USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > Centennial history of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, Vol. II > Part 37
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Perey Jerome Briggs, who was one of a large family, was educated in the public schools of Columbus, passing through consecutive grades to his gradu- ation from the high school with the class of 1895. After completing school he went to New York city as bill clerk and collector, there remaining for a year. On the expiration of that period he returned to Columbus and worked with his father for a short time. He also attended night school, studying stenography and typewriting, after which he entered the employ of the Sun- day Creek Coal Company as clerk to the vice president, G. W. Bright. He remained in the employ of that concern until 1902, during which time he was promoted to the position of city manager of the wholesale and retail business. He then, in connection with George Barrere, purchased the pres- ent coalyard from the Sunday Creek Coal Company and they today conduct both a wholesale and retail business. In this venture they have met with success and their trade is constantly growing, having already assumed ex- tensive and profitable proportions.
In 1902 Mr. Briggs was married to Miss Clara Erfurt, a daughter of J. E. Erfurt, a well known pioneer contractor of this city. They have two children: George Jerome, born in 1903; and Dorothy Louise, born in 1904. Mr. Briggs is a member of the Buckeye Republican Club and is much inter- ested in politics. He has been prominent and active in republican circles for some years and in the fall of 1908 was republican candidate for infirmary director, to which office he was elected. He belongs to the west side board of trade and is a member of the First Congregational church. He is fond of fishing and hunting and the various interests of his life constitute well balanced forces which make his a well rounded character.
FRANCIS N. PILCHER, M. D.
Dr. Francis N. Pilcher, whose skill and ability as a medical practi- tioner entitles him to representation among the prominent members of the profession in Columbus, was born in Worthington, Franklin county, Ohio, August 13, 1869. His father, the Rev. J. N. Pilcher, a native of Athens, Ohio, was a minister of the Methodist church. capably filling many pulpits throughout this state. While a student in the Ohio University at Athens he was a classmate of a number of men who have since become famous, among
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them being General Charles Grosvenor, Bishop Moore and Bishop Cranston of the Methodist church. For a number of years he was president of Worth- ington Academy and left the impress of his individuality for good upon the communities with which he was connected in ministerial and other capacities. Though now past the seventy-eighth milestone on life's journey, he is still a hale and hearty old gentleman, spending the winter months in the south, while during the summer he resides on the old home place in Athens county. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Florence M. Sibley, is a sister of Judge Hiram L. Sibley, of the state codifying commission.
Dr. Francis N. Pilcher acquired his preliminary education in the schools of Athens county, to which place his father had been called to preach. Subse- quently he attended Wesleyan University at Delaware and then took up the study of medicine, being graduated from the Columbus Medical College in 1891. Thus thoroughly equipped for the duties of his chosen calling, he began practice in Athens county, where he remained eleven years, six years of that period being spent at Jacksonville and five years at Guys- ville. Since 1902, however, he has been numbered among the able physi- cians of Columbus, his success in the administration of remedial ngencies and the restoration of health insuring him a constantly growing and highly remunerative patronage. Moreover, his membership in the Academy of Medicine and the State and County Medical Societies keeps him in close touch with the advance that is being continually made by the profession.
In 1892 Dr. Pilcher was united in marriage to Miss Jennie B. Phillips, a sister of C. T. Phillips, a prominent wall paper merchant, and a half sister of Dr. A. C. Wolfe, whose sketch appears on another page of this work.
