USA > Indiana > Newton County > A standard history of Jasper and Newton counties, Indiana : an authentic narrative of the past, with an extended survey of modern developments in the progress of town and country, Volume II > Part 19
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > A standard history of Jasper and Newton counties, Indiana : an authentic narrative of the past, with an extended survey of modern developments in the progress of town and country, Volume II > Part 19
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
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"A man of active life, never at rest or satisfied unless he was performing some act of charity or benefit to his fellow beings, his loss to the community cannot be estimated, and he was a man that cannot be replaced, for a lifetime shows but few that have the traits that make them a leader in all lines and hold that lead- ership through good deeds."
GODFREY F. SCHUSTER. Of those men who came into Jasper County comparatively poor and have acquired here the basis of solid prosperity, perhaps none is more worthy of mention than Godfrey F. Schuster, more familiarly known among friends and neighbors as Fred Schuster. His fine farm, which for years has been return- ing to him the fruits of honest labor and well directed management,
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is located two and a half miles northwest of Remington in Carpen- ter Township. Mr. Schuster has been a resident of Jasper County forty-five years, and the fact that in all that time he has never been involved in a law suit indicates the peace and good will which have accompanied his residence in this community.
He is of French and German descent, and was born Angust 26, 1839, in Alsace, at the Village of Oberhoffen, near Hagnen. The name in its German form is Schuster, as Mr. Schuster spells it, but all the younger generation have simplified its spelling to Shuster. His parents were Martin and Magdaline ( Kummer) Schuster. All of them came to America in 1848, and settled in Erie County near Buffalo, New York, where Godfrey F. Schuster was reared to man- hood and gained some education in English schools. From New York State he went to Chicago as a young man, spent four years as an employee in the stockyards of that city, and while living in Chicago, on March 30, 1864, he married Anna M. Nealon. The Nealons were of Irish and English stock.
After his marriage Mr. Schuster moved to a stock farm six miles from Chicago, and after spending about six years there came in 1870 to Carpenter Township, locating on Section 23, which has now continuously for forty-five years been his home, and the center of his varied activities as a farmer and stock man.
While his hard working activities have commended him to the esteem of a large community, Mr. Schuster has special reason to be proud of his fine family of six children. The oldest, Anna T., still lives at home. Louise M. is the wife of William D. Austin, and they live at South Whitely, Indiana, and have ten children. Ophelia S. is the wife of John Farrell, of Carpenter Township, and they are the parents of nine children. Fredie is now deceased. Herbert M., who lives on the homestead with his father, married Mary A. Shide, and their five children are named Fred J., George F., Virginia A., Donald H. and Arnold L. May E. is the wife of Walter Wil- liams, they live at Goodland, and their four children are Lucile A., Marie Ruth, Joseph and Elnora M. It was a heavy loss to this family when the wife and mother died, May 10, 1898. She was laid to rest in the Remington Catholic Cemetery. Mr. Schuster and family are members of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, although he was reared a Lutheran. He is a democrat, and for four years served as township supervisor, though he did not seek that office and has never been eager for the responsibilities of political affairs. He is a member of no secret order. The Schuster home- stead comprises 160 acres of land, and this land, with its value and its many improvements, represents what he has accomplished in a material way, in addition to rearing his family, since coming to Jasper County many years ago. He has been somewhat conserva- tive and careful in all his dealings and at the same time has been strongly in favor of substantial improvements, including roads and drainage.
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WILLIAM O. SCHANLAUB. There are few better known edu- cators in Northwestern Indiana than William O. Schanlaub, now county superintendent of schools for Newton County. Ilis record shows that he is by no means a routine educator, but has dis- tinguished himself by constructive and progressive work in a num- ber of localities with which he has been identified.
His career also offers encouragement to tliose who have to struggle with circumstance and lack of opportunity. He educated himself, and then took up the great task of educating others and directing the school work of entige communities.
He was born in Rensselaer, Indiana, October 11, 1876, and his parents, John and Arminda Josephine Schanlaub, are both living at Rensselaer. His father has spent his active career as a farmer.
