LaPorte County, Indiana - Chapter 36: Religion, 1904 (part 12 of 23)

Mr. Place is a Democrat in politics, and cast his first vote for Grover Cleveland, and has been selected as delegate to county conventions at various times. In 1893 he was elected trustee of Johnson township, and held the office for six years. He has always stanchly upheld the prin¬ ciples of his party. Mr. and Mrs. Place are mem¬ bers of the Methodist Episcopal church at Walkerton, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Place are now the owners of three hundred and twenty acres of good land, and he, being one of the younger men of his township, prosecutes his labors with vigor and enthusiasm and gets good returns for his work. They are a most worthy young couple, of good families, and are highly deserving of a place in this history.

HENRY HERROLD is one of the extensive landowners and leading stock-raisers and ship¬ pers of LaPorte county, his possessions here ag¬ gregating about eight hundred acres. He has so directed his labors and utilized his time as to accumulate a handsome competence, and his life work should serve to encourage and inspire others who have no inheritance to aid them as they start out to make their own way in the world.

Mr. Herrold is of German lienage, and pos¬ sesses many of the sterling traits of character of his Teutonic ancestry. He was born in Vinton county, Ohio, on the 25th, of June, 1838. His father, Jacob Herrold, was also a native of Ohio, born in 1805, and his death occurred in 1877. He was a farmer by occupation, industrious and resolute in all of his work, and thus he won for himself a comfortable competence. The year 1854 witnessed his arrival in New Durham town¬ ship, LaPorte county, where he purchased one hundred and fifty acres of partially improved land, to which he afterward added until his farm comprised four hundred acres. He was a man of sound judgment, and keen discrimination and unfaltering energy, and upon those qualities as a foundation he budded his success. All respected him for his genuine worth of character as well as for the successful life he lived. In politics he was a Jackson Democrat, and ardently supported those principles. In his religious views he was a Methodist and lived fully up to the teachings of his church. Although the original German spelling of the name was Herrolt, it was Angli¬ cized to its present form, and it became a most honored name in LaPorte county on account of the blameless life led by Jacob Herrold. He mar¬ ried Sarah M inturn, and unto them were born nine sons and three daughters. The mother was bom near Parkersburg, West Virginia, in 1814, and died in 1898. A beautiful stone marks the last resting place of Mr. and Mrs. Herrold in New Durham cemetery.

Henry Herrold was a youth of sixteen years when he came to LaPorte county. His early edu¬ cational privileges were very limited, but he made the most of his opportunities, and through read¬ ing, experience and observation has become a well informed man, displaying marked practical learning in his business career. He is keen in his judgments, correct in his views and methodical in his actions. He had to begin his business career empty-handed, having no special family or pecuniary advantages to aid him, and he worked by the month as a farm hand at fifteen dollars per month. At the end of three months he had forty-five dollars, having saved all that he had earned. Economy, industry and capable management have formed the secret of his suc¬ cess. As he found opportunity he has made ju¬ dicious investments in real estate, and is now the owner of eight hundred acres of very valuable and productive land, which returns to him a splendid income.

Mr. Herrold was married, March 3, 1863, to Miss Lucy C. Herrold, who was born in Athens county, Ohio, January 29, 1839, and is the second of eleven children, five sons and six daughters, born to David and Mary (Dorr) Herrold. On the maternal side she is of English lineage. The Dorrs were prominent in colonial days and dur¬ ing the Revolutionary war, and the family was represented in the patriot army in the war for in¬ dependence, so that Mrs. Herrold and her chil¬ dren are eligible to membership in the organiza¬ tion of Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. Her grandfather Dorr was the pos¬ sessor of some of the continental scrip. Mrs. Herrold remained in her native county until fif¬ teen years of age, and attended the common schools. To her husband she has been a most faithful companion and helpmate on life's jour¬ ney. It was in 1853 that she came with her par¬ ents to New Durham township, LaPorte county, where her father purchased two hundred and five acres of land, but later he sold that property and invested his money in land in Sac county, Iowa. Her father was in early life a Whig, but after the dissolution of that party voted with the new Republican party. Both he and his wife held membership in the Methodist church. The latter was bom in Ohio in 1818, and died on the 20th of March, 1871.

To Mr. and Mrs. Herrold have been bom four children, a son and three daughters, and three are yet living. The first two were twins, but the sister died. The brother is Charles E. Herrold, one of the progressive young business men of Westville. He was educated in the high school of Westville, and the Normal School at Valparaiso. He married Miss Emma Reynolds. Effie Alice is the wife of George L. Thompson, an insurance agent residing at Westville, and they have five children: Mary and Margery, Henry H., DeVere and Nettie. Mrs. Thompson was a teacher in Porter and LaPorte counties for five years prior to her marriage. Nettie Bell is the wife of Dr. F. V. Martin, of Michigan City. He is a graduate of the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor and is now a successful physician. They have four daughters: Ramona, Frances, Dorothy and Hester. Mrs. Martin was gradu¬ ated from the Westville high school when only sixteen years of age, and afterward entered the high school of Elkhart, Indiana, where she won a gold medal for being the best student in liter¬ ature. She afterward became principal of the Westville public schools and was also a teacher in the city schools of Elkhart. Dr. Martin and his wife hold membership relations with the Knights of the Maccabees, and she is now serving as lady commander of the organization in Mich¬ igan City.

Mr. Herrold is independent in politics, sup¬ porting the candidates whom he thinks best quali¬ fied for office. His wife belongs to the Method¬ ist church, which she joined when fifteen years of age. His attention has been largely given to his business affairs, and in addition to the culti¬ vation of his large farm he is engaged in the raising of stock, which he ships to the Chicago market. He is to-day one of the most prosperous farmers in his county, and his business methods have ever been straightforward and honorable. He raises stock of only high grades, and he keeps everything about his place in good condition, neatness and thrift characterizing every depart¬ ment of his large farm. He has certainly gained well deserved success.

CHARLES DEAN HEWS, M. D., who for thirty-four years has been the leading physician and surgeon of Roseland, Chicago, and who took up his location in that village long before it was incorporated in the limits of Chicago, is a native of LaPorte and a son of one of the oldest settlers of the county, his long and successful professional career being a credit to himself and an honor to the county from whose bounds he went forth to gain position and influence among his fellow men.

He was bom at LaPorte, April 5, 1846, being a son of Dr. Richard Burson and Jane Elizabeth (Spalding) Hews. His father was a native of eastern Pennsylvania. In the early thirties, when northern Indiana was for the most part a wilder¬ ness, with no highways of commerce and few other conveniences of civilization, he brought his wife through the forest on a sled, and made set¬ tlement in LaPorte county. He was by profes¬ sion a physician, but on his arrival in LaPprte he kept a country store for a few years, although he was one of the familiar and popular medical practitioners of the county for many years of his life. He died in LaPorte, and his wife, who was a native of Pennsylvania, also died there. The old Hews homestead at 101 Main street, La¬ Porte, where reside two of the children, Mrs. Mary Service and Miss Kittie Hews, is one of the most comfortable and attractive of LaPorte's many fine homes.

Dr. Hews has had an interesting career. He was reared in LaPorte, and attended for some time Hillsdale (Michigan) College. About the time he was eighteen years old there came Lin¬ coln's call for volunteers for a hundred days' service, and he enlisted in Company B, One Hun¬ dred and Thirty-eighth Indiana Infantry, at La¬ Porte, under Captain Patton and Colonel Shan¬ non, both LaPorte men. He was in the army for only the length of his enlistment, but was sent south through Kentucky and Tennessee, almost to Chattanooga, and was engaged in several skirmishes, once being hit on the leg by a spent minie ball. His most exciting war experience was the time his company was surprised and at¬ tacked by Forrest's raiders and had all their arms and equipments taken from them. He also participated in the engagement at Elk River Bridge, Tennessee. As a memorial of his time spent in defense of the union he has the certifi¬ cate of thanks from President Lincoln for his services.

University. He practiced medicine a while at Marengo, Illinois, and then entered the medical department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he was graduated in the class of 1870. In the same year he located at Roseland, Cook county, but now a part of Chicago, and this has been the scene of his activities ever since. His practice is in both general medicine and surgery, and he has always been prosperous and popular in his profession. His offices are at moo Michi¬ gan avenue, and his beautiful residence is lo¬ cated at One Hundred and Ninth street and Michigan avenue.

Dr. Hews is and always has been an ardent Democrat. In 1876 he was elected trustee for the town of Hyde Park and served two terms. He has been instrumental in getting appropria¬ tions for improvement of streets in his part of the city and in other ways promoting its growth. He is a member of the Chicago Medical Society and the Illinois Medical Society, and is president of the Scientific Research Society; and affiliates with the Free and Accepted Masons. He has one daughter, Mrs. Carrie Wilkinson, of St. Paul, Minnesota.

