USA > Ohio > Lucas County > Toledo > Memoirs of Lucas County and the City of Toledo > Part 5
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people of Toledo. In 1906, while Mr. Robison was active in the Ohio Savings Bank & Trust Company, the company purchased the old Law Building site, at the corner of Madison and Superior streets, upon which the bank erected the beautiful Ohio Building. This building was virtually a success from its completion, and is looked upon as one of the finest structures in the State, being, as the public knows, finished in white terra cotta, and it is a most impos- ing structure. Mr. Robison was always a public-spirited man, and, during his more than sixty years of active business life, was fore- most in all public enterprises, and was a large subscriber to every enterprise that meant advancement to his home town and the interest of the community at large. David Robison, Jr., belongs to what is known among our old friends as an "old school type" of gentleman ; a man of excellent bearing; quiet in his disposition, and a gentleman of the very highest character, whose work was always looked upon as absolutely reliable, and if "Uncle David" said anything, it was always taken to be true. He has always had a faculty for making friends, and it is doubtful if there is any man who ever lived in Lucas county who can count more friends than the subject of our sketch. He has passed his eightieth year, is hale and hearty, is down to business early in the morning, and is an example for every young man in this community to look up to, whereby they can see and know what sterling characteristics, a kind heart, strong mind and a generous nature brings to mankind in general.
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JAMES SECOR
James Secor, deceased, was born in the town of Goshen, Orange county, New York, Dec. 11, 1834, and he died in Toledo, Ohio, Nov. 9, 1901. He was a son of Benjamin and Sarah (Ketcham) Secor, and was one of a family of twelve children, of whom there are now but two living-Mrs. Edward Bissell, of Toledo, and Mrs. Samuel Kinney, of Adrian, Mich. The first American ancestor of the Secor family emigrated from France at the time of the persecution of the Huguenots and settled in New Rochelle, N. Y., and the Ketchams were an old New England family. Benjamin Secor, the father of James, was a farmer by occupation, and in 1844 moved from the State of New York to Lenawee county, Michigan, where he con- tinued to follow agricultural pursuits. James Secor received a com- mon school education, such as was afforded by the pioneer sur- roundings of his youth, and he remained with his father on the farm until he had reached the age of twenty years. Then, in 1854, he came to Toledo, where an elder brother, Joseph, was a member of the firm of Secor, Berdan & Company, jobbers of groceries, and with that firm James Secor accepted a clerkship. The house of Secor, Berdan & Company was established in 1836 by the late V. H. Ketcham. In 1854 Mr. Ketcham retired, Mr. Berdan purchasing his interest, and a new firm was formed under the name of Secor, Berdan & Company, George Secor, a former employe, being ad- mitted as a partner. He retired in 1856, and Joseph K. Secor and Mr. Berdan continued the business under the old firm name. After accepting a clerkship with this firm, James Secor adapted himself to his work and showed good business instinct, which was soon appreciated, and in 1858 he was admitted to partnership in the firm and made general manager. At the same time, Maro Wheeler and John B. Ketcham, both of whom were former salesmen with the old firm, were also admitted as partners. James Secor occupied the position of manager of the vast interests of the concern for a period of thirty years, retiring in 1888, and under his guidance the firm
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to the business community, in which he had long wielded a tremen- dous influence ; to the church people of Toledo, who always found him a faithful ally, and to the charitable institutions, to which he was a liberal contributor.
