The Aultman & Taylor Company

to which he had devoted considerable energy. Several manuscripts
belonging to Dr. Bixler are in the Sherman Room of the
Mansfield/Richland County Public Library in Mansfield, Ohio.

Chapter 15

The Aultman & Taylor Company was involved in a variety of
lawsuits. They had to do with patent rights and infringements,
damage suits, collecting of money due the company and contract
violations.

On Feb. 15, 1870, Andrew W. Hummer brought suit against the
company for certain damages. It was a civil action. The trial began
on Feb. 28, but it did not in reality get underway until Sept. 14
when a jury was impaneled to hear the case. After due deliberation
the jury returned its verdict in favor of the plaintiff and awarded
damages in the amount of $360.¹

At the conclusion of the trial the attorneys for both parties
gave notice of their intention to demand a second trial. The
plaintiff asked for $600, and the defendant set the figure at $200.
The court records do not show the final disposition of the
case.

In February of 1899 a furor arose over a lawsuit brought against
the Aultman & Taylor Company. An Ohio statute provided that the
county commissioners could employ a tax inquisitor whose
responsibility was to search out those individuals or corporations
in the county that had not paid their taxes. He was to be paid 20
percent of the amount of money collected. The New Testament shows
that tax collectors were despised by most of the people. Ohio’s
were equally unpopular. Suit was brought against the company in the
amount of $228,000 for delinquent taxes.

George Brinkerhoff was the attorney for the company and also the
administrator of the Harter estate. At a meeting of the employees
of the company he stated that W.F. Charters was employed by the
county commissioners to hunt down prospects that may have concealed
assets subject to taxation. It was charged that Charters had no
interest in Richland County and was concerned only about the amount
of money that he could collect for himself.

James E. Brown, president of the company, stated that, if that
amount of money were collected, the firm would be compelled to move
to Pittsburgh, Pa., where conditions would be more favorable. This
threat aroused the employees of the company, and they held a
meeting at Company M’s armory to take action in regard to the
giant tax suit.

George Knofflock, who was in charge of the shipping department,
was informally selected as chairman for the evening. The men chose
Isaiah Little to be secretary of the meeting. Morgan Roop, the man
who drove the first stakes for the Aultman & Taylor Company and
whose sons had been employed by the company, along with several of
the older employees, sat on the platform.

Brinkerhoff demonstrated the cussedness of the tax inquisitor.
It was brought to the attention of the group that this suit was one
way to create suspicion and impair credit. When a large concern
like the Aultman & Taylor Machinery Company began manufacturing
in the spring of the year, it was necessary to borrow large sums of
money. Local banks were unable to furnish all of the necessary
money, so some of it had to be borrowed elsewhere. The attorney
expressed the opinion that it was unnecessary to reveal such
information to the public. It was stated that the company was in a
sound financial condition and that it could weather all of the
storms.

If the suit had been successful the inquisitor would have
received $45,000 for his services. Those who were present that
evening were warned that, in the event the suit was successful, the
company would close its shops and locate in an eastern city where
conditions would be more favorable. New York at that time did not
levy a tax against manufacturers. The company took the position
that it could better afford to abandon the buildings and move to an
eastern city rather than submit to what it regarded as unjust
taxation. One of the employees asked, ‘Do we want to put a
fence around Mansfield against manufactories and drive out those we
have?’

One of the newspaper artists drew a picture of a fat man and
labeled him ‘The Grafter.’ The artist suggested that, while
the rooster almost starved on the Aultman & Taylor strawstack,
the tax grafters were plucking the company.

Knofflock made a brief talk in which he informed the men that he
had gone to work for the company on Dec. 1, 1868, that he had
always been treated well by the company, and that he never asked
for a favor but that it was granted. He then asked, ‘How is it
with you? Now then, the Aultman & Taylor Machinery Company has
a payroll of $20,000 per month. You can’t afford to have the
company move to Pittsburgh and lose this. Can the merchants of
Mansfield afford it? No sir! Last summer for four months the
payroll was $26,000 per month.’

One of the county commissioners, George Gribbling, did not vote
to employ the tax collector. He attended the meeting of the
employees and showed them something of the ignorance and inability
that prevailed at the courthouse.

