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Johann Jacob Coy, Jr.
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Dr. John Hole was born in New Jersey in 1755. In his youth, John was adopted by a prominent doctor so that he could be trained and educated in the medical profession. He went to the University of Berlin and returned to the states in 1775, in the midst of the crisis that led to the American Revolution. John was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and when George Washington commanded forces at Cambridge. John was eventually reassigned to be the personal physician and surgeon under Brigadier General Richard Montgomery.
“My son, if you ever put up with an insult, I will disinherit you.”
Jonathan Dayton (Source)
Although he is not from Dayton, and had never actually visited Ohio, we owe our city’s name to a relatively unknown historical figure, Jonathan Dayton.
Jonathan Dayton was born in Elizabethtown (presently named Elizabeth), New Jersey in 1760. His father, Elias Dayton, was a storekeeper and active in local and state politics. Jonathan entered into the Continental Army after graduating from the College of New Jersey, which was later renamed Princeton.
Dayton served under his father, General Elias Dayton, and became Captain by the age of 19. Some of the men serving under him were Israel Ludlow, James Wilkinson, and Arthur St. Clair, who would later purchase the land that bears his name.
“In a small bend of the Great Miami River, with canals on the east and south, it can be fairly said, without infringing on the rights of others, that Dayton is the gem of all our interior towns. It possesses wealth, refinement, enterprise, and a beautiful country, beautifully developed.” – T