Full text of "Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana"

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GENEALOGY
977.2 ;

B525
v.l I

GENEALOGY COLLECTION

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mil IINlfi'l'ifr'nSSyr'.T^ PUBLIC LIBRARY

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3 1833 00827 1915

GENEALOGY
977.2
B525
v.l

Biographical History

Tippecanoe, While, Jasper, lewton,

Benton , Warren aj hM\

Counties. Indiana.

ILLUSTRATED.

CHICAGO:
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY.

iJSiiDEx:

1362802

Adams, Henry I., 952.
Adams, John H., 492.
Ade, George, 613.
Ade, John, 612.
Albaueh, Jacob S., 198.
Alkire", Samuel, 372.
Alter, Moses B.. 813.
Anderson, James, 278.
Anderson, Perry B., 556.
Anderson, William S., 278.
Archer, David, 1042.
Archer, Samuel, 1036.
Ashby, John, 259.
Austin, William B., 405.

Babcock, William C, 43.
Badger, Lewis B., 915.
Bailey, EbenE., 878.
Barcus, Samuel D., 443.
Barger, Joseph, 566.
Barnard, Obed, 26.
Barnes, John F., 39.
Barnes. Thomas J., 948.
Barr, Eliza J., 388.
Barr, James R., 368.
Bartlett, Jefferson, 399.
Bates, Valentine, 608.
Baugh, Samuel L., 160.
Baugh, Williams., 293.
Baxter, Frank R., 565.
Beck, Charles H., 207.
Beckett, George A., 231.
Bedford, Fitz William, 840.
Benjamin, Jared, 746.
Berkley, Auburt L., 136.
Best, Samuel, 991.
Bevis, Philemon, 858.
Bishop, Edgar C, 378.
Blake, James, 685.
Blmd, Charles O., 108.
Blind, Michael, 144.
Boldman, William, 369.
Borders, Burlingame, 859.
Borders, John F., 804.
Borders, Warren W., 853.
Borders, Wesley, 860.
Bostick, Thomas S., 341.
Bork, Louis, 558.
Born, Samuel, 472.

Bott, William L., 627.
Bowers, George J., 695.
Boyer, John, 441.
Boyles, George W., 250.
Brackney, Arthur J.. 401.
Brand, Eli, 974.
Brand, John, 57.
Brand, Samuel, 67.
Brant, David, 464.
Bridge, George M., 941.
Bringham, George W., 966.
Brewer, John C. 1069.
Brockway, Charles T., 344.
Brown, Charles E., 327.
Brown, Elizabeth, 107.
Brown, George H., 107.
Brown, George S., 722.
Brown, John C, 329.
Brown, John W., 85.
Brown, Louis, 856.
Bryan, David, 1043.
Bryant, W. S., 869.
Buck, James, 295.
Bull, Andrew J., 939.
Bunnell, Abraham R., 354.
Burk, George W., 736.
Burkhalter, William H., 403.
Burnham, James A., 109.
Burns, George W., 890.
Burns, William, 444.
Burson, George, 824.
Burt. Thomas W., 400.
Byers, Samuel B., 843.

Caldwell, Harry J., 381.
Carmichael, William P., 1030.
Carper, Marshal, 660.
Cassell. Job X., 456.
Cheesman, John, 238.
Chilcote, Mordecai F., 137.
Childress, Johnson E., 1045.
Chilton, James S., 420.
Circle, Emanuel, 1007.
Clark, James H., 1034.
Clark, John D., 908.
Clark, Robert J., 610.
Clary, John C, 206.
Claypool, Richard W., 178.
Cleveland, Albert W., 791.
Clouse, Jacob, 773.
Cloyd, John, 64.

IMDEX.

Coen, John, 598.
CoEfelt, Jonathan A., 783.
Coffroth, William R., 557.
Colborn, Amos S., 196.
Compton, William C, 94.
Cook, Clark, 228.
Cooper, Richard, 578.
Cottingham, Melvin, 429.
Cox, William L., 124.
Crabb, Vincent R., 713.
Crane, Oliver P., 172.
Crane, Robert F., 380.
Crane, William M., 375.
Crawford, George W., 334.
Crawford, Lutetia, 885.
Crockett, Thomas A., 710.
Cronkhite, Hosea, 298.
Crosson, John M., 412.
Crouch, Jeptha, 950.
Crouse, Alexander H., 96.
Crouse, Jerome H., 22.
Crow, Benjamin F., 77.
Crow, Walter H., 73.
Crow, William, 80.
Cunningham, Cyrus, 949.

Dague, William H., 222.
Daseke, Gustav, 1027.
Davis, John G., 613.
Davis, Samuel, 132.
Day, George W., 748.
Decker, James K. P., 184.
Decker, Samuel, 185.
Dellinger, Philip, 792.
DePoy, Williams., 1022.
Dibell, E. Burritt, 820.
Dinwiddle, Lee, 529.
Dilts, Charles W., 811.
Dilts, Moses A., 664.
Dobbins, Moses G., 491.
Dobbins, Simon U., 126.
Dobbins, William T., 505.
Dorner, Frederick, 885.
Douthit, James W., 702.
Dowell, Simeon A., 727.
Drake, Robert S., 712.
Driscol, Charles C, 958.
Dukes, James R., 834.
Dunn, George N., 245.
Dunn, James, 504.
Dunn, John, 980.
Dunn, Matthew H., 650.
Du Teil, Frank, 532.
Duvall, Cyrus W., 604.
Dwiggins, Robert S., 360.
Dyer, George W., 395.

Eacock, George J., 488.
Eaton, Amos V., 52.
Engle, Daniel, 1054.
Engle, John C, 1052.
Engle, Joseph A., 1062.

Evans, Henry H., 956.
Evans William F., 166.
Ewalt, John F., 979.

Fahnestock, Jacob W., 524.
Farden, Joseph D., 280.
Fenton, Samuel C, 303.
Ferguson, Brazillia F., 728.
Ferguson, George H., 965.
Fewell, Benjamin, 425.
Fidler, Orlando, 29.
Fisher, David L., 848.
Fleming, Winfield S., 525.
Flesher, Henry B., 961.
Fletcher, Robinson, 935.
Flinn, John, 846.
Flynn, David H., 428.
Foudray, Samuel T., 600.
Fox, William E., 809.
Frain, Edwin, 1011.
Frain, Felix B. T., 689.
Frain, John, 579.
Frankenfield, Ezra, 135.
F"ranklin, Benjamin B., 410.
Fraser, Daniel, 968.
Eraser, James, 968.
Frederick, Joseph J., 1065.
Freeman, Abram J., 500.
Freeman, Daniel R., 797.
French, Chester C, 348.
Frey, John C, 930.
Fryback, Edmund, 932.
Funk, Samuel K., 1048.

Galbreath, Jacob, 677.
Garling, Frederick, 1018.
Garner, Charles A., 919.
Gaunt, Joseph R., 964.
Gay, William H., 392.
Gehris, Nathaniel M., 709.
Gemmer, Philip, 314.
Gemmer, Wilmer H., 230.
Gibson, Nathan C, 602.
Gillett, Daniel F., 551.
Gilman, William W., 690.
Gladden, John, 147.
Gladden, Richard, 384.
Glasgow, Samuel, 788.
Gochenour, Jeremiah, 352.
Goldsberry, Peter, 326.
Goodspeed, Francis E., 517.
Goodwine, Abner, 308.
Goodwine, Arthur C, 929.
Goodwine, Fremont, 990.
Goodwine, Harrison, 549.
Goodwine, Horace G., 547.
Goodwine, James, 567.
Goodwine, William H.
Gorrell, Joseph J., 892.
Graft, Moses C, 145.
Green, Nellie E., 272.
Greenfield, Benjamin, 363.

,322,

IJfDEX.

Gregory, Benjamin F., 46.
Gregory, John, 46.
Gridley, William J., 353.
Griffin, George J., 1074.
Griffin, William J., 911.
Grimes, Jesse, 128.
Grimes, Lawson C, 128.
Grimes, Simeon, 130.
Grimes, William F., 129.
Groscost, Reuben, 291.
Gunkle, George, 265.
Gunn, Edward B., 301.

Hall, Edmon G., 546.
Hall, James C, 90. '
Halstead, Micah B., 738.
Hamilton, Louis H., 729.
Hammond, Edwin P., 19.
Hanly, J. Frank, 508.
Hanson, Samuel C.,37.
Harbaugh, C.Albert, 42.
Harmon, John J., 795.
Harmon, Waldo L., 421.
Harmon, William, 422.
Harrisson, George A., 161.
Hatch.Jethro A., 663.
Hathaway, Henry O., 574.
Hathaway, Medary M., 691.
Hathaway, Richard W., 595.
Hawkins, Hannah, 741.
Hawkins, James, 394.
Hawkins, Jane, 394.
Hawkins, William E., 744.
Hay, James, 544.
Hays, Meade S., 521.
Hayworth, James N., 696.
Healey, George H., 725.
Hellwig, Clarence A., 970.
Hellwig, Edward F., 971.
Hemphill, John B., 535.
Henkle, Joseph C, 786.
Hershey, William H., 242.
Heston, William D., 560.
High, Isaac D., 701.
Hillis, James D., 188.
Hinchman, William, 785.
Hinkle, W. J., 771.
Hoffman, Horace D., 269.
Hoffman, William H., 357.
Holladay, Eli, 62.
Hollingsworth, George K., 88.
HoUingsworth, Joseph, 742.
Holtam, Abel J., 855.
Holtam, Jesse J., 187.
Hoover, William M., 775.
Hornaday, Harvey J., 397.
Hornbeck, Francis T., 468.
Hornbeck, Henry H.,374.
Hornbeck, John W., 466.
Horner, Cornelius M., 866.
Hottenstein, Charles A., 957.
Hubbell, Lewis W., 984.
Huddleston, Will am Shipman, 673.
Huddleston, William Sigler, 676.

Hufty, Thomas L.,936.
Hughes, George K., 131.
Huls, Henry V. T.,215.
Hummel, David W., 686,
Humston, Frank B.,130.
Hunter, John P., 920.
Hutton, Schuyler C, 453.

Ugenfritz, George, 345.
Ingrini, Marion H., 723.
Introductory, 1.

J-

Jackson, Relief, 376.
Jamison, George A., 432.
Johnson, Cyrenius, 519.
Johnson, Francis, 962.
Johnson, John A., 938.
Johnson, Zachary T., 516.
Jones, James E., 41.
Jones, Joseph T., 995.
Jones, Matthew E., 469. •
Jones, Thomas, 993.
Jones, Trusten A., 992.
Jones, William, 1046.
Jones, William M., 533.
Judy, John F., 336.
Judy, Ole R., 340.
Justice Noah, 112.

Keiper, George F., 149.
Kelley, D. M., 879.
Kent, Alexander J., 801.
Kent, Perrin, 168, 1028.
Kessinger, Hiram, 899.
Keys, James H., 54.
Kingsbury, Clement S.,100.
Kinney, John H., 586.
Kious, Joseph H., 877.
Kissinger, John P., 315.
Kistler, Noah, 1020.
Knebel, Fredrick, 905.
Korner, William S., 1015.
Krick, Valentine, 918.
Kult, Philip, 913.
Kuhn, Charles W., 1061.
Kuhn, George M., 463.
Kuhn, John A., 1056.
Kuhn, Joseph M., 1057.
Kuhn, Matthias, 459.
Kuhn, William H., 462.

LaGue, John B., Jr., 523.
Lairy, M. M., 297.
LaRue, John M., 11.
Laughlin, David, 309.
Learning, Henry, Jr., 632.
Lear, George W., 493.
Lear, Hiram F., 795.
Leffew, William S.,51.

IJVDKX:

Leidy, James C, 977.
LeMaster, Benjamin B., 1019.
Letcher,]. H., 313.
Levering, Abraham, 210.
Levering, William H., 217.
Linton, Samuel, 1009.
Lisk, William, 830.
Lister, Francis E., 221.
Little, Elisha, 287.
Logan, George W., 290.
Long, George, 476.
Lowry. Robert A., 693.
Lucas, Martin, 182.
Lugar, William, 914.
Lyman, Edwin B., 193.
Lyons, Newton, 605.

Maibauer, Frederick, 896.
Major, John F., 541.
Mallon,John H., 1064.
Malsbary, John ^^, 454.
Marker, James B., 641.
Marshall, George E., 757.
Martin, John H., 92.
Martindale, William, 431.
Matthews, I. N., 387.
Mavity,John M., 102.
Mavity, James S., 48.
McAdam, James, 435.
McBroom, James H., 24.
McCabe, James, 113.
McCain, Cornelius, 770.
McCain, Richard C, 745.
McConahay, Orlando, 734.
McCord, Joseph H., 772.
McCormick. John F., 507.
McCoy, Alfred, 390.
McCray, Greenberry W., 705.
McCray, Warren T., 767.
McDole, Samson, 1000.
McDonald, Malcolm A., 164.
McDonald, Thomas M., 902.
McGahan, George, 271.
McGinlev, Furman E. D., 983.
McGrath Robert H., 44.
McGrath, Robert M., 45.
McGuire, Thomas, 761.
Mcintosh, Lewis, 399.
McMullen, James W., 268.
Merrick (> Thomas L., 14.
Mikels, George W., 284.
Miller, Albert B., 176.
Miller, Frederick, 661.
Miller, lohn, 176.
Miller, John P., 1025.
Miller, Melville W., 976.
Miller, Walter B., 174.
Miller, William H., 959.
Mills. Charles E., 539.
Mills, John W., 271.
Mills, William E., 266.
Mitchell, James H , 208.
Montgomery, Isaac H., 69.

Montgomery, James W., 253.
Moore, Hiram W., 757.
Moore, S. Herbert, 89.5.
Motter, Thomas S., 179.
Mullen, Lafayette, 790.
Murdock, James, 777
Murray, William W., 944.
Myers, Gabriel, 248.

Nattinger, Charles A., 489.
Netherton, William E., 669
Newton, Charles E., 996.
Newton, Edwin F., 997.
Nisewander, Absalom, 312.
Noe, Lewis J., 630.
Nolin, Samuel K., 203.
Nordyke, Adin, 485.
Nowels, David, 831.

Odle, Richard G., 446.
Ogborn, Frank B., 258.
Owin^s, Luther, 358.

Paris, Berry, a50.
Parker, Isaac, 93.
Parkison, Addison, 740.
Parkison, Robert A., 778.
Parks, George D., 227.
Parrott, Charles, 815.
Parrott, George, 644.
Paul, Tilghman, 502.
Payne, James W., 440.
Peak, Morris, 765.
Pearce, Fernandez E., 782
Peck, Albert D., 755.
Pence, Curtes M., 362.
Perry, Joseph S., 407.
Perry, William, 759.
Peter, Daniel, 141.
Peter, Calvin, 142.
Peter Family, The, 139.
Peters, Elihu, 86.
Peterson, Charles P., 258.
Peterson, Jonas A., 256.
Pfeiffer, George H., 169.
Phares, Charles G., 498.
Phebus, David, 326.
Phillips, Simon, 587.
Pierce, William C, 703.
Pingry, David, 358.
Plummer, Albert, 536.
Porter, Walter V., 784.
Posey, Cyrus L., 1004.
Pribble, Rufus, 245.
Price, Edwin R., 552.
Pruner, Wiley E., 571.
Pullin, Charles, 706.
Purviance, David B., 235.

Quick, Samuel M., 997.
Quigley, Peter, 597.

Rabb, Joseph M., 59.
Randall, John W., 482.
Randie, James T., 751.
Randolph, Edgar D., 954
Raub, Adams D., 884.
Rawn, Nathan, 584.
Ray, John N., 114.
Recher, Lawson H., 625.
Reed, Nate J., 47.
Reser, David M., 262.
Rexstrew, Foster, 621.
Reynolds. A. W., 823.
-■ - William H., 904.

Rhode, John W:, 261.
Rhode, Seymour T., 439.
Rhode, William C, 486.
Rhodes, WiHiam P., 318.
Risk, James Kirby, 760.
Robb, Bolivar, 8.
Roberts, Charles A., 829.
Robertson, Henry, 925.
Robmson, Charles C. 190.
Robinson, George M., 720.
Robmson, Thomas H., 676.
Rodgers, Elisha, 307.
Rodgers, James M., 512.
Roenbaugh, Frederic L., 195
Rogers, Luke, 1013.
Rogers, Robert C, 275.
Ross, John , 423.
Rossiter, Henry, 960.
Roth, John A., 282.
Row, John H., 342.
Rowe, Winfield S. 477.
Rush, William, 426.

Sale, Andrew C, 310.
Sale, William W., 274.
Sample, Robert W., 946.
Sappington, John W., 4.50.
Saunderson, James T., 514.
Sayler, Isaac, 827.
Sayler, William H., 479.
Schilling, John. 496.
Schooler, James W., 934.
Schwartz, Charles, 764.
Sebring, John, 1002.
Severson, Wilbur F., 350.
Sharp, Joseph A., 803.
Shaw, James B., 30i
Sheetz, Warren, 75.
Sheffer, Jacob, 143.
Shelby, John B., 236.
Shelland, John D., 474.
Shideler, Isaac M., 458.
Shipps, Charles, 417.
Shively. William, 863.

Simison, John, 16.
Simms, Dan W., 872.
Simpson, Justus L., 1039.
Small, Gilbert, 593.
Smith, Bernard G., 437.
Smith, Dawson, 451.
Smith, George H., 540.
Smith, Jacob J., 1031.
Smith, John M., 224.
Smith, Parmenas G., 953.
Smyth, James D., 643.
Snoddy, Alfred N., 433.
Snyder, Charles M., 202.
Solomon, William, 496.
Spacy, Samuel S., 97>i.
Spencer, Solomon, 671.
Spencer, William, 430.
Spitler, Marion L., 647.
Staley, Patterson, 278.
Stanley, Mary A., 409.
Stewart, James F., 414.
Stewart, James W., 323.
Stidham, Jasper H., 32.
Stillwell, William F., 768.
Stimson, Charles O., 365.
Stipp, Joseph M., 684.
Stipp, Martin V., 680.
Stork, John H., 2 )1.
Storms, Daniel E., 192.
Strohm, Harry A., 763.
Summers, Michael, 281.
Swadley, James M., 138.
Swisher, Jesse, 501.

Talbott, Daniel, 105.
Talbott, Rachel, 103.
Taylor, Aaron Y., 881.
Taylor, Anthony, 754.
Taylor; Elizabeth, 233.
Taylor, George W., 683.
Taylor, Levi H., 657.
Taylor, Lorenzo D., 370.
Taylor, Stephen O., 286.
Tavlor, Sylvester, 119.
Taylor, William O., 6.53.
Thompson, Alfred, 675.
Thompson, Charles E., 332.
Thompson, Simon P., 888.
Throckmorton, Edmund, 78.
Throckmorton, Neville 1., 844.
Tilson, Washburn, 171.
Tomlinson, Jesse, 299.
Triplett, Charles E., Sr., 748.
Triplett, Charles E., Jr., 751.
Truby, Charles I., 60.
Tucker, Albert E., 614.
Tucker, Elon W., 617.

Van Alstine, George W., 607.
Vanatta, Joseph S., 481.
Van Natta, Williams., 83.
Van Voorst, James S., 531.
Von Auw, Maximilian J., 591.

Wadsworth, Geortie, 447.
Walker, Everett A., 865.
Walker, William O., 654.
Walker, William S.. 225.
Walton, Daniel, 497.
Ward, Philip F., 568.
Ward, Philip J., 851.
Warner, John W., 288.
Warner, Joseph F., 212.
Washburn, Isaac L., 623.
Washburn, Samuel S., 158.
Watson, Anderson, 981.
Watson, John, 810.
Waymire, Daniel W., 487.
Waymire, Frederic, 484.
Weaver, Erasmus M., 526.
Webb, Reuben T., 319.
Weber, P. J., 13.
Webster, John C, 240.
Weeks, Charles L., 618.
Weldon, David, 717.
Wells, George, 1051.
Wendt, John, 1070.
Wentz, William, 1058.
West, Alexander L., 732.
Weyand, Isaiah, 589.
Wickersham, Job, 561.
Wickwire, Chester W., 715.
Wilburn, James, 838.
Wiley, Ulric Z., 5.
Wilgus, William, 232.
Williams, Duncan McA , 34.
Williams, Elmer C, 1071.
Williamson, Jeremiah, 658.

Willoughby, William H., 416.
Wills, John R., 572.
Wilson, Catharine, 383.
Wilson, David B., 335.
Wilson, Jesse E., 118.
Wilson, Perry A., 1059.
Wilson, Warren, 943.
Winship, Charles F., 553.
Winter, Jeremiah, 868.
Wishard, William W.. 640.
Wolcott, Anson, 816.
Wolcott Enterprise, 865.
Wood, Daniel J., 882.
Wood, Harvey W., 718.
Wood, J. Fletcher, 294.
Wood, Will. R., 875.
Woodhams, Henry, 247.
Woodlock, David, 887.
Woodruff, Hubert D., 1012.

Yeoman, David H., 818.
Yeoman, James, 730.
Yeoman, Joseph, 780.
Yopst, Albert E., 391.
York, Noble J., 821.
Yost, Aaron, 928.
Yost, Amos D., 928.
Yost, Charles W., 928.
Yost, David, 926.
Yost, John, 928.

, John, 267.

INTRODUCTORY.

Out of the depths of his mature wisdom Carlyle wrote: " History is the
essence of innumerable biographies." Farther than this what propriety can
there be in advancing reasons for the compilation of such a work as the one
at hand.' The counties of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Warren and
Pulaski, now venerable with age and honors, have sustained within their
confines men who have been prominent in the history of the state and
nation from the early colonial epoch. Their annals teem with the records
of strong and noble manhood and womanhood, and, as Sumner said, "The
true grandeur of nations is in those qualities which constitute the true great-
ness of the individual." The final causes which shape the fortunes of
individual men and the destinies of states are often the same. They are
usually remote and obscure; their influence wholly unexpected until declared
by results. When they inspire men to the exercise of courage, self-denial,
enterprise, industry, and call into play the higher moral elements; lead men
to risk all upon conviction, faith, — such causes lead to the planting of great
states, great nations, great peoples. The nation is greatest which produces
the greatest and most manly men, and the intrinsic safety depends not so
much upon methods and measures as upon that trUe manhood from whose
deep sources all that is precious and permanent in life must at last proceed.
Such a result may not consciously be contemplated by the individuals instru-
mental in the production of a great nation. Pursuing each his personal good
by exalted means, they work out this as a logical result. They have wrought
on the lines of the greatest good.

Ceaselessly to and fro flies the deft shuttle which weaves the web of
human destiny, and into the vast mosaic fabric enter the individuality, the
effort, the accomplishment of each man, be his station that most lowly, or
one of majesty, pomp and power. Within the textile folds may be traced
the line of each individuality, be it the one that lends the beautiful sheen of
honest worth and honest endeavor, or one that dark and zigzag finds its
way through warp and woof, marring the composite beauty by its blackened
threads, ever in evidence of the shadowed and unprolific life. Into the great
aggregate each individuality is merged, and yet the essence of each is never

2 IMTRODUCTORT.

lost, be the angle of its influence wide-spreading and grateful, or narrow and
baneful. In his efforts he who essays biography finds much of profit and
much of alluring fascination when he would follow out, in even a cursory
way, the tracings of a life history, seeking to find the keynote of each respect-
ive personality. These efforts and their resulting transmission can not fail
of value in an objective way, for in each case may the lesson of life be
conned, "line upon line; precept upon precept."

Whether the elements of success in life are innate attributes of the
individual, or whether they are quickened by a process of circumstantial
development, it is impossible to clearly determine. Yet the study of a suc-
cessful life is none the less interesting and profitable by reason of the exist-
ence of this same uncertainty. So much in excess of those of successes are
the records of failures or semi-failures that one is constrained to attempt an
analysis in either case and to determine the method of causation in an approx-
imate way. The march of improvement and progress is accelerated day by
day, and each successive moment seems to demand of men a broader intelli-
gence and a greater discernment than did the preceding. Successful men
must be live men in this age, bristling with activity, and the lessons of biog-
raphy may be far-reaching to an extent not superficially evident. A man's
reputation is the property of the world. The laws of nature have forbidden
isolation. Every human being either submits to the controlling influence of
others, or, as master, wields a power for good or evil on the masses of man-
kind. There can be no impropriety in justly scanning the acts of any man
as they affect his public, social and business relations. If he be honest and
successful in his chosen field of endeavor, investigation will brighten his
fame and point the path along which others may follow with like success.
Not alone are those worthy of biographic honors who have moved along the
loftier planes of action, but to an equal extent are those deserving who are
of the rank and file of the world's workers, for they are not less the con-
servators of public prosperity and material advancement.

Longfellow wrote: " We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of
doing, while others judge us by what we have already done." If this golden
sentence of the New England bard were uniformly applied, many a man
who is now looking down with haughty stare upon the noble toilers on land
and sea, sneering at the omission of the aspirate, the cut of his neighbor's
coat or the humbleness of his dwelling, would be voluntarily doing penance
in sackcloth and ashes, at the end of which he would handle a spade or, with
pen in hand, burn the midnight oil in his study, in the endeavor to widen
the bounds of liberty or to accelerate the material and spiritual progress of
his race. The humble and lowly often stand representative of the truest
nobility of character, the deepest patriotism and the most exalted purpose.

LYTRODUCTORT. 3

and through all the gradations of life recognition should be had of the true
values and then should full appreciation be manifested.

In the Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton,
AVarren and Pulaski Counties the editorial staff, as well as the publishers,
have fully realized the magnitude of the task set them. The work is purely
biographical in its province, and in the collation of material for the same
there has been a constant aim to use a wise discrimination in regard to the
selection of subjects, and yet to exclude none worthy of representation
within its pages. Those who have been prominent factors in the public,
social and industrial makeup of the counties in the past have been given due
recognition as far as it has been possible to secure the requisite data. Names
worthy of perpetuation here have in several instances been omitted, either
on account of the apathetic interest of those concerned or the inability to
secure the information demanded. Yet, in both the contemporary narrative
and the memoirs of those who have passed on to "that undiscovered coun-
try from whose bourne no traveler returns," it is believed that there has been
such utilization of material as to more than fulfill all stipulations and prom-
ises made at the inception of the undertaking.

In the compilation recourse has been had to divers authorities, includ-
ing various histories and historical collections, and implying an almost end-
less array of papers and documents, public, private, social and ecclesiastical.
That so much matter could be gathered from so many original sources and
then sifted and assimilated for the production of a single work without incur-
ring a modicum of errors and inaccuracies, would be too much to expect of
any corps of writers, no matter how able they might be as statisticians or
skilled as compilers of such works. It is, nevertheless, believed that no
inaccuracies of a serious nature can be found to impair the historical value of
the volumes, and it is further believed that the results will supply the demand
which called forth the efforts of the publishers and the editorial corps.

To other and specific histories has been left the task of touching the
general history of the counties, for the function of this work is aside from
this and is definite in its scope, so that a recapitulation would be out of har-
mony with the compilation. However, the incidental references made to
those who have been the important actors in the public and civic history of
the counties will serve to indicate the generic phases and will shadow forth
much to those who can "read between the lines." In conclusion we
can not do better than to quote another of Carlyle's terse aphorisms:
"There is no heroic poem in the world but is at bottom a biography, —
the life of a man. "

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

HON. ULRIC Z. WILEY.

The specific and distinctive office of biography is not to give voice to a
man's modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments, but rather to
leave the perpetual record establishing his character by the concensus of
opinion on the part of his fellow men. That great factor, the public, is a
discriminating factor, and yet takes cognizance not of objective exaltation
nor yet objective modesty, but delves deeper into the intrinsic essence of
character, strikes the keynote of individuality, and pronounces judicially and
unequivocally upon the true worth of the man — invariably distinguishing the
clear resonance of the true metal from the jarring dissonance of the baser.
Thus in touching upon the life history of the subject of this review the bio-
graphist would aim to give utterance to no fulsome encomiums, to indulge in no
extravagant praise; yet would he wish to hold up for consideration those
points which have shown the distinction of a pure, true and useful life, — one
characterized by indomitable perseverance, broad charity, marked ability,
high accomplishments and well earned honors. To do this will be but to
reiterate the dictum pronounced upon the man by his fellow men.

Judge Wiley is a gentleman whom the people of Benton county delight
to honor. His life thus far has been spent in the Hoosier state, and his
popularity as an attorney at law, legislator and judge of the appellate court
of Indiana is not bounded by the lines of political parties. He is what the
world is pleased to call a " self-made man." Born in Jefferson county, Indi-
ana, November 14, 1846, of a family of four sons and three daughters, whose
parents were the Rev. Preston Pritchard and Lucinda Weir (Maxwell) Wiley,
he is the youngest. His father was born in Brown county, Ohio, and is de-
scended from one of seven brothers who came to America from Scotland
prior to the war of the Revolution. The grandfather, Joseph Wiley, located
in southern Indiana about 181 1. As was somewhat common at the time, he
did not recognize all the advantages of education and when his son Preston
desired his assistance that he might pursue a course in Hanover College, he
told him that he would give him a good farm but could not send him to
school. The son, however, not dismayed by this, determined to gain a

6 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

college education or its equivalent without his father's aid. Becoming
acquainted with some of the professors of the college, he borrowed text-books
from them and educated himself. He became an excellent classical scholar
and could read his Greek testament as fluently as the English. All this he
accomplished while tilling a farm, and after his marriage he entered the
ministry of the Christian church, in which he continued his labors until his
death. He was a man of broad culture and a most devout and conscientious
Christian, — one whose influence was widely felt and whose memory remains
as a blessed benediction to all who knew him. He died upon the farm
where he located at the time of his marriage. Sixty-one years of happy
married life were allotted to Mr. and Mrs. Wiley, when the latter was called
to the home beyond, passing away March i, 1893, at the age of eighty-five.
Rev. Preston P. Wiley, surviving her two years, died August 21, 1895, in his
eighty-seventh year.

The Maxwell family, to which Mrs. Lucinda Wiley belonged, were
Kentuckians. Her father was a slave-holder, but becoming convinced that
slavery was wrong he freed his negroes at a great personal sacrifice and
removed to the north, locating on a farm adjoining that of the Wiley estate.
To Preston P. and Lucinda W. Wiley were born seven children: Elizabeth J.
is the widow of Dr. Samuel Corbett and resides in San Francisco, California.
James Edward, the second, accidentally killed himself at the age of twenty
years. Susan V. is the widow of Charles Buxton and resides in Jefferson
county, Indiana. Mary E. married a Mr. Edson while visiting her sister in
San Francisco, but is now widowed and resides on the old parental homestead.
Samuel J. died in infancy. Harvey W. was graduated from Hanover College
in the same class as the Judge and afterward filled the position of professor
of languages in Butler University until 1874, when he accepted the position
of professor of natural sciences at the opening of Purdue University, remain-
ing with that institution until 1883. In the latter year he was appointed
chief chemist in the department of agriculture in Washington, D. C. , which
position he still fills. He is one of the noted scientists of the United States,
is the author of a number of scientific works of great merit and is a lecturer
of renown.

Judge Wiley, of this review, secured his collegiate education by dint of
hard work and personal sacrifice. He was graduated in the classical depart-
ment of Hanover College on the 20th of June, 1867, and then entered upon
preparation for his life work. His professional education was equally thor-
ough and practical. He entered the law office of Hon. William Wallace, of
Indianapolis, a son of ex-Governor Wallace, of Indiana, and a brother of the
world-renowned author of " Ben Hur," — General Lew Wallace. Mr. Wiley
pursued a carefully planned course of study, covering a period of two years.

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. T

and spent some time in teaching school, from the proceeds of which he paid
his expenses while taking a course in law in Butler University, graduating
from the law department of that popular institution in May, 1873.

In October, 1874, Judge Wiley located in Fowler and has since been
closely identified with the interests of Benton county. Here he formed a
law partnership with Hon. David E. Straight, which was maintained, with
mutual pleasure and profit, until 1888, when the Judge bought out his part-
ner's interest. In March, 1875, Mr. Wiley was appointed to the office of
county attorney, a position which he filled acceptably for two years. In
1882 he was elected a member of the lower house of the state legislature and
ably served on various important committees, making an enviable reputation
as a wise counselor and leader in Republican circles. During his entire resi-
dence in Fowler he has been closely identified with the political interests of
Benton county, his marked ability, sound judgment and comprehensive
understanding of the political issues and needs of the country well fitting him
for leadership. But the full recognition of his ability as an able attorney
culminated in his election to the position of appellate judge, the honors of
which office he wears with becoming modesty. He served by appointment
as circuit judge from August 30, 1892, until elected to that office in Novem-
ber following, and in May, 1896, he was nominated by the Republicans as
candidate for judge from the fifth judicial district on the appellate bench.
He then resigned his office as circuit judge in order to give the people of the
district the opportunity of electing his successor on the circuit bench, rather
than to have him appointed by a Democratic governor in a Republican dis-
trict. In the November election of that year he was chosen appellate judge
for a four-years term and is now filling that office. While in active practice
Judge Wiley was regarded as one of the most prominent representatives of
the profession in Indiana. Thoroughly versed in the science of jurisprudence
and equally at home in every branch of the law, his defenses were able, log-
ical and convincing. His arguments showed forth preparation, and he lost
sight of no fact that might advance his client's interests, and passed by no
available point of attack in an opponent's argument. On the bench his rul-
ings are ever just, incisive and incapable of misinterpretation. With a full
appreciation of the majesty of the law, he exemplifies that justice which is
the inherent right of every individual, and fearlessly discharges his duties
with a loyalty to principle that knows no wavering. He has the sincere
respect of the entire Indiana bar, and has long occupied a place in the fore-
most ranks among its distinguished members. The degrees of Bachelor of
Arts and Bachelor of Laws were conferred upon Judge Wiley by Butler Col-
lege, and "in 1897 Hanover College conferred upon him the degree of LL. D.
; In other walks of life the Judge has also attained prominence. In social

8 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

circles he is widely known, and is one of the leading Masons and Odd Fellows
in the state. He joined the latter fraternity in 1S75, has taken special interest
in the work of the order from the beginning, and has been honored with some
of its highest offices. He has served as grand warden, deputy grand master
and as grand master in 189 1-2. He was representative to the Sovereign
Grand Lodge in 1893-4, meeting with that body in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and
in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. There is scarcely a county in Indiana that
he has not visited as a lodge official, and in many has delivered public addresses
on the work of the order. In 1883 he joined the Mason fraternity, belongs to
the blue lodge in Fowler, the chapter in Monticello, and the consistory in
Indianapolis. He has taken the thirty-two degrees of the Scottish Rite
Masonry, and is also a member of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a valued
member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity.

On the 6th of May, 1874, Judge Wiley was united in marriage to Miss
Mary A. Cole, a native of Shelby county, Indiana, and a daughter of Albert B.
and Elizabeth (Ross) Cole. The family were early settlers of Shelby county,
whence they removed to Noblesville, Indiana, where her father held several
important county offices. Later he went to Indianapolis, where for a num-
ber of years he was officially connected with Butler University. Both he and
his wife died in the capital city. Four children have been born to the Judge
and his wife: Carl, who is a graduate of Purdue University, and is now the
official stenographer in the appellate court; Nellie E. , a graduate of the
high school of Fowler, now pursuing a course of music in the Metropolitan
College of Music, in Indianapolis; Maxwell H., who is a student in the high
school of Fowler; and Ulric, a little lad of five summers.

Strong determination, laudable ambition and great energy, — these have
been the salient features in Judge Wiley's career, winning him distinction in
professional and social circles. On the bench he fully sustains the majesty
of the law, but in private life is a most genial, kindly gentleman, entirely
approachable, and in his fellow men manifesting a genuine interest that arises
from broad humanitarian principles. Honored by all for his genuine worth,
Benton county is proud to claim among her citizens Ulric Zwingle Wiley.

BOLIVAR ROBB.

With perhaps a few exceptions, Bolivar Robb, of West Lebanon,
Warren county, is the oldest pioneer of this county, in years of residence
here. He has lived in this portion of Indiana for seventy-two years, and in
Warren county since 1830, and distinctly remembers the experiences of the
pioneers during the '30s and '40s, and the primitive condition of everything
here, and the inevitable hardships which had to be endured. He even

BIOGBJPHiaiL HISTORY. 9

recalls the Black Hawk war of 1832, and incidents of that notable strife with
the red men — one of the last stands of that race against the oncoming tide
of civilization east of the Mississippi.

Early in the eighteenth century three brothers, James, William and
John Robb, emigrated from the northern part of Ireland (where they were
known as Scotch-Irish) to America, and made a settlement at Carlisle,
Pennsylvania. It is supposed that from them are descended all persons
bearing the surname of Robb in this country, but from which one of the
•brothers our subject traces his lineage is not definitely known. The great-
grandfather of the subject was one John Robb, and the grandfather was
Thomas Robb, both natives of the Keystone state. The latter, born in
1767, married Elizabeth Robb, a second cousin, and in 1800, when their
son William (father of our subject) was about two years old, they removed
to Erie county, Pennsylvania. Eight years later they went to Washington
•county, Kentucky, and in 1818 they took up their abode in Brown county,
Ohio, settling near Ripley, the county seat. In 1830 Mr. Robb became a
resident of Washington township, in the vicinity of Williamsport, Warren
■county, Indiana, but three years later he continued his journey westward,
and died in DeKalb county, Illinois, September 4, 1850. From principle he
was strongly opposed to slavery, and the unswerving traits of integrity.
Justice and honor which had descended to him from his Scotch-Irish ances-
tors were among his most noteworthy characteristics. He left the stern old
"blue" Presbyterianism in which he and his forefathers had been reared,
and until his death rejoiced in the liberty and light of the Disciples or Chris-
tian church, with which he early identified himself. While he was never an
aspirant to official distinction, he occupied various local positions and was a
justice of the peace for years, here and further east. His first wife, Eliza-
beth, died in Ohio, and Mr. Robb subsequently married Mrs. Sarah Friel,
who survived him a short time. She had one son by her first marriage.
Thomas and Elizabeth Robb were the parents of James and John (twins),
William, Thomas, Robert, Mary, Anna and Elizabeth, all of whom have
passed away. James served in the regular army of the United States for
iive years, and in the war of 18 12 fought under the leadership of General
Andrew Jackson, and later took part in the Seminole war. John also was
in the war of 1812, fighting under General William H. Harrison. With the
exception of Thomas, who died in youth, all of these brothers and sisters
married and had families, and all except James and Thomas became resi-
dents of Indiana, the former settling in Illinois and the latter dying in Ohio.

William Robb, father of Bolivar Robb, was born in Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, near Pittsburg, November 10, 1798. He accompanied his par-
•ents to Brown county, Ohio, and there he married Abi Higinbotham, a native

10 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

of that county, born April 14, 1806. In the spring of 1827, William Robb,
in company with his brothers-in-law, Joseph S. and Joseph P. Robb, built a
small flat-boat and floated down the Ohio river to the mouth of the Wabash,
and thence went up this river to Covington, in what is now Fountain county.
Having selected and bought a tract of land near Vederburg, William Robb
returned home on foot, and in the following autumn he brought his family to
the new home in the wilderness, in a one-horse wagon. The family contin-
ued to reside on this homestead until March, 1830, when they removed to
Warren county. Mr. Robb entered land about three-fourths of a mile west
of the present court-house in Williamsport, and here he continued to dwell
until his death, June 10, 1885. His venerable wife died January 5, 1899, in
her ninety-third year. Politically, he was a Democrat, and three times did he
fill the office of sheriff, twice being elected and once being appointed to that
position. Once he was appointed to fill out the unexpired term of county
clerk, and for many years he was a school director, township trustee, etc.
Of his seven children, Bolivar, William W. and Howard are residents of
Warren county, and Alfred lives in Tennessee. Those who have entered the
silent land are Frank; Eliza Jane, who was the wife of G. W. Armstrong;
and Sarah E., who married James Jones, and had a son and daughter, both
now deceased.

Bolivar Robb was born April 29, 1826, in Brown county, Ohio, and
was but four years old when he came to this county. Here he managed to
gain a fair education in the primitive subscription schools of that period, but
his advantages were meager in the extreme. When he was eighteen, his
father, who had been unfortunate in business, informed him that he could
give him only a team of horses with which to make a start in independent
life. The young man requested and received the equivalent of the horses in
money, and with this he paid his way, as far as possible, in Wabash College.
He then taught for six successive winters. Schools were still carried on
largely by subscription, at the rate of about two dollars a pupil, for a term,
and the last winter that the young pedagogue taught he received fifty dollars
for his services, and paid one dollar a week for his board and that of his horse.
For thirty years he was engaged in contracting and building, and then he pur-
chased the old homestead, which he managed for years and only recently
sold. During Cleveland's last administration he was postmaster of West
Lebanon, where he has a pleasant home, and is living practically retired.
He has always been prominent in the councils of, the Democratic party of
this locality. In June, 1843, he joined the Christian church of this village,
and from that time to the present he has been one of the most active mem-
bers, and was the first superintendent of the Sunday-school here.

On the 25th of July, 1850, Mr. Robb married Sarah A. Acus, a native

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 11

of Iroquois county, Illinois. She died April 8, 1853, and left an infant daugh-
ter who lived to the age of nine years. December 7, 1856, Mr. Robb wedded
Margaret S. Crawford, and their only child, Clara Jane, married E. S.
Walker, who has been commander-in-chief of the Sons of Veterans of Indi-
ana. Mrs. Walker, a lovely, well educated lady, died when in her thirtieth
year, and left an infant. Her loss has been deeply felt by her many sincere
friends and particularly .by her devoted parents, who are thus left childless in
their declining years.

JUDGE JOHN M. La RUE.

For almost half a century this prominent citizen of Lafayette has been
one of the representative members of the Indiana bar, and his long service
on the bench attests his popularity. He is one of the pioneers of Tippeca-
noe county, and has been a witness of its development from a wilderness to
its present prosperous condition. His friends and acquaintances are legion,
few men in this portion of the state having more sincere well wishers. A
man of broad mind and strong convictions, he has ever been the exponent of
progress and advancement, and his influence has always been cast on the
side of good government, reform and improvement in all lines.

As his name indicates, the Judge is of French extraction on the paternal
side of his family. His grandfather, Abraham La Rue, was a native of New
Jersey and was of French-Huguenot descent. He was a farmer by occupa-
tion, reared several children, and died in his native state at an advanced
age. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Daniel Doan, a native of
Pennsylvania, as it is supposed, and of Welsh descent. He was a farmer,
and was one of the pioneers of Switzerland county, Indiana. He was a sol-
dier in the war of 1812. His death occurred at his home near Vevay, Switz-
erland county, when he was well along in years.

The father of the Judge was Joseph La Rue, a native of New Jersey and
a carpenter by trade. He removed to Hamilton county, Ohio, in his early
manhood and on the 13th of September, 1830, landed in Tippecanoe county,
Indiana. Here he bought a quarter section of land at the present sil?e of
Stockwell, and continued to cultivate this property for five years, at the ex-
piration of which time he died, aged about forty-two years. His wife, who
was born in Pennsylvania, departed this life a few years later, in 1842, at
nearly the same age as her husband was at his decease. She was a devout
Methodist. Of her four children but two survive. Harriet C, sister of our
subject, is the widow of Dr. Carlyle, of Yellville, Arkansas.

The birth of Judge La Rue took place near the town of Harrison, Ham-
ilton county, Ohio, November 24, 1826, and he was therefore but four

12 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

years of age when his parents removed to this state. He was left fatherless
at a tender age, and his mother brought him to Lafayette in order that he
might have better educational advantages. A few years later death de-
prived him of her tender care and love and he went to live with his guardian,
Daniel C. Stoner, who sent him to Asbury (now DePauw) University,
where the ambitious young man was graduated in 1849. After he had com-
pleted his sophomore year, however, he was obliged to stop and teach
school for a period in order to have the requisite funds to meet his expenses.
Prior to his graduation he took up the study of law, also, being indebted to
Samuel A. Huff, afterward Judge Huff, for the use of the necessary law
books. After passing an examination before the supreme judges of the
state young La Rue was admitted to the bar, June i, 1850, and from that
time until the present has been engaged in practice in this place.

Shortly after his admission to the bar Judge La Rue was appointed
by the county commissioners to the office of examiner of applicants for
teachers' positions. This position he held until 1856, when he was elected,
on the first Republican ticket ever placed before the public of this county, to
represent this district in the lower house of the legislature, where he re-
mained during one term. In the autumn of 1850 he went into partnership
with B. O. Deming, under the firm name of La Rue & Deming, and this
connection continued for some four years. In June, 1854, the justly cele-
brated law firm of Huff, Baird & La Rue was formed, the other par-
ties to the same being Judge Samuel A. Huff and Zebulon Baird, eminent
members of the bar. In 1857 our subject and Daniel Royse, under
the name of La Rue & Royse, entered into a business alliance which was
terminated only by the enlistment of Mr. Royse in the army. Then our sub-
ject practiced alone, for the most part, up to 1875, but that year he and
Frank B., afterward Judge, Everett, entered upon their pleasant and profit-
able association, which was severed in 1880 by the election of Mr. La Rue to
the judgeship of the superior court of Tippecanoe county. He was re-elected
and served in 1888, when, on account of ill health, he declined a re-election.
As early as 1867 he was honored, and his genius fittingly acknowledged, by the
public, in his election to the bench in the court of common pleas of Tippe-
canoe county. He made a fine record and held the office until the spring of
1873. He was again chosen for high honors when, in 1875, he was selected
to represent his district in the senate of Indiana and served in the sessions of
1875 and 1877; and there, as everywhere else, his ability, fidelity to the best
interests of the people and ripe statesmanship, were abundantly manifested.
For the past ten j'ears he has resolutely declitied public office, and has
attended solely to his practice. By his energy and well directed efforts he
has acquired considerable wealth, though he has never made this his object

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 13

in life. He owns six residence properties in this city and has a beautiful
home, where he delights to extend a most cordial, hospitable welcome to
the hosts of friends who have gathered around him during his long residence
in this place. In his fraternal relations he is a Mason and an Odd Fellow.
September i8, 1854, Judge La Rue married Miss Mary O. Johnson,
daughter of James B. and Rhoda (O'Neall) Johnson. Four children were
born to that union, namely: Kate, James, John D. and Mary. James and
Mary died in infancy and John D. died when in his twenty-eighth year. The
only daughter married Charles Ringleben and is the mother of two children,
— Frank L. and Dudley D. They reside in Logansport. Mrs. Mary O.
La Rue died in i860, in the faith of the Society of Friends, in which she had
been reared. In October, 1868, the Judge married Mrs. Sarah E. Boulden,
widow of Eli N. Boulden and daughter of Martin and Elizabeth Rhoads.
The only child by the last marriage was Murray H., who died when a little
over a year old.

P. J. WEBER.

Rev. Father Weber, the beloved pastor of St. John's Catholic church,
of Earl Park, Indiana, was born in New York city, May 13, 1868, and is a
son of Joseph and Regina (Angersbach) Weber, both natives of Germany, the
former born in Hesse, the latter in Baden. The father died in New York
city in 1868, at the age of thirty-four years, at which time he was serving as
superintendent for the Singer Sewing Machine Company; but the mother is
still living, at the age of sixty years, and now makes her home in Carlsruhe,
Germany. The grandparents were all of German birth and lived to a
great age. *

The first four years of his life Father Weber spent in his native city and
then accompanied his mother on her removal to Carlsruhe, Germany, where
he attended the common schools and later the gymnasium, at which he was
graduated at the age of eighteen years. He then went to Belgium, where
he studied rhetoric for one year and philosophy for the same length of time
at St. Nicholas. The following three years and a half were spent in the
study of theology at Louvain, where he was ordained as priest January 6,
1 89 1. Three months later he came to the United States, landing at New
York city, and soon after he reported to Bishop Dwenger, at Fort Wayne,
Indiana, and his first appointment was at Klaasville, Lake county, Indiana,
where he remained for four years. At the end of that time he was given
charge of the congregation at Earl Park, which pastorate he has since filled
to the entire satisfaction of the church and his parishioners.

St. John's church is the oldest Catholic church in the locality, it having

14 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

been built twenty-five years ago. As a mission services were conducted for
the congregation at Earl Park by Father Haas, of St. Anthony's church,
generally known as Dehner church, and the mission was called St. John the
Baptist. It ne.xt fell under the pastorate of Father Maujay, of the Fowler
church, under whose charge it remained until 1888, when he was succeeded
by Father Vangier, who remained here for seven years, being succeeded at
the end of that time by the present pastor, Father Weber. He has added
to the church property by buying three lots, on two of which he has built a
fine two-story brick parsonage, at a cost of five thousand dollars, and on the
corner he plans to erect a new brick church in about three years, to cost six-
teen thousand dollars. He then intends to turn the present frame church
into a parochial school, as the parish has no school of its own at the present
time. The congregation, numbering about one hundred families, is com-
posed of French, German and English, and this being the case. Father
Weber preaches every Sunday in English, and every other Sunday in French
and German. He is an indefatigable worker for his church and the good of
the community, and is revered and loved by his own congregation, and
honored and esteemed by all who have seen his devotion to his noble
calling.

HON. THOMAS L. MERRICK.

Among the professional men of Fowler prominently appears the gentle-
man named above, who since 1867 has been enrolled as a member of the
Benton county bar, and over twenty-three of the thirty-one years have been
spent in Fowler.

Mr. Merrick is a native of the Hoosier state, born in Fayette county, on
the 17th of June, 1839. He is a son of Isaac and Margaret (Latchem)
Merrick, natives of Camden, Delaware, who were married in their native
state in 1834 and moved to Fayette county, Indiana, in 1835, and to Wabash
county about 1843. Isaac Merrick was a carriage-maker by trade, but his
life in Indiana was spent in agricultural pursuits. His death occurred in
Wabash county in December, 1870, and his widow still resides upon the old
home farm in Wabash county, where she has lived over fifty years; she was
born in Camden, Delaware, in 18 10. One of her children died on the same
farm in 1897, and one still resides there.

The subject of this sketch was reared and educated in Wabash county,
ending his school days at Wabash Seminary.

But while in school life he laid aside his predilections and allied himself
with the "boys in blue," enlisting as a private, August 15, 1862, in Com-
pany F, One Hundred and First Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Though lack-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 15

ing robust health and a vigorous constitution, he participated with his regi-
ment in the battles of Perryville and Milton, and besides these he also took
part in several severe skirmishes; but in recognition of his failing health he
was relieved from the activities of the camp and the march, with their
exhausting physical requirements, and placed upon detached duty, where he
could perform services as necessary to the government yet within the scope
of his physical abilities. He continued in this work until the expiration of
his term of service, that is, until July, 1865.

Next he studied law two years in the office of Pettit & Cowgill, of
Wabash, from which he was admitted to practice. In 1867 he located in
Oxford, Benton county, being one of three attorneys then practicing in the
county. From that day to this he has been a member of the Benton county
bar. In 1875, on the removal of the county seat to Fowler, he took up his
home in that little city and at once became identified with its material
progress. However, in 1868 he was chosen by the people from among his
colleagues to the office of state's attorney for the district then composed of
the counties of Benton, White and Carroll, serving a term of two years.
On locating in Fowler he formed a partnership with Mr. Henry S. Travis,
which continued for about ten years, the firm title being Merrick & Travis.
In addition to the general practice of law, they also did an extensive busi-
ness in adjusting land titles and in abstracting and conveyancing. Mr.
Merrick is one of the successful attorneys of Benton county, and he has
accumulated, as the result of industry and frugality, a very desirable prop-
erty. Among his possessions are two good farms, one of one hundred and
thirty-three acres, near Fowler, and one of three hundred and twenty
acres in White county, Indiana. Besides this he has a fine home and other
property in Fowler.

He was commissioned postmaster of Fowler in 1889, and surrendered
the office to the Democratic appointee in 1894. From 1895 to 1897 he
served one term as county commissioner. He has always been an active
Republican, zealous in the advocacy of the doctrines of that time-honored
party. All his life he has been prominent in local politics, freely devoting a
portion of his time to campaign work whenever circumstances seemed to
require. For thirty years he has been prominently associated with the
"brethren of the triple links," serving in every official capacity in the local
lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

In his father's family were seven children, of whom the eldest, William,
was born in 1835, in Delaware, and spent his days upon the parental farm-
stead in Wabash county, where he died in 1897; David, born in 1837, died
in 1872; Thomas L., the subject of this sketch, was the third in order of
birth; Rachel, born in 1842, became the wife of R. P. Mitten in Wabash and

16 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

died in 1875; Isaac, born in 1845, is a farmer in Wabash county, on the old
homestead; Henrietta, who was born in 1847, died at the age of thirteen
years, at her parental home; and Sarah, born in 1850, is the wife of J. L.
Gamble, a farmer near Wabash.

The genealogy of the Merrick family is traceable to English ancestors,
and they have been identified with New England for many generations. The
paternal grandparents, Isaac and Rachel (Sylvester) Merrick, were natives of
Delaware, and both lived to a ripe old age, dying in their native state. The
maternal grandparents, Thomas and Rebecca (Lockwood) Latchan, also
natives of Delaware, are both deceased, she dying in 1823, and he, after
coming west, in 1843, at the age of sixty-seven years. He was of Irish
descent and she of English. This long line of American ancestors carries the
family back to colonial days and identification with Revolutionary times. A
period of two hundred years is covered by the generations represented in
this sketch.

Mr. Merrick was married in Fowler, June 29, 1875, to Miss Martha Jane
Hawkins, a daughter of Robert and Sarah (Carter) Hawkins, natives of Ohio.
They came to Benton county, Indiana, in 1840, and were identified with the
pioneer history of the county. The father, a prosperous farmer, died at
Aydelott, in 1890, at the age of seventy-five years, and the mother at the same
place, in 1882, about sixty years of age.

Mrs. Merrick was educated in her native state, and is a lady of accom-
plishments. The only child by the marriage referred to is Laura, who was
reared in tenderness and parental love, receiving a thorough education and a
good training in music and art. She was married in December, 1895, and
died March 2, 1898. She was a young lady of bright promise, a favorite
among her school companions and girlhood friends. Mrs. Merrick is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, but Mr. Merrick has never
been identified with any religious organization. He contributes, however,
to the support of the gospel and all worthy religious and charitable enter-
prises.

JOHN SIMISON, M. D.

Dr. John Simison, of Romney, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, is now
rounding out a half century of active practice in the medical profession in
Tippecanoe county, and is the only physician now in the county who has
been in continuous practice here since 1851.

The Simisons are of English descent. They came to America and
settled at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, prior to the Revolutionary war. Robert
Simison, Dr. Simison's grandfather, was a resident of Carlisle. He was

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, jJ^'ti^n.^-i-'T.-^^^-^

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BIOGRJPEICAL HISTORY. 17

there married to a Miss Denny, and their children were Robert Elder, Boyd,
Denny and Parker, and one daughter, whose name is forgotten, who mar-
ried and settled at Mount Vernon, Alabama.

Robert Elder Simison, the father of our subject, was born in Carlisle,
Pennsylvania, and received a college education there. He learned the trade
of hatter. In his young manhood he moved to New Garden, Columbiana
county, Ohio, and in that locality married Miss Sarah Rogers, a native of
Columbiana county. He passed the rest of his life in that part of Ohio, and
died there at the age of fifty-two years. His children, in order of birth, were
named Mary, Martha, Parker, John, David, Jane, Margaret and Catherine
(twins) and Nancy. For many years Mr. Simison carried on a hat manufac-
tory, but in later life engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was a man well
known for his integrity of character, and had the esteem and respect of all;
who knew him.

Dr. John Simison was born November i6, 1824, at New Garden,.
Columbiana county, Ohio, and in his boyhood was a student at Atwater
Academy, where he gained a thorough knowledge of the common branches,,
read some Latin and Greek, and became well versed in the higher mathe-
matics. He then studied medicine in the office of Drs. Allen and Rice, of
Rockville, Park county, Indiana, and attended the Medical College of Ohio,
at Cincinnati. In the spring of 185 1 he began the practice of medicine at
Romney, Indiana, and soon established a large and lucrative practice over a
wide range of the surrounding country, and became one of the best known
of the early physicians.

About the time of his location here, in March, 1851, Dr. Simison mar-
ried Miss Harriet Eliza Agnew, of Parke county, Indiana, who was born in
that county September 30, 1832, daughter of Gibson and Eleanor (Smith)
Agnew.

The Agnew family is an old and distinguished family of colonial Penn-
sylvania, and, like the Simisons, traces its origin to England. Mrs. Simi-
son's grandfather Agnew settled in Adams county, Pennsylvania, at a very
early day, previous to the Revolution, and on a tract of land which he ac-
quired he built a substantial, two-story stone residence. Being an edu-
cated man, he built his residence large enough to have a school in one part
of it, and he established and taught the first high school in that part of Penn-
sylvania. Two of his brothers settled in the same vicinity, and all three
were men of large landed possessions and were highly respected citizens.
Grandfather Agnew's children were Smith, Joseph, Martha and Gibson. He
was a member of the Seceder Presbyterian church, and lived to an advanced
age. After his death his widow became the wife of a minister of that church.
Each had a large family when they married — twenty-two children in all —

18 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

and the school-room was then utiHzed as a part of the residence in order to
accommodate them all.

Gibson Agnew, the father of Mrs. Simison, was born in 1708, at the
homestead above referred to. In this connection it is a matter of interest to
note that a portion of the great battle of Gettysburg was fought on this farm
and the famous stone wall which was a part of the defence of the Union line
■was in part made by Gibson Agnew. Mr. Agnew received a good com-

mon-school education and taught school in his younger days. His brother,
Joseph, was a physician in Pennsylvania, and Dr. Joseph Agnew's son. Dr.
Hayes Agnew, an eminent surgeon of the United States Army, was President
Garfield's physician at the time he was mortally wounded by Guiteau.
When a young man Gibson Agnew went to Cincinnati, where he married
Eleanor Smith, who was born in the neighborhood in which the Agnews
lived, in Adams county, Pennsylvania, daughter of George Smith. The
Smiths also were of English descent and among the colonial settlers of Penn-
sylvania. George Smith was one of the pioneers of Cincinnati, where he
kept a hotel and resided until his death, which occurred at a venerable age.
After his marriage, about 1828, Gibson Agnew settled in Parke county, Indi-
ana, near Rockwell, where he bought a tract of timber land which he cleared
and improved, making a fine farm. On this farm all his children were born,
namely: Martha, Sarah, Harriet Eliza, Amanda, William, Margaret, David,
John, Mary, Smith, George and Irwin, — a sturdy pioneer family. In 1853
Mr. Agnew moved to Iowa and settled in Cedar county, on an improved farm
consisting of half a section of land, and here he passed his remaining days,
his death occurring in 1876, at the age of seventy-five years. Politically, he
was a Democrat, and, religiously, a Presbyterian, an elder in the church
from the time of his young manhood until his death, and he had three sons
who were elders in that church, and the other three sons were deacons. All
the daughters became members of the same religious body.

Dr. Simison and wife have spent the whole of their married life at
Romney, and here have reared their family, their children in order of birth
being Margaret A., Boyd Denny, Dr. John F., Charles G., David P. and
Gertrude M.

The subject of our sketch has long been identified with the Masonic fra-
ternity. He was one of the charter members of Romney Lodge, F. &. A.
M., was its first worshipful master and held that office for several years. He
has also taken the higher degrees of the order and is a member of the chap-
ter and commandery at Lafayette. His religious creed is that of the Method-
ist Episcopal church. For several years he has served as steward of the
church and has always given liberally of his means to its support. Politically,
he was first an old-line Whig, and when the Republican party was organized

BIOGRJPHICJ.L HISTORY. 19

in Tippecanoe county he was among the first to join its ranks, and was one
of the founders of the Republican party in Randolph township. For four
years he was one of the trustees of Randolph township.

In his long career as a physician Dr. Simison has accumulated a large
and valuable medical library of the best medical books and is a patron of the
leading medical periodicals of the day. The Doctor stands deservedly high
as a physician among the medical fraternity of Indiana. His long and
unbroken record of nearly half a century in active practice has thoroughly
established his reputation, but he is best known and respected in the regions
of his practice where he has so long been a familiar figure. He has always
been noted for his kind and friendly disposition. He was never known to col-
lect a bill by the aid of law and he has, without money or price, attended the
sick and afflicted poor of his locality. His material reward, however, has
been sufficient, gained by his honest industry and devotion to his profession.
He is one of the largest land-owners in Tippecanoe county, having holdings
to the amount of about two thousand acres of fertile land, and other valuable
property. A few years ago he erected in Romney a beautiful and substantial
residence, in modern style of architecture, and it is one of the finest homes
in Tippecanoe county.

HON. EDWIN POLLOK HAMMOND.

Conspicuous among the representative members of the Indiana bar
stands Hon. Edwin P. Hammond, who without question is one of the ablest
exponents of the law in the state. The record of his career, as outlined
below, must prove of interest to his innumerable friends and well-wishers,
as it bespeaks the character and labors of a singularly successful, upright,
patriotic citizen, who is now a resident of Lafayette.

Born in Brookville, Franklin county, Indiana, November 26, 1835,
Edwin P. Hammond is a son of Nathaniel and Hannah H. (Sering) Ham-
mond, the former a native of Maine and of fine old New England stock.
He was married to Miss Sering in Brookville, Indiana, and became a pioneer
of Franklin county, this state. In 1849 he removed to Columbus, Indiana,
and later in life became a citizen of Jasper county, where he died in 1S74.
He was a temperate, industrious man, and was blessed with a happy old age.
He left four sons and five daughters. One of the sons, Abram A. Ham-
mond, was at one time governor of Indiana, and another son, William P.,
once represented Morgan county in the Indiana legislature, and later became
a prominent lawyer of Albia, Iowa.

In early life the subject of this sketch worked on the farm, his educa-
tional advantages being limited to the district schools, but by diligent appli-

20 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

cation he obtained a wide fund of information. At the age of nineteen he
became a clerk in the first wholesale dry-goods house established in Indian-
apolis, and in 1855 he took up the study of law in the office of his half-
brother, Hon. Abram A. Hammond, and Hon. Thomas H. Nelson, of Terra
Haute. In the winter of 1S56--7 he was admitted to the senior law class of
Asbury (now DePauw) University, at Greencastle, and was graduated with
the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1857. Immediately afterward he located
in Rensselaer, Jasper county, and there began his professional career, which
has been a very successful one.

When the civil war came on, Mr. Hammond was one of the first to re-
spond to President Lincoln's call for troops in defense of the Union. Vol-
unteering in April, 1861, for the three-months service, in Company G,.
Ninth Indiana Infantry, he was elected second lieutenant and was after-
ward commissioned first lieutenant of the company, which participated in.
the West Virginia campaign, under Colonel (afterward General) Robert H.
Milroy. At the close of his service Mr. Hammond resumed his law
practice in Rensselaer, and in October, 1861, was elected without opposi-
tion as representative in the legislature from the counties of Newton, Jasper
and Pulaski. In August following he assisted in recruiting Company A,
Eighty-seventh Indiana Volunteers, and was chosen and commissioned its
captain. March 22, 1863, he was promoted to the rank of major and on
the 2 1st of the next November he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel.
With the exception of a short time in the winter of 1863-4, when he was
at home on a recruiting service, he was continuously at the front, participat-
ing in many of the most brilliant and hard-fought campaigns of the war.
He took part in the battle of Chickamauga, September 19 and 20, 1863.
When Colonel Newell Gleason, commander of his regiment, had been
placed at the head of the brigade. Colonel Hammond assumed the vacated
post of colonel of his regiment and continued in that capacity during the
remainder of the war. This period included the hundred days of almost in-
cessant fighting from Chattanooga to Atlanta, the march with Sherman to the
sea and thence through the Carolinas to Washington. Colonel Hammond
enjoyed the respect and good will of the officers and men under his com-
mand and the confidence of his brigade, corps and division officers,
who at the close of the war recommended that he be brevetted colonel of
United States Volunteers, and accordingly he was appointed by the
president to this brevet rank of colonel, his commission stating it to be
" for gallant and meritorious service."

Quietly taking up the professional duties which he had abandoned in the
hour of his country's peril. Colonel Hammond ere long had an extensive and
remunerative practice, as he richly deserved. In March, 1873, Governor T.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 21

A. Hendricks appointed the Colonel to the position of judge of the thirtieth
judicial circuit, and at the fall election of the same year he was elected to
that office. Again, in 1878, he was elected without opposition for a term of
six years. May 14, 1S83, Judge Hammond was appointed by Governor A. G.
Porter as judge of the supreme court of the state from the Fifth district.
This appointment was made to fill a vacancy caused by the appointment of
Hon. William A. Woods (then judge of the supreme court) to the judgeship
of the district court of the United States for Indiana. In the fall of 1884
Judge Hammond was the nominee of the Republican party for judge of the
supreme court from the fifth district, and with his party was defeated.
Though he was not successful in the race, the fact that he received five thou-
sand more votes than did the head of the ticket was ample evidence of the
excellent record he had made and of his popularity with the people of the
state. He retired from the supreme-court bench January i, 1885, after hav-
ing gained for himself an enviable reputation for judicial impartiality, firm-
ness and knowledge of the law. For the next five years he practiced unin-
terruptedly at Rensselaer, at the expiration of which period he was again
elected judge of the circuit court and as such served until August, 1892. At
that time he resigned and entered into partnership with Charles B. and Will-
iam V. Stuart, under the firm name of Stuart Brothers & Hammond, now
one of the strongest law firms of Lafayette, whither Judge Hammond
removed in 1894. As a lawyer he has long sustained the reputation of being
of the ablest in Indiana; as a judge his rulings and opinions have commanded
the respect of the highest authorities. Gifted with a keen, analytical mind
and rare powers of discrimination and judgment and intimate knowledge of
the law, his services on the supreme-court bench, as well as on that of the
tircuit court, were such as to place him among the ablest jurists of the time.
In appreciation and recognition of the high rank which he had achieved at
the bar, Wabash College conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws
in 1892.

Previous to the civil war Judge Hammond was affiliated with the Demo-
cratic party, but since that time has been an ardent Republican. He was*
a delegate in the Republican national convention, at Philadelphia, in 1872,
which nominated General Grant for his second term. Fraternally, he is a
Mason, a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the
Grand Army of the Republic.

In 1864 the Judge married Miss Mary V. Spitler and their children are
as follows: Louie, wife of William B. Austin, of Rensselaer, Indiana;
Angela, wife of Edward A. Horner, of Leadville, Colorado; Edwin P., Jr.,
a graduate of the Indiana State University, is now practicing law with his
father; Jean and Nina V.

22 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

JEROME H. CROUSE, M. D.

For nearly sixty years the Grouses, father and son, have been engaged
in the practice of medicine in Dayton, Tippecanoe county, and have been
prominently connected with all local progressive movements. They have been
on the side of temperance, the father being associated with the old Wash-
ingtonian Society and the son identified with the order of Good Templars.
Both have been devoted to the Republican party, the father having formerly
been a Whig, and later on of the foremost champions of the party which
succeeded it, voting for John G. Fremont. His services on behalf of his
party were recognized in his being elected to the state senate, in which he
ably represented the public.

In following back the ancestry of the subject of this article it is learned
that he is of German extraction on the paternal side. His great-grandfa-
ther, George Grouse, come to America some time in the early part of the
eighteenth century, and settled in Gumberland county, Pennsylvania. Henry
Grouse, the grandfather, was born July 6, 1768, in Gumberland county,
and married a lady of the same locality, Salome Hevison, she having been
born February 15, 1766. Their children were as follows: Garoline, born
May 20, 1792; Leah, March 6, 1794; Henry, August i, 1796; Maria, July
15, 1798; Simon, July 25, 1802; John, August 15, 1804; David, September
18, 1808; Elizabeth, October 15, 18 10; and Daniel, November 10, 18 14.
Henry Grouse removed to Germantown, Ohio, about 1820, and cleared a
farm in that locality. In 1830 he settled in Marion county, Indiana, on land
which was afterward chosen as the site of the asylum for the insane, near
Indianapolis. He bought and cleared a quarter section of land there and spent
the rest of his days on that homestead. He died while still in the prime of
life, owing to injuries received from a falling tree, which he had cut down.
He was a member of the German Reformed church.

Dr. David H. Grouse, father of our subject, was a young man when he
accompanied the family to Marion county, in 1830, and for ten years there-
after he assisted in the management of the property which his senior had
purchased there. He then came to Dayton and bought land, gradually
extending his possessions until he had about five hundred acres. For the
most part, he purchased his farms from the original owners, and having
greatly improved his special homestead, in i860 he built a substantial two-
story brick residence upon it, and within its hospitable walls his son, our sub-
ject, has dwelt for many years. In 1843 he was graduated in the Jefferson
Medical Gollege, of Philadelphia, and had previously studied with his brother,
Daniel B., a successful early practitioner of Dayton and vicinity. He at
once established himself in practice in Dayton and for more than two-score

BIOGRJPEICAL HISTORY. 23

years was a leading physician in this portion of the county. In the first
years of his practice he was obliged to ride to distant places, as doctors were
few and the population very scattering. For years he was a faithful member
of the Presbyterian church and officiated as an elder in the same.

For his first wife Dr. David H. Crouse chose Rachel, daughter of Fred-
erick and Catherine Gelwicks, of Franklin county, Pennsylvania. The Gel-
wicks were of sturdy Dutch stock, and have been represented in this country
since colonial days. The homestead owned by Frederick Gelwick was
located some eight miles northwest of Chambersburg, and had been handed
down from father to son for several generations. They were substantial
farmers and were zealous members of the German Reformed church. The
old Gelwick farm, a place of about three hundred acres, has never passed
from the family and is now owned by a grandson of Frederick Gelwick. His
children were John, Susan, Elizabeth, Mrs. Hartzell, Frederick and Rachel.
To Dr. Crouse and wife Rachel several children were born, and those who
lived to maturity were Salome C. , who married Elijah Earl, Victoria V.,
wife of V. S. Burton; and Jerome H. Subsequently to the death of his first
wife, in 1845, Dr. D. H. Crouse married Rachel Baker, by whom he had
two children who survived: Meigs V., a former pastor of a Presbyterian
church, and now the superintendent of a children's home in Cincinnati,
Ohio; and Elda. The third wife of the Doctor, Mrs. Lydia Peter {nee
Leibenguth) survived him, and is still living. His death took place Decem-
ber 7, 1884, at his old home, where his active and useful career had been
chiefly spent.

The birth of Dr. Jerome H. Crouse occurred December 30, 1843, in
Dayton, Indiana. He attended Wabash College after he had finished a
common-school education, but the civil war broke in rudely upon his studies.
He enlisted at eighteen years of age in the Tenth Indiana Battery, light artil-
lery, under Captain J. B. Cox, as a private, for three years or as long as the
war should last. He served under the great leaders, Buell and Rosecrans,
took part in the battles of Pittsburg Landing, Stone River, Chickamauga,
Corinth and the great four-months struggle known as the Atlanta cam-
paign. After the fall of Atlanta he and his battery were placed in charge of
a gunboat on the Tennessee river, and he was honorably discharged at
Nashville, Tennessee, February i, 1865. His service was a most creditable
one, and he was relied upon by his superior officers, who knew that he would
always be found at his post of duty, whatever happened. Though he partici-
pated in the numerous hard-fought battles and campaigns in which his battery
took part, he escaped capture and wounds, save once, when he was accidentally
injured in the left shoulder. For some time he was connected with Wilder's
brigade and was sent on several raids in the neighborhood of Atlanta. Since

24 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

the war he has had special affection for the Grand Army of the RepubHc,
and has been commander of Elliott Post No. i6o, of Dayton, and was one
of its charter members.

When he returned from the south the Doctor commenced the study of
medicine under his father's guidance, and in 1867 graduated in Rush Medical
College in Chicago. The same year he embarked in practice in this, his
native town, and in 186S took a special course in Jefferson College, Phila-
delphia. For three decades he had been constantly occupied in his profes-
sional duties, enjoying a large and lucrative practice. He is the possessor
of an e.xtensive library, embracing not only the finest works on everything
connected with medical science but also on general subjects, standard litera-
ture, etc. He is a past master of Dayton Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, is now serving as secretary of the same and also has attained the
Scottish Rite degree in the order. Since the death of his honored father he
has been an elder in the Presbyterian church, and takes an earnest interest
in the spread of Christianity.

On the 6th of Oc ober, 1868, Dr. J. H. Grouse wedded Sophia C. Bart-
mess, a daughter of Oliver C. and Sarah (Clark) Bartmess, of Dayton.
Mrs. Grouse was born in this town, December 14, 1847, and died in March,
1869. Her father, who is still living, was born in Butler county, Ohio, and
entered the land where he settled and has since lived, in this county. Dr.
Crouse was married in March, 1894. to Lena, daughter of Shannon and
Mary (Taylor) Nicely, who came to Dayton from Pennsylvania. The Doc-
tor and his estimable wife are the parents of one son, David H. Mrs. Grouse
is, like her esteemed husband, a member of the Presbyterian church.

REV. JAMES HARVEY McBROOM.

A worthy representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of north-
western Indiana is the Rev. J. H. McBroom, of West Lebanon, Warren
county. At the age of seventeen years he united with the Christian church
and since i860 has been an earnest and faithful minister of the gospel. In
the temperance cause, and in every movement calculated to benefit and up-
lift the people, he has been aggressive and interested, heart and soul, con-
tributing his quota of influence wherever it has been useful. Nor is his
influence small in the community which has been his abiding place for so
many years, no one having more thoroughly the esteem and high regard of
the citizens.

The birth of Rev. J. H. McBroom occurred in Fountain county, Indiana,
October 13, 1824, his parents being John and Martha (Snodgrass) McBroom.
Both parents were natives of Virginia, their birthplaces having been not far

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 25

from the famous "natural bridge." John McBroom was a son of Henry
McBroom, who, though a native of Ireland, was of Scotch parentage. The
family traditions state that during the war of the Revolution in America three
brothers by the name of McBroom emigrated from the Emerald Isle to the
United States, and, casting in their fortunes with the struggling colonies,
helped to wrest the power from the mother country. It is related, moreover,
that one of the brothers was wounded at the battle of Camden, where the
brave Baron DeKalb was killed. ' It is believed that all who bear the name
of McBroom on this continent are descended from one of the three brothers
mentioned. On his mother's side, also, our subject comes from good old
Revolutionary stock, as his grandfather Snodgrass, an Irish emigrant, was a
volunteer in the war for independence, and strove to place the land of his
adoption on a safe and reputable foundation in the eyes of the world. John
McBroom spent some time in his early manhood in North Carolina and Ten-
nessee, and was married in Preble county, Ohio. He and his family later
became residents of Wayne county, Indiana, and in March, 1824, they settled
in Fountain county, this state. There the father entered land, and on this
tract, which he had in the meantime converted into a finely improved farm,
he died, in September, 1857. The wife and mother departed this life in
March, 1846. They were consistent members of the Christian church, and
were beloved by all who knew them. Mr. McBroom was a stanch Whig and
was a great admirer of General W. H. Harrison. Twice he volunteered to
serve under that sturdy officer, but was rejected, owing to a temporary dis-
ability. Of the four sons and one daughter born to Mr. McBroom and wife
only two now survive, James H. and his brother, Ithamar W. The others,
who have entered into the silent land, are Mrs. Harriet Cade, Elam S. and
John Milton.

Rev. J. H. McBroom grew to man's estate upon his father's farm in
Fountain county, and he managed to acquire what was considered an excel-
lent education for those days. He was especially gifted as a mathematician,
and was very successful, and he embarked in teaching. One of the most
important steps which he took in life was when he married Miss Elizabeth
Dyer, in September, 1S49. Mrs. McBroom is a native of New Jersey, and
her parents, William and Sarah (Conover) Dyer, were born in Virginia and
New Jersey, respectively. In 1832, when she was two years old, Mrs.
McBroom was brought to Fountain county by her parents, who continued to
reside there until claimed by death.

In 1865 Rev. Mr. McBroom removed to Pike township, Warren county,
and still owns a fine farm here. In March, 1884, he located in the village
of West Lebanon, where he has been active in the advocacy of all kinds of
local improvements. For seven years he was a trustee of Pike township.

26 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

and in 1884 he was honored by being nominated and elected to the state
legislature. He received a flattering majority and his career in the house
was such as to justify the confidence which had been reposed in his judgment
and ability. Formerly a Whig, he allied himself with the Republican party
upon its organization. His first vote was cast for Zachary Taylor. The
children of our subject and wife are Mary C, Francis and Mrs. Sarah M.
Murray.

OBED BARNARD.

The subject of this review is one whose history touches the pioneer
epoch in the annals of the state of Indiana and whose days have been an
integral part of that indissoluble chain which links the early, formative
period with that that of latter-day progress and prosperity. Not alone is
there particular interest attaching to his career as one of the pioneers of the
state and as one of the most prominent business men and leading citizens
of Benton county, but in reviewing his genealogical record we find his
lineage tracing back to the colonial history of the nation and to that period
which marked the inception of the grandest republic the world has ever
known. In the eighteenth century, while the Atlantic coast formed part of
the colonial possessions of Great Britain, members of the Barnard family
came to America, and as early as 1818 the family was founded in Indiana
among the pioneer settlers in the southern section of the state.

The parents of our subject were John and Sophrona (Sottle) Barnard,
natives of the Empire state. The father was born in 1800, the mother in
1804, and their marriage was celebrated in Washington county, Indiana,
about 1820. The father was a man of liberal education who devoted thirty
years of his life to teaching in Tippecanoe county, Indiana. He was also a
thrifty farmer and acquired considerable property. After a residence of
forty years in Tippecanoe county, he was called to his final rest in 1873.
His wife passed away iu the same county in 1866. They were the parents
of eight children, but only two are now living, although with one exception all
reached the meridian of life. Stephen D., the eldest, died near Battle
Ground, at the age of fifty-si.x years; William died in the same neighborhood,
at the age of thirty-eight years; Obed is the third in order of birth; George
W. died in infancy; Riley G. died in the vicinity of his birthplace, at the
age of forty-seven years; Almira, twin sister of Riley, became Mrs. Jennings
and died in Cedar county, Iowa, at the age of fifty-eight years; Mary A.,
who became Mrs. Bryan, died near Marion, Indiana, at the age of forty
years; and Mrs. Eliza Ann Robinson, the living sister, makes her home in
California. In her early womanhood she married a Mr. Bryan, a brother of

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ♦ 27

her sister Mary's husband. She was early left a widow, and her health
becoming impaired she went to the Pacific coast, hoping to be benefited
thereby. While there she met and married Mr. Robinson and has since
resided in California.

Obed Barnard was born in Washington county, Indiana, on the 5th of
December, 1826, and when seven years of age accompanied his parents on
their removal to Tippecanoe county, then a backwoods district of northwestern
Indiana. This was in 1S33, when the little log cabin occupied the site of many
of the commodious and beautiful homes of the present. The Blackhawk war
had recently occurred and the horrors of Indian fighting formed the theme
of many a tale told by the fireside during the long winter evenings. In the
vicinity of Lafayette occurred an engagement, and the place is now known
as " Battle Ground.'' There were many hardships and trials to be borne by
the early settlers in those days when "near neighbors" lived five miles
apart, when the land was largely in its primitive condition, when forests were
uncut and prairies uncultivated. Obed Barnard aided his father in the
arduous task of developing a new farm and early became familiar with all
the duties that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He attended the district
school until he had attained the age of twenty years, and acquired a good
practical English education, which has been supplemented by the careful
reading of a life-time and the mental training of an active business career.
Though reared on a farm, he entered upon an independent business career as
a grain dealer in Lafayette, and throughout his entire life has carried on
operations along that line in connection with farming and stock-raising. In
1865 he removed from Lafayette to Brookston, White county, where he
continued in the grain business until 1874, when he came to Fowler, since
which time he has been prominently indentified with the business interests of
this prosperous and thriving little city. His connection with the place was
rather accidental, however.

The elevator which he and his son now own and operate was erected by
a man who frankly acknowledged that he had lost money in the venture, but
Moses Fowler, for. whom the town was named, did not wish the place to be
deprived of the industry and accordingly took steps to continue. Mr. Barnard
had recently sold out at Brookston, and was temporarily out of business.
Mr. Fowler then proposed that they form a partnership and carry on the
business, which was done, and the new firm of O. Barnard & Company
operated the elevator for fifteen years, or until the death of Mr. Fowler, when
his interest in the property was purchased by Mr. Barnard and the present
firm of O. Barnard & Son was formed. For forty-one years Mr. Barnard
has engaged in the grain trade, and his ripe experience made his venture in
Fowler by no means uncertain. In fact success attended the enterprise from

28 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

the beginning of his connection therewith and the business constantly
increased in volume and importance until it has long been recognized as one
of the leading commercial interests of the cit}'. His present partner is his
son, John F., who adds to the experience and mature judgment of the father
the enterprise and progressive spirit of younger men, making a combination
that cannot fail to win prosperity. Their elevators and cribs have a capacity
of two hundred thousand bushels, and are operated by all modern appliances
and machinery known to the business. During the business season the firm
employs a number of men, thus materially aiding in the support of those
dependent upon their own labor for a livelihood.

For some years Mr. Barnard was extensively engaged in stock-raising,
giving special attention to the breeding of graded Hereford cattle. He owns
a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres near Fowler, and one hun-
dred and fifty acres near Lochiel, and takes special pride in the improve-
ment and adornment of these places. Since dividing the responsibilities of
the grain business with his son, he is enabled to spend more time in the
supervision of his farms and other business interests, and his wise counsel
has proved an important factor in the successful management of many busi-
ness concerns. He owns an interest in forty acres of land in the gas belt,
near Parker, Indiana. The property has already produced gas, and is known
to be rich in oil. Mr. Barnard also has some fine residence property in
Fowler and derives therefrom an excellent income.

Mr. Barnard has been twice married. On the 30th of January, 1S49,
he wedded Miss Elizabeth Jennings, of Tippecanoe county, who died in
1874, leaving two children: John F. and Floyd Guy, both of whom are
prominent business men of Benton county. On the 23d of May, 1876, Mr.
Barnard married Miss Elizabeth M. Barnes, a resident of Battle Ground.
Their only child, Elizabeth, died in infancy. The elder son is associated
with his father in the grain and produce business in Fowler, and is very en-
terprising and energetic. He married Miss Mary Helen Merrick, who repre-
sents an old and prominent family of Illinois, and they have four children:
Mary E., George Obed, Ruth M. and Fred Merrick. F. Guy Barnard, the
younger son, is engaged in the grain and stock business at Lochiel. He re-
sides upon and operates his father's farm near that village, and is extensively
interested in the breeding and sale of Poland China swine. He has also
engaged in raising horses to some extent, and has charge of the elevator be-
longing to his father at Lochiel. He married Ivy Hixson, a popular young
lady of Fowler.

In early hfe Mr. Barnard gave his political support to the Whig party,
and on the organization of the new Republican party joined its ranks and has
since been one of the stalwart advocates of its principles and policy. His

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 29-

counsel and advice are often sought on matters political, and his influence,
prompted by unselfish motives, is fully recognized. He was one of the first
trustees of the town of Fowler, elected soon after the incorporation, in 1875,
and from that time to the present has taken an active interest in the affairs
of the city. He has given a liberal support to all measures which he believed
to be for the public good, and is untiring in his advocacy of all that will
promote the educational, social, material or moral progress of Fowler. For
many years he has been identified with the Methodist Episcopal church, and
is a consistent Christian gentleman whose belief is manifest in his charity,
his kindliness and his honorable dealing. His life has been a very busy and
useful one, broken by few periods of rest. Of late years, however, he goes
on a visit to his sister about once in two years, usually spending the winter
in the milder climate of California. He has also invested in property there,
and now has a bearing orange grove of one thousand trees, while a handsome
residence and other improvements also adorn the property.

In his business dealings, Mr. Barnard has met with almost phenomenal
success, yet his prosperity has been gained along the line of industry, enter-
prise, careful management and supervision, sound judgment and, above all,
straightforward dealing. Though he started out in life empty-handed, he has
conquered obstacles and difficulties by strong determination and has steadily
worked his way upward to a position of affluence. So worthily has his
wealth been won, and so well is it used, that the most envious cannot grudge
him his success, for many have profited by it, and the town of Fowler has
been not a little benefited by his generosity. Few men are better known in
northwestern Indiana. Seventy-two years cover the period of his residence
in the state, a record probably equaled by no one in this section of the com-
monwealth. He has witnessed, therefore, much of its growth and develop-
ment, has seen the introduction of the railroad, the telegraph and telephone,
the establishment of industrial and commercial interests, and the transforma-
tion of its wild lands into beautiful homes and farms. By his upright life he
has at all times commanded the respect and confidence of his fellow men, and
no one is more worthy of representation in this volume than the honored pio-
neer whose name introduces this review.

ORLANDO FIDLER.

This gentleman is one of the substantial pioneer farmers of Tippecanoe
county. His people first came to Indiana in 1827, locating in Clinton county,
where they remained until 1832, when they came to Tippecanoe county and
settled on the farm which is now the home of our subject. He springs from
sturdy Pennsylvania-Dutch stock. His grandfather, Jacob Fidler, Sr., was

50 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

a well known farmer of the Keystone state and was the father of three sons,
— Felt, John and Jacob, and three daughters, all of whom were ultimately
married.

Jacob Fidler, Jr., the father of Orlando Fidler, was a native of Penn-
S3'lvania and when a young man removed to Ross county, Ohio, where he
married Elizabeth Storm, whose birth also occurred in the Keystone state.
Her father, John Storm, was of Pennsylvania stock and in that state followed
agricultural pursuits for some years. He afterward became one of the pio-
neers of Ross county, Ohio, where he cleared up a large farm and became a
wealthy man. In the Methodist church he held membership. His children
were John, Joseph, Samuel, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Susan and one other, a
daughter, whose name is not remembered.

His son John, when a youth of sixteen years, enlisted in the army for
service in the war of 1812 and participated in several battles. He afterward
resided on the old Storm homestead and became a very wealthy man. He
owned about two thousand acres of land in Ross county, Ohio, together with
extensive landed interests in Benton county, Indiana, Iroquois county, Illi-
nois and in Iowa. He also had money out at interest and was estimated to
'be worth two hundred thousand dollars. A man of excellent business sagac-
ity, he managed his affairs with great ability and discretion, and his prosperity
therefore gradually increased. He held a membership in the Methodist
church, and lived to the advanced age of ninety-eight years, his death occur-
ring in Ross county, Ohio.

After his marriage, Jacob Fidler, Jr., located in Ross county, Ohio,
where he made his home for ten years, and then removed to Clinton county,
Indiana, locating in Ross township, near the line of Tippecanoe county.
There he entered one hundred and sixty acres of timber land, made a clear-
ing, and industriously carried on the work of developing a farm for five years,
when he sold the property, taking his pay in silver. This coin, together with
what he already possessed, more than filled a half-bushel measure. In the
fall of 1832 he removed to the farm upon which Orlando Fidler now resides,
purchasing the eighty-acre tract of John Hoover. It had been first entered
and settled by John Holliday, one of the pioneers of the county. As the
result of his energy and well directed efforts, Mr. Fidler's financial resources
were increased and he was thereby enabled to extend the boundaries of his
farm until it comprised three hundred and forty acres of fine farming land.
This he cleared and improved, making a good pioneer home. Both he and
his wife were members of the United Brethren church, but in the latter years
of her life Mrs. Fidler was identified with the Christian church. In politics
the father of our subject was independent. He was a well known pioneer,
and highly respected citizen, and his death, which occurred in February

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 31

1850, when he had reached the age of sixty years, was mourned by many
friends. His children were Alvin, George, Joseph, Barbara, Sarah, Orlando,
William, Susan, Rebecca and Andy. The last named was a loyal soldier of
the Union army, and was wounded in battle.

Orlando Fidler, whose name introduces this review, was born November
6, 1 83 1, in Clinton county, Indiana, and when only about two years of
age was brought by his parents to the old family homestead in Tippecanoe
county, whereon he now resides. He was thus reared amid the wild scenes
of pioneer life. Much of the land throughout the county was still in its prim-
itive condition, and deer, wolves and bearswere still found in the forest, and
often fell before the trusted rifle of Mr. Fidler, who in his young days was an
excellent marksman. He was reared on the farm and early became familiar
with the labors of field and meadow. On attaining his majority he was mar-
ried to Rachel Routh, the wedding ceremony taking place in I^auramie town-
ship, Tippecanoe county, September 9, 1853. She was born in that township,
a daughter of John and Mary V. (Koontz) Routh. She had one son, John,
but died soon after his birth, and on the 29th of December, 1859, in Laur-
amie township, Mr. Fidler was again married, his second union being with
Samantha Monohon, who was born in that township, July 22, 1844. Her
parents were Martin and Sarah (Routh) Monohon. Her father was born
October 26, 1821, was of Irish and German descent, and by occupation was
a farmer. He, too, was married in Lauramie township, to Sarah Routh, a
daughter of Isaac Routh, a native of North Carolina, and a representative of
an old family of German origin. He was one of the pioneers of Tippecanoe
county, locating in the midst of the forest in Lauramie township, as early as
1829. While coming to the west, the family were stricken with measles and
soon after reaching their destination Mrs. Routh and several of the children
died. The kind-hearted neighbors assisted the husband and father in build-
ing his log cabin, and he managed to keep his remaining children together
until they were able to care for themselves, although he never married again.
He entered his land, developed a good farm in the midst of the forest, and,
in addition. to the one hundred and sixty acres of rich land in his homestead,
also became the owner of some good town property in Lafayette. He pros-
pered in his undertakings and became one of the substantial citizens of the
community. He was a member of the "Hardshell" Baptist church, and
died at an advanced age. The children who survived the death of their
mother were Joshua, John, Linda, Joyce, Susan, Isaac and Sarah. After his
marriage, Martin Monohon settled on the farm owned by Isaac Routh, that
hii wife might keep house for her father. Mr. and Mrs. Monohon had but
one child, Mrs. Samantha Fidler. The mother died when the daughter was
only six weeks old. She was a consistent member of the Baptist church and

32 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

and a lady of the highest virtue, whereby she won the love of all who knew
her. Mr. Monohon afterward went to Iowa and was again married, by which
union he had five children, — Asenath, Emma, Leander, Cassius and Augustus.
He is still living, his home being near Seattle, Washington, where he owns
a large estate. He has two sons who are interested in mining in the Klondike.
After their marriage Mr. Fidler and his bride located on the old family
homestead, where almost his entire life has been passed. He now has a
very valuable farm, comprising over three hundred acres of arable land,
which returns to him a golden tribute for the care and cultivation he
bestows upon it. The home has been blessed with six children, namely,
Melissa, Mettie, Frank, George, Lulie and Joseph. Mr. and Mrs. Fidler
are prominent members of the Christian church, and he has always been a
liberal contributor to its support. It was largely through his efforts that
the house of worship was erected. He not only aided financially in the
work but also assisted in hauling the building material and boarded the men
who were engaged on its construction. In politics his views are in harmony
with the free-silver Democratic party, yet he does not consider himself bound
by party ties. He is a man of intelligence who reads and thinks for himself,
is faithful to all trusts, is proverbially honest, and is numbered among the
public-spirited and highly respected citizens of his community.

JASPER H. STIDHAM.

One of the most practical, progressive and enterprising agriculturists of
Tippecanoe county is Jasper H. Stidham, who has spent, his entire life on
the farm in Union township, Tippecanoe county, where he yet makes his
home. He is a representative of an old colonial family of the state of Dela-
ware. His ancestors, natives of Sweden, were among the founders of the
Swedish colony that was planted along the banks of the Delaware river
before the founding of Philadelphia by William Penn. This was the first
Swedish settlement in America, the year of their arrival, 1642, being marked
by the building of a fort on Tinicum island, in the Delaware river. There
they continued to hold dominion over the surrounding country, governing
themselves according to their own ideas until 1655, when their power was
disputed by Governor Stuyvesant of the New Netherlands, who captured the
Swedish forts and ended Swedish rule in the new world. The little king-
dom, however, has continued to send to America many of her best citizens,
people whose sterling qualities have made them important factors in the com-
munities in which their lots have been cast. To-day many of the prominent
men of the nation proudly trace their descent from Swedish ancestors.

William Stidham, the grandfather of our subject, was descended directly

'iJ^ft^tA. % . .A^t^^/JwcyJ^-

.iZ^<^

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 33

from one of the early colonists of Delaware, was born on a farm in that
state, served as a captain in the old state militia, and in 1820, with several
families, emigrated to Indiana, making the journey with horses and wagons,
and becoming one of the pioneers of this state. He settled on land in Wayne
county and developed and improved a farm, making his home in that county
until his death, which occurred when he had reached the venerable age of
eighty-two years. In politics he was a Democrat, and in religious faith he
and his family were Episcopalians. He and his wife, Eliza Stidham, had
five children: Thomas, John P., George, Ann and Eliza.

John P. Stidham, the father of our subject, was born in Delaware, three
miles from Wilmington, on the ist of September, 1799, received such educa-
tional privileges as the common schools of his day afforded, and came to
Indiana with his father when twenty-one years of age. In 1824 he entered
one hundred and sixty acres of land in Union township, becoming a resident
there in 1830; and this is the farm upon which our subject now resides. He
afterward purchased forty additional acres from the government, and this
deed bears the signature of Andrew Jackson, then president of the United
States. Part of this land was prairie and part timber. After making the
purchase Mr. Stidham returned to Wayne county, and on the 14th of August,
1829, took up his abode in Tippecanoe county. The following year he set-
tled upon the old homestead farm in Union township, and at once began its
development, transforming the wild land into richly cultivated fields and
erecting substantial farm buildings. He was an industrious, energetic man,
and by the aid of his children accumulated about four hundred acres of land,
— a very valuable property which he placed in a high state of cultivation.
He was also a well known pioneer and respected citizen, and all who knew
him held him in high regard. He married Terrissa Nort, who was born in
Germany, March 4, 1800, and when twelve years of age came to Delaware
with her father and half-brother and sister. The mother died in Germany
when Terrissa was quite young. The father had been married before in that
country, the children of the first union being John and Appolonie. The father,
Mr. Nort, died on the passage to America. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stidham were
born three children: Elizabeth Ann, who was born May 13, 1830, and died
March 20, 1894, when sixty-three years of age; Eleanor P., born October i,
1 831; and Jasper H., born August 18, 1833. The father lived to be seventy-
two years of age, and died on the farm in Union township, March 26, 1871.
In politics he was a Democrat, and in all life's relations he was true to the
trust reposed in him and the duties that devolved upon him.

Jasper H. Stidham, whose name forms the heading of this article, has
spent his entire life in Tippecanoe county. The farm which is now his home
was his playground in youth and his training school for business cares. The

S4 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

occupation to which he was reared he has made his life work, always devoting
his energies to farming, stock raising and dealing in stock. His capable
management, his systematic methods and his energy have brought to him a
well deserved success. After the death of his parents Mr. Stidham and his
two sisters resided upon the farm together until 1894, when the elder sister
<iied. Since that time the remaining sister and brother have lived together,
and through their combined efforts the old homestead ranks among the best
homes in this part of Indiana. As the years have passed Mr. Stidham has
made judicious investments in land, has extended the boundaries of the home
farm, and now has a valuable property of over one thousand acres, much of
which is under cultivation of a high order and yields to the owner a golden
tribute in return for the care and labor he bestows upon it. The farm is
splendidly drained, with about twenty-five miles of tiling.

Mr. Stidham shows a number of traces of his Swedish ancestry, having
the thoroughness, reliability and perseverance so characteristic of the race.
He is a man of kindly and genial disposition, of generous impulses, and
broad-minded, and no citizen of the community stands higher in the public
regard. In politics he has always been a Democrat and keeps well informed
on the issues of the day, but has always refused office. He is a friend of
public improvement and a strong advocate of good roads, good schools and
all measures tending to the general advancement and progress. He and his
sister are worthy representatives of one of the old and honored families of
the county, and well deserve mention in this volume.

HON. DUNCAN McARTHUR WILLIAMS.

So closely allied with the interests of Benton county is the history of
Duncan McArthur Williams that a work of this character would be incom-
plete without a record of his career. His name is one prominently
connected with the business enterprises of the county, with its pioneer de-
velopment, with its political record and with its material and educational
advancement; and he ranks to-day among the distinguished citizens of
northern Indiana, — a man who stands high in the regard of his fellow men
and commands the respect of all by his sterling rectitude of character.

Mr. Williams is a native of the Buckeye state, born in Woodstock,
Champaign county, January 16, 1832, a son of Samuel and Margarette
(Lansdale) Williams. His father was born January 10, 1807, in Prince
George county, Maryland, and his mother in Washington, D. C. , Septem-
ber 22, 1805, and they were married September 30, 1828, at his mother's
birthplace, and immediately thereafter located in Woodstock, Ohio. About
three years later Mr. Williams bought a farm of three hundred acres near

C't^z.^z^ 1^,1^2^ (/ryd/cl^::^:^^^:^

^;L,^t^C'<^^

W^^^;t2^oC.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 35

Mechanicsburg, purchasing the same of Duncan McArthur, a family friend
for whom our subject was named and who presented him in later years
with one hundred acres of land. Mr. Williams' mother accompanied her
parents to Mechanicsburg when she was a child of ten years; but on the
death of her parents a few years later she returned to Washington and re-
mained there until after her marriage.

The paternal grandfather of our subject, John Williams, was also a
native of Prince George county, Maryland. His parents were among the
earliest settlers of that state and the family was a prominent one in the early
history of Maryland. John Williams was a ship carpenter by occupation,
and was a captain in the war of 1812, stationed at Annapolis. After the war
he located on a farm overlooking the Potomac, but his death occurred at
Mechanicsburg, Ohio, in 1838, when he had attained the age of fifty-four
years. He married Miss Nellie Duval, a lady of French extraction, who was
born and reared in the vicinity of Baltimore, and who died in Prince George

<=o"nty. . 1362802

The maternal grandfather of our subject was Thomas Lansdale, who
married Miss Jemima Hyatt; they were both of Welsh ancestry and natives
of Maryland, owned the property upon which is located the town of Hyatts-
ville, rendered somewhat noted in recent years as being the camping ground
of Coxey's "commonweal army " on its tramp to Washington. Mr. Lans-
dale, the grandfather of our subject, was a miller by occupation, and was
the original proprietor of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, where he erected a flouring
mill, which he owned and operated until his death. These ancestors both
died young.

Mr. Williams, whose name heads these paragraphs, was denied the
advantages of a classical education, though he has supplemented his youthful
training by a life-time of careful reading and systematic study: his literary
pursuits in later years have been largely conducive to this end. He attended
the common schools in Mechanicsburg and for a brief time the London
Academy. On leaving this institution he received a certificate of qualifica-
tion to teach reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar and natural
philosophy. This honorable introduction to the world was prefaced by the
statement over the signature of his professor, " He has and will sustain him-
self in his studies." This expression of implied confidence in his ability and
determination to win has been a life incentive to him, and to this is largely
due his persistent effort at self-culture.

At the beginning of life's struggles, independently of parental authority
and aid, Mr. Williams was imbued with the idea that the stock business was
prolific of flattering results. Coming to Indiana in 1852, he followed farming
and stock-raising for some years in Parish Grove township, Benton county,

36 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

where he once owned seventeen hundred acres of land. He drove one hun-
dred and twelve head of cattle, unassisted except the first day, from his farm
to market in Chicago. After the civil war he thought that the south pre-
sented a profitable field for investment of northern capital and industry, and
accordingly he purchased a plantation near Jackson, Mississippi, whither he
moved; and while a resident there he was a member of the constitutional
convention under reconstruction measures in 1867. The year following he
was a delegate from Mississippi to the national Republican convention at
Chicago and assisted in the nomination of Grant and Colfax.

But his investment in southern property did not prove satisfactory, and
in 1869 he returned to Indiana and entered journalism. But it was in 1873
that he purchased the Central Clarion, the first newspaper published in
Fowler. In 1876 he disposed of the Clarion, but repurchased it in 1878,
changing the name to Fowler Era, and continued to be its editor and pro-
prietor until 1880, when he finally retired from journalism. Until 1873 the
family home was on the farm in Parish Grove, but since that date in Fowler.

In 1876 Mr. Williams was commissioned postmaster and served about
four years. He then went on the road as a general agent for a school-sup-
ply house, serving in that capacity for six or eight years. Next he engaged
in the real-estate and loan business in Fowler. In recognition of his special
fitness for the position, he was made chairman of the Republican county
central committee in 1888 and was continued in that position until 1898, re-
tiring when he was commissioned postmaster of Fowler, on the ist of Febru-
ary, 1898. During his administration as leader of the Republican party in
Benton county he prosecuted an aggressive policy, redounding to its success
and increasing its majority threefold.

Mr. "Williams was one of the prime movers in the county-seat contest,
which resulted in transferring the seat of government of Benton county from
Oxford to Fowler; and to accomplish this end he and his friends resorted to
much strategy known only to the successful politician. One means employed
was the purchase of a complete newspaper outfit at Chicago and the estab-
lishment of a fearless organ favorable to the transfer; and through its columns
able articles were published which brought together the previously disinte-
grated fragments of the party favorable to the new movement. About this
time the Patrons of Husbandry became a strong factor in politics, their pol-
icy being to defeat the dominant party, whatever its name.

In 1896 Mr. Williams was chosen a presidential elector from his con-
gressional district and performed valiant services for the success of the
McKinley ticket. No man in Benton county has performed greater service
to the Republican party than D. McA. Williams. Not only this, but he has
also watched the growth and prosperity of Benton county from its infancy to

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 37

the present day, and has always encouraged and fostered everything of
public interest and value. He is public-spirited and enterprising, and liberal
to a fault. For two years he held the office of county assessor, receiving
his appointment in 1891. In the pioneer days of 1858 he held the office of
justice of the peace, in Parish Grove township.

He owns some land in Kansas and a comfortable home in Fowler. He
is devotedly attached to his family, and enjoys the comforts and seclusion of
his happy home ; has been an industrious worker all his life, and whatever
he has done he has done " with all his might.'' Though well along toward
the traditional " three-score and ten years " in life's journey, he is still active
and energetic and in the enjoyment of good health. No man in Benton
county is more worthy of representation in this work than Mr. Williams ; in
fact his life history is so closely interwoven with the public affairs of Benton
county that a work of this character would not fill its mission to posterity
were he not given the prominence his worth demands.

Mr. Williams was married in Parish Grove, March 22, 1853, to Miss
Elizabeth B. Boswell, a daughter of Parnham and Adah (Chenoweth)
Boswell. Her father was born in Prince William county, Virginia, Septem-
ber 30, 1798, and was one of the prosperous farmers and pioneers of Benton
county. The town of Boswell, in this county, is named in his honor. His
death occurred at that place in April, 1882, when he had reached the
advanced age of eighty-six years. His wife, who was born near Piketon,
Pike county, Ohio, died in Parish Grove, June 8, 1878, and both are buried
at Oxford, where their remains are no more disturbed by the awful lightning
flash of the midnight storm than by the calm rays of the next noon-
day's sun.

Mr. and Mrs. Williams have had three children, one of whom is
deceased. The eldest of these, Edward P., was born at Waco, Texas,
August 7, 1858, and is now his father's efficient deputy in the post-office.
Adah M. was born at North Hickory Grove, Benton county, Indiana,
October 13, i860, and died in Fowler, August 29, 1889; and Lizzie L., a
beautiful and accomplished young lady still at her parental home, was born
at Parish Grove, May 10, 1870, and has been for a number of 3'ears the
official stenographer for the thirtieth judicial circuit of Indiana.

SAMUEL C. HANSON.

Samuel C. Hanson, city superintendent of the public schools of Will-
iamsport, Warren county, Indiana, and the author of a series of popular
school music books, was born at Pana, Illinois, January 12, 1850. His par-
ents were John and Alcinda (Cox) Hanson. In 1857 the family removed to

38 BIOGRAPHICAL SIS TOE T.

Decatur, Texas, and engaged in farming and stock-raising. It was soon
after this that the feeling of hatred that existed on the part of the people of
the slaveholding states for men from the north culminated in war. Mr.
Hanson, being one who freely expressed his sentiments, — which were, of
course, on the side of the Union, — was compelled for the safety of himself
and family to leave the country, and he returned to his former home
in Illinois, where his death occurred April 14, 1898. The wife and mother
passed away thirty-seven hours before the death of her husband, and the
remains of husband and wife, father and mother, were consigned to the
same tomb.

Professor Hanson is one of a family of six members, all of whom are
living. He received his primary education in the public schools, and grad-
uated at the Westfield College in 1874, and later was for some time a student
of the Miami Conservatory of Music, where he made a specialty of vocal
culture and harmony. He has since had a wide experience as teacher and
has won an enviable reputation in educational circles. He taught for some
time at Green Hill Seminary in Warren county, and was for four years prin-
cipal of Edwards Academy, at Greenville, Greene county, Tennessee. He
has been connected with the schools of Williamsport as superintendent since
1885. He organized the first regular high school at this place, the course
being one of three years. This high school was recognized by the state
board in 1888, and that year graduated its first class, which numbered four
members. The number of graduates to date is fifty-three. In 1898 there
were no graduates, as a year had been added to the course of instruction,
making it four years in length. About one-half of the graduates of the high
school have entered a college or university and a number have graduated
there. The schools of the city are conducted in one large central building
and employ eight teachers. Under the superintendency of Professor Hanson
the schools of Williamsport have reached a high degree of efficiency and are
numbered with the best in the state.

Professor Hanson is the author of a number of school music-books, which
have attained a wide popularity. Among tihem may be mentioned "Merry
Melodies," "Silvery Notes," "Merry Songs," "Primary and Calisthenic
Songs," "Golden Glees," and "Living Gems" for Sunday-schools. For a
number of years the Professor has been employed by county superintendents
in different parts of the country, during his summer vacations, to give vocal
instruction at teachers' institutes. This has given him a wide reputation as
an instructor in vocal music, and his books on this subject are everywhere
esteemed for their excellence. In educational and musical fields Professor
Hanson has accomplished and is doing a great work. He is thoroughly
absorbed in his labors, is a gentleman of attractive appearance, courtly

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Sa

manners and winning personal magnetism. His culture and sensitiveness to
high artistic influences have caused him to become a power in an extended
circle of the best minds of the state.

In 1876 Professor Hanson married Miss Nannie E. Edmondson, a native
of Indiana, and five sons and a daughter have been born to them, viz.: A.
Wayne, Whittier L., Lillian G., Robert E., John C. and Samuel C.

PROFESSOR JOHN F. BARNES.

There is always a great incentive to the young in a perusal of the life
history of a successful man, one who has risen to a high place in any community
by sheer force of character and the exercise of determination and perseverance.
In the person of the subject of this sketch is found such an one. Left an
orphan at an early age, he was thus thrown largely upon his own resources, but
his was an undaunted spirit and he persisted in his efforts to acquire an ex-
cellent education, wisely concluding that with such a foundation success
would more surely come to crown his labors in the world's busy highways.
He has had wide and varied experience as an educator of the young, .and few
are better qualified to judge of their needs and capabilities. He thoroughly
loves his work, and in this fact doubtless lies the secret of his success.

