LaPorte County, Indiana - Chapter 36: Religion, 1904 (part 19 of 23)

Mr. Russell was married in Painesville, Ohio, in 1882, the lady of his choice being Miss Fannie B. Avery, of that city. They now have four children : Carl L., Robert A., Helen E. and Rich¬ ard. Since 1890 Mr. Russell has been a resident of LaPorte, and has recently purchased the Pu¬ laski King residence on Michigan avenue, which he has remodeled along classic architectural lines, making it one of the most beautiful and attractive homes of the city. In Masonic circles Mr. Russell is very prominent. He belongs to the blue lodge, chapter, council and commandery at LaPorte, and has also attained to the thirtysecond degree of the Scottish Rite in the con¬ sistory at Indianapolis. With the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine he has also crossed the sands of the desert. A man of great natural ability, his success in business from the beginning of his con¬ nection with the oil industry has been uniform and rapid. He occupies a notable position among the oil operators of the country, and has achieved a brilliant reward for his labors.

WILLIAM N. OSBORN, who, though a comparatively young man, has attained a suc¬ cess that many an older man might envy and is prominent in the business circles of LaPorte county, is proprietor of the Corwill dairy and stock farm near Wanatah, and is a well known breeder of thoroughbred registered stock.

John Osborn, his father, also a prominent farmer and stockraiser, was born in Wayne county, Indiana, November 29, 1825, and came to LaPorte county when a young man. In this county he was married to Miss Jane McIntyre, who was born in Colerain, Ireland, February 22, 1838. Five children were bom to them, of whom William N. is the oldest, and the others are: Eliza H., born September 30, 1868, is now the wife of William A. Bohland, county treasurer of LaPorte county and residing in LaPorte; James A., born July 19, 1870; John M., born July 23, 1873; and Jonathan Walter, bom June 10, 1875.

William N. Osborn was bom at Wanatah. LaPorte county, March 16, 1867, and passed his boyhood and youth under the parental roof. He graduated from the high school at Wanatah. and also in the business and scientific courses at the Northern Indiana Normal School at Val¬ paraiso in 1888. He then began farming on his own account, his first purchase of land consist¬ ing of forty acres, to which he has added from time to time until he now has three hundred and twenty-six acres, constituting one of the most desirable farms of its size in the county. He is a breeder of fine blooded stock, and makes a specialty of Holstein-Friesian cattle and Poland- China hogs. He has on hand a fine herd of about sixty Holstein cattle, and has a half interest in one hog valued at five hundred dollars. He has seven fine blooded pigs, which at this writing (1903) are about eight months old, for which he refused an offer of five hundred dollars. They are of the Poland-China strain, and their sire, "T. R. Perfection," sold at Kankakee, Illinois, July 8, 1903, for forty-one hundred dollars. A half interest in their grandsire, ''Chief Perfection 2d," was sold at Macey, Indiana, in July, 1903.

for $17,210, the highest price ever paid for a hog. These pigs' sire and grandsire rank as two of the best if not the best Poland-China hogs ever sold. Mr. Osborn has one of the finest herds of Holstein-Freisian cattle in northern Indiana. A very flattering notice is given him in the Farmer's Guide of December 6, 1902, highly commendable of Mr. Osborn as a breeder of fine stock. Mr. Osborn does his own grind¬ ing of feed for his stock, owning a gas engine and separator, and his bams have cemented floors and all the facilities which make stock farming scientific and profitable. His broad acres are about the best in the township, and he is a thoroughly up-to-date stockman and agricul¬ turist.

At the home of the bride in Clinton town¬ ship, this county, Mr. Osborn was married, March 20, 1889, to Miss Cora A. Goodwin, who was born near Michigan City, in Pine township, April 1 2, 1869. The children born to them are Cleon Clayton, on January 26, 1890, and died September 18, the same year; William Ross, on October 7, 1891, and is now in the fifth grade at school; Ethel Estella, December 14, 1896, in the second grade; and John Leland, August 10, i899-

Mr. Osborn affiliates with the Democratic party, and gives his earnest support to all meas¬ ures which he believes calculated to prove of public benefit. He belongs to the Knights of the Maccabees, Tent No. 41, and he and his wife are members of the Christian church at Wanatah. Wherever known he is held in high regard, and his life has been such as to gain the good will and respect of those with whom he has been brought in contact.

J. VENE DORLAND. Practical industry wisely and vigorously applied never fails of suc¬ cess : it carries a man onward and upward ; brings out his individual character and acts as a power¬ ful stimulus to the efforts of others. The great¬ est results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of the ordinary qualities of common sense and perseverance. The every¬ day life with its cares, incidents and duties af¬ fords ample opportunity for acquiring experience of the best kind, and its most trodden paths pro¬ vide a true worker with abundant scope for ef¬ fort and self-improvement. It is along such lines that Mr. Dorland has won a place of prominence in business circles. He is now well known as a real estate, insurance and abstract agent and also as a manufacturer of LaPorte.

Mr. Dorland is one of the native sons of this city, his birth having occurred on the 15th of August, 1868. His paternal great-grandfather, George Dorland, was born in Scotland, May 25, 1770, and on crossing the Atlantic to the new world, established his home upon a farm in Penn¬ sylvania. John S. Dorland, the grandfather, was born in the Keystone state, September 30, 1817, and died in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, August 20, 1852.

George C. Dorland, the father of J. Vene Dorland, was born in Lycoming county, March 23, 1844. Owing to his father's early death he was left penniless at the age of eight years, at which time he came to LaPorte county to live with his uncle, Nathan S. Dorland, a farmer lo¬ cated at Door Village. At the outbreak of the Civil war he became a stanch defender of the Union cause, and on the 9th of September, 1861, enlisted in Company C, Twenty-ninth Indiana Infantry, his services being with the Army of the Potomac. He was one of the youngest mem¬ bers of his regiment, being a youth of seventeen at the time he joined the army. He was with Generals Grant, McClellan and Thomas, and participated in the battles of Shiloh, Liberty Gap, Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and the siege of Corinth. At the battle of Stone River a cannon exploded and destroyed one of his ears. He was always faithful to his duty, and was honorably discharged on the 2d of Sep¬ tember, 1865, returning then to his home with a most creditable military record. Nor long after reaching LaPorte county he secured a position as deputy recorder, and acted in that capacity for four years. On the expiration of that period he turned his attention to the grocery business and later became interested in the insurance, real estate and abstract business. In his political views he was an ardent Republican, and in 1875 was nominated and elected city clerk in a Demo¬ cratic city, a fact which is indicative of the trust reposed in him by his fellow townsmen and of their faith in his capability. He also served as clerk of the board of water works and he was instrumental in establishing the Northern Indi¬ ana Orphan's Home, of which he became secre¬ tary, acting in that position until his death. A prominent member of the Baptist church, it was at his suggestion that the Baptist Assembly grounds were established at Pine Lake. Pro¬ gressive and enterprising, he co-operated in many movements for the general good, and his efforts were of marked benefit to the community along lines of substantial improvement and of educa- tional and moral development. He passed away January 20, 1893, his death being occasioned by a railroad accident while he was returning to his home from Indianapolis.

In early manhood George C. Dorland was united in marriage to Miss Emily Rosetta Closser. The Clossers are one of the old and prom¬ inent families of LaPorte county, and Mrs. Dorland was born in this county and is still living here'. She is a daughter of Nicholas Closser, who was wounded in an Indian fight in this county. He was born at Harper's Ferry, Vir¬ ginia, whence he removed with his parents to southern Ohio, and later came to Indiana, living first in Indianapolis. He arrived in LaPorte county, however, in the thirties, and was thus one of its honored pioneer settlers, casting in his lot with the early residents of the county who laid broad and deep the foundation for the pres¬ ent development and progress of this portion of the state. By trade he was a carpenter, but dur¬ ing the greater part of his life followed farming. The Closser family is of German descent. The mother of Nicholas Closser was Hulda McFar¬ land, a granddaughter of Colonel Daniel McFar¬ land, of Washington county, Pennsylvania, who served in the Revolutionary war. Colonel Mc¬ Farland was a grandson of Daniel McFarland, who was of Scotch lineage and who crossed the Atlantic from Ulster, Ireland, in 1718, establish¬ ing his home in Worcester, Massachusetts.

In taking up the personal history of J. Vene Dorland, we present to our readers the life rec¬ ord of one who is widely known in LaPorte county, and who has found favor and friendship among its citizens. His early education acquired in the public schools was supplemented by a course of study in Holmes Shorthand & Busi¬ ness College. On the 1st of January, 1890, hav¬ ing been well equipped for the duties of a busi¬ ness career, he became a partner of his father in the real estate, abstract and insurance business under the firm name of George C. Dorland & Son, and upon his father's death he succeeded to the business as its sole proprietor, and has since conducted it with growing and gratifying success. In connection with his abstract busi¬ ness he has become one of the best posted men on land in this county. He has also made a specialty of the insurance department, and may well feel a pride in what he has accomplished in this direction, having written a vast amount of business for the companies which he represents, thus gaining for himself also an excellent finan¬ cial return. He is a member of the executive committee of the Indiana Association of Local Fire Insurance Agents, and for five consecutive years was a delegate to the convention of the national association, to which only five members are sent from Indiana. All this indicates his prominence in fire insurance circles, and his opin¬ ions carry weight in the councils of the men who are engaged in this department of business ac¬ tivity. Mr. Dorland is also the president of the LaPorte Telephone Company and the secretary of the LaPorte Sash & Door Company and treasurer of the LaPorte Investment Company. A man of resourceful ability, of marked enter¬ prise and strong executive force and keen dis¬ cernment, he has gained for himself a creditable position in the business world, sustaining an un¬ assailable reputation by reason of his integrity and straightforward methods.

