22 Springfield Pike - I learned a lot, but still have unanswered questions

Researching house histories, I find that old records are often unreliable, or just not available, and sometimes I have to make educated guesses about the past. For example, I have had a difficult time determining exactly when 22 Springfield Pike was built. The Hamilton County Auditor's database says 1865, but that seems too early for the style of home. Most houses built that early in Wyoming are what architectural historians call "vernacular farmhouses," simple buildings without much ornamentation. But this home, with its Italianate features--the brackets at the roofline, the bay window, the low-pitched hipped roof--seems to be of a later period.

22 Springfield Pike

There are two other nearby homes that were built of identical plan and design to 22 Springfield Pike, though over the years some changes have been made to them, so they are no longer exactly the same. I hoped that looking at their date of construction would help solve this mystery...

34 Walnut Ave. in the 1980s (a third floor was added in the 2000s)
Source: Wyoming Historical Society

19 Allen Ave.

...but no clear answer here either: the County Auditor's site reports 19 Allen Ave. built in 1885 and 34 Walnut Ave. built in 1900. But three nearly identical homes would not have been built over a span of 35 years.  There are inaccuracies in the Auditor's data.

22 Springfield Pike was built on what was historically known as Archibald Burns's farm, though he, a Carthage resident, died in 1844. The property was subsequently held by his heirs, who in the late 1860s hired J. T. Wilson to subdivide the farm into lots and sell them. Unfortunately, Wilson died soon after that agreement, in 1870, with only a small number of the lots sold. In 1874 a group of Wyoming residents, including many owners/residents of land from that first subdivision, bought the remainder of the farm from Burns's heirs, establishing the Wyoming Land and Building Company (WLBCo) to continue to sell lots. 

WLBCo reconfigured the lot lines in the yet unsold southwestern portion of the former farm, and in 1874 published a book, Hints on Building, which included a map of the lots available. Also shown on the map were the footprints of existing buildings in and near the subdivision, with owners' names printed beside them. On this map there are no buildings shown where 22 Springfield Pike, 19 Allen Ave., and 34 Walnut Ave. are today. [This book and map can be found in the Ohio History Library Archives, Columbus, Ohio; I don't have permission to publish it here]

Then in 1875 the WLBCo published an advertising pamphlet for the subdivision.  This map does show the homes at 22 Springfield Pike and 19 Allen. However, there is no owner's name listed next to them, because they were still owned by the WLBCo (as is also true for two homes on East Mills/Wiley Ave. which I know from other research were renter-occupied for the first decade or so after they were built). The houses are sited perfectly within these newly platted lots. Given this evidence, I believe that these homes were built in between the time that the WLBCo purchased the land from the Burns heirs and published their first advertising book, about 1874, and when the second advertising brochure was published in 1875. The third triplet, on Walnut, was built on a lot owned by Grant H. Burrows, on the lot adjacent his own home (two more homes have been built in between since). Burrows was the "Superintendent" of the WLBCo.; he easily could have been the one to have contracted to have all three of these homes built.

1875 Pamphlet, annotated
Source: Wyoming Historical Society

I was not able to determine who lived at 22 Springfield Pike for its first ten years. The 1880 Census does not list house numbers, and there were too many homes on Springfield Pike to make a guess as to who lived where, without  additional evidence. And no published directory of county residents is available prior to 1897.

Marchant / Huston Family 1886-1936
In April 1886, the WLBCo. sold the houses at both 22 Springfield Pike and 19 Allen (Grant H. Burrows sold 34 Walnut in 1883). 22 Springfield Pike, on Lot 24, was bought by Nathan Marchant (1817-1893), along with the vacant lots to the south and north, Lots 23 and 25. He paid $3,220 for the properties.

