Allen County, Indiana - The whole text, 1905 (part 9 of 12)

August W. Reiling was reared to maturity in Fort Wayne, and here secured his early educational discipline in the parochial schools of the German Lutheran church, of which his parents were devoted members, while later he attended the public schools. He early began an apprenticeship under the effective and careful direction of his honored father, with whom he remained associated until he had attained his legal majority, while his training in the connection was such that he has been able to well uphold the prestige of the name in connection with higher mechanics. At the age of twenty-one years Mr. Reiling entered the employ of the Kerr-Murray Manufacturing Company, of Fort Wayne, and in the shops of this concern manufactured three hundred and eighty-seven prison locks for use in the state penitentiary at Michigan City, where he was employed for two months in instilling the new equipment. His eyes finally became seriously affected from the effect of the grinding brass on emery wheels, the minute particles causing great inflammation and impairing the sight. He was thus compelled to change occupation for a time at least, and thus entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, with which he remained two years, after which he returned to the shops of the Kerr-Murray Manufacturing Company, for which concern he subsequently went out as erecting engineer, having charge of the installing of gas plants and apparatus and being employed in this capacity for three and one-half years. He then engaged with the Jenney Electric Light Company, of Fort Wayne, in whose interests he traveled extensively, visiting the principal cities of the Union. Thereafter he was for nine years employed in the city of Utica, New York, and for two years had charge of the municipal electric plant in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1897 he retired from his official position in connection with the electriceplant in Utica, New York, being given the highest testimonials for efficiency and fidelity, and he then represented the Fort Wayne Electric Company as road salesman for about nine months. In 1898 the board of commissioners of Allen county appointed him to his present responsible position as chief engineer of the court house, power house, jail, orphans' home and infirmary, and he has ever since remained incumbent, by successive reappointments, a fact testifying fully to the appreciative estimate placed upon his services, both technically and in an administrative capacity. About eight assistants are employed under his direction, and he has the general supervision of the entire heating, lighting and water plants in each of the public institutions mentioned. Mr. Reiling has a wide circle of friends in his native city and county, and enjoys unqualified esteem wherever he is known. He is a vigorous supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, but has never sought political office. In a fraternal way we find him identified with the Royal Arcanum, while his religious views are in harmony with the tenets of the Lutheran church, in whose faith he was reared.

In the year 1879 Mr. Reiling was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Futerknect, who was born and reared in Fort Wayne, and of this union have been born six children, all of whom are living except one: Ferdinand is engineer in the power house of the court house, under the direction of his father; William is a machinist and is employed in the great oil-tank works of S. F. Bowser & Company, in Fort Wayne; Herbert is employed in a machine shop in the city of Chicago; Edward died from an attack of diphtheria when twelve years of age, and his twin sister, Loretta, remains at the parental home, as does also Dora, the youngest of the children.

Alfred D. Cressler

One of the leading and most widely known industries of Fort Wayne is the Kerr Murray Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of gas works machinery and gas holders, and the success of the enterprise is in a great measure due to the untiring efforts and business sagacity of Mr. A. D. Cressler. Mr. Cressler was born at Lucas, Ohio, in 1851, and is the son of George Holloway and Nancy (Miller) Cressler. His father, who was a prominent and successful railroad contractor, was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, where the family has lived since 1731. Alfred D. Cressler secured his elementary education in the public schools, and subsequently attended Eastman Academy, at Poughkeepsie, New York, where he graduated in 1870. The same year he came to Fort Wayne and entered not long after the employ of the Kerr Murray Foundry and Machine Works. Because of his energy, ability and integrity he gained the confidence and good will of his employer, taking an active part in the affairs of the concern, and becoming eventually general manager. In 1880, upon the death of Mr. Kerr Murray, Mr. Cressler was made administrator of the estate, and when in 1881 the firm was incorporated under the name of the Kerr Murray Manufacturing Company, Mr. Cressler was chosen its president and has served in this capacity since that time, acting both as executive and chief engineer. Under his direction the business of the firm has steadily increased, and its record has been one of unbroken prosperity. Mr. Cressler has made an especial study of apparatus for the manufacture and storage of illuminating gas and has been granted a number of patents for improvements and new inventions in the field of gas engineering. An installation of local interest is the seven hundred and fifty thousand cubic feet capacity gas holder, designed and erected by his company during the year 1905 at the plant of the Ft. Wayne Gas Company. He isa stockholder in several gas companies, but in general confines his interests and attention to the Kerr Murray Manufacturing Company. He is a member of the American Gas Light Association and the Western Gas Association.

In 1874 Mr. Cressler was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Esther Murray, the daughter of Kerr and Jane (Scott) Murray, of Fort Wayne, and to them have been born three sons, Alfred Miller, George Holloway and Kerr Murray, all of whom have graduated at Yale and are now associated with their father in business. In politics Mr. Cressler is a Republican and in religion a Presbyterian, belonging to the First Church of that denomination at Fort Wayne. His sterling integrity and splendid personal qualities have gained for Mr. Cressler the trust and liking of all who know him.

Kerr Murray

Few men of Allen county were as widely and favorably known as the late Kerr Murray. He was one of the strong and influential citizens of Fort Wayne who, while advancing his own individual success, also largely promoted the material welfare of the community. A man of keen perception and tireless energy, he was enabled to successfully plan and carry out large enterprises and to him is Fort Wayne today indebted in no slight degree for its remarkable prosperity and for its reputation at home and abroad as an industrial center.

Mr. Murray was born in 1822 at Lanton, near Kelso, Scotland, and was the son of William and Esther (Scott) Murray. Mr. Murray received his technical education and training in his native land, and in the early '50s he came to America, living for a time in Buffalo, New York. In 1854 he came to Fort Wayne and, in partnership with Hugh Bennigan, started the Kerr Murray Foundry and Machine Works. Particular attention was given to the manufacture of apparatus for making and storing illuminating gas, Mr. Murray having gained recognition as an authority on this subject. The business grew steadily and rapidly and the company handled successfully many large contracts, installing, under Mr. Murray's direction, gas plants in a large number of cities, including the extensions to the Fort Wayne Gas Company's equipment made in 1868 and in 1876. The early success of the enterprise was due mainly to Mr. Murray's foresight and sound business judgment, as well as to his intimate knowledge of every detail of the mechanical features of the business. He was an early member of the American Gas Light Association, and was a director of the St. Thomas Gas Company, St. Thomas, Ontario, of the Ottawa

Mr. Murray was married to Miss Jane Scott, of Dalkeith, Scotland, and to them was born one daughter, Elizabeth Esther, who in 1874 became the wife of A. D. Cressler, of Fort Wayne, now the head of the Kerr Murray Manufacturing Company. In politics Mr. Murray was a Republican, and his religious affiliation was with the First Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne. Mr. Murray died in Fort Wayne on the 6th of May, 1880.

Of high professional and academic attainments and known as one of the representative physicians and surgeons of the city of Fort Wayne, where he has been actively engaged in practice for the past . score of years, it is incumbent that consideration be accorded Dr. Nieschang in a publication of the province assigned to the one at hand, since here is it aimed to make proper mention of those who stand prominent in the various fields of human activity as pertaining to Allen county and as complementing the generic history touching the civic, political and industrial fabric of this portion of our national commonwealth.

Charles C. Fremont Nieschang was born in the fair city of Detroit, Michigan, on the 24th of September, 1860, and is a son of Dr. Frederick and Charlotte (Pedro) Nieschang, the former of whom was born in Switzerland and the latter in France. The father of the subject was educated for the medical profession in his native land, and there his marriage was solemnized, while about the year 1850 he came with his wife and children to America and located in the city of Detroit, where he engaged in the active practice of his profession, in which he continued to labor with much success until his death, which occurred in 1861. He was a man of high intellectuality and of marked ability in his profession, while his integrity of character commended him to the confidence and good will of ali with whom he came in contact in the various relations of life. His devoted wife was summoned into eternal rest in 1875, so that the subject of this sketch was but fifteen years of age when he became doubly orphaned. Of the four children born to Dr. Frederick and Charlotte (Pedro) Nieschang we record that Louis Napoleon was for many years a member of the United States army, from which he recently retired; Arnold Hugo was a master mechanic and was killed in a railroad accident in France in early manhood; Emil Her-

After the death of his father Dr. Nieschang's mother returned to Switzerland, where he was reared from infancy to the age of twelve years, when he came again to the United States, where his mother died about three years later. He completed his more purely literary education in the schools of Cleveland, Ohio, and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and thereafter began his prolonged course of- discriminating technical study in pharmacy, medicine and surgery, along which lines he carefully prosecuted his studies in the cities of Pittsburg, Chicago, New York and Fort Wayne, being graduated in the Fort Wayne College of Medicine as a member of the class of 1882, and receiving from this well known institution his degree of Doctor of Medicine. He forthwith engaged in the practice of his profession in Fort Wayne, and here has ever since maintained his residence, while he has met with success in his chosen field of endeavor and gained prestige as one of the able and representative physicians and surgeons of the county. He is a member of the Allen County Medical Society and the American Medical Association, while he is a close student of the sciences of medicine and surgery and keeps in touch with the advances made in all departments of his profession. The Doctor is a man of genial personality, and during his many years' residence in Fort Wayne he has gathered about him a wide circle of loyal friends, in business, professional and social circles, so that his lines are "cast in pleasant places." He has a comprehensive and lucrative practice, principally of the office nature, and his finely equipped professional headquarters are located at No. 108 West Jefferson street.

In politics the Doctor is a stanch and uncompromising advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and there is an element of peculiar consistency in his political attitude, for he is named in honor of the "grand old party's" first standard-bearer, General John C. Fremont, who was a personal friend of his honored father. Ina fraternal way Dr. Nieschang is affiliated with the Royal Arcanum and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, being medical examiner for the local bodies of each. Though he takes a lively interest in public affairs of a local nature and in the cause of his political party, he has never sought official preferment of any description.

Henry G. Felger

An exemplification of the potentialities of comparative youth is given in the honorable and successful career of this well known native son of Allen county, where he is at the time of this writing serving in the important office of county superintendent of public schools and the while occupying a prominent position in the educational field in northern Indiana.

Mr. Felger was born in Lake township, this county, on the 17th of October, 1873, and is a son of David G. and Anna Felger, both of whom were born in the kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany. The father of the subject was a child of four years at the time of his parents' immigration from the fatherland to America, and the family came forthwith to Allen county and located on a farm in Lake township, where he was reared to manhood and where he has ever since maintained his home, being one of the prosperous farmers and influential and honored citizens of that section of the county. His marriage to Miss Anna - - - - - was solemnized in the city of Fort Wayne, she having come with other members of her family to America in 1870, at the close of the Franco-Prussian war, in which the family was represented. Mr. and Mrs. Felger became the parents of nine children, of whom eight are living, while the subject of this review is the eldest. Sophia is the wife of a Mr. Ohneck, of Fort Wayne; Adolph, who is married and lives on one of his father's farms in Lake township; David G., who is engaged in teaching school in New Mexico; Otto is a resident of California; Anna died at the age of twenty-one years; and Daniel, Rosa and Lena remain at the parental home, the estate comprising two hundred and thirty acres of fine land, while the improvements are of excellent order, making the place one of the valuable and attractive farms of the county.

Henry G. Felger was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm, while his early educational training was secured in the public schools, after completing whose curriculum he entered the normal department of the Northern Indiana Normal School and Business College, at Valparaiso, after which he passed two years in the Indiana State Normal School in the city of Terre Haute. For eight years he followed the pedagogic profession as a vocation, being employed principally in the schools of Lake and Adams townships and proving peculiarly successful in his work, in which he developed a mastering of expedients and showed that facility for detail work, for initiative and organizing and systematizing that have so signally contributed to his prestige and success in his present responsible office. In June, 1903, from several most eligible and popular candidates for the office, he was chosen to the office of county superintendent of schools, receiving the appointment at the hands of the board of school trustees of the county, to whom is relegated the selection of the superintendent by the school laws of the state. Mr. Felger entered upon the discharge of his official duties on the roth of June, 1903, having been appointed for a term of four years, and his course has been such as to gain to him unqualified indorsement both official and popular, while his enthusiasm and unfailing energy are doing much to further the cause of education in his jurisdiction. He has the power of infusing his enthusiasm in others, and thus secures the hearty co-operation of the teachers, while as an executive and administrative officer he is specially well placed, so that his official regime is one which will pass to record as one of distinct accomplishment and effective work in all departments of the public-school system of his native county. In addition to the handling of the general office details devolving upon him Mr. Felger has the supervision of the various teachers' examinations in the county and has one hundred and ninety schools in his jurisdiction. He has charge of the selection of all school text books and acts as adviser to the school officers and teachers, and it is thus superficially evident that the demands upon his time and attention are exacting. Concerning the subject of this review one who has watched his progress in the past few years has given the following appreciative estimate of his character and services:

"Mr. Felger is a young man who has already laid a stanch foundation for a life of much usefulness, while his prospects for advancement along the lines of his chosen profession are exceptionally bright. As a public official he is prompt and obliging, while he is well versed in the principles of the law as pertaining to the diversified interests of the public schools, and is firm and courageous in the denial of special privileges, yet just and considerate in official discrimination." In politics Mr. Felger gives a stalwart allegiance to the Democratic party, and he takes a lively interest in the questions and issues of the hour, while he is known as a young man of scholarly attainments and as one whose life is distinctly loyal, upright and purposeful. He is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church, in whose faith he was reared.

William A. Johnson

At this juncture we enter brief record concerning the able and popular clerk of the circuit court of Allen county, and one who stands as a scion of one of the honored families of this section of the state, where he has passed his entire life.

Mr. Johnson was born on the homestead farm, in Eel River township, Allen county, Indiana, on the 12th of February, 1869, and is a son of Nathan and Mary E. (Gump) Johnson, both of whom were born in Knox county, Ohio, while their marriage was solemnized in Eel River township, where the respective families located in an early day. The father of our subject is one of the substantial and influential members of the farming community of the township mentioned, and has long been influential in public affairs of a local nature, commanding unqualified confidence and esteem. He has served as township trustee and assessor and been accorded other marks of popular regard. He purchased his present farm in 1870, and, with the aid of his sons, has improved the place and made it one of the attractive and valuable rural domains of the county. Of the four children in the family we enter brief record, as follows: Lucretia is the wife of Lorain W. Dugday, of Churubucso, Whitley county; George C. is engaged in farming in Eel River township; William A. is the immediate subject of this sketch; and Simon H. is employed by the Wabash Railroad Company, in Fort Wayne, all of the children being married and well established in life.

William A. Johnson was reared under the grateful influences of the old homestead farm, in Eel River township, and in the public schools of the locality he secured his preliminary educational discipline, which he supplemented by a course of study in the high school at Churubusco, in the adjoining county of Whitley, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1891. Thereafter Mr. Johnson gave evidence that he had made proper use of the ad- vantages offered him, since he became a most successful and popular teacher in the schools of his native township, where he taught for eleven terms, seven of which found him retained as instructor in his home district. In 1894 he was elected trustee of Eel River township, remaining incumbent of this office until 1900 and gaining unqualified commendation for his able and effective services in the connection. The result of the election was a tie vote on the office of trustee, the canvassing board being compelled to decide the matter by lot and the result being that our subject won the office. In 1902 Mr. Johnson was candidate on the Democratic ticket for the office of clerk of the Allen circuit court, and in the election of November of that year he was accorded a gratifying majority at the polls, while he entered upon the duties of his office on the Ist of January, 1903. He has fully demonstrated the wisdom of the choice made in calling him to this important and exacting office, and is handling the manifold details with consummate discrimination, while in the various departments of the work he finds it necessary to retain a total of five deputies. He was elected for a term of four years. Mr. Johnson is one of the leaders of the "young Democracy" in Allen county, and his enthusiasm and effective work in the party cause have made him an influential factor in the local councils of his party. He served for a number of years as a member of the Democratic committee of Eel River township, and did active service during the various campaigns. Ina fraternal way he is identified with the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias and the Pathfinders, the last mentioned being an insurance order. It may be said that the Johnson family traces its lineage back to stanch Scotch-Irish stock and that the name has been identified with the annals of American history ever since the colonial era. In the maternal line the genealogy of our subject is of stanch German origin.

In the year 1892 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Johnson to Miss Eva Parks, who was born and reared in Eel River township, this county, being a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Brown) Parks, honored residents of the county, Mr. Parks being a prominent farmer of the township mentioned. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have eight children, namely: Edith M., Blanche, Herman, Gladys, Arthur, Mary, Ronald and an infant.

George L. Ashley

The life and career of the present efficient and popular recorder of Allen county constitute a practical illustration of the truth of the statement made by Shakespeare, when he said: "The purest treasure mortal times afford is spotless reputation; that away, men are but gilded loam or painted clay." Through self-discipline and right living Mr. Ashley has gained and retained the confidence and good will of the people of this, his native, county, and a distinctive evidence of this popular esteem was given in his election to his present important office, in November, 1904.

George L. Ashley was born in Maumee township, this county, on the 2d of February, 1854, and is a son of George H. and Esther A. (Lenzey) Ashley, both of whom were born in the state of New York. The former was born in Genesee county, that state, on the ist of June, 1814, and the latter was born in the city of New York, on the 28th of January, 1815, while their marriage was solemnized in Greene county, New York, on the 18th of January, 1837. A few months later the young couple came to Indiana and numbered themselves among the pioneer settlers in Allen county, where they _ made their advent on the rst of June of the year mentioned. They first located in Washington township, when they later removed to Maumee township, where they continued to abide until 1865, when they removed to St. Joseph township, where the father died on the 7th of August, 1868, having been the owner of a good farm property at the time of his demise and having devoted his attention aimost entirely to agricultural pursuits after coming to Indiana, while he reclaimed a large amount of wild land to cultivation during the early years of his residence in Allen county, on the roll of whose worthy and honored pioneers his name merits a place of distinction. On the same homestead which was his place of abode at the time of death his devoted wife continued to reside until she too was summoned to the "undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns," her death occurring on the 18th of February, 1879. They became the parents of seven children, of whom three died in infancy or early childhood, while of the four still living we record that Elizabeth M. is the widow of Rev. James Green, who was a member of the clergy of the Methodist Episcopal church, and she now resides in the city of Muncie, Indiana; Sarah is the. wife of Nathan Doctor and they reside on the old homestead of her parents in Maumee township; George L. is the immediate subject of this review; and Theodore H. is a representative farmer of St. Joseph township. In politics the father was originally a Whig, supporting the principles of this party until the organization of the Republican party, when he transferred his allegiance to the same and gave it his adherency during the remaining years of his life. Both he and his wife were devoted and valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

George L. Ashley, the popular county recorder, was reared under the invigorating discipline of the home farm and secured his early educational training in the district schools of his native county, after which he completed a three-years course in the Methodist College. After leaving school Mr. Ashley continued to be actively concerned in agricultural pursuits, in St. Joseph township, until 1889, when he located in the city of Fort Wayne and secured a position as mail carrier in connection with the local postoffice service, while for a period of twelve years he also conducted a successful dairy business, having a well equipped dairy farm in St. Jo- Seph township. Mr. Ashley has ever been an active and zealous worker in the ranks of the Republican party, and has richly merited the recognition which came to him in the general election in November, 1904, when he was elected to the office of county recorder, by a gratifying majority, while his personal popularity in the community is well attested in the fact that he has the distinction of being the first Republican ever elected recorder of Allen county. In the handling of the manifold details of his office he has four competent assistants, all of whom assumed their new duties simultaneously with his induction into office with the exception of one.

Mr. Ashley was reared in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church, and has never wavered in his hold to the same, being a valued member of the Wayne Street church of this denomination. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with Wayne Lodge, No. 25, Free and Accepted Masons; Fort Wayne Chapter, No. 19, Royal Arch Masons; Maumee Lodge, No. 50, Ancient Order of United Workmen, of which he is past master workman at the time of this writing; and with the Tribe of Ben Hur, of which he is past chief, the Court of Honor, and the Modern Woodmen of America, Edwards Camp, of Fort Wayne.

Concerning the five children of Mr. Ashley we enter the following brief data: Charles is deputy county recorder and is thus an able assistant to his father; Olive is the wife of Arthur J. Smith, of Fort Wayne; and Oscar J., George S. and Marguerite remain at the paternal home.

John L. Gillie

The subject of this review may well take pride in tracing his lineage back through many generations of sturdy Scotch forbears, while he is personally a native of the land of hills and heather and manifests the sterling characteristics of the true Scotchman. He is a successful dairy farmer of Washington township, where he has been engaged in this line of enterprise since 1891, finding a ready demand for his products in the city of Fort Wayne and being known as a reliable and progressive business man.

Mr. Gillie was born and reared in Berwickshire, Scotland, the date of his nativity having been May 12, 1852, while he is a son of George and Lillian J. (Lillie) Gillie, both of whom passed their entire lives in Scotland, the father having been a farmer by vocation. The subject was reared on the home farm and secured a good common-school education in the schools of his native land, where he remained until 1874, when he immigrated to America and located in the province of Ontario, Canada, taking up government land, and there continuing to make his home for the ensuing seven years, at the expiration of which, in 1891, he came to Allen county, Indiana, and located on his present farm, which is owned by his uncle, James Lille, from whom he rents the property, which comprises one hundred and fifty-five acres of most productive land and which is well improved. Since taking up his residence on the place Mr. Gillie has erected a fine modern barn, forty by sixty feet in dimensions, while he keeps the place up to the highest standard in all particulars, so that there is abundant evidence of thrift and prosperity.

Mr. Gillie devotes a portion of his land to general farming, but makes a specialty of the dairying business, in which connection he keeps about thirty milch cows, while he has the best of facilities for carrying on the enterprise successfully and for insuring sanitation and absolute cleanliness in all details. He runs a milk wagon and has built up a representative business in Fort Wayne, from which his farm is two miles distant. In politics Mr. Gillie is a stanch Republican, and his religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church.

In the year 1876 Mr. Gillie was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Douglas, who was born and reared in Scotland, being a daughter of Andrew and Janet (Hunter) Douglas. Mr. and Mrs. Gillie have had fifteen children, of whom thirteen are living, namely: George, Jessie, James, Jane, Andrew, John, Lizzie, Maggie, Alexander, Belle, William, David, Ralph.

Christian F. Pfeiffer

Among those whose lives and labors have conferred honor and distinction to the history of the city of Fort Wayne and to Allen county is the venerable pioneer whose name appears above. He came to Fort Wayne in 1838, and was most conspicuously identified with the commercial and industrial, as well as civic, advancement of this section, where he continued to make his home for many years, finally removing to the city of Buffalo, New York, where he has since resided. Fort Wayne, however, has not lost her claim upon this honored citizen, who has many and important interests here, and it is with a feeling of marked satisfaction that we present in this compilation a review of his career.

Christian Frederick Pfeiffer was born in the famed old city of Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, Germany, where he made his debut in the drama of life on the 17th of April, 1824. In his native city he was reared to the age of eight years, and then, in 1832, he accompanied his parents on their immigration to America, the family settling on a farm within the present city limits of Buffalo, New York, the old homestead having been on what is now Hertel avenue, near Delaware avenue. In the public schools of Buffalo our subject secured his further educational training, and in old St. John's Lutheran church, in Hickory street, that city, he was confirmed in 1836, at the age of twelve years, while it may be said with all of consistency that he has exemplified in all the relations of his signally active and useful life his tenacious hold to and practical observance of the tenets of the faith which he thus early took to himself, while it has in an exceptional measure guided and dominated his life. At the age of fourteen years Mr. Pfeiffer severed the grateful ties which bound him to his home and set forth for the west, with Fort Wayne as his destination. He came hither for the purpose of learning the shoemaker's trade under the direction of his brother-in-law, Mr. Nill, and thus he was not placed entirely among strangers on his arrival in what was then but a small village. He came by way of sailing vessels on the Great Lakes to Toledo, from which point he found it necessary to make his way on foot to his destination in Fort Wayne, a distance of about one hundred miles, - through the beautiful Maumee basin, to whose history this work is devoted. At the time of his making this memorable trip so many of the settlers along the route were afflicted with malarial fever, the bane of the early days, that he found much difficulty in securing needed food and shelter. In 1840 Mr. Pfeiffer's parents came to Fort Wayne, and with them he settled on a pioneer farm just north of the embryonic city, where the honored parents passed the remainder of their lives, being held in the highest esteem by all who knew them. It is interesting to record in the connection that Mr. Pfeiffer still retains this old homestead in his possession, his son Joseph C. having the management and general supervision of the same, said son being one of Fort Wayne's representative business men. While actively identified with the operation of this farm Mr. Pfeiffer also manifested in a significant way his initiative power and sound business judgment, by turning his attention to other lines of enterprise. Thus, we find him engaged successfully in the dairy and stock business, while during the period of the Civil war he made large profits through his operations in handling government army mules, as well as horses and cattle, in this way practically laying the foundation for his ample fortune, which has largely been accumulated through the live-stock business. Aside from ventures along the lines noted Mr. Pfeiffer also built the first plank roads in Allen county, the same being known as the Goshen and Lima roads, and recalls most vividly his first trip to Fort Wayne, when the Lima road extended only to Spy Run, while the Indians were wont to come in on horseback from the southwest, from a small village called Raccoon, thirteen miles distant from Fort Wayne, while the aborigines on these trips brought with them game of all descriptions, including venison, bear, wild turkeys, etc., together with furs and pelts, for which they found a market in Fort Wayne, which was the principal trading post of this section. The court house at that time was a log structure of primitive type and stood on Clinton street, the postoffice being located in the same building, while the county jail was another log building, on the site of the present court house. Our subject incidentally recalls the fact that the site of the present fine Hamilton Bank building, in the very heart of the city's business district, at that time served as a prolific potato patch.

It may be said that Mr. Pfeiffer's rise in connection with the industrial progress of this section kept pace with, and undoubtedly accelerated, the material and civic upbuilding of the present fair city of Fort Wayne, in whose fortune he has ever maintained a lively interest. He was one of the original promoters of the stock yards in this place, and was, in fact, the first shipper of live stock over the line of the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne Railroad from this point, early becoming prominent in connection with this important line of enterprise, which has engrossed so much of his time and attention. About 1868 he formed a partnership in the live-stock commission business with William Holmes, under the firm name of Pfeiffer & Holmes, and they established a branch house in the city of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1873 he removed with his family to Buffalo, New York, where he has since maintained his home and where he engaged in the live-stock commission trade under his own name, in the meanwhile retaining his large interests in Fort Wayne. Somewhat later he became associated in the business in Buffalo with Joseph C. and Millard F. Windsor, under the title of Pfeiffer & Windsor Brothers, and under this name operations were actively carried on until April 6, 1901, the business in the meanwhile growing to one of great magnitude and importance. This firm was one of the foremost doing business at the East Buffalo stock yards, there having been only four other concerns there engaged in the same line of business at the time when the firm entered the field, while at the present time about twenty-five commission houses are there represented. At the time of the dissolution of the firm, on the date above mentioned, Mr. Pfeiffer entered into partnership with two of sons, Harry and Stephen, under the title of C. F. Pfeiffer & Sons, and this firm has since actively continued the business established so many years ago by the able and honored head of the concern, who has been identified with the commission business for more than half a century and whose name is well known in connection with the live-stock trade throughout the Union, while he is known as one of the most prominent and successful stock men of Buffalo and Fort Wayne.

On the 2d of April, 1859, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Pfeiffer to Miss Charlotte Rudisill Edwards, daughter of Joseph G. Edwards, a member of one of the oldest and most influential families of Fort Wayne, and to them have been born the following children: Henry W., of Buffalo, New York, a partner with his father; Amelia R., at home with her parents; Charlotte E., at home; Stephen F., a partner with his father; Anna E., wife of Charles Rogers, of Buffalo, New York; Joseph C., of Fort Wayne; Eliza C., at home; Frederick L. died in 1893, at the age of sixteen years; Florence E., at home. Mr. Pfeiffer has always been a Republican, but has never taken a very active part in public affairs. Since residing in Buffalo he has given substantial support to a number of meritorious public enterprises. His religious affiliation is with the English Lutheran church, 'and while a resident of Fort Wayne he was a liberal giver to the church of that denomination here.

Our honored subject has been in a significant sense the architect of his own fortunes, and while he has been an aggressive and successful business man he has been in no way unmindful of the higher duties of citizenship, has been true in his stewardship as prosperity has crowned his efforts and has shown a loyal interest in all that makes for the well-being of the communities in which he has lived and labored, while he has so directed his course as to command at all times the unequivocal confidence and regard of his fellow men. His name merits an enduring place on the roll of Fort Wayne's honored pioneers and influential citizens and business men.

Joseph La Gruber

A member of one of the pioneer families of Allen county is this well known business man of Fort Wayne, while it was his to render valiant service as a member of an Indiana regiment during the war of the Rebellion, after which he was for many years identified with the railroading business, with headquarters in Fort Wayne, where his friends are in number as his acquaintances. He is at the present time a member of the firm of J. H. Stellman & Company, dealers in hardware and tinware, at No. 2060 Fairfield avenue.

Mr. Gruber was born on the old homestead farm, near Maysville, Springfield township, this county, on the 27th of October, 1843, and is a son of Henry and Leah (Metzger) Gruber, both of whom were born and reared in Pennsylvania, being members of families early settled in the old Keystone state, while the lineage of each traced back to stanch German stock. They came to Indiana in 1831, and became numbered among the first settlers of Springfield township, Allen county, where the father secured a tract of wild and heavily timbered land, from which he developed a good farm, while he was a citizen of worth and prominence in his community, commanding the respect of all who knew him. His death occurred on the 17th of July, 1886, and his widow was summoned into eternal rest on the 22d of February, 1899, both having been consistent members of the English Lutheran church. They became the parents of eight children, of whom five are living.

Joseph L. Gruber passed his boyhood days on the home farm, and in the common schools of the locality was secured his early educational training. He later entered the Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, where he continued his studies until the outbreak of the Civil war. His intrinsic patriotism was quickened to responsive protest, and in 1862, at the age of eighteen years, he gave distinctive evidence of this by enlisting as a private in the Twentythird Indiana Light Artillery, with which he proceeded to the front, and with which he continued in active service until the close of the war. His battery served principally in the commands of Generals Thomas and Schofield, and he participated in many of the notable battles incidental to the great internecine conflict, the history of his regiment offering the essential record of his military career. He received his honorable discharge on the 4th of July, 1865, having been mustered out at Indianapolis.

After the close of the war Mr. Gruber returned to Allen county, and for the ensuing three years he devoted his attention to teaching in the public schools. On the 17th of July, 1868, he entered the employ of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, in the capacity of brakeman, and one year later he received merited promotion, being made freight conductor, while in January, 1869, he was made a passenger conductor. In this capacity he rendered most efficient service for the long period of twenty years and three months, ever proving faithful to the responsibilities devolving upon him and making an enviable record in the connection, while he gained the high regard of his superior officers, of the various employees with whom he was associated, and of the general traveling public with whom he came in contact in his official sphere. He retired from the railroading business in 1890, and on the 5th of April of that year he engaged in the hardware business in Fort Wayne, opening a store on Calhoun street, where he successfully continued operations for a period of seventeen years. He then sold out and engaged in the same line of enterprise at his present location, 2010 Fairfield avenue, where he continued the business individually until 1903, when he entered into partnership with John H. Stellhorn, under the firm name of J. H. Stellhorn & Company, which title has since obtained, while the business controlled is one of representative order, and the establishment one that is well equipped and well stocked in all departments.

Mr. Gruber is essentially public-spirited in his attitude, and he has taken an active interest in local affairs and been a zealous worker in the ranks of the Republican party, of whose principles and policies he is a stanch advocate. Mr. Gruber is an appreciative affiliate of the time-honored order of Freemasonry, in which he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. He is identified with Home Lodge, No. 342, Free and Accepted Masons; Fort Wayne Chapter, No. 19, Royal Arch Masons; Fort Wayne Council, No. 4, Royal and Select Masters; Fort Wayne Commandery, No. 4, Knights Templar; and with the various Scottish Rite bodies, including the Indiana Consistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret. He and his wife are active and valued members of the First Presbyterian church.

On the 27th of May, 1871, Mr. Gruber was united in marriage to Miss Emma J. Lowe, who was born in Pennsylvania, being a daughter of George and Mary Lowe, who came to Allen county in an early day. Mr. and Mrs. Gruber have but one child, Bertha May, who remains at the parental home.

At this point we accord consideration to one of the most advanced and progressive representatives of the medical profession in the city of Fort Wayne, where he has been actively engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery for the past thirty years, being known as a physician of high technical erudition and standing high in the esteem of his professional confreres and in the confidence and good will of the community in which he has so earnestly and effectively labored, while further we may state that his is the distinction of being a veteran of the war of the Rebellion.

Dr. Buchman is a representative of a family whose name has been identified with the annals of American history ever since the early colonial epoch, and his agnatic ancestry is traced back to worthy pioneers who settled in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1734, while the name has ever since been linked with the civic and industrial activities of that section of the old Keystone commonwealth, while members of the family in later generations have gone forth from that locality to found homes in divers other states of the Union. The Doctor was born in this ancestral county of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, on the 17th of November, 1844, being a son of Henry and Mary (Whitehead) Buchman, both of whom were born and reared in that county, where they continued to reside until 1848, when they removed to Stark county, Ohio, the subject of this review being four years of age at the time. In Ohio the father turned his attention to farming, milling, lumber and iron production, and both he and his devoted wife passed the remainder of their lives in Stark county, honored by all who knew them. Of their seven children five are living at the time of this writing. In Stark county Dr. Buchman was reared to maturity, and in its common schools he secured his early educational discipline, after which he entered Mount Union College, at Mount Union, Ohio, where he was a student at the time when the dark cloud of civil war spread its gruesome pall over the national firmament. The student body was roused to marked patriotic ardor as the great conflict progressed, with varying fortunes, and in August, 1862, Dr. Buchman, who was then seventeen years of age, left the classroom to tender his services in defense of the Union, enlisting as a private in Company D, One Hundred and Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he proceeded to the front, the regiment being assigned to the Army of the Potomac, and with this command the Doctor continued in service until victory crowned the Union arms and the war ended. He received his honorable discharge at Cleveland, Ohio, in August, 1865. He participated in the battles of the Wilderness and at Gettysburg, subsequently joining the Army of the South, where there were constantly small engagements on the islands adjacent to Charleston, South Carolina. From here they went to Jacksonville, Florida, where almost daily raids were made up the St. John's river, a sort of guerilla warfare being carried on with wandering bands of the enemy.

After the close of his faithful and valorous military career Dr. Buchman returned to his home in Ohio and soon afterward resumed his studies in Mount Union College, where he finished the sophomore year as a member of the class of 1867. Having determined to adopt the medical profession he then initiated his technical training, being finally matriculated in the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, in 1868, graduating in 1870. He practiced for three years at Trenton, Ohio, then came to Fort Wayne and entered upon the general practice. He has been a member of the faculty of the Medical College of Fort Wayne ever since its organization.

In politics Dr. Buchman has ever accorded a stanch allegiance to the Republican party, having cast his first presidential vote for Lincoln and having ever taken a loyal interest in the party cause. He is affiliated with the following named Masonic bodies: Sol D. Bayless Lodge, Scottish Rite and Knights Templar, and is one of the valued comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic. His practice is one of wide scope and distinctively representative character, and he holds the inviolate friendship and esteem of the many families to whom he has ministered in the community, while he keeps fully abreast of the advances made in all branches of his profession and is thus numbered among the ee physicians of the northern part of the state.

On the 29th of December, 1870, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Buchman to Miss Dora Painter, who was reared and educated in Stark county, Ohio, where her birth occurred. She is a daughter of Joseph and Sarah Ann Painter, both of whom are deceased. They have one daughter, who has achieved some distinction in art.

Frank Fortmeyer

Among the leading dairymen supplying the people of the city of Fort Wayne with the best of milk and cream the subject of this sketch is numbered, and his well equipped dairy farm is located in Washington township, the property being held by him under lease. He has attained success of no indefinite order and is one of the popular and progressive citizens and business men of the county.

Mr. Fortmeyer is a native of Hanover, Germany, where he was born on the 17th of March, 1872, being a son of Frank and Clara (Piper) Fortmeyer. The father was identified with agricultural pursuits in his native province and was also engaged in the drug business for a number of years, being a man of influence in his community. He continued to reside in the fatherland until his death, which occurred in 1888, while his widow survives him still and is now a resident of Allen county. The subject secured his early educational training in the excellent national schools of his native land, where he was reared to the age of sixteen years, when, in 1888, he came with his widowed mother and his brothers to America and settled in the city of Fort Wayne. Here he soon afterward secured employment in railroad shops, following this line of work for two years, at the expiration of which he went to the city of Chicago, where he remained about nine years, including the period of the Columbian exposition, in 1893. In the "Garden City" he secured a clerical position in a leading dry-goods establishment and eventually rose to the position of assistant manager in the Boston store, one of the leading department concerns of the great western metropolis. After holding this important and responsible position about four years, Mr. Fortmeyer found his health so impaired by the close confinement that he was compelled to resign and seek a change of vocation. He accordingly returned to Allen county .and here he soon effected the lease of his present fine farm, for a term of five years, this being in 1901. The farm comprises one hundred and sixty acres, of which about eighty acres are available for cultivation, the remainder being timber and pasture land. The agricultural products of the place he largely utilizes for feeding his stock, for he gives his attention principally to the dairy business, in which he has met with most gratifying success, controlling a large and representative trade on his milk routes in the city, from which his farm is three and a half miles distant. His milch cows are of the best type, being a cross of the Durham and Jersey breeds, and his herd averages about forty head. The most punctilious care is utilized in maintaining cleanliness and perfect sanitation, and this fact, in connection with the fine quality of the products, has gained to the dairy a high reputation and the subject has not been able to supply the demands placed upon him in the connection. His thorough business experience in a great metropolitan establishment makes him fully appreciative of the value of system and close application, and thus he utilizes this knowledge effectively and by his progressive methods has made his enterprise a noteworthy success in every particular.

In politics Mr. Fortmeyer is a stanch supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and he takes a lively interest in public affairs of a local nature, though he has never sought the honors or emoluments of political office of any description. Both he and his wife are members of the German Lutheran church.

In the year 1891 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Fortmeyer to Miss Anna Kuehnert, daughter of August and Augustina Kuehnert, of Fort Wayne, and of this union have been born two fine sons, August and Otto.

Christian Prange

Numbered among the successful, progressive and honored farmers of Washington township is Mr. Prange, who resides on the old homestead which was purchased by his father more than half a century ago. The subject is a native son of Allen county and here his entire life thus far has been passed, while it is largely due to his own efforts that he has attained independence and unequivocal prosperity, while those who have known him from his childhood days accord to him a full measure of confidence and esteem, - the best evidence that his life has been one of integrity and usefulness.

Mr. Prange was born on his present farmstead, on the 14th of June, 1869, and is the youngest of the six children of Charles and Sophia (Brinkman) Prange, both of whom were born in Germany, whence they came to America when young. The father of the subject was sixteen years of age at the time of his arrival in the United States, and he soon came to Allen county, where he was for a time employed in running a canal boat and then turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, eventually purchasing the farm now owned by the subject, and here continuing to reside until his death, which occurred in 1897, while his cherished and devoted wife was summoned into eternal rest in 1904. Both were consistent members of the German Lutheran church, and in politics Mr. Prange was a stanch Democrat. He was a man of inflexible integrity of character, was sincere, earnest and honest in all the relations of life; was a hard worker from his youth up and ever merited the high esteem in which he was held in the community which represented his home during so many years.

Christian Prange, to whom this sketch is dedicated, passed his boyhood days on the old homestead, in whose work he early began to assist in a material way, while he duly availed himself of the ad- vantages afforded in the public schools of the locality. After leaving school he continued to be associated in the work and management of the home farm, and eventually became the owner of the same, purchasing the interests of the other heirs. He has eighty acres of most arable land, and about forty-five acres are maintained under a high state of cultivation, yielding excellent returns for the labors expended. Mr. Prange gives his attention to diversified agriculture, and for several years he was engaged in the dairy business, keeping an average herd of about twenty milch cows and building up an excellent trade in supplying milk to the citizens of Fort Wayne. He was most successful in this department of his enterprise, but found it finally expedient to abandon the same, and he has since devoted his attention to general farming and to the raising of stock of excellent grade. He has made many excellent improvements on his farm, and the same gives unmistakable evidence of the ability and enterprise of its owner. In politics Mr. Prange gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, but he has never sought or desired official preferment. His religious views are those of the German Lutheran church, in whose faith he was reared.

In the year 1898 Mr. Prange was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Prange, who likewise was born and reared in Allen county, being a daughter of Hervey Prange.

Theobald Hofer

In the subject of this sketch we have one of the sturdy and loyal citizens whom the great empire of Germany has contributed to the county of Allen, and here he has attained no small measure of success in connection with industrial enterprises, having been identified with farming operations and being at the present the manager of the Bank Block in the city of Fort Wayne.

Mr. Hofer was born in the most picturesque section of the German empire, the place of his nativity being the Rheinpfalz, where he was ushered into the world on the roth of August, 1856, being a son of George and Mary E. Hofer, representatives of sterling German ancestry. The subject of this sketch received his early education in his native land, where he remained until he had attained the age of twenty-seven years, when he came to America with his parents, who located in Fort Wayne, where he was reared to maturity. In 1882 Mr. Hofer came to Allen county, where he has since maintained his home and where he has gained independence and prosperity through his own well directed efforts, in the meanwhile proving himself worthy of the confidence and esteem which are so uniformly reposed in him. During the first four years of his residence in this county he had charge of a stock farm in Aboit township, the same being the property of S. Bash & Company, of Fort Wayne, and upon retiring from this position he assumed his present duties in charge of the Bank Block, one of the large and important business buildings of the city, the same being located at the corner of Main and Court streets in the city of Fort Wayne. His residence property, comprising six acres, with a nice dwelling, is located in Washington township, one and one-half miles distant from the court house.

porting the men and measures which meet his approval, and his religious views are indicated in the fact that both he and his wife are members of the Reformed church.

The subject has been twice married. In 1884 he was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Schug, daughter of Frederick Schug, who was at the time a resident of Fort Wayne. Mrs. Hofer was summoned into eternal rest in 1903 and the subject later wedded his present wife, whose maiden name was Rosa Haupert. Five children were born of the first marriage and all are living, their names being here entered in the order of their birth: Hulda, William, Adolph, Amelia and Esther.

Milo Beard

It is with distinctive gratification that we enter in this work a tribute to the venerable and honored citizen whose name appears above and who has been a resident of Allen county for two score of years, while he is one of the representative farmers and influential citizens of Wayne township.

Mr. Beard claims the old Buckeye state as the place of his nativity, having been born in Youngstown, Mahoning county, Ohio, on the 14th of October, 1825, and being a son of John and Rachel (Duncan) Beard, the former of whom was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and the latter in Washington county, that state, while their marriage was solemnized in Mahoning county, Ohio, in which section of the state Mr. Beard was one of the earliest settlers, having there taken up his residence about 1790, many years before Ohio was admitted to the Union, while he thus found himself one of the first of the valiant couriers of civilization to settle west of the Alleghany mountains. He took up wild land and developed a farm in the midst of the wilderness, residing on this place several years and then removing to a point about twenty miles farther west, where he continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred about 1833, his devoted wife surviving him by a number of years. His father, who likewise bore the name of John, also became one of the pioneers in the same section of Ohio, and he erected the first mill in that locality, the same having been situated on Mill creek falls and having been known as Beard's mill, while it drew its patronage from a wide radius of country, the widely scattered settlers having recourse to the mill in having their necessary grinding done. The father and son operated this mill for several years, and it long stood as a landmark in Mahoning county, but was swept away by a cloudburst, in 1843, while at a later date a new mill was erected on its site. Both father and son were stalwart Democrats in their political proclivities and both commanded respect and confidence by reason of their sterling attributes of character and their usefulness as members of the army of the world's workers.

Milo Beard, the immediate subject of this sketch, was an only child, and was reared under the scenes and labors of the pioneer epoch in Ohio, where he grew to manhood, strong in mind and body, though his educational advantages were perforce limited, as schools were few and of primitive type, while he was early compelled to depend largely upon his own resources, as he was but a lad at the time of his father's death. He has been identified with the noble industry of husbandiy from his youth to the present, and through the same has gained independence and definite success, while he continued to reside in Mahoning county, Ohio, until 1865, when he came to Allen county, Indiana, and purchased one hundred and forty acres of land, lying in Wayne and Aboit townships, the farm having been partially reclaimed at the time when he purchased the property. This homestead has ever since been his place of abode and the farm is now conceded to be one of the best in this locality, being under a high state of cultivation and having excellent buildings and other permanent improvements, all of which were made under the direction and through the efforts of our subject, whose energy and progressive methods have thus been given a permanent memorial. The farm is devoted to diversified agriculture and to the raising of an excellent grade of live stock, and everything about the place indicates thrift and prosperity. In politics Mr. Beard has insistently clung to the faith of his father and grandfather, and is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Democratic party as represented in the teachings of Jefferson and Jackson. He has never been a seeker of office but has never failed to do his part in supporting public enterprises and undertakings tending to enhance the general welfare. He has long been affiliated with Summit City Lodge, No. 170, Free and Accepted Masons.

Mr. Beard has been thrice married. In 1847 he wedded Miss Mary Osborne, who was born and reared in Trumbull county, Ohio, having been a daughter of William and Sarah (Jordon) Osborne, worthy pioneers of that locality. Mrs. Beard died in October, 1851, leaving one son, John M., who is now a prominent druggist of Spencerville, Ohio. In 1853 Mr. Beard was united in marriage to Miss Rachel Osborne Lynn, daughter of Conrad and Mary (Osborne) Lynn, of Mahoning county, Ohio, whither they removed from Virginia. The subject's second wife was summoned into eternal rest on the 3d of July, 1861, and is survived by her only child, Andrew Wallace, who has always remained with his father and been associated with him in his farming enterprise. In 1865 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Beard to Miss Julia Ann Crouse, of Mahoning county, Ohio, and she remained his devoted companion for a quarter of a century, having passed away on the 16th of June, 1890, no children having been born of this union.

Andrew Wallace Beard, the younger son of the subject, was born in Mahoning county, Ohio, on the 8th of January, 1856, and has been intimately associated with his father in his business affairs, while at the present time he has the management of the fine homestead farm. He is a Democrat in politics and as a citizen is held in high regard in the community in which he has so long made his home. In May, 1880, he was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Aiken, who was born and reared in this county, being a daughter of John and Martha Aiken, who came to this section from Jefferson county, Ohio, in 1863, settling in Lafayette township, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew W. Beard have two children, John C., who is in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, in Fort Wayne, and Mary R., who remains at the parental home.

Jacob Graham

As a member of one of the honored pioneer families of Wayne county and as one who was long one of the representative farmers of Wayne township, where he is now living retired, it is incumbent that special mention be made of Mr. Graham. He is a native of this county, where he was born on the 26th of February, 1835, and here he has continued to make his home during the long intervening years. He is a son of David Graham, who was born in Greenville, Greene county, Tennessee, which place was likewise the spot in which was born his devoted wife, whose maiden name was Rachel Sands, and in their native county was solemnized their matriage. There the father of the subject continued to be identified with farming until 1820, when he came to Wayne county, Indiana, making the journey with a team and being accompanied by his wife, who bravely stood ready to face the fortunes which might be theirs in the pioneer district. Mr. Graham took up eighty acres of wild land, the same being covered with a dense growth of timber, and on this place he erected a log cabin and therein established his Lares and Penates. He then set to himself the task of reclaiming the land to cultivation, laboring early and late and continuing to reside here for several years, after which he removed to Preble county, Ohio, where he continued to reside until his death, at the venerable age of eightytwo years, while his cherished wife was eighty years old at the time of her demise. Mr. Graham was a great hunter in the early days, and with his trusty gun largely supplied the family larder, as game of all kinds was then plentiful. He was a man of strong personality and inflexible integrity, commanding the confidence and regard of all who knew him, and while he never sought office he served for a time as supervisor of Wayne township, having been a stanch Democrat in his political proclivities. He was a son of Charles

Graham, who was a soldier in the war of 1812, in which he participated in the battle of New Orleans, and the latter's father likewise bore the name of Charles and was a brother of the Graham who was the vice-presidential candidate at the time General Scott was the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. The Grahams are of stanch Scottish ancestry, and there were three families of the name who came to America as founders of the various branches, one of the families settling in North Carolina, another in New York state and the third in Pennsylvania, the subject of this review being descended from the branch first mentioned. The original orthography of the name was Grimas, later the form Graeme appeared and finally the present spelling was adopted. The father of the subject was a lifelong member of the United Brethren church, and the mother held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. In their family were eight children, of whom several are still living; Amanda, who became the wife of William P. Curlin, is deceased; Jacob, subject of this sketch, was the next in order of birth; Ann is the widow of George Hodge and resides in Richmond, Indiana ; James F. is likewise a resident of Richmond, being a retired farmer, while it may be noted that he served three years as a member of the Fifth Ohio Cavalry during the Civil war; Hannah is the wife of Fuller Edsal, of Richmond, this state; Joseph is a prominent insurance agent in the same city; Ellen is the wife of George Jones, of that city, where her husband was long engaged in contracting and building, being now retired; and William was a resident of Richmond at the time of his death.

The subject grew up under the sturdy discipline of the home farm, early becoming inured to hard work, while his educational advantages were such as were afforded in the primitive log school houses, said schools being principally maintained on the subscription plan. He was able to attend even such schools only six months in toto, and his farther training was secured under the direction of that wisest of headmasters, experience. Mr. Graham accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio, and remained associated with the work of the home farm until he had attained his legal majority, while at the age of twenty-seven years he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Ford, who was born and reared in Preble county,

Allen V Coun Ty Indiana

Ohio, where their wedding occurred. At this juncture we may consistently incorporate a brief record concerning their children: Margaret is the wife of Emery S. Druley, of Wayne township; Annie, who was the wife of John Lloyd, of Richmond, Indiana, is deceased ; Grant is engaged as an electrician in the city of Fort Wayne; Charles remains at the parental home and is associated in the management of the farm; James is a successful farmer of Wayne township; Maude is the wife of Elgin Smith, of the same township; William is a prosperous market gardener of this township; and Vera, the wife of John Beard, of Fort Wayne. All of the children have received excellent educational advantages, and all of the daughters have been successful and popular teachers in the public schools of their home county. The great loss and bereavement of Mr. Graham's life came on the 3d of July, 1904, when his cherished and devoted wife was summoned into eternal rest, after a married life of forty-seven years' duration, while she was sixty-two years of age at the time of her demise.

Shortly after his marriage Mr. Graham left his wife in Westville, Ohio, and started on the long and perilous overland trip to Colorado, in the year 1859. In March of that year, in company with another man, he went from St. Louis up the Missouri river to St. Joseph, from which point he secured passage to Denver, Colorado, on one of the wagon trains starting forth from that well known outfitting point. More than six weeks was consumed in making the trip, a distance of more than seven hundred miles, and along the route were found only a few widely separated settlers, in Kansas and Nebraska, while no settlers were found after leaving Marysville, Kansas, while the conditions of the untrammeled western wilds were such as have so often been described in historic publications and reminiscent articles touching the pioneer era in that section of our great national domain. Wild game of all sorts was in evidence, and on the journey Mr. Graham had the privilege of seeing a gigantic herd of buffaloes. The great beasts were seen approaching and covered a distance of about fifteen miles each hour, while so great was the number that three hours elapsed before the herd had passed. Mr. Graham visited various sections of Colorado, where he devoted his attention to prospecting and hunting wild game. At the time of his arrival the present city of Denver contained only seven cabins. He was engaged in prospecting and mining in the state for four years, returning to his home in December, 1863. He forthwith showed his patriotism by tendering his services in defense of the Union, enlisting as a private in Company G, Thirty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and he went to the front with his regiment, which was assigned to the western department, Fourteenth Army Corps, taking part in numerous battles, including those of Franklin and Nashville and the last battle of the great conflict, while he was never wounded or taken prisoner. He received his honorable discharge in 1865, and then returned to Indiana and located in Wayne county, near the city of Richmond, where for the ensuing twenty years he operated a large farm. In 1887 Mr. Graham came to Allen county and settled in Wayne township, purchasing ten acres of land and erecting on the same his present comfortable and attractive residence, while he is also the owner of another tract of twenty acres. He raises small fruits on his land, and as a grower of strawberries has attained a high reputation, and aside from the supervision of his fruit business he is now living retired, having accumulated a competency since coming to the county, as is evident when we revert to the fact that at the time of his arrival here his cash capital was summed up in the amount of twenty-five cents. In a fraternal way he is identified with Sion S. Bass Post, Grand Army of the Republic, in the city of Fort Wayne, while he is a valued member of the United Brethren church at Prairie Grove, Wayne township, his wife likewise having been a devoted member of the same religious body. In his political proclivities Mr. Graham is a stanch Democrat. He has won prosperity through well directed effort, and his course has been such as to retain to him the loyal esteem of his fellow men.

John A. Miller

An able and popular representative of the great basic art of agriculture in Allen county is Mr. Miller, who is one of the prominent farmers of Wayne township, his fine homestead being located in section 20. He is a native of the Hoosier state, having been born in Dekalb county, on the 18th of December, 1847, and being a son of John F. and Julia A. (Coffman) Miller, both coming of stanch German ancestry. The father was born on a sailing vessel on the Atlantic ocean, on the 28th of August, 1805, his parents being at the time en route for America. His father, Michael Miller, settled with his family in the city of Philadelphia, whence he later removed to Ohio and finaily came to Indiana, becoming a pioneer of Noble county, where both he and his wife passed the closing years of their lives. John F. Miller was reared to young manhood in Marion county, Ohio, where his marriage was solemnized. In 1836 he came to Dekalb county, Indiana, where he secured a tract of wild and heavily timbered land, being one of the pioneers of that section and there reclaiming a good farm, while to him was accorded the unqualified confidence and esteem of kis fellow citizens there, as well as in all other communities in which he was known. He disposed of his property in Dekalb county in 1850, in which year he came to Allen county, where he repeated his pioneer experiences, becoming the owner of a tract of three hundred and ten acres, in Wayne township, and reclaiming a large portion of the same to cultivation. No roads had been constructed in the locality at the time when he here took up his abode, and on his land only slight improvements had been made, including a small frame house which was the family home for a number of years. Mr. Miller became one of the successful, influential and highly esteemed farmers and citizens of the county and continued to reside on his homestead during the few remaining years of his life, his death occurring on the 18th of

February, 1859. His devoted wife survived him by many years, being summoned to the life eternal on the 7th of January, 1893, at the venerable age of eighty-three years. Both were zealous and valued members of the United Brethren church, and in politics the father was originally a Whig, though he lived to witness the birth of the Republican party and to espouse its cause. Concerning their nine children we enter the following brief record: Nancy became the wife of Frank Mason, and both are deceased; Mary is the wife of Peter Gundy, a successful farmer of Huntington county, Indiana; Elizabeth, a maiden lady, resides in the home of the subject of this review; Israel, an engineer by vocation, resides in Los Angeles, California ; Sarah, who married Henry Flutter, is deceased; Lucretia is the wife of Philip Rapp, a farmer of Wayne township; John A. is the subject of this sketch; Cornelius is a resident of Fort Wayne, where he is engaged as an engineer; and William H., a locomotive engineer, resides in Milan, Sullivan county, Missouri.

John A. Miller was a child of three years at the time of the family removal to Allen county, and he was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm, in whose work he early began to assist to the extent of his powers, while his educational advantages were those afforded in the local schools of the intermediate pioneer days. It is interesting to record that he has never left the old farm, of which he and his maiden sister are now the owners, while both have here resided ever since the year 1850, witnessing the great transformation which has been wrought in this section and being numbered among the honored pioneer citizens of Wayne township, while their circle of friends is limited only by that of their acquaintances. They own seventy-eight acres of the parental homestead, and the place is under a high state of cultivation and improved with good buildings. The farm is devoted to diversified agriculture and to the raising of high-grade live stock, while on the farm is to be found an excellent variety of fruits. In politics Mr. Miller is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Republican party, but he has never sought or desired office, though taking a deep interest in local affairs and always standing ready to aid in the forwarding of measures and enterprises for the general good. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and his sister retains the faith in which she was reared, being identified with the United Brethren church. The old home was destroyed by fire in 1893, and within the same year Mr. Miller completed his present fine brick residence, whose dimensions in the main are thirty by fifty-two feet, with a wing, while in equipment and appointments it is thoroughly modern, being supplied with hot and cold water by means of a private plant and being heated by furnace. The fine barn, of the bank sort, is forty by eighty feet in dimensions and in addition to affording ample storage capacity for produce, machinery, etc., it also has the best of accommodations for live stock. Mr. Miller remains a bachelor, and his sister presides most graciously over the domestic economies of the pleasant home, which is one of the most attractive in the locality and which is a center of generous hospitality.

John D. Sprankle

There is no element which has entered into the composite makeup of America's social fabric which has been of greater strength and value than that derived from the German empire, which has furnished a contingent of sterling worth within the years of our national existence. The ancestors of the subject of this sketch came from Germany to America in the early colonial epoch and settled in Pennsylvania, with whose history the name has ever since been linked, while of John D. Sprankle it should be said that he is one of the venerable and honored pioneers of Allen county, where he has maintained his home for more than half a century, while he is one of those worthy citizens who have aided materially in the industrial and civic upbuilding of this favored section of the state.

John D. Sprankle is a native of Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, where he was born on the 1oth of February, 1825, being a son of Peter and Frances (Bredenbaugh) Sprankle, the former having been born in York county and the latter in Lancaster county; while the father became one of the successful and influential farmers of Huntingdon county, where both he and his devoted wife passed the closing years of their lives. George Sprankle, grandfather of the subject, was numbered among the early settlers in the old Keystone state, while it was his to render valiant services as a soldier in the Continental line during the war of the Revolution. In politics George Sprankle was originally an old-line Whig, but he lived to witness the birth of the Republican party and to espouse its cause, while both he and his wife were zealous and consistent members of the German Reformed church. They became the parents of six children, of whom only two are living, John D., who was the third in order of birth, and Peter, the youngest, who resided at Alexander, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. The names of those deceased are as follows: Susan, Mary A., George and Michael.

John D. Sprankle was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm and early became inured to hard work, while his educational advantages in his youth were necessarily limited, owing to the exigencies of time and place, the only schools in the vicinity of his home having been those maintained on the subscription plan. He remained at the parental home until he had attained to the age of twenty-three years, and in the meanwhile he had been employed for a time in the rolling mills of his native county, the steel industry at the time having been practically in its infancy there. In 1840 he accompanied his father to Indiana and other western states, as the middle states were then designated, their object in making the trip being to search for a new location for the family. The father, however, continued to reside in Pennsylvania until his death, as before noted.

In 1850 Mr. Sprankle came to Allen county and took up his permanent location, securing a tract of heavily timbered land, in Aboit township, and erecting in a small clearing in the forest the little log cabin which was his original home here. He became the owner of a landed estate of two hundred and forty acres and developed one,of the valuable farms of the county. While none can fail to appreciate the attractions and the capitalistic valuation of this fine homestead at the present day, it is difficult for the younger generation to realize the herculean labors performed in transforming the untrammeled wilderness into fertile fields and blossoming meadows. Our subject labored with all of energy and well directed ambition, and the natural result was his attaining a position as one of the substantial men and influential citizens of the county. He retained possession of his old homestead until 1901, when he sold the property to his only son, with whom he now resides in Wayne township and in the immediate vicinage of the city of Fort Wayne. In appending paragraphs further mention is made of the son, who is one of the county's prominent citizens. Mr. Sprankle has ever taken a loyal interest in public affairs of a local nature and has wielded much influence in the community in which he made his home for so many years. He cast his first presidential vote for Zachary Taylor, candidate of the Whig party, but ever since the organization of the Republican party he has given a stanch allegiance to the same, while he takes a lively interest in questions of public import at the present time, though he has reached the age of four score years. These years rest lightly on the head of this honored pioneer and he is well preserved in both mental and physical vigor. During the war of the Rebellion Mr. Sprankle was a member of the Loyal League and did all in his power to further the advancement of the Union cause, while it may be said also that he was uncompromisingly an abolitionist in sentiment, having the courage of his convictions in this regard, as has he also in all other exigencies and relations in life. His memory remains unimpaired and his reminiscences of the early days are graphic and most interesting, while he has the affectionate regard of young and old and finds his lines cast in pleasant places as the shadows of life begin to lengthen from the golden west. His cherished and devoted wife, his companion for nearly a half century, remains by his side, and both have been zealous members of the Reformed church from their youth up.

In the year 1847 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Sprankle to Miss Susan Soures, who was born in Summit county, Ohio, on the 1st of May, 1831, being a daughter of Jacob and Mary (Hartman) Soures, who removed to Adams county, Ohio, while she was a child, while she there maintained her home up to the time of her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Sprankle have three children. Mary is the wife of Henry Smaltz, a prominent farmer of Aboit township; Josephine is the widow of Daniel Rousseau, and resides in the city of Chicago, Illinois. John C. F., the only son, was born on the old homestead farm, in Aboit township, this county, on the roth of December, 1856, and was reared and educated in his native county, where he duly availed himself of the advantages of the public schools. He is one of the successful and extensive contractors of the county and also has the general supervision of the old homestead farm, which he purchased in 1901, as has previously been stated, while he owns other property in the county and is one of the prominent, reliable and highly honored business men and loyal citizens of this section of the state, his pleasant home being located in section 8, Wayne township. He is a stalwart Republican in his political proclivities, is a prominent and appreciative member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained the thirty-second degree

On the 5th of February, 1879, John C. F. Sprankle was united in marriage to Miss Sarah E. Rousseau, a daughter of Francis M. and Martha J. (Correy) Rousseau, who are well known residents of Wayne township, the former having been born in Richmond, Wayne county, Indiana, and the latter in the state of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Sprankle have four children, Frank J., Cloyd, Blanche and Howard.

James Cunnison

Of sterling Scottish lineage is Mr. Cunnison, who is a native son of Allen county and a representative of one of its honored pioneer families, while he stands as one of the prominent farmers of Wayne township. In said township his birth occurred on the 17th of December, 1840. He is a son of Robert and Margaret (Ramsey) Cunnison, both of whom were born and reared in Scotland, the father having been born in Kirkmighel, Perthshire, Scotland, January 15, 1800, while he immigrated to America when still a young man, having settled in Allen county, Indiana, as a pioneer of 1833. Fort Wayne was at that time scarcely more than an Indian village and trading post, while civilization had as yet gained but a precarious foothold in this section, which was practically a virgin forest. He settled in Wayne township and there began the reclaiming of a farm, but his life ended a decade after his arrival in the county, as he passed to his reward November 2, 1843. His wife, who was born in Perthshire, Scotland, on the 22d of January, 1799, eventually contracted a second marriage, becoming the wife of John Whetton, Sr., who was born in Lullington, England, and who likewise was one of the worthy pioneers of Allen county, where he died January 31, 1861, the family having removed to Pleasant township in 1843. In that township the devoted mother also passed the remainder of her life. Of her first marriage were born-three children, the eldest, Isabelle, having been born on shipboard while her parents were en route to America, and she died in Fort Wayne, when three years of age; Robert, who was born in 1835, met an accidental death, having been killed by the damps of a well, on the 8th of July, 1880, he was a successful farmer of this county and was held in high regard by all who knew him. He married Miss Matilda Beck, while of their six children five are living; and James, subject of this sketch, was the youngest in the family.

James Cunnison was reared to the invigorating discipline of the farm and in the pioneer days had his full quota of hard work to perform, while his educational opportunities were limited to a somewhat desultory attendance in the common schools of the locality and period.. He has never faltered in his allegiance to the great basic industry of agriculture and through his connection therewith has gained a competency, being the owner of several farms, in Pleasant and Wayne townships, while the same are operated by his sons and son-in-law. Though he has practically lived retired for several years past he maintains a general supervision over his farms and other capitalistic interests, and is far from being idle or inactive. For two and one-half years Mr. Cunnison resided in the city of Fort Wayne, and at the expiration of this period he purchased his present homestead place, known as the John Bishop farm, in section 28, Wayne township, where he has maintained his home since 1901. The attractive residence property is located in the environs of Fort Wayne and is one of the valuable places of the county. His landed estate in the aggregate comprises three hundred and thirteen acres in Pleasant and Wayne townships, and all the property is well improved. and under effective cultivation. On the 23d of May, 1883, Mr. Cunnison's homestead residence in Pleasant township was destroyed by fire, but he soon afterward erected a new and better dwelling on the place, which he still owns. He is a stalwart Republican in his political allegiance, and while he has never been ambitious for public office he has shown at all times a most loyal and helpful interest in his home county, with whose civic and industrial development he has been intimately identified. He is a most appreciative member of the time-honored Masonic fraternity, being affiliated with Summit City Lodge, No. 170, Free and Accepted Masons, and other York Rite bodies of Fort Wayne, while in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite he has attained the sixteenth degree, being affiliated with the consistory in Fort Wayne. He is not formally identified with any religious organization, but his wife is a devoted member of the United Brethren church.

On the 21st of January, 1866, Mr. Cunnison was united in marriage to Miss Mary Dalman, who was born and reared in Allen county, being a daughter of William and Rebecca (Osborne) Dal- man, who settled in this county in 1833, having been pioneers of Pleasant township, where they continued to reside until summoned to the life eternal. The father was born in Derbyshire, England, and the mother was a native of Ohio. In conclusion we incorporate a brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Cunnison : Alexander was born on the 25th of June, 1867, and is one of the successful and influential farmers of Pleasant township. He is a thirty-second-degree Mason and is also identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He married Miss Della Shipler. Margaret I. is the wife of Levi E. Koons, another enterprising farmer of Pleasant township, and they have three children, Arthur, Mollie and James R. William, who was born August 5, 1871, married Miss Lillie Glass and they are residents of Arlington, California, having two children, Gladys and Wayne. He is an Odd Fellow. Frank, who was born September 18, 1875, is a successful farmer of Wayne township, while in a fraternal way he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He married Miss Florence Mason and they have two children, Edna Irene and Glenn. James, the youngest of the subject's children, was born on the 30th of November, 1882, and is now employed in the offices of the Wells Fargo Express Company in the city of San Bernardino, California.

William W. Shoaff

One of the old and well-known retired citizens of Allen county, Indiana, is William W. Shoaff, who is now living in Fort Wayne in the quiet enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. Mr. Shoaff was born on November 15, 1829, in Miami county, Ohio, and is the son of John P. and Priscilla (Freeman) Shoaff, the former born in Maryland, October 12, 1804,' and the latter a native of Ohio. John P. Shoaff, at the age of one year, was brought by his parents to Ohio, locating near Dayton. In February, 1885, they removed to Allen county, Indiana, and on February 4, 1885, Mr. Shoaff located in Churubusco, Indiana, where he spent the rest of his days, dying there on February 1, 1887. On February 5, 1828, he was married to Miss Priscilla Freeman, who was born in Greene county, Ohio, on January 4, 1810, and who died at the old home in Allen county on May 22, 1880. To this union were born eleven children, of whom William W., John F., Anna, James B., Jennie, Allen P. and Wade Scott are now living.