Kosciusko County, Indiana - The whole text, 1919 (part 9 of 11)

Some of the first things in the history of Clay Township revolve around the Caldwell family. His great-grandfather, Joshua Caldwell, came from West Virginia to Kosciusko County in January, 1837, and entered land near Claypool. He came along with members of the Minear family, who were also among the first pioneers of that township. History records that the first religious services were held in Joshua Caldwell's cabin in the winter of 1837, a Methodist missionary preaching. The first Sunday school was organized in the same cabin the next year.

Joshua Caldwell had two sons, Isaac and David. David died at the age of twenty-eight, leaving a son, David A., who is now living in Fort Wayne. Indiana. Isaac Caldwell married Eliza Jameson, and their two sons were William and Joshua V., the latter dying in 1884. William Caldwell, father of Leroy W., was born in Clay Township in October, 1852, grew up on the old farm and had a district school education. He married Anna Wells, a daughter of William P. and Almira (Truax) Wells. Her parents were also early settlers of Kosciusko County. William Caldwell and wife have two children, Leroy W. and Clare.

Leroy W. Caldwell, who was born on the old farm in Clay Township August 10, 1881, grew up in the country, attended the district schools, the Claypool High School, and later graduated A. B. from Indiana University. While in university he paid his way largely through his earnings as a teacher. He was principal of the Claypool High School, and for two years was a teacher in the Central High School at Pueblo, Colorado. He finally gave up the occupation of teacher and returned to Kosciusko County and engaged in farming. Besides his farm he is one of the directors of the State Bank of Claypool. Mr. Caldwell is a democrat in politics, is affiliated with Lake City Lodge No. 73, Free and Accepted Masons; Warsaw Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Warsaw Commandery No. 10, Knights Templar, and is also affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Warsaw, and is a member of the Kappa Sigma College fraternity.

In August, 1906, he married Anna Jaques. Mrs. Caldwell is a graduate of the Silver Lake High School. They have two children: William Isaac, born October 28, 1907; and Florrie C., born March 18, 1916.

JoeL F. THompson. A long life lived with honor, with fidelity to high principles, with worthy service to his family and his fellow men, has been that of Joel F. Thompson, one of the best known residents of Clay Township. His home is six miles southeast of Claypool, and he has been a resident of Kosciusko County more than half a century.

Mr. Thompson was born in Pennsylvania June 28, 1836, a son of William and Catherine (Young) Thompson, and a grandson of William Thompson, of English ancestry. His grandfather spent most of his life in Pennsylvania. His father, William Thompson, Jr., was apprenticed to the tailor's trade, but also lived on thirty acres of land and combined farm supervision along with tailoring. He and his wife were both active Methodists. They had a family of five children:

Sarah, widow of John-Chase, who now lives in Wisconsin; William, deceased ; Daniel W., who saw service as a Union soldier in the Civil war, 18 now married and lives in Clay Township of this county; John, who died in 1913; and Joel F.

Joel F. Thompson grew up in Pennsylvania and was educated by means of the subscription and public schools of his native state. When he was about seventeen years old he attended a high school in Pennsylvania, and soon afterward came to Indiana and entered upon a work that occupied him for twenty-eight years, that of teaching. With the exception of one term in Huntington County and one in Wabash County, all his work was done in Kosciusko County, and there are many people still living past middle age who have kindly and interesting memories of him as a teacher. This occupation he followed during the winter terms, and the rest of the year was a farmer.

In 1859 Mr. Thompson married Elizabeth Fisher. The following year he bought eighty acres of land covered with brush and timber, and in 1863 moved to the farm where he now lives in Clay Township, consisting of 200 acres. He also has another place of 120 acres north of the home farm. It was as a farmer that he acquired his substantial prosperity, and for many years he has lived in comfort and liberally provided for the children who grew up under his roof, and most of whom are now settled in homes of their own.

Mr. and Mrs. Thompson had ten children, and seven are still living. Sarah is the wife of Simon Shults, of Clay Township; Samuel is also a resident of Clay Township; Luella is the wife of Jacob Galls, of Seott Township; Calvin, a Clay Township farmer; Emma, wife of Layman Vance, who manages and lives on the home farm; Melissa, who is the wife of James Snoke, of Clay Township; and Marshall, who is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music and lives in Fort Wayne. The mother of these children, after more than half a century of happy married life, died in the fall of 1915.

Mr. Thompson is a member of the Presbyterian Church at Packertown, and was formerly one of the church trustees. In politics he is a democrat. He served one term as trustee of Jackson Township, and for two terms was honored with a similar office in Clay Township. He is also a stockholder in the Packertown Farmers Elevator Company.

Tomas B. HatrieELp. While Clay Township is noted for the fertility of its soil, the success which attends the labors of some of the agriculturists there cannot be altogether attributed to this fact. A thorough understanding of the principles of farming and the possession of the good judgment and the industry to apply them are, after all, the greatest factors in making a farmer's life pleasant and profitable. One of the intelligent, well informed farmers of this section 1s Thomas B. Hatfield, proprietor of Maple Grove Farm, situated a mile and a half west of Claypool, in Clay Township.

Mr. Hatfield was born in what is now Lake Township of Kosciusko County, January 31, 1856, son of Jacob and Lydia (Shook) Hatfield. The name Hatfield has been rather numerously and prominently identified with Kosciusko County from almost pioneer days. Jacob Hat- field and his wife were both natives of Ohio. He was born October 4, 1830, and died in 1880, and his wife was born May 24, 1835. Their respective families came to Kosciusko County in the early days, and Jacob and Lydia were married here. Much of their farming was done on the land now owned and occupied by their son Thomas. The parents were faithful members of the United Brethren Church at Center, and Jacob Hatfield was a loyal democrat. Jacob and Lydia Hatfield were splendid people, and the merit of their own lives and characters was transmitted to their children. The record of their children is a remarkable one, since there were eighteen sons and daughters, and most of them grew to maturity, and a number of them are still in Kosciusko County. The names of these children, with the dates of their birth and some other facts, are recorded as follows: Leander V., born May 27, 1854, a farmer in Clay Township ; Thomas B.; Sarah E. and Aurilla I., twins, born May 6, 1857, both now deceased ; Mary C., born December 16, 1858. wife of Z. Gunder, of Jackson Township ; Isaac E., born September 11, 1860, now deceased; Chester N., born May 8, 1862, a farmer in Jackson Township of Huntington County; Jacob M., born November 21, 1863, a resident of Indianapolis; Della E.. born September 9, 1866, deceased; Emma J., born March 7, 1865, wife of A. J. Gunter; Martha C., born September 2, 1868, wife of William Rhoads, of Onatechee, Washington; Alice E., born September 9, 1869, wife of George Maddux, of Plymouth, Indiana; Andrew D., born March 22, 1871, deceased; Phoebe V., born August 11, 1872, wife of Charles Ernsberger, of Elkhart, Indiana; Florence B., born July 23, 1874, deceased ; Rosella, born July 10, 1875, deceased; Laura E., born February 9, 1877; and Nora E., born July 31, 1879, deceased.

Thomas B. Hatfield grew up on the farm where he now resides. His education was supplied by the district schools, and at the age of eighteen he took an effective part in the handling of the home farm. About two years later he became a saw mill worker, and followed that occupation for eight or nine years. On December 24, 1886, Mr. Hatfield married Elnora Thompson. Mrs. Hatfield was born in Clay Township June 24, 1865, a daughter of D. W. and Anna (Fisher) Thompson, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Jackson Township of this county. Mrs. Hatfield was reared in Clay Township and was educated in the local schools there.

At the time of his marriage Mr. Hatfield became manager of the C. L. Lucas farm, but after two years moved to Jackson Township and bought a small tract of land, and lived there altogether for seventeen years. In 1910 he moved to his present place in Clay Township, the old Hatfield farm, and in the cultivation of its fertile acres he is finding ample return for his labors and is enjoying the comforts of one of the good country homes of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Hatfield are members of the United Brethren Church at Claypool. He is affiliated with Claypool Lodge No. 515, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is past noble grand. He is now and for a number of years has been quite active in the cause of temperance and the prohibition party.

a graduate of the common schools and wife of Charles Horner of Hegewisch. Illinois; Charles L., a soldier, who married Cordelia Jeffries; Lillie A., a graduate of the common schools, wife of Ernest Jameson, of Monroe Township ; James I., who represents the family with the United States armies in France; Daniel R., who lives in Clay Township and married Letitia Rhodes; Donald D.. a graduate of high

Levi F. CaurrMan is one of the men who are upholding the record of Kosciusko County as a great agricultural center, and is directing the productive forces of a fine farm of 200 acres in Clay and Luke townships, one and one half miles east and two miles south of Claypool, on rural route No. 2 out of that town.

Mr. Cauffman was born on a farm in Clay Township, August 26, 1869, a son of John and Eva (Sellers) Cauffman. His parents were both born in Pennsylvania, and after their marriage the father lived five years in Michigan and then came to Kosciusko County. He located two miles south of Claypool and here he spent the rest of his days. For fifteen years he was an ordained minister of the Evangelical Church, and served as a local preacher for a number of years in Koseiusko County. He had a fluent command of both the English and German languages, and conducted services in both tongues. He was twice married and by his first wife had five children. The children of his second marriage were: Michael A.. a farmer in Clay Township; Amelia, wife of Jacob O. Deaton, of Clay Township; Alice, deceased ; John A., present trustee of Clay Township; Nancy, who married Richard Brown and lives in Nebraska; Levi F'.: Pierce, who lives at Wabash. Indiana, and is track master for the Big Four Railway ; and Cora, wife of Silas Hill.

