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Centennial Portrait and Biographical Record of the City of Dayton and of Montgomery County, Ohio
Pages 915-930 The Macy Family to Elwood Allen

MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

 

        THE MACY FAMILY [pages 915-920] is one of the best known and most highly esteemed families of Montgomery county, Ohio, and takes a just pride in its ancestral history, compiled in a large volume, containing the genealogy of the Macy family in America. From this volume it is learned that the founder of the family in this country was Thomas Macy, who came from near Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, a county named from Wilton, a city near Salisbury, which was the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, and which has for many years been famous for its manufacture of carpets. Thomas Macy came to America about 1655.  In religious faith he was a Friend, or Quaker, and it is believed he sought this then new country as an asylum from persecution, where he could worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.  Through his worth and intelligence he acquired prominence in the community in which he lived, which was in the vicinity of Cape Cod, Mass.  He was known in the office that he filled as a "selectman." Here he preached for some time, but soon religious intolerance gained a foothold, and he, with nine others, in 1659, took possession of the island of Nantucket, having paid to Governor Mayhew £30 for nine-tenths thereof, there being in the whole island about fifty square miles.   From this independent and sturdy pioneer and early colonist has sprung all of the Macy family in this country.

But even on the island of Nantucket the family was not free from persecution, and one of the Macys fled with his wife to the mainland.  Still later, but yet at an early day, some of the Macys, together with others of the islanders, went from Nantucket to North Carolina, and settled in the woods, where they prospered, increased in numbers, and spread over the country.

Paul Macy came to Ohio, settling in Miami county, with his son, Thomas. He lived to be ninety-two years old, and died in Miami county. Thomas Macy married Annie Gardner, by whom he had the following children: Mary J., Thomas, John, Paul, Nancy, Elizabeth, Phebe, Lydia, Jonathan and Aaron. Thomas Macy and his wife removed with their family to Tennessee, lived there about five years, and then came to Ohio, settling in Miami county, two miles west of where Thomas Macy now lives, in Monroe township. Four of their children were born in North Carolina, four in Tennessee and two in Ohio. The journey was made to Ohio by means of teams and wagons, the children walking and driving the cattle. Thomas Macy bought eighty acres of land, and entered the eighty acres on which his grandson, Thomas Macy, now resides. This land he cleared of its surplus timber, lived on it some years, and then bought the land on which Davis Macy now lives, in Butler township, Montgomery county.  Upon this farm he passed his remaining days.  He was a Friend, or Quaker, in religion, a man of strong convictions and of high character. He was familiar with all the hardships of pioneer life, and was accustomed to go through the woods to Cincinnati to market. He died at the age of sixty-five.

John Macy, his son, and father of the present Thomas Macy, was born in Tennessee, August 8, 1795. When his father came to Ohio he was about fifteen years of age, and he was brought up among the pioneers, became a farmer, and married Nancy Yount.

Thomas Macy was born May 28. 1820, on the farm where he now lives, in Monroe township, Miami county. His early life was that of the pioneers, hard work being his portion, though not unmixed with many pleasures which people of the present day can scarcely appreciate; but the strongest pleasure of those early times was the true friendship that existed among the pioneers. In 1845, when he was about twenty-five years of age, he married, in Butler township, Miss Sarah J. Wagener, who was born March 2, 1827, in Morgan county, Va., and was a daughter of John and Nancy (Prill) Wagener. John Wagener was a native of Virginia, of German ancestry, and came to Ohio, locating in Miami county about 1831, and remaining there for a short time, when he bought eighty acres in Butler township, Montgomery county, which he cleared of its timber, and made of it a good home. He and his wife had the following children: Frank, Hiram, John, William, Ann, Matilda, Mary, Nancy and Jane. Mr. Wagener lived to be about fifty-eight years old, dying on his farm. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a most worthy citizen.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Macy, after their marriage, settled on the old homestead. This land his grandfather had originally entered, and his father had lived upon it.  Here they have since lived and prospered, and by industry and thrift have accumulated a handsome property. They have had the following children: Salina, Mary, Ellen, Laura, Carrie, William H. and Warren A. William H. died when tour years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Macy are members of the Disciple church, of which Mr. Macy has been a deacon for the past twenty-five years, In his earlier life he was an old-line whig, and when the republican party was organized, became one of its original members, voting for Gen. John C. Fremont for president in 1856. Mr. Macy has never been an office seeker, but has held the office of supervisor, and has always enjoyed the confidence of the community.

