Son of Obediah and Hannah Welch dingee he married Elizabeth Jackson and hd 2 children Mary W. and William Jackson. He then married Mary E. Lynch and had one child Marian Hannah. From his obit in the Ntional Nurseryman Vol 21: At his home in West Grove, Pa., Nov. 29, Charles Dingee, dean of the Rose growers of America, died in his 88th year. He was one of the most successful business men in the state and one of the best known and generally loved residents of this county. Charles Dingee was born in Lancaster County, Pa., Jan. 1, 1825, and spent his early life there studying agricultural life, flowers and soils, his early horticultural apprenticeship being served with Edward Jessup, one time a very noted nurseryman at York, Pa. When he was twenty-five years of age he entered into business with his brother-in-law, Isaac Jackson, he established the Harmony Grove Nurseries at West Grove. While in this venture he became familiar with the needs and qualities of Roses and in 1872 he incorporated the Dingee & Conard Co., and began the present system of shipping Roses by mail. He wrote the first catalog offering Roses by mail that was ever sent out in this country. Horace Greeley was a warm personal friend and he used the New York Tribune for his first advertisement. He has often been heard to say that he never got a single reply from it. It was a few years after this that the company began advertising extensively and the results were such that the post office department at Washington, D.C., was astonished at the vast amount of business done at West Grove and sent a special inspector there to see is something was not wrong in connection with the management of the office. The inspector returned to the national capital with word that all the business was legitimate and the Dingee & Conard firm enjoyed a fine reputation at home as well as in many sections of the country. Since then the shipping of Roses has increased until the West Grove plants are known in every quarter of the civilized world. The firm is recognized as among the largest in the country in its specialty. The business of the Dingee & Conard firm was sold to its present management P.J. Lynch, M. Henry Lynch and James D. Headly, all brothers-in-law. In 1903. Mr. Dingee was retired from business since that time. Mr. Dingee was a member of the Masonic Order and belonged to Chapter No 52, Royal Arch Masons, of Lancaster, whose members , recognizing him as the eldest of their number about two years ago sent a delegation to his home to present him with a loving cup. He was the second eldest member of the Union League, Philadelphia, and as long as he was able to visited the headquarters in that city and was glad to meet his old friends there. He was the founder and for years a director of the National Bank of West Grove and a close personal friend of the late Alfred P. Reid, a former burgess of West Cester and for years the president of the First National Bank. Mr. Dingee was very prominent in public life, particularly during the years surrounding the activities of the Civil War. He was a warm personal friend of Thaddeus Stevens the great commoner of Pennsylvania, also of Gen. Simon Cameron, secretary of war in Lincoln's cabinet, afterward senator from Pennsylvania, and a life-long friend of Wayne McVeigh, the attorney-general in Cleveland's cabinet and afterward ambassador to Italy. He was a close friend of Peter Henderson, Patrick Carry and the elder Downing, and was an active participant in the meetings of horticultural societies of their day. When his business was first established there was no railroad here. The mails were brought in from a distance of twenty-five miles, and all outgoing shipments were hauled the same distance. He was the last living witness of the Christiana riot, which has come to be known as the forerunner of the Civil War. He was present on the occasion when the riot took place. He was a man of great force of character, and was a dominant figure even in the councils of strong men during his active life. He traveled extensively, visiting nearly all the United States and several European countries. In 1903 he retired from active business and turned over the management to his brothers-in-law, Patrick Joseph Lynch and Henry Lynch, who have since been looking after the affairs, increasing the general scope and establishing branches, one of which is in New Castle, Ind. Sixty-five years ago Mr. Dingee married Elizabeth Jackson of West Grove, who died in 1881, leaving him two children, William J. Dingee, of New York City, who has recently been on the Pacific Coast, and Mary D. Price, who is living at Highlands, N. Y. His second wife, who survives him, was Mary E. Lynch, of West Grove, who is the mother of one daughter, Marian, wife of George Barnard, of New Castle, Ind. Air. Dingee was reared as a member of the Society of Friends.—Florists'
