MIAMI COUNTY-BIOGRAPHICAL - 25 Walfe, Riley G. Walfe, Walter Wall, Lawrence M. Wallace, John R. Walsh, Harry Walters, S. T. Walton, A. T. Wammes, R. E. Ward, I. J. Warner, B. K. Warren, V. R. Washburn, Byron E. Watkins, Reginald Watkins; W. E. Watkins, Elmer F. Weatherhead, Melvin Weatherhead, W. E. Weatherhead, C. H. Weaver, G. J. Weaver, O. M. Weaver, R. H. Weaver, William A. Weaver, W. H. Weaver, F. K. Weber, A. R. Wesler, Stephen Weeks, William W. Weeks, Lawrence Wehneman, Simon Weinberger, H. G. Weiner, J. Weinstein, Arthur Weishart, Hobart McK. Welbaum, Francis E. Wells, J. A. Wells, Ora E. Wells, C. N. Wenzlau, Cecil L. Wert, C. J. Wertz, C. C. Wesco, Arthur, W. Wesler, Daniel West, F. H. West, J. R. West, W. D. Westbrook, Maurice E. Westfall, John M. Weymen, C. H. Wheaton, R. A. Whidden, George Whitfield, O. J. Whitfors, C. B. White, C. E. White, Howard White, Lamar White, Percy R. White, Theodore White, Vernon White, Floyd J. Whitman, John E. Whittman, Lee Whitner, Charles Wiles, J. H. Wiley, Ernest Wilfret, Oden Wilkinson, Charles D. William, James H. William, C. W. Williams, J. D. Williams, J. W. Williams, C. A. Williamson, Harry B. Willoughby, J. J. Wilmott, Carl Wilson, C. F. Wilson, Charles M. Wilson, Frank Wilson, F. B. Wilson, F. H. Wilson, G. L. Wilson, Lonnie Wilson, 'R. F. Winans, C. F. Winters, F. D. Winters, R. D. Wintrow, Chester Wion, Harry Wise, L. R. Wolaver, L. H. Wolfram, Harry Wombolt, Charles Wood, Sergi Worbioff, A. J. Worsham, H. R. Worthington, Joel C. Wray, A McK Wright, Frank Wright, Glen Wright, H. W. Wright, Jesse G. Wright, Paul H. Wright, Walter E. Wright, Jesse H. Wrotere, W. O. Wagaman, Otto R. Wagner, Fred Weer, F. W. Weer, F. E. Wehneman, A. L. Wehneman, Elmer West, John W. West, John C. Westfall, Adam J. Wilgus, Ellwood, M. Wilgus, Perry C. Wilson, John R. Wirthlin, John Woerl, Chester McK. Wolcott, John R. -Wolcott, Riley J. Wolfe, Claude F. Worthington. Fred C. Yager, Earl A. Yates, R. D. Yates, Andrew J. Yearsley, H. W. Yingling, Clifford P. Yost, Cleo C. Young, Harley Young, Harvey Young, James Young, Clinton D. Yount, Paul C. Yount, Ralph C. Yount. Herbert Zerkel, Walter Zerkle, William G. Ziegler, E. L. Zimmerlin,Clarence Zimmerman, Floyd Zimmerman, Verne L. Zimmerman, E. M. Zumbrum. BIOGRAPHICAL N. O. Anderson, chief equipment man for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company and one of that concern's most trusted and valued employes at Phoneton, was born at Mount Vernon, Knox county, Ohio, November 7, 1882, a son of John H. and Alice B. (Bell) Anderson. Mr. Anderson secured a high school education at Mount Vernon and after spending one year at Western Reserve College, Cleveland, applied himself to the study of medicine, devoting two years to this calling at the Ohio Medical College, Columbus. Upon leaving that institution, however, he did not take up medical practice but accepted a position in the draughting department of the C. & G. Cooper Company, engine works, where he remained for nine months. Subsequently for six years he was with the Mount Vernon Telephone Company and for one year with the Central Union Telephone Company at Columbus. In November, 1906, Mr. Anderson joined the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, at Phoneton, and his career here has been one of constant advancement, his post as chief equipment man being one that carries with it innumerable responsibilities. Mr. Anderson is accounted one of the most practical and thoroughly-informed men in his special line of work and has the full confidence of his superiors and the esteem and friendship of his fellow-workers. Mr. Anderson married Cecil V., daughter of Edward J. and Mary MacDonald, of Toledo. Mr. Anderson has always discharged the duties of citizenship in a public-spirited manner, and during the war period was untiring in his efforts to raise funds at the plant of the company and elsewhere. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Tippecanoe Lodge, No. 174, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is past master and in which. he has numerous friends. While his employment is at Phoneton, his residence is at Tippecanoe City, where he and Mrs. Anderson have a pleasant and comfortable home. Walter F. Anderson, an energetic agriculturist of modern tendencies and one of the younger leaders of the Republican party in Washington township, was born in Miami county, February 17, 1886, a son of Charles and Ella (Blood) Anderson. Charles Anderson was a lifelong farmer in Washington township, where he owned and operated the property now occupied by his son, until 1914, in which year he went into retirement. He is now living at Piqua, where he has numerous friends and is held in high esteem, his declining years being passed in the enjoyment of the rewards which come as a result of a life of industry and honorable endeavor. He and his estimable wife, now deceased, are the parents of three - 27 - 28 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY children : Walter F., Mrs. Fred Black and Mrs. Howard Kirby. Mrs. Charles Anderson passed away August 12, 1920. Walter F. Anderson received his education in the public schools of Miami county, and after his graduation from the high school at Piqua began farming in association with his father. When the elder man retired, in 1914, he took over the management of the property, which he has since handled in an entirely capable manner. He has shown a marked interest in public affairs and has been active in the ranks of the Republican party in Washington township, where he wields no little influence. As a progressive and public-spirited citizen he has contributed his full share to the support of movements making for the welfare and betterment of his community. September 2, 1914, Mr. Anderson married Miss Edna Veith, a daughter of Jacob and Minnie (Werpup) Veith, of Piqua, and they have two children : Richard and Edna. The family attends the St. John's Lutheran Church. George H. Antonides. That congenial work bears with it large possibilities of success is emphasized in the career of George H. Antonides, a leading farmer and stock raiser of Monroe township and a resident of Miami county for forty years. Mr. Antonides was born in Darke county, Ohio, April 6, 1859, a son of James and Mary Ann (Huffman) Antonides. The family was founded in Ohio in 1806, when the grandfather brought his wife and children to Darke county from New Jersey. The great-grandfather was from Holland. His son rounded out his career as a sturdy tiller of the soil amidst pioneer surroundings. James Antonides was born in New Jersey in 1804 and was but two years of age when taken by his parents to Darke county, at that time largely in its primitive form, with wild beasts in the wilderness and many Indians still to be found. He was brought up to a life of hard work and reared to rugged honesty and these characteristics were evident throughout his long and honorable career. George H. Antonides left Darke county with his parents, moved to Montgomery county, there receiving his education, and remained on the home farm until he reached the age of twenty years, when he went on his father's farm, near Little York, Montgomery county. At the age of twenty-three he came to Miami county and settled about eight miles southwest of Troy. In 1904 he came to the place which he has since occupied, a well-cultivated and productive tract on which are to be found modern improvements and first-class equipment as well as substantial buildings, the latter including a pleasant and commodious home on Tippecanoe City, R. F. D. No. 2. Mr. Antonides has been more interested in his farming ventures than in public affairs, but has always displayed good citizenship, and during the war period contributed generously to various movements. He married, November 19, 1883, Lydia, daughter of Benjamin and Maria Pearson, Mrs. Antonides having been born on the property on which she and her husband made their home. She passed away July 29, 1919. Three children were born to them : Lorenzo, who assists his father in the cultivation of the home farm ; Clara, the wife of Raymond Under- MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 29 wood, who is cultivating eighty acres of the home farm, and has four children, Albert L., Edna Luella, George Washington and Esther Adelpha ; and Della, who died in infancy. He attends the Church of God, of Abrahamic Faith. W. P. Anglemyer, president of the Star Foundry, of Troy, is an exemplification of the self-made man. His advancement to his present position in the business world of his community has come through individual effort and its practical application, and his sound, progressive tactics have served to give him firm prestige and prominence. Mr. Anglemyer was born on a farm in Columbiana county, Ohio, a son of Aaron and Clara (Morlan) Anglemyer. The father fought as a Union soldier during the Civil war, and following his honorable discharge took tip farming in Columbiana county, where he and his worthy wife rounded out useful careers. W. P. Anglemyer depended upon the rural schools of Columbiana county for his education, and they furnished him with the rudiments of knowledge which has since been extended by his contact with men of affairs and his natural capacity for intelligent concentration upon subjects worth while. While his home surroundings during his youth were those of the farm, he early .evidenced a desire to mingle in matters of a business .nature, and as a youth applied himself