DeKalb County, Indiana - Biographical sketches (2 of 2 so headed), 1914 (part 1 of 20)

Biographical sketches

Among the men of earnest purpose and successful life who have honored DeKalb county by their citizenship none is more deserving of specific mention in the annals of the county than J. Edgar Buchanan, whose death removed from this locality one of its most enterprising and progressive citizens and whose loss was widely mourned throughout this section of the state.

J. Edgar Buchanan, well known as the editor and manager of the Auburn Dispatch and the Auburn Evening Star and general manager of the Auburn Printing Company, was born on March 25, 1868, in Fairfield township, DeKalb county, Indiana, and his death occurred at Evanston, Illinois, on July 27, 1913. He was the youngest son of Albert and Hannah E. (Potts) Buchanan and came of a family that had been prominent in DeKalb county from an early day. The subject's parents had come to this county from Holmes count}', Ohio, in 1854, and had taken a prominent and active part in the early development of this locality. The subject's boyhood days were spent on the pioneer farm in Fairfield township, and as soon as old enough he helped in the arduous labors of the farm, his education being received in the common schools of that locality. After completing the common school course he entered Hillsdale College, at Hillsdale, Michigan, to which city his parents had moved in order to give him this educational advantage. However, after studying in that institution for two years, he was afflicted with a severe illness which undermined his health to such an extent that he never fully recovered from the effects. The family then returned to the home farm, where Mr. Buchanan in a measure recovered his health so that he engaged in teaching school for a number of years, serving one year as principal of the Waterloo high school. In the fall of 1890 Mr. Buchanan took up his residence in Auburn and entered tlie law firm of J. E. Rose & Son, with whom he pursued the study of law until his admission to the i)ar on December 2, 1892. He was intensely ambitious and gave promise of a (21) splendid career in the legal profession, but again his hopes and ambitions were disappointed because of his already undermined health, and for two years he again followed the vocation of school teaching at Altona and Garrett, filling the position of superintendent of the Garrett city schools for awhile. However, the pedagogical profession did not appeal to him as a life work and he turned his attention to the field of journalism, in which he began a series of investigations which eventually resulted in the purchase of the Albion New Era from J. P. Prickett, taking possession of the plant in September, 1895. Though without previous experience in this specific line of efforts, his natural ability and progressive ideas enabled him to so direct and control the business that it grew and flourished and Mr. Buchanan established his home at Albion, thinking at that time that he would make Albion his permanent residence. However, v.hen the plant of the Auburn Dispatch and the Evening Dispatch was placed upon the market at receiver's sale, a desire to be near his people and his old friends bore upon him so strongly that on January i, 1903, he became owner of the business, which, under his guidance and direction, grew to he one of the best newspaper plants in DeKalb county and now stands as a monument to his memory. When he first came to .\uburn tn take charge of the Inisines-^, tlie family remained in Mliun in charge of the business there imtil it ccuild lie disposed of, they removing to Auburn on April ist following. JNIr. P>uchanan organized the Auburn Printing Company, a company formed by the consolidation of the Anhiini Evening Dispatch and Auburn Daily Courier, now being published as the Evening Star, of which he was chief owner, secretary and treasurer and general manager, and he remained at the bead of the newspaper business in this city until his death, directing his affairs with ability and discretion and showing that he had a natural aptitude for the profession to which he had turned. Since coming here his whole life and soul were given to the upbuilding of the institution which he felt was to provide for himself and family a modest heritage. He reallv loved his work and one of his greatest pleasures was to watch the growth of the business and the daih- rewards of work well done. Personallv. Mr. Buchanan was a man of uncompromising honesty and integritv of character, his sterling (|ualities of manhood and genial disposition giving him an envialile standing among his fellow citizens of DeKalb county. A graceful and at the same time a forceful writer, his editorial utterances were influential and always on the right side of every moral or civic question affecting the welfare of the people generally. He was a man of honest convictions on the great public questions of the day. and when once convinced

On June 21, 1891, Mr. Buchanan was married to NelHe 13. Brecbill, who was born and reared in Smithfield township, and to them was born a son, Verne E. Buchanan.

j. Edgar Buchanan was not imlv esteemed liecause of tlie large business success to which he had attaincil in Anlnirn, but was also considered a man of unusual moral filler, standing for all that was good in the community, no movement for the advancement of his fellow citizens along material, moral, religious or educational development appealing to him for assistance in vain. . He was unselfish in his attitude toward local afifairs and gave his material assistance to many enterprises. Thus at the time of his death he was not only general manager of the Aulim-n Printing Compan)-, publishing the Auburn Dispatch., the .iuhnrn Courier and the Errniuii Star, but was a member of the board of directors of the Zimmerman Manufacturing Company, the Auburn Post Card Company and president of the Auburn Building and Loan Association, as well as an active and influential member of the Auburn Commercial Club, while his social relations were with the lodge of Knights of Pythias at Corunna. this county. No community can afford to lose such men as Mr. Buchanan, for he had earnestly and faithfully endeavored to do his part as a man amcjng men and, without boasting or ostentation, he steadily pursued his course, doing well whatever he turned his hand to, gaining not only material prosperity, but that which was more to be desired, the commendation and approval of his fellow citizens.

Charles Eckhart

The following sketch tells of a boyhood whose .strength was developed by overcoming obstacles; of young manhood, when the |iatli to future success was only dimly to be seen; of middle life, when the earlier days of diligent and sustained efifort, tenacity of purpose, rugged honesty and thri ft began to bear fruit ; of the full manhood, when the rewards have come, and are lieing used for the furtherance of noble causes. A simple recital of Mr. Eckhart's career, without attempt at eulogy, may well encourage and inspire others to follow by the same road of hard work and honest purpose to the success that may be won.

vania, and is a son of Jolm and Charlotte (Fraley) Eckhart. His boyhood was spent at Fisher's Hollow, now a part of Germantown. There, at the age of eight years, he began helping his father spool yarn, his father being a weaver. Of schooling he had only a year and a half, and that in schools that were far short of the present standard. When he was fifteen years old the family moved into Philadelphia, and there he found employment in a woolen mill where they made fancy goods, his father being also employed in the same mill. In the fall of 1857 a panic spread over the business world, causing the woolen mill to shut down and the lad started out to seek his fortune elsewhere. He had only three dollars in his pocket, and he did not spend that on auto, carriage nor railway. He walked. The first day he covered fifteen miles. He got supper, bed and breakfast at a tavern, and it cost him seventyfive cents, one-fourth of his cash capital. Another day of fifteen miles and he came to Hilltown, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he found a chance at learning his chosen trade, carriage making. It was a humble little shop, and he was engaged two weeks on trial. After two weeks he made a bargain , with his employer to serve two and one-half years for board and washing, with three weeks ofif in harvest time so he could earn money for clothes. The next summer he laid off at harvest time, but went into Philadelphia and got a job at four dollars per week, while he boarded at home. At the end of four weeks he had sixteen dollars, for he had saved every cent. Returning to his employer at Hilltown, he asked for a new agreement, for he saw he could not clothe himself and meet his obligations at that rate. The employer would not consent to a better arrangement, so the young man left him, first paying all his small debts: he never left a place without settling e\'ery cent he owed. After a thirteen-mile walk he took the train to New "S'ork city, where he spent a week vainly looking for work. From there he went to Albany, where he had relatives, but he failed to find them. Returning to New York city he then went on foot to Trenton, New Jersey, seeking work on the way. From there he went by boat to Philadelphia, where his parents were residing, and finally found work in a dye house at two dollars per week, working seven days a week. He remained there all winter and the following spring secured a position with D. R. Mover, who had bought the carriage shop at Hilltown. Mr. Eckhart was to work for Moyer one year under Mo}'er's instructions. After six months he bought release from the original agreement and worked by the piece. He worked often from four in the morning, putting in as many as sixteen hours a day. Six months later i\Ir. ]\Ioyer failed in business. Mr. Eckhart, who was then a boy of only eighteen years, had sa\-ed a few dollars.

and also had some wages due him. Boy, though he was, he bought the stock in trade, giving his personal note for the balance. Being :i comparative stranger and without financial backing did not destroy his credit, for all knew his industry and he had shown that he was honest. This is evidenced by the fact that he had a credit enabling him to go into debt in the amount of eight hundred dollars.

