CUTCLIFFE, William Roderick

Birth Name CUTCLIFFE, William Roderick 1a
Gender male
Age at Death 85 years, 10 months, 10 days

Narrative

William Roderick Cutcliffe, (Will) was the third son of Francis Webster Cutcliffe and grandson of Richard Cutcliffe. William's father and grandfather were born in Barnstaple, England. William Roderick Cutcliffe was born in 1866 in South Melville, Prince Edward Island, Canada when it was still a British Crown Colony.
In 1885, when he was nineteen, William left Canada and went to Boston. In Boston William, and possibly his brothers John Alexander and Francis Albert, joined a semi-pro soccer or rugby team. One family story passed on to this Author in 1995, states that William, (known as "Will" on Prince Edward Island), went to Boston and lived with a relative. This relative was married to a Catholic woman who insisted that Will go to Church with them. It did not take long for Will to decide that it was time for him to try his luck in a place other than Boston. Early one morning Will secretly left the house of his relatives and hopped a freight train headed west. Although it is known that William did travel west with a soccer or rugby team, it is not known if he left Boston on a train with the team or he left Boston on a freight train.
The soccer or rugby team traveled to St. Louis, Missouri where William met a man by the name of Nickleson. Mr. Nickleson persuaded William to go into training as a tailor. William asked his younger brother Frank (Francis Albert Cutcliffe) to join him in Minneapolis, Minnesota where the training would take place. During this training William must have continued playing soccer or rugby. This presumption is based on the fact that John Alexander Cutcliffe, who presumably played along side his brothers, possessed a medal that was awarded for winning a rugby game played in Minneapolis against a Canadian team. The medal, at the time of this writing, is in the possession of John's descendant living in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
When William and Frank completed their training, they moved to Duluth, Minnesota. William and Frank established the first tailor shop in Duluth. Duluth was a boomtown around the late 1880's because of the lumber and iron ore Industries. Do to the growth of their business William asked his older brother John Alexander Cutcliffe to join Frank and he in Duluth. Under the watchful eye of these three brothers the tailoring business prospered. William claimed to have had the first full dress suit (tails and a top hat) owned by anyone in Duluth. A photograph of William wearing this suit is in the possession of William's grandson Thomas F. Cutcliffe.
William also claimed to have owned the first bicycle in that part of the country. The tailoring business was named after the Cutcliffe brothers. The brothers, however, chose to spell Cutcliffe as they thought it was pronounced, "Cutliff". One family story passed on to this Author in 1995, states that upon seeing a picture of the tailoring shop and the sign with the name Cutliff upon it, relatives on Prince Edward Island were upset with William and Frank for changing the spelling of the Cutcliffe name. William, wishing to appease the family, told his relatives that he could only afford to buy a sign with 7 letters in the name instead of the 9 called for if the name was spelled correctly. This excuse seemed to be accepted. William, despite his excuse to the family, chose to spell his name as Cutliff. The Author possesses a shaving cup of Williams that is embossed with William's last name spelled as Cutliff.
William loved to dance and fancied himself as a ladies man. Often he went to Cloquet, Minnesota (30 miles west of Duluth), to attend dances. On one of those occasions he met his wife to be Anna Elizabeth Warner. Anna was the daughter of Charles Warner, a Jeweler in Cloquet, and Mary (Cusick) Warner. In 1898 William (age 32) and Anna Warner (age 18) were married.
Around 1900 William decided to participate in the lucrative lumber industry. The three brothers discontinued the Tailoring business. Frank decided to join William in the new venture called the " Cutliff Brothers Lumber Company", while John returned to Prince Edward Island. William and Frank homesteaded land in and near Drummond, Minnesota. Drummond was located 42 miles North East of Duluth and 12 miles north of Two Harbors. William and Frank eventually built a house, saw mill and three logging camps.
The Lumber business was a rough and dangerous business in the early nineteen hundreds. As the ground was to soft in summer for the fell trees to be transported to the sawmill, the cutting of trees was restricted to winter months. In the summer, the logs were converted into lumber and sold. The summer months were also occupied with the cutting of logging trails. As the first hard freeze of winter approached a tanker sled was loaded with water. This horse drawn sled had spigots located in the back of the water tank at the ends of each runner. As water was released from the water tank the sled was drawn along the logging trail. The ruts left by the sled would fill with water and freeze within a few minutes. This procedure formed a frozen path over which huge loads of logs could be transported by horse drawn sleds. Logging sleds had to be pulled for several miles from the tree cutting sight to the sawmill. A team of horses was hitched to the front of each sled. When a long or steep hill had to be traversed, a second team of horses was hitched to the sled. Once the arduous climb to the top of a hill was completed the second team of horses was released. The original team assumed the dangerous task of running ahead of a loaded logging sled as it slid down an icy hill. On occasions, the horses would slip and fall on the ice sacrificing their lives to the cause.
