History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio; their past and present, Part 136

Author: Nelson, S.B., Cincinnati
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Cincinnati : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1592

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WILLIAM S. MERRELL AND HIS SUCCESSORS. The business of manufacturing chemical and pharmaceutical preparations now conducted by the William S. Merrell Chemical Company was founded by William S. Merrell, A. M., M.D., in 1830, and its uninterrupted growth and success, through three generations, attest its estab- lished character, the value of its products, and the integrity of its methods. The efforts of the company are directed more to the perfection of all medicines for physicians' use than to the introduction of new remedies, and their investigations, conducted by and under the supervision of Charles G. Merrell, S. B., of the third generation of the active directors of this historic business, have special reference to this important and much neglected line of work.

William S. Merrell, the original founder of this enterprise, was born at New Durham, Greene Co., N. Y., January 8, 1798, three years after the removal of his parents to that locality from New Hartford, Conn. In 1801 the family removed to Oneida county, N. Y., and there he received his primary education in the country schools. He pursued his studies at the preparatory school of Hamilton College, and at the age of sixteen came to Cincinnati to be adopted by his uncle, Major William Stanley, after whom he was named, one of the earliest merchants here. He made the long and lonely journey on horseback, a considerable undertaking for one so young, but one from which his resolute spirit did not shrink. Three months after his arrival his life plans were suddenly changed by the death of Major Stanley.

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He made another horseback journey back to his old home in Oneida county, and after completing his preparatory studies was graduated from Hamilton College in 1824, in the same class with many others who have attained national prominence. Chemistry had always possessed an irresistible charm for him, and upon his gradu- ation he returned to Cincinnati and opened a preparatory school, making a specialty of chemistry and allied sciences. It is a matter of historical moment that he was undoubtedly the first educated chemist who had located west of the Alleghany Moun- tains. A year later he went to Augusta, Ky., and became principal of a then popular seminary. The liberality of his theological views did not accord well with the timid orthodoxy of that old town in that day and the friction which was engen- dered impelled him after three years to resign the position. Going to Tuscumbia, Ala., he became president of a female college at that place, but his devotion to chemistry, leading him into the pathway to success which he pursued with such distinguished honor, brought him back to Cincinnati, where in 1830 he opened a drug store at the corner of Chestnut street and Western row (now Central avenue). Thence he subsequently removed to Court and Plum streets, where he prosecuted his celebrated investigations in Indigenous Materia Medica, and in 1847 discovered and introduced podophyllin, the well-known substitute for calomel, which at this time probably enters into more physicians' combinations than any other drug.

During this period his brother, A. S. Merrell, became a partner in his enterprise. In 1852 the concern was removed to the northeast corner of Pearl and Vine streets. In 1858 the Messrs. Merrell bought the large building at No. 110 West Third street, two doors from the "Burnet House." There the business was continued until 1875 with some changes in management, and always with increasing success, notwith- standing the fact that the establishment was burned out four times during the six years from 1866 to 1872. In 1875 the enterprise was removed to No. 5 West Fifth street, where it was located until 1881. William S. Merrell died September 4, 1880. He was president of the Eclectic Medical College, and a member of the American Pharmaceutical Association. After the death of his father, George Mer- rell, who had long been a partner in the concern and the active manager of the business, purchased the interest of his father's estate, and. having acquired the interest of his uncle, organized the William S. Merrell Chemical Company, of which George Merrell is president, J. B. Hargrave secretary, and Charles G. Merrell is vice-president and superintendent, and among the stockholders of which are included some of Cincinnati's wealthiest and most prominent business men. In 1881 the familiar buildings at Sixth street and Eggleston avenue were erected and occupied by the company until the completion of the new laboratory, warehouses and offices, covering nearly an acre of valuable land, at Fifth and Butler streets.

George Merrell, the sole survivor of the original firm, succeeding the individual enterprise of William S. Merrell, was born in Cincinnati in February, 1845, and was educated at the high schools of this city. Upon the death of his brother he relinquished the idea of entering college, and, identifying himself with his father's business, soon acquired an interest therein and has since been the head and active manager of the concern. He is a member of the American Pharmaceutical Associa- tion and of the Society of Chemical Industry, and is also identified with the College of Pharmacy.