The Lafayette Business College, of which Professor Barnes is the presi-
dent, is an institution whose value and high standing in northern Indiana are
too well admitted to require a specific testimonial in this connection. Yet a
brief recapitulation will be apropos. Without doubt it is one of the best
commercial colleges in the state and enjoys numerous and peculiar advan-
tages. Its faculty is composed of live, enterprising men, who, by long ex-
perience in business and educational fields, are finely fitted to instruct young
men and women in actual business forms and requirements. Pupils are grad-
uating from this college continually, thence to go into business channels and
to occupy positions of responsibility and desirability in the great cities and in
smaller towns. Scores of them are now valued employes of leading com-
mercial firms in the cities of Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, St. Louis,
etc. Moreover, many a young man has doubled his salary by taking a course
of stenography, bookkeeping or typewriting. It is well known that many
firms nowadays prefer to employ a person who is competent to keep books
and to handle their correspondence also, and thus it is infinitely to the ad-
vantage of an applicant for a position if he thoroughly understands both kinds
of work.

It would seem that no argument should be needed in this day of spe-
cialization, of progress, of enterprise, to convince every one, in whatsoever
station in life, that he ought to fit himself for some kind of ptactical work.

40 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Wealth takes unto itself wings, and nothing is certain save what is stored
within the mind. It alone is a treasure-house to be depended upon in the
struggle for a livelihood, which comes sooner or later to the great mass of
mankind. Every farmer, every business man, every man of whatsoever
occupation or station in life is much better qualified to manage his property
and look after his financial interests if he is posted in the various trans-
actions of business life, if he has a practical knowledge of banking and notes,
checks, drafts, etc., of contracts and business law. All of these things are
carefully drilled into the minds of the students of the Lafayette Business
College by a skilled and competent corps of teachers. One specially desir-
able feature of this college lies in the fact that a point is made of getting
its students good and paying positions with reputable firms as soon as said
pupils are competent. In the commercial colleges of the great cities this
personal interest in scholars is impossible, but here every reasonable effort
is made to place graduates in desirable positions, and one member of the
faculty makes this his chief business and occupation. Board is, of course,
much more reasonable in a place of this size than in a larger city, and all of
the environments of students here are more beneficial and conducive to
earnest, hard work and study. Among the faculty are the well known edu-
cators: J. F. Barnes, the president of the college; E. D. Douglas, who is
principal of the English and commercial departments; R. A. Grant, principal
of the shorthand and penmanship departments; and Frank Reinier, assist-
ant in the commercial department. Lectures are given on the different
lines of business by the leading business men of Lafayette.

Professor John F. Barnes was born in Spencer, Owen county, Indi-
ana, October 13, i860, a son of Joseph B. and Eliza R. (Smith) Barnes.
He was an only son, and his only sister, Eliza R. , died when between six and
seven years of age. The father, who was a farmer, bravely responded to
the call of his country in the civil war, enlisting in the Fourteenth Indiana
Volunteer Infantry. After he had gallantly served in many a hard cam-
paign for about three years, his life was laid down as a sacrifice at the
second day's battle of the Wilderness. His wife having died but a few
weeks previously, our subject was thus left an orphan, but a few years old.
His paternal grandfather, who was of German descent, was a farmer and
early settler in this state. He died in middle life, at his home near Spencer,
Owen county. His children comprised four sons and three or four daugh-
ters. The maternal grandfather of our subject, William Smith, was a native
of Virginia, and of English descent. A successful farmer and stock-raiser, he
resided for years in Greene county, Indiana, where he was a pioneer. He
reared a large family and died when about seventy-five years old.

The boyhood of John F. Barnes was spent upon his maternal grand-

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 41

father's homestead in Greene county, and his education was that of the
common schools and that of the Worthington high school, where he
graduated, He then took a normal and commercial course, after which he
taught for several years in the graded and district schools. In 1884 he went
to the west and for four years traveled and lived in the western part of
Kansas, the Indian Territory, Colorado and Texas. In 1888 he returned and
for a year was an employe of the Union Milling Company, at Union,
Indiana. The following two years he was occupied at his old vocation,
that of teaching, and attending the normal school at Princaton, Indiana.
During the winter of 1890-91 he was a member of the faculty of the Busi-
ness University of Indianapolis. In August, 1891, he came to Lafayette,
and was the principal of the commercial department of the college up to
February, 1897, when he became president of the institution, as well. The
college has prospered under his management, having about two hundred
students enrolled.

June 30, 1898, Mr. Barnes married Miss Vina Price, daughter of James
W. and Elizabeth (Johnson) Price, and their pleasant home is at No. 420
North Seventh street. They are members of Trinity Methodist Episcopal
■church and are interested workers in its various departments of usefulness.
Mr. Barnes is superintendent of a mission Sunday-school and is president of
the Epworth League of the church. His parents were identified with the
same denomination and he was reared in its creed. Politically, he is a loyal
Republican and fraternally a member of the order of Knights of the Macca-
bees, being record-keeper of the local organization with which he is identified.

JAMES ELI JONES.

James Eli Jones, one of the trusted employes of the Panhandle Rail-
road, and a resident of Winamac, Pulaski county, is a native of Fulton county,
Indiana, his birth having occurred near Kewanna, July 27, 1856.

His father, Isaiah Jones, who was a life-long farmer, was a native of
Pennsylvania, whence he removed to this state at an early day. In 1865
he removed to Douglas county, Kansas, where he pre-empted a quarter
section of land about ten miles southeast of Lawrence. After living there
for about four years he went to Brown county, same state, and was engaged
in the cultivation of a farm there at the time of his death, March 25, 1872,
when he was in his fiftieth year. His wife, the mother of our subject, bore
the maiden name of Sarah Rogers.

In his boyhood James E. Jones lived upon farms, but agriculture was
not exactly to his liking, and the main part of his mature life has been
■devoted to other enterprises. He did not leave the parental home perma-

42 BIOORAPHICAL HISTORY.

nently until he was married, after which event he continued to carry on a
farm for about one year. Going with his parents to northeastern Kansas in
1882, and settHng near St. Joseph, Missouri, he obtained employment in
Robinson, Kansas, as a stationary engineer in a mill owned by Samuel
Grooninger. After holding that position for six years he entered the employ
of the St. Joseph & Grand Island Railroad Company, in the construction
department, later working for the same road in Nebraska, and serving as .
section foreman for a number of years. In November, 1897, he returned to
this, his native state, and has since been a resident of Winamac. In the
spring of 1898 he became an employe of the Panhandle Railroad Company,
with which corporation he is at present.

February 13, 1881, Mr. Jones married America Ann Dilts, and the chil-
dren born to them are: Mae, March 27, 1882; Sarah Leah, February 28,
1885; Carry Ellen, January 12, 1890; and Lottie Belle, March 25, 1895.
Fraternally, Mr. Jones is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America,
and in politics he is a Republican. He and his estimable wife are members
of the United Brethren church.

C. ALBERT HARBAUGH, M. D.

Dr. Cyrus Albert Harbaugh, the well known physician and surgeon of
Lafayette, stands in the first rank of his profession and commands an exten-
sive practice by means of his ability, learning and conscientious discharge of
his high calling. No one stands in so close a relation to his fellow men as
the family physician, and no one is more often called upon to give advice
and sympathy, or is the recipient of confidences which, if abused, would
cause untold disaster. Good judgment, tact, caution, benevolence, — all
these must be combined with a thorough knowledge of his profession to make
a successful practitioner, and in the gentleman whose name heads this sketch
may be found these quahfications.

The parents of our subject were Philip and Marjorie (Stoops) Har-
baugh, the former born Brown county, Ohio, and the latter in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania. The father combined the occupations of farming and school-
teaching, and came to Indiana in 1835, settling in Hamilton county, and is
now living retired in Cicero. The mother died at Cicero, Indiana, in Sep-
tember, 1878. Both were members of the Christian church, in which Mr.
Harbaugh served for many years as elder and deacon. Their children were
three in number: John R., of Cicero; Cyrus A. ; and Lydia C. Hall, of Cicero,
now deceased.

Philip Harbaugh, Sr. , the grandfather of Dr. Harbaugh, was a native of
Germany who settled in Ohio at an early day. He was also a farmer by

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 48

occupation and was a soldier in the war of 1812. He reared eight children
and lived to be eighty-four years old. The maternal grandfather of our sub-
ject was George Stoops, who was a native of Scotland and a fur merchant.
He made his home at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and was about seventy-five
years old at the time of his death. He also had eight children.

Dr. Cyrus A. Harbaugh was born in Cicero, Hamilton county, Indiana,
February 18, 1852. He was brought up on his father's farm and in his boy-
hood attended the district school afterward being a student in the Arcadia
high school and completing it at Butler University. He began the study of
medicine in 1872 and in 1876 was graduated at the Medical College of Indi-
ana. Subsequently he attended the Miami Medical College, at Cincinnati.
He began the practice of his profession at Arcadia, where he remained for
six years, then going to Cincinnati for two years. He then removed to Tip-
pecanoe county, where the remainder of his time was spent until 1896, when
he took up his residence in Lafayette.

On December 25, 1876, our subject was united in marriage to Miss
Arminda B. Martz, a daughter of Moses and Tabitha (McCormick) Martz,
and three children have been born to them: Jewell M., Leona M. and Nina
A. The Doctor and his estimable wife are worthy members of the Christian
church, in whose good work 'they take an active part. They have a pleas-
ant home, recently built, which is a charming resort for their many friends.
Politically, Dr. Harbaugh is a Republican, but has always been too busy to
become an aspirant for office. Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity,
the Knights of Pythias and the Supreme Court of Honor. He is a genial,
companionable man, and very popular throughout the community.

WILLIAM C. BABCOCK.

Mr. Babcock was born and reared in Jasper county, Indiana, near Rens-
selaer, where he now conducts an extensive grain market. He was born on
the old farm February 19, 1862, and is the only child of Nathan and Mar-
garet C. (Terhune) Babcock. His father was a farmer and pioneer settler
of Battle Ground, Indiana, coming from the state of New York. He died
in 1874, when in his seventy-third year. He married Margaret C. Terhune,
a native of Kentucky, who was born in 18 16, and lived to reach her seventy-
fifth year.

William C. Babcock was reared upon the farm, four and one-half miles
southeast of Rensselaer. He attended the public schools and received a
good common-school education. After the death of his father, which took
place when our subject was but eleven years old, he remained upon the farm
in Marion township, and followed agricultural pursuits until about four years

44 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

ago, when he embarked in the grain business, and he enjoys an excellent
reputation among the farmers and producers as a safe, reliable buyer, who
will pay the full market price each day. He is conservative in his dealings
and never speculates, buying and selling at market price, which makes him a
safe man to deal with.

He was united in marriage to Miss Avanall Dougherty, whose people
were pioneers of Marion township, where she was born. Two children have
been sent to brighten their home, William J., aged three years, and Margaret,
one year old. Mr. Babcock is a stalwart Republican, and has always taken
an active part in politics, although he has never allowed his name to be used
as a candidate for office until the fall of 1898, when he was pursuaded to
make the race for county auditor, to which office he was elected in Novem-
ber, 1898. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Knights of
Pythias, uniform rank, and has served as delegate to the grand lodge. He
is also a member of Rensselaer Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

ROBERT H. McGRATH.

For the past decade the gentleman whose name stands above this brief
tribute to his sterling worth has been the sole proprietor of the McGrath
Foundry and Machine Works, one of the pioneer enterprises of Lafayette,
established almost forty years ago, by his father, whose history follows that
of the son. The foundry of to-day is a large and prosperous plant, situated
at the corner of Third and Romig streets. All kinds of steam engines and
boilers, mill gearings, castings and machinery are here manufactured, and a
specialty is made of repairing machinery. Under the pushing, energetic
management of R. H. McGrath the business is being enlarged continally and
gives promise of yet greater things.

One of the native sons of Lafayette, he has always been closely associ-
ated with the upbuilding and growth of the place, and has done his share in
promoting its advancement. He was born May 5, 1859, and received his
early education in the local schools. Believing that he should receive special
business training, his father then sent him to the Lafayette Commercial
College, where he was trained in general business routine. Later the young
man spent two years pursuing the higher branches of learning in the Uni-
versity of Notre Dame, near South Bend, Indiana. In 1876 he became one
of his father's employes, in the machine shops here, and, by a period of
practical work in all of the departments of the concern, he became thoroughly
conversant with each and every detail of the work necessary for him to
know. In 1884 he was taken into partnership, which connection continued
up to the date of his father's death, in 1889. Since that time the entire con-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 45

trol of the business has been in his hands, and he has been abundantly able
to cope with the responsibilities of the position. Success has crowned his
efforts and he may be justly proud of the same. His business methods are
upright and honorable and his word is as good as his bond. Politically, he
is a Democrat, and in religion is a Roman Catholic. By his marriage to
Miss Mary Ward he has four children.

ROBERT M. McGRATH.

The man who founds a successful business or establishes a factory giving
employment to many hands is a benefactor to the public no less than is the
man who generously builds school-houses and libraries, churches and asylurr s.
No better way can be found of assisting the poor than to make it possible
for them to honestly and industriously earn their own livelihood, and, to the
credit of the majority of the great laboring class, be it said that few of the
multitude are not willing to work. Forty years have rolled by since the
McGrath Machine Shops and Foundry were started in Lafayette, and for
almost thirty years of that time the subject of this article was at the head of
the enterprise, which he carefully cherished until it became one of the relia-
ble and stable plants of the city. He was a fine machinist and an excellent
mechanic, understanding thoroughly every detail of his business. Not only
that, he was, moreover, a genius and inventor of no little merit, and among
his useful and valuable inventions may be mentioned the now well known
McGrath Champion cylinder iron corn-sheller for use in warehouses, and a
wagon-dump for unloading grain at elevators, etc. Both of these inventions
proved very popular and valuable and are now in extended use throughout
the country.

The birth of Robert M. McGrath occurred in Reading, Pennsylvania,
July 23, 1 826. He was a youth of fourteen when he first arrived in Lafayette,
where the rest of his life was mainly spent. At that time, however, he did
not stay long, but went with a surveying party to survey the course of the
Wabash & Erie canal, and it was not before 1844 that he returned to make
his permanent home here. Entering the employ of Joe Hubler, the pioneer
foundryman of Lafayette, he continued with him for several years, during
which time he mastered the business and became an expert mechanic. In
i860 he purchased the ground on which the McGrath machine shops now
stand, and soon erected a substantial lot of buildings. Little by little, he
extended the capacity of the works, and by square dealing and straightforward
methods won the regard and patronage of the public. He continued actively
engaged in business until death put an end to his labors, July 4, 1889.

Mr. McGrath left a widow, three daughters and two sons to mourn his

46 BIOGRAPHICAL EISTOBY.

loss. His eldest son, Charles M., had died previously, when nine years old.
Mrs. McGrath was formerly Miss Catherine O'Grady, a native of Ireland. Her
surviving children are Mary C, Robert H., Catherine, Helen, Frances and
George J. The family are Catholics in religious faith.

In local Democratic circles Mr. McGrath was acknowledged to be an
important factor. For a number of years he served in the city council, and
at the time that the present court-house of Tippecanoe county was erected
he was one of the county commissioners who carried the matter through to
successful completion. By his many sterling qualities of mind and heart he
endeared himself to all who knew him and his place in the community where
he dwelt so long cannot be easily filled.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN GREGORY.

Benjamin Franklin Gregory, deceased, for many years an esteemed res-
ident of Williamsport, Indiana, was born in Lawrence county, Indiana, in
1816, the third son of James and Elizabeth Gregory. He was educated at
Wabash College, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1836, two
years after which he became a resident of Williamsport. Here he soon
took high rank both as a lawyer and citizen and he figured prominently in
public affairs, his influence reaching far beyond the bounds of his own
town and county. An earnest and devoted Christian and at one time an
exhorter in the Methodist Episcopal church, he taught both by example and
precept. He was elected treasurer of Warren county in 1852 and two years
later was re-elected. In 1862 he was honored with a seat in the lower
branch of the state legislature, was in 1864 elected to succeed himself; and
during the four years he represented his constituency in the legislative halls
he performed his duty with fidelity and to the entire satisfaction of all con-
cerned. In 1872 he was chosen presidential elector for his congressional
district and to him was delegated the honor of carrying the vote of his state
to Washington.

Mr. Gregory was married March 31, 1839, to Miss Hannah E. Heffley,
who bore him three sons, the eldest of whom died in infancy. The young-
est, Benjamin R. Gregory, born in 1848, died in 1896. Benjamin F.
Gregory, the father, died at his residence in Williamsport, March 7, 1874,
after an illness of three months. His widow, now advanced in years, re-
sides with her son in Williamsport.

John Gregory, the second of the sons and the only survivor, was born
at Williamsport, January 19, 1844. He read law with his father and was
admitted to the bar, after which he was associated with his father in practice
for a number of years. At the general election in 1880 he was elected to

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 47

the general assembly as joint representative for the counties of Benton and
Warren, and served one term. In February, 1870, he engaged in the
newspaper business, purchasing the Warren Republican, which he still
owns and publishes.

Mr. Gregory's wife was formerly Lila Florence Chandler. Her father,
Robert A. Chandler, was a pioneer of Warren county, who came here
from New Jersey, and died in 1S61. She was born in Wiliiamsport,
October 3, 1844. They have had eight children, seven of whom, two sons
and five daughters, are living.

NATE J. REED.

The present sheriff of Jasper county, Indiana, was born September 3,
1845, in Springboro, Ohio, his parents being William and Mahala (Fox)
Reed. His father was born in Kentucky and moved to this state in i860,
continuing his vocation of husbandry. His mother was born and reared in
the state of Ohio. Five children blessed their union: Daniel Webster, a
soldier in the civil war, now a resident of Warren county; Nate J., our sub-
ject; Jahu and Alonzo, both deceased; and William Wesley, a resident of
Illinois. The family were brought up in the Methodist faith.

Mr. Reed came to Rensselaer, Jasper county, in 1871, from the county
of Warren. His early years were spent on a farm, where he was inured to
the trials of country life, helping with the numerous chores during his spare
time and attending the public schools, his opportunities for receiving a good
education being first-class.

In 1862, when the dark cloud of discord overshadowed our land, and
threatened her dissolution, he valiantly took up arms in her defense, and
enlisted in Company F, Seventy-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with his
brother Daniel. He fought in the Army of the Cumberland for three years,
taking part in many engagements, among which were the battle of Chicka-
mauga and the siege of Atlanta. He passed through many startling e.xperi-
ences and had marvelous escapes, his comrades being hewn down around
him by shot and shell, while his own life was spared and not even a wound
was received as a memento of those terrible times. He was mustered out
of service at Edgefield, Tennessee, and returned home July 4, 1865, to
resume his old occupation of farming.

Mr. Reed married a lady from Remington, this county, whose maiden
name was Miss Maude Lally. She is a lady possessing many superior endow-
ments of mind and heart, and is a zealous worker in the Presbyterian church,
of which she is a member. Mr. Reed is a Republican, but had given his
attention to farming prior to 1891, when his party elected him to the office

48 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

of sheriff, and since then his time has been devoted to the duties of his office.
He was renominated again in the fall of 1898, and was re-elected to the
important office of sheriff. He is a genial, social gentleman, and everybody
in the county knows and likes him. He is a member of the Knights of
Pythias.

JAMES S. MAVITY, M. D.

The character and attainments of the professional men of a city usually
determine, to the mind of the stranger, the character of the city itself.
Measured by this standard, Fowler stands second to no city of equal size in
Indiana. The subject of this sketch stands at the head of the medical pro-
fession not only in Fowler, but also throughout the county. This is the
unanimous verdict of representative citizens of the community.

Dr. James S. Mavity is a practitioner of twenty-seven years' experience,
a quarter of a century in the town of Fowler. He is a " Hoosier " by birth,
born in Ripley county, February 19, 1845. His parents, David J. and
Lurana B. (Davis) Mavity, were natives of Virginia, where they were reared
to years of maturity and were married. In 1836 they removed to Ripley
county, Indiana, and hence were among the early settlers of that county.
They were the parents of si.x children, named as follows : Thomas Benton,
a contractor and builder at Tipton, Indiana ; William K., who died in
Denver, Colorado, at the age of forty-seven years, was a physician and
surgeon; Lavisa A., who became the wife of James W. Lee, and resides at
Indianapolis ; Mary Louisa died in childhood ; Sarah E. married Jonathan
B. Ward and died in Kokomo, Indiana, at the age of forty-seven ; and
James S., the subject of this sketch.

The family trace their genealogy to Normandy, and were established in
America by William Mavity, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, who
located in Greenbrier county, Virginia, in 1765 ; while the Davis family, as
represented by the mother, is of English and German descent. David J.
Mavity passed away in Ripley county, on the 7th of August, 1872, at the
age of seventy-four years. His life had been devoted to agricultural pur-
suits. His father, William Mavity, was a soldier from Virginia in the Revo-
lutionary war. The following appeared in the Indianapolis Sentinel of
November 28, 1895, and is a matter of very great interest, not only as an
heirloom, but also as an. unquestioned evidence that the Mavity family is
descended from Revolutionary stock :

" In a lonely graveyard a few miles east of the town of New Mar-
ion, Ripley county, Indiana, is the grave of William Mavity, a sergeant
major of the Second Battalion in the Fourth Regiment, commanded by Colo-

> iU. //f^i/^'

M: n

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 49^

nel Waller of the Virginia troops of the Revolutionary war. He lived in
Virginia, and moved to Indiana in 1824, and died about 1832. As a ser-
geant major it was his duty to make daily reports, which he entered in a pocket
diary, that has been preserved by his descendants and is now owned by John
Mavity, of St. Helena, California. This diary is absolutely unique and very
curious. It was made of coarse paper covered with leather tanned by the
owner; and the leather is covered by cloth that was made from cotton raised,,
carded and spun on his own farm. The writing was done with a goose-
quill and sometimes a wooden pen. This little diary of twenty-two pages is-
extremely valuable. It contains the names of officers and privates as entered
on ' the returns from twenty-one captains of one hundred and eighty-five
rank and file.' The sergeant major drew a map of the siege of Yorktovvn in
his diary, showing the positions of the New York troops, Lincoln's and Stev-
en's regiments, also Colonel Dabney's and General Washington's headquar-
ters, the British redout and the French troops. What scenes this old weath-
er-beaten, even blood-stained little book, has passed through! The edges are
ragged, torn and discolored, and on many pages the writing is illegible.

"The following is the exact description of the siege of Yorktown and
the surrender of Cornwallis given in this diary. This is the first time this
account appears in print, and is as follows:

" ' In Camp at Springfield,

" 'Sept. 28, 1781.
" ' Our men marched down to York, and the Rifle men and French Infan-
try attacked the British outlines and took their works, which Deprived thenn
of Pasture and ocostined them to kill their Horses; and on the 29th our Rifle-
men Drove them into their main works, and General Washington with the
Grand Army appeared before York and Pitched their camps in view of the
Enemies' works about a mile Distant, and immediately Laid close siege tO'
their whole Garison, both by sea and Land, and raised Bateries without fir-
ing a shot till the eight of Oct., when we had three Batteries opened and be-
gan to play furiously upon the Enemy and silenced their fire, which they kept
continually Pouring upon our men, while they were firing their works; and
one 14th, at night our men made an Atackt on the Enemies' Redoubt,
where they kept their Picket Guard and stormed them with a considerable
loss and made a great Carnage with the Enemy and took fifty-nine prisoners,
wounded forty-three, and took several stands of arms. We had one Colonel,
two Captains and forty rank and file killed, and one major and twenty wounded;
and the 15th at night, our men made a Trench in conjunction with the Re-
doubt that they had taken from the Enemy within two hundred yards of the
Enemies' lines, and raised three Bateries; and they began to mount their can-

50 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

non; but the Enemy came upon our militia and Drove them out of the works,
took possession of our Grand Batery and spiked six pieces of our cannon; but
the front came up and Drove them off and killed several and took eight; and
on the i6th we finished our works; and on the 17th our Grand Batery Began
to play very Heavy, and the Enemy sent a flag for terms of Capitulation;
and on the iSththe flag continues; and on the 19th they marched out with
the honors of War.' "

The Sentinel also contains a cut of this famous little book, and a repro-
duction of the map referred to.

In his youth. Dr. Mavity received a liberal education at Moore's Hill
College, in Dearborn county, Indiana, and began life's struggles on his own
account as a teacher. For six years he was thus employed in Indiana and
Illinois. His ambition, however, was to fit himself for the medical profes-
sion, and he began the study of medicine under the tutorship of Drs. Smith
and Wagner, of Newman, Illinois. In 1 870-1 he attended the Indiana
Medical College at Indianapolis, and during the last mentioned year opened
an office and began practice, at Tipton, Indiana. In 1884 he took a course
of lectures at Central University, Kentucky, in the medical department, and
received his degree from that institution. In 1876 he came to Fowler and
soon took rank with the first physicians in Benton county. Others have
come, tarried for a time and retired to other fields; but Dr. Mavity remains
a permanent fi.xture of the town, each year adding to his popularity as a wise
counselor and skillful practitioner. He has filled various positions of a pro-
fessional character, among which may be mentioned that of health officer of
Benton county; but he has never entered pohtics as such. In his political
principles he is a Republican. His father was a Democrat until the break-
ing out of the Civil war. The Doctor has held the position of school trus-
tee two terms, and the same period that of councilman or trustee of Fowler.
In his religious views he is a Unitarian, while his wife and daughter are mem-
bers of the Presbyterian church. He is also a member of the Masonic
fraternity.

He was married September 6, 1868, to Miss Mary A. Hart, a native of
Franklin county, Indiana, and a daughter of Robert and Martha (Crary)
Hart, the former a native of Franklin county, of Irish ancestry. The Doctor
has had six children, of whom three are living. The eldest, Robert Ernest,
died at the age of two years. The eldest daughter and fourth child, Agnes
by name, is also deceased, passing to the other life at the age of four and a
half years. William Asher, the filth born, died at the age of eight months.
The living children are David Everett, Joseph Haller and Helen Hart.

David Everett was educated at the high school of Fowler, of which he

BIOGRJPEICJ.L HISTORY. 51

is a graduate, and he also attended the high school at Edinburg, Indiana.
He began the study of medicine under his father's tuition, entered the Medi-
cal College of Indiana in 1889 and pursued a three-years course, but was
finally graduated at Gross Medical College, at Denver, Colorado, in 1892.
The following year he spent in the Arapahoe County Hospital, at Denver,
where he held the position of interne. Returning home in the autumn of
1893, he engaged in the practice of his profession in company with his father,
which is the present relation. Joseph Haller was educated in the high
school of Fowler, also at Bloomington, this state, and at Purdue University
— at the latter in the pharmaceutical department, — and is now employed in
the drug business in Fowler. The daughter, Helen Hart, is now a
young lady of sixteen years, and a student at the Fowler high school.

The mother of our subject was born in 18 10, and died July 15, 1898.

A miscellaneous item of history in connection with the genealogy of Dr.
Mavity will, in conclusion, be a matter of interest. The great-great-grand-
father of Dr. Mavity was a soldier in the army of William, Prince of Orange,
and when England was conquered he settled in Ireland, where the grand-
father of Dr. Mavity was born, and where the great-grandfather was about
to be assassinated by reason of his political views and activity in public affairs,
but was liberated by friends — or rather saved — and immediately came to
America.

WILLIAM S. LEFFEW.

For many years William Samuel Leffew has been connected with the
journalistic interests of Indiana, and is now editor of the Boswell Enterprise,
one of the leading papers of Benton county. He was born September 9,
1858, near Crab Orchard, Kentucky, and is a son of Samuel and Arab
Belle Leffew. The former was a valiant soldier in the Me.xican war and in
the civil war. During the hostilities between the north and the south he
enlisted in the Third Kentucky Infantry, and was wounded at the battle of
Chickamauga. His death occurred August 18, 1875. His maternal grand-
father, a Pennsylvania German, bore the surname of Tanner, and fought in
the war of 181 2. His wife was a daughter of the Scotch family of McClures,
in Virginia, and from the Old Dominion they removed to Kentucky during
the early settlement of that state. Samuel Leffew, the grandfather of our
subject, was a native of Tennessee, and his father was of Scotch-French
parentage, the family living in Louisiana. On the maternal side William S.
Leffew is descended from Scotch and Irish ancestry, who removed to
Kentucky from the eastern states.

William S. Leffew completed his literary education by his graduation in

52 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

the high school of Danville, Indiana, as a member of the class of 1876.
When he was only fifteen years of age his father died, and his youth and
early manhood were therefore a struggle against poverty, as no patrimony
came to him. It was his great desire to enter West Point Military Academy,
but instead he was obliged to provide for himself and his mother and sisters
by entering a printing-office, where he learned the practical part of news-
paper work — mechanical and editorial. He was employed as a journeyman
printer at various places until 1886, in which year he entered the publishing
and printing business in Lafayette, Indiana, where he remained until March,
1888, when he came to Benton county and published a small weekly paper
at Fowler, called the Nut Shell. In August of the same year, in connection
with E. F. Wallace, he leased the Era, at Fowler, and published it for one
year. He then went to Indianapolis, in the fall of 1889, and was employed
on the Indianapolis Journal for four years. In the spring of 1893 he
returned to Fowler, where he published the Republican Era, in connection
with Senator Isaac H. Phares, for two years. In August, 1895, he took
charge of the Boswell Enterprise, and to-day it is acknowledged to be one
of the best papers in the county. It has a good circulation and advertising
list, and is a bright, entertaining journal devoted to the interests of the com-
munity and to the advancement of Republican principles.

In March, 1879, Mr. Leffew was united in marriage to Miss Emma L.
Carter, of Danville, Indiana, and they had three daughters, but one died in
infancy. The others are Cara Belle, born December 18, 1879; and Bertha
May, born June 15, 1884. In his political views Mr. Leffew has always
been a stanch Republican, but never held public office until appointed post-
master of Boswell, in 1897. He is a valued and exemplary member of the
Masonic, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias fraternities, and belongs to
the Christian church. He holds friendship inviolable and is true to every
trust reposed in him, whether public or private. He is also regarded as one
of the most enterprising men of the town, and his energetic spirit has been
an important factor in many movements and measures which have proved of
benefit to Boswell and the county.

DR. AMOS V. EATON.

The popular proprietor of the Bramble House, Lafayette, is also a
prominent dentist as well as a scientist of considerable reputation. He was
born in Morristown, Lamoille county, Vermont, February 27, 1844, the son
of Amos and Meriel (Lake) Eaton, both natives of that state. Their fam-
ily consisted of seven children, four daughters and three sons, of whom the
following are now living: Henry R., residing in Grant Park, Illinois; Corolin,

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 53

wife of David Taylor, of Fort Collins, Colorado; and Amos V. The father
was a carpenter, contractor and farmer, and removed in 1845 from Vermont
to the state of New York, where he lived in Chautauqua and Allegany
counties for about fifteen years. He then went to Shiawassee county,
Michigan, remaining there for three years, and from there to Strawberry
Point, Clayton county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming and working at
his trade. He died at the latter place in 1874, at the age of seventy-five
years. His wife departed this life the following year. The father enlisted
in the Mexican war, but peace being declared soon afterward he did not
have an opportunity of serving. He was captain of the militia in his old
home in Vermont and was thoroughly posted in military tactics. He held
various township offices, and with his wife was a member of the Universalist
church.

The paternal grandfather of our subject was Simeon Eaton, a native of
Vermont and of English descent, the first of the family in America coming
over in the Mayflower. He was a farmer by occupation, had a large family,
and died at an advanced age. The maternal grandfather was Henry Lake,
also a native of Vermont and of English descent. He was a farmer and
school-teacher and had a family of eight children.

Amos V. Eaton spent his boyhood and youth in New York and Iowa,
attending the common schools and gaining a fair education. When the
civil war broke out, his patriotism was aroused and in July, 1862, he enlisted
in Company H, Eighteenth Iowa Infantry, was made a non-commissioned
officer and served for three years. He was in a number of bloody engage-
ments, among them the battles of Springfield, Missouri; the Red River cam-
paign; near Mayesville, Prairie de Anne, Moscow, Poison Springs, Saline
River, Arkansas, and many minor engagements. When the war was over
our subject returned to Iowa and studied medicine and dentistry in Anamosa,
where he practiced the latter branch of his profession for twenty years and
was then obliged, on account of ill health and loss of eyesight, to give up his
work. In 1883 he went to Effingham, Illinois, and started a fruit farm, on
which he lived for about five years, at the end of that time removing to
Greene county, Indiana, where he was engaged in the hotel and livery busi-
ness, at Newberry, until 1891, when he sold out and removed to Lafayette,
becoming proprietor of the Bramble House.

On January 14, 1867, Dr. Eaton was married to Miss Ida Simmons, a
daughter of Benjamin and Hannah (Wolcott) Simmons, of Anamosa, Iowa.
They have six children, all daughters, Cora, Jessie, M.ayme, Caddie, Mabel
and Florence. Jessie is the wife of John L. Lewis and Caddie became the
wife of Joseph M. Hughes. Mr. and Mrs. Eaton are members of the Uni-
versalist church, in which the former is a trustee. While a resident of Ana-

54 BIOGRAPSICAL HISTORY.

mosa Dr. Eaton was its mayor for three years, a member of the city council
for six years and school director six years. He has been a member of the
Odd Fellows fraternity and belongs to John A. Logan Post, No. 3, G. A. R.,
and also to the Union Veteran Legion. Politically, he is a Republican, and
cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, after entering the army. Mrs.
Eaton is president of Circle No. 7, Ladies of the G. A. R., of Lafayette.

While in Iowa Dr. Eaton was a member of the Anamosa Scientific As-
sociation, of which he was vice-president at its organization and later its
president. In the meetings of this body various topics were discussed, such
as geology, fish culture and its history, eye and ear, chemistry, diphtheria,
hygiene, heat and ventilation, photography and other subjects. During that
time the Doctor gained a reputation as a geologist, and has written some able
articles on that subject. He has a large and interesting collection of spec-
imens of minerals, fossils, rock formations, and curiosities, and also an ex-
tensive library relating to these things. While mayor of Anamosa, in 1879,
he wrote an article for the History of Jones County, upon the solicitation of
the publishers, the Western Historical Company, of Chicago, which treats
exhaustively of the geological formation of Jones county, and includes inci-
dentally the counties of Clinton, Jackson, Scott and Howard, embracing a
territory of fifty miles in width by one hundred and sixty miles in length. He
also furnished for the same pubhcatioh a valuable article on the stone quarries
of Jones county, from which some stone was furnished for the capitol build-
ing at Des Moines, the state penitentiary and other prominent buildings in
Iowa and other states all through the west and northwest. The Doctor,
among other of his writings, has also preserved a diary of his three years' serv-
ice in the army, showing his career and important events occurring every day
during that time.

Dr. Eaton is of a quiet disposition, genial and agreeable, and capable of
carrying to a successful conclusion anything he undertakes. He is a first-class
dentist, and in his capacity of host is a royal entertainer, making it a point
to look after the comfort of his patrons and thus winning the praises and
abiding friendship of those who have been his guests.

JAMES H. KEYS.

The purposes of life have been well served if the record is that of honor
in business and fidelity to the duties of private life. Such is the history of
James Harvey Keys, who for half a century was prominently identified with
the development and progress of Warren county. For many years he was
known and honored for his sterling qualities, his fearless loyalty to his con-
victions and his advocacy of all moral, educational and material interests

BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOE T. 55

tending to promote the welfare of the county. He won the unqualified con-
fidence and regard of his fellow men, and the entire community mourned his
loss when he reached the termination of life's journey.

Mr. Keys was a native of Franklin county, Ohio, born January 9, 1823,
his parents being Samuel and Mary (Champ) Keys. He spent the first six-
teen years of his life in the Buckeye state, and then came to Indiana, locat-
ing near what is now known as Green Hill, Warren county, then known as
Poolesville. For almost a half century he resided upon his farm in Pine
township, and was accounted one of the substantial agriculturists of the
state. Farming and stock-dealing formed his principal occupation in life,
but his ability and energy were by no means confined to one line of endeavor.
He became the owner of a very valuable tract of land, which he transformed
into rich and fertile fields. He also made fine improvements upon his place,
added all the accessories and conveniences of the model farm and followed
the most progressive methods in agricultural pursuits. He was also one of
the organizers and the president of the roller-mill company of Keys, Porch
& Company, and was also financially interested in the elevators owned by
R. W. Claypool & Company. About 1888, in company with others, he or-
ganized the Warren County Bank, at Williamsport, becoming one of its
principal stockholders, and from its formation up to the time of his death he
served as its vice-president. Its success was largely due to his wise counsel,
able management and business sagacity, while his well known reliability gave
the institution a reputation for solidity that it could hardly have gained
otherwise. He possessed untiring energy, was quick in perception, formed
his plans readily and was determined in their execution, while his close appli-
cation to business and his excellent management brought to him a degree of
prosperity which made him one of the wealthy men of the state. In addi-
tion to his commercial interests he was the owner of about three thousand
acres of valuable land in Warren and Benton counties, and possessed a
larger amount of tangible personal property than any other resident of his
adopted county, in addition to various valuable corporate stocks.

He was a most public-spirited and progressive citizen and no man in the
county did more for the public welfare in many directions than did Mr.
Keys. He was the author of the splendid system of graveled roads. In his
brain originated the plan for so improving the roads, and his capital largely
made their construction possible. In recognition thereof and in his honor,
the board of commissioners called this the Keys gravel road. It is an
improvement that has been of great practical benefit to the county, for good
thoroughfares are an important factor in promoting commercial activity. It
was also greatly through the influence of James H. Keys that the court-
house was removed from the old town to its present location, and after its

.'56 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

removal he began to have faith in the town and became a firm believer in
the future growth and success of Williamsport, for which he had done more
than any other country resident of the county.

In politics Mr. Keys was an earnest and zealous Republican, using his
aid and influence for the advancement of the party's interests. He was very
charitable and benevolent, gave of his means to the needy, and contributed
his share to the support of churches and other institutions calculated to bene-
fit humanity. With him friendship was inviolable, and he not only had the
happy faculty of winning friends, but of drawing them closer to him as the
years went by.

His home relations were most pleasant. In his early manhood, on the
1st of June, 1843, he was united in marriage to Miss Letitia D. Stone, and
they began their domestic life near the present site of Templeton, Benton
county, Indiana, where they remained until the spring of 1849, when they
located on Pine creek. Pine township, Warren county, where Mr. Keys con-
tinued to make his home until his death. Eight children were born of this
marriage, four of whom are living, namely: Mrs. Isalemah Mullen, wife of
Lafayette Mullen, and Mrs. Anna Coffelt, both of Walnut Grove, Indiana; Mar-
garet E., wife of Fernandes E. Pearce, of Boswell; and Belle, wife of George
W. Day, of Talbot. A daughter, Sarah, wife of Henry Canutt, formerly of
Williamsport, died leaving three children, — Grace, James H. and Mary, —
•who now reside in Rosedale, Kansas. Another daughter, Mary, died at the
age of eighteen years, and James and Emmaretta died in infancy. Mrs. Keys
died May 22, 1863. She was a daughter of Thomas Stone, who in the fall
of 1837 emigrated with his wife and children from Kentucky to Indiana, locat-
ing in Pine township, Benton county. Soon afterward the family removed
to Green Hill, Warren county, where the parents spent their remaining days.
They had three sons and four daughters, Mrs. Keys being the third daughter.
Mr. and Mrs. Keys started out in life in limited circumstances, but by her
faithful assistance and careful management she greatly aided her husband in
making a start in business life. She was a most estimable lady, a kind and
affectionate wife and mother and a devoted Christian, holding membership in
the United Brethren church. Her children, though all young when she
passed away, have ever held her in loving remembrance.

On the 23d of October, 1864, Mr. Keys was united in marriage to Miss
Mary M. Crosley, a native of Warren county, Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph
and Fantima(Eulass) Crosley, who remained in the Buckeye state until death.
Mrs. Keys came to Warren county, Indiana, in 1862, and is a most esti-
mable lady, highly esteemed by many friends. By her marriage she became
the mother of five children, two of whom are now living: Alice, wife of Levi
Van Reed, of Williamsport, and Charles, the only son. He was born Feb-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 57

Tuary 2, 1876, attended the public schools and was graduated in Lafayette
Business College. He is with his mother and aids her in the management
•of the estate. A daughter, Jennie, died when about sixteen years of age; the
other two in infancy.

The life history of James Harvey Keys indicates what may be accom-
plished by a man of resolute spirit and of unwavering integrity. He entered
-upon his business career empty-handed, but steadily worked his way upward
to success, overcoming the obstacles and difficulties in his path by persever-
ance and enterprise. His methods were honorable, his word as good as his
bond, and over his life records there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion
■of evil. He leftito his family not only the honest accumulations of years of toil
but the priceless heritage of an untarnished name. He passed away Novem-
ber 3, 1898, but many years will have come and gone before his beneficent
influence will cease to be felt.

JOHN BRAND.

Upon one of the farms first developed in Sheffield township, Tippecanoe
county, Indiana, resides John Brand, a substantial and progressive farmer,
whose well tilled fields and substantial buildings indicate the careful super-
vision of an industrious and energetic owner. His birth occurred upon this
homestead, which had become the home of his parents in 1835. His father
had previously visited the county, having made three trips to Indiana. On
his visit in 1834 he purchased the property and located thereon the follow-
ing year. The land was in part entered from the government by Joseph
Slater in 1829, and John Brand still has in his possession the original deed,
signed in the bold handwriting of Andrew Jackson, then president of the
United States. Four years later, in 1833, a portion of this farm was entered
by George Storm.

Very little had been done in the way of improvement when Samuel
Brand took possession of the property, and in clearing and developing the
land he was assisted by his sons, including John Brand, whose birth occurred
on the farm April 16, 1841. His education was largely acquired in a small
frame school building which stood on the northeast corner of the farm, and
was built by the neighbors for school purposes, but his first instruction was
received in his father's log cabin, where for a time school was held. He
early became familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the
agriculturist, and thus when he began life for himself was well prepared by
practical experience to manage the work of the farm. In 1866 he was mar-
ried and brought his bride to the old family homestead, where he is still liv-
ing. The playground of his boyhood thus became the scene of his manhood's

58 BIOGRdPEICAL HISTORY.

labors, and the fields where he was wont to romp in youth, afterward yielded to
him golden harvests in return for the care and cultivation he bestowed upon
them. He purchased the farm of his father, — a tract of one hundred and
sixty-two acres. This had been cleared by the father and his sons, but Mr.
Brand has added many substantial improvements and now has a very valu-
able property supplied with all the conveniences and accessories of the model
farm. From time to time he has purchased other lands until his farm now
comprises three hundred and seventeen acres, and in addition he has other
valuable property elsewhere. He is also one of the directors and stockhold-
ers of the Farmers' National Bank, of Mulberry, of which he was one of the
founders, and is an enterprising business man, whose capable management,
sound judgment and great energy have brought to him prosperity.

On the 7th of February, 1866, Mr. Brand was united in marriage, in
Madison township, Clinton county, Indiana, to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Camp-
man, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Lewis F. and Maria (Moyer)
Campman. Her father was born in New Jersey and was of sturdy English
ancestry and educated in the German language. Lewis Frederick Campman
was born at Hope, New Jersey, February 2, 1794, a son of Christian Fred-
erick and Annie Mary Campman. November 12, 1829, he married
Mary Moyer, a daughter of David and Sarah Moyer, and their children were
Frederick Andrew, born March 23, 1831; Henry Frantz, January 16, 1833;.
Mary Annie, August 6, 1834; David, May 3, 1836; Louis Henry, January 23,
1838; James William, April 23, 1839; and Sarah E., December 28, 1840.
The father followed farming in early life, afterward engaged in school-teach-
ing in New Jersey, and subsequently engaged in clerking in a store. Later
he went to Philadelphia, where he accepted a position as cashier in a bank,
and on severing that connection he returned to Grimville, Pennsylvania,
where he engaged in clerking until an advanced age. He afterward lived
with his children in Indiana, and died at the home of our subject, whea
about seventy-eight years of age. He was a straightforward, honorable man,
a highly respected citizen and a consistent member of the Reformed church.
By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Brand were born six children, namely u
AlvinS., born October 28, 1867; Sylvester L., born December 20, 1868;.
Lilly Ellen, born March 9, 1871; Katie Ann, born January 31, 1872; Guy
Orlando, born October 17, 1875; and May Susannah, born March 27, 1879.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Brand are members of the German Reformed church,
and in his political connections he is a Republican. He also belongs to the
Odd Fellows lodge, of Mulberry, and is popular with his brethren of the
fraternity. He has always been a man of great industry, intelligence and
determination in business, and through his well directed efforts has won a
handsome competency that numbers him among the substantial citizens of

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 59

the community. There has been nothing in his life to awaken the condem-
nation of his fellow men; on the contrary he commands uniform regard, and
is accounted one of the leading residents of Sheffield township, Tippecanoe
county.

JUDGE JOSEPH M. RABB.

Among her native sons Indiana has reason to be proud of Judge Joseph
M. Rabb, who for six years served on the bench of the twenty-first judicial
circuit of this state, and acquitted himself in a manner which gave thorough
satisfaction to the public. As a judge his decisions were marked by calm,
well balanced reasoning, founded upon intimate knowledge of the law and
love of justice, tempered with mercy. He is one of the boys who " wore
the blue " and fought for the preservation of the Union during the dread
civil war, and at all times he has nobly discharged the duties which fell to
him as a citizen of this great republic.

The Rabb family is an old and honored one in the central states of this
country. In the last century the great-great-grandfather of the Judge came
here from Ireland and took up his abode near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In
the line of descent then followed his son Andrew, grandson Johnston, and
great-grandson Smith, the latter being the father of our subject. Andrew
Rabb removed from Pennsylvania, his native state, to Warren county, Ohio,
in 1 80 1, and there purchased a large tract of land, and spent his last days.
His son Johnston, born in the Keystone state, accompanied the family to
Warren county, and in 1828 became a resident of Fountain county, same
state. He had a large family, and many of his children became citizens of
Indiana.

Smith Rabb, father of the Judge, was born in 1822, and has passed
most of his hfe in this state. He is still making his home in Perryville, Ver-.
million county, where he embarked in the mercantile business about 1847,
and was for many years very successful in that line. His wife Mary, a
native of Liberty, Union county, Indiana, died in 1885. Her father, James-
Carwile, was born in South Carolina in 1775, and being opposed to slavery
he removed to the north in 1800, with his father-in-law, William Brown,
and both became leading men in Liberty, Indiana. Three sisters and a
brother of the Judge are still living, namely: Oral S. Rabb, of this county;
Ella, wife of William Switzer; Amelia who married, and resides in Detroit,
Michigan; Mrs. Isabel Davidson, of Perryville, and Mrs. Hattie I. Parks, also
of Perryville.

Judge J. M. Rabb was born in Fountain county, Indiana, February 14,
1846, and received a common-school education in Perryville. After teach-

60 BIOGBJPHICAL HISTORY.

ing for one term he commenced the study of law in the office of Joseph H.
Brown, of Williamsport, and at the end of two years went into partnership
with him. This business relationship continued up to the death of Mr.
Brown, in 1873, subsequent to which Mr. Rabb was associated with Alvin
High, and later with Charles B. McAdams, of this place. In 1882 he was
elected on the Republican ticket to the bench of the twenty-first judicial
circuit, which includes Fountain and Warren counties, and was re-elected in
1888, and again in 1894.

When but sixteen years of age, Judge Rabb enlisted under the stars and
stripes, and served valiantly in many a hard-fought battle, winning the com-
mendation of his superior officers on numerous occasions. It was in July,
1862, that he was enrolled as a private of Company K, Seventy-first Indiana
Regiment, which later became the Sixth Indiana Cavalry. He went through
severe campaigns in Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia, and was actively
engaged at Richmond, where his regiment lost heavily, about two hundred
being killed and wounded, and the remainder being taken prisoners. Among
those captured was our young hero, who was soon paroled and exchanged.
He then joined General Burnside in eastern Tennessee, and aided in the
siege of Knoxville, after which he went with Sherman in the Atlanta cam-
paign, and was with Thomas at the battle of Nashville. In June, 1865,
Mr. Rabb received an honorable discharge and returned home, and for years
he has been identified with the Grand Army of the Republic, as a member
of Bryant Post, No. 53.

June II, 1872, the Judge married Miss Lottie Morris, who died in May,
1882, leaving three children: Clara, now Mrs. Guy C. Winks; George M.,
who inherited his father's patriotism and volunteered in the Spanish-Amer-
ican war, becoming a member of the First Illinois Infantry, which saw serv-
ice in the trenches at Santiago, Cuba; and Fred C, who is at home. Novem-
ber II, 1884, Judge Rabb married Ida Elwell, and they have one child, Mary
Louise.

REV. CHARLES IRVIN TRUBY.

This gentleman, the pastor of the First Presbyterian church of Fowler,
Indiana, is one whom all delight to honor. He possesses that cordial and
genial manner which renders him a companion to every one, regardless of
church fellowship. In his associations with the young and thoughtless,
his conversation, though always chaste and dignified, is along lines best cal-
culated to interest and instruct, and this is one secret of his popularity
among those outside of the jurisdiction of the church. But Mr. Truby's
popularity is equally prominent in his official duties. He is what preach-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 61

ers call " a good housekeeper." The details of church affairs are ever upper-
most in his mind.

Since assuming the duties of pastor in Fowler, his power and influence
have wrought a wonderful change. The membership of his church has
been nearly doubled, and the spiritual feeling of the older members greatly
enlivened. Meeting on his coming a membership of sixty-eight, three short
years' labors have brought this figure up to one hundred and thirty-five.
But this is not all, — three years ago the congregation was worshiping in an
old frame church, which burned down December, 1895. On the ruins of
this has been built a most magnificent structure, outrivaling any other ortho-
dox church in the city. It is constructed with due regard to the comfort and
convenience of all the varied church interests, — not forgetting the acoustic
properties for the benefit of the speaker. This edifice cost twelve thousand
dollars, and is practically free from debt. It is a modern styled structure,
so arranged with sliding panels that two or more meetings may be conducted
at the same time without interruption. The basement is fitted up for the
social meetings of the church, and is provided with necessary culinary
articles for socials, being divided into reception room, parlor, kitchen and
dining room, with all necessary furnishings. The ceiling of the auditorium
terminates in a beautifully finished dome, having three rows of electric
lamps, which give a mellow yet sufficient light for evening services. The
choir is composed of volunteers, yet includes much musical talent, which is
a great attraction to the church services.

Mr. Truby is an earnest preacher. His manner at once conveys the
impression of sincerity. His themes are selected with due regard to their
logical connection one with the other. They are also selected from live sub-
jects upon which the intelligent auditor desires information. He is a strong
and logical reasoner, entirely free from oratorical effect, yet sincere and at
times eloquent and impassioned. He is not tedious in his discourses, yet is
so well prepared that he says more to the point in twenty minutes than many
another minister would say in an hour. His high educational attainments
render it possible for him to grasp a subject in its entirety and give his
hearers the pure wheat, unmixed with oratorical chaff.

The subject of this review is a native of the Keystone state, born at
Millerstown, November 6, 1870. His parents are Simeon and Bella M.
(Wilson) Truby. The former descended from German ancestors. The
father died in 1883 and the mother is a resident of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,
her parents having been Scotch-Irish Presbyterians. In early youth Mr.
Truby chose his life profession, and joined the church at the age of fifteen
years. From childhood, he has been a student, receiving his elementary
education in the public schools of Duncannon, Pennsylvania, where he

62 BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY.

graduated from the high school. He was graduated from the Bloomfield
Academy in 1888, and immediately entered Princeton College, at Princeton,
New Jersey. From this popular institution he was graduated eighth in a
class of one hundred and seventy, in 1892, taking the degree of Bachelor of
Arts. He then entered the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago,
from which he received his diploma in 1895, and came directly to Fowler as
pastor of the First Presbyterian church.

Notwithstanding this close application to study for a period covering
almost his entire life, Mr. Truby is to all appearances in robust physical
health. He takes a lively interest in the innocent sports of young men,
particularly the "national game." Fraternalfy, he is a Mason.

Such, in brief, is the outline of a life which promises great usefulness
to mankind and to the church of his choice. Though barely passed the
threshold of young manhood, he has already achieved a degree of success
worthy of all praise. The possibilities of his future career for the salvation
of men, through Divine help and guidance, are indeed very flattering. Ripe
scholarship, indomitable energy, conscientious earnestness in his work, a
vigorous constitution, a pure Christian character and love of his fellow man,
all contribute to the achievement of grand results in his Master's vineyard.

ELI HOLLADAY.

This gentleman is the oldest resident of Tippecanoe county born within
its borders, and is therefore deservingly classed among the honored pioneers
who have witnessed the entire growth and development of this locality and
aided in its advancement and progress. The Holladay family is of Irish des-
cent and was founded in America by the great-great-grandfather of our subject,
who located in Rockingham county. North Carolina, and was killed in one of
the early Indian wars of the country. His son John was born in America
and became the father of another John Holladay, the grandfather of our sub-
ject, who was born in Rockingham county, North Carolina, and served in the
Revolutionary war in the interests of liberty and independence. He made
farming his life work, and in 1804 removed to Ross county, Ohio, locating
twelve miles north of Chillicothe. He afterward removed to Fayette county,
Ohio, where he cleared up a farm, but subsequently returned to Ross county,
where he died at an advanced age. He was a member of the Presbyterian
church. His children were William, Samuel, John, Jennie, Annie, Martha
and Rachel.

John Holladay, the father of our subject, was born in Rockingham
county. North Carolina, December 10, 1798, and went with his father to
Ross county, Ohio, when six years of age. There he was reared upon a

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 63

farm, and on entering upon his business career, lie, too, became an agricul-
turist. In that county he married Rachel James, who was born March 6,
1802, a daughter of Evan and Lydia James. Her father was born in Penn-
sylvania, of sterling Scotch-Irish ancestry, and in early pioneer times re-
moved to Ross county, Ohio, where he and his wife spent their remaining
days. Their children were Kins, Davis, Lydia, Rebecca, Polly and Betsy.
After his marriage John Holladay located on a farm in Ohio, whence he re-
moved to Indiana, locating in what was then Fairfield, but is now Wea,
township, Tippecanoe county, October 5, 1825. He first leased a tract of
land of a Mr. Hoover, and there made his home for a year. In the spring
of 1827 he located on the Wea prairie, where our subject now resides. This
land had been entered by his brother, Samuel Holladay, who came to the
county in 1824 and pre-empted the farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty
acres, the original deed to which is signed by Andrew Jackson, then presi-
dent of the United States. John Holladay settled on eighty acres of that
tract and began the work of transforming the wild prairies into richly culti-
vated fields. He made a good pioneer home, prospered in his undertakings
and finally became the owner of a quarter section of land where our sub-
ject now resides. He also made judicious investments elsewhere, and in
addition to his home farm owned an eighty-acre tract two miles northeast,
eighty acres three and a half miles southeast, and a farm of one hundred
acres in Iowa. When he arrived in Tippecanoe county he had only three
dollars and a half, but he possessed great energy, strong determination and
sound judgment, and by the exercise of these qualities steadily worked his
way upward to success. The homes of the settlers were widely scattered
in those early days and the work of civilization seemed scarcely begun, but
the efforts of such men as John Holladay worked great changes, and the
once unsettled region became the home of a prosperous and contented peo-
ple. In politics Mr. Holladay was a Democrat, and was a loyal and progress-
ive citizen. He died July 6, 1867, when about seventy years of age, and
his wife passed away August 17, 1847. Their children were Hannah; Maria;
Eli; Samuel, who died January 2, 1855; Ira, who died December 17, 1854,
Jonathan and Lydia.

It is to this family that Eli Holladay belongs. He was born on the farm
which is still his home, March 16, 1826, but the little log cabin in which he
first saw the light was situated about a mile and a half west of his present
residence. The usual educational advantages of that time were afforded
him, his studies being pursued in a log building, where school was conducted
on the subscription plan. He was early inured to the arduous task of devel-
oping new land, and from an early age has been actively identified with the
farming interests of Tippecanoe county. On the 6th of February, 1853, in

64 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Muscatine county, Iowa, he was united in marriage to Sarah Thornton, who>
was born in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, June 5, 1825, a daughter of Isaac
and Martha (Reynolds) Thornton. Her father was a pioneer of this county,
and his brothers, Levi, Err, James, John and Lot, were also among the early
settlers here. They all moved to Iowa with the exception of James and
located in Muscatine county, where Isaac Thornton spent the remainder of
his life. His.children were John, Sophia, Vashti, Sarah, Martha, Salinda,
Eliza and George W.

For two years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Holladay resided in
Muscatine county, Iowa, and then removed to Polk county, that state, mak-
ing their home near Des Moines where they lived for four years upon a far m
of ninety acres which Mr. Holladay owned in Camp township. He then sold
his property and returned to Indiana, but went- again to Muscatine county,
where he purchased one hundred acres of land, on which he resided for one
year. On the expiration of that period he was persuaded by his father, who
was alone, to return to the old homestead, where he has since remained, suc-
cessfully conducting the farm, which has brought to him an excellent income.
His home has been blessed with six children, — Ira, Flora, Eliza, John, Mar-
tha and Bessie.

Mrs. Holladay is a member of the Christian church, and gives his polit-
ical support to the Democratic party. Numbered among the pioneers of the
county, he is both widely and favorably known, and has been actively
associated with many of the leading events in the history of the locality.
He has a remarkable memory and his mind is well stored with interesting
incidents and reminiscences of the early days when Tippecanoe county was
on the western frontier. His life has been a straightforward and industrious
one, and he is a respected citizen.

JOHN CLOYD.

John Cloyd is to-day one of the oldest pioneers of Tippecanoe county.
The time of his residence in the county antedates that of most pioneers, for
in 1828 he came to this locality, and has since been identified with the
development, progress and advancement of the county. He is descended
from Irish ancestry, his grandfather, William Cloyd, having been born on
the Emerald Isle, whence he emigrated to America in his early manhood.
He located in Tennessee prior to the war of the Revolution, and in that
state followed the blacksmith's trade, near Jonesboro, up to the time of his
death. He was married in that locality to Miss Jane Barr, a native of Ire-
land, who ran away from home in order to become his wife. Their children
were Joseph, Samuel, William, John, Sarah and Jane. Samuel served his

^p'/S^-i^^c^ L^^,^L-^^^

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 65

country in the war of 1812. William Cloyd was a very industrious and
energetic man, and he became one of the substantial citizens of the com-
munity in which he made his home. He was highly respected by all who
knew him, and died on his farm near Jonesboro, Tennessee, at an advanced
age.

The father of our subject also bore the name of William Cloyd, and
was born near Jonesboro, March 22, 1786. Under his father's direction he
learned the blacksmith trade, and after attaining his majority he was married
in his native county to Miss Esther Neale. In 18 14 they removed to Miami
county, Ohio, where Mr. Cloyd worked at blacksmithing until he was enabled
to purchase a farm of eighty acres. This was covered with timber, but he
at once began to clear and improve it, and soon fertile fields yielded him good
harvests. In October, 1828, he removed with his family to Tippecanoe
county, and on the i6th of that month settled on Wea creek, on the quarter-
section of land which forms the eastern part our subject's farm. It was a
tract of oak and hickory barrens. With characteristic energy he began its
development, and made a good homestead upon which he spent his remaining
days, his death occurring between the ages of fifty and sixty years. He was
very industrious and enterprising, and his success was the well merited
reward of his own labors. In politics he was a Democrat. His first wife,
nee Esther Neale, was born in Tennessee, August 9, 1790, and was one of
the children of Jesse Neale. Among her brothers and sisters were Nancy
and Caleb Neale. She died in Miami county, Ohio, leaving four daughters,
all born in Tennessee. Mr. Cloyd was again married, in Miami county, his
second union being with Hannah Elmore, daughter of David and Phoebe
(Pugh) Elmore. Her father was a pioneer farmer of Miami county, whither
he removed from the Carolinas. By the second marriage of William Cloyd
three children were born, David, William and Susan.

John Cloyd, whose name begins this sketch, was born in Miami county,
Ohio, near Troy, December 8, 18 16, and when thirteen years of age came
with his father to Tippecanoe county. The journey was made with teams
and there was quite a large party of emigrants, eighteen wagons being used
to accommodate them. The men were all armed, as the Indians were still
numerous in this section of the country. They experienced considerable dif-
ficulty in crossing the rivers and swollen streams, but at length reached their
destination in safety. In the party were David Elmore with his family, and
two of his sons-in-law with their families. They all camped out every night
near the roadside and thus traveled for two weeks, when they arrived in Tip-
pecanoe county. John Cloyd assisted in driving the cattle and sheep,
which they brought with them in considerable numbers. Here he was
reared amid the wild scenes of the frontier, where civilization was just en-

65 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

croaching upon the wildness of a hitherto unimproved section. Lafayette
then contained only two log cabins and two log stores. Mr. Cloyd had lit-
tle opportunity to secure an education, attending a subscription school for
three weeks, which was the extent of his privileges in that direction. He
aided in the laborious task of developing new land, and at the age of twenty-
two years was married to Betsy Nicewander, December i6, 1838. Her
parents were Joseph and Elizabeth Nicewander. The young couple began
their domestic life upon a part of his father's farm, which land he cleared
and improved, transforming it into rich fields. Four children came to bless
the home, namely, Maria, William, Margaret and Louisa. The mother died
in 1851, and in Clinton county, Indiana, February 8, 1854, Mr. Cloyd was
again married, his second union being with Jane Bailey, who was born in
Ohio, December 10, 1835.

Her parents were Silas and Sarah (Trotter) Bailey. The former was a
representative of an old colonial family of Virginia and Maryland, and was
a pioneer of Clinton county, Indiana, his home being near Colfax. He died
in Cleveland, Ohio, about 185 1, when en route for the gold fields of Cali-
fornia. His children were Nun, Jane, Thomas, Jehu, Dorothy and Henry.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Cloyd were Jesse, who died when about six-
teen years of age; Henry, who died in infancy; Ritchie; Ellen; Thomas B.;
Esther J.; Martha; and Annie. Again, Mr. Cloyd was called upon to mourn
the loss of his wife, who died April 7, 1880, at the age of forty-five years.
She was a faithful member of the Christian church, and her well spent life
won her the friendship of all with whom she came in contact.

In his political views Mr. Cloyd is a Democrat, but has never sought
office, always giving his time and attention to the improvement of his farm
and property. Thus has he prospered. He first located on a part of his
father's land, but after some years he was enabled to purchase the interests
of the other heirs in the old homestead, and to-day he is the owner of four
hundred acres in that tract. He has also made other purchases, and his
landed possessions aggregated five hundred and sixty acres in Tippecanoe
county, in addition to a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Iowa. Some
of this he has given to his children, but still retains possession of the old
homestead of four hundred acres. He has also engaged quite extensively
and successfully in stock-raising, has paid high prices to secure the best
grades of stock, and for several years has taken premiums at the county
fairs for the best stock on exhibition there. Notwithstanding he has paid
out forty thousand dollars in security debts for others, he is now numbered
among the prosperous farmers of the county. He is truly a self-made man,
his success being the merited reward of his well directed labors, his enter-
prise and his capable management. His honesty is proverbial and he has

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 67

the confidence of all with whom he has had dealings. He well deserves
mention among the honored pioneers of the county, which has been his home
for more than seventy years, and which owes not a little of its improvement
in agricultural districts to his efforts.

SAMUEL BRAND.

Study of the history of Tippecanoe county will soon disclose the fact
that the Brand family has been one of the most prominent from the time
of the earliest settlement here to the present. Its representatives have been
especially active in promoting the agricultural interests, and at all times have
been numbered among that class of loyal citizens who promote the public
good while advancing individual prosperity, and who labor earnestly and
consecutively for the improvement and betterment of the community with
which they are associated. Such a man was Samuel Brand, the subject of
this review, and at his death the county lost one of its best residents. He
was born on the old family homestead in Sheffield township, February 22,
1837, and is a son of Samuel Brand, an honored pioneer of the locality,
who was born in Maryland, December 13, 1802. His father, who also bore
the name of Samuel Brand, removed from Maryland to Pennsylvania and
thence to Ohio, locating among the pioneers of Butler county, that state.
There he carried on farming, and also operated a distillery near Hamilton,
Ohio. He spent his remaining days in Butler county, and reached an
advanced age. Both he and his wife were members of the United Brethren
church, and to them were born nine children, namely, Samuel, Michael,
Elizabeth, Barbara, George, Susan, John, Mary and Rebecca.

Samuel Brand, the father of our subject, was a boy when he accom-
panied his parents to Ohio. There he acquired a limited education, and
on attaining his majority married Lydia Vance, the wedding taking place
December 19, 1826. The record in the old family Bible says that she was
born November 11, 1805, and that their children are Elizabeth, born May
19, 1828; Washington, born February 22, 1830; Mary Ann, born October
27, 1 831; Michael, born December 29, 1833; Samuel, born February 20,
1837; Eli, born September 11, 1839; John, born April 16, 1841; and Lydia,
born January 7, 1844. The mother of these children died November 27,
1859, and Mr. Brand was afterward married, on the 6th of April, 1865, to
Mary Burkhalter. They had no children who reached years of maturity.
Mrs. Brand died April 11, 1869, and Samuel Brand, Sr., departed this life
September 21, 1872. Upon his first marriage he located on a farm in Butler
county, Ohio, whence he removed to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, about
1835, and made a home in Sheffield township.

68 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

It was upon the old farmstead that the birth of our subject occurred.
He was afforded the usual common-school advantages, but being a good
student he became a well informed man, adding largely to his knowledge
through reading, experience and observation. The occupation to which he
was reared he made his life work, and was accounted one of the enterpris-
ing and prosperous farmers of his neighborhood.

When about twenty-three years of age he was married in Sheffield
township, Tippecanoe county, to Sarah A. Peter, who was born July 4, 1838,
in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of John and Mary (Kern)
Peter. Her grandfather also bore the name of John Peter and was a
brother of William Peter, an honored pioneer of Clinton county, Indiana.
John Peter, Sr., carried on agricultural pursuits in Lehigh county, Penn-
sylvania, and was a substantial citizen. He was a member of the German
Reformed church and enjoyed the high regard of all who knew him. His
children were Jacob, John, Elizabeth, Leah, Sallie and Lydia. Mr. Peter,
the father of Mrs. Brand, was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, and
also made farming his life work. He married Mary A. B. Kern, a daughter
of Nicholas Kern, whose family were relatives of the family of William
Peter. Nicholas Kern resided near Slatington, Lehigh county, where he
owned a large farm and was also financially interested in a slate mine.
He acquired a handsome competence and died on his farm at the age of
eighty years. In the Lutheran church he held his ecclesiastical member-
ship. His children were Henry, Jacob, Stephen, Eli, Polly and John.
After his marriage John Peter located on his father's farm, where five of
his children were born. In the fall of 1840 he came to Indiana, making
the journey with team and wagons, accompanied by Jonathan Peter, a
second cousin of Mrs. Brand, and Henry Kern, a brother of Mrs. John
Peter. John Peter located in Sheffield township, Tippecanoe county, on
eighty acres of timber land, of which only a few acres had been cleared.
He cut down the remainder of the trees, transformed the land into fertile
fields and made an excellent pioneer home, at the same time adding to his
property until his farm comprised one hundred and twenty acres. He
was an elder in the German Reformed church, and his wife was a mem-
ber of the Lutheran church. In politics he was a Republican. His
death occurred in 1859, when he had attained the age of fifty-three years.
His chief characteristics were such as commended him to the confidence
and respect of all. He was industrious and enterprising, temperate and
moral, loyal to his duties of citizenship and devoted to the best interests
of his family, rearing his children so that they became an honor and
credit to his name.

At the time of their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Brand began their domestic

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 69

life in Perry township, Tippecanoe county, upon a farm of one hundred and
eighty-six acres, of which eighty acres had been cleared. Mr. Brand contin-
ued its further development, and transformed it into richly cultivated fields,
which yielded to him a golded tribute in return for the care he bestowed
upon them. As his financial resources increased he purchased other lands
and extended the boundaries of his farm until it embraced two hundred and
twenty-six acres. He erected a substantial residence and commodious barns
and out buildings for the care of his stock and conducted his farming opera-
tions on a most progressive and improved plan. His life was not uncheck-
ered by difficulties and obstacles, but these he overcame by determined pur-
pose and steadily advanced in the path to success.

Mr. Brand was a man of high moral character, of temperate habits and
peaceable disposition, reliable in all business transactions, faithful to all
duties of citizenship. Such qualities won him the esteem of his fellow men,
and made his example one worthy of emulation. He died January 7, 1895,
at the age of fifty-seven years, eleven months and seventeen days, and the
entire community mourned his loss. He was a faithful member ojjhe Pres-
byterian church and held the office of church trustee. His wife is also a
consistent member of the same church. Since the fall of 1898 she has made
her home in Dayton, where she has recently completed a tasteful and pleas-
ant residence. She is a lady of good business ability and many virtues, and
to her husband was a practical helpmeet. She has many friends in the com-
munity and enjoys the hospitality of the best homes of Dayton.

ISAAC H. MONTGOMERY.

One of the most extensive land-owners and substantial farmers of Indi-
ana is Isaac Herrod Montgomery, who resides in the county which bears his
name. His home is near the boundary line of Tippecanoe county, and he
is so widely and favorably known throughout this section of the state that he
well deserves mention in this volume. An honored pioneer, he has spent his
entire life within the borders of the Hoosier state, and through many decades
has been identified with the material progress and development of this cen-
tral western section. His mind carries in one indissoluble chain the history
of its frontier experiences, its early improvement and its later advancement,
and at all times he has borne his part in the wonderful transformation that
has converted the state from a wild region into richly cultivated farms and
happy homes. Although he has reached the advanced age of eighty-five
years, he is still enjoying good health, and looks after his business invest-
ments, not caring to relegate his affairs entirely to others. He is truly a
remarkable character, and his activity in the evening of life puts to shame

70 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

many a man of half his years, who, grown weary of the struggles of a busi-
ness career, rests from his labors content with little or nothing for old age.

The Montgomery family is of sterling Irish and English ancestry, and
many of its members were distinguished in the Emerald Isle. General Rich-
ard Montgomery, of the British army, who fell at the siege of Quebec, was
of the same stock. He was an own cousin of Alexander Montgomery, the
grandfather of our subject, who came to America in his seventeenth year.
When the colonies attempted to throw off the yoke of British tyranny he
entered the army and served for seven years, until the cause for which they
fought was successfully accomplished. He was three times married. First
in Bourbon county, Kentucky, where with his wife Elizabeth he located upon
a farm. Their children were Alexander, Archibald, William and Jane. In
Kentucky he was a contemporary of Daniel Boone, and participated in a
number of the engagements with the Indians on the " dark and bloody
ground," also experienced the hardships and privations of pioneer life. About
1812 he removed to Scott county, Indiana, where his wife died. His second
wife was Sarah Agins, a widow, and they had two children: Polly, who
married a Mr. Anderson, and Mahala. In 1823 he removed from Scott
county to Crawfordsville, and his second wife having died he was married a
third time, in 1825, when just a hundred years old, Mrs. Lucy Cox, a widow,
becoming his wife. The same year he removed to Iowa, saying that he
" would grow up with the country." He settled six miles west of the Miss-
issippi, where he entered six hundred acres of land, which he improved, ten
more years of life being vouchsafed to him. He was a man of very hardy
constitution, six feet and two inches in height, very vigorous, strong and
energetic, and he reached the truly remarkable age of one hundred and ten
years. He received a pension from the United States government in recog-
nition of his services in the Revolutionary war. In politics he was an old-
line Whig, and in religious belief was a Methodist. His opposition to slavery
had led him to leave Kentucky, but he never owned slaves even while in that
state. He was a noted frontiersman and pioneer, and performed an impor-
tant work toward opening up the states of Kentucky, Indiana and Iowa to the
advance of civilization.

Alexander Montgomery, father of our subject, was born in Bourbon
county, Kentucky, about 1789, and was reared among the pioneers of that
state. He was married in that county, in 18 13, when twenty-four years of
age, to Annie Herrod, or Harrod, as the name is more frequently spelled.
She was born in Kentucky, a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Herrod.
Her father, it is believed, was a German, who settled in pioneer times in
Kentucky, and as a companion of Daniel Boone participated in the Indian
troubles. He was the founder of what was known as Harrod's Station, a

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 71

frontier post in Indian times. Afterward he located in what was then called
Lexington, but is now Harrodsburg, Scott county, Indiana, where he died at
an advanced age. His children were Samuel, William, Isaac, Annie,
Jemima, Polly, Betsy, Cynthia and Peggy. The father was a member of
the Methodist church, and gave his political support to the Whig party.

At the time of his marriage Alexander Montgomery located in Jefferson
county, Indiana, but afterward cleared up a farm in Scott county on the
Ohio river, near the town of London and near the Jefferson county line. He
removed to Crawfordsville about 1823 and opened a shoe shop, but finally
purchased land near that place and resumed farming. He died in Mont-
gomery county, in August, 1866, at the age of seventy-seven years. Like
the others of his family, he was a Methodist in religious faith and served as
class-leader in his church. Politically, he was a Whig. He served his country
in the war of 1812, under General William Henry Harrison, and participated
in the battle of Tippecanoe. The General did not fear an attack by the
Indians, but as a matter of caution doubled his guard the night before the
battle, and Alexander Montgomery was placed on duty. The red men made
the attack very early in the morning, while it was yet dark. An Indian who
was creeping toward the white men fired upon Mr. Montgomery and the bul-
let grazed his head. Somewhat stunned, he dropped to his knees, but recov-
ered quickly and as the Indian approached shot him through the body. The
Indians carried away their dead during the battle, as was their custom, but
the next day the Indian that Mr. Montgomery had shot was found where he
fell.

To the parents of our subject were born the following children: Isaac
H., Simpson, Archibald, Harvey, Samuel and Cynthia A. The mother died
in Crawfordsville, in September, 1823, and in 1827 Alexander Montgomery
married Hannah Kimbler, by whom he had three daughters, Mary, Eliza
and Lucinda. She died and two years later he wedded Mrs. Ketchem, a
widow.

Isaac Herrod Montgomery was born March 24, 18 14, in Jefferson coun-
ty, Indiana, near the line of Scott county, to which county the father re-
moved when the son was about three years of age. He was educated in the
old pioneer subscription schools, and also pursued his studies in the old brick
school-house in Crawfordsville. He learned the shoemaker's trade at which
he worked eight years, but through the greater part of his life carried on
farming. He was married April 14, 1836, in Montgomery county, when
about twenty-two years of age, to Elizabeth Parks, who was born in Dear-
born county, Indiana, October 19, 18 16, a daughter of Elija and Eveline
(Hill) Parks. Her grandfather, Micajah Parks, was a native of New Jersey,
and as a pioneer went to Ohio, settling at Elizabethtown, near the Indiana

72 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

state line. He and his wife, Polly, whom he had married in New Jersey, had
five children, — Jacob, Elizabeth, Isaac, Thompson and Harrison. The
father was a substantial farmer, straightforward business man, worthy citizen
and a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and died at the
age of seventy years. Elija Parks, father of Mrs. Montgomery, accompanied
his parents to Ohio, where he married Eveline Hill, who was born in Miami-
town, Ohio, a daughter of Andrew Hill, an Ohio farmer, who died in middle
life. His children were Jackson, Daniel, Eveline, Katie, Polly and Eliza-
beth. Elija Parks became one of the pioneer settlers of Dearborn county,
Indiana, prior to 1816, and about 1828 removed to Montgomery county,
where he entered land and became a substantial farmer, owning about four
hundred acres. His children were Elizabeth, Thompson, Charles, Oliver,
Omar, Oscar, Polly A., Orrin and Elija. He spent his last days upon his
farm and died when about seventy years of age. He was a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and exercised his right of franchise in support
of the men and measures of the Whig party. He gave all of his children
some land, thus enabling them to gain a start in life, and at the end of a
long, useful and honorable career passed to the reward prepared for the
righteous.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery located on a tract of
forty acres of prairie land which her father had given her. They worked
hard and perseveringly, and in course of time the land was transformed into
richly cultivated fields. In early manhood Mr. Montgomery began to raise
and sell cattle, and in this enterprise was quite prosperous. By his good
management and practical business methods he increased his capital and
from time to time made judicious investments in land. He finally purchased
all of his father-in-law's farm and other lands adjoining, until he now owns
sixteen hundred acres in one body, and in addition has a quarter section in
Arkansas, and a residence property in Crawfordsville. He is a man of great
energy and keen discrimination in business affairs, and with the assistance of
his estimable wife, who by her frugality and industry proved indeed a help-
meet to him, he accumulated one of the best farming properties in the entire
state. Mr. Montgomery recalls many interesting reminiscences of pioneer
life, when land was unimproved, forests uncut and the work of civilization
seemed scarcely begun. When he was a boy of but twelve years he carried
the mail from Crawfordsville to Lafayette. The two towns were twenty-
eight miles apart by direct route, but there were so many sloughs and bad
places in the road that he was obliged to keep to the ridges and thus the
distance was lengthened to thirty-five miles. This trip he made once each
week on horseback, carrying the mail in saddle-bags. He was the first mail-
carrier between the two towns, and was first appointed to the position

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 73

during the administration of John Quincy Adams, but was not removed when
Andrew Jackson became president. He was employed by Colonel Vance, of
Crawfordsville, who had a contract for carrying the mail, and gave to Mr.
Montgomery about half of what he received from the government, the pay
of the latter being fifty cents per trip. It was a very arduous undertaking
for a boy of his age, and well illustrates the strength of character which he
manifested even at that time.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery have been born the following children:
William H. ; Adaline, who was married, died at the age of twenty-seven
years ; Elija ; Eveline ; Amanda ; Samantha ; Mary ; Alice, who died at the
age of eleven years ; Wallace F., and Eudora. The parents have long been
faithful and consistent members of the Methodist church, Mr. Montgomery
having united with the church in his youth, while his wife became a member
at the age of seventeen years. In politics he was originally a Whig, and
after the death of that party aided in organizing the Republican party in this
locality. He voted for Fremont and Lincoln, and since that time has never
failed to support the candidates of the "grand old party." He is one of the
best known of the Indiana pioneers now living. For years extensively engaged
in farming and stock dealing, he is widely known for his sterling honesty and
fairness in all trade transactions. He has led a strictly temperate life, using
neither tobacco nor intoxicating drinks, and to his excellent habits his good
health is certainly largely attributable. He has now reached the venerable
age of eighty-five years, while his wife is more than eighty-three years of
age. They both retain their sight and hearing to a remarkable degree, and
are fine examples of Indiana's best pioneer citizens. They have spent sixty-
three years of wedded life upon the old family homestead, where in the
evening of life they may now be found, surrounded by every evidence of
comfort and refinement.

WALTER H. CROW.
• To many a man the loss of his sight would be esteemed a calamity more
unendurable than death; and it is in the same reverential spirit that one feels
when reading the line, "He gave his life for his country," that the patriot
says of Walter H. Crow, "He sacrificed his eyes for his country." Not-
withstanding the fact that for thirty-two years and more he has been totally
blind, from the effects of his army service, Mr. Crow's life has been, on the
whole, a successful and happy one, and his genial, hospitable manner, and
broad mind and generous disposition have won him the respect and genuine
esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

A son of the well known pioneer, William Crow (whose sketch appears
elsewhere in this work), our subject was born in Liberty township, Warren

74 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

county, December 27, 1835, ^nd grew to manhood on the old home place.
April 20, 1 86 1, he enlisted in Company B, Tenth Regiment of Indiana Vol-
unteer Infantry, one of the first to spring to arms after the first shot had
been fired signifying secession and rebellion. He served more than the
three months of his enlistment, and in September of the same year was ready
to offer himself for three years more. Enlisting in Company K, Thirty-
third Indiana Infantry, he was sent to Kentucky and took part in the battles
of Wild Cat and Richmond; then assisted in the capture of Cumberland Gap,
and was active in nearly all the important military operations in Kentucky.
Next he participated in the battles of Springfield, Tennessee, Resaca, Dallas
Woods, New Hope Church, Cassville, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek,
and capture of Atlanta. Though he was eighty-five successive days under
fire in this campaign, and passed through many other battles and encounters
with the enemy, he was never severely wounded, but was struck with bullets
several times and had numerous narrow escapes. In November, 1861, at
London, Kentucky, Mr. Crow had an attack of the measles, and while he
recovered sufficiently to stand at his post of duty until the termination of his
enlistment, he never entirely regained his health, and his eyes were seriously
affected. For two or three years he could see, more or less imperfectly, and
in November, 1866, the light of day was for ever blotted from his sight. He
was honorably discharged from the service September 30, 1864, when he had
completed his full term of enlistment. He returned to his native county, and
has passed his life here. He was a student in the common schools in his
boyhood, and taught for three winter terms prior to his army service. He
possesses more than ordinary ability and mental attainments, and is well
informed on all subjects of general interest. In politics he is a "true-blue""
Repubhcan, and fraternally he is a member of W. B. Fleming Post, No. 316,
Grand Army of the Republic.

In March, 1873, Mr. Crow married Miss Martha K. Long, daughter of
John Long, of Williamsport, Indiana. Six children were born to them:
Benjamin, who died when about a year old; Lulu, who is the wife of Orlando
Spellman, of Danville, Illinois; Thaddeus S. ; Walter Scott; William T. and
Russell L. Thaddeus and Walter S. enlisted in the late Spanish-American
war, in Company G, One Hundred Fifty-eighth Regiment of Indiana Volun-
teer Infantry, and were in the service for about six months. Orlando Spell-
man, the son-in-law, above mentioned, also offered his services in this war
for humanity, and, as a member of Battery A, of Illinois, went to Porto
Rico and took part in that memorable campaign. The devoted wife and
mother, Mrs. Martha Crow, was summoned to her final rest August 24,
1892. Her loss is deeply felt in the bereaved household of our subject and.
and in the community as well.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 75

CAPTAIN WARREN SHEETZ.

Captain Sheetz is a native of Tippecanoe county, Indiana, Iiis birth
occurring on the 9th of October, 1837. He was the third child of the eleven
children of Frederick and Eliza C. (Taylor) Sheetz, the parents being natives
of Hampshire county, Virginia, and very early pioneers of Tippecanoe county,
locating on a farm near Lafayette in 1821. There Frederick grew to man-
hood, learning the miller's trade, an occupation which he followed for many
years, and in 1845 he bought a farm and ended his days in agricultural pur-
suits, his death occurring there in 1864; and his wife survived till 1867. The
Captain's ancestors on his father's side were German, and on his mother's
side they were Scotch-Irish. Of their large family all are living so far as
known to the subject of this sketch, excepting a brother who died in the
army. Edward F. is a farmer in Spink county. North Dakota; Harriet
became the wife of W. S. Van Natta, whose sketch is given elsewhere in
this work; Warren, whose name heads this sketch; Alfred, who was a member
of Company D, Tenth Indiana Infantry, and died in the army service in
1863; Margaret, the wife of Mr. Kelso, lives near Indianapolis: her first hus-
band was George Shigley; Charles is a farmer near Lafayette; William T.
has been lost to his family for many years and is presumed to be in the far
west, if living; Frederick is a bookkeeper at Indianapolis; Frank is a farmer
near Lafayette; Robert is a prosperous machinist at Muncie, this state; and
Maria Virginia is the wife of Dr. B. F. Beasley, who is a successful physician
at Lafayette, this state.

The paternal grandfather of our subject was a native of Virginia, Fred-
erick Sheetz by name; and the maternal grandfather was Robert Taylor, also
a native of the Old Dominion; and both families were prominently identified
with the history of that state.

Captain Sheetz received a common-school education in his native county,
and his early life was spent on his father's farm, where he remained until his
enlistment in the army, at the age of twenty-four. He was one of those who
promptly responded to their country's needs, and enlisted on the i8th of
September, 1861, as a private in Company D, Tenth Indiana Infantry. On
the organization of the company he was appointed one of the five sergeants
and served in that capacity one year. In recognition of his special fitness to
command, his devotion to duty and bravery on the battlefield, he was com-
missioned first lieutenant and soon thereafter was promoted to the rank of
captain; and for two years he commanded his company and was present with
it in all the dangers of three years' active service at the front. The first rendez-
vous of the regiment was at Louisville, Kentucky, where it was assigned to
the command of General Thomas; and it afterward participated in active

76 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

maneuvering and skirmishing against guerrillas in Kentucky. The first gen-
eral engagement was at Mill Springs, which was quickly followed by the ter-
rific battles at Shiloh and Corinth, Mississippi. It was next attached to the
Fourteenth Army Corps and marched upon Nashville, Tennessee; made a
forced march from Nashville to Louisville in pursuit of General Bragg, of the
rebel forces, and had various skirmishes in Tennessee; returned to Nashville,
and thence went out on the Chickamauga campaign, where, going into the
battle of Chickamauga with forty men. Captain Sheetz brought his company
out with only thirteen men capable for service, twenty having been killed or
wounded. He remained at Chickamauga from September 15, 1863, until
February, 1864, during which time the regiment was recruited and given the
opportunity to re-enlist in the field. Captain Sheetz was detailed to bring
the soldiers home on return furlough, and was home thirty days; but as an
organization they did not improve the opportunity. The siege of Chattanooga
being raised, the Captain and his company started out on the Atlanta cam-
paign, but his term of service expired before he reached Atlanta, and the
regiment was relieved at Ringgold, Georgia, and returned to Indianapolis,
where it was mustered out of service, September 18, 1864.

Returning from the war. Captain Sheetz resumed agricultural pursuits,
purchasing a farm of two hundred and forty acres southeast of Fowler, upon
which he lived till 1885. By reason of failing health he retired from active
labors of all kinds and located in Fowler, where he has resided since his
retirement from the farm.

Of the social orders Captain Sheetz selected only the one which brings
together for mutual protection and counsel his old army comrades, and
accordingly he has been a member of the Grand Army post from its earliest
history, and in this he has taken great interest. He recognizes the G. A. R.
button as a "badge of honor," conveying to him in unmistakable language
the mortality of man. He realizes that it is a society with a " time limit,"
and that soon the final reveille will call the last veteran to his eternal rest.
He recognizes the emblem of the order as the "insignia of rank," telling to
the world that the wearer was not only a defender of liberty and union, but
also that his military record bore the closest scrutiny, for no traitor or con-
victed coward can enter the portals of the order. Captain Sheetz has served
in all the official capacities of the local post, excepting that of adjutant, and
is proud of his connection with the "time-limited and fire-tested fraternity."

In matrimony Captain Sheetz was united, September 6, 1870, with Miss
Harriet H. Johnson, a daughter of WiUiam R. and Margaret (Finch) John-
son, early settlers of Benton county. Her father was a prosperous farmer
and stock-grower, who died in 1863, at the age of fifty years, and her mother
is still living on the old home farm near Oxford, at the age of seventy-five

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 77

years. Mr. and Mrs. Sheetz became the parents of four sons and two
daughters. The two first born — Theodore M. and Margaret E. — died of
diphtheria, the latter in infancy, their deaths occurring within a few days of
each other; Laura A. is the wife of Charles B. McKnight, an attorney in
Fowler; David C. is a clerk in the shoe store of Van Natta & Evans, also in
Fowler; Warren, Jr. , is a student in the Fowler schools; and Chester is liv-
ing with his aunt at Lafayette.

On the 31st of August, 1885, having but recently returned from the
farm to Fowler, Mrs. Sheetz died. This was a severe blow to the family,
and the Captain still realizes his loneliness and the disruption of family
affairs. Since the occurrence of this sad event he has made his home for the
most part with his married daughter, Mrs. McKnight.

In his political sympathies Captain Sheetz has always voted with the
Republican party, in whose councils he has always been active and influen-
tial; but with advancing years and bodily infirmity he has relinquished to
some extent his former political enthusiasm. He has held the position of
trustee of Pine township two terms, or four years, and he held a similar
position in Center township (Fowler) for a like period. He is not connected
with any church organization, though his wife was a devout Christian lady, a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

BENJAMIN F. CROW.

A veteran of the civil war and an esteemed citizen of Jordan township,
Warren county, is the subject of this review, B. F. Crow. He is a son of
the well known pioneer, William Crow, and was born on the parental home-
stead in Liberty township, this county, January 7, 1846. The lessons in
good citizenship and devotion to country which he and his brothers learned at
their father's knee found early fruition, for all three of them were true to the
noble principles which had been instilled into their youthful minds, and when
the nation was threatened with disruption, they promptly responded with
the offer of their services and lives, should the final sacrifice be required.
William H. paid with his life the penalty of his devotion to his native land,
his death occurring while he was with his regiment in Louisville, Kentucky.
The other brother. Walter, as a result of his army life, lost his eyesight.
(For further family history see sketch of William Crow, which is printed on
another page of this work.)

Benjamin F. Crow was reared upon his father's farm and early became
familiar with the various departments of agriculture. He received an ordi-
nary public-school education and, having made the best of his advantages and
given considerable time to private study, he obtained a certificate to teach.

78 BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOBY.

and for several terms conducted local schools with ability and success. His
chief occupation in life, however, has been that of farming, in which line he
has been prospered to a gratifying extent. He owns a thrifty, well kept
farm in Jordan township, and resides in a comfortable home, supplied with
many of the luxuries and all of the necessaries of modern ways of living.

When a young man of eighteen years Benjamin F. Crow enlisted in the
Union army. He became a member of Company K, One Hundred and
Thirty-fifth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, on April 30, 1864, his
regiment being under the command of Colonel William Wilson. His imme-
diate officers were Captain William P. Rhodes, Lieutenant Peter W. Flem-
ing and Second Lieutenant John H. Messner, all of Company K. The regi-
ment was sent to Tennessee for services in the campaigns being waged in that
locality. After about four months of arduous duty and exposure to the fierce
southern summer the health of Mr. Crow became broken down, and he was
obliged to be mustered out of the service, the date of his discharge being Sep-
tember 21, 1864. He resumed the accustomed duties of the farm as soon as
he had sufficiently regained his health, and from that time to the present he
has given his time and attention to the management of his homestead. In
politics he is a Republican, and fraternally he is an esteemed member of
W. B. Fleming Post, No. 316, G. A. R.

The marriage of Benjamin F. Crow and Miss Armilda Lee, a daughter of
Peter Lee, was celebrated May 10, 1866. They have one daughter, Mary J.,
who is now the wife of M. W. Leming, of Denver, Colorado. Mr. and Mrs.
Crow are held in high respect and honor by all who know them, and their
friends are seemingly legion.

EDMUND THROCKMORTON.

The well known pioneer of Randolph township, Tippecanoe county,
Indiana, whose name heads this sketch, is of English descent and comes from
a family whose first settlement in America was in the Old Dominion. Three
brothers who bore the name of Throckmorton came to this country in
colonial times and located in Gloucester county, Virginia, and it was in that
county, about the year 1766, that William Throckmorton, the grandfather of
Edmund, was born. He became a lawyer and moved to Frederick county,
Virginia, where he lived until his death, which occurred when he was about
seventy years of age. In religion he was an Episcopalian. His children
were Warner, Henrietta, and a daughter who married a Mr. Thompson.

Warner Throckmorton, the father of Edmund, was born in Jefferson
county, Virginia. He received a college education — probably at William
and Mary's College — and engaged in the same profession his father had fol-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 79

lowed, that of the law. He married Catherine Inskeep, in Hampshire
county, West Virginia, where she was born, daughter of William and Susan
(Forman) Inskeep. William Inskeep was a prominent citizen, a member of
the Presbyterian church, a farmer and slaveholder, and owned a large plan-
tation comprising nearly five hundred acres. His children were Isaac, For-
man, William, Catherine, Sallie, Elizabeth and Rebecca. Mr. Inskeep spent
his whole life in Hampshire county, Virginia. His portrait, painted in 1819,
an excellent and well preserved likeness, is in the possession of our subject.
The portraits of William and Warner Throckmorton were also painted by
the same artist. William's portrait was destroyed by fire in the burning of
the family residence; Warner's is still preserved in Bedford, Indiana. War-
ner Throckmorton settled in Romney, Hampshire county. West Virginia, and
there, in addition to engaging actively in the practice of law, was interested
in farming and owned a number of slaves. He was a member of the state
militia and was always called Colonel. He died at Romney, West Virginia,
in 1825, at the age of forty-three years. He was a member of the Episco-
palian church. A prominent and influential man, popular with all classes,
he could have had, it has been said, any office in the state, including that of
governor, had he so desired.

Edmund Throckmorton, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born
December 5, 1820, in Hampshire county. West Virginia. He received a
common-school education and in early life was a clerk in a store in Romney,
Tippecanoe county, Indiana, where he arrived on March 20, 1838. This
town was named in honor of the old town of Romney in Virginia. William
Throckmorton, a brother of our subject, was here engaged in the mercantile
business in company with W. F. Reynolds, and Edmund entered their
employ. He had left Romney when a child of five or six years, shortly after
his father's death, and, with his mother, went to live with his grandfather,
William Inskeep, a farmer near the town, and there he lived until coming
to Indiana. He clerked in his brother's store, as above stated, and subse-
quently went with him in the same capacity to Lawrence county, Indiana,
where he remained about eleven months.

He married in Dayton, Indiana, May i, 1842, Mary E. Wolf, a native
of Frederick county, Virginia, and a daughter of John S. Wolf and wife, iicc
Walton. The Wolfs were an old Virginia family, and the children of John
S. Wolf were Mathew, Ann, William, Frances and Mary E. After marriage
Mr. and Mrs. Throckmorton settled in Romney, Indiana, where he continued
with his brother in the mercantile business for about two years. In 1845 he
settled on his present farm, or a portion of it, his first tract comprising eighty
acres. Also he had forty acres of timber land about two miles from this
place. By honest and earnest toil he brought his farm under cultivation and

80 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

had good buildings erected thereon, and as the years passed by and his efforts
were attended with success he purchased more land, until he had two hun-
dred and seventy acres. The children by his first wife were Sally and Ed-
ward. Her death having occurred in September, 1850, he subsequently mar-
ried Sarah Learning, a native of Philadelphia and a daughter of Furman
Learning, Sr. In 1857 death again bereaved him of a loving companion. In
May, 1858, he wedded Elizabeth Devault, of Lafayette, Indiana, born in
Ross county, Ohio, February 17, 1830, daughter of Lemuel and Mary (Mc-
Clure) Devault. For some years Lemuel Devault was a merchant of Lafay-
ette. Later he settled on a farm in Randolph township, Tippecanoe county,
was engaged in agricultural pursuits the rest of his life and died on his farm.
His children were Wallace, Elizabeth, Margaret, Mary, James and Edward.
By his third wife Mr. Throckmorton became the father of the following chil-
dren: Warner T., George K. and Forman W. Warner T. has charge of
the home farm. He was born here April 8, i860; was educated in the pub-
lic schools and Purdue University, taking a course in the mechanical depart-
ment; and was married February 21, 1887, in this county, to Preda E.
Detchorn, who was born in Ohio in 1862, daughter of Newman and Amanda
(Agnew) Detchorn. Their children are Hugh, Eleanor, Warner and Her-
man M. Edward Throckmorton, the eldest son of Edmund, married Anna
Webster, of Romney, Indiana, and is one of the substantial farmers of Ran-
dolph township. He and his wife are the parents of two children, Mary and
George K.

For the long period of sixty-one years Edmund Throckmorton has re-
sided in Tippecanoe county and for fifty-five years he has been on his pres-
ent farm. Consequently he is well known here, and, what is more, those who
know him best esteem him most highly. He is a consistent member of the
Presbyterian church and affiliates with the Republican party, having left the
old-line Whigs to enter the Republican ranks; but he has never sought or
filled public office, as he has preferred the quiet life of a private citizen.

WILLIAM CROW.

The pioneers of Warren county are rapidly passing off the stage of action,
only a few of the early settlers remaining, and one of the most widely
known and thoroughly esteemed of these is William Crow, of Liberty township.
He is considered an authority on the early history of this section of the state,
and has witnessed almost its entire development, coming here, as he did, in
1830, more than two-thirds of a century ago.

The paternal great-grandfather of our subject, one Joel Crow (origi-
nally spelled Crowe), a native of England, was the founder of the family in the

4/^^^z^<

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 81

United States, long prior to the war of the Revolution, their home being on
the James river, in Virginia, for some generations. Benjamin Crow, the
father of our subject, was born on Christmas day, 1790, in Frankfort, Ken-
tucky. He married Susanna Sullivan, a native of Virginia, and it is related
that she, when an infant, was placed in a basket and thus carried by her par-
ents in their journey on horseback through the almost trackless forests, when
they emigrated to Kentucky. Her ancestors came to this country from
Wales, and one of her grandfathers, a man by the name of Buckner, with
his son, served under Washington in the Revolutionary war.

Born in Lincoln county, Kentucky, January 12, 1816, William Crow,
the third in order of birth of fourteen children, is now the only survivor of
this once large and happy family. He was but four years of age when the
family removed to Bartholomew county, Indiana, and on February 4, 1830,,
they arrived in 'Warren county. The father bought land in what is now Lib-
erty township, and cleared and improved a good farm. The wife and
mother died in 1845, and subsequently the father returned to Kentucky, the
home of his childhood, with the intention of passing the remainder of his life
there. When the w^r of the Rebellion came on, he was so openly pro-
nounced in his views on the subject and so strongly opposed to secession, that
his son William, fearing that the venerable man's life was jeopardized, went
to see him, and finally persuaded him to return to Indiana, and here he con-
tinued to dwell until his death, in 1872. His eldest son, John, died in Polk
county, Iowa, at the age of seventy-five years; Mary Ann, one of the six
daughters, lived to be four-score; James died at fifty-two; Jane died when
about thirty, and the others, save our subject, departed this life in early
childhood.

As he was a youth of fourteen summers when the family located ia
Warren county, William Crow remembers the appearance of this region well
as it was nearly seventy years ago. Once, while sitting on the porch of his
father's cabin, in the spring of 1832, he counted forty-six deer as the herd
leisurely passed into the edge of the forest near by. He was not a hunter,
and took no pleasure in the idea of depriving of their life and liberty these
beautiful denizens of the forest. December 13, 1834, was the date of the
marriage of William Crow to Martha Young, whose birth had taken place
February 14, 1818. Her parents were Matthew and Sarah Young. Her
stepfather, William Warbritton, and her mother were also pioneers of this
county, they having come here from Spencer county, Indiana, in 1830. Mrs.
Crow was summoned to the home beyond on March 14, 1866. Five of the
children of Mr. and Mrs. Crow are living, namely: Walter H. ; Clarissa
Jane, wife of John Swisher; Benjamin Franklin; Winfield Scott and Horace
Greeley. Several of the number are residents of this immediate locality, and

82 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Winfield Scott is a distinguished minister in the Universalist church, of New
York city. Three of the sons of Mr. Crow fought for their country in the
Union army during the war of the Rebellion, — Walter H., William Harrison
and Benjamin F. William H., a member of the Eighty-sixth Indiana Volun-
teer Infantry, died at Louisville, Kentucky, while in the service, in June,
1863. The war record of the other sons is to be found elsewhere in this
work. Three sons died in infancy, and Mary, Matilda and Abraham Lincoln
are likewise deceased.

When they began housekeeping the personal effects of Mr. and Mrs.
Crow did not amount to more than one hundred dollars' worth of goods, but
by industry and economy they amassed a comfortable fortune and reared
their children well. Many years ago Mr. Crow was numbered among the
well-to-do farmers of this county, and is still classed as such, as he owns
over thirteen hundred acres of valuable and finely improved land, and
other property.

In his political faith Mr. Crow was a Republican for many years, but is
now independent, exercising his franchise as he deems best under prevailing
conditions at the time of elections. He has attained the thirty-second degree
in Masonry, holding that exalted rank for a number of years past. Relig-
iously, he is a Universalist. For a number of years Mr. Crow has served as
one of the commissioners of this county, and as an appraiser of real estate,
etc. A pleasant experience in Mr. Crow's life, in late years, was an extend-
ed trip through the west, which he made in company with five old friends
and neighbors, dubbed the "Pilgrims," by common consent. This memor-
able journey was made in the autumn of 1891, and the route was as follows:
To Chicago, thence to Saint Paul, and over the Northern Pacific Railroad to
the National park, thence to Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and back on the
Southern Pacific Railway. The trip consumed seventy-three days, and fre-
quent stops were made at points of interest along the lines of their route.
Every one of the little party, all of whom were pioneers of Warren county
(with the exception of Isaiah Houpt), thoroughly enjoyed the excursion, and
according to agreement they were to continue to meet on the anniversary of
the day on which they started out from home for the west, as long as any
two of them were living. W. F. Evans and Mr. Houpt have both since
passed away, each meeting a violent death, and now those who commemo-
rate the pleasant pilgrimage of seven years ago are John Pugh, Rufus Prib-
ble, George Crawford and Mr. Crow. The years will not be many ere all
shall have started forth on a journey to a " better country," where they hope
to meet again in renewed friendship.

As an interesting matter of early American history, it is worthy of record
here that the old Indian trail from Detroit, Michigan, to Vincennes, Indiana,

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 83

which was traveled so often by the bloodthirsty savages under Pontiac, the
celebrated Indian leader, ran through the present home farm of Mr. Crow,
passing about twenty rods west of his residence and along the edge of the
beautiful grove for so many years bearing the name of " Crow's grove." It
was along this Pontiac trail that General Harrison marched his army in that
eventful campaign against the Indians which culminated in the battle of Tip-
pecanoe. The oldest child of William Crow's grandfather, John Crow, also
named John, was one of the gallant band that accompanied General Har-
rison in this momentous enterprise. Traces of this old trail are yet to be
seen.

WILLIAM S. VAN NATTA.

The name which heads this sketch has become a household word among
the stockmen not only in Indiana, but also in many states of the Union.
No doubt he is the most extensive breeder of and dealer in thoroughbred
Hereford cattle in the United States. At the present time he has a herd of
two hundred and fifty head on his fine farm north of Fowler. The number,
however, varies from time to time, and this would be about the average
number for a series of years. His elegant Benton county farm comprises
eight hundred acres, devoted to stock-raising and general farming. His son
Frank resides upon and superintends this farm, in which he has a financial
interest. Mr. Van Natta also owns eleven hundred and sixty acres in New-
ton county, which are devoted to the same purpose as the Fowler farm, and
upon which he, in company with H. C. Harris, is at the present time feed-
ing and preparing for market fifteen hundred head of grade steers. This
gives some idea of the magnitude of his stock business, in which, with general
farming, his life has been mostly spent. He owns a most beautiful modern
residence in Fowler, besides other property and mercantile interests.

Mr. Van Natta was born in the western part of Tippecanoe county,
Indiana, on the 27th of September, 1830, and his education was limited to
the curriculum of the public schools of the pioneer period; yet his studies did
not by any means end there, for he has been a close student of the secular
press, and is exceptionally well informed upon the current topics of the day.
He is a gentleman of pleasant and agreeable manner, hospitable and gener-
ous — which virtues are also shared by his estimable wife;

Mr. Van Natta is a son of John S. and Sarah A. (Haigh) Van Natta.
His father was born near Trenton, New Jersey, in 1801, and in childhood
was taken by his parents to Kentucky, where he was reared to manhood.
He returned to Ohio and married Miss Sarah Haigh, a native of England. The
record of this is lost, but the marriage was solemnized probably about 1820.

84 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

The mother of John S. was a widow with a family of five children when his
father married her. In 1829 they removed to Tippecanoe county, Indiana,
where they passed the remainder of their Hves. She was born in 1792 and
died in 1846, at the age of fifty-four years. Her husband survived till 1869.

Of the children of Mr. John S. Van Natta we give the following brief
record: Aaron, the eldest, died at the age of sixty-eight years, at Mont-
morenci, Tippecanoe county; Elizabeth died at the age of eleven years;
Rachel in 1863, at the historic "Battle Ground" of Tippecanoe; Job H.,
William S. and Maria J. are living. Job H. served through the civil war as
an officer in the Tenth Indiana Infantry, enlisting as first lieutenant, and
was mustered out as major of his regiment. He is now a banker at Otter-
bein, in this county, and also an extensive landholder and farmer, his home
being at Lafayette. Maria J. is the wife of John Fisher, a prosperous
farmer at Battle Ground.

The subject of our sketch was married November 10, 1858, to Miss
Harriet Sheetz, a native of Tippecanoe county and a daughter of Frederick
and Eliza (Taylor) Sheetz, Virginians by birth, who removed from their na-
tive state (where they were married) to Tippecanoe county in 1831, and there
spent the remainder of their lives. The father was a miller by trade, but
his latter years were spent in agricultural pursuits. The Sheetz family, in
its genealogy, is traceable to German origin, though being long established
on American soil. One member of the family was a soldier in the war of
1812; and tradition says that the founders of the family were identified with
the Revolutionary war.

Mrs. Van Natta's family consisted of eight brothers and one sister, eight
of whom are living: Edward, Harriet, Alfred, Charles, William, Mary V.,
Robert and Fred. Edward is a farmer in South Dakota; Warren was the
captain of Company D, Tenth Indiana Infantry, and served through the civil
war, and now resides in Fowler; Margaret, now Mrs. Kelso, is a widow re-
siding near Indianapolis; Alfred sacrificed his young life in the army, a mem-
ber of Company D, Tenth Indiana; Charles is a farmer of Tippecanoe county;
William lives on a farm near Crawfordsville, this state; Mary Virginia is the
wife of Dr. Beasley, of Lafayette; Robert is a machinist at Muncie; and
Fred is a freight agent at Indianapolis.

Mr. and Mrs. Van Natta are the parents of five children, the eldest of
whom has previously been mentioned; Miss Harriet is still at her parental
home; Alice married Eldon Jones, a druggist in Fowler; Margaret is the wife
of Charles Snyder, an attorney in Fowler; and William S., Jr., assists his
father in his business, residing at his parental home. All the children have
enjoyed excellent educational advantages, and two of the daughters, Harriet
and Margaret — are graduates of Purdue University.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 85

Mr. Van Natta has all his life been an uncompromising Republican, but
has never entered politics as an office-seeker and has never desired that
notoriety. He has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for many
years, being a Master Mason. Mrs. Van Natta is a member of the Presby-
terian church, at the services of which Mr. Van Natta is also a regular
attendant and to which religious body he is a regular contributor.

The Van Natta and Sheetz families are two of the best known, most
prominent and successful families in northwestern Indiana. Their history as
early pioneers is identical, they having established themselves on the frontier
about the same time and in the same locality. For seventy years they have
been closely identified with this section of the state, and have witnessed the
development of the country from wild and uninhabited prairie and woodland
into productive farms, dotted everywhere with comfortable homes, some of
which are even elegant, and the locality is thickly settled with intelligent and
prosperous people.

