Wabash County, Indiana - The whole text, 1914 (part 4 of 16)

To Mr. and Mrs. King there were born three children, as follows: a daughter who died unnamed in infancy ; Harry S., born May 8, 1860 ; and Charles Sherman, born September 14, 1865, a graduate of Yale University. Mrs. King, who survives her husband and makes her home in Wabash, is still hale and hearty although she has reached the age of seventy-seven years. She is widely known in Wabash, and is respected and esteemed by the whole community and warmly beloved by a wide circle of appreciative friends.

Charles S. King. During his all too brief career in Wabash county, the late Charles Sherman King was one of the forceful characters, and his attainments and services are the proper subjects for another short chapter in the annals of the King family and contribute further dis¬ tinctions to the name in Wabash county. Born in the city of Wabash on September 14, 1865, he was a son of Thomas Wellman King and a grand¬ son of Peter King, biographies of both of whom are found elsewhere in this publication. Charles S. King was graduated from the high school of Wabash with the class of 1882, and prepared for college at Crawfordsville, Indiana, and at Stockbridge, Massachusetts. In 1885 he entered Yale University, in the regular classical course, and was graduated A. B. June, 1889. With this literary foundation, he took up study of law duty or an obligation. He had a thought for every one associated with him. His love for his father and his mother was the all-absorbing love that considered their every wish and interest. His was a peaceful going away and his loved ones could feel glad that he was spared great suffering. Everywhere kind friends are sorrowing over the loss of a good man from the city. Such men are needed, such men are an honor to their fellowmen and such quiet influence for good leaves a lasting impression. Honest, industrious, progressive, interested in every enterprise that advanced the cause of right living, was the ambition of his life."

Mr. Harry S. King married Miss Emma E. Rohrbacher, oldest daughter of Charles Frederick and Elizabeth Rohrbacher of Wabash. Her father was born in Germany, came to America when fifteen years of age, and died at Mount Carmel, Illinois, in 1882. Mr. King and wife were married May 28, 1890, and their two children are: Harriet and Thomas F.

Neil Lumaree. The appointment of Neil Lumaree to the office of postmaster of Wabash, in April, 1914, was based on merit and full qualifications for that office. No selection could have been more pop¬ ular among the people in general, and as the appointee of the present national administration, Mr. Lumaree enters his office with the con¬ fidence of the community and with a prestige established by many years of business relations with Wabash.

The name Lumaree has had a business prestige in Wabash for more than fifty years. In the early days it was identified with farming, with the old industry of pork packing which at one time flourished in Wabash valley, and with various undertakings and commercial affairs. Three generations of the family have lived actively in Wabash county, and the name is still prominent in business and civic affairs.

The first of the family to come to Wabash county vras David W. Lumaree, who came from West Point, New York, to Wabash county during the forties. He was born in the vicinity of West Point, and was a son of James C. L'Amoreaux, of French descent, who for fifteen years served as commissary sergeant at West Point. He retained the orig¬ inal spelling of the name, as did also one of his sons, Cornelius Van Allen L'Amoreaux, who also came to Wabash county, Indiana, but the father of Neil Lumaree, wdien a young man, changed his name to the American form, Lumaree. James Lumaree in 1852 came west to Wabash county and died here in 1880 at the age of ninety-two years. One of six children, none of whom are now living, David W. Lumaree was a man of education, and his enterprise was instrumental in open¬ ing up some new avenues of activities in this county. He had been preceded to Wabash county by his brother John B. Lumaree, who was one of the real pioneers in this region. The latter had settled on a farm some six miles west of the present city of Wabash, and there both broth¬ ers joined in farming, but later moved into town and established a large general mercantile store. They also owned a grain elevator, and were among the extensive dealers in grain in their day. Farmers all up and down the Wabash Valley brought their harvest into Wabash and delivered their grain at the Lumaree elevator. The handling of produce in general was a feature of their business and the Lumaree brothers operated the plant at which they bought and packed hogs and shipped barrels of pork in large quantities to New York. David W. Lumaree lived in Wabash county until the close of his life. In Decem¬ ber, 1853, he married Mary A. Brady, and they became the parents of nine children, namely: Cornelius; Jessie, deceased; Myrtle, deceased; John; Ella, Mrs. Charles Bradley; Minerva, deceased; James; and twins who died in infancy unnamed.

David W. Lumaree was in active business in Wabash for a great num¬ ber of years, was precise and methodical, scrupulously honest and just, and a man highly respected for his upright life. His death occurred in December, 1899. His wife died September 11, 1913, aged eighty-three years, having passed away in the house to which she came as a bride sixty years ago. She wTas one of the venerable pioneer women of Wabash county.

Cornelius Lumaree, or "Neil" as he is almost universally known in Wabash county, was born in the city of Wabash, September 28, 1854. The public schools of the city as they existed during the decade of the sixties furnished him the foundation of a substantial education, and while still a boy he found employment as a clerk in a grocery store. His later activities led him into banking, and then into insurance. For fifteen years Mr. Lumaree was assistant cashier of the First National Bank of Wabash. For seventeen years past he has devoted his atten¬ tion to general insurance, loans and real estate, with office at 19 W. Market street.

Mr. Lumaree has for a number of years been one of the influential democrats of Wabash county, though he has never sought any impor¬ tant office, and has been a worker for good government rather than a politician. He is a Knight Templar in the Masonic fraternity. On May 16, 1889, occurred his marriage to Miss Lida LeRoy of Utah. They are the parents of three children : Leroy, Phoebe and Cornelia.

Jacob Rish. In writing, either briefly or otherwise, of the men who gave the best years of their lives to the development of Wabash county, mention must inevitably he made of certain men of foreign birth who performed well their parts i ti the great civilizing process that went on unchecked in this district for many years in the middle part of the last century. Among them Jacob Rish has his own definite and even promi¬ nent niche, for he was one who took up the burden of life in a new and untried land with all the zest and ardor of a native born son of the state. He was born in Nassau, Bavaria, Germany, in 1828, and was there reared, educated and married, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary Wenzel. Until the year 1849, Mr. Rish and his wife continued in their native land, carrying on farming operations, with more or less success, and it is assumed that it was less rather than more, else they should have failed to grow sufficiently dissatisfied with the Fatherland as to wish to become citizens of another country. However, that may be, the fact remains that the year 1849 found them crossing the Atlantic in a sailing vessel, prepared to brave whatever might come of viscissitudes and 'misfortune if they might but find them a home and independ¬ ence here. They were three months in making the journey, and arriv¬ ing on American soil they came to Warsaw, Indiana, via the Pennsyl¬ vania Lines, and from that point walked across the country to Wabash, making their way alone through dense and uncomfortable swamps, and fighting off wild animals that threatened them by day and night. Their destination reached, Mr. Rish found some work on the farm of one Michael Kunse, two miles north of Wabash. He had little or no means when he came here, and such material wealth as he and his faithful wife acquired in later years came only through unremitting toil, econ¬ omy and much self-denial. With their savings they gradually bought property, established a home, and here they passed the remainder of their days. Here were born to them eleven children, nine of whom reached years of maturity, and they are here named: Jacob; Julia, since deceased; William A.; Philip; John; Frederick; Nellie; Charles and Edward.

A notable circumstance in the life of Mr. Rish, as indicative of something of the independence of the man in his mental habits, is with all propriety mentioned here. He was born and reared stanchly in the Roman Catholic faith. After settling here he became a member of the Masonic fraternity, and after so doing was informed that he must either relinquish Masonry or lose his standing with the church of his birth. It appeared to the reasoning of Mr. Rish that any religion that felt itself justified in condemning Masonry, the beauties of which he had come to realize and to appreciate, was, of itself, but a weak reed upon which to depend for his eternal salvation, and after much inward de¬ bating of the subject, he resolved to retain his membership in the Masonic order at any cost to his churchly standing. The result was excommuni¬ cation, but he continued an ardent Mason and a lover of its ritual and teachings all his days, and his life was ever a power for good in his community.

Of foreign nativity, Mr. Rish was a man who was thoroughly Ameri¬ can in his citizenship. He was hard-working, industrious, honest to the penny, as the saying goes, and was moral and upright in his every trans¬ action and in all the relations of life. He was one who had the un¬ qualified respect and esteem of all who knew him, and his death, which occurred in 1893, was truly mourned. His widow survived him until June 15, 1911.

William A. Rish, second son of his parents, was born on November 10, 1861, in Wabash county, and he has always made this his home. He was educated in the Wabash public schools and while finishing his training there he aided in his own support by carrying wood up to offices and at other odd jobs of equal attractiveness. He showed his mettle in those early days, and demonstrated that he was the true son of his father. He was fifteen years old when he began to work out as a farm hand, his first year in that work netting him a monthly wage of $8. His second year earnings were $18 a month, wTith a cash bonus of $50 for having proved himself an extra capable and willing "hand." His third year at farm work saw him raised to the dignity of $22 a month for his services, and in 1879 he began the draying business in "Wabash. In this enterprise Mr. Rish has continued up to the present time, through a period covering thirty-four years, and his success has been one of which he may well be proud.

