Washington Township (part 9 of 16)

Returning via the Nicaragua route, he soon resumed his old position at Moscow. The day after the memorable assault on Fort Sumter, when the nation was aroused to its danger, he was one who, without hesitation, volunteered his services to quell the rebellion. His enlistment was in Company I, One Hun¬ dred and Twentieth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry. The command was sent to Colum¬ bus, thence to Cincinnati, where it was em¬ ployed in erecting Camp Dennison. He had the honor of being one of the first two men ever placed on guard over that fort that fig¬ ured so conspicuously all through the war. When the term of his enlistment expired he resumed work in his shop, then located upon a farm he had secured in Brown county, Ohio. In 1865 he moved to his present farm, located three miles south of Hartford City, in Licking township. But six of the sixty acres was cleared and the house was simply a round-log pen. He set industrious¬ ly to work to make a farm, but also set up a shop in which he did the smith work for the neighborhood. He has at different times operated shops at Elizabethtown, at Upland and at Millgrove. His farm is now in a fine state of cultivation, being well tiled and improved.

Mr. Hitesman is a man of strong per¬ sonality and of a vigorous and hardy phys¬ ique. He was pronounced in his views on all public questions, being always a firm ad¬ herent of the party that stood, at that time, for human liberty and personal freedom. Blackford county had an unenviable repu¬ tation, many of its citizens being as pro¬ nounced in their opposition views. Coming here at a time that political excitement ran high, our subject was at times brought into antagonism with some of the more rabid of different views, the contact at times culmi¬ nating in personal encounter. However, while never seeking a quarrel, his nature was to stand by hi- opinions, and in the course of a few years his even bearing established a confidence and won the respect of those who had at first been inclined to be antagonistic.

In September, 1887, Mr. Hitesman was called to part with the companionship of her with whom he had lived for more than forty years. September 26, 1891, he was united in marriage to Angeline, widow of Dr. L. M. Jackson, who is remembered as a physi¬ cian of Hartford City, but whose death oc¬ curred at Granville, Indiana. Her maiden name was Hurley, and she was born in Dela¬ ware county, Indiana. In early life she married Oliver C. Archer, of Clinton county, by which marriage three children were born : Lovinia Elizabeth, now deceased; Thomas Jefferson, of Warsaw, Indiana; and John Wesley Archer, of Marion. By her mar¬ riage to Dr. Jackson she was the mother of eight children, of whom four are living in 1900. They are: Arthur Egbert Jackson, of Converse; William M., of Alabama; Cur¬ tis Otwel], of Muncie; and James Garfield Jackson, of Hartford City. Of nine chil¬ dren born to Mr. Hitesman, six are living, viz: Jonathan, a railway employe at Logansport; William and Henry, of Licking township; Charley, of Hartford; Rebecca, wife of William Landon, of Hartford; and Mary Elizabeth, wife of Eli Inman, of Millgrove.

The greater part of his life Air. Hites¬ man has affiliated with the Alethodist church. Fraternally he is a Mason. Being made a Mason in 1848, he, as the oldest member, is honored by his lodge, as is customary among

George W. Wyandt

The representative farmer whose name introduces this article, is a native of Ohio, born near the town of Convoy, VanWcrt county, on the 9th day of March, 1847. His parents were Simon and Elizabeth (Dull) Wyandt, and they had a family of eight children, six sons and two daughters, the subject of this sketch being the first in order of birth.

George W. Wyandt was reared to agri¬ cultural pursuits in his native county, and after attending the district schools for a few years was thrown upon his own re¬ sources by the untimely death of his father. This sad event occurred when young Wyandt was but thirteen 3rears old, and two years later he assumed charge of the home farm ; from that time until attaining his majority he looked after his mother's interests and contributed to the support of the other mem¬ bers of the family besides accumulating something for himself in the meantime.

At the age of twenty-one Air. Wyandt engaged in the manufacture of lumber, op¬ erating a saw-mill with encouraging results until 1872, when he disposed of the same, came to Blackford county, Indiana, in the fall of the same year, and purchased his present farm in Harrison township. His original tract consisted of eighty acres in section 21, to which he has since added until at this time he is the possessor of one hun¬ dred acres, eighty-six of which are in a high state of cultivation, the rest well timbered wood land.

Mr. Wyandt is one of the progressive ag¬ riculturists of the community in which lie lives, understanding every detail of the use¬ ful calling which he pursues according to the latest and most approved methods. The energy and good judgment displayed in everything he undertakes have resulted in substantial and well-merited rewards, and he now finds himself in comfortable circum¬ stances besides occupying a permanent place in the esteem of his fellow citizens.

Mr. Wyandt was married December 31, 1872, to Miss Lydia Mohler, who has borne him six children, namely : Leona A., wife of Rev. C. J. Roberts, a minister of the United Brethren church; Ora, wife of Lewis Schwarzkof; Orleffee, Bessie and two that died in infancy unnamed. Mr. and Mrs. Wyandt are valued members of the United Brethren church, noted for their many good deeds in the congregation to which they be¬ long. They are also popular in their com¬ munity, and have a large circle of friends here and elsewhere. Mr. Wyandt is a Re¬ publican in politics and as such was his par¬ ty's candidate in 1884 for sheriff, but failed of election by reason of the overwhelming Democratic majority in Blackford county. He has served his township one term as con¬ stable and four years as assessor and ac¬ quitted himself creditably in both capacities. He is this year his party's nominee for the office of county assessor.

Jacob Riser

sentative agriculturists. lie was born on the farm where he now resides, July 22, i860, and is the son of Simon IJiser, for¬ merly a well-known and popular citizen of this part of Blackford county.

Simon Hiser was born in Germany and accompanied his parents to the United States, becoming a citizen of Harrison town¬ ship, where he purchased and improved the place now owned and occupied by his son, the subject of this article. He married Eliza¬ beth Cafe, who bore him two children : Lewis S., who died in Hartford City in the year 1893, and Jacob, and his widow followed him to the grave a number of years later, de¬ parting this life in 1892.

Jacob Hiser was educated in the common schools and grew to manhood on the farm, choosing agriculture for his life work. He remained with his mother, looking after her interests until his marriage, whch was sol¬ emnized on the 27th day of March, 1884, with Miss Jane Bradford, of Blackford county. After his marriage he began farm¬ ing for himself, which he has since success¬ fully continued, owning at this time a beau¬ tiful and valuable place of one hundred and five acres, one hundred of which are in a high state of cultivation, the rest well-tim¬ bered land. As a farmer Mr. Hiser ranks with the best in Blackford county, his place containing five improvements, with the soil developed to its full capacity of tillage. lie is a wide-awake, progressive man of affairs, a local leader of the Democratic party and a careful student of political, industrial and economic questions. The Lutheran church embodies hi. religions belief and for a num¬ ber of years past he has been an active worker in the local congregation with which both himself and his estimable wife are con¬ nected. Mr. and Mrs. Hiser have an inter-

Joseph M. Raines

The name of Mr. Raines is familiar to the people of Harrison township, as he has long been identified with its development and is entitled to a place among its substan¬ tial citizens and representative self-made men. He is a native of Indiana, born Feb¬ ruary 2, 1847, in the county of Delaware, to which part of the state his father moved some time in the early '30s. George Raines, father of Joseph, was born June 20, 1811, in Highland county, Ohio, where, in February, 1832, he married Elizabeth Anderson. Shortly after the above date he became a resident of Delaware county, Indiana, where he lived until 1849', at which time he moved to Blackford county and purchased a farm of forty acres in the township of Harrison. Here he made his home until changing his residence, in 1856, to ja}^ county, where his death occurred in 1863. George and Eliza¬ beth Raines were the parents of a large fam¬ ily, twelve children in all, whose names and dates of birth are in the following order: Henry, born December 20, 1832, deceased; John, October 10, 1834; Mary, October 11, 1836, not living; Sarah E., October 8, 1838; George W., September 27, 1840, deceased; William A., May 21, 1843, deceased; Louisa K., April 6, 1845, dead; Joseph M., whose birth is noted above; Phoebe A., born March 29, 1849, deceased; Isaac and Anthony, twins, born December 14, 1851, both de¬ ceased; and Charles, June 25, 1854.

township. He accompanied the family to Jay county, and after his father's death took charge of the farm which lie operated for his mother from the time he was sixteen until he attained his majority. I11 the mean¬ time, 1866, the family returned to Black¬ ford county, and in 1870 Mr. Raines pur¬ chased his first piece of real estate in Harri¬ son township, but did not move to the same, remaining with his mother until her death, in 1874. In 1882 he bought his present home place of sixty-two acres, in addition to which he has from time to time purchased other lands, until he now owns two hun¬ dred and eighty-one acres, the greater part of which is highly improved and very valu¬ able.

Mr. Raines' various holdings are the fruits of his own industry and superior busi¬ ness management. He began life with lit¬ tle or no assistance, and the position to which he has since attained as one of the successful farmers and wealthy land owners of Blackford county is directly traceable to good judgment combined with a wellformed resolution to succeed. As a farmer he long since achieved prominence, in addi¬ tion to which he also has the reputation of being one of the most successful stock rais¬ ers in the township where he lives. In this connection it may be proper to state that Mr. Raines derives considerable income from the six oil wells on his land, and there is also on one of his farms one of the best gas wells in Blackford county.

Mr. Raines was married, December 24, 1874, to Alary C., daughter of David Hess, who has borne him children as follows: Amanda E., deceased; Nora A., wife of M. C. Pugh; George II., Leroy R., Eva, Ida, William, Grace and Levi M.

