Huntington County, Indiana - The whole text, 1914 (part 10 of 15)

Mr. Penfield was an active and influential member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. For over ten years he had been a member of the General Board of Adjustment on the Erie system. During that period he also served as Chairman of the Local Committee on the Chicago & Lima Division. He held the position of Chief of Division No. 221 in Huntington for several terms, and had also been a delegate to several of the national conventions of the Brotherhood. He had great influence with the officials of the company and also with the Brotherhood. The fact that the Erie employes in Huntington did not lose their heads during the A. R. U. strike in 1904 was largely due to Mr. Penfield's influence, as he stood like a wall against the folly of the sympathetic strike which ended so disastrously. ` The Erie boys, through his influence and that of other leading and conservative employes, elected to remain loyal to the company, and the fact that they did so was a source of great satisfaction to the company, and was of decided advantage to the employes ever since.

In July, 1883, Mr. Penfield moved his family to Huntington, and that was his home until his death. On September 25, 1900, while in charge of his engine on one of the fast trains, he was struck by the erane used in suspending a mail pouch, and his injuries were such that he died almost at his post. Many tributes were paid to his faithful service and personal character, and among perhaps the most significant is contained in the following telegram sent Mrs. Penfield from New York by E. B. Thomas, one of the high officials of the Erie Company: ''I am shocked to learn of the sad accident which has caused the death of your husband. He was one of our most valued and trusted employes and, while our loss is insignificant compared with yours, his death leaves a vacancy which will be keenly felt. I beg to tender you my most sincere sympathy and, if I can in any manner be of assistance to you, please command me."'

Mr. Penfield's reputation as a railroad man was supplemented by his work as a citizen. He was a member of the city council from 1885 to 1887. That was a period of development, and he always had the best interests of his city at heart. He was one of the trustees of the Waterworks Board from 1892 to 1895, and he and his associates brought the system to a point of efficiency where the city could depend upon a pure water supply. When the county council was introduced into the county government of Indiana, Mr. Penfield was one of the appointees to the Huntington county body, and gave a service which was much appreciated. Fraternally he was associated with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Royal Arcanum, and in politics was a Democrat. On September 18, 1870, he married Miss Emily J. Nesmith, of Warren county, Pennsylvania. Of their two sons, the older, Harrison A., was born July 9, 1871, and is a leading dentist in Dayton, Ohio.

The younger son, James G. I. Penfield, was born in Warren, Pennsylvania, January 9, 1873, and has lived in Huntington since he was ten years of age. His education was continued in the public schools, and when a young man he entered the store of Olney Grafton, a well known Huntington jeweler. He served a full apprenticeship as a jeweler and watch-maker, and was manager and head watch-maker for this firm. With his experience and his reputation as a reliable business man, in

June, 1901, he embarked in business on his own account, and has steadily built up what is now regarded as one of the best jewelry shops in Huntington county. His establishment is centrally located, and he carries a complete line of watches, clocks, jewelry and silverware, and the excellence of his goods is supplemented by honorable dealing and a pleasant personality in his relations with the trade. Mr. Penfield is unmarried. Fraternally he is affiliated with Amity Lodge, No. 483, A. F. & A. M., and with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Besides his own handsome home on Hast Washington street, he is the owner of several other properties in the city.

Prrer Detser. Among the leading citizens of Bippus, none has a better or more secure position than Peter Deiser, a merchant and banker of this place, where he has been prominent for many years. Mr. Deiser was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, on May 4, 1857, and is a son of Jacob and Tessie Deiser, who were of German, birth and ancestry. They were married in their native land and came to the United States soon after that event,,locating in Ohio, where they continued for some years. They later migrated to Highton county, taking up their residence in Warren township, where they passed the remainder of their lives, save for a short period spent in Lake county, Indiana.

Of the seven children born to Jacob and Tessie Deiser, there are six living at this writing. Mary is the widow of Emery Petrie; Peter, the subject of this review; Louise, the wife of John Miller; Jacob, a resident of Lebanon, Indiana; Emma, the widow of Andrew Miller; and Celia, the wife of Arthur Buzz.

Peter Deiser was two years of age when his parents came to Highton county, this state, and he was reared on the farm home in Warren township. He had his education, not a very extensive one, in the common schools, and remained at home on the farm until he was twenty-three years of age.

In 1891, one year after Mr. Deiser had launched out for himself in life, he engaged in business in Bippus, and he has since been successfully occupied in mercantile pursuits in this town. He has accumulated some real estate and the building in which he runs his store is his property. In later years Mr. Deiser interested himself in banking affairs, becoming a stockholder and a member of the directorate of the Bippus State Bank, a thrifty young concern that promises sturdy and conservative growth along the lines laid down by its present management.

In 1881 Mr. Deiser married Miss Sina Morgan, a native daughter of Huntington county, Indiana, and well known in this vicinity. They have no children.

Mr. Deiser still retains an interest in the old farm in Warren county where he was reared. He is reckoned among the prosperous men of the community, and as an honest and upright citizen. He has the esteem and confidence of the community as a whole. He is a Democrat, and has always taken a healthy interest in the politics of the county and state. As to his fraternal relations, he has membership in the West

Dr. Ira E. Perry. When Dr. Ira E. Perry was graduated from the Indiana Medical College in 1905 and was awarded his medical degree, he lost no time in choosing a location, but in November following he opened an office and hung out a shingle announcing his readiness to minister to the physical infirmities of his fellow beings. In the years that have passed, few though they are, confidence lias not been withheld from him, and he is today recognized as a capable and conscientious physician and surgeon, than whom none in the vicinity has a better or more lucrative following. Dr. Perry has won a secure place in the esteem of his fellow townspeople, and one of which he is well worthy because of his professional attainments as well as his many excellent personal qualities. y

Born in Rock Creek township, Hyton, Indiana, on January 14, 1873, Dr. Perry is a son of W. H. and Rosa (Smith) Perry, both natives of Ohio. W. H. Perry, himself a son of William Perry, was married as a young man in Ohio, and he located in Rock Creek community soon after his marriage. He was one of the youngest of his father's children, and was a man of sterling qualities. He served in, the Civil war, and died in Rock Creek township in 1878. Two years later his wife passed away.

Ira E. Perry received his education in North Manchester, where his mother moved after the death of the husband and father. Following his public school training, which ended in his graduation from the local high school in 1891, he became a student in the North Manchester College. He fitted himself for the duties of a teacher and taught in Wabash for two years, being very successful in that work, though he felt it was not the exact field for which he was best fitted by nature and inclination. After two years of teaching he engaged in the drug business with Dr. Gunther of North Manchester, and continued with him until the year 1900 as a partner, after which he bought the stock of his partner and continued to operate the business for two years. In 1901 Dr. Perry decided on a course he had been considering for some time, and he entered the Indiana Medical College, from which he was duly graduated in 1905, gaining his M. D. degree at that time.

It has already been set forth how he located in the fall of the same year in Bippus, and how he has since continued prosperously and successfuly in his chosen profession.

The fraternal affiliations of the Doctor are with the Masonic fraternity and West Point Lodge No. 688, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, as well as the Knights of Pythias, of Manchester, Indiana. The Doctor is a republican in his political faith, and has been active in local polities to some extent. He is one of the trustees of Warrant township, and has done good work in the best interests of the community from a civic standpoint. Dr. Perry has also identified himself with the financial

HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY 675: enterprises of the city, and was one of the organizers of the Bippus State Bank, one of the newer and advancing concerns of the place. He was the first one to hold the office of vice president of the bank, and is now a member of its directorate.

A man of quiet tastes and manners, Dr. Perry goes on his way without attracting undue attention to himself, but his position in the community is one of which he may well be proud, and is the result of his earnest work and his steadfast character.

Davin S. GepHart. On a finely improved estate of three hundred and twenty acres in Sections 27 and 26 in Salamonie township Davis S. Gephart is most successfully engaged in diversified agriculture and the raising of high-grade stock. Mr. Gephart is one of the honored citizens of Huntington county who were born here and have spent all their lives in this county, and he commands the confidence and esteem of all who have known him from earliest youth. While his work as a farmer has. brought him substantial prosperity, his relations with the community have also been useful and have contributed to the welfare of the vicinity, and his family is one widely known and esteemed.

His birth occurred on the farm where he now resides, but then largely wilderness and only a few years after the land had been entered from the government, on August 27, 1850. His parents were George and Elizabeth (Pence) Gephart. His mother was born in Rockingham. county, Virginia, May 2, 1808, and his father was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, February 14, 1819. Their respective families subsequently located in Preble county, Ohio, and there the parents were married January 1, 1840. A few years later, in 1845, the father made a journey into Indiana, looked over the land, and finally entered a farm in Section 27 of Salamonie township in Huntington county. A log cabin was the first home of the family, and there the father lived, engaged in the clearing up and cultivating of his acres, prospered in a quiet way, and died at a good old age on November 13, 1906, his wife having passed away February 22, 1881. The father was one of the original members of the United Presbyterian faith in this part of Huntington county, and after a church of that denomination was established he became one of its elders and continued to be devoted to church and local interests until his death. There were three children, and Davis S. is the only survivor. The son, William F., died in 1860, and Mary J. died when ten years of age.

