1614 Richmond Avenue - Hamilton House

1614 Richmond Avenue

Woodland Park, Columbus, Ohio
Lot 2-3-4 A.R. Creamer's Subdivision

On October 31, 1919 Donald M. Hamilton purchased this property from the Richmond Realty Company.

Donald Munson Hamilton was born November 14, 1887 in Columbus, son of English parents, Archibald and Mary Ellen Atkinson (Lovelady) Hamilton. He married Leoti Leni Leeper on December 18, 1915 in St. Joseph, Indiana. Leoti was born October 6, 1889 in South Bend, Indiana, daughter of Samuel and Della M. Earl Leeper. They had three sons: Donald, Jr. (August 6, 1918 - October 7, 1978) who became an attorney, Earl L. (1921) and Richard H. (1926).

Hamilton is in the front row in this picture of the 1909 Notre Dame football team.

A Wilkipedia article states that Don Hamilton was "an American football player for the University of Notre Dame, as well as a professional baseball player and a football referee. As a two-year starter at quarterback for Notre Dame, Hamilton amassed a record of 15-1-1. The highlight of the undefeated 1909 season was the school's first victory over Michigan in nine tries - an 11-3 triumph over a very good Fielding H. Yost team that would earn Notre Dame the title "Champions of the West". In 1910, Hamilton's eligibility was suspended for having played professional baseball with the Louisville Colonels, but he would return as a backup quarterback in 1911 and throw the school's first game-winning touchdown pass - a 35-yard strike to Lee Matthews - for a 6-0 victory against Pitt. After graduation, Hamilton played professionally in the Ohio League, first for the Shelby Blues in 1913,and then for the pre-NFL Canton Professionals-Bulldogs in 1914-15. By the early 1920s, he had become a referee for pro games played in the Ohio Valley, and in 1921 was banned from officiating games for the Ironton Tanks after admitting that he had watched them "more closely" than their opponents. By the mid 1930s, Hamilton had become a college football referee for the Big Ten Conference."

The Hamiltons are listed in the 1920 Census as living at 35 Wilson Avenue, Apt. 2. Donald is an attorney. They have a 17-year-old servant, Sarah L. Latham.

In 1940 the Hamiltons lived in Bexley at 222 S. Cassingham Road. Donald's firm was Hamilton and Framer at 17 S. High Street. About 1945 Donald and Leoti were divorced.

Leoti is listed in the 1951-54 Delray Beach, Florida City Directories, though by 1956 she had returned to Columbus and was living at 256 N. Cassingham Road.

Donald died June 2, 1959 in Columbus. Leoti died in Columbus on November 27, 1963.

Daisy Sellers
circa 1920

On February 1, 1923, Daisy F. Sellers bought the house from the Hamiltons.

Daisy Finnell was born July 25, 1878 in Louisville, Kentucky, daughter of Col. John W. Crittenden and Eliza Finnell. Daisy married Truitt B. Sellers about 1898. Truitt was born August 8, 1869 in Lebanon, Ohio, son of William B. and Sarah Elizabeth (Pullen) Sellers.

In 1910 the couple lived at 159 South Monroe Avenue. They had a servant, Ona Wingo. Ona was born about 1866 in Virginia. In the 1911 City Directory she is listed as a domestic, living at 157 South Monroe Avenue. Truitt was manager of the Ohio Inspection Bureau.

Inspection Bureau, Inc. (IBI) began its operation in Columbus, Ohio in 1888 under the name of “Underwriting Association” with several branch offices located throughout the state. In 1894, the name was changed to “The Ohio Inspection Bureau” in Columbus but the Cincinnati office retained the name “Underwriting Association” until 1917. The Ohio Inspection Bureau was a private organization supported by the fire insurance companies. Its duties consisted of scientific fire insurance ratemaking, the preparation of reports and information for the use of the insurance companies and fire-prevention service work for the insuring public. At its peak the bureau employed 200 people maintaining a main office in Columbus, Ohio and 10 branch offices throughout the state. It published thousands of reports and insurance rates. The published rates in reality were prices for $100 of insurance for one year for various types of buildings in any given town or city.

For almost 60 years the Ohio Inspection Bureau was the electrical inspection authority for the City of Cincinnati and adjacent areas while also doing business as an insurance rating organization. 

In 1947, a federal directive required insurance rating departments to confine their work to insurance interests only. The Ohio Inspection Bureau changed its name to Inspection Bureau, Inc. and reorganized its operations to focus entirely on electrical inspections for the City of Cincinnati and surrounding areas. This was accomplished through the combined efforts of the City, the electrical contractors, and Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company (Duke Energy). Presently, IBI is authorized by the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Building Commissioners as the area’s electrical inspection authority.

In 1920 the Sellers lived at 157 Smith Avenue. Truitt's older sister Sarah, "Sallie", lived with them.

In 1930, things were much the same. Sarah was still with them, Truitt's job was the same but 64-year-old Ona Wingo was back with them. The Sellers owned the house, valued at $20,000.

The Sellers both died in Columbus and are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery. Daisy died July 11, 1942 and Truitt died September 21, 1944.

Truitt's heirs split the property three ways, on April 11, 1945. Apparently they were all living at 1614 at the time. Sara M. Sellers (age 80), Helen G. Sellers (age 78), and Irma B. Tinsley (age 65). Title to the property passed along until there was only one surviving sister.