It has been said that a printing or newspaper office is the greatest university in the world. William O. Schanlaub, besides attending the regular schools, began learning the printer's trade when a boy, and was employed at different times in all the print shops at Rens- selaer. When about sixteen he began publishing a monthly paper at Rensselaer known as The Messenger, which he continued during 1892-93. In the meantime he had attended the common schools and high school at Rensselaer, and in 1893 he went to Morocco in Newton County to act as forcman of the mechanical department of the Morocco Courier, a position he held four years. For several terms Mr. Schanlaub attended the Indiana State Normal School in preparation for work as a teacher, and in 1905 he graduated from Valparaiso University.
His first work was done in the rural schools in 1897. In 1899 he was elected to a position in the grammar department in the Morocco public schools and he was elected principal of the high school there in 1901. In 1903 he was advanced to superintendent of the Morocco schools. In 1906 he obtained the first high school commission for Morocco. December 7, 1907, Mr. Schanlaub resigned his superintendency of the Morocco schools to become county superintendent of schools, and for nearly ten years has supervised the school system of Newton County.
While a democratic voter, Mr. Schanlaub has never been in any sense a politician, though he has rendered public service of the highest quality of value. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masons, being present secretary of the Masonic Lodge, is a member of the subordinate lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belongs to the Knights of Pythias, in which he was keeper of records and seals from 1903 to 1908, and is also a member of the Modern Wood- men of America. His church is the Presbyterian.
On June 15, 1910, at Chicago, Mr. Schanlaub married Edythe N. Spalding, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Spalding. Their one child died in infancy.
MR. AND MRS. JAMES A. WHALEY FAMILY GROUP
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ـدة .
ـعسلا
خصة تسيبهاالك
RESIDENCE OF MR. AND MRS. JAMES A. WHALEY
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REV. CHARLES W. POSTILL has exerted his principal influence on the life and affairs of Jasper and Newton Counties as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which he has served faithfully and well for more than twenty years. His interests have not been entirely confined to his profession, since he is a practical farmer and has kept in close touch with various public movements, espe- cially in his home city of Rensselaer.
He was bom at Medaryville, Pulaski County, Indiana, July 9, 1868, a son of William H. and Mary Ann Postill, the former an lenglishman and the latter of Scotch-Irish ancestry.
Reared on a farm, Mr. Postill had an ambition to acquire a liberal education, and while in college paid his own way. He attended Jasper County schools, the Rensselaer High School, and in 1895 graduated from DePauw University at Greencastle. For several years he was a farmer and for four years taught school in Jasper County.
He entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1895 by becoming a member of the Northwest Indiana Conference, and has filled the following posts, all in Indiana : Fontanet, 1895-97; Wingate, 1897-1903; Remington, 1903-06; Fowler, 1906-11 ; Attica, 1911-13; and Fair Oaks, 1913-16.
Besides his city residence at Rensselaer, Rev. Mr. Postill owns a first class farm of 201 acres five miles from that town, and of course is very much interested in all that affects the progress and welfare of Jasper County farmers. He is a member of the Jasper County Poultry Association. He is secretary of the board of trustees of the Monnett School for Girls at Rensselaer. Politically he is a republican and is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic order.
On September 3, 1890, at Rensselaer, Mr. Postill married Rebecca Elizabeth Richardson, who was born in LaPorte County, Indiana, and came to Rensselaer in 1886 with her parents, Daniel L. and Elizabeth J. Richardson. Mr. and Mrs. Postill had one daughter, Pauline, who died in infancy.
JAMES A. WHALEY. Of the men whose ability, industry and forethought have added to the character, wealth and progress of Newton County, none stands higher than James A. Whaley of Washington Township. A man of sterling worth of character, he has lived in this county practically all his life, and has won for himself an enviable prominence as a farmer, public spirited citizen and official, and a worker in behalf of every worthy cause.
