USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. II, Pt. 1 > Part 9
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39
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Joseph Rusk Peebles was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in No- vember, 1818, and was a son of Robert and Margaret (McClintock) Peebles. His ancestors were of Scotch nationality and early in the 18th century his grandfather located in Pennsylvania. He was but six years of age when his father died, and it became incumbent upon him to aid in the support of the family. He was permitted to attend school but two months each year, the remainder of the time being given to earning a livelihood, and in a short time even that privilege was denied him. Through private research he be- came a well educated man, and while yet a young man was considered an expert penman. Coming to Cincinnati in 1838, he obtained employment in the little shop of a cabinet-maker, Robert Mitchell, a man since famous as a furniture manufacturer. It was an unpretentious establishment with three or four benches at which the workmen and employer toiled in company. The latter was thoroughly honest, but as poor as he was honest, and for the first five months Mr. Peebles did not receive a cent of his salary. In the meantime he was dependent upon his mother for his board, and it was not to his liking to become a burden to her. He finally insisted to the proprietor that he must have something by which he could reimburse his mother, and in desperation Mr. Mitchell gave him a gold chain, telling him to do what he could toward turning it into money. The chain was disposed of and the board bill was paid. His difficulties in that position resulted in his entering other channels of business. In 1840 he began his connection with the store which was destined to become famous as The Joseph R. Peebles' Sons Company, and his own name to become a household word in Cincinnati and vicinity. He was one of the most progressive men of his day in the city of Cincinnati, and his public spirit knew no bounds. He was liberal to a fault, and lie could never deny assistance to the needy, whether they were deserving or not. There are many pages of the old ledger account, now in the possession of his eldest son, filled with charges made against boarding-house keepers, strug- gling for a living, who had asked for credit and never paid, and he had not `the heart to force a settlement. His death in 1866 was widely mourned. On February 20, 1844, Mr. Peebles was married to Mary Caroline Straub, a daughter of Isaac Straub, who was a well known millwright of the city. Their children were: Josepli Straub Peebles, president of The Joseph R. Peebles' Sons Company; Charles Root Peebles, who died in 1861; Edwin Clay Peebles ; Mrs. Eva Harper Buxton ; and Mrs. Carrie Leslie Edwards.
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Joseph Straub Peebles, son of Joseph Rusk and Mary Caroline (Straub) Peebles, was born in Cincinnati, December 10, 1844. He graduated at Hughes High School in 1862, and immediately became a part of the business from which he has never been severed. For several years previously, he had spent his Saturdays and evenings in the store as assistant, and thus familiar- ized himself with all details of the business. For some time before his father's death in 1866, he assumed entire control of the establishment be- cause of his father's ill health. He has since devoted his entire time to the success of The Joseph R. Peebles' Sons Company, working early and late. day in and day out, and with what success is told in the foregoing part of this sketch.
Joseph S. Peebles was in the 100-day service during the Civil War, running away from home to enlist when he was but 16 years old, becoming a member of Col. Jolin Kennett's cavalry. In 1864 he became a member of the famous 7th Regiment of Ohio, afterward the 137th Regiment, Col. Leo- nard A. Harris commanding. The regiment was assigned to Fort McHenry, Baltimore, relieving the regular troops dispatched to the front. He was a member of R. W. Carroll's "Winfield Rifles," afterward Company B of the 137th Regiment. Subsequently, his company was commanded by Capt. Waldo C. Booth, Ist Lieut. Adolph Wood and 2nd Lieut. Albert Whelpley.
Mr. Peebles was married June 10, 1868, to Irene King, a daughter of Samuel King, one of the pioneers of Cincinnati. To them were born three children : Lucile Peebles, Chester Addy Peebles and Nelson Childs Peebles. Fraternally, Joseph Straub Peebles is a Scottish Rite Mason and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine; a Knight of Pythias; and past grand of Magnolia Lodge, No. 83, I. O. O. F., of which he has been a member 35 years. He went through the N. C. Harmony Lodge of Masons more than 38 years ago. He is a member of the Royal Arcanum and of the Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. Peebles resides with his family on Mount Auburn.
CHARLES A. L. REED, A. M., M. D.
