USA > Ohio > Greene County > History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume II > Part 57
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that connection for six years, at the end of which time he returned to James- town and bought the dry-goods store of Alexander & Spahr. He carried on that business for eighteen years, or until in September, 1916, when he sold the store to L. S. Farqualiar & Company and retired from active business. He and his wife spent the succeeding winter in Florida, the condition of Mr. Burgdill's health requiring a change, but he received no permanent benefit from the change and upon his return to his home in Jamestown continued to decline and died there on December 15, 1917, he then being in the fifty-sixtli year of his age. Mr. Bargdill was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Jamestown, as is his widow, and had for years been an office bearer in the church, a member of the official board and of the board of trustees.
On July 22, 1885, George R. Bargdill was united in marriage to Carrie Neiberger, who was born in the neighboring county of Madison, a daughter of Dr. J. A. and Caroline ( Moss) Neiberger. Since the death of her hus- band Mrs. Bargdill continues to make her home at Jamestown.
SIMEON CAREY, M. D.
The late Dr. Simeon Carey, who for forty years was engaged in the practice of his profession at Spring Valley, and whose widow is still living in that village, was a native son of Ohio and all his life was spent in this state. He was born in the village of Utica, in Licking county, September 5, 1830, son of Joel and Rhoda (Graham) Carey, who later moved to War- ren county, where their last days were spent. Joel Carey was twice married, his second wife having been Amanda Watson. By his first marriage he was the father of six children, of whom Doctor Carey was the third in order of birth, the others having been Samuel, Amos, Ocie, Rachel and Alice, all of whom made their homes in Warren county.
Reared in Warren county, Simeon Carey received preliminary schooling in the schools of that county and early turned hi's attention to the study of medicine, presently entering the Cincinnati Medical College, from which he was in due time graduated. Upon receiving his diploma Doctor Carey opened an office for the practice of his profession at Clio, but not long after- ward came up into Greene county and located at Spring Valley, where he continued engaged in practice the rest of his life, his death occurring there on May 8, 1900, he then having been engaged in practice at that place for a period of forty years. During the last year of his life he had associated with him in practice his son-in-law, the late Dr. Samuel Edward Dyche Doctor Carey also was well known as a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was a Mason, affiliated with the lodge of that order
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DR. SIMEON CAREY
DR. SAMUEL E. DYCHE.
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at Xenia, and was a member of the local lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Improved Order of Red Men at Spring Valley.
On December 31, 1857, in Warren county Dr. Simeon Carey was united in marriage to Ruth Ann Cornell, who was born in the vicinity of Waynesville, in that county, in 1833, daughter of Sylvanus and Sarah (Flora) Cornell, the latter of whom was born in that same county, October 17, 1798, a member of one of the pioneer families in the Waynesville neighborhood. Sylvanus Cornell was born in Canada, July 29, 1797, but had come to Ohio with his parents when he was but a child, the family settling near Mt. Holly, on the old state road between Cincinnati and Columbus. As a boy he took part in the War of 1812. He grew up a farmer and in time became the proprietor of several farms. He was for years a local power in Democratic politics and he and his wife were earnest workers in the Methodist Episcopal church. They were the parents of eleven children of whom Mrs. Carey was the ninth in order of birth, the others having been John, Sarah J., William, Sylvanus, Jesse, Daniel, Samuel, Mary Ann, George and David. To Doctor and Mrs. Carey were born three children. Frank C., Flora Alice, and Della.
