History of the Western Reserve, Vol. II, Part 5

Author: Upton, Harriet Taylor; Cutler, Harry Gardner, 1856-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago ; New York : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 886

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Dr. Thwing has been twice married-first, to Miss Carrie Frances Butler, who died April 24, 1898. She was a student at Vassar Col- lege and a lady of fine culture and beautiful character. Her parents were Francis Gould and Julia ( Wendell) Butler, her father being a banker of Farmington, Maine, where he also served as a selectman and as a repre- sentative to the state legislature. On Decem- ber 22, 1906, Dr. Thwing married, as his second wife, Miss Mary Gardiner Dunning. a daughter of David Montgomery and Alice ( Hutchinson) Dunning, of Auburn, New York, and a graduate of Vassar (A. B., '97). The children by the first marriage are as fol- lows: Mary Butler Thwing, born in Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, October 30, 1880, and

a graduate of the Woman's College of West- ern Reserve University, who, on May 26, 1909, married James M. Shallenberger, a law- yer of Cleveland; Francis Butler Thwing, born in Cleveland, February 20, 1891, and Apphia Thwing, born in that city, August 23, 1892.

WASHINGTON W. BOYNTON .- Among those who have conferred dignity and honor upon the bench and bar of Ohio, a commonwealth that has ever held high prestige for the fine personnel of its corps of legists and jurists as one generation has followed another onto the stage of life's activities, is numbered Judge Washington W. Boynton, who is now living virtually retired in the city of Elyria, the judicial center of his native county. He served with distinction on the bench of the supreme court of the state and also as judge of the court of common pleas of his district, was long engaged in the practice of his pro- fession in the city of Cleveland, and as an advocate few men who have practiced at the bar of the old Buckeye state have shown greater power and versatility, or attained to higher reputation. The judge is a native son of the Western Reserve and a scion of one of its sterling and honored pioneer families. He has manifested great interest in the his- tory of the fine old Reserve, has delved deeply into its records, from early to later days, and his interest in its annals has been of most insistent order, as indicated by his valuable contributions to its history. In view of the conditions summed up in this para- graph, it will be readily understood that there is all of consistency in according in this work special recognition to the honored citizen whose name introduces this article.

Judge Washington Wallace Boynton was born in Russia township, Lorain county, Ohio, on the 27th of January, 1833, and is a son of General Lewis D. and Ruth (Wellman) Boynton, both natives of the state of Maine and representatives of families founded in New England in the early colonial epoch of our national history.

General Lewis D. Boynton was born August 5, 1802, and reared to maturity in the old Pine Tree state, whence he came to Ohio in the year 1826, becoming one of the pioneer settlers of Russia township, Lorain county, where he secured a large tract of wild land, the greater portion of which he reclaimed from the virgin forest. In fact, it is a matter

W w Boynton

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of record that much of the land now included within the borders of Russia township was cleared by him and his assistants. He was a man of such strong mentality and marked individuality that he naturally became a leader in thought and action in the pioneer commu- nity, wielding much influence in public affairs and commanding the unqualified esteem of all who knew him. In the early days he was a brigadier-general of the state militia. He continued to devote his attention to the great basic industry of agriculture during the re- mainder of his active career, his death occur- ring in September, 1871.

The genealogy of Judge Boynton in the agnatic lines is traced back in a direct way to Sir Matthew Boynton, who was created a baronet on the 25th of May, 1618, and was a member of the English parliament in the reign of Charles I. During the civil wars his sympathies and aid were enlisted in the Republican cause. His second son, Matthew, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Stapleton, came to America about the year 1632, settling in New England, that cradle of so much of our national history, and with John and William Rowley Boynton, who came to this country about the same time, became the founder of the Boynton family in the new world. The mother of Judge Boynton, born February 22, 1806, was likewise of stanch English lineage, and her ancestors were num- bered among the early colonial settlers of New England. She passed the closing years of her life on the old homestead in Lorain county, Ohio, where she died on the 27th day of January, 1840.

