Who lived in the original Shaker Village?

Imagine that you could go back to 1911 and walk the streets of Shaker Village, which had just separated from Cleveland Heights. You would stop in every home and ask those living there (including any servants who lived in the house) their names and ages, what they did for a living, where they were born, what language they spoke and where their parents were born. If they weren't born here, you would also ask when they came here and when they become citizens.

In April and May of 1910 Mr. Frederick L. Robertson did just that.

He was taking the U S Census of 1910. Thanks to Mr. Robertson's work and to the Cleveland Public Library offering access to online census data, we "browsed" Cleveland Heights Township's 1910 census, looking at all 115 census forms.

We've saved eight census forms that represent the streets of Shaker Village - even the western-most neighborhoods that soon detached to join Cleveland.

You can learn about the first residents of Shaker Village in two ways:

  • This overview page is a cross-section of Shaker Village. It shows one household from each census form. The most western neighborhood is at the top; the most eastern streets are at the bottom.

  • You can also view each census form completely. Just click on the sample household on this page to see the entire census form. Then you can "back page" to return to this overview page, or proceed "next form" or "previous form" to see all eight census forms.

Enjoy your tour.
 

Original map of Shaker Village, 1911. Photographed at the Cuyahoga County Archives.
At the west are the Cleveland city limits and the Baldwin Reservoir.
The original eastern border of Shaker Village was east of Horseshoe Lake, near Eaton Road.

 

Below: one household from each of eight census forms, arranged from west to east. 
Click on an image to see the full census form.

Joseph Fischell of Ingersoll Road signed the 1911 petition. Click to see the full form.
Click to see the full form.
Beer baron Otto Leisy, who lived in a 36-room mansion on a 70-acre estate on Fairmount Road, signed the 1911 petition. Click to see the full form.
Click to see the full form.
Wiliam Van aken of N. Woodland Road signed the 1911 petition. Click to see the full form.
 Click to see the full form.
Ford M Clapp of South Park Blvd signed the 1911 petition. Click to see the full form.
Oris P Van Sweringen of South Parkway signed the 1911 petition. Click to see the full form.

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