Mr. Rish is a democrat in politics, though not especially active in the party ranks, and like his father, he is a member of the A. F. & A. M.

On November 15, 1882, Mr. Rish was married to Miss Josephine Spencer, who died on January 9, 1892, leaving six children: Arthur, Ethel, Sherman, Omar, LeMoyne, now deceased, and Hilbert. On April 16, 1906, Mr. Rish was married a second time, Mary Holderbaum be¬ coming his wife. They were married at Port Clinton, Ohio, of which place she was a native resident, and they have one son, Roland Rish.

Charles Rish. Among the present day wide awake, young, busi¬ ness men of Wabash, Indiana, Charles Rish is recognized as one of the self-made men of this class.

Mr. Rish since boyhood has been associated writh B. Walter & Com¬ pany, Table Slide Manufacturers. His advancement with this concern has been the reward of conscientious effort and constant attention to the business interests of the company. Mr. Rish has risen from an obscure position in the factor}7, as a boy, to the Vice-Presidency and Factory Manager of the corporation.

Mr. Rish is a native son of Wabash, born here on the 26th of March, 1872. His early education was obtained in the public schools, and this city has always been his home. At the age of fourteen years, he started to make his own way in the world, his first employment being with the H. C. Underwood Mfg. Company. A year or so later an opening was offered him in the plant of B. Walter & Company, and he has been associated with this Company since that time. He is a director of the Citizens Savings & Trust Company, and also has financial in¬ terests in several of the prominent business concerns of Wabash.

Politically Mr. Rish has long been an independent voter, confin¬ ing his interest at the polls to matters of public import rather than to the business of furthering political supremacy of any designated party. His interest in the civic welfare of the city has been praiseworthy, and he has borne his full share in the burdens of communal and civic responsibility. He is identified fraternally with the A. F. & A. M. and with the B. P. 0. E., in both of wdiich he is highly esteemed by his brothers.

early life was passed among strangers. It is but a small wonder, then, that he was given but the most limited schooling advantages, but his own natural thrift enabled him to acquire a working knowledge of the com¬ mon branches, so that he was by no means an illiterate man. He early drifted to Toledo, Ohio, and there he found employment with farming men in the vicinity. It was there that he married Julia Ann Huff, and they became the parents of thirteen children, but six of whom are now living. Mr. Parks followed farming all his life. He first bought a small farm in Lucas county, Ohio, and there he lived until the latter fifties, when he came to Wabash, Indiana, and here rented a farm near Urbana. In that vicinity he passed the remainder of his life, and he died there in 1880. Mrs. Parks survived until August, 1909, when she passed away at the age of eighty-four years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Parks had been members of the United Brethren church, and were people who lived lives of usefulness in their community and were known to be individuals of genuine and unquestioned worth. Mr. Parks was honest and upright in his character, temperate in his habits, and he won and held the esteem of all with whom he came in contact in his walk in life. His wife likewise shared in the many excellent traits that characterized him, and she left indelible impress upon the better activities and interest of her community.

The living children of Courtney Parks and his wife are Benjamin F., a resident of Wabash; Rosella, who married Jacob Rish and lives in Wabash; Charles E., residing in Wabash, as do also George W. and Moses W. ; Samuel D. is in the regular army of the United States. All are married, but Samuel D. is now divorced. Benjamin F., it should be said married Mrs. Lane and they now reside in Wabash. Charles E. married Myrtle Gowdy, and they have one daughter; George W. married Lottie Houston and they have one son; Moses married Esther C. Hale and has one daughter.

Moses W. Park was born on his father's farm in Wabash county on May 7, 1875, and he was four years old when his father died. After that event the family moved into Wrabash, in which city Moses Parks was reared and educated, the public schools supplying such education as he gained.

When about sixteen years old Mr. Parks launched out for himself as a "hand" in a sawmill, and he later learned the butcher business with a good deal of thoroughness. Later on he began working for L. A. Dawes in the transfer business, and he continued to be thus engaged for a number of years, at which time he and his brother, Charles E., bought the transfer business from Mr. Dawes, which they have since operated jointly, and with a good deal of success. They are among the successful and enterprising business men of the city today and owe their prosperity solely to their thrift and industry.

Mr. Parks is a member of the Loyal Order of Moose, but has no other fraternal associations. His politics are those of an independent voter, and his interest in local affairs of that nature are those of a good citizen only with no thought of self or personal benefit of any sort.

On March 18, 1896, Mr. Parks married Miss Esther C. Hale. As has been previously noted, she is the daughter of John B. Hale, who was one of the heaviest stockholders in the Pennsylvania Railroad Com¬ pany. To Mr. and Mrs. Parks one daughter has been born, Edythe Therell Parks.

Martin Stephan, who is prominent among the farming people of Lagro township as the owner and operator of a farm of ninetyfive acres of land situated on the east and west sides of the Rock Spring pike, has here been resident since 1895, when he left the fStaily home in Dallas township, Huntington county, Indiana, and settled on a place of his own. He is a son of Henry and Catherine (Vogt) Stephan, old residents of Huntington county, Indiana, both of whom were natives of Germany and came to the United States as chil¬ dren, locating with their families in Ohio, in the vicinity of Canal Dover. The father of Mrs. Stephan died in Ohio, but the others came to Indiana, and the Stephans located in Dallas, Huntington county, about a mile from the Wabash county line, and there the old people died.

Henry Stephan and his wife settled in Dallas township at a time when the most primitive conditions prevailed. Mr. Stephan was the first to introduce an axe on the place that became his home, and in the years that he spent there, much hard work was put forth in the matter of evolving a home of some sort from the wildness of the forest. In later years his son, Henry, father of the subject, joined him there, to¬ gether with a brother, and after acquainting himself with the possi¬ bilities of the new country, returned to Ohio for his family. They made the trip via the canal as far as the locks and thence on foot through the wilderness. Night caught the little party without shelter, and in the hours of darkness they huddled together for warmth, the mother wrapping parts of her clothing about the children in her efforts to add to their comfort. A flask of whiskey was the only remaining sustenance the fall of darkness found them in possession of, and they passed the night in more or less discomfort, not knowing in the least just where they were. To their chagrin, they found in the morning that they had camped for the night on the edge of their new home, and a few mo¬ ments ' walk brought them to the shelter of the family home.

Henry Stephan had eighty acres of land in the beginning, but he added to it a forty in the course of his years there, so that when he died he was the owner of one hundred and twenty acres, all finely im¬ proved and in excellent cropping condition. He died there when his son, Martin, of this review, was a lad of fifteen years, and his widow survived him until 1907, when she died at the advanced age of eighty years. They were the parents of seven children: John, Mary, Martin, William, George, Emanuel, and Caroline. The second and fourth named are deceased.

mained on the home place with his mother until he married, when Sarah Hunselman, daughter of the late Conrad Hunselman, became his wife. To them have been born a goodly family of nine children, here named as follows: Charles; Edward, married to May Laudick; Flor¬ ence and Flora, twins, the latter being the wife of John Hansel; Mar¬ garet is the wife of Charles Pohr and has children Eugene E. and Deloras; Lewis; Ida and Eva, another pair of twins; and Dora, the wife of Lloyd Foulke.

Martin Stephan rented a farm in Dallas township from the time of his marriage until he purchased his present place in 1895, at which time he applied himself diligently to the business of remodeling the house and other buildings and getting it in shape for the family. He succeeded most admirably, so that his farm has long been considered one of the attractive ones of the township, well kept in every detail and altogether a productive and desirable place. General farming is carried on by Mr. Stephan and he is reckoned among the alert and progressive farming men of the township by reason of the nature of his activities and the results he has achieved in the agricultural field.

Mr. Stephan is a republican, and was at one time supervisor of Dallas township, while he is now superintendent of the Rock Spring pike, on which his farm is located. He is a man of much public spirit, and his citizenship has been a thing of value to the town and county since he reached years of manhood.

Benjamin Wolf. Among the men who began at the bottom of the ladder in Wabash county and built up a singularly praiseworthy ma¬ terial prosperity through their own skill and application to duty one who is rightly entitled to mention in this historical and biographical w?ork is Benjamin Wolf, a resident of Wabash county for more than half a century.

