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Centennial Portrait and Biographical Record of the City of Dayton and of Montgomery County, Ohio
Pages 573-590 John W. Harries to Patrick Hickey

JOHN W. HARRIES [pages 573-574] (deceased), one of the pioneer inhabitants of the city of Dayton, was born in 1783, in the town of Gebledewyll, in Carmarthenshire, Wales, a county bordering on the Bristol channel.  He was a son of William and Catherine (Waters) Harries, both natives of South Wales. In 1810 John W. Harries married Miss Mary Williams, and soon afterward settled on a farm in the vicinity of his birthplace. There they lived until 1820, and there four sons and one daughter were born to them, as follows: Thomas, John, David, William and Ann. In the fall of 1823, they emigrated to the United States, landing in New York, where Mr. Harries embarked in the wholesale and retail grocery business, and there his wife, the mother of the above-named children, died. In 1826 he married Miss Mary Elizabeth Conklin, of Huntington, Long Island, daughter of Elkanah R. and Rebecca (Smith) Conklin, both of whom were natives of Huntington. The Conklins came originally from England.

To this second marriage of Mr. Harries there were born in New York city Charles and Caroline, and in Dayton, Ohio, Mary, Rosetta and Emma.

In the spring of 1829 Mr. Harries, with his family, came to Ohio, arriving in Dayton on July 5th of that year, on the canal boat Experiment, having made the journey from Cincinnati by canal.  The eldest son, Thomas, remained in New York, continuing his education, and the family that arrived in Dayton consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Harries and six children.  Shortly after reaching Dayton Mr. Harries engaged in brewing, notwithstanding his means were limited, as well as his knowledge of the business.  But by dint of perseverance and considerable native ability he made a success of the enterprise, and continued to follow it actively until the last year of his life, dying February 22, 1873, in the ninetieth year of his age. In the accumulation of property he was unusually fortunate, and at the time of his death was one of the wealthy men of the city.  He was a man of strong and marked character, and although he enjoyed fey opportunities for intellectual development in his youth, yet his native ability and shrewdness, together with good common sense and an intuitive knowledge of men, compensated for his want of scholarship and learning; and it is possible that his life was a greater success through the aid of natural gifts than it would have been through acquired educational advantages.  He won the friendship of men by the frank, open generosity of his nature, and governed them by the strength of his will and by the originality and force of his character.

The great secret of his prosperity was the promptness and accuracy of his decisions, which quality seemed to be with him intuitive. While others reasoned, and argued, and weighed the probabilities of a case, he promptly resolved and acted.  Mr. Harries had great power of concentration and' of self-control, while his self-reliance was unbounded, and he was also capable of the most rigid self-denial. He was a man of many virtues. With a heart tender and warm, his hand was ever open, ready and willing to lend aid to charitable enterprises, and no worthy cause ever appealed to him in vain. By reason of his high character, good deeds and noble example, he is eminently deserving of a foremost place in the annals of self-made men.

His second wife died August 20, 1871. Of the children, mention maybe made as follows: Thomas, the eldest son, who remained in New York, was for more than forty years a pastor on Long Island. He is now deceased. John, the second son, is one of the well known and highly honored citizens of Dayton; David was for years engaged in the brewing business in Cincinnati, and is now deceased; William is now a resident of Montgomery county, Ohio, and Charles resides in Dayton; Ann is a widow and resides in Dayton; Caroline is also a widow residing in Dayton; Mary is dead; Rosetta is the wife of John H. Gorman, of Dayton, and Emma, now deceased, was the wife of William H. Simms.

The following words, communicated at the time of his death, are worthy of reproduction in this connection:

John W. Harries is dead, and the places which knew him so long and so well shall know him no more forever.  His friendly face, his familiar form, his cordial greetings, will never be seen or heard on earth again. On the 22d of February, at 1:10 P. M., he breathed his last. For several days he seemed on the point of dissolution, but such were his amazing tenacity of life and strength of will that he appeared to set death itself at defiance. Long and hard as the struggle was, however, he fell asleep at last, and a strong man passed away as peacefully as a tired infant goes to rest in its mother's lap;  Mr. Harries was a self-made man. Born in Wales, he came to this country in early manhood in quest of fortune, relying upon his character, his energy and his brains. His career strongly illustrates all the virtues, while it was far from most of the faults which characterize that remarkable class of brave men who rise by the inherent force of their own native and unaided powers. He earned his money by the sweat of his brow, and yet did not unduly estimate its value, nor pride himself upon its possession.  In its use he was as liberal as a prince. Poverty could not depress; fortune did not spoil him. Wealth made him neither ambitious of the countenance or acquaintance of the rich or great, nor forgetful of the rights and feelings of the poor. In all his relations or dealings with men he was singularly just.  He never forgot old friends or past favors. He had no false pride and never turned his back on a poor man. He was in many particulars a very remarkable person. Fixed in his convictions, he was in no wise intolerant of the opinions of other people. With few advantages of early education, native shrewdness, fine common sense, and close observation supplied the place of scholastic attainment. He was a reader of men, not of books. Without public position of any sort he was the best known, the most popular and influential man in the community in which he so long resided.