* Qn the old homestead on Section 27 Davis S. Gephart spent his boyhood, and has many recollections of early days in Huntington county. He has been a witness of practically every important event which has: brought about the modernization of the county, from the first railroad down to electric trolley lines and rural free delivery. His education was. acquired in one of the little red school houses, and he profited by the advantages afforded in the local schools, and was well equipped for the responsibilities of his mature career. He took charge of the farm after reaching manhood, and has always cultivated its broad acres and has.

followed farming on such a scale and by such methods as to win the highest amount of annual revenue consistent with the proper preservation of the fertility of the soil.

On February 17, 1870, Mr. Gephart married Martha A. Huffman. She was born in Salamonie township January 14, 1852, a daughter of John and Susanna (Myers) Huffman. The Huffman family were likewise among the early settlers of Salamonie township, having located there about 1847. Mrs. Gephart grew up in the same locality as her husband, and was likewise well trained for life in the common schools and in the performance of home duties. After their marriage Mr. Gep- * hart and wife continued to live on his father's estate. To their union four children were born: Arminda E. is the wife of William Ware of Minnesota; George M., after graduating from the high school at Warren took up teaching, but is now a farmer in Salamonie township and married Effie Taylor; Charles A., who is a prosperous farmer in Salamonie township, married Myrtle Moore; Edna F. is the wife of Clyde. Moore of Salamonie township.

The family worship in the Christian church at Warren, and Mr. Gephart is a deacon in that church. Fraternally his membership is in Salamonie Lodge No. 392 I. O. O. F., of which he is a Past Grand, and also belongs to the Encampment of the Odd Fellows. His political affiliation has always been with the Republican party. Mr. Gephart resides in one of the comfortable homes which for forty years has been a landmark of rural prosperity in Salamonie township. The brick house was erected in 1875-76, and all its surroundings betoken the thrift and efficient management of its proprietor.

Err KELLER. Profitably engaged in farming in Salamonie township, of which he is one of the most enterprising and progressive men, Eli Keller in the fifty-five years of his life has exemplified many of the best and most admirable and useful traits of character and attributes of citizenship, and is esteemed in accordance with his genuine worth and sterling American manhood. He has interested himself in the public affairs of his township and county, and has spent nearly all his life in the honorable industry of agriculture.

Eli Keller was born in Wayne county, Indiana, June 23, 1859, a son of Joseph and Margaret (Fitler) Keller. His father was a native of Germany and a son of William Keller, who brought the family to the United States, and they located in York county, Pennsylvania, where the grandparents lived and died. Joseph Keller was reared in York county, and after growing to manhood was married in that locality, and then moved west and found a new home in Wayne county, Indiana. From Wayne county in 1866 the family came to Huntington county, locating in Salamonie township, where the parents were known among the kindly and useful people of the community until their death. There were seven children altogether, and the five living in 1914 are mentioned as follows: William Keller, of Warren, Indiana; Henry Keller, of Huntington; Eli Keller; Mary, wife of James L. Johnson, of Salamonie township ; and Maggie, wife of J. M. Hart, of Salamonie township. The deceased sons are Isaac and Daniel, the former dying in Wayne county and the latter in Salamonie township, Huntington county.

Eli Keller, who was about five years old when the family came to Huntington county, was reared and grew up on a farm in Salamonie township, entered the district schools, had such training as was afforded by the somewhat restricted curriculum, and was given the privilege of attending school during the winter, while all the working days of spring, summer and fall were employed in developing his experience and his physical constitution in assisting in the varied duties of farm and household. When he was about eighteen he began making his own way, and though living at home until he was twenty-five, carried on agriculture as a renter for several years until he accumulated the means which brought about his first acquisition of land.

On March 10, 1885, Mr, Keller married Miss Ida B. Stewart, sister of J. M. Stewart, of Union township. To their union have been born four children. Elmer Keller is a graduate of the common schools and married Etta Click, of Dunkirk, Indiana; Howard, who also finished the course of the common schools, married Goldie Sutler and lives in Fort Wayne; Ola, a graduate of the common schools, is the wife of Elmer Bailey, of Jackson township, in Wells county; and Rena, who finished the common school course, married Ervin Carroll, of Lancaster township. The parents have taken great pains to give their children the best of opportunities, and have afforded them a good home and the advantages of the schools.

The family are members of the Christian church at Belleville, and Mr. Keller is affiliated with Salamonie Lodge, No. 392, I. O. O. F., is a democrat in politics, and at the present time holds the responsible office of supervisor of the township. His farming activities are carried on at a well improved place of forty acres three miles north and a quarter mile west of Warren. He is a citizen who has always performed the responsibilities of life in a becoming manner, and his friends and neighbors always speak his name with respect and esteem.

James L. JoHnson. The winning of a comfortable prosperity after the hardest kind of struggle with fortune, and the establishment and provision for a home and a place as an honored and influential citizen of his community, is a short measure of the accomplishment of James L. Johnson, for many years identified with Huntington county, and now a resident of Salamonie township. Mr. Johnson is proprietor of what is known as the Poplar Grove Farm, comprising forty-eight acres and situated three miles north and half a mile west of Warren, in Section 7 of that township.

His life story is that of an orphan boy who endured many vicissitudes in his early life, had practically no opportunities to acquire an education, but by sheer force of native ability, by hard work, and by his steady ambition to make the best of opportunities, has accomplished more than many men who start in life under much more auspicious circumstances. Vol. II - 18

James L. Johnson was born in Johnson county, Indiana, about a mile northeast of Edinburg, in November, 1854, a son of Thomas and Charity (Cook) Johnson. When he was three years old his mother died and a few years later, in 1861, his father enlisted for service in the Civil war. Receiving a discharge from the army in 1864, he returned home, but soon afterwards disappeared, and nothing has ever been known of his whereabouts since that time. Thus made an orphan at the age of ten, Mr. Johnson was taken into the home of an aunt, and for a number of years he was kicked from pillar to post and altogether had only a few months of schooling. His work as an independent wage earner began when he was twelve years of age, and in 1871 he went to~Illinois and spent one year working on a farm by the month. He then bought an interest in a sawmill, conducted it three years, and sold out on April 28, 1875, arriving in Huntington and beginning work with the Belleville Mill in Jefferson township. That was his regular place of employment for four years, and as he had a natural knack as a mechanic and had considerable experience in the handling of tools he next engaged in the carpenter's trade. This led him by a natural course into contracting, and it is said that Mr. Johnson has erected as many barns as any man of his generation. He has done a great amount of building in Huntington county, and one of the structures which he erected was the Belleville Christian church, built in 1888. For a number of years he has been enjoying the quiet prosperity of his farm, and is comfortably situated and has surrounded himself with many of the good things of life, while his esteem in the neighborhood is that paid to a worthy and useful citizen.

On July 12, 1881, Mr. Johnson married Miss Mary Keller. She was born in Wayne county, Indiana, September 10, 1861, and was brought to Huntington county m 1866, her family locating in Salamonie township and later in Jefferson township. Mr. Johnson and wife have no children. They are active members of the Christian church at Beleville, which he has served as trustee. He is also a member of Salamonie Lodge No. 392, I. O. O. F., and both are members of the Rebekah Lodge at Warren. Mrs. Johnson is also a member of the Royal Neighbors at Majenica. The political affiliation of Mr. Johnson has always been with the Republican party.

JOHN A. DOVERSBERGER. Although he has been a resident of Huntington county for only three years, John A. Doversberger has already gained a firmly established position in his community as a man of practical ideas and excellent business ability. His well cultivated farm lies in section 6, Salamonie township, on the Warren and Huntington turnpike, four miles from Warren, and here he is carrying on successful agricultural operations. Mr. Doversberger was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, August 22, 1863, and is a son of John and Susan (Hoover) Doversberger.

Indiana, he met and married Susan Hoover, who was born in this country, but was of German parentage. Some time after their marriage, they moved to Tipton county, Indiana, where Mr. Doversberger continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, of whom four died in infaney.

John A. Doversberger was reared on his father's farm in Dearborn county and there secured his education in the country schools. His industry and application brought him a liberal training along literary lines, and he thoroughly familiarized himself with every detail and method, so that on attaining his majority he was admirably fitted to take up the work he had chosen as his life vocation. He was twentytwo years of age when he accompanied the family to Tipton county, and there he was married and settled down upon a farm of his own. Subsequently, he invested his means in a half section of land in Texas, and went to the Lone Star state, but after four years decided that better success awaited him in Indiana, and accordingly, in September, 1911, sold his Texas interests and came to Huntington county, where he now has a farm of 160 acres. Mr. Doversberger now has an excellent property, well cultivated, fenced, drained and tiled; modern machinery of every kind; good stock, and up-to-date equipment, to show for the labor, time and money he has invested here. His standing in the community is high as a man of business, and the honorable manner in which he has conducted all his transactions has gained for him public confidence. In politics he is a Democrat, but the struggles of the political arena have never attracted him so far as to cause him to offer his name as a candidate for public office. Good movements find in him a hearty co-worker, and the best interests of his community he holds at heart. Mr. Doversberger and family are members of the Lutheran church.