There is no time quite so green in memory as the "good old times."
Viewed in retrospection, what mammoth strides civilization has taken in the
last seventy years! The pioneer's cabin, the log school-house, the trackless
prairie, the virgin forests, the wild Indians, have all given place to the white
man as a civilizer. Since that remote period the lightning has been
harnessed until by its aid the voice of a friend is recognized a thousand miles
away! The continent has been spanned with bands of steel and the prod-
ucts of the nation are transferred from ocean to ocean in the bare space of
one week; and the people on the Pacific coast are to-day nearer to us than
were the loved ones " back east " in those days. The ox team and lumber
cart have been succeeded by the " thoroughbred trotter, " and fine carriage
which was only " looked at " but never possessed by the common people in
the pioneer days. Modern machinery takes the place of " harvest hands,"
and the old " turkey-wing " cradle is not known except as a curiosity!

But we could not enumerate all the changes wrought by civilization in
this section during the last seventy years; and the families of Mr. and Mrs.
Van Natta have witnessed all this, and they themselves have witnessed the
most of it. What the succeeding seventy years have in store for the genera-
tions immediately to come no prophet can foretell.

JOHN W. BROWN.

John W. Brown, deceased, one of the early settlers and much respected
citizens of Pine township, Warren county, Indiana, was born in Ross county,
Ohio, January 28, 1812, a son of Benjamin and Julia (Westfall) Brown, and
was reared in his native county. He married Miss Margaret Peppers, who

86 BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOBY.

was born in the state of Maryland, June 13, 181 3, and they continued their
residence in Ohio until October, 1838, when they came to Indiana and
selected Warren county as a place of settlement. During that winter they
stopped at the home of Jacob Harmon, a well known pioneer, and in March
they took up their abode where Mrs. Brown now resides with her son and
daughter in Pine township. Their farm was then all heavily timbered and
their neighbors were few and far apart. Here Mr. Brown diligently set
about the work of clearing and improving, in time accomplished his purpose
and enjoyed the fruits of his labors, and on this farm passed the rest of his
life. He died at his home May 20, 1880. He was a most exemplary man,
quiet and unassuming, true to his friends and to every trust that was ever
placed in him. In his political views he was a Democrat, and at one time
filled the office of township trustee.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown became the parents of eleven children, seven of
whom are still living, namely: John P., of Liberty township, Warren
county, Indiana; Mrs. Mary Grames, Pine township; William, Liberty town-
ship; Jacob, a merchant of Rainsville, Indiana; Debby, at home; James F.,
of Boswell, Benton county, Indiana; and Benjamin, at the homestead.
Those deceased were Martha J. ; Mrs. Julia A. Grames; the eldest, an infant,
died before the family left Ohio; and the youngest, Margaret A., died at the
age of eighteen months.

Thus have we briefly sketched the history of one of Warren county's
early families. Mrs. Brown, eighty-six years of age on June 19, 1899, is
passing the evening of life at the old home where she has lived for nearly
sixty years, and is kindly cared for by her daughter Debby and her son
Benjamin.

ELIHU PETERS.

One of the venerable citizens of Lauramie township, Mr. Elihu Peters,
is of substantial and sturdy German stock. His grandfather, a farmer of
Ross county, Ohio, near the line of Pike county, was a well known tavern-
keeper on the Portsmouth and Chillicothe road for many years. He was
financially in comfortable circumstances, and besides, it is said that a large
estate in the Fatherland was to come to him at some future date. His chil-
dren were Thomas, John, Betsy and Langham. He lived to be very
advanced in life, dying on his farm in Ross county.

John Peters, the father of Elihu, was born in that county, was a farmer
by occupation, and married, in Pike county, Sarah Wiley, a native of North
Carolina, who was early left an orphan and was taken to Ohio by John Hol-
laday and his family. Mr. Peters' children were: Ann, who married a man

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 87

named Warren; Belinda, who became Mrs. Wright; and Holladay. The first
two of these were married in Ohio, and the last mentioned was married in
Indiana. During the third year after his marriage Mr. John Peters settled
in Indiana, in October, 1828, making the journey hither with a four-horse
team and being two weeks on the way. Warren Wiley and his family were
with this party. Mr. Peters settled on Wild-cat prairie, in Sheffield town-
ship, Tippecanoe county, where he entered eighty acres in the edge of the prai-
rie, in a grove where Frank Earl now lives. There he built a cabin and pro-
ceeded to improve the farm. He entered two eighty-acre pieces where Cul-
ver Station now is, and eighty acres on the line between Sheffield and Laur-
amie townships. About 1836, which was about eight years after he settled
here, he sold out and moved to Clinton county, this state, where he pur-
chased seven hundred and forty acres four miles south of Jefferson, on Twelve
Mile prairie. This place he improved and resided there for seven years,
when he sold that also and bought a sawmill in Sheffield township, on Wild-
cat creek, with sixty-five acres of land; this was a mile south of Wyandotte,
and the mill he operated for four years. Then he sold the mill and
bought three hundred and sixty acres of land two and a half miles south in
Sheffield township, and here he lived and labored for five years, then rented
the place and purchased sixty-five acres near Stockwell and retired from act-
ive life. He also bought one hundred and sixty-five acres in Lauramie town-
ship, near Conroe, which he rented to his son Elihu, the subject proper of
this sketch. He was a practical and prosperous farmer, well known and
respected. He had no school education but had a good head for business.
Having no faith in banks, he formed the habit of concealing his money in
buildings about the premises. After his death three thousand and two hun-
dred dollars was found in his house by our subject. After the house on the
mill property was burned the old gentleman found a lump of gold, which he
sent to the mint. Politically, he was an old-line Whig and voted for Henry
Clay. He was a soldier in the war of 18 12, stationed at Toledo. His death
took place in 1871, when he had reached the age of seventy-three years.
His children were: Elihu, Mary, Holladay, Jackson, Langham, Anna,
Robert, Sarah and Martha.

Elihu Peters, whose name heads this article, was born January 27, 1826,
in Ross county, Ohio, and was eighteen months old when he was brought to
Tippecanoe county, Indiana, in October, 1828. He was brought up among
the pioneers here, gaining a limited education by attendance at school,
which, however, was but two months. His wife taught him to read. The
old log school-house was supplied with a window made by sawing out a
section of one of the logs in the structure, and with seats made of puncheons,
and with a mud-and-stick chimney — the universal style at that period. In

88 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

early life he was a farmer and teamster, hauling many a load of goods from
Lafayette to Franklin.

October 4, 1849, at the age of twenty-four years, in Pike county, Ohio,
Mr. Peters was married to Caroline Armstrong, a native of Ohio and a daugh-
ter of John and Mary (Lucas) Armstrong. Her father, a native of that state,
moved to Indiana, settling in Sheffield township. By occupation he was a
teamster. He died in Clay county, Illinois, at the residence of his son
Martin. His children were: Martin, Elizabeth, Mary, Margaret, Eleanor
(who died when a child), Caroline and William.

After marriage Mr. Peters settled with his young wife in Sheffield town-
ship, two and a half miles from Stockwell, on a farm owned by his father,
consisting of three hundred and sixty acres. After a residence there of three
years he moved to the neighborhood of Conroe, Indiana, and rented there
for sixteen years. On the death of his father he inherited fifty-three acres,
and he bought more until he had a hundred and ten acres. Afterward he
bought eighty acres more near Stockwell, and also a residence in town,
where he now lives. Recently, however, he sold this farm. In politics he
is a Republican, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist church.
Their children were Allen T., John W., Harris P., Melvin W., William (who
died at the age of four years), Mary A. and an infant who died unnamed.

Mr. Peters has always been a hard-working, industrious man, honest,
straightforward and respected as a good citizen by all, who know him. He
is one of the few remaining pioneers, and his mind is well stored with remi-
niscences of the olden days. He can remember the Indians who used to pass
by his father's cabin and stop for a glass of water, and also remembers the
old block-house at Wyandotte, which was built by the first pioneers for
protection.

GEORGE K. HOLLINGSWORTH.

The senior member of the firm of Hollingsworth & Hopkins is one of
the brightest business men in this vicinity, and is a typical representative of
the thrift and push which have culminated in the present prosperity of Ren-
sselaer, Indiana. His father, Thomas Hollingsworth, came from Columbiana
county, Ohio, about 1865, soon after the civil war, and conducted a general
store in Rensselaer until 1872, when he died, in the thirty-sixth year of his age.
Both parents died young, the mother being but thirty-five at the time of her
death. She was Elizabeth, a daughter of George Kannal, and moved from
near New Libson, Columbiana county, Ohio, to this state when quite small.
Two children were born to them — Emmet L. , the cashier of the Commercial
State Bank, and our subject, George K.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 89

Mr. Hollingsworth was born in Rensselaer, Indiana, September 26, 1868,
and was reared to manhood in this place. He attended the common schools,
receiving a good business education, and at an early age developed a business
ability that has surprised even his most intimate acquaintances. He and his
brother organized the Commercial State Bank, where the brother still holds
the responsible position of cashier, and of which our subject was vice-presi-
dent until January, 1898, when he disposed of his stock in the institution.
Since then he has given his entire attention to his real-estate and loan busi-
ness, which he established in 1892. In 1893 he formed a partnership with
Mr. Arthur H. Hopkins, and has built up a large, profitable business. The
steadily increasing business made it necessary to open a branch office, which
is conducted in Chicago under the immediate supervision of Mr. Hopkins.
They have another office at Englewood, which was established in 1897.
They have one of the best equipped real-estate offices to be found any place,
and a splendid law library, treating of real-estate cases. Mr. Hollingsworth
is himself a member of the bar, but takes no cases except those pertaining to
his line of business, preferring the more lucrative pursuits of the real-estate
and loan business.

He was married September 26, 1889, to Miss Nora A. Hopkins, by
•whom he has two children, Donald H. and Thomas. This sketch would be
incomplete without more than a passing mention of the father of Mrs. Hol-
lingsworth, as he was closely identified with the business interests of Ren-
sselaer for many years. Ludd Hopkins was born at Homer, Licking county,
Ohio, on September 13, 1832. When four years old his parents moved to
South Bend, Indiana, and at the age of eighteen years he entered Wabash
College. He did not finish the course there, as he joined his father on his
second trip to California, going overland and braving the dangers encoun-
tered by so many emigrant trains in crossing the plains. In 1855 he joined
Captain Sutter's expedition and returned to South Bend, where he was
married to Emma Perault. He returned with his bride to California and
settled in Saloma county, where she died. He engaged in stock-raising on
an extended scale and was worth considerable property, but his possessions
were swept away in a single night by a flood of water that came pouring
■down the valley, deluging his ranch and destroying everything in its course.
He then tried silver-mining for a time, with indifferent success, and made
several trips back and forth between South Bend and the different mining
■regions of California. In 1864 he came overland to Chicago, and from
there to Rensselaer, where he opened a general merchandise establishment.
This store he carried on for about twenty-five years, and gained the good
will and esteem of all who knew him. In 1865 he was united in marriage
to Miss Mary C. Austin, and thereafter made three trips to California. He

90 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

died in this city, August i8, 1891, leaving, beside his family, many friends
to mourn his loss. His first marriage resulted in the birth of two chil-
dren, — Frank and Mayme, the later being now Mrs. Benjamin Waldorf; while
to the second union were born Nora A., the wife of our subject; Louis F. ;
Ludd, Jr., of Chicago, who died in November, 1895; .and Senior.

Mrs. Hollingsworth is a lady of many amiable traits, and has many-
friends, who appreciate her true worth. Both she and Mr. Hollingsworth
are members and active workers in the Presbyterian church, although he
was of Quaker parentage. He is a Republican in his political views and
has been a member of the town board. He is also a prominent Mason.

JAMES C. HALL.

In 1896 James C. Hall, of Steuben township, Warren county, was
elected county commissioner of this county. This honor, bestowed upon
him by the old acquaintances and friends of a life-time, is a slight indication
of the high place which he occupies in their regard. He has been a zealous
Republican since he cast his first presidential vote, for Abraham Lincoln, in
i860, but has never sought or desired public office for himself.

James C. Hall is a son of one of the typical pioneer characters of
Warren county. Dr. Daniel D. Hall, physician, minister and farmer. His
life was useful, busy and devoted to mankind, and none knew him but to
admire and love him. A son of Josiah and Phoebe (Dutton) Hall, born in
Canada in 1802, he came to this county in 1828, and took up a large tract of
land in Pike township, about two miles south of old Lebanon. His parents
were natives of Connecticut, and the blood of a long line of sturdy Puritan
ancestors was in his veins. Soon after the birth of the Doctor, Josiah and
Phoebe Hall removed to New York state, and a little later they went to
Butler county, Ohio, where the mother died in 1821, and the father passed
away about seven years afterward. Daniel D. was a lad of some twelve
years when the family settled in Butler county, and there he attended the
pioneer schools. The instruction obtained there was entirely inadequate for
his ambitious mind, and every leisure hour was spent by him in study and
reading. At length he decided to enter the medical profession, and entered
Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, where he pursued a course of lectures
on medicine. At the age of twenty-six years he came to Warren county, as
previously mentioned, and thenceforth devoted his life to the good of his
fellows. Through the storms and floods of winter and spring, over a wild
and trackless country, he went to the bedside of the sick and suffering,
never considering his own comfort or health, and always carrying strength.
and courage with him. Doubtless his fidelity to his duty, throughout hi&

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 91

professional career, tended to shorten his earthly life, for death put an end
to his labors in September, 1852, when he was but fifty years of age. But
it was not alone as a skillful physician and nurse that he won the love and
gratitude of the people. He possessed a highly religious nature, and soon
after coming to this county he was instrumental in organizing the Christian
church at West Lebanon, the first church of that denomination established
in the county. He officiated as a preacher in this church, and his ministra-
tions were attended by a great spiritual awakening among the people of that
locality. In addition to all of his other qualities, which elevated him above
the ordinary, he possessed not a little musical talent. Warm-hearted and
generous, few men were more highly esteemed or more deeply missed when
their places became vacant in the community. He was a brother of the
well known Methodist minister of this section. Rev. Colbraith Hall.

Before coming to Indiana, Dr. Hall was married, in Ohio, to Jane J.
Buell, a native of the Buckeye state. They became the parents of ten chil-
dren, seven of whom grew to maturity. Those who are now living include:
Buell, of the state of Washington; Isaiah, of Kansas, and Frances, wife of
Alfred Cade, of the state of Washington. Harvey enlisted in a Missouri
regiment in the war of the Rebellion, was wounded and taken prisoner at
the battle of Springfield, Missouri, and was released on parole. Later,
re-entering the service of the Union, he took part in the famous battle of
Shiloh, and was again wounded. When he had sufficiently recovered to take
his place in the ranks he was sent to Arkansas, and the last ever heard about
him was that he died fighting for the country he loved and had suffered so
much for. He had been sent with a small body of picked men on a foraging
expedition for the troops, when they were attacked by a superior force of
Confederates. Isaac, another son, died when about fifty-two years old.
Cecelia grew to womanhood and then died, and several other children died
when young. After the death of his first wife, Doctor Hall remarried, and
had one daughter, who died in infancy.

James C. Hall was born on the old homestead in Pike township, June
4, 1837, and there he continued todsvell until 1859, when he succumbed to
the gold fever and joined the throng of western-bound emigrants, whose
watch-word was Pike's Peak. He was gone from home about a year, and
then returned, well satisfied with his native county. On New Year's day,
1861, Mr. Hall married Miss Elizabeth James, daughter of Hughey James,
an honored pioneer of Warren county. Six children came to bless the hearts
and home of our subject and wife, but three of the number have been called
to the better land. Those who survive are Frank E., Harvey H. and Isaac
L. The finely improved homestead, which has been brought to its present
thrifty condition by many years of industrious effort on the part of our sub-

92 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

ject, is now under the management of his eldest son, Frank E., an enterprising
young farmer. The year after his marriage Mr. Hall became a member of
the Christian church, and his good wife is likewise identified with the same.
They are worthy, unostentatious people, hospitable to all and kind and
benevolent to the poor.

JOHN H. MARTIN.

One of the most venerable of the old pioneers yet living in Randolph
township, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, is John H. Martin, whose post-office
address is South Raub. His father, David Martin, was born in Pennsylvania
and early in life emigrated from that state to Ohio, then called the Western
Reserve, and settled near Circleville, where he engaged in farming. He
married Sarah Monohan, daughter of Peter and Silence Monohan, and they
became the parents of the following named children: Cynthia, Joseph, John
H., Owen, David, Samuel, Mary, Sally, Abby and Margaret. The family
home continued to be near Circleville until after seven of the children were
born, when, in 1829, it was exchanged for one further west. That year
David Martin, accompanied by his wife and children, came to Indiana and
settled in Randolph township, Tippecanoe county, where he entered one
hundred and sixty acres of timber and prairie land and devoted his energies
to the work of making a farm. He prospered from the first and became one
of the most respected pioneers of this locality. As he was able he purchased
more land, thus adding to his farm until he had about three hundred acres,
well improved. He died on his farm when near the age of seventy years.
Politically, he was a Democrat.

John H. Martin, the third born in the above named family, and the direct
subject of this review, dates his birth near Circleville, Ohio, February 23,
1 8 16. He was about thirteen years old when his father moved to Indiana
and can well remember the journey from Ohio to this state, which was made
with ox teams and which consumed fifteen days, the nights being spent in
camp by the roadside. For a few winters after coming to Tippecanoe county
he attended school, held on the subscription plan, in a log school-house with
a stick-and-mud chimney, big fire-place, and with a greased paper for window
in the north side, while the south side could boast of a four-light window.
He grew to manhood on his father's farm, and at about the age of twenty-
five years was married, in Randolph township, Tippecanoe county, to
Patience Burroughs, their marriage being consummated October 3, 1837. Mrs.
Martin was born September 30, 1822, in Meigs county, Ohio, daughter of
Josiah and Hannah (Pierce) Burroughs, natives of New Jersey. Josiah Bur-
roughs was a son of Jacob Burroughs and Silence, his wife. After marriage

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 98

Josiah and Hannah Burroughs settled in Meigs county, Ohio, to which place
he had gone and entered land a short time previously and where he provided
a rude frontier home for the bride he brought from New Jersey. There he
farmed and worked at his trade, that of cooper, and found a market for his
barrels on the Ohio river. He was an industrious and intelligent man and
acquired a good education, attending school after he was twenty-one years
of age; and in connection with the other occupations above referred to he
also taught school and did some surveying. In September, 1824, he moved
to Indiana and took up his abode in Randolph township, Tippecanoe county,
where he made a comfortable home. He taught two terms of school in this
county when he was an old man. Politically, he was an old-line Whig, and
his religious faith was that of the Friends or Quakers. His children were
Hester, Job, Elizabeth, Nancy, Edward, Hannah, Patience, Abby and
Josiah.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Martin settled on the farm where
they now live, at first renting of his father. He inherited a portion of the
homestead, subsequently bought adjoining land, from time to time adding to
his holdings until his landed estate comprised five hundred acres, but he has
since divided with his children, now retaining for himself two hundred and
twenty acres, one of the best farms in the vicinity. Industry and good man-
agement have characterized his efforts and contributed to the success he has
attained, and besides accumulating a competency he has, aided by his faithful
wife, reared a large family of children to occupy useful and honored positions
in life. Their children are as follows: Martha, born December 18, 1842;
Josiah, September 10, 1844; William, January 18, 1846; Ellen, November
27, 1849; Benjamin, January 10, 1851; Caroline, March 3, 1853; Melissa,
August 29, 1855; Sarah, January 5, 1857; David W., March 8, i860; John,
February 25, 1862; Hettie, March 15, 1864; and Albert, February 5, 1865.

Mr. Martin is, politically, a Democrat and is an advocate of " free silver."
Of him it may truthfully be said that his word is as good as his bond.

ISAAC PARKER.

Isaac Parker, deceased, was for a number of years one of the wealthy
and substantial farmers as well as highly respected citizens of Jasper county,
Indiana. He was a native of the Old Dominion, born April 4, 1824. At
the age of ten years he accompanied his parents on their removal from Vir-
ginia to a western home, and on the frontier he passed from boyhood into
manhood, his youthful days being spent in hard work incident to the life of
the pioneer farmer boy. In 1848 he came to Jasper county, Indiana, and
bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, and the following year, when

94 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

the gold excitement broke out in California, he sought the golden shores of
the Pacific. He remained in sunny California, engaged in mining, until 1853.
For his first month's work there he received four hundred dollars. Return-
ing to Indiana, he soon resumed farming operations and for some time ran a
threshing machine. He was successful in his undertakings, owing to his
honest industry and good management, and succeeded in accumulating a
large property, having at the time of his death one thousand six hundred
acres of land in Hanging Grove township. He died here in 1886, at the
age of sixty-two years, his death being the result of an injury received from
a horse kick. Mr. Parker was a Republican, always taking an intelligent
interest in public affairs, but never seeking official preference.

He was married first to Miss Rhoda Moore, who died in 1864. Sep-
tember 5, 1865, he married Miss Isabel, daughter of John and Matilda (Ken-
ton) Parkinson, who was born in this county in 1842. Their union resulted
in the birth of six children. Mrs. Parker remained on the home farm until
about five years ago, when she sold her interest in the estate and moved to
Rensselaer, where she has since resided.

Her father, John G. Parkinson, was born in Kentucky, in 1808, was
taken by his parents to Virginia and came thence to Ohio and later to Indi-
ana, where he died. Simon Kenton, the great Indian fighter, was her mater-
nal grandfather. John G. Parkinson came to Jasper county, Indiana, in
1843, and bought two hundred acres of land here. Mrs. Parker's mother
died at the age of fifty-eight years. In their family were eleven children, of
whom five are now living, — three daughters and two sons.

WILLIAM C. COMPTON.

This well known citizen of Benton county, Indiana, dates his birth in
Adams county, Ohio, January 21, 1851, and along the agnatic line traces his
origin to Ireland, his grandfather Compton having come to this country from
the "Emerald Isle." Grandmother Compton was a native of America.
Both lived to a ripe old age, and it may be said that our subject comes from
a long-lived family, for his maternal grandfather and grandmother reached
the ages respectively of eighty-six and ninety years.

Joseph D. Compton, the father of William C, was a blacksmith by
trade. He was born in Adams county and lived there until September, 1866,
when he moved to Grant county, Indiana. He owned a farm of two
hundred acres in Adams county, Ohio, which he exchanged for two
hundred and forty acres of Iowa land, and the latter property he exchanged
for a sawmill, which he lost in litigation. On his removal to Grant county
he bought eighty acres of land, and this he also lost. He died in Grant

BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TORT. 95

county, in May, 1879. Of his life it may truly be said that he was an
example of one who was a friend to those unworthy of his friendship. The
mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Cynthia Ann Spurgeon, was
born in Adams county, Ohio, and in that county was married, and
she died, in Benton county, Indiana, in December, 1896, at the age of eighty
years. Joseph D. and Cynthia Ann (Spurgeon) Compton were the parents
of twelve children, a brief record of whom is as follows: John L., who was a
member of the Seventieth Infantry, Ohio Volunteers, was in the service four
years, and was killed at Fort McAllister, at the age of thirty; Sarah Ann,
who was twice married, first to John Nesbot and after his death to 'Dr.
Charles Riggs, is now a widow and resides in Grant county, Indiana; Mar-
garet Ann, deceased, who was twice married, first to Frank Holmes and
secondly to Harrison Thurman: the husband survives her and is a resident of
Adams county, Ohio; George, who enlisted in the Seventieth Infantry, Ohio
Volunteers, and died in the hospital after eight months' service; Mary Jane, the
wife of Benjamin N. Leisure, a farmer of Grant county, Indiana; Joseph S.,
who at present makes his home with the subject of this sketch; Alexander G.,
who died in Grant county, in 1888, at the age of forty-four years; Cynthia
Ann, who died April, 1867, at the age of eighteen years; William C, whose
name initiates this review; James D., whose home is with his brother Will-
iam C. ; Silas, who died in infancy; and Henry B., who died in 1879, at the
of twenty-two years.

William C. Compton was reared on his father's farm in Adams county,
Ohio, and his opportunities for obtaining an education were not of the best,
owing to the civil war. Some of his brothers were absent from home in the
army, and from the time he was ten until the war closed his attendance at
the public school was more or less interrupted. At the age of sixteen we
find him employed as teamster in Grant county, Indiana. For eight years
he was thus occupied in Xenia, now called Converse, that county. In the
meantime he married, and in September, 1876, he located at Sugar Grove in
York township, on the Sumner farm, five miles southwest of Earl Park.
Here he cultivated one hundred acres of this farm until the death of E. C.
Sumner, after which he became manager of Mrs. Sumner's share of the
estate, six thousand acres, and he now lives at the Sumner homestead. He
owns a half interest in the hardware, lumber, coal and agricultural imple-
ment business operated under the firm name of Compton & Company at
Earl Park.

May 2, 1874, Mr. Compton married Miss Rachel C. Mills, daughter of
Henry and Margaret (Barton) Mills, of Grant county, Indiana, formerly of
Clinton county, Ohio. Having no children of their own, they have acted
the part of kind and loving parents to other children, having reared two of

96 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

his brother's, Joseph S. Compton's, children, namely: Hettie Margaret, who
married Burton Hughes, employed in the store of Compton & Company,
above referred to; and Blanche, wife of John Gentis, a farmer in York town-
ship, Benton county. At present Mr. and Mrs. Compton are rearing Miss
Blanche Kennedy, a daughter of Charles and Ella (Kneedler) Kennedy; and
they have an adopted son, William F. Compton, son of John Curtain.

Mr. Compton attends worship at the Methodist Episcopal church, of
which his family are members. Politically, he is a Democrat, and fraternally
he is identified with the Knights of Pythias, at Earl Park, in which he has
filled all the chairs, and which he has represented, as delegate, in the grand
lodge at Indianapolis. Also he is a member of the Royal Arcanum and the
Court of Honor, and at Fowler has a membership in the Masonic lodge and
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

ALEXANDER H. CROUSE.

Alexander H. Crouse is one of the substantial and respected citizens of
Tippecanoe county, and a son of one of the honored pioneers. He belongs
to the same family as Dr. Jerome Crouse, of Dayton, Indiana, in whose
sketch may be found the genealogical history of the family. There is a
tradition that three brothers of the name came from Germany at a very
early day and located in Philadelphia, but more authentic records give proof
that George Crouse, the great-grandfather of our subject, crossed the
Atlantic to the United States in the first part of the eighteenth century and
took up his abode in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania.

Henry Crouse, the grandfather, was of sturdy Pennsylvania-Dutch
stock, and was born in Cumberland county, July 6, 1768. In that locality
he was married to Miss Hevison, who was born February 15, 1766, and their
children were: Catherine, born May 20, 1792 ; Leah, born March 6, 1794 ;
Henry, born August i, 1796; Maria, born July 15, 1798; Simon, born July
25, 1802 ; John, born August 15, 1804; David, born September 18, 1808;
Elizabeth, born October 15, 1810; and Daniel, born November 20, 1814.
About 1820 Henry Crouse, the father of this family, removed to German-
town, Ohio, and cleared a farm in that locality. In 1830 he became a
resident of Marion county, Indiana, and purchased and cleared a section of
land, including the site which was afterward chosen for the asylum for the
insane, near Indianapolis. He died in the prime of life, owing to injuries
sustained while felling a tree. He was a member of the German Reformed
church.

John W. Crouse, the father of our subject, was born April 15, 1805, in
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and during his youth accompanied his

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 97

parents on their removal to Butler county, Ohio. He was married in Preble
county, March 17, 1825, to Miss Eliza Christman, the marriage ceremony
being performed by Rev. Bishop Kumler. The lady was born in Preble
county, June i, 1805, a daughter of Daniel and Magdaline (Oza) Christman.
Her parents were both natives of Guilford county. North Carolina, the father
born March 27, 1773, and the mother, Decembers, 1776. They were among;
the early pioneers of Preble county, Ohio, where they reared their family o£
four sons and a daughter, namely: John, Eliza, Solomon, Jacob and Daniel.
The sons spent the greater part of their lives in Preble county, where they
were highly respected citizens. Daniel Christman entered land from the
government and developed a good farm, at one time owning about three hun-
dred acres. He was a straightforward, honorable man, a member of the
United Brethren church, and died on the Ohio homestead when about eighty
years of age.

The family record of Mr. Christman, the grandfather of our subject, is
as follows: He was born November 2, 1745, and died March 11, iSio.
His wife Magdaline died June 7, 1800. Their children were: Margaret,
born June 6, 1769; Jacob, August 9, 1770; John, September 17, 1771; Dan-
iel, March 27, 1773; Mary B., April 3, 1774; Catherine, October 3, 1775;
Peter, March 17, 1777; David, January 5, 1779; Mary E., February 27, 1782;
Elizabeth, March 16, 1783; Roseanah, November 6, 1785; Susannah, Sep-
tember 6, 1787; Solomon, February 2, 1790; and Sophia, April 5, 1792.
Jacob Christman, thegreat-grandfather of our subject, was born May 5, 1720.

After their marriage, the parents of our subject took up their abode
near Liberty, Union county, Indiana, in 1825. The father purchased land,
also a sawmill. In the fall of 1828 he removed with his family to Wayne
township, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, locating two miles from the present
Crouse homestead. He bought one hundred and forty-two acres of land and
entered a quarter section from the government, and thereon resided until his
death, which occurred September 13, 1844. He cleared away the timber,
turned the first furrows upon the prairie land, and developed a good farming
property of three hundred acres, the greater part of which he placed under a
high state of cultivation. He and his wife were both members of the United
Brethren church, in which he served as class-leader and held other offices.
He assisted in building a number of churches, contributed liberally to their
support, and was very active in advancing the work of his denomination. In
politics he was a Whig, and was at one time a candidate for state senator.
He was a loyal and valued citizen, a substantial, practical farmer and a
straightforward, reliable business man. His wife died March 26, 1883, at the
age of seventy-eight years. She had been a widow for many years and had
depended upon her son Alexander to manage the farm and business affairs ia

98 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

her old age. Her children were Mary A., born October 5, 1826; Alexander
Hamilton; Daniel Franklin, born June 11, 1837, and died July 11, 1866; and
Mary A., who became the wife of James W. Stewart and died March 23,
1874.

Alexander Hamilton Crouse was born on the homestead farm in Union
county, Indiana, October 23, 1828, and was only six months old when
brought by his parents to Tippecanoe county, so that he was reared amid
the pioneer homes and scenes of this locality. He pursued his education in
a log school-house, made of round poles, with puncheons for seats and con-
structed with the sharp edge uppermost, so that the children would not get
lazy. In one end of the building was an old-fashioned stick chimney, and
a back-log ten feet long could be put in the huge fireplace! For a window a
log was removed and the aperture covered with greased paper. Between
the ages of six and fifteen years Mr. Crouse attended that school through the
winter season, with the exception of short intervals spent in a school of httle
better grade, near Odell. When he was a small boy his father instructed
him in practical business methods, and he began to learn how to buy young
cattle, being encouraged by his father, who gave him the money and taught
him to know the points of good stock. He was also early inured to the labors
of the fields, and when only nine years old cultivated thirty-five acres of corn.
When he was sixteen years of age his father died, and the care and manage-
ment of the farm devolved upon him. It was a great responsibility for a
youth of his age, but he performed the work manfully and nobly, being
assisted by the wise advice, counsel and encouragement of his devoted mother.

As the years passed, his thrift and enterprise brought him increased
wealth, and following the teachings of his father he became a prosperous
cattle dealer. He was a good trader, and accumulated a handsome prop-
erty. He remained at home with his mother until after her death, and was
therefore not married until late in hfe. Some time after losing his mother
he saw a Kentucky lady in whom he became much interested, and five years
later they were married, in Hardin county, that state, June 24, 1894. She
was in her maidenhood Miss Tee P. Humphrey. Their wedding was cele-
brated about three o'clock on Sunday afternoon, in a beautiful chestnut
grove on the Humphrey homestead, Rev. Felix Humphrey, her brother, per-
forming the ceremony in the presence of a large concourse of the best peo-
ple of the county, more than twelve hundred being present. The bride was
twenty-two years of age, the bridegroom sixty-five years. On their return
to Indiana they gave a large reception to the many friends and neighbors of
Mr. Crouse, over six hundred people being royally entertained. Their chil-
dren were John Thomas, who was born April 26, 1895, and died in infancy;
William Alexander, born March 24, 1896; and Mary Magdalene, born Octo-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 99

ber 7, 1898. Mrs. Crouse was born in Hardin county, Kentucky, March 25,
1872, a daughter of Thomas and Arminda (Royalty) Humphrey. Her father
was a son of Samuel and Drusilla (Haywood) Humphrey, the former born in
Hardin county, his father being Samuel Humphrey, Sr. , who left his Vir-
ginia home and became one of the pioneers of Kentucky, making his home
there among the Indians. The grandmother of Mrs. Crouse, Mrs. Drusilla
Humphrey, was the daughter of a prominent official of Hardin county, who
had Indian blood in his veins, and more remote members of the family
served as chiefs of the Shawnee Indians. It is claimed that a vast amount of
land in Kentucky belongs by right to this branch of the family. The chil-
dren of Samuel and Drusilla Humphrey were Sallie, John, Lydia, Samuel,
William Wesley, Thomas, Rachel and Mahala. The last named died in
early womanhood. Mr. Humphrey was a substantial farmer of Hardin
county and a good citizen. In politics he was a Republican, and died in his
native state in middle life.

Thomas Humphrey, father of Mrs. Crouse, was born in Hardin county,
March 12, 1827, was a farmer by occupation and when about twenty years of
age married Arminda Royalty, who was born in Hardin county, July i, 1832,
a daughter of Daniel and Annie (Saunders) Royalty. Her father was born in
Washington county, Kentucky, and was a son of David Royalty, one of the
pioneers of Kentucky. Annie Saunders was a daughter of Thomas and
Sally Saunders, and her father was a Kentucky pioneer, who served through
the Revolutionary war under General Washington. He was a very strong
man and weighed two hundred pounds when he entered the army, but was
wounded in battle, which rendered him a cripple for life. His parents lived
near a battle-field, and the window glass in their house was shattered by
the firing. After leaving the army Mr. Royalty took up his residence in
Washington county, Kentucky, where he spent his remaining days. His
children were Annie, Isaac, Rebecca, Hannah and several daughters whose
names are forgotten. Daniel Royalty was a shoemaker in Hardin county,
Kentucky, where he also owned land, being one of the substantial citizens
of that locality. He removed to that place soon after his marriage and there
made his home until his death. His children were Sarah, Thomas, Jane,
Rebecca, Catherine, Mary A. and Arminda. After their marriage Thomas
Humphrey and his wife located at the head-waters of Mill creek, where he
purchased a farm and spent the remainder of his life, while some of his
children yet remain at that place. He and -his wife were the parents of
the following named: Felix, Thomas, Missouri, John W., Isaac F. and
Wiatt W. (twins), Mary, Christian D. and Tee P. Mr. Humphrey died
December 22, 1894, at the age of sixty-seven years, a member of the
Baptist church, in which he had served as clerk and moderator. He had

100 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

a common-school education, was an industrious, energetic man, trust-
worthy in business, and with his family a kind and affectionate husband
and father. His widow is now Hving with her daughter, Mrs. Alexander
H. Crouse. She, too, is a member of the Baptist church, in good stand-
ing, and all of her children are connected with the same denomination.
In politics the family are stanch Republicans. The Humphreys are of the
old and respected families of Kentucky, well known for their sterling worth
and excellent traits of character. Rev. Felix Humphrey, a brother of Mrs.
Crouse, was educated in Garnettsville, Meade county, Kentucky, and is
now an ordained minister in the Baptist church.

Mr. Crouse, whose name introduces this review, is accounted one of the
prominent, diligent and prosperous agriculturists of Tippecanoe county, the
greater part of his attention being devoted to his farming interests, which he
manages with marked ability and success. He cast his ballot for Abraham
Lincoln and for many years was a stanch Republican, but is now a Demo-
crat and free-silver man. For eight and a half years he served as a justice
of the peace, during which time he tried many cases and was always noted
for his moderation and justice. His good common sense also played a part
in his official service and was manifest in the settlement of many cases out of
court, through arbitration between the litigants. He is a man of sterling
rectitude of character, and his word is as good as his bond. Like his father,
he was at one time a candidate for state senator, and it is claimed that
he originated and suggested the present liquor laws of the state of Indiana.
He has traveled quite extensively, visiting the principal cities of the United
States, and in 1869 he went abroad, spending some time in England, Ire-
land, Scotland, Wales, France, Germany, Spain and Turkey, viewing the
many points of modern and historic interest in those lands. Socially, he is
connected with the Odd Fellows society and has passed all the chairs in the
lodge and also belongs to the encampment. He is a man of kindly disposi-
tion, generous nature and courteous manner, and is one of the most highly
respected and popular residents of Tippecanoe county.

CLEMENT S. KINGSBURY.

Mr. Kingsbury is a trustee of Union township. White county, Indiana,,
and a prominent business man of Monticello. He came to this county in
i860, and has been a resident here for the greater part of the time since.
He was born near Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence county. New York, March 14^
1843, snd is a son of Harvey and Julietta (Small) Kingsbury. Harvey Kings-
bury was a farmer of Vermont, and moved to St. Lawrence county, New
York, and thence to Michigan, where he died in his fifty-fourth year. He

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 101

married Julietta Small, of New York, who died when she was but twenty-
eight years of age, leaving three children: Clement S., our subject; and
Charles and Eugene, both deceased.

Mr. Kingsbury was about three years old when his parents moved to
Michigan. Here he remained until he was seventeen, when he came to this
state. His opportunities for receiving an education were very meager, the
schools which he attended being from one to three and a half miles distant
from his home. This distance had to be walked. However, he made the.
most of his opportunities, and since then has made up for this unfortunate
circumstance by reading and keen observation, and has stored a naturally
strong mind with varied knowledge. He was put to work during his very
tender years, and at the age of six we find him doing chores, milking cows
and doing whatever could be found for a child of that age. He was com-
pelled to rise early in the morning and commence his work. This training,
though severe, taught him habits of industry and promptness which have
never been forgotten and have contributed largely to his present success in
life. He came to Indiana when seventeen years old and engaged in car-
penter work with an uncle. This kind of work came naturally to him, but
he gave it his entire energy. His uncle soon became a candidate for the
office of county treasurer and abandoned his trade, throwing our subject out
of work. He then worked at whatever came to his hand, — on farms, in the
harvest fields, and later in a woolen mill at Monticello. He worked in the
mill for a number of years, until 1862, when the dark cloud of rebellion
threatened the destruction of our fair land, and he hastened to offer himself
in the service of his country. August 14, 1862, he enlisted in the Twelfth
Indiana Regiment, Company D, and from that time until he was mustered
out, in June, 1865, he endured all the hardships of a soldier. He was under
General John A. Logan, also for a time with Sherman, and took part in the
skirmishes of Grant's campaign in the vicinity of Memphis and Vicksburg.
He was in the thick of many a battle, — was in the siege of Jackson, fought
at Chattanooga, Mission Ridge, Resaca, in the Atlanta campaign and in
numerous other engagements. He was taken prisoner at Richmond, Kentucky,
but was fortunately paroled in five days' time. He was with Sherman when
he made his famous march to the sea and up through the Carolinas. He
was a brave and fearless soldier, rendering valiant service to the cause of the
Union, and enduring hardships not dreamed of by the soldiers in the late
war with Spain. He participated in the grand review at Washington, and
was mustered out in June, 1865.

After returning to private life Mr. Kingsbury, engaged in the general
mercantile business in Michigan for a couple of years, returning to Monticello^
Indiana, in 1867, and working one year in the woolen mills. He again lo-

102 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

cated in Michigan for a time, and then came once more to this state, where
he engaged in business and has since made his home. About four years ago '
he started a grocery store and has met with flattering success, building up a
large and extended patronage of the most desirable class. He conducts a
first-class store in every respect, a fact that is appreciated by the public, as
shown by their continued patronage.

Mr. Kingsbury was bound by the golden fetters of Hymen to Miss Har-
riet Ross. Their union has been blessed by the birth of five children, viz. :
William Sherman, of Columbus, Ohio; Frank Logan, of Kokomo; Estella;
Burt, who is in the store with his father; and Harry, who died at the age of.
six years. Mr. Kingsbury has always supported the Republican party, but can
not be considered a politician, as he has never sought office, although his
purity of heart and honesty of purpose have led his friends to believe that he
is the proper man to serve the public interests. They have persuaded him to
allow his name to be used a few times, and placed him in the office of con-
stable, where he served several years and did almost the entire collecting for
the justices of the peace in the county. He also served as city marshal for
two years, and four years ago was elected trustee of Union township, an im-
portant place which he still fills. His administrations have been singularly
pure, and a credit alike to himself and his constituency. He was made a
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1872, and is past grand
and a member of the encampment. He is a prominent member of Tippecanoe
Post, G. A. R., and is actively interested in all its proceedings. He is a
member of the Christian church and is a liberal contributor to its advance-
ment.

JOHN M. MAVITY.

John M. Mavity is the popular owner and editor of the West Lebanon
Gazette, which was established November 23, 1883, by F. J. Pasteur, well
known as " Toney " Pasteur; and, while he owned it, for one year it was in
charge of W. H. Soden, who at the end of that time purchased the paper
and after two years took in as a partner A. R. Caldwallader. A year later
Mr. Caldwallader became sole owner, though the paper was conducted under
the name of Caldwallader Brothers, A. R. being the editor and H. A. the
general manager. Mr. Mavity took possession of the plant on the ist of
January, 1889. From July i, 1890, to July i, 1891, Charles Caldwallader
owned an interest, but since the last named date Mr. Mavity has been sole
owner. From 1868 to 1883, when the Gazette was established, a dozen or
more efforts had been made to conduct the publication of a paper at West
Lebanon, all of which were failures. The Gazette was a fair success from

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 103

the beginning, inasmuch as it succeeded in keeping ahve. That Mr. Mav-
ity has proved himself a successful newspaper man is universally admitted.
On April i, 1896, the paper was increased to its present size, a seven-column,
four-page paper. There is no patent work about it, but all is home print.
Eight hundred copies are printed weekly, and it is safe to state that no town
in Indiana not larger than West Lebanon has a paper of larger circulation.

Mr. Mavity was born in Decatur county, Indiana, May 14, 1862, the
son of John A. Mavity, who was a native of Madison county, Indiana, born
May 14, 1833. John A. Mavity in his youth learned the trade of black-
smith, an occupation he followed until the opening of the war of the Rebel-
lion. He married Susan Z. Wise, a cousin of the late Governor Wise, of
Virginia, of John Brown fame. Her father was a pioneer of Indiana and a
member of the first legislature that met at Indianapolis. When civil war was
inaugurated Mr. Mavity entered the Union army as a member of Company
B, Sixth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was in active service
until he was wounded at the battle of Resaca. After that, being unable to
serve in the ranks, he made himself valuable in hospital service. After the
war he was for many years a minister of the Christian church, preaching in
Indiana, Michigan and Illinois. He is now practically retired and with his
estimable wife resides in West Lebanon. They were the parents of three
sons, — Jesse H. , of Atlanta, Indiana; John M., the subject of this sketch; and
Thomas Wise. The last named died at West Lebanon in June, 1898, at the
age of thirty-two years, leaving two daughters. His wife's death occurred
two years before his.

John M. Mavity received a good education and was for ten years a suc-
cessful teacher, six years of his experience as teacher being in Warren coun-
ty. For two years he was principal of the West Lebanon schools. He was
married July 7, 1886, to Miss Laura F. Hendricks, and they have a daugh-
ter, May, born June 4, 1889, and a son, J. Earl, born April 2, 1899.

Mr. Mavity possesses much energy and ability and includes in his make-
up the necessary qualities which insure success in any calling. He is a mem-
ber of the Knights of Pythias, Order of Modern Woodmen and Sons of Vet-
erans, and both he and his family are identified with the Christian church.

MRS. RACHEL TALBOTT.

There is so much of romance in the history of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel
Talbott, of Oxford, that the biographer has thought best to give a separate
sketch to each.

The subject of this sketch was born near Independence, Warren county,
Indiana, on the 13th of September, 1837. She is a daughter of Frederick

104 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

and Mary Waymire, natives of Ohio. Her mother's maiden name was like-
wise Waymire, though she was not related to her husband. They had ten
children, seven of whom have crossed to the " other shore. " They were
named as follows: David, who died at the age of forty years; Solomon,
who died in 1898; Isaac, Elizabeth and John are deceased; Huldah is the
widow of John Steadman, and resides in Boswell, Benton county; Daniel,
who lives in Warren county, Indiana; Rachel, of this sketch; Sarah, the
wife of Jacob B. Lebo, died at Lebo Springs, in the fall of 1898, the family
owning the famous magnetic springs; and Frederick also is deceased. The
mother of our subject died in 1843, at the age of thirty years, and subse-
quently the father was united in marriage with Mrs. Nancy Draper, a native
of Delaware. By this union there were no children, and finally both father
and stepmother died, within a few days of each other, the mother's death
occurring on the 7th and the father's on the i8th of January, 1868, the
father at the age of seventy-six years and the mother seventy-three.

Rachel Waymire grew to womanhood in her native county. Her
opportunities for education were somewhat limited, since her early years
were necessarily devoted to hard work; yet in later years, when the goddess
of fortune smiled upon her, she devoted herself to careful study and thus
became very well informed.

At the age of eighteen years she yielded her heart and hand to Joseph
Atkinson, on the ist of March, 1856, and together they traveled life's journey
lor many years. Both being industrious and frugal, their united efforts
yielded a handsome recompense, and they became very well-to-do. Their
union was a happy one, since their dispositions were amiable, and no word of
reproach or censure ever passed between them during those happy years of
wedded felicity. The time was when their possessions aggregated the snug
fortune of two hundred thousand dollars. But finally the demon of intem-
perance entered the happy home and the accumulations of years of hard toil
seemed to take wings. This continued for several years and was the only
source of discord; yet that was a sufficient one. In time this led to personal
estrangement, and the happiness of the home was destroyed. The tears
and prayers of a loving and devoted wife were unavailing, the entreaties of
grown-up children were not effective, the home was broken up and the hap-
piness of years was dissipated by a legal separation of the husband and wife.
Mrs. Atkinson received her share of the depleted estate, and with blighted
hopes for the comforts and happiness promised in earlier years, retired from
the home which had sheltered her as a happy girl wife. She came to Oxford
and invested a portion of her means in a handsome home, which she built
and where she now resides.

On the 27th of November, 1892, she wedded Daniel Talbott, a school

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 105

companion and neighbor's son of her girlhood years. When children they
played together in youthful innocence, yet no thought of linking together
their fortunes for life had ever entered their minds until both were left
alone, as the "sear and yellow leaf" of old age came creeping on. (See
sketch of Daniel Talbott.)

By the first marriage there were four children, viz. : Sarah, who was
born October 24, 1857, on the farm near Oxford, is the wife of B. F. Gep-
hart, a prosperous farmer in Warren county; Eva, born June 25, i860, died
December 7, 1863; Frank, whose birth occurred June 29, 1863, is located on
the old home farm south of 0.xford: this place is better known to the old
settlers as the Justus farm; Elmer was born December 14, 1865, and died
May 6, 1867.

Mrs. Talbott has in her own right a farm of one hundred and forty acres
adjoining the town of Oxford; also a residence in town and other personal
property. She has been a member of the Methodist church for thirty years,
and is a zealous Christian worker. She has also been a member of the
Daughters of Rebekah for twenty-five years, and has held all of the official
stations connected therewith. For the benefit of her children, a brief history
of the Atkinson family is given below.

Joseph Atkinson was born February 13, 1832, in Ohio, a son of Thomas
and Frances Atkinson, also natives of the Buckeye state, and their deaths
•occurred so near the same time that they were buried in one grave. Joseph
came to Indiana in young manhood and readily showed marked success as a
money-maker. Whatever he turned his hand to produced flattering results.
His only fault, as seen through the critical eyes of his divorced wife, is his
•uncontrollable appetite for intoxicating liquors.

DANIEL TALBOTT.

It is not often that the biographer finds it necessary to separate a man
irom his wife in writing a family sketch ; but, since the separation is only
incidental and the interests of each best subserved by this course, we trust
that we may be pardoned for the breach of etiquette.

Daniel Talbott was born April 19, 1837, in Warren county, Indiana, the
parental home being in the township of Warren. He is a son of Joseph and
Maria (Sever) Talbott, both natives of Ohio. The father accompanied his
parents to Warren county, this state, and died there in 1842, at the age of
forty years. He was a blacksmith by trade, though a farmer after coming
to Indiana. The mother of our subject died in 1839, on the home farm in
Warren county ; she was the father's second wife. Her family came from
2^ew Jersey to Ohio, in which state her parents were married.

106 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Our subject is the elder of two sons born by his father's first marriage,
the brother being Isaac, who was born in 1839, and is now a retired business
man in Wamego, Kansas. One son was born to the father's first marriage ;
the maiden name of his first wife was Troth. This brother, whose name is
Georgie, is an engineer in a sawmill at Marengo, Iowa. The father's third
wife was Mrs. Mary Ann Stance, and they had two daughters : Avis, the
wife of James Ridenour, of Warren county ; and Eliza, widow of John
Clark, in the same county.

Our subject attended a subscription school until eleven years of age,
when he entered the public schools of Warren county, where he pursued his
studies until eighteen years old. By reason of the death of his parents, he
lived with his aunt after his sixth year, but went to work by the month at
the age of ten. At the age of twenty-one he was married and started on his
career as a farmer, on a rented farm. His first real estate was a forty-acre
farm in Warren county ; but this he afterward exchanged in part payment
for an eighty-acre tract, and in due time added to this until he had a fine
farm of one hundred and fifty-one acres, upon which he lived for twenty-
nine years, and he still owns the same.

He was married December 29, 1858, in Warren county, to Miss Prudence
Moor, a daughter of John and Prudence (Doty) Moor, natives of Ohio. She
was born February 14, 1836, and died December 5, 1878. Seven children
were born to bless this union: Rosilla, born November 8, 1859, died Novem-
ber 22, following; Oliver, who was born December i, i860, is a farmer in
Warren county; Willard, born November 2, 1863, resides in Whitman county,
Washington, where he is a silversmith; Lillis was born October 25, 1865,
and married William Cottingham, a painter in Williamsport, Indiana; Avis
was born October 18, 1867, and died July 25, 1868; Eva was born August 16,.
1869, and is a teacher in the public schools of Warren county; Sylvia, born
October 3, 1871, became the wife of William Slager, a farmer in Pickaway
county, Ohio.

After the death of his wife, Mr. Talbott kept his family together, per-
forming as nearly as possible the obligations of both father and mother.
When his children were able to provide for themselves and all were married
except the fourth daughter, he felt that he had discharged a sacred duty. In
1892 he removed to Oxford, and November 27 of that year he was united ia
marriage with Mrs. Rachel (Waymire) Atkinson, whose sketch appears in
this work. These elderly people are comfortably situated and liberally pro-
vided with means to carry them through to the sunset of Ufe. Their remain-
ing years promise a season of happy repose from the harrowing cares of life.

Mr. Talbott, like his estimable wife, is a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, and he has been an Odd Fellow for eighteen years, having now

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 107

passed the official chairs and is the present vice grand of his lodge. His
political affiliations have always been with the Democratic party, though he
has never been aggressive in political affairs; he has never sought political
office, being more interested in his own personal affairs and the various official
positions coming to him through his interest in church and school affairs.

Mr. Talbott is an upright, honorable citizen, sustaining a just and well
earned reputation for strict integrity and uprightness of character.

ELIZABETH BROWN.

Probably no man in Jasper county was more widely and favorably known
than George H. Brown, recently deceased. He had extensive business
interests in the county, was a man of high ideals and noble Christian char-
acter, and was beloved and respected by a host of friends. His life was a
reproach to wrong-doers, and was well worthy of emulation by the young
men of this generation. He was born in Jackson county, Ohio, in May,
1816, and was a son of Zepheniah Brown, who was born in Vermont in
1789, and moved thence to Cayuga county. New York. Here the elder
Brown grew to manhood, moving later to Pickaway county, Ohio, where he
married Elizabeth Headley, and later moved to Tippecanoe county, in 1827.
Here the wife died, in 1842. He bought large tracts of land, and he died in
1875, leaving a large family of eleven children.

George H. Brown came to Jasper county in 1840, locating in Barclay
township. All this country was at that time wild land, and but few settlers
inhabited it. He entered land in section thirty-four, which he improved and
lived upon about eight years. He then exchanged it for other property,
speculating considerably in lands and cattle. He was a shrewd man of busi-
ness and made a great deal of money in these ventures, owning at one time
thirty-two hundred acres of land. He was of untiring industry and energy,
and started his children with good farms. He was twice married, first to
Nancy Welch, by whom he had one child, who died in infancy. Mrs. Brown
died a few years later. He was next united to Miss Elizabeth Nichols, our
subject. In 1844 he was elected county commissioner, and served in that
office ten years. In 1875 he was elected to the legislature on the Independ-
ent ticket, and was re-elected in 1878 by a flattering majority. He filled
this office with credit to himself and his constituency, working only for the
public good. He was a man of broad knowledge, gained almost entirely
through his own efforts. His death occurred February 18, 1896, and caused
a loss that will long be felt in the community.

Elizabeth Brown is a daughter of George W. and Rebecca (Lewis)
Nichols, and came with her parents in 1839 from Champaign county, Ohio,

108 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

to this state, locating about one mile from the Brown homestead. They
endured the hardships of pioneer life, and both parents died in this county,
the father in his seventy-seventh year and the mother in her seventy-fifth.
Elizabeth Nichols married George W. Brown and reared a family of nine
children. These children are now married and many of them have interest-
ing families of their own. They are as follows: Caroline, wife of Nelson
Randle, has four children, Edward, Juletta, James and Carrie B. ; Evaline,
the widow of John C. Randle, has four children, Lycurgus, Belle, Cecil
Clyde and Grant; Cecelia married a Mr. Moore and has eight children, Ross,
Frank, Chase, Elizabeth, Clara, Blanch, Iva and Joseph; George H. has
one child, Charles P.; Rebecca is the wife of Hugh W. Porter, of Rensselaer;
Margaret M. is the wife of Dr. Carson, of California; Elizabeth is the wife
of Benjamin Harris, and they have three children, Cedella, Mildred and
Ruth; Isabella is the wife of Rev. J. L. Brady, of Rensselaer; and Rachel A.
is the wife of Charles W. Coen, and has one child, Delos. Mrs. Brown
resides in a handsome brick edifice which was purchased by her husband.
They were both members of the Christian church, and she is still an active
worker in that organization, where she is highly esteemed, as, indeed, she is
wherever she is known.

CHARLES O. BLIND.

This well known farmer, a trustee of Adams township, Warren county,
•was born on the farm where he now lives March ii, 1861. He is a son of
John and Frances Mary (Gwin) Blind, natives of Ohio, the former of whom
came to Indiana with his father at an early day. The sketch of this family will
be found in that of Michael Blind on another page of this work. The father
of our subject was twice married, his first wife being Harriet Goodfred, by
whom he had one child, Marcelius. His second wife was Frances Mary
Gwin, born in Medina township, December 15, 1832, and her father was
one of the early settlers of that township. Of this marriage four children
were born, namely: George N., a farmer in Adams township; Frank B.,
also a farmer and stock-raiser in the same township; Anna M. , wife of C. E.
Russell; and Charles O.

The father of our subject came to Warren county about 1S26 and
located in Medina township, thence removing to Adams township and locat-
ing on the farm now occupied by his son Frank, where he remained until
i860, and then removed to the farm where our subject now lives, and where
his death took place September 13, 1889, in his sixty-seventh year. He was
an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a most estimable
man. His widow is still living and resides in Pine Village.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 109

The boyhood of our subject was spent as is that of farmer lads gener-
ally — in work upon the farm in summer and in attendance at the district
schools during the winter seasons. He took charge of the home farm in
1884, and since that time has been employed in farming and stock-raising,
and is associated with his brother Frank in buying and selling cattle. He
owns one hundred and ten acres of land, situated on section 9, two miles
east of Pine Village, which is under good cultivation.

Mr. Blind was married January 25, 1886, to Miss Emma J. McCord,
and they have had four children, — Anna Frances, Lucy (deceased), Ellen
(deceased), and Charline.

In the fall of 1894 Mr. Blind was elected trustee of Adams township,
and took charge of the office in August, 1895. He is a Republican in poli-
tics and a member of Lodge No. 200, Knights of Pythias, at Pine Village,
and holds a membership in the order of American Woodmen. He is an
efficient ■ officer, a useful citizen, and is highly respected by all who know
him. The family is connected with the Methodist church.

JAMES A. BURNHAM.

This well known citizen of Rensselaer is a man remarkable for the wide
experience and the depth of knowledge which he displays. He has been a
resident here since 1861, and is one of the shrewdest and most successful
lawyers here. He was born in Hollis, now Dayton, York county, Maine,
May 24, 1836, and is a son of Simon and Mary J. (Goodwin) Burnham. His
father was a ship carpenter and farmer of Maine, whence he moved to New
Hampshire, where he died. Seven sons and eight daughters comprised the
family, and all were living at the birth of the youngest child. Three sons
and three daughters still survive.

Mr. Burnham remained on the farm until he was sixteen years old, and
attended the common schools. He then went to Biddeford, and devoted
himself to whatever honorable employment could be secured. He worked
for a time in the cotton factory, then at blasting rock and quarrying stone,
and while employed in the latter occupation, he assisted in getting out the
stone to build the wharf for the Great Eastern. When he was about twenty
years old the entire nation was watching the struggle of Kansas in her efforts
to throw off the yoke of slavery and proclaim herself a free state. So inter-
ested did our subject become in the struggle that he went there in the spring
of 1857, and remained four years, rendering such aid as was in his power.
Some of the most exciting moments of his life were passed there, and he has
often cut meat with a bowie-knife that was used in the sacking of Lawrence.
He left the state in February, 1861, and spent a few days in St. Joseph, Mis-

110 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

souri, and the following six weeks in Bloomington, Springfield, and other
points in Illinois. He drifted about from place to place, working at anything
and everything, and much of the time without money. As he had a ticket over
the Panhandle road to Kentland, Indiana, he boarded the train at Peoria,
Illinois, with the idea of coming to Rensselaer, where he had a sister living.
He remained on the train until it reached what was then known as Carpen-
ter's Station, April 13, 1861, one day after the firing upon Fort Sumter.
Captain Milroy was raising a company of volunteers to go to the front, -and
Mr. Burnham felt the voice of patriotism urging him to join, but as plent;y of
men were found who were anxious to enlist at that time, he remained here
and engaged at carpentering or anything by which he could earn a dollar dur-
ing the summer. That fall he taught school and in the spring once more
took up carpentering. Another call was made for troops, and Mr. Burnham
hastened to offer his services. He knew from his experience in Kansas what
would be the hardships of a soldier's life, but he felt it to be the duty of every
true American to take up arms in defence of the Union. He enlisted in Com-
pany A, Eighty-seventh Indiana Volunteers, from Jasper county.

They went to Indianapolis August 29, 1862, were mustered in and armed
on the 31st, and went by rail to Louisville, Kentucky, where their regiment,
the Eighty-seventh Indiana, concentrated with other troops to repeal an an-
ticipated attack on that city, by General Bragg. They formed a part of
General Burbridge's brigade and remained in that vicinity about thirty days.
Buell's army arrived about the 25th of September, and the Eighty-seventh
Regiment was placed in the Third Division, Third Brigade, Fourteenth Army
Corps, under General Stedman. On the ist of the following month the army
moved through Kentucky, accomplishing but little. On the 6th of the month
they had a skirmish with the enemy at Springfield, and two days later the
battle of Perryville was fought. The close of the campaign found the regi-
ment near Gallatin, Tennessee, where they remained until near the isth of
January, when they moved fifteen miles south of Nashville, to Triune.
They marched to Winchester, that state, thence over the mountains to the
mouth of Battle creek, on the Tennessee river, participating in the flank
movement that drove Bragg from Chattanooga, He fought in the battle of
Chickamauga on the 19th and 20th of September, 1863. Upon reorganiza-
tion the regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade, Third Division, Four-
teenth Army Corps. They took part in the storming of Mission Ridge, and
followed the enemy to Ringgold, Georgia, where they had an engagement on
February 22, 1864. They then went into camp at Ringgold where they re-
mained until May of that year. They were in Sherman's campaign against
Atlanta, and took part in the battles of Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain
and Peach Tree Creek, and charged and carried the outer works in front of

BIOGBJPHICAL HISTORY. Ill

Atlanta on the 4th of August, 1864. On the first of September of that year
they fought the battle of Jonesboro and then moved to Atlanta. On the 3d of
October the Third Division of the Fourteenth Corps was sent to raid Hood,
who was harassing the rear of Sherman's army, and after several maneuvers
they returned to the main body. On the i6th of November, 1864, they
started on Sherman's memorable march to the sea, thence through the Caro-
linas to Goldsboro, North Carolina, where they remained until the lOth of
the next April. Then they marched on Smithfield, which was still held by
the enemy, thence through Raleigh to the vicinity of Holly Springs, where
they remained until the surrender of Johnston's army, and then moved on
to Richmond, Virginia, thence to Washington, where they took part in the
grand review and were mustered out on June 10, 1865. They received a pub-
lic welcome home by Governor Morton on the 22d of June, and then retired
to private life.

Judge Burnham was united in matrimony to Miss Sarah L. Knox, a
native of Great Falls, New Hampshire, who became a resident of Bidde-
ford, Maine, in her childhood. They have one child, Este L., who is the
wife of Charles Morlan, of Rensselaer, and the mother of three children, —
Forest Burnham, Marjorie D. and Dorris A.

As a boy Judge Burnham espoused the cause of Democracy, as against
the Whigs, and later allied himself with the Republican party. He taught
school after his return from the army, and then became deputy for the county
clerk. He has served as deputy in all the county offices, and has done more
actual work in the clerical department of the county than any other man
here. He was county examiner of schools when that office was merged into
that of the county superintendent. He took up the study of law soon after
returning to private life, and was admitted to the bar. While in the clerk's
office he often helped "the boys " in securing their pensions, without a
thought of charging for his services, and in very many cases he carried the
matter to a successful termination. In this way the foundation of the pres-
ent profitable business as pension agent was started, and he has been known
for many years as one of the most reliable pension attorneys. He was
elected to the office of justice of the peace eight years ago, in November,
1 89 1, and has tempered justice with mercy in such a manner that he has
influenced many erring ones to leave the downward path they were just enter-
ing, while his name is a terror to old offenders. He is a stranger to fear,
and has faithfully discharged the duties of his office, and so thoroughly con-
versant is he with all departments of county affairs that only his innate
modesty has kept him from occupying a prominent place in the public trust.
He is an honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and himself

112 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

organized the Rensselaer Post, No. 84, of which he was first commander.
Although brought up a Methodist, he is a zealous member of the Church of
God, as is his amiable wife.

NOAH JUSTICE.

Now entering upon his second term as mayor of Lafayette, the subject
of this biographical notice is one of the most popular and widely known
citizens of Tippecanoe county. Though he has always been a most stanch
and loyal worker in the ranks of the Republican party he has never been an
office-seeker and never before acted in an official capacity, save as justice of
the peace for eight years. His many friends insisted in bringing him forward
as a candidate for the mayoralty in 1891, and he made the race against
ex-Mayor McGinley, who had held the office for several terms and seemed to
be so thoroughly entrenched in the esteem of the people that his defeat was
an almost impossible matter. Nevertheless Mr. Justice received but thirteen
votes less than his opponent, whose party was then about three hundred
votes in the majority in Lafayette. In 1894, in recognition of the splendid
race he had made three years previously, the Republicans again nominated
Mr. Justice for mayor, and this time he was successful, defeating Dr. W. S.
Walker, one of the strongest men the Democrats could have nominated.
The excellent manner in which Mr. Justice acquitted himself during his first
term of office as mayor led to his renomination and re-election in 1898, and
it is safe to say that the ranks of his opponents are rapidly dwindling away.
Upright and faithful to the interests of the people, advocating all measures
which will be to their lasting benefit, he merits the genuine regard in which
he is held by all.

Matthew Justice, the progenitor of the Justice family in the United
States, was of Scotch-Irish origin. He removed from the Emerald Isle to
Holland in the beginning of the last century and about 1720 came to America,
settling in New York. He was the father of seven sons, all of whom were
born in this country, and a remarkable fact in connection with them is that
they were all soldiers in the Revolutionary war, and three of their number
laid down their lives on the altar of our country's liberty. One of these
gallant heroes was the great-grandfather of the subject of this article.

A son of Noah and Sarah F. (King) Justice, natives respectively of New
Jersey and Delaware, Noah Justice, Jr., was born in Ross county, Ohio,
October 16, 1836, and was a child of but three years when his parents
brought him to the wilds of Tippecanoe county. They settled upon a farm
about three miles north of Lafayette, and there the father was occupied in
tilling the soil until his death, which event took place January 10, 1856.

BIOGBAFHICAL HISTORY. lia

His four children were named respectively George K. , Rhoda K., Noah
and Sarah A.

In his boyhood our subject attended the district schools of his home
neighborhood and gave his dutiful assistance to his parents on the farm.
His education was a liberal one for that day and was completed in the
Collegiate Institute at Battle Ground, Indiana. He continued to give his
attention to agricultural pursuits until he was thirty-one years of age, when
he came to Lafayette and read law for a year or more and was admitted to
the bar. However, he did not settle down to the practice of law, but drifted
into the real-estate business, which has since commanded his attention. By
perseverance and well directed energy he became successful and respected in
this community, and few of our citizens are held in higher regard than he.

HON. JAMES McCABE.

Whether considered officially, politically or socially, Judge James Mc-
Cabe, of Williamsport, Warren county, is a strong personality, — a man who
would command attention and respect wherever he went and in any com-
pany, however distinguished. As a member of the supreme-court bench in
Indiana he won the highest esteem of his associates and peers and made a
record which has been rarely surpassed, and his name will long be honored
as that of one who assisted materially in elevating the bench and bar of the
state to its present exalted standard.

Armstrong McCabe, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was one
of the first settlers of Vigo county, Indiana, and lived there until his death.
His son, James B., father of the Judge, was born in that county, but re-
moved to Darke county, Ohio, in his early manhood, living there but a few
years, however. He then returned to this state, and, after passing some
years in Kosciusko county, came to Warren county, about 1848. Later
he went to Kansas, where he died in 1894. The wife and mother, whose
maiden name was Jane Lee, died many years previously. Of her five sons
one died in boyhood and the others are still living.

The birth of Judge McCabe occurred in Darke county, Ohio, in 1844,
but he was still an infant when his parents resumed their residence in
Indiana, and with its welfare he has always been associated. After he
had completed his public-school education he took up the study of law
with his accustomed energy and application, and after he was admitted to
the bar, in 1862, entered at once upon a practice which has grown steadily
in importance and volume. The records of the supreme court show that up
to the time of his election to the supreme bench of Indiana he had been in-
terested in more cases which had been pleaded before that august tribunal

■ 114 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

than any other supreme judge of this state. He is particularly well versed
in all constitutional and statutory questions, and his opinion is deferred to
in disputed points, where the meaning of the law is susceptible of more
than one construction.

In the ranks of the Democratic party Judge McCabe has long been an
important factor, and his counsels are often officially asked for, and when
received are accorded that respect which they deserve, for unusual sagac-
ity, foresight and judgment are certain to be embodied in the opinions of
this gentleman. That he is a valued member of the Democratic party in
his home state was manifested clearly in 1896, when he was appointed as
a delegate from the state at large to the national convention in Chicago.
There he was Indiana's representative on the committee on resolutions
which framed the declaration of principles upon which Bryan made his
memorable campaign. Thoroughly posted, as he is, upon the past and
present history of the party, and being an easy, forceful speaker, the Judge
often gives addresses in this line to audiences who are carried by storm
and follow his arguments with wonderful enthusiasm.

In 1864 the Judge married Serena Van Cleve, of Crawfordsville, Indi-
ana, and to them were born two sons and a daughter. The sons, Edwin
F. and Charles N., are energetic and successful young lawyers, and the
daughter is Mrs. Ella N. Givin, of Indianapolis.

JOHN N. RAY.

We are now permitted to review briefly the life history of one who
stands distinctively as one of the most prominent and progressive farmers of
Tippecanoe county, Indiana, and as one of the representative citizens of Wea
township. This alone would render peculiarly consistent the consideration
of his life and labors, but additional propriety comes from the fact that he
is a representative of one of the old and honored pioneer families of the
•county and of a name which has been conspicuously identified with the
annals of this section of the Union from a very early epoch. The Ray fam-
:ily is of stanch old German lineage, and the father of our subject, Ben-
jamin Ray, was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, of which section his parents
were numbered among the pioneers. The father of Benjamin Ray was twice
married, and the children of the first union were Jerry, John, George, Han-
nah and Sarah. Of the second marriage the following children were born:
Benjamin, Reuben and Elias. The paternal grandparents of our subject
continued to reside in Pickaway county until their death, their son Benja-
min having been but si.xteen years of age at the time of the decease of his
father.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 115

Benjamin Ray was reared to maturity in his native county, receiving his
educational discipline in the pioneer schools, and early turning his attention
to dealing in live-stock. His training had been such as to eminently fit him
(or the prosecution of this branch of industry, and his efforts were attended
with excellent success. His marriage was celebrated near Circleville, Pick-
away county, about the year 1840, when he was united to Miss Mary Fry-
back, a sister of Edmund Fryback, to whom individual reference is made on
another page of this work. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Ray continued
their residence in Pickaway county, Ohio, for one year, after which they
located in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, whence, at the expiration of one
year, they removed to Vermilion county, Illinois, settling there in the year
1843. The death of Mrs. Ray occurred in November, 1845, and Mr. Ray
continued his residence in Vermilion county four years longer, within which
time he consummated a second marriage, being united to Miss Martha Smith,
who was a native of England, whence, at the age of twelve years, she accom-
panied her parents upon their emigration to America, the family settling in
Vermilion county, Illinois. The children of the first marriage were John N.,
the immediate subject of this review, and Elias; and those born of the sec-
ond marriage were Laura, Benjamin F., Clinton and Esther.

In 1849 Benjamin Ray returned with his family to Tippecanoe county,
Indiana, where he purchased land in Wea township, three miles west of the
fine farm where his son, the subject of this sketch, now resides. This land
was originally entered from the government by a Mr. Bell, one of the pio-
neers of the county, and Mr. Ray purchased one hundred and sixty acres,
to which, by gradual accretions, were added other tracts, until the total
area of his holdings in the county aggregated about four thousand five hun-
dred acres, implying that he was one of the most extensive land-owners in
the county. He was a very successful stock raiser and dealer, and his suc-
cess was the result of his individual sagacity and efforts. After having given
his attention to farm work as a youth, he early gave inception to his inde-
pendent business career, initiating operations on an original capital of only
sixteen hundred dollars, which he received from his father's estate. His life
was one of distinct honor and integrity in all its relations and was prolonged
in its usefulness, since he lived to be somewhat more than sixty years of age,
his death occurring in Wea township, where he was known as a representa-
tive citizen and a man of sterling character. In his political adherency he
was a Republican, but was never an aspirant for political preferment. In
religion he was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He
was a man of discriminating judgment, strong intellectual powers, unceasing
industry and unbending integrity, and as the result of his well directed efforts
left to his heirs a large landed estate. It may be incidentally noted that his

116 EIOGBdPHICAL HISTORY.

son Elias participated in the war of the Rebellion, having enlisted in the one-
hundred-day service.

John N. Ray, whose name initiates this sketch, was born in Wea town-
ship, Tippecanoe county, on the 26th of November, 1842, and was afforded
excellent educational advantages in the common schools, taking a thorough
course in the high school and proving an earnest and efficient student.
Reared upon the farm, he has always maintained his allegiance to the basic
art of husbandry, and has been very successful in his endeavors, though
handicapped in a measure by impaired health, as will be noted later on.

On New Year's day, 1866, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ray and
Miss Mary C. Baker, daughter of Abner Baker, of Jefferson township, Clinton
county, Indiana, and the children of this union were three in number, name-
ly: John B., Mary C. and Benjamin F. The devoted wife and mother was
summoned into eternal life on the 4th of May, 1878, and on the 6th of
August, 1886, Mr. Ray was again married, in Ross county, Ohio, where he
was united to Miss Maria McCoy, who was born January 18, 1856, the
daughter of Joseph and Nancy McCoy. Her father was a native of Ross
county, Ohio, and was descended from sterling Scotch ancestry, the family
having been pioneers of both Kentucky and Ohio. The great-grandfather of
Mrs. Ray likewise bore the old scriptural name of Joseph, and he was a
native of Kentucky, whence he removed to Ohio, becoming one of the pio-
neers of Ross county, and doing valiant service as a soldier in the war of
18 1 2. His children were James; Dickson; two daughters, whose names can-
not be recalled; and Alexander, who was captured by the Indians in Ken-
tucky and held in captivity for five years, his release being secured by the
payment of a ransom consisting of a barrel of whisky, the prized "fire
water " which worked such havoc among the red men. That worthy pioneer
of Ross county, Joseph McCoy, died there, having developed an excellent
farm and owning about three hundred acres at the time of his death.

His son, James McCoy, grandfather of Mrs. Ray, also devoted his life
to agricultural pursuits in Ross county, Ohio, where, it is supposed, his par-
ents were the second family to take up their residence. He married Katie
Anderson, and their children were Joseph, James, John, William and Maria.
James McCoy settled on the old homestead, in Ross county, where he became
a substantial and prosperous farmer and one of the prominent and honored
citizens of the community. Like his father before him, he was an elder in
the Presbyterian church, and he ordered his Hfe upon the high plane which
his religious faith implied. He lived to attain the age of sixty-seven years,
his death occurring in his native state.

Joseph McCoy, son of James and father of Mrs. Ray, was born in Ross
county, Ohio, in 1820, receiving his educational discipline in the common

BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TORT. 117

schools of the place and period. Upon reaching maturity he continued in
the time-honored industry with which his ancestors had been identified,
becoming a farmer and carrying on operations with success. He married
Nancy Dawley, daughter of Moses and Maria (Cook) Dawley, the former of
whom was born in Baltimore, Maryland, whence he removed to Ohio, becom-
ing a pioneer farmer of Ross county. His children were as follows: James,
Nancy and John. Mr. Dawley died in Ross county, in middle life; in relig-
ious faith he was a Methodist.

After his marriage Joseph McCoy settled witliin a mile of the parental
homestead, giving his attention to the development and cultivation of an
excellent farm of two hundred acres. His children were seven in number,
namely : Emma, John, James, Katie, Maria, Lucy and George. In his
religious adherency Mr. McCoy was a Presbyterian, and in politics was a
Republican. He entered the Union service during the war of the Rebellion,
at the time of Morgan's raid, furnishing two horses. He was captured, with
both horses, by the celebrated guerrilla general, but was released after a
short time. He was an energetic and successful farmer and honored citizen,
living to attain the age of about seventy-three years.

After his first marriage Mr. Ray took up his abode upon his present
farm, in Wea township, having inherited three hundred and twenty acres of
his father's estate. At the time he located here the present fine farmstead
was principally in its original and unimproved condition, being covered with
heavy timber. He at once initiated the work of improvement, devoting
himself to this end with such energy and zeal that he eventually developed
one of the most highly cultivated and most valuable farms in this section of
the state. In 1878 he erected a very fine barn, which was destroyed by fire
in the spring of 1895, entailing a very considerable loss. In the year 1898
he also built an attractive and commodious frame residence, of modern
architectural design and two stories in height. The pleasant home is
located on an elevated site and commands a fine view of the surrounding
country. In politics Mr. Ray renders a stanch support to the Republican
party, and he is an attendant of the Presbyterian church, of which his wife
has been a member from her girlhood.

Mr. Ray is in enfeebled health, resulting from exposure in cattle-
feeding when he was a young man, and for the past fifteen years he has been
practically an invalid. As a young man he was ambitious and hard-working,
being faithful and industrious in his work upon the farm, and now that
physical infirmities are his portion he may look back with satisfaction upon
duties fulfilled and feel thankful that fortune has so favored him with
goodly gifts which render his affliction less severe. He is known as one of
the representative citizens of the community, and holds the confidence and

118 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

esteem of those among whom his useful life has been passed. In addition
to his homestead farm he has other farming property, the aggregate area of
his estate being five hundred and eighty acres.

The children of John N. and Maria (McCoy) Ray are four in number,
namely : Cecil, Ruth, Alathea and Hazel K. The family home is one of
distinctive culture and refinement, and there the most genial hospitality is
shown to a wide circle of friends.

JESSE E. WILSON.

This well known attorney at law of Rensselaer, Indiana, like many of
our prominent public men, began life on a farm and worked his way up from
teaching a country school to the study of law, and from the bar to a promi-
nent place before the public. He first saw the light of day in Clay town-
ship, Owen county, October 4, 1867, and is a son of John W. and P. J.
(Maners) Wilson. His father was a native of North Carolina, but moved
to Owen county, this state, when about eight years of age. Here he became
a prosperous farmer and married Miss P. J. Maners, whose father was a
native of Tennessee. She is still living. John Wilson, the grandfather of
our subject, came to Indiana in 1833, and was one of the pioneers of the
state. He was formerly a slave-owner, but, realizing the injustice of such
bondage, he lived up to his convictions and set his slaves at liberty.

Jesse E. Wilson was the sixth child in a family of eleven children.
They grew up to be a credit to their early teaching, and are now useful and
honored citizens of Indiana, as follows : John F. is a farmer of Spencer,
Indiana ; James B. is an attorney at Bloomington, Indiana ; Frank A. is
postmaster at Stinesville, Indiana ; Charles E. is a traveling man from
Indianapolis ; Jesse E. is the subject of this sketch ; Emma is the wife of
B. B. DeMarcus, of Danville, Indiana ; William H. is a traveling salesman
of Indianapolis ; Mack D. is a druggist at Spencer ; and Effie resides in
Danville. The other two children are dead and buried in the family lot in
a cemetery near their old homestead, where also is the resting place of their
father.

The childhood and early youth of Mr. Wilson was spent on the farm in
Owen county, where he attended the common schools. Later he entered
the high school at Spencer, and after that engaged in teaching school for a
period of four years. He then became a clerk in a dry-goods store, remain-
ing until he had secured sufficient means to defray his expenses through the
State University at Bloomington, Indiana, from which he graduated in June,
1895. He came to Rensselaer the 20th of the following month, and formed
his present partnership with Mr. Ferguson. They are engaged in general

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 119

practice, and have built up a clientele that bears favorable comparison with
the old-established firms of the city. He appears to be particularly adapted
to the legal profession and promises to occupy a high place in the legal
fraternity. He belongs to the uniform rank of the Knights of Pythias, and
is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons.

Mr. Wilson has been reared in the pure atmosphere of Christianity, his
people being worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal church, with which
he affiliates, although his name is not on the roll of membership. He is a
young man of pleasing address and far more than ordinary ability, and his
worth as a public speaker was soon recognized and taken advantage of by
the Republican party, in which he is an active and intelligent worker. He
has gained an extended reputation as a stump speaker, having been called
upon by the central committee to make political speeches in different parts
of Indiana. He has a large fund of information and has entire confidence in
the position he takes, giving unanswerable reasons for his views, and thus
bringing his audience into sympathy with himself and his subject.

SYLVESTER TAYLOR.

This honored citizen of Shadeland, Indiana, is a well known representa-
tive business man. He springs from the Virginia branch of the Taylor fam-
ily, who were well known in Revolutionary times and previously. They were
of English descent.

William Taylor, the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Virginia,
a farmer of Monroe county, that state, and a slaveholder. William Taylor,
Jr., the father of Sylvester, was born in the last named county December
23. 1783, received a common-school education and was always a farmer. In
that county also he married Florence Graham, May 3, 1808, and their chil-
dren were James E., Mary, Hiram, Elizabeth, John, William, Joel, Samuel,
Virginia, Sylvester and Florence, — all born in that county excepting Syl-
vester and Florence, who were born in Tippecanoe county, Indiana. Mr.
Taylor was a farmer and slaveholder in the Old Dominion, and financially
was in fair circumstances.

In the autumn of 1828 he moved with his family to this county, Tippe-
canoe, arriving October 28. He made the journey with covered wagons and
a carriage, and two teams of horses, camping out of nights. He entered
land where Sylvester now lives, then comprising three hundred and twenty
acres, partly prairie and partly timber, and here he made a good farm, and also
added to the area of his landed possessions until he had an aggregate of six
hundred acres. He was a reliable and prosperous farmer. Politically, he
was a Democrat, and morally he was upright and straightforward, being

120 BIOGRAPHICAL EISTOBY.

honored as a typical pioneer and one of the first settlers of Union township.
When he came here Lafayette consisted of only a few houses, and they were
log structures. He died about ten years after coming here, August 19. 1839,
aged about fifty-five years.

Following is the record of William Taylor's children: James G., born
May 27, 1809; Mary, November 11, 1810, Elizabeth, January 9, 1812; Hiram,
September 30, 1813; John, August 27, 1816; William, June 19, 1818; Joel,
October 22, 1820; Samuel M., September 14, 1822; Virginia, February 14,
1824; Christopher, January 30, 1826; Sylvester, January 14, 1829; and Flora,
July 16, 1831. Florence (Graham) Taylor died April 26, 1856.

Sylvester Taylor, whose name heads this sketch, was born on the old
Taylor homestead in the original log cabin, received a good common-school
education in the old pioneer log-cabin school and for a time afterward in a
better building, a frame structure. Both these schools were sustained by
subscription. Mr. Taylor finished school at the academy in Lafayette,
Indiana. Mr. Taylor, of course, was brought up a farmer. At the age of
twenty-eight years, namely, October 27, 1857, in Bell county, Texas, he
married Sarah E. Beasley, who was born June 16, 1833, at Wheelersburg,
ten miles from Portsmouth, Ohio, a daughter of Rev. Allen D. and Millie
Ann (Truitt) Beasley. Until 1882 this couple resided on the old Taylor
homestead in this county, and then they removed to their present place,
which is a part of the original tract entered by his father.

Their children are Florence, Fannie, Franklin, Annie, Edward, Bennett
and Blanch.

Mr. Taylor engaged in the grain business with his brother John, and in
1854 built an elevator at Taylor's Station, where for many years they con-
ducted a large and successful business. Our subject is still engaged in this
business at Montmorenci, Indiana, and resides at his attractive home,
where he has a farm of two hundred and fifty acres and a tasteful
and commodious brick residence, surrounded with all the evidences of taste
and refinement. In politics he is a stanch Democrat, and he and his wife
are highly respected members of the Presbyterian church. He was reared
among the pioneers, and being a native here, born in 1829, he has lived here
longer than almost any other man in the whole community. He is a man
of fine personality and an excellent example of the pioneer men who have
made Tippecanoe county what it is. He stands high as a man of business
integrity and moral worth.

His father, on arrival here from Virginia in 1828, first erected a log cabin
on the homestead, and in 1833 built a substantial two-story brick house,
which is still standing, in a good state of preservation. The clay for the
brick was tramped into mortar of the proper condition by oxen. Mr. Taylor

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 121

himself went to Delphi and burned the lime from the stone there with which
the brick were laid and the plastering done, and he hauled it hither with ox
teams.

Mrs. Sylvester Taylor is the daughter of Rev. Allen Davis and Millie Ann
(Truitt) Beasley. Her father was the son of Major Nathaniel and Sarah
(Sutton) Beasley. The Beasleys were of English descent and an old colonial
family of Virginia, whose home was for a long time near Spottsylvania Court
House, Virginia. There are branches of this family in the Carolinas, Arkan-
sas, New Jersey, New England, and the west; and it is probable that the
southern families sprang from the same original stock as those of the Old
Dominion.

Major Nathaniel Beasley, grandfather of Mrs. Taylor, was born March
19, 1774, in Virginia, was a farmer near Spottsylvania Court House, and
November 3, 1796, married Sarah Sutton, who was born May 4, 1780; and
their children were: Susannah, who was born September 3, 1797, and died
in 1865; Sarah, who was born April 5, 1799, and died in 1838; Jane, who was
born January 24, 1801, and died September 29, 1803; Alfred, who was born
January 27, 1803, and died April 17, 1868; Allen Davis, who was born Decem-
ber 4, 1804, and died July 3, 1863; John Sutton, who was born March 18, 1807,
and died May 25, 1872; George Washington, who was born December 29,
1808, and died January 10, 1831; Mason, who was born January 3, 1810,
and died October i, 18 12; Nathaniel Harrison, was born October 12, 181 2, and
died in January, 1899; Benjamin Franklin, born December i, 18 14, and died
April 20, 1898; James Cogswell, born November 29, 1816, and died Decem-
ber 25, 1835; Martha Ann, born March 15, 1819; and Angelica, born Febru-
ary I, 1823, and died December 24, 1843. Martha Ann's second husband
was General Ammen, of the United States Army.

Major Beasley moved to Ohio as a pioneer in the early settlement of
that state, became prominent as a citizen and was noticed in published his-
tories, in connection with the well known General Massie, of Chillicothe.
Major Beasley received his military title from the commission he had in the
Ohio state militia. He died March 27, 1835, and his wife, Sarah, died
August 19, 1 84 1. His first wife died previously to his going to Brush Creek.

Rev. Allen Davis Beasley, his son, was the father of Mrs. Taylor. He
was born at Spottsylvania Court House, Virginia, attended a college at Cin-
cinnati and also studied law there. His brother Alfred also was educated
there, studied medicine and became a prominent and well known physician.
Allen D. first engaged in the practice of law in Decatur, Ohio, for a few
years. He was married twice, the first time to Elizabeth Cannon, in Ohio, and
they had one child, named Rebecca, who died at the age of twenty-one years,
unmarried. On one of his trips in the practice of his profession of the law

122 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

he became a convert to Methodism, which event resulted in his abandoning
the legal profession for that of divinity. His first regular circuit was White
Oak, in Clermont county, Ohio; the next was Brush Creek, on the Ohio
river. While on this circuit, March 20, 1832, he married Miss Millie Ann
Truitt, who was born January 15, 181 1, a daughter of George and Millie
(Prater) Truitt, of English ancestry. After his marriage Mr. Beasley was at
Lawrenceburg, Scioto county, a year, and soon afterward he abandoned the
itinerant ministry and engaged in the iron business near Marietta for about
three years. Resuming his ministerial work he was stationed on the Brush
Creek circuit.

In 1838 he moved to Indiana, settling in Cicero, where for a short time
he was engaged in the mercantile business, but at the same time was con-
stantly engaged in religious work among the pioneers: he founded the first
Methodist class-meeting and church in his community. In the fall of 1839
he moved to Odell, Tippecanoe county, where he taught school. Being
naturally a musician and a good singer, he took great interest in organizing
and conducting Sunday-schools. In 1841 he purchased a home at Walnut
Grove, in Montgomery county, which he greatly improved, making a com-
fortable residence, meanwhile continuing to be very active in religious work.
He organized the first church of his denomination at Potatoe Creek, near
Kirkpatrick, this state, and he assisted in organizing a camp-meeting, giving
the land for the purpose on his own farm, and here the old-fashioned Meth-
odist camp-meetings were held for many years. Subsequently he traveled
the Dayton circuit. He was one of the well known pioneer Methodist
preachers who traveled on horseback through the woods with their outfit in
their saddlebags, preaching the gospel to the poor on the frontier of civiliza-
tion, who shared with them the hearty hospitality of the famous old-time
log cabin. These men were the real founders of the powerful Methodist
church of to-day. They instilled their doctrines thoroughly into the minds
of the people, to bear fruit in this generation. Frequently Mr. Beasley would
be gone from his family three weeks at a time, fording streams on horseback,
traveling many miles and enduring many hardships and privations. Among
the circuits over which he traveled were those of Monticello and Greenfield,
living with his family at the latter place two years. His knowledge of law
was of much benefit when title to church property was in litigation.

In 1852 he moved to Greencastle, Indiana, in order to give his daugh-
ters the benefit of a higher education in the university there. In 1856 he
moved to Bell county, Te.xas; but owing to the border troubles on account of
slavery he returned to this state two years afterward. At the breaking out
of the great civil war he was living at Sugar Grove, Indiana, traveling the-
Williamsport circuit, where the young men of the Sugar Grove Institute,.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 123

who were enlisting in the war, without his knowledge secured a commission
for him as chaplain of the Fortieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and while in
this patriotic service he died, at Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was one of
those characters in church history who accomplish more than any other sin-
gle agency in forming the beliefs and habits of pioneer peoples. He will be
long held in sacred remembrance by his descendants, and also by many
others. His venerable widow is yet living, at the ripe age of eighty-eight
years and still in the possession of all her faculties excepting that of sight.
Her family, the Truitts, were of English stock. Samuel Truitt, the founder
of the family in America, was the only son of John Truitt. Samuel was
born in England, about 1730, and came to America in 1750. He married
Mary Collins and settled near Flemingsburg, a point near Dover, Delaware.
His wife was born about the year 1733, and died in Kentucky, at the home
of her son, Saxagotha Truitt, about the year 1835, aged one hundred and
two years, six months and twenty days. To Samuel and Mary Truitt were
born the following children: John, born October 2, 1753, who died November
7, 1821, lived near Dayton, Ohio; Sallie, born June 25, 1755, married
Joshua Dibstee, and moved to Fleming county, Kentucky; Collins, born
February 19, 1757, settled in Ohio, near Xenia or Dayton; Jesse, born
March 3, 1759; George, born April 18, 1761, married Millie Prater, and
after her death wedded Mrs. Nancy Gibbs: he died near White Oak, Greenup
county, Kentucky, April 10, 1842, at the residence of his son Samuel; Eliz-
abeth, born May 13, 1763, married David or William Gault, and resided in
Cincinnati; William, born October 21, 1765, lived in Fleming county,
Kentucky; Mary, born October 26, 1767, married Thomas B. Ach, and
resided in Lewis county, that state; Samuel, born September 23, 1769, lived
at South Bend, Clermont county, Ohio; Joseph, born January 12, 1772,
lived in Illinois; Jane, born January 24, 1774, and died October 20, 1848,
unmarried; Saxagotha, born October 17, 1776, married Holland Jiner, in
North Carolina, and resided in Johnson county, Missouri, and in Kentucky;
Lina, who married and had a family; and Rachel, born January 15, 1780,
died October 13, 1786, killed by cows.

The children of George and Millie (Prater) Truitt were: Rachel, born
in Delaware in 1785, married Horatio Burris about 1803, and had one child,
Luia by name, who was killed by a train of railroad cars April 6, 1863, at
Portsmouth, Ohio; Mary; Samuel, who married Mary Gibbs in 18 18, and
made his home in Lewis county, Kentucky; Joshua, who married Susan
Stout, and lived in Adams county, Ohio; Sylvester, who died in New Orleans,
unmarried; Betsy, who married Jacob Worley and died at Quincy, Illinois;
Nicy, who became the wife of Joseph Worley and died near Portsmouth,
Ohio; Simon, who married Rebecca Murphy, October 16, 1828, in Adams

124 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

county, Ohio, and died at the mouth of the Kinniconick, in Kentucky,
December i6, 1844; Sinai, born March 12, 1804, married James A. Baird, a
Presbyterian minister, March 4, 1823, and died at Sandy Springs, Ohio, July
17, i863;Jabez, born January 17, 1808, married Susannah Worley, June 8,
1837, and died at Emporia, Kansas, May 9, 1874, a twin of George Truitt,
who married Mary Ann Worley, January 24, 1834, in Scioto county, Ohio,
and died at Quincy. Kentucky, July 3, i860; and Millie, born January 15,
181 1, and married Allen D. Beasley.

Allen D. Beasley's children were Sarah E., Margaret A., Susan, George
F., JohnW. and Alfred E.

HON. WILLIAM L COX.

Mr. Cox, who is a prominent member of the bar of Indiana, located at
Oxford, is a native of Monroe county, Indiana, born July 28, 1838, a son of
Rev. John Bridgman and Barbara (Ledgerwood) Cox. His father was born
in Jacksboro, Tennessee, October 5, 1813, and came with his parents, when
a child, to Monroe county, this state, where he was educated and entered
the ministry, spending his life in the service of the Baptist church and always
retaining his residence in Monroe county; his death occurred October 20,
1892, at which time he was in possession of considerable property, including
a farm of two hundred and eighty acres. His wife, also a native of Tennessee,
died in Monroe county, this state, in March, 1845, at the age of thirty-four
years. They had six children, of whom four are living: George W. ; Mary
A. , deceased ; William L. ; Isaac Hays, deceased ; Nathaniel D. ; and Martha M.
For his second wife the father of these children married Miss Martha Moser,
a native of Monroe county, and by the latter marriage there were ten chil-
dren, namely: Louisa, Rachel J., James F., Lewis M., Emily A., Henry C,
Oliver F., Douglas, McClellan and Thomas W., all residents of Indiana.

William L. Cox was educated in the public schools of his native county
and at the University of Indiana, at Bloomington, and taught school until
1864, when he was elected county superintendent of schools, and early in
life began his preparation for the legal profession. He studied law three
years in the office of Judge William H. Bainbridge, at Nashville, Indiana,
remaining there from 1864 to 1867, and in 1867 he was elected clerk of the
circuit court. In 1885 he was appointed special examiner in the United
States pension bureau, in which capacity he visited several of the northern
states. His first services were in Washington, D. C. ; six months were spent
with headquarters at Boston, and a like period at Topeka, Kansas. He
remained at Wichita, Kansas, two and a half years, and then went to Co-
lumbus, Indiana, in 1889; and, retiring from the road, re-engaged in the

BIOGBJPHICAL HISTORY. 125

practice of his profession in that city. From 1867 to 1875 he was clerk of
the circuit court in Brown county, this state. He remained in Columbus
from 1889 to 1895, when he went to St. Louis, and was in the south until
May, 1897, when he came to Oxford.

Mr. Cox has had a varied and busy life. His experience in the employ
of the government as special pension examiner probably gave him a deeper
insight into human nature than all the rest of his professional career.
Despairing applicants for Uncle Sam's bounty very improperly regard the
"special " as a spy placed upon their track to prevent their obtaining their
"just deserts;" yet the examiner oftener aids the applicant in completing an
otherwise hopeless case.

Mr. Cox is descended from typical southern stock. His ancestors were
representatives of the intelligent and educated people of the south in ante-
bellum days. His paternal grandfather was a North Carolinian, a soldier in
the war of 1812, and he died about 1840, at the age of seventy years. His
wife also was a native of North Carolina, and departed this life at about the
same age as did her husband. The only one of his grandparents whom Mr.
Cox remembers was his maternal grandmother: She was a lady of extraor-.
dinary intelligence, tall and stately, with black eyes, and was a descendant
of Scotch ancestors. She died in 1865, at the age of eighty years. Though
he remembers but little of his mother — being but seven years of age at the
time of her death — he does remember her amiable and lovable disposition
and her devotion to her family. His father was even-tempered, and firm in
his convictions of right and wrong; and of both his parents Mr. Cox speaks
in terms of great filial affection.

Mr. Cox, our subject, was married, in October, 1866, at Indianapolis, to
Miss Permelia, daughter of Eli and Mamre Ann Bartholomew, born in Con-
necticut, and later residents of Trumbull county, Ohio, in which county Mrs.
Cox was educated, graduating at Farmington Academy. Her parental home
was at Vienna. For some years she followed teaching prior to her marriage,
and altogether she is a finely educated and accomplished lady. Mr. and
Mrs. Cox have four children, namely: George W. , born December 19,
1867, is now bookkeeper in the office of the St. Charles Car Company, St.
Charles, Missouri; Nathaniel Eli, born March 5, 1872, is a traveling sales-
man for the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, of St. Louis, Missouri, his
residence being at Creston, Iowa; Will Fuller, born January 7, 1877, is now
with the Sandia Mining Company in Peru, South America; and Pliny E., the
youngest, was born January 20, 1884, and is a student in Oxford schools.
All the children were born in Nashville, Indiana; and while they have wan-
dered far from their parental home no two of them are residents of the same
state.

126 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

In politics Mr. Cox is a Democrat, and he has always taken an active
interest in public affairs. For thirty years he has been prominently identi-
fied with the Masonic fraternity, having attained to the rank of Royal Arch
Mason, and in that order he has filled various positions, among which was
that of worshipful master, and both he and his wife are members of the
Presbyterian church.

SIMON U. DOBBINS.

The efficient sheriff of White county, Indiana, is one of the most widely
known and popular men in this part of the state. He is a product of White
county, having been born at Palestine, April 14, 1852, and has passed his
entire life here. The house in which he was introduced to the world now
does duty as a stable. He is possessed of great force of character, is zealous
and ardent in whatever he undertakes, and his example and precepts have
been a power for good in the community. He lives in Monticello, where his
principal business interests are centered, but he is widely and favorably known
throughout this part of the state. He is a son of John and Catherine
(Umstott) Dobbins, and is an offspring of Irish stock. Two brothers of that
name emigrated from Ireland to America at an early day, and from them are
descended the numerous family of Dobbins in America.

John Dobbins was a native of Virginia. He learned the trade of a black-
smith, and conducted a shop in connection with his farm. He moved to
White county, Indiana, in 1837, at a time when the country was in its infancy
as regards civilization, and by his industry and integrity helped to establish
those principles which have culminated in the present attractive and wealthy
community. He improved a farm and on it built a blacksmith shop, where
he improved his spare time in doing work for the neighboring farmers, thereby
adding to his income. He married Miss Catherine Umstott, also a native of
Virginia, who passed to her reward at the age of fifty-five years. John Dob-
bins reached the more advanced age of seventy-two years and eighteen days,
his demise being mourned as a public loss. The children born to them were:
Susan E. (Mrs. Samuel Jones); Mary A. (Mrs. George W. Lear); Jennie K.
(Mrs. J. B. Birch); Simon U., subject of this sketch; Harriet A., who married
Luke Rogers, and is now deceased; Sarah C, who married John Hemphill,
and is deceased; John W. and Martin M., killed in the battle of the Wilder-
ness; and Samuel P.

Simon U. Dobbins was brought up to habits of industry, and in early
life was inured to all the duties of farm life. Here he formed habits of
industry which have characterized his after life, while lessons of economy
were instilled into his youthful mind, which, if put to practical application,

BIOGEAPEICAL HISTORY. 127

would have made him a man of independent fortune. However, generosity
is one of the leading traits of his character, as many grateful recipients can
testify, and while he is now in comfortable circumstances his generous
impulses and his desire to be of service to suffering humanity have prevented
him from hoarding up his earnings and becoming wealthy, as a man of dif-
ferent temperament would have done. During his boyhood he was expected
to herd cattle, and consequently had little opportunity to secure an educa-
tion. The occasional short term of winter school which he attended
enabled him to obtain but little knowledge from that source, but he was an
intelligent and observant lad, and he managed to store his mind with an
unusual amount of practical knowledge, which was supplemented by a term in
school when he was twenty years old. He had been deprived of educational
advantages so long that he fully appreciated the importance of improving
this chance, and made wonderful strides. He then continued farming until
1875, when he engaged in the general merchandise business at Wolcott, this
county. He continued in that line of business until 1894, when he was chosen
to serve the county in the capacity of sheriff, in which office his term
expired November 22, 1898. He deals in real estate and has done consider-
able auctioneering. He is now associated with Dean Brothers & Lincoln of
Chicago, in the capacity of traveling salesman.

At the outbreak of the civil war Mr. Dobbins was most desirous of
entering the army, but being merely a boy they would not take him, and he
had to content himself with helping his father recruit the different companies.
It was a pleasure to him, and he spent a good deal of time, working both
night and day, in getting recruits together.

Mr. Dobbins has been three times married. His first wife, Mary E.
Barnes, was from Monticello, and she died in 1880. She left four children:
Jessie, Mrs. Robert- Nordyke; Frank; Lina; and Daisy, Mrs. Harry Bardoff.
In 1882 he was united to Mrs. Ellen McAnally, formerly Ellen Murdock. She
died three years later, leaving one child, Nettie, who lives in Wolcott. The
present Mrs. Dobbins was Miss Mary A. Dyer, to whom have been born four
children. Josie died at the age of two years, and the three living are Homer,
Clarence and Chauncey.

In politics Mr. Dobbins is a stanch Republican, one who is well posted
on all the important questions of the times and has not formed his opinion
without deep thought. He is a very popular man in the county and has held
a number of positions in the gift of the people, at one time acting as justice
of the peace. He was not particular to be nominated for office, but his
friends knew his worth and that the party interests would not suffer in his
hands, and for that reason he carried the day. He has been a prominent
man in the county, as was his father, and in the discharge of his duties has

128 BIOGBJPHICAL HISTORY.

been careful, fair-minded and fearless. He is a member of the Masonic
order, and is an honored member of the Christian church. Among his other
accomplishments he has the gift of high oratorical and literary powers, and
has traveled all over this section lecturing. One of his most popular and
profitable lectures is " From the Cradle to the Jail," a composition which is
replete with wit, humor and information, and which has been given before
many an enthusiastic audience.

JESSE GRIMES.

Jesse Grimes, deceased, late a resident of Tippecanoe county, Indiana,
was born in Fayette county, Ohio, August 2, 18 17, a son of Felix and Susan
(Bryant) Grimes. In his boyhood he received a common-school education,
and followed agricultural pursuits during life. February 14, 1841, he mar-
ried, in Fayette county. Miss Rebecca Riley, who was born September 14,
1820, in that county, a daughter of James and Nancy (Hogan) Riley. After
living in their native county until 1843, Jesse Grimes and wife emigrated to
Whitley county, Indiana, and lived there four years, on land which James
Riley, his father-in-law, had given them. After partly clearing this land,
Mr. Grimes moved, in 1847, to Tippecanoe county, locating near Clark's
Hill, on rented land, and two years later he rented a piece of land in Mont-
gomery county, lived there three years, and in 1854 settled on the present
farm, which then consisted of three hundred and sixty acres, partly improved.
He continued its improvement and prospered well, during his life owning as
high as a thousand acres of land. Politically, he was a Republican. Both
himself and wife were exemplary members of the Methodist Episcopal
church. He was a hard-working man, straightforward in his manner and in
his dealings, and was a good, practical business man. He was from an old
family in Virginia who were of German origin. The children in his father's
family were John, Jesse, Felix, Henry, Absalom, Catharine, Mary and
Rebecca.

Jesse Grimes and wife reared a number of children, in an excellent
manner, who are now highly respected citizens, all members of the agricult-
ural community, and who own altogether about fourteen hundred acres of
land. The children are: Johnson, born December 5, 1841 ; Sylvester
W., September 26, 1843 ; Simeon, March 2, 1845 ; James R., July 10,
1847; Mary J., April 15, 1849; Lawson C, July 13, 1851 ; and William
F., February 6, 1854.

Lawson C. Grimes is a substantial farmer and respected citizen on the
line between Montgomery and Tippecanoe counties. He received a common-
school education and also advanced training at the Battle Ground Collegiate

t" J^<L^^'-it'<^ ^"^^^^^-Z^-C-tXi--^^,

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 129

Institute for a year, and his occupation during life has been that of farm-
ing. He was married December 21, 1882, to Anna Catherine Kessler, a
daughter of John and Margaret (Chizum) Kessler. After marriage he settled
on his present farm. He inherited one hundred and sixty acres from his
father, to which he has added, by his economical industry, until he owns two
hundred and forty acres, all fine farm land. His pleasant residence which
he now occupies he built in 1882, and, as the premises are beautifully finished,
his home is attractive. His children are Clarence H., born April i, 1884;
Jesse Leo, November 26, 1887; and Margaret M., March 17, 1891. Politic-
ally, Mr. Grimes is a Republican, and in religion Mrs. Grimes is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal church. He stands high as a citizen, being an
intelligent and honorable business man.

William F. Grimes is also one of the solid and representative citizens of
the agricultural community of Lauramie township. He was born in Mont-
gomery county, received a common-school education and for a time attended
the Battle Ground Collegiate Institute, since which time he has been engaged
in farming. December 24, 1891, he was united in marriage with Miss Jennie
Mclntyre, of Lauramie township, where she was born August 22, i860, a
daughter of Frank B. and Frances L. (Wright) Mclntyre. After his marriage
he settled on his present farm. He inherited two hundred and twenty acres
from his paternal estate, and to that he has added by purchase until he now
owns four hundred and sixty acres, all good agricultural land. In his politics
he is a Republican, and religiously Mrs. Grimes is a member of the Method-
ist Episcopal church. Their children are Florence Rebecca, born December
22, 1892; and Frank H., March 25, 1899.

James Riley, referred to in the first paragraph, was born in Prince Will-
iam county, Virginia, a son of Abraham and Martha (Price) Riley. Abraham
Riley died in the Old Dominion, when his son James was very young. The
latter went to Fayette county, Ohio, when about seventeen years old, mar--
ried there, and settled on land as a pioneer. In 1843-4 he moved to Whitley
county, this state, where he bought land for himself and forty acres for each
of his children, — Johnson, James, Angeline and Rebecca; these children
were by his second marriage. Formerly he had married Sarah Waugh and
had one child, named Sarah. James Riley died in Whitley county, aged
about seventy-three years, in i860. He was a soldier in the war of 18 12, in
which he was engaged in a skirmish with the Indians. His company was-
stationed at Fort Wayne. His father, Abraham Riley, was a soldier in the
Revolutionary war. In his religion James Riley was a member of the
Methodist church, and served in that body as a class-leader; he was a fervent-
Christian. Politically, he was a Republican. A man of high and strict moral
principles, he was greatly esteemed.

130 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Returning now to the family of Jesse Grimes, we add that his son
Sylvester W. was a private in Company I, Eighty-sixth Regiment of Indiana
Infantry, having enlisted for three years, and he died at Lebanon, Kentucky,
January 22, 1863.

$imeon Grimes, another brother, was born in Whitley county, this state,
received a common-school education and has always been a farmer, now
owning two hundred and forty acres of fine farming land, and is a good,
practical business man. Politically, he is a Republican.

FRANK B. HUMSTON.

The gentlemanly and efficient clerk of White county is one of the most
esteemed and highly respected citizens. Aside from his natural qualifica-
tions, his whole business training, which has been clerical work in very
responsible positions, has especially fitted him for this place, and an exami-
nation of the books in the county clerk's office will convince the most doubt-
ing of his thoroughness and efficiency. He was born in New Albany, Indi-
ana, June 6, 1864, and has been a resident of this county for the past
twelve years. His father, William J. Humston, is a native of Lawrence
county, and follows the vocation of an agriculturist, although most of his
life has been passed in railroading. He married Miss Mehala Smith, also of
Lawrence county. Four children were born to them, — Frank B., the sub-
ject of this sketch; Kate, the wife of Charles N. Lindley, a Quaker of
Washington county; and Mabel and John, both at home.

Frank B. Humston spent his early years on a farm, and helped with
such work as usually falls to the lot of a farmer lad. He attended the
common schools until he was seventeen, and then, finding no aptitude for
farm work, he entered the employ of the Adams Express Company as mes-
senger boy. As he was too young to give a bond he was kept at extra work
and continued with them until he was twenty years old. He then received
the appointment of bill clerk at Monon, having charge of through freight.
Three years later he was appointed agent at that place, and a number of
years later was made general freight and passenger agent of the Bedford
Belt Line in Lawrence county. He remained there one year and then
returned to his old position at Monon. While acting in this capacity he was
nominated to the office of county clerk of White county, to which office he
\yas elected in the fall of 1894, taking the office July 7th of the following
year. The county is Democratic, and he is the first Republican elected to
that office in twenty years. He received a majority of three hundred and
fifty, showing how well he stands in the county.