Davis Macy, a leading farmer of Butler township, is living on the old Macy homestead. He was born July 15, 1846, and is the son of John and Abigail (Weeks) Macy. Reared a farmer, he has followed that independent and honorable vocation all his life. His mother was a daughter of Benjamin Weeks, one of the pioneers of Ludlow Falls, Miami county, Ohio, who located there in 1810. In his youthful days Davis Macy was well educated in the common schools, and was reared in the faith of the Friends. When he was twenty-three years old he married, June 10, 1869, in Miami county, Miss Mary Jane Turner, who was born November 18, 1847, in Miami county, Ohio, and was a daughter of Abraham and Lydia (Yount) Turner. Abraham Turner was born in Orange county, N. Y., in 1819, and was of New England ancestry. His father's children were George W., who died a soldier in the late Civil war; Levi, Daniel, Abra ham, Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah and Jennie. Abraham Turner was by trade a carpenter and millwright. He came to Ohio, settling in Miami county when a young man, and in 1846, when he was twenty-eight years old, married Lydia Yount, who was born June 15, 1825, in Montgomery county. She was a daughter of John and Nancy (Insco) Yount, the former of whom came from one of the Carolinas to Ohio, where he became a prosperous and substantial farmer. He was engaged also in the distillery business in Little York and in the contracting business in Dayton. He died in Harrison township when seventy-one years old. His children were Daniel W., Mary, Jane, Lydia, Eliza, Sallie and Callie. Mr. Yount was one of the prominent men of his day, intelligent and influential. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Turner settled on the John Yount homestead. He then bought mill property on the Stillwater above Milton, operated the mill for a few years, and then bought a farm in Miami county and there worked at his trade. His children were as follows: Mary J., Bell, Sallie, John, Fremont, Emma, Reeder, Lulu, Clifford and May.

Mr. and Mrs. Davis Macy, after their marriage, settled on the Macy homestead, upon which they are still living. Here, through thrift and judicious management, Mr. Macy prospered, and now has a most excellent farm. His children are Dorsey Clyde and Charles Leo. Mrs. Macy is a member of the Disciple church, and Mr. Macy has been for years an active officer in the Christian church. Politically he is a republican. On May 2, 1864, he enlisted as a member of company G, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Ohio volunteer infantry, and served four months, when he was honorably discharged, August 31, 1864.  His service was rendered in Virginia, and he was with his regiment when Gen. Jubal Early made his raid in the vicinity of Washington, D. C. Here he was under fire for two days and nights.  Mr. Macy was an active, faithful soldier, and is an equally active farmer. He takes great interest in the education of the young, and is giving his children the best education in his power. Charles Leo is attending Antioch college, at Yellow Springs, Ohio. Dorsey Clyde married Jennie Pierson and is living on the home farm. Mr. Macy well maintains the high reputation of his ancestors, whose best qualities are repeated in him, and find in him a worthy representative.

Isaac Macy is one of the pioneers and solid farmers of Butler township. John Macy, his father, was born in Tennessee August 8, 1795, and came when a boy with his father's family to Ohio. He grew up among the pioneers, and received the usual education and training of the times. He was always a farmer, and married Nancy Yount, who was born in July, 1798, in North Carolina or Tennessee. John Macy and wife settled in Monroe township, Miami county, where Thomas Macy now lives, and this farm he cleared from the woods. After the death of his father he removed to the old homestead in Butler township, Montgomery county, where he died January 17, 1854, aged fifty-nine years. His children by his first wife, Nancy Yount, were: George, Thomas, Isaac, Mary, Alexander, Nancy and William. The mother of these children having died, he married Abigail Weeks, who was born October 31, 1805, and a daughter of Benjamin Weeks. By his second wife Mr. Macy had the following children:   Benjamin, Clarissa, Phebe, Delilah, John, Davis and Annie. Mr. Macy was a member of the Society of Friends, and in politics an old-line whig in early life, and later a republican.  He was a man of sterling honesty of character and sound business methods, and a prosperous farmer.

Isaac Macy was born May 22, 1822, in Monroe township, Miami county. What little education he received was gotten in an old-fashioned log school-house two and a half miles from his home.  He was trained from youth in habits of industry, which he has followed through life. He married at the age of twenty-two, March 16, 1844, Nancy E. Wagener, who was born in Virginia, May 5, 1824, and was a daughter of John and Nancy (Prill) Wagener, the former of whom was of German ancestry and came from Virginia, settling in Butler township on eighty acres of land.  His children were as follows: Hiram, John, William, Jane, Nancy and Matilda,  In religion Mr. Wagener was a Methodist, lived to be about sixty-five years of age, and died in Butler township.

Isaac Macy and wife settled on a rented farm in Union township, Miami county, upon which they lived for about six years, at the end of which period Mr. Macy bought his present farm of 128 acres, which he has materially improved, having now one of the best farms to be found in the county. To his original lands he has added from time to time, until he now owns 468 acres, beside having given some land to his children. To Mr. and Mrs. Macy there were born the following children: Eli P., Addie, Jennie, Lulu and Arthur.  Mrs. Macy died October 21, 1875, a member of the Christian church, and a most excellent woman. Mr. Macy, on March 10, 1887, married Mrs. Alice Bell Hall, who was born April 14, 1857, in Salem, Ohio, and is a daughter of Amos and Mary (Stevenson) Ardinger.   Mr. Ardinger came from Williamsport, Md., was a cooper by trade, and located in Dayton, Ohio, when nineteen years of age, afterward removing to Salem, and a year later settling in Tippecanoe City, where he has been an honored resident for thirty-five years. His children are Adelaide, Sallie G., Jacob, Clyde, Blanch, Emma, Harry, John and Leuetta, of whom Clyde, Emma and Leuetta have died. Mr. and Mrs. Ardinger are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Mrs. Macy. was first married to Willard J. Hall, of Dayton, Ohio, a machinist, by whom she had one child, Mary A.  Mr. Hall died at Tippecanoe City in October, 1885, aged about thirty-three years, a member of the Protestant Episcopal church.

