USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 70
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Samuel M. Benner spent a longer period than the average at school, for he was but five years of age when he entered the school of district No. 7, and he was a pupil with more or less regularity until 1892, the second of the two years he spent in study at the college in Lebanon, Ohio. In the latter years of his school work he elected the classical course. Almost from the first day his lessons went hand in hand with work on the farm and before his education was com- pleted he had undertaken the management of his father's land. Upon the death of the latter Mr. Benner became a partner in the business, bought some of the land that was part of his father's farm, and some additional acres on the other side of the road and started in to cultivate the soil for his own profit. Not con- tent with the many duties that were his through his own possessions, Mr. Benner also looked after the old home place.
On the 9th of February, 1898, was solemnized Mr. Benner's marriage to Miss Eleanor Conover, the daughter of Schenck and Mary (Moses) Conover. The
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father came to this state from New Jersey, where he was a farmer, but the mother was a native of Holland. Mr. and Mrs. Benner attend the Lutheran church, in which Mr. Benner received his religious training from his childhood, and are intimately identified with its interests and work of all kinds.
Mr. Benner is a man who has known the value of hard work and who can look back upon the success the years have brought him as the result of his own efforts. Some of the habits of study and the love of books inculcated during the many years he devoted to attaining his education have remained by him, and he spends many of his hours of recreation over the pages of a book.
URIAH WASHINGTON GARBER.
Uriah Washington Garber is actively engaged in the milling business in Madi- son township, Montgomery county, Ohio, and the prosperity which has attended his efforts is indicative of industry and perseverance on his part. Born July 17, 1858, on the old Garber homestead, he has spent his entire life in this section of the state, where members of the Garber family have resided for over a century. His grandfather, Daniel Garber, was a native of Lancaster county, Pennsyl- vania, and came to Ohio about 1807, making the journey in a covered wagon. He settled on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Montgomery county, where the remaining days of his life were spent. He was buried near Brook- ville in Wolf Creek graveyard. It was here that Jonathan Garber, the father of Uriah Washington Garber, was born, reared and educated, and he was num- bered among the pioneer farmers of this section. He wedded Sarah Wyland and they became the parents of a son and daughter: U. W. Garber, the subject of this review ; and Amelia, the wife of Jacob Cleppinger.
Uriah Washington Garber spent his youthful days on the old homestead farm which had been the home of his father before him, and attended the common schools of the neighborhood, where he received a good general education. That he possessed industry and perseverance, together with good business ability, was early manifest in the fact that while still upon the home farm he conducted a feed-grinding mill, which he operated during the winter months, while the sum- mer season was devoted to agricultural pursuits. The experience thus gained in the milling business not only served as an excellent basis upon which to found his larger enterprise in the future, but proved as well a source of financial profit. He remained on the farm for several years and then in 1905 established his pres- ent milling business located on the Eaton pike about six miles west of Dayton. The success and prosperity which he has met in this line of business activity is proving most gratifying and he has also become the owner of seventy-two acres of fine farm land located on the Dayton and Lexington road, about three miles southwest of New Lebanon.
On January 1, 1880, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Garber and Miss Lydia Lentz, a daughter of George and Catharine (Blessing) Lentz, and they have two daughters : Ida, the wife of Elmer Bright; and Maud, the wife of Par- ker Filbrum, by whom she has a daughter, Marie Vida, born June 28, 1909.
U. W. GARBER AND FAMILY
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Mr. Garber is greatly interested in community affairs and for a number of years was a member of the school board, the cause of education finding in him a stalwart champion. He votes with the republican party and is a member of the Brethren church, in which he is serving as one of the trustees, and is active and helpful in the different departments of church work. His home, which is very beautifully situated on the Dayton & Western traction line, is a fine modern residence, furnished with every convenience, and its warm hospitality is en- joyed by the large circle of friends of Mr. and Mrs. Garber.
WALTER C. BECK.