He was born September 7, 1863, in Jay County, Indiana, a son of John F. and Ellen (Hosier) Whaley. His father was a native of Ohio. In 1863 the family came to Newton County and on the 4th of October of that year located in Washington Township. John F. Whaley followed farming as a renter for five years and then bought forty acres in Section 30, where he spent the rest of his
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days. He died in 1896. Hc led a quiet but exemplary life, one devoted to the best interests of the community, and in matters of public welfare was especially interested in and did all he could to further the building of good roads. For many years he held the office of township supervisor. He was a stanch republican and was especially active in the United Brethren Church. He was chairman of the committee that helped to put up the first church edifice in 1869, and afterwards assisted in remodeling it. He did not live to see the handsome new edifice costing over twelve thousand dollars completed.
Jatnes A. Whaley, who was the third in a family of twelve children, cight sons and four daughters, ten of whom are still living, grew up on the home farm of his parents and lived there until he was twenty-one. In the meantime he had attended the local schools, and wisely profited by such opportunities as were given him to advance his education and also improve his ability for grasping and grappling with the affairs of real life later on. On starting out for himself he was a renter for four years. Ilis first purchase was forty acres in Section 24 of Washington township. That has been his home ever since, but there have been many progressive steps in his prosperity since then, and it is all represented now by an cstate of 563 acres in Washington Township. This prosperity ivas due to economy, hard work and good management. In 1904 Mr. Whaley put up his splendid country home, and the commodious barn on the farm was built in 1910. Mr. Whaley is widely known over 'Newton County as a breeder of Percheron and Belgian horses, and has some of the best animals of that breed in Northwest Indiana. He also keeps full blooded cattle and hogs, and he possesses special ability in the management of stock. . About five years ago Mr. Whaley planted a large catalpa grove, and has added to it every year, and this plantation is one that will add greatly to the value of his land, since the catalpa is a tree of rapid growth and makes some of the best fence posts that can be found.
Mr. Whaley is also a member of the United Brethren Church in Washington Township, with which his father was so long identified, and was chairman of the building committee which crected the handsome church to replace the old place of worship. He has served as chairman of the board of trustees of the church for a number of years, and has also been superintendent of the Sunday school. He and his family are all regular attendants upon the worship in that denomination. In public affairs he served three years as a member of the board of county commissioners and was on the board when the present courthouse was erected. He has been an active republican, has filled ,a number of township offices such as supervisor and director of the school board, and is keenly alive to everything that concerns the real good and advancement of his township.
On March 23, 1887, Mr. Whaley married Miss Mahuldah Light.
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Mr. and Mrs. Whaley have had a happy married life of nearly thirty years, and during that time eleven children have been born into their home, six daughters and five sons, namely : Mabel D., Elmer M., Ina, Ellen, Zelda A., John F., Stella May, William Mckinley, Louis Maynard, Cecil L., and Laura Louise.
CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART, REMINGTON, INDIANA. Of the various parishes of the Catholic Church in Jasper County, that of the Church of the Sacred Heart, at Remington, has become one of distinct importance and large influence, so that there is all of con- sistency in giving in this publication a brief review of its history. From small beginnings the parish has been developed to its present condition of marked spiritual and temporal prosperity, and its affairs are now under the executive and ecclesiastical direction of Rev. Joachim Baker, who has been the able and revered pastoral incumbent since September, 1915, when he succeeded Rev. John M. Schmitz. Until the erection of the present fine church cdifice the title of the church was St. John's.
The first priest to serve the Catholic families of the Remington community was Rev. Joseph Stephan, who here continued his visita- tion from 1860 to 1870, in which latter year Rev. Anthony Mess- mann, residing at Kentland, began regular visitations to Remington, where he celebrated mass in the home of Timothy O'Connor, in the western part of the town. At the same time Rev. August Young, the incumbent of a pastoral charge at Rensselaer, celebrated mass at intervals in the residence of John Eck, about eight miles north- west of the Village of Remington, the number of church families in the limits of the present parish having been at that time about twenty-five. These conditions obtained until 1875, when a frame church, 25 by 70 feet in dimensions, was erected in Remington, this building now being utilized as the parish school and the same having been built under the superintendence of Father Messmann. At that time the parish purchased three village lots; in 1881 two more lots were acided; and in 1903 a tract of 11/2 lots was pur- chased, the three being combined to constitute the present parish landed property.
