USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. II, Pt. 2 > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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 | Part 40 | Part 41
Our subject was united in marriage with Minnie Freiberg, of Cin- cinnati, a daughter of Julius and Duffey (Workum) Freiberg, and they have the following offspring: Joseph Leivis; Delphine; Helen; Nathan and Esther. Miss Delphine Ransolioff was united in marriage with Leo West- heimer, a member of the well known firm of Westheimer Brothers, and a son of Ferdinand Westheimer. Dr. Ransohoff is a member of the Ohio State Medical Society and the Cincinnati Academy of Medicine, having formerly
ALMON MITCHELL WARNER.
639
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
served as president of the latter body. He is a Fellow of the American Surgical Association. In 1903 he was appointed by the St. Louis Exposition Board as a member of the advisory council of the International Medical Congress, which will be a feature of the exposition. .
ALMON MITCHELL WARNER.
ALMON MITCHELL WARNER, whose home is at No. 2643 Alms place, Walnut Hills, and whose well appointed offices are in the Lincoln Inn Court, No. 519 Main street, Cincinnati, has long been a leading member of the Hamilton County bar. He was born March 6, 1843, at Plainfield, Hamp- shire County, Massachusetts, and has achieved remarkable success in his pro- fession. Mr. Warner's parents, James and Fidelia Warner, were descend- ants of noted ancestors among whom was Robert Bruce, once the idol of Scotland.
Mr. Warner was carefully educated both in the common and in private schools of Massachusetts, and in 1862 graduated with credit from Williston Seminary, at the age of 19 years. He entered upon an individual career just at the time when the country was calling for defenders, and with youthful enthusiasm he responded, enlisting in Company H, 37th Reg., Massachusetts Vol. Inf., putting aside all thoughts of a personal character and hopes of a professional career. His position in his company was soon that of 2nd sergeant, and upon being transferred to Company E, he was promoted to the rank of Ist sergeant. His regiment was continually at the front and Mr. Warner took part in 18 engagements, participating with gallantry in the battles of Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Winchester, Petersburg and others without serious injury until an act of special valor at the battle of Sailor's Creek, Virginia, on April 6, 1865, not only resulted in his being severely wounded, but for his bravery in attempting to capture the enemy's flag a promotion to the lieutenancy was his. His honorable discharge followed, August 28, 1865.
Mr. Warner had recuperated enough by the beginning of the following year, to enter upon the study of the law, under the able tutorage of Church & Sawyer, a well known legal firm of Albion, New York, both members of which were distinguished in and out of the profession. Admitted to the bar
1
640
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI
in May, 1869, Mr. Warner practiced at Albion until the spring of 1870 when he moved to Leesburg, Virginia, and still later to Huntington, West Virginia, in 1874 locating in Cincinnati where he has been actively engaged ever since. Not only has he been a leader in his profession, but he has also been promi- nent in Republican politics, and has been the chosen candidate of the party for honorable positions.
Mr. Warner was united in marriage on October 12, 1870, at Albion, New York, to Elizabeth H. Densmore, who is a daughter of Dennis and Christina Densmore. Two children have been born to this marriage, Maud Loraine and Carrie Elizabeth. In religious views the family are Congre- gationalists.
Mr. Warner has justly been honored on many occasions in the post of the G. A. R., of which he is a member, and is past post commander, past de- partment commander of Ohio and a member of the committee on pensions of the National Encampment and has held other positions. He is very popu- lar, with old comrades, who alone can realize the storm and stress of the days of the Civil War. His associations also with the Odd Fellows and the Masons have been long, pleasant and honorable. In the former he served three years as major commanding the battalion of Patriarchs Militant in Cincinnati; he is past grand, past chief patriarch and past representative. In every position and in every relation of life, Mr. Warner has "fought a good fight" and he enjoys in the highest degree the respect of his fellow citizens. His portrait accompanies this sketch.
CHARLES E. SEE.
CHARLES E. SEE, who for nearly 50 years was identified with the cloth- ing trade of Cincinnati, died at his home at Forest and Woodburn avenues Walnut Hills, April 19, 1903, after an illness of about one year's duration.