Mrs. Pilcher was born in Bishopville, Morgan county, Ohio, December 28, 1871, and was left motherless in her twelfth year. Her father was J. C. Phillips, of Malta, Ohio. At fifteen years of age Mrs. Pilcher went to the home of her half-brother, Dr. A. C. Wolfe, then at Jacksonville, where she resided for some years, pursuing her education in the public schools of that village and also in the Ohio University. Later she became a successful teacher, ever seeking in this vocation to impress upon the minds of her pupils that the most important work of life is to build up a noble character. By her marriage she became the mother of two children, Herman Nelson, who was born September 28, 1894, and died January 28, 1899; and Albertus Phillips, born May 17, 1905. Mrs. Pilcher was always most devoted to her family. No wife could be a more unselfish. faithful helpmate and loving mother. She was a long and devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church in the faith of which she was reared, her parents having been active and helpful members thereof. She was also an active, devoted Christian, an efficient teacher in the Sunday school. and at various times capably filled different offices in the Missionary and Ladies' Aid Society of the church to which she belonged. She also worked among the very poor, who always excited her warm sympathies, and they found in her indeed a faithful friend. When she passed away at her home in Columbus. November 16, 1908. the news of her death was received with great sorrow by those closest to her to whom she was greatly endeared. At the time of her demise one of
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the local papers said of her: "Gifted with a bright mind, lofty in her am- bitions, of far more than ordinarily fine presence, pleasing manner and generous spirit, Mrs. Pilcher was born with the instincts of a lady and shone as such in all the highest elements of womanly life and character. Naturally genial and gentle, when well, also cheery as a sunbeam-play- ful at times as the babes and children she loved, her influence upon many, young and old, will be a benediction to pass on in their lives, with the running 'flood of years.' 'Jennie' was the name by which friends dolighted to call her. She quickly gained their love and made them feel that in all circumstances she was pure and true-cver of exalted aim and purpose whether in the joys or trials of life."
JOHN H. ARNOLD.
John H. Arnold, attorney at law and prominent in republican circles in Columbus, was born in Freeport, Pennsylvania, December 11, 1862. His parents, Richard V. and Araminta J. (Holmes) Arnold, were also na- tives of the Keystone state and were of Scotch-Irish ancestry. The father was a Inmberman, following that business until his death, which occurred in 1884. His wife still survives and is now a resident of Columbus. He was connected with the Bricker family, who owned the first grist mill west of the Allegheny mountains, which is still in possession of the family and is yet being operated. Isaac Bricker was a scout at Fort Pitt and the family was closely connected with the pioneer development of the state. That the work of civilization had been carried forward to only a slight degree when they removed to the west was indicated by the fact that many Indians still lived in this section of the country. On one occasion they captured the young brother of Isaac Bricker and he was reared by them. The Bricker family owned several thousand acres of land in the vicinity of Pittsburg, while the Holmes family were slave owners of Chester county, Pennsylvania, at an early day. Richard V. Arnold, the father of our subject, owned the first steam planing mill west of the Allegheny mountains, and altogether was a very successful lumberman, owning mills and lumber interests in both the north and south. He also became a prominent contractor and erected a number of courthouses in different places. Neither was he unknown in political circles for he stanchly advocated the principles in which he be- lieved and raised the first republican flagpole at Greensburg. Pennsylvania, while his father. John Arnold, raised the first democratic flag-pole at that płace.
John H. Arnold pursued his education in the public schools of Pitts- burg, and after leaving the high school there attended the Freeport Acad- emy, from which he was graduated in 1879. He then went to Bloomington, Maryland, and was with his father in the sawmill business for six years. On the 1st of October. 1885, he came to Columbus and was foreman of the Case Manufacturing Company, but while busily engaged in the management
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of industrial interests during the daytime he devoted his evening hours to reading law under the direction of Henry F. Guerin, and was admitted to the bar in October, 1894. He has since been admitted to practice in the United States courts as well, and has been accorded a liberal patronage, his professional duties often being of a most important character. He is heavily interested in several mines in the west, is president of the Olentangy Mining Company, at Chesaw, Washington, and is attorney for the Frank G. Thomp- son Company, of Columbus, Toledo and Detroit.
On the 17th of Angust, 1904, Mr. Arnold was married to Miss Eleanor Moore of Columbus, Ohio, and they occupy an enviable position in the social circles of the city. Mr. Arnold is prominent politically as a supporter of the republican party, serving for some time as chairman of the city republican committee. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity and to the Junior Order of American Mechanics, in which he has continuously served as a state officer. He is also a member of the Franklin County Bar Asso- ciation, and a member of the Ohio Club of this city. His laudable ambition led him into a walk of life demanding keen intellectuality and a most faithful adherence to professional duty, and as the years have gone by he has gained for himself a creditable place at the Columbus bar and won an important and constantly increasing clientele.