The lumberjacks who felled trees also withstood many hardships. These men worked in temperatures around 40 degrees below zero with only an ax or a peavey cant hook (a hook on the end of a wooden pool that was utilized to roll logs). Earning only $20 a month plus room and board, these men lived in large wooden cabins located near their work sight. Many fights broke out between rival camps and the tools of their trade were often uses as weapons. These men consumed tremendous quantities of food. One lumberjack often enjoyed a breakfast that included one dozen eggs, a six inch stack of half-cooked pancakes, bacon or ham and a quart of milk.
When William and Frank lost their sawmill to a fire and the lumbering business started to move to other areas, William transformed the business into "The Drummond Stock Farm". For several years the raising of highbred cattle occupied the land.
Do to the ill health of Anna and the educational needs of the children, William's family moved back to Duluth in 1906. William traveled between Duluth and Drummond for almost 10 years. In 1918 he decided to stay in Duluth with his family. Drummond, remained an important part of the family's life for several more years. Since then, the town of Drummond has ceased to exist except in the memories of those who were a part of her.
William and Anna Cutcliffe became the parents of 5 children--two sons and three daughters (one daughter died in infancy):
1. Lilah Elizabeth Cutcliffe, 1900 -1936. Edith was born in Duluth, died in Minneapolis and is buried in Duluth, Minnesota.
2. Wendell Warner Cutcliffe, 1902 - 1991. Wendell was born in Duluth and is buried in Minneapolis Minnesota.
3. Rhea Francis Cutcliffe, 1904 -1905. Rhea was born in Duluth and died on a train from Drummond to Two-Harbors. She is buried in Two-Harbors, Minnesota.
4. Benjamin Franklin Cutcliffe, 1907 -1998. Ben was born in Duluth and is buried in Long Beach California. 5. Helen Claire Cutcliffe, 1909 -1983. Helen was born in Duluth, died in Blommington, Illinois and is buried in Duluth, Minnesota.
Upon returning to Duluth, William bought and assumed direct management of five duplexes located on West Second Street and a house in the East End of the city. This real estate provided a place to live and sufficient income to support the family.
In addition to managing his property in Duluth, William turned his time and efforts toward making Duluth a city of growth and progress. William assumed an important role in the Duluth Athletic Club, which his son Ben had founded. The original purpose of this non-partisan organization was to find, and support the election of, qualified city county and state officials. In his tenure with this organization, which later changed its name, William had an influential role in the election of: one county sheriff, three Mayors, four County Commissioners, one State Senator and four State Representatives.
As an indication of the genuine respect that William was accorded by the entire city of Duluth, a resolution was drafted by the City Council at the time of William's death. This resolution, dated February 4, 1952, is reproduced herein:
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK Duluth, Minnesota
C. D. Jeronimus, City Clerk
T. C. Holmberg, Deputy
By the City Council:
WHEREAS, William Cutcliffe died on Sunday, January 27, 1952. at the age of 86, at Duluth; and
WHEREAS, for more than sixty years he was a resident of the City, identifying himself with civic and business organizations having for their objective the best interests of the City; and
WHEREAS, since his retirement about twenty years ago, his hobby was politics and good government, without seeking public office for himself; Now Therefore Be It:
RESOLVED, By the City Council of the City of Duluth, that it hereby expresses profound regret over the death of William Cutcliffe and directs the City Clerk to mail a certified copy of this resolution to his sons, Benjamin Cutcliffe, St. Louis, Missouri, Wendell Cutcliffe, Minneapolis, Minnesota, his daughter Mrs. Helen Duffy, Wilmington, Illinois, and his brother Murdock Cutcliffe, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Upon roll call the resolution was declared adopted upon the following vote:
Yeas: Commissioners Barnes, Bodin, Fiskett, Goldsmith, Mayor Johnson -5
Nays: None
Approved: February 4th, 1952
G. W. Johnson, Mayor
In addition to his political involvement William also enjoyed the distinction of being one of the three oldest members of the Masonic Lodge in Duluth, and one of the three who had been a Mason for 55 years.
William Roderick Cutcliffe died in Duluth, Minnesota on January 27, 1952, having achieved the age of 86 years. The City flag was flown at half-mast the day he was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Duluth.
Stories told about William Rodrick at 1995 family reunion on Price Edward Island: "William left PEI for Boston where he lived with a relative who's wife was Catholic. The wife kept insisting that William go to Church with them. William decided to ctch a box car west to avoid going to Church." Another story said that William (known as Will) and his brother John Alexander (known as JA) played rugbie in Minneapolis, Minn. for the US team against a Canadian team. The US team won. Jack Cutcliffe grandson of JA has the medel that JA won and said that JA's shins were scared from all of the Rugbie he played. William's son Benjaman Franklin Cutcliffe said that Will's shins were also very scared.

