USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > Centennial history of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, Vol. I > Part 46
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Mr. Johnson was married to Helen T. Musser, of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and their children are Goldie, now Mrs. Roy L. Wildermuth of Columbus; Charles C .; Stanley B .; Frances E .; and Edward S. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson hold membership in the First Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. Johnson is a member of the Columbus Country Club. He also belongs to the Masonic bodies, being a Knight Templar and having taken the thirty- second degree in the Scottish Rite.
Such in brief is the history of Edward Johnson. The record seems a marvelous one when we measure the distance between the starting point and the position he now has reached, yet his progress has been made along legiti- mate lines of trade and through the exercise of qualities which anyone might cultivate. Anyone meeting him face to face would know at once that he is an individual embodying all the elements of what in this country we term a "square man," one in whom to have confidence in any relation and in any emergency. His quietude of deportment, his easy dignity, his frankness and cordiality of address, with the total absence of anything sinister or any- thing to conceal, foretoken a man who is ready to meet any obligation of life with the confidence and courage that come of conscious personal ability, right conception of things and an habitual regard for what is best in the ex- ercise of human activities.
JOSEPH P. RAGER.
Joseph P. Rager, a successful agriculturalist residing in Madison town- ship, was born on the 27th of May, 1852. After attaining his majority he be- came connected with the sawmill business, in which he was successfully en- gaged for about ten years. For the past ten years, however, he has given his attention exclusively to farming, owning and operating one-half of the old homestead in Madison township. In the work of the fields he is systematic, methodical and progressive and has therefore met with a gratifying measure of prosperity in his undertakings, being well known as a substantial and en- terprising citizen of the community.
On the 28th of December, 1882, Mr. Rager was united in marriage to Miss Hattie Hedrick, whose birth occurred July 26, 1859. They now have nine
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children, namely: Matte; Clarence A .; Arvilla, who for some years has been stenographer for Mr. Rightmire, vice mayor of the city of Columbus; Walter L .; Tressa, who will graduate from the schools of Groveport in May, 1909; Dorsia and Worlie B., twins; Kathleen and Mary.
In his political views Mr. Rager is independent, and he belongs to the Methodist church and the Grange. For almost thirty years he has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being a worthy exemplar of the teachings of the craft. He is widely and favorably known throughout the entire community and has won the warm esteem and confidence of all with whom he has come in contact.
JUDGE TOD B. GALLOWAY.
With the labors that have formulated the policy and shaped the destiny of the state during the important epochs in its history, the name of Galloway has been closely associated and it has ever been a synonym of lofty patriotism and unfaltering fidelity to principle and honest conviction. Ohio owes much to the efforts of Samuel Galloway, a distinguished citizen of Columbus in the nineteenth century, and to Judge Tod B. Galloway, an able lawyer, whose citi- zenship is of that progressive type that looks beyond the exigencies of the mo- ment to the possibilities of the future and labors for the welfare of coming generations as much as for that of his contemporaries.
Samuel Galloway was a native of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, born March 20, 1811, in a house which is still standing and which was occupied as a hos- pital during the ever memorable battle which there occurred in 1863. In his boyhood he attended the public schools of Gettysburg and following the fath- er's death the family removed to Greenfield, Highland county, Ohio, about 1828, so he continued his studies in the Miami University at Oxford, where he was graduated. Thinking to make the practice of law his life work, he be- gan studying to that end in Hillsboro, but later abandonded the plan and de- voted one year to the study of theology in Princeton University. He spent the year 1835 as professor of Greek in the Miami University, but ill health forced him to resign that position. Subsequently he became a teacher in Springfield, Ohio, and for two or three years was professor of classical languages at South Hanover College, in Indiana. Again taking up the study of law, he was ad- mitted to the bar and began practice in 1842, entering into partnership with Nathaniel Massie, of Chillicothe. In the work of the courts he made steady progress, owing to his careful preparation and his clear and forceful presen- tation of his cause before the bar. His mind was naturally analytical and his reasoning was always sound and logical. He never lost sight of any point which bore upon his case and yet always gave to the important points its due relative prominence.
