USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 84
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of the machine. The government having given them an extension of time, Wilbur and Orville went to Washington, in June, 1909, with a new machine to complete the tests Orville had by misfortune failed to establish the previous year. And it was by mutual agreement that Orville did all the flying. After some time in testing and regulating their machine, Orville on first trial overmade both the promised tests. He flew with a man aboard with him an hour and twelve minutes and a half in the air; and on the speed flight made the measured distance of ten miles at the rate of forty-two miles and a half to the hour, under much disadvantages. So they delivered the machine to the government and returned home to Dayton. In August following, he in company with his sister, went to Germany, and performed all the tests required by a previous contract with a rich company and delivered to them the rights of that coun- try. He also with another man aboard made a longer flight than any one had made and rose higher in the air than any one had risen on an aeroplane. For these exploits he received a separate reward. A little later, he rose about one thousand six hundred feet in the air, more than twice the height on which he had won. Previous to his misfortune a year before he had remained in the air an hour and fifteen minutes and twenty seconds ; and shortly afterward Wil- bur in France had remained in flight two hours and thirty minutes and upward.
No triumph in all the past has ever excited greater attention and applause. . Today the aeroplane of the Wright brothers is known throughout the civilized world and the attention of Europe and America is concentrated upon the work of these brothers who are now bending their energies to improvements both in balancing and in the speed. They have received the highest honors, especially in France, where great interest is felt in aerial navigation, and have in their own country been honored with the recognition of leading scientific societies receiving gold medals voted by congress, by the Ohio state legislature and by the council of the city of Dayton. Notably free from ostentation and display they nevertheless merit the enthusiastic admiration, approval and commenda- tion of the world, having added to America's fame in the line of invention. It is a fact worthy of note that the Wright brothers prefer to make their own tools, seeming to have more faith in that which their own hands have fashioned and this is particularly true of the delicate parts of their machine. The wings or planes of the machines used in the trials are forty feet long and six and a half wide, having a surface of five hundred square feet. The planes are six feet apart. The forward rudder consists of two planes two and a half feet wide and sixteen feet long, and a small vertical plane connecting the two. The guiding and balancing are effected by two or three levers which control the forward rudder and change the angles of the planes, at the same time shift- ing the vertical tail. The patents cover all of these features of guidance and balance and have been granted in nine European countries as well as in the United States. The motive power is supplied by a twenty-five horse power gasoline motor driving two propellers. The machine in flight averages thirty-eight or forty miles per hour. The machine weighs about eight hundred pounds.
As has been said the Wright brothers are still making history. While abroad, in his flights in France, Wilbur Wright soon established new records. At LeMans and at Pau he fulfilled his contract with the French syndicate and
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the rights for that country were sold for one hundred thousand dollars. In Rome flights were made, observed by the Italian government and a machine sold. In October, 1909, Wilbur Wright made successful flights in the eastern part of his own country, including one at the Hudson-Fulton centennial cele- bration. A Wright aeroplane is now the property of the United States, for the Dayton aviators have sold to the government a machine at the price of thirty thousand dollars. The purchase was made in the event that the aeroplane should make forty miles an hour in the straight way speed test of ten miles from Fort Myer to Shuter hill and return and according to the record of the board of signal officers forty seven and a half miles an hour was the speed made, during a part of the flight, while the average speed was more than forty-two and a half miles an hour. The Wright brothers have been engaged to instruct signal service men of this country. They have been received by royalty abroad in- cluding the king of Spain, the king of England, and the emperor of Ger- many but after all it would be hardly possible to find one who cares so little for show or honors of that character as do the Wright brothers. They affect neither singularity nor superiority. They made no boasting announcements, took their time to perfect and improve their invention and adjust themselves to its demands. In no case does the personal or moral element, alertness, courage and self-control have more to do than in the management of the flying machine and in these qualities the Wright brothers are both richly endowed. . No subject is demanding more universal attention at the present time than aerial navigation with its limitless possibilities and the Wright brothers have brought to America the honors of the foremost place among the nations of the world in inventions of this character.
JOHN RUSSELL REYNOLDS.
