History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio; their past and present, Part 141

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

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The several wholesale grocery firms with which Mr. Poland was identified were among the leading ones of the West, and from their profits he amassed a handsome competence. He was a man of pronounced literary tastes and a great traveler, spending many summers in making extensive tours of Europe and America. He

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

was actively identified with the general work of St. Xavier's, of which Church he was a member. Early in his business career Mr. Poland became a member of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, and was one of its directors for a number of years. At the time of his death he was one of the board of directors of the House of Refuge, by appointment of Mayor Mosby; was a director of the Cincinnati Gas Light & Coke Co., of the Lafayette Bank, the Merchants and Manufacturers Co., and others. Mr. Poland was a trusted and honored merchant. "On change" no man's word stood higher, and in his undertakings he had the full confidence of his fellow merchants. His manner was quiet, simple, unostentatious; he was approach- able by the humblest; many a poor man in distress has gone to him with his tale of woe, receiving advice and material aid. He was exceedingly generous to his church. Outside organizations set him down for a contribution, often fixing the amount, and seldom were they disappointed. A manager of a charity told the writer that she received Mr. Poland's check so steadily, that she banked upon the certainty of its receipt. His gentle manner and kindly greeting will long be remembered by those who met him in business or socially. With a kind, gentle, sympathetic nature, his life was full of good deeds, full of Christian charities. When hearts like his are laid in earth, it is no mere eulogy to tell their merits and their worth.

Of the family of Mr. Poland, his widow and four children survive. Of these, John Nicholas Poland was educated at St. Xavier's, Cincinnati, and Fordham Col- lege, New York, and for about twenty years has been a professor in the Jesuit Col- lege of St. Ignatins, Chicago. William Poland, who is also a member of the Jesuit Order, and who taught at the St. Louis University, and also in Chicago, is now devoting his time to the writing of philosophical works. Catherine E. Poland is at the Sacred Heart Convent, Clifton; Lawrence Poland received his education at St. Xavier's, Cincinnati, St. Mary's College, St. Mary's, Kans., and the "College of St. Michel," Brussels, Belgium. He was married to Theresa, second daughter of Henry Verhage, of Cincinnati, with whom he was for a time engaged in business. His time is now given to the management of his father's estate. He lives with his mother at the family residence.

FRANCIS PEDRETTI, the pioneer fresco artist of the West, was born in Chiavenna, Italy, June 22, 1829, and died in Cincinnati June 13, 1891. In his early youth he developed a natural artistic talent which was fostered and encouraged by his parents, who finally sent him to that historic institution, the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, in Milan, Italy. Graduating from that institution with honors, he was the pupil successively of Scruzatti and Marriani, then the leading Italian masters in decorative art. Young Francis was a patriot, a Garibaldian soldier, and in 1849 fled his country rather than bear arms against her. He came to America, locating in New York, where he at once engaged in fresco painting. In the metropolis he found immediate favor, and his skill as an artist and originality as an ornamental designer soon secured him a high standing, among his earliest patrons being Mr. A. T. Stewart, and Prof. S. F. B. Morse. In 1854 he came to Cincinnati, introducing his art here. He was eminently successful. His fame became widespread, and specimens of his beautiful work may still be seen in the magnificent homes and halls of eighteen States of the Union. He married Catherine Maitland, of Scotland, a daughter of Richard Mait- land, a barrister, of Aberdeen. She and three children, Raphael M., Charles A. and Eugenia, survive him. The sons are both graduates of the same art academy where their father received his artistic education, and were both associated with him in business, which they are now carrying on successfully. Raphael M. Pedretti is married to Ubinina Fiocchi, of Milan, Italy, by whom he has one child, Francis Charles Pedretti. The other son and the daughter are unmarried, and reside with their mother in Clifton. Mr. and Mrs. Raphael Pedretti are residents of Walnut Hills.

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

HENRY WORK CRAWFORD, senior member of the firm of Crawford, Ebersole & Smith (Smith & Nixon), was born in Herrick, Bradford Co., Penn., August 22, 1863, and is a son of John S. and Clarissa (Camp) Crawford. His father, who was of Scoth ancestry, was a prosperous farmer, and gave his children all possible advan- tages for obtaining a good education. Mr. Crawford's mother died April 17, 1893, and his father survived her but three days. The family consisted of eight children, of whom the sons, six in number, are living, and, it might be added, they are all highly successful in the various pursuits which they have chosen. One of them is well known to the people of Cincinnati, viz. : Dr. John M. Crawford, that eminent scholar who represented the United States as consul-general to Russia during Har- rison's administration in such a highly satisfactory manner.

