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 37
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as a stock-raiser and farmer was exceedingly successful. In 1894 he settled permanently in Wolcott, where he lived, honored and respected by all, until his death, March 6, 1914. A stanch republican in politics, he took great interest in public affairs, and never shirked the responsi- bilities of office, having served for thirty years as justice of the peace, and as town constable.
Mr. Rader married, January 20, 1860, Miss Frances Norton, who was born in Rockingham County, Virginia. Her father, Rice Norton, married Mary Odell, and about 1847 came with his family from North Carolina to White County, where his death occurred when Mrs. Rader was about four years old. Her mother, Mrs. Norton, subsequently married for her second husband James Templeton, and both spent their remaining years in White County. Eight children were born of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Rader, namely : Margaret; Dora; James; Albert; May, deceased; Beatrice; Cloyd; and Maud. Fraternally Mr. Rader was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; religiously Mrs. Rader and her family are connected with the Baptist Church.
JOSEPH H. CLARY. Both the Clary and Smelcer families, of which Joseph H. Clary is descended, were companions of the wilderness in early White County, and he is himself not only a sharer in the prosperity unfolded by the zeal and enterprise of these pioneers, but has himself been a witness to and a participant in the wonderful changes which have transformed this section of Northwestern Indiana from an unpro- ductive, valueless waste into one of the most fertile and valuable farm regions of the state.
The home of Mr. Clary is on a well improved farm of eighty acres in section 16 of Princeton Township. He was born on the old Smelcer farm in Prairie Township, March 9, 1850, a son of James S. and Susanna M. (Smelcer) Clary. His father, who was a native of Tennes- see, came to White County in 1845, when very little had been done in the progress of civilization over most of the county. He located in Prairie, and was married there in 1848 to Miss Smelcer, who was a native of Union County, Indiana. Her father, Samuel Smelcer, found himself almost entirely alone and occupying an isolated position in the wilderness of White County when he first arrived in 1830 and settled in Prairie Township one mile east of where Brookston now stands. Samuel Smelcer was born in Tennessee October 4, 1804. At an early age his mother was left a widow with a family of children, Samuel being one of the younger. His mother kept the family together until all came to mature years. Samuel Smelcer married Sarah Mesmore, and not long afterward they came to Union County, Indiana, and on moving to White
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County they made the journey with ox teams in the month of March through what was then called the Wilderness. It snowed seventeen days during their journey. They crossed swollen streams, the oxen sometimes swimming through the turbulent waters. There was no feed for the oxen, and at places they had to cut the branches of young timber to give fodder for the cattle. For a number of years after coming to White County Samuel Smelcer and his neighbors hauled their wheat to Chicago, where it was sold, and they then bought with the proceeds the necessaries of life sufficient to tide them over to the next harvest. In the early days White County was a great country for game, and Samuel Smelcer was an expert rifle shot, and many a deer and wolf fell before his trusty rifle. In June, 1881, while he was at work repairing his porch floor, he fell dead, probably due to heart disease.
Samuel Smelcer was not only an early settler but a very prominent citizen in the early days. For twenty-one years he held the office of county commissioner, and along with his work as a farmer combined the trade of wagon maker, and had a shop which provided an important service to the community in which he lived. He was of German descent, was a democrat in politics, and a member of the Christian Church. He and his wife had the following children: Lovina, Susanna, Marion, Hezekiah, Levi, Mary, Sarah, Samuel and Canarissa. Of these the only two now living are Hezekiah and Samuel.
A few years after his marriage James Clary and wife located in February, 1851, on section 23 in Princeton Township, and that was their home throughout the rest of his industrious and useful career. IIe died July 23, 1895, and is laid to rest in Prairie Township. His wife passed away in 1871. James Clary was a republican without political aspirations, and was a substantial farmer in his day and gen- eration. To the marriage of James and Susanna Clary was born eight children : Joseph H .; Jasper N., deceased; Sarah A., who died at the age of ten years ; Samuel, James and William, all deceased; Lucy, who died at the age of twenty-one, leaving a son James by her marriage to Ernest M. Robathan; and the youngest died unnamed.
