USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 34
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 34
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 34
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 34
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 34
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 34
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 34
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than gold. Of their large family but two survive, our subject and Mrs. Mary Miller, of Chicago. Those who lived to maturity and have entered the silent land are Elizabeth, William, Jane and Sarah.
J. Fletcher Wood was born October 21, 1848, and has always lived in this immediate vicinity. Upon the death of his father he removed to the old homestead, and has since operated it with the ability and thorough- ness which are among his distinctive traits. In politics he is a loyal Repub- lican, and fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias. He was elected to serve as one of the trustees of this township in 1895, and has exer- cised the same good judgment in public affairs as he has always manifested in his own finances. He and his family are members of the Christian church, and are actively engaged in religious and charitable work along many lines of practical endeavor.
On the 20th of March, 1872, Mr. Wood married Miss Harriet F. James, who was born December 12, 1851. They have six children, namely : Nellie, Minnie, Grace, Ethel, Russell and Dorothy. Mrs. Wood is one of twelve children, four of whom are now living: Wesley, of Alvin, Illinois; Mrs. Elizabeth Hall, wife of James C. Hall; Addie, wife of S. F. French; and Harriet F. The parents, Hugh and Eliza James, were early settlers of Warren county, coming here in 1830, and the following year taking up their abode in Pike township. The father died the year that Mrs. Wood was born, and his widow later became the wife of Joseph Davis. They had one child, Emma, who married T. H. Salts. Mrs. Eliza (James) Davis was born in 1813, and passed her last years at the homes of her children, her death oc- curring in January, 1898.
JAMES BUCK.
A prominent and influential citizen of Lafayette, Mr. Buck is largely engaged in the real-estate and loan business; was born in Warren county, Indiana, August 11, 1833, and is a son of William and Telitha (Bedwell) Buck, natives of Ohio.
William Buck was a farmer by occupation and came to Tippecanoe county in 1827, at first being employed by Peter Weaver, and later purchas- ing eighty acres of land six miles west of Lafayette, where he lived for some time. From there he moved to Wea plains, where he bought forty acres, at two dollars and a half per acre. To this he added from time to time until he accumulated eight hundred acres. By his first wife he had four children: James; Nancy, the widow of Daniel Burdette; Rachel, the wife of E. O. Bryden; and Telitha, the wife of E. A. Youll. Mrs. Buck died in 1839 and Mr. Buck married Mrs. Eleanor Ellis, widow of Nehemiah Ellis, and she bore
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him four children: Joanna, Robert, John and Isaac. The mother of these children died in 1850. For his third wife Mr. Buck married Miss Nancy Burdette, whose death took place about four months before that of her hus- band. The latter died at his home in Wea plains in 1879, aged sixty-eight years. Mr. Buck was a member of the Methodist church and served as a justice of the peace for many years.
The paternal grandfather of our subject was John Buck, a Scotchman by birth and in his younger days a sailor. After coming to this country he farmed for a time in Ohio, subsequently removing to Indiana and dying in Tippecanoe county when sixty-eight years of age. He served his adopted country as a soldier in the war of 1812. His family consisted of four sons and two daughters. The maternal grandfather was James Bedwell, who was born in Ohio, where he was a farmer. He served in the war of 1812, and came to Indiana about 1827, settling in Tippecanoe county. In 1836 he removed to Louisa county, Iowa, where he died when about sixty-three years old. He had a large family.
James Buck, the subject of this sketch, was reared on his father's farm and his early school days were spent in the common schools of that early day. Later he attended a commercial college at Cincinnati and then worked in his father's grain warehouse, on the Wabash & Erie canal, until he was twenty-three years old. In 1859 Mr. Buck removed to Paxton, Illinois, where he remained five years, at the end of that time going to Chicago, where he spent three years. Returning to Tippecanoe county, he lived for fourteen years in Wayne township, where he owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. In 1882 he took up his residence in Lafayette, which has since been his home. His farm is one of the finest in the county and bears evidence of most careful and intelligent cultivation. On coming to Lafayette Mr. Buck engaged in the real-estate and loan business, of which he has made a great success. At one time he had the management of thirty- one farms, and his well known ability and honesty secure for him a valuable clientage.
