In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1909) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
From History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio (1909), Centennial portrait and biographical record of the city of Dayton and of Montgomery County, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with the biographi (1897)
ARMAN ROGGE was born near Hanover, Germany, September 2, 1845. He is a son of Harman and Angel (Mayrose) Rogge, the former of whom was a farmer, but is now deceased, while the mother still survives. Their children numbered eight, of whom Harman was the second. He was educated in the excellent public schools of his native country and under private tutors until eighteen years of age, when he came to this country with an uncle, who was a citizen of Dayton. After his arrival at Dayton he obtained employment at the Blanchard & Brown Wheel works, now the S. N. Brown Co. After several years of steady employment by this firm he entered the service of the Barney & Smith Car works. After about fifteen years of hard work, he started on his own account in the retail grocery business. In this he was very successful and was also engaged in the wholesale grocery trade for a few years. In 1887 he first became a stockholder in the Zwick & Greenwald Wheel company, of which he is now president and general manager. Since his connection with this company, it has been crowned with success and its financial strength has increased threefold.
Harman Rogge was united in marriage, in 1872, with Miss Augusta Kropp, a native of Dayton and a daughter of Henry Kropp. This union has been blessed with eleven children, of whom eight are still living. In religion the family are of the German Lutheran faith, and of the church of which they are members, Mr. Rogge has for years been a trustee and is at present a member of the official board of management. In politics he is a democrat, and as such served one term as a member of the Dayton city council. Mr. Rogge has done much toward advancing the material prosperity of Dayton, having erected upward of twenty dwellings, and having, by industry and thrift, become one of the substantial German-American citizens to whom the city is indebted for much of her prominence and high standing in the commercial and manufacturing world.
As printed in Centennial portrait and biographical record of the city of Dayton and of Montgomery County, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with the biographi (1897). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
HARMAN H. ROGGE.
The German-American element in our citizenship has long been an important one. For centuries the Teutonic race through emigration has carried the seeds of civilization into new districts and other lands have profited by the learning, culture and business experience of the sons of the fatherland. Mr. Rogge proudly claims Germany as the land of his nativity and yet there is no citizen of Dayton more loyal to the interests and the institutions of this free country of ours. His work has been a substantial factor in the improvement and development of Dayton, especially in the field of building operations and in industrial lines, and he is now prominently before the public as president of the Zwick & Greenwald Wheel Company.
A native of Hanover, Germany, Mr. Rogge was born September 2, 1845, °f the marriage of Harman and Angel (Mayrose) Rogge. The father, who followed the occupation of farming in support of himself and his family, is now deceased. The subject of this review was the second in a family of eight children and in his native land was afforded good educational privileges as a public-school student and also through the instruction of private tutors. He was eighteen years of age when he bade adieu to his friends in his native country preparatory to sailing for the new world in company with an uncle who was a citizen of Dayton and believed that the business opportunities on this side of the Atlantic were superior to those of the old world.
Harman Rogge was willing to take advantage of these chances for the betterment of his financial condition and when he arrived in Dayton he secured employment in the Blanchard & Brown Wheel Works, now owned and conducted by the S. N. Brown Company. He there remained for several years, winning promotion from time to time, after which he entered the service of the Barney & Smith Car Works. Fifteen years passed in the employ of others, after which he started in business on his own account, wishing that his labors might more directly benefit himself rather than that others should reap the profits of his industry and enterprise. From the beginning the new undertaking was successful and after continuing in the retail trade for a time he extended the scope of his activities by establishing a wholesale department which he also conducted for a few years. He has been connected with the Zwick & Greenwald Wheel Company since 1887, in which year he purchased stock in the enterprise, his labors since that time constituting a force in the growth and expansion of the business. Its financial strength has increased several fold while the output has been greatly enlarged to meet the growing demands of the trade. For some years Mr. Rogge has been at the head as president and general manager and the wisdom of his judgment and his capable control are manifest in the growing success of the house. Aside from his operations in this connection he has been closely associated with building interests, having erected more than two score dwellings in Dayton and thus added to the substantial improvement of the city.
The pleasant home life of Mr. Rog'ge had its foundation in his marriage in 1872 to Miss Augusta Kropp, a native of Dayton and a daughter of Henry Kropp. Eleven children were born unto them, of whom eight survive. Mr. Rogge and his family are members of the German Lutheran church and for a long period he has served as one of the church trustees and as a member of the official board. To its support he contributes generously and in its different activities he is much interested. His political views are in accord with the principles of the democracy and his official service is limited to one term as a member of the city council, for he has ever preferred to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs which, capable conducted, have brought him signal success. His record is an illustration of the fact that the circumstances of birth and education have little to do with holding a man’s character or shaping his success.
As printed in History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio (1909). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Their biographies name Harman Rogge: William G. Zwick (b. 1863)
The printed record stops around 1909. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.