Joseph H. Clary made the best possible use of the advantages of the early schools found in White County and by the time he was eighteen years of age was qualified to direct other young minds in the quest of knowledge. From 1868 to 1875 he spent most of his time as a teacher either in Princeton or West Point Township. For three terms he taught the Clover Green District, spent two years in the West Point Township schools, and for one term had charge of the Willow Grove School. Many of his former scholars, now grown to manhood and womanhood, are still living in White County.
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While still following the profession of teacher Mr. Clary was married March 7, 1872, to Miss Sarah M. Wright, a daughter of David and Mary (Carmine) Wright. The Wright family came to White County about 1850 and the name has been well known here ever since. Mr. and Mrs .. Clary became the parents of four children: Guy; Roy, who was killed by a dog in 1887; the third, a son, died unnamed; and Homer.
The enterprise which he has directed for so many years as a means of livelihood has been chiefly in general farming and stock raising, and he has made a specialty of the Poland-China hogs. His farm is all under cultivation and well improved and the judgment and ability with which he has handled its management has also caused his services to be called upon for public duty. Mr. Clary served two terms as county drainage commissioner and wherever possible has used his influence for local improvements. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church, and she takes much interest in its work, while he has served either as elder or deacon of that denomination for forty years. In politics he is a democrat.
MOSES G. DOBBINS. A public-spirited, prominent, and influential citizen of Princeton Township, Moses G. Dobbins is distinguished not only as one of the leading agriculturists of this part of White County, but as a native-born resident of the place, his birth having occurred, January 25, 1850, on the parental homestead of forty acres lying just east of his own farm. His father, the late Jackson Dobbins, was born in Virginia, one of the seven sons of Samuel and Elizabeth Dobbins, and in 1849 settled in White County, becoming a pioneer of Princeton Township. Further account of him may be found on another page of this volume, in connection with the sketch of Mr. Dobbins' brother, Robert F. Dobbins.
Acquiring his preliminary education in the district school, Moses G. Dobbins afterwards continued his studies for five years in Logans- port. He was well drilled in the various branches of agriculture on the home farm, and at the age of twenty-one years began life for himself as a tiller of the soil, assuming management of his present estate, lying in section 36, town 28, range 6, west. An able and skilful agriculturist, Mr. Dobbins has made improvements of value on his farm, placing his rich and fertile land in an excellent productive condition, and is well rewarded for his labor in his abundant harvests from year to year. He takes considerable interest in public affairs, being identified with the republican party, but, with the exception of having served as county councilman, has held no office.
The Dobbins Cemetery was formerly a part of the old Dobbins
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homestead, the original tract having been given for use as a burying- ground by Mr. Jackson Dobbins, father of Mr. Dobbins, who, in 1880, deeded to the cemetery trustees another tract of adjoining land, con- taining 21/2 acres. The first burial in the yard was that of a child named Brown, in 1849. The next to be there buried were a child named Eurice, and then the body of John Porter was there laid to rest. Mary T. Dobbins, a child of eighteen months, was the next one there buried, but after that time the cemetery became more rapidly filled, there being at least 200 people, including the parents of Mr. Dobbins, and other relatives, there buried.
Mr. Dobbins married, February 21, 1877, Rebecca J. Kinney, a daughter of William and Lucinda Kinney, pioneers of White County. Five children blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Dobbins, namely : Lena, wife of George H. Hemphill, of Wolcott; Maud, living at home ; Minta, wife of Otto Hemphill; Fred J., who married Winna Lear; and Mabel, wife of Elgy Miller. Mrs. Dobbins, who was a most estimable woman, passed to the life beyond May 18, 1911, her body being laid to rest in the family lot in Dobbins Cemetery. Religiously Mr. Dobbins is a member of the Christian Church, to which Mrs. Dobbins likewise belonged. Fraternally he is a member of Wolcott Lodge No. 180. Ancient. Free and Accepted Order of Masons, at Wolcott.
JOSEPH M. VOGEL. Representing the substantial German-American citizenship which has done so much to improve and develop the agricul- tural resources of this country, Joseph M. Vogel has spent more than fifteen years in White County and as a farmer is regarded as one of the most efficient and prosperous in Princeton Township. Few men who came to manhood some thirty years ago with as limited prospects and material possessions as Mr. Vogel have since gone forward so rapidly and gained such a substantial interest in the community.
