K. Osthimer, Author
Aug 12, 1937
Folklore: Stories from Ex-Slaves
Lucas County, District Nine
Toledo, Ohio
The Story of MRS. HANNAH DAVIDSON.
Mrs. Hannah Davidson occupies two rooms in a home at
533 Woodland Avenue, Toledo, Ohio. Born on a plantation
in Ballard County, Kentucky, in 1852, she is today a
little, white-haired old lady. Dark, flashing eyes peer
through her spectacles. Always quick to learn, she has
taught herself to read. She says, "I could always
spell almost everything." She has eagerly sought
education. Much of her ability to read has been gained
from attendance in recent years in WPA "opportunity
classes" in the city. Today, this warm-hearted,
quiet little Negro woman ekes out a bare existence on an
old age pension of $23.00 a month. It is with regret
that she recalls the shadows and sufferings of the past.
She says, "It is best not to talk about them. The
things that my sister May and I suffered were so
terrible that people would not believe them. It is best
not to have such things in our memory."
"My father and mother were Isaac and Nancy
Meriwether," she stated. "All the slaves went
under the name of my master and mistress, Emmett and
Susan Meriwether. I had four sisters and two brothers.
There was Adeline, Dorah, Alice, and Lizzie. My brothers
were Major and George Meriwether. We lived in a log
cabin made of sticks and dirt, you know, logs and dirt
stuck in the cracks. We slept on beds made of boards
nailed up.
"I don't remember anything about my
grandparents. My folks were sold around and I couldn't
keep track of them.
"The first work I did out from home was with my
mistress's brother, Dr. Jim Taylor, in Kentucky, taking
care of his children. I was an awful tiny little
somethin' about eight or nine years old. I used to turn
the reel for the old folks who was spinning. That's all
I've ever known—work.
"I never got a penny. My master kept me and my
sister Mary twenty-two long years after we were supposed
to be free. Work, work, work. I don't think my sister
and I ever went to bed before twelve o'clock at night.
We never got a penny. They could have spared it, too;
they had enough.
"We ate corn bread and fat meat. Meat and bread,
we kids called it. We all had a pint tin cup of
buttermilk. No slaves had their own gardens.
"The men just wore jeans. The slaves all made
their own clothes. They just wove all the time; the old
women wove all the time. I wasn't old enough to go in
the field like the oldest children. The oldest
children—they worked. After slavery ended, my
sister Mary and me worked as ex-slaves, and we worked.
Most of the slaves had shoes, but us kids used to run
around barefoot most of the time.
"My folks, my master and mistress, lived in a
great, white, frame house, just the same as a hotel. I
grew up with the youngest child, Mayo. The other white
children grew up and worked as overseers. Mayo always
wanted me to call him 'Master Mayo'. I fought him all
the time. I never would call him 'Master Mayo'. My
mistress wouldn't let anyone harm me and she made Mayo
behave.
"My master wouldn't let the poor white
neighbors—no one—tell us we was free. The plantation
was many, many acres, hundreds and hundreds of acres,
honey. There were about twenty-five or thirty families
of slaves. They got up and stood until daylight, waiting
to plow. Yes, child, they was up early. Our folks
don't know how we had to work. I don't like to tell you
how we were treated—how we had to work. It's
best to brush those things out of our memory.
"If you wanted to go to another plantation, you
had to have a pass. If my folks was going to somebody's
house, they'd have to have a pass. Otherwise they'd be
whipped. They'd take a big man and tie his hands behind
a tree, just like that big tree outside, and whip him
with a rawhide and draw blood every whip. I know I was
scared every time I'd hear the slave say, 'Pray,
Master.'
"Once, when I was milking a cow, I asked Master
Ousley, 'Master Ousley, will you do me a favor?'
"He said in his drawl, 'Of course I will.'
"'Take me to McCracken County,' I said. I didn't
even know where McCracken County was, but my sister was
there. I wanted to find my sister. When I reached the
house where my sister stayed, I went through the gate. I
asked if this was the house where Mary Meriwether lived.
Her mistress said, 'Yes, she's in the back. Are you the
girl Mr. Meriwether's looking for?" My heart was in
my mouth. It just seemed I couldn't go through the gate.
I never even saw my sister that time. I hid for a while
and then went back.
"We didn't have any churches. My master would
come down Sunday morning with just enough flour to make
bread. Coffee, too. Their coffee was parts of meal, corn
and so on. Work all week and that's what they had for
coffee.
