Deis was born in Baden, Germany on March 21, 1837, the oldest of five children to parents Philip and Franciska. They came to this country when John was 11. As soon as he was old enough to vote for president, John voted for Abraham Lincoln. Soon after that election, Lincoln called for volunteers for the Union Army. John immediately organized a company of men from the Dayton area then marched them to Fort Dennison, near Cincinnati. They enlisted and became Company M, First Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery with Deis as commander. He soon became 1st Sergeant and served until the end of 1864.
Deis’ military career included the battles of Pittsburgh Landing, Shiloh Corinth, Stone River, Atlanta, and Jonesboro, serving under Tecumseh, General Sherman, and William S. Rosecrans. John’s younger brother Philip had also joined but was unfortunately killed in Georgia during General Sherman’s March to the Sea.
When he returned to the war, he organized an officer’s club called the Old Grand Post #23, Grand Army of the Republic. He was Grand Marshall in many parades and took charge of Memorial Day. Deis helped to get the cannon erected in the soldier’s section of Calvary Cemetery. It was dedicated on May 30, 1901. His name was carved on the base as tribute.
John married Elizabeth Belm in 1861. Together they had 13 children with at least 6 living to adulthood. Deis was a member of The Knights of Columbus, St. John’s Society, and Holy Trinity Church. He also helped secure the site for St. Joseph’s Orphanage. John died in 1923 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in a family plot along with his brother Philip.
Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley
Charity Edna Adams was born in Kitrell, North Carolina in 1918. Her father was a minister, and her mother was a former teacher. When she was a young girl, her family moved to South Carolina, which she later considered home.
Charity was intellectually gifted and started school in second grade. By the end of elementary school, she was tested and scored ready to start high school. Her parents decided not to advance her any more grades since she was already a few grades ahead of her age group in school. Charity graduated school two years early as valedictorian. At Wilberforce College, Charity majored in Latin, Math, and Physics. She held a part-time job and was involved in many student activities before she graduated in 1938.
During WWII, Charity was the first African American female officer in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC, later called WAC). She led the 3rd Training Regiment, made up of two white and one black platoon. At Fort Des Moines, she was promoted to Major, which made her the highest-ranking female officer at the fort and one of the highest-ranking WAC officers in the country. She then deployed to Europe and led the first Black WAC unit to serve overseas. For her work in Europe, Charity was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, the highest possible rank for WAC.
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Sara’s Ghost Tours
When: May 11th at 2 and 4pm
To register for this event, visit this link
Dayton Animator Mark Henn – a 2024 Disney Legend
The Disney Legends Awards program is a 37 year old tradition and the highest honor the company can bestow, according to Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger.
Henn has helped a new generation of Disney animators with character animation in CG features such as Ralph Breaks the Internet. He was the lead 2D animator on Big Hero 6 and Frozen and served as a 2D animator for “Mini Maui” in Moana. In 2013, Henn received ASIFA’s highest award in animation, the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement. Henn was also commissioned to paint Mickey Mouse’s official portrait for the character’s 90th anniversary in 2018
Officer McCain to Detective McCain
Casey McCain obtained her Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission certification in November 2015 from Clark State. She started her career as a dispatcher at the Champaign County Communications Center from 2013 to 2016. She then went on to serve the city of Urbana in 2016, where she remained until 2022. She moved to Beavercreek Police in February 2022, as one of ten female officers sworn in to their roster of fifty, the highest number of women in Beavercreek Police history.
Henry Stansel
Due to being slowed by an injured foot and shoes filled with water, Henry was captured by the Native Americans as they stole the horses from the settlement. Henry’s clothes were stripped from him, and he was forced to run through the trees while trying to keep up with the Native Americans on the stolen horses. When they finally stopped to camp, Henry was bound and tormented by his captors, as they callously showed him the scalp of his brother William. During his captivity, Henry was subjected to torture with the other prisoners, forced to run painful gauntlets and beatings.
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A Constable Finally Honored after 151 Years
Recently we learned he is officially [finally] honored on The Officers Down Memorial Page, just in time for the 151st anniversary of his death, which was October 31st. The next step (which is in process now) will be to submit paperwork to the committee for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. If approved, his name will be engraved on the marble wall in Washington DC.
Constable J. William Fogwell
End of Watch Thursday, October 31, 1872
Other Daytons (Part 2)
- Dayton, Nevada – the second-oldest settlement in Nevada and home to the oldest hotel in Nevada, and once a hotspot for gold miners. Named for a local surveyor, John Day in 1861.
- Dayton, Newark, New Jersey – a neighborhood in Newark, named after Jonathan Dayton.</
- Dayton, New Jersey – an unincorporated community in South Brunswick. Originally known as Cross Roads but was renamed to Dayton in 1866, but it is unclear if it is named for William L. Dayton or Jonathan Dayton.
- Dayton, New York – founded around 1810 when settlers arrived and mistakenly thought they were in Chautauqua County (but they were in Cattaraugus County). Formed from the town Perrysburg.
- Dayton, Oregon – founded in 1850 by Joel Palmer and Andrew Smith, a native of Dayton, Ohio.
- Dayton, Pennsylvania – a small borough in Armstrong County. Population as of the 2020 census was 549 people.
- Dayton, Tennessee – Settled around 1820 and was named Smith’s Crossroads. Renamed to Dayton in 1877, after Dayton, Ohio. Was also the site of the 1925 Scopes Trial that decided if evolution should be taught in public schools.
A Glimpse of the 1800s
Five Tiny Cemeteries in Beavercreek
- Located on North Fairfield Road, just north of Kemp Road.
- On the site of old Mount Pisgah German Reformed Church, which held services as early as 1809.
- The cemetery is also known as Old Pisgah Cemetery.
- The land was owned by Jonathan Harshman.
- The earliest known burial was John Helmer in 1823.
- Surnames of Cyphers, Goldshot, Harshman, Howett, Koogler, Reigelsperger, Sensenbaugh, Swigert, and Trubee are found on the gravestones.
- The last known burial was in 1957.
Dayton Unknown 