Walter C. Beck, one of the younger generation of gardeners of Montgomery county, has the reputation of being able to win from the soil products that are among the finest in quality as they are among the most generous in quantity. The knowledge and skill in cultivating the land may perhaps have been inherited, for it is known that the paternal grandfather, William C. Beck, who was a native of Michigan, was also a successful farmer. The grandfather was likewise a pay- master in the United States army and was accounted a good officer. At the time of his death he was living in Bradford, Ohio. Hollister Beck, the father of the subject of this sketch, came from St. Mary's Ohio, where he was engaged in rail- roading, the occupation to which he devoted the greater part of his life .. During the Civil war he enlisted from Urbana, Illinois, in Company K, Twenty-fifth Illinois Infantry and served as a private for two years with honor and credit to his company and country, receiving his discharge at Atlanta, Georgia. He was married to Miss Kittie Ann Hollar, of which union was born our subject.
Walter C. Beck was born in Dayton, Ohio, on the 26th of November, 1866, and under his grandmother's care he passed through the period of childhood, re- ceiving the rudiments of his education in the public schools. He was but ten years old, however, when he began to gain that experience in gardening which has been so fruitful during the thirty-two years he has pursued it as his vocation, for each year has brought its own fund of experiments and knowledge, by means of which he has been able to build up his reputation as one of the best gardeners of the county.
On the 29th of December, 1886, Mr. Beck was united in marriage to Miss Mary R. Bolender, the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Crawford) Bolender. John Bolender was a farmer, residing in Edgemont, and the son of Jonathan Bolender, one of the early settlers of Dayton, who came to Ohio from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and was a large landholder. Two children, May L. and Florence I., were born to Mr. and Mrs. Beck, but both have passed away.
Mr. and Mrs. Beck attend the United Brethren church and are active in pro- moting its interests and work. They are also identified with several organiza- tions, both fraternal and social. Mr. Beck is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He also belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men, has served as deputy and represented his tribe in Toledo in 1909. The W. C. Beck Company, No. 13, of which he is a member, was named in his honor and has won several
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prizes. He is also connected with the Daughters of Rebekah and Pocahontas, of which his wife, too, is a prominent member, she having served as treasurer and deputy in the latter organization.
At the present time, in 1909, Mr. Beck has two acres of his land devoted to celery. Here he has planted thirty-five thousand stalks, which will doubtless average five cents per stalk in the market, thus bringing him eight hundred and seventy-five dollars per acre. This is the second crop he has raised this year. He has won many prizes on his celery on account of its excellent quality. His interest in his fellow gardeners is fostered through his membership in the Horti- cultural Society, and of recent date he has been put on the committee on garden- ing. All in all, Mr. Beck is a man of great activity and varied interests. He has devoted the best years of his life to the cultivation of the soil and may feel well repaid by the results he has gained. He is a man, too, whose engaging personal qualities attract to him many friends to whom he is most loyal.
EMORY C. OBLINGER.
For the last eighteen years all the checks on the bank at Germantown have passed through the hands of one man, Emory C. Oblinger. Not only have busi- ness associations linked him with this city, but also associations of his whole life, for here he was born on the 5th of June, 1865. His grandfather, Gabriel Oblinger, came from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, to this county when the settlers were both few and scattered and took up the life of a farmer. His son, David Oblinger, was born in Germantown and here engaged in general merchan- dising. He was accounted a man of means, and in the annals of the city is cred- ited with many acts indicative of public spirit. He died thirty-eight years ago, leaving one son, Emory C., the only child of his marriage with Miss Mary A. Clark.
At home and in the public schools of Germantown Emory C. Oblinger received his first insight into the problems of life and the means of meeting them, and on completing his education here entered a commercial college in Dayton, where he pursued a business course. He thereafter entered a grocery but was shortly after- ward appointed assistant cashier of the bank here. In this capacity he rendered such efficient service that at the end of a year he was elected to the position of cashier, and through the eighteen years that have elapsed has given unfailing satisfaction to those who placed their confidence in his ability. At present he is also a director of the bank, so that its stable condition is further dependent upon him.
