Huntington County, Indiana - The whole text, 1914 (part 14 of 15)

JOHN WALLACE CASWELL. The secretary-treasurer of the Caswell- Runyan Company is a native of Indiana, got his first experience in manufacturing at Fort Wayne, and has concentrated his attention along one line, which is possibly the chief secret of his success. Mr. Caswell has numerous business relations with the city of Huntington.

John Wallace Caswell was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, October 6, 1870, and had a high school education in that city. His first work was for the Bass Foundry & Machine Company, and later he moved to North Manchester and was member of a novelty company engaged in making wood novelties. From there in May, 1907, Mr. Caswell came to Huntington and organized the present firm of Caswell-Runyan Company. He is also president of the Huntington Auto Transit Company, of the Huntington Specialty Company, the Fire Tuff Manufacturing Company, is secretary of the D. M. Sears Company of Fort Wayne, and also has important relations with public and social affairs. He is president of the Huntington Commercial Club and is vice president of the Michigan and Erie Barge Canal Association, an organization designed to promote the building of a canal from Toledo to Chicago. A Scottish Rite Mason, he is affiliated with the Knights Templar Commandery at Columbia

City. His chief efforts outside of his private' business are concentrated in the pushing of local enterprises for the benefit and upbuilding of Huntington as a commercial city. Mr. Caswell was married March 18, 1894, to Miss Ruth Hemmick of Columbia City.

SAMUEL C. Scorr. In the farming district of Rock Creek are many prosperous and progressive men who believe that the happiest life, as well as the most independent one, is to be lived on the farm. Prominent among these men is Samuel C. Scott. For a number of years he has lived in this community and is known as an excellent farmer, and a man who can be depended upon in all matters of local concern. Mr. Scott is proprietor of what is known as the Old Scott Farm, comprising three hundred and twenty-three acres in section eighteen, seven miles southeast of Huntington.

Though his home has been in Huntington county, since he was three years of age, Samuel C. Scott was born in Grand River township of Osage county, Missouri, April 11, 1858, a son of Samuel W. and Catherine (Pilgrim) Scott. The mother was born in Brown county, Indiana, and the father was a native of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. In 1848 the father went west to the goldfields of California, where he spent two years and was more fortunate than the majority of those who sought wealth on the coast during those years. He finally settled in the central Mississippi Valley, first in Iowa, where he was married, they then moved to Kansas, finally to Missouri, and in 1861 located in Indiana on a farm in Huntington county where his son now lives. The father was a substantial and well to do citizen, a'democrat in politics, and a member of the Presbyterian church. He was the father of ten children, six of whom are still living. Samuel C. Scott was three years old when the family came to Rock Creek township, was reared in this locality, attended the common schools, and after some early experiences on his own account established a home of his own by his marriage to Mary Gesaman, a daughter of John Gesaman. Of their six children four are still living: John W., and William C., who are unmarried and live on the farm with their father; Sarah, wife of Ervin Grossman; and Frank, who married Elsie Sparks; Charles W. and Nina P. are deceased.

When Samuel C. Scott was a boy, he traded for a calf, raised that animal, and with the proceeds bought two or three calves. That was the beginning of an endless chain of accomplishment. Fortunately few links were broken, and he gradually progressed to what should be considered a very happy fortune for a young man. Thus when he was ready to get married he had seven hundred dollars in cash, and all of it could be traced back to his first venture with the single calf. Since becoming the proprietor of his present estate he has prospered as a general farmer and stock raiser, and is regarded as one of the most successful in his line in Huntington county. He and his family are members of the Christian church at Majenica, and he is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Loyal Order of Moose, being a trustee in the latter. He is a stockholder in the Huntington Trust Company Bank.

For one who started in life with practically no capital, Mr. Scott represents a high degree of successful accomplishment. He has made sufficient for all his needs, and at the same time has been generous in his contributions to philanthrophy and church, and has given each of his children a start in life. As a farmer he takes pride in his industry, keeps his improvements up to the very latest point of efficiency, and has been very successful in the raising of high class stock. He is especially proud of his thoroughbred cattle and hogs. Mr. Scott knows how to enjoy his prosperity, having frequently traveled in various parts of the United States and he shows kindly interest in every public enterprise. Mrs. Scott has proved a loyal and capable helper to him in all his career, and besides her part in the home and as a mother, she has been a factor in the society of her township.

THomas H. Powety has a foremost place among the leading men of Warren township, where he has been engaged for years in a successful farming enterprise. In the years of his residence here he has carried his full share of the burden of civic responsibility and has held oftice on numerous occasions. His latest incumbency along those lines is his election to the office of county commissioner of the North district of Huntington county, to which he was elected in 1912, and began his services in January, 1913.

Mr. Powell was born in Carroll county, Maryland, on May 29, 1862, a son of Jacob H. and Catherine (Mirley) Powell, both of whom were born in Maryland and there spent all of their lives up to the years 1868, when they migrated to Miami county, Indiana. There they continued as residents until death, the father dying in 1905 and the mother in 1913. They were the parents of five children, all of whom are living at this writing: Charles D. is a farmer in Miami county; Thomas H., the second born, is the subject of this review; Jennie I. is the wife of J. L. Kern, of Polk township, Huntington county; Mary C. is the wife of Jacob J. Gearhart, of Miami county; and Saville E. is unmarried and lives in Peru.

Thomas H. Powell was but six years old when the family came to Indiana from Maryland. He spent his youth at home on the farm, attending the district schools in season and otherwise deporting himself in the manner of the farmer youth of his day. He worked at home for his father until 1888, being then twenty-five years old.

At that age Mr. Powell married, Miss Geneva Glassborn, of Miami county, becoming his wife. After his marriage Mr. Powell and his bride lived on a rented farm until 1904, in which year he purchased one hundred acres of land on section 35, Warren township, and in 1905 he took up his residence there with his family. He has prospered in his farming activities, and has one of the productive and presentable places of the township.

To Mr. and Mrs. Powell four children have been born. George, the eldest, is a graduate of the common schools. He married Delilah Harter, and they live on the Harter farm. Bennie is now attending school, as is also John. The eldest child was a daughter, Nora E., who was married in 1908 to Sterling Dubbs, and to that union one' child was born. In 1911, on October 18th, she and her husband and child were killed in an automobile by a train on the Wabash Railroad west of Huntington. The automobile was driven by George Bectold, but he was not killed.

Mr. Powell is a member of Antioch Lodge, No. 410, A. F. & A. M., and of Westpoint Lodge, No. 688, I. O. O. F. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren church, and are sincere and well meaning church people, of many excellent traits. Mr. Powell's political and civie activities have already been touched upon, so that further mention of that phase of his career is scarcely necessary at this point, and it will suffice to say that he is a man who has the best interests of his township and county at heart, and that his citizenship is of the type that bespeaks progress and civic well being for the community in which its possessor may reside.

Wurm H. Birzer. One of the prosperous German farming men of Dallas township and one of the best citizens of the community is Willam H. Bitzer, who is a native son of Wabash county, born in Lagro township on March 4, 1859. Much of his life was passed in that county, and he had his early education there. He is a son of John and Christian (Young) Bitzer, both natives of Germany, who came to the United States with their parents as young people. They met in Wabash county, Indiana, and there were married. The father acquired a farm through the exercise of his inherent qualities of thrift and energy, after spending some time in the construction work on the Wabash & Erie Canal, and he prospered in his farming activities, spending his later years in practical retirement. Of the nine children born to them, five are living at this time, Mary, Josephine, Sarah, Louise and William H., of this review.

William H. Bitzer was reared on the home farm, and had his education in the district schools. He came to Huntington county, settling in Dallas township in 1892, and here he has come to be the owner of a comfortable and productive farm, that, in response to his care, yields him a nice income. Of his lands, which comprise two hundred acres, about ninety-four acres lie in his Dallas township farm, while the remainder are in Wabash county, Lagro township. He has farmed creditably as did his father, and he is situated most comfortably as a result of his industry.

Mr. Bitzer is a member of the Evangelical church, and is a class leader in that body. He is also a trustee, and is superintendent of the Sunday school, a post he has held for some years. Politically he has long been a republican, but in the campaign of 1912 he cast his vote with the progressive side. He is a member of the township advisory board and has been for some time. He is a stockholder in the Farmers' Trust Company at Huntington and in the Farmers' National Life Insurance Company of East Chicago.

Baker; Ralph, a resident of Coleman, Michigan; and Clarence, who was graduated from the Andrews high school before he was sixteen years of age, and is now a student at the North Manchester College.

In the autumn of 1898 the wife and mother died, and in 1903 Mr. Bitzer married Cora Duffy. Four children have blessed this second marriage, Nondas, Chester, Homer and Lawrence. The family are prominent in the community, where Mr. Bitzer is recognized among the most upright and progressive men of Dallas township.

