DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 427 After leaving the army Mr. Stine remained in Harrisburg until February, 1864, working at his trade, but while the war was in progress he could not content himself to remain at home while the Union was imperiled. Accordingly in February, 1864, he once more donned the blue and went to the front as a private of Company C, Twenty-first Pennsylvania Infantry, with which he served until after the close of hostilities, being present at the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox. He took part in a number of hotly contested engagements and was mustered out at Harrisburg in 1865. He was under fire in all of the engagements constituting the Peninsular campaign and in all of those under General Grant from February, 1864, until the close of the war. When hostilities were ended Mr. Stine worked at his trade in various places, including New York, Philadelphia and Boston, and in October, 1873, he came to Dayton, where he worked, first as foreman in the office of the Herald and Enquirer and later as foreman of the Dayton Democrat. He then became advertising manager of the Religious Telescope, so continuing until 1884, when he started the Workman, a weekly labor paper, which he carried on until 1898. He then sold out and entered into his present relation as a member of the Soldiers Relief Commission of Montgomery county, thus serving for eleven years. On the 8th of March, 1874, Mr. Stine was married to Mrs. Anna Addleman, nee Evans, a native of Virginia. In politics he is an unequivocal republican, and in fact his position on any vital question is never a matter of doubt, for he stands fearlessly in support of the principles in which he believes. He belongs to Old Guard Post, No. 23, G. A. R., of which he is a past commander, and thus he maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades and at the camp fires delights in recalling the scenes and events which took place in the south as the Union soldiers marched in battle array to meet those who would have overthrown the Union. ANDREW J. CONKLE. The commercial interests of Dayton find a worthy and well known representative in Andrew J. Conkle, who since 1893 has been engaged in merchandising in this city, conducting a large and well appointed establishment for the sale of cloaks, suits and furs. He was born on a farm about ten miles north of Defiance, Ohio, April 10, 1864, and his youthful days were there passed in attendance at the district schools and in the work of the fields. He remained at home until seventeen years of age and then became a student in the Methodist Episcopal college at Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he spent one year. In 1884 he was graduated from a business college of the same city and was thus qualified for the duties of a commercial career. Locating at Pleasant Lake, Indiana, he there remained for two years, after which he removed to Middletown, Ohio, and spent four years as the assistant of his brother, A. D. Conkle, who was a photographer of that place. He next went to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he became associated with the Rink fur house, with which he was connected for a year and a half. He afterward went upon the road as traveling representative for Paul J. Sorg, a tobacco merchant of Middletown, Ohio, whom he repre- 428 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY sented for over a year, after which he went to Columbus, Ohio, and entered a cloak house, where he spent two and a half years. Subsequently he was employed in a similar establishment at Toledo, Ohio, but desirous that his labors should more directly benefit himself he came to Dayton in 1893 and with the capital which he had acquired through his industry and careful expenditure he began business on his own account. His store in the Commercial building is today regarded as one of the most reliable mercantile establishments in the city, and its trade has constantly increased from the beginning until it has now reached large proportions. A complete line of cloaks is handled including the latest productions of the market, and in price to meet the varied demands of the trade. In 1892 Mr. Conkle was married in Columbus, Ohio, to Miss Lillian R. Taylor, and they have two children, Alice Margaret and Andrew J. Mr. Conkle is a director of the Chamber of Commerce and is interested in the work of that organization in its efforts to enhance the industrial and commercial activity of the city and promote the growth of Dayton along many substantial lines. His political allegiance is given to the democracy, yet he does not consider himself bound by party ties but is rather allied with that independent movement which is one of the hopeful signs of the times wherein public-spirited men assert their independence in opposing any machine rule which they deem detrimental to the common good. Fraternally he is connected with the Elks, the Royal Arcanum, the Tribe of Ben Hur and the Pathfinders, and is in sympathy with the spirit that underlies these organizations recognizing the brotherhood of man and meeting one's obligations to his fellows. His business career has been characterized by continuous progress, bringing to him a gratifying position in mercantile circles, and at all times his record has been in keeping with the highest standard of commercial ethics. ANGUS KURT RANKIN. Angus Kurt Rankin, secretary of the Beaver Soap Company is a man of excellent business ability which is called forth in the control of what is today one of the, most important industries of the city. As the years have passed by he has put forth his efforts along well defined lines of labor, and each step in his career has been a forward one. He was born in Covington, Ohio, March 12, 1856, and came to Dayton in 1864 when a lad of eight summers. Later he lived elsewhere for a brief period but returned to Dayton in 1867, and after spending some time in another locality he once more returned to Dayton in 1872. His education was acquired in the schools of Covington and in Dayton, and in 1877 he became a factor in the business life of the latter city by becoming connected with the piano trade, representing a piano house as a traveling salesman. He so continued until 1881, when he entered the law office of Thomas O. Lowe and gave some time to mastering the principles of jurisprudence. He also took up the study of stenography and a year later he entered the employ of the Stoddard Manufacturing Company, while five months later he became connected with the Farmers' Friend Agricul- DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 429 tural Implement Manufacturing Concern. There he continued for twelve years, or until 1894, in the capacity of stenographer, and subsequently he engaged for a time in the typewriter business. In 1896 he became sales manager of the Beaver Soap Company and recognition of his business ability came to him in 1906 in his election to the position of secretary to that company, which controls an extensive business having one of the well equipped plants and important industries in Dayton. In 1883, in Piqua, Ohio, Mr. Rankin was married to Miss Margarita Robbins, and they have two living children, Walter E. and Lester M. Mr. Rankin belongs to No. 3, of the United Commercial Travelers and has many friends among the knights. of the grip and also among the patrons whom he formerly visited while a traveling salesman. He holds membership in