Benjamin Wolf was born in Hochstattan, Rhinepfalz, Germany, on March 14, 1842, and he came to America in 1860. For a few months he was occupied variously in Cincinnati, Ohio, after which he came to Wabash, and here he spent his remaining days, gaining a prominence and position of which he was well worthy and which stamped him as one of the big men of the town. For three years after his arrival here Mr. Wolf clerked in the dry goods store of David Bach, and received for his services a stipend of eight dollars a month. He prac¬ ticed the most rigid economy from the first, and in the course of about three years' time he had saved something like two hundred and fifty dollars, with which, in 1863, he opened a butcher shop. He prospered in that enterprise, and in 1865 saw an opportunity to branch out into newer waters. He bought the dry goods and grocery store of M. & L. Hyman. Three years later he formed a partnership with David Beitman, under the firm name of Wolf & Beitman. At one time Mr. Wolf retired from the firm for a few years, and the name then became Beit¬ man Brothers & Company. In the meantime a son of Mr. Wolf's, Henry Wolf, now deceased, became of sufficient age to enter the business and for one year employed as a farm hand. In 1867 he went to White county, this state, where he lived for seven years, teaching school dur¬ ing the winter months and clerking in general stores in summers, and in 1875 returned to Miami county. There he continued to teach school in the winter terms, while in the summer months he read law in the office of Judge James M. Brown, and in 1881 was admitted to the bar, commencing practice at Roann. He first came to Wabash in November, 1886, as deputy prosecuting attorney of Wabash county, and served as such until February, 1889, when his preceptor, Judge Brown, was ap¬ pointed to the bench for Miami county, and Mr. Plummer was appointed prosecutor for Wabash county. He was elected to this office in Novem¬ ber, 1890, and again in November, 1892, and served until November,. 1894, following which he again engaged in private practice. Probably no lawyer who has practiced at the Wabash county bar comprehended the ethics of his profession better than he. His clients knew him to be a man of honor and integrity, and none feared at his hands any under¬ hand dealing or chicanery. This reputation had much to do writh his election, in November, 1902, to his present high judicial office. He took his position on the bench in November, 1903, and was reelected six years later, now serving hi» second term. In the respect that is accorded to such men as Judge Plummer, who have fought their own way to success through unfavorable environments, we find an unconscious' recognition of the intrinsic worth of a character which can not only endure so rough a test, but gain new strength through the discipline. Judge Plummer held distinctive precedence as an eminent lawyer and a valiant and patriotic soldier, $nd as a man of affairs has wielded a wide influence. A most determined individuality, an invincible courage and a strong mentality have so entered into his composition as to render him a natural leader of men and a director of opinion. His judicial record is one which confers honor and dignity upon the history of the bench of the state and his life has been consistent with itself and its possibilities in every particular. He has long been a valued member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and his fraternal connection is with the Knights of Pythias. Politically, the Judge is a stalwart republican.

On October 27, 1877, Judge Plummer was married to Miss Inez Murphy, daughter of Dr. Reuben Murphy, then a resident of Roann, Indiana, and four children have been born to this union: Margaret, a popular teacher in the Wabash public schools; Nellie, who married Flavius J. Harvey ; Franklin W., and Howard E.

Nelson Zeigler, was a man fifty-six years of age when he died at his home in Wabash, on September 12, 1897, and he had for many years been identified with the business activities of Wabash in a prominent and effective manner. He wTas born in Perrvsville, near Toledo, Ohio, on December 15, 1841, and was a son of William and Almira (Van Luven) Zeigler.

family had removed, and after the retirement of the elder Zeigler, the son removed to Lyons, New York, and there conducted a dry goods establishment. Some time thereafter he went to Attica, Indiana, and still later came to Wabash, renewing at once his activities in the dry goods business, and continuing therein until his death.

Mr. Zeigler was a capable and wise business man, and he experi¬ enced a generous measure of success in his enterprise here. He was well thought of and recognized as a conscientious and reliable man.

He was a republican in politics, but never held office, nor did he ever seek office at the hands of the public. He attended the Methodist church for many years.

On October 18, 1867, Mr. Zeigler married Annie M. Hughes, who was born and raised in Attica, Indiana, a daughter of John E. and Annie M. (Dutro) Hughes, of Scotch and American nativity, respec¬ tively, Maryland having been the birthstate of the mother. The father was a farmer and both are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Zeigler had four children, two still living. Alma became the wife of Charles S. King, a further sketch of whom is found in this work. Charles S. King and wife and their two daughters Katharine and Josephine, were all killed in an automobile accident, being struck by a limited Pennsyl¬ vania train, near Columbia City, Indiana, and all dying instantly. Clin¬ ton W. Zeigler married Edna Oliver, and now resides in Southern Mis¬ souri. Edward Hughey Zeigler, single, is superintendent of the Peoria & Eastern Division of the New York Central Lines, and located at In¬ dianapolis. One child, the third bom, Harry Hughes, died as an infant.

John C. Summerland. A former county treasurer of Wabash county, and in other capacities identified with the public affairs of both township and county, John C. Summerland has been a resident of this locality nearly fifty years, and acquired a position of solid prosperity chiefly through his industry as a farmer.

John C. Summerland was born in Cumberland county, Pennsyl¬ vania, July 23, 1848. His father, John Summerland, was bora in Eng¬ land, where he married Elizabeth Dadds. Soon afterwards he brought his family to America. In England he had been employed as a miner, in Shropshire, and also worked at the stone and brick mason's trade, and in the state of Pennsylvania, where he lived for many years, he followed those occupations and was also engaged in the digging of wells, a vocation in which he had peculiar success, and his services were in almost constant requisition. Both he and his wife are now deceased.

The boyhood of John C. Summerland was spent in Cumberland county, and he had only limited educational opportunities. He possessed the enterprise which would not content itself in the ordinary routine of his home neighborhood, and at an early age started out for himself, and began depending upon his own labors to advance his welfare in the world. At the age of sixteen, in March, 1865, he arrived in Wabash county, and began his career here as a farm hand in Noble township. The first farm on which he worked was located about a mile north of Wabash. He was known as an industrious, sober, and intelligent young man, and had all the work he could do while employed by others. On November 16, 1869, occurred his marriage with Miss Sarah Ellis, daugh¬ ter of Dr. Charles S. Ellis. After his marriage Mr. Summerland began farming on his own account and rented land and by hard work and close management gradually acquired some means of his own, which in 1878 he invested in eighty acres of land in Noble township, six miles northwest of Wabash. Two years later this was sold and he then moved to North Manchester, and began a career as a manufacturer. In part¬ nership with his brother Samuel Summerland he started a stave and heading factory under the name of Summerland Brothers. This wa3 conducted with a fair degree of prosperity, until the supply of native timber was exhausted, and they then retired from business after about twelve years.

In 1890 Mr. Summerland was elected treasurer of Wabash county, and in September, 1891, entered upon his official duties at the county seat. By reelection to the office, he served four years, and gave a most creditable administration of his office. He had already taken a some¬ what active part in the public affairs of his home township of Chester, where he had served four years as trustee, and for three years was a member of the North Manchester school board. After the expiration of his second term as treasurer, Mr. Summerland bought his present farm in Noble township, comprising one hundred and forty acres, and located near the city of Wabash. While a resident of Wabash, Mr. Summerland has given active attention to the management of his fine farm¬ stead. In October, 1913, he was apointed Inheritance Appraiser by Judge Plummer, and is now occupied with the duties of that position. Mr. Summerland is a republican in politics, and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Masonic Order.

To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Summerland have been born six children, whose records are as follows: Ruth Ellis, born September 6, 1870, died October 5, 1889. Parke Arthur, born January 1, 1874, now lives in the state of Idaho. John Kenneth, born August 24, 1876, was a soldier in the Spanish-American war, and died August 8, 1905. At the time of his death he was a detective on the Wabash Railroad. Charles Burton, born January 16, 1879, is a resident of Dallas, Texas. Grace Ellis, born September 29, 1881, married Fred Fowler, June 16, 1904, and they have one child, Betty Lou, and live in Wabash. Hoyte A., married Marie Long, and they have one child, Sarah. He operates his father's farm.

C. S. Ellis, M. D. Of the older members of the medical fraternity in Wabash county, those who perform their quiet, but effective service to humanity as " country doctors," one of the most conspicuous was the late Dr. C. S. Ellis, whose home was in this county for about fifty years. Besides his practice as a physician, he was a man of prominence before the public, served with ranks of captain, major, and lieutenant colonel in the Civil war, was at one time treasurer of the county, and also served one term as a member of the Indiana State Legislature. In his time he was one of the men of 4 4 light and leading" in Wabash county, and he leaves descendants who honor his name in this and other com¬ munities.

Dr. C. S. Ellis was born near Salem, Alabama, November 16, 1824, and died at his home on West Main Street in the city of Wabash, Novem¬ ber 22, 1894. Six days before his death he had passed his seventieth birthday, so that he was full of years and accomplishments when death called him. When he was about twenty years of age his family moved to Indiana, and at LaFontaine he took up the study of medicine under Dr. Matlock, one of the foremost of the pioneer physicians in that local¬ ity. On completing his studies, Dr. Ellis located for practice at Somer¬ set, and continued his work without interruption in that quiet commu¬ nity until the beginning of the war of the Rebellion. On August 20, 1861, he went out as first lieutenant in Company I of the Eighth In¬ diana Infantry. On September 25, 1862, he resigned his commission and returned home. Again in 1863, he entered the service, this time as captain of Company E in the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth In¬ diana Regiment. Soon afterwards he was promoted to the rank of major in the regiment, and continued until the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth was mustered out of service. In the spring of 1865, a few months before the close of the Rebellion, Dr. Ellis once more tendered his services to the cause, and this time went to the front as lieutenant colonel in the One Hundred and Fifty-third Indiana Infantry. While his commission was never higher than lieutenant colonel, he was appointed commander of the post at Rushville, Kentucky, and commanded the brigade to which his regiment was attached.

