Whitley County, Indiana - The whole text, 1907 (part 18 of 28)

Miles W. Bristow

At the beginning of the nineteenth century Indiana was receiving most of its recruits from the nearby states, principally Ohio and Kentucky. Most of these had previously come from the states further east. but after temporarily residing near the great river, pushed their fortunes into the wild territory bordering the White. Wabash and other streams flowing southwest. Among those who came in from Kentucky was Rev. Henry Bristow, who was horn about 1810 and went to Ohio in the thirties, there married Louisa May and in 1842 removed to Indiana. They settled on a farm in Hancock county and resided there until their respective deaths, his occurring in 1869 and his wife's in 1867. In addition to farming Henry Bristow was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church and did much reli- gious work, often preaching to the congregations in the widely scattered meeting houses of those pioneer days. He was a good and useful man, who became well known and much respected throughout that section of the state. He had nine children : Lydia, now a resident of Fort Wayne ; James, who died in the army ; Sarah Isabella, living in Hancock count)- ; Mary Eunice, deceased : Commodore Perry, a resident of Ohio; Miles W.. Louisa and Jane, deceased; and Amanda.

Miles W. Bristow, seventh in the above list, was born in Hancock county, Septemlser 15, 1858, and was nine years old when deprived of his mother by death. David May. an uncle residing- in Ohio, took the motherless bov to his home and provided for him until the completion of his fifteenth year. He then returned to Hancock county, remaining there two years, when he removed to Clinton county, where he worked on a farm until he reached his majority. During the two succeeding- years he had charge of a harness and boot store at Kirklin, but in 1884 came to Whitley county and purchased a farm of eighty-three acres of land in Etna township. The place at that time was badly run down and without suitable buildings or fences. Mr. Bristow took hold energetically and by dint of hard work and costly improvements has made his farm one of the best in the township. Among the improvements are a good barn and house, with all the smaller outbuildings needed for the convenience and comfort of an up-to-date farmer. In 1879, Mr. Bristow was married at Kirklin. Indiana, to Iola, daughter of Nathan and Sarah (Martin) Hendricks, both natives of Virginia, who settled in Clinton count}' in pioneer times. The father was born in 1800 and died in 1871. The mother was born in 1S17 and died in 1881. They had twelve children : John, deceased ; Margaret, deceased ; Sarah. Ella, William, and James, who died in the army; Eliza, deceased; Minerva, Jerusha. two infants unnamed, and Iola. Mr. and Mrs. Bristow have had five children: Elizabeth, wife of Roy W. Wigent, of Columbia City, has three children, Arthur, Mabel and Mary Iola; Iva Gertrude, wife of Edwin Secrist, a resident of Thorncreek township ; Leslie, Pearlie and Bertie Elmer, still at home. Mr. Bristow is a Republican and served for four years as trustee of Etna township. He is a memher of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, also of the Rebecca Lodge, and both himself and wife are members of the Freewill Baptist church.

Alfred F. Evans

In 1846, when northern Indiana had made little headway along agricultural lines, Joseph and Lydia (Mark) Evans left their old home in Fayette county. Ohio, to seek better prospects in the newer state in the west. They settled on new land in Noble countv and as most of the children were young, the prospects before them were gloomv. By dint of hard work, however, much grubbing, some ditching and a great deal of clearing, the newcomers in time had a very respectable farm. Joseph died in 1852. after having become the father of six children : Newton and Emily, deceased : Alfred F. ; Mars-aret Ann, drowned in infancy

Ahnira and Mary Ann, deceased. The widow was married a second time to Mclntyre Seymoure, by whom she had one child, Dora, a resident of Canada. Mrs. Seymoure died in March, 1888.

Alfred F. Evans, only surviver of the first children, was born in Fayette county, Ohio, September 27, 1840. He grew up on the farm in Noble county to which he had been brought when six years old and had the training inseparable from farm boys who appeared on the scene during the formative period of our state's agriculture. He became hardened to work, but he also acquired that experience which has proved invaluable to him in after life. August 5, 1862, he enlisted in Company I, Seventy-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the end of the war. He took part in the battle of Chickamauga, where his brigade fired the first volley as well as being the last troops to leave the field. He was with his command in the daring charge up Missionary Ridge, in the sharp encounter at Jonesborough, Georgia, and all through the Atlanta campaign. He accompanied Sherman in his famous "march to the sea" and took part in many skirmishes, closing his service by marching in the grand review. In 1868 Mr. Evans rented a farm in Noble count}-, which he worked till 1872, when he purchased his present farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres lying in Whitley countv and forty acres across the road in Noble county. At the time he bought it the Whitley county tract was all in woods with the exception of twenty acres. He put up a small honse. in which he lived until times grew better, and in 1886 erected a residence of twelve rooms, in which he has since made his home. In 1888 he built a large bank barn and by skillful management, crop rotation, keeping up the fertility and other methods known to progressive agriculturists, he now has one of the best improved farms in Etna township.

October 15, 1868, Mr. Evans married Nancy, daughter of Daniel and Delilah (Bittie) Rex, he of Cincinnati. Ohio, she of Rockingham county, Virginia, who came to Elkhart county in 1864 and there spent the remainder of their lives. They had ten children : Sarah Jane, John. Nancy, who was born January 14, 1845; Mary Ann, Elmira, deceased ; Melzona. Georg-e, deceased : Luther, Catherine and Anna, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Evans have had five children : Iva died in infancy; Charles married Lavina Kistler and has three children, Fredie, Zella and Gertrude; Edith, deceased wife of Edwin W. Secrist, who left two children, Ora, now dead, and Lonzo. Ola F., wife of William Kistler, of Thomcreek township, has three children, Clyde, Carl and Edith ; and Emma is still at home. The family are members of the Freewill Baptist church at Ormas, of which Mr. Evans is trustee and clerk. He is a Democrat and member of Etna post. No. 135, Grand Army of the Republic.

Ira Crow

Daniel Crow emigrated from Pennsylvania to 'Wayne countv, Indiana, earlv in the last century. He married Elizabeth Cranford and became a prosperous farmer. Tie died August '24, 1877, his wife having passed away April 2d previously. Among' their children was William P. Crow, who was born April 29, 1829, in Wayne county, but after reaching manhood removed to Whitley county. November 3, 1859. he married Mary M. Orcutt, who was bom in Ohio April 30, 184 1, and settled on a farm in Etna township, where they lived until her death. May T2. 1888. She was a daughter of Harvey and Mary (Palmer') Orcutt, who were married in 1834. came to Troy township in an early day and there the father died, April 4, 1888, the mother preceding him by some years. They had four children, Eugenia A., deceased wife of Edward Sarber; Ora E., present wife of Edward Sarber; and Frennie. wife of Claud K. Kelham. living at Frankfort, Indiana. After his wife's death, Mr. Crow retired from active business and went to live with a daughter at Garrett, Indiana. He is a member of the Baptist church as was also Mrs. Crow during her lifetime.

Ira Crow, third of the children in order of birth, was born January 22, 1865, on the paternal farm in Etna township. He grew tip as a farmer boy, has continued in the same line of business since reaching manhood and has spent his whole life in Etna township. At the settlement of the estate, subsequent to his mother's death, he bought the interest of the other heirs in addition to which, however, he raits and cultivates other land, being considered one of the successful and progressive farmers of Whitley county. He is also regarded as one of the most advanced and thrifty of the younger generation of farmers, as he endeavors to keep in touch with modern ideas and methods. In politics he is a Republican and his fraternal

January 23. 1889, Mr. Crow married Miss Anna, daughter of Albert and Sarah (Ruddles) Baugher, of Etna township. Mrs. Crow was born March 18, 1870. in Noble county. Mr. and Mrs. Crow have three children : Amy E., born May 9, 1890; Ralph E., born December 11. 1892: and Pearl M., born January 9, 1898.

Though his place is not the largest, and though he has occupied it only a few years, the above named gentleman has nevertheless the reputation of being a model farmer and one of the best in Etna township. He has gained this standing not only by his untiring industry, but by always showing good judgment and painstaking care in all branches of agriculture. The DeLanos originated in the east many decades ago, but we first hear of the western branch of the family in Ohio. Abel DeLano, of Franklin, and Margaret Jane Thompson, of Delaware county, Ohio, met and married and came to Whitley county as early as 1850. It is pleasing to note that this worthy couple are still living in Troy township, where they settled in the middle of the last century. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and quiet, unobtrusive people. who have known no other life than farming and have spent their years in the uneventful routine incident to that calling. They had eight children : Milton, Philip, John, Stephen, Ira (deceased), Lawrence, Benjamin, and Henrv.

John DeLano, third in order, was born in Troy township, September 22, 1855. He w 1 irked on his father's farm and picked up a little education by attendance at the schools of those days and learned by painful experience that it was no sinecure to make a success of farming. October 10, 1889, Mr. De- Lano married Rachel, daughter of Richard and Delila (Ratcliff) Vanderford, natives of Ross county, Ohio, who came to Whitley county about 1840 and settled on land in Troy township. They were popular people in their day, which was the "early day" so often mentioned in pioneer history, were members of the Methodist church and observant of all the duties of good citizenship. Their nine children were : Simon, deceased ; John, William, deceased; Jesse, Matilda, deceased ; Franklin, Nathan, deceased, and Delila. After his marriage Mr. DeLano did farm work for a while for wages and then rented the old Vanderford farm in Troy township for ten years. By the hardest kind of work and closest economy he saved enough money by 1901 to buy eighty acres of land in Etna township. At the present time he has about sixty-five acres under cultivation and everything is kept so neat and orderly as to show the presence of a good farmer. He resides in a comfortable frame house, has a barn and other outbuildings, and altogether may be said to live "right at home." The farm was formerly the homestead of John A. Miller, deceased, and is one of the oldest farms in Etna township. It lies two and one-half miles west of Etna in a finely improved section of the county. No children have resulted from their marriaere.