Mr. and Mrs. Macy are members of the Christian church of Frederick, Ohio, of which Mr. Macy has been a trustee for many years. He and his brother Thomas aided largely in founding the church.  Politically Mr. Macy is a republican, but has never sought office.  He has from his youth up been a hard working and industrious man, and has prospered through his own perseverance and application.   He has well earned the honor and respect in which he is held by those among whom he has passed his long and useful life.

George Macy, one of the oldest living residents of Montgomery county, is a grandson of Thomas Macy, one of the original pioneers, and is a son of John and Nancy (Yount) Macy. He was born in Monroe township, Miami county, July27, 1818. His education, though limited to what could in his boyhood days be obtained in the common schools, has always been sufficient, together with his natural ability, to carry him successfully through life. Brought up on a farm, he became a farmer, and has always followed that honorable occupation. When he was twenty-two years of age, on March 4, 1841, he was married to Miss Abigail. Pierson, who was born in Miami county, Ohio, February 11, 1821, and was a daughter of Abel and Mary (Buffington) Pierson, Mary Buffington at the time of her marriage to Mr. Pierson being a widow.

Abel Pierson was a native of North Carolina, in which state he was first married, and between 1807 and 1810 came to Ohio, located in Miami county and settled on 160 acres of land.  Here he lived the remainder of his days.  By his first wife his children were Sarah, Olive, Charles and James. By his second wife, Mary Buffington, whom he married in Ohio, he had the following children: John, Samuel, James, Nancy and Hiram. In religious belief Mr. Pierson was a Quaker or Friend, and was a man of undoubted integrity and high character.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Macy lived for two years on the old homestead farm, and at the end of this period rented land a short distance east of Milton, upon which they lived four years, when they removed to Butler township, where Mr. Macy bought 140 acres. This was in 1846, and upon this farm he and his family lived twenty-five years. Their children were Austin, Mary Ellen, Silas, Nancy, Sarah Jane, James, Augustus, Elmira (deceased), Annie, Laura A. and Eliza C.  Mrs. Macy, who was a woman of many excellent traits of character, and who was, as Mr. Macy is, a member of the Christian church, died in 1894. In politics Mr. Macy is a republican, but was formerly an old-line whig.   During his entire life he has been a man of industrious habits, and is well known throughout the community in which he lives as a man of exalted character and sterling worth. During the late Civil war he was a strong Union man, and had two sons, Austin and Silas, in the army of the Union.  Silas was a private soldier in company D, Eighth Ohio cavalry, served three years, and participated in many of the battles of the war. Austin was killed in a skirmish near Heckman's Bridge, in Kentucky, March 25, 1863.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Macy married as follows: Mary Ellen married Eli Sinks, a carpenter of Dayton, Ohio, and has two children; Silas married Philora Beck, of Butler township, and has five children; Nancy married William Jester, a school-teacher, and died shortly after her marriage.  She had been a school-teacher twelve years.  Sarah Jane married William M. Long, a bookkeeper of Tippecanoe, and has one child. She was a school-teacher in Ohio twelve years. James A. married Mary Hoover, who died two years after marriage, leaving one child.  Annie married Levi Embree, a farmer of Union township, and has three children.  Laura Alwilda married C. W. Surface, of Preble county, and died leaving one son. Eliza Caroline married D. W. Embree, railroad agent in Miami county, and has one child.

Silas Macy, one of the old soldiers of the late Civil war, and a citizen of Montgomery county, whose post-office is Fidelity, is a descendant of Thomas Macy.  He is a son of George and Abigail (Pierson) Macy, and was born October 1, 1845, in Miami county, Ohio. Educated in the common schools of his day, which had by the time he attended them greatly improved over those attended by his ancestors, he was better equipped than many of them for the battle of life.  He was reared a farmer and has always followed that occupation. When his country called for volunteers to preserve her life and integrity, he enlisted, February 14, 1864, at Dayton, Ohio, in company D, Eighth Ohio cavalry, to serve three years or during the war, under Capt. Frank E. Moore. Serving until the close of the war, he was honorably discharged, June 1, 1865, at Columbus, Ohio.  His service was in West Virginia and Kentucky, and he participated in the battles of Lynchburg, Liberty, Martinsburg, Winchester and Kernstown, a place four miles north of Winchester, at which place Gen. Sheridan made his famous ride, rallying his forces, and of which memorable scene Mr. Macy was an eye-witness. Afterward he was in several skirmishes, and at Beverly he, together with 400 others, was captured on January 11, 1865, the camp being taken by surprise and surrounded by about 3,000 rebel cavalry. The prisoners were marched through the country 170 miles to Staunton, Va., in the dead of winter, the march lasting eight days.  Half-starved and nearly frozen, they at length reached Staunton, where the prisoners were searched, and all extra clothing, money and valuables taken from them.  Not long afterward they were placed on cattle cars, taken to Richmond and confined in Libby prison.  In a few days Mr. Macy and a few others of the private soldiers were removed to a corner of Libby, called Pemberton prison, where they remained for thirty-six days, at the expiration of which time they were exchanged and sent to Annapolis, Md., the exchange taking place on Akins' Landing on the James river.