With the close of his service as a soldier, Dr. Ellis returned to his old home in Somerset, and quietly resumed his duties as a country prac¬ titioner. In 1866, he wras again called into public service at his election as treasurer of Wabash county. He then moved his family to the city of Wabash, and served as treasurer two terms. On leaving the office of treasurer, Dr. Ellis went west, and participated in the mining activ¬ ities of the new territory of Montana for about five years. After his return from the west Dr. Ellis continued a resident of Wabash and in the practice of medicine until the close of his life. Dr. Ellis was one of the best known members of the Grand Army in Wabash county, and filled all the important offices in his post, being surgeon at the time of his death. He was an honorary member of St. Anastasia Mesnil Lodge, No. 46, I. 0. 0. F.

In 1847, a year or two after he had established himself in the prac¬ tice of medicine in Wabash county, Dr. Ellis married Miss Caroline C. Hale of LaFontaine. She was born near Lexington, Kentucky, October 22, 1831, and died at her home in Wabash, May 10, 1893, about a year and a half before the death of her husband. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Hale, who were early settlers of Wabash county, having moved to this section when she was about three years of age. Dr. and Mrs. Ellis became the parents of ten children, six of whom survived Dr. Ellis. The children are: Sarah, who is Mrs. J. C. Summerland; Viola C., Mrs. M. W. Coate; Arthur T., who lives in Peru; Milo Hale, who died in October, 1910; Josephine, who died aged four years; Grace A., now Mrs. A. M. Oswalt; India R., now Mrs. Wood Rhodes, of Wabash ; Charles L., who died aged sixteen years; Naomi, wife of J. W. Prince, of Parsons, Kansas; and Van M., who died aged four years.

Dr. Ellis was a member of the Presbyterian church ; had been edu¬ cated for the ministry, but preferred to become a physician. His father, Sylvester Ellis, a native of Vermont, was a missionary preacher among the Indians at Salem, Alabama, at the time of his marriage and his wife, Sarah Hoyte, was a teacher among the Indians there.

Citizens State Bank of Lagro. The first banking institution ever opened at Lagro is the Citizens State Bank, which was incorporated March 9, 1912, under the laws of Indiana, with a capital stock of twentyfive thousand dollars. Its charter, its* facilities for handling business, its officers and directors and principal stock holders, are all of a char¬ acter to give the people unqualified confidence in the institution as a financial stronghold, and its success has more than justified the anticipa¬ tions of its founders.

The bank opened its doors for business in 1912 in the old McNown Building, but plans w'ere almost immediately made for the construction of a new building, specially designed for the bank. This bank building has since been completed, and is a handsome structure of brick and stone adjoining the new building of the Lagro Hardware Company. Most of the stock in the Citizens State Bank is held by residents in and about Lagro, and it is almost purely a local institution, farmers, mer¬ chants, retired citizens and others being the backers of the institution. The bank fills a long-felt want in this part of Wabash county, and its business has been increasing rapidly ever since its books were first opened.

The officers and directors at this writing (1914) are as follows: Charles F. Hegel, president; Alexander Fulton, vice president; Robert Fults, John A. Thomas, Hugh Jackson, S. D. Tyner, L. A. Schmalzried, Daniel Ryan and John Hegel, directors; and D. W. Gillespie, cashier.

D. W. Gillespie, the cashier of the Citizens State Bank at Lagro, has for a number of years been one of the vigorous and effective workers in this community of Wabash county. Many remember him as a successful teacher, and for a number of years he combined the voca¬ tions of teaching with farming. Mr. Gillespie owns a well improved and valuable homestead in Lagro towmship, and is otherwise identified with the business and civic affairs of the locality.

His birth occurred in Liberty township, Wabash county, July 24, 1877. He was one of the children of John W. and Sarah (Brane) Gil¬ lespie, old residents of Wabash county, who were born in Ohio. The children were: William, deceased; John D. ; Anna, wife of Charles Sin¬ clair ; George M. ; David A. ; Charles L. ; Theo W. ; Minnie M., wife of William Devricks.

D. W. Gillespie grew up on the old home farm in Wabash county. .When he was about three years old his mother died, and he was orphaned by the death of his father at the age of fifteen. In the meantime he had attended country and grade schools at Lincolnville, and finally qualified for work as a teacher. He began when little more than a boy to in¬ struct the youth of a country district school and taught for two terms in Lagro township. For three years he was a student in Valparaiso Univer¬ sity where he graduated in the scientific course in 1899. After that four years were spent as a teacher in the Burdick schools in Porter county, after which he returned to Lagro township, and spent heven years in the school room. He resigned his position as a teacher, in order to accept a place of cashier in the Citizens State Bank at Lagro, when that institution opened its doors in 1912. In the meantime he had been steadily prospering in a quiet way and his surplus earnings were in¬ vested in a farm of eighty acres in Lagro township. He moved from his farm and bought the George Todd residence at Lagro in 1913. He still owns the farm, has bought and built valuable business property at Lagro, and was one of the organizers and is a stock holder in the Lagro Hardware Company, a business concern which is sketched elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Gillespie was married July 24, 1903, to Miss Anna Miller, a daughter of Charles Miller, now deceased, who for many years lived near Valparaiso. Mr. and Mrs. Gillespie have three chil¬ dren: Estella Marie, who died October 5, 1912, at the age of eight years; Marguerite Irene, who is now four years old; and Helen Marine, six months old.

John Lynn. The late John Lynn, long a resident of Wabash county, Indiana, and one who bore the part of a true pioneer in the develop¬ ment and upbuilding of the county, was a man whose many excellencies of heart and mind made him a valuable addition to the county all his days. His life was a hard one, as measured by present day standards of what constitute the reasonable ease of life and its opposite, but it is probable that he never regarded it as such, but rather as being the com¬ mon lot of man, for he never complained, and he went on with his work unfalteringly to the end. It is undeniable that the hardy spirit of those fine old men and their equally fine wives has had much to do with the results that are apparent everywhere today in communities that are now populous and thriving. Any lack of determination or hardihood on their part must have resulted inevitably in a failure in the progress that is the pride of the nation, and all honor is due to them. It is fitting indeed that specific mention be made of them and their part in the civilizing process that has meant so much to us all, in a historical and biographical work of the nature of this publication.

John Lynn was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on November 5, 1821, and came early to Preble county, Ohio, where he continued until 1839, when he came to Wabash county, Indiana. His first trip to this county was made on foot from his Preble county home, -and at Fort Wayne he entered land lying along the LaFontaine Pike, four miles southeast of Wabash. This was the Southwest quarter of Section 28, Township 27 North, Range 8 East, and the deed for this preemption was signed by President Zachary Taylor. In the same year he bought eighty acres of canal land, the same being described as fol¬ lows: The east half of the southwest quarter of Section 20, Township 27, North of Range 7. The deed for this purchase, as well as for the government entry, are now in the possession of Frank Lynn, of Wabash.

On his government entry of land John Lynn built a log cabin, hav¬ ing in the meantime occupied the cabin of William Huff. It should be here stated that after he had made his entry of government land, Mr. Lynn returned to Preble county, was there married and brought back his wife, who in her maiden days was Elizabeth Freel, and whom he married in Preble county, Ohio, on September 21, 1841, his removal to Wabash county following in October, 1841.

His second trip to Wabash county was accomplished with a team and wagon, a vast improvement over his first journey into the new coun¬ try. The cabin which Mr. Lynn built was, through an error, located on the land of another man, and it is a notable fact that when the mis¬ take was discovered and the cabin moved, it was again wrongly located, and a third move finally brought the cabin to its rightful resting place. In this cabin, three of his children were born, - one at each location.

It is, perhaps, unnecessary to say here that the country was in those early days in a most uncivilized state. The hand of the white man had scarce invaded the district, and Mr. Lynn found it necessary to make vigorous stand against the wild beasts that had so long held sway in the forests, their rights undisputed by mere man. Indians, too, played an important part in the life of the pioneer of that period, and Mr. Lynn found his ingenuity taxed to its utmost to maintain an existence in his new home without molestation from the marauding forces of uncivilized nature.

Magnificent forests of oak, beech, walnut, maple and other more or less rare and exceedingly valuable timber were subjected to the mer¬ ciless fury of the axeman, and the noble trees were cut into lengths suitable to handle, heaped in immense piles and burned where they were felled. True, some of them were put to use by being split into fence rails and utilized for fencing purposes, and many of them found their way into the solid construction of houses and barns. And an occasional block house may be found today in Wabash county to bear witness to the quality of building that was done by the early settlers of the district.

