USA > Ohio > Genealogical and family history of eastern Ohio > Part 41
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John Horwell, the youngest of their living children, was born at Springfield, Staffordshire, England, in 1848, and twenty years later became a citizen of America by emigration. Shortly after arriving at the port of New York, this friendless English boy looked around, and "with all the world before him where to choose," decided to try his fortune at Cincinnati. He spent two years in a pottery at the "Queen City of the West," but hoping to better his condition he moved up the Ohio river to Pittsburg, where he secured employment with a company engaged in manufacturing fire
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brick. Mr. Horwell spent sixteen years with this concern, and they were years of hard labor and trial, the compensation being that he learned all the details of this business and laid the foundation for his future success in a somewhat similar line. He had little or no benefits in an educational way before leaving his native land and no time for the same after his arrival here, through the ordinary channels. But, after he got settled at Pittsburg, seeing the vital importance of some mental training, he began to attend night schools and kept this up regularly for four years. In this way he acquired a very fair education and meantime had done well in business, advancing steadily until, when he left the brick manufacturing company, he held the position of foreman. In 1886 he came to East Liverpool and took service with the Globe Pottery Company as kiln-placer, and he has since retained his connection with this establishment. Commencing at the bottom he has climbed up steadily until he reached the top, obtaining a fourth interest by purchase in 1896 and now being manager of the com- pany's business. When he entered the firm, they were, and had been for eighteen years, making cheap, inferior ware and barely met expenses on a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars. The energy and executive ability of Mr. Horwell soon brought about a change. The company now manu- factures fine ware in large quantities, while its capital has been increased to one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.
Before leaving England, and in the same year of his departure, Mr. Hor- well was married in Staffordshire to Mary E. Pashley, by whom he has three children: Emma, wife of Enoch Moon; Henrietta and Harry. Mr. Horwell's religious affiliations are with the Methodist Episcopal church and his fraternal connections confined to Masonry, in which he has reached the Knight Templar degree, being a member of East Liverpool Com- mandery No. 55. His political predilections are Republican, and he is now in the city council as a representative from the third ward, which he has served six years with increasing popularity and approval. In 1903 he was elected president of the council and is the first president of the council under the new code.
JEREMIAH HICKMAN SIMMS.
Through his connection with the newspaper offices at East Liverpool the gentleman above named has long been known in eastern Ohio, and his name is a familiar one to those holding positions on the press of the state. As he has been publishing his own paper for twenty-six years, Mr. Simms has come to be regarded as one of the veterans of the profession, and in his entire make-up shows the characteristics and temperamental tendencies
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which bespeak the typical American printer. He got "the printer's ink on his fingers" at a very early period in life, and, as they say in the profession, has never been able to get it off, though it is safe to say he never tried to do so, as a genuine printer never deserts his calling once it has been entered upon. He has graduated in all the departments, from "devil" up to editor, and from "type sticker" to manager of the business office, and there are few men better posted than he in the newspaper business in its various phases.
The Simms family originated in Maryland, and in early times was established in the neighborhood around Hagerstown. This was the birth- place of Claiborne Simms, grandfather of the gentleman with whose biog- raphy we are concerned. His son, Claiborne R. Simms, was born near Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1812, but most of his active life was passed in Ohio. He came with his parents to East Liverpool in 1824, and was subsequently identified quite prominently with the industrial, mercantile and political life of the place. His first important undertaking was as a mer- chant, which occupation was later abandoned for the purpose of engaging in the coal business. That he was prominent as well as popular among the people is indicated by the number of official positions he held at different times. He served both as trustee and treasurer of Liverpool township, and for some time was a member of the city council. The first wife of Claiborne R. Simms was Sarah Martin, by whom there were two sons, Martin Bealle, who died in 1901; and Hezekiah Leasleton Simms, a resident of East Liverpool. By a second marriage, with Deborah R., daughter of Jeremiah Hickman, Mr. Simms had four children, but the only one of these who grew to maturity was the son now so well known as the East Liverpool editor.
