How U.S. Cleveland Lost Tip of a Finger
(May 1, 2005)
The death last week of U.S. Cleveland -- historian extraordinary -- was a shock especially to his extended family, but also to the folks of Charlotte County who were his friends.
To his memory, we append a column published five years ago in the Sun-Herald.
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The Cleveland family, prominent in the Charlotte County area for 112 (now 117) years, lost no time in adapting to their new home. Within days of landing at Grove City, William Henry Cleveland was appointed a poll inspector for the Oct. l, 1888 election of county commissioners.Grove City On The Gulf had been founded by John Cross barely a year earlier. Newly established DeSoto County (including today’s Charlotte) was voting on commissioners. There were not more than a dozen voters – men only – at Grove City.
William Cleveland had been born at Portsmouth, Ohio, where the Scioto River debouches into the Ohio River directly south of Columbus. Family members were descendents of Moses Cleveland who in 1796 surveyed a Lake Erie village – now bearing his name – for Revolutionary War soldiers granted land there.
As an adult, William moved north from Portsmouth to Akron, Ohio, near the town of Cleveland – probably lured by relatives touting the wonderful farmland there. He married a Bavarian emigrant named Barbara C. Youngman who bore him four sons.
The family pulled up stakes in Akron and headed for Florida just days after the birth of Shelby in Sept. 1888. It is likely the Clevelands responded to newspaper advertisements placed in northern newspapers by Cross.
The Florida Southern Railway had reached Punta Gorda in July of l886. For some reason, however, the Cleveland family entrained only to the Mississippi River. There, they continued to New Orleans by paddle-wheel steamer.
At New Orleans, the Clevelands sailed to Lemon Bay and Grove City by schooner – perhaps that of William Goff who was already established there as a coastal shipper.
The Cleveland family stayed at Grove City a short while. Williams found land he liked land better north of Shell Creek (later the SanSouci development) and filed a homestead claim.
He “proved out” his claim for a quarter section – 160 acres – in July 1896, by having planted 40 acres of orange trees, built a home and living on the property. It was reached by a one-track wagon road (now U.S. 17) between Punta Gorda and Arcadia.
The family continued to grow. To the brothers William, Jr., Cleve, Clarence and Shelby, three others were added -- Dell, Grover and Stephen.
It wasn’t long before the expanding family needed more space.
Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland bought a home and orange grove across Peace River at Shell Point – called Harbor Heights today. Thereafter, the family called the Shell Creek dwelling and farm “the homestead” – though “home place” would have been more accurate.
At Shell Point there was a tiny village consisting of a half-dozen homes and a store. The latter was operated by a Mr. Hughes (later, Wright) catering to farm families and passing boaters.
Strangely, in the 1900 census, William Cleveland gave his occupation as “laborer” even though he owned several orange groves and other property. His son’s at that time were declared “at school” or “at home.”
Cleve Cleveland, who was 12 when the family moved from Akron, related that the nearest schools were at Harbor View and Cleveland. The latter town was so named years before the William Cleveland family arrived. The town founder, Alfred T. Holleyman, was an admirer of President Grover Cleveland.
Row To School
The children had to choose between walking three and a half miles to school at Harbor View, or rowing a mile and a half across the harbor to the school at Cleveland. The children chose to row.
They had problems in bad weather, but nothing as frightening as the time they were attacked by a large sawfish. The shark-like creature showed unusual interest in the boat. To discourage the dangerous fish, the children poked it with an oar.
This provoked the sawfish. It stuck its saw over the gunwale and whipped it back and forth – the usual tactic for killing its prey. The children escaped injury by dropping to the bottom of the rowboat.
Schooling did not have a high priority with boys needing to go to work at an early age. Barley in his teens, Cleve became a ship’s cook for “run boats.” These carried fish and ice between wholesale fish packers at Punta Gorda and their “fishing cabins” scattered throughout the Charlotte Harbor complex.
Before long, Cleve and brother Dell operated the pilot boat at Boca Grande. They took pilots out to meet incoming freighters and guide them through the narrow pass.
The 1910 census shows Cleve and Dell working for the U.S. Quarantine Station at Cayo Costa. They took Dr. Wyatt Barnes to and from incoming ships so he could inspect the crews for contagious diseases.
At first, the quarantine station was the hulk of an old schooner, the Proctor, grounded for the purpose. When a proper station and dock were built, the old schooner was allowed to go to pieces.
