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  Pfahl History Page 3 .... Fred G Pfahl's life  

For the benefit of my children when they arrive at their matured years, I will now give a brief sketch of my own life, it is within the range of probability that at some future time they may find some information that may be of importance to them. I was born May 26th, 1870 at what was then Mechanic Street, near the corner of Chatham Ave. on the West Side, Cleveland, Ohio. Except for a very short time when I attended Tremont School, I attended school at the Orchard School Bldg. until I reached what would now be about fourth or fifth grade when my mother died. By this time I had three brothers and one sister. These were, in order of age, Charles Lewis, William Benjamin, Daniel Stanard, and Harriet Amanda.

It may be in order here to clear up some confusion as to my own name. From the earliest time that I can remember I had always been called John and was known by this name until about the time that I was married. As will be noted from comparison of dates, my mother died when I was nine years old, from this time until my father married again a year later, we children made our homes with our grandparents, those of us of school age in the City with the grandparents and those of us under school age in the country with the Stanards. After the marriage of my father, my stepmother was going through his papers one day and among other documents were certificates of christening issued by the German Evangelical Church of Bridge Ave. Cleveland, of which my father's family were members, certifying to the naming, christening and sponsorship of each of us that had been through this ceremony. She called my attention to the one purporting to cover my case according to the birth date showing that I had been named Frederick Gottlieb, and that my father's close friend and comrade in military service, Gottlieb Roth, had acted as my sponsor on the occasion. She pressed Dad for an explanation of my being called John and he told her that it was both his wish and my mother's that I should be called Fred and had me so christened but being the first born grandson my grandfather Stanard, at whose home we spent a great deal of time and whose name also was John, insisted on calling me by that name, the family became accustomed to it and it stuck. (I have also learned that it had been a tradition among the Pfahls that the first male of each generation should be named John Augustus, Gottlieb is bad enough in this day and age but thank heaven I didn't have Augustus inflicted on me.) I never gave the matter any thought until one time I told the girl who later became my wife that I supposed, strictly speaking, my name was Frederick G. instead of John F. and from that time on she and her family called me Fred. It also occurred to me that I might at some time have occasion to prove my identity and in view of the nature of such records as exited at the time I would have far less difficulty in proving myself Fred than John, I accepted the change and ever since have signed myself as Fred G. All of the family except those from whom I have lost contact with since early youth, and the same of old friends, now give me no other name.

My father, when he married the second time probably thought he was doing the best thing he could to provide a home and keep his family together, but if he did the result proved far from what he anticipated. The stepmother was a recent immigrant from Baden, Germany, about thirty five years of age, spoke no English and was entirely unsuited temperamentally for the care of small children. It later developed that she had a husband living in the old country at the time she was married to Dad and justified herself on the ground that she thought that leaving her husband behind in Germany and coming to America voided her marriage. Myself and brothers Lewis and William having taken German in school, (at that time every pupil in Orchard school was compelled to take German one half of every school day) had command enough of the language to understand and be understood but my brother Dan and sister Hattie knew no German whatever and it can be readily guessed what home meant to them. Of course there was trouble from the start. She always felt that we were an unreasonable burden to her and took no pains to conceal her feelings. I do not hesitate to say that she had a vicious, cruel and avaricious disposition and in fact I do not believe that she was ever really a person of normal mental and moral balance. She never allowed us sufficient food, we became thin and emaciated and looked much like the subjects of pictures from famine stricken districts and through constant abuse kept us all so intimidated that we dare not tell half the truth. Candor compels me to admit however that at this period of her life she was not a bad housekeeper, scrupulously clean, a hard worker and very thrifty. She acquired an influence over Dad that could not be broken or shaken. Dad's family and my mother's people both did everything they could to protect us, even to hauling them both into court where we children were questioned, but under dire threats we had been instructed by her and of course we denied everything charged. I should mention that I, being the oldest, (ten years when she came into the family) was judged old enough to be put to work and only attended school after that time until the following spring, when I was put to work in a factory and did not get back to school again until I escaped from under her control. In some manner, Dad's people learned of the previous marriage in Germany and prosecuted for bigamy. She was arrested and placed under bond to appear for trial. She produced her own cash bond requiring all her personal resources and promptly fled to New York City where she had a wealthy sister, forfeiting the bond.

