Grant County, Indiana - The whole text, 1914 (part 29 of 32)

James W. Cemer was reared on his father's farm and being one of the older members of the family early learned how to work. When he was two years of age his father removed to Van Buren and it was in this town that he received his education. However, he had to help his father on the farm and little time was found for study. He worked for his father until he was twenty-five years of age and then he received from his father five hundred dollars in cash, horse and a buggy, and some stock. With this as a foundation he has built up his present comfortable fortune. He is the owner of forty acres of well cultivated land in section 5, Franklin township.

On the 24th of April, 1887, Mr. Cemer was married to Miss Vic¬ toria Rader. She was born in Jefferson township, Grant county, on November 4, 1866, a daughter of Simeon W. and Matilda (Thomas) Rader. Simeon W. Rader was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, not far from Cambridge, and his wife was born at Winchester, Indiana. They were married near Swayzee on March 17, 1861, Mr. Rader having come to Grant county, with his parents, about 1843. Mrs. Rader lived in Indiana all of her life, though part of the time her home was in Tipton county. She and her husband were the parents of ten children, of whom only four lived to maturity. Victoria was the eldest of these and she grew up in Grant county and received a good education in the public schools, of this county. Simeon W. Rader, the father, enlisted in Company "B" in the Eighty-fourth Indiana Infantry, in 1862, to serve in the war against the Confederacy. He was a soldier of' great bravery and true patriotism and in the battle of Chickamauga, on the 19th of September, 1863, he was severely wounded. He was shot three times that day and was thus totally disabled for further active duty. He was consequently discharged in June, 1864, and from 1868 until 1878 he lived in Marion. He then moved to Fairmount where he lived until June, 1898, when he moved to Roseberg and there died. J. P. Rader, the eldest son, married Ansie Davidson and the youngest son, George W.? married Dora M. Campton and lives at Anderson, Indiana. Arminta B. Rader died January 20, 1910, age 22 years.

Mr. and Mrs. Cemer have had two children born to them. Char¬ lotte D., who was bom on the 12th of June, 1893, graduated from the public school and is now a student at the E. M. College at Ber¬ rien Springs, Michigan. Van W. who was bora on the 10th of April, 1897, died on June 20, 1897.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Cemer are prominent members of the Seventh Day Adventist church at Michaels. He is an elder of this church and she is clerk of the congregation. In politics Mr. Cemer is a mem¬ ber of the Republican party.

Edgar E. Stephens. An agricultural enterprise of somewhat dis¬ tinctive character is that of Edgar E. Stephens of Pleasant township. Mr Stephens has made a reputation as a grower of potatoes, and prob¬ ably raises more of that staple food product than any other man in Grant county. His annual crops have run as high as four thousand bushels, and as he has kept the product up to the highest standard of quality he gets correspondingly high prices. Mr. Stephens was reared on a farm, knows all the details of the general industry and finally drifted into his present specialty as a potato raiser. He is the owner of thirty acres, and controls seventy acres, a large part of which is devoted to his special crop.

Edgar E. Stephens was born in Pleasant township, Grant county, Indiana, January 19, 1862, a son of Alfred M. and Katherine M. (Porter) Stephens, both now deceased. His old home was near Mt. Olive church in Pleasant township, and it was in that community that Mr. Stephens spent his boyhood and youth. He had the advantages of the local school, and like many boys he aspired to adventures in new fields away from the old home locality, and accordingly at the age of nineteen went west, where he lived and followed various lines of work until December, 1884. Mr. Stephens married on January 28, 1889, Mary Catharine, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Moss; Burge. She was a student, after completing the common schools, at the State Normal, but never took up teaching as a regular occupation. They are the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters: Mabel E. is a graduate of the common schools and the Marion Normal schools in the classical course, and is principal of the high school at Onward, Indiana; Edgar E., Jr., graduated from the common schools, high school, and the Marion Normal College, and is teaching school near Mandan, North Dakota ; Donald is also -a graduate of these schools and is teaching school No. 4, Pleasant township; Rosella graduated in oratory from the Marion Normal College and is teachifag near Mandan, North Dakota ; -Floyd M. when eleven years old was graduated from the common schools and is now in the Sweetser, Indiana, high school. Junie Belle is a student in the grade schools. The family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics Mr. Stephens is one of the active supporters of the Prohibition cause, though in national affairs he has usually supported the Republican ticket.

W. Allen Morehead. Washington township shows some of the best regulated and most valuable farms in Grant county. They have been made thus desirable through the industry and enterprise of the owners, who have realized the advantages of using modern methods and machinery in their work and whose long residence in this locality has made them familiar with soil and climatic conditions. In this class undeniably stands W. Allen Morehead, the owner of eighty acres of well-cultivated land located in section 10/ and a citizen who is at pres¬ ent serving his township as assessor. Mr. Morehead is a native of Grant county, having been born in Pleasant township, May 7, 1876, a son of Alexander and Nancy (Sheron) Morehead.

Calvin Morehead, the grandfather of W. Allen Morehead, was born in Ohio, and migrated to Grant county, Indiana, in 1839, settling first in the vicinity of Jalapa, where he entered land from the govern¬ ment and continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits during the remainder of his life. Alexander Morehead was bom in 1838, in Ohio, and was a babe of one year when brought by his parents to Grant county. His boyhood home was a pioneer log cabin on the old home¬ stead, and he was reared to the hard work of clearing the home farm. On reaching his majority he engaged in farming on his own account in Pleasant township, and became moderately successful in his opera¬ tions and a well known man in his community. A life-long sufferer from asthma, he spent the last few years in Oklahoma, seeking relief from his illness, and there his death occurred in March, 1913. He married Nancy Sheron, who was born January 1, 1841, in Ohio, and she still survives and makes her home in Marion. Two children were bom to this union: W. Allen, of this review; and Lulu, the wife of Walter Bish, residing at No. 207 North F street, Marion.

W. Allen Morehead received his education in district school No. 4, in Washington township, and worked at home with his father until reaching the age of twenty years, at which time he struck out for him¬ self, for two years being employed by Francis A. Bradford, a Wash¬ ington township agriculturist. At the time of his marriage, in 1898, he rented a farm in the northern part of that township, and there continued to reside until 1910, in the meantime, in 1907, purchasing his eighty-acre farm in section 10. In 1909 he erected on this land a large and substantial barn, with the latest and best equipment, and in 1910 he built his present residence, a ten-room home, fitted with bath, running water furnished by a pneumatic water system and other con¬ veniences, and lighted by acetylene gas. Mr. Morehead has shown himself an able man of business and excellent farmer, and his prac¬ tical management of his affairs has made him one of his community's substantial citizens. In 1912 he raised 1,000 bushels of com and 1,500 bushels of oats, and cut twelve tons of hay, in addition to raising and selling about 50 hogs at top-notch prices. He keeps seven draft and running horses, and has a herd of eight high-grade cattle. Seventy acres of his land are under cultivation, while of the ten remaining acres several are in pasture land and the remainder in timber. Among his neighbors and associates he has fairly won a reputation for integ¬ rity and honorable dealing, and his many pleasant personal qualities have gained him a wide circle of sincere friends.

Mr. Morehead was married in 1898 to Miss Maud B. Dicken, daugh¬ ter of George Dicken, a well-known Grant county farmer, and to this union one child was bom: Thelma Delight, July 6, 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Morehead are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He has always been a Democrat in his political views, and as assessor of Washington township is giving his fellow-citizens excellent service.

Frank L. Whive. One of the best improved properties of Van Buren township is the 160-acre farm owned by Frank L. White, located on the Washington and Van Buren gravel road, in sections 6 and 7. Although not a native of Grant county, Mr. White has resided here since infancy, and since attaining his majority has been identified with the agricultural interests of his adopted locality. He was born in Hocking county, Ohio, October 8, 1872, and is a son of Levi and Caroline (Burns) White, and a grandson of William White, a native of Pennsylvania, who spent his last years in Hocking county, Ohio.

Levi White was born in the Keystone State, and as a lad was taken to Ohio by his parents, there being reared to farming. At the out¬ break of the Civil War he enlisted in an Ohio volunteer infantry regiment, and upon his return to the pursuits of peace again engaged as a tiller of the soil. In 1873 he left Ohio for Grant county and pur¬ chased a farm of eighty acres in Washington township, and here the remainder of his life vras passed. He became successful in his opera¬ tions, and at the time of his death, in 1907, was the owner of 240 acres. His wife, who was born in Ohio, passed away three months and five days later. They were the parents of five sons : Curtis A., who resides at Marion; Yearsley F., now sheriff of Grant county; William E., a

The education of Frank L. White was secured in district school No. 1, in Washington township, and as a lad began his operations in agricultural work in clearing land for his father. He remained on the home farm until his twenty-second year, when he was married, and one year later bought his present farm, on which he has since made numerous improvements. For six years he and his wife resided in a log cabin which stood on the land, but at this time the family home is a twelve-room modern residence fronting the Washington and Van Buren gravel road, with a wide lawn and the latest improvements, the water for which is secured from a drilled well with a wind pump. The upper farm, which Mr. White rents to a tenant, is also equipped with good buildings and improvements, and both of these eighty-acre properties are very productive. The crops therefrom in 1912 included 1200 bushels of corn, 1300 bushels of oats, and seventy tons of hay, and in 1913 Mr. White planted eleven acres in wheat, forty acres in corn and thirty-six acres in oats. He feeds sixty hogs annually, and also has met with success in raising fine horses. He has become pros¬ perous through industry, persistence and energetic effort, and the appearance of his land denotes the presence of thrift and good manage¬ ment.