Our subject received his early education in the public schools of his native town, and after teaching one year came, at the age of sixteen, to Cincinnati, and entered Chickering Institute, where his brother, mentioned above, was professor of mathe- matics. He completed the regular five years of Latin and three years of Greek, besides a portion of the scientific course of the Institute, in two years, and was graduated in 1882 at the head of his class. He then accepted from his alma mater the professorship of Latin and Greek, which he filled for two years. Mr. Crawford made his initial step in the business world by accepting a position as assistant book- keeper for the Standard Wagon Company, remaining there, however, but three months. He then entered the employ of William Skinner & Company, having charge of the books and finances. During this employment he also pursued the study of law at the Cincinnati Law School, but before completing the preparation for that profession became, on the 12th of April, 1886, a member of the firm of Smith & Nixon, since which time he has had sole charge of the finances of the con- cern. This business was begun in 1843 by James R. Smith and Wilson K. Nixon; prior to the admission of Mr. Crawford the firm consisted of the founder, James R. Smith, and his sons, Wilson K. and J. L. Smith. Two years later Mr. Wilson K. Smith retired, Mr. Joseph G. Ebersole was admitted to partnership, and the firm assumed its present title. Recently the growth of this business has been truly mar- · velous, until now it is the largest business of its kind in the United States. They make a specialty of high-grade pianos, chiefly the Steinway, the sale of which they control exclusively from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, and in Ken- tucky and Tennessee. They also manufacture the Smith & Nixon piano in Chicago.

Mr. Crawford was married, June 13, 1888, to Miss Mary A. Ebersole, a sister of his partner, and this happy union has been blessed with one bright child, Clarrissa. Mr. and Mrs. Crawford worship at the Methodist Episcopal Church of Avondale,. where they reside. He is a Scottish Rite Mason and a member of the K. of P., and! in his political views is a Republican.

ELISHA LOCKE was born December 11, 1818, in Barrington, Strafford Co., N. H., about seven miles from Dover, over the same cellar where his father, Benjamin B. Locke, and grandfather, William Locke, were born, two houses having burned down .. His mother was a daughter of Trustam Hurd, of Rochester. N. H. Elisha Locke received his education in the district school, and assisted his father in the cultivation of his farm. At the age of sixteen he attended the Academy at Rochester and at Strafford, N. H. He taught school in Rochester two winters in the same district, also conducting a singing school, and then went to Canton, Mass., where he was, employed two seasons making ladders, teaching school in the district during the winter. From there he went to Boston to study music, working in the market morn- ings, and devoting the afternoon and evening to the study of music, and for two- years devoted his entire time to that study. In 1844 he started for Cincinnati as a member of the Boston Quartet, consisting of E. Locke, L. O. Emerson, S. Nourse and Mr. Sandborn, giving concerts at various places on the way, and arrived at Cin- cinnati in November. During the winter he taught a singing-school in Morris

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

Chapel. On March 11 he started for Boston to resume study, making the trip in one week, which was said to be the quickest trip on record. The following October Mr. Locke and Mr. Nourse returned to Cincinnati, and found places in the public schools as teachers of music, where Mr. Locke remained until the fall of 1865, after the close of the war of the Rebellion. He was captain of the Teachers' Rifle Com- pany over three years during the Rebellion. Ill health was the cause of his resig- nation frorm the schools. He then opened a piano store at No. 175 W. Fourth street, where he emained about five years and then sold out to John Church & Company, having charge of the piano department in that house about four years. In 1875 he

severed his connection and retired from business. He purchased a farm in Carroll county, Iowa, and there remained until 1881, when he returned to his home on Clifton Heights. He is a member of Trinity M. E. Church, of Cincinnati, and has been prominently identified in the work of the Union Bethel for about eight years. He is a member of the I. O. O. F.