"We used to sing, 'Swing low, sweet chariot'.
When our folks sang that, we could really see the
chariot.
"Once, Jim Ferguson, a colored man, came to
teach school. The white folks beat and whipped him and
drove him away in his underwear.
"I wanted so hard to learn to read, but I didn't
even know I was free, even when slavery was ended.
"I been so exhausted working, I was like an
inch-worm crawling along a roof. I worked till I thought
another lick would kill me. If you had something to do,
you did it or got whipped. Once I was so tired I
couldn't work any more. I crawled in a hole under the
house and stayed there till I was rested. I didn't get
whipped, either.
"I never will forget it—how my master always
used to say, 'Keep a nigger down' I never will forget
it. I used to wait on table and I heard them talk.
"The only fun we had was on Sunday evening,
after work. That was the only chance we got. We used to
go away off from the house and play in the haystack.
"Our folks was so cruel, the slaves used to
whisper 'round. Some of them knew they was free, even if
the white folks didn't want 'em to find out they was
free. They went off in the woods sometimes. But I was
just a little kid and I wasn't allowed to go around the
big folks.
"I seen enough what the old folks went through.
My sister and I went through enough after slavery was
over. For twenty-one long years we were enslaved, even
after we were supposed to be free. We didn't even know
we were free. We had to wash the white people's feet
when they took their shoes off at night—the men and
women.
"Sundays the slaves would wash out their
clothes. It was the only time they had to themselves.
Some of the old men worked in their tobacco patches. We
never observed Christmas. We never had no holidays, son,
no, sir! We didn't know what the word was.
"I never saw any slave funerals. Some slaves
died, but I never saw any of them buried. I didn't see
any funerals at all.
"The white folks would come down to the cabins
to marry the slaves. The master or mistress would read a
little out of a book. That's all there was to it.
"We used to play a game called 'Hulgul'. We'd
play it in the cabins and sometimes with the white
children. We'd hold hazelnuts in our hands. I'd say 'Hulgul'
How many? You'd guess. If you hit it right, you'd get
them all and it would be your turn to say 'Hulgul'. If
you'd say 'Three!' and I only had two, you'd have to
give me another to make three.
"The kids nowadays can go right to the store and
buy a ball to play with. We'd have to make a ball out of
yarn and put a sock around it for a cover. Six of us
would stay on one side of a house and six on the other
side. Then we'd throw the ball over the roof and say
'Catch!' If you'd catch it you'd run around to the;
other side and hit somebody, then start over. We worked
so hard we couldn't play long on Sunday evenings.
"School? We never seen the inside of a
schoolhouse. Mistress used to read the Bible to us every
Sunday morning.
"We say two songs I still remember.
"I think when I read that sweet story of old,
When Jesus was here among men,
How he called little children like lambs to his fold,
I should like to have been with them then.
"I wish that his hands had been placed on my head,
That his arms had been thrown around me,
That I might have seen his kind face when he said
'Let the little ones come unto me.'
"Yet still to his footstool in prayer I nay go
And ask for a share of his love,
And that I might earnestly seek Him below
And see Him and hear Him above.
"Then there was another:
"I want to be an angel
And with the angels stand
With a crown upon my Forehead
And a harp within my hand.
"And there before my Saviour,
So glorious and so bright,
I'd make the sweetest music
And praise him day and night.
"And as soon as we got through singing those
songs, we had to get right out to work. I was always
glad when they called us in the house to Sunday school.
It was the only chance we'd get to rest.
"When the slaves got sick, they'd take and look
after themselves. My master had a whole wall of his
house for medicine, just like a store. They made their
own medicines and pills. My mistress's brother, Dr. Jim
Taylor, was a doctor. They done their own doctoring. I
still have the mark where I was vaccinated by my master.
"People was lousy in them days. I always had to
pick louses from the heads of the white children. You
don't find children like that nowadays.
"My mistress had a little roan horse. She went
all through the war on that horse. Us little kids never
went around the big folks. We didn't watch folks faces
to learn, like children do now. They wouldn't let us.
All I know about the Civil War was that it was goin' on.
I heard talk about killin' and so on, but I didn't know
no thin' about it.
"My mother was the last slave to get off the
plantation. She travelled across the plantation all
night with us children. It was pouring rain. The white
folks surrounded her and took away us children, and gave
her so many minutes to get off the plantation. We never
saw her again. She died away from us.
