Guide to the Jonathan H. & Susan L. (Bates) Winters Papers

Biography of Jonathan H. Winters, I, and Susan L. (Bates) Winters

Jonathan Harshman Winters, I, was born October 21, 1834, in Dayton, Ohio, the fourth child (and eldest son) out of the 11 children of Valentine Winters (1807-1890) and his wife Catherine Harshman (1810-1882). He was named after his grandfather, Jonathan Harshman, Sr. Valentine Winters and his son Jonathan were prominent Dayton bankers.

Jonathan attended local Dayton schools. Then, in 1851, he attended the Flushing Institute, a preparatory school in Long Island, New York. In 1852-1853, he studied at "the College Hill university" (Farmer's College) in Cincinnati.

In 1853 or 1854, Jonathan became an assistant teller and messenger at the Dayton Exchange Bank, which was controlled by his father Valentine Winters, his uncle Jonathan Harshman, Jr., his brother-in-law Robert R. Dickey, and James R. Young. Within a few years, Harshman, Dickey, and Young had all withdrawn from the Exchange Bank. In 1857, Valentine Winters made his son Jonathan a partner (one-third interest) in the bank, which was then known as V. Winters & Son.

The same year that he became a partner in his father's bank, Jonathan H. Winters married Susan Louella Bates on June 9, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Susan was born September 16, 1837, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the eldest daughter of Richard Bates (1808-1855) and his wife Nancy Trotter (1814-1870).

The Jonathan H. Winters family resided from at least the 1860s until about 1899 at 115 W. Third Street (north side of Third between Wilkinson and Ludlow), across the street from Jonathan's father Valentine Winters' large mansion at 130 W. Third Street. The Valentine Winters home became the site of the Woman's Christian Association in 1891. A new YMCA was built at the northwest corner of Third and Ludlow in 1908, and the YMCA eventually purchased the J. H. Winters house next-door to be used as the Boys' Building. The site is currently part of a Dayton municipal parking garage. About 1899, the Jonathan and Susan Winters moved to 137 W. First Street (northeast corner First and Wilkinson), where they lived until their deaths. The site is now a parking lot.

Jonathan Harshman Winters, I, and Susan Louella (Bates) Winters) had three children, all of whom were born in Dayton, Ohio: 1. Louella Winters (born Sept. 22, 1858; died Aug. 13, 1940), who married Allen E. Thomas (1855-1910) in 1884 and had several children; 2. Clara Winters (born Mar. 26, 1861; died Apr. 13, 1939), who never married; and 3. Valentine Winters, II (born June 9, 1866; died Oct. 8, 1943), who married Helen Wood Clegg (1867-1938) in 1889 and had one son, Jonathan Harshman Winters, II (1898-1975).

On January 1, 1882, the V. Winters & Son Bank became the Winters National Bank, with Jonathan H. Winters as its president. With the exception of one year, Jonathan was the active head of the Winters National Bank for 31 years, from its inception on January 1, 1882, until he stepped down as president on January 1, 1913. However, he remained vice president until his death. Winters National Bank was located on the northeast corner of Third and Main Streets.

The one year in which Jonathan H. Winters did not serve as active head of the Winters National Bank was from August 1882 to August 1883. During that time, Jonathan, his wife, and his three children traveled extensively throughout Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Europe. While Jonathan and his family were "globe trotting," as he called it, his father Valentine acted as head of the Winters National Bank.

In addition to his interest in the banking industry, Jonathan H. Winters also held stock in the Dayton and Western Traction Company, the Dayton and Troy Traction Company, and other corporations. Although Jonathan H. Winters was interested in civic and community affairs, he preferred the company of his family and the books in his large library over companionship from social clubs or organizations.

Susan L. Winters was actively involved in the Woman's Christian Association (WCA). She and her mother Nancy (Trotter) Bates were among its organizers in 1870, and Susan Winters was its first president. Susan was also among the founders (and a generous donor to the construction fund) of the Dayton Widows' Home, which was built on Findlay Street in 1883 and maintained by the WCA.

When Miami Valley Hospital decided to remove from its location on Fourth Street to its present location near Apple Street, Susan Winters has been credited with having donated the land for the hospital.

Jonathan and Susan Winters were members of the Third Street Presbyterian Church in Dayton. Susan taught a large Sunday school class for adults there for a number of years.

Susan L. (Bates) Winters died of heart disease on September 9, 1910, at her home, 137 W. First Street, Dayton, Ohio. She was 72 years old.

On June 4, 1915, Jonathan Harshman Winters, I, died in Dayton, as a result of pneumonia contracted during a lengthy road trip in inclement weather the previous week. He was 80 years old.

