DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 927 "Mrs. Patterson was an interesting talker and loved to dilate upon these contrasts in her life and to repeat anecdotes and reminiscences. Her physiognomy was a striking one, carrying with it the impression of strong character. She wore a cap according to the lovely old fashion when age was not ashamed to confess itself and the eyes under it were commanding eyes which spoke with authority. Her white hair, soft as silk and bright as satin gloss, framed a face which was more beautiful with the lines of old age than many a younger one. She had the manner of a grancle dame and stood as the head of the family to her last days ; another good old fashion now gone out. "Those who knew Mrs. Patterson: well loved to recall her personality, her vivacity, her interest in all that pertained to life, especially to her own family history and connections. Whether she is remembered through the stretch of years at the farm, where her open doors and bountiful table made good cheer for-her friends and her children's friends.; or during the later years in her city home, where she accepted her increasing age as did the patriarchs of old, with dignity and serenity, Mrs. Patterson will be a beautiful memory; for she was a fine gentlewoman, a devoted and generous mother, a firm friend and a true Christian." The eldest son of Jefferson and Juliana Patterson, Robert Patterson, was born November 27, 1833. In the spring of 1840, they removed from the Jefferson street house, where they had taken up their abode at the time of their marriage, to the Rubicon farm, which Continued to be the family home through the life time of Jefferson Patterson. He gave his attention to the control of extensive agricultural interests and of other business affairs, which were capably and profitably conducted. He was most active in the organization of the first Montgomery County Agricultural Society and this revived his own interests in well bred cattle and horses. With the determination to restock Rubicon farm, he took a trip to Kentucky. Thus early inheriting his father's tastes, he found among the wide acres of the homestead farm abundant opportunity to indulge them, and became recognized as one of the leading stock breeders of the state and at the same time stimulated the interests of others through his efforts in the Montgomery County Fair Association, which held its first meeting in October, 1839. As was always the custom with the Patterson household, each member had his duties to perform, for it was the belief of the father that the sons should be well trained for business life and the daughters as carefully educated in the work of the household. Each child had an appointed share of household labors, all controlled and directed by the mother, herself a constant example of untiring industry and faithfulness. The Rubicon farm was very noted for its generous hospitality, the same spirit being manifest during the occupancy of Jefferson Patterson and his family as had been evidenced when his father, Colonel Patterson, was at the head of affairs there. The place was a familiar rendezvous for the many friends of the family and its entertainments became the standard of hospitality throughout this section of the state. It was but natural that Jefferson Patterson, prominent as he was in the business and social life of the community, should also be called to public activity. In the opening years of the Civil war, he was sent to the state legislature and while attending the general assembly of 1862-63, the whole care of the farm and family devolved upon his wife, for the two oldest sons, William and Robert had 928 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY gone to the war. Sorrow and joy had come into her life, as in all others, as death and birth and social events had succeeded one the other, but the greatest sorrow that ever befell Mrs. Patterson came when she lost her husband, who died in Columbus while attending a session of the general assembly, March 23, 1863. Within twenty-four hours, the eldest daughter Kate, died on Mt. Auburn, Cincinnati, where she had been attending school. Perhaps no better estimate of Jefferson Patterson can be given than in the words of one who knew him well and said: "The life and character of Jefferson Patterson may be briefly told. His life was innocence and his end was peace. His traits of character were few, simple and clear. There was indeed much in him that was so unpretending as to escape casual or careless observation, but in all his life and character, to one who did observe, there was nothing mixed or dubious ; for he was honest, sincere, truthful, amiable, sensible and affectionate. He was all this always without a thought of any effect. He did not utter his thoughts or enact his deeds as a matter of interest or design, but they each and all flowed forth from his nature as frankly and freely as a stream from its fountain. "The writer of this tribute to his memory has known him long and most intimately in all the relations of his life and yet he never, in a single instance, knew him to do, or seem to wish to do, an act by which he could gain the least advantage in business over another, nor to be angered toward any person under any provocation. So charitable was he as not to slander the good name or wound the feelings of any person, and so truthful and guileless as not, under any temptation of interests or vanity, to state an untruth even in implication. For the rest, who was firmer or warmer through years of misfortunes than Jefferson Patterson to his many friends ? In their afflictions who came sooner or tarried longer to aid and console them ? And at his own home no citizen could with more open hand and welcome board and happy heart, dispense the joys of their frequent hospitalities, than did he and his now bereaved consort. This is strong praise, but it is nevertheless true, and it is pleasant to believe that the very many men and women who knew him as 'Uncle Jefferson' will perceive and admit its truthfulness. "There was another general characteristic of this man which may not have been so commonly understood. He was not merely just and conscientious to an unusual degree, but he was most fixed in his purposes and plans. Indeed, more than any one we ever knew, he realized what the poets describe Justum et tenacem propositi virum.' To all these private and usual virtues, he added that crowning glory, 'a true and faithful patriotism.' " In 1868, Mrs. Patterson removed to Dayton, living on West Third street, near Wilkinson, until her death, May 29, 1897. No mother ever had more devoted children or was more devoted to them and when she passed away it was to leave a gap never to be filled. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Patterson were born the following named: Robert, born Nevember 27, 1833 ; John Johnston, who was born in 1835, and died in infancy ; Rachel Robinson, who was born in 1837, and died in infancy William Lindsay. who was born April 1, 1839, and died 1865 ; Elizabeth Jones, born January 20. 