to learning the trade of moulder. In following this vocation he made his home at Dayton for twenty-nine years, and his advancement in that city was steady and consistent. After carrying on business .on his own account at Dayton for a number of years, he formed an attractive identification in a business way at Troy in 1915, since which time he has been president of the Star Foundry, a complete history of which concern will be found in the industrial section of this work. It has been Mr. Anglemyer's fortune to have built up a reputation for sterling honesty and good citizenship, the former being evidenced by his high standing in business circles and the latter by his support of all movements tending to advancement and loyalty to his city, state and country. He is a popular member of the Miami Club, Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Anglemyer married Miss Lucy Klugel, of Dayton, and they are the parents of five attractive children : Wilbur, Carl, Alfred, Margaret and Catherine. John T. Arnold, who is numbered among the successful business men of Bradford, where he is carrying on a thriving lumber yard enterprise, was born in Miami county, in 1868, a son of David and Mary (Ross) Arnold. His father, who fought four years in the Union army during the Civil war, as a member of an Ohio volunteer infantry regiment, later became a farmer, then entered the lumber and grain business, and became one of the successful commercial operators of Bradford, where he was also vice-president of the Bradford Bank. There were three children in the family : John T. ; Mrs. J. C. Weaver, of Bradford ; and Mrs. R. J. D. Hoover, of Waynesboro, Pa. John T. Arnold was educated in the public schools of Bradford, after leaving which he received his introduction to the lumber business as assistant to his father. At the time 30 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY of his father's death, in 1914, he took charge of the business, which he has operated to the present time with increasing success. Mr. Arnold married Ida V., daughter of Abraham and Katherine Brandt, of Bradford, and to this union there has been born a son : John Lawson, who volunteered for service in the United States army during the World war, rose to the rank of top sergeant, and saw overseas service of one year's duration. On his return he became associated in business with his father. He married Eldora, daughter of Albert Mautz, of Illinois. Until a year ago, John T. Arnold was president of the Bradford Bank, but at that time a consolidation was effected with the First National Bank and he disposed of his interests, although he still continues to be numbered among Bradford's leading citizens and business men. He has served five years as a member of the board of school directors and in various other ways has displayed his public spirit and good citizenship. His only fraternal connection is with the local lodge of the Masonic order, in which he has numerous friends. He is a member of the Presbyterian church. William Ashton. Among the old and honored families of Piqua, one which has been noted for its good citizenship and high business and professional principles is that bearing the name of Ashton. A worthy representative of this family is found in William Ashton, of the firm of Ashton Brothers, druggists. He was born at Piqua, Ohio, March 3, 1882, a son of Dr. A. S. and Hannah (Washer) (Wood) Ashton, the latter being a member of the well-known pioneer Wood family. Daniel Ashton, the grandfather of William, was the founder of the family at Piqua, to which city he came as early as 1832. He embarked in business here and continued to be engaged therein during the remainder of his life, becoming an honored citizen and successful business man. He and his wife were the parents of six children : William, Daniel, A. S., Mary, Esther and Jane. Dr. A. S. Ashton early gave evidence of a predilection for medicine and was allowed to encourage his leaning toward a professional career, subsequently graduating from Washington and Jefferson College and the Cincinnati Medical College. Returning to Piqua, with his brothers William and Daniel, he founded the drug business of Ashton Brothers, with which he was connected during the remainder of his life, although he also was engaged in practice and was one of the best known and most greatly esteemed physicians of his day in this locality. He and his wife were the parents of two children : William and Mrs. J. T. Haynes, of Sandusky, Ohio. William Ashton was educated in the public schools of Piqua, and Columbia University, New York City, after leaving which he began to learn the drug business under the direction of his father and uncles. He has always been identified with the. business of which he is now the head, and a large measure of its success is due to his good management and industry. While he takes a good citizen's part in movements which affect the welfare of his community, he was a supporter of all wartime measures during the recent great struggle, and was identified with the Amer- MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 31 ican Protective League. He is essentially a business man and does not care for politics. He and his family belong to the Presbyterian church. Mr. Ashton married Vivian Conn, of Van Wert, Ohio, and they are the parents of three children : William, Jr., Catherine and Nancy Jane. Elwood Baldwin and the property upon which he resides in Monroe township have developed together, and the evolving of the former from a crude, irresponsible lad into an intelligent and wide-awake exponent of twentieth-century agriculture, is not more pronounced than is the transformation which has come over his present property under his management. Mr. Baldwin was born at Richmond, Ind., December 17, 1864, a son of William and Emily (Chapman) Baldwin. The parents were worthy agricultural people, who passed their peaceful and uneventful lives in the pursuits of the soil, winning and holding the respect and esteem of their neighbors and rearing their seven children to lives of honesty and industry. Elwood Baldwin was given his education in the public schools of his native locality and as a youth was trained by his father, whose assistant and associate he was, in all the arts of agriculture. He proved an apt pupil, both at school and on the home farm, and thus grew to manhood active in mind and sound in body, with practical ideas and an ambitious outlook. He continued to farm in Indiana until about 1885, when, having attained his majority, he left the parental roof and came to Miami county, settling in Monroe township. After being variously located, in 1909 he purchased the old Wright farm, comprising fifty-nine acres, and this is his present home. He has a modern estate in every way, and because of the fertility of his land and the able manner in which he directs his operations, he has become one of the well-to-do farmers of his locality. Mr. Baldwin married, December 3o, 1891, Emma, daughter of James and Sarah A. (Valis) Smith, residents of Miami county, of the Tippecanoe City vicinity, and to this union there have been born two daughters : Ethel, who is the wife of Clayton Furnace, with the Home Treeplumn Company, of Dayton ; and Nellie, the wife of Elmer Motter, architect and mechanical draughtsman with the America Blower Company, of Detroit, Mich. They are the parents of one daughter, Gladys Emelia. Mr. Baldwin is not a politician nor an office seeker, but takes a good citizen's interest in civic affairs, and in both peace and war has been a supporter of worthy movements. John H. Baker, M. D., one of the forcible citizens of Piqua, has always used his fine medical talents in the furtherance of what he has conceived to be for the best interests of the city, merging the two characters of citizen and physician into a high personal combination which has been generally recognized as an example well worthy of emulation. Doctor Baker was born on a farm in Reading township, Perry county, Ohio, a son of Daniel and Sarah E. (Frank) Baker. On the paternal side his grandmother was a member of the noted Wingard family of Colonial fame at Philadelphia, and when Gen. George Washington made that city his home, 32 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY was one of his close neighbors. Daniel Baker was a native of Perry county and a son of John Baker, who came from Philadelphia and entered land in Perry county, where he passed his life as an agriculturist. His son also took up agriculture, with which he continued to be associated during the active period of his career, and was likewise prominent and active in local political affairs, and for some years served as a member of the board of county commissioners. Daniel and Sarah E. Baker were the parents of seven children : Dr. W. E., a physician ; Dr. John H.; R. F., a druggist of Somerset, Ohio, whose son, John H., served in the American Expeditionary Forces during the great war ; W. D., a banker of Somerset, Ohio, whose son Ray, served in the army during the great war ; Mrs. S. Barr, of Somerset, Ohio ; Mrs. Catherine Arnold, of Robinson, Ill., and Mrs. Martha Kerr, of Marysville, Ohio. John H. Baker attended the public schools of Perry county, following which he pursued a course at the Ohio State University and then went to Starling Medical College for his professional training. At the time of his graduation he located at Piqua, where he is now in the enjoyment of an excellent business and is known as one of