Levi F. Cauffman grew up on the old homestead two miles south of Claypool, attended the district schools there, and was identified with the work of the home farm for a number of years. On May 26. 1894, he established a home of his own by his marriage to Gertrude Bodkin. She was born in Clay Township. After their marriage they farmed the old Cauffman farm four years. then rented the Wilson farm, and gradually out of experience and their modest accumulations ventured to make their first purchase of thirtv-nine acres, going in debt for the land. After they had paid for it they sold and bought eighty acres contained in their present farm. This was their home for a year and a half. Mrs. Cauffman then inherited e'ghty acres of land, and together they bought forty acres adjoining, so that their present place comprises 200 acres.

Mr. and Mrs. Cauffman have two children. Flossie, born August 25, 1899, is a graduate of the common schools and still at home. Beulah was born May 10, 1906. Mr. Cauffman is a republican.

Tuomas W. Boacs, whose farm home is in Clay Township, five miles south of Warsaw, is a member of an old family of this county, where the people of that name have lived since this country was a wilderness of woods and swamp. What Kosciusko County is today is largely the reflection of the energies and activities and influences created by such sturdy and upright families as that given particular attention in this sketch.

The founder of the name here was Andrew Hamilton Boggs, whose death on his ninety-sixth birthday, March 7, 1917, removed perhaps the oldest pioneer from the county's citizenship. He was born in Jackson County, Ohio, March 7, 1821, son of Andrew and Susanna (Bowen) Boggs, who were natives of Greenbrier County, Virginia. Andrew Boggs, Sr., took his family to Indiana about 1825, living in Wayne and Henry Counties, where his wife died May 4, 1834. Soon after her death he moved to Blackford County, where he married a second time, and served for a period as associate judge of the County Court of Delaware County. He was also one of the proprietors of Hartford City, county seat of Blackford County. His long and useful life came to a close January 27, 1854.

Andrew H. Boggs had very limited educational opportunities, but nevertheless his powers of observation and keen intelligence elevated him to a position where he enjoyed the respect of the best 'citizens of his community. From the age of fourteen he was practically on his own resources. In the spring of 1835, with two brothers, he left Wayne County for LaPorte County, making the journey on foot. During the same year he made a further journey to the Miami Reserve at Peru, but in the fall of 1835 came to Kosciusko County and for a time made his home with his brother-in-law, Joel Long, Sr., near Leesburg. His principal asset was ability to work hard and untiringly, and many days he labored at wages of only twenty-five cents a day. This industry, coupled with integrity and thrift, brought him gradually up the road to independence. December 14, 1843, he married Miss Martha Ann Thomas, a native of Indiana and daughter of Antipas and Axsa Thomas, natives of Tennessee. The Thomas family also became residents of Kosciusko County in the fall of 1835. After his marriage Andrew H. Boggs lived on part of the Thomas farm, but soon afterwards engaged in the hotel business at Leesburg four years. He then resumed his residence in Prairie Township, and in 1868 moved from there to a farm near Clunette. In that locality his years were peacefully and usefully spent until his death. He was a man of very charitable disposition, was devout in his religious practices, and a democratic voter. His wife died June 3, 1886. Their children were: Axsa S., who now lives at Warsaw, widow of S. D. Anglin, a former county superintendent of schools in this county ; Thomas W.; John L., who married Rose Norris and lives in Monroe Township; Lucinda, deceased ; Samuel, of Kosciusko County ; Clinton, of Mentone, Indiana; Jennie, wife of Mr. Shinn, of Oklahoma; Rose, deceased ; and Harvey D., of Prairie Township.

Mr. Thomas W. Boggs was born on his father's place three miles west of Leesburg in March, 1849. He grew up there, attended the public schools, and from early manhood has been identified steadily with farming. Mr. Boggs and family now have 150 acres in Clay

Township, and it has been under his management as a general farm and stock proposition for many years. In politics he is a democrat. Mr. Boggs married Matilda Hildebrand. They became the parents of three children: Alice V. is the wife of Frank McKrill; Lillie is the wife of Joseph Huffer; Edward H. is a resident of Clay Township. The mother of these children died December 25, 1913. For his present

Wituiam HEtster has long enjoyed a substantial position in the community of Clay Township, where he has spent most of his active years, and is proprietor of a fine farm, well adapted to general agriculture and stock raising. This farm and his home are in section 6 of Clay Township, on rural route No. 4 out of Claypool.

Mr. Heisler was born in Stark County. Ohio, July 6, 1845, a son of John and Mary (Zeiders) Heisler. His father was a native of Germany and his mother of France. Both came to the United States when young people, were married in Stark County, Ohio, and in the fall of 1863 brought their family to Kosciusko County and located on the farm in Clay Township where their son William now resides. They were active members of the Lutheran Church, and the father was a democrat. In their family were five children: Catherine, now deceased, was twice married, her first husband being Mr. Byerly, and her second Mr. Valentine; Paulina lives in Clay Township, the widow of Sylvester Kinsey ; William is the third in age; Emanuel is a farmer near Hiawatha, Kansas; and John is a farmer near Etna Green, Indiana.

William Heisler was eighteen years old when he came to Kosciusko County, and his early education was acquired in the district schools of Ohio. He grew up inured to the rugged discipline of the farm, and made his home with his parents as long as they lived, and now owns 110 acres, including the old homestead.

Mr. Heisler married Mary Bules, and three children were born to them, two of whom are living. They are: Winfield, who is unmarried and still at home; and William, who lives in Seward Township and married Nora Saulsgoer. The mother of these children died and Mr. Heisler married for his present wife Ida Good. They have a son Charles, who is a graduate of the common schools, and Floyd, who is also still at home.

The family are members of the Lutheran Church. He has been a man of prominence in his locality, served four years as trustee of Clay Township, and also as a member of the advisory board. He votes as a democrat.

DanreL W. Smits is one of the more recent additions to the citizenship of Kosciusko County, and is especially well known in the Claypool community, where for several years he has been rendering the service of a general merchant.

(Musselwhite) Smith. Both parents are deceased, and their four children are: Laura, W. C., Daniel W. and Katie. Both daughters are married and living in the South. ;

Daniel W. Smith grew up on a farm, had a publie school education and attended a commercial college. He lived at home until nineteen years of age, and his first business experience was working in a grocery store for eighteen months. He then invested his modest capital in 110 acres of raw land, opened up part of it, and then sold at a handsome profit. Following that for ten years he was engaged in the woodworking business and made much headway as a furniture manufacturer. In July, 1911, Mr. Smith camé north and was located at Peru, Indiana, until January 1, 1912, when he came to Claypool. Here he bought a half interest in a general store, and on December 15, 1917, became its sole proprietor. He has a good business, and his patronage is steadily growing and extending over all the trade territory naturally tributary to Claypool.

September 10, 1910, Mr. Smith married Edna Mabel Black at Claypool. She was born in Seward Township of this county, and is a graduate of the Claypool High School. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the United Brethren Church at Claypool. He is a member of the Woodmen of the World, and Mrs. Smith is active in the Rebekahs. Politically he votes as a democrat.

Francis M. Downrne@ is well known in Kosciusko County as a former teacher, and is now senior partner of the firm Downing & Tucker, a progressive firm of merchants at Claypool.

Mr. Downing was born in Clay Township of this county January 8, 1874, son of Francis and Mary E. (Allison) Downing. His father was born near Newcastle, Indiana, May 15, 1847, and spent most of his boyhood near Swayzee, in Grant County, Indiana. At the age of twenty he married Miss Allison, who was born near Peru, in Miami County, Indiana. In 1868 they moved to Kosciusko County and located three miles east and a half a mile north of Claypool. At that time they had no resources and worked hard and saved in order to get a start. Francis Downing was one of the good farmers of the township, and also enjoyed a large practice as a veterinary surgeon. He died in December, 1911, and his widow is still living on the old farm. Both were members of the United Brethren Church. The father was a republican. Of their five children one died in infancy. The others are: Arthnr A., who lives near Dickinson, North Dakota; William H., of Clay Township; Francis M.; and Delia, wife of Calvin Thompson, of Clay Township.

Francis M. Downing grew up on the farm, and besides the district schools attended college at North Manchester, and through his own earnings paid his way through Valparaiso University. After graduating he taught school, and has seven terms of successful work to his credit. From teaching he engaged in business at Claypool.

November 18, 1899, Mr. Downing married Maude I. Arnold, who was born in the village of Claypool and was educated in the local schools. She is a daughter of M. W. and B. J. (Foust) Arnold, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Downing have two children: Donald, a graduate of the common schools and now a high school pupil, and Francis M., who is in the grade schools. Mrs. Downing is a member of the Christian Science Church. Mr, Downing is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge and Chapter at Warsaw, and also with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of the Maccabees. In the Odd Fellows he is a past noble grand and member of the Grand Lodge. Politically he votes as a republican.

Grorce B. Pontius. Since 1851 the name Pontius has figured prominently in the affairs of Clay Township, and in fact in the entire county. Members of this family did some of the pioneer work of clearing away the wilderness and making new farms, some of them have always been farmers and have lived in close touch with the soil, some have been business men, and all have represented that class of citizenship which means most to any progressive community. Mr. George B. Pontius represents the third generation of the family in Kosciusko County, and for many years he has been successfully engaged in business at Claypool, where he is owner of the Claypool Elevator.

