History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 134

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104

USA > Ohio > Summit County > History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio > Part 134

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He never was a politician, in the popular ac- ceptation of the term, though he always took an earnest interest in public affairs, and occa- sionally took an ctive part in political contests ; not so much from a partisan standpoint as from his thorough convictions of what, in the given contest, was the better public policy ; that is, what was right. From his first appearance be-

fore the public until the close of the war of the rebellion, he was a most earnest anti-slavery man, and took a resolute and pronounced posi- tion against the system of slavery and its ag- gressions ; and on all proper occasions sought to educate public sentiment in harmony with his own convictions. He was, as already stated, elected to represent Summit County in the General Assembly, in 1848, and as a Whig, and was a candidate for re-election in the fall of 1849, but was beaten by the united votes of the Democrats and Free-Soilers, by a majority of less than one hundred, while the balance of the ticket was beaten by about four hundred votes. He occupied a more flattering position in the Legislature, being universally recognized as one of its ablest and most useful members. His nomination for legislative position both times was much against his wishes, and he only consented to accept as a matter of public duty, on account of the peculiar attitude of the two leading political parties upon the slavery ques- tion, that then being the all absorbing question with the electors of Northern Ohio.

Judge McClure's industry and painstaking preparation of his cases when a practitioner, made him exceedingly restive when he was on the bench, at the heedless and dilatory modes of lawyers who came into court unprepared to try their causes ; and, occasionally, provoked him into sharp reminders, that the public inter- ests before him should not be sacrificed to the indolence of attorneys, and occasionally caused the summary disposition of their cases. But, as his modes and motives became understood and appreciated, the lawyers ascertained that their true interests were best subserved by will- ing co-operation with the court. He disposed of his judicial business with great dispatch, and to the general satisfaction of the bar. His sense of justice and fair play, always acute, led him first to find where justice lay, and then, he was almost sure to find some rule of law by which justice could be upheld. His great ex- perience as a lawyer made him a very able tryer of causes, and his general knowledge of the law and the practice of the courts, made him a very first-class Judge, when exercising the jurisdic- tion of an appellate court, sitting as he did, during his entire term, mainly in Cleveland and Toledo.

In the early years of his practice, he was appointed United States Commissioner because

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of his strict stand-up to his convictions, es- pecially to cope with a band of counterfeiters, who, for years, had been preying upon the coin and currency of the country, headed by the no- torious Jim Brown. While acting as such Com- missioner, a singular incident occurred, in which he was a prominent actor, and it illustrates a peculiar social condition in the community where it occurred. Brown, for years, had de- fied the State authorities in his raids upon the currency, and thus far had been singularly suc- cessful in eluding the vigilance of the General Government. Though notoriously recognized as the leader of these law-breakers, he was elected and served term after term as Justice of the Peace of Northampton Township ; and, to his credit it may be said, that he performed the duties of the office well. Complaint had been made before Commissioner MeClure, and he had issued his warrant for the apprehension of Brown upon a charge of counterfeiting, and, while this warrant was out, standing in the hands of the Sheriff and unexecuted, Judge McClure appeared before Brown for one of two parties litigant. The trial being concluded, the Justice took the case under advisement, but was arrested and lodged in jail before he de- cided the case. He then rendered his judgment in favor of McClure's client, remarking, as he (lid so, that he hoped the Commissioner would take a similar favorable view of his case, and in his favor, whenever the same came up for hearing. Judge McClure did so, by holding Brown under $20,000 bond for his appearance before the United States Court at Columbus, which, however, was afterward reduced to $5,000 by the Federal Judge.

