Waynesville history presented in Connections with the Past by our former Genealogy Library, Karen Campbell.
Local Businesses
Roy Iron's Real Estate
The following is taken from the Souvenir and Home Coming Edition of the Miami Gazette dated December 1905, p. 2:
"Leroy Irons, General Insurance, Real Estate and Loans~ Leroy Irons, with offices in the Stoops Building, carries on an extensive insurance business, in his special lines of fire and cyclone insurance. Mr. Irons represents some of the strongest insurance companies in the world, in fact he has made it a point to represent none but first class companies that will settle all losses promptly and satisfactorily. Mr. Irons gives personal attention to all business in this line that comes to him, and always makes the best possible rates to customers consistent with issuing to them insurance that will insure. He has given special attention to farm insurance, and has the exclusive agency for the largest company in the world, interested in insuring farm property, 'The Home Insurance Co., of New York.' Other companies represented, all of which are strong and thoroughly reliable, are: The Aetna, National of Hartford, Norwich Union, Fire Association of Philadelphia, North British and Merchantile and Queen.
Mr. Irons is a genial, pleasant gentleman and has a wide acquaintance, both of which facts have no doubt contributed largely to his success in business. Also real estate; and loans negotiated. Valley 'Phone 77."
The following obituary for Leroy Iron was found in a local scrapbook. Unfortunately, the hand written date on the obituary is not clear ~ 12-13- ?. The other surrounding obituaries in the scrapbook are dated in the 1950s. The obituary has probably been clipped from the Western Star newspaper of Lebanon:
"Funeral services for Leroy Irons, 80, who died Monday afternoon at his home in Clyde, will be held Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock at the Fiser Funeral Home in Clyde with burial in that city. Mr. Irons was a former resident of Lebanon. He is survived by his wife, Lena, a sister, Mrs. Ruth Brown of St. Louis, Mo., and a nephew, Albert Reed of Miamisburg."
Barnhart's for Shoes
The following is taken from the Souvenir and Home Coming Edition of the Miami Gazette dated October 1906, p. 46:
"An exclusive shoe store is something of a novelty in a town of less than a thousand inhabitants. Waynesville, however, can boast not only of an exclusive shoe store, but of a thoroughly up-to-date and successful line ~ Barnhart's Exclusive Shoe Store, located in the Aman Block. E. V. Barnhart (Ephraim V.), proprietor of the store, has been in the shoe business since he was a boy and understands the shoe trade form beginning to end. Like a number of other successful Waynesville boys, Mr. Barnhart gained his first knowledge of the shoe business back in the days when S. D. Everly kept a clothing and shoe store in Waynesville. After graduating at the local High School, Mr. Barnhart went to Dayton where he secured a through business training at the well known Miami Commercial College. From there he went into one of the leading shoe stores of Dayton and later on was connected with a prominent firm in the same line at Denver, Colorado. Afterwards Mr. Barnhart finished off his education in the shoe business by going on the road as a traveling salesman, giving up that position to open his store at Waynesville, five or six years ago. Mr. Barnhart handles everything in the way of footwear, but nothing else. At this store everything from an ordinary plow shoe to the highest quality of ladies' or gentleman's fine shoes may be had. His stock is very large and carefully selected, and in addition to the foregoing a full line of rubbers and rubber boots is carried . . . Mr. Barnhart takes foremost rank among the progressive business men of the community. He is a careful reader of the leading trade journals in his line, believes in modern methods of stock keeping and store arrangement, has attractive window displays, and fresh, crisp advertisements in the newspapers."
Ephraim V. Barnhart (February 27, 1873- December 6, 1946) was first married to Lou Marie Barnett Barnhart (1872-1929), the daughter of Charles Warren Barnett (1847-1920) and Emma Barnett (1849-1942) of Waynesville. According to the Federal Censuses of 1900, 1910, and 1920, the Barnharts lived with Lou Marie's parents. They are buried together in Section M of Miami Cemetery in Corwin.
E. V. Barnhart's obituary is in the Miami-Gazette dated December 12, 1846:
"E. V. Barnhart Called Friday ~ Ephraim V. Barnhart, aged 74, passed away at his home in Waynesville on Friday evening at 7:30 o'clock after an illness of about six months. More familiarly known as E. V., Mr. Barnhart had operated a shoe store here for many years prior to the 1920s in a location now occupied by Smith's Tea Room. He then went to Cincinnati where he was connected with the income tax department for several years as an accountant, later returning to Waynesville shere he has resided since. He was a member of St. Mary's Episcopal church, The Masonic Lodge, and Clerk of the Wayne Township School Board.