Cleve salvaged a porcelain-coated cast-iron bathtub from the hulk. He carried it with him when he accepted a job as electrician for the American Agricultural Chemical Co. phosphate loading facility at South Boca Grande.
He prepared himself for the highly technical job by completing a correspondence course in electricity. His responsibility was to keep an intricate system of endless belts running from gondola railroad cars, storage bins and ship holds.
The belts-and-bins system was installed in 1911 to replace the 1907 manually operated apparatus. The new equipment had its own steam-driven electric generators furnishing power for the many belt motors. In addition the electricity served lights, fans and machine shop tools.
Cleve married Miss Jean Whiteaker of Punta Gorda in 1914. The phosphate company furnished the new couple with a small house near the big phosphate bin. Here their family grew with the births of Cleve Gerald, William Alan and Ulysses Samuel -- named after his maternal grandfather -- you know him today as U.S. Max Jean came along after the family returned to Punta Gorda.
There was no school at South Boca Grande. When it came time for Gerald to start to school, the parents thought the school at Boca Grande was too far away for a 6-year-old. They decided to move back to Punta Gorda.
Tragedy
As the family boarded a boat for the trip, tragedy struck.
Little 2-year-old U.S. got the tip of a finger pinched off. It was caught between a rowboat edge and the barge that was to transport the family and furniture, including the heirloom bathtub. His screams upset and dismayed everyone.
Jean’s father, Ulysses S. Whiteaker, owned a building on McGregor Street, south of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad that had been his cigar manufacturing plant. This provided the Cleveland family a temporary place to live. Cleve got a job running the city’s electric plant for streetlights. Jean found employment with the school.
While living in the old cigar factory, the family built a new house on the other side of the block where it faced Gill St. The old “procto end” bathtub was installed in a place of honor in the bathroom -- even though the house didn’t have running water until the 1940’s.
To use the tub, pump water was carried inside by buckets. When done, the water was let out through a hole in the floor onto the ground. The old tub is still in service with hot and cold running water and a city sewer connection.
Cleve also became the meter reader for Florida Power & Light Co. This was a once-a-month job but required several days to cover the territory.
In between his jobs with the city’s street lighting system, and the FP&L meter reading, Cleve repaired meters and responded to customers’ complaints – usually about blown, house fuses.
In the event of a fire anywhere in town, Cleve rushed to the scene and cut electricity to the burning building to protect firemen playing water on burning wires. Since he had to answer all fire calls anyway, he joined the volunteer fire department.
He was elected fire chief by the volunteers in 1926 and provided with a gold badge, white raincoat and hat and a fire-truck-red Model-T Ford coupe. Fire location alarms were given by a steam whistle at the ice plant until 1926 and after that by a siren atop City Hall.
Upon retirement from FP&L until his death in 1960, Cleve was a popular electrician for homeowners.
Matriarch
Mrs. Jean Cleveland also had a full life. She was moved with her family to Punta Gorda in 1906. Her father was a teacher and assistant principal at the high school. Upon graduation she obtained a primary- grades teacher certificate.
Jean’s first job was teaching the little one-room school at Harbor View. She caught the mail boat on Monday morning, taught through Friday and returned home for the weekend. During the week she was boarded at the homes of her pupils.
After Max Jean was born, mother Jean accepted the position of deputy city clerk, then city clerk. She was the first woman to hold that job until her retirement in 1957.
Mrs. Cleve Cleveland became a licensed plant nursery expert until breaking her hip at age 98. She vowed to live to hundred and surpassed that goal by two months – dying April 5, 1991.
He was president of the Charlotte Harbor Area History Society and held leadership posts with the Punta Gorda History Society, Punta Gorda Historic Preservation Board, Charlotte County Historic Preservation Board, Kiwanis Club and the First United Methodist Church.
He collaborated with your writer for two books: “Our Fascinating Past, volumes 1 and 2.”
They don’t make ‘em like U.S. anymore!
Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at LinWms@earthlink.net
Photo Identification
HAND SALUTE: This 1924 photo of the William and Barbara Cleveland family shows Grandma, left. Grandpa probably was the cameraman. Cleve is sixth from left with his arm around Jean. U.S. is the little fellow shading his eyes with a salute. Brother Gerald is the tallest boy, and brother Bill is wearing a dark sailor suit. Brother Max who survives U.S. was not yet born.
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( Second Photo Not Shown – Left Person, Lin Williams)
FRIENDS: My friend, right, and the friend of everyone in Charlotte County.
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