There is no telling how much the pulpit lost by the making of so able a lawyer. There is no question, however, that he would have won distinction as a divine. But his logical and independent cast of mind, on reaching full maturity, led him to distrust, and, in fact, to despise dogmatism, and to demand demonstra- tion ; or, at least, that every proposition and doctrine should challenge the approval of right, reason and common sense before his continued assent could be secured for the toleration of any given tenet, theory or system, whether in ethics, philosophy or religion. Consequently, at an early period of his life he abandoned, or, rather, never fully fell into the ways that had been with the very best motives marked out

for him. He may be classed with those who are popularly known as Free-thinkers or Lib- eralists : who believe in being good, and doing good for goodness' sake, irrespective of relig- ious creeds, beliefs or sanctions, for they are legion ; who advocate a greater degree of religious influence in the world than even sec- tarians, but it is the religion of humanity-tlie only genuine human ideal. It consists in lov- ing human beings and other deserving objects, such as we know and can benefit, and not in loving a God or gods about whom we know nothing, and who, if they exist at all, are infi- nitely beyond the reach of the adoration of mortals.

LEWIS MILLER, manufacturer and inven- tor, Akron, the youngest of three sons of John and Elizabeth (York) Miller, was born in Greentown, Lake Township, Stark Co., Ohio, Aug. 24, 1829. His parents were respectable and industrious people. His father, a cabinet- maker, house-builder and farmer, originally came from Maryland, removing to the West in 1812. He was a man of sterling integrity, and universally esteemed, holding a prominent po- sition in his community. Lewis, the subject of this article, spent his boyhood on a farm, until about 17, attending school in one of the old- time schoolhouses built of logs, having slab benches, etc. In 1846, he learned the plastering trade, serving two years with a man named Wm. Essig ; he worked at this trade for five years, also attending acadamies in Illinois dur- ing winter seasons and teaching in Stark Co., Ohio, two terms, in that time having moved to Plainfield, Ill, near Chicago, in the meanwhile. In 1851, he returned to Greentown, where he connected himself as a partner with the manu- facturing firm of Ball, Aultman & Co. (after- ward of Canton) and by patience, determina- tion and energy, soon mastered the machinist's trade, serving for but 50 cents per day at first while learning. In the fall of 1851, the company with $6,000 capital in all, removed to Canton. The partners were six in number, viz : E. Ball, C. Aultman, David Fouser, Lewis Miller, Geo. Cook and Jacob Miller. They first mannfact- ured threshing machines, stoves and plows, and old Obed Hussey reapers, and did repair- ing. They had no competition in reapers ex- cept one shop on the Ohio River. During 1849, our subject worked on the old "Hussey" reaper, and ever since that time he has been experi-

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menting on reapers, every season, in harvest field. His remarkable aptitude for the ma- chinist's trade, manifested itself so plainly, that, in a short time after his apprenticeship he was advanced to the superintendency of the works, and while in this position he invented the world-renowned "Buckeye Mower and Reaper" -known in the market as the double-hinged floating-bar-a distinctive feature from which all two-wheeled floating-bar machines are pat- terned. To this great and valuable invention he afterward added others of scarcely less utility, chief among which is his table rake (a self-rake), which he invented in 1865, and which attained a wonderful popularity, within a few years. With the manufacture of the "Buckeye" the business of the Canton house became so largely increased that, in 1863, it was found necessary to establish a branch con- cern at Akron, under the incorporated name of Aultman, Miller & Co., and in the following year he removed to Akron to take charge of the works here, since which time he has been superintendent and had full charge of the same. In this position he has lived to see the once insignificant shop expanded into wider halls, wherein is executed a business which, of its kind, is one of the most extensive in the coun- try, which grand success is due, no doubt, to each partner giving all his time and attention to active work, wearing, so to speak, when the business was first commenced at Canton, the work apron himself, instead of hiring other men to do it. No dividends were declared un- til 1866. They attained success through hard labor, and some disappointments. On May 5, 1855, while they were all filled with machines ready for market, their entire establishment burned to the ground, with a loss of $50,000, there being only $7,000 insurance. It was in June, 1856, that the first patents were granted for the "Buckeye," and at various times over one hundred patents were granted to the firm, one of which was for "Miller's Binder," which machine is the result of Mr. Miller's study. The business has increased from six threshers and ten or twelve reapers per year, to twelve hundred threshers and about twenty thousand reapers and mowers per year, or one complete machine to every four and one-half minutes during working hours. They began building the traction engine in 1877, the capacity now being five hundred engines per year. At the

