USA > Ohio > Coshocton County > Centennial history of Coshocton County, Ohio, Vol. I > Part 42
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recommendation of the faithful discharge of his duties. He was one of the most efficient officers the country ever had. Colonel MeClain died March 31, 1880. His wife bore the maiden name of Catherine Elson and is still living at the advanced age of eighty-three years.
Dr. McClain pursued his education in the district schools and in the Lafayette high school, prior to entering the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, this state. With broad literary knowledge to serve as the founda- tion upon which to rear the superstructure of professional learning, he next entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Chicago and won the M.D. degree in 1895. Immediately following the completion of his course there he began practice in Coshocton, where he has remained continuously sinee, save the time devoted to post-graduate study in the Chicago Clinical School. While he engages in general practice and enjoys a lucrative patron- age therein, he specializes to some extent in surgery and is most competent in that regard. He keeps abreast with the leading members of the profes- sion through the interchange of thought and experience in the meetings of the Coshocton Medical Association, the Ohio Medical Society and the Ameri- can medical Association, in all of which he holds membership.
In June, 1895, occurred the marriage of Dr. MeClain and Miss Mary Burt, of West Lafayette, Ohio, and they are well known socially in the city, having many friends here. Dr. MeClain is a member of the various Masonic bodies, including the chapter and commandery, and he belongs to the Metho- di-t Episcopal church. Ile takes an active interest in local affairs and was formerly a member of the board of health and the board of publie safety, but while his interest in matters of general importance is that of a public- spirited citizen, his time and attention are chiefly devoted to his profession, wherein he has attained considerable success. Not all who become fol- lowers of the medical profession attain success therein. It demands special fitness-a quick sympathy, combined with readiness of perception in determining the remedies that are needed for the peculiar condition of the patient. To these qualities must also be added a broad, comprehensive and accurate knowledge of the principles of the medical science. In all of these particulars Dr. McClain is well qualified and thus he is continually making advancement.
JUDGE JULIUS C. POMERENE.
Judge Julius C. Pomerene, lawyer and jurist, whose name is now on the roll of the county's honored dead, was one of the distinguished members of the Ohio bar. He well merited the honor and success which came to him, for he labored earnestly to secure advancement, realizing that in no profession does progress depend more largely upon individual merit than in the practice of the law. He gained notable distinction through the fit utilization of the innate talents which were his, becoming an able lawyer with keen analytical and logical mind, giving to his clients the benefit of ripe ability and unquali- fied allegiance. He possessed a mind of singular precision and power, capable
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of an impartial view of both sides of the question and of arriving at a just conclusion. His life history forms an important chapter in the annals of this county.
Family tradition has it that the founder of the family in America was a French youth, Julius Pomerene, who ran away from home, was secreted by La Fayette on one of his vessels and, after the arrival of the French troops in the new world, served with the American forces through the Revolutionary war, one account claiming that he held the rank of sergeant under General La Fayette. After the close of the war he became a resident of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and was there married to Magdalena Heller, a Ger- man lady.
Julius C. Pomerene, a son of Julius and Elizabeth (Piersol) Pomerene, was born in Salt Creek township, Holmes county, Ohio, June 27, 1835. His boyhood and youth were spent upon the farm where his father settled on removing from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1819. There the father of our sub- ject lived until called to his final rest in 1863, his time and energies being devoted to general agricultural pursuits. His son and namesake, Judge Pomerene, was a pupil in the district schools until he reached the age of seventeen years, when he matriculated in Mount Union College, where he remained for two years. He did not have the means to pursue an uninter- rupted course through college and he spent his summers and vacations at work on the farm, while in the fall and winter months he taught or attended school as necessity and opportunity pointed the way. He was for one year a student in the Hayesville Academy and altogether spent about three years in the acquirement of a higher education.
