USA > Ohio > The biographical cyclopaedia and portrait gallery with an historical sketch of the state of Ohio. Volume III > Part 62
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geometry, which he is accustomed to regard as the only true logic, and in which he is greatly proficient, he has kept himself constantly refreshed, maintaining a mathematical correspondence with the late Judge Josiah Scott until the death of that eminent jurist. But the rank which he rap- idly attained in his profession he attributes in a large de- gree to the character of the Bellefontaine bar, and of the eminent lawyers of the circuit, who were accustomed to at- tend its courts. Of the former were, the late Benjamin Stan- ton, unsurpassed in his powers of debate; C. W. B. Allison, distinguished for his strong sense and thorough knowledge of the books; and Mr. James Kernan, then rapidly coming to the front. Of the latter were, Colonel John H. James, and the Corwins, of Urbana; the courtly General Mason; General Charles Anthony; the brilliant William A. Rodgers, of Springfield; and the eminent Richard A. Harrison, now of Columbus. To encounter and cope with such adversa- ries was no ordinary undertaking, compelling the labor of exhaustive preparation, without which there is no excel- lence. In such a field his career was commenced. In his profession, Judge West occupies an enviable rank, both as a jurist and advocate. Characteristic of the former are, his readiness to distinguish governing principles, accuracy of judgment in their application, and terseness in their state- ment. Logical clearness and deliberation usually mark his presentation of legal propositions ; in his discussion of which, and their application to the case in hand, he is accustomed to state strongly the position of his adversary, and then com- bat it with reason or authority, as either may be required. Though gifted in a large degree with that which men call genius, he never relies upon, but discards it-thorough mas- tery of the subject, which comes from laborious thought and investigation, being, in his experience, the only sure vehicle of success. His rank as an advocate rests on his like hab- itual mastery of the subject in hand, which no genius can supply, and without which success is the accident of chance. First ascertaining the facts of his case, and the law govern- ing them, what are proper are presented, what are improper are withheld or combated. Possessing a remarkable mem- ory, he, without the aid of notes, classifies and reproduces in argument the material parts of the evidence with an accu- cacy which is at times the marvel of the court and bar. Though fluent of speech, his style is marked with clearness and simplicity. In manner, generally deliberate, logical rather than rhetorical, when aroused, or the subject demands, his argument rises to the occasion and sweeps onward as a resistless torrent. The political sentiments of Judge West were of the Whig school while that party existed; since its dissolution he has been identified with the Republican party, of which he was one of the founders. Always opposed to the institution of slavery, his earliest public efforts were in its condemnation as a moral and social incubus. When, therefore, it struck a blow at the Union, he promptly and heartily co-operated for its extermination. On all the great issues that have divided the political parties for thirty years, his convictions have been as strong as his courage has been active in asserting them. Esteeming the Constitution worth- less if the Nation were destroyed, he urged the preservation of the Nation, under the Constitution if possible ; outside of it if necessary, and its re-establishment afterwards. Regard- ing the revolt of the States as forfeiting their privileges under the Constitution, but not their obligation to obey its authority, he favored reconstruction through the process of State pupil-
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age. Deeming the gratitude of country due to those who risked their fortunes in its defense, second only in degree to that due to those who hazarded their lives, he favored maintaining the faith of the Nation untarnished. Holding real values to be the only basis of industrial and commercial prosperity, he was constant in his advocacy of specie resumption and a re- turn to those values. Convinced that it is the duty of nations, like individuals, to provide for the welfare of those of their own household, he has ever advocated the policy of encouraging the capital of the country to furnish employment, and the means of earning honest bread to dependent labor by a system of rational protection. Believing that government and law should be bulwarks of the weak against the oppres- sions of the strong, he has ever contended for suffrage in the hands of the weak, as the only means of security against such oppression. In the defense of these and kindred opinions, and in efforts to have them receive practical recognition, the public life-work of Judge West has been devoted with tongue and pen. As a writer, his style is clear, terse, and compact. As a public speaker, his oratory is of a high order. He has been called "the blind man eloquent;" yet his style is direct and simple rather than gorgeous or florid. Possessing a store of classic and historical learning, with which he some- times enriches his discourse, he generally indulges in plain- ness of illustration drawn from practical life. He believes that the public speaker should furnish his auditors matter for reflection and thought, rather than for the pleasure and amusement of the moment. He therefore rarely indulges in flights of empty rhetoric or meaningless declamation. The presentation of practical ideas and not impracticable theories is, in his opinion, the mission of the popular orator who dis- courses on public affairs. Regarding this as a government by the people, he, as one of them, and as all should, takes a lively interest in