Adams County, Indiana - The whole text, 1907 (part 11 of 16)

William H. Niblick was born in Decatur March 19, 1855. He was the son of Jesse and Catherine (Close) Niblick. His parents were among the earlier settlers in the county and his father was a man of many affairs and a progressive business man. Jesse Niblick amassed a handsome fortune through his own unaided efforts and left an indelible impress upon the community in which he lived. He spent his entire life in commercial pursuits and founded the business conducted by Niblick & Company in Decatur. He began business in Decatur in a modest way, but he was a man of large abilities and he developed his properties until they assumed considerable proportions. Perhaps the most important event of his business career was the establishment of the Adams County Bank. Together with J. D. Nuttman, he recognized the need of a bank in Decatur to take care of the increasing business the development of Adams county as a farming community brought about. Accordingly he established a private bank with his partner in the mercantile business and this bank afterwards became the State Bank, still in successful operation in Decatur. Jesse Niblick was the first president of this bank and remained closely identified with its management and control, dictating many of its policies until his death.

The boyhod and youth of William H. Niblick were spent in Decatur. He was educated in the schools of his home city and after completing his studies entered the county auditor's office as a deputy. This was during the tenure of office of Seymour Worden as auditor. He served in the office of the county auditor until the organization of the bank by his father and Mr. Nutlmrni. Then he gave up his public office and became the cashier of the new bank. He held imposition of cashier under a number of differ ent presidents of the bank until it was reorganized under the state laws of Indiana. This reorganization of the Adams County Bank was effected in 1S94 and consonant with the reorganization he was elected president of the institution. He continued as president of the bank until his death, November 7, 1906. Under his direction the bank grew and expanded and its business was greatly increased. He was a conservative business man and he applied his principles of conservatism to his conduct of the bank's affairs. During his tenure of office a number of financial storms shook the country and many banks and concerns went to the wall. But the storms and buffetings did not disturb the course of the Adams County Bank. It withstood all shocks and emerged stronger and more confident after each fresh assault. Much of the credit for establishing the sound financial institution the bank represents today is directly due to Mr. Niblick.

But the claims that may be made for revering the name of Williatti H. Niblick do not rest alone on his reputation and career as a careful and discerning financier. He was, above all, a good citizen. Keenly alive to the interests of his city and county, he was ever to be found in the front rank of those who were endeavoring to advance the moral, social and intellectual, as well as the commercial, interests of his community. He was a patron of education and enlightenment, and took much interest in these things. He co-operated loyally and generously in all movements that looked toward the betterment of his city, and was active in administering its affairs. He was a member

The marriage of Mr. Niblick and Miss Christina Miller was solemnized in Decatur, November 7, 1883. Mrs. Niblick is a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Meibers) Miller and was born in Decatur, October 6, i860. Her parents were natives of Germany and came to Indiana and settled in Adams county at an early date. They lived in Decatur until their deaths some years ago. They were the parents of five children, three sons and two daughters. Of this family Mrs. Niblick was the fourth in order of birth. In addition to his widow Mr. Niblick is survived by a son, Jesse George Niblick, the only child born to Mr. and Mrs. Niblick.

David E. Studabaker

David E. Studabaker, one of the large land owners and stock growers of Adams county, is the son and youngest child of the Hon. David Studabaker, whose name is indelibly written in the history of the development of Adams county and who has left a lasting impress on the entire northeastern section of the state. The son of this illustrious father was born on the parental farm in Adams county, near the city of Decatur, July 16, 1S71. He is one of a family of six children born to David and Harriet (Evans) Studabaker. He spent his youth on his lather's farm and was educated in the schools of his neighborhood and in Decatur. After completing his preliminary education in the common schools he studied for a time in the Howe grammar school at Lima, Indi- ana, and later at the Kenyon Military School at Gambier, Ohio. After he left this latter school he entered the employ of the Niblick & Company store at Decatur and worked for this mercantile establishment for one year. He then entered the Adams County Bank as a bookkeeper and served that financial institution in this capacity for six and one half years. Following the severance of his relations with the bank he engaged in the fire insurance business in Decatur. He represented the farmer department of the Home Insurance Company of New York in Adams, Allen, Wells and Jay counties for two years and was successful in conducting the affairs and business of his employing company in these counties. After giving up the fire insurance business he went to Fort Wayne and secured employment with M. S. and W. J. Vesey, the well known florists. While in the employ of these men he was assistant rosegrower and remained in the employ of the Veseys for one and one half years. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American war Mr. Studabaker enlisted in the newly organized Battery E, Light Artillery, and served with this command during the term of its service. The battery saw no active service and did not leave the country. When the battery was mustered out of service he returned to Fort Wayne, but soon went to Decatur and engaged as a bookkeeper with the Adams County Bank. He remained with the bank for three years, and then retired to his father's farm in Washington township and assisted in its management. After his father's death, May 3, 1904, Mr. Studabaker succeeded to the ownership of the farm and has since been actively engaged in its management. 1 This farm consists of seven hundred and forty acres of fine land. It is improved and has been brought to a high point of productiveness and cultivation. In fact, it is one of the finest as well as one of the largest estates in the county. The land is fertile and well drained and fenced and the buildings, including the residence and barns, are modern, large and admirably adapted to meet the purposes to which, they are put.

The marriage of Mr. Studabaker and Miss Lucy A. Beane occurred at Goshen, Indiana, November 25, 1891. Mrs. Studabaker is a daughter of the late William A. and Sarah E. (Mercer) Beane, of Goshen, Indiana. The former was editor and proprietor of the Goshen Democrat. One child, a son, David B. Studabaker, has been born of the union, October 5, 1892.

Mr. Studabaker is one of the most extensive farmers and stock-raisers of Adams county. He makes a specialty of registered Duroc-Jersey swine and of fine grades of cattle. His strains of hogs and cattle are numbered among the best in the county. He is enthusiastic in fraternal matters and is a member of the Elks Lodge, No. 993, of Decatur, of which he has been secretary and is now esteemed lecturing knight ; Decatur Lodge, No. 167, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of Odd Fellows Encampment, No. 214.

Peter Kirscit

When Peter Kirsch, the subject of this brief sketch, reached America he was a small boy of five years of age. He came to Adams county w'th his parents after the arrival of the family in the United States, and has been a resident of Indiana since. He was born in

Heidelberg, Germany, March 22, 1863. Hi parents were Christopher and Catherine (Stern) Kirsch, and were both natives of the German university town, where Chr!-.- topher Kirsch followed the occupation of a merchant. He concluded, however, that the fortunes of himself and family would be bettered by emigrating to the western republic and accordingly, in 1868, he came to this country. After reaching Indiana he purchased a tract of land in Preble township, Adams county, and followed the occupation of farming until 1895, when he removed to Decatur, where he lived until his death in 1899. His wife survived him a number of years and followed him to the grave in 1902. This estimable couple became the parents of eight children, five of whom are still living. Of this family of eight children Peter Kirsch is the third in order of birth. His boyhood was spent on his father's farm in Adams county. He attended the winter sessions of the schools of his immediate neighborhood and secured a good common school education. During the milder months of each year he assisted his father in the work of clearing, improving and cultivating his farm and learned the lessons of thrift and frugality that he applied so successfully in his after life. He stayed with his parents on the home farm until he grew to manhood and was a dutiful son and an industrious young man. After reaching his maturity he decided to adopt some other line of work than farming. Accordingly, in 18S2, he went to Decatur and learned the carpenter's trade, rle worked at this trade for several years and in a number of different places after leaving the home fartn, and in 1893 ho <-"'" gaged in the planing mill business. He erected a modern, well equipped mill in - 'c* catur and has operated this mill since engaging in this business. His venture proved a successful one from its start. His business Tew under his careful management, and from time to time he was compelled to enlarge his plant as the increasing business made demands on the mill that necessitated increasing its capacity. For three years he engaged in the manufacture of washing machines in addition to his planing mill business, but after this period he abandoned the manufacturing business and devoted all of his time and attention to the operation of his mill. A general line of work is done at the mill.

The marriage of Mr. Kirsch and Miss Sophia Mutschler was solemnized July 3, 1 89 1. Mrs. Kirsch was born in Heidelberg, Baden, Germany, and is a daughter of Frederick and Susanna Mutschler. Her father lived and died in his German home. Following his death his widow came to the United States with two children in the latter part of the eighties. Mr. and Mrs. Kirsch are the parents of two children - Lydia and Leo.

As a citizen Mr. Kirsch has proved a valuable member of Adams county society. He is a man who takes an active interest in the affairs of his home city and county and cooperated in a hearty manner in all movements for the betterment of his community. He has served his fellow citizens in public capacities and was a member of the Decatur city council for two years. In other ways he has shown his public spirit, and he has been intimately identified with the city's recent growth and development. He conducts his business along conservative lines and has made of i£ one of the most successful and substantial enterprises of the county. With his wife and the members of his family, he is a member of the German Reformed church, and he gives his hearty and generous support to this denomination and its aims and charities. In politics he is a Democrat and he has been an active worker for the interests of his party in his section of the state.