From 1876 to 1883 the mission parish at Remington was served and attended by the Franciscan Fathers. Rev. John Wellinghoff, O. F. M., visited the parish every two weeks from 1876 to 1879, and was succeeded by Rev. Guido Stallo, O. F. M., whose ministrations continued until 1881, when Rev. John B. Schroeder, O. F. M., initiated his successful pastoral service. Within his regime the sanctuary and sacristies were added to the original church edifice, and at this time the congregation numbered about forty families.
In 1883 the Remington parish received its first resident pastor, in the person of Rev. J. H. Werdein, who remained until #886, and under whose administration was erected a parochial residence, at a cost of about $700. The pastoral incumbents since that time Vol. II-11
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JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES
have been five in number, and their names and respective periods of service are here designated: Rev. Henry A. Hellhake, May, 1886, to August, 1893: Rev. M. Kelly, August to October, 1893; Rev. J. B. Berg, October 16, 1893, to July 4, 1905; Rev. George II. Ilorts- man, July 4, 1905, to July 6, 1910; Rev. Johu MI. Schmitz, July 6, 1910, 10 September 1. 1915; Rev. Joachim Baker, September 1, 1915. to the present time.
In 1899 Father Berg broke ground for the present substantial and beautiful church edifice, which was completed under his careful supervision and which was dedicated two years later, on the 22d of July, 1901, when it was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The old frame church was moved across the street and converted into a parochial school building, at an expense of $1,500. The school was opened in September. 1903, and has become a most important adjunct of the parish work. At the inception the school was placed in charge of two Franciscan Sisters from the City of Lafayette, and the number of pupils was fifty-four. The success of the work of the parish school is indicated by the fact that its enrollment of pupils now numbers 107, three sisters being retained as teachers.
The Church of the Sacred Heart has all of its activities well organized and maintained in vital and successful order, including the work of the two sodalities, for married women and young women respectively, and the Holy Name Society, the membership of which is composed of the men of the parish. There has been developed .also in connection with the parish a vigorous organization of the Catholic Order of Foresters. The total number of families repre- sented in the church membership is approximately 100, implying a congregation of about 470 persons.
Father Schmitz was born in the diocese of the ancient City of Treves, Rhenish Prussia, on the joth of January, 1876, and was seven years of age at the time of the family immigration to the United States. After due preliminary discipline he entered St. Joseph's College, at Kirkwood, Missouri, where he completed his classical course, and his philosophical and theological courses were taken at Mount St. Mary's Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Elder, on the 16th of June, 1899, and thercafter he served as assistant priest at Avilla, Noble County, Indiana, from July 2, 1899, until the following Sep- tember, when he became assistant priest of an important parish in the City of Muncie, this state, where he remained until Igoo, on the 13th of July of which year he became pastor of Immaculate Con- ception Church and outlying missions at Auburn, Dekalb County. Of the charge last mentioned he continued the incumbent until he assumed the pastorate of the Church of the Sacred Heart on the 6th of July, 1910.
In 1906 Father Schmitz was favored in being able to make a somewhat extended trip in Europe, and it was a matter of eminent
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JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES
satisfaction to him that on that occasion he was granted the privilege of audience with the revered head of the church, Pope Pius X.
LEWIS W. HUNT. For more than sixty years the Hunt family have been identified with that section of Jasper County included in Carpenter Township. They have led quiet, industrious and honor- able lives, and aside from the prosperity which is invariably asso- ciated with the name the characteristic of sterling honesty has likewise impressed itself upon all who knew them.
