USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 44
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103
In 1883 occurred the marriage of Mr. Hall and Miss Jennie Crowe, of Day- ton, and they now have two children, Adelaide M. and Robert J. Mr. Hall be- longs to St. Joseph Catholic church and in politics is a democrat, but not active in the work of the party. He has always preferred to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs and as he has felt that experience has developed his powers he has extended his efforts into various lines and is today recognized as a valued factor in the commercial and financial circles of the city.
LEONARD UHRIG.
Leonard Uhrig, a nurseryman of Harrison township, is the owner of about twenty-five acres of fine farming property situated on the northern edge of Day- ton. It was on this farm (the old family homestead) that his birth occurred, his parents being Peter and Margaret Elizabeth (Marquardt) Uhrig. The pa- ternal grandfather of our subject, who came to this country from Germany, served as a soldier in the Prussian army. Peter Uhrig, a stonemason by trade, became one of the early settlers of Montgomery county and was well known and highly esteemed as a substantial and progressive citizen. His family numbered six children, namely: Kate, Mary, Philip, John, Leonard and Peter.
Leonard Uhrig obtained his education in the schools of his home neighbor- hood and when not busy with his lessons he worked in the nursery. He has con- ducted a nursery throughout his entire business career and has met with well merited and gratifying success in this undertaking, having long been numbered among the prosperous, enterprising and representative citizens of the community.
456
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
On the 17th of January, 1881, Mr. Uhrig was united in marriage to Miss Annie Eickhoff, a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Eickhoff, who were natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Uhrig now have four children : Clarence, a resident of Canada ; May, the wife of Dr. Cotturn, of Marine Mills, Minnesota; Clara, living in Dayton ; and Birdie, who is attending school. The members of the family belong to the German Lutheran church, in the work of which they are actively and helpfully interested. Having spent his entire life in this county. Mr. Uhrig is widely and favorably known within its borders and his salient traits of character are such as commend him to the confidence and good will of all with whom he comes in contact.
GEORGE W. BARTHOLOMEW.
George W. Bartholomew is the manager of the Miami Floral Company, of Dayton, which he has helped to make the largest concern of its kind in the state. It is situated at the foot of Broadway and River road in Harrison town- ship, Montgomery county, and its size and extent may be judged from an enu- meration of some of the buildings in which the many varieties of plants are grown. The greenhouses proper consist of four buildings, two hundred and fifty feet in length by thirty in width, all devoted to roses, of which there are thirty-five thou- sand plants. Carnations are another flower to which the firm gives a great deal of attention, having fifty thousand plants under cover and one hundred thousand in the field. The demand for Easter lilies is met by a growth of seventy-five thou- sand plants, while the popular calla lilies are represented by a stock of five thou- sand plants. In addition to these the company imports upwards of one hundred thousand different bulbs. A considerable space is given to bedding stock, smilax and ferns of various kinds. Four houses, three hundred and sixty-five by thirty- four feet are given over to carnations, while fifteen thousand square feet are de- voted to miscellaneous stock, which includes about thirty thousand aster plants.
Mr. Bartholomew, who takes such a pride in the greenhouses and the plants he grows, was born in Hampshire, England, May 19, 1863, the son of Mathew and Sarah (Thatcher) Bartholomew. The father was a gamekeeper on the estate of Lord Calthorpe at the time of George Bartholomew's birth, but is now living in retirement after a life of arduous work. He is a man of a fine English type, was a hard worker during his active years and also a good manager, and is highly respected among his circle of acquaintances. He is the father of eight children, of whom there are living: Ellen, Anna, Edith, Ada, John, Frederick and George. Charles is deceased. George is the only member of the family who has come to the United States, and he did not come until he had compassed his early man- hood, after he had received his education and after he had had some experience in the business in which he is now engaged. He entered this occupation at the age of fourteen and has devoted all the subsequent years of his life to attaining an enviable position among those engaged in like pursuit. Six years ago he came to Dayton, Ohio, to take charge of this plant and has been chiefly instrumental in bringing about its great growth and in placing it in the fore ranks of floral
-
GEORGE W. BARTHOLOMEW
459
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
concerns in the country. When he assumed the management of the plant, there were only fifteen thousand square feet of glass, whereas now there are some three hundred thousand square feet-a fact which may serve to indicate the manner in which he entered into the spirit of his duties.
