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The Juilliard Story
Thanks to Polly Doyle for the bio on Augustus Juilliard. Here's Part 1 of 3:Louisville residents are quite familiar with the name “Juilliard”; however, few know the history of the family as it relates to our town. This history becomes even more important as the Stark County Bicentennial hosts a tribute to Augustus Juilliard, benefactor of the Juilliard School of Music, on August 16.
The ties to Louisville begin in France where Jean Nicholas Juilliard, a shoemaker by trade, and his wife Anna gathered their five children and packed three boxes of belongings to move to America. Unhappy with the situation in France, Jean wanted his children to have peace and opportunity in the United States. Jean had already served in the army and fought for Napoleon until he met his defeat at Waterloo. Jean did not want his sons to face war as he and his father had in France. In fact, his father Pierre had been killed in Verona, Italy, before Jean was born. His children would have a better life in America.
They left their home in Montbeliard, France, to travel by horse-drawn cart to the post at LeHavre, in 1836. Storms delayed the ship’s departure, and their fourth son, Augustus, was born aboard the vessel April 19th.
Upon their arrival in New York in late May, the Juilliards took the Erie Canal to Massillon, Ohio, and bought a 160 acre farm in Washington Township which was later sold when they purchased a farm on 143 acres in Paris, Ohio, a spot nearby a French colony at Louisville. Young Augustus Juilliard worked at Martin’s Store before moving to Bucyrus, Ohio, to work in a store owned by his brother-in-law, Thomas Hall. Hall, who had married Julia Juilliard, sent Augustus to New York City where the young man made several contacts with individuals in the dry goods business. Among those contacts were H.B. Claflin and A.J. Stewart, both of whom were prominent merchants.
At age 30 Augustus Juilliard set off for New York City to seek his fortune. Because of his fluency in French, he worked for H.B. Claflin and Company as a foreign buyer, traveling to France where he made a thorough study of silks and broadcloths. When the great mills of Hoyt, Sprague, and Company in Rhode Island developed financial problems, Juilliard was appointed the receiver to settle the affairs of the Claflins who were among the company’s greatest creditors. Juilliard won the respect of the business community as he skillfully handled the matter which involved millions of dollars.
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A. D. Juilliard