John Lynn was all his days a sufferer from asthma, and though he was always a hard working man, his malady was one that made it im¬ possible for him to perform the hard and incessant manual labor that his neighbors found to be the incidents of a day. He always hired a good deal of help on his place, and when his sons reached years of sturdy youth they took their places in forest and field and worked valiantly

Mr. Lynn's beloved wife and helpmeet played well her part all her days, bearing her full share in the development of the community, uncomplainingly and cheerfully. She reared her family of ten children as best she might, teaching them all she knew of books, and by example and precept instilling into their young minds and hearts those principles of honor and uprightness that had marked her own and her husband's lives, and rearing them in a reverence of God that helped to make of each of them useful and valuable citizens.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Lynn were of the Methodist faith, but in later life, in order to be convenient to a house of worship, they united with the Presbyterian church, and continued among its members to the end of their days. Mr. Lynn was one of those delightfully old fashioned men, whose like one never sees today, and he was always a power for good in his community. He was a man of fine character, honest from principle, and generous in thought, word and deed, with a high sense of honor and a just regard always for the rights and privileges of others. He was ever a neighborly neighbor, and an honest, God-fearing man.

Of these children, Frank Lynn was born in the log cabin home of the family on October 12, 1844. He had but few opportunities for edu¬ cation, but was one with a natural gift for learning, and was always a great reader and a keen observer, thus adding much to the meager train¬ ing afforded to him in boyhood. He was reared on the home farm, and when yet a boy he began to launch out independently, starting as a cattle buyer in a small way. Later he went into the work extensively, and for nearly forty-four years he followed that business. During his activities in that enterprise, he visited not only every nook and cranny of his native county, but of Grant, Huntington and Miami counties as well. During these years he lived on the old farm and carried on activ¬ ities as a farmer, and to the present day he is in charge of the opera¬ tions on his farm lands, comprising 172 acres. He has long had a wide acquaintance in the county, and it has been said of him that he could call more people in Wabash county by their Christian names than could any other individual in the county. He still has an enormous ac¬ quaintance, and has long been prominent here.

Mr. Lynn is a republican, and he has held certain public offices, among them being treasurer of Wabash county, in which he served four years and four months. He was elected to that office in 1894, and since that time has maintained his residence in this city.

On January 30, 1886, Mr. Lynn was married to Miss Margaret Hittle, a daughter of John and Adeline (Kendall) Hittle. She was. born in Liberty township, on August 2, 1848, and to them have been bom three children. Oliver, the eldest born, died in early manhood; Lou Anne married Elias Scott and became the mother of three children : Oliver Lynn Scott, Kittie Bernice and Mary Adeline, deceased. After the death of Mr. Scott on August 27, 1903, Mrs. Scott married Dr. N. T. Hale and lives in Eustis, Nebraska. Ella, the third child of Mr. and Mrs. Lynn, resides at home.

John Hittle. Sixteen years have passed since John Hittle passed from earthly life to his reward, but his genial personality is well remem¬ bered in and about Wabash today. He was, undoubtedly, one of the best known men in Wabash county for a great many years, and he was one who enjoyed the kindly regard and esteem of all. He was a native son of the state, born in Rush county, Indiana, in 1823, and he was a son of Isaac and Margaret Hittle.

John Hittle came of farming people, and he was reared on a farm, learning the trade of a blacksmith when a young man, and for many years carrying on that occupation. lie married Adeline Kendall on December 4, 1842, when he was scarce twenty years of age, and three years later came to Wabash county, locating eight miles southeast of Wabash on the LaFontaine pike. There he erected a shop and followed blacksmithing and farming during the greater part of his life, while for twenty years he kept the toll gate on the LaFontaine pike. There he came into contact with the rank and file of the citizenship of the county, and made acquaintance with all in the genial and kindly manner that wa s characteristic of him and pleasing to the public.

Both Mr. Hittle and his wife were devout Baptists, and like many another old pioneer, he was noted all his days for his uprightness of character, for his many neighborly qualities and for the universal esteem in which he and his faithful wife were ever held.

To them were born six children, all of whom died in infancy except¬ ing one daughter, - Margaret, the wife of Frank Lynn, of Wabash. Mr. Hittle died on March 9, 1897, having outlived his wife by a number of years. She died on April 17, 1881, and like her beloved partner in life, she is still mourned by the many people hereabout that knew her.

Jess Braxton Higgins, M. D. One of the leading physicians of Wabash county is Dr. Higgins of Lagro. He has practiced medicine in this county for the past eight years, and his qualifications and experi¬ ence has been such as to give him a well deserved leadership in the medi¬ cal fraternity of this locality. Dr. Higgins is a son of a former prom¬ inent physician of Miami county, and represents the third generation of the family residence in this section of the state.

The founder of the name in Indiana was Jess Higgins, who was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1806, and was of English extrac¬ tion. On December 27, 1841, he married Ann M. Rodebaugh, who was born at Albany, New York. In 1846 Jess Higgins and wife came to Indiana and became early residents of the city of Peru. He was a miller by trade, and his first occupation was the management of the old Peru Mills. Subsequently he was a real estate dealer, and from 1858 to 1860 served as deputy treasurer of Miami county. He had a prom¬ inent place in local affairs, served as mayor of Peru, and held various other positions of trust and responsibility. His death occurred Janu¬ ary 17, 1879. He and his wife had five children. The late Dr. Carter B. Higgins, father of the Lagro physician, was born in Preble county, Ohio, December 15, 1843, and was the oldest child of his parents. He lived in Miami county from the time he was three years of age, and his education at the Peru high school was supplemented by study in Earlham College at Richmond, and when eighteen years old took up the study of medicine in the offices of Drs. Constant and Walker at Peru. In October, 1865, he became a student in the Rush Medical College at Chicago, and was graduated Doctor of Medicine in 1866. His first practice was at Peru in association with Dr. Walker, under whom he had previously studied. Their relationship continued until 1869, when Dr. Higgins moved to Rochester, Indiana, but soon afterwards returned to Peru, and was in active practice there until his death in 1894. He was regarded as one of the ablest men in his profession in Miami county. He served as secretary of the Miami County Medical Society, wTas hon¬ ored with the office of treasurer in the State Medical Society, and be¬ longed to the American Medical Association. For some years he was surgeon in charge to the Wabash Railway Hospital at Peru. On January 22, 1868, Dr. Higgins married Sarah E. Jay, of Miami county, a daughter of Thomas Jay. After the death of her husband Mrs. Higgins lived with her son Dr. Higgins of Lagro, and her death on December 26, 1911, was the result of an accident which befell her wThile she was driving across the railway tracks on her way home. There were three children in the family: Clara, Dr. Jess B., and Alice. The late Dr. Higgins was a member of the Masonic order, and was held in high esteem in his com¬ munity in every relation, either as a physician or as a citizen.

Dr. Jess Braxton Higgins was born February 24, 1878, at Peru in Miami county. He grew up in that county, attended the public schools at Peru, and for five years was a student in the Howe Military Academy in IIowfe, Indiana. Following the example of liis honored father, he determined upon medicine as his vocation, and entered the Fort Wayne College of Medicine, and at the end of four years, in 1901, received his degree from that school. His practice was begun at Lagro in the same year, but at the end of three years he moved back to his home town of Peru, and remained in practice there five years. Dr. Higgins in 1909 again located at Lagro, and has since built up a large and prosperous business. His office and residence are near the St. Patrick's Catholic church, of which he is a member.

On September 9, 1903, Dr. Higgins married Miss Elizabeth O'Rourke, a daughter of Patrick and Mary 0 'Rourke, both now deceased and form¬ erly well known farming people of Lagro township.

Rev. Charles Little, D. D., LL. D. The old aphorism which tells us that gentle words and kind deeds live forever is one which not only inspirits the mind with its beauty, but its truth is brought home to us so often and so forcibly that at times it renders comfort that we do not feel. All men who have been so abundantly endowed with that most precious of human attributes - love for their fellowmen - are fully reim¬ bursed for their self-sacrifice, their generosity and their benevolence; for their submissiveness and obedience to the mandates of the Deity. This truism has been abundantly exemplified during the lifetime of the Rev. Charles Little. At the time of this writing (1914), for forty-two years pastor of the Presbyterian church at Wabash, he has accomplished incon¬ ceivable good and lightened numerous burdens worldly and spiritual, and has been content to reap the harvest of brotherly love, rather than hoard sordid accumulations.

Dr. Little was born in Granville, Ohio, December 1, 1845, a son of Rev. Jacob and Ann (Thompson) Little, natives, respectively, of New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. He grew up amid Christian surround¬ ings, and received his early scholastic training in the public and private schools of his native town, this being supplemented by a brief course at Dennison University. Following this he took the complete course of four years at Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio, and after teaching school for two years in the public institutions of that city, took a three years' theological course in Lane Theological Seminary, Cincinnati, where he was graduated in May, 1872. In the fall of that year, Mr. Little was called to the pastorate of the Presbyterian church at Wabash, and has since been continuously retained in this position.

