continued clerking about three years. He then went to the Rolling Mills store at Newburg, owned and con- ducted by Cady & Woodridge, remaining there until the 23d of July, 1871, when he accepted a position in the office of the American Sheet & Boiler Plate Company, which was really the initial step which led him to his later commend- able and gratifying success. This company subsequently became a department of the Cleveland Rolling Mill Company and Mr. Mathews remained with the latter organization as paymaster and office manager for twenty-three years, when he resigned to enter the tin plate business for himself. In 1894 he organized the Crescent Sheet & Tin Plate Company, of which he became sec-
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retary, treasurer and general manager. This concern engaged in the manu- facture of tin plate as an independent organization until December, 1898. At a meeting of the tin plate manufacturers held in Columbus, in April, of that year, a gentlemen's agreement was entered into, fixing a minimum price for base box tin plate for the ensuing thirty days. On the 21st of May follow- ing, another meeting was held at the Stillman Hotel in Cleveland, at which Mr. Mathews announced that for reasons of his own he would enter into no further arrangements of that kind. This announcement created a profound impression, at once manifest in the stillness of the meeting and served to forward the plan long talked of-that of consolidating all the tin-plate manu- facturing interests of the country into one company. On the 15h of June, 1898, the first step was taken-that of giving option on the different plants for the consummation of such a scheme. These options were given to ex- tend to February, 15, 1899, but were taken up and checks passed for the various plants on the 15th of December, 1898. Upon the organization of the American Tin Plate Company Mr. Mathews was made a director and for a time filled the position of district manager of the Cleveland district. He was afterward made assistant to the second vice president in charge of the operating end of the corporation with headquarters in Chicago. The general offices of the company removed to New York, February 22, 1900, and located in the Battery Park building. The organization of the American Tin Plate Company was the first consolidation of industrial enterprises but closely following the removal from Chicago to New York came the formation of the American Steel Hoop and the American Sheet Steel Companies, all of which were later made subsidiary companies of the United States Steel Corporation, and their original outfit- the officers of the American Tin Plate Company and others were largely in- strumental in the formation of the United States Steel Corporation, which was long before talked of as "the billion dollar company." Mr. Mathews con- tinued as a director of the American Tin Plate Company and manager of the claim department until April, 1902, when he withdrew, having tendered his resignation in the previous December. He returned with his family to Cleve- land.
For the next few months Mr. Mathews enjoyed a vacation from routine business until in August, 1902, when he accepted the position of manager of the real-estate department of the Guardian Savings & Trust Company. A year and a half later he was made manager of the Guardian Savings & Trust Company's branch at No. 63 Euclid avenue, which position he continued to fill until the bank was moved to its new building at No. 322 Euclid avenue. Since that date he has remained as one of its executive officers. He is a stock- holder in this thriving banking institution. He is also treasurer of The Colum- bia Steamship Company, a director of The Hydraulic Pressed Steel Company, a stockholder in The National Refining Company, The Diamond Rubber Company, The Cleveland-Akron Bag Company, The Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company and the Valley Steamship Company and is interested in various other enterprises.
On the 30th of October, 1872, Mr. Mathews was married at Hudson, Ohio, to Miss Ida Farrar, a daughter of Horace Edward and Lucinda M. Farrar, of that place. They have one child, Lena Farrar Mathews, who completed her education in a private school at Amherst, Massachusetts. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mathews have always been prominent in social circles of this city and they reside at No. 1872 East Eighty-ninth street, where they have a most hospitable home.
Mr. Mathews is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and also belongs to the Euclid, Colonial and Union Clubs. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and has been active in Masonic circles for many years as the following record will show : was made a Master Mason in Newburg Lodge, No. 379, F. & A. M., April 14, 1879; Royal Arch Mason in Baker Chapter, No. 139, R. A. M., July
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30, 1880; Royal and Select Master in Cleveland Council, No. 36, October 31, 1891; Knight Templar in Holyrood Commandery, No. 32, February 15, 1882. He attained the fourteenth degree in Eliadah Lodge of Perfection, October 12, 1888; the sixteenth degree in Bahurim Council, October 19, 1888; the eighteenth degree in Ariel Chapter of the Rose Croix, October 26, 1888; and the thirty- second degree in Ohio Consistory, S. P. R. S., November 23, 1888. He is a charter member of Lake Erie Consistory, is a past master of Newburg Lodge, past eminent commander of Holyrood Commandery and active in nearly all of the Masonic bodies. At a meeting of the supreme council, A. A. S. R., for the northern Masonic jurisdiction of the United States of America for the thirty- third and last degree, held at Boston, Massachusetts, September 22, 1909, Mr. Mathews was elected to the honorary thirty-third degree and to membership in this supreme body. He is also an active member of the Castalia Trout Club, and golf, fishing and outdoor sports in general constitute the sources of his recrea- tion. He is a large man of commanding appearance, yet quiet, modest and unassuming in deportment, and genial and courteous to all. His marked busi- ness ability and the simple weight of his own character have carried him into important business relations.
RICHARD HILLIARD.