He is survived by his wife, Catherine, a brother Lyall of Oklahoma City, Okla., and a sister Mrs. R. W. Stultz of Winter Park, Fla. Funeral services were conducted at the McClure Funeral Home, Monday at 2:00 P.M. with Rev. Ralph Parks of Dayton and Samuel N. Keys, Lay reader-in-charge of St. Mary's Church officiating. Burial was made in Miami cemetery."
Madden's Lumber Yard
The following is taken from the Souvenir and Home Coming Edition of the Miami Gazette dated October 1906, p. 69:
"W. H. MADDEN & CO., DEALERS IN LUMBER ~ During the year and a half in which the firm of W. H. Madden & Co. has been in business at Corwin they have built up a substantial trade in lumber and allied lines. The firm of Madden & Co. is not new to the lumber business as the gentlemen who compose the company have had a wide experience in all the various branches of the lumber industry. Madden & Co. have for a number of years been in business at Clarksville and the growth of their trade led them to establish a lumber yard and sales office at Corwin. The advantages which come from buying in large quantities for two lumber yards are evident and the special low prices which they obtain in this way allows them to give their customers greater value for less money than would b e possible otherwise. The firm's headquarters in Corwin are located int he large building just north of the Post Office belonging to the H. Kilbon estate, and is in charge of W. H. Madden, who has proven himself a most capable and honorable business man. Pine lumber, lath, shingles, flooring, siding, doors, glazed sash, mouldings and the celebrated Napoleon elastic plaster are in stock at all times. A cordial invitation is extended to all who may be in need of anything in this line to call."
The Waynesville Brewery
The Old Distillery Brewery. Corner of Franklin and North Main Street. Underneath this exterior is a log house built about 1801.
Roadside Advertising Near Waynesville about 1910
Near Waynesville ~ ca. 1905-1910
Clarence Bennett Bentley - Live Stock Dealer & Abraham Lincoln King - Farmer
12 Hogs. Raised by A. L. King. Age 7 months. Average Weight 240. Best ever bought by Clarence Bentley. The postcard photo dates from around 1910. 
The photograph above illustrates the importance of the very lucrative pork industry in this area even up into the early 20th century.
A. L. King in the photograph is Abraham Lincoln King (the man with the long coat on). He went by "Lincoln King". He was born on July 16, 1859 and died November 8, 1946. He was 87 years old, 3 months and 22 days when he died. His father was William King (1827-1898) and his mother was Sarah Sabin King (1832-1906). His mother was born near Center Monthly Meeting in Clinton co., Ohio and his grandfather, William Sabin (1803-1869), was a noted Hicksite preacher (1903 Centennial Atlas of Warren County, Ohio, p. 23). Sarah King (formerly Sabin) was disowned from Quaker meeting for her marriage contrary to discipline to William King on December 24, 1856 (Hinshaw's Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. V., Ohio, p. 116). The Kings were not Quakers.
Lincoln King was married to Izora Hawke. Her parents were Silas P. Hawke an Mary E. Thomas Hawke. Izora was born on September 3, 1862 in Harveysburg, Ohio and died on February 3, 1933 at the age of 70 year, 5 months and 28 days. They are both buried in Miami Cemetery. Izora Hawke King is buried in Hawke burial plot in Section K (End of Drive Turn-around). Abraham L. King is buried by himself in the inverted "V" at the entrance to Section K. Lincoln King was a farmer all his life.
Clarence Bennett Bentley (man leaning against the fence), who was a live stock dealer in Waynesville, died when he was only 46 years old. He died on September 3, 1921 in Blanchester, Clinton Co., Ohio. He died of cerebral embolisms due to an injury to the base of his skull. He was married to Nina Erma Smith Bentley who was almost half his age. She was 24 in 1920. Clarence is buried in Miami Cemetery, Section P. After Clarence's death, Nina married Will C. St. John and became Nina E. St. John. Will and Nina St. John are buried close to Clarence Bentley in the same section. On his World War I Registration Card, Clarence is described as tall with a medium build with blue eyes and light hair. He was 44 years old when he registered.