Mr. See began his business career in 1855, with the late William See, his father, who will be recalled by old residents as the leading merchant tailor of his day. Later, Mr. See became associated with the firm of Ogden & See, the latter being his father, and the former, Jonathan B. Ogden, the father-in-law of the great Chicago meat packer, Philip D. Armour. Until this firm discontinued business, Mr. See was one of its most active represen-
641
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
tatives. He then went into business with John Beasley. Afterward, he became connected with Browning, King & Company, with whom he re- mained until failing health made it necessary to give up business responsibil- ities, being with that firm 23 years.
Mr. See had a host of friends. He was a man of old-time courtesy and in his younger days was regarded almost as was Beau Brummel, his ex- quisite taste and good judgment making his advice of the greatest value to the young society men with whom he associated.
' Mr. See remained a bachelor until quite late in life. His marriage then was to the beautiful widow of Captain Kenneally, a distinguished soldier of the Mexican War. This lady survives him, as does one brother, Capt. William See, of the Dayton Soldiers' Home, who is well known in military circles. Mrs. See is spending her declining years in comfort and ease. Con- sidering her age, she has a remarkable memory and is well preserved. She moves in the best society in Cincinnati.
The funeral services of Mr. See, which were largely attended, were conducted by Rev. Jesse Bowman Young, of the Walnut Hills Methodist Episcopal Church, and interment was at the Wesleyan Cemetery. "Charlie" See, as he was affectionately called, left behind him a record of a kindly life and a tender feeling in the breasts of many friends and associates.
WILLIAM H. MORGAN.
WILLIAM H. MORGAN; whose death occurred January 6, 1900, at his beautiful home on Price Hill, was for many years one of the prominent educators of Hamilton County, and for more than a half century was identi- fied with the public school system of Cincinnati. Mr. Morgan was born April 16, 1837, and was a son of William G. and Eliza (Garrard) Morgan.
The records of his early life show an ambition for educational develop- ment and at Marietta, Ohio, where the family resided in his childhood, he proved himself an apt pupil. Later, upon the removal of the family to Cincinnati, he eagerly took advantage of the opportunities offered by the public schools and was one of the first pupils of the Woodward High School, where he was graduated in 1856, at the early age of 14 years. This merited reward he won, in part, by attendance at night school, his practical father
642
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI
apprenticing him to the nail-making industry in which his days were em- ployed. With his high school diploma, the youth soon secured employment as a teacher and for the succeeding 14 years was the assistant principal of one of the Cincinnati public schools. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in the Home Guards and continued his membership until the company was discharged in September, 1864, in the latter year serving as corporal in Com- pany E, 138th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., during General Grant's movement on Richmond. At the termination of his long service as a public school teacher, Mr. Morgan embarked in an insurance business which he continued for several years. This, however, in no way interfered with the demands made upon him by the educated element of the city, who unanimously elected him a member of the Board of Education, in 1876 and 1878, from the 22nd Ward, and in 1881 he was elected a member at large. During one term he served as president of this honorable body, and served also as a member of the University Board for many years. In May, 1889, he was elected superintendent of the public schools of Cincinnati, a position he filled with eminent satisfaction for 10 years, and had been reelected for another term shortly before his death.
In 1858, at Oberlin, Ohio, Mr. Morgan was united in marriage with Mrs. Eliza A. Bushnell, who still survives, and is a daughter of Daniel and Harriet Bushnell. Mrs. Morgan, who is noted for her kind and genial nature, moves in the most select and cultured circles of the Queen City, where she has many friends. She is spending her declining years in comfort and ease, having beautiful quarters located in the Somerset Flats in Avondale. The three children of this marriage are: John D. Morgan, who is treasurer and secretary of the Enterprise Lumber Company; Asa Morgan, who is a member of the firm of Putnam, Hooker & Company ; and Mrs. Helen Mor- gan Stewart.
While Mr. Morgan was too liberal minded and too intelligent a man not to be deeply interested in all political questions of the day, other interests touched him more closely and he never was anything of a politician. His fraternal associations included only his connection with the George B. Whit- comb Post, No. 139, G. A. R., and the Hamilton County division of the National Teachers' Association.
Mr. Morgan possessed all the requirements for the high educational position he filled for so many years. Notably he was a close observer, a
643
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
man of sound and well balanced judgment and with much culture he pos- sessed a never failing kindness, sympathy and courtesy which won him con- fidence and affection.
1
OLIVER B. JONES.
