Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 37

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

USA > Ohio > Summit County > Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens > Part 37

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On November 2, 1881, Mr. Cobbs was mar- ried to Margaret S. McCall, who was born at Malvern, Ohio, and who is a daughter of Rev. Hosea McCall, a native of the state of Connec- ticut. Mr. and Mrs. Cobbs had four chil- dren, two of whom survive-Reginald Me- Call and Margaret. Mrs. Cobbs resides at No. 682 Buchtel Avenue, Akron.

FRANCIS SEIBERLING, attorney-at-law, and a member of the law firm of Slabaugh & Seiberling, at Akron, with offices in the Ever- ett Building, was born September 20, 1870, at Des Moines, Iowa, and is a son of Nathan Septimus and Joseva (Myers) Seiberling.

Nathan Septimus Seiberling, father of Fran- cis, was a son of Nathan Seiberling, who was one of the early pioneers of Summit County. Nathan S. Seiberling, at the age of eighteen years, enlisted for service in the Civil War, in March, 1865. for one year, and was a mem- ber of Company D, 198th Ohio Volunteer In-

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fantry. Ile was honorably discharged, May 8, 1865, at the close of hostilities. He mar- ried Joseva Myers, who was a daughter of Al- pheus Myers, one of the earliest settlers in Norton Township. Both the Seiberling and Myers families came to Summit County in the days when it was a wilderness and both as- sisted materially in the development of its resources and in bringing about civilizing in- fluences.

When but three years of age, Francis Sei- berling suffered the loss of his father, who died in early manhood. Ilis mother their re- turned to her old home in Norton Township, this county, where he was reared to the age of twelve years. He then went to Medina County and completed his course of study at the Wadsworth High School. He entered Wittenberg College, Springfield, Ohio, in the fall of 1888, where he remained two years, and then entered Wooster University, where he was graduated in 1892, with his degree of A. M. He immediately began the study of law in the office of Marvin, Saddler & Atter- holt, and was admitted to the bar in October, 1894. He practiced his profession for about one year alone, and then entered into his present partnership, under the firm name of Słabaugh & Seiberling. Mr. Seiberling's in- terest. in politics is merely that which he has in common with every good citizen.

On June 16, 1897, Mr. Seiberling was mar- ried to Josephine Laffer, who is a daughter of James M. Laffer, one of the pioneer drug- gists of Akron. He and his wife have two children, Eleanor and Josephine. Mr. Sei- berling is a member of the Lutheran Church and belongs to its board of trustees. Frater- nally he is a Mason.

O. L. SADLER, an attorney at Akron, whose professional labors have called him to many sections of the country while still re- taining hi- home in this city, was born Sep- tember 11. 1854. at Rootstown. Portage County. Ohio.

When Mr. Sadler was one year old his par- ents moved to Southern Michigan, where he was reared and primarily educated. In 1872

he was graduated at Mt. Union College, after which he was engaged in school teaching for about four years. In 1877 he came to Akron with the intention of studying law, and be- ing received into the office of J. M. Poulson, was admitted to the bar in 1878, and later to the Supreme Court of Ohio. For a number of years he was the attorney for Aultman, Miller & Company, and in their interests traveled all over the country. He has tried cases in all parts of the United States and necessarily has been long familiar with the laws of all sections. Probably in his partic- ular line of practice, he has no equal in Sum- mit County. Mr. Sadler has been active in county politics for a number of years and for one year was secretary of the Republican County Committee. He was appointed a member of the first Board of City Commis- sioners and of the first Board of Review, on which latter board he served for five years. Ile is a man of public spirit and on many occasions has proven his interest and useful- ness in civic affairs.

In 1881 Mr. Sadler was married to Mar- garet Fox, who is a daughter of David Fox. They have three living children, namely : Frank Herbert, who has charge of the testing department of the Edison Storage Battery at West Orange, New Jersey ; Edith, who is chief clerk in the Summit County treasurer's office ; and Jean Cairns, residing at home. In addi- tion to his other business interests, Mr. Sadler is vice-president and a member of the board of directors of the Akron Building and Loan Association, and has been a charter member on its board of directors since its inception in 1888. He belongs to the Masonic Lodge and to the U. C. T.

EMORY A. PRIOR, M. S., LL. B., a lead- ing member of the bar at Cuyahoga Falls, was born in Northampton Township, Summit County. Ohio, June 27, 1855, and is a son of Henry W. and Emily (Bonesteel) Prior.

