LaPorte County, Indiana - Chapter 36: Religion, 1904 (part 3 of 23)

The First National is a very strong financial institution, thoroughly reliable, with a business policy that at once commends it to the confidence and support of the public. It is capitalized for one hundred thousand dollars, has a surplus of forty thousand and deposits amounting to five hundred thousand dollars, and the business of the bank is constantly growing. It has enjoyed a period of continuous prosperity from the be¬ ginning of its existence, and its name has become a synonym for business integrity and reliability. The bank building, having been remodeled in 1901, is convenient for the public and thoroughly equipped with modem accessories. The First National has wide and influential connections, and its officers occupy prominent positions in banking circles. Mr. Pitner is a thoroughly ex¬ perienced bank manager, and has brought the business up to a high state of efficiency.

On May 4, 1897, Mr. Pitnef was married at Los Angeles, California, to Miss Lyle Hynes, whose people originally lived in LaPorte county and have recently returned here. The young couple are widely known in LaPorte, where the circle of their friends is almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintances. They have one son, William Hynes Pitner, who was bom May 5> 1901-

DANIEL A. WHITE, an influential citizen ^ of LaPorte county, residing on his fine farm in section 24, Cool Spring township, is himself to be classed among the pioneers and is the son of one of LaPorte county's earliest residents. His father, Jacob H. White, was born in New York state, and came to LaPorte county in 1836, lo¬ cating in Michigan City, only a few years after northern Indiana had been opened up by the onmarch of civilization. On March 1, 1840, he married Miss Abigail Closser, a daughter of Daniel and Hulda (McFarland) Closser. She was born in Ohio in 1820, and came to LaPorte county in 1832, in the very vanguard of pioneers. Mr. and Mrs. J. H. White removed to Will county, Illinois, in 1854, but in 1863 returned to LaPorte county and located in the city of La¬ Porte. Three years later he took up his resi¬ dence in Waterford, where he was a practicing physician for many years. He also owned a large sawmill in Cool Spring township, and when he first came to LaPorte county he followed the oc¬ cupation of carpentering. He died at the age of sixty-two years, and his wife at the age of eightytwo. They were the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living.

Daniel A. White, the eldest of these children, wras born in Scipio township, LaPorte county, De¬ cember 27, 1840, and obtained the major portion of his education in this county. He removed with his parents to Will county, Illinois, in 1854 and was there until 1863, during which time he was married. In his earlier years he taught school in LaPorte county and one term in Illinois. On re¬ turning to LaPorte county he operated his father's mill for some time, and in 1875 bought his pa¬ rents' farm, where he has since made his home. He has a nice place, and has been successful in his business operations.

In i860 Mr. White married Miss Harriet E. Blaisdell, who was bom in Ohio, but lost her mother when she was three days old and was reared in Illinois. Three sons have been bom of this union. Marion B. is shipping clerk for Fair¬ banks Morris Company of Chicago; Charles M. is also a resident* of Chicago and is a conductor on the Illinois Central Railroad ; and Lewis E. is a carpenter of Cool Spring township.

Mr. White has been a life-long Republican, and has taken considerable part in public affairs. He held the office of county commissioner for three years, and was also trustee of his trustee of his township, and in these offices was careful and business-like in managing the interests in¬ trusted to him. He has been a member of the Methodist church ever since 1853, and is now of the Cool Spring township church, and is one of the earnest supporters of the church and its benev¬ olences.

ADOLPH CULLANDER has for ten years resided in the United States. He was bom in Sweden, November 17, 1869, and was the sixth in a family of thirteen children, seven sons and six daughters, bom to Andrew and Mary (Swan¬ son) Johnson. The father's name was changed to Cullander by the minister. There are nine mem¬ bers of the family yet living, but only two are residents of America, George Cullander being a resident of Westville. The other members of the family are in Europe. The father was a mechanic and farmer, following the latter pursuit in the later years of his life, but he is now living retired at the age of seventy-four years. He and his wife belonged to the Lutheran church.

Adolph Cullander was reared as a farmer lad, and when about eighteen years of age began serving an apprenticeship to the trade of a black¬ smith and wagon-maker. His education was ac¬ quired in the common schools and through six months' attendance at a higher school, in which he pursued a business course. He remained with his parents and worked at his trade until he de¬ termined to come to America, in 1893. He then sailed from Gottenburg, Sweden, for Philadel¬ phia, where he arrived in the month of June. Smallpox broke out on board the vessel so that the steamer was quarantined for sixteen days be¬ fore the passengers were allowed to land. When Mr. Cullander arrived at his destination he had only about thirty-two dollars in money, and thus he began life in a strange country and among strange people with little capital. However, he was industrious and ambitious, and upon these qualities as a foundation he has builded his suc¬ cess. He first went to McKean county, Pennsyl¬ vania, where he accepted a position in connection with the railroad, working for a dollar and a quarter per day. After two weeks he secured a situation on a farm, and in the early years of his residence in America he followed any pursuit that would yield him an honest living and gain him a start. He remained in the lumber regions and in a blacksmith shop in Pennsylvania for about two years. In 1895 he went to Jamestown, New York, where he accepted a position in a blacksmith shop, but after a month he left that place for Chicago. He was employed in the steel mills of South Chi¬ cago for nine months, and later he worked on Twenty-fourth street in that city at cutting iron girders used in the construction of brick buildings.

After a month spent in hard labor in that way he took up his abode in Chesterton, Porter county, where he entered into partnership with a German by the name of Charles Gable in a wagon-making and blacksmith enterprise. For a year this rela¬ tion was maintained, and then the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Cullander established a shop of his own in the same town. Later he formed a partnership which was continued for a year, and in the spring of 1898 he came to Westville, where he purchased a little shop from Andrew Young,, paying one hundred and ten dollars for the shop and the tools. He has since enlarged his place until it is thirty-six by twenty feet, and he has added a machine shop which is twenty by thirty feet. He has also put in a twelve horse-power engine, and his business has so constantly in¬ creased that he now commands the most of the trade in his line in and around Westville. He has a large and gratifying patronage and derives therefrom a good annual income. He is a thor¬ ough and practical mechanic, and as his labors have been supplemented by the economy and cap¬ able management of his wife in the control of the household affairs they have managed to gain a comfortable competence and have purchased a neat cottage home, which they have improved

Mr. Cullander was united in marriage to Miss Lottie Pearson on the 30th of June, 1896, and to them have been born four children, a son and three daughters, but two are now deceased. The others are Mabel C. and Florence. Mr. and Mrs. Cullander have recently lost their little baby girl, Hazel Viola. The death angel knocked at the door of the cottage home, and the little sunbeam of the home circle bade an adieu to her parents, and now the golden chain is devoid of one little golden link, which will ever be remembered by the parents. Mrs. Cullander was bom in the Province of Quanum, Sweden, and is a daughter of John and Mary (Johnson) Pearson. In the family were ten children, three sons and seven daughters, of whom six are yet living, two being residents of Indiana, while the others reside in Chicago. The parents, however, are now de¬ ceased, and the children came alone to America. Mrs. Cullander was seventeen years old when she crossed the Atlantic. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cul¬ lander were confirmed in the Lutheran church at the age of fifteen years. She was educated in the Swedish tongue, but she speaks and writes the English language. In her home she has been a kind, affectionate and devoted wife and mother.

Mr. Cullander gives his support to the Repub¬ lican party, and has served as a member of the town council. He belongs to the Maccabees tent at Westville, and is a member of the Modern Woodmen Camp No. 5244, at Chesterton, Indi¬ ana. Although he started out in life with lim¬ ited capital, he is in the possession of a comfort¬ able competence, and his life record proves the force of industry and enterprise in the active af¬ fairs of this world.

In June, 1901, Mr. Cullander made a trip to his old home in Sweden and revisited the scenes of childhood days, which were renewed to him, and returned to Westville, Indiana, September w, ^903-

WILLIAM H. COLLOM, a member of the firm of Collom Brothers, general merchants at Mill Creek, was born in Wills township, LaPorte county, September 27, 1840. His paternal grand¬ father, Benjamin Collom, was a native of Penn¬ sylvania and there spent his entire life. It is be¬ lieved that he was of Welsh and Irish lineage. The son. Jesse Collom, was a native of Erie county, Pennsylvania, and remained in the Keystone state until his removal to LaPorte county, Indiana. Seeking a home in the west, he located in Wills township, where he followed farming, his atten¬ tion being devoted to the care and improvement of his land up to the time of his death, which oc¬ curred about forty-five years ago. He became a stanch Republican in his political affiliations. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Louisa Potts, was a native of Erie county, Pennsylvania, and was there reared. She died in 1843, when her son William was but three years of age. In the fam¬ ily were four children, but two died in infancy, and William H. is the only surviving child of the first marriage. After the death of his first wife the father married again, his second union being with Phoebe Potts, a sister of the first Mrs. Col¬ lom. Three children were born of this union, but the eldest died when about two years of age. The others are James W., proprietor of a meat market at Mill Creek ; and George W., who is a partner of our subject.

