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 4
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 4
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Occupying the fifth position among these children of William and Mary Meyers, George F. Meyers was born July 18, 1862, near Cincinnati, Ohio, where were also born his brothers and sisters. He was ten years of age when brought to Jasper County and for more than thirty years has been one of the leading citizens, a teacher, farmer, real estate man and leader in public affairs.
His boyhood days were spent on the home farm, and his body and mind were developed by the duties of the household and the fields and in the meantime he profited by attendance at the district schools. For five terms he had charge of a school in one of the country districts of Jasper County, and in the intervals of this work was also a farmer. Farming was his regular vocation up to 1895, at which time he embarked in the real estate business at Kinman. Since 1902 Mr. Meyers has lived at Rensselaer and is one of the old established and reliable real estate dealers of the city.
For one year he served by appointment as a member of the city council, and in 1909 was elected mayor and gave an administra- tion of that office through the term of four years which is still remembered gratefully by all friends of progress and improvement. Mr. Meyers is a republican. He was married February 16, 1890, to Anna L. Kennedy. Their two children are named Floyd and Nellie.
WILLIAM I. HOOVER. The unique honor of being the first demo- cratic sheriff of Jasper County belongs to William I. Hoover of Rensselaer. It is also the consensus of opinion in the county that the office was never filled by a more capable man and in a more capable manner than during the four years of Mr. Hoover's in-
David H yeoman
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cumbency. He has grown up in the county, has been known by its citizens all his life, and has a large acquaintance extending into every township. Since leaving office Mr. Hoover has been in busi- ness at Rensselaer, but most of his active life was spent as a farmer and stock man.
Born on a farm in Marion Township of Jasper County, Febru- ary 19, 1870, William I. Hoover is a son of William M. and Nancy J. (Adams) Hoover. Mr. Hoover has two brothers. He grew up in his home township, and spent his youth in assisting in the work of the home farm and in attending neighboring district schools. At the age of twenty-one he started out for himself as a fariner, but made his home with his parents until the age of twenty-six. On June 3, 1896, Mr. Hoover married Miss Alta May Smith, daughter of Jesse Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Hoover then started to make a home for themselves, he having bought 120 acres of land, and for several years conducted his operations as a farmer in conjunction with stock raising.
A democrat in politics, Mr. Hoover has for a number of years been one of the leaders in the party and his own personal popularity has been an important element in the party strength. In 1908 he ivas the unsuccessful nominee of the democratic party for the office of sheriff, but in 1910 overcame the opposition and won the election from the same rival with whom he had contested the campaign in 1908. Mr. Hoover was elected by a majority of ninety-nine votes, and his election attracted special attention because of the fact that he was the first democrat to have succeeded in getting himself chosen to that position. In 1912 his reelection came with a majority of 599 votes. In 1914 Mr. Hoover was unsuccessful candidate for the office of county treasurer. Since 1912 he has been the resident agent of Rensselaer for the Ford motor car.
Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias No. 82, the Modern Woodmen of America No. 4412 and the Improved Order of Red Men. Mrs. Hoover is a member of the Christian Church. To their marriage have been born four children: Victor B., Frank Donald, William Emmet, now deceased; and Irene.
DAVID H. YEOMAN. It is doubtful if Jasper County has a more widely and better known citizen than Capt. David H. Yeoman of Rensselaer. It is certain that no one has more interesting associa- tions with Jasper County's history and growth. It will be recalled . that members of the Yeoman family including his father and his maternal grandfather were the very first white settlers on the site of the present City of Rensselaer. Captain Yeoman made a splendid record as a soldier in the Civil war and is the present commander of the Grand Army Post at Rensselaer. While for more than half a century he has owned and cultivated a large farm, his name has also been prominent in public affairs, and members of the present genera- tion need not be reminded of his high position and value as a citizen.