present time, he is President of the Canton manufactory, and of the Akron Iron Co .; also Superintendent of the Akron manufactory, and member of Board of Directors of the Weary, Snyder Manufacturing Co., of Akron. He is a Director of the Bank of Akron, and a stockholder in the First National Bank of Canton. He is a member of the Board of Education and was twice President of the same. He has taken a deep interest in politics, and worked in the Re- publican party, being an anti-slavery man, he is now connected with the National party. He became a member of the M. E. Church in 1843, has held all positions in the church, and been Sunday School Superintendent for twenty-eight years. He was three times a lay delegate to the General Conference of the church, and has been honored from time to time with other promi- nent positions of trust. He was President of the Ohio Sunday School Association; and of the Chautauqua Association, having been the originator of the Chautauqua scheme, and, as co- worker with Dr. J. H. Vincent, has infused new life into the methods of Sabbath school work, always the President. In educational matters he has taken a great interest, especially so in the case of Mt. Union College. He is President of Mt. Union College Board of Trustees, and is a Trustee of the Ohio Wesleyan University, and of Allegheny College. On Sept. 16, 1853, he married Mary D. Alexander, of Plainfield, Ill., who bore him eleven children, ten of whom are living, and are viz., Jennie, Ira M., Edward B., Robert A., Lewis A., Mina, Mamie, Grace, John V. and Theodore W. Eva died when 16.

JOHN McGREGOR, Secretary and Treas- urer of the Akron Steam Forge Company ; he was born in Columbiana County, near Wells- ville, June 14, 1836 ; his parents, John and Margaret (McBean) McGregor, are natives of Scotland ; they emigrated to America in 1828, and settled in Columbiana County, where they now reside. The subject of this sketch was raised on his father's farm, and, in 1861, en- tered Jefferson College at Cannonsburg, Penn., from which institution he graduated in 1863, standing sixth in a class of thirty-nine ; he then entered Ohio Law College, at Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained one year. In 1864, he entered upon the practice of his profession at Akron, continuing at this for seven years, during which time he was elected City Solic- itor, filling this position two years, from 1869

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CITY OF AKRON.

to 1871 ; he then purchased an interest in the Akron Steam Forge Works, and when the es- tablishment was re-organized in 1872, under the control of a joint-stock company, he was elected Secretary and Treasurer of the associa- tion, which position he has faithfully filled ever since. Mr. McGregor is, at the present time, Treasurer of Portage Township; he was first chosen for this office in 1877, and has been re- elected each succeeding spring since then. He was married Nov. 11, 1868, to Miss Hattie E. Folger, daughter of William M. and Julia A. (Hayden) Folger ; they are the parents of three children-Julia F., John and Mary.

CHARLES MERRIMAN, Akron ; youngest child of Jesse and Rhoda (Fox) Merriman ; was born July 1, 1800, in Berkshire Co., Mass., where he lived on a farm. When he was 10 years of age his mother died, leaving two sons besides our subject, and one daughter, viz .: Andrews, a physician, who settled in Madison, Lake Co., Ohio, in 1816, and practiced in that place forty-nine years and ten months ; Clarissa, oldest of the children, who married Justin Cole, now one of the pioneers of Lake Co., and Alvin, who was a tanner by trade, going to Parkersburg, W. Va., in about 1840, where he lived a few years, then went to Centralia, Southern Illinois, and lastly to Bloomington, Ill., where he died. Mr. Merriman received, in his boyhood, a good common school education. Soon after his mother's death the other children married, and left home, but he remained and farmed there until 1835, taking care of his father, who was quite aged, and who afterward came here, and died in his 89th year. In 1834, accompanied by his father, he came, by canal and lakes, to visit friends in Lake Co., and in March, 1835, bought 272 acres of wild land in Portage Township, on the canal, two and a half miles from Akron, for which he paid $1,200. On May 5 they started, with a team, to Madison, Ohio, completing the trip in fifteen days ; they remained, improving some property there, until August, when they came on to their wild land. There they lived in a small cooper-shop with Charles Webster and family for two weeks. They could only with great difficulty obtain lumber ; he built a house of round logs hewn down inside, and having unplaned boards for the floor, living there for seven years, when he built a large frame house, in which he lived until 1869, when he moved to Akron. He