Mr. Doversberger was married to Miss Anna ©. Abplamalp, of Ripley county, Indiana, where she was reared and educated in the public schools. Her parents were natives of Switzerland who emigrated to the United States and for some years were engaged in agricultural pursuits in Ripley county. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Doversberger: Elma P., educated in the graded and high schools of Texas; Ezra, born February 22, 1899; Paul W., born January 24, 1901; and Ruth, born October 10, 1903. Daniel died in his third year.

Euan P. Tuompson. Among the old families of Huntington county the Thompsons have had a prominent place from the time when all this country was in the woods and swamps and prairies, before cultivation had begun, and while the Indians and wild animals were still the principal occupants of a region that is now entirely devoted to agricultural prosperity. During all these years their lives have been led along the paths of quiet industry and prosperity, and as farmers and good citizens they have done their full share for the enrichment. of community life. There are few men in Huntington county who own a better extent of fertile and improved soil than Elijah P. Thompson, of Salamonie township. At the same time his success as a business man has been accompanied by helpful and capable service to the community in which he lives, and his name is known throughout the southern half of Huntington county.

Elijah P. Thompson was born on Section 14, in Salamonie township, August 11, 1857, a son of John H. and Lucretia (Preble) Thompson. Several generations of the Thompson family have lived in Huntington county, and they originally came from Bracken county, Kentucky, more than seventy years ago. John H. Thompson himself was a native of Bracken county, while his wife was born in Preble county, Ohio, and each was brought to Huntington county when quite young. John H. was nine years of age when the family located here, and he and his wife grew-up together in Salamonie township, and were married and spent their lives in that locality. They became the parents of eight children, but only two are now living, Emma A. being the wife of Asa W. Bonham.

Elijah P. Thompson spent his early youth on the Thompson farm, had the wholesome environment of the rural activities and influences, and attended one of the schools taught in Salamonie township forty or fifty years ago. His school attendance was limited to the winter season, while the summers were all spent in the varied activities of the farm. When ° twenty-one years of age his father, who was one of the big farmers of his time, started him out in life with one hundred and sixty acres of land. Like the capable steward, he has never hid his talent in a napkin, and has gone ahead and increased his property until at the present time he is the owner of eight hundred and eighty-four acres of the fine land of Salamonie township, and under his management it has all increased in value through his labors and varied improvements.

On December 9, 1880, Mr. Thompson married Lucy E. Chopson, a daughter of John and Susanna (Stroup) Chopson. She too is a native of Salamonie township, and grew up and received her education in the common schools in the same neighborhood as her husband. To their marriage have been born five children, namely: Webster J., who is a farmer and who married Mildred Shafer; Marcus W., who is a Salamonie township farmer, and married Gertrude Huffman; George E., who finished the course in the Warren high school, graduated from the Indiana State University, and later from Cornell University at New York with degree Ph. B. and is a brilliant young scholar who has been retained as a member of the faculty of instruction at Cornell University in the Physics department, and he married Miss Hazel Gullefer; Miriam E. is the wife of Frank Minnich of Warren; Ellen G., graduate of the Warren high school and now lives at home. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have taken great pains to afford their children the best of advantages both at home and in school, and have the satisfaction of seeing them all well situated in life and useful members of society. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Warren, and in politics Mr. Thompson has always tried to vote for the support of the Republican candidate, though not conspicuous as a party man.

Moses A. Ruse. The name of Ruse has for many years been closely connected with the agricultural history of Huntington county, a number of individuals of the name having been successful farmers of this section. Prominent among them, one who is proving himself a worthy representative of the family is Moses A. Ruse, who is the owner of eighty acres of good land in Salamonie township. Like many of the successful farmers of this part of Indiana, Mr. Ruse has spent most of his life on the farm which he now occupies, and is therefore familiar with its every detail, as well as with climatic and soil conditions of this region. With this knowledge, in his work he has combined a spirit of progressiveness and industry, and thus has won his way to a well-merited success.

Mr. Ruse was born February 9, 1863, in Rock Creek township, Huntington county, Indiana, and is a son of William and Hester A. (Sutton) Ruse. His father, a native of Ohio, was brought to this county as a child of four years by his 'parents, grew up a farmer, and continued to till the soil throughout his life. He was successful in his operations, and at the time of his demise was accounted a substantial man and left his family in comfortable circumstances. With the exception of five years in Marion, he passed his entire life in Salamonie township. Hester A. Sutton was born and reared in Jay county, Indiana, and came to Huntington county in young womanhood, where she met and married Mr. Ruse. She still survives him and is now a resident of Warren. They were the parents of seven children, of whom five are living at this time: Moses A., of this review; Hannah, who is the wife of F. F. Sparks; Luella, who is the wife of Milo Hoag; Lizzie, who is the wife of John Brubaker; and Amos L., who is a resident of North Dakota.

Moses A. Ruse obtained his education in the public schools of Salamonie township and grew up on his father's farm, being reared to traits of honesty and industry and early learning the value of hard labor. He grew up amid agricultural surroundings, and it was but natural that he should adopt farming as his life work, a decision arrived upon when he reached his majority. Since that time he has been successful in his operations, being the owner of eighty acres of his father's old farm, valuable land, located three miles north and one-half mile west of Warren, and twelve miles west of Bluffton, Indiana. From time to time he makes improvements on his property, adding to his buildings, his equipment and his stock, and recently has added to the value of his property by the erection of a handsome modern residence, or rather by the remodeling of his former home. This has been changed completely, inside and out, and now includes ten rooms, with modern bath, and is surrounded by 120 feet of cement veranda, and covered with galvanized shingles. As a business man Mr. Ruse has shown himself faithful to every engagement and honorable in every transaction, and as a citizen he is ever ready to assist his fellow-citizens in forwarding all movements making for the advancement of religion, education and morality. His political support is given to the candidates and policies

On October 12, 1882, Mr. Ruse was united in marriage with Miss Sarah A. Sparks of Rock Creek township, daughter of Isaac and Cynthia (Roberts) Sparks. Three children have been born to this union, namely : Mamie L., who is the wife of Orville Burgess, of Rock Creek township ; Miss Ruth E., who is single and resides with her parents; and Willard J. B., a graduate of the graded schools and now a student in the Warren high school. l '

EMANUEL M. Hart. Those states whieh comprise the central Mississippi valley have at all times been noted for their great progress, especially in the line of agriculture. The development and transformation of this region have been phenomenal; but yesterday wide-spreading prairies and heavily timbered forests, wild game and wild men; today blossoming fields, productive farms paying ten-fold for the labors expended upon them, prosperous towns and cities, centers of education and religion: * The very spirit of progress and enterprise seems to permeate this part of the country and to have entered into the very character of the citizens who have made this section their home. While not one of the first settlers of this region, Emanuel M. Hart has lived here for more than sixty years, and has been an eye-witness of and a participant in the most wonderful period of Huntington county's growth. He was born on the farm on which he now carries on operations, in Salamonie township, October 4, 1852, and is a son of Wesley and Sarah (Shideler) Hart, both of whom belonged to old and honored families of Wayne county, Ohio. The parents of Mr. Hart passed peaceful lives in the pursuits of agriculture, the father dying in 1874, and the mother in 1907. They were the parents of ten children, of whom three are living at this time, namely: James M., who is engaged in farming in Salamonie township; Amanda, who is the wife of John W. Wysong, also of this township, a farmer; and Emanuel M.

The boyhood of Emanuel M. Hart differed little from that of other farmers' sons of his community, in that from the time he was old enough to reach the plowhandles he did his full share of work on the home place, and secured his education during the short winter months in the district school near to his feather's house. He was an industrious and ambitious lad and made the most of whatever chances came his way, so that he obtained a good mental training and also thoroughly familiarized himself with the work of the homestead. Upon attaining his majority, he elected to remain on the farm on which he had been born, and assumed its management, which he has retained to the present time. This is a tract of eighty acres, located in section 4, three miles north of Warren. Mr. Hart has gained an enviable success in his agricultural ventures and is considered a capable and thoroughly honorable business man. He is public spirited and can be relied upon to support movements making for the betterment of his community, while his progressive spirit has caused him to adopt new and modern methods in his work. His political affiliation is with the democratic party, but the greater part of his activities in the public arena have consisted of his support of good men and measures.

In 1874, Mr. Hart was married to Miss Hannah M. Neff, daughter of John and Mariah (McFarren) Neff, and five children have been born to this union, of whom four are living: Clinton, a graduate of the Warren high school and a merchant at Liberty Center, Indiana; W. A., a blacksmith at Majenica; Sarah, who is the wife of Charles Souers, of Rock Creek township; and Ruby B., a graduate of the Warren high school, formerly a teacher in the schools of Huntington county ; and now the wife of Ora Laurance, of this county.

