Noble County, Indiana - The whole text, 1902 (part 16 of 21)

Hugh A. C. Inscho, of Jefferson township, is a son of Wiliam Inscho, who was born in Sussex county, N. J., December 28, 1802. and Ann Eliza (Campbell) Inscho, a native of Huron county, Ohio (of both further mention is to be found in the sketch of George W. Inscho on another page of this work). From Ohio the parents came with their children to Noble county, hid., and settled in Jefferson township, November iS, 1838, and here passed the remainder of life, the father dying February 23, 1881, when nearly seventy-nine years old, and the mother on the 14th day of September, 1830. Hugh A. Campbell, the father of Mrs. Ann Eliza Inscho, was born in New York, but died in Huron county, Ohio, when eightythree years of age, and all bearing names revered by those who knew them. William and Ann Eliza Inscho had a family of three children, named George \Y. ; Elizabeth ( who died when fifteen years old) ; and Hugh A. C, the subject of this sketch.

Hugh A. C. Inscho was born in Huron county, Ohio, April 30, 1836, and was about two and a half years old when brought to Noble county, Ind., by his parents. He was reared to farming and now owns eighty acres of fertile land in section 17, Jefferson township, which he has improved with all necessary buildings and has placed under a high state of cultivation. He was married in Jefferson township. October 18, 1863, to Miss Elsie Edwards, who was born in Morrow county, Ohio. November 15, 1839, and is a daughter of Alexis and Elizabeth (Foster) Edwards, who settled in Noble county. Ind.. early in the 'forties, where the father died in Jefferson township, August, i88j. and the mother in Albion. September 26, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Inscho have been blessed with three children, viz: Lavina E., who is the wife of Joseph Homsher ; Anna, who died when eight years old ; and Olive, who died at the age of two years and eleven months.

Mr. Inscho is in politics a Republican, and Mrs. Inscho in religion ;i Primitive Baptist. He is classed among the best agriculturists of Jefferson township and recognized as a public spirited citizen, ready at all times to aid in promoting the 'public improvements of the township, in contributing to the support of the church, in advancing public instruction and the employment of the best teachers, and in doing all things at all times for the good of the general pub-

George W. Inscho

Among the experienced and respected farmers of Jefferson township, Noble county, Ind., is the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this notice, who was born in Greenfield township. Huron county, Ohio, Mav 2, 1831, but has been a resident of Noble county. Ind., since childhood. William Inscho, the father of George W., was born in Essex county. X. J.. December 28. 1802, and Ann Eliza (Campbell) Inscho. his mother, a native of Huron county. Ohio, born November 15, 1806. From Ohio the family came to Noble county, Ind., and settled in Jefferson township, November 18. 1838. when there were but seven families within its borders, and there the father passed away on the 23d day of February, 1 88 1, and the mother on September 14, 1839- came to Noble county several years later than his son, and here lived until his dissolution at the extremely old age of eightyfour years. Hugh A. Campbell, the father of Mrs. Ann Eliza Inscho, was a native of New York, of Scotch origin, and died in Huron county, Ohio, at an advanced age, eighty-three years. To William Inscho and wife were born three children, in the following order: George W. ; Elizabeth, who was called from earth when fifteen years old ; and Hugh A. C.

George W. Inscho was reared to farming in Jefferson township, which has been his home since he was brought here by his parents, and he early assisted in clearing the home farm, on which he lived until his marriage, July 1 8, 1858, with Miss Ruth Edwards, who was born in Morrow county, j Ohio. October 28, 1831, a daughter of Alexis and Elizabeth (Foster) Edwards, who were both natives of Maryland and settled in Noble county, Ind., in October, 184c;. in Jefferson township, where they respectively ended their days, leaving a family of four sons and six daughters, of whom Mrs. George W. Inscho was the third in order of birth.

To Mr. and Mrs. Inscho have been born two children, viz: Frank, who was called away February 29, 1890, when about thirtytwo years old: and Ida J., who is the wife of Shannon Hadley, of Jefferson township. Mr. and Mrs. Inscho are devout members of the old-school Baptist church, which they liberally aid in supporting financially, and are highly respected in the social circles of their township. Their home is a model of neatness, and the farm of one hundred and sixty-four acres is improved with a handsome dwelling and substantial outbuildings.

It is kept under a high state of cultivation, and under the able superintendence of Mr. Inscho is made one of the most productive and profitable farms in the township of Jefferson. Mr. Inscho has demonstrated the fact that agriculture, when properly conducted and not overtaken by unfavorable weather or climatic disaster, is an industry that as a rule brings a gratifying reward; and he is himself classed among the most substantial farmers of his township.

Charles Bortner

Charles Bortner is a substantial agriculturist of Jefferson township, Noble county, Ind., who not only enjoys the distinction of being an octogenarian but is distinctly a landmark of this vicinity, having reached the golden milestone as a resident on his present farm. Mr. Bortner was born in York county, Penn., August 8, 181 7, and eleven years later accompanied his mother to Ohio, where they settled in Morrow county, then Ridhiland. Here he was educated, grew to manhood, and after reaching his majority learned the trade of a carpenter. It was here that he was joined in marriage, on May 8, 1839, to Miss Mary Swonger, a native of Cumberland county. This marriage resulted in the birth of three children: Sarah Ann married Thomas Leslie, who died in Albion. August 5, 1898; Henry S., of Albion: and Joseph S., who is a prominent and prosperous farmer of Allen township. March 23, 1843, Mrs. Bortner passed away, and on October 22, 1846, Mr. Bortner was married to Mrs. Susanna (Olp) Stevens, widow of Abram Stevens, and a family of eleven children resulted, nine of whom are living', namely: Benjamin Franklin. Julia A. (Mrs. John Epp), Josephine (Mrs. William H. Stoop), Susanna (Mrs. Alvin J. Skinner), Charles Allen, Martha (deceased), who was the wife of Rev. Joseph Fisher, a minister in the Evangelical church; Jane, William S., and Thomas E. One child died at the age of three years and one aged fourteen months.

In the fall of 1853 Mr. Bortner moved his family to Noble county and bought one hundred and sixty acres of unimproved land, which has since been his home. This is one of the best farms for which Jefferson township is famous, and has been cleared and brought to its present state of perfection by its present energetic owner when he was in his prime. He has erected good, substantial buildings oh his premises, doing the work with his own hands. He not only carried on his farm work but took many contracts of carpenter work, and many of the houses and barns in this county, especially in his home township, are lasting monuments of his skill and handiwork. He was industrious and frugal during his earlier years, and now, in the evening of his life, enjoys the labors of his well-directed energy with the satisfaction of a life well spent. Mr. Bortner has been an upright, honorable citizen in every walk of life, and has done much1 toward the establishment and maintenance of good government by his own dignified example, which has exerted a beneficent influence on those around him. Guided by his worthy example his children have grown up around him an honor to his teachings and a credit to their places of residence. Aided by his excellent wife he has taken a strong stand in the cause of religion and has been a powerful factor in the "Church of God," to which they both belong. While quiet and unassuming in his life, few men can point to a past wihlose record is more worthy of emulation or who have deserved and enjoyed the confidence of their fellow men to a greater extent than this kindly old gentleman, whose white hairs are held in veneration and respect by bis neighbors and in the warmest affection by children and grandchildren.

John E. Boughey

John E. Boughey was born in Jefferson township on the farm where he now resides, February 15, 1857. His father was Benjamin Boughey and his mother was Maria Gwynne, and died in Jefferson township, May 2o. 1865.

Benjamin Boughey was born in Cleveland. Cuyahoga count}-, Ohio, September 14, 1828, and his wife was born in Logan county, Ohio, in 1832. They were the parents of five children, of whom John E. was the second.

Our subject spent his early days at home with his parents. When he w-as nineteen years of age he went to Michigan and settled in Lenawee county. There he purchased a farm, lived thereon and worked it for fourteen vears. from 1877 to 1891. The conditions of a new country and a new life amid ohlanged scenes must have strong and pleasureable influences to overcome the recollections of the home wherein the days of youth were spent, and the memory pf his early life in the Hoosier state was ever present in his mind and caused a longing that the then present heme failed to satisfy. Having an opportunity to dispose of his property in, Michigan he closed the trade as soon as possible and returned to Noble county, where he purchased the old familiar eighty-acre homestead located in Jefferson township, where he has since continued to reside.

The subject was married in Traverse City, Mich.. July 2, 1884, to Miss Eliza A. Rogers, a Canadian by birth. They have had five children: Julia O., Iva E., Edith M., Fred E., and Earl R. Mr. and Mrs. Boughey are earnest Christians, are active members of the United Brethren church, and earn- out in their daily lives that principle and crowning virtue of charity in all things toward their neighbors and their fellow men.

Simon Weimer

To a very great extent America owes her phenomenal growth to the influx of emigrants from other nations. Although the largest number of emigrants is credited to English-speaking countries, and the ideas of liberty, culture and progress have been dominated to a great extent by English ideals, nevertheless the ideas of honesty, integrity and thrift which we find so thoroughly and generally inculcated in the minds of the young in the great middle west are undoubtedly due to the large numbers of emigrants from Germany that have so thoroughly settled that part of the American republic.

