History of Warren County Ohio United States of America

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James F. Schenck, Rear Admiral United States Navy, son of William C. and Elizabeth (Rodgers) Schenck, was born in Warren county, Ohio, January 11th, 1807. Upon the death of his father in 1821, he was appointed to the United States Military School at West Point by his guardian and namesake, General James Findley, then member of Congress from Cincinnati. There was no naval academy at that time, but having a disposition for sea service, his guardian procured him an appointment as midshipman in 1825. March 1st of that year he sailed in the "Hornet," on his first cruise, and continued in the service till retired on the superannuated list, January 11th, 1869. He passed successively through all the grades up to that of Rear Admiral. During the Mexican war he served in the Pacific squadron on the staff of Commodore Stockton, and did military duty in common with the whole naval force in seizing California. After the conclusion of that struggle and the discovery of gold, the government subsidized a private line of steamers to carry the mails via the Isthmus of Panama, upon the condition of appointing the commanders from the officers of the navy, and Mr. Schenck was detailed Captain of one of the vessels of the line, a position he held till 1855. The breaking out of the great Rebellion found Mr. Schenck in China, Commander of the "Saginaw." As soon as he could be called home, which was not until 1862, he was promoted to Captain and ordered to the western Gulf squadron, on the frigate "St. Lawrence." Here his duty was simply blockading, and he saw no very active service. In 1864 he was promoted to Commodore, and in the two attacks on Fort Fisher commanded the third division of the fleet, consisting of seventeen vessels, the "Powhatan" being his flag-ship. In both engagements he was in the hottest of the fight, and lost a third of his men and four officers of a party of one hundred with whom he landed, but escaped untouched himself. His son, Caspar Schenck, paymaster at the time on the "Juniata," was wounded on the opening of the first engagement, and afterwards promoted for the gallantry he displayed in the battle. After the close of the war, Mr. Schenck was for some time in command of the United States naval station at Mound City, Illinois, and in September, 1868, he was raised to the rank of Rear Admiral United States Navy, and upon reaching his sixty-second year, June 11th, 1869, was regularly retired on the superannuated roll. July 24th, 1829, he married Dorethy A., daughter of Woodhull Smith, of Suffolk county, Long Island, and for many years made his home there. In 1836 he brought his family to the West, and took up his home in Dayton, where he now resides in his retirement. He has had four children--Sarah S., who married Col. Joseph G. Crane, of Dayton, murdered in 1869 while acting military mayor of the city of Jackson, Mississippi, under the provisional government; Jane, married to A. Burr Irwin; Caspar, payinspector United States Navy; Woodhull S., chief of the imperial maritime customs of China at Shanghai. Such a life as that of Admiral Schenck there is no need to praise. The facts speak for the man. Laudation could only taint. He has spent his life in the service of his country, and he still lives to enjoy that country's confidence, and partake of the freedon he has helped to preserve.

From: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Ohio of the Nineteenth Century. Columbus, OH, USA: Galaxy Publishing Co., 1876.