GARRETT O. TucKER. The various pursuits which have occupied the attention of Garrett O. Tucker, and the success that he has gained therein, have demonstrated his versatility as a business man and show his right to a position among the successful citizens whose activities are contributing to Huntington county's business prosperity and importance. Primarily a farmer, he has also been successful in the field of manufacture and in trade and commerce, and until recently dealt in coal, lime and cement, with an excellent patronage. Mr. Tucker was born in -Edgar county, Illinois, October 9, 1859, and is a son of Osborne and Irena (Parks) Tucker, both of whom are deceased.

There was little difference between the boyhood of Mr. Tucker and that of other sons of Illinois farmers of his day. He attended the district schools of his native county when opportunity offered during the winter terms, and in the rest of the year assisted his father in plowing, planting and reaping and in the thousand and one tasks which make up the daily labor of the agriculturists. He became thoroughly familiar with every detail of farm- work, and upon reaching his majority began farming on his own account, continuing to be so engaged for a period of three years. -At the end of that time he turned his attention to the manufacture of tile, a business with which he was identified for six years, and during this time gained a working capital that enabled him to pursue various lines of industry for several years. Mr. Tucker came to Indiana in 1909, and purchased a quarter-section of land in Rock Creek township, Huntington county, which he farmed for three years, and at the end of that time rented his land and came to Warren, where he became a dealer in coal, lime and cement. In his business transactions Mr. Tucker was always found reliable, prompt in his engagements, and possessed of a high sense of business ethics. He succeeded through the medium of his own efforts, through the grasping of opportunities and through the capable manner in which he directed each of his ventures. l

Mr. Tucker was married while a resident of Edgar county, Illinois, to Miss Nettie Wright, a native of that county and a member of a respected family there. Two sons have been born to this union : Truman O., a graduate of the graded and high schools of Illinois and of the school of pharmacy at Angola College, and now successfully engaged in the drug business at Anderson, Indiana; and Forrest K., a graduate of the graded and high schools of Paris, Illinois, who also attended Angola College for one year, married Miss G. Smetherst and is now engaged in operating his father's farm in Rock Creek township. Mr. Tucker is a member of the Christian chureh at Warren, and for some time has served as its treasurer. His fraternal connection is with Horace Lodge No. 902, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is past grand, and has many friends in this order as well as in business and social circles. His political belief is that of the republican party, with which organization he has been connected since attaining his majority. :

OLNEY L. Linurancr. The community of Salamonie township has in Olney L. Lieurance a substantial farmer and reliable citizen, who may be depended upon to act wisely in movements where the welfare of his section is concerned. A son of the soil and reared amid agricultural surroundings, he has devoted his activities to farming, and the success which has rewarded his efforts testifies eloquently to the fact that he made no mistake when he chose his career. Mr. Lieurance was born in Clinton county, Ohio, October 28, 1861, and is a son of James and Rebecea J. (Murphy) Lieurance. His parents were born, reared and educated in Clinton county, and were there married, and in 1862 came to Huntington county, locating in the southeastern part of Salamonie township. There the mother passed away in 1875, and the father was again married. His death occurred in 1895. By his first union he had four children: Z. P., a resident, of Liberty township, Welis county ; Ida, who is the wife of Dan Fisher, of Liberty Center; J. W., who is living in Salamonie township; and Olney L.

Mr. Lieurance was reared on his father's farm in Salamonie township, and attended the Salem district school during the winter terms, the summer months being passed in assisting his father with the duties of the homestead. At the age of twenty-one years he left home, and for one year worked in the mill at Buckeye, Indiana, following which he went to Kansas and spent three years at various occupations. Upon his return to Huntington county he settled upon his present property, a tract of forty acres, lying three and one-half miles north of Warren, Indiana. Here Mr. Lieurance has continued to successfully pursue general agricultural operations, and his land is now under a high state of cultivation, due to his scientific treatment of the soil. He has a set of substantial buildings, good equipment and livestock, and his machinery is of the latest improved character. A man of practical ideas, alive to all the advancements being made in his calling, he is achieving success through earnest and untiring effort. Mr. Lieurance bears the reputation of being reliable in his business transactions, and his associates have every reason to place confidence in his ability. Mr. Lieurance is a democrat and while he has taken no particularly active part in politics is interested in all that affects his community, and has done all in his power to further its advancement. His fraternal connection is with Mount Zion Lodge No. 684, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

On November 1, 1899, Mr. Lieurance was 'married to Miss Bessie M. Fults, who was bora in Marion county, Indiana, November 2, 1880, a daughter of John W. and Mary E. (Gardner) Fults. Mr. Fults served as a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war, and was. in the service four years, participating in a number of fierce engagements. He died in 1901, while the mother is still living. Mrs. Lieurance was educated in the graded school at Traders Point. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lieurance: Lloyd C., born September 13, 1900; Edith M., born October 16, 1901, and died August 23, 1902; and Glenn I., born May 25, 1903. The family worships at the Christian church at Plum Tree.

D. CLINTON BUTLER. One of the old and honored families of Indiana, which has been identified with the history of this state since 1806, is that bearing the name of Butler whose members have taken honorable positions in the various walks of life and have always ably filled them. A worthy representative of this family is found in the person. of D. Clinton Butler, locomotive engineer in the service of the Erie Railroad, with a run from Huntington, Indiana, to Chicago, Illinois, and a resident of the former city. Mr. Butler, who is a descendant of Indiana pioneers on both sides of his house, was born in Whitler county, Indiana, November 10, 1862, and is the only son of Beale and Letitia (Smith) Butler.

The Butler family was of Quaker origin and was founded in Indiana by the great-grandparents of D. Clinton Butler, who came to this commonwealth many years before it became a state, in 1806. The grand-. father, Wiliam Butler, was born in Georgia. The maternal grandfather of Mr. Butler was John Smith, a native of Virginia, who came: to Indiana about the year 1820 and settled in Wayne county. Both the Butler and Smith families located in the green woods, their first houses being of log and very primitive in character. Neighbors were few and far between, but Indians were still numerous, although inclined to be: friendly. All kinds of wild game, deer, bear and elk, were plentiful, and the family larder could be easily supplied by a few well-directed shots almost from the cabin door. While the country was new, thepeople were all on an equality, were at all times friendly and neighborly, hospitable and ready to help one another. The parents of Mr. Butler were born in Wayne county, the father in August, 1838, and the mother' in May, 1841, and there both spent their lives in agricultural pursuits, ` Beale Butler passing away in 1905 and the mother one year before.

D. Clinton Butler acquired his early education in the district schools, and grew up as a farmer's son, his work in the fields giving him bodily strength and a good constitution. On leaving the district schools he went to Clarinda, Iowa, where he attended school for two years, and then returned to the home farm on which he remained until his eighteenth year. At that time he was attracted, like so many country boys, by the life of a railroad man, and he accordingly sought and secured a position with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad,.

with which he remained one year. On July 8, 1883, he became a fireman on the Erie Railroad, and held that position' on one of the first freight engines to pass over that line, running from Huntington to Chicago. He continued in this capacity util December 10, 1886 when he was promoted to freight engineer and still later to engineer on a passenger run. During his long and faithful service with this company, Mr. Butler has carried many thousands of people on his train, and has never had a serious accident. He is one of his company's most reliable and trustworthy men, and has the unqualified confidence of his employers. i

In 1888, Mr. Butler was married to Miss Annetta Campbell, of Huntington, a daughter of William I. Campbell, an old and well-known citizen of Huntington, and Sarah (Morehead) Campbell. To this union there have been born three sons and a daughter, as follows: K. Dean, now a resident of the Pacific coast, in Oregon; Mildred G., who married A. A. Piper and is a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio; Ben I. and Melville Clinton, both now students in the high school at Huntington.

Mr. Butler is a prominent Mason, belonging to Amity Lodge No. 483, F. & A. M.; Huntington Chapter No. 27, R. A. M., and Huntington Commandery No. 35, K. T. He also holds membership in the Elks Lodge No. 805, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Huntington. In politics he is a stanch republican and has'taken an active part in local affairs, often representing his county as delegate to state conventions. He has often been solicited to become a candidate for local honors, but has refused. Mr. Butler has a neat and substantial residence on Henry street, one of the best resident streets in the city of Huntington, located on the South side, and has a country home at Bass Lake.

Henry M. Frieputey. For more than forty years Henry M. Friedley has been a resident of Lancaster township, and during this period he has become known as one of this section's most enterprising and reliable agriculturists. Time has but brightened his reputation in business circles and among the representative men of the township has given him a reputation that is enviable. Mr. Friedley was born in Lancaster township, Huntington county, Indiana, on the farm now owned by Anderson Potts, November 19, 1872, and is a son of Samuel H. and Charlotte (Brumbaugh) Friedley, natives of Pennsylvania. There were three children in the family, of whom two are living in 1913: Christy, who is the wife of J. E. Shideler, of Lancaster township; and Henry M., of this review.

