My Genealogy Hound

JAMES M. DYE, deceased. The name that heads this sketch was one of the prominent men of this county, and will ever be remembered for his many virtues and kind acts; many years have passed since the name of James Dye was first known, and his family were among the foremost pioneers of Miami Co.; the Dyes, as will be seen in the county and township history, were a numerous and energetic people, and to them is due, in a great measure, the prosperity of our county. Mr. Dye was born in Miami Co. Sept. 6, 1805; his parents, Benjamin and Elizabeth (Jackson) Dye, were natives of Pennsylvania, and were married in that State; when he came to Warren Co., he was very poor, but, possessed of indomitable pluck and energy, began accumulating, slowly, means for a livelihood; they were the parents of ten children, of whom Sarah Meeks, William Benjamin and Maria Jones are now living. During his boyhood, and, in fact, all his lifetime, James Dye was engaged in agriculture, and, from a humble beginning, accumulated wealth rapidly, through good management, until he left a large landed estate of 1,390 acres. His marriage to Miss Letty Cecil, who was born Aug. 28, 1806, was celebrated March 3, 1825; her parents were natives of Pulaski Co., Va., and emigrated to Miami Co. in 1812; their names were Thomas and Nancy (Grayson) Cecil; they had thirteen children, of whom Mrs. Letty Dye, the widow of our subject, survives. James and Letty Dye reared a large family; Thomas C. Dye, their eldest son, was born June 22, 1827; Benjamin F., Jan. 28, 1829; Gordon C., July 15, 1831; Joseph C., April 25, 1833; Milton, Jan. 29, 1835; Roswell S., March 30, 1837; Elizabeth, Feb. 21, 1839; Grayson, Jan. 11, 1841; Robert, Aug. 19, 1842; Nancy J., May 26, 1845; and Webster, Feb. 11, 1848; of these, Milton, Gordon, Robert, Webster and Benjamin F. are now dead; the demise of their father, James M., occurred Nov. 10, 1873; he was a man widely known, and his business qualifications brought him in contact with the prominent men of this as well as other counties; his integrity was beyond question, and he was authority on agricultural topics. The marriage of Benjamin F. Dye and Sarah L. Tally, of Clermont Co., Ohio, was celebrated Jan. 8, 1856; Joseph wedded Alice Miller, probably in 1860; Grayson married Louisa Shaffer in October, 1864; Thomas was married to Mrs. Catharine Moore, of Vermillion Co., Ill.; the two daughters, Lizzie and Nannie, live with their mother on the Dye homestead, a beautiful and well-improved farm near Troy; their residence is a large two-story frame, well furnished, presenting an air of neatness and comfort, which, added to the cordiality of the hostess, makes it a pleasant place to visit. Elizabeth (Jackson) Dye was a native of Redstone, Tenn., and came from that place to Ohio in 1798; her death occurred Feb. 1, 1817; Benjamin Dye died July 23, 1843; he was aged 64 years. The portrait of James M. Dye appears in this work.