Ti1E Biographical Record

and enjoys in a marked degree the confi¬ dence and esteem of his fellow citizens of Harrison township. He keeps fully abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to ag¬ riculture and has always been an intelligent reader of political literature, forming his opinions only after mature and careful delib¬ erations. He is a stanch supporter of the Pop¬ ulist party and has the courage of his convic¬ tions upon the leading questions now before the American public. While free and even ag¬ gressive in defense of principles he believes to be right, he is at the same time tolerant of the views of others and numbers his friends by the score, irrespective of political differences. No man in Harrison township is more highly respected and none have done more for the general good of the community in which he resides.

Jonas B. Hoover

Jonas B. Hoover was born in Richland mnty, Ohio, near the city of Mansfield, ebruary 12, 1856, the son of Aaron and Eliza (Ballyeat) Hoover, the parents both natives of the Buckeye state. Pie is the sec¬ ond of a family of eight children, whose names are as follows : Isaiah, deceased ; Jonas, the subject of this sketch; Alfred, a resident of Van Wert, Ohio ; Emma, twin of Alfred, is the wife of Orville Pierson, of Canton, Ohio; John resides in Van Wert; Reuben, deceased ; Abraham also makes Van Wert his home, as does Mary, the youngest member of the group. When the subject was two years old his parents moved from Ashland to Van Wert county, and it was near the seat of justice in the latter county that he grew to manhood on a farm, attend-.

ing meantime the public schools of bis neigh¬ borhood. Pie remained with his parents until his twenty-fourth year, but before that time, on reaching his majority, he purchased and operated a threshing machine for some time in various parts of the county of Van Wert.

O11 the 14th day of November, 1880, Mr. Hoover was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Terry, and the same year took his bride to Blackford county, Indiana, locating about two miles from Montpelier, in Har¬ rison township, where he purchased the farm which has since been his home. He has made a careful study of agriculture and the neat and orderly condition of his farm and the success with which it is tilled prove that intelligence as well as labor is neces¬ sary in order to obtain the best results from efforts put forth. While giving his atten¬ tion in the main to general farming, Mr. Iioover has not neglected stockraising, which, combined with agriculture, has made him one of the prosperous and well-to-do men of his community. Fortunately for him, his farm lies in the midst of the farfamed Indiana oil belt, in consequence of which he has leased much of his land to par¬ ties who have already drilled thereon three paying wells, besides one well which pro¬ duces an abundant flow of natural gas. From these sources he derives considerable income, and from present indications this is likely to be largely augmented by future operations now in prospect.

Mr. Hoover is a public-spirited man, keenly alive to whatever benefits his town¬ ship and county, while in his immediate neighborhood he usually takes the lead in all movements calculated to promote moral and religious conditions of citizenship. He is an active worker in the Baptist church, and for some time lias filled the office of president of Harrison Township Sunday School Association. For a period of fifteen years he has been a deacon in the local con¬ gregation to which he belongs, and to his self-denying efforts is the church largely indebted for much of the prosperity which it today enjoys. Politically he is a Republi¬ can, but by no means a partisan or aspirant for official honors at the hands of his fellow citizens.

Jacob I. Leach

Jacob I. Leach, a successful farmer and stockraiser of Harrison township, is a native of Wells county, Indiana, and one of three sons born to Stephen and Margaret (Wood¬ ward) Leach. He is the youngest member of the family, and the only one living at this time, his oldest brother, Francis, having met death by drowning, and George W., the sec¬ ond in order of birth, died in the year 1873.

Jacob I. Leach was born in the township of Chester, Wells county, September 20, 1855, and grew to manhood on his father's farm, attending in the meantime the district schools until ill health compelled him to lay aside his studies. Fie early became ac¬ quainted with the rugged duties of farm life and remained under the parental roof until his marriage, which was solemnized on the 19U1 day of April, 1894, with Miss Rosila Shaw.

in Harrison township where in due time she formed the acquaintance of the gentleman who is now her husband. Immediately after marriage Mr. Leach brought his wife to the place where they now reside, a beautiful and highly cultivated farm of one hundred and eighty-six acres lying in sections 1 and 6, the residence being situated on the former. Ninety acres of this place are in a successful state of tillage and the appearance of the dwelling house, barn, outbuildings and fences and, indeed, the general neat aspect of the entire place bespeak the presence of an intel¬ ligent and progressive agriculturist. In addi¬ tion to tilling the soil, Mr. Leach devotes con¬ siderable attention to raising live stock, his breeds of cattle, horses, hogs and sheep ranking with the best in the country and add¬ ing very materially to his income.

Mr. Leach's land lies in the richest sec¬ tion of the Indiana oil belt and there are already eleven wells on various parts of his estate, with others contemplated. From these he has derived no inconsiderable money while the prospect for still more liberal returns in the future is certainly most encouraging. Financially Mr. Leach has met with success beyond that attained by the majority of farmers, his lands in the township being among the most valuable in the county, in addition to which he also owns a fine little farm of forty acres in the county of Wells, lie is progressive in all the term implies, taking a lively interest in every enterprise having for its object the advancement of his community, materially or otherwise, and the people of Harrison look upon him as one of their representative citizens. Politically he is a Republican and in religion belongs to the Christian church, as does also his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Leach have one child, a promisinglittle daughter by the name of Beatrice.

William W. Cline

The well-known gentleman whose name introduces this article is amoi g Blackford county's oldest native sons, having been born in the township of Licking October 30, 1837. Paternally lie is descended from German and Dutch ancestry, and possesses in a marked degree the characteristics of those two sturdy races.

Llis grandfather on his father's side, a native of Germany, came to the United States many years ago and settled in Mus¬ kingum county, Ohio ; and the grandmother, whose birth occurred in Holland, was an early settler of the same county and state.

The subject's father, Michael Cline, was born in the county of Muskingum, state of Ohio, on the 17th day of February, 1812. On the 1 6th day of May, 1833, he was united in marriage to Elizabeth Geyer, whose par¬ ents were natives of Pennsylvania. Miss Geyer was born in Westmoreland county, of that state, March 15, 1810, and with her par¬ ents, Daniel and Susanna Geyer, emigrated to Muskingum county, Ohio, and afterward removed to and settled in what is now Lick¬ ing township, Blackford county, Indiana. Michael and Elizabeth Cline moved from their Ohio home, in 1834, to what is now Blackford county, Indiana, and settled in a log cabin, located on eight acres of land situ¬ ated five miles south and one mile west of what is now Hartford City, having pur¬ chased the land of the United States gov¬ ernment by entry at the land office, then lo¬ cated in Fort Wayne, Allen county, Indiana. When a young man, Michael Cline served an apprenticeship of three years, learning the potter's trade, near Zanesville, Ohio, and af¬ ter moving to his wild western home devoted a part of his time to his trade, and the bal¬ ance of his time was devoted to clearing 14) the land and farming. The better to afford his family (which consisted of one son and two daughters) educational advantages, he removed from the farm in November, [847, to Hartford (now Hartford City), where he purchased property and worked at his trade with success until 1870. The early youthful years of William W. Cline were passed on the farm upon which his father lo¬ cated in 1834. The country at that time being new and undeveloped, he has witnessed the remarkable chang< which in the last sixty }^ears have transformed the forest into cultivated fields and advanced the country to its present condition of prosperity and civilization.

Being of a mechanical turn of mind, and being the only son, through the inducement of his parents, young William learned the potter's rade and worked in the shop with his father until 1866, when he engaged in the manufacture of drain tile, being the first man to engage in that business in Blackford county. In the indifferent public schools of that early day he obtained a knowledge of the elementary branches of learning, but by dili¬ gent application and private stud}*- he made rapid progress. Being qualified, and a young men of energy and good character, in 1855 be was licensed by the county school examiner, Wellington Stewart, to teach his first school in Licking township. A school term at that time consisted of sixty-five days, and the school term would commence in December and end in March. He taught four consecutive winter terms, gaining quite a reputation as an efficient instructor. Dur¬ ing the summer season he worked in the pot¬ ter's shop with his father. In September, i860, he purchased property in Hartford City, Indiana, but moved to his present loca- tion, North Walnut street, April 13, 1869. On November 21, 1861, he was united in marriage, by Rev. S. T. Stout, to Miss Har¬ riet Atwood Chafee, an estimable young woman, who was his schoolmate in earlier days. Miss Chafee was born October 20, 1839, in Hancock county, Ohio. Her fa¬ ther, William Chafee, who for many years was an elder in the Baptist church, was a native of Connecticut, his birth having oc¬ curred in the county of Windham, that stale, on the 22nd day of April, 1801. The mother, Abigail Thayer Chafee, a woman of education and refinement, was born De¬ cember 19, 1805, in Herkimer county, New York. Rev. William and Mrs. Chafee lo¬ cated in Hartford City in the year 1850.

