USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 60
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
SAMUEL B. GROBY.
Samuel B. Groby is successfully engaged in farming on a tract of sixty acres situated in Miami township within a mile and a half of the city of Miamisburg. He is a native son of this township, his birth having occurred on the old homestead farm, May 5, 1878. He is a grandson of Samuel Groby, who was the first mem- ber of the Groby family to come to Ohio from Pennsylvania. His son Jacob R. Groby removed to Montgomery county with his parents from Berks county, Pennsylvania, and is now one of the most prominent and successful farmers of this part of the state. He wedded Miss Barbara Buehler and their marriage was blessed with three sons, the brothers of our subject, being : Robert, who is a resi- dent of Miami township ; and Albert, deceased.
Samuel B. Groby, the eldest son, was reared to the work of the home farm and acquired his education in the schools of Miamisburg. Since reaching man- hood he has engaged in farming and is cultivating a tract of sixty acres located in Miami township, a mile and a half cast of Miamisburg on the Heinicke road, so that it will be seen he has all the advantages which the city affords. His place is improved with good buildings and the soil is devoted to various grains, of which he annually gathers good crops, for he is diligent in cultivating his fields and there- fore his labors are rewarded with success.
626
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
It was on the 18th of December, 1902, that Mr. Groby was united in marriage to Miss Blanch Willey, a daughter of W. B. and Lucetta (Lesher) Willey, num- bered among Montgomery county's most prominent residents. Mr. Willey was formerly a traveling salesman but is now living retired with his daughter, Mrs. Groby. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Groby has been blessed with two sons and a daughter, Willard W., Samuel C. and Emily L., but the younger son is deceased.
The parents are members of the Lutheran church at Miamisburg. Mr. Groby gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has served on the school board and also on the advisory board. He takes a deep interest in all local move- ments tending toward the advancement or betterment of conditions in his com- munity and takes a just pride in what is being accomplished here in these direc- tions.
L. G. BOWERS, M. D.
Dayton's medical fraternity numbers many able men-those who have been long in practice and those of younger years who are steadily working their way upward in the profession. To this class Dr. Bowers belongs, having since July, 1905, practiced in Dayton, his specialty being surgery. He was born in Shelby county, Indiana, in 1870 and is a son of the Civil war veteran, who served for nearly four years in the Fifty-first Indiana Regiment and has since taken an active part in the old soldiers' associations, serving as president of the National Associa- tion of the Veterans of the Battle of Stone River in 1907. Dr. Bowers' youthful days were passed on the home farm in Marion township, Shelby county, Indiana, until the age of twenty-three years, during which time he became familiar with all of the duties and labors devolving upon the agriculturist. He worked in the fields during the summer months and in the winter seasons mastered the branches of learning constituting the common-school curriculum. Later he had the benefit of instruction at the high school at Noah, Indiana, where he completed the course by graduation with the class of 1888. He afterward engaged in teaching school in Marion and Union townships, Shelby county, for five years and proved an able educator, imparting readily and clearly to others the knowledge that he had ac- quired.
On the expiration of that period he began training for other professional labor, entering the Louisville (Ky.) Medical College, where he completed a course by graduation in 1898. He then put his theoretical training to the practical test in a year's service in the Louisville Medical College Hospital and the broadening ex- perience of hospital practice proved of untold value to him in preparing him for the work of a private practitioner. At the end of that time he located in Rich- mond, Indiana, where he remained for six years. He engaged in general prac- tice for four and a half years and has since made a specialty of surgery.
In professional lines Dr. Bowers is connected with several societies including the American Medical Association, the Mississippi Valley Medical Association, the Ohio State Medical Association, the Union District Medical Association, the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Dayton Academy of Medicine. He is surgeon to the St. Elizabeth Hospital.