"My brother came to see us once when slavery was
over. He was grown up. My master wasn't going to let him
see us and he took up his gun. My mistress said he
should let him see us. My brother gave me a little coral
ring. I thought it was the prettiest thing I ever saw.
"I made my sister leave. I took a rolling pin to
make her go and she finally left. They didn't have any
more business with us than you have right now.
"I remember when Yankee soldiers came riding
through the yard. I was scared and ran away crying. I
can see them now. Their swords hung at their sides and
their horses walked proud, as if they walked on their
hind legs. The master was in the field trying to hide
his money and guns and things. The soldiers said, 'We
won't hurt you, child.' It made me feel wonderful.
"What I call the Ku Klux were those people who
met at night and if they heard anybody saying you was
free, they would take you out at night and whip you.
They were the plantation owners. I never saw them ride,
but I heard about them and what they did. My master used
to tell us he wished he knew who the Ku Kluxers were.
But he knew, all right, I used to wait on table and I
heard them talking. 'Gonna lynch another nigger
tonight!'
"The slaves tried to get schools, but they
didn't get any. Finally they started a few schools in
little log cabins. But we children, my sister and I,
never went to school.
"I married William L. Davison, when I was
thirty-two years old. That was after I left the
plantation. I never had company there. I had to work.
I have only one grandchild still living, Willa May
Reynolds. She taught school in City Grove, Tennessee.
She's married now.
"I thought Abe Lincoln was a great man. What
little I know about him, I always thought he was a great
man. He did a lot of good.
"Us kids always used to sing a song, 'Gonna hang
Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree as we go marchin' home.'
I didn't know what it meant at the time.
"I never knew much about Booker T. Washington,
but I heard about him. Frederick Douglass was a great
man, too. He did lots of good, like Abe Lincoln.
"Well, slavery's over and I think that's a grand
thing. A white lady recently asked me, 'Don't you think
you were better off under the white people?' I said
'What you talkin' about? The birds of the air have their
freedom'. I don't know why she should ask me that
anyway.
"I belong to the Third Baptist Church. I think
all people should be religious. Christ was a missionary.
He went about doing good to people. You should be clean,
honest, and do everything good for people. I first turn
the searchlight on myself. To be a true Christian, you
must do as Christ said: 'Love one another'. You know,
that's why I said I didn't want to tell about my life
and the terrible things that I and my sister Mary
suffered. I want to forgive those people. Some people
tell me those people are in hell now. But I don't think
that. I believe we should all do good to
everybody."
Transcribed by Sandi Cummins
WILLIAM HENRY SCOTT
Taken
from "Men
of
Toledo
and
Northwestern-
Ohio
."
William
Henry Scott, deceased,
was at the time of his death one of the oldest and most influential of Toledo's pioneer citizens, and
in his demise the community lost a citizen who was a
blessing in his spirit of loyalty to public interests
and in his generosity to public objects one whose leadership in good works was an inspiration
to all and an occasion of progress in all helpful
institutions. He
was indentified with nearly every bit of progress made
by the city
from the time that he was old enough to think for
himself, and many
of the institutions in which
Toledo
takes pride are directly due
to his agitation and intelligent influence. Mr. Scott
was born in
Columbia
, S. C, in 1825, son of Jessup W. and Susan (Wakeman) Scott, The parents are given extended mention on another page
of this volume, to which the reader is referred for the
ancestral
record of the family. William H. Scott came with his
parents to the
Maumee
Valley
in 1833, and lived in the city of
Toledo
during the greater portion of his life, his residence being at
Adrian
,
Mich.