Among Dayton's capitalists was numbered John Russell Reynolds, who in 1867 became a resident of this city and here made his home until his demise in 1894. He made investment in business enterprises here and was known as a man whose kindly nature was not warped by wealth. He manifested a deep and genuine in- terest in his fellowmen and, appreciative of the social amenities of life, he de- lighted in the companionship of those whose similarity of tastes and interests rendered them congenial. A native of Mercersburg, Franklin county, Pennsyl- vania, Mr. Reynolds was born March 9, 1831, of the marriage of Thomas Brown Reynolds, a prominent farmer of the Keystone state, and Mary Spear, a repre- sentative of one of the leading families of that section. The son spent his youth- ful days in his parents' home and supplemented his public school course by study in Ballmeyer College near West Chester, Pennsylvania. He was twenty years of age when in 1851 he went to Mississippi, his uncle, James Reynolds, of that state, having sent for him. In the south he became a lumber merchant and fol- lowed that business for years, operating boats in the lumber trade between New Orleans and London. He was first in his uncle's employ but when he had saved from his earnings a sufficient sum he purchased a half interest in his uncle's plan-
JOHN R. REYNOLDS
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tation, which was called Southwood Lodge and was devoted extensively to the cultivation of cotton and corn. For more than a decade Mr. Reynolds prospered in his undertakings in the south. About the close of the Civil war, however, he disposed of his plantation, for his uncle had died, and he returned to New York. Moreover he had lost cotton to the value of two hundred and fifty thousand dol- lars at the wharf at New Orleans, it having been burned through the orders of General Benjamin Butler.
From New York Mr. Reynolds made his way to Springfield, Ohio, to visit his mother who had gone there to reside and it was in that city that he met the lady whom he made his wife. On the 6th of April, 1865, in Springfield, he wedded Miss Jane Culbertson McCoy, a daughter of Abram Smith and Harriet (Sharon) McCoy. Her father was a Presbyterian minister, devoting his life to the preach- ing of the gospel. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds were born four children, three sons and a daughter: Charles Maxwell, a commission merchant of San Fran- cisco, California, who is married and has two children; Harry Newell, a broker of New York city, who is married and has two children; Thomas Brown, with the Whiting Paper Company of New York, who makes his home in Montclair, New Jersey, and is married and has one son ; and Mrs. Gertrude Reynolds An- drews, of Paris, France, who has one daughter.
Mr. Reynolds removed with his young wife to Dayton in 1867 and made financial investment in business enterprises here although he was never actively engaged in business to any great extent. He became a stockholder in the Mer- chants National Bank and was also financially interested in the Firemen's In- surance Company for many years. He was a man of decided opinions, holding resolutely to a course which he believed to be right yet never intrenching on the rights of others to hold their own views. He and his wife were members of the First Presbyterian church and Mr. Reynolds was a man greatly devoted to his family, finding his chief happiness in ministering to the wishes and needs of his wife and children. His social, genial nature and his unfeigned cordiality made him well liked and at his death he left behind many friends who yet cherish and revere his memory. Mrs. Reynolds now resides at No. 9 West Monument avenue, and like her husband enjoys the warm regard of all with whom she has been brought in contact.
DANIEL S. EBY.
Daniel S. Eby, successfully engaged in farming and stock-raising in Madison township, where he owns a valuable tract of land of two hundred and sixteen acres situated about a half mile west of Trotwood, on the Wolf Creek pike, was born in Preble county, Ohio, on the 30th of November, 1846, his parents being Wilson and Elizabeth (Stover) Eby. The Ebys belong to the Celts, an ancient race of people of Asiatic origin, who inhabited southern, central and western Europe. During the early ages they lived in the northern part of Italy, where they were brought from heathendom to the worship of the true God through the labors of Vaudois (Waldenses). They soon became strict adherents of that faith. While
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the Roman Catholic church gained power and extended its influence over western and northern Europe, the Vaudois in their mountainous homes were left unmo- lested. Between the eighth and the eleventh centuries, however, they became very numerous and were becoming quite a power to resist the influences of the church of Rome which, in order to gain full sway, decreed subjection or expulsion of the Vaudois. But these people were firm believers in their faith and would not submit themselves to the laws of the Roman church. Consequently they were bitterly persecuted by their enemies. In 1560 the persecutions became so fierce that quite a number fled from their homes and went to the northern part of Switzerland, where they led a wandering life for some time, but finally settled in Cantons Bern, Zurich, Lucerne and Schwyz. Among those Vaudois who settled in the cantons we find the name Eby spelled Ebee. Here they led a God-fearing life and were rigid in keeping primitive faith and forms of worship. During the reformation they were subjected to the same persecutions as other Protestants in northern Europe. After the founding of the Mennonite church A. D. 1537 by one of the early reformers, Menno Simon, a native of Holland, these Swiss Vaudois or Swiss Protestants united with Menno Simon's party, now known as Mennonites. In 1663 we find records showing Jacob Eby ordained bishop of the Mennonite church in Canton Zurich. The state party, again gaining ruling power, laid the Men- nonites open to persecution. Not wishing to resist the state power, a number of these left Switzerland and went to Palatinate or Pfalz, Germany, an old province which does not appear on the maps today. Here they resided for some time when they were again troubled by enemies for not conforming to the laws and church of the state. When William Penn offered free homes to persons of any religious denomination, quite a number of Mennonites left Switzerland, Pfalz and Hol- land and moved to America, settling in Pennsylvania, where they worshiped God in accordance with the Bible and the dictates of their own conscience.
