Washington Township (part 10 of 16)

"Jacob Crow came from Germany and located at Crow's Mill, on Wheeling creek, in the time of the Indians. He had four daughters and two sons. The eldest son's name was Peter and the younger Michael.

neighbor's house, about a mile and a half up the creek, on an errand. When about half a mile from the place they were going, they met their brother, Michael, who was about fifteen years 'of age. He insisted on his youngest sister going back with him, but she refused. This was near a rock which stood in the bottom. The rock is about twelve feet long and ten feet high.

"The Indians at this time were concealed about the rock. Michael went on towards home and the girls pursued their way until they came to the creek. Here they saw a water' snake and while attempting to kill it they were surrounded and captured by the Indians. They were taken about two hun¬ dred yards from the path near the creek and made to sit down on a log while they held a consultation. The girls, thinking they were going to be killed, began praying. This the Indians would not allow. One Indian was holding two of the girls while another was doing the killing. One of the girls, Susan, managed to get loose from her captor and ran for her life. While going over a bank she was in the act of falling, when one of the Indians threw a tomahawk at her, but fortu¬ nately did not kill her. The Indian thought she had gone in the direction of her home, but she had hid and he failed to find her. Among this band of Indians was a white man by the name of Spicer.

"Several years passed by when one day at a Jog rolling at Crow's a white man and an Indian appeared at the house and were in¬ stantly recognized by Susan as the parties who so foully murdered her sisters. They asked for something to eat, but were refused. The men were notified, and Michael Crow and a friend started in pursuit. Up Wheel¬ ing creek to the headwaters, over the ridge to Hart's run, down to Big Fish creek and over to the head of Dunkard, a distance of thirty miles over a rough and broken coun¬ try, went the two men. Just at sun-down they overtook Spicer and the Indian, who were in the act of preparing their supper. Without one word of warning they were shot down. Their horses were turned loose and Spicer was skinned and his hide taken home and tanned, a piece of which is now in the hands of the writer."

William F. M. Frazier

Probably the most widely known gen¬ tleman in the northern part of Blackford county is he whose name introduces this ar¬ ticle, and whose versatility in numerous lines, not only of a mechanical but also of an in¬ tellectual nature, mark him as a man whose lack of opportunity only has stood in the way of a brilliant and enviable career. He was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, Sep¬ tember 2, 1828, being the son of William N. and Julia Ann (Pickens) Frazier, he being of Huguenot ancestry and in direct line of one of four brothers who settled in the south before the Revolution. The mother was of the famous Pickens family of the Carol inas, her father being one of Marion's troopers. He became an early resident of Ohio, and our subject has the honor of having, his name chosen for him by this old hero, the Pickens of the troopers. When William was a lad of five the family came into Franklin county, Indiana. Two years later, however, the permanent home was chosen in Henry county, where the par¬ ents resided during a long and eventful ca¬ reer, the father reaching the age of ninetynine years, four months and four days.

When William was in his seventeenth year he returned to Preble county, Ohio, and at New Castle learned the potter's trade, at which he worked there and in Darke county for the next five years. There he met the young- lady whose interest in him deepened into that something whose culmination is marriage, that ceremony being performed on the 5th of February, 1851. She was Miss Catherine Ullom, whose birth occurred in Darke county, May 29, 1830. Her father dying 'when she was less than two years old, her mother, Jane Wilt, became the wife of John McFarland, her own demise transpir¬ ing before Catherine had reached her tenth year. From that event her youth was passed with an uncle in Preble county.

Our subject followed farming near New Madison, Ohio, till the fall of 1855, when he brought his family to his present home, one mile north of Dundee, where for fortyfive years he has constantly grown in the estimate of his neighbors. Their first house, which stood until 1877, was the most primi¬ tive, not only in its general structure, but in all its appointments, puncheon floor, clap¬ board doors made without nails, etc. He worked at fifty cents per day to pay for his first horse. The first tax paid was the re¬ sult of the sale of a mink and a coon skin. It took him five years to complete the pay¬ ment of the sixty-five dollars the horse cost, before he could devote his entire time to the clearing of his own land. He could secure plenty of work at small wages, and it is claimed that he placed the first blind ditch ever known in this section of the country, this being in the adjoining township in Wells county. This soon demonstrated the value and the possibility of underground drain¬ age, and the neighbors were not slow to profit by it, he being in great demand for the supervision. When working as a potter he had made tile and had seen its use in the older states, and at once advocating the making of it here, had the satisfaction of laying the first that was put in the ground in this county. The labor of drainage and clearing was so great and his progress to¬ ward making a farm so slow that it was fif¬ teen years before he was able to live from the product of his own farm. Being handy with all tools, he turned his attention largely to making shingles, becoming an expert in a market for staves, thousands of which he shaving them; several buildings covered by him nearly one-half a century ago are still in a good state of preservation. There was made, hauling them to Hartford. His repu¬ tation as an expert woodsman and chopper was wide reaching, and he never wanted for that class of work, generally, however, tak¬ ing the jobs of clearing, at which he ex¬ celled, and of which he did more than any other half dozen men. Of the men who cast their votes in the township in 1856, but five are still resident of the same. They are Alfred Miles, Hammond Miles, Zeke Haley, Eli McConkey and our subject. No better shot was to be found in the entire region, numerous contests with the rifle attesting the fact, and even now, at the age of seventytwo, no tree is so high but that he brings the squirrel from its topmost branches. Wolves,' deer, wild turkey and foxes abound¬ ed, not to speak of the millions of smaller game, and the young man whose blood would not warm at their sight must have been of an extremely phlegmatic nature. Every con¬ dition demanded self-reliance, and few men of the early times were more ready to ad¬ just their lives to the needs of the commu¬ nity in which they lived than he, becoming almost absolutely independent of the outside world. All their clothing was produced by their own eftorts, the linen being from flax of their own growing, which he pulled, broke, swingled, and hackled and which his wife spun and wove. The demand was no less upon the women than the men; in fact, if it were possible women had a more im¬ portant work to do and sphere to fill than at the present. His own skill with tools soon attained wide reputation and he was macle the general mechanic of the commu¬ nity, making grain and baby cradles, ox yokes, sleds, carts and wagons, tool handles, ax handles, baskets, and in fact everything that was needed in the growing country. His deftness in making baskets has remained with him, he, even now, devoting consider¬ able attention to this handiwork. Farmers began to think that clover seed would fail to germinate if not sown by him, and the demand was equally great in sheep shearing time. When it came to doctoring any of the domestic animals, few trained veterinarians have acquired the skill that the actual de¬ mands of the times compelled him to attain.

He has been a not less important factor in shaping the moral and intellectual scope of the neighborhood, being one of the or¬ ganizers of the Church of God, to which he has devoted much thought and effort ever since. Never inclined to await the motion of other men, but placing reliance upon his own judgment, he has ever taken a foremost position in all that makes for better condi¬ tions, whatever sphere of life is affected. He introduced the first Southdown sheep from Ohio, an improvement in the stock that is seen to this day. He was an abolitionist from a boy, casting his first franchise for VanBuren in 1848; and was a Free Soiler before attaining his majority. Active from the organization of the Republican party, he took an interest in the cause of the preser¬ vation of the Union, urging the enlistment of those whose home tics would permit finally proffering his personal service by en¬ listing in the fall of 1S64, as a recruit in the Fifty-third Indiana, joining the command at Jonesboro, Georgia, soon after the fall of Atlanta. He went with Sherman's army to the sea and to Raleigh and Washington, where he marched in the grand review, being finally discharged at Louisville. He has been most active as a party worker, having never wavered, in season and out of season, as a loyal supporter of the party. Ever an enthusiast, when once a course has been chosen, whether in politics or religion, he has felt it a duty, not only to the cause, but to himself and to the world, to make such converts as his proselyting ability would permit. Being well versed in the history of both religious and of political movements, and having a happy command of language, with the ability to apply it to the point at issue, he is no mean antagonist, as many a self-conceited man can testify.

As in every other important matter af¬ fecting the welfare of those dependent upon him, he has afforded his children every ad¬ vantage possible, assisting them to education and position. They are six in number, their names being: Benjamin F., dying in in¬ fancy; James Talbert, who died just as man¬ hood was opening its possibilities; Francis Marion Frazier, M. D., LL. D., is a nonular physician at Pioneer, Williams county, Ohio; Robert Anderson is one of the most successful teachers of this section of the state, having for seventeen years followed that pro¬ fession in Blackford, Wells, Huntington and Grant counties; Sherman Scofield is also an M. D., located at Kunklc, Williams county, Ohio, where he has a most satisfactory and extensive practice; Levi S. is farming in the vicinity of the old home, but is equally widely and favorably known as a teacher. Thus it is seen that not a little of the ambition that has ever characterized the father and mother has been transmitted in undiminished vigor to the sons, each having made for him¬ self an enviable record for earnestness and honesty of purpose, which carried into the noblest walks of life demands for each the highest esteem of their fellow men. The Frazier 'home is noted far and wide for its open-hearted hospitality, there being no other country residence in Blackford county where so many friends are entertained with the old style, generous, whole-souled recep¬ tion that cements, with the passage of years, the close feelings of independence estab¬ lished in the youth of the county. As the shadows of the evening of life lengthen the regard of our subject for the friends of the early years, as well as for those of todav, broaden the spirit of Christian charity, being constantly more manifest.

