Marcellus Richard Abel was the second born son of Marcellus and Emma Bach Abel. It is believed that he was born at the family home at 4305 Beech Hill Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio on March 29, 1893. Marcellus had two siblings a sister Emma and a brother George. His childhood was much the same as other children of the time attending school, being a student at Kirby Road Intermediate School for a time and then seeking a job, probably after the 8th grade. Marcellus decided to follow in the footsteps of his father and joined the Cincinnati police force in August of 1915 at the age of 23. He started out as a foot patrolman and was later moved to traffic duty. He soon became a motorcycle policeman riding a Harley Davidson three wheel motorcycle.
Being a policeman in those early days of Cincinnati was much different than it is today. There was a certain amount of fear and respect for policeman and they had a little more leeway in how they enforced the law. When asked if he ever had to use his gun, he answered that he only fired his gun twice in the line of duty, both of which were warning shots that stopped the suspect cold in their tracks. His service revolver was a .38 Colt police revolver and has two notches in the grips indicating the times that he fired his gun.
Marcellus entered the military in 1918 and served as a fireman, 1st class, in the US Navy in WW I. He spent most of his time on board the USS Pastores making twelve round trips across the Atlantic. He received the US Navy Victory Medal for his service.
Upon his discharge from the service after the war in 1921, he returned to his job as a Cincinnati policeman.
In October of 1919, after a short courtship, Marcellus married Miss Clara Elizabeth Tanner Smoot of Beckly, West Virginia. Clara was 6 years older than Marcellus and had formerly been married to Mr. Frank Smoot in her home town of Beckly, West Virginia. Frank Smoot was a plumber by trade and his family was well known in the Beckly area. No one knows for sure what happened to this marriage but they were apparently separated and divorced by 1919 and Clara had was living alone in the apartment that they had occupied on 7th Street.
Marcellus and Clara had two children, Donald Abel and Marcellus Mark Abel. Both children have very fond memories of their father and mother.
Marcellus III (Mark) recalls his early childhood days in their family home on Probasco Court in the Clifton section of Cincinnati. He tells of the timse when their dad would have him and Don go outside in the cold winter months before they went to school and attempt to start their father's police motorcycle to warm it up so he could go to work. He said that they would use the kick starter until their legs were about ready to fall off and finally get it started. They were proud when they went inside and told their pop that he was ready to go. He would just snicker and say "good job boys". They recalled his dry sense of humor as they were getting all spiffed up to go out on their weekend dates when he would say " you know boys, you can't shine s---!, laugh and head to his easy chair for the evening.
Marcellus had a long career with the Cincinnati police force and amid a lot of fanfare and sad goodbye's he retired on October 1, 1948.
His retirement was short-lived as he soon took a job as security guard for the G. A. Gray Company a manufacturer of planers, machine tools, and parts, spending the next ten years there. He "officially" retired from the G. A. Gray Company on his 65th birthday in March of 1958.
Max enjoyed smoking cigars his entire life as did his father. His favorite was the Black Ibold Cigar. Seldom would you ever see him without one. The family also enjoyed breeding and raising Scottish Terriers. One of his favorites was named Jocko.
In the early 1970 Max's wife Clara developed health problems. When Max became unable to provide the care that she needed the family decided that it would be best for her to move to a nursing home. She moved to the Oak Pavilion Nursing Home. This move was very hard on Max; he deeply missed his lifelong companion. Clara's health grew worse and she passed away on December 13, 1973.
Max remained living at the family home on Probasco and did well in the ensuing years. He received a great deal of help from his son Max and his wife Ruth and remained self sufficient until 1980.
In 1980 he had a few health problems, none of which seemed very serious. However, I do believe that he dearly missed his wife and was somewhat lonely. Toward the end of September, 1980, he was admitted to Holmes hospital. His condition quickly deteriorated and he passed away on October 2, 1980.
Marcellus Richard Abel and Clara Tanner Abel are buried in Lot 46, Section A Graves 1 & 2 at the Arlington Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Cincinnati Ohio.
Being a policeman in those early days of Cincinnati was much different than it is today. There was a certain amount of fear and respect for policeman and they had a little more leeway in how they enforced the law. When asked if he ever had to use his gun, he answered that he only fired his gun twice in the line of duty, both of which were warning shots that stopped the suspect cold in their tracks. His service revolver was a .38 Colt police revolver and has two notches in the grips indicating the times that he fired his gun.
Marcellus entered the military in 1918 and served as a fireman, 1st class, in the US Navy in WW I. He spent most of his time on board the USS Pastores making twelve round trips across the Atlantic. He received the US Navy Victory Medal for his service.
Upon his discharge from the service after the war in 1921, he returned to his job as a Cincinnati policeman.