the thoroughly informed and capable men of his community. Doctor Baker is a member of the various organizations of his profession and stands high in the confidence of his professional brethren. He married Helen Constance Castle, born at Leavenworth, Kans., daughter of Patrick and Mary (Downs) Castle. The latter was the daughter of the noted Capt. W. J. Downs, a pioneer boat captain on the old waterway and a riverboat captain running on the Ohio river between Cincinnati and New Orleans. During his early manhood he was likewise a civil engineer of some reputation in this community. Patrick and Mary (Downs) Castle had the following children : Geraldine, now Mrs. M. T. McEnery, of Dublin, Ireland ; Helen Constance, who is now Mrs. Baker ; and William D., of Chicago. Doctor and Mrs. Baker are noted for their unostentatious charities, and during the war period were active in their support of various war measures. Guy L. Bandy. Among the men identified with the automobile industry at Troy, one who is making a definite success of his activities is Guy L. Bandy, proprietor of the Auto Inn. He is a native of the Prairie State, born at Dudley, Edgar county, September 16, 1878, a son of Orlando and Mary E. (Ousley) Bandy. Orlando Bandy was a merchant at Dudley, where he was known as a man of sound integrity and good citizenship. There were two children in the family : Pearl, the wife of Guy Payne, of Brocton, Ill. ; and Guy L. The educational advantages of Guy L. Bandy were acquired in the public schools of Brocton, Ill., after leaving which he entered upon his business experience in his father's general store. He was associated with the elder man for ten years, but in 1909 broke home ties and came to Troy, where he subsequently engaged in the garage business as the proprietor of the Auto Inn. Here he has built up a splendid patronage, selling and storing cars, maintaining an efficient repair department and service station and MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 33 handling a complete line of up-to-date accessories of standard makes. While a resident of Illinois, Mr. Bandy joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and still maintains membership in this order, in which he has numerous friends. He was a liberal contributor during the war to all war-time measures, and in normal times has evidenced all the traits of good citizenship. Mr. Bandy married Tessie J., daughter of S. B. Cook, of Brocton, Ill., and they have one son : Gerald, born in 1912. Leo Bausman, who is engaged in the retail cigar business and as a real estate broker at Troy, is one of the progressive and enterprising business men of the younger generation whose activities are centered in this thriving and growing city. Mr. Bausman was born at Sidney, Ohio, in 1886, a son of Cornelius and Alice (Sayers) Bausman, and received his education in the public schools of Troy, to which city his parents removed when he,was still a small boy. His first connection with business affairs was in the capacity of bookkeeper, and subsequently he became identified with the clerical force of the United States War Department, being stationed at Denver as an accountant in the commissary department. In 1910 he resigned from this position and returned to Troy, where he established himself in business as a retail cigar merchant, at present having a modern, fully stocked and well patronized place of business at No. 118 West Main street. He has also been engaged for some years in operations in real estate, a field in which he has become an excellent judge of land and realty values. His reputation in local business circles is an excellent one and his achievements have been of a nature to make fully evident his commercial ability. Mr. Bausman married Miss Bertha Maier, and to this union there have been born two children : Maier Leo and Walter Cornelius. During the war period Mr. and Mrs. Bausman were active in the work of the Red Cross and of all local war and good citizens movements. Joseph Barnett, ex-sheriff of Miami county, has an excellent record for official service and constructive citizenship and is well esteemed in his home community of Troy as well as in other localities. He was born at Troy, September 2o, 1873, a son of Levi and Nannie (Miller) Barnett. Levi Barnett established a clothing business at Troy in 1848 in partnership with Joseph Wertheimer, Mr. Barnett later taking over the business, with which he continued to be identified until his death. He and his wife were the parents of four children : Jacob, Joseph, Lena and Tillie. Joseph Barnett attended the public schools of Troy, after leaving which he and his brother Jacob entered their father's clothing establishment, to the ownership of which they succeeded at the time of the elder man's demise. They carried on a flourishing business as men's furnishers and merchant tailors at the southeast corner of the Public Square, but Joseph Barnett, having become interested in political matters, sold' his interests to his brother and retired from business affairs. Mr. Barnett served as deputy sheriff under Sheriffs Scobey, Gibson and Paul, and in 1914 was elected sheriff of Miami III-3 34 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY county on the Republican ticket, receiving an unusually large majority in one of the hottest political campaigns known in the history of the county. While occupying the sheriff's office he had an unusually large number of prisoners to handle, among them being several first degree murderers. His conduct of the duties of the office was such as to earn for him the highest commendation of the citizens of this community. After retiring from the shrievalty, Mr. Barnett became Miami county agent for the Delco Lighting System and other appliances, and to this work he now devotes his entire attention. His acquaintance is large and his friends numerous. Mr. Barnett was married October 10, 1906, to Bessie, daughter of Joseph and Rose (Whitehead) Cotral, Mr. Cotral being a leading miller of Tippecanoe, who was well and favorably known throughout the community. John and Charles Hockett, sons of Mrs. Clara (Cotral) Hockett, a sister of Mrs. Barnett, served as soldiers in the United States army during- the recent World war. During the war period Mr. Barnett was active in all local movements, and Mrs. Barnett was particularly active in sewing and knitting for the Red Cross Society. Mr. Barnett is a member of the Piqua Lodge of Elks, the Woodmen of the World, the Loyal Order of Moose and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. J. F. Beachler, M. D. Although but a few years a resident of Piqua, Dr. J. F. Beachler is well known to the medical fraternity of this city, and freely recognized as a capable physician and surgeon, having enjoyed a successful practice at various points in this part of the state prior to coming to Piqua in 1916. He was born at Greenville, Ohio, July 9, 1889, a son of C. F. and Barbara (Miller) Beachler, and has one sister: Mrs. Opal Honeyman, of Greenville. The graded and high schools of his native city furnished Doctor Beachler with his early educational training, and his medical studies were prosecuted at Starling 'Medical College. Subsequently he became house surgeon at Mount Carmel (Ohio) Hospital, where during a period of three years he gained much valuable experience, and then took up the practice of his profession at Piqua, where he has since attained a large practice and gratifying recognition as a practitioner, a careful diagnostician, and a reliable surgeon. He belongs to the various organizations of his profession, and is held in high esteem by his fellow-practitioners. His fraternal affiliation is with the Elks and he likewise holds membership in several civic clubs and bodies. Doctor Beachler married Miss Ethel Singer, of Sidney, Ohio, and they are the parents of two children: John F. Jr., and William Christian. Royal Howard Becker, D. D. S. While Dr. Royal Howard Becker has been a resident of Piqua only since December, 1918, he has already become known to a large percentage of the population of this city as a careful practitioner of dentistry. He was born at Middletown, Ohio, March 5, 1893, a son of Peter and Amelia (Boehm) Becker, farming people. Peter Becker was an agriculturist of Lemon township, Butler county, for many years and a man MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 35 of industry who had the esteem and respect of his fellow-citizens because of his many sterling traits of character. He and his wife were the parents of three children: Emil, who is deceased; Corliss, who is engaged in farming operations on the old home place in Butler county, and Dr. Royal H. Royal H. Becker attended the graded school at Excello, Butler county, and the high school at Middletown, and after graduating from the latter began the study of his profession at the Ohio Dental College, Cincinnati. He was duly graduated therefrom with the class of 1914, when he received the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery, and at that time entered upon the practice of his calling at Middletown. He had made an excellent start in his vocation when he entered the United States service, in June, 1918, as a member of the Dental Corps, and was assigned to Fort Oglethorpe, where he received his commission as first lieutenant. There he remained, engaged in his military duties, until receiving, his honorable discharge December 16, 1918. At that time he came to Piqua, where he has since