Sarah M. Sellers was born March 3, 1863 in Ohio. A family Member reported, "After the death of their parents in the early 1900s, Sarah moved in with her brother, Truitt B. Sellers and his wife, Daisy Finnell, at 1614 Richmond Avenue where they all lived the rest of their days." Sarah died on July 1, 1950 and is buried in Lebanon Cemetery in Lebanon, Ohio.

On October 11, 1955, the property passed to the last surviving sister, Irma S. Tinsley. Her guardian, Emily I. Hamilton sold the property on March 17, 1959 to the Roans for $14,000.

Sanford Roan
circa 1941

Sanford Ernest Roan was born February 23, 1914. He married Lucile Penn Johnson on March 1, 1941. Lucile was born in Columbus on August 5, 1916, daughter of William F. and Lena Penn Johnson. They had two children, Kay Sanford and Gary R.

In 1945, Sanford was a factory worker at Curtiss-Wright and the family lived at 76 East 11th Avenue. In 1953 they lived at 1568 Clifton Avenue, a property the family retained.

Sanford Roan was the first African-American to try to become an officer in the Ohio Highway Patrol in 1940. He was the first cadet, but not the first officer.

partial newspaper article
on Roan's beating

From the Ohio State Highway Patrol website, "In 1939, at the age of 25, an African-American named Sanford Roan decided to apply to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. He had assurances from many in important organizations, including Ohio Governor John Bricker, that the state was eager to hire men of color to various positions. But despite his qualifications, Roan's efforts to join the Patrol in 1940 were met with much opposition within the Division.

During the training, reports were made in newspapers throughout the state that he was made to eat by himself, away from the rest of the class, and other instances of being treated badly. The final straw came, though, after the boxing portion of the training, according to this newspaper account:

Lucile Penn Johnson Roan

"'During the self-defense class, which is held from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.,' Roan said 'part of the routine is the sparring bouts that are held daily where the students usually box in three minute periods. I was given several men to spar with for these periods and then when I almost reached the point of exhaustion, I was matched with a 200-pounder who attempted to make a fight of it,' he continued.

Roan received stitches at a local hospital and resigned from training, despite pleas from many for him to return to the Patrol. Despite its promise to Roan, the governor's office put off making any decisions until after Gov. Bricker's re-election, then ignored Roan's pleas all together.

Nevertheless, after his experience with the Division, Roan became a successful entrepreneur and family man. He married his sweetheart, Lucile Penn Johnson, March 1, 1941, and some years later added two children, Kay and Gary, According to Kay, her father and mother heavily emphasized education for their children - both had college degrees.

FAMILY LIFE  After his experience with the Division, Roan became a successful entrepreneur and family man. He married his sweetheart, Lucile Penn Johnson, March 1, 1941, and some years later added two children, Kay and Gary, his daughter Kay said during an interview in the fall of 2009. According to Kay, her father and mother heavily emphasized education for their children. Sanford had a college degree, as did Lucile (from The Ohio State University). When old enough for school, Kay said she and her brother attended University School, a school set up at Ohio State as a sort of "learning laboratory" for education students in what is now known as Ramseyer Hall. They were two of very few minority children in the school, but Kay doesn't remember that being an issue.

LEMONADE IN A WORLD OF LEMONS In fact, there wasn't much that Kay noticed growing up in her immediate surroundings on the east side of Columbus that made her feel uncomfortable. She attributes that to her parents' ability to shield their children from much of the world's racism during their young lives. Kay said her father never talked about what happened to him during his time at the Patrol's Training Academy. Although she believes it affected him deeply, she points out that he moved on to become a successful businessman in Columbus until his death in July 1965. "He didn't share the horror stories. It made him a stronger person," Kay said of her father's Patrol experience. "He was not a bitter man, but he wanted justice. He was promised a state job. He quit several times (due to the incident), but a lot of people worked very hard to get him to go back." 

The former Macon Hotel at 20th and Mt. Vernon Avenue

DOING BUSINESS IN COLUMBUS After he resigned from the Patrol's training program, Roan began opening businesses throughout Columbus and the surrounding area. They mainly consisted of smaller stores, like today's convenience shops, pool halls, and lounges, Kay said, and included names such as the Kozy Korner Lounge (Roan owned the building at 320 Taylor Avenue), the Macon Hotel and Lounge, several apartment buildings, and R&R Car Wash. The Macon, which Roan owned with a partner, was a premier location in Columbus on the near east side, where many of the best black entertainers came to perform, including Duke Ellington. In fact, the Macon was part of the Chitlin' Circuit, a string of performance venues throughout the eastern and southern United States that were safe and acceptable for African American entertainers to perform during the age of racial segregation from the late 1800s through the 1960s. "We're not quitters. I come from a strong work ethic," Kay said of her family. "I remember him commenting once that he would 'never work for anyone in his life.' Whatever problems happened in his life...he never did end up working for anyone else." 