all questions which concern or affect the common welfare, in the discussion of which, for the material, moral, and social betterment of mankind, his oratory is chiefly employed. In his home relations, Judge West has been very happy. He has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Elizabeth Williams, of Lima, Ohio, born in Wales ; a lady of great excellence, of far more than com- mon mental powers, and of a most amiable disposition. She was an affectionate and devoted mother to her three sons, William A., John E., and Samuel A .; the two older of whom have chosen their father's profession, the youngest that of medicine. To them the memory of such a mother is a legacy and has been an inspiration. The Judge's pres- ent wife is the daughter of Mr. Abner Riddle, of Bellefon- taine, and was, at her marriage, the widow of Mr. Ira M. Gorton, formerly of Columbus, Ohio, and afterwards of Min- neapolis. Mrs. Clara G. West is a lady of culture and affability, and of great kindness of heart. She has been a true mother to the children of her predecessor, winning, by deserving it, their love and confidence. Her kindness goes out beyond her own family, and, under the auspices of the Board of State Charities, she devotes considerable attention to the penal and charitable institutions of the county, while she has a heart of sympathy for all the sorrowing.
BROWN, JAMES MONROE, merchant, manufacturer and capitalist, was born at North Bloomfield, Trumbull county, Ohio, April 2d, 1818, and died at his home in Mas- sillon, Ohio, October 28th, 1867. He was the son of Eph- raim Brown and Mary B. Huntington, natives of New
Hampshire. At a very early date his parents emigrated to Ohio, purchasing a township of land in Trumbull county, Here his father lived the life of one of the sturdy pioneers of his time. Simple in habits of life, honest in his every action, he was of that generation of noble men who gave to Ohio her early civilization and future development. Here he lived and died, and left the impress of his life upon future generations. He was among the earliest in the anti-slavery field, and his convictions upon this question were deeply felt and fearlessly expressed. He represented his county in the State legislature, and left the record of a wise legislator and faithful representative. Our subject, James Monroe Brown, had exceptional educational advantages. After a prepara- tory course in the common schools of his native place, he entered Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, and for a time applied to study in this institution. He then repaired to Utica, New York, and continued his studies there. Although not a graduate from any college, Mr. Brown was a man of superior practical education. This acquisition, added to his fine natural abilities, gave an advantage which placed him among the leaders in every department which he entered. His first start in the world was made in the house of his brothers, E. A. Brown & Bro., wholesale dealers in dry goods, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He readily gained a thor- ough insight in the business, and immediately returned to his old home at North Bloomfield, and embarked in a simi- lar establishment of his own. At this point he began to deal extensively in wool, and in both departments of his business was successful as possible with his limited facilities for ship- ping. As his business enlarged, the latter inconvenience became so great that in 1855 he closed out his business in Bloomfield, and going to Massillon, there entered the firm of Stitt & Brown, wool-dealers of Philadelphia, and con- ducted throughout the West the business of this firm. Dur- ing a long and successful business career, conducted with the enterprise which characterized every interest with which James Brown was connected, his acquaintance was extensive throughout the State. While he was eminently successful in business, he left a reputation unsullied by reproach. In 1863, owing to the failing health of Mr. Stitt, the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Brown immediately concluded an alliance with Edwin Bayliss, of Massillon, for the man- ufacture of mowers and reapers, under the style of Brown, Seiberling and Company, of Massillon. With this estab- lishment he was connected till his death, and the history of this firm is but a confirmation of his superior business capacity and integrity. Mr. Brown was a stockholder at the time of his death in the First National Bank of the same city. A man of most positive convictions on all public ques- tions, he was identified with the liberty party, and was always a strong and decided anti-slavery man. In the national con- vention at Buffalo, New York, which organized the free soil party and nominated Van Buren for President, in 1848, he took a leading part. In his later years, Mr. Brown was an adherent of the republican party, though then, as before, his political faith was one of principle rather than of men. Lib- eral in views but firm in 'convictions, the question of policy was not permitted to compromise his opinions. Mr. Brown married May 13th, 1844, Mary E., daughter of Samuel Hicks. a prominent manufacturer and capitalist of New Hartford, Oneida county, New York. From this union resulted five children, one of whom died before reaching years of matur- ity. Two sons, James E. and Huntington, are assistant-
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manager and assistant-superintendent, respectively, in the manufactory of Aultman & Taylor, of Mansfield. The third son, Hicks, is engaged in milling in the same city; and the only daughter, Mary B., is wife of Michael D, Harter, man- ager of the manufactory above mentioned. Systematic, enterprising, judicious in business, pure in morals, kind and generous in his intercourse with men, James Brown left behind the best of all legacies-the record of a man who had been useful as a citizen, competent in business, and respected by his community.
