USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 32
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In 1905 Dr. Stout was married in Athens county, Ohio, to Miss Josephine Caldwell and they have two children, Alfred Evan and Winifred. While Dr. Stout does not take an active part in campaign work or labor for the success of the candidates of the party, he gives his support at the polls to the republican organization. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, to the Junior Order of American Mechanics, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Independent Order of Redmen, and lic attends the United Presbyterian church. His connec- tion in professional lines is with the Montgomery County Medical Society, the
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Ohio State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. He thus keeps abreast with what the profession is doing in lines of progress and is regarded in Dayton as a capable physician, conscientious and faithful in the discharge of his professional duties.
SAMUEL WELLER.
Samuel Weller, widely known in business circles of Dayton as the senior partner of the firm of Weller & McClure, real-estate dealers with offices in the Davies building, was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, December 27, 1849. The family has long been established in America. The paternal grandfather, John Weller, was a native of New Jersey and a farmer by occupation. He became one of the early settlers of Montgomery county, Ohio, traveling westward by wagon before the era of railroad transportation. He died near Centerville, Ohio, at an advanced age while his wife also reached an old age. They had a large family including William Weller who was born in Ohio, was reared to the occu- pation of farming and always carried on general agricultural pursuits near Cen- terville, continuing in that business until his life's labors were ended in death. He owned a farm of one hundred and forty acres which he improved and he also owned considerable other land. He married Miss Martha Young, also a native of Ohio, her parents having been early settlers of the southern part of Mont- gomery county. A number of the younger brothers settled there, accumulated considerable land and did much toward the development of the county. Unto William and Martha (Young) Weller were born four children: Sarah, now the wife of L. D. Vincent; Mary A., the wife of Samuel Walton; Samuel of this review ; and Carrie E., the wife of Swayne T. Barrett. The father died on the old homestead farm at the age of sixty-six years and the mother still survives. He was a member of the Baptist church and Mrs. Weller also belonged to the same church and has lived an earnest, consistent Christian life.
Samuel Weller was reared as a farmer boy, remaining on the old homestead until fourteen years of age, during which time he began his education as a pupil in the district schools. He afterward attended the Southwestern Normal School at Lebanon and later pursued a course in the A. D. Wilt Commercial College. Having thus qualified for the demands made upon one in the business world, he accepted a position as clerk in a dry-goods store where he was employed for several years. He thoroughly acquainted himself with the trade and, prompted by laudable ambition, he carefully saved his earnings until his capital was suffi- cient to enable him to own an interest in a dry-goods store. He then formed a partnership with W. H. Layton under the firm name of Weller & Layton, which association was continued with mutual pleasure and profit for seven years. On the expiration of that period the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Weller selling out to Mr. Layton, after which he opened a new dry-goods store in partnership with H. S. Doxsey under the firm name of Weller & Doxsey. They were to- gether for ten years, at the end of which time Mr. Weller sold his interest to Mr. Doxsey. He then entered the real estate field in connection with J. A.
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McClure, his present partner, and they have offices in the Davies building. Mr. Weller has made it his purpose to thoroughly acquaint himself with the realty market and valuations and since taking up his present line of business has handled much important property and negotiated many notable real estate trans- fers. Personally he owns an interest in the old homestead together with other farm lands and city property.
On the 7th of October, 1879, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Weller and Miss Nellie Schaeffer, a daughter of Valentine and Mary (Auchey) Schaeffer. They reside at No. 141 Salem avenue where Mr. Weller owns a fine home. They are both faithful members of the Methodist church and in his political views Mr. Weller is a republican. Keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day he is able to support his position by intelligent arguments and yet he does not seek political preferment. His interests center in his business and in his home and in the former he is making steady progress along the lines leading to gratifying and substantial success.
OLIVER I. GUNCKEL.