STRONG HERITAGE Both Roan and his wife, Lucile, came from strong working families. Roan's family was prominent in the Chicago area, owning and managing several restaurants and nightclubs in the city, Kay said. Lucile's family owned Penn Transfer and Storage Company in Columbus, which, at the time of its operation, was the United States' oldest African-American-owned business operating in the same location, according to The Library of Congress. Located on High Street near the OSU campus, the business catered to the university, moving objects, furniture, and other items for students and local residents. "When black celebrities came to town, they all needed a place to stay, and my Great-Grandma had raised eight kids and had a lot of room at her house," Kay said. Other well-known figures who stayed at the home included singer Ethel Waters, politician and author Booker T. Washington, and poet/short story writer Langston Hughes, according to Kay and Gary. Lucile's mother, Lena Penn Johnson, ran the family company and made frequent trips to New York City on business. Johnson was very well known socially, as was Lucile herself. In addition to being involved with and starting several social groups in the Columbus area, Lucile modeled along side Lena Horne, wrote a newspaper column and was engaged for a short time to Mercer Ellington, the son of Duke Ellington. In fact, Color Magazine voted Lucile and Horne as two of 10 Best Dressed Negro Women in the country. Despite the ability to provide almost anything his children desired due to great business success, Kay said her father was very adamant that his kids realize the importance of education and hard work. They had jobs at car wash owned by their father, and they would work every Sunday after church. Gary also worked his own paper route each Sunday after church. "He didn't want to spoil us. But we always had nice things - new cars, nice clothes. Mom never worked (outside of the home) a day in her life. Our college was paid for and he paid cash for everything," Kay said. "We didn't even get to have our own bikes for the longest time. We were always riding other kids' bikes." 

SOME LEMONS ARE MORE SOUR With all the prominence enjoyed by her family and their circle of friends in Columbus' black community, Kay enjoyed a childhood devoid of racial tensions. "They tried to insulate us," she said of her parents. "We didn't go places we weren't wanted." But there came a time, when Kay was 15 years old, and she was invited to a school friend's house overnight. The friend's house, located in another neighborhood than Kay's house, had neighbors across the street who weren't particularly fond of seeing Kay on their lane. The neighbors made it known to the schoolmate's parents that, if Kay actually spent the night at her friend's home, that the neighbor's daughter would never visit again. The incident bothered Kay, but her mother gave her good advice on how to handle it. "She said, 'Honey, tell them it doesn't rub off,'" Kay said.

WHAT A TRIP Kay also remembers trips her family made each year in the family car to California. To protect his family during the trip, Roan carried the registered gun he used to protect the lounges and bars he owned from theft. "We had to because our lives were in danger," Kay said. The trips were disappointing, though, because each summer, the Roan family encountered some incident of discrimination. So one year, they decided to travel through Canada. "We went through Canada and there was no racism," Kay recalled. "They all said, 'You should come up here, it sounds terrible in the States.'" A short time afterward, they traveled through Washington State, where two white men in a sports car tried to run the family's car off the road, and succeeded - they ended up in a ditch. Fortunately, no one in the Roan family was injured, and they continued their vacation.

PERSERVERANCE, PRIDE IN FAMILY AND COMMUNITY Incidents like these didn't stop the Roan family. Kay and Gary were active in programs, like Jack and Jill, a club for parents and kids, and groups in the church. The Victory Matrons, an African-American women's group started in 1942, also invited Kay to be sponsored as a debutante at their annual Star Lite Cotillion. She was presented as a Pre-Debutante when she was 16, and a Debutante at the age of 17. A strong sense of unity in the Black community was very important, Kay said, and is to this day. Kay's mother, in fact, was one of 10 founding members of the Columbus chapter of The Girlfriends Inc., a social-civic club for African-American women that started in New York in 1927. Kay continues to be a member of that organization to this day. "The Black Community stuck together - it still sticks together. We have to," she said.

Kay said her father never talked about what happened to him during his time at the Patrol's Training Academy. Although she believes it affected him deeply, she points out that he moved on to become a successful businessman in Columbus until his death in July 1965. 

Like the Roan family, there have been many who sacrificed and suffered to better the lives for those who followed. Motivating these leaders were characteristics like civic pride, patriotism, pride in family and heritage, and fortitude to overcome obstacles. 

In 2009, the number of sworn Patrol personnel belonging to minority groups is about 15 percent of about 1,500 officers, and the atmosphere within the Division is very different than that of 1940. Today, recruitment of minority officers is a focus of the Office of Training, Selection & Standards.

These and others were able to serve with the Patrol as as a result of those like Sanford Roan, who spoke out for the rights of individuals of all races. Roan passed this legacy onto his children, as well. Both of Roan's children continue the family tradition of success - both are college graduates and have successful careers.

REFERENCE INFORMATION
Reels of microfilm, one of which contains Roan's letter to Pres. Roosevelt, the U.S. Attorney General's response, and several articles regarding Roan's unfortunate experiences with the Ohio State Highway Patrol are recorded as a part of the "U.S. Department of Justice Classified Subject Files on Civil Rights, 1914-1949 (ISBN 978-0-88692-765-3)." These reels are a collection mainly of letters to the President written by citizens against the practice of lynching. A large group of the documents deal with the case of the Scottsboro Boys, and others include subjects like the lynching of Claude Neal, race riots, and other civil rights violations. The collection is owned by Lexis-Nexis and are available only four places in the United States (according to State of Ohio Library information as of November 2009): Lexis-Nexis (Bethesda, Maryland); John Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland); a library in Iowa; and The Library of Congress, (Washington, D.C.).