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On the old Yeoman homestead in Jasper County he was born September 26, 1841, a son of Joseph D. and Sarah (Nowels) Yeo- man. Joseph D. Yeoman was born in Fayette County, Ohio, No- vember 17, 1803. He married there Miss Sarah Nowels, a daughter of John Nowels. In the early years of the decade of the '30s Joseph - D. Yeoman and John Nowels came to Jasper County, where so far as records are obtainable they were the first permanent white settlers. They located on the present side of Rensselaer, but Joseph Yeoman subsequently moved to Newton Township and still later to what is now Union Township, and in the latter locality converted a tract of Government land into a substantial farm. He died there March 12, 1846. He was one of the most industrious and influential of the very early settlers. His wife had the distinction of being the first white woman to come to Jasper County, and too much could not be said of her courage and fortitude in facing the dangers and priva- tions of life on the extreme frontier. She survived her husband several years. These honored pioneers now rest in the Makeever cemetery. Their children were: Cynthia, who died in childhood; Helen, who was born January 4, 1833, and died October 13, 1860, as the wife of David M. Warne; Thomas J., who was born Septem- ber 26, 1837, the first white child born within the borders of Jasper County, and died February 17, 1867; David H .; and Sarah who married Frederick J. Lang of Jasper County.
In the wild district of what was then Jasper County David H. Yeoman grew to youth and manhood. From boyhood he was fond of outdoor lite and all the pursuits and activities of the new and un- developed country in which he was born. He attended one of the old fashioned log schoolhouses. Its floor was made puncheon, the seats were slab benches supported by pins, and the instruction was strictly limited to the three R's. There were few men or women either in that period who led the sedentary life of modern people, and book learning and culture were not so valuable as they are now considered. While Mr. Yeoman had only the bare essentials of a literary education, he learned and practiced all the arts of the free life of the farmer and hunter. He showed unusual skill as a hunter, and shot many decr and other kinds of wild game in Jasper County.
It was this training no doubt that made him a good soldier when his country needed him. Early in the war he enlisted in the Forty- eighth Indiana Regiment, fought at the battles of Shiloh and Iuka, and then after about a year of service was discharged on account of disability at Corinth. Returning home he assisted in organizing a company of Home Guards, in which he was first lieutenant and drill master. Soon afterwards he assisted Edwin P. Hammond, afterwards colonel of the Eighty-seventh Regiment, and still later honored as a member of the Indiana judiciary, in recruiting a regi- ment. He went to the front with the new regiment, the Eighty- seventh, and became first lieutenant of its Company A. This regi-
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ment took part in some of the great campaigns which finally brought the war to a close in the western part of the Confederacy. He was in the Atlanta campaign, the 100 days' fighting, and from Atlanta followed Sherman to the sea, cutting a swath through the Cracker State sixty miles wide, being with the Fourteenth Army Corps. At the close of the war on account of his services he received the brevet rank of captain. After participating in the Grand Review at Washington, one of the grandest military parades given in the history of the United States, he was mustered out in June, 1865, and was soon afterward at home and actively resuming the quiet routine of agricultural life.
The old Yeoman homestead which Captain Yeoman cultivated for some years finally came into his possession, and it was the basis for his business career, and in the old home he reared his children and gathered about him the many friends who hold him in such esteem. His farming operations were for a number of years con- ducted on nearly 600 acres of land.
On October 5, 1865, soon after he returned from the army, Cap- tain Yeoman married Miss Mary E. Morris, daughter of James T. and Elizabeth (Hershman) Morris. The Morris family came to Jasper County in 1851, and James T. Morris died here in April, 1895, being survived by his widow. Mrs. Yeoman died October 4, 1910, and is now at rest in the Weston Cemetery. To their marriage were born eight children, as follows: Elpha L .; Dallas M .; Victor P .; Daisy D. ; James F .; Harriett M .; David V .; and Etta B. Har- riett is the wife of Albert Hopkins, of Rensselaer, and she is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Etta B., who was born in 1873, died February 6, 1895.
Captain Yeoman is now the oldest member of the Masonic Lodge at Rensselaer. He and his family were formerly members of the Methodist Church, but now belong to the First Presbyterian Church. He has at various times taken a very active part in local organizations. He served as president of the Jasper County Agri- cultural Society, as a member of the State Board of Agriculture, and was formerly prominent in Grange movements and was president of the State Alliance. As a soldier he was aligned with the great political party which carried off the principles for which the war was fought, but when that program had been effected he found him- self more in line with other political ideas. In 1884 he was a can- didate for the State Legislature on the democratic ticket. In 1892 he was candidate for Congress as a populist. In 1898 he was demo- cratic candidate for joint representative of Jasper and Lake counties. In all these campaigns, while he was on the minority ticket, he showed such exceptional strength that he led his ticket by a large . number of votes.
