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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Madison County, Ohio
Its People, Industries and Institutions
Chester E. Bryan, Supervising Editor
With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and
Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families
- ILLUSTRATED -
Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc.
Indianapolis, Indiana
1915
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1915 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX >
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ABRAHAM J.
DENNISON was born on Oct. 1, 1862, in
Pickaway county, Ohio, and is the son of James and Sevena
(Warren) Dennison, who were the parents of six boys and
six girls.
James Dennison was born in January, 1827, in
Madison county, where he was reared on a farm. When
still a young man he removed to Pickaway county, where he
was reared on a farm. When still a young man he
removed to Pickaway county, where he first rented and then
bought land. His present home is still on the property
then acquired. His wife was born on Oct. 25, 1830,
near Chillicothe, Ohio, and was the daughter of William
and Margaret (Blane) Warren. She died on Jan. 10,
1911.
Abraham Dennison was brought up on his father's
farm, attending the local schools, and did not leave home
until his twenty-fifth year. One year previous to his
marriage, he rented land from his father and continued its
cultivation for the next fifteen years. In 1901 he
bought one hundred and fifteen acres of good farm land in
this county which he made his home. He has always kept
a good grade of stock for the market.
In 1887 Abraham Dennison was married to Sarah
Murphy daughter of William F. and Roxanna (Crabe)
Murphy. Sarah Murphy was born on Feb. 8,
1865. Her father, who is still living with his
children, was born on Aug. 10, 1835, in Pickaway county.
Her mother was born in the same county on Nov. 13, 1836, and
died on Dec 29, 1913. The children born of this union
were three in number, namely: Frederick, born
on Nov. 26, 1887, is a student in the Ohio State University;
Mabel is the wife of a Mr. Thornton, and was
born on July 23, 1889, in Pleasant township; and Ray,
born on Dec. 28, 1890, resides at home. Mr. and
Mrs. Dennison have erected a beautiful modern dwelling,
which is lighted by gas.
Abraham Dennison is a church attendant, a Republican
in politics and a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge at
Mt. Sterling. He was township trustee for two terms.
Mr. Dennison is one of the foremost agriculturists of
this district. He has identified himself always with
the best life of the community in which effort he has been
joined by his wife, who is much admired for her genialty
and her womanly characteristics. Worldly greatness
does not consist in heroic achievement. It may be just
as truly found in the careful carrying out of human
obligations, though this may be apart from the eyes of the
world. In this respect the lives of Mr. and Mrs.
Dennison have truly been an inspiration.
Source: History of Madison County,
Ohio - Illustrated - Published by B. F. Bowden & Company,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - 1915 - Page 849 |
John G. Dun
Elizabeth Dun
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JOHN GRAHAM DUN.
Eight miles north of London, in this county, lies the Dun
home, known as "Dun Glen" and one of the fine country
estates of Ohio. It is situated in a fertile valley
and the old house, which is rather an imposing mansion,
stands in a handsome grove, a delightful place, reminding
one of the old homes which might have been seen a generation
ago in Kentucky. The present proprietor of "Dun Glen"
is Miss Gertrude Dun, who while seemingly living
somewhat secluded is generally found where the people of
Madison county are accustomed socially to foregather.
She is fond of travel and thoroughly enjoys the bounties
which nature affords, being devoted to the charms of rural
life. It was Miss Dun’s father, the late
John Graham Dun, who established "Dun
Glen” in Deer Creek township.
John Graham Dun was born on Sept. 21, 1814, at
Chillicothe, Ohio, and died at his home in Madison county on
Nov. 29, 1895. He was the son of Walter and Ann
Mary (Angus) Dun, the former of whom. born in Scotland,
came to America at the age of nineteen, settling at
Petersburg, Virginia, where his uncle was employed by the
government as a surveyor. This uncle set his nephew to
work surveying land and he presently came to Ohio in the
pursuit of his profession. After locating lands in
Madison county, Walter Dun married Ann Mary
Angus, of Petersburg, Virginia, and returned to
Chillicothe. Later he settled on his uncle’s estate in
Virginia. He also owned a large farm in Kentucky,
situated near the beautiful city of Lexington, and died in
Kentucky, at the age of fifty-three. Besides his son,
John Graham, there were
three other sons, James, Walter Angus
and Robert George, and a daughter, Mrs.
Thurman, all of whom settled in Ohio. Walter
Dun had obtained a large tract of land, comprising
nine thousand acres, and gave each of his sons a part of
this land, with additional lands he later sold them.
Each of the sons reared families in Madison county, except
Walter A. and all remained here except Robert,
who lived for several years in the South. Most of this
land has since passed into other hands. All of the
Dun brothers were large farmers in this county,
Robert and John being pioneer breeders of
Shorthorn cattle, while Walter was a well-known
horseman in his day.
After assisting his father on the farm until he was
twenty-three years old, John Graham Dun, at
his father’s death, was associated with his brother,
James, in settling up the estate. The Kentucky
property was sold and the mother spent the later years of
her life in Chillicothe. John Graham
Dun drove his first cattle over the mountains from the
Old Dominion state when he was but nineteen years old.