The study of Mr. Prior's ancestral line leads us back to the early settlement of New Eng- land. The first of the name of whom he have record, was Benjamin Prior, whose birth is

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recorded at Duxbury, Massachusetts. In 1697 he married Bertha, daughter of John and Abi- gail (Wood) Pratt, of Plymouth, Massachu- setts.

Joshua Prior, son of Benjamin and Bertha Prior, was born in 1709 and died in 1784. Hc married Mary, daughter of Eleazer and Lydia ( Waterman ) Barnham, January 31, 1735.

Simeon Prior, youngest of the nine chil- dren of Joshua and Mary Prior, and great- grandfather of Emory A., was born May 16, 1754, at Norwich, Connecticut, and died June 29, 1837. He was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War, enlisting in Connecticut, as armorer, under Colonel John Durgey, about 1776, joining the army at King's Yard, New York City. Ilis record shows that about 15 weeks later he joined a regiment on Painter's Hook, and after the city was taken by the British, his regiment went to Fort Lee and later participated in the battle of Trenton. The family history asserts that on this occa- sion. Simeon Prior was a member of General Washington's body-guard. He married Kath- erine Wright, and in 1802 brought his fam- ily to Northampton Township. Ile was the first regular farming settler here. the only other family being that of a Mr. King. who kept a tavern at Old Portage, the commence- ment of Portage Path. Simeon Prior was a farmer, blacksmith and machinist, a combi- nation of occupations well qualifying him to make an admirable pioneer settler.

William Prior, son of Simeon, and grand- father of Emory A. Prior, was born at Nor- wich, Connecticut, April 6, 1783, and died June 7, 1872. He accompanied his father to Northampton in 1802, where he secured farm- ing land. Ile participated in the War of 1812, being a member of Colonel Rial Mc- Arthur's regiment. In polities he was a Jef- fersonian Democrat. He was twice married ; first, to Sarah Wharton, who was a daughter of James Wharton, and who died in early married life; and, second, to Polly Culver.

Henry W. Prior, son of William and fath- er of the subject of this sketch, was born in Northampton Township, Summit County. Ohio, January 25, 1813. and died in 1875.

Hle was a man of exceptional mentality and made the best of the educational advantages afforded him and of his business opportuni- ties. He acceptably filled all the local offices of any responsibility in Northampton Town- ship, and, although not united with any re- ligious body, was a liberal supporter of churches and all moral movements. In 1849 he went to California, by way of New York and the Isthmus of Panama, and remained there one year engaged in prospecting and mining. Ilaving much natural mechanical skill, he combined farming with carpenter work, and with his father and a brother, he built a mill on the present site of the Puritan mill, in Northampton Township, which they operated together for many years. He re- mained actively interested in agricultural por- suits up to the close of his long and useful life.

Ilis wife, Emily, was a daughter of Jacob Bonesteel, also an old settler in this vicinity. She died in April, 1860. on the home farm in Northampton Township. There were two children born to Henry W. Prior and wife, of whom Emory A. is the only survivor, the elder in order of birth having died in infancy.

Emory A. Prior was afforded the best edu- rational advantages to be obtained in his na- tive locality, and he is inclined to think that in some ways the youth of his day, when they had the personal attention of their teachers, enjoyed better opportunities for individual advancement than is sometimes the lot of stu- dents under the present graded system. He attended the Cuyahoga High School, and came under the personal attention of Almeda Booth, who was a noted teacher and philan- thropist at that time. In 1874 he was gradu- ated at Buchtel College, completing the scien- tifie course and securing his B. S. degree, and later, after completing a post graduate course. received the degree of MI. S. In 1877. after a course in the Harvard Law School, Mr. Prior was graduated there and secured his LL. B degree, shortly afterward coming to Cuyahoga Falls. Hle took the necessary examinations in the Old District Court at Cleveland, Ohio.

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and was admitted to the bar in the following September.

After this prolonged season of elose study, Mr. Prior decided to settle on a farm in Nortli- ampton Township, and was engaged in farm- ing and dairying thercon up to 1890. He then opened an office in Akron, where he practiced law until 1895, when he located permanently at Cuyahoga Falls, entering into a partnership with Charles H. Howland. This association lasted five years, during which time the firm had its share in the business of importance that came before the Summit County courts.