owned 125 acres in Lorain County, which he exchanged for 95 acres near New Portage. He was a successful stock farmer, and a natural mechanic, putting up his own buildings. On Dec. 1, 1824, he married Miss Harriet Allis, of Dalton, Mass., who bore him four children, viz., Rhoda F. (who died in her seventh year, and was buried at Dalton), Charles Rector (now a physician of Akron, Ohio), Wells E. (a machinist of Akron, being a pattern-maker), and Louisa E. (who died in her second year). In politics he is a Republican, and has held several offices of trust in that party ; he was formerly a Whig. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Congregational Church, he having joined it at the age of 17.

ANDREWS MAY, retired, Akron. The par- ents of the subject of this article were Dexter and Sarah (Andrews) May. He was born at Royalston, Hampshire, Co., Mass., on Aug. 6, 1792. When 6 years old his parents moved to Concord, Vt., where they lived about six years, then moved to Montpelier ; when he was 12 years old, he went to district school, and con- tinned to attend about three months per year, until 16 years of age, when he learned painting, and helped to paint the first State House ever constructed in Vermont. Finding that the poisonous preparation of lead used in paint was not conducive to his health, he abandoned the trade, and commenced the carpentering, mill- wrighting and joiner trades, which he followed in Vermont until 1816. On July 1, 1818, he came to Ohio, sending his tools by wagon, hav- ing been employed for four years previous at Champlain, N. Y., by William H. Price in build- ing mills. In the spring of 1812, he volun- teered in the service, and three companies were drilled three months, and assigned to the com- mand of Gen. Dearborn. The regiment to which our subject belonged, all volunteered to the expedition against Montreal, but were or- dered back to Swanton Falls, in winter quarters to guard the frontier against the encroachments of Gen. Mayo with 1,000 hostile Indians. These three companies remained until spring, when they were mustered out. Subject again par- ticipated in the battle of Plattsburg ; he rode on horseback through the neighborhood, rally- ing the men, who marched in good spirits to the battle. His employer, William H. Price, bought a tract of land at Kent, of 700 acres (Kent was called. Franklin Mills post office).