Charles G. Merrell, son of George Merrell, and vice-president and superintendent of the William S. Merrell Company, was born in Cincinnati in August, 1867, and was educated at the Woodward High School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, graduating from the last named institution with the degree of Bachelor of Sciences. As head of the chemical laboratory of the company, he has, by his researches, added not a little to the value of its well-known products. Many of the more valuable preparations from the leading American drugs originated with this concern at different periods in the sixty-five years of its history, and the investi- gations in its scientific department are directed to the development of pharmaceutical

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

preparations of the highest standard of excellence. The products of the company find a ready sale throughout the United States, and many of its specialties go to supply a large export trade.

REUBEN A. HOLDEN, JR., proprietor of the company which bears his name, was born on Mount Auburn, May 23, 1859, and is a son of R. A. Holden, Sr., whose biography and portrait appear in this work. Our subject received his educa- tion in the public schools of Cincinnati and at Chickering Institute, graduating from the latter in 1877. In the following year he established his present business of im- porting and exporting dried fruits. He is a shrewd, energetic business man, and has built up one of the finest trades of the kind in the West. He is also vice-president and treasurer of the Cincinnati Syrup and Molasses Company. Mr. Holden is a mem- ber of the Chamber of Commerce and University Club, and treasurer of the Riding Club, and of the Second District of Associated Charities. He has also served on the board of trustees of the Young Men's Mercantile Library and the Cincinnati Natural History Society. Mr. Holden was married, April 28, 1886, to Miss Grace Hillyer, a graduate of Vassar College, and a daughter of Mark P. and Hannah (Goodrich) Hill- yer, of Granville, Ohio. The issue of this marriage is three children: Hillyer, Reuben A. (third) and Ira Stansbury. Mr. Holden is a Scottish Rite Mason, a Knight Templar, and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. In politics he affiliates with the Repub- lican party, and is a member of the Lincoln Club.

FREDERICK DIEM, senior member of the firm of Diem & Wing, manufacturers and dealers in all kinds of paper at Nos. 170-176 Main street, their manufactory being located at Dayton, Ohio, was born in Switzerland, December 31, 1845, and is a son of John Jacob and Frena (Seigrist) Diem, natives of that country, who came to the United States in 1850, and soon after located in Cincinnati. The father was a butcher by trade. They reared a family of eight children, three of whom are living. Frederick Diem received his education at the public schools, and at the age of sixteen began clerking in a grocery store, continuing in this eight or nine years, after which he engaged in the business individually, for about the same period, being highly suc- cessful. He then opened a paper store at No. 5 West Pearl street, and in 1877, in partnership with Nicholas Biedinger, bought the mills of the Rutlidge Paper Com- pany, at Dayton, Ohio, which have a daily capacity of ten thousand pounds of wrap- ping paper. Biedinger's interest passed to Christian Blickle in 1885, and in 1888 to Charles B. Wing, the present junior partner of the firm. The combined experience, good business principles and energy of these gentlemen, have caused their trade to increase until it is one of the largest in the West. Their stock includes everything in the paper line, and their territory extends throughont several States. In 1893 the growth of their business necessitated their removal from Nos. 70-80 Walnut street to their present more commodious quarters. Mr. Diem has been a director in the Western German Bank since its organization in 1875, and is president of the West Turner Hall. He was married, January 26, 1868, to Bertha, daughter of Frederick Schmidt, of Cincinnati, and they are the parents of two children: Albert, who is as- sociated with his father's business, and Bertha. The family adhere to the German Lutheran Church, of which he is a generous supporter. In politics Mr. Diem is a Republican, but he has never been a seeker of public office.

