DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 777 of the Dunkard church, in the work of which they are actively and helpfully interested. Always a resident of this county, the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have known him from his boyhood to the present time is an indication 0f an honorable, upright career. PHILIP E. GILBERT. Philip E. Gilbert, president of the Miami Building & Loan Association and one whose identification with building interests of the city has been of substantial benefit to Dayton, has given practical demonstration in his life of the power of intelligently directed industry and perseverance. His success has been sought and won along those lines and at the same time he has gained the honor and respect which the world instinctively pays to the man who has acted well his part in every relation of life. Mr. Gilbert is a native of Butler county, Ohio, born in Miltonville, November 21, 1845. His father was a native of Maryland and the mother of Pennsylvania and in 1848 a removal was made by the family from Butler county to Miamisburg, Montgomery county, where in the public and select schools Philip Gilbert pursued his education to the age of thirteen years. As he entered upon his teens he simultaneously entered the field of business activity, serving a five years' apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade in the intervals of vacation while pursuing his studies in the public schools. At the conclusion of his apprenticeship, in 1864, he responded to the country's call for aid and although but eighteen years of age joined Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio National Guard, serving under the command of Colonel John G. Lowe until mustered out at the expiration of his term of enlistment. Mr. Gilbert became a resident of West Sonora, Preble county, Ohio, in 1865, and there engaged in carpentry and in the operation of a sawmill for several years. He met with considerable success there, but in the spring of 1868 he determined to seek a broader field of labor and removed to Dayton. He had been here for but a brief period when he formed the acquaintance of William P. Huffman, who proved to him a most sincere friend. It was through the assistance of Mr. Huffman that Mr. Gilbert was enabled to engage in contracting and building, in which line he continued for many years, although he extended the scope of his activities in the meantime to include the manufacture of builders' supplies. Gradually he worked his way upward and something of the success which he enjoyed is indicated in the fact that he began the season of 1878 with one hundred and twenty-five contracts to build houses and at the close of the season had erected one hundred and sixty-five. Many large and substantial structures of Dayton stand as monuments to his ability and business enterprise. He was the builder of the ninth district school house, the Sacred Heart church, the. Central Baptist church, the Fourth National Bank, the Olmer Canby block, the Barney block on Third and Wayne streets, the Barney blocks on Fifth street, many fine residences and many of the largest manufacturing plants in the city, including those of the Davis Sewing Machine Company, the Zwick & Greenwald Wheel Company, the Dayton 778 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY Manufacturing Company, the Woodhull Carriage Company, the Dayton Last Company, the Crume & Sefton building and the Dayton Spice Mills. His identification with business operations led logically to his connection with building and loan interests and for eleven years he was the vice president of the Miami Building & Loan Association, of which he was one of the organizers in 1886. At the end of that time he was chosen to the presidency and so continues to this time—in the fall of 1909. While residing in West Sonora, Ohio, Mr. Gilbert was married on the 14th of June, 1886, to Miss Mary Ann Scharf, of Franklin, Warren county. They have become the parents of ten children, of whom the following survive : Erminie P., now the wife of Ira Crawford ; Florence E., the wife of J. Frank Kiefaver ; William P. ; Edwin D. ; and Helen E. Another daughter, Hattie B:, was married in Dayton to Edwin D. Kirby and, died six months later in the 27th year of her age. Mr. Gilbert is well known in fraternal circles. He is one of the oldest Knights of Pythias in Dayton, belonging to the Iola Lodge. He is also a York and Scottish Rite Mason and belongs likewise to Old Guard Post, G. A. R. His membership relations also extend to the Dayton Club and the Garfield Club, of which he is a charter member, and he is a devoted member of the Linden Avenue Baptist church, in the work of which he is very interested, serving as superintendent of the Sunday school for eleven years and taking an active part in other lines of its activities. He served two terms on the board of education and in 1892 was appointed by the tax commission a member of the board of public affairs for a term of four years, in which position he served so acceptably that he was reappointed by Mayor C. G. McMillen for another term of four years. In all of his life he has had no untried standards, but has sought his advancement in paths of industry and honor, with the result that while he attained success he has also made for himself an untarnished record. WEBB T. EBY. The spirit of modern progress is exemplified in the life and business career of Webb T. Eby, a jeweler of Dayton, who was born in this city, December 27, 1872. Under the parental roof he was reared and in the public schools he acquired his education, there pursuing his studies to the age of eighteen. He entered business life as a clerk in a grocery store and was employed in that capacity for two years. In 1893 he went upon the road for the National Cash Register as a salesman in the Carolinas and was so employed for a year, after which he became connected with the staff of the Farmers Home, a weekly paper. Another year was passed in that mariner, at the end of which time he entered the jewelry store of Aman & Company to learn the business. He continued there for twelve years and though he started out at the meager salary of four dollars per week the ability which he displayed in mastering the business and in handling the interests entrusted to his care won him promotion from time to time until he eventually became manager. In 1907 he started in the jewelry business for him- DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 779 self and has continued. therein to the present. He has a very attractive store, carrying a fine line of artistic goods, and he also makes a specialty of diamonds and watches. He has personally made a careful and scientific study of these precious stones in the country's largest diamond cutting institutions so that he brings expert knowledge to bear upon all purchases which he makes. He has a manufacturing plant in connection with his business, for handling special order work and repairing of all kinds. On the 26th of January, 1898, Mr. Eby was married in Dayton to Miss Maude E. McQuality, a daughter of John W. McQuality, of Edgemont. They attend and hold membership in the United Brethren church and both are well known socially, having many friends in