1841 ; Stephen Johnston, born December 20, -1842 ; John H., born De- DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 929 cember 13, 1844 ; Catherine Phillips, born December 29, 1846 ; Francis J., born June 15, 1849 ; Arthur Stewart, born June 20, 1852 ; and Julia W., born March 15, 1857. Elizabeth, called Lizzie, died of cholera when only eight years old. CAPTAIN ROBERT PATTERSON, the eldest son of the family, spent his youthful days in the parental home and shared with the family in the tasks necessary to the development of the farm and the conduct of the business along progressive and modern lines. At the outbreak of the Civil war, then twenty-eight years of age, he entered military service in defense of the Union and was commissioned second lieutenant of the Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He remained in the service the entire term of three months, organizing and drilling at Camp Dennison. In the fall of 1861, he again enlisted, joining the fam0us Fremont Body Guard. He was commissioned second lieutenant and went into his first battle at Springfield, Missouri. He was mustered out with his command in St. Louis in 1862 and the next year he once more joined the army and was made a sergeant of the Sixty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In November of that year, he was commissioned second lieutenant, was appointed regimental adjutant in January, 1863, and when the Sixty-first "veteranized" was raised to the rank of captain in 1864. In March of the following year the regiment was consolidated with the Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry at Greensboro, North Carolina, and he was transferred to the command of Company I, in the Eighty-second. On the 24th of July, 1865, he was mustered out with his regiment at Louisville, Kentucky. He had been a gallant, faithful and loyal soldier, connected with the army almost continuously for four years and at the battles of Chancellorsville and at Bentonville, he sustained severe wounds. In recognition of his loyal services, he was elected a member of the First Class of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States by the commandery of Ohio, February 3, 1897. He continued a resident of Dayton until his death, June 4, 1901, and like others of the family bore active and helpful part in promoting the material development of the community and in upholding its political, legal and moral status. After the war Captain Patterson settled at Warwick, Wisconsin, where he acted as superintendent of a lead mine, and there in March, 1868, he was married to Mary Thomas, of that place. She was born at Red Ruth, England, May 4, 1844, and their children are : Robert Patterson. Jr., born near Mineral Point, Wisconsin, April 7, 1869 ; Frank Patterson, who was born near Mineral Point, Wisconsin September 7, 1870, died at Dayton, Ohio, December 29, 1891 ; John Johnston Patterson, born near Mineral Point, Wisconsin, December 26, 1876, married Edith McClure ; Katherine Johnston Patterson, who was born near Mineral Point, Wisconsin, June 13, 1878, married Edward Watts Davies in 1900 ; Mary Thomas Patterson, born at Dayton, Ohio, June 6, 1881, married Frank Pritz Hilt in 1909 ; and Jefferson Stuart Patterson was born at Dayton, Ohio, June I, 1882. Captain Patterson continued at Warwick until 1881, when he returned to Dayton and was connected with the National Cash Register until his death: In memoriam the Loyal Legion said of him : "A warm friend and always interested in the fortunes and misfortunes of old soldiers. He was a devoted attendant of the National Encampment of the G. A. R., until he became totally blind during the last two years of his life. This 930 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY great affliction he bore manfully, continuing to discharge his duties at the factory until he was stricken with apoplexy, and died, while making his daily round. "A sturdy, manly character, he will not be easily forgotten by those who have seen his erect carriage, as leaning on the arm of his son, with 'eyes to the front,' though seeing nothing, he walked from his house to his business." WILLIAM LINDSAY PATTERSON, born April 1, 1839, in the Jefferson street home, was educated in the public schools of Dayton. In April, 1861, he enlisted for three months service in the Civil war, as a private in the First Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He became sergeant and served in that office at Vienna Cross Roads and Bull Run ; then he re-enlisted for three years in the same regiment ; was commissioned lieutenant and for gallant and meritorious services, he was promoted to a captaincy, serving until the close of the war, when he was mustered out. He was selected to present the flag staff, flag and fife of his company to be deposited in the archives at the capitol in Columbus, but in recognition of his valour and efficient military services, he was presented with them as his own property. He retained only the brass eagle, giving the flag, staff and fife to the state. This brass eagle, now in possession of the family, was carried through the most important battles of the war, from Shiloh, April 7, 1862, to Chattahoochie River, July 6, 1864. William Patterson never was married. He died soon after the close of the war of diseases contracted in the service and was buried with military honors in Woodland cemetery in Dayton, Ohio. On a farm just outside of the city limits of Dayton, on the 20th of December, 1842, occurred the birth of STEPHEN JOHNSTON PATTERSON, now actively engaged in the development of rich coal resources. As a mine owner and dealer, he is closely associated with the coal trade and to this position of business prominence he has attained through his own efforts. His youthful days were not characterized by events of unusual importance. In fact his boyhood was spent in the manner of most farm lads, the district schools affording him his early educational privileges, while he received ample training in farm work. Later he had the opportunity of attending Miami University at Oxford, but while pursuing his studies there, he put aside his text-books that he might respond to his country's call for troops, enlisting in April, 1862, as a private of Company A, Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for four months in the mountains of West Virginia. He was then mustered out at White Sulphur Springs, Ohio. On his return home, he resumed the work of the farm, in which he was busily engaged until twenty-six years of age, when, feeling that broader business opportunities might be obtained in the city, he came to Dayton, in 1868, accompanied by his widowed mother, and entered the coal business as a retail dealer. Applying himself closely to the work of building up a substantial trade he was, at the end of fifteen years, able to engage in mining coal as an operator, while previously, in 1876, he had become a factor in the wholesale trade. From time to time, he has made investments in mining property and is now the owner of rich coal fields in Jackson, Ohio, and West Virginia. In fact he is one of the leading operators and dealers in this part of the state, being president of the Weyanoke Coal & Coke Company of Mercer county, West Virginia, president of the Gulf Coal Com- DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 933 pany of Raleigh county, West Virginia, and president of the Tom Corwin Coal Company of Jackson county, Ohio, besides other interests of minor importance. On the 12th of June, 