Washington Township (part 13 of 16)

Joseph H. Weller

Joseph H. Weller, county commissioner and farmer of section 24, Washington town¬ ship, Blackford county, Indiana, was born at Spring Vail y, Green county, Ohio, Au¬ gust 7, 1854. Ilis parents, Peter and Maw Ann (Murphy) Weller, were natives of Ohio and New Jersey, respectively. Fie died at the age <>1 tnrtv, as the result of an injury received from a horse, and le t his widow with six children. She remarried and Joseph remained at home, on the farm, until his twenty-first year. 1 le then devoted one year to commercial life, as a salesman, an occupation which he found a great bene¬ fit in his future career, lie again returned to the farm, and iu connection with its oper¬ ation, devoted some time to buying- and sell¬ ing horses. Mr. Weller was united in mar¬ riage, February it, 1880. to Miss Sarah L. Cramer, of Highland county, Ohio, and, in 1883, oime to Blackford county to his pres¬ ent farm, and purchased eight)- acres of un¬ improved land. For this he paid forty dol¬ lars per acre, assuming an indebtedness of eight hundred dollars. This he paid at the end of the fourth year, also extensively im¬ proving the farm, laying upwards of fifteen hundred rods of tile.

In 1896 he erected his present house, hav¬ ing in the meantime lived in a double log house. Much credit is due Mr. and Mrs. Weller for their energy and industrious and economical habits and the progress they have made in the race of life and the ac¬ quisition of a. neat and comfortable home.

The family consists of one daughter, F'sie V., an exceptionally bright young lady now in her eighteenth year. She is one of the few students from Washington township whose grad lation from the county common school entitled her to a diploma at the early age of fourteen.

Politically Mr. 'Weller is a Democrat, his activity in the councils of the party, his serv¬ ices as a judge of elections and upon the party committees having thoroughly proven not only his loyalty to the basic principles of Democracy, but also to the later views pf Democrats as expressed in their party platform. In recognition of his ability as a party organizer and his general fitness be. j in the fall of 1896. was selected as one of j the three commissioners of the county. This | was at an important period in the county's j progress, many public improvements stu b as j pikes, drains, etc., being- extended and com- 1 pleted. The new buildings on the count)

' farm were erected during this time and many j important matters requiring the exercise oi j mature judgment and business capacity were ; constantly before the board.

Mr. and Mrs. Wellei are leading mem¬ bers of the Bethel United Brethren church, he serving- as a trustee for eight years and being now treasurer of the board, file takes an active part in the Sunday school, which, j unlike most country schools, is largely atj tended all during the year.

The life of Mr. Weller has been an up¬ right and honorable one, which will bear the closest scrutiny and inspection. Entirely without ostentation or display he has taken a high place in the esteem of his fellows. He is honorable in his business dealings, friendly and genial in his social relations, j and at all times a courteous and estimable gentleman, whom to know is to respect.

Frank P. Dowell

Frank P. Dowell, abstractor of titles and | dealer in real estate and insurance, is a native of Blackford county, Indiana, born in Hart¬ ford City July 2, 1852, the son of Jesse IT. and Fannie A. (Ellis) Dowell. Mr. Dowell was reared in the town of his birth, the public schools of which he attended until eleven years old and then he began the battle of 1 i j e for himself, devoting himself to various kinds of employment. He carlv ' became self-dependent and laid well the foundation of a character which has since won him a substanti; standing among the successful men of the city. After following different enterprises for a num¬ ber of years, and meeting with encour¬ aging success in the majority of them, Mr. Dowell finally engaged in real estate and in¬ surance, to which was also added the ab¬ stract business, and these have since demand¬ ed his whole attention. His office, in the Dowell block, on the south side of the pub¬ lic square, is the place where a large share of the real estate business in Blackford coun¬ ty is transacted and matters referring to loans, mortgages, insurance and preparing of abstracts of title. In his various enter¬ prises Mr. Dowell has come in contact with leading business men 0 this section of the state, among all of whom he sustains the reputation of a very energetic and reliable dealer.

Mr. Dowell has been twice married, the first time to Miss Mary A. Sharp, who bore him two children, Homer Id. and Carl, the latter dying in infancy. Some time after the death of his first wife Mr. Dowell was united in the bonds of wedlock with Miss Nancy C. Coddington, a union blessed with the birth of three children, whose names are as follows : Ruth, deceased ; Ralph H. and Merrille E. Mrs. Dowell is a lady of many sterling qualities of head and heart, a de¬ voted Christian and one of the most active workers in the Methodist church of Hart¬ ford City.

James E. Holcroft

James E. Holcroft, one of the most ex¬ tensive, enterprising and successful farmers of Jackson township, whose postoffice ad¬ dress is Hartford, and whose farm lies close to the line between Delaware and Blackford counties, was born in the city of Richmond, Indiana, September 19, 1856. He is a son of James end Mary A. (Bailey) Holcroft, the former of whom was born in England and is now living in Hartford City. In 1864 they located in Delaware county, onehalf mile south of Blackford county, but when he reached Richmond, Indiana, in company with his brother, he was without one cent of money in his pocket. B)r trade he was a plasterer, having served a sevenyears apprenticeship, and by following this trade in Richmond, and still later in Dela¬ ware county, he accumulated a goodly quan¬ tity of this world's goods. Upon the farm he located upon in 1864 he continued to re¬ side until six years ago, when he removed to Hartford City, but he still owns the old homestead in Delaware county, even though he is living a retired life. lie was married in Richmond, Indiana, and when he removed to Delaware county the subject of this sketch was eight years old.

James E. Holcroft attended the com¬ mon schools in Delaware county only a lim¬ ited time, twenty-three days being the entire extent of his public schooling; but his mother took great interest in his future welfare and conducted his education at home, where he remained until his marriage, which occurred November \2, 1879, to Miss Laura Emma Black, of Delaware county. He then settled on a portion of his present farm, that por¬ tion containing forty acres of land, for which he paid twelve hundred dollars, having thirteen years in which to complete his pay¬ ments. His father had given him a team when he was twenty-one years old, and with this team he did much of the work on his farm, taking the entire twelve years to make his payments. At first there was but one- half an acre cleared and there was a little log cabin erected, and by the expiration of the thirteen years he had his forty acres all under cultivation, having devoted nearly the whole of his time to the improvement of the farm. Since then he has purchased two other tracts, one of fifty-four acres, the other of eighty acres, for the latter of which he paid three thousand dollars and for the former, two thousand three hundred and ninety-five dollars. He now has two farms, on* )f one hundred and sixty acres and one of y-four acres, or two hundred and four¬ teen acres in all. He lives on the smaller farm, upon which he lias erected an ex¬ cellent dwelling house, and of his two hun¬ dred and fourteen acres 'lie has about one hundred and fifty acres in cultivation. All is well drained and in fine condition. Mr. Holcroft depends mainly upon hogs for a living, seldom if ever selling any grain oi'f the farm, especially corn, feeding it to his hogs, of which he raises and sells about one hundred each year.

Mr. and Mrs. Holcroft have three chil¬ dren, all at home, viz: George Roy, aged nineteen; Anna, aged seventeen, and Ella, aged fourteen. Politically he is a Demo¬ crat, is at present supervisor and attends all the local conventions of his party. He and his wife are most excellent citizens, enjoying the respect and confidence of all that know them.

Thomas James Greenlee

Thomas James Greenlee was born a few miles from Glasgow, at Renfrewshire, Scot¬ land, on the 27th of January, 1851, and, at the age of six, was brought by his parents, George and Mary Isabella Greenlee, to near

; Cincinnati. In Scotland his father had been a shipbuilder, but engaged himself as a gar¬ dener upon reaching America. After some three years the family was brought to Grant | county, Indiana, where the parents re¬ mained permanently, the father's death oc¬ curring there in is sixty-fourth year.

| Thomas was about, ten years of age upon coming to Indiana, his boyhood being ! passed with his parents, and he became fa¬ miliar with all the labor incident to farm : work. After attaining his majority he worked out at the same line of labor until his mar¬ riage, which occurred at the age of twentyeight to Miss YVeda Paxton, of Blackford county. However, in about one year there¬ after he was called to part with her by death.

; His present wife was Miss Amanda L Kirk- ; wood, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Car- - mane) Kirkwood, who were married in Del- ! aware county, where Amanda was horn. When she was six years of age her parents settled upon the tract of land now forming part of the Greenlee home, and here she has since resided. Samuel Kirkwood, now re¬ siding at Upland, is one of the well-known and highly respected citizens of that com- 1 m unity.

After this marriage Mr. Greenlee began ; housekeeping in the log cabin, and that con¬ tinued their home until it was replaced by the present house about ten years since. Starting upon a tract of forty acr- s, with but a small amount cleared and in cultiva¬ tion, he kept constantly increasing the culti¬ vable land, meeting with such success in his operations as justified an additional pur¬ chase, paying eight hundred dollars for an unimproved forty acres adjoining the origi¬ nal home. This latter tract was largelv o! such a swampy nature that in its primitive state it was of little value. About nine bun- cl red dollars was expended in an open ditch, which simply afforded a suitable outlet for the hundreds o. rods of tile drain that has been laid and which in opening up the water courses affords ample facilities for abundant drainage, thus making the tract one of the most valuable and productive of the many farms in the W alnut valley. Mr. Greenlee now has about sixty acres in cultivation and. having erected first-class buildings, includ¬ ing a tenant house and suitable accommo¬ dations of every character, has the satisfac¬ tion of realizing that the many years of in¬ cessant toil has received a reward and that easy circumstances are now and henceforth his to enjoy. Lying as it does in the recog¬ nized oil field, his own farm gives promise of proving valuable oil territory; as yet, however, but one well has reached the oil producing strata, the results from the one rewarding the efforts of construction and justifying further investment along the same line of procedure.