At the meeting’s close a committee consisting of William
Brent, John Cahall, James Livingston, Edward Smith, Isaiah Little,
Louis Theis, Joseph Galland, John W. Glashon and Morgan Roop was
appointed to draft resolutions and present them to the county
commissioners.

At a meeting held in the large paint shop during the noon hour
the resolutions prepared by the committee were read and given a
preliminary adoption:

‘The employees of the Aultman & Taylor Machinery
Company, in mass assembled, unanimously passed the following
declaration and resolutions with reference to the recent suits
begun by the treasurer of Richland County against the Aultman &
Taylor Machinery Company and against the estate of Michael D.
Harter, deceased.

‘We look upon said suits with horror as being an effort to
extort money from said estate and from said company without regard
for the interests of the employees and taxpayers resident in said
county. Prior to the death of Michael D. Harter it was our
privilege to work under him for many years some of us ever since we
were old enough to work, and as such employer he not only dealt
honestly and fairly with us but was a personal friend of each and
every man under his employ and in his conversations never knowingly
defrauded the county or Richland. The Aultman & Taylor people
as a corporation have always dealt with their employees not only
fairly but generously, and their dealings have always been honest,
and we feel that the tax returns that they have made to the county
have been as near correct as it was possible to make them; that the
interests of the Aultman & Taylor Machinery Company and the
estate of Michael D. Harter, deceased, are so interwoven that
anything that injuriously affects one must to a great extent injure
the other, but if the Aultman & Taylor people are required to
pay taxes on such evaluation as indicated by the suit pending that
they must necessarily be driven from Richland County and the state
of Ohio; that if this should happen it would not only injuriously
affect the employees of said company but would be injurious to
every resident in our city and county. We denounce in the strongest
possible terms the action taken and demand not only as employees of
said company but as taxpayers and residents of Mansfield that the
county treasurer at once dismiss both of said actions; that the
county auditor with such of the county commissioners as may be
necessary, take from the tax duplicate the addition place thereon
as against said company and against said estate.

‘We request that the citizens of Mansfield, irrespective of
their business, through the Fifty Thousand League, or such other
means as may be thought best, hold a meeting as soon as possible to
take such action as they in their judgment may deem best. This
action should be taken not solely from the pecuniary stand point
but because of what we owe to the company whose interests have been
attacked and their officers.

‘We request the News Publishing Company and the Shield
Publishing Company publish this statement in their daily paper and
also re-publish it in their semi-weekly edition.

‘In behalf of said meeting signed by the following
committee, one from each of the several departments: W.T. Brent,
Chairman, W.M. Roop, James Livingston, Joseph B. Smith, J. Cahall,
E.J. Little, Joseph Galland, Louis Theis and J.R. Glashan
sic.’

On the afternoon of Feb. 4, 1899, at two o’clock, the entire
force of the employees assembled at the plant and after hearing the
report of the committee adopted it. The workmen then formed a line
and marched up to the courthouse. They marched around the south
side of Central Park and entered the courthouse. They assembled in
the common pleas courtroom. The meeting was called to order by
Knofflock. Morgan Roop and William Brent were appointed to wait on
the county commissioners and request their attendance at the
meeting. A motion was made to summon the county treasurer,
Brumfield, and county auditor, Fritz, to the meeting. As soon as
the commissioners and the other officials were present, Knofflock
read the resolutions.

Speaking for the commissioners, Gribbling agreed that they would
get rid of the tax inquisitor and annul the suit of the treasurer.
Brumfield also agreed to do everything he could to ease the
difficulties. Fritz was called upon, and he declined to take the
extra tax off the duplicate. He read a passage from the law to
justify his action.

After lengthy hearings, including the Ohio Attorney General, the
case was settled by requiring the Aultman & Taylor Machinery
Company to pay the sum of $35,000 as back taxes. Judge Shields of
the common pleas court held that the tax inquisitor, Charters, was
not entitled to 20 percent of the amount collected or any other sum
of money. The judge also found that the auditor was entitled to 4
percent of the amount collected.²

As a result of this settlement tempers cooled, and the Aultman
& Taylor Company continued to build machinery in the city of
Mansfield. A group of concerned people had demonstrated that an
injustice could be corrected by an aroused citizenry.

