1506 Menlo Place

1506 Menlo Place

Woodland Park, Columbus, Ohio
Lot number 3 and the east half of lot number 2 in Joel McCarty's subdivision.

Walter C. and Mary E. Floyd purchased the lot from Joel E. McCarty on February 10, 1909 for $1,200. The deed states among other things that no house may be built costing less than $2,500, and the front wall can be no closer to the curb line than 25 feet. Willmon McNeille notarized the deed.

Walter Clarence Floyd was born May 28, 1866 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, son of William E. and Martha Walters Christopher Floyd.

The 1900 Census finds the single Walter living as a boarder in the William Fix home at 205 East Gay Street. Walter is working as an electrician.

Walter married Mary Eleanor Armstrong on December 30, 1903 in Chillicothe, Ohio. Mary was born about 1867 in Chillicothe, daughter of Fletcher Edward and Eleanor Isabel McDougal Armstrong.

The house must have been built during 1909, as the 1910 Census shows the Floyds living at their new home.

In 1911, Walter was the superintendent of the construction department of the Erner and Hopkins Company.  Erner and Hopkins was started as an electrical supply company by John A. Erner. The company began Columbus' first commercial radio station on May 8, 1922, first known as WBAV and now known as WTVN 610.

Walter died in Chilicothe, Ohio on October 21,1929.

The Floyds sold the house on April 21, 1914 to the Rareys who assumed a mortgage of $3,975.

Ralph Forrest Rarey was born in Groveport on June 24, 1884. He was the son of Frank S. and Francis M. Scofield Rarey. Ralph was an attorney and he attended the Ohio State University receiving his law certificate in 1907.

Ralph married Emily Belle Daugherty at Broad Street Presbyterian Church on October 12, 1908. Emily was born about 1884 in Washington Court House. She was the daughter of Harry Micajah Daugherty. Harry Daugherty was part of the "Ohio Gang" and Attorney General under the scandal ridden Harding Administration. Twice the subject of federal corruption investigations (remember Teapot Dome?) Harry was forced to resign by Calvin Coolidge in 1924.

In 1910 the Rareys lived at 1005 East Long Street. In 1912 the Rareys lived at 35 Franklin Park West. Ralph was a partner in the law firm of Daugherty, Tood & Rarey.

Ralph Rarey died January 2, 1937 at the Broad Lincoln Hotel in Columbus.

Clarence Slater

Clarence Colter Slater bought the home on November 16, 1921. Slater was born August 8, 1876 in Nelsonville, Ohio, son of James and Barbara Caulter Slater. He graduated from the OSU School of Engineering in 1895. Slater worked on various construction and engineering assignments in Columbus in the early 1900s. In 1919 he became the president of the Railway Power and Light Company.

Slater's first marriage was to Grace Ellen Davidson on January 1, 1899 in Nelsonville, Ohio. Grace was born April 16, 1877 in Nelsonville, daughter of James Oliver and Sarah Elizabeth Raine Davidson. They had one daughter, Katherine Elizabeth Slater, born May 22, 1904. The 1920 and 1930 Censuses show Grace as a patient, "insane" at the Columbus State Hospital. Grace died February 19, 1946.

Clarence later married Mabel Poston. Mabel was born February 21, 1878 in Nelsonville, Ohio, daughter of Webster W. and Isabella G. Poston.

The 1930 Census shows Clarence living at 1506 with his sister and brother-in-law, Nelle and Arthur B. Vorhees.

On September 20, 1936, Slater died in Nelsonville, Ohio. His regular address was noted as 248 Harding Road in Columbus. He is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery. Mabel died in Bexley on November 16, 1965.

On August 28, 1934 Slater sold the house to Owen G. Roberts.

Owen Guy Roberts was born in Fairbeach, Vermont on July 12, 1865 son of Robert Owen and Margaret Closs Jones Roberts.

In 1890 Owen was living with some of his siblings at his Welsh-born mother's home at 148 Jefferson Avenue and working as a machinist.