SAMUEL H. PALMER was born on the farm which he now owns and occupies, and his entire life thus far has been spent in association with his present surroundings. He reached manhood 'with a goodly training in agriculture, which he has since put to excellent use as the owner and proprietor of the old home place, and he is today regarded among the men of the community as one of the most successful and prosperéus farmers hereabout. Mr. Palmer was born on May 22, 1874, and he is a son of Jacob and Eliza (Bumbaugh) Palmer, the father being now deceased, though the mother yet survives. They were the parents of ten children, eight of whom are now living, and those who survive are here briefly mentioned as follows: Henry L., of Huntington county ; Sarah E., the wife of G. W. Paul; Rebecca, wife of Levi Hendricks; Catherine E., who married Frank Emery = Samuel H., of this review; Ella, the wife of Aaron Shideler of Lancaster township; W. D. Palmer of Huntington, Indiana; and Naomi, the wife of Otto Fulton of Lancaster township.

Samuel H. Palmer was reared on the home farm and had his education, somewhat limited in its nature, in the township schools which he attended in the winter seasons, as was the prevailing custom of the locality with the farming people. When he married in 1900, he was twenty-six years of age, and he brought his young wife to the old home of which he had assumed the management and of which he later came into the ownership. Effie Freel was the young lady of his choice, and they were married on March 3, 1900. She was born in Rock Creek township in November, 1879, and is a daughter of David R. Freel. She had her education in the schools of Huntington township, where she was for the most part reared, and she has borne her husband six children. Carl R., the eldest, is twelve years old; May I. is eleven; Howard W. is now eight years of age; Elizabeth A. is four; Edith M. is two years old and the baby, Ruth F., is three months old at this writing.

Mr. Palmer has prospered in his independent farming and takes a leading place among the farming men of the town. He is popular in social and other circles of the community, and is a member of Star of Hope Lodge No. 464, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is a member of the Grand Lodge. He is also Past Chief Patriarch and a member of the Encampment, No. 232. He is a member of Browns Corners Lodge of Rebekahs, No. 348, and a member of the Knights of the Maccabees at Huntington, Indiana.

tically his only office being the one he holds at present of Superintendent of the Kelso Gravel Road, and he hag done excellent work in that capacity. He is also a road contractor and is at the present time building five miles of road in Rock Creek township, known as the George Paul road and the Henderson road.

Levi M. ConnELL. On section 18 of Clear Creek township, resides one of the progressive and highly esteemed farmer citizens of Huntington county. Mr. Connell has spent most of his life in Indiana and for many years has been identified with the agricultural industry of Huntington county. His estate comprises seventy-two acres of land, all of it well improved and farmed according to the best standards of crop raising in this section of the state. His long-continued industry has given him the reward of a substantial place in the community, and sufficient prosperity for the wants of himself and family.

Levi M. Connell was born in Stark county, Ohio, March 29, 1859, a son of Joseph and Charity (Bowman) Connell. Both parents were natives of Ohio, where they were married and then located in Stark county. In 1865 the family moved from Ohio to Kosciusko county, Indiana, and about 1876 the father established his home in Whitley county, which was his home until his death. Of the eight children six are still living, those besides Levi M. being as follows: Leander W., of Columbia City, Indiana; Henrietta, wife of David Workman of Columbia City; Rachael, wife of M. L. Butterbaugh of Monroe county, Indiana; Mrs. Hattie Moore; May, wife of Ollis Carter of Whitley county.

Levi M. Connell was six years old when the family came to Indiana, and his education was acquired in the public schools of his native state. He grew up on a farm, and when the time arrived for him to make a choice of vocations his selection was the business to which he had been trained from boyhood. On August 28, 1884, Mr. Connell married Martha E. Royer of Wabash county. She was born in that county in 1864. To their marriage have been born two children, the only now living being Edith M., who was born August 17, 1885, graduated from the Clear Creek high school, the State Normal school, and the Terre Haute State Normal, and is now one of the successful teachers in Clear Creek township. Mrs. Connell is a member of the Dunkard church. The polities of Mr. Connell is republican, and he has manifested much interest in local affairs, and has always been ready to take his part in any movement for the advancement of the community welfare.

SAMUEL M. DeHaven. No better illustration of Huntington county agriculture in its most progressive and prosperous phase could be found than on the stock farm of Samuel M. DeHaven in Rock Creek township. Mr. DeHaven is known as the owner and proprietor of Pleasant Hill Stock Farm, located on section 10 of the township, three and a half miles southwest of Markle. Mr.-DeHaven has prospered as a business man, has established a good home, and has a pleasant family about him and stands high in the esteem of his fellow citizens. Twenty or twenty- five years ago, it is instructive to note, he was employed as a common laborer in a brick yard, and it was as a result of careful economy and persistent application year in and year out that he won his substantial position. ;

Samuel M. DeHaven was born on a farm in Rock Creek township September 22, 1865. He was one of the three children of Joseph and Hannah (Ewart) DeHaven. His father is still living and a resident of Rock Creek township. The other two children were: Caroline E., wife of ©. M. Lantis of Wells county, Indiana; and Albert, M., who married Emma Hoover, and is a farmer in Rock Creek township.

The early years of Samuel M. DeHaven were spent on the old home farm in Huntington county. During the winter months he attended with more or less regularity the district schools, and learned the practical lessons of farming at home during the summer months. That was his manner of life until he was twenty-one years old, and his father then gave him a horse and buggy and permission to start life on his own account. For eighteen months he was employed by W. H. Heindel in the latter's brick yard. His wages during this time were eighteen dollars a month, and by strict savings he had some capital to broaden his operation on an independent basis. After that he rented a farm from Mr. Heindel and cropped it for two years. On March 28, 1891, Mr. De- Haven took his next important step in life when he married Matilda E. Heindel, a daughter of his former employer, W. H. Heindel. Mrs. De- Haven was born April 9, 1870. She received her education in the district schools of Rock Creek township, and has proved herself a capable assistant to her husband and an excellent home maker. There are three children: Orla V., who graduated from the Rock Creek township high school, is a farmer in that township, and married Mae Brown; Hazel, a graduate of the high school is now teaching in her home township; Ilene is a student in the Rock Creek high school. Mr. DeHaven affiliates with Markle Lodge No. 423 of the Knights of Pythias, and in politics is a democrat. At his home place, Pleasant Hill Stock Farm he has one hundred and eighty-three acres of land, and owns eighty-two and a quarter acres situated elsewhere in the same township. His business is that of general farming and stock raising, and his success in that line is hardly second to that of any other Rock Creek township citizen. He is also one of the stock holders in the Farmers' Trust Company at Huntington.

Henry I. Kress. The sterling citizenship of Huntington county is well represented by Henry I. Kress, a prosperous farmer of Jackson township, whose services have frequently been required by his community and by the county at large. His home place of eighty acres in Jackson township is a farm that might well be envied by his neighbors, and in farming, as in every one of his activities and undertakings, Mr. Kress displays the quiet efficiency which wins success against all odds.

dren, seven of whom are still living born to Walter and Eliza (Pollock) Kress. His father came from Pennsylvania, and his mother from Maryland, and are both now deceased, having passed away in Allen county, where they were substantial farming people for many years. Í

Henry I. Kress grew up on a farm, attended the district school, and lived at home and made himself useful to his family, and at the same time acquired some degree of prosperity for himself until he was twentyfive years of age. He was then married to Miss Sarah E. Brandstater, of Allen county, where she was reared and educated. In 1894 Mr. and Mrs. Kress moved to Huntington county, locating on their present farm in Jackson township. To their marriage were born four children, and three are still living: Lida, is the wife of Henry DeArmett and is a graduate of the Roanoke high school; Nellie is a graduate of the Roanoke high school and wife of Frank Kress, their home being in California; Henry Kress, Jr., after graduating from the Roanoke high school, and taking a course in Valparaiso University is now connected with a bonding company in Chicago. The family are active workers and members in the Methodist Episcopal church at Roanoke, and Mr. Kress is one of the trustees of the society. He takes much interest in fraternal matters, being affiliated with Roanoke lodge of the Masonic Order, and is a past noble grand of Little River Lodge No. 275, I. O. O. F. As a republican his political influence has been of value to his party, and as a good citizen he never neglects an opportunity to advance the prosperity and welfare of his community. He is the present jury commissioner of this county.

Leon L. WISNER. A native son of Huntington county, who has spent his entire career within its borders, Leon L. Wisner is now one of the substantial agriculturists of Dallas township, where he is the owner of a fine farm of eighty acres, known as the George W. Cheesbro farm, and located two miles north and one-half mile east of Andrews. His life has been characterized by industry, perseverance and earnest effort, and such prosperity as has come to him is but a fitting reward for his labors, for when he entered upon his career he had little capital save his own determination and ambition. Mr. Wisner was born at Mount Etna, Huntington county, Indiana, September 12, 1868, and is a son of Calvin R. and Adeline (Jones) Wisner.

