USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > Memorial record of the county of Cuyahoga and city of Cleveland, Ohio, pt 2 > Part 41
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HIe and his wife are members of the Method- ist Episcopal Church, and in politics he is a Re- publican.
II. MOSES .- The surname which initiates this review is one that has been conspien- onsly identified with the eivie history of Ohio from the early pioneer days, and the im- mediate subject to whom these paragraphs are devoted bears well the honors of an honored name, being a prominent business man of the Forest City. Ile was born in Euclid township, Cuyahoga county, in 1851, the son of Henry and Margaret Moses, being one of their three
children. The father was engaged in the ship- timber and contracting business, and was one of the prominent and influential residents of the county. He owned some 900 acres of land, was exceptionally endowed with business quali- fications and hell a high position in the esteem of a large circle of acquaintances. llis lifo was cut short just in his prime, his untimely death ocenrring in 1861, when he had attained the age of only thirty-four years. Ile was broad and liberal in his views, and was public-spirited to the highest degree. The Moses family is of French origin. The mother is living and in good health. It is worthy of incidental note that an anele of our subject, Captain Moses, served under the celebrated Commodore Perry, was shot in the memorable battle, dying from the wound and being interred in the Public Square of Cleveland. Two other uncles were engaged in shipbuilding in Cleveland, and con- ducted the most extensive enterprise of the sort in the city.
I. 11. Moses was reared in Cuyahoga county, and engaged in the lumber business at Collin- wood, condneting the enterprise very success- fully for a period of twelve years. In 1887 ho came to Cleveland, and for three years was en- gaged in the real-estate business. In 1890 he purchased a one-half interest in the electrical supply business condneted by A. B. Lyman, and two months later he purchased his partner's re- maining interest and assumed full control of the enterprise, which has been advanced to a representative position, being one of the most extensive of the sort in the city. The business, when he assumed control, represented abont $5,000 as the sum total of its annual opera- tions; he has widened the range and built up a trade which now reaches an annual average of $50,000. Ile deals extensively in all lines of electrical supplies, manufacturing the major portion of the same. Ile also hohls the agency for the New York Safety Wire and Electrical Company. Mr. Moses put in the fine electrical appliances in the magnificent new steamboat, " Menominee," and has filled a number of other
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important contracts of like order. Ilis is the only establishment where telegraph instruments are manufactured in the West, with the excep- tion of manufactories in Chicago.
In 1871 Mr. Moses was united in marriage to Miss Anna A., a daughter of Alonzo Ches- brough, of Niagara Falls, and late of Toledo, Ohio, where he conducted one of the most ex- tensive Immbering enterprises in the city. Our subject and his wife have two sous: Alonzo and Sylvester. Mr. Moses is a member of the Con- gregational Church, as is also his wife.
Taking a consistent interest in the political issues of the day, Mr. Moses is quite actively identified with the Republican party, and it is worthy of note that he held official preferment in the year he attained his majority, serving very acceptably as Constable. Fraternally he is iden- tified with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, having passed all of the chairs in the same.
H ENRY M. WHITNEY, of Strongsville township, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, is a son of the late Flavel Whitney, one of the pioneers of this vicinity.
Flavel Whitney was born in Marlborough, Vermont, September 30, 1504, and in 1816, when twelve years of age, emigrated with his lather, Guilford Whitney, and family from the Green Mountain State to Cuyahoga county, Ohio, their settlement being in Strongsville township. Here Guilford Whitney passed the rest of his life and died, and here his son Flavel grew to manhood, had an active and useful ca- reer, and died, honored and respected by all who knew him. Ilis death occurred October 29, 1877. Flavel Whitney was married several times and reared a family of children to occupy honorable and useful positions in life. Ile was first married in Strongsville, July 2, 1828, to Clarinda Tuttle, whose untimely death occurred July 11, 1830. November 11, 1830, he married Electa Harvey, who passed away on the sixth of
October in the following year. On the fourth of November, 1832, he wedded Aurelia Allen, who was born in Norwich, Connecticut, Sep- tember 16, 1812, and by whom he had four children who reached maturity, namely: Watson II., a resident of Berea, Ohio; Henry M., whore name appears at the head of this sketch; John F., a railroad engineer; and Electa, wife of William Humistou, of Berea. The mother of these children departed this life August 22, 1843. March 28, 1844, Mr. Whitney married Mrs. Catherine A. Barnes, and some time after her death he was married to Lucy A. Cole, who died in November, 1889, his last wife having survived him several years.