1879, Mr. Patterson was married in Madison county, Ohio, to Miss Lucy A. Dun, a daughter of R. G. Dun. Their children are : Robert Dun, born January 21, 1881, married to Henrietta Lowe ; Julia Johnston, born June 21, 1883, married to Turner Morehead ; and Anne Love, born July 21, 1886. Mr. Patterson stands now in the prime of life a strong man, strong in his honor and his good name, in his ability to plan and to perform. Gradually throughout his business career he has extended his interests until they have reached extensive proportions. FRANCIS J. PATTERSON, born June 15, 1849, on the Rubicon farm south of Dayton. He was married June 4, 1890, to Julia Shaw and their children are : Jefferson, born May 14, 1891 ; Mary Perrine, born March 22, 1894 ; and Frank Stuart, born September 3, 1896. As a boy, Frank Patterson attended the public schools of Dayton and for a lime was a pupil at St. Mary's Institute. His education was completed at Dartmouth College and upon his return to the home of his boyhood, be became a business man, for which career he was splendidly qualified. Together with his brother John H. he engaged in the coal business and in the management of mines in southeastern Ohio. During these years, his attention being directed to an arrangement foi recording sales, the idea came to both brothers that such a machine could be of immense value in the business world. The venture was a rash one in the opinion of many friends, but the far-seeing commercial faith of the Pattersons triumphed and now the product of their acumen is seen in every country in the world. While John H. pushed the manufacture and sale of the Cash Register to such large results, it was Frank J. whose clear mind, attention to detail, and judicial character made the indispensable factors in the success of the concern. Incorporated in 1884 as the National Cash Register Company, the business and it development constitutes the most important chapter in the industrial history of Dayton. Frank Patterson was a large stock holder and vice-president of the company for a number of years, the association terminating only on his death, July 4, 1901. JULIA WINGATE PATTERSON, born March 15, 1857, married Joseph Halsey Crane, April 24, 1883. Her children are : Joseph Graham Crane, born April 29, 1884 Jefferson Patterson Crane, born May 11, 1885. Joseph Halsey Crane was the son of Joseph Graham Crane, who was the son of Joseph Halsey Crane, who was the son of Colonel William Crane of the Continental army under General Washington. Joseph Graham Crane was a colonel in the United States army and served throughout the Rebellion in the Army of the Potomac. Joseph Halsey Crane's mother was Sarah S. Schenck, a daughter of Rear Admiral James F. Schenck, of the United States navy, and a niece of General Robert C. Schenck, who was minister to England during President Grant's first administration. JOHN H. PATTERSON. While through more than a century the various members of the Patterson family have borne active, helpful and important part in the upbuilding of Dayton, in the utilization of the natural resources of the country and in the improvement of the city along many lines, by the consensus of the public opinion, John H. Patterson stands foremost in the work that has been most beneficial to Dayton. In his life splendid business ability and executive force are 934 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY well balanced factors. Born in 1844, he passed through consecutive grades of the Dayton district and high schools and was then afforded the advantages of a college course at Dartmouth, from which he was graduated with the class of 1867. On the 18th of December, 1888, in Brookline, Massachusetts, by the Rev. Howard N. Brown, Mr. Patterson was united in marriage to Katharine Dudley Beck, who was born at Eastham, Massachussets, a daughter of Frederick and Lucy (Doane) Beck. By her marriage, she became the mother of two children: Frederick Beck, born in Dayton, June 22, 1892 ; and Dorothy Forster, born October 27, 1893. The wife and mother passed away June 11, 1894, and was laid to rest in Woodland cemetery. The business career of John H. Patterson is a most notable one. In his youthful days, he worked his father's saw and gristmill and following the completion of his education in Dartmouth College, he acted as collector of tolls on the Miami canal from 1867 until 1870. Subsequently he engaged in the retail coal business in Dayton and afterward became interested in coal mining in Jackson county, Ohio. He was manager for the Southern Ohio Coal Company for several years and in connection with his mining interests, he conducted a general store for supplying the miners. He found after three years business, though he had sold large quantities of goods, the profits had been very small. He felt that there was reason for this—that all the returns of the sales did not come to him. Hearing of cash registers he ordered two by telegraph. It is a strange coincidence that these were the first ever sold to retail stores. They were very crude affairs and did nothing more than punch holes in a roll of paper and indicate the amount of a purchase to the customer. Almost immediately after their installation in the store, however, the daily receipts of Mr. Patterson increased and he became convinced that what was good for his store would be a good thing for every other retail establishment in existence. It was thus that he became interested in a business which he purchased in 1884, and which under his guidance has become one of the most extensive manufacturing enterprises of the world. The first cash register was invented in 1879 by Jacob Ritty, a retail merchant of Dayton. While on his way to Europe, Mr. Ritty noticed in the engine room of the vessel a recorder on a propellor shaft. He was worried about trusting his business to his clerks while away and wondered why a small contrivance could not be made to record sales in his stores. He, therefore, shortened his stay abroad, returned to Dayton and built the first cash register, resembling somewhat an old parlor clock. It was not practical, however, and was never marketed. Later an indicator was substituted for the dial and thus was inaugurated an idea which through development has produced the cash register of today. Mr. Ritty after placing his machine in his own store began the manufacture of cash registers but, owing to his lack of capital, sold his invention to the National Manufacturing Company. In 1882 John H. Patterson became connected with the company, was chosen a director and after purchasing the controlling interests he and his. brother, Frank J. Patterson, organized the National Cash Register Company, of which he has since been the president and manager. Business was begun with a paid up capital of fifteen thousand dollars. The register has been improved by tedious and laborious yet natural transitions until it has developed into a perfect piece of mechanism. DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 935 In 1886 the capital stock was increased to a hundred thousand dollars. In 1888 a large brick building was erected and since that time the capacity of the plant has been continually increased. The cash register mechanism is one of Dayton's contributions to the inventions, utilities and