At the breaking out of the Civil war business became dull in his line, and, like thousands of others, Air. Eckhart enlisted to fight for the Union. On September 6, 1861, he joined Company A, One Hundred Fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. E. L. Rogers and Col. W. H. H. Davis. He was made fourth sergeant at once. The time until November was spent at Doylestown and then till March, 1862, at Washington, D. C, drilling every day but Sunday. In March they went as part of Mc- Clellan's army to Alexandria and then by transports to Newport News, Virginia, arriving the day after the historic battle between the "Monitor" and the "r^Ierrimac." They helped in the siege of Yorktown and when the rebels evacuated that place they took part in the battle of Williamsburg. Following the rebels to their final stand at Fair Oaks, or Se\en Pines, the battle of Fair Oaks was fought May 31 and June i. 1862. In that bloody battle the One Hundred Fourth Regiment and their brigade lost more men than any other regiment or brigade in the Ijattle. The\- were in the Seven Days retreat, when, late in June, they were driven out of their position near Richmond and fell back, fighting all the way for se\-en days. After reaching Harrison's Landing they remained about a month. Abandoning that position, the amiy went on toward Fortress Monroe and to the battle of .Vntietam, but the One Hundred Fourth Regiment and their brigade was ordered to Gloucester Point and there did guard duty till January, 1863. From there they went on an expedition down through the Carolinas. May 20, 1863, Mr. Eckhart was discharged on account of physical disability, at Hilton Head, South Carolina. At the time of his discharge he ranked as first sergeant.

In the fall of 1863, Mr. Eckhart went to Morris Island, South Carolina, and hired out as a sutler's clerk, and for a time was in business for himself as a sutler. After eleven months he returned to Philadelphia, in September, 1864, visited a relative near Waterloo, Indiana, and it was then that he made the acquaintance of the one who later became his wife and the mother of his children. In February, 1865, he enlisted as first sergeant in the Two Hundred Thirteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and did guard duty near Washington, in Maryland and Virginia, until November 24. 1865, re- maining in service about six months after the war. He next entered the Bryant & Stratton Business College, at Philadelphia, but, not having enough money to carry him through, he left before completing his course, and in the spring of 1866 went to work at his trade at Norristown, Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1866 he came to Indiana to visit his uncle at Waterloo. We uiay also infer that he made other interesting visits in that neighborhood, for he secured a position at his trade in Kendallville and on October 31, 1866, was united in marriage with Barbara Ellen Ashelman, who resided near Waterloo. She was a daughter of John U. Ashelman, an early pioneer of this county, who is spoken of elsewhere in this work.

In the spring of 1867, Mr. Eckhart moved to Auburn, and about the first of July was promised a good situation at his trade in Chester county, Pennsylvania, to which place he moved at once. There his first son, Erank E., was born on October 9, 1867. Two weeks after the birth of their first child the family moved to a place in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, where Mr. Eckhart engaged in partnership with D. R. Moyer, his old employer. After one year Mr. Moyer withdrew and Mr. Eckhart continued in business for himself at that place until October, 1874. During their residence there, three other children were born, Annie, born January 22, 1869; Morris, born March 25, 1871, and William, born January 18, 1873.

In the fall of 1874, business was at a very low ebb all over the country. Mr. Eckhart sold out and moved back to Auburn, at which place he has made his home ever since. Eor a time he could not find regular employment and took any kind of honest work he could find. He was virtually obliged to go into business to provide employment. He began in a small way, at first in the parlor of his home on Ea.st Seventh street, making a few carriages. That house is now the office of the Eckhart Carriage Company. He built a small shop nearby, a stnicture eighteen by twenty-four feet, two stories high, and in that building, in March, 1875, started what is the Eckhart Carriage Company of today. Eortunately for Mr. Eckhart, he had already acquired a thorough and practical knowledge of every branch of carriage making except blacksmithing, and he was his owm master mechanic. From the time his little boys were eight years old, he required them to help as they could when not at school. From the start he always insisted on the best of workmanship and strict honesty in his business. Perhaps a customer had a vehicle in which a defect of worlcinanship would develop, all unnoticed by the customer; Mr. Eckhart would not wait until the customer would see it, if his practiced eye had detected the fault. He would call the customer in and fix the defect free of charge. His goods soon established a reputation for being buiU and sold on honor. The business grew, and on an average of once in two years since then it has been necessary to enlarge the plant. Continued improvements have been made in the constructive appliances of the plant, and the buildings are arranged with the purpose of handling the work through different stages of construction in a systematic and economical manner. The plant is located along the Vandalia railway and has its own private track. Their business has grown from the limited start in a private residence to one that employes a large number of skilled workmen, with a force of traveling salesmen, and has built nearly five thousand vehicles in a year.

About 1902 the carriage company began, in an experimental way, to make automobiles, having already at hand most of the needed machinery, appliances and the organization to successfully launch such a business. After about three years they erected a building near the carriage factory, two stories high, sixty feet wide and one hundred feet long, using the lower floor for auto making. By 1906 their automobile business was well able to stand alone and required larger quarters. They bought a factoiy building and grounds along the Vandalia tracks in Auburn, and installed their machinery. They assembled an organization of skilled workmen and began o])eration at the present location October i. 1906. They have not advertised extensively, but have depended upon the same methods that made their carriage factory a success, striving for economic efficiency of system in carrying on the various operations, but, above all, insisting on honest quality in everything. Xow their business has reached about two million dollars a year, and Auburn automobiles are sold in about one-half the states of the Union, every car being a good advertisement for the factory.

About 1895 Mr. Eckhart retired from the active management, leaving his son, Frank Eckhart, in charge of the carriage factory. The sons having had practical experience from early childhood, and each one master of at least two trades, they are better fitted for their responsibilities than many an older man. whose experience was not so thorough and practical in the formative period of life. They understand the practical details of their line of business from top to bottom, and have both been of great assistance in building up the Eckhart plants at Auburn. It is a source of great satisfaction to Mr. Eckhart that his sons, trained by him for their careers, have developed their talents so well, and are so competent, for he knows he need not fear for the business with them in charge- They have managed in a way to merit the hearty approval which he gladly accords them. Since retiring from business Mr. Eckhart has traveled in every state in the Union except one, and spends his winters usually in California, but occasionally in Florida. Although he is comparatively free from business cares and has ample means, he is not an idler, but uses his energy, time and money in any cause that is for the general good of his fellow men. He has been active in politics, but not with hope of pecuniary reward. He has for full thirty years supported the Prohibition party, for the good he can do in promoting the cause of temperance. He has campaigned for the party with his name on the ticket as a candidate for any ofifice, having run for the lowest ofifice on the ticket up to the highest in the state, for he was the party candidate for governor in igoo. He has campaigned actively, speaking all over Indiana, never at the expense of the party, but freely paying all his expenses and contriliuting of his money to help the cause.

In religious belief he is a member of the .\dvent Christian churcli ( not Se\enth-Day Adventist) and has been a tower of strength in the denomination. He has given liberally for denominational and educational work, especially for the benefit of the Ad\'ent Christian College of .\urora. Illinois. In recognition of his help so freely given, the main building of the institution is named Eckhart Hall. Considering that he has succeeded so well with such meager schooling as he had, one might expect him to esteem schools but lightly, but he does not do so. He believes every child is better off with schooling, at least up tO' high school, and higher where a professional life is contemplated.

In Auburn Mr. Eckhart has been always ready to help in whatever he considers for the general welfare of the community. He is a member of the DeKalb county board of charities and corrections, and is also a member of the county council. He contributes liberally to the churches of Auburn, and one of his benefactions that Auburn will always remember with gratitude is the Eckhart Public Libraiy. He was a member of the Auburn public library board when the library was in an upstairs room south of the court house. Recognizing that it was inadequate, the board decided to seek subscriptions and ask Mr. Carnegie to contribute liberally. Mr. Carnegie agreed to contribute twelve thousand five hundred dollars, but later Mr. Eckhart agreed to purchase the ground where the lilirary is now, present it to the city and build the library. Dr. Lida Leasure wrote Mr. Carnegie to the efifect. and received from Mr. Carnegie a reply saying in part: "Let me congratulate Auburn upon having such a citizen as Mr. Eckhart. I should like to shake him by the hand as a fellow worker in a good cause. Happy man, who can console himself through life with the thought that because he lived one little spot on earth has been made better than it was before. I wish him long life and happiness." A more extended description of the library and grounds will be found elsewhere in this work. It is said by competent authorities that there is probably nowhere to be found a finer nor better equipped library for its size than the Eckhart Library of Auburn. His aim in every stage of construction was to have the best of material, design and workmanship, and he spared no expense to make it so.

In 19 1 2, Mr. Eckhart and his son Frank contributed twenty thousand dollars each with which to purchase the ground and erect the "^'oung Men's Christian Association building at Auburn. Since then they have each contributed twenty-five hundred dollars additional, and will probably ha\-e to give as much more, making in all fifty thousand dollars for the grounds, buildings and furnishings complete. An organization of .-\ulnnn Inisiness men was formed to carry forward the work, and the building erected at its present location at the southeast corner of Fifth and Main streets. A more extended description of the building will be found under the appropriate heading.