Jones L. Salts

The emigrant ancestor of the Whitley count}- family of this name was an Englishman, who emigrated to Pennsylvania and spent his life there in various pursuits. Loami Salts, one of his sons, removed to Fairfield county, Ohio, where he married Mary Longbrake and lived a number of years. In 1837 they came to Whitley county, which at that time was a malarious and unhealthy section, owing to the marshy and uncleared condition of the land. A child having sickened and died during the first year's residence, they l)ecame discouraged and returned to Ohio, though on the return trip they lost a second child. In 1852 they again determined to test Whitley county as a place of residence and this time settled on an unimproved farm in Thorncreek township, where the wife died in 1866. After this event, the father married Irene Smith, who died some eight vears later at their home, and he then lived with his children until death claimed him in 1879. They had eight children : Leah, wife of William Smith, her stepbrother, and who died in 1905 : Sarah, a resident of Washington township and wife of Jonathan Hively ; Lucinda Jane, deceased wife of John R. Thorn; Jones L. : Hannah, deceased wife of Alonzo D. Thorn: Abraham G., of Miami county: and two w In 1 died in infancy.

Tones L. Salts, the fourth child in the alxwe list, was born in Licking county. Ohio. July 10, 1845, and hence was but seven years old when his parents made their return trip tn Whitley county. Nearly all his life has been devoted to farm work, but for a few years during his early manhood he was engaged in the grist and sawmill business in Miami county. In 1886 he bought a farm of sixty-seven acres in Noble county, which he managed for a while but eventually sold and in 1893 purchased the one hundred and twenty acres in Etna township, which constitutes his present homestead. This farm lies across the county line, eightv acres being in Noble and forty in Whitley. It is a valuable and productive property and Mr. Salts has kept it in excellent condition since taking charge. His residence is of modern construction, the barn is commodious, and everything in and about the place indicates thrift and good management.

February 1. 1873, Mr. Salts was united in marriage with Malisa, daughter of Cornelius and Mary (Grimes) Fuller, the former of New Jersey and the latter of Ohio. In 1855. thev came to Allen county, where the father conducted a store for several years at Fuller's Corners, but later removed to Noble county. After a residence there of manv years, accompanied by considerable worldly prosperity and the usual amount of misfortune and sorrow, Mrs. Fuller died in 1881, and her husband June 6, 1897. They had five children : Jacob, who died in childhood; Malisa; Samantha, deceased wife of Sheldon Beal ; Rufus C, a resident of Noble county; Amanda, deceased wife of Reynine children : Edgebert. who died in infancy; Lura V., wife of John Milen Slaughnolds Thorn. Mr. and Mrs. Salts have had terbeck, has two children. Walter E. and Ethel May; Cecil, married Myrtle Dunfee and lives in Noble countv : Grace B., wife of Noel Clingman. of Elkhart county, has one child. Eula ; Tesse A.. Frederick, Chloe.

William Johnson McConnell, one of the successful farmers and esteemed citizens of Wrhitley county, was born in Putnam county, Ohio, October 5, 1855, and is the son of Isaac and Mary J. (Lowry) McConnell. The paternal grandfather was Nicholas McConnell, who came from Virginia and located in Putnam county, Ohio, in 1836, and there his death occurred at the age of seventveight. The maternal grandfather was Robert Lowry, a native of Ireland, and who came to America a young man, first settling in Mahoning: county, but later removed to Putnam county, where he lived during the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1848. Mrs. McConnell's mother was Rebecca ( Stewart) Lowry, a native of Pennsylvania, and the daughter of Robert Stewart. Her death occurred in 1843. These grandparents had nine children, the only one now living being Mrs. McConnell. Isaac McConnell was born in Portage count}-. Ohio, in 1818 and throughout his entire life was a fanner. In 1839 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Lowry and they became the parents of six children: Ruth Almin'a, died in childhood; Rebecca, wife of Henry Lenhart. died at the age of fifty-two; Lydia Jane, wife of Thomas Miller, is a resident of Marette. Michigan ; Almina Ruth, died in childhood; Sarah Olive, deceased-wife of Alexander Bell; William I.:

Isaac McConnell, died in Putnam county. Ohio, in 1857, at the age of thirty-nine, and his wife still survives him and makes her home with her son, William J. Mrs. Mc- Connell is a member of the Presbyterian church, as was her husband during his lifetime.

William J. McConnell was but two years old at his father's death and spent his boyhood under the parental roof and at the usual age entered the common schools, acquiring a good education. In early life he turned his attention to farming and has never seen occasion to change his occupation. March 8, 1877, he was united in marriage with Miss Louisa Ellen Hollabaugh, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio, October 7, 1856, and is the daughter of George and Charlotte (Hoffer) Hollabaugh, both natives of Pennsylvania. In early life they came to Seneca county, Ohio, where they were married and removed to Putnam county. He died in a hospital at Memphis. Tennessee, in 1862, of typhoid fever. He was in Company A, Fifty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His widow is still living at Leipsic, Putnam county. Ohio. They reared a family of seven children : Mary, wife of Bern- Paden, is a resident of Lima. Ohio; Amanda, wife of Samuel Buttermore. is a resident of Leipsic, Ohio; Jacob Franklin, who lives in Putnam count}-, Ohio; Louisa; Matilda, of Toledo. Ohio; Emma, wife of John Faber, is also a resident of Toledo; George resides in Leipsic. Putnam county. After his marriage Mr. McConnell lived on the farm with his mother for two years and then bought eighty acres of- his own, on which he resided for seven years. In 1888 he came to Noble county. Indiana, where he bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres and after living there ten years traded it for a larger tract of one hundred and eighty acres in Thorncreek township, and in 1898 bought forty more acres, making two hundred and twenty acres in all. His place is equipped with a neat and commodious eight-room house, a large and substantial barn and he has made of it a comfortable and attractive home. In his farming he makes stock raising a specialty. Mr. and Mrs. McConnell are the parents of five children : Bertha, wife of V. W. King, has two children, Lucile and Evylin; Isaac William, who married Oma Diffendaffer in Noble count}- ; George F., married Lila Pence; Man- Charlotte and Arby Ross. Politically Mr. Mc- Connell is a Republican and fraternally he is a member of the Maccabees. He is on the township advisory board.

John Born was born in the canton of Berne. Switerland, June 24. 1832, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Born) Born, both also natives of Switzerland. These parents emigrated to America about [833 ami located in Fairfield county, Ohio. Later they removed to Licking count}- and in the fall of 1850 came to Whitley county. Indiana, where they located on the farm upon which John now lives. The country at this time was practically a wilderness and on the farm that Mr. Born purchased there had been only two trees cut down. He at once erected a log house and a stable and soon brought the land to a high state of cultiva- tion. Mr. Born died in 1854 and his wife in 1868. They were members of the German Reformed Church, and were the parents of five children : John ; Anna, widow of John Cotterly, and lives in Springfield, Ohio ; Samuel, deceased in boyhood ; Jacob, who died in hospital at Nashville, and Elizabeth, deceased wife of Solomon Pontius.

After the death of his father John Born took charge of the farm and helped his mother raise the family. April 12, 1853, he was .united in marriage with Miss Julia Fisher, who was born in Perry county, Ohio, June 7. 1834, the daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Emrick) Fisher, the former of whom was a native of Ohio, and the latter of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher came to Whitley county in 1847 an^ located on a tract of wild land in Thorncreek township, comprising one hundred and sixty acres. Thev both died on the farm which thev had made among the best. He died April 10, 1882. She died November 1, 1880. They were members of the German Lutheran church and had five children. Mr. Born is now the owner of eighty-nine acres of good land, eighty being the old homestead, and his success has won him a conspicuous place among the progressive agriculturists in this part of the state. His labors have been prosecuted with energy and system, and in the management of his affairs his discretion and good judgment have enabled him to lay his plans so as to realize the largest possible returns. Mr. and Mrs. Born have three living children : Alary, who is the wife of Noah Bowers, of South Whitley, and has three children : Jacob, who married Susan Scott, and has two children ; Sylvester, who married has two children; Sylvester, who married

Ella Bowner and lives in Noble county, a carpenter by trade. Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Born base their faith upon the Bible alone and are earnest and consistent members of Thorn Creek Christian church. Jacob Born, the eldest son, operates the old home farm successfully. Of his two children, Arthur is a telegraph operator on the Cincinnati. Chicago & Louisville Railroad at Blountsville, Indiana, and Victorine is a seamstress now at home. In his political affiliations Mr. Born is a Democrat, but aside from defending his principles and voting for the candidates of his party he takes little interest in public affairs. .