practiced his profession, with offices and laboratories at 320 1/2 North Main street. He is a member of the American Legion and of the Masons, and likewise belongs to the various organizations of his profession. Lewis Benning, one of the skilled and progressive farmers of the younger generation in Washington township, was born in Miami county, January 15, 1891, a son of John and Sarah (Old-father) Benning, well-known and greatly respected residents of this county, who have been identified with agricultural pursuits here for many years. A brother of Mr. Benning, Edward, served, in the. United States Army during the World war, acting first as an army truck driver in Kansas and being connected later with the heavy artillery in France. Lewis Benning is a product of the country schools and has passed the greater part of his life in farming. During the last eight years he has been carrying on operations on the Heitzmann farm in Washington township, a tract of 116 acres which he has brought to a high state of cultivation. He has developed into a skilled, practical and progressive farmer of his locality and is securing a good return for the labor which he expends upon his property. Mr. Benning married, March 16., 1918, Miss Ada Nishwitz, daughter of David and Callie (Combs) Nishwitz, farming people, and they have two children: Robert L. and Lawrence. Mr. Benning has always been a good citizen, and dur-ing- the World war period contributed his full share to the support of the various movements which had a bearing upon the success of American arms. Sidney A. Blessing, manager of the West Milton Telephone Company, and local minister of the Church of the Brethren at this place, was born in Huntington county, Ind., April 7, 1868, a son of John and Sarah (Miller) Blessing. John Blessing was a member of a pioneer family of Greene county, Ohio, where his father had beer an agriculturist, and was residing there when the Civil war came on. He enlisted in an Ohio infantry regiment, with which he served for eleven months, and in 1866 moved to Indiana and took up his 36 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY residence in Huntington county, where he passed the remainder of his life in agricultural pursuits and was one of the highly honored, esteemed and substantial men of his locality. He married Sarah Miller, of Greene county, whose father had located at Dayton as early as 1830, and they became the parents of seven children : Frank, Edwin, Charles, Glenn, Sidney A., Lilly. and Linnie Elsie. After attending the primary school at Macy, Ind., Sidney A. Blessing pursued a normal course at Mount Morris and began his career as a school teacher in Indiana. After eleven years of educational work, he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, in which he was engaged from 1900 to 1903 in Ohio, and in the latter year received his introduction to the telephone business, when he built the Trotwood Telephone Exchange, in Montgomery county. This proved a great success, and Mr. Blessing next established the Liberty Exchange. In 1905 he came to West Milton and took charge of the telephone company here, which, under his management, has developed into one of the best controlled systems in the county. Mr. Blessing is a man of much ability, with wide experience in the telephone field, and his company is giving its patrons excellent service. He is minister of the Church of the Brethren at West Milton, and in this work shows zeal, fervor and an exalted conception of spiritual matters. He has always been a helpful and constructive citizen, and during the war period contributed liberally to all movements calculated as being contributory to the success of American arms. Mr. Blessing married Anna Belle, daughter of Newton Klepinger, of Montgomery county, Ohio, and to this union there have been born three children : Earl C., a student at Purdue University, specializing in electrical engineering ; Alice, who is a student in the first year of high school at West Milton ; and Mary, who died in infancy. James L. Black. It is undoubtedly the duty of the present generation to chronicle everything of historical value, concerning the various movements in the recent war, as a paramount duty to the future generations. The interest that may be evinced in the attainments of the men and women in the great epoch just closed, of course, cannot be measured. It is sufficient perhaps to be guided by the experiences of the past in this as well as in all other matters ; so it is entirely within the bounds of ethics to touch intimately on the lives of those men and women who were the outstanding figures in the movements which claimed their attention. In this instance we divert to Mr. James L. Black, the able county chairman of the Fourth and Fifth Liberty Loans in Miami county. Mr. Black was born in Tontogany, Ohio, May 20, 1876, a son of Captain L. Black and Georgia C. (Cooper) Black. Captain L. .Black served with distinction in the Civil war in the One Hundred and Forty-fourth and One Hundred and Eighty-fifth Ohio. He was captured in battle and confined in Libby prison for four months. Captain Black was elected treasurer of Wood county in 188o and was prominent in the councils of the Republican party, having also been selected as a delegate to the National convention, which nominated MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 37 McKinley. He embarked in the clothing business at Bowling Green, Ohio, and was one of the pioneer oil operators in that part of Ohio, being one of the very first to develop that field. The Cooper family, of which Mrs. L. Black was a member, was of old American stock, she being a second cousin of the renowned author, James Fenimore Cooper. To Captain L. Black and wife were born two children : James L. and Mrs. Marie Friedlich. James L. Black was educated at Bowling Green,. Ohio, in the common and high schools and later attended Oberlin College, after which he managed a store (general) at Portage, Ohio, belonging to his father. He subsequently, in 1900, entered into a partnership with John P. Spiker, of Piqua, in the manufacture of underwear ; the factory at that time being established at Bowling Green. On January 1, 1905, the industry was removed to Piqua, since which time it has grown to splendid proportions. (For a complete history of the Superior Underwear Company, above referred to, the reader is referred to the industrial section of this work, entitled Piqua industries). J. L. Black was married in 1905 to Miss Florence Zitterbart, of Pittsburgh, daughter of Prof. Fidelis Zitterbart, a noted musician. Professor Zitterbart founded the first conservatory of music in Pittsburgh and for more than fifteen years was concert master with the Theodore Thomas Orchestra, and was also widely known as a composer of classical music and a recipient of honor medals from the Philharmonic Society, of New York. To Mr. Black and wife have been born two children : Catherine, who died in infancy ; and James L. Jr. Mr. Black's able service as chairman of the Fourth and Fifth War Loans in this county and as district chairman of the War Savings Stamps campaign, is fully set forth in that portion of this work dedicated to the war movements in Miami county. In addition to his interests in the Superior Underwear Company, Mr. Black is a director in the Piqua Savings Bank ; a director in the Meteor Motor Car Company, and in the Wood Products Company ; president of the Hetherington Company ; a director of the Chamber of Commerce, of which he was formerly president, having been instrumental in its re-organization and maintenance ; past-president Piqua Club ; president of the Golf Club ; Masonic-Scottish Rite, Shriner ; director Y. M. C. A. ; trustee Y. W. C. A.; trustee Presbyterian church, secretary and treasurer of the Superior Underwear Company, and president of the Superior Athletic Underwear Co. John C. Blotner, while still in the prime of life, can be accounted a veteran lumberman, inasmuch as he has been identified with this industry for a period of twenty-eight years. The half-partner and manager of the Troy Lumber Co., was born in Darke county, Ohio, January 18, 1872, a son of John and Rhoda Blotner. his father being a successful and highly respected agriculturist of Darke county, where he passed the entire period of his active career. Of the nine children born to the parents, four are still living: William F., of Dayton, Ohio ; Louisa Ann, of Weatherhead, Ind.; Sarah Elisabeth, of Greenville, Ohio ; John C., of Troy, Ohio, John C. Blotner received a country school education, supplemented 38 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY by attendance at public school at Versailles, Ohio, and as a youth became interested in the lumber business. From 1892 until 1910 he was employed with George H. Worch at Versailles, Ohio, and in the latter year he, with Mr. Worch, purchased a lumber yard at Osborn, Ohio, he being half-owner and manager with full charge. There he met with the best of success for a time, but in the year 1918 was forced out of Osborn by The Miami Conservency and came to Troy April 1, and purchased the lumber yard of R. W. Crofoot, located on South Grant street. He and Mr. Worch are the sole owners of the Troy Lumber Co., with Mr. Blotner as manager. His capable management of this concern has resulted in its rapid growth and development, and at this time he is engaged in the construction of a modern and up-to-date plant on West Market street, for the housing of all kinds of building material, with a well-equipped planing mill in connection, which, when completed, will be equal to any lumber yard in the state of Ohio. Mr. Blothner, as the foregoing would suggest, is a man of action and progressive ideas. His standing in business circles is excellent and he enjoys in the fullest degree the confidence of his associates. He is primarily and essentially a business man, with few outside interests, but performs the duties of good citizenship and is always willing and ready as a booster for the community in which he lives. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, in which order he has numerous friends. Mr. Blotner married Helen Louise, daughter of August and Sophia Haack, of Versailles, Ohio. They have four children : Rubine, a member of the 1920 graduating class at the Van Cleve High School ; Dorothy Louise, Emma Caroline and John C., Jr. John Botzenhart, Jr., the owner of a well-established grocery business at the corner of Race and Market streets, Troy, was born in this city, a son of John and Elizabeth (Steinmetz) Botzenhart. John Botzenhart was a shoemaker who learned his art when the apprentices to that trade were taught its every principle and particular. In the old days, when shoes were made to order, he became famed for his expert workmanship, and his footwear has always been of a superior character. He still conducts a shoe shop at Troy, in which community he is known as a law-abiding and entirely reliable citizen. He and his worthy wife are the parents of two children : John, Jr., and Marie. John Botzenhart, the younger, was given the benefits of a high school education and on laying aside his school books secured employment in the grocery business. Later his services were secured by the Allen & Wheeler Company, of Troy, as manager of their retail feed and flour department, and subsequently he was identified with a grain elevator as bookkeeper and assistant manager. He entered his present business in 1917, when he purchased the stock and good will of W. G. Wells, at Race and Market streets. Here he has built up an excellent patronage through a policy of honest representation of goods, fair prices and courteous service, and his proprietorship of this business places him among the substantial retail merchants of Troy. Mr. Botzen- MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 39 hart married Clare, daughter of L. F. Henne, of Troy, and a sister of Albert Henne, who served in the United States navy during the late war. Mr. and Mrs. Botzenhart have two children : Caroline and Lois. Mr. Botzenhart was a generous contributor to all war measures, and Mrs. Botzenhart was most active in the Red Cross Society, where she was particularly helpful in knitting. Fraternally, he is identified with the local lodges of the Masons, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias. He is a director of civil service and in other ways has discharged the responsibilities of citizenship, belongs to the Miami Club, in which he has numerous warm friends, and, with Mrs. Botzenhart is a member of St. John's Evangelical Church, in which he is serving as a member of the board of trustees. Henry J. Bothe, who as a first-class tailor of Troy, occupies a recognized position among the substantial business men of his city, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1870, a son of Bernard and Theresa Bothe, and one of a family of ten children. He was educated in the public schools of his native city, after leaving which he took up the trade of tailoring which he mastered in all its details. After serving his apprenticeship, he became a journeyman, and as such first came to Troy in 1893, leaving one and one-half years later, only to come hack to this city in 1895. For four years more he worked for others, but in 1899 embarked in a business venture of his own, which has since proved very successful. He is considered one of the expert workmen in his field and all of his orders are completed in his own shop, while among his patrons are to be found some of the most prominent citizens of Troy. Mr. Bothe also carries a complete line of men's furnishings. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and is a loyal supporter of patriotic and public-spirited measures. Mr. Bothe married Bibbe Donohue, of Troy, and they are the parents of one son : John, who was stationed at Camp Taylor, Ky., during the war period, and who is now associated with his father in the tailoring business. Walter E. Bowyer. Among the citizens of Troy who have brought themselves to the forefront through individual ability and foresightedness is Walter E. Bowyer. Mr. Bowyer is a native of Warren county, Ohio, where he received his education in the public schools of Foster and his home training under the guidance of Stephen S. and Margaret (Hoff) Bowyer, parents who instructed their son along the lines of industry and honesty. Like many others who have made their marks in the business and financial world, Mr. Bowyer entered upon his career as a school-teacher, but the educational profession did not hold him long, for when he was still a youth he was found identified with Joseph Myer & Son, a tobacco concern of New York City. His talents developing along the avenue of financial efficiency, in 1894 Mr. Bowyer care to Troy, as bookkeeper of the Troy National Bank. He was subsequently advanced to the position of cashier, and his sound views, natural ability in banking lines, and progressive, albeit conservative, tac- 40 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY tics brought him to the presidency. Under his regime the institution has come to a foremost place among Miami county institutions, and the bank shares with Mr. Bowyer the confidence of the public. Mr. Bowyer has various other interests and is a member of the board of directors of the Hobart Manufacturing Company. Civic interests have claimed Mr: Bowyer's attention as they have of every good citizen in an enterprising community, and his name will always be found backing any enterprise that makes for betterment and advancement. He belongs to the Troy and Country clubs, in which he has numerous sincere friends, and is a Scottish Rite Mason and a member of the Coleman Commandery, Knight Templars, belonging also the the Mystic Shrine. His membership in the First Presbyterian church takes practical form, and his services as treasurer thereof are appreciated. Mrs. Bowyer was formerly Miss Charlotte Thompson, and is a daughter of Dr. W. R. Thompson, of Troy. Her brother, Wilbur S. Thompson, was connected with the United States Aviation Corps during the great World war. Mr. and Mrs. Bowyer have one daughter : Laura, who is a student at Smith College, Northampton, Mass. J. H. Boyd: Among the enterprising and progressive merchants of West Milton, one who has attained a well-merited success through legitimate channels of activity is J. H. Boyd. Mr. Boyd was born at Louisburg, Preble county, Ohio, a son of Gabriel and Catherine (House) Boyd. His education was acquired through the medium of attendance at the public schools, and when still a young man he entered upon his career in mercantile lines at his native place. Subsequently, he went to Dayton, where he became a merchant and followed that line until coming to West Milton. Here he bought the establishment formerly conducted by Charles Lewis and has since developed a substantial and paying business. He carries a complete line of up-to-date goods, attractively displayed and fairly priced, and his good management and personal courtesy have combined to attract a respresentative trade and to place him substantially in the confidence of the buying public. Mr. Boyd has several civic and social connections and in local affairs is a stanch supporter of all movements making for advancement and better. citizenship. He married Jessie Bower, daughter of a leading Preble county agriculturist, and they have one daughter, Mary Ethel, who is the wife of Frank Lair, of West Milton. Henry W. Brandt, a resident of Miami county for many years and for a long period one of its prosperous and substantial farmers, is now engaged in agricultural operations in Newberry township, where he is the owner of 100 acres of productive land. Mr. Brandt was born in Darke county, Ohio, June 9, 1857, a son of Malachi and Frances (Brown) Brandt, natives of Lancaster county, Pa. The parents were residents of Darke county for a number of years, there rounding out their worthy and honorable lives in the pursuits of farming. Of their nine children, six are living: Joseph, a farmer in Miami county ; Malachi and Oren, who are engaged in farming near Pleasant Hill ; Frances, the wife of Aaron Miller, a farmer, one MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 41 mile west of Bradford ; Elizabeth, the wife of M. V. Marker, of Newberry township ; and Henry W. Henry W. Brandt was educated in the public schools of Darke county, where he was engaged in farming, principally on the home estate, until March I, 1890, at which time he came to Miami county and settled on his present property of too acres in. Newberry township. During the thirty years that he has made his home here, he has installed numerous improvements in the way of buildings and machinery, and now has an attractive, productive and valuable property, and is numbered among the progressive and well-to-do farmers of his locality. Mr. Brandt married, January 9, 1881, Mollie, daughter of Abraham and Sally (Bashor) Miller, farming