Henry M. Whitney was born in the township in which he now lives, December 2, 1835, and here, with the exception of one year spent in Wisconsin, he has ever since resided, his chief occupation being farming. Ileowns over eighty acres of good land and carries on his farming operations by the most approved methods.
Mr. Whitney was married in Strongsville, May 29, 1862, to Sarah J. Haynes, who died September 10, 1864, leaving an only child, Gertrude S. Ilis second marriage occurred in Litchfield, Medina county, Ohio, April 18, 1866, to Miss Mary Cole, who was born in Bethel, Connecticut, November 17, 1836. They have two children, Williston O. and Edith M. Mrs. Whitney is a member of the Congregational Church.
Mr. Whitney takes a commendable interest in public affairs.
Z IBA S. IIALL, one of the prosperons farmers of Dover township, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, is a native of this place, born November 23, 1830, fourth in the family of Charles and Lucy (Seymour) Hall, pioneers of the county. With the exception of about six years, he has been a resident of this township all his life. When he was eighteen he spont a few months in Ashtabula county, Ohio; a year
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later was in Michigan about six months, and not long after that went to East Cleveland, where he learned the trade of painter and where he worked at that trade five years. With these ex- eeptions, his life has been devoted to agricult- ural pursuits in Dover township, where he owns an excellent farm of one hundred acres, all well improved.
Mr. Hall was married in Euclid (now Col- linwood), Cuyahoga county, Ohio, December 19, 1855, to Sarah E. Hale, who was born there August 14, 1835, daughter of John A. and Nancy (Craney) Ilale, both natives of that place. Mrs. Hall is the oldest of their eight children, three sons and five daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Hall have had six children, two of whom died in infancy. The others are Metta S., who died at the age of eight years; Charles A., who lived only two years; Pearl E. and Ruby S.
Mr. Hall has taken an active part in the af- fairs of his township. Ile has served as School Director, and for seven years was Treasurer of the Dover Township Agricultural Society. He and his wife are identified with the Congrega- tional Church, in which they are active working members. Mr. ITall is also a member of Olm- sted Post, G. A. R., No. 634. During the war he was a member of Company I, One Hundred and Fiftieth Ohio National Guards, he having enlisted May 2, 1864, in the one-hundred-day service.
OIIN W. WILLIAMS, who stands dis- tinetively as one of the representative men of Rockport hamlet, is a native of Rock- port township, the date of his birth being Au- gust 9, 1849. Ilis father, the late William J. Williams, was a native of Wales, and his mother, whose maiden name was Polly M. Alger, was born in Rockport. They were married in Cuya- hoga county and settled on a farm in Rockport towaship, where they continued to reside until their death. The mother died December 14, 1857, and the father met his death about the
middle of December, 1868, at Cleveland, as the result of an accident on the Cleveland, Colum- bus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railroad. He died in the hospital at Cleveland. They had two children: John W., the subject of this re- view, and Iney S., who was the wife of Henry Wilde, and who died in Cleveland. Philani Alger, sister of Mrs. Polly M. Williams, was the first white female child born west of the Cuyahoga river.
John W. Williams grew to maturity in Roek- port township and has ever sinee continued his residence here. Ile received a good common- school edneation and has ever been elosely iden- tilied with the farming operations of the local- ity, proving a capable, intelligent and snecess- ful business man. In connection with general farm work he has given special attention to dairying and has derived very satisfactory re- sults from this enterprise. His fine farms of 183 acres gives evidence in itself that the owner is a man of energy and progressive methods.
August 23, 1871, Mr. Williams led as a bride to the altar Miss Maria Herbeson, daughter of the late Matthew Herbeson, who was one of the pioneer residents of Rockport township, where his death occurred in January, 1889. Mrs. Williams was born in New York city, in 1851, and died suddenly Jannary 11, 1894; and her funeral was the largest ever attended in that community.
Our subjeet and his estimable wife have five children, by name as follows: William W., Mat- thew G., Royal J., May I. and Ruth L.
In his political proclivities Mr. Williams esponses the cause of the Republican party, and in local affairs he has taken an active interest and somewhat prominent part. He held the ollice of Township Trustee for three years, and discharged the duties of the position most ably and acceptably.
