Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 61

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others
Publication date: 1905
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1149

USA > Ohio > Butler County > Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio > Part 61

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Arthur W. Seidensticker was married October 12, 1898, to Miss Russie, daughter

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of Frank D. Dick, a well-known and wealthy citizen of Hamilton. Miss Dick received a liberal education, being a graduate of the high school in .Hamilton, and also pursued special courses at Oxford Female College.

Mrs. Seidensticker, in whose name this article is written, is an active and influential member of St. John's church, the religious home of her parents. She is devoted to the interests of her son, the only survivor of three children, and has made personal sac- rifices in continuing the business, largely for his benefit. Being in affluent circum- stances, it was hardly necessary to devote twenty years of her life to the sale of goods alone for the purposes of accumulation. Two sons of Mrs. Seidensticker. Carl and Selmar, died in infancy.

CLARENCE C. WASSON, M. D.

Butler county has a full quota of able representatives of the medical profession, and among the number is the subject of this sketch, who is one of the successful prac- ticing physicians and surgeons of the city of Hamilton.

Dr. Wasson was born on a farm near Middletown, this county, on the 26th of September, 1868, and is a son of S. Y. and Jennie (Henderson) Wasson. The father of our subject was born in Adams county. Ohio, in 1836, and was reared and educated in Butler county, whither his parents came when he was a child. He was graduated in Miami University in the early sixties, his intention having been to follow the profes- sion of theology, but the condition of his health became such that he found it inex-

pedient to take up this work as a vocation. After his graduation he located in Gallipolis, Gallia county, where he engaged in the mercantile business, in which he continued for a number of years. He represented Gal- lia county in the state legislature for two terms and was influential in the civic af- fairs of that section. While a resident of Gallipolis he was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Henderson, who was born near Mid- dletown, Butler county, in the same house in which her son, the Doctor, was born, and she was a representative of one of the sterl- ing pioneer families of the beautiful Miami valley, her father having taken up govern- ment land in Butler county, where he be- came a prominent and influential farmer. . He now resides in Hamilton, Ohio, and is retired from active business. The mother of the subject was summoned into eternal rest in June, 1899, and is survived by two children, of whom the Doctor is the younger. His sister, Jennie L., is the wife of Joseph Blair, one of the leading stockholders in the Niles Tool Works, in Hamilton, of which concern he is general superintendent.

Dr. Wasson received his early educa- tional discipline in the' public schools of Middletown, being graduated in the high school as a member of the class of 1888. He thereafter continued his studies in the National Normal University, at Lebanon, this state, where he also took a preparatory course in medicine. In the autumn of 1890 he was matriculated in the Ohio Medical College, in Cincinnati, where he was gradu- ated in 1893, receiving his degree of Doc- tor of Medicine. He immediately es- tablished himself in the general practice of his profession in Hamilton, and soon began giving special attention to the study and

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practical application of electro-therapeutics, and in this line he has since continued to do a very successful work, having the best modern equipments for the treatment of disease by means of electricity, and he is the owner of the only X-ray machine in Hamil- ton. Through the marvelous powers of this instrument he has not only diagnosed but has positively cured many obstinate chronic ailments which had failed to yield under other forms of treatment. In the treatment of diseases of a cancerous nature the Doctor has found electricity more potent than any other remedial agency which could be brought to bear, while he has also been very successful in the treatment of tubercu- losis and other kindred disorders through this means. He has taken an advanced po- sition in the introduction of scientific elec- trical appliances and is a recognized au- thority upon the varied and complicated uses of this wonderful element in connection with its application to the alleviation of hu- man ills. Being thoroughly skilled in the science of medicine and in the therapeutic values of the pharmacopia, he is able to utilize the X-rays in the immediate distri- bution of recognized medicines, through the cataphoric method. He has been very suc- cessful in his practice and the science of electro-therapeutics finds in him a dis- tinguished representative. His practice is of representative character, and recourse is

. had to his services by the afflicted of not only Hamilton but of those from neighboring cities and towns, in Butler and adjoining counties, his special electrical methods of treatment being far superior to those utilized by the general practitioner. Dr. Wasson is a member of the Butler County Medical So- ciety and the Ohio State Medical Society,

and is held in high esteem by his profes- sional confreres. He also holds membership in the American Electro Therapeutic So- ciety, the American X-Ray Society and the Static and Coil Club of the United States. In political matters the Doctor is found stanchly arrayed as a supporter of the prin- ciples of the Republican party, and his re- ligious faith is that of the Presbyterian church, both he and his wife being valued members of Westminster church, in Hamil- ton. He is identified with the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Bankers' Fraternal Union.

