A history of Cleveland and its environs; the heart of new Connecticut, Part 103

Author: Avery, Elroy McKendree, 1844-1935; Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, New York The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 904

USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland and its environs; the heart of new Connecticut > Part 103

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Albert Scott Rodgers, who was the fifth child in the family, came to Cleveland at the age of twelve years with his mother and other children. In the meantime he had attended public schools at Pittsburgh and for a brief

time also attended public school in Cleveland and later took a night commercial course in the Young Men's Christian Association. Such schooling as he had was acquired largely through his own earnings and effort, and also in a large degree from the school of experience. While a schoolboy he began working for Jack F. Kilfoyl, who kept a men's furnishing goods store on Superior opposite the old Forest City House. Later Mr. Rodgers went with Mr. Kilfoyl when the latter was in the bias velveteen business. In 1892, at the age of sixteen, he was given a position with the Standard Sewing Machine Company. That company seemed to appreciate the value of his services, since he was promoted from time to time, and when he left he was secretary and general sales manager. Later for a time Mr. Rodgers was in Boston, Massachusetts, with Henderson & Company, but left there early in 1913 and returning to Cleveland be- came associated with the White Sewing Ma- chine Company. About a year later in June, 1914, he was made third vice president and in September, 1917, entered upon his present duties as vice president and secretary. He is also a director of the White Sewing Ma- chine Company of Canada and of the Theo- dor-Kundtz Company of Cleveland.

Mr. Rodgers is a member of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, Civic League of Cleve- land, Cleveland Automobile Club, Cleveland Commercial Travelers, and in politics is strictly independent. He is a member of the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, and for a number of years was financial secretary of its building fund.

His home is at 10831 Pasadena Avenue. On December 19, 1901, Mr. Rodgers married Miss Eleanor M. Gronemeyer, who was born and educated in Cleveland, and is a graduate of the Commercial College of this city. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick M. Grone- meyer still live at Cleveland, her father a re- tired shoe merchant. Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers' two children, both born in Cleveland, are Scott Frederick and Robert Howard.

PLINY MILLER. In variety and extent of experience Pliny Miller is one of the oldest grain and live stock merchants in the State of Ohio. For many years he has been a part- ner in the well known firm Swope, Hughes, Benstead & Company, with offices in the Live Stock Exchange Building at Cleveland.

Mr. Miller was born in Hancock County, Ohio, April 7, 1846. His people were among

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the earliest pioneers of that section of Ohio. His father, Joseph Miller, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1809, located in Union Town- ship of Hancock County when there were few other permanent settlers in the entire county. For several years he had to haul the surplus of his grain crops a distance of fifty miles to Tiffin. Indians were still numerous and were frequent visitors at his log cabin home in the early days. He was a hardy and in- dustrious pioneer, developed his land wilder- ness into a good farm, and was successful in combating the hardships and in making pro- vision for his growing family. In polities he was a democrat. He married 'Anna Stratton, who was born in Wayne County, Ohio, in 1809. Her father, Daniel Stratton, was born in Eng- land in 1776, and was one of the first settlers in Wayne County, Ohio, where he died in 1856. It was one of the diseases familiar to pioneer times, milk sickness, epidemic over a large portion of Northwestern Ohio in 1852, which caused the death of Joseph Miller, his wife and several of their children. Their family consisted of eight boys and girls : Hiram, who became a farmer and died in Union Township of Hancock County; Daniel, who died about the same time as his parents and of the same disease at the age of twenty years; Philena, who died at Mount Cory, Ohio, at the age of fifty, wife of Mathias Markly, a farmer also deceased; Theodore, who was shot while in the Union army at the battle of Pittsburg Landing and several days later died from his wounds at Covington, Ken- tucky; Joseph, who for many years was a grain merchant at Continental, Ohio, and died at Columbus in 1915; Pliny; Salina and Vashti, who died at the respective ages of four and three years.

Pliny Miller was only six years of age when his parents died, and for several years after that he lived in the home of his brother-in- law Mathias Markly. All the education he had was that supplied by the common schools of his native township. From the time he was ten years of age he has made his own way in the world, working at any honorable occu- pation that would give him a living, and hav- ing a varied experience and often living close to the border line of poverty. He finally got into the grain business at Bluffton, Ohio, and was the pioneer in building up a grain market at that place. He built an elevator in 1872 and shipped the first grain from Bluffton to distant markets. He continued as a grain merchant at Bluffton until 1883. Then for

several years he was connected with the Board of Trade at Toledo, and in 1889 removed to Buffalo, New York, where he was in the live stock business at the Buffalo Stock Yards until 1898. In that year he moved to Cleve- land and entered the service of Swope, Hughes, Benstead & Company as manager of the Cleveland branch of the business. In 1904 he was made a partner in the firm and some years later, owing to advancing years, gave up the active management. His firm still operates a branch house at Buffalo and it was the pioneer live stock commission business in that city. The offices of the firm at Cleveland are in Room No. 1 of the Cleveland Live Stock Exchange Building.

