A history of Cleveland and its environs; the heart of new Connecticut, Part 105

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 105

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John T. Watterson was born in a log house on the old farm at Warrensville, Ohio, in 1830. He spent most of his life in Cleveland, and as a general contractor contributed much to the upbuilding of this city in its industrial section. He built the Otis Steel Plant, the plant of the American Steel and Wire Com- pany, and a number of other old mills and factories on Whiskey Island. In the early days he was also identified with oil refining in Cleveland. John T. Watterson, who died at Cleveland one of its honored old-time resi- dents in 1905, was an active republican in his day and at one time represented the Sixth Ward in the City Council. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. John T. Watterson married Mary Crennell. She was born in 1834 and her birth occurred on a boat between Buffalo and Cleveland. She died at Cleveland in 1896. There were six children in the family: Mary married Fenimore C. Bate, an architect, and both died in Cleve- land; Horace A .; Alice, wife of George Mckay, resident of New York City, Mr. McKay being a constructor of coke ovens; Belle married Frank Dorman, living in New York City and connected with the General Motor Company; Mack R., a contractor who died at Cleveland; and Sherman, a mason and contractor living on Carnegie Avenue in Cleveland.

Horace A. Watterson was born in Cleveland December 6, 1858. The public schools supplied his early education and at the age of seven- teen he began work, serving an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade. Building lines and building contracting have constituted his busi- ness and profession ever since. He has con- structed a large number of mills and fac- tories and specializes in heavy construction work and has also performed a number of contracts for railroad corporations.

Mr. Watterson is an enthusiastic member of the Cleveland Driving Club, a member of the Cleveland Athletic Club, and is an inde- pendent voter. In 1916 he erected a modern apartment at 1870 East Ninetieth Street, where he and his family reside. In 1882, at Cleveland, he married Miss Margaret Car- negie, daughter of John and Mary Carnegie, both now deceased. Her father was an archi- tect. Mr. and Mrs. Watterson have one child, John A., who lives on Ninety-third Street in Cleveland and is superintendent of construc- tion for the state of Ohio for the Standard Oil Company.

HENRY W. S. WOOD. On every side at Cleveland may be noted evidences of great municipal growth, of wonderful development, of substantial progress, all of which have been brought about within the last forty years, and to no one man is more credit due than to Henry W. S. Wood, president of the United Banking & Savings Company. His name is identified not only with the large banking in- stitutions which he has helped to found, but his power of leadership has long been recog- nized in other lines of trade and commerce, in laying firm foundations for material growth, in bringing into being important public utilities, and in inaugurating measures of vital importance resulting in providing for the city's rapid expansion the notable system of viadnets now built and the Superior-De- troit Viaduct in course of construction. He has worked also for the strengthening of Cleveland's public school system, and for everything that has in it a definite promise of civic value. During this long interval he has shown a noble public spirit by serving continuously in city offices for thirty-five years without any remuneration.

Henry W. S. Wood was born in the city of London, England, August 4, 1845. His par- ents were Stephen and Amelia (Combs) Wood. Stephen Wood was born in London in 1818, and died at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1880. He grew to manhood and was married in his native city and in the winter of 1848 came with his family to the United States and set- tled at Cleveland to pursue his trade, that of a mason. He prospered and became a builder and contractor. In the course of years he became an American citizen and identified himself with the republican party in politics. Both he and wife were faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Six children were born to them, namely : Henry W. S .; James, who is a retired capital- ist, resides on East Seventy-ninth Street. Cleveland; Walter, who is in business at Cleveland; Charles, who conducts a paint and wall paper store in Cleveland ; Thomas, who is a retired capitalist of Cleveland ; and Jennie, the wife of Walter Hanna, who is in the paint and varnish business at Columbus, Ohio.

Henry W. S. Wood attended the public schools of Cleveland until he was about fifteen years of age. He early developed busi- ness capacity and naturally sought an oppor- tunity to exercise it, finding his first oppor-

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tunity before he had reached manhood, in taking contracts from the contractor for the government to reship gun stocks and lumber both in car load and ship load lots. Later he served five years as a salesman in a lumber yard and then embarked in a contracting business with his father and brother, James Wood, in heavy underground work, and they continued the partnership for ten years, and during this time Mr. Wood became interested in many business enterprises in which he is yet concerned, entirely aside from the work that made so strong an appeal to his public spirit and eivie pride.