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Subject then built a large flouring-mill at Kent, supposed to be, at that time (1818), the largest in the State. Remaining in that vicinity, he built a large house for Judge Whitmore, in Stow, in 1820 and 1821. This place is now called Cuyahoga Falls. In 1821, he went to Thorndyke, and there went into partnership with Israel Thorndyke ; started a nail factory, bringing good machinery from Massachusetts, grind stone from Nova Scotia, and nail plate from Albany, N. Y., the freightage on all of which being over $6 per hundred. Although they made excellent nails, they failed to collect their pay for goods, and were, therefore, obliged to abandon the business. In 1823, he went in- to the plow business, employing Dr. L. Croby, of Middlebury, to mold over two hundred cast plows. They were called " Jethro Woods, No. 4." This was before the canal was put through, and he had five counties to work in, viz .: Port- age, Medina, Cuyahoga, Wayne and Stark, and being obliged to travel on horseback to collect bills, he could not make it successful, even fail- ing to collect enough to pay traveling expenses. At Franklin, he established a cupola furnace, using charcoal to cast plows. This he con- tinned some four years, when he let it drop be- cause of some infringements on the patent, which Wood did not litigate. In Dec. 31, 1824, he married Miss Ann L. Uttey, of Hartford, Conn., which marriage was blessed with five children, two of whom, Horace U. and Horace U. second, died, the former at Akron in his sixth year, and the latter (his namesake), at Akron in his 22d year. Those living are Albert D., of Yosemite Valley, Cal. ; Helen M., at home, and Frank H., fruit dealer at Chicago, Ill. After leaving the plow business, he farmed in Franklin about one year, sending sixty bar- rels of flour to New York, this was in 1833. In about 1834, he built a house for Ithiel Mills, of Akron, which is still standing. In 1835, he moved to Akron, and in that year built the "Summit House," which is also standing. This place becoming then so unhealthy, he moved to Wadsworth, Ohio, where he lived five years employed in building. He returned in 1840 to Akron, and, having a carriage then, he drove in that year to all the meetings with the Dem- ocrats. After moving here he engaged in team- ing and building until about 1875, when he was afflicted with paralysis. In belief, he is a Uni- versalist, but belongs to no society, and is

thoroughly a cosmopolitan. He is a Republi- can and a Whig, and voted his first Presiden- tial ticket for James Madison.

GEN. GEORGE W. McNEIL, miller, Akron, son of Samuel and Martha (Coakley) McNeil ; was born Sept. 16, 1813, in Montgomery Co., N. Y. At the age of 10, with his father's fam- ily, he moved to a spot near Syracuse, N. Y. His father was a boat-builder, and George be- gan to assist him when a boy, continuing to do so until 1837, when he came to Massillon, Ohio, where, in the fall and winter of the same year, he worked at carpentering and boat- building. In the spring of 1838, he entered the employ of Beach & Co., in the stone mills at Akron, acting as clerk, which position he retained until 1840, in the fall of which year he was made captain of the canal-boat " Cornelia," of Akron, which he ran to Cleveland, Buffalo and Albany, a distance of 900 miles, it being the longest run of any boat previous to that time. In the spring of 1841, he and Nicholas Rector put a run of stone in the old Center Mills, conducting it about one year, when they sold out, purchased the site for and built the City Mills, of which they sold a part interest to Philo Chamberlain, in 1843. Subject re- mained in that mill until 1874, when he took charge of the manufacturing department of the firm of Chamberlain & Co., which firm pur- chased the ÆEtna Mills, in 1862, both mills continuing under the control of Chamberlain. up to 1880. In July, 1874, Mr. McNeil with- drew from the company, and engaged in the manufacture of grain-cleaning machinery, which occupation he followed until 1878, five years previous to which date le invented the " Me- Neil Grain Scourer," which is still manufact- ured by G. W. McNeil & Sons, of this place. In December, 1877, the firm of MeNeil & Bald- win was formed, and they rented the Ætna Mills of Chamberlain & Co. In 1879-80, they repaired it, and arranged for the new process of making flour. He was elected Brigadier General of the Eighteenth Division Ohio Mi- litia in 1858-59. In 1858, he was elected on the People's Ticket Mayor of Akron. He was raised in the Whig school, and became a Pro- hibitionist in 1872. For twelve years, he has been connected with the Sons of Temperance as a prominent worker. Nov. 4, 1842, he mar- ried Miss Eleanor C. Martin, of Akron, who bore him one daughter and two sons, viz., Em-

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ma (wife of A. E. Angier, of Columbus, Ohio), Charles A., of Akron, and George W., Jr., of New York.