On April 14, 1879, Mr. Little was united in marriage with Miss Annie L. Thurston, daughter of the late W. K. Thurston of Wabash, and to this union there have been born the following children: George T., a resident of New York City; Robert, a minister of the Presbyterian faith holding a pastorate at Newcastle, Pennsylvania; and Mary T., who is residing at home with her parents. For thirty-five years Mr. Little had been state clerk of the Presbytery of Muncie, and for twenty years had held a like position in the Synod of Indiana, resigning these positions in 1910. In that year he was elected moderator of the Presbyterian Gen¬ eral Assembly, in the United States of America, at Atlantic City, New Jersey, having also served one year in the capacity of moderator of the Synod of Indiana. He has borne his preferment well, and has earned the love and respect everywhere of those with whom he has come in contact. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Western College of Oxford, Ohio.

George Norman King, whose name and life were for years identi¬ fied with public and private interests of Wabash, was born near Akron, Summit county, Ohio, December 20, 1833. He was brought to Wabash county, Indiana, by his parents, Peter and Elizabeth (Byers) King, in 1841, the family settling one and one-half miles south of the city on a farm. In 1855, having grown up to agricultural pursuits and secured his education in the Wabash county district schools, he came to the city of Wabash, and, with Messrs. Bruner, Haas and King, engaged in the hardware business. This firm was succeeded by Bruner & King in 1858, and five years later by King & McNamee, which continued until 1876, when Mr. King retired from the firm and with J. W. Busick and Thomas McNamee organized the Wabash County Bank. He was the first vicepresident of this concern, and continued to be connected therewith until the time of his death.

Such, in outline, is a review of the career of a man who impressed his personality forcibly upon the community in which he lived and labored so long. Coming to Wabash a poor country youth with the sole assets of a determined spirit and a willingness to work, characteristics which were to be found in many of his fellow pioneers in the commercial world of Wabash county, his career was no rose-strewn path. Each step that he advanced meant the overcoming of obstacles, yet his make-up was such that he was able to cope with the fierce competition that marked the growth and development of this section, and to emerge triumphant from the struggle. Among his business associates he was known as a man in whom could be placed the utmost confidence and who had all the essential qualities for leadership. He had a commendable faith in his own abilities, yet he was quick to recognize another's worth and to give credit where credit was due. No important movement calculated to further the advancement of the community was considered complete until it had secured his support and cooperation, and rare it was that he withheld his support from progressive measures of any kind. He was interested in public affairs, but only insofar as they affected the interests of his community, for he was never a politician. He was very fond of travel, and in 1874 made an extended trip to California, this being followed, in 1878, by a four-months' tour of Europe. On February 6, 1897, when occurred his death, there closed a life which woven into the warp and wool of Wabash county's citizenship made its texture firmer, stronger and brighter.

George N. King married Maria M. Maloney, a native of Dublin, Ireland. She came to Wabash county, Indiana, as a child with her par¬ ents. Mr. King is survived by his widow and two children, Mrs. Nellie Snavelly and George Lincoln King, of Los Angeles, California.

Will Knowles Snavelly. High on the roll of Wabash county's native sons who have achieved distinction in the legal profession is found the name of Will Knowles Snavelly, who, at the time of his death, June 11, 1904, was serving as chief clerk in the United States Marshal's office at Indianapolis, although his home was in Wabash. He was born in the latter city, October 31, 1851, a son of A. B. Snavelly, and when a young man entered the county clerk's office as a deputy, serving as such from 1877 to 1894, under different clerks. During this time he had devoted himself to the study of law, and in 1894 was admitted to the bar, his subsequent large practice being principally built up by his work in the probate court. For some time he had acted in the capacity of chief clerk in the United States Marshal's office at India¬ napolis, under H. C. Pettit, and was so employed when claimed by death. On January 22, 1889, Mr. Snavelly was married to Miss Nellie King,

Jacob Hegel. One of the truly strong men of his community and times was the late Jacob Hegel, who died in August, 1910. An early settler of Lagro township, he advanced from the position of day laborer to one of independence and influence. He contrived to prosper, always by industry, frugality and honesty, and left a name which deserves last¬ ing memory among his descendants. Wabash county had no more ster¬ ling type of the German- American citizen than Jacob Hegel.

He was born April 3, 1826, in the town of Wittenberg, Prussia. His father, Christopher Hegel, was born in the same village about 1786, and as a young man sold goods over a large territory from a pack carried on his back, and from that modest start built up a large trade and event¬ ually became one of the most prosperous men in his home community. He possessed a good education and had a remarkable memory, and died at the age of seventy-seven years. He lived in the time of Napoleon and often told his children stories of the great Emperor, whose face and figure and whose feats he well remembered. Christopher Hegel mar¬ ried Catherine Hummel, who was born in Wittenberg in 1788 and died in 1846. They were devout members of the Lutheran church, and were of a class of people in the middle rank, enjoying the respect and confidence of those above them and exercising an influence for good among all their friends and neighbors.

The youngest of the family and the last surviving of eleven children, Jacob Hegel, received an excellent education as a young man in prepa¬ ration for life. His father was a strict disciplinarian and kept all the children at their studies or some useful occupation. When he was eigh¬ teen Jacob entered the agricultural college at Wittenberg, an experi¬ mental school founded and conducted under the auspices of the King of Prussia. At the end of two years he received his diploma, and almost immediately was appointed to take charge of the estate belonging to Duke Norman. In that capacity he had a large corps of subordinates working under him, and successfully managed the estate for two years. That was during the revolution of 1848, and he had some exciting ex¬ periences. At one time it was reported that the rebels were crossing the Rhine with the intention of burning the ducal buildings and destroy¬ ing all the property they could find. The duke was at that time con¬ fined in his bed as a result of an accident and was consequently unable to marshal his forces and prepare for resistance. The chief responsi¬ bility thus devolved upon Jacob Hegel, who at once took command and directed that a couch should be prepared, on which the duke was carried to a nearby village and placed in safety. Then returning to the castle he hid the silver and other articles of family value under the floor, and by his promptness and vigilance saved all the property and earned the lasting gratitude of the duke.

burg, went across France, and sailed from Havre on a sailing vessel which was forty-four days between Havre and New York city. He did not remain in New York, and was soon in Philadelphia, and from there went to Pittsburg. It indicates the state of railroad transportation at the time that for several miles after leaving Philadelphia the car on which he rode was pulled by horse power, and he also rode a portion of the distance over the old canal across the mountains, the canal boats being operated by horses on the towpath. He visited Cincinnati, Ohio, and from there took a boat up the tributary river to Dayton, and finally located in Preble county, Ohio. There he found work on a farm at ten dollars a month, followed his employment during the summer, and in the fall of 1849 came to Wabash county. Thereafter until his death, a period of nearly sixty years, he continued to be identified by residence with this county. While he possessed an excellent education and con¬ siderable business experience and training, he had many handicaps to overcome, and one was his lack of knowledge of the English language, which he mastered after coming to Wabash county. His employment at monthly wages continued until 1853, when he bought eighty acres of raw woodland. This he began to clear, and each season saw his fields being extended and the area of the wilderness diminished. In the course of time he became one of the substantial farmers of Lagro township, and practically witnessed every phase of the development of that section from its primitive condition. During the first years of his residence there, modern pike highways were unknown, and railroads either steam or electric were still in the distance of progress. The farmers grew their crops more for home consumption than for market, since it was a heavy and costly undertaking to carry produce to the restricted centers of trade. By hard work Jacob Hegel accumulated a place of about one hundred and sixty acres, all of it well improved farm land measuring up to the high standards of Lagro township, and his comforts and methods of living increased with his prosperity. The first home in which he lived was a log cabin, and its original frame work was from time to time remodelled and improved and eventually became a comfort¬ able modern dwelling.

Jacob Hegel was twice married. In 1853 he married Miss Eliza Bender, and they started together to win their portion of independence as farmers of Wabash county. To their marriage were born two chil¬ dren. Mary, now Mrs. Andrew Werst ; and Tena. The mother of these children died March 15, 1863, and the 29th of the following December he married Miss Mary Bitzer. She was born in Lagro township Decem¬ ber 20, 1842, and her parents came from Wittenberg, Germany, her father at the age of twenty-one and her mother when thirteen, and were married in this country. Her father died in 1881 at the age of seventy, and her mother lived to be more than eighty years of age. Mrs. Hegel, while American born, had a fluent command of both the German and English languages. To their marriage were born seven children: John; William ; Lydia, widow of Samuel Bechtold ; Charles F. ; Reuben A. ; Harry H. ; and Loretta.

Evangelical Association, which erected two church edifices in Lagro township, one in 1864 and the second in 1893. Mr. Hegel and wife con¬ tributed liberally to the construction of each church. He served as chairman of the board of trustees wThen the church was built and con¬ tinued in that office for many years. He also was Sunday school super¬ intendent. In politics a non-partisan, he believed it was one's duty to support good men regardless of party ties. His opinion was that a truly good man would not hurt the interests entrusted to his charge, no matter what his party affiliations might be.