Mr. Greenlee holds strictly to the at¬ tractive doctrines of the Republican party, being recognized as one of the stalwarts. While of a retiring disposition himself and free from the taint of office seeking and self advancement, the party has found in him a stanch and reputable man in whom public confidence is felt regardless of party lines, the opposition holding him in the greatest esteem, and he has thus heretofore been called upon to attend to the duties of more or less of the local offices. His performance of the duties of these offices has demonstrated bis ample fitness for more responsible positions, to which lie is now being called. Recently nominated for the position o ; county com¬ missioner, bis conduct of the campaign has won for him many additional friends.

children, as follows: Anna Jane, George Samuel, Marv Maud and Thomas William. Pearl was taken from them when but one year old. Of the above, George is mar¬ ried, bis wife being Miss Pert ha Gerrett. They are now operating part of his father's farm. Mr. Greenlee and family are mem¬ bers of the church of the Disciples, his home being in close proximity to the church.

Jacob Marion Shrader

Jacob Marion Shrrader was born on the site of bis present residence, five miles north of Hartford City, Washington township, on the 1 2th of July, [862. He is a son of John R. and Margaret (Cochran) Shrader, he being a native of Marion count)', Virginia, and being brought by his parents when six r ears of age to Henry countv, Indiana, and four years later to Blackford county, the family settling one and a half miles cast of Dundee.

Here his father, Absalom, entered land of the government, and made it his perma¬ nent home, dying about 1870, and his wife, Julia, survived until the ripe and venerable old age of eighty -seven. They bad resided on the old homestead which is now owned by their granddaughi t and husband, Phil¬ lip Schmidt. They were the parents of two sons, John R., and Henry, who is residing in Richardson county, Nebraska, having gone from this state while yet a young man. Of the three daughters one only is living, Julia, widow of Joseph Sills, and living near the old homestead. Martha married Alfred Ratliff, and Elizabeth married Nicholas Willman.

parents then lived in the same vicitiitv. re¬ moving, however, later to Selma, Delaware county, where they reached quite advanced years. Soon after John's marriage he set¬ tled in the woods on the present tract of land, erected a small log house with the most primitive furnishing, a hoard stuck in a crack for a table, slabs for a seat, and everything else along the same lines. His life was de¬ voted to the making of a farm and was, like many another man's, remarkable for the perseverance and pluck that characterized the living under the difficulties of the times. He succeeded in placing about thirty acres ill cultivation, and this, lying in a flat sec¬ tion of the country, demanded a great deal of drainage before it was in suitable condi¬ tion for the growing of large crops. He adopted the old style of timber ditches, of which he laid an immense amount, only, however, to replace it with a more modern system of tile, when the value of the latter was proven. The old log house in which they began housekeeping in that simple man¬ ner remained the home until it was replaced ir 1873 with the present more modern edi¬ fice. He died on November 4, 1879, at the age of sixty-nine, being survived by his com¬ panion, who also passed to the future world on February 5, 1900, aged sixty-eight. It can well be said of them that the commu¬ nity knew no better citizens, every help of a moral nature finding in them most ardent encouragement. He, being trained in the school of simple democracy, naturally iden¬ tified his life with the political party that embodies most of the principles that ma*.le for greater personal freedom and individual worth, ever casting his franchise for the nominees of the Democracy. Ilis life was quiet, making little noise in his professions of religion or politics, but set a worthy ex¬ ample in the every-dav living, \vh >se emula¬ tion hv the youth of today will redound to the honor of the community.

Martha fane is the wife of Phillip Schmidt, j and, as stated above, resides at the old homc- ! stead; Elea Viola died at sixteen, and one I succumbed in infancy. Jacob Marion Shra¬ der spent his bovhood with the family on the home farm, attending the con: on schools. Upon attainiup' his twenty-first birthday he resolved to do for himself. He decided to learn the carpenter's trade, and joined an uncle in Nebraska, but not being specially impressed with the beauties of the hand-saw and jack-plane, returned soon after to the parental 1 of. Glad to see him back, and hoping to keep him near him his father gave him forty acres, to which he now began to direct his attentions - not, however, in full, dividing it with the young ladies of the neighborhood, the one most favored in this respect being Miss Phebe Lockett. The more he saw of this young lady the more he felt that her assistance w as necessary to the proper conduct of the farm, a view in which she coincided. Thev were married on the 28th of April, 1887. She also represents an old family in tlv county, her father, James Lockett, who i ' living near, hav¬ ing been born in the con y in the '30s. lie was the son of Esquire Lockett, one of the earliest residents. Her mother was Amelia Lcffingwell, many of whose early traces and attractions have been inherited bv the daugh¬ ter. At his father's death Jacob returned to the place, caring for his mother in her de¬ clining years. His father having purchased the old Shafer place, presented it to his daughter, as hei' share of the estate, thus lcavhv Jacob the sole heir of the home place, whic assed to him at his mother's death. About ninety-five acres are in a line state of cultivation, the greater part of which was improved by his father. More than eight hundred rods of tile have been laid on the tract, and the same care and skill have been displayed in all their lines of improvement, which are on a commensurate scale. Being in the heart of the valuable oil field, five wells have been drilled, the product from them bringing an apj eciable monthly reve¬ nue. which with the income from the conduct of the farm places the proprietor in circum¬ stances of affluence and ease. Mr. Shrader j:, unite well known in connection with the operation of threshing machines and hay bal¬ ers, having an extensive and lucrative pat¬ ronage in that line. .

tie is often found in the deliberative councils of the Democratic party, and is ever ready with time or means to contribute to its success at the polls. His family are. Mary Belle, Homer Marion and Carrie May: Delbert Earl died in infancy. He and his wife are members of Washington Center United Brethren church.

John J. Hayes

John J. Hayes, farmer and stock raiser of Licking township, of which he is a native, was horn on the 25th day of October, 1837. His father was Henry Hayes, a Virginian by bill; . and his mother, whose maiden name was Lucinda Knowlton, was bom m the state of Massachusetts. The Knowltons were among the early New England families settling in the town of Ipswich. Massachu¬ setts, as long ago as 1635, removing thence in a later day to various parts of the west. Henry Hayes was for many years a pilot on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, but in 1835 retired from that service and came to Dela¬ ware county, Indiana, settling in the town¬ ship of Licking*, where he entered a tract of government land and in due season developed a farm. His first residence is described as a frail pole shanty, hastily constructed and covered with bark, and it was in this pio¬ neer dwelling that John J. Hayes was horn and. as stated by himself, rocked to sleep many a time in a sugar trough instead of a cradle. The date of the arrival of the Hayes family was also marked by the settlement in Licking township of the Gadburys, Hughes, Cunninghams and Springers and perhaps a few others whose names are now forgotten. Mr. Hayes made his journey to his newhome in a small cart, which contained be¬ side himself and family the sum total of worldly effects then in his possession. After Ins death, which occurred not long after coming to the new country, his widow, left with six small children, had an exceedingly hard time in making a living for the help¬ less ones dependent upon her. By spinning for the neighbors and other kinds of work she managed to keep the wolf from the door, and in the meantime looked after the little farm, which under her care produced what eatables the family required.

After three or four years of widowhood she married a teacher from one of the east¬ ern states, who came to Licking township for the purpose of organizing a school for the benefit of the few children in the new settlement. This did not prove a happy union and after a short time it was dissolved bv the wife, who obtained one of the first divorces ever granted by the court of Black¬ ford county.

When the subject of this sketch was thir ¬ teen years old he. ran away from home by reason of ill treatment by his tepfathcr and went to live with a gentleman by the name of Ilenly, a tanner, under whom he served an apprenticeship to learn that trade. Young Hayes remained in the home of Mr. 1 Ienly for about five years, receiving for his services in the tanyard his board and cloth¬ ing. After becoming proficient in the trade he was allowed forty-two dollars per year, , together with the scraps, hair, hoofs, etc., which he could gather from the tannery, selling these for glue, plastering, etc., re¬ ceiving therefor considerable money in ad¬ dition to his regular wages. As time went by and his work became of greater va e, his wages were increased to one dollar per day. no mean sum in those days, and from this he managed to lay by sufficient means to enable him at the end of ten years to en¬ gage in farming.

On the 25th of April, i860, Mr'. Hayes was united in marriage to Miss Mary Jane Ward, daughter of Joseph and Ailcy (Rob¬ erts) Ward, early settlers of Grant county, where Mrs. Hayes' birth occurred July 28. 1844. When Mrs. Hayes was five years old her parents moved to the county of Black¬ ford and settled on the section of land in lucking tow -.hip about one mile north of the original Hayes homestead. Her father died on the home farm, aged sever ty-one, and the mother departed this life later at the advanced age of eighty-two years. One son, Joseph Ward, occupies a part of the old farm, while Mrs. Hayes owns the remainder.