OLIVER B. JONES, a prominent member of the Hamilton County bar, was born in Cincinnati, and is a son of the late J. Dan Jones and Margaretta (Bell) Jones, both of whom were natives of Hamilton County. The former was a son of Oliver Jones and a grandson of John Jones, a Revolutionary soldier from Maryland, who came to the Northwest Territory in 1797 and purchased a tract of land in Columbia township, Hamilton County, from John Cleves Symmes and his associates. The title of this land is still vested in the heirs of the original purchaser. Oliver Jones was a soldier in the War of 1812 and was also a member of both houses of the Ohio Legislature.
The father of our subject was county auditor of Hamilton County during 1856-58 and in addition was for a number of years connected in other capacities with the auditor's office. He was a member of the Con- stitutional Convention of 1850 and for two years was a member of the De- cennial State Board of Equalization, while he served as treasurer and in other official capacities in his township. His death occurred in 1873 and that of his widow five years later. . She was the granddaughter of the late Peter Bell, one of the early judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Ham- ilton County.
Oliver B. Jones received his education in the public schools of Columbia township and of Cincinnati, and was graduated at the Woodward High School in the class of 1875. His study of the law was prosecuted in Cin- cinnati and he graduated from the Cincinnati Law School in 1880 and in the following year began practice. He has been very successful and occupies a prominent legal position both in city and county, having been an assist- ant in the office of the city solicitor of Cincinnati; the Democratic nominee in 1890 and in 1899 for judge of the Probate Court and assistant county solicitor of Hamilton County in 1900-02.
On September 28, 1886, Mr. Jones was married to Louise F. Stone, a daughter of S. W. Stone, then consulting engineer of the Baltimore & Ohio
644
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI
Southwestern Railroad. Mrs. Jones is a lady of culture and accomplish- ments, a graduate of the Cincinnati Wesleyan College. Four children have been born to this marriage: Stephen W., Rufus B., Louise Frances and Margaretta A. They have resided for years at Madisonville. Mr. Jones is a 32nd degree Mason.
MORRIS B. MINSTER.
MORRIS B. MINSTER, one of the prominent business citizens and much esteemed men of Cincinnati, died in New York City at the home of his mother, August 19, 1895. His death brought regret not only to the business world in which he had so many years been a factor, but to an extended circle of personal friends by whom he was much beloved.
Mr. Minster was born May 22, 1850, at Albany, New York, and was a son of Lazard and Sarah (Levi) Minster, being the oldest of five children born to his parents. He received his early education in the public schools of Albany, later attending Bryant, Stratton & Packard's Business College, from which he was graduated. On April 24, 1865, he removed to New York City where he was engaged in business for a number of years. Mr. Minster came to Cincinnati in 1888, and associated himself in business with The Roll- man & Sons Company. For years he was a member of this well known dry goods firm, which was probably the largest house in its line in the city. For some years failing health had prevented active participation in business affairs and extended travel had been resorted to in the hope of obtaining ben- efit. Shortly before his death, he left for New York City where his mother resided, and it was while visiting her that he passed away, leaving behind a record for business integrity and for those kind and generous acts which help to smooth the pathway of others. Mr. Minster was a man of intelligence, education and travel, and was always interested in progressive educational and moral movements.
On October 14, 1885, Mr. Minster was married to Sarah Rollman, who was born March 17, 1862, and is a daughter of Isaac Rollman, whose sketch will be found elsewhere in this work. The two children of this union are : Leonard R., born March 27, 1887; and Joseph 1., born March 22, 1890. On May 21, 1871, while he was a resident of New York, he joined the 71st
645
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
Regiment, New York National Guard, and continued as a member of that organization for about seven years. He was a member of the Free Sons of Israel, which he joined in May, 1874, and of which he continued to be a mem- ber until his death.
E. E. FERRIS.
E. E. FERRIS, a well known citizen of Cincinnati, has attained a high degree of success in the commercial world of this city, having for the past 20 years been extensively engaged in the lumber business. He was born August 6, 1861, at Linwood, and is a son of Samuel M. and Mary Z. Ferris.
Mr. Ferris attended the public schools until he had completed the pre- scribed courses, then attended Denison University at Granville, Ohio. Upon leaving college, he engaged in the lumbering business with his father in 1884, and for some years past has been manager of this business of which he is now proprietor. He has a thorough understanding of all its details and has displayed unusual acuteness and sagacity in the numberless trans- actions to which he has been a party. Upon reaching his majority, he was elected treasurer of Linwood and served in that capacity until that town became a part of Cincinnati 12 years later. He enjoys the respect and con- fidence of his fellow citizens to a marked degree, aud has many intimate friends.
