Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 94

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

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Infirmary. Subsequently appointed to his present position, he assumed its duties Jan- uary 1, 1904. The Children's Home is a pet- charity of Akron and its needs have been re- sponded to by many of the capitalists of this section. For this very reason it was the part of wisdom to select as superintendent a man of reliable character, broad mind and execu- tive ability, qualities which are possessed in high degree by Mr. Braucher. With the cheerful and hearty assistance of his ad- mirable wife, who is the matron of the home, the twelve employes of the institution are kept faithfully performing their duties and the safety, well-being and happiness of the sixty- nine dependent children are assured.

Mr. Braucher was married (first) to Louisa Humbert, who died March 13, 1893, leaving four children. He married (second) Geneva Folk, who is a first cousin to Governor Folk, Missouri's distinguished chief magistrate. There were no children by the second mar- riage. Mr. Braucher and family belong to the Reformed Church. His children, all of the first marriage, survive. Mrs. E. Bunts lost her husband, who died February 18, 1907. The other are: Mrs. William Metzger, of Ak- ron; Mrs. Arthur Gillette, of South Omaha; Clark L., of Toledo, who is division manager there of the U. S. Telephone Company ; and Harry H., who died, aged four years.

Politically, Mr. Braucher is a Democrat. Fraternally, he is connected with the Knights of Pythias, and Mrs. Braucher with the order of Maccabees.

R. S. IREDELL, one of Akron's represent- ative business men, who, for the past thirty vears has been interested in fire insurance at this point, is also secretary and general man- ager of the Hamilton Building Company, with offices in the Hamilton Building. He was born January 15, 1847, at Akron, Ohio, and is a son of Seth and Mary (Irwin) Iredell. Seth Iredell was once one of Akron's most promi- nent and useful citizens -- a pioneer merchant -and had the distinction of being the first mayor. He was born September 6, 1773, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and came

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to Akron in 1830, prior to the opening of the Akron Canal. He became interested in many of the early enterprises of the city and lent his influence to further their development. He died in 1854. The mother of R. S. Iredell was also born in Pennsylvania and was a daugh- ter of William Irwin, whom she accompanied to Akron in 1812.

R. S. Iredell was given all the educational advantages the city of his birth offered in his boyhood. For a number of his early business years he was connected with the boot and shoe trade, but since 1877, he has been almost ex- clusively occupied in fire insurance. He is a stockholder in other enterprises and is at the head of the Hamilton Building Company. In 1884, Mr. Iredell was married to Mary Ter- rass, who is a daughter of John Terrass, of Akron, and they have three children-Mary K., Robert and Elizabeth. The son is a student at Buchtel College, and the younger daughter is completing the High School course at Akron. Mr. Iredell and family be- long to the Congregational Church.

ILAROLD E. JOY, general superintendent of the B. F. Goodrich Company, at Akron, which city has been his chosen home since 1874, was born in England, in 1868, and was brought to America in childhood, and, at the age of six years, to Akron. His school days and business life have been passed in this city, where his main interests are centered. When he was sixteen years old he entered a grocery store, where he learned the business, remaining six years, when he became ship- ping clerk in the B. F. Goodrich Company. His industry and fidelity brought him promo- tion and from one stage to another ho rose, being several years in the order department, for several years department manager, then second assistant superintendent, later assist- ant superintendent, and since August, 1907, general superintendent, a position of great re- sponsibility. Mr. Joy having worked his way up, understands every detail of the business, and under his efficient superintendence there is no danger that any deterioration will take place in the quality of the products which

have won their way into every civilized cor- ner of the world.

In 1892, Mr. Joy was married to Jessie Holmes, who was born and reared at Akron, and they have four children. Mr. and Mrs. Joy are members of the First Congregational Church, and he belongs to its Board of Trus- tees. He is a member of the Portage Country club.