The Wisner family originated in Norway, from whence two brothers came to the United States, and all of the name in this country are related in some way to these progenitors. Calvin R. Wisner was born in Allegheny county, New York, a son of Ananias and Annis Wisner, and was reared and educated in his native state there learning the trade of harnessmaker. On coming to Indiana he located at Mount Etna, where he became the proprietor of a harnessmaking establishment, and for twenty years was a justice of the peace, being favorably known alike in the business field and as a public official. Subsequently, he came to Andrews, where he conducted a shop for five years and then purchased the old Thomas Moore farm, in Dallas township, upon which he made his home and continued to carry on operations until the time of his death in

1882. He was the father of seven children, of whom six are living at this time: Cora, the wife of Albet Chubb; Blanche, who is the wife of Albert Leedy, of Texas; Elfie, the wife of Oliver Leedy, of Battle Creek, Michigan ; Laura, who is the wife of Charles Keefer; of Dallas township ; Roy, of Howard, Kansas; and Leon L.

Leon L. Wisner received his early education in the district schools in the vicinity of his father's farm in Dallas township, following which he spent two terms in the Valparaiso schools. At that time he secured his certificate and entered upon educational work, for two years being a popular teacher in the public schools of his section, although during the summer months he devoted a great deal of attention to farming. Mr. Wisner was married to Miss Estella Comstock, who was born at Martinsville, Illinois, and a graduate of the high school of Andrews, Indiana, daughter of Prof. J. C. Comstock. Five of their six children are still living: Ruth, a graduate of the Andrews High school; Leila and Thelma B., graduates of 'the graded schools; and Clarence R. and Howard L., who are students. The members of the family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church at Andrews. Mr. Wisner was a republican in his political affiliation until the campaign of 1912, at which time he transferred his allegiance to the new progressive party.

After his marriage Mr. Wisner was employed for four years as fireman on the Wabash Railroad, but resigned his 'position to engage in agricultural pursuits, in which he has since been engaged. His farm of eighty acres is under a high state of cultivation, and gives evidence of his skill and good management as a farmer and breeder of good livestock. He uses modern methods and machinery in his work, and is able to make his land pay him well for the labor he expends upon it. He is thoroughly reliable in his business transactions, and has made his name an honored one on commercial paper: Mr. Wisner has the welfare of his community at heart, and his unselfish support of all movements making for the betterment of Huntington county stamp him as belonging to the substantial class of citizens to whom the section is indebted for its progress and advancement. -

GEORGE E. SPRINKLE. It may be said that the whole business life of George E. Sprinkle, one of the prosperous farmers of Lancaster township, is summed up in the one word ''industry.'' Whatever success he may have attained, and it is considerable, has been gained through the efforts of himself and wife, and while accumulating a material competency and achieving prosperity he has so directed his efforts as to win also the respect and esteem of his fellow men. Mr. Sprinkle was born in the town of Lancaster, Indiana, December 6, 1859, and is a son of Solomon H. and Marietta (Sinnett) Sprinkle.

The father of Mr. Sprinkle was born near Columbus, Ohio, where he grew to young manhood and then came to what is now known as New Lancaster, Indiana, where he was married, his wife having come to Huntington county from her birthplace near Decatur, Illinois. Mr. Sprinkle was a wagonmaker by trade, an occupation at which he worked until moving to the state of Missouri, where he ran a hotel and remained for a period of nine years. Upon his return to Indiana, he located at South Whitley, Indiana, where he lived for one year, following which he returned to Lancaster and made that point his home until the death of his wife in 1883. Mr. Sprinkle then went west, and died in Marion, Indiana, in 1906. He was the father of a family of twelve children, of whom five are still living: William H., a blacksmith of Liberty, Missouri; George E., of Huntington; Edward L. and C. ©., who reside at Marion, Indiana; and Arthur D., a barber of Redlands, California.

George E. Sprinkle was five years of age when his parents moved to Chillicothe, Missouri, and in that state he attended the public schools. Upon his return to Indiana he supplemented his education by attendance in the schools of Lancaster township, although when only fourteen years of age he began to make his own way in the world. By the time he was twenty-one years of age he had managed to save $400 as a farm hand and working in a sawmill, and in 1882 he learned the photography trade and he worked at that and taught the art of the chemio oil painting. He began farming on his own account, although it was not until after his marriage, in 1884, that he settled on his present property, a tract of eighty acres, located five miles south and one-half mile east of Huntington, in section 21, and the east one-half of the northeast one-quarter of section 14, in Lancaster township. When a farm hand, Mr. Sprinkle lived frugally and economically, worked hard and persistently, and as the years passed made steady financial progress. His life record should serve as a source of inspiration to others who have to start out in life as he did. He had no money to assist him when he began to earn his own living, and that he is today one of the substantial men of his community is due to the fact that he and his wife have persevered constantly. He is progressive in his ideas, uses the latest improved machinery, and makes his land pay him well for the labor he expends upon it. His dealings have been straightforward, and it would be difficult to find a man who stands higher in general public esteem.

On June 23, 1884, Mr. Sprinkle was married to Miss Martha J. Tuttle, who was born in Lancaster township, and there reared and educated, daughter of Thomas and Anna (Slagle) Tuttle. Thomas Tuttle was born in Shelby county, Ohio, in 1813, and was married in Montgomery county, Ohio, to Anna Slagle, who was born in 1820. In 1836 they moved to Shelby county, Ohio, and three years later came to Huntington county, Indiana, locating at Mount Etna, where Mr. Tuttle started a cabinet shop and worked at his trade of cabinetmaker. After seven years thus spent, the family moved to Lancaster township, and there the father continued to be engaged in farming until his death in 1891, the mother surviving until 1900. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sprinkle, namely: Charles R., born October 28, 1886, a graduate of the Huntington public schools and Huntington Business University, and a farmer in Lafayette township, Allen county, Indiana, married Hazel Duffey, daughter of Amos Duffey, and has one child; and Dessie G., a graduate of the graded and high schools and the Valparaiso Uni- versity, for one year a teacher in the public schools, and now the wife of Harry B. Bonewitz, a school teacher of Mount Etna, with one child.

Mr. and Mrs. Sprinkle are members of the Christian church at Kelso, Indiana, in which both have been decidedly active, Mr. Sprinkle having served as a member of the building committee when the new church edifice was erected. In political matters he has always been_a republican and has been active in civic affairs, serving as supervisor of his district for seven years, and as superintendent of the Salamonie and Infirmary gravel roads and being known as one of the best superintendents, in the line of work accomplished, that Huntington county has known. For the last six years Mr. Sprinkle has given road work his entire attention; he has made the public highway a study, and his practical experience for years has taught him when and how to repair and maintain the highways. He has been such a booster of good roads that he is known over the county as ''Sprinkle the good roads man."'

Jacos E. SHAFER. Three miles northeast of Warren at stop No. 18 on the Marion, Bluffton and Eastern Traction Company, is the situation of the country home of Jacob E. Shafer and family. As a farm it represents the highest standards of cultivation and productivity, and not only for its commercial value but for its long associations with the Shafer name is it prized by its present owner. Mr. Shafer was an infant when brought to this farm by his parents over fifty years ago, has grown up and spent all his life in one community, and in all that time his neighbors have never known anything but good of him and his relations with business, church, social and the moral interests of the community. He is a fine class of Huntington county citizen.

Born in Butler county, Ohio, March 18, 1862, Jacob E. Shafer is one of the six children of George E. and Margaret (Wolfe) Shafer. He was the youngest in the family, and was one year of age when George Shafer brought the family to Huntington county in 1863. The father paid a thousand dollars for a quarter section of heavily timbered land in Salamonie township, and it is a portion of that old homestead which is now owned and occupied by Jacob E. Shafer. The woodlands and the cultivated fields of the old farm provided a stimulating environment for the youth of Jacob Shafer, and when not otherwise employed by the duties of home he attended district school No. 6 of that township. His education was finished at the age of eighteen, and thenceforward he was a practical worker and more than paid his way both as a youth and as a man. When he was twenty he started out for himself, and practically ever since has farmed the same land. His homestead comprises sixty acres of the original one hundred and sixty bought by his father in 1863.

On October 1, 1887, Mr. Shafer married Anna E. Poling. She was born in Rock Creek township of Huntington county February 3, 1866, a daughter of Silas and Margaret (Goss) Poling. Her early years were spent on a farm in Wells county. When she was nine she lost her mother, and thereafter made her home with Almeda Irick, and previous to her marriage earned her own way by working at a weekly wage. Her educa- tion was acquired in the common schools of Wells county. In politics Mr. Shafer is one of the ardent republicans, and has taken much interest and has been influential in both township and county polities.

Jonn F. Ray. Nature has been liberal in her gifts to Huntington county, for there are few, if any, sections of the state where such ideal agricultural conditions exist. For this reason a great number of the most substantial men here are connected with farming, and their progressive and energetic efforts have resulted in the raising of agricultural standards here to a high degree. Among these men, one who has won well-merited success through individual effort is John F. Ray, the owner of fifty-five acres of good land in Polk township, on the Range Line gravel road, seven miles southwest of Huntington, and twenty-five acres in Lancaster township, just across the road from the Polk township land. Mr. Ray is a product of the farm, having been born in Liberty township, Wabash county, Indiana, March 22, 1871, a son of Alexander M. and Mary E. (Morrow) Ray.