On the 20th of April, 1884, Mr. Bartholomew was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Ewings, whose parents have come to this country and are living with their daughter. Five children have been born of this union: Ruby, who has completed her school course; Raymond, who is married to Miss Charlotte Bitt- ner; Herbert J., who assists his father; and Elsie and Bessie, who are still in school. The family profess allegiance to the Episcopal church and are in regular attendance at its services.
Mr. Bartholomew is a member of Court Cooper. Independent Order of For- esters, in whose ideals and welfare he has demonstrated practical interest. Among his fraternal brothers he has made many friends, but it is in the world of work and endeavor that he has distinguished himself. He has been a hard, enthusiastic toiler, setting up high ideals of achievement and rising ever higher in their attainment. The success that has come to him in consequence is both gratifying to himself, as a palpable reward, but also to the community and the city where he lives, for they have profited, if only indirectly, by his labors.
WILLIAM WEBSTER ENSEY, M. D.
Dr. William Webster Ensey, for fifteen years a well known representative of the medical fraternity in Dayton, his native city, was born December 3, 1869. He represents one of the old families of this part of the state and in fact the name of Ensey has been associated with the development and progress of Dayton for almost a century. His grandfather, John Ensey, a native of Frederick county, Maryland, born in 1783, came to Dayton during the period of its villagehood. He was married in 1810 to Miss Sarah Thompson, who died in 1864. She, too, was a representative of one of the oldest families in this portion of Ohio, her parents being Samuel and Catharine (Van Cleve) Thompson, who traveled west- ward with a party by boat from Losantiville, now Cincinnati, in 1796, at which time Mrs. Ensey was but two years of age. The family established their home here upon the western frontier and her father was actively associated with the pioneer development of this part of the state.
Isaac Van Cleve Ensey, son of John and Sarah (Thompson) Ensey, was born in Dayton in 1831 and in early manhood went to Lafayette county, Indiana, where he was residing at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. Prompted by a spirit of patriotism he offered his aid to the government and was assigned to duty with one of the companies of the Twentieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. with which he served for three years. Although he entered the army as a private his valor and meritorious conduct won him the rank of second lieutenant. He had been married in Dayton, Ohio, to Miss Louisa Dorn in 1868. His death occurred July 16, 1885, and he is still survived by his widow.
460
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Dr. Ensey, the only child of this marriage, was reared in Dayton and at- tended the public schools, while subsequently he pursued the study of medicine under the direction of Dr. William Webster, of this city. At a later date he entered the New York Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, from which he was graduated on the 7th of April, 1892. In that year he began practice in Cumberland Street Hospital of Brooklyn, New York, where he remained for two years and then returned to Dayton, where he has continued in active prac- tice to the present time. Hospital experience is an excellent training for pro- fessional duties, however varied and onerous. Well equipped by his service in Brooklyn, Dr. Ensey took up the work of the profession in his native city and has made substantial advancement since that time, doing excellent work in solv- ing the intricate problems that daily confront the physician. He belongs to the Ohio State Homeopathic Medical Society, the Miami Valley Homeopathic Medi- cal Society and the Dayton Homeopathic Medical Society and at all times, through reading and research, keeps in close touch with the advancement of the profes- sion. In September, 1898, in Dayton was celebrated the marriage of Dr. Ensey and Miss Bertha B. Davis, a daughter of John I. Davis. They had one daughter, Catharine Van Cleve, who was the light and life of the household, but she passed away in the early morning of May 31, 1909, at the age of three years and nine months.
Dr. Ensey is a republican in his political views but without aspiration for political preferment. The only office that he has ever held was in the direct path of his profession, having served as a member of the health board of Dayton for three years, beginning in 1896. He is a member of the Royal Arcanum and medical examiner for the local council. He also belongs to the American In- surance Union and to the Raper Methodist Episcopal church. His salient qual- ities are such as win for him favorable regard in professional circles and warm friendship in social circles.
EDWARD T. HALL.