Though more than a half century has passed since Richard Hilliard was called to his final rest, he is still remembered by many of Cleveland's older residents as one of the most prominent and foremost citizens in the early days of the city's development. He was for almost a third of a century successfully identified with business interests as a general merchant and his record both as a business man and citizen was one well worthy of emulation and commendation.
His birth occurred in Chatham, New York, on the 3d of July, 1800, his parents being David and Lucy (Hudson) Hilliard. The father, who was a farmer by occupation, died when his son Richard was but fourteen years of age and therefore the latter early found it necessary to assist in the support of the family. He attended the district schools of his native state for a few terms but laid aside his text-books in order to enter upon an apprenticeship with a hatter of Albany, New York. One day a son of his employer threw down a pair of boots, saying: "Clean those boots, Dick." The manner in which the request was made aroused his ire to such an extent that he concluded to abandon his position and left for parts unknown.
Several months later found him with an older brother at Skaneateles, New York, where he remained until eighteen years of age, being employed as a clerk and also in the capacity of school teacher. Subsequently he went to Black Rock, New York, and there secured a clerkship in the general mercantile store of John Daly. By his capability and faithfulness in the discharge of the duties entrusted to his care he gained the confidence of his employer and eventually was admitted to a partnership without capital. In 1824 the firm was removed to Cleveland as a place of greater promise, Mr. Hilliard coming to this city with his sister, who afterward became Mrs. Orlando Cutter and is now deceased. In 1827 he bought Mr. Daly's interest in the business and remained the sole pro- prietor of the establishment for several years, or until the growth of the trade made it desirable to have a resident partner in New York to make purchases. He therefore associated himself with William Hayes of that city and the rela- tion was maintained with mutual pleasure and profit until Mr. Hilliard passed away on the 21st of December, 1856. When the business of the house had increased to such an extent that larger quarters became necessary Mr. Hilliard purchased a lot on Water street, erected a handsome building thereon and from that time until his death conducted his mercantile enterprise on the wholesale
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plan. He likewise erected a large residence on the corner of Bond street and St. Clair avenue, then a fashionable part of the town, in which the Associated Charities now have their headquarters. He was associated with the late Con- gressman Payne and others in financeering and constructing the first railroad into Cleveland, known as the Erie Railroad, and was also largely instrumental in establishing the present water works system.
In the early '20s Mr. Hilliard was engaged to marry Miss Mary Merwin, a noted eastern belle and a daughter of Noble H. Merwin. She was also a de- scendant of Governor Wood. Her death occurred, however, before the mar- riage was celebrated and in 1827 Mr. Hilliard wedded Miss Sarah Katherine Hayes. Her father, Newton Hayes, who was a native of Wilcox, Vermont, es- tablished his home in New York city, where he became proprietor of the Frank- lin House-at that time the best known hostelry in the eastern metropolis. Daniel Hayes, an ancestor of Mrs. Hilliard, was on the committee of correspondence of public safety during the Revolutionary war. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hilliard were born nine children, seven who lived to maturity as follows: Richard, who is de- ceased ; Mary, who became the wife of Dr. Elisha Sterling and has also passed away; Julia, the wife of D. C. Hall, of New York; Catherine, who is the wife of H. C. Gaylord; Newton and William H., both of whom are deceased; and Laura W., who makes her home in Cleveland.
In politics Mr. Hilliard was a stalwart democrat. For many years he served as a vestryman in Trinity church and was a regular attendant at its services. He was fond of reading and music and was a man of domestic tastes, finding his greatest pleasure at his own fireside in the companionship of his wife and children. He justly merited the proud American title of a self-made man, for he planned his own advancement and accomplished it in spite of obstacles and conditions which would have utterly discouraged many a man of less resolute spirit. Upright and honorable in all the relations of life, he won the high esteem and friendship of those with whom he was associated and his memory is yet cherished by many who knew him.
JEFFERSON FISH.
There are those whose place in the history of Cleveland and Cuyahoga county has been more spectacular and there are those who have figured more promi- nently in the public eye because of connection with affairs of general interest, but there are none who have more uniformly commanded and received the re- spect of their fellowmen than have the members of the Fish family, one of the oldest and most prominent of the pioneer families of this section of the state. Cleveland was but a small town with comparatively little commercial or indus- trial importance during the boyhood days of Jefferson Fish, who throughout his entire life resided in this county, an interested witness of the changes which have been wrought.
He was born in Brooklyn township, July 11, 1833, and his life record covered the intervening years to the 2d of June, 1902, when he was called to his final rest. His parents were Jonathan and Sarah Fish, who, leaving their Connecti- cut home, traveled across the country after the primitive manner of the times and settled in Brooklyn township in 1813. There was no steam navigation at that day, the old-time sailing vessels carrying passengers and freight from port to port, but the great state of Ohio was largely a wilderness into which the white settlers had not penetrated. There had been a few villages established along the lake and on the borders of the navigable streams, but otherwise there had been little done to reclaim the state from the domain of the red men. The Fish family took their part in the pioneer development of the locality and Jeffer- son Fish, reared in his father's home, spent his youth in acquiring an educa-
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tion in the village school and in assisting in the work of the home farm. After the death of his father he continued farming for several years and then became connected with various business enterprises, thus extending the scope of his activity and labors until he became recognized as one of the important factors in the business life of the community. In addition to other interests he aided in organizing the Farmers & Merchants Bank, of which he became the president, holding the position until his demise. His name was an honored one in financial circles because of his ability to plan and perform and also by reason of his un- assailable business integrity.