The Columbus Dispatch of Saturday, July 17, 1965 headline reported, "Sanford Ernest Roan, 51, 1616 Richmond Ave., is fatally shot, and two others are wounded after an extnded drinking bout at the Int'l Hod Carriers Union Hall." Lucile died in Columbus on April 3, 2003.

On February 25, 2000, the property was transferred to Kay S. Roan.

280 Parkwood Avenue

280 Parkwood Avenue

Woodland Park, Columbus, Ohio
Lot 1 of Watson and Ryan's Subdivision and parts of lots 16 and 17 of Nelson Heir's Subdivision, etc. The legal description of the property is 1615 Granville Street, though it is known as 280 Parkwood Avenue.

John Henry purchased the property in 1897 from what looks to be a man named Lafe Young.

John Kennedy Henry was born March 3, 1859, son of Thomas and Margaret S. Brown Henry. He married Ella Hannum in 1891. Ella was born March 2, 1862 in Lancaster, Ohio, daughter of Ezra Smith and Jane Hamilton Hannum. They had one son, Herbert N. born in November 1896.

John was a lawyer. Originally from Fairfield County, John and Ella were listed in the 1900 Census for Columbus, residing at 1347 Forsythe. They must not have stayed in Columbus long, as they spent the majority of their days in Lancaster and John is listed as an attorney in the 1904 Lancaster City Directory.

John and Ella both died in Lancaster. John on April 4, 1922 and Ella on November 5, 1933.

Ida M. Irvine purchased the property August 2, 1901 from Ella Henry though the deed was not transferred until December 1902.

Ellsworth C. Irvine was born in Fredericktown, Ohio on December 18, 1861, son of William and Emeline Braddock Irvine. He married Ida Rowland about 1887. Ida was born in Columbus on June 19, 1865, daughter of Richard and Mary Rowland. They had two children, Dorothy (May 1889) and William R. (August 1893).

Ellsworth was an attorney (Arnold, Morton & Irvine) and the family lived at 869 Franklin Avenue.

Ellsworth died in Columbus on November 23, 1924. Ida died on December 13, 1941. They are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

Elizabeth S. Howell purchased the property from the Irvines on February 5, 1910.

Elizabeth S. Watson was born in Ohio in January 1846 in Coshocton, Ohio. She married Robert Howell who was born in Columbus about 1831. Elizabeth and Robert had eight children, six of whom were alive in 1900. Nellie was born about 1869 and Gracie about 1870.

Robert Howell was a baker. In 1860 Robert worked and resided at the Deaf and Dumb Asylum working as a baker. In 1875 the family lived at 111 East Rich Street. Robert died December 22, 1879 in Columbus.

In 1900 the widow Howell lived at 556 Franklin Avenue with her daughter, Millie C. (November 1864) an embroiderer, son Jesse J. (August 1871) a carriage painter, Henrietta (June 1874) a stenographer, Walter J. (December 12, 1876) a salesman and Carl E. (April 1879) a draftsman.

In 1910, Elizabeth lived at 77 Taylor Avenue with her son, Carl, now an architect.

Walter died December 17, 1914 at age 38 in the State Hospital of "dementia paralytica". The information on his death certificate came from his commitment papers. He is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

The widow Howell, sold the house to Mary K. Altmaier on February 16, 1916.

Oscar Charles "Dutch" Altmaier was born October 27, 1887 in Columbus, son of Martin (Sr.) and Sophia Caroline Stark Altmaier. He married Mary Elizabeth Kaufman in Columbus on January 13, 1915 at her parents' home, 1151 Bryden Road. Mary was born about 1892 in Ohio, daughter of John H. and Elizabeth Dagner Kaufman. They had two sons, John M. (1917) and Robert David (October 23, 1919 - October 7, 2005) and a daughter Mary (Dunn).

The Sigma Chi, Alpha Gamma Alpha House
82 West Tenth Avenue, circa 1911
Oscar Altmaier and his brother Stark were both members

After they married the Altmaiers first lived at 54 North 20th Street. Oscar was a 1909 graduate of Ohio State and a member of the Alpha Gamma Chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. In the 1920 Census, Oscar is an officer (Secretary) of the Columbus Oil Cloth Company (Columbus Union Oil Cloth Company) which in 1930 became Columbus Coated Fabrics. (The former plant site is located in Weinland Park and is currently being redeveloped.) The family had two African American servants, Lula Brown, a widow, born about 1870 in Tennessee and Lucile I. Wilson, born about 1899 in Tennessee.

Oscar later became President of Columbus Coated Fabric Corporation. Oscar's son's obituary says that Robert was "an executive in the family oil cloth business, Columbus Coated Fabrics, for 25 years."

Stark Julius Altmaier was Oscar's younger brother. He continued in his father's footsteps in the shoe business. Martin Altmaier, Sr. was a shoe merchant. The Stark Altmaier Shoe Store, "Established 1927, Junior Footwear Exclusively", was located at 19 South 4th Street, and in the 50s had locations in Bexley and Upper Arlington. The South 4th Street store was demolished May 16, 1973.