Upon the home farm in Wills township, La¬ Porte county, William H. Collom was reared, and he and his brother George W. established a mer¬ cantile business in March, 1875, locating their store in Lincoln township near Mill Creek. This was before the Grank Trunk Railroad was built through this section of the state. Their store was about twelve by sixteen feet, and they carried on business there for about four years, but after the railroad was constructed they removed to Mill Creek and are now the leading general* merchants of their part of the county. They have been in business altogether for twenty-nine years and the firm of Collom Brothers sustains an enviable reputation in business circles.

On the 31st of December, 1861, William H. Collom was united in marriage to Catherine E. Little, a daughter of Levi Little, of LaPorte county. They have since resided on the banks of Fish lake. Mrs. Collom was born in Wayne county, Pennsylvania, and came with her parents to LaPorte county when a young girl. Three liv¬ ing children have been born of this union, and they have also lost one child. Olive M., the eldest, is now the wife of Daniel E. Miller, of Lincoln township; Jesse M. married Jessie Robbins, and is a farmer of St. Joseph county, Indiana; Clara E. is the wife of Joseph A. Wiltfong, a farmer of Lincoln township ; Marcena L. died at the age of fifteen years. Mr. Collom is now serving as post¬ master at Mill Creek, having been appointed to the position in 1875, since which time he has served continually in this capacity with the excep¬ tion of four years under the administration of Grover Cleveland. He was also township trustee of Lincoln township for seven years, and although he is a stanch Republican in politics he was elected for four successive terms in a township which usually has a Democratic majority of thirty. He has never failed to cast his ballot for the Republican party at each election. He is a member of Rolling Prairie Lodge, F. & A. M., and is a leading and influential citizen of his community, widely known and highly esteemed in business and social circles. He and his brother do an extensive business as general mer¬ chants, and they have prospered in their under¬ takings.

NOAH S. ROWLEY. The name of this gentleman is inseparably connected with the farming and stock-raising interests of Hanna township, where he has made his home throughout life, covering a period of fifty years. He was born in this county on the 3d of December, 1853, and is a worthy representa¬ tive of one of its old and honored families. His paternal grandfather, Noah S. Rowley, in com¬ pany with his two sons, came to LaPorte county at an early day in its development, and at the first election held here he was the choice of the people for trustee of Hanna township. He became an important factor in public affairs, and bore a prominent part in the development and upbuild¬ ing of his locality.

Charles H. Rowley, the father of Mr. Rowley, was born in New York, March 24, 1829, and in early life came to this county with his father. His life was devoted to farming, and in 1861 he was elected to succeed his father in the office of trustee of Hanna township. In early manhood he married Miss Helen M. Woodin, who was bom in Ypsilanti, Michigan, June 24, 1835, and was a daughter of Peter Woodin, who spent his last days in Hanna township, this county. Two chil¬ dren blessed this union, but Noah is the only sur¬ vivor, the younger having died in infancy. After a useful and well spent life the father passed away at his home in Hanna township, in Septem¬ ber, 1869.

Noah S.' Rowley passed his boyhood and youth in the county of his nativity, and for the past quarter of a century has resided upon his present farm, which is a valuable tract of one hundred and thirty acres under excellent culti¬ vation and improved with good buildings. He raises the crops best adapted to the soil and cli¬ mate of this region, and devotes considerable at¬ tention to stock, which he ships to the Chicago markets. In business affairs he is prompt, ener¬

On the 28th of February, 1873, Mr. Rowley married Miss Alice Wills, who was bom m Cass township, this county, in 1854, and died on the 6th of April, . 1888, in Hanna township. To them were born six children, as follows: Helen M., bom September 13, 1874, died in September, 1877; Charles D., born April 14, 1876, died in October, 1877; Margaret L., bom March 24, 1878, is now the wife of Forest Sheely, a plas¬ terer living in Hanna ; Chloe H., born December 10, 1880, is at home ; Alice A., bom December 18, 1883, is the wife of John R. Hunsley, a farmer, of Hanna township ; and Noah E., born Novem¬ ber 15, 1885, is at home.

Mr. Rowley uses his right of franchise in sup¬ port of the Republican party and its principles. He is a member of the blue lodge, No. 532, F. and A. M., of Union Mills ; and LaPorte Chapter No. 15, R. A. M. He is widely and favorably known throughout his native county, and has a host of warm friends who esteem him highly for his ster¬ ling worth.

J. F. KREIDLER is the cashier of the First National Barfk and also the treasurer of the Mich¬ igan City board of education. He has always re¬ sided here, his birth having occurred in this place on the 9th of January, 1869. The family, how¬ ever, is of German lineage, and his paternal grandfather, Frederick F. Kreidler, was bom in Darmstadt in 1782, and died in Dusseldorf, Ger¬ many, November 10, 1837, while his wife passed away soon afterward. Jacob Kreidler, the father of J. F. Kreidler, was born in Germany, Novem¬ ber 5, 1836, and in early life learned the me¬ chanic's trade, which he carried on for many years. On bidding adieu to friends and native land he crossed the Atlantic, and without tarrying on the eastern coast made his way at once to Michigan City, in 1856, where he has since re¬ sided. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Siebert, was also a native of Germany. Her father died in Michigan City in i860, and her death occurred here in 1880. In their family were three children : Mary, now the wife of J. P. Snyder, a resident of Galesburg, Illinois ; Helen ; and J. Frederick.

J. F. Kreidler graduated from the commer¬ cial department of the public schools and after¬ ward became assistant postmaster at Michigan City, serving in that capacity for five years, largely under President Cleveland's first admin- istration. He then entered the First National Bank as bookkeeper, being gradually promoted until for the past eight years he has been the ef¬ ficient and popular cashier of the bank. He is one of its stockholders and directors, and is also financially interested in the Michigan City Trust & Savings Bank. On June 5, 1898, Mr. Kreidler was elected a member of the city school board, and at the expiration of his term of office, in 1901, was unanimously chosen by the city council to succeed himself. He has labored unceasingly to advance the interest of the public schools, and has fearlessly fought all vicious measures brought be¬ fore that board.

On the 17th of December, 1895, Mr. Kreidler was joined in wedlock to Miss Pearl B. Camp¬ bell, a daughter of Captain A. D. and Ida (Rob¬ erts) Campbell. Mr. Kreidler is a member of the Episcopal church, and his wife belongs to the Congregational church. He belongs to Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M. ; Michigan City Chap¬ ter No. 25, R. A. M.; and Michigan City Commandery No. 30, K. T. ; while with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks he is likewise identi¬ fied. He built his beautiful home at 1302 Wash¬ ington street in 1896, and he also owns other city property.

JOSEPH BENTZ, at present holding the re¬ sponsible position of trustee of Cool Spring town¬ ship and for over half a century a resident of LaPorte county, was born in New York city, Oc¬ tober 10, 1843, and 1S the son of Fred and Cath¬ erine (Henry) Bentz, who were both natives of AIsace-Loraine, at that time a part of France, but now included in the German empire. Fred Bentz came to America in 1831 and was a resi¬ dent of New York city for eighteen years, but came to LaPorte county in 1849. He was a stonecutter by trade, but after coming to this county followed gardening near LaPorte. He died at the age of seventy-four, and his wife at the age of seventy-one, having been the parents of fourteen children.

Joseph Bentz, who was the twelfth in order of birth, was nine years old when he came to La¬ Porte county, and was reared and educated here. He remained at home till he was twenty-three years old. He learned the boiler-maker's trade, and for the following sixteen years followed that pursuit, in different places, during which time he traveled considerably and saw much of the coun¬ try. In 1880 he located in Cool Spring township and bought the farm on which he has since re¬ sided. He has a pleasant home, has many of the conveniences which make country life so agree¬ able and profitable, and his farm is cared for in such a scientific manner that it always yields good crops and is regarded as one of the models of the township.

Mr. Bentz is a Democrat, and has taken a good citizen's part in public affairs. He was ap¬ pointed trustee of his township by the county com¬ missioners, and in 1900 was elected to that office, in which he gives careful attention to the many local matters which come under , his supervision. He is a member of the Grange, and always has the best interests of the community at heart. In 1867 Mr. Bentz was married to Miss Eliza E. Pointon, a native of Indiana and a member of one of the early families to settle in this state. They have one daughter, Minnie A., who is now the wife of W. H. Thorp, of Center township.

HENRY N. MINER, a prosperous farmer in section 12, Cool Spring township, and a worker in the public cause and in religious matters, has been a resident of LaPorte county for thirty years. He is a son of Justin S. Miner and a grandson of Benjamin Miner, the former a native of Madison county, New York. He was a farmer by occupa¬ tion, and died in Chautauqua county, New York. His wife was Elvira Newell, also born and reared in New York, and she was the mother of three sons, two of whom are living.

Henry N. Miner was born in Erie county, New York, January 21, 1838, and at the age of eleven moved with his parents to Chautauqua county, New York, where he completed his edu¬ cation, married, and lived until 1865, when he moved his family to Van Buren county, Michi¬ gan. He followed farming in this place for about nine years, and in 1874 came to LaPorte county and took up his residence in Cool Spring town¬ ship. Throughout these subsequent years he has farmed and performed his part in the life of com¬ munity so as to be reckoned with the class of pub¬ lic-spirited and progressive citizens. He at pres¬ ent resides on a farm of fifty-two acres, which is one of the choice parcels of land in this township, and every acre of it is thoroughly cultivated and made to produce the largest possible yields.

