Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 122

Author: Doyle, William B., b. 1868
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1150

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On December 25, 1888, Mr. McDowell was united in marriage with Belle Cook, who is a daughter of Jesse and Hetty Cook, of Sugar

Creek Township, Wayne County, Ohio. They have five children : Altie, Dale, Willis, George and John.

Mr. McDowell has shown much interest in educational matters, and in 1901 he was elected a member of the School Board of Port- age Township, of which he was made presi- dent in 1903. Ile is a Knight of Pythias and a Knight of the Maccabees.

WILLIAM WALTERS, who has been treasurer of Northampton Township, Summit County, Ohio, for the past twelve years, owns here the fine farm of fifty acres, on which he was born, August 26, 1869, and is a son of William and Sarah Ann (Campbell) Wal- ters.

Henry Walters, the grandfather of Wil- liam, was a native of Pennsylvania. He was a millwright by trade, who acquired a farm after coming to Wayne County, Ohio, on which was a very fine orchard, from which he' gathered as many as 1,500 bushels of ap- ples annually. He died in Wayne County in 1875, aged seventy-two years. His wife was named Anna Vizcavert. They were mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church.

William Walters, father of William, was born in Wayne County, Ohio, in 1830, and at the age of eleven years began to learn the millwright trade with his father, which he followed throughout life, his last work in this line being the finishing of the Shumaker plant, at Akron. On December 25, 1869, he came to Northampton Township from Sugar Creek Township, and settled on a farm of fifty acres, which he had purchased some time previously, and to which he later added thirty-six acres. When his sons became old enough to work on the farm they took charge and Mr. Walters retired, and he died in 1885, in Northampton Township, aged fifty-five years. He was a stanch Republican in poli- tics, and at the time of his death was serving as township treasurer, elected by that party. Mr. Walters was married to Sarah Ann Camp- bell, who died in 1893. She was a daughter of Henry Campbell, of Wayne County, Ohio

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There were three children born to them: Rama R., of East Akron ; Henry J., and Wil- liam.

William Walters was educated in the com- mon schools, and he has engaged in farming ever since boyhood. In 1900 he purchased the home farm from his father's heirs, and he has since made many improvements here. Ilis buildings on this property are of a sub- stantial nature and include the residence built by his father in 1873, and a circular silo 12x24 feet. Ile raises large crops of oats and corn, and keeps about fifteen head of cattle, disposing of his milk to the Akron Pure Milk Company.

Mr. Walters was married to Nellie Hardy, who is a daughter of Perry D. Hardy, a prom- inent resident of Northampton Township. and they have one child, Ruth. Mr. and Mrs. Walters attend the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he is a stanch Republic- an and he has been a leading man in his community for many years. His long tenure in office speaks well as to the confidence felt in him by his fellow-citizens.

LEVI RAWSON was born in Mendon. Massachusetts, July 2, 1808. Ile came to Ohio in 1829 and settled in Massillon in Oc- tober, 1830, where he was engaged in success- ful business under the titles of Rawson & Brainerd, L. & S. Rawson, and S. Lind & Co., conducting a general merchandise store, also operating the Red Mill on the Ohio Canal.

Mr. Rawson in 1844 moved to Akron. where he owned and operated the Cascade and Ætna Mills. During his residence in Akron he lived in the house at the northeast corner of East Market and Broadway. The Akron mills were operated under the firm name of Rawson & Noble. He was also engaged in the woolen business, operating a mill in Mid- dlebury under the name of Rawson & Good- ale.

In 1849 Mr. Rawson moved to Cleveland, although still retaining his interests in Ak- ron, and there until his death was engaged in the forwarding and commission business.

being identified with the firm of Rawson, Foot & Curtis. He was also interested in the ves- sels Massillon and Marshfield, which were en- gaged in the lake trade, the Massillon in 1859 making a trip from Cleveland to Liverpool. Mr. Rawson died in Cleveland, January 25, 18554, after a successful business career of fifty-six years. Socially, he was genial, kind and liberal to those less fortunate, giving freely and without ostentation. He is sur- vived by one daughter, Mrs. Geo. T. Perkins, and two sons, Charles and Ed. B. Rawson, of Lisbon, Ohio.

AUGUST C. MILLER, general contractor at Akron, dealing in brick, stone and lime, with quarters at No. 295 Buckeye Street, came to this city in 1874. He was born in 1852, in Prussia-Germany, and was eighteen years of age when he came to America.

