USA > Ohio > The Biographical encyclopedia of Ohio of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2 > Part 27
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Your committee, appointed to draft a minute upon the death of Jacob Graff, respectfully submit the following as their report : Jacob Graff, Esq., whose recent death we are called upon to mourn, was one of the oldest and most highly respectable members of this body, and in his earlier days one of its most active and influential members. Years ago, when the Chamber of Commerce was comparatively weak in numbers, he was always present, taking an active part in promoting its growth and usefulness in the business com- munity ; but of late years he was seldom seen upon the floor . of the Chamber, but retained his membership and his interest
in the association. No man in this community was more generally known, and wherever known more highly respected than Mr. Graff. His uprightness and strict integrity, his un- assuming and consistent Christian character, seemed him the confidence of all who knew bim. He was frank and genial in manner, affable and courteous to all, and fair and honor- able in all his dealings; and in his death the Chamber loses one of its most estimable and worthy members, and the chy of Cincinnati one of its most useful citizens. To the wite of the deceased, who mourns the loss of her companion of nearly fifty years, to the children and grandchildren, we tender our most sincere sympathy.
Signed, JACOB BURNET, JR., HUGH MCBIRNEY, RICHARD SMITH.
Ile was initiated into the Masonic order in 1840 in La- fayette Lodge, Cincinnati ; was exalted to Cincinnati Chap- ter, April 5th, 1843 ; was elected Scribe in 1845; King in 1846, holding the latter office two years; in 1848 he was chosen High Priest, and during the same year was elected by the Chapter Grand High Priest, serving in each capacity four years. He received all the degrees in Masonry to the thirty-second degree, and he served for two years as Presi- dent of the Masonie Octroi Association of Ohio. Ile also served one year in the commandery as Prelate; one year as Generalissimo, and one year as Captain-General. lle was a consistent Christian, having been a member of the Second Presbyterian Church for many years. Ilis conver- sion was no doubt attributable to the influence of his wife, who has been almost a life-long Christian, and now rejoices in the hope of being reunited with him in an eternal home. lle was married, April 17th, 1827, to Mary A., daughter of John MeKnight, of Reading, Pennsylvania. Ile died November 30th, 1875; he was the father of seven children, of whom three are now living, two sons and one daughter. Ilis son, Dr. M. B. Graff, and a grandson, John McKnight Sears, have succeeded him in his business, which they con- tinue in the same place where he passed so many years of his life.
OORE, WILLIAM E., D. D., Pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio, was born in Strasburg, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, April Ist, 1823. At the completion of his course of studies in Yale College, he graduated from that institution in 1847. Later he entered upon the study of theology, and taught in the academy at Fairfield, Connecticut, and in April, 1850, was licensed by the Pres- bytery of Wilmington. In the following October he was ordained and installed pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, West Chester, Pennsylvania, by the Third Presby- tery of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In this field of Chris- tian labors he was engaged until 1872, when he became pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church of Columbus, Ohio, where he is still in charge. Ilis grandfather was an officer in the revolutionary war. His father, Dr. Jacob
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Moore, was a captain of cavalry in the war of 1812-15. He himself served as Lieutenant of Artillery in the Pennsylva- nia militia during the Gettysburg campaign, in 1863. Ile was married, September 19th, 1850, to Harriet F. Foot, daughter of Rev. George Foot, pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Newark, Delaware.
EIGS, HON. RETURN JONATIIAN, was born in Middlebury, Connecticut, in 1765. He gradu- ated at Yale, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in his native town. Not long after he de- parted for the wilderness of the West, becoming one of the pioneers of the old town of Marietta. In 1802 he was elected a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ohio, but resigned the next year to accept a military ap- pointment from President Jefferson. He was given the command of the United States troops and militia in the northern district of Louisiana. Soon after he was appointed a Judge in the Territory named above. In 1807 he was ap- pointed a Judge for the then Territory of Michigan, but re- signed the same year, and became a candidate for Goyer- nor of Ohio. Ile was elected by a decided vote, but was debarred from taking his seat through not having resided in the State continuously for four years previous to his can- didacy. The Legislature of 1807-8 sent him to the United States Senate, where he served with credit. In 1810 he was again elected Governor, and during the second war with Great Britain was prompt and active in all measures pertaining to the public safety. In 1814 he resigned the Governorship to become Postmaster-General of the United States, in which position he served with distinguished ability under Presidents Madison and Monroe. He retired from the office in 1823, and died at Marietta, March 29th, 1825. In mind and personal appearance he was a states- man of the old school. He was tall and erect in figure, with a shapely head and aquiline nose, and had altogether a very fine presence.