Ambitious to become a member of the bar, Judge Pomerene began read- ing law as a student in the office and under the direction of Hoagland & Reed. then the leading attorneys of Holmes county, with whom he continued for a year. At the expiration of that period he entered the State and Union Law College at Cleveland, Ohio, from which he was graduated in June, 1859. In November of the same year he located for practice at Coshocton and remained an active and prominent member of the bar until his election to the bench of the circuit court in 1892. He was first associated in partnership with Col- onel Josiah Given, another one of the judges of the supreme court of Iowa, and this connection continued until the outbreak of the Civil war. Judge Pomerene afterward practiced alone for about eighteen months and was then associated with Benjamin S. Lee for six years. On the dissolution of that partnership he joined Etherington T. Spangler in a partnership that re- mained in effect for fifteen years. Judge Pomerene was then alone in prac- tice until 1886, when on the admission of his son, William R., the firm of J. C. and W. R. Pomerene was formed. There was no interruption to this association until January 1, 1893, when Judge Pomerene withdrew to take his place upon the bench of the circuit court. In the meantime he had gained distinction as one of the foremost members of the bar of northern Ohio. One who knew him well said of him:
"There is not a man in Coshocton county who is more highly respected as a citizen than Judge Pomerene. He is a gentleman both by nature and
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education. He is upright in his intercourse with his fellow citizens and has a thorough appreciation of the rights of others. IIe is a man of firm con- victions, though not dogmatical in enforcing his views on others. He is open, frank and sincere in his manner and has the confidence and esteeni of all those who come to know him well. As a lawyer he has long been one of the foremost at this bar. He is conscientious with his clients and is regarded as a safe counselor. Ile had a large practice before he went on the beneli, which was of a general nature, though he had more chancery practice, per- haps. than business in open court. He is recognized as one of the best read lawyers in this section of the state and is eminently qualified for the judicial ermine."
Such was Judge Pomerene's position in the public regard that when he received the democratic nomination for one of the judges of the fifth judicial district it was at once conceded that it was almost useless to place an op- ronent in the field. His election was a foregone conclusion and the record which he made on the bench is perhaps best told in the words of an eminent member of the Ohio bar, who said:
"Judge Pomerene is an able jurist. He is adapted by nature and edu- cation for a judge. He has an equitable mind and is well grounded in the principles of law. He is clear and concise in his statements of questions of law and eminently just in his decisions. He is conservative and safe rather than brilliant, and his judgment has been sustained by the supreme court. The purity of his life, the honesty of his purpose and his close adherence to the practice of law, to the exclusion of everything else since he entered the profession, are other elements of his character that have raised him in the esteem of the members of the bar in the district. He has maintained him- self well in the position of judge and fully met the expectations of those who placed him there."
As previously indicated. Judge Pomerene was a stalwart democrat, yet was without those qualities that are characteristic of the so-called politician. He was a believer in the principles of his party and recognized the obligations of citizenship but never countenanced in the slightest degree the employment of political methods which would not bear the closest investigation. On the bench he never allowed partisanship or personal prejudice to interfere with the faithful administration of justice and his decisions were not only strictly fair but were based also upon a comprehensive knowledge of the law. He was yet the incumbent in the office of circuit judge when death came to him suddenly December 23, 1897.
Judge Pomerene is still survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. Mrs. Pomerene, who bore the maiden name of Irene Perky, was a daughter of John F. and Julia Perky, of Hancock county, Ohio. The sons are Wil- liam R. and Frank E., associates in the practice of law under the firm name of Pomerene & Pomerene, while the daughter, Helen, is the wife of Lincoln C. Carson, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. She was born September 28, 1869, and was a student in the Coshocton public schools, in Granville Female College of Granville, Ohio, and a convent school at Nottingham, near Cleve-
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land. She was married November 11, 1903, and has one daughter, Helen Pomerene Carson, born September 27, 1904.