WILLIAM A. MILLER.
A list of the commercial and industrial interests with which William A. Miller is closely allied indicates at once his high position in business circles. His activities and breadth of view concerning industrial questions has led to his classification with the captains of industry of the capital city, and his in- terests have uniformly been of a character which have contributed to public progress as well as to individual advancement. He is perhaps best known to his fellow citizens as president of the Godman Shoe Company, and yet his ac- tivities and investments extend to various other lines which make his career seem marvelous from the fact that his youth was that of the ordinary village lad, his advantages being in no way superior to those that most boys of the time enjoyed. His birth occurred in Lancaster. Ohio, November 13, 1857, his parents being Gotlieb and Charlotte (Frederick) Miller, natives of Wurtemberg and Baden, Germany, respectively. The father came to America in 1835, landing at Philadelphia after a long voyage upon one of the old time sailing ships. He believed that he would have better opportunities in the new and growing west, and from Philadelphia walked the entire distance to Columbus, bringing with him all of his belongings. There were no railways or other modern facil- ities for traveling at that date, but undeterred by the hardships of such a trip he continued on his way and after reaching the capital city journeyed to Lan- caster. Ohio, where he opened a shoe shop. With the growth of his trade he extended his business interests until he was proprietor of a factory which he operated throughout his remaining days. At times he employed as many as
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twenty men and his factory was regarded as an immense concern at that time. A year or so after his arrival in the new world he was joined by his father and several brothers who were also shoemakers. It was after establishing his home in Lancaster that Gotlieb Miller wedded Miss Charlotte Fredrick, a young Ger- man who came to America and made her way to Lancaster, there to become the wife of the lover who had preceded her to the new world.
William A. Miller, reared in the village of Lancaster, received his in- tellectual training in the schools of that town and a thorough religious training from his parents, who were devout members of the German Lutheran church. The principles of integrity, industry and uprightness which were then impressed upon his mind have in later life borne rich fruit. During the regular school vacations he learned the shoemaker's trade with his father and also received thorough training in the best methods of raising garden products, while knowl- edge upon kindred matters of economy also came to him through actual ex- perience.
Mr. Miller was a youth of about nineteen years when he sought the broader business opportunities of the city, and in 1876 came to Columbus where he engaged as clerk with the firm of Hodder & Godman, successors to J. W. Cans- ton, dealer in leather and findings. The firm name was afterward changed to the J. II. Godman, Jr., Company and later to the H. C. Godman Company. Mr. Miller remained with the house through its varions changes and has been continuously connected therewith since 1876, or for a period of one-third of a century. He has filled the various positions through the manufacturing end of the business, being elected president of the company in 1902. They man- ufacture middle grade shoes and the house sustains an unassailable reputation for commercial integrity. fair dealing, and for the solid value of their goods. To this, combined with capable management and executive direction, the ex- panse and development of the business is due. The enterprise has continually grown in extent and importance until the company today employs about two thousand people on an average throughout the year, having four branch fac- tories, at Lancaster, Ohio, with a capacity of twenty thousand pairs of shoes daily. Their copyrighted trade mark is the Sphinx-"Reliability," which is well known and has become a synonym for reliable goods.
Mr. Miller is a resourceful man of marked enterprise who can at all times call upon reserve force to meet the contingencies that continually arise in every business enterprise. His cooperation has been sought in the conduct and man- agement of various important interests, and in addition to acting as president of the Godman Shoe Company he is also president of the Guarantee Title and Trust Company, and president of the Columbus Clay Products Company, while in the Columbus Forge & Iron Company he is also interested and in the Kin- near Manufacturing Company.
