Monday, October 15, 2012

1499 Menlo Place - Pickering House

1499 Menlo Place, March 2010
Lot 20 of Joel E. McCarty's Subivision

Joel McCarty sold this lot on June 9, 1908 to Ruth Hood for $700. W.W. McNeille was notary public on the deed.

Ruth Hood was born August 1853 in Ohio. The 1910 Census lists Ruth living with her sister at 1007 Madison Avenue. Both Ruth and her sister have no occupations listed other than "own income."

On March 1, 1909 Kittie Waters bought the lot from Ruth and on October 5, 1909 Kittie sold it to Susanna Pickering.

1499 Menlo Place, September 2012
Thomas Oliver Pickering was born September 7, 1874. He married Susana "Susie" Miles on June 13, 1897. Susie was born January 30, 1877, daughter of Yearsley and Minerva Miles. They had a daughter Audrey M. (1907).

The Pickerings lived in several homes in Woodland Park besides this one. They also lived at 1628 Granville Street and 1517 Hawthorne Avenue. From 1901 to 1908 they lived at 1101 East Long Street.

This house was built in late 1909-early 1910 for the Pickerings. The Pickerings are listed in the 1910 Census and the 1911 City Directory at 1499. Thomas is listed as working for Albaugh & Pickering, jewelers at 81 North High Street.

Pickering's partner, Edwin S. Albaugh (1869-1948) and his family settled in Worthington in 1920. Albaugh was a renowned watch and clock maker, having designed the largest watch in the world and the first ball-bearing clock.

The Pickerings were living at 1628 Granville in 1915. In 1918, Pickering was manager of Central Tire & Repair at 181 East Gay Street and they lived at 1517 Hawthorne Avenue. In 1920 they lived at 50 Taylor Avenue.

Pickering died April 7, 1947 and Susie died August 24, 1947 in Youngstown, Ohio.

The Pickerings sold the house in 1911 to the Huggards.

Richard T. Huggard was born August 20, 1863 in Chicago, Illinois, son of John and Mary Garvey Huggard. He married Grace A. Saxton in Cuyahoga County on October 29, 1902. Grace was born about 1874 in Akron, Ohio, daughter of Wallace S. and Cornelia Saxton. They had two children: Faye E. (1912) and Billy D. (1920).

In 1930 the Huggards lived at 1637 Franklin Park South. Richard was an insurance agent.

Richard died October 4, 1943 in Columbus.

The Huggards sold the house on September 14, 1922 to Ada M. Mountjoy. W.H. Havens of 1654 Granville Street was witness to the deed.

Carl H. Mountjoy was born December 5, 1885 in Columbus, son of Tallman H. and Jessie Rinney Mountjoy. He married Ada Moling in Franklin County on November 29, 1917. Ada was born about 1881 in Columbus, Ohio, daughter of Joshua T. and Josephine Wright Moling.

In from 1903 to 1907, Mountjoy lived at 1452 Bryden Road and is occupation was musician. In 1908 his occupation changed to draftsman and in 1920 he was a contractor living at 720 Miller Avenue.

In 1920 the Mountjoys lived in Akron, Ohio and Carl was working as a construction contractor. Carl died in Columbus on April 17, 1927, his death certificate lists his occupation as architect. He died from peritonitis, blood poisoning in his right foot from a blister caused by an ill-fitting shoe. In 1930, Ada was living at 79 Latta Avenue in Columbus and was working as a dry goods clerk.

Ada sold the house on November 14, 1928 to Merl D. Weiger.

Merl Dee Weiger was born January 20, 1899 in Allen Township, Hancock County, Ohio, son of Jefferson H. and Ova N. Britton Weiger. He married Marion Elizabeth Brown on February 22, 1924 in Franklin County. Marion was born  June 12, 1902 in Watertown, New York, daughter of D.S. and Clara M. Phillip Brown.. They had a daughter Eugenia M. (1925).

In 1930 the Weigels lived in Bay Village, Ohio and Merl was a sales manager for a building construction company. Merl was Mayor of Bay Village in 1938. In 1940 he was sales manager for a greenhouse.

Merl died in Sonoma, California on March 19, 1967, Marion died there on July 22, 1983.