In October of 1919, after a short courtship, Marcellus married Miss Clara Elizabeth Tanner Smoot of Beckly, West Virginia. Clara was 6 years older than Marcellus and had formerly been married to Mr. Frank Smoot in her home town of Beckly, West Virginia. Frank Smoot was a plumber by trade and his family was well known in the Beckly area. No one knows for sure what happened to this marriage but they were apparently separated and divorced by 1919 and Clara had was living alone in the apartment that they had occupied on 7th Street.
Marcellus and Clara had two children, Donald Abel and Marcellus Mark Abel. Both children have very fond memories of their father and mother.
Marcellus III (Mark) recalls his early childhood days in their family home on Probasco Court in the Clifton section of Cincinnati. He tells of the timse when their dad would have him and Don go outside in the cold winter months before they went to school and attempt to start their father's police motorcycle to warm it up so he could go to work. He said that they would use the kick starter until their legs were about ready to fall off and finally get it started. They were proud when they went inside and told their pop that he was ready to go. He would just snicker and say "good job boys". They recalled his dry sense of humor as they were getting all spiffed up to go out on their weekend dates when he would say " you know boys, you can't shine s---!, laugh and head to his easy chair for the evening.
Marcellus had a long career with the Cincinnati police force and amid a lot of fanfare and sad goodbye's he retired on October 1, 1948.
His retirement was short-lived as he soon took a job as security guard for the G. A. Gray Company a manufacturer of planers, machine tools, and parts, spending the next ten years there. He "officially" retired from the G. A. Gray Company on his 65th birthday in March of 1958.
Max enjoyed smoking cigars his entire life as did his father. His favorite was the Black Ibold Cigar. Seldom would you ever see him without one. The family also enjoyed breeding and raising Scottish Terriers. One of his favorites was named Jocko.
In the early 1970 Max's wife Clara developed health problems. When Max became unable to provide the care that she needed the family decided that it would be best for her to move to a nursing home. She moved to the Oak Pavilion Nursing Home. This move was very hard on Max; he deeply missed his lifelong companion. Clara's health grew worse and she passed away on December 13, 1973.
Max remained living at the family home on Probasco and did well in the ensuing years. He received a great deal of help from his son Max and his wife Ruth and remained self sufficient until 1980.
In 1980 he had a few health problems, none of which seemed very serious. However, I do believe that he dearly missed his wife and was somewhat lonely. Toward the end of September, 1980, he was admitted to Holmes hospital. His condition quickly deteriorated and he passed away on October 2, 1980.
Marcellus Richard Abel and Clara Tanner Abel are buried in Lot 46, Section A Graves 1 & 2 at the Arlington Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Cincinnati Ohio.
Marcellus Richard Abel was the second born son of Marcellus and Emma Bach Abel. It is believed that he was born at the family home at 4305 Beech Hill Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio on March 29, 1893. Marcellus had two siblings a sister Emma and a brother George. His childhood was much the same as other children of the time attending school, being a student at Kirby Road Intermediate School for a time and then seeking a job, probably after the 8th grade. Marcellus decided to follow in the footsteps of his father and joined the Cincinnati police force in August of 1915 at the age of 23. He started out as a foot patrolman and was later moved to traffic duty. He soon became a motorcycle policeman riding a Harley Davidson three wheel motorcycle.
Being a policeman in those early days of Cincinnati was much different than it is today. There was a certain amount of fear and respect for policeman and they had a little more leeway in how they enforced the law. When asked if he ever had to use his gun, he answered that he only fired his gun twice in the line of duty, both of which were warning shots that stopped the suspect cold in their tracks. His service revolver was a .38 Colt police revolver and has two notches in the grips indicating the times that he fired his gun.
Marcellus entered the military in 1918 and served as a fireman, 1st class, in the US Navy in WW I. He spent most of his time on board the USS Pastores making twelve round trips across the Atlantic. He received the US Navy Victory Medal for his service.
Upon his discharge from the service after the war in 1921, he returned to his job as a Cincinnati policeman.
In October of 1919, after a short courtship, Marcellus married Miss Clara Elizabeth Tanner Smoot of Beckly, West Virginia. Clara was 6 years older than Marcellus and had formerly been married to Mr. Frank Smoot in her home town of Beckly, West Virginia. Frank Smoot was a plumber by trade and his family was well known in the Beckly area. No one knows for sure what happened to this marriage but they were apparently separated and divorced by 1919 and Clara had was living alone in the apartment that they had occupied on 7th Street.
Marcellus and Clara had two children, Donald Abel and Marcellus Mark Abel. Both children have very fond memories of their father and mother.
Marcellus III (Mark) recalls his early childhood days in their family home on Probasco Court in the Clifton section of Cincinnati. He tells of the timse when their dad would have him and Don go outside in the cold winter months before they went to school and attempt to start their father's police motorcycle to warm it up so he could go to work. He said that they would use the kick starter until their legs were about ready to fall off and finally get it started. They were proud when they went inside and told their pop that he was ready to go. He would just snicker and say "good job boys". They recalled his dry sense of humor as they were getting all spiffed up to go out on their weekend dates when he would say " you know boys, you can't shine s---!, laugh and head to his easy chair for the evening.