On Christmas day, 1856, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Buck and Miss Hannah A. Holloway, daughter of John and Emily (McGeorge) Hollo- way, of Lafayette, Indiana. Four children have been born of this union: William D. was killed by a runaway team when fourteen years old ; James died in infancy; Harry was killed on the railroad in 1894, when twenty-nine years old: he was unmarried; Emily P. resides with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Buck are not connected with any religious body, but their daughter is a member of the Methodist church.
Mr. Buck is a stanch Democrat and was justice of the peace while residing in the country. He was for three years a member of the board of
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police commissioners and was instrumental in organizing the present efficient police force, the best of its size in America. Socially, Mr. Buck is a mem- ber of the Elks. He is a man of much energy, executive ability and looks after his many business interests with all the vigor and acuteness of a young man. His unfailing industry and good judgment in seizing opportunities have brought their reward in the steady accumulation of property, and to-day he is classed among the wealthy citizens of Tippecanoe county, in whose progress and development he has always been a prominent factor.
M. M. LAIRY, M. D.
In this enlightened age, when men of industry, energy and merit are rapidly pushing their way to the front, those who by their own individual efforts have won favor and high standing justly claim recognition in any community. Dr. M. M. Lairy, one of the prominent members of the med- ical profession in Lafayette, is a gentleman who is worthy of the highest respect, for he owes his success and fine attainments to his own persistent, energetic endeavors, continued through a long period. His father died when our subject was a mere child, and from that time forward he was more or less dependent upon his own resources.
The parents of the Doctor, Alexander and Mary A. (Isley) Lairy, were both natives of Ohio, and by their respective parents were brought to Tippe- canoe county when they were children. M. M. Lairy was born in this county October 6, 1863, and was reared upon a farm until he was sixteen years old. Up to that time he had received only a district-school education, but he was ambitious and was but waiting the proper time to enter upon his plans for a wider career than was afforded him in the routine work of agri- culture.
In 1879 Dr. Lairy entered the Collegiate Institute at Battle Ground, Indiana, and some time later he became a student at the State University, at Bloomington. It was a great disappointment to him, when, on account of over-work and over-study, he was obliged to leave school within one year of his graduation, but a change was necessary, and after recuperating for a short time he began teaching school. The following four years his time was occupied in pedagogic work, in which he met with gratifying success. Mean- while he had commenced reading medical works, under the instruction of Dr. William S. Walker, of Lafayette, and subsequently he entered the Ken- tucky School of Medicine, at Louisville, graduating there in 1892. Desiring further instruction in special branches, his next step was to take another year's work in the Indiana Medical College, at Indianapolis. Being gradua- ted in that well known institution in 1893, Dr. Lairy came to Lafayette
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immediately and established an office. Considering the fact that he has been in practice here but five years, his success has certainly been marked, and his patrons now include many of the leading families of the place. He is a member of the Tippecanoe County Medical Society and the Indiana State Medical Society and keeps in touch with the march of progress in medical science.
In his political creed Dr. Lairy is a pronounced Democrat. In 1898 he was elected a member of the Lafayette city council, his term of office to extend over the next four years. Socially, he is identified with the Knight of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is very popular with all classes, in his profession, in political circles and in society, and is eminently deserving of the high regard which is uniformly accorded him.
HOSEA CRONKHITE.
A representative of a numerous and well known family of Warren county is Hosea Cronkhite, of Steuben township, a veteran of the war of the Rebellion. He was born and reared in the township of which he is a respected resident, the date of the event being August 15, 1843.
The parents of the subject of this narrative were Enoch and Selina (Sweet) Cronkhite, natives of New York state. The father and three of his brothers were among the pioneers of this county, and from these four- Enoch, Levi, Elijah and Cornelius-have descended a large and representa- tive element of our local population. The brothers came at different times, the date of Enoch's arrival here being 1838. He and his wife were the par- ents of five sons and five daughters, of whom only four survive, namely: Hosea, Mrs. Mary Ann Cronkhite; Mrs. Minerva Clark and Mrs. Helen Johnson.