Son of Obediah and Hannah Welch dingee he married Elizabeth Jackson and hd 2 children Mary W. and William Jackson. He then married Mary E. Lynch and had one child Marian Hannah. From his obit in the Ntional Nurseryman Vol 21: At his home in West Grove, Pa., Nov. 29, Charles Dingee, dean of the Rose growers of America, died in his 88th year. He was one of the most successful business men in the state and one of the best known and generally loved residents of this county. Charles Dingee was born in Lancaster County, Pa., Jan. 1, 1825, and spent his early life there studying agricultural life, flowers and soils, his early horticultural apprenticeship being served with Edward Jessup, one time a very noted nurseryman at York, Pa. When he was twenty-five years of age he entered into business with his brother-in-law, Isaac Jackson, he established the Harmony Grove Nurseries at West Grove. While in this venture he became familiar with the needs and qualities of Roses and in 1872 he incorporated the Dingee & Conard Co., and began the present system of shipping Roses by mail. He wrote the first catalog offering Roses by mail that was ever sent out in this country. Horace Greeley was a warm personal friend and he used the New York Tribune for his first advertisement. He has often been heard to say that he never got a single reply from it. It was a few years after this that the company began advertising extensively and the results were such that the post office department at Washington, D.C., was astonished at the vast amount of business done at West Grove and sent a special inspector there to see is something was not wrong in connection with the management of the office. The inspector returned to the national capital with word that all the business was legitimate and the Dingee & Conard firm enjoyed a fine reputation at home as well as in many sections of the country. Since then the shipping of Roses has increased until the West Grove plants are known in every quarter of the civilized world. The firm is recognized as among the largest in the country in its specialty. The business of the Dingee & Conard firm was sold to its present management P.J. Lynch, M. Henry Lynch and James D. Headly, all brothers-in-law. In 1903. Mr. Dingee was retired from business since that time. Mr. Dingee was a member of the Masonic Order and belonged to Chapter No 52, Royal Arch Masons, of Lancaster, whose members , recognizing him as the eldest of their number about two years ago sent a delegation to his home to present him with a loving cup. He was the second eldest member of the Union League, Philadelphia, and as long as he was able to visited the headquarters in that city and was glad to meet his old friends there. He was the founder and for years a director of the National Bank of West Grove and a close personal friend of the late Alfred P. Reid, a former burgess of West Cester and for years the president of the First National Bank. Mr. Dingee was very prominent in public life, particularly during the years surrounding the activities of the Civil War. He was a warm personal friend of Thaddeus Stevens the great commoner of Pennsylvania, also of Gen. Simon Cameron, secretary of war in Lincoln's cabinet, afterward senator from Pennsylvania, and a life-long friend of Wayne McVeigh, the attorney-general in Cleveland's cabinet and afterward ambassador to Italy. He was a close friend of Peter Henderson, Patrick Carry and the elder Downing, and was an active participant in the meetings of horticultural societies of their day. When his business was first established there was no railroad here. The mails were brought in from a distance of twenty-five miles, and all outgoing shipments were hauled the same distance. He was the last living witness of the Christiana riot, which has come to be known as the forerunner of the Civil War. He was present on the occasion when the riot took place. He was a man of great force of character, and was a dominant figure even in the councils of strong men during his active life. He traveled extensively, visiting nearly all the United States and several European countries. In 1903 he retired from active business and turned over the management to his brothers-in-law, Patrick Joseph Lynch and Henry Lynch, who have since been looking after the affairs, increasing the general scope and establishing branches, one of which is in New Castle, Ind. Sixty-five years ago Mr. Dingee married Elizabeth Jackson of West Grove, who died in 1881, leaving him two children, William J. Dingee, of New York City, who has recently been on the Pacific Coast, and Mary D. Price, who is living at Highlands, N. Y. His second wife, who survives him, was Mary E. Lynch, of West Grove, who is the mother of one daughter, Marian, wife of George Barnard, of New Castle, Ind. Air. Dingee was reared as a member of the Society of Friends.—Florists'
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