An excellent example of the class referred to is Simon Weimer. His parents were born in Germany, the father, Peter Weimer. in 1812, and the mother, Catherine Deem, in 1810. Both emigrated to this country in early life. They were married in

Ohio, but immediately moved to Noble county, Ind. They settled in Allen township, and there spent the rest of their days, Mr. Weimer dying in 1866 and Mrs. Weimer in the spring of 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Weimer brought up a family of seven children, of whom our subject, Simon, was the fourth. He was born in Allen township, Noble county, October 19, 1844, and lived at tome with his parents until the breaking out of the Civil war. Realizing the duty of every young man to defend his country in time of danger, and though but seventeen years of age, he enlisted, in August, 1861, in Company F, Thirtieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. For three years the young man showed bis mettle, standing his ground with his comrades and always found among the leaders when hard fighting was called for, never shrinking nor deserting his post. He saw many a hard-fought battle and participated in several of them. He was shot in the left leg at the battle of Chickamauga and was wounded in the hand at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain. At the close of his three years of service he was mustered out at Indianapolis, Ind., during the latter part of October, 1864. Fie then retired to his father's home in Allen township, where he resided until his marriage, July 9, 1865, to Miss Aby Haney. Miss Haney was born in Carbon county, Penn., November 14, 1842. Her father was Pearce Haney, and her mother's maiden name was Mary Horn. Mr. Haney was born in New Jersey and his wife in Pennsylvania. They lived in the days of large families, and themselves raised a family of twelve children, of whom Mrs. Weimer was the third. They moved to Noble county. Ind., in 1857, and settled in Albion, where Mr. Hanev died.

Mr. and Airs. Weimer immediately after marriage settled in Allen township, where they lived until 1892, when they moved to Jefferson township, which has since been their home. The subject is the owner of two hundred acres of land in the township and has it all in an excellent state of cultivation. Air. and Airs. Weimer are the parents of seven children: Lillie G, Thomas S., Fannie E., Frank P., Charles E., William S. K., and Berah. Air. Weimer takes great interest in all township and county matters, and is a Rqaublican in politics. He has not forgotten those who fought with him in the effort to save the Union, is a member of Nelson Post, No. 69, G. A. R., and when possible joins in the reunions of old comrades in arms, deriving much pleasure in talking oyer those days which meant so much of human liberty and advance of civilization.

John Ott

John Ott. a representative farmer of Noble township, is the third of a family of eight children born to Jesse and Docia (Brown) Ott. His birth occurred on his father's farm in Green township, Noble county, Ind., March 31, 1852; he remained on the home place until young manhood, meantime, as soon as old enough, working occasionally for himself as a farm laborer. In the district schools he received a fair English education and for some time prior to bis marriage, which was solemnized November 2j, 1879. aided his father in cultivating the farm. Aliss Martha E. Manning, who' became Airs. Ott. was born July jo. 1854, in Allen county. Ind.. a daughter of

Elias and Alary Ann (Daily) Manning, both parents natives of Ohio. Air. and Airs. Manning were married in Allen county, Ind., and sometime thereafter took up their residence in the county of Whitley, where the_\- lived some six or seven years, removing thence to Noble county. Later they returned to the county of Allen, where their deaths occurred, the father on the 28th of June, 1895, at the age of sixty-nine, and the mother. April 5, 1901, in her seventy-second j year. Elias and Alary Ann Manning had children as follows: Martha E., William L., Samuel, Clara E., Florence B., and one that died in infancy.

Immediately following his marriage Air. Ott settled on a farm in Noble township, where he now lives, and has given his entire attention to agriculture and stock-raising, in both of which his success has been encouraging. He has a finely developed place containing- good buildings and other improvements in keeping therewith, everything upon the premises indicating the presence of a thoroughly up-to-date agriculturist who believes in making his farm not only productive, but attractive as well. While not as large as some places, his farm, consisting of eighty acres, sixty cleared and in a high state of cultivation, he has so enhanced the fertility of the soil as to make it produce abundantly, and by successful management realize at the end of the year a larger income than many farmers receive from far greater acreage. He keeps himself in touch with the times in all matters pertaining to agriculture and is well acquainted with the nature of soils and their adaptability to the different crops. He also keeps on his place the best of implements, among which are a number of the latest and most approved appli-

Air. and Airs. Ott are active members of the Freewill Baptist church and they always endeavor to make their lives and conversation conform to the religion they profess. Their marriage has been blessed with eight children, namely : Emmaretta, wife of William Huntsman, of Green township; Mary E., Jesse E., Charles O., Florence N., Oliver C, Clara L. and William C, all of whom are living.

Jacob F. Lindsey

Jacob F. Lindsey, the popular and efficient assessor of Green township, Noble county, Ind., is a product of the Hoosier state and a son of one of its most respected citizens, Hiram C. Lindsey. The father was born in Knox county, Ohio, March 8, 1826. grew to manhood and united in marriage with Miss Barbara Lock, who was born in Preble county, Ohio, July 11, 1837. Six children were born to them, of whom John and Nancy are deceased, and George W., Mary J., Jacob F. and Oscar W. survive- In 1837, when thirteen years old, Hiram Lindsey accompanied his parents to Noble county, Ind., and after bis marriage settled on land which had been entered by his father from the government in Green township,! and this has been his home since.

It was on this farm that the boyhood days of Jacob Lindsey were spent, while his time was occupied with the sports of boyhood and the more serious problem of obtaining an education from the district schools. Arriving at mature years he was married August 13, 1892, to Miss Tracie M. Kichler, a native of Allen county, this state, where she was born July 31, 1873. Three bright children have been added to their household: Orpha, Elma R. and Beatrice V. Mr. Lindsey is a farmer by occupation and owns a farm of forty acres. He is an ardent Democrat and is an influential factor in local politics, as he takes an intelligent interest in the subject and is thoroughly posted on it. In the fall of 1900 he was his party's candidate for the office of assessor, coming off with enviable success, and has discharged his duties in an upright, straightforward manner that has won for him much commendation even among his opponents. His genial disposition makes him a general favorite, and Green township has no more public-spirited citizen or one who takes a greater interest in her advancement than Jacob F. Lindsev.

Frederick Gappinger

The reader of the Biographical Memoirs of Noble county cannot fail to note among her citizens who have risen to prominence in various callings that the sons of Germany are largely represented. Coming to this country as young men, they have married and made their way by having a definite and fixed purpose; and with the unflagging energy and thrift which characterizes the Teutonic race, have reached the goal of their ambition - property owners in the new world.

tures of which will prove the justness of the opening paragraph, and whose example is worthy the attention of the newer generation. Frederick Gappinger was horn in Wurtemherg, Germany, July 10, 1828, and there grew to manhood and was educated. After his school days were passed he learned the trade of tanner and leather dresser. On reaching his majority he sailed for America, and in 1849 we find him located in the city of Philadelphia. His stay in the city of Brotherly Love, however, was brief, and learning of a better opportunity for employment at his trade went to Dauphin count)-, where he remained a year. From thence he went to Pittsburg and was employed for two 'years in that city and Allegheny City. The western fever, however, was in his veins and he again started west, going to Columbiana county, Ohio, where he followed his trade for about eight years, and subsequently moved to Carroll county. Here was the turning point of his life, and on February :5> I855, he was married to Miss Margaret Miller, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1838. In 1862 Air. Gappinger moved with his family to Noble county, Intl., and engaged in business at his trade, which he continued for a number of years, meeting with good success. Owing to his failing health and the heavy decline in prices occasioned by the new processes for tanning which had been introduced in the business, he retired and turned his attention to farming, which has proved most successful. Mr. Gappinger is the owner of six hundred acres of fine farming land in Noble county, divided into several distinct farms upon which his sons live. Besides his farming interests he owns a fine private residence and other valuable realty in Albion; and thus, after years of industry and frugality, he is enabled to enjoy those comforts of life which are the just reward of honest endeavor.

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Gappinger consists of the following children: Catherine Elizabeth, wife of Frederick Waltman, of Albion; John, a farmer, living at home, unmarried; Benjamin Franklin married Miss Alice Stouts, and lives on a farm in Grant township; Amelia is the wife of Joseph Neufer, and they have two children - Vernon J. and Bernice M., aged nine and six years, lespectively. the family all residing on a farm in Elkhart township; Samuel Edward, a farmer of Albion township, married Dollie Goodrich, and have two children - Freddie and Pauline ; Ervin, also a farmer, married Caroline Gaff, the mother of Ward Erwin (deceased); Albert, who married Anna Mills, resides in Albion. The parents of Mr. Gappinger were John and Katherine ( Ammer ) Gappinger, who emigrated to Ohio some years after our subject's settlement there. They were the parents of six sons and two daughters, both deceased, as is one son. The father was a tanner and all his boys were raised in the business. Two brothers of the subject, Lewis and Henry, settled in Boone, la., and there became successful dealers in leather and harness; John, another brother, engaged in the same business at Kendallville, Ind., where he died in 1893; Christ is a resident of Bushnell, 111., engaged in hide and leather and manufacture of harness; Charles is an invalid, who resides in Boone, la., but travels much in California and southern latitudes with the hope of recovery. The sisters were Mary, wife of Mr. Bacon ; and Lena is a Mrs. Gretzinger. The parents of this family of children remained in Ohio for several years, but finally went to Boone, la., taking up their residence with their children and there died.