His great-grandfather's name was Napoleon Pontius. His grandfather, David Pontius, was born in Ohio, in Pickaway County, and grew up in that state. In Seneca County he married Anna Helzel, who was born in Shenandoah County, Virginia, daughter of Henry Helzel. Henry Helzel became a prominent citizen of Noble County, Indiana, filled a number of places of public trust, including recorder, treasurer and tax collector, and collected taxes in the early days, riding horseback all over the county. David Pontius and wife had children named Susanna, Elizabeth, James, Rebecca, Amos, Lucinda, Isaac, Sarah, Huldah, Catherine and Henry. All were born in Ohio except Henry. In April, 1851, David Pontius and family located on a farm in Clay Township of Kosciusko County. He lived there until his death in 1871. Before Clay and Lake Townships were set off he served two terms as assessor of the district. He was a very consistent member of the United Brethren Church. His son Isaac died while a soldier in the Union Army in the Twelfth Indiana Infantry.

Amos Pontius, father of George B., was born in Ohio, and was thirteen years of age when the family came to Kosciusko County. He had a district school education, and after his marriage settled on a farm near Claypool. He also did business as contractor and builder at Warsaw and Pierceton, and in 1866 built a lumber mill in Franklin Township. It was in 1873 that he bought the interests of the other heirs in the homestead farm, and he lived there quietly engaged in the pursuits of agriculture until his death in 1915. He was a charter member of Claypool Lodge No. 515 of the Odd Fellows, served as its first secretary, and was a member of the Grand Lodge. He was a live and energetic democrat in politics, and a man distinguished always by good citizenship. In 1860 he married Miss Amanda M. Huff, who was born in Ashland County, 'Ohio, and was brought to Kosciusko County by her parents in 1858. She is still living at the old home. Amos Pontius and wife had four children: Oliver C., of Brown County,

George B. Pontius spent most of his boyhood on the old farm, attended district school during the winter time, and from the age of nineteen until twenty-eight lived at home and assisted his father in tending the crops. He then entered the livestock business, and for twenty years has had his home and interests concentrated at Claypool. Some years ago he bought the local elevator and a large part of the grain that goes to market every year from this vicinity is handled by him. He is also a stockholder of the State Bank of Claypool. In 1918 he contributed a hotel and two new business rooms to the village, and all that concerns the welfare of his community is a matter of deep interest to him. He is active as a democrat, is a member of the county committee, and attended the Baltimore Convention in 1912 when Woodrow Wilson was nominated. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Improved Order of Red Men, and the Knights of the Maccabees. He and his family are also identified with the United Brethren Church.

Mr. Pontius married Miss Eva Williams, a native of Kosciusko County, and a successful teacher before her marriage. They have two children. Delta is a graduate of the high school and specialized in music at the Indiana Central College, and is now the wife of Walter K. Lohr, of Claypool. Lowell B. is a graduate of high school and of the Fort Wayne Business College, and is associated with his father in the management of the Claypool Elevator.

Cuares KE. THomas, M.D. A very successful and talented physician and surgeon, Dr. Thomas has been a leader in his profession in Koscinsko County for a number of years, and has built up a large and successful practice at Leesburg. He is the present secretary and treasurer of the County Medical Society.

Dr. Thomas was born in Cass County, Indiana, December 7, 1874, son of Alvin H. and Sarah (Canine) Thomas. His father was a native of Preble County, Ohio, while his mother was born in Cass County, Indiana, where they married. Alvin Thomas went to Cass County when a youth, and at the age of seventeen volunteered for service in the Union Army, being a soldier for two years with the 130th Indiana Infantry. After the war he returned to Cass County, and in 1869 married and settled on a farm near Galveston. In 1887 he retired from the farm and moved to the village of Galveston, where he followed merchandising. He was always active in the Methodist Church and was a good, loyal democrat. In his family were four children, John O., a graduate of high school and now in the insurance business at Tipton, Indiana; Dr. Charles E.; Cora J., a graduate of high school and wife of Rev. T. J. Johnson, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Conference located at Fort Wayne; and Audra, a graduate of high seneel and stenographer with the Public Utility Company at Fort the Galveston High School. He also carried literary studies in the Indiana University and graduated from the Indiana Medical College at Indianapolis. Following his graduation he spent a year as interne in Hope Hospital, and was also an assistant at the Home for Feeble Minded. Dr. Thomas came to Leesburg in 1900, and his service and skill have been given every test of reliability and high minded professional conduct. He is a member in good standing of the various local and district medical societies and of the American Medical] Association. Dr. Thomas is now serving as president of the Board of Education of Leesburg. He is one of the official members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and for the past fifteen years has served as superintendent of the Sunday School. He is affiliated with Leesburg Lodge No. 182, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; is past chancellor of his Lodge of Knights of Pythias, and is a member of both the subordinate and encampment degrees of Odd Fellowship. Politically he is a republican.

Dr. Thomas married Ina B. Fettro, daughter of Rev. J. T. Fettro, for many years a minister of the Methodist Church. Mrs. Thomas was born at Mount Aetna in Huntington County, Indiana, and is a graduate of the Goshen High School and spent one year in DePauw University. Doctor and Mrs. Thomas have two children, Everett Winton and Frances E., the former aged ten and the latter six years.

CuarLrks THomas is one of the best known business men of Leesburg, has been a general merchant there for sixteen years, and is now postmaster. He represents one of the oldest families of Kosciusko County, one that was established in Plain Township more than eighty years ago. ;

His grandfather, Antibas Thomas, was a native of North Carolina. About 1828 he moved with his parents to Union County, Indiana, and in 1834 settled in the wilderness of Kosciusko County, where he spent his last days. He died in 1838.

Andrew J. Thomas, father of the Leesburg postmaster, was born in Prairie Township of Kosciusko County November 25, 1835, the youngest of thirteen children. He grew up in a frontier district, attended the common schools, and in the fall of 1861 enlisted in the Second Indiana Cavalry. He was with his regiment in many campaigns and in much scouting service, and during the advance upon Atlanta he had a horse shot from under him and was captured by the enemy and was a prisoner of war at Andersonville from July, 1864, until February, 1865, when he was exchanged. At the close of the war he received an honorable discharge and returning to Kosciusko County, married and engaged in farming. He was one of the valued and esteemed residents of the county. His death occurred in May, 1887. Politically he was ademocrat. He married Cynthia Inman, and of their six children four are still living: Charles; George, a farmer and stock buyer at Leesburg; Jennie, living at Warsaw, widow of Milo Hunter; and Nellie, who is deputy postmaster under her brother. } farm and his ambition for an education and a place in the world exceeded the opportunities afforded by the common schools. He graduated with the degree Bachelor of Science from the Tri-State Normal at Angola, and for six years was a teacher in the high school at Oswego. From teaching he got into business and for many years has been one of the leaders in affairs at Leesburg.

July 28, 1914, he married Miss Bertha Stanton. They have one son, Charles S.. born October 26, 1917. Mr. Thomas is past chancellor of Lodge No. 192 of the Knights of Pythias and has sat in the Grand Lodge. Politically he has always been active as a democrat and for four years was trustee of Plain Township, and received his appointment to the office of postmaster to fill a vacancy on August 1, 1914.

Grorce M. Nener. For fity or sixty years the name Neher has been identified with the agricultural enterprise of Kosciusko County, and the old homestead in Jefferson Township which was cleared and developed by William Neher and was subsequently owned and greatly improved by George M. Neher is now occupied by the third generation of the family. George M. Neher recently retired from the farm and since March, 1917, has enjoyed the comforts of a good town home at Milford.

He was born on the old farm in Jefferson Township, Milford County, July 26, 1865, a son of William and Martha (Teeple) Neher. His father was born in Stark County. Ohio, in 1836. and is still living at the advanced age of eighty-two. He eame to Indiana at the age of sixteen, lived in Marshall County for several years, and at the age of twenty-three came to Kosciusko County. Here he married and settled on a farm in Jefferson Township, and was identified with its cultivation and management until about fifty-five years old. since which time he has lived in Milford. He is a member of the Christian Church and a democrat in politics. His wife died in Milford some years ago. Of the four children, three are still living: Mary, widow of G. W. Pinkerton, of Jefferson Township; Emma, widow of James Pinkerton, formerly of Jefferson Township, her present home being in Milford; and George M.

George M. Neher grew up on the old farm, attended the district schools until about sixteen years old, and helped work the farm until he was of age.

On October 20. 1888, Mr, Neher married Rache] Estep. She was born in Virginia October 7, 1871, and was a small girl when her parents, William E. and Hannah (Beeler) Esten. came to Indiana from Virginia and settled in Prairie Township of Kosciusko County. Mrs. Neher's parents were both born in Virginia, and the father was a farmer. The family were members of the Baptist Church. He died aged sixty-eight and the mother died in her severitieth year. They were a well known, honored and highly respected family. They were the parents of fourteen children, twelve of whom grew to maturity and ten are living at this writing. Mrs. Neher is the seventh child and was but six years old when she came to Indiana. She attended the district schools of that township and of Jefferson Township.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Neher rented the old homestead, and later they bought and acquired that property, which comprises 120 acres of highly cultivated land in Jefferson Township.