Charles C. Weimer

Among the emigrants from Pennsylvania to the west in the early pioneer days were Joseph D. and Hannah Weimer. who settled in Stark county, Ohio, and engaged in farming. Some years later they removed to Indiana and located in Kosciusko countv. where they resided until the death of Joseph, his wife being still a member of the familly of her son Cyrus at North Webster and and now in the eighty-fourth year of her age. They had eight children : Cyrus, Darlisca, Rebecca, and Washington, deceased: Joseph P.. Savilla, Many and Dessie Ameda. The parents were of sturdy, God-fearing stock and during their whole lifetime devoted members of the United Brethren church. Cyrus, the eldest of the first mentioned children, was born in Stark county, Ohio, and married Mary Ann Miller, of the same state, after both had become residents of Koscis6o usko county, Indiana, and they are still living at North Webster. In early life. Cyrus was a farmer but of late years has been a minister of the United Brethren church. He served worthily as a Union soldier during the Civil war and since that great struggle has done his part in life by fulfilling all the duties of a good man and good citizen. His children are: John W., a farmer of Kosciusko county; Charles C.,'the subject of this sketch: Ora M., wife of J. J. Kline, of North Webster: and Effie L., wife of Robert Page, of Elkhart. Indiana.

Charles C. Weimer, second in order of birth of the above mentioned children, was born in Kosciusko county, Indiana, December ii, 1871. He grew up on a farm and by the time he had reached manhood had become inured to hard work, while learning the details of the farming business. He picked up the usual rudimentary education to be obtained in the common schools, learned blacksmithing and worked at that trade for four years at Wilmot. in Noble county. In 1898. he removed to Whitley county and purchased seventy acres of land in Etna township, which has since been his place of residence. Mr. Weimer has met with reasonable amount of success, considering the inevitable nps and downs of farming, and lias succeeded in making not only a good living but something more. To do this he had to apply himself closely to business and exercise good judgment in buying and selling. His place is well improved and the buildings are all of modern construction and up-todate conveniences. He operates a blacksmith --lii>] 1 on the farm in connection with the regular business. Tn 1893 Mr. Weimer was married to Miss Olive Mabie. a native of Kosciusko county. Her parents were Eli and Eliza (BeezlyJ Mabie. natives of Ohio, who came in early life to Kosciusko county. The mother is dead but the father is still living. Their children were John B., William, Rose and Olive. The parents were members of the Baptist church and enjoyed the esteem of their neighbors and acquaintances. Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Weimer have had seven children, all girls. Their names are Elsie. Bernice, Florence, Aura, Mildred (died in infancy). Blanche and Hannah Gertrude.

After a long and vigorous life in the active practice of medicine extended through fifty-seven busy years, the subject of this sketch achieved a high standing among the physicians of the state. During his long residence in Whitley county, extending over more than a half century, he enjoyed a widely extended acquaintance, occupied a position of prominence and influence and contributed his full share to the development of his adopted home. As his birth occurred February 1, 182 1, in Fairfield county. Ohio, it will be seen that he dates from the pioneer period of his native state and his boyhood recollections are of the times that marked the rude beginning of that western movement whose culmination is one of the wonders of the world. The ancestry of Dr. Linvill is both ancient and honorable. When William Penn came over on his last voyage in [699, he was accompanied by Benjamin. William and Solomon Linvill, three sturdy natives of Wales, whose descendants were destined to exercise a large influence in various sections in the years to come. In 1730 three hunters of the name visited the fertile valley of that branch of the Shenandoah that bears their name - Linvill creek. Benjamin L., Sr., was a cabinetmaker by trade and made coffins as well as being a large landowner. In 1756 the family settled there and there Benjamin was born in 1791. William remained in Pennsylvania, and in subsequent years his descendants had become numerous and influential in the county of Lancaster settled near Strausburg and the Gap, and are found scattered throughout west Champaign county near Urbana. The name of Benjamin, as was the custom in those days, was transmitted from father to son and one of these, born on Linvill creek, Virginia, a lineal descendant and namesake of one of the original three, became the founder of the family in Ohio. In 1805 he rode a thoroughbred mare from Virginia to Ohio, carrying money to enter an entire section of land. Being pursued by robbers he saved his money and possibly his life only by the superior fleetness of his noble animal. He secured a section of land in Rush township, two miles from West Point station, on Rush creek in Fairfield county, Ohio, and shortly afterward married Sarah Swayze, the daughter of a near neighbor, Judge Swayze, formerly from New Jersey. Judge Swayze had already erected a carding mill on Indian creek, and in company with his brothers, Joseph, Solomon, William, Hugh and Benjamin, built a mill and distillery. They were in partnership for a number of years. They shipped flour, pork, whiskey and other commodities down the Muskingum, Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. They suffered severe financial losses after advent of the cholera, as a result of which it become necessary to sacrifice the old farm. Being a millwright, Benjamin went to Zanesville and in 1825, in company with his brother-in-law, William Perry, for a number of years there worked at his trade.

David G. Linvill's first schooling was at Zanesville. where he acquired the elementary branches of an English education, reading, writing and arithmetic. For three years he lived with his grandfather. Judge Swayze, at New Salem, continuing his studies in winter seasons. When twelve years old he returned to his home at Zanesville, where his father had become a head miller. Young David had a job in a mill, his duties being to weigh wheat and other grain, and assisted his father in attending the farm, dressing burrs, ground all the corn and buckwheat. In 1838, his father having purchased and moved upon the farm of Judge Swayze at New Salem, David spent two years with him assisting in the general work incident to its cultivation. At nineteen David determined to enter business on his own account, a program to which his father made no objection. His younger brothers, Daniel, Allen and Frank, remained at home, as also a sister, Elizabeth, who subsequently married Dr. Fisher. William and Amos Swayze, had been for some time engaged in the milling and factory business at Baltimore, Ohio. William and E. Vance opened up a general store in New Salem and offered David a position as clerk. Subsequently he served three years as clerk at Millersport, being deputy postmaster, chief clerk and bookkeeper for the owner of the store, E. Vance. During all his life, young Linvill had been ambitious for higher things and about this time he found and embraced the opportunity to improve his mind and enlarge his field of study under a competent teacher. He applied himself assiduously and s< inn became proficient in grammar, geography, the higher arithmetic and other branches. While teaching a subscription school at New Salem for three years, he continued to apply himself and by diligent reading added much to his education. At this period occurred an event which proved to be the turning point of his career, and decided his whole future life. His uncle. William Swayze, having failed as a merchant in New Salem, took up the practice of medicine. David G. became a student under him, living at his house, but after one year of reading accepted a position as bookkeeper in a store at New Salem at sixteen dollars a month in order to piece out his income. One winter he was employed as an assistant teacher and availed himself of the opportunity to study algebra. He also studied dentistry at Lancaster and practiced that profession while keeping up his medical reading. In pursuing this calling he traveled considerably through that section of Ohio, deriving much benefit from his experiences, which proved of value in after life. Disappointed in his efforts to matriculate in the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, he entered the Western Reserve Medical College at Cleveland and graduated the following year, 1849. ^e resumed partnership with His uncle. Dr. William Swayze, but shortly afterward decided to remove to Indiana. Dr. Swayze. who had a brother, Daniel Swayze, near Columbia City, went there in the spring of 1849, bought property and persuaded his nephew to join him. They brought three hundred dollars' worth of drugs and practiced'medicine successfully for the succeeding six years, but in 1855 the senior partner left Columbia City abruptly and David G. succeeded to the practice. Dr. Linvill continued his practice with increasing popularit}" and success and eventually became the leading physician in Whitley county. All those who were in practice at Columbia City when he settled there, including Drs. McHug'h. Cole and Rogers, have passed away. In 1890 he went to Oklahoma, leaving his large practice to his son. David for the purpose of locating a homestead, and practiced medicine somewhat during the two years that he remained in that territory. After acquiring possession of two hundred and forty acres of land near Kingfisher, he returned in 1S92 to Columbia City, where he resumed practice of his profession in partnership with his son. Dr. David Swan Linvill. In 1905 he retired after an active practice in Indiana of more than fifty-six years, beside the previous work in Ohio. Aside from the membership of the board of pension examiners, which he held for nearly three years, he has never held office of any kind, prefering like a doctor of the old school to look to his profession alone for his honors and emoluments. These he obtained in full measure, besides host of friends secured during his long life of urbanity of disposition. courtesy in intercourse and integrity in all

While a Methodist, the Doctor held most liberal views relative to his profession, to politics, to public matters and especially to religion, taking" that broad and comprehensive stand that a future life is not dependent upon church membership.

June 24, 1854. Dr. Linvill was united for life to Miss Martha J. Myers, whose brother, later a popular attorney of Columbia City, was then a contractor on the Pittsburg & Chicago Railway. She was spending the winter of 1 8 5 3 with this brother while accompanying her parents from Carrol, Ohio, to Washington, Iowa, where the Doctor followed to claim her as bis bride.

Out of sixteen children born to the Doctor and Mrs. Linvill but four survive, nearly all dying in childhood or at least before thirty years of age. Dr. Lewis M. Linvill died at the age of thirty-six years, after a career as a practitioner that gave brilliant promise for a future career bad life been spared. He practiced at Sidney and Peru, Indiana. Sarah Elbertine married Dr. Allen P. Mitten and died at the age of twenty-eight years; Josie A., the deceased wife of Jacob Allen Willitts; Frank 1!.. a stenographer, and Edwin M., a medical student, each died at the age of twentythree years. Those living are David Swan Linvill. M. D. ; Benjamin, a medical student in Michigan State University; Hayes, of Columbia City, and Daisy M., the wife of Irne G. Weidner.

