USA > Ohio > The biographical cyclopaedia and portrait gallery with an historical sketch of the state of Ohio. Volume III > Part 40
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74
715
BIOGRAPHICAL CYCLOPÆDIA AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
the first Legislature after the State was reconstructed a com- mittee of leading men from that body waited upon Judge Hoge and asked him to allow his name to used as a can- didate for associate justice of the Supreme Court of the State; to which he consented, and he was elected by a large majority vote in the Legislature. He had not served in this high capacity long before he was selected by his party (the Republican) as a candidate for Congress, and was elected to the Forty-first Congress from the old Columbia district, which John C. Calhoun had years before represented in that body. He served on Committee on Military Affairs, and took a prom- inent part in the debates of the body. At the close of his Congressional term in 1870 he returned to Columbia and en- gaged in the practice of the law. For the two succeeding years he had a very extensive and lucrative practice. In 1872 Judge Hoge was nominated by the Republican State Con- vention of South Carolina as comptroller-general, and was elected by the unprecedented majority of 44,000, which ex- ceeded that received by the head of the ticket by over 12,000 votes. In this responsible trust he served the State for four years. During the third year he held this office he was again nominated for Congress, and after a thorough canvass of the district he was elected to the Forty-fourth Congress by more than 3,000 majority over his opponent, General McGowan, one of the ablest lawyers in that State, and at present judge of the Supreme Court of South Carolina. Upon the organization of the Forty-fourth Congress Judge Hoge was appointed a member of the Committee on Patents and Committee on Railroads and Canals. He was a mem- ber of a sub-committee for the revision of the patent laws, whose report was afterwards adopted by Congress. Judge Hoge took a distinguished part in the discussion which arose from the Hayes and Tilden controversy, and advocated the appointment of the commission which finally settled the presidential succession. In 1876 Judge Hoge was again urged for re-election, but he went before the Congressional Convention and withdrew his name as a candidate. In Oc- tober, 1877, he came to his old home, Kenton, Ohio, and engaged in the practice of his profession, which he continued until 1881, when, in company with other leading business men of Kenton, he organized the First National Bank of that place. He was first made vice-president, but shortly after was elected by the board of directors as president, which position he now holds. Through his wise management the bank is enjoying a prosperous career, and pays hand- some dividends, having already accumulated a large surplus. Judge Hoge was married June 7th, 1860, to Miss Mary M. Runkle, daughter of William Runkle, of Champaign County, Ohio, and niece of Judge Runkle, of West Liberty. Three children have been born of the marriage,-Mary Frances, born April 16th, 1861, at Kenton ; Geraldine V., born March 15th, 1866, in Alabama ; and Hamilton E., born February Ioth, 1868, at Charleston, South Carolina.
WEBSTER, FRED, lawyer, of London, was born March 31st, 1853, in Carlisle Township, Lorain County, Ohio. He is related to Noah Webster, the lexicographer, and is a descendant in the fourth degree of John Web- ster, a native of Warwickshire, England, who was among the first settlers of Hartford, Connecticut, and was a magis- trate and a member of the Colonial Council from its forma- tion in 1639, serving as such and as Governor of Connecticut until 1659. Stephen, one of the sons of Governor Webster,
married Ann McCloud May 9th, 1765. They had six sons and two daughters. William Webster, Sen., was the fourth son of Stephen, and grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He was born in West Hartford, Connecticut, October 20th, 1778. He was married to Miss Abigail Johnson, a native of that State, in Berlin, Connecticut, August 25th, 1800. Eight children were the result of this union, five girls and three boys. All are still living (1884) excepting one daugh- ter, who died at the age of sixty-three. The youngest is the Rev. Henry L. Webster, of Oak Park, Illinois, who is sixty years of age, and a clergyman of some celebrity. He is the author of the poem "Lorena," which has been set to music and sung in nearly every household in the land. The grandparents of our subject removed to New York State soon after their marriage, and located in Florence, where William Webster, Jr., was born, February 20th, 1809. Nine- teen years later the family removed to Ohio, locating in Car- lisle Township, Lorain County. William Webster, Jr., the father of our subject, was here married, October 27th, 1831, to Miss Catherine Phillips, a native of Ithaca, New York. She was a sister of Jerry Phillips, of Belvidere, Illinois, who is an able and successful dentist, and of William Phillips, a justice of the peace of Eaton Township, Lorain County, Ohio. Several years after his marriage William Webster purchased a tract of woodland on the banks of the east branch of Black River, in Carlisle Township, where the C. T. V. & W. R. R. now crosses that stream. Here he made a permanent home, and raised a family of six children-five sons and one daughter, Cordelia, who married Dr. L. C. Kelsey, an able dental practitioner, of Elyria, Ohio. Mr. Webster recently disposed of his farm and now resides in Elyria. The mother of our subject died September 