Ile is a zealous member of the Congrega- tional Church, as was his wife, and takes an active interest in the work of the local society of that denomination, contributing willingly undl liberally to its support. Upon men of such
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thorough reetitude of character and such sub- stantial and honest worth does the stable pros- perity of our nation largely depend, and the in- dependent yeoman, looking across his broad and Fertile acres, need envy no man.
G EORGE S. IDDINGS, dealer in real estate, has been a resident of this city since 1854. He was born in Warren, Trumbull county, Ohio, May 23, 1851, a son of Iliram and Mary (Clark) Iddings. His father died in October, 1863, after having been a resident of this eity for abont nine years. When he (the father) first came here in 1854, the firm of Edwards & Iddings was formed, and they continued in business under that name until Mr. Iddings' death, when it was merged into that of William Edwards & Company, who conducted one of the largest wholesale estab- lishments of the city. Mr. Hiram Iddings was a prominent citizen of Cleveland, a member of the Board of Trade, etc.
Mr. George S. Iddings, of this sketch, com- pleted his schooling at a private establishment in the East, and at the age of sixteen years en- tered the employ of George Cooper & Company, hardware merchants, where he was employed for three years. Hle then opened the first stone quarry, on Euclid creek, which he operated for some three or four years. Next he was engaged in the grocery trade at Nottingham; later in the oil business, and still later in the brokerage business, which he conducted on an extensive basis. This he closed in order to organize the Cleveland Automatie Refrigerator Company, which is now the Cleveland Artificial Iee Com- pany. With some others he became interested in an ice invention, to which he gave some considerable time, and which he finally sold to good advantage. Then he was one of the organ- izers, in 1893, of the American Encrasy Company, the outgrowth of the Euerasy Company. This company has the territory of the whole world for the treatment, by a certain method, of ine-
briety, the morphine and opium habit and all diseases of a like order. The treatment is such that no confinement is necessary, and no sani- tarium required but home. To this business Mr. Iddings now gives his entire attention, and his success is marked.
In polities he is an active Republican, and he is a member of Thateher Lodge, No. 46, F. & A. M., of Webb Chapter, and of Oriental Com- mandery, No. 12.
He was married at Enelid, April 23, 1882, to Miss Elizabeth Dille, daughter of Sanford W. Dille, and they have two children living: Paul Allen and Elizabeth Corinne. The residence is at Euclid.
Mr. Iddings' ancestry is traceable to Wales on the paternal side, while on his mother's side it is of Quaker stock. His grandmother Iddings was born in Philadelphia, daughter of Mr. Lewis, of Revolutionary stoek.
E DWIN W. CHRISTY, manager for the United States Life Insurance Company of New York for the State of Ohio, was placed in charge of this office in 1891. He came to this eity from Warren, Ohio, where he was born, November 29, 1864, a son of Matthias and Jane ( MeMullen) Christy. He was reared in Trumbull county, this State, edueated at the public schools of Warren, one year at Hiram College, and finally graduated at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, in 1887.
Ile then associated himself with the Equit- able Life and the Pennsylvania Mutual Life Insurance Companies, representing the latter as special agent for Ohio, Kentneky and Ten- nessee. This position gave him a thorough knowledge of the business, fitting him for the duties of ghneral manager for such a State as Ohio. In 1888 he began operations for the United States Life Insurance Company of New York, at Warren, Ohio, taking charge of the castern half of the State. About five months later he came to Cleveland and assumed the
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management of the entire State. Before he took control the largest amount of business reached was about $100,000; during his first year he increased this to $1,300,000, and he has continued to increase the amount ever since. HIe has placed upward of 300 men in the field, adopting a system that has given a healthy im- petus to the work; is a member of the Cleve land Fire Underwriters' Association, and is thoroughly imbued with the spirit of business, and is " np to sunff" on all points in his line. ITis office is located at 106 Enelid avenue. He is also a stockholder and one of the directors in the Standard Briek Company of Cleveland, which is one of the largest plants of the kind in the State.
He was married in Warren, Ohio, to Miss Jennie E. Bassett, daughter of II. P. Bassett of that eity, and they have a sou, named Taylor B. Their residence is at 95 Bell avenue, in the East Eud.
M ROBINSON SWIFT, of the dry-goods house of William Taylor, Son & Com- pany, Cleveland, has been associated with this house for the past four years, beginning in 1889.
