Paperweight of  James A. Garfield's Memorial

front

Frank Whittier
Insurance

Whittier and Cupp
Insurance -1908

David M. Cupp
Insurance -1910

David Cupp & Asa Myers -1920

Cupp & Whitney Insurance-1922

Whitney Insurance
1933
Oatfield Whitney

Oatfield &
Hoyt Whitney

Robert Morris
1955

David Morris

back - Brought from Cleveland, Ohio Aug. 1905 - from J. J. Stark, Anna Stark - for D. M. Cupp 1934

FRONT OF THE PAPERWEIGHT

My cousin David Cupp Whitney recently asked if the Myers Inn Museum would like the paperweight which had belonged his namesake D. M. Cupp.   His gift sent me on a history hunt.

The front of the paperweight was easy.  A search of landmarks in Cleveland in 1905 took me to a Wikipedia page with the same picture as the one on the paperweight.  President James A. Garfield was assassinated in 1881, sixteen years after Lincoln.  His Cleveland Memorial was erected on the highest place in Lake View Cemetery overlooking Lake Erie. You should look up the history and description of this monument at https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/400.  Garfield and his wife are buried in the crypt below it with the ashes of their daughter and son-in-law.  The interior and exterior art work is amazing.

All of this is interesting but not a reason to put it in the Myers Inn Museum which features local history.

BACK OF THE PAPERWEIGHT

The back of the paperweight is difficult to read but I believe it says, "Brought from Cleveland, Ohio Aug. 1905 from J. J. Stark, Anna Stark for D. M. Cupp 1934.

David M. Cupp

David M. Cupp was born in June 1874 in Pleasant, Fairfield County, to Francis Marion and Elizabeth (Freeman) Cupp. He was named after his grandfather David Cupp (who was born in 1803 in Virginia) who married Catharine (born in PA) and raised at least 6 children in Fairfield County. Their fifth child was Francis Marion.  David was the oldest of Marion's three children.

In the 1900 census, twenty six year old David was a lawyer in Hadley of Fairfield County.

He  moved to Berkshire Township and married Blanch L. Stark (daughter of Cepter and Sylvia (Benton) Stark in August 1906.  They had a daughter Sylvia Elizabeth Cupp in 1908. When the marriage ended in divorce,  Blanch stayed in the Columbus area for awhile then she and Sylvia moved to California.

David became a partner with Frank in the Whittier Insurance Company in 1908.  He owned the company by 1910 and was also practicing law.

In September 1917, David married widow Fanny Patrick, the daughter of Nathan Marble. Fanny was running the hardware store at the northwest corner of Cherry and Vernon Streets following the death of her husband, Norman Patrick, in 1915.  She was the mother of Armond (17), Christine (15) and Evelyn (7).  The family lived in the row of connected houses on the south side of Cherry Street just east of Vernon Street.

In 1920 Cupp was the Prosecutor of Delaware County. He and Fanny lived on Cherry Street . Armond had moved out and Christine married Lester Cook in February 1920. Fanny’s daughter Evelyn Patrick lived with them.

Asa C. Myers became a partner in Cupp and Myers Insurance Agency in 1920. In 1922 it became Cupp and Whitney when Oatfield Whitney bought out Myers.

In 1926 when the seven businesses burned on Vernon Street between Yum-Ee Donut shop and the Longbranch building, Cupp’s private garage in back of these buildings also burned.

Benoy House on left before it was turned and became The Sunbury News.  Next is the Insurance Company, then the Grill, rest is Norman Patrick's building.
 

Perfect - Patrick Hardware was on the left of Norman Patrick's Building. This became the Kroger Store and was destroyed by fire in 1927.

By 1927 fire, the Patrick building was owned by C.A. Root and was destroyed as well as  C. E. Budd's adjoining pool hall and residence. Ray's Market was next to the pool hall was threatened but not damaged.

In 1930 census, Cupp was listed as a lawyer.   Living with them was his step-daughter Evelyn who was a teacher in Sunbury School and would later marry Walter B. Goff, brother of Jeannette Goff Curran who would later become Mayor of Sunbury.

Oatfield Whitney bought Cupp's part of the insurance company in 1933 and it became Whitney Insurance with both Oatfield and his son Hoyt selling insurance.  These men are the grandfather and father of David C. Whitney who donated the paperweight to the Myers inn Museum.

By 1954 it was just Hoyt Whitney’s business.  Following  heart problems, Hoyt  sold Whitney Insurance to Bob Morris in 1956. Today David Morris (Bob's son) still runs the business on East Cherry Street.

J. J. and Anna Stark

John Joseph Stark was the son of  Oliver and Eliza (Patrick) Stark and the younger brother of Cepter Stark. He  was the brother of David Cupp's first wife Blanch.  Anna Robinson was J. J.'s wife. they had two daughters, Mrs. Fred (Camma) Hervey and Mrs. Ross (Alta) Beard.
 

J. J. and Anna are pictured on the porch of their home at 15 North Columbus Street.  He was affiliated with the Farmer's bank for 27 years serving as president of Farmer's Bank for eight years.  At the time it was unincorporated so the partners owned all the stock, provided the capital, took the risks and shared  the profits.  One year J. J. made 1000% profit.   He followed in is father's footsteps and also served as Justice of Peace for 40 years.

According to Margaret Beard,  Joe and Anna lived comfortable but not lavishly.  They had a farm on Route 61, as well as a house in town.

15 N. Columbus Street
Sunbury, Ohio

J. J. died in 1928 and Anna in 1934 when the paperweight went to David Cupp.  The house on 15 N. Columbus sat on a double lot, It  passed to their daughter Alta Beard.  There was a 2 story combination carriage house and barn on the other lot.  In 1936 Ross Beard with help moved the building with its slate roof to face Cherry Street.  They fixed it up for a rental. They added a double garage to replace the original barn.

Rest of the Story

David and Blanch's daughter Sylvia Cupp married Kenneth C. Evans in Santa Cruz, CA, where they lived the rest of their lives.  David Cupp died in 1935 and Fanny in 1939.  Both are buried in Sunbury Memorial Park.

Myers Inn Museum has Nathan Marble’s wagon tool box as well as a desk and table he made.