Garst, Jesse O, and Church of the Brethren. Southern District of Ohio. History of the Church of the Brethren of the Southern District of Ohio. (Fort Wayne, Indiana: Allen County Public Library, 1984).
This edition is out of copyright: Dayton, O., The Otterbein press, 1921. Available on hathitrust.org
page 446-450:
EMANUEL FLORY
In the latter half of the century preceding 1800 Abraham Flory
lived near Meyersdale, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Of his family,
Joseph, Henry and Emanuel emigrated to Ohio in 1805 ; they were
likely members of the first organization in the Miami Valley.
They located on government lands near each other, southwest of
the present village of Trotwood but which was then an unbroken
wilderness. Joseph, the ancestor of the Florys, a member of Salem
Church located on what is now known as the Elder Jacob Garber
farm, Henry on the Waybright farm and Emanuel on the Samuel
Pfoutz farm. In the division of Miami Valley territory in 1811 they
became members of Wolf Creek Church where Emanuel was elected
to the ministry and later ordained and given oversight of Salem Church
in 1817.
Later he moved to the vicinity of Palestine, Darke County, and be-
came identified with the early church at that point. He is said to
have been an earnest student of the Bible, taking it with him to the
fields to plow and in spare moments read and searched for its hid-
den truths. He was a vigorous expounder of the Word but always
in the German language. He is known to have been twice married ;
## p. 447 (#451) ############################################
his first wife's maiden name was Blocher. Their children were: John,
Jacob, Emanuel, and Sarah who became the wife of Jacob Miller, a
later elder of Palestine Church. In the cemetery by West Branch
Church are two slabs with these inscriptions.
"In memory of Emanuel Flory dec'd.
March 9, 1849, aged 72 years."
"Elizabeth, wife of Emanuel Flory, dec'd.
September 20, 1855, aged 75 years."
EZRA FLORY
Ezra Flory, son of John and Millie K. Flory, was born near Phil-
lipsburg, Ohio, January 5, 1870. He finished the high school course
at West Milton and taught school for some years. For a year
preparatory studies were pursued to enter medical college. In the
autumn of 1893 he was united in marriage with Emma, the eldest
daughter of Jesse K. Brumbaugh. She died in 1904. March 15,
1905, he was married to Martha V., the youngest daughter of John R.
Brumbaugh.
He was called to the deacon's office in 1900 and the following
year to the ministry. In 1907 he took up the pastorate of the Ster-
ling, Illinois, Church where he labored a year and attended school at
Bethany, Chicago. After fully recovering from a breakdown the
same work was resumed.
In 1910 he was ordained. In 1912 he entered the faculty of the
Bethany Bible School. While continuing his labors, he has graduated
from the Hartford School of Religious Pedagogy taking the degree of
Bachelor of Pedagogy. Later the Seminary course was completed
at Bethany Bible School and still later the Master's degree was
conferred. He is now a member of the General Sunday School Board.
## p. 448 (#452) ############################################
CHARLES L. FLORY
Charles L. Flory, son of John and Millie Flory, was born Decem-
ber 2, 1872, near the Salem Church, Ohio, on the old Flory homestead.
His conversion occurred November, 1897. He was married in the fall
of 1896 to Mary C. Brumbaugh. He was elected to the ministry in the
Salem Church March 26, 1907, and ordained June 3, 1916. He took his
preparatory work at Bethany Bible School. For six years he was
pastor of the Pleasant Hill Church. He has belonged all his life in this
and the Salem Church. At present he is the non-resident pastor of the
Oakland Church. Elder Flory has done considerable evangelistic
work, and is an energetic and forceful speaker. tie has been Presid-
ing Elder of different churches, and several times clerk at District
Meetings.
## p. 449 (#453) ############################################
GEORGE W. FLORY
George W. Flory was born near Harrisonburg, Virginia, August
9, 1870. His father John Flory, was a minister in the church.
George W. bought the home farm in 1891 and was interested in it
$%^
He has been the pastor of the Covington Church the past decade.
for several years. He was married to Abbie McKinney
of Woodbine, Maryland, in 1895. In 1900 they moved
to Nokesville, Virginia, where he organized the Prince Wil-
liam Telephone Company and became its manager. At
this place he united with the church in November, 1902, and in Octo-
ber, 1903, was elected to the ministry. The next year he took up
Bible study at Bridgewater College and was graduated from this in-
stitution in 1908. He was the first here to receive the B. S. L. de-
gree. During the summers and vacations he held revival meetings.
## p. 450 (#454) ############################################
In 1908 and 1909, he was connected with the college. In 1910 he
accepted the pastorate of the church at Covington, Ohio. Since then
the growth of the church there has been remarkable and a new church
edifice built.
He has conducted more than seventy revival meetings in sixteen
different states and in a majority of our schools. He has also delivered
more than two hundred addresses, on various subjects on special occa-
sions at different places. His various meetings have resulted in a large
number of decisions to serve Christ. He is forceful and eloquent in
his preaching and persuasive and convincing in his appeals.
R. F. FLORY
R. F. Flory was born in Defiance County, Ohio, April 26, 1895,
son of Elder John and Mary Flory (nee Shock). He was graduated
at Manchester College in 1916, receiving the Bachelor of Arts degree.
He was married to Golda E., daughter of Elder Lawrence Kreider,
March 3, 1917. His election to the ministry occurred June 17, 1916,
in- the North Poplar Ridge Church, Ohio. He is now teaching and
serving the Pleasant Valley Church, partly supported.