Immediately after his marriage Mr. Hayes erected a comfortable hewed-log house on a tract of unimproved land, a part of the Ward homestead, and at once began cutting away the dense growth of timber i preparatory to fitting the soil for cultivation. By v orkiug early and late lie in due time had twenty acres ready for the plow, and as the years went by this area was enlarged until the greater part of his land was placed in a successful state of tillage. The farm was originally covered with exceedingly heavy timber, much of which he disposed of to ' great advantage and from this source alone ; he derived money almost equaling the value i of the land.

Mr. Hayes states that the first year he | deadened the timber on eighteen acres in I addition to the land first cleared, and after I standing five years the d- >d trees were cut | down and with the aid of iour hands, drawn into heaps and easily burned. The same season witnessed the blowing out of the stumps by dynamite, and thus in a com¬ paratively short time a goodly portion of h!s farm was broken the first time without j a single stump of any kind to interfere. To | remove the stumps from his place required I over a ton of explosives, but the expense has been trifling compared with the benefits re¬ ceived.

M 1 r [ayes is a successful farmer and has spare* . pains to make his place one of the I most irghly cultivated and productive in ! Licking township. By a thorough system of ! tile drainage, embracing in all over four thousand rods, lie has greatly enhanced the fertility of the soil, besides reclaiming what was originally nearly covered with ponds and quagmires, the latter at this time being the most productive part of the land. In the course of time the old buildings, which so well served their purpose, were replaced by new and more modern structures, includ¬ ing a large and commodious barn, which unfortunately was completely destroyed bv fire in September, 1896, entailing upon Mr.

Hayes great financial loss, lie has since erected a more mode: ! building, which, like ' all other improvements upon his place, is ! substantial and complete in all its arrange¬ ments.

stock raising, keeping on hand at all times horses and cattle and hogs in sufficient num¬ ber to use all the surplus grain grown upon the place. In this he has been quite success¬ ful,, his reputation as a breeder and dealer | in superior kinds of stock being much more than local. In the matte- of farming he be¬ lieves in doing- everyth: in the best way, and the good condition c his fences, build¬ ings and in fact everything upon his premises bespeak for him great thrift besides a thor¬ ough knowledge of every depart lent of ag¬ riculture.

Mr. and Mrs. Hayes have a family consisting of the following children : Will¬ iam Henry, Perry, John, Wesley, Al¬ bert, Alfred, Rutha and Harry, the last four still under the parental roof. Be¬ sides the above, four members of the family are dead, namely: Nathaniel died at the age of twenty-seven; Elsie Jane, wife of Stephen Michaels, died at thirty-five; Minerva married Charles Niedeher and died when twenty-two years old ; and Lorinia, who departed this life at the early age of twenty-one.

m addition to Mr. Hayes' career as a suc¬ cessful farmer, lie also has a military record, having been one of the brave men who re¬ sponded to the c entry's call when the safety of our institutions was threatened by the great Rebellion. Pie enlisted August 11, 1862, in Company D, Eighty-fourth Indiana Infantry, with which be served for a period of two years, taking part during that timein a number of battles and skirmishes in | Kentucky. Tennessee and Virginia. By rea¬ son of almost complete loss of hearing, caused by exposure, he was discharged be¬ lt re the expiration of his period of enlist¬ ment and lie still suffers great inconveniences from this cause.

During her husband's absence in the army Mrs. Hayes exercised control of the harm and remained alone with several small children in the little cabin home. At that time the home was remote from neighbors, surrounded by dense \V00ds, with nothing but a foot patli leading to the nearest house, a considerable distance away. Her situation was indeed lonely, but with a fortitude most commendable He refused to become discor aged and nobly did her part in main¬ taining- the family and keeping up the home while her husband and father was exposing himself to dangers and death on the battle field.

Mrs. Hayes is a woman of rare judg¬ ment, possesses many noble .qualities of head and heart and lias been a true helpmate to her husband throughout their wedded life. She has a large circle of friends in the com¬ munity where she resides and stands high in the esteem of all with whom she becomes acquainted.

in politic Mr. Hayes is a stanch sup¬ porter of the Republican party and in re¬ ligion a Methodist. He and his wife be¬ long to the Mt. Carmel church, in which they have for years been active workers.

The Bi0Gr.1P1Iic.-1T Record

Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, his territory including- Indiana and Illinois, was born at Deerfield, Randolph comity, Indiana, March 1 1, 1852. lie is a son of Alfred and Nancy (Sipe) Sipe, who, though of the same name, were not nearly related to each other. Both came from Pennsylvania to Indiana at an early day, and were thus among the pio¬ neers of this great western state.

The boyhood of Orlando was spent upon the farm, that institution v hich has given to the country so many of its leading business and professional men, and at the age of six¬ teen. he entered Ridgeville College, where lie prepared himself for the important work of teaching school. This work, so insufficient¬ ly appreciated even by those it benefits most, he carried on near Union City and . at his old home for a period of six years, and in which he received at least as large a share ol public approval as usually falls to the lot of the teacher. After giving up this profes¬ sion he was engaged by the Superior Drill Company, of Springfield, Ohio, for which company he traveled successfully four years through the states of Indiana and Illinois, and in whose employ he made for himself an enviable reputation as a salesman. Com¬ pelled by ill-health to retire from this busi¬ ness, he purchased his present farm in Jackson township, to which lie removed and upon which lie has lived with the exception of two years for the past twelve years. The two ears not spent upon the farm were spent at Dunkirk. Mr. Sipe's farm contains one hundred and sixtv acres of land, all of which when he bought it was wild and covered over with a fine growth of forest trees. Upon this farm a great deal of work lias been done, there being about sixty acres in an excellent state of cultivation, and most of which is devoted to the raising of stock, very largely to sheep. Mr. Sipe also has a fine orchard of several hundred trees, his assortment including apples, plums, grapes, small fruits, etc., all in sp' aidid bearing condition. The position which lie now fills with the Atlantic Refining Company he se¬ cured in 1 899, and he is now traveling the states of Indiana and Illinois.

' 1871, at Ridgeville, Indiana, to Miss Re¬ becca J. Barrett, daughter of Fletcher and Osee (Whiteneck) Barrett, who was horn at Ridgeville, and who received her educa¬ tion in the common schools. Her father or perhaps fourteen, from Pennsylvania, he being a son of Elisha and Mary Barrett, who settled at Day's Creek, and who later removed to Butler county, Illinois, where they lived and died. Fletcher Barrett was married to Miss Whiteneck near Ridgeville, j and was a large and successful farmer near I that place, dying when about sixty-six years of age. His widow still lives on the old homestead, a woman highly regarded by all who know her.

Mr. and Mrs. Sipe have had two chil¬ dren, viz: Nannie married Edgar Mann, of Dunkirk, where she died at the asre of twenty years, leaving three children, two of whom are living, viz: Marie and Eva. Bessie is the wife of George Shrack, of NoblesvIUe, Indiana, who is connected with the gla factories of that place, and who has three children, Clarence, Orla and Roscoe. Politically Mr. Sipe is a Democrat, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Trenton, in which he has been a class leader for two years. He is also a Mason, being a member of the lodge at Trenton and is an active worker in his lodge. Taken all in all, Mr.

Sipe is one of the most energetic and pro- j gressivc citizens of his county, and is al j ways readv and willing to aid in the advance- ! ment of educational and religious work, tor upon these lines depends the intellectual and moral improvement of the race.

Henry Bantz

It is frequently the privilege of individ¬ uals of ability and energy to demonstrate to their fellow men what can be done through these qualities when an oppor nity presents itself, and it is a pleasure to record an ac¬ count of such instances in this work. One of the individuals thus favored with opportun¬ ities is Henry Bantz, who was born near Al¬ bany, Delaware county, Indiana, October 3. 1836, and who is a son of Joshua and Bet¬ sy (Brenner) Bantz. The former was a na¬ tive of Baltimore, Maryland, where he lived until he was twelve years of age, when he was taken to Preble count), Ohio, and was there married to Betsy Brenner, who was a native of Ohio. Soon after their marriage they settled in Delaware county, Indiana, where Mr. Bantz entered land upon which he lived until late in life, when he removed to Muncie, Indiana, and there died at the age or seventy-four. Mr. Bantz was one of the sturdy pioneers of Delaware county, uncom¬ monly strong and an unusually hardworking man. His frame was very large and being inured to labor he accomplished much more than the ordinary pioneer, and his character was as strong and sound as his physical frame.

tion of the homestead farm during the latter part of tin time. He was married, March 5, 1865, to Sarah E. Bartlett, of Delaware county, where sire was born and where they were married. Previous to his marriage he had purchased one hundred acres of his pres¬ ent farm, which was then covered with large and valuable timber, and had no buildings erected on them, he going in debt to the ex¬ tent of one thousand live hundred dollars. The timber he cut into ties and cord wood, ble money. Later he added forty acres, making one hundred and forty acres, and still later oilier acres, until he had and now has land to the amount c f three hundred and thirty acres, lying in Blackford, Jay and Delaware counties, and divided up into four farms. He has about two hundred and ten acres under cultivation, which is well drained with about thro housand rods of tile, and he expended about twelve hundred dollars in the construction of the Lick Creek ditch. The principal crop grown by Mr. Bantz has been corn, all of which he feeds to hogs each year, his pi 1 being to breed only the best of stock. His present two-story brick house, which is large and convenient, he erected twenty years ago. His farm is well situated in tl gas belt and is crossed by the Panhan¬ dle Kailway. The gas well on his farm is owned and operated by the Bantz-Patters Gas Company, of which he was one of the original stockholders, and which was incor¬ porated in 1895. It has a capital of ten thousand dollars and operates three wells, which supply a portion of the demand in Dunkirk. Mr. Bantz is still a member of this company, owning a portion of its stock.

