USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > Centennial history of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, Vol. II > Part 32
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 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78
Mr. Mumm possesses a fine baritone voice and sings the first ba -- parts in the Cathedral choir of Columbus. He organized and conducted a choir at West Grove, Pennsylvania, and has been very active in musical circles. He is a prominent fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus and holds the position of grand knight in the council. He likewise belong- to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and his social nature find- fur- ther expression in his membership in the Ohio Club. His military experi- ence eame to him through his membership in the Seventy-fourth Regiment of the New York City National Guard during his residence in Buffalo. His
Digtizco by Google
334
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS
life has been one of untiring activity and he possesses, too, marked versatility and ready adaptability which have been features in his success. He has much of the spirit of the initiative, originating new plans and bringing forth novel, attractive ideas in his advertising work so that while he has secured a liberal patronage that makes his business profitable, his labors have also ranked as a valuable asset in the success of other important business con- cerns which are numbered among his clients.
HON. HENRY BOHL.
So closely has Henry Bohl been allied with business mid public interests in Columbus and Ohio and so thoroughly American in spirit is he that no one would suspect him of being a native of one of the great European countries and yet his birth occurred in Bavaria, Germany. In him are combined the sturdy and efficient qualities of the German race with the enterprise and prog- ress so characteristic of the American nation. A native of Bavaria, he was born July 4, 1844, and when ten years of age crossed the Atlantic to the United States with his parents, Conrad and Catherine ( Altvater) Bohl, who located on a farm near Marietta, Ohio.
For a time Henry Bohl tarried on the farm but in 1861 took up his abode in the city of Marietta, although his parents remained on the farm. He had acquired a good practical education and began his insurance career in 1869. Ill health forced him to seek a lower latitude and he went to Atlanta, Georgia, where in 1873 he was elected unanimously as secretary of the Underwriters Insurance Association of the south, which covered eleven states in its opera- tions. Returning to Marietta in 1874 he was in 1875 elected to the Ohio legislature from Washington county. He was again elected in 1877 and also in 1883. It is worthy of note that the nomination was given him each time by acclamation. He was the chairman of the house committee on insurance for several years and during the administration of Governor Hoadly was chair- man of the house finance committee in 1884 and 1885, the most important body in the legislature. In 1878 he was a prominent candidate for congress in the fifteenth Ohio congressional district and was strongly supported for the nomination in the convention at Marietta through more than eighty ballots, un- til the second day he withdrew and General A. J. Warner was nominated. In 1880 the democratic press brought him forward for the office of secretary of state, but he declined to be a candidate. In 1881 he was urged by the demo- cratie pres- of Ohio to be a candidate for the lieutenant governorship and also for the senatorship in his district but he declined to accept the nomination for either office. In 1884 many promin 1 democrats of his district again insisted on nominating him for congress and at a time when his nomination was deemed possible he withdrew from the field in the interest of harmony.
In 1876 Mr. Bohl was elected delegate at large from thestate of Ohio to the democratic national convention held in St. Louis, Missouri, which nominated Hon. Sammel J. Tilden for president, and in 1880 he was unanimously elected
Digiszed by Google
HENRY BOHL
Pig zno by Google
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATION !.
Digiszoo by Google
337
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS
by the fifteenth Ohio congressional district as delegate to the democratic na- tional convention held in Cineinnati. Ohio, which convention nominated Gen- eral W. S. Hancock for president. He was also secretary of the Ohio state democratic executive committee in the memorable state campaigns of 1884-5; was chairman of both the democratic Ohio state central and executive commit- tees in 1886; and chairman of the democratic Ohio state central committee in 1887. In each instance he was elected by acclamation. Early in President Cleveland's second administration Mr. Bohl was appointed United States mar- shal for the southern district of Ohio and he served in that position during the Ohio miners' strikes and the Debs railway strike of 1894, with rare finesse and sagacity and upheld the laws with courage. On April 1, 1895, he resigned this office to accept the position of superintendent of agencies of the Prudential In- surance Company for the states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. In making mention of his retirement the press of the state almost without exception ex- pressed regret at the step he had taken and referred in terms of the highest praise to his integrity and faithfulness in office.