On that farm their only daughter, Zona M., was born and has spent practically all her life. She is a graduate of the common schools and of the South Bend Business College, and is now the wife of Cash Arnold. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold now have the active superintendence of the farm in Jefferson Township. They have two children: Verona S., born December 25, 1910; and Elwood C., born February 12, 1914. The family are members of the Christian Church at Milford, and Mr. Neher is a democrat in politics.

JAMES T. SHEParRD, of Milford, has disproved the oft repeated assertion that an educator is not a practical business man. In fact he showed a high degree of administrative and executive ability during his superintendence of the Milford public schools, and since resigning his post in, school work has been even more notably engaged in the practical affairs of business at Milford, where among other relations he is cashier of the Farmers State Bank.

Mr. Shepard was born in Pike County, Indiana, November 23, 1879, son of R. W. and Mary A. (McCleary) Shepard. His parents were both natives of Pike County, the former born in 1851 and the latter in 1853. They have spent most of their lives in that county as farmers, and now live in Southern Indiana. They had six children, five of whom are still living: William, James T., Flora, Hattie and Luther.

James T. Shepard was reared on his father's farm, and the opportunities he received in the district schools were improved further by attending high school at Spurgeon, Indiana. Later he entered the State Normal School, graduating with the class of 1908. Mr. Shepard edme to Milford to take the superintendence of the local schools and filled that office seven years. When he began his work Milford was maintaining a two year high school. Under his leadership the community put up a new school building, and while he was still superintendent the high school was placed on the roll of commissioned high schools of Indiana.

On leaving school work Mr. Shepard became one of the principal organizers of the Farmers State Bank. It was organized in May, 1916, with the following officers: J. B. Neff, president ; Moses F. Lentz, vice president ; James T. Shepard, cashier and director; Harlan H. Sharp, Harry R. Phend; George Krull, Perry Hoover, E. W. Felkner and James F. Peterson.

Mr. Shepard is also one of the directors of the Milford Grain & Milling Company, a director in the Milford Loan & Investment Ccmpany, and a director of the Milford Commercial Club. In 1909 he married Miss Ina M. Shoeman. She is a graduate of the Columbia City High School of Columbia, and spent three years in the State Normal. They have one son, James S., born in January, 1915. The family are members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Shepard is also affiliated with Milford Lodge No. 478, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, zs a past grand, and in politics is a democrat.

Harry R. Puenp represents one of the oldest families of Kosciusko County, and his own life and accomplishments have been on a plane consistent with the family-record. He is one of the leading business men of Milford, being manager of the Royal Telephone Company and connected with several other local industries.

His great-grandparents were John and Susanna (Kibley) Phend, both natives of Switzerland, where they were married in 1824. In 1832 they brought their family from Canton Berne to America, first locating in Carroll County, then in Greene County, Ohio, and in 1852 moving to Marshall County, Indiana, where John Phend died in December, 1859.

Jacob Phend, grandfather of Harry R., was born in Canton Berne, Switzerland, June 14, 1827. and was five years of age when brought to this country. In Carroll County, Ohio, August 27, 1847, he married Louisa Fisher, daughter of Michael and Christina (Houck) Fisher, both natives of Germany. In 1849 Jacob Phend moved to Indiana, in 1851 located in Marshall County, and in 1868 came to Kosciusko County and bought 120 acres of sparsely improved land in section 11 of Scott Township. He built a fine residence and developed a farm which was well considered one of the best in the township. He was a republican and he and his wife were members of the Evangelical Church. He spent his last years at Nappanee, Indiana. He and his wife had seven children: John, born August 1, 1848; Christian D., born May 12, 1851; Samuel. born July 6, 1854; William, born September 6, 1856, and died in 1857; Jacob J., born August 22, 1859; Sophia L., born November 9, 1862; and Henry A., born November 7, 1865.

Christian D. Phend, who was born on the old farm in Scott Township, grew up there, had a district school education, and was actively identified with farming in the township until 1898, when he removed to Nappanee, Indiana, where he is still living. He is an active member of the United Brethren Church. Christian D. Phend married Mary McConnell, and they became the parents of nine children, seven of whom are still living: Clarence D., a Presbyterian minister; M. Ora, a farmer in the State of Washington; Harry R.; Waldo. a farmer in Iowa; Hattie, wife of John Rhodes, a farmer in Marshall County, Indiana; Iva, wife of Frank Wehrley, of Nappanee, Indiana; Belle, wife of A. L. Miller, a farmer in Iowa.

Mr. Harry R. Phend was born in Scott Township of Kosciusko County September 25, 1885. He had a farm training and was edueated in the local district schools and the high school at Nappanee. He was not yet of age when his work and energies were directed into the - telephone business, and he is a past master and expert in every phase of telephone construction and operation. He began as a lineman at Nappanee, and for several years did line work, finally being promoted to wire chief. He came to Milford on April 14, 1910, to superintend the Royal Telephone Company. This is a corporation, the executive officers of which are: Jacob B. Neff. president ; Egbert Gawthrop. secretary; E. W. Higbee, treasurer; Harry R. Phend, manager, and besides these the directors are John Defreese, George Krull, Milo Geyer and William H. Neff.

Mr. Phend is also local manager for Hawk's Electric Company of Goshen and is proprietor of the Milford Electric Company. He is a director of the Farmers State Bank of Milford, is vice president aud one of the directors of the Milford Grain and Milling Company, and is generally looked upon as one of the most capable young business men of this locality.

Mr. Phend married Mary E. Parker. She was born in Marshall County, Indiana, is a graduate of the Bourbon High School and holds the collegiate degree Bachelor of Science. For eight years she was a successful teacher. They have two children: Mary A., born May 3, 1915, and Parker H., born in April, 1918. Mr. and Mrs. Phend are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and he is trustee and secretary of the official board. He is a past master of the Masonic Lodge at Nappanee, member of Syracuse Chapter Royal Arch Masons, and the Knight Templar Commandery at Warsaw.

JEHU BEER is proprietor of one of the profitable and interesting industries of Milford, being a manufacturer of circus supplies. He is a man who has made his own opportunities in the world and has promoted himself by his determination and efforts to a commendable place in his home community.

Mr. Beer was born in Richland County, Ohio, November 25, 1871, son of Hans and Ursula (Lantz) Beer. The parents were both born in Switzerland, his father January 1, 1835, and his mother on the same date. They grew up and married in their native country and in 1867 brought their family to America, first locating in Richland County, Ohio. Hans Beer was a cooper by trade. In 1873 he removed to West Virginia, living there until 1897, when he came to Kosciusko County and had his home in Milford until his death in 1917. He and his wife were members of the New Apostolic Christian Church. They had a family of five sons and five daughters, eight of whom are still living: Elizabeth, wife of John Fuhrer; Mary, wife of Godfrey Witchey ; Jonathan, of Milford: David. of Mansfield, Ohio; John; Christian, a farmer in Jackson Township of Elkhart County; Emma, still at home; Elsworth, a farmer in Jackson Township of Elkhart County; and Jehu.

Mr. Jehu Beer received most of his schooling in Ohio and it was largely through his own efforts that he acquired a good practical education. He learned by experience and study the profession of stationary engineer, and holds a state license in Ohio. After a number of years of varied experience elsewhere he came to Milford and in the spring of 1910 established a manufacturing plant for the making of circus supplies. This business he has brought to successful proportions. Mr. Beer is a republican and a member of the New Apostolic Christian Church.

JeRoME H. Lones. It is truly the individual and exceptional case when a man ean point to nearly a third of a century of continuous service for one organization or in one position. That is one of the distinctions of Mr. Lones' citizenship in Warsaw, where ever since August

30, 1883, he has been local agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. To a great many people in Warsaw Mr. Lones is the Pennsy]- vania Railroad Company, having served as its representative so long that to think of the Pennsylvania Company is also to think of its genial and energetic agent. Furthermore, Mr. Lones has been very closely and actively identified with the material progress and development of the city. and is one of the most highly esteemed as he is one of the best known men of Warsaw.

The lesson of his career should not he Jost as an example to young men who have to take up the responsibilities of life with little training and with no influence to advance them. He was born on a farm in Crawford County, Ohio. Angust 20, 1853, the eldest of three children of Harrison and Celia (Benson) Lones. When he was eighteen months old his parents moved out to Iowa by way of Cincinnati and the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, but owing to the continued ill health of his mother they remained onlv a short time and returned to Ohio, taking up residence in Wvandotte Countv. There the father died in 1859, and for a number of vears thereafter the members of the little household suffered many hardships and privations Jn the meantime Jerome H. Lones managed to attend the local public schools and gained the rudiments of an education. At the age of sixteen he left home, and spent several months as a corn husker near Watsekr. Illinois, but in the ensuing spring returned home and looked after the operation of the old homestead during the next season. However. he could not content himself with the narrow horizon of an Ohio farm, and it was through a better education that he could see the vista of greater opportunities opening before him. By economy and hard work he managed to pay his way for three years in the Northern Ohio College at Ada, where he showed special proficiency and gained honors in mathematics. While in college his mother died. and not long afterwards he had to determine his future location. There were two forces that appealed to him, either to gain a place as a bank cashier w'th its consequent possibilities, or to engage in railroad service. Before he could make a beginning in either career, he needed business trainine. and consequently taught school and with the earnings of that work and with some money which he borrowed paid his way through the long course at the Iron City Business College. Then there was another season at home, when le dug ditches and husked corn, and finally he was able to attempt the realization of his dreams. He went to Fort Wayne, made application for employment with the Pennsylvania Company, but he was promptly refused owing to his ack of knowledge of telegraphy. Undoubtedly one of the qualities which have enabled him to succeed was a persistencv in the face of discouragement. Turned back at one point, he applied for another line of work, and finally went on the road as a freight brakeman. After thirteen months he was given employment in the freight office as a clerk, and was promoted to assistant cashier. Then, having demonstrated his capabilities and his reliability, he came to Warsaw in 1883 as station agent. This position he has held ever since with credit to himself and satisfaction to his company, and while nominally his duties have been the same,

Unlike many men in the railroad service who are content to isolate themselves from the community which they serve and become merely a cog in the routine of the corporation which employs them, Mr. Lones has from the first identified himself with local citizenship. For years he has contributed from his means and his experience to the aid of all worthy enterprises undertaken in Warsaw. He was one of the organizers of the modern Commercial Club. He also helped in the organization and is one of the principal stockholders and vice president of the Indiana Loan and Trust Company. In polities he has always been identified with the republican party. Fraternally he is a thirtysecond degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Knight Templar, and also a member of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. For his helpmate through life he was fortunate in the selection of Miss Jennie Logan, of Fort Wayne, whom he married in 1878.