627
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
In 1893 Dr. Bowers was married in Shelby county, Indiana, to Miss Pearl A. Yarling, a daughter of Michael Yarling. Their home has been blessed with three children : Cyril Y., James M. and Anderson T. The Doctor votes with the repub- lican party and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but the honors and emoluments of office have little attraction for him. He holds mem- bership with the Masons and the Elks, his brethren of those fraternities finding in him a representative who is ever loyal to the beneficent teachings upon which the orders rest.
WILLIAM G. FRIZELL.
William G. Frizell, attorney at law of Dayton, whose influence has been a potent factor in political circles, was born in this city in 1866. His father, James S. Frizell, was a native of Kentucky, born in 1823. He came to Dayton, Ohio, in 1865 and spent his remaining days in this city, where for thirty-five years he was prominently known as a wholesale druggist and representative business man, his labors contributing in substantial measure to the commercial development of Dayton. He died in 1899, leaving two daughters, who are married, and one son, William G. Frizell. The last named acquired his preliminary education in the public schools. In 1887 he was graduated from the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and upon his return to Dayton he took up the study of law in the office and under the direction of R. D. Marshall. In 1889 he was admitted to the bar and has since given his atten- tion to the practice of law.
Mr. Frizell has become well known as a leader of the republican party in Day- ton. From early manhood he has made a close study of issues and questions of the day and he recognizes the duties and obligations as well as the privileges of citizenship. In 1890 he was elected to the city council from the first ward and served for two terms or four years, and during two years of the time he was president of the council. He exerted his official prerogatives in support of various public measures, which have been beneficial elements in municipal life. In 1894 he was elected a member of the Dayton school board and served for four years. In 1903 he was elected a member of the state legislature and was reelected in 1905. In February, 1908, he was renominated for a third term but withdrew from office in 1908 to accept the nomination for congress from the third district. For that office, however, he was defeated. His work as president of the city council was often favorably commented upon by the press. As a member of the legislature he ever occupied an unequivocal position, standing loyally in defense of what he be- lieved to be right, taking just as strong a stand in opposition to any movement which he believed would prove detrimental to the state at large. His law prac- tice having made him at ease as a speaker, he was recognized as one of the strong- est debaters in the legislature, both in the committee and on the floor, and be- cause of the fairness and the force of his utterances he always received the thought- ful attention of the entire house. He has never been an extremist or radical upon any subject but rather a progressive conservative and for that reason his words have molded legislative thought upon many a public subject. He made a de-
628
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
termined stand against the steal of the Ohio canals, against the new Paine Muni- cipal Code and for the new building association law. The Dayton Journal said of him, in connection with his service as councilman: "Mr. Frizell has proved himself an admirable public servant in the council, prompt, decisive and intelli- gent in his rulings. He is one of the class of men whose motives are never im- pugned and whose acts are always in favor of the interests of the people. He is a clear-headed, resolute business manager from start to finish and enjoys the con- fidence and esteem of every member of the council."
Mr. Frizell is a member of the Grace Methodist Episcopal church and in Ma- sonry he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He has traveled extensively, has written much for the press and frequently delivers charm- ing lectures on what he has seen inout of the way corners of the world. He has a mind open and alert to impressions, sees what is to be seen and is appreciative of all the interesting points. His reputation as a lawyer, as a legislator and as a lec- turer places him prominently before the public as a representative citizen of Day- ton. In 1909 he published a book entitled "Out of the Way Places," describing his travels in China, Japan, Spitzbergen, Spain and other unusual places. The book reviews have been very flattering. The Chicago Record-Herald said: "Mr. Frizell has the seeing eyes, his outlook is sympathetic and his book will be read with enjoyment by many." The Albany Argus said: "His book is a collection of bright and graphic views of a traveler in the byways of the world. * His book is more spontaneous and less cut and dry than most books of travel."
PHILO G. BURNHAM.