Jeremiah Hickman Simms was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, Novem- ber 3, 1851, and received during youth the usual training accorded by the city schools. When seventeen years old he opened his career in the office of the East Liverpool Record, under the somewhat dubious title known to the profession as "devil," but which means nothing more important than boy of all work around a printing office. As previously remarked, Mr. Simms came early in contact with printer's ink, and that it "stuck" may be inferred from the fact that from that day to this he has never been for any length of time outside of the pale of what has been very justly described as "the art preservative of all arts." In the Record office, at whose first issue he officiated in his newly acquired cognomen of satanic majesty ex-officio, Mr. Simms soon began picking up information about
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washing rollers, sweeping out, running errands, lifting forms, setting type and other mysteries of the trade, and in time he also found out that the "devil" is expected to be a drudge for and wait on everybody else about the establishment. In 1869 Mr. Simms went to Pittsburg and worked at his trade in offices of that city until 1872, when he returned to East Liverpool to cast his first vote for General Grant, then running for his second presidential term. This, however, was only incidental, as he was on his way to Cleveland "hunting a job," and, finding one, he remained in the Lake Erie city six months, going from there to Chicago, where he obtained employment for a year. His next move was to St. Paul, Min- nesota, where he worked in the Pioneer-Press job rooms until 1875, and then came back to his original starting point, at East Liverpool. January J, 1876, Mr. Simms established the Weekly Tribune, which, after the usual hard times, disappointments and ups and downs inseparable from the busi- ness, eventually reached solid ground, and has since been merged into the Morning Daily Tribune. In addition to publishing a good daily morning newspaper, Mr. Simms conducts a job office, which secures its fair share of business, and altogether the Morning Tribune and its force are consid- ered one of the institutions of East Liverpool.
September 23, 1875, Mr. Simms was united in marriage to Miss Donia E., daughter of Benjamin Harker, the only child by this union being George C. Simms, advertising manager of the Tribune. The latter married Miss May, daughter of Dr. C. B. Ogden, and has two children, Deborah C. and May. Mr. Simms, as previously indicated, has been a life-long Republican, and from the time he could use a pencil has upheld in print the doctrines of this great politcal party. His religious affiliations are with the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is a member of the Knights Templar branch of Masonry.
CHARLES YOUNG McVEY.
One of the rapidly rising young men of Youngstown, Ohio, is Charles Young McVey. In his early thirties he has already made a name for him- self, and his future is certainly roseate. This is the age of young men, and the time is now long past when the great industries looked only to the men whose locks had begun to whiten for fit material to direct their enter- prises.
Mr. McVey is a splendid example of this younger generation. He was born at Struthers, Ohio, in the year 1871, and there passed his boyhood days until he arrived at the age of ten years, coming then to Youngstown, Ohio. He graduated in 1891 from the Western Reserve College of Hudson.
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Ohio, where he acquitted himself very creditably. Having ended his school- days, he entered the employ of the Dollar Savings and Trust Company as bookkeeper, where he remained for some two years and eight months, when he accepted a position with the Youngstown Street Railway Company (now the Pennsylvania & Mahoning Valley Railway Company), as .chief clerk, which responsible position he held for five years, at the end of which time he was offered his present position of general manager of the Youngstown Telephone Company at Youngstown, and since that time he has assumed entire direction of the varied interests and properties of this company,
He was united in marriage in 1897 to Ada Wem, daughter of Thomas Wem, of Youngstown. His father, John McVey, was born in county Antrim in the Emerald Isle in 1828 and came, when in his prime, to Amer- ica, locating in Pennsylvania in 1853, and later removed to Ohio, where he died in Mahoning county at the age of seventy-three. He was one of the prominent agriculturists of that section, and wedded Isabella Johnson, daughter of Robert and Jane (Moore) Johnson, and to them were born seven children, of whom six are now living, as follows: John E .; Robert W .; Thomas J .; Jennie, wife of Daniel Davis; Frances, wife of James S. Patterson; and the subject of this narrative. Mr. McVey's paternal grand- father was Colonel Daniel McVey, who was also born in Ireland. He was an officer in the English army, where he served with distinction in the Hussars.