Mr. Eckhart's first wife was called to rest on September lo, 1903. In her childhood and youth she was innured to the privations and hardships incident to early settlement. She bore her share of the burdens of home life when her husband's business was in its humble beginnings ; she was with him as it grew to its later magnitude ; but no change in fortune ever made any change in her ideal domestic character. She loved home and family, and her constant purpose was to make the fireside attractive and to bring up her children by precept and example to become worthy and useful members of society. She was a memlier of the ,\dvent Christian church, in whose creed she had full belief and confidence. (_^n October 18, 1904, Mr. Eckhart married Martha A. Hoffman, who was born near Carey, Ohio, and is a daughter of Rev. J. H. and Margaret Hoffman. Her father was a Lutheran minister, a graduate of Gettysburg College, a good Greek scholar, and preached in both German and English. Although well educated and fitted for the more public places of the cities, his earnestly devoted disposition led him to do missionan,' work in out-of-the-way churches and among the poor. His daughter, now Mrs. Eckhart, also has the disposition to do good for others and seconds her husband in his philanthropies.

Eckhart Carriage Compan)% married Grace Leiter and has three children. ' George, Mary Ellen and Josephine. He has a beautiful home in Auburn, is much like his father in his desire to use his money for good causes, and is a member of the Methodist church. Morris Eckhart, who is at the head of the Auburn Auto Company, is a keen, active business man, and has one of the finest residences in northeastern Indiana. He married Ada Mclnterfer, of Waterloo, and has one daughter, Ruth. William Eckhart, who is at Los Angeles, California, with the Shugers Manufacturing Company, makers of automobile tops, married Nettie Willis, daughter of Moses B. Willis, of Auburn, Indiana, and they have a son, Charles W., and a daughter, Edith. Annie is the wife of George W. Shugers, of Auburn, who is now proprietor of the Shugers Manufacturing Company at Los Angeles. They have no children of their own, but are rearing a bright little girl named Clara.

John Zimmerman

The character of a community is determined in a large measure by the lives of a comparatively few of its members. If its moral and intellectual status be good, if in a social way it is a pleasant place in which to reside, if its reputation for the integrity of its citizens has extended into other localities, it will be found that the standards set by the leading men have been high and their influence such as to mold the characters and shape the lives of those with whom they mingle. In placing John Zimmerman in the front rank of such men, justice is rendered a biographical fact universally recognized throughout the locality which is honored by his citizenship. Although a quiet and unassuming man, with no ambition for public position or leadership, he has contributed much to the material, civic and moral advancement of this community, while his admirable qualities of head and heart and the straightforward course of his daily life have won for him the esteem and confidence of the circles in which he moves.

John Zimmerman was born at Leo, Allen county, Indiana, on January 17, 1868, and he is the son of Elias and Mary (Bittenger) Zimmerman, who are represented elsewhere in this work. In the fall of 1875 the family removed to Auburn, where the subject has since resided. He secured his education in the public schools, though from the age of nine years he began to work in the Zimmerman factory, when not in school. After completing the high school course at Auburn, Mr. Zimmerman received preparation for his future career by attending a business college at Ft. Wayne. In Aprils 1886, he permanently identified himself with the factory, in the affairs of which he has since been a prominent figure. At the age of twelve years he had been placed in charge of the engine room, where he had worked hard, a part of his duties consisting" in firing the boiler with green saw-dust. In 1886 he went into the office and took charge of the books, really acting as secretary, though not officially elected to that position until 1889, when he had reached his majority. He has continued to act as secretary, and for many years has also served as treasurer. In 1910, upon the death of his brother, Franklin T., he was made general manager, and he is now discharging the multitudinous duties of these several ofifices, to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.

The Zimmerman Mfg. Co. has had an interesting and successful career. In 1873 Franklin T. Zimmerman and a partner named Watson started a planing mill, in which they intended to manufacture building material. The following year Watson withdrew from the firm, selling his interest to George B. Zimmerman, a brother of Franklin T. About 1876 their father, Elias Zimmerman, bought the interests of George B., and the business was operated under the name of the Zimmerman Company until December, 1886, when the Zimmerman Mfg. Co. was incorporated, with the following officers: President, John W. Baxter; secretary, Elias Zimmerman; treasurer, Albert Robbins ; general manager, F. T. Zimmerman. The planing mill was devoted to the manufacture of church furniture for a few years, but about 1882 they began the making of wind mills and tanks, in which they continued to be successfully engaged until 1908, when these features of the business were sold to the Celina Mfg. Co., of Celina, Ohio. In i8go the Zimmerman Mfg. Co. began the making of buggies, an industry that has been eminently successful and which has steadily grown in volume and importance, the output amounting to about two thousand five hundred vehicles a year. In 1907 the company began the manufacture of automobiles, in which also they have met with pronounced success. The original building o\\ned by the company was about sixty feet by eighty feet in size, but the rapid and continuous increase in the business has necessitated a number of additions and improvements. In 1908 the first half of the present factory building was erected,^ it being a substantial concrete structure, and in 1909 the other part was built, as well as two other three-story buildings. The main building is two hundred and eighty feet by sixty feet in size, and, with the other buildings, provides about seventy-five thousand square feet of floor space. About eighty men are constantly employed, most of whom are experts in their individual lines. In the manufacture of automobiles, the company has turned out a few very light cars, though the greater part of their output has been of the four-cylinder type; they are now making a six-cylinder car, ranging in price from sixteen hundred to twent3'^-three hundred dollars and which is the equal of any similar-priced car on the market. Though the automobile branch of the business has assumed extensive proportions, the buggy branch of the business has not been allowed to languish, but is looked after carefully, both in the manufacture and sale. The present officers of the Zimmerman Mfg. Co. are as follows: President, Elias Zimmerman; vice-president, C. C. Schlatter, of Ft. Wayne ; secretary-treasurer and general manager, John Zimmerman. In the splendid success which has characterized this company, John Zimmerman has been an important factor, for he is a man of ackno\Nledged business ability, sagacity and far-sightedness, who has won and retains the confidence and respect of all who have had dealings with him.

In the civic life of the coniniunitA- Mr. Zimmerman has taken an intelligent interest and has contributed in a definite measure to the advancement and improvement of the city. In 1898 he was elected a member of the town board, while in igoo he was elected a member of the city council and was re-elected in 1902, thus serving six years. During this period many important improvements were made, including the electric light, water works and the sewer system, while the paving of the streets was begun. Mr. Zimmerman is a member of the Commercial Club and has been active in the work within its province.

On May 20, 1891, Mr. Zimmerman was united in marriage to Clara E. Altenburg, the daughter of Henry Altenburg, and they are the parents of three children, namelv: Nellie, who graduated from the Auburn high school in 191 1 ; Joseph, now a student in high school, and Lois, who is also in the public school. Religiously, Mr. Zimmerman and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. Zimmerman was superintendent of the Sunday school for thirteen years, or until his resignation in 1910. He and his family are popular in the social life of the community, and to the son Joe belongs the distinction of having originated the slogan now used by the Commercial Club. The club offered a prize in the spring of 1912 for the best slogan for Auburn, and the one suggested by Joe Zimmerman, "Auburn Forever, with Honest Endeavor," was awarded the prize and on March 26, 1912, was adopted as the slogan of the club. Personally, John Zimmerman is a man of genial and kindly impulses, who easily makes friends, whom he ahvays retains. He holds worthy prestige in business and industrial circles, being regarded as distinctively a man of affairs and wielding a potent influence among those with whom he associates.

Milo J. Thomas

The two most strongly marked characteri.stics of both the East and the West are combined in the residents of the section of country of which this \-olume treats. The enthusiastic enterprise which overleaps all obstacles and makes possible almost any undertaking in the comparatively new and vigorous Western states is here tempered by the stable and more careful policy which we have borrowed from our Eastern neighbors, and the combination is one of peculiar force and power. It has been the means of placing this section of the country on a par with the older East, and at the same time producing a reliability and certainty in business affairs which is frequently lacking in the West. This happy combination of characteristics is possessed by the subject of this sketch, Milo J. Thomas, a leading citizen and successful business man of Corunna, DeKalb count}-, Indiana.