Among the parties coming to America were the ancestors of our subject. Theodorus Eby, a son of Bishop Jacob Eby, ordained in 1663, came in 1715 ; Peter Eby, a nephew of Theodorus, came in 1720; and Nicholas Eby, a member of the same family, came more than a century later. Theodorus Eby was born in Canton Zurich, Switzerland, April 25, 1663, and, a strict Mennonite in faith, left his native land in 1704 on account of religious persecution. From that time until 1715 he resided in Pfalz, Germany, but finding persecution equally severe there, he, in company with other religious workers, left for Philadelphia in the spring of 1715. In August of the same year he settled in Mill Creek. at a place now known as Roland's Mill, south of New Holland and near the line of Earl and Leacock townships, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. He died in Sep- tember, 1737. His family consisted of five sons and one daughter, namely : Peter, Hannes, Jacob, Christian, David and Elizabeth. The sons were all skilled in mechanical arts and with their assistance the father built a mill and such other buildings as were needed without employing persons outside of the family except for the purpose of burning charcoal to supply the smith forge-a process which they themselves did not fully understand. Of this family Peter Eby, the eldest son, and three of his sons resided near Litiz, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and some of their descendants moved to Canada in 1807. Hannes Eby left four sons. Jacob Eby, the third son of Theodorus, had a family of two sons, Peter
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and Christian. The latter lived near Manheim, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he followed farming and reared a family of three sons, John, Andrew and Christian. The last named was born near Manheim in 1743 and married a Miss Huber. In 1770 he removed to York county, Pennsylvania. His children were Elizabeth, Barbara, Polly, Catherine and Christian. Christian Eby, one of this family, removed from York county in 1792 to Botetourt county, Virginia, and three years later, his wife being dissatisfied with their location there, they re- turned with their son Christian to Pennsylvania, where they spent four years. At the end of that time they again went to Virginia, where she died shortly afterward. Her husband married again and lived to the advanced age of ninety- two years, dying in the Old Dominion. His only son, Christian Eby, was mar- ried December 14, 1797, to Susannah McDonald, a lady of Scotch descent. They lived in York county, Pennsylvania, for several years, and they removed to Bal- timore county, Maryland, where they made their home until 1838, when they took up their residence in Carroll county that state, near Westminister, the county seat. In 1838 they located in the western part of Montgomery county, Ohio, and some fifteen years later settled in Preble county, Ohio, where Christian Eby died December 10, 1859. His wife passed away in 1866. Both were mem- bers of the Dunkard or Brethren church and were remarkable for their integ- rity, industry, energy and economy. It can truly be said of them "they lived not to themselves, and though they be dead, yet do their good deeds and works still live." They had a family of thirteen children, namely: Elizabeth, John, Jane, Samuel, Susannah, Agnes, Catherine, Adam, Wilson, James, Sara, Lavine and Jacob.
Wilson Eby, of the last mentioned family, was born April 27, 1816, and was a young man of about twenty-two years when he accompanied his parents on their removal from Carroll county, Maryland, to Montgomery county, Ohio. In 1841 he married Elizabeth Stover, by whom he had the following children: Nancy Jane; Jacob; James ; Daniel S., of this review; Wilson; Christian; Katherine; and Elizabeth. The family made their home near West Alexandria, Ohio, and the father, who was an earnest member of the Brethren church, died there in 1884.