the city, where Mr. Eby has also won for himself an enviable and gratifying position in commercial circles, and among the manufacturing jewelers of the east. In 1908 the Dayton Jewelers' Association was formed, Mr. Eby being elected vice president. CHARLES C. STEBBINS. Charles C. Stebbins, successfully engaged in farming in Montgomery county, is one of Ohio's native sons, his birth having occurred August 26, 1868, in Jefferson township, this county. He is a son of John H. and Sarah (Keen) Stebbins, and is a grandson of Levi and Susannah (Hire) Stebbins. His grandfather came to Ohio from New Jersey and his father was born in Jefferson township, Montgomery county, October 4, 1835. His mother was born in the same township, on the 21st of December, 1837. In their family were the following children: Katy M., Susan Alice, George K., Charles C., Howard, Edward H. and Jacob. Reared amid the scenes and environment of rural life, Charles C. Stebbins acquired his early training in the common schools of Jefferson township, during which time he also assisted his father on the home farm. He later attended the Ohio Normal University at Ada and subsequently became a graduate of Beck's Commercial College at Dayton. Thus well equipped he entered business life as a school teacher, following that profession for fourteen years. in Van Buren, Harrison and Jefferson townships, during which time he proved a most competent instructor, not only imparting clearly and readily to others the information he had acquired but also gaining a reputation as an excellent disciplinarian. His labors in this profession were helpful factors in advancing educational interests in the various communities in which he resided. His recent years, however, have been devoted to agricultural pursuits, in which line of activity he is meeting with gratifying success. He owns seventy-six acres of good farm land in this township, to the cultivation and improvement of which he is devoting his entire time and attention and which in return yield rich annual harvests. As a companion on life's journey Mr. Stebbins chose Miss Luella M. Shew, who was born September 4, 1876, a daughter of Charles M. and Ellinora (Zumbrun) Shew. The wedding occurred March 3, 1898, and unto this union were born three sons and one daughter : Mark Jacob, born in 1899 ; Roy E., born in 1900; Carl M., born in 1902 ; and. Iva, born in 1907. The parents are members 780 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY of the Church of the Brethren, of which Mr. Stebbins is acting as a trustee, and he was likewise superintendent of the Sunday school. He is also a member of the Jefferson township board of education. Although the honors and emoluments of office have had no attraction for him, he is not, however, remiss in the duties of citizenship, but is deeply interested in all that pertains to the material, intellectual and moral development and upbuilding of the community. Having spent his entire life in this locality he has acquired an extensive acquaintance, and that he is most highly respected and esteemed by those who have known him since childhood is indicative of the fact that his life has at all times been actuated by high and honorable principles. AUGUSTUS WALDO DRURY. Augustus Waldo Drury was born near Pendleton, Madison county, Indiana, March 2, 1851. His parents were Morgan S. Drury and Elizabeth (Lambert) Drury, wh0 were married February 22, 1849. Morgan S. Drury was born in Henry county, Indiana, August 31, 1826. In 1854, he removed to Winnesheik c0unty, Iowa, and settled 0n a farm near Castalia, entering some of his land from the government. The children born in Indiana were : Marion R., from 1881 to 1897 one of the editors of the Religious Telescope at Dayton, Ohio; Augustus W. ; and Eva M., now living in California. Morgan S. Drury entered the ministry of the United Brethren church in 1855, in which, after 1859, he was actively employed until 1894. He died at Pasadena, California, November 1,1902. He served as commissioner of his county in Iowa a number of years, was successful in farming and in business, gave largely to the work of educati0n in his denomination, with which w0rk he was officially connected for many years. Mrs. Elizabeth Drury was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, June 19, 1826, and died in Pasadena, California, January 27, 1905. A maternal great-grandfather, Lewis Smith, was one of the first settlers of Augusta county, Virginia. While without the privileges of an education in the schools, she was characterized by strong intellectual traits and decided moral convictions. The Lamberts, representing her paternal lineage, as well as the Smiths, were of sturdy German stock. The name Drury is of Norman-French origin. It was taken to England by Sir Robert Drury at the time of the Norman conquest. William, a descendant of Robert Drury, gave the name to Drury Lane in London, his city residence standing adjacent to the same. The name was first brought to America about 1640 by Hugh Drury, whose descendants are in various parts of the United States. William Drury, from whom the subject of our sketch is descended, came from England about the time of the American Revolution and settled in Franklin county, Pennsylvania. About 1810, with a large family, he moved to Wayne county, Indiana, then on the frontier of settlement. A son, Arnold, was married to Selah Shortridge, who was of Welsh descent. Her family came from Ken- DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 781 tucky, where they were interrelated with the Boone family. After his marriage, Arnold Drury moved to Henry county, where the older children of the family were born, and later to Madison county, both in Indiana. In the latter county, Morgan S., son of Arnold, grew up and was married. Augustus W., is the son of Morgan S. Drury. In 1854, his father, with a small colony of his wife's people, removed with his family to the frontier of settlement in northern Iowa. John L., now living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was the only one of five children born in Iowa wh0 grew up to maturity. As the children grew up they attended the short terms of school then provided for. The sons were early set to work on the farm, the requirements soon leading them to give up the summer term of school. In the fall of 1866, A. W. Drury, at the age of fifteen, was sent to Western College at Western, Iowa, now Leander Clark College at Toledo, Iowa, where he entered on the preparatory course. Six years later he graduated regularly in the classical course. In the time that he was pursuing his c0llege course he taught school for three terms. On completing his course he was elected professor of the Latin and Greek languages in his alma mater. His health apparently being endangered, he resigned at the expiration of one year. In 1873, he entered the ministry in Iowa conference of the church of the. United Brethren in Christ and was assigned to a mission charge in Fayette county, Iowa. In this year several hundred persons were received by him into the church. The following year he entered Union Biblical Seminary, now Bone-brake Theological Seminary at Dayton, Ohio, from which institution he graduated three years later. While pursuing