, for a few years. In early manhood he engaged in the
handling of real estate as a business, with which line
of endeavor he was
ever after identified, but he steadfastly pursued
intellectual and literary studies during his entire
life, and the result of his constant research and observation was of great value to the city in
which he made his home. When
Toledo
emerged from its primitive
condition and took to drainage, paving, and the creation
of parks and
fine buildings, he entered into the spirit of each
improvement and
with wise suggestions aided in the beautifying of the now
handsome municipality. He devoted considerable effort to
creating an adequate system of parks, and, while all of
his suggestions were not carried out, many of his ideas
were adopted by the city. One of his pet fancies was the
establishment of a boulevard along the line of the old
canal bed through the city, and another
was the extension of the court-house square to Orange street,
thus transforming
"Smoky Hollow,"
through the forbidding part of the city, into a thing of
beauty that could have no rival. He served well and faithfully upon many public
boards, and to him is due the establishment of the magnificent free library
structure at
the corner of
Madison
and
Ontario
streets. The bill creating the public
library
institution was drawn by Mr. Scott in 1873, and was introduced
in the State legislature by T. P. Brown. With but one exception, this was the first free public
library established in the West. For twenty years Mr. Scott served on the library
board, the greater part of this time as its president, and when he resigned the
position he left a valuable collection of books, well
housed in a beautiful building. He resigned with
considerable regret from an institution, the growth and perfection of which had been
one of the objects of his fondest public desires. He was
a zealous worker for
education generally, and in the
Manual
Training School
, conceived
by his father, Jessup W. Scott, he had another object
for his generous labor. After the death of the
father, the three sons, William H., Frank
J.,
and Maurice A.,
gave $60,000 in city property to be devoted to the
building and equipment of the
Manual
Training School
building. And it was
largely through the efforts of
William H. Scott that this property was sold and the
building erected and properly equipped. He was president
of the board that had this matter in charge for many years, and
he was actively interested in the progress of the school and its pupils until the time
of his death. He was identified with several other
educational institutions. During Governor Young's
administration he served as trustee of the
Ohio
State
University
at
Columbus
, for seven years he was one of the board of directors
of the
Wesleyan
College
, and while a resident of
Adrian
,
Mich.
, he served as a director of the schools
of that city. In 1876-9, he was vice-president of the
Toledo Woman's
Suffrage Association. In addition to his activities in these
institutions of a public nature, privately he was a
director in a number
of corporations and banks, and he was instrumental in the
organization of the early street railway lines. But in
the last three years of his life he paid little attention to active business affairs,
his health failing to such a degree that he found it
impossible to
spend much of his time in his office. He died at his
residence,
2505 Monroe street
, in
Toledo
, March 5, 1901.
In 1851, Mr.
Scott was married to Miss Mary A. Winans, of
Adrian
,
Mich.
, and of
this union there were born four children—Mrs. Frances
E. Waters, of
Baltimore
,
Md.
; Susan W., Jane, and Edward Jessup.
HARVEY SCRIBNER
Taken
from "Men
of
Toledo
and
Northwestern-
Ohio
."
Harvey
Scribner inherited
a logical turn of mind from his father, the distinguished lawyer and judge, Hon. Charles H.
Scribner,
now deceased. It was in his father's office that Harvey
Scribner
studied and afterward practiced law in
Toledo
, the firm after his accession bearing the title of
Scribner, Hurd & Scribner. In 1871, Harvey Scribner was admitted to the partnership of this great firm, the
illustrious Hon. Frank Hurd being a member and remaining
as such
until 1894, when the partnership was dissolved. Some
years prior to this, Judge Charles H. Scribner was
elected to the Circuit bench and retired from the firm. Harvey Scribner, after the
demise of his father and the Hon. Frank Hurd, became a member of the law
firm of Scribner, Waite & Wachenheimer. Mr.
Wachenheimer recently withdrew, Lieut. Henry H. Waite
remaining with Mr. Scribner. Their specialty is railroad cases. Mr. Scribner has been peculiarly
successful in securing damages for his clients who were injured by railways. Associated with
Frank H. Hurd, he recovered a verdict of $30,000 in the famous Shannon case
against the Hocking Valley railroad; also a' verdict of $20,000, and was sustained
in the Supreme Court, for Edward Topliff, who was
injured in the Lake Shore railway collision at
Vermillion. Mrs. Eliza L. Topliff, whose husband was killed in the terrible railroad
disaster at
Kipton, got a judgment of $10,000, the full limit,
against this company
through Mr. Scribner's efforts. He was also counsel for
a large number of the
Toledo
tunnel catastrophe cases brought before the
courts, and collected by suits and settlements some
$60,000 from the Lake
Shore Railway Company. He caused to be broken the will
of Charles B. Roff, which had been drawn up by the late
Chief Justice Morrison
R. Waite, and released a fund of $100,000 from a trust
and secured it to the widow. Latterly, Mr. Scribner has
taken to
literature, and, though he is extremely modest about
this attainment,
he wields a clever pen in the telling of stories. His
experience in the law has been valuable to
him and will no doubt furnish excellent material for numerous short stories in the
future. Mr. Scribner was born at
Mt.
