Fifty years and over of Akron and Summit County : embellished by nearly six hundred engravings--portraits of pioneer settlers, prominent citizens, business, official and professional--ancient and modern views, etc.; nine-tenth's of a century of solid local history--pioneer incidents, interesting events--industrial, commercial, financial and educational progress, biographies, etc., Part 10

Author: Lane, Samuel A. (Samuel Alanson), 1815-1905
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Akron, Ohio : Beacon Job Department
Number of Pages: 1228

USA > Ohio > Summit County > Akron > Fifty years and over of Akron and Summit County : embellished by nearly six hundred engravings--portraits of pioneer settlers, prominent citizens, business, official and professional--ancient and modern views, etc.; nine-tenth's of a century of solid local history--pioneer incidents, interesting events--industrial, commercial, financial and educational progress, biographies, etc. > Part 10

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COL. JUSTUS GALE.

Theodoric Balch, Henry Clay, farmer on West Exchange street; and Mary Gertrude, widow of the late James C. McNeil, whose portrait and biography appear elsewhere. Mrs. Gale, in full possession of all her faculties, now in her 90th year, still survives.

SOME OTHER EARLY HOTELS.

On my arrival in Akron, June 10, 1835, besides the "Clark Hotel," then kept by Mr. Lewis Humiston, who was also at that time Akron's postmaster, there was a two-story frame tavern, directly east, on Exchange street, kept by Dr. Rufus Pierce, and a new two-story and a half frame, the Summit House, on West Exchange street, kept by "Col." Lyman Green, afterwards from about 1839 to 1845 by Samuel Edgerly, father of Mr. Charles H. Edgerly and Mrs. Sarah M. E. Battels, Mr. Edgerly being a charter member of Akron Lodge, No. 83, F. & A. M., and dying in this city in 1852, while at the North end, besides the Pavilion House, kept by Mr. Charles B. Cobb, a three-story brick hotel, called the "Ohio Exchange," on the present site of Woods' Block, corner Market and Main streets, was completed and occupied by Gen. Duthan Northrop, of Medina, the same year. While it is not my design to name all the buildings, public and private, that then

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

composed the two rival, and in fact, bitterly hostile, villages, since, with the pioneer village of Middlebury, now bravely over its "goose pasture" stage of existence, consolidated into one compact, harmonious and enterprising city, I have been thus particular in regard to those early hotels, because of the prominent part they, and their proprietors, and some of their patrons, will play as "dramatis personæ" in the scenes and events to be recorded in these chapters.

ULIUS A. SUMNER,-born in

J Townshend, Vt., January 2, 1802; educated in common school; at 14 started out for himself, going first to Boston, then on foot to Huntington, Pa., and soon to Pittsburg, working in nail factory ; at 16 taught school one year ; in 1818 engaged with father and brother in the manufacture of bar and strap iron and nails in Mid- dlebury ; also making frequent trips east, over the mountains with horses and cattle ; later carrying on a large farm, pottery and distillery, near Mogadore, and in the middle forties, erecting a large distillery at Lock Seventeen, and keeping Akron's prin- cipal hotel, the Ohio Exchange, on the present site of Woods' block, and quite an extensive store on the oppo- site side of the street ; later building Empire block, adjoining the Empire Hotel on the west, and the large hotel and opera house building, cor- ner of Howard and Tallmadge streets. Though from time to time meeting with heavy losses by fire, Mr. Sumner was phenomenally prosperous dur- ing a long business career, dying June 20, 1882, at the age of 80 years, 5 months and 18 days. In 1824 Mr. Sumner was married to Miss Margaret New- comb, of Wadsworth, who bore him six children -Charles A. (now of Detroit), Mary (now Mrs. C.Ferguson, of Akron, Sixth Ward), Nellie (Mrs.

10.

JULIUS A. SUMNER.

J. B. Houghton, now deceased), Eliza (Mrs. E. S. Stillwell, of Coventry), Albert A. (deceased) and Victoria (Mrs. George S. Clark, Akron). Mrs. Summer dying in 1849, in 1853 Mr. Sumner was again married to the widow of Heman A. Bradley, who died October 18, 1880.