He was united in matrimony to Miss Minnie B. Thacker, a native of

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 131

this county. He is a member of a number of fraternal orders, among them
the Knights of Pythias, the lodge and encampment of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and the Masonic order, in which he is a Knight
Templar. He was e.xtremely popular as a railroad employe and received
letters from the officials of the road congratulating him on his election,
while expressing regret that he must leave their employ. They made very
complimentary mention of the character of his services, and expressed the
desire that he might return to their employ at any time.

GEORGE K. HUGHES.

Mr. Hughes is one of the most prosperous and prominent business men
of Monticello, White county, Indiana, where he has a store whose stock is
not excelled in this section. He was born on the parental farm in Liberty
township, November 3, 1852, and is a son of John and Emeline (Morgan)
Hughes. His father, who is a successful and highly esteemed farmer of Lib-
erty township, was born in Pennsylvania in June, 1828, and came to this
county eighteen years later. , He is a man of sterling worth, and has brought
skill to the aid of agricultural art, receiving his reward in the success which
has attended his efforts. He was united in marriage to Miss Emeline Mor-
gan, a native of Tippecanoe county. Nine children have blessed their union,
and a remarkable feature is that in all these years there has been no death in
the family. The children are George K. , our subject; Rosa; Merrill M., of
Buffalo, Indiana; Logan, a successful farmer of this county; Elmer, of Mon-
ticello; Charles, of Liberty township; Samuel, who lives on the farm; Nellie;
and Perry.

George K. Hughes was reared to manhood on the farm on which he was
born. He became familiar with the work incident to farm life, as it was his
duty to help with such work, even when attending the country schools. He
received a fair education, but not finding agricultural life suited to his require-
ments he left the farm on August 4, 1873, and entered the store of his uncle,
Roland Hughes, at Monticello. This was a general store, but our subject
Tcnew practically nothing of business, aside from his experience on the farm.
He remained with his uncle as clerk for a period of twenty years, developing
a shrewdness and business acumen possessed only by first-class merchants.
He was thoroughly conversant with every detail of the business, and was ac-
counted one of the most popular clerks here. In August, 1893, he launched
his own craft in the mercantile world, and is meeting with a flattering suc-
cess. He has one of the best appointed stores in the place, and handles dry
goods, shoes and furnishing goods. His close application to business, with
his reputation for fair and honest dealing, has brought to his counters the

132 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

very best class of customers, and in his endeavor to live up to his reputation
he but gains so many more patrons.

He was married March 13, 1873, to Susannah Bullard, a native of
Logan county, Ohio. Six children have been born to them, viz. : Norine,
the wife of Robert Dobbins, of Wolcott; twins who died in infancy; John
Henry, who is in the store with his father; and Roland Earl and Goldie F.,
both at home. Mr. Hughes is a Republican of very decided views and keeps
well posted in the affairs of the nation. He is not a politician, the emolu-
ments of the petty office-holder not appealing to him. He is a member of
Monticello Lodge, No. 107, L O. O. F., and although a member of the
order less than three years he is now past grand. He and his family are com-
municants of the Baptist church, and are earnest workers for the advancement
of that organization. He has lately been improving his residence property
by erecting a commodious and convenient house on Railroad street, making
it a most desirable possession, and the visitor is sure of finding the latch-
string out and meeting a cheery welcome to his fireside.

SAMUEL DAVIS.

This worthy pioneer of Tippecanoe county has been an important factor
in its development, and since 1855 has lived on the homestead where he
dwells to-day, in Sheffield township. Among the numerous public enter-
prises in which he has aided might be mentioned the Dayton and Lafayette
gravel road, which was built through the efforts of a few public-spirited citi-
zens in 1 86 1, at which time there were but seven other members of the
company in the county, and Mr. Davis was one of the leading directors of
the company. In 1890 the road was purchased by the county. Among the
neighbors and associates of almost half a century he stands high, his reputa-
tion being above reproach.

The founder of the Davis family in America was a native of England.
Moody Davis, the father of our subject, was born in New England, January
7, 1785, and was a carpenter and millwright by trade. He married, in New
Hampshire, Rebecca Morgan, whose birth had occurred March 26, 1788.
They began housekeeping in a hewed-log cabin which the husband built on a
quarter section of land that he had purchased in Vermont. Having cleared
forty acres of the heavy timber with which it was encumbered, he planted
thirty acres in wheat, and, assisted by his industrious wife, he cut the crop
with a hand sickle. Heavy frosts ruined his harvests, the times were hard,
and he finally traded his land for a team of horses and a wagon, and set out
with his little family for western New York. He located within twenty miles
of the spot where the famous battle of Lundy's Land was fought, July 25^

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 133

1 8 14, and the following morning Mr. Davis set out for the battle-ground.
Arriving there, he found that the carnage had ceased, and that there was
plenty of work for him to do, in assisting to care for the wounded and in
burying the dead. In 18 15 he started with his family to Ohio, going as far
as Olean Point, on the Ohio river, in wagons and there he bought a partly-
built flat-boat, finished it, and they floated down the stream to Cincinnati.
Thence they proceeded to Butler county, Ohio, and at a point on the Big
Miami river, about three and one-half miles northeast of Hamilton, Mr. Davis
built a gristmill, and operated it for twelve years. He also built a still-
house and purchased a half section of land, and from these various sources
derived a good income. At the time of his death, February 25, 1835, he
was independently well-off, and had no one to thank for it but himself, for
by his own sturdy might and fortitude he had carved out his fortune. At
one time he made a trip down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New
Orleans on a flat-boat loaded with flour and whisky and, having sold the
same, he proceeded to walk back, some fifteen hundred miles. He reached
home safely with the large sum of money on his person. In early days his
mill was a very busy place, as farmers came as far as one hundred miles
to have their grain ground. Mr. Davis was a Jacksonian Democrat and,
religiously, was a Baptist. His brothers, William and John, and sisters,
Amanda and Priscilla, all settled in Ohio and reared their families in that
state. Mrs. Rebecca Davis, a typical pioneer woman, brave and hardy,
survived her husband, dying February 22, 1849.

Samuel Davis, of this sketch, was next to the youngest of ten children,
the dates of whose births are as follows: Josiah, January 3, 1807; Julia A.,
April C4, 1808; Adeline, March 12, 1810; Moses, March 21, 1812; Almon,
September 4, 1814; Mary, February 8, 1817; Azariah, October 23, 1819;
Ursula, February 11, 1821; Samuel, September 15, 1823; and Amanda,
September 8, 1834.

Frcfm his early years until after his marriage, Samuel Davis lived on the
old homestead in Butler county, Ohio, and gained but a Hmited education in
the subscription schools of that period. December 14, 1847, he married
Abigail, daughter of Dodd and Sarah Lindley. She was of Irish and Dutch
extraction and was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, March 12, 1824. The
young couple lived for six years or so on the Davis homestead, and in 1855
they set out for their new home in Tippecanoe county, Indiana. Mr. Davis
made the trip with two wagons and horses and was six days on the way, for
it snowed steadily night and day. The rest of the family came on the rail-
road, but the train was snowbound and the short journey took two days to
make. Little improvement had been made on the one-hundred-and-fifty-
acre tract, part prairie and part timber, on which Mr. Davis settled, but he

134 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

industriously went to work and soon had developed a model farm. He
cleared about thirty acres, added thirty-seven acres to his original tract, and
built a substantial two-story brick house. He has been very successful as a
farmer and business man, and richly deserves the prosperity which he enjoys.
He uses his ballot in favor of the Republican party.

The first wife of Mr. Davis died December 3, 1872. She was a member
of the Presbyterian church and was loved by all who knew her. Their two
children are Alice, born October i, 1849, and Adeline, born September 16,
185 1. The second marriage of our subject was celebrated in this county,
September 8, 1874, the lady of his choice being Mrs. Amelia C. Travis. She
was born January 4, 1838, in Pickaway county, Ohio, a daughter of Joseph
and Mary (Morris) Gougar, of Pennsylvania stock. The mother was a daugh-
ter of Samuel and Amelia (Preble) Morris. Mrs. Davis had four brothers
and sisters, namely: Martha A., John M. , Eleanor E. and Samuel M. Her
father was a farmer and seven times did he journey down the rivers from
Cincinnati to New Orleans with produce. A worthy member of the Lutheran
church, serving for years as a deacon, he exemplified in his daily life the
high principles in which he believed. He died January 8, 1857, and his wife
passed away September 2, 1853. After the death of her parents, Mrs. Davis
came to this county to visit her sister, Mrs. Eleanor Lutz, and the following
year was married to Joseph Travis, a farmer and grain merchant. They
were married August 11, 1863, and Mr. Travis died April 8, 1871. Mrs.
Davis is a consistent member of the Presbyterian church.

The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Davis were pioneers of Pennsyl-
vania. On one occasion when Mr. Gougar, assisted by his wife and two
elder daughters, was in the field making hay, their cabin was entered by
some Indians, who asked the two terrified children who were there, taking
care of an infant, where their parents were. The brave children would give
no information, but one of the red men discovered their elders in the distant
field and the band started in that direction. The little boy and girl thus left
alone, snatched up the baby and fled for the nearest fort, which they reached
after many weary hours of traveling about one o'clock in the night. The
Indians attacked the parents in the field. Mrs. Gougar defended herself
vigorously with her pitchfork, but was soon overpowered, scalped, and tied
to a bush. The father had no arms with which to defend himself, and as he
sprang upon a rail fence near an Indian shot at him. The rail broke
beneath the weight and he fell to the ground. Strange to say, the red men
believed him dead, and without further notice of him the hostiles dispersed.
As soon as he dared Mr. Gougar fled to the forest, and the following day,
when searching for his wife, he found her tied to the bush, and still living,
though she soon expired. The two daughters were carried into captivity

BIOGRJPEICAL HISTORY. 135

and were treated well. They were given a feather bed to sleep on at night,
this adjunct of civilization having been taken from one of the cabins which
had been raided by them. One of the daughters was afterwards recovered
by the family, who paid a ransom for her. The other had blue eyes, and
the Indians would not give her up. She married a chief and would never
leave them.

EZRA FRANKENFIELD.

A retired merchant and capitalist of Dayton, Tippecanoe county, and
one of the most respected citizens of the place is he of whom this sketch is
penned. As his surname indicates, he is of German extraction, the name
having been originally spelled Frauenfelder. His family, however, is an old
one in the United States, as the founder came to America in early colonial
days, and the immediate ancestors of our subject were styled "Pennsylvania
Dutch." The paternal grandparents were John Abraham and Elizabeth
(Schloterbeck) Fraukenfield, and the father of our subject was Simon, who
was born in November, 1795, in Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He was a
man of good education and general ability and for many years he was very
successfully engaged in teaching school in Lehigh county and in his native
county. Even after he came to Indiana he taught school in Clinton county
for a number of years, and thus his influence over multitudes of youthful
minds was immeasurable, leaving a mark upon one generation, at least. His
fine, keen intellect was balanced by a true, kindly heart and high ideals, and
in religious belief he was a Lutheran. It was in 1852 that he came to
this state, and thenceforth he dwelt in Madison township, Clinton county,
his death occurring there January 6, 1882, when he had attained the vener-
able age of eighty-six years. He married Catherine Sloyer, and their chil-
dren were Simon, Aaron S., Levi, Ezra, Leah, Naida and Jared. The last
mentioned served for three years in the Civil war in the Seventy-second Regi-
ment of Pennsylvania Mounted Infantry.

Ezra Frankenfield was born November 28, 1828, in Bucks county,
Pennsylvania, and after he had mastered the "three R's " and the common
branches of learning in the public schools he began his mercantile career by
accepting a position as clerk. From the time that he was eighteen until he
was twenty-five years of age he was employed in a store at Siegfried's
Bridge, Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1854 the young man came to this
county with his newly wedded wife, and on the 8th of May he took a posi-
tion in the store of S. Favorite & Son, as a clerk. Having remained with
that firm for about six years he embarked in the mercantile business on his
own account, and by his judicious methods, his industry and regard for his

136 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

customers he won the esteem of all who had dealings with him. As the
years rolled by he gradually amassed a competence and is now well-to-do,
having an abundance for his declining years. In his political belief he is a
Democrat. Active as a Mason, he was one of the early members of the
lodge at Dayton, and in all local enterprises he has ever been interested and
helpful. Both he and his wife are members of the Reformed church, and
their lives have been examples of noble Christian manhood and womanhood.

In the summer of 1853 Mr. Frankenfield married Miss Amelia Kohler,
whose birth had occurred August 24, 1834, in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania.
Her father, Joseph Kohler, was a marble-cutter by trade, and followed farm-
ing as his chief occupation in life. In 1855 he moved to Indiana with his
family, and partly cleared two farms in Clinton county, his homestead being
a valuable place of eighty acres. He was a member of the German Reformed
church, and in political faith was a Repubhcan. He was upright and honor-
able and reared his children to be good and useful citizens. His wife, the
mother of Mrs. Frankenfield, was a Miss Magdelena Saeger prior to her mar-
riage. Two of their sons vvere soldiers in the Civil war. Peter was for
three years in the Indiana infantry service, and Harrison was for nearly four
years in the cavalry service of this state. The other children were Mary,
Walter, Amelia, Caroline, Hannah.

The eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Frankenfield is Ellen J., wife of W. I.
Slipher, a manufacturer of Mulberry, Indiana; Sarah A., the next in order
of birth, married Wilbert M. Baker, of Lafayette; Laura R. is at home;
Albert L. married Ella Everest, and is a farmer of this county; William E.,
who married Edith Thompson, is station agent at Goldsmith, Indiana, and
Ira C. is the youngest of the family, and is engaged in business at Sims
Station, Grant county, Indiana.

AUBURT L. BERKLEY, M. D.

Dr. Berkley is a resident physician and surgeon of Rensselaer, Indiana,
and is a young man of promise and ability. He located here some three
years ago, and the care and skill evinced in all cases under his charge soon
won him the confidence of the people. His parents, John L. and Mary J.
(Brown) Berkley, reside in Illinois. The father is a native of Charleston,
that state, and in early life was a merchant, but later engaged in milling.

Dr. Berkley was the second of a family of four children, and was born
August 31, 1870, in Douglas county, Illinois. There he grew up, attended
school and assisted his father about the mill. He early developed a love of
books, and was particularly interested in anything treating on medicine or
surgery. His one aim and ambition was to become a physician, but in this

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 137

he was discouraged by his family, until he was almost uncertain whether he
would like it. However, he determined to give it a trial, and a very short
time served to convince him that it was a profession in which he would
succeed. After reading a year with Dr. Rutherford he took a regular course
in Rush Medical College, in Chicago, from which institution he graduated in
1895.

He at once came to Rensselaer, opened an office, and began the active
practice of his profession. He has met with unlooked-for success, and won
the regard of his people, who depend on him in many of the cases of sur-
gery requiring skillful treatment. He has a natural talent in this direction,
and his uniform care and kindness, as well as the success that attends his min-
istrations, have gained for him a large and lucrative practice. He is one
of the prominent men of the city, and his friends bespeak him a brilliant
future. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and united with the Methodist Episcopal church on
Washington avenue, Chicago. He is an attendant of that body here, and
stands well both socially and professionally.

MORDECAI F. CHILCOTE.

A group of the prominent men of Jasper county, Indiana, would be
■decidedly incomplete without the addition of M. F. Chilcote, who has wooed
fortune with gratifying results in the legal profession. He has been a resi-
dent of Rensselaer for many years, and a leading lawyer of the Jasper
county bar since 1868. He was born at Wooster, Wayne county, Ohio,
November 4, 1840, and is a son of Mordecai and Elizabeth A. (Cuthberson)
■Chilcote. Mordecai Chilcote, Sr., was likewise a native of Ohio, and con-
tinued to reside there until 1852, when he took his family to Eaton county,
Michigan. In 1877 he moved to this county, but returned to Hillsdale
county, Michigan, where he died. The mother is still living and makes her
home in this city.

Our subject spent much of his earlier, life on a farm, attending the pub-
lic schools of his native state, and there receiving his primary education.
After the family moved to Michigan he was able to pursue an academic or
seminary course, and when eighteen entered Olivet College, of which Pro-
fessor Fairchild was president. He took a two-years course of study at
that institution, and then came to Jasper county to teach school, as the
inost available work to be secured.

In 1 86 1 he enlisted in the Ninth Indiana Regiment for three months,
and re-enlisted in the Forty-eighth Regiment. Six months later he was pro-
moted to the rank of lieutenant, and soon afterward to a captaincy. His

138 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

field of service was in West Virginia, and in the Department of the Ten-
nessee, where he took part in many of the fiercest encounters of the war.
After his return to his home he once more engaged in teaching, and com-
menced the study of law in the office of Hammond & Spitler, of Rensselaer.
He graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan, at
Ann Arbor, in April, 1868, and has been in continuous practice in this city
since then. He is a man of excellent legal attainments, and stands high in
the legal profession throughout the state, while he is characterized by his
cool, calm judgment and strong common sense. He has for three years past
been local attorney for the Monon Railway.

Mr. Chilcote was united in the holy bonds of matrimony in September,
1865, to Miss Lizzie H. Hammond, a daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah
(Sering) Hammond, and a sister of E. P. Hammond, of Lafayette, Indiana.
The father of Mrs. Chilcote was born at Blue Hill, Maine, in 1786, and died
in 1877. Her mother was born in Ohio in 1803. Two sons were born tO'
Mr. and Mrs. Chilcote. The elder, Fred L., is cashier of a bank in Albany,
Indiana, and the younger son, Gaylord H., is a teacher in the public
schools of Los Angeles, California. Mrs. Chilcote died January 15, 1885.

Mr. Chilcote has been a member of the school board of Rensselaer for
eighteen years, and is interested in advancing the cause of education, while
he assists, in every way that is open to him, in the growth and symmetrical
expansion of all the institutions of the county. He is a Republican in his
political views, and for ten years was chairman of the county central com-
mittee. He was a delegate to the national Republican convention, at Min-
neapolis, in 1892, from the tenth congressional district.

JAMES M. SWADLEY.

James Madison Swadley, of Pine Village, Adams township, Warren
county, Indiana, is a well known citizen and a representative of one of the
early families of this county. His father, Nicholas Swadley, was a native of
Ohio, the Swadley family being among the primitive settlers of Highland
pounty, that state. Nicholas Swadley grew up in his native county and
married Nancy A. Chaney. Her parents were from Pennsylvania, but had
settled in Ohio in the pioneer days. In 1826, about a year after their mar-
riage, Nicholas Swadley and wife removed to Indianapolis, and there he
engaged in work "at his trade, that of wagon-maker. He established the first
wagon shop in Indianapolis, and although he was successful and was ear-
nestly solicited to remain, he was not satisfied in his new home, and three
years later returned to Ohio. About 1830 he came back to Indiana, bring-
ing his family with him and locating at Shawnee Mound, Tippecanoe county.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. \m

Ten or twelve years later he removed to a place one mile and a half north of
Shawnee Mound. Later he located at Odell's Cross Roads, in the same
county, and established a shop. About 1846 he crossed the Wabash and
settled on the Kickapoo river in Warren county, where he engaged in farm-
ing, which he had followed for a number of years previously, having
abandoned his trade a few years after coming to Indiana. At the last loca-
tion mentioned he continued to live until his death, at the age of sixty-six
years. Nicholas Swadley was an industrious, worthy citizen, highly
esteemed. He was a justice of the peace for many years, and occupied that
office at the time of his death. Politically, he was a Democrat. His wife
survived him about seven years. They were the parents of six children —
five sons and one daughter — all of whom are living except the eldest son,
Wesley, who died in California a number of years ago. The second is
James M., the immediate subject of this sketch; John, a resident of Lafay-
ette; Nicholas, of Pine Village; and George, of Wabash, Indiana. The
daughter is Sarah Ann, wife of Dr. James McMullen, of Pine Village.

James M. Swadley, the oldest of the surviving members of the family,
and from whom the facts for this sketch were obtained, was born in Indian-
apolis, Indiana, April 14, 1827, and nearly. all of his life has been spent in
Tippecanoe and Warren counties. He began learning the trade of wagon-
maker of his father when he was only twelve years old, has followed the
business together with blacksmithing for sixty years, and is still, though now
seventy-two years of age, hale and hearty and actively engaged in business
in Pine Village, where he has lived since 1852, the year the village was laid
out. He was the first postmaster of Pine Village. The mail was then
received only once a week, and he could easily carry all the mail received
weekly in his coat pocket.

Mr. Swadley has been three times married. His first wife was Martha
Crowell, who left three children, her death occurring at the birth of the
youngest. Two of this number are living, — William and Samantha. His
second wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Jane Thomas, died, leaving a
daughter, Anna. For his third companion, with whom he now resides, he
wedded Miss Lydia H. Goss, of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, to whom he has
been married for fourteen years.

THE PETER FAMILY.

In Tippecanoe and Clinton counties, Indiana, there is perhaps not a
family better known or more highly respected than the Peter family.
They spring from sturdy German ancestry, their forefathers being among
the primitive settlers of Pennsylvania and known as Pennsylvania Dutch.

140 BIOORJPHICAL HISTORY.

William Peter, the original pioneer of Indiana, was born in Pennsylvania,
in the town of Lehigh, in the year 1780. He was a farmer and wagon-
maker, and married Julia Ann Kernin, or Kern as the name was finally
spelled. She also was of Pennsylvania-Dutch stock and on her mother's
side descended from the Bear family. Lehigh county was her native place.
Her parents' names are not remembered, but she had two brothers, Nich-
olas and Christopher, and a sister, Sarah, who married a Mr. Jacoby.

William Peter, and wife settled in Northampton county, Pennsylvania,
on a farm. In 1817 they moved to Butler county, Ohio, where they settled
in the fall of that year, the journey being made with horses and wagons.
He bought land, prospered and finally became the owner of four hundred
acres, which he sold at a fair price for those days, and in the fall of 1832
moved to Indiana and settled in Ross township, Clinton county, on the line
between that county and Tippecanoe. Here he purchased three hundred
and twenty acres of land, on which were slight improvements, and sub-
sequently he bought and entered more land in these counties until he
owned about three thousand and three hundred acres. He was a man of
remarkable perseverance and energy, and his foresight and sagacity enabled
him to see the great advantage of securing land for his children. Few of
the pioneers in this part of Indiana were better known than he. He
was a member of the German Reformed church and an elder in the same
for many years.

The following family record was translated by Rev. Zimmerman from
his old German family Bible, which was printed at Basle, Switzerland,
in 1798:

"William Peter, married August 8, 1802, to Julia Ann Kernin, by Rev.
Stobrech. Children: William Peter, born in Northampton county, Penn-
sylvania, September 25, 1803, baptized in Lutheran church October 30, 1803.
Witnesses: William Peter and wife. Henry Peter, born September 3, 1804;
baptized September 30, 1804. Witnesses: Henry Peter and Susannah, his
wife. Leah Peter, born March 12, 1806; baptized April 4, 1806. Witnesses:
Nicholas Kern and wife, Hannah. Daniel Peter, born September 5, 1807;
baptized September 21, 1807. Witnesses: John Kern and his wife. Jona-
than Peter, born March 8, 1809; baptized April 3, 1809. Witnesses: Jacob
Holwig and his wife, Elizabeth. John Adam Peter, born May 26, 18 10;
baptized July i, 1810. Witnesses: Johanis Kern and his wife, ?ice Mary
Peter. Mary Peter, born August 26, 181 1; baptized September 29, 181 1.
Witnesses: Jacob and Mary Miller. Susan Peter, born March 27, 18 14;
baptized May 19, 1814. Witnesses: Jacob Kern and his wife, Susannah.
Emanuel Peter, born February 19, 1816; baptized March 31, 1816. Wit-
nesses: Joseph Peter and Susannah Kern. (All the above named were born

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 141

in Northampton county, Pennsylvania.) Elias Peter, born August 21, 18 17;
baptized September 21, 1817. Witnesses: Henry Jacoby and Salomi, his
wife. Reuben Peter, born December i, 1820; baptized April i, 1822. Wit-
nesses: Daniel Schmidt and Mary, his wife. Joseph Peter, born February
18, 1823. Witnesses to baptism: Ludwig Gewel and Elizabeth, his wife.
Elizabeth Peter, born September 20, 1824. Witnesses to baptisnv John
Jacoby and Elizabeth, his wife. William Peter, Sr. , died in Ross township,
Clinton county, Indiana, July 23, 1837, at about the age of fifty-seven years."

Daniel Peter, one of the above named sons, received the limited common-
school education of his day and came west with his parents to Butler county,
Ohio, in the fall of 1817. He came to Indiana in 1831, to inspect the land,
and became a farmer and lumberman. The following year, 1832, he accom-
panied his parents to Clinton county, this state, and in 1833 settled on two
hundred and forty acres of land in Perry township, Tippecanoe county, which
was given him by his father. He cleared up his farm from the woods, and
built a dam on the middle fork of Wild-cat creek, on his property. That
was in 1833 or '34, and this mill, both saw and grist, was the second mill in
Perry township. The gristmill was a very primitive affair. The stones
were "nigger-heads" which they found in the vicinity and dressed up, mak-
ing fairly good millstones. The flour was bolted by hand. Mr. Peter did a
good business for those days. He hauled his flour and lumber to Michigan
City and Chicago and there exchanged it for salt and other merchandise,
which he sold to his neighbors. These trips would occupy several days and
were made with huge Pennsylvania wagons drawn by horses, and at night he
would camp out by the roadside. Chicago and Michigan City were the only
points where merchandise could be obtained. Daniel Peter was a promi-
nent and successful pioneer and had the respect of all who knew him. He
married Mary Burkhalter, and theirs was the second marriage in Perry town-
ship, Tippecanoe county. She was born September 9, 1812, in. Lehigh
county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Peter and Catherine (Beery) Burkhalter.
Peter Burkhalter moved from Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, to Butler county,
Ohio, and thence with the Peter family to Tippecanoe county, Indiana.
(Further mention of him will be found in the sketch of William Burkhalter
in this work.)

Daniel Peter and wife were the parents of ten children, — seven sons and
three daughters. The following record is copied from the family Bible:
" WiUiam, born May, 1834; Eliza Ann, July 13, 1835; Henry, September
25, 1836; Catherine, May 5, 1838; Elizabeth, July 29, 1839; Daniel, Decem-
ber 12, 1840; Eli, February 8, 1842; Nicholas, September 8, 1843; Calvin.
November 25, 1848, and Irwin, December 6, 1855 " — all born at the home-
stead where Horace Hoffman now lives in Perry township.

142 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Mr. and Mrs. Peter were members of the German Reformed church and
were Hberal supporters of the same. Also they contributed liberally to the
support as well as erection of the different churches in the township. Mr.
Peter donated a tract of land, from his farm, for a Methodist church. This
was a hewed-log house and in it the meetings of the pioneer Methodists were
held for many years. In early life Mr. Peter was a Democrat, but became a
Republican upon the organization of that party. He had two sons in the
civil war, Daniel V. and Eli. The former was in the Tenth Indiana Volun-
teer Battery, in the three-years service, and the latter, also in the three-years
service, was a member of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, and died of measles, in hospital at Columbus, Ohio, in 1865.

Mr. Peter was a substantial pioneer farmer and business man, noted for
his integrity and upright character, and enjoyed the respect and esteem of
his fellow citizens. The substantial brick residence on his farm he built in
1859.

Calvin Peter, whose post-office address is Monitor, Indiana, and whose
birth is above recorded, is a worthy representative of this well known family
and ranks as one of the respected citizens of Perry township. He was reared
on his father's farm and received his education in the common schools, and
has been engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life. At about the age of
thirty years he was married, in Perry township, Tippecanoe county, to Miss
Loretta Weaver, their marriage being consummated on the 9th of September,
1 879. Loretta Weaver was born in Tippecanoe county, in the township of Per-
ry, September 9, 1861, daughter of Samuel and Ehzabeth (Barnhart) Weaver,
and her father, also a native of this township, was a son of John and Catherine
(Horner) Weaver. John Weaver was a Pennsylvanian. He married, in Ohio,
Catherine Horner, and they were among the early pioneers of Perry town-
ship, Tippecanoe county, their settlement being on the north fork of Wild-
cat creek, where he engaged in farming. Their children were Samuel,
Charles, Joseph, Mary R., Rebecca and Hannah, who lived to reach adult
years. Mr. Weaver had a good farm of two hundred acres, which he cleared
from the woods adjoining the village of Pettit. He was a member of the
German Baptist church, and was an industrious, hard-working pioneer. He
died on his farm at the age of sixty-nine years, February 18, 1873. Samuel
Weaver and wife, married January 18, 1855, settled on the John Weaver
homestead, lived there a few years and thence removed to Kosciusko county,
Indiana. At the end of the next three years they returned to the home
farm, a portion of which he finally inherited. After living there a number of
years he moved to Berrien county, Michigan, where he died at about the age
of fifty-one years. He was a member of the United Brethren church, and
was a man well known for his kindness of heart and his honest, straightfor-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 143

ward manner in all the relations of life. His children were Alpheus A.,
Alice L.,Loretta, Elder E. and Orphie.

Mr. Calvin Peter and wife soon after marriage settled on their present
farm, which is a part of his father's homestead, and here he has eighty acres
of choice land well improved. By industry and good management he has
prospered, and he enjoys the reputation of being one of the practical farmers
of his locality. His children are Earl W., Otis C, Elsie L. and Iva Jean.
Both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church, and politically
he is a Republican.

In conclusion, we refer briefly to Mrs. Calvin Peter's grandfather, John
Barnhart. He was of sturdy Pennsylvania- Dutch stock, born in Pennsyl-
vania, and was by trade a carpenter. He married, in Ohio, Barbara Swil-
ger, who was likewise of Pennsylvania-Dutch descent, and born in Ohio.
They continued to live there for some years, until the fall of 1849, when
they came over into Indiana and settled at Dayton, Tippecanoe county, and
in this county they passed the rest of their days. Mr. Barnhart died in
Lafayette, at the age of seventy-four years, January 16, 1873, a member of
the United Brethren church and a man of sterling integrity. His children
were Henry, Jerre, William, Mary Levina and Elizabeth.

JACOB SHEFFER.

One of the youngest soldiers of Indiana who saw actual service and was
engaged in some of the most serious battles and campaigns of the civil war,
was Jacob Sheffer, afterward the popular and efficient treasurer of Warren
county. He enlisted when barely fourteen years of age, in Company H,
One Hundred and Sixteenth Regiment of Indiana Infantry Volunteers, for
six months, being mustered into the army in August, 1863, and faithfully
stood at the post of duty as long as his country had need of his services. At
the expiration of his first term of enlistment he re-entered the service, this
time as a private of Company G, One Hundred and Fiftieth Indiana
•Infantry, and continued until after Lee's surrender at Appomattox, in the
meantime being a participant in the Shenandoah valley campaign, fighting
all day in the battle of Blue Springs, Tennessee, taking an active part in the
notable engagement of Cumberland Gap and many others. He is now an
honored member of W. B. Fleming Post, of West Lebanon, of which he
has officiated as treasurer. In his political affiliations he is a stalwart
Republican, and was elected on that ticket in 1887 to the responsible posi-
tion of county treasurer, in which office he made a most creditable record,
both for himself and for his constituents. Socially, he is a Mason, joining
the blue lodge in 1898.

144 BIOGRATEICAL HISTORY.

One of the respected pioneers of Warren county was Nicholas Sheffer,
the father of our subject. He was born July i, 1796, in Pennsylvania, and
came to Warren county in 1828. He had grown to man's estate in Pennsyl-
vania and had there married Matilda Davis. With his wife and one child
he settled in Washington township upon his arrival in this section, and soon
afterward entered a quarter section of land in Jordan township. That prop-
erty he greatly improved, and spent many years of his life there, devoting
his energies to the cultivation of the farm. His death occurred at his home
at that place, April 22, 1852. His wife survived him over thirty years, her
demise taking place July 5, 1883. Twelve children were born to this
worthy couple, and of the entire number only the subject of this article
continues to reside in Indiana. O. H. is a citizen of Colorado Springs,
Colorado ; Mrs. Cynthia Benge lives in Oregon ; Frank is a resident of
Santa Ana, California ; William is in Danville, Illinois ; Nicholas Vance
makes his home in Cahfornia ; George K. is in Champaign county, Illinois ;
Mrs. Ruth J. Hopkins and Rebecca are deceased ; and three others died in
childhood. The father served as sheriff of this county from 1841 to 1846.

Jacob Sheffer was born in Jordan township, this county, May 26, 1849,
and was educated in the public schools of the vicinity. From his early
years he was made familiar with all kinds of farm work, and has followed
this calling during his mature years. He raises a fine grade of live stock and
owns a fertile, valuable farm, located in Washington township. He has
made a success in business by strict attention to his own affairs, and that he
possesses the esteem and confidence of his neighbors cannot be doubted.

In 1873 Mr. Sheffer married Delphine Schlosser, whose father, Elias
Schlosser, was a pioneer of Washington township, but both he and his wife
have passed to the silent land. Mrs. Sheffer is a native of this county.
The elder son of our subject and wife is Wilmer, who married Miss L.
Brutt, and resides in Washington.

MICHAEL BLIND,

A prosperous farmer in Medina township, Warren county, was born on the
farm where he now resides, November i, 1835. His parents were John and
Catherine (Wagner) Bhnd, the former of whom was a native of Germany, born
December 24, 1793. He came to America before 1820, on a sailing vessel,
and was nine months and two weeks reaching his destination, which was
near Chillicothe, Ohio. He worked three years to pay his passsage to this
country and lived in Ohio until 1833, when, with his wife and three children
— Mary, John and Catharine — he journeyed by team to Warren county, Indi-
ana, and settled on the farm where his son Michael was born. He purchased

Michael Blind.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 145

eighty acres of government land on section 14, for which he paid one dollar
and twenty-five cents per acre, and on this place built a log house and here
he resided until his death, January 22, 1862. His wife departed this life July
16, 1882, when over eighty-four years of age. Both parents were members
of the Methodist Episcopal church. Six children were born to them: John
(see sketch of Charles O. Blind); Mary, who became the wife first of John
Moore, second of James W. Moore, and is deceased; Catherine, who mar-
ried David James and is deceased; Charlotte, who married Elbert G. Hick-
man, and Margaret, who was the wife of John Boyer, are also deceased, our
subject, Michael Blind, being the only survivor of the family.

When he was only eighteen years of age our subject assumed the man-
agement of the farm under his father's direction, and after the death of the
latter he purchased the interest of the other heirs in the homestead and has
spent his entire life on the same place where he was born. He has one
of the best farms in Medina township, embracing^ two hundred and forty
acres of land four miles east of Pine Village, of which sixty-two acres are in
timber. He has already been extensively engaged in stock-raising and gen-
eral farming, and is one of the wealthy and prominent men of the township.
His early education was limited, beingsuch as could be obtained in the prim-
itive log school-house of those early days, but by reading and observation he
has become well informed and is an intelligent and progressive citizen. In
politics he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party and contributes liber-
ally to the good of the cause. Mr. Blind has never married. The engrav-
ing accompanying this sketch was made from a picture taken when Mr.
Blind was twenty-six years old.

MOSES C. GRAFT.

Moses C. Graft, deceased, was born in Butler county, Ohio, October 17,
18 1 3, and in his youth acquired a fair education, whereby he was qualified to
follow the profession of teaching. He was thus engaged in educational work
for a time, but during the greater part of his life carried on agricultural pur-
suits. When a young man he left the county of his nativity, and removed to
Tippecanoe county, where he was married the same year, in Sheffield town-
ship, in 1838, to Miss Mary A. Baker, a sister of Robert Baker, of Dayton,
Indiana.. Mr. Graft then located on a farm, which he had purchased previous
to his removal to this state. It was largely covered with timber, but with
characteristic energy he began to clear and develop the land and in course of
time the forest was replaced by waving fields of grain. He made a good
home, planted three orchards, and added to his land by additional purchase
until he was the owner of two hundred and thirteen acres. He was very dili-

146 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

gent, and his untiring industry and capable management made him one of the
substantial and prosperous agriculturists of the community.

Unto Mr. Graft by his first marriage were born the following children:
David, born November 29, 1839; Susan A., born August 30, 1841; Rachel A.,
born December 3, 1843; Rebecca A., born December 9, 1845; Cyrus A., born
May 6, 1848; Lucy A,, born November 12, 1850; William A., born August
12, 1853; and Ida A., born August i, 1856. The mother of this family died
May 19, 1857, and Mr. Graft was again married January 15, 1858, when
Martha M. Boyles became his wife. She was born July 15, 1830, in Greene
county, Ohio, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Jones) Boyles. Her
father was born in Lexington, Kentucky, July 13, 1805, and was a son of
Daniel Boyles. The grandfather of Mrs. Graft was of English descent, fol-
lowed farming in Butler county, Ohio, for many years, and died in Lebanon,
that state. His children were James Wesley, who died in childhood;
McHatton; Samuel; Melinda, who married Rev. Owen; and Ellen, who died
in childhood.

The father of Mrs. Graft early removed from Lexington, Kentucky, and
cast his lot with the pioneer settlers of Butler county, Ohio. He acquired a
good, practical education, made farming his life work, and in Butler county
was married, October i, 1829, to Elizabeth Jones, who was born December
21, 1807, near Chillicothe, Ohio, a daughter of Erasmus and Mary Jones.
After his marriage Samuel Boyles located on a farm near Lebanon, Ohio,
and came to Indiana about 1838, locating in Sheffield township, Tippecanoe
county, upon a farm of one hundred acres, which had been partially cleared.
He completed the work of preparing this for the plow, and in time developed
a good farm. He prosecuted his labors with energy and diligence, and his
work was crowned with success, so that he was numbered among the sub-
stantial citizens of the community. He was a member of the Methodist
church, and in early life served as class-leader. In politics he was a Repub-
lican, and during the period of the civil war was a stanch advocate of the
Union cause. He was at all times a loyal citizen, and promoted many
enterprises for the public good. His children were Martha M., born July 15,
1830; Mary J., born November 20, 1832; Erasmus McHatton, born Decem-
ber 17, 1834; Daniel J., born March 10, 1836; Elizabeth A., born February

10, 1838; Samuel G. W., born December 7, 1840; Jonathan R., born July

11, 1843; Rachel M., born December 9, 1845; Brinton A., born January 18,
1847; and Barton J., born January i, 1850. Mrs. Graft had three brothers
who were loyal soldiers of the government during the civil war, and one
brother aided his country in the recent war with Spain.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Graft located at the Graft homestead,
where they resided until 1889, when they purchased property in Dayton.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 147

Mr. Graft then put aside business cares and rested in the enjoyment of the
fruits of his former toil. He had acquired a goodly property of two hundred
and thirteen acres of valuable farming land, and a substantial two-story
brick residence in Dayton, where his widow now resides. He was a man of
sterling worth and integrity of character and an excellent citizen who
advocated all measures for the public good. In politics he was a Republican,
and in religious belief was a Methodist, his wife also belonging to the same
church. He died August 19, 1890, at the age of seventy-seven years. Mrs.
Graft is now living in her pleasant home in Dayton. She is a lady of much
character, and is an active and leading member in the Methodist church.

JOHN GLADDEN.

John Gladden, of Dayton, Indiana, is one of the pioneers and representa-
tive citizens of Tippecanoe county, who has reared a respected family. He
was born March 12, 1819, in Montgomery county, Ohio, son of William and
Magdalena (Yost) Gladden.

The Gladdens are of English descent. In England both the Gladden
and Ingram families lived on leased land for generation after generation, it
being a long established custom to lease for a term of ninety-nine years.
Richard Gladden, the grandfather of John, came from England to this coun-
try, with an older sister, when he was seventeen years old. This sister
married an Ingram. Their coming to America was previous to the Revolu-
tionary war, and in that war young Richard was a participant for six years.
He was in early life a farmer, but later gave his attention to the milling
business, which he followed successfully for a number of years. He was
twice married, both his wives being natives of Virginia. The first wife died
leaving a son, James. By the second wife, whose maiden name was Cather-
ine McKnight, there were two children — Joseph and William. After his
second marriage Mr. Gladden moved from Virginia out to the "Western
Reserve," and settled in Montgomery county, Ohio, fifteen miles west of
Dayton, where he improved a farm and where he passed the rest of his life
and died, his age at death being eighty-nine years. In politics he was an
old-line Whig. William Gladden, his son and the father of the subject of
this sketch, was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, and was between
eighteen and nineteen years old when he removed with his father to Ohio.
His educational advantages were limited to the common schools, and on
reaching manhood he engaged in agricultural pursuits. He married Magda-
lena Yost, a native of Virginia, and a daughter of Anthony and Catherine
{Brock) Yost. Mr. Yost was of German birth and was brought to this coun-
try by his parents when he was a child, their settlement being in the "Old

148 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Dominion." Subsequently he removed to Ohio and cleared up a large farm
in Montgomery county and there made a good home. His children were
John, Polly, Jacob, Abraham, Sarah, Anthony, Susie, William and Magda-
lena. In Montgomery county he and his wife spent the rest of their lives
and died, his age at death being over eighty years. They were members of
the Dutch Reformed church, and were people who stood high in the pioneer
community in which they lived. After marriage William Gladden settled in
Montgomery county, on a small farm, and about eight years later moved to
Preble county, Ohio, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land
and made a good home. In September, 1834, he again turned his face
westward, this time his objective point being Tippecanoe county, Indiana,
to which place he brought his family. He selected a location four miles
southeast of Lafayette, where he purchased one hundred and eighty acres of
partially improved land, for which he paid one thousand dollars. The fol-
lowing year, 1835, he contracted a malarial disease, then prevalent in this
part of the state, and died. He was a Democrat in politics, and was a man
of sturdy, upright character, respected and esteemed by all who knew him.
Following are the names of his children : Elizabeth, Richard, John, Joseph,
William, Harrison, Jacob, Catherine and Sarah J.

John Gladden, the direct subject of this review, was about fifteen years
old when he came with the other members of the family to Indiana, the
journey, one hundred and ten miles, being made by wagon and requiring nine
days. They drove their stock, and at night camped wherever darkness over-
took them. Young John assisted in driving the stock and was just at an age
to appreciate the novelty of this trip. Reared, as he was, on the frontier,
his educational advantages were limited, being confined to a few months^
attendance, during the winter, in the common schools. His father dying the
year following their settlement in Indiana, and the family being large, John
was thrown upon his own resources. The first year he worked for his board
and one hundred dollars in money; the next winter he lived at home and
went to school; and for his second year's work he received his board and
one hundred and thirty-five dollars. He continued to work out as a farm
hand until he was twenty-six years old, but never received more than one
hundred and thirty-five dollars per year. He was economical and careful,
however, and at the time of his marriage, at the age of twenty-seven, he had
saved one thousand dollars. After his marriage he rented land on Wildcat
prairie, Tippecanoe county, and lived there fifteen months, or until after the
death of his wife. Six years later he married again, and settled one mile
south of Dayton, where he lived thirty-two years, until 1890, when he
retired from the active duties of the farm and has since made his home in
Dayton. He has always been an industrious, economical and careful man>

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 149

and by his industry and good management succeeded in accumulating enough
of this world's goods to make him comfortable in his declining years. He
has a pleasant home in Dayton, where he is surrounded by his many friends
and is enjoying life in quiet retirement.

Mr. Gladden was first married in December, 1847, in Tippecanoe county,
Indiana, to Miss Mary Youel, a native of Franklin county, Ohio, and a
daughter of John Youel, a pioneer of that county. Mr. Youel was a native
of Virginia, of Scotch descent; a member of the Presbyterian church and a
man of the strictest integrity. He died at the age of sixty-five years. Mrs.
Mary Gladden left no living children, her death occurring, as above stated,
in less than two years after marriage. For his second wife Mr. Gladden
wedded Mary Kellenbarger, a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, and a
daughter of Peter Kellenbarger. Mr. Kellenbarger came of Pennsylvania-
Dutch stock; removed from Ohio to Indiana and settled in Dayton, Tippe-
canoe county, where he bought a farm, and where he lived until death, at
the age of seventy-two years. He was a veteran of the war of 18 12. After
the death of his second wife Mr. Gladden married Amanda Gipe, a native of
Indiana, and a daughter of Michael and Magdalena Gipe; the Gipes being of
Pennsylvania-Dutch stock and early settlers of Indiana. Mr. Gladden's
living children are by his second wife, tice Mary Kellenbarger, and are UizziQ
J. and William C.

Mr. Gladden is a member of the Presbyterian church and is a man of
many estimable traits of character, a friend to temperance and all moral
reforms. To know him is to respect and esteem him.

GEORGE F. KEIPER.

The subject of this sketch was born in Lafayette, Indiana, March 26,
1866, and is therefore in his thirty-third year. His father was Dr. Christian
Butz Keiper and his mother Mary Ann (Flemming; Keiper. His ancestry on
both sides of the house is distinctively German. His great-grandfather was
Christian Frederic Flemming, a native of Neufchatel, in the kingdom of
Saxony, Germany. His great-grandmother was Susana Maria Flemming.
Among their numerous children was Christian Godfrey Flemming, his mater-
nal grandfather, who was born in Neufchatel, Germany, on the ist of Janu-
ary, 1790, and was there baptized in the Lutheran church and reared in that
faith. He traveled a great deal in France, and was attached to the army of
Napoleon Bonaparte, during which time he killed cattle for the soldiers, and
then learned the trade, which he followed up to the time of his death. In
1824 he determined to emigrate to America, fearing military service in the
German army. He bade his mother goodbye, and with tears in her eyes she

150 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

made him promise never to leave the Lutheran church, which he never did.
It took him eight weeks to cross the Atlantic ocean, but at length he reached
his destination in safety. Prior to his departure he converted all his belong-
ings into money, and it made a sack of coppers with just enough gold to
cover the mouth of the sack. On shipboard he was indiscreet enough to
show it to some of his fellow passengers, and before the end of the journey he
was robbed of all he had. Landing in New York city without a cent or a
friend in America, he made his way to Easton, Northampton county, Penn-
sylvania, where he found a kind man who loaned him enough money to pur-
chase a calf. This he slaughtered and sold the meat, which was his first
business venture in the New World. Though without money he had great
energy and became a successful business man, accumulating a capital of three
hundred thousand dollars as the result of his enterprise and foresight. He
never retired from business, but continued in active commercial life until his
labors were ended in death, in August, 1869.

In 1825 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann, daughter of Jacob
and Elizabeth Grotz. She was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, March 16,
1804, and was baptized in the Lutheran church. During her early girlhood
her parents removed to Springtown, New Jersey, where she was married to
Christian Godfrey Flemming, and this union was blessed with the following
children: Susan, born April 3, 1826; Charles Frederic, born December 27,
1827; Elizabeth, born March 23, 1830; John Christian, born April 15, 1832;
Mary Ann, born February 13, 1834; Henrietta Sabina, born January 30,
1836; Emma Frances, born August 14, 1840; and George Dallas, born Aug-
ust 30, 1844. All of this number are now deceased with the exception of
Elizabeth Flemming and Emma Frances Apple, wife of Dr. S. S. Apple, of
Easton, Pennsylvania. Of the family, Susan became the wife of Dr. Samuel
Sandt, December 23, 1845, and to them were born eight children, six of
whom are living. Charles, married Susan Evans, and they had three chil-
dren, all living. Emma Frances was married March 15, 1877, to Dr. S. S.
Apple, then of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they had one child, Flemming
Livingstone, who was born August 12, 1878, and died in infancy. The
members of the Flemming family were all reared in the Lutheran church,
and those who have passed away died in that faith, while those still living
retain their membership in that denomination. The sturdy characteristics
of the German race found exemplification in their lives, and the various
members of the family commanded the highest respect in the various locali-
ties in which their lives were passed.

Dr. Keiper's mother was a woman of slender build, dark hair, and of a
very energetic temperament. She inherited the peculiar characteristics of her
father and possessed his keen business sense and foresight to a remarkable

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 151

degree. In fact this tendency is inherited by the children now living. What-
ever was left to them has been increased by careful and judicious manage-
ment. The Doctor's mother was a very lovable woman, wrapped up in her
husband and children. Nothing was too good for them and her care of her chil-
dren revealed the remarkable traits of the woman. With good counsel and
advice she guided their early steps until now, although she has been dead for
nearly twenty years, their success in the various walks of life attests the
worth of her early training of her children. Her life was brought to a sudden
close in May, 1879, and her remains were interred in the cemetery in Easton,
Pennsylvania, in a lot provided by her father in order that all his children
might be buried together. In a letter Dr. S. S. Apple writes of Mrs. Mary
Ann Keiper as follows:

"Among the recollections of your mother I recall with pleasure her
many good social qualities. It required but one occasion to bring these to
the front. She enjoyed society and was pleased with the company of friends.
She was fond of books and usually found time to devote to reading. Had
she enjoyed greater advantages in the schools of her day she would in all
probability have made very considerable advance in English literature. She
respected her conscience. Her religious convictions were strong. She
believed in the teachings of the Christian church. This was the crowning edifice
of her life and consequently overshadowed all other good qualities of her life. "

On the paternal side of the house the same interesting genealogy may be
traced. The Doctor's father was Dr. Christian Butz Keiper, a native of
Easton, Pennsylvania, born December 4, 18 16. His father was Peter Keiper
and his mother Mary Butz Keiper, and both were natives of the Keystone
state. The father was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the mother in
Northampston county. Born on the 27th of January, 1785, his death
occurred December 21, 1855, and his wife, whose birth occurred June 7, 1793,
departed this life August 21, 1878. Of their children, John, born June 2,
181 1, died September 8, 1849; Mary K., wife of Charles Mixesell, who was
born August 14, 18 13, died March 16, 1875; Christian B., who was born
December 4, 18 16, died April 14, J^9o; Elizabeth, wife of Charles Lock, was
born November 12, 1819, and died May 3, 1873; Charles, born May 31, 1822,
died April 20, 1862; Susan Dickson, wife of Dr. Dickson, of Knightsville,
Indiana, was born in 1824, and died in 1893; and David, born in 1826, died
in 1895. The remaining survivor of this large family is Dr. George F. Keip-
er, of Norfolk, Nebraska, where he holds the responsible position of super-
intendent of the Norfolk Hospital for the Insane. The subject of our
sketch is his namesake.

The maternal grandparents of Dr. Christian B. Keiper were born in
Germany and emigrated to this country before the Revolutionary war, the

152 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

grandfather serving as a loyal defender of the colonies in that strugggle for
independence. In fact the most loyal soldiers of the army were these native
Germans. It may be remembered that England, prior to the war, attempt-
ed to compel every German to translate his name into the English equiva-
lent, so that Snyder or Schneider would become Tailor or Taylor, and Stein
would become Stone, etc. This measure of course was bitterly opposed by
the Germans, and the result was that when the war broke out large numbers
of the sons of the Fatherland enlisted under Washington's standard, and con-
tinued through the war brave and fearless soldiers, fighting against British
tyranny and oppression. Such were the characteristics that on his moth-
er's side were transmitted to Dr. C. B. Keiper.

His paternal grandparents were natives of Bavaria, Germany, and on
coming to America located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. To them were born
a numerous family, one of whom was Peter Keiper, the subject's grandfa-
ther, who early located in Easton, Pennsylvania, and there opened a whole-
sale tobacco manufactory, making considerable money in that enterprise.
He desired all his boys to learn the trade, but they all refused, preferring to
follow other occupations. He was married early in the century to Mary
Butz. The Butz family has always been noted for its longevity. Her brother,
Michael Butz, died a few years ago, at the age of ninety-five years, and his
widow is still living at the advanced age of ninety-five, in full possession of
all her mental faculties.

Dr. Christian B. Keiper remained at home until he was seventeen years
of age, in the meantime receiving all the advantages afforded by a common-
school education. He then learned the carpenter's trade. In those days
when a boy reached a certain age, he was bound out to a master who was
under obligation by the terms of the contract to teach the boy a good
trade, clothe and feed him, and give him a good place in which to sleep
and a small salary for his work. This lasted until the time of apprenticeship
expired.' So, after following his trade for a few months in Easton, he went
to Philadelphia and was bound out to a cabinet-maker and there learned
that trade. His master was cruel, and 1^ determined to run away, seeking
a favorable opportunity, which came to him at last through meeting with
a gentleman to whom he related the story of his hard lot. This gentleman
told him if he would go to Pittsburg he would give him employment, and
accordingly, in 1836, he ran away from his cruel master and went to the city
in which his new-found friend lived. His absence was soon discovered and
he was advertised for in the daily papers, but having told no one, not even
his mother, of his intentions, he was never found and punished — the penalty
for the offense in those days being imprisonment.

In the summer of 1836 he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in the fall of

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 153

that year made his way to New Orleans, where he engaged himself to finish
and set up billiard tables at high wages. New Orleans was in those days a
very tough city. It was infested with gamblers, thieves and murderers, and
no one considered himself safe without a pistol and a bowie-knife. In fact,
to secure greater safety men banded themselves together for mutual protec-
tion. During these times Dr. Christian Keiper several times saved the life
of a steamboat captain, who became very much attached to him and who
afterward attempted to reward him. After the failure of his employer, and
the consequent loss of much of his wages, Mr. Keiper went to Nashville,
thence to Tuscaloosa and later to Huntsville. He saved sufficient money in
the meantime to enable him to think of attending college, which was then
the height of his ambition, and to which event he looked with longing eyes.
■Going to Ohio, he entered Marietta College, in 1838, and worked Saturdays
at his trade in order to enable him to get more money. In the summer
vacation, of 1839 he went to Louisville, Kentucky, where he accidentally met
his old friend, the steamboat captain, whose life he had saved. The captain
persuaded him to take the position of second clerk on his boat, which posi-
tion was then vacant. This Mr. Keiper did, and for three months ran on the
river between Louisville and New Orleans, Louisiana, but becoming dis-
gusted with river life, and desiring again to return to college, the term of
which was now about to begin, he resigned his position at Evansville, Indi-
ana, expecting to go to Marietta, Ohio. A friend, however, persuaded him
to go to Greencastle and enter the Indiana Asbury University. After yield-
ing to his persuasion he made a river trip to Terre Haute, and thence pro-
•ceeded on foot to Greencastle, where he arrived in the fall of 1839 and
•entered the university there. The Indiana Asbury University, now De Pauw
University, was then two years old, and at its head was a man, who was just
beginning to show remarkable ability as a preacher and executive officer.
This was Matthew Simpson, who afterward became the senior bishop of the
Methodist Episcopal church, while his fame as a preacher was world-wide.
Simpson was a man who had considerable influence over his students and
left on them an impress which lasted as long as life. There Dr. C. B. Keiper
got much of the enthusiasm which characterized his after life. For three
years and a half he remained in college there, but money failing he deter-
mined to study law, and practiced at the bar of Putnam county for about
six months. His talents, however, seemed to incline him to the medical
profession, so he abandoned the practice of law for the practice of medicine.
He studied under Dr. Cowgill, of Greencastle, and later under Drs. Preston,
Ballard and Talbott, who were then directing the reading of several students,
who were banded together for the purpose of mastering the principles of the
science of medicine. During this time an amusing though grewsome incident

154 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

occurred. They felt that to study anatomy right, they should dissect a body.
For a long time they waited for a favorable opportunity to "resurrect" a
body. At last an old shoemaker died in Greencastle, who was friendless and
was buried at the county's expense. This was their opportunity, and so the
shoemaker's body was "resurrected " and conveyed to a room in the rear of
Dr. Preston's office. There, under Dr. Preston's instruction they began the
study of practical anatomy and progressed fairly well until Dr. Preston was
taken ill, and the rats then began to gnaw the body. It soon became evi-
dent that they must dispose of the remains. So one dark night they put the
body in a barrel and covered the barrel's head with canvas, and the four
medical students made their way to the swimming hole of Walnut creek,
where they sunk the barrel. They then bound themselves by a solemn
compact never to tell about the "resurrection" of the body and its later
disposal, and it was never revealed until the subject of this sketch. Dr.
George F. Keiper, made up his mind to attend the University at Greencastle,
when his father told him of the occurrence. This was in 1883.

Several days after the body was thus disposed of, a number of boys
from Greencastle concluded to go fishing at the swimming hole. The hook
of one of the boys caught. He stripped and waded into the water to loosen
it, and in so doing he pulled the canvass off the barrel and out rolled the
shoemaker's head! The boys were thoroughly frightened, and returning to
town informed the authorities of the discovery. Court, which was then in
session, adjourned in order that the supposed murder might be investigated.
After the body had been laid out on the bank of the creek, the great excite-
ment which had prevailed was finally allayed by one of the crowd recog-
nizing the body by a defect on the little finger. The grave of the shoemaker
was examined and the discovery made that the body was gone. It was
replaced then and the excitement abated.

In 1883, when at college in the presence of some of the oldest citizens of
the town. Dr. George F. Keiper related the incident. The old men all knew
of the facts in their boyhood days, and for the first time in long years the
story had been related to them by one whom they supposed knew nothing
about it. This certainly astonished the old-timers, and in the small company
were two of the boys, now old men, who had found the body. Thus was
revealed the name of one of the medical students who in this way had prose-
cuted his studies of practical anatomy.

In 1845 Dr. C. B. Keiper began the practice of medicine in Alaska, a
town located at the junction of Putnam, Morgan and Owen counties, Indiana.
There he remained until i860, when he turned over his very large practice
to his brother. Dr. George F. Keiper, now of Norfolk, Nebraska. He had
acquired from his practice a considerable competence. In the meantime he

BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOBY. 155

attended lectures in the medical department of the University of New York,
and the New York Medical College, graduating from the latter in 1852. In
i860 he went to St. Louis to locate, continuing in that city until 1861, when
he came to Lafayette. He practiced here until his health failed, in 1874,
and he was compelled to put aside business cares and seek needed rest.
Feeling that he could not get this amid old surroundings, he took his family
to the home of his birth, Easton, Pennsylvania, and there remained until
1 88 1, when he returned to Lafayette, having traveled extensively in the
meantime. Here he resumed the practice of medicine, which he continued
until April, 1890, when his death occurred. He was then in the seventy-
fourth year of his age.

On the 6th of May, 1882, Dr. C. B. Keiper wedded Mary Ann Flemming,
of Easton, Pennsylvania, and to them were born five children: William, born
January 15, 1865; George Frederic, born March 26, 1866; Charles Chris-
tian, born. December 21, 1867; Elizabeth Flemming, born February 18, 1869;
and Frank, born June 12, 1870. Of this family William and Charles died in
infancy. The other children are yet living. On the 3d of September, 1898,
Elizabeth became the wife of Dr. Leslie J. Meacham, of New York city. Dr.
C. B. Keiper was a man who prided himself on being well informed on the
latest discoveries and ideas in medicine and kindred sciences. Intellectually
he displayed great vigor, which he manifested to the very day of his death.
He was a man of indomitable energy, fearless in the expression of his convic-
tions and left the impress of his individuality upon the pioneer people among
whom he labored, and who had great admiration for his superior qualities.
The great ambition of his declining days was that each child should have the
advantages of the best education that the country could afford. He was
particularly careful to instruct his children in the mistakes which he had
made, and which all are liable to make, so that they might be averted.
Physically he was a giant in strength and the boast of his early days was
that no one ever threw him in a wrestling match or could touch him in a box-
ing match. He never knew fear. In early days he was a Whig, and he
joined the Republican party upon its organization. In religious faith he was
a Presbyterian, though early reared in the German Reformed church.
Socially, he was a Master Mason, belonging to Lafayette Lodge, No. 123.

Dr. C. B. Keiper's only brother living is Dr. George F. Keiper, of Nor-
folk, Nebraska, where he holds the position of superintendent of the Nor-
folk Hospital for the Insane. He served for four terms in the Nebraska leg-
islature, two in the house and two in the senate. He is a Democrat in poli-
tics, and the only Democrat ever elected from that district to the Nebraska
assembly.

The three living children of Dr. C. B. Keiper are as follows: Frank,

156 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

-who is now a patent examiner in the patent office at Washington, District of
Columbia, makes his home in that city. He graduated with the degree of
Bachelor of Arts, in Wabash College, of Crawfordsville, Indiana, in 1890, at
Purdue University, in 1892, with the degree of B. M. E. In 1893 he received
the degree of A. M. from Wabash College and the degree of M. E. from Pur-
due University. In 1893 he took the civil-service examination which led to
his appointment at Washington, District of Columbia. There by working at
odd hours he graduated in law from the law department of the Columbian
University, in 1897. He was married in October, 1897, to Miss Elizabeth
Crace Pitman, of Knoxville, Tennessee. Elizabeth F. Meacham, who lives
in New York city, is the wife of Dr. Leslie J. Meacham. She graduated at
the Moravian Seminary, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1888, and afterward
took a post-graduate course there.

Dr. George F. Keiper, the subject of this sketch, was born in Lafayette,
Indiana, March 26, 1866, and was named for his uncle. Dr. Keiper, of Nor-
lolk, Nebraska. He received all the advantages that the public schools of
his native city could offer, and also attended the public schools of Easton,
Pennsylvania, whither his father removed for rest in 1874. In January, 1884,
he entered the freshman class of DePauw University, at Greencastle, Indi-
ana, and graduated therefrom in 1887, having finished the classical course,
and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In the fall of 1887 he entered
the department of medicine and surgery of the University of Michigan, at
Ann Arbor, and graduated therefrom in 1890, receiving the degree of Doctor
of Medicine. In the same year DePauw University, his alma mater, con-
ferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of Arts. He returned to his
native city to practice his profession, and after a year's successful work in the
general practice he retired therefrom to limit his practice to the treatment of
diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat.

On the 9th of July, 1890, he was married to Miss Mary Alma Lloyd,
stepdaughter of Mr. John Dougherty, who, while living, was a prominent
citizen of Lafayette, holding large landed interests in Benton county, Indiana.
The Doctor and Mrs. Keiper have one child, Margaret Lloyd, born September
15, 1 89 1, a bright and lovable child, a splendid type of her splendid ancestry.

The Doctor was made a Master Mason in Lafayette Lodge, A. F. & A.
M., in November, 1890. He became a Royal Arch Mason in Lafayette
Chapter, No. 3, in 1892, and a Knight Templar in Lafayette Commandery,
No. 3, in 1894. In 1895 he received the degree of Royal and Select Master
in Crawfordsville Council, R. & S. M., and attained the thirty-second degree
of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, at
Indianapolis, in March, 1898. He is thereby a member of Adoniram Grand
Lodge of Perfection, 14°; Seraiah Council, Princes of Jerusalem, 16°; Indian-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 157

apolis Chapter, Rose Croix, i8°; Indiana Consistory, S. P. R. S., 32°. He
was made an Odd Fellow in Lafayette Lodge, No. 15, in October, 1890, a
member of Wabash Encampment, No. 6, in 1892, and a chevalier in Ex-
celsior Canton, in 1895. The Doctor has been greatly honored in Freema-
sonry. After filling in a most creditable manner the various offices of Lafay-
ette Lodge, No. 123, he was elected its worshipful master in 1893 and filled
the office the following year. He was re-elected in 1894, and reinstalled in
1895. For the third time he was chosen in 1895, hut declined the honor.
In 1896 Tippecanoe Council of Royal and Select Masters was organized and
he was elected its first illustrious master, which position he held by re-election
in 1897, declining to serve for a third term in 1898. After holding several
subordinate offices in Lafayette Chapter, No. 3, he was elected to serve as
high priest in 1898, and is now filling that office. In Lafayette Command-
ery he is the present senior warden, which is in the line of promotion for
eminent commander. To him Masonry is a science upon which he has be-
stowed considerable study. As presiding officer he has represented the vari-
ous Masonic bodies in the grand lodge, grand chapter and grand council, and
was a member of these grand bodies during the tenure of office.

In his profession Dr. Keiper has also been much honored. He has held
the responsible position of secretary of the Tippecanoe County Medical So-
ciety since 1891. In 1898 he was elected vice-president of the Indiana State
Medical Society, and in addition to these organizations he belongs to the
American Medical Association, the Mississippi Valley Medical Association
and the Western Ophthalmological and Oto-Laryngological Association. In
1891 he was appointed expert eye and ear pension examiner to the bureau
of pensions of the department of the interior, at Washington, District of
Columbia. The Doctor is eye and ear surgeon to St. Elizabeth's Hospital,
St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum, the Children's Home, the Indiana State Sol-
diers' Home and the Peoria Division of the Lake Erie & Western Railway.
He is one of the corresponding editors of the Annals of Ophthalmology, pub-
lished at St. Louis, Missouri. He has contributed numerous articles to med-
ical journals and has invented several instruments such as' ophthalmolo-
gists use.

In religious belief Dr. Keiper is a Methodist, belonging to Trinity Method-
ist Episcopal church, in which he is serving as a member of the official
board. He is also one of the lay trustees of the Northwest Indiana Con-
ference. In the spring of 1898 he was elected one of the trustees of De
Pauw University, his alma matey. He is also a stockholder in the Battle
Ground Camp Meeting, which owns a tract of land at Battle Ground, six
miles north of Lafayette. He is one of the trustees of the institution and
treasurer of the same. He gives some attention to literary affairs, being a

158 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

member of the Ethical Club, of Lafayette. In politics, he is a Republican
and a member of the Lincoln Club.

In 1896, in memory of his father, he endowed the C. B. Keiper Alcove
of Biology in the library of Purdue University, and in St. Elizabeth's Hos-
pital he has endowed a room in memory of his mother, Mary Ann Keiper.

Dr. Keiper's wife, Mrs. Mary Alma Lloyd Keiper, was born May 26,
1870. Her father, James S. Lloyd, was born in Charlotteville, Virginia,
and was of Welsh descent. His mother was, before her marriage, a Miss
Spray, and was born in South Carolina, but at an early day she removed to
Ohio on account of her opposition to slavery. The Sprays were Quakers
and came originally from England. Before her marriage Mrs. Keiper's
mother was Miss Margaret E. White. She was born in Rappahannock
county, Virginia, and was a daughter of William and Margaret (Compton)
White, natives of Culpeper county, Virginia. The Whites are of Scotch
origin, but emigrated to Virginia before the Revolution. They fought in
that war under Washington, and some of their descendants may now be
found in Warrenton, Staunton and Richmond, Virginia, and some in Ken-
tucky. On the Compton side, Mrs. Keiper's maternal grandmother was a
daughter of William Clarke, of Virginia, who came from England to occupy
a grant of land given him under the crown as his royal inheritance. His
father was an English lord, but William Clarke turned rebel and fought
under Washington. Mrs. Keiper's other great-grandmother was Miss Eliza-
beth Elgin, before her marriage, and came from Elgin Place, England. Her
father was a son of Lord Elgin, but not being the eldest son did not inherit
the title. The Compton and Elgin families removed from England to
Annapolis, Maryland, and after the Revolution went to Culpeper county,
Virginia. They were all Episcopalians in faith, and afterward members of
the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Keiper's great-grandfather Clarke
built the first Methodist Episcopal church in Culpeper, now Rappahannock
county, Virginia. He gave the ground and took his negro men, and with
them erected a two-story, hewed-log building, the second story being built
as a gallery for the negro slaves. He called the church Shiloh, and in the
history of Methodism it is prominently mentioned. Just a few years ago it
was removed to make room for a new and handsome church which still bears
the name of Shiloh.

SAMUEL S. WASHBURN, M. D.

One of the honored veterans of the Civil war and a prominent member

of the medical fraternity of Lafayette is Dr. S. S. Washburn. Nor is he less

well known as an active worker in the ranks of the Democratic party, as for

sixteen years he was one of the city fathers of Lafayette, doing efficient serv-

BIOGBJPHICAL HISTORY. 159

ice as a member of the council. Under the second administration of Cleve-
land he was president of the Tippecanoe county board of examining surgeons
of the United States pension bureau department. At present he is a mem-
ber of the Lafayette board of city commissioners.

The paternal grandfather of the Doctor was Cornelius Washburn, a
native of Water Gap, England. He accompanied his parents to the United
States when he was a child and with them settled in Maryland. He was
about seventeen or eighteen years old when he started on a hunting expedi-
tion with some trappers and hunters and went as far as Ohio. There he
concluded to stay, and, as it turned out, he never returned to his old home
in Maryland. He married an Ohio lady and after some years had rolled
away he went to Logansport, Indiana, and there spent the rest of his life.
His son Isaac, the father of our subject, was born in Preble county, Ohio,
married Maria Bratten, a native of Highland county, same state, and later
removed to Rushville, Rush county, Indiana. There he was living at the
outbreak of the Mexican war, in which he enlisted, becoming sergeant-major
of the Second Kentucky Infantry. After the completion of the war he
returned to Kentucky, and published the Owensboro Democrat for many
years. He died in Owensboro, aged about sixty-five years.

S. S. Washburn was born in Rushville, Indiana, September i, 1839, and
was therefore about ten years old when his father took up his residence in
Owensboro. He received the greater part of his elementary education in the
public schools there and commenced the study of medicine under the direc-
tion of his brother, R. R. Washburn, now a physician of Waldron, Indiana.
Later he had for his preceptor Dr. D. W. Stirnam, of Owensboro. In
March, 1861, he graduated in the medical department of the University of
Louisville, Kentucky, just upon the eve of the great civil war. He had
been reared on the border land of the two contending factions and was heart
and soul in the strong tide of patriotism. He lost no time enlisting after the
shot was fired upon Fort Sumter, becoming a private of Company C, Thir-
teenth Indiana Infantry, in the early part of June, 1861. His ardor to strike
a blow for the Union had not long to wait, for on the eleventh day of the
following month his company was engaged in the battle of Rich Mountain,
Virginia. At the close of four months' service he was honorably discharged,
on account of physical disability, much to his regret. When he had recu-
perated and felt sufficiently strong he re-enlisted, this time in Company C,
Sixteenth Indiana Infantry, and upon the organization of the regiment was
made hospital steward. As such he continued until his health completely
broke down again, when he was honorably discharged under date of Septem-
ber 14, 1863, his service having extended from June, 1862, without interrup-
tion.

160 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

In May, 1864, Dr. Washburn went to Decatur, Illinois, where he was
successfully engaged in practice for three years. The next six years he
resided in Dayton, Indiana, since the expiration of which period he has been
actively occupied in his professional work in Lafayette. He is a member of
the John A. Logan Post. No. 3, G. A. R., and has a warm place in his heart
for his old comrades, as they, in turn, have for him.

In 1865 the Doctor was married, in Mount Auburn, Illinois, to Miss
Lucy B. English. Their two living children are A. C. and J. H. Washburn,
both in the employ of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, of New
York city.

DR. SAMUEL L. BAUGH.

Dr. Samuel L. Baugh, a prominent member of the medical profession
practicing at Shadeland, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, is a native of this
county, born August 16, 1854, a son of Leonard and Sarah A. (Talbert)
Baugh. His father was a native of Pickaway county, Ohio, and a son of
Michael and Nancy (Owens) Baugh. Michael Baugh, a pioneer of that
county, was a native of the Keystone state and of sturdy Pennsylvania-Dutch
stock. He participated in the war of 18 12, was a farmer by vocation, and
when he settled in Pickaway county the Indians were still plentiful there.
He married Nancy Owens, of that county, who was a daughter of Jeremiah
and Priscilla Owens. Her father, a pioneer of that county, was of English
descent. Both the Baugh and Owens families were Methodists in their relig-
ion. Michael Baugh selected a tract of land and cleared it, making a good
farm. He died in 1839, aged about thirty-iive years. In his general char-
acter he was a straightforward, highly respected pioneer. His children were
Sarah, George H., Leonard and Jonathan.

After his death his widow married, in Pickaway county, Ohio, John
Weider, and they moved to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, about 1845, ^nd near
Taylor's station, Mr. Weider entered four hundred acres of land for himself
and eighty acres for each of the Baugh children, to whom indeed he was
always as kind as if they were his own children. He had no children of his
own. Erecting a substantial residence, he proceeded to improve his land
and to make a comfortable home. He set out an excellent orchard, one of
the first in his neighborhood, and it has been greatly appreciated by the
family. He was a member of no church, was a temperate, moral and upright
man, a good neighbor and friend, a substantial citizen, and much loved and
respected. His stepsons have erected a tasteful and substantial tombstone
to his memory. He lived to the venerable age of eighty years. Mrs. Weider
in her younger days was a member of the Methodist church, but later in life

/'d^-fl^i.c--ey^/'7i^/ iy.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 161

connected herself with the Lutheran church. She was a well known pioneer
woman, who brought up her children in excellent habits. Her homestead
was known far and wide for its hospitality.

Leonard Baugh, the father of the Doctor, received a common-school
education in his youth, and when a young man came to Tippecanoe county,
Indiana, continuing in the vocation in which he had been reared, that of
farming. After marriage he settled upon prairie land, which he improved
and converted into a good farm, in Union township, this county. He became
the owner of over two hundred acres of land, and died at the comparatively
early age of thirty-five years, in 1855, of typhoid fever. In this county he
married Sarah A. Talbert, a daughter of Joseph and Catherine Talbert, iice
Stillwell. Her father came to this county as a pioneer, was a farmer, and
his children were John W. , Joseph T., Anna M. and Samuel L. Mrs. Baugh
was a member of the United Brethren church.

Dr. Samuel L. Baugh, whose name heads this sketch, was born on his
father's farm in Tippecanoe county, attended the district school, also the
Farmer's Institute and the academy at Stockwell. He began the study of
medicine under the instructions of Dr. Simison, of Romney, and attended
Rush Medical College, at Chicago, where he graduated in 1875, and the ne.xt
year opened out in practice in his native county, where he has ever since been
successfully engaged in the practice of his chosen profession. Accordingly
he stands well in the esteem of his professional brethren, and as a citizen he
is also considered one of the best ornaments of society.

September 30, 1875, in this county, he was united in marriage with
Miss Angie Hawkins, who was born in this county, July 12, 1853, a daugh-
ter of William and Hannah (Hollingsworth) Hawkins. The Doctor has two
sons — Samuel E. and Leonard W.

MAJOR GEORGE A. HARRISSON.

Few lives are more replete with incident and thrilling experiences than
has been that of this gentleman, who for the past two years has been the
efficient superintendent of the police force of Lafayette. He has traveled
in all parts of the world and has fought under the banners of many govern-
ments, not neglecting his own loved country, in whose defense he gallantly
shouldered arms and spent four years of arduous campaigning during the
civil war. A complete history of his life would fill a volume of respectable
size, and would prove very interesting to the general reader.

The Harrissons are of Scotch-English descent, and were early settlers
of New Hampshire, being the recipients of some of the original grants of
land there. The Meaders, the maternal ancestors of the Major, were prob-

162 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

ably of Dutch descent and were pioneers of Nantucket and vicinity. The
parents of our subject were Issacher and Phcebe (Header) Harrisson, natives
of New Hampshire and New York, respectively. They were married in
Troy, New York, and resided there for many 5'ears, the father engaged in
running a drug store. After the death of his wife he retired to a farm and
there passed his last days.

The only surviving member of his father's household, George A. Har-
risson was born in Troy, New York, May 12, 1843. He possessed an
adventurous spirit and a desire to see the great world, and so, when but
twelve years old, he shipped aboard a merchant vessel as a cabin boy. The
ship soon afterward commenced conveying flour and supplies to the English
army, then occupied in the Crimean war, and thus the lad witnessed the
bombardment of Sebastopol. During the Sepoy rebellion in India he was
still in the merchant-marine service, and went ashore to enlist with the Eng-
lish forces. Under command of the noted General Havelock he went to the
relief of the besieged garrison at Lucknow, and was a witness of the thrill-
ing scenes of that memorable campaign. In 1861 he arrived in New Orleans,
and had to secrete himself in order to avoid impressment into the Confed-
erate service, and finally escaped as a stowaway on a ship bound for Havana.
Applying there for a passport to New York, the American consul refused his
request, but, notwithstanding this rebuff, he managed to get on board a ves-
sel going to the metropolis. Landing May 11, 1861, he lost no time in get-
ting into the army, for the next day he enlisted in Anderson's Zouaves, after-
wards the Sixty-second New York Regiment. He rose from the ranks, being
made first lieutenant in 1863, captain in 1864, and was brevetted major on
the field of battle. From first to last in the Army of the Potomac, he
served through the Peninsular campaign and was a participant in all of the
hard-fought battles before Richmond, winning the highest commendation
from his superior officers. In the battles of Malvern Hill, Shenandoah and
Petersburg he was wounded, and was once taken prisoner, but escaped forty-
eight hours later. At the close of the war he was stationed at Fort Wood,
on Bedloe's island. New York harbor, as quartermaster and adjutant, until
September, 1865, when he was mustered out of the service. His military
record is an unusually brilliant one, and he seemed to lead a charmed life,
for he was always in the thickest of the fight.

Then, going to his old home in Troy, he was placed on the police force,
but resigned in the following year, in order to join General Spears and assist
in raising a company for the Fenian invasion of Canada. He served about
six weeks in that noted campaign, as captain of his company, sharing the
hardships of the expedition. Having thoroughly imbibed the war spirit, he
next went to South America, where there is always opportunity for soldiers

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 163

to enlist, and accepted a position as lieutenant-colonel in the Brazilian army,
under the Duke de Caxis, against the allied forces of Uruguay and the
Argentine Republic. For various reasons he soon went over to the oppo-
site side and was placed in command of a European battalion as major.
After fighting in several battles he turned his back on the whole cause and
enlisted under the stars and stripes once more, as a seaman in our navy.
This meant four years of hard service, his ship, the Pawnee, being one of
the South Atlantic squadron, and though he traveled to many a port and had
numerous adventures of all kinds, the yearning for home and a quiet life
grew upon him year by year, and he decided that he would settle down to a
peaceful vocation, when the opportunity presented itself. At Portsmouth,
New Hampshire, navy yards, he was discharged in September, 1869, as
quartermaster.

For a few months Major Harrisson worked at railroading in Michigan,
and in April, 1870, came to Lafayette. Here he was concerned in the con-
struction of what is now the Lake Erie & Western Railroad for some time,
and then took contracts for several public works in this vicinity, notably the
beautiful road from Lafayette to Battle Ground. During the next decade
he was the manager of the Kankakee Crystal Ice Company's plant at
Waldron, and was connected with the Riverside Stone Company and the
Diamond Flint Company, also taking contracts for stone work.

Always a great worker in the Republican party, the Major is held in
high esteem by his political associates. He filled out the unexpired term of
J. W. Conine as township trustee, was enrolling clerk at the legislative
sessions of the state in 1897, and was the secretary of the Republican central
committee in the campaign of 1896. In April, 1897, he was appointed
superintendent of police in Lafayette and was reappointed in 1898. We
quote from a local paper, and that, too, of the opposite party: " In select-
ing Major Harrisson as superintendent of the police force of Lafayette the
board of police commissioners made no mistake. No man has had as many
opportunities to betray trust and get wealth and still be poor as has Major
Harrisson, but in all the various capacities that he has filled in life he has
done his duty solely because it was his duty, and not through any thought of
gain or personal aggrandizement. He has the confidence and respect of
every officer in the city, and never in the history of Lafayette have the
police affairs been more ably managed than they are to-day."

In 1864 the Major joined the Masonic order, at Troy, New York, and
was made a Master Mason in Rio Janeiro, Brazil. He now belongs to
Lafayette Lodge, No. 123, F. & A. M., and to Lafayette Chapter, No. 3,
R. A. M. Moreover, he is a member of the John A. Logan Post, No. 3,
G. A. R. , and of Encampment No. 122, Union Veteran Legion. At present

164 BIOGRAPHICAL EISTORY.

he is commander of Tippecanoe Encampment, No. 17, Woodmen of the
World, having served for five years in that capacity.

In 1 87 1 the marriage of Major Harrisson and Miss Mary Francis was
solemnized. Five children were born to them, but three of the number are
deceased. Nellie is teaching in the city schools here, and Jessie is the wife
of W. K. Raub, of Raub Station, Indiana.

MALCOLM A. McDONALD.

The Banner Stock Farm, in Liberty township, Warren county, is owned
and managed by Malcolm A. McDonald, a son and the only surviving repre-
sentative of Hon. Joseph Ewing McDonald, who was one of the foremost
statesmen of Indiana for many years, and whose reputation extended
throughout the United States. For a period of twenty-eight years the sub-
ject of this sketch was engaged in railroading, serving in various capacities-
with different corporations, and rising by his own individual merits from a
lowly to a high and very responsible position. In the later years of his con-
nection with the business, he was general manager of the Champaign &
Havana Railroad and held a similar position with the Cairo, Vincennes &
Chicago, and the Pittsburg & Western Railroads.

Hon. Joseph Ewing McDonald was born in Butler county, Ohio, in
1819, and after the death of his father, John McDonald, when the former
was still a child, the lad accompanied the other members of the family to
Indiana. They settled at first near Crawfordsville, and the mother passed
her declining years with her several children, dying in Covington at quite an
advanced age. In 1898 two of her children were yet living, viz.: Mrs.
Francis Marsh, of Hamilton, Ohio, and James D., of Attica, Indiana, who
died May 28, 1899, at the age of eighty-eight years and seven months.
Joseph E. McDonald was educated in Asbury, now DePauw, University, and
studied law under the preceptorship of the Hon. Zeb. Beard, of Lafayette,
then one of the leading lawyers of the state. Before he had reached his
majority Mr. McDonald was elected prosecuting attorney, and served as
such for two terms. Soon afterward he was elected to congress, and was
one of the youngest members of that honorable body. But still greater
honors were in store for the talented young statesman, for he was next
chosen attorney-general for the state of Indiana, being the first attorney-
general of this state. He served with credit in this difficult office for
eight years, and in 1864 was the Democratic candidate for the guberna-
torial chair, but the candidate of the opposite party, Oliver P. Morton, was
the fortunate man. Then for a number of years Mr. McDonald was
practically retired from public life, though he maintained his deep interest

BIOGRJPBICAL HISTORY. 165

in political affairs. In iS8o he was induced by his friends to enter the race
for the United States senate, and was elected to represent Indiana in the
highest legislative branch of the government. Upon the expiration of his
term as senator he again retired from active public life, though he continued
to work more or less in the interest of his party and was chairman of the
Democratic state central committee for a long time. His ability and zeal,
his loyalty to his country and community were never for a moment ques-
tioned, and though he was greatly attached to his own party and its prin-
ciples, he never made enemies by offensive partisanship, but was liberal and
charitable in the extreme toward those who differed with him in matters of
state and national policy. An incident illustrative of his magnanimity
toward a political opponent, and often severely criticised by his Democratic
friends, may be cited in evidence of his justice and generosity. His colleague
in the United States senate was O. P. Morton, who started for Washington
at the beginning of a corigressional session, but became seriously ill and was
obliged to leave the train at Richmond. Senator McDonald, learning of
the illness of Senator Morton, called upon the sick man to express his sym-
pathy. Senator Morton spoke of his deep regret that he could not reach
Washington in time to vote upon an important bill which, it was expected,
would be presented early in the session, and out of the goodness of his
heart Senator McDonald offered to "pair" with his colleague, which offer
was gratefully accepted. A man of kindly disposition and rare social gifts,
he was welcomed wherever he went, and few men had more friends among
every class of citizens. In religion he was a Presbyterian and a consistent
member of the church. His death took place June 21, 1891, when he was
in his seventy-second year.

The first wife of Senator McDonald was Miss Ruth Buell prior to their
marriage, which event was solemnized November 24, 1844. Mrs. McDon-
ald was born twenty years before, in Ohio, September 21, 1824, a daughter
of Dr. Walter Buell, and her death occurred September 7, 1872. Her
brother. Dr. Harvey Buell, a man of fine education and one who was very
prominent in the early history of Indiana, was a member of the first consti-
tutional convention of the state. Subsequently to the death of his first wife
the Senator remarried, but had no children by that union. His son, Ezekiel
M., died when in his twenty-sixth year. Frank Buell, the third son, died at
the age of thirty-seven years; and the only daughter, Anna M., passed into
the silent land at twenty-two.

Malcolm A. McDonald was born at Crawfordsville, Indiana, in 1848,
and supplemented his public-school education with a course at the state
university at Bloomington, Indiana. Then followed his long, faithful rail-
road service, previously mentioned, and finally he put into effect a cherished

166 BIOGBAPEICAL HISTORY.

plan, and about 1887 bought a farm in Jordan township, and commenced
the quiet routine of an agricultural life. After owning that homestead for
several years he removed, in December, 1890, to his present valuable farm,
comprising four hundred acres. He raises standard and high-grade horses
and Jersey cattle, and has met with great success in his recent enterprise.
He brings to bear upon all of his business transactions the lessons of wide
experience which he mastered in the busy world of commerce, and is emi-
nently deserving of the success which he has wrought out for himself,
unaided. Needless to say that he follows in his illustrious father's footsteps
in the matter of politics, and fraternally he is a Mason of the thirty-second
degree.

The first marriage of Mr. McDonald occurred in Ashland, Nebrast;a,
March 31, 1874, Miss Jessie Scott being his bride. She died January 6,
1879, leaving two sons, Malcolm Scott and Frank W., both of whom are
engaged in railroading. The lady who now bears the name of our subject
was Miss Miriam Noble, of Lawrence, Kansas, in her girlhood. She was
born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, August 29, i860, her father being Colonel
George Noble, who was a nephew of Colonel Tom Scott, of national reputa-
tion in railroad circles. Three children born to Mr. and Mrs. McDonald
died in early years, namely : George Noble, Lawrence Buell and Ruth
Miriam; and three children remain to bless their home — Clarence, Alice
and Thomas R.

WILLIAM FRANKLIN EVANS.

Born in Washington township, Warren county, May 14, 1835, William
Franklin Evans was one of the pioneers of northwestern Indiana, his life
history being indissolubly entwined with that of this region. He was a suc-
cessful agriculturist, interested and active in the promotion of the farmer's
welfare, and for several years he was the president of the Farmers' Institute,
an organization calculated to benefit the agricultural class of this locality.

The parents of W. F. Evans were David D. and Anna Evans. When
he was about twelve years of age William F. Evans removed to Jordan
township, Warren county, and there he aided materially in the improve-
ment of the homestead on which the family settled. There were not
half a dozen houses in the township at that time, and much of the farm
produce was hauled by team to Chicago and Cincinnati, or floated down
the rivers to New Orleans, supplies for family uses being brought back.
Game was very plentiful in those days, and geese and ducks in immense
flocks had to be scared away from the fields in the spring. April 24, 1858,
Mr. Evans started west, and after teaching a term of school in western Illi-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 167

nois, he continued his journey to Bedford, Iowa, where two of his uncles
resided. The Pike's Peak gold excitement was then at its height, and on the
1st of the following March the young man started with a company, which
was compelled to turn back at Denver (then a small hamlet) on account of
Indian troubles in the mountainns. He then hired out to a train which was
engaged in delivering government supplies to the Indians, and for three
months he walked or drove an ox team over Nebraska, Kansas and eastern
Colorado. Once the train was obliged to wait while a mighty army of buf-
falo passed, and for almost a whole day there was nothing to be seen, as far
as the eye could reach in any direction, but moving herds of the majestic
animals. Mr. Evans arrived at home October 9, 1859, after eighteen months
of strange and interesting experiences. During the civil war he was
employed in Washington in the government army trains, but was not sworn
into the regular service.

From the time that he returned to Jordan township from the west until
his death Mr. Evans was an industrious, hard-working tiller of the soil. He
owned a valuable farm, and by diligence in business and economy he not
only provided well for the needs of his family, but laid up a comfortable
bank account. In religious and temperance work he was strongly interested,
and his voice was ever to be heard on the side of law, morality and progress.
When but sixteen years old he joined the Christian church at West Lebanon,
and in February, 1856, he identified himself with the " Church of God," and
was one of its faithful and consistent members. The great event and pleasure
of the later years of Mr. Evans' life was his trip, in the fall of 1891, to the
west, in company with five of his old friends and neighbors. The " Pilgrims,"
as they were called, have been mentioned frequently in the histories of those
participated in this delightful journey, which included visits to most of the
celebrated places of interest in the great west. Mr. Evans was never tired
of telling of his experiences in this eventful pilgrimage, and of the wonderful
changes which had taken place during the thirty-odd years which had elapsed
between his first and last trips through the west.

The marriage of Mr. Evans and Miss Eliza J. Scudder was solemnized
January 22, 1863. Mrs. Evans was born in Switzerland county, Indiana,
March 22, 1843, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Williams) Scudder. The
mother died soon after the birth of Mrs. Evans, and the father was sum-
moned to his final rest when his child was but nine months old. Thus left
an orphan, she was reared in the home of a maternal aunt, in Carroll county,
Kentucky, and came to this county when eighteen years old. To Mr. and
Mrs. Evans were born two sons on the old homestead in Jordan township.
Harry H., born August 29, 1864, was educated at the University of Chicago,
and is at present superintendent of the West Lebanon schools. His wife

168 BIOGRAFEICAL HISTORY.

was formerly Miss Ida Kelley, daughter of Albert Kelley. Cyrus C, a
farmer by occupation, married Miss Nettie Smith, of Jordan township. Mrs.
Eliza Evans has resided in West Lebanon since the demise of her husband.
The death of W. F. Evans was a sad and tragic one, and the whole
community was deeply moved and shocked by the calamity, so sudden and
unlocked for. While enjoying robust health and in the midst of a prosperous,
busy and happy period of his life, he was called upon to cease from his
labors and enter into the wider and fuller blessedness of the ' ' land beyond
the river." On the 4th of October, 1897, while he was driving from his
home in Jordan township to West Lebanon, his team became frightened and
unmanageable, and he was thrown from the wagon and instantly killled. His
large circle of friends and acquaintances were inexpressibly grieved, and the
last sad rites of burial were attended by a large concourse of those who
wished to pay a last tribute of love and esteem to one whom they had
trusted, looked up to and admired in a thousand ways.

PERRIN KENT.

This honored name is indelibly written in the annals of Warren county,
and few men were more prominently identified with its early development.
At one time, when measures of wealth were more modest than at the present
day, he was considered a rich man, and this property had all been acquired
by himself, in the legitimate channels of business enterprise. His absolute
integrity and uprightness of character were so well known and justly appre-
ciated that he was frequently called upon to act as an administrator of
estates, and never did he betray a trust in the slightest degree.

Born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, July 11, 1794, Perrin Kent
was a son of William and Sarah (Perrin) Kent. The father, whose birth
occurred in Oldtown, Maryland, in 1763, was a son of Absalom and Nancy
Kent, and the mother was born March 24, 1770, in Hagerstown, Maryland.
They were married February 24, 1789.

With his father, our subject removed from Pennsylvania to Ross county,
Ohio, at an early day, and in 1826 came to Warren county, settling in that
portion of Mound township now known as Kent township, it having been
divided later and named in his honor. He learned the business of surveying,
becoming an expert in that line, and the year subsequent to his arrival here
he was appointed surveyor of public lands by the governor of the state.
This responsible position he held for thirty-five years, during which time he
surveyed nearly all of the land in this county, and his duties in the service
of the government led him as far as Iowa, where he surveyed large sections
of that state.

BIOGRJPEICAL HISTORY. 169

Mr. Kent was a member of the first grand jury of Warren county, and
ever sought to uphold the laws and good government. When but eighteen
years of age he enlisted in the second war of the United States against Great
Britain, and the same patriotic spirit ever animated his actions. Politically,
he was a Whig in the early part of this century, but later espoused the cause
of the Democratic party. In disposition he was social, vivacious, and
exceedingly fond of a good joke, and many a pleasing anecdote is related of
him by his old friends, who delighted in his happy, cheerful views of life.

In Ross county, Ohio, Mr. Kent married Miss Rebecca Dill, April 17,
1 8 18. She was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and was of
Irish parentage. Five daughters and three sons were born to this worthy
couple, and all of them lived to maturity. Only three are now living, namely:
John W., of Danville, Illinois; Mrs. Caroline Du Bois, of the same town; and
Mrs. Isabel Hannah, who owns and occupies part of the old homestead in
Kent township. Those who have entered the silent land are Charlotte D.
(Mrs. E. F. Lucas), William, Sarah (Mrs. Supply Woods), Thomas and
Rebecca (Mrs. R. E. Carmichael). The four eldest children were born in
Ross county, Ohio, while the others were natives of this county. The death
of Perrin Kent occurred January 30, 1882, when he was eighty-seven years,
seven months and nineteen days old. His wife preceded him to the better
land, her death having occurred June 9. 1863, when she had reached the age
of seventy-one years, five months and thirteen days.

As has been noted above, Mrs. Isabel Hannah is the only representative
of her father's family now living in Warren county. She was born on the
old homestead within a half-mile of her present home, and in 1850 became
the wife of George H. Warren, who died five years later. In 1866 she mar-
ried William P. Hannah, and four children were born to this union, namely:
Kent, Isabel, Alex and Abbie K. Mrs. Hannah possesses many of the pleas-
ing qualities of mind, disposition and manner which were noticeable in her
revered father, whom she has just cause to honor and praise.

GEORGE PFEIFFER.

As the surname of our subject indicates, he is of German ancestry on
the paternal side. His father, Henry Hamilton Pfeiffer, was born in 1797,
at Fort Hamilton, Ohio. But three years of age at the time of his father's
death, he was reared by his maternal grandmother, whose name was Will-
iams and whose home was in Philadelphia. In the schools of that city he
obtained an excellent education and studied medicine. Then for some years
he was successfully engaged in teaching, and having given some attention to
theology he was ordained as a minister of the Episcopal church. About the

170 BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY.

time that he arrived at his majority he went to Baltimore, Maryland, and in
the early part of the '30s he came to Indiana, settling in Washington county.
There he bought a farm of forty acres, situated in Posey township, and was
living on that homestead at the time of his death, in 1868. After coming to-
this state he taught schools in Harrison and Washington counties, but did
not practice the other professions mentioned above. In his early manhood
he had married a lady in the Quaker city, and she died in that metropolis.
Later he wedded Marie Ann, daughter of Jacob Fredericks, of English
descent. Both sh^ and her father were natives of Kentucky, from which
state the family removed to Indiana. Her brothers and sisters were named,
respectively: Henry, Lovisa, Catherine, Christopher Columbus, Jacob and
Lorenzo Dow. The death of Mrs. Henry H. Pfeiffer occurred three months-
prior to the demise of her husband, her age being fifty-three years.

George Pfeiffer, who was born September 3, 1839, in Harrison county,
Indiana, is one of ten children, the others being as named below: Mary Ann,
who first married John Hallenback, and then became the wife of William-
Brown, is now engaged in missionary work in Palestine; Martha Ann, widow
of John Bennifield, resides in Logansport, Indiana; Margaret, wife of Will-
iam H. Price, who holds a clerkship in Washington, District of Columbia,
has one daughter, Cora, wife of Emmet Lewis; Eliza, who married Stephen
Frazier, died in 1898; Henry, who wedded Mary Able and has seven chil-
dren — Mary, Nora, George, Oscar, Lewis, Nettie and Cora, — resides in
Ohio; Josephine, who is the wife of Francis Duncan, of Logansport, has two
sons and two daughters, — James, Alice, Albert and Maggie; Sarah Ann, who
married John Trueblood, of Washington county, Indiana, died when in her
twenty-fifth year; Alice, wife of Joshua Shields, of Logansport, is the
mother of Frank, James, Thomas and Martha Ann; Jacob, twin brother of
Alice (Mrs. Shields), chose for his wife Aurelia Rose, and their children are
named respectively Robert, Bertha, Bessie, Edgar, Elmer and Allen.

As he was one of the older children, and for years the only son of his
parents, George Pfeiffer was of great assistance in the work of the farm, and
even after his father's death he cared for the younger brothers and sisters and
exercised almost a parental watchfulness over them. After his marriage in
1 87 1 he rented farms which he cultivated for a period of ten years. In the
spring of 1872 he came to Pulaski county and purchased the homestead on
section 14, Van Buren township, owned by J. R. Dukes. Shortly afterward
he erected a substantial residence, and year by year has added such improve-
ments as he desired, thus making his country home one of the most valuable
in the county.

For a companion in the joys and sorrows of life, Mr. Pfeiffer chose Miss-
Marie Ann Houghland, a daughter of Henry and Jane (Peters) Houghland,.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 171

and a native of Harrison county, Indiana, born in 1S36. The oldest child of
our subject and wife is William Henry, whose birth occurred October 24,
1 87 1, in Washington county, this state. He is a successful teacher, having
charge of a school at Thornhope, Pulaski county, at present, and having pre-
viously taught the Forest school one term, the Sutton school three terms and
the Burk school for one term. His marriage to Laura, daughter of George
and Donna (Pickard) Liming, was celebrated October 10, 1898. She was
born in this county, July 2, 1879, and received a liberal education in the pub-
lic schools. John Wesley, born February 14, 1874, remains at home and
aids in the care of his father's farm. George Washington, born April 17,
1876, died when but two years old.

Both sons of our subject, as well as himself, are loyal supporters of the
Republican party. He is a member of the United Brethren church, and uses
his means and influence in ways whereby his generation and community shall
be benefited. He possesses the genuine friendship of all who know him and
the respect of all with whom he has business dealings.

WASHBURN TILSON,

The medical profession has always been one which has attracted the fin-
est talent of every age, and though we, the citizens of an advanced time, heirs
of the wisdom of unnumbered generations, look with amusement and supe-
rior disdain upon many of the recorded superstitions and practices of the
physicians and surgeons of bygone days, we are forced to admit that in all
ages the aim and desire of the members of this ancient profession has ever
been the same, — an earnest wish to alleviate the sufferings of humanity in
the many evils to which flesh is heir. This being so, society has always
looked with great favor upon the disciples of the healing art, and has
esteemed the practice of medicine as second, perhaps, to the ministry only,
and occupying a unique position in the world's economy.

Washburn Tilson is one of the leading young physicians of Lafayette,
where he enjoys a large and constantly increasing practice. He stands well
among his professional brethren, and is an esteemed member of the Indiana
State Institute of Homeopathy and of the American Medical Institute.
Gifted by nature with a keen, receptive mind, and being very ambitious and
enterprising in his studies, it was his privilege to enjoy superior educational
advantages, which opportunity he in nowise neglected. To theory he added
practice under the supervision of trained physicians and surgeons of the high-
est skill and rank, and when he entered upon his independent career he was
thus much better qualified than it often falls to the lot of the young physi-
cian to be.

172 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Dr. Tilson is proud of the fact that he is an Indiana boy. Born just
after the close of the great Civil war, May 27, 1865, in Franklin, Johnson
county, Indiana, he is a son of John and Melissa (Dungan) Tilson, who like-
wise were natives of Johnson county, while their ancestors were from Vir-
ginia. The boyhood days of the Doctor were spent in his native county on
his father's farm, where he followed the usual employments of an agricult-
ural life. Having completed the common-school curriculum he became
enrolled as a student at Franklin College, where, four years later, he was
graduated with the degree of Master of Arts. This event occurred in 1889,
and his next step was to enter Yale College, where he pursued an advanced
course in the arts and sciences, making a specialty of chemistry and toxicol-
ogy, etc., with a view to the usefulness of a thorough knowledge of these
branches in medicine. Long ere this he had determined to enter the medi-
ical profession and had bent everything to this end. Returning to the west,
he attended the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College, where he graduated
in 1893, and for the ensuing eight months he was house physician in Cook
county hospital, Chicago. Having thus thoroughly and systematically pre-
pared himself for his future career, he came to Lafayette and established an
•office. His success was most gratifying from the first, and his time is now
fully occupied in attending to the needs of his extensive practice.

Dr. Tilson takes great interest in public affairs and in whatever makes
for the good of the community in which he dwells. He never fails to dis-
charge his duty as a citizen and voter, his ballot being given to the nominees
■of the Republican party. He has an attractive home, where hospitality
of a quiet and unpretentious kind prevails. The lady who presides over his
pretty home was Miss Frances Heath prior to their marriage in 1894. They
move in the best social circles of Lafayette and are both great favorites with
a large number of friends.

OLIVER PERRY CRANE.

Born August 29, 1856, in Pulaski county, the subject of this memoir
was bereft of his father, Levi Morris Crane, when quite young, and has
been obliged to depend upon his own resources in the working out of life's
problems. That he has come off a victor in the strife, he owes to no for-
tuituous circumstances, but to honest, persevering toil and indomitable will.

For a short time after commencing to earn his own livelihood, Mr.
Crane worked for wages, but he was too ambitious to continue long in this
manner, and his business ability speedily became apparent when he began
taking contracts for the cutting of a field of grain or other farm labor.
Then for six years he was associated with William Sutton (until Sutton's

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ITS

death), in ditch contracting, and during this period some of the most impor-
tant ditches in this portion of the state were constructed. Later his partner
in this line of enterprise was his brother, Robert F. , and J. H. Miller.
Among the pieces of work done were the well known Miller Branch ditch,
the W. W. Agnew, the Thompson ditch, the M. W. Vernard ditch, the
Besson Temple ditch and the Fred Kneble ditch. Altogether, Mr. Crane
has been actively interested in the building of about fifty miles of ditches
in Pulaski county, the main part of this work being in Harrison township.
This occupied his time and attention for about twenty years, and in the
meantime he and R. F. Crane also assisted in the grading of the Chicago &
Erie Railroad, and held one of the important sub-contracts for grading in
the Kankakee swamp.

In 1889 Mr. Crane v^-ent to Chicago, where he was in the employ of
the Conduit Wire Fence Company for a short time, after which he worked
for the Frank Parmelee Company for three months. Since that time he
has been employed by the Arthur Dixon Transfer Company, which is
rapidly becoming one of the most important concerns of the kind in the
country, and is the largest transfer company in the world. For two years
Mr. Crane had charge of the transfer business of the Illinois Central; then,
after attending to the similar business of the Grand Trunk road for a year,
he returned to the Illinois Central, and two years later was assigned to his
present task of taking care of the transfer of the Wisconsin Central Rail-
road's freight. Their business has grown wonderfully, and eight wagons
are now required to perform the work which one was sufficient for at the
time he began transferring goods for them.

One of the prime secrets of Mr. Crane's success in life has been his
general reliability and faithfulness. That he will perform to the smallest
item any work which he undertakes, his employers know perfectly; and he
has always commanded the best prices as a contractor, and the highest
salary paid to an employee. Very recently he has been appointed private
detective for the Di.xon Transfer Company, his duties as such requiring him
to visit suspected places and parties in all parts of the city, ferreting out
parties who rob the company's wagons, etc. He merits and enjoys the
respect of all with whom he has ever had business dealings. In political
faith he is a Republican.

The marriage of Mr. Crane and Miss Ella Markley took place April 24,,
1880. She was born June 29, 1863, in Marion county, Ohio, a daughter of
William Markley. Two sons and two daughters have been born to our
subject and wife, namely: Lola Belle, December 7, 1882; Elmer Franklin,
January 24, 1885; Opie, Jr., October 3, 1888, and Ada Hazel, September
17, 1896. The youngest son, his father's namesake, died at the age of three

174 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

years and four months, February 3, 1891. The eldest son and daughter,
bright, promising children, are attending school and qualifying themselves
for the serious battles of life.

WALTER B. MILLER.

Since the opening year of the war of the Rebellion Walter B. Miller has
resided upon the present homestead in Steuben township, Warren county,
where he lives on a finely improved and valuable farm of four hundred acres.
He is one of the well-known early settlers of western Indiana, and has long
been a leading and representative citizen. A native of Ohio, he was born in
Eaton, Preble county, May 18, 1826.

The parents of our subject were Lazarus and Frances (Buell) Miller.
The father was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and was a son of
Colonel Isaac H. Miller, who, with seven brothers, fought in the war of 1812,
and lost six of his brothers in that patriotic struggle for the rights of their
beloved land. Lazarus Miller was a well educated man for his day, and
indeed, for any period, and in this early manhood he studied law under the
tutorship of the famous lawyer, Colonel Tom Ross, of Xenia, Ohio. He then
engaged in practice with success in Eaton, Preble county, Ohio, remaining there
for several years, serving as county auditor there during a great portion of
the time, and as postmaster of Eaton. In 1842 he removed with his family
to this county, and here was elected the first auditor of Warren county.
Though death called him ere he had lived in this section more than five
years, he had already won a lasting place in the esteem of his fellow citizens
here, and had made a name and fame among the legal practitioners of Will-
iamsport, in which town he had established himself. He was a stanch Whig
in his political relations, and religiously was a Presbyterian. He departed
this life on Friday, February 5, 1847, at Williamsport, loved and mourned
by all who knew him. His faithful wife, who survived him for many years,
died December 12, 1887, aged eighty-one years.

Lazarus and Frances C. Miller were the parents of eleven children, of
whom six grew to mature years, and four survive at this time. Isaac C. ,
who died in the city of Washington, November 9, 1894, was a prominent
business man and at the time of his death was a clerk in the treasury depart-
ment, which position he had occupied for many years. The surviving
members of the family of Lazarus Miller are Walter B., Mrs. Celia Hamil-
ton, Levin T. and James C.

Walter B. Miller attended the old red school-house of his boyhood in
Eaton, Ohio, and in 1836, when he was ten years old, he accompanied his
uncle. Dr. J. H. Buell, to Warren county, on that gentleman's return here

BI0ORJ.PEICAL HISTORY. 175

from a trip to the Buckeye state. During the eighteen months of the lad's
stay here he went to school, a distance of two and a half miles, at what was
known as the Parker school-house, with his young aunt, Ruth Buell, who
later became the wife of United States Senator Joseph E. McDonald. A
neighbor of the Millers in Ohio, George D. Hendricks, coming to this county
on business, was instructed by our subject's father to take the lad back with
him, on his return to Ohio. Traveling in those daj's was by primitive
methods, and when Mr. Hendricks was ready to start eastward Walter Miller
had no alternative than to ride behind that worthy man on his strong horse,
at least as far as Indianapolis. Thence the rest of the journey was made by
stage. An incident in the life of the youth is worthy of being mentioned, as
it indicates not only the state of the country at that day but also the self-
reliant character of the lad, then less than fourteen years of age. His father
had been appointed as a delegate to the famous political convention which
convened in Columbus, Ohio, on February 22, 1840; but his duties as auditor
of his county would not then permit of his absence from home, and he sent
his son Walter as his substitute. The boy accompanied Mr. Hendricks
(above mentioned) and several other gentlemen, in a carriage, the journey
requiring a number of days. It was a time of great political excitement, and
our subject well remembers many of the circumstances and speeches, and
that banners bearing the watchwords of the Whig party included "National
Banks," " Protective Tariff " and "Distribution of the Public Funds." A
presidential election was at hand and the name of General William Henry
Harrison, the hero of Tippecanoe, was under consideration as a candidate.
Speech-making was the order of the day in this campaign, and Walter Miller,
though a mere boy, was called upon to address one of these meetings in a
small town where their party passed the night while en route to Columbus.
He bravely responded, this fourteen-year-old boy, extolling the virtues of the
old battle-worn hero, his favorite candidate, and doubtless his youthful ardor
and patriotism made more of an impression on the minds of those present
than did the speeches of many a man three times his age and wisdom. After
the Miller family had removed to this county, in 1842, it was the privilege of
Walter B. Miller to attend another of those historic conventions. This one
was held in Richmond, in 1842, and it was on this occasion that the old
Quaker, Mr. Mendenhall, asked the orator of the occasion, Henry Clay, the
famous Kentuckian, why he did not free his slaves. To this Clay replied
that he was willing to do so but that they preferred to remain with him. In
rather a skeptical manner the Quaker asked Clay to give the slave who had
accompanied his master from home his freedom. Clay consented, arid the
colored man, upon being approached on the matter, replied, " I will stay with
Massa Clay."