In 1888 he retired from the above partner- ship. In 1886 he had been one of the organ- izers of the United Banking & Savings Com- pany and became its vice president, serving as such until he assumed the presidency in 1910 and is still serving in 1918. This finan- cial institution stands among the foremost in Ohio, not only in its secured resources, but in the sound, reliable character of the officials who conduct its affairs. The present officers are: Henry W. S. Wood, president ; Henry Grombacher, vice president ; William H. Heil, vice president and treasurer; Arthur H. Sei- big, secretary ; and C. A. Wilkinson, assistant treasurer. This is the largest bank on the West Side of Cleveland, with assets of $12,- 000,000, being situated at West Twenty-fifth Street and Lorain Avenue, and pays four per cent on savings deposits. Mr. Wood is presi- dent also of the Equity Savings & Loan Com- pany, and is a director of the Cleveland Na- tional Bank.

Included among other important personal interests of Mr. Wood is the presidency of the Wood Brothers Real Estate Company, engaged entirely in looking after the large · Woods' property interests here. He is a director of the Stark Electric Railway Com- pany, and is a director of the Hunkin-Conkey Construction Company.

Mr. Wood was married first, in 1868, to Miss Hattie Smith of Livingston County, New York, who died at Cleveland in 1887. The following children were born to them: Eleanor, who resides at home; May, who is the wife of Walter M. Dick, who is auditor of the Westinghouse firm at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Harriet, who is the wife of Charles Phyers, in the insurance business, and they reside in East Cleveland; Harry, who is a resident of Cleveland ; Elizabeth, who is the wife of John Sutton, owner of the Co- lumbia Dye Company of Cleveland; Maude,

who resides at home; Chester, who is officially connected with the Equity Building & Loan Company ; Irene, who is a twin sister of Ches- ter, resides at home; and Pearl, who also lives at home. These young ladies are all well known in the pleasant social life of the city and with their father belong to the Congre- gational Church. Mr. Wood's second mar- riage was to Miss Clara H. Clark, of Oberlin, Ohio, in 1889. She died February 5, 1918. Her parents were J. B. and Fannie (Thomp- son) Clark, both now deceased. The father of Mrs. Wood was formerly president of a bank at Oberlin.

In politics Mr. Wood has always been a re- publican and many times has been tendered offices of trust and responsibility, but his pub- lie service, as mentioned above, has always been largely gratuitously bestowed. He was elected a member of the first Board of Educa- tion and served two years; was a member of the Public Library Board for twelve years and during eight of these was president of the board; served for six years on the Board of Health; was connected with the Sinking Fund Commission for the city of Cleveland for four years, and was chairman of the com- mittee that built the first viaduct, which cost $3,000,000.

Mr. Wood was a resident of Cleveland when there was but one little bridge over the Cuya- hoga River at Columbus Road, and a chain ferry at Center Street. He has been one of the prime movers in bringing about almost all of the local trausportation improvements and it was through his efforts that the charter was secured for the laying of a part of the West Side street car lines. He has worked long and hard to educate the people to realize the great advantages accruing from the construction of the city's seven great viaducts and he is justly proud of so great an accomplishment for his beloved city. At present he is chair- man of the citizeus' committee for the Cham- ber of Industry, of the new viaduct just opened from Superior Avenue to Detroit Avenue, which cost $5,000,000, and also is chairman of the committee representing the Chamber of Industry of the newly proposed viaduct, the Lorain-Huron, the estimated cost of which will be $6,000,000. For thirty years Mr. Wood waged a fight to secure a sewer through Walwroth Run and now this is a part of the intercepting sewer system of the city. He was chairman of the committee that built the public market house on West Twenty-fifth Street, and in fact it would be difficult to

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name any such enterprises now indispensable to the comfort of residents in different sections to which Mr. Wood has not found the time and inclination to give attention. His name appears as a very useful member of the Cham- ber of Commerce, the Chamber of Industry, the Builders Exchange and the Real Estate Board. He is president of the Riverside Ceme- tery Association. His only fraternal connec- tion is with Amazon Lodge of Odd Fellows.

MAURICE WEIDENTHAL deserves a permanent niche of fame among Cleveland citizens, news- paper men and civic leaders.