Mr. McVey early espoused the cause of the Republican party, and, while in no sense a politician, keeps thoroughly posted on political issues and problems of the day and renders to the party able assistance as a voter in the ranks. He belongs to the Elks and is a Chapter and Royal Arch Mason, and is also a member of the Baptist church of Youngstown. Hav- ing achieved so much in his short business career, it would seem that Mr. McVey, if he reaches the threescore mark, will make a name for himself such as seldom falls to the lot of the business men of to-day.
HENRY KIRTLAND MORSE.
To the student of the early history of that part of the state of Ohio which is termed the Western Reserve, and the particular section now em- braced in Mahoning county, the name which appears above is replete with reminiscences of pioneer days, when the Indians were still to be reckoned with in the settlement of vacant land, when forests were well-nigh impene- trable, highways unknown, and the only outlets for commerce the mighty river which drains the basin west of the Alleghanies. The grandfather of
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Henry Kirtland Morse was one of the original proprietors who made up what was called the Connecticut Land Company, and came here in 1798, two years after the survey of the Western Reserve was completed. There were about fifty in this company, and among them are some of the well known names of Mahoning county, the Morses, Kirtlands, Fowlers, the Boardmans, who owned a large tract, John Struthers, and Dan Heaton, who built the first furnace in the state. At that time Poland township was No. I, of the first range, and did not receive its present name till somewhat later. There were twelve sons and two daughters born to this original proprietor, and one of these, Elkanah, was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, about 1792.
Elkanah Morse was identified with many of the incidents of that new country, and many valuable records are preserved in his diaries, which were kept as clear as a copy-plate. He brought a load of scythes across the moun- tains with an ox team,-scythes were indispensable to the farmer of those times,-and then embarked in merchandising with another pioneer, Henry Turhand Kirtland. He assisted in the building of flatboats and made five different trips to New Orleans. As there were no markets as yet in that part of Ohio for many of the products of the land, in 1819 they took a cargo of ninety-eight bearskins and many barrels of linseed oil down the river and shipped it to New York. These same gentlemen erected, in 1815, a wooden dam on Yellow creek, also a sawmill and oil mill, which was run by the subject of this biography up to twenty years ago, a fulling mill and dyeing and finishing works. In 1825 the firm was dissolved, and Morse and Dickson became the prominent merchants and manufacturers of the place. They made a variety of comb from horn, pewter spoons, and other articles of trade, and two brothers of Mr. Morse, Ira and Benajah, peddled these goods all over the state. In 1830 Mr. Morse began the manufacture of brooms, making the handles from basswood, and he used two large buildings and employed twenty men in this business. He grew four hundred acres of broom corn in one season, and his son Henry Kirtland recalls the fact that he hoed and cut broom corn on nearly every farm on the river to Youngstown. About 1831 he engaged in the shipping and commission business in connection with his brother. In 1834 it is related that Stephen Hall, a cousin of Mr. Morse, went to Maryland and began the business of canning oysters, and a short time afterward David Waller took a load of brooms across the mountains to Cumberland, Maryland, and returned with a load of oysters; some of these were taken to Detroit on a sled and sold for four dollars per gallon. Mr. Morse boarded all of his thirty to forty men who worked for him, and there were many merry times in those early days, which have become only a
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memory with our older civilization. Elkanah Morse began with only his hands and a willing heart for capital, and when the hard times of 1837 came on he was worth about fifty thousand dollars, which was swept away in that crisis, and he was left bankrupt. In 1849 he tried to recoup his losses by making his way to that often delusive phantom of the California gold fields, but when he was on Horse creek near Fort Laramie he was stricken down by the cholera and now fills an unknown grave. His son William continued the journey, but returned after an absence of two years with little to show for his hardships and labor.