his theological course he served one year, 1875-76, as pastor of Summit Street United Brethren church. In 1886, he was a student in the summer semester in Berlin University. From 1877 until 1880 he was pastor at West Union, Iowa. In 1880 he was called to a position of instructor in Bonebrake Theological Seminary and soon 'afterward was made full professor, his department, until 1892, being church history. In the year last named he was transferred to the department of systematic theology, which place he still holds. On September 6, 1876, he was married to Miss Sophia Bookwalter, daughter of Rev. I. L. Bookwalter, whose ancestors came from Switzerland. Her mother, born in England, was of Scotch descent, the family name being Johnston. Five children were born to A. W. and Sophia Drury : Luther E., Mabel, Horace B., Agnes and Ruth. A. W. Drury was given the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1885. He is the author of "The Life of Philip William Otterbein," .1884; "The Life of Bishop J. J. Glossbrenner, D. D.," 1889 ; a chapter on the "Visible Church," a small volume 0n "Baptism," 1902 ; and a number of addresses and short treatises. Some of the latter are entitled "Faith and Knowledge," "The Roman Catholic Church —Our Proper Attitude T0ward It" and "Ecclesiastical Constitution." He edited in a republished f0rm the "Early Disciplines of the United Brethren Church" and translated from the German "Early Conference Minutes" of the United Brethren Church. For a short time he was one of the editors of the "United Brethren Review." From its organization in 1885 till the present time he has been the corresponding secretary of the United Brethren Historical Society. He 782 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY has been elected to various church boards, among them being the United Brethren Publishing Board. In 1895, he was elected a member of the board of education of the city of Dayton, being made by his fellow members president of the board for two successive years. F0r a number 0f years, he has been a member of the board of directors of the Associated Charities of the city 0f Dayton. While occupied directly with his work in the ministry and in teaching, Dr Drury has given attention to public conditions and interests in a more general way. Both within and outside of his professional labors, historical and philosophical- subjects have claimed his attention. While allured somewhat by theory, his mind has a decidedly practical turn. The religious influences that were transmitted to him came from various sources. The Smiths and the Lamberts of Virginia, at first Lutherans, early became followers of Rev. William Otterbein, the recognized founder of the United Brethren Church ; the Shortridges early became zealous disciples of Alexander Campbell; and the Drurys were Friends, the Boones during a part of their history also being connected with that society. With Morgan S. Drury began a special trend toward education which in his branch of the family has been well maintained. JACOB SEYBOLD. Jacob Seybold, a prosperous and representative farmer of Mad. River township, Montgomery county, was born in this county on the 1st of April, 1842, and is one of the oldest citizens of this township. He is a son of John and Jacobina (Fulmer) Seybold, the former a native of Germany, who came to the United States when about twenty-two years of age, settling in Montgomery county, Ohio. He devoted his entire life to farthing and became one of the most prominent representatives of agricultural pursuits in Mad River township. Jacob Seybold, whose name introduces this review, has passed his entire life in Montgomery county with the exception of one year, which was spent in traveling in Indiana. Passing his youthful days under his father's roof, he acquired his education in the common schools of the neighborhood and assisted in the work of the farm. Reared to agricultural life, he wisely chose that occupation as his life work. He now owns one hundred and eighty-five acres of fine farm land on the Brandt pike about four miles from .the Dayton courthouse, the pike passing through and dividing the property. This farm, which has been highly cultivated and greatly improved, is recognized as one of the finest in Montgomery county. He is greatly interested in horse racing and has raised some very fine horses, at the present time having three in training, while he is a well known figure in racing circles in this county. On the 23d of February, 1882, Mr. Seybold was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Null, who died April 26, 1894. He was again married, April 22, 1902, his second union being with Miss Martha Bertha Rosalie Roehr, who was born March 22, 1884, in Gerbstedt, province of Saxony (or Sachsen), Germany. She DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 785 traces her ancestry back to Carl Roehr, who was born in 1815 in the beautiful summer resort owned by his father at Gerbstedt. At the age of fourteen . years he began learning the stone-mason's and carpenter's trades and was graduated as an architect when in his twenty-fourth year. He continued in business along that line from 1839 until 1864, when his eldest son, Carl Roehr, Jr., succeeded him, and he spent the remainder of his life in retirement from active labor. He married Chrystal Michaels, who was born in the village of Halle-in-Sachsen, Germany, where her father owned and operated a mill until the war between France and Prussia in 1816, when he lost his property, and in 1814 moved to Gerbstedt. Ludwig Albert Roehr, the father of Mrs. Seybold, was born on the 7th of August, 1859, in Gerbstedt, Saxony, Germany, and received a good education, graduating from the normal school. At the age of fourteen he commenced learning the mechanic's trade, at which he worked until eighteen years of age, and then after attaining his majority served two years in the Magdeburger Yaeger Battalion, No. 4. In 1883 he established a machine shop in Gerbstedt, which he successfully conducted until 1891, but it has been his wish from boyhood to come to America, where he believed that better opportunities were afforded to those who have to make their own way in the world, but as this was against the wish of his cousins, he did not leave Germany until after the death of his mother. On the 14th of January, 1892, however, he started with his wife and four children on the long voyage to the United States. He reached Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 1st of February of that year and six days later began work in the Seybold Machine Factory of that city, where in a few months he rose to the position of foreman. When the company transferred their factory to Dayton in 1893 he removed his family to this city and continues in the position of foreman up to the present time though since 1895 he has made his home on a farm just south of Dayton, which has since been laid out in city lots. His wife, Mrs. Anna Bertha Rosalie Roehr, was born February 12, 1863, in Gerbstedt, Province of Saxony, Germany, and also received a normal school education. After graduating from that department she entered a school of cooking at Leipsic. It was on the 1st of July, 1883, that she gave her hand in marriage to Ludwig Albert Roehr. August Roehr, the grandfather of Mrs. Seybold, was born in 1834 and in his fourteenth year commenced learning the miller's trade, but afterward turned his attention to the buying and selling of grain. In 1869 he puchased a hotel, which he conducted until his death. In 1874 he was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Wagner in Gorenzen, near Mansfield. Her brother was an officer in the army and had charge of the post as director at Keil, Germany. August Roehr and his wife not only reared the eight children born to them but also two that were left orphans by the death of his sister, these being William and Ferdinand Duedloff. The former studied to be a forester and later became minister of forest culture in Austria by appointment of the government. Subsequently he received a similar. appointment from the king of Bulgaria, which position he still holds. At the age of fourteen years his brother, Ferdinand Duedloff, went upon the sea and rose to the position of captain. In the meantime he took one trip around the world, being gone seven years. 