Edwin M. Sheldon was born in Chautauqua County, New York, in 1847. He joined his brother H. F. Sheldon in Ottawa in 1870. During his four decades in Ottawa, he was a deputy register of deeds, state legislative journal clerk, district clerk, city council member, county commissioner, trustee of the First Presbyterian Church, Ottawa Library board member. He was the longtime owner of the Ottawa Soap Factory and an Ottawa Wholesale Grocery stockholder. @histodons

In July 1911, Emma A. Sheldon approached the Franklin County Commission about donating the funds to purchase the clock and accompanying bell in memory of her husband, Edwin. Her only request was that the county pay for the installation and the city pay for the light to illuminate the clock’s face.
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Corwin’s photo, dated between 1897 and 1911, shows the Franklin County Courthouse without it’s clock or bell.
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The clock was built by the Howard Clock Co. in Boston. According to the August 21, 1911, Ottawa Evening Herald, the 1,820-pound freight cost $13 to ship from Boston to Chicago, and $17.01 to ship from Chicago to Ottawa. The three clock faces were installed in the north, west, and south sides of the west tower, and the 1,200-pound bell, which would strike at the top and bottom of each hour, was installed in the east tower.
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In this photo, dated between 1911 and 1917, the clock faces are visible in the tower on the roof.
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A photo of the memorial plaque, which reads, “The clock in the tower of this court house was erected by Mrs. Emma A. Sheldon in the year 1911. And presented to the city of Ottawa and the county of Franklin as a memorial to her husband Edwin M. Sheldon who died in this city April 11, 1911.”
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