Benjamin Van Cleve

Benjamin Van Cleve. , Benjamin Van Cleve was one of Dayton's most prominent founding citizens. Among the original settlers, he served as Dayton's first postmaster, librarian, and schoolteacher. His home at First and Jefferson Streets, known as a warm, friendly way station and a reliable source of information on Miami country, housed Dayton's original post office and library. There, Van Cleve sorted mail in his living room and occasionally found himself in trouble with the federal government for giving the settlers their coveted mail on credit. He was a stricter librarian. At a time when people needed candles to read at night, he fined citizens two cents for each grease spot. Van Cleve originally conducted school in Newcom Tavern, then later at a blockhouse built to defend Dayton against the Indians. Benjamin's mother, Catherine, was the Wright brothers' great great grandmother, and Orville and Wilbur named the “Van Cleve” bicycle after their prominent ancestors. Benjamin kept a diary for 26 years. The diary, which survived, provides us with clear accounts of Dayton's beginning and a legacy of stories about the city's earliest days.