Nathan Marchant was born in Warren County, Ohio in 1817, and in March 1839, in Hamilton County, he married Maria Holmes. They made their home in Cincinnati, and Nathan served the city first as a constable; by 1860 he was a justice of the peace,;and by 1880 he was a magistrate. He and Maria had a son, Franics "Frank," in 1852. Maria died in 1864, and sometime before 1870 Nathan married Mary Hille. Over the years the value of real estate Nathan owned rose, as reported on the Censuses. From 1860 on, there was a domestic servant listed living with the family. The 1880 Census shows Frank, his wife Della (or Delphine), and their daughter Myrtle living with Nathan and Mary, at 123 Linn Street, Cincinnati. Mary Hille Marchant died in 1883, and in August 1887 Nathan married Belle Kerr in Warren County, Ohio.

I have no definitive evidence as to whether or not Nathan and Belle Kerr Marchant ever lived in the home at 22 Springfield Pike. I have evidence that they lived in Wyoming, and it was likely here, but they could have lived in another home in the village. After 1886 Nathan is no longer listed in the Cincinnati directory at the home at 123 Linn Street. In the 1890 and 1892 Cincinnati city directories N. Marchant is listed as one of the three justices of the peace for Springfield Township, though he is not listed in the alphabetical section of the directory. His Cincinnati Post obituary states that he lived in Wyoming until a few months prior to his death, when he moved to East Walnut Hills. None of this absolutely confirms that he lived at 22 Springfield Pike, but it is highly likely he did. Nathan Marchant died in December, 1893. He was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery. After his death, Belle Marchant transferred the Springfield Pike properties to Nathan's son, Frank Marchant.

Cincinnati Post, December 30, 1893

Frank Marchant (1852-1932) attended St. Xavier Colllege when it was located on Sycamore Street followed by the Chickering Classical and Scientific Institute, also in Cincinnati. He began his working career as a bank clerk for the First National Bank, and later listed his occupation as bookkeeper. He married Della Van Doren (1854-1932) in 1874; she was born and raised in Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio. As noted above, they lived with Frank's father in Cincinnati until the 1880s. They had a daughter, Maude, who died at birth in 1874 and then a second daughter, Myrtle Marchant (1876-1938). The year after his father purchased 22 Springfield Pike in 1886, the 1887 Cincinnati City directory lists Frank Marchant working in the city with residence in Wyoming; the first Hamilton County Directory (1897) indicates his address as 22 Springfield Pike and that he was clerk for Springfield Township, with an office on Crescent Avenue (maybe in one of the buildings mentioned in this blog post) He later held the position of deputy auditor for Hamilton County. Frank was also an active volunteer in Wyoming's Fire Company.

Interesting note: Wyoming Marshal Fred Bracker (see this post) and his wife Mary Ann named their son, born in 1892, Frank Marchant Bracker.

Myrtle Marchant was about ten years old when she moved with her parents into the house at 22 Springfield Pike. She married Clifford Bogen Huston (1873-1951) in 1901; they made their home with her parents. Clifford's maternal grandfather, Peter Bogen, had a large Cincinnati slaughter house, and was a leading sausage manufacturer. He moved out to Hartwell, at the time an independent village, where he established a farm and vineyard, part of which was later annexed to Wyoming (future blog post in the works) and part of which is now the Evergreen retirement community. Clifford's father, Simeon A. Huston, was a bookkeeper and later a partner in his father-in-law's business. His mother, Matilda Bogen Huston became postmaster of Hartwell after Simeon's death.

One of Clifford's first jobs was as clerk for the Cincinnati Hamilton and Dayton Railroad. Over the years he held a variety of white-collar jobs, as bookkeeper, in sales, and in management. Clifford and Myrtle Marchant Huston had one son, Frank Marchant Huston who died at birth in 1915.

In 1922 Frank Marchant sold the land to the north of his home, Lot 25 of the WLBCo subdivision, to George H. Leugers. Ten years later, in 1932, both Frank and Della Van Doren Marchant died; they are buried in Spring Grove Cemetery.

Cincinnati Inquirer, September 20, 1932

Cincinnati Inquirer, September 30, 1932.
Note that there are inaccuracies here -
some confusion between his father, Nathan Marchant, who was the squire and judge, and his grandfather (named either Nathan or Isaac) who might be considered a pioneer settler, but of Cincinnati, not Wyoming.

