Wabash County, Indiana - The whole text, 1914 (part 10 of 16)

The Hettmansperger family have been identified with Wabash county for half a century or more, and the parents of this well known Lagra township citizen were Chris and Barbara (Geiger) Hettmansperger, both natives of Germany, where they were married, and where all their children except the three youngest were born. The father was a blacksmith, followed his trade industriously, and by close economy , managed to accumulate a small hoard of capital. With those means, the family emigrated to the United States, there being four children at the time. One of these died at sea and was buried from the ship. That trip, accomplished in an old sailing vessel, required one hundred and sixty-six days. The family went from the Atlantic coast to Wis¬ consin and settled in that state in a portion which was still a wilder¬ ness and the father engaged in farming some eight or nine years. He then returned to his native land, once more resumed his trade, but his experience in the new world had put new ideas into his head, and he was unable to divorce himself from the land of freedom. Social con¬ ditions and economic conditions as well were disagreeable, and one day when he asked his good wife whether she would like to return to the land of freedom she answered, "I would rather start today than tomorrow,' ' and so after about two years in Germany they again set out for America. This time the journey was made on one of the early steamers then crossing the Atlantic, and required only sixty-six days,, comparatively brief with respect to the former journey, but exceedingly long when measured by the time of ocean steamship at the present time. The family on their second return to America, came to Wabash county, Indiana, where the father rented a farm in Noble township, five miles south of Wabash. Subsequently he located as a renter on the Phillip Alber farm, just north of Wabash, and with his savings eventually bought eight acres located on Chippewa Pike, three and a half miles north of Wabash. During the winter seasons, he often helped the old pioneer blacksmith, Phil Boechtel whose shop was nearby. After he had paid for his eighty acres, he and a cousin Fred Hettmansperger bought one hundred and sixty acres in partnership, and in order to secure the place he put a mortgage on his eighty acre farm. The timberland was. all paid for except about three hundred dollars, when hard times set in, and not only the new land but the old farm were lost to Mr. Hett¬ mansperger, and he had to begin all over again. During the next ten years, he was once more reduced to the necessity of farming as a renter, but he was steadily getting ahead in the world, and with a ripe fund of experience, which set him permanently on the road to prosperity. Finally he bought one hundred and ten acres, one mile north and three- quarters of a mile east of Urbana that being the old Dunfee farm. He continued to manage that place actively until about 1893, when he sold out and retired to the village of Urbana, where both he and his wife died. Her death occurred when sixty-three years of age, and he lived to be seventy-three.

The elder Chris Hettmansperger was what his neighbors called a "red hot democrat/ ' He often took an active part in the campaign in behalf of other candidates on the ticket, but never sought an office himself. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, as follows : Jacob, who resides in Wabash; Fred, of Roann; Charles, the child which died at sea; Katherine, who is Mrs. George Klein, a resident of Wabash; Chris; Ernest, who resides at Elkhart; and Philip, of Ft. Wayne, , Indiana.

Chris Hettmansperger, Jr., was bom in Baden Baden, Germany, February 8, 1856, and was about eight months of age when the family set out for the United States the second time. Growing up in Wabash county, and with a district schooling, he has from early years been a hard worker, and has earned all his present substantial prosperity. His school days put together would comprise hardly six months, but he is a man of thorough practical education, and has the ability to judge a steer or see into the prospects of a business deal as quickl/ as any of his contemporaries. In the early days he helped clear up the home farm, and at the age of twenty-five left home, and on December 28, 1881, married Mary Roush, a daughter of Abraham and Charlotte Roush, a well known family of farming people in this county. To the marriage of Mr. Hettmansperger and wife have been born the following children : Anna, wife of Charles Keefaber, of Wabash, and their three children are Roy, Helen and George; John married Anna Sparling, and is a farmer who lives near Treaty, this county, and has one child, Paulina; George married May McKinley, lives in Wabash county, and their one child is Benjamin; Walter married Ethel Long, lives in Wabash, and has one child, Mary; Homer, is his father's assistant on the farm; Garl lives at home ; Miss Charlotte is the youngest and all the children were well educated, their parents having taken special pains to afford them all the advantages of the home schools.

After his marriage Mr. Hettmansperger remained at home for a few months, and in the following spring rented the old Jerry Flinn farm of one hundred acres, half a mile north of Urbana. He remained on that place two years, then got together his stock and other products, had a sale, and with the proceeds moved to Urbana and bought a home, and for the following three years was employed in the saw mill. A few years later he again resumed farming and rented the Fred Mowery farm one mile south of Urbana, living there two years. The next three years were spent on the farm of his mother-in-law in Lagro township, and he and Ben Wolfe then went in as partners in a stock farm, their opera¬ tions being carried on on the Wolfe farm on four hundred acres in Lagro township. Mr. Hettmansperger spent thirteen years in charge and general supervision of that large estate, and by hard work impaired his health, so that he was obliged to look for a smaller place, and at that time bought his present farm. The place was obtained from the Baker heirs. In true German style, Mr. Hettmansperger first built his barn and proper accommodations for his stock and implements and then erected his comfortable family residence. The house is thoroughly modem, with gas light, running hot and cold water, both hard and soft, with bath and toilet, and every convenience and facility that can be found in the best homes on city streets. Since taking possession he has put up all the buildings which now comprise a fine group of farm houses, has given value to much of his land by tile drainings, and besides his general farming does a good deal of buying and selling of live stock.

Mr. Hettmansperger affiliates with the Independent Order of Foresters at Wabash and the Wabash Detective Association, and is a democrat in politics, though usually voting for the man rather than the ticket. The secret of his success has perhaps been his thorough judgment of live stock and this was acquired by his experiences when a boy. One time, several years before he reached his majority, his father gave him a calf, and after it reached a salable size his father substituted for it another calf, and continued that process, so that the boy always had a calf but never realized any profit from its possession. When he left home he left a descendant of the original calf behind, and while he never realized any money from that fictitious ownership, he did in that way acquire a judgment as to the good points of stock and thus received his first practical experience in raising cattle, all of which proved very useful to him in his later career.

John Karn and Daniel Karn. For many years there have resided in Wabash county a family bearing the name of Kara, whose members have been prominent in agricultural pursuits and in the movements which have made this one of the most prosperous and best governed sections of Indiana. Prominent among these representatives may be mentioned the late John Karn and his son, Daniel Karn, the latter of whom is now one of the influential and highly respected citizens of the vicinity of North Manchester. Men contribute in various ways and through diver¬ sified channels to the welfare of their community, through manufac¬ tures, trade, commerce and the professions, but when all is said and done it is to the farm that we must look for the nation's sustenance, and, viewed in this light, the farmer's place in the scheme of things is an important one.

John Karn was born August 7, 1824, in Stark county, Ohio, a son of Jacob and Leah Karn. He grew to manhood in his native commu¬ nity, received a good common school education and early adopted the tilling of the soil as his life 's vocation. In 1848 he was married to Miss Eva Swank, and they became the parents of four children : Daniel, Mary, who married Jacob Butterbaugh, and is now deceased ; Annie, who mar¬ ried Abraham Arnett, of Ohio; and Jacob, who passed away at the age of twenty-three years. Mrs. Eva Karn died in the spring of 1862, and Mr. Karn was married to Elizabeth Landis, and after her death to land, and he was also employed by others. As one of the older chil¬ dren, he did what he could to bring a little money home for the family support. His first regular employment was for George Bruner, and his first month's wages were four dollars. That four dollars looked like a greater sum to him than several times the amount has since, and it was a proud day for him when he turned the wages over to his parents. As a youth he was employed on different farms for several years, and that continued until the beginning of the war, at which time he had just passed his sixteenth birthday.

In June, 1862, Christian Gurtner enlisted in Company A of the Seventy-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry under Capt. Samuel Steele, and continued fighting for the freedom of the slaves and for the preserva¬ tion of the Union until the end of the war. He never missed a battle in which his regiment was engaged, and it was in some of the most notable campaigns of the war. During the battle of Chickamauga he received a wound in the left wrist, but was not long incapacitated for duty. Mr. Gurtner was at the battles of Missionary Ridge and Stone River or Murfreesboro, and took part in the hundred days' campaign which led to the fall of Atlanta. Prom Atlanta, after the burning of that city, on November 14, 1864, he was in the army of General Sherman which started sixty-five thousand strong on the memorable march to the sea. During the next month the army lived chiefly by foraging on the scanty supplies of the country through which it marched, and on December 21st reached the sea after having covered two hundred and fifty miles. Port McAlister soon fell, and with it the city of Savannah, where Mr. Gurtner and his comrades ate their Christmas dinner in 1864. At the close of the war, after practically three years of con¬ tinuous service, Mr. Gurtner received his honorable discharge at Indian¬ apolis and returned to his father's home once more to become a farmer.

The next important event of his life occurred on March 29, 1868, when he was married to Gennetta Purdy, a daughter of Alfred and Elizabeth (French) Purdy. Mr. Gurtner and wife have three chil¬ dren: Elisabeth, who is the widow of James Bechtol and lives on a farm adjoining that of her parents, is the mother of four children, as follows: Floyd E., who married Edith Smith; Ethel, who married Bruce Hiner; Anna May; and Gaile. The second child, John, died when ten years of age. Bertha is Mrs. Willie Hiner, of Paw Paw township, and their three children are Lawrence, Elden and Neva.

