LaPorte County, Indiana - Chapter 36: Religion, 1904 (part 10 of 23)

Mrs. Hollenbeck was bom January 30, 1852^ in Cass county, Michigan, and was a little child of three years when she came to Indiana, where* the greater part of her life has been spent. Her early education was received in the district' schools, and she displayed such aptitude in her studies that she received a teacher's certificate when only sixteen years of age. She afterward entered the LaPorte Normal School under the supervision of Professor William Phelon. For one year she engaged in teaching in LaPorte ere continuing her own studies. After leaving the normal she followed the profession of teaching for eight years in LaPorte county, and during one year of that time she was a teacher in the city schools of LaPorte. Her educational work was extremely successful, for she had the ability to impart clearly and concisely to others the knowledge that she acquired. She is a lady of pleasing personality, and presides in a most gracious and pleasing manner over her hospitable home.

In addition to a large general practice Dr. Hollenbeck is also examining physician for the New York and the Equitable Life Insurance companies. He has likewise been surgeon for the Wabash Railroad Company since 1893, and formerly filled the same position in connection with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. Fraternally he is a member of Westville Lodge No. 192, F. & A. M.,and was its master for three consecutive years. He also belongs to LaPorte Chapter No. 15, R. A. M. and LaPorte Council No. 32, R. & S. M., while he and his wife are members of the Westville Chapter No. 133, of the Order of the Eastern Star. Mrs. Hollen¬ beck was past matron. The Doctor is now com¬ mander of the Knights of the Maccabees tent at Westville, and his wife was the president of the Ladies Library of Westville. The library asso¬ ciation has done much for the town, and its work, with which Mrs. Hollenbeck is associated, is the pride of all intelligent citizens here. The asso¬ ciation was founded over a quarter of a century ago, and there are now more than one thousand volumes of choice splendid literature in the library. Both the Doctor and his wife are ad¬ herents of the Unitarian faith, and in social circles they occupy a very enviable position, en¬ joying the warm regard of many friends.

WILLIAM L. ANDREW is the owner of ex¬ tensive farm lands in LaPorte county and makes his home in the city of LaPorte, where his birth occurred in the year 1842. His parents were James and Abigail Andrew. The Andrew family is prominent in the county when judged from the standpoint of early settlement, of wealth, the suc¬ cess, of its different members, the work they have done in promoting the commercial and agricul¬ tural interests of the county, and the distin¬ guished service rendered the profession of law in public life and in the army. The three leading members of the family now living in LaPorte are Captain A. P. Andrew, of the firm of A. P. Andrew, Jr., & Son, banker; Judge William P. Andrew, now living retired in his ninety-fourth year, who is remarkable by having won dis¬ tinction in three professions, the law, the ministry and as a practicing physician ; and William L. Andrew, who is an extensive owner and operator of valuable farming lands in LaPorte county.

James Andrew, the father of William L. Andrew, was bom in Burlington, Hamilton coun¬ ty, Ohip, a suburb of Cincinnati. With his brother, Captain Abraham Piatt Andrew, he came to LaPorte county in 1831, having purchased at the government land sales on the site of this city, in October, of that year, many acres of land known as the "Michigan road lands/' in LaPorte county. They were the founders of the city, as¬ sociated with John Walker, Walter Wilson and Hiram Todd. They brought with them a steam engine and erected a sawmill in which boards were sawed for the first house in the town.

equally prominent and helpful in the aid which they rendered to their country in the Civil war. The records of LaPorte county give the follow¬ ing: John W. Andrew, first lieutenant of Com¬ pany E, Twentieth Indiana Infantry, was killed in battle before Richmond, Virginia, June 30. 1862 ; Abraham C. Andrew, second lieutenant of Company I, Eighty-seventh Indiana Infantry, was killed at the battle of Chickamauga, Sep¬ tember 20, 1863; William W. Andrew was cap¬ tain of the T wenty-first Indiana Battery ; Abram P. Andrew became a second lieutenant of the Twenty-first Indiana Battery, was promoted to first lieutenant, and on October 28, 1864, to the captaincy.

Soon after the arrival here the Andrew broth¬ ers were joined by their father, James Andrew, Sr., and their brothers, Dr. J. P. Andrew and L. C. Andrew. Later, in 1837, another brother^ William P. arrived, and he is the only one of the brothers now living. In 1840 Captain A. P. Andrew was appointed cashier of the Michigan City branch of the State Bank of Indiana and removed to that place. He made large purchases of land, which rapidly increased in value, and after making a trip to California in 1852 he re¬ turned to LaPorte. In 1869 he established the Andrew Bank of LaPorte, which still remains as one of the solid financial institutions of this city, and of which his son, Captain A. P. Andrew, is now the owner. This bank is now conducted under the firm name of A. P. Andrew, Jr., & Son. Captain . Andrew, the founder of the bank, died in LaPorte in 1887. He was one of the presi¬ dential electors in 1836 and voted for William Henry Harrison.

James Andrew, the father of William L. Andrew, became a wealthy man with large real estate and financial interests. He died in La¬ Porte, in 1895, at the very advanced age of ninety-six years. His wife. wfho was born in Burlington, Ohio, died in 1842, eight days after the birth of William L. Andrew. The latter has always lived in LaPorte, but his material inter¬ ests are all in farms, he owning nearly one thou¬ sand acres of land in LaPorte county, the opera¬ tion and improvement of which he personally oversees. He has one son, Henry James Andrew.

FRANK J. COOK, of the firm of Darrow & Cook, abstract and real estate men of LaPorte, is the son of Eli and Almeda (Davis) Cook. Eli Cook was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1820, but passed most of his life at Hamilton, Ohio, where he was a prominent grain merchant until about twenty years ago. He had extensive business affairs during the Civil war, and in the course of that conflict his business judgment was so much respected that he was commissioned by the government to buy grain for army supplies, which purchases were made on a large scale. In 1880 his sons moved to Pontiac, Livingston county, Illinois. His death occurred June 21, 1885, at Hamilton, Ohio. Almeda (Davis) Cook, who was born in Warren county, Ohio, and married Eli Cook at Hamilton, was the daughter of Jo¬ seph and Hester (Ward) Davis, both natives of Virginia and pioneers to the state of Ohio. Mrs. Cook survives her husband, and lives with her son, George C. Cook, at LaCrosse, LaPorte coun¬ ty, Indiana. She is a woman of fine character, a member of the Methodist church, and her in¬ fluence is widely. felt for the good of her com¬ munity.

Frank J. Cook was born at Hamilton, Ohio, April 16, 1868. He received most of his educa¬ tion in the public schools of Pontiac, Illinois. While still a boy he went to Denver, Colorado, where he was a student in the Denver University for three years, after which he was abstract clerk in the recorder's office at Denver, altogether pass¬ ing the years from 1883 to 1892 in that city. He then returned to Pontiac, and for the sake of his health worked for a year on a farm near that city. In February, 1894, he re-entered the ab¬ stract business with John J. Pitts, at Blooming¬ ton, Illinois, remaining with him till 1896, when he returned to Pontiac for a short time, and then went into the abstract business with Virgil John¬ son at Pontiac, Illinois, under the firm name of the Livingston County Abstract Company. Mr. Cook, however, soon sold out his interest to his partner in order to accept a position with Henry Capen & Sons at Bloomington, in the capacity of examiner of titles and abstracts in their loan department. One year later he was offered a still better position as deputy circuit clerk of Liv¬ ingston county at Pontiac, and this he accepted in 1898 and held for three years. In 1902 Mr. Cook came to LaPorte and, in partnership with Mayor Lemuel Darrow, bought the abstract rec¬ ords and books of LaPorte county ; these are a very valuable set of documents comprising as they do the only complete title records of the county. The firm carry on a general business in this line and in real estate operations, and have plenty of patronage. Mr. Cook has made a study for years of land titles and abstracts, and is an expert in that line, having held several positions of great responsibility.

In 1901 Mr. Cook, his brothers, and a number of prominent capitalists of Pontiac and other Illi¬ nois towns, became interested in the reclamation of the marsh lands along the Kankakee river, in the southern part of LaPorte and adjoin¬ ing counties, and since that time three land com¬ panies, representing Pontiac interests, have been organized and have purchased large tracts of these swamp lands, amounting to about fifty thousand acres. Mr. Cook is a stockholder in the Tuesburg Land Company, which purchased five thousand acres in October, 1902. He is also secretary of the Kankakee Reclamation Company, formed for the purpose of cleaning and straight¬ ening the Kankakee river from the mouth of Place ditch, in section 24, Hanna township, to the Porter county line. More detailed mention is made concerning these enterprises in the sec¬ tion of general history of this work.

Mr. Cook was married in Denver in 1891 to Miss Mary H. Hutchinson, who had formerly lived in Pontiac, and also in Iowa. They have three children, Emma Lucile, Warren Finley and George Hobart. Mr. Cook is a Republican in politics, and is a prominent member of the First Methodist church of LaPorte.

George C. Cook, the brother of Frank J. Cook, and the manager of the LaCrosse Land Company at LaCrosse, LaPorte county, was bom in Ham¬ ilton county, Ohio, in December, 1861, and was educated in that place. After moving to Liv¬ ingston county, Illinois, he took up farming and was thus engaged until he assume^ control of the development work carried on by the LaCrosse Land Company. Since taking up his residence in LaCrosse he has also been instrumental in other lines, especially the educational and re¬ ligious interests, and it was largely through his efforts that the splendid new schoolhouse was built. He is superintendent of the Methodist Sunday-school. He married Miss Katharine Hutchinson, and they have three children, Elsie, Erma and Marie.

