USA > Ohio > Representative citizens of Ohio : memorial-genealogical > Part 40
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Theodore Dwight Paul
T. Dwight Paul received his elementary education in the pub- lic schools at Cuyahoga Falls, supplementing this by a technical course in the department of civil engineering in the Pennsylvania Polytechnical College at Philadelphia. Returning then to his na- tive county, Mr. Paul served one term as county surveyor by ap- pointment and for three years was resident engineer for the board of public works of Ohio and for one year was United States deputy mineral surveyor for Montana. He was the chief engineer for the Bellaire, Zanesville & Columbus Railroad in 1875-76, building the road from Bellaire to Woodsfield, Ohio. As an engineer in charge of railroad construction work Mr. Paul soon gained a widespread reputation because of his efficiency and he served as division engi- neer on the Canada Southern, the Chicago, Lake Shore & Western, the Chicago & Erie, the Union Pacific, and other railroads in Can- ada, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Montana, and Washington. In 1902-03 he was engineer in charge of construc- tion of the Akron & Barberton Belt Railroad and in 1894-95 he had charge of the field work of the survey of a proposed ship canal through Ohio for the United States government. In 1911 Mr. Paul was elected surveyor of Summit County, and at the time of his death was a candidate for re-election. Thoroughly qualified and efficient in the discharge of his duties, Mr. Paul was generally re- garded by those best able to judge, one of the best civil engineers in the country, his work having always been performed to the full- est satisfaction of those for whom he worked. Painstaking and careful, with him anything that was worth doing at all was worth doing well, and he was satisfied with nothing short of the best- that characteristic being the keynote to the splendid success which crowned his labors. In his home city he was personally held in the highest regard, for he was a citizen of the highest type and he had given his unreserved support at all times to every movement and measure which had for its object the upbuilding and better- ment of the city. From 1898 to 1901 Mr. Paul served as a member of the city council, where his services were given in the interest of the people. He twice prevented the Akron Street Railroad Com- pany from obtaining an extension of their franchise on a five-cent fare basis, and was very largely instrumental in securing indepen- dent telephone service for Akron. He made a splendid record in opposition to all forms of franchise aggression and to all hasty or secret legislation, often voting alone in his opposition. For these things he earned and possessed to a notable degree the absolute confidence of those who were at all familiar with his record, and during the years of his residence in this city there never was a
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shadow cast on his record as public official or private citizen. Aside from his professional life, Mr. Paul was interested in a number of local enterprises, being a stockholder in the Commercial Bank and the Firestone Rubber Company, also owning consider- able real estate in Akron and a small tract of land in Bath Town- ship, this county.
On October 18, 1877, Mr. Paul was united in marriage to Emeline Owen, who was born at Armstrong's Mills, Belmont County, Ohio, on November 28, 1855, the daughter of Lewis and Nancy (Powell) Owen. Her parents, who were natives, respec- tively, of Maryland and Ohio, are now both deceased, being buried in Belmont County. The father was a wholesale tobacco dealer and farmer and was numbered among the successful business men and prominent citizens of his community. They were the parents of the following children: Albert, who died at the age of six years; Emeline, widow of the subject of this sketch; Rodolphus, Luella, Gregg, Laura, and Bird. To Mr. and Mrs. Paul were born two children, namely: Ethel Bell, who died in 1900, at the age of twenty-one years; she was a school-teacher. Frank Dwight, a graduate of the Ohio State University, who is now a mechanical engineer at Cleveland. Mr. and Mrs. Paul, out of the kindness of their hearts, also adopted two children of Mrs. Paul's brother, Rodolphus, namely: Theresa, who is now the wife of Leonard Cole, and Lewis.
Religiously, Mr. Paul's convictions were with the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which he was a liberal contributor and ear- nest supporter. Mrs. Paul is a zealous member of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society and takes an active interest in all charitable and benevolent work. She is a lady of fine personal qualities of character and enjoys a wide acquaintance in the best social circles of the city in which she lives. Personally, T. Dwight Paul was genial and companionable and, because of his genuine worth and high character he was well liked among his acquaint- ances. Because of his earnest life, high attainments, well-rounded character and definite accomplishments, he is eminently entitled to representation in a work of the character of the one at hand.
henry Gerould, M. D.