On May 11, 1889, a civil action was brought by Brinkerhoff for
Michael Kissel and David Bushey, executors of the last will and
testament of Jacob Kissel. The case was adjudicated and settled by
the court, which required the company to pay the full judgment and
costs amounting to $219.³

In 1903 the records of one of the meetings of the board of
directors show that the expenses incurred by a suit brought against
the firm by the Thayer Company was charged to their sinking fund.
The Thayer Company was an agent for Aultman & Taylor’s
water-tube boilers. The suit was brought to satisfy an unfulfilled
obligation.

On Dec. 2, 1909, the following resolution was adopted by the
board of directors:

‘Resolved that the proposition of W.H. Cahall to pay him
$6,250 in full settlement of his pretended claim of royalties or
damage under patent upon a man hole device used in horizontal
boilers be, and the same is hereby, rejected, and be it further
resolved that, inas much as he has written to Mr. Isaac Harter and
others on the subject, Mr. Harter be instructed to write so to him,
and to further state in substance that, while the company denied
all liability of every kind or anyone else upon his pretended
claim, in order to avoid litigation, it would take up the matter of
compromising said claim for such nominal sum as might cost it to
defend against and defeat said claim.’⁴

Apparently this claim was settled outside of court.

Company Personnel in Later Years

Biographical sketches of individuals important in the life of
the company were presented in earlier chapters. Yet, there were
others who in later years became prominently affiliated with the
firm.

James Ephraim Brown

James Ephraim Brown was born in Bloomfield, Trumble County,
Ohio, on March 21, 1846. His British ancestors immigrated to this
country during the early period of our nation and settled at
Westmoreland, N.H. His relatives became a part of the New England
group that settled in what became known as the Western Reserve in
Ohio.

Brown received his early education in a private school at
Bloomfield. He attended high school in Massillon, Ohio, from which
he graduated in 1864. One might add that this was the first high
school chartered by the state of Ohio, and it was shortly
thereafter that Brown attended that school. He completed a business
course at Poughkeepsie (New York) College. From there he went to
New York City, where he engaged in the wool business for a period
of three years. Then he spent the next three years in Boston
engaged in the same business. He returned to Massillon, where he
conducted a hardware business until 1878.

JAMES EPHRAIM BROWN’S CAREER WITH AULTMAN & TAYLOR
SPANNED 45 YEARS. HE STARTED AS AN ASSISTANT AND FINISHED AS
PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

At that time Michael D. Harter importuned him to come to
Mansfield to affiliate himself with the Aultman & Taylor
Company. Accepting the invitation Brown entered the employ of the
firm in October of 1878 as assistant to Harter, who was then the
manager of the company. In 1881 he was elected secretary and held
that position until 1891. As already noted, in October of that year
the company was sold to the Aultman & Taylor Machinery Company,
and Brown was elected President. He held that position until 1922,
when he relinquished it and was elected President of the Board of
Directors. The latter position he held until the company was
liquidated. Altogether he served the company in official capacities
for 45 years, a longer period of time than any other person
connected with the firm with the exception of Elizabeth Aultman
Harter, who, it will be recalled, was affiliated with the company
from the founding to its liquidation.

He was united in marriage on April 24, 1872, to Isabella
Hurxthal, a daughter of a Massillon banker. One son, James, was
born to that union. Mrs. Brown died on July 7, 1891. In 1901 he was
married to Katherine Holloway of Mansfield. To that union were born
two children, Ephraim H. and Mary Katherine.

Brown was affiliated with the different Masonic bodies in
Mansfield and held office in those organizations. He was an active
member of Grace Episcopal Church in Mansfield.

Although he never held public office, yet he was active in
Mansfield political affairs as a Republican. On Jan. 1, 1897, he
was elected president of the Mansfield Savings and Trust Company
and on Jan. 22, 1922, became Chairman of the Board of that
financial institution, which position he held until his death.
Burial was in the Mansfield Cemetery.

The presidency of the company placed Brown at the center of a
vast manufacturing concern. It was his practice at each of the
annual meetings of the stock holders in January to present a
report. Those reports contained a resume of the production of
machinery during the preceding year, the financial status of the
company, and problems concerned with its management. They
constitute one of the most important sources of information
concerning the company.