The early years in the life of our subject passed in the quiet routine of farm work and in attendance at the district schools. When the civil war came on he enlisted in Company E, Eighty-sixth Regiment of Indiana Vol- unteer Infantry, and with that famous regiment took part in the numerous important battles and campaigns in which it was concerned. Among these were the fierce battles of Stone river, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, Adairsville, Pickett's Mills, Kenesaw mountain, Peach Tree creek, the siege of Atlanta, Georgia, and Jonesboro. He served under General Thomas at Nashville, Tennessee, when the "rock of Chickamauga " defeated the Confederate forces commanded by the daring General Hood. During the closing scenes of the war our subject was on detached duty, as- provost guard at brigade headquarters. It is a peculiar fact that five mem-
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bers of Company E, in which he enlisted, bore the same surname as his own. His brother Stephen was the color-bearer of the regiment, and in the gal- lant fight at Missionary Ridge, November 25, 1863, he was wounded. He died in Vermilion county, Illinois, a number of years ago. Henry Cronkhite, a cousin, was killed at Missionary Ridge, and another cousin, Luke Cronk- hite, died in Louisville, Kentucky, from wounds received in the battle of Kenesaw mountain. The fifth of the family name was also a cousin, Levi Cronkhite.
Since he returned from the battle-fields of the south, where he nobly fought for the stars and stripes, Hosea Cronkhite has devoted his time and attention to farming, and has been very successful. He is held in high esteem by his neighbors and associates, and is an honored member of W. B. Fleming Post, No. 352, Grand Army of the Republic. Always a loyal Republican since he cast his first presidential vote for Lincoln, in 1864, when in the army, he has occupied local offices and was deputy sheriff for four years in this county.
On the 19th of September, 1867, the marriage of Hosea Cronkhite and Mrs. Melinda Griffin, née Cronkhite, was celebrated. She died February 6, 1873, and left a son, LeRoy. June 15, 1876, Mr. Cronkhite wedded Miss Amelia Reynolds, whose death occurred September 25, 1894. One son of this union survives, namely, Clarence. Two children by each wife died in early childhood. One of the saddest events in the life of Mr. Cronkhite occurred on Christmas day of 1888, when his little son Elmer, twelve years old, was accidentally shot by an elder brother, the result being the death of the lad. Thus sorrow has been plentifully mingled in the cup of this worthy man, but he has ever borne a brave and steadfast heart, and under all circumstances has endeavored to do his full duty as a husband and father, as a neighbor, citizen and friend.
JESSE TOMLINSON.
One of the first pioneers of Warren county was Jesse Tomlinson, a son of Joseph and Mary Tomlinson. He settled here in 1826, and bravely encountered all the difficulties, dangers and privations common to frontier life, and after more than a quarter of a century's struggle with his environ- ments closed his eyes in death March 31, 1853. He was one of the fore- runners of civilization, one of those hardy, courageous souls who were among the founders of this commonwealth, and to whose labors and confidence in the final outcome of the county and state is due much of the credit of their later prosperity.
A native of Cumberland county, Maryland; born August 9, 1795, Jesse
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Tomlinson did not remember his father, who died when the lad was a young child. His mother afterward became the wife of a Mr. Dean, and one son, Francis D., was born to that union. Jesse Tomlinson had one own brother, William, who died in Ohio, about 1824, leaving a widow and two children. When Jesse was six years old he and his brother William were taken to Chillicothe, Ohio, and were reared in the home of a maternal aunt. The half-brother, Francis Dean, died many years ago and left a family to mourn his loss.