MANNING, HENRY, M. D., physician, was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, January 15th, 1787, and died at his residence in Youngstown, Ohio, January 11th, 1869. His father was a farmer, and his ancestors were among the earlier settlers of Massachusetts. His grandmother Manning, whose maiden name was Seabury, was a direct descendant of Gov- ernor Bradford. He attended, for a period, the Bacon Acad- emy at Colchester, Connecticut. When about twenty years of age he commenced studying medicine with Dr. Hutchinson, of Lebanon, and continued thus engaged two years. He studied another year with Dr. White, of Cherry Valley, New York. At the age of eighteen he taught school, and during the years in which he was studying medicine, occasionally returned to the profession of teaching, in which he was suc- cessful. He removed to Ohio in 1811, making the journey on horseback, and arrived in Youngstown. After Hull's sur- render, in August, 1812, the Ist regiment, 3d brigade, 4th division of Ohio militia, commanded by Colonel Rayen, went to the frontier. Our subject accompanied the regiment as surgeon on Colonel Rayen's staff. The regiment marched by way of Painesville to Cleveland, and camped about three- fourths of a mile south of the public square, on the east side of the river. Dr. Manning stayed there two weeks, and then, at General Perkins's request, went to Huron, where much sickness prevailed among the troops. He there found two surgeons, Dr. Peter Allen, of Kinsman, and Dr. Good- win, of Burton, both sick. The camp was on the east side of Huron river, near the present village of Milan. He re- mained there until some time in November. During his stay there, an incident occurred which he has thus related : "I was going one evening when it was quite dark, from the house of Judge Ruggles, where Dr. Allen lay sick, to camp, and got on the wrong road. I was riding one horse and leading another. I heard a crack. The led horse jumped and broke the girth of his saddle, and it fell off. The horses ran a short distance and I stopped them. I heard something step off, and thought it might be some animal. I went back, and by treading round found the saddle, turned the horses in the right direction, and soon got to camp. I did not tell my adventure then, for fear of being laughed at; but next morning I heard that several stacks of grain had been burned by the Indians in that neighborhood, and then concluded that an Indian had snapped his gun at me." He went from Huron to Lower Sandusky, now Fremont, in November, and stayed there until March, when he returned to Youngstown, reaching home on March 13th, 1813. By his unwearied at- tention and great kindness to the soldiers who required his services, and the skill he displayed in the treatment of their diseases, he gained the affection and confidence of the men of his regiment, a large share of whom were from Youngs- town and its vicinity. His reputation had preceded him, and on his return his practice, which he immediately commenced,
occupied his whole time. He continued in active practice until within a few years of his decease, when the infirmities of age, and other business avocations, induced him to with- draw from it in a great measure, although he was ever ready, when his health permitted, to aid by his counsel and personal attention, the sick who sought his assistance. In the fall of 1815, in company with Colonel Caleb B. Wick, he opened a drug-store, in which he held a one-half interest for some time. This was probably the first drug-store in that part of the Reserve, although most of the country stores, at that time, included in their miscellaneous assortment a few drugs. In 1819 he was elected a representative from Trumbull county, of which Youngstown was then a part, to the State legislature. He was elected State senator in 1824, and again a represent- ative in 1843. He was elected associate judge of the com- mon pleas in 1835, and served seven years. In 1854 he was elected president of the Mahoning county bank, and in 1862, on its organization, president of the First National bank of Youngstown, its successor, which office he held until 1866, when he declined a reelection, but still continued a director. He was three times married: His first wife Lucretia Kirtland, a daughter of Jared Kirtland, an early settler of Poland, Ohio, and whom he married in September, 1814, died July 13th, 1819. His second wife was Mary Bingham, of Ells- worth, Ohio, whom he married in June, 1821. She died in June, 1846. His third wife was Mrs. Caroline M. Ruggles, of Canfield, Ohio, whom he married in September, 1848. She died in May, 1862. Of his character as a business man of capacity and strict integrity, the many positions of responsi- bility and trust with which he was honored by his fellow-cit- izens is the best evidence. As a physician, he ranked with the first on the Reserve in point of professional ability and skill. Among his patients, he was regarded with affection as a true friend. As a citizen, he was public-spirited and ever ready to aid with his purse and influence, in projects of pub- lic improvement, and in the promotion of the general welfare. His sterling integrity and kindness of heart furnished an example worthy of emulation.