Milo J. Thomas, to whom the enterprising town of Corunna, DeKalb count}^ Indiana, is largely indebted for its present prosperity, is a native of the county in which he now li\'es, and was born on August 15, 1861. He is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Reckenwalt) Thomas, both of whom were natives of the state of Ohio, the father bom at Louisville. Daniel Thomas came to Indiana in an early day, settling in Richland township, where he followed the vocation of farming with splendid success until his retirement, when he moved to Corunna, where he now resides. The subject of this sketch and an older sister, Almira, who died in infancy, were the onh- children born to him. Milo J. Thomas received his preliminary educatirm in the common schools of DeKalb county, and then went to N'aljjaraiso University, this state, where he attended one hundred and six weeks, and, thus well qualified, he engaged in the pedagogical profession and for eight years was numbered among the successful teachers of this locality, his summers being employed as a clerk, in which he gained valuable mercantile experience and familiarized himself with business methods and ideas. In i88(S Mr. Thomas engaged in the general mercantile business at Corunna, carrying a general line of hardware, lumber and farming implements, his hardware stock including ,1 well selected line of heavy and shelf hardware, stoves and ranges, and in the con- duct of this enterprise he seemed to have met a long-feh want, for his success was notable from the beginning. This success was not accompHshed without much hard labor, indefatigable effort and a persistency that would brook no obstacles, and twice during his business career he was visited by disastrous fires, first on May 9, 1889, and again on July 22, 1895, but, undaunted by apparent disaster, Mr. Thomas at once rebuilt and restocked his new store and has now the enviable reputation of owning the largest and best equipped hardware and implement store in the state, the size of the town considered. Among the hardware men of Indiana Mr. Thomas has long enjoyed a high reputation, both because of his business success and because of his high standing as a man, and he was recently elected president of the Indiana Retail Hardware Dealers' Association, an honor deserved by him and thoroughly appreciated. He was also chosen a delegate to the National Hardware Dealers' Association, which convened at Jacksonville, Florida. On November 15, 1897, Thomas engaged in the banking business under the name of the Thomas Exchange Bank, and in this enterprise his judgment was again vindicated, for the Thomas Exchange Bank has grown in importance and influence until today it is one of the leading banks of DeKalb county. It also has the honor of being one of the fifteen hundred banks in the United States which have won a place on the Roll of Honor, which means that the surplus and undivided profits are greater than the capital stock. Mr. Thomas is now president of the DeKalb County Bankers' Association. Always on the lookout for an opportunity to advance local conditions, Mr. Thomas, in 1893, succeeded in getting telephone communication with the outside world and the Corunna Telephone Exchange, which was established in 1897, became one of the most popular public utilities of this locality. Eventually Mr. Thomas disposed of his interests in the same, but tO' him belongs the credit for its establishment here. Mr. Thomas also for a number of years held important interests in the Corunna Flouring Mills, and in many other ways has been one of the most important and influential factors in the advancement of the commercial interests of this thriving town. Sound mental powers, invincible courage and a determined purpose that hesitates at no opposition has so entered into his composition as to render him a dominant factor in the business world and a leader of men. He is essentially a man of affairs, of sound judgment, keen discernment, rare acumen, far-seeing in what he undertakes and every enterprise to which he has addressed himself has resulted in liberal financial returns. Elis success in life has been the legitimate fruitage of consecutive effort, directed and controlled by good judgment and correct principles.

On September 17, 1885, Mr. Thomas married \'esta Kline, the daughter of Henry J. and Ehnira S. (Harding) Kline. Ivlrs. Thomas's father was born in Huron county, Ohio, and her mother in DeKalb county, Indiana, Elmira Harding was a daughter of Dimmick Harding, who came from New York state to DeKalb county, settling in Richland township. He became the father of two children, Mrs. Thomas, who was born June 26, 1868, and Archie, born in December, 1872, and who died at the age of one year. Henry J. Kline came to DeKalb county at the age of twelve years with his parents, John and Catherine (Geisler) Kline, who settled in Richland township, their former home having been in Crawford county, Ohio, and he was married to Elmira Harding in 1862. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Kline married Elnia Reynolds, the daughter of Nathaniel and Jeannette Reynolds, who had come to DeKalb county from New York state. He died on July I, 1909. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have been born five children, namely: Harry K., born March 24, 1887; Bertha M., March 5, 1889; Charles A., July 16, 1894; Hugh A., July 2j, 1896; Wilma, October 26, 1900. Hugh A. Thomas was accidentally shot and killed by a companion on February 26, 1911.

Thus in brief have been given the leading facts in the eventful career of a man whom Corunna honors as a successful business man, public-spirited citizen and a man whose private life will stand the test of scrutinv. Finally, in him there are combined the cjualities of head and heart that win confidence and beget friendship, and in the locality which has so long been honored by his citizenship no one enjoys to a higher degree the good will of all Icnow him.

Michael Kiplinger. Jr

Among the well known citizens of Waterloo, Indiana, who are numbered among the enterprising and progressive citizens of DeKalb county, is Michael Kiplinger, Jr., who was born on April 20, 1846, in Ashland county, Ohio, and is the son of Michael Kiplinger, Sr., and wife. The subject grew to manhood in his native state, secured his education in the public schools and then adopted the profession of teaching. He came to Waterloo and here followed the pedagogical profession, having among his pupils Flora Dennison, the daughter of George and Eliza (Fenner) Dennison. On May 31, 1871, he and Flora Dennison were united in marriage and for a time thereafter he gave up teaching and became a salesman. Afterwards he took up carpentering, which has been his chief occupation since, but he is a good all around mechanic and has been employed at various lines of work. From the time of his marriage he resided at Waterloo. He is a strong Democrat in his political views, and for a time he took an active part in party work. He was elected city clerk, which ofifice he filled for three years. He has also served as secretary of the Northeastern Indiana Agricultural Association for five consecutive years. To him and his wife ha\'e been born six daughters, namely: Viola May, the wife of Frank Myers, of Waterloo; Olive H., wife of Ralph L. Thomas, ex-sheriff of DaKalb county, who lives at Auburn, and who is represented elsewhere in this work ; Orpha Estella, wife of a Mr. Ladd, and after his death she became the wife of Rev. Browne, a minister of the Evangelical church; Bertha Belle, the wife of Dr. J. E. Graham, a dentist at Auburn ; Delia Matilda, the wife of Dr. C. L. Hine, a dentist at Tuscola, Illinois ; Cora Delilah, the wife of Albert Bogart, who lives at Albion, Michigan. The mother of these children was born in Richland county, Ohio, on October 29, 1851, and when a year old was taken by her parents to Wood county, Ohio, where they lived until 1868, when they moved to Waterloo, this county. She died on August 31, 1886, shortly before her thirty-fifth birthday and when her oldest child was a girl of but fifteen years and the youngest only three years old. The father kept the children together, assisted by his sister, for a year, or until the older children were able to keep house and care for the younger ones. Mr. Kiplinger still resides at Waterloo, being now sixty-seven years old, but is still actively engaged at his work. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and because of his consistent life and high personal character, he enjoys to a marked degree the confidence and regard of all who know him.

Colonel Aubrey L. Kuhlman

A due measure of success invariably results from clearly defined purpose and consecutive effort in the affairs of life, but in following out the career of one who has gained success by his own efforts there comes into view the intrinsic individuality which makes such accomplishment possible. Such attributes are evidently possessed by the subject of this sketch, who, during all his manhood years, has been prominent in commercial and industrial life, and who has impressed his personality upon the lives of all with whom he has come in contact. He has always stood ready to identify him- self with his fellow citizens in any good work and extend a co-operative hand to advance any measure calculated to better the condition of things in his community, that will give better government, elevate mankind, insure higher standards of morality and the highest ideals of a refined, ennobling culture, being a man of public spirit and correct conduct, aand eenjoying the confidence and esteem of all who know him, by reason of these commendable characteristics, coupled with a genial, gentlemanly address and a heart of charitable and hospitable impulses. Indeed, no family in DeKalb county has been better or more favorably known than that represented by the subject of this sketch, the name Kuhlman standing for progress, upright manhood and loyal patriotism.

Aubrey Linden Kuhlman was born in Auburn, DeKalb county, Indiana, on Decemljer 25, i86g, and is the son of Enos and Amanda (Rhodefer) Kuhlman. Enos Kuhlman was born at Canton, Stark county, Ohio, the son of William and Alary (Hoover) Kuhlman, whose ancestors originally came to this country from Germany. Enos Kuhlman was reared and educated at Canton, and in young manhood came to Auburn, Indiana. At the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion, Enos Kuhlman enlisted as a private in Company K, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in which command one of his company comrades was Winfield T. Durbin, exgovernor of Indiana. Mr. Kuhlman rendered gallant and faithful service to his country and at the conclusion of the war he returned to Auburn. Here he became a salesman, traveling th.e greater part of the time until 1890, when he went to Mulhall, Oklahoma, where he has since been successfully engaged in the general mercantile business.

Soon after his return from the army, Enos Kuhlman married Amanda Lorena Rhodefer, who was bom and reared near Auburn, the daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth (Feagler) Rhodefer. Elizabeth Feagler was a granddaughter of Henry Eeagler, who was a captain in the war of 1812, and Colonel Kuhlman has now in his possession a military order addressed to Captain Feagler at Frederickstown, Maryland, during that second war with England. Abraham and Elizabeth Rhodefer came to DeKalb county from Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1845, locating first about three miles northwest of Auburn, but eventually moving to a farm two miles south of that citv, where thev spent the remainder of their li\es. To Enos and Amanda Kuhlman were born five children, the eldest, Clyde, being killed at school at the age of seven vears, and a daughter, Geneva Nevada, the young- (22) est, dying- at the age of three years. The three living at the time this volume is printed are Col. Aubrey L. Kuhlman, William O. and George W., all of Auburn, Indiana.