Mr. White was married in 1894 to Miss Eva Etta Landess, who was born in 1876, daughter of Oscar E. Landess, and she died June 29, 1911, having been the mother of two children: Florence C. and Landess L. In his political views, Mr. White is a stalwart Democrat, although he has not cared for nor sought public office. His religious connection is with the United Brethren church. A man of progressive ideas, he has ever been a willing contributor to and supporter of movements tending to advance his community, and his integrity in matters of a business nature has gained him the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens.

Alexander Butler, a farmer and prominent citizen of Van Buren township, Grant county, Indiana, is one of the successful and influential men in this section of the county. He has been a farmer all of his life and from a small beginning is now, through hard work and wise management, counted one of the prosperous men of the community. This has meant that he has had to be a very busy and hard working man, but in spite of this he has always found time to give in behalf of his fellows and the interest of the general public, and as a trustee of the township accomplished much toward the upbuilding of this section.

Alexander Butler was born in Rush county, Indiana, on the 9th of March, 1846, son of Alpheus and Rhoda (English) Butler, both of whom were bom in Kentucky. Alpheus Butler, who was bora in 1807, was the son of Nathan and Mary (Davis) Butler, who were natives of Virginia, and early settlers of Kentucky. Soon after his marriage to Rhoda English, in 1831, Alpheus Butler emigrated to Rush county, Indiana, where he bought a farm. He improved this place which was then in the wilderness and here he lived and reared a family of eight children. His death occurred in 1889. He moved to Van Buren town¬ ship, Grant county, Indiana, in 1875, and died on his farm in this township. His children are as follows: Andrew D., who is dead; Nathan, who is also deceased ; John, a resident of Van Buren township ; Alexander; Rhoda and George, both of whom are dead; Artemesia, who is now Mrs. J. B. Green; and Eda, who is deceased.

Alexander Butler received his education in the district schools which at that time were very primitive institutions. As soon as he was old enough to earn his own living he went to farming and after his marriage he bought a farm of eighty acres in Rush county. Here he lived until * 1872 when he sold this property and removed' to Van Buren township, Grant county, Indiana, in October of that year. He first bought eighty acres and in 1889 added forty acres to his first purchase. In 1907 he made a third purchase of forty acres. He bought his first land for $22 an acre, the farm having a small clearing and a log cabin upon it. He has cleared and ditched and fenced the land, built a house and barn and in other ways improved it and now the land is valued at $150 an acre. He erected his home in 1874 and in 1899 built an addition to it, making it a modem and attractive dwell¬ ing. Altogether Mr. Butler owns 160 acres, 80 of which is contained in the home farm, 40 acres lie across the road from, the home place and 40 acres is located on the county line. In 1912 Mr.. Butler raised 1,200 bushels of corn and 1,200 bushels of oats. His acreage in 1913 was 20 acres of oats and 45 acres of com. He also devotes considerable attention to raising swine, his average output being 75 head yearly. Mr. Butler has the assistance of his son in the manage¬ ment of the farm.

In politics Mr. Butler is a member of the Democratic party and has taken a prominent part in party affairs in the township. He was elected township trustee in 1878 and served in this office for two years. He was again elected to the office in 1886 and re-elected in 1888. It was while he was in office that the first two-room brick school house was built in the township, it being located at Van Buren. He has also served as a member of the Township Advisory Board for Van Buren township, and is now on his thirteenth consecutive year as such, and is chairman of the board.

Mr. Butler was married on the 8th of August, 1867, to Ann Maria Alexander, a daughter of John Alexander, a native of Kentucky, but then a resident of Rush county, Indiana, where Mrs. Butler was bora and raised. Her death occurred on March 17, 1881. They had six children, of whom four are living: Winnie E., wife of Clinton R. Witmer, of Van Buren township, and they have five children; Lacy G., who manages the home farm, married Luetta Wearley, and they have three children ; Etta A., wife of M. J. Powell, an oil worker, and they live in Illinois and have five children; Josie W., wife of E. W. Cook, an oil worker, resides in Illinois, and they have one child; the two deceased children were Esca A., who died aged one year, and an infant, who died unnamed.

Mr. Butler, on October 30, 1882, married Mary E. Alexander, a daughter of Azel Alexander, of Rush county, Illinois. There were four children by this marriage: Morris, who died aged about one year; Lena, wife of H. F. Haupthof, and they have two children; Sallie. wife of J. O. Shafer, of Oklahoma, and they also have two children; Mable, wife of Mark Coon, and they have one child.

James T. Bradford. Success in his chosen vocation was worthily attained by the late James T. Bradford, who was accounted one of the progressive and enterprising farmers of Van Buren township, and this was attributable to his energy, careful management and keen discrim¬ ination. He was an excellent example of the self-made men who have advanced their community's interests while furthering their own, and in his death, which occurred August 5, 1904, his township lost one of its best and most highly esteemed citizens. Mr. Bradford was born

May 1, 1864, on what is now the Otto Creviston farm in Washington township, Grant comity, Indiana, and was a son of George and Sarah (Gardner) Bradford.

The grandfather of James T. Bradford, Daniel Bradford, emigrated from his native state of Virginia to Ohio, and was there married, and some time during the early 'thirties came to Indiana with his wife, Lou¬ isa Romine, who was born in the Buckeye State. WTith his brother, George, he entered 160 acres of farming land, but this was later divided, and Mr. Bradford continued agricultural pursuits alone until his death. George Bradford, the father of James T., was bom in Indiana, and was engaged in agriculture on a forty-acre farm in Washington township until being drafted into the Union army, in 1865. Not long thereafter, he contracted measles and pneumonia and his death occurred in the army hospital at Pulaski, Tennessee. He married Sarah Gardner, daughter of George Gardner, and they became the parents of two children: James T. ; and Robert W., a farmer of Van Buren township, a sketch of whose career will be found in another part of this work.

After her husband's death, Mrs. Bradford went with her two small sons to the home of her father, and there James T. Bradford was reared, his education being received in the district schools. When Mr. Gardner died, in 1878, Mrs. Bradford located on a farm of eighty acres, which was ditched and cleared by her sons, and when their grandmother died the boys engaged in operations together on the Plummer farm. In 1897 they dissolved partnership, and James T. Bradford secured undi¬ vided possession of 110 acres in section 3, on which the remainder of his life was passed. An earnest, industrious, hard-working farmer, he put his property into excellent shape, and at the time of his death was known as one of his locality's substantial men. This land is now owned by his widow, and is operated by her son-in-law, who in 1912 produced 1,341 bushels of oats, 1,400 bushels of com and seventeen tons of timothy and eighteen tons of clover. He sells forty hogs and gives his entire time to the cultivation of the land, the work being overseen by Mrs. Bradford, a lady of exceptional business ability. The nineroom residence on this property was erected by Mr. Bradford in 1903, and is an attractive white structure, surrounded by a wide, luxuriant lawn and a neat iron fence, and a large red barn and other substantial buildings add to the value and beauty of the place, which shows the beneficial effects of good management and thrift.

On September 19, 1885, James T. Bradford was united in marriage with Miss Nora Love, daughter of James and Lydia Ann (Tinkle) Love, natives of Ohio, the former of whom died when Mrs. Bradford was a child, while the latter is still living at the age of seventy-eight years. There were nine children in the Love family, as follows : Mrs. Mary Heckard; Mrs. Anna Bradford; Mrs. Emma Pully, who is deceased; William, a resident of Van Buren township; Mrs. Ellen Huff, of Wells county; Mrs. Nancy Losure, of Van Buren township; Mrs. Nora Brad¬ ford ; Mrs. Clara Braun, of Van Buren township ; and Jacob, a resident of Huntington county.

Mr. and Mrs. Bradford became the parents of four children, namely : Ollie M., who married George A. Lytle, of Oklahoma, and has one son, James; Lizzie B., who married Alpheus Green, of Van Buren town¬ ship, operator of the Bradford farm, and has one son, Kenneth Leroy ; and Zola and Helen D., who reside with their mother. The family attends the Van Buren Church of Christ, of which Mr. Bradford was a member for many years.

Van Buren township, that Grant county has made such rapid strides in farming during the past several decades. With all the practicality of the old school of farmers, he has not been content to follow in the rut of hit-or-miss tilling of the soil, but by well-directed application of scientific methods as advanced by the present generation has so system¬ atized his operations as to make his farm one of the most productive of its size in his section of the county. Such methods are calculated to not alone advance his personal interests but to further those of his community as well and to thus give him prestige as one of his locality's most useful citizens. Mr. Bradford is a native of Grant county, having been born on the Otto Creviston farm in Washington township, Decem¬ ber 16, 1860, a son of George and Sarah (Gardner) Bradford.