Myrtle Marchant Huston inherited 22 Springfield Pike on Lot 24, and the as-yet vacant lot to the south, Lot 23 of the WLBCo subdivision. In 1936 Myrtle sold the house and the north portion of Lot 24, which is the current lot area of 22 Springfield Pike, to Elsie L. Sides. In 1937 she sold a a second piece of land to the south, that is now 20 Springfield Pike, parts of Lots 23 and 24, to Elsie and her husband Virgil Sides. In May of 1938 Myrtle sold the last of the land the Marchant family owned. The southern portion of Lot 23 was transferred to John F. and B. E. Jackson; 18 Springfield Pike is now on this parcel.

Just one year later Myrtle Marchant Huston died in Lakeview, Logan County, Ohio; she was buried alongside her parents in Spring Grove Cemetery. Clifford Huston next moved to Seattle, Washington, where in the 1940 Census he is listed staying with his brother S. Arthur Huston, an Episcopal Bishop. He remained in that area until his death in 1951 in nearby Port Madison, Washington; his body was then returned to Spring Grove Cemetery for burial.

Sides Family 1936-1950
In 1936 Virgil Shinn Sides (1894-1989) and Elsie Fleitz Sides (1894-1961) purchased and likely moved into the home at 22 Springfield Pike. Virgil was born in Springfield, Ohio and attended Wittenberg College. He served in World War I from April 1917 to June 1919, rose to Corporal in the 324 Field Artillery Company, and participated in the Meuse-Argonne campaign. After the war, he became a dentist, obtaining his license in 1929. For part of his career he was a public health dentist working in the Cincinnati Public Schools. Virgil and Elsie were married in 1934, when they were both about 40.

Elsie Fleitz Sides was born in Cincinnati to parents who immigrated from Germany and Switzerland in the mid-1880s. Her father Henry Fleitz was a brewer. She grew up in the West End of Cincinnati; the family moved to Fairview Ave. in the late 1910s, and then to Probasco Ave. in the 1920s. Elsie lived with her parents and worked as a clerk during her 20s and 30s.

In about 1948 the Sides had a barn on the property moved to the south of 22 Springfield Pike. They converted the structure to have a dental office on the first floor and living space above, creating what is now 20 Springfield Pike. They moved into its second floor apartment, and sold 22 Springfield Pike to Gayle William Shearer in June of 1950. Elsie passed away in 1961. Virgil continued to live at 20 Springfield Pike until he sold the property in the early 1970s, and moved away. At the time of his death in 1989 he was living in Huron County, Ohio.

The former barn being moved into place at 20 Springfield Pike.
The pile of dirt in front of the building is from excavating the basement.
Source: Wyoming Historical Society / Maria Knight.

Shearer Family 1950-1954
Gayle William Shearer (1920-2000) grew up in Lockland, Ohio; his father was a bookkeeper. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of Cincinnati in 1942. He was an ROTC cadet and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Gayle bought 22 Springfield Pike a few months in advance of his marriage to Norma Schrichte (b. 1935) in November of 1950. Norma grew up in northern Kentucky and had a career in advertising, both working in local agencies and for a radio station. Other than owning the home, I do not have other evidence that the Shearers lived in it, though it is likely they did. They sold the home to Emily Knight Gedge in 1954. A city directory lists them living in Amberley Village in 1955; they subsequently moved to Peoria, Illinois.

Cincinnati Enquirer August 28, 1950.

Knight-Gedge Family 1954-1974 (with tenants including Lohmans & Ackerson)
The next owner of the home did not live in it, but her brother and sister-in-law did. Emily Knight Gedge (1892-1962)  was born and raised in Wyoming; her childhood home was 142 Burns Avenue. Her father John Knight came from England and had a printing and engraving business. She married Royal Porter Smith in 1915; he died two years later. She married her second husband Edwin Lee Nielson in the 1920; he died in 1950. Her third husband was Fred Gedge (see this blog post) whom she married in 1952. They lived at 357 Beech Avenue in Wyoming. Emily was very active in the Cincinnati Women's Club.