 

URIAH C. HARTRANFT, [pages 574-575] one of the prominent and scholarly members of the Dayton bar, was born in Delaware township, Northumberland county, Pa., neat the village of Dewart. From the age of five years until he was nine years of age, he attended public and private schools, and for two years after that he worked on the farm in summer and attended common school in winter. He then attended Dewart academy regularly until February 9, 1861, soon after which date he enlisted as a private soldier in company D, Seventh Pennsylvania cavalry, and served with this regiment in the western armies until the close of the war. He was mustered out of service at Macon, Ga., September 23, 1865, as major of the First battalion of the regiment. He was a true and faithful soldier all through the war, ever ready to perform any duty, no matter how dangerous or unpleasant.

In January, 1866, he re-organized the Dewart academy, and taught school six months, until the trustees found a teacher with sufficient "book learning," to carry it on. In September, 1866, he entered Dickinson seminary at Williamsport, Pa., and continued a student there three years, and in 1870 removed to Dayton, Ohio, where he has since remained. Upon arriving in Dayton, Maj. Hartranft entered the office of John Scott and read law under his instruction. He was admitted to the bar at Columbus, Ohio, October 15, 1871, and formed a partnership May 18, 1872, with Lewis R. Pfoutz, under the firm name of Pfoutz & Hartranft, which firm continued in existence until the death of the senior member, in May, 1892. On May 23,1892, he formed a partnership with Daniel H. Pfoutz, a son of his former partner, under the old name, and this firm continues at the present time.  Mr. Hartranft is a member of Old Guard post, G. A. R., and of the Veteran legion. He is recognized by his professional associates and by a large body of clients as a man of ability and learning, amply deserving of the success which attends his practice of the law.

 

JAMES OTTO HARTSHORN [pages 575-576] stands among the leading photographers of Dayton, and may be classed as among the prominent business men of this city. He is a member of the well-known firm of Anderson & Hartshorn, whose photographic studio, at the corner of Fifth and Main streets, is equipped with the most approved modern mechanical and art accessories, for both portraiture and commercial photography, as well as for the work in crayon, India ink, water colors, pastel, etc.

Mr. Hartshorn was born in Monroe county, Ohio, on the 8th of August, 1869.  While quite young he was deprived of his parents, and for a number of years he found an abiding place in the homes of various friends, being a lad of but thirteen years at the time when he entered the serious conflict of life upon his own responsibility. He was employed on a farm until he had reached the age of eighteen years, availing himself of the limited educational advantages afforded by the district schools. At the age last mentioned he came to Dayton and for a short time was employed in a cotton-batting factory.

Having a predilection for photographic work, in February, 1888, he entered a studio in Dayton and for eighteen months applied himself zealously to familiarizing himself with the intricate processes of successful photography. At the end of this time he secured a position in the studio of Hollinger, the Dayton photographer, under whose effective direction he prosecuted his technical study and labor for nearly five years. On the 1st of February, 1894, he formed a partnership with Charles F. Anderson, and they opened their present studio, at the corner of Fifth and Main streets, where they have built up a most successful business, by reason of their superior productions and their unvarying courtesy.

In politics Mr. Hartshorn is a member of the prohibition party. In his religious affiliations he is a member of the Central Baptist church. In connection with his business interests he holds a membership in the state association of photographers, taking a lively interest in its affairs.

The marriage of Mr. Hartshorn was solemnized on the 19th of March, 1891, with Miss Ella M. Huesman, of Dayton.  They became the parents of three children, namely: Howard F., Grace and Ethel, the last named being deceased.

 

BENJAMIN F. HATHAWAY, [page 576] liveryman, of No. 309 East Second street, Dayton, is a son of Elijah and Sarah (Jameson) Hathaway, and a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, born September 2, 1841.

His paternal grandfather, Benjamin Hathaway, was a native of Maryland, but early came to Ohio, settled in Warren county, and there reared a family of ten children. Elijah Hathaway, father of Benjamin F., was born in Warren county, where he grew to manhood, and there married Sarah Jameson, a native of the same county. Soon after this marriage, Elijah Hathaway and wife came to Montgomery, county and settled near Brookville, on a farm of eighty acres, on which they passed the greater part of their lives, Mr. Hathaway pursuing his vocation of agriculturist.  He died at the .residence of his daughter, Mrs. Mary Dunkan, in Harveysburg, Warren county, in the year 1886, at the age of seventy-five years. His widow survived until 1894, when she died at the age of seventy-two years. To them two children were born-—Mary, wife of Martin V. Dunkan, now of Dayton, and Benjamin F., whose name opens this sketch.

Benjamin F. Hathaway was reared on the home farm and was educated in the common schools of his native county. After the age of twenty years he was engaged for some time in the sale of lightning rods, and then for nineteen years; was engaged, in saloon-keeping, in Dayton.  Selling his place, he purchased the livery equipment of Renner & Long, and has since been doing a general livery business.

In 1874 Mr. Hathaway married Miss Mary, Blackburn, a daughter of Samuel Blackburn, of Dayton, and this marriage has been blessed with one child, Maud. The family residence is at No. 210 Brabham street. In politics Mr. Hathaway is a republican; as a business man he is enjoying the success which is earned by diligence and close attention to the demands of the public.

