USA > Ohio > Lucas County > Toledo > Memoirs of Lucas County and the City of Toledo > Part 6
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the high school when ill health compelled him to leave the insti- tution. For some time following, he devoted himself to studying in a literary and scientific course, under the instruction of private tutors, among them such eminent teachers as Prof. Friedberg; and he also studied elocution under the instruction of Mrs. Dr. Logan. When his health had been sufficiently regained, he entered the law office of Ritchie, Howe & Ritchie, as a student. Devoting himself earnestly to his studies, mastering each point as it came to him, and making the best of his opportunities, he completed his course in four years and passed, most creditably, the examination sub- mitted by the State Board of Law Examiners for applicants for admission to the bar, and was admitted to practice. During the last year of Hon. James Southard's (afterward Congressman) term as prosecuting attorney for Lucas county, Mr. Sala served as his assistant, and, in 1901 and 1902, was chosen to act as police judge of the city. After leaving the bench he entered into a law partner- ship with Judge Ritchie, under the firm name of Ritchie & Sala. When the firm was dissolved by mutual consent, a year later, he practiced alone until Feb. 1, 1909, when the firm of Sala & Carabin was organized, the junior member being Frank A. Carabin, who had been an assistant of Mr. Sala for two years prior to the organi- zation of the firm. As a criminal lawyer, Mr. Sala has gained an enviable record, not only in the city but throughout the county and the State as well, and it is said that, with the possible exception of Judge Ritchie, he has had for trial more criminal proceedings than any other attorney in Toledo. Before a jury, his clearness of logic, his interpretation of knotty points in the law, and his lucidity in summing up a situation, bring him many favorable verdicts. Of late years, he has been making a thorough study of the more ad- vanced points of the corporation statutes, with a view to devoting himself more especially to that branch of the legal practice, and there can be no doubt that he will make as great a success in that phase of the law as he has in the practice of the criminal code. Politically, Mr. Sala is closely affiliated with and a strong believer in the principles of the Republican party, but, aside from his term as police judge and the year he served as assistant prosecuting attorney, he has never held public office. In a social, fraternal and
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business way, he is identified with the Toledo Business Men's Club, the Knights of Pythias, the Lucas County Bar Association, and Toledo Lodge, No. 197, of the order of Eagles. In the last named lodge he has been the incumbent of the office of president, three successive years. His religious relations are with the Chris- tian Church, of Toledo. Mr. Sala is married to Miss Adda Lu Verna Collins, the ceremony having occurred Oct. 23, 1885, in Oil City, Pa., where Mrs. Sala was born and reared. Her father, J. D. Collins, was formerly a prominent merchant of Oil City, Pa., but at the present time is proprietor of a large hotel in San Diego, Cal., and also manages large oil and lumber interests there. Three chil- dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sala. Rosa B., the eldest, now Mrs. Frederick Alexander, is a graduate of the Toledo High School, in the class of 1905, subsequently completed a course in the Law Froebel Kindergarten School, and for two years prior to her marriage was engaged as a kindergarten teacher in the Toledo public schools. Earl V., the second child, is now proprietor of the new Superior Art Store, at 318 Superior street, in Toledo; and Errett, the youngest, is a student in the high school. The Sala home is beautifully located, at 2151 Lawrence avenue. Mr. Sala's offices are Rooms 321 and 322, Valentine Building. He was the first tenant to move into the building, when it was completed, and has continued to keep his headquarters there ever since.