the First Baptist church and gives his political allegiance to the republican party. At all times he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day so that he is able to support his position by intelligent argument, yet he does not seek nor desire office for his business affairs make full demand upon his time and attention. His progress has been the result of close application and strict conformity to a high standard of commercial ethics and now his connection with the business affairs of Dayton is one of importance, bringing him the merited reward of earnest, persistent and intelligently directed labor. CHARLES LUTHER MILYARD. Charles Luther Milyard, well known as an enterprising and progressive agriculturist of. Madison township, is the owner of one hundred and forty-five acres of rich and arable land, situated just off the Dayton and Lexington road, about three and a half miles from Trotwood. He was born in Carroll county, Maryland, on the 14th of October, 1853, his parents being Christian F. and Elizabeth (Geiger) Milward, the former a native of Maryland, while the paternal grandfather came from Germany. Christian F. Milyard was a shoemaker by trade but owned a valuable farm in Frederick county. He never left the state of Maryland and there passed away in the year 1877. He was twice married and by his first wife had four children, namely: Eliza Jane, Charles Luther, John McCalvin and Addison. By his second wife, who bore the maiden name of Susan Smith, Lutherone son, William. Charles Luther Milyard acquired his education in the schools of his native state and when twenty-three years of age came to Ohio, beginning work as a farm hand on the old Garber place. Subsequently he went into the tobacco business and afterward purchased the old Shively farm, which has continued his place of abode to the present time. In addition to the work of general farming he is also engaged in raising stock and poultry and finds a ready market for both his stock and grain in Dayton. He is progressive in his farm work, using only the latest improved machinery in carrying on the labor of the fields and he is accounted one of the up-to-date and leading agriculturists of the community. His 430 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY landed holdings also include a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres in Oklahoma. In October, 1876, Mr. Milyard was united in marriage to Miss Catharine Miller, a daughter of David and Anna (Shock) Miller. The father came to this county from Virginia and took up his abode on the old Miller farm, becoming widely recognized as a very prominent agriculturist and substantial citizen. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Milyard have been born eight children, as follows : Perry and David, both of whom are deceased; Anna B., the wife of D. B. Cottrell, a farmer of Darke county, Ohio, by whom she has two children, Alfred Daniel and Charles Franklin; Hettie, twin sister of a child who died in infancy, who is now the wife of David A. Skiles, an agriculturist of Rossville, Indiana, and has two children ; Harvey Charles and Silas David ; one who died in infancy ; and Elizabeth C. and Charles Alfred, both of whom are attending school. Mr. Milyard also reared a child of his wife's sister, Susannah Rapp Miller, who passed away when her daughter, Ida May, was but four months old. Ida May is now the wife of Alva A. Huffman, a farmer of Oklahoma, by whom she has seven children: Bertha C., Ella C., Mary E., Lucy S., John T., Charles A. and Nannie M. Mr. Milyard and the members of his family belong to and are regular attendants of the old German Baptist church of Wolf Creek, in which he is a second degree minister and in the work of which he takes a most helpful part. He has lived in Montgomery county for a third of a century and is respected and honored as an active and industrious citizen of exemplary habits, high principles and upright conduct, who commands the good will and trust of those with whom he is associated. CHARLES L. LOOS. Charles L. Loos, widely known as one of the leading educators of Ohio, now connected with the schools of Dayton as principal of the Steele high school, was born in Wellsburg, Virginia, August 5, 1849. He was reared at that place and at Bethany near by, receiving his primary and collegiate education at Bethany, where is one of the excellent colleges of the south. Throughout the period of his youth he remained at home with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Loos, Sr. His father was born in Woerth, a department of the lower Rhine, in 1823 and came to America in 1837 when fourteen years of age. Soon afterward he located at Bethany, West Virginia, and was graduated from Bethany College with the class of 1846. Subsequently he became a member of the faculty of the same institution, filling a professorship there for many years. Later for seventeen years he was president of the Kentucky University at Lexington, and at the present writing, in 19o9, is still teaching in that institution. He was married at Bethany to Miss Rosetta E. Kerr and they had eleven children, five sons and six daughters, while four sons and three daughters yet survive. As previously stated, Charles L. Loos of this review attended Bethany College and on his graduation received the degree of Bachelor of Arts, while two years later the Master of Arts degree was conferred upon him. On leaving college he began teaching near Minerva, Ohio, where he continued for six months DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 431 and was later elected superintendent of schools at Millersburg, Ohio, where he rendered acceptable service in charge of the schools for four yars. He was next chosen principal of the First District school in Dayton, in 1874, and continued there for thirteen years, or until 1887, when he was appointed one of the teachers in the Central high school in Dayton. For thirteen years he th1900remained as a teacher and in 19oo he was elected to his present position as principal of the Steele high school. Thus from the time when his college days were over he has been continuously connected with educational work and has made consecutive progress. At all times he has been a close student of the profession and its opportunities, striving ever to raise the work of the schools to a higher standard and to make instruction a thorough preparation for the practical duties of life. He served for three years on the Ohio state board of school examiners and in 1888 was elected on the Dayton city board of school examiners. He has ever sought to maintain high ideals and in his profession has greatly inspired his teachers and pupils with much of his own zeal and interest in the work. He has sought out new and practical methods of instruction and in all of his labors as a teacher has been noted for the clear and concise manner in which he has imparted knowledge, impressing it deeply upon the minds of the pupils with whom he comes in contact. Professor Loos was married in 1875 in Millersburg, Ohio, to Miss Mary L. Mayers and they have two children : Charles L., who is now purchasing agent for the Detroit Ship Building Company ; and Louise M., the wife of Harry Kissinger. Professor Loos belongs to the church of the Disciples of Christ and his life has ever been in consistent harmony with his profession. He has studied closely the purposes of life and the possibilities which it holds for the individual and has ever