On the 14th of April, 1891, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Dorland and Miss Belle R. Fail, of LaPorte county, a daughter of John N. Fail, a prominent farmer of Kankakee township. Her uncle, Benjamin F. Fail, was the first white child born in this county, and still lives on a large farm in Kankakee township. Mr. and Mrs. Dorland are popular young people of LaPorte, enjoying the esteem of many friends. He is well known in Masonic circles, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter, council and commandery. He was also the secretary of the LaPorte County Agricultural Society for a period of seven years, and he holds membership rela¬ tions with the Sons of Veterans, and the Sons of the American Revolution. He is likewise a mem¬ ber of the board of trustees of the First Baptist church, and is secretary of the board of direc¬ tors of the Pine Lake Assembly. In his life he exemplifies the enterprising spirit which has been the dominant factor in the upbuilding of the west. His life has been a very active one, his energy being one of the salient features in his character. When twenty years of age he secured a contract for numbering and lettering the LaPorte streets, and from the proceeds of this he took a trip by bicycle through Europe. This is indicative of the determination and force of his character and his recognition of opportunity and his enterprise, and he stands to-day as one of the strong and suc¬ cessful business men of his native city.

JAMES D. M. HUCKINS, who has made his home in LaPorte county for over sixty-one years, and since attaining manhood's estate has been prominently identified with its agricultural interests, is the son of Nathan P. and Almira R.

(Norton) Huckins, old settlers of LaPorte coun¬ ty. These parents were married in New York state on December 27, 1832, and from there went to Ohio, whence they came to LaPorte county in 1842, locating at Door Village. For the tirst two years Nathan Huckins was engaged in the manufacture of fanning mills, and then pur¬ chased a farm of one hundred and fifteen acres, and turned his attention to its cultivation, and improvement. As time passed he added to his property until he had three hundred and fifty acres under a high state of cultivation. He was also engaged in the sawmill business for some time, and was regarded as one of the leading citizens of the community. He was born Febru¬ ary 4, 1811, and died December 24, 1874, while his wife, who was born October 5, 1805, died January 13, 1869.

Six children were born to Nathan and Almira Huckins, as follows: Sarah Abigail, born Octo¬ ber 19, 1833, and died February 24, 1867; Nathan A., born June 12, 1836, and died Octo¬ ber 31, 1855; George, born May 22, 1838; James D. M. and Mary A., twins, born March 10, 1841, and the latter died November 8, 1855 ; and Amy A., bom November 20, 1843. The oldest daugh¬ ter married Charles W. Banks, and at her death left five children, Adele, Almira, Ida, Charles Nathan and Lucy Isadore.

James D. M. Huckins was born in Brownhelm, Lorain county, Ohio, March 10, 1841. He attended school at Door Village, and was reared on the home farm, where he gained a prac¬ tical knowledge of the occupation he has made his life work. He is now the owner of a good farm in sections 9 and 10, Scipio township, where in early days stood the old block house which served as protection for the pioneer settlers when the Indians were on the warpath. One of the posts of the old fort is still standing, a land¬ mark of the days when this region was a vast wilderness and the Indians were far more num¬ erous than the white settlers.

On May 21, 1859, Mr. Huckins was married in this county to Miss Sarah N. Kelsey, who was born in New York state, December 4, 1842, a daughter of David M. and Mary J. (Wilcox) Kelsey. Wh^n she was fourteen years old her father, who was a carpenter by trade, took his family to Wisconsin, but he afterward came to LaPorte county and bought land in Noble town¬ ship. Mrs. Kelsey's father had two brothers in the Revolutionary war, and Mr. Huckins' grand¬ father, Israel Huckins, was also in the war, so that, the descendants are entitled to membership in the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Huckins is also second cousin of the late General Lawton, of Philippine fame. Mr. and Mrs. Kelsey were members of the Baptist church. Four of their six children are living, besides Mrs] Huckins: Helen, the wife of William Taylor, a native of LaPorte county, formerly a railroad engineer, and now a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota; Mary L., wife of J. R. Miller, a carpenter of Sioux City, Iowa; Charles H., who went to the Klondike regions and has never been heard of since ; Annie, widow of Ira G. Pattee, of Rutland, Iowa.

Mrs. Huckins was educated in the common schools and in the high school of Michigan City, and was a teacher for several years in Scipio township. She has no children of her own, but has adopted the youngest child of Mr. Huckins' sister, whose family is given above. Lucy Isa¬ dore was educated in the Laporte high school, graduating in the class of 1885, and has been a teacher in one district of Scipio township for the past six years. She has musical ability, and is a charming young lady, popular in social circles and highly esteemed by all who know her.

In 1888 Mr. Huckins erected a pretty coun¬ try residence, in which they enjoy the hospitality of their many friends. The home is located on very high ground, and from it the surrounding country may be seen in some directions for thir¬ teen miles. Mr. Huckins adheres to the doctrines of the Republican party, and fraternally, is a member of the Masonic Lodge, No. 41, at La- Porte,and he and his wife and daughter are mem¬ bers of Eastern Star Lodge, No. 55. Mrs. Huckins and her daughter are members of the Methodist church at Door Village.

WILLIAM A. HALL, a member of the banking firm of Hall, Weaver & Company, pro¬ prietors of the Bank of Indiana, was born in Scipio township, LaPorte county, on the 2d of March, 1843, ten years before his parents, Hon. Jacob R. and Catharine (Martin) Hall, had lo¬ cated in this county. The ancestry of the father together with the ancestral history of the family is given on another page of this work. Jacob Hall carried on agricultural pursuits, having de¬ veloped from a wild tract of land a splendid farm. It was upon this farm that William A. Hall was reared, and he early assisted in the labors of plowing, planting and harvesting. Throughout the period of his youth he continued to work in the fields and meadows, and he also attended the public schools, being thus equipped by mental training to meet the responsible duties of a business career. He is now the owner of the old family homestead, consisting of four hundred acres, and he has achieved his greatest success as an agriculturist, although in later years he has resided in LaPorte. He has made the most of his opportunities, and his keen fore¬ sight and sound business judgment have con¬ tributed in large measure to his success. He yet has extensive farming and stock-raising inter¬ ests, and these have been the basis of his present prosperity. Ere leaving the farm he became a partner, in 1882, in the firm of Hall, Weaver & Company, proprietors of the State Bank of In¬ diana, which is the oldest bank in LaPorte, hav¬ ing had a continuous existence of over forty years. Mr. Hall succeeded his father, the Hon. Jacob R. Hall, in this bank, the latter having been associated with its conduct from its organ¬ ization until his death.

In January, 1865, William A. Hall was united in marriage to Miss Hannah J. Lowery, a daugh¬ ter of Samuel Lowery, now deceased. Their marriage has been blessed with two daughters: Luetta, now the wife of Algernon Orr; and Blanch Allen. In social circles the family holds a most enviable position, and their own home is celebrated for its gracious and attractive hos¬ pitality. It was in the year 1886 that Mr. Hall removed with his family to LaPorte, where he has since maintained his home. He has for many years been prominently identified with LaPorte County Agricultural Association, and has greatly assisted in making the annual fair a most success¬ ful and pleasing institution of the county. In this way he has also stimulated agricultural de¬ velopment, and he has ever put fcprth the most earnest efforts in behalf of the farming interests of the state. At the present writing he is serving on the executive committee of the agricultural association. His political allegiance has ever been given to the Republican party, and, while having firm faith in its principles, he has never sought or desired political preferment. His busi¬ ness interests have been of an extensive and im¬ portant character, and in their control he has manifested strong purpose in carrying out his ideas, sound judgment in forming his plans and unabating integrity in all of his dealings with his fellow men.

CALITA PRESTON has almost reached the eightieth milestone on life's journey. He is one of the old settlers of LaPorte county and resides on section 7, Kankakee township. His birth occurred in Lynchburg, Virginia, March 22, 1824. His father, Zenas Preston, was a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he re¬ mained until twelve years of age, when he ac¬ companied his parents to Campbell county, Vir¬ ginia. His father was John Preston, who is supposed to have been a native of the Keystone state. He met his death by accident in Virginia after residing in the Old Dominion for some time:

In that state Zenas Preston was reared and married, chosing as a companion and helpmate for life's journey Miss Elizabeth Stanton, a na¬ tive of North Carolina. In the year 1824 they left Virginia and removed to Union county, Indi¬ ana, where they remained for nine years. In 1833 they came to LaPorte county, locating on the farm which is now the home of their son Calita. Zenas entered a claim, securing the land from the government, and at once began the develop¬ ment of what was a wild tract, transforming it into richly cultivated fields. There he engaged in farming until his death, which occurred in 1852 when he was seventy-nine years of age. He was a member of the Friends church, and in his political views was a Democrat. His wife died in LaPorte county at the ripe old age of seventy-nine years, and like her husband had the friendship of many who knew her because of her excellent traits of heart and mind. To this worthy couple were born seven children, six sons and one daughter, but the latter died in in¬ fancy. The sons are Albert G., Vickers, Urbin, Elam, Calita and Enoch.