JOHN W. GAUTHIER, an experienced pottery man, who has been foreman of the Robinson Clay Product Company, at Akron, for many years, and is also secretary and treasurer of the Union Printing Ink Manu- facturing Company, is one of Akron's lead- ing citizens, being actively interested in other lines than those above mentioned. He was born in 1867, at Ottawa, Canada.

Mr. Gauthier was a youth of twelve years when he came to Akron, where the greater part of his education has been secured. For twenty-five years he has been in the pottery business, starting in what was the old E. H. Merrill Company, the same that was subse- quently merged into the Robinson Clay Prod- uct Company. His business ability has made him a valuable member of other concerns also and his standing in commercial circles is very high. He enjoys the distinction of being the only Democratic member of the Akron city council, and has served in this body for a number of terms. At different times he has been a member of the city. as well as im- portant county committees of the Democratic party, and enjoys the confidence of the party leaders throughout the state.

In 1891, Mr. Gauthier was married to Augusta Sommerfeldt, who was born in Ger- many. They have six children: John, Edna, Mina, Karl, Mary and Edward. Mr. Gauthier is a member of a number of the leading fraternal organizations and is active in promoting their usefulness.

EMSLEY O. GROSE, president and gen- eral manager of the Independent Tack Com- pany, of Cuyahoga. Falls, of which he was the organizer. is one of the representative business

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

men of this city. Mr. Grose was born at Tip- ton, Indiana, February 17, 1872, and is a son of Joseph and Selindia (Welshonse) Grose.

Joseph Grose was born in Indiana, in 1844, and is a retired farmer living at Tipton. He has been a very active member of the Demo- cratie party in that section, and for eight years he was superintendent of the Tipton County Infirmary. He saw service during the latter part of the Civil War, and is a mem- ber of the Grand Army of the Republic. He married Selindia Welshonse, who also sur- vives, and eight of their family of eleven chil- dren grew to maturity. The Grose family is an old one in Indiana, extending back beyond the days of the grandfather.

Emsley O. Grose was the first born of his parents' large family. He obtained a com- mon school education in the Tipton schools and then learned the machinist's trade, at Anderson, Indiana, after completing his ap- prenticeship, entering the wire nail mill, which is one of the largest industries of that place. He continued work there until he came to Cuyahoga Falls, in July. 1899, when he was with the E. 1. Henry Wire Company for about eighteen months, from which place he entered the Rivet Works, remaining one year. During all this time, while quietly working at his trade, Mr. Grose was evolving in his mind the plan of a different kind of wire nail machine, which he felt convinced would be of the greatest efficiency in making large-headed wire roofing nails, and in 1905 he completed his invention and went to Fos- toria to see about putting it on the market. There he organized the Seneca Wire and Man- ufacturing Company, and remained six months as the superintendent of the nail de- partment. He then returned to Cuyahoga Falls and organized the Independent Tack Company. For several years he had been studying out a design for a tack-making ma- chine and succeeded in making a practical model during the early months of 1907, which has been a complete success in every way. Mr. Grose has a dozen automatic machines at work in his factory and they are being rap- idly installed in other places. Their construc-

tion is unique, nothing of the kind ever hav- ing been put on the market previously. To Mr. Grose belongs the credit for a thorough- ly practical and labor-saving invention. His factory needs no traveling representatives, as the demand for its product already far exceeds the supply.

Mr. Grose married Rose A. Keeney, who is a daughter of Charles Keeney, of Cuyahoga Falls. and they have had three children, namely: Ethel and Margaret, living. and George, the eldest, who died at the age of thirteen months. Mrs. Grose is a member of the Catholic Church, but Mr. Grose was reared a Methodist. Mr. Grose, like his father, has always been identified with the Democratic party, but takes no very active interest in poli- ties. He belongs to Fostoria Lodge. No. 86, Knights of Pythias.