Ile is a native of New York city, born Jan- uary 6, 1861, a son of Edward L. and S. R. Swift, both of whom were from the oldest New England families, dating their American his- tory as far back as 1635. The father was an extensive sugar-refiner.
Mr. Swift of this sketch at the age of seven years began to attend school in Vermont, com- pleting his schooling at the age of seventeen. Then he became salesman for John L. Bremar & Company, dry-goods commission merchants of New York city, and continued with them for ten years; then, in 1889, he came to Cleve- land as above stated, took an interest in the business of the house and assumed the man- agement of the wholesale department. He is a resolute young man, of thorough business ca-
paeity and reliability, perfectly adapted to his position, to which he gives his entire attention.
He is a member of the Chamber of Com- merce, of the Union and Athletic Clubs and of the Presbyterian Church. Public-spirited, he is destined to make a permanent mark in the social and business eireles of Cleveland.
A LLEN B. WARD, one of the Trustees of Dover township, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, was born in Brighton, Lorain county, this State, November 11, 1846, son of Abram and Electa (Simmons) Ward, natives re- spectively of the town of Ashfield, Franklin county, Massachusetts, and the town of Per- rington, Genesee county, New York. His par- ents were married in Olmsted, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, and soon after their marriage settled in Brighton, Lorain county, where they lived a few years and from whence they came to Dover township, Cuyahoga county, where they have since resided. They had four children: Abi- gail, Allen B., Leroy and Franees.
Allen B. Ward was quite young when his parents removed to Dover township, and here he was reared and educated and has since re- mained. For sixteen years he was engaged in the sawmill business, and since then has carried on farming and has also worked at the carpen- ter's trade. Ile owns ten acres of land, upon which he has erected good buildings, and where he has a comfortable home in which he and his Family reside.
Mr. Ward was married in Dover township, July 28, 1872, to Miss Helen Barry, who was born in Rockport township, this county, June 12, 1850, daughter of John and Ruth (Jordan) Barry. Her parents, both natives of New York, were married in the Empire State, and from there moved west to Cuyahoga county, Ohio, at an early day, and settled in Rockport township, where they lived for several years and from whence they removed to Dover township. Here her mother died in November, 1887. Her father
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is still living. They had eight children, of whom Mrs. Ward was the seventh born. Mr. and Mrs. Ward have one child, Florence B.
Mr. Ward's political affiliations are with the Democratie party. He has served his town- ship as its Trustec, Assessor and Clerk, the duties of all of which offices he has performed with the strictest fidelity. Personally, he is frank and cordial, and both he and his family have hosts of friends here.
EORGE R. MCKAY, Justice of the Peace, Cleveland, is a native of this city, born December 12, 1862, a son of Rob- ert G. and Mary J. (Greenlees) MeKay, natives of Scotland and both deceased. After his marriage, in his native land, the father be- came a sailor and was a navigator both on the ocean and on the lakes of America for a num- ber of years. Hle settled in Cleveland in 1860, where he followed the occupation of machinist and millwright; and in 1870 he went to Chi- cago and was employed in the South Side roll- ing mills as machinist, where he was killed July 2, same year, leaving a wife and three children: Mary J., wife of L. J. Wortan, formerly of Cleveland, who died in Pittsburg in 1892; Nellie, who married Edwin D. Dean and died May 16, 1892; and George R.
When a lad of twelve years Mr. MeKay was employed at the rolling mills at Newburg, and continued there until he was twenty-one years of age, meanwhile pursuing a course of study under the instructions of Miss Trobridge. Then, in 1883, he entered the Western Reserve Academy at Hudson, and graduated there in 1885; then spent a year in special studies in higher branches at Oberlin College and at Ada, this State.
Striking out into business, he entered the employ of the Otis Steel Company, as assistant shipping elerk; in the spring of 1891 he be- came bailiff for the county sheriff, and during his service here ho read law at night, under the
supervision of the firm of Sherwood & Denni- son; a year afterward he entered the United States marshal's office as deputy, where he re- mained until he graduated in law, June 6, 1889, when he was admitted to the bar at Co- lumbus. Then, entering the law office of his former preceptors, he practiced there until he was elected Justice of the Peace in Cleveland, the only Democrat elected in the county, and that, too, when he was but twenty-six years of age, the youngest man ever elected to this of. fice in this county. Ile entered upon his duties as Justice November 14, 1889; and November 7, 1893, he was re-elected to the office. All the spare time he has during the intervals of his official duties he devotes to the practice of his profession. After his term expires as Jus- tice he expects to devote his whole time to legal practice.
