William H. Dial
Few citizens of Fayette county are as widely and favorably known as William H. Dial, one of the oldest real estate and insurance men in Washington C. H. and one of the community's most useful and highly esteemed men. His life has become a part of the history of the locality in which he has made his home for many years, and his long and honorable business career has brought him before the public in such a way as to gain the esteem and confidence of his fellow men. Keen perception, tireless energy and honesty of purpose, combined with mature iudgment and every-day common sense, have ever been among his most prominent characteristics, and, while laboring for individual success and for the material interests of the community, he has also been largely instrumental in promoting the moral welfare of those with whom he has mingled.
William H. Dial is a native son of the old Buckeye state, having first seen the light of day in Clermont county on the 26th day of September, 1847. He is the son of Joseph S. and Lucinda (Weaver) Dial, who also were natives of Ohio. They were the parents of six children, four of whom lived to years of maturity, namely: Mary E., unmarried and living in Washington C. H. ; William H., the immediate subject of this review; Anna Belle, the wife of Barton Fairfield, of near San Francisco, California; David Franklin, of New Richmond, Ohio, and two who died early in life. Joseph S. Dial was born and reared in Clermont county, and there followed the vocation of farming, being the owner of one hundred and ten acres of splendid land, which he greatly improved and where he reared his children. He spent the greater portion of his own life there, his death occurring in 1896, at the age of seventy-seven years. His wife died in 1904. They were both Methodists in their religious faith and exemplified their faith in their daily lives. The subject's paternal grandparents, David and Elizabeth ( Robinson) Dial, were born, respectively, in North Carolina and Ohio, and were farming folk. Their deaths occurred in Clermont county, he at the age of fifty-five years, and she eight years later, at about the same age. They were the parents of nine children, six sons and three daughters, namely : John, Shadreck, William, Joseph, Stephen, Mahla, Mary, Anna and Caroline. On the maternal side the subject is descended from W'ilham and Mary (Robinson) Weaver, natives of Virginia, where they followed farming. Eventually. William Weaver brought his family to Ohio, and they were numbered among the early settlers of Clermont county. There their deaths occurred, he when fifty-five years old and she at seventy-two years. To them were born two sons, twins, and four daughters, Wesley, Tdenry, Mary Ann. Cena. Catherine and Lucinda.
William H. Dial spent his boyhood years on his father's Clermont county farm, and secured his education in the district schools and the high school at Amelia, where he graduated. Later, to adequately prepare himself for a business career, he took a course in a commercial school in Cincinnati, following which, for three years, he was employed as collector for a business house. In 1875 Mr. Dial came to Washington C. H. and engaged in the insurance, real estate and loan business, in which he has been successfully engaged continuously to the present time, a period of almost forty years. That he has prospered and today enjoys one oi the largest clienteles in his line in Fayette county is a matter of general knowledge and is due entirely to his zeal in going after business and the honorable way in which he has handled it. his relations with his customers ever being of the most pleasant and satisfactory character. He possesses a very accurate knowledge of real estate values and is considered an authority in the appraisal of values. Mr. Dial is a stockholder and director of the Washington Savings Bank and Trust Company, and is a man of far-sighted judgment and keen sagacity.
Politically. Mr. Dial has been a life-long supporter of the Democratic party and has filled several city offices with great satisfaction to his fellow citizens, being at the present time a member of the board of public safety for Washington C. H. Religiously, he is, with his wife, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has been a trustee for many years, taking an active and effective interest in the various phases of church work. Fraternally, Mr. Dial has long been an active and enthusiastic member of the Free and Accepted Masons, holding membership in Lodge No. 107; Fayette Chapter No. 103, Royal Arch Masons: Fayette Council No. 100. Royal and Select Masters; Garfield Commandery No. 28, Knights Templar: Scioto Consistory, Scottish Rite Masons, at Columbus, and Aladdin Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He has filled practically all the chairs in these various bodies, excepting the Scottish Rite and the Shrine.
William H. Dial has been married twice. On the 13th day of November, 1870, he married Susanna Foster, who was born at Georgetown, Brown county. Ohio, the daughter of Capt. John S. and Margaret (Thompson) Foster. These parents were both natives of Ohio, and both died in Clark county, being buried in Fayette county. Mr. Foster was a soldier in the Civil War and organized an independent company in Georgetown, of which he became captain and with which he served nearly all through the war. To him and his wife were born two sons and four daughters, Edwin T., Susanna, Belle, Catherine, Mollie and John K. John S. Foster's father was Thomas Foster. To William H. and Susanna Dial were born three children, namely : Sarah Frances, who remains at home ; Georgia May. who died April 18, 1898, at the age of twenty years; John Franklin, who is his father's business assistant, married Ruth Stuckey, and they have a son, William Richard, born August 30, 1914. The mother of these children passed away on July 14, 1904, at the age of fifty-three years, and on October 12, 1905, Mr. Dial married Georgia Holcomb, who was born in Morgan county, Ohio, the daughter of B. M. Holcomb, who was the son of Elijah Holcomb. Her parents, who were natives of Ohio, lived at various times in Columbus, Washington C. H., and Circleville. They were the parents of five children, namely: Jennie, the wife of J. N. Riley; Luella Holcomb Arnold, deceased; Georgia, the wife of William H. Dial; William E. and Wildia Holcomb Morrow. Mrs. Dial is a woman of gracious qualities of character and is well liked by all who know her.
Mr. Dial is a man of genial nature, unassuming in his relations with others, and because of his genuine worth and high qualities of character he has deserved the high regard in which he is held by all who know him.
From History of Fayette County Ohio - Her People, Industries and Institutions by Frank M. Allen (1914, R. F. Bowen & Company, Inc.)