Mr. Miller owns a dwelling house on West One Hundred and Eleventh Street in Cleve- land and his own home is at 8415 Clark Avenue. Politically he votes as a democrat. He is affiliated with DeMolay Lodge No. 498, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Buf- falo, Buffalo Chapter No. 71, Royal Arch Masons, Buffalo Council No. 17, Royal and Select Masters, and is a former affiliate of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Mr. Miller has been twice married. In 1867, in Union Township of Hancock County, Miss Mary McConnell became his wife. She dicd in 1877, the mother of four children. Bertha, the oldest, died at the age of sixteen. Nettie first married George H. Cable, deceased, and is now the wife of Doctor Stoner, a physician and surgeon living at Grand Rapids, Michigan. G. A. Miller lives at Denver, Colo- rado. Vivian is the wife of George W. Siga- foose, a merchant at Sycamore, Ohio. In 1883, at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, Mr. Pliny Miller married Miss Emma Fansler. She had formerly been a teacher in the high school at Bluffton. To this union have been born two sons : C. F. Miller, who lives on his father's farm at Rock Creek; and P. Ray, who for the past fifteen years has been cashier of the live stock firm Swope, Hughes, Ben- stead & Company.

ROLAND E. FRAYER has made a very suc- cessful record at Cleveland in real estate cir- cles, has been instrumental in the subdividing and marketing of several well known plats and additions in and around the city, and is president of the Frayer Realty Company.

Mr. Frayer was born at Elmore, Ohio, Oc- tober 19, 1876. His father, Orlando Frayer, was born in Aslıtabula County, Ohio, March 15, 1844, was reared and educated there, and

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CLEVELAND AND ITS ENVIRONS

became a veterinary surgeon. He was em- ployed in his professional capacity in looking after the horses of General Hayes, afterwards president of the United States, during the Civil war. After the war General Hayes kept him in his employ and he had active charge of the Hayes estate at Fremont. Finally he came to Cleveland and set up in practice as a veterinary surgeon, and continued here until his death in 1903.

Roland E. Frayer, a son of Orlando and Nettie E. Frayer, lived in Elmore, Ohio, until he was twelve years of age and began his education in the public schools there. After the family removed to Cleveland he continued in the public schools for three years and then learned the machinist's trade with V. D. An- derson Company. At the age of nineteen he gave up his trade and began selling real estate. He followed that partly on his own account and also acted as a broker for others, and the success of his operations showed that he had chosen wisely in the matter of vocations. In 1912 he organized the Frayer Realty Com- pany, with F. L. Stephens, president, W. J. Lang vice president, and Mr. Frayer secretary and general manager. Six months later he sold his interests in this business and formed a partnership with Charles G. Sommers, under the firm name of Frayer-Sommers Realty Com- pany, which existed until January 1, 1918, when Mr. Sommers sold his interest and Mr. Frayer now conducts the business under his own name.

The record of this company is best stated by noting some of the important allotments put on the market by them. These are the Spring Road allotment on West Eleventh Street comprising twenty acres; Riverside Farm, thirty-nine acres; Fairview Gar- dens, thirty-eight acres, and the firm also were the selling agents for the Lee Heights tract. While this is the prominent feature of Mr. Frayer's work he also does a general real estate business, specializing in small aere farms.

Mr. Frayer is a republican voter and a member of the Lutheran Church. On May 21, 1898, at Cleveland he married Miss Sophia Hintz.

LESTER HAYES was one of the interesting and valuable citizens of Cleveland during the middle years of the last century. He was a member of a prominent family and one that contains in its American ancestry notable

names. Mr. Lester Hayes was the father of Mrs. Stella M. Hayes Jacobi, regarded as one of Cleveland's foremost women in social, pa- triotic and civie affairs.

Lester Hayes was born at Vernon, Ohio, a son of Lester and Matilda (Bushnell) Hayes, a great-grandson of Titus and Deborah Beck- with, and great-great-grandson of Richard and Patience (Mack) Hayes.

