USA > Indiana > White County > A standard history of White County Indiana : an authentic narrative of the past, with an extended survey of modern developments in the progress of town and county, Vol. II > Part 15
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
After the war Mr. Smith returned to the quiet vocation of farming, and on October 14, 1869, married Emma B. Lane, daughter of Abraham C. and Eliza Robinson (Wooley) Lane. To their marriage were born five children: Robert Colfax; William Haymond, deceased; Nellie G., wife of Luther Larue, of Kent, Ohio; Maud L .; and Eliza D., deceased.
While a farmer Mr. Smith gained a considerable local reputation for his success in the raising of blooded Durham cattle, Shropshire sheep and the Poland China hogs. At one time he owned a property of 340 acres, and still owns 164 acres in Big Creek and Honey Creek townships. In September, 1902, he gave up active supervision of his farming inter- ests, and has since lived in Monticello. He is a stockholder and director in the White County Loan and Trust Savings Company. While a stanch republican in politics, he has steadfastly refused any official honors, and has no public record save that of a good citizen.
648
HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY
SANFORD JOHNSONBAUGH. For more than a quarter of a century the mercantile interests of Monticello, Indiana, have been capably and worthily represented by Sanford Johnsonbaugh. A progressive, enter- prising and energetic man, early in his career Mr. Johnsonbaugh learned the lesson that individual prosperity depended in large part upon com- munity success, and therefore, while his own interests have been growing, he has not neglected to aid his fellow citizens in promoting the welfare of the town.
Mr. Johnsonbaugh has been a resident of Indiana all his life, having been born in Wayne County, November 11, 1851, a son of Henry and Christina (Condo) Johnsonbaugh. The parents were natives of Penn- sylvania, and from that state as young people moved with their respective families to Wayne County, Indiana, where they met and were married. In 1856 Mr. and Mrs. Johnsonbaugh removed to about two miles south- east of Idaville, in White County, Indiana, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Mr. Johnsonbaugh was a man of no strik- ingly predominant qualities save his sturdy honesty and integrity, characteristics which made him highly esteemed by the citizens of his community who elected him several times to the office of township trustee.
Sanford Johnsonbaugh was a child of five years when his parents removed to White County, and here he grew to manhood, the major part of his education being secured in the district schools. He was brought up on the home farm, amid agricultural surroundings, and assisted his father until twenty-five years of age, and in the meantime taught for three terms in the local country schools. He then came to Monticello and for eight years was a teacher in the public schools, and during a period of five years, beginning about 1884, served as township trustee and deputy postmaster, and wrote insurance. Eventually Mr. Johnsonbaugh turned his attention to the grocery business, and in this has continued to be engaged to the present time, at present having an excellent trade, attracted from the surrounding vicinity. Mr. Johnson- baugh carries a full line of high-class staple and fancy groceries, and makes a practice of studying the needs and wishes of his trade. He has been honorable and straightforward in his dealings, and thus has gained a substantial reputation in commercial circles. In politics a democrat, he has exerted some influence in behalf of the securing of good measures, although his business has kept him engaged to the exclusion of active participation in affairs of a public character. With his family he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his fraternal connection is with the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows No. 107, in which he has numerous friends.
649
HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY
On December 23, 1877, Mr. Johnsonbaugh was united in marriage with Miss Tura Anderson, who died November 1, 1907, after having been the mother of four children: Earl, who married May Leonard; Anna, who died at the age of eight years; Gail, who became the wife of Rev. Frank P. Morris; and Lloyd, who died when eleven months old. On August 23, 1909, Mr. Johnsonbaugh was married to Mrs. Serena (Phil- lips) Lowe, who by her former husband had four children. Mrs. John- sonbaugh had wedded Gustave Lowe, and of their children the following are living and are residents of White County : Charles, an agriculturist of White County, married Miss Mary McCuaig and they have four chil- dren ; William, a retired agriculturist living in Monticello, married Miss M. Warfel; Amy, wife of Charles Jackson, and a resident of Monticello, and they have three children; and Harry, a farmer, of Monticello, wedded Miss Grace Rawlings. Mrs. Johnsonbaugh died November 2, 1913, and her remains are interred in the Bedford Cemetery in White County. She was an admirable lady, of pleasing personality and her home was the dearest place on earth to her. She had a host of friends. Her presence in the family circle is sadly missed by her devoted husband and her children.