In his society relations Mr. MeKay is Past Grand of Cataract Lodge, No. 295, I. O. O. F., of the Cleveland Athletic Club, and of the Cleveland Gatling Gun Battery.
ITe was married November 8, 1893, to Miss May Kimberley, daughter of D. H. Kimberley, ex-County Treasurer, and they reside at 54 Belle avenne.
C HIARLES WESLEY, proprietor of the Weddell House, Cleveland, has been a resident of this city since 1874, when he and his father took the management of this house, succeeding R. Gillett. He was born in Cazenovia, Now York, in 1849, a son of George W. and Jane (Gee) Wesley, both of whom died in 1888. Five years prior to his death the elder Wesley purchased a country seat on the lake shore, where he died, having retired from active business some time bofore: he has been a resident of Cleveland fourteen years.
Mr. Charles Wesley was brought up in hotel life. When a lad of fifteen years he had charge of the office of the Bancroft Houso in Indian- apolis, Indiana, and afterward of the Bates House
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in the same city, and ever since 1883 he has had full control of the Weddell Honse. In 1887 he thoroughly remodeled the building, placed upon it an additional story, enabling him to accom - modate 300 guests. He makes his home in the hotel. lle has now been a hotel proprietor in this city longer than any other hotel or livery man here. He is vice president of the Cleve- land Transfer & Carriage Company, a director of the Cleveland National Bank. He was init- iated into Masonry in 1871, and has taken the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite, and he is also a charter member of the Mystic Shrine, of the Cleveland Chapter, Holy Rood Commandery, Forest City Consistory and Al- koran Temple, N. M. S. lle is also a director of the Roadside Club, member of the Union Club, vice president of the Cleveland IIotel- keepers' Association, member of the National Hotel-keepers' Association and of the Hotel- men's Mutual Benefit Association.
In 1870, in Saginaw, Michigan, he married Miss Hester Jerome, and they have two ehil- dren,-Grace and George; the latter expeets to enter Yale College next fall (1894).
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M A. HANNA .- Outside of political cir- eles it is a rare thing to find a man whose reputation extends over so wide a scope of country as does that of M. A. Hanna of Cleveland, who is one of the city's most prominent, influential and deservedly honored citizens, and one of the foremost men of the Buckeye State. The business interests of Mr. Hanna are not confined to Cleveland or to Ohio, but are distributed over a wide territory, reach- ing into at least half a dozen different States, and are as diversified and important as they are extensive.
For half a century the Hanna family has been most closely identified with the commer- cial, financial, and industrial history of Cleve- land, and its members during that time have contributed as much as those of any family to-
ward the building up of the eity and its many industries and institutions. Mr. Hanna's father, Dr. Leonard Hanna, was a leading citizen of New Lisbon, Ohio, until his removal to Cleve- land in 1852, when he at once took rank with the prominent men of this city. He was one of the founders of the wholesale grocery house of Han- na, Garretson & Company, which was one of the largest and most important firms in that line in the city at that time, the partners being his brother Robert Ilanna and Hiram Garretson, both of whom were then and later very promi- nent among the leading business men of the Forest City. This firm continued in successful business until 1863, and among the many ways in which it aided in building up the trade of Cleveland was the establishment of a line of vessels between this eity and the then opening iron regions of Lake Superior.
M. A. Hanna is a native of Ohio and by birth and nature is in full aceord with the best forms of Western Reserve thought and sentiment. He was born in New Lisbon, Columbiana eoun- ty, on the 24th day of September, 1837, and it was in that county that his early boyhood was spent. Ile attended the schools of his native town, and upon his removal to Cleveland was given the full benefit of the city schools, and to the thorough public-school education he there obtained was supplemented a season at the Western Reserve College. Ilis business career began in 1857, when he became an employee of the firm of which his father was a member. He continued with that firm and its successor, Robert Hanna & Company, until 1867, and dur- ing that time originated the Buckeye Oil Com- pany, which he managed in connection with his other duties, thus giving evidence at that early age of the splendid business talents and capacity which have been so fully developed in later life.
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