Davip Barr. Thirty-five years of continuous residence on one farm in Washington Township gives Mr. David Barr the characteristics of a man of settled purpose and permanent possessions and activities, and he is in fact one of the men upon whom some of the larger responsibilities of agricultural production in this part of Kosciusko County have devolved.

He was born at Warsaw January 23, 1871, son of Isaac N. and Hester D. (Baker) Barr. Both parents were natives of Ohio but were brought to Kosciusko County in youth and after their marriage settled in the City of Warsaw. Isaac Barr was a successful teacher and taught in the public schools of Warsaw until his death. He died when his son David was eighteen months old. The mother, an active member of the Christian Church, died in 1880. They had four children: Ollie, formerly a teacher and now wife of William Botkins; Dora, a graduate of the Tri-State Normal School at Angola and now for a number of years a teacher of fourth grade in Warsaw; Melvin, of Warsaw ; and David.

Mr. David Barr was reared partly in Warsaw and partly on a farm and received his education in the country and city public schools. After reaching manhood he engaged in farming, and thirty-five years ago came to his present place in Washington Township. Mr. Barr has combined crop raising with good livestock and for a number of years specialized in the famous O. I. C. hogs. He is active in agricultural affairs and is treasurer of the Oak Grove Grange in Washington Township. He is a democrat and is affiliated with the Loyal Order of Moose and the Fraternal Order of Eagles at Warsaw.

RvpoteH Hurrer, Sr. When Rudolph Huffer died at his home in Harrison Township September 29, 1911, there could be only affection and esteem for the memory of a man who had lived so long and so usefully in Kosciusko County. Ife was one of the early settlers and his life was a link between the earliest pioneers and the present generation. While there were few abnormal and conspicuous events in his life, he deserves the full complement of praise for the manner in which he went about performing his duties and obligations and his quiet courage and persistency in the face of many obstacles which he overcame in his youth. This is a family that has properly won a place among the leading households in Kosciusko County. Nearly all the children of the late Rudolph Huffer now have substantial homes and places of honor in their respective communities in Kosciusko County, and one of the widely known citizens in the county now is a son, Jacob D. Huffer, the present sheriff.

The late Rudolph Huffer, Sr., was a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His father, Daniel Hoffer, as the family name was then spelled, was born in Germany and came to America when a small boy, became a farmer, and finally moved to Fairfield County, Ohio, where he died. Rudolph Huffer, who was born February 6, 1832, was a very small boy when he went with his parents to Ohio and when he was about nine years of age his father died. In consequence from that time forward his life was one of no little hardship and adversity. He gained a home and food by employment as a chore boy, but his educational opportunities were exceedingly limited. He had the inheritance of a sturdy nature, developed good habits, and throughout his life was a man of the most honorable principles and character. In that period of his life when most boys are in school he was industriously learning the blacksmith's trade, and in 1849, at the age of seventeen, came with a married sister, Mrs. Mary East, to Kosciusko County. Kosciusko County was then only a little way removed from the wilderness conditions which the first pioneers had found here. The first winter he spent in working at his trade in Clunett, and he then removed to Warsaw. For a number of years he followed his trade in that city, and it is said that he built the first cast spindle wagon ever manufactured in this county.

In a few years he was esteemed for his excellent craftsmanship and his reliability, and was in a position where he was justified in establishing a home of his own. Then, in 1855, he married Miss Sarah Stamets (sometimes spelled Stamate). He continued working at his trade in Warsaw for several years, but finally sold his shop and closed out other local interests and invested in a farm in Prairie Township, two and one half miles northwest of Warsaw. That was his home for nine years. He next bought and moved to a farm in Monroe Township, and still later to Harrison Township, in which community he spent the remainder of his days.

The late Mr. Huffer should be remembered as a man gifted with an unusual degree of good, sound, practical sense, and for this reason if for no other he was naturally a leader in any community in which he made his home. In politics he adopted for himself the principles and policies of the republican party at the time of its organization, and exemplified the best qualities of good citizenship. His most important official service was as trustee of Harrison Township. He was industrious, thorough in everything he did, and this quality, combined with good management, enabled him to accumulate a sufficient competency.

He and his wife became the parents of eleven children, all of whom they reared to maturity, and they thus founded a sturdy generation whose descendants will look back and honor these Kosciusko County pioneers for years to come. All the children married and had families, and nine of them are still living. A brief record of the family is as follows: Jacob D.; Horton C., who is now serving as deputy sheriff at Warsaw and married Jennie Haines; Sarah C., wife of Charles Vandermark, a farmer of Harrison Township; Gertrude. wife of James Fawley, a Harrison Township farmer; Sherman, a farmer in Monroe Township, who married a Miss Smith, now deceased; Charles D., who is a farmer in Franklin Township and married Effie Blue; Lawrence, who died in September, 1907, married Ida Tucker; Joseph E., a farmer in Harrison Township, married Lillie Boggs; Mary J., now Mrs. Tilden Milburn, of Harrison Township ; Edmund R.., of Harrison Township, married Nora Stickler; and Pearl C., Mrs. Rowland Anglin of Wayne Township. To the mother of this family enough praise cannot be given. She bore her part with uncomplaining cheerfulness in the time of adversity, helped to provide a living for her rapidly increasing household, and in the early days wove cloth and made clothing for the entire family. Her house was invariably neat and clean, and she was one of the model old fashioned housewives of whom so much has been written in history and fiction. At one time her parents came to live in the Huffer home, and though their presence increased the burdens upon her own shoulders, she bore that as everything else with a sense of devotion to duty which could be regarded with nothing short of admiration. She was an active member of the Christian Church, and in that faith she died July 27, 1915.

The oldest son and representative of the family of the late Rudolph Huffer is Jacob D. Huffer. the present sheriff of Kosciusko County. He was born June 1, 1856, in Warsaw, but his early experience and associations were centered around the old homestead in Harrison Township. He attended the common schools there, and the publie schools in Warsaw, and afterward for nineteen consecutive years he taught two terms of school each year. After that he was long associated with his brother Horton C. in the livery business at Warsaw. He has well merited the confidence and trust of the people of Kosciusko County who in 1914 elected him sheriff, and to that office he is now giving all his time and attention. , }

In politics Mr. Huffer is a republican, and is a member of the Knights of Pythias. On May 5, 1895, he married Miss Maggie A. Sellers. They both have membership in the Christian Church.

Lucius C. Wann. While there is hardly anyone in the city of Warsaw not acquainted with the genial postmaster, it is worth while to record briefly some of the main features of his career, which for many years has been identified with Kosciusko Coutny. He is, in fact, a native son, and it was fully sixty years ago that the name first beeame identified with this section of Indiana, then comparatively a

It was in Franklin Township of Kosciusko County that Lucius C. Wann was born February 3, 1861. His father, Amos Wann, was born in Pennsylvania, of Pennsylvania Dutch stock, was reared there, but in 1856 came to Indiana. He was a man of considerable mechanical enterprise, and started a steam sawmill in Franklin Township which served to work up some of the splendid forest material in that vicinity and furnished lumber for the construction of many of the early homes and other buildings. Subsequently he moved to Marshall County, and was engaged in merchandising at Tippecanoetown. There he passed away in 1876. Amos E. Wann married Sophia Shuman. She subsequently married for her second husband Simeon Blue, and she died at Warsaw in 1912.

While he was born in Kosciusko County, Lucius C. Wann spent most of his early youth up to manhood in Marshall County. He attended the primary schools of Tippecanoetown, and for two years was a student in the old Methodist Episcopal College at Fort Wayne. Before gaining the altitude of man's estate Mr. Wann engaged in merchandising in Tippecanoetown, and continued there until 1881, after which he moved his enterprise to Claypool. Selling out his interests there, Mr. Wann in 1886 came to Warsaw, and that city has now been his home for over thirty years. His first work was traveling on the road and handling teas and coffees, but a few years later he became a merchant in chinaware, and continuously for eighteen years he was in that line of business. On May 4, 1914, Mr. Wann received appointment as postmaster at Warsaw, and since then has given a very close attention to the details of that office and has already instituted some

In many ways his influence has helped to make the modern Warsaw. He was one of the organizers and since organization has been a director of the Warsaw Chamber of Commerce. He has served as chairman of the Democratic County Central Committee, and in Masonry is affiliated with the Lodge, Royal Arch Chapter, Knight Templar Commandery and the Eastern Star, and has served as worshipful master of the lodge, and as eminent commander of Warsaw Commandery No. 10.