WILLIAM J. FEALLOCK. On the roll of enterprising merchants in Michigan City appears the name of this gentleman, who is now engaged in dealing in shoes here. He is one of the native sons of the city, his birth having occurred here on the 18th day of February, 1864. His paternal grandfather was a native of Germany and on crossing the Atlantic established his home in Michigan City, where he died at an advanced age. While in his native land he served in the regular army. To him and his wife were bom three sons and a daughter, including Frederick Feallock,who was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, and in the year 1856 crossed the Atlantic to the new world, becoming a resident of Michigan City, where he has since made his home. Throughout the greater part of his life he has been connected with railroad interests, and for more than forty years has been in the employ of the Michigan Central Railroad Company. He wedded Miss Sophia Schwartz, also a native of Mecklenburg, and a daughter of Joseph Schwartz, who came to America about 1857 and established his home in Buffalo, New York. Afterward, however, he removed to LaPorte county, Indiana, and engaged in farming near Westville. At a later date he sold his property there and took up his abode in Michigan City, where he died in 1899 at the age of eighty-eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Feallock hold membership in the Lutheran church, and the former gives his political support to the Republican party. While living in Ger¬ many he had some military experience, serving for a time in the regular army in accordance with the laws of that country.

Throughout his entire life William J. Feallock has resided in Michigan City. He pursued his education in the public schools and in the business college. He began earning his own living by clerking in a grocery store, where he was em¬ ployed for two years, and then entered the ser¬ vice of the Michigan Central Railroad Company, being thus engaged for three years. He was after¬ ward employed as a salesman in a shoe store until January, 1885, when he embarked in business on his own account, forming a partnership with J. H. Peters. They purchased a stock of shoes and opened a store which they conducted together until 1894, when Mr. Peters retired, and Mr. Feallock has since been alone in business at 503 Franklin street. He is a progressive merchant, obliging and courteous, and through his honor¬ able business methods and earnest desire to please his customers he has secured a very liberal pat¬ ronage.

On the 4th of October, 1884, Mr. Feallock was united in marriage to Miss Minnie A. Peters, a daughter of John H. Peters. Four children were born of this union, two sons and two daughters: Arthur, Walter, Florence and Henrietta. The wife and mother died in 1894, when twenty-eight years of age. She was a member of St. John's Lutheran church, to which Mr. Feallock also be¬ longs, and his fraternal associations connect him with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In politics he has always been a Republi¬ can. He now lives with his parents at 402 East Eighth street, and he is a well known resident in Michigan City, where his entire life has been passed. That many who have known him from boyhood are numbered among his stanchest friends is an indication that his career has been honorable, straightforward and worthy of public regard.

EDWIN J. TEETER, a prominent farmer and old settler living on section 35, Galena town¬ ship, is numbered among the native sons of the county. His birth occurred January 7, 1843, *n the township which is still his home. He is a son of Henry and Caroline (Fail) Teeter. The family is of Scotch-Irish and Dutch lineage, but the latter strain is more pronounced than the others. The family was established in America about two hundred and forty years ago by an im¬ migrant from Germany. The grandfather of Ed¬ win J. Teeter was Zachariah Teeter, a native of Columbia county, New York, and he followed the occupation of farming throughout his business career. He was a very large man, being six feet and seven inches in height and weighing two hundred and thirty pounds. His death occurred in the Empire state.

Henry Teeter, the father of E. J. Teeter, was born in Columbia county, New York, in 1812, and was only seven years of age when he went with his mother to Franklin county, New York, where he was reared. He came to LaPorte coun¬ ty, Indiana, in 1834, when twenty-two years of age, and entered land from the government on section 26, Galena township, in order that he might develop it and make a good farm of his own. He lived with his mother for some time, and in 1837 was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Fail, whose birth occurred in Wheeling, Ohio county, West Virginia, in the year 1818. She was a daughter of Philip Fail, who was bom at Purdeestown, Maryland, and was a miller by occupation. In early life, however, he engaged in agricultural pursuits, and in March, 1830, came to LaPorte county, Indiana, casting in his lot with the settlers who were reclaiming this region for the purposes of civilization. His fam¬ ily was the fifth to locate in the county. Mr. Fail was of Dutch lineage, while his wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Nuzzum, was bom in Wheeling, West Virginia, and was of Scotch- Irish lineage. Mrs. Caroline Teeter came to Indi¬ ana in 1830 with her parents, and the family home was established near LaPorte.

Mrs. E. J. Teeter

abode upon the old homestead, cleared the land there and made excellent improvements, contin¬ uing to engage in agricultural pursuits up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1879, while his wife passed away in November, 1871. They were both consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, took an active part in church work, and their home was the place of enter¬ tainment for all the itinerant ministers who visited this locality. Mr. Teeter voted with the Dem¬ ocracy, and in matters of citizenship was always progressive and loyal. To him and his wife were bom seven children, three sons and four daugh¬ ters: Sarah, the wife of Rev. Daniel Grime, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church now living at New Carlisle, Indiana; Philip F., who was killed in the battle of Iuka, while serving in the Civil war, at the age of twenty- four years; George H. ; Edwin J. ; Mary A., who died at the age of nine years; Phebe, the wife of Captain A. W. Dolph, of Indiana ; and Rosie, the wife of Noah W. Gorman.

Edwin J. Teeter, who is the fourth child and third son in his father's family, was reared in his native township. His early education in the com¬ mon schools was supplemented by four months* study in the academy at LaPorte, and afterward he engaged in farming. In 1876 he was mar¬ ried to Miss Emma A. Ocker, a native of Butler, DeKalb county, Indiana, and a daughter of Henry and Mary (Walter) Ocker. She came to this county when four years of age, with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Teeter began their domes¬ tic life where he is now living, and as the years have passed the family circle was increased by the addition of four children, two sons and two daughters, namely : Philip H., who married Catharina Holman and resides in Kankakee, principal of the high school at Rolling Prairie and also engaged in farmihg; Thomas H., who is attend¬ ing school in Lafayette, Indiana ; Hattie Bell and Emma Leah, both at home.

Mrs. Teeter died August 5, 1903. She was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Rolling Prairie, and was stewardess in the same. At the time of her death she was superintending the putting down of the carpet at the church and was stricken with apoplexy and died in six hours after. She was a member of the Eastern Star and prominent in the work, holding an office in the order.

Mr. Teeter carries on agricultural pursuits in a very successful manner, and is to-day the owner of seven hundred acres of valuable land, on which is a fine brick residence. He has made excellent improvements upon the home place, and has spent his entire life in this county, so that his fellow citizens are familiar with his history and know that his business affairs have been con¬ ducted along legitimate lines and have been char¬ acterized by the strictest integrity. He votes with the Democracy, and for two terms served as township trustee. He has also filled the office of justice of the peace, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity at Rolling Prairie and also of the Methodist Episcopal church. He takes an active part in church work, is interested in its growth, and has been a co-operant factor in many measures for the material upbuilding and the social, intellectual and moral progress of his community.

CHARLES PORTER, one of the well known citizens of Michigan City and for many years connected with the Haskell & Barker Car Works, is descended from old and prominent pioneer families of this section of the state. His maternal grandfather, Sylvester B. Wells, was bom in Clinton county, New York, and there learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner. In the early pioneer days he took up his abode on a farm in LaPorte county, Indiana, near the city of La¬ Porte, and afterward made his home in both Michigan City and LaPorte, passing away in death when about sixty years of age. He was married to Louisa Morgan, and they became the parents of five children, two sons and three daughters.

The grandfather of Charles Porter was Henry Lee Porter, a native of Vermont, and of the seventh generation of the Porter family, which was founded in this country by John Porter, a resident of Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1635, bom in England (probably Dorset) in 1596.

Abel Duncan Porter, the father of Charles Porter, was born in Dummerston, Vermont, but as early as 1834 he came west and for a time thereafter was employed as a clerk in Michigan City. Later he removed to Chicago, Illinois, but in 1836 returned to this city and embarked in the dry-goods business, in which he continued for a number of years. In 1856 he was elected to the position of county treasurer, remaining in that important office for two terms, and soon after his retirement therefrom enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming chief clerk under Benja¬ min P. Walker, of LaPorte, in the quartermaster's department. After the close of the struggle Mr. Porter became a bookkeeper, remaining in that capacity until his life's labors were ended in death, passing to the home beyond on the 15th of October, 1886, in his seventy-first year. For his wife he chose Electa Wells, a native of Alburg, Vermont, and they became the parents of seven children, four sons and three daughters, and of this number five are now living, namely: Henry Wells Porter; William Frederick; Carrie, the wife of George D. Griffin, of Chicago ; Charles ; and Mary Porter Farrand, a resident of LaPorte. The mother of this family survived until December 17, 1897, when she, too, was laid to rest. This worthy couple were prominently identified with the Presbyteriari church, in which she was a charter member. In his fraternal rela¬ tion Mr. Abel Porter was a member of the Ma¬ sonic Order, and politically he gave his support to the Republican party.