Samuel Galloway became equally well known in political circles, being elected by the state legislature to the office of secretary of state in 1844, in which year he took up his permanent abode in Columbus. He wielded a wide-
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felt influence in political circles and as a supporter of the whig party advocated also the anti-slavery movement. In 1848 he was a delegate to the Philadel- phia convention which nominated Taylor and Fillmore, and a speech which he made on that occasion was long remembered for its thrilling eloquence. In 1848 Mr. Galloway represented his district in the thirty-fourth congress, when the reaction against the encroachment of the slave power had fully set in at the north and the whig party on account of its complicity with slavery had been practically annihilated, the great majority of the members returning from the northern states pledged to resist the further extension of the evil. On the 3d of December congress convened, but the house was not organized until the 3d of February, when on the one hundred and thirty-third ballot Nathaniel P. Banks was made speaker, being the first anti-slavery member ever chosen speaker of the house. Mr. Galloway took an active part in the work of that congress and gave the weight of his influence in opposition to slavery and on various occasions spoke eloquently upon some phase of the sub- ject. The political feeling in his district opposed to his anti-slavery views was strongly against him and when he again became a candidate for congress he was defeated by Samuel S. Cox. Never faltering in the cause which he espoused even though it meant his political defeat, Mr. Galloway continued to work for those measures which tend to check the advancement of slavery and became one of the organizers of the republican party formed for the express purpose of preventing its further extension. A convention was held in Co- lumbus July 13, 1855, over which John Sherman presided and the republican party was there formed on the sixty-seventh anniversary of the adopting of the ordinance of 1787. The Ohio convention nominated Salmon P. Chase for governor and he was elected the following November. On June, 1855, a meet- ing was held in the city hall to ratify the convention of the 13th and Mr. Galloway was one of the principal speakers on that occasion. He devoted sev- eral years thereafter to the active practice of law in Columbus and also gave considerable time to religious and philanthropic work. He stood as a high type of American manhood in history, interested in all that pertained to the welfare of the community and the country at large or related to the develop- ment of the race. He was always well informed on sociologie and economic as well as political questions and his labors in these different directions were ef- fective and far-reaching. It was less than two years after he left congress that the joint debates between Lincoln and Douglas were held and there is in exis- tence a letter from the former, asking Mr. Galloway to go to Illinois and assist him in that campaign. After his election to the presidency, Mr. Lincoln ten- dered Mr. Galloway responsible positions in Washington but he refused the honors, contenting himself with the office of judge advocate at Camp Chase. All through the period of the Civil war he labored untiringly and effectively to uphold the federal cause and promote a strong Union sentiment, but his own health prevented him from undertaking military duty. He was recog- nized, however, as an influential factor in keeping the quota of Ohio always full and inspiring the people of that state with patriotic ardor. While he did not seek public honors or emoluments for himself to any extent he gave freely of his time, means and talents for the benefit of the state and national govern-
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ment or for local progress. In 1871 he was strongly endorsed for governor in the nominating convention, although another carried off the honor. On more than one occasion he was a commissioner to the general assembly of the Pres- byterian church for he was a faithful follower of that denomination, holding membership in the First Presbyterian church in Columbus. In the final re- union of the old and new school bodies he took an active part but when the Westminster church was formed he became one of its moving spirits and gave to it unfaltering devotion throughout his remaining days.
It was expected that Mr. Galloway's aid would constitute a feature in every valuable, progressive movement of the state and it is not to be wondered at that he was a prominent factor in educational circles. When he came to Co- lumbus in 1844 as the secretary of state he was also ex officio superintendent of schools and bent every energy toward furthering the cause of public instruc- tion in Ohio. The public-school system owes much to his efforts, as he gave to the work a stimulus, the benefit of which is felt to the present time. The sec- retary of state who had preceded him had given three or four pages to that department while Mr. Galloway gave to his first report twenty pages, to his second thirty-two and to his third fifty-six, all of which were full of facts gath- ered with the greatest industry and patience. His efforts resulted in a com- plete transformation of the public-school system of Ohio and made its educa- tional interests equal to that of any other commonwealth. Throughout his entire life he was animated by high ideals in connection with all of the various interests which constituted essential factors in the life of the individual or the nation. His life record was so closely interwoven with the fabric of Ohio's history that the annals of the state would be incomplete with mention of him, and his death, which occurred April 5, 1872, was regarded as a public calamity.