eight years after starting out in life for him¬ self he did not lose a day, hut worked con¬ stantly in order to place his property m the fine conditon it now is found, Jt was after he was twenty-one that he began to make sat¬ isfactory progress, and at the time of his marriage lie had a splendid start. The share he received from his father's estate he ha; husbanded well and has so invested it that it brings him in fair returns. No man has done more than Mr. Bantz to further public im¬ provements, the Lick Creek ditch, mentioned earlier in this sketch, owing its existence mainly to his per: 'ring efforts, he going on the bonds of county commissioners at the time it was constructed to the amount of five thousand dollars. lie has also contributed largely to the building of pikes and all simi¬ lar public improvements, knowing that good public roads largely increase the value of farm lands and make trav el more easy and pleasant, saving time, team and rolling stock. Politically Mr. Bantz is a Democrat, but gives his attention mainly to the private affairs. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and an excellent citizen in every way.

Mr. and Mrs. Bantz are the parents of fifteen children, as follows : Rena, wife of Elkanah Gilbert, of Jay county; Luella, wife of George Buckles, of Delaware county; Rhoda, who married Saul Wilson, and died October 6, 1894, at the age of twenty-seven, leaving five children : Irwin, of Blackford count)', who married Hesea Irene; Frank; Sivilla, wife of William Stoughton, of 1 - 11- kirk; Emma, wife of George Whitaker, of Blackford county; Daniel, who married Dose DePo , of Dunkirk; Levi, living at home in Dunkirk; Viola, wife of George Fromyer, of Dunkirk; Zulu, wife of George Crumwell, of Noblesville, Indiana; William, living at j home; Grover, who died at the age of fif¬ teen, and Vernic, living at home, and two j that died in infancy. Mrs. Bantz died Au¬ gust 25, 1894, aged fifty years, seven months and twenty da\ In May, 1900, Mr. Ban had twenty-six grandchildren living. He has always taken great interest in his chi 1- ; dren's welfare, assisting them to get a start j in the world to the extent of his ability, and | doing all in his power to further the moral and material welfare of his community.

hew men of Blackford county were as | wide and favorably known as the late Jessie j Hamilton Dowell, of Hartford City, and no i one exercised a more potent or wholesome j influence upon the business and industrial interests of this part of Indiana than he For quite a half century he was a familiar figure on the streets and public thoroughfares, and for nearly that length of time his name was identified with a number of enterprises which give stability and added to the reputation of j the city at home and abroad. The birth of this excellent man occurred on the 25th day o 1 June, 1833, in Virginia, and when five years old he was taken by his parents to Wayne county, Indiana, where he made his home until some time in 1845. The date of his arrival in Blackford county is the year 1850, at which time he became a resident of Hartford City, and here he remained the rest of his life, assisting in many ways the development of the town and impressing his strong personality upon its material and moral growth.

ter of Selah and J lepsiba (Saxton) Ellis, and became the father of four children, namely: Frank P. ; Elmer E., deceased; Charles M., deceased, and Arthur G.

Shortly after taking' up his residence in Hartford City Mi-. Dowell engaged in the shoe business with William 1 1. Campbell, a partnership terminated by the death of the latter gentleman fourteen months later, after which Mr. Dowell continued actively identi¬ fied with the commercial interests of the place 3.111 til 1866. In 1867 he began han¬ dling grain, and the better to facilitate this business he erected one of the large t ware¬ houses 011 the Panhandle Railroad, which he continued to operate with most encourag¬ ing- success until 1873, the meantime running a large saw-mill which afterwards under his management was converted into a heading factory.

During the above period Mr. Dowell also carried on the hardware trade in Hartford City, which, with the manufacture of lum¬ ber and heading, he disposed of in 1873 and a little later he discontinued the grain busint s. After retiring from active participa¬ tion in grain transactions he became inter¬ ested in banking, being one of the leading spirits in the organization of the Blackford County Bank, of which he became president. After filling that position three years he dis¬ posed of his interest in the bank and turned his attention to farming and dealing in real estate, his success in the latter being com¬ mensurate with that realized in his several pr ions lines of business. By judicious investment he became in time the possessor of five hundred and fifty acres of valuable land, all lying within one and a half miles of the city and a considerable tract adjoining the city limits. This has since greatly in¬ creased in value, and is classed with the

In 1886 Mr. Dowell organized the Hart¬ ford City Natural, Gas & Oil Company, of which he was president until the time of his death, and previous to that date, in 1881, he was chosen drainage commissioner of Blackford county, the duties of which posi¬ tion he discharged with signal ability for several years. During his term of service as commissioner Mr. Dowell planned and carried into successful execution the pres¬ ent efficient drainage system, by means of which much fertile land has been reclaimed and other large tracts greatly enhanced in value. His services in this one office alone are sufficient to place him among the coun¬ ty's greatest benefactors, as the system he inaugurated and carried out is pronounced one of the most scientific and successful in the state.

As a member of the common council, where he served over five years, Mr. Dowell was instrumental in bringing about much important municipal legislation and the in¬ terest he always manifested in the city's welfare earned him the reputation of a most conscientious, painstaking and absolutely impartial public servant. He contributed much to the city's material prosperity by investing his means in business blocks and other improvements and throuv is efforts many individuals in the conn walks of life were enabled to procure homes on long and easy payments. For two years or more he was connected with a local fire, loan and insurance company which did a safe and conservative business, and the set of abstract books made by him and containing a descrip¬ tion of every piece of property in the county from the beginning are said to be the most

Mr. Dowell was for many years active in Masonic circles, belonging1 to the Blue Lodge and Chapter, in both of which he passed all the chairs, and upon numerous oc¬ casions lie was a representative to the grand lodge of the state. In politics he was a Re¬ publican, earnest in the support of party principles, but his zeal, in this direction never led him to aspire to offic:al honors. Indeed the methods of the successful partisan were not at all to his liking, and he always pre¬ ferred the claims of business to the unsatisfy¬ ing allurements which such men so fre¬ quently hold out to their followers.

In the several enterprises with which he was from time to time connected Mr. Dowell exercised sound judgment and rare insight which, combined with the most scrupulous integrity, made his name synonymous with all that is honorable and upright in the busi¬ ness world. He was an able banker, and as a financier ranked with the first in the county. His ready and clear comprehen¬ sion of all business transactions dependent upon the aid afforded by his enterprises, his .ability to read character and his strict sense of justice won for him many warm friends as well as the confidence of those more inti¬ mately associated with him. No transac¬ tion was too minute to escape his observa¬ tion, nevertheless he never stooped to little things, and always manifested a broad and liberal spirit in his relations with his fellow men.

Few if any of his contemporaries ac¬ complished as much as he for the general good of the community, and his death, which occurred at his home in Hartford City on. the nth day of May, 1899, came as a per¬ sonal bereavement to the many who knew

What imperfections he may have had are now covered with the broad mantle of Christian charity as is his body with the green turf of the beautiful cemetery where j he sleeps so well., while his virtues, more en¬ during than marble shaft or granite obelisk, will ever live, an enduring monument, in the hearts of his fellow men.

Mrs. Dowell's father, Selah Ellis, was born in Delaware, and came from an old family that lived in that state prior to the war for American independence. When a young man he married Hepsiba Saxton, a native of New York city, and shortly there¬ after located in Steuben county, N>; >: York state, and engaged in fanning. He re¬ mained there until 1844, in which year lie disposed of his real estate, and loading his personal effects on a wagon drove through to Blackford county, Indiana, locating about one and three-fourths miles east of Hartford City, where he again turned his attention to the cultivation of the soil. At the time of the long and somewhat tiresome journey to the new home in the west, Mrs. Dowell was a miss of thirteen years, and she distinctly recalls the many thrilling experiences of the trip, and how she assisted with her own hands in cutting away the brush and clearing a spot whereon to erect the little log cabin first used as a residence by the family. She continued to reside on this place until her mother's death, in September, 1S51, when she came to Hartford City, and for some time thereafter made her home wth a sister, Mrs. Morlev. While residing with the lat¬ ter she met the gentleman who afterwards became her husband, and from her marriage' to the present time her life has been inter¬ woven with Hartford City, which she has seen grow from an insignificant backwoods town to the center of population of one of the wealthiest and most prosperous sections of our highly favored commonwealth. From youth up site has exhibited the qualities of womanhood so ureatlv admired, and those who knew her best are profuse in their tes- j timonials as to her worth as a wife, mother and neighbor. As a member of the Meth¬ odist church, to which she has belonged for nearly a half century, she has willingly and cheerfully made any sacrifices to render her services useful, and she exemplifies her re¬ ligion by a life devoted to bettering the con¬ dition of humanity . J-ir ndowed with strong I and a generous heart, she has acted well her part in life and in going out and in among the people she carries with her, not only sympathy and counsel , but equally needed food and raiment for those whose condition is beset with misfortune and suffering. While exact in all. her dealings, she is ever ready to respond to all worthy calls for as¬ sistance. never refusing to hear the cry of the needy, but always willing to contrib¬ ute to their wants and if possible direct them to the means of self-support.