Henry M. Friedley, or ''Mon'' Friedley, as he is familiarly and affectionately called by his intimates, was reared on the homestead farm, and received his education in the district schools of Lancaster township, the terms in which lasted for a few months each winter. During the rest of the year Mr. Friedley became familiar with the hard work of the home farm, and he thus grew to manhood, strong in body and alert in mind, ready and capable to take his place among the world's workers when his opportunity should arise. At the time of his marriage, when he was twenty-seven years of age, he left the parental roof and embarked in a venture of his own, being now the owner of eighty acres of land located five miles south and one-half mile west of Huntington. Consecutive purpose and clearly defined effort in life will eventuate in the attaining of a due measure of success, but in following out Mr. Friedley's career in gaining prosperity there comes into view the intrinsic individuality which has made such accomplishment possible. The qualities which have made him one of the successful men of his community in a material way have also brought him the esteem of his fellow-townsmen, for his career has been one of well-directed energy, strong determination and honorable methods. Although the greater part of his attention has been devoted to the raising of stock, he has also met with decided success in general farming, and is known as one who is thoroughly versed in up-to-date methods. In political matters a republican, he has been active in local affairs, although more as a director and supporter than as a seeker for personal preferment. With his family, he attends the Church of the Brethren, at Loon Creek, and at present is serving as a deacon thereof. All movements making for progress, for good citizenship, or for advancements in the people's interest have his hearty approval and support.

In February, 1899, Mr. Friedley was united in marriage with Miss Lizzie Heaston, who was born and reared in Lancaster township, and educated in the public schools, daughter of Joseph Heaston, a well-to-do agriculturist of that township. Mr. and Mrs. Friedley have three children: Virgie R., born in April, 1902; Russell, born November 17, 1908; and Mary E., born July 30, 1913.

Warum H. PauL. The Duroc Stock Farm, a fine place of one hundred and sixty acres in Lancaster township, is the property of William H. Paul, a resident here since 1902 and a native of Huntington township, this county, born on May 8, 1875. He is a son of David and Sarah (Gourley) Paul, natives of Pennsylvania and, Indiana, respectively, and both now residents of Lancaster township.

Six children were born to these parents, William H. being the eldest. The others are Ora E., of Lancaster township; Ella M., the wife of James Gilbert; Clara B., married to Leroy Funk; Herman S., unmarried, as is also Jesse.

William H. Paul was reared on the Huntington township farm and there attended the district schools. He later was a student in the State Normal School, after which he engaged in teachinig and for six terms was engaged in pedagogic work. It was not sufficiently to his liking, however, to induce him to continue in the teaching profession indefinitely, and the result was that he finally took up farming in Lancaster township, where he now has a fine farm, given over largely to the breeding of pure blooded Jersey Duroc hogs. The time that Mr. Paul devoted to teaching proved him to be a capable instructor, and had he continued in that work he would have undoubtedly made an excellent record for himself in the profession, but too many farmers of his type will never be found in any community, o that what has been a decided loss to the teaching profession and to education in Huntington county has been an equal gain to the agricultural industry. ~

A stanch republican, Mr. Paul has manifested a wholesome interest in the politics of the town and county, and has ever shown himself a citizen of excellent type. He has taken a hand in local politics as an office holder and his standing among his fellow citizens is of the highest. He is a member of the Church of the Brethern at Lancaster, Indiana, his wife also having membersip there with him.

Mr. Paul was married on the 18th of March, 1899, to Miss Bertha Tuttle, a daughter of J. W. D. Tuttle, who was reared in Lancaster township. Three children have been born to them - Harry D., aged twelve years; Oscar, séven years old, and Kathryn A., who is aged four.

ALPHA M. Ewart. One of the prosperous farmers among the younger generation of farming men in Rock Creek township, where there are many successful and enterprising agricultural men, as none will deny, is Alpha M. Ewart, general farmer and a breeder of blooded Poland-China hogs. Mr. Ewart has devoted himself to farm life from his boyhood, and he is realizing a distinct and pleasing success in his chosen work.

Born in Jefferson township, this county, on September 3, 1873, Alpha M. Ewart is a son of Theodore and Caroline (First) Ewart, and of their two sons he is the only surviving child. The other, James W. Ewart, married and died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on November 11, 1905.

Alpha M. Ewart was reared on the home farm in Jefferson county and Rock Creek township, and he had his education in the schools of the latter place, to which the family removed in his boyhood. He remained on the home place until he was twenty years old, when he launched out into independent farm life. He operates his father's farm.

In 1892 Mr. Ewart married Miss Maude Smith, and to them were born two children. Harry C. Ewart was graduated from the Rock Creek Center high school and Hazel M. is now a student in the same school. Mr. Ewart was twice married, and on March 16, 1904, he wedded Lulu M. Sutton, of Louisville, Kentucky. She was born in Marion county, Kentucky, and when she was three years of age moved to Louisville with her parents, and was there educated in the public schools. She was unable to carry out the plans of her family for a higher education because of defective eyesight that manifested itself in her teens, compelling her to leave her studies in the high school. No children have been born of this second marriage.

Mr. and Mrs. Ewart are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Plum Tree, and are active in the good works of that organization. Mr. Ewart is fraternally identified with Solomon Lodge No. 392, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Warren, Indiana, Eneampment

No. 167, Rebekah Lodge No. 262, and Canton No. 56, at Bluffton, Indiana. He is Past Chief Patriarch of the Grand Encampment of Indiana of the Modern Woodmen of America. A Republican in politics, he has been active in local and district politics, and has taken a prominent place in his community along lines of active improvement and general progress. His citizenship is of a high order, and he has the esteem and high regard of all who share in his acquaintance.

Jesse I. Buzzarp. One of the prominent farming men of Laneaster township is Jesse I. Buzzard, proprietor of the Sugar Grove Farm, formerly known as the George Buzzard Farm, situated some four miles south of Huntington, Indiana, on the Lancaster gravel road. The place is one of about one hundred and six acres, and it was the birthplace of its present owner.

Jesse I. Buzzard was born here on January 24, 1859, and is a son of George and Amanda (Shamblin) Buzzard. The father was a son of John Buzzard, who came with his family to Wayne township, this county, on March 8, 1835, settling on the southeast quarter of section 12. He came from Ohio, his native state, and spent his remaining days in Huntington county. George Buzzard, his son, was reared in that township, was there married, and came to Lancaster township and settled on the farm his son now occupies remaining there to the end of his life. He was the father of a family of four sons and three daughters. The four sons are yet living. They are John S., of Huntington; George B., of Warren, Indiana; Charles H., also of Huntington, and Jesse I., of this review. l

. Jesse I. Buzzard was reared to manhood in this community, he here having his schooling in the district schools of the township, and when he reached man's estate he married Susan L. Beal, on December 11, 1880. She was born in Lancaster township, on March 28, 1364, and was educated in the common schools.

To Mr. and Mrs. Buzzard six children were born: Elizabeth is a graduate of the common schools and is the wife of J. A. Buzzard, of Huntington township; Earl married Bessie Case and lives in the city of Huntington; Homer A. married Ethel Havens, of Huntington township; Dorothea is still attending school; and Vernon and Herman are both deceased.

Mr. and Mrs. Buzzard are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Greenwood, and politically Mr. Buzzard is a loyal Democrat, active in the work of the party in local circles. He was at one time candidate for the office of sheriff of Huntington county.

General farming occupies the attention of Mr. Buzzard and his hundred and six acres affords him ample scope for the exercise of his energies along the agricultural line. He is popular among his fellow men, and is known for an honest and honorable man wherever he goes, and with his family has a wide circle of stanch friends in the county that has been his lifelong home.

LABAN ALLRED. Located eight and one half miles southwest of Huntington, on the Huntington and Marion gravel road, in Lancaster township, is located the Homestead Stock Farm, a tract of 450 acres of valuable land which is owned by Laban Allred. Mr. Allred is one of the prosperous and progressive farmers of his community, and is widely known as a stockman, the product of his farm being in constant demand in the markets of this and other states. He is a native of Huntington county, having been born on a farm in Wayne township, March 26, 1861, a son of Abner and Jane (Sparks) Allred.

Abner Allred was a native of North Carolina, where ier was born in October, 1847, and was there reared and educated. When still little more than a lad, he decided to try his fortunes in the West, and accordingly made his way overland with a companion in a wagon and settled in Wayne township, Huntington county, Indiana. Here he secured employment by the month, and by hard and earnest labor, and frugal and economical living, he managed to accumulate enough capital to buy a small property. When he had established a home he was married, and continued to reside in Wayne township until 1863, when he traded his property there for Lancaster township land. From the latter he moved to Jackson township, and there his death occurred. He was a sturdy, hard-working agriculturist, winning material success through the force of his own energy, and securing the respect of his fellow-citizens by his honorable dealing and upright life. He and his wife were the parents of two children: Lunda, who became the wife of Joseph Randall; and Laban.