- Charles Porter is a native son of Michigan City, his birth having occurred on the 12th of September, 1854. When three years of age he was taken by his parents to LaPorte, there re¬ maining until the winter of 1870-1, when he went to Chicago, Illinois, and entered the employ of a wholesale dry-goods house, that city continuing to be his home until after the great fire. Return¬ ing thence to LaPorte, he here spent the following winter, when he again made his way to Chicago and entered the employ of his former firm, re¬ maining with that house and a leather house until 1879. In that year he again returned to the city of his birth, where he has since been connected with the Haskell & Barker Car Works.

On the 13th of June, 1877, Mr. Porter was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Chamberlain. On the maternal side she is a granddaughter of Isaac and Armena (DeLong) Aldrich, the former a native of New York and long a resident of Chazy, that state, while the latter was of French descent. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Porter was also a resident of Chazy, and his death occurred there when well advanced in years. William Henry Chamberlain, the father of Mrs. Porter, was a dry-goods merchant in West Chazy, New York, and moved from there to Bristol, New Hampshire, about 1866, where he conducted a carriage factory. His death oc¬ curred there in 1893, when sixty-three years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Jane Aldrich, passed away in death in 1864, when but thirty-two years old. Both she and her hus¬ band were natiyes of the state of New York, and both were members of the Methodist church. Three children were born of their marriage: Jen¬ nie Louise, the wife of Mr. Porter; Nettie, the wife of Napoleon Plouff, of Orange, Massachu¬

Mrs. Porter was born in Chazy, New York, January 25, 1854. When ten years old her mother died, and she then went to live with her aunt, Mrs. Caroline E. Haskell, with whom she made her home in Michigan City and Chicago until she gave her hand in marriage to Charles Porter. Three children have blessed their union: Louise Haskell, Julia and Jessie. Both Mr. and Mrs. Porter are members of the Congregational church, and he is a member of Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M., and of the Royal Arcanum, while his political affiliations are with the Republican party. The family reside in a beautiful home at 913 Washington street, where they dispense a gracious hospitality to their many friends and acquaintances.

HON. LEMUEL DARROW. If "biography is the home aspect of history," as Wilmott has ex¬ pressed it, it is certainly within the provinces of this volume to present the life record of Hon. Lemuel Darrow. In fact, in an enumeration of the men of the present generation who have won honor for themselves and whose lives have been of the greatest benefit to the state, it would be incomplete were there failure to make prominent reference to him. He is a lawyer of distinguished ability, a capitalist whose means have been largely used for the benefit of others, and as mayor of the city he has done more for LaPorte than any other single official. He belongs to the class of representative American citizens who, while promoting their individual prosperity, have added greatly to the substantial upbuilding, de¬ velopment and welfare of the community with which they are connected. Public-spirited in an eminent degree, his labors have been of the greatest benefit to LaPorte, and his name figures conspicuously in connection with the Democratic party in the state. At the same time he has car¬ ried on his private business interests with such energy that he has attained a place among the most successful men of his native county, and he has pushed forward the wheels of progress to the benefit of the general public.

Lemuel Darrow was bom upon a farm in Kankakee township, LaPorte county, on the 6th of February, 1867. His ancestry can be traced back through many generations. The Darrow family is of English origin, and Richard Darrow, a son of Sergeant George Darrow of the English army, came to America in 1675, locating in New London, Connecticut. Soon afterward - the fam- ily settled on what became known as Darrow Is¬ land in the Connecticut river. Hill Darrow, the .great-grandson of Richard Darrow, and the grandfather of Lemuel Darrow, resided in Bris¬ tol, Connecticut, in early life and removed thence to Kankakee, Illinois. He was a carpenter by trade, and after living in Illinois for some time came to LaPorte county, Indiana, casting in his lot among its early settlers.

Pliny Darrow, the father of Mr. Darrow, was born in LaPorte county and became a railroad locomotive engineer. It was while discharging his duties in that position that he was killed by accident on the railroad in Illinois in the year 1866. He had wedded Miss Susan Rynearson, in 1863. She was born in Pennsylvania of Hol¬ land Dutch parentage, her people having come from the Rhine district of Europe. After her husband's death she continued to live upon the home farm in Kankakee township and still resides there.

Hon. Lemuel Darrow obtained his preliminary education in the district schools, and afterward was graduated from the Rolling Prairie high school. He next became a student in the North¬ ern Indiana Normal College at Valparaiso, where he was graduated in 1888, completing a classicalscientific course. He then pursued a special course in civil engineering undei4 Professor Bogarte of the same institution, following which he took up the study of law in that college. On leaving school he went upon the road as a trav¬ eling salesman, and soon afterward turned his attention to farming east of LaPorte. After about a year, however, he decided to remove to the city and complete his legal studies, entering the law office of the Hon. Mortimer Nye, now deceased, who was then lieutenant governor of Indiana.

In April, 1894, Mr. Darrow was admitted to the bar, and at once began practice in his pro¬ fession. He has since met with increasing suc¬ cess each year, and to-day is regarded as one of the most successful and capable attorneys of La¬ Porte. He has enjoyed a very large law practice, and his knowledge of the science of jurisprudence is comprehensive and exact. He was the first attorney to be admitted to the bar in the new courthouse, in April, 1894. In June of that year he was appointed county attorney and served for six months.

As a capitalist and promoter of large enter¬ prises Mr. Darrow has also become very promi¬ nent. He is a man of resourceful business ability, of keen insight and of ready comprehension and understanding of the situations and their possi¬ bilities. He looks beyond the present to the future, and works not alone for his own day and generation but for coming years. His labors have been of the greatest possible benefit in the develop¬ ment of LaPorte and of this section of the state. As a boy upon the home farm and later when he was pursuing his engineering studies he had constantly in mind the working out of some plan whereby the marsh and swamp lands lying along the Kankakee river in LaPorte, Starke, Porter, Newton and Lake counties, adjoining that stream, could be reclaimed and made available for farm¬ ing purposes. In 1894 he personally made some preliminary surveys of the land in question, and incidentally began the discussion of his proposed project with capitalists in order to get them in¬ terested in the scheme. He met with a great deal of opposition among the citizens of his own home town and county, many of whom thought the scheme was absolutely impracticable and that its consummation would be a great waste of money. Mr. Darrow was undaunted, however, and finally awakened the interest of capitalists outside of the county to the extent of organizing a syndicate for the purchase of these low-lands and for putting in machinery for dredging and straightening the course of the river, constructing lateral ditches for drainage and doing other work in connection with the reclamation of the district. These ef¬ forts were carried on for several years until now they have been crowned with the highest success after an expenditure of several millions of dollars for the building of drainage ditches and other improvements. Thousands of acres of land which formerly produced only aquatic plants known as cat-tails, now yield enormous crops of corn of the best quality. A great many experienced corngrowers from Illinois, who have purchased these lands and taken up their abode thereon are now finding that their labors are crowned with pros¬ perity in the production of excellent corn crops. The soil is a very deep, rich alluvial, from cen¬ turies of silt and deposit, and is practically in¬ exhaustible, in fact, is the finest land to be found in the state. The syndicate which Mr. Darrow organized now controls fifty thousand acres of reclaimed land, and there are still thousands of acres along the river that will yet be brought under cultivation by these methods. This is a great enterprise and a highly commendable one, adding very largely to the wealth of the state, and Mr. Darrow certainly deserves the gratitude of Indiana for what he has accomplished in this particular.

Another work which Mr. Darrow has done would entitle him to distinction if he had per¬ formed no other task throughout his entire career, and that is the building of the electric railway between LaPorte and Michigan City. Conceiving the idea and its value to the people, he did not accomplish his self-imposed task with¬ out much hard labor. He made several trips to financial centers before he could interest capital¬ ists in his proposition to build the interurban road, but, notwithstanding much opposition and discouragements, he finally triumphed in his un¬ dertaking, and in April, 1902, he removed the first brick from the street paving in LaPorte, which marked the beginning of the track laying, and the road was completed in February, 1903. It has proved successful beyond all expectations, and it is almost impossible to secure equipments sufficient to handle the greatly increasing traffic. The road is known as the Chicago & South Shore Electric Railway Company, and its officers are Warren Burns, of Chicago, president, Lemuel Darrow, vice president, and J. J. Bums, of La¬ Porte, manager. Mr. Darrow also promoted a deal whereby the Planet Manufacturing Com¬ pany, a large industry, was located in LaPorte, thus adding greatly to the population of the city and to the commercial activity.

It was but the logical result of the recogni¬ tion of his business enterprise and devotion to the public good that Mr. Darrow was called to the office of mayor of LaPorte, being elected in May, 1898, for a term of two years. In May, 1900, he was again chosen, and in May, 1902, was once more elected, so that at the end of his pres¬ ent term he will have been the chief executive of the city for six consecutive years. He is a remarkably enterprising and public-spirited of¬ ficial, and his has been a nature that has intro¬ duced improvements which, although meeting antagonism in the beginning and considered the cause of extravagant expenditure at first, are now recognized as being of the greatest value to the city. When he became the mayor there were one hundred and fifty empty houses in La¬ Porte, and now it is almost impossible to rent a residence here. Also at that time there were about one thousand feet of concrete sidewalk in the city, and now there are nearly fifty miles. Several miles of the finest brick, macadam and asphalt street paving have also been constructed under his administration, and he puts forth every effort in his power both officially and as a pri¬ vate citizen to promote the welfare, substantial improvement and moral advancement of LaPorte.