June 19, 1856, at Wayne, Ashtabula County, Lester Hayes married Sabra Celinda Gid- dings, whose name introduces another interest- ing line of colonial ancestry that belongs to this sketch.

The Giddings ancestors in this country were George and Joshua Giddings. George and Jane Tuttle Giddings lived in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England. April 2, 1635, they sailed on the ship Planter from London and located at Ipswich, Massachusetts. At that time George Giddings was twenty-five and his wife twenty years old. George Giddings served as elerk of the General Court of Massa- chusetts for many years. His descendant Joshua Giddings, born in Lyme, Connecticut, enlisted as a private in 1775 at Hartland, Hartford, Connecticut, as a revolutionary soldier. In 1809 he removed to Ashtabula County, Ohio, from there to Jefferson in 1822, and died October 21, 1833. This Joshua Gid- dings was the father of Joshua Reed Gid- dings, Ohio's famous congressman during the last century.

Returning again to the Hayes line, Titus Hayes, previously mentioned, was born at Lyme, Connecticut, and in 1777 enlisted at Hartland, Connecticut, in the colonial army and served as a sergeant. He died at Ver- non, Ohio, in 1811. His son Lester Hayes, Sr., a native of Hartland, Connecticut, served as a private in Ohio during the War of 1812 under Col. Richard Hayes. He died at Ver- non, Ohio, in 1828.

Lester Hayes, Sr., married Matilda Bush- nell. She was a descendant of Francis Bush- nell and his son William who sailed on the ship Planter at the same time with George and Jane Giddings. In a later generation was Capt. Alexander Bushnell, who arrived in New York August 18, 1776, and was in the militia at that city under Capt. Benjamin Hutchins with the rank of sergeant. He also served as ensign under Col. Bezalee Beebe. Capt. Alexander Bushnell was born in Lyme, Connecticut, and died at Hartford in Ashta- bula County, Ohio, in 1818. Capt. Alexander

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CLEVELAND AND ITS ENVIRONS

Bushnell was the father of Thomas Bushnell, who in turn was the father of Matilda, wife of Lester Hayes, Sr.

Sabra Giddings' grandfather, Elisha Gid- dings, married Philothety Fish, a daughter of Capt. Josiah Fish. Capt. Josiah Fish, who lived in Vermont, was a lieutenant and cap- tain in the American Revolution and died at Rochester, New York, in 1811. He married Elizabeth Hazelton of Upton, Massachusetts, daughter of Colonel John and Jane ( Wood) Hazelton. Col. John Hazelton as well as Rich- ard Hayes, father of the Titus Hayes above mentioned, were both participants in the French and Indian wars.

Lester and Sabra Celinda (Giddings) Hayes had three children : Stella Matilda ; Cora Ar- menta, who died in Jacksonville, Florida, in .January, 1904; and Arthur Lester, who mar- ried a widow of Chicago. These children were all direct descendants of the notable group of colonial, revolutionary and later ancestors mentioned above.

Lester Hayes moved to Cleveland in 1852, and during that year attended the Mercantile College. In the early years of his residence at Cleveland he was associated with Morrell & Bowers car shops, and while there invented a car dumper which was used extensively for many years. In 1860 he became associated with the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railway of- fices. About 1863 he compiled a book for computing wages of men which was named "Hayes' Railroad Fast Express Monthly Wages Computing Tables." While with the railway company his duties included those of telegrapher, and his private home was equipped with an instrument to enable him to care for messages when not at the office. For two years he had charge of the company's office at Kent, Ohio, and it was while there that he compiled the book above mentioned. On returning to Cleveland he formed a part- nership for the manufacture of brass goods, known as Tate, Worswick & Hayes, located at 59-61 Center Street. Because of ill-health he was compelled to give up business about April, 1871, and on September 3, 1871, his death oc- curred. About 1859 he served as a member of Cleveland's first board of education. In 1854 he became affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Cleveland Grays, but resigned from the military organi- zation about 1857 on account of ill health. He remained a faithful Odd Fellow until his death.

STELLA M. HAYES JACOBI, a daughter of Lester Hayes and his wife Sabra Celinda (Giddings) Hayes, and connected by direct descent and blood ties with the many his- toric personalities referred to in the preceding sketch, has herself been one of Cleveland's most notable women, especially because of the tireless character of her efforts in, behalf of humanity.