Such in brief is the life history of Judge Pomerene. He was a man re- spected and honored by young and old, rich and poor. He had many warm friends and those who came within the closer circle of his acquaintance found him a most genial companion, while all who knew him entertained for him the esteem which the world instinctively pays in recognition of genuine worth. During his practice his course was such as to reflect credit upon the bar of this district and state. He conducted important litigation in the state and federal courts with gratifying success, winning well earned fame and distinction. He convinced by his concise statements of law and facts rather than by word painting and his assertions in court were seldom questioned seriously, so high was the respect for his legal ability and integrity. He was an able, faithful and conscientious minister in the temple of justice and gave to his client the service of great talent, unwearied industry and rare learning.
JOSEPH L. MeDOWELL.
Joseph L. McDowell, who at the age of fourteen was serving as page in the Ohio legislature, is now classed with the leading lawyers of Coshocton and is now serving as county prosecuting attorney. He was born in this city April 6, 1874, of the marriage of John and Catherine (Kelly) MeDowell, both of whom were natives of Ireland. The father, coming to America in early manhood, spent a short time in Cooperstown, New York, and thence removed to Coshocton, Ohio, where he learned the blacksmith's trade. At the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted as a mechanic and worked at black- smithing in the government service throughout the period of hostilities. When peace had been restored, he returned to Coshocton, where he again followed his trade, becoming known as an enterprising, progressive and suc- cessful mechanic. While never an aspirant for public office, he was a worker in the ranks of the democratic party and his efforts in its behalf were far- reaching and beneficial. He died in 1900, at the age of sixty-three years.
Joseph L. McDowell, spending his boyhood days in his father's home, was sent to the public schools of Coshocton and while receiving theoretical training there, was also having the practical experiences which come to the boy who early learns the value of money by earning it. He worked as a newsboy and bootblack in his early youth and at the age of fourteen years was given the position of page in the state legislature, being the first demo- cratie page to serve in a republican house. He continued there for eight years and then went with Senator Calvin Bryce to Washington. He re- mained at the national capital, however, for only two months, when he asked to be returned to the Ohio legislature, as the emoluments were greater there and living expenses less. While acting as page in Columbus he attended night school under Professor King and began reading law with Captain E. W. James. the pioneer attorney of Coshocton. as his preceptor. A laudable
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ambition prompted him in this course and has constituted one of the strong features in his later advancement. In the fall of 1895 he entered the Cin- cinnati Law College, was graduated therefrom in the class of 1898 and was admitted to the bar on the 11th of June. Immediately afterward he opened an office in the Forbes block in Coshocton, where he bugan the practice of his profession. He has practiced independently and has secured a liberal clientage, for he soon demonstrated his ability to cope with older and more experienced lawyers. He has won many notable cases-a fact which is due to his careful and thorough preparation and his correct application of legal principles to the points at issue. Ile served as city solicitor for four years, from 1900 until 1904, and in 1906 was elected prosecuting attorney of Coshocton county, which position he is now capably filling. In this connec- tion he is a faithful guardian of the legal interests of the county and one whose ability has gained for him high commendation.
Mr. McDowell is a member of Coshocton Lodge, No. 976, B. P. O. E .. and also belongs to the Knights of Columbus and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, while of the Catholic church he is a communicant.
On the 5th of August, 1907, Mr. McDowell was married to Miss Ella Conerty, of Coshocton, a daughter of Farley Couerty. who is a member of the board of public service in this city. The record of Mr. MeDowell is marked by advancement through successive stages and he certainly deserves the proud American title of a self-made man. Whatever he has accomplished, whatever success he has won and whatever fame he has achieved are attrib- utable to his well directed efforts and the wise use of his native talents and powers.
M. SPELLACY.
In recent years Coshocton's development has been very rapid. Many business concerns have here found a profitable field and their trade interests are bringing the city into close touch with other parts of the country. Each successful industry should be a matter of pride to the citizens in that it is a factor in the general progress and improvement here. The Spellacy-Raiff Enameling Company is now conducting a prosperous concern in the manu- facture of high grade enameled kitchen ware.