Jay Rugg

No story of the development of the city of Decatur, Indiana, would be complete or adequate without a sketch of the life and connection with the city's growth of Jay Rugg. Identified with the lives and energies of the hardy pioneers who blazed the way through the wildernesses of the new western country and founded new commercial and social centers, the name of Jay Rugg must ever remain a part of the history of the settlement and development of northeastern Indiana. He was the son of Samuel L. Rugg, who was one of the first settlers in this particular section of the state, and the city of Decatur was originally platted by Samuel Rugg, in connection with his brother-in-law, on August 27, 1809. To Samuel Rugg still another distinction attaches. He was the first paid superintendent of public instruction of the state of Indiana. Throughout his useful and active career in the new state he held several public offices and discharged the duties of each with admirable fidelity and with a high order of intelligence. He was elected on a number of occasions to county offices and held the office of county clerk for eighteen years. His close attention to his arduous duties and his bustto finally decided to try a milder climate and in search of renewed vigor traveled to the southland. He spent some time in the cities of the states south of Mason's and Dixon's line, but did not receive the benefit he had anticipated. In the end he died at Huntsville, Alabama, well advanced in years.

Jay Rugg, the son of Samuel, with whom this article is concerned, was born in Decatur, Indiana, April 4, 1849. He was educated in Decatur and Fort Wayne and at the outbreak of the Civil war answered the President's call for volunteers and hurried to the front. For three years he followed the varying fortunes of his country's flag through the trials and hardships of actual battle and camp life, and at the end of his service received an honorable discharge. Following the expiration of his term of enlistment and the close of the war Mr. Rugg returned to Decatur and took up once more the pursuits of a life of peace. During the years immediately following his return from the front he engaged in several lines of business, among them that of brickmaking. In the latter years of his life he engaged in farming, and he was thus engaged when his death occurred at his farm in Root township, November 1, 1896.

Mr. Rugg was married in Decatur June 20, 1876, to Mrs. Catherine (Rfiwley) Smith, a daughter of Tilmon and Elizabeth Rowley. She was born in Clark county, Ohio, October 26, 1836. Before her marriage to Mr. Rugg Mrs. Smith was the widow .of Franklin B. Smith, who died on his farm in Root township when forty years of age. She had four children by her first marriage, who lived to attain maturity. These are: William R.. Eliza J., the wife of W. L. Schaffer, of Allen county ; Martin V, ShacF£K

L. and Hannah M., the wife of James T. Dailey. Four other children by this fir.st marriage are dead. They were: Alice, the wife of Davis Dailey, who died in her twenty-eighth year; Sidney S., who died in Adams county at the age of twenty-one; Elizabeth, who died at the age of five years, and Ora, who died when seven years of age.

Mr. and Mrs. Jay Rugg are the parents of two children, one of whom died in infancy. The other, Gertrude, is the wife of Robert M. Cashen, of St. Louis, Missouri.

Both Mr. Rugg and his wife, who survives him, early identified themselves with the Methodist Episcopal church of Decatur. Their influence was ever on the side of progression and right and they were respected and admired by the entire community as a model and exemplary couple. Mrs. Rugg still enjoys a ripe old age and lives quietly and contentedly on Ninth street in Decatur. She is loved by all whose good fortune it has been to know and come in contact with her excellent and Christian influence.

Paul G. Hooper

The Adams county bar has been distinguished almost from its earliest days by men of brains and extraordinary ability. Names that have become famous in the legal profession of the state first were heard in the court rooms of this county. However, the production of able lawyers has not ceased, and the present members of the bar of Adams county are gaining merited distinction. Prominent among these is Paul Hooper, an attorney of Decatur. He was bom in Root township, Adams county, No- vcniber 24, 1859. He was the only son of Ezekiel and Almira (Gosline) Hooper. His father was a soldier in the war of 1812, and settled in Root township in 1834 on land he entered from the government. He lived on this land and cultivated it until his death in 1 87 1. He was one of the men who took part in the organization of Adams county and was commissioned one of the judges of the first court held in the county. He was an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Almira Hooper was born in Athens county, Ohio.

The youth of Paul G. Hooper was spent on his father's farm. He secured his elementary education in the county schools and the lessons of a farmer's life while assisting his father to cultivate the home farm. He also attended for several terms the schools at Monmouth and Decatur. He decided to adopt the law as a life profession and in 1876 he entered upon the study of law in the office of the Hon. James R. Bobo, a halfbrother. He pursued his studies energetically and with close attention and steadfast application to his work, he was admitted to the bar of Adams county in 1879. About this time he became associated with the Adams County Union as editor and proprietor, and took an active part in the management and policy of this paper.

He maintained his connection with this paper for one year and then formed a partnership with the late John T. France. This partnership arrangement was continued until 18S1, when Mr. Hooper withdrew and became connected with the Hon. D. D. Heller. For nine years Mr. Hooper was associated with Mr. Heller.

all movements that have for their object the advancement of the city and of Adams county. He is a Republican in politics, and an active worker in the interests of his party. Latterly he has been associated with the Decatur Journal, and his influence is doing much to build this property up to a substantial basis. He devotes the greater part of his time to the practice of his profession and has attained an enviable position among the members of the bar of his state. He is also president of the Decatur Abstract and Loan Company, one of the flourishing financial institutions of the city.

His marriage to Miss Charity Harrod, of Hoagland, Allen county, occurred Christmas day, 1879. His wife was bom in Allen county and is a daughter of Morgan and Samantha (Beem) Harrod.

James T. Merryman

If Charles Wesley Merryman, the father of the subject of whom this sketch directly concerns itself, had left no other legacy to his children than the example of his sterling life and the memory of his strong character they would have been richly provided for. He was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, July 2, 1827. His parents were Zachariah and Mary Merryman, of Scotch-English ancestry, and possessed the hardy characteristics of these races. They were born near the city of Baltimore, Maryland, their ancestors having settled in that territory in the seventeenth century. Charles W. Merryman was left an orphan at the age of ten years and from that time was dependent upon his own efforts. He secured a good common school education and in 1836 came to Indiana, settling in Adams county. When he was out of employment he read and studied, and in this manner constantly added to his store of knowledge. When he was twenty years of age he began teaching and continued in this work until the outbreak of the Civil war. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company H of the Eighty-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served with this command until the close of the war. He took part in many battles with the army to which his regiment was attached and won merited commendation for gallantry. He was present at the memorable battles of Bull's Run, Chancellorsville, Nashville and others, and was finally discharged from the federal service at Nashville, Tennessee. Some years before he enlisted he was married in Adams county to Miss Mary Ann Archbold, the wedding occurring October 18, 1848, and after his discharge he returned to his family and took up his work of farming. His wife was a native of Ohio and a daughter of Thomas and Malinda Archbold, of Irish- German descent. She came to Indiana with her parents in 1835. They became the parents of six children, viz : Jonathan, Zachariah, Susie, James T., Eliza J., who died in July, 1878, when twenty-six years of age, and Henry L., who died June 5, 1SS4, a short time after he graduated from the Valparaiso Normal School.

James T. Merryman is the third in order of birth of his father's children. He was born in Washington township, Adams county, Indiana, October 1, 1854, and received an excellent common school education in the district schools and attended two years' preparatory school under Professor Wright, who was a graduate of Yale L niversity.

When sixteen years of age he began teaching and followed this work during the winter seasons until he reached his majority. In 1876 he was deputized clerk of the Adams circuit court by Byron H. Dent, the incumbent, and served three years. He then served a term as deputy sheriff under the Hon. Henry Krick. In 1880 he entered the employ of the Adams County Bank as a bookkeeper. In the meantime he had taken up the study of the law and after a year"s service with the bank was admitted to practice in the Adams circuit court. The city of Decatur was incorporated in 1882 and Mr. Merryman was elected the first mayor of the city. He served one term. In 1881 he took up the active practice of his profession. He first formed a partnership with Edgar N. Wicks, and this relation existed until April, 1S83, when he entered into partnership with the Hon. John T. France. This relation continued for one year, when they joined in the practice of the law with the Hon. William J. Vesey, who at the expiration of one year withdrew from the firm, moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, when the former partnership of Mr. France and Mr. Merryman was renewed, and from the beginning of this partnership the firm took a prominent part in the legal affairs of the county. The ability of the partners soon won for them a large clientage and their standing at the Adams county bar became exceptional and enviable. Business increased with each year and produced a handsome income. After the dissolution of this partnership in June, 1898, Mr. Merryman, in 1903, associated with him Jesse C. Sutton, Esq. In November, 1906, Mr. Merryman was elected judge of the Tw enty-sixth judicial circuit, which position he still holds. He is a member of the State

Bar Association and a member of the bar of the supreme court of the state and of the circuit court of the United States. He has attained a high rank among the attorneys and judges of the state and his accomplishments have won unusual recognition for him as a jurist.