Mr. and Airs. Cline have been presented with eight children, whose names and dates of birth are as follow-s: Orlo Leland, Sep¬ tember 9, J862; Albert Bradbury, November 1, 1863; Edgar Hastings, February 21, 1866, died February 15, 1873; b.ora Vale, September 20, 1867; Lillie Dale, August 5, 1869; Winfield Clarence, August 21, 1871, died February 6, 1875; Charley Norton, January 29, 1875; and Edith Thayer, April 19, 1880. Orlo Leland, a graduate of De¬ part w University, and a former teacher in the high schools of Hartford City, married Har¬ riet Abbott, who is a graduate of the public schools of Hartford City, and a former teacher, and is located in Alarion, Grant county, Indiana, where he has achieved an enviable reputation as an attorney, being a member of the well-known firm of Custer & Cline. Albert Bradbury married Josephine Phillips, daughter of Rev. N. H. Phillips, and is ena'a^ed in the lumber and hardware sity, and formerly a teacher in the high schools of Indianapolis, is married to Prof. John E. Higdon, a man of education and culture, a graduate of Depauw University and a prominent teacher in the high schools of Indianapolis, being assistant teacher in the department of mathematics. Lora Vale, a graduate of the high school of Hartford City, Indiana, and also a former teacher in the high schools of Hartford City, Indiana, is married to Prof. Finley Geiger, a gradu¬ ate of the Indiana State University at Bloom¬ ington, and also of the law school, and af¬ terward a teacher in the public schools, and the present county superintendent of schools of Blackford county, Indiana. Prof, and Airs. Geiger, with Air. Cline's younger chil¬ dren, live in a pretty suburban residence on North Walnut street, Hartford City, In¬ diana. Charley Norton, a young man of sterling good qualities, and a graduate of the high schools of his native city, is a stu¬ dent in the Indiana Aledical College, of In¬ dianapolis. Edith Thayer, the youngest mem¬ ber of Air. Cline's family, having graduated with honor from the high school of Hart¬ ford City, Indiana, and attended the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute, Indi¬ ana, is engaged in teaching in the public school of her native city, and is classed with the successful teachers of her time. The moth¬ er of these children departed this life on the 9th of April, 1889. In her death the husband sustained the loss of a faithful, loving wife and companion, while the children lost a loving mother and wise counsellor. The Cline family is well known throughout the city and county, and enjoys the respect and confidence of their acquaintances in the com¬ munity.

tence and has retired from agricultural pur¬ suits, giving time to keep informed in pub¬ lic events. He lias decided opinions and the courage of his convictions in expressing them. In the matter of religion he is lib¬ eral in all the term implies, being what the world calls a free thinker. Tenacious in the support of his own opinions, lie is charitable toward those who differ from him, and with¬ holds no credit due religious or fraternal in¬ stitutions for any good influence they may have upon the community. The only secret society with which his name was ever iden¬ tified was the Order of the Sons of Temper¬ ance, an organization long since disbanded, but the principles of which he still earnestly and uncompromisingly advocates. While he feels that he has made no brilliant achieve¬ ments in the world, he also feels that the world is not any worse for his having lived in it.

Francis M. Capper

Francis M. Capper, farmer and stock raiser of Harrison township, is a native of Ohio, and dates his birth from the 6th day of May, 1851. He first saw the light of day near the present thriving little city of Van Wert, where his father, Michael Capper, settled at an early period; in the history of the western part of the Buckeye state. The elder Capper, also a native of Ohio, was born in the year 1812, in the county of Carroll, and came of an old and highly respectable Vir¬ ginia family. :The subject's grandfather, David Capper, emigrated from Virginia to Carroll county in pioneer times and bore an active part in the development of that section of the state, dying there a number of years ago. Michael Capper married, in the county of Carroll, Margaret A. Barnhou.se, and shortly thereafter emigrated to what was then the wilderness of Van Wert, cutting his road most of the way through a dense forest in which but little work had been done by the pioneer woodmen. He entered one hun¬ dred and sixty acres of government land, and after erecting a diminutive log cabin of the most primitive pattern, went to work with a will to remove the forest growth, much of which in due time fell before the sturdy strokes of his ax. Within the course of a few years he had a goodly area prepared for the plow and he lived long enough to see one hundred and forty acres cleared of trees and stumps and under successful tillage, be¬ sides placing thereon improvements which made his farm one of the most valuable in the county of VanWert. Michael and Mar¬ garet Capper were the parents of nine chil¬ dren, namely: John, Hannah, David, Nancy, Mary, Sarah, Isabelle, Francis M. and Mar¬ garet, all living except David. Michael Cap¬ per continued to reside in Van Wert county from his arrival there in the fall of 1840 until called away by death on the 18th of March, 1897. He was a true type of the rugged, patient pioneer, did well his part in life and d±ed as he had lived, a faithful and devoted member oi the Methodist church with which he became identified in early manhood.

Francis M. Capper was reared on the old homestead in Van Wert county, and such educational advantages as the indifferent country schools of the times afforded were his for a few years during his minority. The first building in which he obtained his pre¬ liminary knowledge was an insignificant frame structure situated on his father's farm and the methods of his first teacher were in keeping with the house and surroundings. By reason of his services being in demand on the farm, his school days were considera- bly limited, consequently lie is not what might be termed an educated man as far as scholastic training is concerned. How¬ ever by coming in contact with his fellow men and making the best of his opportuni¬ ties he became the possessor of a fund of practical knowledge which has enabled him to meet successfully the duties of a very active life.

chased the farm in Harrison township . which has since been his home. Prior to the above date, September 10, 1873, he was united in marriage to Miss Sophia Fenter, by whom he had three children : Gertrude, Ina D. and Ila B., the last two twins. Ila is the wife of Jacob Kutler, the other two being unmar¬ ried.

Mr. Capper's original purchase consisted of seventy-nine acres lying in section 28, of which sixteen acres were in cultivation at the time of his taking possession. At the present time all but seven acres is improved and the farm, though not as large as some in the township, is a valuable tract of land, rendered so by the vast amount of well-di¬ rected labor put upon it by the progressive owner. Mr. Capper is a good farmer, and has never failed to make his place return a handsome income. In connection with till¬ ing the soil he realizes a liberal return every year from live stock, in the raising of which his success has long since been assured. Politically Mr. Capper is a Republican, earnest in the support of his party, but never stooping to the questionable methods of the professional partisan. He is a member of the Baptist church and aims to make his daily life and conduct exponents of the religion he professes.

Jacob Listenfeltz

Prominent among the successful farmers of Harrison township is Jacob Listenfeltz, whose native home is Germany, where his birth occurred on the 12th day of April, 1824. His father was Conrad Listenfeltz and his mother before her marriage was Susan Pcteman. Both were natives of the Fatherland where for many generations the ancestors of both branches of the family lived.

Conrad and Susan Listenfeltz reared the following children : Daniel, a farmer of Har¬ rison township; Peter, also a resident of Harrison township; Conrad lives in Marion, Indiana; Catherine, wife of Aaron Allman, of Camden, this state, and Jacob, who, by the way, is the first of the family in order of birth.

Conrad Listenfeltz and family came to the United States in 1828, settling first in New Jersey, thence, six years later, moved to Warren, Ohio, where they made their home until 1839. In that year Mr. Listen¬ feltz emigrated westward until reaching Blackford county, Indiana, where he decided to locate, choosing a home site consisting of eighty acres in the township of Harrison, which he purchased from the government at one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. He cleared a farm and from time to time added to the original tract until at the time of his death, in 1861, he was the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of as valua¬ ble lands as lies within the boundaries of Blackford county.

The subject of this sketch was a youth of fifteen when the family came to Harrison and with the exception of the time spent in the west his life, since 1S39, has in the main been passed within the limits of the township. lie assisted in clearing the farm and early developed a strength of muscle and determination of purpose which have proved of great value in his various undertakings in subsequent years. In 1851, in company with a number of companions as daring as himself, he went to the gold fields of Cali¬ fornia, making the long and tiresome jour¬ ney to that far away land by water, going down the Mississippi to New Orleans, thence by sail to San Francisco, the entire trip con¬ suming a little more than three months' time and fraught with many interesting and ex¬ citing incidents.

On reaching California Mr. Listenfeltz at once made his way to the mining regions and during a period of three years he trav¬ ersed the larger part of the state, prospecting, mining and turning his hand to various kinds of labor, all of which proved reasonably suc¬ cessful. Becoming tired of the rough life of the miner, he finally concluded to return to civilization; accordingly, in 1854, he came back to Indiana and purchased his present home place in the township of Harrison.

Mr. Listenfeltz has been one of the town¬ ship's most progressive men, and few have done as much as he towards promoting the growth and development of the country. He cleared and improved a good farm, as¬ sisted in organizing schools and churches and for nearly half a century his name has been identified with every enterprise calculated to benefit the community or awaken an interest in the moral improvement of the body politic. He lias been twice married, the first time to Miss Lucinda Duffy, who bore him three children: Peter A., Amanda and Susan, all living but the last named.

In all that goes to make good citizenship Mr. Listenfeltz is first and foremost. A kind and obliging neighbor, public spirited and in¬ telligent, he stands for what is best in Amer¬ ican life and none occupies a higher place in the estimation of the people of his township. In politics he is a pronounced Democrat, and jin religion a member of the Society of Friends, with which sect he has been identi¬ fied for over forty years. Flis life co responds to the pure and simple faith of that excellent people and nobody has ever called in question the purity of his motives or uttered a sentence derogatory to his char¬ acter.