In his farming operations, Mr. Dun employed a
large number of men and, from year to year, gradually
improved his vast estate, making out of it one of the most
desirable tracts in this section of Ohio. He lived on
the farm until his death at the age of eighty-one years, on
Nov. 29, 1895.
On Oct. 6, 1841, John Graham Dun
married Elizabeth James, who was born in
Chillicothe, Ohio, Oct. 21, 1821, daughter of Thomas and
Jane (Claypool) James, the former of whom was born at
Antietam, Virginia, where his father we prominently
connected with the iron industry. having been, at one time,
a part owner of the Antietam iron works. Thomas
James also was an inventor of note and several
valuable maritime appliances were the products of his
inventive genius. The father of Jane (Claypool)
James, Abram George Claypool, was an officer in the army
of General Washington during the Revolutionary War
and served with distinction during the long struggle of the
colonies for independence. John G. Dun was a
sympathetic, even tempered man and one of strong religious
instincts. He had been reared as a Presbyterian and
his wife had been reared in the Episcopal church.
Although he was an adherent of his wife’s church, he never
affiliated with the church, though supporting it in many
ways. There was, for many years, an Episcopal chapel
on a part of the Dun farm and it was called
Dunlawn chapel.
About 1857 John Graham Dun spent
about eighteen months in Kentucky, expecting later to go on
to Tennessee for his health, but he presently returned to
Ohio and resumed farming, becoming an extensive and
well-known breeder of Shorthorn cattle and of sheep, his
stock for years being considered among the leading
live-stock exhibits at the many fairs held in this section
of the state. In earlier life, he was very much
devoted to hunting and spent a great deal of his time in the
open. He was a favorite among the people of Madison
county and kept open house for his neighbors and friends.
He was a well-read man, although in his youth he had been
denied the privilege of attending college.
Nine children were born to John Graham and Elizabeth
(James) Dun, all of whom grew to maturity, namely:
Jane, who married H. Bacon Smith and is deceased;
Walter, who died unmarried at the age of sixty years;
Anne, who married Dr. William Ellis Glenn, of
Rolia, Maine, both of whom died early in life; Thomas,
who was a farmer near Bellefontaine, Ohio, and died
unmarried; McEidin, who was also a farmer near
Bellefontaine; Gertrude, who lives on the old home
farm; Mary, who married Angus Dun, a
cousin, and lived on a part of the old Dun estate,
where she died; John Graham, Jr., who is the
proprietor of the Vendome hotel at Columbus, and Charles
Bush, who was accidentally killed at the age of
twenty-three, at Bellefontaine, Ohio. The mother of
these children died on Apr. 9, 1898, and was widely mourned
throughout the county, where for so many years she had been
recognized as a leader in all good works. At one time,
John Graham Dun was a member of the
board of trustees of the state asylum for the blind.
All of the representatives of his generation of the Dun
family are deceased.
Gertrude Dun, whose beautiful old house
is filled with rare and curious furniture which has been
kept in the family for many years, has retained the old
farm, "Dun Glen," consisting of four hundred acres.
Its proprietor also owns other farm real estate, including
one hundred acres near Columbus. Ohio. She is active
in church work and is a leader in the social set of London,
the county seat of this delightful old county.
Source: History of Madison County, Ohio -
Illustrated - Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - 1915 - Page 500 |
Walter A. Dun |
WALTER A. DUN.
Some time before 1850 four brothers and a sister, whose
father had died, came to Madison county, Ohio, and occupied
a large tract of land, which their father, before his death,
had purchased at one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre.
The three younger brothers and the sister were brought to
Madison county by the eldest brother. These children
comprised the Dun family, all of whom have
occupied a conspicuous place in the history of this county.
The sister, Mary, became the wife of the late
Allen G. Thurman, who served as United States senator
from Ohio. Walter A., the subject of this
sketch, spent most of his life in Madison county, passing
away on Dec. 2, 1906, at the age of eighty-one years.
Walter A. Dun, who was the sole proprietor of
“Oak Forest," was born at Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1825, and
was one of a family of five children born to Walter Dun,
Sr., and wife. The others were John T.,
James, Robert and Mary. Some time
after his father’s death, Walter A. Dun obtained
about seven thousand acres of land in three or four tracts,
situated in several counties. There were over twenty-one
hundred acres in the home farm, where he lived and died.
The late Walter A. Dun was married in Kentucky,
while still a young man, no Mary Catherine Thompson,
of the Blue Grass state. She died on Dec. 2, 1896,
just ten years to the day before the death of her husband.
It is a coincidence of no small moment that their deaths
occurred ten years apart, lacking perhaps less than two
hours. The Dun home was a fine old
mansion built in 1851. It had a big fireplace and was
a quaint structure. On Nov. 2, 1902, it burned to the
ground and afterward Walter A. Dun set to work to
build the present house, which, however, is not so
pretentious as was the old mansion.
For ten years the Dun farm was operated
by Robert Hanson, who was born six miles south
of London and whose wife before her marriage, was Lucy
Rumer, a native of Fayette county. Mrs.
