History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume II, Part 1

Author: Drury, Augustus Waldo, 1851-1935; S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, pub
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1092

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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY L 3 1833 02343 425 8

Gc 977.101 M76d v.Q Drury, A. W. History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio

HISTORY

OF THE

CITY OF DAYTON AND

Montgomery Ohio

County

By REV. A. W. DRURY

Professor Union Biblical Seminary Dayton, Ohio

ILLUSTRATED

VOLUME II

CHICAGO-DAYTON THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING CO. 1909

Allen County Public Library 900 Webster Street PO Box 2270 Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270

1334591

ROBERT C. SCHENCK

BIOGRAPHICAL

ROBERT CUMMING SCHENCK.

With the passing of Robert Cumming Schenck, Dayton lost one of the chief promoters of her greatness. He was of the highest type of American manhood and chivalry-a dynamic force in business circles, a man of honor and respect in every relation of life and most of all where he was best known. His record constitutes an integral chapter in the history of Dayton, a fact recognized by all who have to any extent studied the annals of the city and noted the means and measures of its progress and upbuilding.

Mr. Schenck was born in Franklin, Warren county, Ohio, October 2, 1845. As the name indicates he came of Holland ancestry-a member of one of the oldest Holland families of the new world. He made no boast of the fact and yet his ancestral history could be traced back in unbroken line from generation to generation through many centuries. The name appears in its primitive form in the Latin as Pincerna. In the fourth century Ulfilas, the Goth, made the liter- ary world acquainted with the term pugg, pronounced pung, and applied it to a purse or leather money bag. St. Jerome, about a century afterward, mentions the barbarous word pincerna as the common appellation of the chief vintner in his day and adds that the office of cup-bearer was one of the first dignitaries in the courts of foreign princes. Under the form of Schenck the word relates more particularly to the office of cup-bearer and from this office this family name is derived. The erz-schenck was a hereditary dignity, a prefect of the household, next to the king or lord. After this office became an hereditary one in Europe many noble families bearing the name of Schenck became established. Especially in Germany and Holland these families were numerous, possessing various es- cutcheons.

The direct ancestry of Robert Cumming Schenck begins with that of the Schenck, Barons van Toutenburg. History relates that Colve de Witte, Baron van Toutenburg, was killed at the battle of Clodius against the Dane in 878 A. D. The records of the various successors of this ancient title and barony are imper-

DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY

fect but sufficient of them have escaped the destruction of the wars of the middle and succeeding ages to establish the fact that the same Schenck family held possession down to, and even much later than, the year 1234, when one of its cadets became the first of the family of Schenck van Nydeck. The family of Schenck van Nydeck had as its arms : Sable, a lion rampant ; Or langued et arme. Gu. and Az. Crest: Out of a coronet; Or, a demi-lion rampant ; Or langued et arme. Gu. and Az. Christianus, the second son of Reynier Schenck, Baron van Toutenburg, was the first of the family of Schenck van Nydeck and in the rec- ords of the thirteenth century it is found that he held the office of cup-bearer to the Count de Gulick as Christianus Pincerna de Nideke. In 1346 Henrich Schenck van Nydeck, knight, lord of Afferden, is found to have been the head of the family. As his elder son, Wienand, left no direct heir to the titles the estate passed to the younger brother Heinrich, whose eldest son was Diederick, lord of Afferden and Blynbeek, who held other offices and died in August, 1487, at Mai. He married Adelheit van Buren, heiress of Aersen and Belden, the daughter of Johan and Aleid van Arendahl. The fourth child of this marriage was Derick, lord of Afferden, Blynbeek and Walbuk, who died at Blynbeek August 3, 1525.

He married Aleid Casters of Aerzen and their son Derick succeeded as lord of Afferden and Blynbeek and married Maria van Galen. The eldest son of that marriage was Derick, lord of Afferden and Blynbeek, who married Anna van Berlaer. They were parents of five children, the second being General Peter Schenck, who was born at Gosh, Holland, in 1547. He served with great distinction in the wars of his time and rose to the rank of a general officer in the service of the Netherlands. At Doesburgh, May 15, 1580, he married Johanna van Scherpenzeel. Martin Schenck, son of General Peter Schenck, was born at Doesburgh August 7, 1584. He is thought to have come to the Nieu Nether- lands with his children, three of whom came to America in 1650, arriving at New Amsterdam, probably on the ship de Valckener, which sailed from Holland in March, arriving on the 28th of June.

