USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > Centennial history of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, Vol. II > Part 9
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him respected and honored him because of his sterling worth. He was al- ways a man of action rather than theory, who saw what was to be done and put forth earnest effort to accomplish it not only in connection with his own business but in public affairs and in church work as well. It was a universal opinion that when he departed this life he passed on to larger fields of usefulness, while even in this world his work yet endures through the influence which his memory has upon the lives of those with whom he came in contact. His widow and children also hold membership in the First Methodist Episcopal church, and they occupy a nice residence at No. 1129 Bryden road, which is owned by Mrs. Glenn.
JAMES T. HOLMES.
James T. Holmes, attorney-at-law, was born at Uhrichsville, Ohio, a son of A. R. Holines, United States postoffice inspector, who since 1884 has been continuously in the service and is now located at Cincinnati. The son spent his boyhood days in his native town and afterward accompanied his parents on their removal to New Philadelphia. Ohio, where they still make their home. In the fall of 1889 he came to Columbus and entered upon the study of law in the Ohio State University, where he remained for two years and was then graduated with the class of 1891. He completed his studies in the law office of his uncle, Colonel J. T. Holmes of this city, and was admitted to the bar in October, 1892. He has practiced ever since, securing an extensive cli- entage and establishing a high reputation as an able and conscientious lawyer and as a man of high character. He is a member of both the county and state bar associations and also belongs to the Columbus Board of Trade. Ilis poli- tical allegiance has ever been given to the democracy and in the fall of 1908 he was his party's nominee for common pleas judge but with the rest of the ticket was defeated in the republican landslide of that year.
In December, 1897, Mr. Holmes was united in marriage to Miss May Gibbons, of Columbus, and with his wife and son he resides at No. 217 Wilbur avenne. He has never dissipated his energies over a wide field but has con- centrated his efforts upon his chosen calling and has therefore made steady and substantial progress in the difficult and arduous profession of the law.
JAMES A. ALLEN.
James A. Allen, the well known attorney, was born in Fallbrook, Penn- sylvania. November 3, 1866, and is the son of Alexander and Marian (Cook) Allen, both natives of Scotland, the mother having been boru in Allawa and the father in Glasgow. They migrated to America and were married in Pennsylvania. They were farmers and both have passed on to the great be- yond, dying at Youngstown, Ohio.
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James A. Allan remained on the farm until he reached his sixteenth year, working and going to school alternately, and later he entered Girard Academy, where he was graduated in 1883. From Girard he went to the Normal Academy at Lebanon and graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1884 and Bachelor of Arts in 1885. He was principal of the schools at Cameron, Missouri, in 1886 and in the fall of 1887 came to Co- lumbus and accepted a position in the Deaf and Dumb Institution for two years, having taken a one year course in law at Lebanon in the meantime.
After having completed his law studies in the office of Hon. J. H. Heit- mann, former mayor of Columbus, he was admitted to the practice in 1889 and formed a partnership with former Mayor S. J. Swartz, which continued for one year. Later he became associated with Judge George B. Okey, which partnership continued for fifteen years. He now practices alone with offices in the Harrison building.
He is one of the two republican members of the board of deputy state supervisors and inspectors of elections of Franklin county and is now entering the second term of four years. He is a member and past exalted ruler of the Columbus Lodge, B. P. O. E., and of the Grand Lodge. In 1907 he was made an honorary life member of the lodge. He has been a member of the Olen- tangy Club for years.
On November 5, 1891, Mr. Allen married Miss Blanche Filler, a daugh- ter of Henry J. Filler, who was superintendent of the Franklin Infirmary for fourteen years and steward of the Deaf and Dumb Institution for two years. Mr. Allen is a member of the Frankling Loan & Savings Company; director and attorney of the Ruggles-Gale Company; director of the Pfeiffer Show Print Company, and other minor companies as well as a member of the Franklin County Bar Association.
H. HUNTER, M. D.
Dr. H. Hunter, practicing medicine for sixteen years in Columbus, was borr. it Knox county, Ohio, October 14. 1862. His father, Richard Hunter, was also a native of that county, representing one of the oldest families in the state. It was in the year 1812 that the grandfather, Richard Hunter, Sr., came from Pennsylvania and entered land from the government in Knox county. The forests were uncut, the land uncultivated and the streams un- bridged and many an Indian wigwam occupied the site of the substantial homes of the present day. With the work of early development and improve- ment Richard Hunter became associated, and upon the home farm, amid the wild -cenes and environment of pioneer life Richard Hunter, Jr., was reared. There he spent his entire life, devoting his time and energies to general agricultural pursuits until his life's labors were ended in death in 1891, when he was fifty-six years of age. He married Miss Lovina Workman, a native of Coshocton, Ohio, who survived him for about twelve years and passed away in March, 1903.
