Irish immigrant John Grady and his family fled the potato famine in his native land. He found his place in his adopted home of Cleveland working for the fire department starting in 1881 and became the captain of Engine Company 1 in 1889. On November 15, 1891, he was trapped under falling debris and killed while fighting a fire at the Short and Foreman Company. It took several days for crews to recover his body for burial.