December 3, 1862, Mr. Miner was married to Miss Alzina Kellom, who was born in Cattar¬ augus county, New York, September 7, 1837, and was reared and educated there, and for some years before her marriage taught school. Mr. and Mrs. Miner were the parents of six children, two of whom died young, and the others are: Nellie J., the wife of M. B. White, son of D. A. White, rnd they reside in Chicago; Bertha, the wife of W. W. Johnson, of Big Horn, Wyoming; Archie B., who married Carrie Terry, and resides in Cool Spring township ; Fannie, the wife of B. F. Wells, principal of the schools at Kingsbury, LaPorte county.

Mr. Miner has been a Republican for twenty years, and has always been interested in public affairs. He and his wife are both members and workers in the Methodist church. He has filled all the church offices, and was steward for fifteen years, and is trustee of the Cool Spring church; and Mrs. Miner is superintendent of the Sundayschool, and is loyally devoted to its various forms of work. Mr. Miner is a member in good stand¬ ing of the Masonic order, and in all his relations is esteemed and held in high regard by his fellow men.

Mr. and Mrs. Miner have in their possession one of the old parchment deeds, executed under the hand of President Van Buren, and bears the date of March 15, 1837. This is the fifteenth deed of the kind found in the county and is a valuable souvenir in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Miner.

JULIUS BARNES, who has been a prom¬ inent figure in mercantile circles in LaPorte for nearly fifty years, has during all that time main¬ tained an unassailable reputation and has won for himself a foremost position among the merchants of the city. He is perhaps as well known as any representative of commercial interests here, and none others more justly deserve the confidence and esteem so uniformly accorded him. In mat¬ ters of citizenship he has manifested his devotion to the general good, and social and moral develop¬ ment has profited by his co-operation.

Mr. Barnes was born in Southington, Con¬ necticut, in 1831, and, early attracted by the op¬ portunities of the west, came to LaPorte on the 2d of February, 1855, and for two years clerked in the store of his cousin, James Lewis, one of the pioneer merchants of the city. He was then admitted to a partnership in the business under the name of James Lewis & Company, a rela¬ tionship that was maintained until 1865, when the firm of Julius Barnes & Company was organ¬ ized. The original store of James Lewis was a little wooden building on Main street, and in the year 1855 there were but eight brick buildings in the town. In January, 1856, the stock of goods was removed to a brick building, adjoining the State Bank, and remained there for twenty-five years, the store becoming one of the commercial landmarks of the city. The next location, near the comer of Michigan avenue and Main street, was occupied for ten years, and in 1887 the store was removed to the present large brick building on Michigan avenue between Main street and Jef¬ ferson avenue, where two floors are devoted to the business. From the beginning this store has been known as the Bee Hive, named after a large store in Hartford, Cinnecticut. The name was well chosen, and is indicative of the business spirit and activity which prevail. The establishment is a large, modem, first-class, dry-goods store, equipped with a passenger elevator, and all the latest conveniences for shoppers, and has a large line of goods selected to meet all tastes and de¬ mands. The Bee Hive holds a warm place in the affection of the trading public, and is the largest mercantile concern of the city that has had a con¬ tinuous existence from pioneer times. The busi¬ ness has been developed by the strictest integrity and straightforward dealing, and some of the salesmen formerly employed in the store have gone forth to prominent positions in the outside business world, having been well fitted for re¬ sponsible places by the excellent training in the Bee Hive.

Mr. Barnes was married in LaPorte in 1858 to Miss Catharine Bailey Clark, a daughter of Amzi Clark, an old-time merchant tnd trader from Conecticut, who first settled in Connersville, Indiana, and in 1835 came to LaPorte, where he engaged in general merchandising and was prom¬ inent in the early development of the city ; he died in 1871. Six children were bom to Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, three of whom are living : Mrs. Anna B. Crane, Mary Day and Julius, the last named now a member of the firm.

Mr. Barnes has been an active member of the Presbyterian church of LaPorte for many years, and is now serving as one of its elders. He is also a trustee of the Ruth C. Sabin Home, and is always found ready to respond to the wants of the needy or those in distress. Politically he has been a life-long and earnest supporter of the Re¬ publican party. His career has been an honorable one, and confidence in his integrity and the high regard for his character are merited rewards to a life spent in such useful activity.

A. B. HUNT, who has resided in LaPorte county for the best part of seventy years, and during that time has held a foremost place among the agricultural element of the county, has made a good record in civil life and gave his services to the country during the Civil war, and is passing

Seth W. Hunt, his father, was a native of Pennsylvania, and by occupation was a black¬ smith. He came to LaPorte in 1837, and ln 1838 sent for his family to follow him to this fertile and beautiful section of northern Indiana. He lived* at first in a little log cabin in Cool Spring township, and then moved near to Pine lake in Center township, but finally returned to Cool Spring township, where he died in the eightyseventh year of his life. He was a member of the Protestant Methodist church, and in politics was a Democrat until the Civil war, after which he was a Republican. He was one of the well known and highly respected early residents of the county. He was married in New York state to Miss Mercy Festbinden, a native of that state, but little is known of her family as she died when the sub¬ ject of this biography was four years old. After coming to LaPorte county Mr. Hunt married a Mrs. Rose, and of this union there was a son, who died in Alabama, in 1862, while in the serv¬ ice of his country as a member of the Ninth In¬ diana Volunteer Infantry. Of the four children of the first marriage the only one living besides A. B. Hunt is Jacob W., who resides in O'Neill, Nebraska.

Mr. A. B. Hunt was born February 27, 1832, in Tioga county. New York, near the Susque¬ hanna river. He came to LaPorte county when five years old, and is the only representative of the family now living in the county. He lived in his father's home and attended the log school house of the neighborhood, assisting in the farm work, until he was of age, and then started out in the agricultural line for himself. He was mar¬ ried in 1862, and after this important event in his life he and his wife settled in a block house, twen¬ ty-two by thirty-two feet, on the same farm which has been their home to the present time, for over forty years. But as they became better fixed in the world's goods they added to their material coir torts, and in 1865 they erected the substantial home which still affords them shelter and com¬ fort. In February, 1865, Mr. Hunt responded to almost the last call for troops, and enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Indi; ana Volunteers, and served till the close of hos¬ tilities, when he came home and devoted himself to the occupation which is still his chief activity. He has passed the years of arduous effort, and has won most of the rewards of life, but is still vigorous and energetic, superintends his business interests with the same keenness of former years,

Mr. Hunt was married February 18, 1862, to Miss Mary Redding, who was bom in Center township, LaPorte county, February 4, 1845, the daughter of Josiah and Caroline (Griffin) Red¬ ding, who came to LaPorte county from New York state in 1835. Mr. Redding was bom in Ohio, and his wife in New York, and they were the parents of six children, three of whom died in infancy, Mrs. Hunt being the second of the family. She was reared and educated in Center township, LaPorte county. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have no children. Mrs. Hunt is a member of the Methodist church. Mr. Hunt has been a stanch Republican since casting his first vote for General John C. Fremont. He served as road supervisor for seven years, and has always been identified with the progressive movements and higher ideals of his township and county.

DR. EDWARD GUSTINE BLINKS is the junior member of the well known and prom¬ inent firm of Tillotson & Blinks, leading physi¬ cian and surgeons of Michigan City. He is yet a young man, but has already attained success which many an older physician might well envy, and the liberal patronage accorded him is an indication of the confidence reposed in him by the public. A native son of Michigan City, he was born on the 1st of January, 1869, his parents being William and Louise (Gustine) Blinks. The fam¬ ily is of English lineage and was established m America by Edward Blinks, the grandfather of the Doctor, who was born in England, whence he sailed for the new world, thinking that he would enjoy better business opportunities in the new world, nor was he disappointed in this hope. He located in Elgin, Illinois, where he made his home for a long period, his death occurring there when he was about eighty years of age. To him and his wife Ann, a number of children were born, including William Blinks, the Doctor's father, who was born in county Kent, England.

He spent the first eighteen years of his life in his native country, and then came with his brother Edward to the United States. After living in Ohio for about six months, he went to Chicago, Illinois, where he learned the molder's trade, fol¬ lowing that pursuit there until 1855. Coming to Michigan 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. He became a leading and inti 11- ential factor in the business life of the city, and after severing his connection with the car com¬ pany was for some years the president of the Michigan City Gas Company. In matters per¬ taining to the public welfare he took a deep and active interest, and co-operated in many move¬ ments for the general good. He gives his politi¬ cal allegiance to the Democracy, and upon that ticket he was elected and served as city clerk and also as alderman. His district made him its rep¬ resentative in the state legislature for one term, and in public office his fidelity has stood as an un¬ questioned fact in his career. He was united in marriage to Miss Louise A. Gustine, whose birth occurred in Michigan City. Her father, William B. Gustine, one of the early residents here, was born in New Hampshire and was a tailor by trade. He also served as justice of the peace. He mar¬ ried Eliza A. Booth, and to them were born three children, including Mrs. Blinks, who by her mar¬ riage became the mother of two sons and a daugh¬ ter, but the latter, Grace L., the first bom, died in infancy. The two sons are Edward G. and Wal¬ ter Moulton.