Vernon
.
Ohio
, March 19, 1850. He was graduated
from the schools of his native town and was but nineteen years of age when he located in
Toledo
, with his parents, Charles
H. and Mary E. (Morehouse) Scribner. There were ten
children born to Judge and Mrs. Scribner. Those living
are: Harvey, Rollin H., Mrs. Charles Gates and Mrs.
Joseph Spencer, of
Toledo
;
Mrs. Louis Richardson, of
Chicago
; Mrs. Charles Cone, of
New York
; Edward M. Scribner, of
Bridgeport
,
Conn.
; and Charles E. Scribner, of
Chicago
. Judge Charles H. Scribner died in 1897; his wife survives him. Harvey Scribner married Jennie B.
Bullard, Sept. 23, 1880. His wife had two children,
Daisy
and Fred,
by a previous marriage. No attorney in
Toledo
is better liked
than is Mr. Scribner. He is a thorough gentleman, of
fine sensibilities, generous and public-spirited to a
degree. He is one of the trustees of the Public Library,
and is secretary of the Society of the Sons of the
American Revolution.
LOUIS
MONTVILLE
Taken
from "Men
of
Toledo
and
Northwestern-
Ohio
."
Louis
Montville, deceased,
was a pioneer resident of the East Side,
Toledo
, and throughout a long residence in that section of the
city he won and held the respect of all with whom he
came in contact. With perhaps one or two exceptions he
was the largest individual holder of East Side property, and the Montville Block at
First and Main streets and a quantity of other
properties fronting on First, Second and Platt streets
were among his holdings. Mr. Montville was born in the state of
New York, in 1837, and at the close of the Civil war he came to Toledo from his
former home
at Watertown, in that state. Soon after his arrival in
Toledo
he located on the East Side, where he entered upon the contracting
business, and he gained his first financial start in
grading
East
Side
streets. He continued in the contracting business until his death, but in later years his work was
largely that of pile contracting and at the time of his death he was completing
the work on
the dry docks for the Toledo Shipbuilding Company. While
of
limited school training he had a remarkable ability in
"calculating" the value of timber, and he
could tell at a glance what would often require long and elaborate calculation
by others. He was energetic and industrious, and was held in high esteem by all who
knew him. His
death occurred on May 27, 1907, and he left a
widow, three sons—Fred,
of
Alger
,
Ohio
; Louis, of
Memphis
,
Tenn.
; George, of
Toledo
—and two daughters—Mrs. Adeline Sutton and Mrs. Emma Barror, both of whom reside in
Toledo
.
CARL F. BRAUN
Taken
from "Men
of
Toledo
and
Northwestern-
Ohio
."
Carl
F. Braun, the
subject of this biography, was born at
Gudensburg
,
Germany
,
Aug. 16, 1843. He received a technical education in the Fatherland, having been graduated at a
polytechnic school at
Cassel
,
Germany
, and in 1862, at the age of nineteen years,
determined to try his fortune in
America
. In that year he arrived in
Toledo
, and in 1866 he became a clerk in the hardware house of Roff & Company. As a young
man he was alert and energetic, quick to grasp business opportunities, and
strictly faithful to the discharge of his duties. His
salary at the start was not princely,
but he managed to save the greater part of it, with a view
to engaging in business for himself; and, in 1868, he
became a member of the firm of Roff & Company.
Toledo
was then growing rapidly, and in the years immediately following the Civil war the hardware
business, as well as other lines, enjoyed a boom. By 1873 the firm's business had greatly expanded,
and in that year was organized the Bostwick-Braun Company, composed of Carl F.
and Geo. A. Braun and Oscar A. Bostwick, and this
company became the successors of Roff & Company.
The new concern opened a store at the foot of
Monroe street
, on part of the ground now occupied by the great concrete
Bostwick-Braun
Building
, though
the company occupied quarters at the corner of St4.
Clair and
Monroe streets for a number of years, until they moved
to their present quarters. Carl F. Braun was in
the active management of this immense hardware house until 1904, when he retired. In
addition to his interests in this house he was
identified with a number of other enterprises, having
been a director of the Home Savings Bank and the Citizens Deposit &
Trust Company, and at one time he was vice-president of the Home Bank. In 1881 he purchased
the old Swan Creek railroad, which had been projected in 1876, but the promoters had
experienced some trouble in securing a right of way. Mr. Braun, however,
succeeded where his predecessors had failed.
