USA > Ohio > Representative citizens of Ohio : memorial-genealogical > Part 20
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Mary Ann Fletcher then returned to Major Huff's home, where she remained until her second marriage to John Miller, who was a soldier in the war of the Revolution. By her second husband, Mary Ann had one daughter, who was named Elizabeth Miller. At the close of the war, John Miller, sold his farm on the Monocacy River, with the intention of moving West and purchasing a home, but the continental money which he received for his property, became worthless and he suffered a total loss. He later moved to Westmoreland County in the State of Pennsyl- vania, when their daughter Elizabeth was about sixteen years old, and where some years later, she was married to John McGrew.
Thomas Fletcher McGrew was born in Steubenville, Ohio, April 15, 1817. In his early life, Thomas F. McGrew with Finley McGrew, conducted a general merchandise store in the village of Smithfield, Jefferson County, Ohio, but he later became en- gaged in the practice of the law. On April 8, 1841, Mr. McGrew was married to Martha Dilworth Judkins, at Smithfield, Ohio. Mrs. McGrew was born in Richmond, Ohio, on August 12, 1819, her father being Dr. Anderson Judkins, who was one of the lead- ing physicians in that section of the State.
The father of Dr. Judkins was James Judkins and his mother was Martha Stanton. Mrs. McGrew's mother was Catherine Carr, whose father, James Carr, laid out the village of Smith- field, in 1803. James Carr's wife was Elizabeth Price.
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Mrs. McGrew was graduated from the seminary of Dr. C. C. Beatty, at Steubenville, Ohio, at the age of seventeen and be- cause of her scholarship was requested to come to Smithfield to take charge of a school, and it was while living in Smithfield for that purpose that she met her future husband. In 1856, Thomas Fletcher McGrew, moved his family to Springfield, Ohio, where he became cashier of the Mad River Valley Branch of the State Bank of Ohio, which later became The Mad River National Bank, of which institution he was the president at the time of his death on November 23, 1903. His wife died December 10, 1900, and they are both buried in Ferncliff Cemetery, in Spring- field, Ohio.
Thomas F. McGrew and his wife had six children; William A. McGrew, Samuel Finley McGrew, Thomas F. McGrew, J. F. McGrew, Baldwin McGrew, and one daughter named Eliza- beth who died in early infancy.
Samuel Finley McGrew was born in Steubenville, Ohio, on July 19, 1845. He came to Springfield with his parents, when they moved to that town and shortly afterward entered Witten- berg College, located at that place, graduating from that institu- tion at the age of sixteen years. For a short time thereafter he was engaged in the drygoods business with the firm of J. W. and H. Baldwin and then entered the banking office with his father, and continued in that business for forty-seven years and until the day of his death. He occupied all the various positions in the bank in their order and at his death was a director of the institution and its cashier. He was also president of the Spring- field Clearing House Association.
While Mr. McGrew never took an active interest in politics he was a member of the Republican party, which his father helped to found in Clark County, and during his lifetime held different positions in the various municipal boards and bodies of his home city, at the time of his death being vice president of the board of trustees of the Warder Public Library. Mr. McGrew was a member of Christ Episcopal Church in the city of Springfield, Ohio. He was entitled to membership in the Sons of the American Revolution, by reason of the services rendered to the American cause in the Revolutionary War by his ancestors, but he never affiliated with the order.
Mr. McGrew was a man of considerable literary ability and was well versed in the classics. He probably inherited this trait from both of his parents, who were well educated for that day, and his father, Thomas Fletcher McGrew probably had one of
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the largest, if not indeed the largest private library in the city where he lived.
Mr. McGrew possessed marked poetical ability, and while he wrote a number of shorter poems and essays, probably his most ambitious poem was that entitled "The Mission of Hermes" which he wrote as a tribute to his mother as "his friendly critic and appreciative listener."
Mr. McGrew was married October 20, 1869, to Elizabeth Edmonson Baldwin, the eldest daughter of John W. Baldwin, of Springfield, Ohio. Mrs. McGrew was born March 10, 1848, and is living at present in the city of Springfield. Her father, John W. Baldwin and her mother Rachel Werden, were among the earliest settlers in Clark County; her father's family coming in 1807, and her mother's in 1819. John W. Baldwin was one of the first merchants in Springfield, and he and his brothers were the first persons in that section of the State to connect the East and West in the dry-goods business, they maintaining large stores in New York, Columbus, and Springfield.