Mr. Macy received a thirty days' furlough, and at its expiration returned to Camp Chase in April, and was there discharged.   Mr. Macy was always an active soldier, who served his country faithfully and well and is justly proud of his record.

After the war he resumed farming, and on April 29, 1871, was married to Miss Philora Beck, who was born in Union, Ohio, April 16, 1853.  She is a daughter of Henry and Mary Jane (Riley) Beck, the former of whom was born in Maryland and came to Ohio when a single man. He was a shoemaker by trade and married Mary Jane Riley, by whom he had three children, as follows: Mary Adeline, Leonida and Philora.  Mr. Beck died at Union, Ohio, when seventy-eight years old.  In politics he was a republican, and was a citizen of public spirit and sterling qualities.

Ever since his marriage Silas Macy has lived at Fidelity, Ohio, in Butler township. He and his wife are the parents of the following children: Dorsey, Owen, Florence B., Earnest Clifford, Dora Aletta and Mary Alice. In politics he is a republican and has held the offices of pike commissioner and supervisor. He is a member of Austin Macy post, No. 671, G. A. R., of Union, Ohio, and has filled all the offices up to that of commander. He is recognized as one of the influential and valuable citizens of the county.

Austin Macy. brother of Silas, was born in Union county, in March, 1841. Educated in the common schools, he was reared to the practical life of a farmer. As a private soldier he entered the three-years' service during the late Civil war, becoming a member of company D, Forty-fourth Ohio volunteer infantry, under Capt. Tully. After participating in many battles he was killed in April, 1863, at Heckman's Bridge, while taking part in a skirmish, and his memory is cherished by all that knew him and that love their country.

 

JOHN CARROLL, [pages 920-922] of Chambersburg, Ohio, one of the old soldiers of the late Civil war, is descended from an old colonial family of Maryland, a branch of the famous family of that name.  Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, belonged to a branch of the same family.

John Carroll was born in Butler township, Montgomery county, Ohio, August 31, 1831, Having received a good common-school education, he was bound out in November, 1844, to Rev. John Berkner, a United Brethren minister, who soon afterward removed to Illinois. Young Carroll lived with him until he was eighteen years old. He enlisted at Kansas, Ill., in August, 1861, in company H, Fifty-ninth Illinois volunteer infantry, for three years or during the war, and was honorably discharged at Whiteside Station, Tenn., December 31, 1863, by reason of re-enlisting as a veteran in the same organization, also to serve for three years or during the war. He was honorably discharged the second time at New Braunsfield, Tex., December. 8, 1865. by reason of the close of the war. He served in all four years and five months, and was in the battles of Pea Ridge, siege of Corinth, Bay Springs, Miss.; Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Wild Cat Mountain, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Ringgold, Ga.; Rocky Faced Ridge or Buzzard Roost Mountain, Resaca, Dallas, and Kenesaw Mountain.  His regiment was the first of Sherman's army to enter Marietta, Ga., he himself being the first Union soldier to set foot in that place. He was in the battle in front of Atlanta, also at Lovejoy station, and returned with Gen. Thomas to Tennessee, fighting at Columbia, Duck River, Franklin and the second battle of Nashville, thus making a fine record. Mr. Carroll was in all the campaigns, marches, battles and skirmishes in which his regiment was engaged, and was wounded at the battle of Lookout Mountain, being shot in the hand, and in consequence lay in the hospital nine days. Always an active soldier, he performed his whole duty to his country promptly and cheerfully.

After the war Mr. Carroll returned to Illinois, being mustered out at Springfield, January 15. 1866. Then returning to Montgomery county, Ohio, he settled down at Chambersburg, and married on January 25, 1866, Miss Margaret A. Kennedy, who was born August 16. 1826, on the farm on which she and her husband now live. She is a daughter of William and Martha (Sloan) Kennedy. William Kennedy was born March 25, 1783, and was a son of Gilbert and Isabel (Snody) Kennedy, the Kennedy family being of Scotch-Irish stock, and an old Pennsylvania family of the days before the Revolutionary war. Gilbert Kennedy was a farmer of Cumberland county, Pa., and by his wife had the following children: Joseph, William, Margaret and Mary.

Gilbert Kennedy removed with his family to Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1804, settling in the Stillwater valley, where he died an aged man. William Kennedy came with the family in 1804, when he was twenty-one years old, settled in Butler township, and married Martha Sloan, who was born in Pennsylvania and who was a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Ramage) Sloan.

John Sloan, father of Mrs. Kennedy, was a farmer in Pennsylvania, and upon coming to Ohio settled first in Steubenville. Afterward he removed to Montgomery county, where he entered 160 acres of land, in Butler township, and became a well-to-do and influential citizen. His children were Martin, Jane, Mary, Eye-bright, Margaret, John and William. Mr. Sloan lived to be an old man, dying sometime in the 'sixties. His wife was struck by lightning and died therefrom in 1832.