Various business interests claim the attention and profit by the energy and keen sagacity of Edward T. Hall, who perhaps is best known, however, in connection with the abstract business. One of Dayton's native sons, he was born November 22, 1863, and his youthful days were here passed, his time largely being given to the acquirement of an education in the parochial schools until he reached the age of fifteen years. Since that time he has been in the business world. He first entered a law office in Dayton, where he remained until 1894, or for a period of fourteen years, keeping books and abstracting titles. His long experience gave him thorough knowledge of the business and in 1894 he gave up his position to join his brother, John J. Hall, in the abstract business. They have since continued in this line and in the fifteen years which have since come and gone have secured a very extensive clientage, the firm sustaining an unassailable reputation for reliability. Mr. Hall is also the treasurer of the Phillips House Company of Dayton, and realizing the opportunities offered in
461
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
the growing southwest he directed his energies to Oklahoma and became secre- tary of the Enid Development Company, which is one of the important features in the upbuilding and substantial improvement of one of the enterprising towns in that newly created state. He is likewise secretary of the Enid City Railway Company and secretary of the Thomas Real Estate Company. Other interests of Dayton, too, have claimed his attention and he is now director of the Dayton Saw Mill & Lumber Company and a director of the Dayton Street Railway Com- pany. Preeminently a man of affairs he has wielded a wide influence in busi- ness circles and enjoys the entire confidence and respect of his colleagues and associates.
Mr. Hall's study of political questions has led him to the belief that his views are mostly in harmony with the principles of democracy, yet he is not active as a party worker. He belongs to St. Joseph's Catholic church. His marriage was celebrated September 30, 1890, in this city, when Miss Margaret G. McGrath be- came his wife. They now have two children, James E. and Edward W. Through- out his entire life Mr. Hall has resided in Dayton and that his record is a creditable one is indicated by the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have known him from boyhood to the present time. He is a man of well balanced mind, even temper and conservative habits, nor is he lacking in that enterprise which leads to great accomplishments.
PHILIPP DEGER.
Prominent among the German-American residents of Mad River township, Montgomery county, Ohio, is Philipp Deger, a well known butcher residing on the Brandt pike about three miles north of the Dayton courthouse. A native of Germany, he was born in Bavaria on the 5th of January, 1860, his parents being Melchior and Margaret ( Weis) Deger. The former was also a native of Ger- many and a man of excellent habits. He was a farmer and large landowner, and his entire life was passed upon the farm where he was born and reared. In his family were four children: William, a resident of Philadelphia; Mar- garet, deceased; Philipp, of this review; and Godfrey, deceased.
In the common schools of his native country Philipp Deger acquired his early education and in the fatherland became familiar with the butcher's trade. Thinking to find better business opportunities, however, in the new world, he sailed for the United States when about twenty-four years of age and took up his abode in Dayton, Ohio. Here he worked at his trade for some time, but being imbued with the laudable ambition to one day have a business of his own, by dint of hard labor and careful expenditure, he saved sufficient money with which to purchase his present tract of land and establish a butchering enterprise on his own account. The property consists of two acres of land on Brandt pike about three miles north of the Dayton courthouse, where he conducts all of his busi- ness. He has been very successful in his chosen line of activity and as the years have passed has extended his trade to gratifying proportions. He now has two stands, one at No. 46 in the Wayne avenne market and the other No. 157 in the
463
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Arcade, and is recognized as one of the prominent representatives of this line of business.
In the year 1883 Mr. Deger was united in marriage in Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania, to Miss Johanna Burmeister of that city and unto them were born four children : Joseph, attending the Dayton schools and also assisting his father ; William, employed at one of his father's stands in Dayton ; Catharine, also em- ployed in Dayton ; and Margaret, at home.
Mr. Deger is a member of the Holy Rosary church, the Knights of St. John and also belongs to the Young Butchers' Association, while he likewise holds membership with the Orphans Home Society, associations which indicate some- what the nature of his interests. Public-spirited in his citizenship, he lends his influence and cooperation to measures which have for their object the growth and upbuilding of the community. Honorable and upright in all of his business dealings, he has won the respect and confidence of his fellowmen. Never has he had occasion to regret his determination to leave his native land and seek his fortune in this newer and more progressive country, where one is unhampered by caste or class and due recognition is accorded honest labor.