Philo G. Burnham is one of the prominent local leaders of the republican party in Dayton, where he is now filling the position of city solicitor. He was born in Woodstock, Champaign county, Ohio, in 1869 and there spent his youth- ful days, remaining a resident of that place until he had attained his majority. Entering the public schools, he passed through consecutive grades until he had completed the high-school course by graduation with the class of 1886. Further opportunities in educational lines were granted him and he matriculated in Anti- och College, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, from which he was graduated in 1891. For two years thereafter he occupied the position of principal of the high school at Covington, Ohio, but he regarded this merely as an initial step to other pro- fessional labor, it being his desire to become an active member of the bar.
To this end Mr. Burnham entered the law department of the University of Michigan and was graduated in 1895, after which he was admitted to the bar and located for practice in Dayton. He has since been identified with legal in- terests and also to a greater or less extent with official service. His work in the latter connection has been of far-reaching benefit and importance, for, added to his appreciation and understanding of the needs of the city and its possibilities for progress, he is possessed of public-spirited devotion to the general good. He was a member of the board of education of Dayton in 1901 and 1902, and in the former year he was elected to the state senate of Ohio, taking his seat in the
PHILO G. BURNHAM
631
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
upper house of the general assembly in January, 1902. He proved an able work- ing member of that body, giving to each question which came up for settle- ment his careful consideration. In May, 1903, Mr. Burnham was appointed first assistant solicitor of Dayton and continued in that office without interruption until January 1, 1908, when he was elected city solicitor for two years. His previous experience well qualified him for the duties devolving upon him in this connec- tion and he is proving a most worthy incumbent in the office. Since age con- ferred upon him the right of franchise he has been a stalwart supporter of the republican party and an active worker in its ranks, doing all in his power to pro- mote its growth and insure its success.
On the 15th of September, 1897, Mr. Burnham was married in Covington, Ohio, to Miss Erle C. Baer, and they have won many friends during their resi- dence in Dayton, while the hospitality of a number of the attractive homes of the city is cordially extended them. They have one child, a daughter, Dorothy Burnham. Mr. Burnham is well known as a man of enterprise, whose connec- tion with public affairs is based on an intense interest in the welfare of his com- munity and while not without that ambition which is always an incentive for capable service in public office he would manifest just as surely a public-spirited devotion to the general welfare were he not connected with any office.
OLIVER PERRY BOYER.
The name of Boyer has figured in connection with Dayton's development through more than eight decades. The birth of Oliver Perry Boyer occurred here on the 16th of March, 1827, when the boundaries of the town were much more restricted than at present and when its industrial and commercial activities had received but little impetus from the incoming settlers. With the life of the village and later with the growth and progress of the city Oliver Perry Boyer was closely associated. He was here reared and educated and having put aside his text-books he mastered the cabinet maker's trade, which he utilized as a source of livelihood until 1861. He then turned his attention to the undertaking business in Dayton in the place now occupied by his son, who in the course of years became his suc- cessor. About 1866 or 1867 he admitted his brother, Benjamin F. Boyer, to a partnership under the style of Boyer & Brother, this relation being maintained for four or five years, at the end of which time Benjamin Boyer retired and Oliver Perry Boyer continued alone until his death. His was one of the oldest under- taking establishments in this city and the reliability of his business methods se- sured to him a liberal patronage from those in need of his services.
In 1851 occurred the marriage of Mr. Boyer to Miss Martha W. Chatterton, and unto them were born five children : Eugene J. ; Lida, who died in 1878; Mary, who became the wife of John F. Elliott of Springfield, Ohio, and died in 1885, leaving two children, Oliver P. and Lida ; Harry G., who passed away in 1884: and Oliver Perry, who died in 1868. The wife and mother departed this life on the 28th of March, 1868, and on the 16th of September, 1869, Mr. Boyer was again married, his second union being with Julie Ernante Celine Pilate, a native
632
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
of Galveston, Texas, and a daughter of Dr. E. Pilate, who was born in France. There were four children of the second marriage: Alice S., the wife of Walter S. Allen, of Dayton, Ohio; Harriett E., the wife of A. W. Lowrey, of Dayton ; Georgie R., at home ; and Louis Pilate. Mrs. Julie Boyer died on the 22d of June, 1891.