Dr. Edward Gustine Blinks has spent his en¬ tire life in Michigan City, and at the usual age he entered the public schools. He was also a student at Barker Hall for a time, and when he put aside his text books to make his own way in the world he sought and obtained a position in the First National Bank, in which he remained for four years, filling a clerical position. He then became connected with the business of manufacturing reed chairs, but all this were merely a means to an end. He then became imbued with a desire to enter the medical fraternity, and never for a mo¬ ment did he abandon this plan, but so shaped his course that it would prepare him for his chosen field of labor. While connected with other busi¬ ness interests, he devoted his leisure time to read¬ ing medicine, and after pursuing courses in the Chicago Medical College and the Baltimore Med¬ ical College was graduated from the latter insti¬ tution with the class of 1893, after which he took a post-graduate course in Johns Hopkins Univer¬ sity, being then a young man of twenty-four years. He began practice in his native city, and has since remained here, gradually working his way up¬ ward in the profession of his choice. His career is in contradistinction to the old adage that a prophet is never without honor save in his own country, for in the city of his nativity Dr. Blinks has so directed his labors as to gain public con¬ fidence, respect and business support from the people among whom he has always lived. In the summer of 1893 he entered into partnershiu with Dr. A. G. Tillotson, and in 1897 they opened a hospital, which they have since conducted with constantly growing success. Their institution is splendidly equipped for the care of these patients, every facility for comfort being secured, together with the latest improved instruments for surgical work, splendid electrical apparatus and an X-ray generator.

On the 22d of March, 1889, Ur. Blinks was united in marriage to Miss Florence A. Tillotson, a daughter of Dr. A. G. and Frances (Combs) Tillotson, her father being his partner in the con¬ duct of the hospital and in the practice of medi* cine and surgery. To Dr. Blinks and his wife have been born two sons: Harold Tillotson and Edward Tillotson. The parents occupy an envi¬ able position in the social circles of the city in which their entire lives have been passed, and en¬ joy the hospitality of the best homes here. The Doctor is a member of the Episcopal church and his wife belongs to the Presbyterian church. In politics he is a Democrat, but has never been an aspirant for political preferment. Fraternally he is connected with Acme Lodge No. 83, F. & A. M. He is assistant medical director of Waunita Hot Springs Sanitarium, and he lectures on sur¬ gery in the Lakeside Clinical School of Chicago, being selected because of his expert work in this direction. He is president of the LaPorte County and Michigan City Medical associations, a mem¬ ber of the Kankakee Valley Medical Society, of the State Medical Society and of the American Medical Association, and all things which tend to bring to man the key to that complex problem which we call life are of interest to him. He is continually advancing in his chosen calling, and his broader knowledge and more efficient work is manifest in the successful results which attend his professional labors as the years advance.

HON. JOHN ADAMS HINSEY, al¬ though not now a resident of LaPorte, has, because of his close connection with political affairs in this vicinity during the sixties, retained especial affection for city, and is deserving of the title of "ex-LaPortean" and a place in the county's history. His career is also one of great interest, inasmuch as it is a record of accomplishment and progress from a youth spent in poverty to an important position with one of the largest corporations in the country and a place of honor among many friends.

Robesonia, Berks county, Pennsylvania, August io, 1833, the son of Jacob and Lydia (Hibbard) Hinsey, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Pennsylvania Jacob Hinsey moved to Berks county, Pennsylvania, where he worked in a pig-iron furnace, but in March, 1841, he died, leaving his wife and eight children in poverty, John Adams being the fourth in age of these chil¬ dren. Mrs. Hinsey 's father was living at that time in Richland county, Ohio, and in August fol¬ lowing the death of Mr. Hinsey he sent a twohorse team to Pennsylvania to move the widow and her family to Ohio. The few household effects were put iri the wagon, the mother and the younger children rode, while John Adams and the three elder brothers followed behind on foot the entire distance of over five hundred miles across the Alleghanies, an experience which left an indelible impression on one so young.

On arriving in Ohio, John Adams was bound out to work for a farmer till he was sixteen years old, under the condition that he was to attend school at least three months every winter, but in that entire eight years he was in the schoolroom hardly eight months, and the rest of the time was spent in hard drudgery ; part of the period he did work with a threshing outfit. He was conse¬ quently very poorly provided from an educational standpoint when he was sixteen years old, and during the next five or six years he took advan¬ tage of every opportunity that came in his way, and obtained an education mainly by attending night school, after his hard day's work was fin¬ ished. He apprenticed himself to a shoemaker and mastered that trade in two years. In 1850 he went to Fulton county, Ohio, where his mother, who had married again, then resided : she died in 1887. After a short time spent there he went to Adrian, Michigan, where he was a journeyman shoemaker for a time, but he soon found out that he was engaged in an uncongenial occupation, and in the same year he became a brakeman on the Michigan Central Railroad. Aftef a year of ser¬ vice as a freight brakeman he had proved him¬ self so capable that he was made conductor of a passenger train running betweeh Detroit and Chi¬ cago.

It was the several years following this service and previous to 1866 that Mr. Hinsey had his residence and interests in LaPorte. He took an active part in politics, and is remembered by all the old-timers there. He is still strongly attached to LaPorte, through the ties of friendship formed during his residence there, and his many friends have followed his subsequent career with interest

In 1865 Mr. Hinsey entered the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St Paul Railway Company as special agent, and during all the thirty-eight years following has been in charge of the claim and secret service departments of that great company, one of the ablest and most trusted of the thirty-five thousand employes of a mighty corporation. As long as the general offices of the road were in Milwaukee he retained his residence in that city, but in 1890 he came to Chicago, where he has lived since that date.

This brief outline of the career of Mr. Hinsey is a record of self-achievement, in which family position and extraneous circumstances have had little to do, and at the rounding out of his severity years of life work and thirty-eight years' connec¬ tion with the railroad company, on August 10, 1903, a large number of the employes of the claim department came from their homes in different parts of the country and celebrated that event so as to show their appreciation of his usefulness and honorable activity. As a memento of the occa¬ sion he was presented with a loving cup, engraved with his name and the names of all the guests, and with the following inscription: "Presented in loving remembrance by members of the Special Agent's Department C., M. & St. P. Ry. Co., of which he has been the head since 1865, at a din¬ ner given by him at Chicago, Ill., August 10, 1903, in celebration of the seventieth anniversary of his birth."

In the speech of presentation one of those present detailed the eventful career of the host from the time he trudged barefoot along the rough roads of Ohio, through his subsequent struggles to get started in life and to secure an education, how he had been advanced rapidly from minor positions to those of responsibility and trust in different departments of life, and how finally, when he had rounded out the al¬ lotted threescore and ten, he was permitted to enjoy the results of his efforts and the regard and affection of his associates and employes.

Besides holding various offices in the gift of the people at LaPorte, Mr. Hinsey served as a member of the common council in Milwaukee for twenty-one consecutive years, and for six terms of two years each was president of the council. While in that city he also was a member of the county board of supervisors, and for several years a member of the school board and a trustee of the public library. He is a strong Democrat, and cast his. first vote for Franklin Pierce.

having held official positions in the various de¬ grees in Milwaukee and done much to promote the interests of his order, and is at present a member of Interdomain Lodge No. 506, of Chi¬ cago. Mr. Hinsey was married at Morenci, Michigan, in April, 1855, to Miss Sarah Jane Wise, and they have three children: William A. Hinsey, of Milwaukee; Mrs. Laura Middleton, of Milwaukee; and John M. Hinsey, of Minne¬ apolis.

JOHN WOLF. The Teegarden Hotel is one of the oldest and perhaps the best known and most historic of the public buildings of LaPorte, Indiana. At one time it was one of the finest hotels in northern Indiana, and, during its long history, many notable guests have been enter¬ tained within its walls. Dr. Teegarden, whose life history forms a part of this work, began his construction in 1849, and it was completed in 1852. It has had many proprietors, the first being Captain Ely, who was succeeded by James Lougee, and the latter, in turn, about the close of the Civil war, by Captain I. D. Phelps, a well known veteran soldier of LaPorte; then followed Will¬ iam Axtell, Ed Marshall, Tom Marr, Walter Dodge and J. C. Gilbert; after Gilbert, a Mr. Short, of Chicago, by his mismanagement; so in¬ jured the reputation of the hotel that on his de¬ parture the place was closed for some time. J. Q. Hamilton reopened it, to be succeeded by D. L. Kinny, and the latter by N. S. Sellers, of whom Mr. Wolf bought the furnishings and proprietary interest, in September, 1900, and is its present - proprietor. The building is still owned by the heirs of Dr. Teegarden.

In taking charge of the hotel Mr. Wolf ex¬ pended about eight thousand dollars in improve¬ ments, and has restored it to its former prestige as one of the best hotels in this section of the state. Since he took hold of it the hotel has done the largest business in its history. It is in every way a first-class establishment, and reflects especial credit upon its proprietor.