Jonathan H. Winters and his wife Susan L. Winters are buried in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.

Scope and Content

The Jonathan H. & Susan L. (Bates) Winters Collection consists of materials created by Jonathan Harshman Winters, I, and his wife Susan Louella (Bates) Winters, a prominent family from Dayton, Ohio.

The collection consists of about 1.75 linear feet of materials, dating between 1850 and 1945, with the bulk of the material dating between 1850 and 1890. The materials include an account book, notebooks of essays, scrapbooks, diaries, memoirs, genealogy notes, and two photographs.

The following may be of particular interest to researchers: • Notes regarding the Women's Christian Association (WCA), of which Susan Winters was president; • Memoirs by Jonathan H. Winters about early banking in Dayton; • Notes on the genealogy of the Winters family and a scrapbook of their activities; • Material pertaining to the J. H. Winters family's 1882-1883 trip around the world, including an extensive memoir with postcard illustrations, compiled by J. H. Winters, as well as diary entries written by his wife Susan; and • Entries in Susan Winters' diary, volume 1, regarding Dayton in the Civil War during the summer and fall of 1862, including mentions of the 93rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which her brother Adolphus Bates and brother-in-law George H. Winters had enlisted.

The Jonathan H. & Susan L. (Bates) Winters Collection is organized in the following series:

Series I: Jonathan H. Winters Papers

Series I, Jonathan H. Winters Papers, consists of materials created by Jonathan Harshman Winters, I. This series includes an account book, a notebook of essays, a scrapbook and letter book, memoirs about early banking in Dayton, and an extensive memoir pertaining to a year-long trip around the world.

The memoir about the world tour, entitled "A Family of Globe Trotters," is the diary of the every day life of J. H. Winters, his wife, and his three children, while making a circuit of the world in 1882-1883. This 18-volume, typewritten memoir was compiled by J. H. Winters from the diaries and letters of the different members of the family. It includes a note from J. H. Winters dated 1912. The series also includes corresponding postcards to illustrate the memoir.

Series II: Susan L. (Bates) Winters Papers

Series II, Susan L. (Bates) Winters Papers, consists of materials created by Susan Louella (Bates) Winters, wife of Jonathan H. Winters, I. This series includes a notebook of essays, four diaries, a scrapbook about Winters family activities, a notebook containing notes on the WCA and YMCA, Winters family genealogy notes, and two photographs.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

There are no known restrictions on use of this collection.

Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions on access to this collection.

The published book, A Sketch of the Winters Family (1889) by Jonathan Harshman Winters, available for use in the Dayton Collection at call number B92 W788W, may also be of particular usefulness to researchers using the Winters Collection.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

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Preferred Citation

The Jonathan H. & Susan L. (Bates) Winters Collection (MS-038), a special collection of historical materials at the Dayton Metro Library, Dayton, Ohio.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated to the Dayton Public Library between 1943 and 1946 by Jonathan Harshman Winters, II, son of Valentine Winters, II, and Helen (Clegg) Winters, and grandson of Jonathan Harshman Winters and Susan L. (Bates) Winters. Many of the items bear a bookplate inscribed: "Presented by Jonathan Harshman Winters in memory of Valentine & Helen (Clegg) Winters." Most are also stamped either "Gift 1943" or "Gift 1946."

Other Finding Aid

A paper copy of the finding aid is available in the Local History Room of the Dayton Metro Library.

Bibliography

Bernstein, Mark. Miami Valley Hospital: A Centennial History. [Dayton, OH]: Miami Valley Hospital, 1990.Dayton (OH) City Directories, 1856-1916. Dayton Metro Library.Dayton Widows' Home. "About Widows Home - Our History." Accessed 11 July 2012, http://www.widowshome.org/about-us."Death Beckons Mrs. Winters." Dayton Journal, 10 Sept. 1910, p. 9."Jonathan H. Winters, Pioneer Banker, Dies." Dayton Daily News, 4 June 1915, p. J-5."Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953," index and images. Accessed 11 July 2012, at FamilySearch, http://www.familysearch.org."Prominent Dayton Banker Succumbs to Pneumonia." Dayton Journal, 5 Jun 1915, p. 8.Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Dayton, Ohio, 1897 & 1918. Accessed 19 July 2012, http://dmc.ohiolink.edu/oplinmap.htm.Winters, Jonathan H. A Sketch of the Winters Family. Dayton, OH: United Brethren Publishing House, 1889.Winters, Susan L. [Winters family genealogy notes]. Winters Collection (MS-038), 4:2, Dayton Metro Library (Dayton, Ohio).Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum Interment Database. Accessed 11 July 2012, http://www.woodlandcemetery.org.

Box and Folder Listing