JAMES W. RABE, M. D., physician and surgeon, of many years' experience, has been a resident of Akron since 1891. He was born at Caldwell, Noble County, Ohio, but was reared at Cleveland.

Dr. Rabe received his literary training in the city of Cleveland, and his medical educa- tion in the University of Pennsylvania, where he was graduated in 1888. He returned to Cleveland and for two years was demon- strator of anatomy in the Western Reserve Medical College. He is a member of the Sum- mit County, the Ohio State, the Northeastern Ohio and the American Medical Associations. He has taken an active part in various sani- tary movements in the city when the judg- ment of a physician bore considerable weight. but takes only a good citizen's interest in poli- tics. Dr. Rabe is surgeon at the Akron City Hospital, and is also surgeon for the Balti- more & Ohio. the Pennsylvania & Western and the Cleveland and Valley Railroads. He is medical examiner for a number of life in- surance companies, including the New York and Manhattan. of New York : the Northwest- ern, of Milwaukee; the Metropolitan ; the Mas- sachusetts Mutual; the John Hancock. Cana- dian Life and others. In 1891 Dr. Rabe was married to Maud Nash. daughter of Sumner

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Nash, of Akron. They have two children, Mary and J. W., Jr. Dr. Rabe belongs to the Elks and the Elks club and also to the Akron club.

JAMES P. BREEN, superintendent of the northeast side of Portage Township, is a suc- cessful general farmer, residing on his val- uable farm of thirty-seven acres, which was formerly owned by John McCausland, a prom- inent pioneer settler, and his father-in-law. Mr. Breen was born at Akron, Ohio, April 1, 1859, and is a son of Patrick and Mary (O'Neil) Breen. Patrick Breen was born in Ireland, where his father died when he was about six years old. Shortly afterward the widowed mother came to America with her two sons, James and Patrick, settling at Xenia, Ohio, where Patrick's mother died. When a young man he came to Akron and entered a powder mill in that city, having learned the business at Xenia. He was married at Akron to Mary O'Neil, a native of that city; her father was a native of Ireland. Patrick and Mary Breen had three children, namely : James P., Lydia and John. Lydia married Harvey Sharp, also of Akron. When James P. Breen was six years of age, his father was killed by an explosion in the powder mill. His mother subsequently married James Glen- nan, of which union there were three chil- dren, namely: Edward, William and Joseph, the latter of whom lives at Akron. Edward died at the age of twenty-seven years, and William died aged fifteen years. The mother survived until 1871.

James P. Breen was deprived of his moth- er's care and affection when he was a boy of twelve years. He remained at home with his stepfather until he was fifteen, attending school and assisting in caring for the family, as he began work as a teamster when he was only a hoy of a dozen years. For about ten vears he followed teaming and then entered the Schumacher flour mills, where he worked for eight years. Shortly after his marriage he came to live on the McCausland home- stead. acquiring forty-nine acres, and he has followed farming ever since. Recently five

acres were sold to the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- road, and the remainder of the land is very valuable.

In November, 1884, Mr. Breen was married to Mary McCausland, who is a daughter of the late John McCausland. The family is a very prominent and old-established one of Summit County. Mr. and Mrs. Breen have had seven children, all of whom survive, except the sec- ond, Mary, who died aged six years. Those living are: John, who holds a good position with the B. F. Goodrich Company as travel- ing salesman; and Bertha, Loretto, Charles, Leo and Francis, who are at present students.

Mr. Breen is a good citizen and takes a deep interest in all that concerns Portage Town- ship. He is one of the three township super- intendents and looks carefully after public improvements and private interests through that portion over which he has jurisdiction. He is a consistent member of the Catholic Church.

JOHN A. KEMPEL, proprietor of the large department and grocery store at Nos. 633-635 South Main Street, Akron, is one of the na- tives of this busy and prospering city who has assisted in its commercial development and enjoys a large amount of its prosperity. Mr. Kempel was born in this city February 26, 1855, and is a son of Adam Kempel, who was born in Bavaria, Germany, and who came to Summit County in 1842, subsequently be- coming a leading business man of Akron.