On the 15th of June, 1898, Dr. Wasson was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Ward, daughter of Clark W. Ward, a prominent agriculturist and representative citizen of Butler county, Mrs. Wasson hav- ing been born on the homestead farm, near Middletown.

HARRY H. ELWOOD.

In the constant and laborious struggle for an honorable competence and a credit- able name on the part of business or pro- fessional men, there is little to attract the reader in search of a sensational chapter, but to a mind thoroughly awake to the true meaning of life and its responsibilities there are 'noble and imperishable lessons in the career of an individual who, early thrown upon his own resources and without other means than a sound mind, fertile genius and a true heart, conquers adversity and wins not only a prominent position in the in- dustrial world, but what is equally as great, the deserved esteem and confidence of his

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fellow men. Such a man is the prominent manufacturer and representative citizen of whom the biographer treats in this connec- tion, and whose name is so intimately as- sociated with the business interests of Mid- dletown as to reflect great credit upon the city and add to its reputation as one of the important industrial centers of the state.

Harry H. Elwood, president of the New Decatur Buggy Company, of Middletown, is a native of Ohio and a son of Stephen F. and Sarah (Stout) Elwood, the father a well-known citizen of Cincinnati and cap- tain of Company F, One Hundred and Ninety-third Ohio Infantry, in the late Civil war, the mother a representative of an old family of Scotch-Welsh extraction that came to this state from Pennsylvania as early as the year 1818. Harry H. was born in Cin- cinnati, April 7, 1866, and received a rudi- mentary education in the city schools, which he attended at intervals until the thirteenth year of his life. Owing to adverse circum- stances he was early obliged to rely upon his own exertions, and at the age noted he apprenticed himself to a painter in Cin- cinnati, with whom he remained until be- coming skilled in the various branches of the trade. After mastering his chosen call- ing, Mr. Elwood became associated with the carriage firm of Hiram Davis & Com- pany, entering their employ in 1879 as head painter and continuing in that capacity until 1892, when he was advanced to the higher and more responsible position of foreman, in addition to which he also acted for some time as assistant superintendent of the es- tablishment.

Severing his connection with the above firm in 1893, Mr. Elwood organized the Brighton Buggy Company, which, after

operating a few years in Cincinnati, was moved to Evansville, Indiana, where it oper- ated under the name of the Headris Buggy Company, being at this time one of the im- portant industries of the latter city. The subject continued with this enterprise until 1894, when he disposed of his interests in the firm and established at Greensburg, In- . diana. the Decatur Buggy Company, begin- ning business on a modest scale, but gradu- ally extending the scope of his operations until his plant became one of the solid indus- trial concerns of the place. Associated with him in the undertaking were Samuel and Charles D. Hatheral and the firm thus con- stituted remained at Greensburg until Janu- ary 1, 1900, when the plant was transferred to Middletown, Ohio, Harry W. Quacken- bush purchasing the interests of the Hath- erals about that time. Since its removal to this city the company of which Mr. Elwood is the head has grown greatly in scope and magnitude and, as already indicated, the plant is now one of the largest and most im- portant manufacturing establishments of the kind in Butler county. The buildings, which are first-class and fully supplied with the most approved machinery and me- chanical appliances used in the manufacture of high-grade work, contain a floor space of eighty-two thousand square feet, and to meet the steadily increasing demand for the out- put of the factory a force of one hundred and ninety-six skilled artisans is employed. at an average pay roll of two thousand dol- lars per week, all of which finds circulation in the city where the workmen reside. Financially the company is strong and its rating high. It is capitalized at one hundred thousand dollars and, being composed of re- liable business men of sound judgment and

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unimpeachable integrity, its permanency is assured and its future growth bids fair to win a place in the industrial circles of the state second to that of few similar enter- prises.