MARION L. SPITLER. Probably no one name has been for a longer time and with more of the honors that come from useful
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service identified with Jasper and Newton Counties than that of Spitler. They came to this section of Indiana nearly eighty years ago. Their original home was Virginia, and from that state they brought the hospitable traits which have always distinguished the family. In the different generations the members have been up- right and conscientious citizens, have made creditable business records, have also figured in the professions, and have performed their share of both military and civil service.
The late Marion L. Spitler, who died at Rensselaer on November 19, 1899, was the type of citizen whose career well deserves record in this publication. He was born in Warren County, Indiana, March 12, 1836, and was a son of George W. Spitler, the founder of the family in this section of Indiana. George W. Spitler was a Virginian, and came West and after looking over the lands of dif- ferent sections finally located at what is now known as Beaver City in Newton County, Indiana. That was during the decade of the '30s. He had married back in Ohio, Malinda Hirschman, and they had three children that reached maturity : Marion L., Thomas J. and Virginia, the latter becoming the wife of Judge E. P. Han- mond of Lafayette. George W. Spitler was one of the foremost figures of his day in Newton and Jasper counties. When Jasper County was created by separation from Newton he moved to Rensselaer, the new county seat, and lived there the rest of his days. He held various county offices, and among other attainments was a sound lawyer. He was killed by lightning in August, 1863. His two sons spent all their lives in Jasper County.
Marion L. Spitler grew up in Rensselaer, and acquired his pri- mary education in the public schools and then entered the noted old Indiana institution, Wabash College, from which he was graduated in 1854, with the degrees Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts. For a time he was an educator, and also clerked in the store of Isaac D. Stackhouse in Rensselaer. He was the member of the family who made a military record which will always be prized by his descendants. During the Civil war he was a lieutenant in Com- pany A of the 87th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and when he left the army was first lieutenant. From the army he returned home, and in 1868 was elected county clerk of Jasper County and-served two terms of four years each. He also served a term in the State Legislature. On leaving the office of the county clerk he entered a partnership with Simon P. and David J. Thompson in the practice of law and in handling real estate. In 1896, when Simon P. Thomp- son was elected to the bench, Mr. Spitler retired from the active cares of life. He was a commanding figure in Jasper County, was often sought for advice, and inherited from his father the fine hospitality which always characterized his home life. His father before him was a democrat, but Marion Spitler after coming out of the war allied himself with the republican interests. He was generous to a fault, and kind and courteous at all times.
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Marion L. Spitler married Mary E. Burnham, who was born in the State of Maine, and they first became acquainted in Kansas. To their marriage were born nine children, and the four now living are: Marian E., wife of Ferman B. Leaming; Charles G .; Maude E .; and Marion L., who is now living in Oklahoma City. Mr. Spit- ler like his father before him, was affiliated with the Masons Lodge No. 125 and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows No. 143.
Charles G. Spitler, who continues the family relationship in Jasper County to the third generation, was born at Rensselaer February 18, 1868, and his schooling ended with the high school. At the age of nineteen he entered his father's abstract office, and has been chiefly identified with that line of business ever since. He now has the only complete set of abstract books in Jasper County. In politics Mr. Spitler is a republican, and has served many years as city councilinan and on November 13, 1913, was elected mayor, a position he still holds, giving an efficient administration to the muni- cipal affairs of that progressive little city. He is secretary and treasurer of the Commercial Club and in Masonry has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and is also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias Castle Hall No. 82.
On April 1, 1886, Charles G. Spitler married Mildred B. Powell, daughter of John W. Powell, who is remembered as a former sheriff of Jasper County and is now living at Washington, D. C. Mr. and Mrs. Spitler have three children: Mildred E., wife of Delos M. Coen of South Bend; Woodhull I .; and Elizabeth V., wife of Horace M. Clark. Mr. Charles G. Spitler for years has been clerk of sales all over the county. He and his wife and children are members of the Presbyterian Church.