The married life of Mr. and Mrs. Gurtner began on a rented farm three miles west of their present home. Eighteen months were spent in the first place, after which they leased a farm in Noble township and during the next seven years managed to get ahead some in the world. Prom there they moved to Paw Paw township, and again continued as renters for six years, next moving to the old Honeywell farm in Noble township, which was rented by them for four years, and the next six years were spent on the Leonard Himan farm in Paw Paw township. That was their last rented place, since from there they moved in* 1893 to their present farm, which was once the old Purdy place. Mr. Gurtner is a practical and successful general farmer. He has remodeled all the buildings, has put up a good stable, and all the old rail fences have been replaced with strong wire fencing, and during the twenty years that he has owned the place he has spent more money for tile than the original cost of the farm. He understands farming in all its depart¬ ments, and has a singular ability in getting the greatest resources out of a given amount of land. There is a large annual crop of corn on the Gurtner farm, and like most of the successful agriculturists of Wabash county he prefers selling it "on the hoof to selling it on the cob."

Mr. and Mrs. Gurtner are members of the Christian church, and he is affiliated with the Masonic Order at Wabash and the Grand Army Post in the same city. A self-made man in the fullest sense of the word, he started life as a poor boy, and has more than held his own from the time he was seven years of age.

Col. John R. Polk. In writing of the citizenship of Wabash county and of the city of Wabash, it is especially appropriate that some mention be made of those men who lived worthily and to excellent purpose in the community in earlier years, though now no longer in the ranks of living and active men. Among those men who will long be remem¬ bered in the city of Wabash may be mentioned Col. John R. Polk, who was born October 11, 1832, and who died in this city on October 21, 1875. Though a young man, just in the prime of his life, he had yet accom¬ plished that which gave him a place of prominence in the city and county, and his passing was a heavy blow to the community where he had spent the best years of his life.

Col. Polk was born in New Castle, Henry county, Indiana, a son of James and Finel (Stewart) Polk, who came to this state from North Carolina in their young days. In his boyhood Colonel Polk attended the local schools, and he was employed in various mercantile establish¬ ments as a boy in his teens. Later he was employed in a clerical capacity by various county officials and up to the year 1855 he devoted much of his time to that class of work. In that year he was appointed deputy recorder under T. B. McCarty, and he continued thus occupied until the war broke out. He promptly enlisted for three months ' service as a private of Company K, Eighth Indiana, and when the three months had expired, the regiment was reorganized for three years of service. He was commissioned captain of Company F, and in that capacity he participated in the activities at Pea Ridge, Vicksburg and Western Louisiana. Just before the battle of Fort Esperendez he received his commission as major, promotion coming for valor and gallantry in service. He was at the battles in and about Mobile, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant- Colonel and assigned to the command of his regiment. The regiment then joined General Sheridan's Division, at that time operating in the Shenandoah Valley, and when peace was declared he was in Hawkesville, Georgia. Though he had previous to

With the close of the war he returned to Wabash county, and for a time he was employed in the State Auditor's office at Indianapolis. In 1866 he was elected auditor of Wabash county, and he continued to .serve in that office until he died in 1875. The character of his work was such as to fully warrant his return to the office with each suc¬ ceeding year and he was regarded as one of the most valuable officials the county ever had.

Colonel Polk was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he was long affiliated with the Methodist church, in which he was active and interested.

At Wabash, on February 28, 1858, Colonel Polk was married to Miss Jane Kelly, the daughter of William and Catherine (Cameron) Kelly, natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively. The children born to the Colonel and his wife were as follows: Jennie, the wife of Fred Groffe, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Thomas, a resident of New Orleans; and Margaret, who remains at home with her widowed mother in Wabash.

Mrs. Polk and her daughter are popular and prominent, enjoying the genuine regard of a wide circle of Wabash people who have known them for a good many years and esteem them for their many excellent qualities.

Samuel Heeter. The angel of death is an unwelcome visitor at any time, but when it calls and removes from a home one still in the flower of manhood the loss is doubly hard to bear. The late Samuel Heeter, when called to his final rest, had reached the time of life when, with powers just fully ripened, he had his best work still to do. He had already shown himself a man of enterprise, energy and ability, and his loss was felt by his community in that it wras deprived of a good citizen, and by his numerous acquaintances, who knew that a good and loyal friend had been taken from them.

Mr. Heeter was born on the old Heeter homestead, near North Man¬ chester, Indiana, August 3, 1869, and was there educated in the public schools. He was brought up to habits of industry and honesty, traits which alwrays characterized his nature, and was thoroughly trained in agricultural matters, having decided to spend his life as a tiller of the soil. After his marriage he settled on a farm of eighty acres, which he had secured from his father, and in addition to this cultivated a part of the old homestead. He was a persevering and active worker and understood fully the use of improved machinery and modern methods, with the result that his ventures proved successful and he was rapidly becoming one of the substantial men of his community, when, January 26, 1904, death called him. A democrat in politics, Mr. Heeter was in thorough sym¬ pathy wfith the principles of his party, but was not bigoted and always was tolerant of the opinions of others. His citizenship was worthy of emulation, and he supported loyally movements for good roads and others which his judgment and foresight told him were for the benefit of his community. In his home life he was a loving husband and indul¬ gent father, and his home always came ahead of any clubs or fraternal organizations. Few men have had a wider circle of friends and few have been more deserving of them.

On October 10, 1891, Mr. Heeter was married to Miss Melvina Karn, who survives him and still makes the old homestead her abiding place. She is a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Landis) Karn, early settlers of Wabash county and prominent agricultural people here. Mrs. Heeter had two brothers - Jacob and Dan, the former of whom is deceased - and four sisters - Mary, Ellen, Lydia and Ann - of whom Mary and Lydia have passed away. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Heeter : Mary, born August 6, 1892, and Forest, born May 7, 1894, both at home. The latter, an energetic and progressive young farmer, has charge of the operation of the home farm of eighty acres, and is proving himself a good manager and thorough business man. Mrs. Heeter is a member of the Church of the Brethren, which she attends at North Manchester. She is widely and favorably known in this vicinity, where she takes an interest in social and religious work and, like her late husband, is the center of a wide circle of warm and appreciative friends.

Jacob Butterbaugh. A retired agriculturist of Roann, Paw Paw township, Jacob Butterbaugh has been a resident of Northern Indiana for more than threescore and ten years, and during that time has wit¬ nessed wonderful transformations in the face of the country, the path¬ less forests giving way before the axe of the pioneer; the log cabins of the forefathers being replaced by commodious frame houses; and the hamlets of the early times developing into thriving villages and populous towns and cities. In these changes he has taken an active part, con¬ tributing his full share of labor. Of German descent, he was born June 7, 1839, in Montgomery county, Ohio, and when a babe of six weeks was brought by his parents to Indiana.

His father, George Butterbaugh, was born and reared in Pennsyl¬ vania. As a young man he lived for a while in Ohio, and was there married. In 1839 he came with his family to Indiana, locating first at Rose Hill, just across the line from Wabash county, in Kosciusko county. Taking up one hundred and sixty acres of heavily timbered land, he lived for a time in a tent, but later erected a set of log build¬ ings. At the end of thirteen years he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land near Silver Lake, and immediately began to clear a farm, almost the entire tract having been covered with timber when he bought it. He remained there just a year, during which time he put consider¬ able in the proposed Eel River Railroad, and lost his entire investment. Moving to Miami county, Indiana, in 1853, he purchased three hundred and twelve acres of land, most of which was cleared, and continued his agricultural labors. Selling that property in 1863, he retired from active pursuits, making his home with his children until his death in 1878.

Clemmons. She was born in 1817 and died in 1847 in Indiana. Ten children were born of their union, of whom bnt two are now, in 1914, living, namely : Catherine, wife of Joseph Bitting, a veteran of the Civil war; and Jacob.

Brought up beneath the parental roof-tree, Jacob Butterbaugh obtained his early education in the pioneer schools, and while yet young became familiar with the manual labor of the farm, which he helped to clear and improve. In 1862 he offered his services to his country, enlisting in Company D, Fifty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under command of Captain A. A. Eggleston and Colonel Mansfield. With his regiment he was sent directly from Indianapolis to Vicksburg, and during the siege of that city he was wounded. On December 8, 1863, he was mustered out at New Orleans, and returned home. Resuming his chosen occupation, Mr. Butterbaugh was for many years actively engaged in agricultural pursuits. In common with his brothers, he received $2,800 from the parental estate, and later bought from his father his present farm of one hundred and twelve acres in Paw Paw township, it having been a part of the old McHenry farm. The land was mostly in its primitive wilderness, but by dint of persevering courage and industry he cleared it, and erected all the necessary buildings for carrying on general farming. Having accumulated a fair share of this world 's goods Mr. Butterbaugh retired from active business cares several years ago, and is now enjoying a well-earned leisure. Mr. Butterbaugh is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and of the Grand Army of the Republic, belonging to the Post at Roann.