When vitally important matters were to be considered by the
board of directors, he conferred with Mrs. Harter and secured her
approval of the proposed action. Occasionally Mrs. Harter was
unable to attend meetings of the directors or stockholders; in
those instances, Brown went to her home in Canton to seek her
counsel. One experience is illustrative. On Feb. 20, 1906, Brown
discussed the details of the proposed liquidation of the
indebtedness due the Aultman & Taylor Company and secured Mrs.
Harter’s approval before the matter was presented to the
directors and stockholders. This procedure is understandable in
view of the fact that Mrs. Harter was the largest stock holder in
the company, and with her years of experience he trusted her
opinions

At the stockholders meeting in January of 1916, Brown made the
following statement: ‘As I am approaching my 70th birthday and
the 38th year with the company, it is natural to feel that, within
a few years at least, I shall have to cease connection with the
company, and for the remaining period of my connection with the
company I feel it necessary to relinquish a great deal of the work
I have been doing and be free to absent myself at times from the
business. I desire to give attention to the general matters of the
business, financial, etc., leaving all details, which I heretofore
looked after, more or less, to be attended to by some body else. I
feel under the conditions my salary should remain as it is so long
as I am filling this office. Mrs. Harter is in perfect
agreement.’

Following the above announcement the offices of the company were
placed largely in the hands of G. Paul Alexander, who became
treasurer. His appointment was for a period of three
years.⁵

HUNTINGTON BROWN

Huntington Brown was born in Trumble County, Ohio, in 1849, a
son of James Monroe and Mary (Hicks) Brown. His father was the
original proprietor of Bloomfield Township, was the co-adjudicator
of the early anti-slavery men of the Western Reserve, and also
served in the House of the Ohio General Assembly in 1824.

In early childhood Huntington Brown accompanied his parents when
they moved to Massillon, Ohio. His early education was acquired in
the public schools of that city. Later he attended Nazareth Hall, a
school located in Pennsylvania. In 1867 he went to Mansfield and
became associated with M.D. Harter. In an earlier chapter it was
shown that Brown was one of the men who traveled across the West
seeking to introduce the new company and its products to
prospective customers. At the age of 21 he toured Europe.

Upon his return from that trip he entered the employ of the
Aultman & Taylor Manufacturing Company. He was recognized for
his abilities and was rewarded by successive promotions. He became
superintendent of the company in 1879, serving in that capacity for
10 years. After having been affiliated with the company for 21
years, he then moved on to other executive positions in
Mansfield.

His activities included a variety of social, political,
fraternal and commercial relations. He possessed great qualities of
leadership and did much to mold public thought and action. He
served as mayor of Mansfield for a number of years. He died on Feb.
8, 1914.⁶

James Reynolds

James Reynolds was born in New York City on July 14, 1846, a son
of William and Ann (Bowden) Reynolds. In 1863 he accompanied his
parents to Ohio, where they located in Crawford County, and in 1872
he went to Licking County.

He received a practical education through firsthand experience
when at the age of 16 he became an errand boy in the office of a
Wall Street broker. Beginning in 1863 he taught in a rural school
for eight years. Following that experience he taught in village
schools and then became superintendent of schools in Crestline,
Ohio, and Warrensburg, Mo. While at Crestline, he became an
inspector of high schools in Ohio. He went to Mansfield in 1877 and
became the principal of the Tenth-Ward School. His career as a
teacher closed in 1878 when he entered the employment of the
Aultman & Taylor Company.

Reynolds was married to Charlotte A. Trimble, whose parents
originally came from Harrison County, Ohio, and were pioneers in
Crawford County. Four children were born to that union: Emma,
Alexander Tully, Mary and William Fielding.

For many years he was one of Mansfield’s most prominent and
respected citizens. He was a hard working, progressive
businessman.

An active member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in
Mansfield, he served as the superintendent of its Sunday school for
many years. He was an opponent of the liquor business.

He was president of the board of trustees of the Emergency
Hospital in Mansfield. He also served as a trustee of the Carnegie
Library during its construction.