Mr. Kennedy, after his marriage, settled on the farm on which John Carroll now lives. He entered this land in 1805, and his deed is signed by President James Madison. In 1812 he became surveyor of Montgomery county. and in 1818 he was elected justice of the peace, serving eight years.  In the winter of 1812 and 1813 he surveyed a road from Eaton, Ohio, to Vincennes, Ind., notwithstanding trouble was anticipated with the Indians, who were numerous and hostile. While engaged in this survey his party saw no white men between Eaton, Preble county, and a point within five miles of Vincennes, when they reached a French settlement.

Mr. Kennedy was a prominent man in Montgomery county.   His children were: Joseph, who died when fifteen years of age; Jane, who died in 1847; James, who died in 1863; and Margaret A. In politics Mr. Kennedy was a Jacksonian democrat. He lived to be seventy-five years old, dying in October, 1858, on his farm, leaving an honored name.

After his marriage Mr. Carroll settled on the old homestead, on which he still lives. He is yet a great sufferer from the wounds he received in the army. At the battle of New Hope Church he was shot in the left side, the ball being stopped by a silver half dollar he had in his pocket.  On July 4, 1864, on Chattahoochee river, a ball struck the U. S. plate on his shoulder strap and slightly wounded him.

Mr. and Mrs. Carroll are members of the Christian church at Chambersburg.  Politically Mr. Carroll is a republican.  Mrs. Carroll is secretary of the woman's relief corps of Milton Weaver post.

 

CHARLES CROOK, [pages 922-923] a member of one of the most distinguished families of the Buckeye state, and a prominent citizen of Wayne township, Montgomery county, was born October 17, 1830, on the parental homestead, and is of Scotch-German origin.

Thomas Crook, his father, was born in Baltimore county, Md., in November, 1788, and was the third of the name in the family by direct descent in America, his ancestors having come from Scotland to the colonies at a date too remote for remembrance.  He was a tanner by trade, and served in the war of 1812. He married, February 4, 1812, Elizabeth Mathews, a native of Maryland and a daughter of John and Catharine Mathews, who were the parents of three children—Elizabeth, John and Elias—all of whom became residents of Montgomery county, Ohio.   After residing two years in Maryland, where their first child, Elizabeth, was born February 18, 1813, Thomas Crook, in 1814, brought his wife and child to Ohio and settled on the east bank of the Miami river in what is now Wayne township, Montgomery county, the tract being entirely in the woods.  Here, in due course of time, he built a two-story log house, which is still standing, cleared a fine farm, and here all his children, except the eldest, were born and reared—the sons, as they grew in strength, assisting in the development of the original homestead. These children were born in the following order:  Maria, Catherine, Oliver, John, Thomas, Jr., Walter, James, George and Charles. The father of this family was a good manager, practical, industrious and well-informed.  He accumulated 340 acres of excellent land, the most of which he improved, although he suffered from the inconvenience of having broken his right thigh-bone by an accident; he was a justice of the peace for many years, and was otherwise prominent in the affairs of his township.  In politics he was first a whig and afterward a republican, and retained his mental faculties until the end, having read the daily paper the day prior to his death, which took place January 11, 1875, at the age of eighty-six years, six months and twelve days. Thomas Crook's name will go down to posterity as the father of several children who have shed a luster upon Wayne township through the prominence they received in civil and military life, and of his sons special but brief mention may be made as follows:

Dr. Oliver Crook reached eminence as one of the most skillful and successful physicians of Dayton.  He married, in 1848, Sarah Traple, of Brooklyn, N., Y., to which union were born Lida, Maria, Eveline, Oliver, and George. The doctor died May 28, 1873, aged fifty-four years, six months and fourteen days.

Dr. Thomas Crook, a well-known practitioner in Montgomery county, Ohio, and in Indiana, married Lucy A. Worst, became the father of three children—Oliver, Maria Annie and Goldie, and died December 20, 1881, aged fifty-nine years, three months and one day.

Dr. James Crook practiced medicine for some years in Dayton, in partnership with his brother, Dr. Oliver, made a fine reputation, and died unmarried in 1856, at the age of twenty-nine years, two months and twenty-three days.

Gen. George Crook, who so distinguished himself during the Civil war and also made his name great as an Indian fighter, was appointed to West Point by Hon. Robert C. Schenck, and graduated July l, 1852.  He married Miss Mary Daily, of Virginia, and died in Chicago, Ill., March 22, 1890. His military record, a matter of history, is familiar to the people of the county of Montgomery as well as to the entire country, and need not be repeated here.

Capt. Walter Crook, yet living, raised a company of volunteers at the commencement of the Civil war, served in the Seventy-fourth Ohio infantry, and was a gallant soldier.  He married Miss Martha J. Bates.  He has served as treasurer of his township and one term as state senator.

Of the other children born to Thomas Crook, John, a tailor by trade, died unmarried; Catherine was married to Thomas Ater, and died May 6, 1891; Maria was married to Samuel Sullivan, November 4, 1832, bore eight children—Thomas, Martha. Elizabeth, James, John, Theodore, Oliver and George—and died May 11, 1884; Elizabeth was married January 10, 1839, to Dr. Adam Koogler, bore three children—William, Mary A. and Ellen J.— and died February 9, 1844.

