George W. Ozias

As printed in 1897

EORGE W. OZIAS, attorney at law of Dayton, Ohio, was born January 28, 1863, at Farmersville, Montgomery county, Ohio, and is a son of David Ozias, a native of Lewisburg, Preble county, Ohio. When George W. was a child his parents removed to Kenton, Ohio, and there he was reared and educated, graduating from the Kenton high school when he was sixteen years of age. David Ozias remained in Kenton with his family until 1887, when he removed to Dayton. George W., almost immediately after graduating at Kenton, as above mentioned, entered the freshman class of the Ohio Wesleyan university, at Delaware, remaining there throughout the regular four years’ course, and graduating when he was twenty years of age. He then went to Cincinnati, and in the fall of 1883 entered the

Cincinnati Law school, taking a thorough course in law, and graduating from that institution in 1886. His expenses, while at Delaware, he paid by teaching school in vacations, and those incident to his attendance at the law school by working for Bradstreet’s Commercial agency.

Immediately upon completing his course in Cincinnati, Mr. Ozias located in Dayton, and there became the manager of Bradstreet’s Commercial agency for the district whose headquarters were in that city, and this position he held for five years. Severing his connection with this agency, on November 1, 1891, he opened an office and began the active practice of the law on his own account. Later he formed a partnership with Benjamin F. Hershey, which continued from January 1, 1893, to about January 1, 1895. This connection was then dissolved, and Mr. Ozias remained alone until March 1, 1896, when he formed a partnership with Judge Calvin D. Wright, formerly of Troy, Ohio, Wright & Ozias having since been engaged in general practice.

January 4, 1894, Mr. Ozias was united in marriage with Miss Blanche B. Whealen, who was born in Dayton, March 2, 1873, a daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Corson) Whealen, natives of Montgomery county, Ohio. Mr. Whealen is district manager of the American Strawboard company, and a well known citizen and business man, of whom mention is made on another page.

Mr. Ozias is a republican in politics and a member of the Masonic fraternity. He is an able and ambitious young man, and has made a creditable record in his profession.

*ILLIAM S. O’NEILL, wholesale dealer in and packer of leaf tobacco,

Dayton, Ohio, was born in Franklin county, Pa., October 1 7, 1838. He is a son of Charles and Elizabeth (Sherman) m.

O’Neill, the former a native of county Antrim, Ireland, and the latter a native of Pennsylvania. To this marriage there were born seven children, three sons and four daughters, five of whom are still living, as follows: Mary, widow of Jacob Yost; Ann Elizabeth, wife of John Albright, of Kokomo, Ind.; Dr. Salisbury Eugene, of Ottumwa, Iowa; William S., and Jennie, wife of Dr.. Souders, of Beavertowm The two deceased children were John, who,, during the Irish famine, went to Edinburgh, Scotland, as a representative of and reporter for the Philadelphia Ledger, and died there,, and Marcellus, who died in infancy.

Charles O’Neill was by occupation a contractor, and came to the United States in the interest of an English syndicate to superintend the construction of the Cumberland Valley railroad. Locating six miles east of Chambersburg, Pa., he lived there and in that vicinity until his death, which occurred about 1848, being induced by an injury which caused a hemorrhage. His wife survived him many years, and died at the home of her son, William S., in Van Buren township, Montgomery, county, when she was upward of sixty years of age. Mr. O’Neill was in politics a democrat, but never held or sought public office, though he was very fond of the study and discussion of public questions. He superintended the construction of the old Tappewann railroad from Gettysburg to the Caledonia Iron works, and was then in the employ of Thaddeus Stevens. Mr. O’Neill was a man of varied experience and learning. In his youth he was educated for the Catholic priesthood, but refused to act in that capacity. Arthur O'Neill, his brother, was educated to be a Catholic priest and served as such during his lifetime. The wife of Charles O’Neill was in her earlier life a Lutheran, but later became a Catholic.

The paternal grandfather of William O'Neill was a native of Ireland, and lived and died in his native land. The maternal grandfather, Salisbury Sherman, was a native of New Bedford, Mass., where he was bound as an apprentice to a blacksmith. Afterward he learned the trade of cutler, and was foreman of a factory in Chambersburg for a number of years. Then uniting with a company at Gettysburg, he aided in establishing a factory there. At Gettysburg he was married to Catherine Whealen. After his marriage he removed to Franklin county, near Chambersburg, lived there sixty-five years, and at the time of his death was ninety-eight years of age.

William S. O'Neill was reared a farmer’s boy, and received a good education in the common schools of Pennsylvania. For some time he worked for twelve and a half cents per day. In 1858, coming to Dayton, he went thence to Van Buren township, and hired out as a farm laborer on one of the farms which he now owns. Two years were spent in this way, the second year in raising tobacco, and in the winter following he chopped cord wood and split rails. In 1864 he purchased ten acres of land in Miami township, having, however, previously purchased property in Carrollton. The ten acres he soon sold and bought forty acres in Van Buren township. Afterward he purchased 160 acres in Mercer county, and still later 148 acres in Van Buren township, Montgomery county, upon which he had worked when he first came to the state. This he still owns, together with thirty-one acres of the above-mentioned forty, having sold nine acres thereof. For two years he carried on farming in Miami township, but otherwise has been engaged in farming in Van Buren township, with the exception of the past five years, during which time he has lived in Dayton, his residence being at No. 228 Warren street. Beside the land named above as owned by Mr. O’Neill, he owns 100 acres in Washington township.

Mr. O’Neill was married, in March, 1863, to Miss Elizabeth Shroyer, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Himes) Shroyer. To this marriage there have been born five children, as follows: Carrie May, Amanda Ellen, Charles Shroyer, Harry Sherman, and Lizzie. Charles Shroyer died at the age of twenty, Carrie May at nineteen and Amanda Ellen at twenty-one. Mr. and Mrs. O’Neill and their children are members of the Reform church in Van Buren township, of which he has been a trustee for twenty years. Politically he is a democrat, but has never sought office or any kind of political preferment. He has been a resident of Montgomery county since March, 1857, a period of forty years, and the history of his life is one in which may be found the success and prosperity that attend upon industry, thrift and strict integrity of character.

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.