In September, 1889, Mr. Oblinger was united in marriage to Miss Pearl Schaeffer, the daughter of George and Maria (Emrick) Schaeffer. Mr. Schaeffer was a farmer of this county, but has recently retired from active participation in the work of agriculture. But one son, David L., has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Oblinger. He completed the course of instruction given by the public schools here and then for a term attended the Montgomery Military Institute. He is a young man of great promise who is at present filling the post of assistant
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cashier at the Germantown Bank and to him his father is able to intrust much of his business.
Mr. Oblinger enjoys fraternal relations with the Germantown Lodge, No. 21, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is active in promoting the interests of the lodge and the welfare of its individual members. Among his fraternal brothers and throughout the town, Mr. Oblinger is highly respected among the citizens of Germantown, for he fulfilled with honor and credit the duties of a difficult position, has proved himself a man of sterling integrity, and wholly worthy of the confidence the public have reposed in him.
WILLIAM A. KEYES.
William A. Keyes, secretary and manager of the C. Schwind Realty Company, with offices in the Reibold building of Dayton, is a young man whose business methods are in keeping with the progressive spirit of the age and in his present connection he is continually seeking out new ways and means to further the interests of the company and thus indirectly promote the upbuilding of the city. He was born in Cincinnati, July 29, 1879, and in the paternal line comes of Irish descent, his grandfather having been a native of Ireland and the founder of the family in the new world. Crossing the Atlantic he spent his last days in Massa- chusetts, where he died when about sixty-seven years of age. His wife was Mrs. Mary Keyes who lived to the very venerable age of ninety-six years. They were the parents of seven children, which number included Patrick J. Keyes, the father of our subject. His birth occurred in County Roscommon, Ireland, and he became a bridge builder and contractor. He was only seventeen months old when his parents crossed the Atlantic to the new world, settling first in Boston where he remained until early manhood when he removed to New York city. There he followed bridge building until after the outbreak of the Civil war but in the opening year of the struggle between the north and the south he enlisted as a member of the Thirty-third Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and served for three years. He was a private, loyal to duty and faithful to the old flag which he followed. He was in a number of the most important battles of the war and was wounded at Lookout Mountain. After the close of hostilities he returned to New York and soon afterward removed to Cincinnati where he did railroad con- struction work for several years. Subsequent to his marriage he acted as super- intendent of construction and built the Soldiers' Home at Dayton. Later he built the Soldiers' Home at Marion, Ind., after which he returned to Dayton and has since been engaged in the roofing business. He married Miss Catharine Drury, also a native of County Roscommon, Ireland. Her father, who was a farmer, died on the Emerald Isle at the age of sixty-three years, while his wife, Mrs. Alice Drury, passed away at the age of eighty-seven. They were the parents of six children including Catharine, who became the wife of Patrick J. Keyes. Their marriage was blessed with the following children: John J .; James J .; Alice C., a member of the Order of St. Dominick ; Joseph A. ; William A .; and Mary C.
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The parents are both members of Sacred Heart Catholic church and Mr. Keyes gives his political allegiance to the republican party which he has long supported.
William A. Keyes was only an infant when his parents removed to Dayton and here he was reared to manhood, pursuing his education in St. Mary's Insti- tute. He afterward attended Wilt's Commercial College and later continued his studies in Jacob's University, after which he put aside his text-books and ac- cepted a position with the Cash Register Company. After leaving there he was in the treasurer's office of the Soldiers' Home for two years and then embarked in business as a member of the Dayton Fibre Plaster Company, with which he was connected for two years. He next accepted the position of manager of the estate of Mrs. Christina Schwind and after her death the estate was incorporated into the C. Schwind Realty Company with Mr. Keyes as secretary and manager and with offices in the Reibold building. In this connection he manifests excellent business ability in placing and caring for investments and his success is recognized by all who know aught of the operations of the C. Schwind Realty Company. Mr. Keyes is also a director of the Dayton Street Railway Company and a director of the Dayton Brewery Company and is known as a young man of sound judgment and keen business enterprise.