The late Frank C. Carey, who died at his home in Waynesville on April 14, 1917, was educated in the high school at Xenia and at Wilmington and became a farmer in the Waynesville neighborhood, later becoming post- master of that village. He married Viola Thomas and was the father of a son and two daughters, Pearl, Alice and Raymond, the latter of whom died in 1897 at the age of two years. Frank C. Carey was a Mason, an Odd Fellow and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Flora Alice Carey received her schooling in the schools of Spring Valley and Xenia and on June 21, 1881, was married to Dr. Samuel Edward Dyche, who was born at Berkley Springs, Virginia, February 21, 1847. and whose parents moved to Louisville, Kentucky, when he was but a babe in arms. He grew up in that city, early turned his attention to the study of medicine and after his graduation from the Louisville Medical College was for a time engaged in the practice of his profession in Tennessee. Doctor Dyche later returned to Louisville and after a brief period of practice there came up into Ohio and located at Lytle, in the neighboring county of War- ren, where he was engaged in the practice of his profession until 1899, when he became associated in practice at Spring Valley with his father-in-law, . Doctor Carey, who died a year later. Doctor Dyche died on July 27, 1909. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge at Xenia and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is his widow, who continues to make her home in Spring Valley. To Doctor and Mrs. Dyche one child was born. a son, Howard Edward, born on June 19, 1884, who was graduated from the Spring Valley high school, later attended the Ohio State University for
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five years and the university at Pittsburgh for four years, completing there his studies in electrical engineering, and then became connected with the works of the Westinghouse plant, which service he abandoned to accept the position of professor of electrical engineering in the University of Pitts- burgh, which chair he has occupied for the past four years. Professor Dyche is a Scottish Rite Mason and member of the Lutheran church. He married Edith May Guy and has one child. a son, Howard Edward, Jr., born on May 14, 1916.
Della Carey grew up in Spring Valley, born on January II, 1887, mar- ried Leroy S. Davis, of near Xenia. They now reside in Dayton, Ohio, and have three children, Herbert, Ernest, and Lawrence.
JOHN McCONNELL.
John McConnell, former internal revenue storekeeper for this district, formerly and for some years engaged in business at Xenia and a land land- owner of Greene county now living retired at Xenia, was born on a farm in Sugarcreek township, November 28, 1845, and has lived in this county all his life. Mr. McConnell is affiliated with two of the oldest families in Greene county, his parents, who were married here, having been members of pio- neer families, and the farm he owns in Sugarcreek township is a part of the tract his grandfather Marshall settled on there in 1803, the same thus having been in the family continuously since this county became a civic unit considerably more than a hundred years ago.
In a biographical sketch relating to David McConnell, of Osborn, elder brother of the subject of this sketch, there is set out at considerable length something of the history of James M. McConnell, father of these brothers, and of John Marshall, their maternal grandfather, and it therefore hardly will be necessary to go into the details of Mr. McConnell's genealogy here, further than to say that John Marshall, who was a soldier of the War of 1812 and who later served as one of the associate judges of this county, was a Kentuckian, born in the vicinity of Lexington, in 1784, and was nineteen years of age when he came up into this valley in 1803 and secured a patent to six hundred acres of land along the banks of the Little Miami, in Sugarcreek township, this county, on which after his marriage he established his home and spent the rest of his life. He died in 1866, he then being past eighty-two years of age, and his body was buried on his farm, overlooking the beautiful valley of the Little Miami. He and his wife were the parents of six chil- dren, namely : Nancy, who married James M. McConnell and was the mother of the subject of this sketch; Sarah, who married John. Brock; Hester, who
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married Captain Kyler, of Dayton; Betsy, who married William Morgan; James, who remained on the farm, and Jesse, who also remained on the farm and was the grandfather of Judge J. C. Marshall, present judge of pro- bate for Greene county.
James M. McConnell, father of John McConnell, was a Virginian, born in the vicinity of the salt springs in Kanawha county, in the Old Dominion, February 14, 1817, a son of David and Nancy (Munn) McConnell, who were born in that same county, the former in 1787 and the latter, in 1789, who were married in that county on January 5, 1815, and who became the · parents of three children. David McConnell met his death while still a com- paratively young man by falling from the "natural bridge" in Virginia and his widow, with her three young children, later moved to Cincinnati, where James M. McConnell spent his youth and received his schooling, later coming up into Greene county and locating in the McClellan settlement in Sugarcreek township, where he met and presently married Nancy Marshall, daughter of John Marshall, the pioneer, mentioned above. She had received from her father a tract of about one hundred acres, a part of his original patent there, and after his marriage James McConnell established his home on that tract. · He later bought an adjoining tract of one hundred and forty acres. James M. McConnell was one of the first men in the county successfully to raise tobacco and for years was one of the most extensive tobacco growers hereabout. He was a Democrat and for a long time the only partisan of that political faith in his school district. Late in life he became an adherent of the Quaker church and died in that faith. His wife was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. She died on March 8, 1874, and he survived until August 12, 1889. They were the parents of three children, the subject of this sketch and his brother having had a sister, Sarah Frances, who married Thomas Ginn, of Jamestown, and died in 1916.