Oscar died on December 21, 1947 and Mary died July 12, 1974.  They are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

On September 16, 1922, Oscar and Mary sold the property to Charity Brandt. One of the encumbrances noted on the deed were the assessments for street cleaning for 1921 "amounting to $8.75 and $1.94".

Frank D. Brandt was born in Ashland County, Ohio about January 9, 1875, son of David and Catharine Swartz Brandt. He married Charity Hess on December 20, 1899 in Ashland County, Ohio. Charity was born December 2, 1878 in Ashland County, Ohio, daughter of Christian J. (Jr.) and Elizabeth Lawrence Hess. They had two sons, Harold G. (1902) and David C. (May 20, 1924) and a daughter, Mildred Madaline (May 19, 1903).

In 1920 the Brandts lived in Van Wert, Ohio. Frank was a grain dealer. The 1920 City Directory lists Frank as President of The Krystal Rok Stucco Company (in 1927 he is the Treasurer). An item in the May 23, 1922 Building Supply News announces that "Brand (sic) & Hollenbaugh have opened offices in 310 Commerce Building, Columbus, Ohio, to represent a newly-patented composition styled the Krystal-Rok Magnesite Stucco which is used for building purposes. The offices were formerly located at Van Wert, Ohio, where the factory is located." In 1930 the family was living at 280 Parkwood. The house was valued at $15,000 at that time. Frank was a highway contractor. Harold was living with them and he was a crypt salesman. About 1924, Mildred married Charles Stephen Huddleson. The Huddlesons had two children, a son and a daughter. In 1973, Mildred Madeline Huddleson was living in Venice, Florida.

Frank died November 29, 1931. He is buried at Otterbein Cemetery in Westerville, Ohio. Charity died in Gahanna on June 3, 1973 and is entombed at the Westerville Mausoleum. Harold Brandt died in Grand Rapids Michigan July 15, 1981. David Brandt died in Columbus on November 26, 1986. Mildred died in Columbus on July 25, 1987.

On February 10, 1951 William E. and Esther E. Toler purchased the house. They were the first African American owners. On July 19, 1951 the deed was transferred to only Esther.

William A. "Bill" Toler was born September 10, 1919 in Columbus, his mother's maiden name was Ferral. He married Esther Earley before 1949. Esther was born about 1914.

The 1951 City Directory lists Toler & Toler, (William A. Toler, Esther E. Toler) Attorneys-at-Law with offices at 867 Mt. Vernon Avenue #3 (The York Masons Building, now the King Arts Complex). I'm guessing that the Tolers divorced in 1951, just after buying the house. Mrs. Esther Toler is listed in the 1953 City Directory as a finisher at R.L. Tolliver Furs and living at 17 E. California Avenue. In 1957, William is listed as a lawyer with an office at the same Mt. Vernon address. He is living at 1187 S. Weyant Avenue.

Lynn Toler

An article by Janice Arenofsky on bphope.com, a bipolar support website, talks about Lynn Toler, a judge on TV's Divorce Court and her father's background. "Judge Lynn Toler, star of Fox Television’s Divorce Court, remembers how the headlights would flash off the walls of her bedroom and alert the 10-year-old to dad’s arrival. She and her older sister, Kathy, could anticipate another evening of fighting and drinking. “You didn’t mess with him,” Toler says of her attorney father. “He’d say these ugly, terrible things to mom, accuse her of infidelity, and call me a moron.”


Not until she became a municipal judge did Lynn understand that her father’s uncontrollable bouts of anger resulted from bipolar disorder, and that underneath the manic exterior resided a funny, industrious man who loved his wife and two daughters.


Born in 1919 to a poor family in West Virginia, Bill Toler spent his teen years at hard labor in the coal mines. When World War II beckoned, Toler enlisted. But the Army soon discovered that Toler’s aggressive tendencies went beyond fighting the Nazis to violent confrontations with his fellow soldiers. Toler was diagnosed with manic depression with psychotic episodes and discharged in 1947; law school on the GI Bill and a first marriage followed in short order. By the time Toler married Toni—his second wife and Lynn’s mother—he had a successful law practice in Columbus, Ohio, despite his manic depression. 


At home, however, Toler’s symptoms clashed with the minutiae of daily life. He would rage over mispronounced words, misplaced eyeglasses, carpet dust, or imperfectly aligned window shades. In general, his tendency to exaggerate everyday happenings into calamities triggered ugly outbursts. As Toni Toler put it, her husband had a penchant for “running amok.”


When Toler’s agitation peaked, his wife would commit him to the local psychiatric hospital. There he received electro-convulsive therapy or medications, but he stopped all pharmaceutical treatments after being discharged. The reason, according to Lynn, was that her father, who rarely experienced depression, was too fond of his manic imbalance.


Toler also rationalized that his high-octane energy bursts heightened his career accomplishments.


“He felt creative, that he could conquer the world,” Lynn recalls. “He’d yell ‘Wow! Pow!’ over and over, but then he’d get charged up about something as simple as burned toast.” 


Toler’s unpredictable explosions continued until his death in 1994.