Joseph Hudson

Joseph Hudson, farmer and stock raiser, is an Ohio man and the son of John and Bar¬ bara (Dirk) Hudson, both parents natives of Virginia. I11 an early day John Hudson moved to Holmes count)', Ohio, settling near the town of Worcester, where lie lived until 1845, at which time, accompanied by his family, he came to Blackford county, In¬ diana, and purchased eighty acres of un¬ improved land in the township of Jackson. He began life in his new home by hastily erecting a small log cabin containing one room, after which he worked under many difficulties in clearing a part of his swampy land and fitting it for cultivation. After spending a few years upon his original pur¬ chase and finding it exceedingly difficult to make headway there, he disposed of the land and bought the place in Harrison township now owned and occupied by his son, whose name introduces this article. Some years later John Hudson went back to his former home in Ohio and it was in that state that lie met with injuries in a railroad accident which afterwards resulted in his death. He died at the home of Joseph in 1876, aged sixty-seven years. John and Barbara Hud¬ son were the parents of eleven children, namely: Mary A., widow of Isaac Courtwright; Jacob resides in Jay county, In¬ diana; Benjamin, a farmer, living in Harri¬ son township; Joseph; Nancy, wife of George Simonton; Lydia, wife of J. M. Tarner; Caroline, wife of J. M. Kurtyer; Emmeline; William resides in Kansas, and two died in infancy.

The subject of this sketch was born May 18, 1836, in Holmes county, Ohio, and reached his ninth }-Tear when the family came to the county of Blackford. His youthful experiences included much hard work on the farm, varied in winter seasons by attend¬ ing the indifferent subscription schools common to the part of the country during the formative stage of its development. When seventeen }^ears old he began working for himself as a farm hand at meager wages and it was while thus employed that he con¬ tributed the greater part of his earnings to the support of the family. From seventeen until twenty-four years of age he labored at any kind of honest employment to which he could turn his hands, the meantime care¬ fully laying aside a part of his wages for the purpose of engaging in farming when a favorable opportunity should present it¬ self.

In i860 Mr. Hudson and Miss Mary A. Porter became man and wife and imme¬ diately thereafter they began housekeeping on a farm in Harrison township, which was cultivated for some years upon the shares. After farming rented lands until 1875 Mr.

Hudson purchased his present farm and from that time to the present he has carried on agricultural pursuits with encouraging re¬ sults, being now one of the progressive and well-to-do men of the township, where so many of his years have been passed. He owns one hundred and twenty-three acres, which, under his successful management, has been brought to a high state of cultiva¬ tion, much having been reclaimed by a fine system of tile drainage, of which there are in excess of one thousand rods in various parts of the place. He carried on farming by systematic methods, understands well, the nature of soils and by proper rotation of crops never fails to obtain most satisfac¬ tory results from his labors. His buildings, fences and other improvements bear evi¬ dence of his skill and the general appearance of the premises bespeak for the proprietor a taste and progressiveness worthy of emu¬ lation.

Mr. Hudson is a Democrat in politics and in religion subscribes to the pure simple faith as accepted by the society of Friends. He is upright and honorable in all his deal¬ ings, believing in the ultimate universal tri¬ umph of the gospel of the Nazarene and en¬ deavors day by day to shape his life accord¬ ing to the standard laid down in the Golden Rule.

By his first marriage, noted in a pre¬ ceding paragraph, Mr. Hudson had three children : Alonzo, deceased; Martha, and one that died in infancy. His first wife dying, he afterwards, in 1866, married Martha A. Porter, sister of his former companion, who departed this life, the mother of three chil¬ dren, of whom two are living, namely: Nancy and Lily M. In 1873 Mr. Hudson was united in marriage to Catherine Duffy, a union blessed with five children, the foL lowing of whom survive: Isaiah, Emma T., James C. Again, in 1895, the death angel entered the household and for the third time removed the wife and companion, Mrs. Hudson being called from earth that year.

Seth S. Simon Ton

Seth S. Simonton, one of the enterpris¬ ing and successful farmers of Harrison township, is a son of Thomas Simonton, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, August 21, 1798. The father of Thomas was also named Thomas, and he came to America prior to the T' evolution, at the age of seventeen. Pie served in the war of the Revolution, and was in the battle of Brandywine and other engagements; he lived and died in Pennsylvania at an ad¬ vanced age. Thomas, the father of our sub¬ ject, was raised on a farm in Westmore¬ land county, Pennsylvania, and at the age of seventeen he found employment on the barges plying between Pittsburg and New Orleans, which he followed for seven years.

In 1822 he moved to Ohio and settled near Carrollton, in Carroll county, where he found employment as a laborer until h!is marriage, when he engaged in farming until 1831. At this time, with his wife and four children, he removed close to New Phila¬ delphia and found work in an iron foundry, where he remained until 1842, when he came to Blackford county and purchased eighty acres of land in section 14. This land was situated where Orrin Garrett now resides. For this land he paid two dollars and twenty-five cents per acre. It was covered with heavy timber, and the first thing to do was to build himself a home. ITe erected a log cabin, 18x20 feet, and here he lived until his death, in 1863, at the age of sixty-five.

He was twice married; his first wife was Elizabeth Oswalt, by whom he had ten chil¬ dren, as follows: Polly A., who married John Sparks and lives in Sumner, Missouri; Francis married John Twibcll and lives near Saline county, Kansas; Sarah, widow of Jacob Baker; Seth, our subject; Timothy, who was killed while digging a well; Thomas, of South Bend, Indiana; Eliza¬ beth, wife of John Shull, of Sumner, Mis¬ souri; Martha, wife of Good Oliver, of Washington county, Kansas; Melia, wife of Daniel Conkleton, of Washington county, Kansas, and Jacob, who lives in Montpelier. His second wife was Nancy, widow of Sam¬ uel Shull, and to this marriage five children were born, viz. : George, who resides in Michigan; Cicily, wife of Ezekial Gilham; Jane, wife of William Stout, of Hartford City; Margaret, deceased, who married Ed¬ ward Ervin, and Amon, who lives in Pearl, Michigan. Mr. Simonton was one of those progressive, enterprising men of pioneer days of Blackford county. He served for many years as one of its early constables, and taking a deep interest in education, he organized and helped to start many of the schools of that day. Many of the early roads he helped lay out and build. In his re¬ ligious views he was a believer in and a member of the Christian church.

Our subject was born in Carroll county, Ohio, February 23, 1829, and was in his fourteenth year when his father came to Blackford county. He was raised upon the old homestead and got his education in the old log schools, and he recalls walking one winter two and a half miles to attend the winter session. He remained on the old place until the age of twenty-three, when he commenced renting land. Three years later he purchased eighty acres in Wells county.

This land was wild and had no improve¬ ments on it and lie built a log cabin and re¬ mained on it for eighteen months, when he returned to 'Harrison township and found employment, working out by the month; this lie did for four years, when he pur¬ chased, in 1862, the fr n where he now lives. When he purchased this farm it had but seven acres cleared and a log cabin, but he has placed upon it all the present improve¬ ments and cleared it and it is to-day one of the finest farms in the county. On Febru¬ ary 8, 1862, Mr. Simonton enlisted in Com¬ pany G, One Hundred and Fifty-third In¬ diana Volunteer Infantry, and served until September 4, 1865, doing service with his command in Kentucky. For forty years he has been a member of the Christian church, and for twenty-five years has been one of its prominent ministers. Mr. Simonton has been three times married. His first wife was Margaret Blunt, to whom he was mar¬ ried in 1853, the fruits of this union being two children, William W., who died in 1S80, and Elizabeth, wife of Anson Chandler, of Kansas. His second wife was Eliza Shan¬ non and by this marriage three children were born as follows: Alice L,, deceased, Margaret, and Annie, who died in infancy. On June 21, 1868, he married Miss Annie Downhour and by this union they are the parents of one son, Albert S., who married Alta D. Thomas, in 1892, and they are the parents of three children, Minnie I., Clar¬ ence W. and Clara D.

Andrew Jackson Townsend

Standing a fair representative of the more progressive and enterprising agricult¬ uralists of the county, Mr. Townsend well deserves attention at the hands of him who

-attempts to consider, from the historical standpoint, the men who are conducting the multifarious interests of this section of the state, as the old century passes and the new one presents questions not heretofore con¬ sidered, but whose solution demands the brightest minds. Mr. Townsend represents one of the oldest families of the county, his birth having occurred in Washington township, on the 9th of February, 1854. More complete mention of the family will be found in connection with the memoir of the venerable James S. Townsend, uncle of Andrew. One of several brothers was Alvah Townsend, father of Andrew, who is still residing in Washington; he was born in New Jersey and was married in this county to Miss Elzara Shields, a native of Ohio. The bovhood of Andrew was spent on the home farm with but little out of the ordinary course, he re¬ maining with his father till past twentyfour years of age. Fie chose for his com¬ panion Miss Rebecca Miles, daughter of Al¬ fred nd Lucinda (Gillaspie) Miles, to whom he was united on the 6th of November, 1877. His father having deeded him a tract of land near his present home, he devoted con¬ siderable time and effort to its improvement, among other features being a new house. However, soon after his marriage he se¬ cured the tract that comprises the present homestead, which at the time had but about fourteen acres cleared. This immediate section of the country is flat and in its orig¬ inal condition of comparatively little value, but, now that it has been thoroughly drained, which process required a great deal of labor and expense, covering a period of several years before the system was completed, it is in many respects the most desirable and excellent part of the country.

Mr. ' ownsend took an active interest in securing this general improvement, as his own tract was covered with ponds, and it was necessary in order to improve his own farm. This farm he sold, in 1892, securing his present homestead of seventy-five acres. He has cleared about twenty acres, and by tiling extensively has it in an excellent state of cultivation. Ilis estate is really divided into two neat farms, each having its com¬ plement of buildings. The home place is an especially desirable one, located as it is, in a neat grove of natural trees. Mr. Townsend devotes his entire attention to the operation of his farm, the principal feature of which is the growing of grain, and this is usuallv converted into stock of his own breeding.