Laban Allred has resided on the farm which he now owns since his third year. Until reaching his majority he attended the district schools of this vicinity, and this training was supplemented by two terms in the Danville Normal school, where he took a partial commercial course. He then returned to his home and engaged in farming, and by the time he reached the age of twenty-two years he was the owner of eighty acres of land. Mr. Allred was married September 16, 1888, to Miss Ida J. Stouder, who was born in Rock Creek township, Huntington county, July 24, 1864, daughter of John and Mary (Lahr) Stouder, and when four years of age was taken by her parents to Polk township, where she grew to womanhood, receiving her education in the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Allred have had six children: Stanley, a farmer; Willard, a farmer of Lancaster township, living with his parents; Edna, a graduate of the Lancaster township schools and now the wife of John Snider; Russell, a student in the Lancaster Center High school; and Mary and Merritt, students in the common schools.

After his marriage, Mr. Allred settled down to housekeeping on the family homestead in Lancaster township, which has since become known as the Homestead Stock Farm and enjoys a wide and favorable reputation because of the high grade of live stock for which it is noted. Mr. Allred buys and feeds cattle, usually purchasing by the carload, and through his extensive operations has become known as one of the leaders in his line of business in the township. In addition to the home farm of 450 acres, in Lancaster township, he has 130 acres in Jackson township, and all of this is in a high state of cultivation. He is a man of sound judgment in commercial affairs, of excellent executive ability, sagacity and enterprise, and as the result of his well directed efforts he has acquired a handsome property. He has completely remodeled his entire property, which is now equipped with every modern appliance, and is continuing to use modern methods in his work. Fraternally, he is connected with Mount Etna Lodge No. 304, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, past master and a member of the Grand Lodge, while Mrs. Allred is a member of Mount Olive Lodge No. 421, of the Rebekahs, past grand and a member of the Grand Lodge of the state. Politically, Mr. Allred is a republican, and as such was elected alderman of the county for two years. For four years he was also a trustee of Lancaster township, and during his incumbency of office numerous improvements were made, including the building of the handsome high school edifice at Laneaster Center.

Jacos S. Kuepser. -One of the esteemed citizens of Lancaster township and one who has added something of material value to the upbuilding and general progress of his community is Jacob S. Klepser. Mr. Klepser was born in Henry county, Indiana, on February 10, 1840, and all his life, with but little exception, has been passed within the state. He is a son of Andrew and Sarah (Swafford) Klepser, the father being of German birth and ancestry, who came to America with his parents as a boy and located with them in Pennsylvania, where so many native Germans have established homes and contributed generously to the development and growth of our country. Asa boy, Andrew Klepser, with a brother, was bound out to the age of twenty years, that being a custom of the day, abandoned in these later years, and sometimes to the detriment of the youth of our land. For to be ''bound out'' meant that a boy who might not otherwise have the privilege of learning a regular trade, could by that means secure a thorough training in whatever line of industry he was committed to under his master. The Klepser boys learned the tailoring trade under their bond master, and when they were released, Andrew Klepser came to Ohio and engaged in his trade, later moving to Henry county, Indiana. There he met and married his wife, and it was in about 1852 when they came first. to Huntington county. He worked for a time at his trade, and then decided to try his skill at farming. Land was cheap, and it seemed like an opportunity to him to become a landowner, so he secured an eighty acre tract in Lancaster township and settled down to farm life. He passed his remaining years in farming and died at Majenica when he had reached the patriarchal age of ninety-four years. He was the father of nine children, three of them living at this writing (1914). They are Jacob S., whose name introduces this review; Catherine, the widow of Abraham Heiney; and Samantha, who married Eli Burket.

of twenty-one he continued at home. He married then, Mary A. Hoover becoming his wife, and the date of their marriage was February 25, 1860. She was born in Pennsylvania and was reared in Lancaster township, and she bore her husband nine children, two of them being alive at this time. One of them, Levi Klepser, was married to Rhoda Smith first and later to Laura Bailey, and they live on the old Klepser farm which is owned by the subject; the other is Anna, the wife of Isaac Ulrich. Mr. Klepser has ten grandchildren and six great grandchildren. His first wife died on September 12, 1900, and he later married Anna (Deardorff) Paul, on January 12,1901. She was born in Wayne county, Indiana, on October 26, 1854, and came to Huntington county when she was a girl of thirteen years. She was married to Levi Paul, and was the mother of five children by that marriage, - William H. Paul, John L., Naney E., Aurelius E. and George A. Paul. There are no children of her second marriage.

Mr. Klepser is the owner of a nice farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Section 26, this township, and he has long been reckoned among the successful and prosperous agricultural men of the township. He is a stockholder in the Majenica Telephone Company, and was one of the organizers of it. He is a stanch Republican, and has long manifested a wholesome interest and activity in the politics of the town and county, taking his place among the foremost men of the community as a leader in thought and action. He has, of late years, withdrawn to some extent from his earlier activities, and is enjoying the fruits of his early labors, as is proper and fitting that he should. He and his wife and family are members of the Church of the Brethren of Lancaster and have a worthy part in the good works of that denominational body in their district.

Jonn W. Wyne. The Sunnyside Farm in Clear Creek township is a comfortable homestead and business property. It represents the concrete result in the career_of John W. Wyne, who during his early years had to give his assistance to the support of others, and consequently started to establish his own prosperity only after his marriage, thirteen years ago. While not a man of wealth, Mr. Wyne is growing in substantial prosperity every year, and he and his wife enjoy the thorough respect of their neighborhood.

John W. Wyne was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, November 30, 1867, a son of William E. and Ellen J. (Jones) Wyne. Jefferson county was also the birthplace of the father, while the mother was born in Scott county, Indiana, and they were married in Jefferson county. For four years their home was in the state of Illinois, after which they returned to Indiana, and spent the rest of their years in Decatur county, Indiana. His father was a farmer, a quiet unassuming man, and an honorable citizen in all his relations with neighbors and the public welfare. Ten of the eleven children are still living, mentioned as follows: John W.; Samuel C., a farmer in Randolph county, Indiana; Joseph H., a farmer in Henry county of this state; Margaret S., wife of Walter Coy of Greensburg, Indiana; Mamie D., wife of Jasper Dudgeon, of Rushville, Indiana; Mary M., wife of Charles Hineinan, of Delaware county; Melvina, wife of George Swallow, of Blountsville, Henry county; Frankie C., wife of S. Hart, of Henry county; Harvey Preston, a farmer of Delaware county; Grover C., also a farmer in Delaware county.

The early life of John W. Wyne, until he was eighteen years of age was spent on a farm in Jefferson county, and in the meantime his training for life was both practical and theoretical, divided between work on the homestead and attendance in the district schools. At the age of eighteen, he moved with his parents to Decatur county, and lived at home for a number of years. When he was twenty-one his father died, and as the oldest son, it became necessary for him to take charge of affairs, and assist his mother in the rearing of the younger children; thus he lived at home until he was twenty-seven, and after that worked on farms at monthly wages until thirty-two years of age. On September 20, 1900, Mr. Wyne married Clara B. Logan, who was born in Rush county, Indiana, May 19, 1865, a daughter of Thomas Logan, and was educated in the common schools of her native locality. The first year and a half after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Wyne lived on the farm of her parents. Then for three and a half years they rented a farm, and in September, 1905, came to Clear Creek township, where they bought the seventy acres known as the Pownell Farm. Under their vigorous management they have brought this place into a high state of cultivation, have improved it in many ways, and it is now returning to them large dividends in the annual crops and products. Mr. and Mrs. Wyne are members of the Baptist church, having membership in a church in Rush county. In politics, Mr. Wyne is a Democrat, and a man whose support is always given to progressive movements and undertakings.

FRED Kapp. The progressive farm enterprise of the younger generation in Huntington county is well illustrated in the case of Fred Kapp of Clear Creek township. Mr. Kapp has a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. His chief profits are derived from his high grade live stock to which he feeds all the varied products from the fields of his estate. Mr. Kapp has more than a local reputation as a breeder of thoroughbred Holstein cattle, and of fine Duroc hogs. His herd of cattle are as good as can be found anywhere in the county, and Mr. Kapp gets some fancy prices for his best stock. He has made a thorough study of farming and live stock industry, and though still less than thirty years of age, has won a position among the ablest farmers in his community.

Fred Kapp was born in Huntington county, September 9, 1884, a son of George and Anna (Lenbaker) Kapp, both of whom were natives of Germany, and came to the United States to a home in Huntington county, where they are still living in Clear Creek township. There were four children, Fred, George, Lena, and Lottie. Of these George is

The old home farm in Rock Creek township was the scene of Fred Kapp's boyhood associations and memories, and his early education was acquired in the district schools and also in the Catholic school at Huntington. Until he was twenty-one years of age, his home was with his parents, and in the meantime he had profited by experience in all the work of the farm, so that he was well prepared for-his career when it became necessary to do for himself. After one year spent at Huntington, in the employ of the Erie Railroad Company, he engaged in farming, and in the course of half a dozen years has made himself a substantial factor in the agricultural activities of Clear Creek township.