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CHARLES A. L. REED, A. M., M. D., an eminent physician and surgeon of Cincinnati, Ohio, was born at Wolf Lake, Noble County, Indiana, July 9, 1856, and is a son of R. C. Stockton and Nancy (Clark) Reed. He was
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but a week old when his mother died, July 15, 1856, and when less than two months old he was taken to Ohio where he was brought up by his grandparents during the following 10 years. He was educated at Starr's Institute at Seven Mile, Ohio, and received his degree of Master of Arts from Miami University.
Dr. Reed graduated at the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, and then took a post-graduate course in Trinity College, Dublin. He was subsequently a student at Spark Hill Hospital at Birmingham, England, under Lawson Tait, and at the Samaritan Free Hospital, London, under Bantock Thornton and Sir Spencer Wells. He began practice in Cincinnati as district physician in the old Fifth Ward in 1875 before he had reached his 20th year, and subsequently practiced at Fidelity, Illinois, and Hamilton, Ohio. He returned to Cincinnati in 1887, and has since practiced here, de- voting his entire time to the specialty of diseases of women and abdominal surgery. He is proprietor and surgeon in charge of the Mapleview Hospital, an institution for abdominal and pelvic surgery, on Walnut Hills. He was professor of pathology in 1876-77 in the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, and has been professor of diseases of women and abdominal sur- gery in that institution since 1882. He has also served as dean of the faculty of the college. He is a Fellow of the British Gynecological Association, a member of the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and of the Southern Surgical and Gynecological Association. He is a member of the American Medical Association, of the Ohio State Medical Society and of the Cincinnati Academy of Medicine. He is also an Honorary Fellow in the Medical Society of the State of New York. He introduced the reso- lution in the American Medical Association in Washington, D. C., in 1891, which resulted in the Pan-American Medical Congress which was held in Washington under the auspices of the United States government in September, 1893. He was thus its founder and promoter and was made secretary-general, and in the work of organizing he had an extensive and intimate correspon- dence with members of the medical profession in every part of the Western- Hemisphere, and in Europe and European colonies. There were 19 coun- tries and colonies represented at the inceting, at which the aggregate at- tendance was more than one thousand. The transactions of that initial con- gress were published by the United States government in volumes that embraced more than two thousand pages. In recognition of his services, at
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HON. ALBERT C. THOMPSON.
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the conclusion of the Congress and on the occasion of the visit of foreign delegates to Philadelphia, Dr. Reed was presented with a testimonial, the presentation being made by the president of the Congress, Prof. William Pepper, provost of the University of Pennsylvania, in the library of that institution. He was one of the founders. of the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and served as its president in 1898. He was president of the American Medical Association for 1900-01 and presided at the session of that organization held at St. Paul, Minnesota, in the latter year. In that capacity he effected a complete reorganization of the associa- tion, which was thereby made the representative body of the medical pro- fession of the United States. It was by his initiative that the restrictive measures of the previous fifty years were abolished, in consequence of which the profession entered upon a broader and more progressive policy. Dr. Reed served as a member of the Ohio State Board of Medical Registration and Examination for several years until he resigned the office. In 1902 he issued a "Text Book of Gynecology" from the press of the Appletons, a work that has been adopted as the standard by the leading medical schools of the country.
Dr. Reed was made a director of the University of Cincinnati in 1892, and was reappointed by the Superior Court of Cincinnati for a second term of six years. He declined reappointment under the municipal code in 1903.
Fraternally, he is a member of N. C. Harmony Lodge, No. 2, F. & A. M .; and is a 32nd degree Mason, being a member of Ohio Sovereign Con- sistory, S. P. R. S.
On May 27, 1880, Dr. Reed was married to Irene Dougherty, a daughter of J. G. and Elizabeth Dougherty, of Otterville, Illinois. They have two children: Winnifred van S. Reed, born in 1884; and Lawson Reed, who was born in 1888 and named after his father's early preceptor.
HON. ALBERT C. THOMPSON.
HON. ALBERT C. THOMPSON, judge of the United States District Court, whose portrait accompanies this sketch, has had an honorable and brilliant career in the various fields of action to which he has been called. His valor on the field of battle, his ability as lawyer and judge, and his conscientious
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labors in the halls of Congress have brought him prominently before the public eye and gained for him the esteem of his fellow men to the highest degree.