John W. Baldwin's grandfather, John Wilson, was a soldier in the American Revolution and his grandmother, Jane Hedges, was a descendant of the Hedges who were prominent in England at the time of Queen Anne.
Samuel F. McGrew and his wife had three children: John Baldwin McGrew, Samuel Judkins McGrew, and Rachel Werden McGrew, the latter dying in early infancy. His eldest son, John B. McGrew was educated in the public schools of his native city, then going to Wittenberg College, and later entering the law department of Columbia University of New York City, where. he was graduated in 1894. He then returned to his home in Springfield and took up the practice of the law in which he is at present engaged. He was elected prosecuting attorney of Clark County in 1900, and held that office for six years. He was married on February 27, 1906, to Elizabeth Rinehart Little, who was the daughter of Joseph D. Little and Lucy Rinehart.
The second son, Samuel Judkins McGrew, after leaving col- lege, entered business for a short time, but upon the breaking out of the Spanish-American War, he joined the army, being com- missioned a lieutenant in Company M. of the Tenth O. V. I. Upon being mustered out at the close of the war, he returned to Springfield and became identified with the Mad River National Bank of his home city, with which institution he is at present connected, and of which his grandfather Thomas Fletcher McGrew was president and his father cashier.
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Samuel F. McGrew was a man of sterling character. Broad- minded, recognizing that there could be two sides to every con- troversy, he was yet firm in his convictions when once a decision had been reached. Acknowledged as an authority on banking, by nature open and straightforward in his dealings with others, he received and held the confidence of all with whom he came in contact. If faithfulness to a trust reposed and unremitting at- tention to the requirements of business are evidence of a suc- cessful life, then Mr. McGrew was a success in the highest sense, and in his long life of splendid accomplishment and in a name above reproach, are found his most precious legacies to his family and his contribution to the general good of the community in which he lived.
IMlilliam J. dalemmer and Henry G. Wemmer
UCCESS in this life comes to the deserving. It is an axiom demonstrated by all human experience, that a man gets out of this life what he puts into it, plus a reasonable interest on the investment. The individ- ual who inherits a large estate and adds nothing to it cannot be called a successful man. He that falls heir to a large fortune and increases its value is successful in proportion to the amount he adds to his possession; but the man who starts in the world practically unaided and, by sheer force of will, controlled by cor- rect principles, forges ahead and at length reaches a place of honor among his fellow citizens, achieves success such as repre- sentatives of the two former classes can neither understand nor appreciate. To a considerable extent, William J. and Henry G. Wemmer, of Lima, Ohio, are creditable representatives of the last-named class, members of that sterling type which has fur- nished much of the bone and sinew of the country and added to the stability of our government and its institutions. They are men of many sterling characteristics of head and heart and among their contemporaries it would be hard to find records as complete with duty faithfully performed in all the walks of life, while in the humble sphere of private citizenship their careers have been such as to commend them to the favorable consideration of the best people of their adopted city and State. While advancing their own individual interests, they have never lost sight of their obligations to the community in general and have done much for the upbuilding of the city of Lima, where for many years they have held high places in business and social circles, their lives being worthy of imitation in many respects. They repre- sent the self-made German element in this country and in the record of their State none are more worthy of representation than they. Coming to Lima with comparatively small resources, they energetically and honorably fought their way to the front and are now numbered among the substantial citizens of the State.
William J. and Henry G. Wemmer, members of the corpor- ation of Deisel-Wemmer Company, of Lima, were born in the city of Horrheim, Wurtemberg, Germany, the former on Sep- tember 10, 1862, and the latter on August 20, 1865. They are the sons of Frederick and Caroline (Wasserbach) Wemmer, who
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also were natives of Horrheim. There the family had been well and favorably known for many generations, though the details of their family history are not accurately recorded, much of it being traditionary, though given some credence. It is known, however, that members of the family occupied prominent positions in both the official and social life of their community, and that in peace and in war they were loyal to the Fatherland, acting well their parts in the drama of life. There is authoritative rec- ord of a granduncle of the subjects of this sketch, who was a ranking officer under the great Napoleon and who, as a com- mander of French troops, marched with the great commander to Moscow. However, before the memorable defeat and retreat of that army, he was sent on special duty to South Africa. While stationed at the Cape of Good Hope, he was drowned, purposely, it is said, by jealous officers under him. Undoubtedly the German church records and other official archives contain further facts concerning the Wemmer family, but the obvious difficulty of get- ting to them precludes further mention of the family genealogy.