In 1887 Mr. Bohl was appointed the receiver of the Second National Bank of Xenia, Ohio. His work there was so well appreciated that in 1893 Hon. J. H. Eckels, the comptroller of the currency, tendered him the receiver- ship of the Citizens National Bank of Hillsboro, Ohio, which Mr. Bohl de- clined with thanks because of the vast work in which he was engaged connected with his insurance affiliations. He also declined a proffer from President Cleveland as receiver of public money for the territory of Wyoming and de- clined the Indian agency tendered him in Oklahoma about the same time. He declined many proffered nominations for high offices by his party friends, among them being member of congress of the fifteenth district, but he reso- Intely declined them all on purely business grounds while appreciating the compliment implied. For many years he was a stanch democrat but, in 1896, on the adoption of the Chicago platform of that year declaring for the free and unlimited coinage of silver at a ratio of sixteen to one and other populistic ideas. he left the party and has since affiliated with the republicans, in whose councils he has been given a place of honor. During the national campaign of 1896 he made speeches in favor of Mckinley in Ohio, Indian and three in Chicago.
All through the intervening years, while taking an active interest in poli- tics, Mr. Bohl remained a factor in insurance circles, constantly extending his interests and the scope of his activities. For thirty-one years he served as a director of the Ohio Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of Salem, Ohio, which position he still fills at this date. There are perhaps few men so well quali- fied to speak upon the subject of insurance because of comprehensive know- ledge thereof, in principle and detail, as Mr. Bohl. He has not only promoted his individual interests and the growth of the companies with which he has been connected but has studied the question from every possible standpoint, including that of the statesman, who views every question in its possible rela- tions to the general welfare. Some years ago at the request of the president of the Ohio State University Mr. Bohl appeared before the class in economics of that institution and in his address made the suggestion that the subject of in-
Digtizoo by Google
338
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS
surance be added to the other practical subjects in the department of eco- nomies-a suggestion well worth considering. While the lecturer had particu- lar reference to life insurance, as that was the theme of his address, there is no apparent good reason why other branches of insurance and especially fire in- surance should not be included in such instruction. The suggestion is a prac- tical one and deserves attention. In his address Mr. Bohl said in substance, the university is starting out in an important field in the line of practical business education and certainly insurance is of direct and important interest to all business men and not only business men as such but also in one form or an- other to all classes of men. It has become in fact a business science that really requires thoughtful and intelligent study to rightly comprehend. Such a branch would add materially to the practical value of the instruction in the im- portant new department of economics. In doing this it would of course add that much to the usefulness, prestige and drawing power of the State Univer- sity. Mr. Bohl's presentation of this matter to the university attracted wide newspaper attention at that time and many of the points which he advocated have since been incorporated into commercial education. He was the first man to speak from the university or college rostrum in Ohio upon this subject.
While Mr. Bohl's business interests have been preeminently along the line of vast and important activity in the world of insurance he has also figured prominently in financial and other business circles, being now president of the Union Building & Savings Company, director in the Capitol Trust Company, president of the H. H. Shaw Undertaking Company, all of Columbus, Ohio. while with other Ohio enterprises he has close connections.