BURR WRIGHT BLAIR was born April 13, 1849, in Cincinnati, on Eighth street near Main. He was educated in the common schools, and attended Hughes High School for three years. After finishing his studies, at the earnest solicitation of his father, John M. Blair, he learned bricklaying with the latter, and, after working four years at the trade, entered the law office of Mallon & Coffey, and attended the Cin- cinnati Law School, from which he was graduated in April, 1875. After practicing law three years, at the request of his father he took charge of the steam brick plant near New Richmond, Ohio, and has remained there ever since, having full charge of the practical part of the business. After the death of the founder of the business, John

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

M. Blair, the concern was incorporated under the name of The J. M. Blair Brick Company, and B. W. Blair was elected vice-president and general manager. Mr. Blair has introduced some valuable labor-saving devices, and has made quite a study of the different methods of making and burning brick in different parts of the world. At the organization of the National Brick Manufacturers Association, in 1886, he was. one of the charter members, and was elected vice-president of that body in 1888, at their annual meeting held in Chicago. At the annual meeting held in Louisville, in 1893, he was again elected vice-president. Mr. Blair has contributed with pen and voice to the literature of his calling, reading an address in 1886 at Cincinnati, on " Mining Clays;" at Chicago, in 1888, on the " Progress of our Art," and at Col- umbus, Ohio, in 1890, on the "History of Brick Manufacturing." He is a clear and forcible speaker, and at many gatherings delivered after-dinner speeches that were well received. In his younger days he was a member of the Cincinnati Shakespearean Club, and also the Cincinnati Zouaves. Battalion. Mr. Blair has never been called to any political office, but being a ready speaker would fill any public station. He rep- resented the Cincinnati Builders Exchange as delegate to the National Builders As- sociation held in St. Louis, in January, 1893.

Mr. Blair is a Mason, holding offices in the various bodies of which he is a mem- ber: Valtier Lodge No. 386, F. & A. M., Walnut Hills Chapter No. 151, Ohio Con- sistory 32°, and Syrian Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Mr. Blair married in 1880, Belle F. Thrasher, daughter of D. W. Thrasher, and two bright children, a boy and a girl, blessed their union: Webster Thrasher Blair, aged nine years, and Eliza Taylor Blair, aged seven years. His wife is the granddaughter of David Fisher, a member of Congress from Ohio, who caught John Quincy Adams in his arms when the latter was struck with his fatal illness in the House of Representatives. At the present writing Mr. Blair is a well-preserved man of forty-five years, and gives fair promise of many years of usefulness in the community.

MARTIN DONAHUE, designer and builder of monuments, chapels and mausoleums, office and place of business No. 2319 Spring Grove avenue. This popular and pro- gressive business man is an artist of true genius, his love for the picturesque and beautiful exhibiting itself in every detail of his business. His fidelity to detail, bril- liancy of stroke and symmetry of outline, stamp him a man of rare merit, and ani- mated with but one aim, to excel in his chosen profession. He is the designer and builder of the Garfield pedestal of the Garfield statue in Garfield place (Cincinnati), which challenges criticism. In the selection of its materials, in massiveness, accuracy of construction, and in artistic design and finish, competent judges concede that it is unexcelled. Hon. A. F. Perry, chairman, speaking for the board of trustees at the unveiling exercises, stated that the design and construction of the pedestal had been awarded to Mr. Donahue among a number of competitors, and that the trustees had no occasion to regret their choice. In a work of art the design is a matter of indi- vidual taste, and in this matter Mr. Donahue always seeks to please his patrons. Numerous specimens of his work in monuments can be seen in his yards and in Spring Grove Cemetery, that will compare favorably with any works of the kind that can be found anywhere.

Mr. Donahue was born November 10, 1853, in the western part of Ireland, and is the second eldest of seven children who blessed the union of Martin and Mary Dona- hue, both also natives of Ireland. When but twelve years of age he came to the United States, and locating in Concord, N. H .. served his apprenticeship at the stone- cutting business, working through the day and attending school at night. After learning his profession, he worked at different times in Rhode Island, Richmond (Va.), and Piqua (Ohio), and later came to Cincinnati, where, for a time, he con- tinued as journeyman, establishing his present business in 1885. Mr. Donahue was married, in 1891, to Lulu (Spear), a native of this State, widow of the late Andrew J. Hodson. Mr. Donahue is a Presbyterian in his religious views, and his wife is a

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Methodist. He is a member, in good standing, of Warren Lodge, Ancient Free & Accepted Masous, and also of Cincinnati Commandery, Knights Templar. He has always voted the Republican ticket. He served for five years in Company F, Third Regiment, O. N. G., Piqua, Ohio.

