USA > Ohio > The Biographical encyclopedia of Ohio of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1 > Part 23
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ORRY, WILLIAM, Lawyer and first Mayor of Cincinnati, was born, December 16th, 1779, in Washington county, Virginia, being the son of Jolm Corry, an Irishman, and a farmer in the valley of the Holston river, near Abingdon, Vir- ginia. The latter, upon the call of Governor Shelby, in October, 1781, for volunteers to pursue the British General Ferguson, abandoned his plow in the field and, mounting his horse, joined a company of cavalry as lieutenant in this service of the State. He exposed himself recklessly to the enemy's fire on King's Mountain, where Ferguson made his last stand. The assault, repeated many times, on his position by the Federal troops, was a terrible one, hotly contested on both sides. Ferguson finally suc- cumbed and surrendered to Governor Shelby. Among the fatally wounded was Mr. Corry, who died within half an hour after having been shot through the body. He was buried upon the battle field, his grave being near the South Carolina line. Willinn, his son, was then but two years of age. During his youth he was placed in an excellent school, and obtained a substantial knowledge of mathe- matics and of the English and ancient languages, a study for which throughout his life he retained great taste. Ile was for some time a student in Parson Doke's Academy, in Jonesboro', Tennessee. As was customary at that time William worked at intervals upon his mother's farm, and
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continued in this division of his time between study and [ John Keily. His law office was in this building, and here labor until his twentieth year. Ohio was to be the scene also for many years was kept the Cincinnati Library, of which he was librarian. It was an old white frame double house-a landmark in the city-where the Trustees of the Cincinnati College and of the Ohio Medical College, Mr. Corry being the secretary of the latter body, used to as- semble for business. In 1817 and 1818 it became the office of the Mayor of Cinemati, when Mr. Corry himself, by the suffrages of his fellow-citizens, was chosen first Mayor of that new-born municipality. He served but one term, having for his marshal during this period James Chambers, whose very name " was a terror to evil-doers," and who " from the river fat-boats to the outskirt cabins made war on all who failed to respect the law." The infancy of the new town had its characteristics. Lawlessness abounded, weapons were indiscriminately carried and used on the slightest provocation ; and bowie-knives, the broad blades of which were riveted into iron or wooden handles, were carried about for ornament and for tooth-picks! The mayor's office, to which issues were adjourned in the ex- pectation of a peaceful and judicial settlement, often became the scene of bloody riot. But this was only for a time. The determination of Mayor Corry, the coolness and daring of his able lieutenant, Marshal Chambers, the rigor of prison discipline, had its effect upon the sanguinary-dis- posed part of the community. Mayor Corry disposed of the many cases coming before him with deliberation, hand- ing the prisoners under seutence over to the marshal, who in turn delivered them to jailor Cunningham, who placed them on a bread and water diet in the public jail at Fifth and Market streets. Upon the expiration of his term as Mayor, Mr. Corry resumed his professional duties, and was moderately well compensated. Ile was a well-read and skilful counsellor. His legal opinions were sound in their interpretation of law and presentation of fact, and com- manded the respect of his associates at the bar and the antagonists in the actions at issue. His voice was low and gently modulated, and his entire deportment was devoid of the ostentation of those far inferior to him in ability and experience. When he addressed court or jury it was with diffidence and hesitation, without pretence to great power of oratory, making capital points and presenting his argu- ment clearly and forcibly, though not attractively. Ile had less taste for politics than for law, the strifes and bickerings of which were repugnant to him; but was, nevertheless, sent to the Legislature twice, and discharged his duty well. It was not long before his genine ability and integrity of character created a favorable impression in that body. The party abuse and personal villification which, mich more so than in latter days, characterized the political campaigns of that period, so inoculated him with a distaste for public service that he never after consented to enter it. His friends urged him to a judicial career, for which his talents especially qualified him, but he was averse to its labors and responsibilities. He took pleasure in the prosperity of his of his future career-a State founded principally by settlers from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with the exception of that portion better known, perhaps, as the Western Reserve, where New England people had located. Among the very earliest emigrants was William McMillan, a lawyer of merit, but of the plainest taste and manners. He reached Ohio from Virginia in 1789, and subsequently purchased a tract of land for his home embracing the present site