Judge Thompson was born in Brookville, Pennsylvania, January 23. 1842, and is a son of Hon. J. J. Y. and Agnes (Kennedy) Thompson. He spent his boyhood days in his native village until he reached the age of 12 years, when he entered the preparatory department of Jefferson College, at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, where he remained two years, giving up his academic pursuits and returning home because of financial losses sustained by his father. When 17 years of age he entered upon the study of the law in the office of Capt. W. W. Wise at Brookville, and continued for two years, when he relinquished his studies to take up arms for the cause of the Union. On April 23, 1861, in his 20th year, he enlisted and marched with Capt. A. A. McKnight's three-months men to join the army under Patterson in the Valley of Virginia. Before the expiration of the three months he was promoted to the rank of sergeant in Company I, 8th Reg., Pennsylvania Vol. Inf. On August 27, 1861, he enlisted for three years as a private in Com- pany B, 105th Reg., Pennsylvania Vol. Inf., under Capt. John C. Dowling, and was rapidly and successively promoted to Ist sergeant and 2nd lieu- tenant. On November 26, 1861, he was transferred to Company K of the same regiment, and on December 1, 1861, though yet under the age of 20, was made captain. The men of the company did not relish the idea of one so young being placed in command of them, but he soon won them over and under his leadership they became possibly the best drilled and disciplined company in the regiment. He was wounded in the battle of Fair Oaks, re- ceiving a bullet in the back, just under the shoulder, as he turned to com- mand his company to advance. As a result he spent a short time in the hos- pital, the wound being a painful but not dangerous one, and a short time in visiting home. He rejoined his regiment at Harrison's Landing, and was with it in every subsequent engagement up to the Second Battle of Bull Run, where he received a wound pronounced fatal at the time and from which he still suffers. It was just at the close of the battle, when but a few straggling shot's were being fired by the enemy, that a bullet struck him in the right breast, fracturing the second and third ribs, and lodging in his lung where it has since been an unwelcome tenant. He was first removed to a boarding house on D street, Washington, D. C., where he was joined
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by his mother, whose careful nursing, combined with his youthful vitality and excellent physical condition, cheated death of an expected victim. From there he was taken by easy stages to Brookville, and there during the subse- quent 10 months he slowly but surely gained strength. At the end of that time he was sufficiently recovered to apply for a place in the Invalid Corps, which he entered in June, 1863, serving a part of the time on the staff of the provost-marshal for Kentucky, and later in New York, enforcing the draft. December 10, 1863, Captain Thompson resigned and resumed prep- aration for the legal profession by entering the office of Hon. W. P. and G. A. Jenks, at Brookville. He was admitted to practice in the courts of Jefferson County, December 13, 1864, and the following year removed to Portsmouth, Ohio, where his legal residence continued until his removal to Cincinnati in 1900. His rise in the profession was a rapid one and in 1869 he was elected to the office of judge of the Probate Court. In 1881 he was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the Seventh Judicial Dis- trict of Ohio, which position he resigned to take his place in Congress. He served in the 49th, 50th and 51st sessions of that body and, contrary to the usual rule of action of the young members, was most active from the begin- ning of his term. His first term was one of the busiest he served, being placed upon the committee on private land claims, of which he proved a useful and valuable member. During his second term he served on the invalid pension committee, and in the 51st Congress served on two of the most prominent and important committees, namely : judiciary and foreign relations. As a member of the former he was made chairman of a sub-com- mittee to investigate the United States courts in various parts of the coun- try. This work was done most thoroughly and resulted in raising the stan- dard of many of the courts, articles of impeachment being preferred against one of the judges in Louisiana. It was during that Congress that the "Mc- Kinley Bill" was formed, and in the construction of that important measure Judge Thompson took no inconsiderable part, being frequently called into the councils of his party. He wrote the 24th section of the bill, constitut- ing the great smelting works of the country bonded warehouses for the storing of imported ores admitted free of duty, which, when refined, were exported in an unmanufactured state by the refiner. He was not only active in affairs of great moment to his country, but as well served his constituents. He was instrumental in securing the erection of a $75,000 public building in Ports-
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mouth, and the Bonanza Dike built in the Ohio River at a cost of $75,000, also three ice piers just below at a cost of $7,500 each. He secured free mail delivery for the city of Portsmouth, and rendered many another impor- tant service to his district. His political career was marked by many colossal struggles. The memorable fight at Gallipolis, when he had the nomination in his grasp and handed it over to the late General Enochs, was the most protracted and hardest fought political struggle ever witnessed in a conven- tion in this State, and fittingly closed a career in Congress that was marked all along the way by straightforward and honest fighting. Since retiring from Congress, Judge Thompson has never actively entered into politics, al- though in 1896 he served as a delegate to the National Republican Conven- tion held at St. Louis, being prompted in accepting the honor by a desire to serve the interests of a warm personal friend, Major Mckinley, who in that year was nominated for the presidency. He was appointed in 1892 by Governor Mckinley as a trustee of Athens Assembly and the appointment confirmed by the Senate but he declined the honor. In June, 1893; he consented to serve on the Ohio Tax Commission as it would in no way interfere with the practice of his profession, his clientage having grown to such proportions as to require his almost undivided attention. He was made chairman of the commission by his confreres, Theodore Cook, W. N. Con- den and E. A. Angell, and the work of the commission was of a most valu- able character, the report receiving highest praise from contemporaneous journals of political science.