'He received a pension and died in Berlin, Germany, in 1906. Mrs. Seybold was graduated from the normal school at Oakwood and at present is studying both vocal and instrumental music. At 786 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY the age of fifteen years she was confirmed in St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church and is still a member of that denomination. Mr. Seybold gives his political allegiance to the democratic party and served as supervisor for fifteen years. He is public-spirited in all matters of citizenship, giving loyal support to all measures that tend to further the material, political and intellectual progress of the community. Through the successful conduct of his various business interests he has attained a most gratifying degree of success and is now numbered among the substantial and representative citizens of Montgomery county. JOHN McMAHON SPRIGG. John McMahon Sprigg, who ranked among the ablest lawyers of Dayton and was prominently connected with the political and social interests of the city as well, was born on a farm in Allegany county, Maryland, on the 1st of January, 1841, his parents being Joseph and Jane Duncan (McMahon) Sprigg, who were likewise natives of Maryland. They retained their residence upon a farm until about 1851, when they took up their abode in Cumberland, the county seat of Allegany county, and there John McMahon Sprigg was afforded the privilege of attending a private school, known as the Charles Street Academy, wherein he pursued his studies until his seventeenth year. He then went to Baltimore to make his home with his uncle, John V. L. McMahon. Following his removal to Baltimore, Mr. Sprigg remained a resident of that city until after the outbreak of the Civil war in 1861, when he went south and joined the Confederate army, enlisting in August of that year. He served with the southern forces until the close of hostilities in 1865 and participated in many of the great battles of the war, during which time he was twice wounded. Mr. Sprigg established his home in Dayton in September, 1865. Like many others, he was left almost penniless by the fortunes of war and on coming to Ohio had to begin life empty-handed. He read law in the office of Houk & McMahon of Dayton and after thorough preliminary study was admitted to the bar in the district court at Hamilton, Ohio, in August, 1868. He at once entered upon the private practice of his profession and although advancement at the bar is proverbially slow he gradually worked his way upward, the nature of his legal interests becoming constantly of a more and more important character, while his clientage also showed a marked annual increase in its extent. In 1875 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Montgomery county and served with distinction in that office for four terms, covering a period of ten years in all. In other ways he was closely associated with the public interests of the city, acting as a member of the police hoard of Dayton for four years, while at all times he gave active cooperations, which he deemed essential to the public welfare. In December, 1875, Mr. Sprigg Was united in marriage to Miss Mary Flora Helfrich, of Dayton, and unto them were born two children : Helen Mary, who was born June 10, 1877, and died on the 28th of December, 1891 ; and Carroll, DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 787 who was born June 16, 1879, and was graduated from Yale University in 19o1, while later he completed a course in Columbia University, and is now a member of the law firm of Fitzgerald & Sprigg. The wife and mother passed away in May, 1885, and Mr. Sprigg never remarried. Carroll Sprigg was married June 14, 1906, in Dayton to Miss Charlotte Louise Brown, a daughter of Charles H. and Ada B. Brown. Unto them has been born a son, John McMahon Sprigg. In addition to the practice of law Mr. Sprigg figured prominently in business circles as the secretary and treasurer of the Dayton Ice Manufacturing & Cold Storage Company, filling that position for many years. However, he regarded the practice of law as his real life work and ranked among the ablest criminal lawyers of the Montgomery county bar. As prosecuting attorney he gained the confidence of the law-abiding community and awakened the fear of evil-doers. His standard of professional ethics and practice was high and his knowledge of the law and of human nature was profound. In nearly forty years' continuous service at the bar he earned the confidence of the people, the 'regard of his fellow practitioners and the reward of diligence and conscientious devotion to his profession. In his political. views Mr. Sprigg was a stalwart democrat of the Andrew Jackson school and he was a deep student of civic problems and of questions of importance before the public, relative to the political, economic and sociological conditions of the country. He was a member of the Dayton Club and of the Antlers Club, and became a charter member of the Smizers, joining that society on its organization in 1884. Six years later he was elected its secretary and treasurer and in 1891 was honored with the presidency. In point of years he was the oldest member of the society. He became a charter member of the Montgomery County Bar Association, which at the time of his death met to take action relative thereto and passed a series of resolutions expressing the highest regard for Mr. Sprigg in both his personal and professional relations. He was also a trustee of the Dayton Law Library Association from 1881 until the time of his demise on the 26th 0f January, 1907, and when he lay seriously ill the board of trustees unanimously passed the following resolutions : "Resolved, That we note with very great regret the absence from our annual meeting of our long-time friend and associate on the board, Hon. John M. Sprigg, who is confined to his home by illness. We both miss his welcome and familiar presence and feel the loss of his valuable counsel and assistance, by which the library has profited for so many years. At this time when we are exchanging congratulations upon our well equipped library, our enlarged