Lewis and Sarah Boggs House

John B. Bowell, the well-known proprietor of the popular Ross House, of Plymouth, was born in Walnut township, Marshall Co., November 25, 1854, and is the son of B. N. and H. (Kinett) Bowell, both parents natives of Clark county, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. Bowell were among the pioneers of Marshall county, locating in Walnut township about the year 1850, where Mr. Bowell engaged in farming in connection with which he also carried on the saw-milling business. Later he carried on a meat market at Argos, where he is still living, having retired from active live. His wife, who died about 1872, was the mother of eight children, six of whom survive, viz.: George W., Mrs. Ann M. McGriff, William N., John B., B. C, Louis, A. J. and Addie M., wife of John Wallace. The subject of this mention remained with his parents until ten years of age, at which time he went to reside with Dr. R. B. Eaton, with the object of preparing himself for the medical profession. The first four years he was with Dr. Eaton he attended school and also studied telegraphy, and later secured a clerkship in the dry goods store of Parker & Atkinson, at Argos, with which firm he continued four years. During the following three years he was manager of the dry goods establishment of David Kershaw, Argos, and at the end of that time engaged in the dry goods trade at the above place as member of the firm of Bowell Bros. In 1876, he accepted a position with S. Becker, a dry goods merchant of Plymouth, and subsequently engaged with the firm of Ball & Carabin, dealers in dry goods and clothing, in which capacity he continued until March, 1SS9. He retired from the mercantile business in that year, and leased the Ross house, the leading hotel at Plymouth, of which he has since been proprietor, and which under his successful management, has become one of the popular stopping places for the traveling public in northern Indiana. Mr. Bowell possesses fine business ability, and in his capacity as salesman and as "mine host" has won great popularity among all classes of people. Politically he is a republican, but has never been an aspirant for official honors, preferring to give his attention entirely to his business. He is a member of Hyperion lodge, No. 1 1 7, K. of P., and of Cyrene council, No. 944, Royal Arcanum, and for a number of years has been a communicant of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was first married March, 1S75, to Sarah E., daughter of David and Elizabeth (Butterworth) Kershaw, who was born in Marshall county, July, 1S36, and died February 24, 1883, leaving two children: Daisy B. and Bert D., whose births occurred Januarys, 1876, and October 13, 1877, respectively. Mrs. Bowell was a lady of many accomplishments, and was widelj' and favorably known for her many noble qualities of mind and heart. She was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and her life was in harmony with her religious profession. Mr. Bowell was married the second time January 25, 1887, to Elizabeth J., daughter of R. H. Cox, who has borne him one child, a son, Lloyd. In his second marriage Mr. Bowell was fortunate in securing a woman who has proved a help-meet in the true sense of the word. She is a consistent member of the Episcopal church of Plymouth.

Passage source: History of Indiana : Containing a History of Indiana and Biographical Sketches of Governors and Other Leading Men. Also a Statement of the Growth and Prosperity of Marshall County, Together with a Personal and Family Histry of Many of Its Citizens, published 1890.

Among the old and honored citizens and business men of Pl3-mouth, is William \V. Hill, who for nearly half a century has resided in Marshall county, and for over thirty-five jears has been a citizen of the county- seat. Mr. Hill was born at Covington, Kj'.. on February 6. 1S30, and is the son of Jordon and Denisa (Hawkins) Hill. The father was a native of Kentucky. At an early date Jordon Hill removed from Lexington to Covington, where he was married, and where he engaged in the manufacture of ropes and the ferrj- business, being the first man to run a fern,- boat between Covington and Cincinnati. His death occurred at Covington in 1S37, and his widow soon afterward removed her family' to Indiana, locating in Bartholomew county. In 1S41 she removed to Peru, Ind., and in 1S43 came to Marshall county and settled near Maxinkuckee lake. In about 1S64-5 she removed to a farm about two miles west of Argos, where she is residing at present, and is in her eight3--fifth jear. There were four children born to the parents, two of whom are living. The children are, our subject and younger brother George, who resides near Argos. The mother was married a second time, while living in Bartholomew count)-. Ind., to James Finne)-. and to this second marriage six children were born, five of whom survive. While at a verj- tender age our subject was, bj- the death of his father, thrown upon his own resources. With but little more than the rudiments of an education, and while but a mere bo)-, he was apprenticed to a baker at Peru, with whom he remained long enough to acquire a very good knowledge of the trade, and then came to Plymouth, and for one year worked in the bakery- of X. R. Packard. Being by force of circumstances verj- economic and possessed of a laudable ambition to succeed in life and rise above being a wage-worker, he accumulated a small sum of mone\-, and left the emplo}- of Mr. Packard to open an establishment of his own, which was necessaril}- a small affair. He established a bakery first in a small house south of the river, but soon built a two story structure on Michigan street, and removed his business thereto. This building, however, was destroyed by fire on March 21, 1857, but he at once rebuilt, and carried on business successfully until January, 1866, when he was again burned out, losing in the last fire over $3,000. Nothing daunted he again rebuilt, and has since continued business, meeting with deserved success. He now has the largest as well as oldest establishment in his line in the city, and does the bulk of the bakerj- and confection business of Plj-mouth. Mr. Hill is a member of the Masonic fraternit\-, belonging to Pl\mouth-Kilninning lodge, No. 149, of Plymouth chapter,"Xo. 49, and Plymouth commandery, K. T., Xo. iS. He has filled most all of the chairs in the chapter and commander)', and is a past eminent commander. He was married on January i, iS57,to Joanna Anger- man, who was born in Solon, Saxony, Germany, and came with her parents to the United States during the fifties, and settled first at South Bend, Ind., and subsequently settled in Plymouth. To this union four children have been born, only two of whom surwve: Fred W., in business with his father, and Anna B., now the wife of C. H. Buck, formerly of Plymouth, but now of St. Mary's, Penn.

Passage source: History of Indiana : Containing a History of Indiana and Biographical Sketches of Governors and Other Leading Men. Also a Statement of the Growth and Prosperity of Marshall County, Together with a Personal and Family Histry of Many of Its Citizens, published 1890.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Center Township - 55,664 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.