Marcellus had a long career with the Cincinnati police force and amid a lot of fanfare and sad goodbye's he retired on October 1, 1948.
His retirement was short-lived as he soon took a job as security guard for the G. A. Gray Company a manufacturer of planers, machine tools, and parts, spending the next ten years there. He "officially" retired from the G. A. Gray Company on his 65th birthday in March of 1958.
Max enjoyed smoking cigars his entire life as did his father. His favorite was the Black Ibold Cigar. Seldom would you ever see him without one. The family also enjoyed breeding and raising Scottish Terriers. One of his favorites was named Jocko.
In the early 1970 Max's wife Clara developed health problems. When Max became unable to provide the care that she needed the family decided that it would be best for her to move to a nursing home. She moved to the Oak Pavilion Nursing Home. This move was very hard on Max; he deeply missed his lifelong companion. Clara's health grew worse and she passed away on December 13, 1973.
Max remained living at the family home on Probasco and did well in the ensuing years. He received a great deal of help from his son Max and his wife Ruth and remained self sufficient until 1980.
In 1980 he had a few health problems, none of which seemed very serious. However, I do believe that he dearly missed his wife and was somewhat lonely. Toward the end of September, 1980, he was admitted to Holmes hospital. His condition quickly deteriorated and he passed away on October 2, 1980.
Marcellus Richard Abel and Clara Tanner Abel are buried in Lot 46, Section A Graves 1 & 2 at the Arlington Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Cincinnati Ohio.
Being a policeman in those early days of Cincinnati was much different than it is today. There was a certain amount of fear and respect for policeman and they had a little more leeway in how they enforced the law. When asked if he ever had to use his gun, he answered that he only fired his gun twice in the line of duty, both of which were warning shots that stopped the suspect cold in their tracks. His service revolver was a .38 Colt police revolver and has two notches in the grips indicating the times that he fired his gun.
Marcellus entered the military in 1918 and served as a fireman, 1st class, in the US Navy in WW I. He spent most of his time on board the USS Pastores making twelve round trips across the Atlantic. He received the US Navy Victory Medal for his service.
Upon his discharge from the service after the war in 1921, he returned to his job as a Cincinnati policeman.
In October of 1919, after a short courtship, Marcellus married Miss Clara Elizabeth Tanner Smoot of Beckly, West Virginia. Clara was 6 years older than Marcellus and had formerly been married to Mr. Frank Smoot in her home town of Beckly, West Virginia. Frank Smoot was a plumber by trade and his family was well known in the Beckly area. No one knows for sure what happened to this marriage but they were apparently separated and divorced by 1919 and Clara had was living alone in the apartment that they had occupied on 7th Street.
Marcellus and Clara had two children, Donald Abel and Marcellus Mark Abel. Both children have very fond memories of their father and mother.
Marcellus III (Mark) recalls his early childhood days in their family home on Probasco Court in the Clifton section of Cincinnati. He tells of the timse when their dad would have him and Don go outside in the cold winter months before they went to school and attempt to start their father's police motorcycle to warm it up so he could go to work. He said that they would use the kick starter until their legs were about ready to fall off and finally get it started. They were proud when they went inside and told their pop that he was ready to go. He would just snicker and say "good job boys". They recalled his dry sense of humor as they were getting all spiffed up to go out on their weekend dates when he would say " you know boys, you can't shine s---!, laugh and head to his easy chair for the evening.
Marcellus had a long career with the Cincinnati police force and amid a lot of fanfare and sad goodbye's he retired on October 1, 1948.
His retirement was short-lived as he soon took a job as security guard for the G. A. Gray Company a manufacturer of planers, machine tools, and parts, spending the next ten years there. He "officially" retired from the G. A. Gray Company on his 65th birthday in March of 1958.
Max enjoyed smoking cigars his entire life as did his father. His favorite was the Black Ibold Cigar. Seldom would you ever see him without one. The family also enjoyed breeding and raising Scottish Terriers. One of his favorites was named Jocko.
In the early 1970 Max's wife Clara developed health problems. When Max became unable to provide the care that she needed the family decided that it would be best for her to move to a nursing home. She moved to the Oak Pavilion Nursing Home. This move was very hard on Max; he deeply missed his lifelong companion. Clara's health grew worse and she passed away on December 13, 1973.
Max remained living at the family home on Probasco and did well in the ensuing years. He received a great deal of help from his son Max and his wife Ruth and remained self sufficient until 1980.
In 1980 he had a few health problems, none of which seemed very serious. However, I do believe that he dearly missed his wife and was somewhat lonely. Toward the end of September, 1980, he was admitted to Holmes hospital. His condition quickly deteriorated and he passed away on October 2, 1980.
Marcellus Richard Abel and Clara Tanner Abel are buried in Lot 46, Section A Graves 1 & 2 at the Arlington Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Cincinnati Ohio.
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