of Avondale, and this homestead he occupied until the time of his death, in 1804. Ile was the first Federal delegate to Congress from the Northwest Territory, before the State was organized. He was a graduate of Winn's College, South Carolina, from which institution he took his degree. Ile loved books and sought the society of educated people. It was owing to this love and to the impulse of bis kinship that, in 1795, he invited William Corry to come to Ohio and enter his home as a member of his family. He had a wife, but no children. His further inducement to Mr. Corry was that in his office he might profitably study law and tit himself for honorable practice. The invitation was accepted, and for three or four years Mr. Corry remained with his friend and preceptor, studying law and attending to Mr. McMillan's business, in and out of the profession, while that gentleman was abroad. About the year 1803 Mr. Corry was admitted to the bar, and soon after his ad- mission went to Hamilton and opened an office in partner- ship with Mr. John Reily. They inhabited the same log- cabin, being bachelors, and for some time remained unin- terruptedly together. Mr. Reily was, however, appointed Clerk of the Common Pleas of Butler County, and Mr. Corry practised alone in the old office until his marriage, in February, 1810. Ilis wife was Eleanor, daughter of Thomas Fleming, of the " Big Hill," in Butler county, who had emigrated from Frederick, Maryland, into the beech and walnut forest of that locality, purchasing there a tract of 400 acres, the difficult labor of clearing which de. volved not alone upon him and his tive sons, but upon his daughters as well. Mrs. Corry often described these early reminiscences in the tedious task of opening up the wilder- ness to cultivation, in which she as well as her brothers earnestly engaged. Under the provisions of Mr. McMil- lan's will his widow and Mr. Corry were created executors, she to have a life estate in the Avondale farm, and the brothers and sisters of the testator to receive the residuary estate. Mr. Corry, in order to see the farm properly culti- vated, went to live upon the homestead; but a year's resi- dence there dissatisfied him, and he came to Cincinnati with his wife and eldest son, whom he had named after his deceased patron, William, and entered here upon the prac- tice of the law. This was in 1811. Ile settled with the late Ethan Stone, in a house on Main street, between Fifth and Sixth streets, of which he shortly became the sole ten- ant, and soon after purchased the property of its owner,
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friends and fellow-citizens, with whom he always lived upon | began life on his own resources as a blacksmith, and during most excellent terms. Ilis habits were sedentary, and his the ensuing period of fourteen years he was constantly and assiduously employed at his trade. In 1847 he purchased a farm in Union township, Butler county, Ohio, where he was engaged in agricultural operations for about seven years. This farm he disposed of by sale in 1854, and later bought a fresh farming tract in Sycamore township, Hamil- ton county, where he has since resided. In 1860 he began the practice of magnetic healing; and from this date down to the present time has been occupied in attending to the duties . embraced in pathetising or magnetic healing. Through life he has been a close reader and a keen ob- server of men and events; is very liberal in his religions and political views; has always evinced a zealous interest in the advance of educational reform. Politically he is at- tached to the Republican party. Ile was married in 1836 to Roda Ryan, a daughter of William Ryan, an early settler and prominent farmer of Hamilton county, Ohio. She died, May 16th, 1844, leaving issue of five children. Ile was again married, November toth, 1844, to Ann E. Els- worth, a native of Pennsylvania, daughter of William Els- worth, one of the pioneers of Hamilton county, and for forty years a prominent educator of this section of the State. passion, books of every description, giving preference to historical and works on general literature, rather than to those on purely scientific subjects. Ile retained his love for and mastery of the ancient languages to the last, and felt the deepest interest in the education of his sons. Ilis wife was a lady of cultivated and literary tastes. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, of which Rev. Joshua L. Wilson was pastor. The entire labor of managing and caring at home for her family of eight children rested upon her, and heavily taxed her strength. She was a woman of sincere piety, inspired by an ardent and lasting love for her husband and children. Mr. Corry, whose health had been for some years declining, died in Cincin- mati on the anniversary day of his birth, December 16th, 1833, having reached the age of fifty-five. Ilis widow sur- vived him for nearly twenty years, dying in September, 1852, and both lie together in Spring Grove Cemetery. The character of Mr. Corry, judged by his walk in life, was that of an upright, intelligent man ; courteous in his man- ners, generous in his impulses, retiring in public affairs, but | enjoyable in social intercourse with his friends; devoted to his family and to the welfare and progress of the city of Cincinnati and the country at large.