176 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

When he was twenty-one years old Walter B. Miller became deputy
auditor of Warren county, his uncle, Dr. Buell, having been elected auditor;
and subsequently the young man filled the office of auditor for one term, to
the entire satisfaction of all concerned. In 1858 he removed to Marshfield,
Warren county, where he sold goods for about three years, when, the Civil
war coming on, he disposed of his stock and located upon the farm which he
has since cultivated. He is a man of extensive information, well posted on
all of the leading issues of the day, and an advocate of the principles of the
Republican party.

In the civil war Levin T. and James C. were members of the Thirty-
third Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, the first mentioned being colo-
nel of the regiment. They were taken prisoners at the battle of Spring
Hill, and were placed in Libby prison. Colonel Miller, then a major, with
some other officers, managed to effect an escape, through one of the famous
tunnels, at the imminent risk of his life. Mr. Miller was married June 14,
1855, to Miss Juliett Tomlinson, daughter of Jesse and Mary (McFarland)
Tomlinson. She was born January 15, 1831, in Steuben township, Warren
county, Indiana, and in this county she has lived her entire life. This
worthy couple have had six children, of whom the two oldest — Mary Jessie
and Levin Dean — died young, and the surviving ones are Zeruiah F. , James
M., Nancy S. and Juliett T. B. Miller.

JOHN MILLER.

John Miller, the proprietor of the Walnut Spring farm, of Wea town-
ship, Tippecanoe county, was born in Union township, this county,
July 27, 1842. He belongs to one of the sturdy old families of Vir-
ginia, his father, John Miller, Sr., having been a native of Berkeley
county, that state, born in 1800. He was a stonemason, bricklayer
and farmer. He was married near Hedgesville, Virginia, to Mary Run-
ner, a native of Berkeley county and a daughter of William Runner, who
was a substantial land-owner and farmer and had about one hundred slaves.
He was one of the prominent men of his county, and died in Virginia at an
advanced age. After his marriage John Miller, Sr. , began his domestic life
on a farm in Berkeley county and subsequently removed to Tippecanoe
county, Indiana, locating on the Wabash river, about 1838, five miles below
Lafayette. There he rented land for a time, and afterward bought in Ben-
ton county, this state. Later he purchased the farm, in Wea township, upon
which his daughters now reside, and extended its boundaries by the purchase
of an additional eighty acres, until he had a valuable property of a quarter of
a section of land. He served bis country as a soldier in the war of 1812,

(jAf/QJiaA^ (MJL!

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 177

when but a boy, serving on horseback, and throughout the remainder of his
life devoted his attention mainly to agricultural pursuits. He was an indus-
trious, energetic man, honest and upright, and a consistent member of the
Meneese Mennonite church. He died April 3, 1866, at the age of sixty-six
years, three months and nine days, and his wife passed away February 24,
1850, a member of the Lutheran church and a woman of excellent virtue.
Their children were Henry, Ellen, Virginia, Hamilton, George W. and
John. Henry married Sarah Guthridge, and was a farmer owning a large
tract of land near Lincoln, Nebraska, in which city he died, aged fifty-nine
years. His children were Florence, Jennie, Ella and Edward. Hamilton
married Susan Nally, remained on the home farm and died at the age of
forty years. George W. was also a farmer, owning a good farm near
Oswego, Kansas. He married J. Nally, and their children were Sherman,
Grant, Lottie, Rossie, Jessie, Ira and Andrew. Henry and George W. were
both soldiers in the civil war. George W. enlisted in the fall of 1861, in
the Fortieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Company A, serving three years
and three months, was in many battles, and was injured by a shell.
Henry enlisted under the first call and was assigned to the commissary
department. Ellen and Virginia have always resided on the home farm,
which they still manage. They made a home for, and brought up, several
of their nephews and nieces, among them Jennie Miller, daughter of Henry
Miller. She was well educated at the Catholic institution at Lafayette, mar-
ried Henry Gardner and resides in Omaha. The Misses Miller also brought
up Andrew Miller, a son of George W^. , who was but an infant of two years
when his father died. He is now attending the Wea high school.

The well known owner of the Walnut Spring farm, John Miller,
received his education in the common schools of Indiana, and as soon as old
enough to handle the plow began work on his father's farm, so that prac-
tical experience in connection with agricultural pursuits well fitted him for
farming when he began that work on his own account. In early life he
engaged in the stock business, his father assisting him to make a start when
he was about seventeen years of age. He was very industrious, ener-
getic and persevering and succeeded in accumulating a handsome property.
In the spring of 1867 he purchased one hundred and thirty-six acres of
land, for which he paid seven thousand dollars, and since that time he
has added to the property until now within the boundaries of his farm
are comprised four hundred and thirty-two and a third acres, which con-
stitute one of the fine farming properties of the county. In 1871 he
erected a tasteful and commodious brick residence, and has made many
other excellent improvements. He has always engaged in the raising of
cattle, and in that branch of his business has prospered, adding greatly to

178 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

his income in that way. In 1883 he visited California, in company with
Captain Guthridge, spending the winter in the Golden state.

Mr. Miller was married in Marion county, Indiana, in 1868, to Miss
Dora Robb, a native of that county, and a daughter of Andrew and Eliza-
beth Robb, Her father was a prosperous farmer of Marion county and his
wife was the daughter of a wealthy pioneer living five miles south of
Indianapolis. He also owned the present site of the insane asylum and much
land adjoining that. Mr. and Mrs. Miller began their domestic life on the
Walnut Spring farm, where they yet make their home, and to them was
born a daughter, Laura Blanche, now the wife of Charles L. Bushman, a
wealthy manufacturer of Indianapolis, Indiana. For his second wife Mr.
Miller wedded Margaret A. Goldsberry, and of this union two children
have been born, — Albert B. and Mary B. The son is now attending
school and is a bright, intelligent boy.

In his political views Mr. Miller is a Republican, but has never been
an aspirant for office, preferring to devote his time and energies to his
business. He is now accounted one of the prosperous agriculturists of the
community and belongs to the best class of Tippecanoe county's citizens.

RICHARD W. CLAYPOOL.

Richard W. Claypool, a representative man of Williamsport, Indiana,
where he has been a resident many years, was born in Fountain county, this
state, March 12, 1831, and is a son of Wilson and Sarah (Evans) Claypool
and a grandson of Abram Claypool, of Ross county, Ohio. Wilson Clay-
pool, the father of our subject, was born in Virginia, August 24, 1798, and
came to this state in 1822, locating on Sugar creek, below Crawfords-
ville, in Montgomery county; but about a year later sold this land and
returned to Ohio, where he was married March 2, 1824, to Miss Sarah
Evans, a native of Highland county, Ohio, and a daughter of Richard and
Mary (Pearce) Evans. Soon afterward he returned to Indiana and lived at
the home of one of his brothers at Connersville for a time. In October,
1824, he came to Shawnee Prairie, where he lived over fifty years, when
overtaken by death, on July 18, 1876. The wife was born November 13,
1805, and reached the age of nearly eighty-eight years, dying July 19, 1893.
She had lived on the old homestead for nearly sixty-nine years, and was a
Ikind and sympathetic neighbor. Wilson Claypool was a good man who inher-
ited his father's strong antipathy to slavery and all forms of oppression.
He was jovial and pleasant, loved a joke, and appreciated it all the more
when turned on himself. Although more than twenty years has passed since
he was called home, he is still kindly remembered by those who knew him.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 179

Seven sons and two daughters blessed their union and grew to adult years.
They are Evans, who lives on the old homestead in Fountain county, and is
unmarried; Horatio, a resident of Covington, this state; Solomon, a promi-
nent lawyer of Indianapolis, where he died in February, 1898; Richard W.,
who i^ here represented; Augustus L., a resident of Springfield, Ohio;
Abram, a resident of Chicago; Jacob, who was a soldier in the Rebellion,
the lieutenant of his company in the Sixty-third Regiment, Indiana Volun-
teers, and was overcome by heat during the battle of Resaca, Georgia, from
the effects of which he died; Elizabeth was the wife of Nelson Case, and
died at Oswego, Kansas, February i, 1892; and Maria is the wife of Joseph
Shannon, of Vernon, Kansas.

Richard W. Claypool was trained to a life of industry on the old home-
stead in Fountain county. He remained at home until he was twenty-one,
when he came to Warren county, but in a short time went to Ludlow,
Illinois. Soon after this he purchased a farm, which he has well improved
and still owns; and he for many years bought and shipped grain, doing a very
successful business. Mr. Claypool was married on January 11, 1855, to
Miss Eliza T. Pearson, and in December, 1861, returned to Williamsport,
where he has since been an honored citizen. They are the parents of five
children that are still living: Robert W., who is a physician at Newton,
Indiana; Bessie, who is the wife of Loy Schossler; Jessie, who is the wife
of Grant Taylor; and the two younger are Fred and Mabel. Mr. Claypool
is not a partisan, having no "politics." In religion he is a Presbyterian.

THOMAS S. MOTTER, M. D.

Forty years ago the subject of this biography entered upon his life work,
and during all this time has faithfully and conscientiously ministered to the
sick and suffering. For a similar period he has been very actively connected
with the work of the Methodist church, having served as class-leader and in
other positions, and gradually his character has been developed into ideal
Christian manhood.

Now a resident of Dayton, Tippecanoe county, Dr. Motter has spent
almost his whole life in this county, where his ancestors were pioneers, and
few men are better known throughout this region. He was born three miles
southwest of Lafayette, on a farm situated on the banks of Wea creek,
February 5, 1837. His parents were Jacob and Deborah A. (Shultz) Mot-
ter, both of German extraction. Andrew Motter, grandfather of the Doctor,
came to America about 1796, accompanied by his wife and seven children,
and settled in Fairfax county, Virginia, where he, a man of considerable
wealth and distinction, bought a- large tract of land. He was noted for his

180 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

old-fashioned hospitality and for his love of hunting and sport. He kept a
large pack of hounds and a stable full of fine horses. After a few years he
removed to the vicinity of Hagerstown, Maryland, and later went to Chilli-
cothe, Ohio. His last days were passed in Carroll county, Indiana, with
some of his children, and his death took place when he was about eighty-
four years of age. His wife, Elizabeth, born in Germany, June 17, 1772,
died about 1855, at the home of her son David in Wisconsin. She was the
mother of ten children, of whom the names of seven only can be recalled:
Jonathan, George, William, Andrew, Jacob, Samuel and David.

Jacob Motter, the Doctor's father, was born in Virginia, March 9, 1805.
He learned the blacksmith's trade at Chillicothe, Ohio, with his father, and
in 1825 came to Indiana, making the trip on horseback. Four miles above
Lafayette, near Davis' ferry, he saw a large party of Indians standing on a
mound, near the river, and when he asked them about fording the stream one
of the reds waded out, showing the way, and when Mr. Motter gave him a
silver piece he was very much pleased. Locating on what is now Third
street, Lafayette, the young man built a shop on the present site of the
Bramble House, and here he worked at his trade until 1835, when he traded
his town property for a quarter section of land on Wea creek. He cleared his
land and engaged in farming, running a blacksmith shop at the same time.
In 1849 he moved to White county, Indiana, where he bought a partly im-
proved farm of two hundred and eighty acres, near Monticello. In Febru-
ary, 1854, he went to Bloomington, Illinois, and embarked in the bakery
and confectionery business, and also purchased a farm adjacent to the city.
At the close of a year he settled on this homestead and in May 22, 1856, his
death occurred. He was an influential member of the Methodist church;
was an old-line Whig, and as a citizen was honored and respected by all. In
1836 he had married Deborah, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Dunbar)
Shultz. the latter natives of Germany and Kentucky, respectively. Mr.
Shultz came to America when he was fourteen years old and served in the
war of 1812. He was a member of the Methodist church, and was living
near Connersville, Indiana, as early as 1823, for a Methodist camp-meeting
was held on his farm that year. In the latter part of his life he owned a
tannery and a gristmill in the northern part of Carroll county, and there he
died when about sixty years of age. Mrs. Deborah Motter was born Sep-
tember 29, 1815, and was one of nine children, the others being as follows:
Caroline, Isabel, Sarah, Elizabeth, Angeline, James, Francis A. and John
B. The three elder children of Jacob and Deborah Motter — Thomas S. ,
Margaret and George L. — were born on the old homestead on Wea creek.
John A. was a native of White county, Indiana. When fourteen years old
Francis A. was accidentally killed by the discharge of a gun.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 181

In his youth Dr. Mooter, of this sketch, received unusually good advan-
tages in the way of an education, for that day, and completed his literary
course at the Wesleyan University at Bloomington, Illinois, where he was a
student for two years. He then took up medical work under the guidance of
his uncle. Dr. F. A. Shultz, and in the winter of 1858-9 attended medical
lectures at Cincinnati, Ohio. In the last mentioned year he commenced
practicing at Logansport, Indiana, but in the autumn he went to Seima,
Alabama, and was nicely established in his professional work when the civil
war broke out. He later accepted a position as surgeon of the Fourth Ala-
bama Volunteer Infantry (Confederate) and cared for the wounded in seven-
teen battles, many of them the most dreadful ones of the war. At the first
battle of Bull Run he was slightly wounded while on duty. He worked
heroically at Williamsburg, at the seven days' fight at Richmond, Gettysburg,
Fredericksburg, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, and was present at more than
fifty skirmishes. At the battle of Knoxville he was shot in the right thigh
and was captured by the Union forces and imprisoned on an island in the
Delaware river, twenty-two miles south of Philadelphia, and for twenty-one
months he had charge of a ward in the hospital. June 15, 1865, he was
exchanged, and soon returned to Indiana.

Here for two years he practiced at Mulberry, eight miles east of
Dayton, after which he was located in practice at Lafayette until 1878.
Returning then to Mulberry, he conducted a drug business, and for two years
he was similarly engaged at Crawfordsville, while he made his home on a
farm near that place, and continued his practice at the same time. In 1889
he removed to Dayton, where he now enjoys the patronage of the best citi-
zens. He owns a fine library and keeps posted in all the scientific researches
and discoveries of the day, whether relating directly to medicine or otherwise.
He is a Democrat in politics.

At Clark's Hill, this county, Dr. Motter was married, January 3, 1867,
to Electa Bowles, a native of that town, born November 5, 1847. Her
father, Robert Bowles, was born October 30, 18 18, at Maidstone, Kent, Eng-
land, and came to this country with his parents. When a young man he
settled in Clark's Hill, Indiana, and there married Gensey Buckley, daughter
of James Buckley. She was born August 12, 1S27, and by her marriage
became the mother of six children: Electa, Tiffany, Delia, Richard, John
and Edwin. After her death Robert Bowles married Virginia Lowe, and
their children were named, respectively, Isa and Mary. To the Doctor
and his wife were born: Robert L. , May 6, 1870, at Brookston, White
county, Indiana; George E., June 25, 1872, at Lafayette, Indiana; Ada
M., August 5, 1878, at Mulberry, Indiana; and Jay S., May 8, 1884, also at
Mulberry.

182 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

MARTIN LUCAS.

Now living a retired life in Lafayette, Martin Lucas has spent almost
his entire life in Tippecanoe county, where he is held in the highest esteem.
Through the civil war he loyally served his country on the field of battle, and
has since been as faithful to his duties of citizenship and as true to Ameri-
can institutions as when he followed the stars and stripes into the fire of
enemies' guns. The same fearless defense of honest convictions has charac-
terized his entire career and made him one of the honored and representative
citizens of his native county.

The family from which he is descended is of English origin, but for
many generations has resided in America. The paternal grandfather, James
Lucas, was born ip Maryland, and married a lady of German lineage. He
made farming his life work and became one of the pioneer settlers of Chilli-
cothe, Ohio, taking an active part in the substantial development of that
region. His son, Martin Lucas, father of our subject, was born in the Dis-
trict of Columbia, and in his early life learned and followed the trade of
m'lllwright, but subsequently gave his time and attention to agricultural pur-
suits. At an early epoch in the development of the west he removed from
Virginia to Ohio, locating in Fayette county. In 1832 he came to Indiana,
taking up his residence in Tippecanoe county. At that time Lafayette con-
tained but one log store, and the farmers were notified by the firing of pow-
der in an old stump that the grocer had returned with a stock of goods from
which they could obtain a supply. In those days Mr. Lueas hauled wheat
to Chicago with ox teams and brought back loads of salt. He located in
Sheffield township, Tippecanoe county, where he entered eighty acres of tim-
ber land and eighty acres of prairie land from the government, and after-
ward added another tract of one hundred and sixty acres, which he trans-
formed into a good farm. There he reared his family and made his home
until his death.

Martin Lucas, Sr., married Miss Margaret Turner, whose father, Adam
Turner, was a native of Virginia and a tanner in Chillicothe, Ohio, to which
state he removed during its early development, locating in Fayette county.
He tanned the first leather ever manufactured in Chillicothe, and carried on
business there for some time, but subsequently sold out and came to Indiana,
establishing a home in Kosciusko county, not far from Warsaw. He pur-
chased land there for himself and most of his children, — eight daughters and
one son, James Turner. His death occurred when he had reached an ad-
vanced age. As before stated, one of the daughters, Margaret Turner, be-
came the wife of Martin Lucas. She was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, and by
her marriage became the mother of ten children, nine of whom reached years

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 1S3

of maturity, namely: Adam, of Waterville, Minnesota; James, of Tippeca-
noe county; Rebecca, deceased wife of David S. Brelsford; Luther, of Stock-
well, Indiana; William, of California; Eliza, deceased; David, also of Stock-
well; Martin, of this review; Margaret, twin sister of Martin and now the
wife of John E. Rogers, of Frankfort, Indiana; and Rachel, deceased wife of
George Cisna. The father of this family died on the old homestead in Tip-
pecanoe county in 1865, at the age of seventy-one years, and his wife, sur-
viving him fifteen years, passed away at the age of seventy-six. He enter-
tained Methodistic views, but was not a member of the church; his wife,
however, belonged to the Presbyterian church. When the war of 18 12 was
in progress, being unable to go himself, he sent a substitute. In politics he
was first a Whig and later a Republican.

Upon his father's farm in Sheffield township, Tippecanoe county, Mar-
tin Lucas, of this review, remained until the country called for the support
of her loyal sons. He attended the district schools of the neighborhood in
his early youth and after his return from the army resumed his education.
In 1 861, however, he put aside all personal considerations in order to do
battle for the Union and went to the front as a member of Company A, For-
tieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which command he served until May
4, 1864, when he was honorably discharged. He participated in the battles
of Shiloh, Perryville, Stone river. Missionary Ridge and a number of skir-
mishes and running fights, and at Missionary Ridge lost his left forearm in
the engagement. Thus disabled for further duty, he was honorably dis-
charged and returned to his home.

Later Mr. Lucas entered Stockwell C ollege, where he spent nearly two
years, and in 1867 he came to Lafayette, where he served as deputy treas-
urer, under Captain J. F. Marks, for four years. On the expiration of that
period he was elected county treasurer for a two-years term, after which he
served for four years as a deputy under his successor, Richard H. Godman,
his connection with the office therefore covering a period of ten years. On
his retirement to private life he engaged in the hardware business in Lafayette
for several years, and then removed to Saybrook, Illinois, where he engaged
in the grain business for five years. That period having ended he traded his
property for tenement houses in Lafayette, where he has since resided, his
time and attention being given to the management of his property interests.
His own commodious and substantial residence was erected in 1872, and is
located at No. 121 2 Tippecanoe street.

On the 22d of December, 1870, Mr. Lucas was united in marriage to
Miss Susannah Hallowell, daughter of Nathan and Susannah Hallowell. They
have four children: Margaret D., wife of J. S. Johnson, of New Albany,
Indiana; Amy W., who is successfully engaged in teaching in the sixth ward

184 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

school of Lafayette; Lloyd M. and D. Ralph. The daughters are both grad-
uates of the high school of Lafayette and Purdue University, and have been
successful teachers; and the sons both responded to President McKinley's
call for volunteers for service in the Spanish-American war, and enlisted
in Company C, One Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana Infantry. The former
left Purdue University in order to go to the defense of his country, and was
made a corporal. The latter became an orderly at General Wiley's head-
quarters.

Mr. and Mrs. Lucas are members of the First Presbyterian church, and
are people of the highest respectability, holding an enviable position in social
circles where intelHgence and genuine worth of character are received as the
passports into good society. In his poHtical views Mr. Lucas is a Repubhc-
an. With the exception of the five years spent in Illinois, he has been a res-
ident of Tippecanoe county throughout his entire life, and through almost
sixty years has witnessed its development and transformation. In the work
of progress and advancement he has borne no inconsiderable part and has
always discharged his duties of citizenship in a most prompt and loyal man-
ner. In all the relations of life he is found true and faithful to the trust reposed
in him, and his upright life commends him to the confidence and regard of all.

JAMES KNOX POLK DECKER.

Born September 24, 1845, on his father's homestead in Indian Creek
township, the subject of this article has always been identified with the wel-
fare of Pulaski county. His great-grandfather Decker was a hero of the Rev-
olution, prior to which great conflict his ancestors had settled in one of Will-
iam Penn's colonies in Pennsylvania. His son, John Decker, a native of the
same state, died in Seneca county, Ohio, in the early part of the '50s, when
over three-score years of age. He married Julia Ann Royer, and their chil-
dren were as follows: i. Jacob, who was twice married and lived in Seneca
and Huron counties, Ohio; his children were: John, David, Amos, Milton and
Barbara. 2. John, who married Jane Taylor, and whose home was in New
Orleans for a period, later in Wells county, Indiana, where he bought half a
section of land, and after selling that property, came to Pulaski county. His
son, Charles, owns one hundred and eighty acres on section 22, Beaver town-
ship. Julia, the eldest daughter, became the wife of Jacob Nice, Jr., who
owns a farm of one hundred and fifty-three acres on section 30. Ellen mar-
ried Henry Jasper Emler, who cultivates a homestead of two hundred acres
on section 22. Dora is the wife of Benjamin Herrick, who carries on a one-
hundred-and-twenty-acre farm on section 17. 3. Samuel, the father of our
subject, was the next in order of birth. 4. Elizabeth became the wife of

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 185

William Heater, and in i860 removed from Seneca county, Ohio, to Rich-
ardson county, Nebraska, where she is yet living. She is the mother of
seven children: Lydia, Hattie, Julia, Catherine, Freeman, John and Austin.
5. Sarah wedded Peter Barguer, a farmer of Seneca county, Ohio. 6. Adam
married a Miss Romig and had one son, Samuel, who resides in Seneca
county, Ohio. In the '503 Adam Decker came to this county and settled
upon land in Tippecanoe township (on sections 17 and 20). For a second
wife he wedded Catherine Hatton, and their daughter Sarah, who married
Ed Young, resides upon a farm of forty-seven acres, on section 17, Tippeca-
noe township, while the son, John, married Mary Hazel and lives in Fulton
county, this state. 7. William married and had the following-named chil-
dren: Julia, who died at the age of eighteen years; Elizabeth; Mary, who is
married and lives in Bellevue, Ohio; Alice, wife of Joseph Felker, who owns
eighty acres on section 21, Indian Creek township; Olive, who married Ben-
jamin Dipert and lives in Kewanna, Indiana; and Laura, unmarried. 8.
Catherine, the wife of Thomas Harpster, removed to Richardson county,
Nebraska, in 1865, and later dwelt in Gage county, same state; but both are
now deceased. Their children were named Freeman, Elizabeth, Sarah, John
and Hattie. 9. David married Mrs. Margaret Highland, a widow, and, com-
ing to this state in the early part of the '50s, located in Fulton county.

Samuel Decker, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born Janu-
ary 27, 18 1 3, in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and when young accompanied
his parents to Wayne county, Ohio. Later he lived in Seneca county, same
state, and in 1842 he located in Logansport, where he engaged in teaching
school for a year. In the spring of 1844 he came to this county, where he
had taken up two hundred acres of land from the government the preceding
year, and built a log cabin. This property, now owned by our subject, is
situated on sections 10 and 11, Indian Creek township, one hundred and
twenty acres on the first-named section, and the rest on section 11. The
iirst small cabin was supplanted by a good hewed-log house at ■ the end of
eight years, and this was burned down February 17, 1863, a few clothes,
only, being saved, as the mother was alone there at the time. After he
settled here he entered forty acres of land on section 17; eighty acres on sec-
tion 24, and another tract of forty acres, all in this township. The patents
to his first two hundred acres are dated April 10, 1S43. At the time of his
death, June 27, 1894, he owned two hundred and forty acres, one hundred
and eighty of which had been under cultivation, while forty acres is covered
with timber. This land, originally deeded to John Reeder by the govern-
ment, April I, 1843, was purchased by Mr. Decker, May 27, 1847.

Being a man of good education, Mr. Decker was interested in schools,
and after coming to this vicinity he taught one winter, and later served as a

186 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

school examiner for five years. Very active and radical in politics, he was
elected by his friends, on the Democratic ticket, to the legislature, where he
served for two years, 1846-7. After his return home he was a justice of the
peace for three years, and at another time he held the office of township
assessor for two years. He voted for Douglas, and, while opposed to the
policy of the administration during the war, he was loyal to the Union and
assisted in raising Company H, of the Forty-sixth Regiment of Volunteer
Infantry. Subsequently he again ran for the office of state representative,
and though he made numerous excellent campaign speeches he was defeated
by the Whig candidate, the Rev. Mr. Sneathen, a minister of the Christian
church. Religiously, Mr. Decker adhered to the German Reformed church,
in whose doctrines he had been reared.

For a wife he chose Matilda, daughter of John Wages, and their eldest
born, Lewis, whose birth occurred September 24, 1844, died when but two
weeks old. James K. Polk, our subject, was the second child. George
Washington, born June 18, 1848, now serving as one of the commissioners-
of Pulaski county, never married but resides with his widowed mother on the
old homestead. Julia Ann, born August 4, 1849, married E. W. Hummell.
Rebecca, born September 28, 1851, married Ephraim Felker, of this county.
Sarah Matilda, born December 10, 1855, is a court stenographer, with head-
quarters at the county-seat, Winamac. Mary Ann, born June 15, 1858,
married George Bailey, and has one child, named Mary. They live in Blaine
township, Garfield county, Oklahoma. Mrs. Matilda Decker was born August
4, 1824, on a farm near Westminster, Maryland, of which state her father,
John Wages, was likewise a native. He married Margaret Logue about 1820,
in I S3 1 removed to Germantown, Ohio, and seven years later proceeded to-
Logansport, Coming to Pulaski county in 1849, he located upon section 35,
Indian Creek township, where he owned forty acres. He died March 22,.
1855, when about sixty years of age, and in March, 1869, his widow entered
the silent land, both being buried at the graveyard in this township. His
father, Richard Wages, of Holland-Dutch extraction, married Ann Frizzle,,
and their children included John; Richard; Rachel, who married Caleb Roach,
of Maryland; Elizabeth, who became the wife of a Mr. Frizzle; and Ann,
who married a Mr. Penny. William Logue, father of Mrs. Margaret Wages,,
was of Irish descent. Two of his sons, Ambrose and William, emigrated
from Maryland to the vicinity of Dayton, Ohio, at an early day, the former
becoming a permanent resident there, but the latter returning to his native-
state at the end of a year. The other members of that family were Eliza,
Elizabeth, Jesse and John.

As stated at the beginning of this article, James K. P. Decker was born
and has usually dwelt in Indian Creek township. In his youth he had but

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 187

limited educational advantages, and until he arrived at his majority he con-
tinued to aid his father in the care of the home farm. Then for three
months he worked at sixteen dollars a month as a farm hand, after which he
engaged in ditch contracting, for which he obtained ten or twelve cents per
yard, the ditches being made from twelve to fourteen feet wide and from
four to six feet deep. This line of business he followed successfully until
1885, chiefly in this township, but also in other parts of this and Starke
counties, and employing from four to six men. He then leased forty acres
of land of Mrs. Susan Shideler, in Monroe township, on which property
stands a house which was erected by George W., brother of our subject.

On the 14th of November, 1867, James K. P. Decker married Catherine
Ann, daughter of Frederick and Margaret Reap. She was born in Germany,
February 2, 1846, and died October 26, 1870. The infant daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Decker, Margaret Matilda, born March i, 1870, died September 6 of the
same year. The second marriage of our subject, March 10, 1872, was to
Semirah Elizabeth Shideler, daughter of Jacob Shideler. Mrs. Decker was
born September 4, 1851, near Dublin, Wayne county. The children born
of this union are Rosetta Isabella, whose birth occurred September 26, 1873;
Viola Frances Pearl and David Oscar Newton (twins), born August 16, 1S76;
Charles Lewis, July 24, 1879; Samuel Isaac, born April 26, 1882, and died
January 21, 1896; Barbara Alice, born September 21, 1891; and Jessie
Agnes, born September 2, 1895.

Politically, Mr. Decker adheres to the early training which he received
and is a stanch Democrat. He is one of the trustees and is a valued mem-
ber of the United Brethren church.

JESSE JOSEPH HOLTAM.

This gentleman, a general merchant at Earl Park, Indiana, is well estab-
lished in a prosperous business, was born in Omaha, Nebraska, December 27,
1 86 1, and is of English and Irish descent. Both his father and his grand-
father were born in England. The former, Joseph Holtam, died in Indiana,
in 1887, at the age of seventy-eight years. Thomas Holtam, the father of
our subject, was born at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, and in his
native land spent the first eighteen years of his life. At eighteen he came to
America, landing at New York city, and from there directed his course to
Cincinnati, Ohio, thence to Sioux City, Iowa, and later, about 1858, went
to Omaha, Nebraska, where he conducted a confectionery store. He died in
Omaha, in 1872, at the age of fifty years. The mother of our subject was, be-
fore her marriage, Miss Margaret Boyle. She was born in Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania, daughter of Charles and Mary Boyle, both natives of Ireland and

188 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

both now deceased, his death occurring at the age of seventy-six years and
hers at seventy. Mrs. Margaret Holtam is still living and makes her home
with her son Allen, in Earl Park. Of her children — one daughter and three
sons — we record that Frances is the wife of Oscar Dyer, a farmer near
Brookstown, White county, Indiana; Jesse J. was the second born; Charles,
who is in the store with his brother, Jesse J., is also the proprietor of the
Commercial Hotel of Earl Park; and Allen is also in the store with his
brother.

The subject of our sketch spent his boyhood days up to the time he was
fourteen at Omaha, where he received his education in the public schools.
Between the ages of fourteen and sixteen he was employed in his grandfather
Holtam's general store at Reynolds, Indiana, and from that place came to
Earl Park to clerk for A. D. Raub & Company, general merchants, and
remained with them two years. Following this he was for six years in the
employ of R. Jacobs, of Goodland, Indiana, and at the end of this time he
went west to Colorado, where he spent three years. Returning to Earl
Park, he clerked for his brother Charles. In 1891 he entered into a partner-
ship with F. Huntington and they purchased the general store of Charles
Holtam, and the following year he bought out his partner and has since con-
ducted the business under his own name. He carries a stock of general mer-
chandise and hardware valued at twelve thousand dollars and is doing a
prosperous and increasing business. Also he owns improved real estate in
Earl Park.

Mr. Holtam was married at Earl Park, June 5, 1895, to Miss Mary
Gerse, a native of Columbus, Ohio, daughter of Mrs. E. J. Scott, a resident
of Earl Park, who came to this place from Columbus. Mr. and Mrs. Hol-
tam have one child, Rufus Herold, born June 9, 1896.

While not a member of any church, Mr. Holtam is a regular attendant
at the services of the Presbyterian church. Fraternally, he is a Knight of
Pythias, which order he joined in 1889, and his political affiliations are with
the Republican party. For the past two years he has been town clerk and
town treasurer of Earl Park.

JAMES D. HILLIS, M. D.

Lafayette is fortunate in possessing such a superior class of professional
men as are numbered among her citizens, and in the field of medicine none
surpass Dr. Hillis, who has been established in practice here for the past
eight or nine years. While he conducts a general family practice and is very
successful, he has made a specialty of late years of bacteriology, toxicology,
electrical science, the wonderful " X-rays," etc. In the spring of 1897 his

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 189

ability, skill and experience as a physician was acknowledged anew by his
being honored with election to the chair of electro-therapeutics in Purdue
University, a position he has since occupied. During the administration of
President Cleveland, Dr. Hillis was secretary of the Tippecanoe county board
of pension examiners.

Born in the vicinity of Bainbridge, Putnam county, Indiana, September
15, 1854, James D. Hillis is a son of James and Elizabeth (Swift) Hillis.
The father was a native of Kentucky, and in early manhood he removed to
Putnam county, this state, where he continued actively engaged in agricult-
ural pursuits for many years. For his wife he chose a daughter of John
Swift, one of the first settlers of Putnam county. Indeed, he it was who
built the first pen around the public spring at Greencastle, in the neighbor-
hood of which he camped for some time ere he decided on a permanent
place of settlement. Finally he located on land about ten miles south of
Greencastle, and lived there until his death, at the ripe age of eighty-nine
years.

Until he was fourteen years of age Dr. Hillis resided on his father's
farm, his time being devoted to the work of the homestead and in attending
the district schools. At fifteen he entered Asbury (now DePauw) University,
and took the regular classical course, leaving in his sophomore year. While
in college he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi society. Then he was
principal of the Putnamville schools for a period of two years, and met with
success as an educator. After studying under the direction of Dr. Wilcox,
of Greencastle, for three years, he attended a course of lectures in Jefferson
Medical College in Philadelphia. In the spring of 1878 he opened an office
and began practicing medicine in Darlington, Indiana, continuing there up
to the summer of 1879, when he went to Ann Arbor and became a student
in the medical department of the University of Michigan. July i, 1880, he
was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, receiving the honors of
his class, as he was chosen its president. Thus thoroughly equipped for his
future professional life, the Doctor returned to Darlington, where he made
his home until the autumn of 1890. Since that time he has been a resident
of Lafayette and has built up a large and representative practice here. He
is a member of the Tippecanoe County Medical Society and the Indiana
State Medical Society, and in various ways endeavors to keep thoroughly in
sympathy with the spirit of progress in the science of disease and its proper
treatment.

At Crawfordsville, Indiana, Dr. Hillis became a member of the Knights
of Pythias, and was a charter member of the Darlington Lodge of the same
order, and was honored by being made its first chancellor commander. He
is also connected with the Uniform Rank, being a member of Company I,

190 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

U. R., of that order. He is also a Master Mason, a member of the Inde-
pendent Order of Foresters and of the Ancient Order of Druids, and he is
the surgeon of the Eighth Indiana Regiment, with the rank of major.

CHARLES C. ROBINSON.

One of the most prominent and successful business men of Lafayette,
Charles C. Robinson, a wholesale grocer, was born in Worthington, Hamp-
shire county, Massachusetts, May 22, 1833. His parents, Silas and Cynthia
(Porter) Robinson, were natives of the same state and resided there during
their entire lives, the mother dying in 1879, at the age of seventy-six years,
and the father in the summer of 1886, when eighty-four years old. The
latter was a tanner by trade but later became a farmer. Both parents were
members of the Baptist church and led useful and consistent lives. Of
their large family of twelve children but six are now living. These are:
Emily, wife of F. E. Burr, of Philo, Illinois; Harriet, wife of Thomas
Porter, of Southampton, Massachusetts; Charles C. ; Clarissa, widow of
Eben Edwards, of Dorchester, Massachusetts; Martha, wife of David Rice,
Philo, Illinois; and Eliza, wife of Ferdinand Schadee, of Florence, Massa-
chusetts.

The paternal grandfather of our subject was Zebulon Robinson, who
was. born near Boston, Massachusetts, and was of English descent. He
was a hotel-keeper, had a large family and died when eighty years of age.
On the maternal side Mr. Robinson's grandfather, named Porter, was a
native of Massachusetts and was a farmer.

The early youth of Mr. Robinson was passed in his native state, where
he attended the common schools, then worked in a shoe factory and for a
short time on a farm. On reaching his majority, however, he determined
to see what the great west held in store for youths of energy and enter-
prise, and, bidding farewell to the hills and valleys of New England, in
1854, he took his way to the Prairie state, finding his first stopping place in
Kendall county, where for a while he worked by the month on a farm.
From there he went to Bureau county and rented a farm, remaining on it
for two years. The following two years were spent on a farm in Woodford
county. At the end of this time Mr. Robinson decided to change his occu-
pation and entered into the general merchandising business in Woodford
county one year, removing to Champlain county, where he carried on his
store until 1875, then taking in a partner to whom he entrusted the man-
agement of the concern, while he himself returned to Massachusetts, where
he spent the next two years.

On March i, 1877, Mr. Robinson returned to the west, taking up his

BIOGRAPHICAL BISTORT. 191

residence in Lafayette, Indiana, and going into the wholesale grocery trade
in partnership with C. H. Hale, under the firm name of Robinson & Hale.
Three years later Mr. Robinson bought out the interest of Mr. Hale, and
since that time has carried on the business in his own name. He still retains
his store in Sidney, Champaign county, and employs a number of traveling
salesmen to look after his extensive business. In addition to his two stores
Mr. Robinson has a well conducted farm of two hundred and fifty acres in
White county, Indiana.

The marriage of our subject to Miss Abbie M. Cummings took place at
Princeton, Illinois, November 6, 1861. Mrs. Robinson's parents were
Preston and Cynthia (Marcy) Cummings, both natives of Massachusetts.
Her father when a boy learned the trade of mason in Dudley, Massachusetts,
and afterward for a time kept a livery stable in Oxford, that state. In 1863
he removed to Sidney, Illinois, where he carried on farming until his death,
in 1868, at the age of fifty years. His widow is now living in St. Louis,
Missouri. Mrs. Cummings' father was Bradford Marcy, of Irish descent,
and a double cousin of ex-Governor Marcy, of New York. He died when a
young man. His wife was Miss Cynthia Stevens, of English descent.

Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, namely :
Chester H., who is in the store with his father. He married Miss Victorena
Riley, and they have two children living — Nellie F. and Helen E. ; Lena M.
died in infancy; Fred D. and Frank P. are employed in their father's store;
William H. married Miss Miriam G. Bailey and lives in Lafayette; Annie M.
is a pupil in the Metropolitan School of Music at Indianapolis; Daniel W. is
in college at Oberlin, Ohio; Nellie C. is also a student at Oberlin; Charles
C, Jr., is attending the military academy at Culver, Indiana.

Mr. Robinson erected the beautiful residence in which he now resides in
1885. It stands on Perrin avenue, and is one of the most commodious and
handsome homes in Lafayette. While still taking an active part in his
various business enterprises, in which his success is due to his perseverance,
energy and upright dealings, Mr. Robinson finds time to enjoy many delight-
ful hours with his interesting family and with the many friends to whom his
hospitable doors are always open. He is alive to all the great issues of the
day, and while not an aspirant of office is always ready to work for the pub-
lic welfare. Formerly he was a Republican, but for some years past he has
been a Prohibitionist. His influence and best endeavors are ever enlisted in
behalf of temperance, education and morality. He uses the wealth which
he has acquired, by his own exertions, to promote all good causes, and is
educating his children to use their time and talents in benefiting not only
themselves, but their fellow-men.

Mrs. Robinson is a member of the Universalist church and ably seconds

192 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

her husband in every laudable work. The family is most popular and highly
esteemed, not only in Lafayette, but also at all other points where their
name is known.

DANIEL E. STORMS.

One of the well known and highly esteemed members of the Tippecanoe
county bar is Daniel E. Storms, a native-born son of this county, who has
passed his whole life here, with the exception of the time when he was away
at college, and no one is more thoroughly identified with the best interests
of Lafayette than he. An ardent, hard-working Republican, he possesses
many warm friends in the party and has made numerous effective, eloquent
speeches during campaigns for the past six years or more. He is now chair-
man of the tenth district of the Indiana Republican League. In the frater-
nities he is a Master Mason, belongs to the Knights of Pythias and is adju-
tant of the Eighth Brigade, Uniformed Rank of the Knights of Pythias, and
at present grand prelate of the grand lodge of Indiana.

In the traditions of the Storms family is one to the effect that four
brothers of the name, natives of Germany, were among the early colonists
of Virginia, and that their surname was originally spelled Sterm, and later
Storm, Storme and Storms. Several of their descendants were soldiers in
the war of the Revolution, and others served in the war of 1812. Peter and
Daniel Storms, brothers, and sons of John Storms, all natives of Virginia,
went from their own state to Ohio and thence to Indiana. Here they were
numbered among the pioneers of Tippecanoe county, and continued to dwell
here until death put an end to their busy lives. One of the sons of Peter
was Abner Storms, the father of our subject. He was born in this county in
1826 and for many years was extensively engaged in farming in the vicinity
of Stockwell. Now well along in years, he is living retired in the town just
mentioned, enjoying the fruits of his former toil, and respected and loved by
a large circle of friends whom he has endeared to himself in the past. For
a long period he was a local minister in the United Brethren church. His
wife, whose maiden name was Philetta Jackson, was a native of Clinton
county, Indiana, and was a distant relative of Andrew Jackson.

The birth of Daniel E. Storms took place on the parental homestead
near Stockwell, this county, January 30, 1866. His boyhood was passed
there and his elementary education was acquired in the district schools.
After taking a scientific course to the sophomore year in Purdue University,
he engaged in teaching for four years, meeting with gratifying success. He
was principal of the seventh ward school in this city one year, and also
taught in the Lafayette high school for one year. Prior to his career in this

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 193

city as a teacher, however, he spent one year in the United States MiHtary
Academy at West Point, having been appointed to that honor on account of
fine scholarship and general capability. After he had taught in our high
school for a year he entered the law department of the University of Michi-
gan, and in 1892 received the degree of Bachelor of Laws, being one of the
twenty highest, in a class of over two hundred members, to whom special
honors were accorded, for merit. Admitted to the Indiana bar, Mr. Storms
began practice in Lafayette, and for three years was a partner of Judge
Davidson. He is now associated with Charles E. Thompson, the firm being
Thompson & Storms, Mr. Thompson being the prosecuting attorney of his
district. While in the Michigan University Mr. Storms established the
Alpha Zeta Chapter of the Kappa Sigma, and it has grown and flourished.
His friends are legion, not only in Lafayette, but wherever he has resided,
and each additional honor bestowed upon him has been worn with such
dignity and conscientiousness that new friends and champions have declared
for him. As a lawyer he is aggressive, painstaking and well posted on
technical points, and is unhesitatingly ranked with the leading members of
the local bar by those best competent to judge. In December, 1897, he was
elected county attorney, and was re-elected in December, 1898, and this
office he now holds.

In 1 89 1 Mr. Storms married Miss Hattie M. Kerr, of Sugar Grove.
They have had three children, one of whom is deceased, while those living
are named respectively, Lillian Gladys and Donald Campbell.

EDWIN B. LYMAN.

The late Edwin B. Lyman, dealer in coal, lime, cement, fire-clay, sewer-
pipe, etc., at Nos. no and 112 North Second street, Lafayette, was one of
the reliable, progressive, upright business men of this city. His residence
here was of long duration and from the early days of the town's history he
was closely associated with its upbuilding and development. He gave his
substantial assistance to the promotion of various enterprises started here,
from time to time, and was very active in the support of churches and char-
itable organizations. In every respect he was what is termed a self-made
man, for to himself alone he owed his position of high standing in the busi-
ness and social world. Beginning his mature life without capital or influence,
he relied upon his own efforts, and by well-applied industry and the exercise
of good business methods became well-to-do.

Born in the village of Johnson, Franklin county (now Lamoille county),
Vermont, July 17, 1828, our subject was a son of Simeon and Emma Lucre-
tia (Potter) Lyman, who were natives of Vermont and Connecticut, respect-

194 BWGRAPMICAL HISTORY.

ively. The father was of Welsh descent, while the mother was of French
extraction. Of the eight children born to them but two are now living,
namely: John Albert, of Oklahoma, and Charles H., of Fort Wayne. The
father was a fuller, carder and cloth manufacturer, and later in life was the
proprietor and manager of a hotel in Johnson, Vermont. For several years
he resided in Medina, New York, and in 1851 came to Lafayette, where he
died three years later, at the age of sixty-one years. His wife survived him
three years, dying when about sixty years of age. She was a member of the
Congregational church. Her father, William Potter, was born in Connecti-
cut, though his parents were natives of France. He followed agricultural
pursuits and lived to be nearly four-score years old. Of his fourteen chil-
dren all but one attained mature years and became useful citizens of the
several communities in which they dwelt. John Lyman, the paternal
grandfather of our subject, was born and lived and died in the Green Mount-
ain state. He was a farmer, an honest, industrious man, respected by all
who knew him. His death occurred when he was well along in years. His
children comprised five or six sons and three daughters.

Until he was a youth of fourteen years Edwin B. Lyman resided on the
old homestead in his native state, a portion of his time being devoted to the
acquisition of an education in the district schools. Later, it was his priv-
ilege to attend a local academy, and for a short time he was a student in a
New York institution of learning. For ten years he made his home with his
grandfather, assisting him in the management of his large and valuable farm,
but in 1853, when the young man was twenty-four years old, he decided to
strike out for himself in another field of enterprise.

Coming to Lafayette that year, he and his brother-in-law, John K. Sny-
der, entered into partership and for seven or eight years successfully con-
ducted a lumber business, also running a planing-mill. In 1861 Mr. Lyman
engaged in the coal and lime business, and was therefore one of the pioneers
in this branch of trade in the city. He was always very much interested in
.the raising of fine horses, and on his property near Porter Station, Indiana,
tnown as the " Maple Avenue Stock Farm," he kept many valuable imported
Norman horses. Few, if any, men in this state could boast of a finer lot of
high-grade horses, and time and again he had taken the blue ribbon on
splendid specimens of horse-flesh at the Lafayette and other state fairs. He
also raised cattle and hogs for the market, and did an extensive business in
this line. His son, Harry B., is especially interested in the raising of light
harness horses.

Politically, Mr. Lyman was a loyal Republican, and prior to the civil
■war was a strong abolitionist. He had long held membership in the Presby-
terian church, and had officiated as deacon. His wife, whose death, March

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 195

14, 1898, was a deeply deplored event in this city, was likewise a faithful
member of the same church, and was loved by a large circle of friends. She
was a Miss Clarissa H. Lewis in her girlhood, and it was on the 20th of Jan-
uary, 1863, that her destinies were united with those of Mr. Lyman in mar-
riage. She was a daughter of William and Mary (Bell) Lewis, and to her
marriage three children were born, namely: Ora Edwin, who died at the
age of fourteen years; Mary Emma, whose death occurred when she was an
infant of some three months; and Harry Baldwin, who married Theresa
Scheie, by whom he had one son, George Edwin. The wife of Mr. Lyman's
youth was a Miss Anna Cook, to whom he was married November 19, 1857.
She was a daughter of Gregory and Mary (Potter) Cook, and was reared in
the faith of the Presbyterian church. She died August 4, 1861. The beau-
tiful residence of Mr. Lyman was erected by him about two years ago, and
is considered one of the most attractive homes in this city of lovely homes.
Mr. Lyman died November 8, 1898, and his loss is deeply felt in the business
and social circles of the city which had so long been his home, and which he
had honored and enriched by his ability and his exemplary life. His son,
Harry B. Lyman, was born September 24, 1868, and is now heir to his
father's estate, and the business will be continued by him. This business
consists of both the coal and lime enterprise and the stock farm. In politics
he is a Republican, and he is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Wood-
men of the World, and the Lafayette Club.

FREDERIC L. ROENBAUGH.

One of the enterprising agriculturists of Pulaski county is Frederic Lin-
coln Roenbaugh, who within the past few years has amassed a competence
by strict attention to business, economy and prudence in the management of
his affairs.

A son of Frederick and Cynthia (Carson) Roenbaugh, our subject was
born October 28, i860, in Newcomerstown, Tuscarawas county, Ohio. His
father, who was born about 18 10, was a boatman on the Ohio canal for many
years, a part of the time being the owner of a boat. He had learned the
shoemaker's trade in his early manhood, and followed that occupation during
the winter season, thereby making a good livelihood for his family. He died
September 21, i860, when about fifty years of age, respected by all who
knew him, and his widow survived until March, 1877.

The boyhood of our subject was spent quietly in his native state, but
after the death of his mother the orphan was obliged to start out upon the
struggle of life in earnest. In August, 1877, he came to Pulaski county, and
from that time until he arrived at his majority he made his home with his

196 BIOGRAPHICAL EISTOBY.

uncle, Stephen Ginther, becoming a practical farmer. For two years he
operated the Smith farm of forty acres, after which he carried on the old
Christ farm in Harrison township for some three years. Later he took charge
of the Charles E. Jackson farm for five years, and in the spring of 1899 he
removed to his present place. This farm, known as the Venard homestead,
is situated on section 29, Harrison township, and is well improved and fertile.
Mr. Roenbaugh is a member of the Knights of Pythias. In his political
standing, he is a stalwart Republican, devoted to the welfare of his party,
though not a politican in the usual acceptation. He was united in marriage
to Miss Martha Borders, on Christmas day, 1890, and they have a pleasant,
happy home.

AMOS S. COLBORN.

The subject of this sketch is a native of Canada, born near Gault, on
the 18th of November, 1844, a son of Benjamin Q. and Mary (Rosenburg)
Colborn. His father was born in New York state in 181 3, and accompanied
his parents to Canada, where he was married and remained until 1850 ; by
trade he was a lumber dealer, carpenter and contractor. His wife, a native
of Pennsylvania, was born in 1820. The ancestry on his father's side were
Scotch, and on his mother's probably German. Benjamin Colborn had
nine children, of whom our subject was the fifth in order of birth. Rebecca,
the eldest of the children, was born in Canada, in 1836, and died there at
the age of seven years; Susanna, born in 1838, died in Caledonia, Michigan,
in 1894; Nancy, born in 1840, is now the widow of I. Stauffer and resides
at Petoskey, Michigan ; John W. was born in 1842 and resides at Caledonia,
Michigan; Amos S. was the next; Abraham R. was born in 1846 and is a
wholesale lumber merchant at Michigan City, Indiana ; Catherine was born
in 1848 and is the wife of Theron Pelton, foreman in a paper mill at Water-
vliet, Michigan ; Mary A., born in Kent county, Michigan, in 1856, died at
the age of four years ; and Isaac, born in i860, is a lumber dealer at Good-
land, Newton county, Indiana.

In 1850 the parental home of our subject was transferred to Kent
county, Michigan, where he was educated and grew to manhood. His first
six years having been passed at his birth-place, he began attending school in
Canada ; but ere much progress had been made in the educational line he
accompanied his parents to a point near Grand Rapids, Michigan, and com-
pleted his education in the schools of that state. His parents located upon
a farm and his father's life was ended there, in the business of farming and
lumbering. The country was heavily timbered at that time and every farm
had upon it sufficient " saw timber " to aflord profitable employment for the

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 197

men in the winter season. The father also followed his trade as a carpenter
and contractor when opportunity offered. He was killed in 1873, by being
thrown from a load of hay. The mother is still living, in Caledonia, Kent
county, Michigan.

Mr. Colborn when a youth attended school until fourteen years of age,
when he began work at the carpenter's trade, continuing in that business
until March 8, 1862; then he enlisted as a private in Company H, Sixteenth
United States Infantry, joining his regiment at the front, it being already in
the field. His first rendezvous was at Columbus, Ohio, where he received
the necessary preliminary schooling at Camp Thomas. In April he was
sent to Cincinnati, thence down the river, reaching Pittsburg Landing a
few days after the terrible battle at that place. He marched across the
the country and joined his regiment at Corinth, Mississippi, and became a
part of the command of General Buell; but his principal commanders were
General Rosecrans, in the Army of the Cumberland, and General Sherman,
on the Atlanta campaign. He participated in many of the hard-fought bat-
tles of the civil war, among which may be mentioned Stone river, Chicka-
mauga, Kenesaw mountain. Peach Tree creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro and the
severe skirmishes incident to the great Atlanta campaign. Two of the bat-
tles named are memorable in turn as being the scene where Garfield distin-
guished himself as an able general and where McPherson fell. Mr. Colborn
escaped miraculously, having had, like thousands of others in those crucial
times, some " close calls." The discipline in the regular army is much more
severe than in the volunteer service, and the drilling and schooling of the
soldiers is correspondingly better. But while the discipline is rigid, the rights
of the private solders are not ignored, as they often are under volunteer com-
manders. While encamped upon Lookout mountain, March 8, 1865, rolled
around in the never ending cycle of time, and he received his discharge
promptly on the date of the expiration of his term of service. While no vete-
ran of the civil war regrets his service there, all look back to that as the one
object which disarranged the whole plan of future life. Three or four years
were taken from the student life of those desiring to complete an education;
the apprentice to a mechanical trade felt that he was too old to complete it;
likewise the professional aspirant felt that the days for activity were upon
him, and he must make time count.

Returning from the war, our subject did not re-enter school, but at once
launched out upon life's duties. He purchased an interest in a sawmill and
operated that successfully for three years. Then he sold and invested his
money in eighty acres of land in Byron, Kent county, Michigan, and the suc-
ceeding eighteen years were spent in improving and cultivating that farm. He
made substantial improvements, erected a ten-room brick house, a modern

198 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

bank barn and other necessary buildings. Finally he rented the farm for a
term of three years, and at the expiration of the lease sold the property and
came to Oxford, in 1888. March 15th of that year he engaged in lumbering,
and for six years was in partnership with his brother, Abraham R. Our sub-
ject, Amos S., was then out of business for a short time, having sold His inter-
est, but in 1895 purchased his brother's interest, and later going to Goodland,
as before stated. In the spring of 1898 he formed a partnership with Mr.
W. B. Fulton.

Mr. Colbornwas married December 31, 1868, at Grand Rapids, Michigan,
to Miss Sarah A. Frost, daughter of William and Ann (Hutchings) Frost,
descendants of English ancestors. Mrs. Colborn was born in New York, August
5, 1845, ^nd came west with her parents, who located on a farm in Kent
county, Michigan. A son and a daughter have been born to bless this union,
the eldest of whom is Miss Mary, who was born in Kent county, March 5,
1874, and who is still an inmate of her parents' home. John A., also born
in Kent county, Michigan, June 8, 1879, has passed his life thus far in school;
he is a graduate of the Oxford high school, and has attended a school of a
higher order one year at Greencastle, this state. He is now entered upon
his second course of lectures in the Indiana Medical College, at Indianapolis,
having begun the first course in September, 1897. During vacation he is
employed in a drug store in Oxford, continuing and perfecting his chemical
studies.

The subject of our sketch is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in
which he has held various official positions. He is also a prominent and
active member of the Grand Army of the Republic, holding his membership
in R. J. Templeton Post, No. 35, Department of Indiana. His political
affiliations have always been with the Republicans, though he is not aggress-
ive in politics, having neither sought nor held public office.

JACOB STANTON ALBAUGH.

The subject of this sketch has been identified with the business inter-
ests of Oxford since 1862. In the thirty-six years of his residence here he
has been a prominent factor in the town.

He was born at Bowling Green (now Osage), Jefferson county, Ohio,
on the 15th of April, 1836, and remained in his native town until his depart-
ure for Benton county, Indiana. His education was limited to attendance
at the district school during winter seasons until he reached the age of
seventeen years. He then became an apprentice in his father's wagon
shop, and attended night schools for three years during his apprenticeship.

In 1862 he came to Lafayette, en route to Benton county, that being

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 199

then the terminus of the railroad. He took " foot and walker's " line from
Lafayette to Oxford, a farmer hauling his worldly possessions for two dol-
lars. After looking around for a time he purchased a quarter section of
land, but sold it the same year. He located in Oxford and worked at bis
trade until 1865, when he enlisted as a member of Company K, One Hun-
dred and Forty-seventh Indiana Infantry, for one year. After a short stay
at Indianapolis for drill and equipment, the regiment was hurried on to
Harper's Ferry, thence to Charleston, Stephens' Station and up the Shen-
andoah valley to Winchester, finally returning to Harper's Ferry, where it
was mustered out, in August, 1865. Though not in any general engage-
ments it was constantly beset with wandering guerrilla bands and was in fre-
quent skirmishes. The marches were very active and exhausting, yet the
services and duties were as essential to the cause as though engaged in con-
tinuous battle. The territory had to be protected and defended from guer-
rilla warfare and the purloining of the people's stock during the dying ago-
nies of the Confederacy.

Returning to Oxford after the war, Mr. Albaugh re-engaged in the
wagon business, operating a shop on an extensive scale, until 1888, when
he sold out his stock and leased the shop and machinery to W. C. Parker.
Mr. Albaugh then conducted a meat market near the " square " for five
years, or until 1892, when his place was burned out. He then rebuilt his
shop and occupied it for three years, when he remodeled the building and
leased it to a dry-goods merchant, who still occupies it. This is a desirable
business property, — a two-story brick, twenty by seventy feet. With the
advent of the cheaper grades of wagons the manufacture of vehicles
became unprofitable, and the old shop has been torn down and the business
discontinued.

In addition to his varied business interests Mr. Albaugh has also served
in several official capacities: was city marshal of Oxford from 1888 to 1892,
served a term on the school board, and nine years as township trustee of
Oak Grove township, in which Oxford is situated; and he is at the present
time president of the Oxford town board. He has been a working member
of the Democratic party all his life, and has figured conspicuously in local
politics. In recent years his sympathies are with the " free-silver" element
of the Democratic party.

June 2, 1858, Mr. Albaugh was united in marriage with Miss Elsie,
daughter of John and Sarah (Cooper) Travis, natives of Ohio and of Scotch-
Irish ancestry. The father died at Nekomis, Illinois, and the mother at
Knoxville, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Albaugh have had one son and six daugh-
ters. The two eldest children were born at Bowling Green, Ohio, and the
others in Oxford, Indiana. Ella is now the wife of S. Burt Parker, who

■200 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

runs a meat market in Chicago; Emma is the wife of C. A. Scott, a retired
farmer in Oxford; May married W. A. Cosson, a farmer and stock-dealer
near Atkinson Station, in this county; Etta is the wife of John D. Stingle, a
prosperous farmer and stock-dealer at Pine Village, in Warren county; John
W., the only son, died at the age of eighteen years, a bright and promising
young man whose untimely death was a severe blow to the sorrowing fam-
ily; and Belle and Harriet are still at the parental home.

Mr. Albaugh has spent five years' time and not a little money in accu-
mulating a stock of domesticated wild animals. His place is quite a museum
of curiosities, where strangers are pleasantly entertained and enlightened.
A herd of fourteen deer, in all stages of development, from the beautiful
spotted fawns to the antlered and ferocious-looking buck. The first stock
of these were shipped from Indian Territory, later acquisitions coming from
northern Wisconsin. The three squirrels, though not so rare, are very
"cute " and interesting pets; while the raccoon, crow and a pair of foxes
have lost none of their cunning by being domesticated. On the premises
there is also a fish pond, covering over an acre of land and stocked with all
kinds of fish common to this country.

Mr. Albaugh is fairly well-to-do and takes great pleasure with his pets
and in entertaining his many callers and curiosity seekers. Besides a val-
uable home property, he has a piece of land near town, some improved real
estate in Oxford, and the store building previously referred to. He receives
a small pension from the government by reason of disabilities incurred in the
army.

For fifteen years he has been actively identified with the Odd Fellows
order, having attained the encampment degree and held the principal offices
in the subordinate lodge and encampment. He is also a member of the
grand lodge of Indiana, and for some years has served as district deputy
grand master. He also is a member of the order of Knights of Maccabees.
In the Grand Army of the Republic he is one of the charter members of the
local post. The family is identified with the Presbyterian church, though
Mr. Albaugh has never been connected with any religious organization.

The family genealogy of our subject is as follows: Mr. Albaugh is the
eldest of the eight children of Reuben and Sarah (Ryder) Albaugh. His father,
who was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, but spent his life chiefly as a wagon
and carriage maker at Osage, that state, was born in 1810 and died in 1893;
and his father, William Albaugh, who was a native of southeastern Pennsyl-
vania, died at Osage, Ohio, in 1878, at the age of eighty years. George
Ryder, maternal grandfather, was of German antecedents. The children of
Reuben and Sarah (Ryder) Albaugh were named as follows: Jacob S. , whose
name introduces this sketch; Sarah, born in 1838, died at Toronto, Ohio,

BIOGRAPHICAL EISTORT. 201

aged fifty-eight; Elizabeth, born in 1840, is the wife of D. L. Maple and
resides on a farm near Hammondville, Ohio; Isaac, born in 1842, died
in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1893; Maggie born in 1844, married C. Eddy,
a foreman in a pipe factory at Toronto, Ohio; George, born in 1846, is a
mechanic in the employ of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway
Company and is a resident of Cleveland; Jane is the widow of David Eddy
and resides at Toronto, Ohio; and Levi, who was born about 1850, is a
farmer residing in Oxford, Indiana.

Our subject is a jolly, whole-souled man who enjoys a joke and is ever
ready to return the " fire." He is now engaged in dispensing "coolness" to
suffering humanity in the way of delivering ice to his numerous customers
about town.

JOHN H. STORK.

The venerable gentleman whose name heads this sketch has been a res-
ident of Lafayette for a period of forty-five years and now lives retired at
No. 513 South Fourth street. He is of German birth and possesses the
sterling characteristics peculiar to his countrymen. Of his life we make the
following brief record:

John H. Stork was born in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, northeast of the
city of Frankfort-on-the-Main, July 20, 1827, a son of John and Anna Eliza-
beth (Dieffenbach) Stork, both natives of that country. In their family were
three children: John H. ; Anna Barbara, widow of Henry Dieffenbach; and
Johannas. John Stork, the father, was a farmer in Germany, where he lived
until 1864, the year of his emigration to America. Arriving in this country,
he located at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he was variously employed
and where he spent the rest of his life and died, his death occurring in 1878,
at about the age of seventy-five years. His wife's death occurred four years
previous to his. They were members of the Lutheran church.

John Stork's father, also named John, died at the time of the Russian
army's entrance into France, of an epidemic then prevailing, he being in
middle life at the time of death and leaving a family of three sons. By oc-
cupation he was a farmer and weaver. The maternal grandfather of our
subject was Nicholas Dieffenbach. He lived to the ripe old age of eighty
years and died in Germany. He was a cavalryman and gunner in the war
in the Netherlands, but his life work was that of farming. His family com-
prised one son and two daughters.

John H. Stork, the immediate subject of this review, was reared on a
farm in his native land, having the benefit of eight years' schooling. He
learned the tailor's trade, and followed that and helped his father on the

202 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

farm in Germany. In 1851 he came to America, and after a short residence
in New York moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, where he followed his trade a year
and half. In 1854 he came to Lafayette, Indiana, and here he worked at
his trade until 1890, since which time he has been retired. Among his em-
ployers during the long period he worked here were Messrs. Shively, Jackson,
Niermann and others. As soon as he was able, in 1859, he secured a little
home for himself and family, that year building one room of his present
house, in order to save paying rent, and from time to time as he prospered
he added to the original structure until his comfortable home was built.
From time to time he also invested in land. In 1865 he bought eighty acres
in Round Grove township. White county, later bought an adjoining tract of
one hundred and thirty-eight and one-half acres, and still later purchased
one hundred and sixty acres adjoining the others, thus making a fine farm
of three hundred and seventy-eight and one-half acres. Besides, he owns a
number of valuable lots in Lafayette.

In July, 1852, Mr. Stork married Miss Annie Mary Vogt, daughter of
Joseph and Eva (Kuntz) Vogt, and for nearly half a century have he and his-
devoted wife lived happily together. To them were born two children,
Katie and John Joseph. The daughter is now the wife of William Flete-
meyer, of Lafayette, and has three daughters and two sons, — Minnie, Anna,
Henry, John Joseph and an infant. John Joseph Stork finished his educa-
tion in the Lafayette Business College and was for several years a clerk iii
the dry-goods business. He died in 1896, at the age of thirty-nine years,
leaving a widow, Alice C. (Booth) Stork, formerly of Council Bluffs, Iowa,
and one daughter. Vera Elizabeth Mary.

In religious faith the subject of our sketch is a Lutheran, while his
wife is a Catholic. Fraternally he is identified with the Odd Fellows, and
politically is what is termed an independent. Formerly he affiliated with
the Republican party. He has never sought or held office.

CHARLES M. SNYDER.

This gentleman, an attorney and counselor at law at Fowler, is a native
of Pine township, Benton county, Indiana, born October 11, 1866, a son of
William and Mary J. (Kenton) Snyder, both natives of Indiana. His father
was born in Tippecanoe county. Both are living, the father a hardware
merchant in Fowler; he was a soldier in the civil war. They had eight
children, of whom four are living.

Mr. Snyder, our subject, the second in age of the above children, was-
educated in the city schools of Fowler, finishing the prescribed course in the
high school. He studied law in the office of Judge U. Z. Wiley, and was-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 203

admitted to practice in 1889. On Judge Wiley's election to the appellate-
court bench, Mr. Snyder succeeded to his business and occupies the same
office. In connection with his legal work he also does a fine business in
abstracting and insurance. He is a young man of bright intellect, apparently
well fitted for the legal profession, and has been successful in practice.

In his political views he is a Republican. He is a member of Benton
Lodge, No. 521, F. & A. M.

He was married November 7, 1893, to Miss Margaret VanNatta, a native
of Tippecanoe county, this state, on the " battle ground," and a daughter of
William S. and Harriet (Sheetz) Van Natta. Her father is a prominent stock-
raiser in Benton county and a man well known as a wealthy and influential
citizen. Mrs. Snyder was educated at Purdue University, of which she is a
graduate.

SAMUEL K. NOLIN.

The subject of this biographical review is one of the solid, stable busi-
ness men of Benton county. His experience has been varied, and he has
achieved his present position in the financial world principally through his
own unaided efforts.

He accompanied his parents to Benton county, Indiana, in childhood,
and here he received his elementary education and passed his youthful
years. Then, in 1849, he went to Iroquois county, Illinois, where forty-
three years of his life were spent in agricultural pursuits. He located in
Stockland township, of that county, securing four hundred acres of govern-
ment land, which he improved largely by his own labor. Endowed with a
robust constitution and indomitable energy, he soon transformed the trackless
prairie into fertile farming land, the pioneer log cabin giving place to a
handsome modern residence, and each year found him more prosperous than
the preceding one.

As success crowned his efforts he continued to add other broad fields
and to increase his stock interests, this latter being one of his principal
elements of success. He raised for the market all kinds of domestic
animals, and the sale of these was largely the source of his success, since it
was his purpose to feed to his own stock most of the products of his farm.
As success crowned his efforts his farm boundaries were also extended until
his possessions aggregated eight hundred and forty acres in Stockland town-
ship, and also a valuable farm of one hundred and sixty-six acres in Prairie
Green township, same county.

But notwithstanding his phenomenal success and long residence in Illi-
nois, the people of Benton county claim Mr. Nolin as their own. His early

204 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

residence here, and the fact that advancing years stimulated his return to the
scenes of his boyhood, seems a reasonable justification of this claim. Yet,
if other evidence were required, it may be added that the old parental home
of two hundred acres, entered in 1834, four miles east of Oxford, has never
passed from the family, but has been augmented by the purchase of one hun-
dred and sixty additional acres. This old homestead Mr. Nolin now owns.
He retired from the active management of his estate in Illinois, leaving it in
charge of his son, and returned to Oxford in 1893. Here his life is less
active, though he maintains a general superintendence of his affairs, both at
"home and abroad."

In 1893 he became interested as a stockholder in the Bank of Oxford,
the only monetary institution in the town. This was organized as a private
bank in 1893, and is one of the solid, financial concerns of Benton county.
A general banking business is transacted, the individual responsibility of the
bank being four hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Nowlin owns a one-third
interest, the other stockholders being Joseph Heath and his son, David S.
Heath.

The subject of this sketch was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, October
21, 1 82 1. His father, Thomas Nolin, was a native of Ross county, same
state, born in 1776; was a soldier in the war of 1812, and served under Gen-
eral William Henry Harrison. He was a descendant from Irish ancestors.
The paternal grandfather of our subject was Richard Nolin, a Virginian, who
removed to Kentucky in the days of Daniel Boone, and there married a Miss
Kirkpatrick, and together the families fled from that state, owing to Indian
depredations, and settled in Ross county, Ohio. The father of our subject
married Miss Jane Kirkpatrick, who was a native of Chillicothe, Ohio, born
in 1797. In 183 1 the parents removed to Fountain county, Indiana, where
they remained about four years, coming from there to Benton county, where
they reared a family of six sons and two daughters. Ruth A., the eldest of
these, married Jonathan Baugh and died in Tippecanoe county in 1886;
Samuel K. , of this sketch, was the second in order of birth and the eldest
son; John was born in Pickaway county in 1823, and died in Milford, Illinois;
Minerva was born in 1825 and died in Benton county, Indiana, at the age of
twenty-four; George W. was born in 1827 and died in Warren county, this
state; Richard T., born in 1830, is living on a farm in Oklahoma territory;
James W. was born in Franklin county, Indiana, in 1832: he was a soldier
during the civil war and is now located on a farm at Lohrville, Iowa;
Austin W. was born in Benton county, this state, in 1834, and died at the
age of sixteen years.

The maternal grandparents of Mr. Nolin were the founders of the fam-
ily in America; they were Scotch-Irish and settled near the James river in

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 20&

Virginia more than three hundred years ago. His paternal grandparents
died in Ross county, Ohio, and his father and mother in Indiana, — the for-
mer on his farm in this county, in 1840, and the latter in Tippecanoe county,
at the age of seventy-two years, surviving her husband for many years.

Mr. Nolin has been twice married, his first union being solemnized in
in 1853, the lady being Miss Rachel Dawson, the daughter of Elisha and
Polly Dawson. A year later he followed her remains to the grave, her
death occurring at their home in Iroquois county, Illinois, when she was but
twenty-two years of age. Rachel Dawson was a native of Warren county,
Indiana, where her parents were early pioneers. For his second wife Mr.
Nolin wedded Miss Clarissa Coffelt, who was born near Xenia, Ohio. By
this marriage there were four children, all born in Iroquois county, Illinois.
The eldest, Mary, was born in i860 and is now Mrs. George Voliva, residing
at our subject's old parental home in Bolivar township; the second child
died in infancy; William T., born in 1874, is located upon one of the Illinois
farms, where he is extensively engaged in farming and stock-raising; Matilda,
born in 1876, married William Nichol, a prosperous farmer in Iroquois
county, Illinois.

In January, 1890, Mr. Nolin was bereft of the companionship of his-
wife, after a happy wedded life of over thirty years. Clarissa Coffelt was the
daughter of Michael Coffelt, of Warren county, Indiana, and a native of Vir-
ginia. She was a devoted wife and mother whose death was mourned by a
wide circle of friends and relatives.

Mr. Nolin recites some reminiscences of early pioneer life in Benton>
county which are very interesting.. In speaking of "Benton county," how-
ever, we mean the territory which is now embraced within the limits of that
county, though it has been a part of no less than three counties at different
times in its history. In the early pioneer days, during the boyhood of our
subject, it was not unusual for the youth to walk five miles to school, young
Nohn having obtained the rudiments of an education by walking from three
to five miles to and from school. When there was work to do, of course
that had to be done; and when there was leisure, if school was in session, the
children could go, if strong enough to brave the dangers of prairie and forest.
In this way he " attended school " until sixteen years of age. But this very-
rudimentary education has been supplemented by a lifetime of careful read-
ing and private study. Then that other great educator, the "school of
experience," has proved a valuable assistant in the educational process.
Samuel Nolin is therefore what the world is pleased to term a self-made
man. His life has been one continual round of financial success. Obstacles
sufficient to discourage a less resolute nature have been successfully met and
turned to good advantage. Wholly self-dependent, he started out on life's-

206 BIOGRAPHICAL EISTOBT.

threshold with a determination to win. His success, however, has not been
augmented by a close and niggardly policy, since he has enjoyed the com-
forts of life all along life's journey, and no unfortunate ever left his door
unfed. He is generous toward the poor, and hospitality is a ruling character-
istic of his nature. As a proof of his modest possessions in 1840, he being
then twenty-one years old, he authoritatively states that his tax for that year
was thirty-six cents.

A cousin of Mr. Nolin, Thomas Nolin, was frozen to death in 1847, on
present site of Fowler. He was lost in January, and his body was not found
until the following October, when it was identified by the remnants of cloth-
ing found on his skeleton. He was a son of William Nolin and a native of
Ross county, Ohio.

JOHN CONN CLARY.

About sixty-five years ago, John Conn Clary came to Logansport, Indi-
ana, and during most of the intervening period his history has been con-
nected with that of this section. He has been a witness of the great and
momentous changes which have taken place, as the land has gradually been
improved, as villages have sprung into existence, and prosperity has settled
here as an abiding guest.

The paternal grandfather of our subject, Vachel Clary, was a resident
of Greenville, Ohio, and his children were five in number, namely: Vachel,
Daniel, Isaac, John and Hiram. His son, John Briggs, married Annie New-
kirk, and John Conn was their third child, the others being called respectively
Isaac Newton, Margaret, Rachel Ann and William. Mrs. Clary prior to her
marriage resided in Darke county, Ohio, and came to Rush county, Indiana,
with her parents and brothers, John, Shipman and Cyrus.

The birth of John Conn Clary occurred in Rush county, this state, Sep-
tember 18, 1824, and when he was about ten years of age he removed to
Logansport, where his home continued to be until he was married. At that
time he settled upon a farm two and a half miles north of the town, and
afterward he located upon another homestead in the same vicinity, managing
that place until i860. During the next four years he carried on a farm in
Harrison township, Pulaski county, which place he finally exchanged for a
■farm near Royal Center, Indiana. For a short time he was a resident of
Logansport, and then, getting the western "fever," he went to Arkansas.
He soon returned to Logansport, but later went to Nebraska, only to come
again finally to Indiana.

The first marriage of Mr. Clary took place in 1846, the lady of his youth-
ful choice being Susanna Foy. Their eldest born, Francis Marion, died at

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 207

Loudon, Tennessee, while serving in the Union army; Devern Ferdinand
died when in his seventeenth year; Elbert Elihu, born October 22, 1855,
married, December 21, 1877, Nevada Belle Williams, daughter of Joseph
Williams, and their children are George Bertram, born January 8, 1882;
Laura Jane, August 12, 1887; and Harvey Foy, born April 18, 1897. Elbert
E. Clary was elected a commissioner of this county on the Democratic ticket
in 1896, and is still occupying that position, to the entire satisfaction of his con-
stituents. Silvina, the next child of our subject, married James Wilson, and
has passed away. Mary Jane became the wife of James Whipple and is liv-
ing in Ohio. For a second wife John Conn Clary chose Miss Narcissa
Woods, and their two sons, John Thomas and Bertram, are citizens of
Logansport.

On the 4th of October, 1898, Mr. Clary and Mrs. Susanna Ballinger,
widow of W. R. Ballinger, were united in marriage. She is a daughter of
John and Mary Sutton, who represent two of the pioneer families of this
county. W. R. Ballinger came to Pulaski county with his parents in April,
1839, and located upon the south side of the Tippecanoe river, two miles
above Winamac. In 1871 he removed to his farm in sections 20 and 29,
Harrison township, and at the time of his death he owned one hundred and
eighty-eight acres here. He was a citizen who was held in the highest
respect by all who knew him, and in all of his relations with his fellows his
course in life was marked by uprightness and sincerity. He was identified
with the Odd Fellows and Masons and was a consistent member of the
Christian church.

CHARLES H. BECK.

Charles H. Beck, senior partner in the firm of Beck & Frasch, grocers
in Lafayette, was born in this city December 13, 1858, and reared on his
father's farm. He attended the district school and assisted his father until
he was twenty years of age, when he began clerking in a grocery store. He
continued in that position about eight years, when he started in business for
himself in the store he still occupies on Main street. Three years later, in
1885, he took in Henry Frasch as a partner and the firm has been doing a
good business ever since. Both gentlemen are known as capable, energetic
business men, honest in their dealings and reliable in all their transactions.

Mr. Beck was married in April, 1884, to Miss Caroline Frasch, daughter
of John and Dorothy (Goerke) Frasch. Although they have no children of
their own, Mr. and Mrs. Beck have taken to raise four of Mrs. Beck's
deceased sister's children, who found with them a happy home. Our subject
is a Republican in his political belief, and with his wife is a member of the

208 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Lutheran church. He owns three buildings in the city and has prospered in
worldly affairs.

The parents of Mr. Beck were Lucas and Catherine (Wile) Beck, natives
of Germany, who came to America in 1838, locating in Lafayette. The
father was a shoemaker by trade and later took up gardening. He retired
from active life some five years ago, and with his estimable wife is spending
the eventide of life in peace and comfort on his farm two miles south of
Lafayette. He owns considerable land and is well-to-do. He and his wife
are members of the German Methodist church. Six children were born to
them, of whom four are living: WiUiam, Frank, Charles H. and John J.

The paternal grandfather of our subject was Lawrence Beck, who died
in Germany at an advanced age. He was the father of six children. Mr.
Beck's maternal grandfather was Tilman Wile, who came from Germany to
Lafayette. He had been a gardener in his native land, but never engaged in
business after reaching America. He had five children and lived to a good
old age. Both grandfathers were soldiers in the Fatherland.

MAJOR JAMES H. MITCHELL.

There is a warm place in the heart of every patriotic American citizen
for each one of the boys in blue, who nobly fought and suffered untold hard-
ships in the sunny south, in order that the Union might be preserved. One
of those heroes is the subject of this review. He was a young man of barely
twenty years when he left home and his opening business career to follow the
stars and stripes to victory, and from almost the beginning of the war until its
close he was found faithful at his post of duty. From time to time he was pro-
moted for gallant and distinguished bravery, until he was made major by bre-
vet, by President Lincoln, and six months before Lee's surrender was commis-
sioned major. Since the battle clouds of the civil war rolled away he has
enjoyed the peace and prosperity which he so richly deserves, and during
this long period has been one of the esteemed citizens of Lafayette.

The Mitchell family of which the Major is a most worthy representative
originated in Scotland, and the progenitor of this branch in the United States
settled in New Jersey. William Mitchell, our subject's father, was a native
of that state, as was also his wife, whose maiden name was Emma J. Far-
num. Her paternal ancestors, the Farnums, were English people, who lived
some time in Holland, at an early day, and thence sailed for America, taking
up their abode in Virginia, whence they drifted to Maryland and thence to
New Jersey.

The birth of Major Mitchell occurred in Philadelphia, March 19, 1841,
and while he was a child the family removed to the vicinity of Hoboken, New

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 209"

Jersey. There he spent his youth and received a public-school education.
August 6, 1 86 1, he enlisted as a private in Company B, Eighty-first Penn-
sylvania Volunteers, and ere long was promoted to corporal, then duty-ser-
geant, then first sergeant or orderly. September i, 1862, he became second
lieutenant and served on the stafi of Brigadier-General Caldwell. Later he
was transferred to General Hancock's stafi, being a member of the same for
a year. March 20, 1864, he was promoted to be the captain of Company D of
his old regiment, and on the 12th of the following October was commissioned
major of the same regiment, which was a part of the gallant Army of the
Potomac. At the battle of Ream's Station, Virginia, the young officer did
conspicuous service and while leading a body of soldiers to recapture a can-
non between the lines, was severely wounded in the left arm, a portion of the
bone being shot away. It was for his notable conduct on this occasion that
the president paid him the graceful honor of brevetting him major. Among
the numerous battles and military operations in which he was engaged the
following may be mentioned: Siege of Yorktown, Seven Pines, Peach Or-
chard, White Oak Swamps, Malvern Hill, Harrison's Landing, Antietam,
Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, Deep
Bottom, siege of Petersburg, Ream's Station, Sailors' Creek and Appomat-
to.x, where the Confederate forces acknowledged their defeat, after four years
of splendid resistence for the cause in which they firmly believed. The
Major's regiment was constantly in the thickest of the fights, as it belonged
to the gallant old Second Corps of the grand Army of the Potomac, upon
which fell the severest and most continuous work, perhaps, of any of the
various military divisions.

At the time that he went to the war young Mitchell was learning the car-
penter's trade, and as his parents had removed to Lafayette during his
absence he joined them and resumed his former vocation. His father is still
living in this city and is now in his seventy-sixth year, but the mother died
about twelve years ago. Of their seven children, James H. is the eldest.

A few years after the war Mr. Mitchell was made deputy street commis-
sioner of Lafayette, and served as such for three years, then being appointed
government storekeeper under Garfield in the distillery here, which burned
about a year afterward. He then accepted a position as lumber inspector at
the Lafayette Car Works, remaining with this concern several years, and
then held a similar place with the Indianapolis Car Works for two years.
Subsequently he engaged in the sawmill business, purchasing and selling lum-
ber in wholesale quantities. He followed this calling up to 1894, when he was _
elected city treasurer of Lafayette, for a term of four years. The same care and
fidelity which he had always exercised in his private business affairs he mani-
fested in this responsible office, and with one accord his political antagonists

210 BIOGRAFHICAL HISTORY.

and own party friends unite in pronouncing his management of the finances of
the city as deserving of unquahfied praise. He has always been an ardent
Republcian, and at the time that he was the choice of its people for council-
man enjoyed the honor of being the only Republican ever thus elected in the
first ward of Lafayette. In company with Mr. Burt, under the firm name of
the Diamond Flint Company, he is interested in the quarrying of a supe-
rior kind of flint rock or flint gravel at a point about fifteen miles from this
city. This flint rock is used for the paving of streets and is undoubtedly the
finest for the purpose ever utilized, as it possesses all of the properties required,
hardness and toughness, and ability to resist the disintegrating action of
frost and water.

Major Mitchell is past commander of the John A. Logan Post, No. 3,
G. A. R., and is now serving as a member of the council of administration,
department of the Indiana state Grand Army of the Republic. He also is a
member of the Indiana Legion of Honor; for twenty years has been identified
with the order of Red Men; is a charter member of Curran Lodge, No. in.
Knights of Pythias; is a Mason of the thirty-second degree and a member of
the Mystic Shrine and is associated with the Knights of the Ancient Essenic
Order, belonging to Unity Senate, No. 142, of which he is past state senator.
Religiously, he is an Episcopalian.

In 1876 the Mayor was united in marriage with Mary E. Newman, who
was born in Ohio and came to this city when an infant with her parents, Fred-
erick and Mary Newman. Two children were born to our subject and wife,
Amos W. and Estella F. The son, following in the footsteps of his patriotic
father, enlisted in the Spanish-American war as a member of Company C, One
Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, and since his
enlistment he has been promoted from company bugler to brigade bugler,
First Brigade, Second Division, First Army Corps, under General Wiley.

ABRAHAM LEVERING.

Abraham Levering is one of the old and honored citizens of Lafayette,
his residence here dating back some forty-five years. During this long period
he has been recognized as one of the sterling business men of this community
and has been foremost in all matters pertaining to the upbuilding and progress of
ithe place. He has always maintained an earnest interest in worthy enterprises
calculated to benefit the public in general and his own neighborhood in par-
ticular, and his means and influence have not been sparingly used when such
an end was in view. By straightforward and honorable dealing, strict atten-
tion to business and a just regard for the rights of others, he has not only
acquired a goodly fortune but, what is even better, has won an enviable place

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 211

in the regard of all with whom he has come into contact. He and his family
form the center of a circle of cultured, intellectual people, and his friends are
numberless in this section of Indiana.

Mr. Levering's lineage can be traced back many generations in this
country, and naught but the best can be said of him and his worthy fore-
fathers. His paternal grandfather, John Levering, held a commission under
General Washington in the war of the Revolution. He was a man of promi-
nence in his community, and passed the greater share of his life in the vicinity
of Philadelphia. He was a native of Roxboro, a suburb of the Quaker
city, and was of German descent. He lived to the good old age of eighty-
five years and was placed to rest in the family burying-ground at Levering-
ton, a town named in honor of his relatives. He was the father of six or
seven children. The maternal grandfather of our subject was William Hagy,
who likewise was of German extraction, his parents being natives of the
Fatherland. He was the proprietor of large paper-mills in the town of Man-
ayunk, now included within the limits of Philadelphia. He died there at an
advanced age.

The parents of Abraham Levering were Abraham and Catharine H.
(Hagy) Levering, natives of Pennsylvania. The father, who was a practical
and successful farmer, came to Tippecanoe county in 1854, and for two years
carried on a farm near Lafayette. From 1856 until his demise he lived
retired from active business, making his home in this place. He was a sol-
dier of the war of 1 812 and was a loyal citizen, a sincere friend, and an
exemplary husband and father. For half a century he was a valued member
of the Baptist church and for about that length of time officiated as a deacon.
He passed to his reward when he was seventy-eight years old. His wife,
who was also a devoted member of the Baptist church, died in Lafayette, at
the advanced age of ninety-two years. Of the eleven children who graced
their union six are now living, and of these Hannah is the wife of C. H. Gar-
den, of Philadelphia; Catharine is the wife of David Morgan, of Philadelphia;
and John and William H. (twins) are residents of this city.

Abraham Levering is a native of the Quaker city, born in 1833, and was
reared in Montgomery county, not far from the metropolis. He received
much of his education in the public schools of Philadelphia. In 1854 he
came to Indiana, where he believed wider opportunities awaited him, and for
several years he conducted a retail hat store in Lafayette. About i860 he
went into the business upon a m^ore extended scale and has since carried on
a wholesale trade. He has won the confidence and esteem of the general
public with whom he has had dealings, and without exception his customers
are his friends.

In the fraternities, Mr. Levering is deservingly high in the regard of his

212 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

brethren. He is connected with Lafayette, Lodge, No. 22, A. F. & A. M.;
Lafayette Chapter, R. A. M., and Lafayette Commandery, No. 3, K. T.
He has attained the Scottish rite degree and is a member of the consistory
at Indianapolis. He is connected with the Lafayette Lincoln Club, of which
organization his son George is a charter member. In his political affiliations
he is a Republican.

The pleasant home of the Leverings, at No. 634 North Sixth Street, was
built by our subject about thirty-one years ago. His marriage to Miss Amelia
F. Kiess, was solemnized February 27, 1856. Mrs. Levering is a daughter of
George and Hannah (Fox) Kiess. The eldest child of our subject and wife,
George K., died in 1890, at the age of thirty-three years. He had married
Miss Jennie Wilson and had one son, Ernest W. ; Jessie F., the daughter, is
the wife of Frank M. Cary, of this city, and they have one child, Franklin;
Guy P. is a medical student in the University of Pennsylvania, at Philadel-
phia. The Leverings are members of the Episcopalian church and are liberal
contributors to religious and charitable enterprises.

JOSEPH F. WARNER.

Among the prominent citizens of Fowler none are more worthy of
representation in this work than J. F. Warner, who has been identified with
the business and social interests of Benton county since 1874. In February
of that year he came to Fowler and established the second general store in
the place. He at once evinced his faith in the future metropolis of Benton
county by erecting valuable and substantial buildings, by encouraging
immigration and placing his influence and money on the side of the prosper-
ous and healthy development of the town. From that time to the present he
has been an important factor in the growth and advancement of Fowler, was
the first town clerk of the little city and has held various other positions of
trust and responsibility.

Joseph F. Warner is a native of Ross county, Ohio, born on the 29th of
May, 1846. His parents were Joseph and Elizabeth (Farmer) Warner, the
former a native of Virginia and the latter of Fayette county, Ohio. They
had nine children, namely: John, who died in infancy; Massey, who died at the
age of eighteen years; John L. , who is now living with our subject; Catherine,
wife of Truxton Head, of Lafayette, Indiana; Elizabeth, widow of Frank
Bailey, who died from the effects of army service, her home being now in
Fowler; Diantha F. , who died in i860, at the age of eighteen years; Joseph
F., of this review; Levi Samuel, who died in Fowler, in 1881, at the age of
thirty-two years; and Isaac W., now a merchant of Fowler.

When a lad of seven years Joseph F. Warner accompanied his parents

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 213

on their removal to Champaign county, Illinois, where he was reared to man-
hood on his father's farm. He acquired his education in the public schools
of that county, but like many of the " boys in blue "of the civil war, he sacri-
ficed his educational privileges in order to enter his countr3''s service. In
February, 1864, when a beardless youth of less than eighteen years, he
became a member of Company F, Twenty-sixth Illinois Infantry, and was at
once assigned to active duty at the front. His regiment became a part of
Sherman's army, and with that command Mr. Warner participated in the
stirring events of the final campaign of the great civil strife. He went on
the famous "march to the sea," participating in all of the victories of that
irresistible army in its triumphal march through the heart of the Confed-
eracy. He took part in the battles of Resaca, Dallas, New Hope Church,
Kenesaw mountain, the siege and capture of Atlanta, the battles of Jones-
boro, Lovejoy's Station, Macon, Fayetteville, Kingston, Goldsboro and
Raleigh, and also bore his part in the less exciting but just as arduous service
that comes on the line of march or when in camp. In marching through an
enemy's country the column must be protected from sudden attack by flank-
ers at the sides of the marching army and skirmishers in front and rear, who
are in constant peril from men doing like service in the enemy's columns.
Also at night when the wayworn and weary troops are gaining needed rest in
sleep, a picket line must be maintained, and those on this duty are the spec-
ial mark of the enemy. In all such service our youthful hero bore his part,
and with his command eventually reached Richmond to find that General
Grant had taken possession of the Confederate capital, that Lee's army had
surrendered and that the war was at an end. Then came the grand marshal-
mg of the victorious armies near Washington and the final review of troops
in the city — the grandest military pageant that the New World has ever wit-
nessed, a fitting finale to the closing scenes of the four-years struggle for
freedom and union.

The exhausting marches and other hardships incident to war had so af-
fected the health of Mr. Warner that at the time of receiving his final dis-
charge, July 20, 1865, he weighed but eighty-three pounds! Yet he had
remained at the front, a true and loyal soldier, manifesting the fortitude and
bravery of many a veteran of twice his years. He returned to his home in
Champaign county in poor health, but the tender nursing of his devoted
mother restored his old-time strength, and he again took up the duties of
civil life. In 1874, as before stated, he came to Fowler and established the
second general mercantile store in the place, conducting the same with good
success for a number of years. His stock and building were then de-
stroyed by fire, entailing a serious loss, and he turned his attention to the
abstracting and collecting business, forming a partnership with George Gray,

214 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

who is yet in that Hne. He has made judicious investments in many enter-
prises and interests and his capable management and splendid business and
executive ability have enabled him to carry all forward to success. In 1894
he purchased a stock of general merchandise at Brooke, Newton county,
Indiana, in which he is associated with George R. Dobbin, who assumes
general control of the business. They carry a stock valued at from ten to
twelve thousand dollars, and receive a liberal patronage. Mr. Warner
also owns some business houses in Brooke and some residence property in
Fowler. In 1883 he purchased a portion of his present fine farm in the
suburbs of Fowler and to the original ten acres has since added seventy-
five acres, upon which he has an elegant home, in the midst of a fine
lawn and attractive surroundings.

The home life of Mr. Warner is ideal and his own fireside is to him the
dearest spot on earth. It seems that he cannot do too much for the comfort
and welfare of his family, and he counts no personal sacrifice too great that
will enhance their happiness. He was married February 4, 1885, to Miss
Laura B. White, a daughter of Jacob and Julia Ann White, and a native of
Pulaski county, Indiana. Five children graced this union, but only three are
now living, Herbert F., who was born December 21, 1885, having died at
the age of eight months, while Pearle also died at the age of eight months.
The others are Laura, born June 3, 1887; Opal, born October 4, 1890; and
J. Cecil, born October 7, 1892. The relations between parents and children
are ideal, showing love, care and tender watchfulness on the one side; filial
duty, obedience and appreciation on the other. The Warner household is
also noted for its generous hospitality, which is shared by many friends with-
out distinction of wealth or social position, genuine worth of character being
the only quality that is taken into consideration in the reception of their
guests. Mrs. Warner is a member of the Methodist church, but Mr. Warner
is liberal in his religious views, giving to all churches but holding member-
ship in none. In politics he is a stalwart Republican, but has never been
an office-seeker. He is one of the charter members of Benton Post, No. 25,
G. A. R. , and has always taken an active interest in the well-being of his
comrades in arms. He very properly recognizes the "time limit " placed
upon the order, and rejoices that the portals of the Grand Army of the
Republic are jealously guarded from intrusion by national and state laws.
The bronze button is everywhere recognized as the " insignia, of rank," for
it means that the wearer has been tested in the fires of battle for freedom's
sake, and Mr. Warner may well be proud to wear the little emblem. He is
a man true to every trust reposed in him, honorable in all life relations, and
discharges his duties of citizenship with the same loyalty which he manifested
when on southern battle-fields he followed the stars and stripes.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 215

HENRY V. T. HULS.

'Squire Huls is one of the permanent fixtures of Fowler. In his varied
business and official connections with the people of Benton county he has
become widely and favorably known. Mr. Huls is a native of the great
Empire state of the north, New York, born in Yates county, October 30,
1825. His father, James Huls, was of German ancestry, and married Miss
Sallie Pruden, who was of English ancestry. In 1843 they removed with
their seven children to Illinois, passing through the embryo city of Chicago.
Mr. Huls says that at that time he could have bought a desirable lot in the
heart of the city for two hundred and fifty dollars, and that "water lots"
were almost given away. These have since been rendered tenable by filling,
and are now considered as good as any other lots in the vicinity, worth
more than half a million dollars each.

The family located on a farm in Kane county, Illinois, where both the
parents passed the remainder of their days. Henry spent three years in
Iowa, engaged in farming and merchandising, but returned to Illinois in time
to join the "boys in blue" from the Sucker state and go to the front of
the battle lines in defense of the Union and the legitimate government,
enlisting on the 6th of September, 1861, as a member of Company A, Eighth
Illinois Cavalry. His regiment was assigned to duty in the Army of the
Potomac, and participated in the stirring and protracted experiences of the
Peninsular campaign, as the seven days' battle in front of Richmond, the
battles of Williamsburg, Yorktown, Hanover Court House and Seven Pines,
leading up to the final work of the campaign. The horrors of the Chicka-
hominy swamps are fresh in the memory of every Peninsular soldier. The
sympathies of the whole country have gone out to our sons on Cuban soil,
who did not have all the comforts of home, but they were not obliged to
stand picket waist-deep in mud and water, in the miasma-stricken Chicka-
hominy, as some of their fathers did. But for the ravages of disease no
doubt the maligned and persecuted McClellan would have been successful in
the famous Peninsular campaign. Sixty thousand of the army were in
hospitals with fever contracted in the horrible swamps; and when the attack
came by the united forces of Jackson and Lee he was driven from his
position. Then followed the loss of forty thousand brave boys in the Seven
Days' battles, and these are a part of our subject's "roll of honor: " Gaines'
Mills, Cold Harbor, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp and Malvern Hill.
The last mentioned engagement was one of the most stubbornly contested
battles of the war and saved the army from annihilation or capture. Follow-
ing this the army encamped at Harrison's Landing on the James river, and
at that point Mr. Huls was honorably mustered out by special order from

216 BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY.

the war department. He had served as quartermaster of the Third Battalion
of the Eighth IlHnois Cavalry from February ii, 1862, until his muster out.

Besides undergoing all the above mentioned remarkable experiences,
Mr. Huls has also traveled a great deal throughout the United States, visiting
and investigating. After his discharge from the army he followed various
pursuits in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and in 1873 became a
resident of Fowler, Indiana; and here for many years he has successfully
engaged in the milling business, but of late he has served the people as
justice of the peace — an office which in towns like Fowler also carries with it
the functions of mayor.

He has always taken a great interest in the welfare of his late comrades
in arms, and promptly allied himself with the Grand Army of the Republic,
a society with a "time limit." The unpretentious bronze button conveys a
world of information to the initiated. It is sacredly guarded by the laws of
most of the states, and no traitor or convicted coward can wear it or enter
the portals of the order it represents. In this society Mr. Huls has always
taken an active part, and has held all the principal offices in the local post,
which he has also represented at state and national encampments. He
served three years as commander of Benton Post No. 25.

In 1848 Mr. Huls was united in matrimony with Miss Elizabeth Moore,
who died at Clifton, Iowa, in 1869. By that marriage the following chil-
dren were born: John, Herbert, Willie, Jessie, Hattie and Pearl. Her-
bert, Jessie and Pearl are living, the others dying in childhood. Herbert is a
farmer and stockman in California ; Pearl, now Mrs. McDonald, resides at
Hinsdale, California, where they are in good financial circumstances ; and
Jessie has been her father's housekeeper for twenty-five years.

The father of our subject was a native of New York state, a farmer the
most of his life. Of his nine children six are still living. The eldest, Hugh
Huls, died in Wichita, Kansas; Rachel died in 1840, in Steuben county,
New York ; and Adeline died in 1852, in Kane county, Illinois. Following
are the names and locations of the living : Mary resides at Wheaton,
Illinois ; Henry V. T. is next in order of age ; Spencer is a merchant at St.
Charles, Illinois ; Angeline, a widow, is a resident of the same place ; John
P. lives at West Union, Iowa ; and Kate, now Mrs. Palmer, resides at
Hinsdale, Illinois.

Mr. Huls, whose name heads this sketch, is a man of strict integrity
and uprightness of character. He has seen much of the world and is excep-
tionally well informed upon the current events of the day. Though already
past the average "three-score and ten" years in age, he is active and
energetic, full of life and hope. For twenty-five years his faithful daughter,
Miss Jessie, has been his housekeeper and constant companion, an example

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 217

of filial affection and self-sacrificing devotion to a parent seldom witnessed.
Mr. Huls speaks of her with much feeling and fully appreciates her kindness
and goodness of heart. Says Hanway, a philosophical writer: "Good
nature is the beauty of the mind, and, like personal beauty, wins almost
without the aid of anything else — sometimes indeed in spite of positive
deficiencies."

Personally Mr. Huls possesses a jovial disposition, enjoying the society
of entertaining friends and delighting to review, in retrospection, the thrilling
-scenes of his earlier years ; yet in the e.xperience of men there is no theme
quite so entertaining as a review of the happy "by-gone days."

In his political principles Mr. Huls has been a life-long Republican and
an active worker for his party's interests. He believes in God and the
immortality of the soul, but is too independent in spirit to be bound by
church dogmas.

His mother is a descendant of old Holland stock who were prominent
in the early settlement of New York and honorably represented in the Revo-
lutionary war by her uncle, John Pruden, who served four years under
Washington and participated in most of the Revolutionary battles.

WILLIAM H. LEVERING.

A modern philosophical writer has aptly said: " Within yourself lies
the cause of whatever enters into your life." It is an undisputed fact that
the individual is responsible for the use which he makes of his opportunities,
and the man who fails to win the respect of his fellow-men and gain success
■will, by close self-analyzation, find the cause within himself. Who can say
that the influence of the millionaire is greater than that of the peasant }
though his name be oftener upon the tongues of men he may not leave an
impress upon their lives. Each one is held accountable for what he makes
-of his life, and humanity counts life worth little that has not in some way ben-
efited others. Every avenue of life offers opportunities for this, and it is
■often the men most actively concerned in business life who do most for the
world's advancement in social, intellectual and moral lines. Of such a class
William Hagy Levering is a worthy representative. " Man's inhumanity to
man " finds no exemplification in him, and he for many years has devoted
his entire time to the work that is prompted by a belief in the brotherhood of
the race and its possibilities.

A native of Pennsylvania, William H. Levering was born in Athensville,
now Armore, a suburb of Philadelphia, April 19, 1826, his parents being
Abraham and Catharine H. (Hagy) Levering, also natives of Philadelphia.

The paternal grandfather, John Levering, was also born in the same

218 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOEY.

city, and lived near Fairmount Park. In his home there, all of his children
were born, and all were rocked in the cradle wherein rested the little child
that in after years became known as Dr. Isaac Watts, the writer of so many
beautiful and immortal hymns. The latter was born in Southampton, Eng-
land, July 14, 1674, and therefore the cradle, a family heirloom, is one of
considerable antiquity. John Levering was a carpenter and builder by trade,
following his chosen vocation throughout his entire life with the exception
of the period which he spent in the service of his country. He was a Rev-
olutionary soldier, held several commissions, including those of captain and
major, and after the war was known by the latter title until his death. He
carried the colors and served in the battles of Trenton, Princeton and other
important engagements. He died July 28, 1832, in the house in which his
birth occurred in 1750, and which has now been in possession of the Lever-
ing family for a century and a half. He had a large number of children,
all of whom lived to a ripe age. The Leverings are of English lineage, and
date their residence in America from 1685, when representatives of the
name came from Holland to the New World.

The maternal grandfather of our subject, William Hagy, was a native
of Pennsylvania and a son of Jacob Hagy, who came to America from Swit-
zerland and built one of the first paper-mills in the colonies. William
Hagy learned the trade and became one of the first manufacturers of paper
in the United States. He reared a large number of children and died at an
advanced age.

Abraham Levering, father of our subject, was a butcher of Philadelphia,,
where he lived until 1854, when he came to Tippecanoe county, Indiana,
and purchased a large farm in Randolph township, twelve miles from Lafay-
ette, known as the Pilot Grove farm. He resided there until about 1858,
when he removed to Lafayette, where he lived retired until his death, which
occurred in 1866, in his seventy-ninth year. His widow survived him until
1S83, and died at the age of ninety-one and a half years. She retained her
mental and physical vigor up to the last, and died after a short illness.
They were the parents of nine children, — five sons and four daughters, — of
whom four sons and two daughters are yet living: Colonel John and Will-
iam H., twins; Abraham; T. Jefferson; Hannah, widow of C. H. Garden,
of Philadelphia; and Catharine H., wife of David Morgan, of Philadelphia.

In the common schools of Philadelphia William H. Levering acquired
his education. Under the direction of his father he learned the butcher's
trade, and when only twelve years of age dressed a beef without assistance,
and was started in business by his father when fifteen years of age. The
elemental strength of his character was shadowed forth by his actions and
words. While full of fun and fond of the sports of boyhood, he yet did not

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 219

neglect the serious things of life, and when nine years of age joined a tem-
perance society, to the principles of which he has closely adhered through
life, never using intoxicants in any form. Neither has he used tobacco,
played cards or billiards, nor has he ever uttered an oath; yet these negative
habits, as he says, cut him off from none of the real enjoyments of life.

In 1 85 1 he came directly from Philadelphia to Lafayette, with a stock
of hats and furs, and established the first " one-price " store in the state.
For a few years he conducted business in that line and then sold out to his
younger brother (who yet continues the business) and entered into partnership
with his twin brother in the real-estate and insurance business. This relation-
ship was maintained until 1868, during which time Mr. Levering gained a thor-
ough knowledge of real-estate and insurance law. In consequence his serv-
ices were so frequently in demand to aid in the adjustment of losses by fire
and in other ways that he finally gave up his office work and devoted one-
half of his time to that profession, and adjusted claims throughout the
United States. Some one has said of him: " It is a notable fact that for
more than one-half of his life he has had no occasion to ask for favors or
business." His motto has been, " Create a demand for yourself;' and this
he has often given young men as his definition of success in life. One of the
secrets of his success is probably the system with which he has conducted all
business. For forty-two years he has indexed copies of all his letters, keep-
ing them under three heads, — personal, professional and religious, — and all
letters received by him are indexed and bound in books. Since 1853 his
entire correspondence has been done with two gold pens.

Much of Mr. Levering's life has been devoted to Christian work. Early
surrounded by beautiful Christian influences, he has kept sacredly the spirit
of those early teachings and has conformed his career thereto. He was only
twenty-seven months old when first taken to Sunday-school, and he still has
in his possession a piece of the little dress which he wore on that occasion.
He began leading the singing in Sunday-school when only eight years of age,
and for sixty-four years has continued in the work of training the young
voices to praise the Creator in music. When a lad of only eleven, he began
playing the violoncello by picking up his father's 'cello and practicing unaided
until he had mastered the principles thereof. At the age of fourteen he was
baptized and became a member of the Lower Merion Baptist chnrch, and at
the age of nineteen was elected Sunday-school superintendent, a position
which he has occupied almost continuously since. About forty years ago he
started out as a pioneer in the work of effecting a spirit of union among all
denominations, asking that they unite in the one purpose of serving Christ
and building up his kingdom on the earth. For the past twenty-three years,
as Sunday-school superintendent, he has kept two colored congregations

220 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

together. He goes among all denominations, and is welcomed by all, and
gives his services to the cause gratuitously. He has been president of the
County Sunday-school Union for more than twenty years, and has been
elected to that office for the remainder of his life. He teaches the Interna-
tional series of lessons, but uses the normal method in so doing. He has
been an active member of the Indiana Sunday-school Union since its organi-
zation in 1865, and served for nine years as its president. He was for nine
years a member of the executive committee of the International Sunday-
school Association. In 1875 he organized a Sunday-school union in Vir-
ginia City, Nevada, said to be the first Sunday-school Union organization on
the Sierra Nevada range. For the past seventeen years he has devoted his
entire time to the work of Christianity, conducting conventions, institutes and
normal assemblies, delivering many Bible lectures, in numerous states, and
all without remuneration, defraying his own expenses at all times.

Mr. Levering has also devoted much time to the uplifting of men in his
own city. He has been active in the work of temperance and benevolent
societies, and for many years was president of the Home of the Friendless.
For about fourteen years he has been an associate of the Victoria Institute,
or Philosophical Society, of Great Britain, a relation maintained by corre-
spondence; but in secret or social organizations he has taken little interest.
Entirely unsolicited on his part he was presented a life-directorship in the
American Bible Society of New York, by one who appreciated his work.
Thus from year to year he has labored on for the uplifting of humanity; and
who can measure the beneficial effects of such efforts.'

In 1848 Mr. Levering was united in marriage to Miss Irene Smith, who
died in June, 1854. They had two children. Mortimer, the elder, now a
private banker in Lafayette, married Julia Henderson, a sister of Rev. Dr.
Henderson, and they have one son, Richmond. Eleanor, the younger
child, is the wife of Rev. C. R. Henderson, a professor in the University of
Chicago. They lost their only child, Albert, and now have an adopted
daughter, Edna. On the 30th of October, 1855, Mr. Levering married Miss
Anna Taylor, of Lafayette, a native of Troy, Ohio, who died October 24,
1867. They had three children: William, who died at the age of seven
years; Anna May; and Rozier, who died at the age of three. The daughter
is now the wife of Alfred H. Diver, of Lafayette, and they have two children,
Mortimer L. and Margaret. On the 8th of September, 1869, was celebrated
the marriage of Mr. Levering and Miss Anna Levering Latch. They have a
very pleasant home in Lafayette, containing a fine library, which indicates
the refined literary taste of the owners. This in brief is the history of one
of the most prominent and honored citizens of Tippecanoe county, a man
whose life has been in accord with all the best and highest principles which

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 221

ennoble and uplift humanity. His work has been performed entirely without
thought of self-aggrandizement, his charity without ostentation, and in the
innate modesty which is one of his strong characteristics is also found one of
the elements which have drawn men toward him in ties of friendship and
affection which naught but the bonds of death can sever.