Alexander M. Ray was born in Wabash county, Indiana, June 17, 1843, a son of Moses E. and Sarah (Brown) Ray, natives of Kentucky. Moses E. Ray served as a soldier during the Civil war, as did also Alexander M. Ray, the latter enlisting in Company K, One Hundred and First Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and in 1863 being transferred to the Fifty-eighth Regiment. At the close of the war he received his honorable discharge and returned to his farm duties in Liberty township, Wabash county. Both he and Mrs. Ray live at Mount Etna. Four children were born to Mr: and Mrs. Ray: Charles, who died at the age of five years; Emma, who is the wife of Thomas Moore, of Marion, Indiana; John F., of this review; and Ella, who is the wife of Elve Russell, of Lancaster township.

John F. Ray was reared on his father's farm in Wabash county, and there received his educational training in district school No. 1. He remained at home assisting his father until his marriage at the age of twenty-six years, December 24, 1896, to Miss Emma L. Wise, who was born April 1, 1871, daughter of Peter W. and Elizabeth (Shell) Wise. Mr. Wise was born in Henry county, Indiana, and came to Huntington county in 1855, settling on the farm now owned by Mr. Ray, which he cultivated until his death, May 13, 1913. He was the father of five children, of whom three are living: Mary C., the wife of J. B. Bailey, of Huntington; Ada.E., the wife of Frank L. Gordon, of Polk township ; and Emma L., who was educated in the public school and became the wife of John F. Ray. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Ray: Myrtle R., born March 27, 1906, and now attending the public schools; and two children deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Ray are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is fraternally connected with Mount Etna Lodge No. 333, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is past master and a member of the Grand Lodge; and of Mount Etna Lodge No. 304, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is past grand and a member of the Grand Lodge; and both Mr. and Mrs. Ray belong to Mount Olive Lodge No. 421, of the Rebekahs, in which Mrs. Ray is past noble grand, a member of the Grand Lodge, and noble grand for the year 1914. In politics Mr. Ray is a republican, but he has taken only a good citizen's interest in public matters.

Mr. Ray is one of the good, practical farmers of his community, and his activities have not alone put him in a foremost position among his township's substantial men, but have also contributed materially to the general welfare of the community. He has been engaged in a number of business ventures, being at this time a stockholder in the .Majenica Telephone Company, and in every relation his associates have found him a strict adherent of the highest business ethics. His friends jn Polk township are as numerous as are his acquaintances.

Jonn A. Miter, Huntington county is noted for its fine farmsteads, and in Clear Creek township is located one of the most attractive and valuable, known 'as the Miller Shorthorn Stock Farm, situated four and a half miles northeast of Huntington on the Mishler Pike. Its chief' industry is the breeding of registered shorthorn cattle, and many of the up-to-date farmers in all this part of Indiana depend upon the Miller stock as a nucleus of their herds. Mr. Miller has spent money, patience and labor in laying the foundation of a splendid herd of shorthorns, and his animals are now considered as good as any of that breed now to be found in the state. He is the owner of eighty acres of land, in his farm, and has some valuable property in the city of Huntington. His achievements speak for themselves, and it is hardly necessary to say that Mr. Miller has long been regarded as one of the leading citizens of Huntington county.

John A. Miller was born on a farm in Whitley county, Indiana, August 2, 1862, a son of John and Sarah A. (Seidner) Miller. John Miller, who was born in Wayne county, Ohio, October 3, 1827, was reared and married in his native county, and in 1856 moved to Indiana, and settled in Whitley county, where he followed the vocation of farming. This location was changed to Huntington county, Indiana, in 1875, and to the city of Huntington in 1898, where he resided until his death on March 7, 1912. In 1896, his first wife died, and in 1898 he was again married. By his first marriage there were thirteen children, of whom ten are still living, five sons and five daughters. The sons are mentioned as follows: Franklin E., of Whitley county; William A., of Huntington; Henry, of Clear Creek township; John A., also of Clear Creek township; and Perry E., of Jackson township. The daughters. are: Mary E., wife of James W. Allen of Clear Creek township; Sarah E., wife of J. H. Neff, of Clear Creek township; Amanda E., wife of Frank Emley, of Lafayette township, Whitley county; and Irena J., wife of C. C. Howenstein, of Clear Creek township ; and Minerva, wife of Newton Chenoweth, of Huntington.

'Mr. John A. Miller was about twelve years of age when the family located in Huntington county. His training up to that time had been in the common schools of Whitley county, and he finished his education in this county. His home was with his parenté until he was twenty-three years of age, and after he was nineteen he received wages for his work. In the meantime, Mr. Miller had learned the carpenter trade, and followed that as a workman for several years, and it is a skill which has been very useful to him in his subsequent career ag an independent farmer.

On January- 13, 1887, occurred the marriage of John A. Miller with Mary N. Fairchild, of Whitley county. She was born in that county, was educated in the common schools, and belonged to one of the old and well known families in that vicinity. To their marriage have been born five children: Jessie E., a graduate of the common schools and now the wife of H. O. Colclasser of Clear Creek township; Mertie E., a graduate of the common schools and the wife of Howard Haines; Flora M., who finished her work in the common schools; Ida, also a graduate of the common schools; and Marshall J., who is four years of age.

The Miller family -have membership in the Brethren church, Mr. Miller being one of the deacons in the Clear Creek township church. His politics is that of the democratic party, and his part in community affairs has always been that of the good citizen, but he has never sought the distinctions of political office.

GrorGE W. Kapp. Coming to the United States a young man of twenty-six, without much knowledge of the English language, and handicapped by the lack of financial support, excepting whatever work he could find in order that he might get a start, and gradually working his way upward and making a place for himself among the successful men of his community - such has been in brief the career of George W. Kapp, now a substantial farmer citizen in Clear Creek township, and who during his residence of more than a quarter of a century in Huntington county has won and enjoyed the high esteem of all citizens.

George W. Kapp was born in Germany, March 7, 1858, a son of John and Barbara A. (Wehr) Kapp, both of whom spent all their lives in their native Fatherland. There were four children in the family, three sons and one daughter, namely: George W.; Michael, who died at the age of nine years; Barbara, who is married and living in Germany; and Adam, who also lives in Germany.

The early life of George W. Kapp was spent on the farm in his native land. His education was continued in the public schools, up to the time he was fourteen years of age. His early training was all directed towards a career in agriculture, and in the preparation for his life work he spent some time in an agricultural school. With this equipment he was fitted for work as a farm foreman, and spent two years in that occupation before he became of age. Mr. Kapp saw three years of service in the German army, according to the requirements of his native land, and came out of the army with the grade of sergeant. His age at the time of leaving military service was twenty-three years, and following that he was for two years foreman on a farm.

States, landing at Baltimore on May 24, and on May 26 arrived in the city of Huntington. The first three years were spent as an employe in the lime kilns of W. T. Bryant. This was followed by three years of farm work, and then for three years he rented a farm. Mr. Kapp then bought a small place in Polk township, lived there for five years, and after selling out, rented the Roach farm in Huntington township. That was his home for five years, and he next rented the Conrad Lynn farm, for a similar period. In the meantime Mr. Kapp bought what is known as the Haney farm in Clear Creek township, and since taking possession he has devoted all his energies and his accumulated experience to the proper management and improvement of same. There are eighty acres in his homestead, and with the thrifty enterprise of his race, he makes every acre of his land pay a profit. He raises registered Holstein cattle and Duroc hogs.

Mr. Kapp married Anna Learnbucher, who was born in Germany and came to the United States in 1884. They are the parents of four children: Fred, George J., Magdalene and Anna L. All have been given the advantages of the local schools, and have been trained to the same thrifty habits and honorable principles which have characterized their parents in all their relations with the community of Huntington county. The family are members of the Catholic churgh, and in politics Mr. Kapp has regularly supported the democratic party since becoming an American citizen.

Lewis SHINKEL. Probably no citizen of Huntington county has had a more interesting business career than Lewis Shinkel, who is known as a farmer, fruit grower, dealer in automobiles, and especially as proprietor of the Shinkel Fruit Farm in section 33 of Clear Creek township. Success has come to him, and it has been worthily won. The story of his career, and a brief outline of his work have a very appropriate place in this history of Huntington county.

Lewis Shinkel was born in Dallas township of Huntington county in May, 1867, a son of Nicholas and Catherine (Diefenbaucher) Shinkel. His father was three years old when his parents left Germany, their native land, and came to America, and when he was thirteen years old the home was established in Dallas township of Huntington county. Among the hills of that township his boyhood was spent, and his education was both practical and literary, his time being divided between the work on the homestead and in attendance at the local district institution of learning. In Dallas township he married Catherine Diefenbaucher, who was born in Ohio, and of German parentage, her father having located in Dallas township about the same time the Shinkels came. She was then about fourteen years of age. Nicholas Shinkel and wife, after their marriage bought land and started as farmers, in moderate circumstances, but managing to provide the necéssities and comforts for their large family of ten children. They were of the thrifty German stock, and the pioneer labor of clearing and tilling the soil presented no hardships which they were afraid to face. However, the necessity of hard labor pursued month after month and year after year, caused education to be a minor factor in family life, and the children had only limited advantages in the local schools. Lewis Shinkel, who was fifth in order of birth in the family attended school when opportunity was presented, but most of his education was acquired by learning to perform the practical duties of the home and from the age of sixteen all his time and labor were spent in assisting his parents. Until he was twenty-two years of age, he lived at home, and then started out for himself at wages of fifty cents per day.

