Daniel James Fallis Biography

Second cousin 5 times removed.

An old photograph included in the original published Daniel James FALLIS biography has been listed on eBay a couple of times for $19.95. I wonder if it is the original or simply digital copies. If someone buys this let me know if it was the original. Fredericksburg is about 9 miles southeast of George and Job Fallis' 1781 land, both are about 30 miles from where George Washington was born February 22, 1732 at Mount Vernon, Westmoreland County, Virginia and 40 to 50 miles southwest of Washington D.C. Living that close to Washington and Washington D.C. it is quite believable they would have been in contact of some sort with George Washington and the leaders of the young United States.

"Daniel James FALLIS...was born near Fredericksburg, Fauquier Co., Va., August 19, 1809. The place of his nativity abounds in historic associations. His father's mills stood upon Deep run (see map below), about two miles from the Rappahannock river. The northern limit of the Union army rested at that place at the time of the battle of the Rappahannock. While the war was in progress, Mr. Fallis took a thrilling interest in the bloody drama as it was enacted around the home of his childhood. He was descended from Scotch Irish ancestry. His great-great-grandfather presided at a manufacturers' meeting in Dublin in 1698, for which he was compelled to sell his glass manufactory to a pauper to avoid ruinous taxation, and finally was executed for treason. In the same year his great-grandfather, Thomas Fallis, came to the American colonies, and landed in Philadelphia. Nine days after his arrival George Fallis (Daniel's grandfather) was born."

The ebook Irish glass : an account of glass-making in Ireland from the XVIth century to the present day on Internet Archive below and a March 1974 paper Some Dublin Glass Makers by Mary Boydell in the Dublin Historical Record Vol. 27, No. 2 (Mar., 1974), pp. 42-48 on JSTOR imply there could be more records in Dublin, Ireland that if found could support this idea that the father of my immigrant Follis came from Dublin, Ireland and this father may have owned a glass manufactury. Thanks to a 2013 email from Wilbur Hanson Kalb for this information. Wilbur Hanson Kalb used a fair amount of my web site information to discuss Thomas FALLIS and son George FALLIS on his Rootsweb WorldConnect Program.

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Some of the following statements appear incorrect as I am not aware of any records Thomas purchased land in 1721 Stafford County. He did purchase land in 1749-1751 Frederick County, Virginia where Thomas' will was recorded in 1756. This was about 65 miles from Mount Vernon where George Washington was born in 1732. George Fallis did buy land in Stafford County in the late 1700's and my Jacob Follis, sons of Thomas Follis, was in Stafford County when on February 2, 1778 he bought his 354 acres of Shenandoah County land 20+ years after father Thomas died. Perhaps they lived 23 years (1726-1749) in New Jersey as per the first paragraph below? Thomas FALLIS has a 1731 deed where he bought land on Crosswicks Creek in Burlington County, New Jersey and a 1748 marriage bond the year before surveying land in 1749 Virginia. The first Quaker Colony Hopewell formed in 1734 Winchester, Frederick County. George Washington started as a surveyor in 1748 Winchester the county seat of Frederick County one year before Thomas bought his first piece of land. The rest of the biography moving to Ohio appears factually correct. Because his wife Ann Poage, daughter of General John Poage was from an old Kentucky family it is likely Daniel James Fallis enhanced the Fallis traditions as these subscription county histories often did in the late 1800's.

"Remaining there twenty-three years, they migrated to Virginia where they purchased a landed estate in Stafford county, adjoining that on which lived Gen. Washington. There was a Community of Quakers in that vicinity to which the Fallis' belonged, owing to which fact he was a noncombatant during the Revolution. George Fallis was personally acquainted with and a friend of Gen. Washington, and, knowing him to be a man of prayer, and hearing of the sufferings of the Continental soldiers, he wrote letters of sympathy, offering to render him any services (except bearing arms) in his power for the relief of his army. Much of his property, consisting of farms, was sold for the purpose of raising money to make his offers good. At one time the Continental money on hand arising front such sales amounted to $101,000, and after the war, when it was supposed to be worthless, it, was burned. In 1797 Thomas Fallis (son of George) married Mary James, and of the eight children born to them Daniel James was the sixth. He remained in Virginia until 1824, when he followed two uncles to Wilmington, Ohio."

Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants by Gertrude E. Grade, 1993, Volume 3, 1775-1800 page 179 shows Thomas Fallis, son of George and Mary, purchasing 13 acres and 67 acres of land adjacent Washington Tract, Deep Run, and along Washington's line March 2, 1793. So yes, Thomas Fallis certainly knew his neighbor George Washington and likely his father George Fallis did too! George Washington died in 1799, Daniel James Fallis wasn't born until 1809.

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The Entire Biography

From the HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY pages 486-488:

"DANIEL JAMES FALLIS, late president of the Merchants National Bank of Cincinnati, and also vice-president (for Ohio) of the National Bankers' Association of America, was born near Fredericksburg, Fauquier Co., Va., August 19, 1809. The place of his nativity abounds in historic associations. His father's mills stood upon Deep run, about two miles from the Rappahannock river. The northern limit of the Union army rested at that place at the time of the battle of the Rappahannock. While the war was in progress, Mr. Fallis took a thrilling interest in the bloody drama as it was enacted around the home of his childhood.

He was descended from Scotch Irish ancestry. His great-great-grandfather presides at a manufacturers' meeting in Dublin in 1698, for which he was compelled to sell his glass manufactory to a pauper to avoid ruinous taxation, and finally was executed for treason. In the same year his great-grandfather, Thomas Fallis, came to the American colonies, and landed in Philadelphia. Nine days after his arrival George Fallis (Daniel's grandfather) was born. Remaining there twenty-three years, they migrated to Virginia where they purchased a landed estate in Stafford county, adjoining that on which lived Gen. Washington. There was a Community of Quakers in that vicinity to which the Fallises belonged, owing to which fact he was a noncombatant during the Revolution. George Fallis was personally acquainted with and a friend of Glen, Washington, and, knowing him to be a man of prayer, and hearing of the sufferings of the Continental soldiers, he wrote letters of sympathy, offering to render him any services (except bearing arms) in his power for the relief of his army. Much of his property, consisting of farms, was sold for the purpose of raising motley to make his offers good. At one time the Continental money on hand arising front such sales amounted to $101,000, and after the war, when it was supposed to be worthless, it, was burned. In 1797 Thomas Fallis (son of George) married Mary James, and of the eight children born to them Daniel James was the sixth. He remained in Virginia until 1824, when he followed two uncles to Wilmington, Ohio. There he was employed in a store until 1826, when he went to Greenfield, same State, and engaged temporarily in the store of W. & S. E. Hibben, with a view to removing with that firm to Hillsboro, Ohio, which took place in April of that year. Ho remained with that firm until about the close of the year 1829, his first visit to Cincinnati took place in November of that year, for the purpose of purchasing goods for the firm. In 1830 he engaged as clerk in the office of Hon. John Smith, who was then treasurer of that county and also had a store, At the end of the first year August 31, 1831, he became a partner of his employer, and the new firm of Smith & Fallis continued four years. He then engaged in the business of merchandising alone for two years. In 1836 he formed a partnership with Thomas Barry, the firm of Fallis & Barry continuing until 1846 when Mr. Fallis sold out to Mr. Barry. In February, 1843, the firm of Fallis & Evans was formed, lasting until 1846 when Mr. Fallis sold his interest to his partner. After the lapse of a year or so he again entered into the business of merchandising, alone, and so continued until November, 1853, when he sold out preparatory to corning to Cincinnati. On July 17, 1854, he began the banking business in this city as head of the firm of Fallis, Brown & Company, No. 33 West Third street. In 1856-58 he bought his partners' interests and carried on the business as Fallis & Company until December 1859, when the firm of Fallis, Young & Company was created. continued until 1865, and then merged into the Merchants National Bank, with a capital of $500,000. In August, 1867, this bank purchased the stock of the Ohio National Bank, thus increasing the capital stock to one million dollars. Of this bank Mr. Fallis was its only president until he tendered his resignation on his eighty-second birthday August 19, 1891. He was, therefore, uninterruptedly in the banking business over thirty-seven years, twenty-six years as president of the Merchants National Bank. He was the oldest banker in Cincinnati, who had steadily continued in the business, having passed safely through all the financial crises, never suspending or failing in order to meet the demands of his depositors and creditors. One of his partners, John Young, was a warm personal friend of Secretary Chase. From this arose the fact that Mr. Fallis' judgment was also invoked touching the financial measures of the government, and had great weight upon the public mind. And it was from this intelligent and unfaltering support of the leading bankers of the nation, of whom Mr. Fallis was a representative, that the government, the Treasury Department, derived the wisdom and courage to take the steps which finally led to the crowning consummation of specie payment. The glory that surrounds the name of Chase and Sherman is none the less enduring because they were great financiers and not generals. These great secretaries, supported by their lieutenants, the representative bankers of the nation, their judgment and cooperation, commanded the revenues and marshaled the resources that constituted the sinews of the war. Mr. Fallis was president of the Cincinnati Clearing House, an important institution which he and John W. Ellis, Esq. (now of New York City), were chiefly instrumental in organizing. Mr. Fallis was a stockholder, director and chairman of the executive committee of the pioneer iron establishment of Alabama, known as the Eureka Company; was director and president of the Western Tract Society of Cincinnati. Besides these interests he invested his capital in other enterprises, which yielded profitable returns while they gave employment to many men.