MICHAEL BIEDERWOLF. Among the men who have stepped aside from the path of active labor in order to let pass the members of the younger generation with their unrealized hopes and worthy ambitions is found Michael Biederwolf, who for many years was engaged in the undertaking and retail lumber business at Monticello. Although well advanced in years, Mr. Biederwolf still takes an interest in the affairs of the com- munity in which he has lived so long, and among whose people he bears such a high reputation for sterling integrity and probity of character.
Mr. Biederwolf was born in Bavaria, Germany, and there grew to manhood, receiving a common school education and learning the trade of carpenter. He was still a young man when, in 1852, feeling that Amer- ica offered better opportunities for advancement than did his native land, he embarked on a sailing vessel whose destination was New York. The journey was an exceedingly rough one, and almost constant storms delayed the cruise so that it consumed twenty-three days to accomplish, during which time almost every member of the crew and a number of the passengers were injured by falling spars and in other accidents. Port was finally made, however, and Mr. Biederwolf went to Reading, Penn- sylvania, where he secured employment at his trade. There he met and married Abbie Schnetzer, also a native of Bavaria, who had come to this country in young womanhood, and about the year 1862 they came West to Indiana and settled at Brookston, White County. After several years
650
HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY
the family moved to Monticello, and here Mr. Biederwolf continued to follow his trade until he had accumulated, through hard work and thrift, the means with which to embark in the retail lumber business. To this he subsequently added undertaking, and the conduct of these enter- prises continued to occupy his attention until his retirement, several years ago, when he sold out to his son, George. He is now living quietly at his home at Monticello, at the age of eighty-three years, Mrs. Bieder- wolf having died in 1909.
GEORGE BIEDERWOLF is one of the nine children, of whom five are liv- ing, born to Michael and Abbie (Schnetzer) Biederwolf, and was born at Reading, Pennsylvania, December 30, 1859. He has passed practically his entire life in White County, where his youthful years were spent much the same as other lads of his locality and generation, the winter months in the district schools and the summers principally at farming. On attaining manhood he began working for his father in the lumber business, in which he later purchased a half interest, and when his father was ready to retire he succeeded him in the ownership and management of his lumber venture. In addition to these interests he is a stock- holder and vice president of the White County Loan, Trust and Savings Company and a half owner of the Forbis Hotel at Monticello. A man of much business capacity, he is held in high esteem by his associates, who place the utmost confidence in his foresight. In politics Mr. Bieder- wolf is a democrat, but is independent in his views, and refuses to be bound strictly by party ties. His fraternal connection is with the Knights of Pythias, Castle Hall Lodge No. 73, at Monticello, and he and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mr. Biederwolf was married September 4, 1884, to Miss Evaline Price, daughter of Joseph and Ellen (Cochell) Price, early settlers of Carroll County, Indiana. Three children have been born to this union : Abbie E., Fred P. and Dorothy. Abbie graduated from the Monticello High School with the class of 1903, and then entered De Pauw Univer- sity, and was a student there four terms. She graduated from the Oberlin Music School in Oberlin, Ohio, with the class of 1907. She is now the wife of Spencer Carson, residents of Monticello, Indiana. Fred P. was educated in the public schools, and is his father's assistant. He wedded Miss Grace Wilson, and they are residents of Monticello. Doro- thy is with her parents. She graduated from the Monticello public schools with the class of 1911, and during the past four years has been a student in the Conservatory of Music at Oberlin, and will graduate with the class of 1916.
651
HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY
HOBART FAIRFIELD. As a graduate veterinary surgeon, Hobart Fair- field has been known to the farmers and stock owners of White County for five years. He is the founder and proprietor of the Monticello Veterinary Hospital, an institution that in point of equipment and gen- eral facilities ranks with the best of its kind in the state. He has spent a large amount of money and utilized his varied experience and observa- tion in equipping this hospital with all the conveniences for the care and treatment of the domestic animals that come under his charge.
Hobart Fairfield was born in Quebec, Canada, July 31, 1883, a son of Samuel and Helen (Phelps) Fairfield. Both parents were born in Canada and his father died October 21, 1914, while the mother is still living in Quebec. His father was a farmer and stock raiser. Mr. Fair- field is of English, Irish and Scotch descent.