As Lynn approached junior high school age, she recognized that her father’s acting out exacerbated her own moods. She became angry and began acting out, breaking light bulbs, wetting herself in public, and reacting hysterically to minor frustrations. Anxiety and depression dominated her days. When Lynn was about 10 years old, a pediatrician and close family friend attributed her mood disorder to her father’s erratic, combative behavior. (Conversely, her sister remained unaffected by Toler’s tirades, and to this day retains an optimistic outlook.) By age 12, (as Lynn noted on a 2007 National Public Radio program), she had suffered two nervous breakdowns. 


As an adolescent, “my emotions changed and defined my life,” Lynn says. “It was so overwhelming that I began catastrophizing.” In her book, My Mother’s Rules: A Practical Guide to Becoming an Emotional Genius (Agate Bolden, 2007), Lynn says, “ … my fears would cascade on me. Daddy would break out a window and I’d wake up convinced that I was going to die in an automobile accident that day.” By the time Lynn reached high school age, her depression had morphed into anger and headaches, and she withdrew from clubs and sports activities. 


At this point, she referred to the self-denigrating voice reverberating in her head as “The Beast.” This voice preyed on Lynn, accompanying her to Harvard and then to the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where her moods often interfered with her scholastic commitments. It wasn’t until 1996 that she agreed to seek psychiatric treatment. She was diagnosed with severe depression and treated with an SSRI for a year. 


During the most raucous periods of her youth, Lynn recalls that her mother would apply practical strategies to contain some of the chaos. For example, she never left Lynn or Kathy alone with their father in case an argument erupted. To minimize her husband’s rampages, Toni mastered emotional management tools that structured and controlled her husband’s life—she lessened the amount of stimuli and information reaching him by screening phone calls and encouraging stability. Moreover, she established safe boundaries and never gave her husband bad news that he could not remedy. 


Toni also never said anything insulting about her husband in front of the girls. She simply accepted the fact that despite Toler’s high regard for traditional values such as father, husband, and breadwinner (Lynn points out that he worked seven days a week, took one two-week vacation in 36 years, and paid for four college degrees, three that came with Ivy League price tags), at any point he might careen into a manic state that even Toni could not control. By the time Toni confided in her daughters about their father’s manic depression, Lynn, as a young adult, could understand that her father’s negative impact on the family was never intentional.


As an undergraduate at Harvard, Lynn remembers receiving a good dose of her mother’s expertise in emotional management. Her mother told her she had to stop catastrophizing and cease trying to control others. All she could control was herself. She helped Lynn to leave her dorm room and get into the classroom by coaching her on how to store her fears away in a metaphorical box and accomplish small tasks one at a time. Lynn soon realized she was learning to apply the same rules and techniques that her mother used to manage her father’s bipolar. 


Today Lynn has not conquered all her fears, but she excels at certain behavioral tools, including “reading” other people’s feelings, assessing her faults, and reframing situations to see the humor in them. 


After law school, Lynn joined a high-powered, 200-lawyer firm in Cleveland, where she achieved the status of the only black female corporate litigator. Several years later, she ran for and was elected Administrative Judge of the Cleveland Heights Municipal Court. Her innovative rulings and commonsense sentences landed her on the pages of Cleveland’s Plain Dealer. A Hollywood production company spotted her there, and she agreed to appear in a TV reality show, Power of Attorney, co-starring former O. J. Simpson prosecutors Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden. Three years ago, she moved over to Divorce Court.


Married with two teenage sons, Lynn has fought her way from a troubled childhood to a successful adulthood, following her mother’s counsel, and getting professional help when needed. Her experiences have also assisted others with mental illness. As a municipal judge, she became the “first line of defense” for many defendants who needed psychiatric care, but did not recognize it or could not afford the medications. 


“Most people misunderstand mental illness,” Lynn says. She points out that for most of her childhood she believed it was alcoholism that was fueling her father’s behavior. “I would have liked to know that my father’s behavior was not his fault.”  

Esther Toler died in Columbus on April 27, 1969. William died July 10, 1994.

On April 21, 1952, Matthew G. and Frances H. Carter purchased the house, with an unspecified balance due on an original mortgage of $9,500.

Matthew G. Carter

Rev. Matthew Gamaliel Carter was born October 16, 1913. He married Frances Augusta Hill in Washington, DC on December 10, 1944. Frances was born about 1920 in Washington, DC. They had a two daughters, Bettye Frances born in Dallas, Texas on March 27, 1950 and Nanette. Bettye Carter Freeman was a Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and is a Dean at Northeastern University School of Law.

Frances is listed as a lodger with Cora E. Murphy at 124 W Street NW in the 1940 Census in Washington, DC.

While in Columbus in the early 1950s, Carter was a YMCA executive.

Matthew G. Carter was Montclair, New Jersey's first African American mayor serving from 1968-1972. His obituary states, "Matthew Gamaliel Carter, the first African-American Mayor and Commissioner of Public Works of a predominantly white New Jersey town, Montclair, died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on March 14 (2012), at the age of 98 years old. His was a true American story of struggle and accomplishment becoming a prominent religious, civil rights and political leader.


Matthew Carter's success as a public official stemmed from his strong faith in humanity and in Christianity. He met with dignitaries and important people from all over the world, but he most enjoyed being with and assisting regular citizens by advocating and working hard for the development of opportunities for all people. He was a tireless advocate for the common man. He engaged everyone he met with respect and good humor, and many of those he worked closely with became dear loyal friends. He had the reputation for integrity and working tirelessly and selflessly for others. Matt Carter believed overall in man's connection to his fellow man and that these bonds would ultimately bring meaning to our lives.