Judge Washington W. Boynton was reared under the sturdy discipline of the pioneer farm, and such were the exigencies of time and place that his early scholastic. advantages were not of high academic order. He early began to contribute his quota to the work of the home farm, and his experience in this connection doubtless had much to do with the begetting of that deep appreciation that he has always shown for the dignity and honor of honest toil and endeavor. He availed himself of the advantage of the common schools of the locality and also attended an academic institution then designated as a select school, but he was unable to secure a collegiate education. None, however, can doubt the wide scope of his intellectuality, nor doubt that he has fully made good the handicap of carlier years. His alert and re-

ceptive mind enabled him to make rapid and substantial advancement in his studies as a boy, as is evident when we revert to the fact that when he was but sixteen years of age he proved himself eligible for pedagogic honors and initiated successful work as a teacher in the district schools. In the initial stages of his labors in this field he taught only during the winter terms, but from 1855 to 1857 he conducted a select school in Amherst township. . Through close and appreciative private study he advanced himself in the higher academic branches, and even as a young man he became known as one of lih- eral education. While conducting the select school, and for some time thereafter, he served as the examiner of teachers for Lorain county. His natural predilections early marked him as one to whom the legal pro- fession would most strongly appeal, and it was a common statement among the people of the neighborhood, while he was still a boy, that he was "cut out for a lawyer." Thus he began reading law while still engaged in teaching school, having as his preceptor and director his uncle, Elbridge Gerry Boynton. who was then one of the representative mem- bers of the har of the Western Reserve, en- gaged in practice at Elyria. While giving his days to the exacting work of teaching. Judge Boynton so assiduously improved his otherwise leisure hours by technical study that he secured. admission to the bar in 1856, though he did not begin the active work of his profession until 1858. In 1857 he estab- lished his residence in Elyria, where he en- tered into partnership with General L. A. Sheldon, with whom he continued to be thuis associated until 1861, when General Sheldon tendered his services in defense of the Union and went forth as lieutenant-colonel of an Ohio regiment of volunteers ( Forty-second Ohio), later attaining much distinction as a gallant officer of the Civil war.

Judge Boynton soon gained much local repute in his profession, and from the spring of 1859 until the autumn of 1863 he served as prosecuting attorney of Lorain county. Within this period he formed a partnership alliance with John C. Hale, who was then a promising young attorney, hut this partner- ship was soon terminated, as Judge Boyn- ton's health became so seriously impaired that, in 1863. he was compelled to resign his practice and seek change of climate and en- vironment. He went to Minneapolis, but re-

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mained in the west until the spring of 1864, when, with partially recuperated physical forces. he returned to his home in Elyria. In the meanwhile his former partner, Judge Hale, had succeeded him as prosecuting attor- ney of the county.

Upon his return to Elyria, Judge Boynton entered into a professional partnership with Laertes B. Smith, with whom he was thus pleasantly associated until the 9th of Feb- ruary, 1869, when Governor Rutherford B. Hayes, who later became president of the United States, appointed him judge of the court of common pleas for the Fourth judicial district, whereupon he retired from the law firm of Boynton & Smith and entered upon his initial service as a member of the judi- ciary of his native state, his district com- prising the counties of Lorain, Medina and Summit. He served on the common-pleas bench until February 9, 1877, and his able administration of the affairs of this office had in the meanwhile marked him for more dis- tinguished honors. On the date mentioned he took his seat on the bench of the supreme court of the state, having been elected to this office in October, 1876. As one of the asso- ciate justices of the supreme court, Judge Boynton's fame rests secure in the history of that tribunal, of which he continued a member for nearly five years, at the expira- tion of which ill health again compelled him to retire, his resignation having taken place in November, 1881.

Soon after his retirement from the supreme bench, Judge Boynton located in the city of Cleveland, and his high professional standing and splendid record as a jurist soon gained to him a large and representative clientage in that city. So rapidly did his practice expand and so great became its exactions that he soon found it necessary to enlist the aid of a coadjutor. Under these conditions he ex- tended an earnest invitation to his former associate, Judge John C. Hale, who had suc- ceeded him on the bench of the common pleas court, to become his partner in Cleveland. Judge Hale at once resigned his place on the bench and joined his former confrere and valued friend in Cleveland, where they estab- lished the law firm of Boynton & Hale. They built up a very extensive general practice and were concerned in many of the most important litigations in the courts, both state and federal, of Cuyahoga and surrounding counties, and attained to the highest standing at the bar of

