USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 80
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Subsequent to the demise of her first husband Mrs. Hall was again married, her second union being with Isaac Macy, whom she wedded on the 10th of March, 1887. He was born in Miami county, Ohio, on the 24th of May, 1822, his par- ents being John and Nancy (Yount) Macy. His father, whose birth occurred in Tennessee, August 8, 1795, became one of the pioneer agriculturists of Miami county, this state. The mother of Isaac Macy was born in North Carolina in July, 1798. Isaac Macy obtained his education in the common schools and chose the occupation of farming as a life work, eventually becoming one of the most prosperous agriculturists in the entire county. He was a stockholder in the Tip- pecanoe National Bank and a leading and influential factor in business circles. His success was all the more creditable by reason of the fact that it was at- tained entirely through his own efforts, for he had no outside assistance at the beginning of his career. He was a member of the Disciple church, in the work of which he bore an active and helpful part and the teachings of which he ex- emplified in his daily life. His demise, which occurred on the 21st of May, 1907, was the occasion of deep regret not only to the members of his immediate family but also to an extensive circle of friends and acquaintances. He was buried in the cemetery at Monroe, Miami county, Ohio. His widow belongs to the Disciple church at Frederick and is a lady whose many excellent traits of heart and mind have endeared her to all with whom she has come in contact. She owns a rich and arable tract of land comprising one hundred and fifty acres in Butler township, Montgomery county, and is comfortably situated financially.
CHARLES BAILEY CLEGG.
There are found many men whose industry has won them success-men who by their perseverance and diligence execute well defined plans which others have made-but the men who take the initiative are comparatively few. The vast majority do not see opportunity for the coordination of forces and the develop- ment of new, extensive and profitable enterprises and therefore must follow along paths which others have marked out. Charles Bailey Clegg, however, does not belong to this designated class. The initiative spirit is strong within him. He has realized the possibility for the combination of forces and has wrought
CHARLES B. CLEGG
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along the line of mammoth undertakings until the name of Clegg stands in large measure as a synonym for urban and interurban railway building and manipu- lation in Dayton and this part of the state. He is one of the leading operators in this great field of labor and well deserves to be ranked among the captains of industry.
His life record covers the period from the 5th of February, 1842, and through- out the succeeding years he has resided in Dayton, his native city. His parents were Joseph and Tirzah P. (Bailey) Clegg. His father, one of the pioneers of Dayton, came from England as a young boy and in a marked degree was iden- tified with the early and later business and municipal affairs of the city. He erected a number of buildings which at the time were leading and prominent structures in Dayton and his capability and enterprise as a business man gave him a distinctive position as a pioneer manufacturer and railway official. His in- dustry and enterprise in these various lines brought him into a most prominent position as a representative of those phases of business life which constitute the basis of the city's growth and prosperity. His was a most useful, active and honorable career and his record had covered eighty-four years ere he was called from this life. His father, Thomas Clegg, had been identified in his earlier years with the cotton industry in England. Through his maternal ancestry Charles B. Clegg traces his descent from Colonel William Shreve, a distinguished officer of the Revolutionary war.
In the city schools Charles B. Clegg acquired his preliminary education and afterward attended Miami University. He inherited his father's business ability and has exceeded his financial success. He made his initial step in the business world in connection with the manufacture of linseed oil in partnership with his father and brother-in-law, and for many years the enterprise was conducted in a most profitable manner. However, he believed that a broader field was open for railway building and to that undertaking he turned his attention, acquiring a controlling interest in two of the horse railway systems, which he afterward consolidated. He then gave his undivided attention to the mastery of the busi- ness in every phase, studying closely every question bearing thereon. He built up the consolidated horse railways from Dayton View to Oakwood, two beauti- ful suburbs, to a splendid newly constructed and extended electric road, thor- oughly equipped and managed upon the most approved methods. Gradually he acquired interest in all the other street railways of the city until he became the largest individual holder of their stock and was called to the position of president of the Oakwood Street Railway Company and a vice president to the City Railway Company. His progress in the business world as he has climbed to higher altitudes has given him a broader outlook and a wider view and reach- ing out beyond the railway interests of Dayton he soon realized the possibilities of traction lines leading to other cities. In connection with John H. Winters he purchased the Dayton & Western Traction Railway, rebuilt and reorganized it and so systematized its operation as to make it a valuable financial invest- ment. Associating his son, Harrie P. Clegg, with him in his interurban railway interests they built the Dayton & Troy Electric Railway, which under his direc- tion became one of the most prominent and desirable enterprises of the kind in the state.
