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SHELBY COUNTY, OHIO

 

OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

 

BIOGRAPHIES

 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
WILLIAM D. DAVIES, who, for twenty-seven years was a representative member of the bar at Sidney, O., was born at Iowa City, Iowa, January 20, 1848, came to Sidney in 1875, and died in March, 1902.  He was a son of David and Mary Davies, and a grandson of Thomas Davies, both natives of Wales.  David Davies and wife had three children:  Thomas; Sarah, who married Thomas Davies; and William D.
     William D. Davies passed his early youth on his father's prairie farm.  Later he attended the Iowa State University, read law for three years and in 1870 was admitted to the bar in Iowa City.  Afterward, until 1875, he traveled for different railroads, then came to Sidney and purchased the office and business of Judge Thompson and continued in the active practice of the law in this city until his death.  He made an honorable record and at different times was professionally identified with much important litigation.
     Mr. Davies married Miss Isabelle Mathers, who was born at Mifflintown, Pa., a daughter of James and Amelia (Evans) Mathers,  and a granddaughter, of Gen. Lewis Evans, who was prominent both in military and professional life in Pennsylvania.  Mrs. Davies had one sister and two brothers, namely: Margaret, who is the wife of Dr. L. E. Atkinson, of Mifflintown; Lewis E., who died in 1873 was cashier of the Citizens Bank at Sidney; and Orlando Owen, now deceased, who was auditor of Shelby county for many years.  Mr. and Mrs. Davies had one daughter, Amelia, whose young life closed in her twentieth year, having survived her father but two years.  Mr. Davies was a consistent member to he Congregational church all his life.  He was an open-hearted, broad minded man and had a wide circle of attached and admiring friends.  He was a Knight Templar Mason.
F. M. DEAM, whose fine farm of 147 acres lies in Green township, the Deam turnpike which passes his door having been so named in honor of his father, was born in Orange township, Shelby county, O., three and one-half miles south of Sidney in 1855, and is a son of Harmon and Angeline (Reynolds) Deam.
     Harmon Deam
was born in Montgomery County, O., and came to Shelby county in 1848 and afterward followed farming in Orange township until his death, at tie age of seventy-three years. He married Angeline Reynolds and six children were born to them: Henry, Ella, John L., Frank M., Andrew H. and Kate.
     Frank M. Deam left home to see the world soon after his school days were over, went West and for some time found employment on cattle ranges in different states and brought cattle over the trail from Texas. He met with many adventures while taking part in the rough life incident to freighting and railroad building, and by 1895 was ready to settle permanently and follow the peaceful pursuits of agriculture. Consequently he returned to his native section and in 1901 purchased his present valuable farm, which lies five miles southeast of Sidney. To the improvement of his place, Mr. Deam has devoted time and money and probably no farm in this, part of the county has more comfortable, convenient or more attractive buildings and surroundings.
     Mr. Deam married Miss Kate E. McGrane, who was born in Nebraska. They are members of the Roman Catholic church. He is a democrat in his political opinions and is a member of the Shelby County Fair Board. Mr. Deam is identified with no fraternal organizations except the Knights of Columbus.
MARTIN F. DENMAN, whose own farm of ninety-five and one-half acres is located in Green township, Shelby county, O., eight miles southeast of Sidney, O., also operates his wife's farm of fifty-seven acres in the same vicinity.  He was born on his present farm, Sept. 9, 1863, and is a son of Moses and Barbara (Hauser) Denman.
     Moses Denman
was born in Miami county, O., near Piqua, and was twenty-one years old when he come to Shelby county and settled on the farm in Green township on which his entire subsequent life was spent, his death occurring here, when he was aged eighty-two years.  He married Barbara Hauser and she became the mother of five children, passing away in her sixty-sixth year.  Two of these survive:  Martin F. and Mrs. Harvey Millhouse.
     Martin F. Denman
obtained a public school of training and is one of the well-informed and substantial citizens of this section where he has engaged in farming and stock raising ever since reaching man's estate.  He has kept up repairs but has had no buildings to erect as his father had made all improvements.  Mr. Denman married Miss Abigial W. Grosvenor, and they have three children:  Araminta, Della, and HarryMr. Denman and family are members and supporters of the Christian church.  In politics he is a democrat.
HARRY N. DICKENSHEETS, who conducts a first class grocery at No. 116 South Main avenue, Sidney, is numbered with the representative business men of this city, and was born at Sidney, O., Jan. 21, 1868, a son of Jesse L. and Melissa (Williams) Dickensheets, and a grandson of David Dickensheets, who was a pioneer settler of Shelby county.  Jesse L. Dickensheets was born after his parents came to Shelby county and spent his entire life here, dying when his son was but eighteen months old.  After the death of her husband, Mrs. Dickensheets removed to Plattsville, Shelby county, where subsequently she was married to David Sibert, after which they settled on his farm in Orange township.
     On his step-father's farm Harry N. Dickensheets grew to manhood, attending the country schools and assisting with the farm industries, and then went to Piqua where he learned painting and paper hanging and from there came to Sidney.  Here he became a contracting painter and continued until an attack of typhoid fever interrupted work at his trade.  On March 2, 1902, he embarked i the grocery business at his present location, buying out S. D. Voress, and has prospered in this undertaking.
     Mr. Dickensheets was married to Miss Jeanett Johnston, of Green township, and they have one son, Jesse Johnston, a youth of nineteen years.  Mr. Dickensheets and family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church.  He has been identified with the Knights of Pythias for a long period, for ten years being master of finance in the Sidney lodge, and belongs also to the Odd Fellows, the Red Men, the Tribe of Ben Hur and the Knigths of Khorassen.  He is by no means active in politics but belongs to that class known as teh quiet, effective, dependable citizens.
~ Page 512 - History of Shelby County, Ohio - publ. 1913