DENNIS, ROBERT B., of Cleveland, was born in July, 1819, in Waltham County, Connecticut, of Quaker par- ents, and died March 23d, 1884, at his late home, corner of Euclid and Harkness Avenues, after a brief illness, of erysipelas. His early education was obtained at a Friends' school in Providence, Rhode Island. When a young man he began the study of law at Brooklyn, Connecticut, but be- fore being admitted to the bar, in 1844, he came West, and took up his residence in Cleveland, entering the law office of Judge Horace Foote, as a student. He finished his studies, but for some reason decided not to follow his pro- fession. In 1845 he began the publication, on the West Side, of a paper called the Ohio American, one of the first anti-slavery advocates in the West. His newspaper venture was not financially successful, and after sinking all the money he had, he sold the American, which, after many changes, became the Cleveland Leader. In 1852 he turned his attention to educational matters, in which he always took a lively interest, by becoming a teacher in the old academy located on the site of the West High School building. From 1854 to 1858, when the Cleveland Board of Education was composed of but three members, Mr. Dennis was the mem- ber representing the West Side. In 1856 he gave up teach- ing and began the practice of law, in which he was success-
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ful. In 1860 he formed a law partnership with C. W. Pal- mer, Esq., under the firm name of Palmner & Dennis, con- tinuing that relation until 1870. In 1866-67 he served as City Solicitor, with credit. For two terms, from 1868 to 1871, he was one of the Representatives of Cuyahoga County in the General Assembly, and in 1870 was the candidate of the Republicans for Speaker of the House. A combination of Fusionists and Democrats against him resulted in his de- feat, but he was nevertheless complimented by an election as Speaker pro tem. It was during his services in the Leg- islature that the Fifteenth Amendment claimed public atten- tion, and Mr. Dennis was recognized as one of the most enthusiastic advocates of the measure. In recognition of his utterances on this subject, President Grant, in 1871, ap- pointed him an agent of the Treasury Department, with headquarters in England. In 1872, feeling the need of out- door work, he took charge of the land department of the Tuscarawas Valley Railroad, which he retained until the road was sold. He was one of the projectors of the Con- notton Valley Railroad, with which he was connected at the time of his death. Mr. Dennis leaves a wife and one son, Harold D. Dennis.