people of Miami county, both of whom are deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Brandt there have been born five children : one who died in infancy ; Emery, who is associated with his father in farming on the home place ; Lawrence, who is employed on a farm north of Covington ; Ruth, the wife of Ward Irwin, of Piqua; and Nellie W., the wife of Forest Shellabacker, of Greene county, Ohio. Mr. Brandt's life has been one of quiet and uninterrupted devotion to his home and surroundings and out of his labor and experience have come prosperity and the unqualified regard and esteem of his fellow-citizens. He is a Republican, and he and his, wife are members of the Brethren church at Covington, Ohio. John H. Branson. Of the men who have participated actively in the transformation of Newberry township in an agricultural way during the past several decades, a few are better or more favorably known than John H. Branson, the owner of a valuable farm of ioo acres and a comfortable home on Covington R. F. D. No. I. Mr. Branson was born in Newberry township, September 18, 1857, a son of DeWitt C. and Charlotte D (Suber) Branson. DeWitt C. Branson was born in Lostcreek township, Miami county, May 1, 1828, son of a pioneer of that region, and followed farming until he entered the 100-day service during the Civil war. At the close of his military career he resumed farming, in which he was engaged in several communities of Miami county, principally Newberry township, where his death occurred in 1906, at which time his community lost one of its public-spirited citizens and progressive farming representatives. There were eight children in the family, of whom seven are living. John H. Branson was educated in the public schools of Newberry township and as a young man took up farming as his life work. He has continued to be thus occupied ever since, with the exception of a short period when he wore the uniform of his country during the Spanish-American war. He is the owner of a good property consisting of 100 acres, upon which he has substantial buildings and modern improvements, and the method and success of his operations have led him to be adjudged one of the progressive and enterprising members of his vocation in this part of Miami county. During the period of the World war Mr. Bronson was appointed a solicitor of funds, and was allotted the territory lying between the Clayton pike and the county line, a 42 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY district which made an excellent showing with its contributions. A great friend of education, he was a member of the local school hoard for some years. He is now and has been, since its foundation, a member of the county Board of Education. Mr. Branson married, July 16, 1878, Nancy J., daughter of Joseph and Marie (Shaefer) Lawrence, of Montgomery county, and four children have been born to this union : Albert W., who is associated with his father in farming operations on the home place ; Elmer, who married Bessie Rhodes and has one daughter, Ruth, who was born July 16, 1905, is engaged in farming in Washington township, Miami county ; Benjamin Arthur, who married Hazel Jane Ewing and has one son, Robert E., born July 7, 1920, an attorney of Cleveland, who saw overseas service during the World war and was the third successive generation of his family to have military experience ; and Ruth, who died in infancy. Mr. Branson is a member of the United Spanish War Veterans, and also a member of the Farm Bureau. Walter Braun. Among the recent commercial acquisitions of Troy is the the meat business of Walter and Joseph Braun, which is rapidly building up an excellent patronage and bids fair to become one of the important business assets of the city. Walter Braun was born at Troy, Ohio, March 1, 1890, a son of Nicholas and Mary (Weingartner) Braun, one of seven children born to his parents. He was educated in the public schools of Troy and as a youth learned the butcher's trade, which he followed in various markets until 1917, at which time he embarked in business with his brother Joseph. While the establishment is modest in appearance, the brothers have already built up an excellent patronage through fair dealing, honest representation and courteous service, and their progressive ideas and ambitious hopes may be noted in their recent establishment of a slaughter house along the river. Walter Braun's career was interrupted for a time by the late World war, when he joined the One Hundred and Fortieth Field Artillery and saw service overseas for nine months. He is a popular member of the local lodges of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Braun married Florence, daughter of John Monck, of Troy, and they had one son, John Thomas, who is deceased. Paul George Braunschweiger, of Troy, Miami county, Ohio, was born in that city, December 1, 1887, a son of George W. and Sophie (Ellsass) Braunschweiger. George W. Braunschweiger spent his entire life in Troy, dying there April 26, 1909. He and his wife were the parents of the following children : Magdalene, now the wife of Clarence E. Veit, of Wapakoneta, Ohio ; Miriam, a teacher at the Edwards school ; and Paul George, the subject of this review. Paul G. Braunschweiger was educated in the public schools at Troy, and at the University of Michigan. Subsequently he was for ten months, in the year 1909, employed as a salesman by the Allen-Wheeler Company. He resigned from this position when he became deputy county auditor, a position which he filled to the satisfaction of the community until September, 1911. At this time he formed a connection with the Troy Manufacturing Company, MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 43 with which concern he remained until it went out of business in 1919. On February I of that year the Troy Body Company was organized, and Mr. Braunschweiger accepted the position of factory superintendent, in which capacity he is now serving his employers, and his executive ability is recognized by his being a member of the Board of Directors of the concern. The Troy Body Company, although organized after the signing of the Armistice, was called upon by the Government, and for a time 100 per cent. of the factory production was taken by the Government. Mr. Braunschweiger has always taken an active part in political affairs, and has been signally honored by his fellow citizens. In 1909 he was called to fill the unexpired term of his father as city councilman. He was just twenty-one years old at that time, and was the youngest man in the United States to hold a political position of the kind. Since then he has again been honored in being elected to the office of councilman for the term 1918-1920. Mr. Braunschweiger is prominent in Masonic circles, being a member of Franklin Lodge No. 14, Franklin Chapter No. 24, Franklin Council No. 14, Coleman Commandery No. 17, of which he was commander in 1919, and he is also a member of Dayton Consistory; Antioch Temple ; is a Thirty-second Degree Scottish Rite Mason, and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. Mr. Braunschweiger married Myrtle V. Woodmansee, daughter of Eberly Woodmansee, of Cheyenne, Wyo. Addison F. Broomhall, senior member of the law firm of Broomhall & Broomhall, Troy, Ohio, was born at Wilmington, Ohio, in July, 1856, a son of Webb and Adelaide (Finkle) Broomhall. John Broomhall, the original progenitor of the Broomhall family in the United States, was a native of Shropshire, England, and upon his arrival in this country settled in Chester county, Pennsylvania, from whence his descendants have spread to various communities. Addison F. Broomhall has one sister, Mrs. A. C. Quisenberry, whose husband is known widely for his historical writings on Kentucky and other literary work of marked worth and distinction. After attending the public schools at Wilmington, Ohio, and Wittenberg College, Springfield, Addison F. Broomhall located at Troy, where he established himself in the practice of law with Walter S. Thomas as a partner. This association was later terminated and Mr. Broomhall practiced alone for a number of years until joined by his son, Baird. The practice of the firm is largely of corporation character. They are attorneys for the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and other railroads and corporations. Mr. Broomhall married Estella Baird, and to this union there were born two children : Baird and Mrs. Corinna B. Coffin. Baird Broomhall was educated at the Troy public schools, University of Michigan and Yale University. From the latter institution he has two degrees; those of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts. Following a period of /study in the law department of Yale and the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, he finished his law studies with his father and joined him in practice at Troy. During the war period, Baird 44 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY volunteered for the first officers' training camp, not being called, he enlisted in the Motor Transport Corps. Addison F. Broomhall was chairman of the District Exemption Board No. 3, Southern District of Ohio, with headquarters at Cincinnati, and rendered especially valuable services in that position. He was active in other war activities, being chairman of the memorable County War Chest meeting, held in the fair grounds of Miami county, which gave impetus to the movement which was so successful in providing the county with an overflowing