Judge Merryman was married August 29, 1878, to Miss Louisa P. Albers, a daughter of August L. and Eve C. Albers. She was born in Willshire, Ohio, and when four years of age came with her parents to the city of Decatur, where she attended the schools and secured an excellent common school education. Judge and Mrs. Merryman are the parents of five children, namely : Matie June, Iona Dale, Charles August, Frances Mildred and Robert Albers. The second mentioned child died September 15, 1884, when three years of age. Aside from the position he occupies in the political life of Adams county, Judge Merryman is accounted one of the leading citizens of the county and one of the most progressive men of northeastern Indiana. He takes a live and active interest and part in all movements that are designed to better Adams county and his immediate community and is a hearty worker for all causes that are uplifting. Fraternally he is a member of Decatur Lodge, No. 571, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and of Saint Mary's Lodge, No. 167, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Order of Elks. Both Judge and Mrs. Merryman are consistent and valued OJembers of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Decatur and are numbered among the most highly esteemed people of the city. T heir home is one of culture and refinement and around it centers much of the social and intellectual life of the city. Whatever measure of success Judge Merryman may have obtained, he attributes chiefly to his wife and mother.

Hon. Daniel D. Heller

As an educator, a public official and a jurist the Hon. Daniel D. Heller has risen to a high place among his fellow residents of Decatur and Adams county. He was born in Harrison county, Ohio, March 29, 1839. He is a son of Henry B. and Mary A. (Weyandt) Heller. Both of his parents were natives of Pennsylvania, being born in Green county of that state. They moved westward at an early date with the westward tide of immigration and finally settled in Harrison county, Ohio. They purchased land and their occupation became that of tillers of the soil. They were frugal and industrious, and through care and economy amassed enough of the world's goods to insure them a competence in their declining years. The mother died in May, 1874, when fifty-seven years of age, and her husband survived her seven years, dying in September, 1 88 1, at the age of sixty- four years. They were an estimable couple and were highly respected by all whose privilege it was to know them and to be associated with them.

Daniel D. Heller was reared on his father's Harrison county farm. He assisted in the improvement, cultivation and management of the farm and learned the practical lessons of a farmer's life that he applied to such excellent advantage in his after years. He attended the common schools of his immediate neighborhood and secured as good a preliminary education as was possible under the circumstances and in the environment in which he lived. Proving- of a studious disposition, it was decided that he should have further advantages. Accordingly, he entered the New Hagerstown Academy, in Carroll county, Ohio. He pursued his studies in this institution and made excellent progress until he completed his prescribed course.

After graduating from the academy at the age of twenty, he engaged in teaching. He taught several winter terms in Ohio counties and spent his summers reading law, which profession he had decided to adopt. He followed his study of law in the offices of Stambaugh & Bai tleson, in New Philadelphia, Ohio, and was admitted to the state bar of Ohio at Carrollton in 1863. In August of that year he launched himself on his career as a lawyer by establishing an office at Millersburg, Ohio. He practiced law in Millersburg for the following four years, until 1867, and then decided to remove to Indiana. He did so and settled in Decatur. During the earlier years of his practice in Decatur he was associated with several different firms.

In 1872 Mr. Heller again took up his work as an educator and was appointed school examiner for Adams county. He served in this capacity for one year and when the new law creating the office of county superintendent of schools became operative he was appointed the superintendent of Adams county schools. Through this appointment he became the first to hold this important and exacting office in Adams county. For the following eighteen months Mr. Heller served as county superintendent, and many reforms of great benefit were brought about during his administration of the school affairs of the county. After he had held the office eighteen months he resigned to give his whole attention to his profession.

In March, 1881, he formed a partnership for the practice of law with Paul G. Hooper. The firm became known and was conducted under the name of Heller & Hooper and was continued under this name for the following eight years.

Additional honors came to him in 1885, when he was elected mayor of Decatur. He served one term of two years and in 1888 was elected judge of the Twenty-sixth judicial district. He assumed this office in November, 1889, and was re-elected to it in the fall of 1894. He served as judge of the district courts continuously until November 24, 1 90 1. He was succeeded by Judge Erwin. Following the close of his term as judge of the Twenty-sixth district he formed a partnership for the practice of law with his son, H. B. Heller. This partnership is still in existence and the junior partner is the present prosecuting attorney of the district. The firm is known as D. D. Heller & Son.

The marriage of Judge Heller and Miss Anna J. Corbus occurred July 15, 1869. His wrife is a native of Millersburg, Ohio, and a daughter of John and Mary (Armstrong) Corbus. Judge and Mrs. Heller are the parents of four children. These children are: Mary, the wife of the Hon. John W. Tyndall; John H., manager of the Decatur Democrat; Henry B., prosecuting attorney of Adams county, and Bertha C, teacher in the public schools at Alexandria, Indiana.

complete confidence and respect of his associates 2nd of all who know him. He is a man who is active in advancing the interests of Decatur and Adams county and is prominent in all ijiovements directed toward this end. He is a staunch Democrat and an active party worker. In the councils of his party he has always held a high place and his efforts have proved signal in bringing about victory. He has lived an active and useful life and stands today as an example of highminded citizenship and of sterling character and worth.

Henry B. Heller

Henry B. Heller, the present prosecuting attorney of Adams county, is the son of the Hon. Daniel D. Heller, whose biography appears elsewhere in this work. He was born in Decatur, October 3, 1875. As stated above, his father is the Hon. Daniel D. Heller and his mother is Anna J. (Corbus) 1 Idler. She is a daughter of John and Mary (Armstrong) Corbus, and was born in Millersburg, Ohio. Judge Heller is also a native of Ohio, being born in Harrison county.

The boyhood of Henry B. Heller was spent in Decatur. He received his preliminary education in the public schools of his home city and then studied in the high school. After his graduation he took up the study of law in the office of Mann & Beatty. He spent two years studying under the direction (of the members of this firm and then entered the Indiana Law School at Indianapolis, where he graduated with the class of '897, and then returned to Decatur. He '-'-as connected with several offices after retummg to Decatur and was admitted to practice in the courts of Adams county in September, 1897, and March 1, 1902, he entered into partnership with his father, whose term as judge of the Twenty-sixth district had expired some time before. This partnership exists today. Recently he was elected prosecuting attorney of Adams county and he discharges the onerous and important duties of this office with intelligence and fearlessness. He is a young man who takes a live interest in the affairs of his city and county and is among the prominent men of the younger generation in his vicinity. He is a man who is in hearty sympathy with all educational movements and is secretary of the public library board, a member of the Masonic fraternity and other social and busi-

Judson W. Teeple

Judson W. Teeplc, one of the prominent members of the Adams county bar, is a son of John E. and Catherine (Smith) Teeple. His father was born in Morrow county, Ohio, January 22, 1831, and his mother was a native of Saint Mary's township, Adams county. His parents were married in Adams county at an early date and became the parents of seven children, of whom Judson W. Teeple was the second in order of birth. He was born on the family estate in Saint Mary's township, October 29, 1856. He spent his boyhood on his father's homestead and received a preliminary education in the common schools of the neighborhood. He assisted in the farm work while he was attending the common schopls. At the age of seventeen he had progressed so far in his studies that he was given a school, and his career as a school teacher dates from that event. He spent the following fifteen years teaching school in various counties of the northeastern section of the state and in the bordering Ohio counties, and during the years he was teaching he also attended school and read law. When he was twenty years of age his father "gave him his time" and he went west and taught school in Kansas and Missouri. While in these western states he took advantage of the opportunity to increase his own education and studied in the normal school at Hutchinson, Kansas. In all he spent three years in the states west of the Mississippi river.

He found that he was fitted for the law and decided to take up the practice of that profession. However, he realized that before he could do this he must study. Accordingly he addressed himself to the work of mastering the law and during his teaching days he studied. He made rapid progress, and when he returned to Indiana he entered the office of Peterson & Huffman, with which firm he read for two years. He took and passed the bar examinations and was admitted to practice in the summer of 1883. The same year he formed a partnership for the practice of law with Shaffer Peterson. This partnership arrangement lasted for one year and was dissolved when Mr. Peterson was appointed postmaster of Decatur. With this event the sign, "Peterson & Teeple," disappeared from the office in Decatur. Since rxSIadmission to the bar Mr. Teeple has continued to practice' law with more than the usual amount of success and he has developed into an able and a scholarly advocate. However, he has not been a member of another law partnership.

Mr. Teeple has taken as active interest in the politics of his county since he began the practice of law. In 18S4 he was elected president of the Lincoln League of Adams county, and served in that capacity for four years. He was a member of the Republican executive county committee of Adams county for a number of years, and in 1898 Was chosen the chairman of this important political body. He served as chairman for fontyears a-nd was one of the men who brought about Republican successes in Adams county during his incumbency of the office of chairman. He was elected a justice of the peace of Saint Mary's township for a term of four years, but he resigned this office after filling it for two years. He has served as a member of the Decatur city council for four years and has proved himself an able and a valuable "city father."