Mr. Butterbaugh married October 9, 1859, Charlotte Uplinger, who was born December 25, 1833, in Franklin county, West Virginia, and died July 4, 1907, in Wabash county, Indiana. Her parents, Cornelius and Judy (Darby) Uplinger, moved from Virginia to Ohio, and from the latter state about 1849 moved to Indiana, where Mr. Uplinger fol¬ lowed his trade of a wagon maker for many years, living near Silver Lake. Mr. and Mrs. Butterbaugh became the parents of five children, namely: Martha Ellen, Samuel, Ambrose, Elvira A. and James M. Martha Ellen lived but ten months. Samuel married Effie M. Jack, who died in December, 1890, leaving two children, Ruth T. and Jack G. Ruth T. Jack married A. R. Toney of Aurora, Illinois, and has two children, Arthur and Maxine. Ambrose Butterbaugh married Edith McCoy, and they have six children, namely : Flossie and Floyd, twins ; Fara; Frank; Jessie and May. Of these children Flossie married James Deardorff ; Floyd married Walter Wayde, who is now deceased, and their two children are Paul and Dorothy ; Fara is the wife of Oliver Dehaven and has one child, Ambrose Samuel Dehaven ; Frank married Katie Whistler; while Jessie is the wife of J. Hollenback and the mother of two children, Charles and Josephine. James Butterbaugh, the youngest of Mr. Butterbaugh 's children, married Mrs. Mary S. Smith Huston, a widow. By her first marriage she had three children : Nellie,

Mr. Butterbaugh and his sons have oil interests in Ohio, and Miss Elvira T. Butterbaugh owns land in Texas. To all lovers of music the name of Butterbaugh is familiar through the association of Mr. Butter¬ baugh 's son and grandson with various bands and orchestras, more especially with the Danta band, which under the direction of Professor Danta tours the country.

J. E. Long. The history of the Long family is a story of three generations of hard-working prospering people, of quiet but competent citizenship, and of that kind of individual and collective ability and brotherhood which counts for most in any community. The family repre¬ sentative above named spent all his life in Wabash county, was born in a log cabin, and attended one of the early schools that only the older people can remember, and his prosperity and influence has increased with his years of life. He is the owner of 118.63 acres of fine farming land on the Manchester Pike in Paw Paw township, two and a half miles north of Urbana.

J. E. Long is a son of Samuel and Marjorie (Richards) Long, and some additional facts of interest with regard to the fainily history will be found elsewhere in this publication in connection with the sketch of Schuyler C. Long. Samuel Long, who was born in Pennsylvania, came to Wabash county with his parents, Jacob and Elizabeth Long. The latter founded the home in Noble township south of Wabash, in the midst of the woods, but subsequently moved north of Wabash and from there to what is known as "Half Acre," now in Paw Paw township. Both the grandparents died there, the grandmother first and followed about twenty years later by the grandfather. Their six children were : Solomon, Jacob, Samuel, John, Emanuel and Josiah.

When the family migration was accomplished into Wabash county, Samuel Long was a young man, and his practical career began with his residence in Wabash county. His wife, Marjorie Richards, was a daughter of Josiah and Eunice (Dunfee) Richards, who were also early settlers of Wabash county, having moved from Ohio and spending the rest of their years in the former locality. Samuel and Marjorie Long began their married life at "Half Acre" and the log cabin which was their original home is still standing, one of the oldest landmarks of pioneer days in this section of Wabash county. When the cabin was built it was surrounded by dense woods on all sides, and the little house¬ hold looked out upon the wilderness, and participated in all its experi¬ ences and hardships. Samuel Long at first only had eighty acres, but subsequently bought another eighty acres across the road from his brother Jacob. The latter place had some good buildings and Samuel moved from the log house to the new home and lived there until his death at the age of sixty-six. His widow is still living in venerable years, and occupies the old home. The children of Samuel and Marjorie were : Josiah Edward ; Eunice, who is Mrs. Daniel Deardorf ; Alexander ;

Josiah Edward Long was born in the old log cabin above described, at the locality known as "Half Acre," on December 8, 1857. His boy¬ hood was spent in that locality, and his recollections cover many scenes and incidents which no longer have a place in Wabash county life. The school which he attended as a boy was kept in a log cabin, he sat on a slab bench, with his feet on a puncheon floor, and warmed his hands and toes at a big fireplace at one end of the room. Until he was past his majority he remained at home and bore a part in its work and management, and in April, 1882, occurred his marriage to Lucetta Staver. She is a daughter of Dr. Daniel and Sarah (Bickel) Staver, an early family of Wabash county. Her parents were married in Ohio and on coming to Indiana located on the land now occupied by Mr. J. E. Long. Her father became one of the large land owners in this part of Wabash county, and while farming was his most profitable occupation and a considerable part of the Long farm was cleared up under his management, he also followed the profession of veterinarian at a time when there were very few qualified to practice as doctors of domestic animals in this part of Indiana. He made his own medicines, and was very frequently called for professional service all over the country. Both father and mother Staver died at the old Staver farm, now owned by Mr. Long, and their deaths occurred only a few weeks apart. After his marriage Mr. Long spent one year in the old log house at Half Acre, and then bought his present farm from the Staver heirs. For fifteen years his life was a busy one as a farmer and stock dealer and shipper, but in 1911 he retired from the stock business, and now rents out his fields. The Long homestead has excellent improvements, including a commodious house, bams and other farm equipments, and these have all been put up under his direction.

Mr. and Mrs. Long have three children : Blanche, who is the wife of Howard Morford of Chester township, and they have one son, Wayne; Lettie ; and Cleo. Mr. Long has affiliated with the Masonic Order in the Lodge at Wabash for the past thirty-three years. A progressive Repub¬ lican in politics, he has always interested himself in matters of local con¬ cern, and in 1908 was Republican candidate for the office of county treasurer. Besides his extensive interests as a farmer, he is stock¬ holder and director in the Farmers State Bank at Urbana. For many years he was one of the Long brothers who operated a threshing outfit all over Wabash county, but finally sold his interest in that business to George Pretorious.

Daniel Lavengood was twenty-two years old when he came to Indiana in 1864, two years prior to the advent of the Lavengood family to this state. He was bom in Coshocton county, Ohio, on March 11, 1842, and was a son of George and Barbara (Bickel) Lavengood, natives of Penn¬ sylvania and Ohio, respectively.

fourteen children having been born and reared in their home. All of them were reared in Ohio, and they all reached years of maturity. The father came to Ohio from his native state as a lad of four years, and he continued a resident of that state until the year 1866, when the family followed George, Daniel and John here, whence they had come two years previously, as has been stated previously.

The fourteen children of the parents are here named in the order of their birth. Elizabeth, deceased; John; George, deceased; Thomas; Bar¬ bara, deceased; Daniel; Eva, deceased; Jacob, also deceased; Samuel; Mary; William, deceased, as is also Zadoc and Levi.

Daniel Lavengood on the sixth day of February, 1865, enlisted at Wabash in the 153rd Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, together with his brothers George and John, who had accompanied him here the year previous. They served from then until the 4th day of September, 1865, when they were discharged from the service at Louisville, Kentucky.

When Daniel Lavengood was thirty years of age he married, though up to that time he had maintained his residence with his mother. He chose Sarah Faust for his wife, a girl of Ohio birth and the daughter of Eli Faust of that state, who afterwards brought his family to Miami county, Indiana, and there settled. The marriage of Daniel and Sarah Lavengood took place in 1872, and to them have been born seven children, of whom brief mention is here made, as follows :

Emma, the first born, died in infancy ; George Elmore died at the age of eighteen months; Clara Ellen married James Reynolds, and to them was bom one child - Ethel. She married again in 1911, Jacob B. Laven¬ good becoming her husband, and they have one child, Rufus, and live in Ohio. Charles R. is the fourth child of his parents; John married Leona Smith, of Kokomo, and lives in South Bend; they have two chil¬ dren - Francis L. and Wanda. Cora Alice married Orval Jones and has two children - Dorothy and Mary; they live in Wabash county. Mary May, the youngest, lives at home with her father, the mother having died on December 8, 1906, at the*age of sixty years.

The family lived for some years on a Noble township farm of two hundred acres, for which they paid $30.00 the acre, the land then being in a partly improved condition. The house has been remodeled and a new bam has been built, and the place is one that had all the comforts of modern times. This, was the old home place, and in 1870 Daniel Lavengood bought forty acres of the old place and for fourteen years lived on it. This he later traded for a farm of 120 acres in Waltz town¬ ship, and his daughter Cora and her husband now live there. The place is one that lias been well improved, being properly fenced and ditched, and is partly cleared, with suitable buildings erected thereon. In 1898 Mr. Lavengood came to his present location in Noble township, and here he has fifteen acres of nicely improved land, with modern buildings and all conveniences. A fine orchard yields an abundant crop annually and in Wabash he finds a ready market for its product. Mr. Lavengood is enjoying this little place and has a great deal of pleasure in its care and keeping.