Her moral nature is sweet and beautiful, and while not blind to the shortcomings of others, she would see the good rather than the evil and thoroughly believes in the ulti¬ mate victory of right over the combined forces of ungodliness. By her judicious j advice and wise counsel she greatly assisted I her husband during his long and varied business experience, and he was ever ready to give her due credit for much of the suc¬ cess which he attained in life. Since his death she has displayed rare discrimination and excellent judgment in looking after the interest of the large estate, and her man¬ agement of the same marks her as a woman of uncommon good sense and business sa gacity.

Throughout her entire career Mrs. Dow ¬ ell's dominant motive has been to do the right as she sees the right, and now as her i race is being run and the afternoon of life begins to wane, to see her as she passes along to the twilight and the journey's end. re¬ ceiving the love, reverence and respect of all. is a picture indeed that many loving hearts will wish may never fade.

James William Whitaker

James William Whitaker, a successful school teacher and farmer of Blackford comi¬ ty, was born September 4, 1861, in Guern¬ sey county, Ohio. He is a son of William Whitaker, who was also a native of Ohio, and dying on the home farm at Trenton, In¬ diana, October 15, 1894. William was a son of Obed and Elizabeth (Neal) Whita¬ ker, and passed his boyhood in his native state, where he married Miss Amanda Chance. In i860 he removed to Indiana, locating in Trenton village. Soon after re¬ moving to Indiana he became engaged in farming, but on rented land until he pur¬ chased the tract which is now considered the home farm, which had upon it at the time a | small amount cleared and a little log house.

! This farm it took him some years to finish | paying for, but that was at length accom¬ plished. Upon this farm he devoted most of his time to general agriculture and to clearing up' the timber as well 1 other im- provements, including a great deal of tile dr; age. 1 i is timber he cut up into logs, lumber and staves. Foi eighteen years he served as supervisor of his township, taking charge of the opening and improvement of the roads and the construction of bridges. After the war he was strongly in favor of the freeing of the slaves, hut left the Repub¬ lican party because of its attitude on the granting to the freedmen of their right to vote, which was done by the adoption of the fifteenth amendment. nee that time, while a member of the Democratic party, he has never been active in its counsels or man¬ agement. He was a member of the Meth¬ odist Episcopal church at Trenton during the later years of his life, and he was much interested in the cause of general education. He and his wife were the parents of the fol¬ lowing named childrc. : Sarah Elizabeth, a maiden lady living with Dr. Louden at Tren¬ ton; James W., the subject of this sketch; Naomi, a maiden lady still living at the old home; George M., who operates a portion of the homestead farm; John, who died when thirteen years of age; Myrtle, who married Henry Strait, and died a few years later, September 7, 1894.

James William Whitaker was brought to Indiana soon after his birth by his par¬ ents, who located as above related. 1 ie re¬ ceived his early education in the district schools of his adopted county, and also at¬ tended normal school one session, beginning to teach at eighteen years of age. His first school was No. 6, of Jackson township, af¬ ter teaching which he took other normal courses and then continued teaching in Blackford county, in Jackson, Newburg and Harris townships. He then took a higher course of study at the DePauw University, and afterward kept on teaching until he had taught seventeen terms in all and all in Blackford county. As a teacher he kept himself well informed as to the progress being made in different por¬ tions of the country, operated in county institutes, belonged to educational as¬ sociations, reading circles and other or¬ ganizations whose objects were the improve¬ ment of the teaching force of the country. He taught live terms in district No. 6, Wash¬ ington township, and continues to give con¬ siderable attention to all practical educational affairs.

Mr. Whitaker was married, September 2, 1896, to Miss Jennie Parker, a sister of Jacob Perry Parker, whose biography ap¬ pears elsewhere in these pages. Mr. and Mrs. Whitaker have one child, Emerson, born June 26, 1897. They are both mem¬ bers of the Methodist Episcopal church and stand high in the community in which they live.

James A. Luzadder

James A. Luzadder, a successful farmer of Jackson township, whose postoffice ad¬ dress is Mill Grove, was born in Taylor county, Virginia, now West Virginia, July 13, 1^55- He is a son of Aaron Luzadder, whose father was also named Aaron, and both father and grandfather were farmers of Virginia. About twenty years ago Aaron Luzadder invested in one hundred and nine acres of wild land, and his son, John M. Luzadder, began its improvement. About four years later James A. Luzadder, the subject of this sketch, came to this part of the state, and in company with his brother, John M., bought one hundred acres more, which was at the time about half cleared and about half-way cultivated. On this one hundred acres fames A. settled and began fs conversion into a farm. About 1892 to the above-mentioned one hundred acres James A. added forty acres more, and since then he has purchased the interest of his brother, having now in all a farm of one hundred and forty acres in his own name. This forty acres was purchased from his father, who is yet a resident of West Virginia. Nearly all of this land A n a fine state of cul ration, the work of improvement having been done by himself. At first he put in timber ditch¬ es, as did many of his neighbors, but in re¬ cent years this kind of ditch has been sup¬ planted >y the her of tile drains, a great deal of tile having been laid and extending into every part of the farm. James A. Luzadder has for some years had the super¬ vision of his father's farm, which lies ad¬ joining his own; has cleared and tiled it. and now has of it sixty acres in a fine state of cultivation, notwithstanding it is farmed by tenants. Recently Mr. Luzadder has pur¬ chased a sixty-acre farm in Delaware coun¬ ty, two miles south of his present home. While his farm is largely devoted to grass, yet he grows about thirty-five acres of corn, which he feeds mainly to hosts, but keeps also to some extent young cattle, which he finds very profitable. So great has been Mr. Luzadder's success in the management of his farming operations, that, whereas six¬ teen years ago he started nine hundred dol¬ lars in debt, both his farms are paid for and from the products of the farms themselves. These farms are in the gas belt, and upon them three wells are operated by the Fort Wayne Gas Company.

lie was married September 12, 1876, in Tay¬ lor county, Virginia, to Arthula J. Mathews, and they have had the following children : Chauncey Albert, who died at the age of three years; William Allie and Mary Alta, twins now fifteen years old; Dora A.; and James L. Mrs. Luzadder is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in every way an excel' ent woman, and both she and her husband are highly esteemed by all who know them.

Alvin B. Zimmerman

Alvin B. Zimmerman, one of the most careful and successful farmers of Jackson township, whose postoffice is Priam, was born in Fayette county, Ohio, March 1, 1859, and is a son of John Fletcher Zimmer¬ man, who also was a native of Ohio, and a son of Obadiah Zimmerman, of Pennsylva¬ nia, who removed to Ohio in the early days, being one of the noble band of pioneers of that state.

Alvin B. Zimmerman passed the days of his minority on the old home farm, and there received his early mental and physical train¬ ing which gave him a sound body and a sound mind. Nor was his moral character by any means neglected, and the principles inculcated during his earlier years have been the guiding principles of his life. Leaving home two years after attaining his majority, he then began life on his own account, and was engaged in farming in Ohio from 1881 until 1887. and in 1887 located in Blackford county, one mile east of Hartford City, on a tract of sixty acres of land. This he. greatly improved by the erection of neces¬ sary farm buildings and by fencing and ditching, so that he brought it to an excellent state of cultivation. In 1894 he purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty-seven and a half acres where he now resides, to which he has since added thirty acres of cleared land. Upon this farm he has laid some¬ what more than three hundred rods of drain tile of various sizes, and built his present residence and made other improvements. While he carries on general farming to a considerable extent, yet his main crops are wheat and corn. Tie also raises cattle and hogs, of the latter from one hundred to one hundred and fifty annually.

On February 1, 1900. his house, together with a portion of his furniture, was de¬ stroyed by fire, causing a loss of about three hundred dollars more than the insurance. Since then he has rebuilt and enlarged, so that now he has larger and better buildings, both house and barn. Mr. Zimmerman has during his entire life given his attention to his farm labors, and though he has attended as a delegate numerous Republican conven¬ tions, county and district, yet he has never desired to hold political office of any kind. Notwithstanding this, he is a well-read man, and has firm and positive convictions on all questions of public policy.

On September 8, 1881, Mr. Zimmerman married, in Greene county, Ohio, Miss Alary E. Chitty, a native of Fayette countv, Ohio, both having been reared as children on ad¬ joining farms. Their children are as fol¬ lows: Clarence C., Pearlman F., Dean D., Vernon IT., Elmer AL, Clara B., Rose A. and Paul L. Air. Zimmerman is a member and a trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church at Trenton, and of Tent No. 50, K. O. T. M., of Hartford City, Indiana. In common with the rest of his family he re¬ ceived from his father, when buying a farm for himself, cash to the amount of five hun- ' dred dollars, and his farm is in the gas belt with a good well upon it. Both he and his wife are highly honorable and useful citi¬ zens of the community in which they live, and have the good will and respect of all who know them.