AKRON INCORPORATED.

CHAPTER II.

AKRON INCORPORATED- FIRST CHARTER ELECTION-EARLY MAYORS-THE FIRST A VENERABLE AND WEALTHY, BUT WORLDLY-MINDED QUAKER THE SECOND AN IMPECUNIOUS, BUT TALENTED FARMER-LAWYER "KID"- UNSUCCESSFUL SPECULATIONS-FORCED INTO BANKRUPTCY-PECULIAR LAW PRACTICE-PROSECUTED FOR ASSAULT-CHIEF JUSTICE DAVID K. CARTTER, ATTORNEY FOR THE STATE-" MOVING" DEFENSE-INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE-ELECTED BY THE "KIDS"-SUCCESSFUL ADMINISTRATION --- RE-ELECTED-PROSPEROUS FARMER-SUBSEQUENT MAYORS, ETC.

ACT OF INCORPORATION.

T `HE two villages, North and South Akron, having for the time

being placed their antagonisms in abeyance, in the Winter of 1835-36, jointly petitioned the General Assembly of the State of Ohio for a town charter, which was duly granted on the 12th day of March, 1836. The territory described in the charter, comprised of portions of both Portage and Coventry townships, embraced the territory within the recent north, west and south corporation lines, and a line upon the east starting a short distance east of the south end of Spicer street, and running northerly, diagonally crossing Spicer street a short distance south of the old Spicer homestead, through Fir street to the north corporation line, a little east of Lock Sixteen, and containing about three and one-fourth square miles of land.

By the terms of the charter it was provided that the first elec- tion for the new corporation should be held on the second Tuesday of June, 1836, at the usual place of holding elections in the town- ship of Portage, commencing between 9 and 10 o'clock in the fore- noon and closing at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, " white male inhab- itants" having resided in said town for the period of six months, and having the qualifications of electors for members of the Gen- eral Assembly, only, being allowed to vote.

This initial election was held at the tavern of Asa Larned (the old Clark stand on the northeast corner of Main and Exchange streets), Harvey H. Johnson (lawyer), Rufus Pierce (hotel-keeper), and Zebulon Jones (shoemaker), acting as judges, and Franklin C. May (merchant), acting as the clerk of election, being elected vive voce by the electors in attendance, as provided by the charter.

As the time for the election approached, there was, of course, a good deal of figuring as to candidates, the officers to be elected being Mayor, Recorder and five Trustees. Not only politics, but . sectional interests and predilections, were invoked, both in the choice of candidates and at the polls. Whigs and Democrats were the only political parties then in vogue, and the lines, in both gen- eral and local elections, were usually drawn pretty taut, and the contests were often very warm, and sometimes extremely bitter.

By this time the voting population of the North End was rather the stronger, and in the caucuses secured both of the can- didates for Mayor-Seth Iredell (Whig), and Dr. Eliakim Crosby (Democrat)-as well as both of the candidates for Recorder-Charles W. Howard (Whig), and Constant Bryan (Democrat). Politically, the new corporation was pretty evenly balanced, but an analysis of the vote, for Mayor and Recorder, will show that sectional, rather

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

than political, interest, was the most potent factor in determining the result. Mr. Iredell was a venerable Pennsylvania Quaker, a man of liberal means (for those days), and had been thoroughly identified with the growth and prosperity of the Lower Town from its very start, while Dr. Crosby was, in reality, the very father thereof, by reason of his having projected and successfully com- pleted the Cascade Mill race, which made the very existence of the Lower Town possible.