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No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for Dr. Hunter in his boyhood and youth. He was reared under the parental roof and pursued his education in the public schools and the normal school, thus acquiring a good literary education. His professional training was obtained in the Starling Medical College, where he spent two years, and in the Ohio Medical University, where he spent one year, being graduated from the latter institution with the class of 1893. The same year he opened an office in Columbus, where he has since remained, and each year has marked a growth in his business and in the importance of the work he has done.
In 1896 Dr. Hunter was married to Miss Helen Snyder and they are widely and favorably known in this city. He belongs to the Masonie lodge, while in professional lines he is connected with the Academy of Medicine. He is conscientious in the performance of all professional duties, never fal- tering in any task that comes to him in this connection.
WILLIAM V. BAKER.
William V. Baker, as business manager for the Peruna Drug Manu- facturing Company, has established himself in a prominent place in com- mercial circles in Columbus. He has been associated with this enterprise since 1886 and his keen discernment and powers of control have been im- portant elements in the rapid and substantial growth of the business. Mr. Baker is one of Ohio's native sons, his birth having occurred in Fairfield county in 1863. His father, E. R. P. Baker, devoted his early life to farm- ing and afterward became an attorney at law. He was also prominent in the political interests of the state from 1870 until 1874.
To the common-school system of Ohio, William V. Baker is indebted for the early educational privileges which he enjoyed and during his youthful days he aided in the hard work of the farm, assisting in the task of plowing. planting and harvesting. In order to supplement his early education by more advanced knowledge he spent two years in the Ohio State University, where he remained until 1879, after which he engaged in teaching school for a time. In the meantime he read law and was admitted to the bar in 1885. For a year or two he then engaged in the practice of the profession and became assistant city solicitor to James Caren. At length he entered into an agree- ment with Dr. Hartman, of the Peruna Drug Manufacturing Company, to enter his service in 1886 as business manager and in that connection has since continued, covering a period of twenty-three years, during which time he has witnessed much of the growth of this great corporation. He brought to bear in his new duties sound judgment, clear sighted sagacity and a ready recog- nition of opportunities. He has made a close study of the best methods of placing the products of the house upon the market and through well directed activity has contributed in substantial measure to the growth of this busi- ness, which is today one of the most extensive productive concerns of the city.
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Aside from any business connection Mr. Baker is well known in social organizations, belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Mystic Shrine and also the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is likewise a member of the Columbus Board of Trade and is interested in all that pertains to the wel- fare and upbuilding of the city. Socially he is connected with the Columbus Club, the Arlington Country Club, the Columbus Country Club and the Ohio Club. A lover of fast horses he is the owner of a number that are frequently seen in the local races at the driving park during the season, as well as several who have made records on the grand circuit. He is known to all his friends and acquaintances as a man of generous impulses, of kindly spirit and genial disposition. while in commercial circles he is recognized as a first-class busi- ness man.
F. W. SCHUMACHER.
For thirty years a resident of America, F. W. Schumacher has in that time attained a commanding position in business circles, where today he con- trols important and constantly increasing manufacturing and commercial interests as the vice president of the Peruna Manufacturing Company. His specific duties are those of director of advertising, and to his efforts the mar- velous success of the house is partly due. as his labors have been the result- ant factor in bringing the output before the public.
A native of Germany. Mr. Schumacher left his home in Fehmarn, Hol- stien, to come to the United States with his parents, who settled in Waco, Texas. He was then a young lad, and in the public schools of Waco he con- tinned his education for some years, but eventually finished his course at a government institution of note in Lubeck, Germany, where he successfully passed his examinations. Two years later he was graduated from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, where he was awarded first honors and a gold medal for highest grades in all branches. Returning to Waco in 1882, he entered upon his active business career as manager of a retail drug store in that city, and the business ability, unabating industry and unfaltering determination which he displayed recommended him for successive promotions, his rapid advance being indicated in the fact that at the end of five years he had become secre- tary-treasurer of a large wholesale drug company in Waco. In a position of executive control and administrative direction, his business powers developed, proving the fact that activity does not tire, but hardens and gives resisting power. Each forward step in his business life has brought him a wider out- look and larger opportunities.
Mr. Schumacher made substantial advance in the business world when in 1897 he came to Columbus to associate himself with the Peruna Company, of which he is today vice president and the director of the advertising depart- ment. In the management of his department it is not unusual for him to annually disburse more than one million dollars in bringing the proprietary medicines of the Pernna Company to the attention of the people of the United States and several foreign countries, and this vast sum grows greater
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F. W. SCHUMACHER
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with each year's business. The advertising transactions, managed in a judi- cious and beneficial way, are perhaps the best gauge of his capabilities and the growth of the business. Such a work requires genius, keen, incisive dis- cernment and analysis, correct judgment and unlimited resourcefulness. Pos- sessing these requisites, it is therefore not a matter of marvel, but rather of logical sequence, that Mr. Schumacher is entrusted with the management of the most important and difficult department of one of the largest manufac- turing enterprises in the United States.