His early education was obtained in the Canadian schools, and in 1900 he went to Lowell, Massachusetts, remaining there about two and a half years. After another year in Canada, in 1903, he took charge of the State Colony for Insane at Grafton, Massachusetts, holding that position about two years. He then had charge of a ward in the Hartford Retreat Hospital at Hartford, Connecticut, and next entered the Grand Rapids Veterinary College. During the vacations he served as guard for the criminal and dangerous insane at Ionia, Michigan. Later for a short time he was in the service of the Presbyterian Hospital in Chicago, and then accepted a place with the State Hospital in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. In the fall of 1908 Mr. Fairfield entered the McKillip Veterinary Col- lege at Chicago, and was graduated in 1910 with the degree Doctor of Veterinary Surgery. In the meantime, during vacations, he had been connected with the MeEvers Veterinary Hospital, so that when he came to White County in 1910 he was thoroughly trained and qualified both in the practical and theoretical branches of his profession. He took up active practice at Chalmers in 1910, and in May, 1912, moved to Monti- cello. The Monticello Veterinary Hospital he built in 1914.
On April 2, 1910, Mr. Fairfield married Miss Evelyn German, daugh- ter of Israel and Susan German. He is republican in politics, is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men, belonged to the Sixth Massachusetts Infantry of the State Militia while a resident of Lowell, and his wife is a member of the Christian Church.
WILLIAM E. UHL. On March 4, 1915, death removed one of the veteran members of the White County bar. William E. Uhl, in the estimation of his fellow lawyers, represented much of the best ability of his profession.
He was born in Carroll County, Indiana, October 25. 1848, his
652
HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY
parents being Peter and Emma (Saunders) Uhl, his father a farmer by occupation.
After the death of his mother, which occurred when he was five years of age, he came to the home of his grandparents, William and Matilda Saunders, at Monticello, and lived with them until 1857. Soon afterwards he returned to live with his father and stepmother at Delphi, and shortly afterwards the family removed to Fulton County, where he spent the rest of his boyhood on a farm. In the meantime he had attended the neighboring schools, and at the age of twenty secured a certificate and did his first work as a teacher. Altogether he taught through three winters. In the spring of 1870 Mr. Uhl took up the study of law in the office of Hon. A. W. Reynolds at Monticello. He was admitted to the bar in the spring of 1872, and at once took up active practice at Monticello, which city remained his home the rest of his life.
Mr. Uhl was a democrat in politics, and in October, 1872, was elected district attorney for the Common Pleas Court of White, Pulaski and Benton counties. Only the older lawyers of White County ever prac- ticed before the Common Pleas Court, an institution which was abol- ished by the Legislature in the January following Mr. Uhl's election as attorney for that court. In place of this old court was established the Circuit Court in the present form, and White County became a part of the circuit including Tippecanoe County. Mr. Uhl became prosecuting attorney by appointment of the new circuit, and at a special election held in October, 1873, was regularly chosen for that office. He discharged his duties with ability for two years. The Thirty-ninth Judicial Cir- cuit, comprising White, Carroll and Pulaski counties, was formed in 1875, and Mr. Uhl was appointed as the first prosecuting attorney of the new circuit.
On October 15, 1874, Mr. Uhl married Miss Franc A. Brown, of Rochester, New York. The only child of this union living is Fara, wife of B. A. Timmons, of Monticello.
JOHN N. BUNNELL. The name Bunnell has long stood for substantial success and sterling qualities of character in Honey Creek Township, where the late John N. Bunnell lived to many years and expressed the energy of his life in large accumulations as a farmer and land holder and in an attitude of practical helpfulness toward community affairs.
When Mr. Bunnell died, March 24, 1914, his death marked the pass- ing of a splendid pioneer citizen. His family were among the first to come into White County, and he was born in Big Creek Township, September 28, 1836, the third in a family of ten children. His parents were Nathaniel and Susanna (Runyan) Bunnell. John N. Bunnell
RESIDENCE OF JOHN N. BUNNELL IN HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP, BUILT IN YEAR 1840 BY HIS FATHER, NATHANIEL BUNNELL
653
HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY
was a product of pioneer conditions in White County. The school he attended was kept in a log building and with such training as he could acquire from this institution he started to make his own way with his principal reliance upon his industry, his strength of mind and body and his courage in the face of all difficulties. A few years after he had attained manhood and was in the successful prosecution of his early enterprises he enlisted in 1861 as a soldier for the defense of the Union. He became a member of Company G of the 46th Indiana Infantry, and was in active service in the South until December 26, 1864. He received his honorable discharge at New Orleans.