As may be inferred, from the rapid growth and present extensive operations of the plant under his management, Mr. El- wood is a man of remarkable business abil- ity and superior judgment, whose enterpris- ing spirit hesitates at no obstacles and stops at nothing short of the accomplishment of his well-conceived purposes. Possessing great tact and sagacity and being fertile in resource, he is rarely mistaken in his judg- . facturers and business men of the city and state. In all of his transactions Mr. El- wood has manifested sound integrity, gen- tlemanly demeanor and a high sense of honor, and by reason of these attributes and his large success, to which may also be added an unblemished character and a just and liberal life, he has nobly earned the dis- tinguished reputation which he today enjoys and the universal esteem in which he is held.

ment and foresees with remarkable clear- ness the future possibilities of his business interests and determines with a high degree of accuracy their being. As president and general manager, he not only exhibits tal- ent of superior order, but keeps himself familiar with the business in its every de- tail and to him more than to any of his as- sociates is due the rapid success that has characterized the company from its organ- ization to its present high standing in the industrial world.

The career of Mr. Elwood has been somewhat phenomenal in that he began life for himself poor and unknown and every step forward was made in the face of dis- couragements. On leaving home, at the age of thirteen, to make his own way in the world, his weekly salary for the first year amounted to one dollar, which sum was doubled the second year and the third year he had made himself so useful to his em- ployer as to have his wages increased to two and a half dollars per week. At the ex- piration of the third year he had his trade well in hand and from that time forward

his advancement was not only steady but rapid, and while still young he found him- self associated with old and reliable business men and an influential factor in the world of affairs. Animated by a laudable ambition to rise superior to an environment which hampered his ability and kept him in a su- bordinate position, he exerted all his powers to become an employer instead of continu- ing longer as an employee, and how well he succeeded in this desire is attested by the series of advancements which have marked his course and by the conspicuous position he now occupies among the prominent manu-

Mr. Elwood was married, in February, 1887, to Miss Sophia Tackermeier, of Cin- cinnati, a highly cultured and much respected lady whose people were among the old and well-to-do German residents of that city. To this union two children have been born, Harry H. and Ralph, who with their par- ents constitute a home circle mutually pleas- ant in all of its relations. While first of all a business man. Mr. Elwood has not been indifferent to public affairs or to the dif- ferent concerns affecting the duties of citi- zenship. He is deeply interested in what- ever relates to the welfare of the city of his residence, lends his influence to all progres- sive measures with this end in view and ever has at heart the social and moral good of

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his fellow man. Politically, he is a Repub- lican, fraternally a member of the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks, and re- ligiously is identified with the Presbyterian church, to which communion his wife also belongs.

GEORGE KREBS.

George Krebs, the well-known and pop- ular High street clothier, of Hamilton, Ohio. is a native of Cincinnati, born on the 20th of February, 1862. He was educated in the

GEORGE KREBS.

parochial school of the Roman Catholic church in the city of his birth. At the age of fourteen he became an apprentice to the tail- or's trade under the guidance of his father. He was in the employ of the well-known firm of Mack. Stadler & Company for four- teen years. Mr. Krebs is an expert cutter of ready-made garments, and his proficiency in this line, with his faithful, intelligent busi- ness ability, soon secured him the position of general foreman, and finally the management of the immense plant. By economical habits and industrious disposition he accumulated the nucleus to a venture in business on his

own account. In the spring of 1896 he came to Hamilton and established himself in busi- ness on the corner of Third, near Court street. His stock was not large, though well selected, and by careful details and honora- ble and fair dealing he soon became popular with the better class of Hamilton trade. His business outgrew its quarters, and he moved to a more central location, enlarged his stock, and has since done a large share of business in his line. The "Krebs corner" is now à favorite designation of High and Third streets, where his business house is located. Special attention is given to the merchant tailoring department, which gives employment to eighteen tailors and three cutters. The latest patterns are always to be found in the shelves of Mr. Krebs' estab- lishment, while skilled workmen fashion them into garments to please the most fastid- ious dressers. Should the customers desire ready-made grades, and thus avoid a small item of expense, they can be accommodated from a large and carefully selected stock from the factories of the most popular man- ufacturers in the country. The haberdash- ing department is complete in all details, and the goods are seasonable and up-to-date. Obliging and skilled clerks cater to the wants of the public and assist the customer in his selections with true cordiality and friendly interest.

