Person:Thomas Winters (6)

He was the only child of his mother and father. His mother later married Jacob Harbough.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Winters, Jonathan Harshman, and Susan Louella (Bates) Winters. Jonathan H. and Susan L. (Bates) Winters Collection
   Box 4, Folder 2.
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Defiance, Ohio, United States. 1850 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

   Name: John P Winters
   Age: 28
   Birth Year: abt 1822
   Birthplace: Ohio
   Home in 1850: Tiffin, Defiance, Ohio
   Gender: Male
   Family Number: 690
   Household Members: Name Age
   John P Winters 28
   Sarah Winters 28
   Mary M Winters 8
   Currence A Winters 5
   Ambrase A Winters 3
   Charles E Winters 4 months old
   Edward Myers 11
   Thomas Winters 71
   Susannah Winters 67
   
   Thomas is listed as a German Reformed clergyman, born in Maryland
   Susannah is also listed as born in Maryland

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6} Edgar, John Farris. Pioneer life in Dayton and vicinity, 1796-1840. (Fairborn, Ohio: Cincinnati Branch Library, 1973)
   1896.

   The Rev. Thomas Winters, father of David and Valentine Winters, was born in Harbaugh's Valley, Maryland, December 23, 1778. He became a minister in the Reformed Church in 1800, and settled in Germantown in 1815. He died at the home of his son, John P. Winters, West Alexandria, October 2, 1863.
   David Winters, his oldest son, was born in Martinsburg, Virginia, December 24, 1801. In the fall of 1824 he came to Dayton, and on January 11, 1826, married Mary Ann Huffman, daughter of William and Lydia Huffman. Mr. Winters was for many years the pastor of four churches, the First Reformed Church of this city, which he organized, being one, besides doing much missionary work through the county. As the result of his labors in the field lie traveled over, at the time of his death there had been over thirteen churches built with which he was in some way connected. He had preached eight thousand sermons, con-firmed two thousand four hundred, baptized three thousand, married five thousand and ninety couples, and attended one thousand three hundred funerals. It was a common thing for him to travel from two to three thousand miles a year on horseback. He died May 9, 1885.
   Valentine Winters, born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, July 8, 1807, was two years old when brought to Ohio in 1809. He commenced supporting himself when a boy of seventeen by working in Robertson’s brickyard at Germantown for ten cents a day, but his brother David procured a position for him in the dry-goods store of An-drew Irwin, father of A. Barr Irwin, at a salary of fifty dollars a year and board, the contract to be for two years. At the close of his two years' engagement he secured a situation with Harshman & Rench, at two hundred dollars a year and board. While in Mr. Irwin's employ, one Sunday he, with Edwin Smith, Samuel Bacon, and Jephthah Regans, attended the Shaker meeting at Shakertown, and met Jonathan Harshman and his sister Catharine for the first time. Edwin Smith made a bet of one dollar that Valentine Winters could not obtain the privilege of taking Catharine Harshman home. The bet was taken, however, and won, and later also the lady, for on January 1, 1829, they were married by his brother David. The next year Mr. Winters became a partner in the firm of Harshman & Rench, under the name of Harshman, Rench & Company. In 1840 Mr. Harshman withdrew from the firm, and the business was continued by Rench & Winters. In the fall of 1843 Rench and Winters dissolved partnership, Mr. Rench taking the warehouses and canal-boats and Mr. Winters the store on the corner of Main and Third streets.
   In 1845 Mr. Winters was largely instrumental in organizing the Dayton Bank, under the independent law of Ohio, and was elected cashier, Jonathan Harshman being president. In 1851 or 1852 Jonathan Harshman, Jr., Valentine Winters, James E. Young, and Robert Dickey formed the private banking house of Harshman, Winters & Company, and opened their bank on the northeast corner of Main and Third streets. In about two years Messrs. Dickey and Young sold their interest, and the bank name was changed to Harshman & Winters. In 1857 Mr. Harshman retired. Mr. Winters then sold his dry-goods store to his nephew, D. W. Winters, and devoted his time entirely to the bank, taking into partnership his son, Jonathan H. Winters, under the firm name of V. Winters & Son. In 1882 this private bank was sold to the Winters National Bank. Valentine Winters was from 1857 to 1866'a member of the Board of Control of the State Bank of Ohio, and president of the Preble County branch of the State Bank from 1857 to 1866, the close of its charter. He was one of the organizers of the Ohio Valley Bank in Cincinnati, and continued a director until it closed its business. Mr. Winters was active in the organization of the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad, also of the Dayton & Western Railroad, and built and equipped the first railroad in Minnesota, from St. Anthony to St. Paul. He also assisted in the organization of the Firemen's Insurance Company in 1835, and was one of the directors and treasurer of the company until his death.
   During the summer of 1851 Mr. and Mrs. Winters withdrew from the Reformed Church, and on September 6 of that year united with the Third Street Presbyterian Church. On April 4, 1882, Mrs. Winters died after a prolonged illness. Mr. Winters lived for many years after, and died December 20, 1890. They had a large family of children, of whom Mrs. N. B. Darst, Mrs. Robert Dickey, Mrs. Lewis B. Gunckel, Mrs. James C. Reber, and John H. Winters are still living in Dayton.