In 1900 Judge Thompson was called from his old associations at Ports- mouth, which he had grown to love, to Cincinnati where he accepted the judgeship of the United States District Court. He has found his new asso- ciations as pleasant as the old, and during his short residence here lias be- come firmly established in the confidence and good will of the members of the bar.
WILLIAM WALLACE SEELY, A. M., M. D. :
WILLIAM WALLACE SEELY, A. M., M. D., the eminent oculist of Cin- cinnati, who for the 25 years prior to 1899 was a member of the faculty of the Medical College of Ohio, for a long period holding the office of dean,
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died suddenly at his home at Fourth street and Broadway, November 7, 1903. Dr. Seely was born in 1838 in Muskingum County, Ohio, and was a son of John F. and Louisiana Seely.
Dr. Seely was educated at Yale College, and completed his medical studies at Vienna. In 1862 he settled in practice at Cincinnati, and for many years was an instructor at the Medical College of Ohio. As a teacher he was well known to young physicians all over the Middle States, many of the graduates of the famous institution with which he was associated having been his appreciative pupils. He was dean of the Medical College of Ohio from 1881 to 1900, when he resigned.
Dr. Seely was a man of cultured tastes. He had traveled extensively in Europe, where he formed many professional connections and where his skill as an oculist was generally recognized. He was a man of charitable disposition and gave largely to charity and was noted for the readiness with which he used his skill for the poor and needy. These never applied to . . Dr. Seely for treatment without receiving it, entirely without charge. Among this class he was indeed beloved as a benefactor.
Dr. Seely was also an author of more than local prominence and a number of his medical works have come to be known as standard along their particular lines.
In 1870 Dr. Seely was married at Boston, Massachusetts, to Helen Simpson, who, with three daughters-Elizabeth, Grace and Helen-still sur- vives. Elizabeth Seely was united in marriage November 19, 1903, with Arthur Espy, a prominent attorney of this city, whose father, James Espy. is the well known banker and capitalist of Cincinnati. Dr. Seely was, with his family, very prominent in the social life of Cincinnati and all are well known in the exclusive circles of this city, and of New York and Boston. The beautiful home at the corner of Fourth street and Broadway has been the scene of many brilliant social functions. He was a member of the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Ohio, being sixth in descent from John Conant, of Beverly, Massachusetts, born 1652, died 1724, who was a member of Captain Appleton's Company in King Philip's War; and eighth in descent from Roger Conant, of Beverly, Massachusetts, born 1592, died 1679, who was governor of the colony at Cape Ann, 1625-26, governor of the colony at Salem, 1627-29, and deputy to the General Court in 1634.
In 1900 Dr. Seely gave up the deanship of the Medical College of Ohio
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and retired from active practice at the same time, although he retained a place among the corps of lecturers at the medical school. With his fellow workers in the profession, he was always popular and no more sincere ex- pressions of sorrow were heard than from those who, learned themselves, had so long profited by his teachings and who were permitted to enjoy his friendship and companionship.