In the fall of 1902 Mr. Prior became seere- tary of the Falls Savings and Loan Associa- tion. In August, 1904, the Cuyahoga Falls Savings Bank was organized by the following capitalists who comprised its board of direet- ors: Emory A. Prior, C. M. Walsh, L. W. Loomis, Henry Thomas, W. R. Lodge, Ed- win Seedhouse and William A. Searle. This bank was organized to take up the business in this vicinity of the Akron Savings Bank, which had failed. Mr. Prior has been identi- fied with this institution as secretary and as a director ever since, and since June, 1906, he has been a member of its financial committee. He is concerned in other business enterprises and was one of the organizers of the Walsh Paper Company, of which he is a stockholder, and in which he has been secretary since its founding.

On March 25, 1882, Mr. Prior was married to Abbie F. Allen, who is a daughter of Al- bert Allen, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and they have three children, namely: Henry William, Margaret H. and Ruth Wharton. The family belong to the Episcopal Church. In political sentiment, Mr. Prior is actively identified with the Republican party. He was elected village solicitor during his years of active practice and was re-elected, serving two terms. Otherwise, he has accepted no political office. He is a member of Star Lodge, No. 187. F. & A. M., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

ANDREW JACKSON KREIGHBAUM, a representative citizen of Springfield Town-

ship, is a member of the Summit County bar, and is successfully engaged in the practice of his profession. He was born in Summit County, Ohio, September 23, 1862, and is a son of Johnston B. and Martha (Martin) Kreighbaum.

The maternal ancestors of Mr. Kreighbaum were people of importance, several generations back, in Pennsylvania. Thomas Martin, the great-grandfather, was born in Ireland and married Kate Kennedy, a native of England. The maiden name of the grandmother of Mr. Kreighbaum was Way, and she was the first white child born in Suffield Township, Port- age County. Andrew Martin, the grandfath- er, was born in Pennsylvania, and was nine years old when he accompanied his parents to Portage County. Andrew and Rebecca Martin had the following children : Rebecca, residing in Summit County, who is the widow of Johnston Roser; Martha, the mother of Mr. Kreighbaum; Ehnira, residing in Stark County. who married John Grotz; Matilda, who married Benjamin W. Bixler, residing at Springfield Center; and David W., deceased, who is survived by his widow who formerly was Rebecca Henderson. The grandparents died on the farm on which they settled after marriage.

Johnston B. Kreighbaum was born in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio, No- vember 18. 1826, and was married January 29, 1851, to Martha Martin, who was born July 16, 1831. Of their eight children, there are three survivors AAndrew J., McClelland and Ida Ella. McClelland Kreighbaum was born September 23, 1864 and is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Summit County, own- ing a good farm. He married Minerva Press- ler, who is a daughter of William and Lu- cinda Pressler, and they have three children. Ida Ella Kreighbaum married Charles Mc- Calgan, of Stow Township. who died at Mun- roe Falls, leaving three children: Russell, Claude and Maud, the two latter being twins.

Prior to entering the army for service in the Civil War, Johnston B. Kreighbaum was engaged in farming and in operating a hotel at Greensburg. Ohio. On May 2, 1864, he

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was enrolled at Cleveland as a member of Company 11, 164th Regiment, Ohio Volun- teer Infantry. He was honorably discharged August 27, 1864. Although his service cov- ered but ninety days, the hardships encoun- tered during this period were the cause of his death, he having ruptured a blood vessel. For the fidelity and efficiency of his service he received the thanks of the President of the United States and the Governor of Ohio. He belonged to that portion of the army that operated effectively against Richmond and Petersburg.

Andrew Jackson Kreighbaum attended the local schools through boyhood and prepared for the profession he had chosen by taking a course in the Cincinnati Law School, where he spent the years of 1890 and 1891. After his admission to the bar he engaged in prac- tice at Akron. retaining his residence in Springfield Township. IIe married Ella Phillips, a daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Christiana Phillips, the latter of whom is deceased. MIr. Phillips resides at Akron. Mr. and Mrs. Kreighbaum have four children, namely : MeKee, aged fourteen years; Martha, aged ten years; Maud, aged seven years; and Claud. aged three years. Mr. Kreighbaum is in a position to give his ehil- dren many advantages, both educational and social.

While Mr. Kreighbaum has been actively identified with the Democratic party since his maturity, he has never been a seeker for po- litical offices or honors, but has been a willing worker for his friends. He is a member of the order of Maccabees. belonging to Union Tent at Uniontown. Stark County. With his family he belongs to the Reformed Church of Springfield Town-hip.