John A. Kempel was only nine years old when he first started to work in a local shoe- maker shop, assisting his father, and when he was thirteen he hecame blacksmith's helper in the Buckeye shops, where he remained un- til he was seventeen years of age. One trade is about all the ordinary man learns, but Mr. Kempel went from the blacksmith's shop to the chainmaker, and learned that trade and worked at it until he was thirty-six years old, visiting various parts of the country as his work demanded. After this he worked for two vears in the knife works, gaining a working knowledge of another self-supporting trade, but in 1893 he embarked in business for him-

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self in the grocery line. As a merchant he prospered, and in 1903 he added a regular department line of goods. He owns consid- erable valuable business property, and in 1895 erected a brick building 22 by 140 feet, two stories in height, on South Main Street. In 1900 he built the City Laundry building, 20 by 200 feet, which he sold to Lawrence Hal- ter, and in 1903, he built a two-story brick adjoining his first building both of these being utilized by Mr. Kempel for his large stock. Mr. Kempel is gradually retiring from the active management of the business, in which he has met with such deserved success. He is a stockholder in the Great Western Cereal Company, is proprietor of the Magic Cereal Coffee Company and is principal owner of Grandview allotment of Barberton. In 1883, Mr. Kempel was married (first) in Pennsyl- vania, to Eldora Willis, of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, who died in 1884, leaving one son, George A., who is with the Sherwood- Potter Company, of New Brighton. Mr. Kempel was married (second) September 1, 1887, to Rosa Berg, who was born in Ger- many, and they have two children, Dorothy and Lawrence, the former of whom will grad- uate in the class of 1908, at St. Mary's Acad- emy, Notre Dame, Indiana. Mr. Kempel is a member of St. Vincent de Paul's Catholic Church. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, of St. Joseph's Society, of the Cath- olic Mutual Benefit Association and of St. Bernard's club.

CHARLES E. HELD, M. D., who stands very high among Akron's physicians and sur- geons. and occupies the chair of pathology at the Akron City Hospital, was born at Akron, Ohio, in 1869, but was taken to Portage Coun- ty hy his parents when a babe of one year.

After completing a liberal education, which included attendance in the schools of Clin- ton, a period at Mt. Union College and one at Wooster University, Dr. Held went into the educational field. beginning to teach in Wayne County. and seven years later he taught his last school at St. Thomas, North Dakota, where he had charge of the schools of

that place. In the meanwhile, his leisure had been given to the study of medicine and later he entered the medical department of the Western Reserve University, and after gradua- tion he served for fifteen months as an interne at the Lakeside Hospital, Cleveland. On May 1, 1899, he returned to his native city, locating here for the practice of his profes- sion. With the exception of periods when he has been doing post-graduate work at Cleve- land, Dr. Held has seldom left his patients, and he has a large and lucrative practice. He keeps in close touch with all modern advance- ment in his science and is a member of the Summit County Sixth Councilor District. the Ohio State and the American Medical Asso- ciation. His social connection is with the Celsus club of Akron. Fraternally, he is a Mason. a Woodman and a Maccabee.

In 1902 Dr. Held was married to Nettie Burt, of Breckville, Ohio, and they have one son. Burt. Dr. Held is a member of the Wabash Avenue Church of Christ, of which he 'is a trustee, and superintendent of the Sunday School.

JAMES W. BROWN. secretary of the I. S. Myers Company, at Akron, leaders in the clothing line. is one of the city's active busi- ness men and has been identified with this concern for many years, both before and since its incorporation. He was born at Morris Run, Pennsylvania. in 1871, and is a son of the late William R. Brown.