Tony walbringe
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WILLIAM SPOONER WALBRIDGE
William Spooner Walbridge, one of the prominent business men in the city of Toledo, was born in the city of Boston, Mass., the son of Levi and Isabella Clarissa (Lovering) Walbridge, Sept. 19, 1854. The Walbridge family traces its ancestry back to a Henry Walbridge, who, history states, located in Norwich, Conn., as early as 1681. They were his direct descendants who early migrated to Vermont and became pioneers in that State. William Spooner Walbridge's paternal grandparents were Amos and La- vinia (Gillette) Walbridge, and his paternal great-grandparents were Henry and Martha (Read) Walbridge. Henry Walbridge was in the Continental army during the War of the Revolution, serving as a sergeant in one of the companies organized to free the American colonies from British domination. Subsequently, he won renown and a captaincy in the force which drove back the Indian marauders who burned Royalton, Vt. Captain Walbridge was born in Stafford, Conn., Nov. 10, 1738, and passed away in Randolph, Vt., in 1818, at the advanced age of eighty years. An- other of Mr. Walbridge's ancestors took part in the same struggle. He was John Gillette, his great-grandfather on his paternal grand- mother's side. John Gillette's wife was Jemima (Smalley) Gil- lette. Some of the few records preserved mention John Gillette as having been on the pay-roll of Serg. Nathaniel Thorp's company in the regiment of Col. Joel Marsh; and history also shows that he was connected with the company of Capt. Joshua Hazen, in Col. John Woods' regiment, and subsequently in Col. John Saf- ford's regiment. Mr. Walbridge's maternal grandfather, Maj. John Lovering, won distinction as a leader in one of the battalions that assisted in the repulse of the British, in the War of 1812; and, in turn, his father, Lieut. John Lovering, a native of Hampton, N. H., receives mention in Dow's History of Hampton as a member of the American army opposing Burgoyne's army, which met defeat in its effort to divide the Continental force in the War for American
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independence. The Lovering family was one of the original set- tlers of Hampton, N. H. Levi Walbridge was born in Randolph, Vt., and his wife in Hampton, N. H. Both are now deceased, and their remains rest side-by-side in the cemetery at Boston. The father, Levi Walbridge, was a furniture dealer in Boston all his life, part of the time under the firm name of Brooks & Walbridge Bros., succeeded by Sawyer, Walbridge & Briggs, of which W. S. Walbridge was a member; and later in the partnership of Wal- bridge & Briggs. He was a member of the order of Free & Ac- cepted Masons, having attained to the Thirty-second degree, and at the time of his demise was associated with St. Paul's Blue Lodge, of South Boston, and the Massachusetts Consistory. Five children were born to the parents, of whom but two survive-Mrs. Osmon C. Webster, of Winchester, Mass., a suburb of Boston; and the subject of this review. William Spooner Walbridge received his scholastic training in the public schools of his native city, and, before he had attained his majority, accepted a position in the furniture business in which his father was interested as a partner. He became thoroughly familiar with every detail of the business, so that, after the father's demise, he took the parent's place as a member of the firm. For ten years he continued in this business, and then, in 1898, he severed his connection with the firm to move west, to Toledo, and identify himself as treasurer of the Toledo Glass Company. This last named concern was the tree from which all the other branches of the extensive glass industry have sprung. Success attended his every move with the Toledo Glass Company and soon enabled him to invest his money and give a portion of his time to other enterprises, in the organization of which he has been a leading figure. At the present time, besides serving as treasurer of the Toledo Glass Company, he holds the same office with the Owens Bottle Machine Company, the Owens European Bottle Machine Company, the Northwestern Ohio Bottle Com- pany, and the Kent Machine Company. Among his other business interests are directorships in the Northern National Bank and the Citizens' Safe Deposit & Trust Company. Fraternally and socially, Mr. Walbridge is identified with the Toledo Club, in which he was formerly president, and also holds the same office in the Anthony75
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Wayne Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. While a resident of Boston, he became a member of William Parkman Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons, of which he is now a past master, and also took the Thirty-second degree in the order in the Massachusetts Consistory, of Boston. At present, however, he is not actively affiliated with any branch of Masonic work. The Toledo Country Club is another one of the social organizations with which he is allied. On Oct. 25, 1882, occurred Mr. Wal- bridge's marriage, in Newton, Mass., to Miss Alice Langdon Libbey, a daughter of William Langdon and Julia (Miller) Libbey, and a sister of Edward D., who has given such an impetus to the various glass industries of Toledo, as well as to artistic work, by his contributions to the Toledo Museum of Art. Mrs. Walbridge was born in Chelsea, Mass., and received her preparatory educa- tion in the schools of Boston, completing her course by work in the Lasell Seminary, at Newton, Mass. She is a direct descendant of John Libbey, who settled in Saco, Me., as early as 1634. Mrs. Walbridge is a member of the Toledo Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and is actively interested in charitable and philanthropic work. Two children have come to bless the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Walbridge. Marie, the elder, was born in Newton, Mass., and was graduated at Vassar College, after completing a preparatory course in the East. Edward Langdon, the younger, was born in Winchester, Mass., and was educated in Eastern institutions. He is now connected with his father in the glass industry. Both children make their home with their parents, at 2004 Parkwood avenue. Mr. Walbridge's offices are located in rooms 1401-1419 Nicholas Building.