Nathaniel Van Maxwell, merchant, was born in Warren county, Ohio, July 10, 1809; son of Thomas and Rachel (Chambers) Maxwell, and grandson of Thomas Maxwell, who came to America from Scotland about 1760. His father removed to Montgomery county, Ohio, and died there about 1820, and Nathaniel was apprenticed to a tailor and about 1828 removed to Centreville. He abandoned his trade in 1842 and with Ellis S. Bradstreet established a general store. In 1846 Bradstreet withdrew and the business was continued by Mr. Maxwell. He also served as treasurer of his township almost continuously, 1842-86; was a founder of the Centreville Union academy, 1847; trustee of Glendale Female college and a leader in the public-school movement. He was a Henry Clay Whig and a founder of the Republican party in Ohio. He supported Salmon P. Chase for the party nomination for governor before the Whig convention of 1855 and the same year was defeated for representative in the state legislature by a small majority. He served as delegate to numerous county, district and stats conventions, which latter he reached on horseback riding more than one hundred miles to the state capital. He actively supported Abraham Lincoln for President in 1860 and the government in the civil war. He was married, Nov. 18, 1830, to Eleanor, daughter of Sidney and Anna (Conover) Denise of Huguenot and Dutch stock. She died July 20, 1898. Their eldest son was Sidney Denise Maxwell . Mr. Maxwell died in Centreville, Ohio, March 8, 1886.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Joseph Glass Monfort, clergyman, was born in Warren county, Ohio, Dec. 9, 1810; son of the Rev. Francis and Sophia (Glass) Monfort; grandson of Lawrence and Elizabeth (Cassatt) Monfort, and of Joseph and Elizabeth (Wilson) Glass, and a descendant of John Monfort, the emigrant from Holland, 1630, and of Zebulon Riggs, who came from Ireland in 1627. He was graduated at Miami university, Ohio, A.B., 1834, A. M., 1837, and was prepared for the ministry at the Theological seminary, New Albany, Ind. 1835-36. He established in 1886, in connection with Dr. W. L. Breckinridge, the Presbyterian Herald at Louisville, Ky.,and edited it, 1836-37. He was licensed by the presbytery of Oxford in September, 1837; succeeded his father as paster at Hamilton, Ohio, 1837, and was pastor at Greensburg and Sandy Creek, Ind., 1838-42. He was married, Oct. 8, 1839, to Hannah, daughter of the Rev. Elias Riggs, of New Providence, N.J. He was agent for the Theological seminary at New Albany, Ind. (which became McCormick Theological seminary, Chicago, Ill.), 1842-44, and pastor at Greensburg, Ind., 1844-55. He became editor of the Presbyterian of the West in 1855; changed its name to The Presbyter in 1860, and in 1869 united it with the Christian Herald at Cincinnati under the name Presbyter and Herald, and continued to edit it alone until 1873, when he was joined by his sons, E. R. and Francis C. Monfort . He was president of Glendale Female college, Ohio, 1856-65; a member of the joint committee on the reunion of the Presbyterian churches in 1866, and author of the Newark, Ohio, memorial, signed by seventy clergymen and forty ruling elders favoring reunion. He was a trustee of Hanover college, 1847-84; of Lane Theological seminary, 1870-94, and a director of the Theological Seminary of the Northwest. He was also treasurer of Lane Theological seminary, 1871-83, and a member of the church extension committee and of the boards of domestic and foreign missions. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from Centre college, Ky., in 1853, and that of LL.D. from Hanover college, Ind., in 1884.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

William Jones, was born in Warren county, Ohio, January 12th, 1813. He was the third of eight children. His father, Isaac Jones, was a native of Maryland, but became one of the early settlers of Warren county, afterwards removing to Michigan, locating near Cassopolis, where he resided until his death. His life had been spent chiefly in agricultural pursuits. His mother, Mary Payne, was a native of New Jersey, and died in 1874, at Somerville, Butler county, Ohio, having lived to a very advanced age. William Jones was early taught to labor, and at the age of thirteen began life, relying entirely on his own resources. He came to Montgomery, Hamilton county, Ohio, his present home, and obtained employment on a farm, with the firm determination, however, of acquiring an education, and resolving that his principles through life should be moral, and his habits frugal and industrious. At the end of a year he commenced learning a trade, that of bricklayer and housebuilder, at which he labored diligently for four years. During this time he had applied himself closely to intellectual improvement, passing his evenings in reading and study, so that at the time he completed his trade he was qualified to take charge of a school, and obtaining a position as teacher in Hamilton county, occupied the same for a period of four years. While discharging conscientiously the duties of his vocation, he still found many leisure moments, which he earnestly devoted to the reading of medicine, and finally deciding to adopt the profession, he entered the Ohio Medical College, from which he graduated in 1842. He was appointed, in March, 1875, one of a committee of five to draft a suitable constitution and by-laws for the government of the Ohio Medical College Alumni. Immediately afterward he located in Montgomery, where he has resided up to the present time, engaged as a practitioner, and meeting with great success. He has been a member of the School Board for a number of years, and has always been closely identified with educational interests. Politically he is a Democrat, and in 1859 was elected a member of the State Legislature, and served for two years, during which time he was mainly instrumental in securing the passage of the bill for the relief of the General Government. Religiously he is a Presbyterian, a man whose life has been devoted to usefulness and whose influence has always been for good. In social life the doctor is a delightful companion, genial in his disposition, and courteous in his manners, always an agreeable addition to the circle in which he moves. Over thirty years of unceasing labor and of constant application to the duties of his profession has somewhat impaired his physical ability, but his mental faculties are vigorous, and his spirits buoyant. He has been a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity for about thirty years, and is also intimately identified with the Society of Odd Fellows. He was twice married, his first wife being Charlotte Thompson, a native of Hamilton county, who died in 1844, leaving one child. On February 11th, 1846, he was married to Mary J. McMeen, a native of Franklin, Warren county, Ohio, daughter of J. McMeen, an early and prominent settler of that county.

From: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Ohio of the Nineteenth Century. Columbus, OH, USA: Galaxy Publishing Co., 1876.

History of Warren County Ohio

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