4.   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 biographies and portraits of the presidents of the United States and biographies of the governors of Ohio. (A.W. Bowen, 1897)
   252-255.

   Robert R. Dickey was but eleven years of age when his father died. Although a successful man, his father, toward the close of his life, met with reverses through fires and other misfortunes and left his family in poor circumstances. Thus it was that at the above tender age the son was thrown upon his own resources and was compelled to begin the struggles of life at a time when he should have been at school.
   However, his lack of early schooling was compensated for by an experience with the world and with people that stood him in good stead in afterlife. However, the death of his father young Dickey was employed in a brick yard, where he worked an average of fourteen hours a day, receiving the sum of $4.87 per month for his labor. Afterward he worked upon a farm for $5 per month. In 1830 he was employed upon the public works of Ohio and Indiana by his brothers, who were contractors, and at the age of seventeen was made superintendent of a large gang of men. In 1842 he located in Dayton, and in connection with his two elder brothers—John and William—was engaged in quarrying stone until 1853. In 1847 he was connected with the firm of Dickey, Doyle & Dickey in placing a line of packet boats on the Wabash & Erie canal, and later, under the firm name of Doyle & Dickey, he built the locks at St. Mary's and at Delphos. In 1845 Mr. Dickey was one of the organizers of the Dayton bank, and was for several years one of its directors. In 1852 he became a partner in the Exchange bank with Messrs. Jonathan Harshman, Valentine Winters and J. R. Young. In 1853 he became one of the largest stockholders in the Dayton Gas Light & Coke company, of which he was elected president in 1855. Three years later, ill health compelled his retirement from the presidency of the company, though he continued as a director. At the annual election in 1880, however, Mr. Dickey was again chosen president of the company and has held that office continuously up to and including the present time. During the years 1854-55-56 Mr. Dickey was president of the Dayton & Western Railroad company. He was one of the original stockholders of the Dayton National bank in 1865, and has been one of the directors of that concern since 1868. Since January I, 1894, Mr. Dickey has been president of the Dayton Globe Iron works, one of the leading manufacturing institutions of the city.
   On June 17, 1850, Mr. Dickey was married to Martha J. Winters, who was born in Dayton and is descended from one of the leading pioneer families of the city. Her father was Valentine Winters, who was one of the most prominent citizens and successful financiers of the community during his life, and her grandfather was the Rev. Thomas Winters, a pioneer minister of the Miami valley. To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Dickey three sons have been born, as follows: William W. Dickey, born in 1852, died on July 15, 1896; Valentine Winters, born in 1855, died March 30 1890; Robert R. Dickey, Jr., the only survivor, is one of the prominent young business men of Dayton.

5. ↑ .

   1860 United States Federal Census
   Name: Thomas Winters
   Age: 84
   Birth Year: 1776
   Gender: Male
   Birth Place: Maryland
   Home in 1860: Lanier, Preble, Ohio
   Post Office: West Alexandria
   Family Number: 717
   Household Members:
   Name Age
   Thomas Winters 84
   Mary Alexander 74
   J P Winters 40
   Sarah Winters 40
   Mary Winters 18
   Curence Winters 14
   Abrase Winters 11
   Charles Winters 9
   Robert Winters 7
   Beniah Winters 5

6. ↑ .

   1840 United States Federal Census
   Name Thomas Winters
   Home in 1840 (City, County, State) Jefferson, Preble, Ohio
   Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29 1
   Free White Persons - Males - 60 thru 69 1
   Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 59 1
   Persons Employed in Agriculture 1
   Free White Persons - 20 thru 49 1
   Total Free White Persons 3
   Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves 3

7. ↑ .

   1830 United States Federal Census
   
   VIEW IMAGE
   VIEW RECORD
   Name Thomas Winters
   Home in 1830 (City, County, State) Harrison, Preble, Ohio

8. ↑ History of Preble County, Ohio with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches. (Cleveland, Ohio: H.Z. Williams & Bro., 1972)
   283.