Mr. Frederick Gappinger, as has already been stated, owes his success to' his steady application to business and thrifty habits, starting in life with a capital which is the gift of God alone - strong arms and determined purpose. Politically he is a Democrat, but is governed by his knowledge of the candidate in local affairs when casting his ballot. Like many of his countiymen, he is of the Lutheran faith, while his estimable wife and daughters are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, taking an active part in all its good work.

Jesse E. Lock

Was born in Preble county, Ohio, April 7, 1840, and at the age of two years was brought to Noble county, Ind., where he has since resided. He is a son of John E. and Elizabeth (Link) Lock, who were well and favorably known in this county during their residence here. John Lock was a native of Maryland, where he was born January 13, 1806. His wife was born in Virginia, February 27, 181 5. They were married and at once settled in Preble county, Ohio, where they lived until the fall of 1849, when they came to Noble county, Ind., and located on the farm now owned by the subject. Here mother when upward of sixty years. They were the parents of ten children : Susanna, who died in Preble county, Ohio; John; Barbara, wife of Hiram C. Lindsev, whose biography appears elsewhere; Benjamin; Mary; Jesse E., the subject; Eliza; Elizabeth ; Lucina, wife of David Clouse ; ami Lydia. The eldest died in childhood and was buried in Ohio, and six were laid to sleep beside their parents in Green township.

Jesse E. Lock was reared to manhood on his father's farm and took up with the vocation of husbandry, an occupation he has followed with profit to himself and credit to the community. He has always resided on the home entered by his father, where he owns one hundred and eighty acres of fine land, well improved and carefully tended. He is decidedly practical in his methods, and is regarded as one of the best farmers in the county. He was married to Miss Sarah A. Moore, who died a few years later, leaving two little children, who have grown to womanhood and live in this vicinity. Corilla. the elder, is the wife of George F. Ott. Jennie married a Mr. Rinkenberger. Mr. Lock was then joined in wedlock with Mrs. Christine (Weed) Miller, who became the mother of one child, Charles H., when she, too, was laid to rest in the churchyard. The present wife of Mr. Lock was Miss Hettie Ott, daughter of the late George F. Ott, an old and respected citizen of Noble county for many years. Indeed, the name of Ott has been so closely identified with the past history of this section of the state of Indiana as to be inseparable from a true record of its early days as well as with its present prosperity. The younger generation have grown up with the country, as is the case with Mr. Lock, and have taken a deep interest in its welfare. Mr. Lock is an active and influential backer of all enterprises of a local nature, and is an important factor in keeping alive the enthusiasm of the citizens to the best interests of the community, to which he is a liberal contributor. He was early impressed with religious truths and united with the Christian church at the age of fifteen, his after life being molded in conformity with his religion. His wife is also a member of that church and is a zealous worker for the cause of good.

William Huston

When an individual is possessed of more than one profession or vocation in life, and can intelligently practice either or both, he may well feel assured that he has a reasonable assurance of meeting with success in his life career and in course of time acquire an enviable name and a competence, as has been the case with the subject here under notice.

William Huston, a resident of Jefferson township, Noble county, Inch, was born in Knox county, Ohio, September 22, 1827, and is a son of Joseph and Rachel (Williams) Huston, natives of Pennsylvania, who were married in the Keystone state ; thence moved to Knox county, Ohio, where they passed the remainder of their lives and where the father died in 1829 and the mother in 1873, the latter at the age of eightytwo years. These parents had a family of two sons and two daughters, of whom the subject of this sketch was the third child in order of birth.

until his fourteenth or fifteenth year when, for good and sufficient reason of his own, he went to Zanesville, Ohio, in search of work, but failing in his search there for employment, he went to Newark, Ohio, for the same purpose, but again failed. But nothing daunted the young adventurer and he returned to Mount Vernon and labored for one year at anything he could find to do, thus exhibiting a spirit of independence and determination that has never since been weakened, much less overcome by adverse fortune. He then entered upon an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade for three years, receiving for the first two years a compensation of three dollars per month, and for the third year four dollars per month. After completing his full term of three years he found employment as a journeyman at Sandusky City, Ohio, for about two years ; here his remuneration was not very large, and consequently he sought for and obtained employment at loading and unloading vessels with merchandise, chiefly wheat. This work was at night, after his day's work at his trade was over, and was continued for two months in order to increase his income, thus giving another evidence of his energy and determination to push forward.

After leaving Sandusky City, Mr. Huston found employment at bridge-building on the Mansfield & Sandusky Railroad (now the B. & O.), at which he continued for about six months; and then, to further gratify his ambition, in 1849 he started for California in company with seven others, with the purpose of mining, the gold-fever being then at its height. The journey was made overland with ox-teams, and required one hundred or one hundred and fifteen davs to cross the plains. Arriving in safety he passed four years in the mines, meeting with success, with the exception of ahout four months. The return of Mr. Huston to' the states was by the Nicaragua route, which required about thirty days. He again visited Mount Vernon, Ohio, where he remained about four weeks, and in May, 1853, came to Noble county, Ind., and in the following August purchased one hundred and thirtysix acres of land in section 6, on which he still lives. This acreage, however, he has at times increased, until at one period he was the owner of over five hundred acres, but has disposed of all to advantage except that which he has kept for bis homestead. This land was all wild, but the home farm of three hundred and twenty acres Mr. Huston, with his usual energy, has cleared up with the exception of eighteen acres, and bis residence and other buildings are among the finest in the township.

Mr. Huston was united in marriage, near Belleville, Richland count}-, Ohio, November 8, 1853, with Miss Nancy Knox, a daughter of John and Mary ( Murry) Knox, natives of Washington county, Penn. ; both died in Richland county, Ohio, each when eighty-four years of age. They were of Scotch-Irish parentage. Mr. and Mrs. Knox were the parents of fourteen children, all of whom, with one exception, grew to maturity. Of this family Mrs. Huston was the eighth child in order of birth, and was born in Richland county, Ohio, February 8, 1828. To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Huston have been born ten children, in the following order: Elbert E. ; John K. who died when two years old; William W. ; George F. ; .Man- I.. who was a teacher in Elkhart township for fifteen years, and died July 28.

1899, when about forty years of age, truly mourned by all who knew her; Eva M., who is the wife of H. K. House; Elmer E., who died when about four months old ; Frank C. ; Ella M., who died September 16, 1893, when about twenty-six and a half, years of age, and who was a school-teacher and last taught school at Blowing Rock, N. C, among the mountain whites ; and Uma E., a musician at Mary Allen Houston Seminary, Crockett, Texas.

Mr. and Mrs. Huston are members of the Presbyterian church, to the support of which they contribute most liberally, and the teachings of which the}- consistently follow. In politics subject is independent and does not adhere to any party. Socially they stand very high, and an)- comment on the character of such a citizen and of a man of Mr. -Huston's caliber would be the reinteration of the general sentiment of many admiring friends.

Hiram L. King

When a man can look backward to his boyhood days for a period of more than fifty-five years and recall to mind the trials and struggles of making a home from a wilderness of forest and swamps, he can be properly termed at this late day in the history of Indiana a typical pioneer. Such a man is Hiram L. King, whose name opens this sketch, and who was born in Perry township, Geauga county, Ohio, October 2, 1826. When a child of one year his parents moved to Portage county. Ohio, and settled in Brimfield township, where the family remained for a time and then moved to Carroll county. In May, 1837, the family again

The parents of Hiram L. King were Hiram and Catherine (Lowe) King. Hiram King was born in the state of New York. July 13, 1799, and his wife, Catherine ', Lowe) King, also a native of New York, was born May 4, 1803. Shortly after marriage they moved to Ohio, and thence came to Noble count)-, Ind., settling in Swan township on section 3, where they passed the remainder of their lives, the father passing away April 16, 1866, and the mother December 14, 18S3. They were both members of the Presbyterian church, and reared a family of six children, namely : Mary Ann. who became the wife of the late Edwin Randall, of Allen township, and died herself September 24, 1892; Hiram L., subject; Ira M.. a resident of Swan township, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume; Oliver P., who died in Swan township; and John Colvin, who died on the old homestead in Swan township- November 23, 1858, at the age of twenty-one.

Hiram L. King obtained the only education possible in those days in Indiana's northern counties, and faithfully devoted his energies in assisting his father to develop the farm of four hundred acres in Allen township and bring it into a state of cultivation. He remained at home until reaching his twenty-third year, and to witness the present condition of this fine farm it is only necessary to realize the amount of toil and labor that he has expended thereon. This has come into his possession, and it was there he brought his young wife. He was first married, June 7, 1859, to Miss Frances A. Mumford, daughter of one of the pioneers of Allen township and a cousin of the wife of Dr. Lemmon, of Albion, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. Mrs. King died on the home farm in Allen township, October 9, 1864, in the twenty-eighth year of her age. She was the mother of two children: Herbert H., who died October 21, 1884. at the age of twenty-five; Helen F., who became tbe wife of Howard Holmes, a farmer of Los Vngeles, Cab. died of consumption On the way home from that state in June. 1893, in her thirty-second year. May 9, [886, Air. King again married, leading tothe altar Mrs. Margaret 1 Brundige) Craig, a daughter of Ezekiel and Elizabeth ( Rowe'j Brundige, and widow of William N. Craig, of Allen township, who died at tbe age of forty-one, September 30, 1885. and bv whom she was the mother of three children : Herbert C, Franklin E. and Daisy Nell. .Mrs. Margaret King was born in Wayne township, December 14, 1854. Air. and Airs. King have one daughter - Orpha A.