Owen married Mary E. Humphrey. Mary was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Benbow Humphrey. She was born in Columbus in August 1869. There are two Franklin County marriage records for the Roberts. The first is October 4, 1900 and the second is November 26, 1901. The only difference I can see is the spelling of Mary's last name on the first record is "Humphries". They had a son, Kenneth (1909).

In 1920, Owen was an automobile salesman living at the Southern Hotel with his son.

The 1930 Census finds the Roberts, Owen, Mary and Kenneth living at 218 North Ardmore Avenue.

Owen died in Columbus in January 1951.

On June 29, 1942 the house was sold to Anna Rozum.

Andrew Rozum was born in Also Tokes, Hungary on April 4, 1893. He immigrated to the United States about 1921. Andy married Anna about 1919. Anna was born in Czechoslovakia about 1897. She immigrated to the United States in 1927. They had a daughter, Frances C. (1928).

In 1930, the Rozums are boarding with Jacob and Anna Berger at 326 Hinman Avenue. Andy was owner of a restaurant, called what else, Andy's Restaurant at 1988 North High Street.

By 1942 the Rozums are living at 1514 Menlo Place. In 1945 they are residing at 252 East 18th Avenue and Anna is working as a cook at Andy's Restaurant.

On July 5, 1946, Marvin C. Chenoweth bought the house from the Rozums.

Marvin Chester "Peck" Chenoweth was born in Randolph, West Virginia on August 11, 1923, son of Carl B. Chenoweth. Marvin married Leona Shillingberg in Washington, DC on August 1, 1942. Leona was born in Dartmoor, West Virginia on September 11, 1922. They had three children, two boys and one girl.

Before purchasing the home in 1946, Marvin lived at 57 Winner Avenue. In the 1951 City Directory, Marvin is listed as a brakeman on the Panhandle Rail Road and the Chenoweths reside at 2147 Gerbert Road.

Marvin died on February 19, 1979 in Yakima County, Washington. Leona died May 3, 2003 in Simi Valley, California.

Marvin sold the house less than a year after buying it to it's first African-American owners on April 21, 1947. Roosevelt and Annie Green assumed an outstanding mortgage of $6,586.89.

Roosevelt Theodore Green, Sr. was born in March 1901 in Maury County, Tennessee, son of James Green, Sr. and Drucilla Lucy Crite. He married Annie Mariah Berry. Annie was born September 13, 1903 in Tennessee, daughter of Anthony and Anna Berry. Roosevelt and Annie had eight children including Roosevelt Theodore, Jr. (September 10, 1922, Tennessee - April 24, 1926) Annie Pearl (1925) and Dorothy Elease (1927).

In 1930, Green was a laborer in a fertilizer plant and the family lived at 448 Denmead Avenue.

June 15, 1951 Roosevelt released his interest and transferred the property solely to Annie.

Roosevelt died in Columbus February 23, 1968, Annie died April 17, 1982 in Columbus. They are buried in Union Cemetery.On April 21, 1982 Cardinal Builders filed a mechanic's lien against Annie on the property for $9.054.51. The lien was released in November 1984.

On August 25, 1992 Evelyn R. Gibbs purchased the property and two others Annie owned from the administrator of her estate for $118,000.

August Koerbling, Early Aviator, 1517 Clifton Avenue

In 1930, August (Auguste) Carl Koerbling, his wife Alma and son David were living at 1517 Clifton Avenue with Alma's parents, Harry and Mary McMorris. 1517 Clifton was demolished to make way for parking for the Isabelle Ridgway Home.

Koerbling was a member of the Early Birds of Aviation. The Early Birds was an organization of pioneer aviators banded together for the purposes of preserving aviation history, advancing interest in aeronautics and the enjoyment of good fellowship . The organization was started in 1928 after the National Air Races of that year. The group ultimately accepted a membership of 598. Membership was limited to those who had documentary evidence of having piloted a glider, gas balloon, or airplane, prior to December 17, 1916. The cutoff date was set at December 17 to correspond to the first flights of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Those interested in flying in this pre-World War I period were often required to build their own craft and instruct themselves in the necessary skills to pilot it and members took great pride in this evidence of initiative. 1916 was chosen because large numbers of Americans were trained in 1917 as pilots for World War I. Many Early Birds went on to establish careers in public service and the aviation industry.