John A. G. Miller

Conspicuous among the successful men and representative citizens of Montpelier is John A. G. Miller, who hails from the far away kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, where his birth occurred on the 15th day of August, 1833. His parents were Christopher and Barbara Miller, both natives of Bavaria, and as far back as the genealogy can be traced his ancestors appear to have lived in that country.

that the great world beyond the waters af¬ forded better advantages for an ambitious youth than his own nativity. Accordingly, about the year 1853, ^lc sailed for America and in due time reached his destination. Within a short time after his arrival he made hs way to Blackford county where, in part¬ nership with a brother, Henry Miller, he operated a mill about one rule north of Montpelier. It may be stated in this connec¬ tion that Mr. Miller had previously learned the mill-wright's trade in Germany with his father, who was a successful workman, and by reference to the family history it appears that among his ancestors for generations were many men who made the construction of mills their special work The above mill, erected in 1849 011 ground purchased by the above mentioned Henry, manufactured both flour and lumber, water supplying the motive power, and it was highly prized and exten¬ sively patronized by the citizens of a large area of country for man}'- years. It was torn down and rebuilt with enlarged capacity in 1867 and continued in operation until de¬ stroyed by fire in 1883. Since the latter year Mr. Miller has not been engaged in milling, but previous to that date the old mill during its palmy days realized for its owners a hand¬ some income, which they judiciously invested from time to time in Blackford county real estate. By reason of the gradual develop¬ ment of the county and the consequent rise in the value of farm lands Mr. Miller in due time found himself the possessor of a com¬ fortable fortune which has been augmented by his exertions in other vocations, in all of which his success has been most gratifying. During the two years following the destruc¬ tion .of his mill property Mr. Miller devoted his attention to agriculture, haying purchased the place upon which he now resides in 1880.

At that time the farm was a wild and rugged piece of wood land, but under his manage¬ ment it has since been cleared, improved and put in a successful state of cultivation. He erected thereon a commodious residence, supplied with all modern improvements and conveniences, and being a man of refined tastes he has spared no pains in beautifying the premises, planting the lawn with beauti¬ ful flowers and rare foreign shrubbery and in many other ways adding to the appearance and value of what may properly be termed a model home.

Mr. Miller has an artistic temperament and the beautiful never fails to appeal to him or escape his observation. His city property, of which he owns much that is valuable, in¬ cluding private residence and a business block, is in keeping with the taste displayed on his rural possessions ; indeed the condition of everything belonging to his bespeaks the presence of a wide-awake, energetic man who believes good taste to be one of the potent factors of our modern civilizatin.

In 1872 Mr. Miller became a member of Montpelier Lodge, No. 410, I. O. O. F., the different offices of which he has from time to time been called to filled ; he also belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men, Tribe No. 71, and in this he has also been complimented with important official positions. His relig¬ ious faith is embodied in the Baptist confes¬ sion of faith and in politics he supports the principles of the Democratic party. Mr. Miller's marriage was solemnized, April 3, 1856, with Plessy S. Morris, who was born April 26, 1833, and departed this life on the 7th day of July, 1892. Mrs. Miller was the daughter of Jonathan Morris, an old resident of Blackford county, whose birth occurred September 16, 1796, an(l who was called from the scenes of earth in February, 1850.

The following are the names of the children constituting the family of Mr. and Mrs. Miller: George M., deceased; Mary Jane, Mary E., John F., Miranda M., William A. and Margaret E.

Thus briefly, and with no attempt at un¬ due praise have the salient facts in the life of one of Blackford county's most estimable citizens been set forth. He is one of Indi¬ ana's representative German-American cit¬ izens and his influence upon the industrial, moral and religious interests of Montpelier is acknowleoged by all to be whole¬ some and in every respect beneficial. Endowed by nature with a spirit of determination which hesitates at no ob¬ stacle, he has steadily and aggressively pur¬ sued his way, winning worldly wealth and at the same time retaining the good will and unbounded confidence of all with whom he has had any relations whatever. He can truly say that he is at peace with all mankind, and the future, both in the world and the afterwhile, contains nothing from which he con¬ sciously shrinks.

S. J. Downing

The career of the well-known gentleman to a review of whose life the following lines are devoted forms an interesting theme for the pen of the biographer. Mr. Downing is a Pennsylvanian by birth, and a descend¬ ant of one of the oldest settlers of Venango county, a section of countrv lying in the western part of the Keystone state. He was born in what is now Crawford county on the 31st of July, 1832, and is the son of William and May Downing, the mother's family name being Coyle. When of suffi- cient age lie was sent to the district school near his home and after becoming well enough advanced entered Allegheny College, at Meadville, where he pursued his studies for some years with the object of preparing himself for the teacher's profession. On leaving the above institution he began teach¬ ing in the county of Venango, and such was his success as an instructor that for a pe¬ riod of twenty-four years he was retained i; : the same locality, the greater part of the time ii;a single school district. During this time he taught young men and youngwomen whose children afterwards became his pupils, and in one instance he numbered among the students of his school a grand¬ child of one of the scholars who attended the first term taught by him in the old build¬ ing alluded to above. Few teachers in the United States can cite such an instance, and it is exceedingly doubtful if any person in the whole country has retained such a deep and abiding place in the affections of as many people who by the influence of his instructions were started upon the way to successful manhood and womanhood. In connection with his duties as teacher Mr. Downing also devoted considerable atten¬ tion to agricultural pursuits, the school re¬ quiring his time only during the fall, win¬ ter and early spring seasons. Like the great majority of the people of western Pennsyl¬ vania Mr. Downing early became interested in the oil business, and within a short time after the discovery of this wealth-produc¬ ing agent he began operations in the field as a contractor for drilling wells. This vent¬ ure at first met with gratifying success, but later, by means of a controversy arising be¬ tween himself and others, he finally aban¬ doned drilling, and for some years thereafter followed teaming in the oil region, trans¬ porting the product of many wells to places of shipment. In fact, he worked at differ¬ ent times in every department of the oil business, and became one of the best in¬ formed men in all matters concerning the product in the country where he operated.

Mr. -Downing remained in his native state busily engaged until 1891, when, by reason of the discovery and consequent development of the rich Indiana oil fields, lie came to this state and since that time has resided in Montpelier. He was first engaged in pur¬ chasing leases, canceling the same, locating wells and service of like nature, but later be¬ came superintendent of the oil warehouse at Montpelier, which he still most successfully manages. He is an expert oil man, and his advice and counsel are eagerly sought and are seldom found at fault. He has done much towards inducing the investment of capital in the region adjacent to Montpelier, and many of the best paying wells have been located and drilled under his personal super¬ vision.

Mr. Downing is a gentleman of irre¬ proachable character, superior business tact and possesses a personality which never fails to command respect and admiration. Ilis long connection with educational work makes him critical as to details, while his contact with leading business men of his native and adopted states has broadened his mind and given him an experience far more valuable than any learning obtainable within college or university walls. The Presbyte¬ rian creed represents his religion, and in poli¬ tics he believes the interest of the country can best be subserved by a practical applica¬ tion of the principles of the Prohibition party.

as follows: Alma A., wife of George B. Wilt, born September 29, 1S55, resides at Mai ion, Indiana ; William C., born Decem¬ ber 22, 1857, and Mary E., born January 4. 1S60, married William M. Page, of Mont¬ pelier, and died on the 1 8th day of Decem¬ ber, 1899. The mother of these children became the wife of Mr. Downing, in Ve¬ nango county, Pennsylvania, August 15, 1854; her maiden name was Nancy Ross, and her parents, Joseph and Savilla (David¬ son) Ross, were for many years well known residents of Rockland township in the above county and state.

Marion A. Emshwiller

In no department of biographical litera¬ ture is there greater cause for inspiration and enthusiasm than in chronicling the lives of successful medical men. The physician whose smallest duty is the administration of remedies and whose very presence heals, is a theme worthy the pen of the most gifted writer. Devoted to his profession and pre¬ senting his life a daily sacrifice for suffering humanity, the true discipline of the healing art is indeed one of the world's greatest ben¬ efactors and is destined to live in hearts of those made whole through his efforts rather than in chiseled epitaph on granite obelisks.

Among the noted physicians of Black¬ ford county whose fame for one so young has already extended far beyond her borders is Dr. Marion A. Emshwiller, of Montpelier. Dr. Emshwiller is the son of John and Mary Emshwiller. The Doctor was born in Jackson township, Blackford county, Octo¬ ber 25, 1869, and when five years old was taken by his parents to Montpelier. Here he passed the years of his youth and early man¬ hood and in due time completed the public school course, graduating from the town high school in 1885. The intellectual train¬ ing thus received was afterwards supple¬ mented by attendance at De Pauw Univer¬ sity, Greencastle, after leaving which the young man accepted a clerical position in his fathers drug store in Montpelier. After spending some time in this capacity he turned his attention to general labor and was thus employed for the greater part of four years. In the meantime he decided to devote his life to the medical profession and in order to pre¬ pare himself for the successful prosecution of the same, entered, in 1889, the Indiana Med¬ ical College, now the Medical University of Indianapolis, from which he was graduated on the 31st day of March, 1891. For some time after completing his course Dr. Emsh¬ willer remained in the office of Dr. Marsee, of Indianapolis, and in October, 1S92, was honored by being appointed demonstrator of anatomy in the above university, which posi¬ tion he ably filled until January of the follow¬ ing year. He then returned to Montpelier and opened an office over his father's druer store, where he has since practiced his profes¬ sion, meeting with success such as few attain in a much longer and more varied career.