Mr. Miller had partly learned his trade be- fore leaving his own land, and he completed his apprenticeship in America, working in New York, Chicago, Milwaukee and Cleve- land. When he reached Akron he was ready to undertake any kind of contract for mason work or building construction. He worked awhile for different parties, but in 1876 em- barked in general contracting on his own ac- count, his first big job being for the Robinson Brothers' Sewer Pipe plant. Mr. Miller has continued in the contracting business and during his business life of a quarter of a cen- tury here, he has had the contracts for some of the city's most important buildings. His work is seen in the Akron Savings Bank Building; the O'Neil Building; the brick work for the Diamond Rubber Buildings; the Kubler and Beck Buildings: the Burkhardt Brewery plant; the Star Drill Machine Com- pany's plant. and many others of lesser note. At the date of this writing (1907) he is build- ing the Star Rubber Company's new plant. In addition to what may be called his per- sonal business. Mr. Miller is interested in a number of other important enterprises of Ak- ron. in which his name has inspired addi- tional confidence. He was one of the organ- izers and a director of the Security Savings

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Bank, and a stockholder in the People's Sav- ings Bank. He is interested in the Central Savings and Trust Company ; is a stockholder in the Diamond Rubber Company, the B. F. Goodrich Company, and the Akron Brewery Company, and is also a direetor in the Lodi Oil and Refinery Company.

In 1881 Mr. Miller was married to Adele Uitas, who was born in Prussia-Germany, and they have two children, Adele and Bodo E., the latter of whom is a medical student in the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor. Mr. Miller is a prominent member of the Democratie party in this city and takes much interest in local affairs. For three years he has been a member of the Akron Liebertafel. a leading German social organization. A man of unimpeachable character, Mr. Miller is a representative of Akron's best eitizen- ship.

FRANK F. MILLER, mechanical engi- neer, with the Star Drilling Machine Com- pany, of Akron, has been identified with this line of work ever since he entered into busi- ness, and has been a resident of this eity sinee he was ten years old. He was born in 1879 at Smith's Ferry, Ohio, but his childhood was passed at Braceville, Leavittsburg and New- ton Falls, to which point his parents, J. W. and Abbie (Brown) Miller moved while he was very young.

Mr. Miller entered the publie schools of Akron at the age above mentioned and eon- tinned until he was graduated from the Ak- ron High School, in 1897. He then beeame a student at the Western University of Penn- sylvania, from which he was graduated in 1901, with his degree of M. E. During the following year he worked for the American Bridge Company, first at Pittsburg. Pennsyl- vania, and later at Canton, Ohio, then for one year he was with the Wellman-Seaver- Morgan Engineering Company, of Cleveland, sinee which time he has been with the Star Drilling Machine Company, in his present eanacity. He is a stockholder in this enter- prise and also owns stoek in the Star Rubber Company.

In 1902 Mr. Miller was married to Clara A. Parisette, daughter of Charles and Susan (Selzer) Parisette. Charles Parisette was born in Germany and came to the United States about 1857. Mr. Parisette volunteered in a California regiment during the Civil War, and now makes his home in Akron, at 738 West Market Street. Mrs. Miller grad- uated from the Akron High School in 1898, also from the Perkins Normal School two years later. She then taught in the Allen sehool. With her husband, she belongs to te First Congregational Church. They are the parents of two children-Forest Kenneth and Alma Lenore.

ALBERT C. HARRINGTON, a general farmer of Northampton Township, is a worthy representative of a prominent old fam- ily of Summit County, was born April 19, 1872, on the old Harrington homestead, and is a son of Frederick L. and Mahala (Carter) Harrington.

Job Harrington, grandfather of Albert C., was born at Bennington, Vermont, March 9, 1792, and was a son of Richard Harrington. In the fall of 1812 he left Bennington and reached Tallmadge Township, Summit Coun- ty, before the end of the year, commissioned to purchase a farmi for his parents. In the following year the family came to the new home and built their little log eabin in the midst of the forest. In 1814 Job returned to Vermont and married Susan Hartle, who was born at Georgetown, Pennsylvania, January 27, 1796. In 1815 Job Harrington bought the farm on which Albert C. Harrington was born and reared. He died March 24, 1869. During the early days when pioneer condi- tions prevailed and the larger number of his neighbors were Indians, Job Harrington displayed those -turdy characteristics which made him one of the most useful men of the township. He coneiliated the Indians and made friends of them for himself and the community, and possessed the shrewdness as well as the integrity which brought about im- proved conditions for all concerned. The ma- ternal grandfather of Mr. Harrington, Wil-

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HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY

liam, Carter, was also of New England birth and ancestry, and he too was a man of prom- inence and usefulness in Summit County. William Carter was born at Middletown, Con- necticut, February 13, 1792, married Chloe Wadsworth in 1814, and died April 24, 1876. William Carter came to Northampton Town- ship at a very early day. He was a bricklayer by trade and an expert workman, and build- ings in numbers still stand, both at Akron and Cuyahoga Falls, which testify to his skill.