On April 8, 1868, Mr. Bunnell married in White County, Miss Martha E. McColloch, who was born in Union Township, a daughter of Van and Elizabeth (Rothrock) McColloch, and this family too is among the first to be mentioned in White County history. While Mr. and Mrs. Bunnell never had children of their own, they adopted several, trained them and kept them in their home until they started out in life inde- pendently. One adopted daughter, Mabel, is making her home with Mrs. Bunnell, in Honey Creek Township.
The late Mr. Bunnell was a republican, and a strong temperance man. His only office was as township supervisor, which he filled for an unexpired term. He followed farming and stock raising all his life, and his activities as a stock shipper covered all this section of the state. By hard work and able management he accumulated about seven hun- dred acres of land, all in Honey Creek Township. Much of this was improved and brought into a high state of cultivation under his im- mediate supervision. Mr. Bunnell was laid to rest in the Bunnell Ceme- tery, near Reynolds. He and his wife were long identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which Mrs. Bunnell has her religious home.
Van McColloch, the father of Mrs. Bunnell, was born near Urbana, Ohio, and was married in Monticello. His wife's people, the Rothrocks, came to White County about 1829, at a time when very few other fami- lies could be found either in this or the adjacent counties. Van Mc- Colloch was a practical farmer, and in the later years of his life moved out to Kansas, where he and his wife died and are buried. There were seven children in the family, and all are living except one. Mary C. is the widow of Thomas Beers of Carlsbad, New Mexico, and has four children. She was formerly a teacher, and she is a member of the Pres- byterian church. Nancy E., is the wife of Augustua W. Lane, a resi- dent of Burlington, Kansas, and a retired farmer. He is a member of the Christian Church. Mr. and Mrs. Lane have seven children. Mrs. Bunnell is the next in order of birth. J. W. McColloch resides in
654
HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY
Wichita, Kansas, and is employed as an engineer in a flouring mill. He is also married. Zillah, is the wife of David Deen of Witchita, Kan- sas, and an engineer. Frank B. McColloch, a druggist at Lawrence, Kansas, is married and has three children. Mrs. Bunnell is well known for her many kind and charitable deeds, for her benevolence and for her care of the orphan children to whom she has given a comfortable home.
JAMES MOWRER. Farming is a noble profession and also a very profit- able one as conducted by the enterprising men of White County, among whom is James Mowrer, who has spent all his career in this county and belongs to one of the pioneer families. The secret of his success has been hard work combined with intelligent management, and those qualities are at once recognized on his farm located in section 27 of Jackson Township. He has been one of the leaders in the rural development of that part of White County, and his neighbors recognize in him the quali- ties which comprise good citizenship in any station and any place of life.
The Mowrer family came to White County about 1850, and settled in the partially developed region of Union Township. In that township James Mowrer was born, February 10, 1854, a son of Levi H. and Matilda J. (Bagwell) Mowrer. The Mowrers are of German descent, as is indicated by the present form of the name, and came West from the State of Pennsylvania. Levi Mowrer married Miss Bagwell in Indiana, and she was of Scotch-Irish descent, her ancestors having lived for a number of years in Southern Indiana. To Levi and Matilda Mowrer were born five children: Joseph, now deceased; James; Rudolph ; Mary, wife of William Fisher, of Winamac; and Daniel. Levi Mowrer was a republican but did his part in the world as a good citizen without hold- ing office. He was a farmer and stock raiser, and owned sixty acres of land, which he subsequently sold, and had been retired for several years before his death on October 9, 1898. His wife passed away July 30, 1879. They are at rest in the cemetery by the old Brethren Church. The mother was a member of the German Lutheran Church.
The first school attended by James Mowrer was a log building with rough seats and the other crude furnishings of that period. He subse- quently attended school in a frame schoolhouse, and acquired the rudi- ments of an education which, combined with practical experience, has served all his needs. When about eighteen he started out to earn his own way, and for several years operated the old homestead.
On November 8, 1887, Mr. Mowrer married Mary Royer, daughter of Samuel and Hannah Royer. To their marriage was born one daughter,
655
HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY
Mabel, who is now the wife of Raleigh Guy. Their two children are Ruth Guy, born June 25, 1910, and Mildred Guy, born July 14, 1913. The husband and daughter were called upon to mourn the loss of the devoted wife and mother on November 7, 1914. She is now at rest in the Riverview Cemetery at Monticello.