In 1879-80 Dr. Linvill erected the present commodious brick residence on a site lie had purchased years before and bere. surrounded by friends, the decline of life was passed in a satisfaction in having not lived in vain and with a peace of mind undisturbed as to what the future had in store.

With the death of Dr. Linvill at his home at Columbia City, February 17, 1907, the medical profession of northeastern Indiana suffered an appreciable loss. He was the last of the older practicing physicians of his section of the country and was long considered the dean of the profession in his district. His death came as a distinct shock to the entire community, and his loss to the profession he adorned and to the countless friends who had known and admired him during his long and useful life is most keenly felt. The funeral services attendant on the burial of Dr. Linvill were in charge of the Royal Arch Masons, of which organization Dr. Linvill was a member, and were among the most impressive services of this kind ever held at Columbia City. The funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. E. F. Albertson, of the Methodist church, and the body of the aged physician was laid at rest in the Masonic cemeterv.

Tesse Miller

One mile west of the little town of Etna is situated one of the hot cultivated farms and one of the most commodious farm houses in all the count}' of Whitley. The inquiring visitor, impressed by the beauty of the place. will lie informed that [esse Miller lives there and he is also sure to learn that the owner is one of the most methodical farmers, as well as erne of the most popular citizens of Etna township. A few biographical details, therefore, giving an outline of his ancestry. In-- home relations and his lite work will be read with interest by his many friends. His grandfather, Jesse Miller, was one of the early settlers of Ohio, locating in Delaware county, where he reared his family. Among his children was one named William, who married Elizabeth Jones, a native of Pennsylvania, with whom he came to Whitley county, and settled on a farm in Troy township in 1864. His wife died June 13 1881, and his own death occurred June 21, 1889. He was a plain and unpretentious farmer, his main ambition being to make a livelihood for his loved ones and rear them as moral and upright men. The family was brought up in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which the parents were devoted members during their whole lives. The six children born to this union were: Sarah. wife of John Sellers, of Warsaw. Indiana; Martha, widow of Henry Sellers, of Etna : Catharine, widow of Marion Coyle, of Troy township; Jesse, who died in infancy: the present Jesse and Man-, deceased wife of Clarence E. Doane, of Ohio.

Jesse Miller, fifth of the above named children in order of birth, was born in Delaware county, Ohio, April 4. 1850. He was fourteen vears of age when his parents came to Whitley county and during this period obtained a meager education by irregular attendance at the primitive schools customary in the rural regions in those days. He remained at home until his majority was reached when he farmed awhile for his father and on rented land. Tn T872 he took possession of the one hundred and twentv acres of land which constitutes his present estate, but great has been the transformation from that da)-, thirty-five years ago. When Air. Miller reached his future home he found it a tract of primeval forest, overgrown with the various kinds of timber characteristic of the Indiana wilderness, and realized that he had a prodigious amount of work to do before this could be converted into a farm. It is pleasing to note the contrast iTetween 1872 and 1 907, as it is typical of what has been done by thousands of others to rescue Indiana from its original forests and make it one of the greatest agricultural states in the Union. The clearing of the land, together with its tiling and careful cultivation, has made the wilderness blossom as the rose and the beholder now sees before him a lovely landscape, enlivened by all the ornamentation of a well tilled farm. In 1878. Mr. Miller erected a barn twenty-four feet high and with a length and breadth of forty by sixtysix feet. This improvement was followed in 1 002 by an eight-room frame house, which is pronounced one of the neatest and most convenient in the county. Mr. Miller does not attempt any fancy farming or breeding, but confines himself to the substantial and steady methods of the general fanner.

Tn 1872 Mr. Miller married Hannah E.. daughter of Washington Jones, a pioneer farmer of Whitley county, but she survived her marriage onlv two vears and died without issue. In 1876 Mr. Miller married Elsie Sophronia Barber, daughter of Virgil and Anna (Patterson) Barber, the former from New York state, and the latter a native of Delaware county. Ohio. They came to Whitley county and settled in Troy township in i8qn; and here thev lived out their alloted years in the peaceful pursuits attendant upon cultivation of the soil. Late in life Virgil Barber established a store at Etna, where he carried on a general merchandise business. His five children were Alary, wife of John C. Marrs. of Chicago ; Elsie Sophronia ; Frances, wife of Perry Austin, of Etna; Charles, deceased, and Emma, wife of Isaac Crites, of New Mexico. Mrs. Miller and Frances are twin sisters. Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Miller have five children : Clyde O.. a farmer of Etna township, who married Maud Pentecost and has one child. Jessie Alison ; William D., of Columbia City, married Ora Trumbull and has one child, Otto J. ; Hannah Nevada, wife of Clyde E. Jones, of Los Vegas, New Mexico; Dessie W.. and Bessie N. (twins), still at home with their parents. Mr. Miller is a member of the Methodist church, of the Odd Fellows lodge at Etna, Republican in politics and has served on the advisory board.

William C. Long

John Long, the emigrant ancestor of this family on the paternal side, came directly from Ireland about 1780. His wife, also a native of the Emerald Isle, accompanied him on the trip, and they settled in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, where all of their subsequent lives were spent. James Long, son of this couple, was born in the Keystone state in 1803, came to Ross county, Ohio, in early manhood and in 1833 married Catherine Blain, whose parents were both Scotch and settled in Pennsylvania, where she was born. In 1836 the newly married couple came to Indiana, lived two years in Kosciusko county, and in 1838 settled in that part of Noble county which afterward became Etna township by annexation to Whitley county. James Long entered one hundred and sixty acres of government land in that section and spent the subsequent twentynine years in improving his estate. In 1867 he located in Pierceton, but after a residence there of seven years returned to his farm and remained there permanently. He was a man of prominence and influence in Noble county, as is proved by the fact that he served three terms as commissioner, the last being at the time that Etna withdrew and was annexed to Whitley county. These were days of Whigs and Democrats and he gave his allegiance to the latter. Often later in life he regaled his friends with stories of conditions prevailing in Indiana when he made his appearance among the first settlers. Indians and wild animals were numerous and he often paid his taxes with money allowed as bounty mi the scalps of wolves he had killed. After a long, busy and useful life he passed away April 14, 1890, having survived his wife eight years, her death occurring in 1882. They had eight children: John, Sarah, Thomas, Margaret, Agnes and Mary Jane are deceased. Tohn. the eldest son. became a farmer in Etna township, where he died when past seventy years of age. Thomas died in young manhood and is said to be the first person buried in the Snodgrass cemetery. Those living are Lucy, a resident of Chicago, and William C. Long. The latter was horn July 1. 1846. in Etna (then Washington) township. Noble county, and remained on the parental farm until his majority, when he entered into business for himself. His father deeded him fifty acres of land, of which he took charge in his twenty-second year, and from that day to this has been actively engaged in agricultural pursuits. At the present time he and his wife own one hundred and sixty acres of good land one-half mile west of Etna village, included in which is the above mentioned fifty-acre tract. He has greatly improved it all and now has it equipped with buildings of modern construction, while everything around is indicative of thrift and comfort which come only from good management. Mr. Long lived ten years near Leesburg', Kosciusko county, and after coming to Whitley county returned to thresh his wheat and hauled it to Michigan City, the only place where he could get cash. He bought salt at fifty cents per barrel and on reaching Whitley county had ready sale at $10 per barrel. The trip required seventeen days, his wife being alone in a cabin with four children.

October 10, 1867, Mr, Long married Edna C. daughter of Eli R. and Ann (Crew) Jones, who came to Etna township from Wayne county, Indiana, in 1849 and spent the remainder of their lives on a farm, part of which is now included in the Long farm. Mr. and Mrs. Long have four children: Florence A., at home; Oliver E. married Iva Doane and is a carpenter of Etna township; Maud, wife of Ray Snodgrass, of Troy township; and Pearl, wife of G. R. Bums, of Troy township. Kittie Llewellyn died in childhood. Mr. Long is a member of Etna lodge. Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Politically he is a Democrat and is often found in pi >m <nt i> 'lis. but is not an aspirant for political honors.

Benjamin Franklin Cooper

Three years as a soldier in the hottest part of the Civil war, acting as a fireman and engineer on a great railroad system and many years of hard farm work, such has been the experience of the subject of this sketch, who is now enjoying in the evening of life that repose which comes to him who has done his duty as he saw it and by industry accumulated the means that insures leisure and comfort in old age. He is the son of Peter and Margaret (Rowland) Cooper, the former a Pennsylvanian, and the latter a native of Ohio. They were married in the last mentioned state and lived on a farm in Holmes county, until the father's deatli in 1845. The widow took a second husband in the person of Goram Crumley, by whom she had five children : Christian. Levi. John and Mary, all of whom are dead, and Robert. who resides in Chicago. The mother was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and died in 1896. at an advanced age while residing with her son Benjamin.

Benjamin Franklin Cooper, who was the only child by the first marriage, was born in Holmes count}-. Ohio, February 14, 1844. and hence was but one year old when his father died. His step- father removed to Noble county, Indiana, some time after marrying his mother, and the child was kindly cared for until he reached his sixteenth year, when he began working at farm labor by the month. He was thus engaged until the breaking out of the Civil war and in February, 1862, enlisted in Company F. Thirtieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which was later assigned to the Second Brigade. Second Division of the Western Army.