Frederick L. Harrington was born October 14, 1835, and died in 1899. He was married October 10, 1866, to Mahala Carter, who was born October 11, 1842, one of four children born to William Carter by his second wife, Jane Carter, to whom he was married in Northampton Township, October 17, 1834. The other children were: Patty, William and Helen. Frederick L. Harrington and wife had five children. namely: Charles E., who was born February 24. 1869: Albert C., Frank L., who was born December 13, 1874; Myron E., who was born May 22, 1877; and Laurel L. who was born June 8, 1896. and died at fifteen years of age.

Albert C. Harrington was reared in North- ampton Township and after completing his schooling, engaged in farming on the old homestead until his marriage, when he set- tled on the farm on which he has resided ever since. this being a valuable tract of seventy- four and one-half acres, which came to his wife on the death of her mother. Mr. Har- rington operates this farm after modern meth- ods, largely as a dairy farm. He keeps about fifteen head of cattle and ships his milk to Akron. His main crops are hay, corn, wheat and oats, and he has an excellent silo. The comfortable residence was built by his late mother-in-law. Mrs. Flannigan, in 1891.

On November 27, 1901, Mr. Harrington was married to Fanny May Flannigan, who was born and reared on the present farm. She is the second daughter of John and Maria (Cochran) (Purcell) Flannigan. The father of Mrs. Harrington was born in Ireland and died in Northampton Township, Summit

County, Ohio, December 27, 1879, aged fifty- five years and five months. He came to Amer- ica in boyhood and worked as a farm hand until shortly after his marriage, when he bought a farm in the northeast corner of Northampton Township. This first purchase was of seventy-five acres, to which he subse- quently added 140 acres, located partly in Boston and partly in Northampton Town- ships, and these two farms he operated until his death as dairy farms, keeping twenty head of cattle. He carried on a large cheese and butter industry on the farm and its prod- uets were disposed of at Akron. He was survived twenty-five years by his widow, who died December 20, 1903. She was born in 1825, in Stow Township, Summit County, Ohio, and was a daughter of Robert and Fanny (Bird) Cochran. Her father was killed by the Indians while making a trip through California. There were eleven chil- dren in his family, all of whom are deceased, except James, who is a general farmer and dairyman in Northampton Township, and Martha, who married William Galloway, also of Northampton Township. The mother of Mrs. Harrington was married, first to Nicholas Purcell, who was survived by one daughter, Josephine, who married Edward Donahue, of Northampton Township. To her second mar- riage two daughters were born: Martha Jane, who married John E. Raleigh, of Northamp- ton Township; and Fanny May, who married Albert C. Harrington.

Mr. and Mrs. Harrington have three chil- dren, namely: Opal E., who was born Sep- tember 13, 1903: Chester 1., who was born June 18, 1905; and Velma Rhea, who was born August 13, 1907. Mr. and Mrs. Har- rington are members of the United Presbyte- rian Church, to which Mrs. Flannigan also belonged, and in which she was much be- loved. In politics he is a Democrat. but he has never been willing to accept political of- fice, preferring the quiet life of a private citi- zen. With his wife he belongs to the North- ampton Grange, Patrons of Husbandry.

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M. C. HEMINGER, who is engaged in a real estate, insurance and loan business at Akron, with offices at No. 1094 South Main Street, is one of the representative business men of the city. He was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, September 10, 1861.

Mr. Heminger was reared in his native sec- tion, attending the local schools, and later completed a normal course at Mt. Union and a commercial course at Painesville. He then took up the profession of teaching, which he followed more or less continuously for twen- ty years, having obtained an Ohio State Life Certificate in 1895. During this period he became interested in the buying and selling of property, and met with such good success that he declined his appointment as teacher of the Clinton schools, in 1901, in order to accept a position with the Akron Realty Com- pany. He entered that company as a book- keeper, later became a salesman and subse- quently secretary, treasurer and general man- ager. In 1906 Mr. Heminger went into the real estate business for himself, adding in- surance, 'loans and investments. and he has met with most satisfactory success. His incthod is to purchase traets of land and make first-class improvements, subsequently finding no difficulty in disposing of them. His ef- forts have benefitted the whole community, as he has been the means of bringing much out- side capital to this point. He is a director of the South Akron Banking Company. His business office has been at Akron for the past seven years, but his beautiful home is situated at Kenmore.

