USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume III > Part 89
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In his political views Mr. Bagnall is a stanch republican, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Presbyterian church. He is a mem- ber of the Chamber of Commerce and also belongs to the Colonial Club, the Cleveland Athletic Club, the Euclid Club, the Electrical Engineers Club, the American Society of Electrical Engineers and the National Geographic Society. In these various relations he has gained the warm friendship and regard of many with whom he has been brought in contact, while in business life he has gained that success which comes from close application, industry, capable man- agement and honest endeavor.
EDWIN MCEWEN.
Edwin McEwen, who is secretary and treasurer of the F. B. Stearns Com- pany, in which connection he largely has the direction of its financial interests, was born in Youngstown, Ohio, October 22, 1868. He is a son of Thomas R. and Calista (Oviatt) McEwen, the latter a daughter of Samuel Oviatt. The former is a native of Trumbull county, Ohio, and a son of one of its pioneer farmers. In his youthful days Thomas R. McEwen came to Cleveland, where he took up the study of pharmacy, afterward engaging in the drug business in Youngstown, Ohio, for a half century, his name becoming inseparably inter- woven with the commercial history of that city. He still maintains his residence in Youngstown but is now living retired in the enjoyment of well earned rest and ease.
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In the public schools of his native city Edwin McEwen pursued his educa- tion through successive grades until he was graduated from the high school with the class of 1887. Following his graduation he entered the employ of Cart- wright, McCurdy & Company and advanced through various positions with this concern and its successors until 1899, at which time the property was sold. Mr. McEwen had risen to the position of secretary of this corporation, which was known as the Union Iron & Steel Company, and so continued until they sold out to the United States Steel Corporation. In 1905 he removed to Cleveland to become a member of the F. B. Stearns Company, of which he was elected secretary and treasurer. This company has made for itself a most creditable name in connection with the manufacture of automobiles and since his removal to Cleveland Mr. McEwen has had the direction of the company's financial in- terests. He has also taken active part as well in placing "The Stearns" among America's most perfect motor cars. The house always holds to a high standard in its personnel, in its product and in the character of service rendered to the public and that "The Stearns" car has become a favorite, owing to the perfec- tion of its workmanship, is attested by the rapidly increasing sale which the house now enjoys.
On the 8th of June, 1905, Mr. McEwen was married to Miss Mabel Davey, a daughter of Thomas E. and Ada (Holland) Davey, of Youngstown, Ohio. They have one child, Dorcas, who is with them in an attractive home at East Cleveland. Mr. McEwen enjoys motoring and golf, to which he largely de- votes the hours not demanded by his business. The steady progress which has characterized his life has felt the spur of laudable ambition and has carried him steadily forward toward the goal of success.
H. Q. SARGENT.
The spirit of enterprise which has been the dominant force in the business record of H. Q. Sargent finds tangible evidence in the extensive business of the Sargent Photo Supply & Manufacturing Company, which was established by him in 1870 and which, in intervening years, has been developed into one of the more extensive productive industries of Cleveland. Mr. Sargent, who has been the president since the incorporation of the business, was born in Tam- worth, New Hampshire, September 28, 1838, and although he has passed the Psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten he is still the active head of the enterprise. His father, Joel Sargent, was a native of Maine and of Scotch and English descent. He devoted his life to farming and died in 1855 at the age of sixty-two years. The mother, in her maidenhood Hannah K. Boyd, was a native of Maine and passed away in 1845 at the age of fifty years.
H. Q. Sargent is the youngest of eleven children and is the only one now living with the exception of his brother, Charles C. Sargent, a resident of Emery, South Dakota. Throughout his boyhood to the age of seventeen years he con- tinued a resident of Tamworth, attending the public and select schools of that place. In 1855, following his father's death, he was sent to the New Hampton Literary and Scientific Institution, where he prepared for college, being gradu- ated in the class of 1858. It was his expectation to enter Yale, but impaired health prevented him from carrying out this plan and he turned his attenion to teaching, which profession he followed in the grammor schools of Franklin and Attleboro, Massachusetts, until 1862.