Mr. Lavengood has been all his days a good citizen, and one who has enjoyed the esteem and friendship of his fellowmen wherever he has gone. He has long been a member of the Christian church, and has served the church in Noble township as a deacon for many years.

Benjamin Kalb. Prominent among the large land owners of Paw Paw township, Wabash county, is Benjamin Kalb, who is industriously engaged in the prosecution of a calling upon which the support and wealth of the nation largely depends, and in which he is meeting with well deserved success. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of land, all being in Paw Paw township, one hundred acres on the west side of the Manchester pike, one mile south of Urbana, and sixty acres lying just one-half mile west of the above mentioned farm. He was born, November 24, 1859, in Crawford county, Ohio, a son of William Kalb, of German ancestry.

William Kalb, a native of Germany, was but six months old when brought to the United States by his parents, who located first in Penn¬ sylvania, from there moving to Crawford county, Ohio, where they spent their remaining days, the father dying in the 60 's, and the mother a few months later. He was reared in Crawford county, Ohio, from the age of six years, and when he attained his majority purchased a tract of unbroken land and there began life as a farmer. The land, one hundred and sixty acres, was heavily wooded, and he had first to clear an opening in which to erect a log cabin. Wild turkeys were more plentiful than the barnyard fowls, and on them and the deer which roamed through the forest the family larder was often supplied. He subsequently moved with his family to Bucyrus, Ohio, where, some eighteen or twenty years later, both he and his wife died, her death occurring in 1906, and his a few months later.

The maiden name of the wife of William Kalb was Katie Jacoby. She was a daughter of Jonathan and Katie (Joost) Jacoby, who removed from their native state, Pennsylvania, to Ohio, and there resided the remainder of their lives. The name Jacoby means James, and the famous James boys were relatives of Mrs. William Kalb, and their father often visited at her father's home. Mr. and Mrs. William Kalb were the parents of nine children, as follows: Abe; Aaron; Mrs. Sarah Gott¬ fried; Benjamin, the subject of this brief biographical sketch; Katie; Henry; Wesley; Mrs. Sophia Berger; and Susan, wife of Henry Voltz.

Born in the old log cabin erected by his father in Crawford county, Ohio, Benjamin Kalb was there bred and educated, as a boy and youth attending the district school, and becoming intimately acquainted with the various branches of agriculture on the home farm. Leaving Ohio, he settled first in Howard county, Indiana, where he purchased forty acres of land, which he devoted principally to the raising of potatoes. Selling out at the end of twelve years, Mr. Kalb purchased from William Pries eighty acres of the farm he now owns and occupies, and later bought from Fred Speicher sixty acres, and from Thomas Oliver twenty acres. Here he is carrying on general farming, including the raising of swine, with most gratifying results, his land being fertile and well adapted to farming. Mr. Kalb usually puts from thirty to forty acres of his land in potatoes, each year raising about five thousand bushels. For this branch of agriculture he is well equipped, his land being well drained, he having spent more for the tiling of it than he paid for the first eighty acres he bought. He has also all of the most approved modern machinery for potato raising, including a planter, a sprayer, a digger, and a sorter, the latter being an invention of his own. His work is so conveniently arranged, and so systematized, that he can load a car of six hundred bushels in less than a day, his appliances and equipments being both labor and time savers, and invariably meeting the approval and commendation of all buyers and visitors.

Mr. Kalb has been twice married. He married first Ellen Bartholo¬ mew, who died in the spring of 1902, leaving four children, namely: Rena, wife of Henry Wise, of Urbana; Celesta, wife of George Wood, and they have one child, Mabel; Neely, managing one of his father's farms, married Marie Miller; and Walter. Mr. Kalb married second, April 3, 1906, Mrs. Ella Sholty, widow of Grant Sholty, and daughter of Humphrey and Louisa (Geiger) Roser, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively, and both of German descent. By her first marriage Mrs. Kalb had four children, namely: Ethel, wife of George Meyer, of Kokomo, Indiana; Yert and Verna, twins; and Paul. Mr. Kalb, by his second marriage, had one daughter, Here Matilda, who was born in 1908 and died September 23, 1913.

Burvia A. Houser, M. D. From 1904 until his death on March 25, 1914, Dr. Burvia A. Houser in the practice of medicine at Wabash had won a representative practice and a high place as a citizen by his devo¬ tion to the duties of his profession, by his close study and his pronounced skill. His talents and executive ability gained him high positions of trust and responsibility in the fraternity in Wabash county, and his standing as a citizen entitled him to distinctive recognition among the men who contributed to the progress and development of that county.

Burvia Alden Houser was born at Somerset, Wabash county, Indiana, February 25, 1866, a son of James Houser, who in young manhood became one of the early settlers of the county. Like a number of his fellow practitioners Dr. Houser was a product of the farm, his boy¬ hood days being passed on the homestead near Somerset, where he received his primary scholastic training in the district schools. Later this was supplemented by attendance at the Academy at Amboy, and he took up the study of medicine in the office of Dr. L. Oneal at Somer¬ set. He matriculated in 1888 at the Indiana Medical College at Indianapolis, graduating in 1890, and in the year started practice at Somerset with his preceptor, continuing thus and alone until his coming to Wabash in 1904. At Wabash he was successful in building up a lucrative professional business and in establishing himself firmly in the confidence of the people. His knowledge of the science of medicine was comprehensive and accurate, due to the fact that he had been a close student from early manhood, and always kept in touch with the progress and improvements of medical practice in later years. His best energies were devoted to the profession and his pronounced ability gained him a position in the front ranks of the leading practitioners of Wabash county. Many honors in connection with his profession were conferred upon him, including his election to the presidency of the Wabash County Pension Board in 1905. He also served as president of the Indiana Club of Wabash and of the Wabash Club, was a Knight Templar Mason, a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He was also well known in business and financial circles at Wabash, and was a member of the directing board of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of that city since its organization.

On January 30, 1886, Dr. Houser married Miss Anna Hooper, of Converse, Indiana. To their marriage were born two daughters: Ruth, and one who died at the age of two years. Dr. Houser's parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Houser, also survive him and reside on the south side.

Samuel C. Speicher. Among the families whose members have con¬ tributed to the material welfare and development of Wabash county, and more especially to Chester township, it is doubtful if many are better or more favorably known than that bearing the name of Speicher. Residents of the county since 1865, these people have on every occasion demonstrated their good citizenship and commendable desire to aid in the progress of this section, and in every walk of life have shown themselves men and women of integrity, fidelity and loyalty. One of the representatives of this family who has resided here from the date of the family's arrival, and who has won success as a farmer and stock raiser, is Samuel Speicher, a son of the founder of the family, Chris¬ tian Speicher.

Christian Speicher was a native of Bern, Switzerland, a son of John Speicher. He was a lad of fourteen years when he accompanied his father to the United States in search of an opportunity to better his condition, the family locating in Holmes county, Ohio. There Chris¬ tian Speicher met and married Miss Annie Steiner, in 1841, she having been born in 1812, and they became the parents of the following named children : John, who died February 25, 1896 ; William ; Katie ; Christian ; Samuel; Fred; Peter and Daniel. Mr. Speicher continued to be suc¬ cessfully engaged in agricultural pursuits in Holmes county, Ohio, until 1865, in which year he removed with his family to Wabash county, Indiana, and settled on land in Lagro township. Subsequently, however, he made removal to Chester township, and this locality con¬ tinued to be his home until the time of his death, December 15, 1892, the mother surviving until October, 1901. For some time after their arrival they resided in a modest plank house, but as the years passed and his means permitted, Mr. Speicher improved his home, erected new buildings and made many improvements on his property. He and his wife were devout members of the Reformed church and reared their children carefully in that faith. He was a democrat in politics and took a keen interest in public affairs, although he never found time to enter actively into politics. However, he was ever ready to assist any movement wrhich promised the betterment of his community, was a stanch advocate of good roads, built several corduroy highways, and did much in the way of clearing the land from timber. His general farming and stock raising operations were successful, because he brought to his work a thorough knowledge of farming in all its branches, an energetic and enterprising nature, and a courageous spirit that would not brook defeat. His death removed from his community a man who had honestly won his fellow-citizens ' respect.

Samuel C. Speicher, son of Christian and Annie (Steiner) Speicher, was born May 20, 1848, in Holmes county, Ohio. He was there educated in the district schools and reared to young manhood, and one of his earliest recollections of that section is of a settler who lived with his family in an old log shack and made his bed on a pile of brush thrown in a corner of this rude home. He was a sturdy lad of seventeen years when the family came to Wabash county, and here his training as an agriculturist continued until he reached his majority, at which time he decided to fend for himself. For some years he was engaged in farming in various communities, for himself and others, but finally decided to settle down and establish a home of his own. The lady of his choice was Miss Samantha Bohnstedt, daughter of Gottlieb and Elizabeth (Swallen) Bohnstedt, whom he married March 20, 1884, at Calhoun, Richland county, Illinois. After their marriage the young couple began housekeeping on their present property, a tract of eighty acres which Mr. Speicher had purchased in 1876, and in the following year their present home was erected, the addition thereto being built in 1894. Their farm is known as "Cha-so-to Ma-e-thel." Mr. Speicher now is the owner of 148 acres of good land, all accumulated through his own honest efforts, and has one of the handsomest farms in the community. He has devoted the greater part of his time to general farming, but has also met with success in selling cream from his herd of Jersey cows during the last ten years. He likewise has a fine herd of Short Horn cattle, a number of which he ships to the markets each year,, and in all his ventures has been successful. As a business man he bears the reputation of a man of the strictest integrity, who has never taken advantage of another's misfortune. Mrs. Speicher, who was born January 6, 1866, is an excellent business woman and has been of great assistance to her husband.

Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Speicher, as follows: Florence A., born April 9, 1885 ; Elizabeth Anna,- born August 3, 18^6 ; Otto Christian, born October 4, 1888 ; Theresa Eliza, born July 8, 1890, who died April 28, 1904; Laura May, born August 20, 1893; Charles O. W., born August 29, 1895; Carol Evangeline, born May 7, 1897, who died April 12, 1912; Isaac, born October 31, 1901, who died young; and Elijah Benjamin, born December 12, 1904, who died in infancy. Mr. Speicher 's record as a business man is one well worthy of emulation, for he has risen from obscurity to a position among his community's substantial citizens solely through the force of his own energy and perse¬ verance. As a citizen his standing is no less high, and his popularity is shown by his wide circle of appreciative friends and the general respect and esteem in which he is held by the people in the locality in which he has lived for so many years.

Aabon Mandelbaum. Wabash county has just lost by death one of its ablest young lawyers, Aaron Mendelbaum, prosecuting attorney of Wabash county. His services were of an efficiency and fidelity which won the increasing approbation of the public, and his record both in private practice and in public office was highly gratifying to his friends.

Aaron Mandelbaum was a native of the city of Wabash, where he was born October 7, 1878, and always had his home in this locality. His parents were Moses and Caroline (Strauss) Mandelbaum. Natives of Germany, the parents came individually to the United States, the father prior to the Civil war. He was a cigar maker by trade, followed that occupation in Cincinnati, where he was married, and also at Dayton, Ohio. From the latter city he came in 1875 to Wabash, and lived there until his death on December 27, 1908. His widow still survives and makes her home in Wabash, and six of her eight children are still living.

Aaron Mandelbaum grew up in Wabash, attended the public schools, graduating from the high school in 1896, and after reading law privately for about six months with J. D. Conner, Jr., he entered the law depart¬ ment of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Mr. Mandelbaum completed his studies and was granted the degree LL. B. in 1900. Admitted to the Wabash county bar in the same year, instead of taking up active practice he turned his attention to merchandising, and from 1901 to 1907 was associated with Louis Wolf in the retail grocery and wholesale flour business. Since 1907 he had been in active practice as a lawyer, and gained the reputation and recognition and patronage which are the sure marks of success.

He had been honored with official positions, being elected city attorney and held that office from January, 1910, to January, 1913. In Novem¬ ber, 1912, he was elected prosecuting attorney for the twenty-seventh judicial circuit, and his record in that office is familiar to all the citi¬ zens of Wabash county. Mr. Mandelbaum was an active worker in the democratic party. He died July 20, 1914.

Hiram Flickinger. Nearly a half a century has passed since Hiram Flickinger came to Wabash county, and he is classed among the pioneers who have not only been eye-witnesses of the progress and advancement of the community, but have borne an active part in the work of develop¬ ment and improvement. Throughout all the long years he has been prominently identified with agricultural interests, and although his efforts have been crowned with excellent success, he still continues his active labors, for indolence and idleness form no part of his nature. Mr.

land county, Ohio, and died in Wabash county, Indiana, June 10, 1904. He was a son of George and Margaret Shroyer. Mr. and Mrs. Binkerd have been the parents of seven children, the first three of whom were bom in the State of Washington, named as follows: Ethel, bom Jan¬ uary 23, 1894; Bessie, born January 24, 1896; Mabel, born October 31, 1897; Andrew, born July 18, 1899; Hazel, bora June 28, 1900; Jose¬ phine, born January 10, 1904; and Pauline, born November 18, 1905. The children all have had their education in Wabash county, and the younger ones are still attending the local public school. Mr. and Mrs. Binkerd and their children are members of the Baptist church. Like his father before him he is a Republican in politics, and is a friend of good government, a worker for community welfare, and always ready to bear his share in any movement for the community 's progress.

John K. Alexander. A career of unusual accomplishment and success has been that of J. K. Alexander, the owner of a fine farm¬ stead of one hundred and twenty acres in Waltz township. Mr. Alex¬ ander, whose home has been in Wabash county since 1906, was bom and spent his early career in Miami county. When he was a child his father died a Union prisoner in Andersonville, and the boy from an early age had to perform a man 's work. By thrift and industry he passed through the stage of initial accomplishments, and finally with the accumulations of his diligence came to Wabash county, and for a number of years his prosperity has been steady and undiminished, until he now ranks as one of the leading farmers and citizens of his locality.

Born in Miami county, Indiana, December 16, 1862, he was a son of Edwin and Margaret (Kennedy) Alexander. His father was a cooper and never worked at any other trade. He was born in the state of New York and came to Indiana in early life. After getting a fair start as a cooper he enlisted for service in an Indiana regiment and went to the front to fight the cause of freedom. He was captured and put in the notorious rebel prison at Andersonville, and while there suffered death along with many other northern prisoners. This left his family in a destitute condition, and the mother, who was a native of Virginia, had a hard time to take care of her little family for some years, but in 1872 received a pension from the government amounting to eighteen hundred dollars, and that was invested in forty acres of land in Miami county. There were six children in the family, briefly mentioned as follows: Martha, who married B. S. Shaw; Emma, who married Matt Colgan; Laura, who died at the age of eighteen ; Alice, who died at twenty-two ; John K. ; and Eliza, who died when six years old.

Some time after reaching manhood J. K. Alexander acquired the forty acre farm in Miami county, located in Butler township, and con¬ tinued its cultivation, improving it in many ways by fencing and ditch¬ ing and building, until he sold out and in 1906 bought the one hundred and twenty acres in Waltz township of Wabash county. This farm had good improvements, comprising the buildings which are now found upon it, but Mr. Alexander has carried on the work and has brought his

Mr. Alexander married Irma Knight, a daughter of James and Rebecca (Waisner) Knight. Her father was born in Ohio and her mother in Indiana, the former dying in Miami county November, 1906, where her mother is still living. Mrs. Alexander had the following brothers and sisters: Warren, who married Christiana Seifert; Rosa, who married James Draper; William, who married Ollie Cunningham; Ida, who married W. W. Younce; Roy, who married Zella Salts; Alvah, who married Nellie Blue ; Earl, who married Gertrude Bamhard ; Seibert, who married Della Guthrie; and Edward, who died in infancy. Air. and Mrs. Alexander have the following children : Esther, born October 9, 1893 ; Edgar, born March 23, 1896 ; Paul, born September 14, 1898 : Gertrude R., bom April 22, 1903 and who died at the age of three years on April 28, 1906; Martha Mildred, born October 7, 1905, and died July 31, 1906 ; Robert C., bom March 16, 1907 ; Carl R., born November 19, 1909; and Donald Joseph, born February 11, 1913. The parents have taken much pains in rearing and educating these children, the older ones having already finished their education and being ready for the active responsibilities of life. The family have membership in the Catholic church, and Mr. Alexander has taken much part in public affairs of a local nature. While his father was a republican, Mr. Alex¬ ander has given consistent support to the democratic interests. During his residence in Miami county he served as assessor of Butler township, and also for one term was supervisor of the township.

John Walker. Among the pioneer farmers of Wabash county whose labors have contributed to the material advancement and general pros¬ perity of the community was the late John Walker. His life was a busy and useful one and furnished an example of honorable dealing, stead¬ fast purpose, fidelity to principle and invincible moral courage that is well worthy of emulation. At his death the community mourned the loss of one of its esteemed and helpful citizens, and his memory is enshrined in the hearts of many friends.

Mr. Walker was a native of the state of Ohio, his birth occurring about the year 1817. George Walker, his father, has been long since deceased. As a boy he assisted his father with the farm work and attended the district schools when they were in session during the short winter terms, and early in life started out for himself, electing to follow agricultural pursuits as his life work. While still a young man he mar¬ ried Miss Maria Williams, and to this union the following named chil¬ dren were born : . Emeline, who married Theodore Van Arsdale and is now deceased; Martha Jane, deceased, who married John Brown, and after his death Saul Switzer; James; Archie, a resident of Warsaw; Peter, deceased; John, residing south of Wabash; and Sadie, now Mrs. Astor Clements, of Chicago. Long before the outbreak of hostilities between the North and the South, John Walker migrated to Indiana, and for a time resided in Kosciusko county, but subsequently moved to Miami county and later came to Wabash county, locating just east of Liberty Mills. He did not remain on this property long, however, but returned to Kosciusko county, where he continued farming for several years. He then again came to Wabash county and purchased a quarter-sec¬ tion of land near Servia, in Chester township, about 1861. Only about twenty-four acres of this land was then improved, but with the aid of his sons he cleared about as much more, and near the close of the Civil war disposed of this and again went to Kosciusko county. There he spent his remaining years, dying in 1907. Mrs. Walker passed away in 1904, and both are now at rest in the cemetery near Pierceton. Mr. Walker's years of industry enabled him to overcome all obstacles and work his way steadily upward to affluence. He was thus able to leave his family in comfortable circumstances, but more valuable than the prop¬ erty which they inherited was his untarnished name.