industries of the world. The Patterson brothers, on becoming proprietors of the enterprise, bent their energies to the extension of the markets and organized the personnel of the company's employes with unflagging zeal and ability which can be only known and recorded by its results. Today the present capital stock is ten million dollars and they have thirty-four acres of floor space used solely to manufacture National cash registers. The main factory is at Dayton, but there are branch factories in London, Berlin and Toronto, Canada, while the executive offices are at the corner of Twenty-eighth and Broadway, New York city. In. these various factories and office about five thousand people are regularly employed and in addition there are over a thousand men in the various sales offices in all parts of the world. The company has twenty-eight thousand, five hundred patent claims and fifteen hundred and seventy patents. They have sold over seven hundred and fifty thousand National cash registers and have a daily output of three hundred and fifty or one for each minute and a half. About one-third of the output goes to foreign countries. The cheapest cash register manufactured is sold for fifteen dollars and the most modern and highly improved on the market today brings seven hundred and ninety dollars. Mr. Patterson has written largely on important questions and municipal and legislative reform, and no one man is more competent to speak with authority upon such subjects for he has proven the practicability of his theories and has demonstrated the worth of his work. It is said that there is no factory in the world which shows as high an average of intelligence on the part of its employes, where there is such a degree of harmony, with the absence of all friction, jealousy and strife that leads to labor troubles. After an exhibit at the Paris Exposition of 1900 of his company's industrial enterprise and especially of his efforts for the benefit of his employes, John H. Patterson received the decoration of Legion of Honor from the French government. Mr. Patterson always gives full credit to the able corps of assistants and employes that he has drawn around him for the success of the mammoth enterprise of which he is today the head. It is said of him that he never forgets a friend, and the playmates of his youth, the associates of his early manhood, those with whom he labored in his early days of mining and mercantile, experience and those with whom he has been associated with the control of a gigantic enterprise have been alike remembered through all the years with their added responsibilities and honors. Characteristic of Mr. Patterson was his entertainment of his old schoolmates at his beautiful home at Far Hills. On the 17th of November, 1906, he held a reunion there of the old pupils of the brick schoolhouse that used to stand at the junction of Main and Brown streets, where the Patterson log cabin is now to be seen. It was an occasion never to be forgotten by any who participated therein. With an absence of all formality, the friends and associates of long ago, now men and women in various walks of life, gathered on this occasion and the afternoon was spent in delightful reminiscences and in other ways of entertainment provided by the host. One of the most cherished features of the occasion was a souvenir volume presented by Mr. Patterson to his schoolmates. It contains a group picture of those 936 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY who were present at the reunion, together with views of the school and reproductions of photographs of many of the pupils who attended there during his boyhood days. One of the most remarkable of Mr. Patterson's characteristics is the ability to grasp new ideas and put them into practice. No plan, however large and apparently visionary, ever daunted him. He has been continually on the search for the best suggestions and the best expert opinion. Gathering them up from books or from men and things he welded them together in his own mind and suddenly the finished product sprang into actual existence. In every venture he "went one better" than the man who had at first attempted it. While slower minds were considering and asking questions he was already putting the new scheme into practice. This initiative and compelling power were great incentives to younger men whose ambitions he roused by his example of energy and will. Like his grandfather Colonel Robert Patterson, he is a born worker and a born fighter. CHARLES L. G. BREENE. Charles L. G. Breene, enterprising and progressive, is conducting a large and growing merchant tailoring business in Dayton, his native city. The year of his birth was 1858, his parents being William Gale and Margaret (Journee) Breene. The father was born in County Clare, Ireland, in 1815 and in his youthful days came to America, remaining for a time in New York city, after which he removed westward to Dayton, which was then a small and comparatively inconsequential town, having a population of only a few thousand, while many districts of the state were largely uninhabited. He bought out a merchant tailor shop for eight dollars at the southwest corner of Second and Main streets and, bending his energies toward the development of a trade, he secured a constantly growing patronage, which increased with the growth of the city and which he handled in profitable manner up to the time of his death in 1895. He had been married in New York city to Miss Margaret Journee and unto them were born nine children, seven of whom are living. The wife and mother departed this life in 1896, and the father about one year later. Mr. Breene was a member of the Masonic fraternity in hearty sympathy with the underlying principles of the craft. He enjoyed the friendship and regard of all with whom business and social relations brought him in contact for his life displayed those sterling qualities of manhood which in every land and clime awaken honor and good will. Charles L. G. Breene, who was the seventh in order of birth in his father's family, spent his youthful days under the parental roof and at the usual age entered the public school. He likewise attended the Miami Commercial College and was thus trained for the onerous duties of the business world. He put aside his text-books at a comparatively early age that he might learn the tailor's trade under the direction of his father, William G. Breene, and on his father's retirement in 1874 he and his brother William H. Breene established a merchant tailoring business under the firm name of Breene Brothers, thus continuing from 1875 until 1884. The brother then passed away and since his death Charles L. G DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 937 Breene has been alone in business. For more than seven decades the name of Breene has figured prominently in connection with this line of business in the city and in fact has ever been a synonym for high class workmanship and for high commercial integrity. In 1890. in Dayton was celebrated the marriage of Charles L. G. Breene and Miss Stella B. Wise and unto them has been born one son, Gale Breene. Neglecting no duties of citizenship Mr. Breene votes with the democracy and yet does not seek the honors and emoluments of office. He is identified