Charles Crook, with whose name this memoir is opened, was educated in the common schools of Wayne township, one of his preceptors having been Squire Henry Cuppy, whose biography will be found on another page of this volume, December 21, 1854, Mr. Crook married, in Butler township, Miss Eliza A. Booher, who was born December 18, 1836, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Combes) Booher, whose family history may also be found on another page. It may be added, however, that Samuel Booher was a native of Pennsylvania and was but six years of age when he came to Ohio with his patients.  He grew to manhood in Butler township, Montgomery county, married, for his first wife, Mary Beardshear, who bore him five children, and after her death, married Elizabeth Combes, to which latter union were born Eliza A., Martha J., David, Jacob, Samuel, Henry, Ellen and John. To the marriage of Charles and Eliza A. Crook have been born three children, viz: Laura E., wife of James Templeton; diaries W., deceased, and Thomas Theodore, who lives on the parental farm of 186 acres.

 

JACOB SMITH, [pages 923-924] one of the early settlers of Butler township, Montgomery county, Ohio, is a son of one of the first of the pioneers of Dayton. He is of an ancient North Carolina family which was of German origin, his grandfather having been born in Germany, and having come to this country and settled in North Carolina, where he lived for many years.

Henry Smith, father of Jacob, was born in Stokes county, N. C., in 1795. When he was eighteen years of age he packed up his small possessions in a hand satchel and came to Ohio, settling in Dayton. At this time, in 1813, Col. Reed was the landlord of Newcom tavern, and for him Henry went to work as a hostler, also performing any kind of work about the village that he could find to do. He remained in Dayton six years and then went to Springboro, Warren county, Ohio, where he worked on a farm for one year. At Springboro he married Elizabeth Deardorff, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Deardorff, who were of Pennsylvania-Dutch stock.   Jacob Deardorff was a pioneer farmer of Warren county, and served for many years as justice of the peace, coming from Pennsylvania at an early day. His children were: Jacob, John, Abner, Gregory, Elizabeth and Margaret. Mr. Deardorff was an old Regular Baptist in religion, and was deacon in his church for many years. He died when about seventy-three years of age and his wife when she was ninety-one years old.

Henry Smith and wife settled the next spring after their marriage on a lot at the corner of Wayne and Third streets, Dayton, Ohio, which was then all covered over with timber. Here he built a log cabin, and for one year worked at such labor as presented itself.  He then took out his papers for sixteen acres of land four miles out on the New Troy pike, where he erected a log cabin in the woods. The next spring he and his wife removed to their new home, and he engaged himself industriously in clearing up the land, and by thrift and good management, working his little farm and burning charcoal, which he hauled to Dayton, he prospered. Adding to his land from time to time, he finally owned 800 acres, and became one of the most substantial farmers of the county.

Mr. Smith and his wife were the parents of the following children: Hannah, Jacob, John, Benjamin, Mary J., Margaret, William H., Ellen, Franklin and James W. The parents were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics Mr. Smith was an old-line whig in his early days, later in life becoming a republican. During the late Civil war he was a strong Union man, and had four sons in the army, viz: William, Franklin, James and Jacob, all in Ohio regiments.  William served one year and was discharged because he was wounded by a shell at Chickamauga.  Franklin was second lieutenant in the First Ohio volunteer infantry, served three years and was in many battles, among them Pittsburg Landing. James was in the one hundred days' service.

Jacob Smith was born on the home farm September 24, 1826, and was educated in the poor common schools of his boyhood days. He began early to work on the farm, clearing the land, holding the plow, and leading the life of toil of the pioneer.   On March 23, 1847, he married, in Wayne township, Rosanna Lowrey, who was born February 24, 1828, and was a daughter of James and Nancy (Stoker) Lowrey. James Lowrey was a pioneer settler of Wayne township, was born in Kentucky about 1788, and came to Montgomery county, Ohio, with his parents. He died in 1835, when but forty-seven years old. His children were as follows: Elizabeth, William, Catherine, Sarah, Grace, James, David and Rosanna. The Lowrey family was a highly respected one, and most of its members belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church.

Three days after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Smith settled on the farm on which they now live. It then consisted of fifty acres of land, which he bought of his father. This he cleared and at length purchased the remainder of the tract, and then had 160 acres, which he much improved in every way, but especially by the erection of good buildings. His children were as follows: Henry, George, Catherine, Belle, Arthur, Lorena, Lewis K. and Elmer.  Mrs. Smith was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and died January 23, 1893,

Politically Mr. Smith is a republican. Enlisting at Chambersburg, Ohio, May 10, 1864, he afterward became second lieutenant of company E, One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio volunteer infantry.  His company was consolidated .with another company, and he, losing his commission, resigned. As a republican and a capable citizen, Mr. Smith served his party as township trustee for eleven years, and as justice of the peace eighteen months. He also served as a member of the school board twenty-two years. Four of his sons are living in Dayton, Ohio.