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A most attractive home life has ever offered Charles B. Clegg a relief from the strenuous cares of extensive and growing business interests. O11 the 3Ist of October, 1865, he married Harriet Buchanan Pease, and thus united two old and prominent families. He has one daughter, who married Valentine Winters, and a son, Harrie Pease Clegg, who was named for his mother, who died at the time of his birth. Association with his father and instruction from him in business affairs has made Harrie P. Clegg his valued assistant in the direction and control of street railway and traction line interests. The son is now the vice president of the Oakwood Street Railway Company and president of the Dayton & Troy Electric Railway Company, and his ability has been further recognized by his election to the presidency of the Ohio Electric Railway As- . sociation.
Charles B. Clegg has never married since the death of his wife and finds his domestic pleasure in the homes of his children and that of his sister, Mrs. E. Morgan Wood. He is a popular member of the Dayton City Club and was its president for three terms, 1906, 1907 and 1908. The only interruption to his active business career came through his service in the One Hundred and Thirty- first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which command he defended the interests of the Union in the Civil war. He is still actively connected in controlling his important railway interests but now finds time for rest and recreation in travel both at home and abroad. His success has given him leisure in which to enjoy those things which contribute to the culture and to the pleasure of life and yet his career has been preeminently that of a successful business man. His railway af- fairs have been managed with marked success and many business concerns of the city have profited by his financial investment, his wise counsel and sound judg- ment. The accumulation of wealth has never been allowed to affect his relations toward those less fortunate. While he has never courted popularity he holds friendship inviolable and as true worth may always win his regard he has a very extensive circle of friends. He has made wise use of his talents and of his op- portunities and his labors have not only had important bearing upon his per- sonal fortunes but have been an element in the growth and improvement of the city and state.
NEWTON THACKER.
Newton Thacker, a wholesale grocer of Dayton, was born in Perry county, Ohio, in 1844. Reared amid the scenes and environments of rural life, he is in- debted to the country schools for the educational privileges enjoyed. He re- mained upon his father's farm until twenty years of age, when he went to New Lexington, Ohio, establishing a retail grocery at that place. He remained there but two years, however, when he sold his interests and went to Zanesville as a salesman for a large wholesale grocery, traveling on the road for seven years in that capacity. At the expiration of that period he removed to Columbus where, for seven years, he was identified with jobbing interests. In 1884 he came to Dayton and entered the wholesale grocery business on his own account, continuing
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in this line of activity to the present time. Each step in his forward career has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities of which he has eagerly availed himself in order to extend the scope of his labors and win larger success. He has given his energies toward administrative direction and executive control and his business has gradually developed until it has reached most gratifying pro- portions. Mr. Thacker early recognized the fact that satisfied customers are the best advertisement that a business can have and at all times the policy of the house has been such as to inspire confidence and trust in all of its patrons.
In 1867 occurred the marriage of Mr. Thacker and Miss Vashti M. Mont- gomery, of Covington, Kentucky. This union was blessed with two children, namely : Edgar M., the president of the American Board & Box Company; and Charlotte Myrtle, the wife of R. R. Dickey.
The only interruption that came in his active business career occurred in Au- gust, 1863, when, in response to his country's call for aid, he enlisted in New Lex- ington, Ohio, as a member of Company I, One Hundred and Fourteenth Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry. He joined the regiment as a private but his bravery and valor won him promotion so that when he was mustered out in 1864 he bore the rank of corporal. He was in many hotly contested engagements and participated in the Vicksburg campaign and although he saw much active duty he was never wounded or captured.
Mr. Thacker holds membership in the Presbyterian church and his life has ever been in harmony with its teachings. Fraternally he is a Master Mason. He has ever been as loyal in his citizenship as when fighting on southern battle fields, while his personal worth has gained him the esteem and good will of all with whom he has come in contact.