His family consists of eight children, born in the following order: Lucy, wife of John Bosworth, who has management of one of the farms; Elmore, George Norman, Ger¬ trude, Frank, Trepolia, Thomas and Mary.

In politics Mr. Townsend is a Demo¬ crat in his predilections, but is not offensive¬ ly partisan, as he confines his party acts and votes to local matters. Through his sound sense and popularity h has been frequently called upon to serve on various committees and to sit in the conventions of his party, in whose interests he is quite active in all campaign work. Fraternally he is a mem¬ ber of Hartford Tent, No. 50, Knights of the Maccabees. While not being pro¬ nounced in his religious views he recognizes the value of church influence, contributing by his presence and means.

William J. Johnson

the town of Widburnon, on the 3d day of January, 1859. His father, William John¬ son, also an Englishman, is a blacksmith by trade, and his mother, whose maiden name was Dorothy Allen, was horn and reared near the place where her son first saw the light of day. Their parents are both living, their home at the present time being in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, where the elder Johnson is still working at his trade.

When about one year old William J. Johnson was taken by his parents to New Zealand, where he remained until 1869, at which time the family came to the United States and located in the city of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. After remaining there about four years they removed to Sharpsburg, where, in 1876, William J. began learning glass blowing with the Tibby Brothers, pro¬ prietors of one of the largest glass factories in the western part of the state. He re¬ mained with that firm eight years, becom¬ ing a skilled workman in the meantime, and then assisted in organizing the Bellaire Bot¬ tle Works, at Bellaire, Ohio. About six months after perfecting the above organiza¬ tion Mr. Johnson, by reason of his wife's health, severed his connection therewith and returning to Sharpsburg again entered the employ of the Tibbys, with whom he re¬ mained for only a limited period. His next venture was the Summer Glass Company, Sharpsburg, which he was instrumental in organizing. By reason of scarcity of nat¬ ural gas he discontinued operation there and went to Steubenville, Ohio, where he pur¬ chased a plant containing a ten-pot furnace, which under his management was soon in¬ creased to twelve pots, and this he operated with successful results for a period of eight¬ een years.

at Bellaire, Mr. Johnson went to California and during (he five succeeding years was en¬ gaged in business at the city of Los Angeles. At the end of that time he came to Indiana and, in partnership with Frank McElfrash, started a glass factory at Noblesville, with which he retained connection for only a short time. Selling out to his partner, he ac¬ cepted, in the spring of 1899, a position with the Diamond Flint Glass Company, of Hart¬ ford City, of v hicli he is now superintend¬ ent.

Mr. Johnson is familiar with every de¬ tail of the manufacture of glass and has de¬ voted his entire time and attention to the business. Flis life has been one of great activity and, while meeting with some suc¬ cess, which is the experience of every busi¬ ness man, yet on the whole he has been suc¬ cessful, as is attested by the competency ac¬ quired and the responsible position with which he is at this time honored.

On the 28th of January, 1882, Mr. John¬ son and Miss Mary Shirtleff, of Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, daughter of Lemuel and Mary (Peoples) Shirtleff, were made man and wife and their home has been brightened by the presence therein of four children, namely: Maine, born March 25, 1883; Cath¬ arine, born July 1, 1888; Nancy, born July 10, 1896, and William, whose birth oc¬ curred in January, 1899.

Mr. Johnson is a member of Blackford Lodge, No. 106, F. & A. M.; Plartford City Lodge, No. 262, I. O. O. F., and also be¬ longs to the local council of the Royal Ar¬ canum meeting in the city of Los Angeles, California. He subscribes to the Presby¬ terian creed in religion and is active in the work of the church and the several frater¬ nities above mentioned.

business men and contact with the world in various ways Mr. Johnson has acquired a practical knowledge such as no other agency can impart and his manner and gen¬ eral bearing bespeak the broad minded, intel¬ ligent gentleman. lie is essentially a man of affairs, content to occupy no humble place, and lie makes his influence felt wherever he goes. In his intercourse with his fellow men he is affable, easily approachable and at once commands the confidence of those with whom he has business or social rela¬ tions. With character above reproach and an influence ever on the side of justice and right, he occupies a conspicuous place in the estimation of the people of his adopted city who have learned to prize him not only for his superior business qualifications, but also for the sterling traits of manhood which he exhibits in his daily walk and conversa¬ tion.

Michael J. Kesler

Michael. Jacob Kesler, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of Jackson town¬ ship, Blackford county, whose postoffice is Priam, was born in Perry county, Pennsyl¬ vania, in 1S53. He is a son of Adam Kes¬ ler, who came to Indiana soon after the birth of the subject of this sketch, and still resides in. Jackson township, well known to all its inhabitants. Michael Kesler passed his boyhood days upon the old homestead, which is still dear to him, and upon which he performed his share of daily labor, ob¬ taining such education as was then afforded by the district schools. Remaining at home until his thirtieth year, he was then married, but he had previously made a start in life for himself by renting a portion of his father's farm and by cultivating eighty acres more given him by his father. Then all was wild land and some of it had on it the largest timber growing in this section of the coun¬ try. By the time of his marriage Mr. Kesler had twenty-three acres of his land cleared and under cultivation, but as yet he had not erected a house. He and his wife there¬ fore began housekeeping in a log cabin which was their home for some years. At the present time he has ninety acres in a good state of cultivation, his farm contain¬ ing one hundred and sixty acres in all. Most of his attention has been given to the culti¬ vation of wheat, but he also raises hogs to a considerable extent. The little log house has been supplanted Irv a commodious and comfortable dwelling house, and good outbuddings have been erected, so that his farm now makes him a comfortable home and also a good living. Mr. Ivesler's farm is in the gas belt and he has one well upon it in operation. A portion of his farm he rents to outside parties, thus to some extent reaping the reward of their labors as well as of his own. It is one of his aims to keep himself well informed as to current events and to keep his farm in as high a state of cultivation as those of his neighbors, and to be known in all respects as a progressive farmer and upright and useful citizen.

Lillie Samantha Barnes, his wife, is the daughter of Thomas Barnes, who still lives in Jackson township. She was born in this township in 1863, and has borne her husband the following children: Grace Edna, a graduate of the district schools; Clyde Mer¬ rill, Prudie Letha, all under the parental roof. Mr. Kesler is a Democrat in politics, always putting forth his best efforts for the good of his party, seeking no official prefer¬ ment for himself, but looking to tbc good of the community wherein he resides.

James Madison Secrest

James Madison Secrest, of Jackson town¬ ship, whose postoffice is Hartford City, was born in lacking township, in the southwest corner of Blackford county, October 17, 1844. He is a son of Henry and Margaret (Geyer) Secrest, who were married in Blackford county. Henry Secrest came from Guernsey county, Ohio, where he was born, and was a son of John and Sarah Secrest, who came west from Easton, Pennsylvania, and were among the early pioneers of Vir¬ ginia. Margaret Geyer, who became the wife of Henry Secrest, was a daughter of Daniel and Susannah (Darr) Geyer, who came from Muskingum county, Ohio, when Margaret was twenty years of age, locating in Indiana about the same time as Mr. Secrest, who came as a young man and be¬ gan clearing land which his father had en¬ tered. For two years he was thus engaged before marrying, which event occurred when he was twenty-six years old. Upon his mar¬ riage he and his wife began keeping house in a hewed-log house which he had already erected, the first house of the kind in the neighborhood. He was born January 7, 1812, and died May 22, 1882, and she was born March 10, 1813, and died February 8, 18S4. He is believed to have located in this state at least as early as 1834, and he and his wife lived on the farm until it was well im¬ proved, selling the old homestead after the close of the war of the Rebellion and remov¬ ing to Illinois, dying in Christian county, that state, at the dates given above for each respectively. Of their family two are still living in Blackford county, viz: James M., the subject of this sketch, and Eliza, wife of Isaac E. Carmine,, who lives on a farm ad¬ joining the old homestead in Licking town- ship. They had eight children in all, and six of them are still living, the sons, besides James M., being John IT., a lumber manufac¬ turer of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Oliver, a farmer near Edwardsvillc, Illinois, and the daughters, besides Eliza, being Sarah M., widow of William Milhollin, of Grant coun¬ ty, Indiana, and Mary Jane, of Springfield, Missouri.

Henry Secrest was a mechanic and mill¬ wright and assisted in drafting the plans for the first county court house and also for the first schoolhouse in Hartford City. He also engaged in the saw-mill business, and alto¬ gether was a very useful man in his day.

James M. Secrest remained at home until he was of ago, going to Illinois with his par¬ ents, but returning soon afterward. Being, as was his father before him, a natural me¬ chanic, he found ample opportunity to ev cise his bent in this direction on his farm and in connection with his farm work. He lo¬ cated on his present farm in 1885 and having owned two other farms in Blackford county, he improved them by repairing the fences and in other ways. He has also^ operated a saw¬ mill and a grist-mill, the Millhollin mill in Grant county, and has erected numerous houses, bridges, etc., all of which in compar¬ ison with his farm work has been incidental. The farm on which he now resides was, when he began to live upon it, badly run down and worn out; but he has improved it and re¬ paired the house, which was in no condition to live in, and has also erected other build¬ ings, so that at the present time he has a well improved farm and modern, convenient buildings. His farm is well underdrained, he having laid two thousand rods of tile, which reaches every field, and puts each field in excellent condition for tillage, giving each a warm and genial soil.