Reynolds served as treasurer of the Aultman & Taylor board
of directors for 30 years. He was one of the persons who envisioned
the need for innovations. He resigned as treasurer of the company
on April 28, 1908, and retired that year. His death occurred on
Aug. 13, 1909, at his farm located about two miles south of
Lexington, Ohio. He was survived by his wife, two sons and a
daughter. Burial was made in the Mansfield
Cemetery.⁷

Arnold Kalmerten

Arnold Kalmerten was born in Burgstein, Germany, in 1850. He was
educated in the German gymnasium located in the Westphalian city of
his birth. Kalmerten pursued English, French, Latin, mathematics
and commercial studies. Kalmerten’s father was a miller. His
father’s mill was so situated that Kalmerten could watch the
two turning stones and could fish in the stream that flowed beneath
the mill.

Upon coming to America Kalmerten located at Fort Wayne, Ind. He
was unable to secure employment there or in Chicago. He went to
Iowa, where he was employed at farm work until the fall of 1866,
when he returned to Chicago, where for a year he met with varying
fortune.

In the fall of 1867 he found work as a clerk in a store in St.
Louis. Following that experience he worked on a farm in Warren
County, Mo., and also taught in a parochial school. He maintained a
brave, dogged per severance.

He went to Cincinnati, where in 1869 he entered the Normal
School. He increased his knowledge of English and teaching. A few
months later he went to Lawrenceburg, Ind., where he was a
successful teacher in the public schools during 1869 and 1870.

Unfortunately his voice soon failed, and he was compelled to
relinquish classroom work to become a day laborer. He lived on milk
and raw eggs for three months, when his voice returned. He then
received an appointment in the Mansfield schools, beginning his
work in 1871, and taught there for more than two years.

Following his teaching experience in Mansfield he entered the
wholesale dry-goods business of Wood and Witter, where he remained
until 1875, at which time he went to Toledo, Ohio. Then, upon the
recommendation of Wood, he was given employment with the Aultman
& Taylor Company. He then served as secretary beginning in
1876. On June 4, 1913, he was appointed Examiner of School Funds in
the state of Ohio.

His work was in the State Bureau of Public Accounting and
Inspection, which was under the state auditor’s department.

Kalmerten was married to Mary A. Krabill, a daughter of Charles
Krabill, a contractor who as a young man had come to this country
from Germany. To that union was born three children: Ernest, Julia
and Bertha. The son held the position of mortgage clerk in the
Aultman & Taylor Machinery Company.

Kalmerten and his family were members of the German Evangelical
Church, where he was a chorister for 28 years. He was twice elected
a member of the Mansfield Board of Education.

He was one of the incorporators of the Aultman & Taylor
Machinery Company and served as secretary of the stockholders until
Jan. 25, 1907, when he resigned from that position. Beginning on
Jan. 18, 1912, he was no longer a member of the board of
directors.

Let it be said that only in this land so richly blessed could a
young man like Kalmerten from a foreign land have been afforded
opportunity for advancement, even though it entailed
hardships.⁸

George W. Seaman

George W. Seaman was born Feb. 22, 1869, at Beardstown, Ill. His
early and high school education were acquired in the public
schools. He was graduated from the University of Illinois in 1893
with the degree of Bachelor of Science. After receiving his
baccalaureate degree he pursued a graduate program and was awarded
the degree of Mechanical Engineer.

Following his graduate work he located in Port Huron, Mich., and
remained there for eight years. He then went to Mansfield in 1904,
where he was employed at the Aultman & Taylor Machinery Company
until June 14, 1914. He was the company’s draftsman,
superintendent and chief engineer. It will be recalled that it was
he who designed the big engine that was shipped to Faulkton, S.D.,
in 1909.

Seaman and his wife went to Cleveland on July 23, 1914, to
attend a Bible conference for two weeks. They had planned to take a
trip through the rest, but that trip was never made. Seaman was
struck by an attack of appendicitis and died on Saturday, Aug. 1,
1914, at Glenville Hospital in Cleveland.

He was survived by his wife, two sons and one daughter, together
with one brother and two sisters. Funeral services were held at his
home in Mansfield, and burial was in the Mansfield
Cemetery.⁹

John Cahall

John Cahall was born in Reading, Pa., on June 4, 1842. Leaving
his native city at age 10 he lived and worked on a farm near
Wilmington, Del., for seven years. He then returned to Reading,
where he learned the trade of boiler making in the Reading railroad
shops. Upon completion of his apprenticeship he went to Harrisburg,
Pa., where for another seven years he had charge of Tippet’s
boiler shop. At the end of that time he went to Lewistown, where
for four years he engaged in business for himself.