For the first eighteen months following his marriage Mr. Mowrer conducted a dray line in Monticello, and then sold that business and moved to the farm. Farming has been his regular business ever since, and his place of eighty acres is practically all under cultivation. His profits have come from the general crops that are staple in this country and from the raising of good grades of stock. His wife's people were from Pennsylvania and located in White County in 1865, living first on the river north of Monticello and afterwards in Jackson Township, where her father died. Mrs. Mowrer's mother is still living. Mr. Mowrer is a republican in politics and has fraternal affiliations with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Monticello.
DANIEL MCCALL. The McCall family has had a substantial repre- sentation in White County for nearly half a century. It came to the county early enough to perform its share of pioneer development, and the active members of the present generation are known as aggressive farmers, upright business men, and citizens of honor and usefulness in all their relations.
The founder of the family in White County was James McCall, who came from Greene County, Ohio, to White County in the fall of 1866, settling in section 28 of Jackson Township. He was born in Pennsyl- vania, December 22, 1806, and on his birthday in 1828 was married to Mary Graham, who died in Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1862. To this marriage were born nine children: John Graham, Elizabeth Thompson, Isabelle, Mary H., Dorcas J., Jennie Morrow Proudfoot, Daniel, Mat- thew Waddell and Joseph Smiley. James McCall was of Scotch-Irish descent, and a practical farmer throughout his career. He was a mem- ber of the Reformed Presbyterian denomination, and was devoted to church affairs. In earlier life he voted for the democratic party, but subsequently became an ardent prohibitionist. He was a man of liberal views, and in every sense a good citizen. During the war he enlisted, but was not accepted on account of an injured leg. His death occurred February 4, 1896.
Daniel McCall had just reached manhood when he came to White County. In April, 1865, he had enlisted in Company D of the Eighth Ohio Cavalry at Columbus, and was in service a few weeks until the close of hostilities. He now occupies the fine farm home a half mile south-
656
HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY
west of Idaville, comprising 140 acres of land. That estate is one prac- tical measure of his activities, since he started out with comparatively nothing, and has made his success through his own efforts.
Daniel McCall was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, near Concord, October 6, 1844, came with his father to White County and continued to live at home until his marriage on January 21, 1874, to Miss Emily Mac Williams at Idaville. She was a daughter of Robert and Mary Jane (Jacoby ) Mac Williams. The Mac Williams family came to White County in 1854. To their marriage were born four children: Byron R .; Marcellus, who lives east of Idaville and by his marriage to Nina Vanderplat, has one living child, Vera Joy, and one deceased; John E., who is a United Presbyterian preacher in Ohio, married for his first wife Stella McCutcheon, and has a daughter Bessie L., and for his second wife married Bella Swan, who is the mother of one daughter, Thelma R .; and Mary L., who died in infancy.
Daniel McCall is a republican in politics, but shows a liberal atti- tude in matters of local affairs, voting for the best man. He is a member of the United Presbyterian Church, with which his wife is also identi- fied, and both contribute liberally to its support. He has always been on the side of improvement and ready to help out in the upbuilding of the community.
His oldest son, Byron R., was born in White County, December 14, 1874, had a common school education, and now lives with his father and is active manager of the homestead. For five years he has served as an elder in the United Presbyterian Church. Byron married Lydia A. White, a daughter of Alexander L. and Jennie R. (McDowell) White of Jackson County, Ohio. They were married at the home of the bride in Jackson County, February 23, 1915, on his wife's birthday. Mr. and Mrs. McCall have one of the old parchment deeds which was executed under the hand and seal of President Van Buren and dated August 20, 1838. It is one of the valuable heirlooms of the county as well as of the home of Mr. and Mrs. McCall. This makes the eighth deed found in the County of White. One of the most commendable features in the biography of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel McCall, is the tender and loving remembrance of parents by their affectionate children. True reverence is held for the dear old father and mother, and the greatest of venera- tion is shown in the home life of the McCall homestead. Daniel McCall is held in the highest esteem by those who know him. He has a double record-a record as an honorable and upright citizen who worships his home and his family, and a record as a soldier. When his country was in peril and need, he offered his services and, if need be, his life for the preservation of the Union.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.