J. J. PFAU, a highly esteemed citizen of Scipio township, claims Ohio as his native state, his birth having occurred in Cleveland, April 14, 1855. parents, Jacob and Mary (Meyers) Pfau, were both natives of Hamburg, Germany, the former born in 1834, the latter in 1832. In early life they came to the United States and made their home in Illinois for many years. The father died on the 3d of August, 1890, and the mother passed away in 1896. They were the parents of twelve children, of whom Mr. Pfau is the eldest, the others being Anna, born in 1857 ; Fred, bom in 1859 ; Carrie, born in 1861 ; Albert, born in 1863; Adeline, who was bom in 1865 and died on the 20th of June, 1891 ; Emma Louise, born in October, 1867; George Henry, bom December 1, 1869; Lizzie Bell, born in October, 1871 ; Hattie, who was born in 1873 an<^ died in December, 1899 J Emma, born September 22, 1876; and Susan Helen, bom July 4, 1878. .

J. J. Pfau spent his boyhood in his native state, and in 1870 accompanied his parents on their removal to Plano, Illinois, and later to Odell, that state, where he continued to make his home until coming to LaPorte county, Indiana, in the spring of 1903. In Scipio township he purchased a farm of one hundred and nineteen acres, and now devotes his time and attention to its cultivation and improvement. In early life he learned the carpenter's trade and has since followed that occupation to some extent, though he also engaged in farming while a resident of Illinois.

On the 30th of January, 1876, at Cayuga, Illinois, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Pfau and Miss Lauretta Skinner, who was bom at Troy, Ohio, November 25, 1850, a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Schafer) Skinner, who are now living retired in Pontiac, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Pfau have no children of their own, but have adopted two: Earl Spalding, now twentytwo years of age; and Lizzie Davidson, aged eighteen.

Politically Mr. Pfau is identified with the Republican party, and religiously both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church of Pontiac, Illinois. They are earnest Christian people, and wherever known are held in high re¬ gard on account of their sterling worth and many excellencies of character.

AMBROSE PORTER WHITE, a coal and hay merchant and doing a general teaming busi¬ ness at the comer of Sixty-third street and Ash¬ land boulevard, Chicago, but who is a native of and was for many years a farmer of LaPorte county, Indiana, comes from one of the old La¬ Porte county families. His father, Dr. Jacob H. White, was bom near Utica, New York, July 2, 1817, but came to the west and located in La¬ Porte county in the early thirties, when the popu¬ lation was sparse and scattered. He was then a young man and unmarried. He took up a farm in Scipio township, and in addition to its duties continued his medical studies, whch he had be¬ gun in New York. He soon qualified for the medical profession, and for many years was one of the popular practicing physicians of the coun¬ ty, although he always retained his residence on a farm, which he regarded as the proper place to rear his boys. He was also a justice of the peace and otherwise prominent in the locality. He died in October, 1880. Dr. White married Miss Abbie Closser, who was born in 1820, and died in Cool Spring township, LaPorte county, in March, 1902. She was a daughter of Daniel Closser, one of the first settlers of LaPorte county, and a sister of Nicholas Closser, a leading farmer of the coun¬ ty. The Clossers are among the best known of the old-timers of LaPorte county, and Nicholas Closser's sons, Sylvanus and Jerome, are retired and respected citizens of LaPorte, while Daniel resides at Kingsbury, this county.

Ambrose P. White was bom in Scipio town¬ ship, LaPorte county, December 2, 1847, and was reared with farm surroundings and gained his education in the country. When a young man he began farming for himself in Cool Spring township, where his brother, Daniel A. White, and other members of the family still live. He was a farmer there until 1886, when he removed to Will county, Illinois, near Joliet, and for the next thirteen years farmed and ran a dairy. In 1899 he went to Chicago and engaged in the busi¬ ness mentioned above, and has met with en¬ couraging success to the present time. He is a thorough business man, and has the push and persevering qualities which insure his further prosperity.

On the 18th of October, 1866, Mr. White was married to Miss Mary Pierce, who was bom in Hamilton, Ontario, June 21, 1849, a daughter of Thomas and Sarah Ann (Richards) Pierce. They came from Ontario to LaPorte county in 1854, and here the mother died on the 9th of October, 1871. The father died in Chautauqua county, Kansas, in September, 1902. Mr. and Mrs. White are the parents of seven children: Mrs. Ada Feil, Mrs. Mabel Patrick, Garland, Claud, Maud, Edna and Arietta White. Mr. White has always been an earnest supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party. He has a large circle of friends in LaPorte county, which will always retain its place in his affections for that reason and because it is the scene of his early joys and associations.

CHARLES HENRY PURDY has from the age of thirteen years been connected with the industry of chair-making by machinery, for at that time he became a workman in his grand¬ father's factory, and as the years have passed his usefulness and efficiency have increased until he now holds the important and responsible po¬ sition of superintendent with the J. S. Ford- Johnson Company, chair manufacturers, at Mich¬ igan City.

He was bom at Hunter, Greene county, New York, September 21, 1852, his parents being Henry E. and Mary (Goodsell) Purdy. His grandfather, Milton A. Purdy, a native of the Empire state, was a millwright, machinist and inventor. While residing in Hunter, New York, he engaged in the manufacture of chairs, and later removed with his family to Bedford, Ohio, where he continued in the same line of business, together with building chair machinery for other manufactories. Both he and his wife died in Bedford, the former at the age of sixty-seven years, while the latter survived him for a few years. They reared a large family. The mater¬ nal grandfather of Mr. Purdy was a native of Connecticut.

Henry E. Purdy, the father of Mr. Purdy, was born in Hunter, New York, while his wife was a native of New Haven, Connecticut. He, like his father, engaged in the chair business, building machinery, and organizing other factories. In 1853, he removed to the west, locating in Bed¬ ford, Ohio, where he lived for twelve years, until 1865, when he moved to Columbus, Ohio, and became superintendent of the Ford and Johnson Manufacturing Company. In 1868 he came to Michigan City for that company, as an organizer, and in 1870 went to Joliet, Illinois, where he re¬ mained six months in the same capacity. On the expiration of that period the family moved to Constantine, Michigan, while he went to Fort Madison, Iowa, as superintendent of a chair fac¬ tory there. Afterward he went to Constantine and embarked in the business on his own account, his son becoming associated with him under the from style of Cook, Purdy and Son. This rela¬ tion was maintained for three years, at the end of which time the firm was dissolved, and Mr. Purdy and his son removed to South Bend, In¬ diana, where they engaged in the manufacture of chairs. While there they took contracts for manufacturing for the J. S. Ford- Johnson Com¬ pany, from whom they finally received a proposi¬ tion to bring their machinery to Michigan City and establish a plant. The terms of the proposi¬ tion were advantageous and were therefore ac¬ cepted, and in 1881 they brought their machinery and stock to this city. A number of families also came, for the husbands and fathers had been in the employ of Mr. Purdy and wished to con¬ tinue their business relations with him. Thus was established the Hitchcock Chair Company. The company being well organized Henry E. Purdy retired from the superintendency, and was succeeded by his son, who has since occupied the position. Mrs. Henry E. Purdy was called to her final rest in 1893, when sixty-six years of age. She died in the faith of the Presbyterian church. Her husband still survives her, and is now manufacturing a patented chair-seat routing machine.

Charles H. Purdy lived in Belford, Ohio, until about sixteen years of age, and obtained his edu¬ cation there and in Columbus. He began work¬ ing in his- grandfather's chair factory when but thirteen years of age, and has followed the busi¬ ness continually since. He applied himself dili¬ gently to the mastery of the work, both in princi¬ ple and detail, and his increasing proficiency gained him added responsibility and promotion until in 1881 he was made assistant superintend¬ ent of the J. S. Ford-Johnson Company, in which capacity he served until 1888, when, upon his father's retirement, he succeeded him as super¬ intendent and has since acted in that position. During this period the business has developed from an enterprise employing twenty men until about six hundred names are on the payroll. Not a little of the success can be attributed to the practical efforts of Mr. Purdy, whose thorough understanding of the business in every depart¬ ment enables him so to direct the labors of the men that the best results are secured.

On the 5th of September, 1882, Mr. Purdy was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Fargher, a daughter of William and Angeline (Chan¬ dler) Fargher, the former a native of the Isle of Man. Three children have been bom to Mr. and Mrs. Purdy : Eloise Fargher, who died Feb¬ ruary 6, 1902, when eighteen years of age; Les¬ lie Fargher, who was graduated from the high school of Michigan City in June, 1903, and is now a student at Rockford College, at Rockford, Illi¬ nois ; and Donald Fargher, who is a student. Mr. and Mrs. Purdy hold membership in the Presby¬ terian church, in which he is serving as an elder. He also belongs to Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M., and to the North American Union, and politi¬ cally is a Republican. Their home is at 320 East Eighth street, where in 1886 he erected a com¬ fortable residence, and where hospitality is freely dispensed to their many friends.

THOMAS DEMPSEY. For many years Thomas Dempsey has been a resident of La- Porte county, and has been interested in its pro¬ gress to the extent of assisting in its improve¬ ment and upbuilding. He lives on section 29, Lincoln township, and for many years has suc¬ cessfully carried on farming. He was bom in the city of Sligo, Ireland, on the 6th of January, 1847, and came to America when about thirteen years of age. He made the voyage alone in i860, his parents having previously crossed the Atlantic and taken up their abode in the city of LaPorte, Indiana, about 1850. His father conducted a boarding house in LaPorte for some time, but afterward removed to Lincoln township, where he engaged in general farming. His death oc¬ curred there when he was eighty- four years of age. In his religious faith he was a Catholic,, and in political belief was a Democrat. For nine years he served as a trustee of Lincoln township, discharging his duties with marked promptness and fidelity. For thirty-four years he lived in Lincoln townhip, and was well known through the county, being esteemed for his genuine worth and his fidelity to principle. To him and his wife were born three children, two sons and a daugh¬ ter.