In May of 1877 he went to Mansfield and for two years was
affiliated with the firm of Flanningham & Sullivan. In January
of 1879 he entered the employ of the Aultman & Taylor Company,
becoming the first foreman of the boiler shop, which position he
held until his retirement. He and his son William were the
inventors of horizontal and vertical water-tube boilers, to which
reference has already been made. Those boilers were one of the most
significant products manufactured by the Aultman & Taylor
Machinery Company. Cahall was an expert machinist.

Cahall was married twice. In 1867 he was married to Sarah Ritner
of Reading, Pa., who was a niece of Governor Ritner of that state.
To that union were born three children: Mary A., John D. and
William H. In June of 1882 he was married to Helen Eliza Holey
well, a teacher in the Mansfield schools. To that union were born
three children: Fred H., Raymond D. and Leslie.

His second wedding was followed by a mock serenade, which was in
vogue in some communities many years ago. It was known as a
‘belling.’ Those who participated used a variety of
noise-making instruments. After a period of noise the bridegroom
made his appearance and, to satisfy the crowd, offered to treat
them. Failure to meet the demands of the serenaders made him
subject to the disfavor of his friends. Sometimes he gave the
bellers money with which to purchase ice cream for the crowd. At
other times, he would provide them with beer, which was known as
‘settin’ of ’em up.’ Cahall’s belling was
managed by the employees of the boiler department. They appeared
with a traction engine, to which was attached a wagon loaded with a
section of a boiler, followed by another wagon that carried a
horse-fiddle, a large triangle, dinner bells and other noisemakers.
There were eight or nine whistles on the engine that opened the
performance emitting discordant shrieks that could be heard for
many miles around Mansfield. One group of men with sledges
belabored the section of the boiler, while others added to the
noise with other ‘musical’ instruments. Cahall had only one
plan that would be acceptable to the crowd: ‘settin’ of
’em up.’

Cahall was active in the community. He was a prominent member of
the Episcopal Church, in which he served as vestryman. He was a
Mason and a Knight Templar. He served as a member of the county
council for two terms. Later he was appointed by Mayor Huntington
Brown as one of four members of the Sanitary and Garbage
Commission

Cahall died on Feb. 11, 1919. Burial was in the Mansfield
Cemetery.¹⁰

Marvin W. Lutz

Marvin W. Lutz was born in Stark County near Canton, Ohio, and
was reared in that city. Prior to his going to Mansfield, he was
connected with the Canton Post Office and later was associated with
the Isaac Harter Bank

During 1906 Mrs. Harter invited him to become associated with
the Aultman & Taylor Machinery Company. At that time the
company was plagued with serious financial difficulties, and Lutz
was brought in for the purpose of establishing sound financial
practices. At the meeting of the board of directors on Jan. 25,
1907, he was elected secretary of the company. The statement was
made that, during his years of service, it was impossible for any
employee to purchase a box of matches without his sanction.

The records of the company show that he served on a number of
committees and was influential in the life of the company. He had a
host of friends among the old threshermen who were customers of the
company.

There are those who aver that Lutz became a victim of certain
professional jealousies that had developed among the officials. His
affiliation with the company was terminated in 1919. At the time of
the liquidation of the company he remarked, ‘Aultman &
Taylor has been rotten on the inside for some time due to the
incompetence of its leadership, and now it is dead.’

He opened an insurance agency in Mansfield. He was the
representative of a number of concerns, the chief of which was the
Union Central Insurance Company of Cincinnati. In 1931 he retired
but remained in daily contact with his office.

Lutz was a member of the Knights of Pythias, the United
Commercial Travelers and Masonic bodies, including the Scottish
Rite. He was also a member of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in
Mansfield.

He died on June 7, 1932, at the age of 61. Lutz was survived by
his wife, Magdaline King Lutz; a sister, Nillie E. Lutz of Canton;
and three brothers, Rev. John Lutz of Amanda, Ohio, Cyrillus M. and
Warren W. Lutz, both of Canton.¹¹

George Paul Alexander

George Paul Alexander was born in Wheeling, W. Va., in 1874, a
son of Mr. and Mrs. David E. Alexander, who were early residents of
Canton, Ohio. His elementary and secondary education were acquired
in the Canton public schools.