with several fraternal organizations, being an Elk, an Eagle and an Owl. He likewise belongs to the Vingt Et Un Club, the Country Club. the Dayton City Club and the Bicycle Club. These are among the leading social organizations of the city, indicating Mr. Breene's standing among those who are prominent in the life of Dayton. His business ability is pronounced, his energy leading him constantly forward, while his capable direction and management of his affairs are manifest in the success which attends his establishment. JONATHAN HARSHMAN, JR. Jonathan Harshman, Jr., was born in Harshmanville, Montgomery county, Ohio, February 15, 1812, and died in Dayton, Ohio, December 25, 1876. His grandfather, Christian Harshman, (sometimes spelled Herschman) was born in Germany, April 22, 1744, and died October 26, 1816, in Frederick county, Maryland. His father, Jonathan Harshman, Sr., was born in Frederick county, Maryland, December 21, 1781, and died in Harshmanville, March 31, 1850. He was a miller, farmer, shipper, merchant and banker, a very successful man and left a comfortable fortune to each of his eight children. The subject of this sketch was married October 4, 1836, to Abigail, daughter of John Hivling, a prominent citizen of Xenia. Their children were Martha, who married Thomas 0. Lowe ; George, who married Julia Deuel ; Susan, who married Oswald Cammann, of New York. Two others, Charles and Mary, died before their parents. Jonathan Harshman, Jr., went to Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, when thirteen or fourteen years old and after leaving there followed his father in milling, farming and banking and added largely to his inherited wealth, but lost it all on Black Friday, 1873. In 1852 he formed a co-partnership with Valentine Winters, James R. Young and Robert R. Dickey for the purpose of carrying on a general banking business in the city of Dayton under the firm name of Harshman, Winters & Company. Robert R. Dickey and James R. Young soon retired from the firm and the name was then changed to Harsman & Winters and afterward called the Exchange Bank.. In 1857 he sold his interest in the firm to his partner and in 186o the banking house of Harshman & Company was formed, which in 1863 was merged into the Second National Bank, of which he was president. Shortly after he and his brother Joseph Harshman formed the banking house of Harshman & Company 938 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY and also owned mills at Osborn, Ohio, and did a large business in shipping grain and flour. During the first years of the late Civil war he always honored certificates of deposit regardless of the strict letter of legal obligation. For instance if there had been placed upon the certificate a memorandum merely which indicated gold or silver or both as was often the case although the body of the draft contained no sign of coin and the premium on gold at that time was fifty to one hundred per cent, he honored the draft. He was interested with Valentine Winters and E. H. Drake in building and equipping the first railroad in Minnesota in 1862. He was elected county commissioner in 1864. He was a great Bell and Everett man. He was much interested in the First Presbyterian church and was a great friend of some of the well known pastors of that church, particularly the Rev. P. D. Gurley, who after leaving Dayton went to Washington and was pastor of the church which Abraham Lincoln attended and was with Lincoln when he died. He was a man of irreproachable morals, great kindliness of disposition, of broad views and generous impulses, a kind and loyal friend and was highly esteemed by his fellow citizens. HENRY HOLLENCAMP. There is no royal road to wealth, and, as an eminent New York financier has expressed it, "If you would win success you must be willing to pay the price—the price of earnest, concentrated effort and unwearied industry and perseverance." Realizing this fact at the outset of his business career, Henry Hollencamp has built his success along the lines indicated and is today widely known as a leading merchant tailor and clothier of Dayton, Ohio. Cincinnati claims him among her native sons, for his birth occurred there October 31, 1850. The father of our subject was born at Ankum, Hanover, Germany, June 17, 1818. He emigrated to America in 1840 and landed at New Orleans. Later he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was married to Mary T. Wellmeier on October 23, 1849. In 1851 he removed to Dayton, where he followed his trade of molder. In December, 1874, he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died at the age of sixty-one, while he survived until December, 1889, reaching an age of nearly seventy-two. They were the parents of one son, Henry Hollencamp, and two 'daughters, Mary T., the deceased wife of William Poepplemeyer, and Philomena, the wife of Henry Weber, of Dayton. Henry Hollencamp has been a resident of Dayton throughout his entire life with the exception of his first year. In his youth he attended the Catholic schools, but ill health debarred him from otherwise continuing his education. At the age of thirteen he became an employe in the foundry of McGregor & Callahan, his duty being to make cores, in 1865 his name appearing in the Dayton city directory as a laborer, but thinking to find other pursuits more congenial, in the fall of the above year he secured a position as an errand boy in the merchant tailoring establishment of Colonel Henry Miller. There he learned and performed all the DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 941 different tasks connected with a mastery of the business, became an expert tailor and cutter, also in managing the executive force necessary in the control of the labor of others. In 1873, when but twenty-two years, he embarked in business on his own account as the successor of the firm of Toban & Breene, who in turn had purchased the business of William Breene—one of the oldest established merchant tailoring houses in the city, forming the partnership of Edelman & Hollencamp, but the widespread financial panic of 1873 had also its effect on them and after two years of business the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Hollencamp assuming the entire indebtedness of the firm. His position at this time well indicated the qualities which have characterized his entire life—an indomitable spirit and an unconquerable business integrity. He set himself to the task of meeting all of the financial obligations of the house and within a few years the entire indebtedness of the firm was cleared away and Mr. Hollencamp found himself upon the high road of prosperity. From the beginning he has made his establishment a standard for excellence in the line of men's wearing apparel, and today he is widely recognized as one of the leading merchant tailors and clothiers in the state. The growth of his business is indicated by various removals which he has made, necessitated by the demand for more commodious quarters. In 1888 he left his old location at No. 7 South Jefferson street to continue his business in a fine four-story brown stone and brick building, fifty-five by fifty feet, which he had erected upon ground that he had purchased at the corner of Jefferson and Market streets. This is known