While Emily owned 22 Springfield Pike her brother and sister-in-law, John Dodd Knight (1887-1958) and Maria Winters Knight (1893-1988) lived in the home. John was involved in the printing business, like his father. He had served in World War I, in the 147th Infantry, served in the Machine Gun Company, and rose to the rank of Captain. Maria, John's second wife, was born in Germany.

There was also a second listing in the county directories for this home, indicating a second, rental unit's presence. During the late 1950s Fred H. (1927-1996) and Jacqueline A. Schultz Lohman (b. 1931) were tenants; he was a chemist for Proctor & Gamble and a WWII veteran of the Air Force. They likely moved to the area and into the rental soon after he graduated from college, the two were married, and he began work for P&G.

Wedding Announcement, Jacqueline A. Schulz and Fred H. Lohman
Carroll Daily Times (Carroll, Iowa),  February 2, 1955

In 1960, Emily Knight Gedge transferred ownership of the house at 22 Springfield Pike to her widowed sister-in-law, Maria Winters Knight. For most of the 1960s, Isabelle Kelley Ackerson (1890-1974) was listed in city directories as a tenant in the home. Isabelle grew up in Wyoming; the 1900 Census lists her family living on Worthington Ave., and then 1910-1940 they were at 307 Grove Ave. Her father was a mail clerk for the railroad. Isabelle is listed as a librarian in the 1930 Census, and for much, if not all, of her career, into the 1960s, she worked at Cincinnati's Mercantile Library. Maria W. Knight owned 22 Springfield Pike until April 1974 when she sold it to Abagail D. Wise.

Isabelle K. Ackerson at the Mercantile Library with William F. Dohrman
Cincinnati Enquirer, April 21, 1968

One remaining unanswered question about this house is when it became a two-unit residence (it has since reverted back to one). It was clear that there were two separate units by the 1950s, when two unrelated families were living in the building. Many older single-family homes in Wyoming were made into multiple units during the 1930s depression through the post-WWII housing shortage. But from the very beginning, with the Marchants, there were two generations of a family in the home. Maybe it was two units from the beginning? Maybe someday someone will find evidence to solve this unanswered question.

From boxing gypsies to Civil War prison to Olympic medals in archery

Poking around in the past you never know what you will find and where it might lead you.

This week I was looking for something to write about for the blog and started by searching old newspaper articles, to see what happened in Wyoming  in some past July or August. The most interesting article I found was about an impromptu boxing match between traveling gypsies that occurred on Clark Avenue, apparently locally known as "Lovers' Lane" in July of 1905.

Cincinnati Enquirer, July 25, 1905.

I wanted to do more with this post than just re-print an newspaper article, so I considered what else I could research and write about. The article mentions the "Town Hall" a reference to the old Wyoming Amusement Hall, which was two buildings earlier than our current Civic Center, on the same site. The village maintained its offices in the building until it burned in a 1907 fire. There were tennis courts on the property, which is possibly where the audience of tennis players came from. But writing about the history of that corner could be a long post of its own, so I put that idea aside. I've already written about Springfield Pike, so I thought I would look into the history of Clark Avenue.

Clark Avenue was laid out in 1874 as part of the Wyoming Land and Building Company (WLBCo) Subdivision.

By 1905, when the gypsies had their boxing match on the street, there were only two homes built on Clark Avenue...

...this one built in 1875...

Source: Google Streetview 

 ...and this one constructed in 1882.

Source: Google Streetview

They were both at the western, Springfield Pike, end of the street, so I guess it could have been a secluded little "Lovers' Lane."

I started out guessing that the street was named for William A . Clark, who owned property in Wyoming (his house is noted on the map above, on Burns Ave. across from Durrell Ave.); was a "Director" of the Wyoming Land and Building Company subdivision, and an investor in other Wyoming real estate ventures; and who later was part of the village government. But ultimately I question why the street would be named for him, and not any of the other investors (see my final note at the end of this post for another guess at who the street was named for). However, I learned a lot about the very interesting life of William A. Clark.

William A. Clark

Source: Spalding's Archery Guide, 1910.