At one time he was a candidate for election to the state legislature on the Republican ticket, but he was defeated by his Democratic opponent by a very small majority. In 1900 he received the nomination for circuit judge of Adams county.

His marriage to Miss Maggie A. Zeigler, a native of Center county. Pennsylvania. occurred in Wayne county, Indiana, May 28, 1885. His wife is a daughter of Peter and Leah (Ruhl) Zeigler. Her mother died while on a visit to her daughter, Mrs. Teeple. and after his wife's death Mr. Zeigler removed to Decatur and made his home with his daughter. He spent the last ten years of his life with her. Mr. and Mrs. Teeple are the parents of three children, of whom a son, Ray Z. Teeple, is living. They are highly respected and their home is one of the centers of culture and refinement in Decatur.

Maynard A. Frisinger

Jkfaynard A. Frisinger is a member of the younger generation of successful men of Adams county, but although comparatively young in years, he has attained an enviable prominence among his fellow men. He is a native of Adams county and was born in Saint Mary's township, December 22, 18S3. He is a son of John M. and Mary (Peterson) Frisinger. His father is a native of Adams county and his mother was born in Saint Mary's township. The elder Frisingers became the parents of seven children, six of whom are living. These children living are : Maynard A., Fannie, Fremont, Mary, Ruth and Richard. From this list it will be seen that Maynard is the eldest of his parents' living children.

The early life of Maynard Frisinger was spent at his father's home. He received an excellent education in the common schools of Decatur and then supplemented this preliminary education with a thorough course in the Decatur high school. He graduated from this institution in 1902. Following his graduation from the high school he began at once his business life. He secured a position as a clerk in the Decatur postoffice and served in this capacity under Albert Brittson for the following four years. During his career as a clerk in the Decatur postoitice he became familiar with all of the various departments of the work of the office. He made many friends during his employment under the administration of Mr. Brittson and when he aspired to succeed his chief and assume the executive charge of the office he found many supporters, who earnestly and eagerly pleaded his claims for consideration. At the expiration of the term of office of Mr. Brittson he was selected as his successor and assumed his duties as postmaster of Decatur July 1, 1906. Since his incumbency he has shown himself to be a painstaking and efficient official and has won merited commendation.

Mr. Frisinger is a public-spirited man and takes an active interest in the affairs of Decatur. He is an enthusiastic member of his party and is an earnest worker for its success in his city, county and district. He is a member of the Decatur Lodge of Elks and of the Order of Ben-Hur.

Norval Blackburn

Farming, the work of a soldier, the publication of newspapers and years spent in public office all contributed to make up the busy life of Norval Blackburn. In each of these varied callings he distinguished himself and left behind him a name revered by all who knew him. He was born on a farm in Holmes county, Ohio, January 16, 1S43. His father was Thomas K. Blackburn and his mother was Anna Blackburn. Both parents were sturdy people, who played their parts in reclaiming a wilderness and in making it productive and pleasant. His parents came from Stark county, Ohio, to Adams county, Indiana, in 1858 and settled on a farm near the present city of Decatur. The father of Norval was a farmer by occupation all his life and died at Goodland, Indiana, when upward of seventy years of age. His mother lived to the ripe age of eightyfour and died at Fort Wayne. Of a family of fourteen children thst were bom to his parents Norval was the fifth in order of their birth. He was seven years of age when his parents forsook their Oiiio home and made a new home in this state. His early years were spent on the parental farm and he gained his education in the schools of his district. As he grew he took an active part in the management and operation of his father's farm, and remained a helper of his father until his twentieth year. At this time the war spirit was flooding the entire country and Norval was caught in its current. In September, 1863, he enlisted in the Eleventh Indiana Cavalry as a member of Troop C, which regiment was brigaded with the famous Onc-hundred-and-twenty-sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. A short time after joining his troop he was promoted from the ranks to a second lieutenancy, and a short time afterward was again promoted to command his troop as its captain. With his regiment he took part in a number of important engagements and battles of the war and was present at the battle of Nashville. He was mustered out of the service with his troop September 19, 1865.

After leaving the sen-ice he returned to his home in Adams county and engaged in the saw-mill business. Pie continued in this -employment for about nine years and was successful. In 1874 he was chosen a deputy of Adams count}- and served in this capacity faithfully and well for four years. In 1878 he was elected clerk of the Adams -county circuit court and held this important offijse until 1S83. At the conclusion of his .service as court clerk he purchased a half interest in the Decatur Democrat and in February of the following year he became sole proprietor of this publication and also founded the Daily Democrat. He published Ilis paper with uniform success for the ensuing twelve years. Failing health caused him to retire from the active management of his newspaper property, and in 1896 he disposed of it. While owner of the Democrat he was appointed postmaster of Decatur by President Cleveland and served in this capacity from 1885 to 1889. However, thenewspaper business had still a firm hold on him, and in 1899 he founded the Weekly News, a Democratic paper, which paper he conducted in the interests of the taxpayers of Adams county until his death, which occurred January 15, 1901.

Mr. Blackburn was married at Decatur August 21, 1869, to Miss Sarah J. Stoops, who was born in Monongahela county, West Virginia, May 2, 1843. She was a daughter of James and Mary (Smalley) Stoops, who came to Adams county from their West Virginia home in October, 1852. For a time Mr. Stoops lived on a farm in Adams county, but later removed to Decatur, where lie engaged in the harness and saddlery business. Both parents died in Decatur, the father at the advanced age of eighty and the mother at seventy-two. Four children were bom to Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn, two of whom, Nellie M. and Hattie, the wife of Scott Bockover, are living. The two other children died while still young.

Mr. Blackburn was one of the strong men of the community in which he lived. His death was mourned by a large circle of friends, and these unite in declaring that his life was spent in the betterment of iiis fellows. He was a member of the Samuel Henry Post, Grand Army of the Republic; a Royal Arch Mason and a Democrat all his life. Both Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn united with the Methodist Episcopal church and both early took an active part in church work. Few men achieve the degree of prominence in life and active affairs that fell to the lot of Mr. Blackburn, and few have gone to their final reward with greater certainty that it will be a reward honestly and fairly won.

Benjamin W. Sholty

Benjamin W. Sholty, one of the leading practicing attorneys of Adams county and a man respected for his intellectual and professional attainments, was born in Stark county, Ohio, March 12, 1846. He is the son of Henry J. and Sarah (Weimer) Sholty. His parents lived in Ohio for some years following their marriage and then migrated to Noble county, Indiana. They purchased land in Xoble county and they were residents of this county until 1865. The mother died in Noble county at the age of fifty-three. Mr. Sholty survived his wife several years and died in Huntington county, aged fifty-six. Three 'children survive this estimable couple: Serena, the wife of Reuben McFarren ; Benjamin W., the subject of this brief sketch, and Frank O., who now resides in Cooks, Montana.

Ten years of the life of Benjamin W. Sholty had passed before his parents moved to Indiana. He received his early education in the schools of Stark county, Ohio, and supplemented this later in the schools of No- £gle county, Indiana, after his parents came there. He lived on the home farm in this latter county until his sixteenth year, when lie went to Roanoke and entered the schools tnerc. While in the Roanoke schools he was seized with a desire to enter the armv and fight for the Union cause. Accordingly he enlisted in June, 1864, in Company I, of the One-hundred-and-thirty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He served for the following four months and then was honorably discharged. After leaving the army he returned to Roanoke and resumed his studies in the schools at that place. He remained at Roanoke until 1871.

About this time he engaged in the drug business at Roanoke with his father. This business was conducted by father and son for about two years and was a successful venture. However, after the expiration of the two years it was discontinued and in 1873 Benjamin W. Sholty came to Decatur and engaged in the drug business. He entered the employ of T. T. Dorwin and remained in his employ for the following eight years. He then purchased a drug business of his own and conducted it for several years, finally disposing of his interest in 1 881. At this time he received the appointment to the postmastership of Decatur and held this position for about two years, when he resigned. His conduct of the office was entirely satisfactory and he made an able and efficient official. For the next five years following his resignation from the postmastership of Decatur he engaged in the lumber business. After this period he was engaged in the fire insurance business and then took up the study of law. He pursued his studies with diligence and was admitted to the bar of Adams county in 1896. He has since practiced this profession and has gained a favorable prominence in it.

November 15, i$77, Mr. Sholty was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Vincent. His wife is a native of West Virginia, being born at Point Pleasant, in that state. Sep- tember 2j, 1856. She is a daughter of Charles G. and Martha R. (Wood) Vincent. Her parents died in New Orleans and had four children, of whom .Mrs. Sholty is the eldest. Mr. and Mrs. Sholty have one daughter, Mabel.