ASRA
Enga by H.B. Hall's Sons, New York
altion G. Lang
BIOGRAPHICAL
ALBION E. LANG
Albion E. Lang, president of the Toledo Railways & Light Co., was born Sept. 12, 1849, at Huntington, Lorain county, Ohio. He attended school at Wellington, Ohio, until he was twelve years of age, at which time the death of his father caused the removal of the family to Oberlin, where Albion studied telegraphy. In 1863, he was employed as night telegraph operator for the C. S. & C. R. R. at Clyde, Ohio, and he remained with this company as operator, until 1868, when he was appointed assistant superintendent of the telegraph department of the road, stationed at Sandusky. In the spring of 1869, Mr. Lang came to Toledo as an employe of the West- ern Union Telegraph Co., and with this company he remained until 1874; during the greater part of this time he was assigned to the duty of taking night press reports and devoted much of his leisure time to the study of various branches, which he thought would be of practical value to him in his career. He resigned his position with the Western Union Telegraph Company, in the autumn of 1874, and, in partnership with Mr. Price and Mr. McIntosh, attorneys- at-law, purchased a set of abstract books and opened an abstract office. Mr. Price and Mr. McIntosh are since deceased, and it was only a short time until the firm became Lenderson, Lang & Co. Mr. Lang pursued the study of law, in addition to his business du- ties, and was admitted to the bar, in 1878. He purchased an inter- est in the Monroe & Dorr Street railway, in 1881, became its presi- dent, and, during his official connection with the railway, was influential in effecting the consolidation of the several street rail- way lines of the city, in January, 1885. Mr. Lang became vice- president and general manager of the Consolidated Street Railways of Toledo, in September, 1888. This corporation had, with one exception, absorbed all the street railways previous to this time, and it required a man of great executive ability to systematize the mammoth enterprise and plan the detailed arrangements of the street transit facilities, to meet the demands of a rapidly increasing
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business. His success in improving the service offered to the public by the street railways brought Mr. Lang into favorable notice, and in this capacity, as well as in others, he has shown himself to have the welfare of the community entirely at heart. The rise and progress of Mr. Lang have been part and parcel of the rise and progress of Toledo; his history is the history of the city street railways, fac- tories and prosperity, for he has been closely identified with all of them. With limited opportunities and without assistance, he has demonstrated the possibilities of an American boy; he has shown that energy, thrift, industry and principle can still open the portals of success and lead to eminence. From the successful management of a small street-car line, he became manager and director of a corporation, employing thousands of men and millions of dollars of capital. In addition to this, Mr. Lang is a large-hearted and public-spirited citizen, and combines in his personality the success- ful business man and the philanthropist. In 1895, the Toledo Trac- tion Company was formed, and it acquired, during his presidency, all the street railway lines, together with all of the electric lighting business of the city. The traction company was absorbed by the Toledo Railways & Light Company, in 1901, and he was made president of the same, remaining at the head of this company until 1903. Mr. Lang gave the best and most fruitful years of his life to the service of the company and, in 1903, he felt that the affairs of the company had been brought into such order that he could safely leave his position of great trust and responsibility in the hands of one of the younger officers and retire from active service, retaining the post of chief adviser and counsellor to a new in- cumbent. The company could not, however, be persuaded to agree with Mr. Lang in this matter, and he was re-elected to the position of president, in August, 1908. He has proved himself to be indis- pensable, and remains in office to the present time, although he has insisted upon being relieved of all routine work that could be shifted to other shoulders. Mr. Lang is by nature essentially a business man, and a business man upon a grand scale ; some part of his success is due, perhaps, to his early training, in the overcom- ing of obstacles, but obstacles are only a blessing to such characters as have the fortitude to overcome them. He is undoubtedly the
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possessor of remarkable administrative ability, joined to a keen insight into human nature, and the power to make large plans, suited to larger needs than the average person can conceive the necessity for. The Newsboys' Association is a city philanthropic enterprise which engages the enthusiasm and interest of Mr. Lang; he is director, trustee, and vice-president of this society, and was the donor of the lot, valued at $20,000, upon which the Newsboys' Building and Auditorium stands, and of $10,000 toward the erec- tion of the edifice. As director of the Toledo branch of the Ohio Humane Society, Mr. Lang devotes a large amount of time and energy to the promotion of that good work, and is trustee of the $50,000 bequest of the late John T. Newton to the society. He was president of the American Street Railway Association in the years 1898 and 1899. Other organizations in which Mr. Lang is an in- fluential member, are as follows: The Toledo Museum of Art, in which he is a director; the Toledo Club, the Inverness Club, the Toledo Yacht Club, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Masonic Blue Lodge and Chapter, of Toledo. Mr. Lang married a daughter of Robert H. Folger, of Massillon, Ohio, Nov. 4, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Lang have an apartment on Glenwood avenue and a summer home, with 160 acres of land, at Cornish Hills, N. H., where they spend the major portion of the warm weather.