endeavored to make his influence for good reach out in a constantly broadening circle. That he is a man of scholarly attainments is indicated in this review. His reading, study and research have been of a most broad and varied character, making him familiar with a wide range of topics and he is deeply interested in all that pertains to the qreat sciological and economic questions that are prominently before the public today. JERRY AUCHEY. Jerry Auchey, who has been a resident of Montgomery county for about thirty years, has won for himself a high place among the enterprising and representative citizens of Mad River township. He was born November 8, 1859, in York county, Pennsylvania, and represents one of the old pioneer families of Lancaster county, that state. His parents were John and Maria (Serif) Auchey, natives of Lancaster and York county, Pennsylvania, respectively, spending their entire lives in the Keystone state. The father was a farmer by occupation, to which pursuit he devoted his entire life. His parents were numbered among the pioneer settlers of Lancaster county and cleared the land upon which they located and made their home. 432 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY The early life of Jerry Auchey was spent in Pennsylvania and .his youthful days were devoted to the acquirement of an education as a pupil of the common schools of his native county. He remained with his parents until about twenty years of age, at which time he removed to Montgomery county, Ohio, and has since remained one of its active and industrious citizens. He first sought employment in a machine shop and later established himself in the brick manufacturing business, which trade he had learned and followed to some extent in his native state. He continued in this connection for some time and then purchased five acres of fine farm land in Mad River township, where he is successfully engaged in truck gardening. He subsequently became the sole proprietor of a store at 175 Market street, and he is here conducting an extensive and growing business which is proving a source of most gratifying profit to its owner. The success to which he has attained in his business venture now enables him to take rank among the prominent and influential citizens of this community. February 21, 1895, witnessed the marriage of Mr. Auchey and Miss Margaret Barrett, a daughter of Patrick and Ellen Barrett, natives of County Cork, Ireland, where they were engaged in farming and where their entire lives were spent. Unto this union was born one son, Arthur Alfred, now a student at school. Mrs. Auchey is a prominent member of St. Joseph's Catholic church and in politics Mr. Auchey votes with the republican party. The term self-made man may justly be applied to the subject of this review, for it has been entirely through his own efforts that he has won his present prominent position in his chosen life work, for he is recognized as one of the best known gardeners in this section of the township. A hard worker throughout his entire business career, his salient characteristics have at all times been unfaltering diligence, indefatigible energy and untiring perseverance. His business integrity is beyond question and his personal qualities are such as have gained him an extensive circle of warm friends. EDWARD E. EUCHENHOFER. Edward E. Euchenhofer, proprietor of the Dayton Machine Works, has been engaged in business on his own account in this city since 1888. Watchfulness over all details, with a recognition of the relative value of each point in his business interests, have enabled him to make steady advance until in his present connection he is known as a prominent representative of industrial circles here and an inventor of considerable note, having produced many valuable inventions. Dayton has reason to be proud of the business record of many who are native sons, and this number includes Edward E. Euchenhofer, who was born on the 3d of October, 1852. His father, Frederick Gottlieb Euchenhofer, was born in Germany in 1811 and was quite young when his parents died. He was a young man of twenty-one years when, in 1832, he came to the new world. He had heard and heeded the call of the western continent, believing that he might find in its business conditions the opportunity which he sought for progress in financial lines. He was DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 435 a baker and confectioner by trade and located first in Philadelphia, continuing in business there for several years, after which he went to Pittsburg and eventually moved to Miamisburg, Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1838, where he continued in the bakery business until coming to Dayton. In 1848 he arrived in this city and for many years was proprietor of the old Columbus House, one of the oldest hotels in the city, where the utmost cordiality was shown to citizens and strangers, and he continued in this business until 1864. He also owned and conducted the old Third Street Brewery, becoming its owner in 1858 and continuing in the business until 1867, when he sold the plant and about two years later purchased the old Tate flour mill in Dayton View and conducted it for several years, selling it in 1873. Then, on account of his successor's financial situation, he took back the brewery, which he managed until October, 189o, when he closed it and retired . from active business. As the years went by he met with prosperity by reason of his careful control of his interests, so that in his later years he was enabled to enjoy the fruits of former toil. He was married twice and his first wife, whom he wedded in Philadelphia, died, leaving one son, Albert, who was born in Miamisburg in 18.14 and died in Dayton, February 2, 1892, leaving a widow and four children, two sons and two daughters. After losing his first wife Mr. Euchenhofer was married in Dayton in 1849 to Catharine Discher. His death occurred February 3, 1891, when he had reached the age of eighty years, only four months after retiring from business, and thus Dayton lost one of her most respected German-American citizens. His second marriage was blessed with ten children, of whom five are living, namely : E. E. Euchenhofer, of this review ; Otto W., of Dayton ; Julia L., the wife of Russell H. Bates ; Kate, the wife of L. Bauers, of Pekin, Illinois ; and Alexander, of Dayton. Mr. Euchenhofer was also a charter member of the Teutonia Fire Insurance Company, one of the oldest and most substantial companies in this section of the country, and held a directorship therein until his death. When he reached the age of six years Edward E. Euchenhofer was sent as a pupil to the public schools, where he continued his studies to the age of fourteen, and then secured a clerkship in Mueller & Son's dry-goods store on East Third street, thus making his initial step in the business world. That he was a faithful and capable employe is indicated in the fact that he remained with that establishment for three years. Desirous, however, of learning the machinist's business, he resigned from that position, with the good wishes of his employers, who presented him with his first set of machinist's tools. He entered the machine shop of Brownell, Kielmier & Company, with whom he learned the machinist's trade, working there for ten years, during which time his ability continuously increased so that he became recognized as a most expert workman in that line. In 1882 he was