Frederick Wemmer followed in the footsteps of his ancestors for generations and learned the trade of a baker at Horrheim, but, feeling that the field in that line was too restricted, he gave up that business and sought a broader and more inviting field, becoming a farmer and wine grower. This was at that time an important industry in his section of the country and his efforts were rewarded with a large measure of success, so that in time he became recognized as the leading citizen of Horrheim, where for many years he held the responsible position of revenue collector for the district. In all affairs affecting the little city in which he lived he was a leader and his judgment and advice were held in high repute. Though his death occurred in 1872, at the early age of fifty-seven years, he had accumulated a comfortable com- petency for those days, the results of his own industry and good management. He was survived a good many years by his widow, whose death occurred in 1896, at the age of seventy-two years. She was reared in the faith of the Lutheran Church, but later in life she became converted to the German Methodist faith and died in that communion. Her husband was a life-long member of the German Lutheran Church. They were the parents of thirteen children, all of whom were boys, but the eldest and young- est. Seven of the children grew to maturity and married, while three of the brothers are yet living in Germany. One, Frederick, generally called Fritz, became a popular soldier in the German army from 1866 to 1872, and was in the government service, in
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some capacity, all his life, being now retired on a pension. He is married and has children. Eugene has a position of trust with the German Railway Company. Another brother, Alfred, came to the United States a number of years ago and is now holding a responsible clerical position with the Deisel-Wemmer Company at Lima. A sister, Frederica, is the wife of William Feil, who is superintendent of schools at Vaikengen-Euz, Germany, and they have a daughter, Gertrude.
William J. Wemmer, whose name appears at the head of this sketch, was educated in the public schools of his native city, and in 1881 he came to the United States, by the way of Liverpool to New York City. He remained in the latter city one year, com- ing then to Delaware, Ohio, where during the following five years he was employed as a cigar packer at which trade he was a very proficient workman. He then went to Toledo, Ohio, where he remained until 1889, when he came to Lima. Two years later he became a silent partner in the cigar making firm of Henry Deisel Company, into which they put what money they command- ed. Their faith in this enterprise was rewarded with marked suc- cess and from this initial plant grew what has since come to be one of the largest and most successful tobacco companies in the United States. The concern brought out several winners in cigars, and the increased demands for their products continued without interruption until in August, 1903, it was found advisable to incorporate the business under the name of the Deisel-Wemmer Company. Of this company, Henry Deisel is president; William J. Wemmer, vice president, and Henry G. Wemmer, general man- ager, it being a close corporation, with the gentlemen named as directors.