In his early manhood our subject learned the trade of brick-mason, and worked at that calling, at intervals, for several years. December 24, 1818, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary McFarland, who was born May 5, 1799, in Chillicothe, Ohio. The year following his marriage Mr. Tomlinson built the poor-house in the vicinity of Chillicothe, and was busily employed on public and private buildings in that section of the state until he removed to Indiana. As previously stated, it was in 1826 that he came to Warren county, and here he entered a quarter section of land in Steuben township, also buying an eighty-acre tract from a Mr. Sisson. This was his home for life and here he established the family cemetery, which is beautifully situated near the old orchard. He willed this cemetery plat to himself as a family burying ground, and here were tenderly laid to rest not only himself but also the other deceased members of the family. He made the journey hither on horseback, and was accompanied in his trip by Thomas Johnson and Messrs. Woolverton, Boyer and Ridenour. The following spring a considerable
party came to take possession of frontier homes here, among them being Mr. Tomlinson and his immediate family, his mother-in-law, two brothers-in-law, two unmarried sisters-in-law, John McFarland and William Slater. Our subject settled on the land which he had previously entered, and with char- acteristic energy he proceeded to clear and develop a farm. His nearest neighbor for some time was five miles away, and when, after much difficulty, he had managed to raise a crop, he was obliged to transport the grain to Chicago in wagons, and there trade it for necessary provisions and supplies, the journey being one of about a week's duration, as there were as yet no roads and only irregular Indian trails. In 1839 he took what pork and farm products he had to sell on a raft to New Orleans, and there did such trading as he desired. In 1845 and 1846 he entered some eighteen hundred acres of land in Vermilion county, and by that time already possessed fifteen hun- dred acres of land in Steuben and Kent townships, Warren county. He cer- tainly was an excellent business man and financier, and in all his enterprises he had the earnest co-operation of his devoted wife. United in all their aims and endeavors, death did not long separate this estimable couple, as Mrs. Tomlinson died January 11, 1853, and in less than three months the
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husband was placed to rest at her side in the quiet cemetery, both dying of typhoid fever. At that time all but one of their eleven children were left to mourn the loss of their loved parents. Only three now survive, namely: Frances, who is unmarried; Mrs. Juliett Miller; and Francis D., of Rossville, Illinois. The deceased children are John, Mrs. Mary Jane Watkins, Will- iam, Mrs. Hester Kent, Zeruiah (who never married), Jonathan, Mrs. Nancy Summers and Jesse, Jr.
Considering the fact that he never had more than three months' school- ing in his life, Jesse Tomlinson was a remarkably well informed man. A great reader of such books as came into his possession, he stored his mind with facts and fancies, and was especially well versed in the Scriptures. Though a birth-right member of the Society of Friends, he and his wife were consistent Methodists, and were deeply interested in religious and educational affairs. Twice did he contribute liberally to build Crawfordsville Seminary, -once on its first erection, and again after it was burned. They were loved and admired by all who knew them, and their noble lives left a lasting impress for good upon the community in which they dwelt.
EDWARD B. GUNN.
It is not often that the biographer has occasion to record so much work accomplished and such ambitious plans carried out to successful completion as in the present instance. Mr. Gunn, though now only thirty-one years of age, has been recognized as an expert electrician and mechanical engineer for many years, and he has had entrusted to him works of vast importance and magnitude. He has never failed to execute the same with promptness, skill and thoroughness, calling forth the earnest commendation of all con- cerned in the same. Four years ago he was induced to settle in Lafayette as a permanent citizen of the place and to undertake the general manage- ment of the entire city street-railway system. He has since ably discharged the duties of this position and has won his way into the respect and high regard of a large circle of our best citizens.
From a long line of sturdy, enterprising, upright New England ances- tors our subject doubtless inherited many of the characteristics which have wrought out his success in life. His great-grandfather Gunn was a native of Scotland, and lived to the advanced age of ninety-two years. He came to this country prior to the war of the Revolution, in which, as the records state, he was a valiant soldier. His home was in New Hampshire, and in that state his son Elijah, the grandfather of our subject, was born and reared. Elijah Gunn was a farmer by occupation, and at the time of the second war with our mother country he followed his patriotic father's
.
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exampie and went forth to fight for the maintenance of the rights of the United States. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Dexter Britton, likewise born in bleak New Hampshire, and of English descent. He was a farmer and died when about fifty years old.
Edward B. Gunn, whose birth took place July 8, 1868, in Gilsum, New Hampshire, is the only son and only survivor of the four children born to Elisha W. and Lucy D. (Britton) Gunn. They were both natives of New Hampshire and were very prominent in the work of the Methodist Episcopal church. The father has been actively engaged in farming until recently, owning a large, thrifty fruit orchard and prospering financially. Politically a Republican, he has occupied various township offices and for years was one of the selectmen of his neighborhood. The wife and mother died in 1882, aged fifty-six years.