the state. In 1888 Norton T. Horr was ad- mitted to the firm, whose title was then changed to Boynton, Hale & Horr. This effective alliance obtained until 1892, when Judge Hale retired, having been elected to the bench of the circuit court. Thereafter the firm of Boynton & Horr continued to handle the large and important professional business until the ist of January, 1897, when Judge Boynton retired from the firm. Thereafter he devoted his attention for several years to the trial of special cases and to assisting other lawyers in the trial of cases involving impor- tant and intricate legal questions. Few mem- bers of the Ohio bar were better fortified for this special field of practice, and in connec- tion therewith Judge Boynton gained a repu- tation that far transcended local limitations. His long experience in general practice and on the bench, as correlated with an extraordi- nary legal mind, gained to him acknowledged leadership. As an advocate his powers reached their apotheosis. He has ever been a close and appreciative student of the science of jurisprudence, is thoroughly familiar with fundamental principles, has a remarkable memory for recalling at will both precedents and incidental decisions, and thus he was ever resourceful and in command of the situation in presenting his cause before court or jury. Profound and exact in his legal erudition, strong in dialectic powers, forceful in the clarity and precision of his diction, and with a most pleasing personal presence, he natur- ally achieved pre-eminence as a trial lawyer. His judicial acumen avoided for him that rigidity of prejudice that frequently mars the efforts of brilliant intelligence in the legal profession. Judge Boynton ever showed clear intuition of the credibility and force of evi- dence, and his intellectual integrity and recti- tude, his force of will, and his conscientious thoroughness made him, indeed, a formidable antagonist. Loyal, generous and kindly in his relations with his fellowmen, knowing well the springs of human thought and motive, he is tolerant in his judgment, places true valua- tions upon men and affairs, and is well worthy of the unequivocal esteem in which he is held by his professional confreres and the general public.

In politics Judge Boynton is a stalwart in the camp of the Republican party, which came into being about the time he attained to his legal majority, and he has been an able and effective advocate of its principles and poli-

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cies. From 1865 to 1867, both dates inclusive, he represented Lorain county in the state legislature, and he had the distinction of offer- ing the resolution providing for the elimina- tion of the word "white" from the franchise qualification of the state constitution. The resolution was defeated in the house on the first vote, and a similar resolution was later introduced in the senate, which body passed the same. The measure was then returned to the lower house and was here adopted after a bitter contest, after which it was presented to the people for final action in the ensuing state election. It was on this issue essen- tially that the Democratic party in the state was victorious over the Republican party by more than 40,000 majority, and incidental to the re- sult this brought about was the election of Hon. Allen G. Thurman to the United States Senate. Shortly after this memorable contest in Ohio the United States Congress amended the federal constitution and the question of franchise was settled for all time.

As has already been intimated, Judge Boyn- ton has shown a vital interest in the history of the Western Reserve, and on July 4, 1876, the centennial anniversary of our national inde- pendence, he delivered at Elyria a very com- prehensive and interesting address pertaining to the early history of this favored section of the state. The same touched more espe- cially the annals of Lorain county, and in this connection he was able to draw largely from personal experience. This address, which now constitutes an important part of the historical records of the Western Reserve, is known as Tract No. 83, in the archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society, in the city of Cleveland. It has also been printed in book- let form for private distribution, and the data there incorporated not only show careful study and long and involved investigation, but the article is also a model of diction and of graphic description.

On the 20th of December, 1859, was sol- emnized the marriage of Judge Boynton to Miss Betsey A. Terrell, who was born at North Ridgeville, Lorain county, Ohio, a daughter of Ichabod Terrell, one of the ster- ling pioneers of this county. No children have been born of this union. A number of years ago Judge Boynton erected at North Ridgeville, on the site of the birthplace and girlhood home of his wife, an attractive and spacious residence, and there they maintained

their home until 1906, when they removed to Elyria and established themselves in their present attractive residence, on Washington avenue, where they dispense a gracious hos- pitality to their wide circle of devoted friends.