Thomas Dempsey, the second child, and the only one of the family now living, started out up¬ on an independent business career when about fourteen years of age. He has always followed farming as a means of livelihood, but during the Civil war he put aside all business and personal consideration and on the 14th of February, 1863, enlisted in Company H, Eighth Michigan In¬ fantry, as a private. With this command he served until the close of the war, and the first battle in which he participated was at Vicksburg. He was actively engaged in the siege of that city and also of Knoxville, Tennessee, where the com¬ mand was stationed for eight weeks. On the 6th of May, 1864, he participated in the battle of the Wilderness in Virginia, and later took part in the engagements at Spottsylvania courthouse, Sulphur Springs and Petersburg. He was wounded at Poplar Grove on the 30th of Sep¬ tember, 1864, and was then taken to the hospital at Fairfax, Virginia. Five times during his ser¬ vice he was injured by rebel bullets, but never seriously, with the exception of the wound sus¬ tained at Petersburg. In Washington, D. C., on the 15th of June, 1865', he received an honorable discharge and returned to his home with a credit¬ able military record.

Mr. Dempsey then spent about six months in LaPorte county, at the end of which time he went to Memphis, Tennessee, where he was in the em¬ ploy of Governor Levy for about four years. On the expiration of that period he returned to La¬ Porte county and located upon the land which he had previously purchased. He took up his abode here in 1870, began the improvement of the farm and has since devoted his time and energies to agricultural pursuits. His farm comprises two hundred acres of rich and arable soil, which is now highlyy cultivated, and upon the place are all modern equipments and accessories that con¬ stitute a model farm.

On the 6th of April, 1873, Mr. Dempsey was united in marriage to Miss Mary Laffey, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, and reared in South Bend, Indiana, a daughter of Michael Laffey.

Mr. and Mrs. Dempsey have eight living chil¬ dren: John, Mary, Thomas, Agnes, William, Loretta, Joseph and Morris. John is a resident of South Bend, where he is engaged in the livery business. Thomas is a stock buyer in Jasper county, Indiana, and the other members of the family are at home. They are all members of the Catholic church, having been reared in that faith. Mr. Dempsey is independent in his political views, and votes for the men whom he regards as best qualified for office. For four years he served as constable and for nine years as supervisor. He is widely known in his community, and having long been a resident of LaPorte county has a large and favorable acquaintance because he has never done anything to forfeit public regard.

HIRAM BEMENT, who is engaged in gen¬ eral farming on section 15, Galena township, was bom in Wayne county, New York, on the 20th of July, 1833. His father, Hiram Bement, was a native of Bradford, New Hampshire, and there remained until after his marriage. His father, Samuel Bement, was of French descent. The mother of our subject was in her maindenhood Miss Sarah Collins. She was likewise bom in the old Granite state and was of German lineage. Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Bement, Sr., removed to the Empire state, and subsequently came to Indiana, settling in 1834 in LaPorte county, upon the farm where their son Hiram now resides. There he secured a tract of land from the government which was entirely unimproved, and after building a log cabin in order to provide shelter for his family began clearing and cultivating his land, which he trans¬ formed into rich fields with the assistance of his sons. There he continued to reside throughout his remaining days, and was widely known as a most enterprising and prosperous agriculturist. His political support was given to the Democracy, and he served as justice of the peace. To him and his wife were bom five sons and three daugh¬ ters, and all reached adult age.

Hiram Bement, who is the youngest of the family and the only one living in LaPorte county, was but a year old at the time of the arrival of the family here. He was reared on the old home¬ stead farm, and his educational privileges were such as were afforded in the primitive log schoolhouses of that early day. His training at farm labor, however, was not meager, for in his youth he largely assisted in the working of the farm, in clearing the land and in improving the field, which in due course of time rewarded his efforts by abundant harvests. He remained at home up to the time of his marriage to his present wife. This occurred in 1878, the lady of his choice be¬ ing Miss Harriet Warner, who was born in Ga¬ lena township, LaPorte county on the 25th of January, 1841, and is a daughter of David and Almira (Weed) Warner, who were early set¬ tlers of LaPorte county, coming from New York about 1836. Mrs. Bement is the eldest of their six children, of whom three died in infancy. She spent her girlhood days under the parental roof, and has lived the greater part of her life in Ga¬ lena township.

Mr. Bement can remember no other home than the farm upon which he now resides, and through¬ out his business career he has never sought other labor than that connected with the development of his fields and the conduct of his place. He owns two hundred and forty acres of land which is arable and productive and is now well im¬ proved with modern equipments. Here he en¬ gages in general farming and stock-raising, and is meeting with creditable and gratifying success in his chosen work. He has always voted with the Democracy, and as every true American citi¬ zen should do, keeps well informed on the ques¬ tions and issues of the day. For sixty-nine years he has resided in LaPorte county, and during this long period great changes have occurred until the county here bears little resemblance to that district to which Mr. Bement was brought in his early infancy. Now there are seen here all of the evidences of an advanced civilization replacing the primitive condition which prevailed in pio¬ neer times.

ANDREW SWANSON. Sweden has furn¬ ished many valuable citizens to the new world. The sons of that country are noted for their in¬ dustry and integrity, and of his race Mr. Swan¬ son is a worthy representative. He resides on sec¬ tion 22, Lincoln township, where he is now de¬ voting his attention to agricultural pursuits. His birth occurred in Sweden in 1841, and in his na¬ tive country he started out upon his business career by working as a farming hand. He also spent two years as a sailor on steamships, and in 1869 he came to America, making his way at first to Michigan. He located in Muskegon, where he secured a position as a foreman in the construction of the Northern Michigan Railroad, which was then building its line from Grand Haven to Pent water, and from there to join the Michigan Central Railroad. Mr. Swanson acted as foreman of a number of men engaged in build¬ ing a double track. From Michigan he removed to Chicago and afterward went to Buchanan and to Niles, Michigan. He remained in the employ of the Northern Michigan Railroad Company for four years, and then entered the services of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, acting as foreman during the construction of this line.

In 1876, however, he abandoned railroad building and came to LaPorte county, establish¬ ing his home in Lincoln township, where he se¬ cured a tract of land of eighty acres. He had no capital, but he possessed a strong will and reso¬ lute purpose. Only nine acres of this land had been cleared, but since that time he has added to his farm and has cleared one hundred acres of the place. Altogether he and his wife own two hundred and eighty acres of valuable land, rich and productive. This property, which he pur¬ chased for from nine to thirteen dollars per acre, is now worth more than fifty dollars per acre. He has placed good improvements on his farm, and is a practical and progressive man, whose labors have brought to him a good financial re¬ turn.

In 1872 occurred the marriage of Mr. Swan¬ son and Miss Matilda Johnson, and to them have been born seven daughters and one son: Ida, Minnie, George, Katie, Mary, Maggie, Annie and Lucy. Mr. Swanson has been identified with the upbuilding of LaPorte county for a number of years. He served as supervisor for thirteen years, and is independent in his political affilia¬ tions, giving his support to the men whom he thinks best qualified to discharge the duties of office. Mr. Swanson need never have occasion to regret his determination to seek a home in America, for here he has found good business opportunities, and as the years have passed he has prospered, so that he is now one of the reli¬ able and substantial citizens of his adopted county.

WILLIAM I. SNYDER. A valuable farm of eighty-five acres on section 17, Lincoln town¬ ship, is the property of William I. Snyder, who also owns a half interest in two hundred and thirty-three acres, being associated in this owner¬ ship with Leroy T. Smith. He was born in Wills township on Rolling Prairie, LaPorte county, July 6, 1859. His father, Jacob Snyder, was a native of Indiana, but it is not definitely known where he was born, whether in Allen or in Union counties. When a young man he came to La¬ Porte county, and was married in Rolling Prairie, where he spent the remainder of his life.

By occupation he was a farmer, energetic and in¬ dustrious, and was one of the well-known and respected pioneers of his district. His father, David Snyder, was a native of Virginia, and also established his home in LaPorte county in pio¬ neer times. He lived in Wills and Lincoln town¬ ship, and was a man of sterling worth, respected by all who came in contact with him. The Sny¬ der family is of German lineage. The mother of William I. Snyder bore the maiden name of Nancy Dawson, and was a native of Fayette county, Indiana. When about ten years of age she came to LaPorte county, where she has since spent her remaining days. She is the mother of seven children, four daughters and three sons, all of whom reached years of maturity except one that died in infancy, but only three are now living.

William I. Snyder, the fifth child and second son in this family, was about nine years of age at the time of the removal of the family to Lin¬ coln township, and here he was reared on the old homestead, remaining with his parents until after he had attained his majority. He attended the public schools and worked in the fields when not occupied with the duties of the school room. On the 25th of November, 1880, he made prepa¬ ration for having a home of his own by his mar¬ riage to Miss Henrietta Kissell, a daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth Kessell and a native of In¬ diana. The young couple began their domestic life upon the old homestead, where they remained until the following February, when they re¬ moved to a farm on section 20, Lincoln town¬ ship, Mr. Snyder renting a tract of land there for three years. He then took up his abode on section 16, and afterward removed to another farm in the same township. Since 1894, how¬ ever, he has lived upon* his present farm, and is a leading agriculturist in this community.