T IS not always easy to discover and define the hidden forces that have moved a life of ceaseless activity and large professional success; little more can be done than to note their manifestations in the career of the indi- vidual under consideration. In view of this fact, the life of the distinguished physician and public-spirited man of affairs whose name appears above affords a striking example of well-defined purpose, with the ability to make that purpose subserve not only his own ends but the good of his fellow men as well. Doctor Gerould long held distinctive prestige in a calling which requires for its basis sound mentality and intellectual discipline of a high order, supplemented by the rigid professional training without which one cannot hope to rise above mediocre in ministering to human ills. In addition to his long and creditable career in one of the most useful and exacting of professions, he also proved an honorable member of the body politic; rising in the confidence and esteem of the public, and in every relation of life he never fell below the dignity of true manhood nor in any way resorted to methods that invited criticism or censure. He was essentially a man among men, having ever moved as one who commanded re- spect by innate force as well as by superior ability, and his life and labors eminently entitled him to representation among the representative men of his State.
Henry Gerould was descended from sterling French ances- try, the first member of the family to settle in America being Dr. Jacques (or James) Jerauld, a Huguenot, and a native of Lan- guedoc, France, who left his native land and came to America soon after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. His name appears in the list of settlers in Boston in the year 1760. He had three sons, each of whom spelled the family name differently, one spelling it Gerould, another Gerald, and the third retaining the original form. The parents of the subject of this sketch were Jabez Law- rence Gerould, a native of Newton, Connecticut, and Margaret (Beebe) Gerould, a native of Geneva, New York, of whose chil- dren the subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of birth. Henry Gerould was born in East Smithfield, Pennsylvania, on March 6, 1829, and, owing to the premature death of his father, it early became necessary for him to take upon himself the respon-
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Henry Berould, Al. D.
sibility of his own welfare. After receiving what educational training was possible in the common schools, he determined to take up the profession which had been followed by a number of his ancestors, and to this end he entered upon the study of medi- cine at Geneva, New York, and Cleveland, Ohio, receiving his de- gree of Doctor of Medicine in 1864 from the medical school con- nected with Hudson College, now known as Western Reserve Uni- versity. In order to better equip himself for his chosen life work, the young doctor spent the following three years in hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts, under the direction of Dr. H. K. Storer. His first active practice was at Bedford, later locating at Massil- lon, where he remained until 1874, when he located in Cleveland, where he spent the remainder of his life, being remarkably suc- cessful in the practice and gaining an enviable reputation in a community noted for the high order of its medical talent. He possessed in a notable measure that broad sympathy which ena- bled him to bear, in a large degree, the burdens of those to whom he was called to minister. His presence in a sick chamber always brightened the hours for the invalid and he was a welcome guest wherever he went, professionally or otherwise. A careful and conscientious student of his profession, he kept closely in touch with the latest advances in the healing art and his advice and counsel were considered invaluable by his professional colleagues, by whom he was held in the highest regard because of his genu- ine worth and his due respect for professional ethics.
In June, 1870, Doctor Gerould was united in marriage to Julia J. Clapp, of Mentor, Ohio, the daughter of Thomas Jefferson Clapp, who is mentioned in later paragraphs in this memoir. To this union were born three children, namely: Harry Clapp, born in 1871; Ruth Whitcomb, born in 1879, and Lavina Clapp, born in 1882. All of these children died in 1883, and from that time the doctor turned his attention particularly to the advancement and assistance of educational and missionary enterprises. Having lost his own children to whom he would have given every educa- tional advantage, he devoted himself to the laudable effort to se- cure for other young men and women such educational opportuni- ties as they desired, but were unable to secure. To this end he gave away practically his entire income, and even gave medical treatment without charge to those who came to him for aid. The secret of Doctor Gerould's unselfish and philanthropic life was his intense love for God and humanity. After his death the following lines were written by his long-time friend and ardent admirer, A. McLean, who through his long association with him, knew his in-
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ner nature as well as any one: "At the age of eighteen Doctor Gerould made the good confession under the preaching of Silas E. Shepherd. The stalwart preaching of this mighty man of God made a lifelong impression upon his mind and heart. When he gave himself in love and trust to his Lord, Doctor Gerould kept nothing back. From the beginning to the end, his life was one of service and self-sacrifice. He organized the first Sunday school in the Bedford church. He would start out on his round of visiting as early as four o'clock that he might return in time to serve as superintendent. In the State Missionary Conventions his voice rang out clear and strong in favor of doing more for the efficiency of the Sunday schools. He it was who organized the Sunday- school associations of both Indiana and Ohio. His interest in the religious training of the young constantly grew with his growth and strengthened with his strength. His labors in behalf of young people kept him young, ennobled his life, and filled him with un- speakable joy.