Mr. Shinkel's first introduction to commercial salesmanship indicates his quick intelligence and grasp of opportunities. One day a man came to his father's home, selling linens, and being discouraged offered to sell the entire stock at a bargain. Young Lewis offered him ten dollars for the outfit, and quickly had possession of the entire pack of goods. With this stock Lewis Shinkel started out on the road as a peddler. In a short time he had sold all the goods at a handsome profit, and with this encouraging beginning set out for Huntington to find the man from whom he had bought the outfit. On the way he fell in with a friend who induced him to take up the sale of nursery stock, and he quickly proved his ability as a distributer of fruit trees over a large territory. His success as a salesman in nursery goods opened the way for his larger business eareer. Mr. Shinkel has made a thorough study of fruit growing, and for years has been one of the leading authorities in northern Indiana, on the planting, the selection of the stock, and all departments in the fruit raising industry. This thorough knowledge of the business, combined with his exceptional talents as a salesman has enabled him to build up a business second to none of its kind in Huntington county. The Shinkel fruit farm is located three miles northwest of Huntington, and comprises forty-seven acres of land. The attractive and interesting feature of this farm is what is called a ''fruit avenue.'' This avenue consists of a double row of fruit trees on each side of the highway, bordering the farm, and the general public are privileged to help themselves to all the luscious products found on those trees that afford both fruit and shade to passers-by. During the past six years Mr. Shinkel has also inaugurated another scheme, whereby he puts out fruit trees to persons on the ''shares.'' He furnishes the trees and instructs the farmers in the planting, caring and pruning, and then receives as his share one-fourth of the crops during the fourth, fifth and sixth years after the trees have been set out. This has proved a very successful venture, and Mr. Shinkel now has fifty-five thousand trees growing on this plan.

Mr. Shinkel is a very progressive man and takes an active interest in the Farmers Institute, and has delivered many valuable talks on fruit raising before the meetings of farmers. His fruit raising industry is of itself a large business, and would content many men of less energy and ambition. However, Mr. Shinkel finds time to supervise other affairs. He is one of the most successful automobile salesmen in the state, and during 1912 headed the list of Studebaker salesmen in Indiana, a gold medal having been awarded him for his.record of sales. His garage is called the ''Big Four," and is located immediately in the rear of the Huntington Hotel. Mr. Shinkel is also a stockholder in the National Life Insurance Company of Chicago.

Mr. Shinkel married Sarah E. Bruch. They have two daughters: Grace, a graduate of the Huntington high school; and Marie, a graduate of the common schools and now pursuing her studies in the high school at Huntington. Mrs. Shinkel died in 1912, and her husband and daughters now live on their beautiful farm estate in Clear Creek township. Mr. Shinkel has membership in the German 'Lutheran church, and fraternally is affiliated with Huntington Lodge No. 93 Knights of Pythias. A man of honor, integrity, of valuable citizenship and industry and enterprise, he has long been one of Huntington county's prominent citizens.

Harvey R. HIPPENSTEEL. Now one of the most prosperous farmers of Clear Creek township, and a citizen whose services have often con- _ tributed to the general advancement and public welfare of his community, Harvey R. Hippensteel began his career practically without any of the capital which is supposed to be necessary to successful endeavor. He is a substantial man, has won his prosperity by hard work, and in public affairs is honored for his services as a soldier during the Spanish- American war, and for a brief time he also seryed as trustee of Clear Creek tewnship.

Harvey R. Hippensteel was born on a farm in Kosciusko county, October 1, 1873, a son of Henry and Naomi (Misener) Hippensteel. The father was born in Pennsylvania and the mother was a native of Ohio. The respective families came to Wabash county, Indiana, and it was there that the father and mother grew up in the same neighborhood and there acquaintance finally ripened into marriage. They lived for some years in Kosciusko county, later in Wabash county, and finally in Huntington county, where the father lived in Warren township until 1903. February, 1893, the mother died, and the father subsequently married in Goshen, Indiana, where he still resides. Henry Hippensteel made a record as a soldier during the Civil war. His first service was in the Forty-seventh Indiana Regiment, and he was soon discharged for disability. Later he veteranized and became a soldier of the One Hundred and Thirtieth Indiana Regiment, with which command he continued until the close of the war. He and his first wife were the parents of nine children, five of whom are still living: O. A. Hippensteel, a farmer in Michigan ; Harvey R.; Maude, who is married and living in Huntington township; Guy G., a farmer in Clear Creek township; and Marvin of Clear Creek township.

When Harvey R. Hippensteel was a child his parents moved from Kosciusko county to Wabash county, he being four years of age at the time. His years were spent in that county until he was twelve, and at that time, the family moved to Warren township in Huntington county. His schooling was therefore divided between the schools of Wabash and Huntington county, and after leaving the common schools he attended the Valparaiso University, the Marion Normal College and still later the Huntington Business College. Mr. Hippensteel is a self-made and self-educated man, in the sense that all his college training was acquired by his own earnings, and he is the type of man who is constantly looking ahead and striving to better his horizon of opportunities. During his early career he spent seven terms as a teacher in district country schools. He later was employed in Chicago, and while bookkeeper for the firm of the Chicago Handle-Bar Company, the Spanish-American war came on and he left his employment to enlist as a soldier. His enlistment was on June 17, 1898, when he became a member of Company K of the One Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana Regiment. His regiment saw two months of service in Cuba, until the end of the war, and he was mustered out at Savannah, Georgia.

Mr. Hippensteel married Mary E. Spimkle, who was born June 21, 1876, a daughter of H. S. and Mary (Storm) Spimkle. Himself a teacher, Mr. Hippensteel made good choice of his wife, from the ranks of the same profession. Mrs. Hippensteel who was first educated in the district schools and later in the Marion Normal College, was for eight years a successful teacher in Huntington county. To their marriage is one living child, Dale E., born November 15, 1903. Mrs. Hippensteel is a member of the Progressive Brethren.

In politics Mr. Hippensteel has always accorded loyalty to the republican party until the campaign of 1912, when he cast his vote for the progressive cause. By appointment from the county commissioners he served as trustee of Clear Creek township, but resigned before the expiration of his term. As a farmer, he is the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of land. He does general farming and stock raising and has found in his present vocation a full outlet for his energies and all the opportunities that could be desired for business success and has gained a satisfying share of prosperity and made himself and family a good home.

Epwarp SmirH. The comfort, health and safety of the public depends largely on the efficiency of those who fill positions of responsibility and probably no one man has more multiplied dutieg in this direction than has the street commissioner of a busy, bustling city where thousands daily hasten to and fro carrying on the various activities and pleasures of life. Huntington, Indiana, since 1909, has had, in Edward Smith, a public official well qualified through years of business experience to fill the office of street commissioner, to which he was appointed by Hon. Milo Feightner, Mayor of Huntington.

Edward Smith was born June 16, 1867, in Wabash county, Indiana, the youngest of a family of nine children born to his parents, Samuel and Margaret (Dick) Smith. Both parents and eight of their nine children were born in Germany. When they came to the United States they landed in New York harbor and from there came to Wabash county, Indiana. The father was able to provide well for his family, being an experienced stonecutter, stone mason and bricklayer. Edward Smith but later having better advantages in a private or select school. Both he and an older brother, Valentine Smith, learned the associated trades of stonecutter, brick mason and layer and then entered into a partnership, under the style of Smith Brothers, which continued for twelve years and was then dissolved by mutual consent. On account of his wife's failing health and in the hope that a milder climate might benefit her, Mr. Smith moved to Cleveland, Texas, but, upon finding no such encouragement, returned to Indiana and located in Huntington county and since then has lived during the greater part of the time in the city of Huntington. After settling in this county he soon built up a prosperous business in contracting and building, his work covering dwelling and houses, schoolhouses and churches, and the quality of his energy and enterprise was shown, when, after the great fire that practically destroyed Markle, he rebuilt nine of the business houses in ninety days. He continued his contracting business until he was appointed street commissioner, the duties of which office demand all of his time.

In 1891 Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Miss Carrie Brobender, who was born in Germany, and they have the following children: Lena, Lawrence, Mildred, Edward, Jr., and Dorothy. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the German Reformed church. In his political affiliation Mr. Smith is a démocrat. `

Ezra F. Smock. The Highland Farm in Clear Creek township, of which Mr. Shock is proprietor has for many years borne a high reputation among stock raisers, especially for its Jersey cattle, and the present owner has jealously guarded the substantial reputation of his stock, and as a result there are few men in the county who have upheld the standards of the stock business more uniformly through a course of many years. Mr. Shock has lived in Huntington county nearly all his life, a period of about fifty years, has acquired'a substantial interest in the agriculture and general civic affairs and has also been honored with positions of public trust and responsibility.

