USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland and its environs; the heart of new Connecticut > Part 67
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Few men live their lives so strenuously and to such good purpose as did the late Captain McKay. He was born at Oswego, New York, June 16, 1841, and died in Cleveland, January 28, 1917. His parents moved to this city when he was an infant, and he was educated in the grammar and high schools and took a special collegiate course. Among his class- mates as a boy at Cleveland were John D. Rockefeller and M. A. Hanna.
On finishing his education he entered the service of what is now the Big Four and Lake
( Ernye a nicKay,
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Shore & Michigan Southern Railways, and was employed in a clerical eapaeity until the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion in 1861.
He was one of the first to respond to the eall for three months troops. He had already been a private in the Cleveland Light Guard Zouaves, and he was mustered into the service of the Federal Government in what afterwards became Company A of the Seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. During the three months serviee he was appointed second ser- geant. At Camp Dennison he re-enlisted for three years in the same regiment, and his courage and soldierly qualifieations brought him rapid promotion, so that he served as orderly sergeant, seeond lieutenant, first lieu- tenant and captain in that regiment, and sub- sequently was transferred to the staff as as- sistant inspector general, continuing in that capacity until he left the serviee.
A brief reference to the battles in which he participated shows that he was in some of the hardest fighting of the entire war. These battles were Cross Lanes, Winehester, Port Republie, Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run campaign, Dumfries and Chancellorsville, Virginia; Antietam, Maryland; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania ; Lookout Mountain and Mission- ary Ridge, Tennessee ; and Ringgold, Georgia. It is said that he was present in seventeen major battles, and he was wounded nine times in six of them. He was present in every en- gagement, skirmish and mareh of the regiment until dangerously wounded through both legs at Ringgold, Georgia.
The incident of his serviee which has been told most frequently was when he bore the order that took the First Brigade, Second Division, Twelfth Army Corps, into the un- fortunate charge on Taylor's Ridge at Ring- gold. Col. W. R. Creighton, commanding the brigade, notified him that as he had de- livered the order he would have to see it exe- euted. He did so, and went with the regiment until wounded in the manner above noted. Creighton, turning to his brigade, said: “I expeet to see you roosters walk right over that ridge," and was answered by Capt. E. H. Bohm, commanding Company I, "Colonel, we can but try." They tried, but failed, al- though they did all that brave men could do to sneceed.
He was mustered out of the service at the expiration of his second term of enlistment July 6, 1864, although unable to walk on ac- count of his wounds. When they were healed
sufficiently so he eould perform any work, he re-entered the service of the railways that had employed him at the breaking out of the war, and continued with them, faithful and diligent in all matters entrusted to his performance, for a period of nearly thirty years altogether. After March 5, 1890, Captain MeKay was employed in the United States Custom service.
The general testimony of his comrades is that he was a thoroughly brave, energetic and capable officer and soldier. His record of mili- tary service in the war shows that all promo- tions were for conspicuous bravery in the face of the enemy or for meritorious service. In the fifty years after the elose of the war he devoted mueh of his time in the interest of the welfare of the widows and orphans of the soldiers and sailors of Cuyahoga County. He was several times appointed president of the Memorial Day services in the City of Cleve- land and repeatedly served as Commander or adjutant general of the Memorial Day parades. A thing that gave him mueh pride was the faet that he was selected as Commander of the Grant Boys in Blue at the time General Grant ran for president. Under him in this volunteer organization were more than 10,000 veterans of the Civil war, all of them boosting the candidacy of General Grant. A large delegation of the old soldiers were taken by him to Philadelphia to partieipate in a big rally there in favor of their old commander. By his eomrades of the Seventh Regiment he was known as "The Royal American." He had the honor, love and respeet of all the old soldiers of Cuyahoga County.
In the history of the Seventh Regiment the Historian has devoted a paragraph partieu- larly to him which indicates a little of the respeet he was held in by this regiment. The paragraph is as follows: "Captain George A. MeKay, who with his marked ability as a military eritic and writer is peculiarly well qualified to write to the days when we marched and fought and successfully bore the Stars and Stripes through many states, as witness his highly interesting artieles eovering Pope's retreat from Culpepper, Second Bull Run and Antietam as well as the transfer of the Elev- enth and Twelfth Corps from the Rapidan to Chattanooga, and the eminently sueeess- ful battles of Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and Ringgold, where this gallant offieer was torn and mangled upon the field of battle and made a cripple for life. He also com- plied many of the personal sketches of officers and men found herein, and has shown him-
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self to be as efficient and helpful in time of peace as he was faithful, brave and true in time of war."