Mr. Sholty is one of the respected citizens of Decatur. He is a man who takes a live interest in the affairs of his home city, and is active in movements to increase its development and commercial prosperity. He is a member of Sam Henry Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and is an enthusiastic member of the Masonic fraternity. Both Mr. Sholty and his wife are members of the Eastern Star.

Helen M. (Bobo) Blossom is a daughter of Townsend Guarnier Bobo and Almira (Gorseline) Bobo. Both of her parents were natives of Ohio. They came to Adams county, Indiana, from Athens county, Ohio, and settled in Root township. Her father died with cholera in Illinois when about forty years of age. The family lived in a number of places and the mother died in Decatur at the advanced age of eighty-one years. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bobo and Mrs. Blossom was the third child born. Her birth occurred in Root township, Adams county, May 14, 1842, O^leven years before her father's death. Mrs. Bobo was married for the second time to Ezekiel Hooper, a pioneer of Adams county. A sketch of this family may be found incorporated in the sketch of Paul G. Hooper elsewhere in this volume. Following her mother's marriage to Mr. Hooper Mr-. Blossom made her home with her mothci and stepfather until her own marriage to Ira A. Blossom. Previous to her marri.iL;-.- Mrs. Blossom taught school for five years in various sections of Adams and Allen counties. She was early recognized as an accomplished educator and the youth of the two counties where she taught were especially fortunate that they were privileged to begin their studies under her able tutelage. She was married April 1, 1866, in Roct township. Her husband was born on hifather's farm in Adams county in 1840. Hewas the son of Benjamin F. and Mary (Hushaw) Blossom, who were numbered among that band of adventurous spirits who came into the wild country of Indiana in the pioneer days and helped to make the state habitable and productive. Strength is given to the elder Blossom's claim to distinction as a pioneer by the recorded fact that he served as a member of the first grand jury ever assembled in Adams county.

Ira Blossom was reared on his father's farm in Adams county and lived the same life that scores of farmers' sons did during that period. He secured the rudiments of an education in the district schools that were available and later in life supplemented tinearly education by faithful and intelligent reading. The serious life of the farmer claimed his whole time and energies until the breaking out of the Civil war. He listened to his country's call for volunteers and answered it in October, 1S61, by enlisting as a member of Company C, Forty-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was an able and intelligent soldier, and after serving a short time in the ranis of his company was promoted successively to the second lieuten- ancy and then the first lieutenancy of his company. At a later date he was again promuted to the captaincy of his company and commanded it until the close of the war. He rendered distinguished services in the field and took part in some of the hottest campaigns and actions of the entire war. Following the close of the war Mr. Blossom returned to his home in Adams county and resumed the peaceful pursuit of farming. He was an accomplished agriculturist and under his management and direction his farm continued to improve and to become more and more productive. He erected model buildings, including a comfortable home and barns and other needful buildings. His property came to be pointed out as one of the model properties of its kind in the entire country. Mr. Blossom continued to operate his farm until about the year 1882, when he removed to Decatur, which city he made his home until his death, August 6, 1S93. He was a lifelong Republican and was ever loyal to his party and to its principles and ambitions. He subscribed to the Presbyterian faith and was an active and earnest member of that church. At one time he was a candidate for sheriff of his county and was defeated by but a small margin. He took the keenest interest in all public questions and was ever joined with those who stood for progress. He was a charter member of Sam Henry Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and was at one time its commanding officer.

£-Mr. and Mrs. Blossom had born to them eight children, three of whom are still living. These are : Jessie O., Edith M., the wife of Anselm Bremerkamp, and Richard I. A daughter, Florence, died when twenty-three years of age and the others died in infancy.

Mrs. Blossom has taken an active part in the life of her home city. She manifests a live interest in educational affairs and is a member of the Historical and Shakespeare clubs. In addition she is interested in the cause of temperance and served as secretary of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union for fifteen years.

John C. Moran

The Celtic race has contributed much to the development of the republic in which we live. All sections of the country claim among their strong men Irishmen of ability and intelligence. Decatur and Adams county are no exceptions to this rule, and among the Celts in Decatur none is more esteemed or more highly respected for personal and business attainments than John C. Moran. Mr. Moran is a native son of Adams county and was born in Jefferson township, February 15. 1870. His parents, Thomas and Anna (Fahey) Moran, were born in County Galway, Ireland, and emigrated to America in 1865. They settled first in Preble county, Ohio, and later came to Indiana and purchased a farm in Jefferson township, Adams county. It was on this farm that John C. Moran first saw the light of day. The mother died on the home farm, May 27, 1SS7. There were nine children. Winnefred married Joseph Fosty, and died in April, 1906; Mary, wife of P. K. Kinney ; Anna, widow of T. F. Golden; John C, James J., Bridget, wife of Tames Kinney; Maggie, Patrick and Marcus.

his father's farm and spent his boyhood there. He received his preliminary education in the schools of his neighborhood and later supplemented this schooling with courses of study at the Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio, the normal school at Portland, Indiana, and the normal school at Valparaiso, Indiana. He was an industrious student and made excellent progress in his studies at the various institutions he attended. Early in his school career he decided to adopt the law as his profession. To this end he read law in the office of R. H. Hartford at Portland while he was a student in the normal school. An incident of his school life was teaching school for several winter terms between the sessions he spent in the various normal schools. After the completion of his studies in law and literature Mr. Moran was admitted to practice law at tlie bar of Adams county, and in 1897 he opened his first office for the practice of law at Berne, Adams county. He remained in Berne for the next three years and gained enviable prominence in his profession. He was a candidate for the office of county prosecuting attorney while living in Berne and was elected by a handsome majority. His election occurred in 1900 and necessitated his removal to Decatur, the county seat. He removed to Decatur and served through his first term of two years with credit and distinction. He was renominated by his party for the office a second time and again elected. Again in 1904 his party chose him as its £~ candidate for the office of county prosecutor and for the third time he was swept to victory at the polls. In all he served as prosecutor of Adams county six years and one and cue half months. During the incumbency of his office he discharged all of its duties and obligations with intelligeno fearlessness and marked ability. He trie<| numbers of important cases and in each he displayed a profound knowledge of the lav, and skill as an attorney. His chief concern was the interest of the public he served, an! he retired from office with the plaudits of the members of all political parties and the c> teem of his fellows.

Mr. Moran was married in Decatur, September 23, 1901, to Miss Rosella Yager. His wife was born in French township, Adams county, and is a daughter of Charles and Magdelene (Beitler) Yager, both of whom are dead. Mr. and Mrs. Moran are the parents of one child, a daughter, Margaret. Since he gave up the office of prosecuting attorney Mr. Moran has been engaged in practicing law in partnership with Shaffer Peterson, the firm being known as Peterson & Moran. Mr. and Mrs. Moran are esteemed members of St. Mary's Catholic church and are among the most earnest am! generous supporters of the aims and charities of this denomination and church. He is active in municipal matters and takes a keen interest in all things that have as their object the promotion of the commercial and social welfare of Decatur and Adams county. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Elks and the Red Men and is an active worker in all of these organizations.

John F. Laciiot

Among the men of the present generation that have achieved prominence in t"<" section of the state »in which they reside John F. Lachot; whose home is at Dccitur.

Indiana. Although still a comparatively voting man, Mr. Lachot has gained enviable .prominence among his business and social associates and is counted among the substantial men of the community in which he lives. He was born at Mount Eaton, Wayne county, Ohio, June 9, i860. He comes of Swiss stock, his father having been Amil Lachot and his mother Zeline (Grosjean) Lachot, natives of the canton of Berne. The parents of the subject of this sketch emigrated to this country and made a home for themselves in Wayne county, Ohio. The father fought through a portion of the Civil war and died in 1862 of injuries received in battle. His wife followed him to the grave a year later. The couple had five children, of whom John F. was the fourth in order of birth.

When John was eight years of age he came to Indiana and made his home with an uncle, Henry Michaud, in French township, Adams county. He continued to live with his uncle until he reached his majority. In his youth he attended the common schools of the neighborhood and gained the rudiments of his education. When he reached his twenty-first year he came to Berne and secured employment in a livery stable, in which line of work he continued for two years. He then took employment in a tile factory near Berne, but after a year gave up his piace and began clerking in a drug store. This business appealed to him and he consumed in it as clerk and proprietor of a store for ten years. During these years he was rt-tken marshal of the village of Berne and was the first marshal the village had. In addition to this he was a member of the village school board for three years. Following his withdrawal from the drug business he operated the Cottage Hotel for a year and then entered the employ of the Brooks Oil Company as a traveling salesman. He was connected with this firm for twelve years. It was while in the employ of the oil company that he became a candidate for the office of treasurer of Adams county on the Democratic ticket. He was elected to this important county office in November, 1904, and assumed the duties of his new office in June, 1906. He has ever been a man of pronounced public spirit and has taken an active and aggressive part in all movements that had for their objects the betterment of local and state conditions.