quarters and good financial condition, results which he has helped so efficiently to bring about, we especially regret that he is not with us to share the pleasure as he did the labor. We desire, through our secretary, to inform him of the passage of this resolution, and to assure him of our affectionate regard and esteem, our personal sympathy in his illness and our sincere wish that he may soon be restored to health." Mr. Sprigg was a man whom to know was to respect and honor because of his fidelity to high ideals and the wise use which he made of his time and talents. That he was a singularly modest and unostentatious man is indicated by the fact that during his last illness he requested that no elaborate mention be 788 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY made of him in the newspapers. H0wever, the consensus of public opinion accorded him prominence as a representative man of Dayton and one well worthy the fullest respect of his associates. WEBSTER L. KLINE. Webster L. Kline is engaged in the management of a fine farm of one hundred acres in Butler township, Montgomery county, which is owned by his father,- Edward Kline, and while he devotes his attention t0 general agricultural pursuits he has made much more than a local reputation as a breeder and raiser of fine Duroc-Jersey hogs. He has always lived in this county, where he was born February 7, 1883. His grandfather, Henry Kline, was a native of Hamburg, Germany, born March 6, 1813. He came to the United States in 1820 and was married here to Mary Hosier, of Butler township. They reared a family of three children and continued residents of this part of the state until called to their final rest. The death 0f Henry Kline 0ccurred February 20, 1896, while his wife passed away February 22, 1891, their remains being interred in the Poplar Hill cemetery. Their children were Jane, Belle and Edward, and Jane died February 3, 1909. Edward Kline, the father of Webster L. Kline, was born August 15, 1853, at Chambersburg, in sight of the farm on which he now lives and to which he rem0ved when fifteen years of age. His parents gave him the opportunity of attending the public schools through the period of his youth so that he acquired thereby a good. practical English education. He afterward turned his attention to farming,. taking up the vocation as a life work and continued actively in that department of labor until his retirement about six years ago. He has been very active in county and township work and is an influential citizen of the community, for it is generally recognized that when he endorses any movement it is such as will work for the best interests of the district at large. In 1879 he was united in marriage to Miss Sella Johnson, a daughter 0f Jesse and Belle Johnson. Her father was born in Butler township, Montgomery county, Ohio, while her mother was a native 0f Greenville, Ohio. She came to Dayton at an early age and here gave her hand in marriage to Jesse Johnson. For some years they lived upon a farm adjoining the Kline place but at length sold out and removed to Fidelity, Ohio, where they still reside. Mr. Johnson served for a time as postmaster of the town but is now living retired. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kline was blessed with two children, Jesse and Webster, the former born August 3, 1881. The latter was born February 7, 1883, and enjoyed the advantage of instruction in the schools of Chambersburg. He afterward pursued a commercial course in A. D. Wilt's Commercial College, at Dayton, in 1905-6, after which he returned to the farm and took charge of the property. He has since been busily employed in carrying on general agricultural interests and is today managing one hundred acres of fine farming land which responds readily to the care and labor which he bestows upon it. He has made for himself an enviable reputation as a successful breeder DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 789 of Duroc-Jersey hogs and has hogs that are of the progeny of Rhine Chief and Queen II. Rhine Chief is one of the most famous male hogs in the entire country. Mr. Kline now raises and sells hogs for breeding purposes .and expects to increase his business in the near future, making plans to give to it more of his time. In local political circles Webster L. Kline is well known as an active democrat, doing all in his power to promote the growth and insure the success of the party. He attends the Christian church but his parents are members of the United Brethren church at Vandalia, Ohio. His brother, Jesse Kline, was a pupil in the schools of Chambersburg and afterward went to Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he engaged in the loan business. After two years he returned to Dayton and became owner of the Buckeye Loan Company. He is now conducting the affairs of the Dayton Adjustment Company and is a very prominent and busy man of that city. SIMON BRENNER. Simon Brenner, an ex-senator and representative of Montgomery county is now living a life of retirement on his farm of forty-five acres on the Brandt pike in Wayne township. He comes from a family which has long been prominently connected with the affairs of this state and country. His paternal grandfather, Lewis Brenner, was of German descent and a native of Virginia, where he owned a plantation of six hundred acres and a large number of. slaves. His son, Jacob Brenner, was also born in Virginia but came to this county as a boy with his father. At that time, in 1809, the only means of conveyance was a wagon, and the land which the older Brenner had selected, a tract of six hundred acres, had to be cleared before it was ready for a home or for farming. It was an arduous task and was not completed when Simon Brenner became old enough to assist, for he remembers well the part he took in the work of clearing. Jacob Brenner married Miss Sarah Mathes and had ten children, two of whom died in infancy. Simon Brenner received his fundamental education in the schools of the county, going first to the old log school house. During all the time that he was fitting himself for life, however, he worked on the farm and gave his spare time to the reading of law and medicine. In both of these subjects he had advanced quite a little when he found it necessary to enter the world of business. For some thirteen years he traveled as the representative of a fruit tree firm and was successful in this line of work as he has been in whatever else he has undertaken. Upon retiring from this business he returned to the farm, its life and work and entered in the political arena of Montgomery county as well. He was a democrat in his party affiliations and soon made himself a power in the local councils of the party. He took an active interest in the welfare of the county and state and was elected a representative. After serving for two terms he was nominated and elected to the senate, securing a majority of eighteen hundred votes against one of the strongest candidates the opposition was able 790 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY to put up at that time. This was accounted a great achievement, and well it might be. Mr. Brenner served one term and then retired, and has since been enjoying the