A very touching letter was received by the widow at the time of his death, in which ap- peared the following : "As I think you know, I have admired for years his great personal worth and his flaming devotion to his country -his courage in battle and his modesty. Death can do nothing to such a man. Long ago he had lived his life beyond its power to injure or detract."
Captain Mckay was proud that he was one of the original thirty that organized the Grand Army of the Republic of Ohio. He was one of the founders of Memorial Post, Grand Army of the Republic, a member of the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Commission and the Loyal Legion, and was a member of the commission responsible for the soldiers and sailors monu- ment on the Public Square. Some of his hap- piest associations came from his membership in the Old Settlers Association. He enjoyed the acquaintance of all the early settlers of Cuyahoga County, having lived in Cleveland since it was a town of 6,000 or 7,000 inhab- itants.
December 20, 1865, Captain MeKay married Miss Margaret Adam Creech, who survives him. Five children were born to their union, and the three now living are Addison Hills, Edward Creighton, and John Howard McKay.
EDWARD CREIGHTON MCKAY, a son of the late Capt. George A. MeKay of Cleveland and Margaret Adam (Creech) McKay, has played a successful and important role in Cleveland, first in the development and management of several industries, and latterly as a real estate man.
He was born in Cleveland November 19, 1876, was educated in the public schools, and after graduating from the Central High School entered the employ of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce under Ryerson Ritchie, who was then its secretary. He was with the Chamber of Commerce four years and during that time profited by his position in gaining a close in- sight into the business organization and ac- quaintance with business inen. When Mr. Ritchie organized The American Trust Com- pany he went with his old employer. The American Trust Company has since been merged with The Citizens Savings & Trust Company. When Mr. Ritchie left the bank, Mr. McKay became chief clerk of the local office of the Carnegie Steel Company and later
held the position of chief clerk and local audi- tor with The United States Steel Corporation. He was in this office during the period that Andrew Carnegie acquired the great iron ore mines and transportation facilities on the Great Lakes.
In 1901 he left the steel corporation to be- come secretary and treasurer of the Ohio Rubber Company and was with that firm three years, or until selling out his interest. He then became principal owner of the business conducted under the name of the Bodifield Belting Company. In the three years time in- creased the business of this company nearly ten times. In 1909 he withdrew from this business to devote his time exclusively to real estate, immediately specializing in downtown and ninety-nine-year leases, also railroad and factory sites. He practically secured under option all the property for the new terminal being promoted by O. P. & M. J. Van Swer- ingen in the territory from the Public Square to East Ninth Street, Hill Street and between Ontario and West Third streets.
Rather a remarkable thing in connection with the real estate business he devoted nearly all his time to buying and optioning property for others. Very seldom offered any property for sale. He hasclienteles who are familiar with his ability to tactfully option property. Due to his wide experience and his keen sense of values he has been able to have satisfied clients. One of his favorite expressions is "Property bought right is half sold." He believes that it takes an entirely different character of real estate man to buy than it does to sell, and that sooner or later the buying public will realize this and when in the market to buy will turn this class of work over to a specialist.
Since the beginning of the World war Mr. McKay has been very much interested in mili- tary affairs. He is a member of the old Gat- ling Gun Battery and for two years a member of the Naval Reserve. It has been his good fortune to meet many foreign as well as Amer- ican officers. As a result he is practically con- ducting a military business under his own name, publishing the following books: "Ma- chine Gun Fire Control," by Maj. Glenn P. Wilhelm of the Regular Army; "Military Map Reading and Intelligence Training," by Capt. C. D. A. Barber, C. E. F., and “The New Platoon Instructor," by Capt. T. H. Gill- man, C. E. F .; Milometer ballistic slide rule de- signed by Maj. Glenn P. Wilhelm for calcu- lating all problems in triangulation where United States service ammunition is used. Re-
Edward @ Milky
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cently he received a letter from Col. James H. Parker of the One Hundred and Second Infantry, A. E. F., regarding the forego- ing books and tools, an extract of which is as follows: "There is no text book pub- lished that begins to compare with Captain Wilhelm's book on the 'Machine Gun Fire Control,' and I have not seen any platoon instructor as good as Gillman's. 'The Mili- tary Map Reading' is by far better than any- thing else I have ever seen and it brings down to date a lot of valuable information which is not collected in any other book. These four items of equipment should be in the pos- session of every officer of infantry. When their contents are mastered by a young of- cer his military training needs only experi- ence to make it complete. You are welcome to use this comment and I trust that your dis- tribution of the equipment mentioned may be entirely successful."