On June 10, 1929 the property was transferred to Brown & Sons, Inc. They sold it to Florence Price on January 27, 1930 with an outstanding mortgage of $4,500 to The Central Building Loan & Savings Company.

Arthur V. Price, Jr.,
circa 1940
Arthur Virgil Price was born about 1893 in Ohio, son of James H. and Lovina Price. He married Florence Mayme Rose about 1914. Mayme was born about 1895 in Ohio. They had five children: Pauline Agnes (1915), Clarice Louise (1918), Lois G. (1920), Arthur, Jr. (1923) and Lee Calvin (1925).

In 1930 Arthur was working as a wallpaper hanger. In 1933 they lived at 121 East Blake Avenue. In 1940 they were still on Blake. Arthur was working as a car salesman, Mayme was a baker in a pie factory, Clarice was a waitress in a restaurant, Lois was working as a private nurse.

Arthur died in Columbus on December 17, 1960.

On September 16, 1931, Ada Mountjoy who had been living at 79 Latta Avenue bought the house again. It was transferred to The Central Building Loan & Savings Company on June 16, 1932 and the same day they sold it to Warwick I. and Alice B. Rowland.

Warwick Rowland,
circa 1918
Warwick Inman Rowland, Sr. was born October 6, 1891 in Blanchester, Ohio, son of John Henry and Nannie Inman Rowland.

Rowland was an attorney. In 1917 he lived at 79 North Ohio Avenue. In 1918 Warwick applied for a passport to be a clerk in the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy.

He married Frances Louise Gwinn in Franklin County on September 20, 1916. Frances was born December 26, 1894 in Huntington, West Virginia, daughter of Othniel E. and Ella Brown Gwinn. She was living at 1816 Franklin Avenue in 1919 when she applied for a passport to join Warwick in Rome.

Othniel Edward Gwinn was President of The Gwinn Milling Company. The book Mostly True: A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball by Molly O'Neill (Frances' granddaughter) recounts great stories about the family.
Frances Gwinn Rowland,
circa 1919

The Rowlands are listed in the 1924 City Directory at 1647 Granville Street and Warwick has offices at the Comstock Building. They must have divorced before May 1925 as Frances married William Arthur Moss of Raleigh, North Carolina on May 12, 1925 in Franklin County.

Warwick married Alice G. Bloom on February 14, 1927 in Franklin County. Alice was born November 21,  1898 in Bloomdale, Ohio, daughter of Earl D. and Eleanor Lathrop Bloom. She was a probation officer at the time of their marriage and was divorced from Charles H. Douglass. Alice was the daughter of his Warwick's business partner, Earl Bloom. They had two children, a boy and Eleanor (1928-2011).

Rowland died January 2, 1939 of a skull fracture from an automobile accident on Granville Havens Corners Road, 1-1/2 miles east of Gahanna. Alice died in Sacramento, California on April 15, 1986.

On November 27, 1936 a quitclaim deed was filed between the Rowlands and The Central Building Loan & Savings Company which stipulates that "It is agreed that it is the intention of the grantors and grantee that the mortgage now owned and held on same premises by grantee, not be merged with the legal title thereto; that said mortgage and legal title shall remain separate and distinct.."

The property was sold on October 14, 1938 to M. Lucille Woods.

Mary Lucille Vermilion was born November 23, 1893 in Arabia, Ohio, daughter of Amos and Minnie E. White. She married Harold E. Woods in Clark County on November 11, 1915. Harold was born November 8, 1894 in Waverly, Ohio, son of John Wesley and Ida Davis Woods. They had a son, J. Harold (1923).

At the time of their marriage, Harold was a street railway conductor. They lived in Springfield, Ohio. Harold died May 22, 1922 in Delaware, Ohio. He was working as a N.Y.C. railroad brakeman and fell from a moving freight car and was mangled by the wheels. Lucille was working as a bookkeeper.

In 1930, Lucille and J. Harold were living with Lucille's widowed mother at 1355 Bryden Road. Lucille was working as a secretary in a lawyer's office according to the Census and as a secretary at the Deshler-Wallick hotel according to the City Directory.

The 1940 Census shows a full house at 1499. Lucille, her son Harold, her mother Minnie, two boarders and a nephew, Earl E. Vermillion. Lucille was working as a stenographer at the State Department of Liquor Control and in 1941 she was a calculating machine operator there.