Daniel Bradford, the grandfather of Robert W. Bradford, was born in Virginia, from whence he migrated as a young man to Ohio. There he was married, and subsequently, during the thirties, came to Indiana, where, with his brother, George, he entered 160 acres of land, this property being later divided. His wife, Louisa Romine, was a native of Ohio. George Bradford, father of Robert W. Bradford, was bom in Indiana in 1838, and was here educated, reared to agricultural pur¬ suits, and married. He became the father of two sons, James T. and Robert W., the former of whom is now deceased, and was carrying on operations on a forty-acre property, where he had settled at the time of his marriage, when he was drafted for service in the Union army during the Civil war, in 1865. He joined the Indiana infantry, and not long after his enlistment contracted measles and pneumonia, and died in the army hospital at Pulaski, Tennessee.

At the time of her husband's death, Mrs. Bradford took her two small sons to the home of her father, George Gardner, and there Robert W. Bradford was reared, securing his education in the public schools. Mr. Gardner died in 1878, and at that time Mrs. Bradford purchased eighty acres of land, and with one horse and three cows, settled down to develop a farm. The boys, aged eighteen and fourteen years, cleared and ditched this land and put it into excellent shape. At the time of their grandmother's death they purchased what was known as the Plummer farm, and here they worked together until 1899, when Robert W. Bradford bought what is now the Losure farm, but soon sold this property in order to go into business in Van Buren. In 1905 he bought his present property of eighty acres, located in section 10, Van Buren township, and this he now has in a high state of cultivation, having been improved by the most approved modern methods. Mr. Bradford manures heavily, restores soil with clover and alternates his crops, being thoroughly conversant with rotation. He believes in hard work and constant cultivation. His large red barn measures forty by sixty feet, in addition to which he is now erecting another building twentyfour by sixty feet, and his residence and outbuildings are all substan¬ tial in character and handsome in architectural design. An excellent man of business, he is ever alert to grasp a favorable opportunity, but has never taken advantage of another's needs, and through upright and honorable dealing has established himself firmly in the confidence of the people of his community.

Mr. Bradford was married in 1882 to Miss Alfaretta Dunwoodie, and six children have been born to this union: four who died in infancy ; George, who died in February, 1909, at the age of twenty-five years; and Clay, born in October, 1888, and now engaged in farming with his father, married Delight Stockhouse, and has one son, Robert. Mr. Bradford has ever been a supporter of temperance and has given his vote to the Prohibition party for many years. With his family, he attends the Church of Christ, at Van Buren.

George Dicken. In the following paragraphs is sketched the career and accomplishments of one of Grant county 's most prosperous farmer citizens. For ;every one who has not yet lost hope that the door of opportunity stands open to industry and enterprise, there is encour¬ agement and inspiration in the life work of George Dicken. When he came home from the war he possessed practically nothing and yet in a few years had established an ownership of a good farm and at the present time possesses some of the best farming property in Wash¬ ington township, where he is regarded as one of the most substantial citizens.

George Dicken belongs to one of the old families of Grant county. He was bora August 23, 1844, on the farm in this county which his father, Richard H. Dicken, had entered from the government in 1838. Richard H. Dicken was born in Scott county, Kentucky, in 1816, and died in 1890. Grandfather Henry Dicken moved from Kentucky to Fayette county, Indiana, in 1821, being one of the earliest settlers in that vicinity, and he died in Wabash county at the good old age of eighty-three years. As the date of his settlement indicates, Richard H. Dicken was one of the pioneers of Grant county, having settled here only seven years after the county organization was completed. The maiden name of his wife was Matilda Cook, who was born in 1816 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and who died in 1891. They reared ten chil¬ dren, whose names are Elmer, deceased ; Martha Ann, deceased ; Mary Ann, deceased ; George ; James ; Thomas ; Nancy A. ; Amanda ; America ; and Archie.

As a boy George Dicken was reared in Washington township, and the first school house he attended in old district number two was built of logs and had the rude and uncomfortable furnishings of the old time school house. Later he attended a better structure, which was of frame construction. His period of youth had not yet come to a close when the war broke out. When he was eighteen years old he enlisted in Company F* of the One Hundred and First Indiana Volunteer Infantry, on August 16, 1862. He served until June 24, 1865, a period of nearly three years. The captain of his company was B. F. Williams, and the colonel of the regiment was Col. Thomas Doane of Marion. The regiment belonged to the army which fought most of the time under Gen. George H. Thomas, "the rock of Chickamauga," and at that great battle Mr. Dicken was shot through the left instep on September 19, 1863. He was taken prisoner and spent six months and two days in a rebel prison at Belle Isle, on the James River, and also in Richmond hospital No. 21 and in Pemberton's old tobacco plant. On March 22, 1864, he was sent to the lines and on June 1, 1864, was exchanged. He rejoined his regiment and served out his time, being with Sherman on his famous march to the sea. Except for the time he was in prison he never missed a roll call nor failed to stack his gun at the bugle call. He was .in many battles and always on duty for fight, and has a record of seventeen major engagements. When the war was over he accompanied the victorious troops to Washington and there passed in front of the reviewing stand in what has been known in history as the 4 4 Grand Review. ' '

Returning to Grant county a veteran soldier, he was not content to rest upon his laurels as a soldier. He rigged up a team, rented some land and began farming for himself. He continued as a renter for four years, and in the meantime, in 1868, married Miss Martha A. Creviston, daughter of Daniel and Sarah Ann Creviston, a family which was identified with pioneer history in Grant county, and of whom extended mention is made on other pages of this work. Daniel

Creviston moved to Grant county from Darke county, Ohio. Soon after his marriage Mr. Dicken and wife combined their funds and bought a portion of the land, which now comprises the home farm. By industry and thrifty management they improved and developed the place every year, and soon were on the high road to prosperity. Some years after the first purchase he bought another eighty acres of land, subsequently bought eighty acres more and in 1907 bought fifty-five acres.

It is interesting to review the possessions of Mr, Dicken at the present time. His home farm is located on Huntington Pike in Wash¬ ington township in section nine. The home place comprises one hundred and twenty-six acres, and he is also owner of three other farms. One is a place of fifty-five acres, the last purchase, located in section ten. He also owns eighty acres, half situated in section two and half in section three, which was entered by his father, Richard H. Dicken, in 1848. The third farm comprises eighty-eight acres of land in section three, bringing up his aggregate acreage to three hundred and forty. He has some timberland on these places, but it is all fenced and in blue grass pastures. Otherwise the land is all in cultivation. With the exception of fifty-five acres place, there are good orchards on all the farms, and all the places with the same exceptions have excellent improvements, good buildings and fences.

Mr. Dicken is an agriculturist who believes in conserving the resources of the soil, and his land is really better now than when he first obtained it. On his home farm he has a beautiful residence of nine rooms, which he built in the fall of 1870. He has also erected a good bam, a sheep house, a smoke house, chicken houses and owns his own gas plant and power house. He heats the house with natural gas from the well, situated on his own place, and altogether on the two eighty acre farms he has six other gas wells. From some of the wells he sells a considerable quantity of oil. One eighty acre farm is rented, and most of the rest he farms on shares. To show what Grant county farms will produce, the following statistics of his share of the crops from the rest of the land are appended. In 1912 he had sixteen hundred bushels of wheat, twenty-five tons of hay, three thousand bushels of corn, twenty-four hundred bushels of oats, all of which he fed to his stock, and which represents a most gratifying farm of industrial wealth. Mr. Dicken has two hundred and fourteen head of stock on his farm, cattle, horses, sheep and hogs. He has one hundred and fourteen head of hogs of the Chester breed, eight Percheron horses, twenty-five head of Polled Angus cattle, and seventy-one head of sheep and lamb.

The three children of Mr. Dicken and wife are : Burr W., a farmer in Wabash county; Mrs. Cora D. White, who lives on a farm three and a half miles east of the home place ; and Mrs. Maud B. Morehead, whose residence is two miles east of the home farm. Mr. Dicken has six grandchildren. In politics he is a Republican, having always sup¬ ported that party from the time he cast his first vote during the war, and is a member of General Sherman's Post, G. A. R., at Marion. His religious affiliation is with the Christian church.

Clinton Cretsinger. Residing on a property which has been in the possession of the famiiy for three generations, Clinton Cretsinger has spent his entire career within the limits of Washington township, where he is known as an able and energetic agriculturist. Mr. Cretsinger was born January 12, 1879. on the old family homestead, one mile west of his present place, in Washington township, Grant county, Indiana, and is a son of Holmes and Sarah (Martin) Cretsinger.

The paternal grandparents of Clinton Cretsinger were John and Mary Magdalena Cretsinger, of German descent, but natives of Vir¬ ginia. Among their children was David Cretsinger, who was bom in Virginia and as a lad was taken to Licking county, Ohio. There he worked for some years and succeeded in accumulating a tidy sum of money, only to see it swept away in the crash that accompanied the failure of A. J. Smith's bank. In 1849 he joined the rush to Cali¬ fornia, in search of gold, and after four years returned to Ohio with enough money to purchase an eighty-acre farm. In 1857 he brought his family to Grant county, Indiana, and first settled on a farm on Hummel Creek, but soon sold this and bought the Henry Prickett place of eighty acres. x On this he resided until his death, February 10, 1910, at eightyeight years of age, the last years of his life having been spent with his son, Holmes, to whom he had sold forty acres of his land. He was suc¬ cessful in accumulating 1,500 acres of land, in addition to a large amount of money, and was one of his community's well known men. He married Nancy Wheeler, a native of Licking county, Ohio, bom in 1828, and she died in August, 1896, having been the mother of three children, namely: Holmes, the father of Clinton; Mrs. Mary Ellen Goff, who resides in Grant county; and David, Jr., who resides at Marion, where he is proprietor of a horse sales bam and the owner* of a large amount of property.