James Walker, who resides on a handsome property of ninety-two acres located about two miles southeast of North Manchester, Wabash county, Indiana, was born in Miami county, Indiana, October 17, 1844, a son of John and Maria (Williams) Walker, mention of whom immedi¬ ately precedes this review. His boyhood days were spent in helping his father in the farm work, as was the custom of lads of his day, and in attending the district schools in the winter terms. Upon attaining his majority he left home to start out on his own account and came to Wabash county, where he purchased a one-third interest in a sawmill at Servia. Some time later he disposed of this and for a year worked at the trade of stonemason. On January 19, 1869, Mr. Walker was united in marriage with Miss Nancy J. Rockhill, daughter of Crampton Rockhill, and she died in 1898, leaving two children : Lilly, who married Ed Airgood, a farmer of North Dakota, near the Canadian line; and John Wesley, agent for a railroad at McCombs, Ohio. On March 30, 1902, Mr. Walker was married (second) to Julia A. Emley, widow of Sexton Emley.

General farming and stockraising, with* Hereford cattle preferred, have been Mr. Walker's occupations throughout life, and from time to time he has added to his property until at present he is the owner of ninety-two acres of well-cultivated land. A good residence, substantial barns, commodious outbuildings, improved machinery, good stock and well-tilled fields all attest the enterprise of the owner, whose efforts have been consecutive and well directed, bringing him a full measure of success for his labors. In political faith he is of independent policies regarding local affairs, but nationally espouses the doctrines of the demo¬ cratic party. Although interested in local matters, Mr. Walker has never held office, preferring to confine his attentions to his private interests. He is a consistent member of the Christian church and attends services at Servia.

James Walker And Family

Andrew English. Many of the successful agriculturists of Wabash county are today carrying on operations on the farms upon which they were born, and on which they have spent their entire lives. Made familiar with the conditions and possibilities of the soil and climate, and profiting by later years of experience, they have been able to extract a full measure of profit from their fields and to place themselves in positions of promi¬ nence among the substantial men of their communities. In this class is found Andrew English, of Waltz township, a successful farmer and stockraiser, who is also known as one of his locality 's useful and publicspirited citizens. He was born on the farm on which he now lives, Febru¬ ary 25, 1862, and is a son of Andrew K. and Mary Ann (Hilligoss) English.

Andrew K. English was born in Bath county, Kentucky, and as a young man accompanied his parents to Rush county, Indiana, where he established himself on a farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was married to Nancy Brown, and they became the parents of two chil¬ dren : John A., who is now deceased ; and Daniel Francis, who married Jemima Slife. After the death of his first wife Mr. English was married (second) to Mary Ann Hilligoss, who was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, and they became the parents of seven children, as follows: James H., deceased, born in Rusk county; Joseph William, deceased, born in Rusk county, married Mary G. Stevens, of Pennsylvania; Johanna, born in Rusk county, died when about two years old ; Elizabeth, deceased, born in Rusk county ; and Mary Ellen, Rhoda and Andrew, all born in Wabash county. In October, 1849, Andrew K. English came to Wabash county, and upon his arrival purchased the farm in Waltz township which is now the home of his son, and which had been entered from the Govern¬ ment by William Hancock. His first purchase was a property of eighty acres, at that time covered with a heavy growth of timber. The first fam¬ ily home was a log cabin, in addition to which there was a small log stable, but as the years passed and Mr. English prospered these rude structures were replaced by more modern and comfortable buildings. He added to his property until he had 120 acres, and at the time of his death was considered one of the substantial men of his community. He was indus¬ trious, thrifty and energetic, honorable in his business dealings and loyal in his friendships, and won and held the respect and esteem of those with whom he came into contact. In politics he was a democrat, although he preferred to devote his time to his farming interests rather than to mix actively in public affairs. He passed away in December, 1896, and the mother followed him to the grave two years later on January 9, 1899.

Andrew English was given ordinary educational advantages in the district schools of Waltz township, and grew up on the farm, which he has never left. He assisted his father in clearing and cultivating the land and in erecting the buildings, and# has continued the work where his father left off. Like his father, he is a democrat, but public life has held out no attractions to him, he preferring to remain just what he is, an energetic and progressive tiller of the soil. His sisters, Mary Ellen and Rhoda, also live at the old homestead, which they have never left.

Benton Ridenour. Benton Ridenour is undeniably one of the most progressive and capable farming men in Noble township, where he has lived practically all his days, and where he takes a prominent place among the well-to-do farming men of the community. He has ably demonstrated his capacity for progressive farming and enjoys today the fruits of his early labors. He was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, on November 19, 1847, and is a son of John and Lydia N. (Elwood) Ridenour, who were Pennsylvania people of Dutch ancestry. The father was a black¬ smith by trade, and he followed that business for a good many years. Some years after his marriage he settled in Wabash county, the event taking place in 1853, and their first home was in Noble township on the Hoover road. The farm he settled on was a veritable forest, and unim¬ proved in any manner whatever. He built a log cabin and stable, and here the family lived for years. John Ridenour had practically no means with which to develop his new farm, and was wholly reliant upon the strength of his hands and upon the energies of his four sons, who were reared to manhood on that place. They were Mark, Benton, Elwood and Philip, and all were sturdy youths, ambitious and full of the energy of young life. They worked faithfully on the farm as they reached early manhood, and each of them, from his boyhood to manhood, had his own work cut out for him under the supervision of his father.

John Ridenour and his faithful wife ended their days on this place, and it should be said that when they departed from the scenes where they had long been familiar actors, the wilderness farm they had elected to improve presented a vastly different aspect to that of their early resi¬ dence.

Benton Ridenour remained on the home farm until he was twentyseven years of age. He then married Sarah A. Niccum, the daughter of Michael Niccum, and they established their home on a farm that the young huband bought in Noble township. Though he was one who was lacking in education to a great extent, he proved himself a good business man, and before he quitted his father's farm to establish a home of his own he had saved $2,000, and he used this to apply on his purchase of a 120-acre farm. The remaining $2,000 he borrowed from his father, and while many who knew of the transaction declared he would never be able to pay the debt on the farm, it is a fact that he had saved the amount from his earnings on the place and paid it before the note fell due.

In 1904 Mr. Ridenour moved from the farm to near the city of Wabash, in Linlawn, and here he has since resided. He has a com¬ fortable residence on the place, which he has remodeled since he took possession. Twenty-one acres comprise the acreage of this place, and that is quite enough to occupy Mr. Ridenour 's time.

On May 16, 1913, Mrs. Ridenour died at the home of the family, leav¬ ing a family of five sons and three daughters. John, the eldest, is unmar¬ ried. Homer married Alta Eltzroth. Hendry L. married Harriet

Mrs. Ridenour was long a member of the Christian church, and Mr. Ridenour attended there also, though he was reared in the Lutheran faith by his parents. The family are highly esteemed in the community and have a wide circle of friends hereabouts.

General William Caldwell, Hezekiah Caldwell, H. 0. Caldwell. Among Wabash county families whose achievements and social and busi¬ ness prominence have been conspicuous over a long period of years, the Caldwells are noteworthy not only for their residence in this county of more than seventy years, but also for the attainments of the individual representatives of the name in military affairs, in public office, and as business men. Representatives of three successive generations have been named above, and it is appropriate that some brief mention should be made of each.

General William Caldwell, who was the founder of the family in Wabash county, was a son of Train Caldwell, and was born in the state of North Carolina, December 17, 1799. When eleven years of age he went with his parents to Ohio, and about five years later the family moved to Indiana territory, locating in what was then Wayne county, but is now Harrison township of Fayette county. That country was of course at that time practically a wilderness and the Caldwells by their work in clearing a farm as well as by their influence in the community helped to advance the standards of living and increase the area devoted to civilization in this state. While the family lived in Ohio, the Indian war and the second war with Great Britain were in progress. The people were often called upon to take up arms, and protect their homes, and practically all able-bodied citizens were subject to militia duties. Train Caldwell was one of those thus called upon and at one time owing to sickness or some other cause was unable to respond to the summons for military service. William Caldwell was then a boy of about fifteen years, yet big and courageous for his years, and he gladly accepted the opportunity to substitute for his father, and serve out his unexpired time. That taste of military experience was followed up by a close study and practice in military tactics, and the manual of arms, and he later became one of the leading military men of his day. General Caldwell, though prominent in affairs of a civic nature and in the state military, was essentially a farmer by vocation, and in the early days raised hogs for the Cincinnati market. In October, 1841, he moved his family to Wabash county, and in August, 1845, was elected sheriff. After about eighteen months of service he died while still in office at the age of forty-seven years. On April 12, 1820, when less than twentyone years of age, General William Caldwell married Elizabeth Alexander, a daughter of Captain James Alexander.