He was born in Hungary in October, 1856, and died at Cleveland July 21, 1917, at the age of sixty-one. Ile came to America at the age of thirteen and after varied other experiences took up newspaper work. He was a reporter on the old Cleveland Herald, now the News, and was dramatic critie and editorial writer for Cleveland Press. While he did and did well every manner of editorial and newspaper work, it is said that he espe- cially excelled as a theatrical critic. In 1906 Mr. Weidenthal founded the Jewish Inde- pendent, a weekly, and was its editor until his death. A number of years previously he had been for a time city editor of the Plain Dealer. As editor of the Jewish Independent he cru- saded actively against stage characterizations which he believed ridiculed or created preju- dice against the Jews. One definite result of this crusade was a protest made to the Cleve- land Board of Education requesting that the "Merchant of Venice" be no longer read in the Cleveland public schools. This request was acceded to and the movement gradually spread over the United States.

He was also well known in politics and had the confidence of many political leaders. He bore a strong personal resemblance to the late Senator M. A. Hanna and as a political writer he followed Hauna in many campaigns about the country. Mr. Weidenthal is credited with having suggested to the late Mayor Johnson a change of a number of old street names which had been outgrown. He was a mem- ber of the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith, the Knights of Joseph and the Sons of Ben- jamin.

He was survived by two brothers, Leo and Henry J. Weidenthal, and five sisters, Mrs. A. Kline, Mrs. S. Glick, Mrs. E. M. Klein, Miss Lillie and Mrs. E. Sperling. His immediate family consisted of Mrs. Weidenthal, two chil-

dren, William R. and Mrs. Joseph S. Newman, and one grandchild, Robert Newman.

This brief sketch of a Cleveland citizen should be concluded with a brief editorial that appeared in one of the local papers under the title "In Appreciation of a Man." The edi- torial reads: "No man's face was more pat- ent a badge of character than Maurice Weid- enthal's. Kindliness, sympathy, intelligence, broadmindedness, all were written there. And it did not take a physiognomist to find them. Maurice Weidenthal probably knew person- ally more people than any other man in Cleve- land. Half of his years he spent in this city as a newspaperman-general report- er, stage critic, political writer, editorial writer, editor. At the time of his death he was editor of the Jewish Independent, which he founded in 1906. His work brought him into contact with all the elements of the com- munity. He held the confidence and respect of high and low alike. His honesty, his hu- maneness, his sincerity, his knowledge of men and affairs made his counsel wise and worth seeking. Maurice Weidenthal was esteemed as a citizen and a newspaper worker. He was loved as a friend and a man."

JOHN H. QUAYLE, M. D. Twenty-three years of active work as a physician and sur- geon, most of it in Cleveland, have brought Dr. Quayle many of the honors and rewards of the profession, and from him has pro- ceeded a corresponding service that com- pletely justifies his high standing.

Dr. Quayle was born in Madison, Ohio, June 25, 1874, a son of Henry and Mary E. (Bower) Quayle. His father was born in Painesville, Ohio, and for a number of years lived at Madison. It was at Madison that Dr. Quayle's boyhood and schoolboy days were passed. At the age of seventeen he be- gan preparation for a professional career as a student in the Cleveland University of Medi- cine and Surgery, from which he graduated Doctor of Medicine in 1895. He is also a graduate of the Cleveland College of Physi- cians and Surgeons and has done other post- graduate work in the New York Post-Gradu- ate College and in all of the great medical centers and clinics of Europe. In the mean- time he had practiced in his old home town of Madison for eight years, and then came to Cleveland, where his abilities soon won him a large practice. His fine natural qualifica- tions, plus extended experience and research,

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have made him one of the most prominent specialists in diagnosis and internal medicine as well as surgery.

He is a member of the Cleveland Academy of Medicine, Cleveland Medical Library As- sociation, Ohio Medical Association, Fellow of the American Medical Association, and be- fore the war was a member of the Anglo- American Medical Association of Berlin. He has frequently contributed to the current literature of the profession.