He re-organized the company, was elected president, and the road was soon
extended from the intersection of Bismarck and Hamilton streets to the old
Toledo
,
Cincinnati
&
St. Louis
(now the Clover Leaf) track, thus saving considerable time and labor in operating in and out of the
city. Mr. Braun was one of the business giants in
Toledo
in his day, a man of high ideals
and unblemished reputation, and his friends were many.
He died
suddenly at his home,
1615 Monroe street
, June 25, 1908, honored
and respected by all who knew him, the immediate cause
of his death being a stroke of paralysis. On May 22, 1879, he married Miss
Elise Lenk, and of this union were born three
sons—Walter M.,
Arthur P., and Carl W., here named in the order of
birth. Walter
M. and Carl W. are residents of
Toledo
, where the former is a
member of the firm of Stacy & Braun in the
investment bond business, and Arthur P., who was a mining engineer in
Mexico
, died suddenly
May 17, 1910. Mr. Braun
was by nature intellectually fitted
for a business career, and belonged to that class of
citizens, who, while advancing their own interests, add
materially to the valuation
of those interests that surround them. While a success in
business, he was better still, a good citizen. Believing
in the future
of
Toledo
, he gave both his time and influence in behalf of many
measures for the common good. Unto this class of men,
who have been
the real factors in the development of
Toledo
's greatness,
is this volume dedicated.
CHARLES F. CURTIS
Taken
from "Men
of
Toledo
and
Northwestern-
Ohio
."
Charles
F. Curtis, deceased, was born at
Victor
,
Ontario
county,
New York
, Feb. 19, 1821. He was the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Curtis, the former a native of
New York
State
and the
latter of
Connecticut
. The Curtis family is of English descent, but has been represented in
America
for a number of generations. Charles F. was the eldest
of a family of five children, there having been two sons and three daughters born to his parents. He passed the
years of boyhood upon his father's farm, and received
such advantages as the district schools afforded,
afterward attending an academy for two years. On leaving school, Mr. Curtis
became a contractor
on the
New York
&
Erie
railroad, and was thus engaged
from 1849 to 1851. He then came to Toledo and soon afterward engaged in the construction of the
Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana railroad, now known as the "'old
line" of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, on which he was engaged for the three
ensuing years. In 1853, in connection with Benjamin Folsom and August Thomas, he formed the firm of B. Folsom & Company,
being in charge of the construction of the road
extending from
Toledo
to
Butler
.
Ind.
, seventy-one miles in length, of what is now
known as the Air Line division of the Lake Shore &
Michigan Southern. His
connection with railroad interests covered a period of
about fifteen years, most of the time as contractor. On
May 1, 1857, with August Thomas, he formed the firm of Curtis & Thomas and
engaged in the lumber trade, continuing so associated
until 1862,
when Webster S. Brainard, former book-keeper, was
admitted to the partnership, and the firm was changed to Curtis, Thomas & Company.
Immediately after the death of Mr. Thomas, in 1868, the
firm was again changed, taking the name of Curtis &
Brainard, and
real estate and vessel property business being added,
the firm continued
in active operation until the death of Mr. Curtis, Feb. 20, 1900. It did a large business and was recognized as one of
the substantial firms of
Toledo
. At
the time of his death, Mr. Curtis was also president of the Toledo
Savings Bank & Trust Company and a director of both the First
National and the Holcomb National banks. He was a man of large business
affairs, and was successful in his financial operations. His business career was characterized
by sterling integrity and sound judgment. Mr. Curtis affiliated with the Democratic party,
but never sought the honors or emoluments of public
office. He was a member of
Trinity
Church
, and for a number of
years held the offices of treasurer, junior warden and vestryman, all of which he resigned prior to his death.
Mr. Curtis was first married to Miss Julia Moore, of
Victor, N. Y. His wife died at
Bryan
,
Ohio
, in 1854, leaving a daughter, Miss Ella Moore Curtis,
now living with Mrs. Curtis, and in 1894 he
was married to Mrs.
Mary A. Birckhead, of
Toledo
, who survives
him, and who resides at
2636 Cherry street
,
Toledo
,
Ohio
.
JAMES MELVIN
Taken
from "Men
of
Toledo
and
Northwestern-
Ohio
."