Mr. Vogel is a Bavarian, having been born in that portion of the German Empire September 22, 1864, a son of Joseph J. and Anna (Rodenhoever) Vogel. His father followed the son to America, and lived in his home until his death. Joseph M. Vogel acquired a sub- stantial education after the German custom and had some training which proved advantageous when he landed in the New World, though otherwise he was at a disadvantage in competing with young men of his age, since he knew little of the language and had nothing to commend himself beyond the labor of his hands and a willingness to make himself useful. At the age of eighteen in 1883 he landed in New York and came on west to Livingston County, Illinois, where he gained his start.
In 1888 Mr. Vogel married Miss Rosa Milefchik, who was also a
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native of Germany. She has proved a loyal assistant to him in the management of his affairs, and has been a devoted wife and mother, and they have a fine family of seven children. Henry M., the oldest, is now a farmer in Pocahontas, Iowa, and by his marriage to Estella Graham has one child named Irene. John T., James P., Joseph F., Louis V., Lillian A. and Francis are the names of the other children, all of whom are living at home.
Two miles northwest of Wolcott in Princeton Township is situated the Maple Grove Farm. That is where the Vogel family reside, and its improvements and productiveness are a fine tribute to Mr. Vogel's energies and business like methods as an agriculturist. There are 320 acres in the farm, and in the course of many years Mr. Vogel has wrought some remarkable changes in the place. He has stood for progress, and was one of the first to invest capital in such improvements as covered tile drainage. When he found his farm it was drained only by open ditches, and he has since spent some $6,000 or $7,000 in effectively tiling his land. His example in this respect has proved of benefit to the entire community. In addition to his fine farm Mr. Vogel also owns stock in the Farmers Co-operative Elevator Company at Wol- cott. In politics he is independent, voting for the man rather than for the party label, and he and his family are members of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church at Remington. He favors education and all causes which will secure greater benefit to the community.
CHARLES H. KLEIST. Undoubtedly one of the best known and most popular citizens of White County is Charles H. Kleist, whose name requires little introduction to the people of the county on account of his capable service as county recorder for several years, and in the community about Wolcott, where he has spent most of his life, he has long been one of the leading citizens and is now cashier of the Citizens State Bank.
His family, which originated in Posen, Germany, was established in White County prior to the Civil war. His father was Rudolph Kleist, who emigrated to America and settled about 1869 at Bradford as it was then known, now the City of Monon. From the very modest circum- stances in which he came to White County he soon found the means to advance himself in community esteem and secure a sufficiency of this world's goods. About 1865 he removed to Reynolds. In the old country he had learned the trade of cabinet maker, and at Reynolds from 1865 to 1883 worked as a carpenter and also conducted a furniture and undertaking business. His death occurred February 13, 1883, and he is buried in the Bunnell Cemetery southeast of Reynolds. A distinctive
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part of his record is his service to his adopted country during the Civil war. He enlisted in Company G of the famous Forty-sixth Indiana Infantry, veteranized at the end of his term, and was with the command until honorably discharged in 1865. He not only carried a musket but also performed most of the clerical work for the regimental commanders, being a fine penman. He was a member of the German Lutheran Church, and in politics mainly a republican, though in 1878 he was unsuccessful candidate for the office of county recorder on the green- back ticket. Besides these items which indicate his useful position in the community, he was also materially prospered, and at the time of his death owned some town property and 160 acres of farming land. Rudolph Kleist married Johanna Swantes, who was also born in Posen, Germany. Their two oldest children died in infancy, and the other four are mentioned : Elizabeth, who is the wife of Seward Phillips and lives in Chicago; Emma is the wife of Rev. T. D. Moore of Spokane, Washington; Ida is the wife of R. E. Powell of Reynolds; and the sixth and youngest is Charles H.