23d, 1868. She was possessed of rare beauty of character and of deep religious convictions. She well fulfilled her trust, and lived to see all but two of her children settled in life. Four of the sons made choice of the legal profession, and, after having undergone a thorough preparatory course of training, they at once entered upon the study of the law. The eldest of the sons, Dan., began practice in the State of Wisconsin, and met with great suc- cess. He was a judge at the breaking out of the Rebellion, which position he vacated to assume the captaincy of a cav- alry company, with which he served throughout the war. The second son, Edward, relinquished a lucrative practice to take command of an infantry company, serving during the war. Fred Webster, the subject of our sketch, passed his early life on his father's farm, amid the struggles incident to a farmer's life. He was endowed with great energy and am- bition, and his surroundings tended to develop his natural resources, both mental and physical. His time, when not occupied in manual labor, was devoted to study and literary work. To his early habits and circumstances may be attrib- uted his subsequent success in life. Appreciating the impor- tance of an education, he began his studies in the union schools of Elyria in 1868, where he continued for four years, making rapid progress, which enabled liim to matriculate as a student in Oberlin College. Here he pursued the Scientific Course, and qualified himself for the study of the law. He was admitted to the bar in 1878. Mr. Webster, in the early part of his life, was a frequent correspondent of the leading newspapers, acquiring thereby a fondness for journalism. During his collegiate course he assumed editorial control of the Oberlin Weekly News, a paper of some note in the county. Under his management its circulation and influence
716
BIOGRAPHICAL CYCLOPÆDIA AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
largely increased. Having decided views on the question of Temperance and other leading topics of the times, and being fearless in the expression of the same, he wielded a great influence for good. Soon after his admission to the bar he formed a partnership with his brother, 1. A. Webster, which enabled them to establish an office at Elyria, the county seat. I. A. Webster spent most of his time in Elyria, and Fred had charge of the Oberlin office. Here they soon secured a good practice; and Fred continued there with grow- ing popularity until the fall of 1882, when, with a view of finding a location in a county seat, and desiring a wider field for the exercise of his abilities, he dissolved his part- nership relations with his brother and removed to London, where he entered at once into an active practice. In the midst of his business cares he has always found time to devote to the higher objects in life. During the ten years of his residence in Oberlin he manifested great interest in Sunday-school, Temperance, and Church work. He was an officer in each of the above organizations, discharging his du- ties with credit to himself and satisfaction to all. He and his wife were identified with the First Congregational Church of Oberlin. During three years prior to his departure from Ober- lin Mr. Webster served as treasurer of the Church and mem- ber of the board of trustees. On their removal to London Mr. and Mrs. Webster united with the First Presbyterian Church, Mr. Webster being subsequently ordained a ruling elder of the same. In politics he is a Republican. He was married, June 26th, 1879, to Miss Josephine Hortense Farrar, of Lon- don. One child, Mary Hortense, has been the issue of this union. Mrs. Webster is of English descent. Her paternal grandfather, Jonathan Farrar, was born in Yorkshire, England, in August, 1790. His wife was Mary Kilby, a native of that place. He emigrated to America in 1820, locating near Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and from thence to Ohio, where he died at London, July 22d, 1874, aged eighty-four years. Dur- ing his lifetime he dealt largely in imported stock, and made one trip to Europe and brought a cargo to America. His son John Farrar, father of Mrs. Webster, was born in Oak Run Township, Madison County, Ohio, April 4th, 1830. He married Sarah Holway, a native of Devonshire, England, she having come to this country to receive her education at Oberlin College. Her parents afterward came to America, and are now living at Oberlin. John Farrar early engaged in the business of dealing heavily in live stock, for which Madison County is noted. He met with great success in this, and purchased two large farms near London. Selling one of these, he suggested and matured the plan of estab- lishing the Central Bank of London, in which he was as- sisted by his brother William, and of which he was president and director at the time of his death, in 1878. Mrs. Webster was their oldest child, and was born near London, April 22d, 1856. Mr. Webster found in London and the rich farming district surrounding a good field for the practice of the law. Entering upon it at the opening of the year 1883, and meet- ing with success, he soon found that his largely increased practice required the assistance of a partner. Accordingly, in June, 1883, he admitted to a partnership his brother-in- law, N. B. Porter, a graduate of Dartmouth College and of the Cincinnati Law-school. Mr. Webster has prompt busi- ness habits, and has few peers in regard to the uniformity and assiduity with which he attends to all matters intrusted to him. In speaking, he is ready and earnest, with a fluency which enables him to command the attention of his hearers.