James W. Brown was eight years old when his father brought the family to Akron, and he was reared and educated in this city. and as the whole of his business life has been con- nected with her enterprises, he may be re- garded almost in the light of a native son. After leaving school he was employed for a short time by the Diamond Match Company, and following this for eight years was with the New York Clothing House. Afterwards he entered the employ of Myers. Ganvard & Stump, which firm was succeeded by Ganvard & Myers, and this, in turn. was succeeded by I. S. Myers & Company. In 1899 he became a member of the firm and when the business

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was incorporated, February 17, 1904, he be- came secretary. The other officers are: I. S. Myers, president and manager; T. J. Stebick, vice-president; and M. F. Rhodes, treasurer.

In 1896 Mr. Brown was married to Mar- garet A. Frangen, of Doylestown, Ohio, and they have one child, Gertrude M. Mr. Brown is identified with a number of the leading fra- ternities. IIe is a Knight Templar Mason and also belongs to the Maccabees and the A. I. U.

FRANK WALTZ, a highly esteemed, re- tired citizen of Johnson's Corners, Summit County, Ohio, and the owner of a tract of thirty-six and one-half aeres in Norton Town- ship, is one of the township's most venerable residents and a survivor of the great Civil War. Mr. Waltz was born February 11, 1831, in Chippewa Township, Wayne County, Ohio, and is a son of David and Lydia (Baughman) Waltz.

David Waltz, who was a son of Jacob Waltz, removed from Trumbull County to Wayne County, Ohio, and in about 1847 to Norton Township, Summit County, where he pur- chased a property now known as the J. C. Baughman farm. This he later sold and re- moved to Wadsworth, where he bought a farm. and subsequently he went to Sharon, Medina County, Ohio. Here. however, he re- mained less than a year. returning to Wads- worth, where the remainder of his life was spent.

After his marriage, Frank Waltz went to housekeeping on his father's farm in Norton Township, whence, in 1862, he enlisted in the Twenty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer In- fantry. being with the Twentieth Army Corps most of the time, under General Gary. Ile enlisted as a musician, and served as such for two years, and ten months under Sherman, participating in the siege of Atlanta, and the March to the Sea, and being mustered out at Washington, District of Columbia. He was a brave and faithful soldier, and his war record is one which any man might well be proud of. After the war he returned to Johnson's Corners and engaged in the mercantile busi- ness for eight years. He afterwards moved

to his father's farm in Wadsworth, whence he went to the farm in Sharon, remaining there six years. Subsequently he purchased a tract of eighty-three and one-half acres in Chippewa Township, Wayne County, Ohio, to which he moved, having sold his eighty- aere farm in Sharon. For about eighteen years he was engaged in agricultural pursuits in Chippewa Township, and at the end of this time located in Doylestown, where he carried on a grocery business for five years, selling out in 1900 to again locate at Johnson's Corners. In 1904 Mr. Waltz sold his farm in Chippewa Township, and since that time he has lived retired. In addition to his home at Johnson's Corners, Mr. Waltz is the owner of a thirty- six and one-half acre traet in Norton Town- ship.

In 1862 Mr. Waltz was married to Elizabeth Hoffman, who is a daughter of John Hoffman, the blacksmith of Johnson's Corners, and to this union there were born two children- Harry and Albert. Harry, born June 19,1870, who conduets a store at the Corners, mar- ried Nina Schondle in 1900, and they have one child, Alberta, born October 1, 1902. Albert died at the age of eight years, eight months and ten days. Mr. Waltz has served as township trustee in both Sharon Township, Medina County and Chippewa Township, Wayne County.

Mr. Frank Waltz's wife, Elizabeth, died February 27, 1906, at the age of sixty-three years and eleven months.

WILLIAM FRANKLIN AVERILL, pro- prietor of the Spring Brook Farm Dairy, lo- cated at No. 970 West Exchange Avenue, Ak- ron, was born in Copley Township, Summit County, Ohio, March 1, 1863, and is a son of William 'and Margaret (Welker) Averill.