"Dr. Gerould was a man of clear-cut convictions. Those who knew him, knew where he stood. He was in favor of temperance, morality, religion, education, and all needed reforms, and he was not afraid or ashamed to say so. He knew what he believed and why, and he was ready at all times to give a reason for his faith and hope. His ancestors had been forced to leave France on ac- count of their convictions. He was made of the same sturdy moral fiber. He stood four-square to all the winds that blow.
"Dr. Gerould was profoundly interested in the cause of Chris- tian education. He gave generously to the endowment of Hiram College. He founded there the Gerould Missionary Cottage. In it young ladies preparing for the home or foreign field, and the children of missionaries, are received free of charge .... He was not satisfied with giving money; he gave time and thought as well. He frequently visited the college and kept in touch with the fac- ulty and students.
"In the public mind Dr. Gerould is most closely identified with the missionary enterprise. He was a student of missions, and an authority on missions. He kept himself informed as to the progress and needs of the work. He corresponded with the mis- sionaries, and knew what they were doing and how they were faring. He gave them good advice respecting the proper care of their health. Well-stored boxes were sent out to them from time to time. His home was like a missionary museum .... The chief topic of conversation at table and at fireside was the extension of the kingdom of Christ. At the family altar the missionaries were
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lovingly commended to God and to the word of his grace. The missionaries and their friends were welcome guests at all times .... Dr. Gerould was the first one among our people to support a missionary in the foreign field. That represented only a part of what he gave each year. He gave to all departments of the work The first thought of this good man when he awoke in the morning, and the last thought when he fell asleep at night, was how he could do most to advance the cause of world-wide evangel- ization. Like David Livingstone, he counted nothing he possessed as having any value except in relation to the cause and kingdom of Jesus Christ. He lived on a side street, in a modest home. Be- yond what was necessary to live comfortably, he gave away his entire income ..... He preferred to live a simple, unostentatious life and to do all the good he could with the means with which the Lord had entrusted him. He realized that he was a student of God's manifold grace, and as a steward he ever sought to be found faithful.
"Dr. Gerould was faithful in every relation of life. He made friends and kept them. In his home he was a perfect gentleman. No one could desire a more genial host. He delighted to hear and tell a good thing. Withal, he was free from pride and vainglory. At Kansas City, when he was introduced to the convention, as the Armory rang with applause, his eyes filled with tears and he blushed like a schoolgirl and said, 'What have I done to deserve this honor?' The audience knew, if he modestly forgot. Eternity alone will disclose all the good in which he had a worthy part. Like Paul, Dr. Gerould knew how to be abased and how to abound. He stood the test of poverty and adversity; he stood the severer test of prosperity. He endeared himself to many thousands as a phy- sician, as a friend, and as a worker in the cause of God and hu- manity."
On November 10, 1900, Dr. Gerould entered into the larger life, his death occurring very suddenly, just when he was pre- paring for greater service to others. The funeral services, held at the home, were very largely attended, for all who knew him felt that they had lost a friend. As an indication of the universal es- teem in which he was held, the following excerpts are quoted from resolutions and personal letters written at the time of his death:
From resolutions passed by the faculty of Hiram College- "In behalf of the faculty and students of Hiram College we ex- press the sincerest gratitude for his self-sacrificing labor in behalf of worthy young men and women struggling for an education. We
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realize fully that his care for missionary instruction has added much to our material resources, and yet a richer legacy in a life of true Christian consecration that is of priceless value."