Oliver I. Gunckel has since 1881 been secretary of the Columbia Insurance Company of Dayton and throughout his entire business career has been a repre- sentative of fire insurance interests, in which connection he has made continuous progress until his substantial success places him with the men of affluence in Dayton. He was born in Germantown, Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1846 and represents one of the old pioneer families of this section of the state, his great- grandfather, Judge Philip Gunckel, having located in Germantown on his re- moval from Pennsylvania in the latter part of the eighteenth century. He was one of the first associate judges of Montgomery county and was closely connected with the pioneer development and early progress of this part of the state. His son, Colonel Michael S. Gunckel, the grandfather, was reared in Germantown and was also a factor in public affairs as well as in business activity. He served as a colonel in the war of 1812, commanding a regiment of American troops that did valiant service for the interests of the country. He was also at one time a member of the Ohio legislature.
George W. Gunckel, the father of Oliver I. Gunckel, was born in German- town, Ohio, in 1821 and still resides there at the venerable age of eighty-seven years. He was in the banking and tobacco business there for a long period, his enterprise, activity and industry being salient factors in the development and growth of the town. He married Miss Julia Ann Ayers, of Germantown, who died in 1903 at the age of eighty-two years. They had a family of six children, of whom five are living: Oliver I .; Maria G., wife of George B. Tebbs, of Har- rison, Ohio : Ella G., the wife of Cornelius S. Grimes, of Germantown ; Elizabeth G., the wife of Rev. W. A. Deaton, a Methodist minister ; and Donna G., wife of Albert Scherzer, of Chicago, Illinois. The second son, Charles W., is deceased.
For seventeen years Oliver I. Gunckel remained a resident of his native town and there attended the public schools. He then responded to the country's call
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for troops, enlisting in 1864 as a member of the Signal Corps of the United States army. He served to the close of the war, being mustered out at Louisville, Ken- tucky, in 1865. He was with Sherman from Chattanooga to Atlanta and on to the sea and afterward participated in the campaign through the Carolinas to Rich- mond and on to Washington, D. C., where he took part in the grand review, the most celebrated military pageant ever seen on the western hemisphere. He was slightly wounded in the right knee on the second day's march from Atlanta and was under fire many times but never faltered in the performance of his military duty.
When the war was over Mr. Gunckel returned to Dayton and took up the fire insurance business, in which he has since been engaged, his executive ability and undaunted courage being the cause of his continuous progress in this direction. In 1881 the Columbia Insurance Company was organized with Mr. Gunckel as secretary and in this position he has continued to the present time. He has care- fully systematized the work of his office, has continually wrought along lines for the growth and expansion of the business and through his indefatigable energy has contributed in large measure to its success. He is the vice president of the Dayton Gas Light & Coke Company and is regarded as a progressive and rep- resentative business man, possessing the qualities essential for success in com- mercial lines.
On the Ioth of October, 1872, in Middletown, Ohio, Mr. Gunckel was mar- ried to Miss Hattie Sutphin and they are now parents of two sons and a daugh- ter : Dr. Joseph S. Gunckel, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Dr. George I. Gunckel, a dental surgeon of the United States army ; and Julia O.
Mr. Gunckel attends the Presbyterian church and is a member of the Old Guard Post, G. A. R., of Dayton, thus maintaining pleasant relations with his old army comrades. In Masonry he has attained the degrees of the commandery and of the consistory and in his life exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he was an alternate at large to the Chicago convention which nominated W. H. Taft in 1908. He comes of a family long considered a representative one in Montgomery county and his life has been in harmony with the untarnished family record, for at all times he has been loyal to the best interests of the community, while in his private business affairs he has manifested qualities that ever command respect and inspire confidence.
JOHN CALVIN BRIGHT.
Among the native sons of Montgomery county who throughout life have been identified with its agricultural interests is John C. Bright, of Madison township, who owns and cultivates fifty-six acres of fine farm land on the town- ship road about five miles from Trotwood. He has also given much of his life to the work of the church and is now a minister of the church of the Brethren in his township.