CHARLES AMMERMAN. attorney-at-law, Barberton, where he has been established since 1893, is one of the leading citizens of this village. Mr. Ammerman was born near Mil- lersburg. Holmes County, Ohio, May 4, 1863, and is a son of Abraham and Sarah (Korns) Ammerman. Ile was reared on his father's farm in Holmes County, and obtained his pri-

mary education in the district schools. Later he attended the Millersburg High School and then began to teach. He remained six years in the local educational field, and then he taught three years at Benton, Ohio, during the interims completing his education at the Olio Normal University, at Ada. He read law with Judge Maxwell and Hon. George W. Sharp, at Millersburg, and subsequently at- tended the law school at the Ohio State Uni- versity at Columbus, being admitted to the Ohio bar, December 7, 1893. He immediate- ly located at Barberton, where he has since en- gaged in practice. Ile was elected village solicitor for two terms and was then appointed to the same office by the village council, and served on this occasion for a year and a half. He is recognized as an able lawyer and has been chosen on numerous occasions to man- age important cases of litigation.

On June 10, 1891, Mr. Ammerman was married to Kate Thompson, and they have three children-Harold, Helen, and Charles, Jr. Mr. Ammerman's fraternal connections include the Knights of Pythias, the Odd Fel- lows, the Elks, and the Independent Order of American Mechanics.

STEPIIEN C. MILLER, attorney-at-law, at Barberton, with offices in the American Na- tional Bank Building, on the corner of Fourth Street and Tuscarawas Avenue, enjoys a large and lucrative general practice, which extends all over Summit County. Mr. Miller was born at Hudson, New York, March 1, 1863, and is a son of Abraham and Ann H. (Miller) Mil- ler.

Abraham Miller, also a lawyer, practiced his profession for some years in New York. and died at Palmyra, in that, state, in 1871, at the age of thirty-three. His wife Ann still survives.

In 1876 the subject of this sketch eame to Akron, Ohio, to make his home with his un- cle. Dr. S. H. Coburn, with whom he remained until 1881, in the meantime attending the common and High Schools of this city. He commenced his law reading in the office of Edgerton & Kohler, at Akron, and completed

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his legal studies in Florida, to which state he went in 1881. He was admitted to the Flor- ida bar in 1890, and practiced at Tallahassee until 1895. Ile then returned to Akron, where he practiced law until 1901, and then located permanently at Barberton. Here he has taken part in a large portion of the im- portant business before the various courts, and has demonstrated his ability on many ocea- sions. Mr. Miller was married in Florida to Minuie Beazley, who was reared at Monticello, Jefferson County, Florida, and who is a daugh- ter of Judge William Beazley, of that place. They have two children, Susie and Isbell, the latter being named for Charles Isbell, of Akron.

HON. GEORGE W. SIEBER, formerly state senator, serving in the Seventy-fourth General Assembly of Ohio, is a leading mem- ber of the Akron bar and a partner in the prominent law firm of Grant, Sieber & Mather, which, in January, 1907, succeeded the firm of Grant & Sieber. Mr. Sieber was born Feb- ruary 22, 1858, in Snyder County, Pennsyl- vania, and is a son of Joseph and Sarah (Moyer) Sieber. The Sieber family is of German extraction. Both parents of Senator Sieber were born and reared in Pennsylvania. In 1868 they came to Summit County, where the father carried on a successful business for a number of years. He died in 1896.

In 1876 George W. Sieber was graduated from the Akron High School. He then took a course in Buchtel College, afterwards en- tering the Cincinnati Law School, from which institution he was graduated in the class of June, 1882, carrying off first honors. In the same year he was admitted to the bar and be- gan practice at Akron. On March 25, 1897, he was admitted to practice before the Su- preme Court of the United States. In 1891 Mr. Sieber entered into partnership with Hon. Edwin P. Green, formerly of the Common Pleas Court, and Hon. Charles R. Grant. formerly of the Probate Court, the new firm assuming the style of Green, Grant & Sieber. The death of Judge Green caused a reorgan- ization of the firm as Grant & Sieber.

Prominently identified with Republican politics, Senator Sieber has frequently been invited to accept publie office. In 1886 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Summit County, and in his official capacity acquitted himself during his first term with such credit that he was re-elected and served in the office for six years, retiring in 1893. In 1899 he was elected senator from the Twenty-sixth District, and when he completed his term of service and returned to his private practice, it was with the consciousness of public duty well performed.

On September 1. 1883, Senator Sieber was married to Elsie C. Motz, who is a daughter of George M. Motz, a prominent citizen of Middleburg, Pennsylvania. They have three children : Joseph B., Florence S. and Ruth. The family belong to the Lutheran Church. Mr. Sieber is a Thirty-second Degree Mason, and belong- also to the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Elks.