ARTHUR JOHN SHAFFER.
Arthur John Shaffer, a farmer of Brookville, Ohio, was born in Clay town- ship, Montgomery county, on the 19th of June, 1857. He comes of a family who on both sides have been for several generations connected with the farming life of this county, for his father, Peter Shaffer, was born in Clay township, November 24, 1835, and his mother, who before her marriage was Miss Catherine Shank, was born in Perry township, on the 14th of August, 1834. Peter Shaffer was the son of David and Catherine (Besecker) Shaffer, and the eldest of ten children, those younger than he being Jacob, David, Joseph, Warren, George, Susan, Molly, Kate, and one died in infancy. Catherine (Shank) Shaffer was the daugh- ter of John and Catherine (Heeter) Shank, and was seventh in a family of equal size, having as her brothers and sisters Noah, John, Joseph, Daniel, Ephraim, Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary and Margaret. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Shaffer had four children, two sons and two daughters, Elzina, Arthur John, Clarence D. and Katy Wilhelmina. The last two died in 1883.
Arthur J. Shaffer grew to manhood in this section of the state, attending the public schools during such months as they were in session and as they did not in- terfere with the duties, always numerous, that awaited him as the son of a farmer.
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On the 23d of August, 1887, he was united in marriage to Miss Jessie F. Bixler, who was born January 19, 1864, a daughter of George Bixler and Rachel (Clem- mer) Bixler, who had long been residents of Perry township. Mr. and Mrs. Shaffer have five children, three sons and two daughters: Harry, Emma, Ed- win, Florence and George. The family are all members of the Lutheran church and on more than one occasion have proved themselves valuable assistants to the pastor in the work of the congregation.
Mr. Shaffer is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Brookville and is loyal to the ideals held up by these organiza- tions. For a period of eight years Mr. Shaffer has been a member of the agricul- tural board of Montgomery county, which has for its object the improving of farm conditions in this part of the state. He has also served for a number of terms as a member of the school board and has ever been an advocate of a progressive policy with reference to the education of the young.
CHARLES VAN AUSDAL.
For almost sixty-five years the name of Van Ausdal has stood as a synonym for enterprise and integrity in commercial circles in Dayton, and in this connection the life work of Charles Van Ausdal fully sustains the untarnished family record. He today occupies an eminent position in mercantile circles, being at the head of a business of extensive proportions, the control of which demands keen under- standing and an abundance of that quality which, for want of a better term, has been called commercial sense. His father, Isaac Van Ausdal, representing one of the old families of the state, was born in Eaton, Ohio, February 13, 1821, and died in 1900. The grandparents were Cornelius and Martha ( Bilba) Van Ausdal, both natives of Virginia, the former having been born in Berkeley county, October 2, 1783. He was a young man of about twenty-one years when he made his way to Preble county, Ohio, spending the winter with his brother, Peter Van Ausdal, in Lanier township. The opportunities of the growing west proved attractive to him and with the intention of some day returning to take up his former abode in Ohio he went to his old home in Virginia in the spring of 1805. The follow- ing spring, however, he reached this state, traveling with a wagon and horse to Preble county. At this time the white race was just beginning to reclaim Ohio from the domain of the redman and the town of Eaton was being laid out. Mr. Van Ausdal decided to open a store there and before he could find a building was selling goods direct from the Canestoga wagon in which they were transported to that place. In a little log cabin he opened his stock and later obtained another wagon-load of goods from Cincinnati. Within a very short time he became rec- ognized as one of the most progressive and enterprising merchants in the new state and was handling a large line for that time, receiving in exchange the prod- ucts of the country, including furs, skins, beeswax, maple sugar, ginseng and pearl ash. From time to time he enlarged his stock and within a few years was considered one of the foremost merchants of northwestern Ohio. His business was extended to include a wholesale as well as a retail department and in the
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early days his patrons included many Indians, among them the famous Shawnee chief, Tecumseh. In 1810 Cornelius Van Ausdal took the first census of Preble county, having been appointed United States deputy marshal, and in the war of 1812 he served as paymaster of the army and a large amount of public money was disbursed by him. In 1819 he was elected to represent his district in the state legislature and while thus serving a warm friendship sprung up between himself and General William Henry Harrison, who was also a member of the assembly at that time and he was afterward entertained at the home of Mr. Van Ausdal. About the time he entered the legislature Mr. Van Ausdal became the owner of the Western Telegraph, published weekly at Eaton, but subsequently sold the paper. Removing to Cincinnati in 1828, he was for five years engaged in the wholesale dry-goods business there as senior partner of the firm of Van Ausdal, Hatch & Gray. As he acted as purchaser for the house much of his time was spent in New York. He was also from 1828 until 1832 associated with his brother-in- law, Judge Currey, of Hamilton, Ohio, in the pork business and in 1846 became a factor in the commercial life of Dayton as senior partner of the firm of C. Van Ausdal & Son. Withdrawing in 1863, he retired to private life and died August 10, 1870. He stood as a high type of builder of this great commonwealth, his reputa- tion remaining unsullied throughout his varied commercial, political and social relations.