He enrolled in the College of Wooster in the fall of 1890. He
left the college at the close of his sophomore year to go to work.
The 1968 edition of the Alumni Directory of the college indicates
that he was a member of the class of 1894.

He became associated with the Bonnot Manufacturing Company in
Canton, which was an old firm in that city. After some years with
that firm he became affiliated with the Aultman & Taylor
Machinery Company.

The first mention of Alexander in the Record Book of the company
was at the meeting of the directors held on Jan. 25, 1907.12 A
motion was made by Henry W. Alexander that G. Paul Alexander be
elected vice-president of the company with an annual salary of
$4,000.

On April 28, 1908, Alexander submitted his resignation.
Immediately following, his name was presented for treasurer. His
salary was to be the same as when he served as vice-president.

When in January of 1916 President Brown announced his desire to
relinquish many of his responsibilities, he said, ‘The above
change will put the management largely in the hands of Mr. G. Paul
Alexander, Treasurer, and I have recommended that for a period of
three years his salary be fixed at 18,000 per year and 2 percent on
the net profits of this company in excess of $100,000 and 3 percent
on profits in excess of $200,000.’

From 1916 to 1921 he assumed managerial responsibilities in
addition to holding the office of treasurer of the company. His
withdrawal from the Aultman & Taylor Machinery Company occurred
when he was 47 years of age and 18 years prior to his death.

An item appearing in the Alumni Association records of the
College of Wooster states, ‘From Coconut Grove, Fla., G.P
Alexander writes that he is a ‘retired manufacturer.’ To
those of us who are still working 16 hours a day the ease of a
retired manufacturer basking in the tropical vegetation is almost
beyond comprehension.’¹³

In 1907 Alexander was married to Alice Lynch, a daughter of
William A. Lynch, a highly respected attorney.

Following a long illness, Alexander’s death occurred in
Coconut Grove, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 1939. He was survived
by his wife and two daughters, Mrs. Price Day of Ft. Lauderdale and
Mrs. William J. Matheson of Philadelphia. One brother, James C.
Alexander of Fort Wayne, and two sisters, Mrs. Lester Deweese of
Canton and Mrs. Francis A. Buxton of Coconut Grove, survived him.
Interment was in Canton.¹⁴

Notes

1.  Records of the Richland County, Ohio, Clerk of
Courts.

2.  The Mansfield News, Feb. 4, 1899.

3.  Records of the Clerk of Courts.

4.  Record Book, minutes of the meetings of the
stockholders and directors of the Aultman & Taylor Machinery
Company.

5.  Baughman, A.J. Centennial History of Richland
County, Ohio. Vol. 1. Chicago: Lewis Publishing, 1902. 584.
Mansfield News Journal, June 26, 1925.

6. Ibid. 618. Mansfield Shield, Feb. 9, 1914.

7.  Ibid. 244. Richland Shield and Banner, Aug.
19, 1909.

8. Ibid. 393-94. The Mansfield News, June 4,
1913.

9.  The Mansfield News, Aug. 3, 1914.

10.  The horse-fiddle was comprised of a huge wooden box,
the top or one side of which was open. A plank or a similar piece
of timber was placed on top of the open box. The plank was then
propelled back and forth by men standing on each side of the box.
To increase the volume of the noise, resin was placed on the
underside of the plank and also on the edges of the two sides of
the box. The noise produced by that contraption was deafening.

11.  Baughman. 383. Mansfield Herald, June 15,
1882. Mansfield News Journal, Feb. 12, 1919.

12. Record Book.

13.  Personal letter from Edward Arn, Director of Alumni
Relations, the College of Wooster, Dec. 15, 1971.

14. The Canton Repository, Oct. 26, 1939. Records of
Westlawn Cemetery Association, Canton, Ohio. Facts in this
biographical sketch have been authenticated in personal
communications from Quintin Alexander, Mrs. Price Day and Miss
Elizabeth Fogle, all of who are relatives of Alexander.

Next issue in Chapter 16, the final installment in the
Aultman & Taylor series: Aultman & Taylor Financial Status
and Liquidation of the Company.