In 1892 Dr. Emshwiller was elected cor¬ oner of Blackford county, the duties of which he discharged for a period of two years, and for the four years between 1893 an(I 1897 he served as a member of the United States board of pension examiners at Bluffton. He had the distinction of being the first health officer of Montpelier and his administration of that office was marked by a decided de¬ crease in the sick and death rate of the city during his incumbency.

deservedly high as a successful practitioner and his devotion to his patients and skill in diagnosing and treating the many ills to which humanity is heir render him an ideal family physician. Studious in habit, he aims to keep pace with the advanced thought of the day in all matters pertaining to his call¬ ing and it is a compliment well bestowed to state that no physician of his years in Mont¬ pelier has within so short a length of time built up a larger professional business or oc¬ cupied a more prominent place in the public esteem. The Doctor is a member of Mont¬ pelier Lodge, No. 410, I. O. O. F., and has been an active worker in the fraternity since becoming identified therewith in 1891. Po¬ litically he is a Democrat. lie has been twice married, the first time on the 8th of October, 1891, to Miss Margaret Patterson, daughter of Daniel and Anna (Howard) Patterson, by whom he had two children, John P., born September 9, 1892, and Emily Marie, born June 24, 1894. Mrs. Emsh wilier de¬ parted this life April 1, 1895, and on the 9th day of September, 1897, the Doctor entered into the marriage relation with his present companion, whose maiden name was Leota E. Adams, daughter of William and Rachael (Thornburg) Adams.

William M. Gotiirup

William M. Gothrup, a retired minister and now a farmer of Jackson township, whose postoffice address is Hartford City, was born in Delaware county, Indiana, July 21, 1855. He is the youngest of eight chil¬ dren born to his parents, John T. and Mary (Rutherford) Gothrup, who are mentioned more fully in connection with the biograph- ical sketch of James E. Gothrup, elsewhere published in this work. He now lives on the old homestead, two miles west of Mill Grove, where the family settled about 1868, the farm containing sixty-three acres of land. Upon this farm William M. Gothrup has erected a new house in which he and his family now reside. He was married May 1, 1875, to Miss Mary J. Martin, a daughter of William Martin, of Jackson township, she having been also born in Dela¬ ware county, Indiana, and being brought to Jackson township when a child. Mr. and Mrs. Gothrup have a family of three chil¬ dren, viz:: Gertrude, wife of Burt Span¬ gler, and living on a farm in Pulaski county, Indiana; Edith and Maude, both at home. All have been well educated at the Hartford city schools, and have paid special attention to music.

Politically Mr. Gothrup is a Republican, and has often attended conventions as a dele¬ gate. His education was not by any means neglected, for lie succeeded in securing a fair college course at North Manchester, and he also pursued theological studies with a view to being a minister. lie was licensed to preach in the liberal branch of the United Brethren church, and began his ministerial labors in Delaware county on Gaston circuit, with four churches, remaining on the cir¬ cuit two years. Afterward lie spent one year on the home circuit, known as the Hart¬ ford City circuit, this circuit also having four churches. Not enjoying the best of health, lie then returned to the farm, feeling that his success as a minister of the gospel could not be what he would like, nor what it would have been had he not, on account of illhealth, been compelled to cut short his stud¬ ies in theology, and he believed that it would be better for the cause of religion for better educated men to occupy the pulpit. Tt was 1889 when he ceased to preach and with¬ drew from the church, and since then he has not become attached to any other church. But even if he did feel compelled to aban¬ don the pleasant duty of teaching others the right and true way to life eternal, yet he loses no opportunity of doing good as opportunity presents itself, and his life is a continual ex¬ ample to all with whom he daily comes in contact.

Orlando Sherman Ford

It is by the study of the lives of indi¬ viduals that we learn what may be accom¬ plished, and hence it is a pleasure to present a brief outline of the career of the subject of this memoir, Orlando Sherman Ford, who was born in Preble county, Ohio, July 5, 1864. He is a son of David and Mary (Richards) Ford, both of whom were na¬ tives of Virginia, now West Virginia, and were brought to Ohio when young by their parents. David Ford was a bricklayer by trade, and late in life became a miller. In 1868 he and his wife removed with their family to Illinois, locating near Olney, where Mr. Ford engaged in milling. After re¬ maining there about four years he brought his family to Indiana, locating at Shoals, where he operated a mill. Here he died when Sherman was about nine years old, leaving his widow without means, having lost all he had invested, about six thousand dollars. She then removed to Blackford county, bringing with her two of her chil¬ dren, Orlando Sherman, the subject of this sketch, and David A., who were always with her. She was induced to locate in Black¬ ford county by the fact of her having a son,

James H., already living here, and while on a visit to him her determination to remove here was made. It was like beginning life over again. With nothing in her posses¬ sion, she and her two boys had to make a living for themselves. Sherman secured work carrying water for the section hands on the railway, and not having a pair of shoes he went to John L. Weaver, of Dun¬ kirk, who sold him a pair of shoes on credit, which he paid for at the end of the season's work. From the time he was ten years old he worked on the farm, and as soon as he and his brother, David, were old enough they bought thirty acres of land two and a half miles south of Trenton, and here they from this time on made their home. About two years later the mother died, but she lived alone long enough to see her sons in a home of their own. After death David remained five years with Sherman, and since leaving Sherman has worked in a glass factory at Marion.

From the age of ten Sherman was the main support of the family. He worked the farm in summer time and attended school in winter up to the time he was fourteen, when he attended three months of the year, which was about all the education he re¬ ceived, except such as he acquired by pri¬ vate study and by coming in contact with the world. After purchasing the thirty acres of land, as above recorded, he and his brother cleared it of its timber as rapidly as they could, and by the time of their mother's death they had gotten it in shape so that all could be comfortable and happy and after her death Sherman purchased the heirs' in¬ terest in her half. Later they bought more land, Sherman buying the eighty he now lives on April 6, 18S6. All but ten acres of this eighty was covered with timber, and there was no house upon it. He therefore erected a small upright house, into which he moved with his wife, whom he had mar¬ ried December 17, 1885. She was formerly Miss Emma Florence Anderson, a daugh¬ ter of Dr. James Anderson, the oldest physi¬ cian in the vicinity, he having practiced at Dunkirk thirty-five years and having begun as a pioneer. Dr. Anderson died at Dun¬ kirk December 25, 1894, at the age of sev¬ enty-two. Miss Anderson was born at Dunkirk, was educated there and taught school there for some years.

When our subject and his brother began on the land they last purchased, one hun¬ dred and twenty acres, they were about twenty-three hundred dollars in debt, but having good teams and outfits generally, they worked together five years, putting about one hundred acres under cultivation. While most of the valuable timber had been cut off before their purchase, yet there was considerable good elm still standing and they cut it into wood, hauled it to Mill Grove, there trading it for tile, which they laid be¬ fore the land was plowed. There were on the land many ponds, which, by the process of underdraining, were drained of their water and converted into dry and excellent farming land, in fact the best on the farm. An excellent outlet for their drains was effected by a company ditch which they them¬ selves made. Before they dissolved part¬ nership they were purchasing more land, and Sherman kept on buying, until now he owns three hundred and twenty acres, of which two hundred acres are in the home farm and two other tracts are near enough to be operated therefrom. He has inclosed about three hundred of his three hundred and twenty acres, and has it all tiled and in an excellent state of cultivation. Regularly

Mr. Ford grows about one hundred acres of corn and fifty acres of oats, and devotes the remainder of his farm to meadow and pasture. Fie keeps from twenty to fifty cattle and one hundred hogs, feeding them the corn he grows, instead of selling it off the farm in its raw state. He also keeps about one hundred head of sheep and as many horses as his farm needs.

The house in which he lives he erected in 1895 and it is a very neat and comfortable structure. Up to that time he had lived in the old two-room house. He also has erect¬ ed a large and convenient barn, and shows in every way that he believes in progressive agriculture. Politically Mr. Ford is inde¬ pendent in politics, especially in local and state affairs; but in national matters he is generally in harmony with the Democratic party. Mrs. Ford is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Ford have two children, Ruby Pearl and Lela Crystal, both bright young girls at home.

Louis Gannom

Louis Gannom (deceased), formerly one of the prominent citizens of Blackford coun¬ ty, was born in Montre 1, Canada, Septem¬ ber 17, .1853, and died April 20, 1900. His parents, Leon and Celine Gannom, were both natives of France, but were married in Can¬ ada. Having the misfortune to lose his mother when lie was four years old, he was reared by strangers on a farm, remaining with the same family until he attained his majority, when he removed to Indiana, be¬ cause his brother, Napoleon, had already settled in this state. Arriving here in 1879, lie for a short time worked on a farm, and then in the same year purchased seventy acres of land, the present homestead, going in debt for the land. Upon this farm a small amount of clearing had been done and a log house had been erected, which log cabin re¬ mained the home of his family for eight years.