as the Hollencamp block. After a few years this, too, became inadequate and he purchased another building in 1894 which is used for store and office purposes. In 1903 the business was incorporated as The H. Hollencamp Sons Company, Henry Hollencamp, president and treasurer ; Frank A. Hollencamp, vice-president ; Charles H. Hollencamp, secretary ; Sargent D. Williamson. and Henry Hollencamp, Jr., serving as directors. They employ in the neighborhood of one hundred and fifty workmen and sales people, the trade having reached very extensive proportions. In 1906 they again added an additional room fifty by forty feet to their place of business. Henry Hollencamp is a typical business man and has had a successful business career extending over thirty-six years that speaks for itself. He is also a director of The Dayton Savings & Trust Company and the president of The Dayton Land Title Company, which was the founder of Crown Point. He is also the president of The Xenia Ice & Cold Storage Company, of Xenia, Ohio. Pleasantly situated in his home relations, Mr. Hollencamp was married May 16, 1876, to Miss Kate Greulich, and unto them were born six children, but Emma and Barbara died in infancy. The others are Charles H., born April 18, 1878 ; Frank Andrew, born August 7, 1879 ; Mary Theresa, born March 10, 1882 ; and Henry Herman, born August 1, 1889. The last named was a student of St. Mary's Institute, is a graduate of Steele high school, and is now a student in the Ohio State University. The daughter, Mary T., was married May 16, 1904, to Sergeant D. Williamson, who is receiving teller in The Dayton Savings & Trust Company.. They now have one son, Joseph. The parents hold membership .in the Catholic church and Mr. Hollencamp belongs also to The Dayton City Club. In social relations he is known as a gentleman of unfailing courtesy and kindly spirit, and in. every association of life he is just and straightforward. 942 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY Charles Henry Hal!encamp was united in marriage May 20, 1903, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Hollenkamp, while Frank A. Hollencamp was married October 27, 1903, to Miss Adele Witchger, a daughter of August Witchger, and they have one son, Francis. Both young men were educated at St. Mary's Institute, Dayton, are enterprising, active and thorough; and in positions of executive control are manifesting keen discernment in the solution of intricate commercial problems. RICHARD M. GEBHART. Richard M. Gebhart, who is at present capably serving as county commissioner of Montgomery county, owns and operates a fine farm of eighteen acres on the Dayton and Lebanon pike. His birth occurred on the old family homestead in Miami township, Montgomery county, on the 22d of September, 1849, his parents being John A. and Mary Anna (Gebhart) Gebhart. The paternal grandparents were Andrew and Elizabeth (Miller) Gebhart, the grandfather coming to this state from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. He drove across the mountains and took up his abode on the farm on which the birth of our subject occurred, first clearing the land of the timber. He also engaged in business as a contractor and was awarded a contract for the construction of a certain portion of the Erie canal. The work was completed within the allotted time and has proven of a most excellent and durable character, the banks being in good condition at the present day. He was widely recognized as one of the most prominent and respected pioneer settlers of the community and lived to attain the venerable age of ninety-two years. His wife was one year his junior. John A. Gebhart, the father of Richard M. Gebhart, was also born in Miami township on the farm which the grandfather had cleared on coming to this county. In early manhood he drove a stage coach from Dayton to Cincinnati but subsequently returned to the home farm and through the careful conduct of his agricultural interests gained a gratifying measure of prosperity and became a landowner. His success was due entirely to his own well directed labor and industry and throughout this county, in which his entire life was passed, he was well known as a most substantial and public-spirited citizen. He was twice married and by his first wife had seven children, namely : John A. ; Richard M., of this review ; Frank E. ; Augustus A., who is deceased; Arthur A. ; Clarence; and George G., who has also passed away. Subsequent to the death of his first wife John A. Gebhart was again married, his second union being with Anna Skiles, by whom he had one child, Lillie May. Richard M. Gebhart was brought to Van Buren township when but four years of age and here obtained his education, the school being about three miles distant from his home. He supplemented his early mental training by a course at St. Mary's Institute and subsequently went to Lebanon, where he completed his education. After the death of his mother the care of the younger children devolved upon him and he continued to look after their interests until the time of his father's second marriage. He is now the owner of a valuable and well improved tract of land of eighteen acres in Van Buren township and has been DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 943 very successful in his farming and stock-raising interests, having long been numbered among the progressive and enterprising citizens and business men of the community. In 1904 he erected his present residence—a modern and attractive dwelling containing eight rooms—and also has a new barn which is considered one of the best in the county. On the 21st of December, 1869, Mr. Gebhart was united in marriage to Miss Catharine G. Lamme, a daughter of James and Susan (Otey) Lamme. The father, a native of Miami township, was one of the county's most prominent and prosperous agriculturists. His parents were Robert and Catharine (Ridgley) Lamme, the former, who came from Maryland, being the first representative of the name in this county. In his political views Mr. Gebhart is a stalwart democrat and is an active worker in the local ranks of the party. He served as pike commissioner of Miami township for three terms and also acted in that position in Van Buren township for a similar period. For three terms he was a member of the fair board and is now assessor, which position he has held for four or five years. That his services in this office have proven entirely satisfactory to all concerned is indicated by the fact that at the last election he was chosen by a handsome majority. Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias at Dayton. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gebhart have an extensive circle of friends throughout the county in which they have always resided and are worthy representatives of two of the prominent and honored pioneer families whose labors contributed to the early development and upbuilding of this section of the state. WILLIAM PIERCE RICE. William Pierce Rice, well known as a coal operator of Dayton, was born in this county, August 17, 1863. His youthful days were spent in the usual manner of farm lads, for he was reared upon the old homestead to the age of twenty-three years, his time being busily employed during the summer months in the work of the fields while in the winter seasons he attended the country schools to the age of twenty years. He afterward devoted his entire time to farming for three years and then, thinking to find other pursuits more congenial and remunerative, he turned his attention to commercial interests, entering the coal office of S. J. Patterson. A year later, in 1888, Mr. Patterson sent him to Jackson county, Ohio, to take charge of his mines. It was a difficult experience for during the two and a half years in which he remained there several very serious strikes occurred. The fact that Mr. Patterson sent Mr. Rice to the mines so soon after he had entered Mr. Patterson's employ speaks volumes concerning the confidence which the latter had in him and his ability. During a strike which occurred Mr. Rice was in daily peril several times and only his courage saved him but he was ever loyal to the trust reposed in him, faithful in looking after the interests of his employer and at the same time doing everything possible to quell the laborers' disturbances. 944 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY After two and a half years spent in control of the mines in Jackson county Mr. Rice traveled for Mr. Patterson for a year and a half and then embarked in business for himself in 1893, forming a partnership with C. K. Davis, of Detroit. They engaged in the operation of mines near Wellston, Ohio, and from the beginning their efforts were successful. Mr. Rice is now well known as a coal operator and his business has reached large proportions bringing him a very substantial financial return. On the 8th of November, 1883, near Dayton, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Rice and Miss Martha Patterson, a daughter of W. J. Patterson. They have become the parents of three sons : James, Corwin and Harry Dwight. Mr. Rice belongs to Gem City Council, No. 3, U. C: T., and affiliates with the Reformed church. He is,a democrat in politics but is not an active partisan. Throughout his active connection with the business world his time has been given in almost undivided manner to the duties that have devolved upon him in connection with his business affairs and his forcefulness and enterprise in this connection have brought him a creditable and gratifying measure of success. MARTIN L. MOWRER. Martin L. Mowrer, of Dayton, was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, June .15, 1835, and there resided until 1854, during which period he learned the miller's and millwright's trade. He was a young man of nineteen years when he came to Dayton, making the journey partly by rail and partly by canal. He reached his destination in May 1854, and at once sought and obtained employment in a grist mill just on the edge of Dayton. He was so engaged in 1865 when he abandoned milling and went upon the road, taking orders for milling machinery. In that line of activity he continued until 1879. In the meantime he had secured patents on corn milling machinery, on which he yet receives royalties. To the development of the business in connection therewith he turned his attention, selling the machines and building the mills to hold them. The business was conducted by the firm of Nordyke & Marmion, with which Mr. Mowrer was associated until 1885. In that year he began putting up mills under contracts which he personally took and placing them in operation. In this he continued until 1890 and since that time he has been interested in and connected with the America Hominy Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, which is capitalized for five million dollars. In 1887 Mr. Mowrer patented the Quick Malt Flake, manufactured by the American Hominy Company, from which he received royalties for seventeen years. Though he has now covered three-fourths of a century on the journey of life he is yet a keen and active business man and that his physical powers remain unimpaired to a notable degree are indicated in the fact that between the 1st of January, 1909, and the 15th of August following he has traveled over eighteen thousand miles in the United States. In 1857 Mr. Mowrer was married in Dayton to Miss Isabelle Jane Anderson, a daughter of James and Louisa (Opdyke) Anderson. Unto this marriage were born three daughters : Mary L., now the widow of Sylvester Troup ; Emma E.,. DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 945 the wife of Charles A. Silsby, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania ; and Jennie E., the wife of Frank Blum. The wife and mother died in February, 1907, and her death was deeply regretted by many friends as well as by her immediate family. Mr. Mowrer has been active in affairs relating to public progress and at all times is a stalwart advocate of movements for the general good. He twice served by appointment as tax commissioner of Dayton and in politics he is a stalwart republican, having supported the party since voting for John C. Fremont in 1856. Mr. Mowrer is well known in Masonic circles, being a Knight Templar and Scottish Rite Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine. Indeed he is one of the best known representatives of the craft in this city and is a life member of all Masonic bodies in Dayton. He was made a Noble of the Mystic Shrine at Mecca Temple in New York city in 1880, the first temple established in the United States. He affiliates with the Episcopal church and loyal to its teachings his life is at all times conformed to a high standard of ethics. HARRY D. WOLFENSPARGER. The steps in the orderly progress of Harry D. Wolfensparger are easily discernable and they led him from a humble position in commercial circles to honor and prominence. His is another illustration of the fact that without special advantages at the outset of one's career honorable success may be obtained through unfaltering industry and careful management. One of Ohio's native sons, Mr. Wolfensparger was born in Osborne, Greene county, July 27, 1870, a son of David H. and Martha Wolfensparger. His father was a native of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, born in 1826. Throughout his business career he followed merchandising and for a long period was thus connected with business interests in Ohio. His last years were passed in Dayton where his death occurred in 1902. He was married in Osborne, Ohio, to Miss Martha, a daughter of Richard and Maggie Burrows, and by this marriage were born two sons, the younger, George Delmont, now a resident of Reno, Nevada. The elder son, Harry D. Wolfensparger, spent the first ten years of his life in the place of his nativity and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Winchester, Virginia, where they lived for four years, the subject of this review pursuing his education in the public schools during that period. In 1884 the family returned to Osborne where he again pursued his studies. On reaching the age of sixteen years, however, he put aside his text-books and for a year worked in his father's confectionary store, after which he engaged in clerking in the City Hotel in Osborne. He became a resident of Dayton in 1888 and here accepted a position in a retail grocery house and gained comprehensive knowledge of the trade and of commercial methods during the thirteen years which he devoted to clerking in the