HERWOOD, ISAAC R., cx-Secretary of State, ex-Member of Congress, Journalist, and Lawyer, was born, August 15th, 1835. Ile received his preliminary education at the Hudson River In- stitute, Claverack, New York, subsequently enter- ing Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio. From Antioch he went to the Western Law School, at Cleveland, where he applied himself assiduously to the study of law. Having a taste for journalism, he located at Bryan, Williams county, Ohio, in 1857, where he established the Williams County Gazette, a Radical Republican news- paper. He soon showed himself a writer of force, and was brought into prominent notice. In 1859 he was elected Probate Judge of Williams county, which office he filled
creditably until he resigned to defend his country. He was one of the first to respond to the call to arms. On the ISth of April, 1861, he enlisted as a private in 14th Regi- ment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In this capacity he served four months in West Virginia, taking part in the fights of Lanrel Mountain, Cheat River, and Carrick's Ford. He then received a Lieutenant's commission in the 11th Regi- ment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was appointed Adjutant of his regiment, and served in that position through the Buell campaign of 1862, in Kentucky. On the Ist of Feb- rnary, at the unanimous request of the field and line officers, he was commissioned Major of his regiment. He fought against John Morgan and bore a brave part in the East Tennessee campaign. He led the skirmishers of Burnside's army in the retreat from Huff's Ferry to Lenore. IIe com- manded his regiment at Huff's Ferry, siege of Knoxville, Campbell's Station, Blane's Cross Roads, Dandridge, Straw- berry Plains, Mossy Creek, and Loudon. On February 12th, 1864, he was made a Lieutenant-Colonel, and from that time until the close of the war he was in command of his regiment. After his promotion he was in the engage- ments at Rocky Face, Resaca, Burnt Hickory, Dallas, Pine Mountain, Lost Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Chatta- hoochie, Decatur, Peach Tree Creek, Utoy Creek, Atlanta, Lovejoy, Columbia, and Franklin. For gallantry in the latter engagement he was made a Brevet Brigadier-General. Ile was then transferred to the East, in time to go through the North Carolina campaign. IIe was in the two days' fighting at Nashville, and in the last charge, on the 16th of December, 1864, captured three stands of colors and a large number of prisoners. In the North Carolina campaign he did good service at Fort Anderson, Tom Creek, and Raleigh, being present at the final surrender at Durham's Station. At the close of the war, General Sherwood was assigned to duty as Commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau for the State of Florida, but he immediately resigned. He returned to Ohio, published the Toledo Commercial, sold out to Clark Waggoner in 1866, and accepted a position on the Cleveland Leader, remaining there until 1868, when he was elected Secretary of State, and filled the office for two successive terms. In 1872 he was sent to Congress from the Sixth Ohio District. While in Congress he was a mem- ber of the Committee on Railroads and Canals. At the end of his term he returned to practise Iaw at Bryan, Ohio.
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EARING, HON. PAUL, was born in Wareham, Plymouth county, Massachusetts, February 28th, 1762. Ilis parents were farmers, with no preten- sions to distinction. He graduated from college in 1785, and entered upon a course of legal study, being admitted to the bar in 1787. At this time the most important topic of conversation in New England was the great Ohio Land Company, just forming, and he
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decided to visit the scene of the proposed settlement. Ile arrived at his destination, June 16th, 1788. Ile was ad- mitted to the bar of the Northwest Territory the same year. In 1795 he was married to Cynthia Rouse, and had also become at this time one of the leading lawyers of the Terri- tory. In 1797 he was appointed Judge of Probate for Washington county. He was a member of the Legislature in ISoo, and was a delegate to Congress the following year. Ile was among the very first settlers of Ohio to engage in the raising of merino sheep, since become a great industry, and was one of the most successful growers in his section. lle held various civil offices after his term in Congress. Ile died August 21st, 1822, his wife dying the same day.