Pages 486-489, photo of Daniel James Fallis opposite page 488, in History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio; their past and present, including...biographies and portraits of pioneers and representative citizens, etc an Internet Archive book

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On October 30, 1835, Mr. Fallis married Miss Ann Poage, a daughter of the late Gen. Poage, of Greenup county, Ky., and granddaughter of Col. George Poage who commanded under Gen. Washington at the siege of Yorktown. Of this union there were two children, a daughter, now Mrs. Charles G. Rodgers, and Hon. John T. Fallis, who was a member of the Cincinnati bar and represented Hamilton county in the Ohio legislature. From March, 1861, until his death, Mr. Fallis resided in Covington, Ky., in a beautiful home that has been the scene of hospitality, refinement and domestic happiness; but alas the Angel of Death hovered over it,, and on May 7, 1893, the only and beloved son was taken from it. This was a very great shod: to Mr. Fallis, and one from which he never recovered; yet he claimed to be sufficiently well to undertake a journey, so on the evening of June 7 (just one month after his son's death), he left home, but on the following morning was suddenly and fatally attacked with heart disease at Jamestown, N. Y., his sickness and death both occupying but a few minutes. His remains were brought home, and the funeral took place from the home he so much loved. Beside his son he was laid in Highland Cemetery, back of Covington, where a very handsome monument marks their resting place. At this writing Mrs. Fallis, with her devoted daughter, Mrs. Rodgers, occupies the old homestead. Mr. Fallis was most affectionate to his own, and his love for his daughter and her children was lovely to see. His only grandson, Howard S. Rodgers, a young electrician, has doubtless a bright future. He is now chief electrician of the Eddy Electrical Company, of Windsor, Conn. While Mr. Fallis was nearly eighty-four years old at the time of his death, his memory was wonderful and his judgment most excellent. His interest in the world at large, and especially in his own country and in the church of his choice. had not abated as his years increased. In politics Mr. Fallis was first an Old-line Whig. then a Know-Nothing, finally an ardent Republican. At the age of nineteen he became a member of the Presbyterian Church, and for many years was one of its ruling elders. At the time of his death, and for many years previous, he was connected with the old First Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, and was its most able supporter. Mr. Fallis never hesitated to say that he owed his success in life to the Bible and its Author. These constituted the foundation of his character. Add to these experience, judgment, quick perception, a fine moral sense, unquestioned integrity, and we have the main reasons for a business career which was as honorable as it was successful. Mr. Fallis was a very quiet man, and while pursuing his business he unostentatiously dispensed his large charities. The acquisition of wealth was not for his own sake, but from the beginning of his career was a noiseless, ever-widening stream passing continuously out into the world again through the various channels of the Church and charitable institutions."

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Another Biography in the google book History of the Republican Party in Ohio, Volume 2

More Fallis Follis pages:

If you find research that adds to, or contradicts mine, please leave a Comment on my Follis Families in the United States Facebook page, or send me an Email.

Page updated: February 21, 2019

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