made chief engineer of the city waterworks, where he continued until the spring of 1887. In the fall of the same year he embarked in business on his own account in connection with a partner and later began the manufacture of gas engines, incorporating the business as the Dayton Gas & Gasoline Engine Company. In this business he continued for eighteen months, when he. withdrew from that line to enter the regular machine business, which he carried on with a partner for three years. The association was then terminated and Mr. Euchenhofer, in the following year, engaged in business on his own account, 436 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY being now sole proprietor of the Dayton Machine Works. He is conducting a profitable industry, his long practical experience in his youthful days having given him a wide knowledge that enables him to carefully manage the business and control the efforts of his employes. He understands the business in all of its details and capably superintends the manufacture of all kinds of special machinery, which has gained a wide reputation, being sent to all parts of the United States. In September, 1877, Mr. Euchenhofer was married to Miss Dora Makley, a daughter of Frank Makley, of New Carlisle, Ohio, and unto them have been born five children : Adolph F., Carl L., Walter I., Clara M. and Edna V. The parents are members of the German Lutheran church and Mr. Euchenhofer exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party. He has not sought prominence in political lines nor has he taken any very active part in public affairs, but he is, nevertheless, loyal at all times to his party and does all in his power to extend its influence in the community. He has won his success through close application to business combined with thorough and expert skill in the field of labor which he has chosen as his life work. CHARLES WILLS KING, M. D. Dr. Charles Wills King, who since 1884 has engaged in the general practice of medicine in Dayton, was born in Hillsboro, Highland county, Ohio, September 9, 1854, and in 1860 accompanied his parents on their removal to Georgetown, Brown county. His father was Frank Gibson King, who was born in Georgetown, Ohio, in 1829. The family is of English extraction and was founded in Pennsylvania at an early day. The grandfather, George W. King, was born in eastern Pennsylvania, became a lawyer by profession and located in Georgetown, Ohio, where he practiced law until his death. He was the first clerk of the courts and established the first newspaper in the county. With events that shaped the history of that locality at an early day he was prominently associated and his influence was ever on the side of progress and improvement. His son, Frank Gibson King, became a druggist and for many years was identified with mercantile pursuits. He died in 1905, while his wife, who bore the maiden name of Sallie McIntyre Crum, passed away in 1904. They had a family of three sons and four daughters. Dr. King was in his sixth year when he accompanied his parents to Georgetown, Brown county, Ohio. where he was reared and attended the public schools, pursuing his studies to the age of seventeen. He then entered a drug store in Georgetown, where he remained until 1875, when he became a student in the office of Dr. Thomas W. Gordon, of Georgetown, who directed his preliminary reading in preparation for the medical profession. In the winter he attended lectures at the Medical College of Ohio, in Cincinnati, now known as the medical department of the University of Cincinnati. Continuing his course there, he was graduated with the class of 1878 and in the fall of the same year accepted the position of resident physician in the Columbus State Hospital for the Insane, DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 437 where he continued for three years. He was soon appointed assistant superintendent of the Cleveland (Ohio) Asylum for the Insane, remaining there for three years, his hospital practice bringing him wide experience and gradually augmenting his knowledge and efficiency. In 1884 he was appointed superintendent of the Dayton (Ohio) Asylum for the Insane, filling that position for six years, his administration being highly satisfactory to the authorities, being characterized by the utmost spirit of humanitarianism, combined with broad scientific knowledge that enabled him to put forth efforts of the utmost value for the benefit of the unfortunate ones in the institution. He was also for several years on the pension board at Dayton and served as health officer of Dayton from 1899 until 1905. In his private practice, which is now extensive and of an important character, the Doctor has evidenced his comprehensive knowledge and ability as a general practitioner. He belongs to the American Medical Association, the Ohio State Medical Association, the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Dayton Academy of Medicine and keeps in touch with the progress of the profession as investigation and research are continually bringing to light new truths bearing upon the successful treatment and elimination of diseases. In 1907 he served as president of the Montgomery County Medical Society and, through his close conformity to a high standard of professional ethics, has always enjoyed the highest regard of his fellow practitioners. In more strictly social relations Dr. King is a member of the Dayton City Club, of which he is now the vice president, the Dayton Golf Club and the Masonic fraternity. He also belongs to the First Presbyterian church. He was married in 1885 in Portsmouth, Ohio, to Miss Louise Robinson and they have one son, Clive W. King, now twenty-one years of age. Mrs. King's father was a descendant of Sir Phillipse Robinson, and her paternal grandmother was a descendant of Sir Astley Cooper, and a first cousin of James Fenimore Cooper. Prompted in all of his professional service by high ideals and by a sense of conscientious obligation, his labors have been of great benefit to his fellowmen. EDWARD A. FRY. Edward A. Fry, who with a handsome competence has retired from business life, started out in life at the age of fourteen years in the humble capacity of a clerk in a small store. His rise has been gradual and as a logical sequence has come as the result of his close application, persistent effort and ready adaptability. He represents one of the old and well known families of Dayton, his birth having here occurred March 23, 1842. His father, Henry A. Fry, was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in 1807, and came to Dayton in 1833. He was here married to Miss Sarah M. Snyder and they became the parents of three children : Charles H., who died in Phoenix, Arizona, in May, 1909 ; Clara L., the deceased wife of T. M. Phelps ; and E. A., of this review. The father was a cabinet maker by trade, identified with the business circles of the city during the first half of the nineteenth century. His death, however, occurred in Dayton in 1847. 