In his political views Mr. Boyer was a republican but was never bitterly parti- san in his political affiliations. In Masonry he attained the Knight Templar de- gree and he also held membership with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. For many years he was an elder in the First Presbyterian church and did all in his power to promote its growth and extend its influence. His belief was manifest in his relations with his fellowmen, for at all times he endeavored to closely follow the Golden Rule, doing unto others as he would have them do unto him. His sterling purpose, his just and equitable treatment of all and his manifestation of friendliness and good will won for him the high regard and confidence of those with whom business or social relations brought him in contact.
Of his sons, Eugene Joseph Boyer was born in Dayton, June 5, 1852, and was reared in this city where his grandparents had located ere the evidences of village- hood had been replaced by those which gave a metropolitan air of progress and enterprise. He pursued his education in the public schools to the age of seven- teen years and then entered upon business life in connection with his father and later with his brother, Louis B. Boyer, succeeding to the business on the father's demise. He was married December 6, 1877, in Dayton to Miss Aurora Miller, and they have two sons, Robert Eugene and Charles Beaver.
Louis Pilate Boyer was married July 10, 1901, in this city to Miss Emilie Lewis Radcliff and they have one daughter, Emilie Lewis Radcliff Boyer. Both Eugene J. and Louis P. Boyer are members of the Knights of Pythias fraternity and the latter belongs to Christ Episcopal church. The brothers are men of business en- terprise who fully sustain the unsullied reputation that has always been connected with the name of Boyer in the business circles of Dayton.
HENRY SCHOENFELD.
Dr. Henry Schoenfeld, who has won a wide reputation as a specialist in the treatment of chronic diseases, in which connection his labors have been of material benefit to his fellowmen, was born in Hanau Hessen, Kassel, Germany, in 1829. Although he has now reached the age of eighty years, he is still active in practice and his work continues to be a factor for good. He remained at the place of his nativity until fourteen years of age and between the ages of six and four- teen attended school, while spending his boyhood days in the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schoenfeld. His father, who was of noble birth, became mixed up with the Revolutionists and on this account crossed the Atlantic to the new world, seeking a haven of refuge in America when his son Henry was about eight years of age. In 1844 the family joined him at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He had studied medicine in his native land but never had practiced until he came
633
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
to the United States. Fleeing from his country because of his political beliefs, he landed in Baltimore with only fifty cents in his pocket and his entire life there- after was given to the practice of medicine. He married Margaret Kohler, whose father had control of an entire county in Germany. In the family were a sister and a brother of our subject, both of whom died in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Henry Schoenfeld until 1848 pursued his education under the tutelage of Catholic priests. In that year he started with a party from Philadelphia to Cali- fornia to dig gold, being attracted by the reports concerning the discoveries on the Pacific coast. The party made their way to Cuba, afterward to the peninsula which constitutes Lower California and then on to the region of the gold excite- ment. There was only one house in San Francisco at the time and that was the customs house. Dr. Schoenfeld made his way into the mountains where he spent two years, finding plenty of gold but little to eat. He also had trouble with the Indians who were hostile, manifesting considerable ferocity against what they re- garded as the intrusion of the white settlers and Dr. Schoenfeld in an encounter with the red men sustained a tomahawk wound, the scar of which he now bears. In 1851, after three years spent on the western coast, he returned by way of the isthmus and after a brief period passed at home began the practice of medicine at Lancaster and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Schoenfeld had studied medicine only with the priests who had been his tutors and with his father who was a successful physician. He practiced for one year in Pennsylvania and then made his way to Cincinnati where he practiced with Dr. Schoen for eight months. He then returned home to see his people, after which he came to Dayton but the fact that at Miamisburg resided many people who had known his father in Pennsylvania influenced Dr. Schoenfeld to locate in that place. He opened an office in Miamisburg in 1853 and has engaged in general practice for fifty-six years, during which time he has never resorted to surgery. He has had an immense practice, not only largely covering Ohio but also various portions of Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, Kansas, also Canada. During the past twenty-five years he has devoted his time largely to chronic diseases and has effected many notable cures where the general practitioner has failed. Cases have come to him from all parts of the country and his labors have been extremely beneficial to his patrons at large.