Calita Preston was the sixth in order of birth in the family, and was in his tenth year when his parents come to LaPorte county. He was very young at the time of the removal to Indiana, and almost his entire life, therefore, has been spent in this state. He was reared upon the home farm, where he now lives, and he cared for his parents until they were called to their final rest, thus repaying them in large measure for the devotion which he received from them in his youth. He acquired his early education in the primitive log schools which were common in the early days of Indiana, and although his mental discipline there was somewhat meager he has learned valuable lessons in -the school of experience and through reading and observation.

Mr. Preston has been twice married. In 1848 he wedded Miss Cyntha Ellen Terwilliger, a na¬ tive of New York. To them were born the fol¬ lowing named : Augustus, now a prosperous farmer of Galena township; and Keziah, the wife of Zachary Taylor, of LaPorte. After the death of his wife in 1866, Mr. Preston was again mar¬ ried, his second union being with Miss Mary Martin, a daughter of Abram Martin. They also had two children that are now living: Dr. Paul Preston, of Plymouth, Indiana, who is success¬ fully engaged in the practice of medicine there , and Katarine, who is now a student in the Michi¬ gan University at Ann Arbor, where she is mak¬ ing a specialty ofthe study of German and other foreign languages.

For seventy years Mr. Preston has lived upon the same farm, and is one of the honored pioneers of the county. He assisted in the arduous task of developing new land, and with the family shared in all the hardships and trials incident to pioneer life. In his political views he was first a Democrat and afterward an Abolitionist, and when the Republican party was formed to pre¬ vent the further extension of slavery he joined its ranks and gave to it his allegiance for some time. He is now a stanch Prohibitionist, because of his views concerning the temperance question. For a long time he held membership with the Methodist Episcopal church, and is now a mem¬ ber of the Free Methodist church. He takes an active part in its work, being a local preacher and deacon, and his wife has been ever an honor¬ able and upright one, devoted to doing good. In all of his relations with his fellow men he has been honorable and straightforward, and those who know him respect him for his absolute in¬ tegrity and genuine worth.

It will be well to record on the permanent pages of history, for the edification of future generations, an occurrence that changed the whole course and trend of Mr. Preston's life, and which happened when he was about sixteen years old :

At this time he was striving hard to be¬ come an infidel, reading Paine's "Age of Rea¬ son," Voltaire, Hume and Bolingbroke. He was seeking sufficient evidence against the Bible to satisfy him in turning his back to its require¬ ments, but it was ordered otherwise. Septem¬ ber 22, 1839, he was prostrated with fever. Drs. Rose and Teegarden attended him. The fever lasted some twenty-one days leaving him very weak. One night the following November, about midnight, as he was thinking and planing what he should do when able to be out once more, he was suddenly made to feel and realize that his days were numbered, and he was lost. He tried to banish the thought and impression, but they grew stronger. He then called up the family and upbraided his father and mother, and older brothers for not warning him against the life he had been living. He then passed into the spirit world and was in utter darkness, and in the power and grip of the devil who had deceived him and caused his ruin. But as he was being borne to the abode of the lost, he cried to the Lord for mercy, and He heard. This was at the pit's mouth. Here a great light appeared, and he heard a voice say: "Hold! he repents," then came the words, "Go back to the world and serve Me and thou shalt live to be old." At this his spirit returned to the body, greatly to the surprise of the weeping friends. He had been gone about thirty minutes. But a happier boy never lived; he rejoiced then, and he rejoiced ever at the mercy of God. That experience made him an Abolitionist and a Prohibitionist. The number seventy-seven was given him and he had expected that this would be the number of years of life, but he is now nearly three years past that time. It may have meant that seventy-seven would be added to the sixteen years, which would make him attain the age of ninety-three. Time alone will tell.

HON. GEORGE CRAWFORD, deceased, the father of Mrs. A. W. Cole, of New Durham township, LaPorte county, Indiana, and one of the most prominent of the early pioneers of the old Hoosier state, was of distinguished Scotch ancestry in both the paternal and maternal lines. His grandfather was a native of famous Ayr¬ shire, the home of Robert Burns, and was a lineal descendant of the great Earl of Crawford. He was connected with the linen business of Belfast, Ireland, and was a linen draper, carrying on the principal part of his trade with the British col¬ onies in America. His company had large amounts outstanding in the colonies, and, while the Revolutionary war seemed imminent, he was sent to America to collect the debts which were due. He was in the midst of his work when the storm of revolution finally broke, and as a con¬ sequence he was able to collect but little. Many oi his creditors availed themselves of the issue of the old continental money with which to dis¬ charge their obligations, but in a short time this paper was almost worthless. The trade of the company had extended from Boston, Massachu¬ setts, to Charleston, South Carolina, and its debts amounts to a million dollars, so that at the conclusion of peace efforts were made to secure just settlement. Alexander Hamilton was the principal exponent of payment of debts both pub¬ lic and private, and was successful in his stand for the discharge of the obligations of the United States to foreign countries, but many of the states and private individuals seized the oppor¬ tunity for repudiation of their debts, and Mr. Crawford's firm was one of the heavy losers thereby. He was the senior partner of the com¬ pany, and, feeling that the losses in America were in part due to him, he declined to return and take charge of the business, with the result that he remained in this country and became the founder of the Crawford lamilv in the United States. His wife joined him, and they settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.

Hon. George Crawford was bom at Chestnut Level, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, October 30, 1799, ar|d received a limited education in his youth. During his minority he aided his father in the work of the farm and in the linen draper business. At the age of seven he had been brought to Jefferson county, Ohio, where he re¬ mained till he was of age. In the spring of 1820 he joined a surveying party whose destination was the Saginaw country of the territory of Michigan, and he was engaged in that work through that territory and the northern portion of Indiana until 1832, and had the reputation of being one of the most accurate and successful surveyors in that part of the country. . In 1828 he had made arrangements to engage in farming, and had secured a quarter section of land in Cass county, Michigan, and while here had made the acquaintance of Sylvester and George Meacham and General Brown, the brother of the hero of Lundy's Lane. In the fall of 1828 he went to the mouth of the Elkhart river and made a be¬ ginning of his agricultural operations. While here he received a visit from Major J. W. Violett and Mr. Bishop, who were making a tour of exploration. At this time there were only six families in the vicinity. In the following year he built a grist mill at the mouth of Christiana creek, and in the same year, without solicitation on his part, was appointed by Governor Cass sheriff of Cass* county, Michigan, but the estab¬ lishment of the boundary line between Indiana and Michigan determined Cass county to be in the former state. He shortly afterward received his appointment as postmaster of Pulaski (as Elkhart was then called), and on the organiza¬ tion of Elkhart county he was appointed county surveyor and commissioner of the "Three Per Cent Fund."

In February, 1829, he erected the first house in section 4, Concord township. In 1832 he was elected to the legislature of Indiana and served one term, in 1836 was chosen state senator for three years, and in 1840 he was appointed by the war department, through General Hugh Brady, as secretary of a commission composed of A. Coquellard, of South Bend, and Rev. Isaac Mc¬ Coy, to hold a treaty with the united nation of Pottawottomie, Ottawa and Chippewa Indians north of the Missouri river, which duty he dis¬ charged at Council Bluffs, Iowa.

In 1847 Mr. Crawford sold out his interests in Elkhart county to Dr. Beardsley, and in the same year settled on section 13, New Durham township, LaPorte county. In 1856 he was elected to the state legislature, serving one term, and in January, 1862, was elected a member of the board of agriculture and served two terms.

From the above brief summary of the im¬ portant events in the life of Mr. Crawford it will be seen how closely he followed in the footsteps of advancing- civilization in the early part of the nineteenth century, and there were few who had more important connection with the settlement and development of northern Indiana, where his name will always appear listed among those most honored as pioneers.

CALVIN W. HAYS, one of the patriarchs of LaPorte county and at different times identi¬ fied with its public life and institutions, has lived in the county for about sixty-two years, and now lives a retired life on his farm in section 35, Springfield township. He was bom in Onondaga county, New York, August 22, 1822, the son of Homer and Sarah (McNeal) Hays, both natives of Hartford, Connecticut. They were married in New York and resided there some time, then came to Erie county, Pennsylvania, and thence to Steuben county, Indiana, where they remained two years, and in 1842 located in Springfield township, LaPorte county. They both died in this township, the father at the age of sixty, and the mother when sixty-five. They were the par¬ ents of five children, three sons and two daugh¬ ters, and of these Mr. Hays is the fourth.

Mr. C. W. Hays obtained most of his educa¬ tion in New York state, in a log schoolhouse, with its characteristic primitive facilities such as pun¬ cheon floors, oak benches and rough desks con¬ sisting of a long board. He finished his school days in Indiana, and at the age of twenty came with his parents to LaPorte county, which was henceforth the scene of his labors. He remained terests of the county he has been successful in his ventures, so that he has lived comfortably and happily, besides aiding in the general up¬ building of the county and taking a part in pub¬ lic affairs. He has a nice farm of one hundred and eighty acres, with first-class improvements, and his residence is a commodious brick house, which has been recently built. Now that he has passed the eightieth milestone of life's journey he has just reason to enjoy a comfortable exist¬ ence and the fruits of days of toil among the pionear conditions which prevailed when he first came to LaPorte county. He was a Whig when he first began casting his ballot, and has ever since voted for Republican nominees. He has been a trustee of his township, and has taken more than an ordinary interest in political and public matters. He is a member of the Baptist church, and at one time was a Mason.