The religious phase of life has always had a strong attraction for Mr. Lachot. He has taken an active part in the church work of his village and community, and with the members of his immediate family is a member of the Evangelical church. He has been prominently interested in Sunday-school work and has been superintendent and teacher of the Sunday-school of the church at Berne. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias.

He was married in Berne on June 9, 1885, to Miss Martha A. Everhart, who is a native of Blue Creek township, the daughter of John and Martha Everhart, and was born December 28, 1866. Her parents were among the old settlers of Blue Creek township, her grandfather being Kalida Jacobs, one of the pioneers of that section of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Lachot are the parents of six children, five of them now living. They are: Herbert, Lilah, Dwight. Dewey and Noble. Ruby, the eldest child, died when three months of age.

David Laman

With the exception of the years spent amid the stirring scenes and incidents of war, the life of David Laman, with whom this sketch is concerned, has been laid along the lines of a peaceful agriculturist. Born and reared to manhood on a farm, he knew no harsher note than the lowing of kine nor more deadly implements than those of husbandry until he answered his country's call for men to preserve the integrity of the Union. He was born on a farm in Fairfield -county, Ohio, August 30, 1836. His father was Jacob Laman, a sturdy farmer and respected citizen of the time, and his mother was Catherine (Ensminger) Laman. A few years after the birth of David his parents moved from Fairfield county to Allen county, in the same state. They settled on a farm in Allen county, where they died after living useful, exemplary lives. David was the fourth in a family of ten children and remained on the Allen county farm until he reached manhood. His life was such as was incident of pioneer farms of that period of the state's development. He attended the country schools and worked on his father's farm. He was studious and ambitious and gained a satisfactory education and a thorough knowledge of farm work. When President Lincoln issued his call for volunteers to fight the armies of the southern states young David was seized with the martial spirit and was among those who presented themselves to meet their country's need. He chose the cavalry branch of army service and enlisted in McLaughlin's squadron of Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. From his advent at the front with his command his career was a most exciting one. His squadron participated in countless skirmishes and many important battles. The arena of war, su far as his detachment was concerned, was place- 1 in the southwestern section of the country and the battles in which he fought were those of this portion of the country. He u as engaged in the siege of Atlanta, and while this long engagement was in progress he was taken prisoner by the southern trooi After he was captured he was confined in several southern prisons. He experience. i the horrors of the prisons at Andersonville, Charleston and Florence, South Carolina, and for nine months suffered the agonies that were the daily incidents of the unfortunate Union prisoners in these prisons. He was finally paroled at the close of hostilities and returning from the war, settled in Allen county, Ohio. He resumed farming and continued to live on his Allen county farm until 1870, when he came to Adams counts. Indiana. He purchased a farm in Kirkland township, in that county, which he conducted for about five years. At the expiration of this time he sold his Kirkland township farm and bought land in Root township, which he tilled until 1892. Tiring of the hard work of a fanner's life, he rented Ins Root township farm and removed with his family to Decatur.

Mr. Laman was married in Allen county. Ohio, December 2, 1858, to Miss Sarah Welch, who was born in Delaware county, Ohio, January 26, 1843. Her father was Jackson Welch and her mother was Mary Ann (Point) Welch. Her father died in* Delaware county, Ohio, and her mother. who survived him some years, died in Allen county, Ohio. Mrs. Laman was the eldest of two children and ITad a brother, who enlisted for the Civil war and died while in the ar.ny. ^ir- ar'^ Mrs. Laman have had four ch;!dren. Mary E. is the wife of John S. Bowers; William, who died at the age of twenty-nine years; Samuel J. and Hala Oitheiing', the wife of Wilson Lee.

Mr. Laman is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and is a Republican in politics. He has never sought political office, but has been a man who kept in close touch with the progress of political events and movements. Both Mr. Laman and his wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church and have been professing Christians for about fifty years. He is looked upon as one of the strong men of his community and has not alone the respect, but also the confidence of all those whose privilege it is to know him. He can have the satisfaction of looking back on a life well spent and with the conviction that he has at all times done his full duty as it was manifested to him.

It was in the stern surroundings of a pioneer farm where one day's efforts meant the next day's bread and where earnestness, courage and grit were the only qualities that spelled and made for success that John W. McKean laid the foundations that support the life of retirement and ease that he enjoys today. Those who have not striven to claim a farm from a wilderness cannot have an wifequate idea of what a struggle it is. So, perhaps, it is not easy to grasp the full significance of the antagonistic conditions against which many men of northeastern Indiana have labored. But success came to many, and among the number John McKean gained a generous measure. He was born in the village of Bethlehem, Stark county, Ohio, February 17, 1843. His father, Thomas J. McKean, was a practicing physician. His mother was Mary (Hendricks) McKean. His early life was spent in his native village and in Carroll county, where his parents lived. His father continued to live in Ohio until a short time before his death, in his eighty-eighth year, which occurred at the home of one of his sons in Michigan. His mother died in Carroll county, Ohio, in 184S. John was the fourth of a family of six children and continued to live in Ohio until the beginning of the Civil war. At that time he enlisted, in May, 1864, in the One Hundred and Fifty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry and served with this regiment until the term of his enlistment expired four months later. He then returned to Allen county, Ohio, from which county he had enlisted and resumed farming, which occupation had engaged him during the years previous to his war service. He operated his Ohio farm until the year 1S72, when he removed to Adams county, Indiana. For the following three years he tilled a farm, which he rented, and then he purchased a farm of forty acres in Kirklaiul township. He remained in possession of this farm for two years and then sold it and purchased two farms comprising one hundred and sixty acres. All of this purchased land, with the exception of seven acres, was heavily timbered and the work of clearing and improving this tract was a serious undertaking Persistence has ever been a prominent characteristic of Mr. McKean, and he kept at his arduous task of improving his farm until he had the greater portion of it under cultiva- otion. As the years sped by he cleared more land and finally his farm became one of the most fertile and productive tracts in his section of the county. Modern buildings were added from time to time as necessity arose, and today this farm that was carved from among the trees of a primeval forest is one of the finest in Adams county. The entire credit for accomplishing all of this justly rests with Mr. McKean. He continued to operate his farm and to raise ample and profitable crops until 1900, when he retired from active work and took up his residence in Decatur.

Mr. McKean was married in Allen county, Ohio, January 14, 1864, to Miss Lydia Stalter, who was bom in Allen county, November 19, 1S42. She was a daughter of Christian and Catherine (Huddel) Stalter. Her father was a native of Pennsylvania and both her parents died in Allen county, where they are buried. Mrs. McKean was the fifth child of a family of ten children. Mr. and Mrs. McKean also have been the parents of ten children. Of this number George E., John W., Charles, Thomas J., William F., James T. and Homer S. are living. Catherine A., who was the wife of Ephraim Eolinger, died in her twenty-second year; Emmy F., who was the wife of Joseph Russell, died in Washington township, aged twenty-three years, and Terisa, who died in infancy, were the remaining children.

Mr. McKean has lived a useful and complete life. He is a man who has taken an active and aggressive interest in all movements that were destined to better his fellows. His life has been characterized by a high order of public spiritedness and he has contributed generously to the development of his county in economic and social ways.

He is a Democrat in politics and a!:'. history does not record that he aspi'.. ; office, his voice has been heard in his part councils and his words have carried . weight. He and his wife have taken an telligait part in the activities of thereligii side of life. Both have long been afhii.v, \ with the Brethren of Christ, and for fifte< or twenty years Mr. McKean preached tin doctrines held by those of this faith. He li;i ; been heard in many churches throughout ;!. state. Now, as the shadows of his exemplary life are lengthening he rests after labors well performed. He has the esteem < I all who know him and his life might well serve as a model for the youth of the grow* ing generation. The wife of Mr. McKean died in April of 1907.

Louies Kleixe

A more than usual degree of prominence and success has fallen to the share of Louies Kleine, the subject of this sketch He was bom in Preble township, Adamcounty, and has resided in the same township all of his life. His parents were born in Germany of a sturdy line and came when young to America. They were John 1 Kleine (John F. Kleine had one brother come to America, but no trace of him i> known) and Henrietta (Speckmann) K1o;:k and they were married in Fort Wayne. November 12, 1850. After their marriage the)' removed to Adams county and settled on -i farm in Preble township. With tiie exception of a year spent in Iowa they lived in Preble township until their deaths. Botli reached a ripe age, the father being sixtysix years of age when he died and the motr.r was seventy-two. They were the parents of seven children: Lisette, wife of Henry Gcrke; Louisa, wife of Henry Stellhorn (she is deceased); Sophia, wife of H. F. Scheimann ; Fred, and Minnie, wife of Henry Gallmeier, and Louies.