Then came a radical change in his life for he left the seclusion of the school- room to take his place upon the battlefields of the south, enlisting in the Union army as a private of the Twelfth Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteer In- fantry. Before proceeding to the front he was appointed second lieutenant and went to the south with that rank. He served until the close of the war in 1865
II. Q. SARGENT
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND
and when mustered out was senior captain of his regiment. He was actively engaged in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Wap- ping Heights and was on staff duty for some time, being thus connected with General Marston, General Hinks, and Major General Devens, who was after- ward attorney general of the United States. Mr. Sargent was wounded at Chancellorsville, and was in the hospital for several weeks. He had the honor of being in command of the first infantry troops which entered the city of Rich- mond. His entire army record was a most honorable one of which he and his descendants may be justly proud.
After the war Mr. Sargent returned to New Hampshire, where he engaged in manufacturing and mercantile business until 1869, his location being at New Hampton. In the year designated he received an appointment to a position in the treasury department at Washington, D. C., where he remained until Jan- uary, 1870, when a very attractive business offer influenced him to come to Cleve- land and engage in the photo supply business. Arriving in this city, he established his present enterprise under the firm name of H. Q. Sargent & Company, and with the passing years the trade has continually increased until the name of Sargent has a world-wide reputation in connection with photographic supplies. In 1907 the business was incorporated under the name of the Sargent Photo Supply & Manufacturing Company, H. Q. Sargent being elected its president. Thus for forty years he has been the active head of the concern, directing its in- terests and controlling its development, and the business is a monument to his ability, keen sagacity and commercial honor. He has also for many years been identified with the Union Savings & Loan Company, of which for the past ten years he has been the president. He is also interested in several suburban rail- roads and is one of the directors of the Cleveland & Southwestern Railway Company.
Regarding business as but one phase of existence, Mr. Sargent has found time and opportunity to cooperate in many movements relative to the public good and at the same time his appreciation of the social amenities of life is evi- denced in his connection with various clubs and fraternal organizations. In 1892 the legislature passed a law abolishing the old board of education and creat- ing a new board which gave school directors unusual powers. At that time Mr. Sargent at the solicitation of friends became a candidate for the office of school director and was elected for four successive terms, serving from 1892 until 1900, his activity and influence constituting most potent elements in the betterment of the public schools of this city. His active interest in all public affairs relative to the city's growth and development has been manifest in his cooperation with the various measures which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride. A republican in his political belief, he has long been an active and effective worker in the local ranks of the party. He belongs to the military order of the Loyal Legion by virtue of having served as an officer in the Civil war and is also connected with the Grand Army of the Republic. He likewise is identified with the various branches of Masonry, belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity, to the Chamber of Commerce and to the Tippecanoe Club. Since taking up his abode in Cleveland he has been a member of Trinity cathedral.
Mr. Sargent resides at No. 2098 East Thirty-sixth street, where he owns an attractive home. He was married in Boston, Massachusetts, by the Rev. Dr. Eddy, on the 28th of June, 1860, to Miss Eliza E. S. Drew, a daughter of John Drew, of New Hampshire, and a descendant of Revolutionary ancestry on both sides. The death of Mrs. Sargent occurred May 15, 1908, and she is sur- vived by her husband and two children: Mabel, now the wife of Alfred A. Guthrie, an attorney at Albany, New York; and Grace C., the wife of the Rev. Arthur Dumper, rector of St. Paul's Episcopal church at Norwalk, Ohio.
Aside from his business interests the feature which stands out most promi- nently in the life record of Mr. Sargent is his identification with educational in-
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terests and his active support of all progressive measures in connection there- with. This work alone would entitle him to representation with the leading residents of Cleveland whose work has been of benefit to the city. While a progressive spirit has characterized all that he has done he is, moreover, a gentle- man of the old school in as far as the expression stands for refined courtesy and deference for the opinions of others.
CHARLES F. KURZ.
The man who recognizes opportunity and then bends every energy toward the accomplishment of his purpose wins success. There is no secret method by which prosperity is attained. Its basis is always effort-unrelaxing effort-a statement which finds verification in the life record of Charles F. Kurz and thou- sands of other successful men. He is today secretary and treasurer of the Cleveland Store Fixture Company, one of the most extensive manufacturing en- terprises of this city. He possesses the ability to execute carefully formulated plans, to coordinate forces and to bring seemingly dissimilar elements into a unified whole and these qualities have been substantial factors in the splendid success of the company which he officially represents.