 

CHARLES R. ALLEN, [pages 927-928] deceased, formerly a prominent business man of Miami township, Montgomery county, Ohio, was born in what is now known as Cassville, Ocean (then a part of Monmouth) county, N. J., August 25, 1828.  The Allen family is of Scotch origin, and of prolonged American genealogy, John Allen, the grandfather of Charles R., having been a son of William and Susan Allen, of New Jersey. John Allen married a Miss Haley, and from this old family the greater part of the Allens of New Jersey descends. John Allen and wife lived at Prospertown, Ocean county, N. J., where all their children were born. After the children grew to maturity and were married, the parents moved to Goshen (now Cassville), Ocean county, where they lived the remainder of their lives. Their remains were buried side by side in the Methodist cemetery of that place.

Charles R. Allen was a son of Isaiah and Rebecca (Rouse) Allen, who came to Ohio in 1833, and located in Warren county, in what was known as the Jersey settlement, but in 1840 removed to Miami township, Montgomery county, where for several years the father was engaged in farming and milling, but later in life removed to Miami county, where he died, near Piqua, a highly respected citizen. The children born to Isaiah and Rebecca Allen were named in order of birth, as follows: Mary (Mrs. Dr. Isaac Treon), Charles R., Firman, John, Abram (who died in the defense of his country in the Civil war), Joseph, and Josephine (Mrs. William Bland).

Charles R. Allen was married June 10, 1852, to Elizabeth Hoover, daughter of David H. and Catherine (Houtz) Hoover, to which union were born three children, Elwood, David H., and Kate (Mrs. Arthur Weaver). Mr. Allen enlisted, in 1861, in the One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio volunteer infantry, of which he was, by the voice of the regiment, chosen major; but, the regiment being merged with another, it became necessary to "draw cuts" to ascertain whether the rank should fall to him or to the major of the other regiment, and in this contest for position Maj. Allen was defeated. Like a true soldier, however, Mr. Allen fell into the ranks and went to the front, and took a gallant part until the close of the war, acting a portion of the time in the capacity of sutler—a position which none but a soldier can fully understand—until honorably discharged. Returning to his home, at the close of the war, Maj. Allen engaged in the grocery and general commission business at the old canal basin, in which business he held an interest until 1866, when he became a member of the firm of Hoover & Co., with which he was connected until his death, which occurred June 12, 1876. He was a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and as a Freemason had attained the degree of Knight Templar; in politics he was a republican, and as such served as city councilman, as township trustee, and as a member of the board of education. He died an honored citizen and left, as a precious heritage to his family, an honorable name.

David H. Allen, second child of Maj. Charles R. Allen and wife, was born in Miami township, Montgomery county, Ohio, August 6, 1859, and, after passing through the minor public schools of Miamisburg, graduated from the high school in 1879; he then took a special course at the Stevens institute of technology, in Hoboken, N. J., acquiring both a theoretical and practical knowledge of the mechanical arts, and after his graduation returned to Miamisburg, and has ever since been identified with the manufacturing interests of this thriving young city. Since 1891 he has been connected with the Acme Folding Boat company, which is engaged in the production of a boat invented by himself, with the co-operation of W. H. Gamble.. This boat has already won for itself and inventors a worldwide reputation and is in constant demand on account of its portableness for overland transportation and for economical storage.  Mr. Allen was one of the incorporators of the first twine factory in Miamisburg, has been stockholder in all the twine factories subsequently established, and is now a member of the Miamisburg Twine & Cordage company; he is also a stockholder and director in the Kauffman Buggy company, a stockholder in the Bookwalter Wheel works, and a director in the Citizens' National bank. He is thoroughly a business man and an inventor far above mediocrity, being now the owner of some valuable patents, the result of his creative genius.

The marriage of David H. Allen was solemnized October 11, 1893, with Alberta Gray, daughter of Henry C. and Elizabeth (Dick) Gray, of Hamilton, Ohio, the union being blessed with two children, Donald Gray, who died August 26, 1896, and Charles Henry. Mr. Allen and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and live in strict conformance with its discipline; in his fraternal relations he is a Knight Templar, and has attained the thirty-second degree in Freemasonry (the thirty-third being the highest that this ancient order confers), and he is also adjutant of the Fourth regiment, Ohio brigade, uniform rank, Knights of Pythias. In his politics Mr. Allen treads in the footsteps of his respected father, being a republican to the core.

 

REV. CHRISTOPHER ALBRECHT [pages 928-929] (deceased) was born in the grand duchy of Baden, Germany, March 10, 1824, a son of Andrew and Catherine Albrecht. In 1833 he came to America with his parents, landing in Baltimore, Md., whence the family came to Ohio and settled in Tiffin. There young Christopher passed his early years, arid while still a youth, after having been instructed in the doctrines of Christianity, was received by confirmation into full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran church. He was educated, primarily, in Tiffin, when, being impressed with the idea that it was his duty to become a minister of the gospel, he entered upon a course of literary and theological instruction at the Capital university, of Columbus, Ohio.  He was a diligent and ardent student, and graduated with high honors. He was ordained in 1843, and entered at once upon the active discharge of his duties as a minister of the Evangelical Lutheran church, and most ably filled five different pastoral charges in the state of Ohio, namely : The Amanda charge in Fairfield county, which comprised four congregations, for five years; the Thornville charge, Perry county, in 1848 and 1849; the Circleville charge, in Pickaway county, for six months; the Miamisburg charge, which at first included a few outside congregations, from April 1, 1860, until April 1, 1883, a period of twenty-three years, and, lastly, the Salem Lutheran church at Ellerton, Montgomery county, from August, 1883, until the close of his life, his death, which occurred in his sixty-third year, being sudden and caused by paralysis.