In addition to the publishing of books he is producing a tool called the Bowen sight- ing disc to teach raw recruits how to shoot. Major Brookhart, assistant chief instructor of rifle practice in the United States Army has stated that he has trained over two thousand instructors for the army with the use of this tool. There is a book of instructions which goes with the tool. It might be of interest to state that in this book there is introduced a new low position of firing for sharp shooters and snip- ers which is much lower than the present American position.
Recently Mr. McKay has produced a tool de- signed by Maj. Glenn P. Wilhelm of the Regu- lar Army called the True North Finder for getting the true north instead of the magnetic north. A very interesting booklet accom- panies this tool. In addition Mr. McKay is also producing a very complete line of pro- tractors for the use of all branches of the serv- ice. These are produced in celluloid. There are two designs of round protractor eight inches in diameter for the use of infantry and machine gunners; one semi-circular for the same purpose and one semi-circular for the use of artillery.
Mr. McKay recently submitted for the marines a design of artillery protractor which undoubtedly will be accepted by that branch of the service. In addition to that he has been requested by the machine gun section of the army to submit a design for protractor for teaching the raw recruits the mil system of angular measurement. He believes that he will secure the work of producing this tool.
It might be of interest to state that the milometer slide rule which he is delivering to the army in this country and France will do all the mil scale rule will do; all any fire control computing slide will do and more, and the milometer can be used equally as well as mil scale, a protractor or slopeboard. It has nine or ten exclusive features that no other known rule has. This rule will mechanically figure range, angles, determine widths, cal- culate any sight setting or elevation for direct fire, indirect fire, searching fire, combined sights, overhead control and map problems. Will also convert the metric system to English and vice versa.
Mr. MeKay has been working on a loader for the Lewis machine gun for over a year and finally after working and developing some foreign models which proved unsatisfactory he acquired the interest in a loader designed by Frank M. Case of this city, which has been developed successfully, and in test before United States and British governments have broken all records for loading ammunition in- to the pans, equally as well from boxes, clips or by hand. This machine unloads the pans as well as loads them. The machine can be attached in a moment to a flat surface or box or caisson or can be screwed to flat surface. It can be dismantled quickly and put in small box container. Colonel Applin of the British War Mission in this country has given his recommendation to the British Government to adopt this machine. He is expecting orders from the navy department of United States Government, and in the event the Lewis gun is used for ground service by the army will undoubtedly receive orders.
Mr. MeKay served as deputy United States marshal in registering alien enemies in Northern District of Ohio. He is a member of the Cleveland Real Estate Board and of the Loyal Legions. On June 20, 1905, he married Miss Louise Patten of Plainfield, New Jersey. They have two daughters, Margaret and Louise.
HENRY T. HARRISON. The field of profes- sional opportunity has undoubtedly widened in modern days, but required proficiency has kept pace with it and seldom may be found men in responsible positions with firms of im- portance in the business world, who are not highly trained and thoroughly experienced in their line. As a well known example substanti- ating this statement, mention may be made of Henry T. Harrison, who is general manager
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of the prominent firm of The Mckinney Steel Co., at Cleveland.
Henry T. Harrison is a native of Michigan, and was born July 26, 1872, at St. Louis, in Gratiot County. His parents were Stewart and Mary Harrison. His father was born December 21, 1832, at Smith Falls, Ontario, Canada, and died at Cleveland, Ohio, June 7, 1910. He was married at St. Louis, Michigan, to Mary Wooley and two of their children survive : Mrs. Nettie Fielding, who resides at El Paso, Texas, and Henry T. Harrison of Cleveland. Stewart Harrison remained as- sisting his father on the Canadian farm until 1861, when he came to Cleveland and em- barked in a saddlery business which he con- tinued after moving to St. Louis, Michigan, and remained in business there until 1878. He then moved on a farm in Gratiot County, near St. Louis, on which he lived until 1909, when he retired and returned to Cleveland. He was a man of sterling character and was held in high esteem wherever he lived.
