Capt. Marco Bozzarrus Gary
Capt. Marco Bozzarrus Gary was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1859. He soon exchanged the role of a diligent young attorney for the uniform and service of a soldier, and as an artillery officer his fame is secure in the annals of the war. The half century of life that remained to him after this struggle was spent in the exacting duties of his profession and in answering numerous calls to public duty and responsibility. For many years Captain Gary was a resident of Cleveland, and his name is held in high honor in this city.
He was born in Genesee County, New York, December 31, 1831, the youngest of a family of thirteen children, ten daughters and three sons. Four years after his birth his father, Capt. Aaron Gary, moved to Pennsylvania, settling on a farm near Albion, where the son was reared and where he acquired the rudiments of an English education. It was not until he was twenty-five years of age that he had made enough money to fulfill his ambition to study law. This study he pursued at Ashtabula, Ohio, for three years with the firm of Sherman & Farmer.
Admitted to the bar in 1859, Captain Gary one year later opened a law office at Geneva and was there when the Civil war broke upon the country. At the very beginning of that struggle he enlisted in the Geneva one-gun battery for the three months' service. At the expiration of that time he joined his Captain Kenny in raising a full six-gun battery for three years enlistment. They soon had their men recuited and in September, 1861, as a lieutenant, Captain Gary assemble with his company at Camp Dennison near Cincinnati to prepare and drill for field duty. Later he was promoted to captain and was with what was known as Battery C of the First Ohio Light Artillery through the entire Civil war. He had command of his battery in some of the famous battles of that struggle and was with the army of Sherman in many campaigns, including the march to the sea. During the last two years of the war Captain Gary was in command of a brigade of artillery, consisting of three full batteries, his own and a New York and a Pennsylvania battery. Before being mustered out at the close of the war his excellent service and proficiency as an artillery officer were recognized by his being offered a captaincy in the regular army.
But the war being over he expressed himself satisfied with military life, and returning to Geneva was soon in the full course of a busy law practice. Captain Gary had the honor of being the first mayor elected at Geneva. While engaged in practice there he met and married Miss Mila C. Pinney, with whom he lived happily until his death.
After about five years in Geneva Captain Gary moved to Cleveland and entered the law firm of Gary, Gilbert & Hills. He gave up his partnership with that firm to accept appointment from President Harrison as collector of customs of the Port of Cleveland. Captain Gary was one of the close personal friends of former President Harrison. At the conclusion of his duties in this federal office he resumed law practice and only retired in the face of increasing years in 1900.
Captain Gary was active in politics for years and one of the men of real prominence in the life and affairs of Cleveland. He was a member of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, was a charter member of Woodward Lodge of Masons and belonged to the Loyal Legion.
The death of this honored old soldier and lawyer occurred April 27, 1909. He was survived by his widow, who died just five years later, and by two children, Georgia Mila and Marco W. Brief reference to the career of the son, Marco W. Gary, a well known real estate man of Cleveland, will be found on other pages. The daughter is Mrs. J. D. Cockcroft, of Northport, Long Island, New York.
From Cleveland - Special Limited Edition, The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago & New York, 1918 v.1