I will say here, that I later met all of her people who were in this country. Two brothers and the sister referred to above, all of them having been in America much longer than she and being well Americanized, all of them without exception people of estimable character and socially much superior to the Pfahls. They all of them considered my stepmother the black sheep of the family and they do to this day. While in New York, through the help of her sister and brother-in-law, she secured a divorce from the husband in Germany and returned to Cleveland. Dad promptly went through the marriage ceremony with her the second time and in a conference with his relatives (Grandfather and Grandmother Stanard having by his time died within a week of each other). It was agreed that he should give up all of the children with exception of myself, who was supposed to be getting old enough to be soon able to take care of himself, and leave the city. On this understanding the bigamy charge was nulled. My brothers and sister were surrendered to the Children's Aid Society and placed in the Industrial Home on Detroit Street, at that time about two miles in the country and in the spring Dad and the stepmother left for New York City taking me with them. We only remained here a few weeks when Dad found work in Newark, New Jersey only a few miles away and we settled there. It was at this time that I met my stepmother's New York relatives and was shown every kindness by them. They insisted that Dad take me out and outfit me with clothes that they would not have to be ashamed of when they took me out, and Mr. Wagner, the husband took me many places to show me the sights of the Big City and while only a kid, was treated like a real human being. Of course the only reason I was taken along when they went East was that I was expected to be a source of income at an early date. I was now 12 years old and immediately sent out to find a job, this I found with a man who made up and sold trunks, valises and such articles, as his errand and delivery boy. In his work he used a great deal of paste generally sending me about twice a week to the factory where it was made, with a pushcart for a five gallon quantity, giving me fifty cents to pay for the same. After I had made several trips it occurred to me that I could exercise a little business judgment and collect a legitimate profit by buying forty-five cents worth. Keeping the nickel as my commission and the difference in quantity would be too small to ever be noticed. The first time I tried it, it worked according to specification but the next time, after giving me the amount I asked for and accepting the forty-five cents, the proprietor made it his business to see my employer and find out why he was buying in ten percent lesser quantities. Of course I was promptly fired and got a good beating for losing my job. I started to look for another.

It was now getting along in early summer and I was of about average size for my age. In wandering around the strange City, I came to a park and sat down on a park bench to ponder the situation. There was an elderly gentleman sitting on the same bench who engaged me in conversation and I told him all my troubles. He advised me not to try to find work in the City but to take a walk out in the country and I would be almost sure to find work with some farmer or gardener, weeding, picking berries and such work as it was just the season when this kind of work was coming on and it would take me away from my unpleasant home conditions.

I took his advice and came home that night to report that I had a job with a farmer who would give me my board and clothes for what I could do. Dad didn't want me to go but as usual my stepmother settled it. This move altered the entire future course of my life, for better or for worse it is perhaps hard to say, but I have always felt and believed it was greatly for the better.

The farm on which I made my home was a small one of about twenty acres, it had been the country home and still was the property of an elderly man named Smith, who was one of the original partners in the R.G. Dunn Mercantile Agency. Smith had lived here and commuted to New York and as a hobby, practiced experimental and advanced horticultural pursuits, had built a very impressive stone mansion and made it one of the show places of the vicinity, I remember he had the only giant Magnolia trees in the front lawn that I have ever seenin all my travels. I was privileged to see these trees in bloom and it was a magnificent sight. They grow to about the size of the average Catalpa, and the distinguishing features being of course the foliage and bloom. The leaf was the largest I ever saw growing on an outdoor tree being about 12 inches in length and about four and a-half or five inches wide and in bloom was loaded with great white flowers about as deep as the leaves were long, closely resembling enormous calla lilies.