For many years the late Basil Hunt held a high place in that locality. Basil Hunt, who was of English descent, was born Febru- ary 27, 1830, in Randolph County, Indiana, a son of Lewis W. and Anna (Denton) Hunt, both of whom were natives of Kentucky. From Randolphi County, Indiana, Basil Hunt went with the family to Missouri at the age of eleven, and when eighteen years old went to Illinois, and at nineteen, following a visit back to his birth- place in Randolph County, moved to Jordans Grove in White County. That was about 1849, and while living there he was married in 1852 to Talitha C. Jordan, a daughter of William and Catherine (Sexton) Jordan. Her parents were among the very earliest settlers of White County. Immediately after his marriage Basil Hunt moved to what is now Section 13, Carpenter Township, Jasper County. Subsequently he moved to Section 14, and at that location carried on his varied pursuits as a farmer and stock raiser until his death.on March 19, 1908, when he was laid to rest in Egypt Cenie- tery in Jordan Township. His wife, Talitha, had died April 11, 1898, and is also at rest in the same cemetery. They were the parents of nine children : Martha E., Oscar J., Anna J., William J., and Mary E., all deceased; Edgar B., who lives at Ashland, Oregon ; Lydia E. and Lewis W., twins, both of whom are living on the old farm in Carpenter Township; and Malinda J., the wife of Frank Jordan, living in Remington.
The late Basil Hunt was a republican, but never sought any political office in the community. He and his wife were active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Physically he was portly and strong, and possessed some decided characteristics. A man of common school education, he was an original thinker, worked out his own ideas and having once convinced himself of any fact was very difficult to move from his position. He enjoyed a con- siderable reputation as a public speaker, and was always a good citizen. Though somewhat high tempered he got over his anger quickly, and never had any serious difficulties with his neighbors. He was successful as a farmer and stock man, and at the time of his death owned 240 acres of land, all of which represented his hard work and good management.
Lewis W. Hunt, a son of Basil, and one of the best known farmers of Carpenter Township, was born in Section 14, Range 6, in that township, February 18, 1865. This has been his home all
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his life, and since early manhood his occupations have been identi- fied with farming and stock growing. Mr. Hunt has never married, and with his twin sister, Lydia, now owns the fine farm of 160 acres, located two miles northwest of Remington, and known as the "Balm in Gilead" farm. Mr. Hunt has made himself a factor in the forwarding of local improvements, and an evidence of this is to be found in the fact that the L. W. Hunt gravel road is one of the fine thoroughfares of the county, and passes one side of his farm. Ile also owns some stock in the Farmers Co-operative Ele- vator Company at Remington. He is a member of the official board of the Methodist Church, and his sister is also an active worker in the same church. In politics he is a republican, but has never looked for any official honors from the party organization.
BURDETT PORTER. Born and reared in Jasper County, Mr. Porter has here been closely identified with the basic industry of agriculture from the time of his boyhood to the present, and he is now one of the progressive farmers and stock-growers of Carpenter Township, where he owns a well improved homestead that he has accumulated through his own well ordered endeavors. He is one of the appre- ciative and public-spirited citizens of the county that has always represented his home, and he has here a circle of friends that is limited only by that of his acquaintances. His loyalty and activity in connection with local affairs of a public order are indicated by the fact that in November, 1914, he was elected trustee of Carpenter Township, in which office he is giving a characteristically earnest and circumspect administration. Adequate record concerning the family history appears on other pages of this work, in the sketch of the career of his father, John J. Porter.
Burdett Porter was born in Jordan Township, this county, on the 27th day of July, 1871, and he was about one year old at the time of the family removal to Carpenter Township, which has represented his home during the intervening years. As a boy he began to assist in the work of the home farm, and his preliminary education was acquired in the district schools, after which he availed himself of the advantages of the high school in the Village of Remington. He continued to be associated with the affairs of the home farm of his father until he had attained to the age of twenty- two years, when he initiated his independent career as a farmer. His prior experience of practical order, combined with his energy, progressiveness and good business judgment, enabled him to achieve success in his venture, and he has made good improvements on his fine little farm of thirty-five acres, the property having been paid for by him through his own exertions and good business management.
Mr. Porter accords staunch allegiance to the republican party, and as a candidate on its ticket he was elected, in the autumn of 1914, to the office in which he is now serving with marked efficiency and loyalty, that of township trustee. He is affiliated with the
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MR. AND MRS. FRED LYONS FAMILY GROUP
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Masonic fraternity, Lodge No. 337, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, No. 58, and he accords liberal support to the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which his wife is a zealous member. His. homestead farm is about 572 miles distant from the Village of Rem- ington, which is his postoffice address and from which he receives the rural mail-delivery service.
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