On February 24, 1880, he was married to Martha R. France, a daughter of Daniel and Margaret Ann (Vincent) France, of Delaware county, Indiana, in which county, near Albany, she was born, educated and reared. Her father having died when she was three years old, her mother married Francis Marion Shrack, of Dunkirk, and is now his wife. Mr. Gannom gave his en¬ tire time and attention to the clearing and improvement of his farm, and was enabled to pay for it easier than would otherwise have been the case, because of his wife's bringing with her at the time of their mar¬ riage five hundred dollars, which she in¬ vested in the land. Placing nearly all of his farm in cultivation, he improved its condi¬ tion very materially by a complete system of underdraining, tile being used in this work. The house standing on it he erected and had the farm entirely paid for before his death. In addition to doing all this he pur¬ chased two other tracts of land, each con¬ taining forty acres, one in Blackford county and the other in Delaware county. One of these latter tracts he also cleared and tileci, so that it is evident he was one of the most industrious men of the community, perform¬ ing an immense amount of work. While these three farms are all in the gas belt, yet no well has as yet been sunk on them.

Mr. Gannom for about one year before his death had been in poor health, occasioned in part by his too industrious habits. Re¬ ligiously he belonged to the Catholic church, retaining his membership in the Dunkirk church until his death. Politically he was a Democrat, but never took an active part in the party counsels. He and his wife were the parents of the following children : Mary M. and Sarah Celeste, twins, the former the wife of Jesse Evelsizor, of Jackson town¬ ship, and the latter the wife of Albert Brown, of the same township; Lorena Ethel, wife of Frederick Nichols, of Dunkirk; Tinus Rosalie, wife of Albert Smoot, of Dela¬ ware county; lea Oscar, Walter C., Mar¬ garet Ann, Bessie Belle, Louis Edward and Joseph Raymond, the last six all living at home with their mother, who is highly re¬ spected by the entire community in which she lives.

Prominent among the active practition¬ ers of the healing art in this section of the state is John S. Sellers, of Montpelier, who is associated with Dr. Charles B. Mul.vey in a wide and successful practice. The family of Dr. Sellers is one that is related in various lines to many of the American representa¬ tive families, among others being that of ex- Governor Oliver P. Morton. Flis parents were Isaac and Emma (Troxell) Sellers, who were among the pioneers of Madison county, Indiana, where the Doctor was born on the 18th of November, 1845. His pater¬ nal ancestors were of Scotch-Irish stock, who settled in Pennsylvania, later removing to Kentucky, where Isaac was born in 1812. His wife, Emma, was the daughter of George and Elizabeth (Biggs) Troxell, by whom he had eleven children, of whom the Doctor is the sole survivor. The others were Sel¬ ma, who married Griffith Hinchman; Gran¬ ville, Monterville; Adelaide, who became

Mrs. Calvin Cassell ; Isaac T. Atty, de¬ ceased; James, Cassius M., Mary, Ira and Wallace. The mother of this family was born in Maryland of German parentage, her ancestors having coming from the fatherland in an early day. She was reared in the family of ex-Governor Burbank and was married at Centerville, Wayne county.

When young Sellers was not yet eight¬ een, on the 10th of October, 1863, he en¬ listed in Company B, One Hundred and Thirtieth Indiana Volunteers, at Anderson, and was assigned to the Second Brigade, First Division, Twenty-third Army Corps, at Nashville. The regiment made for itself a brilliant history, participating in the great struggles of the Atlanta campaign, and being then sent after Hood, to Nashville, where the part it played was highly com¬ mended. After the utter rout of this gal¬ lant rebel commander, and the disappear¬ ance and almost annihilation of his army, the One Hundred and Thirtieth was sent, via Washington and the ocean, to the coast of North Carolina, where it marched over¬ land to join Sherman, who was coming in from the south. The memorable battle of Kingston was fought while thus en route through the state, and in this action young Sellers was wounded in the scalp, and though disabled from actual duty, remained with the command, which soon after made a juncture with Sherman's army at Golds¬ boro. After the final surrender of John¬ ston this army made the ever memorable march through Virginia to Washington, where the greatest military parade this country ever saw was enacted in the grand review. The regiment was kept in the field doing guard duty largely till the following December, when it was formally discharged

. S. having decided upon the following of a profession, chose -that of medicine, though his ambition to prepare himself was not granted him for some time thereafter. He attended the high school at Anderson, fit¬ ting himself to teach, which he did for a few terms, finally taking up the study of his chosen profession as a student in the office of the highly esteemed Dr. N. L. Wickersham at Anderson, with whom he continued at various times for about five years. The regular professional training was completed in the Indianapolis Medical College, from which institution he was graduated in the class of 1887. He had, however, entered upon the practice some years before at Sulphur Springs, Henry county, Indiana, where he had attained a high standing as a physician, even before he received his degree of Medical Doctor. For nearly twenty years he has been in con¬ stant and active practice at the thriving city of Montpelier, where no gentleman of the profession has acquired a more enviable reputation as a citizen, or as a practitioner of the noblest of all arts. He is looked upon by his brethren of the profession as one whose judgment is seldom at fault, being thus frequently found in consultation with them. By natural endowments and professional acquirements Dr. Sellers is ad¬ mirably adapted to the noble profession to wkich his life has been consecrated, and his success therein long since won for him a creditable standing among the leading phy¬ sicians of the community. His long years of experience have rendered him unusually skillful in the treatment of many obstinate diseases, and the genial manner with which he enters the sick room at once inspires the patient's confidence and makes him the ideal family physician.

Dr. Sellers was married on his twentyninth birthday, to Emma J., daughter of Alexander and Lucretia (Weekley), of Vir¬ ginia. Five children have been born to them, as follows : Charles A., a medical student ; Addie, and three who died in child¬ hood. Fraternally the Doctor is, and has been for nearly thirty years, a member of the Masonic craft, having been raised to the sub¬ lime degree in Mt. Maria Lodge, at Ander¬ son, Indiana, in 1872.

Reared in the faith of the Methodist church, he has ever adhered to the princi¬ ples inculcated in youth, all through life en¬ deavoring to so live that the silent influence of a Christian character would leave a last¬ ing and beneficial effect upon all with whom lie has had contact.

Politically his franchise and influence has ever been cast for the advancement of the Republican party, though, as in all. the principles that dominate human existence, he has taken a broad ground, not feeling that any one party or one school embodies all that makes for human freedom and a higher civilization. Being thoroughly im¬ bued with the noble purposes that have dom¬ inated the great men who have sacrificed comfort, friends and even life itself in the cause of humanity, that they could contrib¬ ute some little to the advancement of the greatest of the sciences, his own best thought and effort has tended to a progress in the treatment of disease and the lengthening of human life. Ever indicating a keen inter¬ est in all that has had as its object the better¬ ment of the community, he is never slow to lend the encouragement that experience gives, to whatever makes for greater enlightenment or more advanced civiliza¬ tion.

The gentleman for whom this article is prepared was born in Blackford county, In¬ diana, March 26, 1863, the son of Will¬ iam and Malinda (Wilson) McDirmit, both parents natives of the state of Ohio. After attending the public schools at intervals un¬ til his fourteenth year young McDirmit left home and began life for himself as clerk in the grocery house of S. R. Patterson, Hart¬ ford City, in which capacity he continued about four years, obtaining meanwhile a sound practical knowledge of business and business methods. Severing his connection with Mr. Patterson he next accepted employ¬ ment with a gardener near the city of Muncie, which work occupied his attention for two years, when he came to Montpelier and became salesman in the general store of J. T. Arnold & Company.

Mr. McDirmit remained with the above firm for a period of four years and when Mr. Arnold disposed of the business to D. A. Walmer lie continued with the latter gen¬ tleman three years longer as manager of the shoe department. During the succeeding two years he was purchasing agent for T. C. Neal & Company's elevator at Montpelier, and at the expiration of that time resigned the position and engaged in the livery busi¬ ness, to which he devoted his time and atten¬ tion until 1894, when he disposed of his es¬ tablishment to A. Id. Bonham & Company. Subsequently, 1899, he bought back the livery barn and continued to run the same until 1900, in August of which year he again sold out and retired from the business, turn¬ ing his attention to other vocations.

j888, and since that time he has filled all the i offices within the power of the local organi- j zation to bestow, besides taking a prominent ! part in the deliberations of the order and doing much to promote its welfare in this city. He was married, April 29, 1885, to Miss Clara Geary, daughter of J. V. and Elizabeth (Turner) Geary, to which union the following children have been born : Ralph, whose birth occurred in February, 1886; Cecil, born March, 1890; Vera, born in August, 1892; and Elizabeth, who first saw the light of day September 6, 1896.

Mr. McDinnit has been twice elected to the common council and while a member of that body labored earnestly in behalf of the city's welfare by introducing and securing the passage of a number of important or¬ dinances. He has done much in a quiet way for the public good and the people of Montpelier recognize in him one of their progressive and substantial fellow citizens. To say that he enjoys an unusual degree of popularity is making a mild statement, as he numbers his friends by the hundreds in both city and country. His social nature makes him a hale fellow well met, and those who have known him longest speak of him in terms of the greatest praise.