Mr. Locke has been twice married, his first wife dying in 184-, without leaving issue. His second wife was Anna Elizabeth, daughter of Joshua Perry, one of the pioneer residents of this city. Of the children born of this marriage, four survive. The eldest, Charles Franklin Locke, received his early education in the public schools and Woodward High School, was graduated from the Ohio Medical College in 1876, and is now engaged in the practice of his profession in Cincinnati; he married Ella, daughter of Thomas Blong, a stock merchant of Warren county, Ohio. The second child is Mrs. Lua C., wife of Dr. G. L. Sherman, of Carroll, Carroll Co., Iowa; they have one child, Stanton Locke Sherman. The third child, William Stanton Locke, was a graduate from the Ohio Dental College in 1890, and is now engaged in the practice of his profession in Cincinnati; he is unmarried. The fourth child, Walter Morrison Locke, a graduate of the class of '87, Woodward High School, and of the Cincinnati Law School in '90, is engaged in the practice of his profession in Cin- cinnati; he is unmarried.

JOHN CHARLES RILEY, ex-postmaster of Cincinnati, was born in Madison, Ind., September 15, 1842. His parents, Hugh and Ann (McDonough) Riley, were born in Ireland, and came to this country in 1829, locating in Madison, Ind., whence, in 1844, the family came to Cincinnati. Four years later Hugh Riley died; his wife survived him thirteen years.

The subject of this sketch, John Charles Riley, attended the district and inter- mediate schools, and passed an examination from the latter entitling him to admis- sion into Hughes High School. In this, his fourteenth year, he obtained a position as errand boy in a merchant tailoring store, and thence went to a retail hat and fur house, where he served in a similar capacity. With his earnings he bought a scholarship in Bartlett's Commercial College. Immediately after graduation from that institution he obtained a position as entry clerk in a wholesale hat house on Pearl street, Cincinnati, severing his connection with that establishment to accept the position of bookkeeper in the lamp, oil, and gas fixture house of Brown & Val- lette, and still later J. D. Brown & Co., with which firm he remained a number of years, finally becoming a partner in the last named firm. In 1863 he sold out his interest in the J. D. Brown Co., and became associated with the firm of McHenry & Carson. in the same line of business. With the dissolution of this co-partnership, in 1870, Mr. Riley became a member of the firm of Carson & Co., also a lamp and gas fixture establishment, which had its salesroom in Pike's Opera House Building. With this firm he was identified until 1875, when he reassociated himself with McHenry & Co., and there continued until appointed postmaster of Cincinnati by President Cleveland, in April, 1886. Mr. Riley is a Democrat, and served two years in the city council and three years as a member of the board of aldermen. He was married May 30, 1864, to Emma N., daughter of Nathan and Amelia Horner Baker, all of whom were natives of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Riley have two children, Louis R.

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

and Ada H., both of whom were students of Hughes High School, Miss Ada grad- uating therefrom in 1891; she is now a promising pupil of a well-known school of elocution. The son is in the employ of The Diem & Wing Paper Company.

The family, with the exception of Mr. Riley, are members of the Presbyterian Church; he is liberal in religious matters and is not identified with any creed, yet always respecting the religious views of others. Mr. Riley is the United States jury commissioner for the western division of the Southern District of Ohio, having been appointed to that position of honor by United States Judges Taft and Sage. He was also tendered the position of chief clerk of the War Department by Hon. Dan- iel Lamont, Secretary of War, March 8, 1893; and President Cleveland tendered him the position of third auditor of the Treasury Department on April 3, 1893, both of which positions he declined, preferring to live in his own native city.

WILLIAM ROBINSON TEASDALE was born in Cincinnati June 3, 1839. He is a son of the late William and Eliza (Cook) Teasdale, the former a native of Darlington, the latter of Reading, England, both of whom came to this country in their early youth and were married in Cincinnati. William Teasdale located in Cincinnati in 1834, and in the following year founded the dyeing establishment which to-day bears his name, and which is one of the largest houses of the kind in the United States. He died in October, 1867, leaving six children: William R., the subject of this sketch; Henry L., who died in 1878; Mrs. W. J. Coppock, Mrs. W. R. Craw- ford, and Mrs. A. D. Fisher, all of Cincinnati, and Mrs. H. W. Coolidge, of Chicago.