In 1895 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Schumacher and Miss Mari- bel Hartman, the accomplished daughter of Dr. S. B. Hartman, the founder and president of the Peruna Manufacturing Company. They are widely known in the social circles of the city, occupying a prominent position where intelligence and culture are received as passports into the best society. The record of Mr. Schumacher is a notably successful one. Though still young in years he is old in business experience, and in 1904 was selected from among twelve hundred capable business men to guide the progress of industry, com- merce, finance and civic development for a period of a year, as president of the board of trade, and entered upon this trust splendidly equipped to meet its varied requirements. He is today recognized as one of the most forceful, reliable and resourceful business men of his adopted city, his record being a valuable asset in the commercial history of Columbus.
BENJAMIN HENRY HARMON.
Benjamin Henry Harmon is the successful and popular manager of the Neil House and is interested financially and officially in various business con- cerns. He was born in this city February 20, 1862, of the marriage of Henry Harmon and Bertha Deering, who were here united in the bonds of wedlock in 1852. The mother was a native of this city but the father's birth occurred June 26, 1826, near Desseldorf, Bavaria. He was brought to America in 1828, the family home being established at Falmouth, Kentucky, where he continued his education by night study. Early in youth he started out in business life on his own account and in 1845 removed from Kentucky to Columbus, where he engaged in the clothing and fur business until 1873. In that year he turned his attention to the produce business and remained as an active factor in commercial circles until his life's labor were ended in death. Always interested in community affairs he gave hearty cooperation to many movements for the general good. and although he did not seek office was for one term a member of the city council. He became a charter member of the Humboldt lodge of Masons, attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, and for many years was closely and helpfully identi- fied with all local charities, possessing a philanthropic spirit and broad hu- manitarianism that prompted his generous support of all measures for the aid of his fellowmen. His wife died in October, 1873, and he passed away in September, 1902. Their family numbered the following sons and daughters:
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A. H. Harmon, who is engaged in the tailoring business in Columbus; Wil- liam II., proprietor of the Globe Tailoring Company, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Minnie, the wife of Samuel Bumenthal, of Columbus; Mollie, the wife of Henry Gumble, president of the Franklin County Bar Association. After losing his first wife, Henry Harmon was married to Miss Nettie Hahn, of Columbus, and they have two sons, Max and Jess.
After acquiring a publie-school education, Benjamin H. Harmon was employed by the Brown Brothers Abstracting Company, with which he was connected for four years. He afterward spent a similar period as carriage- trimmer in the employ of the Columbus Buggy Company and was then called to public office through appointment to the position of deputy auditor of the company. He remained in that position for a short time and then entered the service of the Columbus Hocking Coal & Iron Company, with which he re- mained three years. He was next reappointed deputy auditor of Franklin county. He remained in that position for a short time and then entered the service of the Columbus Hocking Coal & Iron Company, with which he re- mained for three years. He was next reappointed deputy auditor and re- mained in that connection for eleven years, discharging his duties with prompt- ness and fidelity, as is indicated by his long retention in office. In 1894 he was appointed assistant postmaster of Columbus and while acting in that capacity also served as chairman of the county campaign committee and of the city com- mittee when Mayor Black was chosen as chief executive of the city and the entire democratie ticket was elected. In 1898 he was the democratic candidate for county auditor but at that date the entire party ticket was defeated. He wa- next appointed receiver of the Southern Hotel and placed the property upon a paying basis. On the organization of the Iroquois Hotel Company he was appointed manager of the Southern, where he remained for six and a half years and then assumed the management of the Neil House, of which he still has charge. He has become well known as a popular and successful hotel man, studying closely the requirements of his guests and managing his hos- telry in accordance with most modern business methods. He is likewise secretary of the Iroquois Hotel Company, is a director in the Springfield Light & Power Company, and is thoroughly interested in various other business concerns. A prominent and active member of the Board of Trade he has been secretary of its convention committee for several years and during the last few years has been instrumental in securing for Columbus a great many im- portant national conventions.
On the 16th of October, 18SS, Mr. Harmon was married to Miss Fannie Kahn, a daughter of Joseph and Celia Kahn. Her father was one of the early business men of the city and the family is an old and prominent one here. Mrs. Harmon was a graduate of the Central high school and during her life was prominently identified with charitable work. She was a woman of splendid personal character, whose many good qualities won for her the love and esteem of all who knew her and when she passed away on the 15th of January, 1904, her death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret.
Mr. Harmon is a member of the Elks lodge and of the Improved Order of Red Men. the American Insurance Order and the B'Nai Israel Reform
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church. He gives his political allegiance to the democracy and is an active member of the Associated Jewish Charities, taking a helpful part in the work of and contributing liberally to the support of local charities. He has always been a man of action rather than theory, doing his work while others have discussed ways and means, and accomplished results where others have but formulated plans.