From resolutions passed by the Board of Trustees of Hiram College, of which Doctor Gerould was a member-"That in the death of Doctor Gerould we are conscious that the college has lost one of its best friends and noblest benefactors, and the mem- bers of the board an earnest, sincere co-worker, who always had the interests of the college near his heart."
Mrs. O. A. Burgess, President of C. W. B. M .- "One who hon- ored God and devoted his life to doing good has gone from us, and we feel that our loss is great. The influence of such a life as that of Doctor Gerould will go on filling the world with fragrance that can never die-souls saved, hearts made glad, and homes happy."
Miss Evans, Lake Erie College-"He always warmed my heart and gave me a new supply of courage. What a monument he has in hearts."
Professor Amzi Atwater, Bloomington, Indiana-"What a vigorous, persistent, faithful, single-minded, resolute, confident, Christian man he was. We shall never see his like again."
Thomas Jefferson Clapp, father of Mrs. Henry Gerould, was born in Middlefield, Massachusetts, on January 7, 1806, and was a son of Judge Orris Clapp, a native of Massachusetts and a pioneer of the Western Reserve. Orris Clapp became the father of thir- teen children, three of whom died in Massachusetts. In 1806 the family made the long and tiresome journey in wagons from their eastern home to what was then the "far west," locating in what is now Mentor, Lake County, Ohio, where the Judge became owner of a large tract of land. His was one of the first three families to settle in that locality, and the Judge and his wife spent the re- mainder of their days there, being buried in the cemetery at Mentor. Their children all received good educations, one son, Matthew, becoming a preacher. Another son, John Milton, while a student at Yale College, formed the acquaintance of a number of young southern students and subsequently he became editor of the "Charleston Mercury," an avowed southern paper. His death occurred a short time before the Civil War. Another brother fought in the War of 1812 and his powder horn is now in the pos- session of Mrs. Gerould.
Thomas Jefferson Clapp was but six months old when the family came to Ohio, and here he was reared on his father's farm, receiving a good education at Mentor and Painesville. He fol-
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Henry Berould, A. D.
lowed the vocation of farming and came into possession of a part of his father's farm. His orchard, planted in 1816, was said to be the finest between Willoughby and Painesville, and in later years he planted a second orchard, back of the first. A phase of his character was shown when, in reply to some neighbors who asked him why he planted the second orchard, when in all probability he would not live to enjoy fruit from it, he said, "For posterity." His life was beautiful in its calm, steady simplicity, for he practiced the gospel of sunshine and good cheer, and it is doubtful if any- one ever saw him angry. Highly cultured, he commanded the re- spect of all who knew him. During the dark days just prior to the Civil War, he took an active part in assisting slaves on their way to freedom, his home being a station of the famous "underground railway." He was a faithful member of the Disciples Church at Mentor, one of the first churches of that society in the Western Re- serve, though before leaving their eastern home the family had been identified with the Baptist Church.
Thomas J. Clapp married Lorinda Bentley, a daughter of the well-known pioneer, Rev. Mr. Bentley, who had moved to Chagrin Falls in 1830, and there his descendants still live. Lorinda Bent- ley was born in Warren, Ohio, on January 18, 1812, and her death occurred December 19, 1887, at Cleveland, Ohio. Thomas J. Clapp died at Cleveland on April 26, 1882, one year after he and his good wife had celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. He had lived for sixty-nine years on his old farm at Mentor.
In 1847, Mrs. Gerould, then a child, pulled up some small pine trees on Little Mountain, and these she transplanted to the old home. Some of these are still standing, magnificent old trees, landmarks of the locality. Mrs. Gerould has a large and well executed painting of her old home, which she prizes highly. Mrs. Gerould was the only child of her parents and her education was completed at Lake Erie College and Hiram College. Her marriage to Doctor Gerould occurred on June 21, 1870, and was singularly fortunate in that they were one in sympathies and aims. In all his planning, and doing, and giving, he had her encouragement and approval. She, too, has ever been deeply interested in higher education and in missionary work, and has herself been a liberal contributor to these objects. After the Doctor's death, Mrs. Gerould traveled extensively in the United States and abroad. In 1901 she made a trip around the world, and while in India she erected a memorial station at Rath in memory of her late hus- band. In 1904 she again went to India, returning in 1905. Her life has been a busy one, and, in the main, a happy one, for she has
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Thenry Serould, M. D.
constantly striven to do good to others, and in this she has gained her greatest blessings. She has frequently appeared on the lec- ture platform to give to others the benefit of her travels and ex- periences in foreign lands.