war chest. He is a member of the Troy Club and Troy Rotary Club, belongs to the Presbyterian church ; was president of the Board of Education of Troy for a number of years, appointed by the governor of Ohio as a delegate to the National Taxation Conference at Buffalo and served five years on the State Bar Examining Board. Mrs. Broomhall was noted for her activities in all local war movements, a full account of which will be found in the articles dealing with the National Council of Defense and other movements attendant to the war. She has always likewise been a leading spirit in club and church life and in community service work at Troy. She is noted for her ability as an organizer and executive in club and social service work. She is past president of the Altrurian Club of Troy, and is past president of the Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs. She is widely known in connection with the work of the National Federation of Women's Clubs. M. Belle Brown, M. D. The professional career of M. Belle Brown, M. D., continued over a period of nearly forty years, all of which were passed in New York, although she is now one of the greatly respected residents of Troy, having retired from professional activities. Her active life possessed features of intense interest, inasmuch as it assisted in breaking through the barriers of professional bigotry which sought to bar women from practicing the healing art as a vocation. To her example, winning, by assiduous attention to her calls and by profound knowledge of the art and skill in its practice, a high place among the reputable practitioners of medicine and surgery, no less than by her persistent efforts to open the doors of professional preferment to deserving and properly trained women, has been due largely the rapid advance which the last quarter of a century has shone in giving women the privilege accorded to the other sex of ministering to the ills and accidents of humanity. Doctor Brown was born in Staunton township, Miami county, Ohio, in 1848, a daughter of Daniel and Eliza (Telford) Brown, the latter being a daughter of Andrew Telford, a pioneer of Miami county. Daniel Brown was born at Providence, R. I., his father being Arnold Brown and his grandfather being Rev. Chad Brown, who came from England in 1638 and. settled in Rhode Island and who was ordained a minister of the Baptist church in 1642. The great-grandsons of Rev. Chad Brown, John and James Brown, bought and presented land to the State for the site of Brown University, the cornerstone for which was laid in 1770 by John Brown. In the family of Daniel and Eliza Brown MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 45 there were six children : Cyrus Telford, Cornelia, M. Belle, Rebecca, Arnold and Harry. The early education of M. Belle Brown was acquired in the public schools of Troy, and in 1876 she entered the New York College of Medicine for Women, from which she was duly graduated in 1879. At that time she commenced practice at her office on West Thirty-fourth street, New York City, but in a short time purchased property at No. 30, West Fifty-first street, New York City, and there practiced from 1890 until her retirement. Doctor Brown began her practice among strangers and with no social prestige, in the face of prejudice and among a community intensely devoted to material pursuits she sought employment as a physician, relying upon her own ability and skill to win a way to employment and recognition. Her subsequent experience, during the earlier years, was not free from embarrassment or annoyance, but her thorough knowledge commended her to all with whom she came into contact, and she received the kindly aid and encouragement of some of the most eminent New York physicians and surgeons of the day. During the earlier years her practice took her frequently to the poorer quarters of the metropolis, and she possesses a large fund of interesting experiences to relate of this period of her career. One of the few practicing women physicians of her time, her calls often came at night, and, armed with a physician's badge, her medical and surgical case, she would grope her way through dark tenement hallways, lighted only by the candle which she carried, to the bedside of some unfortunate fellow-creature. At no time during her practice in New York did she refuse to respond to a call, even though there was little or no financial return forthcoming. Later, Doctor Brown decided to take up surgery, and studied with a number of noted surgeons, including the noted Doctor Bull, also attending clinics at New York City and Chicago. Thereafter she gave special attention to surgery, and for various years performed operations in abdominal and pelvic surgery with skill and more than average success. Indeed her reputation for skill passed beyond the boundaries of her city and state, and she was summoned from distant points to perform major operations of a difficult and delicate character. She rose to influence and obtained recognition through solid merit, founded upon good natural abilities, ripened by liberal scholastic training and matured by thorough scientific study and long, continuous and assiduous practice. With all these acquisitions, Doctor Brown fully preserved the innate delicacy of her womanly nature, and was none the less a lady because she was a physician, surgeon and professor. Doctor Brown became a member of the faculty of the New York Medical College for Women, and eventually was made the dean of that institution, succeeding in that post the brilliant Dr. Clemence Sophia Lozier, pioneer physician and surgeon of her sex, the founder of the first medical college for women in New York, a prominent woman suffragist and active in reform and philanthropic movements. Doctor Brown was also a member of the consulting staff of Memorial Hospital, Brooklyn. In 1911, she was forced to undergo an operation at Battle Creek Sanitarium, and this she 46 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY underwent without the use of anaesthetics, she herself directing the operation, which proved a decided success. Doctor Brown is also the discoverer of a remedy for mal-de-mere, or sea-sickness, and train-nausea. Ship-shape, the trade name for this medicine, has been widely recognized, is endorsed not only by sea and land travelers of experience and reliability but also by eminent members of the medical profession, and enjoys an excellent sale. After a long and distinguished career, characterized by high attainment, Doctor Brown retired to her old home in Miami county, and in 1917 came to Troy. Here, during the war period, she was intensely active in raising funds for the American Hospital in France, as well as for the Red Cross, working indefatigably in the cause and giving the best of her strength and talents. In her efforts to procure the recognition of women in the higher departments of employment, she has claimed for them nothing on the score of gallantry or sympathy, realizing that the only path to genuine and lasting success is through preparation and fitness for any and all callings to which women may aspire. She has only claimed for them equality under line conditions ; and her own example is a stimulating one. Doctor Brown is very proud of the fact that she never lost a patient. Arnold Owen Brown. One of the highly respected retired farmers of Troy, Arnold Owen Brown belongs to an old and honored family of Miami county, which for generations has contributed to the welfare and advancement of this section of the Miami Valley and which from pioneer days has stalwartly stood for high ideals and the honorable principles which have been exemplified in the lives of its members. Mr. Brown was born on a Miami county farm, February II, 1852, a son of Daniel and Eliza (Telford) Brown, the latter being a daughter of Andrew Telford, a pioneer of Miami county. Daniel Brown was born at Providence, R. I., his father being Arnold Brown and his grandfather, Rev. Chad Brown, who came from England in 1638, and settled in Rhode Island and who was ordained a minister of the Baptist church in 1642. The great-grandsons of Rev. Chad Brown, John and James Brown, bought and presented land to the State of Rhode Island for the site of Brown University, the cornerstone for which was laid in 1770 by John Brown. Daniel Brown was a lifelong farmer in Miami county, where he owned property in Staunton township, and he and his worthy wife were the parents of six children : Arnold Owen, of this review ; Cyrus Telford ; Harry W., Dr. M. Belle, a noted woman physician and surgeon, now living at Troy in retirement ; Cornelia Jane and Elmira. The brothers of Mr. Brown, who were farmers, are both deceased, as are the sisters, except Dr. M. Belle. Arnold Owen Brown received his education in the district schools of. Miami county, and as a youth adopted the family vocation of farming, which he followed successfully until his retirement in 1892. Since that time he has made his home at Troy, where he has several business interests, including directorship in the Troy Wagon Works and the Troy Telephone Company. He is a member of the Troy Club, has shown a good citizen's interest in civic affairs, and during the war was a generous contributor to all MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 47 worthy movements. Mr. Brown married Ada E. Sears, of Dayton, Ohio. Franklin P. Brotherton. One of the business men of Piqua who claims this city as their birthplace is Franklin P. Brotherton, a