Cornelius Van Ausdal was married July 24, 1812, to Miss Martha Bilba and they had a large family including Isaac Van Ausdal, the father of Charles Van Ausdal. He was born in Eaton, February 13, 1821, and supplemented his public- school course by study in Miami University at Oxford, where he was graduated in 1842. In 1845 he became a dry-goods merchant in Dayton with Daniel McCleary, of Rossville, Ohio, as his partner. A year later he purchased Mr. McCleary's in- terest and was joined by his father, the firm of C. Van Ausdal & Son being main- tained until the father's retirement in 1863. Different partnerships were formed in the interim to 1886, when Isaac Van Ausdal was joined by his son, Charles, under the firm name of I. & C. Van Ausdal. While the house was originally a wholesale dry-goods establishment, from time to time the business was extended in scope until carpets and almost every article of household furnishing were to be obtained, while the dry-goods department was abandoned in 1859. As Isaac Van Ausdal prospered he made investments in other business ventures, becoming financially and actively associated with various important corporations. He was a stockholder in the Third National, Fourth National and Teutonia National Banks, also in the Farmers, Ohio and Columbus Insurance Companies of Day- ton. His judgment was highly valued for in business matters his opinions were sound, his sagacity keen and far reaching.
In June, 1855, Isaac Van Ausdal wedded Miss Mary C. Roberts, a daughter of Orlistus Roberts, of Preble county. Seven children were born unto them : Robert, who died at the age of seventeen years ; Cornelius, who died at the age of seven ; Mary, a graduate of Smith College of Massachusetts ; Charles ; Laura, a graduate of Bradford Seminary of Massachusetts and now the wife of Charles G. Stoddard, of Dayton ; Thomas E., who married Margaret Phillips and died in 1895; and Catherine C., a graduate of Comstock College of New York city. The death of the husband and father occurred in 1900 and the mother still survives. For fifty-
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five years a resident of Dayton, his name was an honored one in commercial and financial circles, not alone by reason of the success he achieved but also owing to the straightforward business policy he ever followed. His citizenship, too, was of the highest character, while in his home he was a devoted friend and a most lov- ing and considerate husband and father. His influence was always found on the side of justice, truth and progress and many tangible evidences are given of his loyalty to the best interests of Dayton.
Charles Van Ausdal, now at the head of the large mercantile establishment founded by his father, was born in Dayton, July 26, 1863, and at the usual age entered the public schools wherein his preliminary education was acquired. He afterward entered Princeton University and completed a full course by graduation with the class of 1885. Returning at once to his home in Dayton, the following year he was admitted to a partnership by his father under the firm style of I. & C. Van Ausdal and has since remained an active factor in the control and manage- ment of the house, becoming its head upon his father's demise. This is today one of the oldest, the most extensive, the most progressive and most reliable houses of northwestern Ohio. Its interests have always been characterized by a spirit of enterprise and its management has always been in keeping with modern mercan- tile ideas. In his conduct there has always been maintained a high standard in the personnel of its representatives, in the business methods followed and in the char- acter of its service to the public. Aside from his mercantile interests Mr. Van- Ausdal is a director in the Cooper Insurance Company and is vice president of the Herald Publishing Company.