On May 1, 1884, he married Miss Retta M. Burket, daughter of Dr. Benjamin Burket of Warsaw. The three sons of their marriage are: Louis, Harry V. and Frank B. Mr. Wann and family are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is a trustee, and is also a member and secretary of the Building Committee which at this writing has in charge the erection of the new Methodist Church at Warsaw.

BENJAMIN BurKet, M. D. In recalling the older physicians of Kosciusko County some particular attention should be paid to the memory of the late Dr. Benjamin Burket, who devoted many years to

He was born in Wayne County, Indiana, in 1829, a son of Nathaniel Burket, who married a Miss Kessler. His parents were members of the Dunkard Church, and were substantial farming people. In their home near Hagertown Doctor Burket was reared and educated, and he did not take up a professional career until he had passed the age of thirtyfive. In the meantime he had been identified with farming, and also became a skillful carpenter,

About 1858 Doctor Burket moved to Kosciusko County and was first known in this county as an industrious carpenter. About 1865 he began reading medicine at home, and subseauenty gave it a more systematic attention under the direction of Dr. Calvin W. Burket, a nephew, who was then engaged in practice at Warsaw. During the winter of 1866-67 he took his first course of lectures in the medical department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and subsequently attended the Indiana Medical College of Indianapolis. where he was regularly graduated. Doctor Burket for many years practiced his profession in different towns, including Knox, Bourbon. Leesburg and Warsaw, and it was in Warsaw that he spent his last days.

He was an esteemed member of the Kosciusko County Medical Society, was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. and his church was the Methodist. He married Catherine Holman. There were two children by 'that union: Retta is now the wife of Mr. L. C. Wann of Warsaw. Charles Edwin, the only son, is now a practicing dentist at Spokane, Washington.

Jacosp C. McLaueuuin. It would not be possible to name a better known citizen at Milford than Jacob C. McLaughlin, a veteran business man, lawyer and former public official, whose citizenship and relations with that community run back practically seventy years and actively for more than half a century.

Mr. McLaughlin was born in Pennsylvania November 21, 1843, a son of Martin H. and Priscilla (Edmunson) McLaughlin. His grandfather fought as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. Martin H. Me- Laughlin was reared and educated in Pennsylvania and had a liberal training and at one time was a teacher. He married in his native state, and on March 29, 1848, he and his family arrived in Kosciusko County. They established their home on the north bank of Turkey Creek, near Milford, and in a short time Martin McLaughlin was busily identified with local and pioneer affairs. He was a school teacher, also helped survey some of the first ditches in the county, and was a man of influence in the whig and republican parties. He died February 18, 1869, and his wife on May 25, 1860. They had eleven children, tive of whom are still living: Emma, wife of George Stuckman. and she is now eighty-three years of age; Mary is the wife of Jerre Stephenson, a former sheriff of Kosciusko County; Jacob C.; George W., of Elkhart County; and Catherine, wife of Tom Boulton, of Warsaw, pester C. McLaughlin was a child a little past four years of age when his parents came to Kosciusko County. He grew up near Milford, and attended school in an old frame building. His vacations. were spent on the home farm and his early experiences gave him a good substantial training for the long career he has had. On December 26, 1864, when a little past twenty years of age, he enlisted in Company I of the Twenty-ninth Indiana Infantry, and saw some of the concluding service of the great rebellion. He was mustered out June 26, 1865. .

The war over, he returned to Kosciusko County and for a year owned a half interest in a harness shop at Milford. He then bought a half interest in a boot and shoe store and gave his attention to that business for fifteen months. Later he took up fire insurance, and is one of the oldest insurance agents in Kosciusko County, still handling the business for one or two companies at Milford. He has always been interested in polities, and served eight years as justice of the peace, and as alternate delegate to republican national convention in 1912. By private study and practical experience Mr. McLaughlin qualified himself for the legal profession, and was admitted to the bar of both Elkhart and Kosciusko counties. He has practiced law for many years at Milford, and still handles his practice and is busied with many private investments. He owns the McLaughlin Block, which was erected in 1902, and has two other business rooms at Milford.

November 2, 1871, he married Sara A. Potter. By a previous marriage she is the mother of Dr. J. E. Potter, of Milford, who was reared and educated in the home of Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin. They have one daughter, Maude L., a graduate of the Milford High School and of the Chicago Musical College. She also attended Northwestern University two summers. She is well known in Milford as teacher of music and English in the high school. Mrs. McLaughlin and her daughter are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Fraternally he is a past noble grand of Milford Lodge No. 478, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, has sat in the Grand Lodge, and is now adjutant and past commander of the Grand Army Post. In politics he is a republican.

Homer LOoNGFELLOW. The present generation of Kosciusko County citizens needs no introduction to Homer Longfellow, who at the time this publication is being prepared is worthily and competently filling the position of prosecuting attorney. His large circle of friends speak admiringly of his qualifications as a lawyer, his trustworthiness in all responsibilities, and the vigorous manner in which he has handled the affairs of his office.

A native of Indiana, he was born in Noble County March 8, 1873, a son of David S. and Sarah E. Longfellow. His father was a farmer and settled in Noble County in 1853, spending most of his life there and passing away in 1904.

It was on the old farm in Noble County that Homer Longfellow spent his youth, with an environment such as many successful professional men have had and from which he derived strength of body and |. vigor of mind. Up to the age of seventeen he attended district schools.

He worked hard to gain an education, and first pursued his higher studies in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, where he remained one year, then was out of school a year and taught, following which he returned to the Ohio Wesleyan and was graduated A. B. in the class of 1898. The next four or five years were spent in educational work. He was superintendent of the Bethel Township schools in Clark County, Ohio, and principal of the township high school until he resigned to take up the study of law

Admitted to the bar in Kosciusko County in 1905, Mr. Longfellow began practice at South Bend, but was there only a short time before he located in Pierceton. Pierceton was his home from J anuary 1, 1906, to January 1, 1915, and at the latter date he came to Warsaw to tae office of prosecuting attorney, to which he had been elected in

WILLIAM W. KIRKPaTRICK represents a family that has been identified with Kosciusko County more than eighty years. He is one of the prosperous farmers of Washington Township and his rural home, marking the best improvements and developments and productiveness, is situated two and one half miles north of Pierceton.

His great-grandfather, John Kirkpatrick, was born in the highlands of Scotland and came to the American colonies in 1775 at the beginning of the Revolutionary war. He first settled in Pennsylvania, afterwards moved to near Lexington, Kentucky, and in 1804 bought land adjacent to what is now the City of Springfield, Ohio, where he died.

The grandfather of Mr. Kirkpatrick was John Kirkpatrick who was born in Kentucky March 6, 1795. He moved with his parents to Greene County, Ohio, afterwards went with them to Clark County, and on November 15, 1817, he married Jane Cowan. She was born in Kentucky September 26, 1798, and was reared in Clark County, Ohio. Her father, William Cowan, was born in Pennsylvania in 1768 and died in Kosciusko County, Indiana. John Kirkpatrick died in Clark County, Ohio, August 17, 1826, leaving his widow and six children.

One of these children was the late William Kirkpatrick, who was born in Clark County, Ohio, July 19, 1822. He came to Kosciusko County on September 20, 1836, and lived with his mother and four sisters in section 25 of Plain Township. His mother had entered 160 acres of land there in 1836, and this is one of the early records of land entry in that section of the county. William Kirkpatrick was only fourteen years old when he came to this county, and due to circumstances of the fact that very few schools were maintained his early education was limited. He worked the land under the direction of his mother until sixteen, after which he managed the place for himself.

February 18, 1847, William Kirkpatrick married Miss Ann Pierce, who was born in Clark County, Ohio, March 6, 1824, but at the time of her marriage was living in Madison County, Ohio. Her parents were Moses R. and Mary (Cowan) Pierce, while her grandnarents were Gilbert and Sarah (Quimby) Pierce. Gilbert Pierce was a native of Massachusetts and died at Springfield, Ohio, in 1845. His wife was born February 23, 1769, and died in Ohio in 1839. Thus these family records go back into American citizenship to the time of the Revolution and even earlier. ;

After their marriage William Kirkpatrick and wife went to housekeeping on a rented farm, but the next year bought 100 acres in sections 24 and 19, Plain Township. William Kirkpatrick buiJt in section 19 a substantial hewed log house a story and a half high, which made a very comfortable home. They lived in that house until 1883, nearly thirty-five years. They then moved to Washington Township, owning a farm in section 10, and lived here until his death on March 26, 1898. His wife passed away February 27, 1892. They were among the very elect of the substantial farming population of Kosciusko County and their names and records deserve a prominent place in this history. They were members of the Presbyterian Church and William Kirkpatrick served as an elder of the church and was a democrat in politics. They became the parents of nine children, four of whom are still living: Sarah J., who was born September 5, 1852, and lives at Warsaw, widow of John T. Gilliam; Margaret E., who was born July 21, 1857, and is unmarried and lives with her brother William W.; M. Pierce, who was born October 30, 1860, and married Hortense Crawford. of Pierceton; and William W. The deceased children are: John. W, born June 8, 1848, died April 4 1849; Mary E., born February 16, 1850, died December 12, 1861; Eliza A., born January 12, 1855; was married, September 24, 1879, to Samuel B. Long, and she died January 10, 1914; Eunice A., born July 25, 1865, died May 7, 1884; and Alvin W., born December 25, 1867, died August 18, 1872.