The vote for Mayor stood : Iredell (Whig), 91; Crosby (Democrat), 75; clearly indicating that the very fact that the Lower Town existed through the genius and push of the enterprising Doctor, compassed his defeat. A like influence is also*seen in the vote for Recorder; Mr. Howard, (Whig, but son-in-law of Dr. Crosby), receiv- ing but 75 votes, while his competitor, Mr. Bryan (Democrat), received 87. The contest for Trustees seems to have been a sort of "go as you please" scrub race, 16 different persons receiving votes as follows : Erastus Torrey, 153; Jedediah D. Commins, 143; William B. Mitchell, 114; William E. Wright, 88; Justus Gale, 87; Noah M. Green, 124; Ansel Miller, 23; Robert K. DuBois, 43; Samuel A. Wheeler, 4; Alvah Hand, 3; Hiram Payne, 7; Eliakim Crosby, 13; Seth Iredell, 3; Richard Howe, 1; Eber Blodgett, 2; and Capt. Howe, 1. Erastus Torrey (South Akron, Whig), Jedediah D. Commins, (South Akron, Democrat), Noah M. Green, (South Akron, Whig), William B. Mitchell, (North Akron, Demo- crat), and William E. Wright, (North Akron, Whig), were returned as duly elected, but Mr. Mitchell declining to qualify, the Council, at its second meeting, appointed Col. Justus Gale, (of North Akron, Whig), to fill the vacancy ; the Mayor and Recorder, with the five Trustees, constituting the Town Council, and five members constituting a quorum; Marshal, Treasurer, Engineer, Solicitor, etc., being appointive offices by the Council.

AKRON'S FIRST MAYOR.

......

BENEDICT

CF C'a CHI.

SETH IREDELL.

As above stated, Setlı Iredell re- ceived 91 votes for Mayor out of a total vote of 166, being a majority of 16 over the vote of his worthy com- petitor, Dr. Crosby. This total vote of 166, making the very liberal allowance of five inhabitants 'for every vote cast, would make the total population of the town at this period, 830 souls, only, instead of 1,200 or 1,300, as represented a year previous, in the memorial to the Legislature for a bank charter, here- tofore alluded to.

Mr. Seth Iredell, the first recip- ient of Akron's highest honor, the mayoralty, was a Pennsylvania Quaker, then about 62 years of age, but still remarkably vigorous, both physically and mentally. Though, characteristic of his sect, he was moderate in conversation, and con-

AKRON'S FIRST MAYOR.

servative in business and official matters, he was, nevertheless, decided in his opinions, and diligent in the discharge of every private obligation and public duty. Thus, while he looked care- fully after the welfare of the public, and labored faithfully for the prosperity of the entire town, being a man of peace, he also earnestly sought to harmonize sectional differences, and allay sectional ani- mosities. This characteristic also led him to discourage every species of litigation, and to peaceably and amicably adjust antag- onisms among his neighbors. Hence, though opening and keeping a mayor's docket, as required by law, he not only did not court magisterial business, but, so far as he could, turned such parties as were bound to fight, whether civilly or criminally, over to the justices of the peace of the respective townships out of which the municipal corporation had been carved.

The venerable and most amiable and devoted Quaker wife of Mr. Iredell, Mrs. Mary Iredell, died on the 17th day of March, 1839, at the age of 65 years, leaving no children. As soon thereafter as the proprieties would allow, Mr. Iredell married, for his second wife, Elizabeth (or Betsy) Davidson, who had been a faithful domestic in the family. for several years, and who died Nov. 30, 1840, at the age of 34 years, leaving one son, Charles Iredell, for many years a worthy citizen of Portage county, but now residing in Akron.

Mr. Iredell married, for his third wife, Miss Mary Irvin, of Middlebury, March 4, 1841, with whom he lived quietly and hap- pily until his death, March 22, 1854, at the ripe age of 80 years. The fruit of this marriage was two sons-Seth, a bright and promising boy, who died at the age of seven years, September 13, 1849, and Robert S., still living, a highly respected resident of his native city, over which, in its chrysalis existence, of more than a half a century ago, his venerable father reigned as its first chief magistrate. Mrs. Mary Irvin Iredell died April 19, 1883, at the age of 78 years.