438 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY Edward A. Fry was but five years of age at the time of his father's demise. He was reared in this city and acquired his education as a public-school student but at the age of fourteen sought the opportunities offered by the business world for earning a livelihood, his first employment being that of clerk in a small store. Later he remained for a time in another store and then entered the old Harmony grist and saw mill at the foot of Ludlow street, where he worked for four dollars and a half per week. He remained in that establishment for two years, his fidelity and industry winning his promotion and when he left that employ entered the Dayton & Western Railroad shops at Fifth and Perry streets. He remained there for a year, after which he again spent two years in the first store in which he was ever employed. He was next in the service of the Columbus, Hocking & Dayton Railroad Company for a time and at the age of twenty-four years turned his attention to the livery business, which he carried on near the corner of Fourth and Main streets. This was in 1865 and he continued the business until 1878, when he turned his attention to the undertaking business, from which he retired in 1905. As the years passed he made good use of his opportunities, attaining success that brought to him a comfortable competence, now enabling him to live retired. On the 3d of December, 1868, Mr. Fry was married to Miss Sarah F. Warble, a daughter of Samuel and Caroline (Heckler) Warble. Her father was a native of Maryland, whence he came to Dayton and here spent his remaining days. He was married in this city, in 1840, to Miss Caroline Heckler and they became the parents of five children, one of whom, Mary Belle, died unmarried at the age of twenty-three years. The other four are still living, namely : Elvina, the widow of Nick Gough ; Mrs. Fry ; James M. ; and John C. The mother of Mrs. Fry still survives and yet makes her home in Dayton. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Fry was blessed with two children. The daughter, Fannie B., became the wife of John E. Weiffenbach and they have two daughters, Helen Louise and Harriet. Charles E. Fry, the son, is now a resident of Nevada. The family attend the First Lutheran church, to the support of which Mr. Fry contributes liberally. His study of the questions and issues of the day has led him to give his political support to the republican party but he never seeks nor desires office. He is a- self-made man, owing his advancement entirely to his earnest and indefatigable efforts and now he is enjoying the fruits of his former toil in well earned rest. JACOB A. OSWALD. There are certain business concerns which are recognized as the leaders in their line of trade and are perhaps widely known in that special field, setting the standard for activity of that character. It is seldom, however, that a single business enterprise is so widely known as the National Cash Register Company of Dayton and yet there is scarcely a village or hamlet in the entire country so unimportant that the product of this house is not known there. The Dayton enterprise has developed into one of the most important industrial interests DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 439 in the entire country and Jacob A. Oswald is prominently connected therewith as its superintendent. A native of Cincinnati, he was born on the 7th of December, 1866, and there lived to the age of fifteen years when necessity and ambition prompted him to seek the business opportunities offered in Dayton, coming alone to this city in 1881. He had in previous years been left an orphan and his guardian, William C. Oswald, a Dayton man and distant relative, placed him in a general jobbing and repairing machine shop where he entered upon a four years' apprenticeship. He applied himself diligently to the mastery of the tasks assigned him, displaying the qualities of close application, thoroughness and systematic activity which have characterized his entire business career. On the completion of his term of indenture Mr. Oswald worked for various firms in Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Miamisburg, being thus employed for several years, after which he returned to Dayton in 1891 and entered the employ of the National Cash Register Company as assembler at the bench. The demand of the business world is capability and invariably it wins advance in course of time. Promotion came to Mr. Oswald when he was assigned to the position of inspector and successively he became job foreman, later assistant foreman of a larger department, afterward head of the repair department, then foreman of the assembling department, head of the final inspection department, supervisor of all the assembling department and eventually was made superintendent on the 28th of May, 1908, which position he is now filling, his promotions coming to him in merited recognition of his worth, his fidelity and his enterprise. In November, 1892, Mr. Oswald was married to Miss Theresa M. Dieker, a daughter of Herman Dieker, and unto them have been born two daughters and a son, Florence C., Helen C. and Joseph A.. He holds membership in St. Andrew's Episcopal church, is a worthy exemplar of the Masonic fraternity, holding membership in the lodge, chapter and council, and also belongs to the Knights of Pythias and to the Oakwood Twenty-Five Club. He is appreciative of the social amenities of life and the value of comradeship, but allows no outside interests to interfere with his business duties and obligations, which are now of a most onerous and responsible character. Dependent upon his own resources from an early age, and without influence to assist in his promotion, he has worked his way steadily upward through his unfaltering determination and unwearied diligence, his ability increasing with the exercise of his powers until his position from both a business and financial standpoint is an enviable one. JOHN D. STEIGER. John D. Steiger, who is the head of the Steiger family, is the owner of twenty-five acres of fine farm land on the east side of the Brandt pike, about three miles from the center of Dayton. He and his sister Annie and brother Adam are the members of a rather large and happy family who live on the farm and cultivate it to a high degree of productiveness. The father and mother, Peter and Eva (Schantz) Steiger, came to this country with their ten children and located in 440 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY Dayton. Peter Steiger had been a successful farmer in the land of his birth, so that it was but natural that some members of his family should follow the same pursuit. Both the parents and three of the children, two of whom bore the name of Jacob, and a daughter Katie, have passed away ; Maggie, now Mrs. Bolk, John, Peter, of Dayton, George, Adam, Annie and Catherine are still living. Though he did not come to this country until in early manhood John D. Steiger is one of the best known gardeners of this county and in Dayton, where he has a stand in the market on Jefferson street, at which he displays the results of his excellent culture of the soil. It is by his own efforts that he has attained this position, efforts that have been directed to producing the very best that any farm could bring forth, even those eight acres just outside of the city, which are accounted some of the arable land in this part of the county. His vegetables are always among the first offered to the purchaser of the town and among the latest of good quality to be seen in any markets, while during the heart of the summer season his wagons are piled high with delectable green things. Mr. Steiger has not given all his time to the cultivation of succulent vegetables to the exclusion of other interests, for he is a man who enjoys the wholesome companionship of his kind. Many of his hours