He was honorably discharged February 22, [865, after three years of hard service, during- which he participated in some of the greatest campaigns of the war. He took part in the battles of Pittsburg Landing, Stone River, Chickamauga, and made the famous march to the sea with the conquering and irrestible hosts of Sherman. At Dallas, Georgia, he was shot in the ear and neck and as a result of this wound was laid up in the hospital for several months and has ever since suffered from its effects. After returning from the front he engaged in clearing and ditching land for a few years, and in 1869 secured a job as fireman with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, which position he held for four years, becoming an engineer and continuing three years longer. In 1877 he abandoned this life to become a fanner in Noble county, but two years later moved to a tract of one hundred and twenty-five acres in Etna township, which has since been his home. When he took possession of this land only about forty acres were cleared, but he has since greatly improved the place and converted it into a good farm. Among the improvements was the erection of an eightroom house and a large barn.

December, 1873. Mr. Cooper married Frances, daughter of John H. and Winifred Buckles, natives of Virginia. They opened their home to the needs of two children. Lewis Stark, aged seven, and Ida Brening-er, ag'ed nine, and both were reared with the same advantages as their own children would have received. The former was with them till manhood and is now in Chicago. The latter has remained and since Mrs. Cooper's death in March, 1902, has continued as housekeeper as she was for two years before. Mr. Cooper is a Democrat in politics, member of the Freewill Baptist church and an honored comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Isaac Wynkoop

We have here an example, not infrequent in our free and prosperous country, of a rise from direct poverty to wealth and affluence by the simple expedient of the hardest kind of work, accompanied by genuine business ability and thrift. In the second decade of the last century John Wynkoop, a poor shoemaker, lived in the western part of Pennsylvania. He had managed to get together enough to buy a small farm, had married Ann McClure, like himself a native of York county, by whom he had eight children : Matthew, Hetta Ann, David. Margaret, Elizabeth, Isaac, Martha Jane and one deceased in infancy.

Isaac Wynkoop, the second child and the only one living, was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, January 22, 1825. In boyhood he managed to pick up a meager* education in the poor schools of that da}" and as he g-rew to manhood was engaged in hard work as his share toward furnishing a livelihood for the household. When about twenty-seven years old he determined to try his fortunes in the west and in September, 1852, found himself in the then small town of Columbia City, the county seat of Whitlev. For a year after arriving lie worked by the day and month and then leased a piece of wild ground from the Adams estate, which lie spent the next five years in culti- vating. By this time he had saved enough money to buy forty acres in Troy township, which he cleared, improved and eventually sold to buy another tract of forty-eight acres. So he went on and as he prospered added more and more to his holdings until he owned one hundred and sixty-eight acres, but this was reduced by gifts to his children until his present home place consists of eighty-eight acres of well improved land five miles northwest of Columbia City. When he landed in Columbia City, Mr. Wyncoop had only $25, and the difference between that small sum and his present estate marks the credit due him for his successful achievements, as every dollar he now owns is the result of his own hard and persistent labor during all these years.

In December, 1853, Mr. Wynkoop married Mary Ann, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Arnold, all natives of Pennsylvania, who came to Whitley county in the year 1852. Mrs. Wynkoop died in 1898, after becoming the mother of five children : John Monroe, deceased; Lavina, wife of Harrison McCloud, of Troy township; William A., married Rhoda M. Beard, and owns a farm adjoining his father ; Franklin David is still with his father; one child died in infancy. Mr. Wyankoop.now in his eighty-third year, is spending the evening of life alone with his son on the old homestead in Troy township. He has been a lifelong Republican, believing firmly in those principles for which his father fought in 1812 and his grandfather in the revolution. His vacations have been de- VOted tn fishing, a spurt in which lie finds greatest enjoyment. He has had but one lawsuit, and that when cheated out of his wajjes.

James P. Bills

The family of this name, well known in Whitley county, is of patriotic stock and has been represented at the front in the two great crises of the nation. Alvin Bills, who was a native of New York, enlisted as a soldier at the beginning of the revolutionary war and served through the seven years of that memorable struggle. He settled subsequentlv in Pennsylvania, where he was prominent as a teamster and from which state his son Asa, and wife Elisa, emigrated to Illinois in 1844. Being dissatisfied with the outlook in the Prairie state, they remained a few weeks and then returning east to Franklin county, Ohio, remained until 1 86 1. In the spring of that year, they came to Whitley county and settled in Troy township. This was his theater of action until his death, which occurred April 23, 1898. his wife surviving until February 21. 1901. He was for many years an elder in the Presbvterian church, of which his wife was also a member. Originally a Whig, lie was much opposed to slavery and when the Republican partv was organized, he became identified with it. ever after remaining among its loyal adherents. Eight children were born to this pioneer couple. Warren, who died at seventy in Troy township; Olive, deceased wife of Edmund Johnson, of Pennsylvania: Lucy, deceased wife of Henry Kile, of Troy township; Rosetta, deceased wife of James Hinkle. and Rosella, her twin sister, deceased wife of Clinton Noble.

James P. Rills, fourth of this family, was born on Muchinick creek, Illinois, January T/. T844. during the brief residence of his parents in that state. He grew up on the farm in Franklin county, Ohio, where he attended the common schools and spent three years at the Central College of Ohio, near Columbus. When his parents came to Indiana, the Civil war was opening and James, though only sixteen years old, enlisted in Company B, Forty-fourth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until 1863 and then veteranized by re-enlisting in the same command, with which he remained until the end of hostilities, serving four years in all. He saw much hard service and participated in the battles of Pittsburg Landing, Stone River, Chickamauga. Peach Orchard, Lookout Mountain, Franklin and Nashville, besides numerous smaller engagements and skirmishes. He escaped without a wound or being taken prisoner, but was in the hospital some time with tvphoid fever. On returning home he bought a farm, then known as the Jamison farm in Troy township, and went to work with a resolution to do his share in improving the country, while building up his own fortunes. In 1881 he purchased the place in Thorncreek township where he makes his present home, but in addition to this owns eighty-eight acres in Troy township, and also ten acres in a separate body in Thorncreek. It was a new place, demanding a vast amount of work, making in all one hundred and forty acres. He lives in a comfortable residence of nine rooms, modernly constructed, with all conveniences, while the barn and other outbuildings are in keeping. He has kept high grade stock but general farming covers his business. His farm, with well kept fences and neat general appearance, indicates the supervision of a careful and upto-date farmer. After retiring from the army, Mr. Bills spent one year in Iowa and returning to Indiana was married at Larwill in 1868 to Martha, daughter of Robert and Catherine Elliott, of Troy township, old settlers of the count}-, now deceased. By this union there were four children : Otho ; Pearl, who died in infancy ; Horton, who married Blanche Workman and operates one of his father's farms, and Mabel, wife of John Kenner. The mother died in 1887 and February 2, 1888, Mr. Bills married Carrie, daughter of Joseph and Frances (Black) Brunner, old residents of this county. They were torn and reared in the same village in Switzerland and came direct to Columbia City after marriage about 1852. He was an expert shoemaker, worked at Cincinnati and then opened a shop at Larwill, where his family was reared. About 1874 he removed to a farm in Thorncreek, where his wife died about 1886. He married Mrs. Monroe and removed to Columbia City, both dving within a few days of each other in 1S99, his age being seventy-four years. . By his last marriage, Mr. Bills has two children. Sylvia Spray and Mary Frances, both at home. The parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal church in Troy township. Mr. Bills is a Republican.

Wesley Staples

Among the early settlers of Licking county, Ohio, was William Staples, who engaged in farming but died at a comparatively earlv age. He married Ann Parkinson. who, after being left a widow, came in 1865. with her two sons, and daughter, Wesle> .

James and Sarah, to Whitley county. Wesley Staples, the eldest, was born in Lickingcounty. Ohio, October 25, 1836, and spent his early manhood there in agricultural pursuits. In 1864. he enlisted in Company D. One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for what was known as the "Hundred days' service." The command was sent to the Shenandoah Valley, where it was used in guarding- points along the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, but eventually became a part of the force marshalled to repel Early's raid into Maryland during July. 1864. The "Hundred day men" took part in the severe battle at Monocacy under Gen. Lew Wallace and rendered excellent service to the Union by checking Early's army on its march to Washington. After being honorably discharged from the service Mr. Staples returned to his Ohio home, but shortly afterward made the removal to Indiana above mentioned. With his mother, brother and sister he settled on the Thorncreek township farm now occupied by his children. One half came to him upon the settlement and here he remained until his death. December 16, 1894. He was a quiet, modest man, who attended closely to his own business rind enjoyed the esteem of all his neighbors. In politics he was stanchly Republican and a member of the Grand Army Lost at Columbia City. In 1867 he returned to Ohio and there married Marv V. daughter of William and Sarah Van Llouten. who proved a loyal and devoted wife during all the trials of the succeeding twenty-seven years. She was born in Licking count)-, Ohio, March 27, 1846. and died November '1. [905, after rearing a family of three children: Cassius. the only son and eldest of the family, manages the paternal farm, and is making a success of his business. His two sisters, Jessie and Lillian, are joint owners and act as housekeepers. Mr. Staples is a Republican in politics and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows as well as the Maccabees. They live in a cozy home on the old farm in Thorncreek township, and all who call there receive a hospitable greeting.