ADOLPH NEWSALT.
The life record of Adolph Newsalt is an exemplification of what may be ac- complished by a young man of energy and determination who early realizes that there is no royal road to wealth but that success and advancement are the direct outcome of persistent and intelligently directed effort. A native of Prussia, Mr. Newsalt was born December 25, 1853, and was in his ninth year when he ac- companied his mother to the United States. They sailed for New York and in the public schools of the eastern metropolis the boy continued his education.
Later they went to La Crosse, Wisconsin, and there Mr. Newsalt made his initial step in the business world and in 1860 by entering upon a four years' ap- prenticeship to the jeweler's trade, during which time he gained a comprehensive knowledge of the business in all of its different phases. In 1869 he came to Day- ton and joined his mother, who had removed to this city four years before. Almost immediately he secured employment in the jewelry establishment of Henry Kline, with whom he continued for a year, after which he went to Spring- field, Ohio, and for a little more than a year was employed in the jewelry house of A. Aaron of that city.
Industry and economy brought him a capital which enabled him to engage in business on his own account. The beginning was small for he had been able to save only three hundred dollars, but returning to Dayton he opened a little store on Fifth street and for two years had no assistant. He not only tended to the trade but did all of his own repairing and bookkeeping. Gradually, however, his business increased, forcing him to seek more commodious quarters and com- petent assistants. Later he removed to a large store that had been erected on Fifth street, occupying this for fifteen years, while later he sought still more com- modious quarters at Fourth and Main streets. Today Mr. Newsalt is one of
463
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
the foremost representatives of the jewelry trade not only in Dayton but in the state of Ohio and has many patrons throughout the surrounding country and as far west at St. Louis. His store is most attractively equipped and appointed and the stock is tastefully and artistically arranged, so that the establishment presents a splendid appearance. Moreover, Mr. Newsalt is careful in his pur- chase, selecting the goods of latest style and workmanship, his own appreciation of beauty in gems and in settings enabling him to present to the public goods of rare attraction. He now employs a large force of salesmen and has a most profit- able business which has come to him as the logical sequence of his close applic- tion, earnest purpose and unfaltering enterprise.
On the 10th of November, 1870, Mr. Newsalt was married in Dayton to Miss Sarah Wise, formerly of Paducah, Kentucky. Their only child, T. A. Newsalt, was educated at Poughkeepsie, New York, and is now his father's associate in business. Meeting Mr. Newsalt, one is immediately impressed by his quietude of deportment, his easy dignity, his frankness and cordiality of address. He is ever ready to meet the obligations of life with the confidence and courage that come of conscious personal ability, right conception of things and a habitual regard for what is best in the exercise of human activities.
GEORGE D. GOHN, M. D.
Dr. George D. Gohn, physician and surgeon of Dayton, was born on a farm in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, August 15, 1872, six months after the death of his father. When he was six years of age the family removed to Buckstown, Somerset county, and from there went to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where the mother, Mrs. Martha Gohn, died on the 13th of January, 1906. There were six children : Anne E., the wife of Charles A. Cable, of Johnstown ; Mary E., a resi- dent of Indianapolis, Indiana; John C., a contractor and builder of Dayton, Ohio; Elmer, a resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania; Charles, of Johnstown; and George D. of this review. On his father's side the Doctor had two uncles who lost their lives while serving in the war, and two of his mother's brothers were severely wounded in the same struggle.
Dr. Gohn spent his youthful days in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and acquired his early education in the public schools of that city. He was ambitious, how- ever, for continued training in educational lines and afterward entered Otterbein University, where he spent two years. His excellent knowledge constituted a good foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of professional learning and, entering the Baltimore Medical College, he was graduated therefrom in 1897. In that year he established an office in Dayton, Ohio, for general practice and through twelve years has represented the profession here, enjoying the pat- ronage of many of the best families of the city.