 

WILSON S. HAWKER, [pages 576-577] one of the most active young business men of Dayton, was born June 14, 1853. He is now the head of the Dayton Pattern & Model works, located at the corner of Fourth and Saint Clair streets, the company having been organized in January, 1896, by Wilson S. and Frederick .Hawker. He is a son of Emanuel and Mary J. (Gerlaugh) Hawker, both of. whom are living in Dayton. The Hawker family is of German descent and is located principally in Ohio, having come originally to this state from Pennsylvania. At the early founding of Dayton three brothers came to Ohio, their names being Frederick, Adam and Abraham, and established the Hawker settlement .some six miles from Dayton. Adam Hawker was a minister of the German Reformed church, to which he devoted his life, and was one of the most prominent ministers of that denomination in this part of the country. Abraham and Frederick were farmers.        

Frederick, the grandfather of Wilson S., was the father of the following children: Perry, Simon, Emanuel, Martin, Rebecca, and two other daughters. Emanuel was reared to farm life, and followed the occupation of farming until thirty-five years of age, when he removed to Dayton, and became engaged in the livery business on Fourth street, continuing in this occupation for a number of years. Removing to Illinois he lived there for a short time and then went to Wisconsin, where he engaged in farming. He and his wife reared a family of four children, as follows: Murray W.; Cora M., deceased; Wilson S, and Louella.

Wilson S. Hawker was reared in Dayton, educated in the public schools, and at the age of eighteen entered the service of the Smith & Vaile company, where he acquired the trade of patternmaker. Here he remained for three years, at the end of which time he went to Springfield, and was employed by the Champion Agricultural works for some fourteen months as patternmaker. Returning to Dayton, he worked for the John W. Stoddard Manufacturing company for about a year. After spending a few months in traveling in the east, he located at Norwalk, Conn., where he passed a year in the employ of the Raymond Foundry company. Going from Norwalk to Philadelphia, Pa., he spent some seven years there, engaged with four different concerns, among which were the Abraham Cox Stove company, and the Neafie & Leary Ship Building company. He was for a time manager of the pattern department of the Barr Pumping Engine company, and then with the Eynon-Evans Manufacturing company in the same capacity, returning to Dayton, Ohio, in January, 1895.   During 1895 Mr. Hawker was engaged in the manufacture of specialties, and in 1896 he added to his business the manufacture of patterns and models, forming the industry of which he is now the head. He is one of the most progressive young business men of Dayton, and has three patented specialties of his own devising. His is the largest plant of the kind in Dayton, and is most completely equipped, furnishing employment to a goodly number of men. Mr. Hawker is himself a practical patternmaker and a general mechanic, and his particular business is a valuable addition to the little manufacturing world that comprises Dayton.   Frederick Hawker retired from this firm on July I, 1896, leaving Wilson S. as sole proprietor.   Mr. Hawker was married July 19, 1887, to Miss Lois E. Bouton, of Ansonia, Conn., by whom he has two children, viz: Chester B. and Roland G.  He is an attendant upon the services of the Baptist church, and is known as a business man and a citizen of high integrity. As will be seen by the reading of this brief sketch, Mr. Hawker is one of the .men who has carved out success for himself, beginning at the lowest round and building up a business of his own which is now one of the prosperous institutions of Dayton. He is still a young man, and having had large experience and possessing unusual ability in his special field of invention and manufacture, the future promises for him still wider prosperity.

 

WINFIELD SCOTT HAWTHORN, [pages 577-578] one of the most extensive coal dealers of Dayton, was born January 24, 1850, in a portion of the city not then incorporated.  His father, John Hawthorn, an early settler of Montgomery county, was born in New Carlisle, Clarke county, Ohio, May 19, 1822, but became a resident of the suburb of Dayton, above alluded to, when a boy, and attended school with Robert W. Steele, Wilbur Conover and others, who afterward became prominent among the business and professional men of the city.  He was a plowmaker in his early days, but later engaged in various kinds of occupations. For a short time he was a soldier in the One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio volunteer infantry, and was stationed at Fort Federal Hill, Baltimore, Md.; on garrison duty. His death took place in Dayton, November 30, 1889, through an accident of which further mention will be made. His wife, who, prior to marriage, was Miss Sarah R. Bertles, was born in Adams county, Pa., in 1831, and is now a member of the family of her son Winfield S.   Of the family of six children born to Mr. and Mrs. John Hawthorn, Winfield S. is the eldest; Clara, now Mrs. John A. Fisk, resides in Toledo; David died in July, 1873, in young manhood; William is a merchant of Dayton, is married, and is the father of four children; Melissa died in February, 1873, at about seventeen years of age, and Bertles died at the age of twenty-six.

Winfield S. Hawthorn was educated in the public schools of Harrison (his native) township and early learned the carpenter's trade. For twenty years he worked at his trade, and for seven years of this time was a contractor and builder.  He was then superintendent of the Dayton school buildings for three years; he next acted as solicitor for the Dayton Insurance company for three years, and in June, 1893, he entered upon his present business, at No. 222 South Williams street, where he has established a large and lucrative trade.