In the acquirement of an education Daniel S. Eby attended the common schools of his native county and when not busy with his text-books aided in the work of the home farm. After attaining man's estate he journeyed northward in the winter seasons to purchase cattle and in 1875 he made a western trip, remain- ing in Colorado and Missouri for about a year. On returning to Preble county he took up agricultural pursuits and was thus engaged there until 1878, when he came to Montgomery county, purchasing the old Russe farm in Madison town- ship. Owing to his untiring industry and careful management Mr. Eby has been enabled to extend the boundaries of the property until it now comprises two hundred and sixteen acres and in addition to cultivating the cereals best adapted to soil and climate he is also engaged in stock-raising, owning a very fine breed of Aberdeen Angus cattle. He has erected one of the most commodious and attractive brick residences in the county and is widely recognized as a substantial and enterprising agriculturist and public-spirited citizen.
On the 3d of February, 1881, Mr. Eby was united in marriage to Miss Harriett Smith, who passed away in 1900. Her parents were John and Susan (Wolf)
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Smith and the father is still living, being now one of the oldest men in Madison township and the minister of the Dunkard church. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Eby were born seven children, namely: May Elizabeth, the wife of Charles Gump, an agri- culturist by occupation, now residing in Canada ; Nora S., a graduate of the Trot- wood high school, and has an extensive circle of friends in Dayton; Ethel I., also a graduate of the Trotwood high school, who is at home; Florence M., who is likewise still under the parental roof and is a graduate of the Trotwood high school; John Howard, who is attending school; Earl; and Walter Scott. The eldest daughter of the family, Mrs. Gump, has a child, Gladys Alberta. They now live in Alberta, Canada, where Mr. Eby also has a large tract of land. For almost a third of a century Mr. Eby has been numbered among the representative agri- culturists of this county and his honorable and straightforward dealings in all the relations of life have made him fully worthy of the warm regard and esteem which are uniformly accorded him.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS COOVER.
In a history of Montgomery county and its representative citizens it is im- perative that mention should be made of John Quincy Adams Coover, else the record would be incomplete, for through his force of character and upright prin- ciples he has gained the unqualified interest and respect of his fellowmen and by reason of his excellent business ability and success which he has attained has won more than local distinction.
One of Montgomery county's native sons, Mr. Coover was born in Butler township upon the farm which is now his place of residence, his birth occurring on the 13th of February, 1847. He comes from a family which has long been represented in Ohio, his grandfather, Michael Coover, being one of the early pioneer settlers of this state. He was born in Cumberland county, Pennsyl- vania, November I, 1781, and was a farmer and a minister of the United Breth- ren church. He was married in the Keystone state on the 14th of April, 1807, to Miss Elizabeth Shoop, also a native of Pennsylvania, her birth occurring on the 20th of August, 1788. In their family were nine children, namely, John M., Jacob, George, Michael, Samuel, Sarah, Isaac, David and William H. Rev. Coover removed to Ohio in 1829, and was one of the earliest United Brethren ministers in Butler township, while he later became one of the most influential and wealthy farmers in the community in which he resided. He passed away on the 19th of April, 1839, and his loss was a matter of deep regret throughout the district. His son, John M. Coover, the father of our subject, was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and was a young man of twenty-one years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio. After his ar- rival in this state he became identified with agricultural interests, continuing to devote himself to that occupation throughout his entire life. He married Miss Mary Duncan, a daughter of William. Duncan, one of the pioneers of Butler township, and after their marriage they settled on the Coover homestead, upon which they resided during the remainder of their lives. Mr. Coover gave his sup-
J. Q. A. COOVER
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port to the whig party and took a very active part in politics, serving as a member of the state legislature in 1860-61. He was a man of true Christian character whose integrity was unquestioned and who stood high in the community in which he resided. He passed away in 1876 while his wife has also been called to her final rest. In their family were three children, namely, Benjamin F., Martha E. and John Q. A.