In 1859 Mr. Hays was married to Miss Mary Ann Rhodes, the daughter of Benjamin and Leticia (Miller) Rhodes. She was born in the city of LaPorte, Septem¬ ber 13, 1841, and remained there till she was twelve years old. Her parents were pioneers of the county, and her father was a native of England and a brewer. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hays, as follows: M. Ellen, the wife of James Hicks, has six chil¬ dren, Laura J., Mary E., Calvin F., Lola R., Esther D., Paul E. D. P. ; Benjamin W., an en¬ gineer of Chicago, has two children, Homer and Benjamin; Jay C., who was born in 1868, and manages his father's farm ; Homer M., a carpen¬ ter and mason by trade, resides at home; Dora D. wedded Dr. David D. Hogan, a surgeon in the United States Army and now in the Philip¬ pine Islands ; Daisy H., of Kalamazoo, Michigan ; Olive, the wife of Frank Brickley, a telegraph operator, of Oklahoma, has two children, Mary Frances and Eugene Howard ; and Frank R., at home; Mary Leticia died aged eleven months and fifteen days.

HENRY MILL. More than a half century has passed since Henry Mill became a resident of LaPorte county. He was born September 29, 1837, at Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania. His father, George Mill, was also a native of that place, born in 1812, and became a farmer by occupation, providing for his family through his work as a tiller of the soil. He was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Line, whose birth occuraad m 1814, and for many years they trav¬ eled life's journey together. They were sepa¬ rated by the husband's death in 1888, and the wife passed away in 1894. To them were born six children : Mary, born about 1835 ; Henry, in 1837; Peter, in 1838; Frank Hamilton, about 1840; Sylvester, about 1842; and Charles Fre¬ mont, about 1848.

In the public schools of Nanticoke, Pennsyl¬ vania, Henry Mill began his education, and sub¬ sequently pursued his studies in a high school in LaPorte county. He first came to Indiana when about six years of age and remained for three years, on the expiration of which period he returned to Pennsylvania on a visit. In the succeeding autumn he again became a resident of this state and remained for four years. He was a youth of thirteen when he became a resident of Laporte county, and here he has remained con¬ tinuously since. He completed his education when about twenty-one years of age, and after putting aside his text books assisted in the opera¬ tion of the home farm and also in the operation of the threshing machine. He has always been identified with agricultural pursuits, and is to¬ day the owner of eighty acres of rich and arable land on section 2, Noble township. He has also made a business of threshing grain for other farms, and during three different autumns has gone to North Dakota, where he engaged in oper¬ ating a threshing machine in addition to the care and cultivation of his home place.

In LaPorte county, in March, 1863, Mr. Mill was united in marriage to Miss Sarah J. Catlin. She was born May 15, 1842, a daughter of Arad S. and Mary (Babcock) Catlin, the former de¬ ceased and the latter a resident of Missoula, Mon¬ tana. She is one of five children, and four are living: John B. Catlin, engaged in the real es¬ tate business in Missoula, Montana, and formerly government land agent ; Pope, also a resident of Missoula; Mrs. Mill; and Eliza M., of Missdula, Montana. Mrs. Mill is a member of the Advent church. Mr. and Mrs. Mill have one son : George Grant, whose birth occurred January 7, 1864. In 1880 the son went to Minnesota, where he has since lived, and he is now a leading merchant in Rich¬ field, where he is engaged in dealing in agricul¬ tural implements. He wedded Miss Emma O. Blemis, and they have one son, Grant W.

Some of Mr. Mills progenitors were heroes of the famous Wyoming massacre in Pennsyl¬ vania. Mr. and Mrs. Mill have in their posses¬ sion two of the parchment patent deeds, executed

March 20, 1837, and bearing the signature of President Van Buren, being rare old documents. Mr. Mill gives his political support to the Re¬ publican party and is firm in his advocacy of its principles. During his long residence in this county he has become well known, and his efforts in behalf of the general welfare have been sin¬ cere, effective and benficial.

JOHN W. RIDGWAY, a merchant, capi¬ talist and bank director of LaPorte, has long figured conspicuously in connection with im¬ portant business interests in this city, and the extent and volume of his transactions have made him one of the leading representatives of trade relations here and have brought to him splendid success. His name is a familiar one in com¬ mercial activity and he has contributed in large measure to the material development of this part of the country. As a citizen he has in other ways aided in advancing public progress and improvement, and LaPorte county knows him as one of the valued residents.

A native of New Jersey, John W. Ridgway was bom in Tuckerton, in 1824, his parents be¬ ing James and Naomi (Willetts) Ridgway. The father, a native of Burlington county, came to LaPorte in 1837. He owned large tracts of farm¬ ing land and superintended his agricultural in¬ terests, but spent the greater part of his time as a merchant, being prominently connected with commercial pursuits in this city for thirty years. He died in 1880, at the age of eighty-two years, and thus ended an honorable, useful and very successful career. He became one of the found¬ ers of the First National Bank of LaPorte in 1864 and one of its first directors, and all that pertained to the substantial improvement of the city received his hearty endorsement. His wife, who was born in New Jersey, died in this city in 1882.

When his father came to Indiana John W. Ridgway remained for a year in Pennsylvania, where he was attending school. He arrived in 1838 and finished his education in LaPorte, after which he turned his attention to farming, which he followed for three or four years. Attracted by the discovery of gold in California, he left St. Joseph, Missouri, on the long journey across the plains. There were thirty men in the party, and they drove mule teams. After reaching California Mr. Ridgway worked in the gold mines of the Sacramento valley and around Coloma for about a year, and then turned his attention to merchandising in Coloma. He utilized three teams in hauling goods to the store at Coloma, and in his operations in the west was very successful. He spent three years in Cali¬ fornia, and then returned by way of the Isthmus of Panama, as he did not care to again cross the great plains and brave the hardships of an over¬ land journey.

Returning to LaPorte county, John Ridg¬ way located upon a tract of land which he pur¬ chased in Scipio township, two miles south of LaPorte, continuing its operation until the Civil war, when he removed to the city, wThere he has since lived. His present mercantile interests are confined to the John W. Ridgway crockery store at 703 Main street. His time, however, is largely taken up with other business interests. He is a director in the First National Bank of LaPorte, and is the owner of extensive realty interests in the city. He is also a large stock¬ holder in the LaPorte Improvement Company, and he owns a number of very fine farms in La¬ Porte county, most of which are cultivated under his personal management. He is a man of keen discrimination in business matters, his judgment being rarely, if ever, at fault, and what he under¬ takes meets with the success which arises from energy and activity, guided by strong purpose and thorough understanding of business con¬ ditions.

MRS. MELINDA RIDGWAY, deceased wife of John W. Ridgeway, was born in Cham¬ paign county, Ohio, February 6, 1828, her father being Phineas Hunt, one of the early settlers of LaPorte county. The family came here in 1835, settling first in the vicinity of Door Village, afterward moving into the city and later on living in Kankakee township on the old Michi¬ gan road. The stirring days of pioneer existence had their influence on the little girl who after¬ ward became Mrs. Ridgway and her life since showed the characted, the true culture and dis¬ position of those who in the years of long ago communed more closely with nature than do the people of to-day - especially those who live in the cities. She was educated in the LaPorte schools and for a number of years taught school. Her memory contained many interesting facts with reference to the earlier educational interests of the county. On March 20, 1856. she was united in marriage to John W. Ridgway. The domestic life has been a happy one, for though nearly half a century passed since the day on which the nuptial event took place husband and wife were still as devoted as then. Surviving, beside the husband, are one brother, Hon. A. P. Hunt, of this city, and two sisters, Mrs. Will¬ iam Wilson and Mrs. Christian Lambert, of La- Porte. Mrs. Ridgway took a prominent part in the Friends church and in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and not only devoted much of her time to the advocacy of the principles of these organizations but gave liberally from her purse. In church and temperance circles she was idolized and her demise will be deeply felt and sincerely mourned by the members of the La- Porte church and the local union. She held all the offices in the local W. C. T. U. and had also been honored by the state organization. On several occasions she was a delegate to the na¬ tional convention. She was not like many wealthy people who profess great love for cer¬ tain causes of religion or philanthropy and then pass away without any substantial remembrance of them. This is seen from the provisions of her will in which the specific items of interest are the bequeathing of $100 to the state headquarters of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union at Indianapolis ; $100 to the Frances Willard hospital at Chicago ; $100 to the Hadley Industrial School for Girls at Hadley, Indiana; $20 each to her nephews, Schuyler C. Hunt, Charles M. Hunt, Frank P. Hunt, Linden R. Hunt, and Henly H. Hunt ; her life interest in the Temperance cause to Duncan M. Ballenger, and the use of her per¬ sonal effects now at the W. C. T. U. rooms to that organization as long as the present management remains in charge, after which the same is given to Clara Galbreth. The bal¬ ance of the estate is equally divided between the brothers and sisters of the testatrix. A. P. Hunt is named as executor. The estate is valued at between $3,000 and $4,000. It is said that dur¬ ing the last few years of her life Mrs. Ridg¬ way, who was very liberal toward charitable, temperance and church work, gave away more than $10,000.