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ROBERT BRUCE WILSON
Robert Bruce Wilson is a lawyer of high standing at the Toledo bar, having offices at 462-463 Spitzer Building, and he devotes his attention exclusively to patents and patent causes, trade marks and copyrights, being recognized as an authority upon matters pertaining to that branch of his profession. Mr. Wilson was born in Warren county, Ohio, Dec. 16, 1839, the son of Robert and Martha (Smith) Wilson, the former of whom was a native of Virginia and the latter of Ohio. They were among the early settlers of Warren county, Ohio, and there the father followed farming and became very prominent in that section of the state as a leading man of affairs. He served as treasurer of Warren county for a total of about fifteen years, and he also served several terms in the Ohio legislature. He was one of the best known and most highly respected men in Warren county. To him and his good wife there were born seven sons and one daughter, only three of whom are now living. Six of the sons served in the Union army, Judge Will- iam W. Wilson as major of the Seventy-ninth Ohio infantry, and James was a member of the Third Ohio infantry. Three of the sons became prominent as lawyers, the eldest being Judge Jeremiah M. Wilson, of Indiana, who was a leading member of the bar of that State, represented the Fourth district in Congress two terms, and later practiced his profession in Washington, D. C. He achieved a national reputation. The second son, Judge William W. Wilson, of Warren county, Ohio, was one o fthe prominent members of the bar in that section of the State. Robert Bruce Wilson, who was named in honor of the great Scottish patriot, received his liter- ary education in the old Lebanon Academy, now called the National Normal School, in his native county, and in preparation for his life's work began the study of law. While thus engaged, the dark cloud of civil war darkened the land and the young law student closed his volume of Blackstone and offered his services to his country. He enlisted, in April, 1861, as a member of Company F,
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in the Twelfth Ohio infantry, and was made fourth sergeant upon the organization of the regiment. Faithfully performing the duties assigned him, he was successively promoted to first sergeant, then to second lieutenant, and later became adjutant of the One Hundred and Ninety-fourth Ohio infantry. He then served in the field as assistant acting adjutant-general of General McCook's brigade, and remained in the service from the beginning until the close of hostili- ties. After peace was again restored, he returned to his home in Ohio and resumed the study of law, and he successfully passed the re- quired examination and was admitted to the bar in 1867. Shortly aft- erward he accepted the position of deputy assessor of internal rev- enue, the duties of which he performed for two years, and he then established himself in the practice of his profession at Dayton. He remained in this place but one year, however, and then, Cincinnati offering greater opportunities, he removed to that city and prac- ticed law there from 1871 until 1895. On account of the condition of his health he gave up general practice in that year, and removing to Toledo lived in practical retirement for some time. Idleness, however, is very irksome to one whose life has been strenuous, and Mr. Wilson decided to re-enter the practice as a patent attorney. In this department of the legal profession he has met with unquali- fied success, and he seems to be particularly adapted to this branch of the practice. In politics he gives an unswerving allegiance to the men and measures of the Republican party, fraternally he is an enthusiastic member of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Loyal Legion, and his religious faith is expressed by member- ship in the Collingwood Presbyterian Church. On Oct. 30, 1869, Mr. Wilson was married to Miss Isabella Gould, of Warren county, Ohio, daughter of John F. Gould, who was the owner of the Frank- lin Furnace, one of the large iron furnaces on the Ohio river. To Mr. and Mrs. Wilson there were born three children-Grace Mar- garet, Sterling G. and Cedric Harold-the daughter and eldest son (now deceased) being graduates of Woodward High School, in Cin- cinnati, and the youngest son, of the Toledo High School. The family home is pleasantly located at 934 Grand avenue, in Toledo.