On the 28th of May, 1902, Mr. Keyes was married to Miss Anna L. Schwind, a daughter of Coelestin and Christina (Latin) Schwind. Three daughters have been born of this marriage but Alice J., the second, died at the age of one year. The others are: Catharine and Josephine Marian. He and his wife are mem- bers of Sacred Heart church and he belongs to the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of Equity. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and while he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day he never seeks nor desires office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon the important business affairs which he is controlling.
JOHN G. BOWMAN.
John G. Bowman, one of the prosperous farmers of Jackson township, Mont- gomery county, was born in Lebanon county, Pennslyvania, December 15, 1852. Both parents, William Bowman and his wife, who in her maidenhood was Miss Anna Guigerich, were natives of that state. The latter, who was the daughter of Peter and Anna (Balsbach) Guigerich, was born in Dauphin county, Penn- sylvania, in 1831. William Bowman was born in that same state in the same year and was the son of Abraham and Elizabeth (Eberly) Bowman, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The paternal grandfather was born in 1797.
Until he reached man's estate, John G. Bowman lived with his parents in Pennsylvania, where he attended school and acquired the first part of his prac- tical education. In 1873 he left home to find a place for himself and came to Ohio. Here he engaged in farming on a considerable scale, and, being a man possessed of many sterling qualities of character, of industry, and a good man- ager, he soon was able to make his land more than pay for itself. Good fortune
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attended all his efforts, prosperity shone upon him, until now his farm is one of the most complete and best equipped in this township.
On the 20th of October, 1877, Mr. Bowman was united in the holy bonds of matrimony to Miss Lucinda Apple, the daughter of Henry Apple. Three children have been born to them: David, Daisy, and Ward. David Bowman was married on the 9th of September, 1899, to Miss Nora E. Sholley, and is now the father of two daughters, Ara Devone and Ruth Valentine. The family attend the church of the United Brethern, of which Mr. Bowman is a trustee, and are ac- tively identified with all its work.
A man of high principles, of sterling integrity, devoting himself to that phase of life which he chose as his vocation, and a kind and loving father Mr. Bow- man fulfills the requirements of the finest citizenship of this republic. Success has attended all his efforts, his fields have yielded bounteously, and in more than one way he has been blessed. He is respected and esteemed in the community in which he lives.
ROBERT C. PATTERSON.
The attractiveness of Montgomery county as a place of residence is indicated in the fact that many of its native sons have remained within its borders to take advantage of its business opportunities, thinking them equal if not superior to those which could be obtained in other sections of the country. In this relation Mr. Patterson is known. He was born on a farm in Jefferson township, May 9, 1873, and has for some years figured as a rising attorney of Dayton, his growing power enabling him to command a constantly increasing clientage. His father, William J. Patterson, was a native of Ireland, born in 1831, and in 1850, when nineteen years of age, he came to America, establishing his home in Montgomery county, Ohio, where he engaged in teaching school and in following other pur- suits. He defended the interests of his country in the Civil war by one hundred days' service as a member of Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio Regiment of National Guards, acting as sergeant of the company. Our sub- ject's mother, who bore the maiden name of Anna Ford, came to America from Ireland when very young.
Reared on the home farm to the age of eighteen years, Robert C. Patterson during that period attended the. district schools, while later he had the benfit of instruction in the Steele high school of Dayton, from which he was graduated with the class of 1895. Two years later he completed a course in the Cincinnati Law School and the same year was admitted to practice at the Ohio bar, at which time he opened up an office in Dayton in partnership with J. C. Patterson and Barry S. Murphy. Later the two Pattersons formed a partnership, which continued until the death of J. C. Patterson, March 21, 1905, since which time Robert C. Patterson has remained alone in the practice of law, working carnestly and dili- gently to achieve that success which is the goal for which ambition is continually striving. Earnest effort, close application and careful study of his cases so as to determine the relative value of each point and to give due emphasis to the promi-
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nent point upon which the decision of every case finally turns, are the strong elements in his success.