BROWN, MARCUS, physician and banker, of Circle- ville, Ohio, was born in Colebrook, Litchfield county, Con- necticut, July 5th, 1797. His father, Frederick Brown, emi- grated to Ohio in 1816, and settled in Wadsworth, Medina county. A history of that town recounts that F. Brown was a descendant of the fifth generation from Peter Brown, one of the " Pilgrim fathers" who landed at Plymouth, Massachu- setts, in 1620, and his father, Captain John Brown, commanded a company of minute men in the first year of the Revolutionary war, which company joined the army at New York, and there he died in September, 1776. His father's means being limited, young Brown obtained his education mainly by his own exertions, working morning and evening for his living, while attending the district school in winter. From 1816 to 1818, he assisted his father in clearing a farm, besides performing extra jobs to raise a little money. In the latter year he went to Perry county, and taught school one year. In 1819 and 1 820 he taught in Ross county, where he married Miss Sarah Close, of Salem, Ohio, and whose useful life ended in 1859. In the autumn of 1820 he moved to Circleville, where he taught school as his regular occupation four years, and at the same time studied medicine with Dr. Erastus Webb. Licensed in 1825 to practice, he then moved to Williamsport, in Pickaway county. The country was sparsely settled, ex- cept along the water courses, and there was no physician located between Circleville and Washington, or between Chillicothe and Yankeetown. In consequence his practice was large and laborious, extending from Darby creek to the mouth of Deer creek, and west to Paint creek, thus including an area of twenty square miles. Few who were not then liv- ing can form an adequate idea of the fatigue and hardship of pioneer life in those years; but vigorous health and faith in a bright future made it replete with real enjoyment. He graduated at the Ohio Medical College of Cincinnati in 1830. After a residence in and practice of his profession at Williams- port for eleven years, he returned to Circleville, where he engaged in practice. Here four doctors, all men of ability, E. Webb, W. N. Luckey, Edson B. Olds, and Peter K. Hull, were contemporary with our subject, but in a few years this condition changed. Dr. Olds retired; Drs. Luckey and
Webb died, and Dr. Hull having removed to Illinois, thus left the field to be occupied by younger and more ardent practitioners. In 1850, Dr. Brown was elected president of Pickaway County Savings Bank, and he has held this office, under different organizations of that bank continuously, being since 1863 president of the First National bank of Circleville, into which the Pickaway County Savings bank in that year merged. During the existence of the first international ex- position at London, England, in 1851, he visited Europe, and went as far south as Italy, and in 1867 he made another for- eign tour in company with his niece, Miss Kate L. Brown, extending on this occasion his travels to Greece, Syria, Pales- tine, and Egypt, and on his return visiting Gibraltar, Madeira and the West India Islands. By his marriage there were born to him three children, two of whom died in childhood. The third, Marcus A. Brown graduated at Oxford, Miami University, studied medicine with his father, attended one course in the Ohio Medical College, and graduated at Jeffer- son Medical College in 1847. Having then entered into part- nership with his father, he practiced during the following year, and died in the twenty-fourth year of his age.
REILY, JOHN, a member of the Constitutional con- vention which formed the organic law of Ohio, a brave sol- dier, and a devoted patriot, was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, on the 10th of April, 1763. His career is interwoven with the whole history of Butler County, and Ohio. Mr. Reily's parents were farmers, and removed with him to Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia, when he was about five or six years of age. Just before the outbreak of the Revolutionary war, this was on the frontier line of set- tlements, and the pioneers were much exposed to attacks from Indians, who were bloodthirsty and revengeful. Their lands had been taken from them by the whites, and a con- tinual warfare existed between them and the strangers, as far west as Kentucky, which was then just receiving its first emigrants. In each neighborhood a block-house, answering the purpose of a fort, was erected, to which all the families fled when danger seemed near. . In October, 1774, a battle was fought at the mouth of the Great Kanawha River, between the Indian chief, Cornstalk, and his warriors, and the Vir- ginia troops under the command of General Andrew Lewis. Mr. Reily distinctly remembered this, although he was at the time only eleven years old, as well as the circumstance that the family retreated for protection to a small fort near Staunton. The youth matured early in those days. It was necessary to cultivate a habit of self-reliance, as each man needed all his faculties about him. At seventeen, John Reily felt the duty of taking his part in the great struggle which was going on between his countrymen and the armies of Great Britain. He joined the Southern Department, then under the command of Nathaniel Greene, the Quaker gen- eral, who had been appointed to the command on the 22d of October, 1780. The movements of that army were numer- ous. It made long marches; it fought many battles; it con- tested every inch of ground, and finally compelled Cornwal- lis to retreat for reinforcements to Yorktown, where, later on, he was captured by the united American and French forces. The first battle in which Mr. Reily took an active part was that of Guilford Court-house, which was fought on the 15th of March, 1781. There were about forty-four hundred on the American side, thirty-one hundred of whom were raw militia or half-equipped regulars, and on the enemy's side there
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