Hundreds of leading citizens listened to Dr. Helwig's beautiful tribute to the memory of the eminent deceased oculist, Dr. Seely. His many friends were overcome with emotion when Dr. Helwig read the Doctor's favorite hymn. Dr. Seely's professional colleagues, including many young phy- sicians whom he had instructed while dean of the Medical College of Ohio, paid homage to his memory, as well as hundreds of friends in all walks of life. The following well known friends of Dr. Seely acted as pall-bearers : H. P. Boyden, E. H. Pendleton, Dr. P. S. Conner, Dr. Frederick Forch- heimer, Charles P. Taft, E. W. Kittredge, A. H. Hinkle and Dr. Thaddeus A. Reamy. The Doctor's remains were laid at rest in the beautiful Spring Grove Cemetery.
The death of such a citizen is a serious loss to a community and his presence and influence will long be missed amid the activities of life. By his death Cincinnati loses a valuable citizen and the family a loved member whom they will ever hold in loving remembrance.
WILLIAM M. FRIDMAN.
WILLIAM M. FRIDMAN, an attorney-at-law of Cincinnati, was born in Clermontville, Clermont County, Ohio, February 26, 1863, and is a son of Franklin and Milly (Bushman) Fridman, the former a native of Stolhoven, near Strasburg. Germany, the latter of Ohio, of German descent.
Franklin Fridman was born in 1816 and came to the United States in 1833, locating in Cincinnati, where for some years he followed the trade of a boiler maker. In 1840 he removed to Clermont County, Ohio, where he engaged in mercantile, manufacturing and banking pursuits. He was president of the First National Bank of New Richmond, of The Fridman Lumber Company and of the Fridman Seating Company, of New Richmond.
William M. Fridman received his early education in the public schools
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of Clermont County, then attended Clermont Academy, and later Ohio Wesleyan University, of Delaware, Ohio, from which institution he was graduated in 1884. He began the study of the law under the preceptorship of Frank Davis, and was graduated from the Cincinnati Law School in 1887. He was admitted to the bar that year and began practice at New Richmond, succeeding to the practice of his former preceptor, who had been elected to the Common Pleas bench of Clermont County. In the same year he became a director of the First National Bank of New Richmond, and has since con- tinued as such. In 1891 he came to Cincinnati and formed a partnership with Marshal Moreton; one year later he engaged in practice in association with George G. Bright, under the firm name of Bright & Fridman, which firm was dissolved January 1, 1894. He then was associated with Edward J. Dempsey until May, 1898, at which time Edward J. Dempsey was elected judge of the Superior Court. He then was associated with Edward Barton until the latter became general attorney for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. In May, 1903, he formed a partnership with Judge Edward J. Dempsey under the firm name of Dempsey & Fridman. On March 14, 1894, Mr. Fridman was admitted to practice in the United States courts. Political- ly he is a Democrat. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Knights of Pythias. He is a man of the highest type, and is held in high esteem wherever known.
LOUIS AUGUST STROBEL.
LOUIS AUGUST STROBEL, who was well known as a capitalist of Cincin- nati, being vice-president of the Western German Bank and the head of the great firm of L. A. Strobel & Company, manufacturers and wholesale dealers in ornamented gold, oxidized and hardwood moulding and frames, as well as extensive dealers in pictures, died in London, England, June 10, 1903.
Mr. Strobel was born in the village of Bergzabern, which nestles by the Rhine, in Germany, August 26, 1839, and was 16 years of age when he im- migrated to America for the purpose of bettering his fortunes. He landed alone in the new country and had the usual struggles and misfortunes at- tendant upon youths who enter into competiton in a strange land with those who have had better advantages. After trying several employments, he very
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sensibly decided that he would learn a trade and selected that of the manu- facture of picture frames, moldings and kindred lines of work, one which his own perseverance and industry made of him in later years the head of the largest establishment of its kind in this city. In 1858 he came to Cincinnati and did journey-work, and then with. a small capital saved by much self denial he opened a factory in a small way on Sixth street, later removing to Main street, between Fourth and Fifth streets, and still later to Fifth, whence in later years he removed the plant to Elm and Canal streets where lie erected one of the largest factories, engaged in this line of business, in the United States. Through all these changes his name was at the head of the firm, standing for all that is honorable and upright in business
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