The marriage of Mr. Hawthorn took place in 1881, in Dayton, to Miss Allie Black, a native of Peru, Ind., and a daughter of Samuel Black, who, with his wife, died when their daughter, Allie, was but a child. In 1889 a disastrous gas explosion occurred at Mr. Hawthorn's residence, through which every member of the family, save two small children, was more or less injured; one child was instantly killed, and Mr. Hawthorn's father, John Hawthorn, died eventually from the injuries sustained at the time, while Mr. Hawthorn himself was so badly injured that he will carry scars to the grave. This explosion made a complete wreck of the dwelling and utterly destroyed its contents.

To Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorn have been born six children, of whom William, the eldest, was the victim of the explosion above alluded to; the others are still under the parental roof and are named John, Eugene, Helen, Plinney and Ruth.

Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorn are members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics Mr. Hawthorn is a republican. Fraternally, he is a Freemason, an Odd Fellow and a Knight of Pythias. In the Independent Order of Odd Fellows he is a P. G. of his lodge and a P. C. P. of his encampment, and in his social and business relations he holds the well-merited esteem of his fellow-citizens.

 

FRANK CAREY GARRETT, [pages 578-581] secretary of the Odd Fellows' National Beneficial association, of Dayton, Ohio, was born in this city June 8, 1860, and is a son of John and Rose (Winters) Garrett, who are natives of southern Pennsylvania. The family is a combination of several nationalities, with the German element predominating.

John Garrett, the father of Frank C., was born on a farm and passed his early life there, afterward learning the trade of carpenter. Rose (Winters) Garrett was born and reared in Shippensburg, a beautiful village in the Cumberland valley of Pennsylvania. After their marriage they remained for some years in Pennsylvania, removing to Ohio in 1854 and locating in Dayton, where they have since resided. John Garrett, after being employed by several firms, associated himself with the John Rouzer company as foreman some thirty years ago, and has ever since been connected with this concern, by whom he is highly regarded. In politics, he has been, since the organization of the party, a republican, but has never sought political preferment of any kind. He and his wife are the parents of five children: John, Alice, Lillie, Frank C., and Charles W.

Frank C. Garrett was reared in the city of Dayton and educated in the public schools. graduating with high honors from the high school in 1879. Soon afterward he devoted his time to teaching music, to which he has given much attention, having written a number of very fine and popular instrumental and vocal compositions. His musical abilities have won for him a high place among local musicians, and for a number of years he was organist of the First Presbyterian church. Later he held the same place in the Linden avenue Baptist church, but resigned in order to accept a position as tenor in the choir of the Third street Presbyterian church. This latter position he was compelled, because of multiplied official duties, to resign.

After teaching for a short time he entered the office of D. L. Rike & Co., as bookkeeper and cashier, remaining with them until July, 1884, when he engaged in business for himself for about a year.  He then accepted a position as bookkeeper in the office of the Odd Fellows' National Beneficial association, which position he filled until the latter part of 1894, when he succeeded to the secretaryship of the organization. He is also grand scribe of the grand encampment, I. 0. 0. F., of Ohio—in both of these offices succeeding James Anderton. Mr. Garrett's politics are republican and of a pronounced character. Since 1885 his time has been devoted entirely to secret society work, in its many phases, and in this direction he seems to have a peculiar aptitude. He has been elected to numerous positions of trust and honor in the order of Odd Fellows, to which his time is devoted, and is at present representing his district in the grand .lodge for the second term. He is a member of Montgomery lodge, No. 5; Dayton encampment, No. 2; canton Earl, No. 16, P. M., I. 0. 0. F. He is also a member of lola lodge, No. 83, K. of P.; of Mystic lodge, No. 405, F. & A. M.; and of Unity chapter, No. 16. He is a member of

Dayton lodge, No. 58, B. P. 0. of E.; a charter member of Gem City senate of the Knights of the Ancient Essenic order and of kremlin Moscow, Imperial Order of Muscovites, at Cincinnati, Ohio; and also has the honor of being chosen as a permanent representative to the supreme kremlin, I. 0. M.

Mr. Garrett was married June 28, 1888, to Miss El-Fleda Houser, a native of Troy, Ohio, to which union two children have been born— Earle and Edythe. As members of society, Mr. and Mrs. Garrett are held in high esteem.

 

LEMUEL E. HECKER, M. D , [pages 581-582] physician and surgeon, of Dayton, Ohio, was born in Lancaster county, Pa., November 14, 1852. He is a son of John H. and Catherine (Eshelman) Hecker, the latter of whom is now deceased and the former is a resident of Lancaster county, Pa. On his father's side of the family Dr. Hecker is of German descent. The family has for several generations furnished members of the learned professions.  John H. Hecker was himself a physician, but is now retired. He and his wife were the parents of children as follows: Jacob K., a chemist of Philadelphia, Pa.; David F., an attorney-at-law of Lebanon, Pa.; Samuel, a baker of Reading, Pa.; John H., a practicing physician of Lebanon, Pa.; Lemuel E.; George, a musician of Philadelphia, Pa.; Grant and Lucinda, living at home, and one now deceased.