EWCOMB, ALEXANDER II., ex-Mayor of Toledo, was born, August 6th, 1824, in Waterloo, New York. In 1835 he removed with his parents to Toledo, Ohio, where he has since made his home. Ilis father, Eleazer Newcomb, was a sol- dier in the war of 1812, his grandfather was a soldier in the Revolution, and his great-grandfather, Captain Bayes Newcomb, fought in the French war of 1757. Ilis paternal ancestors came to this country from England, in about 1650, and were among the early settlers of New England. Ilis maternal grandfather, Walter Taylor, was a captain in the revolutionary army. In 1856 Mr. Newcomb lost his right hand by the premature discharge of a cannon, at a Whig mass-mecting. When the Whig party ceased to cxist, he naturally found a political home in the Republi- can party, to which he still belongs. He is a prominent and zealous Free Mason, having been made in Toledo Lodge in March, 1851. In December of 1854 he was elected Worshipful Master of his lodge, in which capacity he served for twelve years. For thirteen years he was Grind Lecturer for the Third Ohio District. In October of 1867 he was elected Grand Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, being re-elected in the following year. In October of 1869 he was elected Grand Master, and served as such for three consecutive terms. During Mr. New- comb's administration as Grand Master, the Earl De Grey and Ripon, Grand Master of England, visited Washington on business for his government. A banquet of unusual clegance was given by the Masonic fraternity to the Earl De Grey and Ripon, and at this Grand Master Newcomb was present by invitation. Mr. Newcomb is a member of Fort Meigs Chapter, Toledo Council, Royal and Select Masons, and of Toledo Commandery, No. 7, Knights Temp- lar. Ile was a Justice of the Peace from 1857 to 1860, when he was elected Mayor of Toledo, Mr. Newcomb has seen Toledo grow from a small village into a busy, thriving city of sixty thousand inhabitants-a growth in which he has borne a creditable part.
GARFIELD, GENERAL JAMES ABRAM, was born, November 19th, 1831, in Orange, Cuya- hoga county, Ohio. His father, Abram Garfield, belonged to an old Massachusetts family, while - his mother, Eliza ( Ballou) Garfield, was a rela- 3 tive of the celebrated Ilosea Ballou, and was from the State of New Hampshire. The father died in 1833, leaving a family of four children. He was one of the first settlers of the township of Orange. The widowed mother kept together her fatherless little ones, of whom James A. was the youngest. Hard manual labor fell to his lot at a tender age, for at fourteen he was working at car- pentering, and two years later had a few months experience as a boatman on the Ohio canal. But a love for study was inherent in his nature, and, like the lamented Lincoln, the severest physical labor could not restrain his desire to read the thoughts of great authors. The age of seventeen found him in the Geanga Seminary at Chester, Ohio, and a little later in the Eclectic Institute, then but recently established at Iliram. True to the experience of many of our public men, he was a teacher in the common schools long before he had completed his education. Ile taught for several terms, and was then made an assistant in the institution at Iliram. In 1854 he entered the senior class of Williams College, Massachusetts, and took at once high rank as a scholar. His quick discernment and application brought him to the favorable notice of the venerable President Hop- kins, and when he was graduated, in 1856, he carried off one of the highest honors of his class. In obtaining his education he was entirely dependent upon his own scanty resources. These, with some small loans (subsequently paid in full), placed him among the ranks of the nation's thinkers, Immediately after graduating, he entered upon the profession of a college tutor, being given the chair of Ancient Languages and Literature in the institution at Hiram. In the following year he was honored by an elec- tion as Principal. Thoroughly devoted to his work, he soon raised the already flourishing school to a much higher standard as an institution of learning, and extended its patronage far and wide. Previous to this time he had taken no part in politics. But he was naturally a politician in the broad sense of the term, and an era was dawning upon the country that was bound to claim his attention and the activities of his intellect. The Republican party had entered upon its first campaign with Fremont as its standard bearer. The spirit of its platform enlisted his warmest sympathies, and he followed it and shared in the sorrow of its defeat. In 1859 he was elected by that party a member of the Ohio Senate, and took his seat as the youngest mem- ber of that body, but soon earned a reputation as a legisla- tor of ability, industry, and usefulness. Before the close of his legislative labors, the slaveholders' rebellion broke out. lle soon entered the service of his country as a champion of the Union. Ile was chosen, in the autumn of 1861, Colonel of the 42d Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, largely