On November 24, 1885, Mr. Ferris was joined in marriage with Ella Higbee, a daughter of W. W. and Susan Higbee; they have two children, namely : Lucille, born July 28, 1892; and Mildred, born August 28. 1898. Fraternally, our subject is a charter member and was third master of Lin- wood Lodge, No. 567, F. & A. M., is a member of Cincinnati Commandery. No. 3, K. T .; and Syrian Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S.
HON. LEWIS MONTGOMERY HOSEA.
HON. LEWIS MONTGOMERY HOSEA, judge of the Superior Court of Cin- cinnati, and late senior member of the firm of Hosea, Knight & Jones, attor-
1
-
646
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI
neys, of Cincinnati, and State Senator from the First Senatorial District of Ohio, was born in 1842 at Montgomery, Alabama, where his parents were temporarily sojourning. His father, Hon. Robert Hosea, who retired from business many years ago, was thoroughly identified with the growth and prosperity of Cincinnati as a leading wholesale merchant, and was also at one time a member of the Ohio. General Assembly.
The subject of this article was educated in the public schools of Cin- cinnati, Hughes High School, Brooks' Classical School, and Antioch Col- lege. While a member of the senior class at Antioch, in April, 1861, under the first call of President Lincoln for troops to quell the Rebellion, he was among the first to respond, and enlisted as a private in Company A, 6th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., known as the "Guthrie Greys." On June 18th of the same year he was promoted to a first lieutenancy and later to a captaincy in the 16th United States Infantry, under Major Slemmer, of Fort Pickens fame. He continued in active service until the close of the war, participating in all the battles of the Army of the Cumberland, and received honorable mention in various official reports. Toward the close of the war, he was attached to the staff of Maj .- Gen. James H. Wilson, commanding the Cavalry Corps, and took part in the cavalry operations through Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, which culminated in the capture of Jefferson Davis, near Macon,' Georgia. After the capture of Selma, Alabama, in April, 1865, Captain Hosea was brevetted Major in the regular army, the commission reading : "For gallant and meritorious service at the battle of Selma, and the suc- ceeding campaign in Alabama and Georgia." Major Hosea resigned from the army in 1866, and entered the Cincinnati Law School, where he gradu- ated in 1868 and at once began the practice of his profession, in which he has been prominently and successfully engaged before the State and Federal courts.
Major Hosea has not, however, confined himself so closely to his pro- fessional duties as to neglect all other interests. In November, 1901, he was elected State Senator from the First Senatorial District of Ohio, by a majority over his Democratic opponent, Max S. Goldsmith, of 13,701. In 1903 Major Hosea was elected judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati, and is now serving on the bench of that distinguished tribunal.
He has for many years been a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and in recognition of his contributions to
1
HILARI BESOPEN
649
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
scientific literature, chiefly in the field of American archaeology, he was elected a Fellow of that association. He is a member of the Ohio Mechanics' Institute and of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History, and for many years was chairman of the Department of Science and Arts in the former institution. He was one of the editors of the Cincinnati Quarterly Journal of Science until that publication was merged into the organ of the Society of Natural History. He is also an ex-commander of the Ohio Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, and con- nected with various other organizations, both civil and military. He has made occasional trips of a business and social nature to England, France and Germany.
In 1865 Major Hosea was married to Fanny Polk Smith, in Columbia, Tennessee, where her father, Rev. F. G. Smith, of the Protestant Episcopal · Church, founded and conducted the Columbia Athenaeum, a young ladies' college, well known throughout the South. Major Hosea and his family live in a beautiful home on Mount Auburn and are identified with the Pro- testant Episcopal Church. Such, in brief, is the life record of one who has attained distinction in the legal profession, won honor in war, literature and politics, and acquired popularity in the social world. Where to find him on the national and local issues is never a problem. He will be where a loyal citizen, with a keen sense of justice, and a profound interest in the welfare of his city and of society, would naturally align himself.
HENRY BESUDEN.