Lemuel E. Hecker was educated in public and high schools. After spending some years prospecting in California, he studied medicine with his father, who was in the active practice of medicine some forty-five years. He was a graduate of the Franklin College of Medicine at Philadelphia. Lemuel E. Hecker graduated from the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery at Cincinnati, as a member of the class of 1885, and first entered upon the practice of his profession at Lafayette, Ind., but owing to an accident to his wife he was obliged to give up his practice and to travel with her abroad for the benefit of her health. She, however, died in 1888, and after her death Dr. Hecker located in Dayton, where he has established himself permanently and successfully as a general practitioner.

Dr. Hecker is a member of the Montgomery county Medical society and of the Ohio state Medical association. His first wife was named Mary Ross. By her he had one child, Lee Addison. He was married subsequently to her death, in 1888, to Miss Catherine Joe, of Dayton, Ohio. Both he and his present wife are members of the Memorial Presbyterian church, which was organized as a New School Presbyterian church in 1868.

 

ROLLA 0. HEIKES, [pages 582-583] one of Dayton's representative citizens, is a native of this city, and was born December 25, 1856, a son of Jacob and Catherine Heikes, and was here reared to manhood, receiving his education in the city public schools, and at the Smithson college, at Logansport, Ind., and also at Ann Arbor, Mich. Going hence to Nebraska he for sometime conducted a cattle ranch, and then went to Utah, where he engaged in the same occupation. After five years of this life he returned to Dayton, and became associated with his father until 1886 in the nursery business, to which he had been reared. For the next three years he acted as advertising agent for the La Fevre Arms company; was then with the Hunter Arms company for three years, and then became salesman for the Winchester Repeating Arms company, his territory embracing the whole of the United States. He had himself always been fond of a gun, and began practice in its use at the early age of five years.

In 1879 Mr. Heikes entered the lists as a crack shot, and at Brownville took his first prize at trap shooting, where he made the second best average in a class of forty competitors; at Corry, Pa., in 1889, he broke 181 straight targets, following this record on the next day with 170 straight.  In 1893, at Dayton, Ohio, he broke 500 targets thrown from five traps, using three double-barreled guns and loading the same himself, in thirty-seven minutes and forty seconds. He has made over a dozen runs of over 100 consecutive shots without a miss, and at an exhibition at Indianapolis, Ind., in 1896, broke 100 targets, thrown from five traps, in four minutes and thirty seconds. These are but a few examples of his wonderful dexterity as a marksman, and his home is adorned with many valuable trophies won at shooting tournaments. For the past ten years he has devoted his entire attention to this line of skill and sport, having appeared in all the principal cities of the United States, and has everywhere been triumphant.

In 1890 Mr. Heikes was chosen by the United States Cartridge company as one of ten experts to travel, advertise and shoot against all competitors in forty of the largest cities in the country, and during the entire tour Mr. Heikes never missed an engagement.  In 1891 he made his first record, making 450 targets in fifty-two minutes and fifty seconds, and being the first ever to reach such a score; April 9, 1892, he surpassed this achievement, breaking 500 targets in forty minutes and forty seconds; and February 22, 1894, he broke 500 targets in thirty-seven minutes and fifteen seconds. These three feats have never been excelled and all were accomplished with the Winchester gun. At Lexington, Ky., in 1893, he made 114 straight; at the Eureka Gun club contest, Chicago, in April, 1895, he made 117 straight; at Saratoga, N. Y., in May, 1893, he made 100 straight. At Dayton, Ohio, in January, 1894, he made 468 hits out of a possible 500; at Hamilton, Ont., in January, 1894, he made twenty live birds and 155 targets— a total of 175 straight. At Chicago, May 18, 1894, in the gold cup championship of America, he scored eighty-one out of a possible 100, but at Columbus, Ohio, for the state championship cup, had scored forty-nine in a possible fifty.   At Elwood, Ind., June 24, 1894, he made a straight run of fifty; June 27, at Columbus, Ohio, he made 100 at unknown angles and at Chattanooga, September 19, made 137 straight.  His record for 1895 is in keeping with his previous achievements. February 27,; 1896, he made the world-beating record of 100 targets in four minutes and twenty seconds. Afterward, at an exhibition at the same place. (Indianapolis, Ind.) of the Limited Gun club, of rapid shooters, targets were thrown up by hand—first two, then four,. then six—but he broke all before reaching the ground.  Mr. Heikes has won for himself a world-wide reputation as a marksman, and the people of Dayton follow his career with interest, knowing that his upright character and strict integrity, no less than his wonderful skill in his unique profession, reflect credit upon his native city.

Mr. Heikes is a member of the Knights of Pythias. On January 12, 1881, he was married to Miss Cora L. Warbinton, daughter of John Warbinton, one child, Horace W., being born to the marriage in 1881, and he and family reside at No. 304 Grafton avenue.

 

JOHN HOBAN [pages 583-584] is president of the city council of Dayton; and foreman of the brass foundry of the Buckeye Iron & Brass works, a business which was established in 1844, in  small way, by Geo. W. Hoglen and W. H. Pease. Mr. Hoban's father, Patrick Hoban, died about 1878.