of relaxation are passed in the congenial gatherings of his Harugari brethren, among whom he is deservedly popular. In St. John's Lutheran church he finds the spiritual nourishment which has its growth in his daily life, for he is a man who is a Christian in every sense of the word, who in all his business dealings holds to a high code of honor. This quality of his character united with his industry and good management has made possible his achievements in the occupation he has chosen for his life work, and has won for him the high esteem in which he is held by all those who know him or have had business dealings with him. HAMILTON KERR. Hamilton Kerr, who is engaged in the life insurance business in Dayton, with a large clientele, was born on a farm in Miami county, Ohio, on the 11th of June, 1858. Quiet and uneventful as the lives of most farm boys, the years of his youth passed in the attainment of an education in the country schools, supplemented by a course of study in Tippecanoe City, Ohio, and in Smith's seminary in Xenia, Ohio. He remained upon the home farm until 1883 and was not only provided with good educational privileges but was also trained in the work of the fields and gained something in the freedom and experiences of outdoor life that have constituted a substantial foundation on which to build his later success. At the age of seventeen years he began teaching school in Miami county and followed the profession for seven years, including. one year spent as a teacher at Oldtown, Greene county, Ohio. He divided his time between the work of the school room and of the fieldS in Miami county until 1883 when, thinking to establish his home in the northwest he removed to Huron, South Dakota, where he conducted a law and collection agency. There he carried on business in that line until 1894, when he removed to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he remained for DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 443 four years, acting as immigration agent for various railroad companies. In 1898 he came to Dayton and established an insurance office, since which time he has conducted business along this line. He was also engaged in the life insurance business while in Huron, South Dakota. He represents a number of the old line companies, is thoroughly familiar with insurance and the advantages offered in every department, while his ability in business lines is evidenced in the large clientage which he has secured. Pleasantly situated in his home life, Mr. Kerr was married on the 24th of December, 1879, in Dayton, to Miss Harriet E. Martin, of Xenia, Ohio, a daughter of Isaac and Laura Martin, both deceased. They have four children : Earl R., located at Phoenix, Arizona ; Eva Leola, the wife of W. C. Wilhelm, of Dayton, Ohio ; Edna Lorena, the wife of Lieutenant Sidney H. Guthrie, of the United States Coast Artillery, located at Fortress Monroe, Virginia ; and Newell H., who was graduated at Staunton Military Academy and is now at home. Mr. Kerr belongs to the Masonic fraternity, to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and the Knights of Pythias. He is a republican in his political views but not an active partisan. His church relationship is with the Methodist Episcopal denomination. His salient characteristics are such as command trust and confidence, while his persistency of purpose and adaptability in business have brought to him the success which is now his. JAMES C. REBER. Not the good that comes to us, but the good that comes to the world through us, is the measure of our success, and judged by this standard as well as the standards of business life, James C. Reber was a most successful man. He wrote his history in charity and philanthropy, and while none but himself knew of the full extent of his benefactions, thousands of acts of kindness and helpfulness which he performed have been stated by those who were benefited thereby. That man may well be said to have lived whose passing leaves deep sorrow in the hearts of his friends. The memory of Mr. Reber is cherished by all who knew him and will be for years to come. He was a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Lewisburg, Union county, on the 13th of May, 1847. In the family of fifteen children he was the yhe accompanieds but a youth when he-accompanied his parents on their removalwestward to Freeport, Illinois. • At the age of thirteen, being too young to regularly enlist in the Civil war, he accompanied his brothers, Samuel and Levi, to the front and became an orderly in the Forty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, of which his brothers were members. Later he enlisted in' the One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio and participated in a number of hotly contested engagements, serving at Fort Donelson, in 1862, and at Shiloh on the 7th of April of the same year. He was with Sherman during the first two days of the siege of Vicksburg and was on active duty. in other places, his military record being a most creditable one, equal in its display of valor and loyalty to that of many a one twice or thrice his years. 444 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY After the close of the war Mr. Reber came to Dayton and from a humble clerkship worked his way steadily upward. He did not advance by leaps and bounds but by that steady progress which marks the successful accomplishment of every task undertaken. Each forward step brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities and he never failed to utilize the legitimate advantages which came to hand. His discernment was keen, his business judgment sound and reliable, and his energy was unfaltering. After his marriage he entered the Winters National Bank, in which he was readily promoted until be held the high position of vice president. He was associated with many business enterprises, which felt the stimulus of his activity and indefatigable energy. He was also identified with the J. W. Sefton Company, of Chicago, and Anderson, Indiana, held a large amount of stock in the Home Telephone Company, and was president of the company until the last election preceding his death. He was also a heavy stockholder in the Dayton Lighting Company, in the Dayton Northern Traction Company, the Wagner Fresh Water Supply, and other business enterprises which have been important elements in the growth and upbuilding of the city. In his business transactions he was notably prompt and reliable, never incurring obligations that he did not meet, nor making engagements that he did not fill. Among his associates and colleagues he was regarded as the soul of commercial integrity. Mr. Reber was married twice. In the early '70s he wedded Miss. Kate Snyder, who was the mother of his three children : John G., who passed away a short time prior to his father's death ; Russell, who died in infancy ; and Maude, who survives the father and was with him at the time of his demise. Having lost his first wife, Mr. Reber afterward wedded Mrs. Laura Winters Macgregor, who passed away three months prior to the death of her husband. Mr. Reber was devoted to the welfare of his family and the members of his own household were ever first in his love and affections. He manifested a most fraternal spirit in his membership in the Old Guard Post, G. A. R., and in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In religious work he took a most deep and helpful interest. He was long a leading