She passed away on the evening of March 2i, 1904, at her late home on Indiana avenue, after an illness of several weeks. The funeral services were held at the home, on the 24th, Rev. Emily Ellis, of Kokomo, officiating, assisted by Rev. Frank Moorman, of LaPorte.

HENLEY CLYBOURN. No history of La¬ Porte county would be complete without mention of Henley Clybourn, deceased, who may well be termed the parent of pioneers in this section of the. state, and whose life and work find prominent mention in Chapter III of the general history of this county. Although northwestern Indiana was visited by white people long before he set¬ tled here, he was the first permanent resident to establish a home within its borders, and from that time until his death he took a very active and helpful part in public work, resulting to the benefit of the community. He was born in Giles county, Virginia, August 5, 1804, and was a rep¬ resentative of an old and distinguished family of the south, the ancestry being traced back to the reign of King James in England. The name was originally spelled Claiborne, but later gen¬ erations have adopted the present form of spell¬ ing. Representatives of the name were ac¬ tive in the colonization of Maryland and Virginia during the reign of King James and Charles I of England. William Claiborne became the first secretary of Virginia. He was a surveyor who was sent from England by the London Company to make a survey under Charles I, and estab¬ lished a trading post on the Isle of Kent. An insurrection occurred while he was living there, but in 1635 he succeeded in quelling the disturb¬ ances in Maryland and Virginia.

The parents of Henley Clybourn were Jonas and Elizabeth (Kinzie) Clybourn. The for¬ mer was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, de¬ fending the cause of the colonists in their strug¬ gle for independence. Subsequently he settled in Virginia, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. On one occasion the maternal grand¬ father's family were surprised by the Indians, and two of the daughters were captured and held by the red men for about eighteen years. The mother and three other children were scalped and killed, but Elizabeth Kinzie and her sister, the two girls being then nine and seven years, respectively, were hurried away into the forests by the savages. On the conclusion of peace be¬ tween the white men and the red men it was stipulated that all the white captives should be returned and restored to their friends and thus the Kinzie sisters were again permitted to enjoy the benefits of civilization. A manuscript copy of their capture by the Indians as dictated by one of the captives, Margaret Kinzie, who afterward became Mrs. Hall, is now in the hands of Robert Hall, Esquire, of Howard City, Kansas.

Henley Clybourn had a brother Archibald, who became a very prominent and influential citizen of Chicago, Illinois, at an early day. His descendants still reside there, and that he was a public-spirited and progressive man is indicated by the fact that he laid out an addition to the city and that one of the avenues there bears his name. He also had a half-brother, John Clark, who is now deceased and a half sister, Sarah Clark, who is also deceased, but who formerly resided in Indiana.

Henley Clybourn was a young man of only eighteen years when he sought a home and for¬ tune in the west. He made his way from Vir¬ ginia to Chicago about 1823, finding there a ham¬ let on the western prairie giving little promise of its later progress and growth. He resided there for six years and then came to what is now LaPorte county, Indiana, arriving in New Dur¬ ham township on the 19th of March, 1829. He had been married in Illinois to Miss Sarah Bene¬ dict, and he was accompanied on the removal to this state by his wife, her mother and the lat¬ ter's family. He erected a log cabin near where Westville now stands, being the first permanent resident of this portion of the state. He insti¬ tuted the work of progress and improvement which has since been carried on until LaPorte county is equal to any county in the Mississippi valley in all of its improvements and advantages.

Mrs. Clybourn was a daughter of Stephen S. and Miriam (Waldron) Benedict. Their eld¬ est child, E. Miriam Clybourn, was the first white child born in LaPorte county, her natal day being July 16, 1829. She became the wife of Joseph Warnock and died in Westville, Indiana. There were six children altogether by this mar¬ riage, the others being Araminta M., the wife of Theodore Armitage, who resides in Westville and is represented elsewhere in this work ; William R., who married Mary E. Metcalf and resides near Fort Scott, Kansas ; Joseph H., who wedded Emma Tabor and is living near Fort Scott ; Mary J., who died in childhood ; and Sarah E., the wife of Stephen Bryant, also living near Fort Scott, Kansas. Mrs. Clybourn died December 31, 1844, and Mr. Clybourn afterward married Mrs. Eliza (Concannon) Sherry. There were five children born of that union, but three have passed away - Ann Eliza, Nancy Catherine and Charles Lenington. The surviving daughters are Martha Ann, the wife of Jared Gardner, of Westville, and Mrs. Virginia Adelaide Hatton, who is men¬ tioned on another page of this volume.

Mr. Clybourn gave his attention exclusively to agricultural pursuits and declined all politi¬ cal preferment. He was often urged to become a public official by his fellow citizens, who recog¬ nized his worth and ability, but only served as countv commissioner of LaPorte county two or three terms. Year after year he carried on his labors as a farmer and prospered in his under¬ takings, and its value was also increased as the county became more thickly settled and there was a greater demand for property. He was held in the highest esteem in the community, and the poor had occasion to remember him with grati¬ tude because of his benevolences. He extended his aid freely to the poor and needy and his gifts were never made in an ostentatious manner. He would often say to his associates "You are sorry are you - sorry a Sack of flour, a cord of wood or warm clothes for the little children? That's my religion/' His gifts were freely made, and many have reason to bless his memory for his active aid in the hour of need.

He continued to reside in LaPorte county up to the time of his death, which occurred on the 9th of December, 1867, when he was sixtythree years of age. He should be remembered with gratitude by the people of this county .for what he has done for its building and improve¬ ment, bejng the first settler to commence the re¬ clamation of the wild land for the purposes of civilisation. His influence was ever on the side of justice, truth and right, and his kindly and benevolent spirit made his example one well worthy to be long remembered, honored and re¬ vered.

JOHN W. CRUMPACKER, son of Theophilus and Harriet Crumpacker, and the eldest of eight children, was bora near Westville. La¬ Porte county, Indiana, March 9, 1849. The fam¬ ily resided near Westville until 1863, when they moved to Kankakee county, Illinois, and returned to Porter county in April, 1865.

John W. Crumpacker was brought up on a farm, and educated in the common schools of Clinton township, the Westville schools, and later in what is now known as Valparaiso Col¬ lege. From 1870 to 1872 he taught country school. In August, 1872, he entered the county treasurer's office in Porter county as deputy, and served until August, 1879, at which time he became county treasurer, having been nomi¬ nated and elected to the office by the Republi¬ cans of Porter county in 1878. He was re-elected in 1880, and served until August, 1883. In 1884 he was made cashier and manager of the Hobart Bank, and in February, 1885, came to LaPorte and entered the LaPorte Savings Bank as cashier, in which capacity he has served up to the present time.

D. PHILIP FAIL. One of the early settlers of Kankakee township still identified with its interests is D. Philip Fail, whose home is now on section 18. He was born in this township February n, 1839, and is the youngest son of Philip and Sarah (Nuzum) Fail, whose sketch is given on another page of this work in connec¬ tion with that of B. S. Fail, the eldest of the three brothers in their family.

Mr. Fail was reared upon the home farm m Kankakee township, and his educational privi¬ leges were those afforded by the district schools. At an early age he began working in the fields, taking his place there as soon as old enough to handle the plow. He soon became familiar with farm work in all its departments and was thus engaged upon the old homestead up to the time of his marriage, which important event in his life occurred on the 7th of December, 1862, his wife being Eveline Highby, who was bom and reared in Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Fail began keeping house upon the old home farm in Kan¬ kakee township. His wife had been a teacher in the district schools here and had become ac¬ quainted with Mr. Fail, after whjch she returned to her home in Ohio, and they were married there. Four children have been born to them: Clifford, who died in infancy; Philip Francis, an engineer who is residing in Chicago ; Phoebe E., who died when two and a half years of age; and Albert D., who died when seven years of age. The mother of these children passed away in 1873, and in 1878 Mr. Fail was married to his present wife, whose maiden name was Ida E. Chambers. To this marriage have been born tvvo children: Willo E., at home; and Jesse Keene, who is attending school in LaPorte.

Mr. Fail has spent his entire life of sixtyfive years in Kankakee township, and is well known here. He owns and operates one hundred and fifteen acres of land, and for nineteen years has engaged in threshing, having owned three different threshers. He has done good business in this way, and although he started out with an old horsepower thresher he has now an improved steam thresher. In his business affairs he has prospered as the years have advanced, and to¬ day is the possessor of a comfortable competence. Mr. Fail is a member of the Masonic lodge at LaPorte and also of the Eastern Star there. Mr. Fail is a Democrat and has held local offices in the township. His life has been characterized by unfaltering industry, and as the years have passed he has won the success which should ever crown honorable and persistent effort.

JEROME BURBANK, a well known citizen of Michigan City, was born in Wayne county, New York, October 16, 1825, and was the only son and child of Nathaniel and Cynthia (Ed¬ wards) Burbank. He was reared upon a farm in his native county, and gained his education in the district schools and a select school. He began learning the carpenter's trade at the age of seventeen, and followed that occupation with success for about twenty years, after which he engaged in bridge-building for ten years. At the time of the Civil war he served for six months in the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Indiana Infantry, being once taken prisoner in the Cumberland mountains by Hood's raiders, and was later employed in the office of the quarter¬ master general at Washington*

Mr. Burbank first came to Michigan City in 1853. For four years he was in the employ, as bookkeeper, of the lumber firm of Peck and. Son; for four years was timekeeper in the locomotive department of the Michigan Central Railroad Company ; for six years was in the service of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company in the north¬ west, and then returned to Michigan City. He is now retired from a life of activity and intends to pass the eightieth milestone of his career in ease and quiet.