Mr. Kurz was born in Norwalk, Ohio, in February, 1867, and came to Cleve- land in 1872. His father, John G. Kurz, was a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, and on coming to America at the age of fourteen years settled in Cleveland. Later he went to Norwalk, where he was superintendent for the Domestic Sew- ing Machine Company until the business was removed to Cleveland. He then returned to the latter city and remained in charge of the factory until 1903, when he closed a long and useful business record by retiring to private life. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Agatha Wehrle, was born in the Black Forest of Germany and when fourteen years of age crossed the Atlantic to the United States in company with her aunt. She located in Cleveland and here gave her hand in marriage to John G. Kurz in 1864. Her father, Peter Wehrle, was an innkeeper and butcher in Germany and lived to attain the advanced age of ninety- three years.
Charles F. Kurz attended the public schools to the age of fifteen years, after which he entered the Spencerian Business College of Cleveland, where he con- tinued his studies to the age of nineteen years. Thus well qualified for life's practical and responsible duties, he formed a partnership with his employer, Mr. Hand, under the firm style of Hand & Kurz, for the purpose of selling and manufacturing show cases and store fixtures. This business was continued with growing success until 1889, when they consolidated their interests with the firm of B. G. Deericks & Company and the new name of the Cleveland Store Fixture Company was adopted. The growth of this business has been steady and sub- stantial until today it is without doubt the largest enterprise of the kind in the country. They turn out complete the interior fittings and embellishments of stores and today have an extensive five-story building on St. Clair avenue used for offices and salesrooms, and two different factories, one on Case avenue and the other on Hamilton street. Since the establishment of the business under the present style in 1889, it has grown and expanded until today no company in the United States is in possession of so complete a factory plant fitted with up-to- date machinery and appliances. Their capacity has been greatly increased until they now have a daily output of one complete commercial equipment, making them the leading commercial furniture and fixture manufacturers in the United States. They are not only the architects and designers of artistic store interiors which are pleasing and harmonious to the modern taste, but manufacture also all the necessary fixtures. They are the exclusive manufacturers of the all- glass clampless display case and also turn out high grade refrigerators, soda
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fountains, cigar store fixtures, mirrors, billiard and pool tables, bank fixtures, wall cases and cabinets and counters and shelving for every line of business. They carry in stock enough ready made store fixtures to completely fit up one hundred places of business within forty-eight hours. In the conduct of their business the lumber is stocked in the yards, kiln dried and worked from the rough into fine polished furniture and every detail of the work is done on the premises, including the beveling and silvering of mirrors, marble and slate cut- ting, metal work and the making of art glass and fine German silver. The busi- ness is carefully systematized, divided into departments and from one depart- ment to another a piece of furniture goes until it is turned out a completed ar- ticle. The Cleveland Store Fixture Company point with considerable pride to the many stores which they have fitted up throughout the United States, giving evidence of the skill and good workmanship obtainable from the facilities pos- sessed by them in the prosecution of their work. They own and control a num- ber of valuable patents, such as the all-glass clampless showcase, iceless soda fountain, tilting grocers' bins and other attachments in the store fixture line. As the years have passed on this concern has absorbed a number of the smaller institutions of the kind in Cleveland, including Hand & Kurz, B. G. Deericks & Company, J. Herig & Son Cabinet Works, Beilstein Cabinet Works, Bloch Bil- liard Company, Cleveland Billiard Company, A. Hand Billiard Manufacturing Company, Sandusky Furniture Company, National Fixture Manufacturing Com- pany and the National Bar Fixture Works. Under one management a mam- moth business is conducted, second to none in the entire country.