John McConnell was reared on the farm on which he was born in Sugar- creek township and received his schooling in the schools of that neighborhood. From boyhood he was a valued assistant to his father in the labors of the farm and after his marriage when twenty-five years of age continued to make his home there until 1883, when he moved to Xenia and there became engaged, in association with his elder brother David, in the agricultural-imple- ment and seed business, the brothers doing business under the firm name of McConnell Brothers. During the first Cleveland administration Mr. McCon- nell was appointed internal revenue storekeeper for this district and upon completing that term of service became a traveling salesman and was thus engaged for several years, having in 1891 helped to organize the Tippecanoe Whip Company, at Tippecanoe, this state, one of the leading stockholders in the same, and represented that company "on the road." Some years later
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he disposed of his interest in that company and then, in association with the Hon. John Little, became engaged in the general wholesale tobacco busi- ness at Xenia, buying from the growers and shipping to the central tobacco markets. For several years Mr. McConnell was thus engaged in business in Xenia. In the meantime he had retained ownership of his fårm and since retiring from business he has devoted his time to the general management and oversight of the same. Mr. McConnell is a Democrat and during the memorable campaign of 1892 was chairman of the Greene county Democratic central committee. He was one time made the nominee of his party for auditor of the county and had the satisfaction of cutting down the normal Republican majority of twenty-four hundred to seven hundred. Mr. McCon- nell and his daughter, Mrs. Dean, and family are members of the First United Presbyterian church at Xenia.
On June 30, 1870, John McConnell was united in marriage to Cordelia Flemming, who was born in the village of New Burlington, on the Greene- Clinton county line. Her father was a carriage painter, who later moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he died; his widow later marrying Will- iam Tate. Mrs. McConnell died on March 24, 1912, she then being sixty- three years of age. Mr. McConnell still occupies his old home on West Market street, Xenia, together with his daughter, Mrs. Dean. Mr. McCon- nell has two daughters, Imogene, wife of the Rev. Robert W. Burnside, pastor of the Fifth United Presbyterian church at Philadelphia, and Olive K., wife of Walter Levi Dean, former county auditor of Greene county and now a bond salesman living in Xenia. Mr. McConnell had a son, James, who died at the age of nineteen years. To Mr. and Mrs. Dean two children have been born, Flemming M., who is now attending Muskingum College, and Imogene, at home. Mrs. Dean is one of the leaders in local social-service movements and during the recent state-wide prohibition campaign was indefatigable in her labors in that behalf, working literally night and day for the cause. She is superintendent of the department of Christian citizenship of the Ohio Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
JOHN EDMUND MUNGER.
John Edmund Munger, of Beavercreek township, proprietor of a farm on the Dayton-Xenia pike, rural mail route No. 7 out of Xenia, is a native "Buckeye" and has lived in this state all his life, a resident of Greene county and of Beavercreek township since the days of his boyhood. He was born on a farm just north of Piqua in Miami county, April 1, 1855, son of Harris and Elizabeth (Cartwright) Munger, both of whom were members of pio- neer families in this section of Ohio and whose last days were spent on their
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MR. AND MRS. JOIN E. MUNGER.
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farm in Beavercreek township, this county, where they both died of pneu- monia in February, 1907, and were buried in a single grave in the Beaver- creek cemetery.