John Hoban was born in Dayton, May 31, 1857, and received his education in the public and parochial schools of this city. At the age of twelve years he left school and went to work for the Dayton Gauge company. After some time he became engaged in trimming carriages, and continued this line of work for about five months. Not being satisfied with this occupation, he became an employee with the Buckeye Iron & Brass works as cleaner of castings, and after a time became a core-maker and at last a molder. After serving four years at the molder's trade he was made foreman of the shops, a position which he has since held continuously for eighteen years, making a period of twenty-five years of unbroken employment in one establishment. This fact alone speaks volumes for the efficiency, faithfulness and skill of Mr. Hoban in a place of trust and responsibility. When he began working for this company there were but one molder and two boys employed, while at the present time there are sixty men in the shops, all under his supervision.

Mr. Hoban was married in October, 1881, to Mary Mescher, of Dayton, and to them there have been born seven children, all sons, six of whom are still living, as follows: Charles, John, William, Edward, Albert and Harry. The other died in infancy.  Mr. Hoban is a member of the Catholic church, of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, of the Knights of St. John, and of the National Union. 

In the spring of 1891 Mr. Hoban was elected a member of the city council of Dayton from the Fourteenth ward as a democrat. In 1893 he was elected from the Seventh ward; and in 1895 was re-elected from the same ward.  He was chosen president of the council in 1895, and is now filling that honorable position with credit and ability.

Mr. Hoban's long period of service with the Buckeye Iron & Brass works, his repeated elections to the city council, and finally his elevation to the presidency of that body, are all indicative of a strong personality, of thorough integrity and of a persistent devotion to principle, that are alike admirable and valuable to the community at large.

 

SAMUEL FLETCHER GEORGE, M. D., [pages 584-588] of Dayton, Ohio, was born in Elmira, N. Y., on February 16, 1843.

Dr. George's paternal grandfather was Lemuel George, who was the first of the family to come to America. He was a native of Wales, where he learned the tanner's trade, and was married. Upon coming to the United States he located at Utica, N. Y., where he established a large tannery, and accumulated quite a fortune. He was an Episcopalian in religion. To Mr. George and wife a son and daughter were born—Lemuel and Margaret. Lemuel George (the younger), father of our subject, was born in Utica, N. Y., in February, 1799. He received a collegiate education, became a minister of the Methodist church, and followed that calling all his life, filling pulpits in Albany, Seneca Falls, Ithaca, Geneva, Elmira, Horseheads, Corning,. Bath, Syracuse and Oswego and other cities, all in central New York. He was an eloquent pulpit orator, strong and earnest, with great power to move his congregation. He was an extemporaneous speaker, full of magnetism, and met with wonderful success all through his ministerial work. He was married in Auburn, N. Y., to Rhosilla Lowell, who was born in Haverhill, Mass., in 1801, a daughter of Simon and Cynthia Lowell, and a cousin of the poet, James Russell Lowell. Her mother was Cynthia Stone. who was a sister to the mother of Gen. Benjamin Butler. Through the Stone family, Vice-president Arthur was a cousin to our subject; thus it will be seen that Dr. George was a second cousin to several of our most distinguished men, including Gen. J. B. Stone, late of Detroit, and others. The father of Dr. George died on July 15, 1872, at Seneca Falls, N. Y., to which city he had retired. The death of the mother occurred in Buffalo, N. Y., in February, 1892. To these parents the following children were born:  William L., Henry S., Edward and Edwin (twins), Melvina C., Horace C., Elizabeth E., J. Russell, Charles W., Mary H., Samuel F., and Francis W.