Aside from farming, however, he has had other business interests. He was connected with the packing firm of Swift & Company for four years, and was foreman of their ice plant on Fish Lake. He was also foreman of their gro¬ cery business in the Fourth ward for about ten months, and on the expiration of that period dis¬ posed of his business interests there and removed to Chicago. In that city he was employed by the Consumers Ice Company for about two months, when he returned to Indiana and located on his present farm on section 17, Lincoln town¬ ship. Here he began general farming and stockraising, which he has since followed, having in the home place eightv-five acres of land and also owning a half interest in two hundred and thirtythree acres in partnership with LeRoy T. Smith. Mr. Snyder is also the field boss for the Swift & Company during the season that ice is being packed. He never fears laborious attention to business, and through his perseverance and dili¬ gence has gained the success which he now en¬ joys.

To Mr. and Mrs. Snyder have been bom a son and a daughter, Archie D. and Laura E. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder are well known people of the community and enjoy the high regard of many friends. He has been a life-long Democrat, and at one time was a member of the advisory board. Socially he is connected with the Knights of the Maccabees in LaPorte. Having spent almost his entire life in LaPorte county, he needs no special introduction to the readers of this volume, who know that his career has been characterized by persistency of purpose and honesty in all busi¬ ness transactions.

ARTHUR W. TAYLOR. The young, ac¬ tive, energetic man of to-day is the lever that moves the affairs of the present era, in the politi¬ cal, educational and commercial arena, and among that class of citizens is the subject of this sketch, Mr. Taylor, the young merchant at Stillwell, Indiana.

He is a product of LaPorte county, having been born in Pleasant township, November 10, 1873, a son of James H. and Eliza J. (Dare) Tay¬ lor, whose full history is presented elsewhere in this volume. He was reared in this county and was educated in the common schools and by his own personal application. He is of an energetic and progressive nature, and did not take a college course, but by being in contact with commercial life readily adapted himself to such. Up to the age of sixteen he was on his father's estate, and since that time has been constantly engaged in mercantile pursuits. His first lessons were with his father and brother Frank, for five years, em¬ ployed as salesman and accountant. In April, 1896, he assumed a partnership with his father, under the name of J. H. Taylor and Son, and the firm is doing a fine business, having the full con¬ fidence of the surrounding people. Their annual trade amounts to thirty-five thousand dollars. They carry a full line of general merchandise, such as dry-goods, fancy and staple groceries, meats, and handle all kinds of grains. Mr. Tay¬ lor began on a salary, and a small one at that, but by strict attention to business and by being fair with the people has had a most successful and praiseworthy career. Stillwell is in the midst of a rich agricultural community, and this point would be an available one for the establishment of a branch bank, and the Taylors are the proper men to found such an institution.

January 7, 1896, Mr. Taylor married Miss Mollie N. Tobin, and one bright little boy, A. Gordon, has been bom to them. Mrs. Taylor was bom in Pleasant township, LaPorte county, being a daughter of William and Nora (Laughlin) Tobin. She was educated in the common schools, and finished at the St. Rose Academy in LaPorte. She was a successful teacher in Pleas¬ ant township for six years. She is an affable and genial lady, and her home is her heaven. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor reside in a neat little cot¬ tage home, and they occupy a high social status among the young people of Stillwell and vicinity.

Mr. Taylor is a stanch Democrat, and cast his first presidential vote for William J. Bryan. He was elected a delegate to the state convention in 1902, at Indianapolis, and has also filled the position of delegate to his county convention to represent his people's interests. He is an advo¬ cate of all true policies that advance the good and welfare of his party. Fraternally, he is a member of Lodge No. 396, B. P. O. E., at LaPorte, and also of the G. H. Terpenny Tent No. 25, K. O. T. M., at LaPorte.

GAIUS L. HOWELL, who owns one of the choicest farms in New Durham township and has an excellent reputation among his neighbors for thrifty and profitable farming and the raising of fine stock, has been a resident of this county all his life. On the paternal side of his family there were representatives in the Revolutionary war. He is the son of Smallwood N. and Eliza¬ beth (Williams) Howell, who are residents of Clinton township, LaPorte county, where they still look after a small farm of sixty-eight acres. The former is seventy-five years old, and was bom in Kentucky, while the latter was born in Connecticut seventy-six years ago, and was about ten years old when she was brought to the new country of Indiana. The elder Howell was or¬ iginally a Whig in politics, but is now a Repub¬ lican : fraternally he is a Mason and an Odd Fel¬ low, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist church. There were three sons and two daughters in their family, but only three are living. Samuel, who was educated in the public schools of Wanatah and Westville, is a farmer of Clinton township, and Wilton is also a resident of Clinton township.

dren, was born in LaPorte county, January 24, i860, and was educated in the Wanatah schools and at the Westville high school. He was an all-round student and has always retained his fondness for good books and literature. After his marriage he settled down to the occupation in which he had been reared, and has made more than ordinary success in his operations. He built, in 1901, one of the handsomest and most comfortable residences in this township, and this, as well as the numerous excellent improvements and the general thrifty appearance of the farm, indicates the ability of the owner in up-to-date, scientific farming. He does general farming, and is especially foncl of high-grade stock of all kinds, and none other will be found on his place. He superintends one hundred and eight acres, and owns forty acres, so fertile and so situated that there is little variation in the production from year to year, however unfavorable tfye season.

September 19, 1883, Mr. Howell married Miss Cornelia Lucas, the daughter of George and Mary (Monfort) Lucas, of whose family of fifteen chil¬ dren five sons and five daughters remain. Mrs. Howell was born in Warren county, Ohio, Aug¬ ust 23, 1861, and was a student in the Westville high school. Mr. Howell cast his first vote for Garfield, and has since taken considerable inter¬ est in party affairs, having been a delegate to the convention at Michigan City. He has passed all the chairs in the Odd Fellows lodge at West¬ ville, and was a delegate to the grand lodge at Indianapolis. Mrs. Howell is a member of the Rebekahs at Westville, and represented the lodge at the Rebekah assembly at Indianapolis in 1895. They are both members of the Methodist church and she is a member of the ladies' aid society, and in many other ways they show their good citizenship, their loyalty to church arid state and established institutions, and are held in high .esteem by their many friends.

FRED STIELOW, who for many years has been identified with agricultural interests in La¬ Porte county, but is now practically living re¬ tired, his home being on section 19, Lincoln township, wa£ born in Mecklenburg, Germany, on the 13th of October, 1826. He has therefore passed the seventy-seventh milestone on life's journey, and well does he merit the rest which has been vouchsafed to him. In the place of his nativity he was reared, remaining a resident of the fatherland until 1857. He was employed in that country as a common workman, and while still living in Germany he was married, in 1855, choosing as a companion and helpmate on life's journey Miss Fredericka Mulleing, a native of the same country, where she, too, was reared and educated. They began their domestic life in Germany, but after two years sailed for the new world.

It was in 1857 that they crossed the Atlantic and landed in New York city, j They remained in the city of New York until July, 1857, and on the 9th of April, 1858, came to LaPorte county, Indiana. For a year Mr. Stielow remained in the city of LaPorte, and then removed to a rented farm in Pleasant township, where he was em¬ ployed for wages for four years. On the expira¬ tion of that period, with the money he had earned through his own industry and saved through his economy, he purchased the farm upon which he now resides. It was then entirely destitute of improvements, and was covered with timber. There were no roads in his immediate vicinity and much arduous labor was required to develop the farm to its present high state of cultivation. He cleared the land, constructed the roads, built fences, erected buildings, and has been one of the most active and enterprising agriculturists of the community, his labors as an agriculturist being attended with a high degree of success. With the exception of about six years spent in LaPorte he has remained continually upon the home farm since it first came into his possession. The place comprises two hundred and eighty acres of rich land, and is now a splendidly im¬ proved property.

In 1902 Mr. Stielow was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away in the month of March of that year. There were three children born to them: Louisa, now the widow of Benjamin Smith and a resident of Knox, Indiana ; Alvina, the wife of Martin Peo, of Stillwell, Indiana; and Barnhart, who mar¬ ried Minnie Lbdwig, of LaPorte, and resides up¬ on the old homestead.

Mr. Stielow started out in life a poor man, working by the day as a farm hand, and he has made all that he now possesses through his own industry and untiring effort. He is well known as one of the pioneer settlers of LaPorte county, and as a useful citizen. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and has taken an active part in the growth and welfare of the party organization. He served as justice of the peace, and proved fair and impartial as an officer, but has never been an aspirant for political preferment, as his time and attention have been fully occupied by business cares. He holds membership in St. John's Luth¬ eran church of LaPorte, and is deeply interested in everything pertaining to the substantial up¬ building and permanent improvement of his county/

H. W. WORDEN, city attorney of LaPorte and one of the prominent young lawyers of that city, is a native son of LaPorte county, and has in the main made his own way since he was sev¬ enteen years of age. He was engaged in several occupations before he was able to complete his legal studies and gain admission to the bar, but since that time he has made a favorable impres¬ sion with the public and members of his own pro¬ fession, and that he is recognized as a man of ability, legal acumen and knowledge, and force¬ ful powers of utterance arid pleading, is shown by his recent appointment to the office of city attorney.