One of three children born October 16, 1913, in Danville, Virginia, he lost both parents, Clarence and Henrietta Carter, at a relatively young age. He worked menial jobs to put himself through school and college graduating from Virginia Union University in 1939. From 1941 to 1942 he served as pastor of Zion Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia, and during this period, he continued his graduate studies and received his Master of Divinity degree from the School of Theology at Virginia Union University in 1942. He went on to complete additional graduate studies at Columbia University and Union Seminary in New York City.

The Afro American
February 16, 1952

In his professional career for the next 27 years, he served in executive capacities with the YMCA in Richmond, Virginia and Columbus, Ohio, and with the Southwest Area Council of the National Council of the YMCAs in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. His climb up the executive ladder brought him to New York City in 1958 as Associate Director of the "Association Press," the official publishing house of the National Council of YMCAs. He held this position for eleven years while living in Montclair, New Jersey.


Matthew Carter served from 1964 to 1968 as Commissioner of Public Works and Vice Mayor of Montclair. He immediately faced a water shortage due to a drought throughout northern New Jersey. To deal with the shortage, he appointed a blue ribbon committee to assist him and the other commissioners. As a result of their efforts, two highly productive wells were established and the town overcame the drought. Also during this first term in office as Commissioner of Public Works, he instituted an extensive housing rehabilitation program. Thirteen neighborhood locations that showed signs of deterioration were upgraded under this plan. When he ran for his second term, he again led the ticket by receiving the largest majority vote and became Mayor. During his mayoralty, a local Fair Housing ordinance was adopted. It was designed to guarantee equal access to all available housing for all people regardless of race, religion and national origin. At the end of his mayoralty, he was appointed to support the construction of Montclair's first two low-to-moderate income housing complexes consisting of 213 housing units. In October 1997, in honor of his service as Commissioner of Public Works and Mayor of Montclair, the housing complexes are now known as the "Matthew G. Carter Apartments." It was a tumultuous time when he was in office with the Civil Rights and Vietnam War protests in high gear. He was instrumental in preventing riots in neighboring cities and towns from spilling over into Montclair. With a coalition of ministers and town police peace reigned. It was his strong leadership and problem solving abilities that contributed to the progressive and diverse community that Montclair is today. 


In 1969, Mr. Carter was invited by the president of then Hoffman La Roche, the Swiss based Pharmaceutical Company, to join his staff. His first task was to organize a Department of Community Affairs and to become its founding Director. During his tenure, the Department grew in size and services, and notably, a corporate Day Care Center was established for the children of La Roche employees, one of the first of its kind in the country.


He received several Honorary Doctorate Degrees and served on many Boards and committees, including as member and chairman of the New Jersey State Commission on Civil Rights. He enjoyed summers in Sag Harbor, Long Island and led the Sag Harbor Hills Association for several years. He also spent winters in Sarasota, Florida after retiring. As a member of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, he served a record breaking twenty-eight years as editor of The Boule Journal, its official publication. He was a brilliant writer and speaker. He loved to read, reading several newspapers a days, and he enjoyed discussing and writing about the current issues.


Matthew Carter married the former Frances Hill of Washington, DC in 1944. They have two daughters Bettye Carter Freeman of Boston, Massachusetts and Nanette Carter of New York City. There are three granddaughters and their husbands, Eva Freeman and Efrem Fisher, Nina and Ronald Hanlon, and Leah and Harold Haskin, and one great grandson, Jonah Freeman Fisher."

Matthew Carter died March 14, 2012.

On July 2, 1964 Esther L. Maus bought the house from the Carters who were then living in Montclair, New Jersey.

Esther Louise Maus was born September 8, 1905 in Wisconsin, daughter of Charles W. and Minnie L. Maus.

In 1930 the Maus family was living in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Esther was living with her parents (her father was a Presbyterian clergyman), and younger brothers Carl Philip, Charles W., Arthur E., and a sister, Mary E. Esther and Carl were both lifelong public school teachers.

809 East Long Street

The 1939 City Directory lists Esther as a teacher, living at 1507 Hunter Avenue in Columbus. In 1941 she is a teacher at Fornof School and living at 61 Chittenden Avenue. In 1949 she is at the same address. In 1954 she is living at 1023 Miller Avenue, listed as a public school teacher. In 1957 she is at the same address, listed as a teacher at Douglas School.

November 13, 1968 Esther transferred the house and another property she owned at 809 East Long Street to a trust administered by Huntington National Bank.

Esther Maus died in Columbus on January 2, 2000.

1951 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map showing 280 Parkwood Avenue at the upper left.

1617 Hawthorne Park - Little House

1617 Hawthorn Park

This 6000 square foot house was built about 1900 for William Parker Little. The home sits on lots 29 and 30 of the Amended Plat of Woodlands Addition.

Little, sometimes billed as a Columbus native, was actually born June 5, 1850 in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Dr. Robert Parker and Cynthia Dow Scarrett Little. He married Fanny Platt Bates in Columbus on October 22, 1889. Fanny was born about July 1858 in Ohio. They had six children, one born after 1900 died before 1910; Helen Kelly (1891), Evelyn D. (January 1892), Robert P. (February 1893), Mary B. L. (August 1897), Alene S. (September 1899).