Mr. King has taken an active part in township affairs, and his opinions on <|iiesti< 11s affecting the progress and development of the material interests of the township and county have a great deal of weight among his neighbors and acquaintances. While not a member of any church, Mr. King has always contributed freely toward the support of all. In politics Mr. King is a prominent Republican, and since be was old enough to vote has never failed to cast bis ballot for the presidential nominee of the old Whig party and its successors, the Free Soil and Republican parties. His first presidential vote was cast for Zachary Taylor, a

Whig-. He has had the privilege of voting for fourteen candidates for the presidency of the United States, ten of whom were elected. He has passed the three-quarter century line of life and still possesses to a remarkable degree ruddy and vigorous health and activity.

Michael Krantz, an uncle of the mother of Mr. King, served under General George Washington in the war of the Revolution, and on one occasion volunteered with others to go out in the darkness and watch the movements of the British in order to ascertain whether it was the intention of the enemy to evacuate the field or to prepare for battle. Mr. Krantz was gone all night with his comrades and General Washington in the meantime paced his tent forward and backward, fearing that his messengers might have been slain or captured.

Of the children born to Mrs. King's first marriage, Herbert died October 8, 1894; Franklin died June 6, 1879; and Daisy Nell, who has received a good common-school education, as well as instruction in music, is still residing with her mother. Orpha A., daughter of Hiram L. and Elizabeth King, is now in the fourth grade at school and is also taking lessons in music.

Mrs. King has been reared and educated in Indiana. She is a lady of most pleasing grace of manner, her home is her paradise and she proves a valuable helpmeet to her husband in the problem of life. She is a member of the Protestant Methodist church known as Allen chapel.

Mr. King has seen many red men of the forest near his father's old home and many have been the times that he has sat with Indians around the camp fire after they had returned from their hunts. He has two old relics - an old lamp and copper plate - which were plowed up near his home in section 14, and those relics are of the war days of 1812. The copper plate in question was one used on the frontpiece of a military cap. It bears the inscriptions, "Unity is strength" and "1776," and has the thirteen stars.

Mr. King attended the log-cabin schools of the early days, with slab benches and heated by an old-fashioned fireplace, and the text-books were the Elementary spelling book and Daboll's arithmetic; this school was kept up by private funds.

Mr. King takes a deep interest in every movement which tends to the betterment ot humanity and the elevation of mankind to e higher plane of civilization, and is one ot those men whose influence on the community will be felt by generations yet to come.

John Ouigley Knox

John Ouigley Knox, postmaster of Albion, Noble county, Ind., was born in Richland (now Morrow) county, Ohio, July 27, 1842, and is a son of William and Isabel (Beatty) Knox, natives of Pennsylvania, who, in childhood, were taken by their parents to Richland county, Ohio. William Knox was born September 15, 181 7, and his wife, who was born in the same year, died December 20, 1854. William remarried, and came to Noble county in 1877, and there died in August, 1SS1. William and Isabel Knox were the parents of eight children- - born in the following order: Robert B., who died February 28, 1864, and while in the army during the Civil war, leaving a wife and two children; Jane Mary, wife of Henry R. Purdy, died near Albion, December 24, 1876, and was .the mother of five children ; Eliza Ann, who married John Cotton (now deceased), and lives near Churubusco, Ind., is the mother of four children ; John Ouigley, the subject of this sketch; James M., who was a soldier in the Civil war four years, died in 1881 at Evanston, Wyo., while on a trip from Wisconsin to Montana; William Henry W. is a prosperous farmer in Noble county, Ind. ; Margaret Isabel is the second wife of Henry R. Purdy, and has three children ; Thomas E. is a railway employee at Fort Wayne, and the father of four children.

John O. Knox was educated in the public schools of Morrow county, Ohio, and was reared to farm life, May 12, 1862, he enlisted in Company C, Hoffman's Battalion, which was assigned to the Sixth Army Corps. Originally there were bur four companies in this battalion, but in 1863 it was reorganized with ten full companies and designated the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Ohio. This regiment served mostly on detached duty, but was sent to Sandusky, Ohio, and placed on guard duty at the prisoner's camp on Johnson's Island. While on the island Mr. Knox received an injury that made him a cripple for life. While engaged in erecting a government building the derrick gave way and in its fall five employees were injured, Mr. Knox being among them. His hip joint v>a^ so badly injured that for two years he was reduced to the use of crutches, and he now receives a pension of twentyfour dollars per month as a slight compensation for his disability. He was honorably discharged at Columbus, Ohio, December 24, 1864, and after recovering sufficiently to attend to any business he located in Brimfield, Noble county, and engaged in mercantile life. He was some time afterward appointed postmaster, and filled this office in a most satisfactory manner for eight years.

Mr. Knox continued in business at Brimfield from 1865 until 1875, and then came to Albion and was employed as a clerk in a dry-goods store for two years, and next as a clerk in a grocery for four years, although there was an interval of two years between the two engagements. Failing health compelled his retirement from the last named position and he purchased a small farm near Albion. March 17, 1898, Mr. Knox was commissioned postmaster of Albion, to succeed William H. McEwen. This is a third-class office and gives eraploymert to three persons.

September 24, 1865, Mr. Knox married, at Mansfield, Ohio, Miss Mary E. Cook, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and a daughter of William and Eunice Cook, natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Knox have no offspring of their own, but have partially or wholly reared several adopted children, and have lost two- wards by death.. Politically Mr. Knox was reared a Democrat, but during his army life he forsook his early political teachings, became a Republican and cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Knox are Presbyterians, and take an active interest in the affairs of their church. Fraternally he is a member of Warden Post, No. 205, G. A. R., at Albion, and in this he has filled a number of responsible offices. The Knox family is traceable to Scot- land, and the Beatty family is of Irish origin. Both have long' been established in America, and the immediate members of the John Ouigley Knox family are among the most highly respected residents of the city of Albion.

William E. Worden

Among the self-made men of Noble county who have become prominently identified with her progress and development during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and are still important factors in her present and future advancement, is the present efficient county treasurer, William E. Worden. He was born in Buffalo, N. Y., December 3, 1852, a son of L. G. and Maria (Rockwood) Worden, the father (deceased) a native of Knowlesville and the mother of Erie county, N. Y., who makes her home with her son, William E.

L. G. Worden, the father, started in life as a clerk in the dry-goods store of his father at Knowlesville, N. Y., and on moving to1 Lagrange count}-, Ind., conducted a hotel. From there he went to Lima, and later moved to Albion.

Coming to Indiana witli his parents when a mere lad, the education of William E. Worden was rounded out at Albion in the public school. Laying aside his textbooks and entering upon the practical duties of life in 1870, he entered the employ of Black & Love as a clerk, remaining with them two and a half years, resigning to accept a position with Clapp & Phillips, with whom he remained until 1875, going then to Florida. Returning a year later ( 1876), he clerked in a hardware store until 1877, when he engaged in business with his father, the firm being known as L. G. Worden & Son. This, however, was of short duration, and he severed his connection to accept a clerkship with his former employers, Clapp & Phillips, with whom he remained until 1880, when they burned out. Mr. Worden then engaged as a clerk in the drug house of R. L. Stone, becoming a partner in the business in 1886, which was continued until 1 901. when he sold his interest to Mr. Stone to1 qualify as treasurer of Noble county, to which position he had been elected.

On January 5, 1873, William E. Worden was married to Miss Catherine A. Matthews, a daughter of David and Henrietta Matthews, residents of Noble county. The father of Mrs. Worden was a prosperous farmer of the county, but is now deceased; the mother is still living. Mr. and Mrs. Worden are the parents of four children, namely: Leonard D., who is twenty-eight years of age; Vernon W., twenty-five years of age; Edwin F., twenty-one years of age; and Grace, fourteen years of age, still attending school. Leonard is the proprietor of the "Fair" store in Albion, and his brothers are all in his employ. He is well and favorably known, enjoys an excellent reputation in the business community and is very successful in his business affairs.

William E. Worden enjoys a large acquaintance in the city of his adoption, and but few men can point to clearer and better records as a man, a citizen and as a public official. Fraternally he is a Royal Arch Mason ; member of Albion Lodge, No. 233, K. of P. : and belongs to the subordinate lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having filled all the chairs therein.

Mr. Warden has the gratifying knowledge that his success in life and determination to win a place among the prosperous and honored citizens of his county - his clear perception and excellent judgment on financial matters - make his opinion valuable, and among the business community he is here, as elsewhere, held in the highest esteem. He is the owner of a fine farm and his home residence, where the genial hospitality of himself and wife is frequently enjoyed by his numerous friends.

John Weir

John Weir, one of the firm of Weir & Cowley, proprietors of a flourishing hardware store in Ligonier, Noble county. Ind., and ( ne of the most reputable and successful business men of the county, is a splendid example of American thrift and industry. Commencing life a poor buy, he overcame all hindrances that have stood in the way of his success, and by well-directed energy and application has compelled the fickle goddess of fortune to smile on his efforts. Air. Weir was born in Lagrange county, Intl., August 21, 1840. and is a son of Elijah Wood and Amy Ann (Hern) Weir.