Henry G. Wemmer completed his education in the gymnasium of his home city, and then served an apprenticeship in a mercan- tile house as a clerk. In 1884, he came to the United States for the specific purpose of learning the English language, in order that he might render better service to his employer. Soon after coming here, however, he became interested in the tobacco busi- ness with his brother, William J., and Henry Deisel, and the story of his life since then has been the story of the remarkable rise of this prosperous and well known firm, in the success of which he has been an important factor. Starting in a modest way in the manufacture of cigars, the Deisel-Wemmer Company, by right business methods and the high quality of their output, soon found a field for its production and so remarkable was the growth of the business that it was found necessary to extend their
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facilities in many directions. Two large and well-equipped fac- tories were erected in Lima, following which others were built at Findlay, Delphos, Sidney, Wapakoneta, and Toledo; the com- bined capacity of these factories is one hundred and fifty mil- lions of cigars a year, but so enormous and constant is the de- mand that they are over-sold about seven million cigars all the time. They also have a tobacco "stemmery" at Van Wert, Ohio, tobacco warehouses in all the principal tobacco-growing sections of the country, where the choicest leaf is properly stored and cared for until required at the factories, while they are in control of warehouses in Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Dutch West Indies from which countries they draw very largely for some of the choicest tobacco which goes into their goods. The company em- ploys about three thousand persons, about forty per cent. of whom are men. One of the brands of cigars turned out by this concern is the well-known "San Felice" (friendship or happi- ness), which is sold in practically every town in this country, and which has had the most remarkable run of any cigar ever put on the American market, being always over-sold, while a close rival to it in popularity among discriminating smokers is the "Stag," which, however, the company does not push outside of the State of Ohio. To meet a demand for higher-priced cigars of quality, they put out the "El Verso," which also is a popular cigar, always in demand among smokers who know what consti- tutes a good cigar. While the success which has come to the Deisel-Wemmer Company has been notable in many respects, it is easily explained and is well understood by those at all conversant with the concern itself. At the outset, the cigars turned out con- tained nothing but high-grade tobacco, and the workmanship was of the highest quality, two elements which will insure success in any production. Combined with these important facts, was the excellent management of the enterprise and the sound, con- servative and careful methods which have ever characterized the conduct of the business. Messrs. Wemmer and Deisel are in some respects a remarkable trio of men. Seldom are three men thrown together whose temperaments are so well calculated to harmonize as are theirs. Large of frame, they are also large of heart and broad-minded in their views of things. Quiet and undemon- strative in their manner, they are, nevertheless, quick in arriving at a conclusion and when once committed to a definite line of action they hesitate at no obstacle, but push ahead to the com- pletion of their project. Thus they have had the shrewdness and sagacity to take advantage of their opportunities and have
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achieved a success which has been well merited. The acquisition of material wealth has in no sense dwarfed their views of life and they retain an active and intelligent interest in all phases of life which go to make existence really worth while. In all af- fairs of the community which affect the general welfare, the Wemmer brothers have been counted among those who stand for the right and their influence is always exerted for those move- ments which promise to benefit their adopted city or county. They are now in the very prime of life, active, useful men in society, and are appreciated members of the business and social circles in which they move. Their relations with their employees have always been marked by the utmost harmony and good feel- ing, and their business is so systematized that it is operated smoothly and at a minimum of labor or oversight on the part of the proprietors.
William J. Wemmer was married in Delaware, Ohio, to Helen Reickert, who was born, reared, and received her education in Germany. In young womanhood she came alone to the United States, locating in Delaware, where she lived until her marriage. She has borne her husband the following children: Pauline Maria, born April 6, 1893, received a splendid education, graduat- ing from the Lima high school, and at Ossining-on-the-Hudson, and the National Park Seminary, near Washington, D. C .; she is one of the most popular members of the younger set in Lima society; Helen Frederica, born on April 16, 1895, was educated in the public schools of Lima and Dayton, and remains at home; William H., born July 10, 1903, is a student in the Lima schools. Mr. Wemmer, his wife and children are members of the German Reformed Church, of which he is a liberal supporter.
Mr. Wemmer is a member of the Lima Club, a prominent social organization, of which he is a trustee, and is also an active member of the Progressive Association, a business men's organi- zation for the promotion of the commercial and industrial inter- ests of this city. Fraternally, he is identified with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the Improved Order of Red men, in both of which he takes an appreciative interest.
Henry G. Wemmer was married in Delaware, Ohio, in 1894, to Frederica Sautter, a native of Germany, who came to the United States with her parents, who located at Delaware, where she received her education. She and her husband are active members of the German Reformed Church, to which they give liberally of their means. Fraternally, Mr. Weminer is a Free and Accepted Mason, belonging to the Blue Lodge in Lima, and
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the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in Toledo. He also be- longs to the Improved Order of Red Men, and to the Shawnee Country Club at Lima, also the Lima Club. He also holds mem- bership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
To Henry G. Wemmer and wife the following children have been born: Esther H., born July 24, 1895, attended the public schools in Lima and Cincinnati, and is now a student in the Bris- tol School, at Washington, D. C., being a member of the class of '14; Pauline Emma, born July 9, 1904, is a student in the Lima schools; Henry Robert, born March 19, 1906.
Though necessarily brief in statement, the foregoing facts concerning the lives of the subjects of this sketch are sufficient to entitle them to distinct representation in a work of the char- acter of this one. Their marked success in the business world has been achieved by close attention to business, and by honorable and consistent lives they have risen to worthy positions among the enterprising men of the city with which their interests have so long been identified. They have been essentially men of af- fairs, sound of judgment and far-seeing in all they have under- taken, and they have won and retained the confidence and esteem of all classes.