Mr. Worden is a son of H. B. and Rachel Worden. His father was bom in New York state, and was a carpenter by trade. He enlisted from Michigan and served throughout the entire Civil war. He was in the battle of Gettysburg, in which one of his brothers was killed, and he also participated in many other engagements, giv¬ ing faithful service to his country and enduring all the hardships of the soldier's life.

Mr. H. W. Wefden was born in Rolling Prai¬ rie, LaPorte county, Indiana, January 15, 1874, and graduated from the Rolling Prairie high school when he was fifteen years of age. In 1890-91 he attended school at Valparaiso, and completed a shorthand and business course. The first occupation to which he turned his attention was teaching school in LaPorte county, which he began in the fall of 1891 and continued for six years. In the spring of 1897 he entered the law office of Weir and Weir and Darrow at La¬ Porte as stenographer, and was employed in that work until the fall of 1899. This work was valu¬ able to him not only as a means of livelihood, but gave him much practical legal knowledge and experience, and from this office he entered upon the study of law at Valparaiso, which he con¬ tinued till his graduation from the law depart¬ ment in the spring of 1901. At the students' ora¬ torical contest in the spring of 1901 he won first place, and his forensic ability has been one of the chief elements of his success. He was admitted to the bar of the Porter circuit court, the supreme court of Indiana and the federal court of the United States, and in September, 1901, was ad¬ mitted to practice before the LaPorte circuit court and at the same time opened his office in the city of LaPorte. In January, 1902, he formed a part¬ nership with L. Darrow, and these enterprising practitioners are now building up an extensive practice in the city and county. Mr. Worden was appointed city attorney by the common coun¬ cil of LaPorte in the fall of 1902.

Mr. Worden is a Democrat in politics, and fra¬ ternally he affiliates with the Benevolent and Pro¬ tective Order of Elks, the Tribe of Ben Hur and the Knights of the Maccabees.

MATHIAS SEBERGER, one of the sterling German pioneers and old settlers of LaPorte county, has been the well-known business man of Otis junction for half a century, within which time he has thoroughly won the respect and es¬ teem of all his fellow citizens and has won a lead¬ ing place in business circles.

Mr. Seberger was born in the Rhine province, Germany, August 25,1825^ son of John and Mar¬ garet Seberger, also natives of the same province, where the father was a farmer and a zealous Catholic. In 1846 the whole family, with the exception of one son, set sail on the Moselle river, up the historic Rhine to Rotterdam, Hol¬ land, thence across the North Sea to London, whence they took passage on a sailing vessel, and thirty-seven days later, in July, they arrived in New York. They came direct to Lake county, Indaina, where they were among total strangers, and unable to speak a word of English and with very little money, but these conditions have al¬ ways been met with great fortitude by German emigrants, and in a few years they had found a niche for themselves in the new world. They pur¬ chased eighty acres of land, which they set about to improve, and on which Mathias, who had reached manhood, remained for three years.

He then came to Michigan City, when that was a very little village, as was also the city of Chicago at that time. He worked by the month in the old Lake House, and after saving up some money came to Otis, where he was employed in watching the crossings of the Monon and Lake Shore railroads, and also as agent, for five or six years. In 1855 he established a small merchandise store at the junction, which was the nucleus around which he has continued for the past fifty years, and where he has built up a large and profitable business. He had but little capital to begin with, and his growth has been steady and sure, and his success may be attrib¬ uted to his good management, fair and square dealing and his German persistency. He has, besides his store, ninety acres of good land, well improved, and a comfortable residence. He has seen the county in its early stages of growth, and was here when the two railroads were put through. He was the first postmaster at Otis junction, and has held the office almost all the time since; the office was first located in the depot.

In 1852 Mr. Seberger married Miss Mary Klein, who was also born in Rhine province, in January, 1835, and was educated in her native land. Ten children were born of this marriage, and the following are still living: Frank, who is paralyzed in the right side ; John, engaged in the manufacture of dynamite in Chicago; Nellie, the wife of Gerris P. Black, of Porter county ; Effie, the wife of John Harrold, of New Durham town¬ ship ; Clara, the wife of John Glass, in the hard¬ ware business in South Chicago; Libbie, the wife of Younger Shomer, of Michigan City; Bertha, the wife of Ed. C. James, a merchant of East Bradley, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Seberger is a Democrat in politics, and was township trustee for one term. He has been a member of the Masonic lodge at Westville since 1866, and has held all the offices in the blue lodge; when he was master of the lodge there was no state meeting of the Masonic fraternity in Indiana.

J. W. PARK, who for nearly twenty years has had charge of the business of the M. Rumely Manufacturing Company of LaPorte in its Illinois territority, and for ten years has been manager of the Chicago branch house, is the son of William and Sarah (Forsman) Park. Wil¬ liam Park was one of the pioneers to the great Northwest Territory. He was bom in 1773 in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, and when a young man started for the west with a gun over his shoulder, and walked through the wilderness of Ohio until he came to Seneca county, where he made settlement among the Indians and prim¬ eval nature. In 1828 he bought land from the government and cleared a farm, on which he pursued the occupation of agriculture up to the time of his death, in 1849. His wife was also a native of Pennsylvania, and was married to Mr. Park in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania. She died in 1861 in Seneca, Ohio.

J. W. Park was born in Seneca county, Ohio, September 1, 1843, a°d was reared on a farm among the pioneer surroundings which still ex¬ isted in that part of the state. During the few years that he went to school he walked along a path blazed through the woods by his father. He was thrown on his own resources at an early age and had to struggle for all he got. When twenty years old he started for the west, and in 1863 first became identified with LaPorte, where he remained only a short time, however, and then went to California by the Isthmus of Panama. In 1864 he returned to Ohio, and during the summer joined the "pioneer corps" of the Union army. His family had already furnished a full quota to the ranks, three of his brothers being enlisted men; one of them died from the effects of the service, and another, David W. Park, after participating in sixteen hard-fought battles, was killed at Chancellorsville in 1863. Mr. Park as a member of the "pioneer corps" was sent south and employed at building pontoon bridges and repairing railroads that had been destroyed, in the vicinity of Chattanooga. This was often dangerous work, for he was exposed to the fire of unseen bushwhackers. In this capacity he was with General Thomas's army at Nashville. Mr. Park also had experience in the Civil war as one of the Ohio minute-men who were sent to the defense of Cincinnati at the exciting period when that city was threatened with a raid from General Kirby Smith.

Mr. Park returned to Seneca county after the war, and in 1865 came to LaPorte, Indiana, where he engaged in the dual occupation of farming and running a threshing outfit. He was one of the first to use a portable engine with a thresher, and his success in this business led to his connec¬ tion with the dealing in threshing machinery, which has continued up to the present time. At different times during a period of several years he did business for the thresher manufacturing company of M. Rumely Company. In 1882 he and Albert Hall and others were in the agricul¬ tural implement business at LaPorte, but in 1884 he became permanently connected with the Ru¬ mely Company, with whom he has remained as one of their most trusted and valuable employes. At that time he was assigned to the Illinois ter¬ ritory, and for a number of years had his head¬ quarters at Mendota, Illinois, but in 1892 he es¬ tablished the Illinois branch office in Chicago, where it has since been located.

Mr. Park's long connection with threshing machinery has made his service of great value to the company, and for a long time he was one of the experts sent out by the company to test and set up machines, and his experience and nat¬ ural mechanical ability have made him invalu¬ able to the manufacturing department of the com¬ pany, while his skill as a salesman and thorough business methods added to his worth and placed him in the responsible position which he now holds. In addition to his Rumely interests, he was for two years vice president of the Acorn Brass Works, but his interests are now entirely with the M. Rumely Company.

Mr. Park was married at LaPorte in 1865 to Miss Ann Eliza Jordan, and they now have five children: Mrs. Eva May Clark, Mrs. Susan Alta Edwards, Thomas Lloyd Park, Miss Nellie and Miss Anna E. Park. The family have many friends both in LaPorte and Chicago, and Mr. Park still cherishes great regard for the city of LaPorte. In politics, Mr. Park is absolutely in¬ dependent. He is a member of Excelsior Lodge No. 41, A. F. and A. M., of LaPorte.

PROFESSOR SAMUEL EDWIN MIL¬ LER, for twenty-two years superintendent of the public schools of Michigan City, but now re¬ tired and looking after his real estate interests in the city, has had a useful and honorable career since he was twenty years of age, and thirty-five years of that time has been spent in Michigan City, where he is one of the most esteemed resi¬ dents. He comes of good stock on both the pa¬ ternal and the maternal sides.

His grandfather, John Miller, was a native of Manheim, Germany, and, at the age of thirteen years, came to America. From the time of his arrival until he was twenty-one years of age he was bound out to pay for his passage across the ocean. During this term of service he ran away from his master, and joined General Washington's forces at Valley Forge, but was obliged to return and serve the remainder of his time. He died at Attica, Ohio, in 1838, aged seventy-five years.

The paternal grandmother was Catherine Crossite, whose ancestors were exiled Huguenots of France. She died in 1836, at the age of sixtyseven years.