6 UNT, JAMES C., Physician and Agriculturist, was born in Sycamore township, Hamilton county, Ohio, December 25th, 1814. Ile was the fourth child in a family of twenty-one children, whose parents were Isaac Hunt and Hannah (Carpen- ter) IIunt. Ilis father, a native of Somerville, New Jersey, followed through life the occupations of farmer, speculator and trader. Hle moved to Ohio at an early date, 1790 or thereabout, and settled near Shaker- town, Warren county, whence he afterward removed to Sycamore township, Hamilton county, and there purchased a farm, on which he resided until the date of his decease, in the meantime alternating his labors as a farmer with numerous trips to the Southern States as a trader and speculator. He was widely known as a valuable and public-spirited citizen, and during his residence in Hamil- ton county held various offices of trust and importance. In all, he made thirty-two trips by land from his home to New Orleans, Louisiana, and about thirty-four by flat-boat down the rivers. His death occurred in 1852. His mother also was a native of New Jersey, and at an early day moved with her father, James Carpenter, to Ohio, settling at Columbia-with a blockhouse for a home-where the family constituted the earliest settlers of that portion of Hamilton county. Ilis carly education was limited in degree and kind, and was obtained at the ordinary schools of frontier settlements. At the age of twenty-one years he, Colonel, and May ist of the same year to Colonel. On the
COLLOWAY, GENERAL EPHRAIM S., Repre- sentative in the Sixty-first General Assembly of Ohio, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, July 27th, 1833, being the son of John and Lydia ( Dryson) Holloway, the former of whom followed the occupation of a farmer. Ilis family were among the earliest settlers of the State, his parents having both been born in the same county as himself. His father's family came from Loadon county, Virginia, and his mother's from Redstone, Pennsylvania. Both his paternal and ma- ternal grandparents settled in Columbiana county in 1801, when Ohio was incorporated in what was then known as the Northwest Territory. John Dryson, his maternal grand- father, was one of the original surveyors of Ohio. General Ilolloway was educated in the common schools of his county, and followed the occupation of a farmer until 1857, when he embarked as a builder, and remained thus engaged until 1861. In October of that year he enlisted, raising a company of volunteers, of which, upon its organization, he was made First Lieutenant. Ile served four years and three months in the army, in active service, participating in all of the engagements with which his regiment partici- pated, including all of those of the Army of the Cumber- land, the Army of the Ohio, under General Buell, the army under General Sherman in the Atlanta campaign, and under General Thomas in the Nashville campaign. On September 8th, 1862, he was promoted to Captain ; Novem- ber 6th, 1864, to Major; March 6th, 1865, to. Lieutenant-
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recommendation of Major- Generals . J. Wood, David S. fand, finishing the junior year in 1860, matriculated at Stanley, P. 11. Sheridan and Lieutenant General U. S. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. He would have com. pleted his course at this instintion in the summer of 1861, but the aspect of the rebellion becoming ominous he raised a company known as the University Rifles from among his fellow-students, and, becoming attached to the 20th Regi- ment of Ohio Volunteers, served under General George B. MeClellan in West Virginia during the three months' ser- vice. At the expiration of his term he recruited another company, which became Company E, of the 81st Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, and continued in that command until October, 1863. Ile was then commissioned by Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, on the recommendation of General G. M. Dodge, commanding the 24 Division, 15th Army Corps, Lieutenant. Colonel of the Ist Regiment of Alabama Cav- alry, recruited from among the sturdy mountaineers of northern Alabama. After the close of the conflict he re- turned to Cincinnati, where he began the study of law with Ilon. Stanley Matthews. He was admitted to the bar in the fall of : 866, and since then, excepting the interruptions attendant on the occupancy of official position, has been constantly and successfully occupied in the practice of his profession. In 1869 he was elected to the Legislature of Ohio, and in 1872 was elected, on the Democratic ticket, to the Forty-second Congress, as Representative of the First District, to succeed Ilon. Aaron F. Perry, resigned, receiv- ing a majority of 2268 votes over his competitor, Ilon. Charles l'. Taft. At the expiration of his official term he again devoted himself solely to the practice of law, and now takes rank as one of the leaders at the Cincinnati bar. lle is a trustee of the MeMicken University, at Cincinnati, Ohio, and has held this position