In Cleveland, in October, 1897, Mr. Kurz was married to Miss Emma Muehl- hausen, a daughter of August Muehlhausen, the tanner, who was one of the pioneer business men of this city. They have two children, a daughter and son, who are with them at the family residence at No. 2116 East Ninety-sixth street. In his fraternal relations Mr. Kurz is a Mason and has taken a high degree in the order, being now a member of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the Elks lodge and holds membership with the Cleveland Commercial Travelers, while of the Cleveland Manufacturers' Club he is one of the charter members and is now serving as treasurer. He is also on the board of directors of the National Commercial Fixtures Association of America and is a member of the Manufacturers & Employers Association, the National Credit Association, the Cleveland Credit Association and the Chamber of Commerce. Something of the nature of his recreation is indicated in the fact that he is a member of the Country Auto Club. Aside from his business interests Mr. Kurz finds time for active participation in movements for the public good and is widely known as a citizen of genuine worth, enjoying the good will and high esteem of all with whom he has been brought in contact.
JAMES V. LANDRETH.
James V. Landreth, who since 1900 has been manager at Cleveland of the Pittsburg Water Heating Company of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, with offices at 1018 Prospect avenue,was born in this city October 2, 1874, a son of Albert and Katie Landreth. His paternal grandfather, Henry Landreth, a native of Alsace- Lorraine, Germany, engaged in shipbuilding after coming to America. He died in 1890 at the venerable age of eighty two years. Albert Landreth, his son, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, December 17, 1833, and was educated in the public schools, after which he served as steward on a vessel called Annie M. Patterson, occupying that position until 1889, when he turned his attention to carpentering, which business he still follows.
James V. Landreth was a pupil in the public schools between the ages of six and twelve years, when he started in business life and for ten years was an
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operator with the Western Union Telegraph Company. On the expiration of that period he went to Chicago, where he spent two years in the employ of the brokerage firm of Kennett & Hopkins, but at the end of that time returned to Cleveland, where he became connected with the Monarch Water Heating Com- pany, which in 1900 sold out to the Pittsburg Water Heating Company. He still continues as manager at this point and is one of the most prominent repre- sentatives of this field of business in Cleveland. He installed the first water heating plant in the city. The field opened up by him proved attractive to others and he now has seven competitors in Cleveland. He has installed two thousand water heating plants in the city and all castings and all iron parts which are used on the plant are manufactured in Cleveland. A partial list of the persons who are patrons of the Pittsburg Water Heating Company in Cleveland constitutes an eloquent testimony in their favor, for the list includes Harvey D. Goulder, Henry Everick, M. B. Grover, G. Grandin, Huron Road Hospital, George W. Hale, E. R. Hore, F. W. Hunington, G. Keim, Professor A. S. Wright, I. Lay- man, J. L. Severance, J. J. Stanley, Theodore Schmidt, Lyman Lawrence, Charles Maedje, K. P. Otis, R. G. A. Phillips, Percy W. Rice, F. S. Stranahan, Park building, Herman Schmidt, T. F. Teagle, S. H. Tolles, P. H. Whittington, F. Barstow, George C. Bardens, George Barthal, William Buse, J. A. Wigmore, A. Waycott, T. White, the new factory building of the Warner & Swasey Com- pany, Judge E. J. Blandin, C. Babcock, W. B. Chisholm, A. E. Converse, A. C. Dustin, S. P. Finn, William Gabriel, W. H. Garlock, John T. Gill, George F. Gund, H. E. Hays, Judge J. C. Hale, Dr. W. H. Humiston, R. A. Harmon, Rev. Gilbert Jennings, Theodore Kuntz, I. J. Layton, Barney Mauller, V. G. Marani, Captain A. Mitchell, Calvary Morris, Captain John Mitchell, J. R. Nutt, A. St. John New- berry, Harry New, Dr. H. Pomeroy, Benjamin Rose, W. J. Rainey, W. D. Reise, Dr. J. P. Sourer, F. Squires, B. L. Sullivan, F. B. Squires, J. A. Stevens, I. J. Taplin, R. B. Tewksbury, George P. Welsh, Dan Wertheimer, the Windermere Methodist church, F. Zimmerman, Patrick Calhoun, the Cleveland public bath houses, the City Hospital annex, the Ellington, eight buildings in Cleveland for the Bell Telephone Company, Peter Yensen, and the Rosemont and Curtis apart- ments.