JOSIAH KINNEAR.
In the history of the carly pioneer families of Franklin county, it is imperative that mention be made of Josiah Kinnear, for the work of develop- ment and progress had been carried on only through the first third of the nineteenth century, when the Kinnear family was established in central Ohio. From the date of his birth Josiah Kinnear remained a resident of the county until his demise, and throughout the period of his manhood was active in its substantial improvement and for many years was closely asso- ciated with its official service.
He was born June 27, 1834, on the old Kinnear homestead on North High street. His parents were Samuel and Ellen Kinnear. They came to Ohio soon after the admission of the state in the Union, removing from Pennsylvania in 1806. They first settled in Pickaway county, where they resided until 1833 and then removed to Franklin county, which was still a pioneer district. The city of Columbus was then but a small town and other towns of the county seemed to give equal promise for as rapid and substan- tial development. Mr. Kinnear opened a hotel in what is now North Colum- bus and became a prominent and influential resident of the community, with a wide acquaintance. He served as justice of the peace for thirty-eight years and no higher testimonial of his efficiency could be given than the fact that he was so long continued in this office. His decisions were strictly fair and im- partial, being always based upon the law, the facts and the equity of the case. He was the first and only postmaster of North Columbus and held that office for a third of a century. His office, a small brick building, yet stands on High street near Tompkins street in the yard of what was his homestead in later years. He died March 6, 1867, and thus the county lost one of its early and representative citizens. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Ellen Hill, came to Ohio with her father's family from Virginia in 1813. She was then ten years of age and rode the entire distance on horseback, for it was iong before the period of railroad travel. The Hill home was estab- lished near Darbyville, Ohio.
Josiah Kinnear pursued his education in the public schools of Colum- bus, and also attended the University at Westerville and the Capital Uni- versity of this city, where he completed his studies .. Through much of his life he devoted his attention to surveying and for thirty years filled the office of county surveyor and city engineer, his skill and ability in those directions continuing him in the position of public trust. He was also elected sheriff of
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Franklin county in the early '70s, and probably held public offices for a longer time than any other resident of the city. Over the record of his offi- cial career there fell no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. On the contrary he was faultless in honor, fearless in conduct and stainless in reputation, re- garding a public office as a public trust and proving loyal at all times to the trust reposed in him.
On the 26th of March, 1857, Mr. Kinnear was married to Miss Josephine Shattuck, of Columbus, a daughter of Captain Alexander Shattuck, who was a native of Groton, Massachusetts, and came to Franklin county when it was a wild and unimproved region. Mr. Kinnear took his bride to the old farm homestead on North High street, where they continued to reside for fifteen years, or until 1872, when he removed to East Long street, there spending his remaining days. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kinnear were born three sons and a daughter: Samuel A .; William S .; Edgar F .; and Eliza F., now the wife of Fred M. Hoover.
The death of Mr. Kinnear occurred August 27, 1904, when he was sev- enty years of age. He was one of the oldest native sons of the county, hav- ing spent his entire life within its borders. While a surveyor, in 1854, he laid out North Columbus and was connected with many of the important early surveys of the county, the evidence of his work being found on the public records. He was careful, methodical, systematic, and his thoroughness and enterprise made him a most capable and efficient public officer. All who knew him esteemed him for his genuine personal worth and his friends found him a social, genial companion, who was always quick to recognize the good in others. His political support was given to the democracy and in his social relations he was connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, becoming treasurer of the latter on its organization. Few men had more intimate knowledge of the history of the county and the events which shaped its course and molded its policy. He represented one of its oldest families and took a most active and helpful part in all matters pertaining to its upbuilding and progress. His many sterling traits of character won him unqualified regard and thus when he passed away, his death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. Since her husband's demise Mrs. Kinnear has made her home on Jefferson avenue in Columbus.
WARREN W. SIMMONS.
Warren W. Simmons, secretary and general manager of the Central Ohio Building & Loan Company since 1903, and also interested to a considerable extent in city real estate, was born November 4, 1860, in Johnstown, Ohio. The family came originally from England and was founded in Virginia in colonial days. The grandfather, Van Simmons, was born in Winchester, Vir- ginia, in 1797, and in 1808 became a resident of Ohio, making the journey on foot from his old home to this then far western region. Three years later he
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returned to Virginia and was married. The young couple made their wed- ding journey on one horse, which they rode alternately in returning to the Ohio home which Mr. Simmons had prepared for his wife. Their first bed was made of eli bark and animal skins. A little cabin was furnished alto- gether in a most primitive manner and they entered into the hardships and privations of pioneer life and as the years passed they were able to add many of the comforts of modern civilization.
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