When did the Wades move to Cleveland?
I know the answer now: 1856. But today I want to talk about how important it has been for me to triangulate sources, to check and double-check before committing myself to a date or dates on paper.
1857 is the date given in the biography section for Jeptha H. Wade (1811–1890) of the Jeptha Homer Wade Family Papers Series 1 (MS3292) finding aid for the collections in the library/archive at the Cleveland History Center of the Western Reserve Historical Society,
In the biography for Randall Wade (1835–1876) in the finding aid for the same collection, it indicates that he moved to Cleveland in 1850, when he was seventeen. Randall was fifteen in 1850 but he might have lived for a time in Cleveland working as a telegraph operator for one of his father’s growing number of offices across Ohio.
In Jan Cigliano’s 1991 groundbreaking work on the history of Cleveland’s Euclid Avenue, Showplace of America (1991), she writes that the family moved from Columbus to Cleveland in 1866, after the Civil War, to the two beautiful adjoining homes on Euclid Avenue.
To my mind, the definitive answer is found in a letter from Randall to his fiance Anna McGaw written from Cleveland on July 19, 1856.
Beloved Anna….we worked hard all day hunting for a desirable residence to buy or rent — found a good many but the more we found the more difficulty we experienced in getting satisfied the sun in the meantime scorching us like fire although the lake breeze was very refreshing but exercise in the Sun counteracted the effects of the wind, some houses were not quite finely finished enough inside — some were too near the lake for the winter winds-some had too small yards- some were in a too dusty part of town, were several times on the point of buying but thought we would take one more look at another — which look made us dissatisfied with the first and so on “darn ‘ena-says father-they are all too good, can’t tell which I like best”- The next day passed in nearly the same way until dinner time, when we finally made a choice, which choice was regulated by price — forced sale for debt +c so that we made a very good bargain- (oh dear my face is nearly blistered slapping away flies). After coming to a final determination we procured a go=cart and) rode out in the country to the man’s farmhouse to perfect the sale, make out the papers +c, we bought a house which was sold last year for ten thousand dollars but is worth more now and will increase in value as the place increases It is a large fine brick house on a double lot in the heart of the city-surrounded by costly dwellings in the pleasantest location in the city-taking the whole year into consideration. The grounds can be and will be decorated tastily and beautifully. The house is to be put in tip-top order both inside & out — good wells, brick barns-lattice arbors +c are there now. These improvements are to be left in my charge. The travelled walks, flower beds +c must be attended to…Oh this is a beautiful city — full of amusements — fash people-beautiful resorts — cooling breeze — far ahead of Columbus — I don’t see how people can live in Columbus in this weather…Oh how I wish you were to live nearer to Cleveland so that you might come occasionally and visit mother after we get fairly to Keeping house and see how you like our new home (looking a little into the future) — But Father thinks he will buy a still finer place when he gets a little better able, a year or so from this time.”…