He is also interested in matters of civic importance and in April, 1903, was elected on the republican ticket a member of the board of public service of Columbus under the new umunicipal code for Ohio. He took his seat May 4, 1903, and was elected president of the board, thus serving until January 31, 1905, when he resigned and became a member of the city board of review of Columbus, to which position he was unanimously appointed by the state board of assessors and appraisers. He served as president of this board for two years and on the expiration of his term, June 1, 1908, he was unanimously reap- pointed by the state board for five years without a single written endorsement. This was a great compliment as was the fact that he had no opposition at all for the reappointment. For eight consecutive years he served as chairman of the legislative committee of the Columbus Board of Trade and on his volun- tary retirement, May 19, 1908, the board at its annual meeting unanimously passed complimentary resolutions of thanks for his eight years' successful serv- ice, which he rendered without pay or emolument of any kind, his efforts being directly beneficial to the city of Columbus and the state of Ohio. Mr. Bohl is ever ready to offer good suggestions upon all appropriate occasions and the clearness of his explanations along both business and educational lines has long been recognized. The press has made public two facts in the life of Mr. Bohl worthy of note. In AAugu-t, 1907, the "Columbus Dispatch" said : "It is of interest to recall that about thirty years ago a resolution of inquiry concerning the Standard Oil Company which was introduced into the Ohio legislature by Henry Boll, now a citizen of Columbus and then a representative from Marietta,
Digtizco by Google
339
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS
Washington county, and that in the hearing which followed it the facts since developed were shown by ample evidence. This was probably the first official calling to account of this company in the United States, certainly the first in Ohio." Again the same paper of March 24. 1907, made mention of the fact that Henry Bohl was one of the original Taft men, speaking of him for presi- dent as early as September 7. 1893, when delivering a speech before the Me- Kinley and Hobart Club of Marietta. On February 19, 1904, in an interview in the "Columbus Dispatch," when Taft was serving as secretary of war, Mr. Bohl said that he would be the republican nominee for president in 1908 and would be elected.
Mr. Bohl is a member of several Masonie bodies and of the First Congre- gational church of Columbus. As a man and a citizen he has stood high in the estimation of the community in which he lived. While a man of strong con- vietions and one who stands by his opinions until they are overthrown with stronger reasons than mere negations, his sincerity makes friends of his oppo- nents. Always a man of high character, well grounded in integrity and re- liability, who esteems his word too much to swerve from it even though to do so might be to his advantage or material benefit, he can look back upon his past with satisfaction and forward to the future without doubts or apprehensions.
JOHN R. OSBORN.
John R. Osborn is serving for the third term as trustee of Blendon township and enjoys in large measure the confidence and good will of those who know him. His birth occurred in this township January 24, 1869, and he has always resided upon the old homestead farm, which was the property of his father, Ralph Osborn. The family was founded in Frank- lin county at a very early period in its settlement. The grandfather. George Osborn. is a native of Connecticut and was one of the first to locate in this part of the state. Ile conducted a tavern here in pioneer times in the days when travel was done by stage and his home was a place of entertain- ment for those who journeyed over the road. At that time there was only one house between his home and Columbus. In addition to condneting the tavern he also had a small farm but continued to carry on the hotel business throughout his active life. His children were Charles, Carlisle, Hiram, Ralph and Mary.
Of this family Ralph Osborn, father of our subject, was born in Blen- don township. February 4, 1818. His entire life was spent here on a farm and he successfully carried on the work of tilling the soil and also engaged in buying and selling stock. He owned about two hundred acres of land, which he brought under a high state of cultivation. the fields responding annually with golden harvests to the care and labor which he bestowed upon them. His entire life was spent in two dwellings, which were only a quar- ter of a mile apart. He was a life long democrat and also for many years a consistent and faithful member of the Presbyterian church. He married
Digiszoo by Google
340
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS
Susan T. Vincent, and they were well known as worthy pioneer people who enjoyed to the fullest extent the good will and confidence of those who knew them. The death of Ralph Osborn occurred when he had reached the age of eighty-eight years and nine months. He was at that time one of the old- est native residents of the county, having witnessed almost its entire de- velopment from the time when the white settlers invaded the hunting grounds of the Indians and claimed the country for the purpose of civiliza- tion. His wife was born in Delaware county and still survives at the age of seventy-three years, making her home with her son John. Mr. Osborn had been married twice, the children of his first marriage being: Carl, of Em- poria, Kansas; Hiram, a stock buyer living in Westerville; Henrietta, who makes her home in Columbus; Clarence, also of that city. By the second union there were also four children, as follows: Louise, the wife of McClel- lan Tyler, a resident of Parks Mills; John R. of this review; Abbie, the wife of William Taggert of Linden, and Nellie, the wife of Otto Neiswander, a resident of Columbus.