He is indeed a popular man, and the question of re-election is simply one of his own choice. He has also been mentioned as a candidate for cir¬ cuit judge on the Democratic ticket.

In 1889 Mr. Darrow was united in marriage at Lockport, New York, to Miss Mattie Cleghorn, who is a native daughter of LaPorte, her father having been one of the early settlers of this county. He was an Indian trader, and in the fur business was associated with Colonel Ewing. He also acted as Indian agent, and was appointed by the government to superintend the removal of the Pottawottomie Indians from Indiana to Missouri and Kansas. To Mr. and Mrs. Darrow has been born a daughter, Dorothy D. The Dar¬ row home is celebrated for its gracious hospital¬ ity, and both Mr. and Mrs. Darrow occupy a very enviable position in public regard, their circle of friends being an extensive one. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias and with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

His life has been an extremely busy and active one and has been most useful. He has attained success which few men of his age have accom¬ plished. Opposition has never been to him a source of discouragement, but rather an impetus for renewed effort, and while he has won success he has at the same time gained his possessions so honorably, has used his means so worthily, that the most envious cannot grudge him his success. No adequate history of him can be written until many of the useful enterprises with which he has been connected have completed their full measure of good in the world, and until his personal in¬ fluence and example have ceased their fruitage in lives of those with whom he has been asso¬ ciated, and yet there is much that can with profit be set down here as an illustration of what can be attained if a man with a clear brain and will¬ ing hands but sets himself seriously to the real labors and responsibilities of life.

HUBERT W. WILSON, M. D. For eleven years Dr. Hubert W. Wilson has been engaged in the practice of medicine in Michigan City, and although yet a young man has gained a po¬ sition in the profession which many an older practitioner might well envy. He located here a young man without experience, being just from college, but has steadily advanced and is now en¬ joying a profitable patronage.

New Jersey. The paternal grandfather, Brockett Wilson, was also a native of England and came to the United States about 1848, but died a few days after his arrival in this country. His widow afterward located in Michigan City, but subse¬ quently married again and removed to LaPorte. It was' in the latter city that her son, Hardy Wil¬ son, was reared to manhood, acquiring his edu¬ cation in the public schools and afterward learn¬ ing the carriage-making trade, which he followed in his young manhood. He afterward became foreman of the Michael Fanning Mill Company, at LaPorte, and continued to act in that capacity for seventeen years, one of the most trusted em¬ ployes ever connected with the works. He was but six years of age when he became a resident of LaPorte, and he remained there until 1898, when he came to Michigan City, where he is now liv¬ ing retired, having well earned rest from further labor. He married Miss Mary Whorwell, a daughter of John Whorwell, who was also born in England. On seeking a home in the United States he settled in New Jersey. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary Gardner, and by their marriage they became the parents of six or seven children. Coming to Indiana, Mr. Whorwell died in LaPorte at the age of seventy-six years. To Mr. and Mrs. Hardy Wilson have been born eight children, four sons and four daughters, of whom six are now living, as follows: Hubert W. ; Alice, the wife of Fred C. Pritchard, of Charleston, West Virginia; Leroy A., a practic¬ ing physician of Michigan City ; William P., May and Henry W., all of this place.

The boyhood days of Dr. Hubert W. Wilson were not particularly eventful. He spent his youth much as other boys of the period, the duties of the schoolroom and the pleasures of the playground largely claiming his attention. He was graduated on the completion of the high school course with the class of 1887, and then went to Tennessee, where he remained for several years, during which time he learned the trade of basket-making. While thus engaged he devoted his leisure hours to the study of medicine, and later entered the medical department of the Uni¬ versity of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he was graduated in 1892. Thus carefully prepared for his chosen calling, he came to Michigan City, where he has since engaged in practice, making gratifying advance as the years have gone by and his skill and efficiency increased. He is surgeon for the Michigan Central and Lake Erie & Western railroad companies, and in addition has a large private practice.

On the 17th of May, 1893, Dr. Wilson was united in marriage to Miss Lenna M. Buck, a daughter of James H. and Celia (Oder) Buck. They now have one daughter, Margaret. Dr. and Mrs. Wilson are prominent and active mem¬ bers of the Presbyterian church, and he is now serving as one of its elders. His fraternal rela¬ tions connect him with Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M., Michigan City Chapter, No. 25, R. A. M., and he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Indianapolis Consistory, S. P. R. S. He is likewise a member of Michigan City Lodge No. 265, 1. O. O. F. and is an honored representative of the Knights of the Maccabees and the Modern Woodmen of America, and is medical examiner for both orders. Political sup¬ port is given by him to the. Republican party, and while he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day he is not an aspirant for office. In the line of his profession he is con¬ nected with the City, County and State Medical Societies, also with the American Medical Asso¬ ciation and the International Association of Rail¬ way Surgeons. His interest in his profession is deep and sincere, and, while he has a laudable ambition to win financial success in his work, he also puts forth every effort in his power to alle¬ viate human suffering because of his broad humanitarian principles.

HON. WILLIAM E. HIGGINS, a promi¬ nent corporation lawyer and counsellor of La¬ Porte, Indiana, is connected with one of the oldest families in America. The ancestry originated in Wales, and two brothers went there from England, and thence, in 1623, came to America and landed in New Foundland, where one brother remained, but the other came to Connecticut, and was the first of a long line of descendants who have worthily filled their parts. since that time. During the Revolution Cornelius Higgins, great¬ grandfather of William E. Higgins, held a com¬ mission as'a captain in the continental army, and did his full share toward winning independence. His son David was bom at Haddam, Connecticut, August 6, 1761, and he, too, had a share in the Revolution, for, in July, 1779, when the British came to New Haven, he was called out for local defense. He was a student in Dartmouth College for two years, and graduated from Yale in 1785. He became a minister, with his home in various places; in 1801 he moved to Aurelius (now Auburn) New York, and in 1813 to Bath, Steuben county, New York, where he was pastor of the Presbyterian church until 1831. The wife of Rev. David Higgins was Eunice Gilbert, a direct descendant of Matthew Gilbert, who, as a resident of England, had much to do with the organization of the Massachusetts colony, and, on coming to this country, was elected deputy governor of the colony in 1671. He was one of the pillars of the church, and a stanch Puritan.

James G. Higgins, the son of David and Eunice (Gilbert) Higgins, was bom in the state of Connecticut, February 22, 1791. He removed with his father to Steuben county, New York, and lived in Bath until 1835, when he set out for the west. Before he settled permanently he was in LaPorte, Indiana, for four weeks, and while there helped build the first court house in the county, his brother having a contract on the structure. From LaPorte he went to Chicago, thence to Ottawa, Illinois, where he had the dis¬ tinction of being the first merchant in the town. He died at Ottawa in 1840. His wife was Mariah Burns, a native of Onondaga county, New York.

Hon. William E. Higgins was the son of the last named parents, bom at Ottawa, Illinois, in' 1838. In November, 1840, after his father's death, his mother, who was of Irish ancestry and had been a school teacher for several years in Bath, New York, before her marriage, left Ottawa with her three children and came to La¬ Porte. Much of the education which Mr. Hig¬ gins received was at the hands of his intelligent mother, and when he arrived at young manhood he began teaching school, which he continued for four winters, studying law whenever opportunity offered, at night or in the vacations. In 1859 he entered the office of Hon. Morgan H. Weir, and in April, i860, was one of a class of five to be admitted to practice, the examination being con¬ ducted by a committee consisting of the late Judge Bradley, Daniel Noyes and Don J. Wood¬ ward.

Since that time Mr. Higgins has been prom¬ inently engaged in practice of his profession. During the subsequent years he built up a large general practice, but more recently has narrowed the scope of his work to counselling and advis¬ ing, and to his duties as corporation lawyer, he being attorney for several large companies, and leaving the department of court and jury practice to others. For twenty-five years he has been at¬ torney for the Rumely Manufacturing Company of this city.

Mr. Higgins has also an honorable record in public life. As the Republican party candidate he was elected city attorney in 1866, his opponent being Judge Bradley, and he has held Jhe same office several different times. At two different times he was deputy prosecuting attorney for the LaPorte circuit. He is also foremost in Odd Fellow circles. He has been through all the chairs of the local lodge and encampment and the grand lodge; for twenty years was one of the trustees and business manager for the local lodge, and had much to do with building it up to its present flourishing condition; he was one of the trustees when the Odd Fellows building was erected.

Mr. Higgins was married at LaPorte, in Sep¬ tember, 1863, to Miss Harriet J. Place, daughter of Nelson T. Place, a prominent old-time resi¬ dent of this county. One daughter has been born of this union, Fannie B., now the wife of Abram Somerfield, of LaPorte. In professional, fra¬ ternal and social circles Mr. Higgins has risen to a place with the leaders, and his career is one that justifies praise from every point of view.

JACOB WEILER, a retired business man at 1 15 West Sixth street, Michigan City, is one of the pioneer settlers of this city and one of its most successful and esteemed business men. He came here over a half century ago, with one dollar in his pocket, and his life of industry, honest dealings and good citizenship has been rewarded with a goodly share of worldly possessions and a place of honor among those with whom he has lived so long. He owns some of the handsome and valuable business property of Michigan City, and he has a record of steady progress from un¬ pretentious beginnings.