Roelof Schenck, son of Martin Schenck, is the American ancestor of the branch of the family from which Robert Cumming Schenck is descended. While he is generally spoken of as Roelof Schenck, his name was Roelof Martense Schenck. He was born at Amersfoort. Holland, in 1619 and probably came to America because of the misfortune which overtook his ancestors and family dur- ing the Netherland wars of the sixteenth century and the action taken by the several courts respecting the ancestral estates. He was accompanied by his Brother Jan and sister Anetje. After his arrival he lived for a time at Brenklyn. In 1660 he married Neeltje Conover, a daughter of Gerrit Wolphertse and Altie Cornelisen (Cool) van Couwenhoven and about that time settled at Flatlands, formerly Amersfoort, Long Island, where he lived until his death in 1704. The first mention of him in the early colonial records is concerning a grant of twenty- three morgans of land at Amersfoort, dated January 29, 1661. On the 21st of February, 1664, he was one of the magistrates of the "five Dutch towns" on Long Island, who joined in a request to the director general to call a meeting of delegates from these towns on account of the English outrages and for the pur- pose of sending a deputation to Holland. At a government council held August 18. 1673, Roelof Schenck was appointed one of the schepens for the town of

DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Amersfoort and on the 25th of October, of the same year, was elected a lieuten- ant of militia. On the 26th of March, 1674, he attended as a deputy the council held at the city hall in New Amsterdam. A valuage of Amersfoort property in September, 1676, shows that only one other had holdings exceeding his own in value. He was made justice for Kings county, New York, December 12, 1689, and captain of horse January 13, 1690. In the civil list of the province of New York for 1693 his name appeared as a justice for Kings county. When the church records of Flatlands, Long Island, were commenced the names of Roe- lof and his brother Jan stand first on the list of church members in that vicinity and he served as deacon or elder, perhaps in both of those offices as is indicated by the fact that his name appears on a roll of church officials who met to make arrangements about church matters.

Gerritt Roelofse Schenck, the sixth child of Roelof Schenck, was born at Flatlands, Long Island, in October, 1671, and must have obtained a fair educa- tion for his times as evinced by his subsequent life. He removed from Flatlands, probably in the spring of 1696, to a farm of two hundred acres which he pur- chased. His will indicates that he was a very prosperous man who owned several tracts of land and a wharf in the vicinity of what is now Keyport, New Jersey ; land at New Brunswick, New Jersey; while in 1737 he and his cousin John van Couwenhoven, purchased of John Penn a tract of six thousand, five hun- dred acres near Princeton, New Jersey. He was among the original members of the church of Freehold, New Jersey, and on its organization in 1709 was one of the first two deacons and subsequently an elder. He was a member of the provincial assembly of New Jersey from 1721 to 1726 and he enjoyed the title of "general." He was also for a time a commissioned officer in the provincial militia. He married Neeltje Coerten van Voorhees, who was born at Flat- lands, Long Island, baptized December 5, 1680. She was a daughter of Coert and Maritje (Conover) van Voorhees, the former a son of Steven and William- pie (Roelofse) van Voorhees. Gerrit Roelofse Schenck died at Pleasant Valley, Monmouth county, New Jersey, September 5, 1745.

Koert Schenck, the fourth child of Gerrit Roelofse Schenck, was born at Pleasant Valley in 1702. He settled on a large farm which was thought to be poor sandy soil and therefore worthless but upon this place marl was discovered. and one hundred thousand tons were taken out, so that the poor and sandy farm was transformed into a beautiful and productive tract. When not yet thirty years of age he was chosen to serve as a deacon in the Reformed church and later be- came an elder. He was married at Freehold, New Jersey, to Mary Piterse van Couwenhoven, who was born in New Jersey in 1700 and died at Marlboro, New Jersey, May 17, 1787. Koert Schenck died near Marlboro, June 2, 1771.

William Schenck, who was the sixth child of Koert Schenck, was born near Marlboro, August 13, 1740, and was baptized January 20, 1741. He entered Nassau Hall of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton College, November 12, 1761, and in his old memorandum book are many curious remarks relating to his expenses during his college days. He was graduated in 1767 and his diploma was in the possession of Robert Cumming Schenck of Dayton. He after- ward studied theology with the Rev. William Tennent at Freehold, New Jersey. and was licensed by the New Brunswick Presbytery in 1770. He married Anna

DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Cumming, March 17, 1786. She was born at Monmouth, New Jersey, May 3, 1750, and died at Franklin, Ohio, June 23, 1848-"a mother of many children and as full of virtuous honors as of years." The year succeeding his entry into the ministry in 1771, Rev. William Schenck was ordained pastor of the Presby. terian church at Allentown, New Jersey, where he preached "15 sabaths before ye year 1772." Rev. Schenck was connected with the patriot army as a chaplain at the time of the Revolutionary war. In 1777 he and his family were driven out of New Jersey by the British and went to Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he became pastor of the church of North and Southampton called the Neshaminy church. On the 3d of March, 1777, he went to Southampton and moved to the parsonage, remaining there for three years. In April, 1780, he went to Pitts- grove, New Jersey. From Pittsgrove he removed to Balston Spa and on the 26th of August, 1788, was installed pastor of the congregation there. He was one of the ministers chosen to organize the Presbytery of Albany, New York. His ministry must have been an active one during the seven years in which he re- mained at Balston Spa, for there are records of his labors at Freehold, Milton, Cherry Valley, Cambridge and many points between. In June, 1793, he went to Huntington, Long Island, and Thompson's history of Long Island speaks of him as "a man of much personal dignity who maintained a character which chal- lenged the respect of all who knew him." He remained at Huntington until 1817, when he retired from the active duties of the ministry and went to the home of his son, General William C. Schenck, at Franklin, Ohio, which town is indebted to him for its church organization. He died there September 1, 1823. His life was one of marked influence in every community in which he lived, the moral progress of the race being greatly accelerated through his efforts.

John Noble Cumming Schenck, son of the Rev. William Schenck, was born in Churchville, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, January 24, 1778. He was married in Franklin, Ohio, September 2, 1802, to Sarah Tabscott. His second wife, whom he wedded in Cincinnati, October 8, 1843, was Phebe W. Wheeler, who was born April 15, 1803, and died at the residence of her son, James F. Schenck, near Downey, Iowa, June 25, 1890. She was a daughter of Jesse Reeder and Phebe Wheeler and was the widow of William R. Schenck when she became the wife of John N. C. Schenck. The last named died in Franklin, Ohio, October 27, 1867. He had acquired his education under the supervision of his father and in the schools of Balston, New York, and Huntington, Long Island. On the ad- vice of his brother William he came to the "western country" in 1799 or 1800, being in Cincinnati in the latter year. For a time after his arrival he was em- ployed as agent for Martin Baum, an enterprising merchant of that place, who sent him on one or more occasions down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers on flat or keel boats to New Orleans with the usual produce of the country. Mr. Baum afterward established him in business in Franklin, where he became a prosperous merchant, his commercial pursuits together with his wise investments in Cincinnati real estate enabling him to retire in 1847, about twenty years prior to his death, with what was considered for those times a very considerable for- tune. He was a man of strict business probity and his known reliability led to his being selected to transact much business for eastern parties. His children were twelve in number. James T., born in Franklin, Ohio, July 28, 1806, passed

DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY

away March 27, 1807. Ann C., who was born February 27, 1806, married Dr. Otho Evans, December 24, 1824, and died November 16, 1875, leaving four sons and two daughters. John, who was born, March 29, 1810, died July 24, 1825. William T., born January 10, 1812, married Elizabeth Thackery and on Novem- ber 26, 1864, was again married, his second union being with Ruth Kelsey Tib- bals. He died July 25, 1872. James T., was born January 6, 1814, and married Mary B. Barkalow. Sarah T., born February 5, 1816, was united in marriage to William A. Van Horn, September 3, 1834, and passed away February 3, 1883. John Christopher, born September 5, 1818, was married August 21, 1844, to Eliza- beth Felding Barkalow, who died December 9, 1857, and on the 24th of October, 1861, he married Ione Holbrook. Mary B. was born September 3, 1820, and died March 23, 1822. Lucy H., born February 23, 1823, was twice married. On August 23, 1844, she married Joseph Burrows and her second union was with George W. Ewin, the date of this marriage being September 15, 1870. Mary B. was born September 9, 1825, and was married on the 6th of February, 1845, to Charles Butler. Catherine L., who was born December 13, 1828. passed away August 27, 1830. All were born in Franklin, Ohio.

Robert Cumming Schenck, the youngest member of the family spent his boy- hood largely as a pupil in the schools of Franklin, Ohio, and in Miami University at Oxford, from which institution he was graduated. He had hardly com- pleted his studies when he entered upon active service on a gunboat during the raid of Kirby Smith. Later he was on active duty with the militia when John Morgan made his raid into the north and in May, 1864, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-sixth Regiment of the Ohio National Guard, serving in the campaign in the mountains of West Virginia, where he proved himself valorous and brave. When the war period was over he spent two years as a law student in the office of Davies & Lowe of Dayton but did not pursue the practice as a life work, although his knowledge of law constituted a forceful factor in his business judgment in later years. Entering into commercial circles, he joined S. W. Davies in a lumber enterprise, with which he was connected until 1870, after which he spent considerable time in European travel. He was an enthusiast by nature and loved to secure that culture which he believed travel alone could give.