No event of special importance served to break the monotony of farm life for John R. Osborn in his boyhood. Later regarding this work as one which he believed would prove a congenial life occupation, he began farm- ing on his own account, remaining on the old homestead, where he now owns and cultivates one hundred acres of land, situated in Blendon town- ship, about two and a half miles south of Westerville. It is on the old plank road which was once the traveled highway of this part of the state. As the years have gone by he has placed his fields under a high state of cultiva- tion, introducing modern methods of farming in the achievement of results which have brought him gratifying prosperity.
In 1891 Mr. Osborn was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Stump, a native of Delaware county, and a daughter of Roy and Martha (Budd) Stump. They have one child, Pearl. In politics Mr. Osborn has been a life-long democrat and has been called to several local offices, serving now for the third term as township trustee. in which position he has discharged his duties with promptness and fidelity as indicated in his reelection. He is always on the side of improvement and progress and in citizenship does effective work for general advancement.
GEORGE JANTON, SR.
George Janton, at all times genial and approachable, at his death left he- hind hin a circle of friends almost co-extensive with the circle of his acquaint- ances and his memory is yet cherished by all who knew him. Honored and re- spected wherever known and most of all where he was best known. his life record may well serve in many respects as a source of inspiration and encour- agement to others, showing what may be accomplished through individual effort. While he won success he gained also an untarnished name, for his
Digtizoo by Google
341
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS
methods were ever in harmony with the strictest principles of business integrity.
Mr. Janton was born in Zweibrucken, Bavaria, June 19, 1833, and after his education was completed he learned the trade of a soap-boiler. Though but a boy of fifteen years at the time of the inauguration of the German Revolution of 1848, he took such an active part therein that it was necessary for him to leave his native land when the Revolutionary forces were overthrown. Accord- ingly he sought the liberty of the new world, landing in New York in 1853. His limited financial resources made it necessary that he seek immediate employ- ment but he did not find it in the metropolis and therefore went to Philadelphia where he had relatives living. His search for work was there crowned with success for, willing to follow any occupation that would yield him a living. he obtained a situation in a hair oil and soap factory, at a salary of four dollars per week. Out of this meager sum he had to pay his board and lodging, but he was undaunted by the outlook, although it did not seem especially bright. He labored with diligence and perseverance to gain advancement and he eagerly improved every opportunity that enabled him to take a forward step in his business career. In 1855, on the invitation of J. P. Bruck, father of ex-Mayor Philip H. Bruek, Mr. Janton came to Columbus and thereafter remained a resi- dent of the city until called to his final rest. He found work in a soap and candle factory and remained there only until 1856 when, with the aid of his friend and benefactor, Mr. Bruck, he established a soap factory of his own, be- . ginning the manufacture of fine toilet soap and candles. He used a wheelbar- row in delivering his own goods. The beginning was small and unimportant but the years have marked the growth of the business until the soap manufac- turing interests conducted under the name of the George Janton & Sons Company constitute today one of the most important and extensive industries of the city. The excellence of his product brought Mr. Janton a growing trade and after a brief period he admitted Alexander Lehman to a partnership and still later his brother, F. A. Janton, became a third partner. Mr. Lehman with- drew from the business in 1876 and his brother in 1881, after which Mr. Jan- ton remained alone until 1886, when he admitted his two eldest sons, George and Fred C. Janton to a partnership. He planned to take his third son, Otto, into the business in 1897. but the young man died that year and Alexander Janton was admitted to a partnership. As the years have gone by the business has steadily increased in volume and importance, the trade assuming mam- moth proportions, while its output has largely set the standard for soap man- ufacturing in this part of the state.