Ezra Clinton Armstrong

Ezra Clinton Armstrong, a prominent and successful merchant of Trenton, Indiana, is a son of Andrew Alorton .Armstrong, de¬ ceased, who was born August 15, 1829, in Butler county, Ohio. At the age of ten years Andrew M. Armstrong removed to Iroquois county, Illinois, and three years later to Wayne countv, Indiana, where he attained to manhood's estate. In 1853, in company with his parents, two brothers and three sisters, he removed to Blackford coun¬ ty, Indiana, locating one and a half miles south of Trenton, on a farm, which had but few improvements, and those few consisting of a small parcel of cleared ground and a little log cabin, bin which, now recognized as the old homestead, is in fine condition. Mr. Armstrong was married, December 16. i860 to Atiss Christiana A. Alfrey who was born in Switzerland county, Indiana, in 1841, and who died at Trenton in 1866. They were the parents of three children, only two of whom are now living: Ezra C.. the subject of this sketch, and Lilly Estelle, now the wife of J. F. Wheatly, a farmer and stockman living near Trenton, in Jackson township. The third died in infancy. Air. Armstrong married for his second wife Atiss Lavina Anderson, who was born in Black¬ ford county, her parents being Humphrey and Harriet (Haines) Anderson, both na¬ tives of Guernsey county, Ohio, and who re- moved to Blackford county, Indiana, in 1837. Mr. Anderson died in New Orleans in 1S52, en route to California. To this second marriage of Air. Armstrong there were born four children, viz: William, who lived on the farm until his death in 1894; Flora, now the wife of W. A. Curry, the clerk of the county of Blackford; Thurl. who operates the farm; and Ralph, who is a stu¬ dent at the Marion Normal College. Air. Armstrong died September 1, 1894, of ty¬ phoid' fever, about sixty days previous to the death of his son, William. Air. Arm¬ strong's parents were William and Eleanor (Kennedy) Armstrong, die former a native of Butler county, Ohio, and who died in Blackford county in 1876. Mrs. Armstrong died at the home of her daughter at Bluffton at the age of seventy-six. During his life A. AI. Armstrong was a Democrat and served as land appraiser one term. He was very much interested in the success of his party, and at all times was its stanch sup¬ porter. At different times he was a dele¬ gate to county, district and state conventions, a fact which shows the estimation in which he was held. In addition to his farming op¬ erations he conducted a store at Trenton, which he purchased in 1878, and carried on up to the time of his death, since which time it has been operated bv his son, Ezra C., with the exception of a few days, a period of twenty-seven years.

Ezra C. Armstrong was born in the vil¬ lage of Trenton November 11, 1859, and soon after the store was established by his father became a clerk, but had practically full control, his father giving it but nominal attention. After the death of his father he bought the stock on hand and added largely thereto and increased the business to a con¬ siderable extent, his annual trade becoming about nine thousand dollars. Besides his store in Trenton he conducts a road and ped¬ dling business, and also handled country produce. Mr. Armstrong was one of the original stockholders of the Blackford County Bank. He also owns a farm on which is his grandfather's old homestead, now containing forty acres of land.

Air. Armstrong was married, March 2, 1888, to Miss Anna Alaude Cox, of Delaware county, a lady of education and refinement. Air. and Airs. Armstrong have two children : Claudie G., a young lady of twelve years, who is making commendable progress as a student of elocution; and Harry William. As a Democrat Air. Armstrong has served his party in county, district and state con¬ ventions, but prefers a business career, for which by practical experience he is well qual¬ ified. Mr. Armstrong has served for twenty years as postmaster of Trenton, and is the present incumbent of that position. Airs. Armstrong is a member of the Alethodist Episcopal church and a teacher in the Sunday school. Both are highlv respected and useful members of the community in which they live.

Jacob Perry Parker

Jacob Perry Parker, one of the most suc¬ cessful farmers and formerly for many years one of the most active and progressive teach¬ ers of Jackson township, Blackford county, Indiana, was born in Fayette county, Ohio, January 9, 1868. He is a son of George W. and Alary AI. (Smith) Parker, both of whom have resided in the same township with himself since 1888. The boyhood of Air. Parker was spent in Fayette county, Ohio, where, after attaining his thirteenth year, lie attended for several years the district schools. When twenty-one years of age he began his active work as a school teacher, Ins first term being taught during the winter of 1889-90, in Jackson towmmip. 11c next attended the normal school at Valparaiso, and then taught for ten terms in Blackford county, five of which were in district No. 7, Jackson township. During his active hie as a teacher his constant aim was to be alive to all the improvements in methods of teaching that promised to be of import¬ ance. He was always full of energy, was ambitious to do good work, and in his studies made specialties of geography, mathematics and history, the latter more particularly with the view of keeping abreast of the times. His interest in educational and other matters i.~> still kept alive by attendance upon reading circles and other means of intellectual im¬ provement.

Mr. Parker purchased his first farm in 1894, one of eighty acres, of which about seventy-five acres were improved, or perhaps it were better to say, cleared, as there were no buildings on it, nor ditches, nor well. At th . present time he has on this farm about sixty acres under a high state of cultivation, with about three hundred rods of ditches, which reclaim much of the land. Some¬ thing has also been realized from the sale of timber. For some time Mr. Parker carried on his work in the school room together with the management of his farm, but not to the neglect of either.

Mr. Parker was married, May 6, 1894, to Miss Almeda E. Twibell, a daughter of Lewis Twibell, of Licking township, in which township she was born October 22, 1871, and there reared. Mr. and Mrs. Par¬ ker have one child, Ernest Paul, born Octo¬ ber 3, 1899. Mr. Parker and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which for several years he has been a trus¬ tee. He is also a teacher in the Sunday school, and both himself and wife arc fully alive to the necessity of all kinds of religious work, as a means of civilization and the amelioration of the condition of the human race.

Joseph Dildine

Joseph Dikline, a well and widely-known Citizen of Jackson township, Blackford coun¬ ty, Indiana, whose postoffice is Hartford City, is a native of the latter place, having been born there April 8, 1838. He is a son of Samson and Sarah (Highland) Dildine, both of whom were natives of Penn¬ sylvania, and both of whom removed to Ohio when about thirteen years of age. They were married in Hancock county, that state.

The boyhood of Joseph Dikline was Dikline, a native of New Jersey, who died at the great age of eighty-five years. His father was a native of Germany. Tn 1837, with his wife and family of five children, he settled in Indiana, beginning life on a farm on a part of which the present Catholic church stands. To this land he added other acres from time to time until he was pos¬ sessed of two hundred and forty acres, a con¬ siderable portion of which is within the limits of the corporation, to which in 1S39 he donated a portion of the first town plot. He was a citizen of the county at the time of its organization, and was thus one of its pioneers. He made the brick of which the first county court house was constructed, and also the first brick at Hartford City. In addition to his two hundred and forty acres of land in Jackson township, he also owned land in Wells county; but on his Jackson county farm he lived until his death, which occurred March 29. 1879, when in his county, Kansas, in his' fifty-third year, he having been one of the early residents of Kansas; Jesse, a shoemaker of Hartford City; Maria, who married Ira Sharp, and died in Neosho county, Kansas, at the age of forty-four; Effie, who married Thomas Moore, and died in Jackson township at tire age of forty-six; and Joseph, the subject of this sketch.

The boyhood of Joseph Dildine was passed at the home of his parents until he was eighteen years of age, and he worked v, h his father on the farm until he was married to Miss Elizabeth Williams, March 19, 1868. Mrs. Dildine is a daughter of James Wil¬ liams, and was born in Monmouthshire, England. She came to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania when ten years of age, and removed to Indiana in 1864. Upon their present farm, which was purchased when the former was fifteen years old, Mr. and Mrs. Dildine have lived since their mar¬ riage.

Samson Dildine was an old-line Jackson Democrat. Joseph Dildine served two terms as township assessor, and has been township trustee continuously for five years, and has performed much labor in keeping the drains cleaned and in good repair. He has also labored to pay off the township debts, and j has built three new school-houses, believ- | ing that the better the school-houses and the better qualified the teachers, the better it is for the community at large and coming gen¬ erations. The methods followed by Mr. Dil¬ dine in the performance of his duties are not in any wav influenced by political con side-rations. He is a strong Democrat and believes in the principles advocated by Will¬ iam Jennings Bryan.

Mr. Dildine served thirteen months in Company II, Twelfth Indiana Volunteer In¬ fantry. under Lieutenant George Steele, enlisting in 1861. At the expiration of the above-mentioned period he was discharged for disability, for which disability he is now a pensioner. Mr. Dildine's services in the army of the United States were performed mainly in Maryland and Virginia, princi¬ pally in the vicinity of "Washington, D. C., but it was the fortune of his regiment not to be engaged in actual battle. He has not united with the Grand Army of the Re¬ public.

and who is now assistant postmaster at Glenwood, Colorado; and Estelle, who has also taught school several terms, beginning when she was seventeen years of age, and who. like her sister, was given the best education the times afforded. Mr. Dildine's family are all highly esteemed by all who know them for their high character and ennobling aims.