Elijah Wood Weir was born in Washington county, N. Y., where he lived until three years of age. when, with his parents, he went to Delaware county, same state. His wife was a native of Delaware county, N. Y., but they were married in Lagrange county, Ind., in 1836. Their family was composed of four children, namely: Emily, who married Arthur M. Price, a well-to-do farmer of Lagrange county; Sarah, deceased wife of Ledger D. Cowley, of Lagrange county; Clara, wife of Darwin R. Stockley, of Evanston, 111.; and John.

John Weir as an industrious youth and ambitious to make something of himself more than a mere plodder. In August, 18(14, he embarked in the hardware business, and by continued perseverance and thrift he has built it up from a small beginning to a large and lucrative business. His honesty and the earnest endeavor with which he tries to suit his trade have made him popular with all classes, who appreciate his upright character, while the superior class of goods he handles insures the good will of the purchaser and a continuance of his trade. He has proven himself to be a man of the most scrupulous and honorable character and enjoys the confidence and esteem of a wide circle of acquaintances.

In June. 1805, soon after becoming established in business, Air. Weir was united in marriage with Miss Alcinda J. Welch, by whom he has two children. Fred F.. who married Miss Jennie L. Reed and has developed into a shrewd man of affairs, being associated with his father in the hardware business, and Harry W.. who is engaged in railroad work. Mrs. Alcinda J. Weir was born October '28, [845, and is a lady whose many excellent qualities of head and heart have endeared her to a large number. Her parents are the Rev. John W. and Patience A. (Parker) Welch, of Lagrange county, Ind.

Air. Weir has taken a prominent part in all public work since his location in Noble county, and has been a potent factor in bringing Ligonier to its present prosperous condition. From his earliest settlement in this community he has been recognized as a man of no mean ability, and when the nomination for the first mayor of the little village was under consideration the popular voice selected Mr. Weir as the man who could best fill the position. His interest in public affairs has continued to be unabated, and he has served with equal zeal as a member uf the school board, where his sound common sense has been instrumental of much good. He also has been elected town treasurer seven terms. At present he is a member of the common council. Religiously, whilst Mrs. Weir is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, he is recognized as one of the reprobates, as he concedes to all others the largest liberty of thought on this subject, only assuming the same privilege for himself, and believing that better citizenship may be obtained by appealing to the better natures of mankind rather than to their superstitions and fears. Politically he is what might be expected of one who in his youth had access to the columns of the National Era while in the early 'fifties it published "Uncle Tom's Cabin" as a serial.

Charles W. Nichols

This gentleman is one of the most popular as well as one of the most prominent and prosperous farmers of Elkhart township, Noble county, Ind., and is the proprietor of an excellently improved farm of one hundred and fifty-three acres. His father, George Nichols, is a native of Logan county. Ohio, and was born May .20, 1813. George Nichols married Lucy A. Stroman, who was born in Union county, Pa., November 11, 1 82 1, the wedding taking place in Lagrange count}-, Ind., February 17, 1847. From Lagi.uige county they canv.: to Noble county in 1854, and settlei in Orange township in March of that year, and there, with the exception of eleven months, they made their home until 1898, in April of which year their residence was destroyed by fire. After that disaster they made their home with their son, the subject of this sketch, until a new dwelling had been erected on the old homestead ; after that they lived with their son, Charles W., in winter, and with their daughter in summer, and there the mother passed the remainder of her life, dying May 11, 1901, and the father August 7, of the same year.

To- George and Lucy A. (Stroman) Nichols were born eight children, of whom five attained mature years, viz : Charles W., the subject of this sketch; Alary A., the wife of Lewis Rose; Martha L., who is married to Howard Deter; Malinda O., married to William A. Rice; and Dora L., who is the wife of Fred Chapman.

Charles W. Nichols, the gentleman whose name introduces this biographical sketch, was born in Johnson township, Lagrange county, Ind., April 3, 1852, but at the age of two years was brought by his parents to Orange township, Noble county, and with them he made his home until twenty-two years of age. December 24, 1874, he was united in marriage, in Johnson township, Lagrange county, with Miss Annie E. Healey, who was born in Colon, Lincolnshire, England, July 26, 1850, and is a daughter of William and Jane (Hubbard) Healey, both natives of Lincolnshire, who came to America in 18^1 and settled in Lima. Lagrange county, Ind. Mr. Healey was born March 24, 1828, and died in Johnson township, Lagrange county, August 13, 1897, and his widow, who was born November 13, 1828, died March 20, 1899. To William and Jane Healey were born nine children, of whom seven still survive, viz : Annie E. (Mrs. Nichols); William C. ; Elizabeth M., who is the wife of Leroy Greenwood; Sarah J., who is married to Henry Keck; Joseph R. ; George C. ; and Clayton E. ; John H. died when he was twenty-six years of age and Edward died when be was an infant.

Immediately after the celebration of their nuptials Charles W. Nichols and wife located on a farm in Orange township, Noble county, where they resided until March, 1885, when they settled in Elkhart township, which has since been their place of residence.

Mr. Nichols has erected a fine dwelling and other needful buildings of the most substantial character on his farm, and the farm itself is one of the best cultivated in the county. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Nichols five children, to-wit : Earnest C, Ethel M., George W., Florence ( who died in infancy ) and Blanche E. The family are attendants at the Jones chapel, Free Will Baptist church, of which Mr. Nichols has been a member since 1872. and in politics Mr. Nichols is a Republican.

Mr. Nichols is a gentleman of refined literary tastes, is a warm friend of public education and an ardent advocate of such works as are designed for the good of the general public and the increasing of the value of property. He is broad minded and liberal in all things and no man in the town ship is more sincerely respected.

The subject of this sketch has won hon- I orable distinction in the front rank of the medical fraternity of northern Indiana. That his ability and skill as a practitioner have been duly recognized is well attested by the liberal share of public patronage which he enjoys and the conspicuous place he occupies among the most advanced professional men of the city and county where he lives. Dr. Green is descended maternally from an old and prominent English family, being directly traceable through a number of generations to Sir John Abbott, at one time lord-mayor of the city of London. On the father's side he comes from sturdy Scotch-Irish ancestry. From the most reliable information obtainable the Greens appear to have been among the early I settlers of York state, where descendants of the original representatives of the family in this country still live. The Doctor's father, Samuel J. Green, a physician of more than local repute, was born in the town of Cambridge, Washington county, X. Y., and in 1838 graduated from the Jefferson G liege of .Medicine at Philadelphia. He began the practice of his profession at Crawfordsville, Ind.. and later located at Waynetown, Montgomery county, where for thirty consecutive vears he ministered to the ills of suffering humanity with professional success and large financial profits. In bis later vears he moved to Ocala, Fla.. where his death occurred on Christmas Day, [896. He was pre-eminently one of the most distinguished physicians and surgeons of his day and generation in Indiana, and as a man and citizen none stood higher in public esteem 1 r exercised a more wholesome, moral influence in the community where he so long resided. Br. Samuel Green married, in his native state, Mary Abbott, who died in the rear 1859: she bore her husband children as follows: Sarah M., Thomas, Anna E., Robert, George, Charles. William T. and one that died in infancy, unnamed.

William T. Green, whose name opens this review, was born March 29, 1857. in Waynestown, Montgomery count)-, Ind., and received his preliminary education in the public schools of his native place. In his sixteenth year he was sufficiently advanced in his studies to enter a higher institution of learning; accordingly he became a student of the Fort Wayne Methodist College, where he spent three years in very cli ise application. Having decided to adopt the medical profession for his life work, after leaving college the Doctor took a course in chemistry at Purdue University, and after completing the same entered, in the fall of 1878. Rush Medical College, Chicago. He was graduated from that institution with a very creditable record two years later, and immediately thereafter opened an office in the town of Brimfield, Noble county, and announced himself a candidate' for a share of public patronage. After a limited period at that place the Doctor went to Wolcottville, where he remained only three months, returning to his former location. Not being ver\ well pleased with Brimfield as a point from which to practice, he removed in less than a year to Rome City, where he at once took high rank as a physician and surgeon. He practiced there with eminent success for a period of three years, and in August, [883, came to Albion, as successor to Dr. W. Y. Leonard, and has remained here ever since. Dr. (ireen is a member of the Noble

County Medical Society, and his name also appears upon the record of the Medical Association of Indiana. He takes an active part in the deliberations of both bodies, and his well-known ability commands the most profound respect of his compeers. During the administration of President Harrison and part of President Cleveland's administration he served on the United States board of pension examiners, and for one term he was secretary of the Noble county board of health. He resigned the former position, since which time he has devoted his attention uninterruptedly to the practice in which his success has been most satisfactory, professionally and financially. Intellectually Dr. Green is incisive, direct and critical, and he brought to his life work a mind thoroughly disciplined by rigid training under competent instructors. He is a student in the true sense of the term, keeping fully abreast the times on all the latest researches and discoveries of medical science, with the ability to apply his knowledge practically in the treatment of diseases. His wide experience has brought him in contact with many of the leading physicians in the northern part of the state, with all of whom he maintains the most friendly professional and social relations. Since Ineating at Albion his practice has taken a wide range, and he makes a specialty of no particular branch of the profession, treating all diseases of whatever name with equal ability and success. As a family physician lie possesses peculiar qualifications, having that sympathetic touch of the true healer and that presence which at once begets confidence of the patient. In the sick-chamber he is, first of all, a thorough master of himself, and his personality, combined with critical knowledge and skill in treatment, seldom fails to accomplish the desired result. Dr. Green's prominence as a physician and surgeon is on a level with his honorable and upright career as a citizen. His character and genuine worth in every walk of life command the respect of all, and he stands to-day among the most intelligent, accomplished and progressive men in the city of his choice.