Mr. Krebs is deservedly popular in his successful business career. He is an affable. pleasant gentleman, thoroughly skilled in all details of his business and exceptionally well informed upon current events, and takes a warm personal interest in public affairs. His business location is one of the best in the city, and while his few years in Hamilton have been crowned with success, even be-

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yond his most sanguine hopes, the future is bright with promise. Mr. Krebs is the soul and spirit of his enterprise, and he has made for himself a place on the business circles of the city in comparatively few years that any man might be proud to earn in a lifetime. His genial nature and his fair dealings have surrounded him with a legion of friends in whose society, and that of his interesting family, he finds his greatest pleasure.

Mr. Krebs and family are members of St. Stephens Roman Catholic church, and are identified with the various social functions of that popular feature of religious life.

The subject of this article has never taken an active part in local politics, but sus- tains allegiance to the Democratic party on national issues. In local affairs he supports men rather than measures and votes inde- pendently of party lines. In social affairs he is a member of the Catholic Knights of Ohio.

CHARLES I. KEELY, D. D. S.

One of the best known dentists in Butler county, Ohio, and a gentleman widely known because of his many sterling qualities of head and heart, is he whose name ap- pears above. He comes from a long line of honorable ancestry, the first representative of the family in this country having been John Keely, a native of Germany, born in 1753, who, in 1762, accompanied his par- ents on their emigration to America, settling in Pennsylvania. At the outbreak of the war for independence Mr. Keely took sides with the colonists and received a wound at the battle of Brandywine. His son John, who was born in Dauphin county, Pennsyl-

vania, January 16, 1779, came to Ohio in 1818, locating at Oxford, and there died on the 7th of May, 1848. His wife, whose maiden name was Ann Iddings, was also a native of the Keystone state, having been born in Northumberland county on the 7th of August, 1787. John and Ann Keely were the parents of the subject's father, Dr. George W. Keely, who was born in Oxford, Ohio, October 27, 1822. He received a good public-school education, which was supplemented by a complete course in Mi- ami University. Making a choice of the dental profession for his life work, he studied the science in the office of Dr. J. D. White, of Hamilton, and later with Dr. John Allen, of Cincinnati. Returning to Oxford in 1841, he opened an office and began the practice of his profession, which he con- ducted very successfully until his death. He was progressive and up-to-date in his ideas. and methods and, after having been engaged in the practice for twelve years, he entered the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, from which he was graduated in March, 1853. "By his presence, advice and means, he was ever ready to aid in movements for the ad- vancement of the profession and was fore- most among his professional brethren in the state. He attended the meetings at Niagara Falls where was laid the foundation for the organization of the American Dental As- sociation in 1859. Of this body he was elected president in 1876 and presided as such at Chicago in 1877. In the organiza- tion of the Ohio State Dental Society he was a prominent factor; he was once its president and for ten years served as its treasurer. He held active or honorary mem- bership in the Mississippi Valley Dental So- ciety, Mad River Valley Dental Society, the

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New York Odontalogical Society, and the Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin Dental Societies. For twenty years he was trustee of the Ohio College of Dental Surgery and often served as president of the board. In all matters per- taining to the welfare of his native city he maintained the warmest interest and the town had no citizens more progressive and advanced in ideas than he. Especially was he interested in the educational interests and institutions of the place, and Miami University (of which he was a trustee), Ox- ford Female Institute, Oxford Female Col- lege and the Western Female Seminary held a warm place in his heart. He was a cour- teous and affable gentleman, which char- acteristic, united with superior ability and integrity, secured for him the confidence and love of the people of this county. In his profession he had no superiors in this state, and few equals, and the work he accom- plished for the science of dentistry entitles him to lasting memory by the profession. Dr. Keely's death occurred on the 27th of August, 1888, and was the result of an ac- cident. While working at a window in the third story of the Cone building, endeavor- ing to repair the telephone wires connecting his office and residence, he overbalanced and fell to the pavement below, sustaining in- juries which resulted in his death. His sud- den death called forth many touching trib- utes of regard and esteem and, in his honor, every business house in Oxford was closed during the funeral."