peace and comforts his active life entitled him to. In March, 1870, Mr. Brenner was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Swan, the daughter of Frank Swan, a broker in New Jersey, and a member of a prominent family. Seven children have been born to the couple. Elizabeth is the wife of Harvard Good, a well known merchant near Lima. May W., married Dr. Bond, and is now the mother of two daughters, Mary and May. Albert, a farmer, married Edna Smith and they have two children, Mabel and Ray. Simon, Jr., is also a farmer and lives near his father. He married Miss Edna Ketlig. Lena Bell, the youngest of those living, is a school teacher in this county. The two other children died in infancy. Mr. Brenner is a thorough farmer and a stock raiser on a small scale. During the winter months this part of his work receives a little more emphasis through his boarding and feeding some stock for others. He is also a man who exerts his best influence for the good of the community which he did not shrink from serving while he was in active life. It was regretted that he saw fit to retire from public life after his first term as senator, for the generous support that was accorded. to him at the time of his election was but an indication of what he might expect should he rely upon the support of the county. This and the good will of the community he still retains in his quiet life. EDWARD K. PARISH. On the roster of Dayton's officials appears the name of Edward        Parish, a member of the board of public service, who is equally well known in this city as a successful brick manufacturer and contractor, having for twenty-five years conducted a growing and profitable business in these lines. A native of the neighboring state of Indiana, he was born in Logansport in 1853 and there pursued his education in the public schools, continuing a resident of that city to the age of thirty years. In the meantime he learned the bricklayer's trade, displayed efficiency in his work and became a contracting builder. Seeking a broader field of labor, in 1883, he removed to Dayton where he has now made his home for a quarter of a century, during which period he has been closely associated with its building and manufacturing interests. He was a contracting brick-mason until 1901, when he withdrew from that field of activity to concentrate his energies upon the manufacture of brick. Throughout his entire life Mr. Parish has held to no false standards nor has he sought success by easy methods, being fully conscious of the fact. that earnest, persistent labor is the only substantial basis upon which to build prosperity. In 1883 was celebrated the marriage of Edward K. Parish and Miss Ella Paulus, who was born in Preble county, Ohio, and they have one daughter, Glennie, now the wife of Fred Johnson. Mr. Parish is a democrat in his political views, active in the work of the party, for he deems that the conditions of the country demand the adoption of its principles as a safeguard to general govern- DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 793 mental interests. In November, 1907, he was elected a member of the board of public service and is giving excellent satisfaction by reason of the capable manner in which he discharges his duties. His fraternal relations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Elks, and he enjoys the warm regard of his brethren of those organizations. LEVI BAKER. Levi Baker is a representative of one of the oldest families in Montgomery county and was born on the 9th of June, 1836. in Clay township within the corporation limits of Brookville, where he has always lived. He is a son of Benjamin and Frances (Niswonger) Baker, who came from Virginia in 1810 when the entire country was a wilderness. Large bands of Indians camped on the place which he took up and every evidence of pioneer life was to be seen. Not only did red men roam through the forests but the woods were also the haunts of many wild animals and through the forests in places there were only Indian trails. The father, however, turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits and for many years was well known as a successful farmer and grain merchant. Levi Baker was reared on the old homestead and his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present. He can relate many interesting incidents of the early days. His education was acquired in the public schools and at the age of twenty-six years he entered into active business relations with his father. They not only carried on farming and purchased grain but also had charge 0f the postoffice and had the agency of the Panhandle and Pennsylvania Railroad at this point, being the first agents of those lines. They likewise conducted a general store and were thus closely associated with diversified lines of activity that contributed to the improvement and general progress of the community. The business was conducted under the firm style of Baker & Son. After six years Levi Baker sold his interest, purchased a farm and in connection with the cultivation of his fields also carried on the grain business on his own account. His worth as a citizen and business man led to his selection for various positions of honor and trust. For thirteen years he was township assessor and for two terms was land appraiser. In 1883 he entered into business relations with D. C. 'Williamson as railroad and express agent ,under the firm style of Baker & Williamson and this connection was continued for about twenty years. Again Mr. Baker was called to public office, acting as county infirmary director for three years, as township treasurer for four years and as city treasurer for twenty-five years. He was also assistant postmaster and for six years filled the position of postmaster. In all of these offices he proved loyal, competent and faithful and his public record is one over which there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Gauger and unto them was born a daughter, Mary Ann, now deceased. For his second wife he chose Rebecca Koontz, and they had two children : Arlie L. and Edith L., who is now 794 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY the wife of Ira B. Miller, a butcher of Brookville. They 'have one child, Donald B. As a further expression of the confidence reposed in Mr. Baker it may be cited that he has settled as assignee and administrator many of the estates in this part of the county and never with a loss of a single dollar to any. His name is associated with many events and business projects of the community. He put up the first tobacco warehouse in Brookville and for many years has bought tobacco for others averaging about one hundred thousand pounds annually for the last twelve years. He may well be termed the father of the tobacco industry in Brookville, which has been such an important source of revenue to the town. The village of Brookville has been built upon part of the old Baker farm and Mr. Baker has laid out two additions thereto. He enjoys the highest esteem of his neighbors and his friends are legion. He is often consulted upon matters relative to the history of this section of the state and seldom is his memory at fault concerning any matter that has left its impress upon the public