In 1879 Mr. Miller was married to Miss Anna Mary Halbadel and they have two children, Frederick A., general manager of the H. C. Godman Com- pany, and Catherine A.
Mr. Miller is a member of the Columbus Club and has appreciation for the social amenities of life, but prefers to express his social nature in private friendships rather than in association with club interests. He is at all times
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and in every relation a man of practical common sense. He has been watchful of all the details of his business and of all the indications pointing toward pros- perity and has ever had an abiding faith in the ultimate success of his enter- prise. He has gained wealth, yet it was not alone the goal for which he was striving, and he belongs to that class of representative American citizens who promote the general prosperity while advancing his individual interests.
GENERAL HENRY A. AXLINE.
Few men of Columbus have been more prominent or more widely known than General Henry Augustus Axline, who for almost three decades has been closely associated with the interests of the city, while his entire life has been passed in the state. He is a man of keen discernment and sound judgment and has displayed in his entire career such fertility of resource, marked enterprise and well defined plans as to deserve classification with those who are controlling the varied important interests of the state. Born in Muskingum county, Ohio, near the village of Fultonham. September 16, 1848, he was a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Crooks) Axline. On the paternal side he comes of Prussian ancestry. His great-grandfather, Chris- topher Axline, was a native of Prussia and served with distinction in the Prussian cavalry under Frederick the Great. While the United States was still numbered among the colonial possessions of Great Britain he came to America and during the period of the Revolutionary war engaged in the production of nitre for the manufacture of gunpowder for the American troops. In consequence of this his property was confiscated by the British. His son, John Axline, removed to Loudoun county, Virginia, where he died in 1832 at the age of ninety-three years. Ile was the first settler of this family in that county. He was born in 1739 and was a farmer by occu- pation. He served as a captain in the Virginia line in the Revolutionary war. His family included Henry Axline, who was born in Virginia, March 30, 1788. He, too, made farming his life work and in 1823 removed from the Old Dominion to Ohio, establishing his home in the beautiful lower Buckeye valley, surrounded by wooded highlands. He married Elizabeth (Springer) Crooks, who was born Angust 23, 1808, in Muskingum conuty, Ohio. Two half brothers of General Axline, Andrew I. and John C. Springer, served with the American army under General Winfield Scott in the Mexican war.
After mastering the elementary branches of learning in the public schools General Axline attended the Fultonham Academy and also pursued a course in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, where he was gradu- ated with the class of 1872. He won high honors in mathematics and other studies, pursued the full classical course and received from the university the degrees of Bachelor and Master of Arts. As a youth he was fond of ontdoor sports and especially enjoyed the old-time fox chase among the hills of Mus- kingum and Perry counties. He was moreover a student and read with avidity and profit every book which he could secure in the days of his
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youth and early manliood. All subjects and lines of reading and study ap. pealed to him but he was especially interested in scientific works. Through- ont his life he has remained a student, carrying his investigations far and wide into the realms of thought and knowledge, and self-culture has made him noted for his strong mentality and broad and comprehensive views of many subjects. When but seventeen years of age he engaged in teaching and followed the profession for several years before entering college, his labors in this direction supplying him with the funds necessary for his col- legiate course. His work as an educator was extremely successful and for four years, from 1874 to 1878, he acted as superintendent of the Dresden public schools, was then principal of the Zanesville high school for two years and from 1873 until 1879 was county school examiner. He retired from teaching with a life certificate of the state board of examiners nuthoriz- ing him to teach in the highest schools of the state. He has remained throughout his life a champion of the cause of public and higher education and his influence and labors have been effective forces in the promotion of intellectual progress.