Aubrey L. Kuhlman was reared under the parental roof in Auburn and secured his education in the public schools here, graduating from the high school with the class of 1887. Upon completing his studies he took employment with Kuhlman Brothers, a lumber company at Auburn, with whom he spent a little over three years, transferring thence to the lumber firm of A. Lewis & Company, with whom he remained two years. He then joined the Auburn Manufacturing Company in the capacity of lumber inspector, and in January, 1894, became office manager for that concern. Soon afterwards he was elected secretary of the company, and a year or two later he was also made treasurer of the company, holding both offices, and for several years carried the additional responsibilities of general manager. Several years later he was made a director of the company and, excepting six months, when he was in active military service during the Spanish-American war, he was continuously identified with this concern until February 10, 1906. On that date Colonel Kuhlman recei^-ed his commission as postmaster of Auburn, and served four years in that capacity, or until May i, iQio. His administration of the postoffice was characterized l)y t'le same careful attention to details and to the wants of the patrons of the office that has characterized him in all his business atYairs and his relations with his fellows, and his official record was such as to win for him the approval of the department and the commendation of the community. After the expiration of his term as postmaster. Colonel Kuhlman accepted a position in the office of the Zimmerman Manufacturing Company, having less than a day's vacation between engagements, and he remained with the Zimmerman Company until the spring of 191 2. He then enjoyed a vacation of several months, after which he took a position as manager of the Angola factory of the Auburn Automobile Company, and served in that capacity until August i, 1913, when he was transferred to the main office in Auburn, where he holds a responsible position, being one of the most valued and appreciated members of the splendid force which is making this concern one of the most successful manufacturing enterprises of the state. Possessing executive and administrative ability of a high order. Colonel Kuhlman is also a man of tact and sound judgment and his relations both with his employers and the men under him have been mutually pleasant and agreeable.

For many years the subject of this sketch has been deeply interested in military affairs and more than a score of years ago he organized at Auburn a company of the National Guard, of which he was elected captain on the date of its muster into service, January 12, 1892. On March 25, 1897, he was commissioned a major, and on the outbreak of the Spanish-American war he reported at Indianapolis for duty with his regiment on April 26th and was, on May 10, 1898, commissioned as major and had command of a battalion of four hundred and thirty-five officers and men, his command being a part of the One Hundred L^ifty-seventh Indiana \'olunteer Infantry, for the United States volunteer service, serving as such until mustered out of that service on November i, 1898. His regiment was mobilized at Chickamauga, Georgia, leaving Indianapolis on May 15th and arriving at Chickamauga on the 17th, under the command of General Brooks, moving on June ist to Tampa, Florida, and on July 20th were transferred to Fernandina, on the Atlantic coast of Florida. The regiment left Fernandina on August 30th, arriving at Indianapolis September 2nd, remaining there until mustered out, excepting a furlough period for the entire regiment from September loth until October loth. The battalion under Major Kuhlman's command comprised the companies from Angola, Waterloo, Auburn and Ligonier. After the war the Indiana National Guard was re-organized and, on April 27, 1900, the subject of this sketch was again commissioned as major. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on December 11, 1909, and on February i, 1913, was commissioned colonel of the Third Regiment, made up of the twelve companies whose home stations are at Ft. Wayne, Auburn, Angola, Columbia City, Monticello, South Bend, Plvmouth, Rensselaer, Albion, Warsaw, Goshen and Elkhart and the band at Peru. His entire military service has been characterized by duty promptly and intelligently performed and he is held in high esteem among his brother officers of the Guard. As a company commander, he took part in Governor Matthews' campaign against prize fighting at the Roby arena in September. 1893, when a lot of toughs and sporting men from Chicago threatened to override the laws of Indiana. In 1894, during the great strike of the American Railway Union, he had command of the detached military post at Whiting, Indiana, which was garrisoned bv the two companies from Auburn and Fort Wayne. On January 4, 1908, the National Guard was called to Muncie to assist in suppressing the rioting during a strike on the street and interurban lines, twelve companies of infantry and one battery of artillery being called into service, and during the latter half of the service Colonel Kuhlman had command of the entire force. On November 6, 1913, the entire National Guard of Indiana was called to Indianapolis to protect life and property in connection with the strike of the street railway employees, and during- this period of duty Colonel Kuhlman had command of a force consisting of fifteen companies, eleven companies of his own regiment, three cornpanies of the Second Regiment and one company of the First Regiment.

Colonel Kuhlman's war horse, "Harry," a product of DeKalb county, who carried him through the Spanish-American war and in army maneuvers during fifteen years following the war, died January 5, 1914, at the age of twenty years.

On December 25, 1895, Aubrey L. Kuhlman was married to Josie B. Shull, who was born and reared in this county, northwest of Auburn, the daughter of Eli W. and Adaline (Olinger) Shull, who now reside on a farm about a mile from the place where Mrs. Kuhlman was born. Immediately after the completion of her education, Mrs. Kuhlman became a teacher in the schools, but at the time of her marriage was engaged in the millinery business in Auburn. Mrs. Kuhlman is prominent in church, club and social circles. Mr. Shull is a prosperous farmer and pubHc-spirited citizen, owning more than three hundred acres of good land. He has been a life-long resident of this locality and was a veteran of the Civil war. To Colonel and Mrs. Kuhlman has been born a daughter, Helen, a beautiful, talented and affectionate girl, beloved by all who know her.

Fraternally, Colonel Kuhlman is an appreciative member of the Knights of Pythias, while he is also a member of the Spanish-American War Veterans, his comrades insisting upon naming the Auburn camp of Spanish War Veterans Kuhlman Camp, in his honor. In local civic affairs he has long been a prominent figure and has been an active member of the Aubum Commercial Club, which he served as president two years and for three years as a member of the board of directors. When the Agricultural Exhibit at Auburn was originated, Colonel Kuhlman proposed the idea, drew up the plans of organization and had a leading part in the development and consummation of the affair, a plan for the exhibition of agricultural products so different from the time-honored county fair, and so successful in its results that it has been copied in many states of the Union and the very first year of its operation it produced such a splendid display of agricultural products from DeKalb county alone that at least a half dozen state fairs in the Central

States were outclassed b\^ the quantity and quality of the products displayed by DeKalb county, this statement being the voluntary testimony of visitors who had seen the state fairs and it is generally conceded that the Agricultural Exhibit which Colonel Kuhlman originally proposed and planned has, by means of the attention which it has attracted to this county, increased the value of every acre of land in DeKalb county at least fifty per cent.

In 1902 Colonel Kuhlman published a book which brought to its author the very highest encomiums from some of the most distinguished men in America, statesmen, authors, evangelists, generals, clergvnien and ]mlilishers. and almost from the day of his graduation his versatile pen has I^een called upon from every direction. In this connection we are tempted to include in this sketch several of the comments, taken at random from the many similar ones:

"Major Kuhlman's booklet, 'Nuggets of Gold.' will be wonderfully helpful to any life. There is no question as to its value." - Chaplain Medbury.

Roosevelt, Taft, Hitchcock, Marshall, Hanly and many other distinguished men ha\e commended the book, l>ut, although Colonel Kuhlman's book received such commendation as very few books ever receive, it has never been placed upon the market or offered for sale.

A man of many sterling characteristics of head and heart, among his contemporaries it would be difficult to find a record as replete with toilsome duty faithfully performed in all the walks of life as Colonel Kuhlman's, while his career in the humble sphere of private citizenship has been such as to commend him to the favorable consideration of the city and county where he has long maintained his residence.

Alfred Kelley

It is with a great degree of satisfaction to us when we advert td the hfe of one who has made the rough path of Hfe smooth by untiring perseverance, attaining success in any vocation rec^uiring definiteness of purpose and determined action. Such a Hfe, whether it be one of calm, consecutive endeavor, or of sudden meteoric accompHshments, must abound both in lesson and incentive and prove a guide to the young men whose fortunes are still matters for the future to determine. For a number of years the late Alfred Kelley directed his efforts towards the goal of success in Waterloo, Indiana, and by patient continuance won pronounced prestige. But it is by no means an easy task to descrilie within the limits of this rexiew a man who led an active and eminently useful life and by Iiis own exertions reached a position of honor in the lines of business with whicli he was interested. But biographv and memorial history find justiticatimi, ne\'ertheless, in tracing and recording such a life history, as the public claims a certain property interest in the career of every individual and the time invariably arrives when it becomes advisable to give the right publicity. It is, then, with a certain degree of satisfaction the chronicler essays the task of touching briefly upon such a record as was that of the honored subject of this memoir, for manv- vears one of the leading business men of Waterloo and who deserved in every respect the large success he attained and the high esteem in which he was universally held.