As an organization, the Early Birds was responsible for the preservation of aircraft and records, the erection of numerous markers and monuments and the education of the public on the importance of aviation. With members including Glenn Curtiss, Blanche Stuart Scott, Matilde Moisant, Grover Loening, Roy Knabenshue, Sir Thomas Sopwith, Katherine Stinson, Marjorie Stinson, Earle Ovington, Matty Laird, Anthony Fokker and Giuseppe Bellanca, their contributions as individuals were incalculable.

The Early Birds was conceived of as a "last man's club" whose existence would cease with the passing of its last surviving member.

Koerbling was born August 27, 1894 in New Philadelphia, Ohio, son of August H. and Katharine Wohlgemuth Koerbling.

August was a 2nd Lieutenant aviator in the Marine Corps in World War I. When he registered for the draft in June 1917, he was an aviation instructor for the Curtis Aeroplane Company of Buffalo, New York. He lived at 389 Centner Avenue in Columbus. Koerbling was 5'6" tall, with grey eyes and brown hair.

Koerbling married Alma G. Mc Morris in Columbus on December 14, 1925. Alma was born June 14, 1897 in Findlay, Ohio, daughter of Harry B. and Mary B. Hipple McMorris. Alma was working as a stenographer at the time.

In 1928, Koerbling was an inspector for the U.S. Department of Commerce and conducted examinations for air transport licenses. Koerbling produced some illustrations for the Ohio Guide under the Works Progress Administration's Federal Writer's Project.

A Koerbling illustration from the Works Progress Administration.

In 1939, Koerbling was working in Columbus as a sign painter. In the 1941 City Directory he is listed as a commercial artist with the Columbus Outdoor Advertising Company. He and Alma were living at 153 Latta Avenue at that time. His 1942 Draft registration gives the same address but lists his employer as Curtiss-Wright Airplane, Columbus, Ohio. He died April 29, 1970 in Sherman Oaks, California.

Henry Goddard, Psychologist, 1638 Granville Street

Henry Herbert Goddard

In 1930 Henry Goddard and his wife Emma lived at 1638 Granville Street.

From Wikipedia: Henry Herbert Goddard (August 14, 1866 – June 18, 1957) was a prominent American psychologist and eugenicist in the early 20th century. He is known especially for his 1912 work The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of Feeble-Mindedness, which he himself came to regard as deeply flawed, and for being the first to translate the Binet intelligence test into English in 1908 and distributing an estimated 22,000 copies of the translated test across the United States; he also introduced the term "moron" into the field.

He was the leading advocate for the use of intelligence testing in societal institutions including hospitals, schools, the legal system and the military. He played a major role in the emerging field of clinical psychology, in 1911 helped to write the first U.S. law requiring that blind, deaf and mentally retarded children be provided special education within public school systems, and in 1914 became the first American psychologist to testify in court that subnormal intelligence should limit the criminal responsibility of defendants.

In 1918 he became director of the Ohio Bureau of Juvenile Research; in 1922 he became a professor in the Department of Abnormal and Clinical Psychology at the Ohio State University, a position he held until his retirement in 1938. His wife Emma died in October 1936; they had no children. He received an honorary law degree from Ohio State in 1943, and an honorary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1946. In 1946 he was among the supporters of Albert Einstein's Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists.

By the 1920s, Goddard had come to candidly admit that he had made numerous errors in his early research, and regarded The Kallikak Family as obsolete. It was also noted that Goddard was more concerned about making eugenics popular rather than conduting actual scientific studies. He devoted the later part of his career to seeking improvements in education, reforming environmental influences in childhood, and working toward better child-rearing practices. But others continued to use his early work to support various arguments with which Goddard did not agree, and he was constantly perplexed by the fact that later generations found his studies to be dangerous to society. Henry Garrett of Columbia University was one of the few scientists to continue to use The Kallikak Family as a reference.