Mr. Secrest was married, July 2, 1871, in Blackford county, to Miss Lima Corwin, a daughter of Solomon and Isabel (Davis) Corwin, she having been born in Madison county, Indiana, and removed thence to Blackford county when a young woman, her parents settling in Licking township, three miles south of Hartford City. Her mother died in Madison county, Indiana, when she was a mere child of about seven or eight years, and her father removed to Mercer county, Illinois, where he died at the age of seventy-six. Lima is the only member of her family remaining in Blackford county.

Mr. and Mrs. Secrest have two children, viz : William, who married Della Ritter, a daughter of Captain Wm. L. Ritter, and is living on the Captain Ritter farm, near Hart¬ ford City, and Orval, just past his twentyfirst birthday, who has recently graduated at the home school and is- living at home. Mr. Secrest has been a life-long Republican, is often found in his party conventions and is one of the leading men of his township. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Mill Grove, and are both influential in their respective spheres. The sons belong to the Improved Order of Red Men, and have received the best educational advantages afforded by the country in which they live. Both have remained at or near home, so that they might be all the time near their parents, and have the advantages of their advice and assistance.

in Stokes township, Logan county, Ohio, November 16, 1S39. In 1848 his parents removed to Champaign county, Ohio, where Mr. McColly grew to manhood, lie was reared a farmer and received his education in the common schools. At the age of eighteen he began working by the month upon adjoining farms in his township, but made his father's home his headquarters. In 1864 he enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Ohio Infantry, for the one-hundred-day service and was mustered in at Columbus, Ohio.

His regiment was sent to Washington and thence to Fortress Monroe, whence they were sent up the river to Whitehouse Land¬ ing. From there they were sent in advance of the Pioneer Corps to Petersburg and were engaged in the building of pontoon bridges for Grant's army to cross the river. With his command Mr. McColly was before Pet¬ ersburg when the fort was blown up. From this point he was sent to the Shenandoah valley and the peninsula between the James and York rivers, and participated in the op¬ erations on the Tames river and around Pitts¬ burg Landing and Richmond. Pie was in the battle of Monocacy, and in the intrenchments at Washington, D. C., and other im¬ portant services. PTe was discharged De¬ cember 15, 1864, seeing short but active service. Returning to Woodstock, Cham¬ paign county, Ohio, Mr. McColly was en¬ gaged in railroad contracting for three years, when he turned his attention to the building of pike roads in Champaign and Logan counties until 1874, when he settled upon the farm where he now resides.

In t86i Mr. McColly was married to Miss Polina McElwain, a daughter of An¬ drew and Maragh McElwain, and by this marriage they are the parents of two chil¬ dren, Charles, deceased, and Emma, wife of j. P'rcd Sterns. Mrs. McColly died and in 1885 our subject married for his second wife Miss Martha, daughter of Ester Hnlycross, by whom he had two children : Amiziah, who is engaged on the farm with his father, and married Ada Parnell; they have one child, Charles; Daisy, who married John Parnell and resides on the farm with her father; they are the parents of one child, Marie. Mr. McColly owns a fine farm of one hundred and sixty-six acres situated on section 32, and has one hundred and fifty-five acres of it under cultivation. He is also engaged in the breeding of stock and devotes his farm to' the raising of grain and general farming. In connection with farming he is engaged in the buying and selling of hay for the mar¬ ket.

In his political views Mr. McColly is a stanch Republican, and takes a deep interest in the success of his party. IPe is a member of Jacob Stokes Post, G. A. R., and a mem¬ ber of the United Brethren church, of which he has been a trustee for seventeen years. Mr. McColly is regarded as one of the pro¬ gressive and substantial citizens of Black¬ ford county and commands the respect of all who know him.

John P. Williams was born in Preble county, Ohio, June 2, 1835, and died Janu¬ ary 3, 1883. His parents were William Y. and Sarah (Tomelson) Williams, the former dying June 28, 1900, in his eighty-eighth year, near Muncic, Indiana. When John P. was a child of but a few months his parents settled on government land in Delaware county, Indiana, where his boyhood was passed. He was married at the age of twen¬ ty-four to Miss Rose Ann McConnell, and soon after settled on the present farm, which had been given him by his father. A small cabin stood on the site of the present house, but the now highly improved farm was then but a wilderness. Scarcely had the young couple become well established in their new home when the wife died, surviving the birth of her son a few weeks. The next fall, No¬ vember 21, 1861, he was married to Miss Mary E. Print. She was the daughter of Hiram and Delilah (Kirkpatrick) Print, and lived on the farm two miles west of Hartford upon which the Dunkard church now stand's. He had improved that farm, and it was his home till his death, at the age of seventyfive, he having preceded his wife but eleven days, her death occurring January 12, 1889, aged seventy-two years. They were married in Clinton county, Ohio. He was born in Ross county and she in Guernsey county, Ohio, and in 1851 they came to Indiana. His parents having died when he was young, he was separated from the other children, One of the sisters finally making her home in Iowa, where Hiram decided to emigrate. On reaching that state he found the sister had returned to Ohio, and they thus failed to meet. Years passed on till near the close of his life, when she came to see him after a separation of more than sixty years. The little log cabin was the home of Mr. Will¬ iams till 1870, when the present residence was erected. He devoted his entire energies to the making of the farm, using in the earlier years the old style timber drains, which have been replaced with the more modern system of scientific tiling. Always in close sympathy with all that advanced the general welfare, he early identified himself with the Metho¬ dist Protestant church at the Corn Cob school house near his own home. He was an exem¬ plary man whose faith in the future of his adopted county was unbounded. Taking pride in what he did toward its development, he did much to encourage others toward sim¬ ilar efforts and he was held in greatest re¬ spect by a host of warm personal friends. Mrs. Williams, who still resides amid the scenes where nearly forty years of her life have been passed, is a lad)- of great good na¬ ture, of a genial and kindly disposition. She has many warm friends who appreciate her many womanly traits and virtues. The fam¬ ily of John P. Williams consisted of William N. Williams, who at the death of his mother was taken by his grandfather Williams, who has insisted on the young man remaining with him. Of the children born to the sec¬ ond marriage, Clarissa is now Mrs. Simon Stewart, of Delaware county; Elminus A. dien in infancy; Linzie L. is a farmer near the old homestead ; Minnie Esther is the wife of Robert Johnson, residing near her mother; W atty Edmund died in childhood ; Leroy Freeman operates the old home for his mother, and Effie May died also in childhood.

Henry C. Davisson, M. D., was born September 25, 1839, at Norton, Delaware county, Ohio. He graduated in the English course at Granville College, in 1856, and sub¬ sequently studied medicine with Dr. I. H. Pennock, of South Woodbury, Monroe coun¬ ty, Ohio. He left home October 6, i860, with fourteen dollars in money and a shawl for an overcoat, and arrived in Hartford City with but a single dime in his pocket, which he always retained as a reminder of his start in life. He taught school at Trenton for three months and engaged in his profess¬ ion when an opportunity offered. He was married, in 1862, to Miss Eliza Anderson, and was graduated in medicine at Indiana Medical College in 1871-72. He was presi¬ dent of the pension board for four years un¬ der President Cleveland, coroner for eight years, and county and city health officer for eight and four years respectively. He also was a member of the County, District, State and American Medical Societies. Unaided unassisted, penniless, friendless and alone among strangers, the Doctor started out in life when but twenty-one years of age, but by untiring zeal, energy and devotion to his pro¬ fession, he has accumulated a fortune; with never a penny given to him, he has succeeded in acquiring a competence for life. Out of debt, owing no man a penny, he may have the satisfaction of knowing that his efforts have been rewarded.

In politics a Democrat, the Doctor is always found laboring for his friends, never asking for office. For five years the Doctor has eschewed politics, except to vote his sen¬ timents, and has applied himself with energy, devotion and zeal to his chosen profession. His obstetric work has been extensive, he having attended at the birth of two thousand one hundred and eleven children and never having lost a mother during confinement.

David R. Melick

The true spirit of progress and enterprise is strikingly displayed in the life of the man to whom this article is devoted - a gentle¬ man whose energetic nature and wellformed determination have enabled him to overcome many adverse circumstances and advance steadily to a respectable position in life. Mr. Melick was born in Perry county, Ohio, September 8, 1857. His parents were Dr. Isaac and Julia Ann (Ansel) Mel¬ ick ; the father being a practicing physician owning and operating a drug store, farm and mill.

David remained upon the farm until his twelfth year, from which time until attain¬ ing his majority his time was divided be¬ tween the various interests of his father, becoming familiar with the store, as well as the operation of the farm and mill. At the age of twenty-one he engaged in the butcher business at Zanesville, Ohio, remaining there five years, during which time he had made very satisfactorv progress; but, being desir¬ ous to engage in farming he disposed of his business and, removing to Indiana in the spring of 1884, rented the Maddox farm west of Hartford. In 1895 he purchased part of the present farm, and the next year added the remainder, assuming, in doing so, a considerable indebtedness. His farm of one hundred and sixty acres, two miles west of Hartford, on the line of the Panhandle Railroad, is one of the most desirable in the vicinity. It was formerly known as the Williams farm, and at the time of the pur¬ chase the buildings especially badly needed repair. Mr. Melick at once set to work, re¬ modeling and enlarging the house, and erected cribs, sheds and sheep barn. Has also set out an orchard, rebuilt most of the fence and laid considerable tile, extending it to all essential parts of the farm, thus ma¬ terially adding to its value and productive¬ ness. His efforts are resulting in a beautiful place. The house, standing some distance back from the road, will, when the grounds

Mr. Melick was married at his old home in Ohio, March 27, 1879, to Miss Eva A. Gillespie, a former schoolmate. They have four children whose names are as follows: Raymond G., whose occupation is a carpen¬ ter; John Lee, Edna May and David Roy. It is an interesting family, all of whom arc musicians, and having been supplied with the best educational advantages make a home that fhay well be considered a model.