Mr. Janton was married in Columbus to Miss Christiana Schaeufele, whom he wedded in early manhood. His wife passed away February 5th, preceding his death, which occurred in October. 1905. There were a number of deaths in the family in the year 1897. On July 20. 1897, his son, Otto Janton died; George Janton, Jr. died December 5th, and soon after the son-in-law, Fred C. Gutheil died. December 18, all in the same year. Three children survived: Minnie, who is the widow of Fred C. Gutheil; Fred C., president and treasurer of the George Janton & Sons Company, and Alexander M. E., but the latter died in April, 1908.
Digitized by Google
342
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS
Mr. Janton was an honorary member of the Columbus Maennerchor which he joined neary a half century before his demise. He was also a member of the Liederkranz, the Odd Fellows Society and the Druids, and held membership in the Independent. Protestant church. He took an active and helpful interest in many measures pertaining to the general welfare and in business circles gained both prominence and prosperity. He never allowed the accumulation of wealth, however, to affect in any way his relations toward those less fortu- nate. His friendship was highly prized and it could always be won by gennine worth. He was probably the most prominent German citizen of Columbus, his opinions carrying weight with his fellow countrymen and with those of Ameri- can birth as well. He never weighed an act of his life in the scale of public policy but followed a course because he believed it to be right, never taking ad- vantage of his fellowmen in the slightest degree. In his career business enter- prise and commercial integrity were well balanced forces and while he made a notable record in commercial circles be displayed a most kindly and generous spirit, his personal qualities gaining him the enduring regard of his fellow- men.
ANTON BECKER.
Anton Becker, third vice president of the Ralston Steel Car Company, one of the most prominent industrial concerns of Columbus, is a young man of marked enterprise, whose ability and weight of character are carrying him into important business relations. Ile was born September 21, 1872, in the Netherlands, and is a representative of one of the old families there. The father, Christian Becker, also born in the same country, was a manufacturer of ornamental pottery. He wedded Maria Von Vonno, whose father was a grocer of that land.
Spending his boyhood days under the parental roof of his native country, Anton Becker acquired his early education in the public schools of Utrecht. Holland, and later supplemented his early educational training by a course in a normal school for practical as well as technical studies, from which insti- tution he was graduated in 1888. Shortly afterward he came to the United States and settled in the city of Chicago, meeting with many obstacles dne to foreign conditions. He was employed by the Pulhnan Car Company, de- signing passenger and freight equipment; was later with the Caswell Car Company: and subsequently with the Ralston Car Company. He came to Columbus in June, 1905, as the last named company removed their head- quarters from Chicago to this city for the purpose of manufacturing dump cars and other railroad equipment. This is one of the important industrial concerns of the city, controlling a volume of business that makes it a leading factor in the commercial activity and consequent prosperity of Columbus.
Mr. Becker is a member of the Ohio Chib, the Board of Trade, and of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, while his religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Nelson Memorial Presbyterian church. He has never found occasion to regret his determination to come to America but on the con-
Dignized by Google
ANTON BECKER
Pignzno by Google
THE NEW YORK " PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR. LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIOND.
Digitzoo by Google
345
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS
trary regards it as one of the wise moves of his life, as he has found in this country the business opportunities which he sought, and in their improve- ment has reached a place of considerable prominence in the business world.
W. B. CARPENTER, M.D.
Dr. W. B. Carpenter comes from a family noted for strong mentality and progressive spirit in relation to questions of vital import to the race. That he is recognized as one of the prominent representatives of the medical fra- ternity was indicated by his election to the presidency of the Ohio State Medi- cal Society. He began life's journey in Kingston, Ohio, February 19, 1856, and comes of Revolutionary stock on both sides of the family. The Carpenter ancestors came from the environs of London, England, sailing on the ship Bevis in 1638, and the line is traced farther back to John Carpenter, active in political life in 1303. Cobham or Greyhound coat of arms were granted in 1663 to William Carpenter. In the maternal line Dr. Carpenter is also of Revo- Intionary war stock, the great-great-grandfather, Nathaniel Brache, being with Washington's army near White Plains and at New York.
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.