The boyhood days of Dr. George were spent in Elmira, Corning, Horseheads, and Syracuse, N. Y.   He attended the public schools until he was fifteen years of age, and then entered what was known then as the Knoxville academy, in Steuben county, N. Y He was next at the Syracuse high school, making his home in that city with an uncle, a minister. About two weeks after Fort Sumter was fired upon, young George obtained money from his uncle and returned to his home, then in Elmira, his intention being to enlist. On account of his youth (eighteen years) his father would not give his consent to his entering the army. The young fellow was a natural tactician, and had had some training, and it was not long until he was employed by the state to drill recruits, at which he was engaged during all of 1861. In the spring of 1862 he organized a company, and entered the service as major. His enlistment papers were made out early in 1862, but it was not until August of that year that his father reluctantly signed them. He then became a member of the Fiftieth regiment of New York engineers. Until December of the above year he was on detail at Syracuse, and then left for the front, and five days after leaving home he was in the battle of Fredericksburg, Va. He was with the army of the Potomac until the surrender of Lee, his regiment building all bridges and throwing all pontoons for the army. Though his clothes were often perforated by bullets, he did not receive even a scratch during the service. He was mustered out of service at Fort Barry, Va., in May, 1865. Returning to Elmira, where his parents were then residing, Dr. George remained for a time, and then going to Syracuse took up the study of medicine, at which he continued for about three years. He then entered the Reformed college at Macon, Ga., where he graduated. In 1869 he gave up the study of medicine and took a position as clerk in a wholesale tobacco and cigar house in Syracuse, entering the establishment at a salary of $12 per week. Thirty days later he was head clerk and in a manner had charge of the business of the house. After holding this place for about one year, he left it to engage in the, grocery business in an endeavor to save money be had loaned to a grocery dealer; sixty days later, however, the grocery firm failed, and he lost all. This firm had an indebtedness of $2,230, but in the following year he liquidated the entire amount. While in this business he read law and was admitted to practice.  His next venture was in the purchase of a lot in Syracuse on time; he borrowed money and erected a handsome residence, which property he sold at a good profit and thus got on his feet again. He then entered Hobart college, to prepare himself for the ministry, and was graduated in the class of 1873. During the summer of that year he began the publication of a newspaper known as the Anti-Monopolist, .at Buffalo, N. Y., Philadelphia, Penn., and Richmond, Va., with headquarters at Buffalo.  During this time he also published the Buffalo Sunday Transcript. At this he was engaged until 1875, when he sold out the Transcript, and, going to Philadelphia, took charge as general manager of the Philadelphia Evening Chronicle newspaper. He continued as general manager of the Chronicle for a period of six months, during which brief time he canceled an indebtedness of $80,000 against the plant, and sold the paper with a profit of $25,000 to the proprietors. Dr. George then suggested the plan of a morning newspaper to Messrs. McClure, McLaughlin and other newspaper men, which resulted in the Philadelphia Morning Times, of which paper Dr. George became the manager. In 1876, however, he established the Camden (N. J.) Tribune, a morning paper, which was sold three months later. Dr. George then gave up newspaper life and returned to the practice of medicine in Philadelphia. In 1877 he removed to Harrisburg, Pa., and the following year went to York, Pa., and continued his practice for a year. Then returning to Buffalo, N. Y., Dr. George practiced until 1882, when he removed to Dayton, where he has since practiced. In 1886 Dr. George graduated from the Eclectic Medical college, of Cincinnati. Since coming to this city Dr. George has been connected with various enterprises, among them the National Medicine Case company, of Dayton, of which he is president.

Dr. George is a speaker of considerable ability and note, and frequently addressed audiences on the line of social economy and other subjects. In Independence square, Philadelphia, on July 25, 1875, he addressed fifteen thousand people. All his life he has been a warm friend and supporter of the people, and has never lost an opportunity of lifting up his voice in their behalf.  Dr. George was a republican until 1880 when he joined the greenback labor party. He affiliated with the democratic party until 1892, and then went to the people's party. All this time he never changed his views, however, and was always found with the party holding those views.  During the campaign of 1896 he was quite active, delivering numerous speeches.

Dr. George was married in May, 1875, to Miss Elizabeth A. Abbott, who was born in Philadelphia, and is the daughter of Hezekiah Abbott, a contractor and builder of that city. To this union the following children have been born: Charlotte M., Benjamin Butler and William Van Buskirk. . Dr. George is a member of the Masonic, Odd Fellows, Ancient Order of United Workmen and also of the Grand Army of the Republic fraternities, and of the Episcopal church.

 

CHARLES HERBY, [page 588] architect, of Dayton, Ohio, with his office in room No. 27, Beckel building, was born in Northampton county, England, April 14, 1846, and in 1849 came to America with his parents, William and Elizabeth (Johnson) Herby, who settled on a farm seven miles west of Dayton. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Herby were seven in number, of whom three died in infancy, the eldest in England, while two boys and two girls lived to years of maturity. That part of the family which came to America was on the ocean twenty-one days and was twenty-two days in making the trip from New York to Dayton, overland traveling facilities at that early day being of the most meager description. The family home in Montgomery county was retained until 1880, when the parents removed to Newton, Harper county, Kan., where the father died in 1883, soon after which Charles brought his mother to his home in Dayton, where she died in November, 1895.

Charles Herby passed his earlier years on his father's farm, and was educated in the district schools. At the age of eighteen years he enlisted in company K, Thirty-first regiment, Ohio national guard, and performed garrison duty at Baltimore, Md., from May 4, 1864, until August 23, of the same year. Upon attaining his majority, he apprenticed himself to the carpenter's trade, which he learned thoroughly, and followed the business of contractor and builder for about twenty years without intermission. About the year 1882 he became a resident of Dayton, and in 1890 decided to devote his time wholly to architectural work and is now ranked among the most successful draftsmen in the city.

The marriage of Mr. Herby took place, in 1871, to Miss Sarah C. Cunningham, a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph and Emily Cunningham, the former of whom was a prominent farmer, .and is now deceased. Of the ten children born to Mr. and Mrs. Herby, five died in infancy.. Of the five survivors, Daisy is her father's housekeeper; Walter E. is a clerk; Roy is a carriage-trimmer, and James A. Garfield and Wilbur are attending school. In politics Mr. Herby is a republican and his religious relations are with the Raper Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is a class leader, and is at present assistant superintendent of the Mission Sunday-school.

 

THOMAS BABBITT HERRMAN, [pages 588-589] the junior member of the firm of Baggott & Herrman, of Dayton, Ohio, was born in this city March 27, 1867, and is a son of Ezra A. and Margaret (Edgar) Herrman, both of whom were natives of Dayton. Henry Herrman, the father of Ezra A., came from Germany to the United States when he was quite young. He was for many years a merchant and grain dealer, on Main street, in Dayton, and was one of the best known men in Montgomery county.