representative of one of the pioneer families of this locality. He was born in Piqua, October 22, 1852, a son of Philemon and Nancy (Morton) Brotherton, the former of whom was born in Onondaga county, N. Y., and the latter in Erie, Pa. Philemon Brotherton was a brick molder by trade, but in 1835, seeing an opportunity for advancement in the then unsettled Miami valley, made the journey to Piqua and here engaged in the nursery business. He was for many years one of the honored business men of the community, and to him and his worthy wife were born two children : Albert M., and Franklin P., the subject of this biography. Albert M., who is now a retired contractor, served the Union cause in the Civil war for three years as a member of the First Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Franklin P. Brotherton received the advantages of a public school education in Piqua, and upon leaving school formed a connection with the C. L. Wood Lumber Company, which he has maintained since 1880. His long years of active participation in the business affairs of the concern have eminently fitted him to take an important place in the business administration of the firm, and his advice in all matters pertaining to the policy and development of the business is eagerly sought by his associates. Mr. Brotherton was married first to Laura E., a daughter of John Barnes; and second to May Parshal, daughter of Hugh Parshal, of Pennsylvania. Mr. Brotherton has always taken great interest in civic matters, and especially has the problem of the public schools received his attention, and he has given his city able and constructive service during the past thirteen years as a member and president of the Board of Education. He gave whole-hearted support to the Government in the recent war, and served on several committees which worked for the various drives. Mrs. Emma T. Brown. Among the women of high intellectual attainments who are now residing at Troy, one who formerly contributed many years of splendid service to the cause of education is Mrs. Emma T. Brown. She was born at Calais, Washington county, Me., a daughter of William B. and Lucy (Keen) Taylor. Captain Taylor, who is now deceased, spent the greater part of his life as the proprietor of a hardware store at Calais, with the exception of the period of the war between the North and the South, when he was captain of a company of volunteers in the Twenty-second Regiment, Maine Volunteer Infantry. There were six children in the family : Walter E.; William B., Jr., who was engaged in the plumbing business at Chicago, Ill. ; Mary B., who was for many years a teacher in the public schools of Portland, Me., but has given up her educational work in order to care for her widowed mother ; Frank H., who has been identified with the postoffice at Calais for about thirty years, under various administrations.; Helen L. and Emma T. Emma T. Taylor graduated from the high school 48 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY at Calais, following which she went to Farmington, Me. where she took the normal course for teachers. Graduating from that institution, she at once entered upon her career as a teacher, although she has since taken a Chautauqua teachers' course of four years. She was engaged in teaching school for twenty-three years, first ten years in Troy, Ohio, during which time she was principal of the Forest school for six years, in Troy, Ohio, and then for ten years in Portland, Me. Then she taught at the Edwards school for four years. She was a great favorite with parents and scholars alike, and possessed the happy faculty of being able to impart to others the vast store of knowledge which she had accumulated. In 1901 Miss Taylor was united in marriage with Cyrus T. Brown, a native of Troy, who was largely interested in agricultural and mercantile affairs here for many years, and whose death occurred in 1914. Mrs. Brown is a member of the Altrurian Club and the Home Circle and is a leader in intellectual affairs at Troy. During the war she did her part. H. L. Brown, D. O. In professional circles of Piqua, one who has already attained a generous measure of success and confidence is Dr. H. L. Brown, osteopathic physician. He is a native of Piqua, born April 22, 1892, a son of James and Josephine (Penney) Brown, who are well known in this community where the father is identified with the automobile industry. The only child of his parents, H. L. Brown attended the graded and high schools of Piqua, and after his graduation from the latter went to Miami University for two years. While attending that institution he became interested in the subject of osteopathy and eventually decided upon a career in that profession. Accordingly he enrolled as a student at the Chicago College of Osteopathy, from which he was graduated with his degree after taking a full course of four years. At that time he entered the army as a member of the Medical corps and was assigned to Camp Sherman. After staying there for a period he was sent overseas with the Thirty-second division, being attached to a machine gun unit, and after the signing of the Armistice accompanied his detachment with the Army of Occupation into Germany. He was eventually sent back to this country and was mustered out of the United States service May 29, 1919. In July of that year Doctor Brown came back to Piqua, where he at once engaged in practice. He has succeeded in attracting a large and remunerative clientele, and at this time occupies suite 7, in the Scott-Slawson Building, where he has all the appliances pertaining to the practice of his calling. Doctor Brown has numerous friends throughout the city who are watching his advancement with gratified interest. J. W. Brown. In reviewing the past thirty-five years of progress in Piqua and Miami counties, Ohio, no name comes more strikingly to the fore than that of J. W. Brown. For many years, as proprietor of Piqua's leading department store, he has taken a leading part in the development of this community's civic and industrial life. Aligning himself definitely on the side of movements which he has thought made for the public good and advance- MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 49 ment, his support to such movements has ever been eagerly sought and generously given. Mr. Brown is a native Ohioan, having been born at Athens, a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Hyde) Brown. He early realized the benefits to be derived from education, and applied himself assiduously to his hooks during the period of his attendance at the public schools of his native community and at Athens College. When his scholastic training had been completed, he Joined his father in business, who was a general merchant at Millfield. Subsequently father and son moved to Athens where they conducted a like establishment, and under the father's able guidance the son became well versed in the intricacies of the business. In 1885, desiring a larger field for the exercise of his talents, Mr. Brown came to Piqua where he established himself in business as the proprietor of a department store. This enterprise won the favor of the buying public, and through long years of adherence to an honorable business policy and an unfailing courtesy to customers, a large and profitable patronage has been built up. The success of the business is reflected in the present large store which bears Mr. Brown's name, and which is recognized as one of the leading concerns not only of Piqua, but of the county. In addition to his department store, Mr. Brown is connected with several other important business houses, being a director in the Piqua National Bank, the Piqua Savings Bank and the Piqua Handle Manufacturing Company, and is vice-president of the French Oil Machine Company, in all of which his judgment is held in high esteem by. his associates. He is identified, also, with a number of social and civic bodies, and is accounted an active factor in the many avenues of enterprise that make up the life of the community. During the recent war he was an active worker in behalf of the patriotic movements, and was a generous supporter of the Government War Loans, the Red Cross, War Savings Stamp campaign and drives of a like nature. Mr. Brown married Miss Nettie Brooks, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Brooks, of Piqua, and they became the parents of one child. Otis R. Buchanan, one of the young and enterprising business men of Troy, where he is the proprietor of a flourishing shoe business, was born near Covington, Miami county, Ohio, in 1896, a son of O. F. Buchanan, a well-known agriculturist of that vicinity. The Buchanans were very prominent during the pioneer history of this community, and were among the very first to settle in the locality of Covington. The graded and high schools of Covington furnished Otis R. Buchanan with his educational training, this being supplemented by a commercial course in a business college at Piqua, and when he left school he became a salesman in Worley's Department Store at Covington. From that position he went to a clerkship in the Stillwater Valley Bank and then to the Citizens National Bank, at Covington, where he was situated when called into the 'United States Army, May 28, 1918. Assigned to the Depot Brigade, at Camp Taylor, he became first sergeant and held that rank until receiving his honorable discharge. Upon his return from military service, Mr. Buchanan became a clerk for E. Kahn, of III-4