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CLEVELAND PAST AND PRESENT

Its Representative Men

Comprising Biographical Sketches of Pioneer Settlers and Prominent
Citizens

With a History of the City and Historical Sketches of Its Commerce,
Manufactures, Ship Building, Railroads, Telegraphy, Schools, Churches,
Etc., Profusely Illustrated with Photographic Views and Portraits

1869

Photographically Illustrated by E. Decker




Preface.



In many ways the story of the survey and first settlement of Cleveland has
been made familiar to the public. It has been told at pioneer gatherings,
reproduced in newspapers and periodicals, enlarged upon in directory
prefaces and condensed for works of topographical reference. Within a
short time Col. Charles Whittlesey has gathered up, collected, and
arranged the abundant materials for the Early History of Cleveland in a
handsome volume bearing that title.

But Col. Whittlesy's volume closes with the war of 1812, when Cleveland
was still a pioneer settlement with but a few families. The history of the
growth of that settlement to a village, its development into a commercial
port, and then into a large and flourishing city, with a busy population
of a hundred thousand persons, remained mostly unwritten, and no part of
it existing in permanent form. The whole period is covered by the active
lives of men yet with us who have grown up with the place, and with whose
history that of the city is inseparably connected. It occurred to the
projector of this work that a history of Cleveland could be written in the
individual histories of its representative men, that such a volume would
not only be a reliable account of the growth of the city in its general
features and in the development of its several branches of industry, but
would possess the additional advantage of the interest attaching to
personal narrative. This idea has been faithfully worked out in the
following pages, not without much labor and difficulty in the collection
and arrangement of the materials. Besides the personal narratives, an
introductory sketch to each of the departments of business into which the
biographical sketches are grouped gives a brief account of the rise and
present position of that particular industry; these, taken together,
forming a full and accurate business and professional history of the city.
An introductory sketch of the general history of Cleveland gives
completeness to the whole, whilst the numerous illustrations and portraits
add greatly to the interest and value of the work.

Numerous as are the sketches, it is not, of course, claimed that all are
represented in the volume who deserve a place in it. This would be
impossible in a work of ordinary dimensions, even were it convenient, or
even possible, to obtain the necessary materials. The aim has been to
sketch sufficient of the representative men in each leading business and
professional department to give a fair idea of the nature and extent of
that department. It is not a complete biographical dictionary of
Cleveland, but a volume of biographical selections, made, as the lawyers
say, "without prejudice."




History of Cleveland.



For the records of the first sixteen or seventeen years of the history of
Cleveland, what may be styled its pioneer history, the local historian
will hereafter be indebted to the work of Col. Whittlesey, where every
known and reliable fact connected with that period of Cleveland's history
is carefully preserved.

The city was originally comprised in lands purchased by the "Connecticut
Land Company," and formed a portion of what is termed the Western Reserve.
This company was organized in 1795, and in the month of May of the
following year, it commissioned General Moses Cleaveland to superintend
the survey of their lands, with a staff of forty-eight assistants. On the
22d of July, 1796, General Cleaveland, accompanied by Augustus Porter, the
principal of the surveying department, and several others, entered the
mouth of the Cuyahoga from the lake. Job P. Stiles and his wife are
supposed to have been with the party. General Cleaveland continued his
progress to Sandusky Bay, leaving enough men to put up a storehouse for
the supplies, and a cabin for the accommodation of the surveyors. These
were located a short distance south of St. Clair street, west of Union
lane, at a spring in the side-hill, in rear of Scott's warehouse. During
the season a cabin was put up for Stiles, on lot 53, east side of Bank
street, north of the Herald Building, where Morgan & Root's block now
stands. This was the first building for permanent settlement erected on
the site of the city, although huts for temporary occupancy had been
previously built in the neighborhood.

Upon the return of the party from Sandusky, Mr. Porter prepared the
outlines of the city. He says: "I surveyed a piece of land designed for a
town--its dimensions I do not recollect--probably equal to about a mile
square, bounding west on the river, and north on the lake. I made a plot
of this ground, and laid it off into streets and lots. Most or all the
streets I surveyed myself, when I left it in charge of Mr. Holley to
complete the survey of the lots."