Mr. Smith's family consisted of a son and daughter, his wife I believe, having died some years earlier but the apple of his eye was the daughter who sickened and died when about twenty years old and it was at the place I write of that she spent her last days. Smith found that he could not live here with his bitter memories so he summoned an old employee in whom he had confidence, from Haverstraw, N.Y. to take care of the place, turning over to him every thing just as it stood, stock, furnishings, equipment, library and everything except his personal treasures, to use as he saw fit, rent free and tax free, to keep everything for himself that the farm would produce in return for keeping it in first class condition in case he should ever want to occupy it again at some time in the future. This man's name was Peter G. Rose, he was about 45 years of age, his wife some years younger, they had a son Edwin, about my own age and a daughter about 8, they proved to be estimable people, conscienctious church members, Mrs. Rose in particular being very devout, and the children having the manners and the refinement to be expected in any middle class family. It was in this home that I had my first experience of family devotions. Every morning before breakfast, Mr. Rose led in family prayer, read a chapter or text from the Bible and gave us a short talk on the thought or lesson embodied therein and again the same service was repeated before we retired for the night. I was treated as a member of the family and this was my first contact with any character building influence since the death of my mother.

Mr. Rose kept me with him all summer until the beginning of cold weather, by this time he had very little for me to do, I did not want to go back home, and by this time he knew all about my home conditions and did not want to send me there: Mrs. Rose urged him to let me stay the winter with them and go to school with Edwin but Peter pointed out that sooner or later Dad would claim me and I would have to go home anyway. Knowing as mentioned before, all about my story and what the home influences were, he asked me about my people in Cleveland, I told him all about them, who they were and what they were, he said to me how about this brother of your mother's, your Uncle Ben and asked me many questions about him and finally suggested to me that I write a letter to him, asking if he would not send me passage back to Cleveland. I wrote the letter and gave it to Mr. Rose with an address that would reach him, Mr. Rose wrote a letter and enclosed it with mine and posted it and the following days we talked of hardly anything except what the result might be. They freely discussed the ethics of the situation debating whether it was right or wrong to aid me in running away from home but old Peter who was seldom wrong in his judgment settled it by pointing out to Mrs. Rose that my future moral welfare demanded it.

In about ten days time Mr. Rose received an answer from Uncle Ben with the price of a ticket from Newark to Cleveland enclosed. I was immediately packed up and the next morning I took leave of the family, and Mr. Rose drove me over to Elizabeth, N.J. to take the train to avoid any possibility of my being seen leaving Newark. When the train came in he gave me my ticket, a dollar or so to spend on my way back, gave me his blessings and admonished me not to forget to pray and to always remember the lessons and principles of moral conduct I had learned in his home. I never saw or heard of them again, if we live again hereafter I shall be glad indeed to meet them again on the other side.

The train reached Cleveland without incident, Uncle Ben met me and being a bachelor at the time with no home of his own, he had arranged for me to stop for a while with my father's brother, my Uncle Chris. In a few days I was taken to visit my brothers and sister at the Detroit Street Home, and decided that if they would accept me I would remain right there. They would and did. There were about 60 to 75 boys from about six to twelve years old and about one fourth as many girls ranging in age about the same as the boys, the girls and boys being kept in separate departments with the dining room and school room the only common meeting ground.

The Society operating the home was maintained by private charity, mainly a few wealthy sponsors, and the sole aim was to place the children in private families where they would be properly cared for and permitted an opportunity to attend school. I remained in the home that winter and in the early spring was taken up to near Coldwater, Michigan to live with a family by the name of Salt. Mr. and Mrs. Salt were elderly people with a grown daughter. The daughter expected to be married in a short time, Mrs. Salt highly approving, but the father, of a rather impatient and peppery temperament was violently opposed. There was a great deal of domestic friction in the home and in a few weeks, Mr. Salt informed me that after his daughter's marriage he would quit farming and sent me back to Cleveland again.

Almost immediately after this the Home sent me out to Streetsboro in Portage County to live with the family of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Season. Mr. Season and his wife were young people under thirty years of age at the time and if the entire country had been searched, a more suitable man could not have been found to be my preceptor and exemplar in the character building period of my life. He took up my moral training where Mr. Rose left off and instilled into my character whatever of honor and manhood I ever possessed. At least I grew up to be truthful and honest.