John Quincy Adams Coover, whose name introduces this review, passed the period of his boyhood and youth upon the farm which is now his home and upon which he was born. He is indebted to the common schools of Butler town- ship for his early education, and after passing through consecutive grades he was graduated from the high school. He supplemented this training by study in Otterbein University at Westerville, Ohio, which he entered in 1866, and later, in 1868, he entered Wittenberg College at Springfield, where for three years he pursued a classical course. Subsequently he went to Poughkeepsie, New York, and took a course in the Eastman Commercial College at that place. Thus well equipped for the practical and responsible duties of life he returned home and at once entered business on his own account as a farmer and stock- raiser and has continued in this line of activity to the present time. Although he has practically withdrawn from active agricultural pursuits, he owns two large farms which he has brought under a high state of cultivation and which rank among the well improved and most valuable properties of Butler township. His attention is mostly given to his stock-raising interests, in which branch of his business he is meeting with signal success. He makes a specialty of raising thoroughbred Jersey cattle and Dorset horned sheep, while he is known through- out the entire county as a breeder of fine draft and race horses. He now owns a colt, three years old, which is called Halventure, sired by Halclipper, 2:0712; dam Luella, trial 2:04. Luella's sire was Venture, whose time was 2:1714. Hal- venture is now in training at Osborn, Ohio, and shows a speed of a half mile in I :157/2 minutes, which is a remarkable record considering his age and the fact that he has been in harness only since April 20, 1909. When thoroughly trained he will be placed upon the track.
In was on the 18th of June, 1874, that Mr. Coover was united in marriage to Miss Sella C. Beardshear, a native of Montgomery county, born on the 21st of May, 1855. She is a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Coleman) Beardshear, the former a native of Pennsylvania, who was born in 1814. He came to Ohio in 1822 and was here married in 1848 to Miss Elizabeth Coleman, a daughter of Robert and Mary (Van Cleve) Coleman, and unto them were born the follow- ing children : William, Sella C., Rilla M. and Emma D. Mr. and Mrs. Beard- shear were members of the United Brethren church while Mr. Beardshear was a good Christian and a man of excellent moral character. He was the founder of Beardshear Chapel in Harrison township and donated most of the money neces- sary for its construction. His death occurred on the 20th of January, 1873, while his wife passed away July 14, 1900, and was laid to rest in the Beard- shear cemetery. Their son, William M. Beardshear, LL. D., became very well known and prominent in educational circles in the state of Iowa. He was a graduate of Otterbein University at Westerville, Ohio, and pursued a post- graduate course at Yale University. He was elected president of the Western
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College at Toledo, which office he held for eight years, and was superintendent of the schools of Des Moines, Iowa, for a year and a half, while for eleven years he was president of the Iowa State Agricultural College, at Ames, Iowa, filling this position at the time of his death, August 5, 1902. His remains were interred on the university grounds.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Coover was blessed with four children, namely : Winfred F., born May 29, 1875; Lelia A., born October 11, 1876; Mabel, whose birth occurred August 24, 1884; and Willard, who was born on the 24th of March, 1894. Winfred F., the eldest, attended the common schools of Butler township and later took advanced work in private, subsequently entering the preparatory department of Otterbein University, at Westerville, Ohio. After leaving the preparatory department he entered upon the classical course of the university from which he was graduated with the class of 1900. He then pur- sued a post-graduate course in chemistry at the Ohio State University at Colum- bus, Ohio, and after his graduation therefrom accepted a position as professor of chemistry in the Dubuque (Iowa) high school. He then became assistant professor of chemistry in the Iowa State Agricultural School at Ames, Iowa, was later promoted to associate professor, which position he still retains, and is now serving as dean of the agricultural chemical department. He is a member of the Iowa State Geological Survey and is on soil survey during the vacation periods, their purpose being to ascertain what soil is best adapted to the cultiva- tion of certain crops. Along with his other preparations he also pursued a course of study in chemistry at Columbia University, in New York city. He married Miss Effie Rose Richer, of Peru, Indiana, who is also a graduate of Otterbein University. Lelia, the next in order of birth, attended the common schools of Butler township, and is now the wife of Harry Weisenborn, of Vandalia, Mont- gomery county. They now make their home in Clermont county, where Mr. Weisenborn is ranked among the prosperous and enterprising farmers. In their family are four children, namely, Howard, Ruth, Herbert and Vivian, aged respectively fourteen, thirteen, eleven and four years. Mabel, who graduated from high school and later attended Otterbein University, is now the wife of W. L. Waymire, the marriage being celebrated February 10, 1904. Mr. Way- mire is the son of Harrison Waymire and he and his wife reside at the home of her father where the husband has charge of the work of the farm. They are the parents of two children, as follows : Frances, four years of age; and Miriam, three years old. Willard, the youngest child, passed away on the 15th of August, 1897, at the age of three and a half years, interment being made at Woodland cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.
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