William R. Teasdale completed his education at Farmers' College, College Hill, in 1859, taught school for one year thereafter, and in 1861 became identified with his father in the dyeing establishment, in which, with his brother Henry, he became partner in 1866, under the firm name of William Teasdale & Sons. For several years prior to their father's death the brothers conducted the business under the firm name of Teasdale Brothers. Since 1870 it has been conducted under the sole proprietorship of William R. Teasdale, and has been known as the Teasdale Dye House. William R. Teasdale was married, January 2, 1867, to Mary, daughter of John Shutt, a farmer of Warren, Penn., and niece of Jacob D. Shutt, late presi- dent of the Covington City National Bank. Three children were born of this mar- riage: Mrs. Lillian, wife of F. W. Bennett, of the AEtna Insurance Company, Cin- cinnati; Carrie and William S. Teasdale. The family reside on Lincoln avenue,

Walnut Hills.

CHARLES H. HEINE, president of the Charles H. Heine Company, wholesale gro- cers, was born at Manchester, Mich., November 7, 1856, and is a son of Herman and Louisa (Schillinger) Heine, natives of Germany and Pennsylvania and both of Ger- man origin. In the spring of 1856, while engaged in the drug business at Rock- port, Ind., his father was drowned in the Ohio river, and his mother thereupon returned to her father's home in Michigan, where Charles H. was born. At the age of four years he was taken into the family of his uncle, Louis Mehner, of Cincin- nati, with whom he remained until his twenty-fourth year. He attended the public schools of Cincinnati, and graduated from Hughes High School in 1874. His first

business position was that of assistant bookkeeper at the Union stock yards, where he was employed a year and a half. His uncle, Louis Mehmer, who was a whole- sale grocer, died in 1876, but his son, Edwin L., continued the business, and Mr. Heine entered his employ as clerk, later becoming a partner in the concern, and ultimately president of the Louis Mehner Company. In July, 1889, he disposed of his interest, and organized the firm of Charles H. Heine & Company, the business of which was conducted at Pearl and Main until September, 1891, when it was removed to its present location. In October, 1891, the company was incorporated under the name of "The Charles H. Heine Company." The output for the first year was $150,000, which has since been increased to over $500,000.

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

Mr. Heine was married October 10, 1880, to Miss Josie, daughter of Hon. James: W. Fitzgerald, formerly judge of the Cincinnati police court, but now a resident of Kansas. One child, Charles J., was born to them, but died at the age of two months. Mrs. Heine died in October, 1881. Mr. Heine was married, the second time, May 15, 1890, to Miss Emilie L., daughter of John Hauck, of Cincinnati, and to this union two children have been born: Emilie and Frieda. Mr. and Mrs. Heine are members of St. John's German Lutheran Church. They reside on Dayton street. Mr. Heine is a Master Mason, and a past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. In politics he is a Democrat, and, though he has never held a public office, he has rendered much valuable service to his party, and has frequently been men- tioned in connection with the nomination for mayor of Cincinnati.

JOHN G. DINKELBIHLER, a prominent grocer of Cincinnati, whose place of busi- ness is situated at Nos. 754 and 756 Gilbert avenue, was born in Cincinnati January 4, 1851, and is the eldest of three surviving children born to John and Mary Ann (Schindler) Dinkelbihler, the father a native of Bavaria, the mother of Switzerland. He received but a rudimentary school training, owing to the inability of his parents to further provide for an education, and at the age of ten years started life for him- self as a boot-black in a barber shop, from which position he was speedily advanced to "boss barber." In his sixteenth year, through his frugality, he was enabled to

go into business on his own account, and in 1867 opened a barber-shop on Main, near Fourth street, which was recognized as the leading and most popular establish- ment of the kind in the city. At the age of nineteen Mr. Dinkelbihler sold his interest in this business, and invested in a general produce and provision store on Walnut Hills, which he stocked with a full line of staple and fancy groceries. He was the first grocer in that locality to sell goods at the retail prices ruling in the city, and by strict attention to business and the wants of his customers, and by his admirable conduct as a business man, he secured a large and profitable patronage, which has grown with the years until it has become the most popular grocery estab- lishment on Walnut Hills. Mr. Dinkelbihler is a man full of energy, and with high aims and purposes, and is destined to occupy and worthily wear great honors. He is a Protectionist, but independent in politics, and can only be swayed in the true direction of the interests of the grocery trade, of which he is a sworn ally and defender. He is also an earnest agitator of the pure food question, and a vigilant champion of the rights and privileges of grocers. Mr. Dinkelbihler is an inventor of a Compressed Air Washer, which operates by compressed air and suction, generating a powerful air pressure, which forces the hot suds through the clothes, thereby loosening the dirt from the goods, and the suction created by the up and down motion of the machine removes the dirt entirely. The clothes are washed perfectly clean. He also invented a rotary hair-brushing machine.