JAMES I. BUSH, an enterprising and suc¬ cessful agriculturist of Kankakee township, owns and operates a fine farm of one hundred and eighty acres on section 29, on the Chicago road, and in the management of his affairs shows marked capability both as a farmer and business man. His entire life has been passed in LaPorte county, and he belongs to an old and highly re¬ spected family that has borne an important part in the development of this region. He was born in Kankakee township, July 31, 1855, and is the youngest child of David and Elizabeth (Miller) Bush, of whom more extended mention is made in the sketch of W. C. Bush on another page of this volume.

James I. Bush grew to manhood under the parental roof and was educated in the district schools near his home and in the LaPorte high school. Since completing his education he has devoted his entire time and attention to farming, and he now owns and occupies the farm which his grandfather, John Bush, purchased at the government price of one dollar and a quarter per acre and which has since been in possession of the family. The original farm consisted of one hundred acres, to which Mr. Bush has added eighty acres. It is well improved with good and substantial buildings, and is under excellent cul¬ tivation.

On the 18th of February, 1880, Mr. Bush was united in marriage to Miss Hattie Hews, a daughter of Henry and Mary (Hageman) Hews. She was born in Lycoming county, Penn¬ sylvania, October 13, 1857, the sixth in order of birth in a family of eight children, and was only a year and a half old when she accompanied her parents on their removal to LaPorte county, In¬ diana, in 1859. She is a most estimable lady and an active member of the Presbyterian church. The Republican party has always found in Mr. Bush a stanch supporter of its principles. His life has been one of industry and usefulness, and due success has rewarded his efforts. He is not only one of the prosperous men of his com¬ munity but is also one of its esteemed citizens.

DAVID GRANT, whose sudden death on November 2, 1903, was a shock to the commun¬ ity and an irreparable loss to his family, was the owner of a fine farm in section 23, CooI^Spring township, and his career was of as much industry and usefulness in the industrial world as that of any other man in this community. Mr. Grant was born in England, April 5, 1826, a son of David and Elizabeth (Crocket) Grant. He at¬ tended the local schools at his birthplace until he was thirteen years old. He early indicated his genius and inclination for things mechanical, and on leaving school was apprenticed to the great inventor of the locomotive engine, George Stephenson, with whom he remained four years, and from whom he derived much of the in¬ spiration for all his subsequent years.

Mr. Grant came to America when about twenty-one years old, and for the first three years was in the employ of the Rogers Locomo¬ tive Company. He then came to LaPorte coun¬ ty, during an early period in the history of rail¬ road construction and operation in the county, and for ten years was in the shops of the Lake Shore Railroad in the city of LaPorte. For the next thirteen years he was a machinist for the Michigan Central at Michigan City. He was a first-class mechanic, especially in his particular branch, and was an expert in every detail of the construction and assembling of the parts of a locomotive. Following his twenty-three years' residence in LaPorte county, he went to Texas and worked for the Texas Pacific Railroad Com¬ pany for two years, and from then until 1896 he was employed by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Company. He had bought a nice farm in Cool Spring township, LaPorte county, in 1870, and in 1896, when he had al¬ ready completed the space allotted by the Psalmist, for the period of man's existence on earth, he retired to this country place as a home for his last years. He owned one hundred and sixty acres, which he rented, and had a pleasant home, with just enough duties to prevent his rest from being rust, and enjoyed the respect and esteem of many friends.

Mr. Grant was married in 1850 to Miss Martha Bayldon, a native of the city of York, England, and reared there. They were the pa¬ rents of four children : Elizabeth, wedded Horace Langham, and they have three children, one son and two daughters: James R., the eldest and a resident of Joliet, Illinois; Francis J., a resi¬ dent of Chillicothe , Missouri, has done high school work and is a muiscian on the piano; Mattie E., at home with mother, has also done high school work, and she is taking a commercial course in the Rochester Corresponding School. Martha, wedded John C. Langham, and has three children, two sons and one daughter : John C., a resident of Kankakee, Illinois ; George D., a resi¬ dent of Kankakee, Illinois, and employed in the Big Four offices ; Hazel C., at home and in high school. George W., the third child, is an en¬ gineer on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, and wedded Miss Ida F. Claiborne. Isabella is deceased.

Mr. Grant was a Democrat in political affilia¬ tions. Although seventy-eight years of age. he was well preserved, and a hearty and vigorous man to the end, life's burdens and responsibili¬ ties resting lightly on shoulders that never shirked or avoided their due weight throughout the years of an unusually long and active career. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. S. B. Town, of the First Methodist church of Michigan City, and his remains were interred in Greenwood cemetery.

ALBERT W. FREHSE, for the past eight years superintendent of the city water works at Michigan City, Indiana, has lived in "LaPorte county all his life, and has been one of its capable and enterprising citizens. He has developed his aptitude for mechanical matters since he was a bov, and in this line has gained a reputation throughout the northern part of the county for skill and ingenuity. He has also taken part in public affairs, and has made a record of good service in every line to which he has given his at¬ tention.

Mr. Frehse comes of an old LaPorte county family. He is of German stock on both sides of the house, and his grandparents were Carl and Wilhelmina (Dierman) Frehse; the former lived and died in Germany, being about sixty years old at the time of his death ; the latter emi¬ grated to Michigan City, where she died in her eighty-seventh year. Mr. Carl Frehse was a tailor and schoolmaster, and had four sons. Charles Frehse, one of these sons, and the father of Albert W. Frehse, was born in Germany, where he learned his father's trade of tailor, and in 1854 came to America and settled in Michigan City, where he carried on tailoring until a few years ago, but he and his wife are now living retired at 416 Wabash street. He served as a private in the Twenty-seventh Indiana In¬ fantry during the Civil war, and for fifty years has been one of the respected citizens of his town. He and his wife are both Lutherans. He mar¬ ried Wilhelmina Westphal, a native of Germany and a daughter of John Westphal and Sophia (Zahmdt) Westphal, both natives of Germany, whence they came to America in 1855 and set¬ tled in Michigan City, where the former died in March, 1887, in his eighty-fifth year. He and his wife were parents of four daughters and one son.

Charles and Wilhelmina Frehse had seven children, five sons and two daughters, as fol¬ lows: Albert W. ; Carl, deceased; Maximilian; Agnes, wife of Cephas Ludwig; Emma, wife of A. J. Henry ; Otto ; and Herman.

Albert W. Frehse, the eldest of the children, was born in Michigan City, July 29, 1857, and attended the public schools there. He has been engaged in various pursuits for several years, and for twelve years has been connected with the city water works, having held the responsible position of superintendent for eight years.

April 13, 1882, Mr. Frehse married Miss Caroline Wittenburg, a daughter of John and Mary (Loescher) Wittenburg, both natives of Germany. John Wittenburg came to America in 1855, and his wife in 1856, and they settled at Buffalo, New York, where they lived until 1858, and then came west to New Buffalo, Michi¬ gan, where the former followed farming, and died there in 1875, at the age of thirty-nine. His wife died in 1899, aged sixty-seven years, having been the mother of five children. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Frehse, four sons and two daughters : Clara, Lorena, Oscar, Wal¬ ter, Albert and Carl, of whom Oscar died in in¬ fancy. Mr. and Mrs. Frehse are members of the Lutheran church, and he belongs to Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M., and to Michigan City Chap¬ ter No. 25, R. A. M., also to the Elks and several benevolent societies. He affiliates with the Demo¬ cratic party, and takes a commendable interest in politics and public affairs generally. Their pleasant and cheerful home is situated at 721 East Michigan street.

HARVEY S. PADDOCK, who follows gen¬ eral farming on section 12, Galena township, was bom on section 13 of the same township, April 22, 1841, and is the seventh child and sixth son of James and Charlotte Paddock. His parents are mentioned on another page of this work in connection with the history of Morrison Paddock. On the old homestead he was reared, his boy¬ hood days being spent in a manner not unlike that of most farmer lads of the period. He worked in the fields from the time of early spring planting until crops were harvested in the late autumn, and during the winter months he pur¬ sued his education in the district schools. He thus remained at home up to the time of his en¬ listment for service in the Civil war. When the south attempted to overthrow the Union he joined Company E of the Twentieth Indiana Infantry, in 1861, as a private to serve for three years. On the expiration of that period he re-enlisted, and was in the army altogether for four years. Although he joined his regiment as a private he was afterward promoted to the rank of corporal, then to sergeant major, later to second lieutenant and then to first lieutenant. His command was with the Army of the Potomac, and he was in every engagement from the battle of Fair Oaks or Seven Pines to the close of the war. Although he was often in the thickest of the fight, he did not receive a single wound, nor was he off duty or ill in all that time. He participated in the grand review in Washington, D. C., and received an honorable discharge at Indianapolis in July, 1865. He then returned to his native township with a most creditable military record and re¬ sumed farming.