In his fraternal relations the Doctor is a man of high degree, belonging to the 1\< val Arch and Council, and since uniting with the order, in 1881, has been one of the most enthusiastic workers in the Albion lodge. Politically he is a Republican, Inn in no sense a partisan or an aspirant for office. He is deeply versed on all the great topics of the day and widely read in the world's best literature. Dr. Green was mar ried on February 16, 18S1. to Miss Eva M. Jones, of Fort Wayne, and his home has been brightened by the presence of four children : Lula. Janie. "William H. and John W., all living but the first named. Doctor anil Mrs. Green are popular in the social circles of Albion and have many friends' here and elsewhere.

Thomas E. Budd

Few communities are favored with a more intelligent and enterprising class of citizens than that of Green township, Noble county, Ind., and of these there can none be mentioned who deserve more favorable attention than the gentleman whose name opens this biographical sketch.

Richland county, Ohio, six miles southeast of Mansfield, March 14, 1854, and a rnsequently is now in the full prime of life. His father, the late Thomas Budd, was a native of Allegheny county. Perm., and was born near Pittsburg in 18 18, but whose death occurred in Ashland count}', Ohio, in November. 1893. The mother of Thomas E. bore the maiden name of Clarissa Edwards, and was born in Richland county, Ohio, in 1826, and died in Ashland county, Ohio, December 31. 1891, at the age of nearly sixty years. These parents had a family of twelve children, of whom Thomas E. was the second born, and was but four years of age when the family removed from Richland to Ashland county and settled on a farm in Vermillion township. Here he was reared to manhood and educated in the common schools. He was engaged chiefly in agricultural pursuits in Ashland county, meeting with that success which is invariably the reward of the intelligent disciple of Agricola. Stock raising was included to a large extent in this branch of industry, and his herds and flocks were recognized as among the choicest in the land.

In November, 1885, Mr. Budd came to Noble comity. Ind.. and in the spring of 1886 settled on the farm in section 21, Green township, which he still occupies and on which he has continuously resided ever since, with the exception of two years, which he passed in Ashland county, Ohio. Mr. Budd has made many valuable improvements 1 11 his estate of two hundred acre- in Green township, and it is unsurpassed in appearance and culture by any farm of equal dimensions in the count}' of Noble. His care of this property evidences a broad mind as a characteristic of in owner, as well as a liberal' spirit of progress in regard to methods of cultivation and the best means of securing good results from careful supervision of details, while an eye is well kq)t upon surroundings and the general harmony of all things in juxtaposition.

Thomas E. Budd has been twice married, his first wedding having been cele-i brated in Ashland county, Ohio, December 25, 1874. with Miss Agnes Davis, who was born February 2, 1856, in the county mentioned, and was a daughter of McClure and Jane Davis, natives of the same county. Ti 1 this union were born two children - Arthur L. and Erne. Mrs. Agnes Budd was called away by death from her home in Ashland county. September 12, 1879, most deeply mourned by her sorrowing family and many cherishing friends; and Mr. Budd passed the life of a disconsolate widower until December 26, 1887, when he was again inducted into the joys and blessings of matrimony by taking a second life partner in the person of Miss Lillie D. Douglas, of Allen county, Ind., where the second marriage took place. To this blissful union 'have been born two children: Ralph, who died in infancy; and Earlin R., who still survives to add sunshine to the household. Mrs. Lillie D. Budd was born in Allen county. May 3, 1861, and is a daughter of Joseph and Margaret Douglas, who are now deceased.

Mr. Budd is in politics a stanch Republican, and one who wields considerable influence, locally, being a prime favorite with his party. In November, 1900, he was elected county commissioner, an office he has since filled with impartiality and great executive ability, giving entire satisfaction to his friends and constituents and winning deserved credit for himself. He manifests

Religiously Air. Budd is an ardent Methodist, and has been active in the work of the church since 1891, when he became a communicant of the congregation of Green township. Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of the Maccabees. Mrs. Budd is an experienced school teacher, and for twelve terms taught in the public schools of Allen county. Mr. Budd may well be set down as one of the very energetic men of the county in which he lives, and, being now at an age when his most vigorous powers are in their ripe perfection, the people of Green township may well congratulate themselves upon his presence among them in all his virility. It is to such as he that commonwealths owe their growth and are able to afford protection to those who live within their boundaries.

Thomas J. Young

Is one of that large company of pioneers who have undergone all the privations and hardships of life in the wilderness, clearing vast stretches of woodland, building homes and preparing for Indiana the sound principles and sturdy government that is the basis of her present prosperous standing among the states if the Union. Mr. Young was born in Union township, Union county, Perm., September 28, 1836, but at the age of four years was brought by his parents to Noble count}-. Ind., where he has since been an honored resident. His parents, John and Hannah (Eagle) Young, were both natives of Pennsylvania, where they were married and resided for a number of years. In 1840 they came to Indiana, stopping for a short time at Port Mitchell, thence coming to Noble county, but during their stay at Port Mitchell, in August, the beloved wife and mother was laid to sleep within the bosom nf mother earth. The father lived to a good old age, dying in his eighty-seventh year. There were five children in the family.

Thomas J. Young was brought up in the neighborhood which is still his home, and chose his wife from among the fair daughters of Noble county. He was married, April 16, 1863, to Miss Mary Ann Ott, who was born in Green township, December 18, 1842. They are the parents of three offspring, namely: Laura, wife of Jeremiah Easterday ; Edward Everett, a prominent farmer of Green township; and Frank P., a graduate of the Kentucky School of Medicine, of Louisville, and a rising physician and surgeon. He is now professor of surgery of the American School of Medicine and Surgery at Kirksville, Mo. On his graduation from the medical college he was awarded a gold medal, the class of that year numbering two hundred. Mrs. Young is one of nine children born to George and Mary (Brown) Ott, who grew to maturity. Her mother and her father were natives of Ohio. He was a brother of Jesse and Abraham Ott. They came to Noble county in 1842, and both died at the age of seventy years.

Immediately after marriage Mr. Young moved to the home farm, where he remained three years. He then moved on to> eighty acres of wild land which he had purchased in Green township, and which he at once set about clearing and improving in a commendable manner. After he had this land well under cultivation he added a second eighty, and it is also carefully tended and made to bring in a neat income. Mr. Y< mugis one of the careful, systematic farmers who have done much toward raising the standard of agriculture in this community. He is a man who has the confidence of his neighbors to an unlimited degree, and by those who know him his word is considered as good as a bond. The family are regnlar attendants of the Christian church, of which Mrs. Young is a member and an active worker. She is a lady of pleasing individuality, which makes her a strong accpiisition to church or other organization, and the good she does in her quiet way is not to be calculated.

John B. Miller

Noble county is characterized by her full share of the honored pioneer element who have done so much for the opening up and development of the county and of the state and the establishment of all the institutions of civilization in this fertile and well-favored country. The biographical sketches in this volume are largely made up of this class of useful citizens, and it is not in the least too early to record the principal items in the lives of these hard-working and honest people, giving honor to whom honor is due, for they will soon be gone, and the past can have no better history, no better memoirs of the past, than these accounts.

and was born in Shelby county, Ohio, November 8, 1837. His parents were Lawrence and Elizabeth (Both well) Miller, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Shelby county, Ohio. They came to Indian Village, Noble county, Ind., about the year 1847 and bought a claim of a Mr. Eagles. Here they lived for a good many years and then removed to Kansas, where Lawrence Miller died.

Lawrence Miller was thrice married. By his first wife were born eight children. Two died in infancy, and the others were named as follows: Nancy A., Joseph C, Mary E., Frances M., Harriet and John B., the subject. By his second wife Mr. Miller had one child, Anna, while his third union was blessed with the birth of ten children.

To the common schools of Sparta township. Noble county. Ind., John B. Miller is mainly indebted for his education, having attended there faithfully until he was twentyone years of age. At this time he laid aside his studies and was employed by his father in splitting rails, for which at that time there was a large demand on the farm. He then farmed for himself that summer, and in the fall of 1859 rented the James Miller farm. He tilled that land until 1865 and then mined onto the place where he now lives. He owns ninety- four acres of rich farming land; also has a lot in Huntington, Huntington county, Ind., in what is known as the College addition.

In the fall of 1859 John B. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Armegust, and this union has been blessed with the birth of nine children. Four of these, three daughters and one son, died in infancy unnamed, while the others are here enumerated: James L. married Jane Cramer; Samuel J. is a resident of Kosciusko- county, this state; Elias A. married Louisa Feucht; Julia A. became the wife of Jacob Hahn and their union has been blessed with three children - Mabel, deceased, Nellie and Paul ; John A. lives in Washington township, this county.