Holmes Cretsinger was born July 6, 1853, in Licking county, Ohio, and attended district school No. 4 in Washington township, Grant county, Indiana, whence he had been brought as a lad of six years. He con¬ tinued his studies for three months of each winter until reaching the age of twenty years, and when he was twenty-one years old commenced assisting his father, his salary being $200 a year for five years. At the time of his marriage he rented a tract of 240 acres, and following this was engaged in agricultural operations on rented land for a long period, but eventually, by inheritance and purchase, secured land of his own. He is still engaged in active pursuits, and although more than sixty years of age is able to take care of his own farm and do his own plowing and harvesting, and has upwards of 400 acres. He has been successful in both farming and stock raising operations, and has improved his property with handsome structures of modem design and substantial character, in which are to be found all of the most modern conveniences. Mr. Cretsinger was married May 28, 1878, to Sarah Jane Martin, daughter of Philip Martin, of Wabash county, Indiana, and seven children have been bom to them: Clinton; Frank, who died at the age of nine years; Ross, living in section 3, Washington township, a farmer; Florabel, who married Mr. Pritchett and lives in Wabash county, Indiana; Floyd, who resides on the old homestead farm; Cleo, who is now Mrs. Steuber, of Grant county; and Minnie, who died at the age of three years. Mr. Cretsinger is a Republican, and his wife and children are members of the Christian church.

Clinton Cretsinger secured his education in district school No. 4, and remained under the parental roof until becoming of age, at which time he rented his present farm, a tract of 200 acres in section 17, Washington township. Having been reared to habits of industry and thrift, he carefully saved his earnings, and in 1905 was able to pur¬ chase this land, of which he has since been the owner. These habits of perseverance and economy have assisted Mr. Cretsinger greatly in his ventures. He has all but forty acres of his land under cultivation, and - has improved his property with substantial buildings, including a modem eight-room residence, erected in 1907. In 1912 he raised 1,600 bushels of corn and 1,000 bushels of oats, and cut forty tons of hay, in addition to selling sixty hogs. He now has seventy-four hogs, among them ten brood sows; has thirteen horses and colts, principally Belgians; thirteen cattle, and a drove of seventeen sheep, each producing about seven pounds of wool annually. A man of progressive ideas and meth¬ ods, he has adopted modern machinery in his work, and the running water in his house and barns is pumped by a gasoline engine, which also grinds feed, operates the washing machine, and does much other work on the farm. Mr. Cretsinger has always been known as a man of strict integrity and high business principles, and is esteemed by the large circle of acquaintances which he has gathered about him during his long residence here.

In 1900 Mr. Cretsinger was married to Miss Dora Renbarger, who died in 1903. In 1905 he married Miss Cora Pritchett, daughter of Roy Pritchett, deceased, and step-daughter of Samuel Calloway, of Grant county. In his political views Mr. Cretsinger is a Republican, but has been too busily engaged in his agricultural operations to take other than a good citizen's interest in public matters. He enjoys the privileges of membership in Marion Lodge No. 96, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Neptune Lodge No. 1 of the Masonic order. With

John Hamaker. An exceptional degree of success has come to John Hamaker, as an enterprising farmer of Washington township. He is a man of broad general information, one of the leaders in thought and action in his locality, takes an earnest interest in public affairs of township and county, and during a residence of fifty-eight years in Grant county has exemplified many of the best and most admirable traits of character and attributes of citizenship.

The Hamaker farm is one which tends to increase one's confidence in the stability and substantial character of American agriculture. It is located on rural delivery route No. 8, in section fifteen of Washing¬ ton township, and comprises one hundred and eighty acres of land. Thirty acres of this is in timber, and one hundred and fifty acres in pasture and general crop lands. Mr. Hamaker gives most of his atten¬ tion to general farming and grain production. He is noted for raising fine crops, and in recent seasons has had some fine yields of grain. In 1912 twenty acres of wheat produced five hundred bushels, and thirtyfive acres of corn land yielded two thousand bushels. However, he states that the corn crop in 1912 was better than ordinary. He keeps about twenty-five head of cattle, and sufficient horses to work the farm. During 1912 he fed sixty head of swine, and believes and practices mixed husbandry, so that none of the fertility of the soil is lost, and practically all the produce taken away from the farm is in the form of cattle and hogs. The up-to-date character of the place is evidenced by the three houses on the estate, two of which are tenant residences and the home place is a fine residence of eleven rooms and was built by Mr. Hamaker 's father in 1893. In front of the home are pleasant lawns, with shade trees, and there is a big well-painted barn to care for the stock and the grain crops.

John Hamaker was born August 29, 1855, in Washington town¬ ship, on the old farm then occupied by his grandfather. Grandfather John Hamaker was a shoemaker by trade, a native of Pennsylvania, and of Pennsylvania German stock, and came to Grant county early in the decade of the forties as one of the early settlers. The father of the Washington township farmer was Jefferson Hamaker, who moved to the farm now occupied by his son John in 1856. The latter can recall when his father blazed trees through the forest in order that the children might find their way to school, and this fact indicates that Washington township even as late , as the Civil war times had not pro¬ gressed very far beyond the conditions at the beginning of settlement. Jefferson Hamaker bought in 1856 eighty acres of land in section thir¬ teen, and then took up his residence there. He increased his land until he owned, at his death, 400 acres. When the Civil war came on he enlisted in the Federal Army, and served in many battles in the middle west. He was a participant in the great battles of Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee, which were among the bloodiest and most fiercely contested engagements of the entire war. Jefferson Hamaker was a man of great physical strength and large build, and his character was such as to command the confidence and respect of his entire community. He was born in 1833, and died March 6, 1901. Jefferson Hamaker married Martha Woolman, of one of the pioneer Grant county fami¬ lies. Her father was Samuel Woolman, a native of New York State and of English descent, who settled north of Marion in the early days. He was by trade a cabinet maker, an exceptionally skilled workman, and his services were in great demand among the early settlers. Mrs. Jefferson Hamaker died October 1, 1905. Her children were: John; Mrs. Elizabeth Coulbertson; George, a resident of North Marion; and Mrs. Ida York of Seattle, Washington.

John Hamaker as a boy was educated in the district schools, in the old Center schoolhouse, and first attended a log school and later one built of frame. Until he was twenty-four years of age he lived at home with his father, and then for two years rented the farm of his Grandfather Woolman. At the age of twenty-six he went back to the home place, and in 1899 bought eight acres seven miles west of hisv present farm. In 1906 he bought the interests of his mother in the homestead, adding that portion to his own inheritance, and in the fall of 1908 increased his acreage to the present extent by buying sixty acres.

In 1879 Mr. Hamaker married Margaret Ludlum, daughter of William Ludlum, who was born in the state of Ohio. Four children have been bom to their union, namely: Burr, at home; Frank, who is employed in a factory at North Marion ; Mrs. Millie Hix, who resides near Marion; and Mark, who died at the age of fourteen years. Mr. Hamaker in politics has followed the new trend of thought and opin¬ ion, especially strong in Indiana, and is now allied with the Progres¬ sive party. In church affairs he worships with the Radical United Brethren. He has made a more than ordinary success, and one evi¬ dence of it, showing his progressive ideas, is the possession of an auto¬ mobile, which he has owned for four years. On his farm he has ten gas wells, and has used gas as fuel and light, supplied from wells on his own farm, for the past twenty years, so that he is still an important beneficiary of the great gas resources which were once so abundant in Grant and other counties.

John Russell Anderson is another of the well-to-do men of these parts who has witnessed the growth of a fine farm from a dense forest. In the thirty years of his residence here great have been the changes that have come to pass, and the transformation of his home into a fruitful and productive series of fields is not the least of them, although this land was practically cleared when he bought the farm. His place, consisting of one hundred and seventy-three acres, all under cultivation with the exception of twenty-five acres of timber, is lying in Sections 27, 38 and 34.

Eliza (Camblin) Anderson, natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respec¬ tively. The father migrated to Grant comity in 1837, settling on a farm in this township, and here he and his good wife reared a family of eleven children - seven girls and four boys. Brief mention is made of them here as follows: Samuel Wiley is deceased; he died near Jonesboro, on his way home from the war in 1863, after having finished out his second period of enlistment; Mrs. Margaret E. Baldwin is also deceased; Mrs. Celeste M. Kilander, of Markel, in Huntington county, is the wife of Dr. Wm. J. Kilander; Mrs. Mary Loundenback is de¬ ceased; Enoch E. is a resident of Van Buren county; Mrs. Nancy E. Young lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana ; Mrs. Lucy J. Ray lives in Sims, Indiana; John Russell, of this review; William F. lives on the old home place in Section 28 ; Mrs. Alice A. Barnes is a resident of Grant county, and Mrs. Effie C. Harvey lives on the old homestead.