Dr. Schoenfeld has also been prominent in community affairs and has left the influence of his individuality for good upon the public life. He was elected to the legislature, serving from 1870 until 1873 inclusive, being elected on the demo- cratic ticket by a large and flattering majority. He also served for ten years as a member of the field council and exercised his official prerogatives in support of many measures for the general good.
In 1857 Dr. Schoenfeld was married to Miss Amma Shell, who was born in Miamisburg, Ohio, and died here in 1898. She was a daughter of John Shell, a shoemaker. The children of that marriage are Dr. Henry J. Schoenfeld, a prac- ticing physician of Trenton, Ohio; John H., who is interested in the Miamisburg Banking Company of Miamisburg; Charles E. a railroad man of Elmira, New York; and Margaret, who died at the age of one year.
Dr. Schoenfeld is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, is also connected with the Knights of Pythias, with the German Order of Haru-
634
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
gari and with the German Reform church. His whole life has been filled with anxiety and responsibility. Since seventeen years of age he has been dependent upon his own resources but he has made wise use of his opportunities and has learned the lessons which are contained in life's contacts and its experiences. His work has been of essential benefit to his fellowmen and his record has made him one of Montgomery county's honored and valuable citizens.
JOHN NEWTON ALLABACK.
When a man of known public spirit and loyalty occupies a position of trust and responsibility there is a feeling of safety on the part of the community, for they recognize the fact that their interests are conserved through a careful and capable administration of public affairs. Such is the feeling inspired by the men- tion of the name of John Newton Allaback whose ability has brought him to his present position as chief of police of Dayton. He was born at West Point, Mor- row county, Ohio, November 15, 1857, a son of John Allaback, also a native of Ohio. He was a contracting plasterer and maintained his home at Galion, Ohio, but he and his wife were temporarily residing at West Point at the time of the birth of their son, John N., the father being engaged on the execution of a large contract there. After the inauguration of the Civil war he responded to the call and early in the summer of 1861 joined the Union forces with which he continued until the country no longer needed the military aid of her loyal sons. He was mustered out with the rank of captain of Company K, Eighty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He then continued in business as a contracting plasterer at Galion, Ohio, for several years, after which he became a resident of Dayton, where he conducted a successful business in the same line.
John N. Allaback and his mother had previously spent several years in Day- ton, coming to this city after the father enlisted in the Union army and remaining until 1865, when they all returned to Galion. In 1874, however, the family home was once more established in Dayton, and here Captain Allaback continued his education for a year. During the periods of vacation he worked at the plasterer's trade with his father, and after putting aside his text-books continued as his as- sistant until he had reached the age of twenty-two years. Military life, however, attracted him, for from his boyhood he had been stirred by the tales which his father told of his military experiences in the south. In 1879, therefore, Captain Allaback went to Cincinnati where, on the 26th of March, he enlisted in the United States Cavalry. Two months were spent in preliminary drill and general train- ing for the service at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, after which he was assigned to duty with Troop M, in the Second United States Cavalry stationed at Fort Custer, Montana. He went through all the hardships and experiences of a fron- tier campaign, serving for five years in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. He par- ticipated in two engagements and a number of skirmishes with the Indians, taking part in the battle on the Milk river with the Sioux and the other on the Rosebud with the Ogallas. The Indians were active and aggressive and the military qual- ities of the Second Cavalry were often severely tested, but it was a grand com-
635
DAYTON AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY
pany of brave men who won well merited fame and glory in the Indian campaigns. Mr. Allaback was promoted from the rank and made corporal and at the time of his discharge, March 26, 1884, was first duty sergeant of his troop.
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.