Mr. Weiler was born in Wiirtemberg, Ger¬ many, January 13, 1830, a son of Joseph and Katharine (Bishcel) Weiler, both natives of Ger¬ many. The former was the only son of a German farmer, and he also followed farming there, and died in the latter part of the fifties, at the age of seventy-two. The latter, who was one of three children of a farmer in the fatherland, survived her husband about a year, passing away at the age of seventy. They were both members of the Lutheran church. They were the parents of eight children, five sons and three daughters, and three are now living : Carl, of Germany, Jacob, of Michigan City, and George, of Kingsbury, Indi¬ ana.

Jacob Weiler lived in Germany until he was twenty years of age, and was educated and learned the trade of shoemaker. With this equip¬ ment, and with almost no money in his pocket, he arrived in Michigan City in 1850, and has made this his permanent place of business and abode ever since. The town was small then, and all about it was wild and marshy. He was em¬ ployed in the shoe shop of Squire Dibble for about three years, and then opened a shoe shop and store of his own. He was in business and fol¬ lowed his trade for thirty-five years, and in 1889 retired with a comfortable competence for the remaining years of his life. Since then he has been sufficiently occupied in attending to his property interests. Besides his beautiful brick home, he has a fine brick business block at the comer of Sixth and Franklin streets, where he had built a two-storv and basement building in 1872, to be replaced by the present edifice in 1897. He also owns his old shoe shop property on Franklin street, opposite the Vreeland Hotel.

February 5, 1853, Mr. Weiler married Miss Anna Anger, daughter of George Anger, and seven children were born of this union, as fol¬ lows: Louis, police sergeant in Michigan City, married Mary Warnke, and they have three chil¬ dren, Wilhelm, Anna and Henrietta. Mary died at the age of nineteen. Wilhelm, a resident of La- Porte, married Miss Gertrude Seloff, and they have four children, Nettie, William, Carl and Benjamin. George, who runs a shoe store in Michigan City, married Anna Warnke. Frede¬ rick is a butcher, and by his marriage to Minnie Radke has seven children, Harry, Amelia, Emma, Walter, Richard, Arthur and Mabel. Jacob, a grocery clerk, married Henrietta Cashback. John died at the age of two years. Mrs. Anna Weiler died in 1867, at the age of thirty-five. She was a member of the Lutheran church, and a good wife and mother.

On March 1, 1868, Mr. Weiler married Miss Paulina Schaeuffele, .a daughter of John Conrad and Fredericka (Sausselc) Schaeuffele. The following children were born of this union : Julia, who married John Strebel and has two children, Irene and Daniel ; Paulina, who died when not quite four years old ; Albert, who is employed in the Citizens' Bank, and is unmarried; Rudolph, who married Lucinda Lubs, and has one child, Wallace ; Amelia, who died at the age of eight ; Herman, who works on the Michigan Central Railroad.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Weiler are members of the Lutheran church, and he is a member of Ger¬ man Union Lodge No. 265, I. O. O. F. He affiliates with the Democratic party, and has held the office of township trustee for two terms. Mr. Weiler is absolutely a self-made man and has relied upon his own resources for his success.

C. T. DALE, who follows farming on section 15, Kankakee township, was born in Center coun¬ ty, Pennsylvania, March 27, 1838. His father, Christian Dale, was a native of Pennsylvania, also born in Center county. He was a son of Cornelius Dale, likewise a native of Pennsylvania, and of German descent, and he died at White Pigeon, Michigan, in the ninety-third year of his age. On the 1st of January, 1845, Christian Dale emigrated westward and took up his abode in LaPorte county, Indiana, upon the farm where C. T. Dale now resides. There he lived for some time, but later he retired from business life and took up his abode in the city of LaPorte, where he died at the age of sixty-three years. His wife bore the maiden name of Sarah D. Lee and was a native of Center county, Pennsylvania. Her death occurred in her eighty-fourth year upon the farm which is now the property of her son, C. T. Dale. In the family were seven children, two daughters and five sons.

C. T. Dale is the fourth child and second son, and was in his seventh year when the family came to LaPorte county, Indiana. Here his youth was passed, and in 1852 he went to California, at¬ tracted by the discovery cf gold on the Pacific coast. He made the journey across the plains with a horse team to Placerville, and where he remained for eight months. He was but fourteen years of age at that time, making the trip in com¬ pany with his father. On their return to LaPorte county they came back together, and C. T. re¬ mained here until 1859, when he again went to California, this time by way of the water route and the Isthmus of Panama. For three years he remained in the far west, and then returned by way of Grey town to New York and on to La¬ Porte county. He then remained in this county until 1864, when he went to Montana, where he was engaged in mining and teaming. The three succeeding years - between 1869 and 1872 - were spent in this county, and he then went to Eureka, Nevada by railroad. There he was connected with the business of smelting ore, having charge of a furnace. He was paid seven dollars per day by the Richman Mining Company. In 1876, however, he returned to the old homestead in Kan¬ kakee township and has since followed the occu¬ pation of farming. Here he owns eighty-two acres of land, which is arable and well improved.

In his political affiliations Mr. Dale is a Dem¬ ocrat and was elected supervisor of his township. He is a prominent Mason, belonging to Rolling Prairie Lodge No. 291 and for eleven years he has been treasurer of this lodge, a fact which in- dicates his trustworthiness and the confidence reposed in him by his brethren of the order. He is well known in the county and takes an active interest in everything pertaining to public pro¬ gress here.

Edward M. Dale, a brother of Mr. Dale, and who accompanied him and their father across the plains, lives in Deadwood, South Dakota. The other brothers and sisters of Mr. Dale are Eliza¬ beth, the widow of John Fraser and a resident of Brooklyn, New York; Mary A., the wife of J. C. Ayer, of Chicago, Illinois ; Alfred, deceased ; and Samuel, who is a resident of Wilmington, Illinois.

JOHN ERNEST SHULTZ. Honored and respected by all, John Ernest Shultz has been for several years prominently identified with the public affairs of LaPorte county, and is now a well known Hotel and restaurant proprietor in Michigan City. He was born in the province of Mecklenburg, Germany, on the 20th of December, 1851. In the fatherland both the maternal and paternal grandparents spent their lives and were finally laid to rest. Mr. Shultz is a son of Christian and Augusta (Miller) Shultz, natives also of Germany, and they became the parents of five children, two sons and three daughters, namely: John Ernest; Martha, the wife of Ed¬ ward Young, of Batavia, Illinois ; August, a resi¬ dent of South Bend, Indiana ; Lydia, the wife of William Ahrens, of Sandwich, Illinois ; and Emma, the wife of a Mr. Marcy, also of Sand¬ wich. The father of this family, who was one of six children, two sons and four daughters, was a gardener by occupation, and came to America in May, 1852. On his arrival in this country he took up his abode in LaPorte, Indiana, where he resumed his chosen calling, and there his death occurred in 1892, when he had reached the age of seventy-three years. His wife survived him until 1896, when she passed away at the age of seventytwo years. Both were members of the German Methodist church.

John Ernest Shultz was but a few months old when he was brought by his parents to America, and the days of his boyhood and youth were spent in LaPorte, where he attended the public schools. Before reaching mature years he em¬ barked in the hotel and restaurant business in that city, and this has continued his life work since those early days. In January, 1874, he arrived in Michigan City, where he has since been numbered among the progressive and pub¬ lic-spirited citizens. As a hotel proprietor he has met with a well merited degree of success, and in the public life of the city he has also borne an active part, being a loyal supporter of Re¬ publican principles. For four years he served as the alderman of the first ward, and in 1901 was made deputy sheriff of LaPorte county under P. O. Small. The duties of both offices he dis¬ charged with a promptness and fidelity worthy of all commendation.

On the 8th of April, 1874, Mr. Shultz was' united in marriage to Miss Harriet Bunnell, a daughter of Anthony S. and Julia Bunnell. Four children have been born of this union, as follows : Raymond, who died at the age of nine years; Ralph, who died when seven years of age ; Ernest, employed in a sugar refinery in Porto Rico ; and Edith, a student in the Michigan City high school. In his fraternal relations Mr. Shultz is a member of Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M. ; Michigan City Chapter No. 25, R. A. M.; and Michigan City Commandery No. 30, K. T. He also belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, to Washington Lodge No. 94, Knights of Pythias, and is a charter member of the Royal Arcanum and is at present a member of the Supreme Council of the United States and is one of the most prominent members of this order in the country.

GERRITT S. VAN DEUSEN, the prom¬ inent contractor and business man of Michigan City, has lived here nearly forty years, and his successful career has been worked out here. He began life as a railroad brakeman, and has been steadily advancing in material prosperity and in worthy activity ever since, until now as ex-mayor of the city and one of the leading bankers and in¬ timately associated with the commercial interests of the city he is one of the most highly respected citizens, and one who enjoys the highest reputa¬ tion for reliability and integrity.

Mr. Van Deusen is of Holland Dutch descent, but the family has resided for many years in this country. Robert Van Deusen, his grandfather, was a Massachusetts farmer, living near Ashley Falls. His wife was Mary Elizabeth Sharp, and they had a number of children. He lived to be ninety years of age, and his wife upwards of eighty.