I made my home with this family on a large dairy farm for five years, working hard during the growing season and attending school in the winter, in which respect I enjoyed every advantage that any or all of my friends and associates did among the boys and young people with whom I grew up. The school term for the older pupils, that is, from about 13 up, usually began about the 15th of November and continued to about the 10th of March, while we were taught only the basic courses of study and omitted all nonessentials such as Latin, Botany, English Literature etc., as are now considered a part of the regular school course and as there were usually not much more than twenty pupils in the average district school, we had the advantage of almost individual attention on the part of the teachers who were generally college men, it was really surprising the amount of instruction we were able to absorb during the limited school term. In addition to this we were very fortunate in being located in territory of which the population was rather above the average in intelligence and refinement and it was no more than natural that we would improve just by association and daily contact with people of good breeding and education.

After completing the course of study at the district school I attended for two winters at the centralized high school and managed to acquire what would be close to the equivalent to a modern high school course in such subjects as Arithmetic, Grammar, Geography, U.S. History, Physical Geography and smattering of Latin and Algebra. As soon as we could pass the County Examination for teachers we were considered to be educated. I passed this examination the spring before I was seventeen years old but attended school one term after that.

After living with the Season family for five years I left them to work for one season for a man by the name of Wesley Ellsworth who operated a large farm just west of Ravenna and which is now a part of the city. That year, 1887, brought a great deal of publicity to the town of Ravenna through being the seat of the trial of the notorious "Blinky" Morgan for the murder of Detective Capt. Hulligan of the Cleve. Police Department who was murdered on a train to release a prisoner he was bringing to Cleveland from Pittsburgh to stand trial for he great fur robbery that took place in Cleveland at that time. The murder took place as the train stopped at the station.

In those days it was so rarely that anyone was tried for a capital offense that it was always front page news for the newspapers, and every detail of the trial was reported and published as faithfully as a major disaster or a national championship sporting event is today. Morgan was convicted at the Court House, half a mile from where I was living and the following winter he was hanged at the Penitentiary in Columbus.

That winter I returned to Streetsboro and made my home with a widow lady, a Mrs. Tucker, who was known to every one as Aunt Betsey; I took care of her live stock, cut fuel for the house and did all of her chores and errands in return for which she gave me board and room and attended school. This concluded my education so far as school was concerned. All the important lessons I learned after this were by that stearnest and bitterest of teachers, experience.

At the close of the school term, Mr. Season, having removed to a larger farm asked me to come back to him and I was delighted to do so, worked for him again that summer and at the end of the season, not caring to attend school just to review old courses I had already taken, I found work on the construction of a new railroad a few miles from the farm and worked at that for a number of weeks. During the winter I went to Cleveland to visit friends and relatives and never returned to the country except to visit and even for that I seemed to find opportunity only at very rare intervals.

It is perhaps proper for me to digress here to say something about my brothers. Shortly after I was sent to Streetsboro my oldest and youngest brothers, Lewis and Dan were sent out to grow up on a sheep ranch near Larned, Kansas. Brother Will was placed on a farm in Bainbridge, Geauga County not more than twelve miles from where I lived, while my sister was provided a home with a family named Collins living in the town of Ravenna, also within a few miles of my own home. I knew nothing of all this for several years after I first went to live with Mr. Season as it was the policy of the Society to withhold all information as to placing of children and especially so with reference to relatives of the children, to avoid possibility of friction. However just before I was sixteen years old, a representative of the Society, making a periodical call on us to check progress, confided to me this information. I wrote my brothers in Kansas, visited my brother and sister near home and from this time on kept contact with them. About this time I also wrote my father telling him where we all were and this was his first knowledge of the whereabouts of any of us from the time I ran away from home. I later learned that he did make an effort to find out what had become of me, but as Mr. Rose, the only one who knew, and he only knew that I had left for Cleveland, refused to give him any information, he was compelled to drop it. After finding out where we all were and being satisfied that we were being properly taken care of, he made no effort to disturb the arrangement.