On November 21, 1906, Mr. Kapp married Louisa Lind, who was a daughter of Conrad Lind, a prominent farmer in Huntington county. Mrs. Kapp was educated in the common schools. To their marriage have been born two children, Anna, aged five years; and Johnnie, aged two years. The family worship in the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic church at Huntington. In politics, Mr. Kapp supports the democratic party, but has never been particularly interested in party affairs, though he is a public spirited citizen in every sense of the word and always ready to do his part in the advancement of his home community.

JOSEPH LEYMAN. As one of the representative agriculturists and honored and influential citizens of Clear Creek township Mr. Leyman is well entitled to specifie recognition in this history of Huntington county, and especially in view of the fact that he has been a resident of northeastern Indiana from the time of his birth and is a scion of one of the well known and sterling pioneer families of this favored section of the Hoosier commonwealth. He has marked the passing years with earnest and well ordered endeavor, has achieved success of definite order and is the owner of one of the well improved farm properties of Clear Creek township.

Mr. Leyman was born in the adjoining county of Whitley, Indiana, on the 3d of October, 1857, and the place of his nativity was his father's farm in Washington township. He is a son of Adam and Lucinda (Haynes) Leyman, both of whom were born and reared in Ohio, the respective families having been founded in the old Buckeye state in the pioneer period of its history. In their native state the parents of the subject of this review were wedded and upon their removal to Indiana they established their home on a pioneer farm in Whitley county, where they continued to reside for many years and where the father reclaimed and developed a productive farm. In the latter years of his life Adam Leyman removed to Huntington county and located near the little village of Goblesville, but he eventually returned to Whitley county, where he continued to reside until his death, in 1904, his wife having been summoned to eternal rest at the time when they were residing in , Huntington county. Both were well known in this section of the state and they ever commanded secure vantage ground in popular confidence and esteem. Of their nine children seven are living, the surviving sons being William, Joseph and George; Mary, the wife of a Mr. Long, of Cadillac, Michigan; Sarah is the wife of Samuel Goble, a representative of the well known Goble family of Huntington county ; Hannah is the wife of W. F. Brindley, of Los Angeles, California; and Sabina is the wife of Monroe Smith, of Whitley county, Indiana.

Joseph Leyman passed: the period of his childhood and youth on the old homestead farm which was the place of his birth and he early began to aid in its work. He was accorded the advantages of the public schools of the locality, and his attendance was principally during the winter months, when his services were not demanded in connection with the operations of the home farm. He continued his school work until he was about eighteen years of age, and it is needless to say that the conditions and privileges that compassed him were such that he waxed strong in both mind and body, his being a wholesome discipline that well equipped him for the practical duties and responsibilities of life. He continued to be associated in the work and management of the home farm until he had attained to his legal majority, and he then rented the homestead place, in the operation of which he has signally prospered, as he brought to bear indefatigable energy and also the powers acquired through practical experience in connection with the great basic industries of farming and stock-growing. Later he was employed two years in connection with the operation of a saw mill in his native county, and in the meanwhile he had the good judgment to conserve carefully his financial resources, both those derived from his independent farm operations and from his wages in the saw mill. With marked sagacity he finally invested his savings by purchasing a tract of eighty acres of land in Whitley county, and he improved this property, through the medium of which he conducted operations so successfully that he was enabled to clear himself of indebtedness. In 1886 he sold his farm in Whitley county, where he had continued to reside for the seven weeks after his marriage, and came to Huntington county. Here he rented, for two years, a farm in Jackson township, and at the expiration of this period he purchased his present fine landed estate, which comprises two hundred acres and which is in three separate farms, all in Clear Creek township. He has made the best of improvements on his property, is known as one of the most alert, enterprising and progressive agriculturists and stock-raisers of the county. Mr. Leyman gives special attention to the raising of high-grade live stock, and on his farm are to be found at all times many fine horses. He is a man of impregnable integrity, earnest, sincere and) unassuming, and he has the unqualified respect and esteem of the community in which he lives and in which he is known as a substantial and public-spirited citizen. Mr. Leyman has had no ambition for the honors or emoluments of public office, but he is found arrayed as a stanch supporter of the cause of the democratic party, so that the results of the national election of 1912 proved to him most gratifying. He holds membership in the United Brethren church at Goblesville and his wife is a member of the Dunkard church, in the faith of which she was reared.

In the year 1884 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Leyman to Miss Elizabeth E. Buckwalter, who was born and reared in Clear Creek town- 'ship, this county, and who is a member of one of the old and honored families of this section of the state. Concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Leyman the following pertinent data are given: Walter L. is married and is numbered among the prosperous farmers of Clear Creek township; Bessie M. is the wife of Elmer Snyder, of Whitley county ; Robert E. is associated in the work of the home farm; Elsie M. is the wife of Jesse Lahr, of Clear Creek township; Albert L. is attending the district school near the parental home; and Lawrence, the youngest of the children, is seven years of age at the time of this writing, in 1914. ~ Mr. Leyman has given his children excellent educational advantages, and Robert E. is a student at the Indiana Central College, Indianapolis.

JAcop Hart McCaucuery. On a finely improved estate of eighty acres in Clear Creek township, Jacob E. McCaughey is most successfully engaged in diversified agriculture and the raising of high-grade stock. He has resided in Clear Creek township during the entire period of his life, and here he commands the confidence and esteem of all who have known him from earliest youth. His homestead is the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 23, and it.is located four miles north of Huntington. All the improvements and cultivation of the farm indicates the progressive farmer, and Mr. McCaughey has gained a reputation in that community as a stock raiser. His specialty is his thoroughbred Duroc hogs, and all his other live stock on the place is of high grade. Mr. McCaughey believes that the secret of success in farming lies in having the best of everything in stock and equipment, and is a young man whose experience has already advanced him to a position of success, and whose future is one of exceptional promise.

Jacob E. MecCaughey was born in Clear Creek township. December 15, 1879, a son of Charles H. and Elizabeth (Mishler) MeCaughey, both of whom were natives of Ohio. The McCaughey family has been identified with Huntington county since pioneer times. The paternal grandparents, Samuel and Elizabeth A. (Hunt) McCaughey, came to this county when their son Charles was four years of age and spent the rest of their years here, their death occurring in the city of Huntington. Charles H. McCaughey was reared in Clear Creek township, and in addition to a common school education was a student in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. By his marriage he was the father of four sons: Howard, a graduate of the Clear Creek high school and now a resident of Denver, Colorado, and married Agnes Collins; Robert C., a graduate of the Huntington high school, and of the Huntington Business University, is clerk and bookkeeper in the Master Mechanic's office of the Erie Railroad Company; Jacob E. is next in line; and Lloyd S., the youngest, graduated from the common schools, and also the Huntington Business University.

all his time and energy to farming. On May ii 1901, Mr. MeCaughey married Ida F. Flaugher, a daughter of Emery Flaugher. Mrs. McCaughey is also a graduate of the common schools. Three children were born to their union, as follows: Paul, born December 23, 1902; Mildred, born August 12, 1903; Dorothy, born August 23, 1908. The two oldest children are now in school. Mrs. McCaughey is a member of the Goblesville United Brethren Church. His fraternal affiliations are with Huntington Lodge No. 93, Knights of Pythias, and in politics he supports the Democratic party.

James C. Breser. Farming with all its branches has been considered a good line of business since the beginning of the world, and still offers a splendid field for the man of energy, perseverance and ability. In this class stands James C. Bieber, of Clear Creek township. Mr. Bieber was for a number of years connected with railroad service, and a few years ago moved to his present farm, and has employed his energies and experience with good results, being now one of the highly respected citizens of his community, and a farmer who makes the business pay.

James C. Bieber was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, May 13, 1871, a son of Milton and Martha (Stanley) Bieber. His father was born at Allentown, Pennsylvania, in March, 1843, and the mother was born in New York State in 1846. She was a daughter of Chauncey Stanley, who brought his family to Fort Wayne, Indiana, during the early days, their journey being made by way of the Wabash and Erie Canal. His home was in Fort Wayne until his death. Milton Bieber was living in the state of Pennsylvania, during the war, and enlisted from that state in the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Pennsylvania Regiment, seeing three months of active service, and after the war he was employed by the United States government as a bridge carpenter. Somewhat later he moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where for many years he was engaged in the carriage building. After coming to Fort Wayne, Milton Bieber was married and about 1882 moved to Huntington county, locating on the Taylor farm, south of the city. There his enterprise was directed to dairying for about eight years, after which the business was continued on the J. G. Amiss farm until his removal to Clear Creek township, where he had his home until 1911, and since then has lived retired in the city of Huntington. There were three sons in the family: J. C. Bieber; H. S. Bieber, now foreman of the shoe factory at Huntington, and Hugh E., who is also an employe in the shoe factory.