FRANCIS EDWARD LISTER, M. D.

Dr. F. E. Lister, the present president of the White County Medical
Society, and for the past two years its representative to the Indiana State
Medical Association, is a leading physician and surgeon of this portion of
Indiana, his home being in Brookston. Though comparatively a young man,
he has already made rapid progress in his profession and now stands among
the ablest physicians of the state.

William Nimrod Lister, the Doctor's father, has lived on a farm four
miles northeast of Brookston, since 1867, when he purchased eighty acres of
land; but to this he has added another tract of equal size. He was born in
Indiana, but his father, James W. Lister, was a native of Ohio, and was of
Scotch-Irish and English extraction. From his early manhood until his
death at thirty-five, he farmed in Carroll county, Indiana. W^illiam N. Lis-
ter was one of five children, three daughters and two sons. During the
civil war he was drafted, but upon being examined he was found to be physi-
cally unequal to army life and was dismissed. Politically, he is a Republican,
and in religious faith he is a Disciple or Christian. In 1878 he was deprived
by death of his loving wife, whose maiden name was Rebecca Ann Alkire.
She, too, was an Indianian by birth, and a daughter of Samuel Alkire, who
was born in Ohio, and early became a citizen of Tippecanoe and three years
later of White county, this state. He was the father of several children,
three of whom are yet living.

Dr. Francis Edward Lister was born near Chalmers, Indiana, December
26, 1866, and was reared on a farm with his brother and sisters. The
brother, Professor John Thomas Lister, holds a chair in Eureka (Illinois)
College, as teacher of German and French. One sister, Susie, is deceased,
and Jennie S. is the wife of George W. Taylor, of Fargo, North Dakota.

After attending the public schools of his home district Dr. Lister was a
student in the Brookston high school for a period, and later for four terms
went to the Indiana State Normal at Terre Haute. Prior to going to the
normal he taught one term of school and afterward also had charge of a
school for two terms. Then he matriculated in the Indiana Medical College,
and was graduated in 1892. Immediately thereafter he began practicing at
Stone Bluff, Indiana, remaining there for three years, since which he has

-222 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

been established in Brookston, where he has gained the confidence and good
will of all who know him. In 1895 he built a comfortable modern residence
near the corner of First and Railroad streets, and here he and his estimable
wife love to entertain their numerous friends. The Doctor is a member of
the Odd Fellows order, of the Knights of the Maccabees, Modern Woodmen
of America, and' Woodmen of the World, and, with his wife, belongs to the
Daughters of Rebekah, in which they have both held various offices. In
1898 he was a representative of the local lodge to the grand lodge of the
state. He is clerk and examining surgeon of the Modern Woodmen of
America, and is record-keeper and examining physician for the Knights of
the Maccabees. Politically, he is a Prohibitionist.

January 27, 1892, Dr. Lister married Miss Anna M. Burkholder, and
two children — Iva May and Paul B. — have blessed their union. Mrs. Lister's
parents, Christopher and Susan (Titwiler) Burkholder, are wealthy and influ-
ential farmers of Carroll county, Indiana, and have been life-long residents
of that locality. In 1897 the Doctor was chosen assistant secretary of the
county Sunday-school association and at present is the president of the town-
ship Sunday-school association. Both he and his wife are devoted members
of the Baptist church and lend their means and influence to the support of
religious enterprises.

WILLIAM H. DAGUE.

In modern ages, and to a large extent in the past, banks have consti-
tuted a vital part of organized society, and governments, both monarchical
and popular, have depended upon them for material aid in times of depres-
sion and trouble. Their influence has extended over the entire world, and
their prosperity has been the barometer which has unfalteringly indicated
the financial status of all nations. Of this important branch of business
William H. Dague is a worthy representative. He is a member of the well-
known banking firm of Baldwin & Dague, of Fowler, an institution that is so
widely known in Benton county that its proprietors need no introduction to
the reader of this volume. The junior partner of the firm belongs to that
class of citizens to whom success has come as the reward of their own
labors — the outcome of business sagacity, excellent executive ability,
indomitable purpose and unflagging industry. His life record should serve
to stimulate and inspire others who are forced to wrest fortune from the hand
of fate, and in the history of his adopted county he well deserves repre-
sentation.

Mr. Dague was born on the 17th of December, 1844, in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, his parents being Samuel and Phoebe (Conrad) Dague,

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 223

both of whom were natives of Washington county, where the families were
established by German ancestors many generations ago. The parents were
married in the Keystone state, and most of their seven children were born
there. In 1848 they emigrated to the then "far west," and found a home
in the undeveloped country contained in Cass and Fulton counties. The
farm was crossed by the dividing line of those counties, but the house stood
in the latter. Upon that place the parents spent their remaining days, the
father dying in January, 1875, and the other in August of the same year.
At the beginning of the year both seemed in excellent health, but before
another New Year's day arrived both were deceased. All of their seven
children are yet living, the eldest being sixty-two years of age, the youngest
forty-seven years of age.

Upon the original homestead of the family William H. Dague spent his
boyhood days amid the environments of pioneer life, assisting in the labors
of field and meadow through the summer months, while in the winter season
he attended the district schools of the neighborhood. His early educational
privileges were afterward supplemented by study in the State University of
Indiana, in the law department of which he was graduated in the class of
1 87 1. He at once entered upon the practice of law in Logansport, but two
years later went to the Pacific coast in search of a location. Fifteen months
were spent there, within which time he visited a great portion of the then
undeveloped west, but the ties of home and early friendships led him to
abandon his plan of living in California, and accordingly he returned to
Indiana. His first venture in business life in this state was the purchase of
the Monticello Herald, which he conducted successfully for five years, and
during four years of that time he was also postmaster of Monticello. He
edited his paper in the interests of the Republican party and was fearless
and aggressive in his advocacy of its principles. His editorials were not
only pertinent and spicy, but were also convincing in their arguments, and
his paper secured a wide circulation and accordingly was quite profiitable.
On disposing of the Herald Mr. Dague also resigned the position of post-
master, and then, taking an inventory of his possessions, found that he had
cleared seven thousand dollars in the five years. This was practically his
first savings, and formed the nucleus around which he has gathered his
ample fortune.

On retiring from journalism Mr. Dague opened a law office in Monticello,
and also made considerable money there through real-estate dealing and the
loan business. The last named also rendered him somewhat familiar with
the details of the business which was to become his future life work. In
1880 he came to Fowler and organized the Bank of Fowler, the first banking
institution organized in the town. It readily came into popular favor and is

224 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

to-day considered one of the most reliable financial institutions of the state.
Associated with Mr. Dague as senior member of the firm, is Daniel P. Bald-
win, a non-resident, their individual responsibilities being six hundred thou-
sand dollars. These gentlemen are also, conjointly, proprietors of three
other banks, two of which are in Benton county — the Bank of Earl Park
and the Bank of Ambia, while the Bank of Goodland is in Newton county.
In all of these a general banking business is transacted, handling foreign and
domestic exchange, making time or short loans, receiving deposits upon
which interest is paid, and doing all other kinds of general banking business,
A safe, conservative policy has been followed from the first, and under the
able management of the successful financiers who stand at its head the bank
has enjoyed continuous prosperity. Since 1880 Mr. Dague has given no
attention to his law practice, although his knowledge of the principles of
jurisprudence is of great value to him in his extensive and intricate banking
business.

Mr. Dague was married in Indianapolis, in 1876, to Miss Mary A. Mc-
Keehan, a native of Columbus, Indiana. She proved to be a most exemplary
wife and mother, and was a devoted Christian woman whose influence lives
after her. After eighteen years of happy married union, she departed this
life in 1894, leaving the husband and three sons to mourn her loss. The
sons are Samuel McKeehan, a graduate of Wabash College, and now a law
student in Indianapolis; Maynard Conrad, who was for two years a student
in Wabash College, and is now in the gold fields of Alaska; and William H.,
a promising youth of thirteen, now a pupil in the Fowler high school.

In politics Mr. Dague is a stalwart Republican. He has never held
office except to serve as school trustee and a member of the board of educa-
tion. His life has been a very busy one, but he finds time to faithfully dis-
charge the duties of citizenship and support all measures for the public good,
and in manner is cordial and courteous. The strictest integrity has charac-
terized his business career, and his name is a synonym for honorable dealing
in commercial circles. His well-spent life commends him to the regard and
confidence of all, and his friends are many.

JOHN M. SMITH, M. D.

This sterling citizen of Lafayette needs no introduction to the people of
this thriving city, for nearly thirty years have sped by since he cast his fort-
unes with its inhabitants, and from that time to the present he has been
busily occupied in ministering to the needs of the sick and suffering. Fore-
most among the physicians of Tippecanoe county, his skill and general
ability are recognized by all, and his cheerful, kindly face and manner have

^9^^2^^- ^.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 225

a potency in dispelling the gloom of the sick-room and bringing strength and
renewed courage to the sufferer. With the practitioner in no profession are
genuine sympathy and an assured belief in himself and in the wisdom of the
powers of the universe more necessary than in the field of medicine. His
strength, his faith, and his goodness of mind and heart are radiated outward
beyond his knowledge and are reflected in the patient, and, incidentally, in
the minds of the friends of the patient, all acting favorably in the needed
direction.

The birth of Dr. John M. Smith took place in Fond du Lac county,
Wisconsin, August 25, 1847. His parents, William A. and Martha S.
(Watkinsj Smith, who were farmers and early settlers in the Badger state,
were natives of New York state, born and reared in Orange county. Doctor
Smith grew to manhood upon the parental homestead, and after finishing
the course of study in the district schools he entered the Fond du Lac high
school, where he remained some time. Agricultural pursuits were not to his
taste and he determined to become a physician, and with this idea in view
he commenced studying under the direction of a private tutor. Later he
entered Hahnemann Medical College, in Chicago, graduating there in 1869.

Immediately after he had completed his medical work in college, Dr.
Smith came to Lafayette and opened an office. Success came to him as the
result of earnest effort and strict attention to his business, and for years he
has found his time fully occupied and has indulged in but httle leisure. He
is a member of the American Medical Institute, the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and the Masonic order. In the last mentioned he has reached
the Scottish Rite degree and is a noble of the Mystic Shrine. Religiously,
he is a Presbyterian and belongs to the Second Presbyterian church of
Lafayette. In politics Dr. Smith is a Republican. In 1870 the Doctor
married Miss Margaret Waterman, of this city. To this union two daugh-
ters have been born : Fannie and Mariem.

WILLIAM S. WALKER, M. D.

For more than a score of years this leading member of the Tippe-
canoe county medical profession has been a resident of Lafayette, where he
is justly held in high regard. He is a member of the American Medical Asso-
ciation, of the Indiana State Medical Society; and of the Tippecanoe Medi-
cal Society; for fifteen years was physician for St. Elizabeth's Hospital of
this city and has also served as house physician of St. Joseph's Orphan
Asylum in Lafayette. In political circles, no less than in his profession, he
has been a leader, his influence being cast in favor of the platform and nom-
inees of the Democratic party. He has been a city councilman for two

226 ■ BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

years; was a school trustee for three years, and was examining surgeon
for the pension bureau some four years under President Cleveland's admin-
istration.

The Doctor is of Scotch-Irish origin, but for several generations his
ancestors have been citizens of America. His paternal grandfather, James
Walker, was a native of Virginia and thence removed at an early period to
eastern Tennessee. His father, Lovel Walker, was likewise a Virginian.
The parents of the Doctor were Rev. Lovel and Amanda J. (Howell) Walker,
natives of Virginia and eastern Tennessee, respectively. The mother was a
great-granddaughter of one Benjamin Howell, who came from the northern
part of Ireland to this continent about 1730 and settled in the eastern por-
tion of Tennessee, when it was still a part of North Carolina. Rev. Lovel
Walker was a minister of the Missionary Baptist church, a man of strong
convictions of right and duty, and from principle opposed to slavery and
secession, though he and his ancestors had been reared in the atmosphere of
" state rights. " In 1863 he left the south in order to escape being called
to an account for his openly expressed Union sentiments, and continued to
make his home in Newcastle, Indiana, until the war was over, when he
returned with his family to eastern Tennessee. From that time until his
death, at the age of fifty-eight years, he dwelt at Panther Springs, Tennessee.
Had he been physically able he would have joined the Union army, and it
was a matter of deep regret to him that he could not fight for his prin-
ciples.

The birth of Dr. William S. Walker took place in Morristown, Tennes-
see, November 16, 1846. It was his privilege to enjoy an excellent literary
education, and he had graduated in Panther Springs Academy and was in his
sophomore year at the Baptist College, Mossj Creek, Tennessee, when his
father pursuaded him to accompany the family to the north. Returning
when hostilities had ceased, young Walker alternately taught school and
attended Panther Springs Academy for some time, meanwhile taking up the
•study of medicine under the guidance of Dr. Harris, of his home town.
Later he had for his tutor Dr. Rodifer, an able physician of New 'Market,
Tennessee, and while there he attended a course of lectures at the New
Market Medical College, afterward known as the Jefferson County Medi-
•cal College. In 1868 he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended the Miami
Medical College for two terms, after which he resumed his place in the New
Market College, and was there graduated with the degree of Doctor of Med-
icine. In 1869 he received a like degree from the Miami Medical College, and
opened an office at Colburn, Indiana, where he spent seven years. Since
leaving that place he has made his home in Lafayette, and has built up a
very large practice here. In 18S6 he took a post-graduate course in

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 227

the Medical College of Indiana, of which institution he was made a trustee
in 1897 and again in 1898. For the past eight or ten years he has given
special attention to gynecology and to surgical practice, though he still con-
ducts a large general family practice as well. He has always been a great
student, which partially accounts for his marked success in his chosen field of
labor, and his kindly, sympathetic manner brings comfort to the house of
suffering. He stands high in Masonry, being a Mason of the thirty-second
degree, Scottish Rite. Religiously, he is a Methodist, belonging to Trinity
Methodist Episcocal church of Lafayette.

In 1867 Doctor Walker married Miss Mary E. Goettle, who died three
years later, leaving two children, Curtis L. and Elmer C. In 1872 Dr.
Walker married Emma A. Dryer, and their two children are Ray S. and
Estella E.

GEORGE D. PARKS.

Prominent in the legal profession and in political and social circles is
the gentleman whose name forms the heading of this article, and who for
the past five years or more has been a resident of Lafayette. Born in Rich-
mond, Maine, September 29, 1856, he is a son of George W. and Jane A.
(Raudlett) Parks, natives of Maine and Massachusetts, respectively. The
father and also the grandfather, Daniel Parks, were both born, and lived and
died in Maine, respected and esteemed by all who knew them. The great-
grandfather of our subject was one John Parks, a native of Manchester,
England, who, in 1772, emigrated to the United States, and in 1774 settled
at the head of Swan island, in the Kennebec river, in Maine. Parks'
Ferry was named in his honor, and there it was that Benedict Arnold, of
Revolutionary fame, camped on his march to Canada. The maternal grand-
mother of our subject was a Louise Bradley, a lineal descendant of Albert
Morris, who was one of the immortal signers of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. Three of her great uncles died in the British prison-ship, Jersey,
during the Revolution. The name Raudlett is, of course, French in origin,
and thus, along one line, George D. Parks traces his ancestry to France.

He was reared in Richmond, his birthplace, receiving an excellent edu-
cation. Being of a practical turn of mind, he decided to take up the busi-
ness of a civil engineer, and accordingly he entered the University of Maine
and there pursued a full course, graduating with the degree of C. E. in the
Centennial year. For the following three years he practiced his new calling,
but in the meantime took up the study of law, which he found more to his
liking. In 1879 he was admitted to practice by the supreme court of Maine
and established himself in business in Brunswick, that state. During the ten

228 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

years of his residence there he succeeded in building up a fine practice, but,
in 1889, on account of his family's health, he removed to Port Payne, Ala-
bama, and continued there, engaged in his profession, some four years.
In 1893 Mr. Parks removed to Lafayette, vifhere he is prospering as an
attorney-at-law and where he has made a wide acquaintance. He has fre-
quently been appointed to occupy the bench as special judge, and is master
commissioner of the courts of Tippecanoe county.

The Republican party is indebted to Mr. Parks for some very effective
work in its behalf. A man of wide information and research, he has the
courage of his well founded convictions and he is not afraid to publicly give
the reasons "for the faith that is in him." During the memorable cam-
paign of 1896 he delivered twenty-eight impressive, eloquent, forceful
speeches at different places, and he is justly considered one of the ablest
orators of northern Indiana and one of the most thoroughly posted on the
points at issue. Fraternally, he is identified with the Odd Fellows and the
Knights of Pythias.

In 1 88 1 Mr. Parks married Anna S. White, of Bowdoinham, Maine,
and their two sons are Roscoe W. and Morris R. Mr. and Mrs. Parks are
active members of the First Baptist church of this place, he being a trustee
and treasurer of the official board.

CLARK COOK, M. D.

Dr. Cook, who for thirteen years has been one of the pron;iinent physi-
cians of Fowler, has long since established a professional reputation among
the people which places him well up among his brethren. His efforts in the
healing art have been crowned with abundant success, and he is recognized
as a skillful and successful practitioner.

The Doctor was born in Clarksville, Clinton county, Ohio, on the 22d
of March, 1853, a son of William and Elizabeth (Bogan)Cook, both of whom
were natives of Virginia. His father was born in 1785, and his mother in
1807, she being the second wife. They were married in Ohio in 1846. His
father, whose ancestors were of German and Scotch descent, was by trade a
potter and terra-cotta worker, which trade he learned by a regular appren-
ticeship of seven years in Baltimore, Maryland. Soon after their marriage
the parents located at Clarksville, Ohio, and remained there for three years,
eventually removing to Indiana, where both died, the father's death occurring
in Clinton county, in 1870, and the mother's some time afterward, in Boone
county. By the second marriage above referred to there were two sons —
Charles W. and the subject of this sketch. The former is a prosperous farmer
living near Thorntown, Indiana. The mother of our subject was descended

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 229

from German and Irish ancestors, and both famihes were long identified with
the Old Dominion state.

Dr. Cook received his elementary education in the public schools of
Clinton county, this state, and the county high school of Hamilton county,
taking a three-years course in the last named institution. On leaving the
high school he engaged in teaching, in which profession eight of his early
manhood years were spent, mostly in Boone county, this state.

However, his profession being chosen in his boyhood days before he
became fully settled in his mind what he should follow for his life work, he
ultimately determined upon the profession of medicine, and accordingly
began its study, under the tutorship of Dr. C. H. Smith, of Lebanon, Indi-
ana, spending five years in its study while employed in teaching; and these
f]ve years were the period from November, 1876, to 1881, including the
courses of lectures as follows: a special course at Indiana State Medical Col-
lege, at Indianapolis, and two courses at the Kentucky School of Medicine,
where he graduated in 1881. Following this he taught one term of school,
and then engaged in practice at Earl Park, in Benton county, in 1882.
Three years later he came to Fowler and at once entered upon a successful
career as a physician.

Dr. Cook is a gentleman of genial manner, easily approachable, and
these characteristics secured him warm friends, while the recognition of his
professional ability readily brought him a lucrative practice; and this has
continued to the full extent of his ambition, his leisure hours indeed being
very few. His earnings have been invested in various localities, principally
in real estate, which comprises a comfortable home in Fowler, business
property in Danville, Indiana, Danville, Illinois, and in Chicago, besides a
hundred-acre farm in southern Indiana. This property, valued well up
Into the thousands, is the accumulated result of his own earnings.

The Doctor has been honored with official positions of a professional
character, having been secretary of the Benton county board of health
since March, 1888, and in the same year he was appointed a member of
the board of United States pension examiners, — a position he has held
ever since, with the exception of only one year. For the term of two years
— 1892-4 — he was the coroner for Benton county.

Politically, he has been an ardent and uncompromising Republican from
the dawn of his manhood to the present time, in this respect following the
footsteps of his father, who was one of the organizers of the renowned and
" fire-tested " party. Dr. Cook allowed his name to come before the people
of his district as a candidate for nomination as representative from the
counties of Benton and Warren; but professional duties and obligations pre-
vented his making an active canvass, to which personal advancement he is

230 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

somewhat averse, from principle as well as from feelings, and the "other
fellow " carried off the plum. The Doctor has been secretary of the Repub-
lican county central committee, commencing in 1888.

He is prominently identified with the social orders, being a member in
good standing of the Masonic, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and Knights
of Honor fraternities; and he and his wife are also members of the Order of
the Eastern Star. The religious predilections of the family are for the
Christian church.

But in worldly affairs the Doctor is chiefly devoted to his profession,
has a fine professional library, and keeps abreast of the onward march of the
profession. His inclination is rather toward surgery; but in country practice
there is but little call for surgery. He has been surgeon for the Big Four
Railroad Company at Fowler for the last twelve years.

March 5, 1876, is the date of the Doctor's marriage, in Lebanon, Indi-
ana, to Miss Lucinda Ham, who was born in Montgomery county, this state,
November 27, 1852. She is an educated and accomplished lady, a model
companion and a devoted mother. Of their two children, Cars, the eldest,
was born February i, 1877, in Lebanon, Indiana, and died in Fowler, Jan-
uary 28, 1892. This sore bereavement was a severe blow to the loving and
devoted parents. " Ye that e'er lost an angel, pity me," exclaimed the great
poet. Young, who lost a young daughter by the hand of death. Ray M. was
also born in Lebanon, February 28, 1879, and is now a young man with
bright prospects for future success and usefulness. He has enjoyed excellent
educational advantages, possesses a keen perception and readily grasps the
intricacies met in his high-school work. As a representative of one of the
learned professions, in later years, he will no doubt fill an honorable station
as the one upon whom devolves the perpetuation of the family history.

WILMER H. GEMMER.

William H. Gemmer, son of Major Philip and Lydia E. (Smith) Gem-
mer, the present and efficient county surveyor of Warren county, is one of
the popular young men of ability which this county has produced. He was
born in Williamsport, his present residence, on February 7, 1871, and his
education was obtained in the common and high schools of his native city
and at Purdue University. At this latter institution he was graduated in
June, 1894, with the degree of Bachelor of Civil Engineering. Before he
had finished his university course Mr. Gemmer had been placed in nomina-
tion for county surveyor by the Republicans of Warren county, and in the
fall of the same year he was elected to that responsible office by a large and
complimentary majority. By re-election after re-election he is still serving,

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 231

now in his third consecutive term of office. He has also been civil engineer
of Williamsport since 1894. During his incumbency of this office much labor
has devolved on him in this connection. A large number of concrete walks
have been laid, much and important street improvement work has been
accomplished, and the important water-works system has been introduced.
All of these matters have been conducted under Mr. Gemmer's personal
superintendence. In 1896 Mr. Gemmer published a wall map of Warren
county, Indiana, drawn, compiled and corrected by himself, which met with
great commendation and testifies to his accuracy and ability in his profes-
sion. A copy of this map hangs in every school-house in the county.

In fraternal organizations Mr. Gemmer has been a valued member of
several bodies, and at the present writing (June, 1899) is holding the office
of worshipful master of Williamsport Lodge, No. 38, Free and Accepted
Masons. Like his gallant father, he has ever given strong allegiance to the
Republican party.

In June, 1895, Mr. Gemmer was united in holy wedlock with one of
Williamsport's attractive young ladies, Miss Lota M. Biggs, daughter of
Elias A. and Lena (Crane) Biggs. They have two children, — Kathleen and
Philip.

GEORGE A. BECKETT.

For sixty-five years the Becketts have been residents and land-holders
of what is now Kent township, Warren county, and no more honorable,
upright citizens have dwelt in this region. They have led quiet, industrious,
peaceful lives, have ever endeavored to do their whole duty toward God and
man, and have enjoyed the confidence and genuine esteem of all their
associates.

The father of the subject of this sketch', George W. Beckett, was born
in Pickaway county, Ohio, June 10, 18 13, a son of James Beckett, who died
in 1 8 16. About 1822 the widowed mother came to Indiana with her three
children, two of whom were sons. George W. was reared in the home of
his uncle, William Beckett, a pioneer merchant of Perrysville, Vermilion
county, Indiana. In the early part of the '30s the young man came to War-
ren county, and in 1834 he located at Gopher Hill, now included within
Kent township, and, having secured the patent to a tract of one hundred and
sixty-three and four-fifths acres of land, he proceeded to develop and improve
the property, which has never since left the possession of the family, and
now belongs to the subject of this narrative. The patent to the land, which
was first owned by Henry Coons, bears date of April 20, 1826, and is signed
by John Quincy Adams; and this curious old document is now held by the

232 BIOGBAPEICAL HISTORY.

present owner of the farm. George W. Beckett was a Democrat of the Jack-
son school. A devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, he died,
as he had lived, strong in the Christian faith, his death occurring April 12,
1887. He is survived by his widow, who is now living in the town of State
Line, Indiana. She was a Miss Amanda Taylor in her girlhood, her parents
being William and Amasa (Young) Taylor, and her birth took place in Flem-
ing county, Kentucky, August i, 1821. Eleven children were born to G. W.
and Amanda Beckett, and six of the nine who lived to maturity are now liv-
ing, namely: William, whose home is in Iowa; Mrs. A. Powell, of this town-
ship; John, a citizen of Illinois; George A. ; Mrs. Belle Browne, of State Line;
and Mrs. Jennie Jones, of Montgomery county, thig state. James died when
about thirty years of age; Mattie at twenty-five and Josie at thirty. The
father of these children, feeling the great desirability of a good education,
which he had not been able to enjoy himself, was strenuous in his efforts to
procure advantages for them, and was rewarded by seeing each one, with one
exception, as he arrived at mature years, become a teacher.

George A. Beckett, who owns and successfully manages the old Beckett
homestead, was born thereon, July 2, 1855, and he has never known any
other place of abode. He made the best of his educational privileges, and
further improved his mind by special study, and for more than twenty years
he was accounted one of the leading educators of Warren county. He was
actively occupied in teaching from the summer of 1875 until 1895, and in the
meantime gave some attention to farming, as well. He is now diligently
engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and is prospering. In Novem-
ber, 1894, he was elected a trustee of Kent township, and is still acting in
that capacity. He follows in his father's footsteps in regard to politics, but
is not radical, and believes that only good men should be placed in office, no
matter what banner they stand under.

On the 24th of November, 1892, Mr. Beckett married Miss Mabel Swit-
zer, a daughter of Wesley Switzer. She was born in Vermilion county,
Indiana, and by her marriage has become the mother of four children:
Lloyd; Ruth^ Carl, who died in infancy; and Carter H. They have a pleas-
ant home, and are surrounded by many of the comforts and blessings of life.

WILLIAM WILGUS.

William Wilgus, senior member of the real-estate firm of Wilgus &
Schooler, Lafayette, was born in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, near Romney,
August 14, 1849. His parents were Samuel and Mary (Foltz) Wilgus, the
former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Pennsylvania, and of their
family of four children three are living, namely: Albert, William and Susie.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 233

The father was a physician and came to Indiana in 1840, locating at Dayton,
where he practiced for five or six years. He moved from that place to
Romney, where he died in 1856, when only forty-one years of age. His wife
survived him for twenty-five years, passing away in 1 881, on the same day
of the same month, February 3, at the age of sixty years. The father was a
member of the Universalist church, while his wife was a Presbyterian. They
were prominent and highly respected citizens.

The paternal grandfather of our subject, William Wilgus, was of English
descent and a Quaker in his religious belief. He was a long time a resident
of Ohio and died near Lebanon, that state, in 1866, at the advanced age of
ninety years. He was a farmer by occupation. The maternal grandfather,
Jonathan Foltz, was of German extraction and was born in Pennsylvania
and carried on farming, and died when sixty years of age.

The subject of this sketch was reared in Tippecanoe county on his
father's farm, attending the district school in the winter and assisting in the
various duties of a farmer's lad on vacations. He completed his education
at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, and in 1866 began teaching school, which
occupation he followed for the succeeding ten years. From 1876 to 1880 he
held the office of county recorder, and at the close of his term went into the
grain business at Corwin. He has been a member of the present firm of
Wilgus & Schooler for some ten years, they doing a large business in real
estate and also in loans and insurance.

On December 31, 1884, Mr. Wilgus was united in marriage to Miss Ida
M. Brunton, a daughter of John and Emily (Webb) Brunton, and they have
one child, Emily by name. Mrs. Wilgus and her daughter are members of
St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal church, and are active in church work.
Politically, Mr. Wilgus is in sympathy with the Democratic party, and is
always ready to give aid and counsel when called upon. He is a man of
good judgment, well posted on all questions of the day, and is regarded as
an upright, able and successful business man.

MRS. ELIZABETH TAYLOR.

The subject of this sketch, named above, is the widow of John Taylor,
and is a highly esteemed resident of Union township.

The Taylors were of an old colonial family of Virginia. William Taylor,
the father of John Taylor, moved from West Virginia to Indiana with his
family in 1828, settling in Union township, Tippecanoe county, upon land
adjoining the present homestead of Mrs. Taylor. (For a full history of William
Taylor, see sketch of Sylvester Taylor).

John Taylor, his son, was born August 27, 18 16, in West Virginia, and

234 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

was a boy of about twelve years when he came with his parents to Indiana.
Here he was brought up on the farm, meanwhile attaining a common-school
education. During his active business life he was extensively engaged in the
business of dealing in grain, hogs and cattle. In company with his brother
Sylvester, he built a grain elevator at Taylor's station, about 1854, where
they did a large business for many years. He prospered, and for a rarity met
with no reverses, being a man of shrewd foresight. About 1865 he built a
substantial and tasteful brick residence, of brick burned on the premises.

On the 6th of March, 1851, on the Wea Plains, he was united in mar-
riage with Miss Elizabeth Hall, who was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania,
March 22, 1827, a daughter of Major Henry and Mary (Fertig) Hall. The
Hall family were of Scotch-Irish descent. Benjamin Hall, the father of the
Major, came from Ireland at the age of sixteen years, in company with a
wealthy aunt, a Mrs. McGrady. Benjamin Hall was a farmer of Mifflin
county, Pennsylvania, where he passed his life. His children were Henry,
John, James, William, Thomas, Johnson, Benjamin and Robert. Mr. Hall
was a gentleman of quiet manners, was a farmer of good management, a
neighbor of good principles, and carefully brought up his sons in the princi-
ples of industry and honesty. Major Henry Hall was born April 15, 1796,
in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, received a good common-school education
and also became well educated in practical business. He learned the
tanner's trade at Perryville, in his native county, but never followed it as a
life occupation. At the age of twenty-one years, at Perryville, he married
Mary Fertig, who was born April 15, 1801, in that county, a daughter of
John and Elizabeth (Geiger) Fertig. Both the Fertig and Geiger families
were of sterling Pennsylvania-Dutch stock, from the original settlers. John
Fertig was born in the Keystone state, in Dauphin county, was a miller and
farmer by occupation, owned a mill and was an honorable citizen. His only
children were Mary and John. He was a Lutheran in his rehgious connec-
tions, much beloved by all who knew him. Both he and his wife lived to be
about seventy years of age.

Major Henry Hall, after his marriage, continued to reside in Mifflin
county, upon a farm which he purchased. His title was given him on
account of his having been a major of the old Pennsylvania state militia.
The children by the marriage just mentioned, his first, were Catherine, John
P., Elizabeth, Henry J. M., Mary M., William T., B. J. and Joseph M.
After the death of his wife he became a contractor for public works, engag-
ing in canal construction, etc., including work on the early portion of the
Wabash & Erie canal, losing thirty thousand dollars on the last job. He
moved to Indiana in 1844 with his family, but he had been in this state some
years previously. Settling in the Wea Plains, he purchased eight hundred

JBIOGBJPHICAL SIS TOE T. 235

acres of land, which he proceeded to improve, and he added to this other
land: at the time of his death he was the owner of thirteen hundred
acres.

By his marriage, which was in 1844, he was wedded to Miss Julia Price,
a daughter of Judge Price, of Vincennes, and by this union there was one
daughter, named Julia C, who married Hugh Ritchie. Major Hall was a
member of the Presbyterian church. He was a well known pioneer, taking
great interest in public affairs, was a stanch Republican, a county commissioner
for several terms, and finally died at West Point, in his seventy-first year.
He was a man of sound judgment and much respected for his integrity of
character.

Mr. and Mrs. John Taylor began their married life on the homestead still
occupied by Mrs. Taylor, and, with the exception of two years passed in Lafay-
ette for the education of the children, this was their home. The children
are Mary F. , Virginia E., Julia H. and John H. In his religion Mr. Taylor was
a Presbyterian, and Mrs. Taylor is also a member of that church, holding
her membership in the Second Presbyterian church of Lafayette. Mr. Tay-
lor was a man of high moral character, taking an active interest in educa-
tional and religious matters, and in business affairs he was a man of sound
judgment. He died at the age of fifty-five years, August 2, 1871, on the old
homestead.

DAVID B. PURVIANCE.

David B. Purviance is one of the few remaining of the earliest of the
pioneers of Warren county, Indiana, he having come here in 1829, when a
child, with his father, Eleazar Purviance, and family. Eleazar Purviance
was a native of North Carolina, born in 1782, a son of John Purviance, an
officer in the Revolution. From North Carolina Eleazar went to Tennessee,
when a young man, and settled in Giles county, where he resided until his
removal to Indiana, in 1829. Arrived here, he settled on a farm near West
Lebanon, where he lived for many years, — until after his wife died and his
children married and left home. He spent his last years with his children.
Three sons and four daughters composed their family, but all have passed
away except David B. and his sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Caroline Lincoln, of
Tennessee.

David B. Purviance was born in Tennessee March 21, 18 19, and was
about ten years old when he came here with his parents. He well remem-
bers the frontier appearance of the country at that early day. His school
advantages were such as were afforded in the pioneer log school-house,
attending a few weeks each winter. Reared on a farm, he engaged in agri-

236 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

cultural pursuits on his own account when he grew up, and farming has been
his life occupation. He still owns a farm, but is now practically retired,
making his home in West Lebanon, Warren county, where he is well known
and highly respected. He laid out a part of what is known as the north
addition to West Lebanon.

Mr. Purviance was married, at the age of twenty-five years, to Miss
Fanny Hamilton, who died in 1858. They had four children, as follows:
Edward D., a dental surgeon of Attica, Indiana; Mary Frances, deceased;
Fannie, who resides with her brother at Attica; and Lizzie A., also of Attica.
In i860 Mr. Purviance wedded for his second wife Mary M. Beck, who died
in May, 1893. She left three children: Ida V., wife of Frank Burge; Will-
iam E., a surgeon in the regular army, now stationed in Alaska; and Rhoda
A., wife of A. Francis.

Religiously, Mr. Purviance is a member of the Christian church, with
which he has been identified since his twenty-first year.

JOHN B. SHELBY.

This substantial farmer and citizen of Jackson township, Tippecanoe
county, is the head of one of the prominent pioneer families of this section
of Indiana. His father, Isaac Shelby, was a pioneer here who became a
prominent landholder, owning at one time three thousand acres. He was
born in Pickaway county, Ohio, about 1798, a son of David Shelby, who was
a representative of the old Virginia family of that name, prominent in colo-
nial times and in the Revolutionary war.

Isaac Shelby received a common-school education, but, having an acute
intellect for matters of study, he attained an education rather superior to the
average and became a school-teacher, in Pickaway county, Ohio, in which
county he married Jane Boggs, a daughter of John and Sarah (McMicken)
Boggs. Mr. Boggs was a pioneer farmer and a large land-owner there, who
afterward entered land in this county. He was a soldier in the war of 18 12.
His children were William, John, Moses, James, Jane, Lydia and Sydney.
He died in Ohio, at an advanced age.

About a year after marriage Isaac Shelby emigrated to the vicinity of
Terre Haute, Indiana, about 1828, and a short time thereafter removed to
Covington, this state, where he bought land and resided about ten years.
About 1838 he moved to Tippecanoe county, settling on land where John B.,
our subject, now resides. He entered a part of this land and bought more
of a Mr. Ellsworth, at five dollars per acre. In Indiana he owned altogether
about three thousand acres. He improved his home farm and became a
practical farmer, enjoying marked success. He had a good pioneer home.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. • 237

His children were John, David, Moses, Minerva and Sarah, living, and
James, who died at about thirty-five years of age. When Mr. Shelby first
settled on this land he built a pioneer log cabin, but at length he was able to
erect a large and substantial frame house, on nearly the same plan as that of
the domicile now occupied by the subject of this sketch, but of greater
dimensions.

In politics he was an old-line Whig, was a member of the Indiana state
legislature several times, and was a man of prominence and extensive influ-
ence. Both he and his wife were exemplary members of the Methodist
church, and in early days he assisted liberally in the erection of church
edifices at various points in the county. He had two sons in the civil war,
David and James, in the Seventy-second Indiana Cavalry. David served
four years and was in many battles. Mr. Shelby was a man of tireless
industry, a large stock-raiser and dealer in live stock, and handled many
cattle, being a shrewd, practical business man. He left to each of his
children a respectable patrimony, and died aged about sixty years, July
II, 1858.

John B. Shelby, our subject, was born September 27, 1827, in Picka-
way county, and was about one year old when brought by his parents to
Indiana, the journey being made by means of a four-horse wagon. He
received the usual pioneer education, in the typical log school-house, which,
by the way, his father had built on his farm. The seats were flat rails. His
father hired a school-teacher and boarded him, and here young John learned
to read and write and to understand some of the other common branches.

April 23, 1861, when he was about thirty-one years of age, in Pickaway
county, Ohio, he was united in marriage with Miss Margaret A. Beaver, who
was born November 26, 1831, in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, a daughter
of David and Annie (Clapsadle) Beaver. Her father was born near Reading,
that state, of Pennsylvania-Dutch stock. May 28, 1804; and Mrs. Clapsadle
was born in i8oi:they were married November 25, 1824. David Beaver
was a farmer and one of the earliest pioneers of Pickaway county, Ohio. His
children were George W., Mariah, Sarah E., Margaret A., Sarah E. (2d),
Rebecca J., Mary E. , David C. and Samuel E. In his religious faith Mr.
Beaver was a Lutheran. About 1863 he moved to Tippecanoe county,
Indiana, locating in Jackson township, where he bought two hundred acres
of improved land, and here passed his remaining days, and died at the age
of sixty-three years, in 1867. He was a straightforward, upright man.

Since his marriage Mr. Shelby has resided on the Shelby homestead.
He inherited three hundred acres of the land and has added to it until he
now owns about four hundred and fifty acres. His children are George V.
and Jessie. In politics he is a Republican, and both himself and wife are

238 BIOGRJPEICAL HISTORY.

sincere and consistent members of the Methodist church, in which he holds the
office of steward, and has always been a liberal supporter of religious and
moral institutions. In agricultural operations he is extensive and successful,
and hkewise in the shipping of cattle. He is widely and favorably known as
an honest dealer and an honorable citizen.

JOHN CHEESMAN.

An honored veteran of the civil war is John Cheesman, of West Leba-
non, Warren county. He was one of seven brothers, five of whom volun-
teered their services to the Union and heroically suffered the hardships and
dangers of the fierce sectional strife, in order that one iiag should continue
to float, as it now does, over a united country.

Thomas Cheesman, the father of these brave, patriotic sons, was a na-
tive of Scotland, and was a child of eight years when his parents emigrated
to America. His father at one time owned the land on which the present
Jersey City is located, and the elder man continued to live in the state of
New Jersey for years. Thomas Cheesman, a shoemaker, removed to Eagle
Works Village, Center county, Pennsylvania, and from the time that he took
up his residence upon a farm in that section until his death he never lived a
quarter of a mile distant from the place of his first settlement there. He
married Silence Mallory, and they became the parents of eight sons and four
daughters. Four sons and two daughters are living (1898), namely: John;
Roland, an employe of the pension department at Washington; Thomas
Calvin, now a resident of Broadtop, Pennsylvania; James I., of Colorado;
Mary, of Howard, Pennsylvania; and Mrs. Nora Taylor, of Belief onte, same
state. Mrs. Louisa Evans died several years ago, and the other daughter
died in infancy. Wentworth died when a babe, and Alpheus died in May,
1897. The other sons are mentioned below.

When the first gun of the civil war was fired, stern zeal filled the hearts
of the Cheesman brothers, and one by one they abandoned all else and
went forth to battle for their beloved land. Roland was a major in the
Forty-fifth Pennsylvania Regiment, and led his men in the famous charge
on the Confederate works in front of Petersburg, after the great mine explo-
sion. He was many times wounded, and was taken prisoner by the enemy.
His leg was so badly injured that it was amputated by the Confederates,
and after some time had elapsed, when he was almost dying, he was ex-
changed and was taken good care of by sympathetic northerners, and
eventually recovered. William, a gallant soldier, was killed at the battle
of Spottsylvania. Thomas C. served in the One Hundredth Regiment of
Pennsylvania Volunteers. Constance I., a member of the Seventy-ninth

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 239

Pennsylvania Infantry, faithfully stood at his post of duty until exposure and
privations undermined his health, and his life paid the penalty.

John Cheesman was born in Center county, Pennsylvania, March 2,
1839, and was reared there, learning the trade of blacksmith as soon as he
had attained suitable years. He was one of the very first men of his native
state to respond to the president's call for troops after Fort Sumter was
fired upon, the date of his enlistment being April 21, 1861. He became a
member of the First Pennsylvania Cavalry, which was one of the fifteen regi-
ments constituting the famous Pennsylvania Reserves, to whose gallant serv-
ices were due soma of the most illustrious Union victories of the war.
The first battle in which Mr. Cheesman took part was Ball's Bluff, where Gen-
eral Baker and many of his brave men fell. Then followed innumerable
engagements with the enemy, among them being Falmouth, Cedar Mountain
second battle of Bull Run, Monocacy, Harrisonburg, the Shenandoah valley,
campaign, under General Fremont, Deep Bottom, North Anna, Spottsyl-
vania, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. In the last named the remnant of
the Pennsylvania Reserves occupied Cemetery Ridge, and three times the
Confederates, including what was known as the Louisiana Tigers, made des-
perate charges, striving to take the ridge, but each time were repulsed by our
brave boys, with fearful slaughter. No more fierce fighting took place in the
famous three days' battle at Gettysburg proper than this struggle for the
possession of Cemetery Ridge, and nowhere were the rebels more signally
defeated. In 1864 Mr. Cheesman took part in General Grant's campaign
in Virginia, and was active in the battles of the Wilderness, Petersburg,
Ream's Station, etc. After the last named battle he was mustered out, by
reason of the expiration of his term of enlistment. He had served four
months in the state troops of Pennsylvania and upon August 23, 1861, he had
enlisted in the United States army, and now, at the close of the three years
for which he had volunteered, he was honorably discharged, in August,
1864.

Returning home, John Cheesman resumed his accustomed duties, his
home being in Venango, Pennsylvania, until 1866, when he removed to West
Lebanon. Here he carried on a blacksmith shop for thirty years, and is well
known and esteemed. By industry and honest labor he has accumulated a
competence, and his integrity as a man and citizen has always been above
question. He has been faithful and true in all the varied relations of life,
and as far as known, he has no enemies, but all wish him well.

On the 4th of October, 1865, Mr. Cheesman married Mary E. Swaney,
a daughter of John and Mary Ann (Furey) Swaney, who were, respectively, of
Irish and Scotch ancestry. Mrs. Cheesman was born at Bellefonte, Pennsyl-
vania, and is one of twelve children. Her mother was lost in the fearful

240 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

" Johnstown disaster ", of 1889, being a passenger on the ill-fated railroad
train which was overwhelmed by the rushing flood. The only child of our
subject and his estimable wife is Mary, wife of Kemper Aherns, of Attica,
Indiana. She was born March 17, 1875. Mr. and Mrs.Cheesman are active
members of the Presbyterian church, and are always ready to lend a helping
hand to the poor and needy.

JOHN C. WEBSTER, M. D.

One of the prominent physicians of Indiana, for more than twenty years
Dr. Webster has been a member of the Tippecanoe Medical Society, in
which he has served as president, and, in addition to this, he belongs to the
Indiana State and American Medical Associations. During President Arthur's
administration he was one of the Tippecanoe county board of pension exam-
ing physicians and surgeons, and in the same capacity served four years
under President Harrison. The Indiana state board of medical registration
and examination of would-be medical practitioners was instituted April 29,
1897, and Governor Mount appointed Dr. Webster as a member of this
board. That year he acted as president of the same and is still connected
with the board. He was also president of the special state board which ex-
amined applicants to the medical department of volunteers in the late Span-
ish-American war. His high standing as a physician and the authoritative
weight of his opinion are plainly evinced by the numerous instances in which
he has been publicly referred to and consulted.

Dr. J. C. Webster is an only son, and when, at the age of barely twenty
years, in his youthful enthusiasm, he determined to enlist in the Union army
and offer his life, if need be, in the noble cause of patriotism, it was a trying
ordeal for his family; but they nobly gave him up, and with pride and anxi-
ety followed him in spirit through the long, dreadful years of carnage on
southern battle-fields.

It was on October 15, 1861, that he enlisted as a private in Company
G, Fortieth Indiana Infantry, and upon being mustered in on the 30th of
December he was made assistant sergeant. Ordered to Bardstown, Ken-
tucky, he remained there on duty until February 6, 1862, when his regiment
was attached to the Twenty-first Brigade, Fifth Division of the Second Army
Corps, Army of the Ohio. Eight months later his regiment was transferred
to the Second Brigade, First Division of the left wing of the Army of the
Cumberland, and in January, 1863, it became a part of the Second Brigade,
First Division of the Twenty-first Corps. In October, 1863, the regiment
became a part of the First Brigade, Second Division, Fourth Army Corps,
and continued there for a year. On the 7th of February, 1862, Dr. Web-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 241

ster's command was started on a march to Nashville, Tennessee; there they
were ordered to reinforce the Army of the Tennessee, and after participating
in the battle of Shiloh went in pursuit of Bragg, following him from August
21 to October 15, and going from Louisville, Kentucky; and after fighting in
the engagement at Perryville they returned to Nashville, arriving there on
Christmas day. No time was lost, for they were ordered on toward Mur-
freesboro, and were participants in the Lauverne fight, December 26-27; the
battle of Stone river, December 30-31 and January i to 3. From that time
until the following June they were stationed chiefly at Murfreesboro; from
the 24th of that month up to July 8 they were in the Tullahoma campaign,
including the engagement at Liberty Gap June 25-27; next were in the
Chickamauga campaign from August 16 to September 22.

Young Webster was in the siege of Chattanooga, September 24 to
November 23, and was actively engaged in the battles of Chattanooga,
Orchard Knob and Mission Ridge; at the last named being wounded while
leading his company in a gallant charge up the famous ridge. In the Atlanta
campaign the following summer he took part in the battles of Tunnell Hill,
May 7, 1864; Buzzards' Gap, May 6; Rocky Face Ridge, May 8; Resaca,
May 13-15; Adairsville, May 17-1S; Cassville, May 19-22; was in numerous
encounters with the enemy near Dallas, New Hope Church, Pumpkinsville
creek and Altoona Hills; in operations at Pickett's Mill, Marietta and Kene-
saw Mountain, June 9-27, the latter including Pine Hill, June 11-14; Lost
Mountain, June 15-17; Muddy Creek, June 17, and Pine Knob, June 19. In
the assault of Kenesaw Mountain, June 27, our hero was wounded in both
legs by gunshots, while he was leading his company in the van of a storming
party. Deeply to his regret, these wounds closed his army career, for it was
found that he was too greatly disabled for further service, and he was granted
an honorable discharge, October 14, 1864. To the gallantry and faithful-
ness to duty of such men this nation owes its existence and preservation, and
too much honor cannot be paid them. For over a quarter of a century the
Doctor has been identified with the Grand Army of the Republic, and in
1890 he became a member of the Indiana Commandery of the Military
Order of the Loyal Legion. A Knight Templar Mason, he has borne an
active part in that fraternity, as well.

One of the early pioneers of Tippecanoe county was William Webster,
the paternal grandfather of our subject. Born near Newmarket, Canada,
and of English ancestry, William Webster entered five hundred acres of
land in this county, about 1825, and locating in Randolph township, resided
there until his death, many years later, at a good old age. Of his two sons
and four daughters, Elijah was the Doctor's father. He also was born in
Canada, and passed his whole life, after the year 1825, in this county. He

242 BIOGRAPfflCdL HISTORY.

was occupied in farming on a large scale, and was prosperous and highly
respected. For his wife he chose Nancy, daughter of William Stewart;
another pioneer of this region. The young couple settled near Sugar Grove,
and there reared their five children, a son and four daughters.

Dr. J. C. Webster, as already stated, was their only son. His birth
took place on the old homestead in Randolph township, September 29, 1841,
and his primary education was such as the district schools afforded. Subse-
quently he attended the Sugar Grove Institute, and began his medical studies
under the tutelage of Dr. John Simison, of Romney, Indiana. His ambi-
tious plans were set aside about this time for the duty which he felt para-
mount to all others, the duty which he owed his beloved country, and when
he returned home, broken down in health, some time elapsed ere he was
able to take up the broken strands of life. His medical education was com-
pleted in Rush Medical College, Chicago, by his graduation there February
2, 1870. Immediately thereafter he located in Romney, Indiana, where he
practiced for ten years. Since 1880 he has been successfully engaged in
practice in Lafayette, his reputation for skill and general efficiency and thor-
oughness in his profession growing steadily as the years roll by. Politically,
he has been an interested witness of the success of the Republican party
principles and policy, giving his own influence to aid in the grand result.

In 1876, Dr. Webster married Sallie M. Jones, daughter of the late Dr.
Stephen Jones, a distinguished citizen of this county, for years noted as an
extensive farmer and stock-raiser. Dr. Webster and wife have but one child,
Mary E.

WILLIAM H. HERSHEY.

William H. Hershey, of Perry township, Tippecanoe county, Indiana,
is a representative of one of the pioneer famihes of this county, and is
ranked as one of its substantial and highly respected citizens.

Jacob Hershey, the grandfather of William H., was born in Maryland,
the son of German parents. He was a farmer, owned a good farm and a
comfortable home, and reared a large and highly respected family. His
children were John, Henry, Joseph M., Quincy, Catherine, Mrs. Gardner,
Mrs. Carson, Mrs. Specard, Mrs. Reader, Mrs. Horner, Jacob and Hannah.
The last named died in Maryland. Grandfather Hershey was .blind for
many years before his death.

Joseph M. Hershey, son of Jacob and father of William H., was born in
Washington county, Maryland, where he grew up, and when a young man
learned the trade of potter. He was married in his native state, June 18,
1833, to Maria Witter, and to them were born a large family of children, five

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 243

of whom died young. Of the others we record that the eldest was born in
Washington county, Maryland, and the others in Tippecanoe county. Indiana,
their names and dates of birth being as follows: Lorena C, born June 28,
1834; Frances M., February 13, 1839; William H., February 6, 1841; Indiana
C, February 27, 1845; Lafayette G. , February 13, 1850, died at the age of
sixteen years; David C, September 13, 1852; and Laura C, October 24,
1854. In 1834 Mr. Hershey, accompanied by his wife and their first born,
made the journey to Indiana in a two-wheeled vehicle called a gig. He had
previously purchased land in Tippecanoe county, consisting of one hundred
and eighty-four acres, in section 16, Perry township, covered with a dense
forest and with no improvements whatever. He cleared his land, erected
substantial and comfortable buildings for those times, and in time purchased
additional land, making a fine farm of four hundred and twenty-four acres.
Here he lived and prospered, and was well known both as a farmer and
minister.. He had joined the United Brethren church when a very young
man, and began to preach the gospel when about nineteen years old. As
one of the pioneer ministers of his church in Tippecanoe county he was a
potent factor for good, and it was largely through his efforts that the United
Brethren church was established here. He was also one of the founders of
the St. Joseph conference. He preached all over northern Indiana, making
his trips on horseback, and was one of the best known of the pioneer minis-
ters of his denomination. In 1871 he moved to Dayton, Indiana, and there
made his home. His first wife died February 3, 1875, and for his second
wife he married Mrs. Arbelia Markwood, widow of Bishop Markwood, of the
United Brethren church. In 1877 Mr. Hershey went to Virginia, where he
lived one year, there continuing his ministerial work, and at the end of that
time returned to Indiana. He afterward made several trips to Virginia.
His first work in the ministry was as a circuit rider in Maryland and Virginia,
that being before he first came to Indiana, and both in the east and in
pioneer Indiana his earnest efforts were crowned with success. Politically,
he was in early life an old-line Whig. Later he identified himself with the
Republican party, and was a strong Union man. He was twice elected to
the Indiana state legislature, in 1863 and 1865, and as a member of that
honorable body discharged his duties with much ability and credit to himself
and his constituents. In all matters he was a man whose judgment was
much respected by the people, and in various ways his history was closely
linked with that of Tippecanoe county. For eight years he was a justice of
the peace in Perry township, and he was a member of the board of county
commissioners three years.

William H. Hershey, the immediate subject of this review, as already
stated, is a native of the " Hoosier" state, and was ushered into life Feb-

244 BIOGRJPMICJ.L HISTORY.

ruary 6, 1841. His early education was received in one of the primitive log
school-houses of Perry township, Tippecanoe county, and he was brought up
a farmer. August 10, 1862, he enlisted, at Lafayette, Indiana, as a private
in Captain Charles A. Maylor's company, the Sixteenth Light Artillery, for
three years or during the war, and was honorably discharged at Indianapolis,
Indiana, July 7, 1865, on account of the war being over. His services were
mostly on the fortifications of Washington. During his service he escaped
wounds, was sick and in hospital only a short time, and made a record as a
brave, true soldier.

He is one of the few men now living who were in Ford's theater, Wash-
ington, when John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln. He was attend-
ing the play with four of his comrades, and his seat was in the front row of
orchestra chairs, nothing between him and the stage. He saw the president
and party enter and seat themselves in the box. The play ceased and the
band played " The Star Spangled Banner " in his honor. The president's
box was at the right of Mr. Hershey and in plain view. Mr. Hershey saw
Booth between the scenes as he came on the stage, looking through a door.
Soon afterward he heard the shot, and, looking toward the president's box,
saw Booth rush around the president and jump from the box. His spur
caught in the flag which draped the president's box, and he fell. Major
Rathburn, who was in the president's box, seized Booth by the arm; Booth
struck the major across the hand with a knife, and, springing to the stage,
exclaimed " Sic semper tyrannis" and fled through the scenery without
facing the audience or making any stop. The cry, " The President is assas-
sinated!" immediately arose and the audience began to rush out. Mr. Her-
shey passed out as the guards were bearing the president down the stairs, and
was near,enough to touch him. The scene is indelibly impressed upon his
mind. The excitement was tremendous. Mr. Hershey, being stationed at
Arlington Heights, well knew that the bridge would be closed to travel to
prevent the escape of the assassin. He and his comrades made haste to
cross the Georgetown bridge; the command to halt everyone reached the
guards, and he and his companions were the last to cross over that night.

After the war Mr. Hershey returned to Tippecanoe county and resumed
farming, and has been interested in farming operations ever since. He owns
the Hershey homestead, two hundred and fifty acres, which, under his man-
agement, has been greatly improved. For some time past, however, he has
resided in Dayton.

Mr. Hershey was first married in 1S67, in Tippecanoe county, to Miss
Frances Ketrow, who died October 29, 1872, leaving three children, — Alvin
O., Sylvester J. and Elva T. His second wife, whose maiden name was
Elizabeth Morrison, he wedded April 27, 1873. She was born in Lafayette,

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 245

Indiana, October 3, 1852, daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Fineral) Mor-
rison, natives of Ireland, who, after their marriage, came to this country and
settled at Lafayette, Indiana. In the Morrison family the children who
grew to maturity were Levina, who married Joshua Gard; Ella, who became
the wife of Alfred Whistler and died at the age of twenty-seven years; and
Elizabeth, wife of William H. Hershey. Mr. Morrison went to California
in 1852, as a gold-seeker, making the journey overland, and about a year
after his return to Indiana died of consumption. He and his wife were mem-
bers of the Catholic church. By his present wife Mr. Hershey has the fol-
lowing named children: William L., Harry E., David C, Victor and
Florence L. Mr. Hershey adheres to the religious faith in which he was
reared, that of the United Brethren church, Mrs. Hershey also being a mem-
ber of the same, and politically he is a Republican.

GEORGE N. DUNN.

George N. Dunn, of the firm of Chilcote & Dunn, attorneys at Rensse-
laer, is one of the younger lawyers of the Jasper county bar. He is a native
of Massachusetts, born October 19, 1871, a son of Isaac D. and Nancy B.
(Coffin) Dunn. His father is a native of Cumberland county, Maine, and
his mother is a native of the Bay state. Isaac D. Dunn is a prominent
farmer and stock-raiser of Kankakee township, this county, where he has re-
sided ever since 1873.

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood on his father's farm, form-
ing those habits of industry and probity which are essential to true and lasting
success in life. He graduated at the high school in Rensselaer in the class
of 1890, and for the first year after that was employed in the Citizens'
State Bank, of the city. In 1895 he graduated at the De Pauw University,
at Greencastle, this state, receiving the degree of Ph. D. In 1896 he gradu-
ated in the law department of the university at Indianapolis, and on January
I, 1897, began the practice of his chosen profession at Rensselaer. His in-
herited capacities and his acquired qualifications assure him success in his
noble calling.

RUFUS FRIBBLE.
A veteran of the Mexican war and a life-long resident of the section of
Indiana in which he now dwells, Rufus Fribble is one of the pioneers of
western Indiana, and few men are better known hereabouts than he. It has
been his good fortune to travel extensively and to see much of this wonderful
country; and it would be hard to find a man better posted and more enter-

246 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

taining as a conversationalist. His experiences in life have been very diver-
sified and full of interest at some periods, but many decades have been spent
by him in the quiet routine of agriculture, in which calling he has been pros-
pered.

Bernard Pribble, the father of our subject, was born in Virginia in 1785
and grew to maturity in that state. He then went to Kentucky, where he
met and married Amelia Carr, and soon afterward the young couple removed
to Circleville, Ohio. For many years Bernard Pribble was engaged in flat-
boating down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, this being prior to the era of
the steamboat. He made no less than thirteen trips to New Orleans on flat-
boats and each time returned the whole distance on foot! After coming to
Fountain county, Indiana, he made about as many more voyages to the
Crescent City, taking provisions and supplies, for which he found a ready
market in the south. He established a ferry at Portland, Indiana, and, it
being on the regular route of emigrants going westward, he derived a good
income from this source. He owned and operated the ferry until his death,
in 1839, and his heirs then managed it until the building of a bridge across
the Wabash at Covington diverted the travel to that point. Bernard Pribble
bought and improved land on both sides of the river, and was noted for his
energetic business methods. His wife survived him some fifteen years, and
eight of their children grew to maturity. Two of the five sons and one of
the three daughters are yet living. Silas, the eldest, is a resident of Prairie
du Chein, Wisconsin. Gabrielle, the daughter, is the widow of Charles
Hansicker.

Rufus Pribble was born at Portland, Fountain county, only about half a
mile from his present home, September 24, 1828. At the age of sixteen
years he went to Covington, Indiana, and there learned the tailor's trade,
which business he followed for ten or twelve years. In 1846 he enlisted in
Company D, First Indiana Volunteer Infantry, his captain being Robert M.
Evans. This was one of the three regiments which this state raised for the
Mexican war, and Mr. Pribble served for a year, the whole term of his en-
listment. After his return home he resumed work at his trade. In 1850 he
went to California with the gold-seekers, and after crossing the Missouri
river was one hundred days on the trip across the plains. Upon arriving in
the Golden state he at once went to Coloma, where Captain Sutter's employe
had first discovered gold, and in fact he worked in the identical race where
the precious metal had first been found. He and his companions made about
sixteen dollars a day, but at the end of a week concluded to search for more
profitable diggings. They went thence to Nevada City and worked at various
places, but chiefly at Stony Point, on the north branch of the middle fork of
the American river. After an absence of three and a half years Mr. Pribble

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 247

returned home, by way of the isthmus of Panama. He then made his home
for many years on the old farm which had been the scene of his boyhood
days, and the rest of his Hfe he has either resided in West Lebanon or on
his farm in Pike township, Warren county, where he is to-day. Always very
fond of travel, he was one of the "Pilgrims" so often referred to in this
work, who in the fall of 1891 made their memorable tour through the west-
ern states, having a most enjoyable time. Mr. Pribble then visited the iden-
tical spot where he had delved for gold forty years before and found men
working the same mine and even the same shaft that he had formerly used.
He has been a patriotic citizen and has given his allegiance to the Repub-
lican party since Lincoln's first election.

In 1856 Mr. Pribble married Prudence Porter, who was born twenty
years before in a cabin only a few rods distant from her present home. Her
father, Elias Porter, passed away many years ago, but her mother, now in
her eighty-fourth year, lives with her. One son and two daughters were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Pribble: Florence, who married Frank McBroom and
is deceased; Bertha, who is the wife of J. W. Rhodes and resides in Chicago;
and William, the only son, who married Miss Laura L&ke and lives on the
old homestead, which he is managing with ability.

HENRY WOODHAMS.

Warren county has been peculiarly fortunate in her citizens of for-
eign birth, who are almost without exception intelligent, enterprising and
progressive men and loyal to the country of their adoption. Among the
representative farmers of Warren county is found the subject of this sketch,
whose birth-place was near Alfirston, Sussex county, England, the date of his
birth being July 8, 1841. His parents came to America in 1851, on a sail-
ing vessel which consumed six weeks in making the voyage. They landed
at New York city, whence his father came to Indiana and located at Lafay-
ette, residing there some two years, engaged in the mercantile business.
He then removed to Warren county, Indiana, where he followed farming for
two years, and from there went to Benton county, same state, where he
purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land near Pond Grove. At
this place the parents are still residing. His father, George Woodhams, was
married to Miss Anna Brooker, and their children were: Herbert (deceased);
Alfred; Philip, now of Colorado; Frederick, of Benton county; Anna (Mrs.
John Foster), deceased; Henry; Ellen (Mrs. J. H. Bartindale); Mary (Mrs.
Henry Foster); Clement, Louisa, Thomas and Edwin (who died young).

Henry Woodhams remained upon his father's farm until twenty years
of age, when the civil war broke out and with many of his young compan

248 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

ions he offered his services to the government. He enlisted September i8,
1 86 1, in Company D, Tenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for three years,
and was mustered in at Indianapolis. His regiment was sent to Louisville,
Kentucky, and the first engagement in which he took part was at Corinth.
Other battles in which he saw active service were those of Salt river, Perry-
ville, Tullahoma, Hoover's Gap, Buzzard's Roost, siege of Atlanta, and
other less important conflicts. He was honorably discharged at Indian-
apolis, September 24, 1864, and, returning to his father's house, began work-
ing out on a farm, where he remained for three years. The following three
years he lived on a rented farm in Benton county, subsequently coming to
Medina township, Warren county, where he rented land and four years later
purchased the farm he now occupies and where he has resided since 1874.
His land comprises one hundred and thirty-three acres and is situated on
sections 14 and 21, four miles east and one mile south of Pine Village. Here
he carries on general farming and stock-raising and has been very successful
in all his undertakings.

In politics Mr. Woodhams has always been a Republican and a leader
in his party. He was elected county commissioner of Warren county in
1894 for a term of three years, at the expiration of which he was re-elected
by a majority of over nine hundred votes. He has proved an able and
popular official and since filling that office he has been instrumental in
reducing the county debt many thousands of dollars, earning the gratitude of
his fellow citizens and demonstrating his ability as a financier.

The marriage of our subject took place September 5, 1867, Miss Lucy
C. Turman becoming his wife. Of this union six children have been born:
Minnie, who is teaching school; Thomas, a farmer in White county; Daisy,
the wife of William Clawson, a farmer in Warren county; Annie, Hving at
home; Nellie and Carrie, both pupils in the Oxford high school.

Mr. Woodhams is a self-made man in the strictest sense of the word,
having had but few opportunities for an education and having attained his
present position by his industry, perseverance and individual merit. He is
a member of the Odd Fellows' fraternity, holding place in Otterbein Lodge,
No. 605; and is also a member of Otterbein Post, No. 206, G. A. R.., and is
a supporter of the Methodist church.

GABRIEL MYERS.

A representative of the agricultural interests of Tippecanoe county,
Gabriel Myers was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, October 24, 1825,
and is descended from sterling Pennsylvania-Dutch ancestry. His father,
John Myers, was a farmer of that county, was born July 21, 1793, and was a

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 249

son of John Myers, Sr. On the 28th of October, 18 15, in the county of his
nativity, the father of our subject wedded Mary Smith, who was born January
18, 1794. Mary Smith was a daughter of Jacob Smith, who was a farmer of
York county, Pennsylvania, where he owned a good farm and reared a large
family. His children were Joel, John, Jacob, Peter, Darius, Mary, Annie
and Rebecca. Mr. Smith died in Adams county, Pennsylvania. Mary
Smith Myers died August 9, 1833. The children of John Myers, Jr., the
father of our subject, were George, Mary, Margaret, Harriet, Susannah,
Gabriel, and Elizabeth, who died, a married woman, many years ago. All
these children are now deceased excepting Gabriel and Susannah. John
Myers, Jr., resided on the old family homestead, which was situated on the
Baltimore and Carlisle turnpike, and was known as the Round Hill farm.
There it was that at an early day John Myers, Sr. , the grandfather of our sub-
ject, built the old stone tavern wherein he entertained the public for many
years. He married a Miss Sherman, and their children were Peter, Jacob,
John, and Peggy, who married a Mr. Shafer; two sisters who married brothers
of the name of Chronister, and one, whose name is not remembered, but
who married Peter Deerdorff. The father of this family lived to an advanced
age. His son, John Myers, Jr., died August 19, 1828, in Adams county,
Pennsylvania, at the early age of thirty-five years, and it was about the same
time that his father was called to his final rest. In his religious belief the
father of our subject was a Lutheran, and was an upright man, respected by
all who knew him.

Gabriel Myers was only three years of age when his father died, at which
time a wealthy cousin of the latter, Captain John Myers, was appointed his
guardian. He attended school but little, for his mother died when he was
between seven and eight years of age, and he was then bound out to a
farmer, Abner S. Binder, with whom he remained until sixteen years of age.
Through the succeeding three years he was apprenticed to a blacksmith, who
instructed him in that trade, which Mr. Myers afterward followed in Adams
county, Pennsylvania, for a year, and then turned his attention to farming.
He was married in 1849 and located in the village of Middleton, after which
he removed to a farm a mile east of the town. He carried on agricultural pur-
suits in that neighborhood for about ten years, and then purchased thirteen
acres of land near Gettysburg, where he made his home for seven years. On
the expiration of that period he went to York county, Pennsylvania, where
he rented a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, whereon he made his home
for three years, a period which embraced the latter part of the war. In
1862, while in Adams county, he was drafted as a soldier for the Union
army, but hired John Jacobs to go as his substitute. At the time of the
-battle of Gettysburg he was living on a farm in York county, and thirty

250 EIOGRAPHICAL HIS TORT.

thousand men of Lee's army marched across his land, but did littl^ damage.
He and some of his neighbors saved their horses by taking them into the
mountains two miles away, where, cutting a clearing in the midst of the
hazel brush, they hid the horses for two and a half days, although the rebels
passed within two hundred yards of them.

On the 4th of October, 1849, in Adams county, Pennsylvania, Mr. Myers
married Miss Mary Slaybaugh, who was born in that county November 17,
1S26, a daughter of John Henry and Mary (Rice) Slaybaugh. Her father
was born in Adams county May 5, 1786, and was a son of John Slaybaugh.
The former was a brick-layer, mason and farmer in Adams county. He
carried on agricultural pursuits until old age, when he went to live with his
daughter, Rebecca. During his business career he was known for his indus-
try, perseverance and enterprise, and worked hard at his trade and upon his
farm. He was a member of the Lutheran church, was an honorable man
and enjoyed the confidence and good will of all with whom he came in con-
tact. He lived to be ninety-two years of age, and died March 28, 1878.
His children were Rebecca, Eva, Anna, Barbara, Mary and Henry. During
their residence in Pennsylvania four children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Myers — Susan E., John H., William E. and Mary J. — and after their arrival
in Indiana twins were added to the family, to whom they gave the names of
George E. and Calvin A.

On their arrival in Tippecanoe county, in March, 1866, Mr. Myers be-
gan farming in Perry township upon a farm of eighty acres, which was cov-
ered with timber, a little cabin being the only improvement on the place.
He cleared the farm by patient effort, and with the assistance of his faithful
wife made a good home. He erected a substantial residence and barn ; as
the years have passed he has made other excellent improvements, and has
purchased an additional eighty-acre tract, which, now in a highly cultivated
condition, yields to him a good income. He has prospered by economy and
industry, and is now accounted one of the leading farmers of the community.
Both he and his wife are members of the United Brethren church, in which
he has served as trustee. He was also a member of the building committee
during the erection of the house of worship. In politics he is a Democrat,
but has never sought office, preferring to give his time and attention to his
business interests, in which he has met with good success.

GEORGE W. BOYLES.

A representative of the agricultural interests of Tippecanoe county and
a veteran of the civil war, is George W. Boyles, who was born in Clinton
county, Indiana, December 7, 1840, and is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 251

(Jones) Boyles. The family is of English origin, and the grandfather,
Daniel Boyles, came from England to America with his father, locating in
Kentucky, where he was reared and married. His children were Joseph,
McHatton, John and Samuel. At an early day he removed to Ohio and
made his home in the vicinity of Lebanon.

Samuel Boyles, father of our subject, was born three miles from Lex-
ington, Kentucky, July 6, 1805, and during his' boyhood accompanied his
father to Ohio, where he grew to manhood. After attaining his majority he
married Miss Elizabeth Jones, who was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, December
21, 1807, and was a daughter of Erasmus Jones. The marriage of Mr. and
Mrs. Boyles was celebrated October i, 1829, and they began their domestic
life on a farm in the Buckeye state, where they lived for some years. They
then removed to CHnton county, Indiana, locating six miles north of Frank-
fort. Samuel Boyles "blazed" his way from Frankfort to his land, and
there in the midst of the forest improved a farm of eighty acres. He built
a log cabin and cleared about forty acres of his land, after which he came to
Tippecanoe county, in March, 1846, locating in Sheffield township, where
he rented land for a time. Later he purchased a farm in Perry township,
upon which he resided for a few years, when he removed to his farm of one
hundred and sixty acres in Sheffield township, one mile north of the farm
belonging to our subject. There the father cleared his land and carried on
agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred April 15, 1883, when
he had reached the age of seventy-eight years. His wife passed away on
the 15th of January of the same year. Mr. Boyles was a prominent member
of the Methodist church, and while living in Clinton county served as class-
leader. His political support was given the Republican party. His life was
an active and useful one, characterized by industry in business affairs and
faithfulness in all relations. He reared an excellent family, and the name
of Boyles is one which everywhere commands respect. His children are
Martha M.; Erasmus M. , who died in Ohio, in childhood; Janie; Elizabeth^
Daniel; George W. ; Jonathan R. ; Malinda, who died at the age of two
years; Branton A. and Barton. The father of this family was a strong
Union man, and three of his sons served their country in the war of the
Rebelhon, namely: Jonathan, Daniel and George W. The first named
served for three years in the Indiana cavalry and participated in many
battles. Daniel was in the Tenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was
afterward in the regiment with our subject. He was at the front for three
years, and in many hotly contested battles manifested his loyalty to the
Union cause.

George Boyles was a child of six years when he came with his parents
to Tippecanoe county. He pursued his education in a log school-house

252 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

which stood on the site of the present substantial brick school building.
The first school building was a very primitive structure, supplied with slab
seats, while pins driven into the walls supported the planks that served for
desks. There was much game in the neighborhood during his early days,
and he frequently hunted deer and other wild animals. In the work of the
home farm he assisted from the time that he was old enough to handle the
plow until his enlistment among the "boys in blue" of the Tenth Indiana
Volunteer Battery, joining that command December 8, 1861, when twenty-
one years of age. He served for three years under Captain Jerome Cox, and
on the expiration of his term re-enlisted, as a veteran, at Nashville, Ten-
nessee. He participated in the three-days battle at Murfreesboro, the
battles of Perryville and Corinth, and was on a gunboat on the Tennessee
river for one year. During that time he participated in several severe fights,
including one at Decatur, Alabama, and when the war was ended received
an honorable discharge. He was never wounded or taken prisoner, but was
always at his post of duty, and faithfully defended the old flag and the cause
it represented, until the Confederacy was overthrown. In the last war in
which the country was engaged — the war with Spain — Mr. Boyles' brother,
Branton, entered the army and is still stationed in Cuba. He also had a
nephew, Charles Boyles, son of Daniel J. Boyles, who went to Cuba to aid
in the war for the liberation of the oppressed people of that island.

When hostilities had ceased between the two sections of this country,
George W. Boyles returned to Tippecanoe county, and has since been iden-
tified with its agricultural interests. He was married February 2, 1869, in
Sheffield township, to Miss Lucy A. Grafft, who was born in Sheffield town-
ship, November 12, 1850, and is a daughter of Moses and Mary A. (Baker)
Grafft. Her father, a farmer by occupation, removed from Ohio to Tippe-
canoe county. Four children have been born of this union: Martha E.,
who was born May 29, 1870; Orth S., born January 26, 1872; Ida F., born
September i, 1874; and Moses W., born March 20, 1877.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Boyles located in Sheffield township,
Tippecanoe county, upon a farm of fifty acres which he purchased and
which adjoined his father's farm on the west. Upon the death of his par-
ents he purchased the old homestead, which he afterward sold, buying eighty
acres one mile south. There he resided for a number of years, after which he
removed to Dayton. In 1893 he purchased and located upon his present
farm of eighty acres, in addition to which he owns sixty-eight acres of the
old Grafft homestead. He is an enterprising and progressive farmer,
who follows the most modern and practical methods in the cultivation
and care of his land, and his labors are rewarded with a well deserved
prosperity. In his political associations he has always been a Repub-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 253

lican. He holds a membership in the Methodist church, in which he
has served as trustee, and in the church work he has always taken an active
interest, contributing liberally to its support. He is a charter member of the
Grand Army post of Dayton, is a member of the Masonic fraternity and is
serving as one of the trustees of the Masonic lodge in Dayton. The cause of
education finds in him a warm friend, and he was one of the prime movers in
securing the erection of the new brick school-house in the district. He has
always favored every movement tending toward the moral, intellectual or
material benefit of the community and as a citizen is as true to his duties
to-day as when he followed the stars and stripes upon southern battle-
fields.

JAMES W. MONTGOMERY.

James W. Montgomery is a well known farmer of Tippecanoe county,
and resides in Jackson township, where he has a valuable property compris-
ing two hundred and thirty acres of rich and arable land. It is well
improved with good buildings, and the well tilled fields indicate his careful
supervision. He was born in Jefferson township, Tippecanoe county, Jan-
uary 15, 1831, and is a son of John Montgomery. His grandfather was a
Revolutionary soldier, who was among the missing, probably killed in battle.
John Montgomery was born in Virginia, March 14, 1800, was a farmer by
occupation, and was married in Virginia, March 17, 1825, to Jane McMillen.
Her mother bore the maiden name of King, and there is a tradition in the
King family that there is a large estate belonging to them in England. For
a time John Montgomery followed farming in Virginia, and in 1831 took up
his residence on a farm in Wheeler's Grove, Jackson township, Tippecanoe
county, Indiana. He made the journey westward with a four-horse wagon,
there being three families in the party, — the Millers, the Montgomerys and
the Sayers. They spent about a month on the way, Mrs. Montgomery
riding all the distance on horseback and carrying a little child before her on
the saddle. For a few years Mr. Montgomery continued his residence in
Jackson township, and then removed to a farm of one hundred and sixty
acres in Jasper county, Indiana, where he lived for fifteen years. There he
purchased land until he owned between two and three hundred acres. Sub-
sequently he sold his property, and in 1852 removed to Montgomery county,
locating on a farm of one hundred acres on Coles creek. At the latter place
he lived for four years, when he again sold out, and in 1856 returned to
Jackson township, Tippecanoe county, where he made his home until his
death, which occurred April 15, 1888, when he had reached the age of
eighty-eight years, one month and one day. His wife was a member of the

254 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Methodist church, and while he did not belong to any religious organization,
he was a man of high moral character and unquestioned integrity. He
served for fifteen years as postmaster in Jasper county, and was a valued
and representative citizen.

Three times married, his first wife died October 13, 1865. Their chil-
dren were: Nancy T., born in Virginia, December 25, 1825; Matilda Jane,
born April i, 1827; Mary Ann, born in Virginia, December 9, 1828; James
and Jackson, twins, born in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, January 15, 1821;
Elizabeth M. , born April 23, 1833; William P., born April 10, 1835; Eve-
line, born November 15, 1837; John, born May 23, 1840, and Thomas J.,
born November 4, 1844. All are now deceased excepting James W., Andrew
J. and Mairy A. After the death of his first wife Mr. Montgomery was mar-
ried, January 8, 1867, to Miss Mary Dimmitt, who died some years later, and
on the 30th of October, 1881, he wedded Amanda Conn, who still sur-
vives him.

James W. Montgomery, whose name introduces this review, was a
small boy when he accompanied his parents to Jasper county, Indiana, and
it was not until he had attained his majority that he returned to Tippeca-
noe county, where, however, he has since made his home. He obtained his
education in the usual manner of pioneer times, pursuing his studies in a log
school-house built with a puncheon floor and stick chimney, while greased
paper took the place of window glass, being inserted in an aperture made by
the removal of a log. School was conducted on the subscription plan and
Mr. Montgomery attended for two or three months during the winter season,
learning to read and write, and also making some progress in arithmetic.
He early began to work in the fields, for he was one of the older children
and his services were needed in the development and cultivation of the home-
stead.

Having arrived at years of maturity Mr. Montgomery was married
November i, i860, to Ann Kesterson, of Jackson township, Tippecanoe
county. She was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, February 6, 1843, a
daughter of Thomas and Susan (Norwood) Kesterson. Her father was a native
of Clinton county, Tennessee, a son of Sylvester and Elizabeth Kesterson.
Her maternal ancester, George Norwood, of Irish descent, was one of the
heroes of the Revolution and served throughout the war. Her paternal
grandfather, Sylvester Kesterson, was a farmer of Clinton county, Tennes-
see, and there he spent his entire life, passing away at the advanced age of
one hundred and five years, and his wife was one hundred and ten years of
age when called to her final rest. Their children were James, Peter, Will-
iam, John, Nancy and Eliza.

Thomas Kesterson, the father of Mrs. Montgomery, received no educa-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 255

tional advantages and was entirely a self-made man. He came to Indiana
when eighteen years of age and devoted his energies to farming. He was
married in Hamilton county to Susan Norwood, daughter of George and
Mary Norwood, who were owners of a good farm in that county, Mr. Nor-
wood having been one of the pioneers in the vicinity of Noblesville, Indiana.
He was a centenarian at the time of his death and his wife was almost one
hundred years of age at the time of her demise, so that the four grand-
parents of Mrs. Montgomery had a remarkable record, all reaching the
century mark. The children of the Norwood family were Spicie Ann,
Nathaniel, William, Susan and Catherine. After their marriage Thomas
Kesterson and his wife located in Hamilton county, Indiana, where they lived
for many years. Mr. Kesterson also resided in Jackson township, Tippe-
canoe county, for a few years, and then went to Lucas county, Iowa, where
he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of government land, upon
which he. made his home for three years. On the e.xpiration of that period
he came to Tippecanoe county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres
in Jackson township, where he remained for fifteen years, going thence to
Champaign county, Illinois, where he became the owner of a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres, on which he spent his remaining days. He was a
faithful member of the Methodist church, in which he served as class-
leader. He and his first wife were of the old revivalist order of Methodists
and took part in many of the old-time revivals and camp-meetings, in which
they were earnest exhorters. In politics he was a Republican and a stanch
Union man during the civil war. His life was honorable, upright and useful,
and at the age of sixty-eight years he was called to the reward prepared for
the righteous. By his first wife, the mother of Mrs. Montgomery, he had
six children: Mary E. , George S., Ann, William, Lucina and Delphina.
After the death of the mother he was married to Nancy Richards, and the
children of the second union were John W., Samuel I. and Sarah. Two of
the sons, George and William, were valiant soldiers in the northern army,
serving for, three years as members of Company E, Seventy-second Indiana
Infantry. They participated in many battles and George had his health un-
dermined by the hardships and rigors of war.

Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery began their domestic life near their present
home, upon a sixty-acre tract of land, which he has since sold. There they
lived for sixteen years, when in 1875 Mr. Montgomery purchased his present
farm, to which he has added from time to time until he now has a very
valuable property of two hundred and thirty acres. This is well improved
with well tilled fields, good buildings and the accessories and conveniences of
the model farm, and the Montgomery homestead is now one of the best in
the neighborhood. The home has also been blessed by the presence of five

256 BIOGBJ.PEICAL HISTORY.

children; but Sarah J., the first born, died at the age of one year and eight
months. The others are Mary E., Frank T. , Luella and John S. The last
named is a graduate of the Purdue University, having completed a four-years
course in mechanical engineering with the class of 1898, when twenty-three
of age. He is now in Schenectady, New York, occupying a responsible
position as draughtsman in extensive locomotive works.

In their labors Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery have prospered. The lady in-
herited a most vigorous constitution and in her earlier years she worked side by
side with her husband in the fields. As time has passed, however, and pros-
perity has come to them, they have been enabled to leave the harder work
to others and enjoy more of the quiet and rest of life. They are both earnest
Christian people, Mrs. Montgomery having joined the Methodist church in
Iowa when sixteen years of age, while Mr. Montgomery became a member
at the age of thirty-five. They have contributed liberally to the support of
tlje church and labored earnestly in its behalf, and their upright lives
exemplify their Christian faith.

JONAS A. PETERSON.

Among the substantial and highly respected farmers of Sheffield town-
ship, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, is Jonas A. Peterson, whose post-office
address is Dayton. He was born April 3, 1831, in Linkoping, Wostena,
Sweden, where the family had lived for generations, engaged in agricultural
pursuits.

The grandfather of Mr. Peterson was John Lawson. The custom in
Sweden is not to retain the family name, but the given name. For instance:
John Lawson's son Peter, the father of our subject, became Peter John's son, or
Johnson, not Lawson, and our subject became Peterson. John Lawson owned
a farm of about one hundred and sixty acres and was in comfortable circum-
stances. He lived in a well finished, stanch log house, carefully built so that
it would stand the hard climate. He was the father of Peter, John, Swanson,
and one who had a military name, ' ' Alquist, " — which also was another curious
custom of the Swedes. There were also several daughters, whose names are
not remembered. John Lawson lived to be an old man. His father, the
great-grandfather of our snbject, lived to the age of one hundred and twelve
years, eleven months and twenty-four days, and was a man of great strength.
He could drive his ax into the butt end of a saw-log and lift it up on a bob-
sled. John's son Peter became, according to the custom, Peter Johnson, and
he was the father of our subject. He lived on a farm which he bought, and,
like his father," was in good circumstances. He married Sarah Jacobs, and
their children were Andy, John, Annie, Sarah, Mary, Christina, Louisa and

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 25T

Charlotte. He lived to be eighty years of age, was a member of the Luth-
eran church and a man highly respected by all who knew him.

Jonas Augustus Peterson was born and reared on a farm and received a
good education in his native language. At the age of twenty-eight years he
went to Liverpool, and there, on the last day of September, 1859, took pass-
age on a sailing vessel bound for America, and after a voyage of three weeks
landed at New York, October 25, 1859. From New York he came west to
Attica, Fountain county, Indiana, and engaged in farming. '

Mr. Peterson was married March 14, 1872, in Lafayette, Indiana, to
Susannah Paul, a native of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, born March 16,
1839, daughter of Reuben and Lovina (Houpt) Paul. Reuben Paul was a
son of John George Paul, and was born October 5, 1812. He came from
Pennsylvania to Indiana at an early day and settled in Perry township, Tip-
pecanoe county, on eighty acres of land, which he developed into a fine
farm. Politically, he was a Republican, and, religiously, both he and his
wife were Lutherans. They were the parents of the following named chil-
dren : Thomas F., Tillman, Susannah, Munford, Sarah, Alfred, Mary A.,
Rebecca and Fremont. Four of the sons were in the civil war — all except
Fremont, who had been injured. Alfred was in Battery D, Tenth Indiana
Artillery, and served three years, participating in numerous battles, and the
others were in Company B, One Hundred and Fiftieth Indiana Infantry.
John George Paul, the grandfather of Mrs. Peterson, was of Dutch descent,
and was a prosperous farmer of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. He sold his
land in that county for one hundred and two dollars per acre, and the town
of Hokendauqua was built upon it. From there he moved to Allen county,
same state, where he died at the age of sixty-five years. He and his wife,
whose maiden name was Hettie Faust, had eight children, namely : Thomas,
Eli, Reuben, Mary A. , Annie, Eliza, Polly and Sallie. Mr. and Mrs. Peter-
son immediately after their marriage settled on their present farm, renting it
for several years and purchasing it in 18S6. This farm comprises one hun-
dred and ninety-two acres, and is well improved. Their children are Charles
P., Anna M. (who died in infancy), Francis P., Sarah L. , and Jonas P.,
who died an infant. Mrs. Peterson is a member of the Presbyterian church,
while Mr. Peterson is a Lutheran, clinging to the creed in which he was
reared.

Mr. Peterson may well be termed a self-made man. He left home with
but few dollars in his pocket. On the way over to this country the vessel
in which he started sprang a leak and was disabled. The captain gave up
discouraged, but assistance was given by a Scottish vessel from Glasgow,
and thus Mr. Peterson had to pay his passage a second time. When he
reached Fountain county, Indiana, he had only two dollars in his pocket.

258 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

The first month he worked at mauling rails, for eighteen dollars per month,
and afterward did farm work for ten dollars a month, and by carefully saving
his earnings he obtained a start. Then, assisted by his faithful wife, he
worked his way up to the position he now occupies as one of the substantial
farmers of the county.

Charles Parker Peterson, the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Peterson, was
born December 14, 1874, and after completing his studies in the common
schools took an engineering course at Purdue University. He went to Chi-
cago in January, 1898, and accepted a position in the office of the Western
Reviezu of Commerce, and while there, on the last of July, 1S98, he enlisted
in the naval reserves, for one year unless sooner discharged. He left Chi-
cago June 3, 1898, and was assigned to the United States cruiser Yale at
Norfolk, Virginia. The Yale left Norfolk in a few days, sailing for Santiago
de Cuba, arriving early in June. After this service the Yale was the first
ship to land troops at Porto Rico. Mr. Peterson enlisted as an ordinary
seaman, and was promoted to the position of master-at-arms a week after
he was assigned to the Yale, which office he held during his service. The
war over, he was honorably discharged and returned with the naval reserves
to Chicago.

FRANK B. OGBORN.

Frank B. Ogborn, the genial and popular merchant of Pine Village, and
member of the town board, is a representative of one of the most respected
and well known families in Warren county. He was born in Pine township,
on his father's farm, March 9, 1864, is a son of Amos Ogborn, and a grand-
son of William Ogborn. The grandfather of our subject moved from New
Jersey to Ohio in the early part of the present century and remained there
until his death. Three sons and three daughters became residents of this
state, Dr. Job Ogborn, of Lafayette, being among the number.

Amos Ogborn was born in Ne\Y Jersey, February 27, 18 16, and grew to
manhood in his native state. He was married to Lucinda Gage and in 1839
settled in Pine township, this county, about a mile west of the village of
that name. He entered a heavily timbered piece of land for a homestead,
cleared off the timber and converted it into a fine farm. His wife died April
4, 1865, after becoming the mother of twelve children, eight sons and four
daughters. Five sons and one daughter are still living, namely: Nathan S.,
a minister of the gospel residing in Pine township; Charles W. ; Amos M.,
also a clergyman and a resident of California; John L., of this township;
Frank B., our subject; and the daughter is Mrs. Alice Dinwiddle, who re-
sides on the old homestead. Amos Ogborn contracted a second alliance with

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 259

Rebecca Kirk. His death occurred on the morning of April 26, 1894, in
Pine Village, to which he had removed about one year previously. He was in
his seventy-ninth year, and died in the ripeness of age and the consciousness
of a well spent life. The disease which eventually shortened his days was
supposed to be a cancer, which caused him great suffering, the pain being en-
dured with great fortitude and Christian resignation. He was an earnest
member of the United Brethren church, and illustrated the beauty of his
belief by his daily life. By industry and thrift he had succeeded in secur-
ing a competency, while his upright demeanor placed him above reproach.
He was an ardent Republican.

Frank B. Ogborn was reared on his father's farm and attended the
public schools. Later he was a student in Green Hill Seminary for one
year, and completed his education in the Central Normal School, at Danville,
Indiana. He then took up teaching, and for six years was one of the most
efficient teachers in Warren county. He came to Pine Village and opened
his present store in 1884, soon building up a large, remunerative trade.
His affable, courteous treatment of his patrons and his earnest efforts to
meet the demands of his trade have brought and held him a great many
customers. He was married September 3, 1884, to Miss Anna Ambler, a
daughter of Elijah and Hannah Ambler, of Chase, Benton county, this
state. Mr. and Mrs. Ogborn have two children, Edith and Vernon. Both
he and his wife are zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church and
the center of a large social circle. Mr. Ogborn is a member of the Knights
of Pythias and the Masonic fraternity, while in politics he is a decided
Republican.

/ JOHN ASHBY.

A member of one of the original pioneer families of Wea township, Tip-
pecanoe county, Mr. Ashby springs from sterling Welsh ancestry, who were
settlers in the colony of Delaware, two brothers of the name coming to Amer-
ica. One of these, William by name, was the great-grandfather of our sub-
ject, and was the father of William, George and Joseph Bayard and Mary
and possibly others. William, last mentioned, was a soldier in the war of
1812, in which he died, leaving a wife and eight young children. Joseph
Ashby, the father of John, was born in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1800, was
a carpenter by trade, and was married in Butler county, Ohio, whither he
had emigrated when a boy with the man to whom he was apprenticed. He
wedded Sarah Conarroe, who was born in Ohio, about 1800, a daughter of
Job and Rebecca S. (Talbert) Conarroe. Her father, a native of New Jer-
sey, had emigrated to Butler county, Ohio. In 1826 he came to Tippecanoe

260 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

county, settling in Wea township, where he entered one hundred and sixty-
acres of land and made a farm. He was a pioneer here. His children were
Jonathan, Joseph, Sarah, Ann, Letitia, Rebecca, Eliza, Keziah and Rachel.
He was one of the leading and substantial farmers of Wea township and
lived to be over seventy years of age. His wife also lived to be about the
same age. He was an industrious and exemplary citizen, a member of the
United Brethren church.

After marriage Joseph Ashby remained in Butler county, Ohio, where
he purchased forty acres of land; but in 1827 he emigrated to this state, set-
tling in Tippecanoe county, and entering land in Wea township, adjoining
that of his father-in-law, and made a good pioneer home. By his industry
and good management he became the possessor of a goodly quantity of land,
owning at the time of his death between four and five hundred acres, besides
giving land to his children. Beginning with nothing, he rose to affluence,
because he was an energetic, self-made man. In his younger days he was a
United Brethren minister, but later became a minister in the Christian
church, was very popular and was called to attend many funerals and per-
form many marriage ceremonies. His eldest son, William, also was in early
life a United Brethren minister, and afterward a minister in the Christian
church. Besides the William mentioned, Joseph's other children were Eliza
A., Job, Mary, John and George. He died on his farm in Randolph town-
ship, between seventy and eighty years of age. He was one of the most
venerable pioneers of the county, having settled here when there were but a
few small huts in Lafayette. Two of his sons, William and George, were
soldiers in the civil war, in the Seventy-second Regiment of Indiana Vol-
unteer Infantry, and served for three years; William died in a hospital at
Gallatin, Tennessee.

John Ashby, the subject proper of this sketch, was born January 28,
1832, on the farm in Wea township where he now lives, and which was
entered by his father. His early life and education were characteristic of
the times so well known to all the old settlers of this region. February 9,
1854, when twenty-two years of age, he was united in marriage with Sarah
Foresman, in Sheffield township, this county, of which she was a native.
Her parents were John and Rachel (Ritter) Foresman, pioneers from Ohio
and previously from Pennsylvania. In that family were George, Martha,
Matilda, Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, Rebecca, John, Robert, Rachel and Letice.
Mr. Foresman was a prominent citizen, an elder in the Presbyterian church,
and died at the age of about seventy years, at which time he owned five
hundred acres of land.

After his marriage John Ashby continued upon land belonging to his
father, and he has resided in this neighborhood all his life. The land which

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 261

he inherited and which he purchased aggregated one hundred and fifty-seven
acres, all good farming land, and he accumulated a competence. The chil-
dren by the wife mentioned were Frank, Rachel, Joseph, Oliver, John,
Elizabeth, Mary, Robert, and one who died in infancy at the age of five years.
Mrs. Ashby, the mother of these children, died March 15, 1881, a devoted
member of the Christian church and a woman of excellent character. June
12, 1882, Mr. Ashby was united in marriage with Mrs. Harriet Rutledge, 7ice
Worl, in Lamoine township. She was born August 21, 1851, in Yountsville,
Montgomery county, Indiana, a daughter of Atwell and Martha (Miller)
Worl. Her father was born in Lexington, Kentucky, May 5, 1812, of
Scotch descent, a farmer by occupation, who married Martha Miller, of Ohio,
January 27, 1827, and had the following children : Mary A., Elizabeth, Har-
riet, and two sons who died young. Mr. Worl died at the age of sixty-four
years, a sincere member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife is
still living,, now aged eighty years. Mr. and Mrs. Ashby are both members
of the Christian church. In politics he is a Republican, and has been hon-
ored by his fellow citizens with the office of assessor of his township for ten
years. He is a well and favorably known pioneer. Mrs. Ashby was first
married to Mr. Rutledge, of this state, by whom her children were Atwell and
Martha. Mr. Rutledge died at Conroe, Indiana, aged about fifty-eight years,
a member of the Methodist church. By the present marriage there is one
daughter, named Blanche.

JOHN W. RHODE.

John Wesley Rhode is a leading farmer and stock dealer of Warren
county, and has the honor of being the oldest resident born within the pres-
ent boundary of Pine township. The name of Rhode has been prominently
identified with the growth and prosperity of this county for the past seventy-
three years, our subject being the fourth generation of the name residing
here. He was born in Pine township November 3, 1842, and is a son of Lewis
Rhode, a grandson of William Rhode, and great-grandson of John and Mary
Rhode. These great-grandparents were from South Carolina, and the great-
grandfather was a soldier in the Revolution. He moved to Ohio in 1803,
and later to Warren county, Indiana, where he died in 1844. Six children
composed their family, viz. : William, Jonathan, Thomas, Caleb, Esther and
Seymour.

William Rhode, the grandfather, also was a native of South Carolina,
and was married to Sarah Murray, with whom he moved to Warren county,
Ohio, and in 1827 to the county of that name in Indiana. Here he died in
1858, leaving a wife, who survived him six years, and thirteen children.

262 BIOGRAPEICAL HISTORY.

The children were Mary, William, John, Thomas, Lewis, Martha, Isaac,
Joel, Seymour, Caleb, Sarah J., Jacob M., and one that died in infancy.
Lewis Rhode was born December lo, 1816, and came with his father to
Warren county, this state, when he was in his eleventh year. December 30,
1 84 1, he was married to Miss Eliza Jane Clifton, who was born in Sussex
county, Delaware, July 26, 1825. Her parents also were natives of that
state, where the father, Thomas Clifton, was born March 17, 1793, and the
mother, Sarah, was born June 25, 1805. They were married in 1834 and
came to this state, where the father died August 6, 1874, and the mother
September 6, 1880, after sixty years of married happiness. Lewis Rhode
and his wife were married about fifty-six years before death desolated their
home by taking the wife on September 16, 1897. The aged father now
makes his home with his children, John W., Thomas W. and Lewis M.
He is a gentleman who richly merits the respect shown him, has held a num-
ber of local offices, and is an honored member of the Free and Accepted
Masons.

John Wesley Rhode, the eldest of the three brothers, was married
February 13, 1867, to Miss Fannie Jones, who was born April 17, 1849.
She is a daughter of Clement G. and Nancy (Russell) Jones, residents of this
county since 1828. The father passed to his reward June 25, 1893. He
was a native of Delaware, moved to Ohio, thence to this county. The
mother makes her home with Mrs. Rhode, the only surviving child. The
other three were: Mary Isley, who died September 14, 1887 ; Isaac, Feb-
ruary 22,1890, and Clement Curtis, August 10, 1891. There are two half-
sisters, Mrs. Eleanor Brier, of Pine Village, and Mrs. Sarah E. Jones, of
Missouri. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Rhode has been blessed by the birth
of two daughters : Mrs. Nancy L. Bright, who is the mother of two children
— a son born July 2, 1891, and died July 25, 1894, and Fannie Agnes, born
February 10, 1898 ; and Mrs. Eliza C. Grames, who also has two children —
Cecil Glenn, born September 13, 1892, and Raymond Russell, born Novem-
ber 18, 1894. When Mrs. Bright's son was born he had eight grandparents
living, and still more remarkable is the fact that Cecil Glenn Grames had
eleven living grandparents (including great-grandparents) at the time of his
birth. Both daughters are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Rhode is a Democrat, and a member of the Royal Arch Masons.

DAVID M. RESER.

David M. Reser, who follows farming in Sheffield township, was born
in Clark county, Ohio, April 2, 1823, and is a son of Jacob and Polly
(Purget) Reser. His father was born in Hampshire county. West Virginia,

BIOGRJPHiaiL HISTORY. 263

of Scotch parentage, received a limited common-school education, and in early
life learned the blacksmith's trade. In his native county he married Polly
Purget, and soon afterward removed to eastern Ohio, whence they went to
Clark county a few years later. In the latter place Mr. Reser followed
blacksmithing until 1836, when he came with his family to Tippecanoe
county, Indiana, making the journey with two wagons, each drawn by three
horses, and leading another horse. They were twenty days upon the road,
and when they reached their destination Jacob Reser made a location on Wea
prairie, renting the farm upon which Mrs. Booth, a widow, now resides. In
1839 he purchased three hundred and sixty acres of land in Lauramie town-
ship. Most of this was prairie land, which in course of time he converted
into rich fields, making there a comfortable pioneer home. Upon that farm
he resided throughout the remainder of his life, and in addition to its culti-
vation he carried on blacksmithing. In politics he was an old-line Whig.
His honesty was proverbial, his energy and perseverance in business were
among his chief characteristics, and he was regarded as one of the leading
citizens of his neighborhood. He died in 1865, at the advanced age of ninety
years. His children were Hiram, Sidney and Eliza, who were born in West
Virginia; and Margaret, Hezekiah, Samuel, Polly, David M., Harvey and
James F. , born in Ohio. All of these children reached years of maturity.

David M. Reser was about thirteen years of age at the time of the
emigration of the family to Indiana. He well remembers many incidents of
the journey. When crossing the Black swamp, near Kirtland, Indiana, four
of their horses were mired and were rescued with difficulty. They camped
one night when the wolves howled around them till daybreak. Their provis-
ions running low, David Reser and his father went back two miles to get sup-
plies for the horses, and the next day found it very difficult to get through the
swamp at Kirtland. At length they reached Tippecanoe county, and our sub-
ject was reared amid the scenes of pioneer life here. He pursued his educa-
tion in a log school-house, and his advantages were rather limited. He still
has in his possession a "reward of merit " for good conduct, which he has
preserved for sixty-five years, and which was given him by his teacher in
Clark county, Ohio, Andrew McLaughlin, who was probably an Irishman, for
the card bears the motto, " Erin go bragh."

Mr. Reser was reared on a farm, and when twenty-five years of age was
married, in Tippecanoe county, March 9, 1848, to Mary A. Brelsford, who
was born in Butler county, Ohio, September i, 1820, a daughter of John and
Ann (Page) Brelsford. Her father, a farmer by occupation, was born Jan-
uary 5, 1 78 1, and was a son of John and Catherine Brelsford. The former
was born March 17, 1748, and was a son of Benjamin and Martha Brelsford.
Mrs. Catherine Brelsford, whose maiden name was Weaver, was born Febru-

264 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

ary 14, 1746, and by her marriage became the mother of the following chil-
dren: Esther, born February 17, 1772; James, January i, 1774; , born

February 24, 1777; John, January 5, 1781; Pierson, September 25, 1783;
Benjamin, June i, 1788; and Sarah, March 2, 1792. The Brelsfords were
natives of New Jersey and represented an old colonial family. John Brels-
ford, the father of Mrs. Reser, married Ann Page, who was born January 22,
1790, and their children were: Rebecca, born December 3, 1816; Jane, May
28, 1818; Mary, September i, 1820; John, August 9, 1822; David S., Jan-
uary 26, 1824; George D. , October i, 1826; Daniel P., July 8, 1828; Allen
C, September 11, 1831; and Ellen, September 16, 1834. Mr. Brelsford,
father of this family, early located in Butler county, Ohio, and two of his
brothers settled on farms near him. He cleared a tract of land and there
carried on agricultural pursuits until his removal to Tippecanoe county, Indi-
ana, in 1846. Here he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land on
Lauramie creek, in Sheffield township, and there made his home until his
death, which occurred July 22, 1848. He was a progressive agriculturist
and a man of great energy and honor in business, and is numbered among
the honored pioneer settlers of the county.

To Mr. and Mrs. Reser were born seven children, namely: Eunice Ann,
born February 9, 1849; Benjamin B., a farmer of Howard county, who was
born November 19, 1850, and was married March 13, 1879, to Cynthia
McCoy, by whom he has two children; Franklin C. , a farmer of Howard
county, who was born April 25, 1853, and was married March i, 1891, to
Jennie Harrington, by whom he has two children; Mary Alice, born August
17, 1855; Amanda, who was born November i, 1857, and was married
October 18, 1882, to John A. Fidler, a carpenter of Logansport, Indiana, by
whom she has one son; Allen B., deceased, who was a farmer and was mar-
ried to Mary L. Storm, September 20, 1893; and Laura B., who was born
September i, 1862, and was married September 21, 1892, to George Ilgen-
fritz, a farmer who is cultivating the farm belonging to his father, George
Ilgenfritz, Sr.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Reser began their domestic life on the
farm which is still his home, — a tract of one hundred and twenty acres upon
which few improvements had been made. It is now supplied with all the
accessories and conveniences of the model farm, for as the time has passed
he has erected substantial buildings, secured the latest improved machinery,
placed his land under a high state of cultivation and developed an excellent
property. In 1891 he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who
died on the 24th of April of that year. She was truly a helpmeet to him,
for her capable management of the household affairs, her industry and enter-
prise contributed not a little to his success. Mr. Reser is liberal in his

BIOGRjIPHICAL history. 265

religious belief. For many years he has held a membership in the Univer-
salist church, and aided in building the house of worship in Dayton. His
political support is given the Republican party, and while he has never
sought office he has always been a loyal citizen, true to the best interests of
our government, and public-spirited in advocacy of all measures for the gen-
eral good.

GEORGE GUNKLE.

George Gunkle, of Buck Creek, Indiana, is a representative of one of
the pioneer families of Tippecanoe county. His grandfather, John Gunkle,
was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and some years after his marriage,
■which occurred in that state, he removed with his family to Ohio and settled
in Butler county, where he acquired a tract of land on the frontier and im-
proved a farm. There he passed his remaining days and died. He was a
member of the Lutheran church, and his sterling qualities of mind and heart
endeared him to the people among whom he lived. His children were John,
Michael, Daniel, Adam, George, Margaret, Christina and Barbara. His son
Michael, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Berks county,
Pennsylvania, March 7, 1801, and was a boy when he accompanied his
parents to Ohio. In Butler county, Ohio, he grew to manhood, Snd there
married Miss Amelia Cope, their marriage being consummated July 4, 1824.
She, too, was a native of Pennsylvania. They continued to reside in Butler
county until 1828, when they came over into Indiana and took up their
abode in Tippecanoe county, at a point on the Wild-cat, one mile south of
where the subject of this sketch now lives. Here Michael Gunkle entered
one hundred and sixty acres of land and developed a fine farm, from time to
time acquiring other adjoining tracts, until his estate comprised six hundred
acres. He was regarded as one of the most substantial and highly respected
farmers of the county. He built one of the first sawmills on the Wild-cat,
and ran this mill many years. He remained on his farm all the rest of his
life, and died July 20, 1883, at the age of eighty-two years. Like his father
before him, his religious faith was that of the Lutheran church, and for
many years the Lutheran ministers made their home at his house. He gen-
erously contributed to the various churches in his township, aiding in their
erection and support; and whatever measure or movement was, in his opin-
ion, intended to advance the best interests of the locality ever found in him
a hearty supporter. Politically, he was a Democrat. His children, in order
of birth, were John, Samuel, Daniel, Catherine, George, Elizabeth, Seno
and Joseph.

The maternal great-grandfather of our subject was a captain in the

266 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Continental army. At the time of the battle of Germantown he was at home
on a furlough, sick, and had his bed placed out of doors so that he could hear
the sound of the cannon firing.

George Gunkle, whose name initiates this review, was born November
I, 1836, on his father's farm, on Section 8, Perry township, Tippecanoe
county, Indiana, and his boyhood days were passed in work on the farm and
attendance at the subscription schools which were held in the log school-
house near his home. He learned the sawmill business of his father and
was in business with him for many years. Later he established a steam
mill on his present farm, which he ran for ten years and which is now
operated by his sons. After his marriage, which occurred in 1850, he
settled on the home farm, where he continued to live until 1872, when he
purchased his present property, or rather eighty acres of it. To his original
purchase he subsequently added and now his place comprises three hundred
and ten acres. In the improvement of this farm he has expended both time
and means. He has to-day one of the most desirable and valuable farms in
the locality.

Mr. Gunkle was married in his native township, December 2, i860, to
Martha J. Boen, who was born in Lafayette, Indiana, February 28, 1841,
daughter of Pleasant Boen. Mr. Boen was a North Carolinian, and his
children were Martha J., Oliver P., William and Emeline. After his death
his widow became the wife of Daniel Leslie, and by him had the following
named children: George, Archibald, Frances, Elzina, Margaret and Melissa.
To Mr. and Mrs. Gunkle were born five children, namely: William, Cath-
erine, Edmond, Idela and John. Mrs. Gunkle died April 24, 1894. She
was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while Mr. Gunkle holds
the same religious faith to which his father and grandfather adhered. He is
politically a Democrat.

WILLIAM E. MILLS.