Dr. George W. Keely was twice mar- ried. On the 13th of March, 1851, in Cin- cinnati, Ohio, he was united in marriage with Miss Susanna Wells, to which union were born three children, of whom the im-

mediate subject of this sketch is the only survivor. Mrs. Susanna Keely died May 25, 1856, and on April 21, 1861,-the Doctor married Miss Cornelia Cone, of Oxford, to which union were born eight children. Fra- ternally Dr. Keely was, from the age of twenty-one years, a member of the time- honored order of Free and Accepted Ma- sons, holding membership in the lodge at Oxford. He was a charter member of In- vincible Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and also belonged to Millikin Post, No. 228, Grand Army of the Republic.

Charles I. Keely, the immediate subject. was born in Oxford, Butler county, Ohio, November 13, 1853. He was reared in his native town, and after receiving local educa- tional advantages, he attended school at. Brookville, Indiana, and the Miami Uni- versity at Oxford. Deciding to adopt the profession which his father had so signally honored, the subject studied under paternal guidance and afterward entered the Ohio Dental College, from which he was gradu- ated in 1876. For about three years he was retained at the college as demonstrator of operative dentistry. In 1879 he decided to at once enter the active practice and for that purpose returned to Oxford, but in Sep- tember, 1880, he came to Hamilton and has here since remained continuously engaged in the practice of his profession. He is thoroughly up-to-date and keeps in touch with every advancement in the line of his profession, added to which is a genial tem- perament and an innate courtesy, which never fail to impress favorably all who come in contact with him, the logical result of which is that he has long enjoyed a full share of the public favor and has earned an enviable position in the public confidence

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and esteem. He stands high among his pro- fessional brethren, as is evidenced by the fact that for sixteen years he has been treasurer of the Ohio State Dental Society. He occupies the chair of orthodontia in the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, and was also president of the board of trustees of said institution for several years, and later secretary of the same, and which position he still holds. For the last fifteen years he has been engaged as a lecturer before his alma mater on orthodontia. He has held official position as a member of the state board of dental examiners, and is affiliated with the Ohio State Dental Association, the Seventh District Dental Society, the Amer- ican Dental Association and the Mississippi Valley Dental Association.

On January 14, 1885, Dr. Keely was united in marriage with Miss Ella Rhode- hamel, daughter of Saul and Priscilla Rhodehamel, of Piqua, Ohio, and two chil- dren have come to bless their home. Wells and Priscilla. In politics the Doctor is a firm Republican, but the demands of his profession preclude his giving very close attention to public affairs.

BARZILLAI INMAN.

Prominent among the successful men of Butler county is the venerable citizen whose name introduces this review. For many years an influential factor in the affairs of his community and successful in a material way in all the term implies, he did his work well and accomplished his mission, and now in a life of retirement is spending his clos- ing years in the enjoyment of that quiet

and repose which he has so well earned and which only such as he can fully appreciate.

Mr. Inman was born in Preble county, Ohio, on the 8th day of April, 1820, and is the eighth in a family of nine children whose parents were Jacob and Rachael (Ireton) In- man, both natives of New Jersey. Jacob In- man and Rachael Ireton were married in the state of their nativity and seven of their children were born there. They moved to Ohio about the year 1818 and settled in Preble county, where Mr. Inman purchased a large tract of land and became a prominent and wealthy tiller of the soil. He did not live long to enjoy his possessions in his adopted state, however, dying in the year 1823 and leaving to his widow the care of a young and growing family and the man- agement of the large property which he ac- cumulated. Left to her own resources. Mrs. Inman nobly met her many responsibilities and during the years that followed her hus- band's decease looked carefully after the af- fairs of the estate and trained her children to habits of thrift and usefulness. She lived to a ripe old age, remained a widow to the end of her days, and was in her eighty- fifth year when called from the scenes of . her earthly trials and triumphs.

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Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 61

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1149

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others
Publication date: 1905
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1149