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He was born October 26, 1851, and is a son of Isaac and Sarah (Rife) Bright. The paternal grandparents were Peter L. and Magdaline (Bowman) Bright. The ancestral history is traced back through various generations to Michael Bright, who came from Germany and was the founder of the family in, the United States. He was born in 1706 and died in 1794. Some of his children were soldiers of the American army and in the Revolutionary war, one of his sons attaining the rank of general. Another of his sons furnished sup- plies to Washington's army at Valley Forge. The line of descent from Michael Bright is traced down through Jacob Bright, who was the great-great-grand- father of our subject. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1729, made his home during the greater part of his life in Lancaster county, that state, and passed away in 1802. George Bright, the next in line of direct descent, spent his entire life in Virginia. He was the father of Peter L. Bright, whose youthful days were passed in the Shenandoah valley and who arrived in Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1828. Here he took up a tract of land and began the development of a farm, devoting his remaining days to general agricultural pursuits. He mar- ried Magdaline Bowman and among their children was Isaac Bright, who in the year 1828 was brought to Montgomery county from Virginia, his native state, the family settling on what was known as the old Ben Metzger farm. Isaac was reared to the work of tilling the soil, which he followed to a greater or less extent throughout his entire life. He also became a minister of the conservative branch of the Dunker church and for forty years was connected with the min- istry. He was a very prominent and influential resident of this part of the county, leaving the impress of his individuality for good upon its development and upbuilding. He died in 1889 and his grave was made in the Bear Creek cemetery.
John Calvin Bright, a son of Isaac and Sarah (Rife) Bright, spent his youth- ful days under the parental roof and after acquiring his early education in the Madison township schools he engaged in teaching school for about twenty-two years. He was also one of the ministers of the church of the Brethren of this section of the county, his life being devoted to the task of making the world better as well as of attaining success in a material way.
On the 28th of November, 1875. Mr. Bright was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Garber, a daughter of Elder Samuel and Lydia (Heeter) Garber. Her death occurred July 1, 1878. There was but one child of that marriage, Florence, now deceased. After losing his first wife Mr. Bright wedded Miss Elizabeth Heistand, a daughter of Henry and Catharine (Kreitzer) Heistand. In 1909 Mr. Bright was again called upon to mourn the loss of his wife who passed away on the 24th of February. She held membership in the church of the Brethren and was beloved by all who knew her for she was a lady of many Christian graces and of kindly and benevolent spirit. She was the mother of eight children, six of whom are yet living. Jacob H., who at present is attend- ing school in Chicago, has taught school in Montgomery county and is a gradu- ate of Juniata College, Pennsylvania. He is also a minister of the church of the Brethren and he married Minnie Flory, by whom he has one child, Esther. Isaac Benter, who is a graduate of the Trotwood high school and of Welts col- lege at Dayton, is also engaged in teaching school at the present time. He wed-
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ded Alice Lentz and they have one son, John Russell. Ida Catharine, the next of the family, is a graduate of the Trotwood high school and lives at home, hav- ing taken charge of the household affairs since the death of the mother. Mary A. is a student in the Steele high school. John D. and Lydia E., twins, are still in school. Jesse M. and Martha Cassandra are both deceased.
Mr. Bright carries on general farming and in addition to cultivating the fields also raises some stock. He has given much of his time, however, to the work of the church and has been moderator and secretary of the district con- ferences of southern Ohio on various occasions from 1893 to the present time. He has also been a delegate on the general committee to the general conference from 1898 until 1908 and is now acting as minister of the church of the Breth- ren of Madison and Perry townships. He stands for high ideals in all those. things which make up the sum total of human existence and his energy and influence in the work of the church have made his efforts a most potent factor for the moral progress of the community.
OSCAR F. DAVISSON.
There is usually nothing spectacular in the career of the lawyer for advance- ment at the bar depends upon patient, persevering effort, the attainment of com- prehensive knowledge of legal principles and of unwearied devotion to the inter- ests of the client. Investigation into the life work of Mr. Davisson shows that he is richly endowed with all of these qualities and thus he has won for himself an enviable position among the practitioners of law in Montgomery county.