James
Melvin, deceased, was a native of the State of
Massachusetts
, having been born in
the historic old town of
Concord
, Dec.
20,1826. He was a direct descendant of the Melvins who came to
New England
soon after the Mayflower touched the rockbound coast, laden with the Pilgrim
Fathers. His ancestors were among the ardent supporters of the American colonies
from the beginning
of the Revolutionary struggle against England, and it is
of
historical interest that his grandfather, Amos Melvin,
was one of the guards in Concord town on the night
that Paul Revere made his famous ride from Boston—the night preceding
the day upon which the embattled farmers "fired the shot heard 'round the world." He,
whose name introduces this memoir served his country
with the same loyalty as did his ancestors,
and in the dark days of 1861, when the integrity of the Union was threatened, at the
first call for troops, in April, he enlisted in the Sixth Massachusetts infantry and
with it served a three months* enlistment. Later, he re-enlisted in the Thirty-third Massachusetts
infantry, and performed his duty nobly in all the marches, campaigns and battles
of that command for a period of two years, at the end of which time his health
became impaired and he was discharged from the service
on account
of disability. Returning then to his
Massachusetts
home, as
soon as the condition of his health would permit he
resumed the thread
of a peaceful life. In 1870, he came to
Toledo
and immediately
opened a men's and boys' clothing establishment, with quarters
at what is now
231 Summit street
, under the name of the Boston Square Dealing Store. By careful attention to the details
of the business and strict integrity he soon secured a
permanent
hold upon the clothing trade of
Toledo
and vicinity, and as the James Melvin Clothing Company the establishment has
grown to
be one of the most exclusive in its line in the city.
Mr. Melvin served the city as a member of the board of
aldermen for one term and
as a member of the board of education for two terms.
In his public, business and domestic life, his name
stood for integrity and purity, and in these days of "high finance," when
financial gain is placed before every other consideration, his life record,
stainless on every page, stands out with peculiar significance. He was a member
of Forsyth Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and of
Anthony Wayne Chapter, Sons of the American
Revolution. He had been a member of the Unitarian Church of Our Father from the
time of
its organization, and served as treasurer of the church
board for many
years. In his death, which occurred June 23, 1906, Mr.
Melvin left a sorrowing wife and two
daughters—Mrs. Clifford Taft Hanson, of Toledo, and Mrs. J. Alan Hamilton, of Buffalo,
N. Y. Mrs.
Mary Lacey, sister of Mr. Melvin, lives in the old home
at Concord,
Mass.
PETER
HOFFMAN BIRCKHEAD
Taken
from "Men
of
Toledo
and
Northwestern-
Ohio
."
Peter
Hoffman Birckhead, deceased, was a native son of the
State of
Maryland
, though he contributed the major portion of his life's activity to business and social
interests within the city of
Toledo
. He was born in
Baltimore
,
Md.
, Nov. 13, 1827, and was the son of Dr. Lenox and Mary (Hoffman) Birckhead, who
were both natives of the State of
Maryland
, where they lived out their allotted time. The father who was educated in medicine in
Edinburg
and
Paris
was a practicing physician in the city of
Baltimore
and its vicinity for many years, and then, later in
life, divided
his time between the practice of his profession and farming. He took a loyal interest in public
affairs but never sought the honors of public office. In the war of 1812 he served
as a volunteer in defense of
Fort
McHenry
, the occasion being the one immortalized by Francis Scott Key's poetical production, "The Star-Spangled
Banner." The Birckheads were professional and commercial
men in and around
Baltimore
for a great many years. The progenitors of the family came originally from
Basil
,
Switzerland
, the migration being first to
England
and thence to
Maryland
. The early ancestors left their European home on
account of their
religious views. Dr. Solomon Birckhead, the paternal
grandfather of the subject of this memoir, was a
practicing physician during his entire life in
Baltimore
, where he died at an advanced age.
The maternal grandfather was Peter Hoffman, also of
Baltimore
,
Md.
, and his occupation was what was known in those days as "merchant shipper," dealing in groceries,
teas, and coffees, and doing an export and an import business. The Hoffman family
is of
Holland
descent, with trading instincts, and for generations the
members of the family were merchants. To Dr.