Alfred Kelley, who during his lifetime was familiarly known among his friends as "Ab," was born at Wooster, Wayne county, Ohio, on May i6, 1832, and died at the lionie of his son, Eugene Kelley, in Waterloo, Indiana, on June 5, 191 1, in the sixtieth year of his age. He was a son of Joshua and Martha (McCrillis) Kelley, whose children, six in number, were as follows: Charles, who died in Waterloo, in 1912; Mrs. Florinda Marvin, who now resides in Iowa; Mrs. Samantha Beard, of Waterloo; Alfred, the immediate subject of this memoir; Cyrus and Mrs. Emma J. Fee, bo'th of whom died several years ago. Joshua Kelley was a native of Pennsylvania and the son of Thomas Kelley. After his removal to Ohio he married a Miss Durst, who died, leaving a daughter, Elizabeth. The latter married and spent her entire life in Ohio, being now deceased. Eventually Joshua Kelley married Mrs. Martha (McCrillis) Ward, the widow of Joneth Ward. She was born in Ireland and accompanied her parents on their emigration to the United States. Her mother, who died in Wavne countv, Ohio, lived to the remark-

About 1850 Joshua Kelley came to DeKalb county and entered probably about four hundred acres of land in Smithfield township. He was here several times afterwards, looking after the land, and about 1835 he moved his family here. The land was new and to the clearing, culti\ati<in and improvement of this farm he devoted iiimself closely. His place was far from schools and largely because of that fact he bought the Porterfield farm, near Taylor's Comers, in Franklin township, where the land was improved, including an orchard, and situated near schools. There he established his permanent home and remained until his death, which occurred in 1862, by which time he had become quite well-to-do. He had inherited one hundred and sixty acres of land from his father, who had come here before his son Joshua and bought a farm near Hamilton. Joshua had also bought other land, becoming the owner of about seven hundred acres of land in DeKalb county and other lands in Ohio. He was survived many years by his widow, who passed away in March, 1898.

Alfred Kelley accompanied his parents on their removal to Smithfield township, this county, in 1855, being at that time but three years old, and he was but eleven years of age when his father died. He remained on the home farm until about 1873, when, reaching his majority and inheriting one hundred and sixty acres of land and some ready money from his father's estate, he moved to Waterloo and for several years carried on a brokerage business, though at the same time he gave attention to the clearing and improvement of his land. About 1895 ^^i"- Kelley bought the Locke Hotel, at Waterloo, from his father-in-law, Simon J. Locke, and continued its operation with marked success and financial profit until 1910, when, on account of failing health and the heavy demands of his other lousiness interests, he retired from the hotel business. During his management the well-established reputation of the house was ably maintained and it continued to be a favorite stopping place for the traveling public for many years. About 1899 Mr. Kelley established the Waterloo telephone exchange, under the Bell system, installing the first switch-board in his hotel, with thirty subscribers. However, giving to the telephone business the same careful attention and sound business management that characterized him in everything to which he addressed himself, the new business became popular and soon grew to such an extent that it was necessary to secure more room for it than could be secured in the hntel. In iqio Mr. Kelley erected the present exchange building, where there is ample room for switchboards and other necessary appHances. This modern brick building, completed early in 191 1, stands as a monument to his progressive spirit and faith in the community where he lived.

Politically, Mr. Kelley was an active supporter of the Democratic party, in whose councils he was a frequent figure, being chairman of the county central committee for a time. As a partial reward for his fidelity to his party and his earnest labors in its behalf he was appointed postmaster of Waterloo under President Cleveland, discharging the duties of the position with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of the department and the patrons of the office. He also served in an otfical capacity in the municipality for several terms. Fraternally, Mr. Kelley was an appreciative member of the Knights of Pythias, and in his religious views he was always in accord with the creed of the Presbyterian church, of which he became a member before liis deatli.

On January i, 1877, Alfred Kelley was united in marriage with Ada Locke, who was born in Toledo, Ohio, the eldest daughter of Simon J. and Wattie (McCormick) Locke. In May, 1866, her family removed to Waterloo, where her father engaged in the restaurant business, which he continued here for nearly twenty years, and during that period he enjoyed a large patronage, especially during the earlier years, when all the trains on the Lake Shore railroad stopped at Waterloo, many of Mr. Locke's patrons being railroad men. When the restaurant was first opened, Mrs. Kelley, then a girl of fourteen years, waited on the tables-and her uniform courtesy, cheerful disposition and constant efforts to please the patrons of the restaurant made a lasting impression on the railroad men, who gave substantial evidence of their regard for her and their appreciation of her courtesies by presenting her with a beautiful gold watch and chain, valued at one hundred and seventy-five dollars. Inside the case were engraved the words, "Presented to Miss Ada Locke by the Employes of the Air-Line Division of L. S. & M. S. R. R. June 20, 1872." After Mr. Locke had run this restaurant for about twenty years, he bought the Lent Hotel, renamed it the Locke Hotel, and ran it until 1895, when he sold it to Alfred Kelley. He moved to Bryan, Ohio, wliere he engaged in the hotel business, but about six months later, while back in Waterloo on a visit to Mrs. Kelley, he was taken suddenly ill and died. His wife retained her residence at Bryan until her death, which occurred in December, 1906, and the hotel business there is now continued by her daughter. Miss Cora B. Locke. Besides Mrs. Kelley and Cora B., there were five other children, as follows: Adelbert, familiarlv known as "Del," runs the Bliss Hotel at Bluffton, Indiana; Hattie is the wife of W. P. Nolton, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; Rev. Richard Earl Locke is pastor of the Presbyterian church at Rutherford, New Jersey; Efifie is the wife of O. E. Siegfried, of Toledo; Gracie died about 1874, at the age of two years. To Alfred and Ada Kelley were born three children, namely: Blanche E., the wife of Andrew Maselle, who is engaged in the automobile business in San Francisco; Eugene, who is represented by a personal sketch elsewhere in this work; Bessie is the wife of R. J. Nisbet, manager of a surgical instrument house in Chicago, and they have two children, Richard Kelley Nisbet and Ada Blanche Nisbet. Mrs. Kelley still resides in the old home in Waterloo. She is an earnest member of the Presbyterian church, taking a deep interest in its various activities, and is also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Pythian Sisters. She is a lady of many gracious qualities of head and heart, moves in the best social circles of the community, and is well liked by all who know her.

Personally, Mr. Kelley was a man of more than ordinary caliber and during the period of his residence in Waterloo he was a prominent factor in the growth and development of the community. Pie was a progressive man in the broadest sense of the term : realizing the wants of the people, he tried to supply the demands of the ^-icinit}' lionored by liis citizenship. He was a consistent man in all he ever undertook, and his career in all the relations of life was utterly without pretense. In business matters he was alert and sagacious and during his later years his real estate transactions reached large proportions. Of strong domestic tastes, he was very generous in his treatment of his family, to the members of which he made many substantial gifts, one gift being the Telephone Exchange building to his wife as a Christmas present, while at Christmas time his usual gift to each of his children was one hundred dollars or something equally substantial. When Mr. Kelley realized that his end was approaching he made a verbal statement as to the manner in which he desired his property to be distributed among his wife and children. 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. Genial and companionable, he was fond of a joke, and in his home he was uniformly kind and cheerful, the brightness of his own life driving away all clouds from the home. Physically, a large man, with strong and pleasing features, he possessed to a notable degree those qualities which beget friendships, and there was probably not another man in the community who was lield in liigher esteem by all, regardless of politics or professions.

James George Lawhead

Among the men of high personal attainment and exahed character who have reflected honor on DeKalb county, and at the same time attained to a commendable position among their fellow men, was the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this review, a man w'ho in every walk in life performed his full part and gave his unreserved support to every movement for the public welfare and who in his daily life so lived as to earn the confidence and good will of his fellow citizens.

James G. Lawhead was born in Jackson township, DeKalb county, Indiana, on October i, 1844, and was a son of Benjamin and Mary Jane (Essig) Lawhead. Of the subject's ancestral history it may be stated that his paternal grandparents, James and Martha Lawhead, came to DeKalb county, Indiana, from Wayne county, Ohio, in 1839, and here the father died in 1854, and the mother in March, 1880. They were the parents of nine children. Of these, Benjamin, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, on April i, 1820, accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio in 1834 and to DeKalb county, Indiana, in 1839. The family were among the earliest settlers in the southern part of DeKalb county, and were numbered among the progressive and influential citizens of that locality. In 1843 Benjamin Lawhead married Mary Jane Essig, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1821, and in 185 1 Mr. Lawhead bought the homestead in section 17. They were the parents of two children, James G., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Caroline, who become the wife of Charles L. Cool, of Auburn.