Thomas Estlick

The name Estlick has been familiar in Whitley county for nearly eighty years, which is to say that the first who bore it were among the very earliest of the early immigrants. Thomas Estlick, Sr., a native of New Jersey, found his way into Virginia during the second decade of the last century and was married in Harrison county to Rebecca Van Horn. The young couple abandoned the beautiful valley of the Shenandoah to seek their fortunes beyond the Alleghanies. They located in Delaware county, Ohio, but after tarrying- there a fewyears pushed west until they reached Whitley county, which was destined to be their permanent abode. One hundred and twenty acres of land in Troy township was "entered" from the g-overnment, and it is hardlynecessary to add that it was merely a part of the boundless timbered wilderness, which stretched unbroken for hundreds of miles. It was in the days of Indians, wild animals, hardships, peril and deprivation. By degrees, however, a home was carved out of the inhospitable surroundings and here these

Thomas Estlick enjoys the distinction of being- the first white child who saw the light of day in Troy township, his birth occurring June 23, 18.28. His childhood and early manhood were spent in years of trial and privation in an era of universal hardship. He grew up on the rude farm in the woods, helped in all the exacting and never-endingwork of grubbing-, chopping and clearing and throughout his subsequent career knew no other occupation than that connected with agriculture. He was not merely a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, but a zealous worker and holder of official positions. Thus he acquired and justly deserved the recognition of being a Christian man, who was ever a practicer of the Golden Rule, a good neighbor and respected citizen. He showed genuine devotion to his aged parents and took tender care of them during their declining years. After their deaths he inherited the old home farm, which he greatly improved during his active life and made it a valuable as well'as productive and comfortable estate. He was a member of the Masonic order and exemplified in his daily doings the precepts of morality taught by that noble fraternity.

August 1, 1858, Mr. Estlick married Rebecca Thompson, who was born in Delaware county, Ohio, June 19, 1839. Her parents, Thomas and Anna (Connet) Thompson, came to Whitley county in 1853, but later removed to Marshall county, where the father died in 1871 and his wife about 1S94. They had thirteen children : Dorcas, Mary, Benjamin. David, Sarah Jane, Martha, Joshua. Adeline, Nettie and Josephine, all deceased but Sarah Jane. Adeline. Josephine and Rebecca. Mr. and Mrs. Estlick had eight children : Sarah Ann is an organizer for the Ladies 1 if the Maccabees and lives in Ligonier; Lavona Ann. deceased; Irvin, of Yoakum, Washington, married Licla Luckey and has one child, Merlwood; Ellen, deceased ; Charles married Lura Groves and has three children, Neil Liza and Naomi, and owns part of the old homestead; Johnnie, deceased : Ray and Georgie. who died in infancy. Ray married Ola Smith and operates the old home farm with his mother. He has three children : Marie, Ernest and Fern. Sarah Jane is the wife of Asca Palmer, of Troy township. Adeline is the wife of L. C. Strang, of Marshall county, and Josephine is Mrs. Joseph Jones, of Etna township. Benjamin became a traveling salesman in the south and has not been heard from for six years.

Mr. Estlick, after some months of declining health, passed peacefully away August 20, 1889. His widow survives and still resides on the old homestead one mile south of Etna villag-e, which has experienced the improving influence of three generations of the family. Like her husband, she is an exemplary member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

John R. Watson

Among the numerous Quaker families who came to Wayne county, Indiana, from various states of the south during the early decades of the nineteenth century was one by the name of Watson. Tliev were Ken- tuckians and came to this stronghold of the Society of Friends when the state of Indiana was mostly wrapped in the primeval wilderness. Among the children was a son named William, who was still young when his parents crossed the Ohio for the free state then beginning its career. After reaching manhood this young man married Elizabeth Wolf, a Virginian by birth, with whom he settled on a farm in Wayne county and followed agricultural pursuits for twentyfive years. In 1859 they removed to Whitley county and settled on a farm in Richland township, a part of which is the present home of John R. He enjoyed many years of life subsequent to this, which were spent in improving his wild land, and passed away in 1889, his wife surviving until 1900. and both still adhering to the Quaker faith. This worthy couple had seven children : John R. ; David E., a resident of Troy township: Arthur, who owns part of the homestead ; Mary, wife of Frank Klingaman, of Etna township ; Frank, a mechanic at Marion; Annie, wife of Charles H. Cummins, of Marion ; and Addie. who died at the age of nine years.

John R. Watson, eldest of this family, was born in Wayne count}-. January 30. 1853, and was only six years old when his parents came to this section. After he grew up, Mr. Watson cleared a farm and built a log cabin in which he lived for many years. His present place of fifty-three acres, which was part of the homestead, was secured in lo'io, rit the settlement of the estate, of which he was administrator, and he has made of it a cosy home as well as a valuable piece of property. He has spent his whole life in agricultural pursuits, has taken an active part in county affairs as a supporter of the Republican ticket and was elected township assessor in 1904, a position he is now occupying. He raises hogs and other live stock, manages his place with good judgment and is regarded by his neighbors as a good farmer and good citizen. April 24, 1877, Mr. Watson married Ellen J., daughter of Jacob and Nancy (Frederick) Klingaman, who came to Whitley county in 1861 from Stark count)-, Ohio, where she was born January 20, 1857. She is a sister of Frank Klingaman, who married Mary Watson. Mr. and Mrs. Watson have seven children: Cora, a teacher in Richland township, Cora has taught several years, having made preparation in the Terre Haute Normal School, and is now in charge of the school at Loraine. Floyd and Sherman, in Wabash county: Eliza, Alice, Florence and Ralph at home. Mr. Watson holds to the faith of the Society of Friends while Mrs. Watson holds with the Free Methodist doctrine.

Christopher Judd

Among the hosts of people who came from Ohio to Whitley county during the first half of the last century, were Mahlon and Susan (Blair) Judd, who became the founders of the family bearing their name. Though not among the first settlers, Whitley county was still quite wild when they arrived and the prospects for easy living were imt bright, The newcomers took up a small tract of laud in Thorncreek township, spent many years in the hard task of clearing and eventuallv paid the debt of nature, exacted of all, after doing their duty as best they could under the exacting conditions of the era in which the}- lived. The mother was a member of the Mennonite church and is spoken of by all who remember her as a good, pious woman, especially devoted to her family. This worthy couple had four children, all of whom are still living: John is a resident of Thorncreek township ; Martha is the wife of Isaac Brown, of Columbia City ; Christopher ; and Henry, who lives in Manistee county, Michigan.

Christopher Judd, third of these children, was born on the homestead in Thorncreek township. October 14, 1885, and grew to manhood in the usual way of farm boys. He learned all about hard work and has been acquainted with the same in various forms during all the years' that have succeeded. In 1885 he came to his present farm in Thorncreek township, consisting of sixty-eight acres, to the cultivation of which he has devoted a large part of his time since taking possession. During the last nineteen vears, however, Mr. Judd has found much else to occupy his time, though all of his enterprises have been connected with agriculture. He has been engaged in the threshing' machine and clover hulling business during the threshing seasons, while in winter he has devoted considerable time to wood sawing. He also conducts a picket-mill and sawmill and all these side lines, besides looking after his farm, have kept him busy. Being industrious and thrifty, he has done fairly well in a financial wav and has dealings with a large number of farmers throughout a wide section of the county.

Tn 1882 Mr. Judd married Lavina Harshbarsrer, who was born in Union township, and by this union there have been five children : Elmer, who married Nellie Hack and is with his father ; Mary, wife of John Hill, of Noble count}-; Charles, deceased at thirteen years of age: Lotta, wife of Daniel Ouinn and in Thorncreek township ; and Rhoda, wife of Andrew Greager, of Noble county. Mr. Judd is a Republican and is found in party conventions.

Fred N. Hunt

Among the notable agricultural agencies of Whitley county is the Gray Dawn Stock Farm Company, of Etna township. This company controls five hundred acres of land, which is manag-ed and cultivated on up-todate principles and constitutes an interesting feature of the section in which it is operated. Indiana has been advancing rapidly along agricultural lines during the last ten years and her enterprising fanners have done their full share in keeping Whitley countv well up with the procession. One of the most successful and deserving of these is the moving spirit of the company above mentioned, and it is the object of this sketch to give a brief outline of his career.

Fred N. Hunt was born in Etna township. August 6. 1S78. his parents being Franklin and Martha J. (Long) Hunt, concerning whom particulars are given on another page. Besides the usual attendance in the country schools and at Fort Wayne, Fred N. spent two years at Orchard Lake (Michigan) Military Academy. It was his good fortune in early manhood to be favored with an opportunity for foreign travel, dur- ing which he learned much of the queer people who dwell in the region brought into prominence by the recent war in the Orient. This was due to the fact that his brother, Leigh S. J. Hunt, had acquired important mining interests in Corea, had accumulated a fortune and had become a man of influence among the people inhabiting the peninsula between Manchuria and the Sea of Japan. Fred N. accepted an invitation to visit his brother and spent the year of 1901 with him in learning the intricacies of the mining business. Aside from this excursion into the land of the east, he is said to have spent his whole life in his native township. He has devoted his time to farming, and by study, experience and observation has mastered the details of this most important of all industries. After managing his father's farm for some time, Mr. Hunt became a member of the ( hay Dawn Stock Farm Company, of which he became president and general manag'er. Looking after the important investments of his concern absorbs all his attention and he has managed its affairs in such a way as to prove the advantage of company farming. Mr. Hunt owns one of the most beautiful and comfortable homes in the county, located on what is known as the Washington Jones farm. The residence, erected in 1862, is a large brick structure, witli all the modern improvements, while the barn and other outbuildings all indicate the supervision of a progressive farmer.