Tod B. Galloway, with the inspiring example of his illustrious father be- fore him, has along different lines, but in no less important ways furthered the interests of his city and state. Born and reared in Columbus he attended the public schools until he entered Amherst College, of Amherst, Massachusetts, where he was graduated with honors in the class of 1885. Broad literary knowledge served as the foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of his professional learning and in preparation for the practice of law he began study under the direction of Judge Nash, senior partner of the law firm of Nash & Lentz, of Columbus. Following his admission to the bar in 1888 he entered into partnership with that firm and the association continued until 1896, when he was nominated and elected to the office of probate judge of Franklin county. Reared in a home atmosphere where questions of state and national importance were under almost daily discussion and where a spirit of lofty patriotism prompted active and effective work it was but natural that Mr. Galloway should be interested in politics and take an active part therein. Even before he attained his majority he had read broadly and thought deeply upon the subjects of grave import before the people and on attaining adult age he became a worker in republican ranks. He soon showed that he had power to elicit active cooperation and to unify and coordinate forces so as to produce the strongest results possible and it logically followed that in 1893 he was elected
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chairman of the republican county executive committee. Devoting all of his time during that campaign to public work in the interest of the cause he espoused, it was due in a large measure to his earnest and well directed labors that every candidate on the ticket was elected for the first time in the history of the party. While serving as a member of the city council in 1893 and 1894 he exercised his official prerogatives in support of every measure for municipal advancement and civic virtue. Mr. Galloway was appointed secretary to the governor by Myron T. Herrick and served in that capacity during Governor Herrick's term of office.
Judge Galloway in recognition of the obligations of man toward his fel- lowmen and prompted by a sincere interest in the welfare of the more unfor- tunate has taken an active and helpful part in the advancement of various pub- lic and charitable institutions. He is a member of the Buckeye Club and is well known socially, while his many commendable traits of character, his kindly spirit, his geniality and his good will have made him a most popular resident of his native city. He regards the practice of law as his real life work and in this profession is making steady advancement, his ability as a wise advo- cate and safe counselor being uniformly recognized in Columbus. Born in this city, October 13, 1863, he is yet hardly in the prime of life and it is to be hoped that his years of usefulness and activity are yet to be many, for his nature is such that his work will ever be of a character that benefits the con- munity at large as well as promotes his individual interests.
FRANKLIN J. PARKER.
Franklin J. Parker, who is now living retired in Columbus, was born in Toledo, Ohio, March 30, 1837, his parents being Hiram and Roxy (Comstock) Parker. The father, whose birth occurred near Boston, Massachusetts, in 1806, was about seventeen years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Otsego county, New York. There he grew to manhood and was married, and in 1831 journeyed to Toledo by wagon, being accompanied by his wife and two children. The trip from Buffalo, New York, to Toledo consumed seven days. He assisted in surveying a part of the latter city and could have purchased lots there at five dollars, while corner lots were to be had at as low a price as twenty dollars. He followed agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career and was a resident of Sylvania, Ohio, at the time of his demise, which occurred in 1896. His wife, born in January, 1806, was called to her final rest in 1900. Unto this worthy couple were born six children, two of whom still survive, namely: Andrew J., a resident of Salem, Indiana; and Franklin J., of this review.
Franklin J. Parker was reared on a farm and supplemented his prelimi- nary education by one year's attendance at college. On the 1st of August, 1861, he enlisted in the Union army as a member of Company D, Third Bat- talion of United States Regular Infantry, and valiantly served for three years, being honorably discharged in 1864. He participated in many hotly
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contested engagements and at the battle of Peach Tree Creek was slightly wounded by a piece of a shell. On being mustered out he came to Columbus and once more took up the pursuits of civil life as a carpenter, successfully following that trade until the time of his retirement in 1900. As a contrac- tor he met with a gratifying measure of prosperity and was widely recognized as a most substantial and enterprising business man of this city.