Lucille sold the house on February 4, 1946 to the Burghs.

Paul Leo Burgh was born November 6, 1895 in Jászberény, Hungary to Jewish parents. He married Levinnier "Vivian" Barker who was born December 6, 1904 in Pennsylvania, daughter of George and Rebecca Platts Barker. They had four children, Nancy Ruth (1927), Maurice G. "Punch" (August 6, 1930 - May 15, 2005), Richard J. (1933) and David W. (1936).

Burgh came to the US with his mother and brother, arriving at New York from Bremen on the ship Grosser Kurfurst on July 10, 1907. He became a naturalized citizen in 1909. In the early 1930s the Burghs lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Paul was working as a tobacco salesman. In 1940 they lived in Ingram, Pennsylvania.

In the 1946 City Directory, Paul is listed as manager of the Stone Grill Company.

Stone's Grills were located in many cities throughout Ohio. Stone's had several locations in Columbus, W. Spring Street and 232 S. Fourth Street. The location at 43 N. Pearl Alley and 40 N. High Street was one location with doors on both ends and what may have been Columbus' longest bar. And lest you have any illusions about the grill part, Stone's was much more of a bar than a grill.


This November 25, 1963 Columbus Dispatch photo of Broad and High Streets (looking north)
shows the 40 North High Street/43 North Pearl Alley location of Stone's Grill.
Vivian Burgh died in Pittsburgh in December 1972.

Almost exactly a year later the Burghs had moved back to Pittsburgh and sold the house to the Schafers.

Howard L. Schafer was born May 30, 1913 in Belmont County, Ohio, son of Elmer L. and Jessie H. Lynn Schafer. He married Carolyn I. Morgan in Franklin County on October 27, 1945. Carolyn was born March 4, 1920 in Wellston, Ohio, daughter of David H. and May Campbell Morgan.

Howard had been married once before. On June 2, 1940 in Franklin County, he married Audrey Frost (born about 1913 in Newark, Ohio, daughter of John and Pearl Holligsworth Frost). It appears that marriage ended in divorce.

In 1945 at the time of their marriage, Howard was living at 269 East Gay Street and Carolyn was living at 275 Miller Avenue.

In 1951 the Schafers lived at 672 Wexham Avenue. Howard was a purchasing agent for Columbus Plastic Products.

Howard died in Columbus on March 3, 1981.

The Shafers sold the house on April 23, 1948 to the Allens.

Charles D. Allen, Jr. was born January 10, 1914 in Columbus, son of Charles D. and Charlotte Mitchell Allen. He married Esther Elizabeth Ashby in Franklin County on January 1, 1947. Esther was born June 29, 1914 in Rendville, Ohio, daughter of John B. and Edna O. Chapman Ashby.

At the time of their marriage, John lived at 909 East Gay Street and Esther was living at 84 North 17th Street. The Allens are listed in the 1949 City Directory at 1499 Menlo Place. Charles was a teacher. In 1952 they moved to 234 Sherbourne Drive and Charles was teaching at Champion Junior High School.

Esther died in Columbus on March 3, 2002.

On January 2, 1952 the Whites bought the house. The Whites had been living at 272 North 22nd Street.

Arnett Keith White was born February 13, 1922, son of Arnett C. and Pauline Redman White.
He married Alberta B. They had a son Arnett, Jr. (June 2, 1942-December 26, 2008).

In 1930, Arnett's father was a Vitaphone movie operator and the family lived at 1474 Hildreth Avenue, but in 1920 Arnett's father was an undertaker with his father Norman and they lived at 1217 Mt. Vernon Avenue.

Arnett was a firefighter and had served in the Navy.

The Whites probably divorced in 1957, as the property was transferred solely to Alberta on July 27, 1957. The deed changed again on August 24, 1961 after Alberta married Joseph W. Lyman, Jr.

A Columbus Dispatch headline of August 21, 1967 says, "A major drug investigation results in the arrest of Arnett White, 25, Dorothy Ann Taylor, 19, and Lorenzia L. Wiggins, 30"

Arnett died in Columbus on June 6, 2003.

On October 12, 1995, Kenneth D. Tyson bought the house. Tyson was born August 22, 1970. In 1997 he lived at 1634 Granville Street.

The house underwent major renovations in 2012 including new windows, plumbing, electrical and siding.

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