University of Dayton

a presence for the Society of Mary in America, Leo Meyer journeyed from Alsace in France to Cincinnati. But with a cholera epidemic raging to the north, Bishop John Baptist Purcell of the Cincinnati diocese sent Meyer to Emmanuel parish in Dayton to tend to the sick. In Dayton, Meyer met local farmer John Stuart, who had lost his infant daughter Mary Louisa to cholera the year before. Heartbroken, Stuart and his wife wanted to sell their Dewberry Farm property and return to Europe.
On March 19, 1850, Meyer, joined by three Marianist brothers—teacher Maximin Zehler, cook Charles Schultz, and gardener Andrew Edel—purchased the 125-acre (51 ha) hilltop farm from Stuart and renamed it Nazareth. Stuart accepted a St. Joseph medal and a promise of $12,000 at 6 percent interest. The property included vineyards, an orchard, a mansion, various farm buildings, and the grave of Stuart's daughter, which Meyer promised to maintain.
Just a few months later, the University of Dayton had its beginning on July 1, 1850, when St. …