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WILLIAM H. SIMMONS
William H. Simmons, deceased, founder, and for many years president and treasurer of the Simmons Boot & Shoe Company, of Toledo, was given birth, July 12, 1837, at Toronto, Canada. Upon becoming an orphan, at the youthful age of fourteen, he left the old homestead in his native town and started forth to make his own way in the world. After passing two years at Syracuse, N. Y., he went to Adrian, Mich., where for several years he was clerk in a hardware store, and though he received but fifty dollars, main- tenance included, as compensation for his first year's labor, at this early day he displayed that frugality and foresight which char- acterized his later years, by saving every penny of his hard earned salary. At the outbreak of the Civil war, Mr. Simmons entered the commissary department of the Federal forces, at Chicago, and later returned to Adrian, where, three separate times, he pre- sented himself for service in the Union Army, only to be rejected because of his poor physical condition. He came to Toledo in 1865, and launched forth in the leather industry with a young man named Orlando C. Smith, under the firm title of Smith & Simmons, in a small building on Summit street, near Monroe. In 1879, George H. Peabody, at that time a capitalist at Boston, Mass., was admitted to membership in the firm, which became Smith, Simmons & Peabody, and the scope of the business was at that time so enlarged as to include the manufacture and job- bing of boots and shoes. The concern was incorporated, in the year 1894, under the title of the Simmons Boot & Shoe Company, and from that time until his demise, in 1906, the subject of this review was president and treasurer of the company. For twenty- three years the headquarters of this concern has been at 122-124 Huron street, and the business has been developed so rapidly that it is today one of the largest boot and shoe establishments in the State. Mr. Simmons was ever closely identified with the com- mercial development of Toledo, ever having at heart the material
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progress and welfare of his beloved city. For many years he was closely identified with the affairs of Trinity Episcopal Church, serving as warden for several years, and he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern National Bank. On Sept. 7, 1865, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Elizabeth Young, of Adrian, Mich., to whom was born one son, Francis William, who is now president of the Simmons Boot & Shoe Company, and resides with his mother in their beautiful home, at 2115 Colling- wood avenue, Toledo. After having been in New York, where he contracted a severe cold, which later developed into pneumonia, the father passed away at his home, April 3, 1906, leaving behind him the record of a usefully and profitably lived career, to which his family and relatives may well point with pride and admira- tion, and which should prove a source of inspiration to all becoming familiar with it, especially the penniless youth starting forth in the great battle of life, without the assistance of either gold or family influence.
Harry & King
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HARRY ELDRIDGE KING
Harry Eldridge King, a well known lawyer of Toledo, Ohio, was born near Cumberland, Allegany county, Maryland, May 12, 1857, the son of Capt. Alexander and Lavinia M. (Collins) King, both of whom were natives of the State of Virginia. He is a de- scendant on both sides of families who were prominent, respec- tively, in the early history of the Old Dominion and of Maryland. His paternal grandfather, Col. Alexander King, was a member of the Virginia General Assembly in 1802-12, and his maternal great- grandfather, Benjamin Tomlinson, was first elected to the Mary- land House of Delegates in 1791, and by subsequent elections served in that body during the sessions of 1786-7, 1801, 1804-5, 1807, 1811, 1819, and 1822: Members of the Tomlinson family are frequently mentioned in the annals of Allegany county, and were active participants in all movements for the general welfare. Capt. Alexander King, the father of the subject of this sketch, remained with his father at the Virginia homestead until shortly after reach- ing his majority, when he removed to Cumberland, Md., where for years he was engaged in the mercantile business. After retire- ment, he passed the closing years of his life on a beautiful planta- tion about six miles north of Cumberland, near the present village of Ellerslie. His superior ability, sterling integrity and independ- ence of character were soon recognized by the citizens of Allegany county, and brought him into considerable prominence. In 1837, he was elected one of the first trustees of the Presbyterian Church of Cumberland, Md., with which he was always allied. He served as a member of the Board of County Commissioners from 1843 to 1845, and was one of the judges of the Orphans' Court from 1856 to 1864. He acquired the title of captain in a local military organi- zation known as the "Cumberland Guards," which he commanded, and in which position he displayed signal courage when called upon to aid in the suppression of rioting near Cumberland, in 1843, during the construction of the Chesapeake & Ohio canal.