On the 6th of June, 1903, Mr. Landreth was married in Cleveland to Miss Marie Hessenmueller and unto them have been born two children, Marie L. and Elizabeth. Their home is located at No. 1533 Clarence avenue in Lakewood. Mr. Landreth is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. He also belongs to the Cleveland Yacht Club and the Builders Exchange, while his religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Catholic church. A man of fine executive ability, with an ever ready receptivity for the new and improved, he is to be reckoned among Cleveland's most progres- sive business men. He is, moreover, a representative of one of the oldest families of the city, for before Cleveland was incorporated his grandparents established their home in what was then a small village by the lake. As the years have gone by the family in the different generations have been active in promoting business development and industrial interests and the position which James V. Landreth now fills is one of responsibility.
CLAUDE F. MULLEN.
Claude F. Mullen, one of the younger business men of Cleveland identified with industrial interests and now ranking with the foremost concrete contractors of the city, was here born October 12, 1874. In both the paternal and maternal lines he is descended from well known and prominent families. The Mullens were among the early settlers of Chester county, Pennsylvania, while his maternal lineage may be traced back to colonial days. John S. Mullen, the father of
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C. F. MULLEN
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND
Claude F. Mullen, was born in Ohio in 1840 and conducted an undertaking es- tablishment until he retired from active life a few years ago, passing away in July, 1909. Maria T. Wright, the mother of Claude F. Mullen, was born in Cleveland in 1849 and departed this life in 1887.
The public school system of Cleveland afforded Claude F. Mullen his pre- liminary educational advantages and after completing his studies there he at- tended the Case School of Applied Science, pursuing the civil engineering course to the time of his graduation with the class of 1898. His experiences for the next six years were diversified and gave him insight into several different lines of engineering work. He was engaged as inspector and designer of iron and steel work, as topographer on the deep waterway survey, as resident engineer on dry-dock work, as representative on interurban electric railway work, and as engineer in the development of coal mining property. During this period he was in the employ of A. Lincoln Hyde; James Ritchie; the federal government; Webster, Camp & Lane; Ritchie & Ruple; and The United States Coal Company. In November, 1904, a partnership was formed and a year later The Masters & Mullen Construction Company was incorporated to carry on concrete construc- tion work. This company is now doing its share of the business of this character and is considered as one of the most conservative and trustworthy concerns in the city in their line.
In 1903 Mr. Mullen was wedded to Miss Nellie Mollen, a native of Cleve- land, and to them have been born a daughter, Ruth Jeannette, whose birth oc- curred in September, 1904. Mr. Mullen belongs to the Cleveland Engineering Club, the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, the Local Builders Exchange and to the Case Club of Cleveland. In religious faith he is a Congregationalist and has for some years been a member of Pilgrim church. A young man of studious habits, he keeps abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to his business, and, being an engineer of acknowledged ability and with comprehensive under- standing of concrete construction in every phase, he is a valuable addition to the industrial life of the community.
HENRY JOHN GERSTENBERGER, M. D.
There is perhaps no profession or department of business so little commer- cialized as the practice of medicine and there are notable examples of men who, while possessing the commendable desire to obtain a fair measure of success, are yet also actuated by the higher principle of performing service for their fel- lowmen. Of this class Dr. Henry John Gerstenberger is a notable representative and as the real promoter of the Babies Dispensary he is deserving of the grati- tude and praise of Cleveland citizens. Born in this city January 9, 1881, he is a son of John Henry and Clara E. (Schake) Gerstenberger. The father, a na- tive of Medina county, Ohio, was brought to Cleveland in his infancy and here engaged in the mercantile business when he had attained his majority. He con- tinued an active factor in commercial circles of the city until his death, which occurred in October, 1903, when he was forty-seven years of age. He was very active among the Lutheran people, especially in their church work, and his mem- ory is yet revered and honored by all who knew him. He was a son of John Henry Gerstenberger, who came from Germany when about twenty years of age, locating at that time in Cleveland. Later he removed to Medina, Ohio, and there enlisted for service as a soldier in the Civil war, joining the army as a private, while later he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He died while at the front in defense of the Union cause. The mother of Dr. Gerstenberger was born in Cleveland of German parentage, being a daughter of Henry Schake, who was also prominent among the Lutheran people of this city in his time. Mrs. Gerstenberger still survives her husband and is yet a resident of Cleveland.
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