Louies Kleine was born on his father's Preble township farm, March 12, 1866. He spent his boyhood on the family estate and received his education in the common schools (if the neighborhood. He was reared a farmer and received an excellent practical education in agriculture from his father. He has continued as a farmer all his life. April 25, 1897, Air. Kleine was married to Miss Minnie Doehrmann, who was also bom in Preble township, April 6, 1S73. She is a daughter of Conrad and Louisa (Reese) Doehrmann. Her father was a native of Adams county and was born in Preble township. Her mother was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After his marriage Mr. Doehrmann made a home for his bride in Preble township, and they are still residents of that section of Adams county. They are the parents of eleven children, nine of whom are still living. These children are: Minnie, William, Henry, Ernst, Louisa, Conrad, Fred, Adolph and Lydia. Mrs. Kleine lived with her parents on the old home place until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Kleine are the parents of four children : Gustav, born September 17, 1S9S; Louies, bom September 3, 1899; Ella, born October 7, 1901, and Hermann, born November 7, 1904.

Louies Kleine is one of the leading men of wris community. He is a successful farmer and has a country place that.is a model of its kind. He owns one hundred and sixty r"res of fine land and has brought it to a high stage of cultivation. His land is all well improved. His residence is a substantial home and his bams and outbuildings are excellent. His place is carefully tiled and drained and his fences are among the best in the township. A thorough believer in modern methods and modern machinery as aids to the cultivation of the soil, he has added these latter to his farm equipment and uses the former in applying his skill. His crops are generous and are satisfactory and highly profitable.

He is a man who takes an active part in the affairs of his neighborhood and county. He is a Democrat and has been active in furthering the interests of his party. He is an earnest party worker and was recently rewarded for his faithful service by beingelected township trustee. His election occurred in 1904 and he assumed the duties in January, 1906, and continues to discharge them with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents and fellow residents of Preble township.

Mr. and Mrs. Kleine are members of the Lutheran church and accord this denomination and church their generous and hearty support. They are interested in charitable movements and projects and are numbered among the best and most highly respected people of the community.

Hon. Henry Dirkson

Henry Dirkson was born in Brooklyn, New York. October 25. 1837. He is the son of German emigrants to the L7nited States and is a man possessing many of the sterling characteristics, that-made the newcomers from the fatherland such valuable hanna (Aurante) Dirkson. His parents Mr. Dirkson was married to Miss Lusett.i were married in Germany and came to Aumann November 19, 1863. His wife is America in 1832. The elder Dirkson set- a daughter of William and Mary (lb,. tied in New York city, but after living in the meyer) Aumann, and was born in Allen metropolis for a short time crossed the river county July 28, 1844. Her parents were and settled in Brooklyn. Fie was a shoe- both natives of Germany. They were mar- . maker and plied his trade in Brooklyn for ried in Germany and came to this country some time. He was attracted to New Jersey and settled in Allen county, Indiana. Latei and moved into that state, settling on a farm they removed to Adams county and estabnear Morristown. He lived in New Jersey lished themselves on the farm in 1849, where for the following nine years and then de- their daughter was reared. Her father concided to move west. He chose Indiana as tinued to reside on his Adams county farm the scene of his future labors and settled on until his death at sixty-three years of age. the homestead farm in Preble township, His wife lived until she was seventy-eight. Adams county. His wife died in her sixty- Ten children were born to them, of which third year, but he lived until he reached the number nine grew to man and womanhood, advanced age of eighty-two. He was the These were : Louisa, Minnie, Hannah (defather of four children, three of whom ceased), Lusetta, Augusta, Mary, Elizn, reached maturity. John, a son, died in Root Emily and William. Mr. and Mrs. Dirkson township at sixty; Anna, the wife of Henry are the parents of four children: Edward Schroader, of Alien county, and Henry, the W., Anna, the wife of Henry Scheimann, of subject of this sketch, are still living. Preble township; Louisa, the .wife of Wil- There was nothing in the early life of liam Kolin, of Preble township, and Mary. Henry Dirkson that was unusual. He came the wife of Otto Ebel, of the same township. to Indiana with his parents when they re- Another child, Emma, died when two yearmoved from New Jersey. At the time of old.

this removal he was ten years of age and Among the citizens of Adams county and lived with his parents in Allen county for Preble township none takes a livelier intertwo years before the farm in Preble town- est in the affairs of the county than Mr. ship was purchased. As a boy he lived on Dirkson. He is in every way a progressive the family farm and attended the winter man. His farm comprises one hundred and sessions of the schools of the district. He re- seventy acres of land and is a fine property, ceived a common school education and from well improved, and is operated along lines his father learned the art and lessons of of the most approved modernity. His husbandry. He became a proficient farmer, buildings are ample and substantially baiH and by the time he reached manhood was and his crops are always among the large*! accounted one of the expert agriculturists in and most profitable of all raised in the the county. He conducted and managed his county. He carries iitto all of his business father's farm during the latter years of his affairs the same energy and intelligence be shows in his management of his farm property. He is an active politician and a member of the Democrat party. He is an earnest party worker and served for five years as township trustee. Following the expiration of his last term in this office he was selected to represent his county in the state legislature and was a member of the lower house of that body for two terms. He has been elected a justice of the peace several times, but did not qualify for that office. His career as a citizen and a public servant has been a memorable one and such that he can look back upon with pride, confident in the belief that he has discharged his duties and responsibilities well and served his constituents faithfully and honestly.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Dirkson are faithful and generous members of the congregation of St. John's Lutheran church of Preble township. When this church was organized and the present structure built Mr. Dirkson was a director and he has continued to take a prominent part in its affairs.

Rev. Henry C. Jaus

During the incumbency of the pulpit by the Rev. Henry C. Jaus of St. John's German Lutheran church, in Preble township, Adams county, this flourishing organization has greatly increased in membership and in strength. The church was organized in the early days of Adams county, the date being 1845, ar)d is .one of the oldest in northeastern Indiana. Mr. Jaus was born at Hamburg, Carver county, Minnesota, January 21, 1865. He is a son of pioneer German parents, Martin and Catherine (Beck)

Jaus, who came from their native country at an exceedingly early date and settled in what was then a frontier state. Before they settled in Minnesota they lived a short time in Canada, but believing the advantages possessed by "the states" greater than those presented by the Dominion, migrated across the border. The elder Jaus was a farmer and cultivated his estate in Carver county until his death at the ripe age of sixty-six years. His wife died at the age of sixty-three, some time after her husband's death. They were the parents of nine children : Simon, Martin, Anna, John, Martha, Alary, Henry C, George and Gottlieb.

Henry Jaus lived on his father's farm during his boyhood and experienced the life of a boy in the pioneer period. He secured his elementary education in the common schools of Carver county and attended a parochial school at Hamburg. Finishing his course in the parochial school, he decided to enter the ministry of the German Lutheran church, of which denomination his parents were staunch members. Accordingly he went to Springfield, Illinois, and entered the Concordia Theological Seminary at that city. He pursued his studies in theology at this institution for five years and then was graduated "cum laucle" in the spring of 1892.

He was a careful and earnest student at the seminar}- and he took high rank among his fellow students. At the conclusion of his course he was well prepared to assume the duties of a pastor of a congregation. His first charge after his graduation was at Tipton, Indiana. He went to that city and served as pastor of the church there for six years. He then received a call from Allen county. There were many members of the Lutheran denomination* in Allen county and numbers in Washington township, but there was no church. Mr. Jaus was called for the purpose of organizing a congregation and launching a church. He was successful in this new field of labor, and organized the Bethlehem church and continued to serve it as pastor for the following six years. During his pastorate the church throve and members were added to it from time to time until it became an important religious body of the community. At the end of this period he was called to the pulpit of St. John's church in Preble township.

Jn accepting the call extended by the Preble township church Mr. Jaus found himself, in 1905, at the head of an aggressive and progressive church body. The building that was erected in 1873 was a substantial edifice and adapted to the needs of the congregation. In addition to the church building a handsome parsonage awaited him and a fine parochial school building that had been recently built at a cost of seven thousand dollars. The combined value of the real estate held by the church, including a teachers' home and twenty acres of land, was in the neighborhood of fifty thousand dollars.

The church to which he had come was one that was hallowed by tradition. Since its organization by Henry Wyneken, more than a half century ago, it had been served by men whose names became famous throughout the county. Its former pastors had built the church up to its present standard, and no mean task confronted the new pastor to maintain these high standards of leadership and to further foster the growth of the church. The pastors since the organization of the church were: The Rev. Husmann, the Rev. Fritze, the Rev. W. Kolb, the Rev. Philip Wambsganss, the Rev. Traub, the

Rev. H. F. C. Evers, the Rev. R. A. Bi,- choff and the Rev. C. F. W. Huge. Of the list but two are living at the present time. Under the charge of Mr. Jaus, however, the church has developed and has grown in membership. The present number of communicants is four hundred and fifty-eight and the parochial school has a large nurnber of pupils.

Mr. Jaus was married at Springfield, Illinois, October 13, 1892, to Miss Anna Paul, of Springfield, Illinois. She was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, May 24, 1867, and is the daughter of Henry and Sophia Paul. Her parents died in Springfield. Mr. and Mrs. Jaus are the parents of two children : Latto and Clara. They are among the most highly respected people of the county and are a force for good in their community.

Henry Gallmeier

Henry Gallmeier is the direct descendant of pioneer parents, who left their homes in Germany to find a new field for their labors in what was then a new country. The father, Conrad Gallmeier, was a sturdy product of the fatherland and the unbroken wilds of northeastern Indiana presented no terrors to him. He was determined to make a home for himself and to bring to a productive state the farm he was destined to carve from the primeval forest. At the time Conrad arrived in this country a fine sturdy German girl also came. This girl was Christina Kraft. She came alone to the United "States and married Conrad Gallmeier and was an admirable wife for a pioneer. They both came to the United States in 1841 and im- mediately pushed on to Indiana. They secured land in Preble township and lived in that township until their deaths. The wife lived until she was seventy-five years of age and the husband until he was ninety-nine. Nine children were born to this estimable couple, eight of whom lived to reach maturity. These children were: Frederick, Conrad (deceased), William (deceased), Wilhelmina, the wife of Andrew Fuhrman ; Louise, the wife of William Rodenbeck; Augusta, the wife of Andrew Droege, of Allen county, and Henry, the subject of this sketch- Henry Gallmeier was reared on his father's farm and passed through the usual experiences of a boy of the pioneer period. The life was necessarily rough and there were few pleasures and little beside the actual necessities of life. But the sturdy nature of the pioneer had been transmitted to him from his parents and he easily adapted himself to his life.

He received a common school education in the rude cabin school houses of the neighborhood and in the intervals between school sessions helped his father to improve and cultivate the homestead. He always has lived on the homestead farm and now owns it. It is a tract of one hundred and twenty acres.

Mr. Gallmeier was married August 25, 1897, to Miss Minnie Kleine. His wife was born in Preble township, June 18, 1863. She is a daughter of John F. and Henrietta (Speckman) Kleine. Her parents were born in Germany and were brought to this country in their youth by their parents. They were married October 12, 1S50. in Fort Wayne and soon after removed to Preble township, where they lived, with the exception of a year spent in Iowa, till their deaths. Mr. Kleine died at the age of sixtysix and his wife lived to be seventy-two. They were the parents of seven children, four of whom are living : Mrs. Gallmeier, Lisette, the wife of Henry Gerke, of Allen county; Sophia, the wife of Frederick Scheimann, of Preble township, and Louisa. Mr. and Mrs. Gallmeier are the parents of one child, a daughter, Ida, born May 10, 1899.

Under the management of Mr. Gallmeier his farm has been developed into one of the best in the county. To see it today would convince the observer that modern methods and up-to-date management are in use. The crops are large and rotated with judgment and the output of the farm is sold each year at a handsome profit. The early rude buildings have been replaced with modern ones. The house is comfortable and attractive and the barns and other buildings ample and well constructed. Mr. and Mrs. Gallmeier are among the most highly respected people of their community. They both are faithful and consistent members of St. John's German Lutheran church and they give their hearty support and co-operation to that denomination.

William Aumann

Born on the farm on which he still lives, May 3, 1856, William Autnann has seen many changes brought about in Adams county, and many faces come and go. Through all the changes he has 'lived a strong life and has gained for himself a high place in the regard and confidence of his fellows. His father was a native of Ger- many, who came to America about the middle of the last century and settled with his wife in Alien county, Indiana. The father was also named William Aumann and the mother was Mary (Homeyer) Aumann. They were married in Germany and soon after this event in their lives came to the United States. They began farming in Allen, county in about 1S49, Dut became dissatisfied and removed to Root township, Adams county. They purchased land in this township and lived on their farm until their deaths. Both reached ripe ages, the husband being sixty-three and the wife seventy-eight when death claimed them. These worthy people were the parents of ten children, nine of whom lived to grow up. These were: Louisa, Minnie, Hannah (deceased at twenty-one), Augusta and Lizzette (twins), Elizabeth (deceased), Eliza, Emily and William.

William Aumann was reared on his father's farm and attended the common schools of the neighborhood when a youth. When he was eleven years of age he attended the German Lutheran parochial schools in Will county, Illinois, but with the exception of this period he has not lived outside of the township. He learned the lessons of agriculture under the tutelage of his father, and he has followed the agricultural business during his whole life.

June 17, 18S0, he was married in St. John's Lutheran church to Miss Sophia Dirkson, who was born in Preble township, January 6, i860. She was a daughter of John and' Christina (Droege) Dirkson. They were both natives of Germany and reference is made to her father in the sketch of Henry Dirkson appearing on another page in this volume. They were successful farmers of Adams county and lived in Root township. Mr. Dirkson died at the age of sixty-three and his wife at the age of seventy-seven. They were the parents of five children, who grew up : Sophia, Henry, Eliza, Christina and Charles. To Mr. and Mrs. Aumann four sons have been born and these children are still living. They are: Henry, Martin, William and Edmund.

Mr. Aumann owns his father's homestead in Adams county. It is a fine tract of some sixty acres and is at a high point of cultivation. In addition to this tract he owns two hundred and fifty-six acres in Root township. His land in Adams county is among the more valuable tracts. His buildings are thoroughly modern and wTell adapted to their uses. His stock is of a good grade and his crops each year are satisfactory and profitable. So far as the world's goods may represent the measure of a man's success, he is a successful man, who has lived prudently and with an eye to the future. He is a patron of education and believes in good schools. For a time he was a school director. He has always taken a keen and intelligent interest in township affairs, is a stockholder in the Fort Wayne & Sprinfield Interurban Railroad and has contributed his full share to the advancement of his neighborhood. Mr. Aumann and the members of his family are numbered among the faithful and consistent members of St. John s German Lutheran church. He has been active in the affairs of this church and has held various offices in the church. He is one of the denomination's firmest adherents and accords a liberal support to its aims and projects. He is in no sense a public man and is not active in politics. However, he coinbines the qualities a, man must possess in

John Rupright

Usually it is the use of a pat phrase to sneak of a citizen of a community as "a leading citizen." In fact, the phrase is greatly abused. But in the cases of some men the expression is justly applied. This is the case with John Rupright. He is not only a respected and successful citizen of Adams county, but he is also one of its leading citizens in all that the phrase implies. He was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, January 23, 1825. He is the son of George and Susanna (Schaffer) Rupright. His father was born in Lehigh county and his mother in Berks county on what is now a portion of the land covered by the city of Reading. Some few years after their marriage George and Susanna Rupright came to Mahoning county, Ohio, and after a short residence in Ohio came to Adams county, Indiana, in 1856. They settled on a farm in Preble township, where they lived until their deaths. Mr. Rupright died in his eighty-second year, in 1879, and his wife died the same year at the advanced age of eighty-three. They were the parents of six children : Abby, Jeremiah, Sarah, John; Mary and William. John, the subject of this short sketch, was the fourth of his father's family in order of birth, and is the only survivor. He was between four and five years of age when his parents removed to Ohio, and he grew to manhood in that Mate. Early in life he learned the carpenter's trade and worked at this trade in Ohio. He secured a fair education in the district schools of Mahoning county and was an earnest and considerate son. He found plenty of work in Mahoning and Trumbull counties in those early days and he was a successful carpenter and a good workman.

In 1846 he was married in Trumbull county to Miss Elizabeth Daugherty. The wedding was solemnized on September 301I1 of that year. His bride was a daughter of John and Isabella (Campbell) Daugherty and was born in Mahoning county, April 7, 1827. Her parents were both natives of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. They died in Trumbull county, Ohio, Mrs. Daugherty in the spring of 1844, at die age of forty-five and her husband lived until 1856, when he died at the age of sixty-five. They were the parents of nine children: John, Sarah, Mary, Campbell, Elizabeth, Ellen, Jane, Martha and Hannah.

Mr. and Mrs. Rupright continued to live in Trumbull county until the month of October, 1S52, when Mr. Rupright then removed to Indiana with his wife and two children. He drove all of the way from Trumbull county in a two-horse wagon and settled in section 21 of Preble township, Adams county. He purchased eighty acres of land some lime before and he made his home on this land. It was wjld and unimproved, but that circumstance offered no terrors to the pioneers. It was not many days before a log cabin home was erected and this was the family dwelling for the succeeding ten years. He worked industriously at clearing his land and while doing this he secured work at his trade of carpenter at intervals that added materially to the income the family depended on. He combined farming and carpentering successfully for thirty years and became an expert at both trades.

As the years passed he prospered and in ten years after settling on It's farm replaced the log cabin home and the other rough buildings with modern and comfortable ones. He fenced, cleared, ditched and otherwise improved his original holdings until his farm became highly productive.

From time to time he added other tracts to his original purchase and in the end was the owner of two hundred and ninety-two acres of land all under cultivation and forming one of the most valuable and profitable estates in the entire county. In addition to his regular work of cultivating his acres he engaged in the breeding, buying and selling of stock. This branch of his business he made profitable and he became known as one of the largest shippers of stock in his neighborhood.