In furnishing some data to be used in pre- paring this sketch to Mrs. Jacobi another notable Cleveland woman, Jane Elliott Snow, said : "Patriotism is the keynote of all Mrs. Jacobi's work. The blood of patriots flows in her veins. This is shown by her being a mem- ber of the Daughters of the American Revo- lution, the Daughters of 1812 and the Na- tional Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America, the latter requiring a double record for admission. She is also proud of the fact that she has a son fighting in France today." Mrs. Snow also refers to Mrs. Jacobi's encyclopedie knowl- edge of all that pertains to the history and the ceremonials connected with our national emblem the Stars and Stripes, and she is regarded as Cleveland's foremost authority on all that is connected with the flag. "Indeed it is quite wonderful," says Mrs. Snow, "what she has achieved along civic as well as patriotic lines. Then one must think of her home duties, the mother of a family of six children ; also a church worker, for she is a member of the Presbyterian Church and in- terested in its various activities."

Mrs. Jacobi was born near Case Avenue on Lake Street in Cleveland, and four of her own children were born on the same street, though not in the same house. She was edu- cated in the public schools of this city and in the schools of Kent, Ohio, during the two years her father lived there. She left school at the age of seventeen when in October, 1874, she became the wife of John G. Jacobi, a native of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. They were married at Cleveland by Rev. Hiram C. Hayden, D. D. Mrs. Jacobi's mother is still living, hale and hearty at the age of eighty, and spends part of every year in Cleveland and also in Ashtabula County. After the death of Lester Hayes she married Dr. W. C. Craven of Cleveland.

Mrs. Jacobi thus when only a girl in years applied herself to the business of home mak- ing, later she learned some bookkeeping, sten- ography, typewriting and secretarial work, and for several years held the office of secre-

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tary in various organizations. All of this gave her a thorough business training which has increased the efficiency of her work. She is a member of the auxiliary board of women directors of the Security Savings and Loan Company of Cleveland. From about 1890 to 1902 she was a member of two fraternal socie- ties, paying sick benefits as well as payments at stated periods and at death, and in those organizations was recording and financial sec- retary, vice president and president.

Mrs. Jacobi comes from a family of repub- licans, as the names Hayes and Giddings in- dicate, and for many years has been secretary of the Republican Women's League, though her partisan activities largely ceased when the Cleveland school ticket became a non-partisan one.

Mrs. Jacobi's first club was The Health Pro- tective Association, where she and Mrs. Snow were actively associated in that noble work. She has also for many years been a member of the Cleveland Emerson Class, Cleveland Council of Women, The Women's Club House Association, Cleveland Olla Podrida Club, Mu- nicipal School League, War Mothers of Amer- ica, and the Americanization Committee of the Mayor's War Board. About 1878 she became a member of the Old Stone Church and later took her letter to the Bolton Avenue Pres- byterian Church and finally to the Euclid Avenue Presbyterian Church. Her children were also members of the same church.

Mrs. Jacobi was identified with the organiza- tion of the Cleveland Council of Women, an organization for civic welfare especially per- taining to women and children. It was the first organization of its kind in the city and did a splendid work through its various com- mittees. Among other things it established a movement for the Women's Club House As- sociation of Cleveland and it was through the. efforts of this organization that the Woman's Club House Association was incorporated No- vember 8, 1908, by Mrs. Jacobi and other well known women of the city.

Mrs. Jacobi has done much to promote social reform through legislative action. For five years she was chairman of the Council Legis- lative Committee and during that time kept in close touch both with the Legislature at Columbus and also with the National Legis- lature at Washington. Among definite re- forms accomplished during this time was the bill to restore the pensions to the blind, limit- ing working hours for women to not more than ten hours each day or fifty-four hours per week, establishing of a reformatory for

women and girls, increase of teachers' pen- sions, and the inclusion of mothers as co- guardians with fathers of minor children.

For three years Mrs. Jacobi was chairman of The Cleveland Federation of Women's Clubs' Civic and Legislative Committee. She was temporary secretary during the organiza- tion of the Women's Club House Associa- tion and later served as permanent secretary for eight years. Mrs. Jacobi was custodian of the flag of Western Reserve Chapter D. A. R. and chairman of its flag committee six years ; press secretary for two years, and on the board for eight years. She is a life mem- ber of that chapter. She served as state secre- tary of the Ohio Society United States Daugh- ters of 1812, and later for three years as state president, and is a member of Commo- dore Perry Chapter and has served as its secre- tary and is flag custodian. Mrs. Jacobi was one of the four women who responded to the call of Mr. Thomas D. West which resulted in the "Safe and Sane Fourth" for Cleve- land and later for the country.

In these strenuous times of war activities Mrs. Jacobi is one of the first in the work at Cleveland, is a member of the Red Cross, has spent many hours in the working homes of that organization, and has also assisted the local draft board in clerical work and has sold Liberty Bonds as well as bought some for herself.