Charles H. Kleist was born in the Town of Reynolds, April 3, 1870, and practically all his life has been spent in White County. With only such advantages as the common schools could then bestow, he has since early youth been a resourceful and energetic worker. While living at Reynolds he learned telegraphy, and at the age of nineteen was employed by the Monon Railway. From 1889 to 1904, a period of fifteen years, he was an operator and agent at various places, spending six years as agent at Reynolds and five years at Brookston. In the meantime he had gained a large acquaintance over the county and had become one of the leaders in the democratic party. In 1904 he was elected county recorder, and held that office in the courthouse at Mon- ticello from 1904 to 1912 a period of eight years. Prior to leaving the office he became cashier of the Citizens State Bank at Wolcott in August, 1911, and for several years the duties of that position have commanded most of his time and attention. Prior to his election as county recorder he served three years from 1893 to 1895 as town trustee, and was clerk of the Town of Reynolds for one year in 1892. Among other interests Mr. Kleist is owner of 160 acres of land near Reynolds.
Fraternally he is affiliated with Lodge No. 92, F. & A. M. at Gosport, Indiana, with the Royal Arch Chapter at Monticello, and with the Con- sistory of the Scottish Rite and the Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Indianapolis. On October 25, 1899, while still in the railway service, Mr. Kleist married Mabel V. Ashley, a daughter of George and Margaret (Cowger) Ashley of Monticello, both parents being now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Kleist's only child, Karl E., is now deceased.
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JOHN BARTON BUNNELL. A name that has been significant of honest worth and of thorough capabilities both in its private and public rela- tions. has been that of Bunnell since the early days in White County. The late John Barton Bunnell was one of the real pioneers in Princeton Township.
So far as can be determined he was born in the State of Ohio, and was taken by his parents to Porter County, Indiana, where his father died. In the early '40s, with his mother, he came into White County and subsequently his life was closely contemporaneous with the growth of the county from its pioneer stages. His mother died in White County. Mr. Bunnell was a practical farmer, a shrewd but exceedingly serupulous business man, and the result of his labors were found in the accumulation of about 600 acres of land. He was a general farmer and stock raiser and seemed to prosper in every undertaking. He became learned to some extent in the law, and for a number of years held the office of justice of the peace and was an impartial administrator of justice. He was prominent in early public affairs, and was one of the original members of the republican party.
John B. Bunnell married Sarah M. Lear who was born in Virginia July 8, 1828. To their marriage were born seven children: Nancy J., now Mrs. Sam Spencer: Thomas Jefferson. now deceased; Maria, deceased ; Alice. deceased : Milton M .; Teal, deceased ; and Homer, also deceased. The father of these children died about 1888. and is buried in the Dobbins Cemetery. He was an active member of the Masonic Order and belonged to the Christian Church. His widow is still living at an advanced age, her home being at Wolcott.
The only surviving son who now bears the name is Milton M. Bunnell, who has a fine country home of 159 acres in section 18 of Princeton Township. He was born in that locality July 25, 1857. and for many' years was one of the township's most industrious citizens. Besides farming he was also a well driller. In 1877 Mr. Bunnell married Libbie Carmine, who became the mother of three children: Vera and Ray and Roy, twins. Following her death in 1906 Mr. Bunnell married Miss Anna Snickenberger. In politics Mr. Bunnell is a republican, and is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights of Pythias.
EMORY B. SELLERS at fourteen years of age left his home and started life's battle on his own responsibility. He was born in Perry County, Ohio, July 4, 1851, and about the close of the Civil war came to White County, Indiana, and found work on a farm belonging to Josephus Lowe near Monon. To him an education was as much as a necessity to his
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future career. He attended the Brookston Academy, at intervals teach- ing school, his first term when seventeen years of age. He early deter- mined that the law should be his permanent vocation, and began its study in the few night hours after a weary day of work. He took a course in the Chicago Law School at Chicago, was compelled to leave school on account of lack of funds, and in order to supply this need, among other things, he worked for a time as a brakeman on the Illinois Central Railway.
On March 22, 1872, Mr. Sellers entered the law office of Hon. Alfred W. Reynolds at Monticello, and with that old time lawyer finally formed a partnership, which continued until the election of Mr. Reynolds to the Circuit Court Bench in 1888. In the meantime, in 1884, Mr. Sellers had been elected as State Senator from the counties of White, Carroll and Pulaski, serving through two sessions and then resigning to accept President Cleveland's appointment as United States District Attorney. He held that office until after the election of Benjamin Harrison as President, then returned to Monticello to continue his interrupted practice. From 1889 to 1900 Mr. Sellers was a partner with William E. Uhl, but since 1900 has conducted an individual business as a lawyer.