Politically Mr. Miller has always affiliated with the Republican party, excepting during the last presidential campaign, when he listened to the dictates of conscience and cast his ballot for the Prohibition party. He has always placed principle above party, and feeling the cause of intemperance to be the most vital question before the voters of this nation, he allowed his ballot to be governed by his honest convictions upon this question. He has served one term as supervisor. Religiously Mr. Miller is a faithful and consistent member of the radical branch of the United Brethren church in Indian Village.

By his manly, straightforward course in all the affairs of life with which he has been connected, Mr. Miller has earned the respect and esteem of his associates, and because of their eminent social qualities and general worth he and his wife have gained unto themselves a large circle of warm friends.

Samuel Yeiser

A popular and progressive farmer of Jefferson township. Noble county, Ind.. was born in Richland county, Ohio, November 18, 1840, and is the eldest of eight children born to Michael and Elizabeth ( Shambaugh) Yeiser. Both parents were natives of Pennsvlvania, whence thev moved to Richland county. Ohio, which was their home until the fall of 1861, when they located in Allen township, this county, where they died. The father readied the age of forty-five and the mother forty years.

Samuel Yeiser came to Noble county, Ind., with his parents shortly before he was twenty-one and remained with them in Allen township five years. At the expiration of that time he purchased eighty acres of land in Jefferson township, which he has since made his home, and which he has improved in a most creditable manner. Mr. Yeiser was married December 27, 1866, to> Miss Mary Ann Koons, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Staudertour) Koons, both of whom were natives of Bedford county, Perm. They settled in Noble county, Ind., at an early day, and both passed to the better life from Jefferson township, he in April, 1894, in his seventy-fifth year, and she in April, 1899, when upward of eighty-three years. They were the parents of six children, of whom Mrs. Yeiser is the second, and was born in Bedford county. Penn., June 9, 1842. To Mr. and Mrs. Yeiser have been born six children, two of whom have passed up into the world of light and love. Samuel A. was a bright boy of eleven when he received the summons, and Benjamin F. was entering a promising manhood and was in his twenty-fifth year when he passed away at Albion in February, 1897. The survivors are Mary A., wife of Elias Stahl ; Sadie, Esther and Edward Grover. Mr. and Mrs. Yeiser are earnest Christians and zealous workers in the Evangelical Lutheran church, of which they are honored members. They belong to the class of citizens who form the backbone of our county and are universally honored and esteemed.

George W. Woodruff

Is pleasantly located on a good farm in Jefferson township. Noble county, Ind., within easy reach of the village of Albion, where he has resided for the past forty years and where his unflinching integrity has gained him the confidence and esteem of the hundreds who know him. He is a native of Broome county, N. Y., having been introduced to this mundane sphere in that place on February 2, 1821, his parents being Andrew and Rebecca (Barnes) Woodruff. The father was a native of Connecticut, as was the mother, and it was in that state they grew up and were married. Later in life they moved to New York and thence to Ohio, settling in Richland count}-, where they died, he at the age of sixty-two years and she at the advanced age of eighty-six. Eleven children were born to them, the youngest making its appearance in Ohio. George W. Woodruff was a child something less than four years old when his parents moved to> Richland county, Ohio, and settled on a farm in Washington township. Here the subject grew to manhood and engaged in various pursuits. He conducted a cooperage for a period of four years, but abandoned that, business to engage in buying and shipping stock, sending to the New- York markets and meeting with reasonable success. His next venture was to locate in Mansfield, Ohio, where he opened a studio and engaged in taking ambrotypes. but after a year in this business lie was obliged to relinquish it on account of ill health, and he returned to his former occupation of stockbuyer. His father having been laid away in the meantime, Mr. Woodruff purchased the old homestead, buying out the other heirs.

and made that his home until '1861, when he disposed of his property and with his wife and three children moved to Noble county, Ind. The first winter was spent in Albion, Mr. Woodruff employing" his time in looking up a good location. He finally purcnased eighty-four acres of land situated a short distance east of Albion, to which he moved his family the following spring. The property was run down and in poor conj dition when it came into possession of Air. Woodruff, and he at once set about its improvement in a manner which showed his knowledge of the work required, and has continued to add improvements from time to time until he has converted the property into a model home. Few men are better versed in agricultural lore than Air. Woodruff, and his success has been such that his opinions have come to be regarded as authority by his neighbors and his advice is frequently sought.

Mr. Woodruff was married in what is now Morrow county, Ohio, on April 25, 1843, tne lady of his choice being popularly known as Miss Emily Gardner. Mrs. Woodruff was born in Otsego county, N. Y., April 10, 1823. and is a lady possessing many excellent traits. She has borne her husband three children: Viletta M., who married William R. Knox, who died in Kokomo, Ind., January 24, 1892, and was buried in Albion ; Charles N., a rising young farmer of Albion township; and Loren J., who is located in London, England, as the agent of Swift & Company, of Chicago. Mr. Woodruff has reared a family who are a credit to Noble county, and he may well feel proud of them and their achievements.

found a ready help and strong support in Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff, as they are zealous members of that organization and have been liberal contributors of both time and money toward its advancement. Mr. Woodruff has filled all the offices of the church in a most acceptable manner and for many years was the efficient superintendent of the Sundayschool, which flourished under his administration as it never had done before. Mr, Woodruff is a man of striking personality and a strength of character which easily places him among the most influential residents of the county, and his zeal in whatever subject he espouses is the signal of its success. He is public spirited to a degree and his unselfish endeavors to push all movements which promise to> result in common good have caused him to be regarded in the light of a public benefactor.

George W. Poppy

The Teutonic race, renowned the world over for its habits of industry and its metaphysical trend of thought, furnishes an important and valuable element of the population of almost every part of the world, and in this respect the United States of North America have just cause for congratulation, inasmuch as there is not a state or territory throughout the wide expanse of this country that has not within its boundaries a full representation of the natives of the German empire.

George W. Poppy, one of the most successful agriculturists of Elkhart township, Noble county, Ind., is of German parentage paternally and possesses in a marked degree the characteristics of his progenitors, modified by the peculiar go-aheaditiveness innate with the native American. He was born in Elkhart township, September 20, 1856, and was reared on his father's farm, which was his place of birth, and this has ever since been his home, but it is here proper that a record be made of his immediate antecedents.

Augustus Poppy, the father of George W., was born in Hanover, Germany, December 24, 1825, and was quite a child when he came to America. Here he grew to manhood, married Mary Jane Rendel, who was born in Ashland county, Ohio, January 18, 1837, and this marriage was crowned by the birth of two children - George \Y., whose name opens this sketch, and Ida N., the latter now the wife of Nathan B. Hathaway, of York township. Augustus Poppy departed this life on his farm, in Elkhart township, September 18, 1898, having first secured a comfortable competence and laid the foundation of the fortune of his son. He was a highly respected gentleman and left to his family a heritage far more precious than land or money - a pure and untarnished name.

George W!. Poppy lived on the home farm, rendering valuable assistance to his father in its cultivation and improving his spare time in attending the district school, until his marriage, on November 20, 1884, when he led to the bridal altar Miss Elsie J. Wright, a daughter of Judson and Mary Ann (Arnold) Wright and a native of York township. Noble county, Ind., born December 3, 1856, and to this happy marriage have been born four children, three of whom are still living, namely: Carleton W., Mary O. and Victor A. The fourth

Mr. Poppy has always lived in Elkhart and York townships, Noble county, and has done his full share in the development of both. His skill as an agriculturist is due to his early training and to his own acuteness of perception, which have placed him among the foremost in the vocation. His farm of one hundred and twenty acres in section No. 35, Elkhart township, and thirty-three acres in York township is a model in itself, and not one of equal dimensions in the townships can exceed it in careful cultivation or the solidity of its improvements and beauty of its environments.

To revert to the family history of this gentleman, it may be proper to add that Augustus Poppy, the father, of George W., was a son of Frederick Poppy, who came from Germany to America with his wifcj and children in January, 1833, and landed in Baltimore, Md., where they lived for a short time and thence removed to Richland county, Ohio, and from there came to Noble county, Ind., and settled three miles north of Albion, where Frederick Poppy died April 3, 1872, his birth having taken place June 28, 1799. His wife, who had borne the maiden name of Dorothea Roric, and was born October 10, 1802, died in Orange township, Noble county, Ind., November 22, [851.

William Rendel. the father of Mrs. Augustus Poppy, was born in Pennsylvania, November 1. 1815, and there married Susanna Liex, a native of the same state and burn December 14, 1816. The twain removed from the Keystone state to Ashland county, Ohio, and thence came to Noble county, Ind., in 1855, an(l settled in

Wayne township, where William Rendel, one of its most prominent citizens at the time, died .March 4. 18(94, his wife having previously died, August 23, 1875, in Elkhart township, where they were temporarily residing.

Mr. and Mrs. Rendel had a family of three sons and six daughters, of whom Mrs. Augustus Poppy was the eldest, while the family of Frederick Poppy consisted of five sons and three daughters, of whom Augustus was the second child and eldest son. Augustus Poppy was a devout member of the German Lutheran church, and to this faith his widow still devoutedly clings.

It may be of interest to the reader to refer to the biography of Rev. T. J. Mawhorter, which will he found on another page of this volume, Mrs. Mawhorter being a sister of the mother of George W. Poppy.