Orrin A. Lyon, M. D.
HAT country is greatest which produces the greatest and most manly men, and the intrinsic safety depends not so much upon men and measures as upon that true manhood from whose deep sources all that is precious and permanent in life must at last proceed. Those individuals who have been instrumental in advancing the highest interests of society, pursuing each his personal good by exalted means, have wrought on the lines of the greatest good. When the life of one such individual ends, we look back over the pathway he trod and note its usefulness-its points worthy of emulation and perpetua- tion. What the late Dr. Orrin A. Lyon, of Akron, did for his fel- low men and the community in general might, in a manner, be told in words, but in its far-reaching influences cannot be measured. He was in touch with the people, and from a sincere and deep-felt interest in their welfare labored for all that would prove of pub- lic benefit until the busy and useful life was ended. He was emi- nent in his chosen calling and for many years he stood among the scholarly and enterprising physicians in a community long dis- tinguished for the high order of its medical talent. His life was characterized not only by the most adroit professional ability, but also by a profound human sympathy which overleaped mere sen- timent to become an actuating motive, for he realized that there is no honor not founded on genuine worth; that there is a vital purpose in life and that the best and highest accomplishment must come from a well-trained mind and an altruistic heart. Those who knew him were unstinted in their praise of his genial disposition and his superior ability, and when he passed to a higher plane of activity his departure was felt to be in the nature of a public calam- ity, for he had endeared himself to all who had come within range of his influence.
Orrin A. Lyon was born in East Cleveland, Ohio, in 1854, and he was the son of Orrin and Delilah (Ely) Lyon. His father, who had for many years been engaged in the meat business, and later had carried on farming operations, had retired from active busi- ness affairs, and for a number of years before his death he had lived a retired life in Cleveland. He and his wife were the parents of the following children: Orrin A., the immediate subject of this sketch; Sarah, now Mrs. Wall, and Ashley, of Willoughby, Ohio.
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They were people of eminent respectability and stood high in the community where they resided.
Orrin A. Lyon received his elementary education in the pub- lic schools of Cleveland, going from there to Hudson, Western Reserve and Bethany colleges, graduating at the latter institution. Having determined to make the practice of medicine his life work, he then matriculated in the Homeopathic College of Cleveland, where he pursued the full course and graduated. He at once en- tered upon the active practice of his profession, locating first at Orrville, where he remained about a year, and then went to At- water, Portage County, this State, where he practiced during the following six years. He then came to Akron, where he soon built up a large and successful practice, being recognized as one of the leading physicians of the city. He was ever an earnest student, keeping closely in touch with the latest advances in the science of medicine and was held in the highest esteem by his professional brethren. Personally, he was a man of broad heart and kindly spirit, intensely optimistic in his view of life, always cheerful and genial in his intercourse with friends, and ever ready to do a favor or discommode himself for the benefit of others. He was a prosperous giver to all worthy objects and his private benefac- tions were bestowed without thought of reward or the applause of the multitude. He was intensely public spirited in his attitude towards the interests of the community, ever standing for all that contributed to the welfare of the people generally. While a resi- dent of Portage County he was appointed coroner, which position he resigned upon moving to Akron. In this city he was a member of the city board of health, in which position he rendered impor- tant service to the community. The demands of his business pre- cluded his taking a very active part in political affairs, but he ap- preciated the privileges of citizenship and never failed to exercise the right of suffrage. Fraternally, he was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, belonging to the commandery of Knights Templars, which body had charge of his funeral. He was also an active member of the Knights of Maccabees, having organized Leon Lodge of that order in East Akron. The lodge was named in his honor, Leon being the French form of Lyon.
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