Mr. Wolf is the son of Peter and Margaret (Weber) Wolf, the former a son of Kaspard Wolf, both natives of Bavaria, Kaspard having been born there when it was French territory. Peter Wolf learned the trade of baker before he left his native land, and he followed this with marked proficiency and success all his life. In 1855 he emigrated to the United States, and lo¬ cated at Buffalo, New York, where he worked at his trade for a few years. On January 1, 1861, he arrived in LaPorte, and not long afterward es¬ tablished the Wolf bakery, which has been in con¬ stant and successful operation ever since. When his sons became old enough to go into business, he started a grocery store in connection with the bakery, and the firm became Wolf & Sons as it is to-day ; the sons are Peter, Martin and John, but the last named withdrew from the firm when he engaged in the hotel business. This well known business is located at 314-316 Main street, and has always enjoyed a prosperous custom. Mrs. Mar¬ garet (Weber) Wolf, the mother of John Wolf, was also bom in Germany.

John Wolf was born at LaPorte, February 21. 1868, and was educated in the Catholic parochial schools, and also spent two years in the high school at LaPorte. He has been a "hustler," was endowed from the first with a good business in¬ stinct, and at the age of twenty-one was made a partner in his father's business. In 1896, in addi¬ tion to his grocery interests, he branched out into a side line, starting a bicycle store. In this he did not wait for trade to come to him but went after it with his usual energy, with the result that he reaped a good financial return. During the win¬ ter he engaged in another successful venture. He refitted Lay's Opera House, which for some time was used as an all-purpose house, making a suc¬ cess of the venture. In September, 1900, he bought the hotel, and has been giving the major share of his attention to its profitable manage¬ ment, with the results noted above. Mr. Wolf is a bom trader, and has the indomitable persever¬ ance and tact that make him victorious in any un¬ dertaking, and still more extensive operations may be looked for from him. He is also half owner and manager of the City and Hotel Transfer Company, in which his brother-in-law, A1 Rumely, owns the other interests.

June 24, 1896, Mr. Wolf married Miss Marie Rumely, daughter of Meinrad Rumely, president of the M. Rumely Company, whose history is given elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Wolf is a graduate of St. Rose's Academy of LaPorte. Two children have been born of this union, Edmund M. and Louise T. Much of the success which has come to the Hotel Teegarden must be credited to the able and painstaking care of Mrs. Wolf.

In the fall of 1902 Mr. Wolf was elected, on the Democratic ticket, which party's cause he has always espoused, a member of the council of La¬ Porte county, and at the first meeting of the body was chosen its chairman.

Of late Mr. Wolf has projected a still newer enterprise, which promises to become, eventually, one of the most important in which he has thus far engaged. February 23, of the present year, he and others organized a stock company for the manufacture, purchase, sale and repair of auto¬ mobiles, having previously purchased an exten¬ sive building, on an eligible site, for the ostensible purpose of conducting this new enterprise. A company, known as the Automobile Company, has been formed, and is already under full headway, its future being even now bright with promise. Mr. Wolf is vice president and manager of the company.

ALBERT H. TAYLOR. The Taylor fam¬ ily, with its descendants and connections, is well known in south and central LaPorte county. Mr. A. H. Taylor is the son of James H. Taylor, the ex-county commissioner and general merchant of Stillwell. He was born in Pleasant township, De¬ cember 3, 1870, and is the second of three sons. Frank L., the eldest, is now janitor of the La¬ Porte county court house. He was also bom in the same township, and was educated in the pub¬ lic schools and got a diploma in the business course at the LaPorte high school. He devoted a good deal of his early life to mercantile pursuits, having been a salesman in his father's store. He married Miss Katie Johnni, and they have five children, three sons and two daughters. His wife was also a native of LaPorte county, and comes from a good family. She was educated in the public schools and received a teacher's certificate, and was a teacher in this county. He is a Demo¬ crat in politics, and is a member of the Macca¬ bees, being a charter member of that tent at LaPorte and an official. He and his wife are members of the Catholic church at LaPorte.

Mr. Albert H. Taylor was reared and edu¬ cated in the county of LaPorte. He spent nine years as an agriculturist, and of recent years has been a salesman in the firm styled James H. Tay¬ lor & Son at Stillwell. He is a young man of integrity and character, and his whole life has been spent among the people who know him to be such. He comes from a stock that figured con¬ spicuously in the pioneer epoch, and the name has always been without blemish.

Mr. Taylor married Miss Rosella M. Reillev,a native of the county and a daughter of Thomas and Katherine Reilley. She was reared in La¬ Porte county and was educated in the common schools. To this union have been born three chil¬ dren, one son and two daughters, James Egbert,

Jennie Loretta and Anastasia Katherine. Mr. Taylor owns his own pretty cottage home. He is a Democrat, and cast his first presidential vote for Cleveland, and has supported each Democratic candidate since. He is a member of the Maccabee Tent No. 25, at LaPorte. Mrs. Taylor is a member of the Catholic church. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are young people who stand high in the estimation of the citizens of Stillwell.

ALBERT W. COLE is one of the native sons of LaPorte county, his birth having occurred here about two-thirds of a century ago. His natal day was May 13, 1837, and he was the second of five children, three sons and two daughters, whose parents were John W. and Eliza (Payne) Cole. The father was a native of Pennsylvania, bom about 1800, and his death occurred in 1856. He was a farmer by occupation, and in the year 1832 left the east and started for Indiana, which was then a frontier state. This county was largely in its primitive condition, and he purchased a part of his land from the Pottawottomie Indians, se¬ curing his title from the government. His first home was a little log cabin, and he lived in true pioneer style, experiencing many of the hardships and trials incident to life on the frontier and yet enjoying many of its pleasures. He was a Jackson Democrat in his political views, and a Universalist in his religious faith. His wife, a native of New York( was bom about 1814 and died in 1886. All of their children are living, namely: John A., who is married and follows farming in Ohio; Albert W. ; Eliza, the wife of Philander Baird, a resident of New Durham township; Henry P., who is married and practices veter¬ inary surgery in Westville, Indiana; and Sarah C., who was the wife of James Pedro and is a resident of Westville.

Albert W. Cole was born and reared in the locality in which he now makes his home, and through sixty-six years has been a witness of the development and progress of LaPorte county. Great changes have occurred within this period, for time and man have wrought a wonderful transformation. He has seen deer in the county and many kinds of wild game. The highways were few, and it is within his recollection when the line of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad was built. He has a souvenir in the shape of a crowbar which was used in the con¬ struction of this road. He and his wife were edu¬ cated in LaPorte county, first attending school conducted on the subscription plan. On attain¬ ing his majority he was united in marriage to

Miss Mary A. Crawford, the wedding being cele¬ brated on the ioth of January, 1861. She was born February 4, 1840, and is the fifth in a family of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters. All of these are yet living with the exception of two, and four are residents of Indiana. Her father was bom in Lancaster county, Pennsyl¬ vania, October 30, 1799, the year in which Gen¬ eral Washington died.

To Mr. and Mrs. Cole have been born two children, the elder being Charles W., who is a resident of LaPorte, where he is engaged in busi¬ ness as a salesman. He was educated in the com¬ mon schools in Westville high school and in the normal school at Valparaiso, Indiana, in which he spent one term. He wedded Miss Louisa Tay¬ lor, and they have two children, Harriet and Florence. Charles W. Cole is a Mason, while his wife belongs to the Order of the Eastern Star, and he is also connected with the Tribe of Ben Hur. Walter C. Cole, the younger son, attended the common district schools and also continued his studies in Westville. He married Miss Eda Payne, and they reside in Michigan City, where he is an agent for the Pere Marquette Railroad Company. Socially he is connected with the Odd Fellows and Masons.

Mr. Cole is a Democrat in his political views, having supported the party since he cast his first presidential ballot for Stephen A. Douglas. He has been its representative to county conventions on more than one occasion and has always loyally upheld the banner of true Democracy. He has never cared for public office, preferring *to give his time and attention to business affairs, and yet as a citizen he is loyal and progressive, doing everything in his power to promote public wel¬ fare. He and his wife hold membership in the New Durham Methodist church, contribute gen¬ erously to its support and are active and zealous in extending its influence and usefulneses. He is now serving as a steward and trustee, and is also superintendent of the Sunday-school, having held the last named office for about twenty years more or less.

The home farm of Mr. and Mrs. Cole com¬ prises one hundred and sixty-two and a half acres of fine land, and theirs is one of the hospitable res¬ idences in the township, their friends being always sure of a hearty welcome. For forty-two years they have traveled life's journey together, sharing with each other its joys and sorrows, its adversity and prosperity. Theirs has been a congenial re¬ lation, their mutual love and confidence increas¬ ing as the years have gone by. They have trav¬ eled quite extensively, having visited Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska and other states. They attended the Atlanta exposition, have seen the battlefields of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain and other places of interest in the United States. The pleasure which they derived from travel was the greater because in earlier years they had applied themselves earnestly and diligently to business cares, and now they are en¬ abled to enjoy many of the comforts of life.

JOHN C. SCHULTZ, a leading real estate dealer of Chicago, and a native and resident up to the time of his majority of LaPorte, Indiana, was born August 8, 1870, a son of Henry and Caroline (Silverstorf) Schultz, both of whom were natives of Germany. During the forties and later, perhaps mainly as the result of the Ger¬ man revolutions and internal dissensions, a con¬ siderable emigration of a fine class of citizens re¬ sulted, and a number of these made homes in La¬ Porte county, Indiana. Among these was Henry Schultz, who arrived in 1843, and was thus one of the pioneers of the county. One of the in¬ teresting facts about his life at that time was that he cut and hauled fuel wood for the old-fashioned wood-burning locomotives on the Lake Shore Railroad, before the introduction of the better and more economical coal. Most of his life was spent in the employ and association with Captain A. P. Andrew, one of the early bankers of 'La¬ Porte, for whom he conducted a farm for nearly forty years. He died in 1896. His wife is also deceased. Among their children, Charles F. Schultz was city treasurer of LaPorte for several terms; he died in 1902. Herman and William are contractors and live in LaPorte. Frank lives at Farina, Illinois.