Goddard moved to Santa Barbara, California in 1947. He died at his home there at age 90, and his cremated remains were interred with those of his wife at the Vineland Training School.

Leland S. McClelland, Cartoonist and Artist, 314 Parkwood Avenue

Leland McClelland circa 1980s

In 1940 local artist and cartoonist, Leland Shank McClelland and his wife Olga were living with his mother-in-law, Mary Schlesinger at 314 Parkwood Avenue.

From the OSU Cartoon Library and Museum website:  "Because he is so well-known as a watercolorist, many may be surprised to know that Leland S. McClelland's first ambition was to be a cartoonist. Drawing Attention: Pen Stroke and Perspectives from Great Lakes Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society published in 1997 includes the following autobiographical statement:

"From the time I was old enough to read the funnies I wanted to be a cartoonist on theColumbus Citizen, one of the two afternoon newspapers in the city at that time. I didn't want to be on the Chicago Tribune or any other big papers - just the Citizen. In the summer between my two years of studying art and cartooning at the Chicago Academy of Fine Art, I took my samples in to the managing editor of the Citizen. He liked what he saw and hired me for the summer, even though I wasn't all that good. He held the job open for me for the next year until I finished at the CAFA. I held the job until the paper went the way that so many papers did - it folded in 1959.  

I went to work for the city's largest ad agency and stayed until 1964 when I quit and opened my own studio. When I left the Citizen, I started to paint watercolors which I did until I retired. I've always loved cartooning and cartoonists - they're my kind of people. I'll always consider myself a cartoonist first and something else second. "

Leland Shank McClelland was born in Columbus on May 23, 1914, the son of C. P. McClelland, the probate court judge, and Grace Shank, a homemaker. He is a graduate of East High School and attended Ohio State University before transferring to the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts where he graduated in 1936. He married Olga Anne Schlesinger, his high school sweetheart in 1937, and they had a daughter, Mary Susan, and a son, Jeffrey Lee. Mrs. McClelland died in 1987, shortly after the couple celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.

After his cartooning job at the Columbus Citizen ended, McClelland taught himself to watercolor. A prolific artist, he was known for completing three paintings a week for twenty-five years prior to his retirement in 1994. His paintings are in the collections of the Columbus Museum of Art, Capital University's Schumacher Gallery, the Zanesville Art Institute as well as in the homes of many central Ohioans. Collections of his original cartoons are held at the Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library and the Columbus College of Art and Design, where he taught for sixteen years. He was a founder of the Bexley Area Art Guild and the Central Ohio Watercolor Society. He also served for ten years as Director of Fine Arts at the Ohio State Fair. McClelland was very active in the Columbus community serving as president of the Columbus Art League, Arts Council of Columbus, Downtown Lions Club, and Athletic club.

McClelland's Cartoon Parade was part of a long tradition among Columbus cartoonists that originated with Billy Ireland's Passing Show. Each Sunday the newspaper devoted a full-page cartoon to goings-on in the community and, in McClelland's case, the growth and change in post-war Columbus. As I remember It was a somewhat nostalgic panel cartoon series in which the cartoonist reflected on his childhood and past events. Both features were done with crisp line and sure hand of an expert, and each reveals McClelland's perspective on life and his affection for central Ohio. Occasionally in Cartoon Parade he ventured into the area of political commentary, but always with gentle humor. For almost twenty-three years, Leland S. McClelland's cartoons chronicled and commented on his world. We are richer for this legacy.

George L. Schmidt, Wholesale Meats, 145 Greenway Avenue South

In 1940, George L. Schmidt and his family lived at 145 Greenway Avenue South, and address that no longer exists.

Schmidt was son of J. Fred Schmidt, founder of a meat packing business in German Village in 1886. By 1940, George was president of the firm.

According to the Schmidt's website, George ran the "thriving packing house business through the great depression, (and) was a huge sports enthusiast. In 1938, he became the majority stockholder of one of Columbus's first professional football teams, the Columbus Bullies."