By the provisions of the charter, the tenure of municipal office was one year, only. The second annual election was held on the first Tuesday of June, 1837, at Clark's hotel, in South Akron, with Councilmen William E. Wright and William K. May, as judges, and Recorder Constant Bryan, as clerk. The record does not give the names of all the candidates voted for, but the result only. There were 155 votes polled, of which John C. Singletary, Jr., received 85 votes for Mayor ; William E. Wright, 135 votes for Recorder; and for Trustees, William K. May, 133; William T. Mather, 145; Dana D. Evans, 125; Jesse Allen, 147; and Eber Blodgett, 110 votes, being an entirely new set of men, with the exception of William E. Wright, Recorder-elect, who had served as Trustee during the preceding year, and William K. May, who had several months before been appointed Trustee, in the place J. D. Commins, resigned. The new Council met for organization June 12, with Mayor Iredell in the chair, until the bond of the Mayor-elect, in the sum of $3,000, was approved, which was unani- mously done, one of the eleven sureties upon the bond being the late Paris Tallman, Esq., of 803 East Market street. At the second meeting, September 17, Horace K. Smith was elected Treasurer, and Moses Cleveland, Marshal, which, with the regular standing committees, completed the organization.

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

AKRON'S SECOND MAYOR.

Although Mayor Iredell, as before intimated, had declined to do very much judicial business, his admin- istration had been generally satis- factory, and as the time for the new election approached, it was sup- posed he would be his own suc- cessor; but it was destined to be otherwise.

In 1834, there had come into Akron, a stalwart young lawyer, by the name of John Curtis Singletary, Jr. He was fully six feet high, and every way well proportioned, with an intelligent and genial counte- nance, good-natured, social and kind-hearted. His father, Col. John C. Singletary, was a wealthy J. C. SINGLETARY. and highly respected farmer of the township of Streetsboro. Young Singletary was born in Aurora, Portage County, December 19, 1810, and was a graduate of Western Reserve College, at Hudson, of the class of 1835. His proficiency in his studies was such that he had substantially completed his course a year or more before graduation day, and had also studied law with his uncle, in Middlebury, the late Senator Gregory Powers, and had been admitted to the Bar, by the Court in Banc, at Columbus, in 1834, Judge Reuben Wood presiding.

Though not very liberally endowed with ready money, he had been provided by his father with a good law library (for those days) and started in, at the age of 24, with bright prospects of winning for himself a brilliant career in his chosen profession; building a commodious and comfortable office on the south side of Exchange street, a little east of Main.

Had the young lawyer stuck closely to his briefs, all would have been well; but, unfortunately, like the most of his associates, he was seized with the prevailing mania for speculation, the embryo "Lowell of the West," as Akron was then called, being at that time decidedly on the boom; both business blocks and tene- ment houses being in real or prospective demand.

Accordingly, with but limited business or financial experience, but, (as he himself expresses it in a private note to the writer), with "immense credit," he largely "invested" in village lots, building materials, labor, etc .; one of the monuments of his enterprise being the substantial two story tenement house, on the corner of Bowery and West Middlebury streets, now owned and occupied by Dr. John G. Carpender. The tightening down of business and monetary matters, in 1836, precursory to the great financial and commercial crash in 1837, brought matters to a crisis, and our youthful specu- lator was forced into bankruptcy.

Everything he possessed, even down to his law office, library, etc., had to be sacrificed. This, of course, very materially clouded his prospects, and subjected him to many indignities, and consid- erable persecution, from those who held, but were unable to realize

AKRON'S SECOND MAYOR.

upon, his paper. But he still maintained his genial good nature, and, to a limited extent, his law practice; his desire being rather to see justice done, through his services, than the filling of his own pockets.

As a sample of his mode of procedure, in this regard, and of the persecutions with which he was beset, the following incident will suffice: A farmer's boy, from Springfield, came to town on busi- ness, riding upon one of his father's horses. A local shark had induced the boy to swap horses with him, and had palmed off upon the boy a tolerably good looking, but totally blind, horse. On dis- covering the swindle that had been perpetrated upon him, the boy sought the office of young Singletary, and weepingly told his tale.

"Where is your horse ?" enquired Singletary.

"Over in the tavern barn," said the boy, and then looking out of the window, he exclaimed, "there he goes now; they're leading him away- please stop 'em, Mister !"

Looking in the direction indicated, Singletary saw a noted horse-jockey-boat-captain, leading the farmer's horse past his office. Stepping into the street, he took hold of the halter strap, and said to the boat-captain, "Here, give this boy his horse."