Isaiah Hiles

Isaiah Tides, one of the prominent citi¬ zens of Jackson township, whose postoffice is Dunkirk, was born in Clermont county. Ohio, January 9, 1835. His father, whose name was also Isaiah, was born in New Jersey, and with his family, a wife and three children, removed from that state to Ohio. He was a miller by trade and died at Dayton, Ohio, when seventy-five years of age. The parents of the latter-mentioned Isaiah Hiles were from Germany, but the wife of this family, Esther Thomas, was of Irish descent, and was the mother of fourteen children.

Isaiah Hiles, the subject of this sketch, remained at home until he was married, April 3, 1854, to Miss Sarah Jane Golden, who was born in Franklin, Indiana, but who later moved to Shelbyville, Indiana. She is a daughter of James and Sarah Wilson Golden, both of whom were born in In¬ diana, and the former of whom was a car¬ penter by trade.

After his marriage Mr. Hiles removed to Dayton, Ohio, where he engaged in shaving hoops, which business he followed for many years in both Ohio and Indiana. In i860 he came to Indiana, locating at Converse, in Blackford county, on the Panhandle Rail¬ way, where he continued to follow his trade, that of shaving hoops. In 1S72 he located on his present farm, then mostly covered with timber, but there was a small clearing and a log house had been erected. This farm he and his sons cleared of its timber, and he himself attended to the draining. It is now a most excellent farm, well drained and in a fine state of cultivation. Up to about 1885 Mr. Hiles continued to work at the shaving out of hoops, but then on account of the practical disappearance of hoop pole timber it became unprofitable and he ceased to follow it longer. In all he followed this business more than thirty years and earned at it a great deal of money, making some¬ times as high as seven dollars per day. The farm is devoted to the growing of grain and grass.

Mr. Hiles' family consists of three chil¬ dren, as follows: Charley, who is operat¬ ing the farm, is married to Miss Alice Ann Boles, and has six children, viz: Archibald Milton, a graduate of the common schools and preparing to teach; James Orville, Hes¬ ter Jane Golden, Charley Austin, Edith Estella and Verna Alice; James Henry, of Hartford City, who is married and has three children, viz : Crystal Jane, Ruth, Hester and Desdemona, wife of Benjamin E. Gore, of Hartford City, and has four children, viz: Clarence, Clara, James Arthur and Mattie Elmira.

Formerly Mr. Hiles was a Democrat, but at present does not belong to either party, reserving the right to act and think for him¬ self, and to vote as seems best at the time of the election. Ele and his wife are members of the Seventh Day Adventists of Hartford City. They are most excellent people and highly esteemed by all who know them, al¬ ways being ready to lend a hand to those in need and to give sympathy as well as assist¬ ance to the sick. Their family consisted in all of sixteen children, but only the four above mentioned attained to mature years. One daughter, Mollie, died at the age of eighteen, September 24, 1892. She was a most promising young lady, well educated and an active member of the Kingsley Meth¬ odist Episcopal church, and her loss was keenly felt by the entire community.

Charley Ililes has his own home on part of the old homestead, which he erected him¬ self. It is a very neat and comfortable home, though not large, and he still has charge of the home farm. He is now one of the township supervisors, having held that office for five years.

her mother's maiden name having- been Sa¬ rah Pounder Wilson, was a son of Indiana pioneers, who lived in the south part of the state. When about six years old he and a younger sister were playing along the bank of the creek which ran near their home, and were both captured by Indians and carried away. He and his sister were soon sepa¬ rated from each other and she was never heard of or from afterward. He grew up among the Indians, and became almost an Indian, himself, but when he became a man he found a way of escape, and returned to civilization ; but his recollection of his family was so faint that he could not find them. He married in Indiana and lived near Mt. Carmel, Indiana, at which place he lived un¬ til late in life when he removed to Shelby- j ville, and there reached the advanced age of j eighty and upward. Upon returning to civilization he became what is now known as an old-line Whig, married twice and became a prominent man in his community, and on account of his captivity among the Indians in his youth was a most interest! char¬ acter.

Stephen Willman

Many of the most solid and patriotic citi¬ zens of the United States are of German an¬ cestry. They generally believe in liberty of conscience and thought, and are honest iii what they think as well as in their ac¬ tions. One of these citizens is Stephen Willman, who was born within three miles of Hartford City, in Washington township, Blackford county, Indiana, October 10. 1844, He is a son of Peter and Sarah (Perrell) Willman, the former of whom was a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and who came to the United States as a boy i ten years. The parents of Peter were St phen and Margaret Willman, who up reaching this country located first in Penn sylvania, where they remained a few years and then removed to Hagerstown, Indiana, and still later to Blackford county, being there among the earliest settlers of Wash¬ ington township, when there were no neigh¬ bors within a distance of several miles. No roads had been cut out and but little timber had been cleared away. He died at the age of seventy-five and she at tin ge of eightytwo.

Peter Willman v ;s married to Sarah Perrell in Blackford countv when twenty three years in a hub and sDoke factory, at county, Ohio, and when a girl was brought by her parents to Blackford county, Indiana, those parents being Jonas and Rebecca Per¬ rell. They settled in Washington township but a short time after the Willman family. Both attained a great age, he dying at up¬ ward of ninety and she at more than eighty years. Peter Willman, when his son Stephen, the subject of this sketch, was ten years old, removed to Hartford and there en- : gaged in the grocery, drygoods, hardware and livery business, besides other lines, and continued as a merchant until his death, which occurred when he was sixty-five years of age. He was one of the most successful men of his age,' and invested his means in land until he owned about four hundred acres in a body in Jackson and Licking town¬ ships. A portion of this land he rented out to others, thus securing its improvement more rapidly than if he had attempted to do all himself. During his lifetime he divided it up among his sons, assisting each to a good farm, to good buildings and to com¬ plete farm equipments. Pie also owned

Hartford City property, upon which he erected business blocks as well as dwelling houses. His farm was well managed, and upon it he kept a good deal of stock, so that he was considered by all one of the most substantial citizens of the county.

Politically he was a Democrat, but sel¬ dom gave attention to politics, preferring to devote his time and abilities to the manage¬ ment. of his own private affairs, and was of so liberal a disposition that he frequently supported men of other parties, on the prin¬ ciple that local politics should be conducted on strictly business principles and should therefore be placed in the hands of the best men. Of his family four sons reached the age of maturity, viz: Stephen, the subject of this sketch; Peter, of Hartford City; John of Hartford City; and James Frank¬ lin, a liveryman of Hartford Cityr.

Stephen is the only one of the four to live on a farm. As stated earlier in this sketch, his father divided his property among his children in such a way that each shared equally with the others, and each received some town property. Stephen received the Hartford City home, a two-story brick resi¬ dence, which he still owns. He entered his fatb-r's store when twelve- years of age, and while a clerk in this store also attended the Hartford City schools, and also two terms at .Marion City College under Professor Shover. Afterward he kept his father's books for ten or twelve years. He remained with his father even after he was married four or five years, or up to the time he was twenty-eight years old. Then he worked three years in a hub and spoke factory, at the end of which time he took full charge of one of his father's farms, continuing to op¬ erate one of them until his father gave him his present farm, consisting of eightv-two acres, of which he has placed thirty acres un¬ der cultivation, and now has about seventv acres in all under an excellent state of culti¬ vation. This farm is well underdrained with tile so that all the fields are reached with these drains, which warm the soil by drying it out earlier after rains in the spring, and make it easier of cultivation and more productive, hie devotes it mainly to grain and feeds his grain to hogs, turning out from sixty to seventy hogs each year.

Mr. Willman was married, at the age of twenty, to Miss Nancy Ann Huffman, who at the time was eighteen years of age. Her death occurred about ten years later, she having been the mother of three children, one of whom is living, viz: John K. Mclntire Willman, named in honor of John K.' Mc¬ lntire, of Dayton, who had held close busi¬ ness relations with Peter Willman. One child died in infancy, and a daughter, Sa¬ rah Elizabeth, married Jasper Baird, and died at the age of thirty years. She is also mentioned on another page of this work in the biography of James G. Baird.

For his second wife Stephen Willman married Alic Harter, a widow whose maiden name was Alice Smith. She died about four years later of consumption, as was the case with Mr. Willman's first wife. She left no children. Mr. Willman's third wife was Mrs. Mary Jane Hedge, whose maiden name was Tollody. By this mar¬ riage Mr. Willman has one child. Peter Stephen, aged three years. Mrs. Hedge had had three children, all of whom lived for a time with Mr. Willmajn, and one son, Otto Hedge, a boy of thirteen, still lives with them. , ,

He goes as delegate to his party's conven¬ tions, and does a great deal of campaign work. While Mr. Willman is not a mem¬ ber of any church, yet he is looked upon by all who know him as an honest, upright citi¬ zen, one whose character is above reproach or suspicion, and it is well to remember that with all men, whether they do or do not be¬ long to a church, character is the principal thing.