John C. Schultz, after receiving a practical education in the schools of LaPorte, came to Chicago in 1890, and for the following two years worked in the construction department of the Pullman Company. He was one of those who were wide-awake to the opportunities of the World's Fair, and in 1893 opened a hotel on Lake avenue, which he conducted throughout the fair. Having been successful in this venture he later went to Atlanta, Georgia, and carried on a similar enterprise during the Cotton States Ex¬ position. Mr. Schultz had become interested to a considerable extent in real estate operations in the meanwhile, and when he returned to Chicago in 1896 he represented the Drexel financial in¬ terests of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also en¬ gaging in real estate brokerage and in building, which continued to occupy him for several years. His most successful and extensive venture on his own account was made in June, 1902, when he purchased, for twelve thousand dollars, the south¬ west corner of Ashland boulevard and Sixtythird street, on which he erected a fine two-story brick block, one hundred and twenty by one hun¬ dred and thirty-five feet, known as the Schultz building, with stores on the ground floor and offices on the second. This has proved a wise in¬ vestment, for the property is constantly increas¬ ing in value.

One advantage that Mr. Schultz has over many in his building operations is that he draws his own plans and makes his own specifications, in which he has become very proficient. Mr. Schultz is a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, and as a Republican takes a lively in¬ terest in ward matters and city politics, having a practical part in municipal affairs owing to his real estate operations. Mr. Schultz is absolutely a self-made man, and the success he has achieved has come through his own efforts.

LOUIS C. SNYDER, for many years a large and successful merchant of Otis, Indiana, and now retired and living on his fine farm estate in the vicinity of that town, has passed his entire life in LaPorte county, and his career has been one of honest industry, sterling integrity, and high bus¬ iness and moral principles.

William and Matilda (Hoffman) Snyder, the parents of Louis C. Snyder, were natives of Ger¬ many. and there the name was spelled Schneider, but it is now generally and legally recognized as Snyder. They are both living at Otis, Indiana, the father being sixty-eight years of age, and they are worthy and esteemed people. They had five children, all of whom are now living, the eldest being Louis. The others are : Emma, the widow of William L. Reglein, formerly a merchant of Otis, and she has one daughter living, Renetta, in school ; Lizzie is the wife of George D. Weigner, the agent of the Three I Railroad at Knox, In¬ diana, and they have two children; Edward, a prosperous farmer of New Durham township, married Miss Amelia Witt and has three chil¬ dren ; Mary, the wife of Alfred Kamper, a farmer of Cool Spring township, and has five children.

Louis C. Snyder was born July 10, 1861, in LaPorte county, and passed the first eleven years of his life on the farm. He received a common school education, and also took a commercial course in the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso. He may be said to have been reared in a. store in Otis, and his long experience in mercan¬ tile life gave him the full measure of success as a country merchant, which he also won by his fair dealing and courteous treatment of customers and his energetic methods in prosecuting his business. He was in the mercantile business for about twen¬ ty-one years. About 1879, when his father built the Otis Mills, he conducted them for a year. In 1887 he took charge of the estate which by inher¬ itance came to him and his wife from the latter's father, and for the following six years he carried on the farm and his business in conjunction. In 1893 he disposed of his store to Mr. Reglein and his brother Ed. His best annual sales as a mer¬ chant had amounted to twenty-five thousand dol¬ lars, which indicate how extensive his patronage was and how much confidence the people had in his reliability. The farm on which Mr. and Mrs. Snyder now reside and which he is carrying on with great success, consists of two hundred and seventy acres of fine agricultural land, with ex¬ cellent improvements and a handsome residence, and he also owns another tract of thirty acres in New Durham township. Mr. Snyder is a Demo¬ crat, and cast his first vote for Cleveland. At the present time he is a member of the county council of LaPorte county, and is always alert and ready to promote in any way possible the public wel¬ fare of LaPorte county.

On December 25, 1883, Mr. Snyder married Miss Emily Hackett, and two sons have been born to them: Fred completed the high school course in Valparaiso and is now a student in the full electrical engineering course at Purdue Uni¬ versity, where he is making excellent progress; Ralph is now in the ninth grade of the Otis public schools.

Mrs. Snyder was bom in Porter county, Indi¬ ana, July 15, 1862, a daughter of Samuel C. and Ann (Weston) Hackett, the former of whom was a pioneer of Porter county and a man of prom¬ inence there, and was a California forty-niner in the days of the Eldorado excitement. He died September 29, 1903. There were four children in the family, of whom three are yet living, Mrs. Snyder being the oldest; Elmina, her sister, is the wife of Professor C. W. Benton, principal of the commercial department in the Northern In¬ diana Normal School ; and William, who married Miss Nona Williams, resides on the old home¬ stead in Porter county. Mrs. Snyder finished her common school education at the normal school at Valparaiso, and has been a faithful and valu¬ able assistant to her husband in all his undertak¬ ings. She is a member of the Christian church at

Westville, as is also her husband. The follow¬ ing obituary notice of Mrs. Snyder's father ap¬ peared in the Westville Indicator , October, 1903 :

"Mr. Hackett was an old resident of this vi¬ cinity and his life was an active one. Mr. Hackett was born in Seneca county, Ohio, March 1, 1829, and was the eldest of a family of three children born to Henry and Sarah Hackett, the former of Vermont. The father of the deceased died when the latter was five years of age. At the age of seventeen Samuel Hackett went to Lake county, and at twenty-one he was overtaken by the gold fever and crossed the plains to California and en¬ gaged in mining with varied success for two years. Failing in health he came to LaPorte county, and after a year went to Porter county, where he since resided. Mr. Hackett then gave attention to lumbering and furnishing wood for the Lake Shore Railroad and Chicago markets, at which he continued until 1868, when he superin¬ tended a large tract of land at Janesville, Wis¬ consin, when he purchased a major part of the company's land and b£gan manufacturing char¬ coal, as well as clearing the land. He believed he produced more charcoal than any man in Indiana. In 1881 he began farming. He was married while in LaPorte county, January, 1855, to Ann J. Weston. They had four children, three of whom are living : Will C. Hackett, of Otis, Emma Sny¬ der, of Otis, and Mrs. C. W. Benton, of Val¬ paraiso. Mr. Hackett was a member of West¬ ville Lodge No. 192, Masons. Previous to 1872 he was a Republican, but since affiliated with the Democratic party. He has held all the township offices and was prominent in politics and a most respected citizen. By hard work and good man¬ agement he obtained over one thousand one hun¬ dred acres in LaPorte and Porter counties."

CHRISTIAN LOUIS RICHMAN is one of the most prosperous and progressive agricultur¬ ists of LaPorte county, his home being near Un¬ ion Mills. He has made his special field of indus¬ try an eminent success, and he stands high in business circles, being thoroughly reliable in all transactions.

Mr. Richman was born in the city of Indian¬ apolis, Indiana, August 18, 1848, and is a son of Christian F. and Caroline Louisa (Miller) Richman, both natives of Germany, the former bom June 22, 1823, and the latter November 18, 1819. They came to America in early life, and for some years made their home in the Hoosier state. In 1869 the father went to Kansas for the purpose of buying land in that state, and was murdered near Fort Scott, being shot the 16th of October, 1869, and robbed of six hundred dollars in cash, and several checks were torn to pieces by the robbers and left near the body. His wife met her death by falling down stairs, December 15, 1889, at the age of seventy years. In the fam¬ ily were eight children, who in order of birth were as follows : Caroline, born in 1846 ; Christian L., in 1848; William, in 1850; Mary, in 1852; Charles, in 1854; Eleanora, in 1856; George, in 1858; and Matilda, in i860. The oldest daugh¬ ter died in 1901, and the four youngest of the family died of typhoid fever in 1880, within a few weeks of each other.

During his boyhood and youth Christian L. Richman had the advantage of a district school education, and while aiding in the work of the home farm he became thoroughly familiar with all the duties which fall to the lot of the agricult¬ urist. Throughout the years of his manhood he has engaged in farming, and has met with marked successs in his undertakings. His first purchase of land consisted of one hundred and sixty acres of his present farm, which he bought in 1876, and he has since added to his property from time to time until he is now the owner of seven hundred and fifty acres of rich arable land, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation and im¬ proved with good and substantial buildings.

January 25, 1876, Mr. Richman was united in marriage to Miss Ottilie Amelia Rosenbaum, who was born in South Wanatah, LaPorte county, December 28, 1856, and is a daughter of John W. and Dora (Wagner) Rosenbaum. Six children have blessed this union: Emma Ma¬ tilda, bom December 29, 1876, married Herman Wothke, a farmer of Clinton township, and they have one son and three daughters; William John, born August 30, 1878, died March 11, 1879; Louis Christian, bom November 26, 1880, is a farmer of Clinton township and married Miss Abbertina Hundt, and they have one son ; Herman Gutlip, bom January 21, 1884, died February n, 1884; Otto Frederick, bom March 17, 1885 ; Edward Herman, bom October 25, 1887. The children living all had a German as well as an English education, and can speak both languages. Mrs. Richman can speak and write the German language.