REV. THOMAS E. MONROE, minister, Ak- ron. Rev. Thomas E. Monroe, the able Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Akron, Ohio, is of Scotch descent, and one of four children of Job and Phebe (Collins) Monroe, being born at Plainfield, Conn., on April 28, 1829. His father was born in Massachusetts, and, in his early manhood, studied law ; but, his health failing, he engaged in farming. In the war of 1812, he was Captain. He died in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1872, being in his 87th year. His three sons and one daughter, excepting the subject of these lines, are Abel, a banker of Woonsocket, R. I .; Prof. James Monroe, of Oberlin College, and Mary, who is deceased. The subject spent his youth on a farm, attend- ing to farm duties, and receiving such an edu- cation as the New England schools afforded, in- cluding Latin. At 17, he began teaching in the public schools of Rhode Island, continuing for three years, when he entered a preparatory school at Providence, R. I. The year following, he entered Oberlin College, taking a classical course, in which he graduated in 1856 ; and, in two years after, graduated in a theological course. In the summer of 1859, he was or- dained by the Cleveland Conference a minister of the Gospel. For one year, he was located at Amherst, Lorain Co., Ohio, becoming Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Mt. Ver- non, Ohio, in 1860, which place he filled until 1873, in the meantime having increased the membership from 150 to 437. During his stay with that people, they built a church costing $38,000. On April 1, 1873, he came to Akron, and became Pastor of its First Congregational Church, which position he holds, having now 650 members, exclusive of 122 absent ones, being an increase of 504 over the membership when he took charge of it. In June, 1859, he married Miss Mary Bernard, of Philadelphia, who bore him one child.

JAMES MATHEWS, insurance, Akron, is a son of James and Jane (Archer) Mathews, and was born April 23, 1803, in Washington Co., N. Y. When he was 8 years of age, his parents moved to Crown Point, and, a few years later, to Vermont. He was brought up on a farm, and, at the age of 22 years, commenced learning the cabinet-making business and paint-

ing, giving special attention to ornamental paint- ing. His health failing, he discontinued the business, and was appointed Constable of Orange Co., Vt., and was thus employed until 1839, when he came to Akron, Ohio. He first com- menced the manufacturing of grain shovels, and then engaged in building; and, in 1840, in working on Perkins & Co.'s Woolen Factory, now used as a mill. He next embarked in the grocery business, which he continued until 1845, when he built the Mathews residence, corner of East Market and Broadway, which was the second brick building in that part of the city. In the spring of 1849, he went into the insur- ance business, as agent of five of the leading companies, viz., Ætna, Phoenix, Springfield, Home of New York, and Hartford, continuing fire insurance, until, in 1873, when he gave it over to his son, Henry G. In January, 1857, he became agent of the Mutual Life of New York, and has retained it ever since, a period of twenty-four years. He is now the oldest agent of that company in the State, and has the best ratio of business, and has insured to the amount of over $12,000,000. He was married in January, 1833, at Wells River, Vt., to Miss Agnes Grant, of that place. Three children were born of that marriage-George H. (died in December, 1872, in his 33d year) ; Henry, of Akron, and Charles H., book-keeper of Booth's Theater, New York. His wife died in April, 1870. Mr. Mathews was a Jackson Democrat ; but, after the campaign of Gen. Cass, in 1848, he became a Whig ; and, upon the organization of the Republican party, adopted its principles. In 1865, he was elected Mayor of the city of Akron for two years by a unanimous vote, and during his term of office made many needed in- provements in streets, etc. He was a member of the first Board of Education of Akron, which was elected in 1847. He was a second time married, on the 23d of November, 1871, to Mrs. Isabella Tayler, widow of the late James D. Tayler, and a daughter of Alonzo Howard. one of the pioneer merchants of Middlebury, where she was born. Mr. M. built the Mathews Block on Howard street, in 1850, and rebuilt it in 1871. He is a writer of considerable merit ; is of Scotch descent, and has a warm admira- tion for the ballads and verses of Scotia's im- mortal bard. During the residence in Vermont, he was thrown among the Scotch people of Caledonia Co., where he acquired a taste and

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 134

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848- Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104