Т. Я. Они
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BIOGRAPHICAL
MICHAEL JOSEPH OWENS
Michael Joseph Owens, whose advanced ideas on matters per- taining to the inventing and manufacturing of glass-working ma- chinery have given him great prominence among people interested in that branch of industry, is a native of the Old Dominion, born in Mason county, Virginia, Jan. 1, 1859. His parents were John and Mary (Chapman) Owens, both natives of the Emerald Isle, and who migrated from County Wexford to America in the early forties. Michael J. Owens commenced his industrial career at Wheeling, Va., in the works of the Hobbs-Brockunier Company, and he helped to build the Union Flint Glass Works, at Martin's Ferry, Ohio, in 1882. His intrduction to Toledo occurred in 1888, when he engaged with the Libbey Glass Company, and he managed the factory of that concern at Findlay, Ohio, in 1891 and 1892. Dur- ing the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 he had charge of the Libbey Glass Works' factory, which was in operation on the exposition grounds, and in 1895, in connection with Edward D. Libbey, he organized the Toledo Glass Company, for the purpose of operating a patented tumbler-blowing machine. Later, the pat- ents and the plant for manufacturing his invention were sold to the Macbeth-Evans Glass Company, of Pittsburg, Pa., and in 1898 Mr. Owens secured letters-patent upon the Owens Bottle Machine. Again in connection with E. D. Libbey, he organized the Owens Bottle Machine Company, for the purpose of building and promot- ing this particular bottle-manufacturing device, and it is now extensively operated in the United States and Canada and through- out Europe. In furthering the manufacture of this important in- vention Mr. Owens built the Owens European Bottle Machine Com- pany's plant at Manchester, England, and on the sale of the patents for the Eastern hemisphere and South America, to a European syndicate, he assisted the Apollinaris Company to construct and operate its plant, at Rheinahr, Germany. He is at present engaged as general manager of the Owens Bottle Machine Company, and his
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residence is at Toledo. He was married in 1890 to Miss Mary McKelvey. It is to such men as Mr. Owens that the public is in- debted for the advancement in the field of manufacture. Each in- vention is a theory in its embryotic state, but the theories of today are the common practice of tomorrow, and thus he world advances in every line of endeavor.
Himml M. Sala
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FRANK M. SALA
Hon. Frank M. Sala, a former judge of the Police Court of the city of Toledo and one of the prominent and able members of the Toledo bar, was born at Minerva, Stark county, Ohio, sixteen miles north of Canton, Feb. 14, 1863. He is the son of Benjamin and Theisbe (McDaniel) Sala, the former a native of Canton and the latter of Harrisburg, Pa. The paternal grandfather, George Au- gustus Sala, came to Canton from his birthplace, in Saxony, Ger- many, at an early date, and settled in Canton, where he established the first drug store and pharmacy located in the city. He was a man of learning in scientific lines, and was well read in many other branches of education. The father, Benjamin Sala, was a merchant tailor and a cutter of ability, and spent the entire working period of his life at that trade. He came to Toledo, in the spring of the year 1876, and he and his wife spent the balance of their lives here. During the Civil war he served as a member of an Ohio volunteer regiment, and was engaged in many of the historic battles of that great internecine struggle. In later years, he was identified with Forsyth Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and also with the Masonic order. He was a life-long Republican in his political views. Six of the children born to the parents grew to maturity. Alice, the eldest, who died in 1903, was the wife of Major Roatch, of Malvern, Ohio. Mrs. John Klauser is living in Oil City, Pa., and Mrs. Charles Croll resides in her fine country home, near Sylvania. Melton Sala and two sons are engaged in the manufac- ture of ladies' fine suits, in Minerva, Ohio, with a branch office in Canton, and two other sons are ministers of the gospel. Justin B. Sala never married, and now makes his home with his brother, Frank, in Toledo. Frank M. Sala is the youngest child of his parents. The first five years of his educational training were spent in the Knox county schools, and, when he was but thirteen years of age, he removed with his parents to Toledo. In this city he continued his studies, and was within one year of graduation from
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