Dr. David Colman Caldwell

Few young men in this or any other county in the state of Indiana have been iden- ' tilled with so many spheres of activity and have been so uniformly successful in them all as the subject of this memoir. David C. Caldwell was born in Hancock county, In¬ diana, December 25, 1852, and is the eldest child and only son of Benjamin Franklin and Mary J. Caldwell, with whom he lived for many vears, and with the former of whom he has been in partnership in the stock business since he was a boy. At the age of eight years his father was shipping stock. David Colman was in the saddle, havingcharge of the shipping department, and was constantly on the road for years except when attending school. In 1872 he graduated from the Knightstown Academy, and imme¬ diately afterward began a successful caieei as a school teacher, taking charge of a school at Nashville, Hancock county, Indiana, in 1873, this being his first school. On Octo¬ ber 8, 1874, he came to Blackford county, teaching each winter in Jackson township until 1889, nine terms being in his own dis¬ trict, and there he graduated a class that be¬ gan with him in the "A, B, C s." He read medicine with Dr. N. D. Clouser at Hartford City, in 1875, and remained with him until 1879, practicing at Mill Grove, where he and his father had located, and where he practiced medicine and taught school until 1889. In that year he was the regular nominee of the Democratic party for county clerk, was elected to the office, and four years later was re-elected by an increased ma¬ jority. As showing the popularity of Dr. Caldwell with his party, it may be stated that at the age of twenty he was sent as a dele¬ gate to his congressional convention, and from that time on he has been a delegate to numerous conventions, always having been an intelligent and able worker for his party. Since retiring from the office of county clerk he has served as chairman of the county central committee in which his effective work has increased the Democratic major¬ ity from seventy to two hundred and twentyfive. ' While he has laid particular stress on local affairs and has been liberal in his views and tolerant of differences of opinion therein, he stands with the Bryan party in national politics. Upon retiring from the office of county clerk he was presented with a resolution commendatory of his services and with a Masonic emblem by the bar of Hartford City, of which he was then made an honorary member. Dr. Cald¬ well has a very pretty farm of forty acres of 'land two and a half miles south of Hartford City, a farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres two miles east of Hartford City and one of seventy-five acres at Mill Grove, all of them devoted to the raising of stock. As stated above, he became a partner with his father when a boy, and even when he was ten or 'twelve years of age checks were made out in favor of and were also signed in the name of "B.

Ti-Ie Biographical Record

I"- Caldwell & Son." Dr. Caldwell is a member of Blackford Lodge, No. 106, F. & A. M., at Hartford City. Me lias always enjoyed good horses, dogs and guns, and has made a reputation as a target marker with the rifle. Me also enjoys all varie¬ ties of field sports, and at one time was a successful base hall player, in which Ameri¬ can game lie still takes an interest. lie often visits the Kankakee region to shoot ducks, snipes, etc., and makes fishing ex¬ cursions to Celina, Ohio.

I le was one of the promoters of the first gas well drilled in this section of Jackson township, retaining his interest to the pres¬ ent time. He solicited subscriptions to and incorporated the Mill Grove Glass Com¬ pany, and is still one of the stockholders, and has been a director since its organiza¬ tion. His uncle, John W. Caldwell, or "Uncle John," as he was always called, had his home for five years where the Doctor now lives, and died when living with the Doctor in Hartford City, having survived his wife three years; she died at Columbus, Ohio, while undergoing an operation for tumor. "Uncle John" Caldwell willed to the Doctor his home with considerable per¬ sonal property. This uncle had formerly been a partner with his brother, Benjamin F., in the stock business, but much of the latter portion of his life was spent in visiting many of the most noted health resorts, he being a firm believer in the efficacy of medi¬ cine provided by nature in mineral springs.

Though a rider of running horses and a driver of pacers and trotters, the Doct.01 never made a bet in his life, nor has he ever bought a pool ticket. He is well versed on all matters pertaining to agriculture and the raising of stock of all kinds, and though not now in practice he still maintains his- in¬ terest in all matters pertaining to medicine and in both medical and educational affairs keeps himself fully abreast of the times. Though not a member of any church, the Golden Rule is his religion and the guide of his life, and he lias always been deter¬ mined to build up a character which should be above reproach. The firm of B. F. Cald¬ well & Son has its headquarters at Mill Grove, in Jackson township, where B. F. resides, but Dr. Caldwell, the junior partner, resides in Licking township, five miles distant.

Dr. Caldwell was married, June 7, 1885, to Miss Sarah O. Fleming, of Huntington county, Indiana, she having been reared, however, in Delaware county. They have no children.

Benjamin Franklin Caldwell

Benjamin Franklin Caldwell, leadingmember of the firm of Caldwell & Son, pro¬ prietors of the Mill Grove stock farm, was born in Campbell county, Kentucky, May 6, 1828, and came with his parents in 1836 to Indiana, settling in Hancock county. He is a son of David Caldwell, who was born in Pennsylvania, but who was taken to Ken¬ tucky when a young boy, and who died in Hancock county, Indiana, in 1841, when the subject of this memoir was thirteen years of age, leaving his widow with seven children, two girls being the older ones of the family and Benjamin F. being the eldest of the sons. The maiden name of the mother of these children was Ann Anderson, arid she was a daughter of Captain John An¬ derson, of Campbell county, Kentucky, in which county she was born. Her father was originally from Maryland, and was a man of considerable ability and importance. Her husband owned three tracts of land, each containing eighty acres, and at the time of his death had made an excellent beginning in the world. 1 he widow, filled with am¬ bition for her children's success in life and with deep motherly affection, did all she could to keep her family together until all should be settled in life, and in doin'/ this she often performed even severe manual labor, such as chopping the firewood and other .outdoor work. Frequently she wove cloth until midnight in order that she might be enabled to hire men to clear up her land, in the meantime living in a large, old-fash¬ ioned hewed-log house erected by her hus¬ band to take the place of the little log cabin which stood there when the farm was pur¬ chased. She and her children succeeded in making a good living from the farm. Ben¬ jamin F. taking hold of the work in a most determined and ambitious manner, and being a boy of unusual strength, was able to do a great deal of work. But the necessity for his doing this interfered materially with his obtaining a thorough common school educa¬ tion, the little that he did obtain being se¬ cured in a log school-house with a log cut out for a window, which let in light through a piece of greased paper. A board hewed out with a broad ax or adze and mounted or pegs served for a desk, and the seats were slabs supported by logs long enough to pre¬ vent the feet of the children from reaching down to the floor. The fireplace was nearly half the length of the side of the building, and into this huge fireplace large logs were rolled to keep the pupils warm. All things were on a par, even the teachers being of the most primitive kind, and the studies were generally limited to a little reading, writing and arithmetic to proportion or "the rule of three." But notwithstanding all these seeming disadvantages, as compared with modern school-houses and methods, it was often the case that the log school-house turned out most excellent men; for the ap¬ plication of the mind to study is far more important than the mere surroundings of the pupil.

The family by dint of persistent labor were thus kept together, and were engaged according to their abilities in the different kinds of work on the farm. Flax was one of the necessary crops in those early days, for the clothing for the family had to be spun and woven by Mrs. Caldwell, and it was also sold for the purpose of buying gro¬ ceries, after it had been woven into all-flax linen or into tow linen, a few sheep being kept for the purpose of supplying wool for this kind of weaving. Mrs. Caldwell also made rag carpet which she sold in order to increase her resources.

One of the difficulties she had to over¬ come was that her cattle were killed by mur¬ rain; but their skins were tanned in the vicinity and thus furnished leather for boots and shoes. Benjamin F., even becoming a shoemaker and harnessmaker, worked at these two trades for his own benefit in the winter season, and at nights at other por¬ tions of the year. He also tanned leather for others on shares and carried his product by wagon to Indianapolis, Richmond and other places, selling it there for such necessities as were of use in the family. The later years of the devoted mother's life were passed with her son, Benjamin F., she dying at Mill Grove about 1885, when she was eighty-three years of age. One remarkable thing about her was t hat while she had been raised in a slave-holding state and had learned little or perhaps nothing about household duties or

Having purchased the homestead farm Benjamin F. Caldwell remained upon it until 1865 when, selling it, he removed five miles south, but still in the same county, living here until 1875. Then removing to Black¬ ford county, he located at Mill Grove, his present home, and entered upon the breeding of high-grade horses. Fie now keeps about forty or fifty driving horses, including Hambletonians and others. I11 partnership with his son, David C., he owns a fine farm of one hundred and sixty-seven acres within two miles of Hartford City, besides the Mill Grove farm, and also a small farm south of Hartford City, in all tv; hundred and eighty acres, all three of which are used in connec¬ tion with each other. Upon these farms Mr. Caldwell and his son have bred many hundreds of horses, which they have ex¬ hibited at county, district and state fairs for years, and with satisfactory results. Mr. Caldwell has been engaged in the rais¬ ing of horses for fifty-four years, and has kept public stands and operated breedingfarms. During the war of the Rebellion he handled many horses, as well as cattle, for the government, and has made the buying and shipping of stock a business for twenty years. So extensive has been liis experience that he is regarded by managers of fairs as an expert judge of horses, and he has acted in that capacity for years. All the horses that he can raise are taken as fast as they are ready for the market, for his reputation is so thoroughly established and so widely known that all who live within this sphere rely implicitly on his judgment and pur¬ chase of him without hesitation, as it is well

During his entire- life Mr. Caldwell has been a Democrat, and was very active in party work for thirty years, yet he never as¬ pired to public office, being satisfied to at¬ tend to his own private affairs. In the man¬ agement of his business he has been uni¬ formly successful, and has not lost money except in endorsing for friends, a practice often attended with loss and which has been condemned ever since the time of Solomon. During the financial panic of 1873 he paid a security debt of fifteen thousand dollars, which necessitated the sacrifice of property worth twenty-five thousand dollars.