James G. Lawhead was reared on the paternal farmstead near the center of Jackson township, where he resided until his marriage, on April 17, 1870, to Wealthy B. Nelson, whose death occurred on April 27, 1877, leaving two children, William B. and Queen Victoria, the latter subsequently becoming the wife of Eli Amstutz, of Allen county, this state, and she is the mother of four children, two sons and two daughters. William Benjamin Lawhead married Sarah McKinley and is the father of three children, and lives in the east end of Butler township, this county. After Mr. Lawhead's first wife died he resided with his parents until September i, 1879, when he was united in marriage with Eliza Walter, who was born one mile north of Jackson Center in Jackson township, November 27, 185 1. the daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Nixon) Walter. Her father was a native of Wayne county, Ohio, near Orville, the son of Christian and Margaret (Keester)

Walter, while her mother was a native of VVestniorelanu county, Pennsylvania. Joseph Walter, after his marriage in Wayne county, Ohio, came to DeKalb county, Indiana, about 1836, being numbered among the first settlers here and entered a section of government land, the journev from Ohio to this state being made in the t)-pical pioneer wagon. Here he and his wife established their frontier home and lived here during the remainder of their lives. Mr. Walter gave his attention to farming, in which he was eminently successful, owning at the time of his death four hundred acres of land. They became the parents of fourteen children, of whom thirteen grew to maturity. After Mr. Lawhead's second marriage he and his wife lived a year with his parents, at the end of which time he bought eighty acres of land, the nucleus of the farm on which Mrs. Lawhead now lives. They lived near that place for two v^ears and then moved back to his father's farm in order to care for his parents until his mother's death. In the spring of 1887 they moved to the present homestead, where they have lived until the present time. Mr. Lawhead's father lived with them, remaining there until his death, nine years later. In 1888 Mr. Lawhead, the subject of this sketch, built the present residence and made many other substantial and permanent improvements on the farm, which made it one of the best in the locality. He owned at the time of his death three hundred and five acres of land and was counted among the substantial and representative agriculturists of the county. In his younger days Mr. Lawhead had been engaged to some extent in teaching school, but farming was his main vocation throughout his life, and in this vocation he attained an enviable success. Politically, he gave his support to the Republican party, but was too busy a man to indulge much in political affairs. To James G. and Eliza Lawhead were 1iom fi\e children, namely: Walter, who died at the age of three years; Gertrude, the wife of Jesse H^etrick, who lives on the home farm and is the mother of two sons. Buster and Schuyler ; Frank, who lives in Detroit, studied law at the State University at Bloomington and has traveled extensively; Kirby married Cecil Townley, and lives one mile south of the old home farm ; he is the father of two children, Virginia and Violet; Nixon is a student at the State l^niversity at Bloomington, Indiana.

Mr. Lawhead died on March 27, 19 13. and his death was universally mourned throughout the locality where he was acquainted, for there were combined in his make-up those elements which commended him to the good will and esteem of all who knew him. He was not onh- a lo\ing and faithful father, a kind and indulgent husband, but to all those with whom he came in contact he bore kindly relations and at all times endeavored to spread the gospel of good cheer, being generous in his attitude toward others, regardless of their faults or foibles. A man of good judgment and ripe experience he was often sought for advice by those starting out in life's battles and he cheerfully and wisely advised those who sought him. The best that can be said of any man may he truthfully said of Mr. Lawhead, namely, that the world was better for his having lived, and though he has passed to the better world his influence still pervades the lives of those who came within the range of his life and character.

Frank W. Willis

Not too often can be repeated the life story of one who lived so honorable and useful a life and attained to such notable distinction as he whose name appears at the head of this sketch, who was one of the most successful and distinguished newspaper men of northeastern Indiana. His character was one of signal exaltation and purity of purpose. Well disciplined in mind, maintaining a vantage point from which life presented itself in correct proportions, guided and guarded by the most inviolable principles of integrity and honor, simple and unostentatious in his self-respecting, tolerant individuality, such a man could not prove other than a force for good in whate\-er relation of life he may have been placed. His character was the positive expression of a strong nature and his strength was as the number of his days. In studying his career interpretation follows fact in a straight line of derivation and there is no need for indirection or puzzling". As the day, with its morning of hope and promise, its noontide of actix'ity and accomplishment and its evening of completed and successful efforts, so was the life of this good and honored man. His career was a long, busy and useful one, and his name is revered by all who had occasion to come into contact with him on life's pathway. His life was one of consecration to his calling, and well does he merit a place of honor in every history touching upon the lives and deeds of those who have given the best of their powers and talents for the aiding and betterment of their kind.

Frank W. Willis was born in Syracuse, New York, June 13, 1842, and died at his home in Waterloo. Indiana, May 19, 1913, at the age of seventy years, ele\-en months and six days. He was a son of Henry and Fmerline (Hewitt) ^Villis, and came to this county in 1844 when his parents located on a tract of land in Richland township, where they resided until 1864, at which time they moved to Waterloo when the senior Mr. Willis was elected sheriff of DeKalb county. The subject of this sketch was reared on the farm belonging to his father and attended the common schools. In addition to this he attended the schools at Auburn and Waterloo, and also spent some time at the Orland Seminary. At the age of eighteen years he offered his services to the United States at the time of the Civil war outbreak and enlisted as a member of Company K, Forty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving his country for over three years. During these years of service he spent the best part of his life for his country, and engaged in the battles of Shiloh, Chickamauga, Stone's River and other important engagements, and was wounded three different times, but was always ready to do his duty as a soldier.

After his discharge Mr. Willis was appointed assistant assessor and deputy collector of the tenth congressional district, by William Pitt Fessender, secretary of the treasury under President Johnson. For four years he discharged his duties in this capacity with the full satisfaction of his superiors. Soon after the war he commenced to practice before the department of interior, and as a claim agent secured many pensions for old soldiers and their widows. He was well known among the soldiers of the county and elsewhere and had many tender comrades who thought of him during his illness and were kind to him. After his return from the army he was stricken with violent illness and at times suffered greatly, due to his exposure in the service for his country. At times regaining his health, he thought that he would eventually become stronger, and for a number of years was much improved, but after the fire of 1896 he again lost his health, and from that date gradually failed, although he held on to life always with a tenacious grip, and his sturdy constitution gave him courage to live as long as he could, until he had passed the three score vears and ten. Many a time he seemed cheerful when he was suffering from pain that cannot be described. He enjoyed his home and reared a large family. On January i, 1884, Mr. Willis formed a partnership with E. P. Dickinson, and the new firm bought out the Waterloo Press, then owned by C. K. Baxter. For a number of years Mr. Willis had editorial charge of the paper and later bought out the interests of his partner and continued the Press, being in editorial charge until the time of his death. In 1867 he purchased the book store of H. K. Davis and with C. K. Baxter, purchasing that of T. Y. Dickinson, the two then consolidated their business under the firm name of Baxter & Willis. In December, 1868, Henry Willis, father of the late deceased, purchased the interest in the book store of Mr.

Baxter, and the firm was then known as WilHs & Company, and remained so until 1896, when in February of that year their business was destroyed by fire, including that of the Waterloo Press. It was at this time that Frank W. Willis and his son, Herbert C, formed a partnership and continued the publication of the ^Vate^loo Pnss. and also succeeded the firm of \\'illis & Company in the book and stationery business, Henry Willis then retiring from active business on account of his age. From the time of his entering the newspaper business Mr. Willis was actively identified with the general interests of the county and community, and always conducted an editorial column in the paper up to the time of his last illness.

In the fall of 1894 he was elected to the state Legislature as representative from this county, being elected by the largest majority ever accorded a Republican in this county to that office, which spoke for the high esteem in which he was held by the voters of the county. After serving for two years, during which time he was foremost in the passage of good legislation, he retired from acti\"c ]3olitics, l)ut was always acti\'e in the interests of his party until his health failed to such an extent that he could not longer take active part in the work. However, he w-as very forceful in his editorial writings, and was ardently enthusiastic in advocating his party principles so long as he believed them right.

When a young man Mr. Willis joined the First Presbyterian church of Waterloo, and remained an active member to the time of his death. He was an elder in the Presb3^erian church for nearly forty years, and never missed attending services when he was at home and not detained by illness. As a worker in the Sunday school he was a teacher fifty years, being active in that work at the time of his death. He served as superintendent of the Sunday school for many years, and also was an enthusiastic worker in Sunday school conventions, both in county and, in earlier years, in the state conventions.