life. WELLINGTON C. SMITH. Wellington C. Smith, attorney-at-law, practicing as a member of the firm of Van Deman, Burkhart & Smith at Dayton, was born in Lytle, Warren county, Ohio, July 15, 1874, and was one of the family of five children, three sons and two daughters, whose parents were Mr. and Mrs. Joel E. Smith. The father was born in Burlington, New Jersey, in 1833, and died July i 1, 1907, in Warren county, Ohio, at the old home which he had so long occupied. He made a splendid record by his service as a soldier in the Civil war, becoming one of the boys in blue of Company B, One Hundred and Eightieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served for one year. He participated in the battle of Five Forks and in other engagements and joined General Sherman at Goldsboro, North Carolina, after which he continued northward with the Union troops to Washington, D. C., where he participated in the grand review which was the closing pageant of the war. At that time thousands of people lined the streets of the capital city and cheered the returning soldiers while across Pennsylvania avenue swung a banner bearing the words, "The only debt which our country cannot pay is the debt which she owes to her soldiers." Wellington C. Smith spent his youthful days in his native town to the age of fifteen years when the family removed to Dayton. In 1891, however, his parents returned to their old home in Warren county. Mr. Smith of this review supplemented his early education by a high school course in Waynesville, Ohio, and then took his initial step in the business world as an employe of the Big Four Railroad Company, being employed by that line in the Union Depot at Dayton as telegraph operator from 1895 until 1898. Subsequently he entered a college preparatory school at Dayton, where he pursued his studies for a year that he might thus qualify for a more advanced course. In the meantime he had determined to make the practice of law his life work and to this end entered the law department of the Ohio State University, where he devoted three years to DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 795 study. He was then admitted to the bar June 13, 1901, and in 1902 entered the employ of the National Cash Register Company in the legal department, where he continued for three years. In 1905 he became assistant in the law office of Van Deman, Burkhart & Shea and a year later succeeded Mr. Shea as the third partner in the firm. He is thus now engaged in the practice of law, and, being devotedly attached to his profession, systematic and methodical in habit and conscientious in the discharge of every duty he is making a creditable record and steady progress as a member of the Dayton bar. On the 31st of December, 1902, Mr. Smith was married in Springfield, Ohio, to Miss Gertrude Stephenson and they have one son, Everett Hale Smith. Mr. Smith gives his political allegiance to the republican party and as every true American citizen should do keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the clay. Socially he is connected with the Tribe of Ben Hur and he belongs to the Reformed church. As the years have gone by and his acquaintance has grown the circle of his friends has also increased and substantial qualities of manhood, of citizenship and of legal ability promise well for his continued advancement in public regard and in his chosen field of labor. ADAM SCHANTZ. Adam Schantz, president of the Dayton Breweries Company, has, in his business career, displayed marked ability and enterprise in coordinating forces and carrying to successful completion large schemes of trade and profit. A native of this city, he was born December i6, 1867, and as the years have passed has come into important relations with the business affairs of Dayton, his activities in a large measure being of a character that contribute to general prosperity as well as to individual success. He pursued his studies in the Dayton schools to the age of twelve and for several years thereafter aided his father in the conduct of a meat market. He then became bookkeeper in the brewery of George Schantz & Company, where he remained until the 23d of June, 1887, when his father purchased the interest of George Schantz in the brewery and conducted the business under the name of the Riverside Brewery. Adam Schantz of this review acted as manager for his father and so continued until the 1st of March, 1904., when this plant was merged with five other breweries in Dayton and the Dayton Breweries Company was formed with Adam Schantz as president, in which position he has since continued, thus becoming the head of one of the extensive industrial interests of the city. On his father's death he was made executor and trustee of the estate without bond and is now so acting. His resourceful energy and initiative spirit have led him into active connection with various business concerns. He is now president of the Buckeye Building & Loan Association and president of the Dayton Citizens Electric Company, president of the Dayton Street Railway Company, president of the Edgemont Realty Company, a director of the Teutonia Fire & Marine Insurance Company of Dayton, a director of the Gem City Realty Company and of the 796 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY Dayton Iron Stove Company. He is likewise president of the Ohio Brewers Association and president of the Ohio Brewers Vigilance Bureau. On the 1st of January, 1901, in this city, Mr. Schantz was married to Miss Mary Eve Olt, a daughter of John Olt, and they have three children, Adam, Gertrude and John. Mr. Schantz belongs socially to the Elks, the Knights of Pythias, and the Golden Eagles, and is also a member of St. John's Lutheran church. He manifests keen insight and sound discrimination wherever he puts forth his activities and his intelligently directed effort has made him an important factor in the business ranks of his native city where his holdings and interests are extensive. SILAS WOGOMAN. Silas Wogoman, an agriculturist residing on section 15, Perry township, has served as justice of the peace of that township for a number of terms and is still the incumbent in the office. He was born in Perry township on the 30th of May, 1865, his parents being Joel M. and Rebecca (Emerick) Wogoman. The father, likewise a native of Perry township, Montgomery county, was born November 29, 1838, while the mother's birth occurred on the 31st of December, 1840. Joel M. Wogoman was .a son of Joel and Elizabeth (Overholser) Wogoman, and the maternal grandparents of our subject were David and Frances (Mikesell) Emerick. Silas Wogoman devotes his time and energies to the pursuit of general farming, operating a tract of land on section 15, Perry township, which annually responds to his cultivation in bounteous harvests. On the 4th of August, 1904, he wedded Miss Ella Rebecca Lang, a daughter of Henry Lang, by whom he has one child, Archie Everett. Politically Mr. Wogoman is a stalwart democrat and is now serving as justice of the peace in his native township, having held the office for several terms. His decisions are strictly fair and impartial, indicating a mind judicial in cast and entirely free from bias. He is likewise acting as truant office