Mr. Anderson attended the old Anderspn school, so called, now known as District No. 7, and he lived at home until 1883, when he was twenty-six years of age. At that time he married and received from his father-in-law a wedding gift of forty acres of land across the road from his present farm. He also bought ten acres about the same time and built the home. In 1906 he bought ninety acres adjoining his first property and he also owns thirty-three acres of the old home farm. In addition to his farming activities, Mr. Anderson carries on a considerable business in live stock trading, and is known for one of the successful men of the township. In 1905 he erected a fine ten-room home on his pla<;e, built upon the most modern lines, and embracing nearly every phase of convenience to be found in city homes. A hand¬ some lawn lends a metropolitan appearance and all the buildings to be found on the place are of the finest order, well kept and wholly in keeping with the general atmosphere of the place. In 1912 Mr. Anderson took from his acres 1,750 bushels of corn, 1,500 bushels of oats and about forty or fifty tons of hay. He raises something like sixty head of hogs annually, keeps twelve horses and colts, chiefly Nor¬ mans and Belgians, and has three cows on the place.

On December 24, 1882, Mr. Anderson was married to Sarah J., the daughter of Thomas B. and Margaret Doyle, one of the finest families of the community, and a sketch of the father appears elsewhere in this work. Four children have been bom to them: Cecil N. is the wife of Charles Boiler, of Van Buren township ; they have two children, Har¬ riet Kathleen and Evelyn Maxine. Russell is a farmer of Van Buren township. He married Olivia May Welsh and has one child, Austin Russell. Lucile and Celeste live at home.

Mr. Anderson is a Prohibitionist in his political faith, and does what he can to promote the cause of his party. He is a member of the Christian church, as are also the members of his family. He has given service of a worthy order to his community as superintendent of thir¬ teen and a half miles of pike road in Van Buren township, and in many other ways has demonstrated the high quality of his civic pride and his citizenship.

Jacob Streib. The history of the Streib family has been so inti¬ mately associated with that of Grant county that a record of one is almost identical with that of the other. From earliest pioneer times, when this section of Indiana was all one vast forest and wild animals menaced the lives of the settlers, members of the family have been identified with the interests of the locality, and many of the name are now making their homes in Washington and other townships, where they occupy honorable positions in life. The late Jacob Streib be¬ longed to this old and Respected family and for many years was known as one of the leading agriculturists of Washington township. He was bom in Rockingham county, Virginia, June 17, 1831, and was a son of Jacob and Susannah (Klingenpiel) Streib.

John Streib, the grandfather of Jacob Streib, was bom in France and reared in Germany, and early entered the great army of Napoleon I, which he accompanied on the march to Russia. In the retreat from Moscow he was taken prisoner and nearly lost his life, but managed to effect his escape and shortly thereafter emigrated to America, locat¬ ing in Virginia. There for some years he followed his trade of miller. In 1839 Jacob Streib came to the Mississinewa country, the trip being made with two horses and wagons over roads that were little more than Indian trails, and the family of Daniel Shaffer accompanying them. Seventeen houses at that time comprised the present city of Marion, which stood in the midst of a vast forest. The hardy pioneers cut a road through the forest to a point two and one-half miles northeast of Conner's Mill, and, finding the wolves fierce and numerous, there erected a pen for their ten sheep, and managed to frighten the wild animals away by the occasional firing of firearms.

John Hendricks was the Streib 's nearest neighbor, although other pioneers came that fall, including Benjamin Marks and his family. Jacob Lyons helped to build the round-log, one-room house which was the home of the Streib family for a number of years, and James Thomp¬ son, having: lost his wife by death, boarded for two years with the fam¬ ily. Jimmie and Bennie Price came to this section during the follow¬ ing fall and settled three miles farther north, and David Conner opened a trading post at Conner's Mill, which was operated by Jacob Sprecher, and which was an old com cracker, but of great help to the early set¬ tlers. This mill was later improved.

Jacob Streib, the father of Jacob of this review, was bom in Rock¬ ingham county, Virginia, was there married, and came with the fam¬ ily to Grant county. He improved a tract of 160 acres of land, on which he resided for some thirty years and then disposed of his inter¬ ests and moved to the city of Marion, where he conducted a grocery for a long period. He died in his ninety-seventh year. He and his wife were the parents of two sons and four daughters, as follows: Sarah, who married Christian Buhl, a wealthy brewer of Richmond, Indiana; Catherine, who married Thomas O'Hara, also of Richmond; Sophia, who married Edward Guinin, a musician during the Mexican War and leader of the first band in Marion ; George, who served as a soldier in the American army during the Mexican War: Susan, who became the wife of William Ross, and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Jacob.

Jacob Streib was reared on the old home place, and on reaching his majority came into possession of 120 acres, on which he engaged in the cattle business. He at first confined his operations to buying cat¬ tle and selling it to western feeders, subsequently built the first stock scales in this vicinity, and during the Civil War accumulated money by dealing with the government. In one season he bought over 3,000 hogs, to be slaughtered in Marion, and his reputation grew constantly. He wisely invested his profits in land, and at one time owned 815 acres in Grant township, 515 acres of this being developed into one of the best stock farms in the county. In later years he gave each of his sons a farm, retaining 250 acres for himself, and in 1890 retired from active life and moved to Marion, where his death occurred August 11, 1904. An honorable, straightforward man of business, his word was considered as good as his bond, and as a citizen he was known as one who ever had the interests of his community at heart. His extensive

On December 27, 1853, Mr. Streib was married to Caroline Bow¬ ers, whom he met in Richmond, Indiana, and she died July 23, 1899, having been the mother of six children : James Monroe, John Thomas, George W., Franklin and William H. The second oldest, Sarah Ellen, died as a small girl.

George W. Streib, Jr. Washington township can boast of no more progressive and enterprising farmer than George W. Streib, Jr., whose extensive operations on sections 7 and 8, where he owns 185 acres of land, have given him prestige among the men who are advancing Grant county's agricultural interests. A member of one of the old pioneer families of this county, Mr. Streib is a native of Washington township, having been born on his father's homestead, May 17, 1865, and is a son of Jacob and Caroline (Bowers) Streib.

The Streib family was founded in America by John Streib, the great-grandfather of George W., Jr., a native of France, who was reared in Germany, and a soldier in the great army of Napoleon I. After being captured and nearly losing his life in the retreat from Moscow, Mr. Streib emigrated to America, settling first in Rocking¬ ham county, Virginia. Jacob Streib, the grandfather of George W. Streib, was born, reared and married in Virginia, from whence he went to Ohio, and came in early pioneer times to Wayne county, Indiana, and then to Grant county, in the Mississinewa country. He experi¬ enced all the trials and hardships of pioneer existence, cleared a farm of 160 acres, on which he carried on operations for more than thirty years, and then moved to the city of Marion, where he was engaged in the grocery business until his death, which occurred at the age of ninety-seven years. He married Susannah Klingenpiel, and they be¬ came the parents* of six children, as follows: Sarah, who married Christian Buhl, a wealthy brewer of Richmond, Indiana; Catherine, who married Thomas O'Hara, also of Richmond; Sophia, who became the wife of Edward Guinin, a musician in the American army during the Mexican War and later the organizer and leader of the first band in Marion; George, who fought as a soldier during the Mexican War; Susan, who became the wife of William Ross, and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorada; and Jacob.

Jacob Streib, the father of George W. Streib, Jr., was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, June 17, 1831, and was reared on the home place, receiving 120 acres thereof on reaching his majority. He engaged in the cattle business, buying stock and selling it to western feeders, built the first stock scales in this section, did a large business with the United States Government during the Civil War, and was known as one of the largest stock growers in Grant county. He accu¬ mulated 815 acres of land, and upon his retirement, in 1890, gave each of his sons a farm, and from that time led a retired life in Marion until his death, August 11, 1904. He was widely known and highly esteemed, and his death removed from his community one of its best citizens. Mr. Streib was married December 27, 1853, to Caroline Bowers, of Rich¬ mond, Indiana, and they became the parents of five sons: James Monroe, John Thomas, George W., Franklin and William H. The mother passed to her final rest July 23, 1899.

George W. Streib, Jr., was educated in district school No. 3, attend¬ ing school for three months during each winter, while the remainder of the year was spent in assisting his father on the home place. At the age of nineteen years he began operations of his own, although he remained with the elder man until reaching his majority, when he received eighty acres of the home place, and this property he im¬ proved. At the time of his father's death he received sixty-five acres from the estate, and in the fall of 1910 purchased forty acres across the road, nowing owning 145 acres in section 8 and forty acres in section 7, Washington township, all of this land being improved with the exception of forty acres in timber. With his three brothers, he owns and operates a traction engine, thresher, sawmill and corn shred¬ der, does his own threshing and shredding, and saws a great deal of lumber. That Mr. Streib has been successful in his farming opera¬ tions may be seen from the record of his crops in the year 1912, which were as follows: corn, 1,500 bushels; oats, 1,475 bushels; and hay, forty tons. In 1913, at the same time of this writing, he has forty acres in wheat, thirty-five acres in com and thirty-eight acres in oats. He sells forty hogs annually and keeps twenty head of high-grade cattle and ten head of Norman and Belgian horses, and is also interested to some extent in poultry raising. He is possessed of all the practicality of the old-time farmer, but has ever been ready to adopt new measures and methods, and the success which has rewarded his labors gives ample evidence of his industry, application and good management. In the spring of 1911 he remodeled his residence, which now includes eleven rooms with bath, concreter porch, and hot and cold water, and is surrounded with a well-kept lawn and neat picket fence. His large red barn was built in 1893, and in the fall of 1912 he completed his granary, both of these buildings being furnished with concrete cellars. Mr. Streib has started a young orchard, and a row of shade trees com¬ pletes the attractiveness of this modern country home.