"'Tain't his hoss; it's my hoss ; it was a fair trade," replied the captain.

Singletary pulled one way, and the horse-jockey the other, until the latter began to make some hostile demonstrations towards the former, when Singletary, striking straight-out from the shoulder with that brawny right fist of his, knocked the tricky boat-captain nearly half way across the street. Then, before the captain could recover his equilibrium, and his grip upon the halter, Singletary picked up the boy, threw him astride the horse, and told him to "run for his life," which he literally did ; neither the boy nor the horse ever having been seen or heard of by Mr. Singletary from that day to this.

The discomfited horse-jockey, backed by the entire gang, caused Singletary to be arrested for assault and battery. The warrant was issued by Justice of the Peace, John H. Cleveland, whose office was located in North Akron, in the second story of a building standing where the office of the Thomas Lumber and Building Co. now stands, on the west side of West Market Street canal bridge. Justice Cleveland was a short, corpulent man, a veri- table "Dogberry," and very decidedly appreciated the importance and dignity of his official position.

The case was prosecuted by David K. Cartter, Esq., late Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. Cartter was then, 1835, a new accession to the legal fraternity of Akron and the bar of Portage County. He had, however, been here suf- ficiently long to have fully established his reputation as a sharp, witty, and terribly sarcastic pettifogger, before the lower courts, as well as a profound and sagacious lawyer, and skillful pleader, before the higher courts. Singletary defended himself, assisted by Harvey H. Johnson, Esq.

During the examination of witnesses, by Cartter, numerous . objections interposed by Singletary, and his associate counsel, were nearly all promptly and pompously over-ruled by the Court. At the conclusion of Cartter's opening plea, in which the accused

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

had been unmercifully scored, Singletary arose, and with smiling countenance, commenced his defense something in this wise :

"May it please your Honor, I stand here nominally to defend myself against the charge of assault and battery, but in reality as the defender of virtue and innocence against such unmitigated scoundrels as the complainant in this case, and the perjured vil- lains who

CARTTER: (Interrupting) "I ask the Court to protect the witnesses for the State from the abusive epithets of the prisoner now on trial."

THE COURT: "Mr. Singletary, you must confine your remarks strictly to your defense, under the evidence that has been given."

SINGLETARY : (Resuming) "That, may it please your Honor, is precisely what I am doing, and I repeat, that I stand here as the defender of virtue and innocence against thieves and robbers, and I am not to be intimidated by the foul-mouthed billingsgate of the imported blackguard from New York, nor am I to be frowned down, nor awed into silence, by the bloated dignity of the Court-

JUSTICE CLEVELAND: (Hastily rising) "Stop, sir! Stop sir! I. won't listen to you, but bind you over to Court!" and seizing his- docket he rushed from the room. As he reached the door Singletary laughingly called to him :

"Hold on, Squire! What's the amount of the bond ?"

"Three hundred dollars !" yelled the irate Justice, as he dis- appeared through the door.

The bond was duly executed, and the transcript sent to the Court of Common Pleas of Portage County, but the case was promptly ignored by the Grand Jury at the September term, 1835, on hearing all the facts connected therewith.

As above related, the financial and business status of the young lawyer, wasconsiderably below zero, on the setting in of the Winter of 1836-7. Clients were few, and most of those who did employ hin were as impecunious as himself; and being too proud to call upon his father for further pecuniary aid, he was often in dire straits for his daily bread. In addition to this, he was constantly hounded by his creditors, and taunted with his failure and poverty.

One day, in the latter part of the Winter of 1836-7, he turned upon a party of his high-toned annoyers, saying: "Never mind, gentlemen, it is your turn now, but my turn will come by and by, for I intend to be your next Mayor!" This declaration was received with shouts of derision, and after a few days' gossip and laughter over the boast, the circumstance was forgotten by those who heard it. Not so, however, with the moneyless and almost briefless law- yer. As the June election drew near, he announced himself as an independent candidate for Mayor. His announcement was fairly hooted at by the "aristocracy" of both sections of the town; his lack of success in business, and his poverty, being the chief accu- sations against him, for his honesty, morality and ability could not be called in question.