Andrew J. Alc Cartney
Andrew Jackson McCartney
N the death of the late Andrew J. McCartney, the city of Youngstown lost one of its most energetic men of affairs and the State of Ohio one of its representative citizens, who, through a long lapse of years, was prom- inent in the various circles in which he moved and whose potent influence for good will continue to pervade the lives of men. As the day, with its morning of hope and promise, its noontide of activity and accomplishment, its evening of successful efforts, ending in the grateful rest and quiet of the night, so was the life of this good and honored man. His career was a busy and useful one, fraught with much good to himself, his family and to humanity, and his memory will long be revered by those who had occasion to come in contact with him on life's pathway. His activities in a material way added to the welfare of the city of his residence. Devoting the major part of his time and attention to business interests, he never allowed commercial pursuits to warp his kindly nature, but preserved his faculties and the warmth of his heart for the broadening and helpful influence of human life, being to the end a kindly, genial friend and gentleman whom it was a pleasure to meet.
Andrew Jackson McCartney was born July 12, 1841, on his father's farm at Weathersfield, just west of Girard, Trumbull County, Ohio, and he was a son of George and Mary (Eckman) McCartney, who were old and well-known residents of that county. The subject's paternal grandfather, Andrew McCartney, was a native of Pennsylvania, but in an early day he located at Girard, Ohio, where he owned and operated a grist-mill, spending the rest of his days there. He had married Eleanore Wilson, whose family is connected with the family of President Wilson. Her father, James Wilson, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, on the side of the colonists, holding the rank of ensign. To each of his sons, Andrew McCartney gave a farm, thus giving them a substantial start in life. He was the father of a number of children, of whom George, the subject's father, was the eldest son, having been born on September 7, 1811, in Pennsylvania. He accompanied the family on their long and dangerous trip to what was then considered "the Far West," the journey being made in a large wagon. When they established their home in the
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new country, wild animals and equally savage red men were the principal occupants of the land, but the sturdy pioneers went bravely to work to create a new home here, and they became one of the substantial and influential families of the community. In 1836, at Girard, George McCartney married Mary Eckman, who was a member of an old Trumbull County family, and they lived on the farm given to George by his father, Andrew, the rest of their lives, the mother dying when the subject of this sketch was but six years old and the father's death occurring on November 30, 1887. They became the parents of four children, namely, Elizabeth became the wife of Jacob Stambaugh, of Youngstown, Ohio; Eleanor married John Rush, of Girard, Ohio; Mary L., the wife of J. C. Marshall, of Girard, and the subject of this sketch.
Andrew J. McCartney was reared on the paternal farmstead and secured his elementary education in the public schools, being a graduate of the high school. Then, for a time, he was engaged in teaching the district school in his home neighborhood, an inter- esting reminder of which period is the old school bell, which is still in the possession of his family. Desiring to further pre- pare himself for business affairs, Mr. McCartney became a student in the well-known Duff's Commercial College, at Pitts- burgh, where he completed the course. His first employment was as a bookkeeper at Mineral Ridge, Ohio, for Thomas H. Wells, who owned an extensive coal mine. After working for Mr. Wells four years, Mr. McCartney, ambitious to start out on his own account, returned to Girard and, in partnership with Jacob Stam- baugh, opened a general store, the subject having charge of the books and accounts. A few years later, however, Mr. McCartney sold out his interest in the business and came to Youngstown, with which city his future career was closely identified. At that time Youngstown was not much more than a good country town, but there was promise of greater things, and Mr. McCartney's faith and judgment in locating here was afterwards amply justified. While living at Girard he had helped to organize the Church Hill Coal Company, in which he became heavily interested, and eventually the offices of the company were moved to Youngstown. Subsequently, and at the time he was seized with his last illness, Mr. McCartney filled the position of treasurer and general man- ager of the Miller's Run Mining Company. He was a man of splendid business qualifications, his abilities being widely recog- nized among his business associates, and his advice and counsel were considered of high order. One element of his makeup which especially gave him prestige among those with whom he had
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