In September, 1865, Mr. Parker was united in marriage to Miss Abigail P. Spencer, who was born in 1845, on the same lot on which she now lives, her parents being Russell S. and Betsy J. (Rodimon) Spencer. Her father, whose birth occurred in Vermont in 1814, was a butcher by trade and during the Civil war had the contract for furnishing all meats to Camp Chase, as well as to all state institutions and to most of the hotels. He passed away in the year 1865. His wife, who was born in New Hampshire, accompanied her par- ents on their removal to Huron county, Ohio, in 1830, the journey being made by wagon. The following year they located at Worthington, Franklin county, Ohio, and subsequently took up their abode in Columbus. The death of Mrs. Spencer occurred August 3, 1902, when she had attained the age of eighty- three years. Her family numbered eleven children, seven of whom still sur- vive, as follows: Aaron, a resident of Columbus, Ohio; Olive, the wife of A. 0. Meily, of Columbus, Ohio; Mrs. Parker; Margaret, the wife of Charles Mc- Cloud, of Columbus; Russell F., who likewise makes his home in Columbus, Ohio; Amelia, the wife of Clarence Weigart, of Columbus, Ohio; and Edward J., also living in Columbus, Ohio. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Parker were born two daughters-Mrs. Ida May Chapman, of Columbus, Ohio, and Anna Parker, whose death occurred at the age of four and a half years.
Mr. Parker and his wife are both members of the Universalist church, in the work of which they are actively and helpfully interested. Because of his well directed activity in former years he is now enabled to spend his remaining days in well earned rest, surrounded by all of the comforts and many of the luxuries which go to make life worth living. Having resided here for more than four decades, he is very widely known and his many good qualities have at all times gained for him the confidence, trust and unqualified friendship of those with whom he has been brought in contact.
EDWARD PRIOR.
Edward Prior, secretary and treasurer of the Gambrinus Brewing Com- pany, was born in Milford Center, Ohio, May 27, 1864. His father, Henry W. Prior, a native of Germany, came to America in 1853 and in 1865 took up his abode in Columbus. He was a carriage-maker and in this city followed his trade for a number of years. He was a thrifty, honest man, possessing the usual characteristics of the German race-perseverance and determination. He married Amelia Spannagel, who is still living, but the death of Mr. Prior occurred in 1898.
Edward Prior, of this review, was only a year old when brought to Colum- bus by his parent and in the public schools he pursued his education, contin-
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uing his studies through consecutive grades until he left the Central high school in 1880. As a boy he began work for the Columbus Buggy Company, and in order to further promote the chances for success in the business world he attended a night school, pursuing a commercial course. In 1883 he ob- tained a position with the L. Hoster Brewing Company as clerk in the office and was promoted through the various positions of bookkeeper, cashier and chief clerk, retaining his connection with that business until 1905. In that year, in conjunction with August Wagner, the brewmaster for the L. Hoster Brewing Company, he organized the Gambrinus Brewing Company and began the erec- tion of its plant, which was equipped in accordance with the most modern methods of the manufacture of beer. Mr. Prior became secretary and treas- urer of the company and has so continued to the present time. His varied ex- perience in controlling the financial interests of the business and the practical experience of his partner in manufacture constitute this a strong firm and that their output is one of excellence is indicated by the liberal patronage accorded them.
Pleasantly situated in his home life Mr. Prior was married in 1886 to Miss Elizabeth Engeroff, of Columbus. They have three children: Norma, Min- erva and Edward. Mr. Prior belongs to several German societies and to the Elk« Lodge No. 37. He is also a member of St. Paul's German Lutheran church and is particularly prominent among the German-American citizens of Columbus.
H. H. SNIVELY, M. D.
Dr. H. H. Snively, medical practitioner and educator of Columbus, was born in Brownsville, Ohio, September 11, 1868, and in the paternal line comes of Swiss Huguenot ancestry, while in the maternal line he is of Scotch descent. His grandfather, Henry Snively, came from Cumberland, Maryland, Ohio in the early '30s and for a long period engaged in merchandising in Gratiot, which was the birthplace of his son, James Snively. The latter turned his attentions to general agricultural pursuits and followed farming for many years. At the time of the Civil war he espoused the Union cause and served from 1861 to 1865 as a member of the Third Ohio Infantry and the Ninth Ohio Cavalry. He was captured while on courier duty at Cumberland Gap and was incarcerated in Andersonville, meeting all of the hardships and hor- rors of southern prison life. He married Margaret Bell, a native of Scotland, and they are now residents of Perry county, Ohio.