For forty years Mr. Sellers has been the local attorney for the Monon and the Pennsylvania railroads, and for eighteen years has served the Wabash Railway in a similar capacity. Mr. Sellers is a member of the National Conference on Uniform Laws, and belongs to the Indiana State and the American Bar Associations. He is a thirty-second degree Mason of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, and in politics a democrat.
HENRY CHAMBERLIN. One of the oldest residents of White County is Henry Chamberlin of Big Creek Township. He has lived in this part of Indiana so many years that his range of recollection comprises practically every phase of development and improvement that would be mentioned in any general survey of local history. The activities of his life have been largely concentrated on farming, and his fine farm in Big Creek Township represents to a great extent improvements that bear the direct impress of his own labor and management. He is a prosperous citizen and a man of fine reputation in that part of the county.
Henry Chamberlin was born in Ontario County, New York, Decem- ber 29, 1830, son of Aaron and Elizabeth (Thatcher) Chamberlin. He was the second in a family of ten children. His mother was born in New Jersey and his father in Pennsylvania. In early life Aaron Chamber- lin was employed in rafting on the Delaware River, and later took up farming in Ontario County, New York, where he was married. In the
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fall of 1834 he brought his family to Carroll County, Indiana, when Henry Chamberlin was about four years of age. In the spring of 1837 they removed to Tippecanoe County, where his father farmed on shares until the spring of 1843, and then moved to West Point Township in White County. Here he entered a quarter section of land, and made that his home until his death on February 29, 1849. His widow survived him many years, passing away May 30, 1882.
Henry Chamberlin was thirteen years old when he came to White County, grew up on his father's homestead, and had only the limited education which the local schools of that day could supply, and the necessities of the little household precluded regular attendance even at such schools as were available. After his father's death, when he had arrived at manhood he went out to work by the month for other farmers, and was also employed along the old Wabash and Erie Canal. This was his principal work for four years. In the spring of 1859 Mr. Chamber- lin bought his present farm of 160 acres. Its present condition shows how well he acquitted himself of the heavy task of improvement. He opened up ditches, from time to time invested in tile and thus cleared away the water which made such a formidable obstacle to agriculture, and at the same time cleared away the woods and the brush. He also erected substantial buildings.
On March 2, 1854, Mr. Chamberlin married Catherine J. Biddle, who was born in the City of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, March 11, 1838. Mrs. Chamberlin died November 23, 1913, at Lafayette, Indiana. To their union were born five children, only three of whom grew up and the only one now living is Henrietta, wife of Ira Baldwin, and still living in White County. The daughter, Clara, who died some years ago, married Harry McClain; while Edward H. died unmarried.
Mr. Chamberlin is a Mason and in politics a democrat. When he came to this county seventy years ago there were no towns of any importance, and none of the large cities of the state had yet advanced beyond the village stage. He can recall the time when the building of the Monon Railroad was a subject of general discussion in the locality. In the early days he could have skated the entire distance of six miles from his present home to Monticello, since at times practically all the country was under water. He continued actively in his business as farmer until he was eighty-one years of age, and now rents his land, and lives alone at home, enjoying the contentment and prosperity which are the proper rewards for a life of such continued enterprise. During the war Mr. Chamberlin was drafted for the army, and later volun- teered, but on both occasions was rejected on account of poor health.
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MR. AND MRS. MILTON W. WEAVER FAMILY GROUP, ROUND GROVE TOWNSHIP
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MILTON W. WEAVER. Prominent among the men who figured in the pioneer history of White County and who still survive as active partici- pants in the life of their communities, is found Milton W. Weaver, who for sixty-two years has resided in the vicinity of Brookston. Mr. Weaver has been a farmer and stock raiser and is a veteran of the Civil war, in which he participated as a Union soldier, and while for the past twelve years he has been living in quiet retirement, he still takes an interest in all matters affecting the welfare of the community, and his views and opinions are given due respect as coming from one who has watched with the eye of a proprietor the growth and upbuilding of White County.
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