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At the outbreak of the Civil war, though living in a community where sentiment was divided and the Southern cause had many sympathizers, he promptly arrayed himself upon the side of the Union and exerted all the influence at his command to preserve its integrity. Captain King closed an honorable career at his Maryland home, in 1873. Harry E. King, whose name initiates this biographical review, received his preliminary education in the schools of Cumberland, Md. Later he attended the State Normal School at Millersville, Pa., during the sessions of 1874-75; the Collegiate Institute at Ft. Edward, N. Y., in 1877; and East- man's National Business College at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., in 1878. His work as a student in these institutions was thorough and laid the foundation for practical and efficient service in after life. His father's death, which occurred when the son was about sixteen years of age, obliged him to rely upon his own resources. His Scotch-Irish ancestry had endowed him with a hardy courage which stood him in good stead at this time, and his struggles served to develop and mature his character, the while intensifying the underlying self-reliance of his nature. From 1879 to 1881 he was employed as clerk in a large general store at Sulphur Springs, Tex., and with the money thus earned he was enabled to take the preliminary steps toward realizing his cherished ambition of enter- ing the legal profession. He had entertained a well defined predi- lection for the law from his youth, combined with a settled deter- mination to adopt that occupation, and with this end in view his entire training and study had been carefully directed to acquiring a thoroughly practical knowledge of men and affairs. After giving up his employment in Texas he entered the Law Department of the University of Michigan and remained a student in that insti- tution during the sessions of 1881-82. In March, 1882, he came to Toledo, and at once made arrangements to continue his legal studies in the office of Swayne, Swayne & Hayes, with whom he remained as a student until 1883, when he successfully passed the Ohio State Bar examination, and on Feb. 6 was admitted by the Supreme Court to practice in the courts of that commonwealth. In 1885 he became a member of the firm of Swayne, Swayne & Hayes, and this association continued until April 1, 1892. He then
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formed a partnership with Thomas H. Tracy, under the firm name of King & Tracy, and together they acquired an extensive general practice and became and are counsel for a large number of promi- nent corporations and mercantile firms. The firm has been excep- tionally successful. For some years they occupied offices in the Nasby Building, but in the spring of 1908, when their rapidly increasing business led to the admission of two additional members to the firm-Charles F. Chapman, Jr., and George D. Welles- suitably appointed offices were furnished for their especial use in the Ohio Building. The name of the present firm is King, Tracy, Chapman & Welles. As a corporation counsellor, Mr. King is recognized as one of the ablest members of the Toledo bar, and in the practice of his profession he is quick, careful and accurate, possessing a great faculty for details. He is most industrious in the preparation of his cases and brings to the cause upon which he is engaged a clear head, a practical, sound, common sense and untiring energy. One of the oldest and best known members of the bar in Toledo has said of him: "I have been intimately ac- quainted with Harry E. King since he first came to Toledo and have watched his life with unusual interest. He is of a deeply religious nature, upright, honorable and conscientious. In his pro- fessional work he is scrupulously exact. He spares himself no pains to acquire the most complete and minute details of any case in which he is interested. Indeed the facility with which he brings every point to light that has any bearing upon the matter in hand, no matter how involved it may be, is quite remarkable. He does this apparently without extraordinary effort, and as he is pos- sessed of great energy and vitality it is probably the power of concentrating these faculties that enables him to reach such re- sults. His sterling integrity, honesty and scrupulous care inspire the implicit confidence of all who become associated with him." In his political affiliations Mr. King is a staunch Republican and was for five years secretary of the Toledo board of elections, to which responsible office he was appointed by Gov. Joseph B. Foraker, and which he resigned to accept appointment to member- ship in the same board, in which position he served four years. On June 12, 1883, Mr. King was united in marriage, at Tenafly.
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N. J., to Miss Mary Elma Haring, daughter of Dr. J. J. Haring, a physician of high standing in his community. The marriage was blessed by the birth of four children: Harry Swayne, who is a graduate of Cornell University; Margaret Haring; James Ernest, who is now in his Junior year at Williams College; and Grace McAllister. The family residence is pleasantly situated at No. 1 Bronson Place, in Toledo.
allure Kin
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BIOGRAPHICAL
EDWARD A. KIRK