Nathan Fiddler was born October 15, 1824, in Knox county, Ohio, and died at his home near Hartford City April 22, 1896. His parents were John and Sarah (Reed) Fiddler. The father was of Pennsylvania ancestry and died in his fifty-third year.

county, Ohio, to Mary A. Walsh, who was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, March 18. 1829. Her parents, Thomas and Elizabeth (Bolinger) Walsh, were born in Pennsyl¬ vania, and were married before coming to Ohio; he died in Illinois at the age of sev¬ enty, and she at fifty-three in Ohio.

After marriage to his young wife, who was but eighteen, Nathan worked at the carpenter trade for about seven years, and then came to Winchester, Randolph county. Indiana, where he continued at his trade until he bought a farm, settling finally on a one-hundred-and-twenty-acre farm, which remained their home till the spring of 1884, when they came to Blackford county, pur¬ chasing the present homestead one mile west of Hartford City. His farm, five miles west of Winchester, contained one hundred and twenty acres of wooded land, upun which he erected a log house and where they con¬ tinued to reside as long as they remained /in that county. His farm in Blackford county also contained one hundred and twen¬ ty acres, and this he greatly improved and enhanced in value by remodeling the house, erecting much new fencing and laying hun¬ dreds of yards of tile drain, which reaches to all essential points of the farm. By care¬ ful attention to the details that solve the ques¬ tion of success or failure in farm operation, he built up the farm from a dilapidated and worn out condition to one of great pro¬ ductiveness, making it one of the most de¬ sirable estates in the county. It dies con¬ venient to the city, with its ample market, and being an excellent stock farm is unus¬ ually desirable from that standpoint. While Mr. Fiddler had been almost wholly denied the advantages of school training in his youth, his mind was of a keen, perceptive nature and naturally gifted with those qual-- ities that need only education to shine out in resplendent colors and make for the posses¬ sor a name and position worthy of the best endowed. Failing health had extended its warning, but ambitious to the last he re¬ fused to convert his business interests into other hands, but gave it such personal at¬ tention as it demanded. However, he took suitable steps to arrange all his business af¬ fairs, making such disposition as his own mind dictated, she with whom his life's bat¬ tles were fought, who had shared his cares, troubles and successes, being by right his sole legatee. She continues to conduct the farm, depending, of course, largely upon tenants. The farm, lying in the gas and oil belt, has been partially developed, having one well in operation.

The Fiddler family consists of four chil¬ dren, of whom Sarah E., the only daughter, is the wife of Jacob Burnworth, merchant and postmaster at Mollie Station, Indiana; James N. owns part of the old Randolph county homestead; William died March 14, 1898, at the age of forty-two, leaving a widow and one son, Harry; George W., the youngest, is a timber dealer at Hartford City.

Mrs. Fiddler, who bears her seventy years with little signs of feeling their weight, takes a commendable pride in her thirteen grandchildren and twelve great¬ grandchildren. She became converted and joined the Methodists as a girl of fourteen and is now a highly respected member of the church at Hartford City.

Mr. Fiddler was an influential and es¬ teemed frater of the Masonic fraternity, under whose beautiful and impressive cere¬ monies he was laid to rest at low noon, a delegation of his home lodge accompanying the remains to Winchester, where they were met by the entire lodge, in which many years before he had been a Mason. Thus by his old associates his body was escorted to Fountain Park cemetery, the dust being finally appropriately consigned to the dust from whence it came. A beautiful granite block family monument marks the spot where rests the clay of this genial gentle¬ man, loving husband and respected fraternal companion.

William Bales

One of the most successful farmers of Jackson township and one of the best known citizens of the county of Blackford is Will¬ iam Bales, who was born in Greene county, Ohio, August 9, 1842, and who is a son of Cyrus and Cynthia (Beal) Bales. Cyrus Bales was also a native of Greene county, Ohio, and was a son of Jacob and Dorothy (Hickman) Bales, both natives of Ohio and married in their native state. Jacob Bales was one of four brothers who settled to¬ gether and erected what may now be called old-fashioned brick houses and forming quite a settlement of members of the same family. There were also in the same neighborhood several families of the Beals, one member of one of these families, George, serving as a soldier in the war of 1812 in an Ohio regiment. He was the grandfather of Will¬ iam Bales, and the father of Cynthia Beals was one of the strong, ambitious men of the earlier day and owned a good farm in Greene county, Ohio. He died at the age of eighty years, which is indicative of the fact that his health and habits were unusu¬ ally sound and correct.

Delaware county, Indiana, settling two miles southwest of Dunkirk, where he reclaimed from the wilderness a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, upon which he lived until within a few years of his death, when he removed to Dunkirk, dying there at the age of seventy-seven, his wife also dy¬ ing there at the age of seventy. They were the parents of sixteen children, nine of whom reached maturity and six of whom were Jiving in the year 1900. These six were as follows : John Calvin, a retired farmer of Dunkirk; Louis C, living at Muncie; William, the only one living in Black¬ ford county; Rachel E. (Mrs Andrew Bar¬ ley), Cynthia E. (Mrs. William Hartford) and Laura B. (Mrs. John B. Brammer).

The boyhood of William Bales was spent on the farm, upon which his services were especially valuable, as he was the only help his father had in clearing it and putting it in a good state of cultivation, most of the other children being girls. His father was one of the most successful hunters of the early day, killing many turkeys and other kinds of game. William found so much work to do on the farm that his education was almost entirely neglected, so far as at¬ tending the public schools was concerned, but receiving instruction by his mother's knee at the fireside he became able to read and write and was one of the best spellers in the neighborhood, an accomplishment much more appreciated then than now.

In those earlier days there was no lack of that variety often called spice of life. Cyrus Bales was an expert on the drum and his brother, James, was equally skillful in the playing of the fife, and as there were other musicians in the family and in the neighborhood there was among them a little martial band. Jesse Bales settled near his brother Cyrus on Greene street, in Dela¬ ware county, this street extending two miles south of the county line and being named after Greene county, in Ohio, from which so many of the early settlers had come, many of them being related to each other. James Bales was one of the handiest men in the community and his sons were brought up to play the fife and drum, hence their services were in great demand at public meetings and at various places.

William Bales, who, as previously inti¬ mated, was for most of his youthful days the main support of the family, remained at home until he was twenty-four years of age. He was then married to Miss Jane E Clugh, who was also from Ohio (Clinton county) and who came to Indiana when a girl of twelve years, her parents settling in the same neighborhood, but in Blackford county, upon a farm still occupied by her brother, Isaac. For seven years after his marriage William Bales and his wife lived with his father, and he then settled on his present farm, two miles northwest of Dun¬ kirk in Jackson township. This was in 1873 and at that time there was no house on his farm and no clearing made. The little log cabin he then erected remained the home of his family for several years, until he erected his present commodious home. Be¬ ing an industrious worker, he soon had a good start on his new farm, which con¬ tained eighty acres, for which he paid twelve hundred dollars, and in buying which he involved himself in debt to the amount of eight hundred dollars. But so remarkable was his success that in three years' time he paid off the entire amount. Before he plowed any of his land he laid timber ditches and hence had excellent crops from the very beginning. Taking time by the forelock, he rods of tile and he now has sixty-five acres under cultivation. Corn and clover are his principal crops, the former of which he regularly feeds to his hogs, which he has made his main dependence. But he has also bred up shorthorn cattle and has been somewhat interested in high-class horses. His farm is improved with superior build¬ ings and he is comfortably situated in life

He and his wife have the following children : Alice A., wife of Charles Hiles, of Jackson township; Ora V., wife of John Green, of Dunkirk, she being a well educated young woman and especially proficiem in music; and Arthur D., who lives upon and manages the old homestead. Ide is now twenty-two years of age, has grown up on the farm, with the life upon which he is perfectly content, and is wholly devoted to the farm, taking the greatest interest and pride in everything connected therewith. His ambition, is to excel in all that he under¬ takes.

Mrs. Bales has always been a most de¬ voted wife and mother, doing her share of the labor and bearing her share of the burdens of life cheerfully and happily, thus, increasing the prosperity and happiness of all. She is the only daughter of her par¬ ents. Mr. Bales in political affiliations is a Democrat, has always attended his party conventions and has always been alive to party work. - For seven years he was presi¬ dent of a local gas company, which operates two wells, but while his farm is in the gas belt no well has as yet been developed thereon, , ,

William C. Edwards

It is a great pleasure to present a bio¬ graphical sketch of a representative and in¬ fluential citizen, a self-made man, one whose efforts have always tended to benefit the community in which he lives as well as his own individual and family concerns. A resident of Blackford county since his six¬ teenth year, his brain and muscle have for more than thirty years been constantly ^em¬ ployed in those labors which promote the interests of all. Such a man is William C. Edwards, who was born in Delaware count)7', Indiana, September 22, 1849, an<^ his entire life has been passed in this im¬ mediate section of the state. He is a son of Absalom and Susannah (Wilson) Ed¬ wards. the former of whom was a native of North Carolina 'and who as a boy was brought to Indiana by his parents, Ebenezer and Susan (Hamilton) Edwards. The par¬ ents of Ebenezer Edwards were James and Phillis (Jester) Edwards, of Green county, North Carolina, who lived and died in their native state.