Mr. John G. Jacobi while on his vacation died at his native home in Canada July 26, 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobi's six children were all born in Cleveland except Clara, who was born in Toledo. These children are named Blanche Willmette, Clara Elizabeth, Cora Louise, Lester Hayes, Walter Tracy and Norman LeRoy. Her daughter Blanche was one of the city's court stenographers under Newton D. Baker when Mr. Baker was city solicitor, and is now connected with the law firm of Baker, Hostetler & Sidlo. Clara Elizabeth, who died May 20, 1904, married Will S. Johns of Cleveland. She was the mother of three children, grandchildren of Mrs. Jacobi, named Helen Lorraine. Arleen who died at the age of three months, and Lawrence Giddings Johns. The daughter, Cora Lonise, the third child of Mrs. Jacobi, died at the age of eight months. Her son, Lester ITayes. who is assistant treasurer of the Cleveland Hydraulic Press Company, married Mary Catherine Kerns of Cleve- land, and has one daughter, Marian Isabelle. Walter Tracy Jacobi, who is employed in test- ing commercial and war trucks for the White

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Automobile Company, married Edna Glug, and they have two sons, Robert Donald and Russell Melvin.

The youngest of Mrs. Jacobi's children, and in whose honor she wears a service flag, is Norman LeRoy Jacobi, who until he entered service was with the Sterling & Welch Com- pany of Cleveland. He enlisted as a private at Cincinnati June 25, 1917, in Company F of the Third Ohio Infantry, under Capt. Lud- wig A. Conelly, Maj. Leon Smith and Col. Bob Hubler. He arrived at Camp Sherman at Chillicothe July 6, 1917, and on Septem- ber 1st was made first class private. He reached Camp Sheridan at Montgomery, Ala- bama, October 11th and there became part of the Eighty-third Division. He was trans- ferred to Camp Lee at Petersburg, Virginia, May 26, 1918, was advanced to corporal June 1, 1918, and during January and February of that year attended Liaison and Intelligence School for six weeks. On June 15th he was as- signed as Battalion Liaison, and June 25th left Camp Lee for overseas and arrived in France about the 4th of July, 1918.

In conclusion should be quoted some more of the words of Mrs. Snow in referring to Mrs. Jacobi's activities: "It takes but a few lines to record the preceding facts, but pages might be written if the story were really told of her incessant efforts, the hours, the days, the weeks and months, she has spent in public service, for the public good, along many lines."

NEWTON S. BANKER, M. D., graduated from the Western Reserve Medical School in 1905, and during 1906-07 was connected with the Charity Hospital of Cleveland. Since 1907 he has been engaged in general practice, and the patronage accorded him as well as his pro- fessional associations indicate his ability and his high standing.

Doctor Banker was born at Canton, Ohio, April 11, 1875, a son of John and Anna (Ger- ber) Banker, the former a native of Switzer- land and the latter of Stark County, Ohio. His parents were farming people near Canton, where they were married, and they spent their lives as good, honest and hard working citizens of that community. Their three sons and one daughter are all living, all were born in Stark County, namely: Dr. D. F. Banker of Canton : Mrs. I. J. Novinger of Forest, Ohio; Dr. Newton S .; and John C., who is superintendent of township schools in Perry Township, Stark County.

Doctor Banker as a boy attended public school at Canton. In 1900 he graduated A. B. from the classical course of the Ohio Northern University at Ada. The following year he was superintendent of the high school at Granger, Ohio, and from there entered the Western Reserve University medical depart- ment. During 1905 Doctor Banker was house doctor for the children's fresh air camp, when the president of the institution was Dr. E. M. Avery, editor of this publication.

Doctor Banker is a member of the Cleveland Academy of Medicine, the Ohio State Medical Society, the American Medical Association, and the Cleveland Automobile Club and is a member of the medical staff of Florence Crittenden Home and St. Mark's Hospital. He resides at 2233 Cummington Road, and his offices are in the Osborn Building. June 2, 1917, he married Miss Jessie E. Reinheimer. Mrs. Banker was born on Kelleys Island, Ohio, was educated there, and before her marriage was a graduate nurse of Lakeside Hospital. They have one son, born August 2, 1918.

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A history of Cleveland and its environs; the heart of new Connecticut, Part 103

Author: Avery, Elroy McKendree, 1844-1935; Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Chicago, New York The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 904

Author: Avery, Elroy McKendree, 1844-1935; Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, New York The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 904