On his return to America he joined others in organizing the American Dis- trict Telegraph Company, which installed the first telephone system in Dayton. In 1880 he accepted the government position of chief deputy and cashier in the third internal revenue district of Ohio and his systematic methods in handling the work entrusted to him won the favorable attention of his superiors and with- out his knowledge they arranged to place him in charge of the office in the place of E. S. Williams, the internal revenue commissioner. Mr. Schenck, however, went to Senator Garfield and flatly refused to accept the position over the head of his chief, to whom he felt that he could not be disloyal although he appre- ciated the honor. He continued as deputy in the reventie office until 1882, when he became identified with the cornice works of Charles Wuichiet & Company and was chosen president of the Dayton Malleable Iron Works. Under his ca- pable business management the business was greatly extended in its scope and in its trade relations. When he assumed the position of chief executive the plant

DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY

comprised but one factory building beyond the railroad in western Dayton. To- day it covers fifty acres and the works of the Malleable Iron Company are hardly equaled in all the country. His master touch was constantly on the pulse of the great throbbing manufacturing machine and success and business prestige were continually promoted under his management. He was president of this company until his death nor did its control indicate the limit of his resources and ability. He understood conditions of other business enterprises and his sound judgment was a factor in their successful management. He acted as a director of the Cin- cinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad; the Columbia Insurance Company ; the Dayton Asphalt, Roofing & Paving Company ; and was a trustee in the Wood- land Cemetery Association. He served for some years as a director of the Day- ton National Bank and later occupied the presidency until his life's labors were terminated in death.

The marriage of Robert C. Schenck was celebrated in 1868, when Miss Julia Crance Davies, the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Watts Davies, became his wife. Her father was a son of Samuel W. and Mary Stall (Thomas) Davies, the former a son of John Davies. Mary ( Peirce) Davies, the mother of Mrs. Robert C. Schenck, was a daughter of Joseph and Henrietta ( Elliot) Peirce. Four children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. Schenck. Mary D., is the wife of J. Sprigg McMahon, a son of the Hon. John A. McMahon, known and honored among the legally learned of the United States. Graham C. died in 1874. Reneltje WV. is the wife of Charles Paxton, of Chicago, and Peirce Davies is mentioned elsewhere in this volume.

Robert C. Schenck was always a public-spirited citizen who never allowed personal interests or ambition to dwarf his activities relative to the public good. To such movements he gave sage advice and generous assistance and Dayton profited by his labors and his counsel. He knew when and where and how to best further the interests of the city and his work in that regard as well as in business lines stands as a substantial monument to his memory. In 1902 he went to the Adirondacks to spend the summer and, becoming ill there, at his summer home, he was removed to Paxton Hospital at Utica, New York, where after two opera- tions he passed away. The announcement of his death caused profound sorrow, and outside of his family his loss was most keenly felt by his employes who knew him as a man, just and equitable in all relations, caring for their interests as for his own. When his remains were laid to rest at Woodland he was carried to the grave by pall-bearers selected from the employes who desired to perform this last and final service for their employer. Many were the words of respect, honor and affection spoken of him by those who were his associates in business, his colaborers in the public interests and his friends in the social circles of life. He was gifted by nature with a broad mind, to which were added the embellish- ments of travel and culture. He possessed, moreover, that indomitable spirit that has been characteristic of the Schenck family in peace and war. His name was representative of all that is best in manufacturing and banking circles in Dayton, for he was forceful, resourceful and aggressive in business, while in addition to his keen decisive business acumen he possessed a nature which was quick to reply to the social requirements of his community.

C L

DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY

MARTIN L. HALLER, SR.

Martin L. Haller, Sr., is a retired gardener of Harrison township, Mont- gomery county, Ohio, and the owner of some fine truck land on Germantown street, just on the edge of the city of Dayton. He was born in Frederick county, Maryland, October 19, 1842, the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Barger) Haller. His paternal grandfather, Daniel Haller, was the first of the family to come to this county. He had retired from active life at the time of his arrival here and was accounted a man of means, as the holder of considerable land in the state of his birth. Henry Haller came to Ohio from Maryland in 1848 and lo- cated in Harrison township, where he was among the early settlers and did his share toward making the land ready for the great improvements and growth that the last half century witnessed. Six children were born to Henry Haller, of whom Richard, Mary Jane and Catherine, have died, but William, Susan and Martin are still living useful lives.

