| Abstract: |
The Samuel Livingston Mather family of Cleveland, Ohio, descends from Samuel Mather (1745-1809), a shareholder and member
of the first board of directors of the Connecticut Land Company. His son, also named Samuel Mather (1771-1854), was also a
shareholder of the Connecticut Land Company. One of his sons, Samuel Livingston Mather (1817-1890), settled in Cleveland in
1843. In 1847, he was one of the founders of the Cleveland Iron Mining Company (later the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company).
His youngest son, William Gwinn Mather (1857-1951) later became president of the company. Samuel Livingston Mather's oldest
son, Samuel Mather (1851-1931) helped found a rival iron ore firm, Pickands, Mather, and Company. He married Flora Stone,
by whom he had four children, the oldest of which was Samuel Livingston Mather (1882-1960). Named for his grandfather, he
graduated from Yale University in 1905, and began working for Cleveland-Cliffs. He also served on the boards of the Otis Steel
Company, Cleveland Trust Company, the Bessemer Limestone and Cement Company, and the Lamson and Sessions Company. He was an
active philanthropist, particularly interested in his alma mater, Yale, and the Holden Arboretum in Geauga County, Ohio. He
oversaw the operation of his farm located near Mentor, Ohio, known as Mountain Glen Farm. He was first married to Grace Harman,
and secondly to Alice Keith. He had two daughters, Flora Stone (husband Robert C. Hosmer Jr.) and Elizabeth (husband S. Sterling
McMillan). The collection consists of financial records, business records, records of farm operations, records of contracts
with Yale University and Holden Arboretum, estate records, genealogical notes, and ledgers. The collection pertains primarily
to the business activities of Samuel Livingston Mather and the operations of his farm in Geauga County. Also included are
estate records of his father, Samuel Mather, and other relatives. Some of the material illuminates the early history of the
iron ore industry in Cleveland, Ohio. Other business files reflect upon smaller, Geauga and Lake County enterprises, including
the Mentro Harbor Yacht Club, the Mentor Harbor Company, the Mentor Marsh Company, and the Mentone Company. Also included
are materials concerning Samuel Livingston Mather's philanthropic activities, particularly for Yale University and the Holden
Arboretum.
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