The president of the company, M. Spellacy, was born in Clare county, Ireland, in 1844 and was therefore only about six years of age when in 1850 his parents, John and Nora (Hartney) Spellacy, brought their family to the United States. They located first in Vermont and the father became identi- fied with railroad work there. He lived at various places and after the break- ing out of the Civil war engaged in contracting and railroad building, with which he was identified until he reached the evening of life. He died in 1888 at the very venerable age of ninety-two years.
M. Spellacy began railroad work at an early age, carrying water for the construction crews when but a lad of ten years. From water boy he gradu- ally worked his way upward until he became a railroad contractor and for
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some thirty-five years was prominently and extensively engaged in railroad construction. During this period he built many miles of railroad and was employed by a number of the leading railroad companies of the country. In 1903 he became a factor in the development of the oil interests in Harrison county and is still associated with this work, in which he has attained a notable measure of success. A man of resourceful ability, however, he has not confined his attention to a single line but has engaged in various fields of business enterprise, readily recognizing a favorable opportunity. In 1905, with others, he organized the Spellaey-Raiff Enameling Company for the manufacture of enameled ware. They established their plant in Coshocton and it is today one of the leading industries of the city. Mr. Spellacy was chosen president of the company, which is operated along most modern bus- iness lines. The plant is splendidly equipped with the most modern and im- proved machinery and the processes of manufacture are such as to bring out a ware that is equal to any on the market. They guarantee their enamel to be absolutely free from any arsenic, lead or any impure or harmful material and it is not affected by solutions of eighty to ninety per cent of acetic acid when boiled to dryness. Although the enterprise is a comparatively new one. the output is now one hundred and twenty-five dozen pieces of ware per day and the entire amount has been sold to the Atlantic Stamping Company, of Rochester, New York. The business from the beginning has attracted gen- eral attention and favorable comment, owing to the character and superior quality of the product manufactured. Skilled workmen are employed and the reputation of the house has always been fully sustained. Such has been the growth of the business that a new furnace and factory were erected, enab- ling the company to double its output.
Mr. Spellacy is a democrat in polities but has had neither time nor ineli- nation to seek office. He has always concentrated his energies upon his busi- ness affairs. He embodies all the elements of what in this country we term a "square man"-one in whom to have confidence, a dependable man in any relation and any emergency. He is ready to meet any obligation of life with the confidence and courage that eome of conscious personal ability, right conception of things and an habitual regard for what is best in the exercise of human activities.
FRANK ASHMAN.
Frank Ashman has the distinction of being the only republican probate judge elected in Coshocton county in fifty-two years. He is one of the native sons of the city of Coshocton, born on the 18th of January, 1877. his father being Fred Ashman who was a coal miner and lived here almost his entire life. The family is of English lineage. After attending the pub- lic schools of this city, Frank Ashman continued his education in Oberlin College and the Ohio State University. In the meantime he learned the printer's trade, but a desire for a career of broader opportunities led him to
FRANK ASHMAN
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seek a more advanced education than he had obtained in the public schools. and to supplement his university course by the study of law, whereby he prepared for active practice at the bar. He was admitted in 1904 and on the Ist of July, 1907, opened an office in Coshocton. He had displayed the elemental strength of his character in the acquirement of his education, for he worked his own way through college. When he had completed his studies he was appointed chief clerk in the state bureau of labor, at Colum- bus, and there remained for several years, or until his return to Coshocton. He was once more called to public office, when on the 3d of November, 1908, he was elected probate judge of Coshocton county and, as stated. is the first republican to hold the office in fifty-two years, having been chosen to the position by a majority of over four hundred, a fact which is proof of his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in his professional ability.