Alfred Kelley Mansion, circa 1960

Fanny was a granddaughter of Alfred Kelley, a banker and state legislator, whose 1838 Greek Revival mansion at 300 East Broad Street was the Governor's residence from 1890-1892 and later as a Catholic school. The vandalized and neglected mansion was sadly dismantled and demolished in 1961. The facade was saved, and may survive somewhere.

Little's 1878 U.S. Passport Application uniquely notes that Little "exhibits autograph letters from the President vouching for him in very flattering terms." He is described as being 5'4-1/4" tall with a high forehead, dark hazel eyes, a prominent nose, medium mouth, full chin, dark brown hair, an oval face and a dark complexion.

In the 1870 Columbus City Directory Little is listed as an assistant book keeper for Hayden, Hutcheson & Co.. His widowed mother, Mrs. Cynthia D. Little runs a boarding house at 28 North 7th Street and William is living there.

In 1887, William is listed as being "of" R.O. Smith & Co. and also teller at P. Hayden & Co's bank. He resides at 40 North Grant Avenue. In 1890 he is still with the bank, but living at 42 North Grant Avenue.

The 1900 Census shows the Littles living at 67 Grant Avenue. They employed a live-in nurse, Alzina Andrews, age 49.

In 1910 they were living at 1617 Hawthorne Park. William's occupation is bank cashier, an officer of the bank. They had one live-in servant, 52-year-old Margaret Doyle.

A scarce Hayden National Bank issued $10 bill. At the time, local National banks issued currency rather than the Federal Reserve. Little's signature appears on the lower left.

Hayden Clinton Bank Building,
20 East Broad Street, circa 1953.

The Hayden National Bank became the Hayden Clinton Bank in 1910, and was taken over by Huntington Bank in 1923. The tan sandstone bank building at 20 East Broad Street, built by Peter Hayden in 1869, now stands as the oldest building on Capitol Square.

Paul Hooge discovered a trove of Little's photography at an auction in Newark, Ohio in 1992. Hooge purchased 600 vintage prints, 2,500 negatives, 40 autochromes, and a large number of glass slides. Hooge has publicized his find well and the Columbus Museum of Art staged an exhibition from the photographs in 1999. Two of Little's photographs were shown at the new art museum when it opened in 1931 in an exhibition called the First All-Ohio Salon of Pictorial Photographers.

The museum's summary of the 1999 exhibit states, "William Parker Little worked in the soft-focus, atmospheric style known as Pictorialism, popular at the turn of the century. This exhibition illustrates the extent to which Little also experimented with straight photography, producing countless unmanipulated, documentary-style pictures. The exhibition will include Columbus sites such as The Ohio Stadium (very possibly the first autochrome ever made of the new stadium, soon after its construction in the 1920s), as well as many other examples of Columbus and its environs, including Broad Street under construction and Hayden Falls."

Children Cooling Off in Front of the Columbus Library
c. 1925 by William Parker Little

William died at home on of a heart attack on June 15, 1937. Fanny died in Columbus on Christmas Day 1958. William is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

On November 19,1946 title of the home transferred from Fanny solely to Fanny P. B. Little and Harold B. Black, Trustee under a trust agreement dated November 12, 1946.

Harold C. Black is listed in the 1945 City Directory was the assistant secretary of the Columbus Bolt Works at 291 Marconi Boulevard. He and his wife Mary C. live at 1593 Cardiff Avenue in Upper Arlington.

On June 12, 1961 Carolyn B.W. Sanford, and William and Essie Washington purchased the home from the trustee, who was then living in Houston, Texas. Ms. Sanford taking 1/2 interest and the Washingtons taking the remaining half interest.

Carolyn Sanford was a teacher at Pilgrim Junior High School. In 1957 she lived at 131 North Nelson Road.

William Washington was born about 1891 in South Carolina. He married Essie about 1910. Essie was born about 1891 in South Carolina.

In the 1925 City Directory, William is listed as working as a cook and he and Essie live at 218 North 18th Street.

In 1930 the Washingtons lived at and owned 218 North 18th Street, valued at $5,000. William was a laborer at the railroad shops. James Washington, listed as William's brother-in-law lived with them and was also employed at the railroad shops.

Essie Washington died in Columbus on August 15, 1970.

65 North Monroe Avenue

On August 23, 1965 the property was purchased by Edward S. Robinson of 65 North Monroe Avenue.

Edward Sullivan Robinson was born on January 23, 1893 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Edward served in WWI and at that time he lived at 1352 Hawthorn Avenue. In the 1930 Census, Edward and his younger brother Howard are roomers with John Mule at 288 North Ohio Avenue. Edward's occupation is salesman and Howard is working as a bell man at a hotel.

Edward's WWII Draft registration card (1942) gives his address as 1616 Hawthorn Park. His employer was is the Kibler Company at 48 North High Street. Kibler was a one-price clothing store in business from 1905-1944.

Edward Robinson died in Dayton on November 10, 1971.

On April 8, 1975, Lloyd Thomas Dillard II and Gloria Hannah Dillard purchased the home from the estate of Edward Robinson.

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.