In the Beginning...

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Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio History

Among the early attorneys in Cuyahoga Falls were Samuel W. McClure, afterwards Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and Virgil P. Kline, and Henry McKinney.

McClure was the elder attorney; and both McKinney and Kline read law with him. Kline was employed as superintendent of schools, and while acting as superintendent of the schools, he studied law. He afterwards moved to Cleveland, and was the personal attorney of John D. Rockefeller and of the Standard Oil Company. McKinney also moved to Cleveland later, and was judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County. All three of these men were brilliant lawyers.

An interesting story is told about Samuel W. McClure - That in the early days of his practice he had a client, a young fellow who had been arrested and whose bond was for $300 he signed. The young fellow had a tract of wild land in Michigan which he deeded to McClure to cover liability on the bond. The young fellow fled the country and died. McClure paid the bond, and paid taxes on this land for a number of years. Finally he received a letter from a party wanting to buy this land. He said nothing about it, but thought if somebody wanted to buy it, he had better investigate. He went to Michigan, and found that two railroads had been constructed which crossed each other right at the corner of this land, and that a town was springing up at this point. McClure laid out this land into lots and put them on the market. It is said that the sale of these lots netted him a large sum. The old McClure home in Akron was located on East Market Street.