In politics our subject is a sound Demo¬ crat, having always aimed to promote the success of his party in what he considers to be the best policy for the benefit of the masses. lie has always held the full confi¬ dence of the people and of his party, and by the latter has been frequently sent as dele¬ gate to its conventions. He and wife are both members of the Methodist church at Hartford, and socially occupy a high stand¬ ing, and are greatly esteemed for their many excellent traits of personal character. Fra¬ ternally he is a member of the Hartford Tent, No. 50, Knights of the Maccabees.

Thomas Charles Neal

The industrial history of Montpelier would be incomplete without conspicuous mention of Thomas Charles Neal, and no one would undertake to write the biogra¬ phies of Blackford county's representative men without narrating in detail the salient facts iii the life of this most estimable citizen.

Originally the family name was O'Neal, and the pronunciation at once suggests Irish origin. The subject's grandfather, John O'Neal, left the Emerald Isle many years ago, coming to America and settling in

Greenbrier county, Virginia. Later he moved to Lawrence county, Ohio, where lie reared his family, and there his death oc¬ curred, the exact date of which has not been ascertained. The children of John O'Neal, six in number, were named as follows: Hezekiah, Thomas J., William, Charles W., Jennie and Amanda.

Charles W., father of Thomas C., mar¬ ried Nancy Roberts, who bore him two chil¬ dren, both sons, the name of the second being John Chapman Neal. This estimable woman was a native of the state of New York, and departed this life at Marion, In¬ diana, in the year 1864. Thomas Charles Neal was born February 12, 1852, in Grant county, Indiana, where he spent his youth¬ ful years, attending meanwhile the district schools until the age of fourteen. While still quite young he entered the service of Sweetser & Turner, grain dealers of Ma¬ rion, in whose employ he continued five yars, obtaining during that time a practical knowledge of business which proved of great value to him in after life. Severing his con¬ nection with the above firm, Mr. Neal en¬ gaged in the grain business at Montpelier upon his own responsibility and continued the same with satisfactory results until 1899, when he disposed of his interest to H. C. Arnold, of Bluff ton.

In the meantime, 1896, he was appointed receiver of the Indiana Steel Casting Com¬ pany, in which capacity he acted until 1898, when, in partnership with C. S. Bash, D. F. Bash, Max G. Hoffman, M. Goldberger, J. R. St. Clair, T. C. Morrison and James O'Donnell, all well-known capitalists and business men, the company was reorgan¬ ized, Mr. Neal being elected president and general manager of the same, a position he still retains.

In addition to this connection with the above enterprise, Mr. Neal is a stockholder and director of the First National Bank, of Montpelier, of which he was one of the or¬ ganizers, owns a large amount of stock in the T. C. Neal Oil Company, besides being financially interested in the Columbia Build¬ ing Company, and several concerns of minor importance, all of which have been greatly promoted through his energy and wise busi¬ ness managei nt. He also has large farm¬ ing interests in Blackford and other counties, and aside from his various business connec¬ tions takes an active part in public affairs, having twice served as a member of the board of county commissioners and one term in the common council of Montpelier.

Mr. Neal is a zealous mber of Lodge No. 188, K. of P., which lie assisted in or¬ ganizing, and he is also identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, though not an active worker at the present time.

The marriage of Mr. Neal, was solem¬ nized November 7, 1872, with Susan A. Spaulding, daughter of Franklin B. and Anna (Baldwin) Spaulding, by whom he has one child, Charles Mitchell Neal, whose birth occurred on the 24th day of October, 1873. Charles M. married Miss Emma V. Bigler, daughter of Eli and Susan (Smith) Bigler, and is the father of one child, Su¬ san Eleanor, born January 21, 1900.

As a business man Mr. Neal is the peer of any of his fellows in Montpelier, and his reputation is by no means bounded by the limits of his town or county. He is widely known throughout the state, and the various enterprises with which he is identified have been the means of bringing him into per¬ sonal contact with many leading business men of the country. Years of close atten¬ tion to details in the management of large interests have developed a discriminating mind and sound judgment seldom at fault, while association with the world in diverse ways has rounded out a symmetrical char¬ acter, of which keen foresight and superior executive ability are prominent traits. He is a man whose enterprise no difficulties can discourage, and whose tenacity of purpose, rare as it is admirable, seems to mold cir¬ cumstances to suit his ends rather than to permit them to mold him. His life forcibly illustrates what can be accomplished by con¬ centration of energies upon any one object, together with an indomitable perseverance which overcomes opposing obstacles, how¬ ever formidable, and wins success from what to the majority would prove sure defeat.

Mr. Neal is certainly a fine representative of the successful, self-made men of the day. Loyal to his conviction of right as he sees the right, firm in his friendships and devoted to those who repose confidence in him, he is a potent factor for good in the commu¬ nity and a gentleman whom to know is to honor. In the prime of mature manhood, with physical and mental faculties at their best, the past may be taken as earnest of what still remains for him to accomplish in the business and industrial world.

William Carroll was born in Washing¬ ton county, Pennsylvania, on the 10th of September, 1828. He is the son of Rob¬ ert and Margaret (Gregory) Carroll, both also of Pennsylvania birth. Robert Carroll, the father of our subject, was born June 14, 1800, and Margaret, his wife, was born

William Carroll

The great-grandfather was Robert Carroll, who was born in Ireland and there mar¬ ried Mary Bell. He, with his two brothers and one sister, emigrated to America about 1770, and settled on a farm adjoining the joint school house in Morris township, Washington county, Pennsylvania.

Robert and Mary (Bell) Carroll were the parents of seven children, five sons and two daughters. James, the eldest son, was the grandfather of our subject. He married Margaret Marshall, and they were the par¬ ents of ten children, eight sons and two daughters. Robert, the second son, was raised on a farm two miles below Nineveh, Pennsylvania, and in 1838 he moved to Dela¬ ware county, Indiana, about sixteen miles northwest of Muncie (Munseytown), on the Mississinewa river, the then extreme end of civilization. Robert Carroll was, at that time, nearing middle life, and had consid¬ erable means to start with, having sold quite a good farm in Pennsylvania for two thou¬ sand dollars. The home was made on the opposite side of the river from Eaton, which had then but recently started. He had but just gotten the family established in the new home when he was taken from them by a sudden sickness, leaving the widow with six chi- ken, the eldest being twelve and the yoimgest but two years of age. The hard times in Pennsylvania had made it impossi¬ ble for them to secure all that was due them, acre tract in order to save the remainder. She had but little beside the land, a horse brought from the cast and a little furniture. She saw hard times, experiencing the great¬ est difficulty in keeping her children together and bringing them up in the new country. She was alone and had to depend entirely upon her own resources, but being a weaver by trade was in that way able to live. She wove all the woolen and linen clothing worn, not only by her own children, but by many of the neighboring families as well. As the boys grew a farm was gradually cleared, till she had a comfortable home. After ten years of this sort of struggle, some of the children reaching maturity, she was called upon to experience a sorer trial than any that had preceded. In 1849 all the streams had been flooded for several weeks, after which a strange, heretofore unknown, dis¬ ease broke out, two of her own children dying. Of thirty-three stricken, but three survived, William being one of these. Will¬ iam, recalling some of the incidents of the early years and the benefits derived from having relatives to whom to look for assist¬ ance, grows eloquent in describing some of the impositions his mother and himself had practiced upon them. His mother's sister lived near, and having a large family Mrs. Carroll would do the family weaving, for which the brother-in-law agreed to give her two fine shoats, to be delivered in the fall. When the time came, two little, runty wild hogs of about seventy-five pounds each were brought. They were placed in a snug log pen and every inducement offered them to eat, but so long as anyone was looking not a grain of corn or drink of swill would they take. After keeping them all winter and their not having gained a pound, they were turned into the yard, which contained a well with no curb. They were still wild as deers, and after circling about the yard, both jumped squarely into the well to hide. One of the boys descended to get them out, but getting down about ten feet and within reach of the hogs, one of them bit him in the leg, causing his ascent and declaration that he would shoot them, running at the same time for the gun. However, when they had got¬ ten well tired out they were taken out, but never amounted to anything. Another good Methodist uncle gave William a little lesson in feeding cattle he is not liable to forget or forgive. Good crops were grown, but in order to realize cash to any extent it was nec¬ essary to feed the grain to stock. When William was about seventeen he, having quite a corn crop and being anxious to real¬ ize some money, looked about for cattle to feed. This uncle let him have a couple of old oxen, agreeing to pay him two dollars and a half per hundred for them in May. He fed all his crop to them, attending con¬ stantly to their needs all winter, and at the settlement received seven dollars for his share. The good uncle said: "William, it will teach you a lesson." William's disap¬ pointment was such that his love for relatives cooled several degrees, especially for that one, who would ask a blessing over mush and skimmed milk, even much of his old respect for the Methodist being lost. When the gold fever affected every family, three hundred dollars was borrowed by the widow and William to send John Wesley, the elder son, to California, where he went and re¬ mained till the fall of 1854* having on his icturn two thousand dollars, one-half of which was given to William for remaining at ho c with the mother and two sisters. This he at once invested in tw'O hundred and fifty acres of land, which is now included in the present farm. Wesley remaining on the home farm, William devoted his attentions to the new tract, which then had but fifty acres cleared and a log cabin to live in. Wesley was anxious to return to California, saying he would rather be there without a dollar than here with pockets full. Visit¬ ing his old western partner in Connecticut, he returned, determined to rejoin him in Cali¬ fornia; but financial matters not developing to suit, he sold the farm and went to Wis¬ consin, where he erected a mill and operated this for two years, till the Pike's Peak ex¬ citement again aroused the young men all over the country, and it was decided to go there as soon as possible. The mill, was traded for land in Missouri, and arrange¬ ments completed for both of them to go. In 1858 William Campbell had been elected county treasurer, and being in delicate health decided to join the gold seekers. Ac¬ cordingly, in the spring of 1859, 'ie and William join* ' Wesley in Missouri, where they fitted out two yoke of oxen and drove to Leavenworth. Here they met others and set out across the plains, taking the old Santa Fe trail and encountered a few Indian scares, finally reaching Denver on the hind wheels of a wagon drawn by three yoke of oxen. They took about four hundred pounds of provisions up the mountain, and within three days were getting gold in paying quanti¬ ties. Water was scarce, but being fortu¬ nate enough to get a claim with a spring upon it, they needed a sluice. On the Fourth of July, 1859. Wesley, William, their uncle, Samuel Gregi r, and his son, Sam, now of Eaton, with ax, whip-saw and broadax, cut a pine tree, dressed the sides to twelve feet long and cut the log into boards, with which they made sluice boxes and were prepared to work for gold to some advan- tage. Soon after this Wesley. went over the ridge and staked a claim on the creek bar at Tarryall. They remained at these mines from August, 1859, to the fall of 1863. Wesley had, however, sold two years before and settling at Oakland, California, resided there till his death. William and his cousin, Sam Gregory, had purchased the interests of the remainder, continuing, as before stated, until. 1863, when, having made con¬ siderable money, they sold and invested in * cattle. The next year, after selling all but about eighty head of oxen, they fitted out freighting wagons and, loading with bacon and other groceries, started for Montana. Crossing the mountains twice' and traveling upwards of a thousand miles, they finally sold out at Virginia City, making a nice thing out of the transaction. Now, after seven years of western life, being in part¬ nership all that time, without even the form¬ ality of keeping books, he and his cousin de¬ cided to return to the states and old associa¬ tions. While they had seen a good many hardships, experiencing the vicissitudes of frontier life and the ups and downs expected in connection with mining, the result as a whole had proven very satisfactory, they clearing up about thirty thousand dollars be¬ tween them.