The father of Mr. Averill died when he was about eight years old and he was reared by his mother, remaining at home in Copley until January 1, 1885, when he was married to Emma Botzum, who is a daughter of Adam and Eliza Botzum. For one year after mar- riage Mr. and Mrs. Averill remained in Cop- ley, where he still owns 100 aeres of land, on

HON. ELI CONN, A. M., M. D.

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which his dairy farm is situated, and then noved to Northampton Township for one year, coming to his present home September 22, 1887. At that time his place was located in Portage Township, but has since been ab- sorbed into Akron. In 1900 he erected his substantial barn and recently has remodeled his house, making of it a handsome, modern residence. Up to 1903, when he retired, Mr. Averill was mainly interested in a lumber business, in partnership with A. V. Bennage, under the firm name of Bennage & Averill. The firm bought timber, and owning a port- able sawmill, they furnished lumber to con- tractors and shipbuilders in the rough. They shipped large cargoes of lumber to Cleveland. Buffalo, Tonawanda, Lorain and other points. This firm carried on this business for seven- teen years. In 1903 Mr. Averill retired in or- der to give his attention to farming and dairy- ing. He operates two milk routes and pur- chases milk by wholesale. This industry is an important one in this section.

Mr. and Mrs. Averill have had two children, namely: Lilian and Frank.

Lilian, who resides with her parents, on January 1, 1907, married Clarence Brown, who is interested in the dairy business with Mr. Averill. Frank, a bright and promising child, was snatched away by death in April, 1904, at the age of eight years, five months and five days.

IION. ELI CONN, A. M., M. D., of Akron, now living retired from active pursuits, was formerly a member of the Ohio State Senate, representing Summit County, and for many years was one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Akron. As another claim to hon- orable distinction, he is a veteran of the great Civil War, to which he gave four years of his young manhood. Dr. Conn was born June 10, 1838, in Butler County. Pennsyl- vania, and is a son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Ferguson) Conn.

Dr. Conn comes of Irish and Scotch an- cestry. His father was born in Ireland, while his mother, who was of Scotch descent, was born in Pennsylvania. Joseph Conn and

Elizabeth Ferguson were married in Pennsyl- vania, where they continued to live the re- mainder of their lives, the former dying when his son Eli was fourteen years old, and the latter at the advanced age of ninety-two years.

Eli Conn was primarily educated in the district schools of Butler County, Pennsyl- vania, and was engaged in teaching when the Rebellion broke out. In 1861 he enlisted as a private in the 102nd Regiment, Pennsyl- vania Volunteer Infantry, which became a part of the Army of the Potomac; and during the whole progress of the war he served with courage and fidelity, participating in thirty- two severe battles, and innumerable skir- mishes, and enduring all the necessary hard- ships in army life. With great good fortune he survived them all, and when his country no longer needed his services, he received an honorable discharge and returned to the paths of peace. He had been first lieutenant of his company. He then set about completing his education, in 1865 entering Baldwin Col- lege, at Berca, Ohio, where he was graduated in 1868. He then attended the Cleveland Medi- cal School for two terms, receiving therefrom his degree of M. D. Subsequently Baldwin Col- lege, his alma mater, conferred upon him the degree of A. M. Dr. Conn entered into prac- tice in Butler County, Pennsylvania, but was shortly afterward elected probate judge, and served four years in that office. In 1880 he came to Akron, and in 1882 was elected health officer of this city, in which capacity he served two years. In 1896, in recognition of the qualities he possessed which go to make a statesman, Dr. Conn was elected to the State Senate from Summit County, and during his term of service fulfilled every expectation of his friends. From the time he located in Akron until 1897 he continued actively en- gaged in the practice of medicine. Pro- fessionally as well as socially he is a man of high standing. He is an able writer for the medical press, and is frequently called upon to diseuss important questions at the meetings of the various medical associations to which he belongs.

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Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 94

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