William W. Kirkpatrick was born in Tippecanoe Township of this county February 5, 1863, and lived among the old home surroundings in that locality until he was twenty years old. In 1883 he accompanied his parents on their removal to Washington Township, and here he made his first essay as a practical and independent farmer. On November 18, 1896, Mr. Kirkpatrick married Nettie Goshert, who was born in Prairie Township of this county September 9, 1874. Her parents were Jasper and Electa (Hall) Goshert. Her father was born in Prairie Township September 9, 1845, just twenty-nine years to the day before the birth of his daughter. The mother was born in Prairie Township December 18, 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Goshert married September 11, 1873, and were the parents of three daughters: Mrs. Kirkpatrick ; Pearl, who married Eugene Harley and is now deceased ; and Edith, wife of Professor Edwin Germann, of Fort Wayne. The children of Mr. and Mrs, William W. Kirkpatrick are: Edith Hope, born May 17, 1899, and William Merrill, born November 27, 1900. Both graduated from Pierceton High School and Edith Hope is teaching. Merrill is at home on the farm.

Epmonp C. Doxr. There is no citizen of Washington Township who more thoroughly enjoys the esteem and respect of his fellow citizens than Edmond C. Doke. He is a native of Kosciusko County and now occupies one of the best homesteads in the township. His individual prosperity has not been accomplished without benetit to the community in which he has lived, and his enterprise has been one of the stimulating factors of the county's general prosperity.

Mr. Doke was born on the farm where he is now living March 1, 1845. This farm is three and one-half miles northeast of Pierceton. It is one of the centers of early settlement in the county. Mr. Doke is a son of John S. and Harriet M. (Turner) Doke, while his grandfather, Alexander Doke, was a pioneer blacksmith at Urbana, Ohio, and commanded a company of volunteers as captain in the War of 1812. John S. Doke was born in Champaign County, Ohio, June 30, 1809, while his wife was born in Logan County, that state, August 12, 1809. They grew up and married in Logan County and on October 11, 1837, arrived in Kosciusko County, which was then to a large extent just as nature had left it. John S. Doke made choice of the extensive government lands open to settlement by selecting a quarter section in section 13 of Washington Township. His individual labors brought about remarkable transformation in the course of years, though at the beginning he lived in the woods and had a cabin home on a space which he cleared with the axe. He was a prosperous and highly esteemed citizen of this locality for many years, but finally moved to Iowa and died in that state. His wife died in Kosciusko County. Of their nine children seven grew to maturity and four are still living: Thompson Doke, of Bloomfield, Iowa; Elizabeth, widow of A. D. Stinson, of Spokane, Washington; Hattie, widow of George Messick, of Kansas; and Edmond C.

Edmond C. Doke has spent nearly all the days of his life in Washington Township. For his education he attended one of the old log cabin schools such as were typical of the institutions of learning in the early days. While a schoolboy he found employment on the home farm, and finally left home to enlist in Company D of the One Hundred and Fifty-Second Indiana Infantry. Though he was extremely young he did his part as a fighting soldier in that great struggle and was still under age when he returned home. Since the war for a period of more than half a century he has been active on the old farm, and is now owner of 290 acres of land. He has been a prominent figure in the live stock industry of the county and has fed and bred many cattle and has also been a breeder of Shetland ponies.

Mr. Doke married for his first wife Miss Mary A. Scott, who died leaving no children. By his second marriage, to Mattie Wright, he has one daughter, Mary W., who is a graduate of the common schools and the Pierceton High School. Mr. Doke is a member of the Presbyterian Church and fraternally is affiliated with Pierceton Lodge No. 377, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Chapter No 88, Warsaw Council, Royal and Select Masons, and the Knight Templar Commandery No. 10 at Warsaw. In politics he is a democrat and has

Grorce E. Swoncer learned his business as a farmer and stockman when a boy in Marshall County and having added to knowledge and experience the qualities of industry and prudence has been getting steadily ahead in the world since he began his independent career. For a number of years he has lived in Kosciusko County and now has one of the well managed farms of Wayne Township, located on the Fort Wayne Road six miles southeast of Warsaw on rural route No. 6.

Mr. Swonger was born in Marshall County, Indiana, July 20, 1871, son of James A. and Elizabeth (Shreck) Swonger. His father was born in Cumberland County and his mother in Dolphin County, Pennsylvania. Both went when young to Crawford County, Ohio, locating between Bucyrus and Galion. Elizabeth Shreck's father owned a tavern in that locality and she grew up there and married. In the spring of 1871 the Swonger family moved to Marshall County, Indiana, where the parents spent the rest of their years. They were members of the Evangelical Church. James A. Swonger was twice married and had two children by each wife. George E. is the youngest of these children. He has one half-brother still living.

Mr. Swonger was born near Bourbon, Indiana, and had a district school education. To the age of twenty-one he was at home and after that he farmed the old homestead until he was thirty-four. The place was then sold and the proceeds divided between him and his half brother. Mr. Swonger then came-to Kosciusko County and bought the eighty-acre farm in Wayne County which he now occupies and manages.

October 28, 1900, he married Miss Cora Cress. Mrs. Swonger was born and reared in Washington Township of this county. Four children have been born to their marriage: Willard, Margaret, Leah and Floyd. They are members of the United Brethren Church and in politics Mr. Swonger is a republican.

ANDREW PETERSON. Members of the Peterson family have been closely identified with Kosciusko County for more than half a century. One of the principal business men at Warsaw is now David A. Peterson, proprietor of the Peterson Lumber Company. He is a son of the late Andrew Peterson, who died in Warsaw in 1870. It was he who founded the family in Kosciusko County, and something of his career should be given a permanent record where it may be read by following generations.

A native of Southeastern Ohio, Andrew Peterson was reared in that state, and became a farmer and sawmill operator. For a time he lived in Iowa but about 1859 he moved into Kosciusko County, and for four years lived near Silver Lake in this county. In 1864 he moved his residence to Warsaw and was first in the contracting and later in the grocery business. He was one of Warsaw's leading merchants at the time of his death.

The first year after he located in Warsaw he was elected a justice of the peace and continued to administer that office throughout the remainder of his life. In polities he was a republican of the stalwart kind, and was active and devout as a Baptist, serving as deacon in the church before coming to Kosciusko County. He is remembered as a man of medium height, but was rather large and weighed over 200 pounds. Courteous in demeanor and strictly just and upright in his intercourse with his fellow men, he at once made friends and retained them, and was universally respected for his many sterling qualities of mind and heart. In his home he was kind, and instead of commanding obedience through fear he governed entirely by love. Few fathers were ever better loved or respected. He selected for his life's companion Martha Linn. They became the parents of seven children, five of them still living. Two sons, Sylvanus and John A., both served their country during the Civil war, and the former gave up his life for his country.

David A. Peterson, one of the younger children of the late Andrew Peterson and wife, was born at Waterloo, Iowa, where his parents were living temporarily, on August 29, 1858. He was only six months of age when the family moved to Kosciusko County, and since then his home has never been outside the county limits. The local public schools supplied his early education, and during much of his boyhood he assisted in conducting a grocery business at Warsaw. In March, 1889, he was appointed to the United States railway mail service, and for the first six months traveled from Michigan City to Indianapolis. After that his run was between Pittsburg and Chicago over the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway.

Resigning from the mail service in March, 1897, Mr. Peterson in conjunction with Silas Meyers, his partner, engaged in the retail lumber business at Warsaw In April, 1902, he became sole owner, and has since conducted this large and completely stocked yard as the Peterson Lumber Company, and is its sole owner. Politically Mr. Peterson is a republican, and he is a popular member of the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

JouHN F. Boyer is one of the substantial agriculturists of Kosciusko County who have made their way against obstacles and difficulties, and with practically nothing but the work of his bare hands to begin with has effected a good home, gained prosperity and achieved a commendable position in the community. The Boyer home is a mile and three quarters east of Pierceton on rural route No. 1 in Washington Township. al

Mr. Boyer represents some of the old families of Kosciusko County. He was born in Jackson Township near Sidney, February 27, 1875, son of Jacob and Leah (Hoppis) Boyer. His father was born in Seneca County, Ohio, and when a boy came with his father to Kosciusko County, the family first locating in Clay Township and afterwards in Jackson Township. Leah Hoppis was born in Kosciusko County, daughter of Christopher Hoppis. Both parents grew to maturity in that section of Kosciusko County and after their marriage settled on the farm where they are still living. All their nine children are living, namely: Loretta, wife of William Deemer; John F.; Charles, who married Josie Snyder; Ellen, wife of Albert Beber; William, who married Myrtle Metzger; Pearl, wife of Scott Keeper, of Warsaw; Merle and Myrtle M., twins. the former unmarried and the latter the wife of Lloyd Hunter; and Herschel, who married Lena Hoover.

John F. Boyer grew up on the old Jackson Township farm, and had his education in the district schools. At the age of twenty-one he left home and began working as a farm hand by the month. On December 25, 1898, he married Miss Minerva Krider, who was born in Lake Township of this county July 31, 1878, daughter of Monroe Krider. Mrs. Boyer was reared and educated in Lake Township.

