Ohio Biographies

John Edmund Munger

John Edmund Munger, of Beavercreek township, proprietor of a farm on the Dayton-Xenia pike, rural mail route No. 7 out of Xenia, is a native "Buckeye" and has lived in this state all his life, a resident of Greene county and of Beavercreek township since the days of his boyhood. He was born on a farm just north of Piqua in Miami county, April 1, 1855, son of Harris and Elizabeth (Cartwright) Munger, both of whom were members of pioneer families in this section of Ohio and whose last days were spent on their farm in Beavercreek township, this county, where they both died of pneumonia in February, 1907, and were buried in a single grave in the Beavercreek cemetery.

Harris Munger was born on a farm east of Dayton, in Montgomery county, in 1828, son of Festus and Mary E. (Harris) Munger, the former of whom was a son of Gen. Edmund Munger, pioneer o fthe Dayton district, who was commander of the Ohio troops during the War of 1812 until superceded by General Hull. The Mungers are of an old Kentish family and have been established in this country since the year 1639, when the first of the name to come to the American colonies settled in New England, as will be noted in a further and more comprehensive reference to this family made elsewhere in this volume. General Munger, who had settled in the Symmes Purchase in what later came to be organized as Montgomery county in 1798, was the father of twelve children, ten of whom lived to rear families of their own. Festus Munger and his brother Reuben married sisters, daughters of John and Elizabeth (Bingham) Harris, New Englanders who had become pioneers of this section of Ohio, Festus marrying Mary Harris and Reuben marrying Laura Harris. The late Judge Edmund Harris Munger, of Xenia. was one of the three children born to this latter union and the only one of the three to grow to maturity. After his marriage Festus Munger settled on a tract of land just east of the then village of Dayton. He and his wife were Presbyterians and were the parents of six children, of whom Harris Munger, the father of the subject of this sketch, was the first-born, the others being the following : Felix, whose last days were spent at Piqua, this state; Timothy, who died in California; Lyman, who is still living, now a resident of Kokomo, Indiana; Alvin, and Laura, the latter of whom also is still living, wife of Doctor Hayes, of Albany, in Delaware county, Indiana.

Reared on the home farm in Montgomery county, Harris Munger there married Elizabeth Cartwright, who was born in 1829 and who was reared in the household of Reuben Munger, mentioned above, her parents having died when she was a child. After his marriage Harris Munger moved over into Preble county and bought a farm there, but presently sold the same and bought a farm in Miami county, making his home on the latter place for ten years, at the end of which time he closed out his interests there and bought a farm in Champaign county, later returning to Montgomerv countv and buying a farm of one hundred and eighty acres three and a half miles east of Dayton, not far from his boyhood home, and there continued farming for nine years. He then came over into Greene county and bought a farm of one hundred and eighty-six acres in Beavercreek township on which he established his home. There he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives, both dying, as noted above, in February, 1907, the former then being seventy-nine years of age and the latter, seventy-eight. Both Mr. Munger and his wife originally were Presbyterians, but upon coming to Greene county became affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church at Alpha. They were the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the second in birth, the others being Matilda, widow of A. F. Herring, of Beavercreek, township ; Dr. Perry H. Munger, a physician, now living at St. Paul Park, Minnesota; Dr. William Munger, an osteopathic physician, now living at Carlsbad, New Mexico, and Mary, wife of B. G. Smith, a Dayton photographer.

John Edmund Munger was reared as a farmer and due to the several moves made by his father previous to the definite establishment of the family in this county, received his schooling in the schools of Miami county, Montgomery county and Greene county, completing the same in the grade high school in Beavercreek township. He remained at home until his marriage in 1878, he then being twenty-three years of age, when he rented a farm in his home township and began farming on his own account, continuing to farm as a renter until in 1896, when he bought the Weaver farm of one hundred and seventy-three acres, on the Dayton-Xenia pike in Beavercreek township, and there established his home. Since taking possession of that place Mr. Munger has made numerous improvements on the farm, remodeling the farm house, building a new and modern barn and erecting on the place a new house for his son, John H. Munger, who is now managing the place, his father having practically retired from the direct labors of the farm. Since taking up his residence there Mr. Munger has added to the acreage of his farm by the purchase of an adjoining tract and now has two hundred and twenty-three acres. In addition to his general farming he for twelve years carried on a pretty extensive dairy business. Mr. Munger is a Republican, as was his father, and for the past fifteen years has been serving as treasurer of Beavercreek township. He gave his three sons the benefit of schooling in Ohio State University.

In 1878 John E. Munger was united in marriage to Mary Ellen Weaver, who was born in this county, daughter of John M. and Elizabeth (Boot) Weaver, Virginians both, but residents of this county since the days of their childhood, their respective parents having come here from Virginia many years ago. John M. Weaver was but nine years of age when he came here with his parents, the family settling in Spring Valley township. For years after his marriage he lived on a farm on the Fair Ground road, a mile and a half northwest of Xenia, and then, in 1866, moved to the farm now owned by Mr. Munger in Beavercreek township. He later bought a farm on the Cincinnati pike and there died in 1892. His wife preceded him to the grave nearly ten years, her death having occurred in 1883. They were the parents of four children, of whom but two now survive, Mrs. Munger, the last in order of birth, having a sister, Olivia, second in order of birth, wife of Frank Hupman, of Xenia; the others having been Martha and John. Mr. and Mrs. Munger have four children, Elsie, Ralph W., John H. and Walter, the former of whom is unmarried and is at home with her parents. Ralph W. Munger, who married Florence Jackson and had been making his home at Alpha, was recently appointed agricultural agent for Shelby county and has taken up his residence in that county. John H. Munger, who married Laura McClellan, is living on the home place, as noted above, and for some time has had general direction of the farm operations. Walter Munger, who married Minerva Tate, is now living at Cincinnati, where he is engaged in business as a landscape gardener and tree surgeon. The Mungfers are members of the Beaver Reformed church.

edmund munger