Martin L. Haller was but a very small boy when he came with his parents to this county and might be said to have grown up with the region which has been his home for sixty years. He has taken part of this change and has wit- nessed it from many points of view, for he attended the country schools, the only schools he ever knew, before they even aspired to anything like their pres- ent proficiency, and during his youth and early manhood worked on the Patterson farm, which was absorbed by the growing city of Dayton, incorporated within its boundaries and made a part of its civic life. Many others are the trans- formations that Mr. Haller has witnessed during the years of his active iife and many are the stories he could relate of that life now passed. He can also tell of the many acts of bravery that came under his own eyes during the course of the Civil war, for he was among that vast army that answered to the call of the nation when it was threatened with dissolution, having enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry under Colonel Lowe. Upon his discharge from the army Mr. Haller devoted all his energies to that phase of life which had already engrossed the greater part of his time-farming. He worked diligently and saved carefully and soon had enough money to make the first payment upon his present farm. Truck gardening appealed to him as more profitable on his land than general farming, and of this he has made a very decided success.

On the 29th of September, 1864, Mr. Haller was married to Miss Amanda Miller, who died in 1905, after having borne and reared eight children and seeing her later years gladdened by several grandchildren. Eva, who was the eldest of the family, married Joseph Bitner and became the mother of four children, Lottie, Estella, Clifford and Eugene. Harry, the first son, married Miss Emma Puterbaugh and is the father of two children, Elizabeth and Robert. Daisy is the wife of Luther Fraver, who has taken active charge of things on the truck farm, and by whom she has one son, Harold. Luther Haller married Miss Amanda West and is now the father of Lelah, Ralph, Grace and Jeannette. Katie is the wife of John Dunkle, a preacher of the gospel, and they have four children, Sharon, Ruth, Catherine, and Agnes. Hattie is the wife of A. Scho.

DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY

palla and the mother of one daughter, Irene. Russell, the youngest son, lives at home. Elizabeth is deceased.

Mr. Haller is a member of the United Brethren church and is a Christian in every sense of the word as exemplified by his daily acts. During all the years of his long life he has been dependent upon himself alone for his advance- ment. He early learned the secret of success and justly deserves the rest from active cares and the comforts he now enjoys on the farm, which was the scene of his arduous labors.

JOHN R. BROWNELL.

John R. Brownell, late president of The Brownell & Company, Dayton, was born in Fulton county, New York, July 7, 1839. His parents, Frederick and Ann (Dawley) Brownell, were both natives of Fulton county, New York. His father was a tanner and currier by trade, and with six of his brothers served in the war of 1812, being stationed at Sacket's Harbor under General Brown. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Brownell were the parents of eleven children.

John R. Brownell was the youngest of the family, and after his father re- moved from Green Springs to his farm near Fremont, he attended school two winters, three months each term, and worked at home during the balance of the year. After his father's death he worked for his board and schooling one winter at Green Springs. Further educational advantages were denied him, and from that early period in life he was thrown upon his own resources. During 1852 and 1853 he worked eighteen months for William Zimmerman at Green Springs, driving oxen and hauling wood to the old Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Com- pany, for which he received eight dollars per month. In 1854 he walked to San- dusky City and engaged as clerk and boy of all work in a general store. After being employed for a short period in this capacity he drifted to Johnstown, New York, where he engaged to work for his board and schooling. He remained in Johnstown for about four months and then went to Buffalo and spent the winter with Captain Hollister. The following spring (1855) he shipped on board the steamboat Empire State for Chicago. But after a short time he returned to Buffalo, procured a situation as second porter on the steamboat Northern Indiana, under Captain Pheat, and was paid sixteen dollars per month and extras. Out of his wages he saved one hundred and forty dollars, and when the boat was laid up for the winter, he returned to Green Springs, Ohio, and loaned the money at six per cent. interest. He then went to Dayton and commenced work in the boiler shop of his brother, E. H. Brownell, where he remained until the fall of 1857. Here he managed to save forty dollars, by working overtime, and with this and the one hundred and forty dollars previously invested, he went to New York city, where he worked at his trade for three months at one dollar and twenty-five cents per day. From New York he took the steamer Texas, and went with Walker's expedi- tion to Nicaragua, where he remained six weeks and then went to Aspinwall, and from there to Panama, Central America. Here he was arrested and turned over to the American minister, and having no ticket for California, and being only

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History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume II, Part 1

Author: Drury, Augustus Waldo, 1851-1935; S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, pub Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1092

Author: Drury, Augustus Waldo, 1851-1935; S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, pub
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1092