Our subject now turned his attention to the less exciting occupation of farming, and in 1864 he located in Licking township, in¬ vesting in land till his farm now contains eight hundred and fifty acres in a body, lying about six miles to the southwest of Hartford City, and composed of several former wellknown farms, including the 1 ivid Hart farm of two hundred and fifty acres, the Jake Gear farm of one hundred and sixty acres, the Jim Romain tract of eighty acres, and the Henry Secrist farm of three hundred and sixty acres. The farm is by far the most desirable stock farm in the county, consist¬ ing of nicely rolling fields, all well watered by living springs and having abundance of cooling shade. It has been largely devoted to the growing of sheep, being stocked by no less than from one thousand to fifteen hundred head at all times. A great many hogs are also fed and a fine herd of fat cattle are disposed of each year, bringing the best market price. Mr. Carroll recalls some in¬ teresting facts in connection with the sheep husbandry, one being that he hauled one wagon load of wool to market that sold for twenty-four hundred and twenty-four dol¬ lars. While his business interests have not branched to include other lines than those connected with the farm, he has not resided at all times on the farm, living for about ten years in Hartford City.

Mr. Carroll was married, in 1869, to Miss Elizabeth Elton, of Highland county, Ohio, her parents being natives of New Jer¬ sey. The Carroll family number four chil¬ dren, being : Charles, who gives personal at¬ tention to the details of the farm manage¬ ment; Anna, Margaret and Bessie. All have been given the best opportunities for education, and each contributes to the good fellowship and sociability that makes their home one of the most popular resorts of their many friends, young and old. The resi¬ dence, erected by Henry Secrist more than fifty years ago, is one of the oldest of the county, and stands upon a naturally beauti¬ ful eminence, which is kept in splendid con¬ dition. The house, built in the style of a half century past, embodies the ideas of the colonial, adapted to western needs, and with the surrounding details makes one of the handsomest suburban homes in this section of the state.' Mr. Carroll has ever indicated a live interest in the general growth and im¬ provement of the comity, being one of those whose efforts secured the first public pike in Blackford county, that known as the Atkin¬ son pike, reaching from the count} seat to the Delaware county line. He then built at individual expense one and one-half miles passing through his own farm. The first rural free delivery was established in 1890 through his active co-operation, the repre¬ sentations made b}^ him to the government officials deciding the exact location of the route. When we consider the political rela¬ tions of Mr. Carroll we touch especially in¬ teresting ground. The conditions of pub¬ lic questions of his youth made him an out¬ spoken Whig, dropping into the Know- Nothing ranks, when it seemed as if the free ins tutions of the country were threatened by the rapid influx. of foreigners. It was soon demonstrated that this fear was not based upon sound reason, and at the organi¬ zation of the Republican party he voted for Fremont, following up his allegiance by com¬ ing seven hundred miles, in i860, to cast his franchise for Lincoln. Realizing that the mission of that great party was accom¬ plished, and seeing its ablest men leaving it, in 1876, he, too, became active and enthusi¬ astic in the support of that noble philan¬ thropist and world-famed Peter Cooper. The same line of argument made him an ar¬ dent, dyed-in-the-wool Greenbacker, being then, as before and since, opposed to the centralizing tendencies of the Republican party. His maturer reading and reflection but emphasized the accuracy of his position, adhering firmly to this line until, seeing the hopelessness of the then organization, he, in 1888, returned to the flesh pots of his youth and became an important factor in the cam¬ paign that resulted in the election of Benja¬ min Harrison. Having made up his mind to the association, he entered upon the work outlined by the party leaders, though at times the old self-respect would assert itself and turn with disgust from the nauseating proceedings. That campaign has been justly damned as the most disreputable ever known in the history of American politics, and the proceedings of the party leaders in Blackford county were distinguished for the zeal, exercised in furthering "blocks of five." It is a sad commentary that Democratic votes can sometimes be purchased. No means were spared in this case to secure such votes, and Carroll was one of the liberal contribu¬ tors to the cause that carried Indiana into the party column. No attempt is made to justify that association more than that he has seldom failed to do his duty, when once a line of action is decided upon. Those methods, coupled with the absolute failure of the party to legislate for the common people, but on the contrary constantly pan¬ dered to the classes, drove him from it, real¬ izing that the only hopes of the perpetuity of free constitutional republican government lays in the principles laid down by Jefferson and Madison, and reiterated in these days in the platform of the Democratic party. The campaign of 1896 found him where he was bound to come, where stands every man who, like him, has follow- ed the course of events and whose greatest ambition is to live to see the firm establishment of the govern¬ ment in the interests .of the great toiling millions. Reviewing the past, Mr. Carroll takes a commendable pride in having voted for Lincoln and for Cooper, and above all for being once more back in line with the efforts of human freedom, casting an honest ballot for that grand champion of the Ameri¬ can people, William Jennings Bryan. Now, after this imperfect review of William Car- - roll, it is but just to add that no man, prob¬ ably, in Blackford county is more extensively known than he, not only for his recognized ability and success as an agriculturist, but also equally so for his vigorous personality and honest, outspoken character. His strong and sometimes unpolished expressions of honest conviction have made for him a reputation for fearlessness and intrepidity in advocating the cause he espouses, even though many friends may not coincide with the position he occupies. When reproached for change of political affiliations, he has reason in the retort, that - "he stands the same, that changing parties have left him in different company."

At the request of Mr. William Carroll, the subject of this biography, we quote from the history of Joseph M. Carroll of the mur¬ der of two of the early members of the Carroll family by Indians in Pennsylvania.

"I wish to give an account of two broth¬ ers of Robert Carroll, who came from Ire¬ land with him, that were killed by the In¬ dians near the joint school house. This occurred about the year 1781. Word had come from the spies that the Indians had crossed at Grave Creek and were coming to¬ wards the forts. Robert Carroll had gone to the mill at Redstone, near Brownsville, Fayette county. He and his family had in¬ tended going to the fort as soon as he re¬ turned. Mrs. Templeton was at their house to go with them to the fort, and Robert was expected to return that night, but did not come.

"The two brothers, John and Hamilton, lived with them, and in the morning before it was light they went out to get wood to make fire to get breakfast. The house was under a bank and they had gone over where the ground sloped westward to get the wood. The Indians were in hiding and without a word of warning fired on them, killing one instantly. The other brother ran in an op¬ posite direction from the house, but was overtaken and killed. Both were scalped. North about two hundred yards from where they were killed was a colt stable, which the Indians thought was the house. They soon discovered their mistake, however.

"In the meantime the women at the house had heard the reports of the guns and the blood-curdling war whoops of the redskins, and knowing full, well the danger that con¬ fronted them, took the children and started for the fort. James, then their eldest son, was six years of age.

"The women had gone through a corn field and were in a woods when they heard the guns go off at the house. The Indians had shot the dog and ransacked the house, taking all they could carry.

"Robert Carroll came, home soon after and, seeing the blood of the dog, thought his family had been killed. He immediately started for Achison's fort, and arriving there lie received word they were at Lindley's fort.