In Dayton, in 1888, was celebrated the marriage of Charles Van Ausdal to Miss Susie Weakley, a daughter of H. H. Weakley, long connected with journal- istic interests as proprietor of the Dayton Daily Herald. The family now numbers two daughters and a son, Charlotte, Herbert Weakley and Katherine. The parents attend the First Presbyterian church and Mr. Van Ausdal is popular in various fraternal and club circles. He belongs to the Masonic order and to the Dayton City and Country clubs and the Buzfuz club. Spending his entire life here, he has a very wide acquaintance and that his leading characteristics are those which everywhere command honor and respect is indicated by the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have known him from boyhood and have been witnesses of his life in all of its varied relations, day after day.
GEORGE WILSON SHAW.
The name of George Wilson Shaw is inscribed high on the roll of Dayton's citizens, whose life records have reflected credit and honor upon the city. As a lawyer in the trial of important cases, in the conduct of large mercantile, financial and industrial interests, he was ever the same honorable gentleman, whose word no man could question. He came to be regarded as one of the foremost factors in the business circles of Dayton, winning his position through the intelligent utiliza- tion of opportunity and the careful coordination of forces into a harmonious and resultant whole.
GEORGE W. SHAW
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His birth occurred in Rising Sun, Indiana, in 1823. The ancestry of the family is traced back to John and Susanna Shaw. The family were originally English Friends or Quakers and their earliest American location was in Bucks county, Pennsylvania. By deed dated July 7, 1697, John Shaw acquired title to three hundred acres of land in the lower part of what is now Northampton, Bucks county. In 1709 he is on record as a resident of Southampton and his name and that of his son, James, are among the petitioners, December II, 1722, for the separate township of Northampton. He and his wife were members of the Middletown monthly meeting of the Society of Friends. They had ten children.
The eldest, James Shaw, born January 9, 1694, died December 3, 1761, at Plum- stead, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He was married September 24, 1718, at Abington meeting house, in Montogmery county, Pennsylvania, to Mary Brown, who died June 9, 1764. She was a daughter of Thomas and Mary Brown. Her father, born in 1666, emigrated from Barking, Essex county, England, and after living some time in Philadelphia and Abington, Pennsylvania, located near Dyers- town, Bucks county, as early as 1712. By deed dated June 18, 1724, he conveyed to James Shaw two hundred acres of land in Plumstead. James and Mary Shaw had six children, including Alexander Shaw, the direct ancestor of our subject in the third generation.
Alexander Shaw, the direct ancestor of George W. Shaw, in the third genera- tion, was born November 4, 1734, and his life record covered the intervening years to the IIth of January, 1790. He married Sarah Brown, widow of Moses Brown, and, surviving her husband for twenty-two years, she passed away about 1812. All of their children were born on the Shaw homestead which Alexander inherited from his father and which was situated about three miles northeast of Doylestown, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. The family numbered eight children.
The eldest was George Shaw, who was born April 2, 1760, and died on the 2Ist of August, 1801, while his wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Wilson, died at Evansville, Indiana, about 1828. After losing her first husband she be- came the wife of Johnston Watson, by whom she had a daughter, Elizabeth, who was married twice. A deed dated April 1, 1797, recorded in Bucks county, Penn- sylvania, shows that Thomas Brown conveyed land in Plumstead, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, to his son-in-law, James Shaw, on June 18, 1784, and on the 14th of December, 1759, James Shaw deeded part of this to his son Alexander Shaw, who died intestate and the orphans' court adjudged this land to his eldest son, George Shaw. On the Ist of April, 1797, George Shaw and his wife Mary, of Plumstead, deeded this land to John Fell. Mrs. George Shaw was born in 1763. Her parents were John and Elizabeth Wilson of Nockanixon, Bucks county, Penn- sylvania. The father died in December, 1773, leaving two children, John and Mary. The mother afterward became the wife of William Keith, of Wakefield, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, who died in 1781. Her third husband was Robert Gibson, who was appointed guardian of David Shaw, minor son of George and Mary (Wil- son) Shaw. George and Mary Shaw had three children.
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