To this couple were born six children, the youngest of whom, Samuel Miller, father of Pro¬ fessor Miller, was bom in Centre county, Penn¬ sylvania, in 1809. He came to Ohio about 1835, and, with an older brother, had surveyed and laid out the town of Attica, where he engaged in mer¬ cantile business until within eight years of his death, which occurred in 1870. His wife was Martha Eleanor Price, who was born near Balti¬ more, Maryland, in 1819. She was the eldest of seven children, whose parents were Benjamin L. Price, a native of Maryland, and Mary Ann (Lemon) Price, an own cousin to W. W. Cor- coran, the banker and philanthropist of Washing¬ ton, D. C. Samuel Miller and Martha Eleanor (Price) Miller were parents of six children, four sons and two daughters, and the three now living are Samuel E., William F., of Attica, Ohio and Dr. Claren S. Miller, of Toledo, Ohio. The mother of these children died in 1886, at the age of sixty-seven years.

Samuel Edwin Miller was born in Attica, Seneca county, Ohio, February 15, 1840, and lived in that state until he was twenty years old, attending the town schools and Oberlin College and graduating from Antioch college in i860, in the meantime teaching a district school near Attica in the winter of 1855-56, and again at Oakland, Clinton County, Ohio, in the winter of 1857-58. After graduation he taught in southwestern Tennessee, until preparations in the south for the rebellion compelled him to re¬ turn home in February, 1861. He then taught in his native town two terms, after which he held positions in Tiffin, Ohio, in the Chicago high school, in LaPorte, Indiana, and was superintend¬ ent of the public schools of Michigan City from 1867 to 1889. During this long term of office he had a hand in every movement looking to the advancement of the standard of education and the improvement of facilities and the teaching force, and held the office during the period of greatest progress in educational affairs in the city, his efforts having borne fruit in the complete and finely organized school system which is now the pride of the citizens.

In 1878 Mr. and Mrs. Miller spent four months traveling in Europe, and, after resigning his duties as superintendent, he and his wife and son, born in 1879, went abroad and spent a year in Paris. The time since their return has been spent in Michigan City, in Niles, and at Barron Lake, Michigan.

June 23, 1870, Mr. Miller married Miss Jen¬ net Ferson, a graduate of Niles high school, class of 1866. She was the second daughter of Wil¬ liam G. and Margaret (Orr) Ferson, of Niles, Michigan. Mrs. Miller is a granddaughter of Hon. William Ferson, a descendant of Scotch ancestors, who on coming to America abbreviated the name from Macpherson. He was born in New Boston, New Hampshire, November 23, 1774, and during most of his life was a resident of Gloucester, Massachusetts, where he died De¬ cember 16, 1853. He was a physician, and at one time a member of the Massachusetts senate. He was a broad-minded scholar, and it was his custom to read his Greek Testament every day.

He was a graduate of Dartmouth College, class of 1797, and was prominent in Masonic circles, Ferson lodge of Gloucester, Massachusetts, being named in his honor; also he was grand senior warden of the state of Massachusetts. He was a director in the Gloucester Bank and treasurer of two savings banks there, and was one of the most successful and esteemed citizens during his long and useful life. He married a Miss Lydia Dodge, and they had two sons and two daugh¬ ters.

The elder son was William G. Ferson, Mrs. Miller's father, who was bom in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1809. He came to Niles, Mich¬ igan, in 1836, where he engaged in mercantile business, and died in October, 1890, aged eightyone years. He married Miss Margaret Orr, who was bom in Scotland, and whose father came to America from Johnstown, Scotland, in 1819. She was the mother of three children, the two now living being Margaret C., wife of Theodore M. Finley, of Greenville, Texas, and Mrs. Jennet (Ferson) Miller. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Ferson married Miss Carrie A. Coan,. niece of Rev. Titus Coan, missionary to the Sand¬ wich Islands. Of this union two daughters were bom, the only one living being Antoinette, widow of Daniel W. Bieger, of Mishawaka, Indiana.

To Mr. and Mrs. Miller one son has been born, Theron Ferson Miller, who graduated at the University of Michigan in 1901, and is now practicing law in Michigan City. Professor Mil¬ ler and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics he is a Republican. He built his beautiful home at 701 Spring street in 1881, and this, with his other real estate, gives him a handsome property in the city.

MICHAEL J. TIMM, the popular and suc¬ cessful miller at Otis, New Durham township, LaPorte county, is one of the self-made men who have through their efforts attained a foremost place in business and social life in LaPorte county, and whose career is well worthy of emulation. He is the son of August J. and Katharina (Biever) Timm, the former of whom was born in Posen, Germany, about 1828, and died in 1898. He vas a farmer, and received a good educa¬ tion in the German language, and could also read and write English. In 1848 he came to America in a sailing vessel, and from New York came to the west, where he rafted on the rivers for several years. He came to LaPorte county in 1854, and purchased forty acres of timber land in Cool Spring township, where he cleared a space and erected a log house of one room, in which for a number of years the Timm family had a very plain existence, not without hardships. The clothes were all home-spun and home-made, and Michael Timm, although belonging to a gen¬ eration which is personally unacquainted with such articles of apparel, wore clothing made al¬ together by his mother's hands. The elder Mr. Timm was a persevering and industrious man, and in time accumulated two hundred and twenty acres in Cool Spring township and had made a good home before his death. He was a Democrat in politics, and he and his wife were members of the Catholic church. Mrs. Katharina Timm, who was born in the grand duchy of Luxemburg, is still living in Michigan City, having been the mother of six children, four of whom reside in LaPorte county, one in California and one in Iowa.

Michael J. Timm was the eldest of these chil¬ dren, and was bom in LaPorte county, November 21, 1858. He received his education in the paro¬ chial schools at Michigan City, and early evinced a taste for mechanics, gratifying his proclivities in this direction by working in the car shops and with machinery in general. He began his career at the bottom of the ladder, and his willingness to perform anything that came to hand has re¬ sulted in a substantial livelihood. He first be¬ came connected with milling in 1900, when he rented the mill in Cool Spring at Waterford, and, although he was quite unacquainted with the business at the start, his knowledge of mechanics and his ability as a manager soon placed him at the successful end of the enterprise. At the end of three years he purchased the plant, which is known as the Otis Mills, and he has given it a first-class reputation among the people of that community, and its patronage has extended into the neighboring townships and is constantly growing. The mill has a very fine equipment; it has three double sets of double rollers, two burrs, and a feed mill for grinding various kinds of feed. The plant is valued at eight thousand dollars, and has one of the most complete water powers to be found any where. The mill is #so situated that it can be set in operation for grind¬ ing at almost a moment's notice. Mr. Timm has added to the known excellent products of his mill a reputation for fair and honest dealing that has given him the confidence of all the people around and insured the successful outcome of his busi¬ ness.

1859, but was reared in LaPorte county and edu¬ cated in the public and parochial schools. The following children have been born of this union: Oscar A., who is in the eighth grade at school; Clara M., in the seventh grade ; Eddie C., also in school ; and Walter M., the youngest. Mr. Timm is a Democrat as regards national questions, but always holds himself independent of party lines and casts his vote for whom he thinks best. Fra¬ ternally he is a member of Court No. 10, Inde¬ pendent Order of Foresters, at Otis, and his wife belongs to the Lady Foresters at Michigan City. They are members of the St. Mary's Catholic church in Otis, Indiana, and are interested in religious and benevolent work of all kinds.

MOSES S. WRIGHT is numbered among the early settlers of LaPorte county who since pio¬ neer times have been active in support of all measures for the public good and have co-oper¬ ated in many measures which have been for the improvement of the county. He has lived an up¬ right, industrious and active life, and as the years have advanced he has won the prosperity which comes as the reward of honorable, persistent and manly effort.

Mr. Wright was bom in Ripley, Jackson county, Virginia (flow West Virginia), July 27, 1827, and is the fourth in a family of eleven children, six sons and five daughters, bom to Joseph Y. and Tabitha (Evans) Wright. His father, a native of Pennsylvania, was bom about 1783 and died in 1850. He made farming his life work, and when a young man went to Vir¬ ginia, in which state he was living at the time of the outbreak of the war of 1812, in which he becaifle a soldier. In an engagement he was slightly wounded in the hand. It was in 1833 that he emigrated to Indiana, which was then the far west, making the trip down the Ohio river to the mouth of the Wabash, proceeding then up the latter stream to Attica, Indiana. Moses, then but a small lad, can well remember many inci¬ dents of this trip, especially the fact that when the boatmen who were poling the boat began to swear his father stepped out and told them that must desist or he would whip the entire crew. He was a man of splendid physique, large and strong, and would have carried out his threat if the men had not obeyed.

The Wrights remained for two years in At¬ tica, Indiana, and then came to New Durham township, LaPorte county. Joseph Wright pur¬ chased from the government one hundred and sixty acres of unimproved land, receiving a parch- ment deed which was signed by Martin Van Buren, then president of the United States, and which is now in possession of Moses Wright. It bears date of March 30, 1837, and is still in a good state of preservation. In the midst of the frontier conditions the father then developed a good home for his family. He was a Jackson Democrat who gave unfaltering support to the party, and he and his wife were life-long mem¬ bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Tabitha Wright was a native of Virginia, and lived to the advanced age of ninety-two years. Six of the children of the family yet survive. Jonathan, the eldest, is an agriculturist and pros¬ perous citizen of Monterey, California, and was with General John C. Fremont throughout the west. Moses is the next of the family. Harriet is the widow of Marcus Stone and a resident of California. Gideon is an agriculturist living in Nebraska.