June 27, tqoj, Mr. Hunt was married to .Miss Nellie Frances, daughter of Isaac 1'. ( I 'rickett) Beezley, a native of Noble county, Indiana. They have one child, whom they have christened Martha Ann. Mr. Hunt acknowledges allegiance to the Republican

Simon W. Hire

Simon W. Hire, who is numbered among the successful farmers of Whitley count}-, was born in Elkhart county, Indiana, September 25, 1861, and is the son of Jacob and Christina (Haney) Hire. Jacob Hire was born in Ross county, Ohio, and at the age of eleven years accompanied his father Rudolph to Indiana. Christina (Haney) Hire was born in Fayette county. Ohio, in [833 and accompanied her parents, Robert I lane}- and wife, to Indiana in 1^45. Jacob and Christina Hire were married in Elkhart county, where they resided till 1882 and then removed to Noble township. Noble county, near the present home of Simon and there she died in 1S97 anc' ne m jSSq They were the parents of nine children: Absalom and Allen died in childhood; Margaret is the wife of Milton Kitson and lives in Kosciusko county; James Alonzo is a grocer at Syracuse, Indiana : Simon W. ; Robert, a farmer of Noble county ; Alvin Mitchell, a fanner of Thomcreek township; Edward, a farmer of Smith township; Minnie, wife of Albert Garver. lives in Kosciusko count}-. The paternal grandfather was Rudolph Hire, a native of Pennsylvania, who first located in Ross county. Ohio, and in 1833 removed to Elkhart county, when the region was nothing but a wilderness. He spent the remainder of his life in that count}- and died in 1852.

trained to habits of industry and economy. He attended the common schools of the locality during the winter months, thus mastering the branches of learning usually taught, and after putting aside his text books he began farming on his own account. He came to Noble county with his parents and in 1885 purchased eight)' acres of his present farm, to which he later added forty, making one hundred and twenty, the size of the present farm. He has tiled the farm, has secured good machinery to cultivate the fields and has erected substantial buildings for the shelter of his grain and stock. In 1903 he erected an attractive two-story residence, which is a structure of thorough convenience, has built a large and substantial barn and his farm is one of the best in the county. Mr. Hire was married October 20, 1886, 'to Miss Anna C. Seymour, who was born in Noble count)-, April 2j, 1867, the daughter of Mclntyre and Sophia (Boerger) Seymour. Mclntyre Seymour was a native of New York and was one of the first settlers of Noble count)', entering three years before the county was organized. He died in 1873 on his homestead. Mrs. Seymour was of German descent, and when thirteen years of age accompanied her parents to Fort Wayne, where they died. She still lives on the old homestead in her eighty-third year. Air. and Mrs. Seymour had four children: Alta. who is the wife of Thomas Ott ; Rudolph, a resident of Florida; Florence, who owns the old homestead; and Anna C. Air. and Mrs. Hire have had six children : Charles, Nancy, Bertha. Edith, Edna, and Albert, who died in childhood. Mr. Hire supports the Republican party in public matters and takes a deep interest in passing events. The family move in the best circles and hi their home is dispensed a gracious hospitality, appreciated bv all.

Warren R. Wigent

Warren R. Wigent, junior member of the firm of Hanes & Wigent, liverymen, was born November 26, 1871. at Fort Wayne, and is the son of John and Ida (Spore) Wigent. both natives of New York. John Wigent came to Indiana when young and became a farmer. He was elected recorder of Whitley county and was county prosecutor for several years. He was a Republican and a man who won and held the respect and esteem of the people of Columbia City, where he spent the greater part of his matured life. He died in 1895. at the age of fifty-four. He was married at Norwalk, Ohio, in 1868, to Miss Ida Spore. Both Air. and Mrs. Wigent were of Holland extraction and were the parents of three living children : Roy, who is employed in the United States mail service and lives in Columbia City; Warren R. and Claud.

As a young man Warren R. worked on a farm as a lafwrer as well as in a machine shop. He also conducted a grocery and express business for four years. lie then associated himself with his brother in a general teaming and truck business, which they successfully carried on for five vears, when he again returned to the grocery business in company with W. C. Class for three vears. Air. Wigent then clerked in a hardware store, where he remained until he purchased a half interest in the livery and sales barn.

riage with Miss Mertie Eisaman, of Columbia City, and they have two children, Paul and Philip. Fraternally Mr. Wigent is a member of the Knights of Maccabees and the Knights of Pythias. He is considered one of the able and progressive men of the city and is well liked by all with whom he comes in contact. Mrs. Wigent is a member of the United Brethren church.

Richard H. Maring

Richard H. Maring. who is numbered among the most prominent farmers and among the leading and influential citizens of Whitley county, was born on the farm which is still his home on the 13th of April, 1859, and is a worth}' representative of one of the honored pioneer families of Whitley county. His father, Leonard S. Maring, was born in Richland county. Ohio, March 6, 1817, and was the son of Philip and Sarah (Lash) Maring, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Virginia. Philip Maring was the son of Nicholas Maring, who emigrated from Wurtemberg, Germany, about the year 1770 and settled in New Jersey. Philip Maring was a soldier in the war of 1812 and soon after the close 01 that war became one of the earliest settlers of Richland county, Ohio. In 1844, he came with his family to Whitley county, Indiana, and located in Washington township where he spent his remaining years. His wife died 1 October 25, 1873. and Mr. Maring passed away September t~. 1879, aged ninety-one years, one month and twenty days.

1842, united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Bell, a native of Richland county, born August 21, 1820. and a daughter of Rev. Zephaniah and Margaret ( Smith) Bell. The father was a Wesleyan Methodist minister and preached in Ohio for a good mamyears, after which, in 1845. he took up his residence in Whitley county, then on the frontier, where he continued his ministerial labors until his death. March 29, 1876, aged eighty-five years. He was also a soldier in the war of 1812 and was one of the prominent preachers of his day, most highly respected and winning friends everywhere. During his ministerial career he solemnized many marriages and conducted a large number of funerals.

Leonard S. Maring, with his wife and a number of relatives, left Richland county. Ohio, with ox teams, October 3, 1843, and came to Whitley county. Indiana, being seventeen days on the journey, part of the way they had to cut their way through the dense woods. Mr. Maring first settled in Washington township, but the following year removed to the farm now owned by Richard H. Maring, in section 18, Jefferson township. Their first home was a log cabin in the midst of an almost unbroken forest. As acre after acre was made ready for the plow, the tract of land was transformed from a wild region into one of rich fertility and became one of the fine farms of the county. Mr. Maring took quite an active interest in political affairs, was one of the early trustees of the township and was elected the first justice of the peace of the township after its organization in 1845. Both he and his wife held membership with the Church of < rod, being charter members of the local so- ciety known as the Evergreen Bethel church, in which he took quite an active part, serving as trustee and as superintendent of the Sunday-school for a number of years. Both were estimable people whose many excellent traits of character won the regard of all. The mother died July 8, 1880, and the father's death occured February 22. 1892. The family numbered six children, three of whom are now living : Amina, wife of Simon Bennet, of Forest, Indiana ; Flora C, who died at the age of eight years; Wealthy A.; Charles H., who died at the age of twenty-four; Richard H. and an infant deceased.

Our subject is the only surviving son of the family. His childhood and youth were passed on the old homestead, which is therefore dear to him from early associations as well as because it is the home of his later life. He was educated in the district schools of his township, in the schools of Columbia City and was a student at the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso, Indiana, and at the age of eighteen years began teaching, being employed for five terms in the public schools of Jefferson township. He took a course in penmanship in the Spencerian Business College at Cleveland, Ohio, and also a course in an institution of penmanship at Delaware, Ohio, after which he organized and taught classes in penmanship and subsequently was employed as a teacher of that branch of study in a business college at Columbus, Ohio. He has since carried on farming and now has the old place under a high state of cultivation and improved with the accessories and conveniences which go to make up a model farm.

On the 15th of May, 1884, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Maring to Miss Vallona Shinneman, a native of Columbia City, born January 6, 1856, and a daughter of Adam and Vallona (Pond) Shinneman. Her parents both died during her early childhood and she was reared by her grandfather, Isaac Shinneman, one of the early pioneers of Whitley county, obtaining her education in the public schools of Columbia City. One child graces the union of Mr. and Mrs. Maring, a daughter, Mayolo, who was born May 17, 1885, and on November 23, 1905, became the wife of Daniel Tschantz, of Jefferson township.