Woodhull I. Spitler, who was born December 14, 1887, is a graduate of the State University of Wisconsin, and is now associated with his father in the abstract, real estate and other lines of business. He was married September 2, 1913, to Edna M. Hau- ter.
EDWARD C. ENGLISH, M. D. The practical work and the influence of a capable physician are not to be measured by the ordinary standards of individual accomplishment. No profession has greater opportunities for real service to humanity, and though the work of the real doctor cannot be displayed by the same symbols which measure performance in the other industries and arts, it is nevertheless of such great human importance that it cannot be too frequently emphasized. During the past twenty years one of the men who have worked conscientiously and with a high degree of skill in the performance of their duties as physicians and surgeons in Jasper County is Dr. Edward C. English.
The name of Dr. English has become familiar to an ever widening circle of friends and patients since he first opened his office at Rensselaer in April, 1896. He was born February 14, 1861,
Vol. II-3
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at Danville, Illinois, a son of Joseph G. and Mary ( Hicks) English. His father was one of the most prominent bankers at Danville, and for many years served as president of the First National Bank of that city from its organization in 1863. He was also a member of the State Board of Equalization of Illinois and well known over the State as a banker and citizen. He died at Danville in 1910 at the age of ciglity-nine.
Dr. English was reared in his home city, and his training in the public schools was supplemented by a course at the Illinois Wes- leyan College in Bloomington, from which he was graduated in 1884 with the degree Bachelor of Science. Then followed several years of varied occupation and experience, principally in the west- ern states. In 1891 he took up the study of medicine under Dr. M. S. Brown at Danville and in the same year matriculated at Rush Medical College in Chicago, where he was graduated M. D. in 1895. This preliminary training in one of the best known schools of medical instruction in the country was supplemented by one year as interne in the Wabash Railway Hospital at Moberly, Missouri, after which he came to Rensselaer, where for many years he has been in the front rank of physicians and surgeons in Jasper County. He is a member of the Jasper and Newton Counties Medi- cal societies and the State Medical Society and also the American Medical Association.
Fraternally his affiliations are with the Masonic order, Prairie Lodge No. 125, the Knights of Pythias, Castle Hall No. 82, and the Modern Woodmen of America, Camp No. 4412. In politics he is a republican. Dr. English has given some capable service as county health officer for four years, was for seven years on the County Board of Charities, and for a similar time was a member ยท of the City School Board at Rensselaer.
On September 11, .1889, Doctor English married Lucy Belle Brown of Danville, Illinois. They have two sons, Walter M. and Harry E. Doctor English and wife are members of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church and he is one of the trustees of the organiza- tion at Rensselaer.
CLARK MCCOLLY AND BENJAMIN D. MCCOLLY. While the McColly family was not identified with Jasper County in its earliest pioneer development, it has lived there and has made its influence and activities felt in many useful ways for nearly half a century. The late Clark McColly was one of the good and upright men of his generation, and did much to make the name respected in this county. Recently the citizens called his son, Benjamin D., from the ranks of private life to become sheriff of Jasper County, an office in which his service is more than a justification of the confi- dence expressed in his ability by his many friends and political followers.