Charles F. Hegel. A substantial German-American stock estab¬ lished in Wabash county more than sixty years ago by the late Jacob Hegel is now represented by one of Lagro 's most prominent business. Charles F. Hegel, who is president of the Citizens State Bank, is presi¬ dent and treasurer of the Lagro Hardware Company, Inc., and owner of a valuable farm of one hundred acres northwest of Columbia City.

Charles F. Hegel was bora on his father's farm in Lagro township, four and a half miles northeast of Lagro, in January, 1875. The first twenty-one years of his life were spent in the community where he was born, and while he attended district schools he also had his full share of duties at home, and idleness was never conspicuous at any point of his career. From the district schools he also entered and took a course in the Normal College at Terre Haute. His business career has been one of constant progress. Two years were spent in the city of Wabash employed in the coating department of a paper mill; he then clerked at Lagro in the hardware store of Todd & Son about four years, and at the end of that time, having a thorough business training, he and Leon¬ ard M. Tyner bought the stock from the Todds. As Hegel and Tyner they did business for nine years, and in August, 1913, sold out to Wil¬ liam Raupfer of Columbia city. Six days after this sale was effected, the Lagro Hardware Company was organized, and then bought the stock of goods from Mr. Raupfer. In 1913 the Lagro Press had this to say about the new business: "The Lagro Hardware Company is the title of Lagro 's new business firm and is composed of Messrs. D. W. Gillespie, Chas. Hegel, Roy Pinkerton and Chas. Fall. These gentlemen on last Friday purchased the entire stock of the Hegel & Tyner firm, lately purchased by W. E. Raupfer of Columbia city. Every member of the new firm are men well known in the community, and we can feel justly proud that they wTill carry on the business established years ago by Hegel & Tyner. The old firm did the largest implement business in this section of the country, and it is the intention of the new firm to branch out and work for a larger business, and as every one is a hustler, there is no reason why they cannot accomplish much. Messrs. Pinkerton and Fall will locate here as soon as they can secure houses, and will jump right into the harness. Chas. Hegel has been appointed manager, and wdth the assistance of the other members of the firm will soon establish a business second to none in the county." leaving five sons and six daughters, and in later years the father sold the property, moving to Wayne county, where one of his married daughters lived, there making his home with her. He later married a second time, and spent his remaining days in the home of Harvey B., of this review, dying there at the age of seventy-nine years.

Harvey B. LaSelle made his home under the roof-tree of his parents until 1854, bearing his full share in the pioneer work that fell to the lot of the family as home-makers in a new country, and in the hardships that never failed to attend pioneer life. His total schooling did not exceed nine months, covering three periods of three months each at the district school of the community, located nearly two miles from his home. In 1854 he came to Wabash and here began working in a sawmill which then occupied the present site of the Big Four Railroad shops. This sawmill was the property of Hanner & Burr, and for his services as a laborer in the mill Mr. LaSelle received $1.25 and his board daily. He became head sawyer of the mill, having made continued advancement from post to post, but when he married in January, 1855, he decided to turn his attention to farm life again. The summer following his marriage he farmed the old place in Huntington county, after which he moved back to Wabash county and for three years he occupied a rented farm,, three miles southeast of Wabash on the Marion road. Then, in company with his brothers, George and Elizur, he bought a sawmill on the Vernon pike, some two miles south of Wabash, and he was thus engaged until 1863. During that time he sawed the lumber that built a good part of those early plank roads of Wabash county. In the spring of 1864 he bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, nine and a half miles northwest of Wabash, only about one acre of which was cleared. He bought the farm for the timber it furnished, but moved to it and lived there from January, 1864, until March, 1875. He and his brother Elizur purchased a circular sawmill outfit and started in sawing timber. About four years later they moved to Wabash and sawed there until 1871, when they moved the mill to Chili, in Miami county, but still made his home on the Wabash county farm. Elizur LaSelle died in the next year and Mr. LaSelle sold the mill, turning his attention to his farm and devoting himself to the business of clearing and improving the place he had bought a few years previous. In November, 1874, Mrs. LaSelle, nee Sarah Jane Mitten, died, the mother of nine children, four of whom are now living, and who are here mentioned briefly as follows: Charles E.; John S.; Ellen, the wife of George Williams; and Clarence H.

In 1876 Mr. LaSelle married a second time, Elizabeth S. Williams becoming his wife. She died in March, 1907. A third marriage of Mr. LaSelle was contracted in 1909, when he wed Miss Cynthia H. Harrell.

In the spring of 1875, Mr, LaSelle left his farm and took up his abode in Wabash, where he has since made his home, and where he has played a conspicuous part in the civic life of the community. He cast his first presidential ballot for General John C. Fremont and has ever since that time voted the republican ticket. For more than fifty years he has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he has held all chairs in that and the Encampment. He is also a member of the Canton and of the Rebeccas. In the matter of civic service he has served two terms of two years each, a trustee of Noble township, and he has in many ways demonstrated the high character of his citizenship in the ^ity and county. His standing in the community is an excellent one, well worthy of him, and he has a wide circle of friends hereabouts, though he has practically outlived his generation, and is one of the few men of the county who knew it in the early forties, as did he.

The Wabash County Loan & Trust Company. With a business life of less than seven years The Wabash County Loan & Trust Company has proved itself one of the most vigorous financial institutions in this part of the state. The origin of the company goes back to July 25, 1907, when a meeting was held for purposes of organization, the members present having been, Nelson G. Hunter, Thomas E. Whiteside, Reuben F. Lutz, Alex Pence, Charles S. Baer, William S. Stitt, Aaron Simon, all of whom were elected directors of the company. The first officers were: Nelson G. Hunter, president; Charles S. Baer, vice president; and John B. Latchem, secretary and treasurer. The capital stock was at first placed at sixty thousand dollars, all of it being paid up. The purposes for which The Wabash County Loan & Trust Company was organized was for the transaction of a general banking business, the performance of trusteeship and all other duties of a fiduciary and business nature provided under its charter and the state laws. On September 1.7, 1907, Charles S. Rose was elected cashier, and the company began business at once. Owing to the large volume of its transactions the capital stock was increased in January, 1913, to $125,000, the last available statement in 1913 showing a surplus and undivided profit of $31,000.

Mr. Rose, the cashier, resigned in January, 1913, being succeeded by George Martin. Mr. Latchem died in July, 1913, and was succeeded by Charles S. Baer, and Miss Lucy Latchem was elected assistant secretary and treasurer. On the 15th of October, 1913, Mr. Baer retired from the secretaryship of the company and was succeeded by Miss Lucy Latchem. In January, 1914, Mr. Baer sold his interests in the company, and has since been devoting his time to his private business. The Wabash County Loan & Trust Company has enjoyed a prosperous existence, and has the complete confidence of the public which it serves.

Charles S. Baer. Until recently one of the chief executive officers of the Wabash County Loan & Trust Company, Charles S. Baer aside from these financial relations has been known in this business community as a lumber manufacturer and dealer. Thirty-three years ago he had his first experience in a subordinate capacity in a local factory, and has sold lumber products, has managed milling interests, and since 1895 has been at the head of a large wholesale hardwood lumber concern, with its main offices in Wabash.

Mr. Baer is an example of a farm boy who was reared and trained in the rural atmosphere, and by force of ability has won a successful position in commercial affairs. He was born on a farm near Canton in Stark county, Ohio, August 2, 1856, a son of William C. and Christina Baer. When he was ten years old his parents moved to Kosciusko county, Indiana, locating on a farm, where he grew up and received the usual advantages of the schools of an Indiana community. On March 27, 1879, Mr. Baer married Ella Truxell of Wabash, a daughter of William P. and Eliza Truxell.

For one year after his marriage he continued on a farm in Kosciusko county, and then moved to Liberty Mills in Wabash county, had one year's experience as a school teacher, and in 1881 became identified with the lumber business in Wabash. His first employment was with the L. Bruner & Son in their spoke and bending factory. He was factory inspector and later traveling salesman in the distribution of their products, and continued with the Bruner concern until 1889, when he engaged in the saw milling business in Wabash. Since 1895 his attention has been exclusively devoted to the hardwood lumber trade.

Mr. Baer was one of the organizers of the Wabash Valley Loan & Savings Association in 1894, was elected its first vice-president, later becoming president, and holding that office for fifteen years. When the Wabash County Loan & Trust Company succeeded the older association, Mr. Baer accepted the place of vice-president, but sold out his interests and retired in January, 1914.

Mr. and Mrs. Baer are the parents of two children: Bess, who is a graduate of the Wabash high school and of DePauw University, and is now teacher of mathematics in the Wabash high school; and Miss Lou Baer, who lives at home. His fraternal affiliations are with the Inde¬ pendent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Bene¬ volent and Protective Order of Elks. Active in community affairs, he served nine years on the Wabash Board of Education, from 1903 to 1912. He has also served as a member of the Carnegie Library Board of Wabash, and is now a member of the Falls Cemetery Board of that city. Mr. Baer is one of the trustees and on the board of stewards of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Wabash.