Upon arriving in Indiana the Edwards family first settled in Wayne county, but later entered government land in Union township, Delaware county, wwhere Absalom resided until in answer to his country's call he offered his services to the government, only, however, soon afterward to become a sacrifice to the sacred cause of liberty. His death, which occurred at Indianapolis, was the result of one of the most dread scourges of army life, the measles, and at his death he had not quite reached middle life, being only forty-two years of age. Filled with the ambition of making ample provision for the wife and five small children that naturally looked to him for. support and kindly care, yet lie was carried away while they were yet nearly destitute of the necessaries of life, and it was after months of delay that the widowed mother was granted the small pittance by the government of eight dollars per month pension. Yet small as it was, added to what her own efforts could sup¬ ply,' it enabled her to respond to the deep seated motherly affection and desire to keep her children with her, instead of seeing them scattered among strangers and thus having family ties broken and each ultimately tak¬ ing care of himself. Previous to his enter¬ ing the army Mr. Edwards had secured a tract of one hundred and ten acres of land in Blackford county, though he had not had time to make any substantial improvements thereon. Determined to make this land her home, the widow had erected a small log house and stable, the latter of which is still in a fair state of preservation. William C. was her eldest child and being a young man of ambition, like his father, he took the lead in the work of clearing up and improving the farm and soon had sufficient land in cul¬ tivation to make a comfortable living for the family. The mother, who worked with tireless energy, with the assistance of her children, was enabled to place about forty acres in good farming condition, and also erected a new house to take the place of the little log house which for some years at first had been her home. Having done thus much it soon became apparent that her life work was ended. The struggle of years had so worn upon her strength that on August 20, 1880, a congestive chill brought to a close the career of the most self-sacrificing woman who had ever lived within the boundaries of Blackford county. When she had succeeded in getting her family affairs and farm into such a condition that she could have lived an easier life the burdens she had borne and the labor she had performed for the benefit of her children had so worn upon her that physical endurance had reached a limit and the approach of the dread messenger could not be postponed. And when it is stated that she was only fifty-seven years of age, this is all that is necessary to show the kind of life she had led and the nature of the sacrifices she had made. But she lived long enough to see her family comfortablv estab¬ lished in life. All except Benjamin F., who died at the age of fifteen, and Susan E., the youngest daughter, who was still at home, were married and settled near the old home¬ stead. No one can understand what it meant to her to carry out her cherished desire to keep her children with or near her and to give them the advantages of home training and a mother's influence. With a fixed pur¬ pose ever in view, she worked and strove until she was at length able to realize something of the satisfaction that comes to those whose lives are devoted to a single and noble re¬ solve, and who live to see their plans crowned with success. She sleeps in yonder church yard, the most sacred spot on earth to those to whom she consecrated her life.

Those who survived her were William C., the subject of this sketch; David H., who married Mary E. Scott, bought a por¬ tion of. the homestead, and whose own life was suddenly brought to an end April 20, 1881. In company with his little son he was felling a tree, when it lodged, and in attempting to extricate it from its posi¬ tion he was in some way caught by the fall¬ ing trunk and instantly killed ; his widow and three children remain, Clarence, Millie and Clara; Sarah J., wife of Henry Toll, lives near Eaton; and Susan E. is Mrs. Al. Curry, residing at Mill Grove.

William C. Edwards remained with his mother until reaching his majority, when he began working away from home, and for eight years worked for others in various lines of labor, sometimes in a saw-mill, sometimes at railroading, or as a farm hand. Having by strict economy saved up a neat little sum of money, he determined to marry, and on September 8, 1877, was united in wedlock to Miss Mary E. Pore, a daughter of Thom¬ as Pore, of Delaware county, in which coun¬ ty she was born. William C. received a small part of the home farm as his interest and subsequent to his mother's death pur¬ chased two other shares of what then con¬ stituted the homestead. His youngest sister attaining her majority, she retained the homestead, and he purchased thirty acres adjoining, thus creating his present home and erected suitable buildings, so that he now has one of the best and most convenient farms in the vicinity. It contains seventyone acres of land, of which about sixty are in an excellent state of cultivation, and all is well drained by natural outlets and by a judicious use of underdraining, tiling being largely used, which adds materially to its value and insures a golden return for the labor expended upon it. It is located close to the William pike, "four miles south of Hart¬ ford City, and in a very productive section of country; with its well arranged farm build¬ ings and many other conveniences it is in reality one of the most desirable farms in the neighborhood. Devoting his entire at¬ tention to his farm and exercising mature judgment in its management and the intel¬ ligence that has characterized him at every period of his life, Mr. Edwards is not only a most successful farmer but a man of stand¬ ing and influence in his community, and he is recognized as a most progressive and suc¬ cessful man in every walk of life. Lying as it does in the gas region, this farm has two wells upon it, which are operated by the Fort Wayne Gas Company, they being con¬ sidered among the most productive wells in the circuit of this company.

Mr. and Mrs. Edwards are the parents of five children that still survive, viz. : Min¬ nie A., a student at Marion College; Nellie I., Roscoe A., Zona A. and Ralph C., all at home. CarrieMay died in childhood. While never an aspirant for public place and while never offensive in his partisanship, Mr. Ed¬ wards acts with the present McKinley ad¬ ministration, believing the principles repre¬ sented thereby most conducive to the pros¬ perity and honor of the country, both at home and abroad. While not directly af¬ filiated with churches or societies, yet he recognizes their value and influence for good, but he prefers to devote his personal atten¬ tion to his family and his home, giving his children the best educational advantages within his reach and the best advice his head and heart dictate. Carrying with him the respect due to. the unpretentious yet sin¬ cere life that he has led, the circle of his friends is constantly widening, and their ap¬ preciation of those substantial qualities of his character which tend to make for better civilization and a happier condition of things on earth is of more value to him than any¬ thing else in the world.

Harvey Bowen

Harvey Bowen (deceased), late of Jackson township, was born on the farm on which his life was mainly passed and where his family still reside. He was a prominent farmer and was well known for many miles around. He was born September 6, 1850, and was a son of William and Rebecca (Evans) Bowen, both of whom came orig¬ inally from Pennsylvania and were married in Ohio, having been taken from the former to the latter state when young. After their marriage they settled in Henry county, In diana, and in 1847 removed to Blackford county, locating on the farm at present owned by the family and upon which they continued to live until their death, the for¬ mer dying in April, 1885, when he was sev¬ enty-nine years of age, and the latter in 1887, at the age of sixty-eight. They were the parents of eleven children, five of whom lived to mature years. Those living in 1900 were as follows : Amanda, who married Bimah Richardson and lives in Iowa ; Sally7-, who married Amos Baker, of Marion, Indi¬ ana; John, residing in Hartford Cit}v and the only one living in Blackford county; and Minerva, wife of Arthur Bird, of Jay county, Indiana. Those that have died were named as follows : Adeline, who married Wesley Peyton and died in middle life; Fenton, who died at the" age of sixteen; and Harvey, the subject of this sketch.

William Bowen, in 1849, erected the house in which the family still reside, it being the first good house in the vicinity. His son, Plarvey. spent his boyhood days on the farm until nineteen years of age, except that at fifteen years of age he spent some time in Illinois with his sister, Adeline. After his marriage, which occurred January 4, T872. to Miss Mary A. Bird, a daugh¬ ter of Daniel and Sarah (Current) Bird and a sister of Arthur Bird, he took charge of the farm and also took care of his father until the latter's death, soon after which he left the farm and for some five years was engaged in trading and in various mercan¬ tile enterprises. He lived at Dunkirk during this period, but retained his interest in the farm and secured the interests of the other heirs. At the end of the five years he re¬ turned to the farm and from that time de¬ voted his time and attention thereto. He had already placed it in a good state of cul¬ tivation and had pretty thoroughly under¬ laid it with tile. In former )'ears he raised considerable stock, but in the later years of his life confined himself mainly to the growing of grain and limiting his energies to the management and improvement of his farm, about one-half of which he himself cleared. He died October 10, 1899, after an illness of but two weeks, and from the time of his own retirement from active life his sons have conducted his property interests. Po¬ litically he was a Republican and served as township supervisor, always being active in the support of his party and its principles. He was a member of the Kingsley Methodist Episcopal church and at the time of his death had been class leader three years. He had also served as trustee of the church and as superintendent of the Sunday school. He was always a theoretical and practical temperance man, was, retiring in his disposi¬ tion and seldom engaged in argument, being perfectly willing that others should entertain their own peculiar views.

Harvev Bowen and his wife were the parents of the following children; Glen, who married Martha Snyder, a daughter of David O. Snyder, and who is farming near Mill Grove; Earl, a student at Dunkirk high school of the class of 1900; he had the misfortune to lose his arm while hunt¬ ing, accidentally shooting it off above the elbow; Russel, who is now operating the homestead farm; Orilla, a school girl; ana Roy.