His birth occurred June 12, 1851, in Preble county, Ohio, his parents being Josiah and Hannah (Foos) Davisson. In the paternal line he is descended from an old Virginian family, while in the maternal line he comes of Pennsylvanian an- cestry. Josiah Davisson, his grandfather, after liberating a large number of slaves which he owned in Virginia, came to Ohio in 1812 and cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers of Preble county. When the colonists attempted to throw off the yoke of British oppression he joined the American army and the valor which he displayed upon the field of battle led to his later appointment as sheriff of Rockingham county, Virginia, which then comprised of all what is now the state of West Virginia, his appointment coming to him from Patrick Henry, who was then governor of the Old Dominion. He became a forceful and influential factor in the early development and progress of Preble county, where he re- mained until his death September 9, 1825, in his eighty-first year. The Foos family was also established in Preble county during the early part of the nine- teenth century. Jacob Foos, the grandfather of Oscar F. Davisson, was born in Pennsylvania and at one time owned a farm near what is now beautiful Fair- mount park in Philadelphia. He, too, fought for liberty, serving as an artillery- man in the Revolutionary war. In the second decade of the nineteenth century he sought a home in Ohio and after living for some years in Warren county re- moved to Preble county in 1822, there passing away August 7, 1842, in his sixty- first year.
OSCAR F. DAVISSON
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Josiah Davisson, father of Oscar F. Davisson, was a native of Rockingham county, Virginia, and accompanied his parents upon their removal to Ohio in 1812. He was identified with the early development of the county as the white settlers reclaimed it from the domain of the savages, and as the years passed he continued an influential factor in public affairs, serving as justice of the peace for more than thirty years, while in other ways he contributed to the legal status and general upbuilding of the community. In early manhood he wedded Hannah Foos, who was born near Waynesville, Warren county, Ohio, February 13, 1819, and was in her third year when her parents removed to Preble county. The marriage was celebrated May 12, 1846, and was blessed with three sons and two daughters: Francis M., Amelia E. and Sarah A., who are residents of Preble county ; Oscar F. and Dr. E. C. Davisson, of Dayton. The father died in 1863 and the mother, surviving him for almost a third of a century, passed away July 15, 1896, at the advanced age of seventy-seven years. She was a lady of strong character, particularly active in the support of needed reforms and im- provements for the benefit of mankind. She possessed marked executive ability, was a wise counselor and a generous and helpful friend to the poor. Her ability and kindly spirit made her one of the best-known women in Preble county and she was loved by all with whom she came in contact.
No event of especial importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for Oscar F. Davisson in his boyhood and youth. His time was divided between the work of the fields and the duties of the schoolroom and he supplemented his early educational advantages by study in the National Normal at Lebanon, Ohio, which he entered in 1870, completing a course by graduation in 1874. Upon the foundation of a broad literary knowledge he erected the superstructure of pro- fessional learning by devoting the following year to the study of law in the Uni- versity of Michigan. In 1875 he came to Dayton and was a law student in the office of Gunckel & Rowe until his admission to the bar January 2, 1877. He received further practical training as assistant in that law office until the June following his admission when he opened an office and entered upon an independ- ent professional career. His work is characterized by a thorough understanding of intricate legal problems and he prepares so thoroughly for the work of the courts that every point is guarded from the possible attack of his opponent and at the same time he studies closely to find the most vulnerable point in the armor of his adversary. From the beginning his practice has increased in volume and importance and in the great majority of the cases he has tried he has met with success, winning favorable verdicts for his clients. For many years he has de- voted his time principally to corporation law, the bulk of his practice being along this line, and his clients are among the largest corporations in Ohio.
On the 18th of June, 1889, in Dayton, Mr. Davisson was united in marriage to Miss Jessie M. Leach, a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Richard T. and Mary Ann Leach. Mr. and Mrs. Davisson now have two sons and one daughter: Richard, who graduated from Hotchkiss Preparatory School and entered Yale in 1909; Marian, and Oscar Fulton, Jr., both at home.