In 1887 Mr. Heminger was married to Sarah A. Jones, who was born in Wales, and they have a bright, interesting family of four sons and four daughters. namely: Vesta M .. Richard B., Muriel W., Alice C., Harold R .. Arthur L. Leah M. and Beryl G. The eldest daughter graduated from the Kenmore High School and is taking a course in mu- sic in the Cleveland School of Music, having a great natural gift. Mr. Heminger and fam- ily belong to the Reformed Church at Ken- more. in the Sunday School of which he takes a deep interest.

As an intelligent and enlightened citizen, Mr. Heminger takes a laudable interest in all public matters concerning his city, county and country at large. He has served as clerk of Fairfield Township, Tuscarawas County, and is chairman of the Board of Education of Coventry Township.

JOHN D. JONES, president of the J. D. Jones Coal Company, operating coal mines at Hametown (his place of residence) and Manchester, in Summit County, and in Chip- pewa Township, Wayne County, owns the latter mine, and is also one of the directors of the Hametown Coal Company. He was born in Glenmorganshire, Wales, April 29, 1851, and is a son of David D. and Keziah (Morgan) Jones.

Coal mining has been the occupation of the Jones family for several generations and the subject of this sketch accompanied his father to the mines when he was a little boy, doing such work as falls to children in the old Welsh mines. When he was nine years of age he began to work at the Great West- ern shaft, and was employed at different places which were more or less dangerous. He worked at the Fern Dale shaft and left there just thirteen days before there was an explo- sion in it in November. 1867. by which 214 men lost their lives.

In December, 1868, when seventeen years of age. Mr. Jones eame to America and joined his parents at Sherman, Ohio, where they had settled three and one-half years before. In 1871 the family moved to Hametown, which has been the home of John D. Jones ever since. By a premature explosion of powder in one of the mines David D. Jones was so seriously injured. in September, 1885, that he survived but five days. A comrade was killed instantly.

In 1873 John D. Jones was married to Elizabeth Boden, who is a daughter of John Boden. and who was born also in Wales, and came to Norton Township in girlhood. They have eight surviving children. namely: Go- mar. who is president and secretary of the Hametown Coal Company: GwyInm. who

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married Alta Mohn, and has two children; David J., who married Maude Helmick, and has two children; Henry, who married Elma Williams, has one child; and Obediah, Mae, Jeannetta and Charles, residing at home. Four other children are deceased. Mr. Jones is a member of the order of Knights of Pythias at Doylestown.

Gomar Jones, the eldest of the above fam- ily, was born in Norton Township, Summit County, Ohio, Mareh 5, 1874, and was reared and edueated in this neighborhood. Like his father and grandfather, his whole business life has been identified with eoal interests. With his father, John D. Jones, John Klein and Obediah Jones, he is interested in the Ilametown Coal Company's mine, being pres- ident, secretary and manager of the works, this coal bank having been opened up in April, 1893. In April, 1905, the J. D. Jones Coal Company, in which he is also interested, bought a eoal hank at Manchester. The third mine of the company, located in Chippewa Township. Wayne County, was started De- cember 26. 1906. The coal industry is one of the most important in Norton Township, and requires a large investment and careful management.

In 1898 Gomar Jones was married to Ida Williams, who is a daughter of John C. Wil- liams, a coal miner, now residing in Miehi- gan. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have two children : Robert L. and Clayton. Mr. Jones is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity at Barber- ton.

JOHN BLACKBURN, a representative agriculturist of Boston Township, who is serv- ing his second term as township trustee, was born December 15, 1829, in Lincolnshire, England, and is a son of William and Jane (Emerson) Blackburn.

William Blackburn was born in Lincoln- shire, England. where he died at the age of sixty-six years. Ilis widow came to America when seventy-five years of age with her young- est son. She died at Hudson, in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was buried at Peninsula. William and Jane

(Emerson) Blackburn were the parents of seven children, six of whom grew to maturity : James, Mary and George, all deceased; John; Thomas, who resides at Hudson; and Henry, who lives in Cleveland.

John Blackburn had but meager educa- tional opportunities when a youth, but through reading and association with others, has long since remedied any early defects. He was twenty-three years old when he came America on a sailing vessel, one of the old kind which took six weeks to make the voyage. He arrived in Boston Township June 3, 1853, and worked for three months on the Ohio Canal. In the spring following he hired out to a farmer in Macedonia and lived there two years, but in the spring of 1855 he moved back to Bos- ton Township, where he rented a farm for two years and another farm for seven years, paying a eash rent. In 1864 he purchased 155 acres of his present farm, to which he has added, by purchase, and is now the owner of 192 aeres. This land he devotes to the culti- vation of potatoes, wheat, hay, eorn and oats. His fine residenee of nine rooms was ereeted by Mr. Blackburn in 1888, and he has a barn 60x40x20, with a 9-foot basement, which he built in 1895. His buildings are well kept. and everything about the property shows careful management. Mr. Blackburn has given special attention to dairying and keeps twenty-five eows, his milk being disposed of at Cleveland.