One of the pleasant peculiarities of Mr. Bowen's disposition was that he always took a deep interest in the happiness and welfare of the young, which interest was manifested in a thousand ways. He taught a class of young people up to the time of his death, and often said he wished he could remain young and be one of them. Young people greatly enjoyed going to his home, for he was of a lively disposition and gave many pleasant entertainments especially for them. Like his father before him, he kept "open house," and it was the center from which in the earlier days the Methodist preachers started out on their many mis¬ sions of peace and good will to the inhab¬ itants of the surrounding country. Few men, if any, in this part of the state had more true and warmhearted and admiring friends, for he was always genial and pleas¬ ant and interested in their welfare and was always ready to lend a helping hand.

Amos J. D. Baker, who lives on section 32, Jackson township, one and a half miles north of Dunkirk, and who is a most suc¬ cessful farmer and teacher, was born on the quarter-section on which he now lives Sep¬ tember 21, 1862. He is a son of Zachariah J. and Priscilla (McPherrin) Baker, the former of whom was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, July 10, 1829, and was a son of David and Mary W. (Zimmer¬ man) Baker, both of German ancestry. David's grandfather was born on the ocean on the passage to America, and his parents were among the first German families to settle at Reading, Pennsylvania. Amos J.

D., the subject of this sketch, is the sixth in descent. from the original settler at Read¬ ing, who, as was his wife, was of the Lu¬ theran faith. David was a prominent mem¬ ber of the militia in Pennsylvania, residing in Butler county, that state, removing to Indiana in i860 and locating on the quartersection now owned by the subject of this sketch, which lie made his home for many years, and which he rescued from its prim¬ itive wild condition. Pie died in 1873, the age of seventy, having been born in 1803. IPis widow survived him seven years, dying in 1880, at the age of seventy-two. Their children were nine in number, all coming to Indiana with their parents, and six of the nine still survive. These six are as fol¬ lows : Amos PI., who served three years in the war of the Rebellion and now lives at Marion, Indiana; William J., of Jay county, Indiana; Jonathan S., of Dunkirk; Prussia J. M., also of Dunkirk; Mary W., wife of Henry S. Shirk, of Delaware county; Aman¬ da J., widow of Benjamin Kelly and now living at Dundee; 'the three that died were named Zachariah J. ; Josiah A., who died when sixty-five; and Catherine A., who married John Clouse and died when about forty years of age.

Zachariah J. Baker, in 1864, enlisted in Company B, Fifty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteers, in company with a few others of his town, their intention being to join Gen¬ eral Sherman at Atlanta, Georgia, but upon their reaching Nashville they learned that Sherman had already started on his march through that state to the sea and hence they had to return north, going via Washing¬ ton, D. C., and Beaufort, South Carolina, marching thence into the interior to unite with the victorious army of Sherman. They afterward marched with this army to Wash-

Zachariah J. Baker and Priscilla Mc- Pherrin were married in Butler county, Pennsylvania, and removed to Indiana with his father. When they reached, this county there were three or four houses in Dunkirk, together with a store, a postoffice, school house and blacksmith shop. Pie assisted his father to improve the farm and in time purchased forty acres, which he exchanged for the old homestead in 1876, upon which he resided the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1896. He had about seventy acres in cultivation and laid tile to the amount of one thousand dollars worth and was one of the first to petition for the Lick Creek ditch, which started on his farm and which has caused so much litigation. He was always heartily in favor of all pub¬ lic improvements, and while a Republican was not offensively so, although he always voted the straight ticket. He and his wife were members of the Kingsley Methodist Episcopal church, taking an active interest in church, taking an active interest in the the church and the work it had to do. He erected the residence now standing on the farm in 1886, and in all ways he was indus¬ trious. honest and energetic, working for the best interests of the public as well as of his own family. His widow still survives, living at the old home, retaining her interest in the local gas company, for which he sub¬ scribed some 3^ears previous to his death.

Zachariah J. and Priscilla Baker were the parents of the following children : William A. D., of Jackson township; Florence E. J.. wife of Roscoe Dodd, of Winchester, Indiana; Mary E., wife of J. S. Painter, of Butler county, Pennsylvania; Amos J. D., the subject of this sketch; Ida F. W., wife

Amos J. D. Baker passed his boyhood in much the same way as do other boys on the farm, except perhaps that he was rather more fond of learning and was therefore more inclined to take an interest in educa¬ tional affairs. Pie attended school at the Eastern Indiana Normal School at Port¬ land, Indiana, also the normal department of DePamv University at Greencastle, Indi¬ ana, and afterward at Valparaiso, taking a teacher's course. When twenty years of age he began to teach, taught winters and attended school five years. He has taugnt seventeen terms, all in Blackford and Jay counties, six years of which were in the home school and four in the Beaver Hill district in Jay county. Since he began he has not missed teaching a single year. Many of his pupils are now teaching school, some are lawyers, some are preachers, some doc¬ tors and others are in other intellectual work. He has always impressed upon his pupils the necessity of aspiring to higher things, and in order to better qualify himself for the important work in which he has been for so long a time engaged he has attended all the teachers' societies, institutes and other gatherings which are calculated to improve the teaching force of the country. Mr. Baker believes in compulsory education and is most heartily in earnest in regard to all educational matters. With enthusiasm he has pursued high school studies, such as lan¬ guages, mathematics and history, and is es¬ pecially interested in the latter two branches of learning. The school trustees, having a high opinion of his ability as a teacher, have often placed him in charge of the most dif¬ ficult schools to govern and he has always

Mr. Baker was married, October 8, 1892, to Miss Rilla M. Addington, having simply exchanged sisters with his brother-in-law. She was born in Wayne county, Indiana, and educated in Ridgeville, Indiana, and at the time of her marriage was residing at Pennville. Mr. and Mrs. Baker have the following children : Chloe Agnes and Harry Leland. Mr. Baker is a Republican in poli¬ tics and has attended several of the conven¬ tions of his party. With the exception of four years when he resided in Jay county he has always lived on the old homestead, having purchased the interests of the other heirs. He adheres to the Methodist Epis¬ copal church and is a member of Dunkirk Lodge, No. 306, I. O. O. F., having passed all the chairs, being now past noble grand. He is also a member of the encampment and of the Rebekah degree. Few men of his age have been more active in good works or are more universally esteemed.

Robert B. Blankenbaker

Robert B. Blankenbaker, a prominent farmer of Jackson township, whose postoffice address is Dunkirk, was born in Madi¬ son county, Virginia, November 22, 1838, and was the third of four children born to Henry and Frances Blankenbaker, of whom fuller mention is made in connection with the biographical sketches of A. Iv. Way man and Abraham Blankenbaker, both to be found elsewhere in this work. When the subject of this sketch was about six years of age his mother married A. Iv. Wayman, and he remained with his mother and step¬ father until he attained his majority, being brought, however, to Indiana when he was thirteen years of age. and from that time lie aided in the clearing up of the farm, most of the work connected with which devolved upon him and his brother, Abraham. How¬ ever, he learned the shoemaker's trade with his stepfather and worked at it for him one year, for which he received one hundred dollars. During this year, which was one of the busiest periods of his life, the price of boots and shoes was so high that Mr. Wayman realized considerable profit from his labor. . After this year thus spent in mak¬ ing shoes and boots he worked one year on the farm, and then purchased a farm of his own. He had received one hundred and twenty-five dollars from his father's estate in Virginia, and had himself saved enough to bring the aggregate up to three hundred dollars, and this he invested in the farm, for which he agreed to pay five hundred dol¬ lars, thereby going two hundred dollars in debt. He immediately set himself to work to clear and to improve his land and to make a good farm and home for himself and fam¬ ily. His first house, built by himself, lasted him as a home until 1887, when his present house was built. ' For some years after es¬ tablishing himself on this farm he worked at his trade of shoemaker during the winter season, thus having an advantage over those farmers who had no trade.

Mr. Blankenbaker had some little experi¬ ence during the war of the Rebellion, enlist¬ ing in 1864, in Company D, Twenty-third Indiana Volunteers, and succeeding in reach¬ ing the regiment at Goldsboro, North Caro¬ lina. He had made an effort to reach the regiment at Atlanta, after the fall of that rebel stronghold, but upon reaching Dalton, Georgia, lie found that Sherman had start- ed on his march to the sea, so hereturned to Nashville, and went by the way of Balti¬ more, Washington, D. C., to Moorehead, North Carolina, reaching Sherman as has been stated, at Goldsboro. After partici¬ pating in the battle at Kingston, North Caro¬ lina, he came to Washington with Sherman, and was finally sent to Louisville, Kentucky, where he was discharged, July 29, 1865, having been in active service ten months.

Returning to the farm, he was married October 29, 1867, to Miss Martha Cordelia Batten, of Darke county, who was born in Madison county, Virginia, and who was brought to Ohio when four years of age, at the same time that Mr. Blankenbaker was brought from the same state and from the same vicinity of Virginia. Since the war he has for the most part devoted himself to the farm, from which he at one time sold forty acres, but as he afterward added eighty-five acres, he now has an excellent farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres, of which one hundred acres are in a high state of cultivation and splendidly drained. At first there were low, wet spots of land in different places on his farm, which, while in this condition, were of no value what¬ ever; but since the underdraining has been completed they have become dry and the best portions of his farm, because of the exceeding richness of the soil. While his farm is capable of producing almost every variety of crop, yet Mr. Blankenbaker de¬ votes it principally to grain, feeding most of it on the farm every year, thus deriving greater profit than if he sold it off as raw material.