Until he was fifteen years old E. B. Gunn lived on the parental home- stead and attended the common schools. Then he took a four-months course of practical training in the Thomson-Houston Electric Works at Lynn, Massachusetts. Having mastered the business sufficiently, he accepted a position with the West End Street Railway Motor Works, in the ninth division of Boston. Subsequently he became superintendent of overhead construction of the Duquesne Traction Company, at Pittsburg, and under his direction twenty-eight miles of overhead work was executed. Leaving that corporation, he was next employed by the Union Railway Company, of New York, to put up the first overhead trolley ever made in the great metropolis. When he had constructed thirty miles of lines for that company he superin- tended the building of one hundred and twenty miles of overhead-line work for the Atlantic avenue railway of Brooklyn. On the division between Thirty-ninth street and Coney Island the trolley lines were substituted for the old steam system. After this Mr. Gunn became superintendent of construc- tion of overhead and underground lines for the People's Traction Company, of Philadelphia. There he put in about seventy-five miles of trolley lines and one hundred and eighty miles of underground feeder lines. In Novem- ber, 1894, he came to Lafayette and has since occupied his present position. Under his management are some fifty workmen and all of the city lines, including the one out to the Soldier's Home. Improvements of a substantial nature are constantly being instituted by him for the benefit of the public, who sincerely appreciate his efforts to add to their comfort in various ways.
The attractive home of Mr. Gunn is at No. 735 Owen street, Highland Park. The charming mistress of this domain was Miss Emmie R. Stanley prior to her marriage to Mr. Gunn, October 25, 1893. She is a daughter of Edward and Retta (Yarnell) Stanley, and by her marriage has become the
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mother of three children, Idella E,, Edward S., Emily B. Mr. and Mrs. Gunn are members of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal church.
Politically, our subject is a Republican. Socially, he is connected with the Masons and Odd Fellows, standing high in the regard of all the brethren of these orders. In the Masonic order he has reached the thirty-second degree, belonging to Tippecanoe Lodge, No. 492, F. & A. M .; Lafayette Chapter, No. 3, R. A. M .; Lafayette Commandery, No. 3, K. T .; Adoniram Lodge of Perfection; Seraiah Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Indianapolis Chapter, Rose Croix, and Indiana Consistory, S. P. R. S. He also is a member of James P. Nicholson Lodge, No. 585, I. O. O. F.
SAMUEL C. FENTON, M. D.
Dr. Fenton was born in Warren county, Indiana, November 29, 1844, and has been a lifelong resident of the state, although he has made his home in Boswell, Benton county, only during the past three years. He is a son of Joseph A. and Margaret (Campbell) Fenton. The father was born in the southern part of the state in 1817, and died in 1852, at the age of thirty-five years. He was a farmer of Warren county and owned one hun- dred and fifty acres of land at the time of his demise. He was married in 1840 to Margaret Campbell, who died in Boswell in May, 1897, at the age of seventy-nine years. Three children were born to them: Eleazer, born in 1841 and died in 1860; Samuel C .; our subject; and Flora E., born in 1851 and is now the widow of R. W. Stewart. The paternal grandparents of Dr. Fenton were Eleazer and Elizabeth (Englemond) Fenton, the former an American and the latter a German. The maternal grandparents were Samuel and Peggy (Cobb) Campbell.
Dr. Fenton attended the district school in Warren county until he was fifteen years of age, when he entered the Battle Ground University for three years. There he began the study of medicine under the preceptorship of H. D. Riddile, M. D., and then took a course of lectures in Rush Medical College, Chicago, during 1866-7, graduating at the institution in 1870. In the summer of 1867 he began the practice of his profession in Pine Village, Indiana, and continued in active practice there for twenty-five years, gain- ing a large and lucrative patronage. In 1890 he was chosen auditor of Warren county, and served four years, at the same time keeping up his practice. In 1895 he moved to Boswell, where he has met with a hearty welcome and has proved his ability and skill in dealing with sickness in all its varied forms.
He was married September 23, 1869, in his native county, to Miss Anna Pierce, a daughter of Milton and Sarah S. (Morgan) Pierce. Mrs. Fenton
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also is a native of Warren county, having been born there April 18, 1849. They have no children of their own and have reared two daughters, -Nanny Bowman and Lucy Marie Fenton, -giving them a good home. The Doctor is a member of the Masonic lodge, and belongs to the Knights of Pythias, where he has served in all the offices. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a Republican in politics, having served as auditor of Warren county one term, and trustee of Adams township, that county, two terms. He is genial and affable and has made a host of friends in this county since his advent here.
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