After their marriage they lived in Lake Township and Mr. Boyer continued working by the month for some time. He acquired the first land of his own when he bought eleven acres, but after living on this tract for a year or so sold it and moved to the George A. Lepper farm in Washington Township. He rented there three years and then bought the place he now lives on, consisting of 6114 acres, a farm that he has brought to an enviable state of improvement and production.

Mr. and Mrs. Boyer have had three children, but one died in infancy. The son Arthur is now a student in the common schools, and Alene is two years old. They are members of the Brethren Church at Sidney and Mr. Boyer is affiliated with the Moose Lodge at Warsaw and is a democrat in politics.

THomas A. Hoover. One of the oldest and most prominent families of Kosciusko County, in the State of Indiana, is represented by Mr. Thomas A. Hoover, a well known retired farmer who still lives in his country home half a mile east of Pierceton. He is a son of Alfred Hoover, grandson of Henry Hoover, and great-grandson of Andrew Hoover.

The Hoover family was brought to America in the person of three brothers from Germany, all of whom first settled on Pipe Creek in Maryland. Subsequently two of them moved into Pennsylvania, while the other branch of the family went to Randolph County, North Carolina, and became identified with a Quaker settlement there. Andrew Hoover in 1807 brought his family west from North Carolina, first locating at Dayton, Ohio, and soon afterward moving to Wayne County, Indiana, where they fere among the first pioneers of that wilderness section. Andrew Hoover had several sons, including Henry and David Hoover. David Hoover with other members of the family acquired a large tract of land and he was responsible for laying out the town which is now the city of Richmond. He gave the name to that town.

Henry Hoover, grandfather of Thomas A., was born in North Carolina September 22, 1788, and was about nineteen years old when his parents came out to Indiana. Though he had a limited education, he fitted himself by reading and study for some of the higher responsibilities of public as well as private life. In 1825 he was elected a member of the first Legislature that convened at Indianapolis. In 1832 commission to hold two Tdvas reatiene Hee eee Wayne County Susanah Clark. After his marriage he settled at Whitewater in Wayne County and in 1830 bought a farm in the vi cinity of Washington in that county, where his wife died August 9, 1853. In December, 1854, he married Mrs. Lydia C. Vaughan ae i 1855 he moved to Richmond and lived in that city until his Heath July 23, 1868, in his eightieth year. He was reared a Friend. but rather late in life joined the Methodist Church. He could not become accustomed to the forms and ceremonies of that church, which were much at variance with the simple worship of his boyhood, and strenuously opposed the introduction of organs and choirs Thus during the last years of his life he was again a member of the Society of Friends at Richmond. The children of this honored pioneer were: Alfred; Mary, who became the wife of David Culbertson, of Towa ; Ann, who married Thomas Harvey: Martha, who married Daniel Culbertson ; Allen, who moved out of Iowa; Daniel, who became a resident of Kosciusko County; and Henry, who was also an Iowa resident. It is a matter of widespread interest at the present time that of these children Allen Hoover was the grandfather of the present Herbert Hoover, food commissioner of the United States.

Alfred Hoover, father of Thomas A., was born near Richmond Indiana, March 8, 1811, grew up on a farm and was with his parents until the age of twenty-seven. On February 9, 1837, he married Miss Mary Allred, a native of Ohio, though married in Wayne County, Indiana, where her parents were pioneers. She was the daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Allred) Allred, who came from North Carolina to Ohio about 1808, and her father subsequently served in the War of 1812. After his marriage Alfred Hoover lived on a farm in Wayne County until 1853, when he sold his possessions and moved to Kosciusko County and settled on land in Washington Township. A number of years before, in 1837, he had acquired it direct from the Government. He owned 320 acres. At the beginning this land was covered with poplar and walnut timber, but gradually it was cleared away, and cultivated fields took its place. Alfred Hoover served several times as trustee of Washington Township, and was always loyal to the church in which he had been reared. His wife was a Methodist. He was one of the quiet and substantial citizens of Kosciusko County until his death. He became a man of wide information through his studious attention to books, and was a man above the ordinary in character and general information. He and his wife had ten children, seven of whom are still living: Franklin of Kosciusko County; Thomas A.; John, who served as a soldier in the Civil war and is a resident of Cambridge City, Indiana; Henry, of Kosciusko County; Mary, widow of Rev. M. H. Smith; Gertrude, wife of Joseph Snyder, of LaGrange, Indiana ; Lillie, wife of Mart M. Bradwick.

Thomas A. Hoover was born in Wayne County, near Richmond, October 15, 1841, and was twelve years old when the family moved to Kosciusko County. He attended the public schools of Washington Township and after reaching manhood he enlisted, in 1864, in Com- pany E of the One Hundred Thirty-eighth Indiana Infantry. He saw some active service during the six months he was in the army and was granted an honorable discharge. Following the war he took up farming, and that was his steady vocation until he retired. ;

In 1878 Mr. Hoover married Elizabeth Heagy, who was born in Wayne County, Indiana, December 11, 1850, daughter of John and Sarah Heagy. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hoover located on the farm where they have lived now continuously for forty years and where their labors and mutual sacrifices have brought them ample prosperity.

Two children were born to them, Edna and Florence E. The latter died at the age of sixteen. Edna was born in 1879, graduated from the common schools and studied in high school and is now the wife of Alvin B. Rusher. Mr. and Mrs. Rusher had one child, Robert H., who died when seven months old.

The family are active members of the Methodist Epicopal Church at Pierceton. Mr. Hoover has been one of its most liberal supporters for a number of years. His daughter Edna is secretary of the Woman's Missionary Society. Mr. Hoover is past commander and present adjutant of John Murray Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, is a past grand of Pierceton Lodge No. 257 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and past chief patriarch of the Encampment. Politically he is a republican, and in his younger years was a man of much influence in local politics in this section.

Amos RINnGLE. It was forty years ago when Amos Ringle first became acquainted with Kosciusko County. For more than a quarter of a century he has been a continuous resident of Warsaw, and until recently was proprietor of one of the largest and best known mercantile establishments in that city. His standing as a business man and citizen is above question, and those who know Amos Ringle best know that his spoken promise can be relied upon.

By birth he is a native of one of Ohio's oldest counties. He was born near Minerva in Stark County, the county seat of which is Canton, on January 21, 1854. He is one of the seven surviving children in the family of eight born to John and Sophia (Bortz) Ringle, who were natives of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and Stark County, Ohio, respectively. Mr. Ringle's grandfather was also named John Ringle. The latter did teaming across the mountains to Pennsylvania before railroads were constructed and he also operated a small farm. He was of German stock but his wife was a native of Ireland. Grandfather John Ringle's father had served in the Revolutionary war and was with Washington in the terrible winter spent at Valley Forge. John Ringle, father of Amos, left his parents' home in Pennsylvania and went to Stark County, Ohio, where he met and married Miss Sophia Bortz. He died in Stark County about forty years ago, while Mrs. Ringle died in 1918. One of their sons, the oldest of the family, served his country during the Civil war and is now living in Canton, and the son of this old veteran, named Homer, saw active service in the Spanish-American war.

On the old home farm in Stark County Amos Ringle spent his youth and early manhood. His experiences were not different from those of other Ohio boys of the time. He attended district schools, and learned how to work on the farm. In 1875, at the age of twenty-one, he came to Kosciusko County. The presence of a number of his mother's relatives in the county was what brought him here. He soon afterwards secured a school to teach, known as the Best school, south of Nappanee. He continued teaching for three years and used the proceeds of that work to defray his expenses at Professor Reubert's school at Bourbon.

About 1878 Mr. Ringle went to Emporia, Kansas, where for eight years he was engaged in the retail grocery business and also acquired ownership of several ranches in that section of Kansas. In 1889 he returned to Kosciusko County and for seven years was in the furniture house of R. H. Hitzler at Warsaw. He then engaged in the furniture business on his own account and developed a trade and maintained a stock in furniture and kindred lines second to none in Kosciusko County. Mr. Ringle sold out his furniture industry in December, 1917, and is now retired from active business.

In polities he is a democrat, and is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees. On April 15, 1878, he married Miss Priscilla Shaffer. Her father, Henry Shaffer. had for many years been a well known farmer and citizen of Kosciusko County. Mr. and Mrs. Ringle are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. To their marriage were born three children: Mabel died at the age of twenty-one. Jessie Ethel died at eighteen months. The only one now living is Benjamin Franklin.

Wiuuiam W. Gituiam. About forty-five years ago when William W. Gilliam married, he had a very small piece of land as a start towards farming, and since then his own energies and sound intelligence have enabled him to accumulate a property which makes him one of the leading farmers and land owners of Wayne Township.

Mr. Gilliam was born in Washington Township of this county April 26, 1850, son of William F. and Mary Elizabeth (Morris) Gilliam. His father was born in Virginia, and on reaching his majority moved to Ohio and from Fayette County, that state, came to Kosciusko County in the fall of 1845. He lived in Washington Township for some years and later moved to Tippecanoe Township, where he had a farm. In that locality he died September 5, 1882, when nearly sixtyseven years of age. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mary Elizabeth Morris was a native of Ohio and survived her husband. They were the parents of twelve children, those still living being as follows: Clavin, who served as a soldier in the Union army and is now a stock buyer at Warsaw; Minerva, who lives in Rich Creek; William W.; Angeline, wife of Nathaniel Hover; Emma, wife of French Berry ; Edward, of LaGrange County, Indiana; and Hattie, wife of Harry Kelley, of Warsaw.