In community affairs he took deep and helpful interest, serving for several terms as township trustee and also school director. After the village of South Brooklyn was incorporated he was twice elected a member of the council and did everything in his power to further the interests of the community. He was also a charter member of Glenn Lodge, I. O. O. F., and enjoyed the high esteem of his brethren of that order.
On May 5, 1859, Mr. Fish was united in marriage to Miss Lenora Meade, and unto them were born two sons who are still living: George H., a member of the the firm of Bennett & Fish, clothiers of Cleveland; and O. J., who is con- nected with navigation interests. Three sons and one daughter died in infancy. In the year 1893 Mr. Fish left the farm and removed to his late home on West Twenty-fifth street, Cleveland. The success which attends honorable, persistent and unfaltering effort was his and the high standards which he main- tained and the phases of his character, which were familiar to all who knew him, won him a degree of respect that is seldom accorded any individual.
GEORGE O. STREHLOW.
George O. Strehlow, manager of the Cleveland branch of the P. Schoen- hofen Brewing Company of Chicago, was born in Milwaukee county, Wiscon- sin, on the 12th of August, 1876, a son of John C. and Albertina Strehlow. The paternal grandfather, John Strehlow, who was a native of Germany, made the voyage to the United States in 1843. After arriving in New York he went to New Jersey and thence removed to Watertown, Wisconsin, where he followed farming until 1863. In that year he made his way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he secured employment as a longshoreman, being engaged in the unload- ing of vessels until the time of his retirement in 1894. John C. Strehlow, the father of our subject, was likewise a native of Germany and accompanied his father on the voyage to the new world. He first secured a position as foreman with the Layton Packing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and in 1883 en- tered the police force, with which he is still identified, acting as a lieutenant at the present time.
George O. Strehlow attended the public schools until fifteen years of age and then entered the employ of the J. L. Burnham Brick Company as office boy, remaining with the concern for two years. Subsequently he was engaged as clerk with the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company and later was made paymaster, while afterward he acted as cashier for the Canada Atlantic Transit Company for a year. He next entered the employ of P. Schoenhofen Brewing Company as clerk and traveling man and in September, 1908, was made manager of the Cleveland branch of this extensive concern, being well qualified for the discharge of the important duties devolving upon him in this connection.
On the 19th of September, 1903, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mr. Strehlow was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Klotz, by whom he has two children, Adela and Gilbert, who are now four and two years of age respectively. The family residence is at No. 1355 East Eighty-second street. Fraternally Mr.
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Strehlow is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias. He likewise belongs to the South Side Turners, and is a Protestant in religious faith. Though still a young man, he has already at- tained a creditable position in business circles and his many friends predict for him a bright future.
ADDISON T. HUBBARD.
Addison T. Hubbard, president of the Cowell-Hubbard Jewelry Company of Cleveland, came to the middle west from New England, his birthplace being in Holden, Massachusetts, while his natal year was 1848. He acquired his early education in the public schools and afterward attended the Worcester (Mass.) Academy. He was sixteen years of age when he was apprenticed to the jewel- er's trade in Boston, following that pursuit for five years, during which period he gained intimate and thorough knowledge of the business, becoming an ex- pert workman.
The year 1871 witnessed his arrival in Cleveland and, his financial condition rendering immediate employment a necessity, he entered the service of Syl- vester Hogan, a jeweler, with whom he remained for eight years, his long con- nection with that house standing in incontrovertible evidence of his capability, fidelity and the confidence reposed in him by his employer. At length, when his earnings had brought him sufficient capital, he embarked in business on his own account, forming a partnership with S. H. Cowell, under the firm style of Cowell & Hubbard. In this connection he became part owner of the jewelry house that had been established in the early '6os by Royal Cowles and later be- came the property of H. Cowell & Company, the partners at that time being Herbert Cowell as senior partner and George Cowell, his father, as junior part- ner. Upon the retirement of the latter, S. H. Cowell became a half owner and the name was then changed to Cowell Brothers. After the death of Herbert Cowell in 1877, S. H. Cowell conducted the business alone until November I, 1879, when Addison T. Hubbard became a half owner. In 1887 the business was incorporated as the Cowell-Hubbard Company and upon the death of Mr. Cowell in 1889, Mr. Hubbard became president of what is today the largest re- tail jewelry establishment in the city of Cleveland. It is most attractive in its arrangement and equipment and a fine line of jewelry, diamonds and watches of artistic workmanship is carried. Mr. Hubbard has given his entire attention to the development and extension of the business during his thirty years' connection therewith and its gradual and substantial growth is attributable in very large measure to his well directed efforts and business enterprise.
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