Elkanah Morse was married in 1818 to Nancy Kirtland, who was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1800, and was brought here when she was two years old. Lois was the first child of this marriage and she is the widow of Mr. I. K. Mansfield, at Beaver, Pennsylvania ; her son was in the Civil war, rose from orderly sergeant to first lieutenant, acting as captain in the quarter- master's department, was with Sherman, but was never wounded and never asked for a pension; he is now residing in Beaver and is an elder in the church and is a member of the legislature. The second child was Henry Kirt- land; and the next, Edwin Morse, who was born in 1824, and died in 1853, leaving his widow but no living children. After the death of his first wife Mr. Morse was married to Elizabeth Waller, who came from Portage county. Their son William was a soldier in the Civil war, was taken prisoner at Stone River and died at Atlanta, Georgia, where he was buried.
Henry Kirtland Morse is the oldest living native of Poland, where he was born May 4, 1822, and now resides on his fifty-five acre farm, part of which is in the town corporation. He had fair school advantages and spent some time in Detroit, Michigan, and Ravenna, Ohio, in Meadville College. He has devoted most of his life to farming, and still, notwithstanding his advanced age, he does market gardening, his place being one of the most fer- tile in the county and situated on the banks of the Yellow creek. He has spent much of his time as a merchant; for about twelve years he manufactured flour and linseed oil and conducted a nursery. He is still interested largely in fruit-raising in Pennsylvania, where he has a large farm. He is one of the company of the Poland Creamery Company and a director of the Farm- ers Deposit and Savings Bank of Poland. He was treasurer of the Poland Union Seminary. He was for a long time elder in the Presbyterian church, taking active part in all things of interest to the community in which he lives. Mr. Morse is a first-class mechanic, having several samples of his fine work.
On April 10, 1848, Mr. Morse was married to Mrs. Mary A. Wick,
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the daughter of James Lynn, whose wife was a Miss More, of Virginia. Mrs. Morse died in 1878 at the age of fifty-eight, leaving four children. The son Henry G., who is the president of the New York Shipbuilding Com- pany at Camden, New Jersey, resides in Philadelphia and has five children ; Charles James, at Pittsburg, was one of the Morse Bridge Company, and has two sons; Edwin Kirtland is a highly capable civil engineer in Pittsburg and has two doughters; Mary Lynn Wade, at home. In 1882 Mr. Morse was married to Miss Eliza Blakelee, of Tallmadge, Ohio, who is a graduate of Oberlin College and taught about twenty-five years, one of her pupils being William McKinley. Mr. and Mrs. Morse reside in the house which was built by his father seventy-three years ago; it is a beautiful old place, the dwelling being of the colonial style, two stories high and with a broad porch around it, and one of the tall and stately evergreens in front was planted by his first wife many years ago. Mr. Morse was a Whig during the life of that party, and has since been a Republican, and from 1844 to 1852 he was postmaster. He takes much interest in the early historical records of the county. He and his wife are Presbyterians.
SAMUEL R. CARTWRIGHT.
As has been remarked in other connections, the potteries at East Liver- pool are among the most important of the city's industries and perhaps have contributed more than any other single feature both to the population and prosperity of the place. The workers in these busy hives represent a motley assortment, which has been contributed to more or less by nearly every country in Europe, and a goodly share has come from old England, whose industries of a similar kind have sent forth many recruits to the ware-making establishments of Ohio. For the reasons stated, there is a kindly feeling and warm appreciation for the men who have organized or done the labor in these institutions, from the boy at the puddle to the capitalist at the head of a large corporation. The potteries, in fact, have furnished employment for thousands of people for many years, and when the money paid out for labor and material and brought into the country from the sale of the products is counted up, it will be found to reach an enormous sum. These remarks are but preliminary to introducing to the readers of this volume one of the men who by his long connection with and success in managing a pottery plant deserves mention as having served the community while aiding himself.