service of various employers. Through this period he was actuated by a laudable desire to engage in business on his own account and when he felt that his experience and careful expenditure justified this step he purchased a grocery and bakery at the corner of Burkhardt and Curtis avenue and has built up a large trade there, having a thoroughly modern establishment, complete in all of its equip- 946 - DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY ment and in the large line of staple and fancy groceries which is carried. Reasonable prices, honorable methods and an earnest desire to please his patrons have been the salient features in his success, making him one of the prosperous merchants of his section of the city. On the 15th of October, 1902, Mr. Wolfensparger was married in Dayton, Ohio, to Miss Daisy H. Eckman, a daughter of Daniel and Maria (Haverstick) Eckman. They now have one son, Clarence Edward. Their home is attractive by reason of its warm-hearted hospitality and is a favorite resort of their many friends. Aside from his business connections Mr. Wolfensparger has figured protninently in municipal affairs and in fraternal circles. He gives stalwart support to the democracy and in 1898 was elected a member of the board of .education from the third ward. In 'he was reelected to the office and served. for two terms or four years, proving himself a stalwart champion of progressive education. In November, 1907, he was elected a member of the city council from the tenth ward and reelected November 2, 1909, in which connection he exercises his official pre- rogative for the support of practical measures of reform and improvement. He belongs to both the subordinate lodge and the uniform rank of the Knights of Pythias, is a member of Elks Lodge, No. 58, and is a prominent Mason, holding membership with Mystic Lodge, No. 405, F. & A. M. ; Unity Chapter, No. 16, R. A. M. ; Reese Council, No. 9, R. & S. M. ; Reed Commander); No. 6, K. T., and Antioch Temple of Mystic Shrine. While there have been no unusual or exciting chapters in his life record, his course has been marked by steady progress which indicates fit utilization of the innate talents which - are his. Diligence and perseverance have been the salient characteristics in his career and he has reached a prominent and enviable position in the mercantile circles Of Dayton. COLONEL JAMES DELANEY PLATT. For many years Colonel J. D. Platt has been a prominent factor in the business life of Dayton and has helped to build up some of its most important industries. A native of New York, he was born at Schroon Lake, October 19, 1838, and traces his ancestry back to Sir Hugh Platt, of England. The first of the family who came to the new World was Richard Platt, who came from Huntingdon or Norfolk, England, and landed at New Haven in 1638. From him our subject traces his ancestry through John, John II, Ebenezer and Abial. to Jabez Hall. Platt, who was the grandfather of the Colonel. Jabez Hall Platt was born July 30, 1772, and married Rachael Beebe, who was born in 1771 and died November 23, 1843. About 1810 he removed from his old home in Lanesboro, Massachusetts, to Schroon, New York, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying on the 18th of September, 1852. In his family were ten children, of whom Daniel Platt, the father of our subject, was the second in order of birth. He was born in Lanesboro, Massachusetts, March 29, 1798, and accompanied his parents on their removal to Schroon, New York. He was first married on the 13th of November, 1820. to Miss Phebe Potter, who died March 22, 1824, and on the 5th of September of DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 949 that year he married Caroline Wyman, who was born March 22, 1806, and passed away on the 6th of October, 1859. For his third wife he wedded Elizabeth Wyman, their marriage being celebrated on Christmas Day, 1861. She departed this life December 3, 1889, and he died at his home in Schroon, August 5, 1882. He was the father of fifteen children, namely : Edward Francis, a Baptist minister, who first married Martha A. Moore and after her death married Agnes E. Barney ; Harvey Page, who died M childhood ; Phebe, the first child by the second union, who also died in childhood ; Harvey P., a lawyer, who married Mary Oswald ; Lucy Augusta, the wife of S. Frank Crockett, of Moorhead, Minnesota ; Nahum Wyman and Alfred G., both of whom died in childhood ; Edwin S., a lawyer, who married Lida S. Suydan and died in Denver, Colorado ; Salome E., who died in infancy ; James Delaney, of this review ; William Wyman, who died in infancy ; Daniel Starr, who married Annie E. Fuller ; Caroline E., the wife of Philip P. Farnham, a Baptist minister of Kensington, Michigan ; William H., who died at the age of eighteen years ; and Mary Cornelia, the wife of Douglas H. Lamb. Three of the sons were soldiers of the Civil war. Our subject's mother, who bore the maiden name of Caroline Wyman, belonged to an old Vermont family but she was reared and married at Schroon Lake, New York. Colonel James D. Platt began his education in the public schools of Schroon Lake and later continued his studies at Fairfax, Vermont, and Fort Edward, New York. After laying aside his text-books he worked on his father's farm during the summer months and engaged in teaching school for five winters. In the spring of 1860 he removed to Toledo, Ohio, and was there located when the Civil war broke out. Learning that his country needed his services, he volunteered and remained at the front until hostilities ceased, being honorably discharged and mustered out in September, 1865. He participated in all the engagements under General Sherman from Chattanooga to the Atlantic coast, taking part in the famous march to the sea and through the Carolinas, at which time he was serving as lieutenant-colonel. He was a member of the Tenth Ohio Cavalry which was in command of General Kilpatrick. On leaving the service Colonel Platt returned to Ohio, and as soon as E. E. Barney, of Dayton, learned that he had located in this state, he sent for him to come to Dayton and to enter into business with him. His three brothers, however, wished him to remain in Toledo with them, but being pleased with Mr. Barney's offer he decided to come to Dayton for a sik months' stay until he should decide where he wished to make his future home. Pleased with the prospects here, however, he has since resided in this city and has been prominently identified with the business interests here. He was given an interest in the Barney-Smith Car Works from the very start and has held almost every office in the company. being raised from secretary to vice-president and treasurer, and later president, which position he retained until he resigned in November, 1908. He also became identified with other important enterprises, buying out the Stillwell Bierce Manufacturing Company, which he reorganized and reincorporated under the name of the Platt Iron Works. He was the sole owner of that business until November, 1908, when he sold out and his son, who is interested in the enterprise, is now vice-president of the company. In connection with E. J. Barney he started the Dayton Manufacturing Company, manufacturing car trimmings. and for many years took a very