Ra M. King

Whatever may be said of prophets lacking deserved honor in their own country, the adage never applies to the pioneer in the country which his audacity, commendable in a case of the kind here spoken of, and the energy which he exhibits in making his advances into a hitherto unbroken wilderness which he afterwards calls his own, and which his enterprise opens to the occupation of men as civilized as himself. In a condition of almost unlimited wildness was the county of Noble when the King family first made its appearance there, and through industry and sagacity materially aided in developing the county from its rude condition in [837 up to its highly elevated plane among the leading counties of Indiana in 1902. It will be remembered by the reader that this state was admitted into* full membership in the Union in the last month of the year 1816, and in the interval required for the newborn state to merge into a sphere of usefulness the King family had its home outside the borders of the county of which they afterward became citizens and leaders in its development.

Ira M. King, the subject proper of this sketch, was born in Brimfield, Portage county, Ohio, September 18, 1828; in 1835 he was taken by his parents to Carroll county, Ohio, and thence, in May, 1837, brought to Noble county, Ind., the family settling in Swan township, where Ira M. grew to manhood. ( It may not be improper here to call the attention of the reader to the sketch of Hiram L. King on another page, which will give further information touching this interesting family).

Mr. King ably assisted his father on the farm until twenty-five years oi age, when he married, in Swan township, January 2, 1854, Miss Jane Perry, who was born in the state of New York, a daughter of Oliver L. and Mary ( Francis) Perry. The Perry family came from New York to Noble county, Ind., in 1836, and settled in Swan township, where Mr. Perry became a very prominent citizen, and in his early day was elected county commissioner. His death occurred in Swan township when he was upwards of sixty years old, but his widow survived him many years and expired in Swan township of old age.

lins, of Toledo, Ohio, in which city she passed away February 29, 1888, in her thirty-fourth year; the remaining two chil- ! dren were named Oliver P. and John E. | After Airs. Jane (Perry) King was called from earth Air. King next married, in Noble county, February 14, 1861, Miss Catherine Haines, a daughter of Jacob and Sarah 1 Winegardner) Haines, a sketch of which prominent couple will be found in the biography of Jacob M. Haines, of Avilla.

Airs. Catherine ( Haines) King was born in Juniata county, Penn.. October 2, 1834, and came to Noble county. Ind., with hen parents in March, 1855. To this second union Air. King has had born to him seven children, namely: Arthur L., who died in Fort Wayne, August 4, 1895, in his thirtyfourth year; Milton E., who died in infancy, Frank E., who is a resident of Minneapolis, Minn.; Lillie C. ; Elton J., residing in Fort Wayne; Alford H. ; and Lloyd E., who is an instructor in physics in Purdue University.

Airs. King has been a member of the Evangelical church for many years, with her husband has been a firm and ardent friend of public instruction and both have taken unusual care to see to it that their own children have had the best possible educational advantages that the early schools of their pioneer days provided and have kept pace with the progress made by modern schools, giving them their moral aid and material support as opportunity has afforded.

When Air. King was first married he purchased a farm of eighty-five acres, which was all woodland. This he diligently set to work tn clear off, and with the persistent tenacity of the genuine pioneer converted it into a delightful home. But he. of course.

was nut satisfied with this ale me, hut went on increasing his acreage and adding to his improvements, even at that time the best in the township, until he once owned at least three hundred and twenty-five acres, but which he has since reduced to two hundred and twenty-five acres, this number being as great as he cares to handle or superintend.

Air. King has been a prime factor in the development of Swan township. He is broad minded and generous and willingly gives his influence and means to the promotion of all movements for the increase of the general happiness of his fellow-citizens and the elevation of such as have nut been as fortunate in the acquisition of wealth as himself. Not at all ostentatious or purse-proud, he quietly extends his helping hand to those who need assistance, and many are the blessings that are showered upon his head in secret by those who have been the recipients. cf his bounty.

Air. King has been always a stalwart Republican, and cast his vote fur the first nominee of the party fur the presidency, General John C. Fremont.

Charles E. Collins, grandson <<\ Mr. King, graduated from Purdue University as a civil engineer and is now employed in that capacity on the L. S. & AI. S. Railroad; the sons of Mr. King, Arthur L., Frank E., Elton J.. Alford H. and Lloyd E. are all graduates from old Purdue and fill exalted positions in various parts of the United States. Mr. King is himself one of the benefactors of this famous institution of learning, as he has endowed it with twenty years' tuition, which is a rich legacy to his children.

sheep pelt as a relic of the Revolutionary war, in which Mr. Krantz was a soldier, and the latter fact entitles the children of Mr. and Mrs. King to membership in the honored order known as the Sons and Daughters of the Revolution.

Nathan G. Reiff, M. D., a homeopathic physician and surgeon at Albion, Noble county, Ind., is a native of Chester county, Penn., born June II, 1859, and is a son of John B. and Clementine (Gr'ubb) Reiff, who were born in the Keystone state; the mother is still living at Pottstown, and there the father, who was a successful farmer, died August 16, 1898. These parents had iborn to them two sons and one daughter. The name of the last mentioned was Florence, but she was called away when but fifteen years old; the brother of the Doctor is named Frank G, and is a resident of Pottstown, Penn.

Dr. Reiff received his elementary educa- | tion in the "Hill" School at Pottstown, and j later attended and graduated from the classical department of Lafayette College at Easton, Penn., in 1881. He next entered the Hahnemann Medical College, of Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1883; then for two years practiced his profession in Pottstown, where he not only gained experience but met with fair remuneration; in 1885 came to Albion, Ind., where his abilities have won for him a patronage of the most flattering and promising character. He is recognized as a careful and conscientious practitioner, accurate in his diagnosis of cases brought before him; and in consequence has found that remuneration has promptly followed his treatment.

Dr. Reiff is prominently identified with the Masonic fraternity, being a member of and past worshipful master of Albion Lodge, No. 97, A. F. & A. M. ; Kendallville Chapter, No. 64, R. A. M. ; Apollo Commandery, No. 19, K. T., at Kendallville, and the Scottish Rite lodge at Fort Wayne. He is likewise a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge and encampment, and a member of the Knights of Pythias. In politics the Doctor is liberal in his views, as a rule, but inclines toward Republicanism in national issues. The Reiff family being of German origin, the Doctor was reared in the Dunkard faith, and his religion is as sound in its sphere as is his medical knowledge and practice in their allotted field of practice. The Doctor is still unmarried.

Thomas Shaw

W;ell and favorably known among the prominent and progressive farmers of Elkhart township, Noble county, Ind., is the subject of this sketch, Thomas Shaw. He is a native of Columbiana county, Ohio, was born August 24, 1832, and until his sixteenth year spent his time upon his father's farm. About this time his parents removed to Hardin' county, in the same state, where they remained until 1856. In August of that year Thomas Shaw, the subject, with his wife and one child, moved to Noble county, Ind., and settled on an eighty-acre tract of wild land near Cosperville, which has been his home for five years, having cleared and improved his property by his own labor. He then sold it and bought one hundred and twenty acres in the same township. He remained on it for four years, then sold it and went to the southern part of Illinois, but stayed a short time only, when he came back and bought one hundred and eighteen acres where he now lives.

Thomas Shaw was married in Hardin county, Ohio, in December, 1853, to Susanna Stump, a native of Hancock county, Ohio. Three children have been born to them: Jesse B., a farmer of Elkhart township; Marion F., a physician residing in Oregon; and David A., a clergyman living at Butler, Ind. The mother of these children was called to the great beyond in June, 1862, and Mr. Shaw, in November, 1863, married Miss Rachel Grisomer, a native of Perry township and a daughter of Joseph and Anna Grisomer. She died in April, 1890. She was a member of the Free Will Baptist church. Two years later Mr. Shaw was again married, leading to the altar, on May 17, 1892, Mrs. Elizabeth (HootonJ Prickett, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Field) Hooton, and widow of Rev. Jacob P. Prickett, who died in Boone county, 111., May 11, 1866. Mrs. Shaw was born in Marion county, Ohio, August 15, 1844.

While Mr. Shaw has been actively engaged in the arduous task of developing his farm and the erection of buildings necessary for the comfort of his family and the improvement of his facilities for the pn i« conduct of his business, he has not failed in those duties of citizenship which are necessary for the welfare of the community as a whole. He has served as township trustee, and in the duties of that office he gave the same care and thought to all measures affecting the township it would have received had it been his personal and private interest. In all proposed improvements he takes an active and important part and his opinions on questions of township and count}- matters are sought by his neighbors and acquaintances with a belief that they will be honestly given upon due reflection, if well worth}- of consideration.

In his relations with church matters he and his wife are firm and devoted advocates of the Free Will Baptist faith, and the congregation at Cosperville, with which they affiliate, would greatly miss their earnest and devoted efforts in promoting its interests and its good work.

Jacob Keller

The Fatherland - an expressive and wellapplied appellation to their native country by that large and progressive class of Germans who have made America their home and ably assisted in its development in every branch of industry - is eminently represented by the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this biographical sketch. While Mr. Keller retains many happy recollections of his youth in his native land, he has become thoroughly Americanized, and no one has a higher appreciation of the advantages of American institutions and the duties of citizenship all should bear alike.