Ezra F. Shock was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, near the city of Dayton, March 16, 1860, a son of Henry and Mary (Flory) Shock. The mother died in 1907 while the father still lives in Clear Creek township. Both were natives of Montgomery county, Ohio, where they grew up in the same neighborhood, were educated in the district schools, and were married. In August, 1864, when their son Ezra was four years of age they moved to Huntington county and located in Clear Creek township. The father through many active years followed farming, and is now one of the oldest residents of this section of Huntington county. There were eleven children in the family, and all but one are still living: Ezra F.; Clare, the widow of Samuel Beverly; Cora, wife of David Colclazer ; Rosella, unmarried; Joseph H., who is principal of the schools in Lafayette, Indiana; William A., teacher of manual training in the Huntington public schools; Rev. D. W., a minister of the Brethren church; Harvey M., a farmer in Clear Creek township; Jennie, wife of Edwin Miller; Arminda, wife of ©. E. Schlusser.

It was in Clear Creek township that Ezra F. Shock spent his early years, and until he was about eighteen his time was divided between attendance at the district schools in the winter and work on the farm during the summer. His father operated a sawmill in the township and he was early made an assistant in the conduct of that enterprise.

Soon after he became of age, in December, 1881, Mr. Shock established a home of his own by his. marriage to Miss Sarah Buckwalter, a daughter of George Buckwalter. Mrs. Shock was educated in the district schools of Huntington county. After their. marriage they settled on a farm, and from that time forward their prosperity has been steadily on the increase. For a quarter of a century Mr. Shock has made a specialty of the breeding of pure strains of Jersey cattle, and his progressiveness in this as in every other enterprise he takes hold of has been the source of generous profit. Mr. Shock is the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of land, and the farm for a number of years has been well known among stock raisers throughout this part of Indiana as the Highland Farm. In addition to his farm Mr. Shock finds his time pretty well employed through his'position as solicitor and adjuster for the Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Association. In this position he has charge of territory including Jackson, Clear Creek, Warren, Dallas, Huntington, and Union townships.

To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Shock were born six children: Albert W., who is married and lives in Dayton, Ohio; Effie B., the wife of Charles S. Lingle; Laura, a graduate of the Clear Creek high school, and now a teacher in the schools. at Richmond, Indiana; George A., unmarried and living in the southern states; Davis E., unmarried; and Mabel E., at home. Mrs. Shock is an active member of the Brethren church. In politics Mr. Shock has for years given his active support to the democratic interests, and has done much as a leader in his party in this part of Huntington county. He was elected and served four years - as assessor of his township.

PHINEAS HANULINE. One of the oldest native sons of Clear Creek township is Phineas Hanline, who was born in that locality of Huntington county nearly seventy years ago, has lived here quietly but with substantial prosperity, and has. proved himself a good citizen, a hard worker, an energetic provider for his family, and a man whose influence has always been on the side of right and progress.

Phineas Hanline was born in Clear Creek township of Huntington county, July 18, 1845, a son of Thomas and Sarah (Fetters) Hanline, who were among the pioneers in this section of the state. They were born, reared and married in Stark county, Ohio, and in 1840 moved to Indiana, and located in Clear Creek township. There the father lived until his death at the age of forty-nine, and his widow survived him until she was past eighty-eight and did a noble part by her children, rearing them and keeping the homestead intact until all its members were self supporting. Seven of the eight children are still living, the family being mentioned as follows: Phineas; Flora, wife of George Andrews; Mar- garet A., deceased; Jackson, of Whitley county, Indiana; J acob, of Huntington; Martin, of Huntington; Sidney, wife of Jacob Stoner, of Whitley county; Agnes, wife of Moses Crum, of Fort Wayne.

Phineas Hanline was reared and educated in Clear Creek township, spent his youth on a farm, was trained to the work of farming from an early age and since starting out for himself has made all his prosperity as a result of close attention to business and a talent for management of land and its crops.

On December 12, 1875, Mr. Hanline was married in Clear Creek township to Miss Lucy A. Hoke, who was born in Ohio, but was reared in this county. To their union were born nine children, mentioned as follows: Perry E., a farmer in Clear Creek township; Maude, wife of Alfred Keel; Burdell, who lives in the state of Oregon; Albert, of Michigan; Belva and Bernice, twins; Chester, who lives at home and is unmarried; Katie, wife of Ben Stahlsmith, of Whitley county; and Maggie, deceased. :

The family are all members of the German Baptist church, and in politics Mr. Hanline is a republican. When he and his wife got married they started out with practically nothing and all their prosperity has been the direct result of their individual efforts. At the present time the Hanline home in section 16 comprises ninety-three acres of well cultivated and highly improved farm lands.

JAMES W. WILSON. One of the old families of Union township is represented by James W. Wilson, who with his wife and family have had their home on their present attractive rural estate in that township. for more than twenty years. Mr. Wilson himself came to Huntington county when a boy, and during his lifetime here has not only been constantly progressing himself, but has witnessed many remarkable changes in the country about him.

James W. Wilson was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in Walnut township, January 13, 1846, a son of James and Anna (Bibler) Wilson. His father was a native of Maryland, and was fourteen years of age when he came with his parents to Fairfield county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood, and where he met and married Anna Bibler, who was also reared in that county. From Ohio the family moved to Huntington county, Indiana, in 1864, and eighty acres of land at Brown's Corners was the first homestead in this county. There the father lived until his death on January 24, 1890, while his wife passed away May 21, 1876. There were eleven children, three of whom are still living, including James, George W. of Brown's Corners, and Anthony W. of Kansas.

James W. Wilson was eighteen years old when he came to Huntington county, and as a boy his opportunities for getting an education were limited, and he has made his own way through life, and prospered more than the average. For a number of years he worked as a farm hand, and gradually accumulated enough to make an independent start. On September 25, 1875, Mr. Wilson married Saloma M. Forst, who was born May 1, 1857, a daughter of George Forst. Her birth occurred in Warren township of this county, and as she grew up she attended the common schools of the district in which she was reared. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wilson settled in Union township, and have been very successful as farmers and stock raisers. In 1892 they located on the farm where they still live. One daughter was born to their union, Iva M., in December, 1876. She received, besides a common school education, training in music, and is now the competent wife of Oscar Hurdle of Union township, and the mother of five sons. Mr. Wilson affiliated with the Star of Hope Lodge No. 464, I. O. O. F., of which he was a charter member. In politics his affiliation has always been with the democratic party, though never an aspirant for office.

GerorcE W.*LAHR. One of the well cultivated and valuable agricultural properties of Huntington county is the Spotted Stock Farm, a tract consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, located one and one-half miles south of Andrews, Indiana, in Dallas township, on the Andrews and Monument City gravel road. The proprietor of this farm, George W. Lahr, is one of the progressive and. energetic men of his community, and has won success through well directed and persistent effort, at the same time giving his influence and means to the betterment of society, to schools and church, to the support of good government and order and to industries which he has believed have been calculated to promote the interests of this section of the Hoosier state.

Mr. Lahr is thoroughly informed as to climate and soil conditions in Dallas township, for he has resided here all his life. He was born on a farm in Polk township, in September, 1858, a son of Jacob and Catherine (Sperb) Lahr, natives of Germany. He is a grandson on the paternal side of Jacob and Marie (Mathias) Lahr and a great-grandson of Ulrich Lahr, who married a Miss Corell. The great-grandparents immigrated from Germany to America in 1842, locating in the then wilderness of Clear Creek township, Huntington county, Indiana, where they spent the remainder of their lives, and nearly all the Lahrs in this county are their descendants. Jacob and Marie (Mathias) Lahr left their native land of Germany for the United States in 1852, and they also established their home in Clear Creek township. They were accompanied on the voyage by their sons and daughters, excepting Jacob, who came over in 1851 with a friend. Jacob Lahr was born in Rhine Bavaria, Germany, in 1836, and was about fourteen years of age at the time of the immigration. In Huntington county he met and married Catherine Sperb, who was born in the Rhine Province of Hessendarmstadt in 1836, and was twenty years of age when she came to this country. After their marriage they settled on a property in section 11, Polk township, and they resided there until 1872, in which year they moved to section 2, in the same township, two miles south of Andrews, their farm there continuing to be their home and Mr. Lahr's field of agricultural operations until death. Nine children were born to Jacob and Catherine Lahr, of whom eight survive: J. F., a resident of Oklahoma; Elizabeth, who is the wife of H. G. Miller, of Union township,

Huntington county; Susie, who is the wife of A. C. Hahn, of Polk township; Emma, the wife "of William Gephart, of 'Allen county, Indiana; Eli, whose home is at Lincoln, Nebraska; Barbara, who married John P. Miller, of Polk township; and Zachary T., who resides at Cache, Oklahoma.