In June, 1901, Judge Ashman was united in marriage to Miss Minnie M. Miller, of Newark, Ohio, and they have a little daughter. Mr. Ashman belongs to the Masonic lodge and the Knights of Pythias lodge at Coshoc- ton. He has been quite prominent in public affairs and is a member of the Buckeye Republican Club of Columbus, of which he was once the see- retary. He possesses oratorical ability of superior order and has frequently been called upon to deliver publie addre-ses, not only on political topics. but also on the occasion of the celebration of Labor Day and of Decoration Day. Ile is a student of the questions which are agitating the public thought, reads broadly and thinks deeply. His opinions are therefore the result of careful consideration, and being presented in elear, logical manner seldom fail to carry conviction to the minds of his hearers. In manner he is jovial, and enjoys the sunshine of life as expressed in good comradeship and warm friendships. IIe is always approachable and always genial. and his friends, who are many, entertain for him the warmest regard.
G. A. RINNER.
G. A. Rinner, proprietor of The Rinner Company. a general merchandis- ing business of New Bedford which was established by himself and father in 1883, was born in Mill Creek township, this county, January 8, 1859, a son of George C. and Naney (Cox) Rinner. His father is a native of Ger- many, born in August, 1831. When twenty-three years of age he left his native land for America, where, after investigating the opportunities of vari- ous sections of the country, he eventually decided on Coshocton county as the land of his adoption, and events have since proven the soundness of his judgment in making this decision. He wedded Naney Cox, who was born in Harrison county, Ohio, in 1829. and five children were born to their union, namely: G. A., of this review ; E. C., ex-mayor of Coshocton ; Mary, the wife of W. H. Wendt, of Coshocton; and Amanda and John, both of whom reside at home with their father. for the mother was called to her
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eternal rest in 1895. The father on first coming to the county engaged in agricultural pursuits but later was in partnership with his son in the general merchandising business in New Bedford. He is now living retired in Coshoc- ton.
G. A. Rinner was reared on a farm and received a common-school edu- cation, which he later supplemented by a course in the Spencerian Business College of Cleveland, thus fitting himself for the mercantile life upon which he entered at the age of twenty-four. The growth of the business has been gradual and steady and new varieties of stock have been introduced from time to time until now it consists of groceries, dry goods, boots and shoes, carpets, curtains, queensware, crockery, glassware, hardware, paints and oils, besides sundry items too numerous to mention, an inventory of which would aggregate about eighteen thousand dollars, while the annual sales reach a total of about forty-five thousand dollars.
On September 17, 1883, Mr. Rinner was united in marriage to Miss Martha J. Lowe, who was born in Holmes county, this state, in 1864, the daughter of Adam and Ann (Patterson) Lowe. Her parents were also natives of Holmes county, where both were born in the year 1834. They became the parents of four children, namely: John, who resides in Kansas; Frank, a resident of Holmes county; Martha J., the wife of our subject; and Albert, whose home is in Canton. The father, who was called upon to mourn the loss of his life companion in 1908, now makes his home with our subject. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Rinner have been born four children, as follows: L. C., who resides at home and is engaged with his father in business; Earl, who conducts a grocery store in Cleveland, in which his father owns a part inter- est ; and May and Clyde, both of whom reside at home with their parents.
In politics Mr. Rinner is a democrat, while religiously both he and his estimable wife are members of the Reformed church. Mr. Rinner feels that he owes his success in life to no fortunate combination of circumstances, but that it is due rather to untiring effort and unremitting persistency. It is to the class of citizens of which he is a type that Coshocton county is indebted for the sound and substantial character of her mercantile institutions.
WILLIAM D. FRAZEE.
William D. Frazee is engaged in general agricultural pursuits on a well improved farm consisting of one hundred and forty-eight acres situated in New Castle township. He was born on a farm in Tiverton township, Coshoc- ton county, October 10, 1874, being the eldest of six children, whose parents were Andrew and Almira (Stricker) Frazee, both of whom were natives of the Buckeye state, the former born in Coshocton county and the latter in Knox county. The father's parents came to this state from Pennsylvania and were farming people. He was reared in Coshocton county and has be- come a very successful man. He still survives, now making his home in Tiverton township. In politics he is a republican. The wife and mother
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