Robert R. Van Deusen, father of Gerritt S. Van Deusen, was a native of New York. He was an attorney by profession, and practiced in New York state for a time, but in 1866 came to Michigan City, Indiana, . where he practiced un¬ til his death in 1874, when he was sixtv-seven years old. He piarried Elvira Stewart, a native of New York state, and one of a small family of children bom to Orlando and Elvira Stewart, the former a farmer of New York and of Scotch descent. She survived her husband until 1889, and was about seventy-five years old at the time of her death. She was a member of the Method¬ ist church, and he was a Republican in politics. They were parents of eleven children, six sons and five daughters, and nine of them are living: Miss Mary E., of Michigan City; Annie E., the deceased wife of L. P. Gage, of Painesville, Ohio ; Setwart A. Van Deusen, of Denver, Colorado; Miss Sarah M., of Michigan City; Henry C, of Havana, Cuba; Ella, wife of E. S. Weaver, of Georgetown, Colorado; Robert Scott, who was a private in Company E, Eighty-first New York Volunteer Infantry, and was killed in the battle of Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862; Jay R., of New York city ; Gerritt S. ; Estella, wife of E. C. Briggs, of Denver, Colorado; and Arthur E., of Denver, Colorado.

Gerritt S. Van Deusen was born in Morrisville, Madison county, New York, January 7, 1851. He remained in that state until he was fourteen years old, attending the public schools of Madison county. In 1865 he came to Michi¬ gan City, and finished his education in the high school here. He then began braking on the Mich¬ igan Central Railroad, but followed this pursuit but a short time, and for the following thirteen years was a traveling salesman. He next began the manufacture of reed and rattan goods in Michigan City, and made a good thing out of this business until 1897, * when he severed his connection with the establishment of which he was the founder. Since that time he has been interested in banking. He was one of the organ¬ izers of the Citizens' Bank and was one of the organizers and is now secretary and treasurer of the Merchants' Mutual Telephone Company. He also carries on a contracting business, and his extensive interests place him in the front rank of the business men of this thriving city.

November 9, 1881, Mr. Van Deusen married Miss Rachel S. Couden, and of the three children bom to them, Margaret and Henry died in in¬ fancy, while Grace Marshall, the second in order of birth, lives at home. Mrs. Van Deusen is a daughter of Reynolds and Margaret (Marshall) Couden, who were natives of Ohio and lived for a number of years in Mahoning county. Her father was one of the earliest settlers of Michi¬ gan City, arriving in 1834, one year after the city came into existence and a name, and he had a hardware business here from that date until 1878, when he retired. His wife came here in 1836 from Mahoning county, Ohio, and they met and were married in Michigan City. Their four sons and one daughter were all bom here, as fol¬ lows : William M. Couden, deceased ; Albert R., now a captain in the navy and acting rear ad¬ miral in command of the navy yard at Cavite, Philippine Islands; Chauncey B., of Michigan City ; Rachel S., Mrs. Van Deusen ; and J. C. F. Couden, deceased.

Mr. and Mrs. Van Deusen are members of the Methodist church, and he has been president of the board of trustees for many years. He affiliates with Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M., with Michigan City Chapter No. 25, R. A. M., with Michigan City Council No. 56, and with Michigan City Commandery No. 30, K. T. ; and is also a member of the Tribe of Ben Hur. Po¬ litically he is a Republican, and for two years represented his ward as alderman, and was mayor of the city from 1894 to 1898, being one of the most capable and popular officials who ever held that office. He owns a neat modern home at 402 Spring street, and he and his wife and daughter enjoy many friends in the city and elsewhere.

LYMAN B. ASHTON, who is well known in connection with commercial circles in Michi¬ gan City, has been engaged in the grocery busi¬ ness for thirty-six years. He was born here Feb¬ ruary 14, 1844, his parents being Gallatin and Elizabeth (Ritter) Ashton, both of whom were natives of New York. It was in the Empire state that Thomas Ashton, the grandfather of Lyman B, Ashton, was born and reared. The family, however, is of English lineage, and was founded in America by one who also bore the name of Thomas Ashton and who was a native of England, whence he removed to Ireland, and thence came to the new world, locating in the state of New York, where his remaining days were passed.

As a life occupation grandfather Thomas Ash¬ ton followed the pursuit of a farmer, and when the country became involved in the second war with England he joined the American army and fought in defense of the rights of this country. His death occurred when he had reached an old age. In his family were fourteen sons, of whom Gallatin Ashton was the youngest.' The maternal grandfather of Mr. Lyman Ashton was Simon Ritter, who was born in Cayuga county, New York, and thence removed to Indiana in the early thirties. " He established his home in Michigan

City, where he remained until he reached an ad¬ vanced age, when he departed this life. He had three sons and one daughter. The Ritter family is of German extraction.

Gallatin Ashton was engaged in clerking when a young man, and about 1832 he arrived in Mich¬ igan City, which was then a mere hamlet, and the most farsighted could not dream that it was to become a leading port of the state and a city of large commercial and industrial interests. Here Mr. Ashton began teaching school, and sub¬ sequently turned his attention to general mer¬ chandising. Still later he became agent for the Fairbanks Scale Company, and traveled for many years in its interests. He wedded Miss Elizabeth Ritter, also a native of New York, and they be¬ came the parents of nine children, five sons and four daughters, of whom four are yet living, as follows : Lyman B. ; Martha, the wife of Charles Clough, of Plymouth, Indiana; Ellen, the wife of Walter Brundage, of Duluth, Minnesota ; and James, who is living in Alexandria, Minnesota. The father held a number of local offices in an early day in LaPorte county, including that of constable, and in the work of general progress and improvement he was deeply interested, be¬ ing thus a co-operant factor in measures for the general good. He died in 1864 at the age of fifty-two years, and his wife passed away Septem¬ ber 8, 1852, at the age of thirty-two years. She was a member of the Methodist church.

Lyman B. Ashton has spent his entire life in Michigan City, and as one of its native sons is a leading and influential citizen and as a represenative business man well deserves mention in this volume. He attended the public and private schools, acquiring a good education, and when a young man he engaged in clerking. He also sold scales in connection with his father, and when he had acquired sufficient* capital to purchase a stock of groceries he embarked in business on his own account in the year 1867, and has since been the well known grocery merchant of this city. He has kept fully abreast with the progressive spirit of the times, and has a well equipped store, con¬ taining a large and well selected line of general and fancy groceries. His business methods have ever been honorable, his labors systematic, and his earnest desire to please his customers has brought to him a liberal patronage.

On the 30th of October, 1872, Mr. Ashton was married to Miss Ella R. Mosse, who for many years was a teacher in the Michigan City public schools and a well known educator. She was a daughter of James and Mary (Mason)

Mosse, who came from Canada to Indiana in pioneer times. Her father built a little home that was scarcely more than a shanty upon the site of the present dock on Franklin street. He was a ship carpenter, and going to Chicago to secure work, he there contracted cholera and died in that city. His widow still survives him and is yet living in Michigan City. The home of Mr. and Ashton has been blessed with five children : Arthur L., now a merchant in Doty, Washington, who married Anna Vehlen and has two children, Fran¬ ces M. and Lyman John; Walter F., who is an electrician and lives in Michigan City; Bertha, who died at the age of two and a half years; Mabel M., who is a successful and accomplished music teacher ; and Mina M., who is employed in the postoffice.

Mr. and Mrs. Ashton attend the services of the Episcopal church, of which Mrs. Ashton is a member. Socially he is identified with Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M. ; with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and with the Royal Arcanum, and in the last named he has held all of the offices. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party for he has firm faith in its principles. For one term he was a member of the city council, and for eight years was presi¬ dent of the board of police commissioners, retir¬ ing from that office in January, 1903. He resides at 215 Spring street, where he owns a good home, but has spent the greater part of his life on Franklin street. He takes a citizen's interest in good government, but political conductorship or conquest are for him without charm. The peaceful, quiet walks of business life are more to his liking and here he has been successful and here has been the true sphere of his usefulness.

WILLIAM P. PAGE. From an early period in the development of LaPorte county William P. Page has resided within its borders, and is now a prominent farmer of Union township, living on section 2. He was born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, Nevember 19, 1827. His father Abram Page, was a native of Pennsylvania and was reared and married there. The family is of German lineage, but the grandfather of YVilliam P. Page was also a native of the Keystone state. Abram Page was joined in wedlock to Miss Christina Frively, a native of Pennsylvania, and in 1846 they came to LaPorte county, locating first in Scipio township, where he engaged in farming. Later he purchased a farm in Union township west of Kingsbury and improved this place, making it his home until his death, which occurred when he was in his sixty-seventh year. His wife passed away in Pennsylvania when forty-seven years of age. They were members of the Baptist church, and Mr. Abram Page took a very active part in its work and held a number of church positions. To him and his wife were bom ten children, of whom William f\ Page is the sixth.

In the place of his nativity William P. Page remained until nineteen years of age, when he came to LaPorte county with his father. He lived at home until he had attained his majority. In 1849 he joined a party of forty men who made the trip across the plains to California. For many long days and weeks they journeyed over the hot sandy stretches of country or climbed the moun¬ tains, but at length safely reached Hangtown, now called Placerville. Mr. Page remained on the Pacific coast for about a year, devoting his time between the occupations of mining and team¬ ing. He returned by way of the Isthmus of Pana¬ ma to New York city, coming thence to LaPorte county, after which he remained at home until his marriage.