After completing his collegiate course General Axline took up the study of law in the office and under the direction of John W. King, a well known attorney of Zanesville, and the following year was admitted to the bar on successfully passing the examination before the Ohio supreme court. In 1880 he was licensed to practice in the United States district courts and in 1896 before the United States supreme court. He has since remained a representa- tive of the profession and has successfully conducted some important con- tentions in the courts. At times other business interests have largely claimed his attention but he still continues a member of the bar, with offices in the Board of Trade building. He has always been an interested student of the science of law and his careful analysis has enabled him to readily recognize the points in jurisprudence which bear upon the case in his charge. Ex- tending his interests into other lines of activity, however, he was for a mm- ber of years president of the Columbus Buggy & Manufacturing Company, which lost its plant through a disastrous fire in 1892. He projected, organized and constructed the Columbus, Urbana & Western Railway and for three years was its president and general manager.
General Axline has enjoyed equal distinction in military circles. Al- though but a boy at the time of the Civil war, he was constrained by a spirit of patriotism to espouse the Union cause and became a private of Company G, One Hundred and Fifty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry: later was con- nected with Leib's Mounted Squadron and with Company G. One Hundred and Ninety-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was the youngest soldier from Muskingum county but his service was brilliant and gallant and won him the favorable attention and commendation of his superiors. He served as orderly and conrier with Generals Hancock, Brooks, Wallace and other commanders and, though but a boy in years, made a splendid military record. His interest in the military organization of the state has never abated and in 1877 he served as captain in the National Guard. He was then major from 1877 until 1880, was lieutenant colonel in 1880-1, colonel
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and assistant adjutant general from 1881 until 1884, major general and ad- jutant general from 1886 until 1890 and again from 1896 until 1900 and retired with the rank of major general in January, 1900. In January, 1880, he was appointed chief clerk in the office of the adjutant general of Ohio, while in March, 1881, he became assistant adjutant general, to which posi- tion he was re-appointed in January, 1882. He served from January, 1886, until January, 1890, as adjutant general and from January, 1896, until 1900 again filled the same position. His labors have been so effective and beneficial in organizing and promoting the military interests of the state that he is called the father of the National Guard of Ohio. In the meantime he again responded to the country's call, enlisting for service in the Spanish-American war as colonel of the Tenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was in command at Camp Bushnell and organized the Ohio troops. Ile took the Tenth Regiment into the field and commanded the First Brigade, First Division of the Sec- ond Army Corps. He received especially complimentary mention in orders of his superior officers for his splendid work in the service. His brigade was recognized by all as the best drilled and most efficient in the corps by reason of its discipline and soldierly appearance. At the time of the great Johnstown flood in Pennsylvania in 1889 he had the honor of taking the first relief train to that city.
In politics always a republican, General Axline has long been recog- nized as one of the prominent party workers, serving on county, district and state committees. His brilliant oratory makes him one of the leading cam- paign speakers and while he has never sought many offices of a purely politi- cal nature, he has served as deputy collector of internal revenue since 1905 and has proved a most capable and efficient incumbent in the office. His gifts of oratory are frequently employed outside of the political field and he is said to have no superior as an impromptu speaker at camp fires. Promi- nent in the Grand Army of the Republic, he has held various offices in the local organization and was assistant adjutant general of the Grand Army of Ohio in 1885-6. He also belongs to the Spanish War Veterans and was first adju- tant general in 1899 and 1900. He is likewise a member of the Military Order of Foreign Wars, which he joined in 1898, is past commander of the Ohio Commandery and the present judge advocate general of the National Commandery. Since 1869 he has been an exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity and he also belongs to the Delta Tau Delta, a college fraternity.
Pleasantly situated in his home life, General Axline was married at Delaware, Ohio, July 16, 1874, to Miss Helen Maude Westlake, also a gradu- ate of the Ohio Wesleyan University. She is deeply interested in charitable work, being especially active in the Woman's Educational & Industrial Union of Columbus. General and Mrs. Axline have one child. Tella Maude, the wife of Claude B. DeWitt, a prominent attorney of Sandusky, Ohio, by whom she has one son, Axline Claude DeWitt. Such in brief is the history of General Henry A. Axline, whose great energy and enterprise have made him a dynamic force in every work that he has undertaken. The centrality of his service is found in his devotion to every canse which he espouses. Cap-
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