In the commercial, political, patriotic, and literary history of Cleveland
for the past fifteen or twenty years, the name of H. M. Chapin will always
have honorable prominence. In all these departments his persistent energy
and unshaken faith, even in the darkest hours, have been potent for good.

Mr. Chapin was born in Walpole, N. H., July 29th, 1823, and received a good
common school education. When fifteen years old, he removed to Boston, and
entered a dry goods importing house, in which he remained nearly ten
years. In the Spring of 1848, he left Boston for Cleveland, where he
became a partner in the wholesale grocery warehouse of Charles Bradburn &
Co., with whom he remained four years. In 1852, he commenced business as a
provision dealer and packer of pork and beef. For a time it was up-hill
work, but his native perseverance overcame all difficulties, and in the
season of 1862-3, his business had grown to seven hundred and fifty
thousand dollars. From that time there was a steady decline in the amount
of packing done in Cleveland, the supply of cattle and hogs decreasing
until but a very small quantity, in proportion to the facilities for
packing, could be depended on. The slaughter-houses of Chicago arrested
the great stream of live stock, and what escaped them went forward to the
Atlantic cities for immediate consumption. In the Winter of 1867-8, Mr.
Chapin, therefore, resolved to remove his packing business to Chicago, and
commenced operations there with gratifying success. He intended abandoning
Cleveland altogether as a packing point, but, contrary to his
expectations, he has been able to resume the business here to a moderate
extent. From 1862 to 1867, he carried on, in connection with the packing
business, a very extensive coopering establishment, employing about fifty
men, besides a large amount of machinery. Over a hundred and twenty-five
men were at the same time employed in slaughtering and packing.