Lenox Birckhead and wife there were born seven children, of whom Peter H. was the eldest,
and the others were Jane, Louisa, John, James, Susan,
and Mary, all deceased. Peter H. Birckhead received his
educational training in
Baltimore
, where he was afforded the advantages of the schools of
that period. At an early age he began his independent career by entering the employ of Hoffman & Sons (the
senior member of which firm was a maternal uncle), grocery merchants and shippers,
of
Baltimore
, and he remained so engaged until 1852. He then removed to
Michigan
, where, in company with a Mr. Ferris, he conducted
a saw mill, cutting timber from a tract of land owned by
his father. Two years later, in 1854, he came to Toledo
and, in
company with a Mr. Woolsey, engaged in the stave and
cooperage
business, with an office and yard located at the foot of
Lagrange
street, the location now being a part of the site of the
Vulcan Steam Shovel plant. The business was eventually
merged into
the Vulcan Iron Works, of which establishment Mr. Birckhead
was the president at the time of his death. He was held
in high esteem
in the business community and was one of
Toledo
's most prominent citizens. On June 21, 1888, after having led a useful
and industrious career, and after an illness of more
than six months, which he bore patiently, Peter H.
Birckhead passed to
the life eternal, thus depriving the family of a loved
member, for he was always attached to his home, and was a devoted and indulgent
husband and father. Among his most intimate friends were
Charles F. Curtis and Valentine H. Ketcham. He was a consistent and worthy member of Trinity Episcopal Church, and in politics
he voted consistently with his convictions, giving his
support to the principles of the Democratic party. Mr.
Birckhead was twice
married, the first time to Harriet Steinbrenner, of
Philadelphia, Pa., and of this union there were born two children—Lenox Birckhead,
who is located in Milwaukee and connected with the
Bucyrns Steam Shovel Company, and Harriet Antoinette,
who also lives
in Milwaukee, with her brother. On Dec. 26, 1865, Mr. Birckhead
was married to Miss Mary A. A. Titus, daughter of
Israel
and Adaline Titus, of
Toledo
.
SELAH REEVE
MACLAREN
Taken
from "Men
of
Toledo
and
Northwestern-
Ohio
."
Selah
Reeve Maclaren, deceased, was for many years one of
the leading men of affairs of the city of
Toledo
, and his success in the business world was the natural
sequence of industry, clearness of perception, fixedness of purpose and strength of will. And to the surviving
members of his family he left the heritage of a good
name, which he valued above riches. In the death
of Mr. Maclaren, which occurred
Jan. 29, 1905,
Toledo
lost one of her best citizens. Prominent
in business and active in Christian fellowship, he had
much to do with the building up of the city and
advancing its interests in varied ways. Mr. Maclaren was
born in
New York City
, June U, 1846, the son of a Presbyterian minister, and
when eight years
of age was taken to
Fall River
,
Mass.
, where he received his education.
On April 14, 1865, although not nineteen years old, he
left his boyhood home to come to
Toledo
, and upon arriving here entered
the employ of N. Reeve & Company, lumber dealers,
whose place of
business was at the corner of
Adams
and Water streets. After
faithful service as an employee for a period of six
years, in 1871,
at the age of twenty-five, he formed a partnership with
H. C. Sprague
and they engaged in the lumber business under the firm name
of Maclaren & Sprague. Later, when the firm became
incorporated, Mr. Maclaren was made president. He was also president
of the Franklin Printing & Engraving Company and of
the Holcomb
National Bank, having been re-elected to the presidency of the bank a short time before his death. Fraternally he was prominent
in Masonic circles, and for years he was active in the
Young Men's Christian Association movement, having for some
time filled an official position in the association. His
deeply religious
nature found constant expression in good deeds and in active
membership in the congregation of his choice. When he first
came to
Toledo
he united with the First Presbyterian Church, and when the
Westminster
Church
was founded he took his letter to
that organization and for a number of years was one of
its prominent members. Later he became a
communicant of the Collingwood-Avenue Presbyterian Church. Mr.Maclaren was twice married,
first in 1874, to Miss Margaret Moore, of
St. Clair
,
Mich.
, and of this union two daughters were born : Mrs. Joseph R.
Bailey, of Fairmount, W. Va., and Mrs. Edward B. Yaryan, of
Gulfport
, Miss. The second marriage occurred in 1888, and
was to Miss Anna C. Beach, sister of Mrs. Samuel M. Jones. Of this marriage
was born
a daughter, Christine, who died in 1901.
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