William A. Clark was born in Ohio in 1842, to Sarah Goudy and John Clark. In 1850 the Census lists their family living in Sycamore Township, Hamilton County, Ohio, on a fairly sizable farm--at his death in about 1863, John Clark owned a farm of almost three hundred acres that stretched from what is now Galbraith Road, toward the north, along both sides of Reading Road to about where Southern Avenue is in Reading.

William served in the Civil War, in the 6th Ohio Infantry (The Guthrie Gray Battalion). According to an article about his life and death, published in Forest and Stream magazine in 1913, William was injured at the battle of Stones River, captured, and spent time in Libby Prison and imprisoned on Belle Isle, both in Richmond, Virginia, until being released in a prisoner exchange.

Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia
Source: National Archives.

He returned to his unit, and was again injured in the battle at Chickamauga, left on the battlefield, and captured by Confederates. The article went on to explain "Mr. Clark always claimed that his life was saved by a surgeon in the Confederate hospital, who, finding that Mr. Clark was a fellow Mason, prevented proposed amputation and gave the wounded man special attention for several weeks." He was again released in a prisoner exchange, but this wound, a partial disability in his right arm, kept him from returning to combat.

After the war, William married Mary Jane Rankin of Lisbon, Ohio (located between Pittsburgh and Cleveland) in 1866. They moved to Cincinnati before 1870, when the Census lists them living in the 8th Ward and William having occupation of "clerk in store;" in the 1880 Census his occupation is listed as "clerk in shirt store." City directories indicate he worked for many years at the southeast corner of Walnut and Fourth Street for A.J. Clark Shirt Manufacturers and Dealer of Men's Furnishings (A.J. Clark also owned property in Wyoming in the 1870s, and his wife Helen's brother lived in my house in the 1870s - see this post). William may have been related to the owner of the firm, but I have not figured out through what connection.

Source: Kenny's Illustrated Cincinnati, 1875.

Source: Cincinnati Enquirer, October 2, 1874.

Sometime before 1874 William A. and Mary Jane Clark purchased two lots in the Wilson Subdivision of Burns' farm: Lot  50 (two homes are now on this lot: 97 Burns Ave., built in 1926, and 101 Burns Ave., built in 1875) and Lot 51 (now 107 Burns Ave., built in 1870). I don't know how accurate those construction dates are--they are from the County Auditor's records. Maybe the family lived at 107 Burns for a few years and then built 101 Burns, but I found evidence that the Clarks lived in the home at 101 Burns in both 1875 and 1910. The family included children Carrie (b. 1868), Georgianne (b. 1872), Albert Rankin (b. 1877) and William W. (b. 1880). In 1880 the census reported their household included both of William and Mary's widowed mothers, as well as a young woman who was a servant.

William A. Clark Home, 101 Burns Ave.
Source: Google Streetview

107 Burns Ave.
Source: Google Streetview

Once in Wyoming, William got involved with local real estate and village government. In addition to being a Director on the board of the Wyoming Land and Building Company, he was a stockholder in the Park Place Land & Building Company, which was established in 1875 to sell lots in a large subdivision to the north of Wyoming (which is now part of Wyoming).  By 1897 he was Superintendent of the Wyoming Water Works (which had been established in 1892) and held that job through at least 1910. He also served as Wyoming Village Clerk for many years, and for a time managed the Wyoming Light, Water, Heat and Power Co.

When he wasn't working, and despite his injured arm, William was a leading proponent and practitioner of the sport of archery. In 1879 he helped found the Ohio State Archery Association, and was a member of the Highland Archers, a Wyoming-based archery club. William was also an early leader of the National Archery Association, serving as its Secretary and as its President in 1891, 1898, and 1901. William was national archery champion in 1886, 1887, and 1897. His children also became skilled archers; son Albert was national champion and 1900, and there were many years that daughter Georgia placed highly in the competition.

William A. Clark
Source: Spalding's Archery Guide, 1905.

Albert R. Clark
Source: Spalding's Archery Guide, 1905.