The late Clark McColly was born in Clark County, Ohio, May
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24, 1818, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. He grew to manhood in Ohio and received a good practical education, so that when still in his teens he was engaged as a teacher. In Ohio he married Mary Hance, and soon after that event, with his wife and with his parents, Willis and Phoebe McColly, he removed to Delaware County, Indiana, where his parents spent the remainder of their lives. Clark McColly became a substantial farmer in Delaware County, and that he was well known there is indicated by the fact that he was elected sheriff of the county in 1852. After one term of two years he was re-elected, and held the office four years. It was in 1867 that Clark McColly brought his family to Jasper County, locating six miles north and west of Rensselaer in Marion Town- ship. Later in 1870 he moved to Bartley Township, where he had bought 160 acres. The greater part of his remaining years were spent in that locality but he died at his home eight miles north and west of Rensselaer. Clark McColly is perhaps best remembered in Jasper County for his many years of capable service as justice of the peace. He possessed a considerable knowledge of the law, and was admitted to the bar, although he was not a lawyer in the present sense of the term. "Squire" McColly, as he was generally known, settled more cases out of court than in. By natural endow- ment he possessed the judicial temperament and his practical sense and his judgment of fairness led him to be often called in to settle minor or even greater disputes arising in the community. Physically he was a little less than the medium build, but was energetic in everything he undertook, an admirable neighbor, kind and considerate. 'He was unusually well informed, and whenever he expressed an opinion it was invariably based upon good sense and sound judgment. In religious belief he was a Universalist, and in "politics first affiliated with the whig and later with the republican party. For many years, he belonged to the Masonic fraternity, and was an ardent believer in its principles and teachings. His death occurred in 1895, survived by his widow until 1904. To them were born a family of thirteen children, seven of whom are still living.
Benjamin D. McColly, who has spent the greater part of his life in Jasper County, was born in Delaware County, Indiana, October 25, 1863, and was only four years of age when brought to Jasper County hy his parents. He grew up on a farm, and his edu- cation came from the district schools. When twenty years old he started out for himself and for three or four years made himself useful and at the same time gained much practical experience as clerk in different stores. On April 20, 1889, he married Melvina E. Abbett, daughter of Abraham and Sarah E. (Abbott ) Abbett.
After his marriage Mr. McColly followed farming for a time, . and from 1892 to 1896 was deputy sheriff of Jasper County under C. W. Hanley, the present judge of the 30th Judicial Circuit. Following his term as deputy sheriff Mr. McColly lived at Chicago Heights, Cook County, Illinois, until 1912, and for the greater part
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of that time was salesman for a bridge concern. On returning to Jasper County he located at Rensselaer and continued in bridge work until called to his present position. He was elected sheriff in the general election of 1914, and began his official duties early in 1915.
Mr. McColly is a republican. To his marriage have been born four children : Ethel C .; Nellie, wife of Carl Heinz; Harry and Walter Delos.
JAY WESLEY WILLIAMS. There are some men who, when they die, a whole community mourns ; who leave behind a fragrant memory of good deeds and kindly words, to be long treasured in the heart after they have passed away. Such a man was the late Jay W. Williams of Rensselaer, Jasper County, Indiana, whose period of earthly existence came to an end November 17, 1908, he being then in his sixty-fourth year. Mr. Williams was born in Marion, Ohio, April 14, 1845, his parents being Judge Joseph J. and Jane S. (Beatty) Williams. He was reared and educated in the public schools of his native city and after graduation from the high school taught for one term. He then learned the tinner's trade in Marion, serving a three years' apprenticeship. It was during the war, in 1864, that he went to Nashville, Tennessee, to work at his trade, but after twenty days' stay there he returned to Ohio and enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, on May 2, 1864, being mustered in May 12th. Two days later he was sent to the front. His military service, however, was short, as, owing to ill health, he was mustered out August 31, of the same year. Upon recovering his health he went to Logansport, Indiana, in December, 1864, and there worked at his trade until he went into the hardware business in that city, in company with his brother, John B., who had also served in the war and was a commissioned officer, having been made captain. In July, 1868, he moved to Kent- land, Newton County, Indiana, and was there engaged for a number of years in the hardware business. . While a resident of that city he was married, June 29, 1871, to Miss Cordelia Makeever, who was born in the little log cabin home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Makeever, in Newton Township, Jasper County, Indiana, April 29, 1846. In April, 1883, Mr. Williams moved to Rensselaer, Jasper County, and embarked in the banking business with his father-in- law, Mr. Makeever. Later he added the furniture business to his regular occupation of banking. In the meanwhile he acquired large real estate holdings, to which he devoted a considerable part of his time, especially after he and Mr. Makeever had retired from bank- ing. A republican in politics, Mr. Williams served as a member of the county council in 1903 and 1905, and at the time of his death was a member of the city council. He was a Royal Arch Mason, a Knight of Pythias and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. When but a small boy he joined the Methodist Church,
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