Highly esteemed by his fellow-citizens, enjoying their fullest confidence, and having achieved success by his exertions, he fitly illustrates what can be accomplished by earnest en- deavor. The motto of his class, '77 O. C., was "Labor omnia vincit," and liis pronounced success may be attributed to his constant application and devotion to the following sentiment:
"Labor is life! 't is the still water faileth; Idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth ; Keep the watch wound, or the dark rust assaileth; Flowers droop and die in the stillness of noon. Labor is glory! the flying cloud lightens; Only the waving wing changes and brightens, Idle hearts only the dark future frightens, Play the sweet keys wouldst thou keep them in tune."
In personal appearance Mr. Webster is prepossessing. Being very tall and well proportioned, he seems the picture of manly vigor. His personal character is untarnished and above suspicion, with religious convictions from childhood. He entered the Church, and for years has been an efficient office-bearer, both in it and the Sabbath-school. Possessing social qualities of a superior rank, he is pleasant and affable to all, and leads in society not so much by the apparent power of will as by persuasion. Punctually prompt in all his business relations, free from every questionable habit, and of undoubted honesty and integrity, he is esteemed by all who know him.
PLATT, EDWARD F., Baptist minister, was born at Schroon Lake, Essex county, New York, December 16th, 1821, and died November 21st, 1873, at Toledo, Ohio. He was the son of Daniel Platt, a man prominent in the affairs of the town. Early in life he determined that the ministry should be his call- ing; and after suffering privations, and overcoming many ob- stacles, he triumphed in his purpose. He was baptized at the age of fourteen, and delivered his first sermon at Lansingburg, New York, where he finished his theological education. He commenced preaching in Cairo, New York, in 1845, not as a pastor of a church, but to aid a small band of Christians, who benefited greatly by his ministrations and encouragement. In that year he assumed a pastoral charge at Catskill, New York, and soon gave evidence of his fitness for his holy work in the increased membership and influence of his church. Six years of unremitting and unselfish labor in this place broke down his health, and compelled him to relinquish preaching for many months. Under an appointment of the A. B. Home Missionary Society he went West in 1853, leaving behind him at Catskill a powerful working Christian congre- gation as the result of his exhausting efforts. Arriving in Toledo, he immediately made preparations for a church or- ganization, but found only seven persons ready to cooperate with him. After two years of sore discouragements and trials, his extraordinary perseverance and hopeful, cheerful work resulted in the opening of the long-desired sanctuary, the First Baptist Church, the honor of founding which rightly be- longed to him. The membership steadily increased to two hundred and fifty in number, the Sunday-school to two hun- dred pupils, while the christianizing influence of his church was soon felt over a large section of country surrounding To- ledo, along the railroad lines and upon the lakes. Consider- ing that others besides his immediate flock needed spiritual help and encouragement, 'he remembered the poor and desti- tute beyond the limits of his parish, and, by personal efforts and through friends, he accomplished such important work that his name was widely known throughout the northwestern
C.J. POD
-
-
Les AV Davis
717
BIOGRAPHICAL CYCLOPEDIA AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
country. He felt, from the first, a deep interest in the moral and religious welfare of Toledo; and though he was free from narrow sectarian feeling, he determined that, with God's help the church which he had founded should grow and prosper, at least in relative proportion with the material growth and prosperity of the city. He was also specially active and in- fluential in the establishment of another church on the East Side, his executive ability and comprehensive sympathy prov- ing of great aid in the ultimate success of the undertaking. For many years a valuable member of the board of educa- tion, he was deeply interested in the cause of popular educa- tion, more especially in giving practical instruction to the teachers, by whom he was much beloved. He was also one of the board of managers, and subsequently secretary, of the Lucas County Bible Society, and was ever prominent and ac- tive in its interests. The Maumee and many other Baptist