That important event in his life occurred on the nth of September, 1855, the lady of his. choice being Miss Tryphena Morical, who was bom in Darke county, Ohio, July 4, 1830, a daughter of Jacob Morical. Mrs. Page, who was a consistant member of the Friends church, died June 17. 1902. She was the mother of ten chil¬ dren : Margaret, now the wife of Delbert Boardman ; Emma, the wife of Lee Wetsel ; Sarah, the wife of Henry Wickam ; Henry, deceased ; Abra¬ ham, who married Anna Swanson ; Elizabeth, the wife of William Hoover; Edward, who married Margaret Marx; DeWitt, Clarence and Frank, all of whom have passed away.

Immediately after his marriage Mr. Page lo¬ cated in Kingsbury, where he was engaged in the grocery business until his removal to Union Mills. There he also conducted a grocery store until i860, when he took up his abode upon a farm, on which he is now living. Here he owns fifty acres of land and has been engaged in gen¬ eral agricultural pursuits for the past forty-three years. He is one of the representative citizens and old settlers of LaPorte county, and is esteem¬ ed for his genuine worth and many sterling traits of character. His political support in early life was given to the Whig party, and later he joined the ranks of the newly organized Republican party, having in i860 and again in 1864 voted for Abraham Lincoln. He has since supported every presidential candidate of the organization.

For about four years he served as constable, but has never been an active politician in the sense of office seeking. He is a member of the Friends church, and has lived an upright, honorable life, worthy of the public regard which is. so uniform¬ ly accorded him.

ERNEST BLACK. The family name of this gentleman is one which is ineffaceable traced on the history of LaPorte county and which figures on the pages whose records perpetuate the principal events from early days down to the present time. He was born in Porter county, Indiana, one-half mile from the boundary line of LaPorte county, on the 26th of August, 1857. His father, James Black, was born in New Shire county, West Virginia, August 23, 1818, being a son of Hiram Black, who was born, reared and married in Virginia, and there his death after¬ ward occurred. When twenty-one years of age James Black came to Indiana, and two years later took up his abode in LaPorte county, first in Coolspring township. Afterward he removed to Morgan township, Porter county, Indiana, where he became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres, only five acres of which had been cleared at the time of the purchase, but a log cabin had been erected and three thousand rails had been split. As the years passed by Mr. Black succeeded in placing his land under an excellent state of cul¬ tivation, and in time this was sold for sixty-five hundred dollars, after which he located on the farm on which Ernest Black now resides in Cass township, LaPorte county. His death occurred on this place on the 23d of October, 1897. He was at all times recognized as a loyal and publicspirited citizen, and at the time of the nomination of David Turpy at Wanatah, he with three others, purchased a large flag and in many ways assisted in that spirited campaign. This was thirty-eight years ago, and the flag was purchased at a cost of forty dollars. At one time he served as trustee of Morgan township, and he was a stalwart sup¬ porter of the Democratic party.

Mr. James Black married Florinda Pierce, a native of Washington township, Porter county, Indiana, her birth there occurring on the 1st of July, 1835. She is a daughter of Warner and Delia (Beeman) Pierce, pioneer settlers of Por¬ ter county, to which place they removed from New York. Mrs. James Black is still living, and has now reached the age of sixty-eight years. By her marriage she became the mother of twelve children, nine of whom grew to years of maturity, and six of the number are still living.

Ernest Black, the second son in order of birth, spent the days of his boyhood and youth in Porter county, Indiana, receiving his educa¬ tion in its common schools, and when eighteen years of age he left the parental home and went to Nebraska, where for two years he resided at David City, Butler county. On the expiration of that period he returned to his old home in La- Porte county, and for a period of twenty-three years has resided on his present homestead, which consists of two hundred and seventy-five acres of rich and well improved land. In matters political Mr. Black is a stanch supporter of Democratic principles, although at local elections he votes for the men whom he regards as best qualified to fill offices of trust and responsibility. He serves as appraiser of school funds and in many ways has proved his loyalty to his county. Mr. Black's uncle Robert was a soldier in the Mexican war and died there with fever. His commander was General Taylor, or "Old Rough and Ready."

On the 23d of June, 1886, occurred the mar¬ riage of Mr. Black and Miss Lena Tohm, who was a native of Germany, but when only two years of age was brought to America by her parents, August and Louisa Tohm, also natives of the fatherland. Three sons were bom to bless this household, Leroy, William and George. On the- 15th of May, 1899, death entered this home and took therefrom the loving wife and mother, and her loss was deeply felt not only by her immediate family but by the many friends to whom she had endeared herself through her many noble characteristics.

DR. GEORGE M. LEESON, the well known physician of Wanatah, has had a successful career as a medical practitioner in this town for the past eight years, and also in other lines has been successful and has seen much of the world. Henry W. Leeson, his father, was a native of England, and after coming to America spent some time in the cities of New York, Buffalo and Cleveland, and then moved to Brantford, Canada, where he continued to engage in his trade of shoemaker. He was married in Canada to Miss Sarah Polley, a native of New York state, and they then located in the town of Ingersoll, On¬ tario, near London. They now live in Grey county, Ontario, Canada, where he has followed farming for thirty-four years. They were the parents of twelve children, all born in Canada.

ary 2, 1861, and remained in Canada until he was twenty-two years old. During this time he re¬ ceived a common school education, and after leaving home spent five years in Dakota, Minne¬ sota, Wisconsin and other western states, and in Manitoba and Assiniboia, engaged in various pursuits. In 1887 he went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he was in the railroad service, and was later in the same kind of work in De¬ troit. In this latter city he took up the study of medicine, and was graduated from the Detroit College of Medicine in 1895, having begun his preparation in 1891. He was an interne at the Harper Hospital in Detroit for eighteen months, and he came to Wanatah in 1895 with the best of preparation for practice, both in theory and ex¬ perience. He has found this a good field for his labors, and has built up a large practice in the comparatively short time since he opened his office. Dr. Leeson has many genial and pleasant ways which appeal to the people in addition to his well known ability, and his service in his profes¬ sion is by no means altogether for selfish ends, but contributes to the well-being and betterment of many of his fellow men.

Dr. Leeson married, November 21, 1895, Miss Emily A. Crawford, who was born April 26, 1861, and was reared in Ingersoll, Ontario. The three children who were bom of this union are Margaret, Mansfield and James, and they all constitute a happy family, with many friends.

Dr. Leeson is a member of the Porter County Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical So¬ ciety, the American Medical Association and the Kankakee Valley Medical Association. 'He is a stanch Republican and a member of the Metho¬ dist Episcopal church, and at every point of con¬ tact with his fellow citizens has proved himself an upright and reliable man, ready to assist in works for the general good, open and frank in business relations, and kind to his family and friends. He has a well selected library of stan¬ dard medical works from the foremost medical authorities. He has a cabinet of surgical instru¬ ments, rarely seen in a small country town and his home is cosy, attractive and neatly and mod¬ estly furnished, presided over by Mrs. Leeson, whose social kindly nature is one of the principal exponents, in a social sense, in the social circles of Wanatah, Indiana.

CAPTAIN JOHN M. CAMPBELL, captain of the Great Lakes freighter Francis Hinton, is one of the veteran shipmasters of the Great Lakes. He has been engaged in the lumber carrying trade for many years, and when he has not been in command of a boat he has been connected with the lumber industry on land. He has a record of nearly fifty years spent in some branch of lum¬ bering or boating, and he is one of the best known men on the waters and in the cities around the chain of lakes. Captain Campbell has resided in Michigan City for fifteen years, and is one of the esteemed citizens, being public-spirited, capa¬ ble in business relations and popular in fraternal and social circles.

It is easy to decide that Captain Campbell is of Scotch stock, for the name Campbell is indis¬ solubly associated with the highlands of Scotland as that of the chief and most warlike clan, cele¬ brated in song and story. Malcolm Campbell, the grandfather of Captain Campbell, was born in Scotland, and was a soldier in the British army for nineteen years, serving under the great Duke of Wellington, during the Napoleonic wars. He moved to Canada in 1817, and received a soldier's patent from the British government to land there, on which he resided the rest of his life and fol¬ lowed the occupation of farmer. He lived to the great age of ninety-six. and was the father of seven children. The maternal grandmother was Anna Anderson.

John Campbell, the father of Captain Camp¬ bell, was born in the highlands of Scot¬ land, whence he removed with his father to Canada. He was a lumberman, and fol¬ lowed that occupation in Canada, where he also served in the patriot war of 1837. He came to Illinois in 1845, and in 1854 moved to Stony Creek, Ocean county, Michigan, where he was engaged in the lumber business for twenty years, at the end of which time he retired. He died at Syracuse, New York, aged eighty-one years, on the same day in the year 1885 on which General Grant died. He was originally a Scotch Presbyterian, but later became a Methodist. He married Catherine McLaren, who was born in Canada and was a daughter of John McLaren, who was born in Scotland and came from Broad Albane to Canada in 1802. In his younger days he was a ferryman, and later was a brick manu¬ facturer and farmer, and also kept a tavern of the old days. He had three daughters and seven sons. Catherine (McLaren) Campbell preceded her husband many years in death, and he was married a second time. Five sons and four daughters were bom of the first marriage, and six are now living: Anna, widow of William Brooks, of Minneapolis; Jennie, wife of Nicholas Ingalls, of Muskegon, Michigan ; Captain John

M., of Michigan City; Christie, widow of Will¬ iam Ely, of Syracuse, New York; Captain Alex¬ ander D., a captain on the lakes, and with resi¬ dence at Seattle, Washington, and Captain Peter D., also a captain on the lakes and residing at Charlevoix, Michigan.

