The Gehres Family

For years a familiar name is Pike County was Gehres. Adam Gehres was born in Prussia, Germany, March 9, 1828, a son of Adam and Charlotte Gehres. In 1836 his parents came to America and located in Wayne County, Ohio, removing five years late to Pike County where his father died in 1867 and his mother in 1872.

Mr. Gehres was married in 1849 to Rachel Wyatt of Vinton County, Ohio.

In 1852 he went to Iowa and in 1864 returned to Ohio and engaged in the furniture business. He lived in Sharonville (now Omega), Ohio for two years and then came to Waverly and opened a manufactory on a small

scale.

The photo printed here, furnished to me by descendants years ago, shows the factory located at the north edge of Waverly with the Ohio and Erie Canal on the right - now the front lawn of the old Waverly High School grounds. At this time, no U. S. 23 "Scioto Trail" was in the area. The building site where the now Rite Aid, Subway and Little Caesar's Pizza and U. S. 23 are located. A disastrous fire destroyed the factory later.

In 1870 he put in an engine and ran his machinery by steam, manufacturing his goods until the 1880. Since then he has bought his furniture of other factories and how has the largest and finest line of furniture in the city. The Gehres Store is the three-story brick building at the southwest corner of High and North Streets in Waverly. He built this in 1880. His former store beside it became the Gehres Undertaking Company. The area is how occupied partly by the drive-thru are of the U. S. Bank.

Mr. Gehres has seven children: William and Joseph, of Gehres Brothers Planing Mill; Jacob, of the firm of A. Gehres and Son; Jennie, Daniel, Nellie and Elizabeth. Mr. Gehres and family are members of the Presbyterian Church.

Note: The original church building is located next door to the furniture store - now Canal Church of Christ.

The Waverly News Watchman

Abstract of Jim Henry, Author of Pike's Past.

May 27, 2009

Pike Co. Genealogy & Historical Society

P. O. Box 224, Waverly, Ohio 45690

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