In 1886 Mr. Streib was married to Miss Lena Lobdell, daughter of Robert Lobdell, of Washington township, and to this union there have been born five children: Florence, who met an accidental death at the age of six years; Oliver, who married Blanche Renbarger, daughter of Ellsworth Renbarger; Robert, who resides at home and assists his father; Marie, who is in her second year in the Marion High school; and Paul, who is in his first year in that institution. The members of this family are all connected with the Eighth Street Christian church, of Marion. Mr. Streib is a stanch Democrat in his political affiliations, while his fraternal connection is with the Junior Order of American Mechanics, in which he has numerous friends.

Moses T. Bradford. One of the old and honored residents of Wash¬ ington township, who has lived in this vicinity for upwards of sixtyeight years and has, during this time, been an important factor in the wonderful growth and development of this part of Grant county, is Moses T. Bradford, the owner of 160 acres of land in his home tract in section 17, and eighty-three acres in section 4. , Mr. Bradford has been an agriculturist all of his life, and although of late years he has been somewhat retired from active pursuits still take6 a keen and intelli¬ gent interest in the movements which are forwarding his locality's interests and continues to be one of the influential men of the section in which he has spent so many years. He was bom December 6, 1845, on the old Bradford home in Washington township, now owned by 0. M. Creviston, and is a son of Daniel and Louisa (Romine) Bradford.

George Bradford, the paternal grandfather of Moses T. Bradford, was born in Virginia, migrated from the Old Dominion to Ohio, and in his latter years came to Grant county and located near Fairview church, where he passed away after a long and useful life. Daniel Brad¬ ford was also born in Virginia, and accompanied his father in his migration from Ohio to Indiana, and during the early 'forties entered the present Creviston farm in Washington township from the govern¬ ment. With his young wife he rode overland from Ohio on horse-back, and settled in the woods in true pioneer style, and for years made his home in a little log cabin while he was clearing his land. He became a successful and highly esteemed citizen, and was known as one of the solid, reliable men of the township. He and his wife were the parents of six children, of whom one died in infancy, the others being : George, who enlisted in the Union army at the outbreak of the Civil War, and lost his life at the battle of Nashville, Tennessee; Mary Matilda, now Mrs. Johnson of Anderson, Indiana; Emma Elizabeth, who married Mr. Ebbert, and died in Illinois; Moses T. ; and Jesse, who died at Monument City, Indiana.

Moses T. Bradford received his education in the old log schoolhouse in district No. 1, which was equipped with slab seats and puncheon floors, and although his advantages were somewhat limited he was an earnest and industrious scholar and managed to secure a good, prac¬ tical education during the short winter terms. The rest of the year he spent in helping his father in the difficult work of clearing the home farm from the heavy timber, and thus he was reared amid pioneer sur¬ roundings, being trained to habits of thrift, economy and industry. He remained with his father until he was twenty-three years of age, at which time he was married and purchased seventy-six acres of his present land at forty dollars an acre. To this he has since added from time to time, until he now has 160 acres in this tract, valued at $150 an acre. In 1906 he bought his eighty-three acre farm, for seventy dollars an acre, and on this unimproved property he erected a modern home and barn. The barn on the home place was erected in 1876, a large red structure, well suited to the usages to which it is put, and in an excellent state of repair. The family home was built in 1881, contains eight rooms, is comfortable and commodious, and is surrounded by a well-kept lawn, flourishing evergreens, and a substantial iron fence. The barn yard is kept as a lawn. Mr. Bradford has not engaged exten¬ sively in farming of late years, although in 1912 he raised, 1,000 bushels of corn, cut thirty tons of hay and marketed twenty-five hogs. The greater part of his time, however, has been devoted to raising fine stock, and at this time he has thirteen head of Polled Angus and Shorthorn cattle, and six head of Belgian horses, among the latter being "Sam." valued at $300. The house and barn are supplied with a generous water supply by a windmill pump and drilled well. Among other things, Mr. Bradford is caring for a growing orchard of apples and young fruits. Mr. Bradford has been successful because he has been indus¬ trious, energetic and persevering, and not because of any happy chance. From earliest boyhood he has lmown the value of hard wTork, and his career has been one of benefit to himself and to his fellow-men.

On November 8, 1868, Mr. Bradford was married to Miss Sarah E. Creviston, daughter of Daniel Creviston, an old pioneer settler of Grant county, and a native of Ohio. Four children have been born to this union: Anna Dell, who died at the age of three years; Layton, who resides at home with his parents; Lydia A., the wife of Otto Thomp¬ son, of Huntington county, Indiana, who has two children, Sherwood and Ethel: and Verley, farming the eighty-three acre tract, who mar¬ ried Effie Mae Hollowell, and has two children, Maurice T. and Helen E. In his political views, Mr. Bradford is a Republican, and for three years served as superintendent of the Huntington pike. With his family he attends Morris Chapel of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Verley R. Bradford. Among the younger men of Washington township who are successfully carrying on agricultural pursuits in this prosperous community is Verley R. Bradford, a member of an old and honored family whose members have been identified with the interests of this locality for more than seventy years. Mr. Bradford has been a life-long resident of Washington township, where he was bora April 30, 1882, on his father's farm, and is a son of Moses T. and Sarah E. (Crevistori) Bradford.

George Bradford, the great-grandfather of Verley R. Bradford, was bom in Virginia, and emigrated from that State to Ohio some time after his marriage, subsequently removing to Grant county, Indiana, and locating near Fairview church, where he passed the remainder of his life in farming. Daniel Bradford was also a native of the Old Do¬ minion, and accompanied his father to Ohio, from whence he came overland on horse-back to the timber land of Grant county, Indiana, and during the early 'forties located on and entered from the govern¬ ment what is now the 0. M. Creviston farm in Washington township. Like his father he was engaged in tilling the soil, and became a sub¬ stantial and highly esteemed citizen of his community. He was mar¬ ried in Ohio to Miss Louisa Romine, and they became the parents of six children : one who died in infancy ; George, who died in the Union service at the battle of Nashville, Tennessee, during the war between the North and the South; Mrs. Mary Matilda Johnson, now a resident of Andrews, Indiana; Mrs. Emma Elizabeth Ebbert, who died while a resident of Illinois; Moses T., the father of Verley R, Bradford; and Jesse, who died at Monument City, Indiana.

Moses T. Bradford, father of V. R. Bradford, was educated in the old pioneer log school in the vicinity of the Creviston farm, where he was bora December 6, 1845. He there grew to manhood, receiving a good training in agricultural matters, and on attaining his twentythird year was married and embarked .upon a career of his own. As the years passed he accumulated a large property, and although now living somewhat retired is still well known among the agriculturists of his community as an excellent farmer and capable breeder of stock. He now owns eighty-three acres of land in section 4, this being now cultivated by his son, Verley R., and his home tract in section 17, which consists of 160 acres, all of this property being under a high state of cultivation. Mr. Bradford is a Republican and a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. On November 8, 1868, Mr. Brad¬ ford was married to Miss Sarah E. Creviston, daughter of Daniel Creviston, an old pioneer of Grant county, and a native of Ohio, and to this union there have been born four children: Anna Dell, who died at the age of three years; Layton, who resides at home with his parents; Lydia A., the wife of Otto Thompson, of Huntington county, Indiana, and the mother of two children, - Sherwood and Ethel; and Verley R.

Verley R. Bradford secured his education in district school No. 4, in Washington township, and, reared to agricultural pursuits, began farming for himself in 1906. At that time he purchased seventy-seven acres of land, for which he went partly into debt, but this indebtedness has since been cleared off, and the land is now valued at $125 an acre. Of this property fifteen acres are in timber. In addition Mr. Brad¬ ford farms eighty-three acres belonging to his fathet*, and in 1912 his labors resulted in the raising of 1,000 bushels of corn, 965 bushels of oats and twenty tons of hay. Like his father he is interested to some extent in livestock, and at this time has seven head of high-grade cat¬ tle. In 1911, at a cost of nearly $1,000, Mr. Bradford erected a large modern barn, 38x50 feet, the timbers for which were cut from his property. This structure is so commodious that it can accommodate over twenty head of livestock, can store thirty tons of hay, and still have ample room for carriages, implements and machinery. The gran¬ ary has a capacity of 1,500 bushels, and with the bam is painted white, the buildings presenting an especially attractive appearance. The resi¬ dence and bam are supplied with flowing water from a windmill pump. Mr. Bradford has always been an adherent of the use of mod¬ ern methods in his work, and the satisfactory results which he has obtained from his operations should be a strong and convincing argu¬ ment in their favor. He is known as a young man of push and energy, and his numerous friends will testify to his universal popularity.

On November 8, 1905, Mr. Bradford was united in marriage with Miss Effie Mae Hollowell, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Hollowell, of Huntington county, Indiana. She was born September 26, 1882, in Huntington county, Wayne township, and here she received her educa¬ tion, graduating from the common school at the age of fourteen. She then entered Bangor high school, from which she graduated. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Bradford have been born two children: Maurice Thomas, bora February 18, 1907, and now attending school ; and Helen Elizabeth, born December 29, 1909, bright and interesting children who are being carefully reared to fill honorable positions in the world. Like his father, Mr. Bradford is a Republican in politics, but has found no time to engage actively in public affairs. With his wife, he attends the Methodist Episcopal church.