Moses Wright was a little lad only five years when he became a resident of LaPorte county, where he has remained to the present day, covering more than two-thirds of a century. He was educated in a log schoolhouse, such as were common at that day. He describes them as being built of round or hewed logs and covered with split boards. The size of the building was about sixteen by twenty feet, ancl at first the school was heated by an immense fireplace, but later a large stove was secured. The benches were made of split logs placed upon wooden legs, each bench being about ten feet in length, and the desk was a shelf, dressed with an ax, and resting upon wooden pins driven into the side of the wall. The windows were made of oiled paper, and Mr. Wright often used a goosequill pen. The text books were an English reader, Adams' Arith¬ metic and Webster's Spelling Book, and the school was conducted on the subscription plan.

The equipments which Mr. Wright had for his farm work were equally primitive. He used the sickle of the olden times, and his hand yet bears a scar made by one of those implements. Many a time has he swung the old-fashioned cradle, and he well remembers the first reaper that was introduced into the county. He has even threshed his grain on the floor with the old-fashioned flail, and when the wheat was beaten out one man would toss up the chaff while the other used a sheet to create a breeze, causing the wheat to be left clean below. All through the winter was this process carried on. Mr. Wright has also ridden horses on the barn floor to tramp out the grain, and has used the old¬ time threshing box with the simple cylinder. He plowed with a wooden moldboard. Going to the timber, he would select a tree of the right size and shape and then take it to the blacksmith, after trimming it, where it could be converted into a plow by adding the necessary iron parts. He has cut his hay with a scythe, and has thus performed the farm work after the primitive manner of the times, but as the years have ad¬ vanced he has secured the improved farm ma¬ chinery and has kept his farm up to others of the neighborhood in the way of modern improve¬ ments.

When he came to the county not one of the thirteen railroads which now cross it had been built, and the wagon roads were not in very good condition. The Pottawottomie Indians were nu¬ merous, and on one occasion, fearing an attack by the red men, the settlers had to flee to the blockhouse near Door Village. Mr. Wright has killed many a deer south of Westville, and has seen as many as fifty in a single drove. There were also wolves and panthers, and many kinds of wild game were foutid upon the tables of the early settlers. Michigan City with a population of ten thousand at the present time then contained but two houses, and LaPorte was but a small vil¬ lage, but the years have brought many changes, and no one rejoices more in the substantial de¬ velopment of LaPorte county than does Mr. Wright.

On the 30th of August, 1855, was celebrated the marriage of Moses Wright and Abigail Pet¬ tit, who was bom in the Dominion of Canada, October 12, 1832, and is the youngest in a family of six sons and three daughters, born to Robert and Abigail (Wilson) Pettit, three of the num¬ ber yet living : John, who is living a retired life in Hamilton, Ontario; James, a retired farmer of Haskell, Indiana; and Mrs. Wright. Her father was a native of New Jersey, bom in 1782, and his death occurred in 1841. He served as a soldier in the war of 1812, and met with a fair degree of success in his business career. In his religious faith he was an Episcopalian, and his death occurred in Canada. His wife, also a native of New Jersey, passed away in Canada.

To Mr. and Mrs. Wright were bom four children, three of whom are living. Watson is an enterprising young farmer of Clinton town¬ ship. He began to work for his father for a dollar per day, and by the time he was married he had saved one thousand dollars. He wedded Miss Jennie Koontz, and to them were born seven children, four sons and three daughters, of whom six are living: Lillie, Ralph, Lloyd, Frank, Nada and Walter. Watson Wright is now serving as justice of the peace and is a Democrat in poli¬ tics. Victoria Geneva is the wife of George Loomis, who for twelve years has been a salesman in a wholesale grocery house in Kansas City, Missouri, and they have a daughter, Leah. Mrs. Loomis was for a number of years a successful teacher in the schools of LaPorte county. Hamil¬ ton, a resident farmer of New Durham township, married Miss Eliza E. Koontz, and they have five children: Wade E., Kemp K., Moses S., Goldie C. and Weldon.

Mrs. Wright was reared in Canada and ac¬ quired her education in an Indian missionary school. She has taught school both in Canada and in Indiana, and is a lady of superior culture and refinement. She is one of the leading mem¬ bers of the Rebekah Lodge of Odd Fellows, No. 183, and has filled all of its offices. She also be¬ longs to the Christian church.

Mr. Wright is a stanch Democrat, but has never sought or desired office. He is a charter member of Westville Lodge No. 136, I. O. O. F., was the first noble grand of the Rebekahs, has passed all the chairs and is also a charter mem¬ ber of the Rebekah lodge. He likewise belongs to the encampment, No. 147, at Westville. His identification with the fraternity dates from 1852, and he has been a delegate to the grand lodge, grand encampment and also the grand meetings of the order of Rebekahs. That he has pros¬ pered in his life work is shown by the fact that he is now the owner of nearly three hundred acres of valuable land in the county, and although his property was destitute of improvements when it came into his possession it is now supplied with modern equipments and the fields annually return to him golden harvests in reward for the care and labor he bestows upon them. His worth is widely recognized, and no history of the county would be complete without mention of this hon¬ ored pioneer settler.

WILLIAM F. ROSENBAUM. Among the native born citizens of LaPorte county, In¬ diana, is the subject of this review, who is a rep¬ resentative of a well known German family of southwest LaPorte county. The Americanized German citizen is a factor of progress and sta¬ bility as well as of economy and thrift.

Mr. Rosenbaum was born May 28, 1871, in Dewey township, LaPorte county, Indiana, and is the second of eight children, only three of whom grew to maturity, born to William F.

and Wilhelmina (Klemon) Rosenbaum. The eldest son was Gustave H., who died January 3, 1904, and at the time of his death was trustee of Dewey township. He was a young man who had the esteem of all who knew him and was educated in both the German and American tongue. He belonged to the farming class. He left a wife and two children, son and daughter* residents of Lacrosse, Indiana.

The father of Mr. Rosenbaum was born in Rotingen, Germany, in 1837, and died May 19, 1886, aged about, forty-nine. He was reared as a farmer. At the age of twenty-seven he came to America on a sailing vessel, bound for Indi¬ ana. He began as a laborer, as he was but a poor German, but honest. He purchased land in Dewey township, and here resided until his death. He was always a Democrat in politics, and he and his wife were members of the German Lutheran church of Cass township. The mother was a native of Launsburg, Germany, bom in 1839, and she resides in Lacrosse, Indiana, aged sixty-five years.

Mr. Rosenbaum was reared as a farmer lad, and he well knows the meaning of hard work and toil. He received a German and English edu¬ cation. He remained at home till after he was mar¬ ried ; his father died when he was fourteen years of age, and he and his brother Gustave undertook the full charge of the homestead, and these young men found that the estate was incumbered with a debt of two thousand two hundred dollars. With fortitude and industry the boys and the mother and the sister put their shQulders to the wheel and pulled the farm out of debt.

Mr. Rosenbaum is one of the young and thrifty German- Americans who believes in hon¬ esty of purpose, and being a man of such indus¬ try has made his mark among the people who know him.

He wedded Miss Lena M. Busse, November 17, 1896, and one little son, Alvin, has graced this marriage. Alvin was born August 24, 1897, and he is now in the first grade and is bright in his school work. He is the joy of the family circle. Mrs. Rosenbaum was born In LaPorte county, Indiana, November 30, 1877, and is the third in a family of eleven children, two sons and nine daughters, born to Herman and Gusta (Domse) Busse. Six of the children are yet living. Her father was born in Germany, April 25, 1847, and he is yet living, a resident of Starke county, Indiana. He was reared as a farmer and was a soldier in the Germany army for three years. He and his wife were wedded in Ger- many and came to LaPorte county soon after their marriage in 1875, and purchased land in Starke county, where he now resides. He is a Republican, and he is a member of the Lutheran church. Mrs. Busse was born in 1857, was reared in Germany, and died September 26, 1893, at Willvale, Indiana.

Mrs. Rosenbaum was reared and educated in LaPorte county, and is a lady of pleasing per¬ sonality and a worthy helpmate to her husband. She is a lady who loves her home, her husband and little son.

Mr. Rosenbaum is a Democrat and cast his first presidential vote for Cleveland. He was on the advisory board for one term. He is a gentle¬ man who is well known in his township for integ¬ rity and sterling worth, and when his brother died he was appointed by the board of county commissioners to the office of trustee of Dewey township, and the responsibilities of the affairs of the township have fallen upon worthy shoul¬ ders. He takes a deep interest in the schools of the township, the poor, the roads, bridges, and in all the details of the business. He is ever found ready and willing to promote the welfare of his community.

Mr. and Mrs. Rosenbaum are members of the Lutheran church of Cass township. The old homestead now falls by purchase and will to Mr. Rosenbaum. There are two hundred acres of fine land in Dewey township, besides which he has two resident properties in Lacrosse, so it is seen that he is prosperous. Mr. and Mrs. Rosenbaum are young and worthy German citizens who stand high in integrity and social worth, and we are pleased to present this brief text of them to be preserved in the annals of LaPorte county history.