Among the many beautiful tributes to the life, work and character of Mr. Willis was the following from John B. Stoll, the veteran journalist of South Bend and life-long friend of the deceased: "He was what I considered the ideal country newspaper man- - discreet, vigilant, intelligent, considerate, conscientious, patriotic. His death is a distinctive loss to the newspaper fraternity, as well as to the community, which for many years enjoyed the benefit of his inspiring example and his well directed efforts for civic righteousness and the moral uplift. Though now numbered among the dead, his splendid record as a man, citizen and patriot will live long in the memory of those who prize nobility of purpose as cardinal virtues of man."

the splendid tribute paid the deceased by his son and business associate : "In the passing away of the senior editor of this paper, the community loses one of its oldest citizens, and a man who has been identified with public interests to a very large extent. As a man he lived a life that stood for itself. No comment is necessary as to his character. He was possessed with a Christian character that stood forem.ost in his life. Since a young man he was interested in Sunday school and church work and was active up to the time of his last illness. As a soldier, his active service stands as a tribute to his loyalty to his country. As a man for right, he was always found unflinching for all that was good and honorable. As a business partner the writer has been actively associated with him for the past seventeen years, and during all that time has been in such close relationship that he knew him better than anyone else outside the immediate family circle. As a parent for over two score years the writer knows that he has alwa}'s been kind and loving and had a desire that his children should be trained in honorable paths, and that they should live such lives that they would be as ready to be called to their eternal homes as he was. During the twenty-nine years that he has been at the editorial head of this paper he has been honest in his editorial opinions, and while there have been many incidents that perhaps have been left unco\ered in his editorial writings, his scope has been so general that it was made plain where he stood on ajl important subjects of the day. His writings have been widely copied and no doubt he will be missed among the journalists of the state. All the years that he has been broken in health he has done his part in making life cheerful, not only to himself, but others as well. The close association in business causes a grief on the part of the writer that but few can understand. It is hard to fight life's battles and it is hard to give them up. He has fought for his life and was ready to give up at the call of the Master. He was a good man, and no one can dispute that he has been consistent in his life's habits, and he had the confidence of his friends and those with whom he had done business. The end came like a shock, and while it has been known for some time that he could not get well, yet while there was life there was hope, and at last that hope vanished. There might be no more fitting tribute to be paid a father by a son than to say he has been a good father and one who has done all he could in rearing a family of nine children, all of whom today survive."

On September 27, 1868, Mr. Willis was united in marriage with Josephine Dickinson, who was born in Auburn, Indiana, on May 17. 1850, the daughter of Timothy R. and Mary (Youngman) Dickinson, her father having been at one time one of the most prominent attorneys in DeKalb county. During the Civil war he was drafting oiificer for this county and thus filled a very difficult position, which inevitably aroused animosity and enmity among many, especially those Southern sympathizers who then infested this locality and who assaulted him with stones, eggs and other missiles, so that at times it was necessary for him to be guarded by his friends. He was even asked by a committee from his church to resign his membership because of his strong anti-slavery views, but he was fearless and upright, stood staunchly for freedom and the perpetuity of the national union. Soon after the war he bought a tract of land north of Waterloo and laid it out, naming it Waterloo cemetery and incorporating an association to own and control it. There have been several additions to this cemetery, the last one being laid out by Frank W. Willis. Probably twice as many people have been buried there as comprise the present population of Waterloo. For awhile Mr. Dickinson practiced law in Auburn, but eventually moved to Waterloo, where he lived during the remainder of his life. Mrs. Willis, who lived at home until her marriage to Mr. Willis, had attended Oberlin College and also had received some academic work. To Mr. and Mrs. Willis were born nine children, six sons and three daughters, namely : Herbert Clyde, who was his father's business partner and associate for a number of years, and who is now editor and owner of the Waterloo Press, being represented elsewhere in this work, by a specific sketch ; Mary Gertrude is the wife of James P. Hornaday, newspaper correspondent at Washington, D. C. ; Fred I. is connected with the Hearsey- Willis Company, automobile dealers and bicycle manufacturers at Indianapolis ; Raymond E. is postmaster at Angola, Indiana, and part owner of the Steuben Republican; Edward D. is also interested in the Steuben Republican; Dora E. is the wife of R. G. Dilts, of Waterloo; Frank B. is engaged in the automobile business in Indianapolis ; Josephine lives at Waterloo and William H. is engaged in employment at Indianapolis. These children all received good educations and have been reared to honorable manhood and womanhood, a credit alike to their community and an honor to their parents.

Jacob D. Leighty

A publication of this nature exercises its most important function when it takes cognizance, through proper memorial tribute, of the life and labors of so good a citizen as was Jacob D. Leighty, who was for many years one of the best known business men and most representative citizens of DeKalb county, Indiana, having been an influential factor in the general development of the community. He ever stood as an exponent of the most loyal citizenship and was a noble personality whose memory will be long cherished and venerated in the community to whose civic and material progress he contributed in a most generous measure. A man of great business capacity and of the highest principles of integrity and honor, he made his influence felt along diverse lines and he was long a leader in the promotion of legitimate enterprises which conserved the general welfare of the city and county of his adoption. He matured his plans carefully and patiently and was a man of splendid initiative power and constructive ability, so that he was well fitted to become one of the upbuilders of a thriving community. He gave generously of his superb powers in furthering the industrial, commercial and civic upbuilding of the locality so long honored by his citizenship, and his name is one that merits a conspicuous place on the roll of those who have worthily conserved such progress. His integrity was of the most insistent and unswerving type and no shadow rests upon any portion of his career as an active business man and sterling citizen. He had his limitations, as do all, but he gave of the best of his talents to the world and to aiding his fellow men. Mr. Leighty was a man of impressive personality, was broad of mental ken and had the characteristics which ever beget esteem, confidence and friendship. \'iewing his life in its perspective, none can fail to have an appreciation of his great accomplishments at a time when such powers as his were at a premium, and he should ever be remembered as one of tlie noble, kindly and public-spirited men of affairs who played a conspicuous role in the development and progress which characterized this section of the state.

Jacob D. Leightv was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on the 30th of October, 1839, the son of John and Elizabeth (Sowash) Leighty, and his death occurred in St. Joseph's hospital. Fort Wayne, Indiana, on October 17, T912, in the seventy-third year of his age. He was the third in order of birth of the ten children born to his parents, and he was but four years of age when the family came to DeKalb county, Indiana. Here he was reared and secured a good, practical education in the common schools, in which he became a teacher at the early age of sixteen years. He continued his pedagogical labors several years, and then liecame a student in Wittenberg College, at Springfield, Oliio, where he was a menilier of the sophomore class at the outbreak of the war of the Reijellion. His patriotic spirit was quicklv aroused at the attack on the national flag and on July 8, (23)

1 86 1, he gave practical evidence of his loyalty and courage by enlisting as a member of Company E. Eleventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in which he was appointed a sergeant. His militar)' record was a most creditable one, characterized by courage of a high order, and he took part in a number of the most notable struggles of that great contest. His first engagement of importance was that of Fort Henry, in the spring of 1862, after which followed the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Grand Gulf, Port Gibson, Raymond, Champion's Hill, and others of scarcely less importance. In the engagement at Champion's Hill Mr. Leighty was severely wounded in the left hip and was disabled from active service for sixty days. Upon partially recovering from his wound, he rejoined his regiment at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and from there went down the Mississippi river to New Orleans. He served with an expedition into western I-ouisiana, extending to Opelousas and engaging the enemy several times on the way. After his return to New Orleans and because of the effects of his wound, from which he still suffered, he resigned in March, 1864, and returned home. That Mr. Leighty was a good soldier was indicated by his successive promotions, to second lieutenant on Januan^ 24, 1862, and first lieutenant on December ist of the same year.

Tpon liis return to iKacefiil ])iir-^n't';, ^Ir. Leight\ engaged in mercantile business at Spenccrville, Indiana, acquiring an interest in the firm of Miller & Myers. Shortlv afterwards he and Mr. Miller purchased Mr. Myers' interest and the firm of Miller & Company was continued a year, when the suljiect's father, John Leighty, bouglit ]Miller"s share, the firm name being changed to John Leighty & Son. The business was thus conducted, with eminent success, until 1872, when Jacob Leighty purchased his father's interests and ran the business alone until 1874, when he sold his mercantile stock to P. Bishop. In 1875, when the Baltimore & Ohio rail.road was projected through this section to Chicago, Mr. Leighty, with the foresightedness and sagacity characteristic of him, saw the possibility of a thriving town between Hicksville and Auburn, and, with this in view, he and his father bought what was then known as the Blair farm, on which they platted and laid out what is now the town of St. Joe. Three years later Mr. Leighty engaged in the mercantile business in the new town, having associated himself in business with M. T. Bishop. About seven years later Mr. Leighty bought his partner's interest in the business, which he thereafter conducted alone until about 1894, when he disposed of his business to W. C. and C. A.Patterson, J. K. Stafford and M. E. Olds. In many other ways he was a prominent figure in the upbuilding and development of the town, having assisted in the

-organization of a bank, of which he was elected president, owning an interest in the grist mill and other enterprises which contributed in a definite way to the welfare of the town, especially in its earlier days, when men of strong character and positive action were needed. He was active in the erection of the grain elevator and he built the substantial brick store building now occupied by C. A. Patterson. After moving to St. Joe Mr. Leighty and his wife first lived in the residence which was standing on the Blair farm, but later he built a comfortable residence in the town, just east of the present commodious and attractive brick residence, which he built in 1889. No enterprise which promised to benefit the community ever appealed 'for his assistance in vain, for he was public spirited to a notable degree. In all that constituted true manhood and good citizenship he was an example, his career having been characterized by duty faithfully performed, and by industry, thrift and wisely directed effort.