"Schmidt's first venture into the restaurant / concession business was in the 1920's, when George opened a stand at the Ohio State Fair. Today, the Schmidt's food booth is the second oldest food concessionaire at the state fair and is still amongst the most popular."

George's son, George F. Schmidt "opened the company's first restaurant in July of 1967 just around the corner from his grandfathers' meat packing plant in German Village. Using meat recipes from the packing days and dessert recipes from the German ladies hired to run the kitchen, Schmidt's Sausage Haus became an instant success. Schmidt's is still a landmark eatery in Central Ohio."

Cornelius "Connie" Desmond, Radio Announcer, 218 Clifton Avenue

Connie Desmond is shown in the 1940 Census living at 218 Clifton Avenue.

(From Wikipedia) Cornelius "Connie" Desmond (January 31, 1908 - March 10, 1983) was an American Major League Baseball radio broadcaster, primarily for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Connie Desmond, center

Desmond began his career in 1932 as the voice of the minor league Toledo Mud Hens. In 1940, he was promoted to broadcasting the games of the AAA Columbus Red Birds.

Mel Allen was impressed enough with Desmond that he asked him to come to New York City as his sidekick on the home games of the Yankees and Giants in 1942. After one year, he left and joined with Red Barber on the Dodgers broadcasts, replacing Al Helfer. During the 1943 season, Barber and Desmond were the only voices of baseball in New York; the Giants and Yankees suspended broadcasts that year for unknown reasons. Desmond remained with the Dodgers until 1956, teaming with Barber (1943–1953), Ernie Harwell (1948–1949), and Vin Scully (1950–1956). Desmond also teamed with Barber to call college football and New York Giants football in the 1940s.

Desmond battled alcoholism for many years, and frequently missed games because he was too drunk to go on the air. Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley finally lost patience with him and fired him before the 1955 World Series--thus missing a chance to call the Dodgers' only world title on the East Coast. Desmond asked for and got another chance in 1956, but was fired for good after several more absences. He was succeeded by Jerry Doggett.

Desmond was a fairly accomplished singer; in the early 1940s hosted several music shows on WOR, with himself as the featured singer.

Desmond died March 10, 1983 in Toledo, Ohio at the age of 75.

Mary Elizabeth Cook, Sculptor, 1550 Clifton Avenue

The 1940 Census data was released this week, providing lots of new information on past residents of Woodland Park. One of them is Mary Cook, also known as May. She lived at 1550 Clifton Avenue in 1940.


William M. Cook, great-nephew of the artist provided the following information about Mary in November 2004: "Our family has her actual birth-date as December 31, 1863. Some published material shows 1864. She was born in Chillicothe, Ohio with the name of Mary Elizabeth Cook, but later (date unknown) began using May instead of Mary.

She is probably most known for her creation of the "Peter Pan" figure atop the fountain in front of the Columbus Public Library. She also created bronze bas-relief sculptures of Rutherford B. Hayes, Warren G. Harding, James Garfield, and others, on display in the main corridor of the Ohio Supreme Court Building, Columbus, Ohio.

In 1918, she enlisted in the Army's Women Volunteers and became involved with the rehabilitation of soldiers with facial injuries from WWI. She developed a method of creating a ceramic mask of the injured face and then developed models for the surgeons to work by to do the reconstructive surgery.

Her involvement went far beyond the mere technical aspects of the work. For example, she devised ways to get the patients involved in making pottery and other ceramics to assist them in their rehabilitation. Much of the work was done at her own expense and she was never repaid by the US Government.

In 1943, she was injured in a fall from a scaffold and spent much of the remaining years hospitalized until she died in 1951 at age 87."


Peter Falk's Who Was Who In American Art has this to say, "A sculptor, lithographer and designer for Roseville Pottery in Zanesville, Ohio, May Cook studied in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academy Colarossi. She was a member of the National Sculpture Society, the American Ceramic Society and the National Art Club. Exhibition venues included the Paris Salon where she was recognized for the 600 life masks she did during World War I for facial reconstruction of injured soldiers. She created Art Deco sculptural reliefs in the 1930s for public buildings. "