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recruited by himself. At its head he entered eastern Ken- | literature, his papers and addresses have a high degree of tucky in December of the same year, and was immediately assigned to the command of the 18th Brigade of the Army of the Ohio. As commander of this brigade be conducted a very successful winter campaign against a force of rebels under Humphrey Marshall. His battles were the first sig. nal successes of the Union forces in the West, and their ie- sult was the expulsion of the rebel forces from eastern Ken- tucky. The finne of his achievements spread through the country, and were commented upon in glowing terms by the newspapers of the day. Ilis personal bravery was con- spicuous on every field, and his services received prompt recognition by his promotion to the grade of Brigadier- General. lle now joined the army of General Buell. At the battle of Shiloh, and in the operations around Corinth, Decatur, and Huntsville, he commanded the 20th Brigade. In November, 1862, he was summoned to Washington, and sit as a member of the court-martial that tried General Fitz John Porter. In January, 1863, he was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, under command of Rosecrans, who at once made him Chief of Staff. Here he rendered distinguished services, and was the confidential adviser of the commander-in-chief. He was in all the engagements of that army in middle and southern Tennessee, and took a prominent part in the bloody battle of Chickamauga. For services in that engagement he received a Major-General's commission. Ilis military career now closed, for, on the 5th of December, 1863, he resigned to enter another field of duty. During his brief but eventful career as a soldier, he made a most brilliant record, and won his epaulettes by hard fighting in the saddle. He had been elected to Con- gress from the Nineteenth Ohio District, and took his seat immediately on leaving the army. The nation lost a sol- dier, but received a patriot into its councils. He has served in every Congress from that date to this, and with distin- guished success. He has served at the head of the most important committees of the House, and his voice has always commanded attention whenever an important meas- ure was under consideration. He introduced and carried through the bill creating the National Bureau of Education, and has since defended it against all assaults. His speeches on the country's finances alone have gained for him a high reputation as a student of national affairs. An exhaustive and able speech on currency and finance, made by him in 1868, at the request of the Secretary of the Treasury, and sent to our ministers abroad as a means of strengthening the publie credit, was so well received that he was elected an honorary member of the Colden Club of London, Charles Sumner being the only other member of Congress on its list. Congressional and military duties, however, have not claimed all his time and attention since his education was finished. In the spring of 1861, after a full course of study, he was admitted to practise in the Supreme Court of Ohio, and five years later he obtained the same standing in the Supreme Court of the United States. Also, in the field of
merit. Prominent among these we cite " The American Census," read before the Social Science Association ; his addresses on " College Education," and " The Future of the Republic," and his " Eulogy" on Major General George II. Thomas. As a public speaker, though not in every sense an orator, he is powerful and convincing. While a teacher at Iliram he occasionally filled the pulpit as a lay member of his chosen church, the Disciples, and was always a favorite with his hearers. This, no doubt, led to his being known during the war, more or less, as the " preacher- soldier." In society he is a general favorite, and very popular with both parties in his district. When the Re- publican party met at Waterloo in 1874, and when the suc- cesses of the Democrats were a problem even to themselves, he was one of the comparatively few Republicans re-elected to Congress; and it may be said that his private character had much to do with this, for whatever criticism may be passed upon his public life by political opponents, his social position is spotless and unsullied. Many efforts have been made to throw discredit upon his acts and motives in con- nection with certain measures before Congress, and these have been to some little extent successful, but only in a party sense. Always enjoying the unbounded confidence of the Republicans, he has succeeded in vindicating him- self in the minds of all but the most blindly partisan of his political opponents. Hle has met investigation and criti- cism fairly and squarely at every point, and passed the ordeal to the full satisfaction, at least, of his intelligent con- stituents, the great majority of whom have supported him as a politician, and not a few followed him to victory on the field of battle. In 1872 Williams College conferred upon him the honorary degree of L.L. D., as a recognition of his scholarly qualities. He was united in marriage in 1858 with Lucretia Rudolph, of Iliram; and the union has been, in every respect, a happy one.