Hezekiah Caldwell, a son of -General William and Elizabeth Caldwell, was born in Fayette county, Indiana, January 13, 1823, and died at Wabash March 15, 1892. His wife passed away about three years previ- present time is engaged in the cultivation and management of a fine farm of 186 acres in Lagro township near Speickerville. His boyhood was spent in the city of Wabash, and the grammar and high schools there afforded him his chief educational opportunities. Several years of his youth were spent in employment in his father's brick yard and that gave him an acquaintance with an industry which he utilized in different localities at a later time. In 1876 he entered the United States Railway Mail Service, and for several years his run was on the Big Pour Lines, and for eight years on the Wabash Railway. In 1888, Mr. Caldwell moved to Chicago, and for two years was engaged with the D. B. Purington Press Brick Company, and from there went to Duluth, Minnesota, and spent a similar period with the A. G. Reiser Brick Company. Re¬ turning to Wabash county he took charge of his father's farm, and later bought the place from the other heirs. Hezekiah Caldwell had bought that land in the first place for the timber growing upon it, which he used in the manufacture of brick.

On September 23, 1884, H. 0. Caldwell married Rose Eleanor Bishop, a daughter of William Bishop, now deceased. Mrs. Caldwell died April 13, 1914. Like his father before him Mr. Caldwell has always been a republican, but in recent years has not favored the ' ' Stand-pat ' ' tendency and rather leans toward the progressive principles.

John B. Unger has spent his life thus far within the borders of Wabash county, where he was born on March 8, 1847, and he has been a useful and valuable citizen since he reached man's estate, as many will attest. He devoted himself to farming activities until 1907. when he came to town and built himself a comfortable cement house, in which he and his family reside. He also conducts a grocery store, known as the Linlawn Grocery.

Mr. Unger is a son of Samuel and Barbara (Ridenour) Unger. The maternal grandfather of the subject, David Ridenour, came to this county in an early day, and some of the younger brothers and sisters of Mr. Unger's mother were born here. David Ridenour entered land in the Indian Reservation and there applied himself straightway to the business of taming a wilderness tract and evolving a productive farm. The paternal grandfather of the subject also came to Wabash county at about the same time. He was Jacob Unger, and he, too, entered land in the wilds of Wabash county. He was born in Pennsylvania, and so also was his son, Samuel, the father of the subject. Samuel was reared in Pennsylvania and was as yet unmarried when he migrated into Wabash county, Indiana. He had but a limited education, schools being few and not too well conducted in that early day, and his father felt that he needed him with the work at home. When Samuel Unger secured for himself a farm in Noble township, he shared much the fate of his father in that land he entered was wild and as yet unreclaimed from its pristine state. Later, however, he bought some cleared land, as he did not wish to spend all his young life in getting a farm into condition. The first buildings on his place were a tiny log cabin of two rooms, and a barn that in comparison to the size of his house was tremendous. He lived in the small cottage or cabin for some little time; then, when he purchased the partly cleared farm adjoining his first place, he moved to the larger house that stood there, and for a good many years that was the home of the family. In later years Mr. Unger built a more pre¬ tentious and commodious house on the property, and there he died in 1879. The old home still stands just as he left it.

John B. Unger was one of the eight children of his parents. The others are here named as follows : Esther, who married Peter C. Smith and died in March, 1913; David, who married Mary Netcher; Sarah, the wife of Samuel DuBois; Benton, who married Mary Burkholder; Samuel, who was twice married, his first wife being Hattie James, and he later married Ida Brown; Isaac, deceased, was the first husband of Ida Brown and after his death she married Samuel Unger; and Wil¬ liam, now deceased.

After the death of Samuel Unger, in 1879, John B. settled on a part of his father's farm, which comprised six hundred acres in all, though it has been noted already that he began life with nothing of his own beyond his native thrift and sterling character. John B. Unger con¬ tinued to reside there up to the year 1907, and, as is stated in a pre¬ vious paragraph, he built himself a comfortable and modem town house and is there residing with his family at the present time. He still owns two farms aggregating eighty acres.

Mr. Unger married Mary James, a daughter of Amos James, in 1880, and she died in 1907, leaving one child, Earl Unger, who married Ethel McKinney, daughter of Charles McKinney of Wabash county, and is without issue.

Mr. Unger, being unusued to idleness, found time hanging heavily upon his hands when he retired from the farm, and as a means of having something to occupy his mind and his hands he stocked a small store, and devotes himself to the care of the place in Wabash since he settled here. He is a member of the Wesleyan Methodist church, and is a prohibitionist in politics, though in recent years he was a stanch democrat. He is one of the steady and dependable citizens of the community, and enjoys the friendship of a wide circle of old acquaintances in and about the community that so long represented his home.

Enoch Shambaugh. For more than sixty years Enoch Shambaugh has been a resident of Wabash county, and during this time he has wit¬ nessed the development of this section from a timbered wilderness into one of the richest agricultural regions of the state. He has played no small part in the activities that have brought about this progress and advancement, for he has developed several fine farms, and at this time is regarded as one of the substantial men of his community. He was born in Richland county, Ohio, November 4, 1845, and is a son of Jacob and Phoebe (Himes) Shambaugh, natives of Pennsylvania, who were mar¬ ried in Ohio.

horse and wagon consuming two weeks. He had purchased a farm of 160 acres two miles east of Wabash for $850, but was not satisfied with this land and soon moved to a property in Noble township. On this latter land was a small log cabin and log barn, to reach which it was necessary to travel through the woods, over devious paths, roads being at that time unheard of. Small game was to be found in abundance, and the family larder was added to daily through the rifle skill of the father or sons. Subsequently Mr. Shambaugh gave a new settler a lease upon that property until 1871, and in this way entered into the business of buying, leasing and selling farms, in which he was engaged for many years. In the meantime, while his sons worked his various properties, he was engaged at the trade of brick laying and plastering, his chief occu¬ pation being to replace the primitive stick chimneys with modern brick ones. It is told that on one occasion he was called upon by an Indian to build a chimney for him, which he accordingly constructed of stone, and subsequently had much difficulty in rhaking the red man believe in its durability, as the latter had never seen anything of the kind before. An earnest, industrious and energetic man, Mr. Shambaugh con¬ tinued to trade in land and to work at his vocation until death called him, both he and his wife passing away in Wabash county. They were the parents of the following children: Lewis, Julia Ann, Amelia, Enoch, Marguerite, Mark, Zeno and Ellen Mary, of whom six survive.

Enoch Shambaugh passed his boyhood in much the same manner as other pioneers' sons in Wabash county. He early learned the meaning of hard work, and even his education entailed some labor in its securing, for he had to walk a mile through the woods to reach the little log schoolhouse, which he attended two months during each winter. One of his principal occupations in his boyhood was laying ditches, in those days made of timber, as tile was unheard of then, and of this he put in 200 rods. His first farm was a property of 148 acres, to which he subse¬ quently added eighty acres, and later erected a good house and barn, continuing to reside there until 1871, in March of which year he came to his present farm of 180 acres. Here had been cleared twenty acres, and this had been fenced, the only other improvement being an old log cabin. The remainder of the land has all been put under cultivation by Mr. Shambaugh, who has it all well fenced, and a fine residence, sub¬ stantial barns and good outbuildings have been erected. This is now one of the most valuable farms in Waltz township, and Mr. Shambaugh de¬ serves much credit for what he has accomplished in its development. In his community he is known as a skilled farmer and stock raiser, prac¬ tical in all these things, yet always ready to give a trial to new ideas and methods. His large crops and fine fat stock give evidence of his good management, and his honorable dealings have given him an excel¬ lent reputation for integrity. Public confidence has been placed in him, as is shown by his service as appraiser and township guardian, and he has also served as administrator of his father's large estate. In polit¬ ical matters he is a republican, as was his father before him. A pillar hold science. He received the nomination of the republican party to the office of County Clerk, the election to be held in the fall of 1914. Progress is the keynote to all his activities, either of a public or a private nature, and his connection with affairs relating to the com¬ munity life can only result in good to all concerned.

Mr. Singer is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Royal Order of Moose and he and his wife have membership in the Methodist Episcopal church.

Daniel G. Kaufman. Practical experience has frequently shown that it is the energetic and progressive individual who produces the most powerful effect upon himself and others, who illustrates and en¬ forces the lesson that a man is perfected more by labor than by reading ; that it is life rather than literature, action rather than study, character rather than learning, which tend to make a man prosperous and a benefit to humanity. The instances of men who by dint of persevering applica¬ tion and energy have raised themselves from poverty to positions of use¬ fulness, wealth and influence are indeed so numerous that they have long since ceased to be regarded as exceptional. It might be said that early encounter with difficulties and adverse circumstances is one of the necessary conditions of success. Wabash county has numerous examples of self-made manhood, and among them may be numbered D. G. Kauf¬ man, a pioneer of Waltz township, who has resided on his present farm for nearly a half century and is the architect of his own fortunes in a marked degree.

