One of the best known names in this city, to new as well as old citizens, is that of N. E. Crittenden. For very many years his jewelry establishment has been a landmark in the business district "on the hill," and the greater part of the population, for about forty years, have taken their time from his clock.

Mr. Crittenden is a Massachusetts Yankee in birth and pedigree, having been born at Conway, July 25th, 1804. In his earlier years he received a good common school education, and at the age of eighteen was bound apprentice to the jewelry and watch-making business, serving four years at Geneva, N. Y., and then removing to Batavia, where he was employed two years at the trade, and in Albany one year. In the latter city he married Miss Mary A. Ogden, soon after the ceremony moving to Batavia, where, however, he made but a short stay. He had determined on setting up on his own account, and Batavia presented no opening for him. That land of hope and promise, the West, tempted him as it had tempted others, and with five hundred dollars in jewelry, purchased on credit, he started westward in search of a place in which to turn his jewelry into cash.

Taking vessel at Buffalo he came to Cleveland, but there was no harbor, and the vessel stopped outside to land any passengers for that place, and then resumed her trip. Mr. Crittenden concluded not to end his voyage until he had gone farther, and stuck by the ship until he reached Detroit, where he landed and investigated with a view to settling. The prospect was not inviting. In order to do business there it was necessary to understand and speak Canadian French, and Mr. Crittenden's acquirements in that direction were not extensive. Detroit was clearly no place for him.

Whilst roaming around the place he fell in with Mr. Walbridge, who was seeking a location to open a dry goods business. He too was dissatisfied with the inducements Detroit offered, and had almost resolved to abandon the attempt and go home. Mr. Crittenden had reached the same conclusion, and the two took the boat on the return trip, thoroughly disenchanted with the business prospects of the West. When the boat reached Cleveland they concluded to land and take a look at the place before they utterly turned their backs on the western country.

It was in September, 1826. The village was pleasantly situated, and the location impressed the strangers favorably. The houses had an appearance of thrift and comfort, and there was an air of New England enterprise about the settlement that confirmed the good impression formed at the approach. Mr. Crittenden turned to his companion and announced his determination to go no farther; he had found the object of his search. That he might satisfy himself of the probable future of the settlement he got a conveyance and rode into the country to see what were the surroundings of the embryo city. As he passed up through the street his ears were saluted with drum and fife, the people were all out in their holiday clothes, and teams, loaded with old folks and young folks, were coming into town, for it was "general training." The farther he rode and the more he saw, the more firmly he became convinced that here was to be his future home, and before long his five hundred dollars' worth of jewelry found purchasers among the lads and lasses, and some of the older folks, of Cleveland.

His first store occupied the site of his present store on Superior street, and here, in a little building, he opened his original stock. The land he subsequently purchased of Levi Johnson, through the medium of Leonard Case, the purchase money being one thousand dollars for twenty-eight feet, with three years' time in which to make the payments. The exorbitant price horrified some of the old settlers, and one of them gravely shook his head, announcing his firm belief that such a sum of money for such a bit of land would turn Levi Johnson's head with unlooked for prosperity. The price would scarcely be called high in the present day, when land then considered far away in the distant country sells readily at higher rates. In the spring of 1827, having secured his store and sold out most of his original stock, he started East to make his first purchases and to bring his wife to Cleveland. His friends were surprised and gratified at his early return on such an errand. With his wife he brought some housekeeping articles, among other things the third carpet ever brought to the settlement.

In 1833, he had so far succeeded in business as to warrant his tearing down the old store and building in its stead a store and dwelling combined. Great was the admiration of the people at this building and it was considered a just source of pride by the people of Cleveland, for to the store was an open front, the first seen in the place, and to the private entrance to the dwelling was attached the first door-bell in Cleveland. The glass front and the tingling bell were unfailing sources of attraction until others adopted the novelty and public curiosity became sated. The building was well known to all who lived in the city previous to 1865, for it remained until, at that date, it had to give way to the larger, more elegant, and far more costly structure.

In 1843, Mr. Crittenden purchased the Giddings place, on the north side of the Public Square, with the stone residence on it, then considered an elegant mansion. The price paid for the lot, house and furniture was ten thousand dollars--a high price as rates then were, but marvellously cheap now. To that house he removed his family from over his store, and lived there twenty-five years, when it was turned over to business purposes.

About the year 1853, he erected the fine business block on Water street, now occupied by Stillson, Leek & Doering, at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars. In 1868, he put up the handsome block on the same street that is occupied by Childs & Co. The cost of this was not less than forty thousand dollars, and it is a decided ornament to the street. The purchase of the land and the erection of those elegant blocks, in addition to the one occupied by his own business, furnish sufficient evidence of the prosperity of his jewelry business, the regular stock of which has grown from an investment of five hundred dollars to one of more than a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.

[Illustration: Yours Truly, N. E. Crittenden]

But it must not be supposed that this prosperity was uninterrupted throughout Mr. Crittenden's business life. There were dark storms which threatened disastrous wreck, and nothing but stead-fastness of purpose and force of character brought him through. In 1836 the financial tornado swept over the land and stripped nearly every business man bare. When the storm was at its height Mr. Crittenden found himself with fifty thousand dollars of New York debts past due, and without the money to pay them. Collections were cut off, and whilst he was thus unable to raise the means from his debtors, his creditors were likewise stopped from pouncing upon him. Other men in like condition were compounding with their creditors, and thus getting out of their difficulties by partial repudiation. Mr. Crittenden declined to avail himself of the opportunity, and, in course of time, his creditors were paid in full, though that result was brought about by years of toil, of steady, persistent application to business, of shrewd financiering, and of rigid economy.

In his early days in Cleveland he was chosen one of the village trustees. In 1828, when he held that office, and Richard Hilliard was president of the Board of Trustees, the members gathered one afternoon in an office and voted an appropriation of two hundred dollars to put the village in proper order. Great was the outcry at this wastefulness, on the part of some of the tax payers. One of the old citizens, who yet lives, met Mr. Crittenden and wanted to know what on earth the trustees could find in the village to spend two hundred dollars about. At a later date, when Cleveland was a city and Mr. Crittenden a member of the Council, it was voted to appropriate ten thousand dollars to protect the lake front from encroachments by the lake. Again was Mr. Crittenden met and upbraided for his extravagance in municipal affairs, such conduct tending to bankrupt the city.

It is Mr. Crittenden's pride that he has had no serious litigation, his care in making contracts having saved him the unpleasant necessity of resorting to legal means to compel his debtors to fulfil their obligations. But whilst looking thus sharply after his own interests, avarice or parsimony has formed no part of his character, and he has been liberal according to his means.