JOHN E. DORSEY, one of the representative men of Green township, Shelby county, O., and a member of one of the pioneer families of this section, resides on his farm of ninety acres, situated twelve miles southeast of Sidney. He was born in 1854, on a part of his father's land lying immediately across the road from his present farm, and is a son of Snowden D. and a grandson of John Dorsey.
     Snowden D. Dorsey was born on the farm above mentioned which his father had secured from the government, and as he grew old enough helped his father to clear the 160 acres from its wild state. Snowden D. Dorsey was both farmer and carpenter. His death occurred in 1894, on his farm east of where he was born in 1825. He was thrice married, first to Margaret J. Dodson, who, at death, left two sons: Edward C. and John E. His second marriage was to Sarah Shaw, who died without issue, and he then married Anna M. Mathers and two sons were born to that union: Samuel M. and Charles M. .
     John E. Dorsey attended the district schools and afterward continued to assist his father and remained on the old homestead until 1892, when he purchased his present land. This property he greatly improved, building a comfortable and commodious residence and otherwise changing and rearranging structures so that everything was made convenient and now has one of the fine farms of this section. He married Miss Mary E. Licklider and they have six children, namely: Edward E.,. Harry F., Bonnie F., William S., Bessie M. and Bertha M.  Mr. Dorsey has always been an active citizen so far as taking an interest in all law abiding movements is concerned, but he votes independently. His fellow citizens, however, have many times shown their appreciation of his sterling character by electing him to local offices and he has served on the school board, as township assessor, as township trustee and as turnpike superintendent. He is a man of social tastes and is identified fraternally with the Knights of the Golden Eagle and the Improved Order of Red Men.
SAMUEL M. DORSEY, who is very capably managing his mother's farm of 160 acres of valuable land, which ies in Green township, Shelby county, O., belongs to one of the old families of this section.  He was born in Green township, Oct. 26, 1868, and is a son of Snoden T. and Anna M. (Mathers) Dorsey.  His father died in 1894, one-half mile east of the old Dorsey homestead where he was born in 1825.
     In the public schools Samuel M. Dorsey secured his early educational training and later pursued higher branches at Lebanon, O.  For two years afterward he taught school and as an educator fulfilled every expectation but as a business agriculture made closer appeals to him and for many years be devoted himself to himself to farming and stock raising.  He is connected at Sidney with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of the Golden Eagles, and he belongs also to the Presbyterian church at Sidney.  In politics he early identified himself with the republican party and has served in the office of township clerk.
JOSEPH DRESES, who lives retired on his valuable farm of sixty acres, situated in Cynthian township, two and one-half miles south of Fort Loramie, was born in Germany, February 10, 1836, and is a son of Theodore and Elizabeth Dreses, both of whom died in Germany, the mother when he was but two years old.
     Joseph Dreses went to school arid helped his father on the little home farm until he was old enough for military service after which he was in the army for eight years and during that time took part in the wars in which his country was engaged. He was thirty-six years of age when he left Germany and came to the United States. As a farm hand he worked for two years and eight months in Kansas, and from there came to Ohio and became a farmer in Shelby county, near Fort Loramie, where he soon married and for five years afterward lived in McLean township, west of the village. From there he moved on the Johnston Ginn farm and then operated the Schlater farm for one year and the Holthaus farm for four years, after which he bought his present farm of the Barlage heirs, of Fort Loramie, and cleared a part of it. At present he has all of it under cultivation except nine acres of woodland and the larger part of the land is well drained and tiled. The present comfortable farm house he built after taking possession and he remodeled the barn and other farm buildings. A general line of farming-is carried on, some stock and the usual grains of this section being produced. Mr. Dreses is a democrat in his political views and is a good and law abiding citizen.
     Mr. Dreses was married to Miss Mary Elizabeth Merkentrop, who was born in Germany, a daughter of Bernard and Elizabeth Merkentrop, and came to America when twenty-six years old. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dreses, namely: Katie, who died at the age of ten months; Mary, who is the wife of H. A. Eilerman; Lena, who is the wife of Clay Eilerman, of McLean township; Anton, who died in his tenth year; and Elizabeth, who died when aged seven years. Mr. Dreses' daughters were educated in the Short Special School District. The family belongs to St. Michael's Catholic church at Fort Loramie.
PATRICK DUNDON, one of the enterprising and successful farmers of McLean township, resides in section 8, on his valuable farm of 148 acres, situated three and one-half miles east of Fort Loramie. He was born in Turtle Creek township, Shelby county, O., March 4, 1874, and is a son of John and Margaret (McEvoy) Dundon.
     John Dundon was of Irish extraction and was a young man when he came to Shelby from Licking county, O. After marriage to Margaret McEvoy, who was born in Shelby county, he settled on the present home site but the 148 acres of productive land was then but a wilderness. It was through his industry and perseverance that the place was cleared and put under cultivation. The buildings yet standing he placed here and lived to enjoy some years of rest after his long period of hard labor, passing away in his fiftieth year. His widow survived into her sixty-sixth year. They were devoted members of the Catholic church and belonged to St. Patrick's congregation. They had eight children born to them, namely: James and Emma, both of whom are deceased; and Patrick, Elizabeth, Annie, Mary Ellen and William, and an infant that died.
     The children of Mr. and Mrs. Dundon attended school in St. Patrick's Special School District and after the father's death they took charge of the home farm and carried on all its industries, Patrick and William being particularly interested at the present time. They all are democratic in their political opinions and as a united family belong to St. Patrick's Catholic church.

 

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