It is not now remembered who was placed in nomination against him, but, by concentrating the vote of both parties upon a single man, it was not supposed that Singletary stood the ghost of a chance of being elected. The opposition to him at length became so bitter and abusive that a reaction in his favor finally set in. The

SUBSEQUENT MAYORS TO DATE.

majority of the voters of the town, mostly young men-nearly, if not quite, as poor as himself-began to argue that poverty, though mighty inconvenient, was not a crime, and that even in a rough- and-tumble physical fight, it was mean to kick a man when he was down. Consequently the "kids" of that day, of whom the writer was one, openly espoused the cause of the plucky independent can- didate, and the election of June 13, 1837, resulted in his triumphant election by the handsome majority of 15, above indicated.

Mr. Singletary, who had hitherto resided in the South End, immediately opened an office in the north village, and announced himself ready to attend to all the duties of the office, both civil, municipal and criminal. So successful was his administration that he was triumphantly re-elected on the 5th day of June, 1838, against a prominent South End lawyer, William M. Dodge, Esq., receiving 125 votes out of a total of 222, being a majority of 28.

He continued to satisfactorily discharge his municipal and magisterial duties until February, 1839, when, by reason of debility superinduced by oft recurring attacks of fever and ague, he went home to Streetsboro to recruit, where, on account of the poor health and the increasing years of his father, he concluded to permanently remain, and where, as successor to his father's fine estate of some 350 acres of excellent land, he has since lived the life of a quiet but highly successful and enterprising farmer.

On the 11th day of August, 1845, Mr. Singletary was married to Miss Mary Ann Carter, of Boston township, who is still living. There have been born to them eight children-three sons and five daughters-of whom three of the latter only survive. For the past few years the health of Mr. Singletary has not been very good, and yet, at the age of 80 years, he is able to superintend his extensive farming operations, and will be happy to receive calls from any of his old Akron friends and constituents, at his hospitable domicile, on the northwest corner of the public square, at the center. of Streetsboro.

It is not the purpose of these papers to give the biographies of all the persons who have held the honored post of Mayor of Akron during the half century of its municipal existence, both as Town, Village, and City, some of whose characters and idiosyncracies were, perhaps, as marked as those of the two already named. The bare names, theretore, of those who have successively filled that office. since June, 1839, with the length of their respective terms of service, will have to suffice: 1839, Lucius V. Bierce; 1840, Arad Kent; 1841, Lucius V. Bierce; 1842 and 1843, Harvey H. Johnson; 1844, Lucius V. Bierce; 1845, 1846 and 1847, Philo Chamberlin; 1848, Israel E. Carter; 1849, Lucius V. Bierce; 1850, George Bliss; 1851, Charles G. Ladd; 1852, Frederick Wadsworth; 1853, Philip N. Schuyler; 1854, William T. Allen; 1855 and 1856, Nathaniel Finch; 1857 and 1858, Frederick A. Nash; 1859, George W. McNeil; 1860 and 1861, Henry Purdy; 1862 and 1863, Charles A. Collins: 1864, George D. Bates; 1865 and 1866, James Mathews; 1867 and 1868, Lucius V. Bierce; 1869, 1870, 1871 and 1872, John L. Robertson; 1873 and 1874, Henry Purdy; 1875 and 1876, Levi S. Herrold; 1877 and 1878, James F. Scott; 1879 and 1880, John M. Fraze; 1881 and 1882, Samuel A. Lane; 1883, 1884, 1885 and 1886, Lorenzo Dow Watters; 1887 and 1888, Louis D. Seward; 1889, 1890, 1891 and 1892, William H. Miller.

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Author: Lane, Samuel A. (Samuel Alanson), 1815-1905 Publication date: 1892 Publisher: Akron, Ohio : Beacon Job Department Number of Pages: 1228

Author: Lane, Samuel A. (Samuel Alanson), 1815-1905
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Akron, Ohio : Beacon Job Department
Number of Pages: 1228