Rev. Mr. Albrecht was twice married, his first wife having been a Miss Conrad, who bore him one son, Luther M., now deceased. His second marriage was with Miss Julia A. Wagenhals, daughter of Rev. John Wagenhals, of Lancaster, Ohio, and to this union were born the following children : John W., William H., Philip, Julia (Mrs. Ralph Dutcher), Maggie (Mrs. John Schell), George and Mary C., (Mrs. Granville Shade).

Rev. Christopher Albrecht possessed fine natural endowments and an inquiring and penetrating mind, and improved these gifts by diligent and persevering study.  He was, therefore, a divine of scholarly attainments, well informed in matters theological, an eloquent declaimer, and of fine executive ability.  He was an efficient worker in his sacred office, held a prominent place in ecclesiastical organizations, and in the business transactions of his church often served on important committees.  He was well fitted in all respects for thorough work in the pulpit and out of it, and as a pastor his ministry was one of unqualified success and usefulness.

 

PHILIP M. ACKERET, [page 929] general electrician and superintendent of the Miamisburg electric light plant, was born at Mount Eaton, Wayne county, Ohio, August 19, 1865, a son of Rev. John and Mary B. (Wise) Ackeret, both natives of Germany, the former of whom was a minister of the German Reformed church, and died at Millersburg, Ohio, in 1869, his son, Philip M., being then but four years of age.

Philip M. Ackeret was reared in Millersburg and received his earlier education in that city, chiefly in the public schools. March 6, 1889, he graduated from the International business college of Altoona, Pa.: and for four months following was employed as book-keeper by a business firm of the same city; later he served in the same capacity for a wholesale and retail house in Pittsburg, Pa. In 1890 he returned to Ohio, and for two years was employed as inspector for the Lima Electric Light & Power company; from Lima he went to Delphos, where he resuscitated the electric light plant; he was next employed by the electric light company of Winchester, Ind., as superintendent and general manager of its electrical and mechanical apparatus, and filled this responsible position for two years; in August, 1893, he located in Miamisburg, where he has since been the trusted superintendent and efficient electrician of the electric light company.

August 28, 1890, Mr. Ackeret was united in marriage with Phebe Maurer, daughter of John Maurer, of Lima, Ohio, the union being blessed with one son, Mifflin J. In his religious affiliations Mr. Ackeret is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in his fraternal relations is a Freemason and a Knight of Pythias. He is conceded to be one of the best practical electricians in the state of Ohio, and his devotion to his calling has secured for him a high standing with many observant members of other corporations beside those by which he has been employed.

 

ELLWOOD ALLEN, [pages 929-930] one of the enterprising and energetic young business men of Miamisburg, was born in Miami township, Montgomery county, Ohio, December 31, 1854.  He is a son of Charles R. and Elizabeth (Hoover) Allen, of whom a full genealogical and biographical memoir is printed in close connection with this sketch, and further mention will be found in the history of the life of David H. Allen, a younger brother of Ellwood, attached to the biography of the late Charles R.

Ellwood Allen received a good English education in the schools of Miamisburg, and, at eighteen years of age, entered the foundry and machine shops of Hoover & Company, where he was fully instructed, within a year, in the practical use of iron-working tools and taught the trade of a machinist. He next engaged in the grocery business for a year, and then, in 1879, re-entered the employ of the Hoover company and acted as shipping clerk until 1883, when, as a capitalist, he entered upon a broader field of business enterprise, investing a part of his means in numerous institutions of industry that have resulted in the development of the city of Miamisburg and the increase of its population. He is a stockholder in all the companies of which mention is made in the sketch of the life of his younger brother, including an interest in the Citizens' National bank, and additional interest or stock in the First National bank—both of Miamisburg.

Mr. Allen is also the owner of a fine stock farm, four miles from Miamisburg, on which he finds time to devote attention to the breeding of Poland-China hogs and Shropshire sheep, as well as other choice strains of live stock. Beside his stockholding and directorship in the various industrial corporations alluded to in the sketch of his brother, Ellwood Allen is also vice-president of the Kauffman Buggy company, treasurer of the Miamisburg Building & Loan association, senior member of the firm of Allen & Ressler, and a member of the Tivoli Land & Fruit company of Georgia.

In. his secret society relations Mr. Allen is a thirty-second degree Freemason, beyond which degree very few Masons care to advance. As a member of the city council of Miamisburg he did faithful duty for six years, having been elected to the office by the republican party, of which he is a stanch member. His marriage was consummated November 16, 1889, with May Belle, daughter of George A. and Sally (Mullendore) Mutz, of Edinburg, Ind.

 

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