William E. Mills, the druggist at Pine Village, has been engaged in
business at this point since the spring of 1894, succeeding I. W. McConnell.
This is the only drug store in this village.

Mr. Mills is a native of La Salle county, Illinois, where he was born in
1863. His father, Edward Mills, was a native of Cohoes, New York, who
married Lavantia Guy. In 1866 the family removed from Illinois to Story
county, Iowa, where the father died, in 1876 ; and the mother of our subject,
surviving, is a resident of Maxwell, that county. Of their eight children
seven grew up to years of maturity. The eldest, Dr. Daniel Mills, is a
physician practicing at McCallsburg, Story county, Iowa ; WiUiam E. , our

BIOGRJPEICAL HISTORY. 267

subject, is the next in order of birth ; Lelia is a teacher by occupation ; Dr.
Frank W. is a physician at Ottumwa, Iowa ; Charles is the next in the order
of birth ; Rose A. is the wife of John Douglas, of Maxwell ; and Lavantia,
the youngest of the children, is a music teacher.

William E. Mills, the subject proper of this sketch, was reared on a
farm and educated at the public schools. In 1889 he began learning the drug
business in a store at Maxwell, and finally bought an interest in the store,
where he continued to carry on business until he came to Pine Village, and
here is establishing a good reputation for faithful service. He is a member
of the village board of trustees. In his political views he is a Republican,
active in the local councils of the party ; is chairman of the Republican
central committee of his township. Socially, he is a member of the orders
of Freemasonry and Knights of Pythias. He is a representative citizen and
is held in high esteem by his fellow citizens.

On the 1st of October, 1893, Mr. Mills was united in marriage with
Miss Maude Fleckinger, of Story county, Iowa.

REV. JOHN ZIMMERMAN.

This highly respected citizen of Perry township, Tipppecanoe county,
Indiana, a well-to-do farmer and retired minister of the Mennonite church,
comes from sterling Alsatian stock. His grandfather Zimmerman went
from Germany to Alsace during the revolutionary times in France, and
there his son, John Zimmerman, the father of our subject, was born, reared
and married, the lady of his choice being Magdalena Roth. Their only child,
John, was born February 20, 1832. She, however, by previous marriage to
Christian Shurk had two children, — Joseph and Nicholas. John died in Sep-
tember, 1847, and Magdalena, his wife, about ten months afterward, when
their son John was sixteen years old, and at that age young John came to
America, making the voyage in a sailing vessel from Havre, France, to New
York, where he landed in June, 1849. From New York city he made his
way westward to Ohio. In Butler county, that state, he found a brother
of his mother, Nicholas Roth, whom he visited and for whom he worked on
the farm for a while. Then he went to Iowa, visiting Keokuk and Mount
Pleasant, and after three years spent in the United States he returned to his
native land and spent three years amid the scenes of his childhood. During
that time he came into possession of two thousand dollars, which he inher-
ited from his father's estate.

October 16, 1852, while temporarily in the old country, he wedded Miss
Magdalena Slegel, who was born in Alsace August 10, 1832, daughter of Jo-
seph and Magdalena (Smith) Slegel. Joseph Slegel, also a native of Alsace,

268 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

was a well-to-do farmer. He and his family accompanied our subject to
America, and he settled in Davis county, Iowa, where he bought eighty acres
of land and developed the same into a fine farm. He died about the age of
sixty-two years.

It was in 1854 that Mr. Zimmerman returned to the United States,
with his wife and her family, as above stated. They sailed from Havre,
France, in the ship St. Nicholas, an old-fashioned vessel, and were forty
days in reaching New York. They all went to Davis county, Iowa, and
there Mr. Zimmerman purchased eighty acres of wild prairie land, which he
improved and cultivated, and where he lived until the winter of 1865-6. At
that time he went to Missouri and took up his abode in Hickory county,
where he bought eighty acres of prairie land, to the improvement of which
he directed his energies. He made his home in Missouri until 1877, and
that year came to Indiana and selected a location in Tippecanoe county.
At first he rented land here and then he purchased his present farm, two-
hundred and twenty-four acres, which he has developed into one of the most
desirable farms in the locality, among the improvements he has placed here
being a substantial two-story brick residence.

Mr. Zimmerman has been for twenty years a minister of the Mennonite
church, an earnest and active worker in the cause of Christ, but is now
retired from the ministry. He was educated in both the French and Ger-
man languages and is a good scholar, attending in his youth a college at
Montpelier, France. He is a man of great kindliness of heart, of true Chris-
tian feeling and great simplicity of character.

He is the father of fourteen children and seventeen grandchildren. Of
his children, we record that Josephine was born in Germany; Nicholas, in
mid-ocean and was named for the vessel in which they sailed; the others in
America. — Magdalena, Annie, Mary, Joseph, Katie, Lizzie, John, Lydia,
Rosie, Leah, Sarah and Benjamin. Mrs. Zimmerman died June 16, 1889.
She, too, was a Mennonite, as also were her parents.

In concluding this sketch, we state that among Mr. Zimmerman's books
is one which he highly prizes. It is an old German Bible, bearing date of
MDXXXVI, printed in Zurich, Switzerland, by Christoffel Froschouer.
This venerable book was among the earliest Bibles printed, and is in clear,
legible type. It is believed to be one of the oldest Bibles in Ameriea.

JAMES W. McMULLEN, M. D.

Dr. James W. McMullen, of Pine Village, Warren county, has been
engaged in the practice of his profession here ever since 1875, — the whole
period of his professional career.

BIOGRJPHiaiL HISTORY. 26f>

Dr. McMulIen is a native of Ross county, Ohio, and was a child when
his father, Samuel A. McMullen, died; and in 1852 the mother, with her
two children (the subject of this sketch and a sister), emigrated to Warren
county, Indiana, locating at Williamsport. At that place young James
attended school. His medical education he obtained at the College of
Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa, where he graduated in 1875, and
the same year he located at Pine Village. From 1892 to 1894 he was editor
of the Village News, the paper being conducted by the firm of McMullen
& Son.

For his wife the Doctor married Miss Sarah Ann Swadley, a daughter of
Nicholas and Nancy Ann Swadley, and the Doctor and his wife have four
children, — John, Annetta (wife of Charles Ale, of Francisville, Indiana),
Clarence A. and Ray, — the last two mentioned being yet inmates of their
parental home.

Dr. McMullen is president of the village board of trustees, and both
professionally and socially he is held in high esteem. Politically, he is a
Republican.

HORACE D. HOFFMAN.

Tippecanoe county is indebted to such men as Horace D. Hoffman for
the high position which it occupied among the counties of this great state.
He has assisted materially in the development of its resources and has always
been noted for his public spirit and general usefulness as a citizen. For
thirty years he has carried on a sawmill, one of the landmarks of Perry
township, as it was built during the winter of 1833-4, the second mill
erected in the township. It was constructed by Daniel Peters, a pioneer of
this county, who chose this point on the middle fork of Wildcat creek, on
his own homestead, as a suitable place for a mill, and here he built the dam
and mill, which for over sixty-five years have been prominent features of
this region.

The great-grandfather of our subject, George Hoffman, was born in
Maryland, February 26, 1735, and died September 24, 1789. He married
Anna Maria Hornbager, and of the eleven children who blessed their union
the names of but three, George. Henry and Christopher, are remembered.
The family removed to Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, where they became
prosperous farmers. George Hoffman, grandfather of our subject, was an
agriculturist in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and died there. He
married a Miss Good, and of their children we have the names of but two,
Daniel and George. The family was identified with the Lutheran church.

Daniel, father of Horace D. Hoffman, was born in Lehigh county,

270 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Pennsylvania, April ii, 1800. He learned the carpenter's and cabinet-
maker's trades, and became a well-to-do business man and much respected
citizen . Following his early training, he was a Lutheran. He married
Mary Good, daughter of Henry and Mary Good, and ten children blessed
their union, namely: Matilda, Rebecca, Moses, Israel, Horace D., Eliza,
Mary, Amanda, Elmina and Sarah. Politically, Daniel Hoffman was a
Democrat of the old Jackson school. He was summoned to his reward
March 15, 1873.

Horace D. Hoffman was born May 19, 1835, in Lehigh county, Penn-
sylvania, and when a young man he mastered the carpenter's trade. In
November, 1853, he came to this county and found employment in Sheffield
township at his trade. After ten years of industrious toil he thought himself
justified in taking a wife, and for the succeeding two years he engaged in
farming in Madison and Ross townships, Clinton county. The next five
years he lived in Mulberry and worked at his old trade, after which he settled
on the Robinson farm in Perry township and managed that place for three
years. In the autumn of 1869 he removed to the homestead of Daniel
Peter, and has since operated the mill and farm. He now owns two hun-
dred acres of valuable land and the sawmill, and is recognized as one of the
most substantial business men of this community. He is a man of upright-
ness of word and deed, and none know him save to wish him well. Frater-
nally, he is a Mason, a member of Dayton Lodge, No. 103, A. F. & A. M.

In this township Mr. Hoffman married Eliza Peter March 28, 1863. She
was born July 13, 1835, and was summoned to the silent land July 13, 1896.
A devoted wife and mother, a consistent member of the Lutheran church, a
true friend and neighbor, she was beloved by everyone. Mr. and Mrs. Hoff-
man had two sons, — Daniel B. and William H. The parents of Mrs. Hoff-
man were Daniel and Mary (Burkhalter) Peter, the second couple married in
Perry township. The mother was a daughter of Peter and Catherine (Beesy)
Burkhalter. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Hoffman were William, Henry,
Catherine, Elizabeth, Daniel, Eli, Nicholas, Calvin and Irvin. Daniel Peter
was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, in September, 1805, a son
of William Peter, who bought and entered thirty-three hundred acres from
the government and from original owners, this land being situated in Perry
township, this county, and Clinton county, this state, and bought two hun-
dred and sixty acres of land besides, giving that to his son Daniel. In 1833
William Peter settled in Ross township, Clinton county, whither he removed
from Butler county, Ohio, where he had dwelt for some years. He cleared
a valuable farm and lived to middle age. He was a member of the German
Reformed church and enjoyed the high regard of his associates. His chil-
dren comprised William, Henry, Daniel, Leah, Jonathan, Adam, Mary,

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 271

Emmanuel, Reuben, Elizabeth and Joseph. Daniel Peter cleared away the
woods from his farm, erected the mill referred to above and sold lumber.
He often hauled flour and lumber to Chicago, returning with salt, groceries
and other needed supplies. The trip required several days and he was
obliged to camp out along the way at night. From the date of his settle-
ment here, in 1833, until his death, in December, 1879, he was one of the
best and most progressive citizens of this section. He helped to build
churches and schools, and did all in his power to benefit the day and genera-
tion in which he lived. He was a member of the German Reformed church.

GEORGE McGAHAN.

George McGahan was born in Medina township, Warren county, May
II, 1845, on the farm where his brother Simeon now lives. His parents
were Thomas and Lavina A. McGahan. His father was a native of Penn-
sylvania, and his mother either of that state or Indiana. Her maiden name
was Gard, and her first husband was a Mr. Watts. The McGahan family
are of Scotch descent and their children inherit many of the noble qualities
of that thrifty, noble race.

Our subject was one of the five sons born to his parents and was brought
up to manhood on his father's farm. When twenty-one years old he began
life for himself, and the following year was married to Miss Mary J. Harmon,
and farmed on various places until 1889, when he purchased and cleared the
farm on which he now resides. He owns eight hundred and sixty-four acres
of land, of which four hundred and sixty-four are in Medina township. Over
four hundred acres of this property are under excellent cultivation, and on
this he carries on general farming and stock-raising. Mr. McGahan has had
four children, namely: Abraham O., Simeon, deceased, Silva and Arthur.

In politics, our subject is a decided Republican and always takes an
interest in public affairs. He is a loyal citizen and a good neighbor.

JOHN W. MILLS.

John W. Mills, ex-county commissioner of Warren county and a repre-
sentative agriculturist and stock-raiser, was born in Adams township, on his
present farm, April 6, 1832, a son of Jacob and Jane (Cassell) Mills. The
father was born near Newbury, South Carolina, and was the first one of his
family to locate in Warren county, to which he came in 1829 from Ohio,
the trip being made by wagon. He entered eighty acres of government
land in section 29, township 23, range 7 west, for which he paid one dol-
lar and twenty-five cents an acre. On this he erected a log cabin eighteen

272 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

feet square, and began improving the land, which consisted of prairie and
timber. Here he died in 1SS7, at the age of eighty-four. In his latter
years he was a devout member of the Baptist church. To him and his wife
were born thirteen children, as follows : Thomas; Sarah, widow of Benjamin
Davis, who lives in Pine Village ; James, Mary, Joseph, William, Elizabeth,
Jacob, Rachel and Abijah are deceased ; John W., our subject; Margaret J.
resides at Oxford and is the wife of John Freeman ; and Job lives at Pine
Village.

John W. Mills remained on the home farm with his father until twenty-
one years of age, then farmed for his father on shares for two years, after
which he went to Benton for a year and later to Nebraska, where he pre-
empted a homestead near Nebraska City, on which he lived for part of a
year. He then returned to Adams county, rented his father's farm and other
land until 1867, when he purchased one hundred and sixty acres, and in 1868
another eighty acres, and moved thereon in 1869. In 1876 he bought the
old homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, which, in addition to his
other property, makes him the possessor of about six hundred acres here and
about one hundred and twenty acres in Pine township. He carried on gen-
eral farming and stock-raising until recent years, when he rented part of his
land and is now retired from active work. On the land he now owns stood
the old log school-house where he attended the subscription school of
pioneer times.

In his political views Mr. Mills is a thorough Republican, and has be-
longed to that party ever since its organization. He was elected assessor of
Adams township and served two years. In 1886 he was chosen one of the
county commissioners of Warren county for a term of three years, at the
expiration of which time he was re-elected for a similar term. In both of
these positions he performed the duties incumbent upon him with ability,
intelligence and circumspection, thereby winning the high regard and consid-
eration of his fellow citizens.

The marriage of Mr. Mills was solemnized January i, 1866, when he
was united to Miss Hannah A. Frazier, a native of Adams township and a
daughter of David and Zemia Frazier. Mr. and Mrs. Mills have no children.

NELLIE E. GREEN, M. D.

The lady whose name heads this sketch is a regular practicing ph3'sician
in Fowler. The time has been when such an announcement as this met
with surprise and incredulity. The idea of a female physician in regular
practice was something novel. Seeing an opportunity to turn this to per-
sonal advantage, even the profession aided in giving wings to ridiculous stor-

^r^./l^l/^S,y^L^.>e..*^^.t^

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 278

ies and comments. But happily most of the profession readily recognized
her talents, and the opposition of the others only tended to give her a pro-
fessional introduction to the community. From the very first year Dr.
Green has had a profitable practice. Being introduced to the community by
a prominent family, she readily took her place in society, and began her
chosen work, The lady who served as a medium of her introduction is one
who received helpful treatment from the skill of Dr. Green when she was a
practitioner at Princeton, Illinois.

A native of Vermont, Dr. Green, when a child, accompanied her par-
ents to Detroit, Michigan, where she was educated and grew to womanhood.
Her father being a physician, she in her school days became imbued with
the idea that there was room for her in the profession and began a course of
jeading in her father's library, and became so well pleased with her progress
and fascinated with the study that she clandestinely attended a course of
lectures at Rush Medical College in Chicago, and so great an interest was
manifested that she was eventually admitted to the class-room, though at
that time the college curriculum was confined to the instruction of the sterner
sex. This course only stimulated her ambition to become a- physician, and
she entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa, from
which she received the much coveted prize, the degree of Doctor of
Medicine.

She established an office temporarily at Yorktown, Illinois, but soon
afterward relocated and pnracticed for several years, with good success, at
Princeton; and while there she also made regular professional visits to other
towns in the surrounding country and had a large number of patrons. But
her ambition was to locate in some pleasant, unpretentious town and build
up a local practice. Thus, through the importunities of the lady whose life
she had saved, she found in Fowler the desired location, in 1884, since which
time she has been identified with its people. She is the " family physician "
of many of the best families in town and country, and has a very large office
practice; Though not averse to general practice and surgery, she is espe-
cially pleased with the liberal patronage she receives from women and chil-
dren. Unlike the office of the " bearish, ugly man," hers is a little palace of
beauty, adorned with pictures, books' and bric-a-brac and a handsome piano,
where the waiting sufferer may be at ease.

Dr. Green is a lady of intelligence and refinement, specially gifted in
conversation and affable and agreeable in manner. The only wonder is —
but we digress. The Doctor is devoted to her profession, and no day is too
cold or hot, no night too dark or stormy, for her to promptly reach the bed-
side of the sick and suffering. By the possession of indomitable energy and
a robust constitution, this is rendered possible. She keeps her own horses

274 BIOGRJPHICJ.L HISTORY.

and carriages and employs a trustworthy man to take care of them and drive
them.

This is another instance where the " domain of man " has been success-
fully invaded by the gentler sex, and one of the learned professions creditably
appropriated by a " weak woman."

WILLIAM W. SALE.

William W. Sale, a merchant and hotel-keeper at Pine Village, Warren
county, is a son of John F. Sale, who was a native of Warren county, Ohio,
born December 9, 1809. John F. was the eldest child of Robert and
Magdalena (Smith) Sale, both of whom were natives of Virginia and of
French descent. Robert Sale was a gallant soldier in the war between
the United States and England, in 18 12, serving under General Wayne,
and after the British aggressor had been deservedly chastised Mr. Sale, in
the prime of early manhood, went to Ohio, and took up military land.
At first he settled in Greene county, but soon he removed to Warren
county, Ohio, and there he became the owner of one hundred and ninety
acres of the aforesaid military land. This tract he improved and continued
to make his home thereon until his death, which occurred October i, 1823,
when he was but thirty-eight years old. He was married November 8, 1808.

John F. Sale, father of the subject of this article, was reared as a
farmer and always followed that occupation, meeting with success in his
industrious and well directed efforts. For his wife he chose Miss Lydia A.
Wilkinson, their marriage being celebrated February 27, 1834. Seven chil-
dren were born to them, and all but the eldest, Robert, who was killed by
lightning, June 28, 1858, are yet living, namely: Mary M., Martha A., Har-
riet E., Sarah L., John F. and William W. The mother entered into the
silent land November 5, 1867, and January 26, 1879, Mr. Sale wedded Mrs.
Elizabeth A. Metzker, daughter of Jonathan and Eveline (Moore) Campbell.
Mrs. Sale was born in Warren county, Ohio, August 12, 1833, and she is
still living, her home being at the Pine Village Hotel, as it has been for a
number of years past. In 1856 Mr. Sale purchased a quarter-section of
land in Adams township, Warren county, and there he settled with his
family the following year. In 1876 he sold his farm and embarked in the
hotel business in the same locality, and for a score of years he carried on
this enterprise successfully. His death took place December 10, 1896. He
was a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which denom-
ination Mrs. Sale has also belonged for years. An excellent citizen and a
most worthy man in every respect, Mr. Sale possessed the entire confidence
of all with whom the relations of life brought him into contact. For a

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 275

score of years, dating from 1858, he was a justice of the peace, and in addi-
tion to this he likewise acted in the capacity of notary public.

William W. Sale was born in Wayne township, Warren county, Ohio,
September 11, 1838, and in 1857 he came to this section of Indiana with his
father and the rest of the family. On the 4th of August, 1862, he enlisted
as a member of Company I, Seventy-second Regiment of Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, and for three years he nobly fought for the stars and stripes and a
united land. His regiment was a part of the Fourteenth Army Corps, which
was in the Army of the Cumberland. Mr. Sale participated in twenty-three
important battles, and though he suffered the untold hardships and dangers
of a soldier's life he escaped injury from rebel bullets save once, when he
was slightly wounded, in the battle at Ebenezer Church, Alabama, April 2,
1865. Always having a sincere comradeship with the boys who "wore the
blue," he has long been a member of Wagner Post, No. 365, of Pine Village.
In poHtical matters, he is to be found on the side of the Republican party.

On the 23d of December, 1866, Mr. Sale married Miss Margaretta Jar-
vis, a daughter of John and Charlotte Jarvis. They were natives of Virginia,
and were early pioneers of Montgomery and Warren counties, Indiana,
coming here about 1854. Mr. Sale resumed farming upon his return from
the battle-fields of the south, and continued to be thus engaged until Feb-
ruary, 1882, when he opened a store in Atkinson, Benton county, this state,
and from that time to the present he has been occupied in merchandising.
In September, 1896, he settled in Pine Village, and since January 18, 1898,
has also had charge of the hotel.

Mrs. Sale died Octobers, 1890, and of their three children only one,
Aria, grew to mature years. She is the wife of Edward Berkshire, of West
Lebanon, this county. January 10, 1892, Mr. Sale was a second time mar-
ried, the lady of his choice being Miss Lelia Hanson.

ROBERT C. ROGERS.

Perry township, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, includes among its leading
citizens the gentleman whose name initiates this sketch, Robert C. Rogers.

Mr. Rogers is a son of one of the original pioneers of the county, Elisha
Curtis Rogers, who was of German descent and whose birth occurred in Mid-
dlesex county. New Jersey, December 25, 1801. Left an orphan when he
was a small boy, Elisha C. was brought up by a Mr. Thompson, a farmer,
who moved in 181 3 to Warren county, Ohio. At that time he was twelve
years old. He remained on the farm with Mr. Thompson until he reached
his majority, receiving a common-school education, and at the age of twenty-
one he received from Mr. Thompson a horse, saddle and bridle and what was

276 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

called a " freedom suit" of clothes. His brothers and sisters were as follows:
John, Robert, Mathew, Peter, Sarah, Polly and Bethsheba Ann. After
leaving Mr. Thompson, Mr. Rogers worked on a farm, by the month, for
Joseph Henderson, near Middletown,*Ohio, and in a few years engaged in
farming on his own account. He was married November 12, 1825, in Butler
county, Ohio, to Rebecca Parke, a native of Montgomery county, Pennsyl-
vania, born July 6, 1805, one of a family of five children, the others being
John, David, Elizabeth and Sarah. Mr. Parke came to Indiana with his
wife and children in the fall of 1835, arriving in Sheffield township, Tippe-
canoe county, October 2. He died in this county, at an advanced age. After
their marriage Elisha C. Rogers and wife settled in Butler county, Ohio,
near Middletown, where they lived during the next six years. In October,
1832, they removed to Indiana and settled on land which is now covered by
the northeast corner of the village of Mulberry. This land, one hundred and
sixty acres, he entered, cleared and improved, making of it a fine farm. In
the meantime he bought forty acres adjoining it, and in 1854 he sold the
whole tract. Shortly afterward he purchased two hundred and forty acres
near Rossville, where he passed the closing years of his life and where he
died October 23, 1857. He was a member of the Presbyterian church and
in politics was a Democrat. His first wife died January 6, 1838, and he
married, September 5, 1839, in Clinton county, Indiana, Hannah McCain,
who was born July 19, 1807, and was of Irish descent. The children by the
first marriage were Eleanor, born February 24, 1826; Harriet, August 7,
1827; Jane, October 14, 1828; Robert C, October 8, 1830; David, May 12,
1833; Joseph, October 2, 1835; and Rebecca, October 11, 1837. By his
second wife he had three children: Mary E., born February 27, 1843; Peter,
March 29, 1845; and John C, December 12, 1848. Mr. Rogers had three
of his sons — Joseph, Peter and John — in the civil war, all in an Indiana
volunteer regiment. John and Peter were in the three-years service and
participated in many battles, and Peter died of measles while in the army.

Robert C. Rogers, the direct subject of this review, was born in Butler
county, Ohio, near Middletown, on the Joseph Henderson farm, and was
two years old when brought by his parents to Indiana. He was reared on
his father's frontier farm and his education was received in one of Indiana's
primitive log school-houses. In early life he learned the carpenter's trade,
which he followed, in connection with farming, for a period of twenty years.
In the meantime, in 1852, he was a victim of the California gold fever and
made a trip to the far west, going via New York city and the isthmus of
Panama, the Pacific voyage being made in the steamer Tennessee, which
was wrecked after passing the Golden Gate. The passengers were all
rescued in life boats. Arrived in San Francisco, Mr. Rogers at once made

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 211

his way to the mining districts of the Golden state, and mined at El Dorado
county and at other points, remaining in California four years. At the end
of that time he returned to New York by way of the same route and thence
came to Indiana. Shortly afterward we find him in Warren county, Ohio,
working at his trade.

In Warren county, Ohio, near the town of Lebanon, he was married,
October 27, 1859, to Rebecca J. Lefever, a native of that place, born August
20, 1837, daughter of Peter and Martha (Irons) Lefever. Peter Lefever was
born on the same farm on which his daughter was, the date of his birth
being November 11, 18 12; his parents were Elias and Catherine (Craven)
Lefever. Elias Lefever, a native of Maryland, was of German extraction,
and was one of the early pioneers of Warren county, Ohio. He and his
wife were the parents of Daniel, Sarah, Elizabeth, Susannah, Mary and
Daniel. Elias lived to the advanced age of eighty years. He was a soldier
in the war of 18 12, a member of the Baptist church and a man who had the
high esteem of all who knew him. On his farm, which he cleared up from
the wilderness, he erected a brick residence and made other improvements,
and his home was one of the pioneer landmarks. Martha Irons, the wife of
Peter Lefever, was born November i, 1805, in New Jersey, daughter of
Samuel and Rebecca (Gibbs) Irons, who were of Quaker stock, and pioneers
of Warren county, Ohio. The farm entered and cleared by Samuel Irons,
in Warren county, is still owned by his descendants. His children were
Rachel, Mary, Rebecca, Sarah, Hannah, Phila, John, Joshua, Martha and
Abiah. He died on his farm, at an advanced age. Peter Lefever and wife
settled on the old homestead and in the quiet of rural life passed the rest of
their days. Their children were Rebecca, Elias, Samuel, Catherine and
Sarah. He was a member of the New Light or Christian church. Two of
his sons, Elias and Samuel, were in the civil war.

After marriage Robert C. Rogers and wife settled a mile and a half
north of Lebanon, Ohio, and he continued working at his trade. He was
the foreman of the building of the spire on the First Presbyterian church
of Lebanon, and at Franklin, Ohio, erected the spire of the Methodist
church. Working at such great height injured his nerves and he was com-
pelled to abandon work at his trade, and he turned his attention to farming.
For one year he farmed in Warren county, and in the fall of 1861 he moved
to Indiana, settling on rented land and carrying on agricultural operations in
that way for ten years. Then he went to Illinois and bought a small farm
in Hancock county, where he passed the next ten years of his life. In 1881
he returned to Indiana again, and at that time bought his present farm, one
hundred acres of fine land in Perry township, Tippecanoe county, where he
has since lived and prospered.

278 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

To Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have been given eight children, namely:
Martha J., Sarah J., Edward F. (who died at the age of nineteen years),
Minnie F. , Charlotte L., Ralph C, Blanch and Clarence E.

Politically, Mr. Rogers is a Republican, has always taken a deep interest
in public affairs, especially those of a local nature, and while in Illinois filled
the offices of township trustee, school director and supervisor. Both he and
his family are members of the Presbyterian church.

WILLIAM S. ANDERSON.

William S. Anderson, who is one of the prosperous and influential young
farmers of Adams township, Warren county, is a native of this county, his
birth taking place February i8, 1866, in Prairie township. He received a
good, practical education in the public schools and on coming of age rented
land in Prairie township, on which he remained until 1891, when he removed
to Adams township and subsequently to Liberty township. In 1893 he took
possession of the farm on which he now lives, comprising one hundred and
twenty acres of finely improved land situated two miles south and one mile
east of Pine Village. He also owns one hundred and ninety acres of land in
Liberty township. He carries on general farming and is engaged to some
extent in stock-raising.

Mr. Anderson was married September 13, 1S93, to Miss Fannie E.
Jones, and they have two children — Malcolm and Margery. In politics he is
a Republican and contributes liberally of his time and money to forward the
interests of his party. He is a young man of excellent character, a good
neighbor and a progressive citizen.

James Anderson, the father of William S., was born in Warren county,
Ohio, in 1840, came to Prairie township with his parents, Joshua Anderson
and wife, in 1849, and lived there nearly a quarter of a century before remov-
ing to Washington township, his present home. He was a soldier of the
civil war, serving three years. He has always been a Republican in politics
and was elected county treasurer of Warren county in 1887 and served one
term. He married Margery Graines, in 1861, and they had nine children:
Harriet. A. (Mrs. James Pope), William S., Emma R. (deceased), John F.,
Jennie (Mrs. Augustus Broadie), Joshua C, Elizabeth Pearl, Minnie A. and
James Elwood.

PATTERSON STALEY.
This respected and substantial farmer, Patterson Staley, of Dayton,
Indiana, is a son of one of the original pioneers of Tippecanoe county. The
Staleys are of English origin. Martin Staley, the grandfather of Patterson,

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 279

was born in North Carolina and was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He
married, in his native state, Mary Staley, his second cousin, and in 1819
they came north and located in Montgomery county, Ohio, where they made
their home until 1829. That year they came to Tippecanoe county, Indiana,
and settled in Perry township, a quarter of a mile north of where our subject
now lives. His son Aaron had come here the previous year. Martin Staley
entered eighty acres of land in the forest of Perry township and to the work
of clearing and improving the same devoted his energies. He, however,
was not permitted to finish his self-imposed task, for a few years after his
settlement here he died, in middle life. His children were Aaron, John,
Meredith, Elizabeth, Jacob, Solomon, Hiram and Sophia.

John Staley, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in North
Carolina, August 24, 1802, and accompanied his father in the removal to
Ohio, as above recorded, being at that time seventeen years of age. He
was married in Montgomery county, Ohio, August 28, 1828, to Hulda C.
Waymire, a native of that county, born June 6, 1809, daughter of Frederick
Waymire. >

Mr. Staley, one year after marriage, came over into Indiana, and in
November, of that year, 1829, settled in Perry township, Tippecanoe county,
on the farm now owned and occupied by his son Patterson. The journey
from Ohio to their new home was made by wagon, and two weeks were
required to make the trip. Here he cleared and improved a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres. There were then plenty of Indians throughout this
locality and they frequently came to the Staley home, but were always
friendly and never gave any trouble. John Staley was a man of many ster-
ling traits of character. He was liberal in his religious views, and always
attended the Universalist church, not, however, being a member. His wife
was reared in the Quaker faith and later in life joined the United Brethren
church. Politically, Mr. Staley was an old-line Whig in his early life, and
after the organization of the Republican party he identified himself with it.
He died November 23, 1868. His children, in order of birth, were as fol-
lows: Mary Ann, born August 7, 1829; Dorothy Jane, December 5, 1830
Elizabeth, August 5, 1832; Oliver, June 30, 1834; Patterson, March 3, 1836
Clark, July 5, 1838; Rebecca, July 31, 1842; John I., October 8, 1846
Adaline, August 9, 1849; and Albertus W., April 10, 1854. Two of the sons,
— Patterson and Clark — were soldiers in the civil war. Clark was in the
Fortieth Volunteer Infantry and served about six months.

Patterson Staley's birth occurred on the farm on which he was reared
and where he has since Wired. In his young manhood he learned the car-
penter's trade and worked at it for a time. When the war came on and con-
tinued to rage he tendered his services to the Union. He enlisted at Lafay-

280 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

ete, Indiana, December ii, 1863, for a term of three years or during the
war, and went out as a member of the Tenth Indiana Battery, under Cap-
tain Cox. He was honorably discharged at Indianapolis, Indiana, July 11,
1865, by reason of the war being over. He was in the Atlanta campaign and
also took part in the battles of Lookout mountain, Kenesaw mountain,
Resaca, Sand Hill and many others. Altogether he was in thirty-two hard-
fought battles, besides many skirmishes. After the Atlanta campaign he
served on a gunboat on the Tennessee river until he was mustered out. His
career as a soldier was remarkable, in that he was never wounded, never
taken prisoner and never sick in hospital, and his duty was always performed
cheerfully and with promptness. For meritorious service he was promoted
to be corporal of his company.

After the war Mr. Staley returned home, and, November 26, 1865, mar-
ried Mary Her, who was born in Butler county, Ohio, February 10, 1842,
daughter of John and Elizabeth (Earl) Her. John Her and his wife were
Germans, who came to this country after their marriage and settled in the
village of Seven Mile, Butler county, Ohio, where he worked at his trade,
that of shoemaker. Their children were named Ann, Kate, Mary A., Eliza-
beth, John and Christopher. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson Staley have lived all
their married life on the old Staley homestead. The deed to this farm was
signed by General Jackson in 1830. Here three generations of the family
have lived. Patterson Staley's children are Laura W. , Flora A., Jessie L. ,
James Clifford, Cora A., Lizzie E., Charles P. and Frank Earl.

Our subject and his wife are both identified with the United Brethren
church, and, politically, he is a Republican.

JOSEPH D. FARDEN.

Joseph D. Farden, a progressive farmer and stock-raiser of Adams town-
ship, Warren county, was born December 25, 1843, and was educated in the
district schools of Adams township. He was still at home with his parents
at the outbreak of the civil war, and, becoming imbued with the patriotic
spirit that filled the breast of every northern man, he enlisted for three years
as a private in Company G, One Hundredth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and
participated in the following battles: Jackson, Mississippi; Mission Ridge,
Dalton, Reynolds Roost, New Hope Church, Dallas, Kenesaw mountain,
siege of Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station, the march to Savannah, Macon,
Georgia; and Savannah. He was wounded at Jackson, Mississippi, and again
at Mission Ridge, where he was shot in the muscles of the left arm. He was
honorably discharged June 6, 1865, at Washington, D. C. , and returned to
his home in Adams township, where he has resided ever since. He moved

BIOGRAPHICAL BISTORT. 281

upon the farm where he now lives jn 1874, and. owns one hundred and twenty
acres of land on sections 16 and 21.

Mr. Farden was married March 26, 1871, to Miss Mary Van Tress, and
three children have been born to them, namely : William M. , Fairy and
Flora. Our subject is a strong Republican and a firm supporter of the
principles of his party. Socially, he is a member of the George D. Wagner
Post, No. 365, G; A. R., of Pine Village.

MICHAEL SUMMERS.

Among the pioneer families of Lauramie township, Tippecanoe county,
was that of our subject's father, Michael Summers, Sr., who entered eighty
acres of land here in 1830 and continued to make his home here for the
remainder of his life. He was one of the children of Michael Summers, a
farmer of Rockingham county, Virginia, who lived to attain an advanced age,
his death occurring in the Old Dominion. Michael, father of our subject, was
a native of Rockingham county, whence he removed to Ross county, Ohio,
in his early manhood. There he married Miss Mary Schultz, and several
children were born to them on the old farm in Ross county. In 1830 they
removed to this county and settled in the dense woods with which their new
homestead was covered. As soon as possible, a cabin of round logs was
constructed, and later this humble abode was supplanted by a more preten-
tious one of hewed logs, then looked upon as quite a palace, by the happy,
contented inmates. As the years rolled by, the industry and unremitting
toil of the father was rewarded, for he became well-to-do and influential in
the community. After clearing his first farm of eighty acres, he entered
one hundred. and forty acres (the present homestead of our subject), a tract
of eighty acres of prairie land, and another place of similar dimensions in
Randolph township. He was a Democrat in politics but was not an aspirant
to public office, as he found his time fully occupied in the cultivation of his
farm and in meeting the needs of his large family. To Michael and Mary
Summers nine children were born": John, Philip, Catherine, Andrew, Sarah
A., Edith, Henry, Michael, and Abram, and after the death of this wife the
father married Ruth Ford, by whom he had five children, namely: Melinda,
James, David, Benjamin, Mary, and William, who died in early life.

Michael Summers, born in Ross county, Ohio, November 19, 1827, was
but three years old when the family removed to this locality, and he has no
recollection of any other home than those he has had here. He dimly
recalls the building of the two log cabins in which he spent his boyhood; and
the subscription school in which he acquired his knowledge of books was of
similar construction, and furnished with a puncheon floor, slab desks and

282 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

benches. One may be sure that he was a full-fledged farmer long before he
was twenty, for boys were obliged to work early and late in those days, and
the clearing of a homestead in the virgin forest was no light undertaking, and
every able-bodied member of the household must do his share. After his
marriage Mr. Summers located on a portion of the old homestead, and to
the tract which he had inherited from his father's estate he added by degrees
land which he purchased from the other heirs. By thrift and excellent man-
agement he has become well-to-do, owning five hundred acres of valuable
farm land, most of which is kept under cultivation.

The marriage of Michael Summers and Mary A. Corkins took place in
this township April 7, 1864. She was born in Onondaga county, New York,
July 5, 1833, a daughter of Robert and Cornelia (Richards) Corkins. The
father, a native of the same county, was born November 6, 1806, his
parents being David and Ann (Clark) Corkins, of Diitch descent. He was
a dyer in a cloth factory in the Empire state, but in 1834 he removed to this
county and settled upon a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, which he
entered and improved. In 1866 he removed to Kansas, where he home-
steaded a quarter section of land, and there spent his remaining years, his
death occurring in 1884. He and his estimable wife were faithful members
of the Christian church. They were the parents of two sons and three
daughters: Sarah A., Mary A., Robert B., Cornelia J. and David B.

The only daughter of our subject and wife, Alice E. , died at about two
years of age; and Bertie E., a most promising young man, died when
eighteen years old. Alvah B. married Emily M. Madden, and is an enter-
prising farmer of this township. Henry Ernest is at home and is superin-
tending the management of the farm. The sons were given a good educa-
tion and early mastered the various departments of agriculture. Like their
father, they are stanch Republicans, and are always ready to do their full
share toward the promotion of all public improvements, the upholding of
law and order, and everything, in short, which will benefit the community in
which they dwell.

JOHN A. ROTH.

This enterprising and successful agriculturist of Richland township,
Benton county, is the owner of a fine farm of three hundred and eighty-six
acres, and his management of the place is marked by the scientific knowledge
and skill which characterize the modern farmer.

Mr. Roth was born in Harrison county, Indiana, September 13, i860,
and was the fifth son born to Adam and Magdaline (Reuter) Roth, natives of
Bavaria, Germany, the former born in 18 18, the latter in 18 19. They were

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 283.

married in that country, in 1847, and the following year came to the New
World, locating in Harrison county, Indiana, where the father purchased
two hundred acres of land, which he operated for twenty years. On selling
that place, in 1867, he came to Benton county and bought three hundred
and fifteen acres in Richland township, to the cultivation and improvement
of which he devoted his energies until called to his final rest, January i,
1896. The mother still resides on the home farm, three and a half miles
northeast of Earl Park. Of the eight children born to them, the two eldest,
both of whom were given the name of Rose, died in infancy; Eve is the wife
of Frank Bolinger, of Buffalo county, Wisconsin, where he owns three hun-
dred and twenty acres of land; Frederick is a carpenter and architect of
Duluth, Minnesota; Mary is the widow of Joseph Bury, and makes her home
near Fort Smith, Arkansas; Barbara is the wife of Joseph Yochem, a farmer
owning one hundred and fifty-five acres four and a half miles northeast of
Earl Park; John A. is the next of the family; and Joseffa is now away from
home. Our subject's paternal grandfather was Valentine Roth, and both he
and his wife were natives of Bavaria, Germany.

The early education of John A. Roth, acquired in the district schools of
Richland township, Benton county, was supplemented by a course at the
St. Patrick's Brothers school in Chicago, and the Notre Dame University,
which he attended one year in all. He then took a thorough business course
at the C. M. Robinson Business College, at Lafayette, and he feels a just
pride in the preparation for life's work, for he made his own way through
school and is well fitted for any position which he may be called upon to fill.
At the age of twenty-five he returned to his father's farm, which he had pre-
viously operated, but in 1886 he bought two hundred and twenty-six acres
from Adams Earl, and four years later added to it one hundred and sixty
acres, allin Richland township, Benton county. In connection with it he
also operates two hundred acres of the Earl farm, and is meeting with most
excellent success. While he carries on general farming he makes a specialty
of the raisfng of small fruits, and in this branch of his business has also been
yery successful. For the past few years he has also been extensively inter-
ested in the raising of potatoes. In 1896, from twenty-seven acres, he
raised seven thousand bushels.

At Kentland, Indiana, September 13, 1887, Mr. Roth was married, by
Rev. Father Miller, to Miss Mary A. Burns, a daughter of James and Alice
(Burns) Burns, of Kentland, formerly of Ireland. Mrs. Roth was born on
Shelter Island, New York, February 13, 1864, and by her marriage has be-
come the mother of five children : Jessie, born June 6, 1888; Alice, born
July II, 1889; one who died in infancy; Ruth, born March 25, 1894; and
Ray, born January 3, 1896.

284 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Mr. Roth holds his ecclesiastical membership in the Catholic church of
Fowler; politically he is identified with the Democracy; and socially affiliates
with the Royal Arcanum and the Catholic Order of Foresters. His circle of
friends and acquaintances is extensive and he well deserves the high regard
in which he is uniformly held.

GEORGE W. MIKELS.

The Mikels family, to which the subject of this article belongs, is of
sterling old Scotch stock, and for several generations it has been represented
in the United States. Patriotism has been strongly manifested by every
member of the family, and in each of the wars in which this country has
been engaged some bearing the name have upheld her banner and honor
among the nations.

The paternal great-grandfather of our subject, George Mikels, emigrated
from Scotland to West Virginia, and was accompanied by his family. When
the Revolutionary war came on he volunteered his services, and fought for
the liberties of his adopted country. Of his children, George, the next in
the line of descent, was born in America, as it is believed. After his mar-
riage he settled on the Salt river, in Kentucky, and was a participant in some
of the early Indian wars of that section of the Union. He had a number of
daughters and sons, the names of the latter being George, Joel, Thomas, John
and William. He lived to an advanced age, his death occurring in Kentucky.

George Mikels, the father of George W. of this sketch, was born in the
Blue Grass state in 1807, and about 1836 or 1838 he removed to Indiana.
He entered land in Franklin township, Montgomery county, and cleared a
farm, which he continued to cultivate until the Mexican war. He had mar-
ried in his youth, and had two sons, John and William, by that union. He
and his son John volunteered their services to the government, and fought
until victory perched upon our banners. The father served under General
Manson at Vera Cruz and at its capture. As our soldiers were about to
leave the city of Mexico, which had surrendered, John Mikels was lost track
of, and no further trace of him was ever found. He had been observed buy-
ing a watermelon, with which he strolled into a side street, and it is believed
that he was assassinated by some of the vengeful Mexicans. The father did
not recover from the effects of his arduous army life, but died the year of his
return home, in 1847. He was an exemplary member of the Christian
church, in which he was an able and eloquent exhorter. Politically, he was
a Democrat.

George W. Mikels, who was born near Darlington, Montgomery
•county, Indiana, is a child of his father's second marriage. His mother.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 285

Elizabeth (McVey), Mikels, was a native of Kentucky, born in 1814. With
his brothers, Thomas and Elijah, and sister, Jane, our subject passed his
youth on the pioneer farm, having no educational advantages save .that he
once attended a subscription school for three months. At the age of seven-
teen years, on the 23d of October, 1861, he enlisted as a private of Company
K, Fortieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, his captain being John Gordon. His
term of enlistment was three years, or during the war, and he was hon-
orably discharged at Huntsville, Alabama, in January, 1865, after having
served for three years and three months. He was always prompt and cheer-
ful and perfectly trustworthy in the performance of all his duties, and was
never absent from his post save when, for three months, he was home on a
furlough, ill with a severe siege of typhoid fever. He took part in the cele-
brated battles of Stone river, Shiloh, Missionary Ridge, and was active in the
numerous great engagements of the Atlanta campaign, when for over four
months the Union troops were under almost constant fire. He fought at
Dalton, Resaca, Kenesaw mountain and Peach Tree creek, and in the last
named encounter with the enemy was wounded in the right ankle by a frag-
ment of shell. The result of this was his confinement for three months in hosr
pital No. 15, at Nashville. Upon recovery he returned to the ranks and
was actively engaged in the battle of Franklin, one of the most hotly con-
tested engagements of the war.

When peace had been declared, Mr. Mikels resumed agricultural
pursuits, and for several years rented land in Randolph township, Tippecanoe
county. In 1892 he purchased his present farm of one hundred and three
acres of valuable and well improved land. He is a careful, thrifty agricult-
urist and business man, and has been honored with all of the township
offices, save that of justice of the peace, which he declined. He has been
assessor, and supervisor several times and has been one of the township
trustees for the past four years. He uses his franchise in favor of the Dem-
ocratic party.

The marriage of Mr. Mikels and Mary Frances Martin was celebrated in
this township, April 1 1, 1866. She was born in this locality, February 4,
1847, a daughter of Samuel and Caroline (Stewart) Martin. The father was
a native of Pickaway county, Ohio, and the mother, born April 17, 1826, was
likewise from the Buckeye state. Their children were named as follows:
Mary F. , Sarah E., Margaret A., Maria L. , William H., Alice, Charles,
George and Laura. The Martin family lived on a fine homestead of four
hundred and forty acres in this township, forty acres of the place having been
originally entered by the father of Mr. Martin. The latter, who was a much
respected citizen and an exemplary member of the Presbyterian church, died
when but forty-four years of age.

286 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

To the union of our subject and wife ten children were born, namely:
George E. , Lewis L., Clara M. , Ida M. , Kathleen B., Frank E. , Myrtle and
Mary (twins), Marion A. and Arthur C. Mary died in infancy. Mrs. Mikels
adheres to her mother's religious creed, the Methodist Episcopal, and, with
our subject, who is a member of the same church, is actively interested in
church work, he having served as superintendent of the Sunday-school.

STEPHEN O. TAYLOR.

The popular and widely known proprietor of Taylor's Livery and Sale
Stable, which is located at Nos. lo and 12 South Third street, Lafayette,
Indiana, was born in his home city March 20, 1837. His parents were
Stephen O. and Elizabeth (Diltz) Taylor, the former of whom was a native
ot New York and the latter of Ohio, and of the eight children born to them
these four are living: Nelson, of Alexandria, Louisiana; Daniel, who lives in
San Antonio, Texas; Ingram, a resident of Alexandria, Louisiana; and Stephen
O., our subject. The father spent his early youth in New York and then
removed to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, about 1828, subsequently locating
in Lafayette, where he engaged in stock-raising and later kept a hotel. He
is now deceased. His wife, who was a member of the old-school Presby-
terian church, is also dead. The paternal grandfather of our subject was
Stephen O. Taylor, a native of Virginia, of Scotch-Irish descent, who moved
to New York and died there at an advanced age. The maternal grandfather
was William Diltz, one of the early settlers of Ohio. The Diltz family is
•quite a large one and holds annual reunions in Indiana, the last one taking
place at Winnamac in 1898.

Stephen O. Taylor has just completed his half century of residence in
Lafayette. His father died when our subject was a boy and the latter
remained at home, attending the district schools and assisting his mother
until attaining manhood, when he began working for Thomas Woods, who
•was one of the early settlers of Lafayette and at that time held the office of
postmaster, and took charge of that gentleman's omnibus line for some years.
In 1856 Mr. Taylor embarked in the livery and stock business for himself,
bought and sold horses and mules for many years and furnished a large num-
ber to the government during the war of the Rebellion. He has one of the
largest and most completely equipped stables in Tippecanoe county and here
■usually accommodates about sixty horses, including boarders. His trade being
among the best class of people in the vicinity, Mr. Taylor has in conse-
quence, the finest class of horses, the most fashionable carriages and is
always ready to furnish the latest style in turnouts for parties, weddings and
.all similar affairs. He is a progressive and liberal-minded citizen, a member

BIOGRAPHICAL BISTORT. 287

of the Masonic fraternity, in wfiich he has attained the degree of a Knight
Templar, and he has a pleasant home at the corner of Eighteenth street and
Indiana avenue, where he extends a cordial hospitality to his numerous
friends.

Politically, Mr. Taylor is a stanch Republican and has always stood
ready to serve his party whenever called upon. He was elected sheriff of
Tippecanoe county for two terms, from 1878 to 1882, and was city council-
man from the seventh ward for eight years.

Mr. Taylor was united in marriage to Miss Laura J. Shively, and they
have four children, namely: Harry, who is in the newspaper business at
Washington, District of Columbia; William, who assists his father in the
livery business, and who married Miss Lida Sillsbury; Lillian M. is at home;
Hervey H. is in the freight department of the Wabash Railroad, at Toledo.

HON. ELISHA LITTLE.

Among the representative men of Adams township, Warren county,
none is held in higher regard than the gentleman whose name initiates this
review. A native of his home county, he was born October 13, 1837, on a
farm in section 27, now owned by Newton Little, and on which his father,
George Little, who was a native of Ohio, settled in 1828. The home farm
comprised one hundred and sixty acres, which was bought for one dollar and
a quarter an acre, and the log cabin, which contained but one room eighteen
by eighteen feet, and was the home of the family for many years, stood on
the banks of the Kickapoo river. The Indians were plentiful in those days,
but very seldom molested the settlers, on the whole being even good neigh-
bors. On this place the parents spent the remainder of their days, the
father dying in 1877, aged seventy-one years, and the mother in 1839, at the
age of twenty-seven years.

The boyhood days of our subject were spent upon the home farm and
his early education was obtained in the primitive log school-house, the same
being supplemented by a course of study at Thorntown Academy. On the
breaking out of the civil war Mr. Little, then a young man of twenty-three,
was among the first to respond to the call of President Lincoln for volunteers,
and in September, 1861, enlisted as a three-years man, being assigned to
Company D, Tenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He took part in many of
the noted battles, among them being Mill Springs, Kentucky, Perryville,
Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Resaca and Kenesaw mountain. From Mill
Springs his regiment went to Atlanta and from there was sent back to Mari-
etta, Georgia, and he received his honorable discharge at Indianapolis, Sep-
tember 20, 1864. He was promoted to be corporal of his company, and his

288 EIOGRdPHICAL HISTORY.

record throughout his service was that of a brave and faithful soldier. He
was wounded at the battle of Mill Springs by a minie ball but escaped
serious injury.

After his return home from the army Mr. Little taught school the fol-
lowing winter and in 1865 moved to the farm which he now occupies and
which comprises two hundred and eighty-eight acres, on sections 22 and 27.
He carried on general farming and stock-raising and has been successful in
his enterprises.

Mr. Little was married May 23, 1865, to Miss Mary Hargrave, who died
in 1875. They had four children, — George, Annie, Carrie and Leila. George
and Annie are deceased. His second wife was Miss Ella Hargrave, to whom
he was married in 1876, and they have two children, — William O, and
Richard H.

Mr. Little was elected to the state legislature on the Republican ticket
in the fall of 1876 and served one term. He filled the position with credit
to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. Socially he is a
member of Green Hill Lodge, No. 455, F. & A. M., senior warden of the
Knights of Honor at Attica, Indiana, and belongs to George D. Wagner
Post, No. 365, G. A. R., at Pine Village. He is a worthy member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, in whose work he takes an active part.

JOHN W. WARNER.

Mr. Warner has been serving in the capacity of justice of the peace
since 1894, has frequently held other public positions of trust and responsi-
bility, and is one of the honored old citizens of Lafayette, his residence here
being one of almost half a century's duration. He has been actively inter-
ested in whatever movements have been inaugurated here with the object of
benefiting the city and adding to its desirability as a place of residence ol:
business, and his influence is known to be ever exerted in the support of*
worthy enterprises.

Though his birthplace was in Ireland, no native son of this fair land
could be more thoroughly devoted ta her welfare than the subject of this
narrative. During the civil war he left his young^ wife and his home to go
to the defense of the stars and stripes, which are the emblems of -the land
of his adoption, and his life was very nearly sacrificed to the cause, for he
was for a long time in the hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, and was fur-
loughed that he might go home and die in peace with his loved ones near. He
finally recovered, however, on account of a fine constitution and the excel-
lent nursing and care of his devoted wife. It was in 1863 that he tendered
his services to the Union, being assigned to Company A, One Hundred and

BIOGRAPHICAL BISTORT. 289

Twenty-sixth Regiment, Eleventh Cavalry Volunteers. He was at his post
of duty until the close of the conflict, when, as stated, he was given up to
die, as he was so ill and run down in health and strength. He took part in
numerous skirmishes, but was not in any of the most noted battles, as it
happened. For some time he was the first sergeant of his company.

Both the grandfathers of our subject were natives of Ireland, and in
that isle passed their whole lives. John Warner, the paternal grandfather,
was a farmer, owning a good estate near the town of Bantry, on Bantry bay.
He was a soldier in one of the revolutions in Ireland. The maternal grand-
father, James Wright, was a merchant in the town of Skibbereen, and lived
there to an advanced age. The parents of John W. Warner, of this article,
were Robert S. and Jane (Wright) Warner, likewise natives of the isle of
Erin. They were the parents of six children, all but one of whom survive,
namely : John W. ; James W. ; Jane A. ; Charlotte, wife of John Brown,
of White county, Indiana; and William, of Whiting, Indiana. The father
was a baker and confectioner by trade, plying those callings in his native
land. He came to America in 1849, and the following spring commenced
farming in Wabash township, ten miles northwest of Lafayette, where he
bought a farm of ninety-five acres. Later, he purchased eighty acres more
of prairie land and fifteen acres of timbered property. He was industrious and
enterprising and developed good farms from the wilderness. Death put an
end to his labors in 1S91, when he had reached the ripe age of seventy-four
years. His wife died many years before, in 1871, when in her sixty-fourth
year. Both were devoted members of the Methodist church, in Ireland, as
well as in the United States.

John W. Warner was born near the town of Skibbereen, county Cork,
Ireland, October 6, 1839, and spent the first ten years of his life there. He
was reared upon his father's farm in Tippecanoe county, and up to the time
of his marriage he assisted in the cultivation of the old homestead. He had
attended the common-schools of his native land to a greater or less extent
before leaving those shores, and after coming here he went to the old-time
log school-house of the period. He became a practical farmer, and after
his marriage he rented his father's farm until he went into the army. When
he recovered from his arduous army service he resumed agricultural pursuits,
and continued to reside in the neighborhood of his early home until 1870.

Removing to Lafayette in the year mentioned, Mr. Warner became
deputy sheriff under David G. Smith, and then was made a member of the
city police force, serving as such for about nine years, and for two years was
employed in a similar capacity by the Wabash Railroad Company. Various
occupations claimed his attention for the next few years, and in 1887 he
was appointed bailiff of the circuit court. He served in that office under

290 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Judge Vinton for one year and under Judge Langdon for six years. Politic
ally, he is a Republican. In the fraternities' he belongs to Lafayette Lodge,
No. 15, I. O. O. F. , and is past grand and past chief patriarch of Wabash
Encampment, No. 6. He is also connected with Canton No. 18, Patriarchs
Militant; Columbia Lodge, No. 334, Knights of Pythias, of which he is past
chancellor; Company No. i, of Indiana, Uniformed Rank of the Knights of
Pythias, and is major of the First Battalion of the Eighth Regiment of that
order. In the Grand Army of the Republic he is a member of the John A.
Logan Post, No. 3.

December 28, 1861, the marriage of Mr. Warner and Miss Clara W.
Eklund, daughter of John and Catharine Eklund, was solemnized. Eight
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Warner. Robert E., a mail-carrier of
this place, married May Davidson and has two children, Robert and Mar-
garet. Catharine died at the age of eleven months, and James Franklin died
when in his sixth year. Augusta is the wife of Robert E. Carr, of Wabash,
Indiana, and is the mother of one son, Warner. William J., a carriage-
trimmer by trade, married Annie Schible and has a little son, Vern by name.
Clara M. is the wife of Theodore C. Freshour, of this place. Harry C. is a
photographer in Peoria, Illinois, and Edward T. is a member of Company
C, One Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, stationed at
Newport News. The same spirit of patriotism which animated his father
and forefathers took possession of the young man when his country recently
took up arms against tyrannical and oppressive Spain. The first home of
our subject in Lafayette was built by him in 1871, and his present home,
next door to his former residence, was erected in 1892. Both he and his
wife and several of his children are members of the Methodist church, and
contribute liberally of their means to the cause of Christianity and to the up-
lifting and welfare of their fellow men.

GEORGE W. LOGAN.

One of the enterprising and prosperous farmers of Steuben township,
Warren county, is George W. Logan, one of Indiana's native sons, his birth
having occurred in Rush county, July 29, 1843. His parents, John and
Mary Jane Logan, were born and reared in Kentucky, and for many years
were numbered among the substantial agriculturists of this county.

The Logan family was well represented in the war of the Rebellion, on
the Union side, as George W. of this sketch, and his brothers, Hugh T. and
John, and his brother-in-law, William Jones, were all members of the cele-
brated Eighty-eighth Indiana Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, belonging to
Company D, all enlisting on the same day, July 2, 1862. Two of the brave

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 291

boys never returned, but their lives were offered up on the altar of our
country's safety and preservation. Hugh T. was killed at the fierce battle of
Stone river, and John encountered death in the battle of Jonesboro, near
Atlanta, Georgia. During the battle of Prairieville George W. Logan v/as
-wounded, a bullet penetrating his left arm below the elbow; and in the terri-
ble conflict at Kenesaw mountain, where he was in the thickest of the fight,
he was so severely wounded in the left foot that an amputation of the large
toe was necessary. With his regiment he participated in many of the most
important engagements of the war, including the battles of Stone river,
Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, Adairsville and siege of Dallas.
The Eighty-eighth was one of the finest and most gallant regiments which
Indiana contributed to the Union, and this regiment it was that planted the
stars and stripes of victory on the brow of Missionary Ridge, after the Con-
federates had been driven from their position there. After the injury to his
foot Mr. Logan was given honorable discharge, as he was thus incapacitated
for further service.

Returning home, the young hero of many a southern battlefield encounter
with the enemy, settled down to the quiet routine of life on the farm, and
industriously and perseveringly toiled to acquire a comfortable home and
assured income for his little family. For his companion and helpmate along
the journey of life he chose Miss Elizabeth J. Powell. They had seven chil-
dren attaining maturity. Two of their elder sons, Charles and Alvah,
promptly responded to their country's call (as their father had done more
than a third of a century before), in the late Spanish-American war. Charles
enlisted in Battery A, at Danville, Illinois, and Alvah was identified with the
Second Nebraska Regiment. The younger children, named in the order of
birth, are Anna, Clifford, William, Hugh and Sarah. Mrs. Logan died
March 24, 1891, and Mr. Logan, on August 12, 1896, married for his second
wife. Miss Cora Dell Kiser, daughter of Marion and Mary (Van Pelt) Riser,
of Steuben township. Mr. Logan is a Republican in politics.

REUBEN GROSCOST.

The blood of both the north and the south flows in the veins of Reuben
Groscost, of Jordan township, Warren county; but when the war of the
Rebellion came on he did not hesitate, but enrolled himself among the brave
patriots who were ready to do all and dare all, that the Union might be pre-
served. It fell to his lot to be in some of the most thrilling and important
campaigns of the dreadful strife which ensued, but he never wavered in the
discharge of his duty, and stood at his post as long as his brave spirit could
hold the mastery over his mortal frame.

292 BIOGRJPHJCAL HISTORY.

Born in Columbus, Indiana, October lo, 1840, Reuben Groscost is a
son of Jacob and Martha (Mitchell) Groscost, the father a native of Ohio
and the mother a native of Virginia. On the 2d of August, 1862, Reuben
Groscost enlisted as a member of Company A, Ninety-third Regiment of
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served for three years or until the close of
the war. Among the numerous important campaigns and battles in which
he participated were the two battles of Jackson, Mississippi, and the mem-
orable siege of Vicksburg, one of the most noted sieges in the world's his-
tory. It continued through a period of thirty-seven days, and for all but ten
days of this time Mr. Groscost was with his regiment in the trenches, in front
of the doomed city, and he was one of those who made the brilliant and
daring charge upon the enemy's works, a brilliant but unsuccessful move-
ment. During the last ten days of the siege he with his regiment was
stationed on the shore of Black river, where a portion of the Union forces
were retained, in order to prevent General Johnston, the Confederate officer,
from joining Pemberton in Vicksburg with re-enforcements. After the sur-
render of Vicksburg Mr. Groscost and his comrades were sent in pursuit of
General Johnston, going to Jackson, Mississippi, and thence on transports to
Memphis, Tennessee. In the last-named city the regiment was left for some
time, while it was recruited, its ranks having become much depleted by the
fearful battles and campaigns through which it had passed and in which it
had borne a part so meritorious. Next it was sent in pursuit of Price,
through Arkansas and Missouri, and when returning to St. Louis Mr. Gros-
cost succumbed to severe illness and was admitted to the general hospital at
Benton Barracks, there receiving his honorable discharge from the army.
May 17, 1865. He had managed to escape wounds, but his health was more
or less impaired for a longtime.

For his companion and helpmate along life's journey Mr. Groscost chose
Miss Nancy J. Hamblen, and their marriage took place February 20, 1869.
Mrs. Groscost was born in Brown county, Indiana, and is a daughter of Jesse
Hamblen, an early settler of that region. Five children have blessed the
union of our subject and wife, namely: Martha, Effie, Bertha, Jesse and
Stella.

The main occupation in which Mr. Groscost has been engaged is that
of farming and stock-raising, and in this he has been quite successful. After
his return from the war he lived in Bartholomew county, and subsequently
in Fountain county, Indiana. In February, 1894, he removed to this county,
and here he intends to make a peirmanent home. He has won the respect of
the people of every community in which he has dwelt, and has faithfully
met every requirement devolving upon him as a citizen. In his political
views he holds with the Republican party.

BIOGRJPEICAL HISTORY.

WILLIAM S. BAUGH.

In the words of the Lafa3'ette Journal, William S. Baugh, county treas-
urer of Tippecanoe county, "has been all his life a conscientious, hard-
working Republican, and no man in the county has struck more faithful or
harder blows for its success." He is a man of the people and interested
solely in the welfare of the people and in whatever makes for their happiness
and prosperity. He was born and reared upon a farm, and has followed
agricultural pursuits during his whole life. However, he is a man of more
advanced ideas than is the average tiller of the soil, and stands as a type of
the best class of progressive, enlightened, thrifty " country gentlemen," as
our English cousins would say. Honorable, upright and earnest in the dis-
charge of the important duties devolving upon him as the custodian of the
people's finances, he is all that a treasurer should be, and merits the confi-
dence which is reposed in him.

Jonathan Baugh, the father of our subject, was one of the honored
pioneers of what is now Union township, Tippecanoe county, settling there
about 1830. He was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, in 1822, and accom-
panied his mother and stepfather, John Weider, to this locality, where he
grew to manhood. His father, who was of German descent, died in the
Buckeye state. Jonathan Baugh married Mary Patty about 1843. She is a
native of Oxford, Butler county, Ohio, and is still living in Union township,
this county. Her father also died in Ohio and she came to this state with
her mother and stepfather. The children born to Jonathan Baugh and wife
were Mrs. Nancy E. Taylor; Mrs. Hannah Smalley; Mrs. Jennie Taylor;
Alice, deceased; Fremont; William S. ; and Mrs. Kate Bone, of Oklahoma.
Commencing life a poor man, Jonathan Baugh became very wealthy and
successful, as the result of energy and good business methods. At one time
he was the owner of over eight hundred acres of fine farming land, and was
known far and wide as a stockman and breeder of short-horn cattle. Few
men in Union township were better liked or more thoroughly respected. He
was a stanch Republican, but never aspired to public office. His death, in
1892, was felt to be a public loss, and his place in the community has not
easily been filled.

William S. Baugh was born near Farmers' Institute, Tippecanoe county,
November 16, 1859. He received a liberal education in the common schools
and in the Valparaiso Normal, at Valparaiso, Indiana, and from his boyhood
was associated with his father in the management of the home farm. After
the death of the senior Mr. Baugh, the young man succeeded to the control of
the property, which includes upwards of half a section of land in Union'and
Wayne townships. He is a thorough, practical farmer and excellent business

294 BIOGRAPEICAL HISTORY.

man, as was his father before him, and has made a grand success of his
various undertakings. He became actively connected with political affairs
about ten years ago, and in 1890 was a candidate before the convention for
the office of county auditor. He was defeated by Mr. Byers, and again in
1894 the ambitious young man suffered a similar fate, the ever-popular Mr.
Jamison being the successful candidate. By this time, however, Mr. Baugh
had become well known to the public, who admired his many fine qualities
of mind and heart, and when, in 1896, his faithful friends brought his name
forward again, this time for the county treasurership, he received a majority
of nearly all the votes cast on the first ballot, being nominated over four
other aspirants. He was duly elected, and entered upon his new duties
January i, 1897, ^^^ i" 1898 he was elected for a second term. Socially,
he is a Master Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias.

In 1882 Mr. Baugh married Annie Hollingsworth, of Union township,
and three interesting children bless their home — Harry, Jessie C. and Harriet.

J. FLETCHER WOOD.

One of the trustees of Pike township, Warren county, is he whose name
stands at the head of this brief tribute to his worth. He now owns and man-
ages the old homestead on which he was born, which property has been in
possession of his family for seventy years.

Samuel Wood, the father of J. F. Wood, was born in Muskingum coun-
ty, Ohio, in the year 1800, and in 1828 came to Warren county. He was
then unmarried and made his home with a relative, James Ireland, whom he
had accompanied to this state. Mr. Wood entered a tract of land, the iden-
tical property now owned by our subject, and in 183 1 he brought his bride to
a humble home which he had built in the wilderness. But few settlers in-
habited the country and wolves and other wild game were very plentiful,
and almost unmolested by their enemy, man. The wife, Rebecca (Hopkins)
Wood, whose birth had occurred, in 18 12, in Ohio, from which state she
had come to Fountain county, Indiana, with her parents, was a typical fron-
tiers-woman, brave and hardy, industrious and capable. She passed to her
reward some years prior to the death of her husband, her death taking place
in 1864, while he lived until 1883. He married a second time, but had no
children by that union. Samuel Wood and wife are well remembered by the
few old neighbors and associates of their pioneer days who remain, and they
agree with one accord in their verdict that this honored couple were sterling
characters, consistent members of the Methodist church, kind friends, loyal
toward God and just toward man. By hard labor they cleared a good home-
stead, and left to their posterity an unsullied name and record, more precious

BIOGRJFEIC.il history. 295

than gold. Of their large family but two survive, our subject and Mrs. Mary
Miller, of Chicago. Those who lived to maturity and have entered the silent
land are Elizabeth, William, Jane and Sarah.

J. Fletcher Wood was born October 21, 1848, and has always lived
in this immediate vicinity. Upon the death of his father he removed to
the old homestead, and has since operated it with the ability and thorough-
ness which are among his distinctive traits. In politics he is a loyal Repub-
lican, and fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias. He was
elected to serve as one of the trustees of this township in 1895, and has exer-
cised the same good judgment in public affairs as he has always manifested
in his own finances. He and his family are members of the Christian church,
and are actively engaged in religious and charitable work along many lines
of practical endeavor.

On the 20th of March, 1872, Mr. Wood married Miss Harriet F. James,
who was born December 12, 1851. They have six children, namely : Nellie,
Minnie, Grace, Ethel, Russell and Dorothy. Mrs. Wood is one of twelve
children, four of whom are now living: Wesley, of Alvin, Illinois; Mrs.
Elizabeth Hall, wife of James C. Hall; Addie, wife of S. F. French; and
Harriet F. The parents, Hugh and Eliza James, were early settlers of
Warren county, coming here in 1830, and the following year taking up their
abode in Pike township. The father died the year that Mrs. Wood was born,
and his widow later became the wife of Joseph Davis. They had one child,
Emma, who married T. H. Salts. Mrs. Eliza (James) Davis was born in
1 81 3, and passed her last years at the homes of her children, her death oc-
curring in January, 1898.

JAMES BUCK.

A prominent and influential citizen of Lafayette, Mr. Buck is largely
engaged in the real-estate and loan business; was born in Warren county,
Indiana, August 11, 1833, and is a son of William and Telitha (Bedwell)
Buck, natives of Ohio.

William Buck was a farmer by occupation and came to Tippecanoe
county in 1827, at first being employed by Peter Weaver, and later purchas-
ing eighty acres of land six miles west of Lafayette, where he lived for some
time. From there he moved to Wea plains, where he bought forty acres, at
two dollars and a half per acre. To this he added from time to time until
he accumulated eight hundred acres. By his first wife he had four children:
James; Nancy, the widow of Daniel Burdette; Rachel, the wife of E. O.
Bryden; and Telitha, the wife of E. A. Youll. Mrs. Buck died in 1839 and
Mr. Buck married Mrs. Eleanor Ellis, widow of Nehemiah Ellis, and she bore

296 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

him four children: Joanna, Robert, John and Isaac. The mother of these
children died in 1850. For his third wife Mr. Buck married Miss Nancy
Burdette, whose death took place about four months before that of her hus-
band. The latter died at his home in Wea plains in 1879, aged sixty-eight
years. Mr. Buck was a member of the Methodist church and served as a
justice of the peace for many years.

The paternal grandfather of our subject was John Buck, a Scotchman
by birth and in his younger days a sailor. After coming to this country he
farmed for a time in Ohio, subsequently removing to Indiana and dying in
Tippecanoe county when sixty-eight years of age. He served his adopted
country as a soldier in the war of 181 2. His family consisted of four sons
and two daughters. The maternal grandfather was James Bedwell, who was
born in Ohio, where he was a farmer. He served in the war of 1812, and
came to Indiana about 1827, settling in Tippecanoe county. In 1836 he
removed to Louisa county, Iowa, where he died when about sixty-three years
old. He had a large family.

James Buck, the subject of this sketch, was reared on his father's farm
and his early school days were spent in the common schools of that early
day. Later he attended a commercial college at Cincinnati and then
worked in his father's grain warehouse, on the Wabash & Erie canal, until
he was twenty-three years old. In 1859 Mr. Buck removed to Paxton,
Illinois, where he remained five years, at the end of that time going to
Chicago, where he spent three years. Returning to Tippecanoe county, he
lived for fourteen years in Wayne township, where he owns a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres. In 18S2 he took up his residence in Lafayette,
which has since been his home. His farm is one of the finest in the county
and bears evidence of most careful and intelligent cultivation. On coming
to Lafayette Mr. Buck engaged in the real-estate and loan business, of which
he has made a great success. At one time he had the management of thirty-
one farms, and his well known ability and honesty secure for him a valuable
clientage.

On Christmas day, 1856, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Buck and
Miss Hannah A. Holloway, daughter of John and Emily (McGeorge) Hollo-
way, of Lafayette, Indiana. Four children have been born of this union:
William D. was killed by a runaway team when fourteen years old ; James
died in infancy; Harry was killed on the railroad in 1894, when twenty- nine
years old: he was unmarried; Emily P. resides with her parents. Mr. and
Mrs. Buck are not connected with any religious body, but their daughter is a
member of the Methodist church.

Mr. Buck is a stanch Democrat and was justice of the peace while
residing in the country. He was for three years a member of the board of

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 297

police commissioners and was instrumental in organizing the present efficient
police force, the best of its size in America. Socially, Mr. Buck is a mem-
ber of the Elks. He is a man of much energy, executive ability and looks
after his many business interests with all the vigor and acuteness of a young
man. His unfailing industry and good judgment in seizing opportunities
have brought their reward in the steady accumulation of property, and to-day
he is classed among the wealthy citizens of Tippecanoe county, in whose
progress and development he has always been a prominent factor.

M. M. LAIRY, M. D.

In this enlightened age, when men of industry, energy and merit are
rapidly pushing their way to the front, those who by their own individual
efforts have won favor and high standing justly claim recognition in any
community. Dr. M. M. Lairy, one of the prominent members of the med-
ical profession in Lafayette, is a gentleman who is worthy of the highest
respect, for he owes his success and fine attainments to his own persistent,
energetic endeavors, continued through a long period. His father died
when our subject was a mere child, and from that time forward he was
more or less dependent upon his own resources.

The parents of the Doctor, Ale.xander and Mary A. (Isley) Lairy, were
both natives of Ohio, and by their respective parents were brought to Tippe-
canoe county when they were children. M. M. Lairy was born in this
county October 6, 1863, and was reared upon a farm until he was sixteen
years old. Up to that time he had received only a district-school education,
but he was ambitious and was but waiting the proper time to enter upon his
plans for a wider career than was afforded him in the routine work of agri-
culture.

In 1879 Dr. Lairy entered the Collegiate Institute at Battle Ground,
Indiana, and some time later he became a student at the State University,
at Bloomington. It was a great disappointment to him, when, on account
of over-work and over-study, he was obliged to leave school within one year
of his graduation, but a change was necessary, and after recuperating for a
short time he began teaching school. The following four years his time was
occupied in pedagogic work, in which he met with gratifying success. Mean-
while he had commenced reading medical works, under the instruction of
Dr. William S. Walker, of Lafayette, and subsequently he entered the Ken-
tucky School of Medicine, at Louisville, graduating there in 1892. Desiring
further instruction in special branches, his next step was to take another
year's work in the Indiana Medical College, at Indianapolis. Being gradua-
ted in that well known institution in 1893, Dr. Lairy came to Lafayette

298 BIOGRAPHICAL EISTOBT.

immediately and established an office. Considering the fact that he has
been in practice here but five years, his success has certainly been marked,
and his patrons now include many of the leading families of the place. He
is a member of the Tippecanoe County Medical Society and the Indiana
State Medical Society and keeps in touch with the march of progress in
medical science.

In his political creed Dr. Lairy is a pronounced Democrat. In 1898 he
was elected a member of the Lafayette city council, his term of office to
extend over the next four years. Socially, he is identified with the Knight
of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World and the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks. He is very popular with all classes, in his profession, in
political circles and in society, and is eminently deserving of the high regard
which is uniformly accorded him.

HOSEA CRONKHITE.

A representative of a numerous and well known family of Warren
county is Hosea Cronkhite, of Steuben township, a veteran of the war of the
Rebellion. He was born and reared in the township of which he is a respected
resident, the date of the event being August 15, 1843.

The parents of the subject of this narrative were Enoch and Selina
(Sweet) Cronkhite, natives of New York state. The father and three of his
brothers were among the pioneers of this county, and from these four —
Enoch, Levi, Elijah and Cornelius — have descended a large and representa-
tive element of our local population. The brothers came at different times,
the date of Enoch's arrival here being 1838. He and his wife were the par-
ents of five sons and five daughters, of whom only four survive, namely:
Hosea, Mrs. Mary Ann Cronkhite; Mrs. Minerva Clark and Mrs. Helen
Johnson.

The early years in the life of our subject passed in the quiet routine of
farm work and in attendance at the district schools. When the civil war
came on he enlisted in Company E, Eighty-sixth Regiment of Indiana Vol-
unteer Infantry, and with that famous regiment took part in the numerous
important battles and campaigns in which it was concerned. Among these
were the fierce battles of Stone river, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge,
Resaca, Adairsville, Pickett's Mills, Kenesaw mountain, Peach Tree creek,
the siege of Atlanta, Georgia, and Jonesboro. He served under General
Thomas at Nashville, Tennessee, when the " rock of Chickamauga"
defeated the Confederate forces commanded by the daring General Hood.
During the closing scenes of the war our subject was on detached duty, as
provost guard at brigade headquarters. It is a peculiar fact that five mem-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 29&

bers of Company E, in which he enlisted, bore the same surname as his own.
His brother Stephen was the color-bearer of the regiment, and in the gal-
lant fight at Missionary Ridge, November 25, 1863, he was wounded. He
died in Vermilion county, Illinois, a number of years ago. Henry Cronkhite,
a cousin, was killed at Missionary Ridge, and another cousin, Luke Cronk-
hite, died in Louisville, Kentucky, from wounds received in the battle of
Kenesaw mountain. The fifth of the family name was also a cousin, Levi
Cronkhite.

Since he returned from the battle-fields of the south, where he nobly
fought for the stars and stripes, Hosea Cronkhite has devoted his time and
attention to farming, and has been very successful. He is held in high
esteem by his neighbors and associates, and is an honored member of W. B.
Fleming Post, No. 352, Grand Army of the Republic. Always a loyal
Republican since he cast his first presidential vote for Lincoln, in 1864, when
in the army, he has occupied local offices and was deputy sheriff for four
years in this county.

On the 19th of September, 1867, the marriage of Hosea Cronkhite and
Mrs. Melinda Griffin, iiee Cronkhite, was celebrated. She died February 6,
1873, and left a son, LeRoy. June 15, 1876, Mr. Cronkhite wedded Miss
Amelia Reynolds, whose death occurred September 25, 1894. One son of
this union survives, namely, Clarence. Two children by each wife died in
early childhood. One of the saddest events in the life of Mr. Cronkhite
occurred on Christmas day of 1888, when his little son Elmer, twelve
years old, was accidentally shot by an elder brother, the result being the
death of the lad. Thus sorrow has been plentifully mingled in the cup of
this worthy man, but he has ever borne a brave and steadfast heart, and
under all circumstances has endeavored to do his full duty as a husband and
father, as a neighbor, citizen and friend.

JESSE TOMLINSON.

One of the first pioneers of Warren county was Jesse Tomlinson, a son
of Joseph and Mary Tomlinson. He settled here in 1826, and bravely
encountered all the difficulties, dangers and privations common to frontier
life, and after more than a quarter of a century's struggle with his environ-
ments closed his eyes in death March 31, 1853. He was one of the fore-
runners of civilization, one of those hardy, courageous souls who were among
the founders of this commonwealth, and to whose labors and confidence in
the final outcome of the county and state is due much of the credit of their
later prosperity.

A native of Cumberland county, Maryland; born August 9, i79S. Jesse

300 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Tomlinson did not remember his father, who died when the lad was a young
child. His mother afterward became the wife of a Mr. Dean, and one son,
Francis D., was born to that union. Jesse Tomlinson had one own brother,
William, who died in Ohio, about .1824, leaving a widow and two children.
When Jesse was six years old he and his brother William were taken to
Chiilicothe, Ohio, and were reared in the home of a maternal aunt. The
half-brother, Francis Dean, died many years ago and left a family to mourn
his loss.

In his early manhood our subject learned the trade of brick-mason, and
worked at that calling, at intervals, for several years. December 24, 1818,
he was united in marriage with Miss Mary McFarland, who was born May 5,
1799, in Chiilicothe, Ohio. The year following his marriage Mr. Tomlinson
built the poor-house in the vicinity of Chiilicothe, and was busily employed
on public and private buildings in that section of the state until he removed
to Indiana. As previously stated, it was in 1826 that he came to Warren
county, and here he entered a quarter section of land in Steuben township,
also buying an eighty-acre tract from a Mr. Sisson. This was his home for
life and here he established the family cemetery, which is beautifully situated
near the old orchard. He willed this cemetery plat to himself as a family
burying ground, and here were tenderly laid to rest not only himself but also
the other deceased members of the family. He made the journey hither on
horseback, and was accompanied in his trip by Thomas Johnson and Messrs.
Woolverton, Boyer and Ridenour. The following spring a considerable
party came to take possession of frontier homes here, among them being Mr.
Tomlinson and his immediate family, his mother-in-law, two brothers-in-law,
two unmarried sisters-in-law, John McFarland and ^^^illiam Slater. Our
subject settled on the land which he had previously entered, and with char-
acteristic energy he proceeded to clear and develop a farm. His nearest
neighbor for some time was five miles away, and when, after much difficulty,
he had managed to raise a crop, he was obliged to transport the grain to
Chicago in wagons, and there trade it for necessary provisions and supplies,
the journey being one of about a week's duration, as there were as yet no
roads and only irregular Indian trails. In 1839 he took what pork and farm
products he had to sell on a raft to New Orleans, and there did such trading
as he desired. In 1845 and 1846 he entered some eighteen hundred acres of
land in Vermilion county, and by that time already possessed fifteen hun-
dred acres of land in Steuben and Kent townships, Warren county. He cer-
tainly was an excellent business man and financier, and in all his enterprises
he had the earnest co-operation of his devoted wife. United in all their
aims and endeavors, death did not long separate this estimable couple, as
Mrs. Tomlinson died January 11, 1853, and in less than three months the

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 301

husband was placed to rest at her side in the quiet cemetery, both dying of
typhoid fever. At that time all but one of their eleven children were left to
mourn the loss of their loved parents. Only three now survive, namely:
Frances, who is unmarried; Mrs. Juliett Miller; and Francis D., of Rossville,
Illinois. The deceased children are John, Mrs. Mary Jane Watkins, Will-
iam, Mrs. Hester Kent, Zeruiah (who never married), Jonathan, Mrs. Nancy
Summers and Jesse, Jr.

Considering the fact that he never had more than three months' school-
ing in his life, Jesse Tomlinson was a remarkably well informed man. A
great reader of such books as came into his possession, he stored his mind
with facts and fancies, and was especially well versed in the Scriptures.
Though a birth-right member of the Society of Friends, he and his wife were
consistent Methodists, and were deeply interested in religious and educational
affairs. Twice did he contribute liberally to build Crawfordsville Seminary,
— once on its first erection, and again after it was burned. They were loved
and admired by all who knew them, and their noble lives left a lasting
impress for good upon the community in which they dwelt.

EDWARD B. GUNN.

It is not often that the biographer has occasion to record so much work
accomplished and such ambitious plans carried out to successful completion
as in the present instance. Mr. Gunn, though now only thirty-one years of
age, has been recognized as an expert electrician and mechanical engineer
for many years, and he has had entrusted to him works of vast importance
and magnitude. He has never failed to execute the same with promptness,
skill and thoroughness, calling forth the earnest commendation of all con-
cerned in the same. Four years ago he was induced to settle in Lafayette
as a permanent citizen of the place and to undertake the general manage-
ment of the entire city street-railway system. He has since ably discharged
the duties of this position and has won his way into the respect and high
regard of a large circle of our best citizens.

From a long line of sturdy, enterprising, upright New England ances-
tors our subject doubtless inherited many of the characteristics which have
wrought out his success in life. His great-grandfather Gunn was a native of
Scotland, and lived to the advanced age of ninety-two years. He came to
this country prior to the war of the Revolution, in which, as the records
state, he was a valiant soldier. His home was in New Hampshire, and in
that state his son Elijah, the grandfather of our subject, was born and
reared. Elijah Gunn was a farmer by occupation, and at the time of the
second war with our mother country he followed his patriotic father's

302 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

example and went forth to fight for the maintenance of the rights of the
United States. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Dexter
Britton, likewise born in bleak New Hampshire, and of English descent.
He was a farmer and died when about fifty years old.

Edward B. Gunn, whose birth took place July 8, 1868, in Gilsum, New
Hampshire, is the only son and only survivor of the four children born to
Elisha W. and Lucy D. (Britton) Gunn. They were both natives of New
Hampshire and were very prominent in the work of the Methodist Episcopal
church. The father has been actively engaged in farming until recently,
owning a large, thrifty fruit orchard and prospering financially. Politically
a Republican, he has occupied various township offices and for years was
one of the selectmen of his neighborhood. The wife and mother died in
1882, aged fifty-six years.

Until he was fifteen years old E. B. Gunn lived on the parental home-
stead and attended the common schools. Then he took a four-months
course of practical training in the Thomson-Houston Electric Works at Lj'nn,
Massachusetts. Having mastered the business sufficiently, he accepted a
position with the West End Street Railway Motor Works, in the ninth
division of Boston. Subsequently he became superintendent of overhead
construction of the Duquesne Traction Company, at Pittsburg, and under his
direction twenty-eight miles of overhead work was executed. Leaving that
corporation, he was next employed by the Union Railway Company, of New
York, to put up the first overhead trolley ever made in the great metropolis.
When he had constructed thirty miles of lines for that company he superin-
tended the building of one hundred and twenty miles of overhead-line work
for the Atlantic avenue railway of Brooklyn. On the division between
Thirty-ninth street and Coney Island the trolley lines were substituted for the
old steam system. After this Mr. Gunn became superintendent of construc-
tion of overhead and underground lines for the People's Traction Company,
of Philadelphia. There he put in about seventy-five miles of trolley lines
and one hundred and eighty miles of underground feeder lines. In Novem-
ber, 1894, he came to Lafayette and has since occupied his present position.
Under his management are some fifty workmen and all of the city lines,
including the one out to the Soldier's Home. Improvements of a substantial
nature are constantly being instituted by him for the benefit of the public,
who sincerely appreciate his efforts to add to their comfort in various
ways.

The attractive home of Mr. Gunn is at No. 735 Owen street. Highland
Park. The charming mistress of this domain was Miss Emmie R. Stanley
prior to her marriage to Mr. Gunn, October 25, 1893. She is a daughter of
Edward and Retta (Yarnell) Stanley, and by her marriage has become the

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 303

mother of three children, Idella E,, Edward S., Emily B. Mr. and Mrs.
Gunn are members of the Trinitj^Methodist Episcopal church.

Politically, our subject is a Republican. Socially, he is connected with
the Masons and Odd Fellows, standing high in the regard of all the brethren
of these orders. In the Masonic order he has reached the thirty-second
degree, belonging to Tippecanoe Lodge, No. 492, F. & A. M. ; Lafayette
Chapter, No. 3, R. A. M. ; Lafayette Commandery, No. 3, K. T. ; Adoniram
Lodge of Perfection; Seraiah Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Indianapolis
Chapter, Rose Croix, and Indiana Consistory, S. P. R. S. He also is a
member of James P. Nicholson Lodge, No. 585, I. O. O. F.

SAMUEL C. FENTON, M. D.

Dr. Fenton was born in Warren county, Indiana, November 29, 1844,
and has been a lifelong resident of the state, although he has made his
home in Boswell, Benton county, only during the past three years. He is a
son of Joseph A. and Margaret (Campbell) Fenton. The father was born
in the southern part of the state in 1817, and died in 1852, at the age of
thirty-five years. He was a farmer of Warren county and owned one hun-
dred and fifty acres of land at the time of his demise. He was married in
1840 to Margaret Campbell, who died in Boswell in May, 1897, at the age
of seventy-nine years. Three children were born to them: Eleazer, born
in 1 84 1 and died in i860; Samuel C. ; our subject; and Flora E., born in
185 1 and is now the widow of R. W. Stewart. The paternal grandparents
of Dr. Fenton were Eleazer and Elizabeth (Englemond) Fenton, the former
an American and the latter a German. The maternal grandparents were
Samuel and Peggy (Cobb) Campbell.

Dr. Fenton attended the district school in Warren county until he was
fifteen years of age, when he entered the Battle Ground University for three
years. There he began the study of medicine under the preceptorship of
H. D. Riddile, M. D., and then took a course of lectures in Rush Medical
College, Chicago, during 1866-7, graduating at the institution in 1870. In
the summer of 1867 he began the practice of his profession in Pine Village,
Indiana, and continued in active practice there for twenty-five years, gain-
ing a large and lucrative patronage. In 1890 he was chosen auditor of
Warren county, and served four years, at the same time keeping up his
practice. In 1895 he moved to Boswell, where he has met with a hearty
welcome and has proved his ability and skill in dealing with sickness in all
its varied forms.

He was married September 23, 1869, in his native county, to Miss Anna
Pierce, a daughter of Milton and Sarah S. (Morgan) Pierce. Mrs. Fenton

304 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

also is a native of Warren county, having been born there April i8, 1849.
They have no children of their own and have reared two daughters, — Nanny
Bowman and Lucy Marie Fenton, — giving them a good home. The Doctor
is a member of the Masonic lodge, and belongs to the Knights of Pythias,
where he has served in all the offices. He is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and a Republican in politics, having served as auditor of
Warren county one term, and trustee of Adams township, that county, two
terms. He is genial and affable and has made a host of friends in this county
since his advent here.

JAMES B. SHAW.

For twenty years James B. Shaw has been a resident of Lafayette, and
is accounted one of her most valued citizens. Honorable and upright in all
his dealings, devoted to whatever tends to benefit the general public, con-
scientious in the discharge of the least as well as the greatest of his duties
as a patriotic citizen, he possesses the respect and high regard of all who know
him. Ever a loyal citizen, he manifested his fidelity to the Union cause
upon southern battlefields, and in the days of peace serves his country just
as faithfully.

Mr. Shaw is descended from Irish ancestry, although for many genera-
tions the family has been established in America. His grandfather, Josiah
Shaw, was a native of Maine, and died in Gorham, that state, at the
advanced age of ninety-six years, while his wife reached the age of eighty-
two. They were the parents of seven children, six sons and a daughter.
Among this number was William H. Shaw, father of our subject. He was
a native of Gorham, Maine, and in the early part of his business career
engaged in clerking in New York city. While still a young man he came to
Indiana, locating in Delphi in 1837. There he secured a clerkship in the
general store of William Bowles, with whom he remained until February,
185 1, when, having acquired some capital, he invested the same in a farm
and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. Subsequently, in connec-
tion with Gardner Mudge, his father-in-law, he laid out the town of Chalmers,
in White county, on the old Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad, and
in 1856 he removed to Bradford, now Monon, where he engaged in business
until i860. From that time until his death he resided in Remington, Jasper
county, and on the ist of July, 1894, departed this life, when nearly eighty-
three years of age. In his early manhood he married Miss Cornelia Mudge,
a native of Huron, Wayne county. New York, and a daughter of Gardner
Mudge, also a native of the Empire state and of English extraction. In 1837
he came to Indiana and was an important factor in the substantial develop-
ment of his section of the state. For a number of years he engaged in

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 805

merchandising in the town of Delphi and also managed a farm. He died
in December, 1856, at the age of sixty-seven years. Mrs. Shaw, one of his
four children, is still living in Remington, and has attained the age of seventy-
seven years. She is a faithful member of the Presbyterian church, to which
her husband also belonged. An opponent of the system of slavery, he gave
his support to the Abolition party in ante-bellum days, and on the organiza-
tion of the Republican party he joined its ranks and continued one of its
stanch advocates until his death. For a number of years he served as post-
master, administering the affairs of the office with discretion and ability.
Six children were born to William H. and Cornelia Shaw, but only two are
now living, James B. and Jessie Gardner, the latter now the wife of Moses
Solomon, of Elgin, Illinois.

The subject of this review is numbered among the native sons of Indiana.
His birth occurred in Delphi, on the 28th of May, 1842, and during the
greater part of his boyhood he resided upon a farm near Chalmers. In the
winter of 1856-7 he attended a select school in Marietta, Ohio, where he
pursued his studies under the supervision of Professor Samuel Maxwell, a
noted educator of that day. In 1858 he entered Wabash College, and was
engaged in mastering the different branches of learning taught in that school
at the time of the inauguration of the civil war. Deeply interested in the
causes which led to the outbreak of hostilities and firmly believing in the
policy of the north as outlined by President Lincoln, he responded to the call
of his country on the 6th of September, 1861, and enlisted as a member of
Company D, Tenth' Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He served as a private
until July, 1862, and was then made hospital steward of the regiment, acting
in that capacity until September 19, 1864, when he was honorably discharged.
He served for three years and thirteen days, and never was absent from roll
call in all that time — a remarkable record! Among the battles and cam-
paigns in which he gallantly fought were the following: Siege of Corinth,
from the loth of April to the 30th of May, 1862; Perryville, on the 8th of
October, 1862; the Tullahoma campaign in 1863; the battle of Chickamauga,
September 19 and 20, 1863; the storming of Mission Ridge, November
25, 1863; the battle of Resaca on the 13th, 14th and 15th of May, 1864;
Kingston, Georgia, May 25th; Kenesaw Mountain, from the 20th to the 30th
of June, 1864; Peach Tree Creek, July 20, 1864; and the siege of Atlanta,
from the 21st of July until the 2d of September, 1864.

At the close of the war Mr. Shaw returned to his home to resume the
pursuits of civil life. On the 15th of May, 1865, he accepted the position of
telegraph operator for the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad Company and
continued with that corporation for seven years, after which he entered the
service of the Panhandle, and was with that road and the Chicago & Eastern

806 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Illinois until 1877. In April of that year he became connected with the
Lake Erie & Western Railroad Company, which he served until August i,
1882, when he became connected with the Lafayette Car Works, and subse-
quent to March 24, 1885, was in the claim-agency business. In November,
1886, he was elected justice of the peace, and in 1896 was re-elected, the
latter time being supported by both Republicans and Democrats — an unmis-
takable evidence of his fidelity to duty and his impartiality. He is a popular
as well as efficient magistrate, for his uniform courtesy to witnesses, clients
■and lawyers is most marked.

On the 20th of March, 1865, Mr. Shaw married Miss Martha J. Beal,
of Watseka, Illinois, a daughter of William and Sarah (Lamborn) Beal.
Their union has been blessed with six children: James B., the eldest, is a
graduate of Purdue University and for five years was professor of mathematics
and physics in Illinois College, at Jacksonville, Illinois. At the present time
he is occupying the chair of mathematics in the military academy at Orchard
Lake, Michigan. He married Martha J. Whittlesey, who is now deceased.
William H., the second son, is a member of Company D, Second Texas
Volunteer Infantry, and served with the Seventh Army Corps, under command
of General Fitzhugh Lee. Robert Beal, the third son, is a printer. Mary
Delia is the wife of A. W. Harris, by whom she has two children, Armazindy
and William Arthur. Maude and Jessie, the younger daughters, are at
home, the family residence being located at No. 1006 Elliott street,
Lafayette.

Mr. Shaw is connected with several civic societies and is a worthy
exponent of the benevolent principles on which the orders are founded.
Since 1867 he has been a Master Mason; since 1866 has held membership in
Middleport Lodge, No. 74, I. O. O. P., and is identified with Encampment
No. 81, of Watseka. He was a charter member of Encampment No. 122,
Union Veteran Legion, and is past colonel of the same. On the 2d of
December, 1879, he became a member of John A. Logan Post, G. A. R. ; was
commander of the post in 1881 and 1883, and in 1894 was elected senior
vice-commander of department of Indiana. He is also a member and the
past dictator of Lodge No. 4, Loyal Order of Moose. Since the organization
of the Republican party he has given his support to its men and measures and
is one of its most loyal adherents. His entire life has been passed in
Indiana. At all times he has manifested a deep interest in all movements
tending toward the advancement of city, county and state, and his influence
and aid have proven important factors in the promotion of many measures
which have advanced the general welfare. He is progressive and enterprising,
courteous and considerate, and at all times commands the respect and confi-
dence of his fellow men.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

ELISHA RODGERS.

The pride and strength of any country, its mainstay and support, is the
farmer, whose toil produces food for the masses and without whose labors
poverty and ruin would soon come to the nation. The hardy frontiersman
of America had much greater tasks before him than the mere tilling of the
soil; he had forests to raze, rivers to bridge, roads to make, privations and
hardships innumerable to endure, trials and dangers at which the bravest
heart might well quail; yet rarely did he falter in the grand and noble work,
— none the less noble because self-imposed, — the work which meant civiliza-
tion, progress and prosperity in regions hitherto uninhabited save by the red
men and wild beasts. In the mighty work of rendering the great state of
Indiana a fitting place for mankind Elisha Rodgers has certainly done his
share, and no one is more deserving of praise.

This pioneer of Warren county was born at East Haddam, Connecticut,
April 14, 1 8 12, his parents being Allen and Sarah A. (Warner) Rodgers, the
latter of Irish ancestry. When our subject was a child his parents removed
to New Hampshire, thence went to Hamilton county, Ohio, and in 1825
settled • in Vermilion county, Indiana. Many years later, the father went to
Benton county, Iowa, and finally died at his home near Newton. The
mother returned to Indiana, and made her home with her son Elisha until
her death. He was the eldest of seven children, five sons and two daugh-
ters, and is now the only survivor.

From 1825 until 1836 Elisha Rodgers remained in Vermilion county,
but for the past sixty-three years he has made his home in Mound township,
Warren county. His present farm is partly situated on the site of the old
town of Baltimore, where for about six years he was a merchant and post-
master. This is one of the " deserted villages " so common in some parts of
this country, but rarely seen in the thrifty western or central states. Years
ago he was a man of recognized ability and influence in the public affairs of
this community, and held various township offices. He was commissioner
of Warren county for six years and was a justice of the peace for a long
period. While serving in the latter capacity he married many a couple well
known in the history of this section, among others, Aaron Y. Taylor and
wife, the former of whom was about his own age. At his own expense Mr.
Rodgers built a school-house in the early days, and afterward taught two
terms in the structure. Eight times he took flat-boats down the rivers to
New Orleans, where a good market for northern farm products was always
to be found. His first and last vote for a Democrat was cast in favor of
General Jackson, for the presidency, and since the organization of the Repub-
lican party he has been one of its stanchest supporters on national issues.

308 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Though now well along in years, he is in the complete possession of his
faculties, and recalls vividly many a scene and stirring occurrence of the
youthful days of Indiana.

The first marriage of Mr. Rodgers took place September 3, 1840, the
lady of his choice being Miss Julia Evans, who died June 8, 1849. She left
one daughter, Melissa, now the wife of Hugh S. Ritchey, of Covington.
September i, 1850, Mr. Rodgers married Mary Ann, daughter of Peter and
Elizabeth (Hering) Moudy. She was born in Butler county, Ohio, and
accompanied her parents to Vermilion county when she was about six years
old. To our estimable subject and wife eleven children were born, of whom
six are now living, namely: Sarah Jane, wife of David Talbot, of Vermilion
county; Emily, widow of Mark V. Kenney, and now living with her parents;
Martha Washington, wife of Frank M. Riley, a prominent citizen of Okla-
homa; Abraham Lincoln, a resident of Covington; Rose Ann, wife of Jacob
Rouse; and Peter M., who lives in Mound township. George Washington
and John C. Fremont were the sons who died, and twin gitls died in infancy.
Without exception the children of our subject have enjoyed the respect and
esteem of all with whom their lot has been cast, and in all their dealings
their course has been marked with the same justice, uprightness and'fairness
which have ever characterized his actions.

ABNER GOODWINE.

The annals of Warren county would be incomplete were the name and
record of Abner Goodwine omitted, for any reason, as he has resided within
the county boundaries for the long period of seventy years, and few citizens
of Gordon township are better known or more sincerely esteemed. Pie has
witnessed almost its whole development from an unbroken wilderness to a
well cultivated farming area, dotted with happy, prosperous homes and thriv-
ing villages. Forty years ago he cast his first presidential ballot, Zachary
Taylor being his choice, and from that time to the present he has voted at
every presidential election. Espousing the Republican party principles,
when his old Whig party was supplanted, he has voted for every candidate
from Fremont to McKinley.

Abner Goodwine, the only child of the respected old pioneer, James
Goodwine (whose history is printed on another page of this work) and his
second wife, Mrs. Sarah (Shumaker) Logan Goodwine, was born in Bar-
tholomew county, Indiana, July 10, 1826. Mrs. Goodwine was a native of
Virginia and thence removed to Kentucky with her parents. When she
arrived at womanhood she married William Logan and they became residents
of Jackson county, Indiana, the husband dying there a few years afterward.

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 309

When he was about eighteen months old Abner Goodwine was brought to
Warren county by his parents and here he has since remained. Since 1850
he has been a land-owner and resident of Jordan township. Commencing
with but small means, he gradually accumulated property and a bank account,
and at one time he owned thirty-eight hundred acres of land in this county.
He has been very liberal with his children, and still has in his possession
about eighteen hundred acres of fine farm land. His home is a very attract-
ive one, the building is of brick, and there are few better farm residences in
the county.

The marriage of Abner Goodwine and Barbara J., daughter of George
Pence, a pioneer of this county, was celebrated October 30, 185 1. They
have ten living children, namely: Mrs. Mary C. Hemmelright, Newton C.,
Sarah E., Olive, Frank S., Clara Virginia, Nora and Cora (twins). Leola
and Harry M., and two children, George and Belle, are deceased.

DAVID LAUGHLIN.

The proprietor of a general store in Talbot, Benton county, Indiana,
David Laughlin was born in the adjoining state of Ohio, in Brown county,
January 8, 1836. He is the son of Robert and Isabella (Graham) Laughlin,
and is of Scotch-Irish stock, his paternal grandparents coming from the
north of Ireland, and his maternal grandparents from Scotland. His father
was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1790, and moved, some years
later, to Brown county, Ohio, where he owned two hundred and forty acres
of land. In 1840 he disposed of his property and moved to Shelby county,
that state, where he purchased eighty acres, upon which he was still residing
ten years later, when his death occurred. He was united in wedlock to Miss
Isabella Graham, a native of Lancaster county, where she was born in 1791.
She moved to Clermont county, Ohio, where she was married, and died near
Sidney, that state, in 1876. Their family consisted of twelve children: James,
who died at the age of eighteen; Mary, who died in 1870, at the age of sixty
years; Isabella, who died in infancy; Elizabeth, who died at the age of fifty-
five, in 1888; William, a resident of Shelby county, Ohio; Margaret, who died
in Shelby county, in 1851, at the age of thirty years; John, who lives in
Shelby county; Nancy, who resides at Piqua, Miami county, same state,
the widow of Charles Street; Leander and Richard, deceased, the former at
the age of twenty, the latter at the age of twenty-four; David, the subject of
this memoir; and Joseph, a resident of Sidney, Ohio; and the present
county auditor.

David Laughlin attended the district school in Shelby county, until he
was nineteen, receiving a good education. In 1855 ^^ and a man named

310 BIOGRAPHICAL EISTOBT.

Reuben Woodmancie, now of Council Bluffs, Iowa, walked from Shelby
county, Ohio, to Warren county, Indiana. They returned to Ohio, but after-
ward came back to Indiana. He taught school two terms in Wapakoneta,
Ohio, and in 1858 started with a party of travelers to cross the plains from
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They were stopped, and Laughlin returned to
Indiana. He worked near College Corner, for several months and the same
year, 1858, engaged in the cattle business, in which he was very successful.
He rented land near College Corner, where he farmed during the sum-
mers and taught school in the winter months. He continued this plan for
twenty-eight years, and then entered the mercantile business at Talbot, in
1887. He built the store and residence now occupied by him, and placed a
line of general merchandise in the room, valued at one thousand five hun-
dred dollars, and has been equally successful in this as in previous ventures.
He was married February 19, 1859, at College Corner, Indiana, to Miss
Adaline Brady, daughter of John and Eliza (Davidson) Brady, farmers near
College Corner. His wife died in 1 881, at the age of thirty-six years, and
left six children : Eva May, now deceased; Loch, a farmer in Warren coun-
ty, this state; Leonard, a farmer near Talbot, who owns one hundred and
forty-two acres where he lives and eighty acres in Warren county; Elmer,
who is in the grain business at Boswell, this state; Marlin, deceased; and
Rolland, who is serving his country in her troubles with Spain, and is sta-
tioned at Fort Pickens, Florida. After his wife's death Mr. Laughlin was
again married, this time to Mrs. Amanda (Stalley) Stephenson, a daughter of
Isaac and Elizabeth Stalley, of North Carolina. He has been a member of
the Masonic fraternity for the past ten years. He is a prominent member of
the Baptist church, and a Democrat in politics. He has filled the office of
justice of the peace in a manner that reflected credit on his shrewdness and
judgment.

ANDREW C. SALE.

One of the pioneers of Tippecanoe county, as he has lived within its
borders for sixty-six years, A. C. Sale is justly entitled to representation in
the annals of the county. For thirty-eight years he has dwelt in a com-
modious frame house, which he built himself, at No. 1804 Union street,
Lafayette. He has been an interested witness of the great improvement and
development of this region, and to his friends has many an interesting inci-
dent to relate of the days of long ago, when he and the county were young.
Having lived here so long a time, and having been engaged in one line of busi-
ness here for years, he is well known throughout the county and no one is
held in higher respect.

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 311

Born on the anniversary of our nation's birth, in 1832, in Butler county,
Ohio, A. C. Sale is the only surviving child of Clayton and Sarah (Parke)
Sale, natives of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, respectively. One by one, the
parents and seven of their children were summoned to the better land, and
now only one of the happy home circle remains. The father, who was a
millwright by trade, came to this county in September, 1832, and settled in
Sheffield township, east of Lafayette. He worked at his trade as a carpen-
ter until shortly before his death, which event occurred in his sixty-third
year, March, 1856, in Rossville, Indiana. He was a hero of the war of 1812
and was at the battle of the Thames, Canada, where Tecumseh was killed.
Our subject's mother died in 1847, and the father later married Elizabeth
Miller, who died in Rossville some years ago. Clayton and Sarah Sale were
both members of the United Brethren church and were active in all good
works and enterprises. The father of Clayton Sale was Samuel Sale, a
farmer in Kentucky, in which state he resided until his death, when he was
eighty-four. He was of English ancestry. The father of Sarah Sale was
David Parke, a native of New Jersey. He and his wife were early settlers
of this state and resided here until the summons came to them to leave the
shores of time.

An infant of but a few months when his parents brought him to this
county, A. C. Sale is practically a native son of this section, especially as he
has never lived elsewhere. He engaged in farm work and attended school
until he was a few months over fifteen, when he began learning the tinner's
trade. This has been his occupation, more or less, throughout life, his spec-
iality being the roofing of buildings. He went into business on his own ac-
count in 1863 and carries a fine and well selected stock of hardware, stoves,
etc., his present location being at No. 315 Columbia street. Fair and just
in all his dealings, he bears among the business men and citizens of this place
a reputation of which he may well be proud. By strict attention to business
afiairs, regard for the interests of his customers, energy, promptness and un-
failing courtesy, he prospered as he deserved to do. and he is now the pos-
sessor of a comfortable fortune. Politically, he sides with the Republican
party, and has never been an aspirant to public office. In Tippecanoe Lodge,
No. 55, I. O. O. F., he stands high, has been a trustee of the same for
twenty-two years, and has represented his lodge in the grand lodge upon sev-
eral occasions.

May, 25, 1854, Mr. Sale married Miss Elizabeth Herald, daughter of
Lewis and Sarah (Reamer) Herald. The eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Sale,
Lavilo Reamer, married Ida Dodd and practised medicine for several years
in Clinton, Iowa, but has returned and is assisting his father in the manage-
ment of his business. He has two living children, — Estella and Louis. Alice

312 BIOGBJPHICAL HISTORY.

Carrie, elder daughter of our subject, married Charles Elliott, of this city,
and is the mother of four children, namely: Grace, Claude, Harold and
AHce. Mary Edith is the wife of Dr. Robert E. Lee, of Lafayette, Indiana,
and their only child is Elizabeth Helen.

Many years ago Mr. and Mrs. Sale became identified with the member-
ship of the United Brethren church. For a long period he was superintend-
ent of the Sunday-school, class-leader, steward, etc., and at all times he has
contributed liberally to the support of the church work in all its departments.
His heart is a kind and generous one and the poor and needy receive many
favors at his hands.

ABSALOM NISEWANDER.

