1589 Richmond Avenue - Hopkins House

1589 Richmond Avenue

Lot 26, Levi R. and Hugh E. Smith's Woodland Park Addition

This house was probably built about 1904.

Oliver Perry Hopkins was born about September 1868 in Ohio, son of Owen Johnson and Julia Sophronia Hopkins. He married Mary A. Dunlap in Chicago, Illinois on June 19, 1895. Mary was born November 15, 1874 in California, daughter of Elijah Kinne and Elizabeth (Parrish) Dunlap. Mary and Oliver had one daughter, Helen Adelaide (December 5, 1901).

In 1900, the couple was living in Cleveland. Oliver was a commercial traveler. Mary's name is listed as "Jennie" in that Census. In 1904 the family was living at 269 Miller Avenue, but the 1905 Directory shows their address as 1589. In 1910, Oliver was manager of The Keasbey and Mattison Company, a manufacturer of asbestos and related building products. The Hopkins had a servant, Bessie E. King, an 18-year-old born in West Virginia.

By the mid-teens, Oliver was back to being a commercial traveler, selling pharmaceutials. After his wife's death in 1929, he was living in the house alone. The house was then valued at $12,000. Oliver was now the sales manager for the drug company.

Mary died at the house on June 28, 1929 of uremic poisoning from a double mastoid infection. She is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery. On September 29, 1929 the property was transferred to Oliver. Oliver died January 7, 1940. On November 4, 1940 the property was transferred to their daughter, Helen H. Cullins. At the time Helen was living at 3225 Via La Selva, Palis Verdes Estate, California.

The Hopkins' marriage license

Thomas Oliver Cullins, Jr.

On August 24, 1942 Helen and her husband, Thomas Oliver Cullins, Jr. were living in Annapolis, Maryland. They sold the house to Frank C. and Sarah E. Mitton.

Frank Cusic Mitton was born September 25, 1881 in Grand Prairie, Marion County, son of William and Dora (Emmons) Mitton. He married Sarah Elizabeth. Sarah was born about 1889 in West Virginia. They had two daughters: Dorothy (1902) and Elizabeth (1910).

In 1918 Frank was a yard engineer for the Pennsylvania railroad. In 1920 his occupation was interior decorator.

Frank died in Delaware, Ohio on June 30, 1951. Sarah died in June 1978.

On March 27, 1946 Paul A. and Mabel E. Byers bought the house.

The Byers sold it on April 30, 1948 to Clara Snell Wolfe of 1841 Roxbury Road.

Clara Snell Wolfe, circa 1920

Albert Benedict Wolfe was born August 23, 1876 in Arlington, Illinois. He married Clara Snell on September 6, 1906. Clara was born May 9, 1874 in Milledgeville, Illinois, daughter of Francis Adam and Ellen Rosamond Campbell Snell.

Clara was an author and educator and held positions as principal, teacher and lecturer. She was active in women's rights and suffrage issues in Ohio. She organized the Woman Suffrage Party in Cleveland and was a speaker and organizer in the Ohio suffrage campaign of 1912.

Albert was Harvard educated and recieved his Ph.D. in 1905. From the Ohio State University website, "His first book, published in 1906, reflects his sociological interests, and perhaps personal experience: The Lodging House Problem in Boston. He was on the faculty of Oberlin College teaching economics and sociology from 1907-1914, at the University of Texas from 1914-1923, and then at The Ohio State University from 1923-1946. During the summer months he taught economics and/or sociology for a number of universities around the country. In 1956 he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Ohio State. After retiring from OSU Wolfe continued to live in Columbus, Ohio until his death in 1967.

Attacked for his liberal thinking in 1920 while in Texas, Wolfe wrote a book on radicalism: Conservatism, Radicalism, and Scientific Method: an Essay on Social Attitudes(1923). Documents related to the charges against Wolfe may be found in the Lauch McLaurin papers in The University of Texas at Austin Tarlton Law Library. Judge McLaurin was a Professor of Law at the university.

Later, in 1935, Wolfe and two colleagues representing the AAUP visited the University of Pittsburgh to investigate the dismissal of the historian, Ralph E. Turner. In their report they found that Chancellor John Gabbert Bowman had forced the resignations of 53 professors based upon their liberal attitudes (reported in Time magazine, Mar. 4, 1935)."

Albert and Clara both died in Upper Arlington, Albert on June 3, 1967 and Clara on June 12, 1970. They are buried in the 1946 Addition to Union Cemetery.

On August 22, 1952 the property was first transferred to James W. and Telitha E. Williams of 679 N. Nelson Road. Then on the same day, there was a transfer from them to John R. and Lois Dixon, assuming a mortgage of $6,300.

Joseph A. Sugar, Sr. bought the house from the Dixons on January 17, 1958.

Joseph Anthony Sugar, Sr. was born March 23, 1900 in Ohio, son of Italian parents, Augustinio and Augustina Palumbo Sugar. He married Alice L.

The Sugar family were all involved in the fruit business. In 1918 Joseph was a clerk at a construction company, but in 1930 he was a fruit salesman.

Joseph's brother James owned the neighboring house at 1585 Richmond Avenue.

Joseph died in Upper Arlington on July 1, 1988.

On November 14, 1964, Leroy W. Montgomery bought the house.

On March 17, 1967, the bank petitioned for sheriff's sale. They had received judgement of $13,500 with interest from September 1, 1966. He house was transferred to the Secretary of HUD for $7,000 in September 1967.

On April 16, 1968 John H., Sr. and Thelma L. Davenport bought the house.

John H. Davenport, Sr. was born December 13, 1932. He married Thelma L., born February 20, 1933.

Thelma died in Columbus on September 5, 2008.