In 1880 he burned one kiln of brick and in 1881, in company with Howard Batten, he began the manufacture of tile, which he continued until 1893. This proved a most profitable business, he making during the time as his share of the profits over five thou¬ sand dollars. I11 1893 he transferred his in¬ terest in the business to his sons, John Wes¬ ley and Jesse Lewis, who have since con¬ ducted it as well as carrying on the farm. But they now manufacture only to the de¬ mand.

Mr. and Mrs. Blankenbaker are the par¬ ents of the following children : John Wesley, Louisa Alice, wife of John N. Philabaur, of Jackson township; Jesse Lewis married Nora F. Arnold; Amanda Frances; Robert Henry; Georgia Mansfield; Orella Catherine, wife of Webb Philabaur, brother of John N. Philabaur; Minnie Iceola, Wilmer Alexan¬ der, Orpha Neola, who died in infancy, and Lelia May.

Robert B. Blankenbaker cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, in November, 1861, but in recent years has been a Demo¬ crat, believing in the principles advocated by William Jennings Bryan, especially in his doctrine of the free coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one. At the present time he is a member of the township advisory board, and is in every way a most exemplary citizen.

Ansel Kirtley Wayman

Quite a large number of the early and excellent pioneer families of Blackford coun¬ ty came originally from Virginia, one of these families being that of the subject of this sketch, Ansel Kirtlcy Wayman, who was born in Madison county, Virginia, Jan¬ uary 10, 1820, and is now a retired farmer, his postoffice address being Dunkirk. His grandfather Wayman removed to Virginia from Georgia and his son, Henry Wayman, was the father of Ansel K. He was a black- smith as well as a farmer, married July (Finks) Wayman, whose father was of German ancestry and whose mother was an English lady. Henry Wayman died in 1822, when the subject of this sketch was but two years old. Ansel K. remained at home with his mother on the farm until he was twenty-one years old, and while carrying on the work of the farm learned the trade of shoemaking, He was married in Virginia to j Mrs. Frances Blankenbaker, a widow with four children. She had lost her husband, Henry Blankenbaker, and her maiden name was the same as it was before her marriage, but she and her first husband were not in any way related. The names of her four children by Mr. Blankenbaker were as follows :Catherine, wife of Joseph France, of Delaware county; Robert, who lives in Jackson town¬ ship; Elizabeth, who married Henry Clore, and died in Canada, and Abraham, who lives in Jackson township.

At the time of his marriage to Frances Blankenbaker Mr. Wayman was twenty-five years of age. He at that time owned a small farm and had for some years been working at his trade, in addition to man¬ aging his farm. Bi the fall of 1851 he drove through in a two-horse wagon fr.»m Virginia to Indiana, his brother-in-law, Joel Batten, having previously left Virginia with the view of coming to Indiana, but had re¬ mained in Ohio. Mr. Wayman, however, on reaching Indiana made his home for a time with an old Virginia neighbor, James Snyder, an uncle of David O. Snyder, whose biography appears elsewhere in this work. James Snyder was then living in Blackford county and there were several other Vir¬ ginia families, old acquaintances and friends of Mr. Wayman, already in this county, so that he had the good fortune to settle

In establishing himself in Blackford ! county Mr. Wayman first purchased sixtyfive acres of land, which he still owns. It was but slightly improved, there being on it only a log cabin and the roof was blown off that and the small clearing which had previous!;, been made had grown over with underbrush. For this sixty-five acres he paid one hundred and seventy-five dollars, going into debt seventy-five dollars. The old log house he fitted up so as to make it a tolerably comfortable home for the times, but it had no door, only a quilt hung at the opening where the door should have been, and at the only window he was- compelled to place his shoemaker's bench, in order to h ce sufficient light. Having collected to¬ gether a few tools, he began in this then new country vorking at his trade. For the first pair of boots he made in this log cabin he received one hundred pounds of flour, the man for whom they were made furnishing the leather. There was then a tan yard at Camden to which farmers were accustomed to take hides to be tanned on shares, and it was in this way that the above mentioned leather had been obtained.

Mr. Wayman began the work of clearing up his farm, first getting rid of the trees that had been deadened in the small patch partially cleared, and so successful was he that the this year he had enough business to enable him to finish paying for his land. Besides doing his own work he worked some of the time for his neighbors, but for the most part he devoted his time and ener¬ gies to his own farm and trade. After pro¬ ducing his first crop he had no difficulty in making a living. While not in any proper sense a hunter, yet he did occasionally kill some small game. The wolves howled around his cabin every night for many months, and when the dogs were out hunting coons and 'possum they were considerably interfered with by the wolves.

After being in this county twelve years Mr. Wayman added more land to his farm, having in the meantime greatly improved his original purchase, erecting a hewed-log house at the end of the first three years. To the saw-mill at Camden, which was also a grist-n;ill, he hauled logs, using only the fore wheels of his wagon on account of the lowness and wetness of the land, and it was the same when carrying grain to the grist¬ mill to be ground into Hour or meal. On account of tlife low, wet nature of the land there was a great deal of malaria in this sec¬ tion, and all the pioneers used large quanti¬ ties of quinine, ginseng, cherry bark and whiskey in making bitters. Mr. Wayman himself used for curing malarial diseases two barrels of whiskey, but it cost less than now, besides being of a better quality, the price being twenty-six cents per gallon, while honey, considerable quantities of which was made by bees kept by Mr. Wayman, sold for twenty-five cents per pound.

It was about 1864 that Mr. Wayman be¬ gan to buy more land, his second tract, for which he paid three hundred and ninety dol¬ lars, containing sixty-five acres, as was the case with his first tract. For this second tract, which was heavily timbered, he paid the cash. Later he paid two thousand dol¬ lars for one hundred and five acres lying near the railway. The land cleared and put in cultivation by Mr. Wayman amounted to about one hundred and fifty acres, which is all improved by thorough drainage, he hav¬ ing laid a great deal of tile, and thus greatly improved his farm, which is principally de¬ voted to the growing of grain. Mr. Wayman's land is divided into four separate and distinct farms, the original sixty-five acres being still the homestead. Besides manag¬ ing his farms he continued to work at his shoemaker's trade for twenty years, making boots and shoes for all the old settlers, until the village of Dunkirk was started and then, as shops were started in the village, he had to discontinue his work in this line. Since then he has devoted his attention almost ex¬ clusively to his farm. Both of his step¬ sons remained at home with him until they were of age.

Mr. and Mrs. Wayman were the par¬ ents of three children, viz : Ansel H., who lived on a portion of the old homestead, married and had two children, Lewis and Guy, and died at the age of forty years; Mary F., wife of William McDill, who is living on one of the four farms, and now has one child, viz: Bertha Ethel, McDill; and George T., who lives 011 one of his fa¬ ther's farms, is married and has six chil¬ dren, as follows: Cora Frances, Bertha Eu¬ gene, Joseph, Erwin, Flomer and Dewey. Mrs. -Wayman died March 27, 1885, at the age of seventy-four. Mr. Wayman is one of the old style of Virginia Democrats, but has never held nor sought office, having been all his life content to remain in the post of honor, the private station, doing his duty to his family and his neighborhood, and thereby has gained and still holds the respect and confidence of all.

Andrew M. Sanderson

Andrew M. Sanderson, a successful farmer of Jackson township, whose postoffice is Hartford City, was born at Port William, Clinton county, Ohio, January n, 1855, and is a son of Ambrose Milton and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Sanderson, the former of whom, previous to 1830, removed from Pennsyl¬ vania to Ohio, and the latter came north from Tennessee to Ohio when a child of six or seven years. She died on the farm and her husband has since retired to Wilmington, Ohio, where he is engaged in the real estate and insurance business. He is a well educated man, having graduated from college and being a teacher during his younger days; but for some reason he failed to give his chil¬ dren the educational advantages he himself enjoyed.

The boyhood of Andrew M. Sanderson was spent upon the farm until he was twentyone, he receiving his education in the com¬ mon schools. Remaining still on the farm three years more, he was married, December 1 , 1878, to Miss Nettie Hartsook, a native of Greene county, Ohio, he and she having been brought up as children of the same neighborhod. After his marriage he continued to work with his father for six years more, and from that time until 1890 he rented farms, and in February of the latter year purchased his present farm in Jackson township, three miles southeast of Hartford City, on the line of the Pan Handle Railway and on the. line between Jackson and Licking townships. Here he has forty-two and a half acres of land, all in an excellent state of cultivation. When he bought it there was a small log house and stable, in the former of which he and his wife lived eighteen' months. There were at that time only about eight or nine acres in culti¬ vation, but since 1890 Mr. Sanderson, by energy and industry, has brought it all under good control, putting in good tile drains in the low ground and thus making the poorest of his land the best, and all of it as good farming land as any in the vicinity. Notwith¬ standing that he agreed to pay one thousand two hundred dollars, he has made his pay¬ ments regularly and is now out of debt. The farm is in the gas belt, but he has no well on his farm.