This substantial and respected farmer of Sheffield township, Tippecanoe
county, Indiana, springs from sturdy German ancestry. His forefathers were
among the early settlers of Maryland and it was in that state that his father,
Joseph Nisewander, was born, his native place being near Hagerstown. In
that state he married Miss Lydia, daughter of Christian Evy (or Avy), who
was likewise of German origin. Mr. Evy (or Avy) was a well-to-do farmer
who lived and died in Maryland. His children were George, Samuel and
Lydia. Joseph Nisewander, soon after marriage, moved to Ohio and settled
in Miami county, and in 1828 came over into Indiana, arriving in Tippecanoe
county in the month of October and making settlement in Lauramie town-
ship on eighty acres of land which he entered and which was at that time
covered with forest. He was one of the primitive pioneers of the township.
After improving his farm he exchanged it for eighty acres where his son, the
subject of this sketch, now lives, and this place also he cleared and improved.
He was an industrious, honorable and upright man, and reared an excellent
family. In those early days in the " Hoosier " state the people lived in a
simple manner. They raised sheep, spun the wool, wove it into cloth, and
thus made their own clothing. Game and the products of their farms sup-
plied their tables bountifully. In this way the Nisewanders lived and brought
up their family. Their children in order of birth were David, Samuel,
Daniel, Absalom, Amy, Lucinda, Elizabeth, Lydia and Susan. Religiously,
they were " Campbellites " or Christians. The father died at about the age
of seventy years and the mother was sixty-two when she passed away.

Absalom Nisewander, whose name initiates this review, was born Octo-
ber 28, 1825, in Miami county, Ohio, and was three years old when the
family moved to Indiana. Here, amid frontier surroundings, he was
reared, his education being received in one of the primitive log school-houses
for which early Indiana was noted. September 13, 1855, at the age of

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 313

twenty-nine years, he married Miss Susan Fidler, who was born June 3,
1835, in Wea township, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, daughter of Jacob
and Elizabeth (Stoner) Fidler. Jacob Fidler was a Virginian by birth and a
descendant of Irish and Dutch ancestry. He was one of the early settlers of
Ohio and was there married, his wife being a daughter of Peter Stoner.
About 1830 the Fidler family came to Indiana and took up their abode at a
point east of Dayton, where they lived for a few years and whence they
removed to Wea Prairie, where the father purchased eighty acres of land,
partially improved, of Alexander Hoover. Mr. Fidler further improved
his land, and added to it until his farm comprised two hundred acres, which
amount he owned at the time of his death. His children were Alvin, George,
Joseph, Orlando, William, Andrew, Barbara A., Sarah, Susan and Rebecca.
He, too, was a member of the Christian church and reared his family in that
faith.

After their marriage Absalom Nisewander and wife settled where they
now live; and here their forty-four years of married life have been spent.
Their industry and good management have brought to them success. They
have a fine farm of two hundred and fifty acres, well improved, with com-
fortable house, etc., their place ranking with the best in the township.

Their family record is as follows: Lydia Elizabeth, born June 21, 1856;
Jacob, March 20, 1861; John, March 16, 1865; Andrew C, May i, 1864:
Rosie, who died at the age of two years; Samuel, born March 20, 1871; and
Harry, born in September, 1872.

J. H. LETCHER.

J. H. Letcher, of Williamsport, Warren county, Indiana, is the editor
and publisher of the Warren Review, which was established on January I,
1890, by Thomas A. Clifton and Charles H. Morrison. In August, 1892, it
passed into the full control of Mr. Clifton, and in April, 1897, it was pur-
chased by its present owner.

Mr. Letcher is a native of Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where he was born
in 1850. He removed when a child to Lenawee county, Michigan, where he
was reared on a farm. Returning to Ohio, he served an apprenticeship to
the trade of printer in the office of the Bryan (Ohio) Press, after which he
went west and for five years was engaged in the publication of newspapers in
Minnesota and South Dakota. Following his western experience, he went
back to Bryan, Ohio, and purchased a half interest in the Press, with which
he was connected seven years. At the end of this time he sold his interest
in that paper and bought a job printing office in Lafayette, Indiana, and
from that place came, in the spring of 1897, to Williamsport.

314 BIOGRAPHICAL EISTOBY.

Mr. Letcher is a practical, wide-awake newspaper man, and, while the
Review was an eminent success under its former management, he has largely
increased its circulation and influence. He believes in making the best news-
paper possible and takes a commendable pride in the success of his efforts.
The large circulation of the Review in Warren and adjoining counties, and
the liberal advertising patronage that the paper receives, prove that his
efforts are appreciated. The Review is and always has been Republican in
politics.

PHILIP GEMMER.

Major Philip Gemmer, of Williamsport, Indiana, manager for the War-
ren County Lumber Company, ex-treasurer of Warren county, and a veteran
Union soldier in the war of the Rebellion, was born in Nassau, Germany,
near Frankfort-on-the-Rhine, November 8, 1832. His father was Justus
Gemmer and his mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Beck. The latter
died when her son Philip was a child, and subsequently the father married
Gratia Kincel. In 1849 the family emigrated to America and settled in
Tuscarawas county, Ohio, and later took up their abode in Wabash county,
Indiana, where the parents resided the rest of their lives. Philip was the first
of the four sons born of the first marriage. The second, Peter, is a resident
of Marion, Indiana. Frederick served in the Union army in the war of the
Rebellion as a member of a Missouri regiment, and is now deceased.
Henry, the youngest of the lour brothers, is a resident of Wabash county.
There were also four children by the second wife.

Philip Gemmer learned the trade of carpenter, and was engaged in that
occupation previous to the war of the Rebellion, in Wabash county; also in
Lafayette and West Lebanon. From the last named place he went to-
Marshfield, Indiana. This was just on the eve of the civil war. He re-
solved to enter the army in defense of his adopted country. Accordingly, in
April, 1 86 1, he enlisted in Company B, Tenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, in response to President Lincoln's call for "three hundred thou-
sand more." He was a participant in some of the most important events of
the early part of the war, including the well known battle of Rich mountain.
Soon after the expiration of his term of enlistment, three months, on August
4, 1862, he again entered the service of his country, this time for three years
or during the war. He now entered the Eighty-sixth Regiment, Indiana
Volunteer Infantry, and on the organization of Company E was made its
first lieutenant. He was soon after promoted to the captaincy of his com-
pany, and just before the army entered on the famous Atlanta campaign he
was made major of his regiment. Major Gemmer participated in some o£

BIOGRJ.PHICAL HISTORY. 315

the most important campaigns and battles of the war. Among the famous
battles in which he took part, as a member of the Army of the Cumberland,
were Stone river, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and all of those connected
with the campaign and siege of Atlanta. When General Sherman set out on
his famous "march to the sea," the command to which Major Gemmer be-
longed remained to re-enforce General Thomas, and participated in the battle
of Nashville and in the pursuit and destruction of Bragg's army. Though
Major Gemmer took part in so large a number of severe battles and had
many narrow escapes, he was never hit by the bullets of the enemy.

After his return from the army, Major Gemmer was for two years engaged
in the grocery trade at Marshfield. In 1867 he came to Williamsport. Near
this city, in Washington township, he purchased a farm which he operated
for many years. In 1878 he was elected treasurer of Warren county, and re-
elected two years later, serving four years.

His first wife was Miss Maggie Moore, who bore him one son, Fred L.
Gemmer, who is the present manager of the Boston dry-goods store at Will-
iamsport. His second wife was Miss Lydia E. Smith, who bore him a son
and a daughter. The former, William H. Gemmer, is a graduate of Purdue
University and is the present surveyor of Warren county. The daughter,
Lydia E. , is a graduate of the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute,
and is a successful teacher in the public schools of Williamsport. Major Gem-
mer's present wife was formerly Miss Minerva E. Flemming. A son,
George A., has blessed this union. He is now a student at Purdue University,
being a member of the class of 1899.

Major Gemmer belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Union Vet-
erans' Union, an order to which only those who have seen actual military
service are entitled to membership. He has been the competent manager of
the Warren County Lumber Company since the spring of 1891. Major
Gemmer is a gentleman who is held in high esteem by all who have the pleas-
ure of his acquaintance. He was a gallant and faithful soldier in the war for
the preservation of the Union and has ever been a most loyal and respected
citizen. In his political affiliations he is an ardent Republican.

JOHN P. KISSINGER.

John P. Kissinger, one of the substantial farmers and respected citizens
of Randolph township, Tippecanoe county, springs from sturdy Pennsylvania-
Dutch ancestry. At a very early period in American history members of the
family located in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. The great-grandfather of
our subject was one of the heroes who valiantly fought for liberty in the war
of the Revolution. The grandfather, Samuel Kissinger, was born in Penn-

316 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOBT.

sylvania, and followed farming near Harrisburg. Later he removed to Ohio,
settling in Butler county about 1848. He purchased a farm and thereon
made his home until his death, which occurred when he had reached an
advanced age. His political support was given the Democratic party. He
was married near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and his children were Samuel,
Peter, Fred, Adam, Isaac, Margaret, Catherine and Mary.

The first named, Samuel Kissinger, Jr., the father of our subject, was
born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, May 18, 1810. By trade he was a
hatter and followed that vocation for many years. He was married May 19,
1 83 1, in Stark county, Ohio, to Elizabeth Trump, who was born in that
county April 27, 18 14, a daughter of John Peter Trump, who belonged to
one of the old Pennsylvania-Dutch families and was one of the pioneer set-
tlers of Stark county, Ohio, where he cleared land and developed a farm,
becoming one of the substantial citizens of that community. He, too, was a
son of a Revolutionary hero. In his religious belief he was a Presbyterian,
and he died on his farm at an advanced age, respected by all who knew him.
His children were John, Peter, Jonas, Catherine, Margaret and Elizabeth.

The parents of our subject began their domestic life in Stark county,
Ohio, where the father followed the hatter's trade. About 1835 he removed
with his family to Miami county, Ohio, where he entered land and developed
a farm, making a comfortable home. There he spent the remainder of his
days, his death occurring February 26, 1862, when aged fifty-one years,
seven months and sixteen days. He was a member of the Presbyterian
church and gave his political support to the men and measures of the Democ-
racy. He held the office of township trustee, and was one of the valued
citizens of the community in which he resided. In his family were nine chil-
dren: Catherine, born in Stark county, Ohio, November 13, 1831; John P.,
born January 23, 1834; Samuel H. , born January 30, 1836; Daniel, born
October 13, 1838; Mary A., born September 6, 1840; George W., born Feb-
ruary 22, 1844; Isaac, born August 25, 1849; Margaret, born September 19,
1851; and Henry, born September 24, 1854. Two of the sons served in the
civil war; Daniel was a member of the Sixth Ohio Cavalry, and veteranizing
served for four years in the west; and George W. was a member of the Sev-
enty-first Ohio Volunteers and served for four years, re-enlisting at the expi-
ration of his first term. He was under the command of Generals Sherman
and Grant, and participated in many battles, including the engagements at
Pittsburg Landing and Fort Donelson, and at the latter but sixteen of his
company survived. He was also in the great Atlanta campaign and went
with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea.

John P. Kissinger, whose name introduces this review, was born January
23, 1834, in Stark county, Ohio, and was about a year old when taken by

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 317

his parents to Miami county, Ohio, where he was reared amid the scenes
and surroundings of pioneer life. He pursued his education in a log school-
house, wherein school was conducted on the subscription plan, and through-
out the summer months he aided in the plowing, planting and harvesting
which largely make up the round of daily life on the farm. Having arrived
at years of maturity he was married, in Miami county, June 12, 1862, to
Sarah J. Clark, whose birth occurred there October 27, 1828. Her parents
were John and Susan (Clark) Clark. Her father was a native of Cumber-
land county, Pennsylvania, and a son of Robert and Mary (Alexander) Clark.
The former was of sturdy Scotch-Irish ancestry, and for a time made his
home near Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He went to Sherman's valley as a vol-
unteer against the Indians, and, noting the fine timber, pure water and rich
fertility of the soil, he decided to locate there, and settled on land which is
still in possession of his descendants. He died August 24, 18 19, at the age
of eighty years, and his wife died October 13, 1828, at the age of seventy-
six years. Their children were Thomas, born January 15, 1781 ; Hugh, born
June 8, 1785, became a resident of Piqua, Ohio; Francis, born December 26,
1787; John, born December 26, 1790; Daniel, born in October, 1792;
Martha and Margaret, the date of whose births is not recorded; Joseph, born
October 19, 1798; and Andrew, born June 15, 1800. The Alexanders were
a prominent colonial family, of Scotch lineage, and were represented in the
Revolutionary war by those who bore the name and valiantly aided in the
struggle for American independence.

John Clark, father of Mrs. Kissinger, was married in Perry county,
Pennsylvania, to Susan Clark, who though of the same name was not related
to his family. They removed to Ohio and cast in their lot with the pioneers
of Miami county about 18 16, making their home on the banks of the Miami
river three and a half miles south of Piqua, on the Troy road. Success
attended the efforts of Mr. Clark and he became one of the representative
farmers of that locality. He died about 1844, respected by all who knew
him. In his religious belief he was a Presbyterian. He had six children:
Amanda, born in Pennsylvania, Stephenson, John, James, Sarah J. and
Duenna.

For three years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kissinger resided in
Ohio, and in the spring of 1865 removed to Randolph township, Tippe-
canoe county, Indiana, where our subject purchased an improved farm of
one hundred and sixty acres. By his thrift and energy he has been enabled
to extend its boundaries until he now owns three hundred and twenty acres
of valuable land, which is under a high state of cultivation, the well tilled
fields yielding good harvests in return for the care and labor bestowed upon
them. He has improved his place with substantial buildings and a tasteful

S13 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

residence, and everything about the farm indicates the supervision of a
painstaking and progressive owner. The home has been blessed with three
children, but one, John C, died in infancy. The daughters, Lydia J. and
Julia M., are at home. On the second of January, 1892, the family was
called upon to mourn the loss of the loving and faithful wife and mother,
who died at the age of fifty-four years, two months and five days. She was
a consistent member of the Presbyterian church and a woman of many vir-
tues. Socially, Mr. Kissinger is connected with Romney Lodge, A. F. and
A. M. In politics he is a stanch Republican and aided in the organization
of the party in his township. He has always been a reliable, industrious,
straightforward citizen and well merits the respect in which he is held by
his fellow townsmen.

WILLIAM P. RHODES.

This prominent citizen of Williamsport, who is a leading member of the
bar in Warren county, Indiana, was born near what is known as Crane, for-
merly Crane's Station, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, July 17, 1833. He is a
son of James I. and Nancy (Forshee) Rhodes, and a grandson of Jacob
Rhodes, who was born in Philadelphia, fought in the Revolutionary war, set-
tled in Virginia and later in Warren county, Ohio, where he died at the age
of one hundred and four years. James I. Rhodes was a native of Virginia,
went with his father to Ohio, and from that state moved to Tippecanoe
county, Indiana, in 1828. Here he entered a tract of land, on which he
spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring in January, i860. His
wife lived to an advanced age, dying in 1888. He was a typical representa-
tive of the early pioneer — honest, industrious and sturdy. He possessed
strong religious convictions, and for many years was an active worker in the
Methodist church. Three sons and two daughters were born to this estimable
couple, namely: Thomas J., a resident of Lafayette, Indiana; William P.,
our subject; Margaret E., widow of Eli Peters; Joseph M. ; and Sarah E., the
wife of E. J. Miller, of Wellington, Kansas.

William P. Rhodes received his early training on the homestead farm
and attended the old log school-house of pioneer times. He had reached
his majority in 1854, and entered Fort Wayne College, where he remained
two years. In 1856 he began the study of law at Lafayette with the well
known firm of Huff, Baird & LaRue. He made such rapid progress that in
1858 he began the practice of his profession in Williamsport, and two years
later was admitted to practice in the supreme court. In 1864 he enlisted
and was elected captain of Company K, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Indi-
ana Regiment, served in Tennessee and Alabama, and was mustered out of

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 319

service in the fall of the same year. He then gave his attention to the news-
paper business, purchasing an interest in the Warren Republican, and most
ably editing the same for about a year. In 1870 he was elected to the lower
branch of the state legislature, representing Warren county, and in 1872
represented Warren and Fountain counties in the state senate.

Mr. Rhodes and Miss Mildred B. Dickson were united in the holy bonds
of wedlock September 14, 1859. She was born in Williamsport September
30, 1840, and is a daughter of John Wesley Dickson, who was born at Terre
Haute, Indiana, when that city was a military post. He came to Williams-
port at an early day and was a well known merchant here, but removed to
Chicago, where his wife died about the year 1888. He then made his home
with Mr. Rhodes until his own death a year later. Mrs. Rhodes is the only
daughter and eldest child in a family of four. Her brothers are John B.,
James T. and Isaac F., all residing in Chicago. She has borne Mr. Rhodes
three sons, James L., Wesley D. (deceased) and Joseph W. James L. and
Joseph W. are residents of Chicago.

Mr. Rhodes is a lawyer of undoubted ability, and has been in practice
longer than any other man of that profession in the county. In his fifty
years' experience before the bar he has had many important cases and many
and varied interesting happenings. He is an unswerving Republican, and
renders valuable aid to the party. His reputation for fair-minded, fearless
expression of opinion is without a rival, and he has the courage of his con-
victions and lives up to his expressed sentiments.

REUBEN T. WEBB.

One of the respected and venerable citizens of Randolph township,
Tippecanoe county, and an honored veteran of the civil war is Reuben T.
Webb, who was born on the 28th of March, 1817, in Jackson township,
Brown county, Ohio, a son of Reuben H. and Annie (Thompson) Webb.
He springs from sterling English ancestry on both the paternal and maternal
sides. The founders of the Webb family in America settled in Virginia in
colonial days, and representatives of the name fought for the independence
of the nation. Reiiben H. Webb was a native of Orange county, that state,
was reared there on a farm, and when a young man went to Kentucky, where
he married Miss Thompson, a daughter of James Thompson. Her father
was a native of England, and having crossed the Atlantic took up his resi-
dence in Pennsylvania, whence he afterward removed to Kentucky, and from
there to Brown county, Ohio, becoming one of the substantial farmers of the
last named place. He took no active part in the Revolutionary war. He
was a member of the Methodist church, a straightforward and honorable

320 EIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

business man, and his death occurred when he was about eighty years of age.
His children were James, Annie, EHzabeth, Alice and Minta.

Reuben H. Webb located near Cynthiana, Kentucky, at the time of his
marriage and conducted a tavern for several years. Subsequently he went
to Brown county, Ohio, where he purchased and partially cleared one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land, but not being able to secure a clear title to the
property he lost it. He then settled on a new farm of fifty acres in the
woods, which by dint of hard work he converted into a comfortable pioneer
home. He was a very energetic and enterprising man and his business
methods were above question. He, too, belonged to the Methodist church,
and in his political belief was a stanch Jacksonian Democrat. He died at
the age of eighty years, having reared an excellent family. His children
were Reuben T. , Mary Ann, James, Rittie Ann, Elizabeth, Alexander, Alice,
Jacob, Nathaniel and George; and Nathaniel died in early manhood.

In the pioneer schools of Brown county, Ohio, Reuben T. Webb ac-
quired his early education. School was conducted on the subscription plan
and was held in a little log building with a stick chimney and an immense
fireplace, ten feet long. On the fire was placed a high back log; which was
rolled in by the big boys and would last two days. Windows were made by
taking out a section of a log from the side of the room and covering the
aperture with greased paper. The cabin floor, seats and desks were made
of puncheon, and the instruction was almost as primitive as the furnishings
of the school-house. Mr. Webb attended school only until he was nine
years of age, for after that his services were needed on the farm. When a
youth of thirteen he began learning the cooper's trade, which he readily
mastered. He was a large, strong boy and could do a hard day's work,
taking the timber from the tree and making it into barrels. He worked for
one year and received half the sum that came from his work, — two hundred
dollars, which was quite remarkable wages for a boy in those days. He
gave his money to his father and it proved a great help in paying for the
family homestead. He afterward worked in a carpenter shop on his father's
farm and his great industry made him very capable.

On the 5th of May, 1S35, in Brown county, Ohio, when only eighteen
years of age, Mr. Webb married Miss Annie Sidwell, who was born in that
county, November 13, 1816, her parents being Henry and Casandra (Slack)
Sidwell. Her father was of English descent, his parents having come from
England at an early day and located in Mason county, Kentucky. Henry
Sidwell became a farmer of Brown county, Ohio, where he secured one hun-
dred and sixty acres of wild land, which he cleared and improved, making it
a valuable property. He set out a good orchard, transformed the place into
fertile fields, and throughout his remaining days continued its further devel-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 321

opment and improvement. He belonged to the Methodist church and gave
his political support to the Whig party. His life was an honorable one, and
his death, which occurred when he was about sixty years of age, was mourned
by many friends. His children were Horace, John, Sewell, Hugh, Henry
(who died in childhood), Annie, Jane, Emily, Warren, Ellis, Abraham and
Catherine.

Mr. and Mrs. Webb began their domestic life upon his father's farm.
He worked at the cooper's trade for some years, and on the ist of October,
1849, removed to Indiana, making the journey with horses and wagon and
reaching his destination after eleven days of travel. He brought his family
with him and spent the first winter in Wingate, Montgomery county, but in
the spring came to Tippecanoe county, locating on the division line between
Jackson township and Fountain county. During the next few years he
resided on several different farms and in 1861 purchased the property in
Corwin, where he now makes his home. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs.
Webb was blessed with seven children: Casandra; John H., who died at the
age of five months; Reuben Horace; Emily; James; Ellis and Elizabeth.

On the 1 2th of October, 1861, in Corwin, Mr. Montgomery enlisted,
under Captain Henry Leaming, in Company C, Fortieth Regiment of Indiana
Volunteers, to serve for three years. After fifteen months, however, he was
honorably discharged, on account of blindness. He participated in the
battle of Shiloh under Buell and many skirmishes on the way from that
point to Corinth and on to Perryville. He was about forty-five years of age
at the time of his enlistment, but was a very rugged man, and though past
the age limit was accepted. He was ill with lung fever in the hospital
before he went to the front, but was granted a furlough and returned home.
On recovering he rejoined his regiment, then in the south, and afterward
suffered from the jaundice, but was not placed in the hospital. After the
battle of Shiloh he nursed the sick for eight months, until at last he was
stricken with blindness while in camp in front of Corinth. Thus totally
disabled for military service he was honorably discharged, and has never yet
recovered his sight. He was a most patriotic and loyal soldier and the same
qualities were manifest by two of his sons, who went to the front. James,
who was in the Twentieth Indiana Infantry, re-enlisted in the United States
Regular Army and served for about six years. He acted as one of the guards
to Jefferson Davis, when the president of the Confederacy was held as a
prisoner in Fortress Monroe. James participated in many battles and faith-
fully followed the stars and stripes for almost a decade. He is now deceased.
Reuben Horace served for four years in the Sixty-third Indiana Infantry,
veteranizing and participating in many battles. He was wounded in the
battle of Resaca, but recovered from his injuries. Franklin L. Perkins, a

322 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

son-in-law of Mr. Montgomery, was also in the army, as a member of the
Sixty-third Indiana, and died of typhoid fever.

After the war Mr. Webb returned to his home in Corwin and has been
totally blind ever since. He and his wife are both sincere and faithful mem-
bers of the Methodist church and contribute liberally to its support. The
lady united with the church in Brown county,. Ohio, when only fourteen
years of age, and Mr. Webb became a member in the same county, at the
age of twenty years, since which time they have lived faithful to the teach-
ings of the church, following in the footsteps of the Master. Mr. Webb
cast his first presidential vote for William Henry Harrison and voted with
the Whig party until 1856, when he supported John C. Fremont, and has
since been an earnest and zealous Republican. His patriotism has ever
been most marked, his loyalty to all duties of citizenship is one of the prom-
inent traits in his character, and he has ever endeavored to instil into the
minds of his children the same comme'ndable principles. He and his faithful
wife have traveled life's pathway together for sixty-four years, their mutual
love and confidence increasing as time has passed. Many descendants now
revere and honor them, and a large circle of warm friends esteem them for
their sterling worth.

HON. WILLIAM H. GOODWINE.

Indiana was still a " territory " when the Goodwine family came to
dwell within its borders, in 18 15, their former home having been in Ken-
tucky; and during the long years that have intervened they have been ably
represented, in every generation, in the upbuilding and development of the
state. After some years spent in Jackson, then Bartholomew, county, they
became residents of Warren county, in 1828, and on account of the active
part which was taken by them in the early establishment of the laws, good
government, churches, schools and other institutions which benefit a commu-
nity, they are justly entitled to representation in the annals of the county.

A son of James Goodwine, whose biography appears upon another page
of this work, William H. Goodwine, of West Lebanon, Warren county, was
born in a log cabin, containing but a single room. May 5, 1838. This hum-
ble yet happy abode was situated on the homestead owned by his father, in
Pike township, Warren county, and here the lad grew to manhood. April
21, 1 86 1, he enlisted for three months' service in the Tenth Regiment of
Indiana Volunteers, was sent to West Virginia and took part in some of the
important campaigns of the first year of the civil war, including the battle of
Rich mountain. Two brothers of the young man also " donned the blue "
and went to the defense of the old flag. John Q. enlisted in the Thirty-third
Indiana Infantry soon after William H. returned home, and Frank became a

BIOGBJPEICAL HISTORY. 323

member of the same company and regiment a little later. At the expiration
of their terms of enlistment they both re-enlisted and both had the misfor-
tune to be captured and sent to Libby prison. John Q., after participating
in Sherman's march to the sea, to Savannah, Georgia, accidentally cut his
knee, from which his death soon occurred.

The marriage of W. H. Goodwine and Miss M. E. Johnston was solem-
nized in 1863. Mrs. Goodwine died February 26, 1881, and left one son,
Frank, who is now a hardware merchant at West Lebanon, a member of the
firm of Goodwine & Miller. The present wife of our subject was formerly
Miss Dora B. Johnston, she being a cousin of the first Mrs. Goodwine. By
this marriage there is also one son, William H., Jr.

For many years William H. Goodwine has occupied and managed the
old homestead — his birthplace — in Pike township, which property he still
owns and oversees, while for several years he has made his home in WesS
Lebanon, where he has important business interests. One of the large stock-
holders in the Farmers' Bank of West Lebanon, an active advocate of all
public enterprises and improvements; a Mason of the thirty-second degree;
a liberal supporter of the Presbyterian church and of other religious and
benevolent institutions, — it may be seen that the position he holds in the
community is one of importance and esteem. Although he has never been a
politician in the ordinary sense, and has never sought official preferment, he
has ever been zealous and interested in the welfare of the Republican party,
and in 1888 was honored by being the choice of his friends as their repre-
sentative in the Indiana state legislature. He served in that distinguished
body with credit to himself and constituency.

JAMES WADE STEWART.

One of the self-made and public-spirited men of Romney, Tippecanoe
county, Indiana, is found in the subject of this sketch, James W. Stewart,
who is entitled to rank with the pioneers of Randolph township.

Mr. Stewart is a representative of a Scotch family. His ancestors came
to this country in colonial times and settled in Maryland, and it was in that
state that James Stewart, the father of James W., was born. He was a
farmer, and in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, he married Elizabeth Wade.
Of her family but little is known except that she had two brothers, Joseph
and William. Some years after marriage Mr. Stewart settled at West
Union, Adams county, Ohio, and subsequently, about 1830, moved to Indi-
ana and took up his abode in Tippecanoe county, his location being on a,
tract of land at Sugar Grove, in Jackson township. But before this land
came into the market he died, at about the age of sixty-five years. His chil-

824 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

dren were Sarah, Nancy, Elizabeth, Margaret, Caroline, William and James
W. , and they grew up to occupy honored and useful positions in life. Politic-
ally he was an old-line Whig, and religiously he affiliated with the Method-
ists, serving his church in the capacity of steward.

James W. Stewart, the immediate subject of this review, was born
November i8, 1823, in Adams county, Ohio, near West Union, and he was
a small child when brought to Indiana by his parents, — so young, in fact,
that he does not remember the journey. He was reared amid pioneer
scenes, and among his earliest recollections are those of his attendance at
the log school-house. The rude structure in which the subscription schools
of the neighborhood were held, was built of logs, with stick chimney, big
fireplace, and greased paper for window-lights. The puncheon seats and
desks comprised the furniture. In this primitive school-house Mr. Stewart
received the common-school education of his day, and when he grew up he
engaged in farming operations on his own account.

March 3, 1848, he married, in Wayne township, Tippecanoe county,
Indiana, Miss Mary A. Crouse, who was born October 5, 1821, daughter of
John W. and Eliza (Crisman) Crouse. John W. Crouse was a native of
Ohio, born near Eaton, his parents having gone to that state from Pennsyl-
vania. (The reader is here referred to the sketch of Dr. J. H. Crouse, of
Dayton, Indiana, which appears in this volume.) John W. Crouse came
over into Indiana and became one of the pioneer farmers of Wayne township,
Tippecanoe county, where he entered land and acquired title to about three
hundred acres. He was one of the substantial citizens of his locality. His
children were Mary A., Hamilton and Daniel. Mr. Crouse was a man of
deep piety, a class-leader in the United Brethren church, and was one of the
founders of this church in his township. He died in the very prime of life,
in 1842, at the age of forty-four years, much respected and esteemed by all.

James W. Stewart, after marriage, settled in Randolph township, on a
tract of wild prairie land, on which not a tree was then growing. His first
purchase was one hundred and sixty acres, to which he subsequently added,
as prosperity attended his efforts, until he had nearly three hundred acres.
His first purchase was made at five dollars per acre, the next at twenty dol-
lars and the third at sixty dollars, which illustrates the great increase in the
price of land. Referring to his early farming, he states that in one year,
about 1857, he raised and sold nineteen hundred dollars' worth of corn.
Before the civil war he had built on his farm a substantial barn, at a cost of
eight hundred dollars, and a comfortable and commodious residence which
cost him fifteen hundred dollars.

His children by his first wife were Alice J., Albert A., Eliza and Annie.
In April, 1874, Mrs. Stewart died. She was a member of the Methodist

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 325

church and was a woman whose naany estimable qualities endeared her to a
large circle of friends. Some years later, January 3, 1883, Mr. Stewart mar-
ried Celia M. Case. The first four years of their married life were spent in
Romney, and at the end of that time they moved to their present beautiful
country home in North Romney, where they have a tract of eighty-two and
one-half acres of land. Altogether, Mr. Stewart now owns three hundred
and sixty acres.

Mrs. Celia M. Stewart was born in Wellington, Lorain county, Ohio,
February 22, 1834, daughter of John Seward and Biantha (Blair) Case.
Both the Cases and Blairs came of Puritan stock, their forefathers being
among the early settlers of New England. The home of the Cases was
Granby, Connecticut, and that of the Blairs was Blandford, Massachusetts.
John Seward Case was born July 11, 1808, son of Dr. Gideon Case, who, in
18 16, moved from Granby, Connecticut, in the early settlement of the
"Western Reserve," and selected a location in Hudson township, Ohio, the
farm now occupied by J. M. Treat. Dr. Gideon Case later purchased quite
a tract of land at the center of Hudson Village, a part of which afterward
became the site of the Western Reserve College. He lived in a log house
located on what is now the college campus. He was killed when a young
man by being kicked in the abdomen by a horse. His wife was Persis
Seward, sister of Rev. John Seward, a distinguished Presbyterian minister of
Ohio, his home being Solon, that state. The children of Dr. Gideon Case
and wife were Gideon, Albert, Dr. Almon (who was killed by guerrillas in
Tennessee during the civil war), Otis, Lucia and Jane. After Dr. Case's
death his widow consummated a second marriage, and thereby had two sons,
Benjamin and Perry. John Seward Case was a tanner in early life and after-
ward a farmer. He invested in real estate at Wellington, Ohio, acquired a
large amount of property, and lived to a venerable age. He died November
18, 1895, at the age of eighty-seven years. His children were Celia M.,
Helen, Frank S. and Emma. Frank S. served with distinction in the civil
war, first being promoted to the rank of lieutenant and then to captain. He
was shot through the chest in a skirmish in Kentucky, but lived a number of
years afterward, and was made a colonel in the Ohio state militia. John
Seward Case was one of the founders of the Presbyterian church at Welling-
ton, Ohio. Later in life he identified himself with the Congregational
church, in which he was for many years a deacon, and of which he remained
a member until the time of his death. Politically, he first harmonized with
the Whigs, later became a Republican, and for some years prior to his
demise gave his support to the Prohibition party. He was a stanch Union
man and an ardent supporter of the "Underground Railroad."

Returning to James W. Stewart, we further record of him that he has

826 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

long maintained membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he
has been a liberal supporter, and in which he has served as trustee and stew-
ard. Mrs. Stewart is a Presbyterian. She is a lady of rare culture and
education. Her education, begun in the public schools of Wellington, Ohio,
was continued in the famous academy at Twinsburg, and finished at Oberlin
College. For a number of years she was a popular and successful teacher.
Previously to her coming to Indiana she taught four years in Ohio, and during
her long experience as a teacher in Tippecanoe county, where she taught for
twenty years, she became one of its best known educators.

DAVID PHEBUS.

One of the thrifty successful agriculturists of Prairie township. White
county, is David Phebus, one of the native-born sons of this section of Indiana,
birth his having occurred May ii, 185 1. He is a grandson of James Phebus,
who was one of the rich and prominent farmers and stock dealers of Pickaway
county, Ohio, in his day, and whose death took place in that state many
years ago. Of his children, Silas M., the father of our subject, was the sec-
ond, and the others were named as follows: Samuel, Joseph, Absalom,
Mary J. and Martha.

Silas M. Phebus, a native of the Buckeye state, was one of the pioneers
of White county, the date of his arrival here being 1838. He afterward
bought a tract of land, to the cultivation and improvement of which he
devoted his life. In all his transactions he was honorable and just, and all
worthy causes found a sincere friend in him. Death put an end to his use-
ful career when he was in his seventy-sixth year, on the 21st of August, 1898.
His widow, Martha A., is a daughter of Henry L. Harvey, one of the early
settlers of this county, where he entered and improved land. He was a pil-
lar in the Christian church, and worked earnestly for the spread of righteous-
ness. He died in 1874, loved and mourned by all who knew him. Mrs. Mar-
tha A. Phebus, his second child, died January 7, 1899, on the old homestead
which was owned by her husband, and, following her early training, she was
deeply interested in the Christian church, with which she was identified.
Her numerous brothers and sisters were named as follows: James, Betsey,
Thomas, Noah, William, Enoch, Charity, Mary, John and Joel. By her
union with Mr. Phebus she had five children: David; Samuel, a farmer;
Mary E. Bobsine; George, of Monon; and Mrs. Jennie White.

In his youth David Phebus attended the district schools and obtained
practical knowledge of agriculture by working under the instruction of his
father. He remained at home until his marriage, in 1879, when he started
out independently as a farmer, and improved a homestead. In 1884 he sold

BIOGRJPEICAL HISTORY. 327

the place and purchased the farm where he now resides, and has instituted
valuable improvements, making it one of the most desirable farms of the
township. As a citizen he endeavors to meet his obligations and to promote
the good of the community and state by his ballot and influence. Politically,
he favors the Democratic party, and though in no wise an office-seeker he
has held a few minor positions with credit.

Twenty years ago Mr. Phebus married Miss Sarah Taylor, a native of
this county, and daughter of Thomas Taylor, who was born in Ohio, and
came to Indiana with his parents when young, and passed the rest of his life
here. Both he and his wife were consistent members of the Christian church.
They were the parents of the following named children: Elizabeth, Rebecca,
Sarah, Isabel, Loronzo D. , Sophronia (who died in early life), George,
Fanny and Ella. Mrs. Sarah Phebus died February 13, 1880, and in Octo-
ber, 1 88 1, our subject married Miss Alice Taylor, whose parents, L. D. and
Mary (Sayers) Taylor, were well known citizens of this county. Mrs. Alice
Phebus was born in White county, April 15, 1859, and received excellent
educational advantages. The only child of the first marriage of Mr. Phebus
died in infancy, and his second union has been blessed with seven chil-
dren, named as follows: Mabel, Walter, Frank, Bernard and Bernice
(twins), Iva M. and Charles. Mrs. Phebus, who is greatly loved by a large
circle of acquaintances, is a faithful member of the Christian church.

CHARLES E. BROWN.

Nearly forty years have rolled away since Charles E. Brown first saw
Monticello, the town in which he is now living and expects to make his per-
manent home. Four decades have made wonderful changes for the better,
and the hamlet of long ago is now a thriving, well improved little city, —
a place of beautiful homes and prosperous citizens. Wherever he has re-
sided Mr. Brown has been esteemed and highly respected, and in all local
affairs has taken deep interest, using his influence to advance the public
welfare.

Born in Springfield, Ohio, July 12, 1851, our subject is a son of Cap-
tain John C. and Anna M. (Schleigh) Brown. The father was born in the
Buckeye state, while the mother's birth-place was in Hagerstown, Mary-
land. He was a son of Harlan Shepherd Brown, who was born August 12,
1794, and died October 3, 1849. His wife, Mary A. Brown, was a native
of Kentucky, and her death occurred at Perrysburg, Ohio, April 15, 1872,
when she was in her seventy-fifth year. Both the father and grandfather of
our subject were shoemakers by trade and worked at that calling during life.
The grandfather was a soldier in the war of 18 12. He was of Scotch-Irish

328 BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOBY.

descent and was a local preacher in the Methodist church in the days of the
old-fashioned " circuit-rider." John Schleigh, the father of Mrs. Anna M.
Brown, was of German extraction, as his surname indicates. Born in
Maryland, he learned the trade of making saddles, and subsequently was a
successful merchant in Hagerstown and the postmaster there during the civil
war. His death took place when he was middle-aged. His first wife bore
the maiden name of Mary Artz. They had three daughters and two sons.
By a later marriage Mr. Schleigh had one daughter. (For full history of
the life of Captain John C. Brown see the sketch following this.)

Charles E. Brown is one of five children, one of whom has been called
to the better land. Florence R. is the wife of William P. Marshall, of
Monticello; Alice E. married Oliver S. Dale, of Washington, D. C. ; John
W. resides in Logansport, Indiana; and Catherine, deceased, was the first
wife of O. S. Dale. The family came to Monticello from Covington, Ken-
tucky, in 1859, and here the father continued to dwell as long as he lived,
and here the children grew to manhood and womanhood.

As he was a lad of eight years or so when he came to Monticello, Charles
E. Brown commenced attending the public schools here and thus acquired
his education. Having mastered the painter's trade he followed it with suc-
cess for a number of years, and in 1878 went to Wood county, Ohio, where
he engaged in farming. He still owns a tract of twenty acres there, but has
recently returned to Monticello with the desire to pass the declining years of
his life in the place endeared to him by a thousand associations of childhood.

In his political belief, Mr. Brown is a true-blue Republican, and from
his noble, patriotic father, who fought and suffered greatly in the war of the
Rebellion that his country might be preserved, he has inherited an earnest
desire that good government should prevail, and to this end he uses such
influence as he possesses. The cause of education is also dear to his heart,
as it should be to every true patriot, and while in Ohio he was clerk of the
local school board for several years. He likewise acted in the capacity of
township supervisor. A zealous member of the Methodist church, he was
superintendent of the Sunday-school; class-leader, trustee and steward for
years, and in material ways aided in the growth and usefulness of the denomi-
nation.

In all his enterprises and endeavors Mr. Brown has found a true help-
mate in his devoted wife. They were married October 14, 1877, Mrs. Brown
having formerly been Miss Mary Elizabeth Hanney, a daughter of John and
Marietta (Wardenj Hanney. Three sons and a daughter bless the home of
our subject and wife, namely : John Malvern, Anna Marietta, George L. and
Charles Harvey. Mrs. Brown is likewise a member of the Methodist church
and is beloved by a large circle of friends.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 329

CAPTAIN JOHN C. BROWN.

For nearly forty years Captain John Calvin Brown was a resident of
Monticello, and was loved and held in the highest respect by a large circle of
friends. The following is gleaned from a sketch of his life published in the
Monticello Herald at the time of his death. Born in Logan county, Ohio,
November 22, 1818, his life came to a close on the eightieth anniversary of
his birth. As a man he was noble in all the varied relations of life, and to
his children he leaves a legacy more imperishable than wealth, and, far more
to be desired, the record of an honest, upright life and an unblemished name.

In his youth Captain Brown learned the shoemaker's trade, it then
being much more profitable than now, in the days of great factories and
modern methods. A rapid and skilled workman, he succeeded in gaining a
good livelihood for himself and family. July 9, 1840, he married Miss Anna
M. Schleigh, of Hagerstown, Maryland, who survived him and died in Mon-
ticello May 13, 1899. Five children were born to them, namely: Catherine,
who was the first wife of Oliver S. Dale and died some years ago; Florence
R. , Mrs. William P. Marshall, of Monticello; Alice E., the present wife of
Oliver S. Dale, of Washington, District of Columbia; Charles E., whose
sketch precedes this; and John W. , of Logansport, Indiana.

The army career of Captain Brown was particularly praiseworthy, if
not brilliant, and in some respects he was one of the most distinguished
soldiers of White county. The Twentieth Indiana, in which he served,
enjoys a reputation of having been one of the best in the entire army, and it
was usually placed in the thickest of the fray. Among the more deadly and
notable battles in which it took active part are the following: Oak Grove,
Glendale, second Bull Run, Chantilly, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville,
Gettysburg, Kelly's Ford, Mine Run, Picket Line, Wilderness, Spottsyl-
vania, North Anna, Tolopotomy, Cold Harbor, Deep Bottom, Hatcher's
Run, Farmville and Petersburg. The Twentieth had a ghastly total of two
hundred and one officers and men killed and seven hundred and seventy-one
badly wounded, in these numerous encounters with the enemy !

Among the first to enroll himself with the Twentieth was Captain Brown,
and he was constantly at his post of duty, in every battle and skirmish, until
he received a disabling wound, near the close of the war. His service
e.xtended from the time of his enlistment, in July, 1861, until he was granted
an honorable discharge, December 24, 1864. When he determined to offer
himself to his country Captain Brown was past forty-two years of age, had a
wife and children, and various responsibilities resting upon him, and he cer-
tainly had a valid excuse for remaining at home. One day at dinner he said
to his wife, "Wife, I'll just have to enlist. I know I shall die if I don't."

330 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Only those who have passed through such ordeals can realize how hard it
was for Mrs. Brown to give her consent to the sacrifice, but at length she
bravely permitted him to go. The company in which Mr. Brown enlisted
was almost entirely recruited in White county, and was known as Company
K. Having no expectation of becoming anything but a private soldier, he
was surprised when, upon the organization of the company, he was elected
first orderly sergeant. Troops who have been in actual service know what
an important thing it is to the men of a command if their first sergeant be a
man of wisdom, tact and thoroughness, faithful in his oversight of those
under him and faithful to all his duties. Such a man was Mr. Brown, and
surely no one was more deserving of promotion, when the time came.

After the great seven days' battle before Richmond, the first lieutenant
having resigned on account of wounds and illness, our subject was commis-
sioned in place of the other, under date of July i8, 1862. The captain of
Company K was wounded and held a prisoner by the enemy, and thus the
actual command of the company fell upon the lieutenant. His regular com-
mission as captain came to him December 20, 1862, and thus during the
greater part of the service of the company he was its leader in most of its
fierce battles, in long, trying marches; when recuperating in camp he was
always among his men and one of them. He won their respect and admira-
tion and afterward enjoyed their life-long friendship; and, though he was
reticent about his own share in the glory they fought for and won on numer-
ous occasions, he was never tired of relating instances of the bravery and
fortitude of his men.

By his superior officers as well as by those under his command Captain
Brown was recognized as a man of decided merit. His opinions upon mili-
tary matters were generally respected and his advice was frequently sought.
Nor was his courage for a moment doubted, and, as one who served with
him wrote, " a braver man than Captain Brown never lived." Moreover, he
was cool and resourceful in great emergencies, and on two occasions, whert
the colonel of the regiment fell, in the thickest of the fight. Captain Brown
was one of those hastily called upon to decide what had better be done. la
the fateful and historic encounter in front of Round Top, at Gettysburg, he
was given a voice in deciding the<course of events. When his regiment,
almost alone and apparently unsuf^ported, was holding on to the position
recently taken from the enemy at Spottsylvania, and which was soon tO'
become the famed "bloody angle " (where, among others, a tree fourteen
inches in diameter was cut down by musket balls), it was by the counsel of
Captain Brown and two other captains of the Twentieth Indiana that rein-
forcements were sent for, and no advantage was permitted to the enemy.
Twice after the war Captain Brown was summoned before important military

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 331

tribunals that they might avail themselves of his accurate information and
clear insight.

The wound which compelled the Captain to leave the service, and from
which he was a severe sufferer during the rest of his life, was received on the
North Anna river, Virginia. Grant was on his way to Richmond, a terrible
crisis was at hand, and twenty thousand men were falling in a single day !,
Company K and two others were to charge across a bridge, under the fire of
the enemy's muskets. A position on the opposite bank had to be taken and
held, and when Company K was ordered to lead the way it meant that Cap-
tain Brown would be the first man over. The company was deployed in
single rank; the command, "forward, double quick," was given, and the
Captain arrived safely at the further side of the bridge. Stopping a moment,
while he indicated their positions to his men, a sharpshooter, seeing the ad-
vantage, singled out the intrepid Captain and laid him low with a well aimed
musket ball. Entering just below the left eye the ball passed diagonally
through his head, emerging at the base of the right ear, a piece of which
was cut away. His comrades and he, himself, believed the wound was a
mortal one, but when some of his men stopped beside him, with the inten-
tion of lending him aid, even in the fire of the rebels, the dauntless Captain
shouted, with almost his accustomed energy, "Never mind me ; go on with
the company ! " This would have proved the fatal blow to many a man,
but here, as everywhere, the indomitable resolution, will-power and courage
which which were characteristic of Captain Brown came to the front, and he
made a mighty struggle for life and conquered the grim enemy. Skillful
surgery, long, patient months of nursing and fearful suffering had to be en-
dured, but ultimately he recovered.

The fires of patriotism never waned in the heart of Captain Brown, and
he loved to meet his old comrades. He was a charter member of Tippecanoe
Post, G. A. R., and was its first commander. In addition to his membership
in this society, he was a Mason of long standing, and in the spring of 1839
was initiated into the Odd Fellows order. As an eye-witness of the memora-
ble battle between the Monitor and Merrimac, he wrote home a most inter-
esting account of this first battle of iron-clads, and predicted the great revo-
lution in naval warfare which would soon take place. This prediction was
made before it was known which side had been victorious. His company
had been deployed along the water's edge, on this occasion, to prevent the
enemy from making prisoners of the crew of a disabled wooden vessel of the
Union navy.

In concluding this tribute to a worthy citizen and ardent patriot we sub-
join a letter which was written to the bereaved wife at the death of the Cap-
tain, by his life-long friend. Judge Gould :

332 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Delphi, Ind., Nov. 23, 1898.
Dear Mrs. Brown :

I have just learned of the death of your husband. Upon a solemn occa-
sion like this, mere words seem feeble and often inappropriate. However,
as you know that Captain Brown and I were friends for many years, which
friendship was never for a moment interrupted, I venture to ask you to ac-
cept my heartfelt sympathy in your bereavement.

Captain Brown was a man of heart, of sincere sympathy for the poor
and unfortunate, strong in friendship, and forgiving and forgetting in enmity.
His faults were few, but his virtues were many. His death will be mourned
by all, and his memory cherished not alone by those who are his kindred.
As a soldier of the republic he achieved an imperishable name. He served
his country faithfully, and he aided in bearing aloft our banners where the
greatest battles of the war were fought. To have been at Gettysburg is
enough to fill the measure of any soldier's greatness. For more than thirty
years he bore upon his person honorable wounds received in battle, and dur-
ing all these years he was a constant but patient sufferer from these battle
scars. During the darkest days of the terrible conflict, when the land was
shrouded in the gloom of uncertainty, his faith in the ultimate triumph of our
arms never for a moment faltered. Others served their country with higher
rank, but few surpassed him in valor and faithfulness. The post of honor
is not always found occupied by those of the highest rank. No matter how
humble the place may be that one occupies who offers his life for freedom and
humanity, he is thenceforth a hero, and his sacrifices render his name im-
perishable.

Captain Brown has left the legacy of a good name which will be a source
of pride to his loved ones who survive him. When last I saw him in his
helplessness, it seemed to me that the light of the eternal morning was on
his wasted face, and I repeated to myself the words of the poet :

" Lo! steadfast and serene,
In patient pause between
The seen and the unseen,
What gentle zephyrs fan
Your silken silver hair,
And what diviner air
Breathes round you like a prayer,
Old man!"

May sunshine and joy illumine the pathway of your remaining years.
I very much regret that my health is such that I cannot stand with you
to-morrow at the open grave of my friend. Sincerely yours,

John H. Gould.
To Mrs. J. C. Brown, Monticello, Ind.

CHARLES E. THOMPSON.

In no other country are absolute worth of character and real merit the
standards of prominence to as great a degree as in America. We are proud
of the fact, and devoutly hope that this will always be the rule in this fair

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 338

land of liberty and equality — that the humblest boy may rise to the loftiest
heights, and that such incentives to effort may always be in the minds of the
young. All credit is due to the subject of this sketch for the brave fight
which he made against adverse circumstances, the persistency with which
he carried out his earnest purpose to carve a name and place for himself in
the annals of his state and time. Of such is the true nobility of America.

The paternal grandfather of our subject was Rev. Jesse M. Thompson,
a native of Ohio and, it is supposed, of Irish descent. He was a farmer
by occupation and was a "supply" minister of the Methodist Episcopal
church, in the early part of this century. The parents of Charles E. are
Thomas B. and Hannah M. (Wood) Thompson, both natives of the Buckeye
state, and since 1883 residents of Monon, Indiana. The father of Mrs.
Thompson was of Pennsylvania-Dutch stock and at an early day he became
a pioneer of Highland county, Ohio. Thomas B. Thompson dwelt in
Brown county, Ohio, for a number of years and in 1875 went to Kentucky,
settling in Pendleton county. Five years afterward he located in Pulaski
county, Indiana, and until about fifteen years ago he was engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits on various farms. Of late years he has been practically
retired, his main work being gardening. During the civil war he was one of
the brave boys who wore the blue and fought for the Union.

Charles E. Thompson was born in Brown county, Ohio, July 26, 1867,
the second of five sons and two daughters. When he was fifteen years old
he left home and, coming to this county, found employment with Jacob
Fouts, a farmer of Wayne township. He continued in the service of that
worthy man for eight years, a fact which speaks well for the industry and
application of the youth. He attended the country schools during the win-
ter season and formed the earnest and laudable ambition of becoming well
educated. In 1887 one of his dreams was realized, for he entered Purdue
University. Manfully striving to keep up his necessary expenses, he made
a heroic struggle, but, after being admitted to the sophomore class, in 1890,
he was obliged to leave in order to earn sufficient money to continue his
education. That winter he engaged in teaching school in this county, and
in March, 1891, became to Lafayette and entered the office of William R.
Wood, as a student of law. So industriously did he put in his time that he
was admitted to the bar a year and a half later, September 23, 1892.

The manly qualities of his pupil had so won the regard of Mr. Wood,
while he was serving in the position of prosecuting attorney for Tippecanoe
county, that he appointed Mr. Thompson as his deputy, in 1892. Having
thus become posted in the duties of the office, Mr. Thompson was evidently
just the man to become the successor of Mr. Wood, when the latter's term
expired. Accordingly, he was nominated by the Republican party (whose

334 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

cause he had always advocated) March 17, 1894, for the twenty- third judicial
circuit, and was elected in the following November. Again, in 1896, he was
the choice of the people for the office, and faithfully performed the difficult
duties which fell to him. It so happened that the painful duty of prosecuting
for capital offenses was limited to two cases during his term of service. Up
to the opening of 1896 he was alone in his law practice, but since that time
he has been associated with Daniel E. Storms, under the firm name of
Thompson & Storms. The only secret society with which he is identified is
the Knights of Pythias.

The marriage of Mr. Thompson and Miss Lizzie Baer, of West Lafay-
ette, was celebrated June 7, 1894. The young couple have one child, Gor-
don B. by name.

GEORGE W. CRAWFORD.

Born on the old homestead which he now owns and occupies, in Pike
township, Warren county, George W. Crawford is one of the honored old
residents of this locality. His parents. William Allen and Lutitia (Snod-
grass) Crawford, were pioneers of this county, as they came here in 1829,
and entered the identical tract of land now in the possession of George W.
and cultivated by him for many years past.

William A. Crawford was born in Kentucky, July 23, 1803, and was but
two years old when his parents took him to Preble county, Ohio. There he
grew to manhood, and was married to Miss Snodgrass March 15, 1827, and
within two years the young couple came to this section of Indiana. Here they
bravely mastered the difficulties of frontier life, and by industry and persever-
ing labor made a comfortable home in the wilderness and reared their chil-
dren to be good and useful citizens in whatever community they should
dwell. Every one who knew them was their friend and their house was an
example of unlimited cheer and hospitality. Faithful and consistent mem-
bers of the Christian church, their daily lives were beautiful reflections of
that of the Master whose disciples they professed to be. The father passed
to the better land April 24, 1854. The mother, born in Harrison county,
Kentucky, July 22, 1805, a child of Samuel and Sarah (Sellars) Snodgrass, is
still living. Though now in her ninety-fourth year, she is remarkably
sound in mind and body, and her senses of sight and hearing are but little
impaired. She was about nineteen years of age when she went with her
parents to Preble county, Ohio, and there she was married. She became a
typical frontiers-woman, brave, self-possessed, industrious and self-reliant,
and in the first years of her residence in this section she had abundant need
of all the fortitude and endurance which she possessed. She was equal to
the burdens placed upon her, and imparted strength and courage to every

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 335

one who came within range of her helpful, fearless nature. Her home
is now made with her daughter, Mrs. Robb, of West Lebanon, Warren
county.

William A. and Lutitia Crawford were the parents of seven sons and
four daughters. Two of the sons, James Samuel and William Marion, were
heroes of the war of the Rebellion — heroes whose lives were offered up willing
sacrifies to their loved country. Both enlisted in Company E, Eighty-sixth
Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry. James S. was taken prisoner at the
battle of Murfreesboro, and died in the hands of the Confederates; and Will-
iam M. died at Camp Dennison, September 6, 1862. The eldest daughter,
Jane, married Benton Williams and died a number of years ago. Three
other children died in early life. The surviving members of the family are
George W., John D., of West Lebanon; Harvey, of Dodge City, Kansas;
Margaret, wife of Bolivar. Robb, of West Lebanon; and Sarah Elizabeth, wife
of Henry A. Houpt, of Pike township.

George W. Crawford was born October 30, 1846, and has never lived
at any other place than on the old homestead. He is a practical and suc-
cessful farmer and in highly respected by a large circle of friends and well-
wishers. Socially, he is a Mason, a Knight of Pythias, and a member of the
Woodmen of the World, and in his political views he is an uncompromising
Republican. One of the notable and interesting events of his somewhat
uneventful life was the journey through the western states, commonly known
hereabout as the " Pilgrimage," and frequently mentioned in this work, in
connection with the history of the participants of this delightful trip. It was
made in the autumn of 1891, and over two months were spent by these seven
old friends and neighbors in visiting the chief points of interest in the western
states. National Park, etc.

January 4, 1875, G. W. Crawford married Miss Sarah E. Porter, daugh-
ter of EHas Porter, a pioneer of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Crawford have
a son and a daughter, named respectively Donald Porter and Stella L.

DAVID B. WILSON.

Since his first recollections David B. Wilson has been associated with
the development and upbuilding of Warren county, and during his mature
life he has been a respected citizen of Jordan township, where his present
home is situated. He has served his neighbors and friends in various local
positions and has been a trustee of this township, etc. The cause of educa-
tion finds a sincere friend in him, as does every work of improvement and
progress. When he was a youth of about nineteen years, in March, 1863, he
enlisted in Company K, Seventy-first Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry

336 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

(later the Sixth Indiana Cavalry), and continued in the Union army until
long after the close of hostilities. He took part in numerous brilliant cam-
paigns of the civil war, was engaged in the siege of Knoxville, Tennessee,
and in December, 1864, was under the command of General Thomas at
Nashville. It was not until October, 1865, that he was granted an honora-
ble discharge and was at liberty to return to the peaceful vocations of life.

The parents of our subject, Joseph and Margaret Wilson, were natives
of Kentucky, and at an early day they became residents of Putnam county,
Indiana. About 1846 they removed to Warren county and became citizens
of Warren township. Joseph Wilson died at his home in West Lebanon,
Warren county, in 1861. His wife, surviving him several years, died in 1883.
They were the parents of four children, one of whom, Robert, the first-born,
died in infancy. Sarah married Campbell Gibson and died in August, 1870,
and Charlotte is the wife of Matthew Siddons, of Oklahoma.

The birth of David B. Wilson occurred at the parental home in Putnam
county, in 1844, and he was but two years old when the family removed to
this locality. Here he passed his boyhood, attending the common schools,
and here he has always lived, engaged in agricultural pursuits. He has met
with the success which he thoroughly deserves, and has a good homestead
and a competence. In political affairs he is an advocate of the Republican
party platform. In 1869 he married Miss Emily Bowles, a daughter of Isaac
Bowles, and they have three sons and three daughters, namely : Charles
W. , Harry, Clarence, Cora, Bertha and Lydia.

JOHN F. JUDY.

Standing at the head and front of a most unique system or series of
business enterprises whose inception and successful operations are the result
of his own distinct individuality, subtle discernment, original methods and
mature judgment, Mr. Judy has gained an almost phenomenal prestige and
is known far and wide as a most advanced type of American genius, pro-
gressiveness and alert mentality. His reputation has far transcended the
limitations of Warren and contiguous counties, and among the able and
aggressive business men of the state he must be accorded a distinct and
unique position. Capacity undeveloped is but an organized day-dream, and
in the composition of the subject of this sketch there is found no nucleus
for idle dreams. Absolute capability often exists in specific instances, but is
never brought into the clear light of the utilitarian and practical life. Hope
is of the valley, while effort stands upon the mountain top; so that advance-
ment comes not to the one who hopes alone, but to the one whose hope and
faith are those of action. Then we may well hold in high regard the results

ca^^ R^Hf

BIOGRAPHICAL BISTORT. • 337

of individual effort and personal accomplishment, for cause and effect here
maintain their functions in full force.

It is with marked satisfaction that we take into consideration the life
and labors of that energetic, shrewd and talented farmer and man of
affairs, John F. Judy, of Judyville, who has contributed in a large degree to
the industrial and commercial activities of Warren county. In an attractive
little advertising brochure recently issued, Mr. Judy states succinctly that he
is a "FARMER," while his incidental reference to the important business
enterprises which he has established and built up is to the effect that they
are "side lines." While he has many able assistants in carrying on his
far-reaching operations in varied lines, he personally controls and guides the
entire system of enterprises and assumes the responsibilities without fear
of results, confident of his powers, which have so fully withstood the test,
and with full appreciation of the dignity and the intrinsic value of honest
toil and indefatigable energy. He is proprietor of the Grand Prairie Horse
and Mule Market, in which connection he is the owner and founder of what
may well be designated a village, — an industrial village located on his farni,
eight miles from a railroad, — and this stands as unique and original in its
way as does the far-famed town of Pullman. In addition to conducting his
extensive business as a dealer in horses and mules, Mr. Judy handles other
live stock, vehicles of all descriptions, harness, farming implements and farm
produce, paints and oils, dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, hardware,
furniture; conducts shops for blacksmithing, buggy and wagon repairing;
manufactures and repairs harness; owns and operates a grain elevator; han-
dles real estate, owning hundreds of acres of farm lands, and has well
equipped livery stables and conducts an undertaking business. The province
of a compilation of this nature is such that detailed reference can not con-
sistently be made to the manifold details of Mr. Judy's gigantic business
operations, but even the list given above will suggest somewhat the extent of
his enterprises and bear evidence to his masterly abilities. In the little pam-
phlet to which reference has been made are many gems of epigrammatic wis-
dom, while as an original type of advertising the booklet is worthy of all
praise, but must be read to be appreciated. The pamphlet was written by
Mr. Judy, and we can not do better at this point than to quote from
the same, making our extracts somewhat at random. In his intro-
duction Mr. Judy gives the following information as to what he has
done: "I have sold more horses, buggies, wagons and harness than
any concern in the world, and have built the largest business of the kind.
All originated and started on a farm, without money, eight miles from a rail-
road, on the prairie, where I did not own a foot of land. Have drawn a
large patronage from twenty counties, besides a good business from other

338 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

counties and several states. Have established fifteen branch offices and
repositories in ten counties." Continuing, he thus describes what he is
doing: " Living in a good house on my own farm, surrounded by my own
town, enjoying an increase of business, and building elevators, stores, barns
and houses to take care of my help and stock, and building brains to take
care of the business, and keeping up the effort to so systematize my business,
that everyone who patronizes Judyville or any of its branches will reap an
advantage by so doing." The branch establishments are conducted by
managers employed by the proprietor, and to facilitate business operations a
different firm name is given in the several instances. Thus at Williamsport,
Indiana, which is Mr. Judy's postoffice address, business is conducted under
the style of Judy & Titus, the lines handled being furniture, buggies and
wagons and harness. In the same village the other enterprises conducted
are here noted: Judy & Messner, livery; Judy & Smith, livery; Judy & Dar-
ling, groceries; Judy & Bertrand, paint supplies. Judy-Lief Buggy Com-
pany, Goodland, Indiana, repair shop, buggies, wagons, harness and farm
implements; Judy & Irons, Crawfordsville, Indiana, horses, buggies, wagons
and harness; Judy & Judy, Carbondale, postoffice and general merchandise;
Judy & Wood, Parr, Indiana, grain elevator, livery, general merchandise,
horses, buggies, wagons and harness; Judy & Deslaurie, Morocco, Indiana,
harness; Judy & Largent, Judyville, buggy-repair shop; Judy & Bunch, Judy-
ville, general blacksmithing; Judy & Leming, Judyville, harness shop; Judy,
Clayton & Judy, Judyville, real estate; Judy & Hicks, Milford, Illinois,
horses, buggies, wagons and harness; Judy & Landon, Rossville, Illinois,
buggies, wagons and harness. On the farm, known as Judyville, there are
six barns, one of them being the largest in Warren county, thirteen dwelling
houses, a hotel, an office building and numerous outbuildings, — all of modern
design and equipped with necessary conveniences. The various departments
are provided with telephonic communication, there being ten distinct lines in
operation. The residence of the proprietor is a beautiful cottage of modern
architectural design and supplied with hot and cold water and other metro-
politan facilities. The entire place is a marvel in one sense, and yet it but
represents the result of the keen discernment, ambitious energy and resolute
purpose of the proprietor, who started without capital eighteen years ago and
is to-day financially rated at two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars.
The principles which animate Mr. Judy may be realized by any one who
reads his little pamphlet. We can not forbear to quote a few of his epi-
grams before turning to the more purely biographical record which will con-
clude this sketch.

Whatever takes us from the path of least resistance is work. While we work we are
doing good. This is enough to ennoble the meanest toil, and raises the poorest mechanic and
the humblest tiller of the soil to be the envy of the idler.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 339

I taught school several years. I liked my bad boys. Bad pups make good dogs. I have
had more trouble with the weakness of men, and always will have, than with their dishonesty.
I would rather undertake to reverse the force of a bad man than loan my force to a weak one.
I would rather have a runaway horse than a dead one. I can change a runaway horse to a
dead one or a good horse. In a dead one I have no choice.

A man whose dignity will not let him do that part of his calling which appears low
drudgery fails to put all the links into his chain, and he soon finds success breaking away from
him, leaving him alone with his assumed dignity. A man of false dignity is compound matter
trying to be supported by a simple mind.

John F. Judy, proprietor of Judyville, Liberty township, Warren coun-
ty, Indiana, is a native of the Buckeye state, having been born at Plattsburg,
near Columbus, Ohio, on the i8th of March, 1856. When he was about
twelve years of age, in the year 1867, he accompanied his parents upon their
removal to Warren county, Indiana, the family and their worldly effects
being transported hither through the medium of one team and a wagon.
The father, Skillman Judy, devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits and
continued to reside in Warren county until his death, which occurred in 1890,
at which time he had attained the venerable age of seventy-two years. The
mother, whose maiden name was Sarah J. Hunter, still survives and contin-
ues her residence in Warren county. To this worthy couple eight children
were born, and all are living at the present time, death having invaded the
home only on the occasion when the venerable father was summoned into
eternal rest.

The immediate subject of this review secured his preliminary educa-
tional discipline in the common schools, completing a course in the high
school at Attica, Indiana. It is interesting to revert to the fact that the first
individual efforts of this successful man of affairs after leaving school were
along the line which has been followed for a time by so many of the able
and representative men of the Union, — he turned his attention to teaching
school, thus putting his acquirements to a practical test, and continued to
devote his attention to pedagogic effort for a period of five years. It is need-
less to say that a man of so forceful individuality as he has been shown to
possess was successful in this line of endeavor, as he has been in others.
The young man was ambitious, and his ambition was not one of vacillation
or uncertain definition. The money which he earned as a teacher he invest-
ed in cattle, and his successful business career had its inception in the year
1 88 1. He was encouraged to start in business upon his own responsibility
through the timely advice and counsel of James Goodwine, one of the most
able and successful business men that Warren county has produced. Mr.
Judy had the prescience to realize that material prosperity is a matter of
consecutive growth, and, while bending every energy to the winning of suc-
cess, he had full recognition of the essential value of details, and his advance-

340 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

ment came as a natural result, though by regular gradations. Step by step
he moved forward to the goal, and no further evidence of his industry and
his abihty is demanded than that shown in his valuable property holdings and
the enormous volume of business which he transacts each year, with ever an
appreciable increase and broadening of scope. John F. Judy and Judyville
are familiar names in Indiana and surrounding states. With the many de-
partments of his business, there is little reason to doubt that he conducts
the most extensive retail trade in the state, taken in its aggregate.

Mr. Judy attributes his success largely to the novel system of advertising
which he has devised aud employed, and this, with his scrupulous integrity
and fairness, has enabled him to stand as sponser for the remarkable indus-
trial problem which he has so effectively solved. His methods are liberal in
the extreme, and he handles every department of his business according to
strict principles, employing only those whose capability is unmistakable.
He well merits the prestige and success which are his, and with so active a
mind and wise a judgment, this success is certain to be cumulative in char-
acter.

Mr. Judy is most pleasantly placed in the matter of his domestic rela-
tions. In December, 1877, he was united in marriage to Miss Matilda
Hunter, daughter of John P. Hunter, one of Warren county's wealthy and
influential citizens, and the happy union has been blessed with four children,—
three daughters and one son. Valera, is the wife of Frederick R. Letcher,
proprietor and publisher of the Home Journal, at Lafayette, this being the
oldest and largest home and farm weekly in the state of Indiana.

The only son, Ole R., was born October 28, 1880, and is already prom-
inently identified with his father's business affairs, being a young man of
exceptional ability.

He is the manager of the horse sales for the Grand Prairie Horse and
Mule Market. He borrowed one thousand six hundred dollars from his father
when nine years old and paid it back in a few weeks, and made seven hundred
dollars out of a lunch counter at the Horse Market before he was thirteen years
old, without help except board and clothes. He graduated in the common
schools when thirteen years old, learned short-hand in a few weeks, went to
high school a few weeks, and quit school for practice before it spoiled him
for execution. Though he is only eighteen years old he can trade horses
with ten men at once, keeping in mind all their propositions and all of his
own. Has never been accused of lying, nor by an employe of bad treatment.
Though he gives many double-quick orders and positive commands, the
employes at Judyville like to execute his orders. He has the confidence of
all who know him, and of his father, who gives him unrestricted right to sign
"John F. Judy" to checks, drafts, deeds or mortgage release. He has also

EMBRYO OF JUDYVILLE.

BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY. 341

a recorded power of an attorney to make all of his signatures legal and bind-
ing. He buys and sells the horses, more than two thousand yearly, and he
is capable of doing any part of the business or of managing any of the branches
of the business successfully, or superintending the whole business. A por-
trait of him accompanies this sketch.

Elsie and Esta who are twins, were born in September, 1886, and both
add brightness to the family circle. The home is one in which hospitality
and distinct refinement are ever in evidence, and it is needless to say that
Mr. Judy finds here the fullest measure of rest and solace in his life of inces-
sant activity and out-reaching enterprise.

A portrait of the subject of this sketch, John F. Judy, also accompanies
this biographical record.

THOMAS S. BOSTICK.

In the early development of White county the Bostick family took a
prominent part, and for nearly seventy years they have been closely asso-
ciated with its upbuilding and progress. Thomas S. Bostick, of Brookston,
departed from the customary vocation of his forefathers, on both sides of
the house, when he became a manufacturer and business man, instead of an
agriculturist, as many generations of his ancestors had been; but he has won
success in his chosen field of effort and commands the respect of all with
whom he has dealings. He worked in Brookston at carpentering for many
years and in 1887 established the Brookston Novelty Works, for the manu-
facture of all kinds of fancy wood-work, grilles, banisters, etc., hard and
soft finish. He furnishes various kinds of moldings and house trimmings to
contractors and builders, and his shop, finely equipped with the most modern
machinery necessary in the business, is able to turn out whatever work is
desired in his line, on short notice.

The paternal grandfather of T. S. Bostick was born, and lived and died
in Delaware. He was of Scotch extraction, and was a soldier in the war of
the Revolution. Our subject's father, Joseph, was one of four children, two
of whom were daughters. Born in Delaware, he came to White county,
Indiana, in 1831, before the red men had departed to the west, and in this
locality he resided for over half a century. Having entered one hundred
and twenty acres of government land he improved the property, reared his
children there, and died on the old homestead endeared to him in a thousand
ways, when past seventy-seven years, in 1887. He had married Adella
Chestnut, who was born in Ohio, and her death occurred many years prior
to his own, in 1871, when she was in her seventieth year. They were both
earnest members of the Methodist church, and possessed the love and
admiration of a large circle of friends. Mrs. Bostick was one of the twelve

342 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

children of Daniel Chestnut, a pioneer farmer of Ross county, Ohio, where
he passed away, after a long and useful life.

Thomas S. Bostick is one of ten children, five of whom were sons, and,
with his brothers, William and Daniel, he alone survives of the once large
and happy family who gathered around the hospitable table of Joseph
Bostick, the pioneer. He was born on the old home farm, three miles from
Brookston, in Prairie township, October 17, 1847. His education was that
afforded by the old-fashioned district schools, which he attended, more or
less, part of each year. When sixteen years of age he enlisted in Company
K, Twelfth India^na Cavalry (One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Regiment),
and served from November, 1863, until after the war had closed, his dis-
charge being dated in August, 1865. He was chosen to act in the capacity
of bugler, and, with others of his company, was detailed to hunt guerrillas
much of the time. He took part in the battle of Nashville and in numerous
skirmishes with the enemy, and was frequently commended for his bravery
and fidelity to duty. When his country no longer needed him he returned
to the peaceful occupation of farming, but at the end of two years he com-
menced learning the harness business, which trade he followed with success
for several years. He then embarked in carpentering, and, as said above,
engaged in his present business, of which he has made a success by careful
attention to the wishes of his customers and promptness and skill in meeting
their requirements.

Mr. Bostick is a member of Brookston Lodge, No. 66, F. & A. M., in
which he has filled all the chairs and has been worshipful master. He
belongs to Champion Hill Post, No. 171, G. A. R., and is a Knight of the
Maccabees. In political affairs he is a "true blue" Republican. He is a
trustee in the Universalist church, of which he and his wife are members.
Mr. Bostick was married February 24, 1869, to Miss Ella Gress, a daughter
of James and Clara (Kelley) Gress. They have a pleasant home on East
Third street, it having been built by Mr. Bostick in 1880.

JOHN H. ROW.

Twelve years has John H. Row been numbered among the leading citi-
zens of Brookston, of which place he served for two terms as a member of
the board of trustees. In political affairs he takes his stand on the platform
of the Democratic party, and socially he is a Mason, being identified with
Brookston Lodge, No. 66, F. & A. M., and Lafayette Chapter No. 3, Royal
Arch Mason. For many years he has been honored with the office of deacon
in the Baptist church of this place, and both he and his wife are valued
members of the denomination.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 343

Our subject's grandfather, William Row, was born in Scotland, and in
early manhood came to America, settling in Ohio, where he devoted himself
to farming until his death, a few years later. He had married a Miss Har-
rison, an own cousin of William Henry Harrison, and she after his death
became the wife of a Mr. Bell. The maternal grandfather of our subject
was Jarrett Ford, a native of Virginia and of Irish ancestry. At an early
day he removed to Kentucky, where he acquired wealth and large landed
possessions. He reared six sons and seven daughters, and lived, hale and
hearty, until nearly eighty-nine years of age.

Townsend D. Row, father of John H., was born in the Buckeye state,
and for years he was a respected farmer of Henry county, Kentucky, whence,
in June, 1863, he came to this county, settling on a quarter section of land
in Prairie township, near Badger Grove. He sold half of his farm subse-
quently, and continued to dwell on the remainder until death claimed him,
in 1876, when he was in his seventy-fourth year. His wife, Margaret Ann
(Ford) Row, a native of Henry county, Kentucky, had died over a score of
years previously, in 1853, when about forty-eight years old. Both were
Methodists in religious faith. Only four of their three sons and nine daugh-
ters are now living, namely: John H. ; Josephine, wife of Albert Herst;
Emeline, widow of T. M. Ford; and Jane, widow of Saul Colvin, — all resi-
dents of Brookston.

The birth of John H. Row took place on the parental homestead in
Henry county, Kentucky, October 10, 1829. In his youth he learned every
department of farm work and concluded to make agriculture and stock-rais-
ing his main occupations. Until he attained his majority he gave his time
to his father, and then he rented a farm for one year and managed the prop-
erty successfully. Such education as had fallen to his share was gained in
the old-style subscription schools of his boyhood, and with this foundation
he became well informed along practical lines. On March 22, 1864, became
to White county, and has since made his home here, with the intention of
being a permanent resident.

On the 26th of December, 1852, Mr. Row married Elizabeth White, a
daughter of Joel and Jennie (Ford) White. Six children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Row, namely: Evander, Nora, Granville, Mary, Margaret, and one
who died in infancy. Mary, the only survivor, is the wife of Charles Van
Voorst, of Chalmers, and they have three children, — Goldie, Mabel and Gil-
bert. Mrs. Elizabeth Row, who had been a devout Baptist from early life,
died at her home, in February, 1885.

The present wife of John H. Row was Mrs. Susan M. (Stewart; Stewart,
widow of William Allen Stewart, and a daughter of John and Susan (Chilton)
Stewart, natives of Virginia. The parents were both reared in Kentucky,

344 BIOGRJPHICAL HISTORY.

whither they were taken when young. John Stewart was a pioneer in Tippe-
canoe county, Indiana, and as a farmer and stock-raiser was very successful,
owning twenty-four hundred acres of land at the time of his death. His
father was Allen Stewart, of Virginia, and of Irish extraction. The father
of Mrs. Susan (Chilton) Stewart was George Chilton, also a native of the Old
Dominion, and of German descent. He was a wealthy farmer, owning a
large plantation. He was a Freemason, and had the privilege of voting
for Washington as president. At the time of his death he was about " four
score years and ten." The marriage of our subject and wife was solemnized
February i6, 1886. Mrs. Row had one child by her first union, — little Nora,
who died when eight years of age.

CHARLES T. BROCKWAY, M. D.

During the five years that have passed since Dr. Charles T. Brock-
way established an office and commenced the practice of medicine in Brook-
ston, he has built up a lucrative business and has won distinction among the
members of his profession. He is the present health officer of Brookston,
and is an honored member of the local and state medical societies. As a
general practitioner he has commanded the attention of the public, and he
has frequently been called into consultation with physicians in this and
neighboring towns.

The Doctor's father, Truman Brockway, was born January 24, 1832,
and was a native of New York state, and was one of the pioneers of Living-
ston county, Illinois. He built the first substantial store erected in the town
of Chatsworth, and with his family lived in the pleasant and comfortable
suite of rooms over the store for some years. He was a merchant there
for several years, a contractor and builder, a farmer for a period, and
here in the fullness of time he passed away from earth in his sixty-
seventh year, March 18, 1899. His wife, Sarah (Ewing) Brockway,
likewise born in the Empire state, survives him. For many years
she has been an earnest member of the Methodist church. Though
Mr. Brockwy was not regularly connected with the denomination, he
gave support to the cause and was in sympathy with the grand
work which is being carried on under its auspices. He held various
township offices of more or less responsibility, and the respect of all who
knew him was his in large measure. Both of the Doctor's grandfathers died
in the east, but the wife of his maternal grandfather is still living, near
Chatsworth, and is now in her ninety-third year. One of the five children
of Truman and Sarah Brockway died in infancy. Laura is the wife of
George W. Myers, of Chatsworth, and Mary, unmarried, resides in the same

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 345

town, while Dr. Frank Brockway is engaged in medical practice in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin.

The birth of Dr. C. T. Brockway took place on Christmas day, 1863,
in Chatsworth, and in that pretty village he spent the years of his youth.
His early education was obtained at the Chatsworth public school and at the
■district schools ; and for five summers he worked for his father on the old
homestead. Then followed twelve years of service for the Illinois Central
Railroad Company as a station agent and telegraph operator. Ten years of
that period were spent at Colfax, Illinois, and the remainder at Irwin, Kemp-
ton and Pontiac, same state. His health failing while he was at Pontiac, he
resigned, and after his recovery he commenced studying medicine in the
Columbus Medical College, at Columbus, Ohio. Later, he was graduated
from the St. Louis College of Physicians and Surgeons, in the spring of 1893,
and at once located in Brookston, as previously related. Fraternally, he is
a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the " Rathbone Sisters," and
politically he is a Republican.

The pleasant home of the Doctor, on Railroad street, is presided over by
his charming wife, formerly Miss Mertie Brown, born January i, 1864. They
were married December 30, 1884, at the home of Mrs. Brockway's mother,
Mrs. Mary C. (Leisure) Brown, now of Bloomington, Illinois. Her father,
James Brown, was in later life a cripple, in consequence of a minie bullet
received while a Union soldier in the war of the Rebellion, and died many
years ago. The Doctor and wife are members of the Baptist church and
take deep interest in various charitable organizations. They have two chil-
-dren, Howard T. and Charles J.

GEORGE ILGENFRITZ.

George Ilgenfritz, one of the venerable farmers and respected citizens
of Tippecanoe county, was born in York county, Pennsylvania, March 29,
1822, and is the son of David and Sallie (Miller) Ilgenfritz. The family is of
sturdy German stock, and was founded in the Keystone state in colonial days.
Their religious faith was that of the Lutheran church. Martin Ilgenfritz was
the first of the name to locate in York county, Pennsylvania, where he followed
farming, entering between four and five hundred acres of land in Manchester
and Cussawago townships. Through his land ran two streams, across one of
which, the Cussawago creek, he built a dam and erected near by a grist and
saw mill. That was one of the first grist mills in that section of the country,
and he successfully operated it for a number of years prior to the Revolution-
ary war. He was also extensively engaged in farming, and was a prosper-
ous and reliable citizen. Among his children were Samuel, who followed

346 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

blacksmithing in the city of York, Pennsylvania ; Frederick, grandfather of
our subject ; Martin, who inherited the mill property and one hundred acres
of land, and George, or Jacob, who was a shoemaker of York.

Frederick Ilgenfritz was born on his father's farm August i8, 1760, and
spent his entire life on the homestead. He was married April 8, 1783, to
Maria E. Zinn, who was born in Dover township, York county, Pennsyl-
vania, in December, 1862. They became the parents of the following
named, all of whom were born on the old family homestead : John A., born
August 14, 1784; George, born March 20, 1786; Elizabeth, born June 14,
1789; Jacob, born March 20, 1791; Magdalena, born February 20, 1793 ;
Samuel, who was born March i, 1796, and died in infancy; David, born
March 5, 1798 ; Rebecca, born September 9, 1800; Frederick, born January
27, 1804, and Daniel, born March 9, 1807. The father of this family was a
prosperous farmer of York county, and there died at the age of sixty years.
His old family Bible, printed in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1765, is now in
possession of our subject.

David Ilgenfritz, father of our subject, was born on the old homestead,
March 5, 1798, and acquired a common-school education. Up to that time
the family had spoken the German language, but he became familiar with
the English tongue. He married Sallie Miller, and their children were Sam-
uel, who was born in December, 1818; Lydia, born August 13, 1820; George,
born March 29, 1822; John A., who died at the age of five years; and David,
born in February, 1830. The mother of this family died and the father
afterward married Susannah Misenhaelter, who was born in York county,
Pennsylvania, a daughter of John and Mary (I\leinfelter) Misenhaelter. By
this marriage there were two children, Aaron and Peter, both born on the
old homestead. The latter was a soldier of the civil war and died from the
effects of his service one year after his return to the north. He veteranized
and served for nearly four years as a member of Company A, Fortieth Regi-
ment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, participating in a number of important
battles. In the spring of 1850 David Ilgenfritz removed with his family to
Indiana, locating in Tippecanoe county, where he purchased of Joseph Cow-
ley a farm of three hundred and nine acres, at a cost of four thousand dol-
lars. About two hundred acres of the land was then under cultivation, and'
a good brick residence, barn and orchard were among the improvements on
the place. On that farm Mr. Ilgenfritz spent his remaining days, his death
occurring August 9, 1866, when he had reached the age of sixty-nine years.
He was a substantial citizen, a member of the Lutheran church and was
respected by all who knew him.

George Ilgenfritz, the subject of this sketch, was born on the old family
homestead in York county, Pennsylvania, and was reared as a farmer lad.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 347

His educational privileges were somewhat limited, but experience and obser-
vation have brought him practical knowledge. He was married in Manchester
township, in York county, February 22, 1844, to Sarah A. Wild, whose birth
there occurred April 26, 1824, her parents being Jacob and Elizabeth
(Conkle) Wild. Her father was a native of York county, and a son of
Michael Wild, of an old colonial family of Pennsylvania, of German lineage.
The former was a teamster in early life and afterward became a substantial
farmer, being very industrious and energetic. He was a member of the Ger-
man Reformed church and was very kind-hearted. He died about 1847,
when between the ages of fifty and sixty years. His children were Sarah A.,
Samuel, Caroline, Daniel, Henry and Jacob.

After his marriage Mr. Ilgenfritz located in Manchester township, York
county, Pennsylvania, where he purchased a small farm of twenty-four acres,
upon which he built a house and barn and made other improvements. He
operated that farm until 1846, when he sold the property. In the fall of
1850 he came to Indiana, making the journey to Tippecanoe county with a
two-horse team and wagon. He brought with him his wife and four small
children, and while en route stopped at the old-time western taverns, also
spent two half-days resting and visiting with friends along the way. They
reached their destination after twenty-five days of travel, and spent the first
winter in the home of Mr. Ilgenfritz' father. In 185 1 our subject purchased
the farm upon which he now resides, — a tract of prairie land somewhat
under cultivation. There was a small house and log stable upon the place,
but these have long since given way to more substantial and commodious
buildings. From time to time, as the result of his perseverance and indus-
try, he has been enabled to extend the boundaries of his farm and now has
three hundred and ninety-five acres of rich land under a high state of culti-
vation.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ilgenfritz were born seven children: John, who was
born in York county, Pennsylvania, October 26, 1844; Elizabeth, born in
the Keystone state, July 8, 1846; Jacob, born in Pennsylvania, July 18,
1848; Henry, born in Pennsylvania, August 10, 1850; Sallie, who died in
infancy; David, who was born on the homestead farm in Tippecanoe county,
June 25, 1854, and died in infancy; and Sarah, who was born in Indiana,
September 19, 1855. Jacob, the second oldest son, was a soldier in the civil
war — a private of Company A, Fortieth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer
Infantry. His enlistment was for three years or during the war. He was in
the great battle of Franklin, Tennessee, and came out bravely. The March
following he took a severe cold and was left at a private house, on the banks
of the Elk river, and there he died. The mother of this family died at the
birth of her youngest child, and on the 20th of March, 1856, Mr. Ilgenfritz

348 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

was again married, his second union being with Levina Hess, who was born
in Bethel township, Berks county, Pennsylvania, April 5, 1827, a daughter
of Daniel and Eve (Baumbarger) Hess. Her father was of sterling Penn-
sylvania-Dutch stock, was born in the Keystone state, and was a cooper by
trade. For many years he resided in Berks county, and was an upright,
honorable man and a consistent member of the Reformed church. His chil-
dren were Elizabeth, Mary, Caroline Levina and Catherine. Mr. and Mrs.
Ilgenfritz became the parents of six children, as follows: Samuel, born
January 5, 1857; Margaret J., born October 21, 1858; Daniel, born July 28,
i860; George, born August 15, 1862; Emma C, born July 17, 1864, and
Riley, born July 6, 1866.

Mrs. Levina Ilgenfritz died September 6, 1897. In early hfe she was
a member of the German Reformed church, and afterward held membership
in the Presbyterian church. She was a woman of many virtues, and during
her long life span of seventy years, five months and one day, she found many
opportunities for doing good. She possessed unusual industry, was a true
helpmeet to her husband, and had the regard and affection not only of her
family, but also of many friends. On Christmas day of 1898 there occurred
a pleasant celebration at the old homestead, — a reunion of the family, at
which were present nine of the children and a number of the grandchildren.
The son Daniel could not be present, on account of his absence in the
Klondike mining regions. A very happy day was spent, — one long to be
remembered by all present. Mr. Ilgenfritz has always been a frugal and
hard-working man, and has therefore prospered in his undertakings. His
first religious connection was with the German Reformed church, but he now
belongs to the Presbyterian church and is widely known for his virtues, his
kindliness and his love of humanity. He has now reached the venerable age
of seventy-seven years. In all trade transactions his word has ever been as
good as his bond, his integrity is proverbial and his high character makes
his an honored old age.

CHESTER C. FRENCH.

The able editor of the Brookston Reporter, Chester C. French, and
for thirty-one years a resident of Brookston, White county, is a gentleman
of versatile talents, so much so that it is safe to say that he would undoubt-
edly have succeeded in many other lines of business or professional life than
the one to which he has especially devoted his energies. He has been a
witness of the development of this town from a hamlet to a flourishing little
city, and through the columns of the journal he edits has always advocated
everything which would conduce to the well-being of the place and its in-

BIOGRAPHICAL EISTORY. 349

habitants. In 1894 he was elected justice of the peace and is still serving
in that capacity, and for several terms he held an appointment as a notary
pubhc from the governor. At present he is precinct chairman of Prairie
township, for his second term, and in 1880 he was census enumerator for
the same locality. In his political belief he is an uncompromising Repub-
lican, and in the fraternal organizations he is associated with the Masons,
Odd Fellows (of which he is past grand). Daughters of Rebekah and Knight
of the Maccabees.

In tracing the ancestry of C. C. French it is found that he is of Scotch-
Irish descent on the paternal side, and that both of his grandfathers were
natives of Pennsylvania. Asa French, our subject's paternal grandfather,
was a pioneer settler on the Big Miami river in Ohio, and was a farmer by
occupation. His death resulted from an accident received when he was
between sixty and seventy years of age. The maternal grandfather of our
subject was Dr. Chester Clark, who came to Indiana from the Keystone
state in early days and settled near Rockville, where he practiced medicine.
Later, he lived in Bloomfield, Illinois, and his last years were spent in Cov-
ington, Indiana, where he conducted a mercantile business and likewise car-
ried on a nursery. Death came to him when he was over four-score years
old.

The parents of C. C. French are Rev. David S. and Hannah L. (Clark)
French, natives of Miami county, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, respectively.
The father was one of thirteen children and the mother was one of five
children, two of whom were sons. Rev. Mr. French was a pioneer minister
in the Missionary Baptist church, and for many years he was very aggres-
sively engaged in spreading the gospel, preaching at various points along the
Wabash river and in the adjacent territory, and even across the state line in
Illinois. For about six years he was pastor of a church in Covington, Indi-
ana, occupied a Lafayette pulpit for a year or more, was in charge of the
Brookston church for six years, and was located at various other places in
this state. For three years he held a charge in Mahomet, Illinois, and was
stationed in Bloomfield, Blue Grass, Illinois, and at other points in that
state. He was a man of great force of character, and excelled in his theo-
logical expositions the most of the preachers of his day. In recognition of
this he had the honor of having the degree of D. D. conferred upon him by
a prominent university. In 1868 he came to Brookston, and made his home
here until his death, in 1880, when he was seventy-six years of age. He
served for one term in the responsible position of treasurer of Fountain
county, and was re-elected, but political complications lost him the office.
His widow survived him a few years, her death taking place in 1893, when
she was in her sixty-fifth year. Three of their seven children are now living.

S50 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

namely: Lewis Theodore, Chester C. and Frank David, — the latter of River-
side, California.

The birth of Chester C. French occurred in Covington, Indiana, Febru-
ary 21, 1850, and when he was seven years old his parents removed to a
farm in Vermilion county. There he dwelt for four years and as soon as he
was old enough he commenced working on farms. Later he rented small
tracts of land and cultivated the same on his own account. When he was
eighteen he moved into Brookston and attended the public schools here for a
short period, after which he entered the Chicago University. In 1874 he
returned to Brookston and took up the study of medicine, teaching in the
meantime. About 1877 he was employed for a period in the railway mail
service. Then, in conjunction with his father, he purchased the Brookston
Reporter, which, saving a few years, he has since conducted. In order to
thoroughly equip himself for the business he learned the printer's trade and
mastered the practical details which have any bearing on the subject. In
connection with the publishing of his journal, which is a representative one
and first-class in every respect, he does all kinds of job printing. Mr. French
was admitted to the bar in 1894, and, though he has not given a great
amount of his time to the calling, he has practiced to some extent.

One of the most active and valued members of the Brookston Baptist
church is Mr. French, who has been honored with various offices and has
conscientiously and faithfully performed such duties as devolved upon him in
that connection. For twenty-one successive years he has been clerk of the
church, and for ten years was superintendent of the Sunday-school. A
musician of recognized talent, he has been the chorister of the church, and
has been in great demand for evangelistic work. He possesses a fine voice,
and for a time was a member of what was known as the St. David's Quar-
tette. Nor do his accomplishments end here; for it might be mentioned that
he is a speaker possessing natural eloquence and force, and that he has fre-
quently delivered lectures and addresses on various topics, and that he has
often made very happy and opportune toasts at dinner parties and banquets.
With one and all who know him he is deservedly popular, and few citizens
of White county are better known or more worthy of respect and esteem
than Chester C. French.

WILBUR F. SEVERSON.

A worthy representative of two of the pioneer families of Indiana, the
subject of this review was born in Lafayette, February 4, i860, a son of Page
B. and Mary J. (Jones) Severson. The parents were both natives of Tippe-
canoe county, and for many years the father was numbered among the

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 351

leading business men of Lafayette. He was the proprietor and manager of
a music store, which since his death, March 2, 1897, has been carried on by
his son, Frederick J. Frederick J. and Wilbur F. , of this sketch, are his
only children. The widowed mother is still living.

The paternal grandfather of our subject, James Severson, was a native
of Pennsylvania and was possibly, of Scotch ancestry. He went to Ohio
when a young man, there married Patience J. Pierce, and subsequently
removed to this state, taking up his abode at a point seven miles west of
Lafayette. He was one of the pioneers of this section and was actively
associated with the early development of the county.

On the maternal side of our subject's family we find that his grandfa-
ther, Mark Jones, was born in Kanawha county. West Virginia, January 14,
1 8 14. When he was a child he removed with his father, William Jones, by
flat-boat down the Ohio river to Cincinnati and thence proceeded to Wayne
county, Indiana. In 1824 he came to Tippecanoe county, where he became
one of the most valued citizens. He served for twelve years as clerk of the
court, and also acted in the capacity of constable. For several years he was
judge of the court of common pleas and during the remainder of his life he
was actively engaged in the practice of law. His long and useful life was
closed March 4, 1897, and his loss has been deeply felt by his large circle of
admirers and friends.

Wilbur F. Severson received a good education in the public schools of
Lafayette and later was a student in Purdue University for four years. The
next two years he attended the Cincinnati Law School, graduating there
May 25, 1881. He was at once admitted to the bar of this state and entered
upon a practice which has been successful from the start and has been con-
stantly widening in importance. Since February, 1885, he has held the
position of United States commissioner, and upon the 14th of October, 1880,
he was granted a license to practice before the supreme court of the United
States.

He has always been a great lover of music, and while living in Cincin-
nati he was a pupil in the Conservatory, taking special instruction on the
piano and organ. He uses his right of franchise in favor of the Republican
party, in the success of which he is earnestly interested. A Mason of the
thirty-second degree, he belongs to Tippecanoe Lodge, No. 492, F. & A. M.;
Lafayette Chapter, No. 3, R. A. M. ; Lafayette Commandery, No. 3, K. T.,
and is, moreover, a noble of the Mystic Shrine.

The marriage of Mr. Severson and Miss Minnie E. Gwin, of Battle
Ground, Indiana, was celebrated November 29, 1892. They are members
of Saint John's Episcopal church of this place, and are interested in all
worthy religious and philanthropic enterprises.

352 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

JEREMIAH GOCHENOUR, D. D. S.

Numbered among the leading citizens of Monticello, White county, is
the subject of this sketch, who, though a young man, has already attained
an enviable position in the ranks of his profession, and has before him a most
flattering prospect. One of the native sons of Indiana, his birth occurred in
Clinton county, April 5, 1868, and with the exception of the time which he
spent in learning the many and varied duties pertaining to his chosen pro-
fession, he has always lived in this state.

The family, which finds an able representative in the Doctor, originated
in Alsace-Lorraine, near the border of Germany; but William Gochenour,
the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Virginia. In that state he
was engaged in agriculture and at one time served in the militia. At an early
period he removed with his family to Clinton county, Indiana, and died there
when fifty-six years old. His children comprised four sons and two daugh-
ters. The Doctor's parents were David and Mary (Reavis) Gochenour,
natives of Virginia and North Carolina, respectively. David Gochenour lived
in Eaton, Ohio, for five years, and was in his fourteenth year when he located
in Clinton county, this state. When he had grown to man's estate he bought
forty acres of land, and this property he proceeded to cultivate, spending the
dull winter season in executing contracts for painting. At present he owns
a quarter section of good farm land, and is prospering. During the civil war
he was drafted, but his little family needed him at home and he hired a sub-
stitute; and while residing in another township he likewise paid for a substi-
tute. Politically a Democrat, he served for one term as an assessor, but,
after joining the Dunkard church, of which he is still a devoted member, he
was opposed to holding public offices. His first wife, Mary, died in Febru-
ary, 1874, aged forty-three years. Her father, Enoch Reavis, was of Scotch-
Irish descent, and was born in North Carolina. By occupation he was a
farmer, and either the healthful out-door life which he lived or the strength
of constitution which was an inheritance from his sturdy ancestors, or both,
caused him to reach the extreme age of more than ninety years. His death
occurred in January, 1898. He was twice married and was the father of ten
children. In the early days of Clinton county, Indiana, he became one of its
leading farmers, and few men were better known in that section of the state
than he. Religiously, he was a Baptist; but his daughter, Mrs. Gochenour,
belonged to the Dunkard church. For his second wife our subject's father
chose Miss Margery Hurley, and they have one daughter, Anna.

Dr. Gochenour is one of eight children, the others being Levi; Mary,
wife of Perry Sayler; Harrison; William; Susan, wife of William Abbey;
Joseph and Jeremiah. He was reared upon his father's farm in Clinton

. /^!1k^^^**a^^^^ ^'^c:GrS,

BIOGRdPHICAL HISTORY. 353

county, attending the district schools in winter, and later went to the North-
ern Indiana Normal, at Valparaiso, and the state normal school at Terre
Haute. Having determined his future course, the Doctor next entered the
Chicago College of Dental Surgery and was graduated in 1892. He opened
an office in Hammond, Indiana, and at the expiration of two years came to
Monticeilo, where he has since built up a large and remunerative practice.
In his political views he follows in the footsteps of his father, and in his
religious opinions as well. His wife, however, is a member of the Presby-
terian church. Their marriage was celebrated March 22, 1893, and two
children bless their union, namely: Truman M. and Delia. Mrs. Gochenour
was formerly Miss Kansas Mears, her parents being John and Sarah (Dill)
Mears.

WILLIAM J. GRIDLEY.

With the exception of two years spent in Illinois, the three-score years
of William J. Gridley's life have been passed in Indiana, in which state he
has witnessed wonderful improvement in all lines, since the days of his
early recollections. He has been engaged in the practice of law since he
attained his majority, and is one of the reliable, honored members of the
White county bar, his home having been in Monticeilo for years.

Timothy Gridley, better known as Colonel Gridley, the father of our
subject, was a hero of the war 18 12, and was with General Jackson in the
battle of New Orleans. He was born in the state of New York, where his
father settled upon coming to this country from England, his native land,
and was one of four children. In the days when the Wabash & Erie canal
was being built Colonel Gridley, in company with a Mr. Brenneman, took
the contract for the construction of the canal between Huntington and Car-
rollton, Indiana. It was in the year 1836 that the Colonel became a resident
of Huntington, and after he had successfully completed his contract he
engaged in keeping hotel at Pittsburg and Delphi, this state. He died at
his home in Pittsburg, Carroll county, in 1854, when nearly three-score
and ten years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Philura Higley,
and who was born in Connecticut, but passed her girlhood in New Jersey,
departed this life in Monticeilo, in 1878, when in her eightieth year. She
was a Presbyterian, while the Colonel was a member of the Episcopal
denomination. She was of Scotch descent, and was one of three children,
the others being sons.

The only child of Colonel and Philura Gridley, William J., was born in
Carroll county, Indiana, September i, 1838. His education was such as the
public schools afforded until he reached his fifteenth year, when he matricu-
lated in Notre Dame College. Owing to the death of his father he did not

354 BIOGRJPEICAL HISTORY.

graduate, but came to Monticello and commenced the study of law with the
Hon. David Turpie. At twenty-one he was admitted to the bar, and has
since practiced in the courts of White, Pulaslii, Tippecanoe and Cass coun-
ties. In short, .his practice here has been continuous, save two years or so
when he was a resident of Watseka, Illinois. Success has come to him as
the result of steady application and earnest work in his profession, and
numbered among his clients are many of the leading business houses and
•prominent citizens of this section of the staffe. During the progress of the
civil war, when his own affairs needed his constant attention and presence,
he paid for a substitute to take his place in the ranks of those who " wore
the blue " and fought for native land and principle. Politically, he favors
the platform and nominees of the Democratic party.

The pleasant home of Mr. Gridley, on Bluff street, Monticello, is pre-
sided over by his daughter. Miss Leona Fay, an accomplished young la,dy.
The first marriage of Mr. Gridley was celebrated November 20, i860. Miss
Mary A. Burns being the lady of his choice. Mrs. Gridley was a daughter
of Liberty and Amanda (Griggs) Burns. Three children blessed the union
of William J. and Mary Gridley, namely: Ada, who died at the age of
eighteen years; Liberty; and May, whose death at eight years was the result
of brain fever. Liberty is a promising lawyer of Kahoka, Missouri, and
married in that city. July 16, 1878, occurred the marriage of Mr. Gridley
and Miss Mary Cloud, and their only child is Leona Fay. Mrs. Gridley,
who was a most estimable and amiable lady, beloved by all who knew her,
was a member of the Methodist church. Her death took place in 1882.

ABRAHAM R. BUNNELL.

A representative of one of the honored pioneer families who founded
"White county and have since been prominently connected with its develop-
ment and increasing prosperity, is Abraham R. Bunnell, a retired farmer of
Monticello. As an agriculturist and raiser of fine Jersey cattle, he has been
very successful, and as a citizen and patriot his record is one which reflects
great credit upon his name.

Nathaniel Bunnell, Jr., the father of the above-named gentleman, was
one of six brothers who were early settlers of Indiana, and everyone of the
number lived to an advanced age. Two of them took up land in Warren
county, and the others settled in White county. They were named respect-
ively, Isaac, Stephen, Thomas, Nathaniel, Brazilla and John. Game was
very abundant in the '30s and '40s, and all of the brothers were noted as
hunters, making their living chiefly in trading in furs, mink and "'coons,"
etc. Nathaniel Bunnell entered land in White county in 1833, returned here

BIOGBJPHICAL HISTORY. 85S

in February, 1834, with his brothers, and it was not until the fall of the
same year that the county-seat was decided upon. They were of French
descent, sons of Nathaniel Bunnell, a native of New Jersey and an early set-
tler in Ohio and White county, Indiana, coming here in 1834, and entering
land in Big Creek township, where he lived until death, that event occurring
when he was over seventy-one. His several sons and two daughters all lived
to attain a ripe old age. When he was a young man a horse fell upon him
and his right leg was so badly injured that it had to be amputated, and sub-
sequently he learned and followed the trade of shoemaker. He was much
loved by all who knew him and was held in special authority as an exhorter
in the Methodist church. His son, Nathaniel, Jr., added to his original
homestead of a quarter-section of land until he had seven hundred and sixty
acres, and at the time of his death, in 1891, when he was nearly eighty-six
years of age, he owned about three hundred acres, having given the
remainder to his children. . He was not only supervisor and township trustee,
but was one of the founders of the Methodist church in this county, and very
prominent in all its work.

The first wife of Nathaniel Bunnell, Jr., was Susanna Runj'an prior to
their marriage, and she, like him, was a native of Ohio. Her father, Abra-
ham Runyan,. was born in Virginia and was a farmer. Most of his life was
passed in Ohio, where he removed at an early day. His home, at which his
death occurred when he was in the prime of life, was near Springfield, Clark
county. Nathaniel and Susanna Bunnell were the parents of five sons and
five daughters. Two of the sons, Nathaniel W. and Thomas R. , lost their
lives in battling for the Union, — the former being killed at Gettysburg and
the latter dying at the Soldiers' Home in Marion, Indiana, from the result of
his army experience. The other children are all living, namely : Abraham
R. ; John N. ; Esther, wife of William Rinker ; Sophia, Mrs. Joseph V. Ken-
ton, of Kansas ; Nancy Ann, wife of George Murray ; Rachel, wife of F. D.
Carson; Stephen; and Eliza, Mrs. James Eads. The mother, who was a
faithful Methodist, died when sixty-one years of age, in 1873. The father
later married Mrs. Mary Buchanan, who is still living, her home being in
Elliottsville, Indiana.

Abraham R. Bunnell was born in Clark county, Ohio, October 16, 1832,
and was but two years old when he was brought to this county, which has
been his home ever since. His education was, perforce, obtained in the un-
satisfactory subscription schools of his boyhood. He never attended a school
when there were any public funds to support it, but in the -winters of 1854
and 1855 he went to a graded school in Clark county, Ohio. Then he made
a somewhat extended tour in the west, doing carpenter work and being em-
ployed on flatboats on the Missouri river, his headquarters being at St. Jos-

356 BIOGRAPHICAL BISTORT.

eph, Missouri. After an absence of nearly five years he returned home and
carried on a rented farm in Big Creek township from the fall of 1861 to Feb-
ruary, 1863, when he enlisted.

In the meantime, on Christmas day, 1862, Mr. Bunnell had married
Miss Susan M. Rinker, daughter of Joshua and Louisa (Reese) Rinker. The
great civil war was being waged and the outcome was in doubt. In those
gloomy days, when the Union cause trembled in the balance, Mr. Bunnell
bade farewell to his young wife and went forth to fight for his country. En-
listing in Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, as a private, he was sent south to participate in the famous Atlanta
campaign. While he was actively engaged with his regiment in the siege of
Atlanta, and within sight of the city, he was captured by the rebels, August
16, 1864. Then followed months of suffering, while at the mercy of the
Confederates, in the loathsome prison pens of Andersonville, Savannah,
Wilborn, Blackshire, Florence and Libby. When hope had almost fled, in
the spring of 1865, Mr. Bunnell was exchanged and was mustered out of the
service on the 9th of the following June. His health was materially affected,
it is needless to say, by the exposure and dreadful privations he endured,
and the government allows him a pension of eight dollars a month.

Resuming the peaceful vocations of life our subject carried on his father's
farm on shares until the spring of 1868, when he purchased one hundred and
ten acres of his father. This property, located in Honey Creek township,
four and a half miles from Monticello, was his home until 1891. He traded
the place in March of that year for a good brick house in Monticello, five
acres of land and ten desirable lots. He still owns an interest in his father's
old homestead and for a number of years has owned a fine herd of registered
Jersey cattle. Politically, he is a Republican, for eight years he was a jus-
tice of the peace in Honey Creek township and for ten years he was super-
visor. He belongs to Tippecanoe Post, No. 51, G. A. R., of Monticello,
and is a member of the Methodist church.

The death of Mrs. Susan Bunnell, wife of our subject, occurred April
24, 1887. She was an estimable lady, loved by all, and was an esteemed
member of the Methodist church. Of her six children, Levi and Nora died
in infancy; Clark married Etura Long, of LaPorte county, Indiana, and is
the principal of the Wanatah schools there: they have one child, Beth;
Bert F. wedded Viola Scott, of this county, and has two children, — Scott
and May Ora, and resides on a farm in La Porte county; Cora married
William Burns, of White county, and lives in Lafayette; and Ora became
the wife of James Hill, of LaPorte county, and has one son, Edward Carl-
ton Hill.

On the 23d of October, 1889, Mr. Bunnell married his present wife.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 357.

formerly Nancy S. Wall, and they have one child, John Raymond, born July
1 8, 1 891. Mrs. Bunnell is a Presbyterian in religion. Her father, John
Wall, of English descent, was a native of Pennsylvania, and a life-long
resident of that state, where his death occurred, at Birmingham, in 1875,
when he was in his seventy-seventh year. He had become well-to-do and
had been retired for some time prior to his demise. Mrs. Bunnell's mother,
Catherine (Stauffer) Wall, was of German extraction, and her life was like-
wise spent in Pennsylvania. Her death took place in 1878, she being in
her seventy-seventh year. Her father, Daniel Stauffer, was born in the
Keystone state, and made farming his chief occupation. He was sixty-
eight years old at death, and all of his nine children attained advanced
years. John Wall, the paternal grandfather of Mrs. Bunnell, was born in
England and died in Pennsylvania, where he owned a farm and reared his
twelve children. His brother Jacob was in the war of 18 12.

WILLIAM H. HOFFMAN.

Since March, 1894, William H. Hoffman has owned and managed mar-
ble and monument works in Monticello, White county. Having become
thoroughly acquainted with the details of the business by several years of
experience, he is qualified to furnish the public with whatever is needed in
his line, and all contracts are executed with absolute accuracy and prompt-
ness. In all his business relations he has always been found perfectly trust-
worthy, capable and fair, and his customers are invariably his friends.

The father of our subject, Charles Hoffman, was a native of Germany,
and throughout life he was exclusively occupied in agricultural pursuits. He
was born and reared on the banks of the beautiful "castled" Rhine, and
attended the government schools until he was twelve years of age, when he
accompanied his parents upon their removal to the United States. They
took up a tract of land in Wood county, Ohio, and passed the rest of their
days there, living to be quite aged. Their children were nine in number, six
being sons.

Charles Hoffman's first wife was a Miss Catherine Cox, a native of Penn-
sylvania. They were both members of the Evangelical church, and most
worthy citizens in every respect. Mrs. Hoffman died in 1856, and the
father later married Mrs. Smith, whose maiden name was Hoffman, but who
was not a relative of his. By her first marriage she had two children, Jacob
and Lydia, the latter now the wife of Albert Spotts and a resident of Fulton
county, Indiana. To Charles and Catherine