In February, 1866, Mr. Paddock was united in marriage to Miss Clymena Rhoades, who was born in New York and came to Galena township when twelve years of age with her parents,

Luther and Ann Rhoades. Not long after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Paddock established their home upon a farm, and to-day he owns one hundred and twenty acres of well improved land, which returns to him a golden tribute for the care and labor he bestows upon it. His place is di¬ vided into fields of convenient size by well kept fences, and everything about his farm is neat and thrifty in appearance, indicating his careful supervision and his practical methods of work. He belongs to Charles Woodruff Post, G. A. R., at Three Oaks, Michigan. In his political views he is a Republican, having always supported the party, and he served as assessor for four terms. Having spent his entire life in the county, he is well known, and the fact that many of his stanch¬ est friends are numbered among those who have known him from his boyhood days is an indica¬ tion tfiat his career has at all times been worthy of respect and confidence.

GEORGE R. HOOTON. Farming has been the department of business which has claimed the time and attention of George R. Hooton, now a well known and successful agriculturist living on section 16, Wills township. He was bom in that township at what is called Puddletown, August 13, 1857. The Hootons are of English descent. The great-grandfather came from Eng¬ land, located in South Carolina, and it is be¬ lieved took part in the Revolutionary war as a soldier in the Continental army. On the mater¬ nal side Mr. Hooton is of Scotch descent. His father, William Hooton, was born in Wayne county, Indiana, December 2, 1823, and was eleven years of age when he went to St. Joseph county, Indiana, with his parents, who estab¬ lished their home just across the boundary line dividing that county from La Porte county. Upon the old homestead William Hooton was reared, and after his marriage he took his bride to the old home farm. Later he moved across the line into Wills township, LaPorte county, about 1853. taking, up his abode at Puddletown, where he purchased a farm, becoming the owner, in 1858, of the land upon which Mr. G. R. Hooton now resides. His place comprised eighty acres of school land, which was wild and unimproved when it came into his possession, but which he transformed into rich fields. He there continued to engage in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred on the 23d of August. 1902. He was a prominent and influential member of the Christian church, took an active part in its work and always lived up to what he professed. He was a stanch Republican, and as a citizen was loyal to all measures for the public good and aided in many movements for the general wel¬ fare. Generous and benevolent, he gave freely to the poor and needy, and there were in his life many kindly deeds that endeared him to those with .whom he came in contact. He married Sarah Clark, a native of Franklin county, Indi¬ ana, born May 10, 1825, and who died when fifty-seven years of age. They were the parents of the following children : Mary E., now the wife of J. C. Pickett, of Minnesota; Francis M., who resides in Olive township, St. Joseph county, In¬ diana; Thomas and William S., who are living with their brother, George R. ; Alice, who also makes her home with her brother George; and Caleb, who completes the family.

George R. Hooton, the fourth in order of birth, was reared upon the old homestead, and the occupation of farming became very familiar to Jiim in his early youth. He has long lived upon his present farm - since the age of eighteen months - and it . was therefore his playground in boyhood as well as the scene of his manhood's activities. In 1878 he was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Cart, who was born in St. Joseph county, Indiana, and this union was blessed with six children : Clara M., now the wife of Elmer Moffitt, the renowned baseball pitcher; Schuyler, Lena Edith and Edgar, all at home. They also lost two children, Leora, who died at the age of thirteen years, and a son, who died in infancy.

Mr. Hooton owns eighty acres of land in Olive township, St. Joseph county, Indiana, and undivided interest with three hundred and sixty acres on the old home place in Wills township. He carries on general farming, and is one of the representative agriculturists of the community, following progressive and practical methods that produce excellent results. In politics he is a stanch Republican, believing firmly in the prin¬ ciples of the party and in their ultimate triumph. He has served as supervisor and as constable, and whether in office or out of it is always a loyal and devoted citizen. He belongs to the New Light or Christian church, and has taken an active part in promoting the cause of morality as well as advocating the intellectual and material develop¬ ment of the county.

GEORGE H. STOREY is superintendent of the waterworks of LaPorte, and is well qualified for this important position, which he has long filled.

own living, and whatever success he has since achieved has been due entirely to his own efforts. He entered the employ of the Holly Manufac¬ turing Company at Lockport, New York, where he learned the trade of machinist, receiving most of his training in the erecting shop. The Holly Company was at that time the principal manufac¬ turers of water-works systems in the United States, and in this excellent training school Mr. Storey was well equipped for the duties to which he now gives his attention. He made such pro¬ gress that in 1868, when twenty-two years of age, he was sent out by the Holly Company to superintend the installation of the water-works plant at Kalamazoo, Michigan, that being the first of the smaller cities in the west to put in water works. In fact, the only systems of the west at that time were those at Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. After constructing the Kalamazoo system Mr. Storey remained there as superintendent until 1871.

In that year he came to LaPorte and put in the Holly water-works system at that place. After its completion he was employed by the munici¬ pality, which was the owner of the plant, to re¬ main as superintendent. He htfs made his home in this city almost continuously since, being in charge of the water works at different times for a combined period of more than twenty years, and has erected and put in operation other ex¬ tensive water-works plants throughout the coun¬ try. The system at LaPorte remained as estab¬ lished from 1871 to 1896, when new machinery, made by the Nordberg Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, was installed, the old mains and water pipes, however, being retained as originally constructed.

In 1899 the lakes north of LaPorte from which the water supply was obtained showed signs of failing, and the city established five miles east of the city in the Kankakee valley, an aux¬ iliary plant for the purpose of pumping water from the copious springs in that vicinity. This enterprise was carried on under the name of the LaPorte Water Supply Company, consisting of the municipality as the principal owner and one or two private capitalists. .This auxiliary plant is operated by electric power from an engine and generator located in the original pumping station in the town, and is transmitted by a system of six copper wires to the Kankakee station, where the power for pumping is applied through elec¬ tric motors to two pumps, the capacity of which is one and three fourths million gallons each in twenty-four hours. The water from the Kanka¬ kee pumps is conducted through an eighteen-inch water main to the basin of the local pumping station in the city, where it is taken up and dis¬ tributed by the local plant for general purposes throughout the city. In the meantime the lakes from which the water was formerly taken have begun to regain their former sufficiency, so that the city is assured, from these two sources, a full and permanent supply of water. For thirtytwo years Mr. Storey has continued in charge of the water works, and his capability has made him a most trustworthy official and one who re¬ ceives the highest commendation of all concerned.

Mr. Storey was united in marriage to Miss Flora E. Allen, a member of the well known Allen family of this city, represented elsewhere in this work. She is a daughter of the late James Monroe Allen and a granddaughter of Colonel Place. Mr. and Mrs. Storey now reside at the old Colonel Place homestead on Main street. They have three children : Willard Mon¬ roe, Mabel Lane and Lola. During a long resi¬ dence in LaPorte Mr. Storey has always been known as a leading and public-spirited citizen, and as a representative man of the county well deserves mention in this volume.

MRS. HARRIET A. HAY is the owner of a fine farm of two hundred acres situated not far from Union Mills. She was born in Conesville, Schoharie county, New York, on the 12th of June, 1836, a daughter of Allen and Philinda (Chichester) Case, both natives of Broome, Schoharie county, the former born in 1807 and the latter on the 3d of February, 1813. Allen Case was a farmer who year by year engaged in the tilling of the soil and thus provided com¬ fortably for his family. He and his wife re¬ mained for many years in their native county and there he passed away in 1888, while her death occurred in 1881. Mrs. Hay's grandfather, Cal¬ vin Case, was a brave soldier in the Revolution¬ ary war.

To the public school system of her native town Mrs. Hay is indebted for the educational privileges she received. Her girlhood days were spent under the parental roof, and in her earl\ womanhood her hand was sought in marriage by Daniel N. Hay. The wedding was celebrated in her native town on the 1st of September, 1853. Mr. Hay was born in Greene county, New York, on the 17th of March, 1827, and he was a farmer. Believing that they might have better business opportunities in the west, they removed to La¬ Porte county, where Mr. Hay secured a tract of land which he soon placed under a high state of cultivation. Throughout his remaining days he was identified with farming interests, and he died October 17, 1899. The old homestead place is still in possession of Mrs. Hay, and comprises two hundred acres of rich and arable land which annually yields good crops. There are substan¬ tial improvements upon the farm, and the place is neat and thrifty in appearance.

To Mr. and Mrs. Hay were born ten children : Alza, who was born in 1855, and is now living in Doniphan, Ripley county, Missouri; Linn D., who was born in 1857 and is now city attorney in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he has made his home for six years ; James, who was born in i860 and died in 1895 ; George L., who was born in 1863 and is now a practicing lawyer in Kingman, Kansas, where he has made his home for fifteen years ; Clara, who was born in 1865 and died in 1899; Carl, who was born in 1867 and died in 1899; Cora, born in 1869; Dale, who was born in 1871, was a student in State University and was a teacher, and has for three years been en¬ gaged in merchandising in Union Mills; Arden, who was bom in 1873 and is a grain-buyer of Union Mills; and Orth, who was born in 1875 and is living on the home farm, largely as¬ sisting his mother in its care and cultivation. Mr. Hay was an ardent Republican.

