Robert Young Chambers
Robert Young Chambers, deceased, was born in Parish Kyle, Queens County, Ireland, May 8, 1808. At the age of twenty-two years he left home via Dublin for Liverpool, from which point he sailed for America on May 14, 1830, in the ship William and John, of West Florida. He landed in New York July 7, 1830, and started at once for the West, stopping first at Braddock's Field, Penn., where he remained for a short time, but was induced to go on to Cincinnati, where he arrived December 2, 1830. He did not stop at Cincinnati, but pushed on by stage to Dayton, where he arrived on the 9th of December, 1830. He first obtained employment as foreman in the pork packing establishment of _____ Davie. In this capacity he continued until he took command of the canal-boat Messenger for the same firm, which then occupied the south-west corner of the canal basin. He remained in their employ until their failure, when he obtained a similar position of one Ritchie. About this time, June 8, 1836, he was married in St. Peter's Church, Cincinnati,to Miss Eliza Mullin, of Cincinnati, formerly of County Antrim, Ireland. In 1838, he removed with his family to Dayton, where he accepted a position with the late Alexander Simms in the grocery firm of Simms & Sayrs, in which he soon obtained an interest, and continued the business under the firm name of Chambers, Simms & Sayres. He afterward, by a succession of changes, became, in 1845, the senior member of the firm of Chambers & Harris, with Mr. John Harris. They purchased at the same time the competition business of Esterbrook & Phelps, who had purchased the established business of Reach, Emdie & Co. Chambers & Harris then controlled two of the largest commisiion houses in Dayton for eleven years, at the expiration of which time they dissolved their partnership relations, and Mr. Chambers built the bulding known to old residents as the "factory", and established "Chambers' Line", and independent line of canal packets running from Cincinnati to Toledo. About this time, he suffered a loss by fire, which consumed his building, but he built again on the old site what is known as Chambers' Warehouse. His business began to assume large proportions, and his boats became such a source of anxiety to the Sandusky Railroad Company (the first road here), that they made repeated proposals to buy them, but their offers were refused, and he continued in his ever-increasing busineess until his retirement in 1873, after nearly half a century spent in the most active business. He left his business to his son, John M., and Mr. M.W. Chambers, and paid a visit to the haunts of childhood in his native land, only to find his friends and relatives gone. He died May, 1876, aged just sixty-six years, leaving a host of mourning friends behind. His life, spent in honest activity, was not sullied by a single stain. He was a consistent communicant of the Catholic Church, but his charities extended to all denominations. At his death, his family of nine children had dwindled to five-one son, who died in 1879, and four daughters, who still occupy th old homestead on East Second street.
From The History of Montgomery County, Ohio, W.H. Beers & Co., 1882