Captain John M. Campbell was bom at Corn¬ wall, Canada, February 1, 1841, and came to the United States when he was four years old. He lived in St. Charles, Illinois, from 1845 1° *854, and received most of his schooling there. He then went with his parents to Stony Creek, Michi¬ gan, and in 1856 and 1857 attended the high school in Grand Rapids. He returned to Stony Creek, and began his career in the lumber busi¬ ness in connection with his father, with whom he remained until 1862. He then went to Muske¬ gon, Michigan, where he put up a mill of his own and conducted it for three years. For the follow¬ ing eighteen years he had a line of tug boats tow¬ ing vessels on the lakes. Following this, for an interim of four years he had a lumber business at Duluth, Minnesota, but then came back to the lakes, and has been engaged in the lumber-carry¬ ing traffic ever since. Few men have led a more continuously successful record in this line of ac¬ tivity than he, and he is recognized as a master in the handling of a commerce which forms a large part of the world's water trade. He came to Michigan City in 1888, and this has been his home since that time.

July 19, 1866, Captain Campbell married Miss Adell Josephine Fortin, a daughter of Paul and Emily (Frazier) Fortin. There are two daugh¬ ters of this union, Alice Marion, the wife of C. C. Willits, a druggist of Michigan City, and Jessie Adell Frances Campbell. Captain Camp¬ bell and wife are members of the Congregation¬ al church, and he affiliates with Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M., with Michigan City Chapter No. 25, R..A. M., and Michigan City Commandery No. 30, K. T., as also with Lodge No. 3, Shipmasters of the Great Lakes, Chicago. He is a Republican in politics. Captain Campbell built his nice home at 117 East Eighth street in 1897, and he also owns other city property.

CHARLES HOPPENER. Among the early settlers of LaPorte county is numbered Charles Hoppener, who is engaged in general agricultural pursuits, making his home on section 32, Union township. He is a representative of the German- American element in our citizenship, his birth having occurred in Mecklenburg, Germany, on the 4th of August, 1850. He was reared there, and attended the public schools until fourteen years of age, when he put aside his text books and began earning his own living. He made his home with his father, who worked by the year on the home farm, until he came to America in 1873. He made the trip alone, a young man of twenty-three years, attracted by the business pos¬ sibilities and opportunities of the United States. Continuing his journey into the interior of the country, he at length arrived in LaPorte county, and for two years was employed in the city of LaPorte at any work that would yield him an honest living. His industry and economy brought to him capital sufficient to enable him to purchase a small tract of land, and in 1875 he invested in a part of his home farm. He now has eighty acres of well improved land, most of which was cleared and cultivated for the first time by himself. He performed the arduous toil of preparing the land for the plow, and to-day as the result of his labors he annually harvests good crops.

In 1875 Mr. Hoppener was united in marriage to Miss Dorothea Meyer and to them were born eight children: William, John, Carl, Emma, Fritz, Albert, Clara and Edward. All were born on the homestead farm, and Mr. Hoppener has good reason to be proud of his family. He is a member of the Lutheran church, as are his wife and some of his children. His political support is given to the Democracy, and at one time he served as a member of the school board. His interest in the county's welfare is deep and sincere as is manifested by his active co-operation in many measures for the general good.

ROMAN EICHSTAEDT. One of the well known citizens of Michigan City is Roman Eichstaedt, a representative of a good old German family. He may also be justly termed a selfmade man, for to his own energy and persever¬ ance he owes the success which he has achieved. He was bom in the province of Posen, Germany, on the 22d of February, 1857, being a son of Lawrence and Caroline Eichstaedt, natives also of the fatherland. They became the parents of seven children, three sons and four daughters, - Jacob, Joseph, Bertha, Anna, Johanna, Roman and Veleria. The father, who was a fisherman, died in Germany in 1901, when over ninety years of age, and in that country his parents also ended their days, his mother living to the extreme old age of one hundred and eight years, and the fa¬ ther was also well advanced in years when called to his final rest. Mrs. Caroline Eichstaedt died in 1863, and both she and her husband were mem¬

Roman Eichstaedt was reared and educated in the land of his birth, and when sixteen years of age began learning the machinist's trade, in which he served an apprenticeship of three years. During that time he worked from five o'clock in the morning until ten o'clock at night, the period being one of incessant toil. In 1881 he left his German home for America, and after his arrival in this country located in Galveston, Texas, where he remained for a short time. His next place of residence was New Orleans, where ne worked in a machine shop for a time, and for three years was a resident of Chicago. In 1886 he came to Michigan City, Indiana, and secured work in the Michigan Central machine shops, which for two years was the scene of his labors. On the expiration of that period Mr. Eichstaedt opened a machine shop for himself, and has ever since met with a well merited degree of success in this undertaking. He made the first automobile in Michigan City, which is still in use, and he is recognized as one of the progressive citizens of Michigan City. In matters political he gives a stanch support to the Democratic party. His residence is at 121 West Market street, which he erected in 1895. By his own energy and industry coupled with good management, Mr. Eichstaedt has accumulated a good property, and possessing a genial and happy disposition, has made many friends in the city of his adoption.

CHARLES S. GOODHUE, one of the oldest and most esteemed residents of Michigan City, has lived here almost continuously for sixty-five years, or during nearly the entire existence of the city. He has seen the uninviting prospects about Michigan City change to a valuable and rich farming country, and has witnessed the city itself grow from a small community to one of the chief manufacturing centers and shipping points of northern Indiana. He has been identified with the business activity of the city, and for a num¬ ber of years was a successful merchant. He is now past eighty years of age, but still retains much of his former vigor and ability, and is not yet content to lay aside a life of activity.

Mr. Goodhue is a son of Nathaniel and Sally (Sargeant) Goodhue, natives of Vermont, and the former's father was Josiah Goodhue, a grad¬ uate of Cambridge University in 1755, for many years a Congregational minister in Massachusetts and Vermont, and who died at the age of sixty- eight years, having been the father of six chil¬ dren. Sally (Sargeant) Goodhue was a daughter of Colonel William Sargeant, of Dunham, Lower Canada. Nathaniel Goodhue was a lawyer, and one of the early settlers of Warren, Ohio, whence he removed to Michigan City with his family in 1837. He died here at the age of seventy-six years, and his wife was sixty-six at the time of her death. They had two sons and two daughters but Charles S. is the only one now living.

Charles S. Goodhue was bom in Warren, Trumbull county, Ohio, October 16, i823t_and received his first schooling there. He was four¬ teen years old when his parents came west to Michigan City, and with the exception of three and a half years he has spent all the rest of his life here since 1837. After attending school here about a year he began clerking in stores, and after some years spent at that occupation went into business for himself. He conducted a groc¬ ery and provision market during the Civil war and for some years afterward, but since that time has been engaged in bookkeeping and office work almost continually.

January 13, 1859, Mr. Goodhue married Miss Harriet Newell Partrid'ge, a daughter of Samuel and Sophia (Chase) Partridge. Two children were born of this union, Lincoln Partridge and Henry Edward Goodhue, the latter deceased. Lincoln Goodhue has been a principal or con¬ nected in some way with the public schools of Chicago for over twenty years, and is one of the well known educators of that city. He married Miss Elizabeth Gray, and they have three chil¬ dren, Gertrude Gray, Alice Lee and Edward Lin¬ coln. Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Goodhue are members of the First Persbyterian church, and he is a Republican in politics, having voted with that party ever since its organization.

Mrs. Goodhue's grandfather was William Partridge, who was a farmer at Pittsfield, Mas¬ sachusetts, all his life, and died well advanced in years. His wife was Jemima Bidwell, and they had twelve children. Samuel Partridge, the fa¬ ther of Mrs. Goodhue, was a farmer by occupa¬ tion, and came from Massachusetts to Michigan in 1841, and spent the rest of his life near Battle Creek, where he died in 1879 at a£e seventy-nine. His wife, who was a native of New York, survived him ten years, and was seventyeight years old at the time of her death. She and her husband were members of the Congrega¬ tional church. Her father, Jonathan Chase, was also a natve of New York and died in middle life. His wife was Miss Katharine Curry, and they had four children.

REV. F. H. EICKHOFF. One of the best known and most honored citizens of LaPorte county is Rev. F. H. Eickhoff, who has spent the past eleven years of his life in this locality. He was bom near Indianapolis, Indiana, on the 14th of March, i860. His father, Henry Eickhoff, was a native of the fatherland, his birth having occurred in Prussia, Germany, but in August, 1848, he came to America and took up his abode in Cincinnati, later removing to Indianapolis, and finally settling in Marion county, Indiana, where he passed away in death at the age of sixtythree years. He was a baker by trade. His wife bore the maiden name of Charlotte Elbrecht, and she, too, was a native of Germany, coming in her girlhood to America, where she subsequently gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Henry Eick¬ hoff. This union was blessed with eight children, four sons and four daughters, seven of whom grew to years of maturity, and with one exception all are yet living.