On the 9th of October, 1906, Mr. Patterson was married in Dayton to Miss Katharine M. Ryan, a daughter of John Ryan, at. one time marshal of Dayton, now deceased. Mr. Patterson is a well known member of the Elks and Knights of Pythias lodges and is an interested member of the First Presbyterian church. At this writing he is assistant prosecuting attorney of his county. His sym- pathies are always on the side of progress and improvement and in as far as his professional labors permit he cooperates in public movements for the general good.
GEORGE C. HENKEL, M. D.
Dr. George C. Henkel, who for nearly half a century has ministered to the sick of Farmersville, Montgomery county, Ohio, was born in Germantown, this state, July 2, 1835, the son of Rev. Andrew and Elizabeth (Trout) Henkel. Rev. Henkel settled in Germantown in 1830, which was the scene of his ministerial labors during the remainder of his life. He was a pioneer Lutheran minister, sent out from Virginia for the purpose of organizing churches in the territory between Cincinnati and Cleveland. He was a devoted and prominent church worker in those early days and was also a wise and loving father, who reared a family of eleven children, six boys and five girls: Hiram, Melanchthon, Paul, George C., William, Edward, Julia, Mary, Margaret, Vandelena and Savina.
After completing such an education as was to be obtained in the local in- stitutions in those early days, supplemented not a little by his father's instruc- tion, George C. Henkel entered Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, and was graduated therefrom in 1859. From there he went to the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati, from which he was granted permission to practice his profession in 1860. Clayton, Ohio, was the scene of his first endeavors. After eighteen months spent there he came to Farmersville, where he has been in active prac- tice for forty-eight years. When he came here there were but very few houses and for the first fifteen years of his stay he was in the habit of riding on horse- back to see his patients, and it was no unusual thing for his journey to take him ten or fifteen miles from home. Circumstances have changed now, the pa- tients, now many times more numerous, are within a smaller radius and a visit is not so much of an undertaking.
On the 23d of December, 1860, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Henkel and Miss Catherine Martin, who was born September 16, 1836, the daughter of John and Eliza Martin, who came to this state from Berks county, Pennsylvania. Four children have been born to the Doctor and his wife: Vernon, in 1862; Naomi, in 1865 ; Ruth, in 1867; and Orpha, in 1869.
Dr. Henkel is a member of societies that look to the advancement of his profession, one local and the other of wider range-the Montgomery County Medical District and the Ohio Medical Associations. Fraternally he has affili- ations with the Masons and with the Odd Fellows, and is also a member of the encampment at Germantown, Ohio. Dr. Henkel is an earnest member of the
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Lutheran church, whose interests his father did so much to advance in this part of the state. In short, he is a man of wide interests and sympathies, as successful physicians should be,' and here, where he has practiced for such a length of time, he is honored and revered.
HOWARD GEBHART.
Howard Gebhart, a progressive and well known agriculturist, was born on the farm where he now resides on section 25, Jackson township, his natal day being July 7, 1868. His parents were Cornelius and Mary Jane (Silknitta) Geb- hart, the former being a son of George and Magdalena Gebhart. The mother of our subject was a daughter of Samuel and Catherine (Harp) Silknitta, who came to this state from Pennsylvania.
Howard Gebhart acquired his education in the common schools, and has al- ways followed the occupation to which he was reared-that of agriculture. He has always continued to reside on the farm where his birth occurred and is ac- tively engaged in its cultivation and improvement, his well directed industry con- stituting the basis of the gratifying success which has crowned his efforts in his chosen field of labor.
On the 16th of July, 1908, Mr .. Gebhart was united in marriage to Miss Ada Kline, a daughter of John and Anna Kline, of Miami township, Montgomery county. They now have a little daughter, Edna Irene, born on the 3d of Feb- ruary, 1909.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Gebhart has given his political allegiance to the men and measures of the democrat party and has been a member of the board of elections for many years. He is well known and greatly esteemed throughout the community in which his entire life has been passed and the circle of his friends is almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintances.
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