JAMES B. WOOD .- Born on the Reserve, and reared under Western Reserve influences, James B. Wood, of Bellevue, Ohio, vice presi- dent of the First National Bank, has had a successful career as a business man, winning his way through ability and energy. A son of Joseph Wood, a pioneer settler, he was born, February 1, 1844, in Lyme township, Huron county, of English ancestry, his great- grandfather, named Thomas Wood, having been a lifelong resident of Longnor, Stafford- shire, England.

Thomas Wood, the grandfather of James B., was born in Staffordshire, England, and as a young man learned the art of engraving. He subsequently inherited his father's estate, and on it spent the remainder of his brief life of thirty-three years. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah Gould, spent her entire life in the same place, attaining the venerable age of eighty-seven years. She was three times married, her children, three daughters and a son, having been born of her first marriage.

Joseph Wood, father of James B., was born in Staffordshire, England, October 28, 1809. Inheriting the paternal acres, he lived on the estate until 1833, when he emigrated to Amer- ica, crossing the ocean in a sailing vessel, being on the water fifty-nine days. From New York he came by canal, stage and river to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained a few months. Locating then in Huron county, he was engaged in the provision business a year. after which he bought three hundred acres of timber and prairie land, erected a house of round logs, which he occupied five years. But little of the land was at all improved, much of it being under water a large part of the year, causing malaria. Deer and other wild game abounded, and Milan, which was con- nected with the lake by canal, was the princi- pal market and depot for supplies, all land transportation being by stage. At the end of five years he moved to Cincinnati, where he spent a year, and then started by the way of New Orleans for his old home in England. He embarked on a sailing vessel loaded with cotton, and while on the gulf was so nearly wrecked that one-half of the cargo had to be

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thrown overboard. Landing in England at the end of fifty-eight days, he went directly to Etruria, Staffordshire, where he conducted a dry goods business for fifteen months. Re- turning then to Ohio, he bought land at Hunts Corners, and was there a resident until 1871, when he sold out. Buying property then in Bellevue, Sandusky county, he lived here re- tired until his death, May 29, 1893. In the meantime he traveled extensively, fifteen times crossing the ocean to visit his old home.

Joseph Wood married Martha Hulme, who was born in Longnor, Staffordshire, England, where her parents, George and Elizabeth ( Needham) Hulme, spent their entire lives. She died in Bellevue, Ohio, March 3, 1894, surviving her husband less than a year. They were the parents of four children, namely : Julia Ann, widow of the late George Sawyer, of Lyme township; Thomas H., deceased ; Louisa M., of Bellevue; widow of the late Howard Smith, married for her first husband Richard B. Wood, who lost his life in the Civil war; and James B.

Having obtained his first knowledge of books in the log cabin used as a school house at Hunts Corners, James B. Wood subse- quently continued his studies at Oberlin. When a lad of ten years he began assisting on the farm, remaining with his parents until twenty- four years of age, when he rented the home property, which he managed successfully four years. Locating then in Bellevue, Mr. Wood was for four years engaged in the manufac- ture of furniture with his brother and brother- in-law, under the firm name of Wood, Sawyer & Co. He subsequently embarked in the grain business, becoming senior member of the firm of Wood & Close; starting on a small scale, with but one elevator, the business gradually enlarged until the firm had, before its disso- lution, in 1888, five elevators in operation along the line of the Lake Shore & Michigan South- ern Railroad. Buying land in Erie county in 1888, Mr. Wood superintended its improve- ment for three years. In 1891 he was elected vice president of the First National Bank of Bellevue, and has since devoted his time to the bank and to his private interests.

On September 12, 1867, Mr. Wood married Julia L. Wood, who was born in Bellevue, Huron county, Ohio, a daughter of Bourdette and Rhoda (Harrington) Wood. Her father, a pioneer of this county, was born at Manly Square, Onondaga county, New York, while her mother was born at the mouth of the

Conneaut river, where her parents were very early settlers. Mrs. Wood died June 8, 1901, leaving two children : Benjamin Bourdette and Martha Rhoda. Benjamin B. Wood was graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan with the class of 1892, and has since been engaged in the practice of his profession. at Norwalk, Ohio, where he · is now receiver for the Lanning Printing Com- pany. He married Harriet L. Rood, a daugh- ter of R. K. Rood, and they have two sons : James Lonsbury and Bourdette Rood. Martha Rhoda Wood is the wife of Edward Terry Collins, of Toledo, Ohio.

