Wayne County, Indiana - Biographical sketches (2 of 15 so headed), 1884

H.'L. Fender was born on the farm where he now resides, in 1827, a son of Henry Fender, a native of North Carolina, who settled in Wayne County in 1811. He was reared a farmer, receiving a limited education in the district schools. He now owns eighty-five acres of well-improved land, adjoining the village of Abington. He at one time owned 265 acres of land, and is one of the most substantial business men of the township. Politically he is a Republican. He has served his township as Trustee four terms. He was married in 1848 to C. J., daughter of William Jarrett, an old settler of the county. They have had four children, but two living - Milburn L. and John F. Martha A. died Oct. .26, 1865, aged eight years, and Mary E., Feb. 9, 1871, aged eighteen years. Mr. and Mrs. Fender are both members ot the Methodist Episcopal church, and take an active interest in all matters pertaining to Christianity.

Jacob Fender was born in North Carolina in 1806, the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Lang) Fender, natives of North Carolina, his father born in 1787, and his mother in 1789. In October, 1811, his parents came to Wayne County, Ind., and settled in the southern part of the county, in what is now Union County. In 1814 they removed to what is now Abington Township, and entered 100 acres of land and built a log cabin. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and zealous workers in the church. Their house was used for worship before a churen was built. They had a family of eleven children - Jonathan, Gabriel, Susannah, Jacob, Littleton, Sarah, John H., Lydia, Sophia, Mary Ann, and Henry L. Our subject was the fourth child. He was married in 1829 to Betsey Ann, daughter of Elijah Holland, a native of Wayne County, Ind., born in 1811. After his marriage he bought 120 acres of land in Abington Township, where he still resides. He is of a generous and obliging disposition and has assisted many in financial embarrassment, who have taken advantage of his generosity, thus defrauding him ot large sums of money. Mr. and Mrs. Fender have had one son - Laban L., who died in his twenty-third year, leaving one child - Celia. She married H. P. Jarrett, and still resides with her grandparents. They have an adopted daughter - Ada Moore.

Wayne County. He was reared a farmer, and now owns eighty acres of fine land, where he has lived since 1835. He joined the Methodist Episcopal church Ang. 12, 1830, and in 1842 was licensed an exhorter. In 1873 he was licensed a local preacher. His ministerial work has been mostly confined to officiating at funerals and assisting in revival work. In 1835 he married Nancy, daughter of Morgan McMahan, of Union County. They have reared four children, three from infancy - Lovana J. Stinson (deceased); Susie L. Sweet, now Mrs. Andrew Kramer; James H. Fender, a nephew, married Miss Theresa McMahan; and Miss Meda G. Kramer. Politically Mr. Fender is a Republican.

James Rariden Meek was born in Wayne County, Ind., in 1828, a son of Joseph and Gulielma (Smith) Meek. His early life was spent ona farm. He obtained a good education, and taught twenty-five years, mostly in Wayne County. He was married in 1848 to Catherine E., daughter of Alexander Adair, and settled in Abington Township, where he has since resided. He owns a good farm of 180 acres, all well improved. Politically he has always been a Republican. He has been Township Assessor two years, and Constable several years. Mr. and Mrs. Meek are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They have had eight children - John W., Joseph, Marcus L., Alexander, James R., Jr., David C. E., Charles A., and an infant (deceased). Mr. Meek's grandfather, John Meek, was a native of Henry County, Ky., and settled in Wayne County, Ind., in 1807, entering a quarter-section of land west of Richmond. He afterward removed to Abington Township; and subsequently to Owen County, Ind., where he died. He married Margaret Irwin. They had nine children - William, Joseph, Sarah, Mary, John, Jeptha, Jesse, born in Kentucky, and Elizabeth and. Lorenzo, born in Wayne County. His wife died, and subsequently he married Selena Stinson. They had five children - -Bazelle, James, Lorenda, Cynthia and Barlow. His son, Joseph Meek, married Gulielma, daughter of John Smith, in 1816, and settled in Wayne Township. He afterward removed to Randolph County, Ind., and eighteen months later settled on the farm now owned by our subject.

To him and his wife were born eleven children, seven of whom are living - John A., James R., Nathan, Mrs. Margaret Ruley, Allen W., Jesse, Mrs. Sarah E. Zigler. Samuels., William, Mary J., and Alfred are deceased. Mr. Meek died Aug. 22, 1883, aged eighty-nine years. Mrs. Meek is living with her son, in the eighty-fourth year of her age. She is probably the oldest member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Wayne County.

J. M. Snyder was born in Union County, Ind., in 1821, a son of Michael and Nancy (Summers) Snyder. His grandparents, Michael and Eve (Ely) Snyder, came to Indiana in 1807 and settled in Brownsville Township, Union Connty. They had a family of nine children - Michael, Betsey, Moses, David, Isaac, Simon, Applebury, Ethel and Polly. Michael, Jr., was fourteen years of age when his parents came to Indiana. He married Nancy, daughter of Simon Summers. To them were born four children - Eliza, Simon, John M. and Sarah E. His wife died in 1825, and he subsequently married Rachel (Summers) Dawson, a sister of his first wife. They had eight children - Rhoda, Eva, Mary, Daniel, Michael, George, Andrew and Willie. Mr. Snyder died in 1877, aged eighty-three years. Our subject, J. M. Snyder, was reared on a farm and has always followed that occupation. In 1853 he came to Wayne County and rented land in Abington Township four years. He then moved to Fayette County, but two years later settled on the farm where he now resides, buying at that time eighty acres. He now owns 120 acres of well-improved land. He married Mary Ann, daughter of William H. Thomas. They have three children - Mary M., Oiiver T. and Mattie. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder are members of the Christian church.

Spencer Stephens, deceased, was a native of Virginia, but when a young man went to North Carolina. He was married there, and in 1814 came with his family to Indiana and located in what is now Abington Township, Wayne County. They had a family of nine children, five of whom are living - -William, of Union County, Ind.; Sampson; Humphrey, of Decatur County, Ind.; Elizabeth, wife of Josepb Wright, of Hancock County, Ind., and

Robert. Susan, Anna, Spencer, and Isom, are deceased. Mr Stephens died in 1839, aged seventy years. His wife died in 1852, aged eighty-one years. Their son, Sampson, was born in North Carolina, March 22, 1806. He was married March 22, 1846, to Catherine, daughter of Jacob Plessinger, of Ohio, and settled on the old homestead. He has a fine farm of 270 acres, a part of which his father entered from the Government. Robert Stephens was born in what is now Union County, Iad., May 16, 1816. He was married Jan. 1, 1843, to Sarah, daughter of Jacob Plessinger, and has since resided in Abington Township, where he owns a fine farm of 115 acres. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stephens have had seven children; four are living - Jacob E., William A., Harriet C., and Sarah E. Sophia A., Spencer S., and an infant are deceased.