in Perry township. The name of Wogoman has long figured honorably in connection with the annals of Montgomery county and Silas Wogoman, who has spent his entire life within its borders, is highly esteemed as one of its most respected, enterprising and public-spirited citizens. JOHN A. RECK. John A. Reck, a prominent and well known citizen of Butler township, is the owner of a tract of fifty-nine acres of fine farming land. He was born in Darke county, Ohio, on the 31st of July, 1844, his parents being Eli and Nancy (Weaver) Reck. The paternal grandfather, John Reck, made his way to this state in 1826, locating at Gettysburg, which town he named. He purchased sixteen hundred HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 797 acres of land, likewise erected a flour mill and was long numbered among the prosperous and influential citizens of his community. He lived to attain the venerable age of ninety-four years. Eli Reck. the father of our subject, was born at Gettysbury, Pennsylvania, on the 27th of July, 1817, and was a lad of -nine years when he accompanied his father on the removal to this state. He followed general agricultural pursuits throughout his active business -career and passed away in Cedar county, Missouri, in 1891, his remains being there interred. His wife, whose birth occurred at Nashville, Ohio, on the 12th of October, 1823, died December 13, 1902, and also lies buried in Cedar county, Missouri. Their union was blessed with nine children, as follows : Anna, who was born in 1842 ; John A., of this review ; Henry, horn in 1846 ; Eli, Jr., in 1848 ; Mary E, in 1850 ; Susan J., in 1853 ; James A., in 1856 ; Silas, in 1861 ; and David, whose birth occurred in 1858. John A., Mary E. and Susan J. are the only surviving members of the family and the two last named make their home in Washington. Mary E. is the wife of Lewis Smith and has one child, Edward. Susan J. gave her hand in marriage to Noah Houck, by whom she has two children, Nancy and Ella. John A. Reck obtained his education in the common schools and early became familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist through the assistance which he rendered his father in the cultivation of the home, farm. On the 2d of May, 1864, when not yet twenty years of age, he enlisted for service in the Union- army as a member of Company C, One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. With his regiment he went to New Creek Station, West Virginia, and thence to Martinsburg, where he guarded a provision train for thirty day's, marching five hundred and sixty miles in that time.. .He took part, in the engagements at Sweetsprings and Lewisburg, West Virginia, and was then sent to Cumberland, Maryland, where he assisted in the erection of a fort. There, for a whole day, the Union forces were besieged by an army of sixteen thousand rebels, whom they finally repulsed. Mr. Reck was mustered out on the 2.d of September, 1864, returning home with a most creditable military record. He then again gave his time and energies to the work of general farming and remained a resident of his native county until twenty-three years of age, when he drove across the country to Missouri by wagon, the journey consuming twenty-eight days. He followed farming in that state for seven and a half years, on the expiration of which period he returned to Ohio, :taking up. his abode in Miami county. Subsequently he removed to Darke county and there continued to reside until he came to Montgomery county in March, 1908. As stated above, he is now engaged in the cultivation and improvement. of an excellent farm of fifty-nine acres in Butler township, which returns to him a gratifying annual income. The prosperity which he now enjoys is directly attributable t0 his Own well directed labor and. unfaltering energy, for he started out in life empty-handed and has worked his way steadily upward until he has gained wide and favorable recognition as a. most substantial and respected citizen. Mr. Reck has been twice married and by his first wife had two children. Willis A., who was born July io, 1870, is a mail clerk, his run being between Indianapolis and St. Louis. He married Miss Bessie Rankin, of Covington, Ohio. 798 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY J. Lewis, whose birth occurred June 29, 1877, is now acting as manager of a lumber company. He wedded Miss Mary Wagner and they have one child, Lloyd, now three years of age. For his second wife John A. Reck chose Miss Anna M. Warfield, whom he wedded in the year 1880. She was born in Grant county, Indiana, October 17, 1852, her parents being Jeremiah and Anna (Howard) Warfield, both of whom are now deceased and lie buried at Covington, Ohio. Her father was a farmer by occupation. Unto John A. and Anna M. (Warfield) Reck has been born one child, Earl 0., whose birth occurred May 30, 1881, and who is now inspector of cash registers for the American Cash Register Company at Columbus, Ohio. He wedded Miss Lova Dunnum of Covington, Ohio, and they have one child, Evelyn, born June 4, 1909. Politically Mr. Reck is an ardent advocate of the republican party, being convinced that its principles are most conductive to good government. For twenty years he has been an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Shiloh Springs Christian church, with which his wife is also identified. For eight years he served as trustee and has always been a most active and helpful church worker, doing all in his power to promote its growth and extend its influence. He is a man of many sterling traits of character, reliable in business, progressive in citizenship and at all times trustworthy and honorable. CLARENCE P. FOLSOM. Advantageously situated on the lake near the rich coal fields of Ohio, Dayton has become one of the centers of the iron trade and to this industry the city owes much of its wealth and indirectly its substantial growth and upbuilding. Clarence P. Folsom is well known as a representative of the iron trade through his connection as president of the Dayton Globe Iron Works. His life record has been marked by steady progress, each forward step bringing him a broader outlook and wider opportunities. Mr. Folsom was born in Malone, New York, in 1869 and was there reared until 1887, his education being acquired in the public schools of that place, which he attended until he reached the age of fifteen years. On putting aside his textbooks he secured a situation as clerk in a woolen mill office at Malone, remaining there to the age of eighteen years, when he bade adieu to the friends of his youth and removed westward to Dayton. Since 1887 Mr. Folsom has resided continuously in this city and has made his presence felt as a forceful factor in commercial and industrial circles. Soon after his arrival he secured a situation in the drafting room of the Stillwell & Bierce Manufacturing Company. He was with this firm and its successor until August, 1903, when he entered into his present business relations as vice president of the Dayton Globe Iron Works, but is now president. This is one of the important industrial concerns of the city and in his official Connection Mr. Folsom is called upon to solve many intricate trade problems. He has proven himself