William A. Conner. Although more than forty years have passed since the late William A. Conner journeyed to those shores toward which all mankind is hastening, the influence of his well-spent, useful and energetic life still remains as an example to aspiring youth and the services which he rendered his community in the fields of commerce and trade link his name indissolubly with those whose activities laid the foundation upon which was built the great county of Wabash.

Born in Fayette county, Indiana, in July, 1826, he was a son of Daniel and Elizabeth Dicken Conner, farming people of that part of the state. His early life was spent on a farm and he received his scholastic training in the district schools and a seminary. Although a poor boy, he obtained a good education for those days. After attending welfare of the city, and for her interest in her church. She was reared on a farm, attended the district schools and a girls' seminary in Rush county. Although her parents were comparatively well-to-do for that period, after her marriage she helped her husband in many ways to lay the foundation of their fortune, and in their early married life, while operating the mercantile establishment, she spent many hours behind the counter assisting her husband to wait on trade. She was ever a helpful and faithful wife and made many sacrifices and self-denials in their early married life. After they had moved to Wabash and were well on the road to a deserved prosperity, she continued to take an active interest in all her husband's affairs. At the time of his death a great deal of unfinished business remained, although her husband had retired from active business, he had invested largely in farm land and real estate and died before these deals had been entirely completed. Mrs. Conner carried out faithfully and with excellent judgment his last wishes and finished the business perhaps as capably as Mr. Conner could have done had he been spared. In 1881-82 Mrs. Conner erected on the grounds on West Main Street, where they had long lived, what was then the finest home in Wabash county, and which still stands & handsome monument to her business ability. A fine engraving of that old land mark in the residence district of Wabash accompanies this sketch.

Warren G. Sayre. In the various relations which have combined to form his career, the Hon. Warren G. Sayre, of Wabash, has made an enviable record. As a brilliant attorney at law, as a public servant rendering signal service to his fellow men, and as an honorable, upright citizen, he has performed faithfully and efficiently every responsibility which has devolved upon him, and in every connection has shown him¬ self eminently worthy to bear the name of this old and honored family, which has been widely known in Wabash county for upwards of eighty years. Mr. Sayre was born July 29, 1844, on a farm three and onehalf miles northeast of Lagro, Wabash county, Indiana, and is a son of Daniel and Mary Newhall (Grover) Sayre.

Daniel Sayre was born in Seneca county, New York, a son of Benja¬ min Sayre, a stone mason by trade. The family moved to Miami county, Ohio, when he was a small child, and later to Richmond, Indiana, during the early history of the state. His father was one of the contractors of the old National road and built the abutment and piers of the bridge over Whitewater river at Richmond. From Richmond Benjamin Sayre moved to Muncie, Indiana, where he lived for many years, and thence to Wabash, where he died at 90 years of age; a son, Henry C. Sayre, is still living here. Daniel Sayre was born June 6, 1815, and in 1832 went to Fort Wayne and there found employment as axeman and general utility man in the construction of the Wabash & Erie Canal. He went down the canal as far as Logansport with the surveying party, and either in the fall of 1832 or the spring of 1833 came to Wabash county, and for a time lived with a man named Rogers, in Lagro township.

opposite the mouth of the Salamonie river. Id 1834 he purchased a tract of land from the Government, located on Section 6, Township 26 North, Range 7 East, on which he erected a round-log cabin and began to clear his farm. As time passed he improved and cultivated his land, and about the year 1835 was married to Mary Newhall Grover, who was born in Lexington, Kentucky, a daughter of the Rev. Joel Grover, a Methodist preacher. Daniel Sayre did not live on this property long, however, but moved to Hopewell (now so-called), three and one-half miles north-east of Lagro. In 1848 he moved to the latter place and em¬ barked in mercantile pursuits, and for many years lived there as well as at Wabash, continuing in the same line of endeavor. In 1865 he retired from active business pursuits, but in 1876 was appointed postmaster at Wabash, and was reappointed by President Garfield, serving in all eight years. Previous to this time, in 1872, he was elected a member of the state legislature, but, with others, resigned in order to break a quorum, as it was known the democrats were planning to gerrymander the state. He died in 1897 and the mother in 1902. Of their nine children four are now living, Warren G. being the sixth in order of birth.

Mr. Sayre received his early education in the public schools of Wabash, and was graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1865. He then commenced reading law in the office of John U. Pettit, at Wabash, and in 1866 he was admitted to the bar of the state. Ever since that time (with the exception of a period of four years) he has been engaged in practice in Wabash. In 1865 he was appointed county school examiner, in 1868 was elected mayor of the city of Wabash, an office which he held for four successive terms, and in 1880 was elected joint senator from Kosciusko and Wabash counties. In 1884 he was elected representative from the same counties, and in 1886 was elected representative from Wabash county, and in the session beginning in 1887 was chosen speaker of the house. During all this time his earnest and conscientious efforts in the performance of his duty was attracting widespread and favorable attention, and November 4, 1889, he was appointed by President Harrison a member of the Cherokee Commission which was created to extinguish the Indian titles of land in Oklahoma in order that it could be opened for settlement. At the end of four years, this stupendous task was completed, the commissioners having spent over $13,000,000 during this time in buying Indian lands and bought an area equal to two-thirds of Indiana. In 1902 and again in 1904 Mr. Sayre was elected to the legislature from Wabash county, and he has also been a candidate for the nomination for governor of the state. Few men have had such a long experience in high public office, certainly none has brought more honor and distinction to his native county. In his fraternal connections, he is a valued member of the local lodges of the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

On January 8, 1865, Mr. Sayre was married to Miss Martha Jane Bronk, of Albany, New York, who died October 22, 1906, being the mother of four children, only one of whom, Daniel Bronk Sayre, is now living. Mr. Sayre married again, November 13, 1909, Mrs. Ida A.

(Smith) Davis, whose father, Thomas G. Smith, is a well-known attorney at Huntington, Indiana, becoming his wife. She was the widow of Charles W. Davis, a merchant at Wabash, by whom she is the mother of two children, viz: Mrs. Charles Huff of Wabash, and Dr. Thomas K. Davis, of New York City. Mr. Sayre is now a great-grandfather, his son's daughter, Henrietta V. Sayre having united in marriage with Mr. Ed¬ ward Raymond MeClung, June 12, 1912. Mr. McClung is a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, and he is now an Ensign, and with the De¬ stroyer Warrington in Mexican waters. His son, Edgar Raymond Mc¬ Clung, Jr., was born June 10, 1913.

U. A. Anderson. In other articles appearing in this work frequent mention has been made of the astounding growth Wabash county has undergone during the past few years, and of the many new buildings, especially residences, that have been erected during that time. All, or nearly all, of the contracts that have been placed for these have been given to the county's home contractors, one of the most prominent of whom is U. A. Anderson, of Lagro, carrying on general contracting and building in partnership with his son. Mr. Anderson is well known in Wabash county, having spent his life here since his fourth year, with the exception of four years in Indianapolis. The fundamental under¬ lying principles of success in any line are simple honesty, ruggedness of character, frugality, and assiduous application to hard work. In none of these has Mr. Anderson been lacking, and to them he can give credit for the high place he has attained in the business world and in the general esteem of his fellow-citizens.

U. A. Anderson was born in Marion county, Indiana, October 8, 1864, and is a son of Elijah and Lucy (Walters) Anderson. His father was born and reared in Marion county, and his mother in Hendricks county, Indiana, and moved to Wabash county in 1868, settling in Lagro town¬ ship, one mile east of Urbana. The father spent his entire active career in the tilling of the soil and at this time is retired from hard labor and is enjoying his declining years quietly at his home at Lagro, surrounded by the comforts which his years of industry have brought him. He and Mrs. Anderson have been the parents of four children : Uriah A., of this review; Frank, of Lagro ; Alice, who married E. Haguewood ; William, of Lagro ; and Maude, who died at the age of twelve years.

Uriah Alexander Anderson was given good educational advantages in his youth, first attending the district schools of Lagro township and later being a student in the Lagro High school. When he left the latter institu¬ tion he became apprenticed to the trade of carpenter, at the age of seven¬ teen years, and applied himself to learning thoroughly every detail of that occupation. This accomplished, he embarked upon a career of his own as a carpenter, and remained at Lagro until 1888, in which year he went to Indianapolis, there following his vocation until 1893. He then returned to Lagro, which has since been the scene of his activities. By the time of his return, through his industry and frugality, he had accu¬ mulated enough to start in business as an independent contractor in a

Jacob A. Shultz. A list of those Wabash county citizens, who have worthily prospered, and have attained that position of competence desired by every ambitious man, would not be complete without the name of Jacob A. Shultz. Now living retired at Urbana, he is surrounded with ample material means and comfort, has family and friends, and stands as a man of intelligence and influence in the community. As a result of his well directed efforts, he is now the owner of two hundred and thirty-five acres of valuable farm land, in Paw Paw township and Noble township.