Robert L. Poe. The Poe farm is situated six miles and a half south¬ west of Marion on the Roseburg Pike. This family has been identified with Grant county since the first decade of settlement and develop¬ ment, and Mr. Poe and family are thoroughly representative of the finer and better qualities of old-time Grant county stock.

Robert L. Poe was born in Wayne county, Indiana, July 24, 1839, a son of Gabriel P. and Elizabeth (Lloyd) Poe. Gabriel P. Poe, the father, and his wife were both natives of Guilford county, North Car¬ olina, where they were bora, reared, educated and married. About 1822 they came west to Wayne county, Indiana, and in 1842 moved up into Grant county, locating on the farm known and owned by Charles F. Boxell. They started for the west, but went only a short distance, before they concluded to return, and then settled in Franklin township on what is now known as the Sam Burner farm, which was their home until 1855. On February 13, 1855, the family located on the farm owned by William Cook, and they remained there until 1871, when the father moved to the place now occupied by his son Robert L. On this farm the father passed away in 1872, and the mother died in 1878. They were the parents of eight children, only one of whom is now living, Robert L. William D., a brother, died November 26, 1913, aged 79 years.

Robert L. Poe was a little more than three years old when the family came to Grant county, so that he has spent practically all his lifetime in the limits of this county. The public schools hardly deserved the name during the time he was growing up, and in consequence his edu¬ cation was very limited and he is one of the few men still living in Grant county who attended school in a log school house. Mr. Poe was married December 6, 1866, to Hannah Cabe, who was bom in Randolph county, Indiana, December 12, 1850, and was educated in the public schools. Her parents were Thomas and Letitia (Stratton) Cabe, who came to Randolph county, from Ohio, and later settled in Grant county, about 1858. Mr. and Mrs. Poe remained on the old Poe homestead for four years after their marriage, and then went to making a home for themselves. Six children were born to them, whose names are : Louis 0. Poe, a farmer in Franklin township ; Eli T., who married Sarah Miller, and lives in Franklin township; William J. and Martha E., twins, the former of whom married Anna M. Small, and the latter married Oliver Small; Washtella, wife of William Edward; and Sandy W., who mar¬ ried Cora C. Small. In politics Mr. Poe is a Republican, and has filled the post of supervisor in his township. He has a comfortable home, and with his wife resides there, enjoying the comforts of a jvell spent life.

Lewis 0. Chasey. A variety of service has characterized the life of Lewis 0. Chasey thus far, embracing educational, military and agri¬ cultural activities, in all of which he has given an excellent account of himself and warranted to the fullest measure the high esteem that is accorded to him as a citizen of Franklin township and the proprietor of what is known as Fairview Farm. Mr. Chasey was born in Franklin township, on December 28, 1877, and is the son of Elmer Chasey and his wife, Sarah (Lloyd) Chasey.

Concerning the parents of the subjeet, it may be said that Elmer Chasey was bom in Wabash county, Indiana, and there reared, and that he came to Grant county when he was about the age of eighteen years. He was educated in the public schools of his native county, and his marriage occurred some little time after he had located in Grant county. The lady of his choice was born and reared in Grant county, and since the death of her husband, who passed away on May 1, 1911, she has lived nine miles southwest from Marion in Franklin township. They were the parents of five children: Lewis 0., of this review; Minnie B., who is the wife of Horace Kurtz, of Wabash county, Indiana; Mary A., the wife of George Stoddard of Marion ; Benjamin H., who married Opal Pierce and lives in Marion, Indiana ; and Hallie, who is unmarried, and makes her home with her mother.

Lewis 0. Chasey was reared in Franklin township, as has been pre¬ viously stated, and after finishing the common schools of his community, he entered the Fairmount Academy, following the teachers ' normal course of instruction, and when he had completed this course he gave his attention to the teaching profession. For four years he was em¬ ployed in that capacity in Grant county in the public schools, but gave up that work to enlist in Company A of the One Hundred and Six¬ tieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He served one year in the Spanish- American war with his regiment, and after three months in Cuba, was discharged at Savannah, Georgia, with the others of his regiment, on April 26, 1899. He returned thereupon to Indiana, coming to Grant county, and here, on August 18, 1901, he was united in marriage with Laura Harris, a daughter of B. C. Harris, of Marion, Indiana. She was a graduate of the Fairmount Academy, in the normal course, although she never put to use in a public way the training she there received. To them four children have been born: Pennina; Beatrice; Hugh, and Hal. Mrs. Chasey is a member of the Friends ' Church, and she is rearing the children in that simple faith. Mr. Chasey devotes himself to his farming activities, thirty acres of which he owns, and in addition he operates one hundred acres of rented land. His success has been a pleasing one, and he stands well forward among the capable men of the community. Mr. Chasey is a Republican in his political faith, but takes no especial interest in the activities of the party and has never sought office in his community. His citizenship, however, is undeniably of the right sort, and he wields an excellent influence in his community,

John J. Howard. As president of the Van Buren Bank, organized in 1901, John J. Howard occupies a position of no small importance in his community, and his achievements in this and other lines of enter¬ prise have won him a reputation for business perspicacity that is well merited. Many and varied are the lines of activity that have claimed his attention and in all he has made good in a material way. His identity with the Van Buren Bank dates from the time of the organization of the concern in 1901, and bids fair to continue indefinitely.

John J. Howard was born March 8; 1868, in Delaware county, on the farm home of his parents, who were Isaiah J. and Sophie A. (Moomaw) Howard, natives of Ross county, Ohio. The parents are living today in Hartford City, Indiana, aged respectively eighty-two and seventy-eight years. For the first few years of the life of the Van Buren Bank the father was associated with his son, but has since discontinued all active business interests. He wTas a minister of the German Baptist church, who migrated from Ohio to Washington township, in Delaware county, in April, 1865, there buying a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. He later added another tract of similar acreage, and he is today the owner of the entire lot, of two hundred and forty acres, as well as his comfortable home in Hartford City. Mr. Howard has filled various ministerial posts in the years of his service, and in former days supplied the pulpits by riding horseback over the woodland trails. - He was a pioneer preacher in the truest sense of the term, and gave his best to the service of the church in his earlier years. Although he has been virtually retired from the ministry for many years, he yet preaches on occasions. It is characteristic of the man that he gave his services without recompense or earthly reward, being content to devote himself to his farm during the week, and on Sunday would preach to gatherings wherever they might be conveniently located. These worthy people reared a fine family of nine children, concerning whom brief mention is here entered : Mrs. Alice White is a resident of Hartford City, Ind. ; Mrs. Ella Jane Allen lives in Huntington; Sarah Elizabeth died in Summitville in 1895; William D. is a merchant at Cadiz, Indiana; Peter S. is a Van Buren farmer and stockman of some prominence; John J., of this review; McCrylus F. is a resident of Hartford city; Joseph R. is a lumber merchant at Bridgeport, Illinois, but prior to his becoming associated with that business was connected with the Van Buren Bank for some years. Edward S. is cashier of the bank. It should be men¬ tioned here that William* D. taught school for nineteen years, having secured his education in the Normal School and the State University at Bloomington, and that the two daughters who are now married, also gave several of their younger years to school teaching, they also having been given excellent educational advantages.

John Howard was educated in the common schools of Delaware county, and he continued at home until he was twenty-two years of age. He was trained in the business of farming, and would have doubtless made a real success of that enterprise had he elected to continue in it. But he early engaged in the timber, grain and seed business as a merchant at Summitville, Indiana, continuing there from 1890 to 1901, and during four years of this period he was successfully engaged in the manufacture of brick, and the remainder of the time was devoted to grain, lumber, seeds and live stock, with a three year period at the end when he was interested actively in real estate, loans and insurance. He grad¬ ually disposed of his various holdings, and in 1901 came to Van Buren,

The building in which the bank is housed was built by the Howards, and in August, 1901, the bank was organized, with a capital stock of $25,- 000. Edward S. Howard is cashier, and the board of directors is com¬ posed of John J. Howard, Edward S. and P. S. Howard. The annual deposits of the bankVary between $200,000 and $225,000, and as one of the well conducted and conservative financial institutions of the county, it has an excellent standing. The bank handles fire insurance also, and represent some of the best old companies. P. S. Howard, who is a stock¬ holder in the bank and a member of its directorate as mentioned above, is a farmer and stockman of Van Buren, and he operates successfully a farm of one hundred and twenty-eight acres.

Mr. Howard is a member of the Pythian Knights, with which he first became affiliated in 1898 in Summitville, and in 1902 he became a charter member of Van Buren Lodge No. 496 Knights of Pythias. He has filled a number of offices in the lodge and was manager of the exche¬ quer for several years.

A man of splendid qualities, Mr. Howard is one who enjoys the un¬ divided confidence and regard of all who share in his acquaintance, and he has played well his part in the duties of citizenship since he came to be a resident of Van Buren.