Henry T. Harrison was educated primarily in the public schools and in 1892 was gradu- ated with credit from the St. Louis High School, after which for one year he taught school in Isabella County, Michigan, this being but a helpful step in preparing for a univer- sity course, and in 1897 he was graduated from the University of Michigan with the degrees of B. S. and E. E. His first serious work was done in installing a power plant on the campus of the University of Michigan, a contract that required a year of his time and professional skill.
Mr. Harrison then came to Cleveland and entered the firm of Wellman, Seaver, Morgan & Company as a draftsman, where he remained for a year and a half, in this connection having fine opportunities for adding to his profes- sional knowledge, which was also the case dur- ing the time he was identified with several other big commercial concerns, for one year being chief draftsman with the Osborne Engi- neering Company, and two years as draftsman with the American Steel and Wire Company. Mr. Harrison then went as engineer and checker with the Garrett-Cromwell Engineer- ing Company, where he remained eighteen months and then returned to the Osborne Engineering Company, as mechanical and clec- trical engineer, and continued with that con- cern for the succeeding six years. Mr. Harrison by that time had made an engineer- ing name for himself that made him very valu- able and the firm of Corrigan, Mckinney and
Company sought him as their chief engineer and he has continued with this firm ever since. His standing is high among business men and equally so with men of his profession and his membership is valued in the Cleveland Engi- neering Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Mr. Harrison was married at Grand Rapids, Michigan, on May 17, 1899, to Miss Regina Tyroler, and they have two children, Virginia, who is nine years old, is a pupil in the Laurel School for Girls, Cleveland, and Henry Stuart, a sturdy boy of seven years, who is attending the public school. Mr. Harrison and his fam- ily attend the Second Presbyterian Church and assist in its benevolent and charitable activities.
Although he has never identified himself definitely with either of the great political parties of the country, Mr. Harrison is a wide awake, interested citizen and at no time has failed to do his duty either locally or farther afield. He is prominent in Masonry, having taken the Scottish Rite degrees and is a Shriner, and he belongs to such substantial and well recognized social bodies as the Cleveland Athletic and the Shaker Heights Country clubs.
BERNARD THOMAS DUFFEY. Among Cleve- land insurance men is Bernard Thomas Duffey, who represents the Royal Insurance Company, Limited. of Liverpool, England, as Ohio State agent. Mr. Duffey is a veteran worker in the field of insurance, having taken up the busi- ness when a boy just out of high school. He has been a resident of Cleveland more or less continuously since 1898, and has been for eighteen years with the Royal Insurance Com- pany, Limited.
Mr. Duffey was born at Rockford. Illinois, July 5, 1869, a son of Bernard and Ellen (Moran) Duffey. Both parents were natives of Ireland. The families on coming to Amer- ica settled, the Duffeys in Sandusky, Ohio, and the Morans in Rockford, Illinois. Bernard Duffey in early youth became an employe of the wholesale grocery firm of David Brown & Company, and when that business was trans- ferred to Rockford, Illinois, he went along with it and remained in the service of the company for a number of years. He finally opened and conducted a retail grocery store in Rockford for himself, but his promising career was cut short by his death at the age of thirty- one at Rockford in 1870. He married after going to Rockford Miss Moran, who also died
Heraus
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in that city in 1910 at the age of sixty-nine. They had four children: William, who died at Rockford in 1913; Lillian, living at Roek- ford ; Margaret, who died at Rockford in 1892, at the age of twenty-three; and Bernard Thomas.
