Jeptha Homer Wade Travel Journals: Germany July 18 to October 16, 1914

About this Transcription

Jeptha Homer Wade II (15 Oct. 1857-6 Mar. 1926), was a financier and philanthropist who helped develop the Cleveland Museum of Art.  Jeptha Wade II was educated by tutors and in private schools, graduating from Mt. Pleasant Academy in Ossining, N.Y., and earning a master's degree from Western Reserve University. Wade developed a close relationship with his grandfather after his father's early death. He served as an executive in 45 companies, including railways, mining companies, manufacturing firms, and banking institutions; and was a trustee and supporter of Cleveland Art School, the Protestant Orphan Asylum, Western Reserve Historical Society, and WRU. He also contributed to the Children's Fresh Air Camp, Lakeside Hospital, and Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Wade shared his grandfather's interest in art, was one of the incorporators of the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1913, and served as its first vice-president, becoming president in 1920. His many contributions to the museum included a collection of rare lace, textiles, jewels, enamels, and a number of paintings. He also established a purchasing fund, which grew to more than $1 million. In 1878, Wade married Ellen Garretson. Upon her death in 1917, Wade established a memorial fund in her name to aid charities in which they were interested. Wade had 3 children: Jeptha H., Jr., George G., and Helen W. (Mrs. E.B. Greene).

Jeptha Wade II, as well as many members of his family, wrote travel journals during their trips around the world. In this journal, Wade, his wife Nellie, his son Jeptha "Jep" Homer Wade, Jr., and his mother-in-law traveled to Germany, and later to Britain, from July to October, 1914, and experienced the beginning of World War I as it erupted while the family was in Germany.

This transcription is part of various existing initiatives to make the Wade family papers accessible online. A primary goal of the  is to disseminate information and enable students and scholars to explore aspects of family and intellectual life that are illustrative of the complex, and often conflicting, decisions involved in the creation of America’s urban cultural centers in the late 19th century. The driving need of such families to create cultural legacies characterized a particular aspect of American philanthropy and determined the role the visual arts would have in the American city.  

For more information about the Wade Family you can follow Holly Witchey, PhD, Executive Director of Cleveland Philanthropy or join the History of the Wade Family in Cleveland Facebook page.  Legacy information from The Wade Project at the Cleveland History Center can be found here.

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