Like all progressive medical men he has attuned his activities and influence with the needs of our country at war. Particularly has he been interested in the training and reclamation of men up to the standard of physical and mental requirements kept by the army draft boards. In April, 1917, the month in which we declared war, Dr. Quayle was im- pressed by the great number of men who came to him to be fixed up physically so that they could pass the examination for admis- sion to the army and coming into possession of the report for March, 1917, that during that month, of all the most patriotic men and the ones who believed themselves physically fit, who volunteered for service, 83% were rejected. His originality forced him to in- vestigate conditions and the causes for same. Believing that American manhood had not degenerated to this condition he started a campaign for a change in the army regula- tions and to bring the rejected man up to such a physical standard that he could pass the examination for the army. Having lived in Germany and being familiar with the mili- tary conditions he felt that it would take even at this early date, from five to ten million American soldiers to win the war and basing his arguments on these numbers, he took up the matter with Secretary of War Baker, Provost Marshal General Crowder, Senator Pomerene and others which all results in a bill being introduced into Congress by Senator Pomerene of Ohio, providing for Reclamation Camps and a hundred millions of dollars for carrying out the work. In January, 1918, this plan with some modifications, was adopted by the army and has been successful in making hundreds of thousands of men, who were physically unable to pass the examination. available for military service. This work of reclamation of rejected registrants is not only being carried ont in the army but nearly every community in the United States is doing all in its power to reclaim for military service, free of charge, all men of draft ages,

who will submit to such treatment as is neces- sary to make them physically fit. This is all due to the propaganda of Dr. Quayle, who is most original in his ideas.

Dr. Quale was the originator of the plan of building the Cleveland Athletic Club on top of Ex-Governor Brown's building of six stories, with footings to carry sixteen stories. He obtained an option on this air space for ninety-nine years on which a bond issue of $250,000.00 was successfully issued and sold and has almost been entirely retired, which has proved that his idea of having a club in the downtown district on top of another man's building was sound.

Dr. Quayle's hobbies are automobiling and golf. He has been elected and re-elected president of the Cleveland Automobile Club, vice president of the American Automobile Association, is a director in the Shaker Heights Country Club and the Willowick Country Club, is a life member of the Cleve- land Chamber of Commerce and numerous other clubs and a high mason.

Dr. Quayle was married to Graee Day- ton October 3, 1896, and has three children : Alice Lynette, John Harrison, Jr., and Wil- liam IIenry Quayle.

JOHN NELSON STOCKWELL, SR. Among men of distinction in the scientific world, probably the one whose fame is most secure as a resident of Cleveland is John Nelson Stockwell, Sr .. still living and active in his studies and scientific investigations at the age of eighty-five. He is an astronomer and mathe- matician and probably no one living in Ohio today has read the story of the phenomena of the heavens as a scientific observer for a longer period than he.

His earlier as well as his later life was spent in Ohio, though he was born in North- ampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, April 10, 1832. He was the fifth son of William and Clarissa (Whittemore) Stock- well. The paternal ancestors were Connec- ticut settlers early in the eighteenth century while his mother belonged to the Massachu- setts family of Whittemore and she was a niece of Amos Whittemore, inventor of a machine for making wool and cotton cards. In 1833 William Stockwell moved with his family to Ohio, and the future astronomer's first schooling was acquired in the Town of Charlestown, Portage County. After the age of eight years he lived with an aunt whose husband was a farmer at Brecksville in Cuy-

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ahoga County. There he attended district schools at limited intervals, though much of his time was required for farm work. ,

His real intellectual awakening occurred about his thirteenth year. It was the period of the rising abolition movement and the outbreak of the war with Mexico and he became fascinated with history in its making and also with the subject of science and mathematics. It was an eclipse of the moon which is said to have directed his special attention to astronomical matters. He se- cured a copy and carefully studied La Place's "Mecanique Celeste," and after that assim- ilated astronomical knowledge both by study and practical observation.

The first work which brought him to the notice of scientists of standing was when he prepared a "Western Reserve Almanac for 1853" when he was only twenty-one years of age. The following year he formed the acquaintance of Dr. B. A. Gould, editor of the Astronomical Journal. Through Doctor Gould he obtained a position as computer in the longitude department of the United States Coast Survey, of which Doctor Gould was then director. While performing these duties he spent eight months at Cambridge, Massachusetts, which gave him welcome op- portunities for further studies and research. Mr. Stockwell computed the orbit of two comets which appeared in 1858, and also the orbit, perturbation and ephemeris of Vir- ginia, the 15th asteroid for the opposition of 1859, publishing the result of these investiga- tions in the Astronomical Journal before the end of 1858. In May, 1860, he computed and published another ephemeris of Virginia for the opposition of that year and in July, 1860, published a new method of solving a set of symmetrical equations having inde- terminate coefficients. He had also begun a very elaborate computation of the secular variations of the planetary orbits arising from their mutual attractions on each other, when his researches were interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil war.

From 1861 to 1864 he held a position in the United States Naval Observatory at Washington and for the following three years was engaged in statistical work for the United States Sanitary Commission. Doctor Stockwell has had his home in Cleveland since 1867 and here has given his time and study to various astronomical calculations, particularly to a general discussion of the mathematical theory of the moon's motion. In the Astronomical

Journal and in other scientific papers have been published his articles on "Inequalities of the Moon's Motion Produced by the Oblate- ness of the Earth," "Long Period Inequal- ities of the Moon's Motion Produced by the Action of Venus," "Secular and Long Period Inequalities of the Moon's Motion, containing a discussion of several ancient eclipses," "On the Rectification of Chro- nology by Ancient Eclipses." In recent years much of his time has been taken up with re- searches concerning ancient eclipses for chron- ological purposes. He discovered records of one such eclipse visible in India October 20, 3784, B. C .; another visible in China October 10, 2136, B. C., the only one seen in China during that century.

Doctor Stockwell has written a popular work, "The Skies of Past and Future Ages," a volume containing the places of the princi- pal fixed stars during a period of thirty-two thousand years. Both American and foreign scientists have long held him in esteem for his original investigations in astronomy. Among other works he is author of "Memoirs on the Secular Variations of the Planetary Orbit," published in Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, 1872; "Stock and Interest Ta- bles," 1873: "Tax Tables," 1903; "Eclipse Cycles," "Theory of the Mutual Perturbation of Planets Moving at the Same Mean Dis- tance from the Sun and its bearing on the Constitution of Saturn's Rings and the Cos- mogony of La Place."

Ilis achievements have been recognized by Western Reserve University, which conferred upon him the honorary degree Master of Arts in 1862 and that of Doctor of Philosophy in 1876.

Dr. Stockwell married December 6, 1855, Miss Sarah Healy of Brecksville, Ohio. Their companionship continued unbroken for over sixty years until the death of his beloved wife at their home in Cleveland August, 1916, when she was in her eighty-third year.

JOHN NELSON STOCKWELL, JR., son of Cleveland's most distinguished astronomer and scientist, referred to on other pages, has been active in the profession of law and in civic affairs for a number of years. Mr. Stockwell was a follower and a personal friend of the late Mayor Tom L. Johnson and during the ascendancy of that practical business man and reformer in local politics he was closely associated with a group of men who gave splendid service to the city, in-

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eluding Newton D. Baker, Frederick Howe and others.

Mr. Stockwell was born in Cleveland April 11, 1872, was educated in the publie schools, graduating from the Central High School with the class of 1890. His eollege work was done chiefly in Western Reserve University, from which he graduated Bachelor of Letters in 1895. He pursued his law studies in Cornell University, and attained the degree Bachelor of Laws in 1897, in the same year being admitted to the Ohio bar and beginning practice at Cleveland.

Mr. Stockwell after practicing alone for a time and filling various official positions, chiefly in line with his profession, beeame a member of the old law partnership of Her- rick and Hopkins on January 1, 1916. At the same time Alfred A. Benesch was admit- ted to that partnership, the title of which has since been Herrick, Hopkins, Stockwell & Benesch, with offices in the Society for Savings Building.

Mr. Stockwell served as a member of the Board of Education from 1902 to 1905. He was elected to the Legislature and served in the House of Representatives during 1905-08. During 1909-10 he was a member of the Sinking Fund Commissioners of the City of Cleveland, and in 1910 was elected to the Ohio Senate, serving during the session of 1911-12. Former Mayor Herman C. Baehr appointed him first assistant city solicitor of Cleveland in January, 1912, and he filled that office during that year and 1913. In 1914-15 he was corporation counsel and viee-mayor during the administration of Mayor Newton D. Baker, now Secretary of War.

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A history of Cleveland and its environs; the heart of new Connecticut, Part 105

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