associations relied upon him for aid and cooperation in their efforts +^ obtain the privileges of christian and church fellow- ship, and never called upon him in vain. His capacity for work seemed unlimited ; and he was so widely known and universally revered that, at his death, many religious Baptist associations in the State, besides many out of it, together with all the organizations with which he had been connected, paid tribute to his memory in the passage of resolutions and the holding of memorial services, attesting the deep love and reverence his great labors and personal qualities had com- manded. During the war of Secession he took a decided stand in favor of the government, and probably no minister. in any denomination, labored harder for the success of the Union cause. His letters to the soldiers in the field were such as only a patriot, who adores his Maker and his country, could write, while his efforts at home were alike unceasing. He was a good minister of Jesus Christ, faithfully preaching the gospel and exemplifying it in his daily life. His rare na- tural and spiritual endowments were more effective by liberal education and generous culture, pleasing address and gentle- manly manner-all so charmingly combined and directed, so beautifully and fitly worn, so full of courtesy, of kindness and of Christian good will, that he not only secured for him- self the highest personal esteem, but commanded the pro- foundest respect for his work's sake and his Master's. He was so thorough a Christian, with a heart so full of love and charity for all, that he had none but the warmest friends, in every other denomination as well as in his own. In what es- teem he was held, and how severely his loss was felt by the Baptist association, is expressed in a letter to his Toledo con- gregation by a prominent layman. He says : "You feel his loss in Toledo, and your bereavement must be very great ; but you do not know how it will be felt throughout the whole associa- tion. He was the leading spirit in everything connected with the interest of the church. We all looked up to him with af- fection and reverence ; and in our weakness, loneliness and irresolution, it almost seemed that in his death we had lost all but our hope in Christ." A citizen of Cleveland, a lay Baptist preacher of influence and high character, who, during Mr. Platt's entire residence in Toledo, valued him as a most cherished friend, thus speaks of him : " Mr. Platt's strength was in his character. He left upon all who knew him the abiding conviction that he was every inch a man. Never ob- trusive ; never rash ; he yet was never timid, nor vacillating. Wise to forecast measures, he was calm, self-reliant, and per- severing in their execution. Fertile in expedients to enlist aid from others in his noble efforts, such aid- ever joyfully
rendered - was always animated by his steady courage and hopefulness. He so impressed others with his innate noble- ness, that those who cooperated with him felt ennobled in furthering enterprises which he commended and maintained. There was in him a rare union in beautiful harmony of power and susceptibility. The call of duty would summon to sus- tained activity his every energy ; yet, in the midst of his most tense exertion, you never lost the impression, in his presence, of the rich loveableness of his nature. The manly and in- tellectual in him were ever so finely blended with the emo- tional, that while you could not withhold admiration, you would not withhold love. No beauty in the world without, and no truthfulness or excellence in the world within, failed to awaken in him the response of a refined and exalted en- thusiasm. Strangers may think this exaggeration ; but the friends who knew him, and who cherish his memory, will feel it to be but the just expression of their love." He was married twice: first to Martha A. Moore, daughter of Rev. W. W. Moore, of Lansingburg, New York; and, secondly, Decem- ber 25th, 1860, to Agnes E. Barney, daughter of E. E. Bar- ney, Esq., of Dayton, Ohio. His only child was a daughter aged three years at the date of his death. Closely associated with and ever rendering material aid to him, were his younger brothers, Harvey P. and Edwin S. Platt, lawyers, both prom- inent men of Toledo. These worked harmoniously and in- dustriously together in their -various undertakings, and were generally named in the community as the " Platt Brothers," -a combination of energy, talent and reputation productive of much permanent good. Major E. S. Platt served with dis- tinction in the war of the rebellion, and subsequently removed to Denver, Colorado, to engage in mining operations.