Dr. Snively supplemented his public-school training by study in the Ohio State University, from which he was graduated in 1895 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, while later that institution conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts in recognition of his successful scientific work. On leaving the university he was engaged in teaching in the high school of Columbus from 1897 to 1906. In preparation for the practice of medicine he studied in Rush Medical College of Chicago and afterward in the Ohio Medical Univer-
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sity at Columbus, being graduated from the latter institution. Since complet- ing the course there he has taught in the university in various capacities and has been lecturer on obstetrics in the Starling-Ohio Medical College for two years. In his professional career he has made steady progress, being recog- nized as an able and learned member of the medical fraternity, manifesting a ready and correct solution of the complex problems which continually confront the physician.
Dr. Snively is not unknown in military circles, for in 1903 he became adjutant of the Fourth Infantry of the Ohio National Guard, thus serving for a year, when in 1904 he resigned and was appointed lieutenant and assistant surgeon in the medical department of the National Guard. In October of that year he was commissioned major and surgeon and placed in command of one of the medical companies with which rank he has since served. He is also one of the board of examiners for the National Guard and is a member of the Academy of Medicine of Columbus, the State Medical Society and the Ameri- can Association of Military Surgeons. His fraternal relations connect him with the Masons, Kappa Sigma, Alpha Nu Pi, Omega and other societies.
In 1905 Dr. Snively was united in marriage to Miss Florence Knowlton, a native of Ohio, who was an official court stenographer in Columbus for some time prior to her marriage. Both Dr. and Mrs. Snively are well known in this city and have many warm friends here. More and more his professional duties are making greater demands upon his time and energies and his constantly ex- panding powers, promoting his ability, have gained him recognition as one of the progressive and successful members of the medical fraternity in the capital city.
NATHAN ELLIS LOVEJOY.
Nathan Ellis Lovejoy was for more than a half century a leading, well known and highly respected business man of Columbus. As the day with its morning of hope and promise, its noontide of activity, its evening of com- pleted and successful effort, ending in the grateful rest and quiet of night, so was the life of Nathan E. Lovejoy. His life was at all times actuated by high and honorable principles and he never chose the second best, but sought always those things which lead to advancement and progress, both for the city and the individual. He was born in Kennebec, Maine, April 24, 1823. His father, Nathaniel Lovejoy, was a native of Wayne, Maine, and a repre- sentative of one of the old New England families. His mother bore the maiden name of Temperance Wing, and was a descendant of the famous Alden family. Some of the old china belonging to that family is now in possession of Mrs. Lovejoy and constitutes a cherished heirloom in her house- hold.
In the Maine Wesleyan Seminary Nathan E. Lovejoy pursued his educa- tion. He was recognized as a man of strong intelligence and his broad learn- ing enabled him to successfully engage in teaching in early manhood. For
N. E. LOVEJOY
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a number of years he specialized in educational work as a teacher of mathe- matics. Later he studied architecture and came to the west to practice his profession, settling in Columbus in the early '50s. Here he continued his residence up to the time of his demise, which occurred on the 21st of August, 1903. Thus for a half century he was identified with the interests of this city and his labors constituted an element in its business development and substan- tial upbuilding. After his arrival here he devoted some years to business as a draftsman and architect, and later turned his attention to the lumber business, opening a yard at Third street, where he remained for forty years. He pur- chased the site for eight hundred dollars and following his demise it was sold for the family for thirty thousand dollars. As the years passed he developed an extensive and profitable business, being recognized for a long period as one of the most prominent lumber merchants of the city. An enterprising busi- ness man, he accomplished what he undertook by reason of his force of char- acter, his recognition of opportunity and his ready adaptability. He never waited, Micawber-like, for something to turn up, but sought out new plans and methods to advance his business interests and became one of the foremost representatives of the trade circles of the city. In his later years he was in- tensely interested in the manufacture of violins, getting great pleasure from his work in this connection. In the early years when he was conducting business as an architect, he planned many of the old substantial structures of the city and at all times he was actively concerned in the city's welfare, with- holding his cooperation and support from no movement which he believed would contribute to the public progress.
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