HENRY BESUDEN, deceased, formerly one of Cincinnati's most prominent citizens, was for many years engaged in the wholesale tobacco business in this city. Although he began life with no other resources than those given him by nature, he became one of the wealthiest men of Cincinnati, and was as well known for his kind and charitable acts as for his superior business talents.
Henry Besuden was born in Germany. November 14, 1825, and was a son of Ludwig and Mary (Schnitger) Besuden. Ludwig Besuden was born November 10, 1796, and came to America with his family in 1843. He located on a small farmi near Mount Pleasant, Ohio, and followed farming
35
650
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI
.
a short time, and then lived retired until his death, April 17, 1878. His wife was born January 10, 1803, and died April 12, 1867. They were parents of four children, all of whom grew to maturity and are now deceased.
Henry Besuden was educated in the public schools of his native country, and began business life by learning the trade of a cigar maker. Upon com- pleting his apprenticeship he served as journeyman. After saving a few hundred dollars, he rented ; a small store, in June, 1847, and engaged in the sale of tobacco and cigars. Soon after he began the manufacture of cigars, employing at first only three or four men. Under careful manage- ment the business grew rapidly, and by 1851 he had the means to warrant the purchase of leaf tobacco direct from New York City. This he did, and ' besides using it in the manufacture of cigars, he sold portions of his purchases to other cigar manufacturers. He added all kinds of manufactured tobacco to the products of his store, and sold in boxes and half boxes to cigar stores, fruit stores and retail groceries. In January, 1858, when he admitted his youngest brother, Frederick, as a partner, his pay-roll contained the names of 20 men. In 1857, he was in New York City when the Ohio Life & Trust Company failed, a fact conclusive in itself that the financial panic of that time was at hand. He had already purchased $30,000 worth of tobacco, but notwithstanding the dismal outlook in business he continued to buy until the amount had reached $40,000. As was customary, this was bought 011 credit of four and six months, but he paid it all before it was due. This established for him an unlimited credit in the New York markets. About $20,000 of his indebtedness was due to Crawford & Palmer, then the largest tobacco jobbers in New York. By the prepayment of this money, the mem- bers of that firm afterward declared that Mr. Besuden had tided them over a crisis in their affairs and saved them from financial ruin. In remembrance of this, the firm of Crawford & Palmer presented our subject with a beautiful pitcher and goblet of hammered silver, appropriately inscribed. This is now in the possession of Mrs. Besuden and will ever be a cherished heirloom in the family. After his brother became a member of the firm, the partners engaged in the purchase and sale of leaf tobacco in every form, and con- tinued until 1864, when they confined themselves exclusively to hogshead tobacco. They dealt in all the markets in the country, where they were recog- nized as being among the heaviest and shrewdest buyers. They sold to nearly all the large American manufacturers and had the largest export trade of
651
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
any firm in Cincinnati. They sold through their commission merchants in New York to several European governments, notably France, Spain and Italy. The commission merchants made a single sale of 10,000 hogsheads to the Italian government, of which 1,892 hogsheads belonged to Messrs. Besuden, for which they received a quarter of a million dollars. Frederick Besuden died in 1884, and Henry Besuden continued the business alone until 1888, when he retired from active life.
Thus it will be seen Mr. Besuden was not only one of the earliest ex- · tensive dealers in tobacco in Cincinnati, but was, during upward of 40 years, one of the most enterprising and prosperous. Possessing a thorough knowl- edge of the tobacco markets of the world, he stood as one of the foremost of those who made possible the tobacco market of Cincinnati, which is now one of the city's best regulated lines of commerce. When our subject took his initial step in business, his father offered him money, but he refused it, taking only his father's wise counsel which the latter seems to have been well qualified to give. The elder Besuden warned his son against either the indorsement of another's responsibilities, or asking the indorsement of his own, a principle to which Henry Besuden always adhered, but which did not prevent his generous nature from frequently giving assistance to those whom he found in need of it. Before he was 30 years of age he was offered admission as a partner, without capital, by one of the largest tobacco estab- lishments in the City of New York. It only required the presence of his honest countenance and the fact that he was a good judge of all kinds of leaf tobacco, to establish credit, even among total strangers, as was often demonstrated. His credit was practically unlimited, in fact at times too much so. Knowing the absolute security of the loan, money was often forced upon him when his investments might have been lighter. Upon one occasion he refused a volunteered loan of $200,000.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.