Mr. Davisson, while without political ambition for himself, keeps well in- formed on the questions and issues of the day and is a republican. He is in thorough sympathy with the beneficent spirit of Masonry and has attained the
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Knight Templar degree of the York Rite and the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. Any movement for the improvement and benefit of the community receives his endorsement and cooperation and he is ranked as a valued public- spirited citizen as well as an able lawyer.
WILLIAM H. MANNING, M. D.
Dr. Manning, who rendered important professional aid to the Union during the dark days of the Civil war and later became a prominent representative of in- dustrial and commercial interests in Ohio and Indiana, is now living retired in Dayton, his previous success making possible his rest from further labor. He was born in Uniontown, Muskingum county, Ohio, July 27, 1841, and there re- sided until 1856, when he went to Van Buren county, Iowa, and taught school for three years. Subsequently he returned to Jefferson county, Ohio, where he continued his education, and while pursuing his literary studies he also took up the study of medicine.
Dr. Manning was not yet twenty-one years of age when, in May, 1862, he re- sponded to the country's call for troops, enlisting as a member of Company F, Twenty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served with his regiment until August of that year, when he became ill with typhoid fever in Virginia and was sent to a hospital in Washington, D. C., where he remained for three months. It being discovered that he knew something of medicine, he was detailed for duty as a druggist in the Union Hotel Hospital, where he had been a patient. In De- cember, 1862, he was mustered out of the volunteer service and enlisted in the regular army as a hospital steward, being assigned to duty in the Patent Office Hospital in Washington, D. C., where he was placed in charge of the dispensary. When that hospital was closed in March, 1863, he was sent to Hampton, Virginia, and given charge of the dispensary at the United States General Hospital, which at one time took care of over sixty-five hundred seriously wounded soldiers. Dr. Manning was highly complimented on his efficiency by the military historian, J. C. C. Abbott, in Harper's Weekly in the summer of 1864. He remained in charge of the dispensary of the United States Hospital of Hampton, Virginia, until August, 1865, when, the war having ended, he resigned and entered the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, being graduated from the medical department with the class of 1867.
In that year Dr. Manning located at Miamisburg, Ohio, where he entered upon the active practice of medicine, but after a few years became identified with industrial interests, recognizing and utilizing the opportunity for success- ful activity in that line. In 1871 he organized and assisted in building the Miami Valley paper mills in Miamisburg and was manager for twelve years, during which time the enterprise was conducted along profitable and constantly ex- panding lines. Disposing of his interest in Miamisburg, Dr. Manning became general manager of the car works at Lima, Ohio, and so continued for five years in that position. Later he erected the Knife & Bar Works at Anderson, Indiana,
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and operated the plant from 1888 until 1893, the enterprise having a large output, so that his financial resources were continuously augmented.
In Miamisburg, on the 2d of January, 1868, Dr. Manning was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary E. Shultz, a daughter of Hon. Emanuel E. Shultz, and to them were born two children: Guy E., who is a first lieutenant in the United States Army, now stationed in the Philippines; and Dorothy M., the wife of . George E. Matthews, an architect of New York city. The Doctor and his wife enjoy good health and take much pleasure in their beautiful home at 332 West First street, Dayton.
Dr. Manning has always taken an active interest in civic affairs and has served the public in various capacities in which his capability has been supple- mented by the utmost fidelity. He has acted as a trustee of the State Insane Hos- pital at Dayton and in 1900 he was chosen a presidential elector on the repub- lican ticket. He is a long-time member of the Masonic fraternity and has been a Knight Templar since 1869. Prominent in military organizations, he belongs to Old Guard Post, No. 23, G. A. R., of Dayton, and to the Union Vet- eran Legion. In 1903 he was elected national commander of the Union Vet- eran Legion and was reelected in 1904, being the second person so honored in the history of the organization. He is an intellectual, entertaining gentleman, with a kind heart and a hand ever ready to assist those in need. He has a host of warm friends, not only in Dayton but wherever he is known, his substantial qualities having gained him the honor and respect of all with whom he has been brought in contact.
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