Mr. J. C. Bieber spent the first eleven years of his life in his native city of Fort Wayne. During that time his education was begun in the old Washington Street school, and was supplemented by attendance at the public schools of Huntington, after the family camé to that city. On being ready to start out for himself Mr. Bieber became a conductor on the electric railway in Fort Wayne. In 1893 he entered the service of the Erie Railroad. In 1902 came his advancement to the position of engineer, and he drove an engine on that road up to 1905. In the latter year came his election to the office of city clerk of Huntington, and for four years he held that position and discharged his duties with efficiency and credit. On retiring from the office of city clerk Mr. Bieber moved out to the farm in Clear Creek township, where he has prospered and has been pleasantly situated ever since.

In June, 1907, Mr. Beiber married Ethel Myres, of Gardner, Kansas. They are the parents of two daughters: Isabelle A., aged five years and Catherine V., aged four years. Fraternally Mr. Bieber is affiliated with Amathy Lodge No. 483, A. F. & A. M., Huntington Chapter No. 27, R. A. M.; and Huntington Council No. 51 R. & S. M. He also is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and his politics is republican.

Rosert T. Brown. One of the fine country homes of Huntington county which for years has given a distinctive character of prosperity and well ordered enterprise to the country life of this section is the Brown homestead in Section 7 of Clear Creek township. It has for seventy years been known as the Brown farm, and throughout this time no name has been associated more closely with the agricultural and stock raising activities of Clear Creek than that of Brown. The family was established in this county about the beginning of the decade of the forties, and its members have always borne reputations for industry as well as for a high probity of character and intelligent and public spirited citizenship.

Robert T. Brown, who with his brother is now joint proprietor of the old Brown farm was born on the place where he now lives, September 27, 1848. His parents were James and Ann (Taylor) Brown. His father was a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, while the mother was a native of Derbyshire, England, coming to America when twenty-one years of age. After their marriage the parents lived in Albany, New York, and about 1841 or 1842 came to Indiana, locating on the farm in Clear Creek township which continued to be their home until death called them from their mortal duties. The father was for several years a justice of the peace, and a man honored for his character and abilities. There were seven children altogether, including: William H., John T., Sarah (wife of Steve Dunton) and Robert.

Robert T. Brown was reared on the old homestead, and was given an education much superior to that accorded to the average country boy of his time. After attending the district schools he was a student in the South Whitley Seminary, and in the Methodist school at Alliance, Ohio. His career started as a teacher, and he was master of schools in Huntington county, taught three terms in Ohio, three terms in Iowa, and three in Kansas. Finally giving up the work of the schoolroom he settled down to farming, and since his father's death he and his brother John bought the old homestead and now operate it together. The farm contains about four hundred acres.

Mr. Brown in politics is a republican, though he has never been a politician in any sense, and has confined his political efforts to casting his ballot regularly in the Republican interests as a rule, since he became of age. He and his brother have a very profitable enterprise in their farm, and raise and feed a large number of stock.

Ext Beeurer. Five miles north of Huntington on the Columbia City road is the ''Haw Lane Farm." That is the home of Eli Beghtel and family. The Beghtels have been identified with Huntington county since pioneer times, and the present proprietor of Haw Lane Farm was born on the estate which he now occupies. For forty years he has been closely identified with the agricultural and civic and religious interests of his township, and he stands as one of the representative citizens of Clear Creek township.

Eli Beghtel was born March 1, 1853. His parents were Daniel and Mary A. (Cox) Beghtel, the former a native of Stark county, Ohio, and the state of Pennsylvania. Their marriage was celebrated in Stark county, and from there they moved to Allen county, Indiana, and in 1846 located on the farm where their son Eli was born. That farm was the home of the father throughout the rest of his life, and besides his labors in clearing and cultivating that place, he was known for his high character and worthy citizenship in other ways. The ground on which the United Brethren church in that neighborhood was built was donated by Daniel Beghtel and he was long an active factor in church affairs. His politics was republican. There were ten children, and six are yet living, as follows: Catherine, widow of John Sickafoose ; Isaiah of Goblesville, Indiana; Joseph, who for twenty-four years was a minister in the United Brethren church and is now retired; Lydia, wife of James Lemon, of Columbia City; William, a farmer in Clear Creek township.

Eli Beghtel was reared on his present farm, and his birth occurred in the old log cabin, which was for several years the shelter of the family in this county. His attendance at the district schools was supplemented by two terms in the Roanoke Classical Seminary, and among his early independent efforts in the world of affairs was an experience as teacher for one term. He next applied himself to the carpenter's trade and followed it for several years. On December 10, 1876, Mr. Beghtel married Miss Sarah Wagner, who was born in Lancaster township of Huntington county, January, 1855. Her parents were Joseph and Margaret (Hildebrand) Wagner, and her father was an honored old resident of the county and for two terms served as commissioner. Mr. and Mrs. Beghtel have four children, Marjorie G., a graduate of the Clear Creek high school, for three years a teacher, and now the wife of Frank Dolby, who is assistant cashier of the Huntington Trust Company; Glenne Opal, a graduate of the Clear Creek high school, made a record in orotorical contest and won several gold medals, and she is now the wife of Fred Mahoney; Elden F., is a graduate of the Clear Creek high school and taught for three years, in the country schools, and is now one of the teachers in the college at University Heights, in Indianapolis, and married Flossie Marchant, of Whitley county, both having been students in the Indiana Central University; Robin R. is a graduate of the common schools and is living at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Beghtel are members of the United Brethren church, and he has long been active in the society, and is a member of the Board of Trustees. Mr. Beghtel has long been an ardent supporter of the prohibition cause, and is one of the workers for that party in Huntington county. He has been a candidate on the prohibition ticket in county politics, and has served as a delegate both to state and national conventions. Mr. Beghtel's farm comprises one hundred acres, and having made farming his regular vocation for the past forty years, is regarded as one of the most successful managers of land and its resources, in Huntington county. i

James A. THORNE. A lifelong resident of Huntington county, Mr. ` Thorne has followed in the quiet walks of agriculture, and is proprietor of the beautiful Woodlawn farm in Jackson township. While it has never been his ambition to make a conspicuous name in affairs, he has conscientiously and faithfully discharged the responsibilities which fall on every man, has looked after the welfare of his own household, has been active in church and community, and is a citizen entitled to and receiving the highest esteem.

James A. Thorne was born in Huntington township, November 27, 1865, a son of Henry and Sarah (Landis) Thorne. His father was born in Wayne county, and his mother in Darke county, Ohio, both came to Indiana when children, and they were married in Huntington county. The father was about seventeen years old when he came to this state. They are still living, and residents of the city of Huntington. Of their household of ten children, one died in infancy, and James is the oldest of those living, the others being mentioned as follows: Ephraim A., a farmer in Jackson township; Mary E., wife of Jacob A. Layman, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Ida E., wife of George Barrett, of Fort Wayne; Edward A., of Huntington; Cora E., wife of Charles A. Payne of Union township; Minnie E., wife of Charles Anderson of Huntington; Henry A., of Union township; Lilly E., wife of Francis Class of Huntington towiiship.

Mr. James A. Thorne spent the first fifteen years of his life on a farm in Huntington township, and during that time was more or less regular in his attendance at the country schools. From Huntington township, the family moved to Jackson township, and since then all his citizenship and business activities have been centered in this locality. On March 23, 1893, Mr. Thorne married Miss Melissa Layman. Mrs. Thorne was born in Jackson township, a daughter of John Layman, an old and respected resident of the county, and her school advantages were similar to those enjoyed by her husband. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Thorne bought the farm on which they now live, known as Woodlawn farm, containing forty-nine highly cultivated acres. Mr. Thorne farms as he does everything else in life, with a quiet efficiency which gets result, and while not one of the richest citizens nor among the largest land owners has a comfortable prosperity which almost entirely represents the efforts and good management of himself and wife. Their years of economy and thrift are now being well repaid, and as one evidence of this they built in 1912 a modern brick residence, which is one of the best farm homes in Jackson township, and has all the modern facilities of heating, running water, and conveniences and comforts both upstairs and down.

Mr. and Mrs. Thorne are active members and workers in the Zion United Brethren church of Jackson township. He has long been interested in this religious society, has served as superintendent of the Sunday school, and as a trustee of the church. As to polities he affiliates with the prohibition cause, but outside of allowing his name to go on the party ticket, as candidate for county commissioner, he has participated very little in practical politics.

WituiAm Tuorn. The residence of William Thorn in Huntington county during a period of fifty-five years has been characterized by steady industry, quiet but public spirited citizenship, and has been accompanied by many of the rewards which are paid to the Indiana farmer.' Mr. Thorn is proprietor of the ''Hilly Pasture Dairy Farm" five miles northeast of Huntington in Jackson township. This farm is a beautiful as well as a productive estate and is located alongside the Fort Wayne and Huntington Gravel Road. It represents the efforts of Mr. Thorn as the farmer and business man, and there are few better or more valuable places of its size anywhere in the county.