In religious faith Mr. an^J Mrs. Richman are Lutherans, and contribute liberally of their means to the support of the church and to all enterprises which they believe will prove of public benefit Politically Mr. Richman is identified with the Democratic party, but takes no active part in politics aside from voting, preferring to devote his undivided attention to his business interests. Honest, industrious and energetic, he has steadily overcome all obstacles in the path to success, and is to-day one of the wealthiest men of his com¬ munity, as well as one of its most highly respected and honored citizens.

CEPHAS THOMPSON DIBBLE. One of the esteemed and honored citizens of Michigan City is Cephas Thompson Dibble, who has almost reached the eightieth milestone on life's journey. His history is in many respects an eventful and interesting one, and now in the evening of life he is acceptably filling the office of justice of the peace, having for twenty years served in this capacity in Michigan City. He was bom in the town of Granville, Washington county, New York, April 15, 1824, his parents being Eli and Chloe (Thompson) Dibble. His paternal grand¬ father was reared in New Haven, Connecticut.

The Dibble family is of English lineage, and the first of the name in America was Thomas Dib¬ ble, who in the year 1630 braved the dangers in¬ cident to an ocean voyage at that time and crossed the Atlantic, establishing his home in Connecti¬ cut. He is said to have been a leading tory in the early days of colonial development, and in his business affairs he prospered, becoming quite wealthy.

The father of Mr. Dibble was bom in New Haven, Connecticut, and became a manufacturer of woolen goods in Granville, New York. At an early period in the development of the Empire state he removed from Peru, Massachusetts, to Granville, and there spent his remaining days, actively and prominently connected with its man¬ ufacturing interests. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and in recognition of his services was given a land warrant, which he located at Little Rock, Arkansas. He then returned to his home in New York, but soon afterward was stricken with fever and died. He had married Miss Chloe Thompson, whose birth occurred in Peru, Berk¬ shire county, Massachusetts, in which state her father was also reared, but afterward became a resident of New York and died in Granville at an advanced age. He was remarkable for having a double set of teeth at the time of his demise. Mrs. Chloe Dibble survived her husband for many years. He passed away in August, 1824, when a comparatively young man, and she reached the advanced age of almost ninety years, departing this life at her old home in Granville. This worthy couple were the parents of twelve chil- dren, seven sons and five daughters, of whom Cephas T. was the youngest. Only two are now living, Moses Dibble being a resident of Syra¬ cuse, New York.

So widely and favorably known is Cephas T. Dibble in Michigan City and LaPorte county that no history of this section of the state would be complete without the record of his career. He was reared to manhood in the place of his nativ¬ ity, and acquired a common school education, re¬ ceiving such instruction as was afforded in the old-fashioned subscription schools of that period. He conned his lessons while sitting on a slab bench, and his text books were as primitive as were the furnishings oi that little temple of learn¬ ing. After his removal to the west he engaged in teaching school for one winter in Michigan. It was in the year 1844 that he left the Empire state and journeyed toward the setting sun, locat¬ ing first at Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he re¬ mained until the following February. He then proceeded to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and went to a place eighteeen miles above that city, in the town of Lowell, Michigan, where he taught school. However, he considered Grand Rapids his place of residence, and continued to make his home there until 1848, when he went to Battle Creek, where he was employed in a woolen mill for four years. In 1852, attracted by the dis¬ covery of gold in California, he crossed the Isth¬ mus of Panama, and for two years was engaged in mining on the Pacific coast. He met with only fair succcess, however, during his sojourn in the far west, and in 1854 he returned to Battle Creek, arriving at his destination in the month of Feb¬ ruary.

Mr. Dibble then began the manufacture of boots and shoes in that city, but after a year he sold out there and came to Michigan City, arriv¬ ing on the first day of March, 1855. Almost a half century has since come and gone, and through this long period he has been an in¬ terested witness of the growth and substantia! progress of this place and has contributed to its material upbuilding. For many years he was identified with its business affairs as a manu¬ facturer of boots and shoes. He also conducted a store in which he carried a line of ready-made clothing and furnishing goods, his stock being in a building which stood on part of the present site of the Vreeland Hotel. There he carried on business continually and with gratifying degree of success until 1878, when he retired from active trade connections and has since lived in the Vreeland Hotel.

On the 14th of October, 1848, occurred the marriage of Mr. Dibble and Miss Rhoda A. Whitcomb, a native of Vermont and a daughter of Albert and Sarah (Bishop) Whitcomb. This wedding was celebrated in Battle Creek, Michi¬ gan, and for about twenty-seven years they trav¬ eled life's journey together, after which Mrs. Dibble was called to her final rest, passing away on the 6th of January, 1875, when forty-three years of age. Her parents were natives of Ver¬ mont, and she was feared in the Green Mountain state. She usually attended the Congregational church, and her husband likewise was an attend¬ ant on the services of that denomination.

Politically Mr. Dibble Is a Jefferson Demo¬ crat, staunchly adhering to the principles of the party as advocated by this leading apostle of former years, Thomas Jefferson. For twenty years he has been a justice of the peace and has recently been re-elected to that office. His decis¬ ions are strictly fair and impartial, and in the con¬ duct of his court he adheres closely to principles of law and of equity. He has resided in Michi¬ gan City for about forty-nine years and has seen it develop from a small village with sandy streets to its present splendid proportions with good schools and churches and miles of paved thor¬ oughfares, and he has erected several good build¬ ings here, and at one time he contributed a thous¬ and dollars toward the opening of the harbor. He has always taken an active and helpful interest in the city's development, and has paid a liberal proportion toward the carrying out of every measure for the general good.

He is one of the most highly esteemed resi¬ dents in the northern part of the state, and has a most wide acquaintance among the people who represent the first, second and third generations of the city's growth. Although now in his eight¬ ieth year, he walks erect, with a quick step, and has the appearance of a man not over sixty or sixtyfive years of age. His is a genial, jovial nature and one that sheds around it much of the sun¬ shine of life. His integrity and his many good qualities of heart and mind have ever gained for him the confidence and friendship of those with whom he conies in contact, and his kindly deeds and general characteristics will leave their im¬ press on the community long years after he shall have passed away.

EDWARD S. CADWELL. Among the old settlers of La Porte county known and honored because of their genuine worth is Edward S. Cadwell, who resides on section 21, Galena town¬ ship. He was born in the village of Cazenovia, Madison county, New York, on the 7th of October, 1827. His father, Simon Cadwell, was a native of Connecticut, and the mother, who bore the maiden name of Maria Ormsbee, was like¬ wise born in the Charter Oak state. The father died when his son Edward S. was but four years of age, and the mother passed away on the 6th of April, 1840, so that Edward S. Cadwell was left an orphan at the early age of twelve and a half years. He then went to live with an uncle, who, however, gave him in charge of a farmer, Fred Hitchcock, with whom he remained until twenty-one years of age. He had the opportunity of attending school through the winter months, while throughout the remainder of the year he assisted in farm work. On attaining his majority he was given one hundred dollars in money and two suits of clothing. He then began working for a surveyor who owned a farm, and in this service Mr. Cadwell remained as a farm hand for two months.

On the 23rd of November, 1848, occurred the marriage of Edward S. Cadwell and Miss Leva Gridley, who was bom in 1828 in Manlius, New York, a daughter of Samuel U. and Amanda (Bames) Gridley. Mrs. Cadwell was reared in her native place and pursued her education in the common district schools. After their mar¬ riage the young couple located in Manlius, Mr. Cadwell renting a farm from Abigail E. Gridley for four years. He then removed to Van Buren county, New York, where he remained for one year, and in 1854 he came to the west, establish¬ ing his home in Galena township on the farm where he now resides. Almost fifty years have been passed upon this place, and throughout the entire period he has devoted his attention to the tilling of the soil and the raising of stock. With¬ in the boundaries of his place are comprised one hundred acres richly cultivated and well im¬ proved with modern equipments.

To Mr. and Mrs. Cadwell were bom four chil¬ dren, of whom one died in infancy. The others are Elva M., now the wife of William Brown of Galena township, who follows fanning there; Mervin M., who married Mary E. Leliter, who died February 10, 1901, and he resides in La- Porte; and Edward F., who married Clara S. Welling, and is a contracting freight agent for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, making his home in Chicago.

In his political views Mr. Cadwell has been an earnest Republican since the organization of the party, and served as a trustee of Galena township for nine years. He was also assessor for five years and justice of the peace for six years, dis¬ charging his duties with fairness and impartiality so that he "won golden opinions from all sorts of people." He has taken an active interest in all that pertains to the welfare of the county and its permanent improvement, and whether in office or out of it he has been a progressive and faith¬ ful citizen. For forty-five years he had charge of the Foster cemetery. As a member of Galena lodge, No. 335, F. & A. M., he is well known to his Masonic brethren in this part of the coun¬ ty, and in his life exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft. A self-made man, he was left an orphan at the early age of twelve and a half years and has always earned his own living. His career has been one of unflag¬ ging industry, and he certainly has made a creditable and honorable record, one well worthy of emulation by all who would develop manly principles and at the same time win success through honorable efforts.