W. H. SARVIS, wholesale marble and granite dealer, mill and yard No. 601 West Fifth street, office and salesrooms Nos. 549 and 551 West Fifth street, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, March 5, 1842, and is a son of George and Emma (Barnicoat) Sar- vis. He was educated in the public schools of Cleveland, and graduated in 1857. In 1858 he was assistant principal of Folsom Commercial College, in 1859 a railroad clerk, in 1861 a bookkeeper, during 1865 was engaged in the oil refining business, and in 1866 went into the wholesale marble business in Cincinnati.

Mr. Sarvis was married May 16, 1861, to Miriam A., daughter of John and Mary Pearson, natives of Newburyport, Mass., and their union has been blessed with nine children, seven of whom survive, as follows: George Herbert, Walter B., Charles F., Emma J., Alice, Augustus T., and Frederick W. Mr. Sarvis and family are members of the Episcopal Church; he is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and politically is a Republican. The parents of our subject, who were of English nationality, immigrated from England to Canada, and thence to the United States about 1843. The father was a carpenter and builder, and died in 1885, and the mother died in 1859. The surviving members of the family are George, a teacher in the public schools of Eureka, Cal., and John B., a farmer, residing in Defiance county, Ohio. Thomas, a brother of our subject, went to Nebraska in 1857 and be- came a Government Land Commissioner; he was nominated for the Legislature in 1858, but about that time he mysteriously disappeared and nothing has ever since been heard of or from him.

LEE H. BROOKS. In this free country, abounding in opportunities and rich in resources, where so many have risen from obscurity to eminence, we can scarcely avoid measuring each man's ability by the successes he has achieved, and regarding him as the creator of his own standing in the community, whether it be high or low. Such judgments are found to be not lacking in justice, and though it may be true that many men of ability fail in achieving eminence, yet we may generally feel as- sured that those who have succeeded have done so by force of their inherent talents, and superior energy and enterprise. Such a decision is pre-eminently just in the case of the subject of this sketch, who, purely by force of his native endowments, has risen to occupy a high position as a citizen and business man.

Lee H. Brooks, president of the Globe Tobacco Warehouse, the largest estab- lishment of its kind in the world, was born at Bristol, Addison Co., Vt., May 18, 1840. and is a son of Cyrus S. and Sophia (Hasseltine) Brooks, of English and Scotch origin. Their family consisted of three sons: Lee H .; William, a contractor and builder, and Edwin, a boot and shoe merchant of Ironton, Ohio. The father died in 1860 at the age of forty-eight, from the effects of a kick from a horse; the mother still lives at the advanced age of seventy six. Our subject is of an old New England family, his ancestor, John Brooks, having emigrated to this country from England about one hundred and fifty years ago, and settled in the State of New York, where his three sons were born. It was one of these brothers who settled in Vermont one hundred and twenty-five years ago and surveyed a large tract of land in Addison county, reclaiming it from a wilderness and living there all his life. This land has been handed down from father to son, and is still in the possession of the family. One of the sons of this early pioneer was Mr. Brooks' father, so he is purely . an American by birth and descent. On his mother's side he is related to the noted Col. Hawkins, of war fame. In 1848 the family removed to Orleans county, New York State, where young Brooks received his early education. It would seem that his father had an inclination for commercial life rather than agricultural pursuits, for he learned the practical part of the shoe trade and started a boot and shoe busi-

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ness at Shelby Center, Orleans Co., N. Y., where he was recognized as one of the prominent citizens of the county. But he was of a somewhat roving disposition, and after two years moved westward and settled in Wheelersburg, Scioto Co., Ohio. His stay here, however, was not destined to be a long one. He preferred his former home to the less civilized and ruder West, and after two years returned to Shelby. Here his son received his education at the Shelby High School.