Harris Munger was born on a farm east of Dayton, in Montgomery county, in 1828, son of Festus and Mary E. (Harris) Munger, the former of whom was a son of Gen. Edmund Munger, pioneer o fthe Dayton district, who was commander of the Ohio troops during the War of 1812 until super- ceded by General Hull. The Mungers are of an old Kentish family and have been established in this country since the year 1639, when the first of the name to come to the American colonies settled in New England, as will be noted in a further and more comprehensive reference to this family made elsewhere in this volume. General Munger, who had settled in the Symmes Purchase in what later came to be organized as Montgomery county in 1798, was the father of twelve children, ten of whom lived to rear families of their own. Festus Munger and his brother Reuben married sisters, daugh- ters of John and Elizabeth (Bingham) Harris, New Englanders who had become pioneers of this section of Ohio, Festus marrying Mary Harris and Reuben marrying Laura Harris. The late Judge Edmund Harris Munger, of Xenia, was one of the three children born to this latter union and the only one of the three to grow to maturity. After his marriage Festus Munger settled on a tract of land just east of the then village of Dayto1. He and his wife were Presbyterians and were the parents of six children, of whom Harris Munger, the father of the subject of this sketch, was the first-born, the others being the following: Felix, whose last days were spent at Piqua, this state; Timothy, who died in California; Lyman, who is still living, now a resident of Kokomo, Indiana; Alvin, and Laura, the latter of · whom also is still living, wife of Doctor Hayes, of Albany, in Delaware county, Indiana.
Reared on the home farm in Montgomery county, Harris Munger there married Elizabeth Cartwright, who was born in 1829 and who was reared in the household of Reuben Munger, mentioned above, her parents having died when she was a child. After his marriage Harris Munger moved over into Preble county and bought a farm there, but presently sold the same and bought a farm in Miami county, making his home on the latter place for ten years, at the end of which time he closed out his interests there and bought a farm in Champaign county, later returning to Montgomery county and buying a farm of one hundred and eighty acres three and a half miles east of Dayton, not far from his boyhood home, and there continued farming for nine years. He then came over into Greene county and bought a farm of one hundred and eighty-six acres in Beavercreek township on which he established his home. There he and his wife spent the remainder of their
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lives, both dying, as noted above, in February, 1907, the former then being seventy-nine years of age and the latter, seventy-eight. Both Mr. Munger and his wife originally were Presbyterians, but upon coming to Greene county became affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church at Alpha. They were the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the second in birth, the others being Matilda, widow of A. F. Herring, of Beaver- creek. township; Dr. Perry H. Munger, a physician, now living at St. Paul Park, Minnesota; Dr. William Munger, an osteopathic physician, now liv- ing at Carlsbad, New Mexico, and Mary, wife of B. G. Smith, a Dayton photographer.
John Edmund Munger was reared as a farmer and due to the several moves made by his father previous to the definite establishment of the family in this county, received his schooling in the schools of Miami county, Mont- gomery county and Greene county, completing the same in the grade high school in Beavercreek township. He remained at home until his marriage in 1878, he. then being twenty-three years of age, when he rented a farm in his home township and began farming on his own account, continuing to farm as a renter until in 1896, when he bought the Weaver farm of one hundred and seventy-three acres, on the Dayton-Xenia pike in Beaver- creek township, and there established his home. Since taking possession of that place Mr. Munger has made numerous improvements on the farm, remodeling the farm house, building a new and modern barn and erecting on the place a new house for his son, John H. Munger, who is now man- aging the place, his father having practically retired from the direct labors of the farm. Since taking up his residence there Mr. Munger has added to the acreage of his farm by the purchase of an adjoining tract and now has two hundred and twenty-three acres. In addition to his general farm- . ing he for twelve years carried on a pretty extensive dairy business. Mr. Munger is a Republican, as was his father, and for the past fifteen years has been serving as treasurer of Beavercreek township. He gave his three sons the benefit of schooling in Ohio State University.
In 1878 John E. Munger was united in marriage to Mary Ellen Weaver, who was born in this county, daughter of John M. and Elizabeth (Boot) Weaver, Virginians both, but residents of this county since the days of their childhood, their respective parents having come here from Virginia many years ago. John M. Weaver was but nine years of age when he came here with his parents, the family settling in Spring Valley township. For years after his marriage he lived on a farm on the Fair Ground road, a mile and a half northwest of Xenia, and then, in 1866, moved to the farm now owned by Mr. Munger in Beavercreek township. He later bought a
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farm on the Cincinnati pike and there died in 1892. His wife preceded him to the grave nearly ten years, her death having occurred in 1883. They were the parents of four children, of whom but two now survive, Mrs. Mun- ger, the last in order of birth, having a sister, Olivia, second in order of birth, wife of Frank Hupman, of Xenia; the others having been Martha and John. Mr. and Mrs. Munger have four children, Elsie, Ralph W., John H. and Walter, the former of whom is unmarried and is at home with her parents. Ralph W. Munger, who married Florence Jackson and had been making his home at Alpha, was recently appointed agricultural agent for Shelby county and has taken up his residence in that county. John H. Mun- ger, who married Laura McClellan, is living on the home place, as noted above, and for some time has had general direction of the farm operations. Walter Munger, who married Minerva Tate, is now living at Cincinnati, where he is engaged in business as a landscape gardener and tree surgeon. The Mungers are members of the Beaver Reformed church.