Events

Event Date Place Description Sources
Birth 1866-03-17    
Death 1952-01-27    
Burial      

Parents

Relation to main person Name Birth date Death date Relation within this family (if not by birth)
Father CUTCLIFFE, Francis Webster18321907-03-28
Mother MCSWAIN, Christina18351889
    Brother     CUTCLIFFE, William Roderick 1858 1859
    Sister     CUTCLIFFE, Edith Jane Mae 1859-11-14 1943-10-17
    Brother     CUTCLIFFE, John Alexander 1861-03-20 1943-07-26
    Brother     CUTCLIFFE, Joseph 1862 1933
    Sister     CUTCLIFFE, Mary 1864 1883
         CUTCLIFFE, William Roderick 1866-03-17 1952-01-27
    Brother     CUTCLIFFE, Benjamin Franklin 1867-06-15 1934-10-17
    Brother     CUTCLIFFE, Francis Albert (Frank) 1871 1945
    Brother     CUTCLIFFE, Murdock 1874 1955

Families

Family of CUTCLIFFE, William Roderick and WARNER, Anna Elizabeth

Married Wife WARNER, Anna Elizabeth ( * 1880-12-31 + 1930-09-07 )
   
Event Date Place Description Sources
Marriage 1900-01-01    
Family (Primary)       1b
  Children
Name Birth Date Death Date
CUTCLIFFE, Lilah Edith1900-07-091937-12-23
CUTCLIFFE, Wendell Warner1902-10-261991-08-06
CUTCLIFFE, Rhea Francis1904-06-071905-01-14
CUTCLIFFE, Benjamin Franklin1907-03-241998-09-07
CUTCLIFFE, Helen Claire1909-04-131983
  Attributes
Type Value Notes Sources
_UID 66679CA9CC3099409259B7E0DA6285052FA6
 

Attributes

Type Value Notes Sources
_UID 8C54504ED2885C459BD072BA9E172EAC9F52
 

Source References

  1. Cutcliffe-Willis marriage, 4 Nov 1811, Combe Martin, Devon , England
      • Page: No. 284
      • Confidence: Very High
      • Source text:

         

        [Entry Recording Date : 4 NOV 1811]

      • General:

      • Page: No. 284
      • Confidence: Very High
      • Source text:

         

        [Entry Recording Date : 4 NOV 1811]

      • General: