DeKalb County, Indiana - Biographical sketches (2 of 2 so headed), 1914 (part 5 of 20)

James Craig Day, the leading hardware dealer at Waterloo, Indiana, was born at Mansfield, Ohio, on May 18, 1857, and is a son of Henry C. and Mary (Casebeer) Day. Henry C Day was a native of Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio with his parents in an early day, where he was reared and received his education, and here he was united in marriage to Mary Casebeer, who was born at Crestline. Ohio, near Mansfield. Tames C. Dav was reared to manhood at IMansfteld, where he attended the pubhc schools, and was afterward a student in the college at Olierlin. that state. Upon completing his collegiate studies, he spent about a year on the paternal farmstead, and then, in the spring of 1881, he came to Waterloo, Indiana, and in partnership with his brother, Frank P. Day, started in the liardware business. Two years later the brothers went to Kansas, where Frank engaged in business at Kingman and remained there the rest of his life. James C. engaged in the real estate business at Garden City, but about four years later returned to DeKalb county, Indiana, and for a year was engaged in agricultural pursuits in Fairfield township. In the spring of 1889 he came to Waterloo and bought the hardware business owned by the W. H. Kibblinger estate, and has continued to conduct this business ever since, a period of nearly a quarter of a century. During this time he has not only built up a large and profitable business, but has also by his persistent industry, good business methods and upright life won the respect and high regard of the entire community. He carries a large and well selected line of shelf and heavy hardware, such as is demanded by the local trade, and tlie keynote of his success here has been that he endeavors to please every customer who enters his door.

In 1887, soon after Mr. Day's return from Kansas, he was united in marriage with Jennie Lockhart, who was born in Smithfield township, De- Kalb county, Indiana, a daughter of William C. and Mary (Spencer) Lockhart. The latter died when Mrs. Day was but a baby of two years of age, and the latter was reared by Mr. Lockhart's second wife. William C. Lockhart was one of the best known and influential citizens in his .section of the coimty, and is mentioned in a personal sketch elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Day is a lady of cidture and refinement, possessing many excellent qualities of head and heart which have comniendetl her to the good opinion of those with whom she comes in contact. To Mr. and Mrs. Day has been born one son, William C, born December ig, 1894, who is now completing the last year of his high school work in the Waterloo public schools.

James C. Day has taken an intelligent and commendable interest in the public affairs of his community and though not a seeker of public office, he was persuaded to accept the position of treasurer of Waterloo for a twoyear term, and so satisfactory was his administration that he was re-elected for a second term, discharging his official duties to the entire satisfaction of his fellow citizens. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias at Waterloo, taking a keen interest in tlie working of that order.

while religiously, he and his wife are earnest and consistent members of the Presbyterian church. Genial and companionable, they enjoy the friendship of a large circle of friends in the community and are numbered among Waterloo's best citizens.

Colonel E. Montavon

In every life of honor and usefulness there is no dearth of incident, yet in summing up the career of any man the writer needs touch only those salient points which give the keynote to his character. Thus in giving the life record of Colonel E. Montavon sufficient will be said to show, what all who know him will freely acquiesce in, that he is one of the enterprising and progressive citizens of DeKalb county.

Colonel E. Montavon, who for a number of years has been recognized as one of the leading citizens of Waterloo, Indiana, was born on December 21, 1 86 1, at Fremont, this state, and is the son of Peter and Catherine (Christ) Montavon. Peter Montavon was bom at Alsace, France, and was a man of splendid intellectual attainments, being able to speak seven different languages. He was a shoemaker by trade and coming to America he was employed in a number of cities of this country. On August 5, 1856, when twentv-six years old, he married Mrs. Catherine (Christ) Finery, who was then but eighteen years old. She was born in Paris, France, and in young girlhood married Joseph Fluery, who was employed later at a lime kiln in Detroit, where he fell into the kiln and was burned to death. To Mr. and Mrs. Montavon were born two children: Frank and C. E., the former dying in 1876 and the latter being the immediate subject of this sketch. Peter Montavon moved around quite a good deal, following his trade, having lived at Ouincy, Coldwater and Hillsdale, Michigan, and at Fremont and Angola, Indiana, as well as other places, and in 1869 was at Toledo. In that year Daniel Till, of Waterloo, was running a hardware store and shoe shop and employed six men in his line of work. He hired Mr. Montavon to come here as foreman of his shop and to serve as expert cutter of leather. Here he remained and later started a shop of his own at a time when shoes were all made by hand and he employed six men in their manufacture. At one time about thirty shoemakers were employed in the various shops in Waterloo. Peter Montavon continued in the business until his death, which occurred on November 23, 1905.

Colonel E. Montavon learned his trade under his father's direction and was afterwards for awhile employed in a harness shop. In June, 1883, at a time when the harness business was dull, an old friend of his, James Bowman, who was running a dairy and needed help, prevailed on Mr. Montavon to go to the dairy and help him for a few days, which the latter consented to do, but at the end of that period Mr. Bowman insisted on the young man remaining with him. Montavon was unused to outdoor work, but he did his best and soon became accustomed to the new conditions. Owing to Mr. Bowman's paralysis, the women had been doing the milking, but when Mr. Montavon learned how to do it, he told them milking was no occupation for a woman and he would do it all. In October, 1883, Mr. Montavon married his employer's daughter, Sarah I. Bowman, and soon afterwards Mr. Bowman offered to sell him a half interest in the dairy and let him work and pay for his interest out of the profits of the business. After that contract was carried out, Mr. Bowman sold the remaining half to him in a way in which he could pay for it and later he sold him a half interest in the home place and finally Mr. and Mrs. Montavon became the owners of the entire place, comprising about thirty acres, located at the edge of Waterloo. The place is very elegantly located overlooking the valley of Cedar creek, and is considered one of the coziest and most attractive little places in this locality. In the spring of 1906 Mr. Montavon sold his dairy and continued the shoe shop formerly owned by his father, which he still operates and in which he has achieved a definite success.

To Mr. and Mrs. Montavon have been bt)rn two daughters and a son, namely: Hazel is the wife of John C. Duncan, Jr.. lives in Waterloo and they have one daughter, Cyril ; Mabel and Waldo are both at home.

Politically, Mr. Montavon is an ardent advocate of the Republican party, and in 1902 and 1903 he was elected a member of the Waterloo town council, being president of the board in 1903. In the fall of 1910 he was elected justice of the peace and is now discharging the duties of that office to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 221, and has been through all the chairs, being now a member of the grand lodge of Indiana. He is also a member of Lodge No. 307, Free and Accepted Masons, at Waterloo, and is a member of the grand lodge in that order. He has been chief of the Waterloo fire department for seven years. He is regarded by all as upright and honest in all his business relations and he has the confidence and respect of a wide circle of acf|uaintances and friends tlimughout the county.

Oliver H. Widney

The respect which should always be accorded tlie brave sons of the North who left homes and the jjeaceful pursuits of civil life to give their services, and their lives if need be, to preserve the integrity of the American Union is certainly due the gentleman to a, brief review of whose life the following lines are devoted. He proved his love and loyalty to the government on the long and tiresome marches in all kinds of situations, exposed to summer's withering heat and winter's freezing cold, on the lonely picket line, a target for the missile of the unseen foe, on the tented field and amid the flame and smoke of battle, where the rattle of the musketry, mingled with the terrible concussion of the bursting shell and the deep diapason of the cannon's roar, made up the sublime but awful chorus of death. To the heroes of 186 1-5 the country is under a debt of gratitude which it can never repay, and future generations will commemorate their achievements in fitting eulogy and tell of their heroic deeds in story and in song. Among the honored veterans of the Civil war and respected citizens of DeKalb county, Indiana, none occupies a higher place in popular esteem than the gentleman whose name appears above, and who, now retired from active business affairs, is living quietly at Auburn, secure in the confidence and respect of all who know him.

Oliver H. Widney was born near Newville. DeKalb county, Indiana, on the I2th of November, 1841, and is a son of John P. Widney, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. When the subject was about two years old the familv moved to what is now -known as the H. M. Widney fruit farm, near St. Joe, this county, and in 1851 they moved to Auburn, the subject's father having been elected county clerk. In the fall of 1856 the family returned to the farm, where Mr. Widney grew to manhood. He had received his preliminary education in the public schools, supplementing this by four terms' attendance at the Newville Academy, with the intention of taking up the study of law. However, the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion interrupted his plans, and on August 7, i8fi2, he enlisted as a private in Company H, Eighty-eighth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which command was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland. The regiment first went to Camp Allen, at Fort Wayne, thence to Camp Morton, at Indianapolis. When the Confederate General Bragg made his advance on Louisville, the Eighty-eighth Regiment was sent to that city to assist in its defense. The command took part in the Ruell-Bragg campaign, and, in October, 1862, was in the battle of Perrysville. After that battle, Mr. Widney was taken with chronic diarrhoea and was contined in a hospital at Danville, Kentuck)-. When partially recovered he and a number of other convalescent soldiers paid all their cash in order to get to Lebanon, where they rejoined their regiment. Going with the command to Tyree Springs, they crossed the river from Nashville just before the battle of Murphreesboro. There Mr. Widney became so ill from his sickness that he became unconscious and was left by his comrades, who were then maneuvering against the enemy. After awhile the warm sun revived him in a measure and for hours he wandered aimlessly about, unconscious of his actions. Eventually he was found and taken into the city of Nashville, where he lay on the sidewalk until evening, when he was taken into the court house. After the battle a comrade. Dyer Matthews, and others returned to where they had left Mr. Widney for the purpose of bur)nng him, expecting to find him dead. Afterwards they joked him as being unreliable, because he ran away from his own funeral. At Nashville, Mr. Widney was discharged on account of physical disability. However, he was too ill and weak to make the trip home alone and his father went to Nashville after him, it requiring five days to get him home, his condition was so precarious. After recuperating his health, Mr. Widney returned to his studies at the Newville Academy, but he could not remain at home while his country needed his services, and. on July i8, 1863, he enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which rendezvoused at Indianapolis. On September i6th they started for Cumberland Gap, which lies at the intersection of the states of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. There, after a short time, the government ceased issuing rations and the soldiers had to forage for their subsistence, only one ration being issued to them up to the following February. The countiy had been foraged by both Northern and Southern armies until the residents of the locality were subsisting on parched corn, and it was under such conditions that the army was expected to feed itself. During that period they took Bull's Gap and fought the battle of Walker's Ford. After Bull's Gap, they were compelled to retreat to Cumberland Gap, and when the siege of Knoxville was raised they were at Tazewell, thirteen miles from Cumberland. The Confederates sought to escape and the One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment fought them at Walker's Ford to prevent their escape and were successful in holding the ford. The regiment then returned to Tazewell and there Mr. Widney was taken sick and went to a church, where a hospital had been established, and he was made hospital steward. (30)

His term of enlistment having expired, he then returned to IndianapoHs. where he was discharged, and he then returned home. At the time of his discharge he held the rank of second sergeant, to which he was appointed on December i6, 1863. After his return home he and two other men tried to recruit a new company, in which effort they were not successful, but the war was then about over.

Mr. Widney, now that the grim specter of war had fled, settled down to peaceful pursuits, giving his attention to agricultural laljors. He cleared up and improved a good farm, about two and a half miles north of St. Joe, and lived there until 1877, when he traded that tract for the old homestead on which his father had settled in 1843 ^"^1 a part of which he himself had helped to clear. He li^'ed on and operated this farm until about 1885, when he moved to St. Joe, being compelled to give up active labor on account of the effects of his army hardships and illness. In 1882 Mr. Whitney was elected a member of the Ijoard of county commissioners, and in 1884 he was re-elected, serving until 1887. During his term of office some of the most important public improvements were inaugurated and carried to successful completion, including about four hundred drainage ditches, which were established or re-established. These ditches not only brought a lot of the best land of the county into cultivation, but also contributed to the banishment of malaria from this section.

In March, 1890, Mr. Widne}' and his son, H. Mer\'in, moved to Albion and engaged in the lumber business, but in the following fall Mr. Widney sold his interests to his son and returned to St. Joe, where he lived until 1895. In that year he moved to Auburn in order to care for his father, who died at the subject's home about a year later. After the death of his father, Mr. Widney returned to St. Joe, and there, in 1900, he built the opera house, a splendid building and a much-needed enterprise. Here also he and his son and son-in-law, C. F. Kagey, and H. M. Widney established a lumber yard and a hardware store.

Mr. Widney was admitted to the practice of pension law in all the departments at Washington concerning pensions, back pay, etc., during the early nineties, and he was highly successful in this line of effort, as can be attested to bv thousands of pensioners, and expert examiners giving him a record as good as any in the United States. While engaged in that line of work, Mr. Widney traveled extensively.

.-\mong his old comrades Mr. Widney is held in the highest regard, and five different times he was elected colonel of the DeKalb County Veterans'

Association. He was also twice elected colonel of the Eighty-eighth Regiment Association, being the present commander of that organization, and served it one term as adjutant. He was also president of the Old Settlers' Association two terms.

On November 3. 1864, Mr. Widney married Emily F. Maxwell, who was born in Wayne county, Ohio, the daughter of John and Mary (Thomas) Ma.xwell, who came t^ this cnunty in 1S34. when she was but a little girl, locating in Concord township. Her father was a carpenter and contractor on the Wabash canal, and it was while she was a student in the Newville Academy that Mr. Widney formed her acquaintance. Her death occurred on April 29, 1909, and on January i, 19 10, Mr. Widney married Mrs. Lucy A. Griswold, a native of Steuben county, Indiana, and a daughter of Myron and Lovi.sa (Dirlam) Tuttle, of Pleasant Lake. Mr. Widney is the father of two children, a .son, H. Mervin Widney. and a daughter, Mrs. Lenore W. Kagey.

Mervin Widney, who was born on March 24. 1865, married Hattie Davis, of Newville, the daughter of Samuel S. Davis and wife, and they have two children, B. Von Dale and Doris. Mervin Widney was a partner with his father in the lumber business, but is best known as an apple grower. being a widely-recognized authority on horticulture. In 1895 he set out his first orchard, comprising about a thousand trees, to which he is con.stantly adding, so that now he is the owner of about two thousand five hundred trees. That he has been eminently successful in this line of effort is evidenced by the fact that at the State Apple Show, held at Indianapolis in the fall of 1912, he won twenty-six prizes out of a possible fort>-one. also taking seven second prizes and five thirds, taking more prizes altogether than any other exhibitor. He raises Grimes's Golden, Starke, Banana, Baldwin, Rambo, Wolfe River, Wealthy, Fall Water and York Imperial varieties, and in the handling of the fruit, which is carefully graded, every attention is paid to the protection of the fruit, much of which is wrapped individually. Mr. Widney also raises large quantities of strawberries and canteloupes. He received the basis of his horticultural knowledge at the Purdue Agricultural Experiment Station, though years of experience ha\-e taught him many of the most valuable secrets in the planting, growing and care of fruit. For the past five years he has been connected with the Purdue lecture course and has lectured in nearly every section of the state, being very successful in awakening an interest in horticultural matters and talking in an interesting and instructive manner on the subject.

Isaac Grogg

There are individuals in nearly e\ery conimunily who, by reason of pronounced ability and force of character, rise above the heads of the masses^ and command the unbounded esteem of their fellow men. Characterized by perseverance and a directing spirit, two virtues that never fail, such men always make their presence felt and the vigor of their strong personalities serves as a stimulus and incentive to the young and rising generation. To the energetic and enterprising class the subject of this review very properly belongs. Having never been seized with the roaming desires that have led many of DeKalb county's young men to other fields of endeavor and other states, where they have sought their fortunes, Mr. Grogg has devoted his life to industries at home and has succeeded remarkably well, as may be seen by a study of his life history.

Isaac Grogg, who has an enviable standing as a progressive business man and public-spirited citizen, and who as proprietor of the Auburn Novelty- Company, has been a potential factor in advancing the industrial interests of Auburn, was born on July 4, i860, in Keyser township, two miles west of Auburn, the son of Adam and Emily L. (King) Grogg. Adam Grogg, who was born in Slark cnunty, Ohii), in 1840. was a son of Jacob and Sarah (Becker) Grogg. Jacob Grogg was born on February 14, 1814, at Canton, Stark county, Ohio, the son of Solomon and ^lary (Snyder) Grogg. About the time he attained his majority he learned the miller's trade and in 1840 he took charge of a mill at Pekin, Ohio, and later took charge of the Hostetter and Roof Mills, with which he remained connected until 1851. In the latter year he bought the farm west of Auburn and in the following year moved his family to the wilds of DeKalb county. He had married in 1837 Sarah Becker, of Canton, Ohio, and she bravely bore with him the hardships and privations of pioneer life. Though Jacob Grogg never aspired to public office he was elected by his fellow citizens to several positions of trust and responsibility, in all of which he acquitted himself with credit. On this De- Kalb county farm Adam Grogg was reared to maturity and married Emily L. King, who was born in Maryland and was a daughter of John and Catherine King. She came to this county in an early day with her parents, who settled a mile and one-half west of Auburn in Union township. Adam Grogg died on December 24, 1866, at the age of twenty-six years, at which time the subject of this sketch was a boy of but six years of age. The latter was taken into the home of his grandfather, and his mother afterwards, in

1871, became the wife of Daniel Lower, living in Noble county about thirty years, or until Mr. Lower's death, and she afterwards became the wife of Daniel Thomas, spending her last years at Corunna. Isaac Grogg remained with his grandparents until he was nineteen years old, and then went to. Dayton, Ohio, where he learned the car finisher's trade. In 1885 he returned to Au]:)urn and for a number of )'ears was employed with the Zimmerman Manufacturing Company plant, being foreman of their mechanical department for quite a while. \\'hile with the Zimmerman Company Mr. drifted into the windmill and tank business, and from 1885 until igoo devoted his attention to tlial \\()rk. being part of the time connected with the Zimmerman Company and aljout two years with the Monitor Manufacturing Company. After the latter company quit business Mr. Grogg established a small plant for himself, calling it the .Auburn No\elty Works and here did cabinet work and manufactured souvenir^ and novelties of wood. In this -enterprise he was successful beyond his expeditions and established more than a local reputation. He was also interested in the manufacture of patterns, and while so employed made patterns for a concrete block machine .for Messrs. Brost and (irosscup. His business grew so rapidly and he soon required larger quarters and decided to build a concrete block building for his shop. There being no block manufacturer in this localit}- he decided to make his own blocks, and his sons, delighted with the idea, urged him to buy a second-hand block machine that was then for sale. Buying this machine they commenced to make their own ])locks and were soon turning them out at a rate of one hundred and fifty a day. I'sing first class material and care in the making, these blocks turned out by them were of such a high quality that a demand was .soon created for the ])locks among their neighbors, to whom the\- sold them. The demand grew so rapidly that in a short time the new enterprise entirely superseded in extent the wood and pattern work. Bv the next fall they needed more help and more machinerv, which thev installed. .Always striving for a better way to do things, Mr. Grogg exercised his inventive genius and devised a continuous mi.xer for mixing the concrete by machinery, which was economically propelled by a gas engine, and this improved machinery is now being manufactured by a company at Kendallville. Indiana. Mr. Grogg also designed an automatic scraper and finisher for a lilock making machine, which he sold to the Ideal Concrete Machinery Company, of South Bend. .Another invention of his was a reinforcing device for placing and stretching the reinforcing irons in concrete fence posts, and also a vaporizing system of steam- ing and curing concrete products. Mr. Grogg also designed an automatic brick tamper that is to be manufactured by the Ideal Company on a large scale. Mr. Grogg has manufactured many products besides the concrete blocks, including concrete moldings, columns, pedestals, etc., and has discovered a method of making them almost white and much smoother in grain than ordinary blocks, being much more like marl^le and presenting a very pleasing and attractive appearance. Quality has been the watchword in the building up of this business, and on this basis does Mr. Grogg base all representations as to his work. Indeed, so well established is the reputation of the Grogg factory that when one local concern projected the building of a four-story factory building, and Mr. Grogg was too busy at that time to supply the blocks needed for the building, the company refused to get them elsewhere, but suspended their building operations until the next spring. This in itself is certainly a remarkable tribute to the quality of the Grogg product. The business grew to such proportion that the first plant established near the center of Auburn became entirely inadecjuate for the purpose and now Mr. Grogg has a plant at the north end of Auburn, where he has plenty of room for expansion and alumdant shipping facilities, being close by the interurban road. His goods are delivered by auto trucks to local parties and in every way modern and up-to-date methods are employed in the operation of the business. Always a liard worker, Mr. Cirogg has the satisfaction of realizing that his work has not been unproductive of results and that he has been a prominent factor in the splendid business growth of this locality. He follows up-to-date business methods in his affairs and pays his help by time instead of by the piece, thus insuring a high quality of work rather than quantity. He is exact and reliable in all his business dealings and has gained a splendid reputation among his business colleagues.

In 1887 Mr. Grogg married Catherine C. Otto, who was born and reared in Auburn, she and Mr. Grogg being acquainted from early childhood. She is a daughter of Captain John and Catherine (Reehling) Otto, who are mentioned elsewhere in this work. To Mr. and Mrs. Grogg have been born the following children: Earl J., Harold O., Russell I., Emily K., Hubert, Roger, Frank, who is good-naturedly called "Buster" by his associates, and Helen and Paul. Several of the sons are interested with their father in the manufacturing business, and are alert in their efforts to advance the enterprise in every way possible. They subscribe for all the technical periodicals touching on their business and are well versed in every phase of concrete manufacture. Keenlv alive to everv avenue of information tliev are fre- quent visitors to the great cement shows at Chicago ami elsewhere, and are numbered among the enterprising and energetic voung men of Auburn. Personally, Isaac Grogg, though a very busy man, always finds time to greet his friends cordially and to take an intelligent interest in the public affairs of the community. He gives his support unreservedly to every movement for the material, moral, intellectual or social advancement of Auburn and is well deserving of the high place which he now holds in public esteem.

Frank A. Hoff

There is no positive rule for achieving success, and yet in the life of the successful man there are ahva^-s lessons w hicli might well be followed. The man who gains prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunity that comes in his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same; the surroundings of individuals differ but slightly, and when one man passes another on the highway of life to reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompass the whole human race. Today among the prominent citizens and successful business man of Auiiurn stands I'Tank A. Hoft'. The qualities of keen discrimination, sound judgment and executive ability enter very largely into his iiiakeu|) and ha\c 1 een contriljuting elements to the material success which has ct.ime to liini.

Frank A. Hoff, of Aulnirn, Indiana, to whcjm belongs the distinctiiai of having been in business continuously longer than anyone else here, was born in Aix-la-Chappelle, or Aachen, (ierniany. on September ii. I1S55. His early education was secured in his nati\e huul and in 1N74. at the age of eighteen years, he came to America, over which he tra\eled extensively for four years, having located at Fort \^'ayne, at Philadelphia in 1876, and at St. Louis in 1877. In 1878 he came to Auburn and engaged in the grocery business, with which he has been identified continuously since, with constant and increasing .success. He has a well established trade, his sjilendidly stocked store being located on Sexentli sired running through to hjglith street, and being recognized as one of the principal bvisiness houses of this city. His eminent business qualities, sterling integrity and genial manner have gained for him the confidence and friendship of all who ha\-e dealings w itli him and no man in the comnnmitv stands higher in the general esteem than he.

In 1878, after locating in Auburn, Mr. Hoff married Mary J. Neireter, who was born and reared at Fort Wayne, Indiana. To them have been born the following children: Minnie K. ; M. Jeannette; Emma E. is the wife of Frank Darling, of Fort Wayne, and they have two children, Robert Hoff and Jewell Jeannette; John P.. who is a resident of Auburn, and who is sheriff of DeKalb county, married Lottie Wolford, and they have one daughter, Mary Josephine: Clara J.: Carl \\' , and Marie J. Mr. Hoff and the members of his famil}- are all identified with the Catholic church and in the social life of the community they are prominent figures, being highly esteemed for their genuine worth.

John Leonard Dams

The spirit of a pure, noble and earnest life burned in the mortal tenement of the late John L. Davis, than whom no citizen of DeKalb county attained to higher distinction in connection with the material and civic development of this favored section of the state of Indiana, while none wielded a wider or more beneficent influence in connection with the promotion of pu]:i; lie enterprises and utilities which conserved such development and progress. His life was one of fullness and completeness, one of vigor and inflexible integrity. He accomplished great things for the general good and was not denied a due individual reward in the matter of temporal affluence. A man of rugged strength of character, of finest moral fiber, and one who realized a magnificent measure of useful accomplishment, his name is deeply engraved on the images of the history of his county, so that such a publication as the one at hand must needs enter a tribute of honor and api)reciation to his memory if any measure of consistency and symmetry is to be claimed for the same. He was universally recognized as a splendid citizen, of lofty character, sturdy integrity and unswerving honest}'. During the period of his early years here he .shared fullv the trials and difficulties of those trying times. He was one of the sturdy figures upon which the burdens of the community fell, and he .struggled devotedlv with others in bringing about the resultant evolution of development. Hand and heart and purse were always open to the necessities of his neighbors, and the record of those years is one of tireless and unselfish devotion. To write the history of Mr. Davis would be to write a book and in the limited space of a biographical memoir one can but touch upon the more salient facts in the long, useful and somewhat remarkable career of this honored man, and briefly sum up his hfe by saying that he was a good man - such a man that the world was better for his having lived in it. He was a good husband and father, faithful and loving ; a good citizen and friend, constant and reliable ; a man in the fullest sense of the word, wide, comprehensive and far-reaching in life's affairs.

John Leonard Davis was born on No\-ember 3, 1834, at Black Rock, now a part of the city of Buffalo, New York, and was a s(in of \\'illiani and Deborah W. (Dutcher) Davis. He was reared at Black Ruck, and in the spring of 1853 he went to Wabash, Indiana, where his brothers, William Kirby and Lewis B. Davis, were engaged in the hardware business, and in their establishment he learned the trade of a tinner. In the fall of 1854 he returned to his old home in New York, and there, on December i, 1856, he was married to Louisa Hauenstein, of Buffalo, New York, where she had been born and reared. After his marriage, Mr. Davis followed farming at Aurora, New York, where he remained for six years. He then came to Auburn, Indiana, arriving here on October 16, 1862. His brother, Joseph D. Davis, was then in business here as owner of the Pioneer Hardware Store and, being in failing health, he had recpiested the subject to come and take charge of the business for him. On the death of Joseph D. Davis, which occurred in April, 1865, the subject of this sketch became his successor in the hardware business and for thirty-fi\e years his ability and his genial and affable manner ever increased the popularity of his store. After he had been in business two or three years, his store was burned down and in 1868 he built on the same location, at the corner of Main and Eighth streets, what has since been known as the Davis building, a substantial building that has been in continuous use for forty-five years, and is still in splendid condition. Its fire-resisting qualities were put to a severe test in February, 1913, when the large buildings extending from the Davis building to Jackson street were destroyed in a fire. Although separated from the fire only In- an alle\-, this building escaped with less damage than some of the buildings on the opposite side of the street. By carefvil attention to the wants of his patrons, carrving a carefully selected stock and exercising sound judgment and good business methods in the conduct of his affairs, Mr. Davis enjoyed a large and profitable business here through the years and became known as one of the most substantial business men of his community.

In 1873 or 1874 Mr. Davis took an active part in the efforts to advance the city's interests, giving freely of his time and money in the construction of the Detroit. Eel River & Illinois and the Baltimore \- Ohio railroads. The transformation of the former stage-coach town of six hundred souls into a thriving city with excellent transportation facilities was due in a large part to his initiative and personal efiforts, and in many other ways he showed his public spirit. He assisted in the bringing of natural gas to Auburn and, although it lasted only about two years, it was a matter of public spirit that justified the investment of his capital even when the outcome could not be foreseen. Another enterprise to which he contributed libeually of his time and money was the attempt, about 1890, to establish a county fair at Auburn. He also contributed liberally to the starting of several factories and other enterprises looking to the upbuilding of his home city, and he ever stood ready with willing hands and open purse, to do what he could for the general welfare. During the decade that followed 1875 Mr. Davis became interested in Garrett, buying real estate there and building two commodious business rooms, one of which he occupied with a hardware store and a bank, at the same time conducting a hardware store and bank at Auburn. In 1886 Mr. Davis was elected to the ofifice of county treasurer, filling the position with rare ability for three and a half years. After leaving public office, Mr. Davis again gave his undivided attention to his business interests, in banks and stores, until the panic of 1893 to 1896, when he, in common with many other business men, suffered reverses in business. He was not discouraged, however, and courageously applying himself to his affairs with greater energy than ever, he re-established his hardware business and put it on a firm financial basis. In December, 1899, Mr. Davis became ill and from that time until his death, which occurred on .A.ugust 14, 1900, he was not able to give his attention to business affairs. Thus passed a man whom his fellows delighted to honor, for through the long years of his residence in the community he was ever true to the trusts reposed in him, whether of a public or a pr!\-ate nature, and his reputation in a business way was unassailable. His actions were ever the result of careful and conscientious thought, and when once convinced that he was right, no suggestion of policy or personal profit could swer\e him from the course lie had decided upon. His career was C(5mplete and rounded in its beautiful simplicity: he did his full duty in all the relations of life, and he died l)elo\ed by those near to him, and respected and esteemed by all his fellow citizens.

Politically, Mr. Davis was a life-long Republican, his first presidental vote having been cast in 1856 for John C. Fremont, "The Pathfinder," while his last vote was for him whom he considered "The Prosperity Finder," William McKinley. Fraternally, he belonged to the Masonic order, in which he had attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, and he also was a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He was kind and sympathetic, ever ready to help those whose discouragements weighed them down. A trait of character that endeared him to his large circle of friends was his congenial nature. Age did not diminish it, for its glow was as ardent at sixty as at twenty. Another trait which bound him with links of love o a large circle of friends was his unswerving fealty to friendship.

To Mr. and Mrs. Da\is were born four children, namely: Lewis All)ert, who died on October 20, 1875, in his nineteenth year; Fred, who was born July 19, 1859, and died October j8, 1892, aged thirty-three years, served as deputy county treasurer under his father's administration, and at the time of his death was book-keeper in his father's store at Garrett : Claudia died in t866, in her third year ; Edna Aiene, the only living child, resides at Auburn with her mother, and is prominent in the social life of the community, being a member of the Ladies' Literary Cluli. president of the Woman's League, and a member of the Auburn Evening Musicale. Mrs. Davis and her daughter are earnest members of the Presbyterian church and are active in its work. Mrs. Davis is a member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and has had an efficient and appreciated part in its work. She is a lady of many gracious cjualities of head and heart and is well liked by all who know her.

Lafayette J. Miller

The true measure of individual success is determined by what one has accomplished. An enumeration of those men of a past generation who succeeded in their special vocations in DeKalb county, Indiana, and at the same time left the lasting imprint of their strong personalities upon the community, men who won honor and public recognition for themselves, and at the same time conferred honor on the locality in which they resided, would be incomplete were there failure to make a prominent reference to the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph, for although Lafayette J. JMiller has long been sleeping the sleep of the just, his influence still pervades the lives of many who knew him and his memory will long be cherished here, for his name is deeply engraved on the pages of DeKalb county's history, for through many years he was an important factor in the material and civic histoi-y of the same. The splendid success which came to him was the direct result of the salient points in his character. With a mind capal)le of laying judicious plans and a will strong enough to bring them into execution at the proper moment, his great energy, keen foresight and indomitable perseverance resulted in the accumulation of a comfortable competency. He carried forward to successful completion whatever he undertook, and his business methods were ever in strict conformity with the standard ethics of commercial life. His is the record of a well balanced mental and moral constitution, strongly influenced by those traits of character which are ever of especial value in a progressive state of society.

Lafayette J. Miller was born in Seneca county, Ohio, on August 25, 1835, and his death occurred at his home in Auburn, Indiana, on August 17, 1902, at the age of sixty-six years and eleven months. He was a son of John Wesley and Hulda (Jones) Miller, the former probably of German descent and the latter it is thought of Welsh ancestry. John W. Miller was a Lutheran minister, although he had been reared in the Methodist faith. When the subject of this sketch was about ten years of age his parents located first in Allen county, where the subject was reared to manhood. About the time he was reaching the age of maturity the family moved to DeKalb county, their residence being for a number of years unsettletl owing to the father's work in the ministry.

Lafayette J. Miller received his education in the schools of the various places where the familv lived, and at the age of about nineteen years, he began teaching school, which vocation he followed in different ])laces a number of years with splendid success. He finally gave up teaching and bought a small farm near Corunna, becoming agent of the Lake Shore railroad at that place. He maintained his residence on the farm a greater part of the time, but devoted his entire attention to his railroad work, having lieen the representative of the railroad company at Corunna when it was an important grain shipping point, sometimes having a number of men under his direction. He served as agent of the Lake Shore railroad eighteen or more years, and in 1882 was elected treasurer of DeKalb county, serving two terms with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his fellow citizens. LTpon the expiration of his term of office Mr. Miller engaged in the grain business at Auburn near the Lake Shore depot and followed this business with considerable success up to the time of his death. Of sound business ability and strict integrity, he not only was able to accumulate a fair amount of this world's goods, but he gained what is of far greater value, the confidence and good will of all with whom he had dealings. He possessed an optimistic spirit, carrving the gospel of good cheer wherever he went, and possessed to a marked degree those characteristics which win and retain friendship. Pie performed many acts of kindness known only to himself and the recipient. He was a faitliful husband, a kind and loving- father and a publicspirited citizen.

In November, 1858, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Elizabeth Ellen McNabb, the daughter of Robert and Prudence (Pearson) McNabb, her father having been born in Ireland and coming to the United States with his parents when but ten years old, while his wife was of Yankee parentage, having been born in the state of New Jersey. Mrs. Miller, who was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, on February 25, 1841, was a child of but eight years when her parents moved to Illinois, where she lived until young womanhood, when the family moved to Haysville, Ohio, and when she was fifteen or sixteen years old, the family located in Allen county, this state, where she was residing at the time of her marriage, her parents remaining in Allen county to an advanced age. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller were born two children, Orlan, who died on October 16, 1898, and Ida, who became the wife of Frank A. Borst, now a resident of Auburn, Indiana. Mr. Borst was born at Wadsworth, Ohio, in 1854, a son of Joseph A. and Mary Etta (Beach") Borst. Joseph Borst was a native of Schoharie county. New York, and became the owner of the Western View fruit farm near Wadsworth, Ohio, one of the best known fruit farms in that section of the state. He also owned at one time the largest celery farm in the world under one management, and in the business life of his section he was a prominent and influential figure, having assisted in the promotion of a railroad in that locality. Frank A. Borst came to Corunna, Indiana, in the early seventies, being in the employ of the Lake Shore railroad there, and was afterwards elected auditor of DeKalb countv, performing his duties in an efficient manner, and upon the death of Mr. Miller, he succeeded to the latter's grain business at Auburn, in which he is still engaged, and in which he has continued the splendid success so auspiciously inaugurated by Mr. Miller. He has also been very successful in the manufacture of concrete-making machinery. To Mr. and Mrs. Borst were Ijorn four children, namely: Charles O., born September 10, 1880, is a graduate of Oberlin College and the law department of the University of Michigan, and is engaged in the practice of law and the abstracting of titles in Auburn, where he enjoys a splendid business and is numbered among the city's successful business men. He married Georgia E. Zimmerman, the daughter of Franklin T. Zimmerman, deceased, and is the father of four children, Marion, Josephine, Richard and Mary Elizabeth; Ruth Borst be- came the wife of Earl Cline, and they have a daughter, Genevieve; George remains at home with his father, and Lafayette J. died in infancy. Mrs. Ida Miller Borst died at South Bend, Indiana, on January 13, 1908, and is buried at Auburn. She was a lady of many splendid qualities of head and heart, who had endeared herself to all who know her and in her death the community sustained a distinct loss. Mrs. Miller, the widow of the immediate subject of this sketch, now makes her home with her son-in-law, Mr, Borst, in Auburn, and though quiet and unassuming in her disposition she has l>v her kindly manner and worthy life endeared herself to all who are acquainted with her.

Lafayette J. Rliller was a man who, in every respect, merited the high esteem in which he was universally held, for he was a man of public spirit, intellectual attainment and exemplary character. In dealing with mankind, his word was his bond ; deceit never entered into any transaction he had with his fellow men. One glance of his frank eye, one word spoken with sincerity, carried conviction. His plain, rugged honesty, his open-hearted manner, undisguised and unaffected, impressed itself upon those with whom he had dealings, and the example of his life was an inspiration to others.

Eli Yarnell Williamson

Erom the pioneer period through many decades the late Eli ^'arnell Williamson was conspicuously identified with the business and material interests of Waterloo and DeKalb county, Indiana, and he won for himself an honorable position in the circles in which he moved and was a distinct type of the successful, self-made man. Not a pretentious or exalted life was his, but one that was true to itself and to which the biographer may revert with feelings of respect and admiration. He was identified in a prominent way with the various activities of the county and, having attained prestige by successive steps from a modest beginning, it is eminently fitting that a sketch of his life work, together with an enumeration of his leading characteristics, be given in this connection. He was recognized as a man of strong and alert mentality, deeply interested in everything pertaining to the advancement of the community along material, civic and moral lines, and for years he was recognized as one of the progressive and representative men of his city and county. Having started in a lowly capacity he gradually forced his way to the front and, by faithful service and prompt discharge of every duty de- volving upon him, finally acquired a conifortaljle competency and at the same time won and retained the good will and high regard of all who knew him.

Eli Y. Williamson was bom in Chester county, Pennsylvania, on May 23, 1828, and died in Waterloo, Indiana, on March 25, 191 1. He was a son of William and Matilda (Yarnell) Williamson, which family moved from Pennsylvania to Stark county, Ohio, when the subject was but eight years of age, and from that time onward he practically took care of himself, starting out in life on his own account at a period when most boys are just beginning their education. In 1854 Eli Williamson left Canton, Ohio, as a passenger on the first passenger train from Canton to Fort \\'ayne on what is now known as the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad. He came to Fort Wa)ne, Indiana, thence made his way on foot through the then unbroken forests to the Brandeberry farm north of \\'aterloo, DeKalb county. In 1859 he engaged in the manufacture of fanning mills, which he continued for thirty years with splendid success, the mill which went by the trade name of the Taylor & Williamson Fanning Mill acquiring a wide reputation and large sale throughout this section of the country. Mr. Williamson was one of the founders of ^^'aterloo, and was one of the tliree men who met in council and named the town. From that time forward he was closely allied with its progress and development and was identified with its building interests, having erected a number of the earlier buildings, some of them still remaining as landmarks of the pioneer period. In 1856 he hewed the timber and built the first house in Waterloo, now known as the Klotz property on Maple street, and in the spring of the following year he btiilt the dwelling nf)w known as the D. L. Leas property, in which, on November 23, 1857, he established his home, having just married Susan Rohrbaugh. She was a daughter of Daniel, Jr., and Elizabeth (Beck) Rohrbaugh. Her parents, who were natives of Union county, Pennsylvania, had moved from their native state to Stark county, Ohio, and thence in 1850 to DeKalb county, buying one hundred and five acres of land in the northern part of what is now Waterloo at a time when there were only two houses in that town. The family name had been originally Rollback, but in one community where the family had lived the people had confused their name with that of some former residents by the name of Rorebaugh and eventually this family changed its name to accord with public usage. Daniel Rohrbaugh was a cabinet maker and coffin maker, and was a well known pioneer of W^iterloo, being a prominent figure in its early affairs. Mrs. Williamson died in January, 1893, leaving the following children: Elmore Williamson and Mrs.

William S. Sewell, of \\'aterloo, Mrs. Howard B. McCord, of Auburn, and Ernest B., of South Bend, Indiana. JNIr. ^\'illiamson was not only keenly ali\-e to the ad\ancement of his own interests, in which he was eminently successful, but he took an active and effectual interest in the civic life of the community in the early days, serving at different times on the board of trustees for the town of Waterloo and being often consulted on public affairs in which the town had an interest. In private he assisted many of his neighbors who were less fortunate than he, his liberality being sometimes taken advantage of to his financial loss and his sympathy not always being rewarded with the gratitude which it deserved. His protracted residence in this section of the state made his name widely and familiarly known and his life and the history of this locality for a period of over a half century was pretty much one and the same thing. He lived to see and take a prominent part in the growth of the commimity and was one of its wisest counsellors and hardest workers. His was a long life of honor and trust and no higher eulogy can be passed upon him than to state the simple truth that his name was never coupled with anything disreputable and that there never was a shadow of a stain upon his reputation for integrity and unwavering honesty.

Christian Newcomer, Jr

The gentleman whose name forms the caption of this biographical review has long enjoyed distinctive precedence as one of DeKalb county's most enterprising and successful agriculturists and business men, and besides enjoying the reputation of one of the county's representative men of afifairs, he has at the same time won a reputation for honesty and square dealing in all the relations of life.

Christian Newcomer, Jr., was born on June 8, 1847, in Columbiana county, Ohio, and is the son of Christian, Sr., and Mary (Wolfe) Newcomer, the father having been a native of Pennsylvania. To these parents were born nine children, four sons and five daughters, of which the subject of this sketch was the last born. In the spring of 1849 the family came to DeKalb county, Indiana, locating on a tract of land in Franklin township, on which not a stick had been cut, and where it was necessary to clear a spot on which to build a small cabin. Here Christian Newcomer, Sr., acquired eighty acres of land and on this tract the family made a permanent home, the parents residing there until their death, which occurred, the father in 1870, when seventy-seven years old, and the mother on August 6, 1892, in her eightyfifth year. The subject of this sketch spent his youthful years under the parental roof assisting his father in the work of the farm, and in young manhood he and his brother Joseph rented a farm which they operated together about three years, at the end of which time the subject left home and for a while worked out. Eventually Mr. Newcomer liought a tract of forty acres of land in the southwestern part of the township, for which he paid thirtyone dollars and a quarter per acre. He was wisely economical in his earlier days and saved sufficient money with which to make a first payment on this land, going into debt for the balance. By energetic effort and wise judgment he was prospered in his operation of this land and was able to add to it from time to time until he is now the owner of ninety-six acres of as good land as can be found in the town>hip. To the management of this farm he devoted his attention until No\'ember 0, 1908, when lie moved to Waterloo and bought the interest of his father-in-law, Robert Vv. Crooks, in a furniture store, his partner being the subject's son, 1). E. Newcomer. He is devoting his entire attention to this enterprise and is enjoving a large and profitable patronage throughout tlie community. The store is well stocked with a large and complete line of furniture and is numbered ami>ng the substantial concerns of the kind in this section of the county.

In April, 1874, Christian Newcomer was married to Martha Crooks, the daughter of Robert W. and Mary Ann (Burdick) Crooks, and to this union have been born four children, two boys and two girls, namely: W'ilbur R., born January 17, 1875, received a good common and hi.gh school education and then entered the Tri-State Normal School at Angola, Indiana, afterwards attending the Indiana Dental College, and is now engaged in the practice of dentistry at \\'aterloo. He sei-ved eight years as town clerk of Waterloo, making a splendid record in that oflice. He married Pearl Brandenberry, the daughter of Cyrus and Dora ( Hall) Brandenberry, and they have a daughter, Virginia; Delbert Eugene Newcomer, born in 1876, is his^ father's partner in the furniture business. He married Annie Leger, and they have one daughter, Iliff; Nellie, the wife of Daniel Kimmel, a fanuer one mile west of Waterloo, and they have a son, Wilbur J.; \'era, who remains at home with her parents, is attending the Waterloo high school. Mr. Newcomer possesses business abilit\- of ;i liigli order and the continued growth in public favor of the business with which he is identified is largely due to his keen interest and correct Inisiness methods. He is careful and (31) methodical, somewhat conservative in his views and not inclined to be carried away by visionary schemes. In addition to his business interests, which he makes paramount to every other consideration, Mr. Newcomer has always exerted his influence in the promotion of the material prosperitv of his community and endeavored to discharge his duties as a citizen with the good of his fellow men at heart. Personally, he possesses to an eminent degree those qualities which win friendship and he enjoys a wide acciuaintance and marked popularity in this community.

The importance that attaches to the lives, character and work of the pioneer ministers of the gospel in any community, and the influence they have exerted on the cause of humanity and civilization is one of the most absorbing themes that can possibly attract the attention of the local historian. If great and beneficent results - results that endure ant! bless mruikind - are the proper measure of the good men do. tlien who is there in the world's history that may take their places above those sturdy, self-sacrificing, Ciodfearing and consecrated men who, withiiut thought of ])crsonal comfort or the promotion of their own interests, have devoted their lives to the uplifting of their fellow men and the building u]j of their Master's kingdom on earth. In the history of DeKalb county of a past generation no figure stands out with more prominence, because of faithful service and Ix-neficent results, than that of Stephen B. Ward, who gave the best years of his life to the service of God and his fellow men and who, though long since passed to the higher life, is still remembered with grateful appreciation In- mruiy who knew him and sat under his blessed ministrations.

Stephen E. Ward was born in Randolph, Portage county, Ohio, on July 22. 1816. His parents, Josiah and Mindwell (Harris) Ward, botii died I)efore he was four vears old, and he was bound to William Jones, of Randolph, with whom he remained until he was nineteen years old. He was given the advantage of a good practical education in the common schools and by private study, having followed a systematic course of reading. After his marriage, which occurred in 1839, he lived in Randolph and in Columbiana county, Ohio, until 1842, when, on January 22d, he moved to DeKalb county, Indiana, settling on land which he had previously purchased in Wilmington township and to the improvement and cultivation of which he now devoted his attention. At the age of .sixteen years Mr. Ward had been cnnverled and joined the Congregational church, but in 1841 he united with the Baptist church, and was soon afterwards hcensed to preach. After coming to DeKalb count), and while engaged in farming, lie had appointments to preach in different parts of the county, traveling through the woods on foot or on horseback, often riding twenty nr thirt\ miles a day in order t(i fill his appointments. In the summer of 1847 he was regularly ordained a minister and thereafter he devoted the greater part of his attention to the preaching of the gospel and pastoral work up to about 1880, when advancing age compelled him to relinquish his work and retire to more private life. He had moved to Auburn in 1852, and there his death occurred on January 30, 1894, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. As a preacher Rev. Ward possessed peculiar force and power, at times rising to heights of oratory and always commanding the close attention of his hearers. During his active years he was a busy man and it is said that he performed more marriage ceremonies and held more funeral services than an}- other minister in DeKalb county. He was a most earnest and zealous Christian, his life being a beautiful example of simple, trusting faith. He loved his fellow man and it was his great, absorbing desire to bring them into a knowledge of a nobler and a higher life. He was one of the strong pillars of his church in this comnumity and was public spirited in his attitude towards all movements for the general welfare. He took a high moral stand on all political questions of the day, and was a strong advocate of temperance, in both public and private life, his own life b.eing in strict accord with his teachings. He was a member of the Indiana Legislature in 1857.

In 1839 Rev. Stephen B. Ward was married to Laura .\therton IJrooks, who was born at Dalton, New Hampsiiire, on I'eliruary 10, 1823, and who died at Auburn, Indiana, on March 20, 1907. She was the daughter of Dr. George W. and Mary (Atherton) Brooks. The mother died when her daughter, Mrs. Ward, was but an infant and the latter was taken by her father to New York, and later to Lorain county. Ohio, where her marriage occurred. She also made a public profession of religion at an early age and joined the Baptist church, of which she remained an earnest and steadfast member until she passed from the church militant to the church triumphant. She was to her husband a true helpmate in the fullest sense of the word, enduring the hardships and privations of the early days, and in after years her recital of pioneer incidents was both interesting and instructive. To Rev. Stephen B. and Laura Ward were born three children, namely: Mary A..

born January 15, 1850, who became the wife of Lieut. John H. Ehlers, of the Eleventh Indiana Battery in the Civil war, a rank practically the same as captain in the infantry service. Mr. Ehlers became a prominent druggist at Auburn, where he lived until his death, which occurred on June 22. 1882. His widow, who continues to reside in Auburn, is well known for her religious and educational work, having been for a number of years after her husband's death engaged in the work of the Woman's Baptist Home Mission Society, her labors calling her frecjuently into liie Southern states, where she spent much of her time. She was for se\'eral years an instructor in Sliaw University, and in the Baptist Mission training school at Chicago. Harris D. W^ard, born January 8, 1847, 's a successful merchant at Kentlallville, Indiana. He married Florence Iddings July 8. i86g, and their rmly son, Lewis Ward, is with his father in the store. He was married to Mary Mallory November 10, 1897, and is the father of a daughter. Florence, born December 31, 1899. Vesta M., born April 26, 1841. who is the widow of the late Dr. David J. Swarts, resides at Auburn, where she is practicing medicine. She and her late husband are mentioned at length elsewhere in this work.

Davis E. Caruth

The memory of the worthy subject of this memorial biography is revered by a host of friends and acquaintances, he having spent his energies through a long life of strenuous endeavor to make the most of his opportunities as well as to assist as best he could his neighbors to improve their condition, for he did not believe in living to himself alone, manifesting an altruistic spirit and kind heart, his sympathies going out to those who needed assistance or encouragement, ami in all tiie relations of life he proved signally true to every trust. He possessed a social nature and by his genial and kindly attitude to those with whom he came in contact, he won the confidence and respect of everyone.

Davis E. Caruth was born in Chester county, Penns\-lvania, May 16, 1852. After securing his education in tiie public schools he entered the employ of railroads and at the age of twenty-one years, when the Baltinidre & Ohio road was being built through DeKalb county, he came here as a lineman, working the line construction at the time when the town of Garrett was just being started. He remained with the Baltimore & Ohio company for si.x or seven vears. .After his marriage, which occurred in 1876. Mr. Caruth lived at Walkerton, Indiana, about four years and then removed to Chicago, vvrhere he was engaged with the Atlantic & Pacific Telegraph Company, having in charge the line maintenance. A year later he went back to Auburn and for a short time worked for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Conipau}- and later for the Nickel Plate Railroad Company, being with the latter road aliciul five years as superintendent of telegraph construction between Chicago and Buffalo. During the period of his employ with the Nickel Plate company Mr. and Mrs. Caruth hved at Fostoria, Ohio. In .1887 they returned to Auburn and established their permanent home. Mrs. Caruth's father died and Mr. Caruth gave up his railroad work in order to give his entire attention to her father's former business affairs and his farms. Thereafter Mr. Caruth maintained his home here until his death, which occurred on June 15, 1912.

In 1876 Mr. Caruth married CorneUa Lockwood, the thiughter of Alonzo and Rosamond (Phelps) Lockwood, the latter being a sister of Reuben Lockwood, deceased, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Caruth was born and reared on her father's farm about five miles south of Auburn, and when ;il)out seven years of age she accompanietl her parents on their removal to Auburn, where she lived until her marriage to Mr. Caruth. To this union were born two daughters, Elsie J., the wife of Ashton Staman, a druggist at Auburn, and fiertrude C, the wife of Edward O. Little, jeweler and city clerk of Auburn, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work.

Fraternally, Mr. Caruth was a Mason of high degree, ba\ing l)een a member of the Scottish Rite, thirty-second degree, for o\er twenty years. Religiously, he was a member of the Pres!)yterian church, and iluring his entire life he always stood for the right regardless of public sentiment. Because of his positive stand on all (|uestions and his high personal character he won a host of friends who esteemed liim for his genuine worth. He was deeply interested in everything that was for the betterment of the town in which he lived and lent a helping hand whenever he could for the public welfare. He loved his fellow men irrespective of rank or circumstances and was in turn beloved by them. He remembered the sick in their distress and was their friend in their hours of isolation and trouble and freciuently gave material assistance where it was needed. During his active life he gave strict attention to his business affairs and for many years he never lost a day while in railroad emplov. His superior officers held him in the highest regard, for he was not only well qualified to discharge important official duties, but was a man who without effort made friends and always retained them.

Edward O. Little

Edward O. Little was born in Auburn, Indiana, on March i, 1879, and i.s the son of Henry E. and Sylvia (Orr) Little. Henry E. Little was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and was a son of Andrew Jackson and Amanda (McDowell) Little. Amanda McDowell, who was born at Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, was a daujjhter of Robert and Mary (Roth) Mc- Dowell, and accompanied her parents on their removal to Columbia and thence to Williamsport, where her marriage occurred. Andrew Jackson Little was a native of Columbia, Connecticut, .\fter his marriage he remained at Williamsport for some years, being engaged in his young manhood as a teacher in the college at that place. During the same period he devoted all his leisure time to the study of law. acquiring a fine legal education. He was admitted to the bar and developed into a most successful lawyer, practicing extensively in the Pennsylvania supreme couri. He was a man of force and strong personalit\- and was esjieciall}- strong as a pleader before court and jury. He |)racticed for many years in Pennsylvania, but about i860 he was induced to go to Coldwater, Micliigan. where he met with great financial reverses. Soon afterward he moved to I'^irt \\'ayne, Indiana, where he remained until tlie beginning of the Civil war, when he moved to Auburn, continuing in his law practice there, .\bout 1880 Mr. Little suffered an attack of tvphoid fever, from the effects of which lii-^ liealth was permanently injured and thereafter he relinquished his law practice, living retired until his death, which occurred in 1884. He left a widow and four children: Andrew Jackson, William, Henry and John Conger. Henry E. Little, after completing his common school education, leanu-d the i)rinting trade at Auburn and accepted a position in the office of the Jiibiirn Courier, of which he became foreman at the time when tiie office was ov^/ned by fames Barnes. Later Mr. Little bought a paper at Hicksville, but soon afterwards sold out and he and his brother. Andrew Jackson Little, started the Garrett Clipper. He was a strcmg and forcible writer and a courageous newspaper man and was not afraid to speak the truth regardless of fear or favor. He and his brother develoi>ed tlie paper into one of the best newspapers of the community, with a large circulation, hut they eventually sold the paper, though later Henry and his son, Trac}- Little, bought it back and ran it until Henry Little's death, which occurred on Jul\- 27, 1905. Sylvia (Orr) Little, wife of Henry E., was the daughter of lulward and Rachel (Updike) Orr. Rachel Updike Orr was born in 1833 and traced her ances- try back to Louis Jansen op Dyck, a Hollander who came to America before 1653, and located at Albany, New York. He was descended from the nobility in Holland and through them from the ancient races that warred with the Romans, his ancestry being traced to Henric, who was born in 1261 of a knightly family. Rachel Updike Orr's father was John Updike, who was the son of George Updike, a son of Esquire Luther Updike, the latter a justice of the peace in Kingwood, Alexandria and Hunterdon counties, New York, and for fifty years was an associate judge of the common pleas court, and was an ensign in the war of Revolution, having served through the greater part of that struggle. He was a man of ability, prominently connected with public affairs, well to do in his finances and a successful and popular preacher in the Baptist church. An uncle of Rachel Orr, George Updike, was a prominent man in New York city, and was active in procuring Lincoln's nomination, he himself being elected mayor of New ^^)rk city. Sylvia (Orr) Little died at .\uburn, Indiana, May 14, 1910.

Edward O. Little was reared in Auburn and graduated from the high school in 1897. During the following five years he served an apprenticeship to the jeweler's trade under the direction of D. A. Hodge, at that time a jeweler in Auburn. Mr. Little then engaged in business on his own account in a small way at Garrett, where he remained nine months, and in 1903 removed to Auburn, opening a store in a small frame building oii Main street between Seventh and Eighth streets. He prospered in his venture and in the following March he moved his store to his present place of business on the north side of Seventh street, just west of Main, where he has been in business ever since. He carries a large and well selected stock of jewelry and altogether has a store that is a credit to the city. He is a good workman and has always e\inced a desire to tliorouglily please liis ()atrons.

Mr. Little is a Democrat in politics and to liini l)elong> the tlistinciion of having served in an elective imhlic office longer than any other person sen-ed in Auburn up to this writing. He was elected city clerk of Auburn in the spring of 1904, and has been twice elected to succeed himself. The discharge of his important duties has been characterized by the utmost faithfulness and ability and he has been repeatedly urged to stand for re-election, but has refused to allow his name to lie used again. He has been prominent in local political affairs, and for four years, from 1004 to i<)09, he served as secretarv of the Democratic county committee and for the last four years has been a member of the executive committee of the organization. Fraternallv, he has been a member of the Knights of Pythias since 1900, and has held various official positions in the order, iiavins' served as past chancellor, keeper of records and seal and master otiwork. He is also a member of the Masonic order, in which he has attained every decree, up to the fifteenth degree of the Scottish Rite. Mr. and Mrs. Little are members of the Presbyterian church.

On October 21, 1Q03. ]\lr. Little was united in marriage to Gertrude C. Caruth, the daughter of Davis E. and Cornelia C. (Lockwood) Caruth, who are mentioned elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Little was born at Walkerton, Indiana, on September i. 1879, and in her childhood accompanied her parents on their removal to Auburn, where she has lived ever since. Mr. and Mrs. Little are the parents of two sons, James Edward, born April 21, 1906, and Robert Henry, born December 23, 1008.

Miles Baxter

Lew residents of DeKalb county are as well and favorably known as the enterprising business man and representative citizen whose life story is briefly told in the following lines and none stands higher than he in the esteem and confidence of the community in wb.icli he resides and for the material advancement of which he has devoted S(i nuich of his time and influence.

Miles Baxter was liorn along the north line of DeKalb county, two miles west of Hamilton, Indiana, on January 2/, 1864, and is the son of Andrew R. and Elizabeth (Brown) liaxter. Andrew Baxter was born in Washington ccninty, Pennsylvania, and was the son of William and Sarah (Rogers) Baxter. He spent his childhood in his native slate, and then came with his mother to W'a}'ne county, Oliio, where be met and married Nancy Brown. She was born in Alleghen\' county, Pennsylvania, the daugliter of Andrew and Ellen (Ritchie) Brown, the former a nati\e of Scotland and the latter of Ireland. William and Sarah Baxter were Scotch-Irish Presbyterians from the north of Ireland. Andrew Baxter came to DeKalb county, Indiana, in the fall of 1840 and entered a tract of government land in section 5, Franklin township. He built a cabin, after which he returned to Ohio and as earlv as possible the next spring he brought his family to their new home. The land not being cleared, he first planted corn by striking his axe into the ground, dropping corn into the hole and then stepping on it, closing the hole. In that way he raised enough of a crop for feeding purposes. He spent pracs, ,.

tically the rest of his lite on that place, or until i88g, when he moved to Auburn, where he died when ninet\'-one years old. He served several times as trustee and as assessor of his township. He was twice married. His first wife died in January, 1856, leaving eight children, Elvina, Ellen, William, Andrew, Mary Jane, John W.. Nancy Emeline and James B. About two years later he married his first wife's sister, Elizabeth Brown, who became the mother of six sons, five of whom grew to matnrit)- and survived her, namely: Charles O., Miles, Chauncey, Cory and George. The mother of these children died on January 3, 1877, and Andrew Baxter died on December 18, 1903. He was a Presbyterian at heart and had great^ respect and veneration for the church, but never joined formally. He was deeply interested in public affairs and ahvavs voted the straight Democratic ticket. His relations with his family were of the highest order, a warm aft'ection existing between them, though there was hut little demonstration of this feeling. According to present-dav standards, he did not possess much of an education, but in the fundamentals he was well informed and, ])eing a man of strong common sense and sound judgment, his advice was considered valuable by those who sought it. tie understood arithmetic well and was an excellent penman, and did much in the way of instructing his children in their studies and stinndating them in their educational efforts. That his influence was effectual is noted in the fact that, with but two or three exceptions, all of the children became school teachers.

Miles Baxter was reared on the home farm until he was almut seventeen years old. when, ha\ing a desire to lake u)) teaching, he began attending teachers' normal schools in order to prepare liimself for that vocation. He taught his first term of school during the winter of 1883-4 and then sjient two years in the Tri-State Normal School at Angola. He then taught for about six years, after which, during 1887. he was a traveling salesman in Kansas. Returning then to DeKalb county, he taught school for two or three winters, farming during the summer'^. Tn 1801 Mr. Baxter took up the study of law in the office of his brother, John Baxter, continuing to apply himself in this way about two years. He then went on the road in the interests of the Auburn Foundry and Machine Works for about four vears, ;uk1 then for a time was interested in the grocers and restaurant nusiness. In 1900 Mr. Baxter engaged in the real estate, loan and insurance business at Auburn, which has commanded his attention ever sitice. Mr. Baxter's previous experience had been a valuable schooling for him in some respects for the line to which he is now giving his efforts, besides which his sound judgment, accurate information as to real values and his persistency have brought their rewards, and he is now commanding his full share of the local patronage in his lines.

Mr. Baxter, from the time lie attained his majority, has been active in his support of the Democratic party and since about iS88 has been connected with the county central committee. From 1906 to 1910 he was county chairman and has twice been a delegate to state conventions of liis party, having been chairman of the DeKalb county delegation to the convention wliich nominated Thomas R. Marshall for governor. He has frequently lieen active in congressional district politics. While in the restaurant and grocery business Mr. Baxter sensed two years as treasurer of Auburn, giving a satisfactory administration of the office, and from 1900 to 1904 he served as trustee of Union township. In 1913 he was recommended by Congressman (Hine for the postmastership at Auburn.

In 1889 Miles Baxter was married to Mollie McDowell, who was liorn and reared on the McD()\vell farm, a short distance west of Auburn, being the daughter of Elijah j. and Mary A. (George) A'IcDowell. Two children were born of this union, one dying in infancy and the other at the age of sixteen months. Mrs. Baxter died in June, 1892, and on January 12. i8c)7. Mr. Baxter married Minnie M. McDowell, a sister of his first wife. They have two children, Helen and Stanley Miles.

Mr. Baxter and family are identified with the Presbyterian church, of wiiich he is a trustee and otherwise active in advancing its interests. Fraternally, lie is a memlier of Auburn Lodge Xo. 101. Knights of Pythias, of which he has been a member for eighteen years. He has passed througli all the chairs of the suliordinate lr)dge and has lieen a delegate to the grand lodge. In connection with .Auburn Fodge there is a P'raternal Relief .Association, composed of luenibers of the order, tiie organization ])roviding a fund for the immediate use of the family in case of death, (^f this organization Mr. liaxter is president. He is also a member of the .\merican Yeoman and the Tribe of Ben-FIur. Mr. Baxter is earnest in his support of every movement which is calculated to advance the best interests of the communitv along any legitimate line. By his advocacy of wholesome living, jnire politics and honestv in business, he has long enjoyed the undivided respect and esteem of all who know him, being regarded as one of DeKalb county's inf>st sulistantial and worthv citizens.

Edgar W. Atkinson

The subject of biography yields to no other in point of interest and profit. It tells of the success and defeats of men, the difficulties they have encountered and gives an insight into the methods and plans they have pursued. The ob\'ious lessons therein taught will prove of great benefit if followed, and the example of the self-made man should certainly encourage others into whose cradle smiling fortune has cast no glittering crown to press forward to nobler aims and higher ideals.

Edgar W. .\tkinson, who enjoys marked prestige in DeKalb county as a leading member of the legal fraternity, and who is now numbered among the enterprising public-spirited citizens of Auburn, was born at Beverly, Ohio, on February 21, 1877, and is the son of Joseph and Hannah M. (Ludman) Atkinson. Mr. Atkinson spent his boyhood days on the home farm at Beverly, attending the common schools until sixteen vears of age. At the age of fourteen years he had taken an examination for teacher's license and had received his certificate. Continuing his studies two \ears longer he then began teaching and at the age ot twenty he secured a first-class certificate for five years and rendering iiim exempt from examination. A year or two later he took an examination to teach algebra, physiology, physics and chemistry, receiving certificates in those subjects. He followed the vocation of a teacher for seven years, and then, aspiring to higher and wider fields of usefulness, he attended Valparaiso University, at \''alparaiso, Indiana, where he pursued classical studies and also the law course, graduating from that institution in June, 1903. Mr. Atkinson then came to Auburn and with a classmate named John Stafi^ord formed a partnership and they began the active practice of law. A vear later Mr. Stafford returned to his home in Kentucky and thereafter Mr. Atkin>on practiced alone until June, iC)o6, when he became deput\- clerk of the DeKalb circuit courl. holding this position until December i, 1908. He then formed a law jiartnership with W. W. Sharpless and for fifteen months they maintained a law office at Garrett, Indiana. On March 1, 19 [o, Mr. Atkinson returned to .A.uburn and he formed a partnership se\en days later with Dan M. Link, with whom he has continued in the practice. The story of Mr. .Atkinson's life is an interesting one, showing a determination to succeed that would l)rook no obstacles and a spirit of industry that was deterred l)y no amount of work, elements that were bound to insure success in any imdertaking. Wliik- m the clerk's office Mr. Atkinson was frequently emploved from se\en in the morning until ten at night studying law at every leisure moment and learning by memory every case on the docket. He was of a disposition that enabled him to avoid antagonism and he made warm friends of practically every fellow member of the bar. His removal to Garrett was with a definite idea in view and he returned to Auburn with the same definite plan before him. Farsighted, keen and sagacious, he always aims to be sure that he is right and then, when so assured, he boldly goes ahead in the performance of his duty, regardless of outside opinion or criticism. Messrs. Atkinson & Link have been engaged in much of the important litigation which has been tried in the local courts, including many cases venued to this court from other counties, and they have been uniformly successful in their practice. Mr. Atkinson is careful and thorough in the preparation of his cases and prompt in the handling of them. and because of the careful observance of professional ethics and his courtesy to the other meml>ers of the bar he is held in high esteem b)- his colleagues. In the public life of the community Mr. Atkinson has shown a commendable interest, giving his earnest support to every movement calculated to advance the best interests of his fellows, and because of his genial disposition and unassuming manner he has endeared himself to all who know him.

On June 23, 1908, Mr. Atkinson married Mary E. Rose, the daughter of Judge James E. and Mary F. Rose, and to this union have been born a daughter, Virginia Rose, and a son, Joseph Edward.

Ralph L. Thomas

The career of the well known and highly respected gentleman whose name heads this review illustrates forcibly the possibilities that are ofjcn in this fair land of ours to men of earnest purpose, integrity and sterling business qualifications. A well spent life and an honorable career ct)nstitute his record, and he is esteemed by a host of friends in the city of Auburn, where he maintains his home, and throughout DeKalb county.

Ralph L. Thomas, of Auburn, Indiana, ex-sheriff of DeKalb county and now deputy sheriff, was born in this city on the 6th day of April, 1874, and is the son of David F. and Jemima (Link) Thomas, the former being the son of David and Anna (Batchie) Thomas, his birth having occurred near Canton, Stark county, Ohio, in 1841. David Thomas was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1805, and was the son of John and Mary Thomas, who settled in Ohio in 1810, being numbered among the early pio- neers oi that state. John Thomas was a soldier in the war of 1812. x\nna Batchie, who was a native of Switzerland, was tw^enty-one years of age when their family came to America. Here her father lived to an advanced age, his death occurring at the age of one hundred years and nine months. David Thomas and Anna Batchie were married in Stark county, Ohio, where they resided until 1846, when they moved to Louisville, that state, and eventually came to Richland township, DeKalb county, Indiana, where David Thomas died on March 3, 1862, being survived a number of years by his widow, who died on April 26, 1883. David F. Thomas, who accompanied his parents to DeKalb county in 1850, was reared on the home farm in Richland tow-nship and lived there until his marriage to Jemima Link in 1866, residing there also for a short time afterward. In 1870 he moved to the Link farm, on which the city of Garrett is now located, where he resided two vears, moving then to Auburn, where, with the exception of two >'ears, 1 891 and 1892, spent in Chicago, he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1909. He was an e.xpert all-around mechanic, ran a tiircshing machine and could construct an engine nr build a house from foundation to roof. He was a Democrat in his political views, but was not an active partisan. His wife, whose maiden name was Jemima E. Link, was born in Ashlanil cciuntv, Ohio, in 1844, and was the daughter of Samuel and Susannah ( Lantz) Link. Samuel Link was the son of Adam Link, who was the son of Jacob Link, and it is believed that both Samuel and Adam were born in Pennsylvania. Jacob Link was a gunsmith and also manufactured gun powder. He owned four hundred and twenty acres of land where the city of \\'heeling. West Virginia, now stands, his land now lieing the site of a large seminarv. /Miout the beginning of the Revolutionary war he and all his family, exce])ting liis son, Adam, were massacred by Indians. .\dam, who was away from home at the time of the disaster, was warned on his return and fled for his life. He never returned to claim the estate, nor would he permit his children to do so. He became a soldier in the war of the Revolution, participating in manv of the hardest fought battles of that struggle, and was an aid-decamp to a general in that war. He died in Crawford county, Ohio, at the age of one hundred and seven years, being the la.st survivor but one of the war for Independence. Samuel Link, father of Mrs. Jemima Thomas, was married in Ohio to Susan Lantz, and they reared eight children. While living at Ashland he was employed as a pump maker. In the spring of 1853 two of his sons came to Auburn and in the fall of the following year he and his entire familv came to DeKall) county, locating in Jackson township. Here

Samuel Link continued U> make pumps and put down nearly all the vvellb in his part of the county, in which he was very successful financially. About 1863 he bought eighty acres of land on which the town of Garrett now stands, though at the time he purchased the land it was covered with a dense growth of timber. He built there a log cabin which was the first house in (jarrett. This house remained until about twenty years ago and was a well known landmark. There the Link family lived until they sold the land to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, and then bought another farm, a smaller place located near their son, Holmes Link, where they spent their old age.

Ralph L. Thomas was reared in Auburn and received his early education in the public schools. When about fourteen years of age he began learning the baker's trade and a year later went to Lima, where he established a small bakery for another man. In 1890 he and his brother, William A., engaged in the bakery business in Auburn, but the following year they were so unfortunate as to lose their entire property by fire. For a short time they engaged in the wholesale and retail candy business, but later again entered the bakery business, buying a place in the north part of Auburn, where there had been a creamery established. Tliis they overhauled and established machinery for a steam bakery when they again suffered the loss of their plant by fire. Immediately afterwards they put in a temporary plant on Ninth street and continued their business until they could rebuild. Their new bakery was located on the south side of Seventh street, at the corner of East street, and here the two brothers continued the business together until K)05, when the subject of this sketch was appointed city marshal, an appointment which came to him without any solicitation on his part, but which he was urged to accept by the city authorities. He held the position two years and rendered efficient service to the city, maintaining good order without any trouble worth mentioning and giving excellent satisfaction during the period of his service. In 1907 Mr. Thomas opened the Interurban restaurant, having a partner, C. E. Frick. .\ year later he sold out and then entered into a partnership with his brother in the bakery business, in which he v^-as engaged until Januarv, igoq. In the fall of IQ08 Mr, Thomas was elected sheriff of DeKalb county by a majority of nearly a thousand, the largest majority ever cast for a candidate in DeKalb county up to that time. In iqio he was reelected bv a majority of twelve hundred thirty-nine, figures that have never been equalled in this county. During the four years' tenure of his office he has had more than five hundred prisoners in cliarge, including law breakers and insane persons, and also was busily engaged in the discharge of other ofticial business, but never lost a prisoner and had no difficulty in the performance of his duty. In 191 1 Mr. Thomas organized the DeKalb Detective Association and since then every horse stolen in this county has been recovered. The society has seventy-two members distributed over the county, covering all the main roads in each township. On the commission of a crime a notice is sent out to each member to be on the lookout and he warns all his neighbors, so that many are on the alert all over the county when a crime is committed, and it is thus comparatively easy to apprehend a horse thief and other criminals. Mr. Thomas has thus had a varied career, having been a baker, a manufacturer of candies, and a public official, and in every phase of life's endeavors to which he has devoted himself, he has performed his part as a man among men, ever receiving the confidence and regard of all who have known him. While engaged in the candy business, he and his brother manufactured what was known as Thomas Brothers Cough Drops which attained a marked degree of popularity and reached a wide sale.