Mr. Dinkelbihler was married, October 18, 1871, to Elizabeth Fienthel, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Reifschnider) Fienthel, natives of Germany. Their union has been blessed with eight children, six of whom survive, and are named as fol- lows: Ida E., John G., Lillie May, Margaret, Charles Henry and Elmer Harrison. Mr. Dinkelbililer is a Lutheran in his religious views. He is a member of the Retail Grocers' Association, of which he was president for a number of years, and in which he still takes an active interest.

JOHN LEVERONE, senior member of the firm of J. Leverone & Company, was born February 6, 1845, in Cicagua. Italy, about twenty miles from Genoa, and is a son of Dominick and Catherine (Carboni) Leverone. His parents emigrated to the United States in 1853, locating in New York, later in Cincinnati, and finally in Louisville, Ky., where the father died in 1879, and the mother still resides. The family con- sisted of ten children, three of whom are living: John, who is the eldest; Stephen, of Louisville, Ky., and Annie, now Mrs. John M. Isola, of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

Our subject did not leave his native country until the spring of 1855, when he rejoined his parents in New York, and two years later accompanied them to Cincin- nati, where he engaged in the sale of fruit. In the spring of 1862 he went to San Francisco, Cal., and entered the employ of his uncle, eleven months later embark- ing in business for himself in that city. In 1865 he returned to Cincinnati, and engaged in the retail fruit business, and in June, 1870, admitted his present partner, James Arata. In 1874 they removed to No. 24 West Front street, and confined their attention to the wholesale trade of fruits, in which they have since been the leaders in the Cincinnati market. Their present commodious premises, at the north- east corner of Frout and Walnut streets, were secured in 1889. The buildings are 40 feet front, 100 feet deep, and five stories high, with all the modern improvements for handling fruit, this being the largest plant of its kind in the United States. As a reward for their close application to business, economy, promptness and fair deal- ings, they have won the confidence of their patrons, some of whom have patronized them since their initial movement in business. The territory over which they now operate extends not only over the length and breadth of the United States, but also to many European countries, from which they import, directly, nuts, figs, lemons, macaroni, etc., and furnish them to their American trade.

Mr. Leverone was married, April 29, 1872, to Miss Mary, daughter of James Garibaldi, of Cincinnati, by whom he has six bright children: Pearl M., Charles J., Jolin E., James Garfield, Walter M. and Eugene J., all of whom, together with Mr. and Mrs. Leverone, are members of the Catholic Church.

JAMES ARATA, of the firm of Jolin Leverone & Co., was born in Orero, Italy, March 19, 1844, and is a son of Nicholas and Annie (Biggio) Arata. His mother came to America in 1882, and died in California in February, 1893. They had six sons, five of whom are living: J. B., of New York; Ludwig, of California; Louis, of New York; Frank, ticket agent for the Rocky Mountain railroad, at San Fran- cisco, and James. The last named was educated in his native country, and came to America in 1866, landing at New York, where he remained two months, vari- ously employed. In April, 1867, he came to Cincinnati, and found employment with J. B. Caragua & Sons one year. For three years he conducted a peanut stand at the northeast corner of Fifth and Vine streets, and then entered into partner- ship with Mr. Leverone, with whom he has since continued. In August, 1866, Mr. Arata married Rosa Nassena, daughter of Anthony Nassena, of Orero, Italy, who died January 6, 1887, leaving the following named children: Louis, shipping clerk for John Leverone & Co .; Annie, wife of John Murphy, of Cincinnati; Charles, a stu- dent at the New York Military Academy; Lillie, and Joseph. The family adhere to the Catholic Church, and in politics Mr. Arata is a Democrat. His residence is No. 106 Broadway.

PETER BROOKS, senior member of the firm of Peter Brooks & Company, wholesale dealers in foreign and domestic fruits, No. 14 West Front street (residence Nor- wood), was born August 30, 1847, at Hamilton, Ohio, son of John P. and Catherine (Netz) Brooks, natives of Germany and Springfield, Ohio. The father died in 1854, at the age of fifty, and the mother in 1892, at the age of seventy. He was a mer- chant grocer, and later dealt in pork and grain. They were the parents of five children, three of whom are living: Peter, C. Lewis and Mary.

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History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio; their past and present, Part 141

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