GAYLORD JESSUP, who is successfully engaged in the grain trade at Durham Station on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, and is also interested in farming in New Durham township, is a self-made man whose strength of character and unfaltering enterprises have brought to him well deserved prosperity. He is one of LaPorte county's native sons, his birth having occurred on the nth of July, 1849, on his father's farm in New Durham township. He is the fifth of seven children, three sons and four daughters, born to John S. and Mary (Young) Jessup. Of this number six are yet living, and two sons and two daughters are yet residents of LaPorte county, while the others are in Iowa.

common in this part of the country at an early day. He came to LaPorte county in 1833, and lived upon a tract of land which his father had purchased from the government, the original deed to which is still in possession of a member of the family. His father was one of the pioneer settlers of northwestern Indiana, and became the possessor of large tracts of land in this section of the state. John S. Jessup followed farming throughout his business career, and was a well known and respected agriculturist of his com¬ munity. In politics he was a Jackson Democrat, and ardently supported the principles of his party. Firm in his decisions and unfaltering in his sup¬ port of what he believed to be right, he trained his children in integrity and straightforward con¬ duct. When called to his final rest his remains were interred in the Jessup cemetery, the land for which was donated by his father for the pur¬ pose used. His wife, a native of New York, was of German lineage. A kind and affectionate wife and mother, she was also a friend to the poor and needy, and her many good qualities endeared her to all who knew her.

Gaylord Jessup was reared and educated in this county, attending the common schools when not engaged with the labors of the farm. He started out in life on his own account with no capital save a pair of willing hands and a strong determination to succeed, and as the years have advanced he has also progressed toward the goal of prosperity, and is now the possessor of a good farm and business as the result of his energy and enterprise. He was engaged in threshing for fifteen years. He first purchased fifty-five acres of land in New Durham township, and to this he has added twenty acres, while his wife owns fifty acres, and thus their landed possessions ag¬ gregate one hundred and twenty-five acres of rich land. After following agricultural pursuits for many years, he embarked in the grain busi¬ ness in Westville in 1895, and also established a meat market there. He resided in the town for six years and was successful in his business oper¬ ations there, but in 1899 returned to the farm, on which he now makes his home. In 1894 he entered the grain trade at Durham station, on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, and has since handled grain at that point, doing a large annual business as a shipper of the cereals raised in this district. He has won the confi¬ dence of the public as a reliable and trustworthy business man, and he does a large business, hand¬ ling annually about fifty thousand bushels of wheat, thirty-five thousand bushels of rye and twenty thousand bushels of oats, and in 1900 he also shipped sixty thousand bushels of com. He pays the best market price to the farmers for their grain, and in his operations is meeting with very gratifying success.

Mr. Jessup was married April 25, 1870, to Miss Mary Flood, who was born Dec. 3, 1848, and was reared in LaPorte county, pursuing her education in the common school and in the ex¬ cellent Catholic school, St. Mary's Academy, near South Bend, Indiana. She herself taught school for a number of years in New Durham township. She is a member of the St. Peter's Catholic church of Laporte. By her marriage she became the mother of two sons and two daughters, but only two of the family are now living: Mary, the wife of J. F. Dolman, a resident farmer of Clinton township, by whom she has a little son, Donovan ; and Daniel, who is now in the seventh grade in the public schools.

In politics Mr. Jessup is a Democrat, and cast his first presidential vote for Horace Greeley. He favors the gold standard and is an advocate of the present money policy of the country. So¬ cially he is connected with the Knights of Pythias at Westville, and he and his wife are leading and worthy citizens of New Durham township, who, having long resided in this county, are well known for their sterling worth and their many excellent traits of character.

WILLIAM BLINKS. The fitting reward of a well spent life is a period of rest in which to enjoy the fruits of former toil. This has been vouchsafed to Mr. Blinks, who for many years was an active factor in industrial circles in Michi¬ gan City, but is now living retired at his pleas¬ ant home at 514 Franklin street. Of English nativity, he was born in Tenterden in the county of Kent, November 15, 1833. His paternal grand¬ father, Edward Blinks, also a native of England, was a farmer by occupation and came of a large family. He died about 1843 when past the prime of life.

Edward Blinks, the father of William Blinks, was bom on the "merrie isle," and he, too, became an agriculturist, engaging in the tilling of the soil until 1853, when he severed the business connec¬ tions that bound him to his native land and crossed the ocean to the new world. Making his way into the interior of the country he settled in Cook county, Illinois, and engaged in farming, residing upon the old homestead there until with¬ in five years of his death, when he sold that farm and removed to Elgin, where his remaining days were passed. In early manhood he wedded Miss Ann Wicken, also a native of England, as was her father. Mr. Wicken was a cooper by trade, and as the result of his well directed efforts in a business way he retired well-to-do when in the evening of life. He came of a large family, and reached the very advanced age of ninety years. To Mr. and Mrs. Edward Blinks were bom seven children, four sons and three daughters, five of whom are now living: William; Thomas, of Linn county, Iowa ; John, of Cook county, Illi¬ nois; Susan, the wife of David Sharp, of Min¬ nesota; and Ellen, the wife of William Wicken, of Elgin, Illinois. The father passed away in 1883, when seventy-eight years of age, having survived his wife for about a decade. She died in 1873, when seventy- three years of age. Both were Baptists in religious faith, and Mr. Blinks gave his political support to the Republican party.

William Blinks spent the first eighteen years of his life in the land of his nativity and pursued his education in a grammar school there. After putting aside his text books he served an appren¬ ticeship in a dry-goods store, and when eighteen years of age he sought a home in America, for he believed that he would have better business op¬ portunities in this country. He came with his brother Edward to the United States and lived in Ohio for about six months, after which he went to Chicago, Illinois, where he learned the molder's trade, following that pursuit there until 1855. Throughout his entire business career he was con¬ nected with that line of labor. Coming to Michi¬ gan City almost a half century ago, he took charge of the foundry forming a part of the plant of the Haskell & Barker Car Works, and was there employed with the exception of three inter¬ vals until 1883. In 1880, because of impaired health, he went to Europe for a rest and recrea¬ tion. In 1882 he acquired an interest in the gas plant in Michigan City, forming a partnership with Michael Romel, now deceased. After leav¬ ing the car company he gave his entire attention to the development of the gas business until 1897. The firm became known as the Michigan City Gas Company, organized in 1882, and Mr. Blinks was chosen the president. He remained in that position for fifteen years, on the expiration of which period he sold out to a syndicate in Port¬ land, Maine. Since that time he has practically lived retired from further business cares. He has, however, some financial interests, being a stockholder in the First National Bank, of which at one time he was a director and vice president. Close application, unfaltering fidelity to duty, thorough understanding of his work and untiring perseverance, these have been the salient features in the success which has attended Mr. Blinks in his businss career.

On the 2 1st of November, 1859, Mr. Blinks was joined in wedlock to Miss Louisa A. Gustine, a daughter of William B. and Eliza A. (Booth) Gustine: Her father, William B. Gustine, was a native of New Hampshire and became one of the early settlers of Michigan City, while her mother was born in Auburn, New York. They had a son and two daughters, but one daughter is now deceased. The. brother of Mrs. Blinks is Albert Gustine, a resident of Meriden, Connecticut. The father died August 7, 1877, when sixty-four years of age, and the mother passed away in 1861 at the age of forty-one years. Mrs. Gustine was a daughter of Samuel Booth, who was an uncle of Governor Booth of Califor¬ nia.

To Mr. and Mrs. Blinks were born three chil¬ dren, but the eldest, Grace L., died in infancy. Edward G., now a practicing physician of Michi¬ gan City, wedded Miss Florence Tillotson and they have two sons, Harold T. and Edward T. Walter M. Blinks was for some time manager of the Michigan City Gas Works, but now resides in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He married Miss El¬ mira L. Rogers, a daughter of N. P. Rogers, of Michigan City, and they have two interesting little sons, Lawrence and William N.

In his fraternal relations Mr. Blinks is a prominent Mason, belonging to Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M. ; Michigan City Chapter, No. 25, R. A. M. ; and Michigan City Commandery No. 30, K. T. He has also attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and is connected with Indianapolis Consistory. He was the first master of Acme Lodge, was high priest of the chapter and the first eminent commander of the com¬ mandery. He is held in the highest regard by the brethren of the craft, and in his life repre¬ sents its teachings and its tenets, being true to the principles of mutual helpfulness and brotherly kindness. His political support was given to the Republican party until 1872, when he became a Democrat, and in 1886 was elected upon that ticket to represent his district in the general as¬ sembly, where he served for one term. He is now independent in politics. His wife is a member . of the Episcopal church, and both are highly es¬ teemed people of the community. Their home is at 514 Franklin street, and was erected in 1868 by Mr. Blinks, who also owns other citv property, having made judicious investments of his earn¬ ings in realty here. He has ever enjoyed an un¬ assailable reputation in business circles, and his name is an honored one in Michigan City. In matters pertaining to the public welfare he is progressive and helpful, and his co-operation has been given to many measures for the general good. Throughout his career of continued and far-reaching usefulness his duties have ever been performed with the greatest care, and his per¬ sonal honor and integrity are without blemish.