Mr. Wood married, second, June 7, 1902, Emma Rhoda Sharpe, who was born in Stock- ton, California. Her father, Peter George Sharpe, a native of Hudson, New York, was one of the early merchants of Bellevue, Ohio. In 1849 he organized a company of gold- seekers, and as captain of the little band started across the country with teams, arriv- ing in California after a weary journey of several months. He was very successful in his quest for the yellow metal, and returned to Ohio for his wife and children. Starting back with them, his wife was taken ill, and died on the plains, he continuing his trip west- ward with the little ones. Coming again to Ohio in 1863, Mr. Sharpe married, in Belle- vue, Emeline Amelia Wood, who was born at Pike Creek, Erie county, Ohio, in 1831, and with his bride returned by way of the Isth- mus to California, locating in Stockton, where their daughter, Emma Rhoda, now Mrs. James B. Wood, was subsequently born. Mr. Sharpe died in California. September 24, 1897, aged eighty-two years, and his widow now lives with Mr. and Mrs. Wood. Politically, Mr. Wood is a Republican, and religiously, he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

PATRICK J. HUTCHINSON .- Medina county is signally favored in the personnel of its ex- ecutive officials at the time of this writing, and one of the number is Patrick J. Hutchin- son, the able and popular sheriff of the county. He is now serving his second term in the shrievalty, and his administration has been most discriminative and effective. He is also one of the progressive business men of the younger generation in the city of Medina. He is successfully identified with the coal- mining industry, and as a citizen he commands the respect and esteem of the community.

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Mr. Hutchinson finds a due measure of satisfaction in the fact that he is a native of the fine old Western Reserve, within whose borders his entire life thus far has been passed. He was born near the city of Akron, Summit county, Ohio, on the 15th of September, 1876, and is a son of John and Mary ( Brodrick ) Hutchinson, both of whom were born in Ire- land, and there they were also married. For many years John Hutchinson was identified with the coal mining industry in Medina county, where he was known as a citizen of sterling character and where both he and his wife enjoyed the high regard of all who know them. They were communicants of the Cath- olic church, and in politics Mr. Hutchinson is a stanch supporter of the cause of the Republican party. Mrs. Hutchinson died in 1899, aged 63, and Mr. Hutchinson is now living in Wadsworth.

Patrick J. Hutchinson gained his early edu- cational discipline in the district school in the vicinity of his birthplace, and later continued his studies in the public schools of Wads- worth. He left school in his eighteenth year and became his father's assistant in the coal mining business, in the details of which he gained thorough experience. He has been identified with this line of enterprise in Me- dina county, and the mines which he is suc- cessfully operating are located in Wadsworth township. The product of these mines is of superior quality, and from their operation Mr. Hutchinson receives a good income.

Sheriff Hutchinson has been a stalwart sup- porter of the principles and policies of the Republican party from the time of attaining to his legal majority, and he has rendered loyal service in its cause. In 1905 he was made the nominee of his party for the office of sheriff of Medina county, and was elected by a gratifying majority. That his adminis- tration has met with emphatic popular ap- proval is clearly indicated in the fact that he was chosen as his own successor at the expira- tion of his first term, of two years. His sec- ond term will expire in January, 1911. He was reared in the faith of the Catholic church, of which both he and his wife are commu- nicants.

In 1901 Mr. Hutchinson was united in mar- riage to Miss Ellen Conlin, who was born and reared in Medina county, a daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Conlin, old and highly respected citizens of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Hutch- inson have two children-Leonard and Irene.

HORACE L. HINE .- One of the stanch and popular financial institutions of the Western Reserve is the First National Bank of Mantua, Portage county, of which Mr. Hine is the able and honored president. He is a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of Portage county, and in his career as a citizen and busi- ness man has effectually set at naught all a ?- plication of the scriptural aphorism that "a prophet is not without honor save in his own country." 364580

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History of the Western Reserve, Vol. II, Part 5

Author: Upton, Harriet Taylor; Cutler, Harry Gardner, 1856- Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago ; New York : The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 886

Author: Upton, Harriet Taylor; Cutler, Harry Gardner, 1856-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago ; New York : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 886