DAVIS, GEORGE W., president of Second National Bank, of Toledo, Ohio, was born near Bellows Falls, Ver- mont, August 17th, 1821. His parents were Hiram and Eliza (Wheeler) Davis, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of New Hampshire. Born and reared in a State so famous for sturdiness and resolution in her people, young Davis early developed a spirit of determination and self-re- liance. Having completed his studies at the age of sixteen at an academy in the State of New York, he sought the metropolis as the place in which to begin his active career. He at once engaged himself as clerk in a dry-goods house, where he remained for the four succeeding years. By this time he had gained a valuable knowledge of the business, and concluded to establish himself in the trade, which he did in 1844 at Lockport, New York. Here he remained ten years in successful business pursuits, having in that time ac- cumulated capital enough to branch out into larger enter- prises. Having contracted with the Wabash Railroad Com- pany, of which his brother-in-law, the late Warren Colburn, was then chief engineer and vice-president, for the construc- tion of their road from Toledo to Logansport, Indiana, Mr. Davis removed with his family to Toledo in 1854, and with characteristic energy began the task of construction, a field of enterprise then entirely new to him, though for which his executive ability and powers of adaptability proved him highly qualified. At the end of six years he had fulfilled his contract to the entire satisfaction of the company ; and the best evidence of his good management and sagacity is that, after meeting all obligations, he found himself in possession of a handsome fortune, while many contractors failed even to meet the claims of their creditors. In 1861,
718
BIOGRAPHICAL CYCLOPEDIA AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
Mr. Davis established the Marine State Bank, of Toledo, and became its president ; and in 1864 he also established the Second National Bank, of which he was also made pres- ident, though the following year the Marine Bank was merged into the Second National, of which Mr. Davis has bcen uninterruptedly president for the twenty years of its ex- istence. The history of this bank is one of uniform success; having passed all panics unscathed, it has always paid good dividends, and to-day, with a capital of $350,000, has a sur- plus of $225,000. Mr. Davis is recognized as a financier of great shrewdness, and, with an experience of nearly a quarter of a century at the head of banking institutions, he occupies a place among the leading bankers of the State. Aside from his banking interests, he has been for many years identified with many of the leading enterprises in and about Toledo, and but few citizens of that place have been equally zealous and active in their efforts to enhance her growth and give her name and character among the leading commercial cit- ies of the country. He was one of the original projectors of the Canada Southern, now Michigan Central, Railroad, and has been a director of the same ever since the organization of the company. He has also been for several years direc- tor of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad. Mr. Davis was one of the incorporators of the Toledo and Wabash El- evator Company, of Toledo, with a capital of $1,200,000, in which he is director and one of the executive committee. In 1861, he became one of the lessees of the canal system of Ohio, which interest he retained with profit for a period of seventeen years. Years ago he was largely interested in insurance companies, and was for several years president of the Home Insurance Company. In the organization of the Tri-State Fair Association, of Toledo, Mr. Davis took a prominent part, and has been for several years treasurer of the same. Among the municipal offices of trust and re- sponsibility which he holds might be mentioned that of pres- ident of the board of Toledo Sinking Fund Trustees, and one of the three trustees of the city water works. He was one of the founders of the North-western Medical College, of Toledo, and is at present its treasurer and one of its direc- tors. He is likewise a director of the Industrial Art School, and was several years a director of the Orphans' Home, in Toledo. His hand is ever seen in all important public meas- ures calculated for the general good, and his influence and means have done much in shaping the destiny of his adopted city. Under the head of " Men You Know" one of the lead- ing papers of Toledo gives the following : "Tolcdo has few citizens who are better known than George W. Davis, presi- dent of the Second National Bank. Mr. Davis is close up to six feet in height, of the withy style of structure, light hair, and a Roman face. He is a man who would at once be recognized by a stranger as possessing brain culture and business energy and integrity. There is much of the Bos- tonian element in the character of Mr. Davis, and to many he has the appearance of one difficult to approach, not pos- sessing the manners of Western people, who care little or nothing for polish or conventionalities. Mr. Davis is not only well informed upon questions of finance and trade, but is an extensive reader of the best literature of the times, is fluent and forcible as a talker and speaker, reaches conclu- sions quickly and correctly, and is regarded as one of our most capable business men, as is evidenced by the fact that he has held the presidency of one of our leading banks for many years. He is public-spirited, always willing to help
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.