Edward A. Kirk, secretary and treasurer of the Kirk Bros. Automobile Company, was born in the city of Toledo, Ohio, Jan. 6, 1867, in a dwelling that occupied the site where the Wayne Hotel now stands. He is a son of Albert and Hannah (Worts) Kirk, both now deceased. Albert Kirk was born near Massillon, Stark county, Ohio, Sept. 23, 1826, and received his education in the common schools of his native county. When he was about eighteen years of age, he went to Canal Fulton, where he served as an apprentice of four years as a tinner. He then spent a year in Medina county, Ohio, after which he went to Cleveland and worked for three years in that city. In 1854, he came to Toledo and formed a partnership with George Worts, for the manufac- ture of crackers. In 1866, the firm name was changed to Worts & Co., and, in 1873, the concern took the title of Worts, Kirk & Biglow, under which it continued until 1890, when their large plant was absorbed by the United States Baking Company, the partners retiring from the active management, though they still retained their stock in the factory, or rather in the United States Baking Company. From that time until his death, Mr. Kirk was not actively connected with any line of business. Mr. Kirk was a member of Toledo Lodge, No. 144, Free & Accepted Masons, and belonged to St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church, on Madison avenue. In the charitable work of his church and lodge he was always a leader, and for thirty years he was one of the trustees of the church. Politically, he was a Republican, and was for over two years a member of the city council, where his business train- ing and experience proved of great value in the administration of the city's affairs. In 1855, he married Miss Hannah Worts, who came to Toledo with her parents, from Oswego, N. Y., in 1850. She was a member of St. Paul's Methodist Church from the time of its organization, and was always actively connected with every movement for its upbuilding. Mr. Kirk died May 17, 1895, and
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his wife, Dec. 20, 1907. Both passed away at the old family resi- dence, 1117 Jefferson avenue. They were the parents of several children, four of whom are now living, viz .: Ezra E., Edward A., Bessie M. and Arthur W., all born and educated in Toledo. Ezra graduated at the Toledo High School, with the class of 1878, and now lives in that city. He is connected with the Kirk Bros. Auto- mobile Company, and also with the Badger Brass Manufacturing Company, with their factory in Kenosha, Wis. Edward A. is the subject of this review. Bessie M. is the wife of B. C. Kramer, of Toledo. Arthur W. is the Southern representative of the Hartford Rubber Company and has his headquarters at Atlanta, Ga. Ed- ward A. Kirk graduated at the Toledo High School, as a member of the class of 1884. Soon after leaving school, he entered the employ of the Bostwick-Braun Company, with whom he remained for about six years, during which time he mastered all the im- portant details of the hardware business. In 1891, he and Mr. Whitaker, together with Ezra E. Kirk, organized The Whitaker- Kirk Hardware Company, which was located at 210 Summit street. In 1896, Mr. Kirk withdrew from the firm and engaged in the bicycle business, in which he continued until 1901, when he entered the motor-car field. At that time the automobile business was in its infancy, and he became a stockholder and director in the To- ledo Motor Car Company, the first institution of this character in the city. In 1903, Mr. Kirk organized the Kirk-Hall Company, of which the Kirk Bros. Automobile Company is the successor, the name being changed in 1906. The present officers of the company are: Harold W. Fraser, president; Edward A. Kirk, secretary and treasurer. Ezra E. Kirk also holds an interest in the company, but is not actively identified with the management of its affairs, that duty falling to the lot of his brother. The company occupies the building erected especially for its use, at 915 to 919 Jefferson avenue, where the "Thomas Flyer" is sold. Mr. Kirk is a Re- publican in his political views, but is not especially active in public affairs. He is a member of Sanford Collins Lodge, No. 396, Free & Accepted Masons, is a Thirty-second degree member of the To- ledo Consistory, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite Masons, and belongs to Zenobia Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He has
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passed through the chairs and is now, and has been for the past twelve years, the treasurer of Toledo Commandery, Knights Tem- plars. He belongs to the Toledo Chamber of Commerce, the Busi- ness Men's Club, and St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church, of which his parents were honored members. On Oct. 16, 1901, Mr. Kirk and Miss Florence Van Osdale, of Toledo, were united in marriage. She is a daughter of O. F. Van Osdale and was born at West Salem, Wayne county, Ohio, though her parents have resided in Toledo for more than twenty years. Mr. and Mrs. Kirl. have one daughter, Ruth Hannah Kirk, born in 1905. The famil- resides in the old Kirk home, at 1117 Jefferson avenue, where "" Kirk has lived for over forty years.
whaken
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BIOGRAPHICAL
WILLIAM BAKER
William Baker, who for half a century was one of the leading lawyers and most influential citizens of Toledo, was a native of Ohio, having been born at Norwalk, Huron county, Feb. 5, 1822, and he was a descendant of one of those sturdy New England families whose industry and sterling virtues played so important a part in the development of the celebrated Western Reserve. At the age of nineteen years, he graduated at Granville College, and then entered the Harvard Law School, where he graduated in 1844. In November of that year, he began the practice of law, in Toledo, and from that time to his death, Nov. 17, 1894, he was a prominent figure in all matters pertaining to the material and intellectual develop- ment of his adopted city. In 1847, he formed a partnership for the practice of law with Judge Myron H. Tilden, which lasted until 1850; from 1857 to 1870, he was in partnership with Judge William A. Collins, and, from 1881 to the time of his death, he was the senior member of the law firm composed of himself, his youngest son-Rufus H. Baker-and Barton Smith. Mr. Baker was well grounded in. the knowledge of the law, was tireless in behalf of his clients, and was at all times and under all circumstances a man of the strictest integrity. Possessed of these essentials, it was only natural that he should achieve success, and that success began early in life, lasting as long as he lived. With such men as Morrison R. Waite, Samuel M. Young, Peter F. Berdan, Joseph K. Secor, Horace S. Walbridge, Abner L. Backus, and others, he was a prominent factor in building up the institutions upon which now rest Toledo's greatness and prosperity. Mr. Baker was especially active in secur- ing the Toledo, Norwalk & Cleveland railroad (now the Norwalk division of the Lake Shore system), the Wabash railroad, the Boody House (Toledo's best known hotel), the Wabash elevators, the Milburn Wagon Company, and a number of other concerns that have contributed to the city's growth and prosperity. When the First Baptist Church was organized, Mr. Baker became a member