since January, 1875. Grant, he was brevetted to the important station of Brig. acher General for gallant and monitorious services in the held. His brevet rank dates from March 13th, 1865. Ile assumed command of his regiment, the 41st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on the 5th day of July, 1864, while engaging the enemy in a fierce skirmish near Chattahoochie river, Georgia, and retained command until the regiment was mustered out, gaining a splendid record for gallantry. Ile was a good disciplinarian and strategist, and his regiment was employed in many important missions, which were always successfully carried out, and in a manner that won the commendation of his superiors. Upon his return from the army he re-embarked as a builder, which he followed until March, 1868, when he was appointed Superintendent of the Enterprise Agricultural Works of Columbiana, a position requiring great executive ability, which he filled with credit until September, 1873, at which time he re- signed. In 1873 he was elected on the Republican ticket to represent Columbiana county in the lower House of the Ohio Sixty first General Assembly, and as a member of this body he distinguished himself as an effective debater and as an advocate of important reform measures. Ile was ap- pointed as a member of the Committees on Insurance and Public Printing, and has the reputation of an effective legis- lator. In 1871 he purchased the Independent Register, of Columbiana, which he has since edited and published. This is a weekly paper with a deservedly high name, and is in thriving circumstances. It represents the Republican party in that county, but deals with party issues in an inde- pendent manner. General Holloway is an earnest advocate of the temperance cause, and an active worker in favor of popular education, using every endeavor and lending all his influence to the improvement of the system. He is in every respect a self made and self-educated man. His grand- parents were prominent members of the Society of Friends. Hle was married to Margaret Windel, of Columbiana county, and five children has been the result of that marriage, four of whom are now living, three sons and one daughter. General Holloway was re-elected on the Republican ticket to represent his county in the Sixty-second General As- sembly.
ODDS, HON. OZRO J., Lawyer, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, March 224, 18to. Ile is of Scotch Irish extraction. His father, William B. Dodds, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was formerly a prominent safe manufacturer, but is now at the head of one of the savings banks of Cincinnati, Ohio. Ilis earlier education was received in the common schools of his native city, and he graduated at the Hughes High School in 1858. In the same year he entered the freshman class at Wabash College, in Indiana,
NTHONY, JOHN, was born in Cincinnati on the ISth of November, 1828. Ile is of French de- scent, his father having been a native of Paris, Ilis boyhood was passed amid poverty and hard work, and he is, in the most literal sense of the term, a self-made man. His educational advan- tages were of the most limited description, and in all his life he never went to school six months, taken all together. But this want of school advantages was not sufficient to keep from him all learning. He was a close and industri- ous reader and a keen observer, and these characteristics more than counterbalanced the absence. of scholarly re- sources. At the early age of eleven years he was compelled to rely upon himself for support, and he proved equal to the emergency. Ile became an assistant in a Cincinnati brick- yard, and this position furnished him occupation and sup- port for five years. Then he became a teamster and dray- man, and worked hard in this calling until the year 1857. In that year he was appointed a member of the police force under Mayor Thomas, He served on the force under
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Mayor Thomas for about a year, and was reappointed to the position when Mayor Bishop commenced his adminis- tration. After serving about eight months under Mayor Bishop he resigned his position to enter upon the duties of Constable in the Fifteenth Ward. For the eight succeeding years he continued to fill the position of Constable, and at the end of that time he was appointed by Mayor Wilstach to the position of Lieutenant of Police. He served as Lieu- tenant for two years and then resigned his position. He had been elected Magistrate in 1869, and entered upon the duties of his new position. This office he has continued to hold ever since, having been re-elected at the expiration of each term. In politics he i, a Republican, his first vote for President having been cast for General John C. Fremont. An idea of his popularity may be gained from the fact that he was the only Republican elected in Hamilton county in IS74. He was married, on the 18th of September, 1850, to Martha O. Frost, a native of Pennsylvania, and a family of five children has gathered about them.