The survey of the city was commenced on the 16th of September, and
completed about the 1st of October, 1796. Holley's notes state that on
Monday, October 17th, he "finished surveying in New Connecticut; weather
rainy," and on the following day he records: "We left Cuyahoga at 3
o'clock 17 minutes, for home. We left at Cuyahoga, Job Stiles and wife,
and Joseph Landon, with provisions for the Winter." Landon soon abandoned
the spot and his place was taken by Edward Paine, who had arrived from the
State of New York, for the purpose of trading with the Indians, and who
may be considered the first mercantile man who transacted business in
Cleveland. Thus, during the Winter of 1796-7, the population of the city
consisted of three inhabitants. During the Winter a child is reputed to
have been born in the cabin, which had only squaws for nurses.

Early in the Spring of 1797, James Kingsbury and family, from New England,
with Elijah Gunn, one of the surveying party, all of whom had continued
during the Winter at Conneaut, where they had endured incredible
hardships, removed to Cleveland. His first cabin was put up on the site of
the Case Block, east of the Public Square, but he subsequently removed to
a point east of the present city limits, somewhere on a line with Kinsman
Street. Here he remained until his death.

The next families who were attracted to this settlement were those of
Major Lorenzo Carter and Ezekiel Hawley, who came from Kirtland, Vermont,
the family of the Major being accompanied by Miss Cloe Inches. In the
Spring of the following year, (1798,) the former gentleman sowed two acres
of corn on the west side of Water street. He was also the first person who
erected a frame building in the city, which he completed in 1802; but an
unfortunate casualty proved fatal to the enterprise, for when he was about
to occupy the residence it was totally destroyed by fire. In 1803,
however, he erected another house on the site of the destroyed building,
but on this occasion he confined himself to hewn logs.

The fourth addition of the season was that of Nathan Chapman and his
family, who, like the patriarchs of yore, traveled with his herd, and
marched into the Forest City at the head of two yoke of oxen and four
milch cows, which were the first neat stock that fed from the rich
pasturage on the banks of the Cuyahoga.

In the Summer of 1797, the surveying party returned to the Western Reserve
and resumed their labors, with Cleveland as a head-quarters. It was a very
sickly season and three of the number died, one of whom was David
Eldridge, whose remains were interred in a piece of ground chosen as a
cemetery, at the corner of Prospect and Ontario streets. This funeral
occurred on the 3d of June, 1797, and is the first recorded in the city.
Recently, while making some improvements to the buildings now occupying
that location, some human bones were discovered.

Less than one month after the first funeral, occurred the first wedding.
On the 1st of July, 1797, the marriage was solemnized of William Clement,
of Erie, to Miss Cloe Inches, who had come to this city with the family of
Major Lorenzo Carter. The ceremony was performed by Mr. Seth Hart, who was
regarded by the surveying party as their chaplain.

In the beginning of the following year, (1798,) the population had
increased to fifteen. No other immigration is recorded until that of
Rodolphus Edwards and Nathaniel Doane and their families, in 1799, the
latter consisting of nine persons. They journeyed from Chatham,
Connecticut, and were occupied ninety-two days in their transit--a longer
period than is now allowed to accomplish a voyage to the East Indies.

In 1799, the Land Company caused a road to be surveyed and partially
worked, from Cleveland to the Pennsylvania line, about ten miles from the
lake, which was the first road opened through the Reserve. In the Spring
of that year Wheeler W. Williams, from Norwich, Connecticut, and Major
Wyatt, erected a grist mill at the falls at Newburgh, and in 1800 a saw
mill was also built by them; a substantial proof that sufficient corn and
wheat were grown and lumber required to warrant the speculation.

The desire of moral culture and education did not relax in this lonely
region, and in 1800, a township school was organized, and the children
were taught by Sarah Doane. The site of the school house was near
Kingsbury's, on the ridge road.

Cleveland received two additions in 1800, in the persons of David Clarke
and Amos Spafford, the former of whom erected a house on Water street. The
first sermon preached in Cleveland, was delivered in that year by the Rev.
Joseph Badger, an agent of the Connecticut Missionary Society.

The years of 1798, 1799 and 1800, were remarkable for the early
commencement of genial weather. Pinks were in bloom in February, and the
peach trees were also in full blossom in March.

In 1801, the first distillery was erected by David Bryant. The memorable
4th of July of the same year was celebrated by the first ball in
Cleveland. It took place at Major Carter's log house, on the <DW72>