member of the First Reformed church and served as one of its elders, while in all branches of the church activity he was deeply and helpfully interested. He also held membership in the Young Men's Christian Association, was chairman of the Memorial Hall building committee and one of the trustees at the time of his death. No man in Dayton manifested a more philanthropic spirit. He gave widely, but wisely, to many enterprises and organizations that had for their object the betterment of mankind or the uplifting of the masses. While preeminently a successful business man, he regarded himself as but the custodian of a trust and generously gave of his means to assist others. His nature was social, his manner genial and kindly, and his circle of friends was only limited by the circle of his acquaintance. He was a Christian man in the broadest sense of the term, which accurately describes his disposition and its tributes. He passed away March 27, 1909. He had previously been in ill health for a time but went south to Florida and was greatly benefited by the change, in fact, so much so that he was making preparations to return home when death claimed him. DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 445 Perhaps no better estimate of the life and character. of Mr. Reber can be given than quoting from Dr. W. A. Hale, his pastor, and for many years one of his warmest personal friends : "His career is a revelation of what God is to men. He came home from the army to unite with the church. I know I am not partial when I say few men have been so universally accepted as genuinely friends of God. A scriptural commandment was the end of all argument with him. I have been a long time a resident of this city and never have I seen so many of our citizens feel as in this instance they were personally bereft. His religious activities were as wide as the city, as wide as the state, as wide as his country and as wide as the world. A beautiful trait of his character was exemplified some years since on a little vacation. He was one of a small party of capitalists taking an outing in the northwest. Sunday came and he went to worship in a hall, the only place for holding public worship in the frontier town. They had no pastor, and ascertaining who he was (and you could not know him without discovering he was a Christian), they asked him to take part in the service. He did, and his practical mind saw at once what the people needed. He proposed building a church, took up a subscription, in which the people responded liberally, and took the subscription paper and presented it to his companions, returning it to his new friends with checks and money enough to build a new church. He was in this town once afterward and worshiped in the new church. I asked what denomination was it. He answered, 'I don't know. They used Gospel hymns ; but it was a church and place for the children.' Oh, how he loved children ! What delight our children found in waiting in the hall to shake his hand and be, gathered in his arms. He had his sorrows, trials and disappointments as we all have, but he kept sweet, grew gentler, more sympathetic, more charitable, more hopeful, more self sacrificing as the years passed. The supreme excellencies of noble character—love of the family, love of the church, and love of country—were more dominant, purer and more beautifully manifest in the later years of his life. How often have I heard him talk of his home, saying : 'My blessed home !' Not long since he remarked : 'There are two things I enjoy to the fullest degree—my family and my church.' No wonder he called these heaven on earth: He loved with an unselfish devotion and with a divine magnetism drew the objects of his love to his own great heart. In the light of God's word he rejoiced in the assurance that these were the pleasures of heaven." JAMES MANFORT WEAVER, M. D. Professional service at the National Soldiers' Home has been the path that has led a number of capable members of the medical profession to Dayton. Dr. Weaver, after serving for six years in the national institution, came to Dayton in 188o and the years have chronicled his continuous and growing success, for he not only had the benefit of thorough instruction as a preparation for his chosen calling but has remained to the present a close and discriminating student of the science of medicine, his keen sagacity enabling him to quickly distinguish between 446 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY the essential and the non-essential in all of the modern experiments, theories and discoveries put forth by the medical fraternity. Dr. Weaver is a native of the neighboring state of Indiana, his birth having occurred near Greensburg in Decatur county, April 9, 1838. His father, the Rev. John S. Weaver, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1802, was descended from ancestry that came from Alsace-Lorraine, the great-grandfather of Dr. Weaver being the first member of the family to come to the new world. His son, John Weaver, was for many years a shipbuilder in the United States navy and afterward became identified with agricultural pursuits in Ohio. He wedded Mary Smallwood, of Philadelphia, and they reared a family of eight or ten children, whose descendants are now scattered widely over the country. The Rev. John S. Weaver was a member of the first class graduated from Miami University and later was a tutor at Oxford for some time. About 1828 he was ordained to the ministry of the Presbyterian church and accepted a pastorate at Bellbrook, Greene county. Later he assumed charge of the church in Franklin, Warren county, Ohio, and was afterward the pastor of the church called Sand Creek Presbyterian church near Greensburg, Indiana, returning thence to Ohio about 1839. Following that date he engaged in preaching at the Bethel Presbyterian church near Millville, Butler county, for two or three years and then took charge of the New Jersey church in Warren county, now called the Carlisle church. After severing his connection therewith about 1858 he assumed charge of Dick's Creek church, making his home in the village of Blue Ball, along the line of Butler and Warren counties, Ohio, where he continued until 1865, when he removed to Springfield. He continued in the work of the church, although not having a special charge, his last sermon being delivered at Bellbrook, where he began his work in the ministry, his death occurring in Springfield, Ohio, in 1872. He made frequent and valuable contribution's to religious journals and was recognized as a man of high literary attainments, as well as of marked consecration and zeal in the work of the church. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Amanda Hurin, was a daughter of Silas Hurin, one of the early settlers of Lebanon, Warren county, Ohio, where he located on removing from New Jersey, his native state. By trade he was a tanner. He wedded a Miss Ludlow, who also represented one of the pioneer families of Ohio, and their daughter Amanda was born in Lebanon. Her death occurred in 1882. By her marriage she had become the mother of seven children : Susan A., deceased ; Kate C., also deceased, who was the wife of Captain James H. Robison ; James M. ; Mary Agnes, the widow of Captain A. M. Robinson ; John S., who has always been engaged in educational work ; Georgiana D., the wife of R. E. Naylor ; and Walter L., an attorney of Springfield, Ohio. Dr. Weaver spent his youthful years in southern Ohio, where he early became inured to farm work, dividing his time between the work of the fields in the summer and the pursuit of an education in the district schools through the winter. He afterward benefited by two years' instruction in an academy and also taught for one winter. In 1857 he became a student in the office and under the direction of Drs. Firestone and Robison, of Wooster, Ohio, and attended his first course of lectures in Cincinnati in the winter of 1859-6o. Later he became a student in the medical department of the Western Reserve College at Cleveland, where he was DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 447 graduated. in 1861. He at once located for practice in Jackson, Wayne county, Ohio, but was just getting a start in his professional career when he put aside all personal considerations to aid his country. It was on the 17th of August, 1862, that Dr. Weaver was appointed assistant surgeon of the Ninety-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, so continuing until 1864, when he was promoted to the rank of surgeon and was thus mustered out at Nashville, Tennessee, June 8, 1865. He was under fire in all the battles of his regiment save those of the Atlanta campaign, for just after the beginning of that campaign he was detailed in charge of division hospital at Atlanta, Georgia, where he continued until mustered out of service at Nashville, Tennessee. In the meantime he had been captured at Chickamauga, where he remained to take care of the wounded and was sent to Libby prison, where' he continued from September 21, 1863, until the 1st of December following, being held as a hostage, though treated as a prisoner of war. He did valuable service for his wounded and suffering comrades through the period of his connection with the army, many having reason to bless him for timely and skilfull aid. Dr. Weaver's military service also brought him wide and varied experience which was of much usefulness to him. On his retirement from the army he located for practice in Wooster, Ohio, where he formed a partnership with Dr. J. D. Robison and continued until 1874. In that year he was appointed chief surgeon to the National Soldiers' Home at Dayton, where he remained for six years or until 188o, when he came to the city, since which time he has practiced successfully as a physician and surgeon here. He is widely known as a skillful and conscientious practitioner, knowing that the issues of life and death are often in his hands. He is very careful in the diagnosis of his cases and seldom, if ever, at fault in anticipating the outcome. His reading, too, covers a wide range and makes him conversant with the most advanced scientific ideas of the profession. While in Wooster he served as a member of the board of pension examiners and in Dayton has acted in the same capacity almost continuously from 1882. He occupied the position of health officer in Dayton from 1886 until 1891 and since 1882 has been a member of the consulting staff of St. Elizabeth's hospital, while since 1881 he has been surgeon for the Big Four Railroad. He has financial interests as a stockholder and director in the Gem City Building & Loan Association and is now one of its vice presidents. On the 6th of September, 1865, Dr. Weaver was married to Miss Sarah J. Jacobs, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, a native of Wooster, Ohio, and a daughter of William Jacobs. Dr. and Mrs. Weaver became the parents of three daughters and a son : Anna L., who died at the age of sixteen ; Mary M., who passed away in infancy ; Frederick C. ; and Mima J. The son was born December 16, 187o, and after attending the Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, read medicine with his father and completed his course in the Miami Medical College at Cincinnati, from which he was graduated in 1894. He now practices in Dayton, has been one of the attending physicians of St. Elizabeth's hospital and was assistant surgeon of the Third Regiment of the Ohio National Guard. He wedded Miss Mary E. Bridgeman, of London, Ohio, in 1891. Dr. J. M. Weaver gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has served for three terms as a member of the school board, while in all matters 448 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY of vital import to the community he is deeply interested. His fraternal relations are with Dayton Lodge, No. 147, A. F. & A. M., Unity Chapter, No. 16, R. A. M., Reese Council, No. 9, R. & S. M., and Reed Commandery, No. 6. He has also attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and he maintains pleasant relations with his army comrades through his membership in Old Guard Post, No. 23, G. A. R. For thirty-five years he has been a member of the First Presbyterian church. His professional relations are with the Montgomery County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the -State Association of Railroad Surgeons and the National Association of Railroad Surgeons. He has today passed the allotted psalmist's span of three score years and ten but still remains an active member of the profession which by his capable work he has honored through a practice covering forty-eight years. EZRA E. COLER. Ezra E. Coler, a farmer and stockman on the western outskirts of Dayton, was born on the farm, November 19, 1857, the son of Noah Coler, who was born in Maryland in 1828 and came to Montgomery county with his parents, Joseph and Elizabeth Coler, when he was five years of age. They were both natives of Maryland and were of German and English extraction. Noah Coler grew to young manhood on a farm, receiving his education at the schools of the county, which he attended while he assisted with the work on the home farm. On completing his education, he took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for a few years. On the 7th of March, 1852, he was married to Miss Eliza A. Gregg, the daughter of Silas and Susan Gregg, of Preble county, Ohio, of which union there were ten children born. Mr. Coler filled many minor offices of trust at the disposal of the people with honor and was recognized as a man of more than ordinary ability. He was one of the influential farmers of Jefferson township, and in fact of the county. Throughout life Noah Coler was the owner of several fine farms and made the breeding of thoroughbred stock a specialty. This branch of farming his son, Ezra E. Coler, adopted as his vocation in life, and in it he- has won more .than local distinction and renown. Together the father and son have done more than any men in the country for the improvement of the Poland China breed of hogs. Today Ezra E. Coler has a herd of hogs of the finest quality, most of them prize winners. At the head of this herd is Black Sunshine, No. 38317, who won the first prize and special sweepstakes at the St. Louis World's Fair and at many other fairs, including the Ohio State Fair, and carries more honors than any other hog of the breed in the state of Ohio. The dams in the herd have many times been prize winners and have been sired by some of the noted prize-winners of the -world. In connection with the breeding of hogs Mr. Coler gives his attention to raising Barred Plymouth Rock chickens of the highest standard. His efforts in his chosen field of work have been recognized and appreciated by his fellow breeders, and in the several associations that look to advancing the interests of these men he has held important positions.