On September 22, 1853, John Blackburn was united in marriage with Elizabeth Whit- lam, who is the daughter of John Whitlam of Lincolnshire, England. This was an early ro- manee, an engagement existing before he left his native country. Mrs. Blackburn passed away in 1903, aged ninety-two years. They

had four children : Emerson, who died at the age of twenty years: George, who resides in Cuyahoga Falls: William Grant. who resides at Hudson; and John Fred, who is assisting his father on the home farm. Mr. Blackburn is a trustee of the Methodist Eniseopal Church, at Peninsula, where he has also been Sunday School superintendent and steward.

LEWIS HOLZHAUER

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Ile and his wife were the first two members of this church which he helped to erect, and to which he has always been a liberal contrib- ntor. Mr. Blackburn is a Republican in State and National affairs, but in local mat- ters he is an independent voter.

LEWIS HOLZHAUER, one of Summit County's representative men, owning an ex- cellent farm of 172 acres in Northfield Town- ship, is a public-spirited citizen of his locality and an honored veteran of the great Civil War, in which he was seriously wounded. Mr. Holzhauer was born November 22, 1845, in Baden, Germany, and is a son of Wilhelm and Inna Katherina (Vorbach) Holzhauer.

Wilhelm Holzhauer was born in Baden, Germany, where he received a common school cducation. After completing his apprentice- ship to the mason and stone cutting trade, he, like other European workmen, ambitious to gain a complete mastery of their chosen occu- pation, traveled in other countries-France and Switzerland. In the latter country he imbibed teachings concerning freedom that made him a Republican in spirit long before he came to this country. In I851 Mr. Holz- hauer came to the United States and settled in Cleveland, Ohio, his family coming three years later, and after the war they purchased a residence there. In 1876 they located on the farm now owned by Lewis Holzhauer in Northfield Township. Wilhelmn Holzhauer was at one time a member of the Ancient Or- der of Good Fellows. His first vote was cast for Buchanan for president, but he consid- ered this a mistake, which he regretted all of his life, and always thereafter voted the Re- publican ticket. Mr. Holzhauer became so Americanized that he anglicized the Christian names of his children as well as his own. Originally Catholics, after coming to the United States the family became identified with the Protestant Church. Wilhelm Holz- hauer was married to AAnna Katherina Vor- bach, who was born in Baden, Germany, No- vember 6, 1815, and who died aged sixty- nine years. Her husband survived her until April 17, 1906. he lacking sixty days of he-

ing ninety years old. They had four chil- dren, of whom three grew to maturity, name- ly: Ahneda, who is the wife of Ephriam West, of Independence, Ohio; Amelia, now deceased, who married John Steele, of lowa; and Lewis.

Lewis Holzhauer attended school in Ger- many until he was nine years of age, when the family started for America, coming via Strasburg, Paris and Havre. On reaching Strasburg they saw the big tower and famous clock, and as it happened to be noon, the cock appeared and crowed three times, when the figures of the Saviour and His disciples also appeared, marching in single file in the open space around the tower. Although these fig- ures are of great size, Mr. Holzhauer distinct- ly remembers that they looked diminutive from his viewpoint, as the tower is 500 feet high from the curb. Young Holzhauer joined a crowd that was intent on ascending the tower by the winding steps, but they final- ly arrived at a window where an entrance fee was demanded, so the disappointed child turned back. Everything was a source of wonder to his childish mind. Having no through trains at that day, the party had a wait of five or six hours at Paris. and decided to view the various sights. At Havre, where they had to remain three days before embark- ing on their vessel. he saw for the first time a colored man, and called to his mother that he saw a number of "chimney-sweeps," It was informed by his mother that they were Africans. Their sailing vessel, the "Eagle." was an American ship, and had a huge gold eagle for a figure-head under the bowsprit. From the sailors of this vessel, also Americans, young Holzhauer learned a number of words of English, including, unfortunately. some oaths. On this journey the vessel made most remarkable speed for that day, the trip tak- ing but 2F days, which included two days having in quarantine in New York.

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Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 122

Author: Doyle, William B., b. 1868 Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1150

Author: Doyle, William B., b. 1868
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1150