Claude Williams. Bom in the township of his present residence, and not far from the farm which he now occupies and cultivates, Claude Williams represents the third generation of his family in occupancy and tillage of Washington township soil. Mr. Williams is a young and pro¬ gressive scientific farmer. Three generations before him won prosperity from the soil in this county, and he is doing the same, and is applying the best knowledge of experience and modern generations to his work.

Mr. Williams occupies a farm on the Salem Pike in section twenty-six, the ninety-six acres of the place being all in cultivation. His father some years ago remodeled the present residence and erected a fine red frame bam, and it is a rural home with all the modern conveniences. As a crop raiser Mr. Williams has done exceptionally well. During the last years on fourteen acres he produced five hundred bushels of wheat, an aver¬ age of more than thirty-three bushels to the acre, thirty-three acres of corn land yielded two thousand bushels, and on twenty-four acres planted in oats he threshed fifteen hundred and eighty bushels, which is an aver¬ age of sixty-six bushels to the acre. His meadow yielded ten tons of hay. Mr. Williams is what is called a mixed-farmer, and feeds prac¬ tically all his crops to his stock, of wdiich he raises a quantity of Poland China and Berkshire hogs.

Mr. Claude Williams was born November 3, 1882, on the old home place just three miles north of the farm he now occupies. His father, John T. Williams, one of the best known men of Grant county, now liv¬ ing retired in Marion, was born in Warren county, Ohio, April 22, 1844, and at the age of three years was brought to Grant county by his parents William and Alice (Hopkins) Williams.

William Williams and wife were of Welsh nativity, bora March 15, 1797, and January 7, 1802, respectively. They emigrated to the United States in 1827, settling at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they lived for five years, then moved to Warren county, Ohio, and in 1847 settled in Grant county, taking up a farm in almost a wilderness, where the grandfather laid the foundation for the family prosperity. William Williams died April 15, 1883, at a very advanced age, and his wife

John T. Williams, the father, has been a farmer most of his life and has lived in Grant county, with the exception of six months spent in the Union army, since he was three years of age. He enlisted in May 1864, in Company I of the One Hundred and Thirty-Eighth Indiana Infantry, but was not called into active service, tie married in 186S Susanna Middleton, who was born December 3, 1843, a daughter of William and Margaret (Strickler) Middleton. John T. Williams bought the farm on which his son Claude lives in 1898, and he also owns two hundred and forty acres of the old homestead which was settled by his father, back in the forties. In July, 1905, John T. Wil¬ liams moved into Marion. For a number of years prior to moving to town he was engaged in the road contracting and building business. From 1892 to 1894 he served as sheriff of Grant county, and for six years occupied the office of county commissioner. Since enlisting for the pres¬ ervation of the union as a boy, he has always been a loyal supporter of the Republican party. Previous to his honors as a county official he was trustee of Washington township. John T. Williams is known throughout Grant county as a square and honest man and good citizen. Fraternally he is an Odd Fellow, and he and his wife are members of the United Brethren church. Their children number six, five of whom are living, namely : William M., in Marion ; John D., on the H. M. Creviston place, a farmer; Mrs. Gertrude Culbertson of Washington town¬ ship; Mary Agnes at home; Claude, and Burrell, who on January 19, 1902, was thrown from a horse and killed.

Mr. Claude Williams when a boy was reared in Washington town¬ ship, and attended the schools in district Nos. six and seven. When he was twenty-one years of age, in 1904, he took charge of the farm, and as the statistics already quoted indicate he has made an exceptional record as a farmer. In politics he is a Republican voter. Mr. Williams was married January 23, 1904, to Lucile Partlow, who was born in Ohio, a daughter of John Partlow, now deceased and a former resident of Butler county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Williams have one child, Kathryn, who was born October 10, 1904.

William Doyle. Residents of Van Buren township are wont to speak with pride - and with good reason - of their fine farms and in¬ dividual homesteads and of the particular facilities and improvements that are distinctive of this locality as one of the civil divisions of Grant county. Their enumeration of the many things which make life in this township better and bigger, either ends or begins with reference to the magnificent central high school, the finishing place for every boy and girl in the township, from whose doors they go out, better equipped than any of their parents at the end of school days. The township built and furnished this notable hall of learning, but more individual credit for the achievement belongs to William Doyle than any other citizen. Mr. Doyle has the reputation of being the best trustee, the township has ever had, and on the basis of his actual accomplishment while in office, there are probably none who would begrudge him that high honor.

William Doyle is one of the substantial men of Van Buren township who have devoted their careers chiefly to agriculture. He is the owner of two hundred and eighty acres of fine land situated in sections thirtyfour, thirty-five and thirty-three, but his residence is in the village of Van Buren. Mr. Doyle was born March 15, 1847, in the township where he now resides, and has seen this part of Grant county emerge from a wilderness to a popular and most prosperous community. His parents were Samuel and Mary A. (McCluskey) Doyle. The paternal grandparents were Mathew and Mary (McMahon) Doyle, who were natives of Ireland, and settled in the state of Ohio in 1814. They had first lived in Pennsylvania and were married in Philadelphia. Samuel Doyle, the father was born where is now the city limits of Philadelphia, January 10, 1805, and his death occurred in Grant county, September 4, 1870. He was a small boy when the family moved to Ohio, and he grew up in Guernsey county, where in 1838, he married Miss Mary Mc¬ Cluskey, who was bom at Harpers Ferry, Maryland, September 2, 1811. In 1840 the parents moved into Indiana, and became residents of Van Buren township, where they remained until their death, their home being on section thirty-four. Samuel Doyle's older brother Michael, was a Van Buren township settler in June, 1838. The Doyle family has accordingly been identified with this county from the first decade of local history. They came when the country was sparsely settled, when there were no roads, and when the settlers cut their trails through the forests. Samuel Doyle entered a quarter section of wild land, proved his industry, and eventually became possessor of six hundred acres, all of which he subsequently divided among his children. He was identified with the official affairs of the county, and was especially prominent in introducing improvements in stock and was well known as a breeder of horses. During the war he sold many horses to the government. The four children of Samuel Doyle and wife were Mary Ann Lease, of Van Buren ; Thomas B., of Van Buren ; William ; and Michael on the old home place.

William Doyle, as a boy, was a pupil in the old school in district number eight. He recalls some of his early teachers. They were Enoch E. Camblin and George W. Camblin, the latter now being a resident of Nebraska; also Robert D. Fornshell, a former justice of the peace of Grant county; and James Phillips of Washington township. Enoch Camblin the first mentioned is one of the oldest residents of Van Buren, being now eighty-seven years of age and a member of the octogenarian club of Grant county. When William Doyle was twenty-one years of age, his father gave him a share of the crops, and he took an interest in the management of the farm until his father's death. He 'then obtained a share of the land by inheritance, and he and his brother Michael bought out the other heirs, and became owner of three hundred and twenty acres. They farmed this in partnership for five years, at the end of which time they divided the property, William taking the south half. In 1875 he bought twenty acres more, and in 1891 bought forty-seven and a half acres from his brother Thomas, later bought eighty acres from his nephew and with another purchase of twenty-two acres, brought his total of land up to two hundred and eighty acres. He oversees his fine farm estate with the aid of his youngest son. That he is one of the large crop pro¬ ducers in Grant county, may be seen from the following record of his crops in 1912: twenty-five hundred bushels of com; fifteen hundred bushels of oats ; and thirty tons of hay. During the present season of 1913, Mr. Doyle planted fifty acres to corn, sixteen acres to oats, and thirty-two acres to wheat. Each year he sends from one hundred to one hundred and fifty hogs to market, and keep twelve head of horses to work his place. He has a nice apple orchard of four acres, and some small fruits on the farm. The season of 1911 his orchard yielded eight hundred bushels of apples. He takes much interest in the growing of fruit, and is using his influence to make Grant county a fruit growing center. He sprays his trees and cultivates them, and his care is repaid with generous fruitage. The Doyle home is in the village of Van Buren, located on Main street, and is a nice eleven room house with all the modem improvements. Mr. Doyle moved to the town in 1900. On his farm he has another good ten room house, which replaced a residence burned down in 1882. He also has a large barn and excellent outbuild¬ ings, and everything owned by Mr. Doyle shows progressive manage¬ ment and adequate care.

Mr. Doyle is one of the sterling Democrats of Grant county. In 1894 he was elected to the office of township assessor, and held that posi¬ tion for six years. In 1900 he was elected trustee, serving until 1904. In 1908 he was again elected, and is now holding over until 1915. Thus he has had the official supervision of the erection of what is regarded as the finest high school building in a rural community in northern Indiana. The Van Buren school was put up at a cost of fifty- thousand dollars. As trustee, Mr. Doyle visited several cities, and finally decided upon a modern eleven room building, which is complete in every respect. It has wide halls, hardwood finish and tiled floors, and the building throughout is supplied with every convenience and comfort, and all the facilities for first-class work.

For the past thirty years Mr. Doyle has been affiliated with the Inde¬ pendent Order of Odd Fellows. His church is the Christian. In 1870 he married Miss Sarah J. Hayes a daughter of William Hayes of Grant county. Six children were bom to their marriage, and four are now living: Mary, who is the wife of Henry C. Ferguson of Van Buren township ; Albert N., is a member of the State Board of Accountants and resides in Marion; Ida M. is deceased; Deborah Weimer, is deceased; Violet Y. Easton, lives in Bartlettsville, Oklahoma; Lavanner C., is on the home farm.