George W. Lahr was reared on the home farm in section 11, Polk township, until he was fourteen years of age, and then accompanied the family to the property in section 2.. He was given his educational training in school district No. 1 during the short winter terms, but, like most boys of his day and locality, during the summer months he was expected to assist his father and brothers in cultivating the home fields. He grew up an industrious and ambitious youth, and continued to remain under the parental roof until 1897, in which year he purchased the nucleus of his present property, which has since been developed into one of the finest farms of its size in this part of the county. Aside from his general farniing operations, in which he has been successful, Mr. Lahr is known as a scientific breeder of fine horses and cattle, as well as hogs. His specialty, from which his property derives its name, is the Spotted Arabian horse, his product at all times demanding a high price in the market. As a business man he is far sighted and capable, and his associates know him as a man of the utmost integrity, while his signature is always honored on commercial paper. During his long residence in Dallas township he has formed a wide acquaintance, and in this he numbers many warm friends. He has always supported republican principles and candidates but otherwise has not been particularly active in politics.

Jacos Karst, whose labor has been the measure of his success, has for some years been numbered among the prosperous agriculturists of Lancaster township. Years ago he started his operations with no capital save energy, determination, an active body and a strong mind; today he is the owner of 200 acres of valuable land lying five and one-half miles southwest of Huntington. He is, moreover, a citizen who has gained the trust and confidence of his fellow men through a life of industry and integrity, so that he figures prominently in public as well as agricultural circles of his section. Mr. Karst was born in Hancock county, Ohio, April 24, 1852, and is a son of Peter and Anna (Zeigler) Karst.

Peter Karst was born in Germany, and as a young man he decided to cast his lot with the citizens of the United States, of whose country he had heard such glowing tales. Accordingly, he came to this country, and after a short stay in New York, his landing point, made his way to Pennsylvania, where he met and married Anna Zeigler, a native of the Keystone state. Subsequently they moved on to Hancock county, Ohio, then to Henry county, Indiana, and finally to Huntington county, this state, and in the spring of 1865 located in Polk township, where Mr. Karst continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits throughout the balance of his life. He was the father of five sons and four daugh- ters, and of these children four are living in 1913: Peter, who is a resident of Huntington, Indiana; Jacob; Barney W., a resident of Montana; and Sylvester, whose home is in Polk township.

Jacob Karst received his education in the schools of Ohio and Indiana, in the vicinities in which the family lived from time to time. He was a lad of thirteen years when brought to Huntington county, and here he assisted his father in the cultivation of the home property, growing up to sturdy manhood and learning thoroughly every branch of the farming industry. He remained as his father's assistant until he was twenty-seven years of age, and during this time, through industry and right living, through thrift, economy and good management, he saved some $1,200. Deciding to establish a home of his own, he was married in 1879 to Miss Mary B. Miller, of Huntington township, and they began housekeeping on the farm on which they now reside, and on which they have continued to live with the exception of three years when Mr. Karst was looking' after the old homestead. The present property of 200 acres has been accumulated by steady industry, and has been brought to a high state of cultivation. Its buildings are substantial and modern in character, its improvements of the best and its machinery of the latest manufacture. The sleek, well-fed and content livestock testifies to Mr. Karst's abilities as a raiser of cattle, horses and hogs. Mr. and Mrs. Karst are consistent members of the Catholic church of Sts. Peter and Paul at Huntington, and he is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus and St. Joseph's. Society. He is a democrat in politics, but has never found time for public office, and had he done so it is doubtful if his quiet and' unassuming nature would have allowed him to accept preferment.

Mr. and Mrs. Karst have been the parents of twelve children, of whom ten survive in 1913: Anna, who is the wife of Edward Morris, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Florence, who married John Blomeke, of Steuben county, Indiana; Edward J., who is married to Anna Scher and resides in Lancaster township; George, of Lancaster township, who married Edith Scher; and Joseph, Mary, Julius, Jacob, Jr., Catherine, and Vergelia, all single and residing at home with their parents.

Davi L. Reynotps. Well known in Huntington county, especially among the investors and land owners, David L. Reynolds has been extensively engaged in real estate operations in various counties of Northern Indiana for twenty years or more. His primary business is that of farmer, and his thorough experience in that line has enabled him to handle land for others with unusual success.

David L. Reynolds was born at Amboy in Miami county, Indiana, in 1866. Reared on a farm, with an education acquired in the local schools, he located at Converse after reaching his majority, and there did his first business as a real estate man. He was one of the factors in the movement which began about twenty years ago, as a result of which there was a somewhat marked exodus from the high priced farming districts of Illinois into Indiana and Ohio and Michigan, where farms at that time could be bought much cheaper, though the quality of land was equal to the best Illinois soil. Mr. Reynolds' operations were directed toward transferring Illinois farmers to the lands of Grant and Miami counties, and as a result of his operations and of others similarly engaged, the value of land in those counties advanced from an average price of forty dollars to as high as a hundred and fifty dollars per acre.

Some years ago Mr. Reynolds located on a fine farm in Wells county, where he is the owner of one of the best quarter sections in the county. His farm lies a little west of Bluffton. He has his offices in Bluffton, but his operations extend over both Wells and Huntington counties. Mr. Reynolds is a hustling and successful farmer and real estate dealer, and has won all his success through his own energy and good judgment.

WituiAm F. EBERHART. It is gratifying to be able to incorporate in this history specific record concerning a goodly quota of those sterling citizens who are ably upholding the prestige of Huntington county as a field of the best order of agricultural industry, and special consistency is given to the recognition here accorded to the representative farmer and stock-grower whose name initiates this paragraph, for he is also a native of the county and a member of one of its prominent and honored pioneer families. He is the owner of a well improvel farm in Clear Creek township and is a citizen whose influence and co-operation are invariably given in support of measures and enterprises advanced for the general good of the community. His steadfast character is vouched for _ by the unequivocal popularity he enjoys in the county that has ever been his home and in which he has achieved worthy success.

William F. Eberhart was born on the old homestead farm of his father, in Warren township, Huntington county, Indiana, on the 4th of January, 1868, and is a son of Linus and Elizabeth (Ade) Eberhart, the former of whom was born in Prussia and the latter in the state of Ohio.. Linus Eberhart was born in the province of Hohenzollern, Prussia. on the 16th of September, 1833, and was a son of Michael and Barbara (Henger) Eberhart, both of whom were born and reared in that district of the great empire of Germany. They came to America in 1854 or 1855. Their vessel was held in quarantine in New York harbor, where Michael Eberhart died of cholera and was buried in the ocean. Barbara Eberhart lived with her children until her death and is buried in the cemetery at the German church north of Andrews. Linus Eberhart was reared to maturity in his native province, where he was afforded the advantages of the common schools, and in 1852, when about nineteen years of age, he severed the ties that bound him to home and fatherland and set forth to win for himself a position of independence and due prosperity in the United States. He located in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, where he lived until 1855, and in that year came to Indiana and established his home on a pioneer farm in Wabash county. He was married October 7, 1858, and in 1860 came to Huntington county and located on a farm in Warren township. Linus Eberhart became the owner of one of the valuable farm properties of that township, and the development and improvement of the same represented the concrete results of his own energy and good management. He was one of the substantial, upright and honored citizens of Huntington county and continued to reside on his old homestead place until his death, which occurred in March, 1897. His cherished and devoted wife survived him by more than a decade and was summoned to eternal rest on the 16th of January, 1909, revered by all who had come within the compass of her gentle influence. Concerning the children the following briéf record is entered: Eliza is the wife of Clayton Rodkey ; Christina K. is the wife of Samuel L. Emley; Lydia M. is the wife of George Loman; William F., of this review, was the next in order of birth; Emma A. is the wife of Edward F. Deemer; Jacob H. died on the 22nd of April, 1894; and Samuel F., who married Miss Della Farmer, continues to maintain his residence in Huntington county. The parents were consistent members of the Evangelical Lutheran church and their lives. were guided and governed by the highest principles of integrity and honor, so that their memory is cherished in the county that long represented their home.

William F. Eberhart found his childhood and youth compassed by the benignant influence and discipline of the old homestead farm and he was not denied the best available educational advantages, as he continued to attend the district schools, during the winter terms, until he was twenty years of age, in the meanwhile having effectively assisted in the work and management of the home farm. That he made good use of his educational advantages is shown by the fact that he was a member of the first class to be graduated in the public schools of Warren township and that he passed the examination which gained to him a teacher's certificate. As a representative pedagogic profession Mr. Eberhart proved most popular and successful, and he continued to teach in the district schools from 1888 to 1900, his services in this line having been confined entirely to the schools of Warren and Clear Creek townships. The discipline, with incidental application to higher branches of study, enabled him to round out a symmetrical and academic education of liberal order, and he is known as a man of broad information and mature judgment.

At the time of his marriage, in 1889, the financial resources of Mr. Eberhart were very limited, and his first independent farming operations thereafter were on rented land. Two years later, however, he purchased forty-eighty acres, in Clear Creek township, and from this modest nucleus he has developed his present fine landed estate, which comprises two hundred acres of most productive land, in Clear Creek and Warren townships. Mr. Eberhart has been indefatigable in his efforts, which have been directed with circumspection and marked discrimination, and through his own energy and ability he has become one of the substantial agriculturists and stock-growers of his native state, with his position further fortified by the unqualified esteem accorded to him by all who know him. He is one of the alert and progressive citizens of Huntington county, liberal and public-spirited, and he is an influential citizen of the county which has ever been his home. He is treasurer of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Association, a strong and popular corporation.