In 1904, the third modern international Olympics were held in St. Louis, Missouri, and included archery among the sporting events. However, this was only the second time archery was a part of the Olympics, there was no international archery organization nor any international rules, and only Americans competed in the sport at the 1904 Olympics (which, overall, were sparsely attended).

Source: Wkipedia

Some indigenous peoples of the world demonstrated their own forms of archery at the "Anthropology Days" held in conjunction with the Olympics and the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. See this article.

Source: Spalding's Athletic Almanac, 1905.

Source: Spalding's Athletic Almanac, 1905.

Nevertheless, Cincinnati and Wyoming were well represented at the 1904 Olympic archery event. William A. Clark was on a team that placed second in the team competition, earning him a silver medal. Wyoming had several other medalists in that Olympics. C.S. Woodruff was also part of the men's silver medal team, and his wife Emily Woodruff participated in the women's events. Eliza Pollock was on the gold-medal winning women's team, and received two individual bronze medals; her husband Henry W. Pollock was also an archer, but I'm not sure if he competed at the Olympics. Archery was the only sport in which women participated at the 1904 Olympics; there were six female archers at the games.

Clark Avenue, 2015.

So the next time you walk down Clark Avenue, whether by yourself, or with a lover, see if you can imagine yourself back to 1905, a dirt road, and a boxing match between traveling gypsies, watched by aristocratic tennis players dressed in white. Maybe standing among them was a Olympic-medal winning Civil War veteran with a wounded arm, who walked over from his office at the Village Amusement Hall to see what all the commotion was.

Now, I haven't forgotten the original question - Who is Clark Avenue's namesake? While William A. Clark's story is very interesting, the road may not be named for him; there is another potential candidate. John. A. Clark was the executor of the estate of Joseph T. Wilson, the man who first subdivided Burns' Farm. Maybe the street was named for him? But determining that would require more research, and another blog post!

My Own Old House (part 1)

The house that captured my heart when we moved to Wyoming dates from about 1874/1875. Its footprint appears on a map published in 1875 by the Wyoming Land and Building Company (WLBCo) in a flyer advertising the lots for sale in their subdivision, the former Archibald Burns farm. At that time, the street was named Wiley Ave., after Burns’ grandson. This home and one across the street were built while the lots were owned by the WLBCo, and were sold to men who were partners in that enterprise, but who lived elsewhere in the community.

1875 Map--house is on lot 4, at the bottom, on what was then called Wiley Ave.

The house’s brick construction is unusual for the period in Wyoming. Most other Wyoming homes built in the late nineteenth century were wooden—many of the early real estate investors and developers in Wyoming were members of the Stearns Family, which owned the Lockland Lumber Company. The stickwork in the house's gables is quite elaborate, and is very similar to that found on several homes of the same general style and floor plan (but built of wood) in blocks to the south, in what was the Village of Hartwell (now part of the city of Cincinnati). Were these homes all the work of the same carpenter/builder?

I have many unanswered questions about the early history of my house. Why did the WLBCo build it? It is not likely that it was a “model home” as we see in subdivisions today. In the 19th century, it was not the subdividers, but lot buyers who contracted for home construction. Was it built to earn money for the WLBCo through rents? A place for lot purchasers to live while their own nearby home was constructed? An example of the kind of construction WLBCo owners hoped to see on adjacent lots?

In 1878, four years after the house was built, Joseph F. Jewett (1835-1922) and Cecilia E. Jewett (1842-1914) purchased it. He was one of the partners in the WLBCo. They lived on Springfield Pike, and Joseph Jewett was also partner in a Cincinnati company that manufactured paper and cloth bags, primarily intended to hold flour and grain.  He was characteristic of many of the early residents of Wyoming—prosperous men who had lived in Cincinnati and continued to run businesses there, but who decided to move their family to one of the quickly growing suburban enclaves outside the city.

It is difficult to discover who lived in the home through the 1870s and 1880s. House numbers had not yet been assigned in Wyoming, so I can only make educated guesses (by process of elimination) about who likely lived in the house, when looking at U.S. Census records and City/County directories. In upcoming posts I will have more information on the first family I can document living in the house, and then several of those who followed.