CHILEICHI, GENERAL NEWTON, Lawyer and Soldier, was born, March 6th, 1828, in Fairfield county, Ohio, and is a son of John D. and Mary (Holderman) Schleich, His father was a native of Frederick county, Maryland, a carpenter by trade, and was also engaged in agricultural pur- suits ; his mother came from Chester county, Pennsylvania. General Schleich was educated at the Greenfield Academy, and after leaving school commenced the study of law with Governor Medill, and was admitted to the bar in 1850. He began the practice of his profession in connection with his preceptor, and continued with him a year. Ile then formed a legal copartnership with Ilon. Charles G. Martin, member of Congress, which terminated in 1861, since which time he has practised alone. Ile was elected a member of the Ohio Senate in 1858, on the Democratic
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ticket, and re-elected in 1860. Hle has been prominently ; In 1844 he was Presidential Elector on the Whig ticket, connected with the State militia for many years prior to 1861, having filled every office and rank from Orderly Ser. gaut to Brigadier General. On April 17th, 1861, he responded to President Lincoln's call, and commenced organizing troops for service. At that date he was Briga. dier-General of Militia; but on April 29th, 1861, he was commissioned Brigadier-General of Volunteers, and pro- ceeded at once to the field. Ile participated in the battle of Rich Mountain, in West Virginia, and was afterwards transferred to the Army of Virginia, commanded, at various times, by Major-Generals Fremont, Sigel, and Pope. He was present at the battles of Cedar Mountain, Freeman's Ford, and Second Bull Run. lle resigned from the ser- vice early in 1863, and resumed the practice of his profes- sion, which is a leading and lucrative one. He was married, July 24th, 1851, to Margaret llay, of Fairfield county-a cousin of John Ilay, the poet-and is the father of seven children, one son and six daughters.
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TORER, HION. BELLAMY, I.L.D., Lawyer, was born at Portland, Maine, March 26th, 1796. He prepared for college under the tutorship of Ed- ward Payson, D. D., and Ebenezer Adams, late Professor at Dartmouth College. Ile exhibited rare natural ability for learning, and was able to enter Bowdoin College at the age of thirteen, in August, 1809. But without graduating he entered upon the study of the law under the direction of Chief Justice Parker, in Boston. He was there admitted to the bar in 1817, and shortly afterwards removed to Cincinnati, was readmitted, and at once commenced the practice in that city. In recog- nition of his literary attainments, Bowdoin College, in 1821, conferred on him the degree of Master of Arts. He soon acquired a high rank in his profession, as well as among the active and public- spirited men of the city. Ile belonged to the Whig party, which had long been in the minority in his Congressional District. In 1834 he was selected as the candidate of his party, made the race, under the most ex- citing circumstances, against the friend of the administra- tion, General Robert T. Lytle, and was elected by a large majority to represent Cincinnati in Congress. Ilis career in Congress was noted for that same high integrity of pur- pose which had marked his professional and private life. Ilis vigorous and graceful eloquence won for him a distin- guished position among the public men of the time. Ilis effective support of General Harrison, who had long been his warm personal friend, did much toward the election of that gallant chief as President of the United States. After the expiration of his Congressional term he vigorously re- newed the practice of his profession in Cincinnati. Hle continued active in all matters of public interest, and fre- quently joined in political contests throughout the State.
and east his vote for Clay. The new Constitution, which for the first time required the election of judges by the people, having taken effect in 1852, he was without his knowledge put in nommation for the Supreme Bench by the Whig party, and although defeated, led his ticket by several thousand votes. In 1854 he was elected Judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati, holding the position until 1872-a period of eighteen years-at which time he re- signed. The act creating this court provided that the first judges elected should cast lots for their respective terms- three, four, and five years. O. M. Spencer and William Y. Gohlson were the colleagues, but the short term of three years fell to him. Ile was continually re-elected, and dur- ing this long "judicial career established a degree of profes- sional and personal popularity rarely attained by a lawyer. In 1855 he accepted a Professorship in the Cincinnati Law College, which position he filled honorably for many years, in addition to his other duties. In 1874 he was elected Emeritus Professor in that institution. Bowdoin and Ken- yon Colleges conferred on him the degree of LL. D., and for a time he was member of the Board of Trustees of Bow- doin. On retiring from the Superior Bench he resumed practice with his son, Bellamy Storer, Jr., who had been admitted to the bar in 1869 ; but in two or three years he retired from active work, and soon after, on June Ist, 1875, died.
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