In politics Mr. Eberhart is a stanch prohibitionist and he has been zealous and efficient in promoting the party cause, while he never fails to vote in harmony with his convictions. Both he and his wife are valued and active members of the United Brethren "church at Makin, Warren township.

On the 27th of October, 1889, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Eberhart to Miss Cora E. Myers, who has proved a devoted wife and helpmeet, so that the relations of the home are of ideal order. Mrs. Eberhart was born in Warren township, this county, on the 19th of April, 1866, and is a daughter of Anthony and Catherine (Angne) Myers, both natives of Germany and honored pioneers of Huntington county. Mrs. Eberhart has been a resident of Huntington county from the time of her birth, received her early education in the public schools of Clear Creek _ township, and she has a wide circle of friends in her native county. Mr. and Mrs. Eberhart became the parents of five children: Edith M., who was born on the 30th of October, 1890, was graduated in the Clear Creek High school and she remains at the parental home; Ray C., who is likewise a graduate of the high school, has proved an able and popular teacher in the district schools of his native county, where he has taught for four terms, his birth having occurred in March, 1893; Ruth M., who was born on the 22nd of November, 1896, has completed the curriculum of the high school and is teaching; Herbert L. was born on the 3rd of November, 1900, and is attending school in the home district; and Merritt E., who was born on the 2nd of June, 1902, died on the 12th of the following October. The attractive family home is known for its gracious and unassuming hospitality, which is freely extended to the many friends of both parents and children, so that it is a center of much social activity.

Dav Stuuts. In Huntington county Mr. David C. Stults, the present efficient and honored township assessor of Clear Creek township, has maintained his residence since his childhood days, save for a period of six years passed in the state of Kansas and a brief residence in other Indiana counties. He is a worthy representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of Huntington county, where he is well known and where his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances. He has led a life of signal activity in the various fields of enterprise in which he has directed his efforts, and his standing in the community is such as to render most consonant a brief review of his career as a consistent contributor to the history of the county that has long been his home, and in which he has an impregnable place in popular confidence and esteem. Further honor is his by reason of his having been a soldier in an Indiana regiment of the Civil war.

Mr. Stults claims the old Buckeye state as the place of his nativity. He was born on a pioneer farm in Stark county, Ohio, on the 13th of February, 1845, and is a son of John and Mary (Becher) Stults, who were born and reared in Pennsylvania, where their marriage was solemnized and where they continued to reside until their removal to Ohio. In the latter state they maintained their home in Stark county until

1848, when they came to Huntington county, "Indiana, and settled on a partially improved farm in the northeast corner of Warren township. John Stults reclaimed much of his land to cultivation and became one of the representative agriculturists of Warren township, where he continued to reside on his old homestead for many years, his death having occurred in 1881 and his devoted wife having survived him by several years. Of the seven children only two are now living - David C., of this review, and Amanda J., who is the widow of Jacob D. Howenstine.

David C. Stults was a child three years old at the time the family removed from Ohio to Huntington county, and he continued to reside on the old homestead farm until he had attained the age of fourteen years. His early educational advantages were limited to a somewhat desultory attendance in the primitive common schools of the locality and period, but he has not failed to profit duly from the lessons since learned in the stern school of experience, so that he has become a man of broad views and mature judgment. At the age of fourteen years Mr. Stults initiated his semi-independent career, by obtaining employment in a sawmill. He familiarized himself with the practical details of this line of industry and in a later period operated a sawmill on his own responsibility. At the age of twenty-four years Mr. Stults wedded Miss Henrietta Eva Minnich, their union having been solemnized on the 31st of May, 1869, and soon after this important event in his career Mr. Stults established his residence in the village of Roanoke, Huntington county, where he became associated with his father-in-law, Michael Minnich, in the conducting of a gristmill. He was thus engaged for a period of three years and he then removed to Whitley county, this state, where he operated a sawmill for a number of years, his connection with this line of industrial enterprise having covered a total of about fourteen years, and his operations having been attended with substantial success. After his retirement from the sawmill business Mr. Stults devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits in Huntington county until 1885, when he removed with his family to Kansas, where he was engaged in farming and working at the carpenter's trade during a term of six years. He then returned to his old home county and located at Goblesville, where he has since maintained his residence and where his attractive homestead is a comfortable dwelling, the property including an acre of ground and being owned by him. Mr. Stults has distinctive mechanical skill and ability and after his return to this county he was employed for several years as head sawyer in the sawmill operated by ` John Goble, at Goblesville.

Mr. Stults was but sixteen years of age at the time when the Civil war was precipitated on the nation, and in 1864, at the age of nineteen years, he was able to give decisive evidence of his patriotism, as he then enlisted as a private in Company I, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which command he proceeded to the front and with which he served six months, at the expiration of which he received his honorable discharge, the war having closed with victory for the cause in which he had tendered his services. He perpetuates the more gracious memories and associations of his military career by his affiliation with J. F. Miller Post, No. 399, Grand Army of the Republic, at Leoti, Kansas, in which organization he has held various official preferments. He was likewise affiliated with the Leoti lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he served as noble grand in 1887, and is a member of the adjunct organization, the Daughters of Rebekah, with which his wife is also affiliated. In later years the membership of Mr. Stults has been with La Fontaine Lodge, I. O. O. F., Huntington, Indiana, also the Encampment branch of the order.

In politics Mr. Stults has been found arrayed as a stanch supporter of the basic principles of the republican party, and he now designates himself a progressive republican, as he keeps himself fortified in the questions and issues of the day and never lacks the courage of his convictions. He served a number of terms in the office of justice of the peace of Clear Creek township, and has been township assessor since 1911, his administration having been marked by utmost fidelity and efficiency.

Mrs. Stults has proved a devoted companion and helpmeet to her husband, and their home is known for its ideal relations and generous hospitality. Mrs. Stults likewise is a native of Ohio, but was a child at the time of her parents' removal to Indiana. Myr. and Mrs. Stults have four children, concerning whom brief record is here given: Emmett D. is engaged in the transfer business at Hoisington, Kansas; Charles H., who maintains his home in Huntington, Indiana, is a locomotive engineer by vocation and is employed as such by the Erie Railroad Company; Bessie D., who likewise resides in Huntington, is the widow of William Karnes; and Ora J. is also a resident of the city of Huntington.

JAMES W. CAMPBELL. Actively and industriously engaged in the prosecution of a calling upon which the wealth and support of the nation largely depends, James W. Campbell, of Jefferson township, has long been an important factor in advancing the agricultural interests of Huntington county, where he owns and operates a large and valuable farm. A son of Thomas Campbell, he was born in Van Buren township, Grant county, Indiana, October 17, 1862, coming from pioneer stock, his Grandfather Campbell having at an early day settled in section 33, Jefferson township, where he cleared and improved a homestead and on which he resided until his death.

Born in Ohio, Thomas Campbell was young when he was brought by his parents to Jefferson township. Growing to manhood on the 'home farm, he assisted in clearing it, and later was for many years actively engaged in the timber and ditching business, his working taking him into various parts of the state. He spent his last days in Warren, Indiana, dying March 27, 1907. In Jefferson township he married Nancy Hedrick, who is still living. Three children were born of their union: Margaret C.; Leah L. (who died at the age of ten years) and James W.

Choosing farming as his life occupation, he made a study of the different branches of agriculture, and when he had accumulated enough money wisely invested it in land. In 1890 he- bought his present farm in Jefferson township, where he owns two hundred and thirty-four and three-fourths acres of land, lying in the east half, southeast quarter of section 8, and in the east half of the northeast quarter of section 17, and a part of the northwest quarter of section 16. Since taking possession of his farm in 1891 Mr. Campbell erected a dwelling in the opening that he cleared, has tiled the land or ditched it, and each year adds to its improvements and value, as well as to its attractiveness.

Mr. Campbell married, July 14, 1883, Emma Johnson, who was born in Van Buren township, Grant county, Indiana, a daughter of William Johnson. Left motherless when she was an infant, she early developed a taste and talent for domestic duties, and at the age of eleven years was keeping house for her father, she being the youngest of a family of fourteen children. She subsequently worked for herself until her marriage. Four sons and two daughters have been born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, but the daughters, Nellie and Hazel E., died in infancy. The sons are: Burr E., of Jefferson township, who married Izora Cain; Cliff L., a resident of Illinois, who married Dessie Long; Russell H., of Jefferson township, who married Geraldine Mote; and Roy Mc., a pupil in the public schools.

Two years after his marriage Mr. Campbell commenced carrying the mail on the Star route from Pleasant Plain to Marion, and thus continued for two years. He then went to Warren and carried the mail from there to Huntington, and after four years there he in 1891 moved to his farm. In polities he is an adherent of the republican party. Religiously he and his wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as class leader for sixteen years and of which he is steward.