Mr. and Mrs. Maring are not members of any church organization but in religious faith are Universalists. In his political affiliations Mr. Maring is a Republican, has served as precinct committeeman for a number of years, has been a delegate to both state and congressional conventions and is recognized as one of the leaders of the party in Whitley county. He was appointed census enumerator for Jefferson township in 1880 and again in 1890 and on May 26, 1894, received by acclamation the nomination for clerk of the circuit court of Whitley county by the Republican county convention and on the 6th of November following was elected, receiving 2,115 votes to 2,057 tnat; were cast for his Democratic opponent, Walter J. Tyree. This was considered a great political victory for Mr. Maring as the county had heretofore been strongly Democratic and Mr. Tyree was a man of excellent reputation. On November 30. 181)5, Air. Maring entered upon the duties of his office which he filled in a very acceptable manner and at tlie close of his term returned to his

On the retirement of Mr. Maring from the clerk's office, the Columbia City Commercial said of him editorially : "Thursday, R. H. Maring turned the clerk's office over to Walter J. Tyree. Whitley county, nor no other county for that matter, ever had a more efficient and conscientious clerk than Mr. Maring. By his uniformly courteous treatment of all with whom he has had business to transact he has won the esteem and respect of the entire county and retires from the office he has so efficiently filled for four years, with the well wishes of all persons of all parties. The Commercial hopes for Mr. Maring and his estimable family a bright and pleasant future."

Thomas Gaff

The death of a parent, where there is a family of small children, is always to be deplored, yet such conditions frequently result in the development of children who become leaders wherever their lost is cast and distinguish themselves in the various occupations. The history of the Gaff family illustrates these facts, as we shall observe later on. The subject of this sketch was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1824, and was the son of Robert and Mary (Deardoff) Gaff, who came to Noble county, Indiana, about 1838 and devoted their energies to the clearing and making of a farm. Here Thomas grew to manhood, receiving the advantages of the common schools to be had in those days and rendering material assistance in clearing, cultivating and improving the land. In 1852 he was married in Noble county to Alpha, daughter of George and Sarah (Nethercutt) Brown, born in Preble county, Ohio, June 4, 1831. Her father was a native of North Carolina and the mother of Virginia, and settled in Preble county. Ohio, in an early day, where they lived honest and moral lives, giving a family of twelve children all the educational and social advantages the country afforded. Alpha came to Noble county when about nineteen years old. In 1853 Thomas Gaff moved to the farm in Etna township which is still owned and occupied by his widow and family, but then a native forest. They were industrious and frugal and soon enjoyed the comforts common to the condition of the country. He was little interested in politics, but in religious matters held membership in the Christian church, passing away March 1, 1873, full of hope of final reward in the great beyond. Seven children were born to them, namely : Orell Ann, wife of John Hart, living in Iowa; George, deceased at twentysix; Amanda, wife of John Crouch; Oliver, living at home with his mother ; Robert, deceased in infancy: Mary, living at home; Emma, wife of Thomas Whitmer. Since the death of his father Oliver has. constantly remained at home, assuming the operation and giving successful management to the farm in every detail. In fact, the farm, under his skillful direction, has become one of the best in the county, being thoroughly tiled, well fenced and equipped with substantial and commodious house and barn and convenient outbuildings. He is a Republican and fraternizes with the Knights of Pythias. The Gaff family is one of the most

Moses M. Trumbull

Moses M. Trumbull, a well known and -successful farmer of Etna township, living the farm where he was born February 24, 1847, 's tne son °f Ami L. and Samantha C. (Palmer) Trumbull, who were natives of Connecticut and Vermont respectively. Ami was the son of Moses and Amelia Ann (Munson) Trumbull, he a native of New England, "who came to Noble county in 1836, where "he remained to> the close of his life. He was the father of six children : Ambrose M., Ami L., Mary, Amelia, Aujanette and Harriette. Ami Trumbull was bom about 1822 and died in 1858. He came to Whitley county in 1846 and settled on the farm now partly owned by Moses M. The original log -cabin in which he lived is still standing. He was the father- of seven children: Moses M. ; Frances M. ; Delia C, who was a teacher for some years ; Henrietta ; Henry W., living in Whitley county; Lewis M., living in Colorado ; and William, now deceased.- Washington Jones, now deceased, married the mother of these children, and she is spending the evening of her life with her son Moses M., on the farm where she experienced many of the pioneer hardships.

Moses M. Trumbull was married October 1, 1874, to Eliza Anna, daughter of Barton and Elizabeth (Bryan) Marrs, who was born in Whitley county November 14, 1852. "To them were born eight children : Roscoe A., who married Lois Bear and is the father of two children, Dwight and Ferris; Flossie A., who is the wife of Sherman W. Rimmel, residing in Noble county, and has five children, Roscoe, Beth, Aaron, Edith and Bernard; Lyman O., who married Catherine Stephenson, and resides in Chicago, and has one child, Lura; Ora I., who married William D. Miller, and has one child, Otto, and resides in Columbia City; Harry G., who married Nellie Bouse, has one child, Robert, and resides in Noble county ; Fay, who married Marvin Scott and resides in Huntertown, Indiana; Willis and Ivo are both in home and school.

The subject of this sketch was educated in the common schools and as an evidence of their real merit and favorable results, his reputation for good judgment, knowledge of values and public interests generally, is without a peer in the township, which his neighbors and friends have recognized by electing him to the responsible and important offices of assessor and trustee. In fact no family in the township is held in higher esteem than that of the Trumbulls. He is a Republican and often found in conventions. His farm of eighty acres is half of the old Trumbull homestead, where his parents begun in 1846. The farm is well drained by tile, there being over four hundred rods of drainage.

Few men in Columbia City are as well known and as much appreciated as the subject of this sketch, a gentleman whose mind and energy enlisted in behalf of the beautiful and attractive in nature and art and of a high standard in the domain of the aesthetic, entitle him to be called a true benefactor of his kind. DeWitt Clinton Noble, the leading florist of Whitley county and the proprietor of the largest establishment of the kind in northern Indiana, outside of Fort Wayne, has exercised a powerful influence in arousing an interest in this most fascinating of pursuits, and to him, more than any other man, is the city indebted for much of the beauty and charm which render it such a desirable and, in many respects, ideal place of residence. Paternally Mr. Noble is descended from stanch New England stock and traces his lineage back to the early history of Connecticut, in which state his grandfather, Jonathan Noble, was bom, and from which he emigrated in 1810 to Ohio. Jonathan Noble was a conspicuous type of the New England farmer of the early day and was well fitted for the stern duties which fell to him as a pioneer in the state of his adoption. He was of Scotch blood and possessed many of the sturdy characteristics for which that nationality has always been distinguished, and is remembered as an industrious, honorable, God-fearing man of admirable virtues, many of which have been produced in the lives of his descendants. He died a number of years ago in Franklin county, Ohio, where he originally settled and where representatives of the family still reside. He was twice married and became the father of fourteen children, two by his first wife and twelve by his second, all of whom grew to maturity. The oldest of the second set of children, a son by the name of Solomon Noble, was about nine years old when the family moved from their New England home to the wilds of Ohio. In the primitive schools of Franklin county he received a meager knowledge of the branches then taught and when old enough to wield an ax was put to work in the woods, where he spent the years of his youth and early manhood assisting in preparing the land and soil for cultivation. He was industrious in all the term implies, bore his full share in establishing the home and supporting the family and remained on the original farm until his removal to Whitley county, Indiana, in 185 1. Solomon Noble was married in 1845 to Harriet Scoville, of Delaware county, Ohio, who bore him five children, the oldest of whom is DeWitt C. : Cicero Milton, whose birth occurred in 1850, lives near Larwill, Whitley county, and is the father of eight children: Cordelia is deceased; Horace lives in Kansas ; Jay is also a resident of Larwill ; Solomon Noble departed this life in 1887 ; his widow is still living at Larwill at an advanced age and with the exception of impaired eyesight, being- almost blind, is in the enjoyment of remarkably good health for one of her years.

DeWitt Clinton Noble was born July 23, 1848, in Franklin county, Ohio, and there spent the first three years of his life, having been brought to Indiana by his parents in 1851. His educational experience embraced a few months of the winter season in the public schools of Whitley count}-, the rest of the year being devoted to a continuous round of labor on the farm and in this manner were passed his childhood and youth. By far the greater part of his education has been obtained by the slow but sure process of coming in contact with the world under varying conditions and ha grew to manhood's estate with the sound, practical knowledge of men and things that enabled him to take advantage of opportunities and lay a firm foundation for his future career of honor and usefulness. Possessing natural mechanical skill, he easily turned it to account by working at carpentry, which trade he thoroughly mastered without passing through the apprenticeship usually required in those days. His marked efficiency as a worker in wood served him well in subsequent years, as is attested by the signal success which he achieved as an architect and builder, quite a number of the beautiful and attractive dwellings and other structures in Columbia 'City and elsewhere being the result of his mechanical skill. In 1887 Mr. Noble moved ~to Columbia City and shortly thereafter purchased a small tract of land near the corporate limits, on which he erected a small but comfortable dwelling, which the family occupied for a limited period. Meanwhile he worked at his trade and devoted his spare time to raising vegetables for market, which he soon found quite profitable. The demand for the products of his gardens increased to such an extent that he was soon obliged to devote more time to their cultivation than merely his mornings and evenings, as the sum realized from the sale of vegetables exceeded that earned at his trade. In due season he discontinued the latter altogether to devote his entire time to gardening and it was not long until he was the recipient of a fine income from this source. It was while thus engaged that his attention was attracted to floriculture, there being nobody in the city to supply the growing- demand for flowers, and as soon as he could do so he secured the necessary seeds and plants and ventured upon this new and untried line of business.