John and Ann Dye
History of
Kentucky and Kentuckians, E. Polk Johnson, three volumes, Lewis
Publishing Co., New York & Chicago, 1912. Common version,
Vol. III, pp. 1285-86. (Campbell County}
John Dye, deceased, who was born near Cold Springs,
Campbell county, Kentucky, March 23, 1811, was a worthy representative of one of
the old pioneer families of Kentucky, whose ancestors figured prominently in the
early history of America.
On the Dye side he was descended from Laurens Duyts, who was born in Denmark in 1610, emigrated to America in company with Jonas Bronk via Holland in the ship "Frie of Troy" which arrived at New Amsterdam in 1639, borough of Bronx, New York city, taking its name from Jonas Bronk.
Laurens Duyts had three children baptized in New Amsterdam, the sons being Jans and Hans. Descendants of Jans took the name of Dies and Deys. Hans married Marritze Satyrs, by whom he had Janus Deay, who was baptized in 1671. Marritze Satyrs died and Hans Laurens, as he was known, married Mrs. Sarah Fountain, widow of Anthony Fountain, by whom he had among other children, John Dey or Dye, born about 1690.
John Dey or Dye
settled in Middlesex county, New Jersey, in 1725, bought land there that year
and by his will, dated October 1, 1750, and recorded in libra E., folio 496, he
names his wife Ann, sons John, David, William, James, Vinson, Joseph and
daughters Anne and Catherine. The will of James Dye, dated June 6, 1764,
recorded in libra H, folio 427, mentioned his brother Vinson and father John
Dye, and names his wife Sarah and his sons James, Andrew, David, John and
Benjamin and daughters Mary, Rachel, Anne and Sarah. Of
the last named children, James, the oldest son, was the father of Isaac Dye, the
latter being the father of the subject of this review.
Isaac Dye was born and reared in Middlesex county, New
Jersey, where he married Martha Perrine on February 19th, 1794, and where
several children were born. In 1805, in company with his family and that
of his father-in-law, he emigrated to New Bethel, Ohio, but not long afterward
he located near what is now Cold Springs, Campbell county, Kentucky, and
engaged extensively in farming, being among the pioneer families of Campbell
county. He continued farming for a number of years and then located in
Newport and became engaged in the coal business, which he continued until his
death, which occurred in the '50s, his wife having preceded him by several
years.
Isaac and Martha were the parents of eleven children, none of whom are living at the present time. John Dye, our subject, was reared on the farm near Cold Springs and prior to his marriage, when quite a young man, spent several years working on flat-boats on the Ohio, Mississippi, Black and White rivers in Arkansas and elsewhere and, in fact, made his start that way.
In the meantime he bought a farm near the old homestead, and on May 28, 1840, married Mary Ware and engaged in farming the most of his life. He died at the home of his son, J. Frank Dye, in Highlands, back of Newport, in 1885, at the age of seventy-three years, his widow surviving him until 1892 when she died at the age of seventy-three years. They were the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters, of whom two are living at the present time.
Of these children,
James Israel, the eldest son, who was born April 19, 1844, enlisted in the
Confederate army under General Humphrey Marshall early in 1863. He was
consigned to the Tenth Kentucky Mounted Riflemen, under Captain Ben Bell, was
later transferred to the command of General John S. Williams then to General
Giltner and last to General John Morgan on the latter's last raid in Kentucky
and was captured at Mt. Sterling early in 1864 and sent to Johnson's Island.
Early in 1865 he was exchanged by request. His eagerness to return to the
front induced him to conceal his real disability and through exposure in the
hard trip and lack of nourishment and medical attention he lost his health,
which resulted in
his death in Newport, July 9, 1865, one month after his arrival homes. He said
he weighed one hundred ninety-seven when captured and one hundred seven when he
was released.
John Frank Dye, the second son and fourth in order of
birth of the children of John Dye, was born May 23d, 1850. He was reared
on the farm in Campbell county and later located in Covington, where he was
engaged in the grocery business for several years. After a residence in
Chicago, where he was engaged in railroad work, he returned to Kentucky and
located
in Newport, where in 1884 he organized the Newport Sand Bank Company, with a
capital stock of $50,000 for the purpose of mining and shipping high grade
moulding sand of superior quality, which was mined from the hills adjoining
Newport.
He was the pioneer in this line of industry and built up an extensive business, later increasing the capital stock of the company to $100,000 and the business to extensive proportions, a ready sale being found throughout the United States and Canada and parts of Europe. The Newport Sand stands to-day without an equal in the United States, on account of its strength and fine surface qualities. He was for many years a progressive and successful business man and citizen of Newport, active in promoting the best interests of the city.
He married Virginia
Boyd, October 15, 1877, by which union the following children were born: Lee
Earl, deceased, James Elmer, deceased, Alma Myra, deceased, John Frank, Jr.,
Cleveland H., David Dudley and George Wilbur. The mother of these children
died April 6, 1891, and the father later married Cora Van Duzen, by whom one son
was born, E. W. Van.
John Dye was the founder and organizer of The Daylight
Building and Savings Association in 1908, of Newport, of which he was the active
head and president until his death, May 19, 1910. He was a member of the
First Baptist church, Newport, for many years and active in church work, where
he was deacon and superintendent of the Sunday-school many years. At the
time of his death he was a resident of Cincinnati and a member of the Ninth
Street Baptist church.
George Washington Dye, the third son of John Dye and
fifth child in order of birth, was born on the homestead in Campbell county
October 30, 1853, and reared there. When a young man he became bookkeeper
for a wholesale and retail house in Covington. In 1880 he removed to St.
Louis and was in the railway business for seven years, where he became chief
clerk in the auditor's office of the Wabash Railway for several years. In 1887
he was transferred to Chicago, where he continued until 1889, when he accepted
the position of auditor and treasurer of the Jacksonville and St. Louis Railway,
with offices at Jacksonville, Illinois.
Ten years later he was promoted to general freight and passenger agent of the
same and continued in that position until the road was bought by C. B. & Q.
Railway Company in 1904, when he became general agent of the latter, but two
years later, in 1906, resigned to accept the position of manager and secretary
of the Newport Sand bank Company, in which he became a stockholder. Upon
the death of his brother he was elected president and treasurer of the company
and still continues in that position. He was married in 1888 to Adelaide
Haslett, a native of Illinois, reared and educated in Chicago. In politics Mr.
Dye formerly was an adherent of the Democratic party but of late years has
transferred his allegiance to the republicans.