S. C. V. CUNNINGHAM. The venerable pioneer of a state and county merits the worthy consideration of the people, for it was he who blazed the way for civilization and made the wil¬ derness to bloom and blossom like the rose of the valley. Mr. Cunningham is a native of Switzer¬ land county, Indiana, and was born December 29, 1821. He was reared in his native county and educated in the primitive schools. He attended the log cabin school, and he describes the building as follows : A hewn log school, about twenty by thirty feet, and it was used for both a school and meeting house ; the benches were hewn slabs, and the desk was a long slab resting on wooden pins driven into the walls for support. He and his wife atteneded such a school. They wrote with a goose-quill pen, and the text books were the English reader and Webster's blue-backed spell¬ ing book and Ray's arithmetic. Mr. Cunning¬ ham says he "ciphered" as far as the rule of three. What a change the years have brought in educa¬ tion ! He was reared as an agriculturist.

He has been twice married, first to Miss Rachel Morrison, and nine children, four sons and five daughters, were born, seven of whom are yet living, and all residents of Indiana. The second marriage was with Mrs. Phoebe A. (Jessup) O'Brien, on October 7, 1853, and eight children, six sons and two daughters, were born of this marriage. Five are living, as follows: Carson, a successful teacher in Roanoke, Ala¬ bama, was educated in Indiana, and married Miss

Elizabeth Brown, and they have one son; Au¬ gusta is the wife of Harry Bennett, who is rep¬ resented elsewhere in this volume; Wyburn L., judge of the district court of El Paso county, Colorado, with a beautiful and costly residence at Colorado City, is an eminent jurist, held in the highest esteem by his constituents, and he married Miss Emma Ingerham, and has one son, Wy¬ burn ; Charles L. is a prosperous real estate agent and collector at Colorado City, married Miss Julia Newell and has two daughters, Ruth and Gean; Scott, a resident of Lake Charles, Louis¬ iana, and a commercial salesman, married Miss Clara Pommett and has two sons, Russell and La Mar.

Mrs. Cunningham was born in Switzerland county, Indiana, August 28, 1827, a daughter of Isaac and Mary (Smith) Jessup, her father of New Jersey and her mother of Kentucky. She was reared and educated in Switzerland county. The name Jessup is of English origin, and the Cunninghams are of Scottish extraction. It was about 1876 when they settled in St. Joseph county, just across the line from Wills township, and they spent five years as residents of Michi¬ gan and the remainder of the time in LaPorte county. Mrs. Cunningham's first marriage was with Miles O'Brien, and one child by that union is living, William Taylor O'Brien. He is a resi¬ dent of Wabash, Indiana, and was reared as an agriculturist, and took up the harness business and is now in insurance. He married Miss Dora Adams, and they have two children living, Emma and Clare.

Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham are most worthy people and their children are a credit and an honor to their old days. Mr. Cunningham is now eighty-two years of age, and his wife is seventyseven, and both yet enjoy good health and are people who are honored by those who know them. He was formerly a Democrat in politics, but is now an ardent Prohibitionist, and his sons follow strictly in the footsteps of their venerable father. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham are members of the Christian church, of Olive Chapel, in Olive town¬ ship, St. Joseph county, and try to live such lives as are commendable to their Master. Mr. Cun¬ ningham as well as his father was a minister of the gospel in the Christian church, and he has preached to the congregation of Olive Chapel.

CHARLES S. McCLUNG is one of the lead¬ ing and influential citizens of Noble township, where for over twenty years he has successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was born

Charles S. McClung was educated at Repub¬ lic, Ohio, taking a good academic course, and after leaving school in 1848, he entered a general store, where he remained for three years. At the end of that time he came to Michigan City, La- Porte county, Indiana, and was a salesman, and afterwards at Kingsbury, Indiana, for three years and at Union Mills two and one-half years as general merchant. In 1880 he was elected county clerk and entered upon the duties of that office in May, 1881. His services proved entirely satis¬ factory to his constituents, and he was re-elected, filling that position in a most creditable manner for eight years. He then bought his present farm near Union Mills, in Noble township, where he has ninety-three and a third acres of land under a high state of cultivation and well improved with good and substantial buildings. He is a progressive and enterprising farmer, and has met with success in his undertakings.

At Wellsboro, in Noble township, May 24, 1859, was celebrated the rrfarriage of Mr.. Mc¬ Clung and Miss Henrietta Wells, who was bom on the 3d of June, 1837, and died September 20, 1895. She left one son, Charles Frederick, who was born March 20, i860, and received a good high school education at Union Mills. After leaving school he worked on the books in the county clerk's office, serving as deputy for eight years, and was then elected clerk, in which capac¬ ity he served for eight years. He was deputized

Mr. McClung is a member of the Masonic fraternity and served as master of the lodge at Kingsbury, Indiana, in 1858 and in 1859. Be¬ sides the blue Lodge No. 41, he is a member of LaPorte Chapter No. 15, LaPorte Council No. 32, LaPorte Commandery No. 12, and also the Eastern Star. He is a thirty-two degree Mason, and it was in 1887 when he took his last degree in Masonry. There are very few thirty-two de¬ gree Masons in LaPorte county. His political support is given the Democracy, and he has al¬ ways taken an active interest in public affairs. He is pre-eminently public-spirited and progres¬ sive, and is widely and favorably known through¬ out the county where he has now made his home for over half a century.

ISRAEL G. LEWIS. From an early period in the development of LaPorte county Israel G. Lewis has resided within its borders, his home being now on section 13, Galena township. He has traveled life's journey for more than eightythree years, and receives the veneration and re¬ spect which should ever be accorded those whohave so long been active factors in the world. He was bom in Belmont county, Ohio, January 3, 1820. His father, Michael Lewis, was a native of Berkeley county, Virginia, and there remained until he had attained his majority. The paternal grandfather, John F. Lewis, was among the sign¬ ers of the Declaration of Independence. A native of Wales, he crossed the Atlantic from that little rock-ribbed country to America, a short time prior to the Revolutionary war, and took up his abode in Berkeley county, Virginia. His sympa¬ thies were with the colonists in their struggle for liberty, and he ever exerted his influence in behalf of their cause. His son, Michael Lewis, remained in Berkeley county, Virginia, until of age, and then removed to Belmont county, Ohio, casting his lot among its pioneer settlers. In 1835 he be¬ came a resident of Henry county, Indiana, where he remained until his death, which occurred when he was about fifty years of age. He had married Elizabeth Howell, who was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, and whose life's pilgrimage cov¬ ered about eighty years, her death occurring in Missouri. Her father, Benjamin Howell, was born in England and came to America in early life, establishing his home in Virginia, whence he afterward went to Belmont county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Lewis were married in Vir-

Of this large family Israel G. Lewis is the third in order of birth and is the only one known to be living. He was but sixteen years of age when he accompanied his parents to Henry county, Indiana, where he continued, in a dis¬ trict school, the education which had been begun in the schools of Belmont county, Ohio. He also assisted in building some of the schoolhouses in this state in pioneer times. His father having died he remained at home with his mother, taking charge of the farm until his marriage.

In 1843 he went to Michigan, where he was married to Miss Angeline Connor, the wedding ceremony being performed by John P. Johnson, justice of the peace. Her parents were William and Mary (Lewellyn) Connor, and she was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, whence she went to Henry county, Indiana, with her father and. mother when but thirteen years of age. When a maiden of sixteen she took up her abode in LaPorte county. Her death occurred in 1874 in Galena township, and her loss was deeply mourned by many friends as well as her imme¬ diate family. She had become the mother of nine children : Mary E., the wife of B. F. Moyer, of Michigan ; Martha J., who died in infancy ; John M., who resides in Michigan; Martin E., a resi¬ dent of Toledo, Ohio; William C., who died at the age of six months ; Eliza E., who resides with her father; James M., a twin brother of Eliza, who died in 1891 at the age of forty-three years; Catherine A., the widow of Charles Hansley, who died in 1903 ; F. Helen, the wife of A. P. Laraway, of San Francisco, California.

After his marriage Mr. Lewis located in Galena township. He lived in. Michigan for about two years at one time, and was there en¬ gaged in the operation of a sawmill in connection with John P. Hale, but with this exception he has continuously resided in Galena township, covering a period of sixty years. He has fol¬ lowed farming and has also practiced veterinary surgery. The .land upon which he resides has been in his posesssion since 1852, and constitutes one of the valuable farms of this part of the county. He is one of the oldest men in his town¬ ship, and has lived a life that is honorable, up¬ right and useful. In politics he was an old-line Whig until the dissolution of the party, then he joined the ranks of the new Republican party, voting for Lincoln in i860. He has filled the position of school trustee, and has taken an active part in the early development of the county, being numbered among the pioneers who have laid broad and deep the foundation for the present prosperity and progress of this section of the state. Great changes have occurred during his residence . here. He has seen the pioneer log cabins replaced by commodious and substantial homes, has seen the wild lands transformed into rich farms, and has witnessed the building of towns and cities and the introduction of all the comforts and conveniences known to the older east.