WILLIAM HENDRICKSON BURR.
William Hendrickson Burr, a Jefferson township farmer, formerly en- gaged in the mercantile business at Bowersville, was born in Greene county, and has lived here all his life. He was born on a farm in the vicinity of the village of Spring Valley on November 20, 1852, son of John H. and Hen- rietta (Morris) Burr, both of whom were born in that part of the county now comprised in Jefferson township, their respective parents having been among the early settlers of that section.
John H. Burr was a son of David and Louisa (Oxley) Burr, who had come over here from Virginia after their marriage and had established their home in that section of the county which in 1858 was set off as Jefferson township, previous to that time having been included in the boundaries of Silvercreek township. There these pioneers spent the re- mainder of their lives, David Burr living to the age of eighty-four years and his wife to the age of eighty-six. They were the parents of twelve children, of whom ten grew to maturity. Reared on the home place, John H. Burr remained there until his marriage to Henrietta Morris, after which he established his home on a farm in Spring Valley township and there remained until his death in 1861, he then being thirty-three years of age. His widow survived him but six years, her death occurring in 1867. They were the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the first-born, the others being Louisa E. (deceased), who was the wife of John Miller ; Mary E., who married E. E. Horney and who, as well as her hus-
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band, is now deceased; Hannah B., wife of A. L. Smith, of Jamestown, this county, and John H., who died at the age of two years.
William H. Burr was but eight years of age when his father died and was fourteen at the time of his mother's death. He then made his home with his grandfather Burr until the latter's death, after which he made his home with the family of his uncle, William C. Burr, until he started out for himself. He received his schooling in the local schools and early learned the blacksmith trade, at which he worked, in the shop of I. C. Stewart at Bowersville, for three years, or until his marriage in 1874, when twenty-one years of age. after which he located on a farm in Jefferson township, two miles northeast of Bowersville, where he continued to reside for twenty years, or until 1894, when he bought the Thomas Smith farm of one hundred and five acres, later selling part of the same to his son, Dwight D. Burr, who now owns it. In 1894 Mr. Burr became engaged in the hardware business at Bowersville, but two years later returned to farm- ing. Not long afterward he became engaged as a salesman for the Inter- national Harvester Company, covering local territory, and for four years continued thus engaged. Since then Mr. Burr has been living practically retired, continuing, however, to make his home on the farm in Jefferson township. Mr. Burr is a Republican and for twenty years served as a member of the local school board. He and his wife are members of the Christian church at Bowersville, with which congregation Mr. Burr has been connected for more than forty years, an office bearer in the church for more than twenty years.
On January 8, 1874, William H. Burr was united in marriage to Flora B. Hussey, also a member of one of the old families in Greene county, and to this union the following children have been born: Charles M., a farmer in Silvercreek township; Femmie M., who married W. F. Lewis, a Silver- creek township farmer; Fred E., a Jefferson township farmer; Horace, a farmer in the neighboring county of Fayette; Henry S., a Jefferson town- ship farmer; Dwight D., who now owns part of the old home place; Kate L., who married Charles Miley, a Jefferson township farmer, and Mary, who married Earl Garringer, a Silvercreek township farmer.
Mrs. Burr was born on the old Hussey place in that part of what then was Silvercreek township, now comprised within the bounds of Jefferson township, a daughter of Christopher and Catherine (Lockhart) Hussey, the former of whom had been a resident of this county since he was twelve or thirteen years of age, having come up here from Tennessee with his parents, Christopher and Mary Hussey, in 1807, the family settling in Sil- vercreek township among the very first settlers in that portion of that town- ship that in 1858 was set off as Jefferson township. The elder Christopher
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