At the early age of sixteen, however, young Brooks began his business career as. a clerk in a grocery store. The family were at this time in but moderate circum- stances, and young Brooks' extraordinary endeavors to gain an education under diffi- cult circumstances was an excellent proof of the character of the man, revealing, even in those early days, the stuff of which he was made. He worked industriously during the day and studied diligently at night, at the same time carefully saving his earnings, so that at the end of the year he was enabled to leave the store and go to Albion, Orleans Co., N. Y., where he finished his education at the Albion Academy. For two years he devoted himself to study liere, and at the end of that time came to Portsmouth, Ohio, where, like so many others, he became a school teacher. No other profession has so frequently been made a stepping-stone to greatness. Here he remained for four years, but at the end of that time his spirit could no longer brook the confinements of the school-room, and he accepted the position of clerk on an Ohio river passenger steamer, continuing in the river service five years, dur- ing which time he occupied every position on the steamer from clerk to captain. During this time he also obtained a license as a pilot from the government, which to-day he still preserves as a memento of his youthful days. Having attained and filled the highest position possible on the river, Mr. Brooks now desired to turn his- endeavors to a broader field, where his enterprise and energy might secure him the rewards he deserved. In 1868, therefore, he left his pleasant life on the river and accepted a position in Cincinnati as secretary and treasurer of the Planters Tobacco Warehouse, and there he began to give evidence of the energetic, acute and successful business man, whose clear sightedness and sound judgment enabled him to accomplish great results in business and financial affairs. So valuable were his services to the company that at the end of a year he was made a partner in the house and remained there until 1873, At that time he determined to start a new business, and having sold his interest in the firm, he formed a partnership with Will- iam Waterfield, under the name of the "Globe Tobacco Warehouse." In this Mr. Brooks showed his ability in the conduct of commercial affairs to such an extent that in 1883 the business had increased so immensely that they were compelled to enlarge their ware-rooms. They accordingly purchased the adjoining building, and erected the largest tobacco warehouse in the world. At this time also the firm was reorgan- ized, under the name of " The Brooks Waterfield Company," Mr. Brooks becoming president of the concern, which office he has held ever since with the accompanying results of an ever-increasing and successful business. In 1888 Mr. Waterfield died, leaving his share in the business to his widow, who still retains the stock, and "The Brooks Waterfield Company" are known throughout the world as the most extensive tobacco merchants in this or any other country.

Mr. Brooks' early experience on the river created in him a great love for the life, and he takes a warm interest in all that pertains to it, holding no inconsiderable stock in the various steamboat companies. One of his river friends has paid him the compliment of naming a fine passenger steamer after him, and the "Lee H. Brooks " is well-known as one of the fastest and best boats on the Ohio river. Mr. Brooks is also president of the company owning the famous resort, "Coney Island," whose cool and pleasant groves accommodate so many thousand visitors during the summer months. He is also a director of the Ohio National Bank and of the Cen- tral Trust and Safe Deposit Company, and holds leading positions in various other business enterprises. Mr. Brooks' higli standing, however, is not limited to the com-

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inercial world, for he also occupies a noteworthy position in secret societies. He first entered a Masonic lodge in 1864, and has taken all the degrees of the York and Scot- tish Rites, but he is proudest of all of being entitled to be called a "Shriner." Al- though a resident of Covington, Mr. Brooks is fully identified with the interests of Cincinnati, which is abundantly proven by the fact of his being elected, in 1889, president of the Chamber of Commerce, the most influential body in the city. Such an election is regarded as the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon any one in the commercial world, and is due only to the most able and influential business men. He filled this position with perfect satisfaction to all until October, 1890. He was also a commissioner representing that body at the Cincinnati Centennial Exposition in 18SS, of which he was vice-president.

Mr. Brooks was married in 1866 to Miss Laura A. Tone, daughter of Hiram D. and Leanna (Wagner) Tone, of Locust Corner, Clermont Co., Ohio, and this union is blessed with an interesting family of two sons and two daughters: Charles G. and George A., who are connected with their father in the tobacco trade; Ada E. and Rosa H., who is at the Thane Miller Young Ladies' Institute. Mr. Brooks, with his varied career, his indomitable will and energy surmounting any and all difficulties, and rising to his present high position in the business world, is a perfect type of the American citizen, an example which may serve many an ambitious youth, showing what may be done, even with limited resources and few opportunities. Solely by his own efforts and native talents, beginning without aid or influence, he has steadily risen until he is among the most honored business men of the community, and in his special line holds one of the most influential positions in the world.

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History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio; their past and present, Part 136

Author: Nelson, S.B., Cincinnati Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Cincinnati : S. B. Nelson Number of Pages: 1592

Author: Nelson, S.B., Cincinnati
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Cincinnati : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1592