OGAN, PATRICK J., Manufacturer and Member of Council, was born in Ireland on the 7th of March, 1838. Being the favorite of his grand- parents he was carly taken under their care and sent to school. This was a Catholic school, and , such as the church could then afford, his grand- parents taking the not very.advanced view, entertained by many even now, that only such learning as could be ob- tained in the schools of the church would be of any use in the world. At the age of eight, in 1846, he came with these good old people to America. They located in New York city, but in 1848 they found it to their advantage lo move to Cincinnati. Here, at the age of thirteen, young Hogan left home and started life for himself in a saw factory. This rare trade he soon learned, and at the age of sixteen became foreman of the shop. After remaining five years in this factory he concluded to travel, according to the custom in Europe, and perfect his knowledge of his trade by work- ing in various towns. This he did, working in different cities until the breaking out of the rebellion. But in the meantime he was married to Catherine Connell. The war now commencing, he was the first to answer the call of his adopted country, and entered the Ist Kentucky Regiment as a private soldier. After carrying a musket nearly two years, he left the army and joined the Quartermaster's de- partment of the army. In this and other positions he served until late in the year 1864, when he left the army and estab- lished a manufactory for the manufacture of saws in Cincin- nati. This establishment now exists under the firm-name of Ilogan & Louden. From the time of starting the success of this house has been unparalleled in the history of manu- facturing, having an unbroken record of growth and pros- perity; few manufactories in the city being able to present
such a history of success from the beginning. This house has invented, perfected aud patented some valuable machin- cry in connection with the manufacture of saws. Some of these inventions are in the name of Mr. Hogan, Many of these, from which they have secured patents from the gov- ernment, lie unused in their hands, business necessities pre- venting their introducing them to the country. Ahuost the entire attention of this establishment is directed to the manu- facture of the larger kind of saws, power, scroll, cross-cut, and the vast variety of circular saws ; this being now one of the two establishments in Cincinnati engaged exclusively in the manufacture and introduction to the trade of their own saws. After the war Mr. Hogan became actively con- cerned in the politics of his ward ; being a man of extremely social and affable manners, and withal of fine personal ap- pearance, he soon became very popular, the result of which was his election to the Council in 1872; with increas- ing favor he was again elected to the same body in 1874. Ile now finds himself in great demand in his party, and de- servedly popular. Mr. Hogan is a gentleman of great natural ability, and although bis literary attainments were not of the highest character, yet his contact with the busi- ness world and his characteristic command of words gave him great force in a political body. Mr. Ilogan has already shown his faculty of success in politics as well as business. Ile is now barely in the prime of life, with a vast store of mental and physical force, which should give him a long life and useful career.
ECKETT, WILLIAM, Lawyer and Paper Manu- facturer, son of Robert and Mary Crawford Beckett, was born in Butler county, Ohio, on the 17th of March, 1821. After obtaining the rudiments of education and fitting himself for college, he cutered the Miami University, in his native county. He graduated here in the class of 1844, winning the degree of A. B. After leaving college he studied law with Hon. John Woods, of Hamilton, and was admitted to the bar in the year 1846. He commenced the practice of his profession in Butler county, but very soon re- linquished the idea of a career at the bar and embarked in the extensive manufacture of paper, which he has ever since continued. Ile possessed ample means, and was charac- terized by great executive ability, and aside from his regular manufacturing business he has engaged, from time to time, in various other branches of business enterprise. Ilis real estate operations have been on a very extensive scale ; and he has made directly from his own property, or been largely interested, as a financial speculation, in no less than sixteen additions to the city of Hamilton, besides being interested in similar enterprises, no less important, in other sections. For fifteen years he has been a Director of the Cincinnati & Dayton Railroad Company, and was one of the chief stock- holders, as well as one of the original projectors, of the
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