The Cartwrights belong to an old English family, long resident in Shropshire, where they had representatives in the various agricultural pur-
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suits and the mechanical arts. Thomas Cartwright, it seems, who was born during the latter part of the eighteenth century, spent his life as a small farmer and ended his days not far from his birthplace. His son, William Cartwright, whose birth occurred in Shropshire in 1801, also became tiller of the soil when he grew up and continued this occupation until his emigraton to America in 1845. He was married in England in 1824 to Elizabeth Brett, and when the voyage to the United States was undertaken the parents were accompanied by a number of children, who in later life became thoroughly identified with American institutions and made good and loyal citizens of their adopted country. The brief record kept in the family registry shows that four of the five sons bared their breasts to the storm in the agonizing days, and one lost his life at a critical conjuncture of the Civil war. Thomas, the eldest son, served in the Seventy-sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and died after the war. Anna, the eldest daughter, became the wife of Thomas Thackery, but is now num- bered with the dead. John, second son and third child, rose to the rank of captain of Company A, Twenty-seventh United States (colored) In- fantry, and was killed while leading his troops at the battle of Petersburg. Mary, the second daughter, is now the estimable wife of Holland Manley. William enlisted and served gallantly in Company I, One Hundred and Forty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Joseph died at the age of eighteen, and the mother of this interesting family, after living to see all but one of her children grow to be worthy members of society, closed her earthly career in 1880.
Samuel R. Cartwright, not included in the above list, was the seventh and youngest of his parents' children and the one to whom this memoir is es- pecially devoted. His birth occurred at Burslem, Staffordshire, England, in 1840, and he was consequently but five years old when the voyage of his family to the new world was undertaken. Shortly after reaching New York the emigrants turned their faces westward and in due time arrived at East Liverpool, where it had been determined to permanently locate. Samuel was placed in school as soon as he reached legal age and remained with his books a few years, but was not destined to obtain much of an education along academic lines. When twelve years old he bade farewell to his studies and entered actively into the serious work of life as helper in an humble capacity in one of the local potteries. During the following twelve years he kept industriously at work, learning the various details of the business as he went along, and got his first change of occupation by enlisting in May, 1864, as a member of Company I, One Hundred and
.
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Forty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the next September. After leaving the army Mr. Cartwright determined to avail himself of his previous training by going into business for himself, and to this end formed a partnership with his brother William and a third party for the prosecuting of the pottery business on a small scale. The new firm started modestly with one kiln, devoted to the manufacture of yellow ware, which, in the course of time, was changed to white ware exclusively, and meantime there was also a change in the firm name. In 1880 it became Cartwright Brothers, who continued many years as a partnership, and in 1897 incorporated with a view to getting more in line with modern business methods. The company has no complaint to make as to the business it has done, or is doing, and it is manifest that a steady growth, as well as healthy increasing prosperity has rewarded the labor of these industrious brothers
In 1861 Mr. Cartwright was married at Smith's Ferry, Pennsylvania, to Elizabeth, daughter of William Talbot. Frank E., the first child born to this union, died in infancy. Fred H., the other son, married Miss Caroline, daughter of Christian Metsch, and has two children, Robert M. and Ruth E. Occasionally during his business career Mr. Cartwright has been called from too close confinement to his own affairs to render public service to the people; one of these calls was in the shape of an election to the city council from the third ward, a position which he held six years, and during a third of that time he was president of the body. He was also elected and re-elected trustee of Liverpool township, to the obligations involved in which honor he devoted a considerable portion of his valuable time during a period of six years. In religion Mr. Cartwright is a Methodist, in politics he is a Republican, and his only fraternal connection is with Lyons Post No. 44, G. A. R.
WILLIAM LEIGHTON THOMPSON, M. D.
There is a halo of romance surrounding all those who went to California in '49, and they have figured in song and story not unlike those fabled warriors who went on the mythical argonautic expeditions in pursuit of the "golden fleece." This naturally results from the fact that the discovery of gold in California was an epoch-making event, not only in the history of this country, but of the whole civilized world. Those, therefore, who joined the great rush are usually alluded to as the "heroes of '49," and wherever one survives he is sure to be an interesting character in the community, both on account of the deeds he has done and of the tales he can tell. Such an experience, necessarily fraught with adventure both going and coming, to say nothing of the life and struggles in the mining camps, with its odd char-
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