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of the congregation, and from that time was one of its stanchest supporters. For many years he was superintendent of the Sun- day school connected with the church, and in various ways he aided in its good works. His religion was not confined to the mere question of belief. He conscientiously endeavored to practice the Christian virtues of charity and benevolence, and many men who afterward became prosperous and influential in the business life of Toledo owe their start in life to his timely advice and assistance. It not infrequently falls to the lot of those who aid others to become victims of misplaced confidence, and Mr. Baker was no exception. He sometimes suffered heavy losses through the unworthiness of those to whom he extended a helping hand, but these losses never rendered him uncharitable, nor destroyed his confidence in humanity. It is said that no man, "in whose ability and integrity he believed, ever asked his help in vain." During the Civil war he was a member of the Sanitary Commission, in which capacity he rendered efficient service, and he was also presi- dent of the Toledo branch of the United States Christian Commis- sion. On Aug. 28, 1849, Mr. Baker married Miss Frances C. Lat- timer, who, with three sons and a daughter, survived her husband. The children are Herbert, now president of the Home Savings Bank of Toledo; Arthur E .; Rufus H., who was a partner in his father's law firm at the time of his death, and Mrs. John J. Man- ning. A day or two after Mr. Baker laid down the burden of life one of the Toledo papers said, editorially : "It is a distinct loss to a city when such a man as William Baker passes away. Broad- minded and thoughtful, with a sincere belief in his fellow men, and an earnest desire to do what lay in his power for their prosperity and progress, Mr. Baker was one of the human factors, and a large one, in the arduous work of laying the foundations upon which the superstructure of Toledo's solid growth and prosperity has been erected. Quiet and unassuming in his manner, he was not one to pose constantly before the public; but there was no project for the advancement of the real prosperity of Toledo, as a commercial and manufacturing center, which did not find in him an earnest advocate and sagacious supporter. Though not a demonstrative man, the energy and thoroughness, characteristic of his New Eng-
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land ancestry, made his support count for much. Nor was he less a factor of usefulness and progress in the upbuilding of the social fabric of the city. His fifty years' residence in Toledo was one of continuous helpfulness to the development of her moral, religious and educational progress. A consistent and active Christian, he was a tower of strength to the church of which he was a member, and his influence extended far beyond the limits of its immediate field. He has gone to his rest, full of years fruitful of good works, leaving an example to his fellow citizens that all may emulate with honor to themselves and credit to Toledo."
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GEORGE STRAFFORD MILLS
George Strafford Mills, one of the leading architects of Toledo, who has had a large practice in the city and throughout the State, is a native of England, having first beheld the light of day in Lon- don, Dec. 5, 1866. Mr. Mills is the son of George and Mary Huxley (Callow) Mills, the former of whom was born in Saxemundham, Suffolk county, and the latter in London, England. In 1868 George Mills, Sr., left his native land for America, his wife and children joining him later in St. Louis, Mo., where, as a journalist, he was for many years prominently identified with the leading papers of that city, having been at one time editor of the old St. Louis Times, and later of the Globe-Democrat. He passed to his reward at Excelsior Springs, Mo., Aug. 18, 1890. His widow has since returned to the land of her birth. Three children were born, George Strafford, of this sketch, being the youngest; one daughter, Elizabeth, died in St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 20, 1881, and the other child, also a daughter, died in infancy. The immediate subject of this memoir was two years of age at the time his family moved from England to the United States, and his primary educational training was secured in the public schools of St. Louis. He attended the Manual Training School of Washington University, in that city, graduating as a member of the class of 1884. He then took up the study of architecture, under the able direction of George I. Barnett, of St. Louis, and in August, 1885, when not yet nineteen years of age, took up his residence in Toledo, where, during the ensuing three years, he was instructor in mechanical drawing in the Manual Training School. He then became superintendent of the institution, which position he occupied for five years, and on Nov. 28, 1892, in partnership with H. W. Wachter, under the firm name of Mills & Wachter, architects, he established offices in the Nasby Building, in Toledo, which professional relationship was continued until April 30, 1897, when it was dissolved by mutual consent. Since that time Mr. Mills has been engaged in the work
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