Dr. Gohn was also physician to the Montgomery county infirmary in 1901 and 1902 and was physician to the Montgomery county jail in 1908. He is an able follower of the profession, thoroughly conversant with the scientific princi- ples which underline his work and accurately applying his knowledge to the
464
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
daily needs of his patients. He belongs to the American Medical Association ; the Ohio State Medical Association; the Montgomery County Medical Society ; the Dayton Academy of Medicine, of which he is vice president ; and the Physi- cians Business League of Montgomery county, of which he is also the second officer. In more strictly social lines Dr. Gohn is connected with the Junior Order United American Mechanics, the Tribe of Ben Hur and the Protected Home Circle. His religious faith is manifest in his membership in the First United Brethren church, and his political views are evidenced in his endorsement of the men and measures of the republican party.
Pleasantly situated in his home life Dr. Gohn was married in Baltimore, Mary- land, September 5, 1900, to Miss Lillie J. E. Rice, and they have one son, George Rice Gohn. Mrs. Gohn's father, Rev. Amos H. Rice, was a prominent member of the Pennsylvania conference of the United Brethren church and held various offices therein, filling pulpits in New York, Harrisburg and Baltimore. He was pastor of a church in the last named city for twelve years. He died in Dayton, on the 13th of December, 1904, and his widow now makes her home with Dr. and Mrs. Gohn. Mr. Rice had a brother, Andrew H., who is a prominent manu- facturer and merchant of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
HARRY E. KIMMEL.
Harry E. Kimmel, a well known farmer and stock raiser of Miami township, operates his father's farm about one mile south of Alexanderville. He and his brother also own about ninety-one acres of fine farm land in Mad River town- ship, on the Kemp road, which is accounted very valuable. November 17, 1865, was the day upon which Harry E. Kimmel first opened his eyes to greet the day, in Jefferson township, near where the new schoolhouse now stands. His paternal grandfather, Lewis Kimmel, came from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and was among the first to settle in Montgomery county. The latter wedded Miss Mary Niswonger and their son Joseph Kimmel, the father of Harry E. Kimmel, was born in Jefferson township. He became well known as a farmer, stock raiser and dealer. Some years ago he left the farm, and, removing to the city of Dayton, is now engaged in the stock business at that place. He resides at 925 North Broadway and though well advanced in years is still active in the pursuit of his calling. In the years of his early manhood he married Miss Amanda Kemp, and to them were born two sons, C. L. and Harry E.
The latter received his fundamental education in the public schools of West Carrollton, and his substantial preparation for life on the farm under the guidance of his parents. During his school life he assumed his share of the responsibili- ties of the home place and took an active interest in the business side of the work. In 1878, when his father commenced dealing in horses, Mr. Kimmel was but a young boy, and so might be said to have grown up with that part of the busi- ness. The farming and the stock raising have been conducted together, and when with advancing years the father decided to relinquish part of his cares, the younger man remained on the home farm to manage it and to take charge of
HARRY E. KIMMEL
467
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
such horses as might be sent from the city for care. His interests in farming are increased through his participation with his brother C. L. Kimmel, in the conduct of the fine farm in Mad River township.
Though a man who gives his best time and energy to his work, Mr. Kimmel has many interests of a social nature that keep him in full touch with the world of men. He is a member of the Miamisburg lodge of the Knights of Pythias. His allegiance in matters of religion is given to the Methodist Episcopal church of West Carrollton, in the work of which he takes an active interest. A man of ability and capable of any amount of hard work, Mr. Kimmel has advanced steadily in the calling to which he chose to devote himself. His efforts have been generously recompensed in the past and the outlook for the future appears bright.
WEBSTER S. SMITH, M. D.
With full appreciation of the duties and responsibilities that devolve upon him in his official connection Dr. Webster S. Smith is giving to the public excellent service in his professional capacity and the substantial qualities of his manhood are winning for him the high regard as well of those whom he meets socially. He was born in Dayton, in 1856, a son of Isaac M. and Phoebe (Wellbaum) Smith. His grandfather was Richard Smith and his great-grandfather in the maternal line was Charles Wellbaum, who was one of the hired Hessian troops sent to this country to aid the English at the time of the Revolutionary war. His sympathies were aroused on behalf of the colonies, however, and he deserted the English ranks and is supposed to have done all in his power to aid in estab- lishing American independence.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.