Bernard Thomas Duffey was only a year old when his father died. He grew up in the home of his widowed mother at Rockford, attended the public schools, and in 1887 graduated from high school. He was then eighteen years of age, and two days after his graduation he ac- cepted an opportunity to earn a living and also learn a business in the insurance office of the Rockford Fire Insurance Company. He remained with this company for thirteen years. While representing the Rockford Fire Insurance Company he first came to Cleve- land in 1898 as special agent, and remained here until 1900 when he was appointed state agent for Michigan of the Royal Insurance Company, Limited, of Liverpool. His head- quarters as Michigan state agent were at De- troit, but in 1903 he was also honored with the additional responsibilities of state agent for Ohio, and his headquarters were changed to Cleveland. Then in 1905 he returned to Detroit, where he had his business headquar- ters until January 1, 1911, since which date he has again been in Cleveland. Mr. Duffey was state agent for both Michigan and Ohio from 1903 to 1911, and on giving up his Michigan territory he took in addition to the state agency for Ohio the immediate manage- ment of the Cleveland local business.
Mr. Duffey, whose offices are in the Plain Dealer Building, is also state agent of Ohio for the Newark Fire Insurance Company of Newark, New Jersey, and is a director of The American National Fire Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of the Cleveland Fire Insurance Exchange and the Ohio Underwriters Field Club. Outside of his immediate business he has active connec- tions as member of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, Civic League, Exchange Club, Cleveland Athletic Club and Cleveland Auto- mobile Club.
Mr. Duffey by a former marriage has a son, Bernard T. Duffey, Jr., who is now an attor- ney at Cleveland. The senior and junior Duf- fey were students together in the law course of the Cleveland Law School of Baldwin-Wal- lace College, and both were given their de- grees LL. B. with the class of 1915. While the elder Duffey has utilized his knowledge of law only for the better handling of his Vol. 11-23
business as an insurance man, the younger Duffey is now successfully established in prac- tice with A. F. Ingersoll in the Engineers Building, under the firm name of Ingersoll & Duffey.
On June 8, 1910, at Chicago Mr. Duffey married Miss Bertha H. Nye, daughter of Anthony and Bridget (Kearns) Nye. Mrs. Duffey was born in San Francisco, California, and was a small child when the death of her parents left her an orphan. She was edu- eated in San Francisco, but at the age of nine went to Chicago and completed her training in a convent school. Mr. and Mrs. Duffey have four children, all born at Cleveland, named Jack Nye, Bernadine, Betty Marie and Donald Kearns.
ALEXANDER S. KRAUS. Now successfully established as a lawyer, with influential con- nections in business and public affairs. Alex- ander S. Kraus has made his own way in life, and was a young man of considerable achieve- ment even while in college.
He was born in Cleveland, June 24, 1884, a son of Ferdinand F. and Lena (Koblitz) Kraus, both of whom are still living in Cleve- land. His mother was born in Cleveland of German parentage, while his father was born in Bohemia, Austria, and when about twenty years of age came to the United States with his brothers. The parents were married in Cleveland, the ceremony being performed by Dr. Aaron Hahn. Ferdinand Kraus gave his principal active service to organizing and pro- moting various branches of the lumber and manufacturing business. He was the organ- izer of the Cleveland Pearl Button Works. Since 1914 he has been retired.
Alexander S. Kraus, who was the oldest child and only son of four, was educated in the public schools, graduating from the East High School in 1904. While his ambition was to secure a liberal education and enter the legal profession there were certain finan- cial difficulties in the way which he had to overcome. His business enterprise gave him the key to the situation. While a student in the law department of Western Reserve Uni- versity he conducted two stores in the gas and electric fixture business, located on St. Clair Street and Lorain Avenue. This busi- ness was known as the Kraus Light & Fix- ture Company, and besides looking after both stores he carried very heavy work in the School of Law. He graduated LL. B. from Western Reserve in 1907, and subsequently
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pursued a six months post-graduate course in the Baldwin-Wallace University, and was giv- en a similar degree by that institution in June, 1908. He was admitted to the Ohio bar December 18, 1907, and he soon after- wards sold out his business and took up the practice of law with Judge Sanford Silbert under the firm name Silbert & Kraus. Their offices were in the Williamson Building. After two years Mr. Kraus joined Richard E. Mc- Masters in business, their firm name being Kraus & McMasters, with offices in the Wil- liamson Building. In March, 1917, Noah S. Good became a partner, the style being changed to Kraus, McMasters & Good. In the same month they removed to a suite of offices in the newly opened Guardian Building, where they are still located.
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