H. F. CASTLE, member of the firm of Felmly & Castle, prominent attorneys at Ak- ron. was born at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and is a son of E. H. Castle, who came to Sum- mit County from New York, in 1860, and who has been engaged in farming near Munroe Falls ever since.

H. F. Castle attended the district schools and spent four years in the Cuyahoga Falls schools. after which he studied law at home, and on June 1, 1903, was admitted to the bar. Ile immediately located for practice at Akron and continued alone until 1905, when the present firm was established. Mr. Castle has won his way to the front rank of his profes- sion by personal ability backed by hard work, and he has also become a factor in polities. He is a Republican and is a mem- ber of the Akron County Board of Elections, and is secretary of the Republican County Executive Committee. During the Spanish- American War he was a member of Com- pany A. Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was mustered into service in May, 1898. but was never actively engaged, spend- ing its whole term of enlistment in camp at

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Tampa and Key West. The company was mustered out of the service at Columbus, in November, 1898. Mr. Castle is a member of the Spanish-Ameriean War Veteran Asso- ciation, and belongs also to the Odd Fellows. Religiously, he is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church.

T. W. WAKEMAN, attorney, and claim agent for the Northern Ohio Traction and Light Company, at Akron, has been identi- fied with the interests of this city since De- cember, 1884. Mr. Wakeman was born at Kendallville, Noble County, Indiana, in 1866. At the age of eighteen years he had already completed the common and High School courses at Kendallville, and when twenty-one had commenced the study of law, which he prosecuted in the office of R. W. Sadler, a prominent attorney in Akron at that time. His admission to the bar took place in Mareh, 1889, and he continued with Mr. Sadler un- til 1892, when he began individual practice, retaining the same office. In 1902 he became claim agent for the Northern Ohio Traction and Light Company, the duties of which posi- tion have sinee absorbed a large part of his time and attention. He is interested also in some of Akron's business enterprises and is a stockholder in the Highland Park Land Com- pany. Formerly he was quite active in poli- tics, but he now finds little time to give to any- thing outside his profe-sion. Mr. Wakeman belongs to the Knights of Pythias. the Elks, the Elks Club and the Portage Country Club.

WILLIAM E. SNYDER. attorney. for- merly a member of the law firm of Esgate, Spencer & Snyder. of Akron, but now prac- ticing alone, with offiees in the Hamilton Building, was born in Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio, in 1871, and is a son of Michael and Nancy (Marsh) Snyder.

The father of Mr. Snyder was born in Al- sace-Lorraine, France, and after emigrating to Ameriea, he settled first in Springfield Township. Summit County, Ohio, for several years. and then removed to Franklin Town- ship. where he lived until his death in 1893.

having become one of the leading men of his community. He married Nancy Marsh, who was a daughter of George A. Marsh, a pioneer settler in the region of Turkey Foot Lake, and a son of Adam George Marsh, who settled there in 1810.

William E. Snyder was reared in Franklin Township, attending the local sehools. He then took a special course at Valparaiso, In- diana, and subsequently spent one year at Mt. Union College. He began to teach school when but seventeen years of age and contin- ued that occupation, with some intervals, for the next eight years. In 1895 he took up the study of law in the office of Otis & Otis, hay- ing mastered the elementary principles of the seience while teaching. He was admitted to the bar in October, 1898, and in the follow- ing year he located in Akron, and entered into associated practice with Mr. Kerstetter, under the firm name of Snyder & Kerstetter. The firm lasted for two years, after which Mr. Snyder praetieed alone until 1904, when the present firm of Esgate, Spencer & Snyder was formed. Mr. Snyder is somewhat interested in polities, but to a larger degree in his pro- fession. In 1894 Mr. Snyder was married to Olive C. Kerstetter, and they have three chil- dren, namely : Margaret, Marion and Harold. Mr. Snyder is a member of Grace Reformed Church. Fraternally, he is an Odd Fellow.

HON. E. W. STUART. senior member of the law firm of Stuart & Stuart, at Akron. and formerly probate judge of Summit County, is a prominent citizen who is identified with a number of the successful enterprises of this city. Judge Stuart was born May 9, 1840, at New Preston, Litchfield County, Conneetieut. Ilis parents settling in Erie County. Ohio. in 1842, his boyhood was spent on his fath er's farm. At the age of eighteen he entered the Western Reserve College, having prepared at the Iluron Institute at Milan. and was graduated in October, 1862.

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Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 37

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