Margaret Edgar was a daughter of Samuel D. Edgar, who was born in Montgomery county, and who was one of its prominent citizens, especially during the war of the Rebellion, when he was connected in many ways with work for the relief of families of soldiers absent in the army of the Union. He was a son of Robert Edgar, who was born at Staunton, Va., February 8, 1770, settled in Dayton in 1796, at about the time the founders of the town arrived, and on September 17, 1798. married Mrs. Margaret Gillespie Kirkwood, a native of Philadelphia, born April 6, 1772. The ancestors of Robert Edgar came to this country from Ireland during the early settlement of the country, and located in Virginia, where Robert was born. He first came to Dayton on a surveying expedition in the interest of the government, and returned to Cincinnati, then Fort Washington, or perhaps Losantiville, but within a short time came back to Dayton, where he then remained. He came overland, the other settlers for the most part coming by boat up the Miami river. He built the first cabin in Dayton for Col. George Newcom, who served as a soldier in Wayne's campaign against the Indians, and in the war of 1812. This first log cabin stood just south of the original location of the Centennial log cabin, which now stands in Van Cleve park, on the river bank, and which Mr. Edgar also built for Col. Newcom.  Mr. Edgar boarded with Col. Newcom, paying for his board by furnishing the table of Newcom Tavern with a deer once a week, and shooting the deer in the swamps near by, The contract for building the second log cabin, referred to above, is in the possession of Mr. Herrman. Robert Edgar also erected, about 1800, the first saw-mill and the first gristmill in Montgomery county, and himself operated them. He died February 25, 1853.

Ezra A. Herrman, the father of Thomas B., was a tobacco merchant in Dayton for many years, and is still living, as is also his wife.

Thomas Babbitt Herrman was educated in the public schools of Dayton. Leaving school in 1883, he went to South Dakota, and, with his father, engaged in farming and cattle raising until 1887, when he returned to Dayton and traveled for the next two years as salesman. In 1891 he began reading law in the office of Judge Baggott, read for about a year, and again went on the road for a period of two years. Returning to Dayton he again took up the study of the law, and was graduated at the Cincinnati Law college in May, 1895, and in June, 1895, became a partner of Judge Baggott in the practice of the law.

While on the road Mr. Herrman was appointed adjutant of the First battalion, Third regiment, 0. N. G., in June, 1893, and served during the miners' riots at Wheeling Creek, in 1894. being honorably discharged in January, 1895.   Mr. Herrman has an abundance of energy, and application to business, and doubtless will make his mark in the profession upon which he has so recently entered.

 

PATRICK HICKEY, [pages 589-590] of the quarter-master's department of the National Military Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, at Dayton, Ohio, was born in Susquehanna, Pa., March 17, 1840, and when a babe was taken by his parents, John and Bridget (Hennessy) Hickey, to the city of Buffalo, N. Y., where he was educated in the public schools. He was taught the carpenter and joiner's trade by his father, and while working at this trade he enlisted in company I, Twenty-first New York volunteer infantry, and served from May 1, 1861, to May, 1863— the last year as second lieutenant, in command of his company—in the Fifth army corps, army of the Potomac. He took part in all the duties of his regiment, which were of a varied character, until the second battle of Bull Run, where he found his first general engagement, under Gen. Pope, in the latter part of August, 1862. Here the captain and first lieutenant of his company were killed and Mr. Hickey was placed in command; he was at the battle of South Mountain, and, under Gen. George B. McClellan, was engaged in the battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862, and was there wounded,   December 13, 1862, he fought under Gen. Burnside at the battle of Fredericksburg, where about 13,000 Union soldiers lost their lives. On being mustered out of service, Lieut. Hickey enlisted in the Sixteenth New York cavalry and served until the close of the war. He was orderly sergeant of company B, and his duties were mostly of a special character, he being for many months under the control of no commander excepting the secretary of war. It was by a portion of his company that John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Lincoln, was subsequently captured. He was present at the grand review at Washington, D. C., and on the consolidation of his regiment with the Thirteenth New York cavalry he was commissioned an officer and was mustered out.

On his return to Buffalo, Lieut. Hickey worked at the carpenter's trade until 1882, when, by reason of his wound and the ravages of time on his general health, he availed himself of the beneficent provision made by a grateful country and entered the national military home at Dayton. Here he was employed in various duties until the past two and a half years, when, as a reward for his commendable conduct and general capability, he was placed in his present position in the quartermaster's department.

The parents of Lieut. Hickey were natives of Ireland, but were brought to America in their infancy. They were married in Geneva, N. Y., and became the parents of six sons of whom four, Thomas, John, William and Patrick, served as soldiers in the Civil war. Of these, Thomas and John have died since the close of that struggle, presumably from the infirmities, incurred while in the service—and this is thought more especially to have been the case with John, who had been for many months a prisoner at Andersonville. The parents died in Buffalo, N. Y., the father's death resulting from injuries caused by a fall. Patrick Hickey was never married. He is a member of the Home post, G. A. R., and in politics is a life-long republican. He is a man of high character and standing, and is sincerely respected by each and every inmate of the military home.

 

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