I would like to say a few words about the character of Mr. Season. He and Mr. Rose exerted the profoundest influence upon my own character of any men I ever met, yet they were totally unlike, Mr. Rose, while having a character every phase of which demanded respect, was possessed of a sharp tongue and uncertain temper and though deeply religious, could be in anger, quite vulgar. Mr. Season, on the other hand at that time while occasionally attending church, usually the Methodist, of which his father was a deacon, made no profession of religion whatever. In spite of this he was all that the most sincere of religionists could be expected to be, he had one of the most sunny and lovable dispositions I ever came in contact with, never lost his temper except under utmost provocation. In anger, he would curse like a pirate but the profanity he made use of was almost classical in its purity, he never descended to vulgarity. After such an outburst he was always ashamed of it, would apologize and counsel me against loss of control of myself. When he had occasion to reprove or punish me he was never harsh or violent but had the faculty in the highest degree of being able with a few words to make me feel very sorry and heartily ashamed of myself and in all the years that I lived under his influence, I cannot recall a single instancethat he aroused in me a feeling of resentment or vengefulness. I respected him above all that I knew and thoughtless and full of mischief as I was, I tried and hoped to deserve his respect. Some might think from the above that he was too good to be a regular he-man but nothing could be farther from the truth. Nobody despised a sissy more than he, while enthusiastically a temperance man he was no fanatic, would take an occasional drink while in town and invite me to have one with him and always kept a supply of good hard cider in his cellar and though we used it temperately we also used it freely. Only occasionally did he make use of tobacco when he did he enjoyed it and I think he would have been inclined to use it habitually but Mrs. S. was bitterly opposed to it and this was a concession he made to her. He always advised and counseled me to avoid the habit on the ground that it was much easier to avoid than to break after once contracted and that no matter how much pleasure and satisfaction one might derive therefrom, there was after all something degrading in being a slave to appetite yet he freely admitted that he could see no wrong in it. While he did not advise me against becoming affiliated with Blue Ribbon and other radical temperance societies, neither did he encourage me in it, but said it was just as easy to abstain from the use of alcohol without making pledges and taking oaths as with them. He was also a very hard and intelligent worker, starting with only a few hundred dollars when he was married, bought a large farm, raised a family of four children and had acquired a competence by the time he reached his early fifties, turned the farm over to his sons and from that time until his death early this year led a life of retirement. It was a privilege to have known him and it is a pleasure to acknowledge my debt to him.

When I made my visit to the City in 1888 I had every intention of returning to the country again but in looking up relatives I had not seen since I was a small boy, some of them persuaded me to stay and in a short time with their assistance, I found a job with the Upson Nut Co. For months now I made my home with my grandmother, my father's mother, who was widowed and lived alone. Some months before coming to the City I had met, while she was visiting relatives in the country, the girl who later became my wife and I now proceeded to cultivate her acquaintance further. I met many young women in the city at this time but none had the attraction for me that she had. It was not long before we came to an understanding but we were both agreed that we were too young and my prospects too nebulous to think of marrying. I kept on working in the factory until a year from the following spring, when the foreman under whom I was working left to take a similar position in a new factory in Greensburg, Pa. and invited several of us younger workman to go with him. We went. The venture was a failure and inside of a year was closed up but it was a great thing for us young fellows as we gained as much experience in the work as we would otherwise have gained in a much longer time. Early in the winter we were all back in Cleveland and in a short time all had the same jobs we had before leaving.

Honesty here compels me to admit that while we were in Greensburg, that as might be expected, a number of irresponsible young fellows in a strange place, away from all restraint, our conduct was not always as exemplary as it might have been and perhaps a few wild oats were sown. Of course as soon as I got back to Cleveland under the eye of my girl friend and of my relatives my conduct was all that propriety could demand. Mr. Baird, my lady friend's father, was at this time in very poor health with what proved to be a mortal ailment: he was a wonderful man and I have always regretted that he did not live long enough after I met him to know him much better than I did. He with his son John R. conducted a small business on what is now West 25th Street near the Clark Avenue district. They retailed earthenware and vapor stoves and distributed gasoline and kerosene to regular customers and Miss Lulu, my intended, beside working out at dress making, with her sister, kept house for the family.

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