The family came to Wabash county in 1846, traveling by way of Trumble county to Cleveland by wagon, then on to Toledo, and thence by canal to Wabash county, the father settling on the southeast corner of section 8, Waltz township. This farm had been entered from the Gov¬ ernment by Michael Kaufman, and D. G. Kaufman is still in possession of the old sheepskin deed, dated March 18, 1847, showing that it was entered from the Government and recorded and proved up at Fort Wayne. This farm is now occupied by C. 0. Peters. At the time of the Kaufmans' arrival the land was all in timber, although there were sev¬ eral small log buildings which had been erected by a man named Ben¬ nett, and the rough log cabin had no sides on it. Mr. Kaufman rebuilt the buildings, which have since been replaced by more modern structures. D. G. Kaufman remembers that he enjoyed life during the pioneer days as much as he does now, and a large part of his time was passed in assisting neighbors to plow, often without remuneration of any kind. His education was secured in the primitive schools of his day, which lasted only three months during each winter, and to which he had to make his way on foot two miles. The greater part of his education was secured after he had reached his twenty-first year, although he was of a more retentive nature and accordingly learned much more quickly than many who had greater advantages. When he was not in school or work¬ ing on the farm he spent a great deal of time in the woods. When the Civil war broke out he offered his services to his country as a member of Company A, Eighty-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, but did not pass the examination, and was therefore never sent to the front, although his brother Jacob was a soldier of Company A, Eighty-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Capt. Elias Stone, and served throughout the entire struggle.

On February 18, 1864, Mr. Kaufman was married to Miss Elvira Jackson, daughter of John H. and Sarah (Barnhard) Jackson. Sarah Barnhard was reared in South Carolina and married in Henry county, Indiana, where John H. Jackson was born and raised. She has one sister and three brothers living: Malinda, Joel, Elza and David, and Emma and an infant, deceased. The Jackson family came to Indiana in 1859. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kaufman, namely: Madison, who married Hulda Rood and is a resident of Ore¬ gon; Della, who is the wife of William Howell; Ida, who married John Printy of Michigan; Arvilla, who married George Wright; Clinton, who married Susan Pearson; Walter, who married Lena Schautz, and Homer. All were born on the present farm in Wabash county and all were edu¬ cated in the schools of Waltz township, being given a training fitting them for the positions in life which tfiey might be called upon to fill.

The year following his marriage Mr. Kaufman moved to his present farm. At that time he was the owner of a horse and a cow, and with these as a nucleus began the building up of a good farm. On his land there had been erected a log house, which continued to be the family home until Mr. Kaufman was able to do the clearing of his land from the heavy timber, and the draining of the swamp land. At this time he has ninety-five acres, all in a high state of cultivation, and the once worthless, non-productive soil is now made to yield abundant crops of golden grain, which amply repay Mr. Kaufman for the labor he has expended upon it. Mr. Kaufman's success is chiefly the result of his own effort, industry and integrity being its cornerstones. On this foundation he has reared a structure of which he may well be proud, its pinnacle being the unswerving confidence of his fellow-men. A man of liberal views in all things, he believes in free speech, and is inclined toward socialism in his politics. Mr. Kaufman was reared in the faith of the Lutheran church, while his estimable wife, who, like her husband, has many friends, is identified with the Christian church.

Frank Hawley. One of the substantial business men of Wabash county, who is now engaged in a general mercantile business at Red Bridge, is Frank Hawley, who for a number of years was also identified with agricultural pursuits. He is a native son of Wabash county, hav¬ ing been born on a farm in Noble township February 10, 1867, his parents being Aubrey and Marguerite (Hutchins) Hawley, natives of

Ohio, the latter being from Montgomery county. Aubrey Hawley came to Wabash county at a very early period, and for many years was the . owner of a boat on the old canal. From all records at hand he is the only survivor of the canal-boat men of Wabash county. On disposing of his interests in that line he became the proprietor of a sawmill, but later turned his attention to farming in Waltz township, where he be¬ came the owner of a valuable property and is now living in quiet retire¬ ment, enjoying the fruits of his years of earnest toil. For a long period Mr. Hawley was connected with the Progressive Dunkard church, but of late years, while still a believer in the Gospel and a true Christian, has not been connected with any particular religious denomination. In politics he has always been a democrat, although not an office seeker. Aubrey and Marguerite (Hutchins) Hawley have been the parents of four children, namely: Melvin, who died aged eighteen months, and an infant who died in infancy; Frank, and Lula, who died at the age of twenty-one years.

Ffrank Hawley received his education in the district schools of Noble and Waltz townships, and while thus securing his literary training assisted his father in the cultivation of the home farm. On attaining his majority he embarked in agricultural pursuits on his own account, but in 1895 turned his attention to mercantile lines and became the pro¬ prietor of a store at Amboy. This he conducted with some success until 1900, when he received a good offer for his business and disposed of his interests, at that time returning to farming, in which he was engaged until 1906. He then again became a merchant, purchasing the store formerly owned by Nick Bowman at Red Bridge, and here, through energetic methods and honorable dealings, he has built up an extensive trade. He is possessed of good business ability, is familiar with the wants and needs of his customers, and carries a full line of the most up-to-date goods. His courtesy and pleasant personality have done much to increase his business and have also gained him numerous friends in his community. For a number of years Mr. Hawley was a member of the Church of the Brethren, but of late years he has not been a regular member, although he is ever ready to assist in good movements. In political matters he is a socialist, and he takes a keen and intelligent interest in public affairs as they affect his locality or its people. Mr. Hawley enjoys the privileges of membership in Somerset Lodge of the Masonic fraternity and the Odd Fellows Lodge of Amboy, in both of which he is very popular.

Mr. Hawley was married to Miss Tina Bowman, daughter of Eli W. and Melvina (Tait) Bowman and one of a family of twelve children. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hawley: Ethel, who married Roy Shaw and has two children; Darrel and Harold; Claude and Clyde, twins, the latter of whom is deceased ; Ely, deceased ; Walter and Victor, residing at home with their parents; Marguerite, deceased, and one child who died in infancy.

Z. M. Beaman, M. D. Engaged in the general practice of medicine and surgery at North Manchester, Dr. Beaman has applied himself closely to his profession since the beginning of his practice, about eight years ago, and besides looking after a large private clientage also per¬ forms the public duties of city physician. A native of Ohio, born at Charloe, Paulding county, January 13, 1880, Z. M. Beaman is a son of W. Scott and Cora (Jackson) Beaman; who were among the early set¬ tlers of Paulding county and both now deceased.

The first twelve years of Dr. Beaman 's life were spent on the farm, of which the last two comprised mainly driving oxen in the timber for his father. Then with his father he took up the mercantile business at Junction, Ohio, continuing until he was twenty-one. Dr. Beaman's education was the result of attendance at the district schools and the business school at Leipsic, Ohio. Having reached his majority, he deter¬ mined to make the study and practice of medicine his life work.

With that purpose in view he entered the Fort Wayne College of Medicine, subsequently continuing his studies in Purdue University, and was graduated in 1906 a Doctor of Medicine from the medical depart¬ ment of that institution. His first seventeen months as a graduate phy¬ sician were passed in the community of Urbana, in Wabash county, and since then he has practiced successfully at North Manchester. By hard and conscientious work his business has been built up to a lucrative point, and his standing is among the best among Wabash county's phy¬ sicians. In the line of his profession he is identified with the County and State Medical Society, the American Medical Association and also with the Eleventh Council District Association. His social and fraternal relations are with the Masonic Order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America.

In November, 1908, Dr. Beaman was appointed to the office of city physician at North Manchester to fill out the unexpired term of Dr. Lila Andrews. In January, 1914, came a re-appointment to the office, and for the past six years he has performed his duties in safeguarding the public health of the community in a most efficient and creditable manner. In all his relations, whether professional or civic, Dr. Beaman has exhibited a fine sense of citizenship, and has proved himself one of the men of useful work and influences in the community. On September 21, 1907, Dr. Beaman married Miss Pauline Speicher, a daughter of the late David Speicher of Urbana, and a member of a prominent old family of Wabash county.

Henry E. Jackson. For more than a half century Henry E. Jackson has been a resident of his present farm in Waltz township, and during the greater part of this time he has been numbered among his com¬ munity 's substantial men. A steadv-going, reliable and thoroughly pro¬ gressive citizen, he has found time aside from his own interests to take part in movements which have benefited Wabash county and Waltz township, and has at all times shown himself a loyal friend to educa- tion, religion and morality. He was born in Henry county, Indiana, December 21, 1854, and is a son of John Harrison and Sarah (Barnhard) Jackson.

John Harrison Jackson came to Wabash county as one of the early settlers, and here took up his residence in Waltz township in the present home of his son. He was in modest financial circumstances and was able only to secure a heavily timbered property, which had been entered several years before from the Government by James Shackleford. His first residence was a small log structure, and for a long period his life continued to be a struggle against obstacles and disappointments, but as the years passed he steadily prospered through persistent labor and energetic application, and at the time of his death he was the owner of a large body of well-cultivated land. Both he and his wife were laid to rest in Waltz township.