Hanson is a most estimable woman, who gives her home
an atmosphere of hospitality, and she has been a large
factor in the success of her husband. With their two
children, Mabel and Ray, when the latter was
two years and six months old, Mr. and Mrs. Hanson
came to the Dun homestead. Mr.
Hanson had been recommended to Mr. Dun by
George Vanwagoner, of London. At the time
of their coming. Mr. Dun became very
closely attached to the children and especially to Ray.
It was only a short time before he said he would leave his
property to the lad and he did. At the time he was in
need of some one upon whom to bestow his affections and
finally left the lad all of his real estate, which consisted
of the home farm of one hundred and fifty-three acres, worth
approximately twenty thousand dollars. It is situated
ten miles north of London.
The remains of Walter A. Dun are buried in the
Greenlawn cemetery, at Columbus,as are also his brothers and
his wife. He and his wife had no children. He
was a Democrat in politics and a stanch one. He was a
student of political questions and well informed,
particularly in foreign politics. He had a large
library and spent a great deal of time with his books.
He was also very fond of race horses. and for twenty years
harness horses were his chief concern. He owned the
best horses to be found in Ohio. and long after he had quit
the racing game kept on breeding fast horses. Many of
his horses were sold at Latonia and other places. He
was also interested in breeding Shot-thorn cattle.
Source: History of Madison County, Ohio -
Illustrated - Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - 1915 - Page 776 |
Michael E. Dwyer |
MICHAEL E. DWYER.
The successful business men in nearly every line have begun
life on the farm,
their sturdy youth having been just the material necessary
for a solid foundation of achievement. Michael E.
Dwyer, a prominent merchant of London, this county, is
no exception to the rule. Born on Mar. 9, 1864, on the
farm of his father, Michael Dwyer, he early developed
the thrift which was characteristic of his parents, both of
whom were natives of Ireland, and soon made the name of
Dwyer a synonym for efficiency and worth.
Michael and Johanna (Hourigan) Dwyer, soon after
their arrival in America, settled first in Greene county,
Ohio, later moving to Madison county. Not quite
satisfied with this location as a permanent home, they
finally removed to Clark county, where they reared and
educated their children as progressive, Christian citizens
and where Michael Dwyer, in 1867, passed to
his eternal rest, leaving a wife and four children to mourn
his loss. In 1880, just thirteen years later, death
claimed the wife and mother who had proved herself, not only
a wise and loyal helpmeet, but a kind and loving mother,
whose training and example were to make those she left
behind, a power for good among all who know them.
When Michael E. Dwyer was fourteen years of age,
his mother and her children moved to London, his father
having previously died. His brother, Thomas J.,
and a sister, Mrs. Mary E. Corbett, now reside in
London. Mrs. T. F. Ryan, another sister, now
reside in Columbus. Ohio.
Michael E. Dwyer was educated in the public schools of
London, where at the age of eighteen, he learned the
tinner’s trade which he followed for ten years. His
ambition and thrift during these ten years, brought him such
a measure of’ success that before he was twenty-one, he had
purchased the business of James J. Welsh, his former
employer. For four years he conducted that business
unaided after which the firm of Dwyer Brothers
was formed, his brother, Thomas J., becoming a
partner. Together they bought, Apr. 9, 1888, the lot
upon which the building they now occupy was erected in 1892.
This building is sixty by ninety feet and consists of two
floors but in addition to this they also use the upper floor
space, fifty by eighty, in another building. When
Mr. Dwyer first became a merchant, he sold
hardware exclusively, but his affability and honesty soon
increased the demands of the trade to such an extent that a
full line of high-grade furniture was added.
On Aug. 17, 1899, after winning success and proving his
ability to become the head of a household, Michael E.
Dwyer was united in marriage to Margaret Bindon,
of Woodstock, Champaign county, Ohio, and to them was born
one child, Paul, who is now attending high school.
Mr. Dwyer’s sterling worth won him the
distinction of election as the first president of the London
Board of Trade and he has served as a member of the board of
public works for two terms. He is an honored member of
the Knights of Columbus and an active worker in the Catholic
church. Politically, he is a Democrat.
Mr. Dwyer is probably the largest
individual property holder in London and, aside from the
twenty-five or more pieces of rental property in town, he
owns a farm in Union township, located two and one-half
miles east of London, on which flows a magnetic spring whose
water analysis shows a favorable comparison with the best
mineral springs of the world. This energetic man has
achieved a most remarkable success in life, not because of
so-called luck, but because of his real ability and the
desire not only to grasp his opportunity but to make it.
This is the secret of true success, but so few have the
courage necessary to real achievement. Opportunity and
luck are but the products of diligent application and the
daily wisdom absorbed from the experience of solving each
problem by conscientious endeavor.
Such have been the tools Mr. Dwyer has used in
his garden of life and the brilliant flowers grown therein
will not fade, but spread a lasting fragrance to be inhaled
by future generations.
Source: History of Madison County, Ohio -
Illustrated - Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - 1915 - Page 648 |
NOTES:
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