LUCIUS T. HARDING, one of the most prominent farmers and stockmen of Center township, and who, after an ac¬ tive and successful career of a half cen¬ tury, has * resigned most of the arduous labor connected with his enterprises, is the son of one of the earliest settlers in LaPorte county. John Harding, his father, was born in Pennsylvania, moved to Richland county, Ohio, where he was married to Miss Elvira Dunham, and came to LaPorte county in June, 1834. He camped on Clear Lake, and then came on to Michigan City. There were three or four build¬ ings in LaPorte at that time. He put up a grist and saw mill, one of the first in the county. He also assisted in getting out lumber for the Union Mills, which were erected in 1837 and are still standing. He entered land in Noble township, and in 1848 bought section 14 in Center town¬ ship, where he lived for many years, and then sold and went to Springfield township. He died in Center township in his seventy-seventh year, and his wife, who was born near Niagara Falls, New York, lived to be eighty-eight years old.

They were the parents of seven sons and three daughters, of whom four sons and two daughters are living. Solomon, the fifth son, was killed at the battle of Chickamagua; Thomas D., the eldest, served in the Eighty-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged for dis¬ ability after three years of service ; Hugh was in the same regiment and served four years.

Lucius T. Harding, the second son, was bom at Mansfield, Richland county, Ohio, January 29, 1834, and was about a year old when he betaine a most youthful citizen of LaPorte county. He was reared near LaPorte, and his education was received in the archaic and rough log schoolhouse of the time, although the training he ob* tained there was ample for the successful prose¬ cution of a business career. At the age of four¬ teen he began earning his own bread, and until his marriage, at the age of eighteen, he worked with his father. He was engaged in supplying timber for the construction work on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, and hauled all the timbers for the first turn-table and shops in LaPorte. He also witnessed the stringing oi the first telegraph wires across the county, and was otherwise identified with some of the first steps in the progress and upbuilding of this great section of northern Indiana.

Shortly after the period mentioned he bought a fa,rm, and was engaged in farming until the outbreak of the rebellion. In 1864 he enlisted in Company G, Twenty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was a non-commissioned officer of a company of fifty men at the battle of Frank¬ lin and Nashville. He was also steward of the eleventh division at Camp Denison, Ohio, for three months, and was there at the time of his discharge. Mr. Harding returned to his farm after the war, and shortly afterward bought a half interest in a sawmill, which he carried on in connection with his farming. In the spring of 1867 he sold his farm in Springfield township and bought two hundred acres of Herfry W hite in sections 21 and 22, Center township, where he has made his residence for the past thirty-eight years. In 1886 he laid. out what is known as Camp Harding, now a popular summer resort, and he owns sixty acres of the one hundred and twenty comprised in the grounds of the Pine Lake Assembly, and is also owner of the Pine Lake Assembly Hotel. Mr. Harding laid out this summer resort after a two years' visit to Europe, where he was engaged in the stock¬ importing business, in connection with the Door

In 1852 Mr. Harding was married to Miss Sarah A. Baker, a native of Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Henry and Catherine Baker. She was brought to LaPorte county at the age of ten years. She' died in April, 1902. Mr. Harding has five sons and five daughters living.

Mr. Harding has twice been president of the LaPorte Agricultural Society, and has always been connected with it as a member. He cast his first vote for Fremont, and has been identified with the Republican party ever since. He is a member of Patton Post, G. A. R., has belonged to the Baptist church since boyhood, and in the various activities of life has played an honor¬ able and useful part. He is now inspector of roads in his township. He was engaged in the dairy business for about twenty-five years, and kept seventy-five cows. His operations have nearly all been of an extensive character, and he has the broad mind and influence which come from contact with the world and large enter¬ prises. His career is mainly the result of his own endeavors, and he owes its happy outcome to his fine sense of honor, his industry and busi¬ ness sagacity, and he may be depended upon to perform his part well to the end, whether in public or private life.

THEODORE M. HICKS, who devotes his time and attention to agricultural pursuits on section 30, Hudson township, was born in Che¬ mung county, New York, on the 5th of Decem¬ ber, 1841, and is a son of Alva and Harriet (Sweet) Hicks, in whose family were five chil¬ dren, Theodore being the eldest, and the only son. His father, who was also born in Chemung county, is still living at the advanced age of eighty-four years. He is of English descent, for his father, George Hicks, was born in England and came with two brothers to the new world, establishing his home in Canada, whence he afterward removed to Chemung county. It was in Otsego county, New York, that the mother of Mr. T. M. Hicks opened her eyes to the light of day, and her death occurred when she was about fifty-six years of age. She was of Scotch-Irish lineage, a daughter of the Rev. Caleb Sweet, who was a minister of the Baptist Church. The sisters of Mr. T. M. Hicks are Lucy, the wife of T. A. Grover, of Hudson township; Ellen F., wife of Joseph M. Grover, of

Under the parental roof Theodore M. Hicks spent his boyhood days in the county of his nativity, and his early education acquired in the common schools was supplemented by study in the high school at Waverly, New York. His business training was received under the direc¬ tion of his father, whom he assisted in the oper¬ ation of a sawmill until he attained his majority.

On the 18th of March, 1863, he was united in marriage to Miss Mahala West, whose birth occurred in Chemung county, New York, on the 18th of October, 1842, her parents being George P. and Eleanor (Jackson) West, who were like¬ wise natives of the Empire state. Her father, however, was of English descent, while her mother was a representative of an old New Eng¬ land family. They became the parents of eleven children, nine of whom are yet living, Mrs. Hicks being the second in order of birth and the eldest daughter. Her girlhood days were spent in the place of her nativity, and under her mother's direction she was instructed in the duties of the household, so that she was well qualified to take charge of a home of her own at the time of her marriage.

Mr. and Mrs. Hicks began their domestic life in their native county, where they remained for three years, and then came to LaPorte coun¬ ty, reaching their destination on the first of March. They first settled in section 31, Hudson township, where they remained for about twen¬ ty-five years. However, in the meantime, Mr. Hicks returned to the Empire state and was again a resident of Chemung county, New York, from 1871 until* 1875. Since coming to the west he has continually engaged in farming, and he has about eighty-two acres of good land, but now rents most of this, while to considerable extent he is enjoying a well-earned rest from further labor.

To Mr. and Mrs. Hicks have been born six children : Wilson A., wh© died at the age of two years; Miles W., who married Lu Knight and resides in South Bend, Indiana; Hattie E., the wife of Frank Rogers, a resident farmer of Galena township ; Walter T., who married Mattie D. Gleaves, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and resides in Atlanta, Georgia; Ralph G., who is living in South Bend; and Arch B., who is still under the parental roof and at the' present time is pursuing his education as a high school student in New Carlisle.

In his political views Mr. Hicks is an earnest and unfaltering Republican, having given an un¬ swerving support to the party since casting his first presidential ballot for Lincoln in 1864. He was a trustee of his township for eight consecu¬ tive years and proved a most capable officer. He has been chairman of the Republican committee of his township, and his activity in its ranks has been effective in promoting the growth and insuring the success of his party. He belongs to the Masonic lodge in New Carlisle and to the Tribe of Ben Hur. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hicks hold membership in the Methodist church at New Carlisle, and they are widely known in the county, being held in high regard because of their many excellencies of character. In her girlhood days Mrs. Hicks engaged in teaching school in New York, and for one year was a student in a high school in that state, but the greater part of her education was obtained through reading and study at home. She is a cultured lady, and like her husband, she has a large circle of friends in Hudson township and LaPorte county.

FREDERICK L. STRUTZ, a young Chi¬ cago business man of much ability, who has for a number of years been the buyer and manager for the men's furnishing departments of the "Hub" in Chicago, is a member of a well known LaPorte county family. His parents were John and Mary (Warner) Strutz, both of whom were natives of Germany. John Strutz came to La¬ Porte in 1862, and, being a miller by trade, first worked in the old Early mill at LaPorte, and later in the mill of Strong & Barnaby. In 1878 he bought the flour mill at Rolling Prairie and moved his family there, where he lived as pro¬ prietor of the mill till his death, in April, 1902. His wife is still living at Rolling Prairie, and the mill is being conducted by their son William. Of their daughters, Amelia teaches school in Rolling Prairie; Lou is the wife of Hamilton Hoover, and Frieda is the wife of F. T. McCarty, both of these gentlemen being representatives of old LaPorte county families. Another son, J. C. Strutz, is in the barber supply business in Chicago.

Frederick L. Strutz was bom at LaPorte in 1865, and received his education in the German Lutheran school at LaPorte and in the public schools of LaPorte and Rolling Prairie. At the age of sixteen he became engineer in his father's mill and held that position for five years, or until he reached his majority. He then came to Chi¬ cago and was employed on the North Side in a men's furnishing store with W. S. Hussander. In 1888 he began his connection with the Hub store on State street, and his judgment and busi¬ ness ability soon procured him advance to the position he now occupies. He has entire charge of everything in the store except the clothing, hats and shoes, and is considered an expert in his line. He makes quarterly trips to the eastern markets, and is regarded as one of the most experienced and valuable of the employes of this great store.

In August, 1889, Mr. Strutz married Miss Anna Powell, of Rolling Prairie, and they have one son, Lisle Strutz. Mr. Strutz belongs to the Buyers' Association of America, and also the Chicago Riding and Driving Club. As a firstclass, up-to-date business man he is much es¬ teemed by his associates, and has many friends both in Chicago and in his old home in LaPorte county, which he always cherishes as the home of his youth.